A stress inducing device for inducing stress into a fiber optic cable is useful for detecting a person attempting to breach a security fence by climbing over the security fence. A stress inducing device is attached adjacent to a top of each fence post of the security fence. A fiber optic cable runs adjacent to a top of the security fence, and passes through each of the stress inducing devices. Once activated, a pressing member of the stress inducing device will pinch the fiber optic cable therein causing an alarm. The stress inducing device will be activated if a person leans a ladder against the fiber optic cable or the stress inducing device itself, or if a person attempts to open or tamper with the stress inducing device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a security fence employing a fiber optic cable attached to the security fence to monitor the integrity of the fence against intrusion or tampering. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for inducing a stress into a fiber optic cable if a weight is placed upon the fiber optic cable or against the device itself.
2. Description of the Related Art
Security fences employing a fiber optic cable monitoring scheme are generally known in the background. For example, see applicant's prior application Ser. No. 10/713,425 filed Nov. 17, 2003, pending, entitled "APPARATUS AND METHOD TO DETECT AN INTRUSION POINT ALONG A SECURITY FENCE," which is herein fully incorporated by reference. Also see applicant's prior application Ser. No. 10/842,545 filed May 11, 2004, pending, entitled "CLIPS FOR HOLDING FIBER OPTIC CABLES OF A SECURITY FENCE" which is herein fully incorporated by reference. Also see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,275,294; 4,371,869; 4,399,430; 4,450,434; 4,558,308; 4,676,485; 4,680,573; 5,134,386; 5,416,467; 5,592,149; and the assignees' prior Korean Patents 1997-0009968, 20-0205489, and 20-0205490.
In the systems known in the background art, a length of fiber optic cable is formed into a pattern, such as a zigzagging pattern. The pattern is attached to an existing barrier type fence, such as a galvanized chain-link fence. The pattern in the fiber optic cable has a weave size and/or shape, which is smaller than the size of a human, so that a human cannot pass though the weave pattern without disrupting the fiber optic cable. In other words, a person would need to cut the fiber optic cable or severely distort the cable (e.g. by bending, stretching and/or pinching) to form a hole in the pattern large enough to pass through. Any such cutting or distortion of the fiber optic cable will interrupt or interfere with light passing through the fiber optic cable and will cause an alarm to be raised.
FIG. 1 illustrates a galvanized chain-link fence 10, in accordance with the background art. In FIG. 1, a fiber optic cable 12 is formed into a zigzagging pattern and attached to the barrier fence 10. A plurality of clips 14 hold the fiber optic cable in the zigzagging pattern. FIG. 2 is a close-up view of the zigzagging pattern of the fiber optic cable 12, with the barrier fence 10 removed for clarity.

Apparatus to induce stress into a fiber optic cable to detect security fence climbing


A supinator strap integrated with an athletic shoe, sock, or brace for preventing foot and ankle injuries. In the shoe, the supinator strap includes an arch support band that extends from the bottom of the shoe, just under the arch area, around the inner side of the shoe and over the top of the shoe, toward the outer side of the shoe. The supinator strap further includes a rear ankle support band that extends laterally from the arch support band and wraps from the inner side of the shoe, around the rear ankle/heel and toward the outer side of the shoe. In a preferred embodiment, both the foot and rear ankle support band and the arch support band are fully adjustable. The supinator strap provides additional support and stability to the foot and ankle when the shoe is worn, thereby helping to prevent injuries caused by excessive supination or pronation of the foot and ankle. A bridge support helps cushion the foot. An ankle stabilizing strap helps prevent ankle injuries by stabilizing the forefoot, heel, and ankle. In the sock and the brace, the supinator strap operates in a similar manner.

The present invention relates to athletic footwear and the like, such as shoes, socks, and braces, with an integral supinator device designed to provide ankle, heel and arch support and to prevent injuries due to excessive supination or pronation.
A normal human gait cycle consists of four phases: a contact phase in which the heel alone makes initial contact with the ground, a mid-stance phase in which the entire sole or plantar surface of the foot is in contact with the ground, a propulsion phase in which the ball of the foot pushes off from the ground, and a swing phase in which the foot and leg swing forward without contacting the ground.
Ordinarily, some pronation (inward rolling) and supination (outward rolling) of the foot during normal walking or running is desirable. Although some pronation and/or supination is desirable, many people are troubled by excessive pronation or supination in which the foot and ankle roll too far inward or outward and the bones of the foot become hyper-mobile relative to one another. Excessive pronation or supination during the gait cycle can result in exaggerated back and forth rotational movement of the leg and knee with accompanying results that are highly undesirable. For example, various forms of muscular fatigue, arch strains to the foot, pains in the knee joint and patella (knee cap), and numerous foot and heel injuries can all be caused by excessive pronation or supination.
Excessive pronation or supination can be a particular problem for athletes. Athletic shoes are often used in high impact activities, such as basketball or soccer, and are normally designed for speed and comfort. While athletic shoes known in the art as having customized and cushioned soles may provide additional comfort and a certain amount of "bounce" or returned energy, these shoes are generally not well designed to prevent foot and ankle injuries.
As a result of its relative anatomical instability and its relative weakness, the ankle joint is frequently injured when wearing athletic shoes and engaging in certain athletic activities. For example, injuries are often caused in basketball or soccer by stepping on another player's foot, landing on a foot at an improper angle, rolling the ankle when maneuvering in a lateral fashion, or slipping while running and twisting the ankle. These injuries often develop from excessive supination or excessive pronation of the foot and ankle.
Ankle and knee injuries caused by excessive supination or excessive pronation are commonly suffered by athletes while wearing conventional athletic shoes because these shoes are not specifically designed to prevent this type of injury. An ankle injury involves the motion of the forefoot, heel, and ankle. To effectively prevent an ankle injury, the forefoot, heel, and ankle must be stabilized together and controlled. Also, for improved performance, torque control is necessary to bring alignment back to center quickly. Torque control of the forefoot, which acts as a lever arm, is also necessary to prevent additional injuries to the ankle. Accordingly, what is needed is a new athletic shoe which provides support to the ankle, heel and arch, designed to prevent foot and ankle injuries caused by excessive supination or pronation.

Athletic footwear and the like with integral supinator device


A computing system that can maintain reliability required of a storage program while causing the storage program to operate on an operating system (OS) is provided. A processor of the computing system executes an OS controlling a hardware device and a storage program operating on the OS and using the hardware device via the OS. The OS identifies an error status of the hardware device when receiving a notification of an error that has occurred to the hardware device, and notifies the storage program that operates on the OS of the error status when the error status satisfies a predetermined condition. The storage program determines error handling on the hardware device on the basis of the error status, and requests the OS to perform the determined error handling. The OS performs the determined error handling on the hardware device.

There is known JP-2010-231340-A (Patent Document 1) as a document disclosing background art of the present technique. Patent Document 1 describes a technique for performing hardware device error handling by a BIOS (basic input output system) or an OS (operating system) at a time of occurrence of an error to a hardware device on a server.

Computing system and error handling method for computing system


Purified chordin proteins and processes for producing them are disclosed. DNA molecules encoding the chordin proteins are also disclosed. The proteins may be used in the treatment of bone, cartilage, other connective tissue defects and disorders, including tendon, ligament and meniscus, in wound healing and related tissue repair, as well for treatment of disorders and defects to tissue which include epidermis, nerve, muscle, including cardiac muscle, and othe tissues and wounds, and organs such as liver, brain, lung, cardiac, pancreas and kidney tissue. The proteins may also be useful for the induction inhibition of growth and/or differentiation of undifferentiated embryonic and stem cells. The proteins may be complexed with other proteins, particularly members of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily of proteins.

The search for the molecule or molecules responsible for the bone-, cartilage-, and other connective tissue-inductive activity present in bone and other tissue extracts has led to the discovery and identification of a several groups of molecules, such as the Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs). The unique inductive activities of these proteins, along with their presence in bone, suggests that they are important regulators of bone repair processes, and may be involved in the normal maintenance of bone tissue. There is a need to identify whether additional proteins, particularly human proteins, exist which play a role in these processes. It has recently been reported that Xenopus chordin is a molecule which contributes to dorsoventral patterning by binding to BMP-4. Piccolo et al., Cell, 86:589-98 (1996). The present invention relates to the identification of such a novel human protein, which the inventors have designated human chordin.
Human chordin is the human homolog of a xenopus protein called chordin. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of xenopus chordin are described in Lasai et al., Cell, 79:779-790 (1994). The xenopus chordin gene has been described as being expressed in the frog embryo head, trunk and tail organizer regions during gastrulation, and as being capable of inducing secondary axes in frog embryos, and rescuing axis formation in ventralized frog, as well as modifying mesoderm induction. Ibid. In addition, xenopus chordin has been shown to induce anterior neural markers in the absence of mesoderm induction. Sashai et al., Nature, 376:333-336 (1995).


