An asynchronous data transfer and source traffic control system includes a bus master and a plurality of bus users coupled to a bidirectional data bus. The bus master provides two clock signals to each bus user, a system clock and a frame clock. The frame clock designates the start of a frame. A frame format preferably includes fifteen or sixteen system clock cycles, the first of which is designated the request field and the last of which includes a grant field. One or more other cycles may be assigned control and/or routing information and the remainder of the cycles comprise a data field of fixed length. During the request field, any number of bus users may request access which is received by the bus master. During the grant field, the bus master grants access to a selected bus user for the entire data portion of the next frame. Which user is granted access to the next frame is determined according to an arbitration algorithm in the bus master which may be unknown to the bus users. The asynchronous data transfer and source traffic control system has particular application in accommodating the transfer of the contents of ATM cells used in BISDN systems.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to asynchronous data communication among a bus master and a plurality of bus users. More particularly, this invention relates to a bus frame and bus structure for an asynchronous data transfer system which allows a bus master to alter the operational characteristics of the bus without the need for altering the operational characteristics of the bus users.
2. State of the Art
Data communication among a bus master and a plurality of bus users is well known in the art. Such communication systems generally include a bidirectional data bus to which the bus master and all of the bus users are connected. The bus master typically produces at least one synchronizing clock signal which is received by all of the bus users on a clock bus separate from the data bus. One data unit which is equal to the bus width can be transferred onto the bus or off the bus during one clock cycle. While all bus users can transfer data off the bus simultaneously, only one bus user can transfer data onto the bus during any given clock cycle. The bus user (which could be the bus master) transferring data onto the bus is said to have "access" or to be "active". In order to determine which bus user is given access during a given clock cycle, an arbitration procedure is established. Typically, each bus user is assigned a time slot in a fixed number of time slots called a data "frame". The frame which defines bus access may be provided with one or more time slots for the exchange of control information in addition to the time slots which are assigned to data transfer. As the clock cycles are received by all of the bus users via the clock bus, each bus user waits for its assigned time slot and then transfers data to the bus during its assigned cycle.
It is recognized that, particularly in asynchronous data transfer systems, bus users are not always ready to transfer data onto the bus during their assigned time slot. Conversely, other bus users may accumulate data for transfer onto the bus faster than their assigned access to the frame will allow them to transfer the data onto the bus. Consequently, it is often desirable to adjust the access mechanism to allow some users relatively more access than others; i.e., more slots in the frame. Many sophisticated algorithms have been developed for arbitrating bus access. However, these known systems typically require that each bus user be aware of the arbitration scheme so that each bus user can tell how much access it has been allocated.

Asynchronous data transfer and source traffic control system


A safety syringe for taking blood has a hollow barrel having a bottom open end, a top end, a rectangular hole defined in the top end to have two opposite long sides and two opposite short sides, a needle hub detachably connected between the two opposite short sides of the rectangular hole and having a first needle extending from an elliptical body into an interior of the hollow barrel and a second needle extending away from the hollow barrel, a cap rotatably connected to the top end of the hollow barrel and having a notch defined through a periphery of the cap to receive therein the elliptical body so that the second needle extends out of the cap after in combination with the cap and an enclosure detachably enclosing the second needle for protection.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a syringe, and more particularly to a safety syringe that can safely retract a used needle back into a barrel and prevent users from being hurt by the used needle.
2. Description of Related Art
There are two types of conventional syringes used for taking blood, one has a hollow barrel, a plunger and a needle hub, and the other has a short holder, an inner needle and a needle hub. The plunger of the first type is received inside the hollow barrel, and the needle hub is connected to the hollow barrel. The short holder of the second type has an outside surface, a bottom surface and an inner space. The needle hub is mounted on the bottom surface of the outside surface and the inner needle mounted on inner space and connects to the needle hub.
When using the first type of the conventional syringe, a user takes blood into the hollow barrel then inserts the collected blood into a vacuum tube. When using the second type of the conventional syringe, the needle hub is inserted into a vein and a vacutainer is connected to the inner needle inside the short holder. Because of the attraction of the vacutainer and the blood pressure, blood will flow into the vacutainer slowly.
However, the used needles extended outside the hollow barrel or the short holder of the conventional syringes will easily hurt users after taking blood. To keep nurses, doctors or health workers who deal with discarded syringes from being injured or infected by used needles, a safety syringe for taking blood is needed. In another aspect, the short holder of the second conventional syringe is too easily reused to hold a new needle and unscrupulous staff may be tempted to reduce costs in this way whereby serious unsanitary conditions will be met.
To overcome the shortcomings of conventional syringes, the present invention provides a safety syringe to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problem.


A method for manufacturing an integral shoe blank is provided. In the method, a reinforcement piece is woven by a flat knitting machine during a weave process, and the reinforcement piece is made unperceivable through a subsequent side overturning step when viewing from an exterior of a shoe. Thus, with the reinforcement piece, structural strength of the shoe blank is reinforced while better comfort is provided to the foot by a shoe manufactured from the shoe blank.

In a conventional shoe manufacturing method, a shoe is usually spliced from multiple shoe pieces, as disclosed by the U.S. Pat. No. 8,572,866. However, with the evolving changes and trends of the footwear manufacturing industry, knitted/woven shoes have become available, such as Nike™ Free Run Flyknit. Patents associated with knitted footwear may be referred from the U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2015/0223561, 2015/0250256, 2016/0058099, 2016/0089578, 2016/0219966, 2016/0208421 and 2017/0000216.
Further, the European Patent No. 2805638A1 discloses a footwear and knitting method for knitting a fabric. Although the footwear is seamlessly woven by a flat knitting machine, the footwear completed using the European Patent No. 2805638A1 is identical to the foregoing patents; that is, once the footwear is shaped, the shoe upper is formed merely by a piece of thin fabric. Such fabric provides limited structural strength and may not withstand frequent uses, in a way that the knitted shoe may not have a short lifespan.
Further, the European Patent No. 2805638A1 discloses that, one of the yarns (e.g., the second knitting yarn specified in the European Patent No. 2805638A1) used for knitting the knitted shoe is clad with a material having a lower melting point, such that the woven footwear may have a fixed shape through a thermal process. However, the structural strength formed by only at least two yarns adhered to each other still falls short in meeting requirements of numerous application scenarios.

Method for manufacturing integral shoe blank


The present invention is intended to provide a ultra-precision high sensitivity displacement measuring device which has such a high resolution as to be able to make submicron measurement.

