Disclosed is a novel gene termed ART which is expressed primarily in selected regions of the brain, as well as adrenal and lung tissues. Polypeptides encoded by ART are also disclosed, as are methods for preparing ART DNA and amino acid sequences.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel human gene sequences and proteins encoded by the gene sequences. More specifically, the invention concerns a novel gene, termed "ART" for agouti related transcript, that is expressed in selected tissues, and increases food uptake.
2. Description of Related Art
1. Agouti Gene
The agouti gene is present in most mammals, although its function in mammals other than rodents is unclear. The agouti gene product regulates the relative production of black or yellow pigment in the hair of many animals, including mice, squirrels, and wolves (A. G Searle, Comparative Genetics of Coat Color in Mammals, Academic Press, New York, N.Y. [1968]).
The mouse agouti gene has been cloned and sequenced (Bultman et al., Cell, 71:1195–1204 [1992]), and it encodes a 131 amino acid protein that is secreted. The agouti protein appears to act as an antagonist to the melanocortin-1 receptor ("MC1r") which is expressed on melanocytes (see Takeuchi, J. Invest. Dermatol., 92:239S-242S [1989]; Jackson, Nature, 362:587–588 [1993]). MC1r, when occupied by melanocyte stimulating hormone (a-MSH), causes the melanocyte to synthesize black pigment (see Jackson, supra). and therefore, it appears that agouti blocks the action of a-MSH, thereby resulting in hairs with yellow pigment (Lu et al., Nature, 371:799–802 [1994]).
Similarly, Willard et al. (Biochemistry, 34:12341–12346 [1995]) have shown that partially purified mouse agouti protein acts as a potent antagonist of a-MSH at the MC1 receptor in B16F10 mouse melanoma cell cultures. Proteolytic cleavage of agouti protein at amino acid 83 generates a C-terminal fragment that is comparable in activity to full length agouti protein, suggesting that the active domain of agouti protein lies within its C-terminus (Willard et al., supra). This C-terminal fragment has 10 cysteines (the full length molecule has 11 cysteines).
In humans, the agouti gene is expressed in skin, heart, testes, ovary, and adipose tissue. This diverse tissue expression suggests that agouti may be involved in physiological processes other than pigmentation production (Wilson et al., Human Mol. Gen., 4:233–230 [1995]; Kwon et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA, 91:9760–9764 [1994]).
Several dominant phenotypes that result from agouti over-expression in transgenic mice have been identified. These include, for example, obesity, hyperinsulinemia, diabetes, and increased tumor susceptibility (see Manne et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA, 92:4721–4724 [1995]). The degree and time of onset of obesity and hyperinsulinemia appear to be related to the level of agouti gene expression (Manne et al., supra). Further, these phenotypes do not seem to be related to the excess production of yellow pigment, since mice which have an inactive MC1 receptor show the same phenotype.
Mutant mice that over-express the agouti gene product have increased levels of intracellular calcium in the skeletal muscle (Zemel et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA, 92:4728–4732 [1995]). Although the mechanism by which agouti produces this effect is not known, it does not appear to result either from release of intracellular stores of calcium or from a decreased efflux rate of calcium. Since skeletal muscle is important in the uptake of insulin, and this process is regulated at least in part by calcium levels, this increased intracellular calcium may explain in part the hyperinsulinemia observed in agouti mutant mice.
Interestingly, mouse agouti shares some amino acid sequence homology with certain spider and snail toxins that target specific neurotransmitter receptors or ion channels (Manne et al., supra; Ichida et al., Neurochem. Res., 18:1137–1144 [1993]; Figueiredo et al., Toxicon, 33:83–93 [1995]). This homology is primarily confined to the C-terminus of the agouti protein, where the toxins and agouti share 8 cysteine residues. In the toxins, these cysteine residues form 4 disulfide bonds that are critical for toxin activity. Structural activity relationships using 3-dimensional NMR predicts that the disulfide bonds are required to form the tertiary structure needed to block calcium channels (Kim et al., J. Mol. Biol., 250:659–671 [1995]).
In view of the amino acid sequence homologies of agouti with the spider and snail toxins, and the results obtained from mutant mice that over-express agouti, it has been suggested that agouti may be a member of a new class of molecules that regulate the activity of melanocortin receptors or certain types of calcium channel proteins (Manne et al., supra).
2. Melanocortin Receptors
In humans, there are currently five known melanocortin receptors and they are known as MC1r–MC5r. Two of these, MC1r and MC2r, show relative specificity for the ligands a-MSH and ACTH, respectively. MC1r and MC2r are expressed in melanocytes and the adrenal gland, respectively (Mountjoy et al., Science, 257:1248–1251 [1992]). MC3r is expressed in specific brain regions, while MC4r is expressed more widely throughout the brain, and MC5r is expressed in numerous peripheral tissues (Roselli-Reyfuss et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 90:8856–8860 [1993]; Mountjoy et al., Science, supra; Labbe et al., Biochemistry, 33:4543–4549 [1994]). The ligands and biological functions of MC3r, MC4r, and MC5r are presently unknown.
A role for melanocortin receptors in the central control of obesity has recently been suggested by the observation that injection of melanin concentrating hormone (MCH) into the brain of rats stimulates a feeding response (Qu et al., Nature, 380:243–247 [1996]). Although MCH does not have amino acid sequence homology with agouti, antibodies against MCH also recognize epitopes on agouti, and MCH also displays antagonistic activity at the MC1 receptor.
In view of the variety of physiological disorders and diseases (obesity, insulinemia, diabetes) that agouti and MCH have been implicated in, and in view of the fact that agouti and MCH antagonize MC receptors, there is a need in the art to identify and analyze related genes and proteins that may be involved in these same disorders.
Accordingly, it is an object to provide a compound that can modulate, either directly or indirectly, melanocortin receptor signaling, intra-cellular calcium levels, and/or body fat composition (such as adipose tissue level and/or distribution, circulating glucose levels, and/or insulin levels).
It is a further object to provide a compound that can increase food uptake.
These and other objectives will readily be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

Methods of modulating appetite using agouti-related transcript polypeptides


A semiconductor device includes a first insulating layer, a second insulating layer formed on the first insulating layer, a plurality of interconnection lines formed in the second insulating layer, and a first air gap disposed between the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer to surround a lower part of the interconnection lines.

Field of Invention
Various embodiments of the present invention relates to an electronic device and a method of manufacturing the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to an interconnection structure, a semiconductor device having the interconnection structure, and a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device.
Description of Related Art
A semiconductor device includes a variety of interconnection lines for transmitting signals. However, with the increase in an integration degree of semiconductor devices, a space between the interconnection lines becomes increasingly narrow. The narrowed space may increase capacitance between adjacent interconnection lines, increase a loading effect, and degrade program characteristics.

Interconnection structure including air gap, semiconductor device including air gap, and method of manufacturing the same


A system for straightening teeth includes a casting of teeth that is made of a rigid material, and a gum casting made of a flexible material that is joined to the teeth casting. A respective articulating tool for each tooth is provided with a post that is embedded into the tooth. Tooth moving components, accessible through the gum casting, are mounted on each post to selectively provide for left-right, fore-aft, and rotational tooth movements. In its operation, the system involves selectively orienting individual teeth in the teeth casting, to prepare a series of sequentially useable appliances that will straighten teeth in accordance with a pre-planned procedure.

It is a fact that not all persons are born with beautifully straight teeth. Nevertheless, for both health and beauty reasons, it is desirable that a person have a dental structure that is characterized by properly aligned (i.e. straight) teeth. Consequently, much effort is endured by many people to achieve this goal.
Heretofore, the use of braces has been widely accepted as a means for straightening teeth. Though effective for this purpose, braces necessitate many repeat visits to the dentist's office. Specifically, this happens because the dentist needs to gradually tighten the braces, rather than enforce a complete change in one sitting. That could be really painful. More recently, however, computer-generated systems have been developed that are intended to be used without requiring repeat visits to the dentist's office. Typically, these systems will include a series of appliances that are to be used sequentially, in a progression, to thereby incrementally and gradually align the teeth as desired. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,893, which issued to Chishti et al. for an invention entitled "Method and System for Incrementally Moving Teeth" discloses such a computer-generated system. Because they are computer-generated, however, such systems do not have the flexibility to selectively align individual teeth in a dental structure. More particularly, this cannot be done in a way that will remedy the specific dental alignment needs of a particular patient.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanical device for reconfiguring a model dental structure, where each individual tooth in the dental structure can be selectively realigned, individually or collectively with other teeth in the structure. Another object of the present invention is to provide a system for reconfiguring a model dental structure that creates a series of teeth straightening appliances that are customized to incrementally remedy the specific dental alignment needs of a particular patient. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical device for reconfiguring a model dental structure that is easy to use, relatively simple to manufacture and commercially cost effective.

