The mobile device stores a plurality of communication profiles comprising one or more local communication profiles and a global communication profile. The mobile device determines local access requirements for connecting to a local cellular network operator and determines whether the plurality of communication profiles comprises a local communication profile that satisfies the local access requirements. When the plurality of communication profiles does not comprise a local communication profile that satisfies the local access requirements: the mobile device connects to a global cellular network operator using the global communication profile; receives, from the global cellular network operator, a new local communication profile that satisfies the local access requirements and connects to the local cellular network operator using the new local communication profile. Subsequently, the mobile device communicates with another device via the local cellular network operator as if the mobile device was a local mobile device.

Mobile devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, and smartphones are becoming increasingly ubiquitous. Subscribers need their mobile devices to be functional in a wide variety of locations including their place of work, their residence, and domestic travel destinations as well as international travel destinations. Typically, a home cellular network operator provides wireless communication services to the mobile devices of its subscribers over a home cellular network and has arrangements with other cellular network operators to provide access to the other cellular network operators' cellular communication networks via inter-network roaming agreements. However, the terms of these inter-network roaming agreements have a number of drawbacks, the biggest of which is the cost. Roaming subscribers making calls or sending messages are typically charged significantly more than subscribers of the local cellular network operator making the same actions. Similarly, high costs are also incurred by other callers in the roaming country attempting to call the mobile device of the roaming subscriber, as the callers must use the home phone number associated with the home cellular network operator to reach the mobile device, thereby incurring long-distance international phone charges.
As a result, many subscribers buy local prepaid mobile service plans from local cellular network operators for use when communicating while outside of the cellular network operated by their home cellular network operator, instead of using the roaming services provided by their home cellular network operator. As a preliminary matter, the logistics of acquiring separate subscriber identity module (SIM) cards and/or mobile devices for each country to which the subscriber plans to travel is burdensome and complicated. Moreover, while the subscriber is able to circumvent the high cost of roaming phone calls by switching between different SIM cards or different mobile device, such switching disconnects the subscriber from communications that are sent to their home cellular network operator.
In other words, in exchange for cheaper local calls, the subscriber loses the ability to make and receive communications using their existing account with their home cellular network operator, thereby making it difficult to communicate with friends and family who use the subscribers regular phone number that is associated with the subscriber's home cellular network operator to communicate with the subscriber. This behavior by subscribers also has negative consequences for network operators. In particular, when a subscriber switches SIM cards or mobile devices, the home cellular network operator loses the chance to provide services to that subscriber, resulting in lost revenue for the home cellular network operator. Additionally, switching SIM cards or mobile devices also limits the ability of the subscriber to remain connected with contacts in foreign countries that the user was in communication with using a local SIM card or local mobile device. In particular, when the subscriber switches back from the local SIM card or local mobile device to the home mobile device or home SIM card, the subscriber is unable to receive calls or messages that are directed towards the local SIM card or local mobile device, because the local SIM card and/or the local mobile device are no longer connected to a cellular network operator.
Other problems are faced by subscribers who want to use a mobile device that was using funds from a prepaid account. Prepaid service plans are increasingly popular, however, a prepaid subscriber who travels to a geographic location where the home cellular network operator does not have any infrastructure for adding funds (topping-up) the prepaid account may be faced with a shortage of funds in the prepaid account and no way to add additional funds. Moreover, prepaid vouchers are typically denominated in local currency, which further complicates adding funds to a prepaid account with the subscriber's home network operator which typically accepts the subscriber's home currency. If a prepaid subscriber merely switches mobile devices or SIM cards to a local mobile device associated with a local cellular network operator, the funds paid to the subscriber's home cellular network operator are unusable. Similarly, when the prepaid subscriber returns to the home cellular network operator any unused prepaid funds that were paid to the local cellular network operator are likewise unusable. This can result in substantial unusable funds.

System and method for dynamically providing communication profiles for mobile devices


An adaptive equalization method and system for reducing noise and distortion in a sampled video signal improves the quality of output video information in both consumer and professional applications. A multi-band equalizer applied to the sampled video information reduces noise and distortion artifacts in the sampled video information. The gains of each of the equalizer bands is adjusted dynamically by control outputs provided by a noise and distortion detector. The noise and distortion detector incorporates circuits for comparing the luminance of each plane on a per-pixel basis with neighboring pixels and also includes a pattern matching comparator that detects edge features by comparing each pixel and its neighbors with a set of predetermined patterns. The noise and distortion detection can be further confirmed by comparing the detection results across multiple frames and the equalizer gain values may be further selected by a result of a video motion type classification.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to video processing systems, and more specifically, to a method and system that adaptively filter video data in response to detection of noise within the data.
2. Background of the Invention
Video processing systems are in common use for professional video production and are finding increasing use in consumer applications, such as personal computer video capture devices and video recorders such as digital versatile disc (DVD) recorders.
Analog video channels, and in particular analog video channels that originate from rendered compressed video data may not have a flat frequency response, as some frequencies may be attenuated due to the channel (e.g., video interconnect cables) or due to prior digital-domain compression algorithm that was applied to the source video (e.g., MPEG2 compression). Digital sources also have the same artifacts from compression, and particularly in the professional video production environment where compressed signals may be routed, decompressed and re-compressed many times, the compression artifacts lead to increased distortion. Further, deeper compression algorithms such as MPEG4 have an increased tendency toward introducing structured distortion.
Noise present in an analog video signal includes random noise and structured noise or distortion. Structured noise or distortion, such as the above-mentioned sources of channel and compression distortion could be removed or reduced through filtering or equalization, but as the video information is not known a priori and the channel and/or compression characteristics may dynamically change, determining the proper equalization to apply a priori does not yield the best results.
In addition to yielding a video image that is distorted or includes noise, presence of the above-described noise or distortion complicates the process of encoding video data. The noise or distortion may introduce components that are not actually part of the video image or may erroneously enhance portions of a video image that cause the re-encoding process to yield a larger data stream output than would be required to encode a noise-free and distortion-free version of the video data.
Techniques that have been applied to the pre-processing of video data for encoding include coring, in which a threshold is applied to video components to remove low-level components from the video signal prior to encoding. U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,015 describes a method for image classification with control of a pair of single-band peaking filters for the purposes of mitigating encoding distortion as an alternative improvement to coring. However, the technique described therein is applied to adaptive control of a single-band peaking filter for each direction (horizontal and vertical) that is generally useful for sharpening a video display that is transmitted through a broadcast radio-frequency channel and can introduce artifacts that it would be desirable to remove.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a method and system for adaptively filtering video data to reduce noise and distortion. It would further be desirable to provide such adaptive filtering in a method and system having low video processing overhead.

Adaptive equalization method and system for reducing noise and distortion in a sampled video signal


A flail drum system has an upper rotary chain flail drum and a lower rotary chain flail drum longitudinally downstream from the upper drum. Wood product advancing mechanism on the machine frame moves the logs forwardly while spreading them and creates a downward pressure on the products at a first pinch point. The upper and lower flail drums are each driven in rotation about a generally horizontal axis transverse to the path of the log. There is a vertically fixed log support member longitudinally between the upper and lower flail drums and driven means for engaging and advancing the logs is provided on a vertically movable subframe which mounts the upper flail drum, longitudinally between the flail drums, for creating a downward pressure on the logs passing between the upper and lower flail drums and preventing raising and diving movement of the logs passing between the drums. The flail drums have a central shaft with scalloped rod support and spacer elements providing perimetral openings, through which chain supporting rods extend without engaging the elements, alternately with circumferentially spaced openings through which the rods extend and which support the rods. The chains are arranged in an axially progressive spiral array on the rods.

In producing chips from logs and small trees which are used in the paper industry to make pulp, it is desirable to remove any limbs and the bark prior to introducing the tree or log to a chipper for chipping the wood product into usable chips. Various flail drum systems have been used in conjunction with chippers and like processing machinery for many years, and have been proposed and used in many forms. For example, the following prior art patents, which are incorporated herein by reference, are concerned with various flail assemblies and their use:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,552,498, Noyes PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,604, Stadnick PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,166, Larson PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,481, Brisson PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,418, McCray et al PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,258, Mischel PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,431, Demlow PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,169, Peterson et al PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,906, Schroeder PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,844, Robison
The present invention is directed to a system of improved character, particularly for handling multiple small diameter logs fed in side by side relation, which positively controls the movement of the logs proceeding through the flailing chamber. The system enhances the bark removing capability of the machine, and enables the speedy and economic repositioning or replacement of the component flail drum parts which are subject to wear.


In the removal of internal bones in a fore-end of a split carcass the shank bone, the humerus bone and the shoulder blade are cut free by machine, so that subsequently they can easily be removed from the rest of the fore-end. A transport tool (27a) is brought to grip around the free end of the shank bone. The fore-end is then pulled past cutting tools (1, 9, 15) by means of the transport tool, and the cutting tools (1, 9, 15) hereby perform cutting operations along the shank bone, the humerus bone and the shoulder blade guided by these bones, so that the bones are at least partially cut free from the rest of the fore-end. The articulations between the shank bone and the humerus bone, and the connections of the humerus bone to the shoulder blade are maintained at least partially unbroken during the cutting operations, so that the tractive force from the transport tool (27a) by the grip of the tool round the free end of the shank bone is transferred to the bones via their unbroken connections.

