A method, system, and apparatus for separation in processing of feedstocks are disclosed. According to one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a tubular vessel having a square pipe entry and a vapor outlet, wherein the vapor outlet is positioned at the top of the tubular vessel, and wherein the square pipe entry is tangential to an inner diameter of the tubular vessel; a barrel positioned below the tubular vessel; and a double isolation knife valve positioned between the tubular vessel and the barrel, wherein a stream of gas and solids enters the tubular vessel through the square pipe entry, and wherein the gas and solids are separated by using centrifugal force, and wherein the gas exits the vapor outlet and the solids are collected in the barrel.

Heavy oil and bitumen resources are supplementing the decline in the production of conventional light and medium crude oils, and production from these resources is steadily increasing. Pipelines cannot handle these crude oils unless diluents are added to decrease their viscosity and specific gravity to pipeline specifications. Alternatively, desirable properties are achieved by primary upgrading. However, diluted crudes or upgraded synthetic crudes are significantly different from conventional crude oils. As a result, bitumen blends or synthetic crudes are not easily processed in conventional fluid catalytic cracking refineries. Therefore, in either case further processing must be done in refineries configured to handle either diluted or upgraded feedstocks.
Many heavy hydrocarbon feedstocks are also characterized as comprising significant amounts of BS&W (bottom sediment and water). Such feedstocks are not suitable for transportation by pipeline, or refining due to their corrosive properties and the presence of sand and water. Typically, feedstocks characterized as having less than 0.5 wt % BS&W are transportable by pipeline, and those comprising greater amounts of BS&W require some degree of processing or treatment to reduce the BS&W content prior to transport. Such processing may include storage to let the water and particulates settle, and heat treatment to drive off water and other components. However, these manipulations add to operating cost. There is therefore a need within the art for an efficient method of upgrading feedstock having a significant BS&W content prior to transport or further processing of the feedstock.
Heavy oils and bitumens can be upgraded using a range of processes including thermal (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,234; U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,686; U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,442), hydrocracking (U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,634), visbreaking (U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,539; U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,753; U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,702), or catalytic cracking (U.S. Pat. No. 5,723,040; U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,868; U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,131; U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,136; U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,378; U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,378, U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,183) procedures. Several of these processes, such as visbreaking or catalytic cracking, utilize either inert or catalytic particulate contact materials within upflow or downflow reactors. Catalytic contact materials are for the most part zeolite based (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,723,040; U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,868; U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,131; U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,136; U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,378; U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,378, U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,183; U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,272; U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,128), while visbreaking typically utilizes inert contact material (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,539; U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,753), carbonaceous solids (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,702), or inert kaolin solids (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,753).
The use of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), or other units for the direct processing of bitumen feedstocks is known in the art. However, many compounds present within the crude feedstocks interfere with these processes by depositing on the contact material itself. These feedstock contaminants include metals such as vanadium and nickel, coke precursors such as (Conradson) carbon residues, and asphaltenes. Unless removed by combustion in a regenerator, deposits of these materials can result in poisoning and the need for premature replacement of the contact material. This is especially true for contact material employed with FCC processes, as efficient cracking and proper temperature control of the process requires contact materials comprising little or no combustible deposit materials or metals that interfere with the catalytic process.
To reduce contamination of the catalytic material within catalytic cracking units, pretreatment of the feedstock via visbreaking (U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,702; U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,753; U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,539), thermal (U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,634; U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,442) or other processes, typically using FCC-like reactors, operating at temperatures below that required for cracking the feedstock (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,045; U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,373 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,128) have been suggested. These systems operate in series with FCC units and function as pre-treaters for FCC. These pretreatment processes are designed to remove contaminant materials from the feedstock, and operate under conditions that mitigate any cracking. These processes ensure that any upgrading and controlled cracking of the feedstock takes place within the FCC reactor under optimal conditions.
Bitumen feedstocks comprise solids such as, sand and other particulates. Direct processing of bitumen feedstocks must be carried out by contact of a hydrogen-containing gas with the hydrocarbon feed stream at elevated temperatures and pressures. Thus, the major costs of such processing are essentially in obtaining and maintaining of the processing equipment. Examples of the major costs are: vessels and associated furnaces, heat exchangers, distributor plate assemblies, pumps, piping and valves capable of such service and the replacement cost of catalyst contaminated in such service, and the cost of assembling the equipment. Commercial hydroprocessing of relatively low cost feed stocks such as reduced crude oils containing pollutant compounds, requires a flow rate on the order of a few thousand up to one hundred thousand barrels per day, with concurrent flow of hydrogen at up to 10,000 standard cubic feet per barrel of the liquid feed. Vessels capable of containing such a reaction process are accordingly cost-intensive both due to the need to contain and withstand corrosion and metal embrittlement by the hydrogen compounds, sulfur compounds and the solids within the bitumen feedstocks, while carrying out the desired reactions at elevated pressure and temperatures. Pumps, piping and valves for handling fluid streams containing hydrogen at such pressures and temperatures are also costly, because at such pressures seals must remain hydrogen impervious over extended service periods of many months. Fine and ultra-fine, clays, sands and particulates in the heavy oil and bitumen may reduce the effectiveness of the seals overtime, as well. It is also cost-intensive to insure that all of the equipment are assembled, manufactured and/or maintained correctly.
Even taking all the precautions taken during the upgrading process and with the assembly, manufacture and maintenance of the equipment to ensure the purest end product, one skilled in the art understand it is inevitable that the end product often comprises fine and ultra-fine clays, sands and particulates that are from the bitumen or petroleum feedstock.

Method, system, and apparatus for separation in processing of feedstocks


Electronic apparatus and fabrication of the electronic apparatus that includes detection of the majority of values in a plurality of data bits may be used in a variety of applications. Embodiments include application of majority bit detection to process data bits in a device for further analysis in the device based on the results of the majority bit detection. In an embodiment, such further processing in a memory device after majority bit detection may include data bit inversion prior to outputting the data from the memory device.

Operating electronic devices includes the consumption of power. Consumption of power can lead to depletion of a power supply, increased operational costs, and performance degradation associated with heating and other effects associated with current flows in the electronic devices. In complex devices, such as memories, there exist numerous operational current paths. Reducing power consumption in a memory without design complexity or significant impact to the speed of operation may enhance the overall performance of the memory.

Apparatus and methods having majority bit detection


A common driver circuit for driving a load heavy in a capacitive property such as a common electrode or the like of a liquid crystal panel is composed of the simple circuit construction provided with each circuit of the voltage follower, the low-pass filter, the feedback, the control so that the variation in the direction current component which gives bad influences in the processing of the signals of this type of circuit is restrained to improve the reliability, and the direct current is not required to be cut to eliminate the direct current cutting capacitor of the large capacity.

The present invention generally relates to a common driver circuit for driving a large capacitance load such as a common electrode, or the like, of a liquid crystal panel.
Generally, as shown in FIG. 6, a common driver circuit built into a conventional liquid crystal display apparatus has a bias supplied through a variable resistor 2 to a buffer amplifier 1 to which a common amplitude signal (i.e., a frame pulse FP) is inputted, the amplitude of the common amplitude signal being adjusted by the adjustment of a bias. The output of the buffer amplifier 1 is such that the direct current component therein is removed by a capacitor C1 for such purpose and a common bias at the output is adapted to be supplied by a variable resistor 3. The above described common amplitude signal (FP) and the common bias via the variable resistor 3 are supplied to a common electrode of a liquid crystal panel.
In a conventional embodiment, in order to obtain an output amplitude signal to which a common bias is added, the direct current component had to be removed by the capacitor C1 at the output of the buffer amplifier 1. Therefore, in order to provide the common bias for each field of the liquid crystal display panel, a capacitor of large capacity was required as a capacitor C1. Also, as the common bias depends upon the power voltages Vcc, -Vee, to be applied to the variable resistor 3, the common bias can change and produce adverse effects upon the liquid crystal panel when these power voltages change.
As shown in FIG. 6, conventionally the direct current component in the common output was removed by the capacitor C1 after amplifying the frame pulse, and the common bias was added by a variable resistance. The amplitude of the common output was sometimes changed as much as 8 volts at its maximum. Also, the voltage -Vee connected with the common bias adjustment resistance 3 sometimes cannot be adjusted in relation to the source power voltage of the panel, depending upon the common bias which is to be applied. Therefore, the voltage -Vee was required to be a relatively low voltage (e.g., -21 V). Since the voltage -Vee varies independently of the variation in the source power voltage Vcc of the panel, a direct current component may be added to the panel when the source power voltage is not stable. When the voltage for providing the common bias is taken from the same power line as the source power of voltage Vcc of the panel, the bias to be set by resistance 3 varies in the same direction as the variation in the source power voltage, with a disadvantage that it is difficult to apply the direct current component to the panel. Also, in the specification for the panel, both variations in the central voltage of the video signal to be applied to the source driver and variations in the central voltage at the common bias are required to be controlled in accordance with the conditions of the signal content, the power voltage variations, and so on. In the video signal, feedback is already applied and such signal is stable, while in the common bias, the specification requirement was not necessarily observed because of the above described causes.