The present invention relates to a linear variable differential transformer (shortly xe2x80x98LVDTxe2x80x99 in the following) widely used for measurement of displacements and particularly to a high sensitivity displacement measuring device using the LVDT, which can handle submicron measurements with a high indifference to surrounding environment, noise and the like and with an increased resolution.
The sensitivity used in the field of the displacement measurements represents the ratio of the analog output voltage relative to the input displacement to be measured in a displacement measuring device using a LVDT. For example, a high sensitivity means that the output voltage is largely generated with respect to a predetermined displacement
For such an ordinary analog output voltage generator, the resolution is closely related to the noise and sensitivity.
Resolution=Noise/Sensitivity
In practical circumstances, the resolution is influenced severely by the noises caused by the surrounding environment or various other factors. A high sensitivity is advantageous in order that the insensibility to outside factors can be maintained and the high resolution can be high enough to realize application in submicron area, with the minimum measurable displacement lowered
FIG. 1 shows schematically a displacement measuring device using a LVDT according to the conventional art.
As shown in FIG. 1, the displacement measuring device according to the conventional art has the form of cylinder, in which there is disposed a primary coil bundle 2 in cylindrical form, with the secondary coil bundles 3H and 3L positioned on the top and bottom thereof. In the center of the primary coil bundle 2 and secondary coil bundles 3H and 3L, there is disposed a magnetic core 4, to the lower end of which there is connected a rod 5, having a contact probe 6 disposed at its lower end. Under the lower secondary coil bundle 3L, ball bearings 8 are disposed around the rod 5 to facilitate the vertical movement of the rod 5, with the movement of which there expands or contracts a spring 9 disposed below the ball bearings 8. The primary coil bundle 2, upper and lower coil bundles 3H and 3L, ball bearings 8 and spring 9 are housed in a housing 7, under which housing the lower part of contact probe 6 protrudes.
Thus the contact probe 6 protruding from the bottom end of the housing 7 moves up or down according as the device detects a displacement, thereby the magnetic core 4 connected to the rod 5 moves up or down the same distance.
On the other hand, when an electric voltage is applied to the primary coil bundle 2, a magnetic field is generated within the displacement measuring device 1, causing the magnetic core 4 to move in accordance with the displacement input. Thus, the distribution of magnetic fields in the respective secondary coil bundles 3H and 3L within the displacement measuring device 1 are changed and so the values for the difference in voltage in the form of differential voltages which are induced in the respective secondary coil bundles 3H and 3L due to the change in the magnetic fields are also changed, wherein the values for such differential voltages are proportional to the displacement inputs.
For such displacement measuring devices based on the conventional LVDT, an improvement in the sensitivity can be expected when the ratio of the windings for the secondary coil bundles to the windings for the primary coil bundle are large. Therefore, the number of the windings for the secondary coil bundles needs to be increased to increase the measurement sensitivity, with the result that the size of an overall displacement measuring device must be increased.
However, if the coil windings are more increased, the number of the coil windings must be limited due to capacity saturations, generation of non-linear elements or the like. Therefore, there was a disadvantage that a high selectivity is hardly attained
In addition, the type of measuring device with the components of a guide such as ball bearings, springs and the like has the drawback that sub-micron resolving power can not be attained because of the intrinsic non-linearity.
The present invention was created to resolve the above-described problems with the conventional art and the object of the present invention is to provide a super-precision high sensitivity displacement measuring device which is improved in its construction to facilitate a super-precision measurement and which has such a high resolving power as to be able to make sub-micron measurement due to increased sensitivity by using a guiding means for amplifying an input displacement
To that end, there is provided according to the invention a displacement measuring device with position resolving power, comprising: an electromagnetic system which forms a closed loop of magnetic bodies and which houses primary coils and secondary coils for forming magnetic field within said closed loop; guiding means which include displacement input parts and displacement output regions and which act to guide so that the displacement output regions can produce an output amplified in proportional to the displacement input to the displacement input parts, and a supporting means for supporting the displacement input parts of said guiding means so that the displacement may be input only in one axial direction.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a displacement measuring device, wherein said electromagnetic system includes a plurality of loop magnets in E-form, beam magnets connecting the upper and lower free ends of said loop magnets to form a closed loop, a plurality of primary coils wound around inward projections of said loop magnets, a plurality of magnetic cores which extend parallel to said beam magnets between opposite primary coils and which are positioned at a predetermined distance of less than millimeters from the end of inward projection of a loop magnet, the inward projection being wound by primary coil, and a plurality of secondary coils winding around said magnetic cores, wherein the magnetic cores are fixed, at their ends, to the displacement output regions of said guiding means.
According to still other aspect of the invention, there is provided a displacement measuring device, wherein said cores and said beam magnets are of the same material.
According to still other aspect of the invention, there is provided a displacement measuring device, wherein said guiding means, as plate springs with a thickness of some hundred micrometers, are so constructed that, below the lower edges of said plate springs there protrude the displacement input parts, above the displacement input parts there are positioned fixing regions, attached to the beam magnets, and on both sides of the fixing regions there are connected rotatable or tiltable regions, and that said fixing regions and said rotatable regions are provided in a symmetric manner in the upper edges as well beside the lower edges of the plate springs and displacement output regions connect the rotatable regions on the upper and lower edges of the plate spring; and wherein between a fixing region and rotatable regions, between a displacement input part and rotatable legions and between rotatable regions and a displacement output region, a connecting section or sections are connected, so that when a displacement is input in the displacement input parts, rotatable regions rotate around the connecting sections, as fulcrums, connecting the fixing legions and the rotatable regions to cause the displacement output as determined by a mathematical equation at the displacement output regions.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a displacement measuring device, wherein said plate springs are made of beryllium-copper and are attached to both sides of said electromagnetic system so that the both plate springs may extend parallel to the closed loop of the electromagnetic system.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a displacement measuring device, wherein said supporting means comprises a fixing block to be attached to the electromagnetic system, a movable block to have a contact probe mounted and to be fixed to the displacement input parts of said guiding means and supporting beams to connect said fixing block with said movable block.
According to still other aspect of the invention, there is provided a displacement measuring device, wherein said movable block is fixed, on its both faces, to the displacement input parts of the two sheets of plate springs on the both sides of said electromagnetic system, and said contact probe mounted on the movable block is oriented in the direction opposite to the beam magnets.
And, according to still other aspect of the invention, there is provided a displacement measuring device, wherein said supporting beams have the form of flat bars and connect the upper and lower faces of both the fixing block fixed to the bottom surface of the electromagnetic system and the movable block.
Thus, the high sensitivity displacement measuring device according to the present invention has the advantage that measurements in the sub-micron area can be easily made through the improvement in, for example, the coil arrangement, the closed loop structure and the decreased gaps at the opposite ends of magnetic cores, and particularly through the improvement in the output sensitivity based on the increased displacement amplification of the magnetic cores by the help of the displacement amplification mechanism of leaf springs, and that the control of the contact force for the probe is possible through the adjustment of the elastic modulus for leaf springs and the distances between connecting sections on the leaf springs.
Further, the present invention has another advantage that the movable block moves only in one direction, with supporting bars bearing the block, and the structure is less sensitive to the variation in external environment, i.e. noise or changing temperature thanks to the same material for both the beam magnets and the magnetic cores.

High sensitivity displacement measuring device using linear variable differential transformer

Abstract: According to the invention, there is provided a displacement measuring device with high resolution, comprising: an electromagnetic system (10) which forms a closed loop of magnetic blocks (17,19) and which houses primary coil bundles (11) and secondary coil bundles (13) for forming magnetic fields within said closed loop of magnetic blocks (17,19); plate springs (20) which include displacement input parts (21) and displacement output zones (24) fixed to the cores (14) having the secondary coils wound around them and which act to guide so that the displacement output zones (24) can output the displacement amplified in proportional to the displacement input to the displacement input parts (21); and a supporting mechanism (30) for supporting the displacement input parts (21) of said plate springs (20) so that the displacement may be input only in one axial direction.

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology


Various embodiments of a grooved substrate having electrical conductors and an electro optical material are disclosed.

Various devices such as displays may include materials that exhibit changes in response to electrical charges or electrical fields. In many circumstances, the rate at which such materials change in response to such charges or fields may be too slow. In other instances, the degree of change may be insufficient. In still other instances, the voltages or charges to effectuate the desired change may be too high.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


The process and apparatus more particularly relate to the manufacture of printed circuit boards. They are successively treated with a liquid on their top and bottom and intermediately turned over. The boards (23) are horizontally supplied to the turning over station (16) and after turning over are supplied to the station for the treatment of the second side thereof.

In the hitherto known processes printed circuit boards are returned after a one-sided treatment to the intake of the treatment apparatus and are then fed again into the latter in the turned over state.
Such a process does not fit into a production line based on a horizontal, continuous process, because the production line is interrupted as a result of the closed circuit guidance of the boards.

Process and apparatus for treatment of board-like articles


A thermal management that redirects the target of read transactions from a thermally failed Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) in one mirror, to the corresponding DIMM in the other mirror. The memory controller or MCH would effectively bias the read transactions toward the mirror that is best able to respond based on thermal feedback. Likewise, this may be used as a temporary redirection that continues for only as long as was required to reduce the operating temperature in the failing DIMM.

1. Field
This disclosure generally relates to thermal management via memory read biasing.
2. Background Information
The demand for more powerful computers and communication products has resulted in faster processors and memories that often have higher die temperatures and consume increasing amounts of power. However, design engineers struggle with reducing power consumption and die temperature.
One typical solution is a thermal throttle that throttles back the number of memory transactions that can be processed per a fixed period of time based on a current or projected temperature from a thermal sensor located on the memory chip. Consequently, the performance of the memory subsystem is decreased as a result of the decreased number of memory transactions.

Method, apparatus, and system for memory read transaction biasing in mirrored mode to provide thermal management


A memory erasing method and apparatus for erasing important data of a nonvolatile memory within the apparatus to prevent illegal access using attitude information measured in an inertial measurement sensor and a low power microprocessor regardless of the power supply state of the apparatus. The apparatus includes a power switching circuit unit for selecting one from among an external power source and a battery. An inertial measurement sensor measures attitude information of the memory erasing apparatus, using power supplied from the external power source or the battery. A low power microprocessor erases important data from a memory device in a first manner using power from the external power source, and in a second manner using power from the battery, the first manner being different from the second manner.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for erasing memory data and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for erasing important information from nonvolatile memory using an inertial measurement sensor and a low power microprocessor, regardless of the state of a power supply, when the embedded device is overturned.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are approaches to protect important data in a device from physical illegal tampering, such as opening, damage or cutting, when such activities are detected, as exemplified by incapacitating the memory device to be protected or erasing important information from the memory device.
Once a memory device storing important data to be protected is incapacitated, significant costs are required for reusing the memory device. Considering this, hence, an approach of erasing important data from the memory device itself may guarantee more effective security and safety.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the organization of a conventional device for erasing data from a memory device to protect against illegal tampering.
With reference to FIG. 1, the conventional device includes a cover 1 for protecting the device of interest, an illegal tampering detector 2 for detecting electric separation, a surface mounted device 3 to be protected, a circuit board 4 on which the device 3 is surface mounted, a connector 5, a controller 6 for erasing or incapacitating data, and a power supplier 7 for supplying electric power.
In FIG. 1, the device 3 is a memory apparatus in which data concerning security or authentication has been stored.
External impact, such as that attributed to the separation of the circuit board 4 from the cover 1 or the drilling of a hole through the cover 1, causes the connector 5 to separate from the contact, resulting in an electrical change which is readily detected by the illegal tampering detector 2. As soon as an illegal tampering signal from the illegal tampering detector 2 is received, the controller 6 erases or incapacitates data stored in the device 3 which must be protected from illegal tampering.
In addition, the cover 1 and circuit board 4 are combined with screws or other locking measures, and they can be separated for the purpose of repair by loosening the screws or releasing a locking mechanism.
The conventional memory erasing device shown in FIG. 1 is designed to operate a memory erasing function only in the case of a direct physical attack on the device. This design has the disadvantage of being unable to erase the memory at a phase before a physical attack. Another disadvantage is found in that the memory erasing function might not operate when abnormal manipulations other than illegal tampering such as opening, cutting or damaging the memory device occur.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for an approach for the safe and effective erasure of important data from a memory device to be protected at a stage before a physical attack (opening/cutting/damaging) on the memory device is made.
A prior art is disclosed in Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2013-0126804 which discloses a cover responsive to illegal tempering and abnormal manipulations to protect data in a protected device.

