A method and a system implemented for providing driving route information of an electric vehicle to a telematics terminal by a telematics server may include checking a driving pattern of a driver corresponding to the electric vehicle; checking information on a current position and a destination of the electric vehicle; calculating at least one candidate route from the current position to the destination; calculating expected power consumption corresponding to each of the at least one candidate routes based on the driving pattern, the current position, and the destination; and transmitting information on the at least one candidate route and the expected power consumption corresponding thereto to the telematics terminal.

(a) Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to a method and a system for providing driving route information of an electric vehicle. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a method and a system for providing driving router information of an electric vehicle, which calculate expected power consumption based on a driving pattern of a driver if a destination is set through a telematics service, and provide driving route information and charging station information based on the expected power consumption and current power amount.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Telematics is a term in which telecommunication is combined with informatics, and is defined as next generation information providing services for a vehicle through a combination of the automotive industry and the IT industry in which wireless communication, a vehicle terminal, contents, and the like are organically related with each other.
A telematics service may provide various services, such as traffic and driving information, emergency situation response information, remote vehicle diagnostic service, and internet, by utilizing wireless communication technology and global positioning system (GPS) technology.
In general, drivers have different driving patterns. Therefore, although specifications among electric vehicles are the same, power consumption may be changed substantially according to a driving pattern of each driver.
Further, a driving pattern of a driver is not constant and changes according to temporary changes in the driver's mood or driving intention, road conditions, and so on. Therefore, power consumption of a battery may be changed substantially. As a result, when only the present power amount is guided, it is difficult for the driver to determine a charging time point.
Electric power costs at each charging station may be changed according to the time of day. That is, electric power cost may be high at a time when power usage amount is high, and may be lower at a time when power usage amount is low. Therefore, electric power cost of a charging station may be changed according to an arrival time of the electric vehicle.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Method and system for providing driving route information of electric vehicle


A dough can capable of venting internal gasses during proofing until the dough expands to fill the volume of the container is disclosed. The container of the present invention includes a cylindrical body, at least one end cap, a second end and means for allowing venting of internal gasses during proofing. A preferred means includes providing at least one notch in the wall of the container proximate the end cap. A method of proofing dough is also disclosed.

The present invention relates to containers for storing refrigerated dough. In particular, it relates to dough containers capable of venting internal gasses created by or displaced as a result of the proofing process.
During the manufacture of packaged refrigerated dough products, the dough product is often exposed to oxygen in the headspace within the container for an extended period of time after packaging. When this occurs, the quality of the product deteriorates leaving a product which is unacceptable to consumers. "Headspace" for purposes of this disclosure is the void volume within the container after inserting the product and closing the container.
Many of the quality problems result from the dough being exposed to oxygen or other headspace gasses for extended periods of time. When dough is exposed to oxygen, the dough can become discolored, the product can become deformed and liquids can accumulate in the container wetting the product. Additionally, loud noises can occur when the consumer opens the container. The noise is a result of the presence of compressed headspace gasses within the can.
One of the largest problems caused by refrigerated dough contacting oxygen for extended periods of time is discoloration of the dough. The dough turns a distinct grayish color. This greying is unacceptable to consumers and results in consumer complaints. Although grey dough is safe for consumption, consumers refuse to prepare discolored dough because they believe the dough is spoiled.
Wetness in the product is the result of the collection of liquid at the interface between the gas and the dough within the container. The dough becomes wetted with the collected liquid which may be either oily or milky in appearance. All of the above-identified quality problems are unacceptable to consumers.
Manufacturing dough for refrigerated storage is well known. Examples of refrigerated dough which are purchased and baked at home include dough for preparing bread-like products such as biscuits, loafs, breakfast rolls, pastries, pizza crust, and bread sticks. The dough for these products is prepared by the manufacturer and then packaged in containers suitable for processing, shipping, and storing.
Dough prepared for refrigerated storage are generally chemically leavened. Therefore, dough compositions commonly include a combination of a slow acting leavening acid and an alkaline substance capable of releasing carbon dioxide upon reaction with the leavening acid. The most common systems include either glucono delta lactone or sodium acid pyrophosphate as the acidulant with sodium bicarbonate. Examples of patents which disclose refrigerated dough compositions 25 are Yong et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,315, Matz U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,356,506 and 3,397,064, and Lutz U.S. Pat. No. 3,669,682.
Dough compositions of the type discussed above can be either proofed before or after packaging. "Proofing" for purposes of this disclosure is defined as a step in which the dough increases in volume as a result of leavening. The leavening agents react and expand the dough by approximately to 30 volume percent. After proofing, the dough is further developed by storage in a sealed container at refrigeration temperatures until a point in which the internal pressure of the container has reached a selected equilibrium pressure (typically about 10 psi), and the dough temperature is the same as the temperature of the refrigerated storage area (typically about 45 degrees Fahrenheit).
Proofing of the dough is typically accomplished by first packaging the dough in a container which allows gas to escape until the dough expands to a volume sufficient to completely fill the container. U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,563 to Tucker et al. which is herein incorporated by reference describes a method of proofing and developing of refrigerated dough products. The dough is first packaged to fill between about 70 and about 99 percent of the volume of a spirally wound container. The container is then covered with a cap capable of venting gasses. The filled containers are stored for a period of about 1 to about 6 hours. During this time the leaveners react producing carbon dioxide which expands the dough. After the dough has filled the container, proofing is complete.
Next, the dough is developed. The containers are placed in refrigerated storage for a time sufficient for the internal pressure in the container to build and continue to rise until reaching a target equilibrium pressure of between about 8 and 28 psi. Pressure equilibrium is usually reached between about 8 and about 48 hours.
Containers suitable for packaging and storing refrigerated dough as described above must be able to vent gasses present in the headspace of the can before proofing and gasses produced by the dough during proofing. The container must also be able to withstand internal pressures of up to 40 psi.
One end cap construction known in the art which is capable of venting gasses is shown in cross-section in FIG. 1. Prior art composite container 10 has a single crimp end cap configuration. The container wall 11 is multilayered and is substantially cylindrical. Each end of the container wall has an inner sealing surface 14, an outer sealing surface 16 and an outer edge 17.
The end cap 12 has an inner lip 18 extending over the inner sealing surface 14 and an integrally formed outer lip 20. The outer lip 20 includes an infolded layer 22 which is folded inwardly, abutting the outer lip 20 and extending over the outer sealing surface 16. The outer lip 20 and inner lip 18 are then compressed, squeezing the cylindrical container wall and sealing the dough into the container.
This construction, known in the art as a single crimp end cap, typically allows some gasses to vent from within the container, and does not allow the dough composition to escape. When the dough within the container expands and comes into contact with the end cap 12, or when oil or water plugs the gas escape path, the can seals and pressure begins to build within the container.
Although in theory a single crimp end cap construction is desirable for proofing and developing dough at pressures close to one atmosphere, in practice, the gas escape paths prematurely seal and pressure begins to rise within the container during either proofing, developing, or both.
"Premature sealing" for the purposes of this disclosure includes any sealing of the escape path which occurs before the dough has fully expanded to fill the container and before the dough has been fully proofed. This premature sealing may be partial or total. Even a partial sealing of the gas escape path results in a significant reduction in vent rate and results in premature positive pressure build-up within the container. If the escape path seals before the dough has fully expanded, the gasses present in the headspace are not exhausted, and remain in contact with the dough for an extended period of time, causing quality problems to occur.
Although the inventors do not wish to be bound by any theory of why premature sealing occurs, we believe that there are several potential causes. Water or oil from inside the container may be forced into the venting path and may effectively seal the path, prohibiting gasses from escaping. The composite core layer of the container wall is often formed in part from paper material such as paperboard and may become saturated with either oil or water causing the paperboard to expand. Such an expansion might cause the composite portion of the can to press outwardly and upwardly against the cap and partially or totally seal off the escape path. Another potential cause of premature sealing may result from crimping the end cap too tightly onto the end of the container.
Numerous spirally wound composite can configurations are known for use with refrigerated dough. Typically, they are designed to withstand internal pressures generated by the dough. Several examples of a suitable container designs are described in Culley et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,510,050, Reid U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,468, Beauchamp U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,834, and Thornhill U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,433. Such containers generally have bodies which include a multilayer spiral wound cylindrical structure having substantially flat, circular single crimp end covers. The container body has a core layer which is formed from a relatively stiff can-grade paperboard. The container body is formed by known spiral winding methods. Adhesively bonded to the inner surface of the core layer is a water and oil impermeable layer. Adhesively bonded to the exterior surfaces of the core layer is a label layer which also protects the core layer from damage due to exposure to high humidity environments, for example.
The cylindrical portion of a spirally wound composite can is continuous and has a smooth edge which contacts the cap. Likewise, the cap is comprised of a substantially flat metal piece which contacts the cylindrical portion of the container by means of a single crimp around the periphery of the cap.


