A system and method for automatically determining if a remote client is a human or a computer. A set of HIP design guidelines which are important to ensure the security and usability of a HIP system are described. Furthermore, one embodiment of this new HIP system and method is based on human face and facial feature detection. Because human face is the most familiar object to all human users the embodiment of the invention employing a face is possibly the most universal HIP system so far.

1. Technical Field
This invention is directed toward a system and method for determining whether a computer user is a human or a computer program. More specifically, the invention is directed toward a system and method for devising a Human Interactive Proof that determines whether a computer user is a human or a computer program.
2. Background Art
Web services are increasingly becoming part of people's everyday life. For example, free email accounts are used to send and receive emails; online polls are used to gather people's opinion; and chat rooms are used to permit online users to socialize with others. However, all these web services designed for human use are being abused by computer programs (bots). A bot is any type of autonomous software that operates as an agent for a user or a program or simulates a human activity. There are various types of bots. On the Internet, the most popular bots are programs (called spiders or crawlers) used for searching. They access web sites, retrieve documents and follow all the hyperlinks in them; then they generate catalogs that are accessed by search engines. A chatbot converses with humans (or other bots). A shopbot searches the Web to find the best price for a product. Other bots observe a user's patterns in navigating a web site and customize the site for that user. Knowbots collect specific information from websites.
Many of the aforementioned types of bots are being maliciously used. For example, Hotmail, Yahoo and others provide free email services. Unfortunately malicious programmers have designed bots to register thousands of free email accounts every minute so that they can send thousands of junk emails. Online polling is a convenient and cost-effective way to obtain people's opinions. However, when these on-line polls are abused by bots, their credibility reduces to zero. In the information age, people use online chat rooms to socialize with others. However, bots have started to join chat rooms and point people to advertisement sites. In the case of E-commerce, a malicious programmer can design a bot whose task is to aggregate prices from other E-commerce sites. Based on the collected prices, the malicious programmer can make his or her price a little cheaper, thus stealing away other sites' customers. Similar situations arise with search engine sites.
Presently there exist several Human Interactive Proof (HIP) algorithms that determine whether a computer user is a human or a bot. For example, there are several programs that can generate and grade tests capable of being passed by humans, that are beyond the capabilities of many computer programs. One such program, named Gimpy, picks seven random words out of a dictionary, distorts them and renders them to users. The user needs to recognize three out of the seven words to prove that he or she is a human user. Because words in Gimpy overlap and undergo non-linear transformations, they pose serious challenges to existing OCR systems. However, they also pose a significant burden on human users. This burden was so much that Yahoo pulled Gimpy from its website and replaced it with an easier version, EZ Gimpy. EZ Gimpy shows a user a single word over a cluttered background. Another program, Bongo, presents a user with two groups of visual patterns (e.g., lines, circles and squares), named LEFT and RIGHT. It then shows new visual patterns and asks the user to decide if the new patterns belong to LEFT or RIGHT. There are some programs, for example Pix and Animal Pix, that rely on a large database of labeled images. They first randomly pick an object label (e.g., flower, baby, lion, etc.) from the label list, and then randomly select images containing that object from the database, and show the images to a user. The user needs to enter the correct object label to prove he or she is a human user. In addition to the above visual HIP designs, there also exist audio challenges, e.g., Byan 0 and Eco 0. The general idea is to add noise and reverberation to clean speech such that existing speech recognizers can no longer recognize it. The audio challenges are complementary to the visual ones and are especially useful to vision-impaired users.
The aforementioned HIP systems suffer from various deficiencies in ease of use, resistance to attack, dependency on databases, and lack of universality. For instance, some of these HIP tests are cumbersome and time-consuming for a human to take. Some of these methods employ techniques that have not been investigated extensively and are based on technologies that are evolving which could impact the usability of these tests in the future. Furthermore, some of the tests are dependent on the user's language, physical location, and education, among others, and are therefore not universal. It is expensive for such companies to localize a HIP test to numerous different languages. Additionally, some of the tests are not resistant to no-effort attacks. No-effort attacks are the ones that can solve a HIP test without solving a hard artificial intelligence (AI) problem. As an example, Bongo is a two-class classification challenge. To attack Bongo, the attacker needs no effort other than always guessing LEFT. This will guarantee the attacker to achieve 50% accuracy. Even if Bongo can ask a user to solve 4 tests together, that still gives no-effort attacks 1/16 accuracy. Some of the aforementioned tests are also easy to attack when the database they use is publicized. For example, both Pix and Animal Pix would be very easy to attack once the database is publicly available. They, therefore, are not good HIP tests. The evaluations of some of the existing approaches are summarized against these factors in Table 1. From Table 1, it is clear that most of the existing HIP algorithms suffer from one or more deficiencies.
TABLE 1Evaluation of Existing HIP Tests.Automation3. Hard to5. Resistance to no-6. Robustness whenGuidelinesand gradability2. Easy to humanmachine4. Universalityeffort attacksdatabase publicizedGimpyYesYesYesNoYesYesBut the partiallyPeople whooverlapped textknow Englishcan be hard tohave much morerecognize 0advantagesEZ GimpyYesYesNoYesYesNoIt has beenHas only 850 words 0broken 0BongoYesYesYesYesNoYesA machine canrandomly guess ananswerPixYesYesYesNoYesNoBut the labels canSome objects doWith the database, itbe ambiguousnot exist in somebecomes simple image(cars vs. Whitecountries.matching.cars)Animal PixYesYesYesNoNoNoSome animals areA machine canWith the database, itonly popular in arandomly guess anbecomes simple imagefew countries.answermatching.PessimalYesYesYesNoYesNoPeople whoHas only 70 words 00know Englishhave much moreadvantagesBaffleTextYesYesYesYesYesYesBut has beenBut people whoattacked whenknow Englishusing single font 0may haveadvantagesByanYesYesYesNoYesYesUsers need toknow English
Human faces are arguably the most familiar objects to humans, rendering them possibly the best candidate for a HIP. Regardless of nationalities, culture differences or educational background, all humans recognize human faces. In fact, this ability is so good that humans can recognize human faces even if they are distorted, partially occluded, or in bad lighting conditions.
Computer vision researchers have long been interested in developing automated face detection algorithms. These face detector algorithms could conceivably be used to attack a HIP test that employs a face. In general, face detection algorithms can be classified into four categories. The first is the knowledge-based approach. Based on people's common knowledge about faces, this approach uses a set of rules to perform detection. The second approach is feature-based. It first detects local facial features, e.g., eyes, nose and mouth, and then infers the presence of a face. The third approach is based on template matching. A parameterized face pattern is pre-designed manually, and then used as a template to locate faces in an image. The fourth approach is appearance-based. Instead of using pre-designed templates, it learns the templates from a set of training examples. So far, the fourth approach is the most successful one 0.
However, in spite of decades of hard research on face and facial feature detection, today's best detectors still suffer from limitations relating to lighting, face symmetry, shading and cluttered backgrounds. Here are some example limitations:
1. Head Orientations. Head orientation often causes problems for face and feature detectors. Let the x axis point to the right of the paper, the y axis point to the top of the paper, and the z axis point out of the paper. All face detectors handle frontal faces well. That is, they work well when there is no rotation around any of the three axes. They can also handle rotations around the y axis to some extent, but their performance is worse than for detecting frontal view faces. They do not handle rotations around the x and z axes well.
2. Face Symmetry. With respect to face symmetry, face detectors assume, either explicitly or implicitly, that the faces are symmetric, e.g., the left eye and right eye are roughly of the same height, and are roughly of the same distance from the nose bridge. Problems can occur in detecting faces when this is not the case.
3. Lighting and Shading. Face detectors rely on different intensity levels of landmarks on human faces. For example, they assume that the two eyes are darker than the surrounding region, and the mouth/lip region is also darker than the rest of the face. When a face image is taken under very low or high lighting conditions, the image's dynamic range decreases. This in turn results in difficulties in finding the landmark regions in faces. In addition, lighting also creates shading which further complicates face detection.
4. Cluttered Background. If face-like clutters exist in the background of the face image, the face detectors can be further distracted. The above four conditions are provided as limitations employed by one embodiment of the invention, however, other limitations could equally well be used.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method that can create a human interactive proof that can consistently and correctly distinguish a human computer user from a bot. Such a system should preferably provide for ease of use, resistance to attack, universality and not depend on a database.

System and method for devising a human interactive proof that determines whether a remote client is a human or a computer program


A detector (100) for detecting neutrons includes a neutron reactive material (102) adapted to interact with neutrons to be detected and release ionizing radiation reaction products in relation to the interactions with neutrons. The detector also includes a first semiconductor element (101) being coupled with the neutron reactive material (102) and adapted to interact with the ionizing radiation reaction products and provide electrical charges proportional to the energy of the ionizing radiation reaction products. In addition electrodes are arranged in connection with the first semiconductor element (101) for providing charge collecting areas (106) for collecting the electrical charges and to provide electrically readable signal proportional to the collected electrical charges. The thickness of the first semiconductor element (101) is adapted to be electrically and/or physically so thin that it is essentially/practically transparent for incident photons, such as background gamma photons.