Method and apparatus for erasing memory data

ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE


A method and a system for controlling the operation of a telephone exchange from a subscriber connection. A direct communication connection is established between a subscriber connection and a telephone exchange control unit. One or more command macros executing a predetermined task with associated parameters are supplied from the subscriber connection to the telephone exchange control unit. The commands of the given command macro are executed in the control unit under the control of the parameters associated with each command.

This invention relates to a method and a system for controlling the operation of a telephone exchange from a subscriber connection.
In the design of digital telephone exchanges, various teleservices and control capabilities required by them are becoming increasingly important. Competing operators offer a wide variety of modern teleservices to tempt customers to their networks. Standardization authorities have also specified a plurality of services that will be standard properties in the telephone exchanges of all manufacturers.
Modern teleservices include various capabilities for manipulating telephone exchange data, which can be performed by a subscriber connected to the telephone exchange as subscribed control operations. In such a case, the subscriber defines the service or changes data associated with the service from his or her own telephone. The operator of the telephone exchange thereby has to guarantee that each subscriber has access only to his or her own data.
Services are also known in which the subscriber of a service consists of a group of subscribers. One example of such services is the Centrex service, in which a group of subscribers forms a private branch exchange (PBX), each of the subscribers being provided with services normally offered to PBX subscribers. There are also other services in which so-called virtual networks, i.e. service groups, are formed within a public exchange. Even in such cases the customer often also wants to manage his or her own virtual network. A problem therewith is how to offer a data management connection which gives access to the subscriber's own virtual network data whereas no other data are available to the subscriber.
Exchange systems normally comprise an operation control interface through which all required changes in data can be made. The operation control interface comprises several hundreds of different commands for managing the data and the operation of the exchange. The command system also comprises verification of access rights, which allows each telephone exchange operator to have individually specified access rights to the different commands. A drawback of the systems presently in use is, however, that the right to use a specific command cannot be confined to certain subscriber connections only. For example, if an operator has been authorized to change the parameters of subscriber services, the same operator has simultaneously been authorized to manipulate the parameters of all the subscribers of the exchange. The present-day systems do not allow distribution of the impact of a command on a virtual network basis, which has prevented extensive offering of control operations that may be performed via subscriber connections. In practice, this type of services is limited to very simple changes made by the subscriber in functions such as speech transfer.
More demanding data manipulation by the subscriber has to be performed by utilizing a front end computer. The subscriber's operator establishes a connection with the front end computer and manipulates data concerning its own virtual network by software designed for the purpose. The front end computer, at simplest a PC or a UNIX-based minicomputer, keeps record of the virtual networks and associated objects. The front end computer then establishes the actual connection with the exchange and executes the required commands to effect changes.

Method and system for controlling the operation of a telephone exchange from a subscriber connection


A gas pump including a first housing part (1) comprising a sealing surface (6); a second housing part (2) comprising a sealing surface (7); a delivery chamber (3) comprising an inlet (4) and an outlet (5) for a gas; and a delivery device (11, 12), which can be moved within the delivery chamber (3), for delivering the gas, wherein the housing parts (1, 2) are joined to each other such that they at least partially enclose the delivery chamber (3) over a circumference of the chamber, and such that their sealing surfaces (6, 7) abut each other in order to seal off the delivery chamber (3), and wherein a sealing recess (9) extends in at least one of the sealing surfaces (6, 7) around the delivery chamber (3) and is filled with a sealing liquid when the gas pump is in operation.

Negative pressure pumps are used in vehicles, for example to provide negative pressure for a brake servo. The pump can be arranged laterally on the cylinder head of a vehicle engine and driven by a cam shaft, as has been typical for a long time. Due to design space restrictions and also in order to reduce the specific design size, the negative pressure pump has in more recent times been arranged in the oil sump, in tandem arrangement with a lubricating oil pump. Due to the relatively great demands made on the strength of seal, it has hitherto been typical to provide a seal by means of an O-ring seal or a profiled form seal. The seal is intended to prevent air from being suctioned from the environment. In pumps attached to the outside of the engine, it is also intended to prevent oil from escaping. If it is arranged in the oil sump, it is no longer mandatory for the oil seal of the system to the outside to be absolute. In practice, the seal only then serves to avoid air being suctioned.
The sealing elements, such as for example O-ring seals and profiled form seals, are produced separately and inserted into a sealing groove of a housing part of the gas pump which encloses the delivery chamber or placed onto a front face of the housing part. They are secured on the housing part for and while being assembled. The sealing elements generate costs which, in particular in mass production such as is typical in vehicle production, can no longer be overlooked. Over the service life of the pump, the strength of seal will also suffer due to material degradation of the sealing elements.
Gas pumps which are embodied as vane cell pumps are for example disclosed in US 2012/0060683 A, U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,456 A and WO 2007/003215 A1.


A pin terminal assembly includes a pin terminal having a retention section and a cavity adaptor formed of a non-conductive material and engaging the retention section. The cavity adaptor has an outer shape corresponding to a cavity of a housing in which the pin terminal is inserted. The cavity adaptor retains the pin terminal in the cavity.

An electrical connector commonly includes a housing and a pin terminal disposed in a cavity of the housing. The shape of the pin terminal is adapted to the shape of the cavity in order to retain the pin terminal in the housing. The cavities of various housings have different shapes and, consequently, differently shaped pin terminals are designed and produced for each of the different cavities.
Due to the complex geometry of the pin terminal required for each of the different cavities, the different pin terminals are commonly produced by screw machining. The pin terminal is often formed from an expensive conductive material, leading to significant waste from the screw machining production process. The individualized production of the different pin terminals further leads to low manufacturing efficiency. Pin terminals shaped to be retained in a cavity of a housing are thus costly to produce and have limited flexibility in application.


The present invention provides effective supplement foods and safe pharmaceuticals, each having a hypotensive effect and anti-diabetic effect and no adverse effects. The supplement foods and pharmaceuticals of the present invention comprise squash extract mixed with onion extract. Synergistic effect of the two extracts can be expected by mixing the onion extract with the squash extract.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to supplement foods and pharmaceuticals composed of squash extract mixed with onion extract.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has been conventionally known that onion extract has an anti-diabetic effect (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-77232); Yoshimi Saitou, Effects of Onion Concentrated Dried Tablets (OCDT) on Postprandial Hyperglycemiain Diabetic Cases, Rinsho Iyaku (Clinical Medicines), Vol. 17 No. 7, 1089–1095 (2001); Yoshimi Saitou, Effects of Onion Concentrated Dried Tablets (OCDT) on Hyperlipidemia in Diabetic Cases, Rinsho Iyaku (Clinical Medicines), Vol. 17 No. 8, 1216–1221 (2001); Kazuhiko Yoshizawa, Yoshitaka Aiso, Clinical Effect of Tamaekisu on Type II Diabetics, Japan Diabetic Society Kanto-Koshinetsu District 41st Lecture Abstract, p.36 (2004)). It is also known that onion extract has a hypotensive effect (see, for example, Yoshimi Saitou, Effects of Onion Concentrated Dried Tablets (OCDT) on Postprandial Hyperglycemia in Diabetic Cases, Rinsho Iyaku (Clinical Medicines), Vol. 17 No.7, 1089–1095 (2001)). The hypotensive effect of squash extract is based on its angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory effect (ACE inhibitory effect). This was discovered by Abe and Kosaka among the inventors, and filed by the applicants (Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-312459).
Hypotensive agents having an ACE inhibitory effect (for example, calcium antagonists) have actions, which include actions of suppressing the new onset of diabetes, and actions of suppressing the onset of complications in diabetic patients (see, for example, Hansson L et al.: Effect of angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibition compared with conventional therapy on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in hypertension: the Captoril Prevention Project (CAPPP) randomized trial, Lancet 353:611, 1999; Yusuf S et al.; Effect of angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor, ramipuril, on cardiovascular events in high-risk patients: The Heart Outcome Prevention Evaluation Study Investigators, N. Engl J Med 342:145, 2000). Its mechanism of action is to cause an increase in sensitivity to insulin, i.e. the reduced action of insulin resistance has been suggested (see, for example, Tetsuya Shinai, Masatsugu Horiuchi, Angiotensin and Diabetic Complications, Gendai Iyaku (Modern Medicines), Vol. 35 No. 9, (2003)).
It is said that there are approximately 14 million diabetic patients including potential patients, and about 40% are presumed to be receiving medical drug therapy. However, in the case of medical drug therapy, adverse effects are of concern. The tremendous cost of medical drug therapy is also a problem in view of medical economics.
It is therefore desirable for patients with mild diabetes or potential patients about to develop diabetes to utilize effective supplement food (processed food) etc., if available, without receiving any medical drug therapy.
However, currently commercially available processed foods of onion extract such as those seen in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-77232 have not been satisfactory with respect to their effect.
The present inventors discovered that squash extract mixed with onion extract has excellent ACE inhibitory activity (described later in Examples 1 to 3), and therefore have filed an application entitled, "Supplementary Foods Effective In Reducing Blood Pressure" (Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-312459). As mentioned above, since the hypotensive effect based on ACE inhibitory activity also suppresses new onset diabetes, it is expected that supplement foods containing squash extract mixed with onion extract will have an anti-diabetic effect as well as the hypotensive effect. When these supplement foods were administered to diabetic patients with hypertension complications, extremely good performance as described later was obtained.
Supplement foods containing squash extract mixed with onion extract may not only be used as supplement foods (processed foods), but also as pharmaceuticals.
The object of the present invention therefore is to provide more effective supplement foods and safe pharmaceuticals with no adverse effects by means of both the hypotensive effect and anti-diabetic effect.