Processing of fore-ends in the boning rooms of slaughterhouses comprises a long series of manual operations, the purpose of which is to remove bones, cartilage and sinews, and which serves to separate and trim the muscles. The operations require experienced operators in order to achieve a good meat yield. The work is a strain on the operators, especially the removal of the internal bones. There has long been a need for a mechanization of the process, but the auxiliary apparatuses known up to now can only be used for removal of single bones and therefore the processing is still highly demanding for the operators.
There exist for example machines and apparatuses, which can extract a shoulder blade. DK 144.404 B (Slagteriernes Forskningsinstitut) describes an apparatus, which extracts the shoulder blade from a bacon side by means of a hook. First, a manual separation is performed between the humerus bone and the shoulder blade. Then, the shoulder blade is extracted in the longitudinal direction of the blade, so that the shoulder blade pocket remains intact, which is important by bacon sides. EP 0468 010 B1 (Slagteriernes Forskningsinstitut) describes an apparatus for extraction of the shoulder blade from a fore-end, which is to be separated into meat parts. The apparatus extracts the shoulder blade by means of a hook. The extraction is performed in a direction at right angles to the plane of the shoulder blade.
EP 0832 563 B1 (Slagteriernes Forskningsinstitut) suggests an automated, partial boning of fore-ends by first fixing the fore-end and then cutting the bones completely or partially free from the meat. It is suggested to remove the shank bone and the shoulder blade and partially loosening the humerus bone from a fore-end by fixing the fore-end, determining an anatomical fixed point and moving a gripper in to this part of the bone, which is to be removed. After the gripper has gripped around the bone, a cutting operation is performed along the bone guided by this by means of tools on the gripper. The disadvantage of this known technique is that each individual fore-end has to be fixed before the gripper are activated and that the tools has to be used each one individually on the fixed fore-end. The result of this is a poor coefficient of utilization of each individual tool and it makes the process fairly slow.
The only apparatus known today that can bone fore-ends without surface bone in one process uses a press with two matrices, which squeezes the meat away from the shoulder blade, the shank bone and the humerus bone. Most slaughterhouses prefer to maintain the manual boning, as the apparatus damages the meat structure, resulting in meat of a reduced value. Furthermore, there will be splinters of bone in the meat.
Thus, the problem with the known apparatuses and methods is that they cannot perform a boning operation of fore-ends at a high speed and with good utilization of tools if an acceptable meat quality after the boning operation is to be achieved.

Method and apparatus for use in removal of internal bones in a fore-end


An example computing platform may be configured to (i) receive a request to access one or more resources on behalf of a given user, (ii) identify a parameter within the request that requires a permission verification, (iii) apply a verification tag to the parameter, wherein the verification tag is set to a first value indicating that a permission verification has not been successfully performed for the given user with respect to the parameter, (iv) perform a permission verification for the given user with respect to the parameter, (v) based on performing the permission verification, either (a) update the verification tag from the first value to a second value indicating that a permission verification has been successfully performed or (b) leave the verification tag set to the first value, and (vi) determine whether to grant or deny the request based at least in part on the verification tag for the parameter.

Computer systems are susceptible to a myriad of different types of cybersecurity vulnerabilities that may be exploited to gain unauthorized access to a system and/or make unauthorized changes to a system. Such vulnerabilities may target one or more system components, such as the system software and/or hardware. In order to protect against exploitation of computer vulnerabilities, various cybersecurity approaches have been developed.
In general, cybersecurity measures attempt to protect a system's confidentiality, integrity, and/or availability from external threats. Confidentiality measures ensure that access to a system and use of system data is authorized. For example, breach of confidentiality may occur when sensitive information is inadequately protected, resulting in exposure of sensitive data such as credit card information or private healthcare information. Integrity measures ensure that the ability to modify accessible data is authorized. For example, breach of integrity may occur when credentials of an authorized user (e.g., username and password) are accessed by a malicious user and used to make unauthorized modifications to system data. Availability measures ensure uninterrupted access by an authorized user to a system. For example, breach of availability may occur when a system undergoes a denial of service (DOS) attack, where a malicious user is able to exploit one or more system vulnerabilities to disrupt system service such that the system is made unavailable to authorized users.
While many approaches of protecting against such vulnerabilities exist, two fundamental aspects of cybersecurity measures are authentication and authorization. Authentication is the process by which a system verifies the identity of a user. Authentication procedures may include, for example, obtaining credentials (e.g., username and password) or biometrics (e.g., fingerprint or retinal scan) in order to verify that the user is indeed who the user claims to be. Authorization is the process by which a system verifies if the user has permission to make a given user request. For example, a company employee may have authorization to view his salary information but may not have authorization to modify the salary information. Together, authentication and authorization are commonly referred to as access control.
Despite cybersecurity measures attempting to verify access control, access control vulnerabilities exist and may be exploited. One example of a commonly-exploited access control vulnerability is Insecure Direct Object Reference (IDOR), which occurs when an internal reference to an object (e.g., user details, a file, a directory, or a database key) is directly exposed. Such an IDOR vulnerability can then be exploited by a malicious user to access the exposed reference without authorization.
Typically, when a system receives a user request on behalf of a given user to access a given system resource, the system first attempts to authenticate the given user by requesting proof of the user's identity. If a system receives a user input via a web application (e.g., website login) seeking to access the given system resource, this proof may take the form of a username and password. The system may then compare the username and password combination to a user database available to the system in order to determine if the combination is valid. After determining the combination is valid, the system may permit the given user to log into the system's web application. Accordingly, the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for a given web page of the system's web application that the given user is directed to may include the domain, the path, and at least one parameter pertaining to the given resource, such as an identifier for the given resource. For example, after verifying that the given user is authenticated, the system may direct the given user to a user home page for the given user at the system's web application with the URL "website.com/home?user_id=4517," where the parameter "user_id=4517" includes a resource identifier (e.g., "user_id") and its corresponding value (e.g., "4517"). Using the system's web application, the given user may then attempt to access the given resource, such as the user's profile information, by making a selection on the application web page. The system may then verify whether the given user is authorized to access the given user profile—in other words, whether the given user has permission to access the given user profile—by consulting permission information available to the system in order to determine if the given user has permission to access the user profile designated as "user_id=4517." If the given user does have permission, the system may grant the user request by directing the given user to the profile settings web page with the URL "website.com/user_profile?user_id=4517," where the user can view his profile information.
Because the parameter value "4517" is exposed within the URL, the given user may be able to manipulate the parameter within the URL in an attempt to gain access to information associated with a different reference for which the given user does not have access permission, such as a user profile associated with a different resource identifier (e.g., a different user's profile). For example, the given user may attempt to edit the value for the "user_id" parameter within the URL to read "website.com/user_profile?user_id=4520" in an attempt to bypass authentication for the parameter "user_id=4520" and gain access to a different user profile designated as resource identifier "4520." To protect against such behavior and to minimize the ability for the given user to access information for which the given user does not have permission, the system generally also needs to employ a procedure for determining whether the given user is authorized to view the profile associated with "user_id=4520" prior to granting access, because otherwise, the system may inadvertently allow the given user to gain access to the "user_id=4520" user profile, which would give rise to a security issue.
Another example of a commonly-exploited access control vulnerability is SQL Injection (SQLI), a type of code injection method used to attack a database-driven application (e.g., a web application). SQLI occurs when a malicious SQL query is inserted into an entry field for execution by the application. A malicious user can exploit an SQLI vulnerability to make changes to an application's data without gaining access to the data itself, making SQLI vulnerabilities particularly harmful.
An SQLI vulnerability is commonly exploited using a web application's login webpage. Typically, when a user enters login credentials to log in at a web application's login webpage, the entered text values are sent to a server of the web application to determine if (i) the user exists and (ii) the entered password matches the stored password for that user. The server makes these determinations by executing code in the form of an SQL query incorporating the text values entered by the user. A malicious user may embed, or "inject," SQL commands within the text values entered into the login fields, thereby causing the server to execute unauthorized commands.
For example, if a user enters the text value "user!" in the username entry field and the text value "password123" in the password entry field at an application's login webpage, the application's server may execute a SQL query such as "SELECT password FROM users WHERE username='user!';" to verify if the user exists and if the password provided by the user matches the password stored in a database of the application. Knowing that the application server will execute an SQL query to verify the login credentials, a malicious user may inject an unauthorized SQL command such as "DROP TABLE users;" in the password entry field, which may cause the application server to execute the unauthorized command and delete all user information. A malicious user may also use SQLI to inject a text value such as "OR 1=1—" into the SQL query executed by the application's server to force the selection of a valid username and gain unauthorized access to user data. To protect against such behavior, an application generally needs to employ a procedure for recognizing code injection attempts.
Yet another type of commonly-exploited access control vulnerability is cross-site scripting ("XSS"), a type of code injection method that can be used to attack an application and capture information related to the application's users. One particularly damaging type of XSS is referred to as "stored XSS," which occurs when a malicious script is injected into the application and stored within the application by the application's server. A stored XSS vulnerability is commonly exploited using input fields provided by a web application's webpage. For example, stored XSS may be used to enter a malicious script into a comment entry field or a post entry field, which is then stored within the application and may subsequently be delivered to other users.
Several other types of access control vulnerabilities exist. Accordingly, being adequately equipped to protect against such security vulnerabilities is paramount.

