In a gas concentration measuring apparatus, a measurement substrate is provided. A conductive pattern portion is formed in the measurement substrate. The conductive pattern portion includes a signal input pattern constituting the signal processing circuit and electrically connected to the connection terminal, said signal input pattern having direct current impedance with respect to the connection terminal, said direct current impedance being 10 percent or less of the input impedance of the connection terminal; a different potential pattern having a potential difference of 2 V or over from a potential of the signal input pattern; and a guard pattern having a substantially constant potential and a potential difference of less than 0.5 V from the potential of the signal input pattern, said guard pattern being arranged on at least a portion of the measurement substrate, said at least portion of the measurement substrate being located between the signal input pattern and the different potential pattern.

The present invention relates to a gas concentration measuring apparatus for measuring a concentration of a specified gas component contained in a gas.
Gas sensors are utilized for suitably controlling automobile engines in recent years. The gas sensors are configured to measure a concentration of a specified gas component, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC), oxygen (O2), or the like, which is contained in exhaust emissions exhausted from the engines.
As one of the gas sensors, a gas sensor designed to output a sensor current according to the concentration of the specified gas component is generally used.
A gas concentration measuring apparatus including such a gas sensor is configured to measure the amount of the sensor current to measure the concentration of the specified gas component contained in a gas exhausted from an engine, an example of which has been disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication 6,547,955 (Japanese Patent Publication 2000-171435).
In this type of conventional gas concentration measuring apparatus including the gas sensor configured to output a sensor current in accordance with a concentration of a specified gas component, the sensor current outputted from the gas sensor is so weak as to be subject to electrical noises or the like.
For instance, the sensor current may be outputted as weak current of about a few nanoamperes (nA) from the gas sensor that measures the concentration of NOx as the specified gas component, requiring high measurement accuracy in 1 nanoampere (nA).
On the other hand, as materials of circuit substrates where electrical circuits are formed, an insulating material, such as glass epoxy resin, can be utilized. The circuit substrate made of an insulating material may cause weak leakage current to flow between copper patterns formed thereon that electrically connect electrical components with each other. Especially, under adverse environment of, for example, high temperature, high humidity or the like, the surface resistance of circuit substrate decreases, thereby excessively increasing the leakage current.
For example, when a circuit substance made of glass epoxy resin as the insulating material is used under high temperature and high humidity, the substrate resistance between the copper patterns adjacent to each other at intervals of about 0.5 mm may decrease up to about 1010 ohms (Ω). In this case, there is the possibility that leakage current of about 1 nA (nanoampere) occurs due to a potential difference of about a few volts applied between the adjacent copper patterns.
As described above, in the conventional gas concentration measuring apparatus, the leakage current occurring in the circuit substrate used for measuring the sensor current outputted from the gas sensor causes the sensor current to fluctuate, and therefore, the leakage current contributes to block the sufficient improvement of measurement accuracy in the conventional gas concentration measuring apparatus.


An inspection tool includes a camera for obtaining images of a wafer and a controller configured for performing light source flat field correction, optical image warping correction, and optical image scale correction of the images. In operation, separate inspection tools are calibrated separately to obtain a characteristic response with respect to imaging and/or illumination for each such inspection tool. A standard target is then imaged by each inspection tool and the response of each of the inspection tools is normalized to ensure uniformity of the output of each inspection tool with respect to the other inspection tools.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to product setup sharing prior to and during inspection.
2. Background Information
Over the past several decades, the semiconductor has exponentially grown in use and popularity. The semiconductor has in effect revolutionized society by introducing computers, electronic advances, and generally revolutionizing many previously difficult, expensive and/or time consuming mechanical processes into simplistic and quick electronic processes. This boom in semiconductors has been fueled by an insatiable desire by business and individuals for computers and electronics, and more particularly, faster, more advanced computers and electronics whether it be on an assembly line, on test equipment in a lab, on the personal computer at one's desk, or in the home electronics and toys.
The manufacturers of semiconductors have made vast improvements in end product quality, speed and performance as well as in manufacturing process quality, speed and performance. However, there continues to be demand for faster, more reliable and higher performing semiconductors.
Users of inspection equipment continue to demand better defect data thereby requiring better camera and illumination matching. This is further the case from system to system thereby assuring better correlation between inspection systems, such that the correlation in inspection results is very high.
It is known that cameras that are installed on inspection equipment are pre-set with vendor default settings for camera gain and offset. However, this often results in large variations between systems. In addition, light sources, whether halogen or strobe, can have large variations in light output (photons) for a given applied voltage. Furthermore, optics in each system have unique distortions and light transmission efficiencies that are field of view dependent. The result is that tool to tool correlation is in many cases unacceptable to the user.
As a result, inspection system users desire that all inspection systems produce the same image in regards to contrast, scale, warp, histogram, sharpness, etc. for a sample placed on two or more systems. This will best occur using product setup sharing.

Product setup sharing for multiple inspection systems


An integrated voltage source includes a charge pump having multiple charge pump stages connected in series. A first one of the these charge pump stages is connected to the high voltage output of the charge pump, and the remaining charge pump stages are coupled to this first charge pump stage in a manner such that substantially all the charge pumped by all of the additional charge pump stages is also pumped by the first charge pump stage. In one mode of operation, the first charge pump stage and at least one additional charge pump stage are enabled. In another mode of operation, the first charge pump stage and at least two additional charge pump stages are enabled. A control circuit determines the mode of operation and, therefore, the number of charge pump stages that are enabled.

The present invention relates to multi-stage charge pumps suitable for use with integrated circuit applications.
Charge pumps and DC-to-DC converters have been used in the past in integrated circuit applications. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,781,473, 5,801,987, 5,553,030 and 5,216,588.
The charge pump described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,781,473 is a multi-stage charge pump, and the output of each of the stages is connected directly to the high voltage output of the charge pump. The charge pump stages can be configured to operate in parallel or in series, depending upon the state of various switches in the system.
The charge pump described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,987 is also a multiple stage charge pump in which one, two, three or four of the stages can be enabled. In the illustrated system, the outputs of all of the charge pump stages are connected to the output of the charge pump via respective diodes. These diodes bring with them the disadvantage of a voltage drop across the diode even when the diode is conductive.
By way of general introduction, the charge pumps described below are multiple stage charge pumps that are connected in series, with stage one directly connected to the high voltage output of the charge pump and stages two and three and progressively farther from the high voltage output of the charge pump. The charge pump stages are selectively enabled such that if charge pump stage m is enabled, then all charge pumps stages mxe2x88x921, . . . 1 are enabled. Depending upon the required output voltage, more or fewer of the charge pumps stages are enabled. This can be accomplished with a preprogrammed control circuit, or alternatively with an adaptive control circuit that responds to the output voltage of the charge pump. The embodiments described below are relatively easy to implement, and they avoid diode drops in the chain of series-connected charge pump stages.
This section has been provided by way of general introduction, and it should not be used to narrow the scope of the following claims.


According to a printing system of the present invention, each host performs a process for creating and storing a preview file when transmitting reserve job data to a printing apparatus, and a process for generating and transmitting reserve job data that includes preview file designation data representing the storage location of the preview file. The printing apparatus manages each set of preview file designation data in correlation with reserve job data, and supplies a preview file correlated with reserve job data, or preview file designation data, to the host that requires the preview file.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing system wherein a printing apparatus and one or more hosts are interconnected across a network, a printing apparatus used in connection with a computer network, and a printing apparatus control program to be executed by a computer connected to a printing apparatus across a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well known, of the printing apparatuses, such as network printers and copiers, for connection to a computer network, there are apparatuses that are designed to internally store printing job data that are received in a predetermined form.
Many of these printing apparatuses perform printing, based on printing job data, when users employ PCs, connected to the printing apparatuses across a network, to select identification information (normally a user name and a job name) for specific printing job data stored in the printing apparatuses. In order to simplify the selection of the printing job data to be printed, another printing apparatus has been developed that permits a PC user to select printing job data while viewing a preview image (a thumbnail image), one of which is provided for each set of printing job data stored in the printing apparatus.
Specifically, an example printing apparatus (see patent document 1) has been developed that performs a process for internally storing printing job data that is received, and a process for preparing and internally storing preview image data for the printing job data and for supplying sets of the internally stored preview image data to a PC that is executing a Web browser or a special browser, i.e., permits the Web browser or the special browser to display images based on the preview image data.
[Patent Document 1] JP No. Hei-10-269036
In a printing system including a printing apparatus that permits a PC to display a preview image, i.e., a computer network to which such a printing apparatus is connected, each user can view preview images displayed on his or her PC and apprehend the contents of printing job data other users have stored in the printing apparatus. As a result, each reserve job data set stored in the printing apparatus can be effectively utilized. Further, even when a user forgets the identification information, such as a job name, for printing job data that he or she has stored in the printing apparatus, material desired by the user can be generated by the printing apparatus.
However, since a conventional printing system, which comprises a printing apparatus that permits a PC to display a preview image, employs the printing apparatus to create preview image data, the probability that the printing apparatus will be busy is higher than it is for a printing system employing a printing apparatus that performs only a process for internally storing the printing job data that are received.
As is described above, as conventional printing apparatuses that can internally store print job data, available are both an apparatus that can provide preview image data for a PC and an apparatus that can not provide preview image data for a PC. However, either printing apparatus transmits, to a user PC, information for displaying a screen for selecting print job data to be printed (a screen for displaying only identification information for print job data stored in a printing apparatus, or a screen for displaying a preview image along with identification information).
In other words, when a user employs his or her PC to permit a conventional printing apparatus to print specific print job data that have been stored internally, the printing apparatus does not start the printing of this print job data until the exchange of the information for displaying the selection screen has been completed.

