A light source device includes a discharge lamp, and a discharge lamp driving device that supplies a driving current to a pair of electrodes. The discharge lamp driving device includes an alternating current supply unit that supplies an alternating current with a frequency equal to or higher than 1 kHz and equal to or lower than 10 GHz to the electrodes, and a direct current supply unit that supplies a direct current to the electrodes.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a light source device, a method of driving a discharge lamp, and a projector.
2. Related Art
As a light source of a projector, a discharge lamp such as a high pressure mercury lamp and a metal halide lamp is used. As a method of driving such a discharge lamp, for example, there is a method of supplying a high frequency alternating current as a driving current to an antenna in a discharge lamp body (see JP-A-2007-115534). According to the method of driving the discharge lamp, it is possible to obtain stability of discharge, it is possible to prevent blackening or devitrification of the discharge lamp body from occurring, and thus it is possible to suppress decrease of durability of the discharge lamp.
However, for example, when the high frequency alternating current is supplied to an pair of electrodes arranged to be opposed in the discharge lamp body in which a discharge medium is enclosed, to turn on the discharge lamp, using the method of driving the discharge lamp in JP-A-2007-115534, arc discharge occurs between the pair of electrodes, the electrodes are at high temperature, the electrodes are partially melted, a space between the electrodes is broaden.
For example, in the usage for a projector, to improve efficiency in light usage, it is preferable to keep a narrow state between the electrodes, and intensity of light emission is small. It is not preferable that the space between the electrodes is broadened from each other during ignition, since the efficiency of light usage is decreased. The change between the electrodes means change in impedance between the electrodes. For this reason, even when the discharge lamp is efficiently turned on at the initial time of ignition, impedance mismatching occurs as the time elapses. As a result, there is a problem that reactive power is increased, and the efficiency is decreased.
Meanwhile, there is a driving method of supplying an alternating current (a direct alternating current) with a rectangular waveform as a driving current (for example, see JP-A-2010-114064). According to the method of driving the discharge lamp of JP-A-2010-114064), even when the protrusions of the front end portions of a pair of electrodes are temporarily melted by discharge, the protrusions are formed again during the discharge, and thus it is possible to keep the state where the electrodes are narrow.
However, in the driving method disclosed in JP-A-2010-114064, blackening or devitrification of the discharge lamp body occurs, and durability of the discharge lamp may be decreased.

Light source device, method of driving discharge lamp, and projector


In addition to triangulation methods, measurement systems according to the confocal principle are employed for the three-dimensional sensing of surfaces. These measurement systems have a higher resolution but, under certain circumstances, a lower data rate. An optical proximity sensor is described which, on the basis of the confocal microscope, carries out automatic inspection of surfaces in a time which is acceptable for a fabrication process. A linear system of corresponding light sources and photo receivers is used instead of a scanning beam, which requires a high outlay for generation. The optical path length between the receiving unit and the optical imaging arrangement is varied for the resolution of height values, wherein a light intensity maximum is detected by a peak detector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical proximity sensor according to the confocal optical imaging principle for determining distance or height values to or from a surface of an object to be measured. The plane coordinates of the multiplicity of measurement points are specified by the lateral displacement of a proximity sensor relative to the object to be measured, a grid pattern being generated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Preferred areas of use of the present invention are in the field of connection and mounting processes in the fabrication of semiconductors and printed circuit board assemblies. As a rule, objects to be inspected have a three-dimensional character; for example, in the shape and height of the soldering bumps in ball grid arrays, in flip-chip contact-making or in the shape of nailheads in wire bonding. For this reason, fast three-dimensional sensing of the regions to be checked is necessary. As a rule, however, conventional three-dimensional sensors do got satisfy the requirements with regard to acceptable costs and adequate detection reliability in the case of highly reflective, curved areas.
Not only electrical testing but also external, mainly optical inspection has a significant role to play in the context of quality inspection in the fabrication of electronic parts. Since ever higher requirements with regard to quality are made of the connection and mounting processes in the fabrication of semiconductors and printed circuit board assemblies, the inspection methods that are correspondingly employed must be refined to an increasing extent. Thus, defect rates of less than 10 dpm (defects per 10.sup.6) are required. This ambitious aim cannot be achieved merely by optimizing the processes. Ultimately, automatic inspection is required after virtually every process step.
As a rule, conventional two-dimensional image processing methods do not satisfy today's requirements.
Triangulation methods are also frequently employed for the three-dimensional sensing of surfaces. However, at a resolution of 10 .mu.m, for example, these methods are considerably restricted for optical reasons, such as secondary light reflection, for example. Confocal systems with a coaxial beam arrangement are significantly better suited for this purpose. However, the data rate that can be achieved is very limited as a result of the mechanically moved objective.
European Patent Specification EP 0 615 607, which relates to an optical proximity sensor, describes how to increase the data rate to 2 MHz and how to effect areal sensing using the confocal principle. The high data rate is achieved by a scanning system based on fast beam deflection. The relative movement between the object to be inspected and the scanning sensor is effected in a meandering manner. In order to avoid mechanical movements of the objective, a height determination is carried out on the image side by means of detectors which are staggered axially on the measurement beam. However, this principle, which is highly developed in terms of technology, is associated with very high costs.
Confocal inspection methods which, depending on the design, are largely independent of the optical properties of the surfaces are in any event being employed to an increasing extent in three-dimensional surface measurement. This is ideally achieved by subjecting the object surface to point illumination and by imaging the reflected light in turn on a point detector. The smaller the illuminated area and the detector area corresponding thereto, the greater the resolution and the higher the level of suppression of interference due to secondary scattered light and incorrect measurements due to the shape or due to the curvature in the region of the measurement spot. This can be formulated mathematically in such a way that even greatly curved, reflective areas appear to be flat when the measurement spot is a great deal smaller than the radius of curvature of the area.
WO-A-92/14118 describes an optical sensor which functions with structured light. The light source is adjustable here in such a way that it is possible to implement a change of the positions of high-contrast regions in a pattern, wherein an arrangement of detector elements form the detector. In this case, two images are each focused on an object, the focusing of the first image on the object being varied.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,341 discloses a so-called proximity sensor. In this case, the optical path length is varied but an intermediate image is not generated at any point. Converging light pencils do not pass to adjustable mirrors, with the result being that the requirements of a confocal system (point light source, point detector, object focused) are not given.
Conventional, commercially available confocal microscopes indeed have these optical properties but, as a rule, are too slow for the use in fabrication in light of the requisite mechanical tracking of the objects and/or of the microscope objectives.


The present invention provides a chewable confectionery product having a core and an outer shell wherein said core and said outer shell have different chew textures and. (a) said core comprises a chewing gum composition comprising a chewing gum base, sweetener, softener and flavorant; and, PA1 (b) said outer shell comprises a nougat-like confectionery composition comprising a sweetener, whipping agent and a fat content of 0 to 7 percent by weight of said composition. The present invention also provides methods for preparing said chewable confectionery product.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chewable confectionery composition and in particular to a chewing gum-confection composition having a pliable confectionery shell and a chewing gum core.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Confectionery products are sweet goods which are favored by virtually everyone. To remain competitive in this industry, those skilled in the confectionery arts are faced with the challenge of creating innovative products with unique variations in flavor characteristics, chewing texture and mouthfeel.
Chewing gums are confectionery goods which generally provide flavor, texture and the pleasure brought about by chewing. Chewing gums are usually comprised of a gum base, sweeteners and flavorants. The gum base is usually comprised of elastomers, elastomer solvents and additional components used to soften or plasticize the base such as fats and/or oils. Excessive amounts of fat and/or oil can however, cause the gum base to become gelatinous-like with an accompanying loss of structural integrity and breakdown upon chewing. In the case of bubblegum an excess of fat can also affect the bubble.
A popular form of candy having a pliable consistency is nougat. Nougats are perhaps the most complex of the generic confectionery bases, having no one single recipe but a variety of suggestions. Nougat is basically an aerated, high-boiled syrup containing fat that has been stabilized by the addition of whipping agent. The texture of nougat can range from long, chewy to short, grained depending on the crystal structure. Fats are traditionally used in pliable confections such as nougats to influence the texture and eating characteristics and essentially to lubricate the structure of the nougat, modify any stickiness and aid in the processing of the confection, e.g., cutting and manufacturing. Fat may also act as the flavor carrier. Because of their traditionally high fat content, nougats are not readily combined with chewing gum in confectionery compositions without the fat in the nougat adversely affecting the gum base upon chewing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,912,817 to Sapsowitz discloses a chewing gum having a smooth, fine-grained flaccid skin and a nougat-like interior. The gum is prepared from conventional chewing gum base, added sugar and conventional additives using precise processing parameters.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,345 to Tezuka et al. discloses a chewing gum base to be used in combination with confectionery materials having a high fat content, especially chocolates.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,199 to Cherukuri et al. discloses a sweetener containing chewing gum having a nougat-like or fondant-like structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,823 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,825 to Cherukuri et al. disclose coextruded chewing gums containing a substantially soft core portion and an outer shell portion provided to protect the inner portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,907 to Knebl et al. discloses a chewy confection having an outer casing comprising chewing gum base and a sweetener, and a center filling that is an aerated plastic blend. The center filling is described as having a consistency similar to that of the casing so that at first bite through the confection the center filling is not readily distinguished.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,905 to Huzinec discloses a single phase chewing gum candy formed by mixing a melted chewing gum base with a cooked hard candy sorbitol syrup.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,090 to Della Posta et al. discloses a compressed confectionery product and in particular, a method for making the product. The product is comprised of two or more compressed layers which can be used to provide different physical or chemical characteristics.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,806 to Cherukuri et al. teach an anhydrous layered chewing gum composition comprising at least two different chewing gum compositions non-homogeneously combined, that differ in gum base content and may contain the same or different flavoring agents and sweeteners.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,879 to Kabse et al. discloses a multi-layer chewing gum having layers of chewing gum sandwiched about a hydrophillic gel-creme confection layer.
JP 83018052 assigned to Kuraray discloses a chewing gum intermixed with nougat. The product also requires, inter alia, the presence of fibrous milk proteins.
PCT/US94/03238 assigned to Wrigley discloses novel chewing gum products which are multiphase, sheeted chewing gum products wherein a second confectionery mass is embedded in a first chewing gum mass.
Despite the forgoing efforts, none of the prior art provides a chewable confectionery product which combines a pliable confection such as a short, grained nougat as an outer shell with a chewing gum inner core. It would be desirable to provide a chewable confectionery composition which combines the confectionery texture provided by a short, grained nougat-type confection with the long chew provided by a chewing gum without any loss of structural integrity, texture, mouthfeel, flavor and organoleptic properties of the two components.

