A catheter comprising a dual lumen tube with a bolus at its distal end having a bullet nose. A venous port is formed in one side of the bolus adjacent the bullet nose of the bolus. An arterial port is formed in the bolus circumferentially displaced 180° around the catheter from the venous port. The bolus contains a venous passage which transitions from a smaller two-thirds moon shaped cross-section to a larger circular cross-section. The arterial passage has a crescent-moon shaped cross-section. The bullet nose is not as thick as the tube and is inclined on an angle to the axis of the tube so that a portion of its outer periphery is substantially tangent to a hypothetical cylinder containing the trailing edge of the venous port.

Catheters are inserted in the vascular system of a patient for a variety of reasons. Hemodialysis and plasmaphoresis are two principal procedures using such catheters. Intravenous procedures of other types also employ them.
Hemodialysis, for example, normally employs one of two types of catheter to remove blood from the patient for processing and return processed blood to the patient. Most commonly, a catheter tube containing two lumens is used, each lumen having a generally semi-cylindrical or D-shape configuration. This type of catheter is frequently referred to as a dual lumen catheter. Alternatively, two tubes, each with a full cylindrical configuration, are used separately to remove blood for dialysis and return the processed blood.
Flow rates possible with conventional dual lumen catheters are usually lower than those achievable where separate tubes are used to remove blood from a vein for dialysis and then return processed blood back to the vein. Thus, the use of two tubes has become more and more popular as the capacity (maximum flow rate) of hemodialysis membranes has increased.
Hemodialysis membranes are now able to process blood at over 500 ml of flow per minute. Even higher processing rates are foreseeable. However, problems occur with both the line introducing purified blood back into the vein (the venous or outflow line) and the line removing blood for purification (the arterial or intake line) at flow rates above 300 ml per minute. A high flow rate from the venous line may cause whipping or "firehosing" of the tip in the vein with consequent damage to the vein lining. A corresponding high flow rate into the arterial line may cause the port to be sucked into the vein wall, resulting in occlusion. It should be understood, of course, that both lines normally access the superior vena cava and the designations are used for differentiation purposes.
Speed of flow through a catheter lumen, whether it be in a single lumen or a dual lumen catheter, is controlled by a number of factors including the smoothness of the wall surface, the internal diameter or cross-sectional area of the tube lumen, and the length of the tube lumen. The most important factor is the cross-sectional area of the tube lumen. The force or speed of the fluid flow in a tube lumen for a given cross-sectional area is controlled by the external pumping force, of course. This is a positive pressure pushing processed blood through the venous lumen and a negative (suction) pressure pulling unprocessed blood through the arterial lumen.
Problems encountered in providing for a high flow rate through a catheter are magnified in a dual lumen catheter construction. Because each of the lumens in a dual lumen catheter normally has a D-shape, it has been assumed that flow rates are limited. Furthermore, such dual lumen catheters are, to a great extent, catheters with a main port that opens at the end of a lumen substantially on the axis of the lumen. Thus, "firehosing" frequently results. Fire-hosing may damage the vein wall, triggering the build-up of fibrin on the catheter tip. Fibrin build-up may result in port occlusion.
There are dual lumen catheters which utilize side ports for both outflow and inflow. An example is the catheter disclosed in the Cruz et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,093. However, such catheters have not been entirely successful in solving problems related to hemodialysis with dual lumen catheters, e.g., high incidences of catheter port occlusion as well as some degree of fire-hosing.
Catheters of almost all types are also pliable so that they do not damage body tissue when they are in-situ. Pliability can create a problem during insertion, however, because the catheters can kink when they meet resistance. Thus, there is often a need for a certain amount of stiffness so that the catheters can be directed within body vessels or cavities. There are currently two methods of providing this stiffness; stylets and guide wires.
A stylet can be a single or a twisted wire with a blunt end that is inserted into the catheter to make it stiff. The stylet is often used with bullet nose catheters and maintains its position within the catheter as the catheter is inserted. The stiffened catheter is advanced into the blood vessel with the stylet.
In contrast, guide wires are used to both stiffen the catheter and to provide a guide for the insertion. Commonly, the guide wire is inserted into the blood vessel before the catheter. The catheter is then inserted into the blood vessel over the wire, and follows the wire as it travels inside the vessel. Guide wires are most often utilized with catheters that are inserted deep into the body, such as with central venous catheters that are inserted into the heart. The thin guide wire more easily makes the bends and turns necessary for this type of placement.
In guide wire insertion where the catheter must be inserted over the guide wire, catheters with open ends are normally utilized to permit passage of the guide wire. These catheters are more likely to cause damage to body tissue during insertion than bullet nose catheters, for example, because of their flat ends and side edges. Open ended catheters are also more likely to damage tissue than bullet nose catheters while in-situ. Nevertheless, the need for deep catheter insertion has heretofore made guide wire insertion of open-ended catheters an accepted procedure in spite of the disadvantage of their flat or blunt end design.
As an alternative, bullet nose catheters have occasionally been used with guide wires in some applications by incorporating a small hole through the nose for the wire to pass through. This approach has generally been found undesirable, however, because the hole in the bullet nose can later collect particulate matter and be a focal point for infection.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Radius International Limited Partnership


In some aspects, the disclosure is directed to methods and systems for in-packet transmission power control. Measurement circuitry in communication with a transmission stage of a device is configured to generate a transmitted signal strength measurement signal based on an output of the transmission power amplifier during transmission of a packet. Measurement conversion circuitry connected to the measurement circuitry is configured to convert the transmitted signal strength measurement signal from the measurement circuitry to an output power measurement. Power control circuitry connected to the measurement conversion circuitry is configured to generate a power correction signal based on the output power measurement and an output power target value. Power ramping circuitry connected to the power control circuitry is configured to provide a gain signal to the transmission stage of the device based on the power correction signal.

Many implementations of wireless communications protocols have transmission power requirements to comply with regulatory limits, prevent interference with other devices, preserve battery life, etc. However, controlling transmission power may be difficult, as components such as power amplifiers may be highly sensitive to temperature and other environmental factors, as well as process and voltage variation. In order to maintain link quality at the receiving side, and to maintain a predictable transmit power for every packet, changes in transmission power need to be compensated.
The details of various embodiments of the methods and systems are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below.

Avago Technologies International Sales Pte. Limited


A flexible circuit suitable for high density applications and having a long flexural life is disclosed. A thin film metallic ground plane deposited on a dielectric substrate electrically shields the conductor traces in the flexible circuit and eliminates cross-talk between conductor traces without reducing the flexibility or the flexural life of the flexible circuit.

Flexible circuits, also known as flex circuits, are widely used in applications where electrical connections are required to withstand a large number of bending cycles. A typical flex circuit contains multiple conductor traces carrying electrical signals. Conductor traces are sandwiched between two flat insulating dielectric layers. A symmetrical construction of the flexible circuit is preferred for obtaining a long flex life. The flex life of a flex circuit is the number of times the circuit can flex before failing. In a symmetrical design, the conductor traces are located on the center or neutral axis of the flexible circuit and thus encounter bending strains close to zero.
In high frequency signal applications, the close proximity of conductor traces to each other causes an electromagnetic effect known as cross-talk to occur. In cross-talk, an electric field is generated around a conductor trace which interferes with neighboring conductor traces. One solution for eliminating cross-talk is to separate the signal conductor traces with traces connected to an electrical ground. This solution is not suitable in high density applications because the number of traces is doubled, thus doubling the width of the flex circuit.
Another solution for eliminating cross-talk is by mounting a plane of conductive material connected to an electric ground in close proximity to the conductor traces. The addition of the ground plane also requires an additional layer of adhesive for bonding the ground plane. The additional layers of adhesive and the ground conductor increase the thickness of the flex circuit and move the neutral axis of the circuit away from the centerline of the conductive traces. The conductive traces are thus subjected to higher strains. This reduces the flex life of the conductor traces and the circuit. Additionally, the increased thickness of the flex circuit also reduces the flexibility of the circuit.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for an electrically grounded flex circuit having a long flex life that is also suitable for high density applications.


A local positioning system which includes a video camera, a computer communicating with the video camera and a target object sighted by the video camera and having a target object coordinate system. The computer is adapted to define a relative position and orientation of the video camera with respect to the target object, determine a position and orientation of the video camera in the target object coordinate system, and determine the position of a point of interest in the target object coordinate system. The system can also be used to aim the camera at a previously recorded point of interest on the target object. Contact with, or close proximity to, the target object is not required. A local positioning method is also disclosed.