Printing system, printing apparatus and printing apparatus control program


The invention provides a system and method for maintaining removable, rotatable gobo holders in place on a fixed baseplate within an effects lighting fixture. In the first preferred embodiment, a gobo platform includes a rotatable baseplate having at least one aperture and at least one removable, rotatable gobo holder including points of active retention configured to retain the removable, rotatable gobo holder on the rotatable baseplate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to lighting effects fixtures, and in particular to an improved rotatable gobo holder assembly which removably retains the rotatable gobo holders to a rotatable gobo platform.
2. Background Information
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,973 (the '973 Patent) shows a removable, rotatable gobo holder assembly which attaches a removable, rotatable gobo holder into at least one of several apertures within a rotatable baseplate. The rotatable baseplate includes a spring retainer which holds multiple removable gobo holders to the base plate to interact with gearing assemblies. The '973 Patent assembly requires each of its relative pieces to fit in a very coordinated manner. The coordinated manner of attachment allows each gobo holder to be removed and replaced, causes each gobo holder to engage a single gear assembly and thereby rotate its gobo caused by the rotation of the single gear assembly, and for the entire rotatable baseplate to be held and be rotatable to move one of its several gobos into and out of a light path in a controlled manner.
The spring retainer fixed to the rotatable baseplate of the '973 Patent assembly is meant to removeably mate with the gobo holders so the gobos can be removed and replaced from time to time. However, each time the '973 Patent's spring retainer is pulled back to allow a gobo holder to be replaced in an aperture of the baseplate, the spring retainer loses tensioning strength. Over time the spring retainer will stop providing enough strength to adequately hold the gobo holders in place within the apertures in the baseplate.
As the single spring retainer attached to the rotatable baseplate loses tensioning strength, it will stop retaining one or more of the removable gobo holders in a fixed position and the operational capacity of the entire assembly will diminish because the assembly will only hold 5 out of 6 gobos and then 4 out of 6 gobos, etc. In order to address this problem, then the entire assembly must be removed and the baseplate along with its fixed spring retainer must be replaced. This is often a difficult chore since the entire lighting fixture may be held hundred's of feet in the air above a stage or otherwise out of reach.
Further, in the prior art rotatable gobo holder assembly of the '973 Patent, each gobo holder is required to have a flange around its circumference. The flange must mate with the spring retainer in a particular way so that all of the parts carefully fit in place and in turn mate. This includes the gobo holder fitted within the aperture of the baseplate, and the flange fitted within the spring retainer and the gear assemblies fitting together to allow the forces of rotation to be translated throughout.
Another prior art rotatable gobo holder is found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,370,990 and US Patent Publication No 20080175004 (the '990 Structure). In the '990 Structure, "lamellas" or tabs attached to the rotatable gobos fit underneath flexible fingers of a central holding means fixed to a carrier disc. The '990 Structure has similar problems as the '973 Patent structure. Although the '990 Structure has less of a guide mechanism to fit the rotatable gobo holder onto the carrier disc and thereby engage the main gear assembly, the flexible fingers are susceptible to being stretched and losing tensioning strength thereby requiring replacement of the entire carrier disc assembly.
In application, there have been several implementations of rotatable gobo holder assemblies where the rotatable gobo holders are held in place by flanges or tabs engaging a spring retainer or flexible fingers fixedly attached to the rotating carrier. These include Martin Professional Mach 2000 series, ROBE Lighting's, Color Spot Series Products, and Elation Lighting's Model Year 2007 and earlier, Power Spot 700 Products. These products are generally called moving head light fixtures.

Removable, rotatable gobo holder assembly


Methods and arrangements for determining a layout and dimensions of a wind farm. A three-dimensional wake model for a wind farm is generated, and a positioning and dimensioning model for turbines of the wind farm is developed based on the three-dimensional wake model.

Wind energy has proven to be a highly promising renewable energy source. Generally, the amount of energy generated by a wind farm is a function of wind velocity, wind direction, terrain, inter-turbine influence, and turbine parameters. Where a number of turbines are co-located, the wind speed experienced by a downstream turbine will be less than that received by the upstream turbines due to the wake effect. This wake loss depends on wind velocity, direction and layout of turbines within a wind farm. Wind speed depends on type of terrain as well. Each topography has a different surface roughness, which affects characteristics of turbine wake and turbulence. To date, conventional efforts have not fully embraced possibilities for positioning and locating turbines in close proximity in a manner to generate power most effectively.

Wind farm layout in consideration of three-dimensional wake

International Business Machines Corporation


I/O operations between a virtual machine (VM) and a device external to the VM are monitored by a virtual machine monitor (VMM). Data passing between the VM and the external device is transformed by the VMM, in some cases only when a predetermined filtering or triggering condition is met. Because the VMM, and thus the transformation operation, is transparent to the VM, the transformation cannot be prevented or undone or even affected by any action by a user of the VM. Examples of the non-defeatable transformation of I/O data include generating display overlays such as banners, masking out portions of a display, encryption, compression and network shaping such as bandwidth limiting.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates very broadly to a computer system, and in particular to a system and related method of operation for controlling input and output (I/O) operations between at least one virtual machine and systems external to the virtual machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Input/output (I/O) operations are among the most common carried out on modern computers. Some I/O operations are required simply for the efficient operation of the computer within the limits of the existing hardware and are performed substantially without user intervention, sometimes not as the result of any user action at all. For example, an operating system (OS) may need to swap data between a fast, volatile RAM memory and a hard disk simply because there is not enough RAM available for some immediate need.
Other I/O operations arise because of some user action. For example, when a user wants to send e-mail via a network, he may click on a "Send" icon in an e-mail application. Several I/O operations must take place in order to carry out this command. First, the displayed icon itself represents an output operation from the browser application, via the OS, a display driver, and a graphics card, to the monitor that the user is looking at. Second, sensing the position of the displayed cursor and the click of the input device (such as a button on a standard mouse) both involve inputs that are routed to the application via the appropriate driver in the OS. Third, in order to complete the "Send" operation, the OS must transfer the data (and associated transmission information) as an output operation to the driver of some device such as a modem or equivalent network connector, which then coordinates the actual transfer of the data out to the network.
Each I/O operation is a potential security weakness. A very common example of this would be destructive computer viruses: If users never needed their computers to be connected to any other computers, and never loaded data that came from any other source, and all their native software and hardware were certain not to have any viruses to begin with, then they would never need to worry about viruses. This would of course be the equivalent of living one's entire life in a sterile environment without any chance of contamination from the outside world. This is also of course impractical in all but very specialized cases.
Other problems of "security" have nothing to do with destruction of valuable data or damage to the computer's software itself. As many concerned parents have come to realize, the Internet makes readily available to the eyes and ears of curious children much material that even the most jaded adult would be far better off not seeing or hearing. As a result, many software packages are now available that attempt to filter the input from the Internet to the users' display screen and/or loudspeakers. Because such commercial network filters are applications loaded into the computer like any other, they can be defeated, often more easily by the computer-savvy children they are meant to protect than by the concerned parents.
Yet another frequent security concern involves the privacy of data transferred outside the computer (for example, over a network), or even within a single computer that has multiple users. The most common method for dealing with this is encryption. In conventional systems, some software package is installed in the computer that encrypts and decrypts the data before and after I/O operations. Once again, if the encryption routine is implemented purely as software that is at the same functional level as other applications, then it can be defeated or rendered non-functional. To minimize this weakness, some systems include specialized encryption hardware that resists software attack. Although generally more secure, the strength of this solution is also its weakness—the user must buy and install specialized hardware.
Other issues of I/O control have nothing to do with security as such. Companies that maintain frequently accessed general web sites, such as those for major news organizations, web-based e-mail systems, etc., agree to insert into their sites banners or other forms of displayed advertising that users see whenever they view the site. Of course, users are generally as keen to be rid of such irritating advertising clutter as the advertisers are to have it displayed. Accordingly, filtering software exists that tries to analyze the content of each particular web page and eliminate the advertisements.
From the perspective of the user, the ability to eliminate advertising banners may be a blessing, but in this and other cases it may be undesirable to allow the user to defeat such a display. For example, employers who have an internal company network may want to make sure that the company logo always appears on any display, or that a banner or tag such as "Company Confidential" always displays when an employee is viewing a screen that is displaying information from certain sensitive files such as the information in personnel files. Again, as in previous examples, any software application one might install to prevent the user from defeating the display itself could be defeated by a sufficiently skillful user, that is, one who knows enough about the system software, hardware and the application itself. Note that even supposedly "impenetrable" software has been defeated ("hacked") in recent years, often by users accessing the respective systems remotely, and often by "experts" who are so young that their parents have to drive them to their criminal trials.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Undefeatable transformation for virtual machine I/O operations


