A method and device for automatically controlling a polarizing filter, featuring automatically sensing, measuring, and analyzing at least one parameter associated with direction of a polarizing filter by an electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism, receiving a signal from the electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism relating to the at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter by a rotation control circuit, and receiving a signal from the rotation control circuit relating to the at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter by a polarizing filter rotating mechanism for automatically rotating the polarizing filter. The invention is primarily directed to applications of a polarizing filter in the field of photography, however, it clearly can be directed to applications of a polarizing filter in a variety of other fields involving the use of electromagnetic radiation for viewing, imaging and/or projecting through short or long distances, for example, involving the use of a microscope, binoculars, a telescope, or a laser beam device.

The present invention relates to techniques for controlling a polarizing filter and, more particularly, to a method and device for automatically controlling a polarizing filter. The method and device feature automatically sensing, measuring, and analyzing at least one parameter associated with direction of a polarizing filter by an electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism, receiving a signal from the electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism relating to the at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter by a rotation control circuit, and receiving a signal from the rotation control circuit relating to the at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter by a polarizing filter rotating mechanism for automatically rotating the polarizing filter.
Basic principles and details relating to propagating electromagnetic radiation and to polarization of propagating electromagnetic radiation needed for properly understanding the present invention are provided herein. Complete theoretical descriptions, details, explanations, examples, and applications of these and related subjects and phenomena are readily available in standard references in the fields of physics, materials science, optics, photography, and photographic equipment. The present invention is primarily directed to applications of a polarizing filter in the field of photography, however, the present invention clearly can be directed to applications of a polarizing filter in a variety of other fields involving the use of polarized electromagnetic radiation for viewing, imaging and/or projecting through short or long distances, for example, involving the use of a microscope, binoculars, a telescope, or a laser beam device.
Electromagnetic radiation which is unaffected and untreated by external influences, in general, and unpolarized, in particular, such as that of unpolarized light or any other radiation, behaves as a propagating transverse wave vibrating equally and randomly in all directions perpendicular to the direction of propagation. Polarization is generally denoted as the uniform and nonrandom elliptical, circular, or, linear or planar, variation of the vibrational orientation of the wave motion of such electromagnetic radiation. Linear or plane polarized electromagnetic radiation occurs when all the vibrating electromagnetic field components of the propagating electromagnetic radiation are oriented in the same direction. A simple way of describing this phenomenon is by considering the wave motion of electromagnetic radiation as a vector sum of two such vibrations in perpendicular planes, vibrating perpendicular to the direction of propagation, whereby linear or plane polarized electromagnetic radiation results when one of the two components is partly or entirely removed from the propagating wave motion of the electromagnetic radiation.
Sources of unpolarized electromagnetic radiation can be naturally existing, such as the sun or the moon, or, can be man made, such as a manufactured electromagnetic radiation source, for example, a device generating a highly focused or coherent beam of electromagnetic radiation, such as a laser beam, or, a device generating spread out or diffuse electromagnetic radiation, such as an incandescent lamp, a fluorescent lamp, an infra-red lamp, an ultra-violet lamp, or, a device generating a combination of focused and diffuse electromagnetic radiation, such as a photographic flash lamp, spot light, or flood light. Unpolarized electromagnetic radiation can be linearly or plane polarized by any of various linear or plane polarizing mechanisms, the most well known and characterized being absorption, scattering, or reflection, each of which is basically described herein.
In the linear or plane polarizing mechanism involving absorption, unpolarized propagating electromagnetic radiation, originating from a natural source or a man made source, is directed into a medium having a unique structure which passes or transmits incident electromagnetic radiation polarized in one direction, commonly referred to as the xe2x80x98passing directionxe2x80x99, while strongly absorbing or xe2x80x98blockingxe2x80x99 electromagnetic radiation polarized in the perpendicular, or xe2x80x98blockingxe2x80x99, direction. Accordingly, such a linear or plane polarizing medium functions as a special type of filter, commonly referred to as a xe2x80x98polarizing filterxe2x80x99, for blocking or filtering out a selected part, or fraction, of the incident electromagnetic radiation. A single polarizing filter polarizes up to a maximum of half the intensity of unpolarized electromagnetic radiation, and, depending upon the relative angular orientation of the polarizing planes of two polarizing filters placed in series, transmission of electromagnetic radiation, initially unpolarized when directed into the first polarizing filter, successively passing through the second polarizing filter can be controlled down to a minimum of zero if the double polarization is complete, in accordance with the well known Malus cosine-squared law.
Different types of media, such as a polarizing prism, or, a polarizing sheet, which are widely used as polarizing filters, are known for producing absorption type of linear or plane polarization of electromagnetic radiation. A polarizing prism is made of a material, for example, calcite, whose crystal structure exhibits double refraction or birefringent characteristics, whereby the crystal structure has a different index of refraction for each direction or plane of polarization. Since electromagnetic radiation of one polarization is bent more strongly than the other, it is possible to separate the polarized components by total internal reflection, for example, by using a Nicol prism, or, a Glan-Thompson prism, or, by deviation in different directions, for example, by using a Rochon prism, or, a Wollaston prism. A polarizing sheet, for example, any one of the variety of different types of polarizing sheets manufactured by the Polaroid Corporation, USA, is made by aligning microscopic crystals of an appropriate material in a suitable base.
A special case of polarizing electromagnetic radiation is when linear or plane polarized electromagnetic radiation such as light traverses a crystal such as calcite perpendicular to its axis, the light is transformed into elliptically polarized, or, circularly polarized light.
In the field of physics, in general, and materials science, in particular, linear or plane polarizing media are used for producing a well defined and characterized source of polarized electromagnetic radiation, such as that produced by placing an appropriately designed and constructed polarizing filter in front of the beam of a source of electromagnetic radiation such as a laser device, for studying electronic structure, properties, and behavior of materials.
In the field of photography, propagating electromagnetic radiation in the form of scattered light, glare or intense light, and other strong reflections of light, often interfere with the photographic process and degrade photographs in many ways, for example, by diluting colors, by obscuring or distracting a photographer from important image details, or by forcing less than optimal exposure compromises. Fortunately, for photographers, such xe2x80x98interfering lightxe2x80x99 is associated with varying degrees of polarization, and this association provides a relatively easy way to eliminate, minimize, or, exploit, the xe2x80x98interfering lightxe2x80x99, by using a polarizing filter set at optimum or strategic polarizing angles, while capturing the remaining desired light required for the photographic process.
In the linear or plane polarizing mechanism involving scattering, unpolarized propagating electromagnetic radiation, originating from a natural source or a man made source, is directed into a medium which absorbs and re-radiates or scatters the incident electromagnetic radiation, such that the scattered electromagnetic radiation leaving the medium is strongly polarized in the direction perpendicular to the incident direction of propagation. Gas phase media, for example, the atmosphere containing gas molecules, water droplets, and other airborne particles, absorb and scatter electromagnetic radiation, and are known for producing scattering type of linear or plane polarization of electromagnetic radiation.
Of importance to photographers is that atmospheric scattering of sunlight is least at local noon in clean, dry air, resulting in a sharp deep blue color of the sky, whereas, late sunlight skimming the horizon loses much of its blue-green content to scatter along its long path through the lower atmosphere before reaching a viewer, resulting in red-yellow sunsets. Adding moisture or particulates to the atmosphere substantially increases scattering efficiency at longer, redder, wavelengths. With more colors represented in their scattered light, clouds look white, and hazy (damp or smoggy) skies take on a grayish to whitish cast. Accordingly, bright white scattered light directed into a camera effectively mutes or desaturates all the colors in a particular scene, especially the blue of the sky, whereas, bright blue scattered light effectively desaturates all other colors. Fortunately, scattered electromagnetic radiation, such as scattered light, is strongly polarized perpendicular to the incident direction of the unpolarized electromagnetic radiation propagating from a light source such as the sun, the moon, or, a photographic flash lamp, at all wavelengths. Here, the polarization mechanism of scattered light enables differentiating interfering scattered light from desirable and largely unpolarized light reflected from photographic subjects or objects.
In the linear or plane polarizing mechanism involving reflection, unpolarized propagating electromagnetic radiation, originating from a natural source or a man made source, is directed at an angle of incidence onto the surface of a medium which reflects or polarizes more of the incident electromagnetic radiation in the direction perpendicular to the plane of incidence, that is, parallel or tangential to the reflecting surface of the medium, than in the direction of the plane of incidence, and, refracts, by transmitting or absorbing, according to the physicochemical and optical properties of the medium, a fraction of the incident electromagnetic radiation into the medium in the plane perpendicular to the direction of reflection. Here, according to standard definitions, the angle of incidence is the angle between the path of the incident electromagnetic radiation and the normal or perpendicular to the reflecting surface at the point of reflection, the angle of reflection is the angle between the normal or perpendicular to the reflecting surface of the medium and the path of the reflected light at the point of reflection, and, the plane of incidence is the plane containing components of incident and reflected electromagnetic radiation and is always normal or perpendicular to the reflecting surface at least at the point of reflection.
At a certain angle of incidence, well known as Brewster""s angle, for such a reflecting medium, the reflected electromagnetic radiation is entirely polarized and reflected perpendicular to the plane of incidence, that is, parallel or tangential to the reflecting surface of the medium, because the component of the incident electromagnetic radiation ordinarily reflected in the direction of the plane of incidence is completely refracted into the medium. For photographic applications taking place in air, the Brewster""s angle of most such reflecting surfaces is approximately 55 degrees. At other angles of incidence, reflected light from the surfaces of such media is only partially polarized, but the net polarization remains tangential to the reflecting surface.
Non-metallic or dielectric media which feature a generally smooth or polished reflecting surface, such as a sheet or plate of glass, a clean or polished non-metallic table-top, water, a wet non-metallic surface, foliage, or, non-metallic car paint, are known for producing reflection type of linear or plane polarization of electromagnetic radiation. Reflections from such types of surfaces are also commonly referred to as specular reflections. Unpolarized electromagnetic radiation reflected by smooth metallic surfaces, or, reflected by rough surfaces such as rocks, trees, animals, or dirt, essentially remains unpolarized. However, when linear or plane polarized electromagnetic radiation, such as light, is incident upon a polished metallic surface, the orientation of the propagating wave motion is generally transformed from a rectilinear to an elliptic one, and the light becomes elliptically polarized.
As indicated above, a single polarizing filter polarizes up to a maximum of half the intensity of unpolarized electromagnetic radiation, and, depending upon the relative angular orientation of the polarizing planes of two polarizing filters placed in series, transmission of electromagnetic radiation, initially unpolarized when directed into the first polarizing filter, successively passing through the second polarizing filter can be controlled down to a minimum of zero if the double polarization is complete. Based on this phenomena, and on the absorption, scattering and reflecting mechanisms involving linear or plane polarized electromagnetic radiation, polarized components of scattered or reflected electromagnetic radiation can also be polarized by directing such polarized components into a polarizing filter, for partly or entirely removing these polarized components from the electromagnetic radiation exiting the polarizing filter, which is a powerful tool used in a variety of fields, especially in photography.