Different kinds of detectors are known from the prior art for detecting, tracking, and/or identifying ionizing radiation and high-energy particles, such as particles produced by nuclear decay, cosmic radiation, or reactions in a particle accelerator. Some examples of ionizing radiation types and particles producing ionizing radiation via collisions with other particles are: Alpha particles (helium nuclei), beta particles (electrons), neutrons, gamma rays (high frequency electromagnetic waves, X-rays, are generally identical to gamma rays except for their place of origin), and charged hadrons, as an example. Neutrons are not themselves ionizing but their collisions with nuclei lead to the ejection of other charged particles that do cause ionization.
There are dedicated detectors for different type of radiation and particles. To detect radiation, the interaction process with matter is utilized where the interacting medium converts the invisible radiation to detectable signals. If the radiation consists of charged particles, such as alphas, electrons or positrons, the electromagnetic interaction create charges which can be collected and detected. It can also initiate further processes, which can give rise to registable signals in the detector medium. The radiation or particle (such as neutrons) has to interact with matter and transfer its energy to charged particles (e.g. electrons). For example the electrically neutral gamma radiation interacts with matter with electromagnetic processes and transfer part or all its energy to charge carriers. For the registration of thermal neutrons, neutron capture is needed that results e.g. in a charged particle (such as an alpha particle).
All detectors use the fact that the radiation interacts with matter, mostly via ionization. The detector converts deposited energy of the ionizing radiation to registered signals, usually electric signals. The interaction with the radiation takes place in an interacting medium and creates charges that are collected and detected. A very typical detector nowadays is a semiconductor detector that uses a semiconductor (usually silicon or germanium) to detect traversing charged particles or the absorption of photons. In the semiconductor detectors radiation is measured by means of the number of charge carriers set free in the detector, which is arranged between two electrodes. The number of the free electrons and the holes (electron-hole pairs) produced by the ionizing radiation is proportional to the energy transmitted by the radiation to the semiconductor. As a result, a number of electrons are transferred from the valence band to the conduction band, and an equal number of holes are created in the valence band. Under the influence of an electric field, the electrons and the holes travel to the electrodes, where they result in a pulse that can be measured in an outer circuit. The holes travel into the opposite direction than the electrons and both can be measured. As the amount of energy required to create an electron-hole pair is known, and is independent of the energy of the incident radiation, measuring the number of electron-hole pairs allows the energy of the incident radiation to be measured.
The semiconductor detectors are based on a wafer, which is a thin slice of semiconducting material, such as a silicon crystal, upon which e.g. microcircuits are constructed by doping (for example, diffusion or ion implantation), chemical etching, and deposition of various materials. Most silicon particle detectors work, in principle, by diode structure on silicon, which are then reverse biased. A diode is a component that restricts the directional flow of charge carriers. Essentially, a diode allows an electric current to flow in one direction, but blocks it in the opposite direction. As charged particles pass through these diode structures, they cause small ionization currents which can be detected and measured. Arranging thousands of these detectors around a collision point in a particle accelerator can give an accurate picture of what paths particles take.
An example of a silicon detector for detecting high-intensity radiation or particles is illustrated by WO 2009/071587, where the detector comprises a silicon wafer having an entrance opening etched through a low-resistivity volume of silicon, a sensitive volume of high-resistivity silicon for converting the radiation particles into detectable charges, and a passivation layer between the low and high-resistivity silicon layers. The detector further comprises electrodes built in the form of vertical channels for collecting the charges, wherein the channels are etched into the sensitive volume, and read-out electronics for generating signals from the collected charges. The detector is constructed to take in the radiation or particles to be detected directly through the passivation layer and in that the thickness of the sensitive layer having been selected as a function of the mean free path of the particles to be detected.
The detector of WO 2009/071587 is manufactured by using a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) wafer, which comprises two outmost layer of n-type silicon and an intermediate layer of silicon dioxide. The manufacturing method is mainly characterized by the steps of selecting the thickness of one the silicon layer to be the sensitive layer at the front surface as a function of the mean free path of the particles to be detected, growing or depositing an insulation layer on both surfaces of the wafer by leaving open a window, etching holes into the layer to constitute the sensitive layer to reach the silicon oxide layer, doping the holes to create electrodes, depositing and patterning a metal layer at the front surface of the wafer and routing the metal layer to read-out electronic, and forming a window in the back surface of the wafer to reach the silicon oxide layer.
The detector of WO 2009/071587 can be used e.g. for detecting high-intensity radiation particles by having radiation or particles entering through the entrance window into the detector, ionizing the neutral atoms within the sensitive volume of high-resistivity silicon, applying a voltage between electrodes etched into the sensitive volume, and detecting the signals caused as a result of the contact with the electrodes by means of read-out electronics. The detector can also have a polyethylene moderator at the entrance window for detection of neutrons.
Also some other neutron detectors are known from prior art, such as a detector of WO 2007/030156 A2, where semiconductor-based elements as an electrical signal generation media are utilized for the detection of neutrons. Such elements can be synthesized and used in the form of, for example, semiconductor dots, wires or pillars on or in a semiconductor substrate embedded with matrixes of high cross-section neutron converter materials that can emit charged particles as reaction products upon interaction with neutrons. These charged particles in turn can generate electron-hole pairs and thus detectable electrical current and voltage in the semiconductor elements.
Especially WO 2007/030156 A2 discloses an apparatus for detecting neutrons, comprising: a substrate capable of producing electron-hole pairs upon interaction with one or more reaction-produced particles; a plurality of embedded converter materials extending into said substrate from only a single predetermined surface of said substrate, wherein said embedded converter materials are configured to release said reaction-produced particles upon interaction with one or more received neutrons to be detected, and wherein said embedded converter materials are adapted to have at least one dimension that is less than about a mean free path of said one or more reaction-produced particles to efficiently result in creating said electron-hole pairs; and at least one pair of non-embedded electrodes coupled to predetermined surfaces of said substrate, wherein each electrode of said at least one pair of electrodes comprises a substantially linear arrangement, and wherein signals from resulting electron-hole pairs as received from a predetermined said at least one pair of electrodes are indicative of said received neutrons. The pillars are individually coupled to signal collection electronics so as to indicate the direction of said received neutrons.
In addition WO 2004/040332 discloses neutron detector, which utilizes a semiconductor wafer with a matrix of spaced cavities filled with one or more types of neutron reactive material such as 10B or 6LiF for releasing radiation reaction products in relation to the interactions with neutrons. The cavities are etched into both the front and back surfaces of the device such that the cavities from one side surround the cavities from the other side. The cavities may be etched via holes or etched slots or trenches. In another embodiment, the cavities are different-sized and the smaller cavities extend into the wafer from the lower surfaces of the larger cavities. In a third embodiment, multiple layers of different neutron-responsive material are formed on one or more sides of the wafer. The new devices operate at room temperature, are compact, rugged, and reliable in design.
There are however some problems related to the known prior art solutions, namely since most of the neutron sources or reactions are accompanied by a gamma or X-ray background and because the neutral gamma or X-ray radiation interacts with the semiconductor matter of the detectors, the gamma or X-ray background will disturb the accurate measuring, which is an undesired effect especially in connection with neutron imaging apparatuses.

Ultra thin neutron detector, method for manufacturing the neutron detector and neutron imaging apparatus


In a heat exchanger (1) including first through M-th tube groups, each tube group comprising at least one exchanger tube (10), and a distribution device (3) which has a distribution tank (30) supplied with a medium and first through M-th distribution paths (31, 32, and 33) for directing the medium from the distribution tank to the first through the M-th tube groups, respectively, medium inlet ports of the first through the M-th distribution paths are coupled to first through M-th regions of the distribution tank that have first through M-th void ratios different to each other. Medium outlet ports of the first through the M-th distribution paths are coupled to the exchanger tubes of the first through the M-th tube groups, respectively. The number of the exchanger tubes of each of the first through the M-th tube groups and an inner cross-sectional area of each of the first through the M-th distribution paths are defined on the basis of the first through the M-th void ratios of the first through the M-th regions of the distribution tank so that a mass flow of the medium introduced into one of the exchanger tubes of the first through the M-th tube groups is substantially equal to the mass flow of the medium introduced into each of remaining ones of the exchanger tubes of the first through the M-th tube groups.