A control apparatus for a motor-generator includes a stator including multi-phase coils, a rotor, a multi-phase inverter one arm of which includes a switch element and a free-wheeling element, and a power supply connected between a neutral point of the coils and a negative electrode of the inverter. When the switch elements are driven by rectangular wave, the low-side switch element connected to the high-side switch element is subject to PWM switching control while the high-side switch element is off. When a time point, at which the high-side switch element is turned off, is defined as a base point, if α is defined as a time when switching of the low-side switch element starts, and β is defined as a time when the switching ends, β-α is 120 degrees in electrical degree or more, α is more than 0 degrees, and β is less than 180 degrees.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a control apparatus for a motor-generator, the apparatus being used by changing the operation mode thereof between an electric power generation mode as a generator and a mechanical power generation mode as a motor.
2. Related Art
As a simple speed-increasing method for a brushless motor, a driving method using a circuit disclosed in, for example, JP-A-2008-306914 is known. This example requires a sinusoidal PWM controlled inverter to obtain stable rotational speed extensively. Hence, an expensive magnetic pole position sensor is required. In addition, since all elements are required to be subject to switching, switching losses increase, thereby lowering the system efficiency, a large cooling unit is required for the inverter, and protection against switching noise is required. Accordingly, although the driving method can be used for an expensive apparatus, the driving method is not suited to be used for, in particular, electric components for a light automobile and a motorcycle from a cost viewpoint.


This invention encompasses methods for the inhibition of a physiological disorder associated with amyloidogenic proteins, which method comprises administering to a human in need thereof an effective amount of a compound of Formula I

Alzheimer""s Disease (AD) is a degenerative brain disorder characterized clinically by progressive loss of memory, cognition, reasoning, judgment and emotional stability that gradually leads to profound mental deterioration and ultimately death. AD is a common cause of progressive mental failure (dementia) in aged humans and is believed to represent the fourth most common medical cause of death in the United States. AD has been observed in varied races and ethnic groups worldwide and presents a major present and future public health problem. The disease is currently estimated to affect about two to three million individuals in the United States alone. To date, AD has proven to be incurable.
The brains of individuals with AD exhibit neuronal degeneration and characteristic lesions variously referred to as amyloidogenic plaques, vascular amyloid angiopathy, and neurofibrillary tangles. Large numbers of these lesions, particularly amyloidogenic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, are generally found in several areas of the human brain important for memory and cognitive function in patients with AD. Smaller numbers of these lesions in a more restricted anatomical distribution are found in the brains of most aged humans who do not have clinical AD. Amyloidogenic plaques and vascular amyloid angiopathy also characterize the brains of individuals with Trisomy 21 (Down""s Syndrome) and Hereditary Cerebral Hemorrhage with Amyloidosis of the Dutch-Type (HCHWA-D). At present, a definitive diagnosis of AD usually requires observing the aforementioned lesions in the brain tissue of patients who have died with the disease or, rarely, in small biopsied samples of brain tissue taken during an invasive neurosurgical procedure.
Several lines of evidence indicate that progressive cerebral deposition of particular amyloidogenic proteins, xcex2-amyloid proteins, (xcex2AP), play a seminal role in the pathogenesis of AD and can precede cognitive symptoms by years or decades. See, Selkoe, (1991) Neuron 6:487. Recently, it has been shown that xcex2AP is released from neuronal cells grown in culture and is present in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of both normal individuals and AD patients. See, Seubert et al., (1992) Nature 359:325-327.
In addition to Alzheimer""s Disease and other conditions associated with the amyloidogenic peptides xcex2AP, there exist conditions associated with other amyloidogenic peptides which are structurally similar to xcex2AP but which share no sequence homology with xcex2AP. Recent studies have demonstrated the functional interchangeability of many of these amyloidogenic peptides with regard to neurotoxicity. P. C. May, et al., Journal of Neurochemistry, (December 1993); co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/109,782, filed Aug. 19, 1993 (Docket X-9342).
Despite the progress that has been made in understanding the underlying mechanisms of AD and other amyloidogenic protein related diseases, there remains a need to develop compositions and methods for treatment of these diseases. Treatment methods could advantageously be based on drugs which are capable of inhibiting the generation or effect of amyloidogenic proteins.
This invention encompasses methods for the inhibition of a physiological disorder associated with amyloidogenic proteins, which method comprises administering to a human in need thereof an effective amount of a compound of formula I
wherein R1 and R3 are independently hydrogen,
or
wherein Ar is optionally substituted phenyl;
R2 is selected from the group consisting of pyrrolidino, hexamethylenemino, and piperidino; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of solvate thereof.
The present invention also provides a method of inhibiting amyloidogenic protein production comprising administering to a human in need thereof an effective amount of a compound of formula 1.
The present invention also provides a method of inhibiting the deposition of amyloid plaque comprising administering to a human in need thereof an effective amount of a compound of formula 1.
The present invention also provides a method of inhibiting Alzheimer""s Disease (AD) comprising administering to a human in need thereof an effective amount of a compound of formula 1.
The current invention concerns the discovery that a select group of benzothiophenes, those of formula I, are useful for inhibiting the effects of amyloidogenic proteins, and in particular the compounds inhibit amyloidogenic protein formation. The invention encompasses uses practiced by administering to a human in need thereof a dose of a compound of formula 1 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof effective to inhibit a physiological disorder associated with amyloidogenic proteins, and preferably xcex2-amyloid proteins.
The term xe2x80x9cinhibitxe2x80x9d includes its generally accepted meaning which includes prohibiting, preventing, restraining, and slowing, stopping, or reversing progression, severity, or a resultant symptom. As such, the methods include both therapeutic and prophylactic administration.
The term xe2x80x9cphysiological disorder associated with an amyloidogenic proteinxe2x80x9d includes diseases related to the innapropriate or undesirable deposition, such as in the brain, liver, kidney or other organ, of at least one amyloidogenic protein, and as such includes AD (includes familial AD), Down""s Syndrome, HCHWA-D, advanced aging of the brain and the like.
The term xe2x80x9ceffective amountxe2x80x9d means the amount of compound necessary to inhibit physiological effects or disorders associated with an amyloidogenic protein, or inhibit amyloidogenic production or deposition, or inhibit Alzheimers disease, as the case may be.
The term xe2x80x9camyloidogenic proteinxe2x80x9d as used herein refers to those peptides which have the ability to self-associate into higher ordered aggregates and eventually assemble into an amyloid plaque. The preferred target amyloidogenic proteins are xcex2-amyloid proteins.
Generally, the compound is formulated with common excipients, diluents or carriers, and compressed into tablets, or formulated as elixirs or solutions for convenient oral administration, or administered by the intramuscular or intravenous routes. The compounds can be administered transdermally, and may be formulated as sustained release dosage forms and the like.
The compounds used in the methods of the current invention can be made according to established and analogous procedures, such as those detailed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,133,814, 4,418,068, and 4,380,635 all of which are incorporated by reference herein. In general, the process starts with a benzo[b]thiophene having a 6-hydroxyl group and a 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl) group. The starting compound is protected, alkylated, and deprotected to form the formula I compounds. Examples of the preparation of such compounds are provided in the U.S. patents discussed above, and in the examples in this application. Optionally substituted phenyl includes phenyl and phenyl substituted once or twice with C1-C6 alkyl, C1-C4 alkoxy, hydroxy, nitro, chloro, fluoro, or tri(chloro or fluoro)methyl.
Included in this invention is the compound raloxifene, below:
The compounds used in the methods of this invention form pharmaceutically acceptable acid and base addition salts with a wide variety of organic and inorganic acids and bases and include the physiologically acceptable salts which are often used in pharmaceutical chemistry. Such salts are also part of this invention. Typical inorganic acids used to form such salts include hydrochloric, hydrobromic, hydroiodic, nitric, sulfuric, phosphoric, hypophosphoric and the like. Salts derived from organic acids, such as aliphatic mono and dicarboxylic acids, phenyl substituted alkanoic acids, hydroxyalkanoic and hydroxyalkandioic acids, aromatic acids, aliphatic and aromatic sulfonic acids, may also be used. Such pharmaceutically acceptable salts thus include acetate, phenylacetate, trifluoroacetate, acrylate, ascorbate, benzoate, chlorobenzoate, dinitrobenzoate, hydroxybenzoate, methoxybenzoate, methylbenzoate, o-acetoxybenzoate, naphthalene-2-benzoate, bromide, isobutyrate, phenylbutyrate, xcex2-hydroxybutyrate, butyne-1,4-dioate, hexyne-1,4-dioate, caprate, caprylate, chloride, cinnamate, citrate, formate, fumarate, glycollate, heptanoate, hippurate, lactate, malate, maleate, hydroxymaleate, malonate, mandelate, mesylate, nicotinate, isonicotinate, nitrate, oxalate, phthalate, teraphthalate, phosphate, monohydrogenphosphate, dihydrogenphosphate, metaphosphate, pyrophosphate, propiolate, propionate, phenylpropionate, salicylate, sebacate, succinate, suberate, sulfate, bisulfate, pyrosulfate, sulfite, bisulfite, sulfonate, benzene-sulfonate, p-bromophenylsulfonate, chlorobenzenesulfonate, ethanesulfonate, 2-hydroxyethanesulfonate, methanesulfonate, naphthalene-1-sulfonate, naphthalene-2-sulfonate, p-toluenesulfonate, xylenesulfonate, tartarate, and the like. A preferable salt is the hydrochloride salt.
The pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts are typically formed by reacting a compound of formula I with an equimolar or excess amount of acid. The reactants are generally combined in a mutual solvent such as diethyl ether or benzene. The salt normally precipitates out of solution within about one hour to 10 days and can be isolated by filtration or the solvent can be stripped off by conventional means.
Bases commonly used for formation of salts include ammonium hydroxide and alkali and alkaline earth metal hydroxides and carbonates, as well as aliphatic and aromatic amines, aliphatic diamines and hydroxy alkylamines. Bases especially useful in the preparation of addition salts include ammonium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, calcium hydroxide, methylamine, diethylamine, ethylene diamine, cyclohexylamine and ethanolamine.
The pharmaceutically acceptable salts generally have enhanced solubility characteristics compared to the compound from which they are derived, and thus are often more amenable to formulation as liquids or emulsions.
Pharmaceutical formulations can be prepared by procedures known in the art. For example, the compounds can be formulated with common excipients, diluents, or carriers, and formed into tablets, capsules, suspensions, powders, and the like. Examples of excipients, diluents, and carriers that are suitable for such formulations include the following: fillers and extenders such as starch, sugars, mannitol, and silicic derivatives; binding agents such as carboxymethyl cellulose and other cellulose derivatives, alginates, gelatin, and polyvinyl pyrrolidone; moisturizing agents such as glycerol; disintegrating agents such as agaragar, calcium carbonate, and sodium bicarbonate; agents for retarding dissolution such as paraffin; resorption accelerators such as quaternary ammonium compounds; surface active agents such as cetyl alcohol, glycerol monostearate; adsorptive carriers such as kaolin and bentonite; and lubricants such as talc, calcium and magnesium stearate, and solid polyethyl glycols.
The compounds can also be formulated as elixirs or solutions for convenient oral administration or as solutions appropriate for parenteral administration, for instance by intramuscular, subcutaneous or intravenous routes. Additionally, the compounds are well suited to formulation as sustained release dosage forms and the like. The formulations can be so constituted that they release the active ingredient only or preferably in a particular part of the intestinal tract, possibly over a period of time. The coatings, envelopes, and protective matrices may be made, for example, from polymeric substances or waxes.
Compounds of Formula I can be administered for prophylactic and/or therapeutic treatment of diseases related to the deposition of one or more amyloidogenic proteins such as Alzheimer""s disease, Down""s syndrome, and advanced aging of the brain. In therapeutic applications, the compounds are administered to a host already suffering from a disease. The compounds are administered in an amount sufficient to inhibit physiological effects or disorders related to amyloidogenic protein, especially xcex2-amyloid proteins.
For prophylactic applications, the compounds of formula I are administered to a host susceptible to an amyloidogenic protein related disease, preferably Alzheimer""s disease, but not already suffering from such disease. Such hosts may be identified by genetic screening and clinical analysis, as described in the medical literature. see e.g., Goate, Nature, 349:704-706 (1991). The compounds will inhibit the amyloid protein plaque at a symptomatically early stage, preferably preventing even the initial stages of the amyloidogenic protein related disease. A preferred group for receiving compounds of the invention, either for prophylactic or therapeutic reasons, are post-menopausal women.
The particular dosage of a compound of formula I according to this invention will depend upon the severity of the condition, the route of administration, and related factors that will be decided by the attending physician. Generally, accepted and effective daily doses will be from about 0.1 to about 1000 mg/day, and more typically from about 50 to about 200 mg/day. Such dosages will be administered to a subject in need of treatment from once to about three times each day, or more often as needed, for a period of time sufficient to inhibit the disease or disorder.
Frequently, it will be desirable or necessary to introduce the pharmaceutical compositions directly or indirectly to the brain. Direct techniques usually involve placement of a drug delivery catheter into the host""s ventricular system to bypass the blood-brain barrier. Indirect techniques, which are generally preferred, involve formulating the compositions to provide for drug latentiation by the conversion of hydrophilic drugs into lipid-soluble drugs. Latentiation is generally achieved through blocking of the hydroxyl, carboxyl, and primary amine groups present on the drug to render the drug more lipid soluble and amenable to transportation across the blood-brain barrier. Alternatively, the delivery of hydrophilic drugs can be enhanced by intra-arterial infusion of hypertonic solutions which can transiently open the blood-brain barrier.
It is usually preferred to administer a compound of formula I in the form of an acid addition salt, as is customary in the administration of pharmaceuticals bearing a basic group, such as the piperidino ring. For such purposes the following dosage forms are available.