When repair work is required on vehicles such as the skin of an aircraft, for example, it may be necessary to take into account the size, shape and location of previous damage and/or repairs for optimum repair of the vehicle. Photographs of the previous damage and/or repair may be made but may not be precisely located or sized on the vehicle or may not be useful for future repair planning. During the analysis of a damage/repair site (i.e. a location of interest) it may be desirable to obtain measurement information without contacting the target object. Due to accessibility and/or contact constraints, it may be difficult to reach the location of interest to obtain position measurements; therefore it is advantageous for a local positioning system to be able to take measurements without contacting the target object and from moderate to large distances from the target object. Local positioning systems which have been used to determine the location, shape and size of damage and/or repairs on vehicles, such as skin damage and/or repairs on an aircraft, for example, may utilize acoustic, laser-based, magnetic, RFID, GPS, and motion capture -based systems. A local positioning system such as the Hexamite HX11, for example, may utilize a minimum of four wireless acoustic sensors (and may require line-of-site) to provide 3-D positioning capability of past damage and/or repairs. The sensors may require mounting on the aircraft with the fourth sensor used to generate point data. Also, curvature of any sort on the surface of the aircraft distorts the acoustic path and reduces the precision to the point that this method will not work in many cases.
Laser-based positioning systems may stand off the aircraft structure to take location data on an aircraft, but may suffer from the requirement that the laser beam be directed in a somewhat perpendicular orientation with respect to the surface of the aircraft skin in order to obtain a sufficiently strong reflection to be recorded. 3A lasers may not be sufficiently strong for use beyond a few feet on most colors of paint, and the stronger 3B lasers may require optical shielding for eye safety.
Other laser-based systems, like the ArcSecond® or Leica Geosystems® trackers, require receivers or reflectors placed at locations of interest. In the case of the ArcSecond system, multiple laser emitters must be placed around the work volume, which increases process complexity and data collection effort of the user.
In a similar manner, motion capture (MoCap) systems, like those from Vicon® or Motion Analysis®, Inc., also require the placement of components around the work volume, in this case multiple camera units, and also require the placement of markers on the target object
Magnetic systems, like those from Ascension®, require placement of magnetic sensors and tend to have accuracy problems due to interference from metal.
GPS and active RFID-based systems don't have the necessary resolution, and also require device placement on the target object.
The capability to rapidly tie features on a vehicle such as on the skin of an aircraft (size, shape and location of structural damage or non-destructive evaluation (NDE) associated to structural damage or the repair of previous structural damage), for example, to coordinate systems may be useful in some circumstances. There may be a need in some circumstances to obtain positional and geometric data in order to establish the appropriate repair design and procedure based upon precise history of past repairs on a particular portion of a vehicle and to relate the data to an engineering data set and maintenance database.


A mirror mounting assembly for mounting a mirror in a laser rangefinder, comprising: a mirror mount configured for receiving and mounting a mirror and configured such that when connected to the laser rangefinder, the position and/or orientation of the mirror mount relative to the body of the laser rangefinder can be adjusted.

The use of laser rangefinding devices is becoming more and more common as technology advances, and devices of this type become smaller and more portable. Laser rangefinding devices generally have a laser emitter unit and a receiver unit mounted in a casing or housing. Laser light is emitted from the emitter unit, passing through a first lens in the casing to the target, the light reflecting and returning to the rangefinder through a second lens, then passing to the receiver unit. Laser rangefinders are generally factory-calibrated by aligning the relative positions of the laser and receiver units. In order that the unit can be used to measure distances as precisely as possible, the alignment should be precise.
The Applicant has proposed a laser rangefinder device having one or more mirrors within the housing to change the direction of the beam before it leaves the housing, and to change the direction of the reflected beam after it enters the housing. That device is disclosed in PCT Application No. PCT/NZ2011/000257, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. The Applicant's device uses mirrors arranged at generally 45 degrees to the lenses.
In other laser rangefinder devices the laser emitter and the receiver unit are generally moved to calibrate and align the unit.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved mirror mounting assembly or method for mounting a mirror in a laser rangefinder, or at least to provide the public or industry with a useful choice. It is a further object of the invention to provide a laser rangefinder that has an improved mirror mounting assembly, or at least to provide the public or industry with a useful choice.

Mirror mounting assembly for mounting a mirror in a laser rangefinder


Disclosed is a light receiving device for reading an optical medium compliant with any of different standards. The receiving device includes light receiving elements and an amplifier circuit. Each light receiving element is for receiving light reflected from an optical medium compliant with a different one of the standards and output a signal responsive to the received light. The amplifier circuit is for amplifying a signal derived from output of the light receiving elements. The signal amplified by the amplifier circuit is derived by subtracting an output signal of one of the light receiving elements that receives light from the optical medium from an output signal of the other light receiving elements.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light receiving device for reading optical media. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technique for accurately reading optical media compliant with different standards.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In recent years, optical media such as CDs (Compact Discs) and DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs) are widely used to store large amounts of music and video data, for example. In response to this trend, there is an increase in demand for optical pickups capable of reading both CD and DVD media. Unfortunately, however, the capability of handling both CD and DVD media often leads to the increase in the number of optical pickup parts or upsizing of the device.
To address the above problems, various optical pickups including the following have been suggested (see JP Patent Application Publication No. 2004-71058). FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating the structure of a conventional optical pickup. As illustrated in FIG. 1, an optical pickup 8 includes a monolithic integrated two-wavelength laser diode 801, a half-silvered mirror 802, a collimator lens 803, a mirror 804, an objective lens 805, a collective lens 806, and a light receiving element 807. The optical pickup 8 reads information from an optical medium 810.
The laser diode 801 emits laser light at different wavelengths depending on whether the optical medium 810 is a CD or DVD. The laser beam emitted form the laser diode 801 sequentially passes through the half-silvered mirror 802, the collimator lens 803, the mirror 804, and the objective lens 805, and converges at a point on the recording surface of the optical medium 810.
The laser light is then reflected off the recording surface of the optical medium 810 at a different intensity responsive to the state of the recording surface. The reflected light sequentially passes through the objective lens 805, the mirror 804, the collimator lens 803, the half-silvered mirror 802, and the collective lens 806 and is received by the light receiving element 807.
FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the structure of the light receiving element 807. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the light receiving element 807 includes ten photo diodes A1-A4, a1-a4, E and F. The photodiodes A1-A4 are provided to receive light reflected from CD, whereas photodiodes a1-a4 are provided to receive light reflected from DVD. The photodiodes E and F are provided to receive light reflected from either of CD and DVD.
The photodiodes A1-A4 and a1-a4 output radio frequency (RF) signals as well as focusing error signals. The photodiodes E and F output tracking error signals.
FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating the structure of a light receiving circuit including the light receiving element 807. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the light receiving circuit 10 includes differential amplifiers 1001-1004 each of which has a non-inverting input terminal and an inverting input terminal. Each non-inverting input terminal is applied with a reference voltage. Each inverting input terminal is connected in parallel to a different one of photodiode pairs, namely A1 & a1, A2 & a2, A3 & a3, and A4 & a4. With the structure stated above, each of the differential amplifiers 1001-1004 converts the current signal output from a corresponding one of the photodiode pairs A1 & a1, A2 & a2, A3 & a3, and A4 & a4 into a voltage signal and amplifies the resulting voltage signal.
In addition, the current signals output from the photodiodes E and F are also converted into voltage signals and amplified by the differential amplifiers 1006 and 1007, respectively. The output signals from the differential amplifiers 1001-1004 are added together by an adder 1005. The output signals of the differential amplifiers 1006 and 1007 are amplified by the amplifiers 1008 and 1009, respectively.
According to the structure stated above, the same optical parts are shared for handling both CD and DVD media. In addition, the same amplifier circuits are shared between paired photodiodes, one for CD and the other for DVD. Thus, the number of parts and the size the optical pickup are reduced.
It should be noted, however, that the optical pickup 8 illustrated in FIG. 3 involves the following setback. Since the inverting input terminal of each differential amplifier is connected to two photodiodes in parallel, dark current flowing through the two photodiodes is added together and amplified. Similarly, the influence of stray light doubles since the two photodiodes both receive stray light. The influence of electric current resulting from dark current and stray light (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "noise current") is more notable after the noise current present in the two photodiodes is added by the adder 1005. The noise current inevitably reduces the reading accuracy of the optical pickup 8 and narrows the output dynamic range.

Light receiving device for reading an optical medium with reducing influence of dark current and stray light performance

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An apparatus, related devices and methods, having memory to store instructions; and a processor to execute the instructions, and the apparatus is configured to receive, by a remote browser isolation (RBI) proxy from a client device, a transfer request to send data to a destination application, wherein the client device is running an RBI agent and includes a Data Loss Prevention endpoint (DLPe) module, and wherein communications between the client device and the destination application are routed through the RBI proxy; receive a plurality of inputs to the client device associated with the transfer request; create a submission request that includes the plurality of inputs and metadata; send the submission request to the DLPe module; receive a response from the DLPe module, wherein the response includes an instruction to allow, to disallow, or to amend and allow the submission request; and process the submission request according to the instruction.