Techniques for generating distribution approximations with low memory footprints are disclosed. In some embodiments, a system receives a first set of values that measure one or more metrics of at least one computing resource. A set of clusters are generated, within volatile or non-volatile memory, that approximate a distribution of the first set of values measuring the one or more metrics of the at least one computing resource. The set of clusters is transformed, within volatile or non-volatile memory, to a piecewise approximation of a function for the first set of values.

A statistical distribution for a data set is a listing or function representing all the possible values in the data set and how often the values occur. Statistical distributions are useful in a wide variety of applications, including machine-learning and resource management applications. One approach to modelling statistical distribution in a computing system is to sort all the data points in a data set from low to high. Rank-based statistics, such as the median or a quantile of interest, may then be determined by interpolating the sorted values or fitting the sorted values to a distribution model. While this approach may provide accurate results, the model does not scale well to large datasets. Sorting and interpolating large numbers of data points involves a significant amount of memory and processing overhead, which may be infeasible within many computing systems.
The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.

Scalable methods and systems for approximating statistical distributions


A single skirt projectile (20) having an insulating skirt (22) at its rear, or a dual trailing skirt projectile (30, 40, 50, 60) having an insulating skirt (32, 42, 52, 62) succeeded by an arc extinguishing skirt (34, 44, 54, 64), is accelerated by a railgun accelerator 10 having a pair of parallel conducting rails (1a, 1b) which are separated by insulating wall spacers (11). The insulating skirt (22, 32, 42, 52, 62) includes a plasma channel (38). The arc extinguishing skirt (34, 44, 54, 64) interrupts the conduction that occurs in the insulating skirt channel (38) by blocking the plasma arc (3) from conducting current from rail to rail (1a, 1b) at the rear of the projectile (30, 40, 50, 60). The arc extinguishing skirt may be comprised of two plates (36a, 36b) which form a horseshoe wherein the plates are parallel to the rails (1a, b); a chisel-shape design; cross-shaped, or it may be a cylindrical (64). The length of the insulating skirt channel is selected such that there is sufficient plasma in the channel to enable adequate current conduction between the rails (1a, 1b).

Railgun accelerators have met with limited success in accelerating projectiles from 1 gram to about 1 kilogram to velocities of about 7 km/s. Referring to FIGS. 1a and 1d, a railgun accelerator 10 having a pair of parallel spaced apart conducting rails 1a, 1b accelerates a projectile 2 along the rails 1 by establishing a high current plasma arc or armature 3 between the rails 1a, 1b and behind the projectile 2. The rails 1a, 1b are spaced apart by insulating wall spacers (or insulators) 11 which, together with rails 1a, 1b define the railgun barrel.
Under ideal conditions, there is only one current conduction path from rail 1a to rail 1b and it is located immediately behind the projectile 2. The magnetic fields from the currents in the rails 1a, 1b couple with the current in the armature to cause a Lorentz force on the plasma arc 3, which then results in a hydrodynamic acceleration pressure on the projectile 2.
In reality, arc growth and separation are aggravated by barrel-wall (or rail) ablation 4 as illustrated in FIG. 1b. Referring also to FIG. 1c, while the projectile 2 and the plasma arc 3 are being accelerated down the rails 1a, 1b gradual erosion of the railgun rails 1a, 1b and insulating wall spacers 11 causes a secondary arc, or restrike 5, to form in the debris left behind by the first armature 3.
In addition to causing the rail ablation 4, the high current plasma arc 3 causes ablation of the insulators 11. In particular, ablation of the insulating wall spacers 11 is much greater than the rail ablation and it introduces undesirable debris into the plasma arc 3 which increases the arc drag force. Hence, a large fraction of the driving force is required to move the arc 3, thus reducing the propulsive force that is available to move the projectile 2. In addition, since the rails 1a, 1b and the insulating wall spacers 11 are subject to erosion, they have to be replaced frequently.
The secondary arc 5 may form behind the neutral ablation products 4 of the first armature 3 or it may form further towards the breech of the railgun where the rail-to-rail voltage is higher and the gas pressure is lower. In either situation, the secondary arc 5 is undesirable because it reduces the propulsive capability of the railgun, thereby limiting the railgun operating velocity.
Specifically, the secondary arc 5 shunts current away from the primary, propulsive, plasma arc 3 employed to propel the projectile 2. The projectile acceleration force, F, diminishes with the primary current flowing in the propulsive plasma 3, I: where F=L'I.sup.2 /2 and L' is the inductance gradient of the rail pair. Hence, the propulsive force rapidly decreases as the shunt current grows.
Efforts have been made to accelerate projectiles at velocities greater than 8 to 9 km/s. However, as the velocities increase, the problem of restrike becomes more prevalent and high velocities are difficult to obtain.
A railgun projectile, used in conjunction with a railgun barrel having no insulating wall spacers is discussed in Evaluation of CAPEL, A Novel Railgun Concept, Australia Department of Defence, Defence Science and Technology Organization Materials Research Laboratories, Melbournem, Victoria, Report MRL-R-1018, (September, 1986). The railgun projectile has an internal, oval shaped cavity which completely confines a plasma armature within the projectile as the projectile is accelerated along the rails. In this case, the railgun barrel that is used in conjunction with the confined armature projectile design does not have insulating wall spacers. Rather, the walls of the projectile itself serve to confine the hot plasma. The disadvantage of this approach is that the plasma pressure tends to destroy the confining projectile as noted in the report. Hence, Applicant's invention uses the barrel to contain the plasma pressure thereby resulting in plasma contact with insulating rail spacers. By the plasma armature making direct contact with the insulating spacers, the plasma arc severely damages the insulating spacers in the region exposed to the plasma.
The Australian reference does not address the problem of railgun rail erosion caused by the plasma armature directly contacting the rails as the projectile is accelerated. In addition, the projectile design does not reduce or eliminate restrike.
U.S. Patent application, No. 07/341,019, filed Aug. 28, 1989, entitled "Prevention of Breakdown/Restrike Behind Railgun Projectiles," now U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,962 issued Sep. 1, 1992 is herein incorporated by reference. The Prevention of Breakdown/Restrike application is directed to a method-apparatus for preventing secondary voltage breakdown behind a railgun projectile while it is being accelerated by a plasma arc prior to launch. The Prevention of Breakdown application provides that restrike can be eliminated or reduced by configuring the projectile to have a cavity or a shielding skirt at its rear end and/or by fabricating the projectile out of a material which releases a breakdown inhibiting gas as the projectile is accelerated. In one embodiment of the invention the projectile is configured with a V-shaped arc extinguishing trailing skirt at the rear of the projectile. The arc extinguishing skirt shields the railgun rails from the plasma arc and interrupts the current flow to reduce ablation of the rails.

The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy


The circuit arrangement comprises a driver stage and a control circuit coupled to the control input of a switching transistor. The driver stage provides a switching voltage for the operation of the switching transistor, and the control circuit provides a shaping of the switching voltage in the sense of delaying the switching through of the switching transistor. The control circuit comprises in particular a control transistor, which is coupled a control input via a high pass filter to the output of the driver stage and with an current input to the control input of the switching transistor. The switching transistor is for example a MOSFET being used for switching on and off a capacitive load.

For switching off a load completely, the best solution is, to disconnect the input voltage. Then the load is in a safe mode and does not have any power consumption. For disconnecting an input supply voltage to a load, for example a relay can be used as a switch. But most of the relays are not designed for the operation of a high DC voltage, for example 400 Volts, and for high power loads above 200 Watts. Therefore, a standard relay cannot be used, which makes this solution rather expensive.
For switching a DC supply voltage to a load, also a switching transistor can be used, for example a MOSFET. The switching transistor can be coupled for example on the high side between the DC supply voltage and a first input terminal of the load, and the second input terminal of the load being coupled to ground. Or in a second embodiment, the switching transistor is coupled between the load and ground, and an input terminal of the load is coupled directly to the DC supply voltage. In case a high power capacitive load is used, the switching transistor has to handle rather high switching losses, when the load is switched on.

Circuit arrangement for the operation of a switching transistor


According to one embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes a monitoring module which periodically transmits a message to a device driver which controls a device controller in accordance with an instruction issued by a program executed by a CPU to drive a peripheral device, and initializes the device driver when a response to the message is not issued received. The information processing apparatus further includes a setting module which sets an interval of transmission of the message based on a predetermined rule.

Recently, various types of PCs such as desktop computers and notebook personal computers are widely used. Further, recently, an attempt is made to enhance the performance of a graphics processing unit (GPU) and, for example, game software that provides a high-quality image utilizing a three-dimensional image by means of a PC, for example.
The resource management of a PC is made by use of an operating system (OS). Some OSs include a function of monitoring the operation condition of preset software executed on the PC and recovering software in which the occurrence of a bug is detected when detecting that a bug occurs in the software as one part of the resource management and initializing. As one method for detecting the occurrence of a bug, a timeout process is well known. To date, various mechanisms for preventing the timeout process from being performed at a time unsuitable for the user have been proposed (for example, see Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2005-37977).
For example, Microsoft Windows (registered trademark) Vista includes a timeout detection and recovery (TDR) function. The TDR function is designed to perform one type of timeout process of transmitting a message for confirming normal operation to a display driver at regular intervals and initializing the display driver to recover when a response to the message is not issued. Thus, automatic return when the screen is "frozen" is realized.
The performance of PCs greatly varies according to the grade of the central processing unit (CPU), GPU and the like. In spite of this fact, generation intervals of TDR are generally set at the same value (time) for the respective PCs. Therefore, if game software that provides a high-quality screen on a PC with low performance is executed, the display driver, which is in a busy state, cannot respond to the TDR message and erroneously determines that a bug has occurred. As a result, there occurs a problem that the display driver is initialized and recovered. That is, a problem that, the user cannot continuously execute desired game software on a low-performance PC due to the TDR function has newly occurred.