Methods of inhibiting the effects of amyloidogenic proteins

Abstract: R2 is selected from the group consisting of pyrrolidine, hexamthylenemino, and piperidino; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of solvate thereof.


An input device includes a biometric sensor and a processing system. The biometric sensor is configured to capture images of a sensing region of the input device. The processing system is configured to acquire a first image of the sensing region in response to a first authentication trigger, and to acquire a second image of the sensing region in response to a second authentication trigger. The processing system is further configured to determine an amount of similarity between the first image and the second image, and to validate the second image for user authentication when the amount of similarity between the first image and the second image is below a threshold level.

Authentication is a mechanism for verifying the identity of a user (e.g., an individual or entity) attempting to access a device and/or application. A basic form of authentication may require a user to input a username and password via an input device. However, usernames and passwords are easily stolen and can be used by anyone (e.g., not just the authorized user) to gain access to a corresponding device or application. Thus, modern authentication schemes increasingly rely on biometric sensors (e.g., sensors capable of identifying unique biological characteristics of the user) to provide greater levels of security. Example biometric sensors include: fingerprint scanners, facial recognition systems, eye scanners, voice recognition systems, and the like. Biometric inputs typically require the user to physically interact with one or more sensors to perform authentication.
Although more secure, biometric authentication schemes are not without their limitations. For example, fingerprint scanners typically require a user to press his/her finger onto an input surface (such as a display screen) for proper detection. However, the user may often leave a "residual" fingerprint on the input surface (e.g., from oil, sweat, or other residue) at the point of contact with the user's finger. Some fingerprint scanners may be spoofed by the residual fingerprint left on the input surface (e.g., in lieu of the actual user's finger). Thus, when performing fingerprint scanning, it may be desirable to distinguish residual fingerprints from the actual finger being scanned (e.g., to prevent fingerprint scanners or similar biometric authentication devices from granting access to unauthorized users).

Defensive measures for residue re-imaging


A convertible top includes a linkage assembly that is movable between an extended position and a retracted position, with a mid position defined therebetween. A spring system assists movement of the linkage assembly from the extended position to the mid position and also from the retracted position to the mid position.

Convertible tops for vehicles have a wide variety of designs, including soft tops, hard tops, manually operated tops, power operated tops, and other designs. A convertible top typically includes a top linkage assembly including roof elements that either define or support an outer surface of the top when it is in an extended position. Significant effort goes into the design of the linkage assembly to satisfy design goals such as compact packaging of the linkage assembly in the retracted position; secure, stable and aesthetic positioning of the roof elements in the extended position; and rapid and reliable movement of the linkage assembly between the extended and retracted positions.
The entire top assembly is often heavy and requires significant force to move the system between the retracted and extended positions. Some systems include actuators for moving the linkage assembly and its associated latching assemblies while other linkage assemblies are designed to be manually operated. It is desirable to reduce the amount of force necessary to move the top in one or both directions, and significant effort is often invested in designing the linkage assembly so as to reduce the force necessary at particular points in the movement and throughout the overall movement. However, there remains a need for improved systems for reducing the force that must be applied to the linkage assembly either by actuators or during manual operation.

Torsion spring system for convertible top


To provide a vehicle-wheel rolling bearing capable of further improving the reliability of a sensor by preventing a temperature drift.

In recent years, an automobile requires various information such as a load acting on a vehicle wheel or a rotation speed of the vehicle wheel in order to carry out a driving control in a traveling mode. In order to obtain such information, there is proposed a technique in which a sensor is provided in a vehicle-wheel rolling bearing attached with a vehicle wheel of an automobile.
As the known vehicle-wheel rolling bearing, there is a bearing including a cylindrical fixed ring which is fixed to a vehicle body; a rotary ring which is provided in the fixed ring in an inner radial direction so as to attach a vehicle wheel thereto; and plural rows of rolling elements which are provided between the fixed ring and the rotary ring so as to roll. In the bearing, the above-described sensor is provided in the fixed ring, and the information of the rotary ring is obtained from the sensor.
In the bearing, a through hole is formed through the fixed ring in a radial direction, and the sensor is inserted into the through hole. In addition, a measurement portion of the sensor is opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the rotary ring so that the sensor acquires the information of the rotary ring.
However, in the vehicle-wheel rolling bearing, it is necessary to form plural through holes in the fixed ring in order to provide plural sensors in the fixed ring. In this case, another penetration process is required in the manufacture process of the fixed ring, and the through holes are respectively required to be equipped with the sensors, thereby complicating the assembling process. In addition, it is necessary to adjust a gap between the sensor and the rotary ring in every sensor. As a result, a problem arises in that the number of assembling processes increases.