In one example an apparatus comprises accelerator logic to pre-compute at least a portion of a message representative, hash logic to generate the message representative based on an input message, and signature logic to generate a signature to be transmitted in association with the message representative, the signature logic to apply a hash-based signature scheme to a private key to generate the signature comprising a public key, and determine whether the message representative satisfies a target threshold allocation of computational costs between a cost to generate the signature and a cost to verify the signature. Other examples may be described.

Subject matter described herein relates generally to the field of computer security and more particularly to parallel processing techniques for hash-based signature algorithms.
Existing public-key digital signature algorithms such as Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) and Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) are anticipated not to be secure against brute-force attacks based on algorithms such as Shor's algorithm using quantum computers. As a result, there are efforts underway in the cryptography research community and in various standards bodies to define new standards for algorithms that are secure against quantum computers.
Accordingly, techniques to accelerate post-quantum signature schemes such may find utility, e.g., in computer-based communication systems and methods.

Fast XMSS signature verification and nonce sampling process without signature expansion


A snow removal system utilizes a towing frame having a towing device such as a winch or winch crank. A towing line extends in a straight line path directly from the towing device to a uniquely shaped snow shovel having dual, concave shaped blades. Actuation of the towing device pulls the snow shovel towards the towing frame, causing snow on the ground surface to accumulate on and slide off and to the side of the blades.

As anyone who has done so can attest, manually shoveling snow off one's driveway or sidewalk is a laborious, even back-breaking task. While there have been many different shovels, tools, and systems which have been proposed to make this job of manual snow removal from sidewalks, driveways, paths, or walkways more efficient and less of an effort, clearing snow, for the most part, remains physically exerting. Other than configuring snow shovel handles, purportedly to assist in alleviating back and leg strain, there has been little advancement in addressing snow removal. There are no tools or systems readily and practically available to the home or building owner which accomplishes the effective removal of snow, without the physical exertion which accompanies the process.


A high performance microprocessor bus protocol for improving system throughput. The bus protocol enables overlapping read burst and write burst bus transactions to a cache, and interleaved bus transactions during external fetch cycles for missed cache lines. The bus protocol is implemented in a system comprising a CPU, and a secondary cache. The secondary cache comprises an SRAM array cache, and a cache controller. The CPU contains an instruction pipeline and a primary cache system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer system architecture. More particularly, the present invention relates to microprocessor bus protocols for cache memories to improve computer system throughput.
2. Art Background
A common technique for improving computer system throughput is to employ a cache memory. A cache memory is a limited size fast memory, usually made up of static RAMs (SRAMs) which store blocks of data, known as lines, that reflect selected external memory locations. A cache memory is smaller than the external memory it reflects, which means that the cache memory is typically not fully addressable, and must store a tag field for each data line. A tag field identifies the external memory address corresponding to a particular data line.
When the processor issues a read request and an address corresponding to a desired data line, the cache memory is checked by comparing the address to tag fields maintained by a cache controller. If the desired data line is stored in the cache, a hit occurs, and the desired data line is available to the processor. If the desired data line is not stored in the cache, a miss occurs, and the desired data line must be fetched from slower external memory.
In prior cache memory systems, a read transaction typically requires three steps: the processor transmitting an address to the cache, the cache controller checking the tags, and the processor reading the data line from the cache if a hit occurs. Thereafter, the processor transmits a next address to the cache and the sequence repeated. In fact, this three step sequence repeats for each data line read from the cache.
Similarly, prior cache systems typically require a three step write transaction: the processor transmitting an address and corresponding data line to the cache, the cache controller checking the tags, and the cache controller storing the data line in the cache. The processor then transmits a next address and data line to the cache and the sequence repeats.
In prior cache memory systems, achieving higher throughput rates required decreasing the latency of bus signals. However, as higher clock frequencies are used, latency limits are reached because of the inherent physical characteristics of bus signal lines. For example, increasing frequencies cause problems with signal reflections on the bus signal lines.
As will be described, the present high performance microprocessor bus protocol improves system throughput by performing read burst and write burst bus transactions to a cache, and by interleaving bus transactions during external fetch cycles for missed cache lines. Bus performance is improved by achieving high throughput at high bus frequencies, despite physical constraints on overall bus latency.

Performing overlapping burst memory accesses and interleaved memory accesses on cache misses


A drive system for a wire dot head is provided with sensors for detecting displacements of corresponding print wires. Each sensor outputs a movement initiation timing signal and an impact timing signal for the corresponding print wire. An electric current to be fed to an associated coil is normally controlled by these timing signals. It is detected whether these timing signals are obtained in a predetermined time period. If not, electric power is continuously fed to the coil or is forcedly cut off so that the timing signals are obtained within the predetermine time period.

This invention relates to a drive system for a wire dot head in an impact printer. 2) Description of the Related Art
Wire dot printers have attracted a high demand to date because they do not impose any limitation on the type of printing medium and permit printing even on copying paper sheets or the like. Each wire dot printer is provided with a wire dot head which is constructed to drive each print wire by magnetic attractive force of an associated permanent magnet.
Such wire dot printers can each be classified into one of three groups depending on the type of its wire dot head, namely, into the plunger type, the spring-charged type or the clapper type.
In a spring-charged printer out of these printers, each armature with a print wire secured thereon is supported for rocking motion on a biasing leaf spring so that the armature is attracted on a core by a permanent magnet against resilient force of the biasing leaf spring. Upon printing, a coil wound around the core is energized to produce a magnetic flux in a direction opposite to the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet, whereby the armature is released from the core.
Incidentally, the drive time of a wire dot head has heretofore been determined in a whole-sale manner by a time circuit to set the drive time at an optimal value predicted based on empirical data of voltage variations of a power supply.
Due to variations in the characteristics of the wire dot head, variations in the distance between a free end of each print wire and a printing medium, magnetic interference between coils, variations in the characteristics of the coils, etc., the drive time set by the timer circuit may, however, deviate from a drive time actually required.
A shorter drive time leads to the problem that the impacting speed of the free end of each print wire against the printing medium is small and the energy upon printing is hence small to result in poor printing quality or the free end of each print wire does not reach the printing medium to make it impossible to perform printing. A longer drive time, on the other hand, leads to a delay in the application of attractive force subsequent to the projection of each print wire, so that the print wire is delayed in returning to its home position. The print wire cannot therefore project in time for the next print so that printing must be performed at a lower printing speed.
Wire dot head drive systems have therefore been provided, which can maintain the printing quality without the need for lowering the printing speed even when the required drive time varies from one printing operation to another or from one print wire to another (U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,343 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,020).
In each of such wire dot head drive systems, each print wire or its associated armature is provided with a sensor for detecting each displacement of the print wire or armature. A signal corresponding to the displacement of the print wire is obtained from the sensor to extract the initiation timing of a movement of the print wire and the timing of an impact of the printing wire against the printing medium. At these timings, an electric current to be fed to a corresponding coil is controlled.
In each of the conventional wire dot head drive system described above, however, the sensor provided for the detection of each displacement of each print wire or armature tends to be affected by noise because it relies upon the measurement of a resulting minute variation in capacitance. A large variation in the voltage of a power supply, which takes place by an induction noise from an adjacent circuit pattern on a printed circuit board or upon driving another print wire, may not be eliminated by a low-pass filter incorporated in a sensor circuit so that a timing pulse extractor may extract such a large voltage variation as a timing signal. In this case, signals may be switched over at a timing earlier than that expected initially. Further, a rebound of a print wire operated immediately before a sensor signal may change over the sensor signal at a timing much earlier than that expected initially.
In such a case, the time of impression of a drive voltage to a coil becomes shorter so that a printing blur or a missing dot tends to occur. Enhancement of a power supply pattern or the provision of a shield to avoid influence of noise, however, results in an increase in the number of parts, thereby leading to a larger and more costly wire dot head.
If the performance of a wire dot head is deteriorated by difficulties in feeding an electric current to each coil due to poor contact of connectors arranged in a current flow path or an unduly large drop in the voltage of a power supply or by an excessive reduction in the resilient force for each print wire, sensor signals are switched over at a timing much slower than that expected initially. In addition, no sensor signal may be outputted in some instances for deficient sensors, improper setting of the voltage, an excessive head gap or difficult movements of print wires. Even in such a case, the drive voltage is still impressed continuously. This leads not only to an increase in the power consumption by the coils and drive circuits but also to a malfunction of the wire dot head due to the generation of heat, burning, breakage of print wires, or the like.
Further, an unduly wide head gap results in an excessive delay in the timing at which print wires impact a printing medium. In this case, the return of each print wire subsequent to an impact is delayed so that the print wire may not be able to assume its home position in time for the next printing or the print wire may catch an ink ribbon to cause printing smear or print wire breakage. When a print wire catches the ink ribbon or printing medium or is broken for other reasons, the timing at which print wires impact the printing medium is also delayed excessively.