Information processing apparatus and configuring method


Since a screen contains a diffusion agent, the diffusion agent changes polarization characteristics of picture light and degrades the stereoscopic image. Provided is a screen comprising a substrate shaped as a flat board; a reflective layer made of metal arranged on one surface of the substrate; and an exposure layer that is arranged on a surface of the reflective layer facing away from the substrate, is optically isotropic and transparent with respect to visible light, and has bumps and depressions formed in an exposed surface thereof. Also provided is a screen manufacturing method comprising providing a reflective layer on a substrate shaped as a flat board; and forming an exposure layer on a surface of the reflective layer facing away from the substrate, the exposure layer being optically isotropic and transparent with respect to visible light and having bumps and depressions formed in an exposed surface thereof.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a screen and a screen manufacturing method.
2. Related Art
A screen is known that reflects picture light projected from a projector or the like. In order to expand the viewing angle range, the screen may include a diffusing agent, such as shown in Patent Document 1. Furthermore, technology is known for providing a user with a stereoscopic image, by projecting picture light that has been polarized by a projector or the like onto a screen.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-305177
However, in the case of a stereoscopic image formed by projecting polarized light onto the screen, since the screen includes the diffusing agent, the polarization characteristics of the picture light are changed by the diffusing agent and the stereoscopic image deteriorates.


Disclosed are methods and systems for the quantification of AngI and/or determination of plasma renin activity in a sample. The methods and systems disclosed herein can be useful for diagnosis of hypertension, aldosteronism and other abnormalities of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS).

Plasma Renin Activity (PRA) measures the capacity of peripheral blood to generate the peptide angiotensin I (AngI) and is critical in the diagnosis of disorders of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS). In the RAAS, angiotensinogen, constitutively manufactured by the liver, is hydrolyzed by renin, an enzyme manufactured by the renal juxtaglomerular apparatus, to form AngI. AngI can then be cleaved by angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) to yield Angiotensin II (AngII), a potent vasoconstrictor and mediator of a number of downstream RAAS effects. Measurement of renin activity is useful in the differential diagnosis of individuals with hypertension. Renin levels will be elevated in patients with hypertension due to renal artery stenosis (i.e., renovascular hypertension). Measurement of renin activity can also be useful in the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism. Patients with secondary aldosteronism tend to have low renin levels. Renin activity can also be used to assess the adequacy of steroid substitution in patients with adrenal insufficiency. Renin activity will be normal in patients with adequate supplementation and will be elevated when steroid substitution is inadequate.
Thus, there is a need for improved lab tests to measure plasma renin activity. There is a need for improved lab tests that are more cost-efficient, thereby allowing more frequent testing and also provide clinicians testing results sooner.

Methods and systems for measuring plasma renin activity

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings


A removable disposable air dryer cartridge is provided for a small enterprise water ozonation system. The cartridge includes an air inlet to receive atmospheric air, a desiccant material to remove moisture, and a dry air outlet for interfacing with the ozonation system to provide dry air to an ozone generator. This facilitates better ozonation of water in the system, since dry air reacts better in an ozone generator, achieving higher concentrations of ozone gas, thus resulting in a better “kill rate” when ozonated water is applied to bacteria. The air dryer can be provided as a chamber of a combined air dryer and water filter cartridge, the other chamber being a water filter chamber having a water filter for extracting large particles of material from the water stream in order to prevent damage to the system.

Increased concern from the public on issues of water quality has resulted in an explosion of water filtration devices on the market, particularly for household use. A popular household water filtration device is in the style of a pour-through pitcher. Typically, unfiltered water is added to a basin at the top of the device. Through the action of gravity, water percolates through a filtering media (usually consisting of granulated activated carbon) located between the basin and a collection reservoir. Filtered water is then dispensed from the collection reservoir for drinking. For the general public, gravity-controlled pitcher-type water filtration systems are cost effective. Many such water filtration systems are provided under the Brita® brand name.
One limitation of this kind of device is the inability to filter out and destroy smaller organisms and microbes. Other devices have been provided that provide additional purification or sanitization. Such systems typically include a water reservoir of some sort to be used with a base unit having additional purification technology. That way, water filtered in the usual manner in the filtering media in the reservoir is further purified by the additional purification technology.
Many water sanitization systems make use of ozonation to purify water. Some industrial water treatment systems include an air dryer comprising a desiccant provided in a reusable container, in order to increase efficiency of the ozonation process. The desiccant dries the air to remove moisture, typically in order to prevent damage to system elements. However, it is also known that dry air reacts better in an ozone generator, yielding better ozone concentration output. Often, the desiccant is separated into two storage areas, so that one portion of the desiccant is regenerated, while another portion of the desiccant is employed to dry the air. Regeneration is desired in industrial systems because of the large amount of desiccant used, and can be achieved by heating, refrigeration, or other approaches.
However, it can be impractical to attempt to use the regeneration approach of industrial systems in a small enterprise water treatment product. The term "small enterprise" as used herein represents an application that is low-volume and has a low number of users as compared to an industrial or municipal product. A small enterprise includes a small office, a division or branch of a large institution, a household, or any other environment that would be considered to be a consumer market.
Test research has shown that the procedure to regenerate desiccant material for a small enterprise water treatment system is generally too difficult for a small enterprise user, or consumer. It would typically require heating the desiccant in an oven under very strict constraints, and it was found that heating in a microwave does not yield proper results. Moreover, attempting to use the regeneration process could result in the small enterprise user misusing the product, and would likely be harmful to health, either by way of the regeneration process itself, or due to using the supposedly regenerated desiccant. Some ozone systems have expressly written off the use of air dryers in household or small commercial products due to the complications introduced by the regeneration process.
Known air dryers for industrial systems, which are primarily directed to drying compressed air, have valves in order to selectively restrict flow of air into the chamber housing the desiccant. These valves, often implemented as control valves, are used in order to perform the purging, vacuum and regeneration steps. Control valves are also used to prevent prolonged exposure of the desiccant to atmospheric air. If a desiccant is exposed to atmospheric air for too long a period of time, the desiccant gets used up too quickly and loses its effectiveness as a desiccant.
There are, therefore, issues with industrial applications of air dryers in water treatment systems that need to be resolved before the concepts in such systems can be used in a product intended for small enterprise use.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a water sanitization system that overcomes at least one disadvantage of known water sanitization systems.

Water sanitazation system having safety features and removable filter


A disc brake for a motor vehicle having at least two axially stationary friction rings being connected to a rotatable hub. The disc brake comprises several brake pads cooperating with the associated friction rings during a braking operation. A favorable structural overall design of the disc brake is achieved by a brake caliper straddling all friction rings and the associated brake pads and including a first actuating device in a brake caliper portion that extends axially beside the friction rings, and a second actuating device that is arranged between two friction rings and acting axially on both sides. Said actuating device acts on the brake pads arranged between two friction rings and is arranged so as to be displaceable relative to the brake caliper.

Thus, WO 98/25804 A1 discloses a design of a disc brake with two brake discs for a motor vehicle being integrated into a wheel suspension. In this arrangement, especially an actuating device of the disc brake is arranged in a steering knuckle pertaining to the wheel suspension. The two brake discs are connected to a rotatable wheel hub in an anti-torsion and axially displaceable manner. Brake pads cooperating with the brake discs are displaceably guided on a brake housing, with said brake housing being mounted on the vehicle. For applying a disc brake of this type, the actuating device is used to apply the brake discs and the brake pads against each other by way of axial displacement. As this occurs, corrosion impairs the ease of displacement of both the brake discs and the brake pads that is important for the braking function.
Further, international patent application WO 98/41778 A1 describes a motor vehicle disc brake with two brake discs, which, at an axial distance, are stationarily arranged on a wheel hub. Associated brake pads are displaceably arranged within a combined disc brake device. During a braking operation, the brake pads can hence be urged by way of axial displacement against the respectively associated brake disc. To this end, the disc brake device comprises a first fixed-caliper-type component, which is mounted on the vehicle and interacts with a first brake disc by way of brake pads. In order to urge the brake pads against the associated first brake disc during braking operation, the fixed-caliper-type component has a hydraulic actuating device on both sides of the first brake disc. The fixed-caliper-type component is additionally used as a brake holder for a second floating-caliper-type component of the disc brake device. In this arrangement, the floating-caliper-type component straddles the second brake disc and brake pads being arranged on either side of this brake disc and is displaceably mounted on the first fixed-caliper-type component. The floating-caliper-type component comprises another hydraulic actuating device in order to move the corresponding brake pads into abutment on the second brake disc when the brake is applied. The disc brake device consequently has a fixed-caliper and a floating-caliper component emboxed in each other. This type of construction is unnecessarily complicated and, what is more, requires three actuating devices in order to press the individual brake pads accordingly against the associated brake discs.