The present invention relates to a method and composition for treating sunburned skin. The present invention provides a method and composition for applying a mixture of indomethacin and moisturizing lotion topically to sunburned skin. The composition includes a mixture having substantially 100 milligrams of indomethacin per 30 cc of moisturizing lotion. The moisturizing lotion is marketed under the trade name Cetaphil® and includes the following ingredients: purified water, glycerin, hydrogenated polyisobutene, cetearyl alcohol (and) ceteareth-20, macadamia nut oil, dimethicone, tocopheryl acetate, stearoxytrimethylsilane (and) stearyl alcohol, panthenol, famesol, benzyl alcohol, phenoxyethanol, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, sodium hydroxide, and citric acid. It is theorized that the Cetaphil® provides certain pH and viscosity levels which allow for the stabilization and solubilation of the indomethacin within the Cetaphil®. The present invention may also be utilized for treating skin burns caused by radiation therapy and excessive heat.

Although there has been substantial effort in recent years to reduce or eliminate the risk of sunburn (erythema) produced by certain wavelengths in the ultraviolet (UV) region of the spectrum, there are still circumstances wherein skin becomes exposed to UV radiation. Such exposure may, in some cases, cause sunburn. Such sunburn may cause irritation and pain to the skin thereby leading to the need for having the sunburn treated.
A number of prior art formulations have been developed for the treatment of sunburned skin. However, such treatments have certain disadvantages. For example, sunburn treatments that provide a spray mist or a petroleum-based composition to the sunburned area do not produce a sufficiently large heat transference effect to remove heat from the sunburned area. Furthermore, petroleum-based compositions tend to produce a residue that needs to be subsequently cleansed from the tender and sensitive area of the sunburned skin. Such cleansing tends to cause further discomfort and irritation to the affected skin.
Preferably, a treatment for sunburn would satisfy several objectives simultaneously. The main objective for the treatment of sunburn would be to relieve pain, eliminate the source of heat, stop the burn progression, and, if necessary, help prevent infection. Thus, a useful treatment for sunburn preferably provides immediate relief from pain while also helping to promote healing. It would be desirable to have a formulation for treatment of sunburn to be combined in a reasonably convenient and cost-effective process wherein the prepared composition would remain stable during storage. Such a sunburn formulation should provide the relief and healing effects sought without producing an uncomfortable, sticky sensation and without soiling or sticking to one's clothing. In addition, the sunburn formulation should preferably not produce a residue that must be subsequently washed or removed from the sensitive sunburned area.
Since a sunburn is an inflammatory disorder, sunburn has been treated in the past with anti-inflammatory drugs. One of the most effective therapeutics is indomethacin [1-(p-chlorobenzoyl)-5-methoxy-2-methylindole-3-acetic acid], a non-steroid chemical compound that has been widely recognized for its outstanding anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic, and analgesic properties. However, indomethacin can become unstable when mixed with certain carriers for topical applications, and therefore, oral administration is sometimes the preferred method of administration.
Oral administration of indomethacin has previously been reported as effective in relieving pain, reducing fever, and providing increased mobility in patients with inflammatory disorders, including those of a rheumatic nature. When orally administered, the drug behaves as a systemic medicine that passes into the bloodstream for general distribution in the body. As in the case with numerous other drugs, not every one can satisfactorily accept this drug by the oral mode of administration, particularly over extending periods of therapy. In addition, oral administration does not provide for the direct and concentrated application of indomethacin on an affected area, such as an area of sunburned skin.
Similar deficiencies also exist in the treatment of skin burns as a result of radiation therapy. Past treatments have utilized moisturizing creams or ointments to soothe the skin burns, however, such creams and ointments do not contain active anti-inflammatory or anesthetic agents to reduce pain or itching. Topical hydrocortisone creams or ointments have been utilized to reduce inflammation and discomfort, but such treatments typically provide only temporary relief for up to 1-1½ hours. Topical anesthetic creams or ointments work to reduce pain, but similarly, only provide for the temporary relief of such pain. Other creams, such as silver sulfadiazine cream 1% (sold as Silvadene Cream®), are used to treat radiation burns having blistered areas and ulcerations in order to reduce the pain and incidence of secondary skin infection, however, such creams' effects are limited when applied to first degree burns.
It would be desirable to provide a non-oral method of administering indomethacin for the treatment of sunburned skin. In addition, it would be desirable to provide a carrier vehicle for the topical application of indomethacin whereby local treatment of inflammation is achieved to an area of sunburned skin. It would also be desirable to provide a carrier for indomethacin that provided a topical application which utilized a reasonably convenient and cost-effective process that remained stable during storage. It would be desirable to provide a non-oral method of administering indomethacin for the treatment of mild to moderate skin burns caused by radiation therapy or excessive heat.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and composition for treating burned skin

Lil Brat Pharmaceuticals of Marlette, MI


A heat dissipation device for removing heat from an electronic component mounted on a printed circuit board, includes a heat sink and a clip attaching the heat sink onto the printed circuit board. The heat sink has a rectangular base and a plurality of fins extending upwardly from the base. The fins define a receiving channel therein, which is slantwise to two opposite sides of the heat sink. The clip includes a main body placed in the receiving channel and two latching legs extending obliquely and oppositely from two opposite ends of the main body. The two latching legs are located in front of and in rear of the two opposite sides of the heat sink, respectively, and are parallel thereto.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat dissipation device, and more particularly to a heat dissipation device having a clip assembly which can readily and securely attach a heat sink to an electronic component.
2. Description of Related Art
A heat sink is usually placed in thermal contact with an electronic package such as a central processing unit (CPU), and transfers heat through conduction away from the electronic package so as to prevent over-heating of the electronic package. Usually, the heat sink is secured to the electronic package by using a clip.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,518,507 B1 shows a heat sink assembly including a heat sink and a clip securing the heat sink to an electronic component mounted on a printed circuit board. The heat sink comprises a base and a plurality of fins extending from the base. A plurality of grooves is defined between adjacent fins. Two neighboring fins located at two lateral sides of the groove in the middle of the heat sink project a pair of bulges on opposite inner walls thereof. The clip spans across the groove in the middle of the heat sink with a positioning portion received in the middle of the heat sink in a manner such that the positioning portion abuts against the bulges and the base of the heat sink. Two arms, which extend from two ends of the positioning portion, have a pair of hooks engaging with the printed circuit board, thereby securing the heat sink to the printed circuit board.
The clip can prevent the heat sink from sliding with respect to the printed circuit board along a direction perpendicular to the grooves of the heat sink. However, the heat sink is prone to move along the direction where the grooves extend, when the heat sink is subject to vibration. This makes the heat sink not able to have an intimate contact with the electronic component, whereby the heat generated by the electronic component cannot be effectively dissipated by the heat sink.
What is needed, therefore, is a heat dissipation device having an improved clip assembly which can overcome the above problem.

Heat dissipation device having a clip assembly

Fu Zhun Precision Industry (Shen Zhen) Co., Ltd.


A structure of a press-contacting holding part is not complicated so that press-contacting operation of press-contacting an electric wire to the press-contacting terminal is easily and precisely performed. According to the invention, an apparatus of press-contacting of electric wire includes a case holding part for holding case provided with a press-contacting terminal, an electric wire holding part for holding the electric wire positioned by the positioning part, a press-contacting driving mechanism for driving the electric wire held by the electric wire holding part so that the electric wire is pushed into a slot part of the press-contacting terminal to provide pressure contact therebetween.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for press-contacting an electric wire for pushing an electric wire into a slot part of a press-contacting terminal to pressure-contact.
2. Description of the Related Art
A pressure contact joint connector connecting apparatus is known as described in JP-A-2002-93544. In JP-A-2002-93544, The apparatus includes a pressure contact terminal for causing a plurality of electric wires to short circuit, a housing part for receiving the pressure contact terminal, and a pressure contact joint connector having a cover engaged with the housing. The apparatus is used for connecting the pressure contact joint connector to a wire harness on the wire harness plate. A pressure receiving table for receiving a housing portion of the pressure contact joint connector, an electric wire press-fitting part for press-fitting the electric wire attached to the housing part on the pressure receiving table to the pressure contact terminal attached to the housing part, a cover holder part for holding the cover part of the pressure contact joint connector in order to engage the cover part to the housing part after press-fitting are provided with a press unit for subjecting each connection element component to a press operation.
According to the apparatus of JP-A-2002-93544, an identical press unit in which an electric wire as a connection element component and a holding part of the cover member are provided can be used to perform the pressure contact operation of the electric wire and the fitting operation of the cover part in a continuous manner. However, in order to appropriately press-contact the electric wire into the slot part of the press-contacting terminal of the housing part without causing the electric wire to have displacement, it is required to hold the electric wire in the housing part while applying a predetermined tension to the electric wire and precisely positioning the electric wire. Moreover, in order to fit into the cover member with the housing part after the pressure-contact of the electric wire, the tension applied to the electric wire must be reduced in order to prevent a situation where the cover member is pushed to the above-mentioned electric wire to cause an excessive load. Thus, it has been difficult to satisfy such contrary requirements at the same time.
As described in JP-A-2002-93544, when a group of sandwiching pieces for temporarily holding the positioned electric wire is provided in the housing part so that the electric wire is temporarily held by the group of sandwiching pieces, the electric wire can pressure contact with the press-contacting terminal while the electric wire is being positioned in the housing part. Moreover, the electric wire restricted to the exterior part of the housing part can be released to prevent the electric wire from having an excessive load when the cover member is fitted. However, the requires the group of sandwiching pieces in which a large number of sandwiching pieces for temporarily holding the electric wire must be provided adjacent to the press-contacting terminal in the housing part. So, there is a problem that the housing part has a complicated structure and a larger size.
When the group of sandwiching pieces cannot be provided in the housing part, a holding part for holding the electric wire W while the electric wire is being positioned at the exterior part of the housing part must be provided. In the case, even when the electric wire can be pressure contacted into the slot part of the press-contacting terminal, the cover member is pushed to the electric wire held by the holding part to inevitably cause an excessive load when the cover member is fitted into the housing part.