A power supply potential and a ground potential are supplied to a test-use power supply pad and a test-use ground pad, respectively. The power supply potential supplied to the test-use power supply pad is transferred to power supply lines and then to each circuit block via a test-use power supply line and a potential transfer circuit including a diode device. A voltage drop is caused by each of the diode devices. To cope with the voltage drop, however, respective sizes of the diode devices and resistance components of the potential transfer circuits are configured so that a uniform voltage drop is generated at each of the power supply lines.

The present invention relates to techniques for reducing the number of terminals requiring probes when probe testing and wafer level burn-in is performed in fabrication process steps for fabricating a semiconductor device.
In recent years, as the degree of shrinking and integration of semiconductor devices has been enhanced, development of system LSI has become mainstream. In a system LSI, integrated circuits having various different functions are placed within a single chip or a single package, and individual power supply systems and ground systems provided for the integrated circuits, respectively, have to be integrated as a single power supply system and a single ground system of the chip or of the package.
However, when influences of noise interference between a digital circuit and an analog circuit or between a plurality of analog circuits due to sharing of a power supply system and a ground system is not negligible, normally, using some kind of means, power supply systems and ground systems have to be separated. As a result, a plurality of power supply terminals and a plurality of ground terminals have to be provided. The number of required power supply terminals and ground terminals is increased as the degree of integration is increased.
In process steps for fabricating a semiconductor integrated circuit, as the degree of shrinking and integration has been enhanced, the number of chips obtained from a single wafer has been increased. Especially, since recent arrival of 300 mm wafer, this tendency has become more prominent. Therefore, in process steps of fabricating a semiconductor integrated circuit in mass production, how efficiently testing and burn-in can be performed at low cost has become a challenge.
One of the most effective solutions to this challenge is to examine a plurality of integrated circuits by a single test. Especially, in recent years, there are an increased number of cases where wafer level burn-in, i.e., burn-in to be performed at a wafer level, is applied even for packaged products and thus a stress can be applied to the integrated circuits in a lump for each wafer. In this testing technique, as the degree of integration is enhanced and the number of chips obtained from a single wafer is increased, its effects in efficiency and cost performance become larger. By the same token, in for probe testing, when the number of chips obtained from a single wafer is increased, an immense amount of time is required to test a single wafer, and therefore a plurality of semiconductor integrated circuits (e.g., 8, 16 or 32 semiconductor integrated circuits) are tested at the same time to increase efficiency and reduce costs for testing.
However, in this technique, the number of probes becomes a problem. Especially, in wafer level burn-in, since the number of probes provided per chip is limited because of restrictions for a burn-in equipment, it is not possible to apply probes to all pads of a system LSI at the same time. Needless to say, this problem more largely influences as the number of chips obtained from a single wafer is increased.
In addition, as has been described, in a system LSI, a plurality of different power supply systems exist and a large number of power supply terminals and ground terminals exist. Therefore, the number of pads requiring probes when wafer level burn-in is performed is likely to be increased and thus the number of probes becomes a more serious problem.
To solve this problem, according to a first known technique, respective power supply lines of a plurality of circuit blocks are connected to separate power supply pads, respectively, and a switch circuit is provided between a specific one of the power supply lines and each of the other ones of the power supply lines. When testing is performed, a power supply potential is applied to one of the power supply pads connected to the specific one of the power supply lines and the switch circuits are turned to be in a conduction state (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,099).
According to a second known technique, as a measure against ESD (electrostatic discharge), inter-power-supply protection transistors are provided so that each of the protection transistors is connected in parallel to each switch circuit between the power supply lines. As another option, each of the inter-power-supply protection transistors serves as a switch circuit between power supply lines (see United States Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0067899).
However, in each of the first and second known techniques, when wafer level burn-in is performed, a power supply potential is supplied to a plurality of circuit blocks via their respective switch circuits from a single power pad, so that a difference in potential level between power supply potentials of the plurality of circuit blocks is generated. The difference in potential level corresponds to an amount of a voltage drop due to an ON resistance of each switch circuit. Therefore, wafer level burn-in is performed in a state where respective potentials applied to the plurality of circuit blocks are different and a stress level becomes non-uniform in a semiconductor integrated circuit.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


This invention relates to a crosstalk detecting apparatus for detecting crosstalk which can occur when an image signal FM-modulated and recorded on a recording medium is read. The crosstalk detecting apparatus calculates a valve indicative of the amount of crosstalk originating from an adjacent track based on a signal read by a pickup, utilizing a simple construction. The cross-talk detecting apparatus according to the present invention is adapted to detect crosstalk during a period in which an identification signal recorded on the medium is being read therefrom, and comprises an FM-demodulator for demodulating the signal read from the medium, an AM-demodulator for demodulating the signal read from the medium, a multiplier circuit for multiplying the signal output from the FM-demodulator with the signal output from the AM-demodulator and an averaging circuit for averaging the values output by the multiplier circuit.

This invention relates to a crosstalk detecting apparatus for detecting the crosstalk which may arise from an adjacent track and of a recording medium when an image signal that has been FM-modulated and recorded on the recording medium is read out.
A high definition signal having 1,125 horizontal scanning lines per frame requires a much wider frequency band in comparison to an NTSC signal having 525 horizontal scanning lines. Specifically, a frequency band of approximately 30 MHz is needed.
One method of recording such a wide-band high-definition signal on an optical disk or the like is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2-143589, entitled "Apparatus and Recording Medium for Recording High-Vision Signal".
According to this prior art, three tracks on a recording medium are used simultaneously to accumulatively process an inputted high-definition signal, which is then divided for every three consecutive scanning lines. Signals corresponding to the divided three scanning lines are recorded on the three tracks in a corresponding relationship. In other words, the simultaneous use of the three tracks causes a sweeping time to be multiplied by a factor of three, which in turn, allows the frequency band for the recorded signals to be reduced to 1/3.
When an image signal is recorded on a recording medium, a signal specific having a different level for each of the three tracks (this signal is hereinafter referred to as an identification signal) is added to the image signal in order to identify the three different tracks during reproduction of the signal. The composite signal is then FM-modulated and recorded on the recording medium. Thus, for a period corresponding to the added identification signal a reproduced output contains an FM wave generated when the identification signal was FM-modulated. The FM wave of different frequency is reproduced for each of the three tracks. When using the described three-track arrangement to read out signals from a recording medium on which FM-modulated signals have been recorded, pickups for reading out the signals must be controlled to perpendicularly face the tracks. Generally, for controlling a pickup to face a track correctly, a servo system is employed which detects signals indicative of displacement of the pickup from the perpendicularly facing position of the track, and the moves the pickup so as to reduce the displacement to 0.
The present invention provides an apparatus for detecting a signal corresponding to the above-mentioned signals indicative of a displacement. Conventionally, as described in Japanese Laid-open Utility Model Application No. 59-168835, entitled "Apparatus for Optically Reading Information", light emitted from a light emitting element and reflected by the disk surface is received by a pair of light receiving elements associated with the light emitting element, and the difference between their output signals is output as a displacement.
Conventionally, therefore, the displacement signal is obtained from the difference between output signals from two light receiving elements associated with a light emitting element. For this purpose, the light emitting element and light receiving elements must be placed at highly precise positions, which must be performed by an expert. Also, even if an outputted displacement signal indicates zero, some of the signal read by a pickup may be mixed with crosstalk from an adjacent track.