Disc brake having at least two friction rings


Hands may be tracked before, during, and after occlusion, and a gesture may be recognized. Movement of two occluded hands may be tracked as a unit during an occlusion period. A type of synchronization characterizing the two occluded hands during the occlusion period may be determined based on the tracked movement of the occluded hands. Based on the determined type of synchronization, it may be determined whether directions of travel for each of the two occluded hands change during the occlusion period. Implementations may determine that a first hand and a second hand are occluded during an occlusion period, the first hand having come from a first direction and the second hand having come from a second direction. The first hand may be distinguished from the second hand after the occlusion period based on a determined type of synchronization characterizing the two hands, and a behavior of the two hands.

Interacting with computers is not limited to mouse and keyboard. Sensing the movement of a person to recognize his/her gesture is the subject of a wide spectrum of research in Human Computer Interaction and Computer Vision. Recognizing human hand gestures in particular provides computers with a natural method of communication. Applications from medical to surveillance and security may use the technology described herein. Learning and recognizing hand movements are significant components of such technologies.
Bimanual movements in general form a large subset of hand movements in which both hands move simultaneously in order to do a task or imply a meaning. Clapping, opening a bottle, typing on a keyboard and drumming are some common bimanual movements. Sign Languages also use bimanual movements to accommodate sets of gestures for communication.
Typically, a prerequisite to recognition of hand movements is tracking. Objects may be tracked using stereo imaging.
Two common techniques used in tracking are Kalman filtering and Particle filtering. Particle filtering may be used for tracking and resolving occlusion problems. Other tracking algorithms may use techniques such as, for example, Bayesian Networks, object model matching based on probabilistic tracking functions, minimization of cost functions, and analytic model matching. Several tracking algorithms include non-linear optimizations.


Seasoning sauce based on lupins which has a higher degree of protein breakdown and a higher degree of hydrolysis than comparable seasoning sauces from the prior art. The seasoning sauce can be obtained by subjecting lupins, together with a carbohydrate source, preferably wheat, to a solid culture with addition of Aspergillus oryzae as starter culture. The resulting koji is mashed with addition of brine and is fermented after addition of a yeast starter culture, preferably Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, and then subjected to ripening.

Seasoning sauces and processes for their production by fermenting protein-rich raw materials have been known in principle since antiquity.
A well known example is the seasoning sauce "garum" of the Romans, produced by fermenting fish, the flavor qualities of which are highly praised in the literature of the period, but whose recipe and production have not been passed on.
The seasoning sauces of the Chinese are older still (about 1100 B.C.); in these fish or meat was likewise first used as protein source. Soya beans or soya flour, the protein source preferred to the present day, were first mentioned in 535 B.C. The carbohydrate source needed to initiate fungal growth was a cereal product right from the beginning, usually, wheat. However, rice and barley are also mentioned in the tradition.
Other carbohydrate sources such as oats, millet, etc. are also suitable in the same way in this context, just as different protein sources can in principle be used, as the history of these seasoning sauces shows.
The combination soya/wheat is of considerable importance, these starting materials being used in different forms (whole grain, crushed, flour, roasted, etc.), depending on the soy sauce type. In general, 5 soy sauce types can be differentiated; koikuchi-, usukuchi-, tamari-, saishikomi- and shiroshoyu, which are further subdivided into three classes and differ principally in the ratio of the two base raw materials and in the production conditions.
Various flavors of seasoning sauces are achieved principally via a modification of the carbohydrate sources and of the process parameters of the production processes.
Apart from the typical aroma substances, the flavor of a soy sauce is very greatly determined by the amount of the protein and free amino acids in the solution, which are formed owing to the breakdown of protein proceeding in the fermentation to give free amino acids and peptides. A sauce having the best possible flavor should have the greatest possible amount of dissolved protein and free amino acids.
The content of dissolved protein is also termed degree of protein breakdown and is conventionally determined from the total nitrogen content (total N), taking into account the DM (dry matter) content. The content of free amino acids in a soy sauce is generally quoted as degree of hydrolysis. For premium quality soya-based sauces, a degree of protein breakdown of about 1.1-1.5% total N (at a dry matter or DM content of about 30% and a NaCl content of about 15%) and a free amino acid content (degree of hydrolysis) of greater than 50% of the protein (calculated as free amino acid/total amino acids before and after acid hydrolysis of the sauce) are customary.
The flavor of a soy sauce is also determined to a great extent by the composition of the free amino acids, some of which have sweet (serine, glycine, alanine), sulphurous (methionine) or bitter (proline, leucine, tyrosine) tastes. Phenylalanine, tryptophan and arginine have particularly intensive bitter tastes which are 5, 10 and 20 times, respectively, more bitter than leucine or proline (see H. D. Belitz et al., "Comparative Studies on the Bitter Taste of Amino Acids," Lebensmittel: Wissenschaft und Technik 5: 47-50 (1972).
In the production of an aromatic seasoning sauce having a balanced, non-bitter basic taste, these amino acids (especially arginine) should therefore be present at particularly low concentration.
There are numerous attempts to obtain special taste and aroma profiles and to increase, in particular, the content of glutamic acid.
This is achieved most simply, and, therefore, correspondingly frequently, by adding ingredients during, or (since this is still simpler) after the fermentation (e.g., by addition of sugar, spices, seasonings etc.). These sauces are also termed formulated sauces.
A higher content of glutamic acid is of interest primarily owing to the flavor enhancing properties of glutamate. In addition to the possibility of adding glutamate to the seasoning sauces, it would be more advantageous to increase the glutamic acid content by using glutamic-acid-rich raw materials or by controlling the fermentation, e.g., by using glutaminase-active starters, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,912,822 and 3,852,479.
Lupins have also already been considered as starting material for seasoning sauces in the prior art, since they have a fundamentally similar composition to soya beans and also, more precisely, with regard to their amino acid composition, as can be seen in the following Table 1.
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Comparison between amino acid composition of soya flour (defatted) and lupin seeds %! Lupin cotyledons Soya flour* ______________________________________ Glutamic acid 21.2 19.2 Aspartic acid 10.6 11.4 Threonine 4.0 4.2 Serine 5.0 5.2 Proline 3.6 4.9 Glycine 4.2 4.4 Alanine 3.5 4.4 Valine 5.2 5.2 Methionine 0.7 1.1 Isoleucine 4.6 4.5 Leucine 8.2 8.1 Tyrosine 5.2 3.5 Phenylalanine 4.2 5.3 Lysine 5.1 6.2 Histidine 2.6 2.6 Arginine 8.6 7.3 Crude Protein content 36 44 ______________________________________ *New form
Corresponding attempts to produce a seasoning sauce based on lupin seeds were reported in 1990 at the 6th International Lupin Conference in Chile. However, the lupin seed-based products disclosed there did not have the degrees of protein breakdown usual in soy sauces, which, in addition to the type of amino acids released, are likewise important for a high taste intensity. Thus the nitrogen content as formol N was only 0.13 to 0.19% and as total N was only 0.53 to 0.66%. In contrast, a commercial soy sauce achieves degrees of protein breakdown, as formol N, of about 0.35-0.7%, and as total N, of about 1.1-1.5% (at a DM content of about 30% and a NaCl content of about 15%). This corresponds to a degree of release of amino acids of greater than 40%. More detailed analytical studies of these lupin-based seasoning sauces were not carried out. However, in a taste test, no significant difference was observed between the taste of a soy sauce and a lupin-based sauce.
Attempts to use lupin seeds instead of soya beans for the production of bean sauce and bean paste (meju) are also reported in Oh, et al., "Studies on the Fermentation of Lupin Seed (II)--Preparation of Traditional Korean Fermented Bean Sauce and Paste," Korean Journal of Applied Microbiology and Bioengineering, 11 (3): 241-248 (1983).
"Meju" is a Korean seasoning sauce which is conventionally obtained by fermenting soya beans. However, the fermentation process is fundamentally different from the production of soy sauce conventional in Japan, in particular of the koikuchi type. Although, in both cases, the fermentation process begins with a solid culture after an inoculation, preferably with Asp. oryzae, in the case of the "meju" fermentation, the solid culture is with soya beans alone, in contrast to a soya bean/carbohydrate mixture. Whereas in the case of soy sauce production, the culture is continued, after mashing, by addition of brine and inoculation with a salt-tolerant yeast, as a fermentation (in which case infection with bacteria must be largely avoided, to avoid faulty fermentation), in the "meju" case, the solid culture is continued with simultaneous drying (traditionally in the sum, otherwise, for example, for 3 days at 60.degree. C.) and a specific bacterial growth (predominantly Bacillus subtilis) is sought. There is no fermentation stage, but the "meju" is taken directly to the ripening process after mashing.
In accordance with these fermentation processes, seasoning sauces are obtained which have a very dark color, strong taste and very low pH.
Accordingly, in the Korean publication, when lupins are used in the "meju" fermentation, after ripening for two weeks, a degree of hydrolysis of 40-50% and a crude protein content (=total protein content) of 15-18% based on DM are achieved. This corresponds, at a DM content of such sauces of conventionally 20-30%, to a crude protein content of 3-5.4%, and a degree of protein breakdown of 0.48 to a maximum of 0.86%. In addition, the product made from lupins has a markedly bitter taste.
Despite the numerous products on the market of different colors, flavors, etc., there is still a requirement for novel seasoning sauces. This applies to the multiplicity of seasoning sauces known in Asia and on the market, particularly for European and American cuisine, because the products available to date still predominantly represent an Asian type of flavor (roasty, malty) and are frequently highly bitter.
An object of the present application is, therefore, to provide a seasoning sauce which can be produced on the basis of traditional fermentation technology, but which has a markedly different specific flavor profile and a higher glutamic acid content than conventional seasoning sauces based on soya beans.
A particular object of the present invention is to reduce the bitter taste of the seasoning sauce, so that it can also be used to a greater extent in European and American cuisine.
All in all, an object of the present invention is to provide a seasoning sauce as light as possible having as neutral a taste as possible.