Chewable confectionary composition and method of preparing same


A lens barrel comprising: a plurality of lens groups including two lens groups for guiding object light; and a lens drive apparatus for moving the two lens groups in the plurality of lens groups in a direction of an optical axis, the lens drive apparatus includes a single motor and a lead screw rotated by the rotation of the motor; wherein the lens drive apparatus is structured in such a manner that one lens group of the two lens groups is moved linearly to the rotation of the lead screw, and the other lens group of the two lens groups is moved non-linearly to the rotation of the lead screw.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens barrel provided with a lens drive apparatus structured so that 2 lens groups are moved by a single drive source, and an image pick-up apparatus provided with the lens barrel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, cameras mounted with a photographic lens whose focal distance can be changed (hereinafter, called also zoom lens) come into the market. The zoom lens is structured in such a manner that a change of the focal distance (zooming) is conducted when a plurality of lens groups composing an optical system are moved to a desired position along the optical axis, and the interval is changed.
As methods for moving the plurality of lens groups along the optical axis, there are 2 kinds which are largely separated, one of which is the lens frame is engaged with a go-straight guide, and when a cam cylinder is rotated, the lens frame is go-straight moved, and the other one of which is structured in such a manner that an axis is arranged almost in parallel to the optical axis and this axis is used as a guide axis for go-straight guide, and a sleeve through which the guide axis is penetrated into the lens frame is formed, and by using a motor and a lead screw, the lens frame is directly slidingly moved along the guide axis and straightly go-moved.
As the former system by which the lens frame is gone-straight by rotating the cam cylinder, there is a system what is called step-zoom in which cam grooves corresponding to the zooming area and focusing area are alternately provided in the cam cylinder for moving 2 lens groups, and zooming and focusing are conducted by a one motor.
As the latter system by which the lens frame is directly moved along the guide shaft by using lead screw, it is widely used in the lens barrel in which a collapsible mechanism is not necessary, because the structure can be simple, and as the drive apparatus for directly moving the lens frame by using the motor and lead screw, there are the lead screw for moving one hand lead screw and the lead screw for moving the other hand lead screw, and the moving power is transmitted from one hand lead screw to the other hand lead screw by using a gear or a belt, and the lens drive apparatus by which 2-lens groups are moved by one motor is well known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).
Further, the lens barrel by which the zooming and focusing are conducted by a single motor when 2 axes on which cam groves are provided, are serially arranged with a play in the rotation direction, and the lens groups engaged with the cam groove of respective grooves are driven, is well known (for example, refer to Patent Document 2).
[Patent Document 1] JP-A No. 2001-124974 (Hereinafter, JP-A refers to Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection)
[Patent Document 2] JP-A No. 4-317015
However, in the system called step-zoom, although the zooming and focusing can be conducted when the plurality of lens groups are moved along the optical axis by one motor, at the time of zooming, the focal distance is changed stepwise, and continuous tiny step focal distance change can not be conducted, further, because the shape of cam is complex, and because cylindrical cam cylinder is arranged outside the lens groups, there is a problem that the size becomes large in the diameter direction and the size is increased.
Further, in the lens drive apparatus written in the Patent Document 1, because it can be applied for zooming, however the focusing can not be conducted, the drive source such as the motor for focusing is separately necessary, and when it is applied for the lens barrel, there is a problem that, in addition to the cost-up, the size is increased.
Further, in the structure of the lens barrel written in Patent Document 2, the play becomes an amount within one rotation of the axis, and it is difficult that the moving amount of lens groups or the accuracy (resolving power) for focusing is secured enough.

Lens barrel, image pick-up apparatus and lens position adjustment method


A method for the production of a laminate consisting of metal layers as well as at least one fibre-reinforced bonding layer (5–7) that is located between the metal layers (1–4), which laminate has at least one region (9) that has a smaller number (3, 4, 7) of layers than the reminder of the laminate, comprises the following steps:                forming a stack (8) consisting of metal layers (1–4) and at least one fibre layer (5–7) impregnated with a binder, which stack (8) has a first series (11) of successive layers (1, 2, 5, 6) with a different surface size to a second series (12) of successive layers (3, 4, 7), such that one (12) of the series of layers protrudes with respect to the other series (11) of layers,        placing an auxiliary tool (14) at the protruding portion (19) of the protruding series (12) of layers alongside the other series (11) of layers, which auxiliary tool (14) has a make-up that is the same as that of said other series (11) of layers,        activating the fibre-reinforced bonding layers (5, 6, 7) under elevated pressure and temperature with the formation of the laminate.

The invention relates to the production of laminates consisting of successive layers of metal and fibre-reinforced bonding layers. Such laminates are used in a wide variety of fields, such as in aviation and aerospace, in transport means, such as containers, and the like. For some applications the panels produced from such laminates are joined to one another by step-shaped edges. In this case each of the panels has an edge with a smaller number of layers than the remainder of the panel. The panels are joined to one another in such a way that the recessed steps fit into one another, as a result of which a smooth transition is obtained. Such a joint is advantageous especially in aviation, in the light of the good aerodynamic properties thereof.
As is known, such panels are produced under elevated pressure and temperature. In this procedure the fibre-reinforced bonding layers are activated in order to obtain the desired bonding. The steps have to be supported by an auxiliary tool, such that the desired excess pressure can be guaranteed at the location of the edges as well. The auxiliary tool used is frequently made of steel. Consequently it has different mechanical properties to the laminate produced. In particular, the stiffness of the auxiliary tool is greater than that of the laminate. Moreover, it must be borne in mind that the laminate is compressed during production. Not only are the layers pressed flat to some extent as a result, but some of the fluid resin is also squeezed out of the pack during this operation. The auxiliary tool therefore has to have a thickness that is equal to that of the pack of layers in the compressed state, which will also be the thickness of the laminate in the finished state. As a result, the finished product will have the correct tolerances.

Method for forming a laminate with a rebate


An electric taxi predictive performance system may provide a predicted performance for an electric based taxi system (eTaxi) based on environmental information related to a vehicle. In some embodiments, the vehicle may be an aircraft using eTaxi systems to move around an airport runway system. The electric predictive taxi performance system may provide real-time displayed data to help pilots evaluate eTaxi capabilities of the aircraft as conditions change.

The present invention generally relates to vehicle controls, and more particularly to providing predictive performance of an electric based taxi system.
An aircraft equipped with an electric taxi (eTaxi) system provides ground movement using an auxiliary power unit generator (APUG) powering electric drive motor(s) rather than using thrust from the main engines. An eTaxi system may provide aircraft movement around an airport with the potential to provide substantial fuel savings to airline operators.
Conventional taxiing with an aircraft's main engines, may provide excess power at idle, allowing the pilot to achieve any desired taxi speed, regardless of aircraft weight or airport surface condition at the cost of burning fuel. Electric based taxi systems, however, may provide variable performance based on the mechanical design of the eTaxi system, the power available from the APUG, the taxiway slope, the aircraft weight, the tire construction and tire pressure, and other factors. This may present pilots with a totally different operational capability which may seem unfamiliar especially to those new to eTaxi. As conditions change, the eTaxi system may not have the same capability to move the aircraft. Moreover, the pilot may overestimate the aircraft's capability in certain conditions to traverse a distance within a sufficient time creating potential delays in the airport taxiing environment.
As can be seen, there is a need to provide information to pilots that may aid situational awareness with electric based taxiing.