A diffusion-tight fluid conduit for hydrocarbon-containing fluids has a corrugated pipe of corrosion-resistant metal with a corrugated inner side and a corrugated outer side, wherein the outer side is exposed. An inner pipe of plastic material is arranged inside the corrugated pipe and has a smooth inner side and a smooth outer side. A first coupling member is seal-tightly connected by material bonding to a first end of the corrugated pipe.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a diffusion-tight fluid conduit for hydrocarbon-containing fluids, in particular, fuels.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such fluid conduits are used primarily in the automotive industry. Especially in this field, ever higher requirements with regard to leakage of hydrocarbons, such as liquid fuels or brake fluid, be it as a result of defects, leaks, or diffusion to the exterior, as well as mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, heat resistance, fire resistance, and flexibility are posed.
In order to be able to fulfill as many of these requirements as possible, several solutions are known in practice as well as in the literature. Substantially, the fluid conduits, be they of a smooth or corrugated shape, are comprised of plastic pipes of most different materials, which are either reusable and/or can be decomposed naturally, of different layers of different materials and material mixtures, wherein one layer can also be of metal in order to achieve a-diffusion tightness or barrier with regard to diffusion as high as possible. Moreover, it is known to provide most different types of pipes of predetermined lengths at their ends with attached coupling members in order to connect them to a correspondingly matched coupling part connected to devices, pipes or hose.
These known solutions are generally complicated, difficult to manufacture and often still do not fulfill, or only partly fulfill, the requirements of the automotive industry.
From the U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,294 a substantially diffusion-tight fluid conduit is known which is in the form of a corrugated pipe of metal, which is corrugated at the inner and outer sides and exposed at the outer side, and two coupling members of metal which are connected by flanges or a screw connection to the ends of the corrugated pipe. Such a purely positive-locking connection is not sufficiently tight, especially not sufficiently diffusion-tight. The degree of corrosion resistance of the metal is not disclosed in this patent document. A corrugated pipe which is exposed to the fluid with its corrugated inner side increases the flow resistance and entails the risk that, after installation, particles contained in the fluid and/or liquid, such as condensed water or diesel fuel which can freeze at lower temperatures, will collect in the inner corrugation valleys of the corrugated pipe positioned at the bottom.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fluid conduit for hydrocarbons, especially fuels, which makes it possible to fulfill to a very high degree most of the requirements posed by the automotive industry.
In accordance with the present invention, this is achieved in that the fluid conduit comprises a corrugated pipe of corrosion-resistant metal which is corrugated at its inner side and its outer side and is exposed at its outer side, a first coupling member connected to one end of the corrugated pipe by a material-bonding connection or additionally by a positive-locking connection so as to be seal-tight, and an inner pipe of plastic arranged within the corrugated pipe and having outer and inner smooth sides.
Material-bonding connections include, for example, fusing, welding, connections using adhesives, bonding agents etc., as is well known to a person skilled in the art.
Such a fluid conduit fulfills to a very high degree practically all of the requirements posed by the automotive industry. For example, the corrugated pipe is at least over its entire length completely diffusion-tight but also of high mechanical -strength, fire resistance, heat resistance, impact resistance, flexibility, and corrosion resistance. Since it is comprised of metal, it cannot be electrically charged by friction. Because of its high flexibility and the coupling member provided at least at one end, the fluid conduit can also be easily installed with different degrees of curvature and can be quickly connected by means of its coupling member to a matching coupling member, provided at a pipe socket of a device or the end of another fluid conduit, without the first coupling member having to be connected at the installation site with the corrugated pipe. When the first coupling member is also positive-lockingly connected to the corrugated pipe, the connection is especially strong. The smooth inner pipe of plastic material provides a corrugated pipe of a fluid conduit having corrugations at its inner and outer side with a smooth surface at its inner side which reduces the flow resistance in the fluid conduit and prevents the collection of particles and liquid in the lower corrugation valleys at the inner side of the corrugated pipe.
The first coupling member can also be comprised of corrosion-resistant metal. As an alternative, it can be comprised of a thermoplastic material.
Producing the coupling member of metal has the advantage that then the coupling member has an especially high diffusion tightness. On the other hand, thermoplastic material can be easily produced in the desired shape and can also be relatively diffusion-tight.
The metal of which the corrugated pipe or the first coupling member is comprised, can be stainless steel. This material is especially corrosion-resistant.
Preferably, it is provided that a second coupling member of corrosion-resistant metal, especially stainless steel, or thermoplastic material is connected to the other end of the corrugated pipe by a material-bonding connection or, additionally, by a positive-locking connection. In this embodiment, the two ends of the fluid conduit can be connected quickly with a corresponding coupling member of a pipe socket, a hose, or another pipe without having to connect the second coupling member with the corrugated pipe at the installation site.
The first coupling member or both coupling members can have a radial member surface which is connected with a radial pipe surface at the corresponding end of the corrugated pipe by a material-bonding connection. Such a connection is especially tight. When the coupling member or both coupling members are comprised of metal, they can be connected, for example, by welding to the corrugated pipe which is comprised of metal. However, it is also possible to connect the corrugated pipe with the coupling member or both coupling members by means of an adhesive. When one or both coupling members are comprised of thermoplastic material, they can also be connected to the corrugated pipe by means of a bonding agent between the radial surfaces in a seal-tight way.
Moreover, it can be ensured that the corrugated pipe has at each end connected to a coupling member a radially outwardly extending projection which, together with an end portion of the corrugated pipe and a portion of the coupling member adjacent to the end portion of the corrugated pipe, is embedded in a plastic ring by injection molding. This plastic ring can be provided alone or in addition to the described material-bonding connections and, in addition, makes possible a positive-locking connection by means of the projection which is embedded simultaneously when the end portion of the corrugated pipe is embedded by injection molding and, in this way, is positive-lockingly embedded in the thermoplastic material of the plastic ring.
The projection can be formed as a partial or complete circumferential flange. In the latter case a greater contact surface between the plastic ring and the flange results with a correspondingly higher sealing action.
When the plastic ring and the corrugated pipe are not connected by a material-bonding connection by means of a bonding agent, a sealing ring can be arranged between the plastic ring and the corrugated pipe.
Also, between the plastic ring and the coupling member or coupling members a sealing ring can be arranged when the plastic ring is not connected by a material-bonding connection to the coupling member or coupling members.
The inner pipe can have primarily a flexible thermoplastic material or a cross-linked rubber elastomer. Accordingly, the flexibility of the fluid line is not impaired by the addition of the inner pipe.
The plastic material of the inner pipe can also be mixed with electrically conducting particles, especially carbon black, in order to prevent a static electrical charge of the inner pipe by friction between the inner pipe and the fluid flowing therethrough.
Moreover, it can be ensured that an end portion of the coupling member or coupling members connected to the corrugated pipe is pressed into an end portion of the inner pipe. In this way, a relatively tight and strong connection results between the inner pipe and the coupling member.
When in this connection the end portion of the coupling member or coupling members is ribbed, the connection between the coupling member and the inner pipe provides a type of labyrinth seal since the material of the inner pipe can engage between the ribs of the ribbed end portion. In addition, this type of connection functions as a positive-locking connection.
Instead of plastic material, the inner pipe can also be comprised of a thin, flexible metal. This increases additionally the diffusion tightness without impairing the flexibility.
When the corrugated pipe has corrugations at its inner side and its outer side, it is especially flexible.
Moreover, the corrugated pipe can have smooth and corrugated portions. In this way, the fluid conduit can be produced with less material when it is clear from the beginning which portions of the fluid conduit must not be bent during installation. These portions can then be smooth, i.e., not corrugated.