Method and apparatus for repositioning teeth


An optical device includes a ferroelectric liquid crystal material. This optical device has a first and a second substrate. A first alignment treatment is applied to a surface of the first substrate, the first alignment treatment being intended to induce an orientation of at least a portion of the ferroelectric liquid crystal material along a first alignment direction with a first pretilt angle α1 with respect to a plane parallel to the first substrate. A second alignment treatment is applied to a surface of the second substrate, the second alignment treatment being intended to induce an orientation of at least another portion of the ferroelectric liquid crystal material along a second alignment direction with a second pretilt angle α2 with respect to a plane parallel to the second substrate. The optical device further includes an arrangement for securing the first substrate with respect to the second substrate in such a way that the surfaces of the first and second substrates onto which the first and second alignment treatments were applied, respectively, are spaced apart, generally parallel and facing each other. In addition, a projection of the first alignment direction onto the treated surface of the first substrate makes a non-zero angle Ω with respect to a projection of the second alignment direction onto the treated surface of the first substrate such that, the ferroelectric liquid crystal material being injected between the first and second substrates, the optical device is free of chevron structures without a need to otherwise apply an additional treatment to the optical device.

The present invention relates generally to optical devices based on liquid crystals and more specifically to an optical device which is based on ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) materials and is generally free of chevron structures.
Optical devices based on surface-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal (SSFLC) structures have gathered considerable scientific and commercial interest in recent years. As is well known in the art, when confined between a pair of substrates, FLC molecules tend to become oriented in layers, which are called smectic layers. In the Smectic C phase, the long axis, or director, of each FLC molecule is generally tilted at an angle with respect to the smectic layers.
Turning now to the drawings, wherein like components are indicated by like reference numbers throughout the various figures, attention is immediately directed to FIG. 1A, which illustrates the smectic layer structure of an FLC material, generally indicated by reference number 10. As can be seen in FIG. 1A, FLC molecules 20 of FLC material 10 form smectic layers 22, with the director of each FLC molecule being tilted at an angle θ0 with respect to smectic layers 22. Although this angle θ0 with respect to the smectic layers remains constant among the FLC molecules, the director orientation of the FLC molecules rotates on a conical surface 24 with cone angle θ0 through the successive layers. In other words, FLC molecules 20 have a natural tendency to form a helical structure along an axis 28 with each FLC molecule lying in a slightly displaced position on the conical surface 24 relative to FLC molecules in adjacent layers. It should be noted that each FLC molecule possesses a polarization 26 which is perpendicular to the director of the molecule. The presence of polarization 26 becomes important when an electric field is applied across the FLC material, as will be described hereinafter at an appropriate point in the discussion.
Turning now to FIG. 1B, the suppression of the formation of helical structures in an SSFLC device is illustrated. FLC material 10 is confined between parallel substrates 32. When the spacing between the substrates is reduced to a few microns, the helical rotation of the director through the layers is prevented by the interaction of the molecules with the inner surfaces of the confining substrates. As shown in FIG. 1B, FLC molecules 20 in an SSFLC configuration become confined to one of two positions, A and B, which are parallel to the substrates on a cross section parallel to the substrate surfaces of a conical surface 24′ with cone angle θ. The cone angle θ is generally smaller than θ0 due to the interaction of the FLC molecules with the substrates. Smectic layers 22′ are also of a slightly different width in comparison to smectic layers 22 of FIG. 1A due to the difference in cone angles. The projection of the director of each FLC molecule 20 onto the plane of substrate 32 is shown as line 20′. It should be noted that each projection, represented by line 20′, makes an angle θ with respect to a line 28′, which is a projection of axis 28 onto the plane of substrate 32. As shown in FIG. 1B, the projection of the director of an FLC molecule in position B makes an angle 2θ with respect to the projection of the director of an FLC molecule in position A.
The two molecular positions A and B give rise to two possible optical states in the SSFLC device. Due to the symmetry of the system, the FLC molecules are generally stable in either of these optical states, and, as a result, the SSFLC device produces bistable optical states. The molecular positions A and B are respectively associated with the DOWN orientation of polarization 26 and the UP orientation of polarization 26 indicated by arrows 34 and 36, respectively. Since polarization 26 of each FLC molecule 20 tends to align along the direction of an electric field applied across the FLC material, the molecular position of the FLC molecule can be switched between positions A and B on conical surface 24′ by applying an electric field in the UP direction or in the DOWN direction. In this way, the SSFLC device can be switched between the two optical states by applying an electric field across the FLC molecules between the substrates in the UP and DOWN directions.
Conventional SSFLC structures have certain inherent drawbacks. One such drawback is the fact that the device can only be in one of two optical states. Unlike nematic liquid crystal (NLC) devices, which is capable of analog operation by generating a continuum of optical states between a minimum and a maximum state according to the magnitude of the electric field applied across the NLC material, SSFLC devices are limited to binary operation in which one of two optical states is generated according to whether a positive or negative magnitude electric field is applied across the FLC material. Since molecular positions between positions A and B are not stable, optical states between the two stable states are not controllably accessible in a conventional SSFLC device. This inflexibility can be problematic especially in applications in which analog operation is desired.
Still another problem seen in the conventional SSFLC device is the presence of chevron structures. As commonly known in the art, chevron structures form in SSFLC devices due to the shrinkage of the smectic layers during the transition from a Smectic A (Sm A) phase to a Smectic C (Sm C) phase. Generally, in the assembly of a new SSFLC device, an FLC material is injected into the space between confining, parallel substrates at an elevated temperature such that the FLC material is in an isotropic phase. The SSFLC device is then gradually cooled such that the FLC material transitions from the isotropic phase through nematic and smectic phases. The smectic layers normally form when the FLC material is in the Sm A phase while the device temperature is still higher than room temperature. In the Sm A phase, the smectic layers are formed in the FLC material and the directors of the FLC molecules align perpendicularly to the smectic layers. As the SSFLC device is further cooled to room temperature the FLC material transitions to a chiral Smectic C (Sm C*) phase, in which the directors of the FLC molecules become tilted with respect to the smectic layers and are aligned on the conical surfaces. The smectic layers shrink slightly during the transition from the Sm A phase to the Sm C* phase due to the tilting of the FLC molecules with respect to the smectic layers. Due to conservation of mass and the structural boundary conditions, the shrinkage of the smectic layers results in the formation of chevron structures. The discontinuities between distinct domains of chevron structures pointing in opposing directions are optically visible as a zigzag pattern in the SSFLC device. Consequently, the presence of chevron structures gives rise to nonuniformity in the optical state produced by the device as a whole.
Prior efforts to eliminate the occurrence of chevron structures have included the application of an AC voltage pretreatment to the SSFLC device. The application of a predetermined AC voltage to the SSFLC device after the FLC material has been injected between the substrates has the effect of "kicking" the FLC molecules into uniform alignment, thus straightening the smectic layers and eliminating the chevron structures. The use of the AC voltage pretreatment adds an extra step to the manufacturing process of the SSFLC device, thus lead to additional costs associated with the device assembly. Furthermore, the use of the AC voltage pretreatment often results in smectic layer undulation in the plane of the substrate, thus yielding an SSFLC device with lower contrast and generally poor performance.
Another approach for eliminating chevron structures is the use of special FLC materials that do not have a Sm A phase. These special materials have the property that no shrinking of the smectic layers takes place during the phase transition into the Sm C* phase, hence the occurrence of chevron structures is prevented. Unfortunately, such FLC materials are not commonly used in commercial applications because it is generally more difficult to achieve uniform alignment of these special FLC materials in comparison to conventional FLC materials. Also, there are fewer examples of these materials available commercially.
Another problem with the conventional SSFLC device is the instability of the two optical states associated with molecular positions A and B due to the fact that the FLC molecules adjacent to the inner surface of the substrates do not switch and also due to the presence of chevron structures.
Yet another drawback of the conventional SSFLC device is variation in the optical retardance of the device during switching between the two optical states. Referring again to FIG. 1B, although the helical structures are suppressed, FLC molecules 20 still tend to rotate about conical surface 24′ in switching from position A to position B and vice versa in the direction of residual twist. This characteristic is commonly referred to as cone switching of FLC molecules. Since optical retardance of the SSFLC device is generally proportional to the length of the projection of the FLC molecule director onto the substrate plane, the symmetry of the system provides that the optical retardance of the SSFLC device when the FLC molecules are in position A is the same as that when the FLC molecules are in position B. However, the optical retardance changes during cone switching since the length of the projection of the FLC molecule director varies as the FLC molecule rotates around the cone. Although the switching between positions A and B normally takes 100 μs or less, this effect of optical retardance variation can be problematic in certain applications requiring constant optical retardance.
In an effort to counter some of the aforedescribed problems of the conventional SSFLC device, Kitayama discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,259 a method for stabilizing the optical states of an SSFLC structure. By offsetting the alignment axes of the top and bottom substrates by a small, non-zero angle, an additional molecular twist is introduced in the FLC material to counter the aforementioned, inherent twist of the FLC, thus further stabilizing the optical states of the resulting SSFLC device. Kitayama also uses an AC voltage treatment to achieve full cone switching (i.e., use the full cone angle of θ0 rather than θ<θ0). In U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,257, Patel takes the idea of the offset twist further by orienting the alignment axes of the alignment layers formed on the top and bottom substrates perpendicularly to one another. The alignment layers provide "strong anchoring" of the FLC molecules adjacent to the alignment layers such that the FLC molecules align in one of the two stable positions in parallel to the respective alignment axes with a 90° angle between the molecules near the top surface and those near the bottom surface. Thus, the natural twist of the FLC molecules is enhanced and an FLC device analogous to a twisted nematic device is achieved. The device disclosed in Patel is capable of exhibiting grayscale by continuously varying the applied electric field, thus changing the twist of the FLC molecule between the top and bottom substrates. In other words, the FLC device according to Patel is an analog device, which is capable of exhibiting continuously variable, not bistable, optical states. However, it is submitted that the device disclosed in Patel has a number of disadvantages. A special FLC material with θ0=45° is required and the overall device tends to exhibit multiple domains that must be made uniform by use of an AC voltage pre-treatment. In addition, neither Kitayama nor Patel specifically addresses the problems of chevron structures and optical retardance variation in SSFLC devices.
As will be seen hereinafter, the present invention provides a heretofore unseen and highly advantageous approach with regard to achieving an FLC-based optical device while eliminating the problems present in prior art display systems.