Apparatus for press-contacting electric wire, method of press-contacting the same and wire harness manufactured by the method


A master-slave manipulator apparatus and a control method therefor, in which a movement which an operator does not intend is prevented, thereby reflecting the operator""s intention accurately and correctly, includes a master manipulator for conducting an operation input therewith, a controller for processing the operation input, and a slave manipulator for operating upon drive instruction from the controller, wherein the master manipulator includes a plurality of force detectors, and the controller decides a driver shaft, by comparing an output from a pattern producing means for producing a generation pattern of the outputs of the plurality of force detectors to a pattern stored in a memory means in advance, thereby removing the operation input which is caused unconsciously in the operation input of the master manipulator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a master-slave manipulator apparatus for operating a slave manipulator upon the basis of instructions from a master manipulator and a method therefor, and further relates to a training apparatus for manipulator operation input and a method therefor.
2. Description of Prior Art
Conventionally, with so-called a master-slave manipulator of a type being driven responding to a force inputted from a manipulator, the master manipulator (however, in the explanation given hereinafter, this xe2x80x9cmaster manipulatorxe2x80x9d will be called by only xe2x80x9cmasterxe2x80x9d) drives a slave manipulator (hereinafter, this xe2x80x9cslave manipulatorxe2x80x9d will be called by xe2x80x9cslavexe2x80x9d) accurately with respect to the forces being operated thereto, thereby aiming to operate it freely without a feeling that something wrong. For that purpose, threshold values for driving the driver shafts of the master manipulator are set for each degree of freedom of the driver shaft, so as to decide the force inputs given to the master manipulator. In this case, however, this threshold value is set at a magnitude so that the application of the inputs can be decided or detected fully, with certainty, by expecting or estimating a safety factor therein, etc.
On a while, in cases where, for example, a tired or exhausted operator operates or manipulates under the condition of lucking her/his concentration thereto, and/or where she/he operates it while seeing the operation condition of the slave looking aside the master, and/or where a person not well-skilled or trained in operation tries to manipulate it, the operating inputs are made as if ignoring or denying the degree of freedom of the master, or an operator applies a force into a direction not intended, of unconsciousness, therefore, there can be occur a phenomenon that a movement which the operator does not intend occurs in the slave.
Further, even when trying to perform or make the same operation, there may be a case where the forces differ delicately, for each individual, in the manners of applying thereof, for example, depending on the difference in the dominant arm and/or habits during manipulation by the operators. Therefore, if applying a setup value(s) (i.e., a threshold(s)) being similar for all the operators, there may be caused a case where the will of the operator cannot be sufficiently reflected in the operation. In particular, in a case where the same master is commonly owned or used by a plurality of operators, or the like, if the set values of the master are fixed, some operator(s) cannot reflect her/his will in the operation input.
By the way, in such the master-slave manipulator system, as a measure for not only following the inputting operation by the operator, but also against the input not intended by the operator, as was already known in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. Hei 7-124165 (1995), there is proposed a manipulator system, wherein an acting point of the slave is calculated upon the basis of the sight line(s) of the operator, and further the positional difference thereof from the acting point indicated by an operation input means is obtained, thereby driving and controlling the slave so that the position of the acting point comes to be that acting point which the operation input means indicates, only when the positional difference is smaller than a predetermined value.
With such the manipulator system, namely under the environment where the slave is operated, in particular, in cases where there is an object around which should be escaped an external force from being applied to, and/or where the external force should be escaped from being applied to the environment itself around the object, i.e., in a scene where the will of the operator must be transmitted to the slave with accuracy or correctly, it is very dangerous that the slave makes a movement which is not intended by the operator, or that it takes a position not to be intended. Also, in particular, in a case where detailed and minute work is required by using the slave within a narrow space, there are often cases where no mistake will be allowed in the operation direction thereof.
On a while, in a case where trying to move the master, being restricted in the degree of freedom within the three dimensional space, into a certain direction thereof, a human, i.e., the operator may sometimes make an operation input so that the master is driven in a plurality directions of the degree of freedom at one time, not so far as she/he does not grasps the directions of the degree of freedom, in which the master can move completely, and is not always in her/his mind the direction thereof. Also, even if the operator tries to drive the master in only a certain degree of freedom, however she/he may also generate a force in the direction other than that of the degree of freedom at the same time in unconsciousness. For the human as the operator, it is rather difficult to move her/his hand only in one direction of the degree of freedom within such the three dimension space.
In this manner, according to the conventional art(s), there sometimes occurs the cases, where the slave comes to be in a position that the operator does not intend, since the operator occasionally drives the master into the plural directions of degree of freedom at the same time, or where the slave performs a movement that the operator does not intend by forces being generated unconsciously. Namely, it comes to be a problem whether the force(s) inputted through the master reflects the intention of the operator correctly and accurately or not. In other words, according to the conventional art(s) mentioned above, there may occur the case where the master manipulator also responds to the force(s) not intended by the operator, correctly and accurately, even when is inputted thereto the force, though it is not intended by her/him.
For such the problems, as described in the conventional art(s)mentioned above, in the case where the threshold values are set for the directions of the degree of freedom for the driver shaft of the master, respectively, so as to recognize the input thereof during the operation, it may be possible for the operator to input operation(s) reflecting the intention of her/himself correctly and accurately, if she/he could grasp the directions of degree of freedom of the master and also could make only an input along with that of the degree of freedom intended by her/him. But, such the operation necessitates a concentration of attentions by the operator. However, it is impossible for the operator to keep such the operation condition, necessitating such the concentration of attentions, for a long time.
For example, in the operation while seeing or looking at the working objet, or in the operation under condition of making her/his eyes off from the master, or in the operation under the operation where the tiredness is accumulated so that the concentration is lost, or in the operation that the person who is not well-skilled or trained performs, an easy operation is likely to be conducted by imaging the movement of the slave intuitively, and in such the instance, since the operation is conducted by neglecting or denying the directions of degree of freedom, in which the master can drive, strong forces come to be operated in plural directions of degree of freedom. In particular, in a case where the above-mentioned threshold values for recognizing the presence of the input from the master are set to be relatively low, so as to make it operable with a light force, it is further difficult to separate the force, acting in such the unconsciousness to the master, from that in the direction intended by the operator. In such the case, even if a large threshold value, being recognizable only the input which the operator intends, is set for each direction of the degree of freedom for the master, there also may occur a case where the large force is inputted in the driver shaft (the degree of freedom) other than that on which the operator intends to. In such the case, also the slave comes to make a movement which the operator does not intend.
By the way, in the manipulator control system known from the Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. Hei 7-124165 (1995) mentioned above, the direction which the operator intends to is defined by means of the sight lines of the operator, however, in the case where the positional difference, between the acting point calculated out on the basis of this sight lines and that which the master indicates, is within an allowable range, also the above-mentioned separation between the operation input which the operator intends and that not intended is not conducted. Then, other than the operation input which the operator intends to, but even the operation input which is not intended is also taken into consideration, therefore the slave performs also such the movement that the operator does not intend to. Also, according to the conventional art mentioned above, in particular in the operation being extended for a long time, it is difficult to indicate the acting point always by the sight line, therefore the degree of tiredness comes to be harder than that of an ordinary operation, and in this sense, it may comes to be a cause of loosing the concentration, and it is rather dangerous to perform such the detail and minute operations by the manipulator under such the condition.
Therefore, an object according to the present invention, by taking the problems in the conventional arts mentioned above into the consideration, is namely to provide a master-slave manipulator apparatus and a control method therefor, wherein the slave will not perform such a movement that the operator does not intend in spite of the force being applied by the operator in unconsciousness, thereby reflecting the operator""s intention thereon correctly and/or accurately, and to provide further a training apparatus and a method therefor for training the operation input for such the master-slave manipulator apparatus as mentioned.
For achieving the object mentioned above, according to the present invention, first there is provided a master-slave manipulator apparatus, comprising:
a master manipulator for performing an operation input;
a controller for processing the operation input from said master manipulator; and
a slave manipulator operating upon basis of a drive instruction from said controller, wherein said master manipulator comprises:
a plurality of force detector means for detecting the operation input, and said controller comprises means comprises:
means for removing the operation input which is generated unconsciously in inputting the operation input to said master manipulator, upon basis of outputs from said plurality of force detector means.