Abstract: A vehicle-wheel rolling bearing H includes a cylindrical fixed ring 1 which is fixed to a vehicle body; rotary rings 2 and 3 which are inserted through the fixed ring 1 so as to be rotatable therein; and plural rows of rolling elements 5 which are disposed between the fixed ring and the rotary ring so as to roll. A vehicle-outboard-side end of an annular sensor housing 16 having plural displacement sensors 24 disposed in a circumferential direction thereof so as to detect a gap with respect to the outer peripheral surface of each vehicle-inboard-side end of the rotary rings 2 and 3 is press-fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the vehicle-inboard-side end of the fixed ring 1. In addition, the displacement sensors 24 are coated by a synthetic resin or a rubber-based material so as to be integrally formed with the sensor housing 16.


A communication system for transmitting encoded signals over a communication channel is disclosed. The system includes a transmitter, which has a source that is configured to output a message signal, and an encoder that is configured to generate a code word in response to the message signal. The code word has a construction that is based upon a single dimensional binary code and that specifies a space-time overlay having a predetermined constraint. The transmitter also includes a modulator that is configured to modulate the code word for transmission over the communication channel. Further, the transmitter includes multiple transmit antennas that are configured to transmit the modulated code word over the communication channel. The system also includes a receiver, which may include multiple receive antennas. The receiver is configured to receive the transmitted code word via the multiple receive antennas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to coding in a communication system, and is more particularly related to space-time codes having spatial diversity and temporal diversity.
2. Discussion of the Background
Given the constant demand for higher system capacity of wireless systems, multiple antenna systems have emerged to increase system bandwidth vis-á-vis single antenna systems. In multiple antenna systems, data is parsed into multiple streams, which are simultaneously transmitted over a corresponding quantity of transmit antennas. At the receiving end, multiple receive antennas are used to reconstruct the original data stream. To combat the detrimental effects of the communication channel, communication engineers are tasked to develop channel codes that optimize system reliability and throughput in a multiple antenna system.
Almost all digital wireless communication systems employ some form of channel coding to protect the raw data from channel noise and multi-path fading effects. In single transmit antenna systems, channel coding only adds temporal redundancy to the raw data aiming to exploit the temporal diversity provided by time varying wireless fading channels. The availability of multiple transmit antennas allows for an additional degree of freedom in code design. Space-time coding was introduced in by Tarokh et al. [1] as a two dimensional coding paradigm that exploits the spatial diversity provided by multiple transmit antennas in quasi-static flat fading channels.
To minimize the effects of the communication channel, which typically is Rayleigh, space-time codes have been garnered significant attention. Rayleigh fading channels introduce noise and attenuation to such an extent that a receiver may not reliably reproduce the transmitted signal without some form of diversity; diversity provides a replica of the transmitted signal. Space-time codes are two dimensional channel codes that exploit spatial transmit diversity, whereby the receiver can reliably detect the transmitted signal. Conventional designs of space-time codes have focused on maximizing spatial diversity in quasi-static fading channels and fast fading channels. However, real communication systems exhibit channel characteristics that are somewhere between quasi-static and fast fading. Accordingly, such conventional space-time codes are not optimized.
Further, other approaches to space-time code design assume that channel state information (CSI) are available at both the transmitter and receiver. Thus, a drawback of such approaches is that the design requires the transmitter and receiver to have knowledge of the CSI, which increases implementation costs because of the need for additional hardware. Moreover, these approaches view the transmit diversity attending the use of space-time codes as a substitute for time diversity; consequently, such space-time codes are not designed to take advantage of other forms of diversity.
Based on the foregoing, there is a clear need for improved approaches for providing space-time codes that can be utilized in a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) block fading channel. There is also a need to design space-time codes that can exploit spatial diversity as well as time diversity. There is also a need to improve system reliability without reducing transmission rate. There is a further need to simplify the receiver design. Therefore, an approach for constructing space-time codes that can enhance system reliability and throughput in a multiple antenna system is highly desirable.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and system for utilizing space-time overlays for convolutionally coded systems


The present invention discloses a method for determining the presence of a drug or drug mixture in a liquid medium such as a beverage.

Due to the major social problems associated with narcotic abuse, the detection of illicit drugs has become an area of major research. Several broad categories of detection techniques are generally known, including imaging methods, such as x-ray based technologies, the use of trained canines, colorimetric tests and trace chemical detection methods utilizing various "sniffer" technologies. The last category involves indirect detection of a drug by collecting and analyzing minute quantities of vapor or particle contamination. Several technologies have been developed for this type of application, of which ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is perhaps the most widely utilized.
Drug-facilitated sexual assaults has also become an increasing and concerning problem throughout the world. Drugs used to facilitate rape may have sedative, hypnotic, dissociative, and/or amnesiac effects, and can be readily added to a food or drink without the victim's knowledge. Existing field tests for the so-called "date rape" drugs are not, at best, entirely reliable and sensitive, and cannot be used on all types of drinks due to intrinsic experimental limitations [1-6]. Also, interpretation of the obtained results is often problematic under real-life conditions.
Besides alcohol itself, the most known date-rape drugs are gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), and ketamine. Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), an 'easy-to-make' small endogenous polar compound (C4H8O3), has become the rapist's drug of choice as it has no taste, color or odor, making it hard to detect in a drink GHB is naturally found in trace amounts throughout the human body and is chemically very similar to the neurotransmitter γ-amino butyric acid (GABA).
Initially utilized as an anesthetic, GHB is now employed in narcolepsy, cataplexy and alcohol/opiate withdrawal treatments. However, it is also abused as a recreational drug for its various "desired" effects: euphoria, hallucinations and aphrodisiac. Yet, its adverse effects are all real; aggressive behavior, nausea/vomiting, hallucinations, bradycardia, loss of consciousness, respiratory failure, memory loss and potential death at high doses. When used as a rape-assisting drug, GHB incapacitates the victims, which are usually wrongly diagnosed as "drunk".
GHB would not be detected on a general drug screening and its detection is only available in specialist laboratories. A key concern with GHB is that there is only a small difference between the dose which leaves the victim unconscious and a dose that may lead to death. A heavy dose is approximately 2.5 grams of GHB. An extra 0.25 grams could be the difference between euphoria and unconsciousness. A dangerous overdose can occur with as little as two grams depending on body weight and the individual's metabolism. Some GHB overdoses lead to unconsciousness, vomiting and a loss of the gag reflex, putting the victim in grave danger of aspiration and death.
Despite the rapid increase in the number of cases in which GHB, and to that extent also ketamine, have been used for abuse, the available methods for detecting the presence of such drugs, particularly GHB, are insensitive, cumbersome and not reliable in detecting these drugs at the required concentrations, in a broad range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and under real-life conditions. Thus, the development of simple, sensitive and reliable methods for the rapid field detection of 'date-rape' drugs in a broad variety of beverages is required.