This invention relates to a heat exchanger with a distribution device for uniformly distributing a medium to a plurality of exchanger tubes.
Generally the efficiency of a heat exchanger is affected not only by heat transfer of an outer fluid flowing outside of a plurality of tubes of the heat exchanger but also by heat transfer of an inner fluid flowing inside of the tubes. In particular, flow distribution of the inner fluid has a great influence. By way of example, consideration will be made about an evaporator as the heat exchanger. A mixed-phase refrigerant as a mixture of a gas-phase refrigerant and a liquid-phase refrigerant is introduced into a plurality of tubes of the evaporator. Due to the difference in inertial force, the gas-phase and the liquid-phase refrigerants are not uniformly distributed in the mixed-phase refrigerant supplied to the evaporator. In other words, the mixed-phase refrigerant inevitably has different void ratios at various points in a flow path. In the present specification, a void ratio is defined as a ratio of the volume of the gas-phase refrigerant to the volume of the mixture of the gas-phase and the liquid-phase refrigerants. Under the circumstances, the liquid-phase refrigerant is concentrated to a particular tube while the gas-phase refrigerant is concentrated to another tube. This brings about nonuniform temperature distribution within the evaporator. As a result, the efficiency of the heat exchanger is deteriorated.
For example, a conventional heat exchanger is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (JP-A) No. 155194/1992. In the conventional heat exchanger, however it is impossible to uniformly distribute the refrigerant to a plurality of exchanger tubes, as will later be described.

Heat exchanger with a distribution device capable of uniformly distributing a medium to a plurality of exchanger tubes


A semiconductor device includes a terminal configured to receive a first signal that is set from an exterior at a time of operation, a memory unit configured to retain a state of a setting fixedly regardless of whether at the time of operation or at a time of no operation and to produce at an output thereof a second signal responsive to the state of a setting, and an output driver unit coupled to the terminal and to the output of the memory unit to output an output signal by a drive power responsive to the first signal and the second signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to semiconductor devices, and particularly relates to a semiconductor device which is provided with an output circuit capable of adjusting a signal drive power.
2. Description of the Related Art
As signal frequency is raised for the purpose of increasing transmission speed between semiconductor device chips, signal overshoot, undershoot, ringing, reflection, etc., emerge as factors that prevent high-speed and reliable data transfer. In order to reduce the effects of these factors, it is necessary to perform impedance matching by matching the transmission load with the signal drive power for transmitting signals from the semiconductor device.
It is difficult, however, to construct a system by designing transmission lines such as to make them match the signal drive power of the semiconductor device. When a system is constructed by using semiconductor devices, the load of the transmission lines vary depending on the configuration of the system. In order to achieve high-speed and reliable data transmission, however, there is a need to decrease the signal drive power in light of the load of the transmission lines if the load is small, and there is a need to increase the signal drive power in light of the load of the transmission lines if the load is large. It is thus preferable to provide a semiconductor device with the function to adjust the signal drive power according to the transmission load.
Patent Documents 1 through 3 disclose configurations in which a semiconductor device is provided with the function to adjust the signal drive power. In Patent Document 1, an output buffer is provided with a selector serving as an output current control circuit, which is controlled by a control signal supplied from an exterior, so that the output current is adjusted to a value suitably adapted to the system. In Patent Document 2, a plurality of transistors having different sizes are connected in parallel to form an output buffer circuit, and the on/off state of each transistor is controlled to adjust the impedance of the output buffer circuit. In Patent Document 3, first and second current drive units contained in an output buffer are selectively set to an activated state or deactivated state at a process following the manufacturing process, thereby adjusting the current drive power of the output buffer.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-206829
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-111474
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-300023
In semiconductor devices, it is unavoidable that there is variation in the operating characteristics depending on the process conditions of the manufacturing process. As a result, the signal drive power of semiconductor devices may differ by a factor of 2 among chips. In such a case, even if the function to adjust the signal drive power is provided in the semiconductor device, such function may not be sufficiently effective.
A system may be configured such that the signal drive power can be selected from 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, for example. A power of 50% may then be selected in light of the transmission load. If the signal drive power varies by a factor of 2 between the chips, setting the signal drive power to 50% in a given semiconductor chip may result in the actual signal drive power being as large as 100% or as small as 25%. Accordingly, even if the system controller makes a proper selection suitable for the transmission load, an expected signal drive power may not be attained. Because of this, a need arises to design a system by taking into account variation in the signal drive power, which functions as a factor to place an upper limit to the operating frequency.
Accordingly, there is a need for a semiconductor device which can achieve a desired signal drive power without being affected by manufacturing variation.

Semiconductor device with adjustable signal drive power


There is provided a radio communication device capable of suppressing increase of power consumption of a relay station device. In this device, a channel information extraction unit (31) extracts channel information (channel information in the mobile station device of the signal transmitted from the base station device) from the reception signal from a base station device; a sub carrier selection unit (32) selects a sub carrier of low received quality according to the channel information; a relay data extraction unit (33) extracts data to be relay-transmitted according to the selection result in the sub carrier selection unit (32); and a sub carrier allocation unit (35) allocates data to be relay-transmitted to the sub carrier for relay transmission.

Recently, with the multimediatization of information in mobile communication systems as represented by mobile phones or the like, it is becoming popular to transmit not only audio data, but also large amounts of still picture data, motion picture data and the like. To realize the transmission of large amounts of data, an approach is being broadly investigated according to which a high-frequency radio band is used to obtain a high-transmission rate.
However, in the case of using a high-frequency radio band, while a high transmission rate can be expected at a short distance, attenuation due to transmission distance is significant. For this reason, in the case of expanding this to a real system, for instance, the coverage area of a base station becomes small, which requires that a larger number of base stations to be provided. Since the set-up of base stations involves large costs, a technology is strongly required for realizing communication services while suppressing an increase in the number of base stations.
As a conventional technology related to this, there exists the technology described in Patent Document 1, for example. In the conventional technology of this Patent Document 1, a communication network of cellular-dedicated radio channels which are formed between a base station and a mobile station, and an ad-hoc network formed between mobile stations are both used to combine signals, whereby an improvement of the diversity effect is obtained.
1 Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-189971

Radio communication apparatus and radio communication method


A key management system comprises a sleeve; a plug cover having a part embedded into a rear end of the sleeve; an encoding chip connected to a positive conductive cambered sheet and a negative conductive cambered sheet; an insulating seat having an annular post; a conduit installed at a front side of the insulating seat; a retaining threaded ring installed around an outer periphery of the insulating seat; a front end of the conduit being inserted into the through hole of the retaining threaded ring; an insulating rubber plug installed at a front end of the conduit; a conductive head installed at a front end of the insulating rubber plug; and a conductive rod passing through the positive conductive cambered sheet, the insulating seat, the negative conductive cambered sheet, the conduit, the insulating rubber plug, and the conductive head.

FIG. 1 shows a prior art AV (audio and video) terminal 1 which includes a ground end, a lift sound channel and a right sound channel. A front end of the insertion terminal 1 is an insertion rod 10 having a three sectional insulating contact surface. The insertion rod 10 is connected to a tube seat 11 at a rear end. The insertion terminal 1 is only used to a connecting joint a microphone or a single AV insertion. It has no other usage. Moreover it is difficult to form the three sectional insulating contact surface and thus the cost is high.