A system for providing information about physical entities to users includes an information server accessible to a plurality of user-held receivers. An exemplary server has access to characteristic accessibility data for candidate physical entities. The server receives a user's request for information about physical entities of interest (which may be mobile), including the user's search domain relative to the user's location (the user may also be mobile). The search domain does not necessarily require the user to provide a network address of, or perform a keyword search for the networked data pages of, the physical entities of interest. The server determines which (if any) of said candidate physical entities satisfy the request, and reports to the user at the receiver over an electronic network.

Many physical entities (e.g., companies, businesses, individuals, facilities, objects, etc.) have a virtual presence on the internet via web pages that are accessible via wired and/or wireless communication networks. Typically, a web site contains multiple web pages providing information about one or more physical entities. For example, the Hewlett Packard Company has its own web site (www.hp.com) containing web pages that provide information about the company, such as its locations, products, services, etc. A physical entity's web pages generally may be accessed using their web address(es) or URL(s) (Uniform Resource Locator) via a web browser (e.g., Microsoft Explorer).
Typically, in order to access a web page, a user has to either enter the exact web address for the web page into a web browser or obtain a hyperlink to that web page. In the former case, the user has to memorize the web address, which may sometimes be long and/or unintuitive. In the latter case, the hyperlink to a web page may be obtained by performing a conventional search using a search engine (e.g., Google, Yahoo, Excite, etc.) and relevant key words. However, the user has to know the relevant key words to obtain an effective search result. Further, after obtaining a search result, the user has to browse the search results to find the desired web page, which is time-consuming and may be unpractical—especially if using a small portable computing device (e.g., a personal digital assistant (PDA)).
Thus, it is desirable for a user to easily access one or more web pages of a physical entity without having to memorize web address(es) or perform a conventional search therefor. Easy access to web pages is particularly desirable when the user is traveling. For example, when a user is driving near one or more restaurants, it would be desirable for the user to easily access the web pages for the restaurant(s) to see its/their hours, menu, and/or prices.
One known solution is to place a physical beacon that broadcasts a physical entity's web address to users having broadcast receivers. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,292,744, 6,241,364, and 6,216,087. Typically, the physical beacon is placed near the physical entity and has a limited range where a user may receive the broadcast. One drawback of a physical beacon is the need to physically maintain the beacon. In addition, if the web address of the physical entity has changed, the physical beacon generally will have to be physically reconfigured.
Thus, a market exists for an apparatus that allows a user to easily access web pages corresponding to physical entities without necessarily requiring the use of a physical beacon.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


In combination, a protective helmet including an outer shell and an inner impact shell, a protective facepiece, and interconnecting members for mounting the facepiece to the inner impact shell and for placing the facepiece into sealing engagement with the face of a wearer of the helmet.

This invention relates generally to a protective helmet with protective facepiece connection and adjustment provision, and more particularly relates to a protective helmet including an outer shell and an inner impact shell and mounting means for mounting a protective facepiece to the inner impact shell and which mounting means includes adjustment means for adjusting the force with which the protective mask is forced into sealing engagement with the face of a wearer of the helmet.
Numerous protective helmets with protective facepiece connection and adjustment provision are known to the prior art, such as for example those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,083,065; 4,136,403; 4,555,815; 4,734,940; and 4,817,596; it will be noted that none of these patents disclose connection of a protective facepiece to the inner impact shell of a protective helmet.
Protective helmets, such as those used by firefighters or the like, are also known to the art which include a relatively rigid outer shell and a deformable inner shell, sometimes referred to in the art as an inner impact shell, wherein the inner impact shell deforms upon receipt of an impact force on the helmet, such as that caused by a falling object, and which deforms to assist, in combination with the outer relatively hard shell and in some embodiments additional structure, in attenuating the impact force to protect the head of the wearer of the helmet. An example of such protective helmet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,339, patented Sep. 1, 1981, Peter A. Coombs inventor, entitled FIREMAN'S HELMET WITH ENERGY ABSORBING LINER, and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention (hereinafter "Coombs Patent"); the Coombs Patent is hereby incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein. The Coombs Patent discloses, note FIG. 2, an outer shell 10 of relatively hard material such as polycarbonate and a separate non-resilient foam (e.g. polyurethane) liner 20, better understood by reference to FIG. 3 of the Coombs Patent, which non-resilient foam liner 20 is is mounted removably to the interior of the outer shell and which is deformable under an impact force such as that provided by a falling object to attenuate the force and assist other helmet structure, as taught in the Coombs patent, in providing protection to the head of the wearer of the helmet. Such non-resilient foam liner 12 of the Coombs patent is sometimes referred to in the art as an inner impact cap or shell or a deformable impact cap or shell and will be so referred to in the following specification and appended claims. As further taught in the Coombs Patent and shown particularly in FIGS. 2 and 3, a cradle 30 comprised of a plurality of radially disposed straps 32 of strong webbing, such as nylon, are stitched together at the central apex of the cradle, and each strap extends from the apex to the lower rim 22 of the inner impact shell 20 at a notch 23 formed in the rim 22. The straps 32 wrap about the rim 22 and proceed upwardly along the outer surface of the inner impact shell 20, wrap about a relatively thick walled, fairly rigid tube 25 of resilient plastic, such as polyethylene, which tube 25 is inset in a groove formed in the lower outer surface of the inner impact shell 20, and then proceed back along the lower rim 22 of the inner impact shell to approach the apex as a free end with a loop 33; the loops 33 of the free ends of the straps are collected by a draw string 35 which is mounted to allow adjustment of the cradle 30 to suit the head of an individual wearer of the helmet.
As known to those skilled in the art, an advantage provided by a protective helmet including a hard outer shell and a deformable inner impact cap or shell mounted removably to the interior of the outer shell of the type disclosed in the Coombs Patent is that upon a fireman having such helmet strapped tightly to his head and falling through a hole typically present at the scene of the fire, the fireman will not suffer injury, e.g. strangulation, upon falling through the hole and having the brim of his protective helmet catch on structure on either side of the hole; instead only the outer shell will be caught by the structure on either side of the hole and the inner impact shell, with the fireman's head strapped inside, will separate from the outer shell and pass through the hole and prevent the fireman from hanging and possibly strangling.
As noted above, none of the United States patents identified above in the second paragraph hereof teach or suggest the connection of a protective facepiece to the inner impact shell of a protective helmet including both the inner impact shell and an outer shell as described above. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for the combination of a protective helmet including an outer shell and a deformable inner impact cap or shell mounted removably to the interior of the outer shell and a protective facepiece wherein the facepiece is connected or mounted to the inner impact cap or shell shell whereby at a time of need for the protective facepiece such as at the scene of a fire, the facepiece remains in sealing engagement with the face of the fireman even when the outer shell of the fireman's protective helmet becomes disassociated with the inner impact shell. A further need in the art is for such combined structure wherein the facepiece is mounted or connected adjustably to the inner impact shell whereby the force with which the facepiece is forced into sealing engagement with the face of the wearer of the helmet may be adjusted.

Protective helmet with protective facepiece connection and adjustment provision


A communication control unit provides an interface between a node apparatus of a lattice communication network and a terminal in conformance with a token ring network standard. The communication control unit includes a first memory for temporarily storing an input frame from the terminal, a second memory for temporarily storing an input frame from the lattice communication network, an input signal discriminator for discriminating a MAC frame which is used for ring management from the input frame from the terminal, a controller for controlling operation timings of at least the first and second memories, and a return path for returning the MAC frame to the terminal with a priority over other frame when the input signal discriminator discriminates the MAC frame.