A chlorinator for wastewater treatment systems having a circulation pump, circulation tank, and return flow line, which includes a reservoir of disinfectant fluid and a dosage container communicating with the reservoir and the circulation tank to dispense a determined quantity of disinfectant during operation of the circulation pump. The dosage container is vented to atmosphere to prevent vacuum lock in operation and communicates with the reservoir at a flow rate substantially smaller than it communicates with the circulation tank. Operation of the circulation pump causes flow through the return line, inducing distribution of the quantity of disinfectant fluid into the circulation tank. As the dosage container outgoing flow rate far exceeds the dosage container incoming flow rate, once the disinfectant level drops below the point of communication between the dosage container and the circulation tank, no her disinfectant is drawn into the circulation tank. A near-uniform volume of disinfectant fluid is thereby supplied per pump cycle.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention related generally to chlorinators for wastewater treatment systems. More specifically, this invention is a chlorinator for wastewater treatment systems, which have a disinfectant chamber that permits a uniform volume of disinfectant to be used each cycle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Chlorinators, which use either solid or liquid disinfectants, are known to the prior art. Illustrative of chlorinators using solid disinfectants are U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,630 issued to Reeves on Feb. 6, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,073 issued to Hopcroft on Jul. 11, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,512 issued to Tang on Sep. 27, 1994; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,540 issued to Tang on Apr. 11, 1995. Illustrative of chlorinators using liquid disinfectants are U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,833 issued to Longley et. al. on Jun. 8, 1982; U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,983 issued to Mandt on Apr. 26, 1977 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,996,139 issued to Prince et al. on Dec. 7, 1976.
Chlorination is widely used as part of wastewater treatment systems. In practice, a disinfectant such as chlorine is introduced at a point in the wastewater treatment system after which sufficient time, either by flow into a storage tank or through a region of flow, occurs to permit the chlorine to effectively disinfect the contaminant-bearing wastewater. The amount of disinfectant added to the wastewater is referred to as the "dosage," and is usually expressed as milligrams per liter (mg/l) or parts per million (ppm). The amount of disinfectant necessary to disinfect a particular volume of wastewater is referred to as the "demand."
The reaction between the disinfectant and the contaminants is typically not instantaneous but is instead time dependent. In order to obtain adequate disinfection, the mixing of wastewater and disinfectant should be completed in the shortest time possible, ideally a fraction of a second. The amount of disinfectant remaining in the wastewater at the time of measurement is referred to as the "residual." The residual is therefore determined by the demand subtracted from the dosage.
Prior art chlorinators, whether using a liquid or solid disinfectant, typically mix the disinfectant with the wastewater during the flow of wastewater through the wastewater treatment system. In the case of chlorinators using a solid disinfectant, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,630 issued to Reeves on Feb. 6, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,073 issued to Hopcroft on Jul. 11, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,512 issued to Tang on Sep. 27, 1994; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,540 issued to Tang on Apr. 11, 1995, mixing occurs by wastewater flow about a plurality of disinfectant tablets. In such systems the disinfectant is mixed at a rate dependant on the surface area of the table in contact with the wastewater, the density of the wastewater and the flow rate of the wastewater, among other variables. In the case of chlorinators using a liquid disinfectant, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,833 issued to Longley et. al. on Jun. 8, 1982 mixing occurs at a contactor in the flowline wherein disinfectant fluid is drawn from a reservoir by pressure differential. In such systems the amount of chlorine combined with the wastewater varies with the flow rate of the wastewater and; wastewater density. Thus it would be beneficial to the prior art to provide a chlorinator that dispenses a uniform volume of chlorine.
Other chlorinators using liquid disinfectant are likewise known, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,627,071 issued to Braden on Sep. 30, 2003 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,912 issued to Chaffin on Aug. 23, 2005. U.S. Pat. No. 6,627,071 issued to Braden teaches a chlorinator for wastewater treatment systems having a circulation pump and return flow line which includes a disinfectant container, rendered buoyant by a float, floating within a space internal to a tank wherein the buoyant container intakes a determined quantity of disinfectant fluid through a check valve, which terminates communication between the disinfectant container and tank during operation of a circulation pump. After cessation of the circulation pump, the check valve opens to reestablish the quantity of disinfectant fluid. As a result operation is dependent on a functioning check value. U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,912 issued to Chaffin on Aug. 23, 2005 discloses a system which continuously supplies liquid disinfectant so long as the circulation pump is active and the volume of disinfectant can be withdrawn from a single disinfectant reservoir. Such unlimited, as a result of circulation pump action, or unknown, as a result of exhaustion of some unknown volume of disinfectant remaining in the disinfectant reservoir, may result in excessive or inadequate dosage of chlorine. It would therefore be an improvement to properly control the volume of chlorine dispensed.
Typical water treatment systems contain sequential chambers for elimination of solid waste, which would not be consumed by aerobic action, for aerobic treatment of the wastewater, for clarification of the wastewater and for storage of treated wastewater prior to disbursal to the environment by a sprinkler system. Disinfectant is mixed with the treated wastewater between clarification and disbursal. Disbursal of treated wastewater by a sprinkler or line output system is accomplished by mechanical pumping action. Such systems utilize a pump, which generates pressure in excess of that necessary for operation of the attached output system. As a result a pressure relief valve set to the necessary pressure is located in the pump line prior to exit from the pump tank. This valve permits return of a necessary amount of treated wastewater into the pump tank so as not to exceed the necessary output pressure. Return of treated wastewater into the pump tank creates a turbulent area within the treated wastewater in the pump tank.
It would be therefore be an improvement to provide a chlorinator that dispenses a near uniform volume of chlorine into this turbulent area without an external power supply and with no moving parts.

Chlorinator for wastewater treatment systems


A system and method for direct current offset correction are disclosed. One embodiment of the system includes a direct current offset correction circuitry having an adjustable bandwidth and control logic configured to effect a bandwidth change of the direct current offset correction circuitry to speed up warm-up and settling time of the direct current offset correction circuitry.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to transceivers. More particularly, the invention relates to direct current correction in multi-mode transceiver systems.
2. Related Art
Trends in portable transceivers, such as cellular handsets, have progressed towards smaller form factors, high data rate capabilities, as well as a variety of features such as integrated cameras, music download abilities, and/or global roaming. Accordingly, multi-mode systems such as GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), CDMA 2000 (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (wide-band CDMA), among others include radio architectures that have evolved towards direct-conversion receivers, which often consume less board space and typically cost less than other types of receivers.
The classical challenges in the design of direct conversion receiver architectures are well-known and include issues centering around direct current (DC) offset. DC offset typically results from a signal applied at two inputs (differential input), and represents the difference in the common mode voltage between the two inputs. In direct conversion receivers, the signal from an associated antenna is directly down-converted to baseband (e.g., DC) and then amplified before further signal processing, thus providing significant gain at baseband. Due to this large gain, any DC offsets generated in the front-end of the receiver (e.g., due to local oscillator (LO) leakage, non-linearities, etc.) can potentially saturate the baseband section and hence corrupt the desired signal, which is typically much smaller in signal level than the unwanted DC signal. Several methods of DC offset cancellation have been developed to minimize DC offset in many types of receivers, including direct conversion receivers, yet these methods may cause significant degradation in signal quality and/or a significant reduction in portable transceiver standby times.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a portable transceiver that provides enhanced features without significant signal degradation and/or excessive power consumption.

Direct current offset correction systems and methods


A method for collecting data to identify an RF dead zone in a cell of a wireless network using a mobile station is provided. The method includes: a) receiving position data from the mobile station at a base station when the mobile station is powered up and located within the cell, b) communicating the position data from the base station to a mobile switching center, and c) storing the position data in an RF dead zone network. In another embodiment, a method for collecting data to identify an RF dead zone in a wireless network using a mobile station is provided. The wireless network provides wireless service to a plurality of cells and includes a plurality of base stations corresponding to the cells. In still another embodiment, a method for collecting data to identify an RF dead zone in a wireless network using a plurality of mobile stations is provided.

The invention generally relates to a method for radio frequency (RF) dead zone data collection in a wireless network and, more particularly, to a method for RF dead zone data collection using one or more mobile stations (MSs) and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the invention is also amenable to other applications.
In general, wireless service providers seek to maximize usage of their wireless networks, provide uninterrupted wireless service for subscribers, and keep the cost of providing these wireless services to a minimum. There are often tradeoffs involved between the first two goals and the third. One aspect of wireless communications where the tension between these goals may be seen is in RF coverage trouble spots (e.g., RF dead zones) within cells in the wireless network. For example, one of the causes of lost revenues for the wireless service provider is dropped calls due to RF dead zones.
The geographic region served by a wireless network is divided into a plurality of areas known as "cells". Typically, each cell includes a base station (BS) that provides an RF interface to MSs in the cell. When the geographic region is first divided into cells, the cells are engineered to provide coverage for the anticipated MS usage. Further, the cell is engineered to take into account topological aspects of its sub-region, such as tall buildings, highway traffic and geological formations such as mountains.
Only when the wireless network is placed into service is the accuracy of the engineering assumptions tested. There may be dead zones that were unanticipated or that develop due to changes in season or new constructions. The wireless service provider may receive complaints regarding dropped calls or no responses from the wireless system. Subscriber complaints may be evaluated by wireless service providers to identify RF dead zones and evaluate the impact of the dead zone on revenue. However, this is not reliable for evaluating the impact on revenue because often a subscriber experiencing a dropped call does not call the wireless service provider's customer service office to complain. Typically, it is more important for the subscriber to call the dropped party back. Later, it is inconvenient and much less important to call customer service with a complaint about the RF dead zone.
Nevertheless, in response to complaints, the wireless service provider then may send out specially equipped trucks to determine the location and extent of the problems. In some cases, the wireless service provider adds repeaters or supplemental "micro" or "pico" cells to provide RF coverage in the dead zones. In many cases, however, additional micro cells to improve RF coverage are frequently over engineered and one (or more) of the micro cells end up lightly loaded. The wireless service provider has thus unnecessarily increased cost while providing modestly improved wireless service.
In addition to responding to complaints, wireless service providers may perform RF drive testing in order to identify these "dead zones" in their service areas. This type of drive testing is an expensive operating cost to the wireless service provider and often needs to be repeated with the change of seasons, when some buildings and structures are constructed, and when other environmental changes causing new or altered dead zones occur. Moreover, many RF dead zones identified through drive testing have little or no impact on revenue to the wireless service provider. The point being that RF drive testing has no way of prioritizing or evaluating the impact of an RF dead zone on revenue.
One approach to solving this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,459,695 to Schmitt and assigned to Lucent Technologies. The '695 patent discloses a method that rapidly and precisely determines the geographical location of areas of high concentration of usage (hot spots) and areas of poor RF frequency reception (dead spots) by measuring the number of failed call attempts, dropped calls and the like. The method also compares these areas. The identification of an MS and its location are recorded at selected points during a call. If a high number of uncompleted calls or dropped calls are recorded, then the BS can use the last known location of the MSs involved to circumscribe an area in which the hot spot or dead spot occurs. Notably, Schmitt collects location information from MSs during connected calls and stores the location information for any connected call that is subsequently dropped. The stored location information may then be used to identify, for example, RF dead zones.
A similar problem and solution associated with optimizing RF coverage in a wireless network is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,522,888 to Garceran et al. and assigned to Lucent Technologies. The '888 patent discloses a system for determining coverage in a wireless network that uses location information for an MS and collects information on communications between the MS and the wireless network in association with the location information. The wireless network determines and/or receives location information for the MS along with other information associated with the location information. The information by location can be used to represent the coverage of a geographic region. For example, during communications between a serving BS and an MS, the serving BS could receive and/or determine signal quality measurements of a forward link and/or of a reverse link at a particular location. Additionally, neighboring BSs can monitor the communications and determine and/or receive location information for the location of the MS along with the information associated with or corresponding to the location of the MS. The associated information can be linked with additional parameters, such as MS type, MS identity, frequency, operating conditions and/or BS identity. Notably, Garceran collects location information and various other parameters from MSs and produces an RF coverage map. Depending upon the position of an MS within the RF coverage map, RF transmissions from the MS are adjusted to improve RF coverage. The location information is not used to identify RF dead zones.
Thus, there is motivation for an improved method for collection of data to identify RF dead zones in a wireless network using mobile stations operated by subscribers associated with the wireless network. Moreover, there is a particular motivation to extend the use of data associated with RF dead zones to subsequent reduction or elimination of one or more areas identified as dead zones.