A sensor apparatus for a power steering system on a vehicle, where the apparatus includes an input shaft for receiving a steering input and for rotating about a rotational axis. An output shaft is provided for transmitting the steering input from the input shaft to a steered wheel assembly of the vehicle. A torque transmitting member connects between the input shaft and the output shaft for transmitting a torque from the input shaft to the output shaft. A sensor provides an analog output voltage in response to a sensed magnetic field. A magnet is located adjacent and in radially spaced relation to the sensor, and a magnetic field varying member is positioned in a magnetic field of the magnet, where the magnetic field varying member is movable in a longitudinal direction generally parallel to the rotational axis to vary a magnetic flux between the magnet and the sensor in response to relative movement between the input shaft and the output shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering apparatus for use in a vehicle steering system and, more particularly, to a torque sensor for use in a vehicle steering system.
2. Description of Related Art
In known power steering systems an input force from a manually operated steering wheel for turning steered wheels of a vehicle may be assisted by an input from a motor driver. In such a steering system, it is known to provide a sensor for sensing a torque input from the steering wheel, where the sensed torque is provided as an input signal for a controller controlling the motor driver. The input provided by the motor driver may be controlled so as to provide a predetermined steering assist for a given level of input torque from the steering wheel.
Various constructions have been proposed for providing a measurement of the sensed torque input to the steering wheel. In a common sensing application, a relative movement between an input shaft and an output shaft is sensed. In particular, the input and output shafts may be connected by an elastically deformable member having predetermined torsional characteristics that permit relative rotation between the input and output shafts, where the relative rotation of the input and output shafts is indicative of the torque input.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0011138 A1 discloses a sensor for sensing a steering column torsion in which a programmable Hall effect sensor may be mounted in an air gap defined by two ferromagnetic collectors forming a structure for rotating relative to a structure provided with a plurality of magnets to provide a magnetic flux variation indicative of an applied torque, as sensed by the Hall effect sensor.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0062215 A1 discloses a power steering system including a sensor located between a ring shaped centrally located magnet and a magnetic body comprising a couple of magnetic yokes. The magnetic body changes a magnetic flux density of a magnetic circuit when a relative position between the magnetic body and the permanent magnet is changed by a torque applied to a steering shaft.
There continues to be a need for a torque sensing element capable of providing an accurate indication of a torque applied to a steering wheel of a vehicle, and which can provide an indication of applied torque independently of a rotational position of the steering wheel.


An imaging apparatus control unit, comprising a calculation block, a first control block, an output block, and a second control block, is provided. The calculation block calculates the number of possible photographs. The number of possible photographs is set as the sequential-photographing number. The first control block carries out imaging control for either sequential-photographing or single-photographing. The output block outputs the compressed image signal to the memory. The second control block either repeatedly carries out the sequential control for sequential-photographing, or stops carrying out the sequential control for sequential-photographing and begins carrying out the sequential control for single-photographing when the sequential-photographing number is below a first predetermined number.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus control unit that controls operations for ordering an imaging apparatus, such as a digital camera, to carry out automatic sequence photography.
2. Description of the Related Art
A digital camera, which can carry out automatic sequence photography, is known. When automatic sequence photography commences with the depression of a release button, a plurality of sequential photographs are automatically taken, differently from the case of single photography where a single photograph is taken.
A photograph is taken in a digital camera by generating an image signal corresponding to the optical image of an object received by an imaging device, carrying out predetermined signal processing on the image signal by a signal processor, and storing the image signal in a memory. As shown in FIG. 3, single photography is completed by storing the singular generated frame of an image signal in a temporary memory, carrying out the predetermined signal processing on the stored image signal, and storing the image signal in the main memory, in order. Incidentally, in the timing chart of FIG. 3, each operation is carried out during a period of a standing pulse. Accordingly, if sequential photographs are taken by a user's repetition of the single photography, one frame of an image signal starts to be generated after the previous frame of an image signal has been stored in the main memory.
On the other hand, if sequential photographs are taken in automatic sequence photography, storing a plurality of frames of the generated image signals to the temporary memory, predetermined signal processing on the stored image signals, and storing the image signals in the main memory is carried out overlappingly, as shown in FIG. 4. For example, first a first image data (see "D1" in FIG. 4) is generated and stored in the temporary memory, next a second image data (see "D2" in FIG. 4) is generated and stored in the temporary memory while the first image data undergoes predetermined signal processing and storage in the main memory. Since then, subsequent image data is generated and stored in the temporary memory while previously generated image data undergoes predetermined signal processing and storage in the main memory. Accordingly, the sequential photographs can be taken quickly by concurrently carrying out a plurality of operations in automatic sequence photography.
In the automatic sequence photography described above, not all of the generated image signals corresponding to sequential photographs can be stored in the main memory once the main memory becomes full. The storage failure is problematic. In addition, the power consumption for driving a shutter, generating an image signal, and undergoing predetermined signal processing is excessive.
On the other hand, it is desired to make use of the spare capacity of the main memory upon the completion of the automatic sequence photography. Consequently, the time until depletion of the spare capacity is estimated, and the generation of the image signal is terminated before the estimated time, thus avoiding the storage failure.
By the way, a raw image signal generated by an imaging device is compressed according to variable-length compression, for example JPEG, because the amount of data required for a raw image signal is large. As for compressing raw image signals of different optical images, data sizes between compressed image signals may vary with each other even if the data required for the raw image signals are the same. The different size requirements result from variation of contrast and spatial frequency in photographed optical images. Consequently, it is impossible to estimate an accurate typical data space required for one frame of an image signal, making it difficult to estimate the time until depletion of the spare capacity of the main memory.
For the above problem, a maximum data size of a compressed image signal is estimated statistically. The maximum data size is determined from the typical data size of one frame of an image signal. When the spare capacity becomes less than the maximum data size, the auto sequence photography is complete. However, the main memory still may have excess capacity after automatic sequence photography, because it is rare that the data size of a practically compressed image signal equals the statistically estimated maximum data size. It is problematic when automatic sequence photography is completed with remaining spare capacity because a user usually desires to take as many photographs as possible in automatic sequence photography.
Further for the above problem, it is suggested that an upper limited data size of an image signal is predetermined. All of the generated image signals are surely stored in the main memory by compressing an image signal, of which data size is under the upper limited data size, with a lower compression ratio and compressing an image signal, of which data size is over the upper limited data size, with a higher compression ratio. However, it is problematic that an image quality gets deteriorated due to compressing with a higher compression ratio.

Imaging apparatus control unit and digital camera


Functionalized titanium nanotubes can be utilized to detect compounds of interest, for example peroxide-based explosives. The nanotubes may desirably be coated, for example with a silicon oxynitride coating, in order to improve detection performance and/or functionality in the presence of moisture, saline, or other conditions typically unfavorable to titanium nanotube detection devices and methods. Inexpensive, compact, reusable, and responsive sensors may be fabricated from the coated nanotubes.

Many security approaches, for example parcel and passenger screening at airports, utilize devices configured to detect trace amounts of explosive material. However, there are thousands of explosive compounds that may be utilized in a malicious manner, and no single approach is capable of detecting every such compound. Additionally, various explosive precursors may not be detectable by a particular device configured to detect the final explosive compounds.
Moreover, certain existing sensors, for example nanotube sensors utilizing titanium dioxide nanotubes, can suffer degradation of performance or become inoperable under certain common operating conditions, for example when exposed to moisture and/or saline vapor. Accordingly, improved nanotube sensors remain desirable, particularly in connection with detection of explosive compounds or other molecules of interest.