The present invention generally relates to communication control units, and more particularly to a communication control unit which is applicable to a multi-media communication typified by a local area network (LAN).
A multi-channel lattice communication network which is applicable to LANs, public line networks and particularly to a multi-media communication was previously proposed in a U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,887 in which the assignee is the same as the assignee of the present application. The proposed lattice communication network is analogous to nerve cells of a living body, and employs node apparatuses. Each node apparatus has a plurality of input and output channels and is used as a communication control element. Such node apparatuses are coupled in a multi-conjunction to form the lattice communication network. Each node apparatus transfers one of incoming digital signals according to a first-come-first-output logic.
The proposed lattice communication network has a large degree of freedom of network topology because of the multi-conjunction architecture. Thus, the survival rate of data is high. In other words, even when a fault occurs in a path of the communication network, it is possible to carry out the communication through other paths. Furthermore, it is possible to select optimum paths for the communication because each node apparatus transfers the incoming digital signals according to the first-come-first-output logic.
On the other hand, the proposed lattice communication network employs a multi-channel system in which a plurality of connecting channels are established, so as to effectively achieve a full duplex communication. The proposed lattice communication network is effectively applicable to the physical layer to the network layer of the open system interconnection (OSI), for example.
As other networks, there is the token ring network employing the ring topology of IEEE 802.5. A description of the algorithm of this token ring network will be omitted in this specification. The token ring network has superior security functions in that all terminals are synchronized, only the terminal which has a free token (that is, a token which indicates the right to transmit) is authorized to make a transmission, message information is returned to a transmitting terminal thereby making it possible to confirm whether or not the message information is correctly received by a receiving terminal and the like. Moreover, the token ring network has a satisfactory throughput delay characteristic when the traffic is high.
However, according to the token ring network, the transmitting terminal cannot start the transmission until the free token makes one round of the network, and the waiting time tends to become long. In addition, the performance of the token ring network deteriorates with system expansion. That is, in the token ring network, the time it takes for the free token to reach a terminal becomes longer as the number of terminals increases, and furthermore, the traffic becomes high at the same time, thereby making it even longer for the free token to reach a terminal. The token ring network also has a problem in that the survival rate of data is poor because the network is greatly affected by a fault in a center ring.
On the other hand, the proposed lattice communication network does not have the concept of address, and can be regarded as "a cable which has a predetermined algorithm". In other words, the proposed lattice communication network does not require a fixed protocol, and it is thus possible to connect terminals which use various protocols. Accordingly, when a system is formed by connecting the terminals of the token ring network to the lattice communication network, it is possible to anticipate elimination of the problems of the token ring network and realization of a token ring network which displays the advantageous features of the lattice communication network.
However, it is impossible to simply connect the terminals of the token ring network to the lattice communication network, and at least an interface unit is required to connect the token ring network and the lattice communication network. Such an interface unit and a token ring network adaptive unit (TAU) are further disclosed in a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 631,274 filed Dec. 20, 1990, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
On the other hand, the token ring network treats various kinds of frame signals. Hence, if a medium access control (MAC) frame which is used for ring management is transmitted from the terminal of the token ring network to the lattice communication network, the MAC frame may disappear in the lattice communication network due to a collision generated therein.
In addition, in the TAU described above, no special consideration is given as to the treatment of broadcast signals treated in the lattice communication network, and the broadcast signals are treated similarly as the frames having the usual individual addresses. As a result, the broadcast signal will not return to the transmitting terminal when the broadcast signal is transmitted, and the transmitting terminal in this case processes this situation as an abnormal state.
Furthermore, in the TAU described above, no retiming control can be made independently for the input frame from the lattice communication network and the input frame from the terminal. Moreover, a collision may occur between the two input frames.
In the TAU described above, the frame is transmitted to the lattice communication network on the assumption that the other end is active. Hence, even when the frame is transmitted to the lattice communication network, the frame does not necessarily return to the transmitting terminal if the power source of the terminal on the other end or the TAU is OFF. As a result, the transmitting terminal may see this non-return of the frame as a failure of the entire network such as a cable failure, and cannot appropriately cope with the situation.
On the other hand, when connecting the lattice communication network and the toke ring network, no measures are taken to avoid collision due to the detection of identical addresses and to transmit the carrier in advance. In other words, in the terminal of the token ring network, the collision which does not occur in the token ring network is generated by the connection to the lattice communication network. If the TAU detects the collision, the transmitting frame and the receiving frame are both cut off. As a result, when the collision is generated, the transmitting frame does not return to the transmitting terminal. Even if the transmitting frame does return to the transmitting terminal, the returned frame will not be complete in form and may be cut off at an intermediate part of the frame. Such a frame which is not complete in form may be input to the receiving terminal. Since such errors are not generated in the normal token ring network, the errors become treated as fatal errors and the terminal enters a complex process such as initializing the ring. Therefore, the communication efficiency becomes extremely poor.
In addition, if the destination address of the input frame from the lattice communication network is the address of its own station, this frame is transmitted from the TAU to the terminal and the frame is returned to the TAU from the terminal to be transmitted to the lattice communication network via the TAU. For this reason, the returning of the answer signal to the lattice communication network is delayed when the frame passes through the normal path, and it may be impossible to return the answer signal within the time in which the path is fixed.


The present disclosure provides a cooling system. The cooling system includes: a first set of fans mounted on an inward-facing side of an air inlet on an outer shell of a case; a second set of fans mounted on an inward-facing side of an air outlet on the outer shell of the case, for generating, in cooperation with the first set of fans, a high-pressure airflow from the air inlet to the air outlet; a first heat sink connected to heat generating component in the case, for absorbing heat from the heat generating component and transferring the absorbed heat to a second heat sink; and the second heat sink mounted on an inward-facing side of the second set of fans and cooled by the high-pressure airflow.

Currently, in order to achieve autonomous driving of a vehicle, typically one or even more vehicle-mounted computer servers for decision making and controlling are provided on such vehicle. As complicated techniques are involved in autonomous driving, it is desired that the vehicle-mounted computer servers could have more powerful functions, with not only high computing capabilities and high processing efficiencies, but also capabilities of running stably for a long time (e.g., high anti-vibration capability and excellent cooling effect). Hence, compared with ordinary computer servers, a vehicle-mounted computer server may have a larger number of components to be installed therein, e.g., a number of sets of core components, such as a number of Central Processing Units (CPUs), a number of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), a number of expansion cards, one or more power sources, and the like.
Due to a limited space in a vehicle, these core components may typically be arranged densely and compactly in a case having a limited space. However, some components (referred to as "heat generating components" hereinafter) will generate heat during their operation. A heat generating component may malfunction as its temperature increases. Thus, it is desired to dissipate the heat generated by the heat generating component timely, so as to ensure that the core component can function normally.


Lightweight and rigid, leaded or lead-free integral radiation shielding structural compositions comprising two or more radiation attenuating elements or compounds thereof, selected for having compatible radiation attenuating characteristics, dispersed in a thermoplastic or thermoset resin. The radiation shielding structural compositions of the present invention can be used to functionally and structurally replace lead-lined structures in medical and industrial x-ray systems. The radiation shielding structural compositions of the present invention can also be formulated to minimize the density of the resulting structure.