Accordingly, properly controlling position and angular orientation settings of a polarizing filter are advantageously used in a variety of applications for effectively and efficiently controlling and exploiting propagating electromagnetic radiation, in general, and linear or plane polarized components of propagating electromagnetic radiation, in particular. Especially in the field of photography, a polarizing filter attached or connected to a camera properly positioned and oriented relative to a source of electromagnetic radiation and subjects and objects being photographed, and, set at optimum or strategic polarizing angles, is used for eliminating, minimizing, or exploiting, the above described polarized components of scattered and reflected xe2x80x98interfering lightxe2x80x99, for substantially improving photographic results, by improving saturation of desirable colors, by enabling a photographer to concentrate better on important image details during focusing and imaging procedures, by enabling a photographer to use optimal exposure settings, and by enabling a photographer to utilize a variety of special artistic and creative photographic techniques and effects not possible without the presence of such polarized light.
As indicated above, the present invention is primarily directed to applications of a polarizing filter in the field of photography, accordingly, prior art teachings of controlling a polarizing filter summarized below relate to the field of photography. In photography, for dealing with the effects of xe2x80x98interfering lightxe2x80x99 caused by scattering and reflections, typically, a polarizing filter is attached or connected to the front of the camera lens barrel, the camera and the attached polarizing filter are strategically positioned relative to a light source and subjects and objects of a scene, and the polarizing filter is then manually rotated by the photographer to a particular angle for eliminating, minimizing, or exploiting, the intensity of the interfering light. There are prior art teachings of various methods and devices for manually using or controlling a polarizing filter attached to a camera.
In Japanese Patent No. JP58052606, issued to Tooru et al., there is disclosed a device attached to a photographic lens barrel, wherein a polarizing filter is manually rotated by turning a knob whose opposite end is part of a gear mechanism including a filter frame holding the polarizing filter.
In Japanese Patent No. JP10319474, issued to Tomoaki, there is disclosed a polarizing filter frame attached to a photographic lens barrel, wherein a polarizing filter is manually rotated by rotating a polarizing filter holding frame with respect to the polarizing filter frame, such that rotation of the polarizing filter holding frame is separate from rotation of the focusing mechanism. In this disclosure, the device enables rotating and fixing the position of a polarizing filter separate from using the focusing mechanism of a camera.
In Japanese Patent No. JP11218799, issued to Kunio, there is disclosed a device attached to a camera, whereby rotating a wheel while pressing it against the outer peripheral surface of a polarizing filter, enables rotating of the polarizing filter.
The most significant limitation of each of these teachings is the necessity of manually rotating and/or adjusting the polarizing filter or polarizing filter mechanism, according to desired extent of decreasing or exploiting interfering light intensity, prior to photographing a scene. The photographic process becomes quite cumbersome when there is a need for manually rotating and properly adjusting the polarizing filter for attempting to achieve optimum results in addition to the simultaneous need for focusing subjects and objects of a scene to be photographed. Clearly, this limitation is even more pronounced for a photographer using a photographic xe2x80x98panningxe2x80x99 technique, whereby a camera is discontinuously or continuously panned or rotated about an axis of rotation of the camera in a horizontal plane, while photographing different fields of view of the scene. This important limitation affects novice as well as professional photographers.
Overcoming the described limitation of having to manually rotate and/or adjust the polarizing filter or polarizing filter mechanism during the photographic process is addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,028,303, issued to Suzuki. There is disclosed a polarizing filter control mechanism used in a camera that automatically rotates a polarizing filter in order to minimize the effects of reflected light on a photographic image. An imaging element, positioned on the camera head of a camera, obtains an image signal proportional to the intensity of reflected light entering the camera lens. The image signal is electrically converted into a level detection signal which is sent to a minimum value detection unit, whereby the level detection signal is compared to a reference signal for producing a corresponding error signal. A drive control unit rotates the polarizing filter until the difference between the level detection signal and the reference signal is minimized. A significant limitation of this device is the need for designing and using relatively sophisticated, and probably costly, electronics and optics for the imaging element and associated components of the device. Another limitation is the uncertainty involved with respect to applying the invention to different types of cameras.
To one of ordinary skill in the art, there is thus a need for, and it would be useful to have a method and device for automatically controlling a polarizing filter. Moreover, there is a need for such a method and device capable of automatically sensing, measuring, and analyzing at least one parameter associated with direction of a polarizing filter by an electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism, for automatically actuating a polarizing filter rotating mechanism which automatically rotates the polarizing filter. Furthermore, there is a need for such a method and device which are relatively simple and inexpensive to implement, and which are generally applicable in the field of photography and in a variety of other fields involving the use of polarized electromagnetic radiation for viewing, imaging and/or projecting through short or long distances, for example, involving the use of a microscope, binoculars, a telescope, or a laser beam device.
The present invention relates to a method and device for automatically controlling a polarizing filter. In general, the invention features automatically sensing, measuring, and analyzing at least one parameter associated with direction of a polarizing filter by an electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism, receiving a signal from the electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism relating to the at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter by a rotation control circuit, and receiving a signal from the rotation control circuit relating to the at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter by a polarizing filter rotating mechanism for automatically rotating the polarizing filter. In particular, the invention features an electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism automatically sensing and measuring the amount of horizontal shift in the direction of the polarizing filter when an electromagnetic radiation receiver, such as a camera or an object exposed to a laser beam, hosting the polarizing filter, rotates around one of its vertical axes, such as by panning a camera, and converts the measured amount of shift into a signal for automatically actuating a polarizing filter rotating mechanism which automatically rotates the polarizing filter around its optical axis.
Thus, according to the present invention, there is provided a method for automatically controlling a polarizing filter, the method comprising the steps of: (a) sensing, measuring, and analyzing at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter by an electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism; (b) receiving a signal from the electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism relating to the at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter by a rotation control circuit; and (c) receiving a signal from the rotation control circuit relating to the at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter by a polarizing filter rotating mechanism for automatically rotating the polarizing filter.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for automatically controlling a polarizing filter, comprising: (a) an electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism for sensing, measuring, and analyzing at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter; (b) a rotation control circuit for receiving a signal from the electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism relating to the at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter; and (c) a polarizing filter rotating mechanism for receiving a signal from the rotation control circuit relating to the at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter for automatically rotating the polarizing filter.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for automatically controlling a polarizing filter associated with an electromagnetic radiation receiver, the polarizing filter polarizes electromagnetic radiation propagating into the polarizing filter for forming polarized electromagnetic radiation received by the electromagnetic radiation receiver, the device comprising: (a) an electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism for sensing, measuring, and analyzing at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter; (b) a rotation control circuit for receiving a signal from the electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism relating to the at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter; and (c) a polarizing filter rotating mechanism for receiving a signal from the rotation control circuit relating to the at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter for automatically rotating the polarizing filter associated with the electromagnetic radiation receiver.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for automatically controlling a polarizing filter associated with a photographic device, the polarizing filter polarizes electromagnetic radiation propagating into the polarizing filter for forming polarized electromagnetic radiation received by the photographic device, the device comprising: (a) an electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism for sensing, measuring, and analyzing at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter; (b) a rotation control circuit for receiving a signal from the electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism relating to the at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter; and (c) a polarizing filter rotating mechanism for receiving a signal from the rotation control circuit relating to the at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter for automatically rotating the polarizing filter associated with the photographic device.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for automatically controlling a polarizing filter associated with a laser beam device, the polarizing filter polarizes electromagnetic radiation generated by the laser beam device for forming polarized laser beam electromagnetic radiation, the device comprising: (a) an electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism for sensing, measuring, and analyzing at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter; (b) a rotation control circuit for receiving a signal from the electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism relating to the at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter; and (c) a polarizing filter rotating mechanism for receiving a signal from the rotation control circuit relating to the at least one parameter associated with direction of the polarizing filter for automatically rotating the polarizing filter associated with the laser beam device.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for automatically controlling a polarizing filter, the polarizing filter polarizes electromagnetic radiation propagating into the polarizing filter for forming polarized electromagnetic radiation received by an electromagnetic radiation receiver, the method comprising the steps of: (a) sensing, measuring, and analyzing at least one parameter relating to a shift in direction of the polarizing filter caused by rotating the electromagnetic radiation receiver around an axis of rotation of the electromagnetic radiation receiver, by an electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism, for generating an electronic signal relating to the shift, where the electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism is physically connected and fixed to the electromagnetic radiation receiver; (b) receiving the electronic signal from the electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism relating to the shift in the direction of the polarizing filter, by a rotation control circuit, for generating a control signal relating to angular positions and rotation of the polarizing filter; and (c) receiving the control signal from the rotation control circuit by a polarizing filter rotating mechanism for automatically rotating the polarizing filter around an optical axis of the polarizing filter to a pre-determined angular position.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for automatically controlling a polarizing filter, the polarizing filter polarizes electromagnetic radiation passing through the polarizing filter for forming polarized electromagnetic radiation received by an electromagnetic radiation receiver, comprising: (a) a polarizing filter frame for holding the polarizing filter, where the polarizing filter frame is connected and fixed to the electromagnetic radiation receiver; (b) an electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism for sensing, measuring, and analyzing at least one parameter relating to a shift in direction of the polarizing filter caused by rotating the electromagnetic radiation receiver around an axis of rotation of the electromagnetic radiation receiver, and for generating an electronic signal relating to the shift, where the electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism is connected and fixed to the electromagnetic radiation receiver; (c) connecting and fixing elements for connecting and fixing the polarizing filter frame and the electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism to the electromagnetic radiation receiver; (d) a rotation control circuit for receiving the electronic signal from the electronic direction/motion sensing mechanism relating to the shift in the direction of the polarizing filter, and for generating a control signal relating to angular positions and rotation of the polarizing filter within the polarizing filter frame; and (e) a polarizing filter rotating mechanism for receiving the control signal from the rotation control circuit, for automatically rotating the polarizing filter around an optical axis of the polarizing filter to a pre-determined angular position.
The method and device of the present invention serve as significant improvements over currently used techniques for controlling a polarizing filter used in a variety of fields such as physics, materials science, optics, and photography. The present invention is generally applicable to essentially any type of electromagnetic radiation receiver, such as a camera, and is relatively simple and inexpensive to implement.