A liquid crystal display device is provided which has a minimized bezel by a reduction in the size of a guide panel. The liquid crystal display device can include a liquid crystal display panel; a light source; a light guide plate for guiding light from the light source to the liquid crystal display panel; a reflective plate below the light guide plate to reflect the light from the light guide plate; a guide panel having an upper surface on which the liquid crystal display panel is disposed; a double-sided tape for fixing the reflective plate to the guide panel; a bottom cover for receiving the light guide plate and the guide panel; and a top cover for coupling the bottom cover and the guide panel, wherein a part of the double-sided tape is extended to the light guide plate to be in contact with the light guide plate.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly, to a liquid crystal display device which ensures the holding power of a double-sided tape by minimizing the size of a guide panel and extending the double-sided tape to the bottom of a light guide plate.
Description of the Related Art
Recently, with the development of various portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistances (PDA's), and laptop computers, the demand for a light-weight, thin, short and small flat panel display device that may be applied to various portable electronic devices has been increasing. As such, flat panel display devices, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), field emission displays (FEDs), vacuum fluorescent displays (VFDs), and the like have been actively studied. Among them, the LCDs have received much attention due to the possibility of mass production, the ease in driving such a device, its high picture quality, and the ability to produce a large-size screen.
The LCD is a transmissive display device that displays a desired image on a screen by adjusting the amount of light transmitting through a liquid crystal layer according to a refractive index anisotropy of liquid crystal molecules. Thus, the LCD includes a backlight, which is a light source that provides light transmitted through the liquid crystal layer to display an image. In general, the backlight is divided into two types: a side type backlight in which lamps or other light sources are installed at the side of a liquid crystal display panel and provide light to the liquid crystal layer; and a direct type backlight in which lamps or other light sources provide light directly from a lower portion of a liquid crystal display panel.
The side type backlight is installed at the side of the liquid crystal display panel to provide light to the liquid crystal layer via a reflective plate and a light guide plate. Thus, because the side type backlight can contribute to reduce the thickness, it is largely used for a laptop computer, etc. that requires a thin display device. However, the lamps for emitting light of the side type backlight are positioned at the side of the liquid crystal display panel, the side type backlight is not applicable to a large liquid crystal display panel and, in addition, because light is supplied through the light guide plate, high luminance cannot be obtained. Thus, the side type backlight is not suitable for a liquid crystal display panel in use for a large-scale LCD TV which has been recently drawing much attention.
As for the direct type backlight, because light emitted from the lamps is directly supplied to the liquid crystal layer, the direct type backlight is applicable to a large liquid crystal display panel. In addition, the direct type backlight has high luminance, it can be largely used in fabricating a liquid crystal display panel for an LCD TV.
FIG. 1 is a view showing a liquid crystal display device with a backlight according to a related art.
As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid crystal display device according to the related art includes a liquid crystal display panel 10 including a first substrate 1, a second substrate 2, and a liquid crystal layer (not shown) interposed between the first and second substrates and implementing an image upon application of a signal from an external source; a light guide plate 35 disposed below the liquid crystal display panel 10 and guiding light emitted from a light source (not shown) to supply the light to the liquid crystal display panel 10; an optical sheet 38 provided between the liquid crystal display panel 10 and the light guide plate 35 and including a diffusion sheet 38a and prism sheets 38b and 38c for diffusing and condensing light guided by the light guide plate 35 to supply the light to the liquid crystal display panel 10; a reflective plate 36 disposed under the light guide plate 35 and reflecting the light guided down the light guide plate 35; a bottom cover 40 accommodating the reflective plate 36, the light guide plate 35, and the optical sheet 38; a guide panel 42 coupled with the bottom cover 40 to assemble the reflective plate 36, the light guide plate 35, and the optical sheet 38 and having the liquid crystal display panel 10 located on top of it; and a top cover 46 coupled with the guide panel 42 to assemble the liquid crystal display panel 10.
The first substrate 1 of the liquid crystal display panel 10 is a thin film transistor array substrate where thin film transistors are formed. Various lines and pixel electrodes, as well as the thin film transistors, are formed on the first substrate 1. The second substrate 2 is a color filter substrate where color filter layers and a black matrix are formed. A first polarizer 3 and a second polarizer 4 are respectively attached to the first and second substrates 1 and 2 of the liquid crystal display panel 10 to change the polarization state of light coming into and going out of the liquid crystal display panel 10 and implement an image.
When assembling the liquid crystal display panel 10, the top cover 46 and the guide panel 42 are coupled by a coupling unit such as screws, the guide panel 42 is attached to the reflective plate 36 disposed under a double-sided tape 32, and the liquid crystal display panel 10 is held and assembled by the guide panel 46.
However, the liquid crystal display device having such a structure has the following problems.
In recent years, much attention has been being given to liquid crystal display devices with attractive appearance which become smaller in size and as lightweight as possible by minimizing the bezel area. To fabricate a liquid crystal display device with a minimized bezel, it is necessary to make the outer edge region of the liquid crystal display device occupied by the guide panel 46 by minimizing the size of the guide panel, which is disposed on the outer edge of the liquid crystal display device, holds the liquid crystal display panel 10, and is coupled with the bottom cover and the top cover.
By the way, the width of the double-sided tape 32, adhering to the guide panel 46 to attach and fix the guide panel 46 and the reflective plate 36, should be reduced when minimizing the size of the guide panel 46. However, the size of the guide panel 34, to which the double-sided tape adheres, that is, which is formed along the outer periphery of the liquid crystal display panel 10, also increases as the liquid crystal display device becomes larger and the size of the liquid crystal display panel increases. Hence, the length of the double-sided tape 32 adhering to the guide panel 46 in a strip shape increases. On the other hand, as the width of the double-sided tape 32 decreases, the double-sided tape 32 should be cut lengthwise into narrow strips. As a result, the cutting precision is lowered.
That is to say, it takes a long processing time to form narrow strips of double-sided tape 32, and high-precision processing equipment is required, thus raising the manufacturing costs.

Liquid crystal display device with minimized bezel


A surgical procedure for implanting tissue from a cadaver/autograft bone into a recipient site at an anatomical area of a patient, and a computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program for use in the surgical procedure.

This invention relates to an improved surgical procedure for implanting tissue from a cadaver/autograft bone into a recipient site at an anatomical area of a patient.
There are several surgical procedures in place in which host tissue is replaced with cadaver/autograft tissue. For example, in osteochondral replacement, hip and shoulder arthroscopies, ankle and TMJ procedures, a cadaver/autograft tissue is harvested for implanting in the host bone. In these procedures it is essential that the cadaver/autograft tissue match the anatomic surface of the host bone. More specifically, the tissues must be properly mapped to ensure congruent anatomic surfaces between the host and the cadaver/autograft tissues.
According to an embodiment of the invention, a process to map anatomic structures is provided to facilitate accurate harvesting of cadaver/autograft tissue using various imaging modalities, computer modeling and automated database selection of tissue.


A container for live bait is provided with a bait retrieval assembly of readily available structural components which are combined in an unexpectedly useful manner to allow all operations to be carried out using one hand only. The container, which is closed with a substantially rigid lid, may be of arbitrary cross-section but is preferably either cylindrical or tapered. The bait retrieval assembly includes an L-shaped frame comprising a pair of vertical members and a pair of horizontal members on which a bowl-shaped colander is supported. The vertical members are reciprocable through openings in the lid. The vertical members are required to be in mirror image relationship with one another, and laterally spaced-apart so that the distance between the longitudinal center lines of the members in the bottom portion of the L is less than the distance between longitudinal center lines of the members in the upper portion of the L. The critical wedge-shaped configuration of the vertical members of the L-shaped frame allows the colander, with the bait in it, to be temporarily locked in position, above or near the surface of the water for easy access with one hand. The container is preferably provided with an internal drain assembly and an aerator.