A condom comprises natural rubber and polyurethane. Preferably, the condom has a single wall thickness of less than 55 μm. More preferably the condom has a single wall thickness of less than 55 μm and a burst pressure of 1.0 kPa or above. A process for making the condom comprises mixing polyurethane and natural rubber latex and forming a condom therefrom.

The majority of condoms are made from natural rubber latex (NRL) by well known manufacturing processes. To ensure that condoms are suitable for use, their properties must meet the requirements of national, regional or international standards, which normally include a minimum burst pressure requirement.
While condom wall thickness is normally fairly low, being between 50 μm and 70 μm, it would be beneficial to reduce this even further to encourage the use of condoms. A perceived loss of sensitivity when using a condom is often used as an excuse for not using them, leading to an increased risk of pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections. Accordingly, it would be desirable to be able to manufacture thinner condoms. Not only is it desirable to make thinner condoms, these thin condoms must also meet the burst pressure requirements of the standards.
Although attempts have been made to make thinner condoms, it has not heretofore been possible to make thin condoms which meet the requirements for burst pressure specified in the standards.
The thinness of the condom is typically determined by the single wall thickness.
Single-wall thickness measurement on a condom is done via a weight measurement. A 20 mm ring section is cut from a parallel-sided part of the condom, preferably at the mid-body of the condom (such 'ring' sample pieces are typically used for tensile testing, and the thickness measurements are used in calculation of tensile strength). Knowing the circumference of the ring, its length of height and the density of the latex film, single-wall thickness can be calculated using the equation:
            Single-wall                              thickness    =      Weight          Density      ×      circumference      ×      height      ×      10      ,      000                      Where                    Single-wall thickness=thickness of one condom wall (μm)            Density=density of condom film (g/cm2)            Circumference=circumference of ring sample (cm)            Height=height of ring sample (cm)

The international condom standard (BS EN ISO 4074:2002 Natural latex rubber condoms: Requirements and test methods), along with many other standards, includes a requirement that condoms have a minimum burst pressure of 1.0 kPa when tested according to the method in the standard. In brief, the test requires that a condom is inflated at a fixed rate of flow of air, whilst both the pressure and volume of air in the condom are continuously monitored so that the pressure and volume readings when the condom fails by bursting are recorded. These measurements are known, respectively, as the burst pressure (measured in kilopascals, kPa) and burst volume (measured in liters, L, or decimeters cubed, dm3). This testing is carried out on a number of condoms from each batch, the number being determined by the batch size.
As the wall of the condom is made thinner, the pressure required to inflate and eventually burst the condom decreases. As a result, there is a lower limit to the condom wall thickness that can comply with the burst pressure requirements of the standard. Furthermore, inflation volume and inflation pressure are linked. Apart from the initial stages of inflation, the larger the inflation volume, the larger the inflation pressure for any condom type. Modulus is essentially a measure of stiffness, such that a lower modulus material is more pliable or elastic. Increasing the modulus (i.e. increasing the stiffness) of the condom material also increases the burst pressure when compared to a condom made from a material with a lower modulus, at the same inflation volume. That is, the higher the modulus of the condom material, the higher the pressure necessary to burst the condom, at a given inflation volume. However, in almost all cases, increasing the condom modulus has the additional effect of reducing the burst volume. Because burst pressure is related to burst volume, any reduction in burst volume will also lead to a reduced burst pressure. Thus, a condom made from a latex formulation that results in a lower burst volume will also have a lower burst pressure.
Previous attempts to produce a very thin condom complying with the burst pressure requirements have failed because use of materials with a higher modulus, in an attempt to maintain minimum burst pressures that comply with the required standards at low condom wall thickness, almost invariably causes reduced burst volume, which results in reduced burst pressure.
Two approaches have been tried in the past to achieve thinner condoms. Firstly, attempts have been made to make condoms from natural rubber latex (NRL) but using less NRL to give thinner condom walls. Secondly, attempts have been made to make condoms from synthetic materials having higher tensile properties than NRL.
In the first approach (using less NRL), there is a limit to how thin the condom walls can be before the condoms start failing to meet the requirements of the standards, and attempts to alter process parameters to alleviate this problem have been unsuccessful. It has been found that, in order to ensure that the manufacturing batch pass rate is as high as possible, the mean burst pressure of each batch typically needs to be at least two standard deviations above the minimum requirements given in the standards. This has been found to result in a minimum NRL condom thickness of between about 50 μm and about 55 μm (single wall thickness).
Using the second approach (using synthetic materials with superior tensile strength to NRL), it has been possible to make thin condoms. However, the synthetic materials used also tend to have higher low strain moduli and lower elongation-at-break than NRL and so the benefits of having a thinner condom, such as improved perceived sensitivity, are negated by these thinner synthetic condoms being perceived as being stiffer and less flexible, which is undesirable. As a result, these condoms made from synthetic materials are unsatisfactory.
Recent work with high-styrene styrene-butadiene rubber latex (SBR) and carboxylated SBR (X-SBR) gave reinforcement of tensile modulus but we have found that condoms made from NRL incorporating SBR and/or X-SBR suffer from the lower burst volumes described above. As a result, thin condoms made from NRL and SBR/X-SBR blends are not predicted to meet the burst pressure requirements of the standards.
The data shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate that although tensile strength is increased for X-SBR/NRL blends (FIG. 1) compared to NRL alone (FIG. 2), the addition of X-SBR has lowered the burst volume and, as a consequence, the burst pressure for condoms made from X-SBR/NRL blends (FIG. 1) is similar to that of the unmodified formulation (that is, without the addition of X-SBR (FIG. 2)) at similar condom thicknesses.
We have now found that it is possible to make NRL condoms that are significantly thinner than current NRL condoms and which have acceptable overall properties, such as, in particular, perceived stiffness, and meet the requirements of the standards, by blending a polyurethane latex with natural rubber latex.
The limitations described above, where reinforcement leads to higher modulus, lower burst volumes but no improvement in burst pressure have, surprisingly, been overcome by using polyurethane as a reinforcing blend with natural rubber in the manufacture of condoms.


A method for the determination of a laundry weight in a laundry treatment appliance. The method includes selecting a laundry program in the laundry treatment appliance; starting the selected laundry program; sensing a plurality of parameters indicating operating conditions of the laundry treatment appliance during the laundry program; and predicating a weight of the laundry present within the laundry treatment appliance based on said plurality of parameters by means of a data-driven soft sensor.

The present invention relates to a method to determine the weight of items, e.g. clothes and the like, which are introduced in a laundry treatment appliance.
The estimation of the laundry quantity—that is its weight—loaded in the drum of a laundry treatment machine is an important information used to set various washing and/or drying cycle parameters.
Without a specific weight sensor, a common way of having an estimation of the laundry quantity is—in washing machines—through an algorithm based on the water absorbed by the laundry. The amount of water loaded, during the water load phase in a washing cycle, is proportional to the amount and type of laundry present in the drum; based on the amount of water, an algorithm estimates the laundry quantity in the drum.
In dryers, a signal function of the electrodes in contact to the laundry can be for example used to determine the weight of the laundry present in the drum.
The above mentioned indirect measure of the laundry load takes several minutes (up to 15 minutes) and does not really give an exact indication of the laundry weigh, for example because the same weight of different textiles absorbs different water quantity.
The use of a real weight sensor in order to obtain the value of the weight load is generally not feasible in standard laundry treatment appliance, due to the high costs and the possible presence of water.

Method for the determination of a laundry weight in a laundry treatment appliance


An actuator is described which comprises a rotatable actuator member (14, 114) and a lock arrangement (28, 128) operable to lock the actuator member (14, 144) against rotation, the lock arrangement (28, 128) comprising an axially movable lock member (30, 130, 230a, 230b), the lock member being movable between a locked position in which it co-operates with a stop (34, 136) to resist rotation of the actuator member, and a released position, and an actuation device (62, 162) operable to move the lock member towards its released position.