Method and device for automatically controlling a polarizing filter


A wind farm with at least two wind turbines (1, 2, 3, 4) connected to a power grid is provided, said wind farm further comprising a control unit (5) connected to said at least two wind turbines (1, 2, 3, 4), and a sensor unit (6) connected to said power grid and said control unit (5), wherein said sensor unit (6) is adapted to measure the grid frequency of said power grid and to transmit said measured grid frequency to said control unit (5), and wherein said control unit (5) is adapted to control the output of real power of said wind farm according to said measured grid frequency. Furthermore, a method for operating a wind farm is proposed, said method comprising the steps of measuring the grid frequency with a sensor unit, transmitting said measured grid frequency to a centralized control unit, determining whether the measured grid frequency lies outside a predetermined range, and, if the measured grid frequency lies outside said predetermined range, selecting at least one out of the at least two wind turbines comprised in said wind farm by said centralized control unit and regulating the power output of said selected at least one wind turbine.

Nearly every power generating plant—be it a nuclear power plant, a cogeneration plant, a wind power station—generates the current by a generator which converts mechanical energy into electrical power.
Usually, the generator is connected to a power line conducting electrical current. The power line from which consumer loads connected to it obtain their power, should have a defined grid parameters, in particular, a defined voltage and a defined frequency. For example, the desired values for the average German household on the low voltage level are 230 Volts and 50 Hertz (Hz).
The stability of the grid parameters is dependent on a variety of influencing variables including the balance between generated power and the consumed power at every instant. Any imbalance between generated (real) power and consumed (real) power leads to changes in the grid frequency. When more power is generated than consumed, the frequency rises, if more power is consumed than generated, it decreases. In order to avoid overload within the combined grid systems and to control the load flow, it is vital to maintain the grid frequency fluctuation as small as possible.
As the installed power of wind turbines increases, wind power generation has an increasing influence on the grid stability. Therefore, it becomes more and more important for wind farms to contribute to the grid stabilization by controlling the real power output of a wind farm dependent on the grid frequency.