Apparatus using demodulators to detect crosstalk from a signal read from a recording medium


A fluid level sensor probe is provided. The fluid level sensor probe includes a housing, a first and second electrode, and an electric circuit. The first electrode is located on a first surface of the housing. A second surface of the housing is located adjacent the first surface and forms an angle with the second surface of about 90° or less. The first and second electrode are substantially flush with the housing. Further, the size of the first surface and angle between the first and second surface is configured to prevent a contiguous fluid droplet from forming across the first and second electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a fluid level sensor probe.
2. Description of Related Art
Typically, electronic fluid level sensor probes include two dual electrodes that are immersed in fluid. The sensor acts like an electronic switch. As such, the switch provides either an open or closed output when submersed in the fluid. If the fluid level is such that a contiguous path of fluid contacts both probes and, therefore, allows current to flow between the two probes through the fluid, then an electronic circuit sends a signal indicating fluid is present based on the electrically closed circuit. Otherwise, the electronic fluid level sensor probe indicates no fluid is present, based on the electrically opened circuit.
One problem with currently existing probes is that fluid capillary action causes a bubble or droplet to remain contiguous across the probes and, therefore, a conductive path across the probe contacts for upwards of fifteen to twenty minutes after the probe is no longer immersed in the fluid.
In view of the above, it is apparent that there exists a need for an improved fluid level sensor probe.


A simple and safe means is provided to gain entry into the rotor hub of a wind turbine for maintenance operations within the hub. A ladder-like structure is mounted onto the rotor hub using the same bolts attaching a fixed outer race of the pitch bearing for the rotor blades. The ladder-like structure has integral with it a protective cage to the front, forming a basket. Structural elements for grasping are provided to a worker over the full path traversed from the nacelle to the entry hatch of the hub. An expanded area between rungs may be provided to facilitate entry by a service worker into the safety cage area. Lifting ears made also be formed with tubular sections integrated into the ladder-like structure.

The invention relates generally to wind turbines and more specifically to structures for enhancing installation and maintenance activities related to wind turbines.
Wind turbine towers are large structures, sometimes extending to significant heights to accommodate large wind turbine rotor blades and to strategically place the rotor blades within a wind path. For example, a typical tower may have a height as high as about 100 meters (m). Such a tower may include multiple sections, often a bottom, a middle and a top section. The length and number of individual sections may vary according to the application and height of the structure. At various heights of the wind turbine tower, landings are provided. The landings include openings for ladders to allow operators and maintenance personnel to climb between landings. The landings may also include openings above each other to allow small components, tools and equipment to be lifted from a base of the wind turbine tower to a top landing of the tower.
Mounted on top of the support tower for wind turbines is a nacelle. The nacelle houses, or encloses, the equipment and components of the wind turbine and includes hubs for the wind turbine blades and the power train including the bearing, gearbox and electrical generator for the wind turbine.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wind turbine tower. Nacelle 102 is mounted atop a tall tower 104, only a portion of which is shown in FIG. 1. Wind turbine 100 also comprises a rotor 106 that includes one or more rotor blades 108 attached to a rotating hub 110. Although the wind turbine 100, as illustrated includes three rotor blades 108, there are no specific limits on the number of rotor blades. The rotating hub 110 may include an access hatch 107 at a forward end.
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary internal arrangement for various components housed in nacelle 102. In some configurations, one or more microcontrollers within control panel 112 comprise a control system used for overall system monitoring and control. In some configurations, a variable blade pitch drive 114 is provided to control the pitch of blades 108 (not shown in FIG. 2) that rotor hub 110 as a result of wind. In some configurations, the pitch angles of blades 108 are individually controlled by blade pitch drive 114. Rotor blades attach to the hub on inner flange of a rotating race for rotor blade bearing. A stationary race for the rotor blade bearing is mounted to the hub. Rotor hub 110 and blades 108 together comprise wind turbine rotor 106. A spinner-assembly 105, shaped like a nose cone, may cover the exterior of the hub, including spaces between rotor blades. Access hatch 107 may be provided at the forward end of rotor hub 110. At least one access port 135 may be provided to the internal spaces of spinner assembly 105. At least one rail or ladder 136 may be provided for crossing an outer surface of the spinner assembly to the access port 135. Lifting ears 160 for the rotor hub 110 may be provided.
FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a rotor blade bearing flange of the rotor hub with a removed blade. The pitch drive 114, which is firmly fixed to rotor hub 110, is mounted inside the rotor hub. Drive element 130 of pitch drive 114 is a gear wheel, which interacts with the inner gear rim of flange 132. Flange 132 may be firmly attached to a rotor blade and is rotatably located within rotor hub 110 (attached to the rotating race for the rotor blade bearing). Thus, pitch drive 114 enables a swiveling movement of its corresponding rotor blade, whereby the swivel axis of the rotor blade is roughly parallel to the longitudinal axis of the blade. Outer flange 134 may hold stationary race for the rotor blade bearing and is bolted with a plurality of peripheral bolts 111 to the rotor hub 110.
The bolts 111 holding outer flange 134 may currently also serve for mounting of lifting ears 160 in place on the hub 110. As mounted, the lifting ears 160 may project generally radially from the hub 110, and circumferentially with respect to the outer flange 134 of the rotor blade bearing, such that lifting ears on adjacent rotor blade bearing outer flanges 134 line up. A plurality of holes 165 may be provided in the lifting pads 160 for lifting slings to enable lowering and hoisting of the hub 110 to its operating position on the tower.
While such dedicated lifting pads are functional for hub lifts, each lifting pad may weigh about 300 lbs and is expensive for the this limited function. Further, unnecessary weight at the top of a 100 meter tower is undesirable.
Again referring to FIG. 2, the wind turbine includes a main rotor shaft 116 connected to hub 110 via main bearing 119. Gearbox 118 drives a high-speed shaft of generator 120. In other configurations, main rotor shaft 116 is coupled directly to generator 120. The high-speed shaft (not identified in FIG. 2) is used to drive generator 120, which is mounted on mainframe 117. In some configurations, rotor torque is transmitted via coupling 122.
FIG. 4 illustrates a spinner assembly 105 for a wind turbine hub in greater detail. A strong, but lightweight exterior covering of fiberglass or the like is provided to form a front nose section 151 with three extensions 152 formed to the rear. The rear directed extensions 152 may cover the hub area between the rotor blades. Each extension may be mounted to an exterior surface on the hub with multiple struts 153, thereby providing support for the entire spinner assembly. The spinner assembly 105 may provide for three access ports 135, one between the nose section 151 and each extension piece 152. The exterior surface of the spinner extension may include a fiberglass rail or a fiberglass ladder 136 with rungs for the operator to climb on. When the hub is aligned such that any of the three access ports is on top, a worker may climb over the hub, using the rail or ladder 136 and enter the spinner assembly 105 through the access port using the associated ladder 136. Once inside the spinner assembly, the worker may use a ladder complex 138 to move about to get to a front hatch 107 of the huh, from which entrance to the hub is possible.
FIG. 5 illustrates an isometric view of a typical hub arrangement with the spinner assembly removed. Front hatch 107 is opened to gain access to the interior of the hub 110.
While the spinner assembly provides a nose cone and entry scheme to the front hatch of the hub, it is an expensive component and it is not required for a streamlined wind flow around the nacelle. At the same time, the access route between the nacelle and the access ports into the spinner may provide limited gripping points for a worker traversing the route, while at a height of over 100 meters from the ground.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a safe and effective way for operators to gain entry to the hub, without requiring major changes to the hub structure.

Spinner-less hub access and lifting system for a wind turbine


A seal for use in sealing on a wellhead assembly, where the seal is pressure energized and comprises an annular element having an inverted portion on its outer portion along its length. The seal may further include upper and lower ring members sandwiching the element between the ring members. The seal is formable by adjoining the open surfaces of two “W” shaped annular seals along their edges thereby forming an element responsive to pressure.

1. Field of Invention
The device described herein relates generally to wellhead assemblies, and in particular to provide a pressure seal for use with a wellhead assembly.
2. Description of Related Art
Wellheads used in the production of hydrocarbons extracted from subterranean formations typically comprise a wellhead assembly. Wellhead assemblies are attached at the opening of wellbores that intersect hydrocarbon producing formations. Wellhead assemblies also provide support for casing inserted into the wellbore. The casing lines the wellbore, thereby isolating the wellbore from the surrounding formation. Tubing typically lies concentric within the casing and provides a conduit for producing the hydrocarbons entrained within the formation. Wellhead assemblies also typically include production trees that connect to the upper end of the tubing and distribute the produced fluids. The tubing may be supported by a tubing hanger in the wellhead housing or in the production tree.
Hardware within the wellheads for suspending the tubing and casing is arranged in a concentric arrangement. If the hanger is in the wellhead housing an isolation sub extends between the tubing hanger and a production bore in the production tree. Various seals are employed between the sub and its mating parts.


A refrigerant compressor for a refrigeration system comprises a common housing, a compressor unit arranged in the common housing, a mechanical compressor drive unit for the compressor unit, arranged in a drive chamber, a lubricant bath forming in the drive chamber, an intake duct that extends in a manner separated from the drive chamber and through which the compressor unit draws in by suction refrigerant that is to be compressed. The intake duct and the drive chamber are connected by a gas equaliser duct, which allows a permanent equalisation of gas, and which has on one side an opening on the drive chamber side and on the other an opening on the intake side, and of which the duct length between the openings corresponds to at least twice an equivalent duct diameter, in particular a smallest equivalent duct diameter, of the gas equaliser duct.