Solid state sensor for detection of explosives

Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University


The invention relates to a shield assembly of low-flow sprinkler comprises: a support body, a low-flow sprinkler assembly arranged in the support body and a plurality of shield units sequentially combined to form an arc-shaped shield to be easily installed on the low-flow sprinkler and convenience to adjust sprinkling orientation for the required sprinkling area and to increase or decrease the number of shield units for adjusting the sprinkling angle in order to enhance sprinkling orientation and angle precision.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a low-flow sprinkler, particularly to a shield assembly of adjustable sprinkling angle and orientation
2. Description of the Related Art
Since the 1930s, the impact sprinkler has been applied for the allocation of water in agricultural irrigation. The typical impact sprinkler provides a discharge member or a deflector to guide the water into a spoon connected to a rotary shaft for the water to be in a radial distribution. The impact sprinkler distributes the water in a circular rotation. It is also known as a rotary sprinkler or low-flow sprinkler.
FIGS. 1A to 1C show an impact sprinkler 10 and such type of patent includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,216,817, 7,954,731, and US Patent Pub. No. 2011/0198411A1. The impact sprinkler 10 includes a support 11 supporting a sprinkler assembly 12. The sprinkler assembly 12 includes a rotary member 121, an impact disc 122, a spoon 123, a rotary shaft 124 and a deflector 125. The support 11 has a bottom connected to an inlet nozzle 13. Based on the features disclosed, the impact sprinkler 10 radially sprinkles in a circular rotation. The principle of the impact sprinkler 10 is disclosed in aforesaid prior art designs and thus will not be described in details here.
The conventional impact sprinkler 10 has sprinkling angle of 360°. However, in some cases, the sprinkling angle may be required only for 0°˜180° such that the direction at the sprinkling angle of 180°˜360° may be a waste of water resource. To this end, the conventional impact sprinkler 10 provides a control shield (not shown) at a side of the support 11 to control the sprinkling angle.
This kind of the shield is a plastic integrally molded to a C-type body fixed on the side of the support 11 and there are some drawbacks thereof. The sprinkling angle of the C-type body is fixed when producing so it cannot be adjusted as required; that is, the sprinkling angle is not accurate enough and therefore there is room for improvement.


A system and method for monitoring integrity of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) are provided. Integrity of a GNSS location is assessed based on a comparison of the GNSS location with one or more locations received from at least one other GNSS. Integrity of the GNSS location is also assessed based on a comparison of the GNSS location with one or more locations obtained from signals generated by one or more known located emitters. Integrity of the GNSS location is also assessed based on a comparison of the GNSS location with historical data, which may include contextual information of recent GNSS locations of a user equipment, measurements made by an inertial navigation system of the user equipment, and prior measurements made by the user equipment during similar paths. An integrity warning is outputted when one or more of the integrity assessments indicate a loss of integrity of GNSS.

Satellite-based navigation may be used to navigate an aircraft, e.g., during landing of the aircraft. In order to ensure the safety of the aircraft, it is important to monitor the integrity of the navigation locations. Present integrity monitoring measures the consistency of locations obtained from different combinations of satellite signals within a constellation to detect anomalous signals from individual satellites. However, this approach does not handle the case of an anomaly in the control segment of a global navigation satellite system which could affect some or all satellites in the system, or the case of intentional spoofing of satellite signals in the region of the navigation user equipment.

System and method for monitoring integrity of a global navigation satellite system


One embodiment is directed to an electronic device comprising a connector configured to connect to an on-board diagnostic (OBD) connector of a vehicle, a wireless transceiver, one or more processing devices coupled to the connector and to the wireless transceiver, and storage media coupled to the one or more processing devices. The storage media including instructions which, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to establish communication with a content control device using the wireless transceiver, download content from the content control device, store the content on the storage media, and terminate communication with the content control device. The instructions also cause the one or more processing devices to establish communication with a mobile device, and provide the content to a mobile device via a wireless link.

Content service providers desire to provide access to content, but under strict control. The content is controlled to reduce the risk of unauthorized copying and distribution. This control has traditionally limited the content to devices that comply with guidelines provided by the content service provider (e.g., devices manufactured under control of the content service provider such as a set top box) or for devices that are not required to comply with the guidelines (e.g., personal computing devices) the content is streamed to such devices so that the content is not stored in any permanent way on the device.

OBD based in-vehicle device providing content storage and access


The invention relates to an adjustable hanger board assembly for mounting tools to a wall, the inside of a vehicle compartment, on a wall, on a ceiling on a floor or other flat surface. Each hanger board assembly has a plurality of horizontal slots and/or vertical slots and or angular slots and optionally a repeating pattern of mounting through-holes capable of accepting a wide variety of existing fastening hardware and tool brackets. The fastening hardware is adjustably fastened along the horizontal slots and/or vertical slots and or angular slots which serve as mounting tracks for hanging brackets and other tool securing devices. The fastening hardware is similarly adjustable in a plurality of through-holes in the hanger board assembly.

Although the prior art teaches many devices for mounting tools to a wall, all of these teachings demonstrate limitations that the present invention addresses and overcomes.
For example, storing tools and equipment in structures and on vehicles in a safe and efficient manner that can accommodate all of the needs of a business or other entity is a widespread problem. Non-uniform equipment, different truck manufacturers, local needs, budget constraints, hard to mount bulky equipment, the need for uniformity in equipment layout, and the like, are issues that fire departments and/or industrial/commercial/residential buildings, for example, throughout the world face when determining how to outfit an emergency vehicle or building for service. Considering that fire apparatus, for example, may cost upward of a million dollars, few agencies if any can afford to outfit their entire department fleet. The vast majority of departments have only a few vehicles that are replaced, for example, one at a time every ten to twenty years or more. Similarly, most fire departments employ a wide assortment of different tools and equipment that due to size, hazards, and configuration, that are difficult to store in an arrangement where they are easily accessible yet safely transported.
To combat this problem, for example, many departments employ a firefighter that specializes in outfitting his department's trucks with tools to best fulfill that department's unique needs. Since most fire apparatus are constructed with a variety of materials, this task can easily become extremely complicated. This can create a dilemma if the specialist is on vacation during the outfitting of the truck, transfers to a different fire station, or retires. The firefighter must not only be familiar with the local department's equipment, but he often has to have extensive knowledge in woodworking, metal working, plumbing, electrical systems, engineering, and the like. If the individual makes mistakes in installation, many departments choose to live with the mistakes rather than correct them due to the time and expense of keeping the truck out of service. This can lead to inefficiency or even a dangerous condition during an emergency situation if a tool is urgently needed but is difficult to access. These "mistakes" in installation could potentially hinder emergency responders during the entire life of the vehicle.
Currently, many departments mount tools directly to stainless steel or aluminum walled compartments or other vehicle surfaces with a wide array of fastening devices. Others make wood backer boards to affix to the compartment wall or employ an expensive commercially made mounting board, tray, or movable panel system. The most common deficiency in all of these solutions is that they are difficult to modify once installed on the vehicle. Once a system is mounted or installed on a vehicle, it often is semi-permanent. Fire equipment and tools used in firefighting are constantly evolving and being replaced to meet changing needs. Therefore, a system that is easily modifiable once in place would be extremely desirable.
Another issue is that compartment space on a fire apparatus is limited. Departments need the ability to get the most efficient and maximum storage capability out of every vehicle. Considering the wide variety of emergencies, every additional tool or piece of equipment that a fire truck can carry is critical and potentially lifesaving. A hanger board apparatus that allows for the maximum efficiency in use of compartment space that is easily modifiable by those without specialized skills to keep up with the most current equipment would be advantageous.
While space maximization and ease of modification are significant issues by themselves, aesthetics are also important to fire departments. A fire truck is a common sight at a parade, a school safety demonstration, or other situation where the public expects to see a shiny polished fire truck. Aluminum, brushed stainless steel, and wood backed compartments are difficult to keep clean, unscratched, and polished considering the conditions that they and the tools mounted therein must endure on a daily basis. Oil, dirt, soot, and other contaminants are common. Since the public, especially children, commonly come in contact with these vehicles, a storage system should be easily cleanable not just for aesthetics, but for public safety.
Wall-based storage components that employ rails, channels, holes, and slots are well known in the art. For example, pegboards allow a user to accommodate objects of different sizes and shapes in a customized array. U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,091 to Goodman et al., uses a modified form of a pegboard where permanently attached hooks clamp upon pressure allowing a tool to be pressed onto the board and still hang from a hook. This allows the prior art invention to adapt to the size and shape of different objects and permits easy rearrangement and versatility in tool layout. However, the prior art invention would not be well suited to mounting in a vehicle compartment. The hooks retract backward and would be prevented from functioning by the back wall of the compartment. The only way that this could be used in a vehicle would be to place it far enough forward in the compartment to permit the hook retraction at the expense of limited valuable compartment space. Another limitation is that the only mounting hardware are hooks which significantly limit the type of tools that are held.
In yet another prior art tool hanging device, U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,866 to Kesinger utilizes a track hanger assembly with a T-shaped longitudinal channel that uses commercially available hangers to hold tools. However, the prior art invention also has limitations that restrict its use in a vehicle compartment. The invention teaches a channel track which would only permit horizontal storage. Another problem that it does not solve is mounting equipment that does not hang from a bracket, for example a can of gasoline or a chain saw. Additionally, the fact that it is a track and not a mounting board limits the efficient use of space throughout an entire vehicle compartment.
Another example of a prior art invention for hanging tools that could be used in a vehicle compartment is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,435 to Young. This extruded aluminum mounting channel assembly uses a channel with repositionable glass/nylon inserts for holding tools or brackets. While it allows for repositionable tool mounting on either a horizontal axis or a vertical axis only, it suffers many other limitations for ideal tool mounting in a vehicle compartment. For example, the extruded aluminum is manufactured in 8 and five eighths inch widths and 10 foot lengths. While the length can be cut to fit, the width cannot be modified because of the extrusion. Therefore, attempting to fit an entire compartment with these panels would likely leave a significant amount of unused wall space. Another restriction is that it requires specialized hardware to mount tools and only accepts number 10 screws. Additionally, extruded aluminum is expensive and cannot be easily re-machined or cleaned. Also there is a danger of a chemical interaction leading to corrosion between dissimilar metals if it contacts steel or other metals commonly used in vehicles or attaching hardware. These deficiencies, as well as others prevent this assembly from being an ideal mounting platform in many vehicle compartments.
Therefore, a need remains for an economical tool and equipment mounting platform for a structure or vehicle compartment that is easy to manufacture, machine, and reconfigure that can maximize the efficiency of each individual space that is easy to instill and relocate, adjustable, easy to clean, and has the ability to simultaneously mount tools on both a horizontal, vertical and angular axis using a wide variety of existing hardware. More specifically, a need exists for an adjustable hanger board assembly apparatus that allows for customized vehicle compartment tool mounting in vehicles comprising fire department apparatus, emergency vehicles, ambulances, military vehicles, construction vehicles, both residential and commercial real estate and other location known by those of skill in the art, or by use in any agency that utilizes mounting platforms and a method of the same.