Insertion assembly of a key management system


In a video signal encoding method and apparatus, a video signal transmitting method, and the recording medium, hierarchical encoding of image data implies problems in that a compressing efficiency is reduced as the number of hierarchical levels is increased and that the image quality is degraded particularly in lower-level hierarchical images. After data D31, D33, D35 at respective hierarchical levels are generated by an average value calculation, pixel data which can be restored by arithmetic operations using pixel data at adjacent higher hierarchical levels and pixel data at their own hierarchical levels are thinned, and higher-level hierarchical data are compressively coded with larger numbers of quantization bits. Since the amount of pixel data to be transmitted can be reduced by the thinning, it is possible to suppress an increase in number of pixels to be transmitted, caused by the hierarchical structure. In addition, higher-level hierarchical data are assigned larger numbers of quantization bits, so that degradation in image quality due to quantization errors at the higher hierarchical levels can be reduced in lower-level hierarchical images.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a video signal encoding method, a video signal encoding apparatus, a video signal transmitting method, and a recording medium in which the encoded data generated by the video signal encoding method or apparatus have been recorded, and more particularly is applicable to the case where predetermined image data are divided into a plurality of hierarchical image data respectively having different resolutions and the plurality of hierarchical image data are encoded respectively to generate encoded data (i.e., image data is hierarchically encoded).
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in a video signal encoding apparatus of the type mentioned above, high resolution input image data is defined as first hierarchical image data, and second hierarchical data having a resolution lower than that of the first hierarchical data, third hierarchical data having a resolution lower than that of the second hierarchical data, and so on are sequentially formed from the first hierarchical image data. Then, the plurality of hierarchical data are compressively coded, respectively. Therefore, hierarchically encoded data are formed for a plurality of levels having gradually reduced amounts of information. The plurality of hierarchically encoded data are transmitted through a communication path or a recording/reproducing path.
A video signal decoding apparatus which decodes the plurality of hierarchically encoded data is capable of entirely decoding the plurality of hierarchically encoded data as well as selectively decoding a desired one of the hierarchically encoded data in accordance with the resolution or the like of a television monitor corresponding thereto. In this way, when desired hierarchical data only is decoded from a plurality of hierarchical data, desired image data may be produced with a minimally required amount of transmitted data.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a video signal encoding apparatus 1 for realizing, for example, four levels of encoding as the hierarchical encoding comprises thinning filters 2, 3, 4 and interpolation filters 5, 6, 7 at three stages, wherein input image data D1 is processed by the thinning filters 2, 3, 4 at the respective stages to form reduced image data D2, D3, D4 having sequentially lower resolutions, and the interpolation filters 5, 6, 7 restore the reduced image data D2, D3, D4 to have their original resolutions before the reduction.
The outputs D2 to D4 of the respective thinning filters 2 to 4 and outputs D5 to D7 of the respective interpolation filters 5 to 7 are inputted to differential filters 8, 9, 10, respectively, to generate differential data D8, D9, D10. Since the frequency distribution of the differential data D8 to D10 concentrate in the vicinity of zero, the video signal encoding apparatus 1 can reduce the amounts of respective hierarchical data as well as the signal power thereof. Further, the runlength coding or Hoffman coding, etc. is used so as to reduce the amounts of data. Here, the differential data D8 to D10 and the reduced image data D4 are in a dimensional relationship in which the differential data D9, D10 and the reduced image data D4 respectively have sizes equal to, a quarter of, and a sixteenth of the size of the input image data D1.
The differential data D8 to D10 generated by the differential circuits 8 to 10 and the reduced image data D4 generated by the thinning filters 2 to 4 are encoded or compressed by encoders 11, 12, 13, 14, respectively. As a result, first, second, third, and fourth hierarchical data D11, D12, D13, D14 having different resolutions from each other are sent from the respective encoders 11, 12, 13, 14 to a communication path in a predetermined order or are recorded in a recording medium through the transmission path.
The first to fourth hierarchical data D11 to D14 thus transmitted are decoded by a video signal decoding apparatus 20 illustrated in FIG. 2. Specifically, the first to fourth hierarchical data D11 to D14, which are supplied from the communication path or the recording medium via an input terminal, are decoded by decoders 21, 22, 23, 24, respectively, and as a result, the decoded fourth hierarchical data D24 is outputted from the decoder 24.
An output of the decoder 23 is added to interpolation data for the fourth hierarchical data D24 generated by an interpolation filter 26 in an adder circuit 29 to restore third hierarchical data D23. Similarly, an output of the decoder 22 is added to interpolation data for third hierarchical data D23 generated by an interpolation filter 27 in an adder circuit 30 to restore second hierarchical data D22. Further, an output of the decoder 21 is added to interpolation data for second hierarchical data D22 generated by an interpolation filter 28 in an adder circuit 31 to restore first hierarchical data D21.
However, in the video signal encoding apparatus 1 for realizing the hierarchical encoding as mentioned above, the input image data D1 is divided into a plurality of hierarchical data for the encoding, so that the amount of data to be transmitted is necessarily increased by the number of hierarchical levels. Thus, the video signal encoding apparatus 1 has a problem that its compressing efficiency is correspondingly reduced as compared with a highly efficient encoding scheme which does not employ the hierarchical encoding.
In the video signal decoding apparatus 20, in turn, the hierarchical data D24, D23, D22, D21 are orderly restored from the highest hierarchical data toward the lowest hierarchical data. Stated another way, lower level hierarchical data is restored based on restored higher level hierarchical data. Thus, the video signal decoding apparatus 20 has a problem that when the encoded higher level hierarchical data such as D14 and D13 are decoded, if errors due to the compressive coding are included in the decoded data, the compressive coding errors are propagated to the decoded lower level hierarchical data D21, D22 for which a high resolution is essentially desired, and a deteriorated image quality due to the compressive coding errors prominently appears in the restored lower level hierarchical data.

Video signal encoding method, video signal encoding apparatus, video signal transmitting method, and recording medium


The present invention relates to a vehicle light control circuit having a microcontroller. The novelty rests in obtaining the information on the different positions of the main light switch by sensing the change in voltage at a predetermined end of each of the sensing resistors of predetermined values connected across the terminals of a number of controlled switches which are inserted in series with the light circuits at physical locations predetermined to be convenient for the installation of the invention on each vehicle. This novelty makes it easy to provide many beneficial operations in turning off with different delays the head lights, park lights, and dome lights, as well as to provide automatic battery protection against any routinely used lights when they are inadvertently left on, without using any confusing additional switches as in prior art.

This invention relates to a novel and improved attachment adaptable to the majority of vehicles to assist the users of said vehicles in turning on and off the different sets of lights of said vehicles in a logical and friendly way.
For the intelligence of the following description, an improved vehicle or vehicle would consistently refer to one of the general classes of automobiles characterized by a car, a truck, a van and a recreational vehicle, thereon this invention is attached. Also, when this invention is not yet attached thereon, such an automobile would be referred to consistently as a car. An automobile or auto would refer consistently to either such a vehicle or such a car in an indefinite way. Finally, a user of a vehicle or a car may be a man or a woman, but would consistently be referred to as a man.
This invention will show that the operation of an improved vehicle is logical thanks to the fact that all the conventional operations related to the different light switches thereof would be strictly preserved to operate the ways the users are familiar with. Those switches, including the main light switch, the dimmer switch and the flash switch (commercially called a flash-to-pass switch, described in details later on) widely adopted by the auto industries and available in each automobile to the user, would operate the ways they have been intended for in an improved vehicle, as if there were no modifications whatsoever for the need of the invention. The additional desirable benefits provided by an improved vehicle would automatically go into action at the fight time without the user having to take any extra steps to manipulate any extra switches that may confuse any user unfamiliar with the vehicle. An improved vehicle would be friendly because it would faithfully protect its user against the frequent annoyance of having to make sure that all the lights of his vehicle are off before leaving said vehicle unattended for a long time. Such frequent annoyance, when a car is not yet equipped with this invention, occurs for example when said car's user, after parking said car for the day and walking a good distance on the way to work, suddenly becomes anxious because of something like the sight of an automobile with the head lights on for instance, about whether any lights of his car are still on. More often than not, he grudgingly would have to turn around and walk back to a point from where the lights of his car can be surely verified to be off, before he could have the peace of mind for the day. The penalty for not doing such verification could be a heavy toll of anxiety on his mind throughout the whole day, or worse still, if said car's lights were left on when it was parked for the day, said user would come back to a car that usually would not start, as most of the energy of the battery of said car had been drained off to unusable conditions in a few hours before. Time-consuming assistance would be needed for said car to start then and to regenerate enough energy for the next starting again. Although many cars nowadays have a chime system that would sound when the driver-side door is opened and any external lights of the cars are still on, many users with busy mind tend to pay little attention to that chime at the very brief moment between the opening and the closing of the driver-side door. The user of an improved vehicle would have the best solution to that problem all the time, and can be sure that even if said vehicle's lights were still on the instant when said vehicle was parked for the day, this invention would automatically turn them off a relatively short moment later, e.g., a minute, after the vehicle's ignition was turned off. Moreover, a user can enjoy the classy experience of commanding his improved vehicle, in a simple and natural manner, to keep the head lights on for a short moment, say, one minute, for some helpfully needed lighting for that walk from the parking spot to the final destination, before said improved vehicle turns off all of its lights automatically for him.
Numerous inventions have been proposed to achieve the above-mentioned benefits for automobile users, but up until now, none has been considered good enough in terms of cost, logical operation and friendliness of use, to be installable universally on every car. Also, for the retrofitting market, such an invention should only require an easy, quick, safe, and fool-proof installation, so that no training on the part of the installer would be needed, except simple mechanical skills and the ability to read a brief installation guide. For the most desirable implementation for retrofitting on an automobile, such an invention should not require the cutting and splicing of any of the pre-installed wires of said automobile, and should not require the access to the contact areas of the light switch and the ignition switch of the automobile, as such cutting and splicing would be a so messy and error-prone procedure, and such access to the contact areas so difficult that not too many service people or users would like to perform.
The following examples are some of the inventions which tried to achieve the above-mentioned benefits for automobile users but failed altogether in the desirable criteria of familiarity preservation and ease of original-equipment-manufacturer installation or retrofitting installation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,916, Skinner, discloses a type of head light delay turn off circuit that turns off the head lights after the ignition switch is turned off. It is clear from the teaching of this patent that this circuit may be undesirable or dangerous for many potential users as it would always turn off the head lights only after a time delay when the light switch is moved to the OFF position and the ignition key moved to the STOP mode. The users would have complete control of the turn off of the head lights only when the ignition key is in the RUN mode. This patent also requires the difficult access to the electrical terminals physically located on the light switch and the ignition switch.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,158, Ogle, discloses an automatic head light extinguishing switch apparatus with no delay, adapted to interfit with an existing automobile light switch member which comprises a switch means and a wiring harness forming a form of adapter for the light switch plug means. This adapter would do the assigned job correctly if there is enough room in the light switch area to accommodate it. The main features that discourage people from using this patent are that it is always difficult to access the light switch area for retrofitting, and the additional manually operable override switch that a user would have to actuate manually before any head lights can be turned on if the automobile engine is turned off.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,461, Mc Robert, Jr. et al. discloses an automatic light-extinguishing circuit for extinguishing, for example, the head lights of an automobile some interval of time after the ignition switch is opened. Again, the thorny problem of having to access the electrical terminals on the light switch and the ignition switch during the original installation or retrofitting installation is not addressed in this patent.
It is therefore the goal of the present invention to provide an improved attachment for automatic light switching for an automobile so versatile that it would be adaptable to virtually all kinds of automobiles made around the world and would provide the users of those automobiles with all the benefits without virtually any inconveniences in costs or operations.