The purpose of a live bait "well", container or bucket is not only to maintain the bait in good, lively condition, but also to ensure that the bait can be readily, easily and speedily retrieved under exigent conditions encountered when fishing with a fishing rod in one's hands and fish suddenly exhibiting a feeding frenzy. To meet the demands of such conditions, it is critical that the structural components of the "live well", container or bucket and the manner in which they interact are so designed as to allow a fisherman to choose a bait from those swimming around in the well, container or bucket, under conditions which require that only one of his hands is used to pick out a bait, whether a small fish such as a minnow or a shrimp for use, while holding his fishing rod in the other. It is well known that, when fishing, it is inconvenient and impractical to lay down the rod while attending to retrieving bait from the bait bucket.
A live well for bait is typically substantially larger than a more commonly used container such as a bucket. Whether a live well, a bucket or other container, each may be used in a wide variety of sizes and each may have an arbitrary cross-section chosen for convenience in the particular environment in which the bait is to be used. Commonly used bait containers have cross-sections which are either polygonal or circular; the polygonal ones are typically either rectangular or square; and the ones with a circular cross-section may be either cylindrical or tapered. Most preferred and commonly used is a bait bucket having a cross-section which is either square, rectangular or circular, and one with a circular cross-section may be tapered from top to bottom, the area of the bottom being substantially smaller than the area at the top of the bucket. In the following description, the term "bucket" is used simply because a bucket is commonly used.
A commonly used bait bucket comprises a bucket in which a perforated or porous bowl-shaped container, referred to herein as a colander or perforated basket (hereafter "colander"), is removably, slidably inserted. By "bowl-shaped" is meant that the bowl is approximately concavo-convex. The bucket, in use, is filled with water to a desired level, sufficient to keep the bait alive and in good health for as long as the water is adequately aerated. The bucket is usually covered with a close-fitting substantially rigid lid which is provided with a central opening, at least large enough to allow a person's closed hand or fist to go through the opening to pick out a bait. The opening in the lid is provided with a hinged, perforated or porous flap which allows free flow of air into and out of the bucket while keeping the bait caged in the bucket. A combination of an aerator or "air-pump" powered by a battery is positioned at a convenient location outside the bucket, and an air-hose from the air pump is immersed in the water so as to bubble air under pressure through the water.
An additional feature in a preferred live bait bucket is a drain through which used or stale water can be drained out of the bucket either before it is replenished, or while it is being replenished with water, whether the water is salt water, brackish water or fresh water, and whether the bucket is to be drained on land, or in a boat on the water. Moreover, it is desirable that the drain be opened and closed, with one hand, conveniently, even when the bucket is being drained in a moving boat.
Given the basically simple requirements of an easy-to-use bait bucket, it is to be expected that the ultimate, well-designed, practical, reliable and convenient-to-use bucket would have been marketed and used for a long time. That there have been so many attempts to construct a bait bucket which addresses the problems inherent in the use of prior art bait buckets is evidence that providing the most practical and economical bait bucket for live bait is a difficult challenge.
As will be evident, the difficulty of catching one of only three or four remaining minnows or shrimp in a typical 5 gallon (18.9 liters) bucket, is substantially more difficult than catching one of several dozen swimming in the same bucket. The use of a colander which could be raised and lowered in an aerated bait bucket was disclosed more than a half century ago in U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,115. This construction addressed the requirement that the bait be separated from the water in which they were swimming to afford the fisherman a better chance of catching and using a single bait. However, it is readily apparent that retrieving a single minnow from the water in the minnow bucket disclosed in this '115 patent, necessitates the use of two hands; this requires that the fisherman either put down his rod, or have a second person help.
Comparably old disclosures in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,039,225 and 3,319,372 use a flexible net as a scoop, which again requires the use of both hands. Still other live bait buckets use complicated gating devices to control the flow of water so as to allow the bait to be separated from the water in which they were swimming.
The problems to be solved:    1. It is critical that all operations on the bucket are able to be executed by a fisherman using only one hand.    2. A single minnow or shrimp is to be retrieved from all the bait in the bucket, and all the bait in the bucket is to be presented out of the water, that is, above or near the surface of the water in the bucket. Therefore, all the bait is to be concentrated in the colander, above or near the surface of the water, when a single bait is to be retrieved. In addition to allowing a single minnow or shrimp to be retrieved from the multiplicity of live minnows and shrimp, retrieving all bait from the water at one time, allows a dead minnow to be singled out and discarded as soon as it is discovered, so that it does not foul the water.    3. Where a colander is to be used, retrieval of the live bait from the water is to be accomplished without allowing any of the bait to escape from the colander, for example, by jumping through the annular space between its periphery and the inner wall of the bucket.    4. The colander, is to be raised with one hand, and once raised, with no continued manual force being exerted to maintain its position, its position above or near the surface of the water is maintained, and the colander is not lowered back into the water due to the weight of the bait in the colander.    5. As is often done in premium bait buckets, a drain is provided to permit water from the bucket to be drained, when desired. This is done with a pet-cock which typically protrudes more than 1 inch (2.54 cm) from the outer surface of the bucket; alternatively, instead of opening a valve, a cap is removed by unscrewing it from the surface of an exteriorly threaded nozzle which projects more than 1″ (2.54 cm) from the outer surface of the bucket. Though either the valve can be opened with one hand, or the cap can be removed with one hand, the location of the exteriorly protruding drain requires that a person bend all the way down to the surface on which the bucket rests, to open the drain. Further, it is easy to damage the exteriorly protruding drain or valve when the bucket is inadvertently banged against the inside of the boat; and it is also easy to lose the cap after it is removed. The seriousness of this problem has, to date, not been recognized. No disclosure in prior art bait buckets suggests how to solve this problem.
Commonly used, aerated live bait buckets which use a colander suffer from one or more disadvantages caused by one or more of the foregoing problems but the buckets are nevertheless in general use. The novel live bait bucket of this invention provides a solution to all the foregoing problems.


In a device or a recording apparatus for converting n-bit data into m-bit data with different conversion methods, and selecting and outputting one of a plurality of converted m-bit data, when controlling output means in accordance with the plurality of m-bit data, a specific signal component is extracted from each of the plurality of m-bit data, the absolute values of the plurality of extracted outputs are obtained, and at least one of the plurality of absolute values or the extracted output corresponding thereto is selectively output (recorded). Thus, superposition and suppression of a specific frequency component can be realized by a single circuit having a very simple circuit configuration. As a result, the size and the cost of a digital signal recording apparatus utilizing a modulation circuit of this kind can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a digital modulating device for modulating a digital signal, and to a recording apparatus for recording a digital signal on a recording medium. More particularly, the invention relates to a digital modulating device for converting n-bit data into m (>n)-bit data, and to a digital recording apparatus for recording a signal component having a specific frequency as a pilot signal added to main information while controlling the intensity of the signal component.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional apparatuses for recording a digital signal on a recording medium, there has been known a technique in which high-density recording is performed by recording the signal by forming a large number of tracks on the recording medium. When reproducing a recorded signal from such an apparatus, a so-called tracking control operation must be performed so that a reproducing head can assuredly trace high-density recording tracks and digital information can be reproduced in an excellent state.
In an ordinary tracking operation, a pilot signal for tracking control is superposed on a recording signal during a recording operation, and a tracking error is detected using the pilot signal. A technique of superposing a pilot signal having a low frequency which is not influenced by an azimuth and the like is generally adopted.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional recording pattern of pilot signals, in which two kinds of pilot signals f1 and f2 are periodically multiplexed with an information signal on a large number of tracks recorded in parallel on a recording tape T. In FIG. 1, symbol F.sub.0 represents a track on which a pilot signal is not multiplexed, symbol F.sub.1 represents a track on which the pilot signal f1 is multiplexed, and symbol F2 represents a track on which the pilot signal f2 is multiplexed.
In a reproducing operation, while a head traces a track F.sub.0, the crosstalk component of the pilot signal f1 from a track F.sub.1 adjacent to the track F.sub.0 and the crosstalk component of the pilot signal f2 from a track F.sub.2 adjacent to the track F.sub.0 are compared with each other to form a tracking-error signal.
However, when it is intended to apply the above-described tracking control (of multiplexing pilot signals) to a digital recording apparatus, a pilot signal and a recording signal (containing main information) are superposed independently. As a result, the S/N ratio of a digital signal in a reproducing operation is degraded, causing an increase in the error rate of reproduced data. This causes degradation in a reproduced image when the tracking control is applied to a digital VCR (video cassette recorder).
Furthermore, a strong spectrum of the digital recording signal is present in the vicinity of the frequency of the pilot signal, thereby causing degradation in the S/N ratio of the pilot signal in a reproducing operation, as well as degradation in tracking accuracy. This also causes degradation in a reproduced image when the tracking control is applied to a digital VCR.
Recently, there has been proposed a technique in which a pilot signal is superposed on a digital recording signal while including a pilot-signal component in a digital modulating signal. However, a very complicated circuit configuration is required for realizing such a proposal.