The field of computer security has become increasingly important in today's society. In particular, web-based communications can provide a medium for exchanging data between different devices connected via computer networks. While the use of a network has transformed business and personal communications, it has also been used as a vehicle for unauthorized access to sensitive information. As attack vectors from web traffic are getting more and more sophisticated, many organizations are implementing remote browsing infrastructure to prevent network intrusions that may expose confidential and/or proprietary data to unauthorized individuals.

Detecting data leakage to websites accessed using a remote browsing infrastructure


The invention is a propulsion system for powering an aircraft in both vertical and horizontal flight modes. In detail, the invention comprises a gas-driven ducted lift fan mounted in the aircraft for providing thrust in the vertical flight mode. A turbofan engine is mounted in the aircraft that comprises a fan section for providing thrust in the horizontal flight mode and a turboshaft engine having an output drive shaft coupled to the fan section for driving same. A gas transfer duct is mounted in the aircraft having a first end adapted to receive exhaust air from the fan section and a second end coupled to the lift fan. A turbocompressor is mounted in the transfer duct and a combustor is mounted in the transfer duct between the turbocompressor and the lift fan, the combustor for receiving and burning fuel and providing combustion gases for driving the ducted left fan. A shafting system couples the turbocompressor to the output shaft of the turboshaft engine. A decoupling system is connected to the shafting system for decoupling the turbocompressor from the output shaft of the turboshaft engine.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of propulsion systems for vertical and/or short takeoff and landing aircraft and, in particular, to propulsion system for providing thrust in the vertical and horizontal flight modes.
2. Description of Related Art
The efficiency of a propulsion system for an aircraft is maximized when the velocity of the exhaust gases equals the velocity of the aircraft in its flight direction at minimum specific fuel consumption. Thus during take off, landing, and hovering, it is obvious that a helicopter, which provides a small incremental velocity to a large mass of air (low-disc loading), is more efficient than a jet aircraft, which provides a large incremental velocity to a small mass of air (high-disc loading). However, a helicopter, because of its very large diameter rotor, has a limited forward velocity, of less than 200 Knots due to compressibility effects on the rotor blade tips. Thus most V/STOL aircraft are compromises, which either limits the forward velocity of the aircraft (helicopter) or requires oversized engines for vertical flight (jet aircraft) causing a loss in cruise efficiency.
For example, the AV-8A Harrier V/STOL aircraft utilizes a turbofan engine for both hover and cruise propulsion. The turbofan engine was sized to produce adequate thrust for vertical lift in hover, but its correspondingly large frontal area increases the drag of the aircraft and limits its maximum speed to less than Mach 1 (approximately 580 Knots at sea level). However, the turbofan exhaust is of significantly high velocity and, thus propulsion efficiency is low at cruise velocities because the engine is oversized for this flight mode while hovering, which requires maximum power, for any significant amount of time is avoided because of the high fuel consumption.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,345, "Tandem Fan Series Flow V/STOL Propulsion System," by R. G. Musgrove, a jet engine with a small fan, which is capable of providing supersonic performance, is modified to provide vertical lift. The basic engine fan is split to provide fore and aft fans connected by means of a common drive shaft. The fans are centrally mounted in a duct located within the aircraft along its longitudinal axis. In normal wingborne flight, (hereinafter referred to as horizontal flight mode), the fans operate in series with the fan exhaust mixing with the turbine exhaust and exiting through a nozzle located at the rear of the aircraft. In the vertical mode of operation, a diverter is positioned downstream of the forward fan and is movable to a position for diverting the exhaust from the forward fan downward relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, while simultaneously opening an auxiliary inlet for permitting the introduction of air to the aft fan. An aft diverter is located in the nozzle which is also moveable to a position for diverting the exhaust from the aft fan and engine core downward. Thus for vertical flight the diverters are actuated causing the exhaust from both fans and the core engine to be directed downward fore and aft of the center of gravity of the aircraft.
However, the tandem fan engine has less thrust in the vertical takeoff and landing mode of operation than it has in the normal flight mode of operation. The thrust is greater in cruise because airflow passes through both fans, and thus the core is supplied with air that is raised to a higher pressure level (supercharged); whereas, in the vertical mode, the core engine airflow passes through only the aft fan. Consequently, the tandem fan concept is not an efficient design for a V/STOL aircraft.
Another more efficient approach is to couple a separate large diameter lift fan to the main turbofan by means of a drive shaft. The lift fan is clutched in and powered only during vertical flight modes. In addition, both the fan section and turbine section exhaust are deflected downward to provide lift. Increased performance is obtained because some of the turbofan's power is being used to drive the lift fan, which is more efficient at the low vertical take-off and landing speeds. Such a system can be found in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/521,211, "Propulsion System For A V/STOL Aircraft," filed May 5, 1990. However, as with all the designs discussed above, the propulsion systems are designed primarily for supersonic high-speed flight and modified for V/STOL operation. They are not readily applicable for subsonic aircraft where significant hover time is required.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,783, "Convertible Aircraft Engine," by R. E. Neitzel, a turbofan concept is disclosed for converting almost all the power used by the engine fan to shaft horsepower to drive a helicopter rotor. Guide vanes located on both sides of the outer portion of the engine fan can be actuated to block off air flow through the fan duct while still allowing air flow into the engine core. A gear mounted on the forward end of the fan shaft is coupled to a drive shaft which in turn drives the rotor. Such a system provides maximum efficiency during take off and landing and also during normal flight. However, if high-speed flight (greater than 0.5 Mach), is to be accomplished, the rotor must be either stopped (x-wing concept) or stopped and stowed. The former concept requires an extremely complex computer-controlled pneumatic blowing system that, to this date, has not been successfully developed. The latter system causes a severe weight penalty and requires a complex folding and stowing system. Furthermore, it is difficult to achieve low-observable (LO) characteristics with either design.
The tilt rotor concept found in the V-22 Osprey aircraft, uses large diameter propellers powered by two cross-shafted turboshaft engines. Its disc loading is higher than a helicopter, but lower than a turbofan and, thus is efficient in the vertical flight modes; however, the large propellers limit the top speed to about 300 Knots at sea level. Again, this is due to compressibility effects on the propeller tips. Furthermore, the large propellers eliminate it as a candidate for missions where a low radar cross-section is required. Tilt pylon-mounted turbofan engines can obtain a higher cruising speed, but lose vertical flight mode efficiency because of the high-disc loadings. In addition, pylon-mounted engines of any type, where the fan is visible to radar signals, are also unsuitable for LO missions.
The type of V/STOL aircraft that appears to be most suitable for missions where low radar cross-section is required is one where the entire propulsion system is imbedded in the aircraft wing and/or fuselage. For example, as in a ducted fan-in-wing for the vertical flight mode and turbojet or turbofan engines for the horizontal flight modes. The overall concept is rather old, dating at least back to 1914. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,130,623, "Flying Machine," by M. L. Mustionen, discloses pylon-mounted lift propellers and a pusher propeller mounted in the tail, all powered by a single-piston engine. However, with modern V/STOL aircraft, safety requirements dictate the use of multiple engines with cross-shafting to obtain engine-out performance in the vertical flight mode. Examples of this concept can be found in U.S. Pat. No.'s 4,828,203, "Vertical/Short Take-Off And Landing Aircraft," and 4,469,294, "V/STOL Aircraft," both by R. T. Clifton, et al. This aircraft design uses two pylon-mounted ducted propellers for the vertical flight mode and a rear-mounted ducted propeller for the horizontal flight mode. Two engines are mounted in the airframe and "belt drive" a common shaft that is directly connected to the rear-mounted propeller. The drive shaft is also connected to a right-angle gearbox which in turn drives the two pylon-mounted ducted lift propellers by means of belt drives. It is apparent that such a combination aircraft design and propulsion system, as configured, does not lend itself to LO missions because of the rear-mounted ducted propeller used for the horizontal flight mode. However, even if it were installed in a proper airframe, it still would not provide the necessary propulsion efficiency and engine-out performance required for any practical aircraft.
The basic problem is that in an aircraft, such as a transport, the ratio of thrust required for takeoff in the vertical flight mode to that required for efficient cruise in the horizontal flight mode is on the order of 10 to 1. Having multiple engines simply to provide for engine-out capability yields a thrust mismatch between the cruise and vertical flight modes. If the aircraft has only two engines and it requires both engines for a normal takeoff in the vertical flight mode, then each engine alone must be able to provide the total thrust required (in a max power setting for engine-out capability. This means that each of the two engines must be greatly oversized and, therefore, will yield very poor cruise efficiency. It's either this approach or stay with a single engine, as in the AV-8A Harrier aircraft.
In applicants co-pending patent application Ser. No. 913,576 filed Jul. 5, 1992, this problem is addressed. In detail, the invention includes a pair of ducted lift fans mounted in the aircraft for providing thrust in the vertical flight mode. A pair of ducted cruise fans are mounted in the aircraft for providing thrust in the horizontal flight mode. Two sets of turboshaft engines are mounted in the aircraft with each of the sets comprising a plurality of the turboshaft engines, each turboshaft engine including an output shaft and having an optimal power output sufficient for powering one of the pairs of ducted cruise fans in the horizontal flight mode. Each of the sets includes a sufficient number of the turboshaft engines to provide an optimal power output for powering one of the pairs of ducted lift fans and one of the pairs of ducted cruise fans in the vertical flight mode. A shafting system is mounted in the aircraft for coupling all of the turboshaft engines to the pairs of ducted fans. A first decoupling system is connected to the shafting system for decoupling the pair of ducted lift fans from the sets of turboshaft engines. Finally, a second decoupling system is connected to the shafting system for individually decoupling each of the turboshaft engines from the shafting system.
To eliminate these large transmissions, hot gas-driven ducted lift fans have been substituted for the shaft-driven fans. An example of this approach can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,490, "Trifan Powered V/STOL," by V. H. Zimmermann. In this invention the exhaust from two turbines are connected by transfer ducts to a nose-mounted, tip-driven, ducted lift fan and two pylon-mounted ducted cruise fans. The cruise fans, which are tip driven, incorporate fan exhaust deflectors that are extended to divert the fan exhaust downward during the vertical flight mode. During the horizontal flight mode, the ducts to the ducted lift fan are closed off by means of valves. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,033,492, "Cruise Lift Fan System," by B. H. Rowe, a propulsion system is disclosed wherein two tip-driven ducted fans are rotatably mounted on pylons such that they can be rotated from the horizontal, for cruise, to the vertical for takeoff and landing. The two ducted fans are driven by exhaust gases from two turbojet engines or the like. This concept also suffers from the same limitations as previously set forth above.
While this invention eliminates the weight of the gearboxes, etc., the transfer ducts must be designed to handle hot gases and, thus must be made of steel, which adds weight or titanium which adds considerable cost. In addition, the transfer ducts run through a considerable portion of the aircraft and must be insulated from other systems such as avionics and hydraulic systems. This can also add weight. In addition, should the transfers ducts, which can run in close proximity to the fuel tanks or the cockpit, develop a leak or are punctured, the result could cause a catastrophic failure of the aircraft.
Thus it is a primary object of the subject invention to provide a propulsion system for a vertical and/or short take-off and landing aircraft.
It is a further object of the subject invention to provide a propulsion system for use in low-observable vertical and/or short take-off and landing aircraft.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a propulsion system for a vertical and/or short takeoff and landing aircraft wherein the lift fan is driven by hot gas.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a propulsion system for a vertical and/or short take-off aircraft and landing wherein relatively cool-ducted cruise fan exhaust air is transferred to the ducted lift fan via transfer ducts and heated by the addition of fuel at the entrance to the hot gas-driven ducted lift fan.


