The invention relates to a device and methods for characterizating flowing substances, liquid or gas. The device includes: a transport duct with a heating or a cooling element; a temperature difference sensor having a temperature measurement cell downstream of the heating or cooling element and means to determine a temperature difference in the flowing substance upstream and downstream of the heating or cooling element; a flow control means having flow measurement means for measuring a mass flow characteristic and a flow correction means for correcting for measured mass flow variations; and an evaluation means for evaluating a characterizing feature of the flowing substance comprising a function relating temperature differences measured on one or more calibration substances to one or more characterizing features of the flowing substance. Various embodiments relate to the related use and methods of the device for identification and control of the flowing substance.

The invention relates to a device and methods for the characterisation of a flowing substance. Particular embodiments of the invention relate to the use of the device for the identification of a flowing substance, for controlling the flow of a fuel or combustion gas to deliver a controlled heat of combustion and for measuring the heat capacity of a gas. Further embodiments of the invention relate to a flow control device for controlling the flow rate of a flowing substance and a method for the combustion of a fuel or combustion gas.
Flow control devices are used to deliver a controlled amount of a flowing substance. This works well in most situations, where the nature of a flowing substance is known and substantially constant in composition over time. However, there are also situations where the nature of the flowing substance is not known and can vary in time. Such a situation occurs for example in natural gas distribution networks where different suppliers pump natural gas of different origin and/or composition into the network to various customers. The gas supplied to the customers can vary over time in composition and heat of combustion. The flow of the gas changes in an unknown way because of changes in the viscosity, the density or heat capacity of the various different gasses. In such a situation, most flow control devices, like thermal flow controllers, cannot deliver an accurately controlled mass flow. Because of these unknown changes in the mass flow and heat of combustion, problems can occur like the incomplete combustion of the gas, a too low energy recovery and emission problems.
Another example of such a situation, and a new application of the invention as described hereafter, is the distribution of fuels for engines. For optimum engine performance and fuel economy it is desirable that the flow control is able to deal with varying and/or unknown fuel types and compositions. This will become more and more relevant in view of the increasing desire to further optimise fuel economy, to minimise damaging exhaust gasses and in view of the expected increasing diversification in fuels. Hence, there is a desire for a device for the characterisation of the flowing substance.
Direct and accurate measurement of combustion energy is achieved by actually combusting the gas and measuring the heat. Well known devices for the combustionless characterisation of flowing substances, like chromatography or spectrometry, are accurate but have the disadvantages that they are difficult to integrate in-line, that the response time for characterisation of the substance is still too long for accurate control of the flow and that the devices are too expensive and too big for many applications.
DE 41 18 781 describes a device for the characterisation of a gas, in particular for the determination of the Wobbe number and/or heat of combustion of a gas, comprising a pressure control, a lamellar pressure resistance for isothermal expansion of the gas and a mass and a volume flow rate measurement unit. It is described that the gas cools a heating wire with constant over-temperature and the heating power supplied is used as a measure for the mass flow. Apart from that, the volume flow rate is measured. Further, in the device the gas is expanded isothermally over a flow resistance with laminar flow giving rise to a pressure drop. The pressure drop over the flow resistance; the mass and the volume flow measurement unit is measured, which correlates approximately with the density of the gas. The Wobbe number and/or the heat of combustion are evaluated from the measured mass flow, volume flow and pressure drop by substituting the values in an empirical fit-formula, in which the constants are determined by calibration.
EP-A-0469649 describes a calorimeter in which a laminar flow type flow meter for measuring volume flow is put in series with a thermal type flow meter as described above for measuring a mass flow, in which the gas flow is controlled by controlling a constant temperature difference over the sensor and the caloric value of the fuel gas is evaluated from the pressure difference over the volume flow meter. Because this calorimeter requires two flow meters it is rather complex, expensive and bulky. Further, the accuracy and reliability are insufficient.
FR 2818746 describes a process for the evaluation of a Wobbe parameter wherein a combustion gas is compressed and subsequently expanded and wherein on expansion the flow, pressure and temperature characteristics are measured and wherein a reference gas is similarly measured for-determining reference values for accurately evaluating the Wobbe index from an empirical fit formula.
Similarly, in EP-A-0715169 the pressure of a defined volume of gas is raised to a defined pressure level and after that relaxed to the original state, during which relaxation the density and/or the viscosity values are determined, which are input to an empirical fit formula for evaluating the caloric value and/or Wobbe index.
WO 93/08457 and EP 0554095 describe an improved apparatus and methods to derive from multiple measured characteristics of a fuel gas the desired fuel characteristic like for example a Wobbe index.
The problem of the described devices is that they are all relatively complex, expensive and bulky. In particular, it is a disadvantage that the devices are deigned only for the evaluation of heat of combustion of a fuel gas. More importantly, the devices are often too inaccurate and lack reproducibility for more demanding applications.