Method for RF dead zone data collection using mobile station


An image processing apparatus is disclosed. The image processing apparatus includes a display panel and comprises a control section configured to control a duty pulse width for controlling an illumination period within a horizontal line period on a timing synchronized with a horizontal synchronization pulse.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to technologies of detection and optimization of power consumption of a self-luminous display apparatus.
Embodiments of the present invention proposed by the present inventors include a power consumption detection apparatus, a power consumption control apparatus, an image processing apparatus, a self-luminous display apparatus, an electronic device, a power consumption detection method, a power consumption control method, and a computer program.
2. Description of the Related Art
One common problem of all display apparatuses is to reduce power consumption of a display device. The reduction in power consumption of the display device is very important for reducing power consumption of the entire display apparatus.
However, the power consumption of a self-luminous display apparatus constantly changes depending on the contents of a display image. Therefore, a technique for detecting the power consumption is important for controlling the power consumption to fall within an allowable power range. Examples of known techniques for detecting the power consumption include those disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-354762 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-134418 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 2).
Patent Document 1 discloses a system for estimating power consumed by an entire screen using frame memory.
Patent Document 2 discloses a technique of calculating an average brightness level of each frame based on an image signal, and limiting the brightness of a display panel driven by pulse width modulation based on the average brightness level.

Power consumption detection apparatus, power consumption control apparatus, image processing apparatus, self-luminous display apparatus, electronic device, power consumption detection method, power consumption control method, power consumption control method, and computer program


A sensing head and system utilizes fault tolerant design and self-diagnosis. Alternative operation modes are provided when one or more functional modules or components fail. Unique designs provide redundant system resources. Self-diagnoses and tests are provided to isolate and identify sources of malfunctions.

Wheel alignment systems operate in a harsh environment that challenges the reliability and operability of the systems. Significant variations in temperature and humidity, and electrical noise common in automotive service facilities can disrupt the operation of the alignment systems and, in the case of cordless wheel alignment systems, the reliability and availability of wireless communications between alignment heads and console computer system. The equipment occasionally is dropped or collides with vehicles or other equipment. Additionally, many alignment systems are susceptible to single point failures that can render the entire system unusable even though only one minor component or device fails.
Furthermore, operators of wheel alignment systems often have limited skills or training in using the equipment. When an alignment system is not performing as expected, the operator has no way to know whether it is caused by improper operations, environment interferences, or actually by system malfunctions. In these cases, the operator may unnecessarily request the alignment system be serviced even though it is actually in perfect working condition. The unnecessary services and unavailability of alignment systems significantly reduce productivity and increase service and operation costs. Although some alignment systems provide crude self-diagnostic information, the information generally relates to a functional capability but does not identify a specific component.
Accordingly, wheel alignment systems that are highly reliable, tolerant to faults, resistant to harsh operation environment, and capable of providing effective self-diagnosis are highly desirable.

Fault tolerant wheel alignment head and system


A multifinger carbon nanotube field-effect transistor (CNT FET) is provided in which a plurality of nanotube top gated FETs are combined in a finger geometry along the length of a single carbon nanotube, an aligned array of nanotubes, or a random array of nanotubes. Each of the individual FETs are arranged such that there is no geometrical overlap between the gate and drain finger electrodes over the single carbon nanotube so as to minimize the Miller capacitance (Cgd) between the gate and drain finger electrodes. A low-K dielectric may be used to separate the source and gate electrodes in the multifinger CNT FET so as to further minimize the Miller capacitance between the source and gate electrodes.

Theoretically, single-walled carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (SWNT FETs) are predicted to have intrinsic cut-off frequencies approaching the THz range, where intrinsic means that the parasitic capacitance due to fringing fields is negligible compared to the gate-source capacitance required to modulate the conductance. However, in real world applications, this parasitic capacitance tends to dominate most CNT FET geometries.
When fabricating an individual CNT FET, it would beneficial to be able to measure its full S-parameters (or equivalently Z, h, or ABCD matrix), and then come up with an equivalent circuit model that could then be compared to theoretical models and used as basis to construct more complex circuits out of more than one CNT FET. However, in practice, the high impedance and low on current of a single CNT FET have served to hinder prior attempts to obtain these measurements.

Multifinger carbon nanotube field-effect transistor


A method for configuring a computer network so that no non-root node can allocate itself a Physical_ID reserved for a root node. For each node that executes the self_ID process, a check is made of the available Physical_ID value as well as the designation of the node as a root or non-root node. If the value available is less than a value reserved for a root node, the value is assigned to the node. If the value not less than the value reserved for root node, a check is made to see if the node is a root node. A root node is assigned the value reserved for root. Non-root nodes are assigned a value that is greater than the value reserved for root node. After the value is assigned, the value-node assignment is broadcast over the network and the available pool of values is updated.

Directing attention to FIG. 1, the IEEE 1394a standard defines communication protocols between nodes 10 on a computer network 12. Nodes 10 can be personal computers, workstations, or other computing devices. Each node has a PHY 14, which facilitates communication between the nodes and other nodes in network 12. PHY 14 has a plurality of ports so that multiple connections can be made to node 10. Nodes 10 can be connected by cable 16, or other suitable communication medium, to implement computer network 12. It is one of the goals of the 1394a standard to implement a protocol that treats all communication media connecting nodes 10 collectively as bus 16. To achieve this objective, two processes are executed on each of the nodes: a tree_ID process and a self_ID process.
The tree_ID process is executed in a distributed manner among the nodes to configure a tree structure among nodes 10. The tree_ID process executed on each node establishes a hierarchy among nodes 10 such that each connection between two nodes 10 defines one node as the parent of the other node and the other node as the child of the first node. A node 10 may thus be parent to zero or more children, and each node 10 has at most one parent. On each node 10, a flag on each port in PHY 14 indicates the peer node as either a parent or a child. A root node 10-1 eventually is determined to be a node that has only children and no parent. By establishing a hierarchy among nodes 10, the communication protocols of the 1394a standard are able to function properly. The root node has particular responsibilities, such as acting as cycle master and issuing cycle start packets. This function is essential to isochronous operation, which, in turn, is essential to the use of the 1394 standard in consumer digital audio-visual applications among others. When a node has identified all connections to its PHY 14 as being connections to children with the exception of one connection, it is assumed that the remaining, unidentified connection points to a potential parent node.
Once all of nodes 10 have completed the tree_ID process, and every node has set its flags on all its ports to either parent or child, the network configuration state moves to the self_ID process. The self_ID process takes place in a distributed manner. The 1394a standard specifies that each child node must wait for a signal from its parent node before beginning its contribution to the self_ID process, and that the root node 10-1 initiates the process. As defined in the 1394a standard, six bits are provided on each node to designate a unique identifier within network 12. A maximum value, 63, is reserved as a broadcast identifier for all nodes in network 12. Thus, if a node needs to send a message to all nodes 10, it sets the address message for node 63 and all nodes in network 12 receive this message. Node value 63 is not individually addressable. A node having a value of 63 indicates a malconfigured bus. Any such node may repeat packets originated by other nodes, but is not permitted otherwise to participate in bus activity. The remaining identifiers, 0 through 62, are available for identification designation.
During the self_ID process, each node 10 in turn assigns itself a unique identifier, so that the process assigns a unique identifier to nodes 10 on network 12. Each node 10 maintains a register that records the next available identifier. When a node 10 receives a notification that another node 10 has assigned itself an identifier, the node 10 updates its register to the next value incrementally. However, the value in the register is not allowed to exceed 63. When a child node is instructed by its parent node to execute its contribution to the self_ID process, the child first instructs its children (if any) in turn to execute their contributions to the self_ID process. When all its children have completed their contributions, the node checks its internal register for the next available value and selects this value as its identifier. It then broadcasts this value across network 12 and all nodes update their identification registers with this node-value assignment. The child node then instructs the parent node that it has completed the self_ID process. Once all of the children of a parent node have assigned values to themselves, the parent node selects a value in a similar fashion, and sends a message to its parent that it has finished. This process continues up the tree until root node makes the final node-value assignment. The root thus always assigns itself the highest node-value. This self_ID process as executed in a tree structure is illustrated in FIG. 2.
The self_ID process works smoothly as long as there are 62 or less nodes connected in network 10. In these cases, the root will have a node value of 62 or less. If more than 63 nodes are present on the bus, then the nodes after the 63rd to allocate themselves identifiers, including the root node, are all allocated Physical_ID 63. FIG. 3 illustrates a network where more than 63 nodes are connected and an attempt to execute self_ID has failed. As shown, node 20 is a non-root node that has selected the value of 62 for itself, thus denying the root node the opportunity to allocate itself a value of 62 or less. Because the 1394a standard defines special functions for the root node, the network illustrated in FIG. 3 has failed to properly execute the self_ID process and communication cannot proceed properly. There is a need for a solution to this problem that allows a network to be configured in a fault tolerant manner that accommodates the 1394a standard and thus realizes its benefits.