The invention is a propulsion system for powering an aircraft in both vertical and horizontal flight modes. In detail, the invention includes a pair of ducted lift fans mounted in the aircraft for providing thrust in the vertical flight mode. A pair of ducted cruise fans are mounted in the aircraft for providing thrust in the horizontal flight mode. Two sets of turboshaft engines are mounted in the aircraft with each of the sets comprising a plurality of the turboshaft engines, each turboshaft engine including an output shaft and having an optimal power output sufficient for powering one of the pair of ducted cruise fans in the horizontal flight mode. Each of the sets includes a sufficient number of the turboshaft engines to provide an optimal power output for powering one of the pair of ducted lift fans and one of the pairs of ducted cruise fans the vertical flight mode. A shafting system is mounted in the aircraft for coupling all of the turboshaft engines to the pairs of ducted fans. A first decoupling system is connected to the shafting system for decoupling the pair of ducted lift fans from the sets of turboshaft engines. Finally, a second decoupling system is connected to the shafting system for individually decoupling each of the turboshaft engines from the shafting system.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of propulsion systems for aircraft and, in particular, to propulsion systems for vertical and/or short take-off aircraft (V/STOL).
2. Description of Related Art
The efficiency of a propulsion system for an aircraft is maximized when the velocity of the exhaust gases equals the velocity of the aircraft in its flight direction at minimum specific fuel consumption. Thus during takeoff, landing, and hovering it is obvious that a helicopter, which provides a small incremental velocity to a large mass of air (low disc loading), is more efficient than a jet aircraft, which provides a large incremental velocity to a small mass of air (high disc loading). However, a helicopter, because of its very large diameter rotor, has a limited forward velocity of less than 200 Knots due to compressibility effects on the rotor blade tips. Thus most V/STOL aircraft are compromises, which either limits the forward velocity of the aircraft (helicopter) or requires oversized engines for vertical flight (jet aircraft) causing a loss in cruise efficiency.
For example, the AV-8A Harrier V/STOL aircraft utilizes a turbofan engine for both hover and cruise propulsion. The turbofan engine was sized to produce adequate thrust for vertical lift in hover, but its correspondingly large frontal area increases the drag of the
aircraft and limits its maximum speed to less than Mach 1 (approximately 580 Knots at sea level). However, the turbofan exhaust is of significantly high velocity and, thus propulsion efficiency is low at cruise velocities because the engine is oversized for this flight mode and hovering, which requires maximum power, for any significant amount of time is avoided because of the high fuel consumption.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,345, "Tandem Fan Series Flow V/STOL Propulsion System" by R. G. Musgrove, a jet engine with a small fan, which is capable of providing supersonic performance, is modified to provide vertical lift. The basic engine fan is split to provide fore and aft fans connected by means of a common drive shaft. The fans are centrally mounted in a duct located within the aircraft along its longitudinal axis. In normal wingborne flight (hereinafter referred to as horizontal flight mode), the fans operate in series with the fan exhaust mixing with the turbine exhaust and exiting through a nozzle located at the rear of the aircraft. In the vertical mode of operation, a diverter is positioned downstream of the forward fan and is movable to a position for diverting the exhaust from the forward fan downward relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, while simultaneously opening an auxiliary inlet for permitting the introduction of air to the aft fan. An aft diverter is located in the nozzle which is also moveable to a position for diverting the exhaust from the aft fan and engine core downward. Thus for vertical flight the diverters are actuated causing the exhaust from both fans and the core engine to be directed downward fore and aft of the center of gravity of the aircraft. However, the tandem fan engine has less thrust in the vertical takeoff and landing mode of operation than it has in the normal flight mode of operation. The thrust is greater in cruise because airflow passes through both fans, and thus the core is supplied with air that is raised to a higher pressure level (supercharged); whereas, in the vertical mode the core engine airflow passes through only the aft fan. Consequently, the tandem fan concept is not an efficient design for a V/STOL aircraft.
Another more efficient approach is to couple a separate large diameter lift fan to the main turbofan by means of a drive shaft. The lift fan is clutched in and powered only during vertical flight modes. In addition, both the fan section and turbine section exhaust are deflected downward to provide lift. Increased performance is obtained because some of the turbofan's power is being used to drive the lift fan, which is more efficient at the low vertical take-off and landing speeds. Such a system can be found in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/521,211 "Propulsion System For A V/STOL Aircraft," filed May 5, 1990. However, as with all the designs discussed above, the propulsion systems are designed primarily for supersonic high-speed flight and modified for V/STOL operation. They are not readily applicable for subsonic aircraft where significant hover time is required.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,783, "Convertible Aircraft Engine" by R. E. Neitzel, a turbofan concept is disclosed for converting almost all the power used by the engine fan to shaft horsepower to drive a helicopter rotor. Guide vanes located on both sides of the outer portion of the engine fan can be actuated to block off air flow through the fan duct while still allowing air flow into the engine core. A gear mounted on the forward end of the fan shaft is coupled to a drive shaft which in turn drives the rotor. Such a system provides maximum efficiency during takeoff and landing and also during normal flight. However, if high-speed flight, (greater than 0.5 Mach) is to be accomplished, the rotor must be either stopped (x-wing concept) or stopped and stowed. The former concept requires an extremely complex computer-controlled pneumatic blowing system that, to this date, has not been successfully developed. The latter system causes a severe weight penalty and requires a complex folding and stowing system. Furthermore, it is difficult to achieve low-observable (LO) characteristics with either design.
The tilt rotor concept, found in the V-22 Osprey aircraft, uses large diameter propellers powered by two cross-shafted turboshaft engines. Its disc loading is higher than a helicopter, but lower than a turbofan and, thus is efficient in the vertical flight modes; however, the large propellers limit the top speed to about 300 Knots at sea level. Again, this is due to compressibility effects on the propeller tips. Furthermore, the large propellers eliminate it as a candidate for missions where a low radar cross-section is required. Tilt pylon-mounted turbofan engines can obtain a higher cruising speed, but lose vertical flight mode efficiency because of the high disc loadings. In addition, pylon-mounted engines of any type, where the fan is visible to radar signals, are also unsuitable for LO missions.
The type of V/STOL aircraft that appears to be most suitable for missions where low radar cross-section is required is one where the entire propulsion system is imbedded in the aircraft wing and/or fuselage. For example, as in a ducted fan-in-wing for the vertical flight mode and turbo-jet or turbofan engines for the horizontal flight modes. The overall concept is rather old, dating at least back to 1914. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,130,623 "Flying Machine" by M. L. Mustionen discloses pylon-mounted lift propellers and a pusher propeller mounted in the tail, all powered by a single piston engine. However, with modern V/STOL aircraft, safety requirements dictate the use of multiple engines with cross-shafting to obtain engine-out performance in the vertical flight mode. Examples of this concept can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,828,203, "Vertical/Short Take-Off And Landing Aircraft" and 4,469,294, "V/STOL Aircraft," both by R. T. Clifton, et al. This aircraft design uses two pylon-mounted ducted propellers for the vertical flight mode and a rear-mounted ducted propeller for the horizontal flight mode. Two engines are mounted in the airframe and "belt drive" a common shaft that is directly connected to the rear mounted propeller. The drive shaft is also connected to a right-angle gearbox which in turn drives the two pylon-mounted ducted lift propellers by means of belt drives. It is apparent that such a combination aircraft design and propulsion system, as configured, does not lend itself to LO missions because of the rear-mounted ducted propeller used for the horizontal flight mode. However, even if it were installed in a proper airframe, it still would not provide the necessary propulsion efficiency and engine-out performance required for any practical aircraft.
The basic problem is that in an aircraft, such as a transport, the ratio of thrust required for takeoff in the vertical flight mode to that required for efficient cruise
in the horizontal flight mode is on the order of 10 to 1. Having multiple engines simply to provide for engine-out capability yields a thrust mismatch between the cruise and vertical flight modes. If the aircraft has only two engines and it requires both engines for a normal takeoff in the vertical flight mode, then each engine alone must be able to provide the total thrust required (in a max power setting for engine-out capability). This means that each of the two engines must be greatly oversized and therefore will yield very poor cruise efficiency. It's either this approach or stay with a single engine, as in the AV-8A Harrier aircraft. To date, no prior design has sufficiently addressed this problem.
Thus it is a primary object of the subject invention to provide a propulsion system for a vertical and/or short take-off and landing aircraft.
It is another primary object of the subject invention to provide a propulsion system for a vertical and/or short take-off and landing aircraft that provides increased propulsive efficiency in the horizontal flight mode.
It is a further object of the subject invention to provide a propulsion system for use in low-observable vertical and/or short take-off and landing aircraft.
It is a still further object of the subject invention to provide a propulsion system for a vertical and/or short take-off and landing aircraft that provides engine-out capability.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a propulsion system for a vertical and/or short take-off aircraft that provides optimum or near optimum efficiency of the propulsion system in both the vertical and horizontal flight modes.