Method and device for determining a characteristic value that is representative of the condition of a gas


Commercially available filter-monitoring switches suffer from problems related to over sensitivity and reliability. Accordingly, the present inventors have devised, among other things, various embodiments of filter-monitoring switches and related components, subassemblies, methods, and systems. One exemplary filter-monitoring switch includes a diaphragm operably couple to move a conductive element back and forth between a pair of fixed terminals in response to pressure differences across the diaphragm. The conductive element is mounted to an insulative pin of substantially uniform width, and the terminals include leaf contacts that constantly engage the pin or the contacts throughout normal operation of the switch, thereby reducing flexure of the contacts and effectively providing a self-cleaning and self-healing electrical switch.

Many modern systems include air or liquid filters to ensure proper or reliable performance. For example, automobiles include air and fuel filters to remove dirt and other particulates from the air and fuel that are mixed and then ignited within their internal combustion engines. As a consequence of their proper operation, these filters collect particulates over time and increasingly restrict the flow of air or fuel into engines. Eventually, the filters become more restrictive than desirable and require replacement.
To facilitate timely filter replacement, automobiles and other systems sometimes include filter-monitoring devices, which monitor pressure or vacuum levels that result from fluid flow through associated filters. These devices are calibrated to detect when particular pressure or vacuum conditions occur and to respond to such occurrences in particular ways. For example, some devices, referred to herein as filter-monitoring switches, open or close an electrical switch, which is typically wired to illuminate a warning light or to send a signal to an engine computer for further processing.
The present inventors have recognized that commercially available filter-monitoring switches suffer from at least three problems. First, some filter-monitoring switches are overly sensitive to spiking or fluttering pressures and thus prematurely signal filter replacement or provide a fluttering output signal that is difficult to process. Second, overly sensitive switches experience recurrent arcing between their electrical contacts that degrades performance, and often leads to premature failure of the switches. And, third, some switches allow dust and water intrusion that can also degrade performance and cause failures.
Accordingly, the present inventors have recognized a need to improve conventional filter-monitoring switches.

Non-locking switch for filter monitoring


A method is disclosed for washing silver halide photographic emulsions, including desalting and/or concentrating, based on depletion phase separation mechanism, wherein phase separation is effected by the addition of water-soluble non-interactive and non-adsorbing carboxyl polymers. The process involves the separation of the supernatant fluid, containing the undesirable water soluble salts and the added phase separating agents, from the washed and condensed silver halide phase for desalting and redispersion of the latter.