Method, apparatus and computer program product for ensuring node participation in a network bus


A method for applying texture mapping in per-pixel operations includes receiving a plurality of parameters. The parameters define a pixel value at a pixel in a graphics primitive. From among these parameters, a set of parameters is selected to be associated with textures. The parameters that are not selected define a set of unselected parameters that have constant values over the primitive. A texture value is then determined for each of the selected parameters by accessing a set of textures, with the texture value for the selected parameters varying over the primitive. The pixel value at the pixel is then evaluated using the constant unselected parameters and the texture values for the selected parameters. A device and system for applying texture mapping in per-pixel operations also are described.

The present invention relates to the field of computer graphics and, more particularly, to the application of texture mapping to generate pixel values.
Rendering of realistic images (e.g., two- or three-dimensional images) is one of the main goals of graphics system designers. Rendering images of real or imaginary objects typically involves generating geometric models (e.g., polygons) of objects and applying lighting effects to polygonal surfaces. In computer graphics, surfaces of an object are generally modeled by a polygonal mesh, which is a collection of vertices, edges, and/or polygons. A mesh of polygons may be produced from a variety of sources such as an application, tesselated NURBS surfaces, spheres, cones, etc. The vertices may be connected by edges and a sequence of edges or vertices may define one or more polygons.
Rendering of realistic 3D graphics requires accurate and efficient modeling of 3D surfaces based upon the position, orientation, and characteristics of the surfaces and the light sources illuminating them. In particular, the interaction between lights and surfaces must be modeled for rendering. To accurately model lighting effects, conventional computer graphics systems have typically implemented a variety of lighting models and shading techniques to generate light values at individual pixels of a graphics primitive such as a polygon. A co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/265,507, entitled "Method and Device for Generating Per-Pixel Light Values," by inventor David C. Tannenbaum et al., describes several exemplary lighting models and shading techniques.
Conventional lighting models typically model one or more lighting effects such as ambient light, diffuse reflection, specular reflection, and spotlighting, each of which is well known in the art. The ambient light accounts for a lighting effect resulting from multiple reflections of light from the surfaces present in a scene. On the other hand, the diffuse reflection models reflection of light off a dull, matte surface. In this model, the reflected light from the surface falls off uniformly as a function of an angle between N and L, where N is a normal vector at a surface point and L is a light vector. The diffuse light fall off in the diffuse reflection model is typically modeled by using a dot product term N·L.
Similarly, the specular reflection accounts for reflection of light off a shiny surface. When light from a light source is reflected off a surface, the reflected light falls off approximately exponentially from the direction of reflection vector R as seen from the direction of view vector V. For example, the fall off may be modeled by cos8α, where s is a surface material's specular reflection coefficient and α is an angle between the vectors R and V. In practice, a dot product power term (N·H)s is often used in place of cos8α to model specular reflection at a surface point, where N is a normal vector and H is a half-angle vector. Both the diffuse and specular reflection models assume that a light source (e.g., L vector) radiates light uniformly in all directions.
In contrast, the spotlight model adds a direction to a positional light source to allow modeling of directional lights. That is, a spotlight is a special type of light source that has a direction as well as a position. For example, a positional light source may function as a spotlight by restricting the shape of the light to a cone. The direction of the spotlight is the direction in which the light points. The spotlight thereby simulates a cone of light, which may have a fall-off in intensity based upon the distance from the center of the cone of light.
The ambient, diffuse, specular, and spotlight models are well known and are described in greater detail in Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice by James D. Foley et al., Addison-Wesley (1996), ISBN 0-201-84840-6, which is incorporated herein by reference and constitutes a portion of the background against which the present invention was developed. Additionally, the OpenGL™ (versions 1.1 and 1.2) application programming interface (API) describes various lighting models such as spotlighting, diffuse light reflection, specular light reflection, and related parameters for implementing such models. The OpenGL™ (versions 1.1 and 1.2) graphics application programming interface is commercially available from Silicon Graphics, Inc., the assignee of the present application, and is incorporated herein by reference.
By way of example, the OpenGL™ graphics application programming interface, version 1.1 evaluates a light value C at a pixel by implementing an exemplary lighting equation as follows:C=ecm+acm*acs+att*spot[acm*acl+(N·L)dcm*dcl+(N·H)sscm*scl]  Eq. (1)The parameters in Equation (1) are defined as follows:
ecm=emission material color,
acm=ambient material color,
acs=global ambient light color,
att=attenuation factor,
spot=spotlight effect,
acl=ambient light color,
dcm=diffuse material color,
dcl=diffuse light color,
scm=specular material color,
scl=specular light color,
s=specular exponent,
N=outward surface normal vector at the pixel,
L=light-source vector (pointing from pixel to light) at the pixel, and
H=half-angle vector between light-source vector and eye vector at the pixel.
In Equation (1), the attenuation factor att can be further defined as 1/[kc+kld+kqd2], where d is the distance between a light's position and a pixel, kc represents constant attenuation, kl is linear attenuation, and kq represents quadratic attenuation. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that Equation (1) may be evaluated for each light source illuminating a pixel of interest.
In implementing a light equation to evaluate light color values, conventional techniques have typically assigned constant values for many of the parameters in the equations. For instance, conventional techniques typically assign a constant value to material parameters such as the ambient, diffuse, specular, and emission material colors. That is, all pixels within a graphics primitive (e.g., polygon) are assigned the same constant value for a given material parameter. The assignment of constant parameter values is relatively easy and inexpensive to implement in a computer system.
Unfortunately, while the constant modeling technique is simple and inexpensive to implement, it does not produce highly realistic surfaces. The reason for this is that the constant assignment scheme is based on the assumption that the entire surface of the primitive is constant. In reality, however, many surfaces of objects are not constant. Instead, the surface of a graphics primitive often has characteristics that vary over the surface of the primitive.
By way of example, a marble tabletop may not be equally shiny everywhere on its surface. As another example, consider a light shining through dense vegetation such as trees in a forest. In such a case, the conventional constant parameter assignment scheme may not be able to render a substantially realistic image of the light shining through the trees.
To model a surface that varies over the associated primitive, one prior art method has used a non-constant surface description to model the varying diffuse material properties of the surfaces such as the trees and marble tabletop. In this method, a unique color is assigned to each vertex of the polygon and then interpolated to obtain a per-pixel color. However, while the modeling of varying diffuse lights somewhat improves rendering of a varying surface, it does not adequately model other parameters that may vary over the surface. For example, parameters such as the ambient, specular, and emission material color may also vary over the surface. In addition, the parameters in the dot product terms of lighting Equation (1) such as the normal vector N, the specular exponent s, and the like generally vary over a surface in practice.
Thus, what is needed is a method, device, and system that can generate per-pixel color values by modeling parameters that vary over a surface of a graphics primitive.

Device, method, and system for generating per-pixel light values using texture parameters


If the elapsed time since a sheet was stored in a sheet storage unit is less than or equal to a threshold value, control is performed such that the sheet is heated by a fixing unit before an image is transferred to the sheet, and if the elapsed time since the sheet was stored in the sheet storage unit exceeds the threshold value, control is performed such that processing for heating the sheet with the fixing unit before the image is transferred to the sheet is not performed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that performs processing for removing fingerprints left on a printing medium, and a method of controlling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Grease and moisture from the human body causes a reduction in resistivity in portions of a sheet that come into contact with a fixer, and there are cases where, for example, they cause a transfer failure when toner is transferred to the sheet, thus resulting in fingerprint marks being left on the printing result as shown by reference sign 1601 in FIG. 16. In order to address such a defect in a fixed image, there is known to be an image forming apparatus that has a fingerprint removal mode function for removing fingerprint marks by causing a sheet with fingerprints on it to pass through the fixer one time before printing in order to remove the oil component of the fingerprints on the sheet (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-286108). Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-286108 discloses that the image forming apparatus removes smudging such as a fingerprint mark by executing pre-fixing on sheets fed to the manual paper feed tray. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-286108 further discloses that a user can enable/disable the fingerprint removal function using an operation unit.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-286108, the fingerprint removal mode is set using the operation unit of the image forming apparatus when printing sheets have been fed to the manual paper feed tray. For this reason, when the fingerprint removal mode is set, printing is performed in the fingerprint removal mode until all of the sheets set in the manual paper feed tray are gone. Since the fingerprint removal mode involves operations in which printed matter is passed through the fixer one time before being printed on and then discharged, the printing speed is slower than that in normal printing.
Fingerprints left on a sheet actually gradually disappear as time passes. Although it depends on the type and thickness of the printing sheet, fingerprints on ordinary copy sheets disappear in approximately 30 minutes. Accordingly, there are cases where fingerprint removal does not need to be performed for printing sheets for which a long time has passed since being stored in the paper feed tray. Performing fingerprint removal in such case results in an unnecessary increase in the printing time.