Adjustable tool hanger board assembly apparatus and method


A method of operating a microcomputer system in which at least part of a memory system of the microcomputer system is checked for manipulation of data stored in the memory system. Measures to prevent processing of the data in the microcomputer system are performed as a function of the result of the check, if the measures are activated. The measures are activated or deactivated as a function of the content of a read-only memory of the microcomputer system. To increase the effectiveness and reliability of a manipulation or tuning protection of the data, a code word is stored in the data, which is checked while the microcomputer system is in operation, and the measures are activated or deactivated as a function of the result of the check of the code word stored in the data.

A microcomputer system of other systems may be in the form of a motor vehicle control unit. The control unit is used to control and/or regulate functions or units of the motor vehicle, for example an internal combustion engine, an antilock brake system (ABS), an electronic steering system (steer-by-wire), an electronic braking system (brake-by-wire) or an automatic air conditioning system. The control unit includes a memory system in the form of a rewritable memory, in particular a flash memory. Data is stored in the flash memory in the form of a control program or in the form of parameters and limit values.
A defect in the controlled or regulated unit of the motor vehicle may occur due to a manipulation of the control program. Therefore, manipulation of the control program or the data is to be prevented as much as possible, but the manipulation is at least to be detectable afterwards, so that the cause of a defect of a controlled or regulated unit may be ascertained so that warranty claims may be assigned properly.
In spite of the risk of manipulation of the control program or the data by unauthorized persons, it is not advisable to forbid access to the memory system of the control unit completely. In order for example to perform reprogramming of the control unit, an authorized user group must be able to access the memory system. Specifically, it may be necessary from time to time to store a new version of a control program or new parameters or limit values in the control unit in order for example to remove errors in the software or to take new legal requirements into account.
The control unit of other prior systems include a checking arrangement to check at least a part of the data stored in the flash memory for manipulation. Different methods may be used from other systems for checking data stored in a memory system for manipulation, all of which may be employed in link with the exemplary embodiment and/or exemplary method of the present invention. In German Published Patent Application No. 197 23 332 is discussed a code word that may be formed, for example a checksum, for at least part of the memory system, and this code word may be compared with a reference code word which is stored in the flash memory. If the code word is not the same as the reference code word, it is inferred that the data has been manipulated.
The control unit of other systems may also include an activatable and deactivatable blocking arrangement to prevent the execution of the control program or the use of the parameters or limit values, if a manipulation of the data is recognized in the course of the check. The processing of the data is only prevented if the blocking arrangement is activated. To activate or deactivate the blocking arrangement, in the case of the control unit of other prior systems the content of a read-only memory of the control unit is checked. The read-only memory is in the form of an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), for example. The control unit includes first actuating arrangement, which activate or deactivate the blocking arrangement as a function of the content of the read-only memory. When the blocking arrangement is activated, in the event of a manipulation of the data, the processing of the data may be blocked either immediately or at a later point in time, for example at the next running cycle.
By default, the control units of the other systems may be delivered as so-called series devices, including an activated blocking arrangement, so that processing of the control program is blocked if a manipulation of the control program stored in the flash memory or of the parameters or limit values stored there is ascertained. However in certain situations, in particular during the development and testing phase of a control unit or control program, it is necessary to deactivate blocking of the processing of the data, so that various bits of data may be stored in the memory system rapidly and easily. A control unit including deactivated blocking arrangement is referred to as an application device.
According to other systems, in series devices at least one default value is stored in a predefinable memory area of the read-only memory. In application devices at least one of the default values is overwritten by a predefinable test pattern. The programming of this memory area occurs following production, before delivery of the control unit. The first actuating arrangement for checking the content of this memory area are implemented in the data, i.e. in the control program which is stored in the flash memory of the control unit. While the control program is executing, the content of the read-only memory is checked. If only default values are stored in the predefinable memory area of the read-only memory, the control unit is a series device and the blocking arrangement is activated. Thus if the checking arrangement recognizes a manipulation of the data stored in the flash memory, processing of the data is prevented. If at least one predefinable test pattern is stored in the predefinable memory area of the read-only memory, the control unit is an application device and the blocking arrangement are deactivated. Thus processing of the data is not prevented even if the checking resources recognize a manipulation of the control program, the parameters or limit values.
The content of the predefinable memory area of the read-only memory is also referred to as a hardware identifier, since the content of this memory area may not simply be changed. The default values and test patterns stored in the predefinable memory area of the read-only memory must be matched to the hardware environment and to the data stored in the flash memory. In the control unit referred to in other prior systems, the danger nevertheless exists that unauthorized third parties may circumvent a blockage of the processing of manipulated data by manipulating the predefinable memory area of the read-only memory so that a series device is thereby identified as an application device.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of operating a microcomputer system


A zirconia sintered body having not only high strength but also excellent aesthetic properties. A colored translucent zirconia sintered body, characterized by containing an iron compound and from 2 to 4 mol % of yttria, showing a lightness L* of from 51 to 80 in L*a*b* color system, and having a relative density of at least 99.80%. The colored zirconia sintered body preferably has a total light transmittance of at least 20% as measured at a sample thickness of 1 mm and with a D65 light source. The colored translucent zirconia sintered body has aesthetic properties equivalent to those of natural teeth and is particularly suitable for a zirconia sintered body to be used for dental applications, and further, suitable for a mill blank such as an artificial tooth material or the like, and an orthodontic bracket.

Zirconia sintered body has high strength, whereby it has been used as dental materials. When the zirconia sintered body is used as a dental material, it is required to have not only high strength but also aesthetic properties similar to those of natural teeth.
Heretofore, to obtain a zirconia sintered body aesthetically comparable to natural teeth, a dental material prepared by laminating, on the surface of zirconia sintered body, other materials so as to adjust its color tone has been reported (Patent Document 1). However, since such a dental material is a composite material made of a glass material having a strength different from that of zirconia, its strength has not been sufficient for a dental material.
Therefore, a zirconia sintered body for dental materials which has increased aesthetic properties, without laminating other materials, while maintaining its strength has been studied.
For example, it has been reported that a zirconia sintered body having a translucency equivalent to that of natural teeth can be prepared by imparting translucency thereto. Patent Documents 2 and 3 disclose a zirconia sintered body, which will be used as a dental material as it is, having high strength and high translucency. However, although such a zirconia sintered body was found to show a translucency equivalent to that of natural teeth, its bright white color tone derived from zirconia was found to be different from the color tone of natural teeth.
Further, a colored zirconia sintered body for dental materials which contains oxides as a coloring agent has been reported (Patent Document 4). However, in such a colored zirconia sintered body, visible lights are absorbed by a coloring component contained therein. In addition, the translucency of such a sintered body is low since the coloring component inhibits the sintering process. Accordingly, such a colored zirconia sintered body was found to have a translucency and color tone different from those of natural teeth, and also have low strength.

Colored translucent zirconia sintered body and its use


A method for controlling power sources or energy sinks on an energy accumulator, in particular for a motor vehicle, is disclosed. Conventional systems for power supply to the motor vehicle modules are often excessively used, in particular in utility vehicles when an optimal availability is required. The present method includes measuring parameters characterizing the charge of the accumulator, and transmitting the results of a measurement to a control unit and in generating control signals for the energy sinks or the power sources by a control unit. The method makes it possible to eliminate a frequent cause of a low availability in motor vehicles.