Computing system and method for verification of access permissions


An object is to improve performance and efficiency of an air conditioning device constituted of a waste heat utilization circuit in which waste heat of a heat source is utilized in heating a room to be conditioned in a heat exchanger for heating; a refrigerant circuit in which carbon dioxide is used as a refrigerant and which has a supercritical pressure on a high pressure side; and a cascade heat exchanger which performs heat exchange between a fluid flowing from the heat source to the heat exchanger for heating in the waste heat utilization circuit and the refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit, the refrigerant discharged from a compressor is passed through the cascade heat exchanger, the refrigerant discharged from the cascade heat exchanger is divided by a flow divider, one divided refrigerant is passed from an auxiliary pressure reduction unit to an internal heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the refrigerant discharged from the cascade heat exchanger and then sucked into an intermediate pressure section of the compressor, and the other divided refrigerant is passed from a main pressure reduction unit to a heat absorber and then sucked into a low pressure section of the compressor.

The present invention relates to an air conditioning device constructed by a waste heat utilization circuit for utilizing waste heat of a heat source in heating of a room to be conditioned in a heat exchanger for heating; a refrigerant circuit in which carbon dioxide is used as a refrigerant and which has a supercritical pressure on a high pressure side; and a cascade heat exchanger which performs heat exchange between a fluid flowing from the heat source to the heat exchanger for heating in the waste heat utilization circuit and a refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit.
Heretofore, this type of air conditioning device is constituted of a waste heat utilization circuit for utilizing waste heat of a heat source of an HEV, an FCV car air conditioner, an FC co-generation system or the like in heating a room to be conditioned in a heat exchanger for heating; a refrigerant including a compressor, a heat absorber disposed externally from the room to be conditioned, a pressure reduction unit and a heat exchanger for cooling which cools the room to be conditioned; a cascade heat exchanger which performs heat exchange between a fluid such as ethylene glycol flowing from the heat source to the heat exchanger for heating in the waste heat utilization circuit and a refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit and the like. The waste heat utilization circuit is provided with a circulation pump. When the circulation pump is operated, the fluid is circulated through the waste heat utilization circuit. The circulation of the fluid through the heat source is controlled by an electromagnetic valve and the like so as to pass the fluid through the heat source in a case where the waste heat of the heat source is utilized in heating the room to be conditioned during a heating operation.
That is, during the heating operation, the fluid heated by heat exchange between the fluid and the heat source is passed through the heat exchanger for heating to heat the room to be conditioned. To heat the heat source during starting, the circulation of the fluid through the heat source is stopped. In the cascade heat exchanger, the heat exchange between the refrigerant compressed by the compressor and the fluid flowing through the waste heat utilization circuit is performed to heat the fluid, and the heated fluid is passed through the heat exchange for heating to heat the room to be conditioned.
Moreover, during the heating operation, in the cascade heat exchanger, the heat exchange between the refrigerant compressed by the compressor and the fluid flowing through the waste heat utilization circuit is performed to heat the fluid. The heated fluid is passed through the heat exchanger for heating to heat the room to be conditioned. Moreover, after reducing pressure of the refrigerant which has radiated heat in the cascade heat exchanger by the pressure reduction unit, the refrigerant is evaporated by the heat absorber disposed externally from the room to be conditioned. To cool the heat source, heating is performed in the cascade heat exchanger in a first stage. In addition, heat from the heat source is applied to the fluid, and utilized in heating the room to be conditioned.
On the other hand, during a cooling operation, without operating the circulation pump of the waste heat utilization circuit, the compressor of the refrigerant circuit is operated, and the pressure of the refrigerant which has radiated heat in the heat exchanger disposed externally is reduced by the pressure reduction unit. Subsequently, the refrigerant is circulated through the heat exchanger for cooling to cool the room to be conditioned.
In addition, in recent years, a problem of global environment has been noticed, and carbon dioxide which is a natural refrigerant has been used as the refrigerant even in this type of air conditioning device. Since carbon dioxide has a characteristic as satisfactory as a global warming coefficient of 1, carbon dioxide has been noted as a substitute for a chlorofluorocarbon-based refrigerant. However, a critical point of the carbon dioxide refrigerant is about 7.31 MPa at 31.1° C., and the pressure of the refrigerant circuit on a high pressure side easily reaches a supercritical region. Especially, when the temperature of the fluid rises by cooling circulation of the heat source, capability of the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the fluid deteriorates. Therefore, after the radiation of the refrigerant, the temperature (at an outlet of the cascade heat exchanger) rises. This causes a problem that cooling/heating capability and efficiency remarkably deteriorate.
To avoid such deterioration of the efficiency, an air conditioning device is developed in which a heat exchanger is additionally disposed in a refrigerant circuit. A refrigerant which has radiated heat in a cascade heat exchanger is passed through the heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and surrounding air (e.g., air of a room to be conditioned, etc.). In consequence, the refrigerant further radiates heat to thereby increase an enthalpy difference (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-98430).
However, when the temperature of the air (e.g., the room to be conditioned or the like) to be subjected to the heat exchange between the air and the refrigerant in the heat exchanger rises, such a radiation effect cannot be obtained, and the efficiency disadvantageously remarkably deteriorates. Since the heat exchanger is disposed, the device enlarges and cost increases.
On the other hand, during the heating operation at a low outside air temperature, regardless of the efficiency, the room to be conditioned needs to be heated at an early stage to secure coziness.


For controlling exposure in a camera, first and second brightness levels of first and second areas of a captured image are determined. First and second weight values for the first and second brightness levels are determined with an increase of the first weight value for a higher difference between the first and second brightness levels. Exposure control data is generated from the first and second weight values and the first and second brightness levels.

This application claims priority under 35 USC § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 2004-52177, filed on Jul. 6, 2004, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to camera systems, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for controlling automatic exposure in a camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable terminals, such as personal communication systems (PCS) and cellular phones, have become increasingly popular. Particularly, the portable terminal with a built-in camera, referred to as a camera phone, is widely used. In such a camera, an exposure time of each pixel needs to be controlled according to lighting conditions. When the exposure time is too long, an image may be overly bright. In contrast, when the exposure time is too short, an image may be too dark.
Conventional automatic exposure (AE) control systems adjust the exposure time of each pixel to compensate for variations in brightness of the image, which includes a subject and a surrounding (or background). The automatic exposure (AE) controls a shutter speed of the camera to maintain a brightness level of the captured image.
When the image is captured and converted to digital image data during digital image processing, an average brightness of the digital image data of each pixel is determined based on the brightness of the whole scene. The extracted average brightness is used as an input to the automatic exposure to control the exposure time so that the brightness of the image has a target value.
In conventional exposure control, an average brightness of the whole area of the captured image is used as the input to the automatic exposure. Therefore, when a light source such as the sun is positioned at a rear of the subject (back-lighted), the average brightness is relatively high despite the relatively large brightness difference between the subject and the background. Accordingly, the main subject may be under-exposed (i.e., the subject is too dark). When the light source is positioned at a front of the subject (front-lighted), the main subject may be over-exposed (i.e., the subject is too bright). Therefore, the conventional automatic exposure may not effectively compensate for such front-lighted or back-lighted scenes.
To compensate for the back-lighted or front-lighted scene, U.S. Patent Application Publication Number No. 2002-0136551 provides exposure control with comparison of brightness levels for a central area and a peripheral area of the captured image to determine whether the scene is back-lighted or front-lighted. The exposure control data is determined according to a logarithmic relationship with the brightness levels and with a correction coefficient that is determined according to a distance of the subject from the camera. In addition, such a correction coefficient is predefined and stored in memory.
Additionally, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-300468 discloses exposure control that divides the captured image into at least two areas to apply given weight values to the respective areas. When a ratio of a brightness of a predetermined area to a brightness of another area is greater than a given value, it is determined whether the scene is back-lighted so that the weight values applied to the respective areas are modified. However, a correction coefficient for each of the divided areas is predefined, and the brightness difference between the respective areas is not used in the exposure control.
Furthermore, power consumption is desired to be reduced in a mobile communication system such as a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant (PDA). In addition, simpler hardware is desired for reducing the thickness and size of the portable terminal.
Thus, an automatic exposure control amenable for mobile application devices is desired, particularly with accurate control of automatic exposure in the camera.

Method and apparatus for controlling automatic exposure in a camera


A method for breeding tomato plants that produce tomatoes with reduced fruit water content including the steps of crossing at least one Lycopersicon esculentum plant with a Lycopersicon spp. to produce hybrid seed, collecting the first generation of hybrid seeds, growing plants from the first generation of hybrid seeds, pollinating the plants of the most recent hybrid generation, collecting the seeds produced by the most recent hybrid generation, growing plants from the seeds of the most recent hybrid generation, allowing plants to remain on the vine past the point of normal ripening, and screening for reduced fruit water content as indicated by extended preservation of the ripe fruit and wrinkling of the fruit skin.