Process to prepare simultaneously two or more base oil grades and middle distillates from a mineral crude derived feed, in particular a de-asphalted oil or a vacuum distillate feed or their mixtures, by performing the following steps: (a) hydrocracking the mineral crude derived feed, thereby obtaining an effluent; (b) distillation of the effluent as obtained in step (a) into one or more middle distillates and a full range residue boiling substantially above 340° C., (c) catalytically dewaxing the full range residue by contacting the residue with a dewaxing catalyst comprising a zeolite of the MTW type and a Group VIII metal, thereby obtaining a dewaxed oil; (d) isolating by means of distillation two or more base oil grades from the dewaxed oil obtained in step (c); and (e) isolating a dewaxed gas oil from the dewaxed-oil obtained in step (c); wherein the dewaxed oil as obtained in step (c) comprises between 10 and 40 wt % of a dewaxed heavy gas oil boiling for more than 70 wt % between 370 and 400° C.

WO-A-0250213 describes a process wherein different base oil grades are made in a so-called blocked-out mode. In this process a bottoms fraction of a hydrocracking process, which thus also yields middle distillates as products, is separated into various base oil precursor fractions. These fractions are subsequently catalytically dewaxed one after the other using a platinum-ZSM-5 based catalyst.
WO-A-9718278 discloses a process wherein up to 4 base oil grades, e.g. a 60N, 100N and 150N, are prepared starting from the bottoms fraction of a hydrocracker. In this process the bottoms fraction is first fractionated in a vacuum distillation into 5 fractions of which the heavier 4 fractions are further processed to different base oil grades by first performing a catalytic dewaxing followed by a hydrofinishing step.
A disadvantage of the above processes is that the process is not continuous. In other words the base oil grades are not made at the same time but sequential. This requires tankage for the intermediate products as obtained when the hydrocracker bottoms are fractionated and are awaiting their turn to be catalytically dewaxed. A further disadvantage are the mode switches which result in heating up of equipment and cooling of equipment causing deterionation of equipment. The mode switches also result in intermediate off-spec product every time a new grade is being processed. These slops need to be reprocessed or disposed off which is disadvantageous.
EP-A-649896 discloses a process to prepare a residue comprising a base oil by means of a process involving a hydrotreating step and a hydrocracking step on a heavy petroleum feedstock. The hydroprocessing steps yield a product from which middle distillates and a bottoms fraction (residue) are obtained. This bottoms fraction is subsequently solvent dewaxed to a single grade base oil grade.
WO 02/070627 discloses a process to prepare two or more base oil grades and a gas oil from a Fischer-Tropsch derived feed, i.e. not from a mineral crude derived feed.
EP-A-0 994 173 relates to a process for making an automatic transmission fluid composition.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,576,120 relates to a process for the catalytic dewaxing of a hydrocarbon feed containing waxy molecules.
WO-A-9723584 discloses a process wherein the bottoms fraction of a fuels hydrocracker is subjected to a catalytic dewaxing step. The dewaxed oil is partly recycled to the hydrocracking step and partly obtained as the lubricating base oil.
A disadvantage of the above process as described in WO-A-9723584 is that if more than one base oil grade is isolated from the dewaxed oil a large pour point distribution occurs. In other words the resulting the lower viscous base oil grades will have a too low pour point. This pour point give away, or difference with the desired value, is indicative for yield loss of said lower viscous base oil grade.

Process to continuously prepare two or more base oil grades and middle distillates


Disclosed is a process for washing dishes, which comprises carrying a rack with dishes to be washed into a downstream dishwasher by a rack carry-in unit; forwarding the rack after completion of washing in the dishwasher to a lifter unit disposed adjacent to the dishwasher with or without the aid of a rack carry-out mechanism; pulling the rack to a predetermined position in the lift by a rack loading device both disposed in the lifter unit; ascending or descending the lift to be positioned adjacent to a necessary pair of brackets of a wagon set to the outlet side of the lifter unit to carry out the rack loaded on the lift onto the pair of brackets; and ascending the lift after completion of carrying out the rack from the rack carry-out position and allowing the tapers, formed in the lift, facing the wagon so as to push the rack fully to a predetermined position in the wagon; and a system for practicing the process; wherein the arrangement of the respective units may be L-shaped or I-shaped, and the rack carry-out mechanism can be omitted in the I-shaped arrangement.