The invention relates to a method for controlling energy sources or energy sinks on an energy accumulator, in particular in a motor vehicle, in which case at least one parameter which characterizes the state of charge of the energy accumulator is measured, in which case the parameter which characterizes the state of charge of the energy accumulator is transmitted to a control unit, in which case the control unit generates at least one control signal as a function of the parameter which is characteristic of the state of charge of the energy accumulator, which control signal controls energy sinks or energy sources which are connected directly or indirectly to the energy accumulator, in terms of the power which they consume from the energy accumulator or the power which they emit to the energy accumulator. An apparatus for carrying out the method is also covered by the subject matter of the invention.
The subject matter of the invention relates mainly to the field of automobile engineering in which case, in consequence, the expressions energy accumulator and battery or vehicle battery are used synonymously.
Electrical couplings or clutches, electrically operated lifting ramps, winch motors, drive-by-wire controllers, steer-by-wire controllers, electrical retarder supports, automotive image identification systems, radar-sensor systems, information system modules for organization of the unloading and loading of commercial vehicle cargoes on fleet parking areas and various further electrically operated systems assist the driver to carry out his tasks. The large number of these electronic information, control and loading systems, the increasing electrification of previously mechanical driving aids and equipment, and the increasing level of motorization with correspondingly larger starting aids require a large amount of electrical energy, and thus have a direct influence on the life of vehicle batteries. In consequence, any shortage in the battery-fed energy supply in vehicles such as these also results in a drastic increase in the risk of breakdown. Vehicles with a high risk of breakdown, in particular commercial vehicles, do not comply with the requirements for a high degree of mobility, and can be used only to a restricted extent.
Various apparatuses and methods for optimization of the state of charge and thus also of the life of vehicle batteries are already known, and are currently used in particular cases in passenger vehicles. By way of example, batteries are equipped with sensors and actuators which readjust their own temperature when cold. In consequence, the chemical reaction rates are increased, and the battery can be recharged within a shorter time. So-called integrated battery diagnosis systems are also known, which are integrated directly in the battery as a small electronic assembly, and lengthen the life of the battery.
However, none of the abovementioned systems overcomes the reason for restrictions to the availability of energy accumulators and the high costs associated with them as a result of their failures.


A floating support for a tape cartridge inserted into a tape drive, the floating support holding a magnetic head and resiliently supported off stationary structure in the tape drive. The floating support resiliently clamps portions of the cartridge against stationary portions of the tape drive which sets the reference positions of the cartridge with respect to the magnetic head. The floating support prevents the transmission of unwanted forces to the magnetic head support structure which would otherwise end to deform such structure. A floating bridge holding a magnetic head is provided having three leaf springs which engage a bottom wall of a tape cartridge to resiliently clamp the bridge to the cartridge to set the corresponding zenith and azimuth references for the magnetic head. The floating references also makes it possible to separate the cartridge fixing points and the cartridge reference points, in order to make the cartridge holding less sensitive to shock and vibrations.

The present invention relates to a tape drive for receiving a tape cartridge or cassette, which provides a structure for receiving the cartridge and holding the cartridge at a precise position relative to a magnetic head held by the tape drive. This precise position is defined by the references "A-level" and "B-level". The A-level is a line which defines a preset position of a front of the cartridge with respect to the magnetic head in a direction toward and away from the magnetic head. The A-level sets the degree of insertion of the cartridge toward the magnetic head and the roll angle of the cartridge with respect to the head. The B-level is a line perpendicular to the A-level and which defines a height reference, referring to a horizontally disposed cartridge, or in other words, a position of the cartridge along a direction across a width of the tape, and also the zenith and azimuth angles of the cartridge with respect to the head.
In prior tape drives, a bridge is provided which holds the cartridge at its reference position for access by a magnetic head which is also held on the bridge. However, in these devices, the bridge is relatively fixed and the cartridge is strained toward the reference positions on that bridge. Variations in tolerances between the cartridge and the cartridge supports can then cause varied strains or twists on the bridge and misalignments between the magnetic head and the tape. On prior tape drives, the cartridge was fixed at the reference points. This fixation however can cause the center of mass of the cartridge to be located outside of the triangle formed by the fixing points. This can lead to a high shock/vibration sensitivity.