The invention relates to a refrigerant compressor, in particular for a refrigeration system, including a common housing, a compressor unit arranged in the common housing, a mechanical compressor drive unit for the compressor unit, arranged in a drive chamber of the common housing, a lubricant bath forming in the drive chamber, an intake duct that extends in the common housing in a manner separated from the drive chamber and through which the compressor unit draws in by suction refrigerant that is to be compressed.
Refrigerant compressors of this kind are known from the prior art.
In common, they have the problem that on the outtake side of the compressor an appreciable spurt of lubricant occurs—that is to say there is an appreciable proportion of lubricant in the compressed refrigerant—which is undesirable.
The object of the invention is therefore to provide a refrigerant compressor in which the spurting of lubricant is reduced to the greatest possible extent.

Refrigerant compressor with gas equalizer duct


An audio/video plug detecting apparatus and the method thereof applied in an audio/video apparatus is provided. The audio/video apparatus for outputting a plurality of audio/video signals comprises a plurality of includes multiple contact sections. The detecting apparatus comprises includes a jack for accommodating the audio/video plug, a section number detector for detecting the number of the contact sections, a controller for determining a plurality of multiple possible output arrangements according to the number of the contact sections, and a display circuit for displaying the possible output arrangements in a menu from which where the user selects an active output arrangement from.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a plug detecting apparatus and the method thereof, and more particularly to an audio/video plug detecting apparatus and the method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Along with the continual renovation in science and technology, various audio/video apparatuses are developed to satisfy consumers' needs in their work or entertainment. Examples of audio/video apparatus are the DVD player, VCD player, digital camera, digital video recorder, CD player or MP3 player.
For example, some of the digital cameras have an audio/video output jack for outputting images and sounds. After an audio/video plug coupled to an external TV has been loaded into the jack of the digital camera, the photos or video stored in the digital camera can be displayed on the external TV for the convenience of the user's viewing.
For example, the CD player has an audio output jack for outputting audio signals through a left sound channel or a right sound channel. An external speaker or headset receives the audio signals via an audio plug coupled to the jack of the CD player. The above examples show that the output specifications for the jacks used in various audio/video apparatuses are different.
FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are schematic diagrams of an audio/video plug. FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a three-sectional plug. Three-sectional plug 10 includes two contact sections 11 and 13 disposed at the front end of the plug and a contact section 15 disposed at the rear end of the plug, wherein the contact sections are separated by isolation sections 12 and 14. While the three-sectional plug 10 is used in the CD player, the three contact sections 11, 13 and 15 are for receiving the left sound channel signals and the right sound channel signals and for grounding, respectively. While the three-sectional plug 10 is used in the digital camera, the three contact sections 11, 13, 15 are probably arranged for receiving a single sound channel signal and a video signal and for grounding, respectively.
FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of a four-sectional plug. Four-sectional plug 20 includes contact sections 21 and 23 disposed at the front end of the plug and contact sections 25 and 27 disposed at the rear end of the plug, wherein the contact sections are separated by isolation sections 22, 24 and 26. While the four-sectional plug 20 is used in the digital camera, the contact sections 21, 23, 25 and 27 are probably arranged for receiving left sound channel signals, right sound channel signals, and video signals and for grounding, respectively, or arranged in other ways.
However, users may easily get confused which audio/video apparatus should use which plug. As disclosed above, audio/video apparatuses of various kinds require plugs of various sections, and the definitions of contact sections are different from one plug to another. Consequently, the plug of one audio/video apparatus cannot be used in another audio/video apparatus. Since a user may have more than one audio/video apparatus, the large variety of plugs are quite confusing and are difficult to be replaced if misplaced.

Audio/video plug detecting apparatus and method thereof


The image processing device 1 generates edge image data from input image data, measures the distances between edge pixels in the main and secondary scanning direction, and interpolates between the edge pixels where said distances are less than a specified number of pixels in order to generate connecting edge image data of a group of connecting edge pixels. Next, it extracts a rectangular area circumscribing said group of connecting edge pixels as a local area, extracts diagonal direction edge components of said input image data that belong to said local area, and identifies said local area if the content of said diagonal direction edge components is within a specified range.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing device for identifying areas of image data that include character images without relying on a character recognition process.
2. Description of Related Art
The process of separating an area containing only character images (hereinafter called "character image area") from image data of a document and extract image data consisting only of pixels which constitute character images (hereinafter called "character image data") has hitherto been carried out by using the character recognition process. However, since the character recognition process depends on the OS (operating system) and has need of a dictionary file, it has not been suitable for being built into a scanner or a dedicated image processing device.
On the other hand, a method of identifying character image areas without relying on the character recognition process is disclosed by JP-A-09-186861. Said method has a problem that, since it makes a judgment whether an extracted area is a character image area based on a premise that the peripheral areas of a character image is monochromatic and most of its frequency components consist of direct current components, characters on colored areas reproduced in screens, for example, such as on magazine pages have peripheral areas that their frequency characteristic lacks said features thus making said method unsuitable for properly extracting character image areas. Moreover, since the method identifies an area by a unit of specified block (8×8 DCT transformation), so that if it makes a misjudgment, it can end up generating a partially defective character, or a strange-looking image when placed in a string of characters.
On the other hand, in an image processing of document image data, it is not necessary to extract a document image area as an area containing only character images but rather it is sufficient to extract it as an area containing mainly character images (hereinafter called "character image containing area"), and an image processing to a document image data can be efficiently and simply carried out, in some cases, by applying an image processing suitable for character images to the character image containing areas thus obtained.

Image processing device, image processing method, image processing program, and computer readable recording medium on which image processing program is recorded

Abstract: The image processing device according to the present invention makes it possible to identify character areas correctly even in case of character images on complex color area reproduced by a screen, etc., and also extract character areas without causing problems such as partially missing defective characters.


A magnetic recording medium includes a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, and a non-magnetic coupling layer provided between the first and second magnetic layers so that the first and second magnetic layers are exchange-coupled and the magnetizations of the first and second magnetic layers are antiparallel. The first magnetic layer has an exchange coupling field Hex1 which is larger than the respective coercivities Hc1 and Hc2 of the first and second magnetic layers.