Modulating device for recording pilot signals


A wall switch latch includes a mounting plate having an enclosed slot directed therethrough and slidably receiving a fastener member directed into a wall plate permitting an abutment plate mounted to the mounting plate for abutment with an associated actuating lever bar of a wall switch mechanism. The abutment plate further includes a fluid dye saturated sponge arranged to mark the lever bar of the switch upon contact therewith.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to wall switch locking structure, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved wall switch latch arrangement wherein the same is arranged for selective abutment with a wall switch actuating lever bar preventing unauthorized and inadvertent movement of the lever bar.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically to provide for protecting a switch plate relative to a wall is indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,518,356 to Friedman providing for a cover structure relative to a latch bar of a switch member. To maintain the latch bar either in an opened or closed configuration and prevent inadvertent switching on or off of the mechanism, which is desired in typical office building and the like or in rooms where maintaining lights and operative illumination is desired, the instant invention utilizes an abutment bar structure mounted to a wall switch plate to provide for selective abutment of the actuating lever bar permitting its displacement relative to the plate. Prior art has heretofore failed to provide for the ease of such construction and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A buckle assembly is configured to releasably interlock with a seat belt tongue. The assembly includes a light emitting diode (LED) positioned at least partially within a housing. The LED is configured to emit a light when the seat belt tongue is not interlocked with the assembly. An optical guide is positioned at least partially within the housing and composed of a substantially light transmitting material. The LED is positioned such that the light emitted by the LED passes through the optical guide. In a first embodiment, the optical guide is an ejector member at least partially positioned within the housing. In a second embodiment, the optical guide is a lens at least partially positioned within the housing.

A vehicle seat belt system typically includes seat belt webbing, a seat belt tongue on the webbing, and a buckle assembly. The seat belt tongue on the webbing is inserted and locked in the buckle assembly to secure the seat belt webbing. In a dark and/or unfamiliar vehicle interior, the location of the buckle assembly may not be easily identifiable.

Buckle assembly with light emitting diode and optical guide


A device for searching for a lane on which a vehicle can drive, wherein the device is configured to receive an image captured by a camera, the image showing an area in front of the vehicle, detect lane markings in the image, determine for each of the lane markings if the respective lane marking is of a first type indicating a road condition of a first type or a second type indicating a road condition of a second type, create lane candidates from the lane markings, divide the lane candidates into classes of lane candidates depending on the type of the lane markings of the lane candidates, and search the classes of lane candidates for a lane on which the vehicle can drive.

Lane detection (LD) systems provide sensing functions for lane departure warning (LDW) systems, lane keeping assistant (LKA) systems, or autonomous driving. With modern lane detection systems capable of detecting multiple lane markings, certain scenarios become challenging, for examples, construction sites where multiple lane markings are painted on the road, for example, in white and yellow colors. For a successful lane detection in the area of a construction site the lane detection system needs to correctly estimate all markings with their colors and estimate the correct ego lane for the application on which the vehicle shall drive.
Even when multiple lane markings with the same color are applied, the correct selection of the ego and adjacent markings is not always simple. Further, there are scenarios where lane markings are missing or lane markings are detected incorrectly. In this case, it is challenging to choose the correct and, in confusing situations, the most reasonable lane markings.
Conventional single-lane detection systems do not offer solutions for these challenging scenarios. For example, when the vehicle passes a construction site, a common solution in a conventional lane detection system is to shut down the system during the construction site when yellow lane markings are detected. This avoids false detections, but of course it also restricts the system availability.

Device and a method for searching for a lane on which a vehicle can drive


Ureteral stents having at least a portion of a proximal end of the ureteral stent constructed with a material that dissolves after being exposed to a bodily fluid for a period of time are disclosed herein. At least a portion of the proximal end portion of the elongate member includes a dissolving portion configured to dissolve in response to being exposed to a bodily fluid for a period of time. The elongate member also includes a non-dissolving portion that includes the entire retention member of the distal end portion and is substantially stable in the bodily fluid of the urinary tract of the patient. In some embodiments, a medial portion of the ureteral stent is also constructed with one or more dissolving materials. In some implementations, the proximal and/or the medial portions of the ureteral stent are constructed using various combinations of dissolving and non-dissolving materials.

The disclosed invention relates generally to a medical device, and in particular, to a ureteral stent with a dissolving portion.
Known ureteral stents are typically placed within a urinary tract of a patient such that one end portion of the ureteral stent is located in a kidney of the patient and another end portion of the ureteral stent is located in either a bladder or a ureter of the patient. Known ureteral stents are typically positioned within the urinary tract of the patient by placing a guidewire within the patient, sliding the ureteral stent on the guidewire, and then forcing the ureteral stent along the guidewire into a desired position within the patient using a push rod. Such ureteral stents are often removed from the patient by pulling the ureteral stent from the urinary tract of the patient.
Some known ureteral stents include a retention member at a kidney end portion of the ureteral stent and a retention member at a bladder end portion of the ureteral stent. The retention member of the bladder end portion of the ureteral stent is configured to be placed within the bladder to help prevent migration of the ureteral stent upwardly toward the kidney. Similarly, the retention member of the kidney end portion is configured to be placed within the kidney to help prevent migration of the ureteral stent downwardly toward the bladder.
Known ureteral stents often cause pain and discomfort to the patient once the ureteral stents are positioned within the body. In particular, the retention member of the bladder end portion can irritate sensitive regions in the bladder such as the trigone region and/or intramural tunnel. Thus, a need exists for a ureteral stent that substantially reduces and/or minimizes irritation of sensitive regions of a urinary tract of a patient.

Stent with soluble bladder retention member


The rotation of a spool of a photographic film cassette in a film unwinding direction in a camera advances a film leader out of a cassette shell through a film passage mouth. An indicator window is formed on a surface of the cassette shell. A rotatable indicator wheel behind the indicator window carries an indication representing a degree of exposure of the photographic film, or unexposed, exposed, and numerals for frames at which the latest photograph was taken. A drive wheel is rotated in linkage with the spool for rotating the indicator wheel in order to move the indication into the indicator window. A clutch pin, which is connected with a pin receiver, transmits movement of the drive wheel to the indicator wheel when the spool rotates in the film unwinding direction. The indicator wheel is left separated from the drive wheel with the clutch pin disconnected from the pin receiver, when rotating the spool in a film rewinding direction. In a preferred embodiment, a toothed wheel, which carries an indicator for displaying the amount of film used, is rotated by the camera when advancing the photographic film. In another preferred embodiment, a heat-sensitive label is provided on the cassette shell for displaying the amount of film used in a visible manner by being heated according to the degree of film exposed in the camera.

The present invention relates in general to a photographic film cassette, and more particularly to an improvement in a photographic film cassette of indicating on a cassette shell the degree of exposure of a photographic film.
There are known 35 mm film cassettes which have a film leader that does not protrude from a cassette shell, but which are easily loaded in a camera, as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,832,275, 4,834,306 and 4,846,418. The rotation of a spool by a film advancing mechanism in an unwinding direction causes the film leader of the photographic film to advance outside of the cassette shell through a film passage mouth of the film cassette.
In conventional devices, double exposure of photographic film can occur because there is no visual indication of whether a film cassette contains exposed or unexposed film. To overcome this problem, a film cassette as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 1-135441, provides a counter lever which is shiftable according to a change of the diameter of the film roll, and a counter for indicating a film feeding amount according to a detected diameter of the film roll, which detects a decrease in the diameter of the film roll around the spool as the photographic film is drawn out of the cassette shell.
In the film cassette as above, however, to detect the diameter of the film roll, the counter lever is in constant contact with the surface of the roll of film, which can scratch the surface of the photographic film. Irregularities, such as scratched surfaces, can cause the roll of film to loosen and disproportionately increase the diameter of the roll of film. As a result, a change in the film's diameter will not constantly correctly correspond to the amount that the photographic film is drawn from the film cassette, so that the indication by the counter is incorrect.
In some situations, the photographic film may contain frames which are exposed and frames which are c unexposed. In such situations, the roll is then rewound in the cassette shell, and the film cassette is unloaded from the camera. To later use the unexposed frames, the photographic film is reloaded in the camera, and advanced to wind past the exposed frames by referring to the indication in the counter. Because the indication is inaccurate, the photographic film can be advanced an excessive amount so that some unexposed portion of the photographic film might be inadvertently left unused. On the other hand, the film may not be advanced enough so that some portion overlapping the exposed frames might be double exposed.