Also, according to the present invention, there is provided the master-slave manipulator apparatus as defined in the above, wherein said unconscious operation input removing means comprises:
means for producing a generation pattern of the outputs from the plurality of force detector means of said master manipulator; and further
means for outputting the drive instruction at least to said slave manipulator, being removed from the operation input which is generated unconsciously, upon basis of the generation pattern of the outputs from the force detector means produced by said means.
Also, according to the present invention, there is further provided the master-slave manipulator apparatus as defined in the above, wherein said unconscious operation input removing means further comprises at least means for deciding a driver shaft in said slave manipulator, upon basis of the generation pattern of the outputs from the force detector means produced by said means.
Further, according to the present invention, there is provided the master-slave manipulator apparatus as defined in the above, wherein said decision means further comprises:
a memory means for memorizing a generation pattern of the outputs from said plurality of force detector means therein in advance; and
a comparing means, wherein at least the driver shaft in said slave manipulator is decided through said comparing means, by comparing the generation pattern of the outputs from said plurality of force detector means with the generation pattern which is stored in said memory means.
Also, according to the present invention, there is provided the master-slave manipulator apparatus as defined in the above, wherein said generation pattern producing means further comprises means for simplifying the outputs from said plurality of force detector means.
Further, according to the present invention, there is provided the master-slave manipulator apparatus as defined in the above, wherein said decision means further comprises means for collecting the generation pattern of the outputs from said plurality of force detector means corresponding to the driver shaft specified, so as to store it into said memory means.
And, according to the present invention, there is provided the master-slave manipulator apparatus as defined in the above, wherein said decision means further comprises means for identify of the operator, and said comparison means compares the generation pattern stored in said memory means to the generation pattern of the outputs from said plurality of force detector means, corresponding to an output of said identification means.
In addition thereto, according to the present invention, there is provided the master-slave manipulator apparatus as defined in the above, further comprising a plurality of means for detecting muscle potentials from an arm of the operator operating said master manipulator, wherein said controller comprises means for removing an inputting operation being generated unconsciously in the operation input of said master manipulator, upon basis of the outputs of said plurality of force detector means, and the outputs from said plurality of muscle potential detecting means as well.
Next, according to the present invention, also for achieving the object mentioned above, there is provided a control method for a master-slave manipulator apparatus, wherein a slave manipulator is driven and controlled corresponding to an operation input from a master manipulator, and said master manipulator comprises a plurality of force detector means, comprising following steps of:
detecting forces being applied onto said master manipulator by means of said plurality of force detector means;
producing a generation pattern of the plural forces applied to the master manipulator, being detected in said step; and
removing operation input applied unconsciously onto said master manipulator, upon basis of said generation pattern being produces.
Also, according to the present invention, there is provided the control method for a master-slave manipulator apparatus as defined in the above, wherein at least said operation input applied unconsciously is removed therefrom, by deciding the driver shaft in said slave manipulator, upon basis of said generation pattern produced.
And, according to the present invention, there is provided the control method for a master-slave manipulator apparatus as defined in the above, wherein at least the driver shaft in said slave manipulator is decided, by comparing the generation pattern produced with a pattern produced in advance.
Further, according to the present invention, there is provided the control method for a master-slave manipulator apparatus as defined in the claim 11, wherein the comparison with the pattern produced in advance is conducted after simplifying the generation pattern produced.
And, according to the present invention, there is also provided the control method for a master-slave manipulator apparatus as defined in the above, wherein there are further provided a plurality of means for detecting muscle potentials from an arm of an operator operating said master manipulator, and the operation input applied to said master manipulator unconsciously is removed by using also outputs from said plurality of the muscle potential detector means, when excluding the operation input applied to said master manipulator unconsciously.
Further, according to the present invention, also for achieving the object mentioned above, there is provided a apparatus for making a training of operating a master-slave manipulator apparatus, wherein a slave manipulator is driven and controlled corresponding to an operation input from a master manipulator, comprising:
a controller for processing the operation input from said master manipulator, wherein said master manipulator forming a training apparatus for operation input of the manipulator, comprises:
a plurality of force detector means for detecting said operation input, and wherein said controller comprises,
means for deciding presence of the operation input being applied by an operator unconsciously in the operation input of said master manipulator, upon basis of outputs from said plurality of force detector means, wherein the training of the master-slave manipulator apparatus is conducted upon basis of the presence of the unconscious operation input which is decided by means of said decision means.
Further, according to the present invention, there is provided the apparatus for making a training of operating a master-slave manipulator apparatus as defined in the above, further comprising means for generating an alarm depending on a result of decision by means of said decision means of the unconscious input operation.
Also, according to the present invention, there is provided the apparatus for making a training of operating a master-slave manipulator apparatus as defined in the above, further comprising a display means for displaying a result of decision by means of said decision means of the unconscious input operation.
And, according to the present invention, there is also provided the apparatus for making a training of operating a master-slave manipulator apparatus, as defined in the above, further comprising an identifying means of the operator.
Moreover, according to the present invention, also for achieving the object mentioned above, there is provided a method for making a training of operating a master-slave manipulator apparatus, wherein a slave manipulator is driven and controlled corresponding to an operation input from a master manipulator, and said master manipulator comprises a plurality of force detector means for detecting the operation input, comprising following steps of:
detecting forces applied onto said master manipulator by means of said plurality of force detector means;
producing a generation pattern of the plural forces applied onto the master manipulator, which are detected in the above step;
deciding a presence of an operation input being applied unconsciously by an operator in the operation input of said master manipulator; and
conducting the training for the operation input of the manipulator upon basis of the existence of the unconscious operation input by the operator, which is decided.
Further, according to the present invention, there is provided the method for making a training of operating a master-slave manipulator apparatus as defined in the above, further comprising a step of alarming the operator, upon basis of the existence of the unconscious operation input by the operator, which is decided.
Also, according to the present invention, there is provided the method for making a training of operating a master-slave manipulator apparatus as defined in the above, further comprising a step of displaying a result of the decision, upon basis of the existence of the unconscious operation input by the operator, which is decided.
Furthermore, the master manipulator (or only, the master), mentioned in the present specification, means or indicates an apparatus for operating instructions to the slave manipulator (or only, the slave) with degree of freedom being equal or more than three (3).
While, the slave manipulator (or only, the slave), mentioned in the present specification, means or indicates an apparatus, being driven upon the basis of the instructions from a controller processing information inputted into the master manipulator (or only, the master). Also, it includes a simulator for simulating movement of the slave, or similarly the display on a screen indicating the movement of the slave.
Further, the operation forces mentioned in the present specification means forces in three directions in a special coordinates system and torque in the respective directions thereof.
Namely, when a human, an operator conducts the operation input by using the master, a combination of the output results from the plural force detector means in a certain time period is expressed by a pattern. In this pattern are included not only the force inputted by the operator in consciousness, but also the force which is applied unconsciously in many cases. Then, according to the present invention, since there exists the direction of force being applied unconsciously other than the force in a direction of operation being intended, form view of the direction in which the master is operated, the directions in which a human can apply force with ease and with difficulty, and the directions in which the operation can be made with ease and with difficulty, etc., therefore it is possible to arrange or classify the operation inputs when trying to drive the corresponding driver shaft into a several patterns in advance. Then, from the pattern of this operation forces, the direction of force being applied unconsciously and the direction of force being inputted intentionally are decided by comparing thereof, and the driver shaft of the master is driven upon the result thereof.
However, as will be shown in embodiments which will be mentioned in details hereinafter, so as to meet with an individual habit of the operator, it is so constructed that a difference in way of applying forces by her/his dominant arm, etc., patterns of operation forces when driving the master in the respective degree of freedom (i.e., the driver shafts) are collected for each of the individuals, and a relationship between the pattern of operation force being calculated upon the basis thereof and the driver shaft can be recorded as a decision table being for exclusive use by the individual. Also, it is so constructed that, by conducting the identification of the operator before operation, the decision of the driver shaft is conducted by using the above-mentioned decision table of the operator her/himself, being registered.