This invention relates to a process for washing dishes in which a series of operations from washing of used dishes as carried in racks to loading of the racks with dishes to a wagon are carried out successively and automatically and to a system therefor.
Dishwashers which automatically wash large amounts of tableware such as dishes, teacups and glassware smeared after eating or drinking are installed mainly in the kitchens of coffee shops and restaurants and conveniently utilized for the business. To describe the basic structure of the dishwasher, for example, the dishwasher has a washing tank having an upper nozzle and a lower nozzle which rotate horizontally by the reactive force of jetting a cleaning fluid therefrom; a box-like casing which can cover the washing tank to define a washing chamber; and a pump for pressure-feeding the cleaning fluid to the nozzles, and a rack with dishes to be washed is designed to be accommodated in the washing chamber. The structure for introducing the rack into the washing chamber and removing it from the chamber after completion of washing is of:
(1) Door system, where a door is provided at the front side of the casing; or
(2) Lift system, where the washing chamber is covered with a casing having an open bottom, and the rack can be introduced into or removed from the chamber by descending or ascending the casing.
In both systems, the rack with dishes to be washed from which leavings have preliminarily been removed is introduced into the washing chamber, and then a high-temperature cleaning fluid is jetted from the upper and lower rotating nozzles against the dishes in the rack to effect main washing for a predetermined time, followed by rinsing by jetting hot water from the same nozzles against the dishes for a predetermined time to complete the entire process for washing dishes.
By the way, conventional dishwashers all require manual operations for introducing the rack with dishes to be washed into the dishwasher and removing the rack therefrom after completion of washing. Such manual operations may not cause many problems in coffee shops and restaurants of ordinary scale, but in the kitchens of hotels having large banquet rooms and of large-scale drive-in restaurants, such manual operations can be an unnegligible matter.
In other words, when a huge amount of dishes to be washed are brought about at one time in such large-scale restaurants, the operation of carrying racks in and out of the dishwasher is too heavy for one operator in view of the amount of work and the working time, and besides operation efficiency of the dishwasher is lowered, disadvantageously. In such case, two operators generally share the operation of carrying in the rack and the operation of carrying out the rack, but it requires additional personnel cost.
Under such circumstances, a continuous dish washing system for large-scale restaurants has been proposed, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Provisional Utility Model Publication No. 7970/1987, in which dishes to be washed are loaded on an endless belt conveyor, and the dishes are washed, as the belt is fed, by the shower jetted from the shower pipes disposed along the belt at an upper position and a lower position.
It is true that a large amount of dishes can be washed in such belt type dish washing system, but the dishes cannot be washed and rinsed well in this system since the washing is carried out only while the dishes pass under the shower zone. Further, the dish conveying belt must inevitably be elongated so as to carry out sufficient washing and rinsing of the dishes, requiring a long space in the kitchen.
Further, in the belt type dish washing system, an operator carries the washed dishes manually to a rack. However, the dishes may be soiled, since they cannot be carried without being touched by the operator.
On the other hand, dishwashers used in large-scale restaurants generally suffer the following disadvantages: In the kitchen of a large scale restaurant, racks with washed dishes are removed from the dishwasher one after another as the washing operation proceeds. These racks in many cases are loaded on the brackets of a wagon having castors and stored at a predetermined place. Accordingly, a heavy work is forced on an operator to load heavy racks full of dishes manually onto a wagon under the present circumstances. Besides, while rinsing of dishes is carried out by jetting hot water against the dishes at the final stage of washing to heat the dishes and racks to a high temperature, the operator may suffer burning when he carries out the racks immediately after rinsing.


A method and apparatus for inserting a small diameter continuous hydraulic conduit or capillary tube down a well bore is presented. The methods and apparatus allow either the injection of chemicals to enhance production of oil and gas, or to provide a conduit for production up through the small diameter tubing in marginal wells, into a hanger below a well valve to permit its removal from below the valve if the valve should be required to be closed and its reinsertion without pulling the tubing from the well bore.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for maintaining a capillary tube or a small diameter continuous hydraulic conduit in a well bore to inject fluids into or produce fluids from a well; specifically, the method and apparatus for inserting a capillary tube through a well head and production tubing past the wellhead master valves and/or a down hole safety valve and selectively removing the capillary tube if the valve must be closed and reinserting the tube when the valve is re-opened
2. Description of the Related Art
In the drilling and completion of oil and gas wells throughout the world, the need to insert small diameter continuous hydraulic conduits or tubes into the well's production tubing has arisen on numerous occasions and for a variety of purposes. Typically, this was accomplished by lowering the continuous hydraulic conduit through the well head, it's master valves, and then down through the production tubing, through any sub-surface safety valves and on down into the well bore from a surface spool system. Substantial cost savings result from the ability to quickly move onto a wellhead site and dispose a small diameter conduit down the well bore without the need of workover rigs or large coiled tubing injector head assemblies. Previously, when the treatment or task was completed, the tubing was withdrawn from the well bore, since it was imprudent to leave a conduit or tube suspended through a safety valve or well head master valve. Very often, it is beneficial to leave the small diameter tubing in the well bore, for example, to chemically treat the well below the safety valve or well head master valves; as, for example, by extending the tube on down the well bore to the production zone. Since these tubes extend past both the well head valves and one or more downhole safety valves, if the well pressures must be controlled, the small diameter continuous hydraulic conduit must be capable of being withdrawn from the well bore before the wellhead valve or the downhole safety valve is closed.
The ability to selectively or automatically move the small diameter continuous hydraulic conduit into and out of a well valve without completely removing the conduit from the well has heretofore not been accomplished.

Method and apparatus to complete a well having tubing inserted through a valve


An article of manufacture having a nominal profile substantially in accordance with Cartesian coordinate values of X, Y and Z set forth in TABLE 1. X and Y are distances in inches which, when connected by smooth continuing arcs, define airfoil profile sections at each distance Z in inches. The profile sections at the Z distances are joined smoothly with one another to form a complete airfoil shape.

The present invention relates to airfoils for a stator compressor vane of turbo machinery. In particular, the invention relates to compressor airfoil profiles for various stages of the compressor. In particular, the invention relates to stator compressor vane airfoil profiles for either inlet guide vanes, rotors, or stators at various stages of the compressor.
In a gas turbine, many system requirements should be met at each stage of a gas turbine's flow path section to meet design goals. These design goals include, but are not limited to, overall improved efficiency and airfoil loading capability. For example, and in no way limiting of the invention, a stator compressor vane should achieve thermal and mechanical operating requirements for that particular stage. Further, for example, and in no way limiting of the invention, a blade of a stator compressor vane should achieve thermal and mechanical operating requirements for that particular stage.