Attachment for automatic light switching


A smart tourniquet for self-administering a medication is provided. When a patient needs to inject themselves with a medication, intravenously, called an “infusion,” the patient wears the smart tourniquet around their arm and tightens the device. While the patient is using the smart tourniquet, the device automatically records the date and time of the infusion, called a “timestamp”. The patient can also use the device to record the dosage or “number of units” taken at the time of the infusion. The smart tourniquet can store the timestamp as well as other related information as a record. At a later time, the patient can recall prior records on the smart tourniquet itself. The smart tourniquet can also be synchronized with an application and the records can be downloaded for review by the patient, nurse or doctor to render accurate and timely care.

Hemophilia is a medical condition in which the ability of blood to clot is severely reduced, causing a sufferer to bleed severely from even a slight injury. Deep internal bleeding, especially in the knees, ankles and elbows, can damage organs and tissues, and may be life-threatening. Hemophilia A or "classical hemophilia," is the most common form of hemophilia (1 in 4,000 to 1 in 5,000 males worldwide are born with this disorder). Patients with hemophilia A are prone to frequent hemorrhages as a result of a lack of Factor VIII. This congenital deficiency has been successfully treated by infusions of Factor VIII concentrate preparations isolated and purified from either blood plasma of donors having normal levels of Factor VIII, or from cell cultures genetically engineered to express the Factor VIII coagulant protein.


A routing method for supporting ad-hoc mobile communications within a radio communications network. The network comprises a plurality of mobile hosts including a source mobile host and a destination mobile host, and a plurality of radio communications links connecting together with mobile hosts. The method comprises measuring the stability of the communications links between neighbouring mobile hosts using an associativity based characteristic and selecting a communications route through the network from the source mobile host to the destination mobile host based on the stability of the communications links. The associativity characteristic is measured by each mobile host periodically transmitting and receiving identifier beacons (ticks) and updating the status of its corresponding links. The greater the number of ticks associated with a given link, the greater its stability. Use of the associativity characteristic enables the routing method to deal efficiently with mobile host migrations throughout the network.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel routing method specifically adapted for use with ad-hoc mobile networks and more particularly though not exclusively to a routing method where communications between source and destination mobile hosts is carried out across a conference size packet radio network of mobile hosts.
2. Status of the Prior Art
Ad-hoc mobile networks have recently become important in the field of mobile communications particularly with respect to mobile computer supported collaborative work. An Ad-hoc mobile network comprises a plurality of mobile hosts each being able to communicate with its neighbouring mobile hosts which are a single radio hop away. In such a network, each mobile host acts as a router forwarding packets of information from one mobile host to another.
Ad-hoc mobile networks differ from infra-structured wireless local area networks in that they do not have any access to base stations. Rather, in an ad-hoc mobile network, the mobile hosts have always to be able to communicate with each other over a wireless media without any infra-structured (wired) network component support. Accordingly, one of the most important features of any routing method or protocol for an ad-hoc mobile network, is the ability to adapt well to link changes, namely changes in the interconnectivity between mobile hosts due to mobile hosts' migrations. Ideally, mobile hosts should not spend most of their time updating and computing routes in sympathy with other mobile hosts' movements. However, conventional distributed routing schemes attempt to maintain consistent routing information by performing periodic link and topology updates. These updates are undesirable because of the frequent link changes occurring in ad-hoc mobile networks, which can result in an enormous number of transmissions over the wireless media to propagate and update routes. This is highly impractical, very inefficient and results in low data throughput in an environment where radio bandwidth and battery power are scarce resources.
One of the earliest deployments of a regional-wide wireless data network was the ARPANET Packet Radio Network (PRN) by Kohn, Gronemeyer, Burchfiel and Kunzelman. As shown in FIG. 1, all components (repeaters R. terminals T and stations S) in a PRN can be mobile or certain components can remain fixed while others are moving. There are two approaches used in a PRN for routing and packet forwarding. In "point-to-point" routing, the station computes all the routing information and the decision is either distributed to the repeaters involved in the route or to the source. This scheme is only suitable for slow moving user terminals. However, in "broadcast routing", each packet radiates away from the source with a wave-front-like propagation. Since no station needs to be present to compute routes, the destination address serves to identify the intended recipient. For fast moving user terminals, broadcast routing is preferred over point-to-point routing as it avoids the need to process rapidly changing routes.
In the connectionless approach to packet forwarding, some background operation is required to maintain up-to-date network topology and link information in each node. Accordingly, as network topology changes, the background routing traffic required in using the connectionless approach can be substantial. The connectionless approach is commonly associated with broadcast routing, where each packet carries sufficient routing information for it to arrive at the destination. However, in the connection-oriented approach, an explicit route establishment phase is required before data traffic can be transported. The connection-oriented approach is commonly associated with point-to-point routing, where each node in a route has a look up table for forwarding incoming packets to the respective out-going links. The disadvantage of the connection-oriented approach is that if the network topology changes, a route re-establishment phase is required.
Several ad-hoc mobile routing schemes have evolved over the past few years. Most of these schemes are based on either broadcast or point-to-point routing using either the connectionless or connection-oriented packed forwarding approach.
The "Layer Net" self-organising protocol proposed by Bhatnagar and Robertazzi uses a connectionless packet forwarding approach. Broadcast routing is used for the initial network connectivity construction and the subsequent topology maintenance as a result of nodes' movements and link changes. Network topology updates have to be performed in sympathy with link changes and routes are not constructed based on demand. Accordingly, the overall signalling traffic can be quite substantial.
Cluster-based routing by Krishna, Chatterjee, Vaidya and Pradhan uses the broadcast routing and connectionless packet forwarding approach. Cluster-based routing relies on existing routing schemes such as link-state or distance-vector routing to derive network topology and link information. In addition, a clustering methodology is used to reduce the number of updates due to mobile hosts' migrations. Routes are constructed between all pairs of nodes and route maintenance is essentially cluster maintenance. The disadvantage of cluster-based routing is that the method is inefficient.
Source-initiated distributed routing by Corson and Ephremides uses a combination of point-to-point and broadcast routing using the connection-oriented packet forwarding approach. Here routes are initiated by the source and are constructed based on demand, and so this method forgoes the need to constantly propagate up-to-date routing information throughout the network. However, because alternate route information is used during route re-construction, problems associated with stale routes exist.
The Destination Sequence Distance-Vector routing scheme proposed by Perkins and Bhagwat is an enhancement of the existing distance-vector Bellman-Ford routing, so that ad-hoc mobile networking can be supported. Because each mobile host has to periodically advertise its view of the network topology, this scheme is inefficient. Similar to cluster-based routing, the broadcast routing and connectionless packet forwarding approach is adopted.
Dynamic source routing for mobile networks by Johnson avoids periodic route advertisements because route caches are used to store source routes that a mobile host has learnt over time. A combination of point-to-point and broadcast routing using the connection-oriented packet forwarding approach is used. Routes are source-initiated and discovered via a route discovery protocol. With source routing, the sender explicitly lists the route in each packet's header, so that the next-hop nodes are identified as the packet travels towards the destination. Cached route information is used and accurate updates of these route caches are essential, otherwise routing loops can occur. Since the sender has to be notified each time a route is truncated, the route maintenance phase does not support fast route reconstruction.

Routing method for Ad-Hoc mobile networks


An image forming apparatus includes a housing and a first process cartridge. The first process cartridge is attachable to and detachable from the housing. The first process cartridge includes a first photosensitive drum, a first developing roller, and a developing frame. The developing frame has a toner inlet opening. The toner cartridge has a toner supply opening. The toner cartridge is positioned above the developing frame such that the toner supply opening and the toner inlet opening face with each other in upward/downward direction. In the state where the first process cartridge to which the toner cartridge is attached is attached to the housing, the toner cartridge is incapable of being detached from the first process cartridge. In a state where the first process cartridge to which the toner cartridge is attached is detached from the housing, the toner cartridge is detachable from the first process cartridge.

There has been known an image forming apparatus including a housing, a process cartridge which includes a photosensitive drum and a developing roller, and a toner cartridge accommodating therein toner. The toner cartridge is attachable to and detachable from the process cartridge. The process cartridge to which the toner cartridge is attached is attachable to and detachable from the housing. (See Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-146512).
In such type of image forming apparatus, the process cartridge is attached to the housing with such a posture that the toner cartridge is positioned above the process cartridge. The toner cartridge has a lower end portion formed with a toner supply opening through which toner accommodated in the toner cartridge is supplied into the process cartridge by making use of gravity of the toner.