A drilling tool includes: a drive source; a bit attachment portion to which an end bit is attachable; a power transmission portion configured to apply a motive force to the end bit attached to the bit attachment portion; an operation portion switchable between an ON-state and an OFF-state by a manual operation and configured to receive a setting operation for setting a stop condition; and a controller configured to set the stop condition based on the setting operation, and to start driving of the drive source in response to a first switching operation for switching the operation portion from the OFF-state to the ON-state. In a state where the stop condition is set, even when the operation portion is in the ON-state, the controller stops driving of the drive source in response to the stop condition being met while the drive source is being driven.

There are known drilling tools that perform drilling operations to form drill holes in a workpiece (concrete, steel, or wood, for example), crushing operations for crushing a workpiece, and the like. In drilling operations performed with such a drilling tool, it may be necessary to form a plurality of drill holes in a workpiece while ensuring that the depth of the drill holes is uniform. However, conventional drilling tools cannot easily form drill holes at a desired depth in such drilling operations and have poor usability for drilling operations requiring a plurality of drill holes to be formed in a workpiece at a uniform depth.
Patent Literature 1 proposes a drilling tool for resolving the problem described above. The drilling tool described in Patent Literature 1 has a motor as the drive source, a control unit that controls the motor, and a distance sensor. The control unit of this drilling tool calculates the drilling depth based on the distance separating the body of the drilling tool and the workpiece measured by the distance sensor and halts the motor when this drilling depth reaches a depth preset by the user. Accordingly, by presetting a desired depth, the user can form drill holes at the desired depth.


The present application discloses a liquid crystal display device for displaying a video on a display surface with pixels arranged in a matrix. Each of the pixels has three sub-pixels formed with different color filter portions in hue. The display surface includes pixel sets. Each of the pixel sets is defined to include two or three of the pixels next to each other in at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions. An opening is formed on one of the color filter portions every hue in each of the pixel sets.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to a display device for displaying a video by means of liquid crystal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Techniques for displaying a video by driving liquid crystal have been widely applied to display devices. A liquid crystal display device generally includes a display surface formed of pixels and a backlight device for emitting light toward the display surface. Typically, each of the pixels includes a red sub-pixel with a color filter corresponding to a red hue, a green sub-pixel with a color filter corresponding to a green hue, and a blue sub-pixel with a color filter corresponding to a blue hue. Light from the backlight device passes through these color filters and is emitted as a red light, a green light and a blue light from the display surface. Consequently, a video is displayed on the display surface.
Japanese Patent Publication H11-295717 A discloses techniques for enhancing luminance of a video. According to Japanese Patent Publication H11-295717 A, the display surface is formed with pixels, each of which has a sub-pixel provided with a transparent layer in addition to the aforementioned sub-pixels. Such a sub-pixel with the transparent layer functions as a white sub-pixel which emits white light to brighten a displayed video on the display surface. The techniques disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication H11-295717 A, however, face a problem that it requires additional processes to form the transparent layer.
Japanese Patent Publication 2011-100025 A proposes formation of a through-hole in one of the red, green and blue color filters, instead of forming the transparent layer. The techniques according to Japanese Patent Publication 2011-100025 A allows more simplified formation of the white sub-pixel than the disclosed technologies in Japanese Patent Publication H11-295717 A.
The aforementioned techniques for enhancing luminance by means of four sub-pixels face various problems. For example, the aforementioned techniques result in increased numbers of source driver pins, source lines and TFTs in comparison with typical RGB systems. This, in turn, leads to an increase in manufacturing costs of the liquid crystal display devices.
The increase in the number of sub-pixels means downsized sub-pixels. For example, the aforementioned techniques have to use sub-pixels, each of which has a size "¾" times as large as a sub-pixel size formed according to typical RGB systems.
If luminance under light emission from the red, green and blue sub-pixels is expressed as a value of "1" and if luminance of the white sub-pixel emitting white light is also expressed as a value of "1", theoretical luminance achieved by the aforementioned techniques is "1.5" times as high as luminance achieved by typical RGB systems ("1" (RGB light emission)ד¾"+"1" (W light emission)ד¾"=1.5).
However, downsizing the sub-pixels and increasing the numbers of source lines and TFTs result in a decrease in an aperture ratio of the sub-pixels (i.e., a light transmission area of the sub-pixels). As a result of the decrease in aperture ratio, the aforementioned theoretical increase in luminance may not be attained.
Technologies to form openings in color filters may degrade video. For example, the opening formed in the color filter may make response speed of liquid crystal slower and cause lower luminance.
It is required for the size of the opening formed in the color filter to be adjusted appropriately in terms of transmittance and color reproducibility. If color reproducibility is important, it may be preferable to form small openings in color filters. In this case, optimal adjustments to color temperatures of backlight and pixel sizes are further required because other portions of the color filter than the openings cause color shifts. If a blue color filter, for example, is formed with an opening, a large red sub-pixel and a large green sub-pixel are required in order to make the remainder of the blue color filter less influential. In addition, the blue color filter has to be small. Therefore, the formation of openings in color filters requires complicated designs for pixels.

Liquid crystal display device including an opening in a color filter

PANASONIC LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY CO., LTD.


Disclosed is a collar which includes a belt carrying first and second tightening lugs, a threaded tightening rod, and first and second nuts that co-operate respectively with the lugs so as to bring them towards each other by screw engagement with the rod. The second nut is retained so that it is prevented from moving in rotation relative to the second lug and the rod has first and second threads that co-operate respectively with the first nut and with the second nut in such a manner that driving the first nut in its screwing direction successively causes said first nut to be screwed onto the first thread, and the tightening rod to be driven, thereby screwing said tightening rod into the second nut.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clamping collar comprising a belt carrying first and second tightening lugs, a threaded tightening rod, first and second nuts that co-operate respectively with the first lug and with the second lug and are suitable for co-operating respectively by screw engagement with the tightening rod so as to bring the lugs towards each other in such a manner as to tighten the collar.
2. Description of Related Art
Collars of this type are known, for example, from Documents EP 0 088 507 and GB 2804.
In order to tighten such collars, it is necessary to screw each of the two nuts onto the tightening rod, starting from its first and second ends respectively. Thus, the tightening operation is tedious, because it requires both nuts to be handled in order to tighten both of them on the threaded tightening rod. Ultimately, two end portions of the rod, of substantially equal lengths, extend on either side of the lugs.
Collars exist in which tightening by means of a threaded tightening rod is simplified. For such collars, the threaded tightening rod is a bolt having its head held stationary relative to a lug, so that it is either the head of the bolt or the nut co-operating with the other lug that needs to be screw driven in order to perform the tightening. For example, this is what is shown by Document EP 0 305 232. Although tightening is indeed simplified, those solutions suffer from problems of lack of compactness. At the end of tightening, the head of the bolt is situated against one lug, while the nut is situated against the other lug and the entire bolt portion over which the nut has moved projects beyond the lug with which said nut co-operates. That portion can be long because, in order to mount the collar on the article that is to be tightened, it is necessary for it to have a large diameter initially, which assumes that the length of the rod is relatively substantial.
To summarize, in existing solutions, it is necessary either to handle two nuts, which is tedious, or else to accept poor compactness due to the fact that the entire screwing length of the bolt is situated on one side only of a lug.

Clamping collar tightened by a threaded rod and two nuts


A circuit, having a split primary transformer, for controlling the warm-up, ignition and normal operating stages of a fluorescent tube initially applies in phase voltages to opposite sides of the split primary transformer during a warm-up stage; during an ignition stage and during the normal tube operation, out of phase voltage waveforms are applied to opposite sides of the split primary of the transformer.