A package of the present invention has a laminate structure of a plurality of ceramic layers, and includes a cavity for housing a light emitting element. A mount surface is defined on a side surface parallel with the depth direction of the cavity. A pair of external electrodes each including a charged electrode portion and a coated electrode portion are formed over the entire length in the laminating direction at two corners defined by intersection of the mount surface and two side surfaces perpendicular to the mount surface. When the package is mounted, a pair of charged electrode portions and a pair of coated electrode portions are soldered to a surface of a substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic component mounting package having a laminate structure of a plurality of ceramic layers and a manufacturing method therefor, and to a package assembled substrate, which is an intermediate product thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
An electronic component mounting package 4, as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, formed by laminating a plurality of ceramic layers has been conventionally known (see JP 2002-232017, A). A cavity 43 for housing a light emitting element such as an LED is provided in the middle of the package 4. A mount surface 44 to be a joint surface when the package is mounted on a mother board is defined on a reverse surface parallel with the depth direction of the cavity 43. A pair of recesses are defined over the entire length in the depth direction of the cavity 43 at corners where the mount surface 44 of the package 4 intersects side surfaces perpendicular to the mount surface 44. A film of a conductive material is formed on the surface of each of the recesses to form a pair of external electrodes 40, 40. The plurality of ceramic layers constituting the package 4 are laminated in the depth direction of the cavity 43. After through holes penetrating through all the ceramic layers are provided, the pair of external electrodes 40, 40 are formed by forming films of a conductive material such as silver on inner surfaces of the through holes.
In the above-described package 4, as shown in FIG. 17 to FIG. 19, the pair of external electrodes 40, 40 are soldered to a surface of a mother board 30 with the mount surface 44 of the package 4 being opposed to the surface of the mother board 30, i.e., with the opening direction of the cavity 43 of the package 4 being parallel with the surface of the mother board 30. As shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, a solder portion 31 is formed between each external electrode 40 of the package 4 and the surface of the mother board 30. The solder portion 31 includes a base portion 32 between the surface of the mother board 30 and a surface of the external electrode 40 exposed to the mount surface 44, and a fillet portion 33 extending from the surface of the mother board 30 toward a surface of the external electrode 40 exposed to the side surface perpendicular to the mount surface 44.
However, in the mounted structure of the package 4, because the area of the external electrode 40 exposed to the mount surface 44 is extremely small, a joint area of the base portion 32 of the solder portion 31, i.e., mounting area cannot be sufficiently secured. This has been causing a problem of an insufficient joint strength between the package 4 and the mother board 30.
Accordingly, a package 5 shown in FIG. 20 and FIG. 21 has been proposed in order to solve this problem. A cavity 53 is provided in the middle of the package 5. A mount surface 54 to be a joint surface when the package is mounted on a mother board is defined on a reverse surface parallel with the depth direction of the cavity 53. A pair of recesses are defined at corners where the mount surface 54 of the package 5 intersects side surfaces perpendicular to the mount surface 54, extending to a halfway position in the depth direction of the cavity 53. A conductive paste is charged in each of the recesses to thereby form a pair of external electrodes 50, 50 exposed to the mount surface 54 and the side surfaces perpendicular to the mount surface 54. Through holes are provided through a plurality of adjacent ceramic layers among a plurality of ceramic layers constituting the package 5, from a ceramic layer constituting the mount surface 54 to a ceramic layer on the halfway position in the laminating direction, and thereafter the pair of external electrodes 50, 50 are formed by charging silver pastes in the through holes.
As shown in FIG. 22, the above-described package 5 is produced by cutting, along predetermined orthogonal cutting lines, an assembled substrate 6 having an assembled structure in which each package part in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped to be one package 5 is arranged in the form of a matrix. In FIG. 22, hatching shows a cutting area to be cut with a dicing blade. A rectangular through hole 61 is provided around an intersection of two orthogonal cutting lines in a green sheet for having the pair of external electrodes 50, 50 formed therein among a plurality of green sheets constituting the assembled substrate 6. A silver paste is then charged in the through hole 61 to form a conductor charged portion 62. When the assembled substrate 6 is cut, as shown in FIG. 23 and FIG. 24, a cut is first made with a dicing blade 3 from the front surface of the assembled substrate 6 to a halfway position in the laminating direction. In this state, package parts are connected to each other on the reverse surface of the assembled substrate 6. Therefore, the assembled substrate 6 is maintained, while the conductor charged portion 62 is completely cut, so that surfaces of the external electrodes 50 shown in FIG. 21 are exposed on cut surfaces. Then, the exposed surfaces of the external electrodes 50 are plated in order to improve wettability to solder. Next, as shown in FIG. 25 and FIG. 26, the assembled substrate 6 is completely cut by making a cut with the dicing blade 3 from the reverse surface of the assembled substrate 6 to provide a plurality of packages 5 (see JP 6-96992, A).
In the above-described package 5, as shown in FIG. 27 to FIG. 29, the pair of external electrodes 50, 50 are soldered to a surface of a mother board 30 with the mount surface 54 of the package 5 being opposed to the surface of the mother board 30, i.e., with the opening direction of the cavity 53 of the package 5 being parallel with the surface of the mother board 30. As shown in FIG. 28, a solder portion 31 is formed between the surface of each external electrode 50 of the package 5 and the surface of the mother board 30. The solder portion 31 includes a base portion 32 between the surface of the mother board 30 and a surface of the external electrode 50 exposed to the mount surface 54, and a fillet portion 33 extending from the surface of the mother board 30 toward a surface of the external electrode 50 exposed to the side surface perpendicular to the mount surface 54. In the mounted structure of the package 5, because the area of the external electrode 50 exposed to the mount surface 54 is larger than the area of the external electrode 40 exposed to the mount surface 44 of the package 4 shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, a joint area of the base portion 32 of the solder portion 31, i.e., mounting area can be sufficiently secured as shown in FIG. 28 between the external electrode 50 exposed to the mount surface 54 and the surface of the mother board 30. This provides more joint strength between the package 5 and the mother board 30 than the joint strength between the package 4 and the mother board 30 shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19.
However, a joint strength between the package 5 and the mother board 30 is insufficient even using the mounted structure with the above-described package 5 because, as shown in FIG. 29, the package 5 cannot be joined on the surface of the mother board 30 in the area where the external electrode 50 of the package 5 is not formed, so that the package 5 is isolated from the surface of the mother board 30.
Accordingly, there is a possible method for increasing a joint strength with the mother board 30. This method includes providing through holes penetrating through all the ceramic layers constituting the package 5 shown in FIG. 22, and thereafter charging silver pastes in the through holes to thereby form the pair of external electrodes 50, 50 over the entire length at both ends of the mount surface 54 of the package 5.
However, when the external electrode 50 is plated, the entire surface of the external electrode 50 needs to be exposed. According to the above-described method, the surface of the external electrode 50 can be plated only after the assembled substrate 6 is cut into separate pieces. This makes a plating process more complicated than that of the conventional method in which the external electrode 50 can be plated within the assembled substrate 6. Therefore, it has been impossible to use the above-described method. Consequently, a joint strength between the package 5 and the mother board 30 has not yet been sufficient.

Electronic component mounting package and package assembled substrate


An optical deflection element is configured to include a prism electrode provided on an optical waveguide, a first photonic crystal structure provided forward of the prism electrode in a light traveling direction being a position after a light passes through the prism electrode, a control electrode provided to confront a counter electrode layer via the optical waveguide on the first photonic crystal structure, and a second photonic crystal structure provided in the lateral direction of the prism electrode in parallel with the light traveling direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical deflection element deflecting a light and an optical switch outputting an inputted optical signal to a desired channel.
In recent years, a photonic network is increasingly demanded for high-speed driving and high-capacity more than ever, in which the optical signals have had a broadband and been multiplexed, and hence the transmission equipment of the photonic network is also demanded multichannel and high-speed driving as well. Also, an optical cross-connect equipment serving as a node of the photonic network is required to increase the number of channels and to switch at higher speed, and hence an optical switch for example of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei3-87817 (Patent Document 1) is needed as an alternative to current optical cross connect equipment using a mirror and supported by a micromachine such as MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems).
An optical switch using an optical waveguide is necessary to adjust an optical deflection angle along with the advance toward the high-speed driving and multichannel. For the optical switches using the optical waveguide, the use of so-called photonic crystals is closely watched, the photonic crystal being composed of plural kinds of substances having different refractive indexes and aligned periodically. The photonic crystal is a crystal structure composed of plural media having different refractive indexes aligned periodically. The photonic crystal is expected as an element technology capable of reducing the size of conventional optical devices to several microns. Inside the photonic crystals, depending on the alignment period, shape, refractive angles, and so forth, the photonic band structure is modulated in the same manner as the band structure of electrons in semiconductors or the like, so that a peculiar band structure is formed. For instance, a forbidden band referred to as a photonic band gap is formed in the vicinity of a Brillouin zone, and a light cannot exist inside the photonic crystal of such a frequency band. Further, the photonic band in the vicinity of the photonic band gap is largely modulated and the surface that disperses frequency differs largely from those of common optical crystals. For instance, there has been a report in H. Kosaka et al. Phys. Rev. B 58, R10099 (1998); H Kosaka et al. Appl. Phys. Lett. 74, 1212 (1999); H Kosaka et al. Appl. Phys. Lett. 74, 1370 (1999) (Non-Patent Document 1), saying that a large optical deflection called "super-prism effect" is observed by selecting a light of an appropriate wave length for the surface that disperses frequency and formed by the wave number of the photonic band.
As specific examples of the optical switch using the photonic crystals, for example, there are those technologies that are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-350908 (Patent Document 2), Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-303836 (Patent Document 3), and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-215367 (Patent Document 4).
In Patent Document 2, there is disclosed an invention of a principle that a deflection angle is adjustable by applying an energy such as voltage to photonic crystals.
In Patent Document 3, there is disclosed an invention that forms an optical path by forming a line defect waveguide in photonic crystals composing a core of an optical waveguide.
In Patent Document 4, similarly to Patent Document 3, there is disclosed an invention in which the core of the optical waveguide is formed by photonic crystals and a portion not satisfying the alignment having the above-described periodical structure is formed in the photonic crystals to thereby use the portion as an optical path.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the optical switches employing the above-described conventional photonic crystals, it is possible to delineate an optical path and to obtain a large deflection angle, however, there is a problem that the precision of adjusting the deflection angle is not so high. The recent demands for high-speed driving and multichannel in the optical switches are increasing further, and in order to sufficiently respond to the demands, the precision of adjusting the deflection angle needs to be improved substantially, and thereby a technology for that purpose is sought for under the present set of circumstances.

Optical deflection element and optical switch


The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus according to the embodiment includes an ultrasound probe that transmits and receives ultrasound waves to and from a subject, and generates and displays images of the inside of the subject based on the reception results from the ultrasound probe. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes a memory, a detector, a selection part, and a processor. The memory stores association information that associates positions in real space with examination conditions including image quality conditions and/or application type. The detector detects the position of the ultrasound probe in real space. The selection part selects examination conditions corresponding to the detected position based on the association information. The processor performs processing based on the selected examination conditions.

An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus transmits ultrasound waves to the inside of a subject using an ultrasound probe, and acquires organism information of the subject by receiving the reflected waves.
Ultrasound diagnosis apparatuses are used in examinations of various body sites. In these examinations of body sites, different examination conditions are applied in each case. Examination conditions refer to various conditions that are selectively applied based on the examination type (examination sites and examination details). Examples of examination conditions include image quality conditions and applications, etc. Examination conditions are set in advance, and are also referred to as "pre-sets".
Image quality conditions (image quality pre-sets) are parameters for adjusting the image quality of ultrasound images being displayed. Examples include gains in received signals, dynamic range, input-output relations for brightness modulation, raster counts for raster smoothing processes, frame counts for frame smoothing processes, sound pressure of transmitted ultrasound, transmission frequency, repetition frequency, frame rate, and scan sequences, etc.
Applications (application pre-sets) are application software that are selectively used according to the examination type. Examples include applications for cardiac examinations, applications for fetal examinations, and examination protocols, etc. Applications for cardiac examinations are used to analyze the size (area, volume, length, etc.) and wall motion, etc. of a heart during a cardiac examination. Applications for fetal examinations are used to analyze the size and cardiac function of a fetus during an examination of a pregnant female. Examination protocols define examination procedures and setting conditions according to the workflow of an examination, and may be set for each hospital or each physician.
Image quality conditions for obtaining good images differ depending on the ultrasound probe being used and the examination type. Applications are also used selectively according to the examination type, etc. In conventional ultrasonic diagnosis apparatuses, by preparing tables associating examination types with pre-sets, pre-sets are used selectively according to the examination type designated by the examiner at the start of an examination.
In ultrasound examinations, multiple body sites may be examined. In such a case, the examiner re-selects a pre-set each time the examined region is changed. This reduces the efficiency of the examination.
Thus, it is intended to provide with an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus that enables multiple body sites to be examined efficiently.