This invention relates to an actuator, and in particular to an actuator suitable for use in aerospace applications for use in driving a moveable component between stowed and deployed positions. The invention is particularly applicable to an actuator of the type in which a lock arrangement is provided to resist extension thereof when this is not desired, for example an actuator suitable for use in controlling the deployment of thrust reverser cowls or the like. However, it will be appreciated that the actuator may be used in other applications.
In some applications, as mentioned above, it is important to be able to lock an actuator against movement in order to guard against movement of an associated moveable component other than when required. For example it is important to be able to lock the actuators associated with parts of a thrust reverser system against movement, the lock arrangements used to guard against movement of the moveable component being releaseable under the control of the thrust reverser control system or part of an associated engine control unit when deployment of the moveable component is required. The manner in which the actuator is locked against movement is preferably such that unwanted extension of the actuator either due to the application of external loadings or by the application of drive power to the actuator at times other than when desired is prevented.
One type of actuator commonly used in this type of application comprises a rotatable screw shaft with which a nut cooperates through the intermediary of a ball or roller screw coupling, the nut being held against rotation, for example by virtue of the manner in which it is secured to the moveable component. In use a motor, for example an electrically powered motor, is used to drive the screw shaft for rotation. The rotation of the screw shaft results in axial displacement of the nut, driving the moveable component for movement. The direction of movement of the moveable component is dependent upon the direction of rotation of the screw shaft.
In order to guard against deployment of the moveable component other than when desired it is known to provide a lock arrangement including a lock sleeve which can directly engage the nut. An actuator arrangement, for example in the form of a solenoid actuator, is provided to move the lock sleeve. Arrangements of this type are described in, for example, EP 2048414.
In such arrangements, the nut and lock sleeve are often exposed to environmental conditions which can result in contamination and/or icing that may impede the movement of the lock sleeve, and thereby interfere with the operation of the actuator. In order to overcome icing problems, it may be required to use a solenoid actuator arrangement of greater power than would otherwise be required to ensure that the lock sleeve can still be driven for movement, even when ice formation is impeding such movement. As solenoid actuators of increased power are typically also of increased weight, it will be appreciated that such a solution carries a weight penalty and so is undesirable.


A distant measurement method and a distant measurement system are provided. The distant measurement method includes the following steps: emitting a first light beam and a second light beam from an emitting terminal, wherein the first light beam travels toward a target; providing a switching sequence by a switch mechanism; placing a receiving terminal to receive the first light beam reflected from the target in accordance with the switching sequence and correspondingly provide a first electrical signal, and to receive the second light beam and correspondingly provide a second electrical signal; and utilizing a controlling terminal to receive the first and second electrical signals, and calculate distance between the distant measurement system and the target in accordance with a phase differential formed between the first and second electrical signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a distant measurement method, and more particularly to a distant measurement method utilizing phase shift variation of light beams to estimate distance and a distant measurement system applied therewith.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the development of electronic techniques and semiconductor laser elements, palm-sized distant measurement devices have been extensively used in the architecture, traffic, graphical reconnaissance and interior decoration fields.
In general, a conventional distant measurement device comprises an emitting module with a built-in light emitting element to emit a light beam and a receiving module with a light receiving element to receive the light beam reflected from a target.
Specifically, the light emitting element and the light receiving element used in a conventional phase-type distant measurement device are made of semiconductor material. Based on the characteristics of the semiconductor material to excitedly emit a light beam to the target by the light emitting element, the light receiving element receives and converts the light beam reflected or scattered from the target and converts to an electrical signal. A phase shifting is obtained by comparing the emitted light beam and the reflected light beam, thus, a distance between the distant measurement system and the target can be estimated.
However, due to the light emitting element respectively emitting a measurement beam and a reference light beam during the measurement process of the conventional phase-type distant measurement device, temperature of the light emitting element is increased as the number of times of the measuring process is increased, thus, changeable noise occurs. Further, if the distance between the target and the distant measurement device is fairly short, the time interval between the measurement light beam and the reference light beam received by the light receiving element may be short, thus negatively influencing precision of distant measurement by forming a mutual interference between the measurement light beam and the reference light beam and causing an unpredictable error in the electrical signal output from the light receiving element.

Distant measurement method and distant measurement system


An elastic boundary wave apparatus that is capable of suppressing an undesired response due to a comb-shaped capacitor electrode includes a first medium; a second medium stacked on the first medium; and a plurality of electrodes arranged in the boundary between the first and second media, wherein a filter and/or a resonator, and an electrostatic capacitor that is electrically connected to the filter and/or the resonator are defined by the plurality of electrodes, the filter and/or the resonator each include an IDT electrode, and the electrostatic capacitor is defined by a comb-shaped capacitor electrode. When the period of the electrode fingers of the IDT is denoted as λm, the sound velocity of an elastic boundary wave in the IDT is denoted as Vm, the period of the electrode fingers of the comb-shaped capacitor electrode is denoted as λc, and the sound velocity of a transverse wave having a lower sound velocity among the sound velocities of the slower transverse waves through the first and second media in the normal direction of the electrode fingers of the comb-shaped capacitor electrode is denoted as Vc, the relationshipVm/λm<Vc/λc is satisfied.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an elastic boundary wave apparatus in which electrodes are arranged between a plurality of media and, more particularly, relates to an elastic boundary wave apparatus in which a circuit includes a filter, a resonator, and an electrostatic capacitor, and the resonator and the electrostatic capacitor are connected to the filter.
2. Description of the Related Art
In elastic boundary wave apparatuses, IDTs (interdigital transducers) are arranged at the interface of different media, and an elastic boundary wave propagates along the above-mentioned interface. Therefore, when compared with an elastic surface wave apparatus, the elastic boundary wave apparatus does not require a complex package, the construction can be simplified, and a low profile can be achieved. An example of this type of elastic boundary wave apparatus has been disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 58-30217 described below.
In the elastic boundary wave apparatus, also, similarly to the elastic surface wave apparatus, various resonators, filters, or a combined circuit including a resonator and a filter can be constructed by forming various electrodes.
In the elastic surface wave apparatus, when an electrostatic capacitor is connected to a filter, a comb-shaped capacitor electrode having an electrode configuration similar to that of an IDT is often used. In the elastic boundary wave apparatus, also, in order to improve the amount of attenuation in an elastic boundary wave filter, it is considered that the amount of attenuation can be improved by arranging this type of comb-shaped capacitor electrode at the interface and by connecting it to the filter.
A comb-shaped capacitor electrode has a plurality of electrode fingers that interdigitate with each other in the same manner as in an IDT. Therefore, in a comb-shaped capacitor electrode for simply obtaining electrostatic capacitance, when electrical potential is applied between an electrode finger that is to be connected to one of the electrical potentials and an electrode finger that is to be connected to the other electrical potential, the comb-shaped capacitor electrode occasionally work as an elastic boundary wave resonator. That is, in the comb-shaped capacitor electrode, an undesired elastic boundary wave is excited, and there is a risk that the wave appears as an unwanted resonance.
When the comb-shaped capacitor electrode works as an IDT in the manner described above and an undesired resonance occurs, filter characteristics are deteriorated in a filter apparatus using an elastic boundary wave. In particular, in the frequency characteristics of the comb-shaped capacitor electrode, many responses appear in a frequency band higher than a frequency of a main resonance in the comb-shaped capacitor electrode. Therefore, a main resonance by excitation of the comb-shaped capacitor electrode and many responses at high frequencies appear as spurious responses that are not desired in the elastic boundary wave filter apparatus, and filter characteristics are apt to be greatly deteriorated.


The invention refers to the field of machines for orienting, straightening and aligning plastic vessels such as bottles, and in particular the invention refers to those types of machines that provide for a hopper for randomly loading the bottles that are composed of a cylindrical rotating wall (1) carrying on its external face a plurality of cradles (5) with below-placed discharging channels (8) that are substantially funnel-shaped and a carousel (7) carrying a plurality of separators (9) composing vertical channels of openings (10) in a multiple number of dischargers minus one. The machine provides a mechanical speed gear (50) for changing the speed of the separators-carrying carousel (7) with respect to the speed of the cylindrical rotating wall (1). A mechanical phase change gear (37) is further provided for changing the angular position of the separators-carrying carousel with respect to the cylindrical rotating wall.

Object of the present invention is a machine for orienting, straightening and aligning plastic vessels or bottles.
In particular, the present invention refers to those types of machines disclosed, for example, in Italian Patent n. 1,287,097 of the same Applicant, in which a hopper is provided in which bottles to be supplied are randomly and disorderly launched.
This hopper is substantially composed of a cylindrical wall rotating around a vertical axis.
On the external face of the cylindrical wall, a plurality of cradles are placed with below-placed dischargers that are substantially funnel-shaped, while on the internal face of the cylindrical rotating wall there are means for taking the bottles from the generally tapered bottom to the upper end of the cylindrical wall, where they fall into the above-mentioned cradles.
A carousel is provided in said machines, such carousel carrying a plurality of separators composing a plurality of vertical channels or openings in a number that is a multiple of the dischargers minus one.
The plurality of vertical channels or openings are arranged below the dischargers.
The below briefly described machines are currently equipped with means for changing the cradle and discharger sizes depending on the format change of vessels or bottles.
It has been found that, when the bottle format changes, current machines have not an optimum yield, since it is not possible to change the number of revolutions of the separators-carrying carousel with respect to the number of revolutions of the cylindrical rotating wall.
Another inconvenience is that, in currently known types of machines, it is not possible to change the phase between cylindrical rotating wall and separators-carrying carousel.
In fact, it has been found that, depending on bottle sizes, the bottle dropping times in dischargers change due to wears and bounces against discharger walls.
The dropping times that change depending on bottle shape and sizes result in spaces changing according to the speed of the dischargers-carrying cylindrical wall.
An optimum case would be the perfect phase between discharger and separator when the bottle arrives in the low discharger part and is about to enter the channel made of two nearby separators.
It has been attempted to solve the problem, for example in EP-A-1 209 103, by providing two independent motorizations or through electric or electronic adjustments.
It has been found that electric adjustments do not ensure the repeatability of phasing and speed changing operations and further the control system is difficult and with possible maintenance costs since it requires specialized workers.