Dehydrated tomato products comprise an important portion of the tomato industry. The production of tomato pastes, ketchup and other processed tomato products is dependent on the energy-requiring steps of dehydration. The production of "sun-dried" tomato products consists of dehydrating cut tomato fruit either in the sun or in drying ovens.
Dry matter content of mature tomato fruit can range from approximately 5–10% (Davies, J. N. and Hobson, G. E. 1981. The constituents of tomato fruit—the influence of environment, nutrition and genotype. CRC Critical Reviews in Food Sci and Nutr. 15:205–280), depending largely on fruit size. Generally, processing tomato cultivars produce mature fruit with a higher water content of approximately approximate 94–95%. Smaller, "cherry"-type tomato fruit, with a fresh weight of 10–20 grams frequently have higher concentration of solids (dry weight) and hence reduced water concentrations of approximately 90% (10% dry weight).
Generally, tomato fruit development stages can be classified as the pre-climacteric stage, which is comprised of the early stages of fruit growth until incipient ripening, the climacteric stage and the post-climacteric or senescent stage. Once the fruit is fully ripe, tissue disorganization occurs, with pathogens contributing to the tissue disorganization, and characteristics associated with "overripening" and subsequent rotting of the fruit become apparent (Grierson, D. and Kader, A. A. 1986. Fruit ripening and quality. In: Atherton, J. G. and Rudich, J. Eds.: The Tomato Crop. Chapman and Hall, London, pp. 241–280).
The production of raisins from grape berries (Vitis vinifera) is a well known process in which the dehydration process occurs by diffusion of water through a waxy cuticle (Martin, R. J. L. and Scott, G. L. 1957. The physical factors involved in the drying of Sultana groups. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research. 8:444–459). For whole grape berries, the drying process is generally assisted by various dipping treatments of the berry, such as the soda-dip method (Nury, F. S., Brekke, J. E. and Bolin, H. R. 1973. Fruits. In: Van Arsdel, W. B., Copley, M. J. and Morgan, A. I., Eds: Food Dehydration. Avi Publishing Co., Westport, Conn. vol. 2, pp. 158–198). In brief, in this method the berries are dipped in a 0.2–0.3% solution of caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) at a temperature, of about 200° F. for a few seconds and are then rinsed with cold water before dehydration. The purpose of the dipping is to modify the berry cuticle so that transpiration of water vapor across the cuticle may proceed at a faster rate.
The tomato, like the grape, is botanically classified as a berry and has a waxy cuticle on the fruit epidermis (Baker, E. A., Bukovac, M. J. and Hunt, G. M. 1982. Composition of tomato fruit cuticles as related to fruit growth and development. In: Cutler, D. F., and Alvin, K. L. and Price, C. E., Eds: The Plant Cuticle. Academic Press, London, pp. 33–44). However, tomatoes will generally undergo degradation if they remain on the vine after ripening. In the case of tomatoes, the harvested fruit is generally cut in half in order to increase the dehydration rate. Alternatively, whole fruit may be pierced in order to facilitate fluid movement (Ojimelukwe, P. C. 1994. Effects of processing methods on ascorbic acid retention and sensory characteristics of tomato products. J. Food Sci. Technol. 31:247–248). Drying of the slices of pierced tomato fruit may take place either in the sun or in various forms of drying ovens based on non-solar energy input.
There are disadvantages to sun-drying since it depends on weather conditions and inclement weather leads to losses. Similarly, there are disadvantages to the use of drying ovens as these are energy consuming. Both sun drying and oven drying may lead to losses in food quality. For example, levels of ascorbic acid, one of the major nutritional contributions of tomatoes in the human diet, decrease significantly in response to sun-drying or oven-drying (Ojimelukwe, P. C. 1994. Effects of processing methods on ascorbic acid retention and sensory characteristics of tomato products. J. Food Sci. Technol. 31:247–248). Furthermore, the necessity to cut the tomato fruit in half before the drying process does not allow for the production of whole dried tomato fruit.
Wild species of the genus Lycopersicon, such as L. hirsutum, may contain within their genetic makeup expressed characteristics not generally present within the L. esculentum species. These genetic traits may be transferred to the cultivated L. esculentum. For example, the genetic trait of sucrose accumulation is present in mature fruit of the subgenus Eriopersicon (including L. hirsutum, L. chmiliewskii and L. peruvianum) and this trait has been transferred to L. esculentum, using classical genetic breeding techniques, as well as molecular genetic techniques (Schaffer, A. A., Petreikov, M., Miron, D., Fogelman, M., Spiegelman, M., Bnei-Moshe, Z., Shen, S., Granot, D., Hadas, R., Dai, N., Levin, I., Bar, M., Friedman, M., Pilowsky, M., Gilboa, N. and Chen, L. 1999. Modification of carbohydrate content in developing tomato fruit. Hortscience 34:12–14). The wild species of Lycopersicon, however, may also serve as a source of unexpressed genetic traits that can contribute to the value of cultivated plants (Bernacchi, D., Beck-Bunn, T., Eshed, Y., Lopez, J., Petiard, V., Uhlig, J., Zamir, D. and Tanksley, S. 1998. Advanced backcross QTL analysis in tomato. Identification of QTLs for traits of agronomic importance from Lycopersicon hirsutum. Theor. Appl. Genet. 97:381–397).

Method for breeding tomatoes having reduced water content and product of the method

The State of Israel-Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development


A data processing apparatus processes input data and outputs processed data. The data processing apparatus includes a data processing section and a real-time learning section. The data processing section processes the input data by a predetermined processing method and outputs the processed data. The real-time learning section controls the data processing section such that the processing method is learned in real time. The data processing section processes the input data by the learned processing method so that the output data is improved as time elapses.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data processing apparatuses and data processing methods, and more particularly, to a data processing apparatus and a data processing method in which a processing method by which input data is processed is learned in real time such that the input data is adaptively processed and output data obtained by the processing is improved as time elapses.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a structure of a conventional data processing apparatus.
The input data to be processed is sent to a determination section 91 and processing sections 921 to 92M. The processing sections 921 to 92M process the input data by processing methods different from each other and send to a selection section 93.
On the other hand, the determination section 91 controls the selection section 93 such that one of the outputs of the processing sections 921 to 92M is selected according to, for example, the amount of a feature extracted from the input data. The selection section 93 selects one of the outputs of the processing sections 921 to 92M according to the control of the determination section 93 and outputs as output data.
In other words, the processing sections 921 to 92M process the input data by the processing methods different from each other, the determination section 91 selects the most appropriate method among the processing methods of the processing sections 921 to 92M according to the amount of a feature of the input data, and the selection section 93 selects the processing result of the input data obtained by the selected processing method.
Therefore, in the data processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, when input data is image data and the processing sections 921 to 92M serve as filters having different tap coefficients for filtering the image data, for example, the determination section 91 determines among the processing sections 921 to 92M a filter having the tap coefficient which the designer of the data processing apparatus thinks most appropriate, according to the amount of a feature of the input data. The selection section 93 selects the result obtained when the determined filter filters the input data, as output data.
As described above, in the conventional data processing apparatus, the processing result of the filter having the tap coefficient which the designer of the data processing apparatus thinks most appropriate, among the processing sections 921 to 92M is selected. It is, however, not necessarily true that processing the input data by such a tap coefficient is appropriate for the input data.
In other words, in some cases, filtering with the use of a tap coefficient other than the tap coefficients which the processing sections 921 to 92M have is more appropriate for the input data, and as a result, output data improved more is obtained.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Data processing apparatus and data processing method