X-radiation is a powerful and commonly used tool in modern society. Specifically, x-radiation is commonly used as a diagnostic tool in medical and industrial (non-destructive testing) fields. However, exposure to radiation can be damaging to human health. In order to protect users, patients and x-ray technicians, steps have been taken to limit their exposure to x-rays. For example, flexible x-radiation attenuating materials worn as protective aprons have been created in order to protect patients and technicians alike. In addition, x-radiation equipment has been designed to incorporate with shielding properties to reduce x-radiation exposure from the source generator.
In the field of x-ray equipment, shielding is required or mandated to reduce leakage of stray radiation to below specified maximum levels. Most shielded components of such equipment, such as x-ray tube housings, intensifier housings, collimators and filter devices, typically use a structural outer layer of metal for mechanical strength. This structural component is commonly machined, cast or forged aluminum, brass or steel. Since the aluminum, brass or steel is effectively radiolucent, the structural component is subsequently lined with a second layer of a material, such as lead, for radiation shielding. The lead shielding is typically held in place with an adhesive or by mechanical means, forming a multi-layer final structure with one layer providing strength and structure and the second layer providing x-radiation shielding.
Lead is often the material of choice used for x-radiation shielding in medical and industrial x-ray equipment because it is low in cost and readily available. The use of lead, however, poses significant manufacturing challenges as well as health and environmental hazards. There are two major disadvantages of using lead for radiation shielding: toxicity and the heavy weight of the material. The toxicity of lead has been shown to pose significant health risks to humans. Those adversely affected can include both those involved in processing and those using shielding materials and equipment. The environmental impact resulting from the disposal of products containing lead is also well established and a serious modern-day concern.
In order to limit lead exposure to humans, many industrialized nations regulate industries that use lead, including x-ray equipment manufacturers. In an effort to control, reduce or eliminate the use of lead, many industrialized nations have eliminated the manufacture and use of lead in products such as gasoline and paint. More recently, there has been a general determination to minimize the exposure of workers in plants which now use lead and, more importantly, to shield the general public from the adverse effects from lead in products and equipment and from the toxic waste resulting from the ultimate disposal of lead-containing products at the end of their useful life. The toxicity hazard can result from direct exposure to lead itself or indirectly: from exposure to an extractable source through groundwater leachate from land-fills (Ref. US EPA Toxicity Leachate Characteristic Procedures, "TCLP", under US RCRA legislation); from solid residues; or from gaseous emissions from waste incineration. The determination to eliminate lead and certain other toxic materials from all electrical equipment, including x-ray equipment, has been established in a European toxic waste elimination directive known as "W.E.E.E." (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Initiative, 2000/C365/E13) (Jul. 28, 2000).
Not only is lead toxic, but also it is a heavy material that can add significant weight to components such as those required in x-ray equipment. As discussed previously, conventional x-ray equipment contains a lead liner to shield against x-radiation. The excessive weight of lead is especially troublesome because of the mass of lead shielding required to meet mandated radiation leakage standards. Thus, the mass of lead used is a significant proportion of the overall weight of x-ray equipment. Existing manufacturing techniques, which typically involve lining of a separate cast or machined metal structural housing with elemental lead, significantly increase the weight of such equipment. Due to the use of lead, current shielded components are relatively inefficient in terms of mass. They are heavy and complex because the structural metal housing provides insignificant radiation attenuation while the lead shielding, having poor mechanical strength, cannot provide a structural function.
Heavy weight is a significant disadvantage for certain types of x-radiation equipment including portable equipment, such as "C-arm" x-ray diagnostic machines, and for equipment whose shielding components are moving or rotating, such as CT tube housings. In CT tube housings, rotational speeds are limited by inertial forces, which are in turn, dependent on their mass. In these applications, for rotational balance, overall shielding mass is further increased by the need for counterweights to preserve static balance. Lighter shielding components allow lower counterweight mass, which can further result in smaller and lighter supporting structures. Therefore, lowering the weight of the shielded structure can have an overall beneficial effect on the size, weight, cost and portability of x-ray units. Reduced mass can also permit higher rotational speeds of moving parts limited by inertial forces. In CT imaging, for example, reduced mass of the moving parts, especially of the tube head and housing, could permit faster revolution speed, which would lower image acquisition time and/or improve image definition.
While providing adequate shielding at reduced weight is important, replacement components must still fit existing precise equipment designs and keep overall unit size to a minimum. To keep the volume of the structure small, components having high attenuation and also high density are often preferable.
Although mandated radiation leakage testing is usually performed at the worst-case conditions of the peak applied voltage of the machine (typically 70 kVp to 80 kVp for dental x-ray units; 120 kVp to 150 kVp for medical x-ray units; 140 kVp to 160 kVp for CT tube housings; and up to and above 200 kVp for industrial units) shielding must be effective along the entire range of beam energies emanating from the x-ray unit. Shielding components on the receiving end of the radiation, such as intensifier housings, are tested using radiation from the highest voltage from the direct source beam even though they receive only a degraded, filtered and scattered spectrum of radiation in actual practice. Effective substitutes for lead must, therefore, shield radiation not only at the peak voltage of the machine but also along the entire effective range of beam energies and spectra.
Several attempts have been made to create materials that provide acceptable shielding properties but which are lightweight, lead-free or both. For instance, flexible x-ray shielding materials have been available for many years and have been discussed by Yaffe, et al. (Health Physics, Vol. 60, No. 5). Yaffe discussed combining metals with flexible elastomers in order to produce lighter weight radiation protection aprons than those made from similar lead-powder filled rubbers or polymers. These compositions, however, are limited to flexible materials and do not anticipate incorporation of complementary metals into resins in order to create lightweight and rigid, lead-free integral radiation shielding structures.
Recently, there have been attempts to replace only the lead shielding lining of x-ray equipment with lead-free polymer compositions using a single attenuating element. U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,476 to O'Conner describes a shielding material for a dental x-ray tube consisting of a shielding liner composed of barium sulfate filled polymers. This lead sheeting replacement is contained in and acts as a liner in a conventional structural metal housing. The polymer structure in O'Conner simply replaces the lead, while still requiring a layered structure with separate housing as in conventional equipment. Furthermore, the barium sulfate filled resins are implicitly proposed only for shielding dental tube heads which operate at low kVp (below 80 kVp) where barium is an effective x-radiation absorber. Such a shield would be highly ineffective in terms of mass per unit area relative to lead at the higher kVs found in most medical x-ray units. Although barium in elemental form, is more attenuation efficient than lead per unit mass up to about 100 kVp, in actual practice, one would require higher mass for equivalent attenuation. Higher mass would be required because barium is not available in unreactive elemental form, or in useful high concentration alloy form. Barium sulfate, the only available non-toxic barium salt, contains 41% deadweight of radiolucent sulfate, and has low density which prevents high concentration by weight in compounding. Furthermore, the resulting very low composition density would create much thicker shielding liners, on the order of several times thicker than lead for equivalent shielding.
More recently, there have been several additional attempts, both using lead and lead-free formulations, to combine structural and shielding functions in a monolithic polymeric composition. However, these only teach the use of one element for attenuation. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,792 to Verat describes an x-ray image intensifier tube casing with the outside structural component made from a molded thermoplastic resin loaded with a shielding material such as lead oxide. This technology is specific to intensifier tube housings and uses a single metal or metal oxide (preferably PbO) in an injection moldable thermoplastic resin.
Lead-free filled polymer shielding compositions using only a single attenuating element are also described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,379 to Bray et al., which teaches the use of tungsten as the attenuating element in a binder. Bray teaches the use of such material as a lead replacement for use in traditional lead applications, such as projectiles, where density equivalents is desired. Bray also claims tungsten powder in a broad variety of resins formed into articles used for radiation shielding, including housings. Single element-based attenuators such as tungsten have a lower shielding efficiency relative (per unit mass) to lead, or conversely require greater elemental mass than lead for equal shielding at most normal medical beam energies, which typically range from 50 kVp to 150 kVp. Single element based attenuators have a lower shielding efficiency due to a number of factors. In the case of tungsten, with the use of energy beams up to 120 kVp, a significant portion of the beam energy spectrum, including the typical emission spike from conventional tungsten-based anodes, falls in the 55 keV to 69 KeV "K-edge" tungsten window causing poor attenuation. At elevated beam energies, such as 120 kVp to 150 kVp, or at lower kVp but with high beam filtration, the attenuation coefficient of tungsten is simply well below that of lead, both overall, and for the greater part of the beam spectrum. Therefore, the tungsten/resin compositions of Bray do not anticipate and cannot produce shielding or complete monolithic shielded components lighter in weight than elemental lead when used for radiation protection.
Single element-based attenuating compositions, such as those using barium or tungsten, also exhibit a large variability in their shielding efficiency (per unit mass), along the radiation spectrum, compared to lead. None of the above-cited references addresses this issue, nor do cited test data reflect the existence of this shielding factor variability with beam energy and spectra. In addition, a frequent commercial requirement of such compositions and their components is flame retardancy without the use of toxic or hazardous flame retardants. While the use of such flame retardant agents in polymer compositions is known in the art, their introduction to highly filled, dense shielding compositions requires volumetric space. The use of flame retardant agents displaces and reduces the maximum permissible filler loading of attenuating elements, thereby reducing composition density and adding slightly to the required mass of composition for equivalent shielding in an integral structure.
While there have been several attempts at creating lead-free x-ray shielding materials, there remains a need for lightweight and rigid, lead-free, integral, monolithic radiation shielding structures. There is a further need for such x-radiation shielding structures that can shield radiation over a wide range of energies between 50 kVp and 150 kVp, and even up to 200 kVp. The present invention solves the afore-mentioned problems and provides complex molded x-radiation shielding components with varying densities that can be formulated to provide structural strength with x-radiation shielding.

Lightweight rigid structural compositions with integral radiation shielding including lead-free structural compositions


Techniques for implementing client compliancy in a network address translation (NAT) environment are disclosed. Network appliances (e.g., NAT hubs, routers, switches, and other NAT devices) actively cooperate with client compliance strategies by engaging in the compliance evaluation of the hosts connected to it, and interact with the up-stream compliance mechanism. As such, devices normally hidden behind a NAT device from the upstream network can participate in the compliance scheme in a more meaningful way.

A client compliancy system is used to gate access to a protected network, such that only clients that are in compliance with a policy are allowed access to the protected network. Clients that are not in compliance are typically assigned to a quarantine network and provided with some remediation mechanism that should allow them to become compliant. Determination of a client's compliance can be done on the client itself, external to the client, or in combination.
In a NAT (network address translation) environment, however, what appears to such a compliance system as a single host (by virtue of its single IP/MAC address) is actually a collection of hosts. An example of such a NAT environment is an office network where some offices have multiple machines attached to a hub, switch, and/or security appliance such as a Firewall/VPN appliance. In such a case, only the IP/MAC address of the hub, switch, or security appliance can be seen by the client compliancy system.
This presents a problem for a client compliancy system that attempts to assign compliant nodes to a protected network and non-compliant nodes to a remediation network. In particular, the up-stream standard compliance mechanism cannot directly evaluate the hosts behind the visible NAT node, and therefore cannot assign them to the appropriate network.
What is needed, therefore, are techniques for implementing client compliancy in a NAT environment.