Machine for orienting, straightening and aligning plastic vessels or bottles


According to the present invention a flow meter is provided for measuring a fluid, comprising a measuring tube with a measuring piston movably arranged in said measuring tube, and elements for changing the direction of movement of the measuring piston in said measuring tube, wherein said measuring piston, when measuring, is designed to be moved in said measuring tube under the influence of said fluid. Sensor elements detect movement of the piston and the direction of movement in said measuring tube, and sensor elements detect when the piston is situated in at least one of its reversing areas before the measuring piston has reached the extreme point of the reversing area, so as to afford a substantially continuous flow detection for said fluid.

Accurate flow measurement can be performed using a piston which moves in a tube of known cross-sectional area. By admitting a gas or a liquid, hereinafter referred to as a fluid, on one side of the piston, for example by means of a valve arrangement, it is possible to take a measurement of the displaced volume and hence the rate of flow as the piston moves from one side of the tube to the other. The movement of the piston is measured over time and, if the diameter of the tube is known, can be converted to a rate of flow. When the piston reaches the end of the tube, the gas is led past the measuring tube, the piston being returned to its starting position. Such a measurement becomes only a spot check on the actual flow. It would be desirable to be able to perform a continuous flow measurement, since the principle of measuring flow with a piston affords outstanding precision. A valve arrangement may be used to change the direction of movement of the piston, so that it reciprocates, that is to say moves forwards and backwards, in the measuring tube. By continuously measuring the movement of the piston it is possible to perform a continuous flow measurement. This type of flow meter still has the problem, however, that an interruption in the measurements occurs when the piston reaches an extreme point and thereby stops.
Nor, if the piston is situated in either of its limit positions, will it be possible to move the piston if the fluid is admitted to the wrong side thereof.
A need therefore exists for an improved flow meter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,925 Padden et al. discloses a solution of the aforesaid type, which consequently cannot be used for continuous measurement, and describes both a piston flow meter which measures only when the piston is moving in one direction, and a meter in which the piston moves in both directions. In both cases the movement is detected by means of an optical encoder strip, which is fixed to the piston.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,114 Lalin et al. describes a non-continuous piston flow meter in which the limit positions of the piston are detected by two pairs of optical transmitters and receivers at each end of a measuring tube. A beam of light is sent through the measuring tube, which is made of glass, and is cut off by the piston when the latter is situated in the limit positions.


A quick connect coupling for connecting at least one funicular element with respect to the end of a cord, particularly for those of a harness of a weaving loom, to a cord of shed-forming device of the loom, which includes an insert element associated with the cord of the shed-forming device which has at least one crosspiece to which the cord is attached and a bar located below the crosspiece. A clamp is provided for receiving the insert and has two branch elements which are secured to at least one funicular element. The branch elements have hooked free ends which are elastically articulated relative to one another toward the geometrical axis of symmetry of the clamp.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a quick connect coupling for connecting at least one funicular element with respect to the end of a cord, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to the dismountable connection of the cords of a harness of a weaving loom with respect to the cord of a shed-forming device of the loom.
2. History of the Related Art
Up to the present time, the cords of the hooks of shed-forming devices include a snap fastener which engages in a loop made at the end of the cords of the harness associated therewith. It will be readily understood that, when there is a very large number of hooks, assembly of the harness necessitates connecting a corresponding number of snaps, which, on the one hand, wastes time and, on the other hand, may result in injury of the assemblers' hands.
The improvements forming the subject matter of the present invention are directed to avoiding the two drawbacks mentioned hereinabove and at producing a quick connect coupling which responds better than heretofore to the desidarata of the art.


The present invention relates to an electrical drive unit with an electric motor and a transmission, wherein the motor has a rotor shaft (6), to which a rotor (10) and a commutator (11) are fitted in a manner fixed against rotation, wherein a commutator sliding contact (23) is provided in order to make contact with the commutator (11), and wherein an electrical connection is provided between an electrical terminal (18) and the commutator sliding contact (23). According to the invention, one cable and one special step in the manufacturing process are dispensed with by virtue of the fact that the electrical connection runs via the rotor shaft (6).

The present invention relates to an electrical drive unit, in particular an electrical drive unit for a rear windshield wiper.
An electrical drive unit of this type comprises an electric motor and a gear mechanism, with the motor having a rotor shaft to which a rotor and a commutator are fitted in a rotationally fixed manner, with a commutator sliding contact being provided in order to make contact with the commutator, and with an electrical connection being provided between an electrical terminal and the commutator sliding contact. In this case, the electrical connection is in the form of a cable which connects a sliding contact to the at least one electrical terminal.
One disadvantage of the electrical connection being in the form of a cable is that an additional cable is required which has to be fitted in a special production step.


A backlight module is suitable for use in a liquid crystal display. The backlight module includes a back plate, and a lamp, over the back plate by a distance. The back plate has a hole under the lamp. The hole can be a hole under the lamp corresponding to an electrode of a high voltage end of the lamp. The hole or a certain number of the holes can be replaced by an indentation, which can also effectively increase the separation distance between the lamp and the back plate. Actually, the hole and the indentation can be used together to form a desired pattern corresponding to the lamp. The lamp can be a plurality of lamp.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to light module. More particularly, the present invention relates to a backlight module, suitable for use in liquid crystal display (LCD).
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, the technology of the LCD panel has been well developed. Now, the LCD panel has been quite popular in the daily life for information communication, such as TV, display screen, computer terminal . . . and so on. Since the liquid crystal does not generate the light by itself, the LCD needs a light module as a light source to display the color image; the LCD is usually implemented with a light module. The backlight module is one of the light modules, used in LCD to provide a planar light source at the back of the LCD panel. In other words, the LCD panel has the displaying part and a light module. The displaying part can be the assembly structure in state-of-the-art other than the light module. A top view of a conventional backlight module is schematically shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, the conventional backlight module includes a plurality of lamps 100, which are located above a grounded back plate 102. The lamps 100 are arranged one by one in parallel to the grounded back plate 102, so as to produce a uniform planar light source. The lamps 100 usually are cold cathode fluorescent light, and the back player usually is an A1 plate being grounded. The backlight module also include other elements, such as reflector, holding frame . . . and so on, which should be known by the ordinary skilled artisans and are not further described here.
The lamp 100 are typically applied a bias between a high voltage and a low voltage, so as to produce current and trig the light. However, since the lamp 100 is located above the grounded back plate 102, a leakage current is not avoidable. FIG. 2 is a drawing, schematically illustrating the mechanism of leak current for the conventional backlight module. In FIG. 2, the lamp 100 is separated from the back plate 102 by a distance D, such as 1 mm-2 mm. In electric property, there are many equivalent parasitic capacitors existing between the lamp 100 and the back plate 102. The lamp 100 has high voltage end Hi at a current level of IL-1 and a low voltage end Lo at a current level of IL-2. The length of the lamp 100 is L, then the current at the beginning end at the level IL-1, and is gradually leaks to the grounded back plate 102 along the length. The dropping amount is due the leak current. The actual current at the low end is at the level of IL-2. If the leak current is small, the current should remain at the level IL-2′. The leak current reduces the luminance of the lamp 100.
FIG. 3 is a drawing, schematically illustrating the phenomenon of leak current in more detail. In FIG. 3, as one can see, when the light is turned on, the current in a short time period is triggered by the applied bias. Then, the current flows toward to the low voltage end in the time period. However, due to the leak current, the current gradually leaks to the grounded back plate in the time period.
According to the electric property, if the distance D is larger, then the capacitance is smaller. In other words, the distance D is infinity, then the lamp is isolated, and there is no leak current. FIG. 4 is a drawing, schematically illustrating two parameters, which are related to the quantity of leak current. One parameter is the distance D as shown at the left curve and the other parameter is applied bias V as shown at the right curve. Since the bias V consumes the power, the designer would like to keep the operation bias as low as possible. Then, the parameter D may be considered for improving the luminance of the lamp at the same operation bias. However, a large distance D certainly causes a large thickness of the light module, causing the increase thickness of the LCD. The distance D cannot be freely increased to solve the leak current. The technology is still under developing by the manufacturers, so as to increase the effective luminance without increasing the operation voltage.
In further consideration, U.S. Pat. No. 6,839,100 has disclosed an LCD device with a longitudinal lamp at side. In order to hold the lamp, two lamp holders enclose the both electrode ends of the lamp. Then, a lower frame usually in contact with the lamp holder, so that the heat at the both electrode ends is dispersed to the lower frame through the lamp holder, causing an undesired temperature drop at the both electrode end for the fluorescent lamp. In order to solve this thermal issue, the lower frame is designed with two openings near the both electrode ends. As a result, the lamp holder is not contact with the lower frame, and the opening of the lower frame may solve the thermal effect. However, the electric property, such as the leakage current as discussed above is not considered. U.S. Pat. No. 6,839,100 does not solve the electric issues discussed above and the structure of the present invention mentioned below.