Propulsion system for an aircraft providing V/STOL capability


A hybrid drive system for a vehicle, comprising an internal-combustion engine, a generator, an electric motor, an electric energy accumulator, and a connection device for establishing mechanical connections between the internal-combustion engine, the generator, the electric motor and the vehicle, and a control device. The control device controls a converter device and, as required, the connection device such that the internal-combustion engine is used exclusively for driving the vehicle only if it operable in an operating range in which the operation could also take place only with an electromotive drive, with a specific fuel consumption ESVE lower than ESVL/(G×B×M), wherein ESVL is the effective specific fuel consumption with which the generator was driven during the charging of the energy stored in the electric energy accumulator, G is the efficiency with which the generator converts the mechanical driving power into electric power, B is the efficiency with which the electric power generated in the generator is stored as energy in the electric energy accumulator and is supplyable to the driving motor, and M is the efficiency with which the electric power in the driving motor is convertible into mechanical energy.

The invention relates to a hybrid drive system for a motor vehicle, which hybrid drive system contains an internal-combustion engine, a generator, an electric motor, an electric energy accumulator coupled with the generator and the electric motor by way of a controllable converter device for controlling the electric energy flow, a connection device for establishing mechanical couplings between the internal-combustion engine, the generator, the electric motor and the vehicle, and a control device for controlling the converter device and the connection device as a function of the charge state of the energy accumulator and the drive power demand of the vehicle.
Because of the increasing importance of an improved environmental compatibility of motor vehicles, hybrid drive systems of the above-mentioned type are becoming more significant. They permit the avoidance of an operation of the internal-combustion engine in ranges with a particularly high specific fuel consumption. Such operating ranges are connected with high, route-related fuel consumption of the vehicle as well as with high emission of pollutants.
Hybrid drive systems of the above-mentioned type are known, for example, from German Patent document DE 29 43 554 A1, Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model 2-7702, International Patent document WO 00/15455 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,395.
It is an object of the invention to further develop a hybrid drive system of the above-mentioned type such that its environmental compatibility is improved.
Solutions of this object are achieved according to the invention. By designing the hybrid drive system according to an aspect of the invention, it is ensured that, when the battery is full, the internal-combustion engine is used for driving the vehicle only if, when driving the vehicle, it runs at an operating point having a specific fuel consumption which is less than the effective specific fuel consumption which occurs when the vehicle is driven electromotively, and it is taken into account how the energy accumulator was charged.
By means of the hybrid drive system according to another aspect of the invention, it is ensured that the vehicle will be driven by the electric motor only when the respective driving power cannot be provided more economically by the internal-combustion engine.
In accordance with further aspects of the invention, it is ensured that the electric energy accumulator is recharged with the best possible effective specific fuel consumption.
Further advantageous embodiments and further developments of the hybrid drive systems according to the invention are described and claimed herein.
In accordance with still further aspects of the invention, it is ensured that, in each case, the recharging of the electric energy accumulator always takes place with the lowest possible fuel consumption of the internal-combustion engine.
Additionally, the basic design of the control device is such that the vehicle can always be driven with the lowest possible effective fuel consumption.
It can be ensured by means of other aspects of the invention that the energy accumulator always contains a sufficiently large energy reserve which at least makes possible a reliable starting of the internal-combustion engine from the energy accumulator.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, it is achieved that, in certain operating conditions, for example, when the electric energy accumulator is still substantially full, a recharging will take place only when the energy, which will be additionally stored in the energy accumulator, will be generated with a better efficiency than the energy still present in the energy accumulator.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, it is achieved that the operating behavior of the hybrid system can be adapted to a predetermined, repeatedly traveled route such that this route will be traveled with minimal fuel consumption.
Further aspects of the invention are aimed at the advantageous dimensioning of components of the hybrid drive system, at possibilities of starting the internal-combustion engine in the case of a particularly simple embodiment of a hybrid drive system, and at a particularly advantageous and simple embodiment of the hybrid drive system.
Advantageously, a two-cycle internal-combustion engine can be used in a hybrid drive system according to the invention because operation of the internal-combustion engine can be avoided in operating ranges in which the two-cycle method presents problems.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


A parallel circuit for light-emitting diodes includes a first power wire, a second power wire, a first LED, a second LED, a switch, and a controller. The first LED has two ends respectively connected to the first power wire and the second power wire. The second LED and the switch are serially connected into a series circuit. One end of the series circuit is connected to the first power wire, and the other end of the series circuit is connected to the second power wire. The switch changes between a conductive state and a non-conductive state according to a switching frequency. The controller is electrically connected to the first power wire and the second power wire. The controller supplies electric power to the first power wire and the second power wire, to generate a voltage difference between the first power wire and the second power wire.

Certain light strings that include a plurality of light sources directly soldered onto an electric cord at intervals, so as to form a sting-shaped illumination device without a lamp holder, are known in the art. A light string is generally as flexible as the electric cord is, such that the light string is easily arranged in any configuration to comply with requirements for special illumination or decoration.
In a light string, if the light sources are grouped into different groups to be controlled, for example, a group of the light sources flicker while the others remain on, light sources having a control integrated circuit (IC) chip are required, such as a light source having a control chip and an LED packaged together. Furthermore, the drive circuit has to be equipped with an encoding function to send encoding commands to individually switch each of the light sources.
Both the light source having a control IC and the drive circuit equipped with the encoding function are relatively expensive, and the overall cost and the retail price of the light string rises which put the light string at a competitive disadvantage.