A wipes dispenser includes a generally tubular transparent housing adapted to be worn about a person's wrist with a plurality of wipes contained within the housing. The housing also has an opening through which the wipes are dispensed. In a second embodiment, the opening may be covered with a hinged resealable cap that may cover or uncover the opening as needed.

The present invention is directed toward a wipes dispenser and more particularly, toward a wipes dispenser that may be worn about a person's wrist.
People, in general and parents in particular, often find themselves in need of a wipe or moist towelette. For instance, when dining in a restaurant, a child's face and hands may need to be wiped before and/or after the meal. Adults, as well, may find that they need a moist towelette at a restaurant. Also, when a person is changing a child's diaper, wipes are indispensable. Furthermore, when changing a diaper, it is helpful to have both hands free without having to open a wipes container, which usually requires both hands. Also, a person's hands and face may need to be cleaned when a sink is not readily available such as in a car, in a store, or when using public transportation.
Presently, wipes are available in small, portable pliable packages that fit within a bag or a purse. Wipes are also available in larger plastic containers. However, the larger containers are rather bulky, do not fit well in a bag, and are otherwise not easily transportable and conveniently available.
Several patents have addressed the problem of making wipes convenient to use and carry. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,839 to Helfer-Grand discloses a dispenser for pre-moistened towelettes. The dispenser includes a compartment that houses a plurality of towelettes that may be dispensed through an opening located in the dispenser. The dispenser may be worn around a person's wrist. However, this dispenser appears to be rather bulky when worn about a person's wrist.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,889 to Taylor et al. discloses a facial tissue dispenser worn about a person's wrist where the tissues are dispensed through an opening in the dispenser. However, this dispenser also appears to be rather bulky and may be somewhat cumbersome to wear about a person's wrist.
Therefore, a need exists for a wipes dispenser that may be easily and unobtrusively worn about a person's wrist and that may be easily and conveniently used.


A control unit controls a vehicle having a body to allow its user to step on, a power generator arranged to generate power that drives the body, and a load sensor unit arranged to output a load value representing a load that has been applied to the body. The control unit preferably includes a first memory arranged to store a load threshold value, a second memory arranged to store a plurality of data, which respectively correspond to different types of control processing to control the power generator, and a processor arranged to change to a type of control processing among the different types of control processing according to a result of a comparison between the load value and the load threshold value. The processor controls the power generator based on one of the plurality of data corresponding to the type of control processing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling a vehicle such as a motorized skateboard and also relates to a vehicle equipped with such a control unit. More particularly, the present invention relates to driving control of such a vehicle while the user is stepping on/off the vehicle or riding the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Motorized skateboards, motorized surfboards, motorized wheelchairs and other vehicles have been known as motorized vehicles that are driven by an electric motor. The user of such a motorized vehicle can control the velocity of (i.e., accelerate or decelerate) the vehicle or change the direction of travel from forward to backward, or vice versa, by manually operating a throttle lever, a joystick or any other control lever.
However, while driving such a motorized vehicle that requires manual operation, the user is apt to pay too much attention to the operation to drive it comfortably. Also, if such a manual operation member is provided, then the user can change his or her riding position less freely.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 10-23613 discloses a motorized vehicle that does not require the user to perform such a manual operation. In the motorized vehicle disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 10-23613, two pressure sensors, located at front and rear positions of a skateboard, each sense the given load (i.e., the weight of the user). Then, based on the difference between the load values detected by these sensors, a motor is controlled and wheels are driven, thereby propelling the skateboard either forward or backward.
More particularly, this skateboard travels forward if the load placed on the front pressure sensor is heavier than that placed on the rear pressure sensor but travels backward if the load placed on the front pressure sensor is lighter than that placed on the rear pressure sensor. Also, this skateboard accelerates as the difference between the loads placed on the front and rear pressure sensors widens but decelerates as the difference narrows.
Generally speaking, however, it is not easy for every user to control such a motorized skateboard just as he or she intends because he or she has to learn some skills to start or stop the skateboard without stumbling. That is to say, it usually takes a lot of time to master those skills of operation and to use such a motorized vehicle safely. This is because a conventional motorized skateboard that requires no manual operation often works against the will and intended action of the user while he or she is stepping on or off the board.
For example, if the user of a motorized skateboard puts his or her rear foot off the skateboard in order to stop the skateboard while riding it with both feet placed on the board, then the skateboard will accelerate against the will and intended action of the user. This is because in that situation, only the load that has been placed on the rear pressure sensor is removed and the difference between the loads placed on the front and rear pressure sensors increases. That is why it is difficult for the user to stop the skateboard by putting his or her rear foot off the board.
On the other hand, if the user puts one of his or her feet on the front portion of the motorized skateboard while the skateboard is stopped or at rest, then the skateboard will start abruptly. This is because only the load placed on the front pressure sensor increases and the difference between the loads placed on the front and rear pressure sensors increases.


Method and apparatus for phase-timing compensation is described. More particularly, a clock source and a clock sink of a path are identified for phase-timing compensation for a design. An absolute path slack is obtained, and phase offset of the clock source relative to the clock sink is determined. A normalizing factor responsive to the phase offset is generated. A normalized slack is computed using the absolute path slack and the normalizing factor.

Integrated circuit layout software tools for placing and routing ("PAR tools") are well known. Such PAR tools may use static timing analysis to guide a layout process to meet user-specified timing constraints. For example, a user may request that a particular "circuit path" within an integrated circuit have a delay which is less than some specified value. By "circuit path" it is meant an ordered list of logic and interconnect resources, without any repetition of any of such resources. A circuit path starts from a "path source," namely, the first or origination resource of the circuit path, and ends at a "path sink," namely, the last or destination resource of the circuit path.
A static timing analyzer might use logic and interconnect delays along such a circuit path to determine if the total delay along the path is less than the specified value. However, checking each individual path is impractical given the number of individual paths in a conventional complex integrated circuit.
Consequently, block-oriented static timing analysis may be used to find a worst case delay of all paths for a logic block. The worst case delay value is then compared against a specified value. Additionally, worst case "Absolute Slack" of any interconnect resource for all paths passing through such resource may be determined with block-oriented static timing analysis. By "Absolute Slack" it is meant as the difference between a specified time of arrival of a signal to a location and the actual time of arrival of the signal to the location. Notably, for purposes of clarity, Absolute Slack is described in terms of maximum delay requirements as specified by a user. However, absolute slack may be used for minimum delay requirements, or delay requirements between maxima and minima delay requirements, as specified by a user.
However, for clocked circuits, conventional absolute slack computation fails to take into account phase differences of a clock signal relative to path source and sink, and thus may result in a sub-optimal optimization of design clock frequency for an integrated circuit.
Accordingly, it would be both desirable and useful to provide means for accounting for differences of a clock signal relative to path source and sink for placement or routing of an integrated circuit.


A security system of the type wherein the occurrence of a monitored event, such as presence or motion of an individual at a first location, triggers an alarm at a second location. The invention provides a means of disabling the alarm during times when the device is subject to repeated actuation under conditions when the cause of the repeated actuation is know, as when workmen are present in the monitored location. An infrared sensor causes an RF transmitter to send a signal to a receiver. Switch means interposed between the receiver and alarm device have first and second states wherein the alarm-actuating signal from the receiver is passed and blocked, respectively, to the alarm. A push button is selectively operable to change the state of the switch means from the first to the second, whereby pressing the button effectively disables the alarm. A pulses counter or other such timing means is actuated by pressing the push button and establishes a time period at the conclusion of which the switch means is changed back to its first state, thereby again enabling the alarm device.

The present invention relates to security systems having alarm means which are activated in response to signals generated by presence and/or motion detectors in an area to be monitored. More specifically, the invention relates to the addition to such systems of the capability of temporarily muting or disabling the alarm or other indicating device.
It is a common practice to install sensing devices in areas which are to be monitored for security purposes. The sensor(s) may be in the form of conventional presence or motion detectors which are actuated in response to a threshold level of infrared energy emitted by a person, vehicle, etc. in the vicinity of the sensor. The sensing device includes an RF transmitter which sends a signal to a receiver located at the desired monitoring location. The received signal activates an audible and/or visible alarm signal, discernable at the monitoring location.
While such systems serve well to perform the monitoring function intended, there are situations in which the alarm is not needed or wanted. For example, if there is a gardener or other workman in the vicinity of the sensing device, the alarm may be activated many times over a relatively brief time period even though the cause of alarm activation is known. Under such circumstances, it is sometimes the practice to disconnect the alarm unit from the power source by which it is activated, either by unplugging the unit or by operating and on/off button. Although this serves to prevent unwanted activation of the alarm, there is the possibility that power may not be restored to the system after the condition which prompted removal of power has ceased.
The object of the present invention is to provide a security system including one or more sensing devices and transmitters activated by presence or motion of an infrared-emitting body to send a signal to a receiver in order to activate an alarm wherein the alarm may be selectively deactivated and automatically reactivated after a fixed or adjustable time period.
Other objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

Temporary mute of alarm in wireless alert system


A new variety of Azalea plant found as a seedling in a planned cross between the female Azalea ‘Delos’ and the male Azalea ‘Dorothy Clark’ is disclosed. The new variety is an upright, open natured plant with attractive evergreen foliage, and very large and unique, single, bi-colored flowers that fall off clean.