Master-slave manipulator apparatus and method therefor, further training apparatus for manipulator operation input and method therefor

Technology Research Association of Medical and Welfare Apparatus


A circuit breaker includes separable contacts, an operating mechanism structured to open and close the separable contacts, a current sensor structured to sense current flowing through the separable contacts, a microprocessor cooperating with the sensor and the operating mechanism to trip open the separable contacts, and a power supply structured to at least power the microprocessor. The microprocessor includes a configurable clock and a routine structured to reduce current consumption from the power supply through modulation of the configurable clock.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to circuit interrupters and, more particularly, to such circuit interrupters employing a processor. The invention also relates to methods for reducing current consumption for a circuit interrupter.
2. Background Information
Circuit interrupters include, for example, circuit breakers, contactors, motor starters, motor controllers, other load controllers and receptacles having a trip mechanism. Circuit breakers are generally old and well known in the art. Circuit breakers are used to protect electrical circuitry from damage due to an overcurrent condition, such as an overload condition or a relatively high level short circuit or fault condition. In small circuit breakers, commonly referred to as miniature circuit breakers, used for residential and light commercial applications, such protection is typically provided by a thermal-magnetic trip device. This trip device includes a bimetal, which is heated and bends in response to a persistent overcurrent condition. The bimetal, in turn, unlatches a spring powered operating mechanism, which opens the separable contacts of the circuit breaker to interrupt current flow in the protected power system. An armature, which is attracted by the sizable magnetic forces generated by a short circuit or fault, also unlatches, or trips, the operating mechanism.
With the increasing popularity of portable battery-powered electronic devices (e.g., cell phones; MP3 players; digital cameras), many electronic manufacturers are developing components with features specifically designed for low-power operation. There are also many well-known design techniques for reducing the power consumed by microcontrollers including, for example, reducing power supply voltage, employing "sleep" modes (which reduce power supply current consumption by temporarily shutting off the microprocessor primary clock source) and employing relatively lower clock speeds. Of these techniques, it is believed that "sleep" modes cannot be used in a circuit breaker application, because too many cycles (and too much time) are required for the primary clock source to restart when the microprocessor "wakes up". Also, it is believed that power supply voltage(s) and a single processor clock speed are selected to give the "best" overall performance in terms of desired processing capability and power consumption.
At least one manufacturer has introduced microcontrollers with a hardware feature that allows software selection between several internal clock frequencies. For instance, the Microchip PIC16F685 microcontroller, marketed by Microchip Technology Incorporated of Chandler, Ariz., has a 31 kHz internal clock and an 8 MHz internal clock with a postscaler. With the proper configuration, this microcontroller can be driven by an internal clock frequency of 31 kHz, 125 kHz, 250 kHz, 500 kHz, 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz or 8 MHz. The microcontroller can switch between any of these internal clock frequencies while being operated by software control within a single microcontroller execution cycle.
The power supply of, for example, a microcomputer-based miniature circuit interrupter contributes to increases in internal operating temperature and, thus, may impact the normal operating temperature range of the circuit interrupter.
Accordingly, there is room for improvement in circuit interrupters.
There is also room for improvement in the current consumption of a circuit interrupter processor.

Circuit interrupter and method modulating configurable processor clock to provide reduced current consumption


The present invention relates to multimers of polypeptides which are covalently bound to molecular scaffolds such that two or more peptide loops are subtended between attachment points to the scaffold. The invention also describes the multimerization of polypeptides through various chemical linkers and hinges of various lengths and rigidity using different sites of attachments within polypeptides. In particular, the invention describes multimers of peptides which are high affinity binders and activators of CD137. The invention also includes drug conjugates comprising said peptides, conjugated to one or more effector and/or functional groups, to pharmaceutical compositions comprising said peptide ligands and drug conjugates and to the use of said peptide ligands and drug conjugates in preventing, suppressing or treating a disease or disorder mediated by CD137.

Protein-protein interactions are important regulators of cellular functions. These interactions typically involve large surface areas and as such can neither be easily inhibited nor mimicked using typical small molecule therapeutic agents. Additionally, many important receptor classes (receptor tyrosine kinases, cytokine receptors, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptors, T-cell receptors and G-protein coupled receptors) require oligomerization of receptor monomer units in a particular orientation to activate the receptor signaling pathway. Recombinant proteins such as monoclonal antibodies and fusion proteins (e.g. ligand-Fc fusions) are able to bind and induce oligomerization of such receptors due to high affinity and large interaction surface areas with the potential for multivalent binding. However, large proteins are inefficient at penetrating into tissues and may not be an ideal therapeutic modality for modulating receptors, especially those found on cells that are poorly vascularized or surrounded by barriers to penetration, such as the stromal barrier found in pancreatic cancer. Small synthetic and modular therapeutic modalities with a larger interaction surface than small molecules will be ideal for bypassing the penetration barrier and activating target receptors by oligomerization.
The recent success of immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 antibodies in treating various types of cancers have boosted the interest in molecules that activate co-stimulatory targets, including CD137 on T cells. CD137 (4-1BB/TNFRSF9) belongs to the TNF receptor superfamily and provides costimulatory signaling for T cells.
Inducible CD137 expression is found on activated T-, B-, dendritic and natural killer (NK) cells. Stimulation of CD137 by its natural ligand, CD137L, or by agonistic antibody induces vigorous T-cell proliferation and prevents activation-induced cell death. 4-1 BB forms a heterotrimer complex consisting of two TNF-receptor associated factor TRAF-2 complexes in conjunction with TRAF-1. This interaction, through leukocyte specific protein-1 (LSP-1), potentiates signaling through JNK and ERK pathways as well as through β-catenin and AKT. These signaling pathways converge on the master transcription factor NF-κB to regulate 4-1BB signaling, as well as effector immune responses.
Agonistic anti-CD137 antibodies have shown potent, often curative anti-tumor activity in mouse models. Its anti-tumor activity is even further boosted in combination with an anti-PD-1 or anti-CTLA-4 antibody. These effects are mainly mediated by cytotoxic T cells and generate long lasting, memory responses. Two human anti-CD137 antibodies are currently undergoing clinical testing: urelumab has shown single agent, partial responses in melanoma, however hepatoxicity was observed at doses ≥1 mg/kg and as a result, it is being combined with other immunotherapies at a suboptimal dose of 0.1 mg/kg; utomilumab is also being evaluated in solid tumors in combination with other immunotherapies, but while hepatotoxicity was not observed up to 5 mg/kg, it has little or no single agent activity.
Cyclic peptides are able to bind with high affinity and target specificity to protein targets and hence are an attractive molecule class for the development of therapeutics. In fact, several cyclic peptides are already successfully used in the clinic, as for example the antibacterial peptide vancomycin, the immunosuppressant drug cyclosporine or the anti-cancer drug octreotide (Driggers et al. (2008), Nat Rev Drug Discov 7 (7), 608-24). Good binding properties result from a relatively large interaction surface formed between the peptide and the target as well as the reduced conformational flexibility of the cyclic structures. Typically, macrocycles bind to surfaces of several hundred-square angstrom, as for example the cyclic peptide CXCR4 antagonist CVX15 (400 Å2; Wu et al. (2007), Science 330, 1066-71), a cyclic peptide with the Arg-Gly-Asp motif binding to integrin αVβ3 (355 Å2) (Xiong et al. (2002), Science 296 (5565), 151-5) or the cyclic peptide inhibitor upain-1 binding to urokinase-type plasminogen activator (603 Å2; Zhao et al. (2007), J Struct Biol 160 (1), 1-10).
Bicycles® are a novel therapeutic class of fully synthetic, constrained bicyclic peptides that have high affinity and exquisite target specificity unachievable with conventional small molecule approaches. The Bicycle® platform uses phage display to rapidly identify and optimize binders that can then be readily chemically optimized to tune affinity and physicochemical properties. Their small size (1.5-2 kDa) delivers advantages in tumor penetration and rapid renal elimination avoids liver and gastrointestinal toxicity often associated with other drug modalities, including certain antibodies. Bicycle® CD137 agonists with rapid renal clearance and lacking Fc receptor interaction could induce anti-tumor activity while avoiding liver toxicity.
There is a need to provide alternative bicyclic peptides which bind and activate their targets with a wide range of potency and efficacy.