Parallel circuit for light-emitting diodes


The present invention is directed to a semiconductor memory device including a plurality of first level contacts arranged in a rectangular array with parallel columns directed along a first direction and parallel rows directed along a second direction. The rectangular array of the plurality of first level contacts have a first pitch and a second pitch along the first and second directions, respectively. The memory device further includes a first and second plurality of second level contacts formed on top of the first level contacts with the first plurality of second level contacts electrically connected to odd columns along the second direction of the first level contacts and the second plurality of second level contacts electrically connected to even columns of the first level contacts; and a first and second plurality of memory elements formed on top of the first and second plurality of second level contacts, respectively.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly, to exemplary embodiments of a memory cell structure that can increase the separation spacing between closest adjacent memory elements for a given memory cell size.
A memory device normally comprises an array of memory cells, each of which includes a memory element and a selection transistor coupled in series between two electrodes. The selection transistor functions like a switch to direct current or voltage through the selected memory element coupled thereto. Upon application of an appropriate voltage or current to the memory element, the electrical property of the memory element would change accordingly, thereby switching the stored logic in the respective memory cell.
A memory device may be either volatile or non-volatile, depending on the types of memory element and memory architecture used. An example of volatile memory devices is dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which loses its stored information when power is interrupted or lost. Non-volatile memory devices, such as magnetic random access memory (MRAM) or other types of resistance-based memory devices, can retain stored information when powered off.
A resistance-based memory element can be classified into at least one of several known groups based on its resistance switching mechanism. The memory element of Phase Change Random Access Memory (PCRAM) may comprise a phase change chalcogenide compound, which can switch between a resistive amorphous phase and a conductive crystalline phase. The memory element of Conductive Bridging Random Access Memory (CBRAM) relies on the statistical bridging of metal rich precipitates therein for its switching mechanism. The memory element of CBRAM normally comprises a nominally insulating metal oxide material, which can switch to a lower electrical resistance state as the metal rich precipitates grow and link to form conductive paths upon application of an appropriate voltage. The memory element of Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM) typically comprises at least two layers of ferromagnetic materials with an insulating tunnel junction layer interposed therebetween. When a switching current is applied to the memory element of an MRAM device, one of the ferromagnetic layers will switch its magnetization direction with respect to that of the other magnetic layer, thereby changing the electrical resistance of the element.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional memory device 20 comprising a semiconductor substrate 30, a plurality of memory cells 32 formed thereon, a plurality of parallel gates 34 connecting to the cells 32 along the y-direction, a plurality of parallel common source lines 36 connecting the cells 32 along the y-direction, and a plurality of bit lines 38 connecting the cells 32 along the x-direction substantially perpendicular to the y-direction. In this drawing, the insulation material separating various elements is omitted for reasons of clarity. Each of the memory cells 32 further includes a resistance-based memory element 40 and a selection transistor 42 connected in series by way of a bit contact 44. Each selection transistor 42 includes a drain and a common source that is shared with an adjacent selection transistor. The bit contact 44 is formed on top of the drain. Each common source is coupled to one of the common source lines 36 formed thereon. The channel of the selection transistor 42 formed between the drain and the common source beneath the gate 34 has a length of about 1 F and a width of about 1 F, where F denotes the minimum feature size or one half the minimum feature pitch normally associated with a particular lithography process. In memory applications where memory cells are arranged in dense and repetitive patterns, photolithography is more constrained by the pitch of the feature pattern rather than the feature size itself. This is because the feature size can be modulated by photo lithography process conditions, such as exposure and resist development, but shrinkage of the feature pitch would require shorter wavelength light source and/or significant improvement in optics. In reality, the scaling of the device size in a dense array, such as that in memory applications, is limited by the minimum pitch of 2 F. Moreover, it is normally assumed that the minimum feature size is half of the corresponding minimum pitch. The illustrated conventional resistive memory device in FIG. 1 has cell dimensions of 4 F and 2 F in the directions of the bit lines 38 and the source lines 36, respectively, resulting in a cell size of 8 F2.
FIG. 2 is a top planar view of the conventional memory device 20 showing the placement of the gates 34, the common source lines 36, the memory elements 40, and the bit contacts 44 directly beneath the memory elements 40. For reasons of clarity, the bit lines 38 are not shown in order to expose the structure therebeneath. The center-to-center spacing between any one of the bit contacts 44 and the three closest neighbors thereof is 2 F. The memory elements 40, which are formed on top of the bit contacts 44, are subjected to the same geometric constraint with the center-to-center spacing between two closest neighbors being 2 F. Assuming each of the memory elements 40 has a diameter of about 1 F, then the gap or clearance between two closest adjacent memory elements 40 is only about 1 F. For 8 F2 memory cell design, such as the one shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it is desirable to increase the spacing or separation between two closest adjacent memory elements 40 in order to increase the gap therebetween for easing processing constraints or to increase the memory size for improving memory performance or both.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an 8 F2 memory device that has a minimum center-to-center spacing between adjacent memory elements greater than 2 F and that can be inexpensively manufactured.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Memory device with increased separation between memory elements


A light emitting fire knife device includes a blade structure, a first planar light emitting component, a second planar light emitting component, a handle structure, and a first cylindrical light emitting component. The blade structure includes a first distal end and a second distal end opposite the first distal end. The first planar light emitting component is disposed on a first planar surface of the blade structure and the second planar light emitting component is disposed on a second planar surface of the blade structure, where the second planar surface is opposite the first planar surface. The handle structure includes a third distal end and a fourth distal end opposite the third distal end, where the third distal end is configured to removably secure to the second distal end of the blade structure. The first cylindrical light emitting component is secured around the handle structure proximate the fourth distal end of the handle structure.

A fire knife (e.g., Samoan fire knife) is used in ceremonial fire knife dances, fire knife competitions, and fire knife performances. Material that has been soaked in flammable liquid is attached to the blade of the fire knife and to the handle of the fire knife. During ceremonial dances, the material is set on fire and performers dance while twirling, throwing, and catching one or more fire knives and doing other acrobatic stunts.


A power take-off release mechanism for automatically disengaging a power take-off unit and accessory equipment powered thereby is disclosed. The power take-off release mechanism interconnects a clutch foot pedal mechanism of a vehicle having a manual transmission to a throw out arm on the power take-off unit. The power take-off unit includes a mechanical cable linkage which functions to engage the power take-off unit in a conventional manner. Thereafter, whenever the manual clutch foot pedal is depressed to put the vehicle in gear under normal driving conditions, the power take-of mechanism of the present invention is automatically actuated to disengage the power take-off unit thereby preventing the same from being operated at higher engine revolutions under normal driving conditions. In one embodiment, the power take-off release mechanism includes a mechanical cable linkage that interconnects the clutch foot pedal with the mechanical throw out arm on the power take off unit. In an alternative embodiment, the same functions are carried out by electro-mechanical components such as switches and solenoids.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to foot pedal control mechanisms and apparatus, and more particularly, to a method for engaging and disengaging a power take-off unit associated with the transmission of a heavy duty motor vehicle.
It is well known to those skilled in the art to utilize a so-called power take-off unit in conjunction with a truck or tractor transmission to provide power to a take-off shaft independent of the drive shaft of the vehicle. The power take-off shaft is used to operate an accessory device such as a hydraulic pump or other equipment carried on the vehicle.
In the conventional practice, the power take-off shaft must be engaged and/or disengaged by manual operation of a control lever coupled to a mechanical linkage to actuate the power take-off shaft. An example of such a manually controlled power take-off control mechanism is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 2,175,188 to Fuller. This patent discloses a foot pedal operated linkage which directly controls cutting in of a power take-off shaft independently of the propulsion shaft of the vehicle.
A particular problem with such a power take-off control mechanism is that the same must be manually disengaged after operation of the power take-off is complete and normal operation of the vehicle's propulsion shaft is to be resumed.
Since the power take-off shaft is designed to operate at lower revolutions per minute (rpm) than the vehicle's propulsion shaft, the power take-off unit shaft and accessory pump can be severely damaged if the operator fails to disengage the same prior to operating the vehicle at normal driving speed.
Thus, the present invention provides a power take-off release mechanism that is interconnected with the vehicle clutch pedal to automatically disengage the power take-off shaft whenever the vehicle is to be operated at normal driving speeds.
2. Description of Related Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 2,175,188 to Warren Fuller discloses an invention for control accessibility providing greater access for cutting-in and out one or more power driven means as from a tractor power plant.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,309,454 to Clifford M. Heller discloses a control mechanism and actuating apparatus for controlling the braking mechanism of an automotive vehicle. This invention includes a lever and clutch arrangement being so arranged that the clutching means for retaining the lever mechanism in adjusted position may be rendered effective or ineffective at will.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,455,233 to Shirley C. Copeland discloses an automatic throttle control adapted for use on tractors which is adapted to be actuated by the depressing of the tractor clutch to reduce the supply of the fuel mixture to the carburetor to cause the tractor engine to slow down to an idling speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,555,417 to Cebal F. Martin discloses a hand controlled clutch and brake for tractors providing a remote control connection whereby the operator of the tractor can operate the clutch and brake while standing up on the drawbar of the tractor or when standing on the ground as when the connection is being affected with a tractor drawn implement.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,277,312 to Henry Fehr discloses a foot actuated linkage terminating in a clutch operated lever and having a support adjacent the draw bar of the tractor, the clutch operating lever being directly over the center of the drawbar.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,879 to Mikio Ishida, et al., discloses a change speed operating apparatus for a tractor which may carry out an accelerating operation without losing the functions of a speed setting mechanism and automatically reset the speed setting mechanism at the previously set traveling speed after the acceleration.