Printing apparatus and controlling method


A skirt for use on an applicator bar, wherein the applicator bar includes a body and a flow passageway having an exit end defined in the body, and wherein a second section of the skirt defining a lip is adapted to coact with the body so that the second section is positioned adjacent the exit end of the body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for lubricating railroad rails or for applying friction modifiers to railroad rails.
2. Description of Related Art
In the operation of railroads, it has long been the practice to apply grease or friction modifier materials onto railroad rails, such as to the top of rails or sides of the rails at curves, turnouts, switches, in some cases, the sections of the track immediately before a switch, and periodically spaced along the length of the track. Such lubricants and friction modifying materials, such as grease, can either reduce or increase the friction where necessary to improve train performance and reduce wear on both the rails and the train wheels. In the case of a friction modifying material, i.e., a material that increases the friction between the train wheel and the rail, the practice has been to apply the friction modifier material to the top of the rail to contact the train wheels. Oftentimes, the friction modifying material does not reach the center of the rail or substantial amounts of friction modifying material are wasted by dripping or pouring along the sides of the rail. One such device used to apply friction modifying material to the top of the rail is disclosed in International PCT Application No. PCT/US00/09269 entitled "Top of Rail Applicator", which is hereby incorporated by reference. Typically, a skirt can be used in conjunction with the top of a rail applicator device to provide and/or direct friction modifying material towards a surface of the rail. However, excess friction modifying material can be wasted by flowing over or on top of the skirt. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to overcome this limitation.


A new Pelargonium plant named ‘PEQZ0094’ particularly distinguished by pink colored inflorescences with semi-double florets, held above dark green foliage, on a vigorous upright, mounding plant.

The present invention comprises a new Pelargonium, botanically known as Pelargonium interspecific, and hereinafter referred to by the variety name 'PEQZ0094'.
'PEQZ0094' is a product of a planned breeding program. The new cultivar 'PEQZ0094' has large pink colored inflorescences with semi-double pink-white florets, held above dark green foliage, on a vigorous upright, mounding plant.
'PEQZ0094' originates from a hybridization in a controlled breeding program made in July 2014, in a greenhouse in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands. The female parent was a patented plant of P. x hortorum parentage 'Patriot Rose Pink' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,125) with larger florets, lighter green foliage and poorer branching when compared to 'PEQZ0094'.
The male parent of 'PEQZ0094' was an unpatented, proprietary plant of P. x interspecific parentage, identified as 'PEI-AZ3160-01', which itself resulted from a cross between P. interspecific 'PEQZ0008' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,423) and P. peltatum 'Figradol Pink' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,562), with a smaller plant habit and less petals per flower when compared to 'PEQZ0094'. The resultant seed was sown in December 2014.
'PEQZ0094' was selected as one flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in May 2015 in a greenhouse in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands.
The first act of asexual reproduction of 'PEQZ0094' was accomplished when vegetative stem cuttings were propagated from the initial selection in June 2015 in a greenhouse in Enkhuizen, the Netherlands.


The subject matter disclosed herein provides methods for formatting a table for display on a computing device. A table having one or more rows and one or more columns may be accessed. The rows may correspond to one or more data records. The data records may have one or more data values distributed across the columns. The columns may be associated with one or more column labels and one or more priority values. A size of a display screen on a computing device may be determined. A table may be formatted by moving a column label and a data value in at least one column into an area between successive data records. The formatting may be based on the display screen size and an associated column priority value. The formatted table may be caused to be displayed on the computing device. Related apparatus, systems, techniques, and articles are also described.

Businesses manipulate large amounts of data records every day. These data records may be stored in tables that may be accessed, viewed, and/or modified by individuals using different types of computing devices. Depending on the amount of data and type of content in these tables, the tables may span multiple columns. While an individual may have no problem viewing a large table on a computing device having a large display screen (e.g., a desktop computer), he/she may have difficulty navigating the table on a computing device having a small display screen (e.g., a tablet computer or a mobile phone). Conventional solutions resolve these issues by hiding data columns or requiring a user to scroll horizontally and vertically to view a table on such small screen devices. These solutions, however, result in a loss of data and impede the ability to quickly compare data records in the table.

Formatting tables for display on computing devices of varying screen size


A wafer-scale heterogeneous layered active electronically scanned array (ESA) utilizes a low-loss integrated waveguide feed. The ESA is formed from wafer-scale subarray modules each of which comprises a multilayer stack to form transmit/receive (T/R) modules. Waveguide subarray combiners feed the T/R modules. A subarray combiner is a waveguide assembly bonded to a bottom layer in the multilayer stack. The bottom layer is a ground plane forming a top waveguide broadwall of the combiner. The waveguide subarray combiner may be formed from a variety of waveguide types and feeds the T/R modules using electric field probe coupling or an aperture slot coupling. A second layer feed structure forms the subarray modules into the ESA and feeds the waveguide subarray combiners. The second layer feed structure uses waveguides to feed the waveguide subarray combiners using E-field probes or aperture slot coupling on the bottom waveguide broadwall.

This invention relates to antennas, phased array antennas, and specifically to a wafer-scale heterogeneous layered active electronically scanned array (ESA) with a low-loss, integrated waveguide feed.
Electronically scanned arrays or phased array antennas offer significant system level performance enhancements for advanced communications, data link, radar, and SATCOM systems. The ability to rapidly scan the radiation pattern of the ESA allows the realization of multi-mode operation, LPI/LPD (low probability of intercept and detection), and A/J (antijam) capabilities. One of the major challenges in ESA design is to provide cost effective antenna array phase shifting methods and techniques along with dual-band operation of the ESA.
It is well known within the art that the operation of a phased array is approximated to the first order as the product of the array factor and the radiation element pattern as shown in Equation 1 for a linear array.
                                          E            A                                          (            θ            )                          ≡                                                                              E                  p                                                                  (                                      θ                    ,                    ϕ                                    )                                            ︸                                      Radiation                              Element                Pattern                                                                                [                                                            exp                                                                    (                                                                              -                            j                                                                                2                                                            π                                                                                r                                o                                                                                λ                                                                          )                                                                                r                      o                                                        ]                                ︸                                            Isotropic                                  Element                  Pattern                                                      ·                                                                                ∑                    N                                                                                A                      n                                                                                exp                                                                    [                                                                              -                            j                                                                                2                                                            π                                                        λ                                                                              n                                                                                Δ                                                                                x                                                                                (                                                                                sin                                                                                θ                                                                -                                                                  sin                                                                                θ                                    o                                                                                )                                                                                ]                                                                                ︸                                            Array                                                                                Factor                                                                        Equation                                                  1
Standard spherical coordinates are used in Equation 1 and θ is the scan angle referenced to bore sight of the array. Introducing phase shift at all radiating elements within the array changes the argument of the array factor exponential term in Equation 1, which in turns steers the main beam from its nominal position. Phase shifters are RF devices or circuits that provide the required variation in electrical phase. Array element spacing is related to the operating wavelength and it sets the scan performance of the array. All radiating element patterns are assumed to be identical for the ideal case where mutual coupling between elements does not exist. The array factor describes the performance of an array of isotropic radiators arranged in a prescribed two-dimensional rectangular grid.
Wafer scale integration is a system known in the art for building very large integrated circuit networks that use an entire silicon wafer to produce a circuit function. The large size and reduced packaging requirements needed with wafer scale integration makes possible reduced costs and increased performance for some applications.
Wafer scale integration has been proposed for fabricating an active antenna array. "Wafer-Scale Integration Brings Low Cost and a Small Footprint to Active Antenna Arrays," by Fred Mohamadi, RF Design, February 2005 discloses a 256-element steerable antenna array on an eight-inch wafer. The wafer scale array module disclosed provides transmit and receive functions and a steerable 16 by 16 element antenna on the eight-inch wafer. The wafer scale integration concept disclosed comprises a radiating element layer, a device layer and a signal distribution layer. The RF interconnection layer uses coplanar waveguide (CPW) or shield microstrip transmission lines. One of the problems with the coplanar waveguides and microstrip feed implementations at the subarray level are the large losses.
What is needed is a low-loss active electronically scanned antenna (ESA) feed that is compatible with a heterogeneous wafer-scale stacked active transmit/receive (T/R) subarray modules. Furthermore what is needed is a second layer low-loss combining scheme to tile the subarrays into arbitrarily sized non-conformal apertures.

Low-loss integrated waveguide feed for wafer-scale heterogeneous layered active electronically scanned array