An endotracheal tube adapted for ventilating a patient and provided with an inflatable cuff to force air into the patient's lungs includes at least one port that communicates with the inflatable cuff such that, when air is forced down the tube during ventilation, a portion of the air is forced into the inflatable cuff and inflates it, occluding the trachea. During exhalation, the cuff is allowed to partially deflate. The partial deflation during every breathing cycle improves the blood flow to the tracheal tissues and reduces tissue damage from prolonged intubation.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to respiratory devices and, more particularly, to endotracheal tubes that are adapted to be inserted down a patient's trachea and to provide air to a patient's lungs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Endotracheal tubes are used to ventilate a patient by forcing air into the patient's lungs. Exhalation naturally follows. Ventilation is necessary, for example, during surgery, after lung failure, or to assist anyone who is having difficulty breathing. An endotracheal tube is an elongated tube that is inserted into the patient's throat and down into the patient's trachea, or windpipe. For easier insertion and reduced chances of tissue damage, the diameter of the tube is somewhat less than the natural diameter of a typical throat. The length of the endotracheal tube is such that the proximal end of the tube is located in the patient's mouth and can be connected to an air supply or breathing apparatus, while the distal end of the tube is located in the patient's trachea, past the vocal cords. During ventilation, air is forced into the open proximal end, down the tube, out the open distal end, and into the patient's lungs. During exhalation, air is allowed to leave the patient's lungs and travel back up the tube.
For effective ventilation, the air forced down the endotracheal tube must enter the lungs with minimal loss of escaping air. Therefore, the air must be blocked from escaping around the open distal end of the tube and flowing back up the patient's trachea in the space between the endotracheal tube and the trachea. Because of the need to block the air, an endotracheal tube is provided with an inflatable cuff that is usually located near the tube's distal end, past the vocal cords. When the distal end of the tube is being inserted down into the patient's trachea, the cuff is maintained in a deflated condition, for easier passage. Thereafter, he cuff is inflated until it presses against, and occludes, the trachea, to prevent the air that leaves the open distal end of the tube from flowing back up the trachea. Rather, the air is forced out the tube's open end, down the remainder of the trachea, and into the patient's lungs. A separate inflation tube that communicates with the cuff is provided along the length of the endotracheal tube. Inflation and deflation of the cuff is controlled by an air valve at the proximal end of the inflation tube.
A serious drawback to using endotracheal tubes is that the inflated cuff causes damage to the soft tissues of the trachea. The tissue damage is believed to be at least partially a result of a reduced blood flow to the soft tissues that follows from inflation of the cuff. Scar tissue can form in the trachea past the vocal cords, which is a condition known as subglottic stenosis. This is a very difficult problem to treat and can require the placement of a tracheostomy tube in the patient, often for the remainder of the patient's lifetime. Unfortunately, ventilation with the endotracheal tube requires the cuff to be inflated.
Studies have indicated that even relatively short periods of cuff inflation can cause damage to the soft tissues. As a result, a patient cannot physically tolerate intubation with an inflated cuff for extensive periods of time, and damage can occur after intubation during relatively short surgeries. Patients often have improved resistance to tissue damage if the cuff is periodically deflated during extended periods of intubation, but under many circumstances, such as surgery, periodic deflation might not be possible. At the very least, it is very inconvenient to constantly inflate and deflate the cuff when using the endotracheal tube, and the tube is often used under circumstances where having to keep track of inflation and deflation is impractical.
From the discussion above, it should be apparent that there is a need for a respiratory device that can be used to ventilate a patient for extended periods of time, without causing damage to the soft tissues of the trachea. The present invention satisfies this need.

Endotracheal tube with automatic cuff inflation and deflation


URL rewriting is a common technique for allowing users to interact with internet resources using easy to remember and search engine friendly URLs. When URL rewriting involves conditions derived for sources other than the URL, inconsistencies in HTTP kernel cache and HTTP user output cache may arise. Methods and a system for rewriting a URL while preserving cache integrity are disclosed herein. Conditions used by a rule set to rewrite a URL may be determined as cache friendly conditions or cache unfriendly conditions. If cache unfriendly conditions exist, the HTTP kernel cache is disabled and the HTTP user output cache is varied based upon a key. If no cache unfriendly conditions exist, then the HTTP kernel cache is not disabled and the HTTP user output cache is not varied. A rule set is applied to the URL and a URL rewrite is performed to create a rewritten URL.

URLs are commonly used as text-based addresses to identify internet resources (e.g., web pages). It may be advantageous to identify an internet resource that may be easily remembered by a user and easily found through search engines. Because a URL may comprise additional information used by the internet resource, the URL may become complex and difficult to discover through searches. URL rewriting is a common technique to allow users to interact with an internet resource using a simple URL. The user may enter a simple URL that is then rewritten to a URL comprising more complex and useful information for the internet resource (e.g., information concerning the web browser requesting the URL). Another technique used to enhance a user's experience with internet resources is caching techniques allowing URL and/or internet data to be stored for quick access.


An implantable medical device communication system communicates information between an implantable medical device and at least one slave device by way of a two-wire bus. Slave devices may include remote sensors, actuators and other implantable medical devices. The implantable medical device includes a communication unit to output commands and power pulses, and receive information from the slave devices over the two-wire bus. The implantable medical device and slaves communicate over the bus by selectively changing one of the lines of the bus between a first and second voltage, the second voltage substantially equal to a reference voltage of the second line, e.g., zero volts. In some embodiments, the power pulses take the form of bipolar pulse pairs. The slave device includes a recovery unit to recover power from the power pulses.

Implantable medical devices take many forms to provide therapy to a patient. For example, implantable medical devices provide pacing therapy to assist in maintaining proper heart rhythm. Pacing therapy may be applied to treat a number of conditions, such as atrial fibrillation, atrial tachyarrhythmia, atrial arrhythmias, ventricular fibrillation, ventricular tachyarrhythmia, and bradyarrhythmias caused by heart block or sinus node dysfunction. Implantable medical devices may also take the form of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator to provide therapy for sudden cardiac arrest, ventricular tachycardia, and ventricular fibrillation.
In order to provide therapy, an implantable medical device ("IMD") communicates with a plurality of implantable slave devices, such as sensors, to monitor conditions including heart electrical activity and blood oxygen content, for example. Both the sensors and the implantable medical device are implanted within the body, and in order to reduce interference to the body, the implantable medical device communicates with the sensors over a small bus having a minimum number of electrically conductive wires. For example, communication information, along with power and ground, is provided over two conductive wires. At the same time, the implantable medical device operates by way of an internal power source, usually in the form of a battery, which has a limited amount of available power. Moreover, because replacement of the implantable medical device requires surgery to the patient, conservation of power is an important consideration.
Implantable medical devices are often required to deliver life-supporting therapy in the form of electrical stimulation to the patient. Accordingly, reliable communication between the implantable medical device and the implantable sensors external to the IMD is important. Furthermore, physical characteristics such as reduced size and space of the devices are desired in order to decrease patient stress, simplify implant procedures, and reduce surgical complications.

Implantable medical device communication system with pulsed power biasing


A wheel mounting system for a wet/dry vacuum cleaner is disclosed. A system provides a wet/dry vacuum cleaner base having a plurality of mounting surfaces extending therefrom. First and second wheels are mounted to first and second stub shafts which are inserted through at least two of the plurality of bearing surfaces and secured thereto using set screws. Flanges on outer ends of the stub shafts secure the wheels between the flanges and wheel wells extending from the base of the vacuum cleaner. A reinforcing shaft can be telescopingly received within the first and second stub shafts in order to enable the vacuum cleaner base to support relatively heavy loads.

The invention generally relates to wet/dry vacuum cleaners and more particularly relates to apparatus and methods for mounting wheels to a wet/dry vacuum cleaner.
Wet/dry vacuum cleaners are well known. Such devices typically include a relatively large tank adapted to receive debris in liquid, solid, or gas form and a lid enclosing the tank. The lid typically mounts a vacuum generating mechanism such as a motor driven impeller and is removable to enable the contents of the tank to be emptied.
In order to facilitate movement of the vacuum cleaner about a given work site or facility, wheels or casters are typically mounted to the base of the vacuum cleaner tank. Such wheels and casters are mounted to vacuum cleaner bases in a variety of ways.
For example, Tomasiak, U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,605, discloses a wet/dry vacuum cleaner wheel mount manufactured from flexible plastic wherein a plurality of wheels having deformable hubs are provided. More specifically, each hub of each deformable wheel includes a number of deflectable fingers terminating in canted cam surfaces. The base of the wet/dry vacuum cleaner includes apertures sized to receive the hubs of each wheel, such that when a wheel is pressed against one of the apertures, the deformable fingers deform inwardly until completely passing the aperture whereupon the deformable fingers deflect outwardly to lock the wheel in place.
It would be desirable to provide a wheel mounting system for a wet/dry vacuum cleaner which is adapted to support a relatively wide range of loads. At the same time, it would be desirable to provide a wheel mounting system for a wet/dry vacuum cleaner which would enable the vacuum cleaner to be shipped to a consumer in an unassembled state to avoid damage to the vacuum cleaner and vacuum cleaner wheel mounting system but would allow for a user to easily assemble the vacuum cleaner and wheel mounting system when received.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a wet/dry vacuum cleaner wheel mounting system is provided which comprises a wet/dry vacuum cleaner base, a plurality of bearing surfaces extending from the base, a shaft passing through the plurality of bearing surfaces, the shaft including flanges at first and second ends, first and second wheels mounted to the shaft between the shaft flanges and the base, and a fastener secured through the bearing surface and frictionally engaging the shaft.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method of assembling a wet/dry vacuum cleaner wheel base is provided which comprises the steps of providing a wet/dry vacuum cleaner wheel base having a plurality of mounting surfaces extending therefrom, mounting a wheel to a shaft, inserting the shaft through at least two of the mounting surfaces, and securing the fastener through at least one of the mounting surfaces and against the shaft to connect the shaft and wheel to the base.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a wet/dry vacuum cleaner wheel mounting kit is provided which comprises a wet/dry vacuum cleaner base, a first axle adapted to be mounted to the base to support the first load, a second axle adapted to be mounted to the base to support a second load, the second load being greater than the first load, and first and second wheels adapted to be mounted to one of the first and second axles.
These and other aspects and features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Axle and wheel mounting system for a wet/dry vacuum cleaner


An epoxy resin composition which can be used as a semiconductor encapsulating resin and in which the improvement of flame retardancy can be attained by suitably adapting a crosslinked structure itself of a cured article without using any flame retardant material and without particularly highly filling an inorganic filler. The epoxy resin composition includes an epoxy resin (A), a phenolic resin (B), an inorganic filler (C) and a curing accelerator (D), wherein a flexural modulus E (kgf/mm2) at 240±20% C of a cured article obtained by curing the composition is a value satisfying 0.015 W+4.1≦E≦0.27 W+21.8 in the case of 30≦W<60, or a value satisfying 0.30 W−13≦E≦3.7 W−184 in the case of 60≦W≦95 wherein W (wt %) is a content of the inorganic filler (C) in the cured article. The cured article of this composition forms a foamed layer during thermal decomposition or at ignition to exert flame retardancy.