The present disclosure includes apparatuses for a bone graft harvesting device. An example apparatus includes a blade tip including a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the distal end of the blade tip includes a number of blades configured to morcellate bone in response to being rotated and a lead tip located within the blade tip and configured to maintain the bone graft harvesting apparatus centered on a bone graft punch hole.

Bone graft material can be utilized in many surgical procedures and can be harvested from bone from the hip called the ilium, for example. Often, a simple chisel approach is employed to dig out bone which can result in a wound site that is more painful than the site in which the harvested bone is to be used.
Graft site morbidity refers to any consequences that result from the harvesting of a patient's own bone (e.g., an autograft). Undesirable side effects and complications that can result from the bone graft harvesting procedure include early post-operative pain, chronic pain, scarring, bleeding, infection, bone fracture, and more.
Autograft bone graft harvest is an important surgical technique for orthopedic surgeons. The iliac crest can provide a robust amount of bone graft, but using it carries a risk of complications. There are differences between the outcomes of anterior and posterior crest harvests. Anterior autograft harvest is associated with a higher complication rate. The posterior approach, however, is associated with more postoperative pain than the anterior approach, with the patient often experiencing more pain from the harvest than from the procedure itself. The all-cancellous iliac crest bone graft harvest provides the benefit of a large quantity of autogenous bone for various procedures, ranging from spinal fusion to osseous reconstruction.
In some procedures, rotational or reciprocating bone shavers are used to collect bone tissue. The surgeon will access the bone through the skin, muscle, and other tissue. Once accessed, the bone shaver is used to collect morcellated bone. If sufficient bone material is not obtained with one hole or punch, the surgeon may use the same site for more, going in a different direction or orientation each time. In some instances, these multiple holes can lead to complications such as delayed healing, pain, bone fracture, etc.
Various approaches have been used to harvest morcellated bone for use in spinal implants. Such approaches, however, have typically suffered from complications that arise at the site where the bone was removed.


An undergarment includes a body panel and an crotch member. The crotch member includes first and second terminal edges and laterally opposed side edges. The crotch member has a longitudinally extending length defined between the first and second terminal edges. The crotch member is connected to the body panel at an attachment location, which is longitudinally spaced along the length of the crotch member from the first terminal edge thereof. The crotch member includes an unattached end portion that extends between the attachment location and the first terminal edge and that is unattached to the body panel. Methods of using and manufacturing the undergarment are also provided.

The present invention relates generally to an undergarment, and in particular, to an absorbent undergarment that conforms to the body of the user.
Undergarments, for example disposable absorbent garments, often include an absorbent composite and one or more body panels connected to the absorbent composite. Often, the absorbent composites are secured to the body panels along the entire length of the portion of the absorbent composite that overlaps the body panels, and often across the entire width of the absorbent composite as well. As such, the absorbent composite can reduce or otherwise impede the extensibility or elongation of the body panel in both the longitudinal and lateral directions, thereby reducing its ability to conform to the body of the user. In addition, the absorbent composite typically is not able to conform to the body of the user independently of the body panels, and can therefore distort the panels when fitted to a user.

Undergarment having crotch member with unattached end portion


A computer-implemented method, according to one embodiment, includes: maintaining a heat map monitoring table on a per volume basis for a plurality of volumes which includes a heat count for each data block in the respective volume. The data blocks in a first volume which are depended on by one or more other volumes of the plurality of volumes are identified, the first volume being specified in a deletion request. Moreover, the identified data blocks and the corresponding heat counts are copied to the respective one or more other volumes.

The present invention relates to data storage systems, and more particularly, this invention relates to improving performance in multi-tier data storage environments.
Multi-tier data storage environments may include different types of memory at the different storage tiers. Moreover, the type of memory at each of the tiers may be selected to meet a certain set of performance standards and/or a storage architecture. A storage system (e.g., file system) defines the manner of naming files and placing them on storage devices for storage and retrieval. Storage system functionality can be divided into two components which include a management component and a storage component. The management component corresponds to the management of files within directories, file path traversals and user access to the file, while the storage component of the file system determines how file is stored physically on the storage devices (e.g., memory) in the storage system.
Using Flash memory as an example, the performance characteristics of conventional NAND Flash-based solid state drives (SSDs) are fundamentally different from those of traditional hard disk drives (HDDs). Data in conventional SSDs is typically organized in pages of 4, 8, or 16 KB sizes. Moreover, page read operations in SSDs are typically one order of magnitude faster than write operations and latency neither depends on the current nor the previous location of operations.
However, in Flash-based SSDs, memory locations are erased in blocks prior to being written to. The size of an erase block unit is typically 256 pages and the erase operations takes approximately one order of magnitude more time than a page program operation. Due to the intrinsic properties of NAND Flash, Flash-based SSDs write data out-of-place whereby a mapping table maps logical addresses of the written data to physical ones. This mapping table is typically referred to as the Logical-to-Physical Table (LPT).
As Flash-based memory cells exhibit read errors and/or failures due to wear or other reasons, additional redundancy may be used within memory pages as well as across memory chips (e.g., RAID-5 and RAID-6 like schemes). The additional redundancy within memory pages may include error correction code (ECC) which, for example, may include BCH codes. While the addition of ECC in pages is relatively straightforward, the organization of memory blocks into RAID-like stripes is more complex. For instance, individual blocks are retired over time which requires either reorganization of the stripes, or capacity reduction of the stripe. As the organization of stripes together with the LPT defines the placement of data, SSDs typically utilize a Log-Structured Array (LSA) architecture, which combines these two methods.
The LSA architecture relies on out-of-place writes. In this approach, a memory page overwrite will result in writing the memory page data to a new location in memory, marking the old copy of the memory page data as invalid, and then updating the mapping information. Due to the limitations of current NAND memory technology, an invalidated data location cannot be reused until the entire block it belongs to has been erased. Before erasing, though, the block undergoes garbage collection, whereby any valid data in the block is relocated to a new block. Garbage collection of a block is typically deferred for as long as possible to maximize the amount of invalidated data in block, and thus reduce the number of valid pages that are relocated, as relocating data causes additional write operations, and thereby increases write amplification.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Enhanced application performance in multi-tier storage environments

International Business Machines Corporation


A device for handling molded articles of manufacture, for use in particular with foodstuffs, such as forks or knives, and for placing the articles into protective bags or like packaging or wrappings. The device includes robots adapted to grip the molded articles prior to or upon their ejection from a mold and to convey and carry the articles to a machine which packages the articles into the protective bags.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for protecting articles of manufacture for use in particular with foodstuffs, such as forks, knives, spoons, pins or toothpicks for hors-d'oeuvres, which are used only once, and more particularly, to a device for handling such articles and placing the articles into protective bags.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Forks, knives, and spoons are presently supplied in a state without any protective covering and offer no protection against cuts or gashes or pricks which they may cause and especially without any guarantee that the articles have not been previously used. This also holds true for forks, knives and spoons packed in bags, since nothing guarantees that the articles have not already been used before having been placed in their respective bags.

Device for packing protected articles for use in particular with foodstuffs into protective bags


Disclosed herein are a method of and an apparatus for electrically processing an image, and a calibration chart used in the apparatus. This method comprises a first process for measuring respective spectral densities of a calibration chart having at least three regions at which respective ones of three primary color dyes in a color photosensitive material are developed, a second process for determining data indicative of the quantity of the three primary color dyes in the regions from the spectral densities obtained in the first process, a third process for determining color calibration data from density data of the regions, the density data being obtained by reading the calibration chart with an image reading apparatus, and the data indicative of the quantity of the primary color dyes in the regions, the data being obtained in the second process, and a fourth process for correcting density data obtained by reading an original having the same color development characteristic as that of the calibration chart with the image reading apparatus, by making use of the color correction data obtained in the third process. In addition, the apparatus comprises a dye-quantity data storage unit, an original reading unit, a color calibration data arithmetic unit, a color calibration data storage unit and a calibration density data arithmetic unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for electronically processing an image, wherein stable color reproduction can be carried out in an image input/output apparatus, and to a correction chart suitable for use in the apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image scanning, reading, and reproducing system is widely used in the printing and platemaking fields, for example, for electronically processing image information stored in an original to be read so as to produce an original film plate with a view toward simplifying the entire process and improving the quality of printed images.
In an image reading apparatus which constructs the image scanning reading and reproducing system, an original positioned and stored in an original cassette is scanned to read image information.
In the image reading apparatus, in order to produce a film plate according to the purpose, a pre-scan operation is carried out to initially feed the original cassette to a reading unit and to set up processing conditions such as magnification, image processing, etc. Then, a main-scan operation is performed to set up the optimum processing conditions based on image information obtained by the pre-scan operation and to read image information again in accordance with the processing conditions referred to above.
When it is desired to subject the image information to the pre-scan operation and then to the mainscan operation in the above-described manner, the image processing conditions are automatically set up, thereby carrying out the image processing. However, there is no adequate method of processing color separation and correction. In addition, operation is inefficient because color adjustment is made for each original.

Method of and apparatus for processing image and correction chart employed in the apparatus