The present invention provides a method and system for implementation of an interactive television application. Particularly, the invention provides method and system for designing and implementation of synchronized interactive television applications using quick response (QR) code, wherein the quick response (QR) code is used to tag the broadcasted television content. More particularly, the invention provides method and system for decoding the quick response (QR) code at the receiver side to provide a universal resource locator (URL) which hosts augmented services for the content on the interactive television as well as on the secondary communication device.

Recent years have witnessed significant improvements in broadcasting, particularly the television broadcasting transitioned from analog to digital. In the current scenario of television broadcast, irrespective of the analog or digital television broadcasting, the interactivity with television is highly required for enhancing subscriber's experience. To be genuinely interactive, the viewer must be able to alter the viewing experience or return information to the broadcaster, wherein the return path, return channel or back channel may use a telephone, mobile SMS (text messages), radio, digital subscriber lines (DSL) or cable.
The quick response (QR) codes have been conventionally used for sending data to mobiles phones as a camera readable 2D bar-code. Furthermore, inserting objects in the video for context extraction by an interactive television application is still a challenge in the technical domain. In order to achieve enhanced interaction of subscriber with television, it is very much required to have quick response (QR) codes that can broadcast video which is not only readable by a camera but also by a video analyzing software module.
Lots of efforts have been made to develop user's interactivity with television using multimedia home platform (MHP) and MPEG-4 (Moving Picture Experts Group). Still there are certain disadvantages associated with the existing technologies, such as the level of interactivity possible with the proposed solution is not achievable using multimedia home platform (MHP).
In multimedia home platform (MHP) based solutions, where the object carousel model is used, the application states are predefined. Hence, for every interaction, the next screen needs to be fetched from the carousel, which is the limiting factor for the interactivity to be in simple predefined states. It may not be possible to support entry of free-form text in such an environment. Other solutions such as enhanced television binary interchange Format (EBIF) and Tru2way are only applicable for cable systems.
In order to achieve tagging the broadcast content for enhancing viewer interactivity and experience with the broadcaster and to have a separate path of interactivity from that of broadcast there is a long felt need to develop a synchronized interactive television application which can work with plurality of customer premise equipment (CPE) as well as secondary communication devices.
However, the existing method and systems are not capable of providing tagged broadcast content for enhancing viewer interactivity and experience with the broadcaster and a separate path of interactivity using interactive television application. Some of them known to us are as follows:
US20090108057 by Mu et al. teaches about the application of quick response (QR) codes with mobile devices for providing interactive applications and services to a user via the mobile devices. The patent doesn't discuss about decoding the quick response (QR) code at set top box (STB), which is not a mobile device and the quick response (QR) code is not scanned using a camera.
WO0158159A1 to Eric E et al. teaches about an interactive content preservation and customization technology which is placed at the broadcast facility to ensure reliable transmission of the interactive content to a local subsystem. The problem addressed particularly by this patent is related to a delivery (head-end) side solution and pertains to reliable delivery of interactive content where the interactive code is used as a bookmark to enter interactive content into the video before broadcasting.
GB2466456 to Loder teaches about an interactive display system which further comprises a processing system for providing information relating to a plurality of selectable elements to a broadcast system and a receiver for receiving from the broadcast system information relating to the plurality of selectable elements. The problem addressed particularly by this patent is related to a system on a television where there are multiple selections available and each selection produces a code which can be communicated over phone by user. It is probably used to build a casino game for interactive television.
Rauschenbach in "A scalable interactive TV service supporting synchronized delivery over broadcast and broadband networks" teaches about various types of portable and mobile multimedia capable terminals available and widely used desire to use them to access TV services and additional content, by way of using smart routing to select the best-suited network allowing inter-network content synchronization.
SYNC TV in "SYNC TV Interactive broadcast participation." provides the vital link that has been missing from broadcast media since its inception: an instant means of response.
Hakola et al. in "Print Access" teaches about the hybrid solutions of the print and electronic media by using printed codes. In the project different code types and their potentiality as PrintAccess codes were investigated. The results showed that the code based integration between the camera phone and printed media are technologically mature and there are opportunities for commercial applications.
The above mentioned prior arts fail to disclose an efficient method and system for designing and implementation of synchronized interactive television applications. The prior art approaches also fail to separate the path of interactivity from that of broadcast.
Thus, in the light of the above mentioned background art, it is evident that, there is a need for such a solution to achieve higher interactivity with television and for improving user's experience. There is a long felt need to develop a synchronized interactive television that can utilize separate path of interactivity from that of broadcast.

Method and system for implementation of an interactive television application


A home appliance, such as a dishwasher, and a method of assembling a home appliance includes a basin with an integrally formed hose lock. The hose lock includes a slot component and a tab connected to the slot component by way of a living hinge. When the living hinge is bent, a slot in the slot component is closed-off by the tab to secure a hose in the slot component.

In the modern kitchen, one common appliance is the dishwasher, or in more specific terms, the automatic dishwasher. Most automatic dishwashers share certain basic components. There is a compartment in which the dishes or crockery are placed and enclosed for treatment or washing. Commonly, there is at least one rack to hold the items to be cleaned. A hinged door or sliding drawer is commonly used to enclose the compartment and its contents. There are commonly a number of nozzles for spraying water to facilitate the cleaning within the compartment and a basin that collects water sprayed from the nozzles. A drain is incorporated into the basin and the drain is connected to a hose to allow water to be removed from the dishwasher. Lastly, there is a dispenser for detergent to release detergent into the compartment during the treatment process and the detergent dispenser will have a cover to hold the detergent therein. Of course, it is to be understood that these components are common and basic, and that individual appliances will differ in the make-up of their components.
When the dishwasher is being installed or assembled, the hose must be connected to the basin, and the hose is preferably held in place to ensure a preferred orientation of the hose. Often, the hose is fastened in place by a number of additional, separate components.
A need has developed to address one or more shortcomings of the prior art.

Hose lock with living hinge, home appliance including hose lock with living hinge and method of assembling home appliance including hose lock with living hinge


A conductive first enclosure section 11 is molded through a primary molding process. At this time, a primary mold is provided so as to form openings 13 and 14 in the first enclosure section 11 for portions that needs insulation (non-conductivity). At a secondary molding process to make a non-conductive second enclosure section 12, a secondary mold is provided so as to cover the first enclosure section 11 and then non-conductive resin is filled thereinto. The openings 13 and 14 in the first enclosure section 11 are filled with the non-conductive resin, thus the rear cover 1 is formed.