Heretofore, electronic parts such as diodes, transistors and integrated circuits have been mainly encapsulated with epoxy resin compositions. In order to secure safety, it is required as obligation by UL standards to impart flame retardancy to the epoxy resin composition which can be used as this semiconductor encapsulating resin. Accordingly, the above epoxy resin composition is usually blended with a halogen-based flame retardant material as a flame retardant material and diantimony trioxide as a flame retardant auxiliary. However, with the increase of consciousness regarding environmental problems in recent years, a high safety is required for the flame retardant material and the flame retardant auxiliary which are used in the encapsulating resins of various kinds of semiconductor devices.
The halogen-based flame retardant material generates a harmful halogen-based gas and the like during combustion, and there is anxiety that diantimony trioxide which is the flame retardant auxiliary has chronic toxicity. Accordingly, environmental and sanitary problems of the flame retardant material and the flame retardant auxiliary have been indicated, and so it is now considered that the conventional semiconductor encapsulating resins are insufficient for the safety. In addition, a halogen and antimony derived from the above flame retardant material and flame retardant auxiliary accelerate the corrosion of wires in the semiconductor device at a high temperature, particularly the corrosion of an interface between a gold (Au) wire and an aluminum (Al) pad (an interface between different kinds of metals) and the like, so that contact resistance between the Au wire and the Al pad increases. In consequence, a phenomenon such as wire breakage occurs, which causes the reliability of the semiconductor device, particularly wire corrosion resistance to lower at the high temperature. Therefore, it has been required to develop the epoxy resin composition for semiconductor encapsulate which is excellent the flame retardancy and reliability without using the halogen-based flame retardant material and diantimony trioxide.
For the above requirement, phosphorus-based flame retardant materials such as red phosphorus and phosphates, which have now been begun to be used in some fields, are useful to make the epoxy resin composition flame retardant, but each of these compounds tends to react with a trace amount of water to produce phosphine and corrosive phosphoric acids, and hence, humidity resistance is poor. Therefore, these phosphorus-based flame retardant materials are not suitable for the encapsulation of electronic parts in which humidity resistance is strictly required.
Furthermore, it has also been investigated to use metallic hydroxides such as aluminum hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide as well as boron-based compounds as the flame retardant materials, but unless each of these metallic hydroxides and boron-based compounds is used in large quantity to the epoxy resin composition, a sufficient flame retardant effect cannot be exerted. However, if a large amount of such a flame retardant material is added, the moldability of the epoxy resin composition deteriorates inconveniently.
In place of the use of the above halogen-based or phosphorus-based flame retardant material, there have been suggested an epoxy resin composition for encapsulating a semiconductor and a semiconductor device in which an inorganic filler is highly filled into the epoxy resin composition in a high ratio of, e.g., 87 to 95 wt % to improve the flame retardancy (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 301984/1996), and an epoxy resin composition and a semiconductor encapsulating device in which the inorganic filler is highly filled into the epoxy resin composition in a ratio of 83 vol % (91 wt % in terms of spherical silica powder) or more to improve burning resistance (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 208808/1997). In each of these epoxy resin compositions, however, the inorganic filler is highly filled, and hence, the moldability of the epoxy resin composition which is used to encapsulate the semiconductor device is inconveniently poor.
On the contrary, with regard to a technique of making the resin itself flame retardant without adding any flame retardant material, it has been heretofore mainly investigated to improve the heat resistance (thermal decomposition resistance) of a resin structure constituting a cured article of the epoxy resin. Such a technique can increase the density of a crosslinked structure formed by a curing reaction between resin components such as an epoxy resin and a phenolic resin in the cured article of the epoxy resin, whereby the molecular vibration of these resin components which occurs during heating and at ignition is limited. In consequence, the thermal decomposition of these resin components can be inhibited, and the amount of a decomposition gas including combustible components generated in such a case can be reduced, so that the combustion of the resin components is minimized to improve the flame retardancy of the cured article of the epoxy resin. However, as a result of the investigation of this technique, the sufficient flame retardancy could not be obtained.

Flame-retardant epoxy resin composition and semiconductor device made using the same


Circuitry is disclosed for the calibration of heating element and ambient temperature sensors, comprising: a) an amplifier having positive and negative inputs, and an output; b) one or more heating MOS transistors selectably coupled in parallel and having 1) a heating transistor drain coupled to the positive input of the amplifier; 2) a heating transistor source configured to receive a supply voltage; and 3) a heating transistor gate coupled to the amplifier output; c) one or more ambient MOS transistors selectably coupled in parallel and having 1) an ambient transistor drain, 2) an ambient transistor gate coupled to the amplifier output; and 3) an ambient transistor source configured to receive the supply voltage; d) a temperature difference resistance configured: 1) to be coupled at least partially between an ambient connection and the ambient transistor drain; and 2) to be coupled at least partially between the ambient connection and the negative input of the amplifier.

Many sensors devices are available for the flow measurement of gases or liquids, depending on the desired application. Recently, due to rapid developments in the field of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology, numerous types of traditionally scaled sensor devices have been reduced in size, leading to the development of completely new market segments and applications. This trend of sensor devices miniaturization, coupled with opportunities in cost reduction, has led to demand for complete integrated sensor device solutions, which include signal conditioning, for example, by means of integrated circuits. As such, it has become highly desirable to try to develop two or even one chip solutions, which include the sensor components, sensor excitation, sensor signal processing and supply of an analog or digital output signal.
There is a particular need to have an integrated sensor solution in the field of flow sensing based on the principle of the thermal mass flow rate. Such sensor devices could include a heating element or resistor (heater) and a Wheatstone Bridge from thermistors (heating element sensor) which are arranged in such a way that a flowing medium transports heat energy from the heating element (heater) to the heating element sensor. This produces a voltage difference, which, after signal conditioning, represents a measure for the liquid or gas flow rate. However, in order to make signal conditioning possible, the difference between the temperature of the heater and the ambient temperature must be well-known or even better constant.
Therefore, in order to know the ambient temperature, a further temperature sensor (ambient temperature sensor) is necessary to determine the ambient temperature. Current solutions use two resistors with the same temperature coefficient (TC), one for the heating element, and one for the ambient temperature sensor. The resistance value of the heating element is determined on the basis of the available operating voltage and the necessary thermal output. The resistance value of the ambient temperature sensor is chosen to be a multiple of the resistance value of the heating element, in order to avoid self heating. Both resistors are part of a control loop where they are supplied with regulated currents, which are constant in ratio. Through the variation of the absolute size of these currents the control loop adjusts itself to an operating point, which guarantees a constant temperature difference between the heating element and environment, independently of variables like supply voltage, thermal resistance of the MEMS sensor, the type of flowing medium, or the ambient temperature. While the heating element, the heating element sensor, and the ambient temperature sensor are integrated into today's MEMS sensor devices, three further external (non-integrated) resistors are necessary in addition to an operation amplifier for controlling the loop. These further resistors are discretely implemented, since they must be adjustable, in order to compensate the tolerances of the MEMS sensor devices.
Unfortunately, the discrete resistors and their complex adjustment as part of the finished sensor module is holding back a cost efficient two or one chip solution. Therefore, it would be desirable to have an integratable, low-cost circuit to adjust and calibrate a MEMS sensor device for flow measurement of gases or liquids, thereby enabling an integrated MEMS sensor solution.