Reference bridge for supporting a tape cartridge within a tape drive


A flame concentrating ring with an inwardly curved upper wall portion and air inlet vents at its base for encircling a gas burner and directing the flames upwardly and inwardly to focus on the bottom center of a wok A wok support ring straddles a stovetop grate. The wok support ring comprises a truncated conical base having a narrow opening at the top for supporting the bottom of a wok, a wide opening at the bottom thereof which rests on a stove grate, and a plurality of customizable break-away tabs of which a user breaks a plurality out to form stove grate-engaging notches The wok support ring incorporates a plurality of ball bearings to cradle bottom of wok to allow freedom of movement and manipulating of wok.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gas burner attachments and particularly to a wok support ring which straddles a stovetop grate and a flame concentrating ring with an inwardly curved upper wall portion and air inlet vents at its base for encircling a gas burner and directing the flames upwardly and inwardly to the focus on the bottom center of a wok.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
The development of the traditional wok by the Chinese over 2,500 years ago was necessary from the tough living conditions in China. Scarce supply of firewood forced the frugal Chinese to devise the present day methods of flash-flame cooking or better known as stir-fry.
The stir-flying technique involves the use of a Chinese wok, which usually requires cooking of vegetables and meats for very short time periods at high heat. In a typical stir-fry recipe, the cooking time is three to five minutes, or less. The health benefits of short-time cooking with minimal use of fats are substantial. Less fat is absorbed by the food being cooked in a wok than with western methods and resulting fat intake by the consumer is at a minimum. In addition to the health benefits, the flavor of the food, particularly vegetables, is substantially retained by the high heat searing of the food surfaces.
Chinese restaurants can attain these high temperatures by using commercial burners that reach over 200,000 BTU's (British Thermal Units). The typical American gas stove burner outputs an average 7,000 to 15,000 BTU's maximum. The commercial burners are able to bring the surface temperature of the wok to over 700 degrees F. to impart what the Chinese experts says is the elusive "Wok Hay". "Hay", the Cantonese Chinese pronunciation, or "chi" or "qi", the Mandarin Chinese pronunciations (the ones most familiar to the non-Chinese reader), is breath—the Chinese concept of vital energy that flows through the body. Chinese chefs stress Wok Hay must be achieved on the surface of the wok as the primary directive, this is not an issue for Chinese restaurants.
For stovetop cooking on a gas jet home stove, Wok Hay is quite elusive because of the insufficient amount of BTU's generated by the average domestic gas stove. This has given rise to a number of innovative wok designs in addition to the traditional cast-iron or stamped carbon steel woks that have entered the market. Today's Asian woks are manufactured in stainless steel, flat bottom, layered-steel/aluminum/steel, aluminum Teflon coated and electric/Teflon bottom. These types of woks have lured cooks away in the past, however, many devotees are returning to the faithful old cast iron or stamped carbon steel wok, because they respond most readily to changes in heat. Their thin gauge allows less time to heat up in preparation for cooking. Most commercially available Asian woks address certain aspects; heating, convenience and utility, however, they all are band-aids and miss their mark on the biggest issue in wok cooking: hi-temperature heat or Wok Hay.
Present day conventional gas stove burners are designed to take on all types of currently mass produced cookware. Practically all cookware is flat bottomed in nature. The typical western style stove burner emits a flame that fans outwardly as a pot or pan is placed on it. This design is most effective because it takes advantage of the entire flat surface area of the cookware.
In the case of the Asian wok, it's the opposite. The wok's unique round bottom causes the flame from a typical stovetop gas jet to mushroom out to its edges. This is an inherent design flaw against the wok. The wok and the conventional stovetop jet burner are not a compatible match.
One of the main problems with the use of the wok in Western kitchens is that it does not adapt well on electric and gas ranges. The wok was developed for use by placing it directly on rings with a wide based fire built underneath. However, the cooking surfaces utilized, particularly in the west, are typically flat for delivering heat to flat bottomed cooking vessels such as frying pans or sauce pans. The round dome surface of the wok does not adapt well to cooking on modern electric and gas ranges. Various methods have been utilized in attempts to overcome this problem.
One method involves modifying the structure of the wok itself. The production of flat bottomed woks for resting in a stable manner on a flat range top, has been done either by making the wok wall a uniform thickness and having both inside and outside have a flat bottom, in which case the wok is a little more than a high sided frying pan with all its inherent disadvantages, or by building the outside of the wok up only to leave a spherical cooking surface with a flat exterior surface. The disadvantage of this method is the cooking technique in spatula manipulation, i.e., movement of a metal spatula from a round surface to a flat plane. This can be discerning to those more accustomed to round bottomed woks. Flat bottomed woks do not permit the sweeping, surface-scooping motion of the round-edged spatulas used in wok cooking; where rapid, fluid motions are essential for effective stir-frying; and, flat bottomed woks do not permit the user to rock the wok smoothly over the heating surface in order to efficiently spread other ingredients to the food being cooked in the wok while keeping the wok in full contact with the heating surface. The other disadvantage of this method is that the weight and mass of the wok is increased.
Another modification to the wok has been the use of electric woks wherein the heating elements are arrayed in a partially spherical design at the bottom of the wok to provide even heat distribution. These woks are typically quite expensive and have the same disadvantages as the flat bottomed wok's unwieldiness. Their heat control thermostats are not sensitive enough for the quick temperature changes stir-frying demands. Another disadvantage to electric woks is that most of them are Teflon coated, which give rise of potential health issue associated with the inhaling of toxic fumes when the surface temperature exceeds 450 degrees F.
Those who wish to attain the advantage of cooking in a traditional thin walled wok have been forced either to abandon the use of modern ranges or else to utilize some form of interface adapter between the range and the wok. The alternate heating methods are less than desirable since they force the user to abandon the range top, the most commonly used cooking area in the kitchen. Thus, interface adapters have become popular.
The interface adapters manufactured to date have been rings or collars which are adapted to fit on the range element surface to provide a circular ring upper surface into which the wok bottom nests in a fairly stable fashion. Their lack of stability is a major disadvantage to prior art interface adapters.
Electrical range elements are typically spiral elements with spaces between different portions of the element. In this manner, the bottom surface of the adapter ring will typically rest partially on the element and partially on the spans between portions of the element. Since the shape and size of the electrical elements varies drastically from stove to stove, this can often result in an unstable circumstance. Instability can be a great disadvantage since spillage of cooking oil can lead to kitchen fires and severe burns to the user.
The problem is even more notable in gas ranges which typically have only an open latticework frame to support the cooking vessel with wide spaces between the various elements of the frame. There is a greater danger of instability of the adapter rings on this sort of latticework than even on the electrical elements.
Another disadvantage of prior art adapter rings or collars is that the heat is delivered to the wok in an uneven fashion. Thermal energy is delivered directly by conduction to the ring portion of the wok where the top of the adapter ring and the wok directly interface. However, the remaining portions of the wok must either be heated by radiant energy or by indirect conduction. Consequently, a hot ring area may develop part-way up the sides of the wok, particularly if the wok is constructed of less than optimal material. This provides for uneven cooking and does not provide the maximum heat to the very bottom of the wok where most of the actual cooking takes place.
In summary, a regular home stovetop gas jet burner normally spreads flames outwardly away from the center to cover a large area on a flat pan, which is not effective for a wok which needs a very hot flame in the bottom center of the wok, and ordinary home stoves are unsatisfactory for supporting spherical bottoms of Asian wok cooking vessels.
While a number of prior art wok supports have been attempted to be used with gas burners on stove tops (as well as some for use with electric coils) and a number of rings of various types for focusing flames of stovetop gas burners, none of the prior art patents provide a ring for focusing gas jet stovetop burners in combination with a universal wok support to fit a wide variety of stovetop grates and suspend a wok an effective distance above the gas jet to receive the full effect of the focused gas jet on the bottom center of the wok.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,316, issued Jul. 7, 1998 to Jones, describes a cooking range with interchangeable grate and wok ring mounted thereon. The range supports the wok ring and the grate over a gas fired burner element. The grate and the wok ring include a support plate which selectively engages the cooking range in a preferred orientation. The wok ring includes a preferred configuration of the support ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,062, issued Sep. 6, 1994 to Maudal, discloses a support stand which adapts an Asian WOK to a Western kitchen range. The stand provides an upper ring to receive a round bottomed WOK; the ring has sufficient diameter to accommodate the WOK securely in the stand. The base of the stand adapts to prior art drip pans placed in heating wells, where the well has gas or electrical heating elements located according to the type of range, and thus anchors the stand to the kitchen range top. A second concept modifies existing drip pans to provide both the functions of drip pan and support stand in a single, combined support stand. This stand replaces existing stands and drip pans and anchors the WOK to the kitchen range top. A third concept converts a prior WOK fire ring into a trivet allowing use of the WOK at a dinner table.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,718,967, issued Apr. 13, 2004 to Luther, claims a wok support for use in a wok range which incorporates a refractory insulating material into its structure. The wok support includes a tubular support structure having internal space in its wall. The refractory insulating material is disposed in the internal space.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,983, issued May 31, 1994 to Law, indicates a wok support ring comprising a two-piece support ring structure for supporting a wok cooking vessel on top of a burner cylinder of a cooking range. The structure features two components: a top ring of a substantially circular shape upon which sits a wok; and a base ring having a substantially circular shape that removably rests on the burner cylinder. The top ring removably rests on the base ring. The base ring itself comprises a first ring and a first mating means disposed on top of the first ring for removably coupling the base ring to the top ring. The top ring comprises a second ring upon which sits the wok and a second mating means projecting from the bottom of the second ring for removably coupling the top ring to the first mating means. The base ring further comprises a third mating means for removably coupling the base ring to the burner cylinder.
U.S. Patent Application #20020162923, published Nov. 7, 2002 by Geddes, indicates a support for a cooking vessel which comprises a ring having an upper portion for supporting the cooking vessel, and a lower portion formed with L-shaped slots for bayonet-type engagement with tines of a pan support grid of a conventional gas hob.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,613, issued Aug. 26, 1986 to Toldi, puts forth a wok adapter made from a thermally conductive material and has an exterior shape substantially in the nature of a frustum of a cone. The upper surface of the adapter is concave in the shape of a sector of a sphere such that a traditional wok will nest therein with approximately equal contact over the entire interface therebetween. The bottom surface of the adapter is substantially flat for maintaining a solid stable perch on either electrical stove elements or gas range lattice support structures. The bottom of the adapter may be provided with anti-slip protrusions which prevent the adapter from sliding on the top of the range element. The side of the adapter is angled outward in a conical fashion such that the heat generated by a smaller area of element at the bottom surface of the adapter may be delivered to a greater area of the wok surface for maximum usable cooking area. The adapter can be provided with a handle attachment detent such that a detachable handle may be attached thereto for transporting the adapter while it is still hot.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,018, issued Jul. 25, 2000 to Avshalumov, shows a gas burner comprising in combination means for controlled feeding and subsequent admixing of a secondary air directly to the base of the flame in a form of a cap coaxially surrounding a burner head of the gas burner comprising a lateral apertures for issuing combustible air-gas mixture to form a flame. The through lateral openings of the predetermined size having the total cross section greater than the total cross-section of the apertures of burner head are performed on the side wall surface of the cap. During the operation of the gas burner the exact measured amount of the secondary air is admixed directly to the base of the flame, thereby highly efficient and complete combustion process characterized by high-elevated temperature is achieved.
U.S. Pat. No. 698,507, issued Apr. 29, 1902 to Jeha, discloses a gas saving appliance for concentration heat to the bottom of a cooking utensil. The appliance comprises an annular ring body with a flanged upper edge that leaves a heat concentrating opening at the top. The ring body is provided with ventilation holes.
U.S. Pat. No. 834,733, issued Oct. 30, 1906 to Jeha, puts forth a gas saving appliance which comprises an inner cylindrical perforated drum which direct the gas heat upwardly and an outer inwardly curved and perforated drum with an opening at its top which allows heat to contact the bottom of a cooking vessel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,333, issued Aug. 11, 1998 to Bennett, claims a burner system for a gas range which includes an annular metal pan through which the gas flame selectively projects, and an annular grill or grate overlying the pan on which the bottom of a cooking utensil is selectively supported. In addition, the inventive system includes an element for directing the gas flame inwardly and upwardly towards the bottom of the utensil, as well as for substantially reducing heat loss generated by flame operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,346,761, issued Jul. 13, 1920 to Moore, claims a gas burner with a frusto-conical cover for directing the flames through the center upper orifice. The cover has air inlet notches at its base and a plurality lateral flame emitting orifices in the side wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,414,146, issued Apr. 25, 1922 to Moellendick, describes a gas burner attachment for retaining and directing heat to the bottom of a pan. The device is made of a strip of sheet metal with notches at the bottom edge thereof for the purpose of receiving the arms of a gas burner.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,546,919, issued Jul. 21, 1925 to Dore, puts forth a heat saving device for a gas burner. The device comprises an annular upwardly converging wall or deflector forming a converging flame directing passage communicating with an unobstructed upper central flame discharge opening. The deflector is supported on the burner by four internally located downwardly converging support arms.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,592,729, issued Jul. 13, 1926 to Feist, concerns an adjustable economizer and adapter for burners having a annular wall with an upwardly converged top flange for the purpose of focusing the heat to the bottom of the cooking vessel.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,692,000, issued Nov. 20, 1928 to Steffens, illustrates a mantle which sits upon gas burners. The mantle comprises an inverted frusto-conical, the lower wider opening of which sits on top of the burner and directs the heat up through the upper narrower opening. A cylindrical portion is affixed the upper narrower opening to further direct the heat through a stove top grate.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,772,407, issued Aug. 5, 1930 to Wilhelm, shows a gas burner attachment which comprises an auxiliary top having an elevated plateau with a gently sloping downward flange provided with a plurality of circumferentially arranged air vent opening and a centrally located depressed portion to ensure complete combustion.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,072,115, issued Sep. 2, 1913 to Harmon, is for a gas stove having a housing positioned over the burner to confine the flame against the bottom of a cooking vessel, said housing having notches in its upper edge for receiving the utensil holding fingers of the stove top.
U.S. Pat. No. D250,931, issued Jan. 30, 1979 to Pierce, provides the ornamental design for a gas saving grate.
U.S. Pat. No. D364,534, issued Nov. 28, 1995 to Brown, puts forth the ornamental design for an adapter for elevating an accessory above a stove heating element.
U.S. Pat. No. D545,124, issued Jun. 26, 2007 to Hawkins, is for the ornamental design for a wok ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,676, issued Feb. 8, 1977 to Adamis, discloses a crepe-making pan and support. The crepe pan is such that it is adapted to distribute the batter over the flat exposed bottom surface of the bottom of the pan; a base locates and supports the pan in position and is so dimensioned as to surround the flame and distribute the heat evenly over the flat bottom of the pan; the weight distribution of the pan and its handle being such that the pan will be firmly seated around a suitable flange on a shoulder adjacent the flange of the substantially cylindrical base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,186, issued May 15, 1984 to Smith, concerns a device for concentrating heat from a flame of a gas stove in combination with a cooking utensil includes a first collar rigidly attached to the cooking utensil and mating with a second collar attached to a grid of the stove. The collars may have several peripherally disposed vents. The second collar can be rotated to align the vents and control the venting of the flame of the stove.
U.S. Pat. No. 881,199, issued Mar. 10, 1908 to Palmer, illustrates a stove ring made from a band of light sheet metal. The sheet metal band has vent openings.
U.S. Pat. No. 983,413, issued Feb. 7, 1911 to Swafford, concerns a heat concentrating ring for gas or vapor stoves or ranges of which the height and diameter are adjustable. The device comprises two ring form sections, one having horizontally elongated slots and the other having vertically elongated slots and fasteners, such as bolts passing through the slots. One of the ring forms has additional air supply openings.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,131,226, issued Mar. 9, 1915 to Frank, provides a conico-cylindrical heating device which has an upper opening that supports a cooking vessel and a wider lower opening that sits upon a stove top grate. The device has a support made from intersecting grate bars which extend across the lower opening. Slots in the ends of the grate bars interlock with the outer face of the lower receiver opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,142,603, issued Jun. 8, 1915 to Moellendick, shows an ornate gas stove attachment which confines and directs the heat from a burner to the bottom of a pot or pan. The body member has a lower end which extends over a burner. Within the body member is an inner inwardly curved deflector for directing the heat, the upper opening of which has a series of radially spaced projections that disperse the heat evenly on the bottom of the pan.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,431,696, issued Oct. 10, 1922 to Shankland, discloses a ring-type support for cooking utensils made of a hollow body of sheet metal having annular vertical wall provided with a plurality of perforations. The cooking utensil is supported in an upper opening having a series of stepped diameters in the opening for supporting different sized pans.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,471,788, issued Oct. 23, 1923 to Gardner, indicates an adjustable short ring or funnel-type gas burner attachment which confines, condenses and directs the heat to the article being heated. The device is provided with air holes near the lower edge for providing ventilation and assisting in combustion.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,881,606, issued Oct. 11, 1932 to Humphreville, provides a heat conserver sleeve which surrounds a gas burner and directs the heat upwardly to the bottom of a cooking vessel. The sleeve is provided with a plurality of air vents for admission of secondary air to assist in combustion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,752, issued Jul. 6, 1982 to Leounes, describes a heat retaining collar device for reducing lateral heat dissipation from range top heating elements during cooking operations. An integrally-formed annular collar means of generally frusto-conical configuration is adapted to rest atop a range, in surrounding relation to a heating element disposed on said range top. A generally toroidally-shaped pocket of heated air surrounds an item of cookware adjacent its lower portion when such cookware is slideably received within the opening of the collar-like device surrounding the element. A first alternative embodiment has a hollow collar so that a dead air space interiorly of the collar-like device provides an additional thermal barrier. A second alternative embodiment provides a plurality of successively smaller nesting collars to accommodate cookware of differing sizes.
What is needed is a combination fire ring with walls that curve in at the top to focus the flame of a standard stovetop gas jet into an intense jet of flame focused upwardly and inwardly to hit the bottom center of the wok and a wok support which mounts on and straddles the radial cooking vessel support members of the stovetop grate to position the wok over the gas jet to receive the jet of flame on the bottom center of the wok.