The present invention is a new and distinct variety of evergreen Azalea of the genus Rhododendron. This new Azalea, hereinafter referred to as 'MNIELE', was discovered in March, 1999 in Lawrenceville, Ga. 'MNIELE' originated from a planned cross hybridization between hybrid Azalea 'Delos' (unpatented) and hybrid Azalea 'Dorothy Clark' (unpatented) in Lawrenceville, Ga. The value of this new cultivar lies in its bloom color, bloom size, growth habit, foliage and cold hardiness.
Asexual propagation of the new plant by cuttings was performed in Dearing, Ga. The new plant retains its distinctive characteristics and reproduces true to type in successive generations by vegetative propagation.


A solid state radiation detector capable of improving the sharpness of obtained radiation images. The solid state radiation detector includes: two scintillator layers that convert irradiated radiation to light; and a solid state photodetector, disposed between the two scintillators, that detects the light converted by the two scintillator layers and converts the detected light to electrical signals. Here, the scattering length of each of the scintillators is not greater than 100 μm for the light propagating in the direction parallel to the surface of the scintillator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radiation detector, more specifically, to a radiation detector that employs a combination of scintillator and solid state photodetector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Radiation detectors formed of a solid state photodetector and a scintillator, which converts radiation to visible light, layered on top of another are proposed as described, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 59(1984)-211263 and 2(1990)-164067, U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,396, and "Signal, noise, and readout considerations in the development of amorphous silicon photodiode arrays for radiotherapy and diagnostic x-ray imaging", L. E. Antonuk et al., SPIE, Vol. 1443, pp. 108-119, 1991. The solid state photodetector includes, for example, a substrate made of silica glass with a thickness of 3 mm on which a transparent conductive layer and a conductive layer are formed with an amorphous semiconductor layer sandwiched therebetween. The transparent conductive layer includes a plurality of signal lines, and the conductive layer includes a plurality of scanning lines, which are pattern formed in a matrix form so that they are disposed orthogonal to each other.
In the radiation detectors described above, however, the solid state photodetector is disposed behind the scintillator viewed from the direction from which the radiation is irradiated, so that the visible light converted by the scintillator is absorbed or scattered by the scintillator itself before reaching the solid state photodetector. Consequently, the visible light detection efficiency of the photodetector is deteriorated, and the sharpness of the obtained radiation image is degraded.
In the mean time, Japanese Unexamined Patent publication No. 7(1995)-027864 discloses a radiation detector in which sharpness degradation is prevented by changing the arrangement order of the scintillator and solid state photodetector, i.e., the solid state photodetector is disposed in front of the scintillator viewed from the direction from which the radiation is irradiated.
Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7(1995)-027865 proposes a radiation detector in which a scintillator is provided on each side of the solid state photodetector, and irradiated radiation is converted to light by the scintillators to improve the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) compared to the conventional radiation detector having a scintillator only on one side.
The radiation detector proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7(1995)-027865, however, includes a substrate for supporting the solid state photodetector, which has a thickness greater than several hundred micrometers to ensure sufficient strength. Further, the rear light receiving surface of the solid state photodetector viewed from the direction from which the radiation is irradiated is arranged such that it invariably receives fluorescence transmitted through the substrate, so that the fluorescence is dispersed while transmitting through the substrate, causing a problem of degraded image sharpness.
Still further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9(1997)-145895 proposes a radiation detector that has solved the aforementioned problem by using a fluorescent glass substrate, as the scintillator disposed behind the solid state photodetector viewed from the direction from which the radiation is irradiated, on which the solid state photodetector is integrally formed.
In the radiation detector proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9(1997)-195895, however, the fluorescent glass substrate disposed behind the solid state photodetector viewed from the direction from which the radiation is irradiated also has high transparency to light propagating in the direction parallel to the surface of the fluorescent glass substrate. Thus, the visible light converted by the fluorescent glass substrate is spread within the substrate, causing a problem of degraded sharpness of obtained radiation images.
In view of the circumstances described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a radiation detector capable of improving the sharpness of radiation images.

Dual-phosphor flat panel radiation detector


A system automatically provisions a data flow. The system provides a flow range. The system receives a data unit associated with an unprovisioned data flow, determines whether the unprovisioned data flow falls within the flow range, and creates an automatically provisioned data flow based on the unprovisioned data flow when the unprovisioned data flow falls within the flow range.

1. Field of the Invention
Systems and methods consistent with the principles of the invention relate generally to data transfer and, more particularly, to automatic provisioning of data flows.
2. Description of Related Art
An ATM segmentation and reassembly (SAR) unit reassembles cells into packets according to an ATM Adaptation Layer (AAL). This task involves maintaining a per packet context and associating each arriving cell with that context. The SAR does this across multiple flows and ports. Generally, each flow is configured per port prior to the SAR receiving any cells. It is possible, however, for cells to arrive at the SAR for flows that have not yet been configured. A mechanism typically either discards the cells or forwards the cells to a processor for analysis. In either event, this may lead to the dropping of potentially important packets.

Systems and methods for automatic provisioning of data flows


Articles of footwear for protecting injured, at-risk, or post-surgical feet and ankles include upper and/or sole structures that offload the feet and ankles when standing and/or walking.

Certain types of articles of footwear, commonly referred to as "walking boots", are designed at least partially offload forces applied to the feet and ankles of wearers when standing or walking. Such offloading facilitates treating or managing various conditions or leg and foot complications associated with various conditions (for example, diabetes, neuropathy, vascular disease, arthritis, neuroarthropathy, post-surgical, and post-amputation). However, such articles of footwear have limited effectiveness and/or are cumbersome or even painful, which frequently causes individuals to refrain from wearing the articles of footwear.

Articles of footwear for inhibiting and treating injuries


Provided is a failure predictive system, including a collection unit that collects information with respect to a job implemented in a monitored apparatus and information with respect to a job to be implemented, a calculating unit that calculates a probability of a failure occurrence in the monitored apparatus based on information with respect to the implemented job and information with respect to the job to be implemented which are collected by the collection unit, and an output unit that outputs information based on the probability when the probability calculated by the calculating unit is over a threshold value.

(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a failure predictive system, and a failure predictive apparatus.
(ii) Related Art
As an image forming apparatus having a function of forming an image on a recording material such as sheet, a copying machine, a printer apparatus, a facsimile apparatus, a multifunctional machine combined with the functions thereof, and the like are known.
The image forming apparatus produced commercially may often be used in a marginal condition such as a continuous operation for mass printing or a usage of wide variety of sheets, and a full-time operator performs maintenance with respect to an apparatus state and maintains the operation. In particular, in an electrophotography-type image forming apparatus, due to a complicated image forming mechanism, it is difficult to maintain a stable operation only by the maintenance of the full-time operator, and thus the stable operation is maintained by a scheduled visit of a maintenance service engineer of a manufacturer. However, the scheduled visit of the maintenance service engineer is not sufficient, and thus an unscheduled visit for handling a trouble that has occurred may occur.
Recently, in order to handle such a situation as described above, a so-called remote maintenance service in which the state of the image forming apparatus is remotely monitored, and a preventative maintenance visit is performed when a predictor of the trouble is observed is spread, and it is helpful to reduce down time (a time period for a state in which an original function of the apparatus is hindered from being used due to a failure) of the image forming apparatus.
Up to now, various technologies with respect to a failure prediction targeted at various apparatuses or facilities have been proposed.

Failure predictive system, and failure predictive apparatus


The present invention relates to a culture insert carrier, a culture insert and a culture system for culturing and testing of different kinds of cells, such as for example skin models. A culture insert carrier for supporting at least one culture insert in a culture tray having at least one well, wherein the culture insert carrier comprises a plane member with at least one opening for insertion of the at least one culture insert in such a way that the culture insert carrier supports the at least one culture insert in a position in the culture tray is provided. Further, a culture insert comprising a plurality of suspension elements including a first set of suspension elements and a second set of suspension elements, the suspension elements being adapted to suspend the culture insert in a plurality of vertical positions, including a first vertical position and a second vertical position, in relation to a frame is provided.