Circuit arrangement to adjust and calibrate a MEMS-sensor device for flow measurement of gases or liquids


A decoding system for multi-plane memories routes address information corresponding to distinct memory access operations to the designated planes. The system includes an array of functional registers dedicated to random access read, burst read, program, erase, and erase-suspend program operations. Plane selector blocks for each plane receive the address outputs from all of the registers and plane function select logic controls the routing in accord with memory access commands for specified planes. Simultaneous operations of different type in different planes and nested operations in the same plane are possible.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,841,696 and 5,867,430 to Chen et al. describe non-volatile flash memory devices that enable simultaneous read and write operations. The disclosed memory may be organized into at least two banks, each bank including a number of sectors. Each bank shares the X decode logic (including sector decode and wordline decode logic for all banks), but has its own Y decode logic. A plurality of latches are provided which are connected to memory access lines. Virtually simultaneous operations are achieved by time multiplexing the X decode path between read and write operations, using timing signals to latch a first wordline for a first operation and then relinquish the X decode path so that a second operation can load an address and access a second wordline in another bank of the memory.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,501,700 to Pascucci describes an internal addressing structure for semiconductor memories having at least two memory banks. Here, each bank has its own row and column select circuitry. Each bank also includes an associated memory scan and address counter circuit for generating sequences of addressing codes for the corresponding bank. This structure permits sequential accessing of consecutive locations in alternating banks in an interleaved manner that is transparent to the external system.
In memory devices of the type having a plurality of banks or blocks of memory (hereinafter referred to as "planes"), each plane is effectively an independent entity having its own row and column decoders and capable of performing its own function (read, write, etc.) without interference from the other memory planes. Externally, the memory is seen as a single memory unit with a common address space, where one or more of the address bits designates a particular memory plane. Each plane may be further divided into sectors.
It is desirable to provide as much functional flexibility as possible to the memory device. The planes themselves provide some flexibility by allowing different planes to simultaneously carry out different functions. For example, it is possible for programming or erasing operation (both rather time consuming operations) to be performed in one plane, while read access to the other planes remains available. Read operations may be provided in both random access and burst modes.
An object of the present invention is to further enhance the functional flexibility of multi-plane memory devices, by providing for nested operations in the same plane, in addition to a variety of functions in the different planes.

Functional register decoding system for multiple plane operation


A system, method, and computer program product are provided for remapping registers based on a change in execution mode. A sequence of instructions is received for execution by a processor and a change in an execution mode from a first execution mode to a second execution mode within the sequence of instructions is identified, where a first register mapping is associated with the first execution mode and a second register mapping is associated with the second execution mode. Data stored in a set of registers within a processor is reorganized based on the first register mapping and the second register mapping in response to the change in the execution mode.

ARM® is a supplier of microprocessor technology, offering a range of microprocessor cores for a variety of application markets and architectures that allow a licensee to create a customized microprocessor. ARM® made an architectural choice in defining their scalar floating-point architecture. Rather than storing a single scalar value in each floating-point (FP) register (regardless of the size of the value), ARM® specified that each wide FP register hold the contents of several smaller scalar FP registers. For example, in the ARM® AArch32 architecture, four 32-bit scalar FP registers are packed into a 128-bit wide register. In contrast, the ARM® AArch64 architecture specifies that each FP register hold a single scalar or vector value, regardless of the size of the data to be stored in the register.
While packing allows for a greater number of smaller scalar FP registers, the smaller FP registers are constrained to 128-bit alignment. Vector operations assume 128-bit aligned registers, while scalar operations may require 32-bit aligned registers. Therefore, when 32 or 64 bit FP registers are packed into a 128-bit wide register, one or more of the 32 or 64 bit FP registers may not be aligned as needed to perform scalar operations. Providing two different register representations (e.g., 32-bit aligned and 128-bit aligned) is needed to support both the AArch64 and AArch32 architectures. However, both of the representations are not suitable for both scalar and vector operations. Thus, there is a need for addressing this issue and/or other issues associated with the prior art.

System, method, and computer program product for remapping registers based on a change in execution mode


A multidirectional simultaneous observation optical system is composed of, as shown in FIG. 2, side image acquiring prism systems (145A, 145B) and so forth for acquiring side images of an object (11) and bottom image acquiring prism system (185F) for acquiring a bottom image. The prism system (145A) and so forth include optical path direction changing prisms (14A, 14B, 18F) and so forth respectively. An open space for acquiring the top image is defined directly above the object (11). The optical paths of the light beams emerging from the prism system (145A) and so forth extend upward from the object (11), and are so disposed as not to be blocked by the other prism systems. As a result, the object can be accurately observed from various directions simultaneously.

The need sometimes arises for multidirectional observation and measurement of an appearance of an object to be inspected for the purpose of quality control or the like in various industrial fields.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional method of observing in many directions an object to be inspected. As shown in the figure, when an object to be inspected, having faces 1b, 1c, and 1e and other faces is observed, an external appearance of the object can be grasped by observation in directions toward the front, back, left, right, top and bottom faces, i.e., the six faces. In this example, the direction of observation of the object is changed by suitably moving a reading device 407, thus performing observation in many directions (directions toward the front, back, left, right, top and bottom faces). In the case where observation in many directions is performed by moving one reading device 407, a moving mechanism considerably complicated and highly sophisticated is required for positioning the reading device 407 and great effort and a long time are required for setting the reading device 407.
As an alternative to this method, a method has also been practiced in which an object to be inspected is observed in a direction freely selected and the direction of observation is changed by moving the object to be inspected. This method, however, requires considerable effort and a complicated process for moving and positioning the object to be inspected. Also, there are limits to the working efficiency and the improvement in observation accuracy.
To know the state of filing of applications for patent or the like aimed at simultaneous observation and measurement in many directions, a survey by search in Japan Patent Office Industrial Property Digital Library has been tried.
(I) Search survey 1
    Menu: Publication text search    Search formula: (six faces+multiple faces)*measurement*simultaneous*(image+picture+figure+taking)    Data: Published patent application    Search date: Dec. 18, 2003    Number of hits: 28(II) Search survey 2    Menu: Publication text search    Search formula: (six faces+multiple faces)*observation*simultaneous*(optical+prism)    Data: Published patent application, Examined patent application publication    Search date: Feb. 19, 2004    Number of hits: 4
In the results of these surveys, the one shown as patent document 1 below relates to a technique of grasping the positional relationship between a plurality of objects to be measured; the one shown as patent document 2 relates to use of an arrangement based on a plurality of mirrors for shape measurement in a case where a dead angle occurs (these are the results of search survey 1); and the one shown as patent document 3 relates to a technique for improving the resolution of an optical distance sensor and reducing the secondary light reflection sensitivity of the sensor.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-156333, "Distance measuring apparatus and others", Abstract.    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-322526, "Three dimensional shape measuring apparatus", Abstract.    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-240607, "Optical distance sensor", Abstract.

Multidirectional simultaneous observation optical system, image reading device, image reading method, and multidirectional simultaneous observation combined optical system


Methods for replicating a nanopillared surface include applying a nanopillar-forming material to a surface of a replica substrate to form a precursor layer on the replica-substrate surface. A template surface of a nanomask may be contacted to the precursor layer. The nanomask may include a self-assembled polymer layer on a nanomask-substrate surface, the template surface being defined in the self-assembled polymer layer. The self-assembled polymer layer may have nano-sized pores with openings at the template surface. The precursor layer may be cured while the template surface remains in contact with the precursor layer. The nanomask is removed to expose a nanopillared surface having a plurality of nanopillars on the replica-substrate surface. The nanopillars on the replica-substrate surface may correspond to the pores in the template surface. Nanopillared surfaces may be replicated on one side of the replica substrate or on two opposing sides of the replica substrate.

Field
The present specification generally relates to materials for and methods of masking surfaces and forming nanoscale three-dimensional structures, and more specifically, to block copolymers in combination with homopolymers for use in forming nanomasks and dimensionally-modified surfaces. Methods of making and using related devices are also disclosed.
Technical Background
Engineering nano-textured post or hole patterns onto surfaces at low cost is commercially desirable for many applications, including anti-glare, anti-smudge de-wetting properties associated with modern touch-screens, and anti-reflective and scattering optical properties related to photovoltaic glass substrates. Previously, it has been a challenge to produce commercially-viable, cost-effective nanoscale patterns having specific pitch and diameter requirements over large areas.

Surface nanoreplication using polymer nanomasks


A method for controlling in an automated manner a motor vehicle (10) traveling on a road (12) in a current lane (14) is suggested, wherein the road (12) has at least one further lane (16). The method comprises the following steps: At least two preliminary driving maneuvers are generated and/or received, which include a lane change from the current lane (14) to the at least one further lane (16) and a starting time of the lane change. The starting times of the at least two preliminary driving maneuvers are at different times. The at least two driving maneuvers are compared taking into account the respective starting times. One of the starting times is selected based on the comparison. Further, a control device for a system for controlling a motor vehicle is also suggested.

The invention relates to a method for controlling a motor vehicle, a control device for a system for controlling a motor vehicle, a motor vehicle, as well as a computer program for carrying out the method.
One of the main challenges for driver assistance systems that control the longitudinal movement and transverse movement of a motor vehicle in a partially automated manner, and above all for fully automated motor vehicles, is to analyze a specific situation in which the motor vehicle is and, based on this, to derive appropriate driving maneuvers for the motor vehicle.
The complexity of the calculation of the driving maneuvers generally increases with the duration of the individual driving maneuvers. If different possible driving maneuvers are to be determined for a longer period of time, for example longer than three seconds, or if complex driving maneuvers with a plurality of lane changes are involved, previously known methods are often no longer able to determine them in real time.
In almost every traffic situation there are many different ways in which the motor vehicle can be controlled. The various options can differ greatly, for example in terms of the travel time required. Especially in heavy traffic, the previously known methods are often no longer able to select the appropriate option from the various options of controlling the motor vehicle.
A particular challenge here are lane changes, which the motor vehicle should carry out, for example, to overtake another road user. The starting time of the lane changes plays an important role, since all further driving maneuver planning depends on the starting time. Methods known up to now are not always able to select the optimal starting time for lane changes.