A structure of crankcase-integrated cylinder block for a small internal combustion engine is posed to increase strength and rigidity in order to reduce particularly vibration and noise. A cylinder part and a crankcase part are formed into a box-like shape being cast in one piece, a crankcase cover is fixed to the crankcase part to cover an opening on a side in anteroposterior thereof, a crankshaft bearing boss has a crankshaft bearing hole being provided at a central part of a back wall of the crankcase part to protrude to both inner and outer sides of the back wall for supporting an end sides of a crankshaft, wherein an inner peripheral rib is formed along the corner where the back wall of said crankcase part connects to a peripheral wall extending from the periphery of the back wall to heave inward form the corner part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cylinder block integrated with a crankcase, which is a single cast block integrating a cylinder part and a crankcase part, particularly a crankcase-integrated cylinder block of a small internal combustion engine reinforced in strength and rigidity for reducing vibration and noise.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well known, the main body of a small single cylinder internal combustion engine consists of a cylinder part in which a piston reciprocated and a crankcase part in which a crankshaft is supported for rotation. A cylinder head is attached to the top end of the cylinder part and a crankcase cover is attached to the crankcase part at an opening in one side of thereof to cover the opening. In small internal combustion engines, the cylinder part and crankcase part are cast in one unit block. Such a unit block is called a crankcase-integrated cylinder block.
In such a crankcase-integrated cylinder block (hereafter referred to as a cylinder block), endeavors have been continued to reduce thickness of walls of the cylinder block from the point of view of downsizing and weight saving of the internal combustion engine. However, there occur often problems when thickness of walls of the cylinder block is reduced that the strength/rigidity thereof reduces, vibration is increased, resulting in occurrence of cracks and increase in noise.
When designing a cylinder block, a fundamental plan is established through studying strength and vibration characteristic by calculation, however, the structure of the cylinder block is very complicated three-dimensionally and difficult to analyze. Designing labor has been reduced by calculating using a computer by applying a finite-element method, however, the calculation enables evaluation of a cylinder block of specific shape only, and it is necessary to compare calculation results of a variety of constructions of cylinder blocks in order to carry out optimization of cylinder block configuration. Therefore, designing of a cylinder block remains yet in a state that a vast amount of labors is needed for calculation, and here remain problems concerning designing cost and design schedule.
To solve the problems, there is disclosed in Japanese Patent No.3087106 an art to provide a crankcase-integrated cylinder block with reduced wall thickness resulting in decreased weight of engine, without entailing reduction in strength and increase in noise, and enabling reduction of design cost for optimizing the configuration of cylinder block.
According to the prior art like this, the cylinder block is constructed such that large force bearing portions such as a base part (fixing foot part) for installing the engine and bearing parts for supporting the crankshaft are thick, and forces exerting to such thick portions are transmitted from the thick portions to thin walls in a state distributed to ribs, etc. To be more specific, as shown in FIG. 5(B) in the patent specification, a first bearing boss having a first bearing hole for inserting a first bearing is provided on the central part of the crankcase cover to protrude inwardly, a second bearing boss having a second bearing hole for inserting a second bearing is provided on the central part of the backside wall of the cylinder block to protrude inwardly, a pair of upper side boss-ribs is provided to extend from the upper part of each of the bearing bosses widening the distance between each of the boss-ribs upwardly, and a pair of lower side boss-ribs is provided to extend from the lower part of each of the bearing bosses widening the distance between each of the boss-ribs downwardly.
However, in the art, the trapezoidal region surrounded by the upper side boss-ribs of the first bearing boss, upper rib of the crank case cover, and a part of the outer periphery of the first bearing boss, and the trapezoidal region surrounded by the upper side boss-ribs of the second bearing boss, upper rib of the cylinder block, and a part of the outer periphery of the second bearing boss, must be formed to be thick. Therefore, portions where large force is supported such as a base part (fixing foot part) to install the engine and bearing parts for supporting the crankshaft are formed thick, and thin-walled cylinder block configuration is not attained fully enough.
Further, application of the prior art is restricted to a crankcase-integrated having a vertical cylinder and can not be applied to a crankcase-integrated cylinder block having an inclined cylinder.
It is difficult to apply said prior art to an inclined cylinder type engine such as disclosed for example in Japanese Patent No.3243555 in which a crankcase-integrated cylinder block which has a cylinder part extending from an inclined wall part of the crankcase part perpendicular thereto and of which the cylinder axis is inclined from the direction perpendicular to the base part for installing the engine.

Cylinder block integrated with crankcase


A doll having a sensor for determining the insertion of a top portion of a nursing bottle. The sensor includes a movable portion pivoting in response to insertion of the top portion of the nursing bottle. A contact point secures to one end of the movable portion and engages a contact member in order to cause a sound to be emitted by the doll. The sound is emitted from a speaker placed within the doll. A pair of pressure activated switches are also provided in the doll and operate in conjunction with the sensor to generate varied vocal responses.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a doll.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally known in the art is a doll having a baby figure where one can give liquid like a milk to its mouth. A problem with the above art is that one loses his/her interest soon in the doll because one could not get reactions from the doll like a real baby, such as wetting its diaper when it is given milk.
The object of the present invention is to provide a doll which eliminates this problem.


At noise component addition section 105, a noise equivalent value equivalent in size to noise component is calculated using a constant which is dependent on a difference of spreading factors between a common pilot channel and packet channels, and at correlation matrix and correlation vector calculation section 106, the noise equivalent value is added to diagonal elements of an autocorrelation matrix. At weight calculation section 107, an optimal weight is calculated using the autocorrelation matrix whose diagonal elements have been added the noise equivalent value, and at adaptive equalization section 108, equalization of reception signal is carried out. Thereby, noise enhancement produced in the packet channels after the equalization due to the difference between the spreading factor of the common pilot channel and the spreading factor of the packet channels can be reduced.