A garden seeding tool is provided including a handle and a blade coupled to the handle and having a pointed end. Further included is a depth control mechanism for preventing the pointed end of the blade from penetrating the ground past a predetermined depth.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a garden seeding tool and more particularly pertains to controlling the depth a blade of a seeding tool penetrates the ground.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of garden tools is known in the prior art. More specifically, garden tools heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of gardening are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, the prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,990; U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,644; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 359,206; U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,864; U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,611; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,538.
In this respect, the garden seeding tool according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of controlling the depth a blade of a seeding tool penetrates the ground.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved garden seeding tool which can be used for controlling the depth a blade of a seeding tool penetrates the ground. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.

Garden tool with depth control mechanism


This invention provides a corneal shape measuring apparatus that can correctly measure the shape of the cornea of a subject's eye from an image of a target reflected by the cornea even if the optic axis of a hand-held indicator is inclined with respect to the optic axis of the measuring system when measurements are made. A computing control circuit computes the inclination with respect to the measuring optic axis of an indicator plate from the shape of a guide hole in the indicator plate which had previously been input and the shape of the image of the guide hole, and corrects the image of the indicator reflected by the cornea of the subject's eye based on this inclination.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a corneal shape measuring apparatus which may be used to measure, for example, the shape of the cornea of a subject's eye before and after eye surgery.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, it has been the practice to measure the shape of a subject's eye during eye surgery, and in particular during cataract operations. This measurement may be either qualitative or quantitative.
In the qualitative measurement, as shown for example in FIG. 11, an operator 1 places an indicator 2 between the objective lens (not shown) of a surgical microscope 3 and the eye 5 of a subject 4. An image of the indicator 2 is projected onto the cornea of the subject's eye 5 by illuminating light, and the extent of corneal deformation is qualitatively determined by observing the deformation of the image of the indicator 2 reflected by the cornea using the surgical microscope 3.
Alternatively in the quantitative measurement, as shown for example in FIG. 12, an indicator 6 is installed beneath a supporting member 3a of a surgical microscope 3 such that it can be freely inserted or withdrawn from beneath the objective lens (not shown) of the microscope 3, an image of the indicator 6 is projected onto the cornea of a subject's eye 5 by illuminating light. The image of the indicator 6 reflected by the cornea is detected by a photodetector (not shown), and the extent of corneal deformation is quantitatively determined by a computing circuit based on a signal received from this photodetector.
In the aforesaid qualitative corneal shape measuring device, as the operator 1 has to hold the indicator 2 with his hands, it is difficult to position the center axis of the indicator 2 to coincide with the optic axis 0 of the objective lens of the surgical microscope 3.
Further, if the center axis of this indicator 2 is inclined at an angle with respect to the optic axis 0 of the objective lens, the image of the indicator is projected onto the subject's eye at an angle so that the cornea of the eye may appear to be deformed even if it is not.
In the aforesaid quantitative corneal shape measuring apparatus, although the optic axis of the indicator 6 is not inclined with respect to the optic axis 0 of the objective lens as it is in the qualitative method, the indicator 6 is permanently installed underneath and close to the surgical microscope 3. There is, therefore, little space to perform the operation, and the indicator becomes a hindrance when carrying out surgical procedures.
In some cases, it may be required to perform corneal measurements not only close to the optic axis, but also up to the periphery of the subject's eye 5. It is then necessary to move the indicator 6 closer to the cornea to enlarge the projected image of the indicator.
In such a case, however, a mechanism is necessary to move the indicator 6 forward or backward along the optic axis. This is undesirable from a hygiene viewpoint and also makes the apparatus more complex.


Methods and systems for handling on an electronic device a secure message to be sent to a recipient. Data is accessed about a security key associated with the recipient. The received data is used to perform a validity check related to sending a secure message to the recipient. The validity check may uncover an issue that exists with sending a secure message to the recipient. A reason is determined for the validity check issue and is provided to the mobile device's user.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the field of secure electronic messaging, and in particular to accessing keys for secure messaging.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known secure messaging software clients, such as e-mail software applications operating on desktop computer systems, provide limited information when an error is encountered in accessing a key (e.g., a public key) required for secure communications. Typically, only an indication that an error occurred is provided, without information on the nature of the error or possible corrective actions. Also, when such an error occurs, a user is often prevented from sending the message.

System and method of accessing keys for secure messaging


Color digital image data is encoded and compressed by a technique which combines the advantages of both wavelet and fractal encoding. The technique produces an encoded image separated by color components which can be efficiently matched to other compressed images in order to identify the image being processed. The encoding technique divides the images at numerous scales produced by wavelet transformations and forms blocks comprising of groups of pixels at each scales. The average modulus values and average angles values of the data in each of the blocks are compared to the next higher scale. Each scale is then encoded for the blocks which have corresponding matching blocks in the adjacent scale. The technique provides the edge retention benefits of wavelet and the compression benefits of fractal encoding and also accelerates the matching process between the scales. A decoding technique which uses a cross scale approximation of wavelet coefficients is used to reconstruct the image.