Method and control device for controlling a motor vehicle


Techniques for retrieving data blocks are provided. In one aspect, a storage fabric address of a controller associated with a data block is retrieved by a node. If the node is on the same storage fabric as the retrieved address, the data block may be retrieved over the storage fabric. In another aspect, a directory server maintains mappings of data blocks to storage fabric addresses of controllers associated with the data blocks. A request for the location of the data block includes the storage fabric address of the associated controller.

A distributed file system may distribute the data blocks that make up a file amongst storage devices that are controlled by different data servers. All of the data servers may be connected via a local area network. A directory server may maintain a list of files and the logical block address of each block of data corresponding to a file. The directory server may maintain the local area network address of all data servers that control storage devices which contain each block of data. In some cases, the blocks of data that make up a file may be replicated on several different data servers. In such cases, the directory server may maintain the local area network addresses of all data servers that control storage devices that contain each block of data.
A client application that wishes to retrieve a file may send a query to the directory server over the local area network to determine the local area network address of the data server(s) that contain the blocks of data that make up the file. For each block of data, the client application may open a connection to a data server over the local area network using the address retrieved from the directory server. The contents of the data block may be retrieved from the storage device controlled by the data server and then sent to the client application over the local area network.

Storage fabric address based data block retrieval

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A new composite material for process application is described in this document. The composite material combine a regular base material (10) and small particles (14) using a layer of adhesive (12). The base material can be a sheet (10), a molded packing ring medium (16), or a structured packing medium. The material made of the base material can be plastics, ceramics, metals, porous materials, adsorptive materials, etc. The particles can be activated carbons, charcoals, anthracites, sands, and glass beads. The bound particles increase the surface roughness and the surface area of the base material by providing valleys (20) and crevices (22).

1. Field of Invention
This invention is a composite material which uses adhesive to bind particles to a manufactured medium. The composite medium can be used to fill (i.e., pack) reactors for biological waste treatment in pollution control process. The reactors can be used to treat gaseous and liquid waste streams.

Composite medium for attaching and growing microorganisms


A clutch assembly is provided for use in a vehicle having an automatic transmission, the assembly including a clutch-apply piston and an integrated one-way clutch, dog clutch apply plate, and synchronizer clutch having a synchronizer plate and a rotating synchronizer cone. The clutch assembly is actuated by a clutch-apply piston configured to axially displace the dog clutch apply plate, thereby engaging the synchronizer plate with the rotating synchronizer cone to synchronize the respective speeds of the synchronizer plate and dog clutch apply plate during a gear shifting event. Upon speed synchronization, continued axial displacement of the clutch-apply piston completes engagement of the dog clutch apply plate to achieve a coast gear state. A return spring provides a return spring force for disengaging the clutch apply piston to permit selection of an alternate gear state during a subsequent gear shifting event.

In a vehicle having an automatic transmission, a rotating-type clutch assembly may be used as a torque-transmitting device for smoothly engaging or coupling a rotating engine crankshaft with a stationary driveshaft to thereby transmit torque from the crankshaft to the vehicle drive wheels. Likewise, the same clutch assembly is used to subsequently disengage the coupled shafts to interrupt the power transfer between the shafts and permit, for example, smooth shifting between the various gears of a planetary gear set. Clutch assemblies or clutches are typically positioned within a separate housing contained within an outer transmission case. Clutches are actuated or engaged using a clutch-apply mechanism such as a piston, which is commonly energized by a controllable supply of pressurized hydraulic fluid. A reduction in clutch-apply pressure releases or disengages the clutch, with the disengagement of the clutch often assisted by a biasing spring or other return mechanism, and likewise, an increase in the clutch-apply pressure will actuate or engage the clutch.
A common rotating-type clutch is a one-way clutch, which as the name implies is specially designed to hold or retain a rotating force or torque in only one direction of rotation, and freely rotate or "freewheel" in the opposite direction, thus enabling relatively smooth and efficient gear shifting. However, due to the inherent inability of a one-way clutch to hold torque in two rotational directions, a redundant clutch, commonly referred to as a "coast clutch", may be employed in tandem with the one-way clutch specifically to hold or retain the torque in the opposite or reverse rotational direction, such as during vehicle coasting and under certain reverse rotational conditions. As an alternative to a redundant coast clutch, a selective one-way clutch may be used. However, selective clutching devices may not be optimal for synchronizing the disparate relative rotational speeds of the outer and inner clutch races, which if not optimally synchronized may adversely affect gear shifting smoothness and efficiency, and/or impart high impact loading.

One-way clutch with dog-clutch and synchronizer


An airfoil is disclosed having at least first and second cast, axially-stacked internal airflow cooling circuits. Each circuit defines multiple air flow passages positioned laterally between a pressure sidewall side and a suction sidewall side of respective ones of the circuits. Each of the circuits is formed by a separate casting core. Methods of forming a axially-stacked core and an airfoil are also disclosed.

This invention relates generally to gas turbine engines, and more particularly to internally cooled airfoils used in gas turbine engines.
Gas turbine engines, such as aircraft jet engines, include many components (e.g., turbines, compressors, fans and the like) that utilize airfoils. Turbine airfoils, such as turbine blades and nozzle vanes are exposed to the highest operating temperatures and thus typically employ internal cooling to keep the airfoil temperatures within specified design limits. The design limits define an acceptable balance between factors such as operating efficiency, wear longevity and heat tolerance.
A turbine rotor blade, for example, has a shank portion that is attached to a rotating turbine rotor disk and an airfoil blade portion that extracts energy from the hot gases exiting the engine's combustor. The airfoil includes a blade root that is attached to the shank and a blade tip that defines the free end of the blade. The airfoil of the turbine rotor blade is cooled by air, typically bled from the engine's compressor, that passes through an internal circuit in the airfoil. The air enters near the airfoil blade root and exits near the airfoil blade tip, as well as through film cooling holes near the airfoil blade's leading edge and through trailing edge cooling holes. Known turbine blade cooling circuits include a plurality of radially-oriented passageways that are series-connected to produce a serpentine flow path, thereby increasing cooling effectiveness by extending the length of the coolant flow path.
It is also known to provide additional, unconnected passageways adjacent to the serpentine cooling circuit. Turbine rotor blades with internal cooling circuits are typically manufactured using an investment casting process commonly referred to as the "lost wax" process. This process comprises enveloping a ceramic core defining the internal cooling circuit in wax shaped to the desired configuration of the turbine blade. The wax assembly is then repeatedly dipped into a liquid ceramic solution, causing a hard ceramic shell to incrementally form on the surface of the assembly. When the proper thickness is achieved, the wax is melted out of the shell so that the remaining mold consists of the internal ceramic core, the external ceramic shell and the intermediate empty space previously filled with wax. The empty space is then filled with molten metal. After the metal cools and solidifies, the external shell is broken and removed, exposing the metal that has taken the shape of the void created by the removal of the wax. The internal ceramic core is dissolved via a leaching process. The metal component now has the desired shape of the turbine blade and the formed internal cooling circuit.
In casting turbine blades with serpentine cooling circuits, the internal ceramic core is formed as a serpentine element having a number of long, thin branches. This presents the challenge of making the core sturdy enough to survive the pouring of the metal while maintaining the stringent requirements for positioning the core. Moreover, some prior art airfoils include three cooling circuits, a leading edge circuit, a mid chord circuit and a trailing edge circuit. The mid chord circuit is an axial serpentine circuit flowing from the trailing edge to the leading edge, and the leading edge and trailing edge circuits are impingement-type circuits.
In this design, the pressure sidewall and the suction sidewall of the mid chord circuit contact the same cooling air at the same temperature. This design is relatively easy to cast, but does not provide sufficient flexibility to control the temperatures of the pressure sidewall and the suction sidewall effectively and efficiently.
Other prior art designs provide separate flow control on the pressure side and the suction side. These designs require an assembly core within the mid chord circuit. The assembled mid chord circuit is then assembled with other circuits to for a complete casting core.
Accordingly, there is a need for a turbine airfoil in which different cooling circuit combinations can be formed in one ceramic core, that provides more control of local temperatures on various parts of the airfoil, and that can be cast using conventional processes.


An occupant side-impact protection apparatus for a motor vehicle comprising an inflatable cushion stored in a folded configuration and an inflator configured to provide gas to inflate the cushion. The cushion is configured to inflate to protect the occupant of a vehicle. The side-impact protection apparatus further includes a tether to provide tension to tailor the deployment trajectory of the cushion. The tether is coupled to the cushion at a first coupling location and a second coupling location and the distance along the tether from the first coupling location to the second coupling location is less than the distance along the cushion from the first coupling location to the second coupling location.

The present application relates generally to the field of airbags in automotive vehicles, and more specifically relates to a mechanism for providing tension to a side-impact airbag during deployment to tailor its deployment trajectory as well as its final (i.e., completed deployment) position and deployed geometry to provide improved occupant protection.