Image forming apparatus permitting user to imagine clear detachment procedure of toner cartridge from process cartridge


An armor, especially a body armor has at least one layer and preferably a multiplicity of layers of a woven ballistic fabric with titanium beads or disks threaded onto the yarns at the crossovers to serve as a projectile shredders. The titanium beaded fabric layers may be used in conjunction with other ballistic fabrics and armor designed to catch and trap resultant projectile fragments in a body armor or other type of shield or armor.

Body armor and armor for other purposes which are intended to provide a barrier to high velocity rounds generally comprise, in a vest or other structure, a rigid plate, either of ceramic, steel or high tensile strength fibers such as aramid, polyethylene or poly-p-phenylene benzo-bis-oxazole fiber laminated into a rigid plate using a thermoset or other boding resin.
Body armor and armor for other purposes which are intended to provide a flexible barrier to high velocity rounds generally comprise, in a vest or other structure, a ballistic fabric which can contain ceramic disks or particles, hereinafter referred to as beads, which create a barrier to the passage of a round.
A typical ceramic bullet proof fabric is found in the CHEDIAK et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,824,940 which comprises a plurality of layers of fabric and ceramic structures which are fastened to fabric.
Other armors utilizing similar principles are disclosed in:
CLAUSEN et alU.S. Pat. No. 4,186,648SANDSTROMU.S. Pat. No. 4,969,386DUNBARU.S. Pat. No. 5,200,256GROVESU.S. Pat. No. 5,364,679TARRYU.S. Pat. No. 5,443,917NEAL et alU.S. Pat. No. 6,035,438NEALU.S. Pat. No. 6,510,777GROVESU.S. Pat. No. 5,110,661GROVESU.S. Pat. No. 5,087,516ROZNER et alU.S. Statutory Invention Reg. No. H1O61
All of these systems have various drawbacks, some of which will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter. One of the principal drawbacks, however, of armors which utilize ceramic or glass beads or beads of similar material is that the ceramic tends to break up upon impact and thus, in the process of slowing down a high velocity round, itself loses integrity and the ability to continue to participate in the velocity attenuation process.
Other principal drawbacks of ceramic armor, or any rigid plate armor are inflexibility (stiffness) and weight.
The prior art armors to a significant extent attempt to introduce layers which are designed to slow down and eventually trap the round by providing surfaces in front of the round as it passes through the armor.


Artifacts in NMR images produced by Maxwell terms during non-rectilinear scans, such as spiral scans, are reduced or eliminated. Phase corrections for in-plane and through-plane blurring are used to offset Maxwell terms errors.

The field of the invention is nuclear magnetic resonance imaging methods and systems. The invention relates to the correction of image artifacts caused by "Maxwell terms" arising from imaging gradients in MRI systems, and more particularly, to the correction of Maxwell phase errors produced by non-rectilinear k-space sampling methods such as spiral scanning, projection imaging and twisted radial line imaging.
When a substance such as human tissue is subjected to a uniform magnetic field (polarizing field B.sub.0), the individual magnetic moments of the spins in the tissue attempt to align with this polarizing field, but precess about it at their characteristic Larmor frequency. If the substance, or tissue, is subjected to a magnetic field (excitation field B.sub.1) which is in the x-y plane and which is near the Larmor frequency, the net aligned moment, M.sub.z, may be rotated, or "tipped", into the x-y plane to produce a net transverse magnetic moment M.sub.t. A signal is emitted by the excited spins, and after the excitation signal B.sub.1 is terminated, this signal may be received and processed to form an image.
When utilizing these signals to produce images, magnetic field gradients (G.sub.x, G.sub.y, and G.sub.z) are employed. Typically, the region to be imaged is scanned by a sequence of measurement cycles in which these gradients vary according to the particular localization method being used. The resulting set of received NMR signals are digitized and processed to reconstruct the image using one of many well known reconstruction techniques.
It is well known that imperfections in the linear magnetic field gradients (G.sub.x, G.sub.y, and G.sub.z) produce artifacts in the reconstructed images. It is a well known problem, for example, that eddy currents produced by gradient pulses will distort the magnetic field and produce image artifacts. Methods for compensating for such eddy current errors are also well known as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,698,591; 4,950,994; and 5,226,418.
It is also well known that the gradients may not be perfectly uniform over the entire imaging volume, which may lead to image distortion. Methods for compensating this non-uniformity are well known, and for example, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,789.
Other than uncompensated eddy current errors and gradient non-uniformity errors that escape correction, it can be assumed that the magnetic field gradients (G.sub.x, G.sub.y, and G.sub.z) produce linear magnetic fields exactly as programmed, thus spatially encoding the NMR data accurately. With these gradients, the overall static magnetic field at location (x,y,z) is conventionally given as B.sub.0 +G.sub.x x+G.sub.y Y+G.sub.z z, and the direction of the field is usually thought to be along the z-axis. This description, however, is not exactly correct. As long as a linear magnetic field gradient is applied, the overall magnetic field is nutated away from the z-axis and its amplitude exhibits higher-order spatial dependencies (x.sup.2, y.sup.2, z.sup.2, z.sup.3, . . . ). These phenomena are a direct consequence of the Maxwell equations which require that the overall magnetic field satisfy the following two condition: .gradient..multidot.B=0 and .gradient..times.B=0. The higher-order magnetic fields, referred to as "Maxwell terms" (or Maxwell fields), represent a fundamental physics effect, and are not related to eddy currents or imperfection in hardware design and manufacture. Although Maxwell terms have been known for at least a decade, their effect on imaging has been largely ignored because of their minute amplitudes under conventional imaging conditions.
MR imaging methods may be categorized by the k-space trajectory used. Conventional, "rectilinear" MR imaging methods traverse k-space using a set of parallel lines which sample a rectangle in 2D or a parallelpiped (box) in 3 D space. MR imaging methods which use substantially non-rectilinear k-space sampling include spiral scans, projection imaging, circular scans and twisted radial line imaging. One main difference between rectilinear and non-rectilinear sampling patterns is the type of artifacts which result. For substantially rectilinear k-space trajectories, the Maxwell fields cause ghosting and geometrical distortion but with non-rectilinear trajectories, blurring results. Correction methods for removing ghosting and geometrical distortion from the substantially rectilinear trajectories are available, but these methods are not appropriate for non-rectilinear trajectories because of the different nature of the artifacts.

Correction for maxwell fields produced during non-rectilinear k-space sampling


A circuit is designed with a memory array (102) having a plurality of memory cells arranged in rows and columns (204, 206, 210, 212). The memory array has a plurality of bit line pairs (202, 208, 282, 284) with each bit line pair connected to a respective column of memory cells and a bit line reference terminal (254). A control circuit (700) produces a control signal, the control signal having a first voltage for a first time, a second voltage for a second time and a third voltage for a third time. A precharge circuit (350, 352) connects at least one bit line pair to the bit line reference terminal, responsive to the first voltage for the first time and the second voltage for the second time. The precharge circuit disconnects the at least one bit line pair from the bit line reference terminal, responsive to the third voltage for the third time.

Present complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) circuits are frequently used for main memory in a variety of applications including desk top and portable computer systems. Advances in manufacturing technology have greatly improved the process and reduced the defect density associated with these memory circuits. With continued reductions in memory circuit feature sizes, however, some defects in memory circuits are unavoidable. Memory manufacturers frequently incorporate redundancy circuits to repair faulty rows, columns and bits that result from these unavoidable defects. Redundant repair of faulty memory elements produces a memory circuit with all memory cells fully functional but it does not remove the original defect.
Some of these defects may still compromise functionality of the memory circuit even after redundant repair. A short circuit between adjacent word lines, for example, may cause an increase in current consumption when one of the word lines is driven high and the other is held low during an active part of a memory cycle. Repair of such a defect may require replacement of both word lines. A more serious problem occurs when a word fine is shorted to a bit line. Replacement of the word line and bit line may restore functionality, but current consumption may still be unacceptable for two reasons. First, the bit line is frequently precharged to a bit line reference voltage (BLR) intermediate the supply voltage (Vdd) and ground (Vss) during a standby part of the memory cycle. Current consumption is limited by product specification to a value far below that of the active part of the memory cycle during this standby part of the memory cycle. Thus, the word line to bit line short will frequently exceed product specification.
Second, bit lines are perpetually precharged during the standby part of the memory cycle. A constant current, therefore, is perpetually consumed by the memory circuit even though the memory circuit may not be accessed for extended periods. Maximum allowable standby current for a memory circuit is often specified as an average current. This average current consumption is increased due to a word line to bit line short for the duration of the standby part of the memory cycle. Thus, current consumption due to the word line to bit line short frequently exceeds the maximum allowable standby current specification and renders the memory circuit unrepairable.