Flame focusing ring for stovetop gas burner and universal wok support


Techniques are disclosed relating to lens modeling. In one embodiment, a lens model may be generated based on reference images of a pre-determined, known geometric pattern. The lens model may represent a spatially variant blur pattern across the image field of the lens used to capture the reference images. In one embodiment, the lens model may include Gaussian approximations of the blur that may minimize the difference between a location within a reference image and a corresponding location of a pre-determined, known geometric pattern. In one embodiment, the generated lens model may be applied to deblur a new image.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to generally to lenses, and, more specifically, to lens modeling
2. Description of the Related Art
Cameras are light capturing devices. Light rays emanate from some source, such as the sun, and travel through space until striking some object. When the light rays reach the object, the object absorbs much of the light spectrum, and what is not absorbed is reflected. In the case of cameras, some of the reflected light enters the optics of the camera and is collected by the camera sensor (or film) at the image plane. The geometric configuration of the passage of the light rays, from the object through the lens(es) to the image plane, can be described mathematically by a parametric model, which may be referred to as the camera model.
Camera lenses typically include design compromises, aberrations, and other imperfections that may introduce the aberrations into the captured image. Lens aberrations may include, but are not limited to, geometric distortion, lateral chromatic aberration, and vignetting. Most, if not all, captured images include at least some geometric distortion, such as blur, introduced primarily by the camera lens components.


An exciter-detector unit is disclosed which includes an exciter and a detector mounted on a common support for inducing perturbations into the body and detecting the perturbations after they travel a distance through the body in order to detect a hemoparameter.

In copending applications Ser. No. 08/228,213, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,649, and continuation-in-part applications Ser. Nos. 08/561,923 and 08/556,547, both applications pending, (Flehr Hohbach Test Albritton & Herbert files A-59155-1 and A-59155-2, respectively), and Flehr Hohbach Test Albritton & Herbert file No. 08/561 928, which was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office for filing on Nov. 22, 1995, there is described an apparatus for measuring a perturbation induced in the body to determine physiological parameters. The apparatus disclosed in said applications includes an exciter positioned over a blood vessel of the patient for inducing a transmitted exciter waveform into the patient. A non-invasive sensor is spaced from the exciter over the blood vessel. The non-invasive sensor is configured to sense a hemo-parameter and to generate a non-invasive sensor signal representative of the hemo-parameter containing a component of a physiological parameter waveform and a component of a received exciter waveform. In this context, a hemo-parameter is defined as any physiological parameter related to vessel blood such as pressure, flow, volume, velocity, blood vessel wall motion, blood vessel wall position and other related parameters. A processor determines the relationship between a property of the received exciter waveform and a property of the physiological parameter to provide the physiological parameter. In one embodiment, the physiological parameter measured is blood pressure. Exciters, sensors and processors can also be used to analyze and track other physiological parameters such as vascular wall compliance, strength of ventricular contractions, vascular resistance, fluid volume, cardiac output, myocardial contractility and other related parameters. It will be apparent that use of the present exciter-detector unit is not limited to use in the foregoing apparatus.

Exciter-detector unit for measuring physiological parameters


A method of removing unwanted coating material from cooling passages of a turbine component includes determining coordinates of the position and orientation of cooling passages at the surface of the turbine component and determining reference points in the region of the cooling passages. After coating of the turbine component, the reference points are measured once again and the thickness of the coating is calculated. In a basic processing program, the data for the position, passage orientation and coating thicknesses and also CAD data for the cooling passages are interlinked and a laser processing program is automatically adapted for each individual cooling passage. Using the laser processing program, a pulsed laser is guided over disk-shaped volume segments of the unwanted coating material and the material is removed in the process.

During operation of a gas turbine, the components, inter alia turbine blades, blade carriers and blade platforms, are exposed to hot gas temperatures of over 1400° C. The turbine components in the hot gas region are provided with a metallic oxidation layer and also often with a ceramic thermal-insulating layer, also called "thermal barrier coating" (TBC), such that the material can withstand these temperatures. In addition, the turbine components are cooled by means of cooling air, which flows through a complex system of cooling passages. The cooling passages open out to the surface of the components and often have in the region of the surface a specific three-dimensional shape which ensures film cooling of the component surface by the cooling air. In order to ensure reliable operation of the turbine, certain components, in particular turbine blades, are removed and replaced after an operating interval, for example of 20000 hours. In this case, it is commercially advantageous to recondition turbine blades and use them again for an operating interval. During reconditioning, the protective layers are typically removed and applied again, the outlet openings of the cooling passages being obstructed by the protective layer material applied again. In order to achieve full cooling capacity, the cooling passages must be opened again, in which case the geometry of the original cooling air holes should preferably be restored as accurately as possible.
In a turbine blade used nowadays, several hundred individual cooling passages, for example, are distributed at the surfaces, and these cooling passages can be divided, for example, into about twenty different basic types of passage. The basic types differ, for example, in their orientation relative to the surface of the turbine component, in the size of their cross section or in the angles of spread in the outlet region of the cooling passages.
Recoating is in many cases carried out by plasma spraying and with a spraying direction that is as perpendicular as possible to the component surface. The obstruction of the individual cooling passages therefore varies greatly, depending on the orientation and cross-sectional size of the passages and on their position relative to the contour of the component. In addition, the restoration of the original passage geometry is made more difficult by the large tolerances of the plasma spraying process by virtue of the fact that the thickness of the obstructing material can be predicted only to a limited extent.
EP 1 510 283 discloses a method of restoring cooling passages in turbine blades. First of all a local reference coordinate system is prepared by means of characteristic features of the component. In an automated scanning process, the three-dimensional positions and orientations of each cooling passage which are related to a local reference coordinate system are determined. The position and orientation data are then used for removing the obstructing coating material and for restoring the original cooling passage. The unwanted material is removed by vaporization by means of a pulsed laser (laser ablation).