This application claims the benefit of a Japanese Patent Application No.2001-272601 filed Sep. 7, 2001, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to magnetic recording media and magnetic storage apparatuses, and more particularly to a magnetic recording medium which is suited for high-density recording and capable of carrying out high-speed recording and reproduction, and to a magnetic storage apparatus which uses such a magnetic recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to the developments in information processing technology, there are increased demands for high-density magnetic recording media. For example, for a hard disk, the magnetic recording media required to satisfy such demands should include such characteristics as low noise and improved thermal stability.
The recording density of longitudinal magnetic recording media, such as magnetic disks, has been increased considerably due to the reduction of medium noise and the development of magnetoresistive and high-sensitivity spin-valve heads. A typical magnetic recording medium is comprised of a substrate, an underlayer, a magnetic layer, and a protection layer which are successively stacked in this order. The underlayer is made of Cr or a Cr alloy, and the magnetic layer is made of a Co alloy.
Various methods have been proposed to reduce the medium noise. For example, Okamoto et al., "Rigid Disk Medium For 5 Gbit/in2 Recording", AB-3, Intermag '96 Digest, proposes decreasing the grain size and size distribution of the magnetic layer by reducing the magnetic layer thickness by the proper use of an underlayer made of CrMo. U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,426 proposes the use of an underlayer made of NiAl. Further, Hosoe et al., "Experimental Study of Thermal Decay in High-Density Magnetic Recording Media", IEEE Trans. Magn. Vol.33, 1528 (1997), for example, proposes the use of an underlayer made of CrTiB. The underlayers described above also promote c-axis orientation of the magnetic layer in a plane which increases the remanence magnetization and the thermal stability of the written bits. In addition, proposals have been made to reduce the thickness of the magnetic layer, to increase the resolution or to decrease the width of the transition between written bits. Furthermore, proposals have been made to decrease the exchange coupling between grains by promoting more Cr segregation in a magnetic layer which is made of the CoCr alloy.
However, as the grains of the magnetic layer become smaller and more magnetically isolated from each other, the written bits become unstable due to thermal activation and to demagnetizing fields which increase with linear density. Lu et al., "Thermal Instability at 10 Gbit/in2 Magnetic Recording", IEEE Trans. Magn. Vol.30, 4230 (1994) demonstrated, by micromagnetic simulation, that exchange-decoupled grains having a diameter of 10 nm and the ratio KuV/kBT˜60 in 400 kfci di-bits are susceptible to significant thermal decay, where Ku denotes the magnetic anisotropy constant, V denotes the average magnetic grain volume, kB denotes the Boltzmann constant, and T denotes the temperature. The ratio KuV/kBT is also referred to as a thermal stability factor.
It has been reported in Abarra et al., "Thermal Stability of Narrow Track Bits in a 5 Gbit/in2 Medium", IEEE Trans. Magn. Vol.33, 2995 (1997), that the presence of intergranular exchange interaction stabilizes written bits, as demonstrated by MFM studies of annealed 200 kfci bits on a 5 Gbit/in2 CoCrPtTa/CrMo medium. However, more grain decoupling is essential for recording densities of 20 Gbit/in2 or greater.
The obvious solution has been to increase the magnetic anisotropy of the magnetic layer. But unfortunately, the increased magnetic anisotropy places a great demand on the head write field which degrades the "overwrite" performance, which is the ability to write over previously written data.
In addition, the coercivity of thermally unstable magnetic recording medium increases rapidly with decreasing switching time, as reported in He et al., "High Speed Switching in Magnetic Recording Media", J. Magn. Magn. Mater. Vol.155, 6 (1996), for magnetic tape media, and in J. H. Richter, "Dynamic Coervicity Effects in Thin Film Media", IEEE Trans. Magn. Vol.34, 1540 (1997), for magnetic disk media. Consequently, adverse effects are introduced in the data rate, that is, how fast data can be written on the magnetic layer and the amount of head field required to reverse the magnetic grains.
On the other hand, another proposed method of improving the thermal stability increases the orientation ratio of the magnetic layer by appropriately texturing the substrate under the magnetic layer. For example, Akimoto et al., "Relationship Between Magnetic Circumferential Orientation and Magnetic Thermal Stability", J. Magn. Magn. Mater. (1999), in press, report through micromagnetic simulation that the effective ratio KuV/kBT is enhanced by a slight increase in the orientation ratio. This further results in a weaker time dependence for the coercivity which improves the overwrite performance of the magnetic recording medium, as reported in Abarra et al., "The Effect of Orientation Ratio on the Dynamic Coercivity of Media for >15 Gbit/in2 Recording", EB-02, Intermag '99, Korea.
Furthermore, keepered magnetic recording media have been proposed for thermal stability improvement. The keeper layer is made up of a magnetically soft layer that is parallel to the magnetic layer. This soft layer can be disposed either above or below the magnetic layer. Oftentimes, a Cr isolation layer is interposed between the soft layer and the magnetic layer. The soft layer reduces the demagnetizing fields in the written bits on the magnetic layer. However, coupling the magnetic layer to a continuously-exchanged coupled soft layer defeats the purpose of decoupling the grains of the magnetic layer. As a result, the medium noise increases.
In order to improve the thermal stability and to reduce the medium noise, magnetic recording media and magnetic storage apparatuses have been proposed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/425,788 filed Oct. 22, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference, and in which the assignee is the same as the assignee of this application. This previously proposed magnetic recording medium is comprised of at least one exchange layer structure, and a magnetic layer formed on the exchange layer structure, wherein the exchange layer structure includes a ferromagnetic layer and a non-magnetic coupling layer provided on the ferromagnetic layer and under the magnetic layer, and the ferromagnetic layer and the magnetic layer have antiparallel magnetizations. According to this previously proposed magnetic recording medium, it is possible to improve the thermal stability of the written bits, reduce the medium noise, and realize a high-density recording having a high reliability without adversely affecting the performance of the magnetic recording medium.
In other words, in this previously proposed magnetic recording medium, the non-magnetic coupling layer (or the non-magnetic exchange layer) is interposed between the ferromagnetic layer that forms a first magnetic layer and the magnetic layer that forms a second magnetic layer. When the structure includes first and second magnetic layers having antiparallel magnetizations, the first and second magnetic layers mutually cancel portions of the magnetizations. Hence, it is possible to increase the effective grain size of the magnetic layer without substantially affecting the resolution. Therefore, from the point of view of the grain volume, it is possible to increase the apparent thickness of the magnetic layer so as to realize a magnetic recording medium having a good thermal stability.
Accordingly, this previously proposed magnetic recording medium employs a basic structure made up of the ferromagnetic layer (the first magnetic layer) and the magnetic layer (the second magnetic layer), so as to improve the thermal stability and to reduce the medium noise.
When an external recording magnetic field is applied to this previously proposed magnetic recording medium, the first and second magnetic layers first assume parallel magnetizations, and when the recording magnetic field decreases to zero (residual magnetization state) thereafter, the magnetization of the first magnetic layer is switched and becomes antiparallel to the magnetization of the second magnetic layer.
However, as the recording density and the signal transfer rate increase, it becomes necessary to also increase the recording and reproducing speed. For this reason, the need to wait for the switching of the magnetization to occur in the first magnetic layer after recording may interfere with the realization of high-speed recording and reproduction.
In other words, the first and second magnetic layers of this previously proposed magnetic recording medium assume antiparallel magnetizations in the residual magnetization state, and when the external recording magnetic field is applied in this state, the first and second magnetic layers assume parallel magnetizations. Then, when the recording magnetic field thereafter decreases to zero to assume the residual magnetization state once again, the magnetization of the first magnetic layer is switched to become antiparallel to the magnetization of the second magnetic layer. During this process, it is necessary to wait for the first magnetic layer to naturally make the magnetization switch.
But when the recording speed is increased and recording to an adjacent bit is made before the first magnetic layer makes the magnetization switch, the position of the bit which is to be recorded may shift due to a counter magnetic field from the bit in the parallel magnetization state. In this case, a non-linear transition shift (NLTS) deteriorates, and adversely affects the recording.
On the other hand, when measures are taken to reduce the time from recording to reproduction, an abnormal signal is generated to prevent normal reproduction if the reproduction is carried out before the first magnetic layer is switched to the antiparallel magnetization state from the parallel magnetization state.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Magnetic recording medium and magnetic storage apparatus


A dry powder or aerosol inhaler having attached thereto, in a detachable manner, a sound/vibration sensor adapted to sense sound/vibration in the interval of 100-3000 Hz and there from derive a parameter of a flow in a flow path of the inhaler. The sensor does not interfere with the flow path of the inhaler.

Inhalers have become wide spread for treating i. e. respiratory disorders, diabetes, osteoporosis and pain. The inhaler devices are clinically validated together with the specific drug for a specific therapy. When new issues come up that need to be clinically substantiated combined with a need of better clinical cost/benefit ratio by obtaining more reliable use pattern data from fewer test persons, or there is a need for new features like compliance feedback to the user, there is a demand for implementing electronic event data logging with inhalers. To avoid redesigning the inhalers and the associated costly clinical trials, there is a need for an add-on device, which does not imply any intervention into the inhaler, thus still logging or providing relevant reliable data regarding dose loading and inhalation flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,195 describes an electronic device to be attached to a standard dry powder inhaler, but the description reveals that the flow sensors disclosed interfere with the mechanical design of the inhaler and will therefore not conform to the demands above. GB-2262452 discloses several techniques for flow measurements within inhalers, but they all measure the flow inside the inhaler flow path and will therefore not conform to the above requirements. Other inhalers may be seen in US2004/0069301 and GB2398065. There is, therefore, a need of an invention to solve and fulfil the demand for a true non-intervening add on monitoring device for existing inhalers.


An angular position measuring device includes a cap, a connecting cable and a spring element which is arranged on the cap. To fix the connecting cable in position, the spring element is able to generate a force which has a radial directional component with respect to the connecting cable, the connecting cable being pressed against the cap by this force. In this manner, the connecting cable is secured with form locking and/or frictional engagement on the cap in a contact area of the cap.

Angular position measuring devices, also referred to as rotary transducers, are used for measuring rotary motions of a rotationally mounted member, particularly a shaft, over one or more revolutions. In so doing, the rotary motion is recorded incrementally or absolutely. In conjunction with gear racks and toothed wheels or with threaded spindles, linear motions may also be measured by an angular position measuring device.
An operating voltage is supplied to the angular position measuring device, and the measuring signals are tapped and relayed to a sequential electronics via connecting cables. To that end, in conventional angular position measuring devices, an opening is provided on a cap of the angular position measuring device, through which the connecting cable of the angular position measuring device can be conveyed and contacted there with a suitable electrical terminal unit.
European Published Patent Application No. 1 167 916 describes an angular position measuring device which has a device for relieving the connecting cable of strain. The strain relief and fixation of the connecting cable in position is achieved by closing a cover.
German Published Patent Application No. 199 13 262 describes an angular position measuring device having a cup-shaped, hollow-cylindrical cap. Prior to producing a plug-in connection, the connecting cable of the angular position measuring device is fixed in position with the aid of a holder in a manner that relieves strain, a fixation region of the connecting cable being clamped.
German Published Utility Model No. 296 24 207 describes an angular position measuring device in which the strain-relief part for the connecting cable is an integral component of the housing. The connecting cable is already mechanically secured prior to producing a plug-in connection between the connecting cable and the measuring electronics of the angular position measuring device.
Conventional angular position measuring devices have the disadvantage that they are comparatively difficult to assemble. This may be true when a strain-relief device is only effective after producing the plug-in connection between the connecting cable and the measuring electronics of the angular position measuring device. Moreover, conventional angular position measuring devices, e.g., those which are able to be assembled with less troublesome assembly effort, are equipped with strain-relief devices that may be comparatively costly to produce.