Generally, multipath is formed between a base station apparatus and a communication terminal apparatus by reflection, diffraction, and/or dispersion of radio waves under the influence of buildings and suchlike. As a result, multiplied waves interfere mutually and generate multipath fading. In the HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) scheme and suchlike known as high speed downlink packet transmission, since the modulation M-ary number for packet channels is as high as 16 QAM, reception performance will deteriorate severely by inter-path interferences resulting from the multipath fading.
Then, it is possible to carry out adaptive equalization in the communication terminal apparatus of the receiving side using a common pilot channel as a reference signal. Generally, in many cases, spreading factor is set to be large for the common pilot channel in order to enhance SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio), and set to be small for channels for high speed packet transmission in order to improve transmission efficiency.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional reception apparatus. In this figure, signal transmitted from a base station apparatus is received at RF receiver 12 through antenna 11, and predetermined reception processing (a down conversion, A/D conversion and so forth) is carried out with the received signal (reception signal) at RF receiver 12. The signal after the reception processing is outputted to PL spread section 13 and adaptive equalization section 17.
At PL spread section 13, the signal outputted from RF receiver 12 after the reception processing is despread with a spreading code which is created in the base station apparatus by spreading the common pilot signal code-multiplexed with the reception signal, and the despread signal is outputted to channel estimation section 14 and correlation matrix and correlation vector calculation section 15.
Based on the despread common pilot signal outputted from PL spread section 13, at channel estimation section 14, phase variation component and amplitude variation component that the signal transmitted from the base station apparatus acquired on propagation path are estimated as channel estimation values, and the estimated channel estimation values are outputted to the correlation matrix and correlation vector calculation section 15.
At correlation matrix and correlation vector calculation section 15, an autocorrelation matrix of the input signal and a cross-correlation vector between the input signal and a desired signal are calculated, using the despread common pilot signal outputted from PL spread section 13. When these calculations are carried out, the channel estimation values outputted from channel estimation section 14, that is, the variations over the propagation path are taken into account. The calculated correlation matrix and correlation vector are outputted to weight calculation section 16.
At weight calculation section 16, the correlation matrix and the correlation vector outputted from the correlation matrix and correlation vector calculation section 15 are used to calculate an optimal weight based on the least square error criterion of the input signal vector, that is, tap coefficients for adaptive equalization section 17. The calculated weight is outputted to adaptive equalization section 17.
At adaptive equalization section 17, adaptive equalization of the signal outputted from RF receiver 12 after the reception processing is carried out using the weight outputted from weight calculation section 16. Thereby, interference components of the subject cell signal can be equalized. The signal after the adaptive equalization is outputted to packet CH spreading section 18.
The signal outputted from adaptive equalization section 17 is despread using spreading code for packet channels at packet CH spreading section 18, and then demodulated at demodulator 19. The demodulated signal is turbo-decoded at decoder 20 to obtain packet data.
Thus, the common pilot channel has a large spreading factor and can be detected as a known signal of high-quality in the reception apparatus, and so this common pilot channel can ensure the reliability of a known signal (reference signal) which is indispensable in the operation of the adaptive equalization section and improve performance of the adaptive equalization section.
Next, the basic of the calculation of the weight used at adaptive equalization section 17 will be explained. First, assuming that the number of feed-back tap and the number of feed-forward tap are L1 and L2 respectively as the tap number at adaptive equalization section 17, the input signal vector can be defined using the despread signal of the common pilot signal r(t) as follows:r(n)=[r(n−L1), . . . ,r(n−1),r(n),r(n+1), . . . ,r(n+L2)]T  (1)
Also, if a delay profile is created in interval [M1, M2], the input signal vector can be expressed by the following matrix form:r(n)=Hu(n)+n(n)  (2)
where H is a propagation path matrix having (L1+L2+1)×(L1+L2+1+M2−M1) dimension, and u is a transmitted signal sequence having (L1+L2+1+M2−M1) dimension, and H and u can be expressed as follows:
                    H        =                  [                                                                      h                                                        (                                          M                      2                                        )                                                                                h                                                        (                                                                  M                        2                                            -                      1                                        )                                                                              ⋯                                                              h                                                        (                                          M                      1                                        )                                                                              0                                            ⋯                                            0                                                                    0                                                              h                                                        (                                          M                      2                                        )                                                                              ⋯                                                              h                                                        (                                                                  M                        1                                            +                      1                                        )                                                                                h                                                        (                                          M                      1                                        )                                                                              0                                            ⋯                                                                    ⋮                                            ⋮                                            ⋮                                            ⋮                                            ⋮                                            ⋮                                            ⋮                                                                    0                                            ⋯                                            0                                                              h                                                        (                                          M                      2                                        )                                                                              ⋯                                                              h                                                        (                                                                  M                        1                                            +                      1                                        )                                                                                h                                                        (                                          M                      1                                        )                                                                                ]                                    (        3        )            andu(n)=[u(n−L1−M2), . . . ,u(n−L1−M1),u(n−L1+1−M1), . . . ,u(n+L2−M1)]  (4)
The optimal weight C based on the least square error criterion can be evaluated for this input signal vector as follows:C(n)=R(n)−1P(n)  (5)
where R represents the autocorrelation matrix (hereinafter referred to as "correlation matrix") of the input signal, and P represents the cross-correlation vector (hereinafter referred to as "correlation vector") between the input signal and the desired signal, and R and P can be calculated as follows:
                                          R                                      (              n              )                                =                                    ∑                              m                =                1                            n                                                                  λ                                  n                  -                  m                                                                          r                                                  (                  n                  )                                                                                r                  H                                                                  (                  n                  )                                                                                and                            (        6        )                                          P                                (            n            )                          =                              ∑                          m              =              1                        n                                                        λ                              n                -                m                                                                r                                            (                n                )                                                                                u                1                *                                                          (                n                )                                                                        (        7        )
In equations (6) and (7), λ is the forgetting factor, and weighted addition is carried out considering propagation variation. In addition, in Equation (7), u1 is a symbol of the common pilot channel.
Thus, if the conventional adaptive equalization section is used, reception quality can be increased by utilizing the high spreading gain for the common pilot channel to equalize interference component of the subject cell signal.
However, reception apparatus has the following problems in the above-mentioned conventional. As mentioned above, spreading factor is large for the common pilot channel in order to enhance SNR, and is small for the packet channels in order to improve transmission efficiency. Therefore, the correlation matrix and the correlation vector used in weight calculation at an adaptive equalization section are in condition in which noise and the subject cell interference component are suppressed, because of the high spreading gain of the common pilot channel. However, in the packet channels which are actual targets of equalization, since the spreading factor is lower than that of the common pilot channel, a spreading gain comparable to that of common pilot channel cannot be obtained, and noise is enhanced through operation of the adaptive equalization section. Hereinafter, more detailed explanation is given with reference to the drawings.
FIGS. 2A through 2C are conceptual diagrams showing signal components under processing in a conventional reception apparatus, and shows the sizes of the signal components schematically. FIG. 2A shows components of signal S1 outputted from RF receiver 12. Spreading suppress the common pilot channel and packet channels in size of signal component and component of the subject cell, component of other-cell and white noise occupy more than half of the whole of the components.
FIG. 2B shows the components of signal S2 outputted from PL spread section 13. It is recognized that despreading the common pilot channel of high spreading factor enlarges the components of the common pilot channel and decreases other components.
FIG. 2C shows components of signal S3 outputted from packet CH spreading section 18. It is recognized that despreading the packet channel signal obtains the spreading gain and enlarges the component of signal, and the components of the subject cell are removed by equalization. As mentioned above, although the other-cell component and white noise should be reduced by equalization, however, those components are increased by noise enhancement.
Incidentally, under the condition that noise enhancement becomes large; the demodulation performance may be inferior to that of RAKE receiver which does not mount an adaptive equalization section in the worst case.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The present invention provides a method of determining whether an individual is at risk for atherosclerosis, comprising the step of measuring the level of cLDL and/or autoantibody to cLDL in a sample obtained from this individual. The invention further discloses a method of reducing carbamylation in an individual with a monomeric amino acid or other enzymatic or non-enzymatic inhibitors of carbamylation. The instant invention also provides a method to decrease the level of cLDL by direct elimination of cLDL from the blood or plasma of an individual. The invention also provides a method of treating or preventing atherosclerosis in an individual by inhibiting aggregation and/or deposition of cLDL in the individual.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of cardiovascular physiology and atherosclerosis. More specifically, the present invention relates to the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis by reducing the carbamylation of LDL or the effects of cLDL.
2. Description of the Related Art
Atherosclerosis is the main cause of many cardiovascular diseases in humans. Atherosclerosis is initiated by injury to cells of the vascular wall. One group of patients that is very susceptible to atherosclerosis is patients with renal insufficiency [1-3]. Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are at several-fold increased risk of developing cardiovascular pathology because of accelerated atherosclerosis. [1,2]. Even patients with mild renal insufficiency are at 2-3-fold higher risk of cardiovascular disease [3]. The high rate of cardiovascular complications cannot be entirely explained by the known cardiovascular risk factors in these patients.
There is a large body of data which indicates that an atherosclerotic lesion starts when the vascular endothelium is injured. The injured endothelium expresses adhesion molecules for the monocytes to bind to, and the monocytes burrow beneath the endothelial cell layer, ingest modified LDL, and form so-called "foam cells". This process leads to the atherosclerotic plaque, which consists of a mass of lipid-engorged monocytes and macrophages covered by a fibrous cap being pushed out into the vessel lumen by proliferating smooth muscle cells [4-6].
When decrease renal function occurs, the increased amount of urea undergoes spontaneous (chemical, non-enzymatic) transformation to cyanate, which accumulates in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). Cyanate acts as a potential toxin, inducing a modification of proteins called "carbamylation" [see reviews 7-9].
An example of the carbamylation reaction of free amino groups of protein N-termini is shown in FIG. 1. This reaction is 50 to 100 times faster with α-amino groups of amino acids than with ε-amino groups [7]. Isocyanic acid, the active form of cyanate, reacts irreversibly with nonprotonated groups of amino acids forming α-amino-carbamylamino acids from free amino acids. The irreversible carbamylation forming α-amino-carbamyl-lysine occurs in multiple lysine sites within a protein with accumulation over the life span of the protein. When a molecule of cyanate is removed by carbamylation, a new molecule of cyanate is formed because of the equilibrium between urea and cyanate. Reversible carbamylation occurs also at the hydroxyl groups of tyrosine, serine, or threonine, and the sulfhydryl groups of cysteine.
Very few studies have been aimed at the prevention of carbamylation, and all of them have involved lens protein [14, 15]. Incubation of rat lens in cyanate induces an aspirin-preventable increase in phase separation temperature [14]. Similarly, ibuprofen was found to induce a dose-dependent decrease in the binding of cyanate to lens protein [15]. It is possible that ibuprofen competes for cyanate binding sites. Aspirin was more effective when it was pre-incubated with lens protein, suggesting a predominantly covalent interaction. Bendazac also inhibits the carbamylation of lens protein when present with cyanate [16]. Therefore only aspirin, ibuprofen, and bendazac have been evaluated as inhibitors of carbamylation. There are no studies in which any amino acid has been used to prevent carbamylation of proteins or lipids.
The prior art is insufficient in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular pathology caused accelerated atherosclerosis in normal individuals and deficient in the lack of an effective prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis in individuals with renal disease. The present invention fulfills this long-standing need and desire in the art.

Prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis by reducing carbamylation of LDL or the effects of carbamylated LDL

Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas

The United States of America as represented by the Department of Veterans Affairs


A system and a method for guiding and helping an ultrasound scanner user to acquire the correct projection/cut-plane when acquiring images of a physiological structure for comparison with previously acquired images. The ultrasound scanner screen area is divided in two parts, where one part is showing a reference image loop and the other part is showing the live image loop. The correct reference image loop is automatically retrieved from the image frame memory based on which cell in the stress protocol is active. The reference image loop is cycled with a speed which is automatically set by the software based on the current heart rate given by the live ECG acquisition. The display of the reference loop is xe2x80x9cresetxe2x80x9d (starting from the first image in the loop) at QRS trigger detection from the live ECG signal.