Bit line precharge circuit with reduced standby current


A drawing unit for drawing sliver includes first and second drawing roll pairs being spaced from one another in the direction of sliver advance. One drawing roll in each drawing roll pair is a driven roll. There are further provided first and second drive motors; a first torque-transmitting device connected to the first drive motor and to the driven roll of the first drawing roll pair for driving the first drawing roll pair in a forward sense for feeding the sliver; a second torque-transmitting device connected to the second drive motor and to the driven roll of the second drawing roll pair for driving the second drawing roll pair in a forward sense for feeding the sliver; an electronic control and regulating device connected to the first and second drive motors; a freewheel backstop operatively connected to the driven roll of the first roll pair for preventing rotation thereof in a reverse sense; and an incremental rotary path indicator coupled to the driven roll of the second roll pair for generating signals representing rotary data of the driven roll of the second roll pair.

This invention relates to a drawing unit for a fiber processing machine, particularly a regulated drawing frame for processing cotton and is of the type which has at least two consecutive roll pairs, each having at least one roll driven by its own electric motor and further includes an electronic control and regulating device connected to the electric motors.
In a known drawing frame of the above-outlined type, disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,733, with each driven roll a freewheel backstop is associated for preventing a reverse rotation of the roll. Such an arrangement has been found to be operationally generally satisfactory. It may occur, however, that the electric motors--even if to a small extent--turn in the reverse direction in a non-uniform manner. In case the electric motor associated with the preliminary drawing zone turns to a greater extent in the reverse direction, than the electric motor associated with the principal drawing zone, a faulty draft in the sliver may occur.

Drawing unit for a fiber processing machine particularly a regulated drawing frame for processing cotton


A starter strip has a fastener flange, a siding support element connected to the flange, a spacer element connected to the siding support element; and a flashing element connected to the spacer element.

Fiber-cement siding is increasing in popularity for residential and light commercial applications due to its lower cost and lower maintenance than traditional wood siding. Fiber-cement siding panels are composed of cement, sand and cellulose fibers and generally are manufactured in 5¼ to 12 inch widths and are about 5/15 inches thick. Similarly to wood siding, fiber-cement siding is installed onto a building structure over exterior wall sheathing.
In typical residential building construction, a foundation is laid, and on top of that a sill plate, usually a 2×4, is attached. Wall studs are then framed above the sill plate. Typically, the wall studs are covered with a sheathing, such as plywood, OSB, builder board, foam-type sheathing, or other comparable sheathing materials. On the exterior of the sheathing, a wall covering, such as siding or shingles, is installed to produce a finished appearance. Often the siding is horizontally aligned on the building structure. Where individual siding panels are employed, such as wood panels or the above described fiber-cement siding panels, they are generally installed from the bottom of the building structure upwards in an overlapping manner. In order to properly align the panels on the building structure, a chalk line is snapped to establish a straight reference line. The chalk line guides the positioning of a starter strip, which will in turn guide the vertical position and the angle of the siding panels. Typically, the starter strip is a 1½″ inch wide and ¼″ to 5/16″ thick strip of fiber cement, wood, or vinyl, which is positioned towards the bottom of the sheathing so that the bottom edge of the lowermost siding panel will project at least ⅛″ below the bottom edge of the starter strip when installed on the building structure.
Often the sill plate and sheathing are exposed to moisture and insects around the area of the foundation. This is because water draining downwardly from the siding panels, water from blowing rain, and water splashing upwardly from the ground can come into contact with exposed regions of the sheathing and sill plate behind the lowermost siding panel and starter strip. This exposure to moisture and insects may cause rotting or other undesirable structural damage to the sheathing and sill plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,095 to Tamlyn discloses starter strips designed to reduce exposure of the sill plate and/or sheathing panel to water. In one embodiment, the starter strip includes a bottom face which extends below the sill plate to protect the exposed sill plate from moisture. The starter strip also includes an angle face which is used as a pedestal to define the angular offset of the lowermost siding panel. In a second embodiment, the starter strip includes a back plate, a face plate normal to the back plate, and an angled remaining face. Upon installation of this starter strip, the back plate extends above and below the sill plate to protect the sill plate from moisture. The face plate covers the bottom edge of the sheathing panel to protect the bottom edge of the sheathing panel from exposure to moisture. The angled remaining face provides cosmetic trim. The first embodiment does not adequately set the proper vertical starting location for the lowermost siding panel, and the second embodiment is not employed in the installation of siding panels, but rather is employed for the protection of the sheathing panel and sill plate.
What is needed is an improved starter strip for the installation of siding panels.


Methods and apparatus for delivering a substance to a target tissue are provided which may include any number of features. One feature is storing a substance or drug in a reservoir or reservoirs over an expandable member. The expandable member can be a balloon catheter, for example. The reservoir(s) can be disposed in a Transforming Reservoirs Matrix layer disposed over the expandable member. Another feature is a mechanical activator or a plurality of mechanical activators positioned near the reservoir(s).

Local drug delivery vehicles have been in development for different applications. A particular interest of this application is local drug delivery with non-implant vehicles that can deliver a therapeutic agent, a biological agent, cell base therapy, an active agent or a substance of any kind to a desired anatomical target and release it in a relatively short engagement time of seconds to minutes, hours or in some cases days. Potential applications include treating tumors or cancer of any kind, internal or external bodily injury sites, areas of inflammations or infections, treatment of stenosis or restenosis, vulnerable plaque, ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, promotion of wound healing and other conditions that can be treated using therapeutic or other known agents. Examples of drug delivery vehicles may be found, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 7,105,013; U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,250; U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,614; U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,261; U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,385; US Patent Appl. Publ. No. 2005/0101522; US Patent Appl. Publ. No. 2003/0064965; US Patent Appl. Publ. No. 2008/0118544; and US Patent Appl. Publ. No. 2008/0255510.
One particular application is drug delivery to body lumens using devices such as drug coated balloons (DEB). Drug coated balloons release drug to luminal walls through surface contact and diffusion. The drug is typically utilized to minimize inflammatory response during healing and improve long term patency of the lumen. In other cases therapeutic agents include substances for accelerated or enhanced healing and of the luminal wall after balloon angioplasty.
Those devices suffer from multiple limitations that hinder their effectiveness. One of the key issues is binding the drug to the balloon surface in a way that will allow the drug to release at the desired target. Typically the coatings involve additives or binders to allow the drug to bind to the surface. One example is contrast agents previously used as an additive to Paclitaxel in coated balloon application. Another example is polymeric additive such as hydrogels that react to water based environment. Dip coating, spray coating and other methods are used to attach combinations of binders or additives and drugs such as paclitaxel, Rapamycin or others to the polymeric surface of the balloon. Those formulations of drugs and additives add complexity to device and may affect the absorbency and thereby potency of the drug. In addition the device releases not just the drug but also the additive that may interfere with the healing process and affect the long term results of the treatment.
Another related limitation is that some of the drug coated on the balloon washes out during catheter delivery to the target location (literature reports include numbers of up to 80%). Delivery times vary significantly from less than 30 seconds to sometimes up to 10 minutes depending on the location of the target lesion and on the tortuosity of the anatomical pathway leading to the target. Therefore the amount of drug remaining on the coated balloon varies significantly, and the amount of drug released to the lesion cannot be controlled properly.
Attempts have been made to resolve this issue by developing new binders, adding erodible protective layers, using protective sheaths that may or may not include perforations and hiding the drug within the balloon folds. New binders and any new entity used in the circulatory system carry a risk of adverse biological effects and impaired release kinetic. Erodible protective layers further complicate the coating process and may impair the controlled release by shortening drug diffusion time (since the protective layer has to erode first) and adding another loosely controlled time variable to the drug/tissue contact time. Protective sheathes of any kind cover the drug layer, limit diffusion time and typically require the drug to be mixed with other additive that can flow through the perforated sheath. All those methods shorten the drug diffusion time, limit the ability to control the release kinetic and by that hinder the safety and effectiveness of the therapy.
Another limitation of these devices is in cases of therapeutic substances that are very active and need to be isolated until they reach the target site—such as biological sealants and fibrin sealants that may start oxidation or curing processes immediately upon contact with body fluid. Therefore these substances should be isolated throughout the delivery, regardless of length or tortousity, until the moment they reach the target site where they are activated/released.
Another limitation of drug delivery vehicles such as coated balloons is the dependence on diffusion alone to release the drug to the target during very short contact times (typically in the order of seconds or minutes). Diffusion is highly dependent on the topology and pathology of the lesion. For example, if the lesion is calcified the calcium may act as a barrier to drug diffusion and not enough substance will diffuse to the lesion.
For all those reasons there is still a need to invent and develop new vehicles for drug delivery to luminal walls and other locations in the body that will maximize the drug/tissue interaction time, minimize the need for new formulations and additives, and allow for a controlled and effective release of drug and other substances to target locations.