The present invention relates to an art of a plastic shield enclosure and, more particularly, to an art of a plastic enclosure having an EMI (Electromagnetic interference) shielding function for a personal hand-held-portable phone.
Generally a plastic enclosure section of an electronic equipment has its inner surface applied with a metal film in order to keep a circuit thereof from unnecessary electric wave leakage and electric wave interference. Such a metal film is prepared by using surface treatment techniques including plating, coating, deposition and flame coating.
However, a compact and high density mounted electronic equipment, such as a personal hand-held-portable phone a may have parts which are in danger of causing short-circuit due to small clearances between components of the circuit and the metal film. Such parts are protected through masking treatment or an insulating film application. In case the electronic equipment includes a built-in antenna, the metal film applied in a certain range of the built-in antenna should be removed so as to prevent adverse effects to antenna characteristics.
An example of such an art is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 20492 (1991). FIG. 14 shows a cross-sectional view of a plastic enclosure using this prior art.
In the prior art, a first enclosure section 61 formed of an ABS resin covering an electronic component 60 and a second enclosure section 62 formed of a resin covering the first enclosure section 61 are molded in a body through two-color molding. Here, only a surface of the first enclosure section 61 is processed by a metal plating 63.
The above-mentioned prior art effects reduction of the number of components and the thickness of the whole enclosure body.
In the above-mentioned prior art, however, performing surface treatment for the metal film application costs very much. Additionally, masking treatment and the insulating film application are necessary to protect the parts which are in danger of causing short-circuit to the circuit. If the equipment has a built-in antenna, the metal film which has been applied has to be removed so as to prevent adverse effects on the antenna characteristics, thus further adding to the production cost.
There is another type of conventional shield enclosure formed of a conductive resin of a plastic material in which carbon powder or metal powder is dispersed.
In this prior art using the plastic material dispersed with a carbon powder or a metal powder, a decorative coating should be included for improving an appearance thereof, thus adding to the coating cost. If the equipment mounts a built-in antenna, the insulating process becomes troublesome.

Plastic shield enclosure and method of producing the same


A method and an apparatus for press fitting characterized in permitting the simultaneous measurement of a press fitting body with the press fitting, and characterized in improving the accuracy of the press fitting. The method comprises the steps of: temporarily press fitting a press fitting body (8) from the top of a press fitted part of a press fitted member (20), located at a prespecified height with respect to the press fitted part, such that a ball screw shaft of a ball screw is moved downward by means of a servo motor and, consequently, the body (8) is press fitted to the press fitted part at a prespecified length; executing a zero adjustment of a linear gauge and a load cell, wherein the linear gauge is composed such that a measuring member (36) is in contact with a top end of a measured member (30) which moves together with the body (8), and the load cell is composed so as to measure a press fitting force of the body (8); constant size press fitting executed to the member (20) of the body ( 8) at a prespecified length; differential press fitting, executed in the case where the measured results, the measured results of the linear gauge and the load cell at the time when the constant size press fitting process is terminated, are in prespecified ranges, and wherein the body (8) is press fitted to the member (20) according to the difference between the results and an objective length; and determining, whether or not the press fitted length, set by the differential press fitting step, is equal to the specified press fitting length.

Conventionally, an armature core of a motor has been press fitted to an armature shaft by means of a presser having a hydraulic cylinder.
In the case where a portion that is pushed out and projecting from the armature core (i.e. an one end of the armature shaft in the press fitting direction) is required to have a specific length, a stopper should be provided at a position within a prespecified distance from the touching surface between the armature core and a jig holding the armature. Therefore, the end of the projecting armature shaft is stopped by the stopper so that the relative position of the armature core and the armature shaft can be set at the desired distance. The above method is called a constant size press fitting method.
However, in the above method, it is difficult to exchange the stopper when various relative positions are required for a plurality of armature cores and armature shafts, and when various types of products are to be manufactured. Furthermore, when the stopper is worn, the press fitted length of the armature shaft with respect to the armature core will become variable so that the entire armature assembly will be variable and consequently the reliability of the product will not be maintained. In addition, when the armature shaft is pushed out by the presser and collides with the worn stopper, the armature shaft will be chewed by the presser and the stopper, and the hydraulic pressure of the driving cylinder that is applied. Therefore, the thin shaft of the press fitting body may be bent during this process.

Method for press fitting of a press fitting body and a press fitting apparatus having a linear gauge for the press fitting body


A system and method for evaluating the performance of a vehicle windshield wiper system includes a digital camera positioned to allow the camera to capture an image of the surface of the windshield, and a computer including logic for capturing a digital image of the surface of the soiled windshield, capturing a digital image of the surface of the wiped windshield, and comparing the data from both captured images to develop selected indicia related to the extent to which the soil has been removed from the windshield.

Automotive windshields are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. When installed in a vehicle, the windshield is matched with one of an equally wide variety of sizes and types of windshield wiper systems, the purpose of which wiper systems is to quickly and effectively remove rain, snow, dust, and dirt, as well as any other liquid or solid materials that end up on the windshield surface.
It is therefore desirable to evaluate the operational effectiveness of a windshield/wiper combination. This evaluation may be conducted in connection with the design and evaluation of a particular windshield shape, a particular windshield wiper system design, as well as the suitability of the combination of a particular windshield and wiper system.
In addition to design evaluation, it may be desirable to conduct windshield/wiper system evaluations as part of product quality control to evaluate windshield/wiper system performance over time. Similarly, such evaluations may be a useful part of the vehicle assembly inspection process.
It is therefore desirable to develop an effective and efficient system and method for evaluating the performance of windshield/wiper systems.

System and method for evaluating the performance of a vehicle windshield/wiper combination


There is provided a storage battery deterioration diagnosis system, including: a cell-list creator configured to select diagnosis target cells from among a plurality of cells in a storage battery system, and create a list of the diagnosis target cells; a cell deterioration diagnoser configured to obtain degradation degrees of the diagnosis target cells; a temperature distribution estimator configured to estimate degradation degrees of non-target cells other than the diagnosis target cells, based on a distance between the non-target cell and the diagnosis target cells, and obtain temperature distribution of a whole of the plurality of cells based on degradation degrees of the diagnosis target cells and the degradation degrees of the non-target cells; and a cell-list updater configured to update the list of the diagnosis target cells based on the temperature distribution.

For renewable energy such as PV (photovoltaic) and stabilization of an electric power system, and EV (an electric vehicle), etc., the role of a storage battery has been becoming very important. In order to respond to various usage situations, a storage battery system is a form in which a storage battery having a plurality of battery cells (hereinafter referred to as cells) configured to be connected to each other (battery pack) is used. The storage battery system is desired to be able to be used safely and with confidence, and it is important for the storage battery system not to be easily degraded as a whole.
Recently, with electronization of all electronic devices and living environments, large capacity has been increasingly desired for the storage battery system, and the number of connected cells that constitute one storage battery system has become extremely large. Today, a storage battery system including on the order of several thousand cells is used for an EV.
In the storage battery system including a storage battery constituted by a plurality of cells, due to variation in individual composition of each of the cells, the degree of degradation varies for each of the cells by repeated charging and discharging. In a conventional storage battery system, when one cell is degraded, it is necessary that capacities of normal cells be made uniform with the degraded cell, so that the performance of the whole storage battery system is degraded, and the degradation may further cause the failure of the storage battery system itself. In this case, there are also a plurality of cells that are not degraded yet in the storage battery system, and the storage battery system is forced to be replaced undesirably before these normal cells run out of the performance.
On the other hand, in order to save such a waste, it is conceivable that the performance of the storage battery system is recovered by replacing the degraded cell. However, in a large-scale storage battery system, for example, it is difficult to detect which cells are notably degraded because a storage battery including several tens of thousands of cells is mounted therein. If a degraded cell is sequentially searched for, deterioration diagnosis is needed to be performed on several tens of thousands of cells, so that the searching work unfortunately becomes very time consuming.

Storage battery deterioration diagnosis system and method thereof