In recent years there has been a growing activity within the field of culturing cells on polymer membranes in culture inserts, such as for example when producing skin models for testing the effect of chemicals, in e.g. cosmetics or skin care products, and/or pharmaceutical products on cells. Use of such skin models reduces the need for experiments on animals.
European patent application EP 0 764 718 discloses an in vitro culture assembly with a culture vessel and a culture insert. The culture vessel has at least one well having a sidewall with a plurality of steps projecting inwardly from the inner surface of the well.

Culture insert carrier, culture insert and culture insert system


An orthodontic headgear assembly which incorporates at least one magnetic release mechanism. In one embodiment, the headgear assembly generally includes an inner bow, an outer bow interconnected with the inner bow, a mechanism for generating and applying a force to the ends of the outer bow which is thus transferred to the patient's teeth, and a magnetic release mechanism which is positioned between each end of the outer bow and the force generating mechanism. When a given magnetic release mechanism is subjected to a force of a predetermined magnitude, the mechanism disconnects adjacent portions of the headgear assembly to reduce the potential for the adverse effects on the patient due to snapback of the outer and/or inner bow when at least a portion of the force is removed from the headgear assembly.

Headgear assemblies are commonly used in orthodontic treatment to apply forces to a patient's teeth to accomplish specific types of tooth movements. Such headgear assemblies typically include an inner bow, an outer bow, and some type of a neck/head strap assembly. More particularly, the two ends of the inner bow are each typically inserted into a buccal tube attached to one of the upper first molars. Moreover, the outer bow is connected to the inner bow and extends at least partially about both sides of the patient's face such that the ends of the outer bow may be engaged by the neck/head strap assembly. The neck/head strap assembly is generally formed at least in part from an elastic material or other energy-storing mechanism so as to be capable of stretching and thus applying the desired treatment forces to each of the ends of the outer bow. These treatment forces are then typically transmitted to the upper first molars and any teeth interconnected therewith (e.g., via an archwire and/or other appropriate connectors).
The manner in which the above-described treatment forces are applied to the patient's teeth utilizing a headgear assembly may be varied to achieve the particular desired orthodontic treatment objectives. For instance, the force vectors which are utilized will affect the type of tooth movement achieved. A substantially purely distal or rearward force may be applied to the patient's teeth (i.e., a distal force vector) by positioning a neck strap about the back of the patient's neck and substantially within the occlusal plane for engaging the outer bow to achieve substantially only a distal tooth movement. In the event that a substantially symmetrical outer bow is utilized, substantially equal forces will be applied to each of the upper first molars. Although this substantially symmetrical distal pull may satisfy the treatment objectives in a number of patient cases, quite often various combinations of tooth intrusion/extrusion, as well unilateral or bilateral bodily movements of single or groups of teeth are required for an individual patient's treatment objectives.
In order to provide for the above-described multiple force delivery capabilities, headgear assemblies may incorporate a head strap assembly (e.g., a head cap), such as is generally illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,186,089 to Asher, issued Jun. 1, 1965. With this type of a device, both distally and vertically directed force components can be effectively applied to the patient's teeth. By varying the location or angle at which the vertical force component is coupled relative to the occlusal plane, the above-described different types of tooth movements may be achieved. For instance, by applying the vertical force component mesially (i.e., forward) of the upper first molars which are again directly engaged by the inner bow, the upper first molars may be tipped distally (a distal root tip) while being bodily moved distally. Similarly, if the vertical force component is applied distally (i.e., rearward) of the upper first molars, the upper first molars may be tipped mesially (a mesial root tip) while being bodily moved distally.
In addition to varying the vectors of the treatment force to achieve a particular combination of simultaneous tooth movements, variations in force magnitudes applied to the upper first molars may also be utilized to achieve a desired result in orthodontic treatment planning. For instance, in some instances the forces which are applied to the upper first molars and teeth interconnected therewith are substantially equal, typically by utilizing a substantially symmetrical outer bow. However, there are also instances where it is desirable to apply a greater force on one side of the patient's mouth than on the other side such that one of the upper first molars and its interconnected teeth experience greater forces than the other upper first molar/interconnected teeth to achieve greater tooth movement. This technique is typically accomplished by utilizing an outer bow having different length arms (e.g., the arm being defined as the distance from where the outer bow is connected to the inner bow to the end of the outer bow), and/or by having one of the arms of the outer bow "bowed" to a greater degree than the other arm, and/or by various combinations thereof.
One of the problems generally associated with headgear assemblies in achieving a given treatment effect is that they are potentially hazardous to the patient from a health standpoint. More particularly, upon the application of external, non-orthodontic treatment forces to the headgear assembly, typically by a third party grabbing the patient's outer bow and exerting a force thereon, the potential exists for the inner and/or outer bow to undesirably impact the patient upon release of the external force if the treatment forces continue to be applied to the outer bow. This of course creates a risk for significant injury to the patient. For instance, if the outer bow is pulled out far enough so that the ends of the inner bow disengage the buccal tubes, the subsequent "snapback" of both the inner and outer bows upon termination of the application of the external force (e.g., by a disengagement of the outer bow by the third party), which is caused by the continued engagement of the outer bow by the neck/head strap assembly, is likely to cause damage to the soft tissue of the mouth by the impacting of the inner bow thereon. If the outer bow is pulled so that the ends of the inner bow actually extend outside the mouth prior to the termination of the application of the external force, injury to the patient's face or eyes may result due to the subsequent and above-described snapback and any resulting impingement of the inner and/or outer bow with the patient. As can be appreciated, neither of these scenarios is desirable in maintaining the safety of the patient at an acceptable level during orthodontic treatment. Therefore, headgear assemblies have incorporated some type of release mechanism to disconnect the assembly prior to the time at which an increased health risk to the patient exists due to these types of circumstances.
There are a variety of headgear assemblies available which utilize various type of mechanical releases. Generally, these mechanical releases are relatively complex from both a structural and thus manufacturing standpoint. Consequently, manufacturing costs may be undesirably increased. Moreover, these releases are subject to material fatigue (e.g., wear) due to the relatively high treatment forces involved and based upon the manner in which such releases function (e.g., utilizing a compression of members to pass through a opening to provide the disconnection), as well as contamination (e.g., collection of dirt/debris within the release). In addition, some of these releases are subject to patient manipulation. In any case, the point at which release occurs may be undesirably affected (e.g., it may increase or decrease via fatigue, contamination, and/or patient manipulation). U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,921 to Armstrong, issued Sep. 26, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,188 to Armstrong, issued Dec. 9, 1980; U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,039 to Armstrong, issued Jan. 11, 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,161 to Armstrong, issued May 22, 1979; U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,983 to Frazier, issued Aug. 5, 1980; U.S. Pat. No. 4,402,669 to Frazier, issued Sep. 6, 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,589 to Klien, issued Oct. 7, 1980; U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,625 to Armstrong, issued Nov. 22, 1983; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,836 to Grove, issued Oct. 10, 1989, are generally representative of these types of mechanical release mechanisms.
Another type of a "release" mechanism for a headgear assembly is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,110 to Dougherty, issued Aug. 16, 1988. Dougherty discloses a headgear assembly in which the inner bow is detachably connected to displaced molars within a patient's mouth by a combination of buccal tubes and attractively engaged magnets. More particularly, a magnet is positioned on each side of the inner bow and on the buccal tubes as well such that when each buccal tube receives an end of the inner bow, the magnets come into contact. A magnet is also positioned on each of the inner and outer bows to attractively intercouple the same. These particular magnets may be positioned within a box-shaped retainer so as to confine the relative motion of such magnets, as well as the inner and outer bows, to lineal motion. An elastic band traverses the back of the patient's head and engages the ends of the outer bow to provide the treatment force thereto. By utilizing this configuration, the disclosure of Dougherty indicates that the separation of the inner and outer bows can be positively assured upon application of a predetermined force.
Based upon the foregoing and the illustrated configuration of Dougherty, it can be appreciated that none of the magnetic interconnections suggested by Dougherty affect the application of treatment forces to the outer bow by the elastic band. More particularly, regardless of whether the inner bow/buccal tube magnetic connection or the inner bow/outer bow magnetic connection releases at the described time, forces continue to be applied to the outer bow by the elastic band such that the potential for injury to the patient still exists due to the above-described snapback. Moreover, the types of treatment forces applied to the outer bow may have an effect on the point at which the described release occurs in the Dougherty configuration. For instance, the utilization of a treatment force having both distal and substantial vertical components may alter the release point by introducing binding (if the box-shaped retainer is incorporated which again limits relative motion to a line as noted) and/or by subjecting the magnetic interconnection between the inner and outer bows to compressive, torsion, and/or shear-type forces/stresses. Similar effects may be evident if "different" forces are applied to the ends of the outer bow as described above (e.g., by having the outer bow arms be of different lengths, being bowed to differing degrees, and/or a combination thereof).

Orthodontic headgear assembly with magnetic release mechanism