Method for loading substances into drug delivery catheter


A vehicle engine cooling system includes a coupling assembly to be connected to and rotated by a vehicle engine output shaft. An electric motor includes a motor shaft having first and second ends. An impeller is coupled to the first end of the motor shaft. A clutch structure is integral with the electric motor and includes an input member carried by the second end of the motor shaft for rotation therewith. An end of the coupling structure is operatively associated with the input member to cause rotation of the input member upon rotation of the coupling assembly. An electro-magnet structure is disposed about the input member. The clutch structure also includes output structure having a mounting member fixed to the motor shaft. A movable element, including magnetically permeable material, is mounted with respect to the mounting member for rotational movement therewith and for movement between a non-engaging position and an engaging position. A spring biases the movable element towards the non-engaging position. A switching structure is operatively associated with the electric motor and with the electro-magnet structure and is movable between a first position providing electric current to the electric motor and a second position providing electric current to the electro-magnet structure. When the switching structure is in the second position, the movable element moves to the engaging position. When the switching structure is moved to the first position, the electro-magnet structure is deenergized and the spring returns the movable element to the non-engaging position with.

Internal combustion engines for use in vehicles usually have an engine cooling system which includes the engine that cooperates with a radiator and a pump for circulating cooling fluid to and from the engine. A fan is used to force air through the radiator to cool fluid heated by the engine and passing through the radiator during operation of the vehicle.
Generally, there are two classes of cooling fan systems employed conventionally to force air through a radiator: (1) engine driven type cooling fans which derive the required power from the crankshaft of the engine, and (2) motor driven cooling fans utilizing an electric motor as a driving source. In the engine driven type cooling systems, a fluid-friction or viscous-drive fan arrangement is provided to utilize the rotation of the engine to power the fan. A disadvantage of this design is a degree of slippage between the input and output parts of the viscous coupling. In addition, there is generally no regulation of the speed of the fan. Fan speed depends on the temperature of the air stream surrounding the bimetallic elements of the viscous coupling. Since fan speed is unregulated, when the vehicle is at idle, the number of revolutions of the engine is low and thus the number of revolutions of the cooling fan is also low. Thus, the engine may tend to over heat due to the lack of capacity of the cooling fan to supply required air to the radiator.
In the case of electric motor driven fans, the fan operates generally at a constant speed independent of the driving conditions of the vehicle. Thus, if the number of revolutions of the cooling fan is preset to suit the cooling requirements for conditions during idling, the cooling capacity tends to be inefficient when the vehicle is operating at high speeds. On the other hand, if the number of revolutions of the electric motor driven cooling fan is preset based on cooling needed when the vehicle is running a high-speed, a large capacity motor must be used which may be too cumbersome for use in many vehicles.
In an attempt to solve these problems, hybrid mechanical and electrical drive engine cooling fan systems have been proposed using an electric motor to drive the cooling fan during idling conditions and using the engine output shaft to drive the cooling fan during high speed vehicle operating conditions. A one way clutch is provided to control whether the electric motor or the engine output shaft drives the fan.
Although the hybrid systems work well for their intended purpose, these systems generally require complicated mechanical connections between the electric motor and the separate clutch which makes the system bulky and thus consumes valuable engine compartment space.
Accordingly, a need exists to provide a simple and compact vehicle cooling system which is efficient and provides effective cooling when the engine is operating at both high speed and at idle conditions.

Hybrid engine cooling system having electric motor with electro-magnetic clutch


An exemplary method includes providing an overdrive pacing rate, based at least in part on the overdrive pacing rate, determining an incidence limit for incidence of intrinsic atrial activity events, determining an incidence of intrinsic atrial activity events, comparing the incidence of intrinsic atrial activity events to the incidence limit and, based at least on the comparing, deciding whether to adjust the overdrive pacing rate. According to this exemplary method, the incidence limit is optionally a function of overdrive pacing rate. Another exemplary method includes determining a dwell limit wherein the dwell limit is optionally a function of overdrive pacing rate. Other exemplary methods, devices, systems, etc., are also disclosed.

Premature atrial contractions (PACs) occur when a site in the atria other than the sinus node develops automaticity of a rate greater than that of the sinus node. Such a site is called an ectopic focus. An ectopic focus can usurp control of the atria from the sinus node for one or a few consecutive beats causing a single PAC or a "salvo" of PACs. If the ectopic focus remains in control for a long period, this is referred to as a focal atrial tachycardia.
Some conventional pacemakers have an ability to respond to PACs. For example, some conventional pacemakers treat PACs that occur outside of the post-ventricular atrial refractory blanking period (PVARP) as sinus P-waves and respond by tracking PACs or, in non-tracking modes, by inhibiting output of atrial pacing stimuli. Further, if such a conventional pacemaker has enabled an atrial fibrillation (AF) suppression algorithm (e.g., dynamic atrial overdrive), PACs that occur outside of the PVARP typically trigger an increase in atrial overdrive pacing rate (e.g., in a manner similar to sinus P-waves that occur outside of the PVARP).
AF suppression algorithms generally request an increase atrial overdrive pacing rate only if a predetermined number of P-waves occur within a predetermined number of cycles. For example, a conventional AF suppression algorithm will request an increase in atrial overdrive pacing rate if two P-waves occur in 16 consecutive pacing cycles. In addition, the requested rate increase is typically based on a present pacing rate (e.g., 110% of the present rate).
After a programmable number of overdrive cycles at the increased rate, the AF suppression algorithm requests a gradual decrease or decay in overdrive rate, for example, until a request for another increase, or until the overdrive rate reaches the higher of a base rate and a sensor indicated rate. If request calls for a rate increase that increases the overdrive rate above a maximum allowed overdrive rate, then the overdrive rate is clipped to the maximum allowed overdrive rate.
Aforementioned algorithms, however, may respond inappropriately to repeated salvos of PACs. For example, repeated salvos of PACs can result in ever increasing rate requests that drive the overdrive rate up to the maximum allowed overdrive rate (e.g., typically equal to the maximum sensor rate in conventional pacemakers) and, once reached, request that the maximum rate is maintained for an extended period of time. Physiologic consequences of maintaining a high overdrive rate for an extended period of time are manifold and may include pain, annoyance, heightened catecholaminergic response (e.g., positive feedback) and even tachycardia-induced heart failure. Thus, while it may be appropriate for an algorithm to increase the overdrive pacing rate in response to PACs, because overdrive pacing may act to suppress PACs, conventional AF suppression algorithms typically do not produce the best outcome in patients that experience salvos of PACs. In essence, if PACs persist or are persistent, then extended overdrive pacing at a maximum rate may do little, if nothing, to improve cardiac function and, at worst, it may lead to a critical condition.
Overall, a need exists for algorithms that respond appropriately to PACs and/or other atrial events. Various exemplary methods, devices, systems, etc., are described below which may address aforementioned needs and/or other needs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A key, which is pressed for constituting close circuit, includes a key cap, a movable arm and a bottom plate. A bottom of the key cap is joined to a bend part of the movable arm. A pivot part of the movable arm is movably joined to a pivot hole of the bottom plate. The bend part surrounds at least two adjacent lateral sides of the bottom of the key cap to constitute a support plane. When the key cap is pressed down at any one spot on the key cap, the pressing force is supported by the bend part and moves the key cap downward directly instead of inclining to the side of the pressed spot. The key provides simple structure for easy assembly and requires less precision for saving fabrication cost.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an input device of an electronic apparatus and particularly to a key with larger area in an input device.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,695 discloses a notebook computer key, which includes a key hat, a supporting frame and an elastic touch moving piece. Both the supporting frame and the elastic touch moving piece are joined to the bottom side of the key hat. Further, a printed circuit board is disposed under the supporting frame. The elastic touch moving piece is pressed down by the key hat to become deformed and move downward. In this way, the internal conductive part contacts the printed circuit board to constitute close circuit.
Taiwanese Patent No. 232398 discloses a key structure, which is attached to a case member with at least an opening, and the key structure includes at least a key part. The key part further includes a first part and a second part. The first part is fixedly joined to the case member and the second part conceals the opening. A support frame is disposed at the opening and attached to the case member to face the second part. A switch unit is provided in the case member. When the user exerts a press force to the support frame, the support frame touches and moves the switch unit.
Referring to FIG. 1, for a key 50 without the support frame and especially providing a press part 51 with larger area, when the user presses a lateral side of the press part 51 with a finger 60 instead of pressing at a position corresponding to the top of the movable part 521 of the switch unit 52, the press part 51 becomes inclining downward with the movable part 521 as a fulcrum from the pressed spot and it results in insufficient downward displacement of the movable part 521 such that function of the switch is incapable of performed effectively. In order to overcome the problem, a plurality of switch units have to be placed under the press part 51 to avoid the press part 51 pressing the switch unit 52 under a condition of inclining. Another way to overcome the preceding problem is the supporting frame disclosed in the preceding U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,695. However, the supporting frame is complicated in structure, which increases costs of design and production.