This invention relates to ultrasonic diagnostic imaging systems and, in particular, to the use of an ultrasonic imaging systems to acquire image loops of a patient body part.
One of the advantages of diagnostic ultrasound imaging is that it enables the production of real-time images. This capability is especially advantageous in the context of echocardiography, which studies the physiology of an organ, i.e., the heart, which moves incessantly. In contrast, real-time imaging is not necessary for abdominal and obstetrical ultrasound examinations because the tissues and organs being studied are substantially stationary or very slow moving, allowing the use of static imaging.
Electrical activity of the heart generates an electrical potential on the body surface. At any given location on the body, this potential includes contributions from every region of the heart, with the contribution from a particular region being inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the region to the location on the body. Given the anatomy of the heart and chest, the potentials at most locations on the body surface represent summed electrical activity from a large region of the heart.
The body surface electrocardiogram (ECG) is a measure of electrical activity of the heart. The ECG provides a measure of the potential difference between two points on the body surface as a continuous function of time. The ECG is routinely measured using standard ECG electrodes. In ultrasound, three electrodes are commonly used to record ECG signals.
Once the electrodes have been applied to the torso, the patient""s heart can be stressed physiologically using a controlled protocol. The protocol may consist either of exercise or of pharmacological stress testing. For example, the patient may be exercised using a treadmill. Alternatives to the treadmill, such as climbing and bicycle ergometers, also may be used. In general, the stress protocol may have several stages, including control and warm-up stages, stages featuring progressively heavier stress, a relaxation stage, and a recording stage occurring between fifteen minutes and twenty-four hours after the test. Recording of ECG signals may take place during any or all of these stages.
Typically, an echocardiologist makes records of his/her ultrasound examinations for use in subsequent study and diagnosis. When an ultrasound stress examination is performed, image loops from different stress levels are acquired. An image loop is a sequence of images from one or more cardiac cycles that can be played back with endless repetition. It is important that the acquired image loops from the different stress levels be from the same projections or cut-planes of the heart, as diagnosis is based upon comparison of image loops taken from the same cross section of the heart at different stress levels.
Also in other applications of ultrasound it can be useful to compare a stored image loop with a live acquisition image in order to ensure that the newly acquired images to be compared with stored images have been acquired with the same probe position and same scan plane.
The present invention is directed to a system and a method for guiding and helping the ultrasound scanner user to acquire the correct projection/cut-plane when acquiring images of a physiological structure for comparison with previously acquired images. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the ultrasound scanner screen area is divided in two parts, where one part is showing a reference image loop and the other part is showing the live image loop. More than one reference image loop may be shown, e.g., stress echo reference image loops both from a baseline and a previous stress level may be shown in a three-image screen layout.
The reference image loop is synchronized with the live imaging based on the patient""s ECG signal. Alternatively, some other physiological signal that varies in synchrony with the heart beat could be used, such as blood pressure, Doppler signal, a frame correlation coefficient, or even the average gray-scale from a region of interest in the image itself. The period (repetition time) of the loop is predicted using previous cardiac cycle(s).
The reference image loop in a stress examination will typically show the baseline and/or previous stress level(s), and the reference image will be automatically updated to the correct projection/cut-plane as the user is going through a protocol examination. A protocol is a predefined sequence of image acquisitions. In a stress examination the protocol defines both the projections/ cut-planes and the stress levels used in the examination in a two-dimensional matrix of images.
An essential and difficult part of ultrasound imaging is the process of finding the probe position and scan plane that gives the best possible image. When comparing images from different image acquisitions, it is important to be able to obtain the same projections (same probe position and same scan plane). The present invention makes the process easier as it provides the user with a live comparison option that can be selected during image acquisition. While acquiring images, the user can see in real time that he is aligning correctly according to the reference image loop that is used for comparison.
In a stress examination the user will be able to acquire the images faster and with better accuracy using this new technique. Using the reference image loop will make it easier to acquire the corresponding projections, thereby reducing the risk of comparing slightly different projections. If the image loops at two different stress levels are acquired at slightly different angles, there will be a risk that wall motion changes from one stress level to another will be interpreted wrongly.
Also in a stress examination, the invention gives additional information with respect to what happens to the patient during the examination, as the state of the heart at the different stress levels can be compared directly as the examination is in progress.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the algorithm for displaying a reference loop image in response to selection of a reference image loop display option by the system operator is implemented in software. The correct reference image loop is automatically retrieved from the image frame memory, i.e., cine memory, based on which cell in the stress protocol is active. The reference image loop is cycled with a speed that is automatically set by the software based on the current heart rate given by the live ECG acquisition. The display of the reference loop is xe2x80x9cresetxe2x80x9d (starting from the first image in the loop) at QRS trigger detection from the live EGG signal or based on a corresponding point in some other signal.
Other aspects of the invention are disclosed and claimed below.

Ultrasound image acquisition with synchronized reference image

GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC


There is provided a method for enlarging a location with optimal three-dimensional audio perception. Optimal three-dimensional audio perception may relate to a fully spatial sound effect. The method includes deriving three-dimensional encoded localization cues from an audio input signal having a first channel signal and a second channel signal; decoding the first channel signal and the second channel signal into a plurality of decoded channel signals, the plurality of decoded channel signals being equal to a number of speaker units; performing crosstalk cancellation on the plurality of decoded channel signals to eliminate crosstalk between the plurality of decoded channel signals; and outputting the plurality of decoded channel signals which have been subjected to crosstalk cancellation to each of the number of speaker units. It is advantageous that the crosstalk cancellation includes further processing to generate a smoothed frequency envelope.

Stereo signals may be decoded into multi-channel audio to provide a user with a sense of immersion and realism when experiencing the multi-channel audio through a plurality of speakers. The decoding of signals into multi-channel audio may be carried out using techniques disclosed in U.S. Ser. No. 12/246,491, which is another patent application filed by Creative Technology Ltd.
It should be noted that a cinema hall typically includes a plurality of speakers distributed in a wide spread loudspeaker layout throughout the cinema hall with the plurality of speakers being directed at cinema goers seated in the cinema hall such that a spatial sound effect is experienced by the cinema goers.
Unfortunately, arranging a plurality of speakers in a wide spread loudspeaker layout in a relatively smaller enclosed area compared to the cinema hall, such as, for example, a room in a home is not convenient due to constraints in the size of the enclosed area and the fact that the presence of the plurality of speakers would appear odd. However, it would be highly desirable if spatial sound effects could be reproduced in the home. Furthermore, given the prevalence of compact speaker-array units being found in homes, it would be desirable if spatial sound effects may be reproduced in homes using compact speaker-array units.
In addition, it would also be desirable if the compact speaker-array units could reproduce spatial sound effects over an enlarged location as it is unlikely that persons in a home remain seated at a single location unlike movie-goers in a cinema hall.
The present invention aims to address the aforementioned situations.

Method for enlarging a location with optimal three-dimensional audio perception


A hybrid vehicle drive control system is configured to start an engine irrespective of a motor rotational speed or a driving scene. In the hybrid vehicle drive control system, upon receiving an engine startup request, the engine is started by engaging a first clutch provided between the engine and a motor using the torque of the motor. A second clutch is provided between the motor and the drive wheel. The second clutch is disengaged by a second clutch control operation to reduce the motor rotation speed as a result of the motor rotational speed control by a motor rotation speed-controlling operation. The control system may thus increase the maximum motor output enable torque to ensure the start of the engine by the surplus torque irrespective of a motor rotational speed or driving scene.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drive control system for a hybrid electric vehicle which starts an engine using a torque of an electric motor at an engine start request.
Background Information
Conventionally, a drive control system for a hybrid vehicle is known in which, when an engine start torque is not sufficient to start the engine, a transmission is upshifted to reduce a motor rotational speed to thereby increase a motor torque (Japanese Laid-Open Application Publication No. 2008-105494, for example).


Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to perform a tank turn. An example vehicle includes a first wheel and a second wheel, the first wheel located on an end of a first axle, the second wheel located on an end of a second axle, the end of the first axle opposite to the end of the second axle, a first suspension coupled to the first wheel, a second suspension coupled to the second wheel, and a controller to drive the first axle in a first direction, drive the second axle in a second direction, the first direction different from the second direction, and decrease a first suspension load of the first suspension and a second suspension load of the second suspension.

In recent years, vehicle control systems have developed to control vehicle operations such as, for example, engage and/or disengage a brake, increase and/or decrease suspension load, turn a steering wheel, etc., with minimal user interaction. Such vehicle control operations can be implemented to manipulate a vehicle (e.g., steer a wheel, engage a motor, etc.) to perform operations such as, for example, a parallel park movement, a reverse movement, etc.

Methods and apparatus to perform a tank turn