Digital image processing is an important area of advancement in the field of computer science with many current applications and an increasingly growing number of potential applications. The subject of digital image processing includes the storage, analysis and communication of images which are represented in the digital domain by a series of bits or bytes corresponding to each point in an image. A typical example of a digital image is one that appears on a screen of a computer. The screen consists of a number of monochrome or colored picture elements ("pixels"), each of which have associated binary values which determine if the pixel should be illuminated (and in some cases how bright it should be illuminated). The simplest case is where each pixel has one bit of data associated with it on a black and white screen. If the pixel is lit, then the value of the bit is set to one. If the pixel is not lit, then the binary value is set to zero. Each pixel could instead have a byte (8 bits) of data representing either the distinct color, particular shade of grey or some other information. A typical screen could have an array of 520 by 480 pixels to display an image. In order to store one complete screen containing an image where each pixel has a corresponding byte of data to it, approximately two megabits of data would have to be used for this example (520.times.480). More pixels are used in higher resolution screens which are becoming more and more popular today.
In order to store a large number of single images in a database for storage and processing, a data compression technique is required to make managing the database efficient and feasible for operating in real time. In addition to on-site applications with digital images, digital images can be transmitted to an outside site either via a network, dedicated line or some other type of conduit of data. In order to increase the efficiency of data transmission and represent images which will fit in the bandwidth of the data conduit, the data must be also compressed. An imaging device for recording images such as a digital camera could be placed at a remote location, have the image data digitally processed and compressed at the remote location, transmit the compressed data to a central processing station or other final destination location, and decode the image information so that an operator at the final location can view the image. The decoded image could also be matched against a database of stored images for identification purposes. If the database contained many records of images to be matched, the images stored in the database would need to be compressed in order for the database to hold and process the required number of images for a particular application. Accelerated pattern matching may be required for potential applications such as identifying a criminal caught on a bank's videotape where batch processing for storage and transmission purposes of the matching operation could take up to several hours due to the vast size of the database.
While the compression of image information is necessary for pattern matching, some conventional compression techniques can lose important image information in the process of compressing the data. An important aspect of a pattern matching technique is to be able to preserve the essential features of an object, such as their edges. The physical differences in the objects of the images could be very slight and there may be many similar objects stored in a database to be distinguished and matched. An example is a database of people who work for a large company or live in a small town. The pattern matching technique could be used to identify persons at an entrance gate but would have to account for small difference in facial features in order to distinguish the people. The use of digital images of faces in a database is currently being used for storage. In New York State and other states, the pictures on driver's licenses are digital images which are stored and can be reproduced if a license is lost. The next step is to match images of people captured on cameras at crime scenes to the driver's license database of physical images to identify the criminal. Digital images of fingerprints or other objects could also be used. Pattern recognition of images should not be limited to objects in the exact same position because objects are not always still, but the recognition technique should allow objects to be rotated and placed in any position when pattern matching.
Digital image processing also includes video processing. Video is basically a time series of single images (called frames). Each image frame when shown sequentially over time shows movement in the objects present in an image. Video image data can also be stored and replayed. One example of digital video images is the video clips that appear in popular software programs. These video clips can include clips from movies which have been digitally recorded or clips recorded by a camera and stored digitally in the computer. Video images can also be transmitted over long distances. One example is teleconferencing which shows the image of the speaker while talking at a remote location and shows the speaker's movement or expression.
Video images require a large amount of data to represent just a few seconds of video time. Each individual frame of the video must be stored and replayed to create a recognizable video image. Even if only a portion of the frames are stored, the sheer number of frames requires the image data be compressed. Video images can also be used in pattern matching schemes which could identify particular objects in the video images. This may allow an air traffic controller to identify planes if other communication systems fail.
From the above discussion, a digital image encoding scheme is desired which has a high compression ratio while still preserving the feature's important details such as its edges.
One compression scheme currently in use is called "fractal encoding". Fractal encoding takes advantage of the fact that many subparts of an image are repeated and therefore an image can be represented by a mapping of the portions of the image to only a fraction of the subparts of the image (called blocks). By mapping the image onto pieces of itself, a separate code book and word relating parts of an image to other objects does not need to be stored. Fractal encoding subdivides an image to be encoded into blocks which taken as a whole make up the entire image. Some of the blocks may overlap and be different sizes. In conventional fractal encoding, the image is divided into two sets of blocks. The first set is the domain blocks which will be compared with second set of blocks called range blocks. The domain blocks can be rotated and have mirror images created in order to create more choices of domain blocks which can be compared against the range blocks. Each domain block is compared to each range block to determine the closest match. The mapping of the domain blocks to the range blocks is stored. Only information regarding matching blocks is used and the remaining blocks may be discarded thus compressing the data.
Fractal encoding does generate high compression ratios relative to other known compression schemes. A compression ratio is defined as the number of bits in the original uncompressed image compared to the number of bits in the compressed image. However, images which have been fractally encoded tend to produce blocky artifacts when reconstructed and decompressed. This is due to the data being organized in blocks. The fine edge information which is required by advanced pattern recognition systems is not satisfied by only using a block matching fractal encoding scheme.
Another technique for compressing digital image information is wavelet edge detection. Wavelet compression techniques exploit the fact that images have spatial and spectral redundancies which can be eliminated to reduce the size of the data structure used to represent the image. In simple terms, wavelets transform an image signal into a set of basis functions, much like the application of a Fourier transform which uses sines and cosines as a basis set. When the set of basis functions is applied, the original image is transformed into a set of coefficients. These coefficients can be further transformed when a derivative or gradient operator is applied to the basis set. The coefficients then take the form of edges in different frequency bands or scales which allows for an efficient means of image and video compression.
Wavelet transformations produce scales which decrease in resolution as the scales increase. The wavelet transform, when applied with a gradient operator, can remove texture from the image resulting in decreased reproduction quality. It would be beneficial to combine the compression qualities of fractal encoding with the shape preserving qualities of the wavelet encoding techniques.
Some techniques have been recently developed using aspects from both fractal and wavelet techniques. These techniques focus on taking fractal compression techniques which are traditionally applied in a spatial domain, and applying them in the wavelet domain instead. However, these techniques do not take full advantage of spatial similarities revealed by the gradient operator in the fractal portion of the technique, and thus lose image quality as the compression ratio for the technique increases.

Encoding and decoding of color digital image using wavelet and fractal encoding

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An active implantable medical device of the defibrillator, cardiovertor and/or antitachycardia pacemaker type having a high maximum frequency for antibradycardia stimulation. This device provides antibradycardia stimulation at a stimulation frequency that has a programmed maximum stimulation frequency. For a detected rate exceeding a given frequency threshold, the device analyzes the cardiac activity to discriminate a ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation to command in consequence an appropriate antitachycardia therapy. The maximum stimulation frequency for antibradycardia is higher than the given frequency threshold for the antitachycardia analysis, and the cardiac rhythm is analyzed to detect a particular succession of events that are likely to reveal the presence or the appearance of a ventricular tachycardia during such high antibradycardia stimulation. In this case, the duration of the ventriculo-atrial delay of stimulation is prolonged at least until the end of the calculated escape interval, and until the end of the programmed maximum interval of detection of ventricular tachycardia. This accommodates an antibradycardia stimulation at a rate greater than the frequency threshold used to suspect or declare an antitachycardia while enabling detection of the latter.

The decision to apply an antitachycardia therapy, and the choice of which therapy to apply (e.g., shock or ATP stimulation) is operated by an algorithm that performs a detection and classification of the various tachyarrhythmia according to several criteria, mainly according to the ventricular frequency, but also according to the stability of the ventricular intervals, the stability of atrio-ventricular conduction, the mode of starting or chamber of origin of the tachycardia, etc. (see in particular the EP-A-0 626 182 and its corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,060 and EP-A-0 838 235 and its corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,793 commonly assigned herewith to ELA Médical).
The ventricular frequency is the first criterion that makes it possible in particular to distinguish three situations relevant to the tachycardia detection and classification algorithm:                1. A detected frequency that is lower than a given frequency threshold, called "frequency of detection of VT (ventricular tachycardia)", for example, about 140 bpm. The aforementioned algorithm considers that this ventricular rate is slow, but is not pathological, and never justifies the application of an antitachycardia therapy.        2. A detected frequency which is between the frequency of detection of VT, typically 140 bpm, and a higher frequency called the "frequency of detection of VF (ventricular fibrillation)", typically at about 200 bpm. The algorithm considers in this range that there is "suspicion of VT" and carries out a more thorough analysis, implementing criteria other than just the ventricular frequency. This more thorough analysis proceeds to determine more precisely the type of disorder and to decide whether it is necessary to apply a therapy, and if so what therapy (shock or ATP stimulation) to apply;        3. A detected frequency that is higher than the frequency of detection of VF, typically 200 bpm. The algorithm considers in this case that the application of a therapy is always necessary and to be delivered without delay.
The above-mentioned implantable devices typically include, in addition to the antitachycardia therapy means described, means (e.g., detection circuits, stimulation circuits, and associated control logic) for providing antibradycardia stimulation therapy. Antibradycardia stimulation allows, as with a traditional demand implantable pacemaker, delivery if necessary of stimulation pulses to the ventricle (and possibly to the atrium) in the absence of a detected spontaneous depolarization of the relevant cavity.
Antibradycardia stimulation is preferably operated at a variable frequency, depending on the activity of the patient. In this regard, the pacemakers can be equipped with one or more suitable activity sensors that may be physiological (for example, minute-ventilation sensor) or physical (for example, acceleration), as known in the art, making it possible to evaluate the instantaneous cardiac output requirements and/or physical activity level of the patient and to control consequently the stimulation frequency in a rate responsive manner. This is known in the art as pacing using a function of enslavement (to the patient activity) or rate responsive pacing. Thus, when the patient is exerting an "effort", i.e., engaging in activity other than resting, the activity sensor provides a corresponding measure that is used by the control logic to increase the stimulation frequency (and to lower the given frequency as the effort level is reduced accordingly). This enables the patient to support hemodynamically the greater effort. Of course, this variable stimulation frequency is typically provided with a maximum limit, a value known as the "maximum stimulation frequency". This limit value is typically programmed by the physician at the time of the implantation of the device or during follow-up visits by the patient.
It has been discovered that a particular situation arises when the maximum stimulation frequency for antibradycardia can be programmed at a value that is higher than the threshold frequency of detection of the VT for antitachycardia. In this case, for high values of the stimulation frequency, the device considers that this high rate is a sinusal tachycardia (ST), because the rate is in 1:1 association, stable and without acceleration. But it can happen that a VT begins while at the same time the patient is in a situation of effort where the patient is stimulated by the device at a relatively high frequency, undergoing antibradycardia therapy.
The frequency of the VT and that of stimulation can be close so that atrial stimulation can mask the spontaneous R waves. This might lead to a delay in the detection of the VT or to an under-detection of the VT. As a result, there can be a less than optimal delivery of the antitachycardia therapy that would be appropriate. Indeed, it may lead to a delay in antitachycardia therapy that can reach several minutes.
Of course, to avoid this issue, physicians have been known to program the maximum stimulation frequency to a value that is lower than the frequency of detection of VT. But this has the disadvantage of limiting the maximum frequency at which the patient can be appropriately stimulated. For example, in the solution above, where the frequency of detection of VT is set at 140 bpm, this has resulted in limiting the maximum stimulation frequency to 140 bpm. It would be desirable, however, particularly for younger patients, to increase the maximum stimulation frequency to allow them to obtain comfortably a greater level of effort, for example, up to 180 bpm.

Active implantable medical device of the defibrillator, cardiovertor and/or antitachycardia pacemaker type, having a high maximum frequency for antibradycardia stimulation