This is a continuation of PCT application PCT/EP 90/01748 filed Oct. 16, 1990 by Harald Roth and titled "Flourescent Tube Heating And Starting Circuit".
This invention is directed to a circuit for heating and starting a fluorescent tube which can be used for back illuminating a liquid crystal display device.
A prior art circuit for turning on a fluorescent lamp used, for example, to back-light a liquid crystal display has three stages of operation: warm-up, ignition and normal operating. During the warm-up stage the electrodes of the tube are pre-warmed by a current provided by a heating winding. The high voltage needed to fully operate the tube is not switched on during the warm-up stage. In the ignition stage, a voltage which is sufficiently high to cause the ignition of the tube, is switched on. At this time the heating current decreases to a low value close to zero. In the normal operating stage, the high voltage decreases to a value lower than the ignition voltage and the heating current further decreases and can go to zero. In the prior art circuit, a high voltage switch is used on the secondary side of a high voltage transformer to switch the high voltage on at the start of the ignition phase. A high voltage switch of this type is relatively expensive and prone to interference because of the necessary high blocking voltage resistance. A circuit of the type described above is described in GB-A2 212 995. This circuit includes a first transformer having a series connection of two primary windings. The midpoint of the series connection is connected to an operating voltage and the ends of the windings are connected to two power transistors. A secondary winding supplies high voltage for the tube. A control circuit controls the power transistors by two alternating voltages.
The invention is advantageous over the prior art circuits in by the provision of a fluorescent tube starting circuit which operates with the three stages of warm-up, ignition and operation and which eliminates the need for a high voltage switch.

Fluorescent tube heating and starting circuit


To provide a flange to be attached to an end of a photoconductor drum, the flange including: a drum engagement part capable of being engaged with an inner surface of the photoconductor drum; and a center hole, wherein the flange is prepared by cutting at least one of a surface of the engagement part and an inner surface of the center hole so that the axis of the center hole coincides with the axis of the photoconductor drum.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flange used for a base support (drum) of an electrophotographic photoconductor and, more particularly, to a flange made of synthetic resin, a flange processing device, and a method for processing a flange.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the electrophotographic photoconductor field for electrostatic image processing in electrostatic copiers, electrostatic printers, facsimiles, etc., a photoconductor drum is generally provided with a photosensitive layer at the uppermost surface and equipped with flanges in the openings formed at either ends of the photoconductor drum, and various types of units are arranged around it. While the photoconductor drum rotates, these units perform necessary or desired processes (e.g., selective exposure, development, image transfer, charge removal, and cleaning) on the photoconductor layer.
An electrophotographic photoconductor is fabricated by assembling together a cylindrical drum base support with a photosensitive layer that has been processed to a desired surface condition and centered flange members, i.e., the drum base support and flange members are separately manufactured and then assembled into a photoconductor.
As shown for instance in FIG. 14, a flange member 10 made of synthetic resin or the like includes a flange part (or drum bumping part) 2 and an insertion part (or drum engagement part) 1 to be inserted into the inside of a cylindrical photoconductor drum (base support) 20. The insertion part 1 protruding toward the movable side B is fitted to the inner side of the photoconductor drum 20 and serves to firmly fix the flange member 10 to the photoconductor drum 20, and the flange part 2 serves to fix the positional relationship between the photoconductor drum 20 and flange member 10 by being bumped into the edge of the photoconductor drum 10. The outer surface of the flange part 2 is provided with a helical gear 3 (hereinafter simply referred to as a "gear part" in some cases) that is engaged with a drive gear (not shown) for transmitting rotational power to the helical gear 3. In addition, a shaft hole 4 is formed at the axial center of the flange member 10 so that the flange member is rotatively supported from the fixed side A. P/L denotes a reference plane. FIG. 15 is a cross-section of an example of a gear-equipped flange member of different shape, cut along a plane passing through its central axis. This flange member 10 has a protruding helical gear 3 at the fixed side A of a thin flange part 2, which the helical gear 3 is smaller in diameter than the flange part 2. A concentric shaft hole 4 is formed penetrating through the insertion part (drum engagement part) 1, flange part 2, and helical gear 3.
In a case where a flange member to be pressed into a photoconductor drum is made of resin, in the prior art, the flange member is provided with an insertion part (drum engagement part) and an insertion stopping part (e.g., a flange part at which the flange member is bumped into the drum). The shape of the flange member needs to be so designed that the area of the flange member contacting the drum is large enough to avoid the situation where only the flange member rotates when force has been applied for rotating the photoconductor drum. Accordingly, the outer surface of the drum engagement part of the flange member, contacting the photoconductor drum, is designed to conform to the surface of the photoconductor drum.
Flanges of this type for photoconductor drum are disclosed for instance in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) Nos. 07-13468 and 10-319782. Moreover, electrophotographic photoconductors formed using flanges are disclosed for instance in JP-A Nos. 2003-233271, 2003-241573, 2003-255759 and 2004-184452.
An image forming apparatus is generally equipped with a development device for supplying a toner-containing developer to the photoconductor drum, or a latent image bearing member, in order to visualize a latent image on the drum. Such development device systems are widely used wherein a development roller carries brush-shaped toner-containing developer particles on its surface, which are then allowed to contact a latent image on the photoconductor for visualizing the latent image.
Meanwhile, for example, in a case of a magnetic developer, a known configuration of a development roller that carries brush-shaped developer particles on its surface is that multiple magnets that serve as main magnetic poles and transfer magnetic poles are arranged in the development roller, whereby developer particles that have been transferred on the roller surface by means of the transfer magnetic poles are agglomerated into sets of particles stacked on top of each other on the roller surface by the main magnetic poles, making them in contact with the photoconductor surface.
Because the height of the stack of the particles attached to the development roller is influenced by magnetic attraction, the distance between the development roller and the photoconductor, i.e., the so-called development gap, needs to be specified for optimized conditions in which the developer is supplied to and is in contact with the photoconductor surface (see for example JP-A No. 2004-184452 for more details in this regard).
Support and rotation of the photoconductor drum are generally provided by a rotation spindle or bearings that are provided to flanges attached to both ends of the photoconductor drum, or by power supplied via gears. For this reason, these flanges need to be precisely and firmly fitted into openings at both ends of the photoconductor drum. For smooth and precise rotation of the photoconductor drum, the centers of the flanges need to be constantly held at the axis of rotation.
In order to obtain high-resolution images in an electrophotographic apparatus equipped with a photoconductor by optimizing the foregoing conditions by specifying the development distance, it is effective to manufacture a high-precision photoconductor. More specifically, it is necessary to reduce radial run-out of the photoconductor drum with respect to the flanges attached to both ends of the drum. To achieve this, it is necessary to use high-precision flanges.
However, attachment of flanges to a photoconductor is often conducted by press-fitting in combination with an additive where necessary, and thus the concentricity of the center holes of the flanges relative to the photoconductor drum surface is dependent on the manner in which they were press-fitted into the photoconductor. In this case, because of surface deviations of the press-fitted portions of the flange members from their center holes as well as of deformation of the flanges as a result of press-fitting, it has been difficult to improve concentricity of the flange center holes relative to the photoconductor drum surface.
Flanges formed by injection molding of plastic have been generally used as conventional flanges for photoconductor drum. However, there have been limitations with respect to precision in parameters of these flanges due to a variety of factors including dimensional precision of the mold used, deterioration of the mold, reproducibility of assembling the mold after disassembled for cleaning, lot-to-lot variations of resin, and molding variations. Specific characteristic values are concentricity and roundness. For continued mass production of flanges, however, there is a limitation in these values—it is required to admit a concentricity of 15 μm between the center shaft hole and drum engagement part of the flange and a roundness of 10 μm for both the shaft hole and drum engagement part. As described above, however, it is imperative to provide high-precision flanges for high-precision image formation. To achieve this, it is necessary that the molded article be subjected to a second cutting process to produce a high-precision component. Known technologies (methods and system) undesirably require a lot of skill and many steps for this.
Moreover, flanges for photoconductor drum are often equipped with a gear for transmitting driving force. In this case the mesh precision of the gear is an important characteristic value. Because of the structure of the mold, it has been difficult for flanges for photoconductor drum that are formed by injection molding to simultaneously exhibit high gear precision and high concentricity of the shaft hole relative to the drum engagement part diameter (see FIG. 15).

Flange, flange processing device, and method of processing flange