Silver halide photographic emulsions are usually prepared by reacting an aqueous solution of halide salt with silver salt in the presence of a protective colloid, e.g. gelatin, to produce silver halide nuclei. After physical ripening to the desired grain size and size distribution, the emulsions are subjected to chemical and spectral sensitization. Generally, in the process of manufacturing a photographic silver halide emulsion, the silver halide emulsion is usually subjected to desalting to remove water-soluble salts such as excessive silver halides, alkali nitrate and ammonium salts after completion of physical ripening. Prior to or during the chemical and spectral sensitization, the resulting water-soluble salts, e.g. sodium nitrate and excess halide during the preparation of silver halide emulsion, should be removed to prevent deleterious effects on final coating applications. It is also desirable to concentrate the washed emulsions for subsequent addition of other photographically active components.
The desalting methods include a noodle method, a dialysis method, and a flocculation precipitation method. Of these methods, the flocculation precipitation method is extensively put into practical use.
The earliest method of removing the extraneous salts is by noodle washing (U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,527,260 and 3,396,027), wherein the prepared emulsion is chilled set and broken into small fragments and subjected to a continuous water flow to remove the salt by osmosis. This technique requires a large volume of water and is very time consuming, resulting in extensive swelling of the gelatin and dilution of the remelted emulsion.
Another washing method employs the precipitation of silver halide particles by the addition of large amounts of inorganic salts, e.g. sodium or magnesium sulfates, etc. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,618,556). The interface separating the supernatant fluid and the sediment silver halide particle in such case is not well-defined, resulting in difficulty for the removal of the supernatant fluid and the loss of silver halide grains. Small molecule organic salts, e.g. sulfonated benzene, naphthalene, or their condensates with formalin, or alkyl sulfates (U.S. Pat. No. 2,527,260; GB Patent Nos. 967,624; 945,334; 1,053,670), were also employed as coagulating agents. The formation of insoluble complex between the negative charge of the coagulant and the positive amino groups of gelatin at a pH lower than the isoelectric point of gelatin, results in phase separation and coagulation of the solid silver halide particles.
Anionic polymers were also used as coagulants to generate phase separation similar to those described above by small molecule coagulants. These polymers include sulfated poly(vinyl alcohol) (U.S. Pat. No. 3,867,154); poly(vinyl sulfonate) (GB Patent No. 967,624); poly(styrene sulfonate) or its copolymers (U.S. Pat. No. 3,168,403); other sulfonated polymers (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,241,969; 3,137,576); the copolymers of carboxylate-containing monomers, such as acrylate, methacrylates, and maleic acids (U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,565,418; 4,087,282; 4,990,439; 5,411,849; 5,486,451; Japanese 62/32445; European Patent No. 88120367.3; GB Patent No. 1,121,188). By lowering the pH of the emulsions below the isoelectric point of gelatin, complexes between the polymers and gelatin, as well as the gelatin-coated silver halide particles, are formed and separated from the clear supernatant which contains most of the soluble salts. Similar to the above anionic polymers are the modified gelatin derivatives, e.g. the covalent reaction products of gelatin with carboxylic or sulfonic acid chlorides, carboxylic anhydrides, etc. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,614,928; 2,614,929; 2,614,931; 3,359,110; 3,867,154; 5,411,849). The insolubility of these modified gelatin coagulants at a pH below the isoelectric point of gelatin causes precipitation of silver halide particles, and hence the soluble salt in the supernatant can be removed by decanting or centrifugation. In all the aforementioned precipitation methods, pH lowering is necessary to bring about flocculation. The extraneous ionic coagulants remain in the silver halide bottom phase, resulting in difficulty in redispersing and increase in viscosity of the subsequently redispersed emulsion and also imparting adverse effects on the photographic performance of the silver halide emulsions such as fogging.
Two other physical separation methods for the removal of soluble salts are based on membrane techniques, e.g. ultrafiltration and electrodialysis (U.S. Pat. No. 5,523,201) by use of semipermeable membranes and ion exchange membranes, respectively. Membrane fouling and the lengthy time required for desalting and difficulty in further concentration of the emulsion are possible drawbacks of these processes.
Depletion phase separation in polymer lattices containing non-adsorbing polymers have been studied extensively. Several theories have been proposed in recent years (For general references, see "Polymers at Interfaces" by G. J. Fleer, M. A. Cohen Stuart, J. M. H. M. Scheutjens, T. Cosgrove, and B. Vincent, Chapman & Hall, 1993; "Polymeric Stabilization of Colloidal Dispersion" by D. H. Napper, Academic Press, 1983) to explain such phenomena. Similar behavior is also observed with non-ionic surfactant micelles (e.g. see Progr. Colloid Polym Sci., 100, 201 (1996); Colloids and Surfaces, vol. 28, 1(1987)). The depletion phase separation is known in synthetic lattices to cause particle instability.
No working process has been described that will allow complete washing of emulsion without the need for a pH adjustment which adds to the complexity of the process and results in fogging.

Water-soluble non-interactive carboxyl polymers for desalting and concentrating silver halide photographic emulsions


A storage system in one embodiment comprises a plurality of storage devices and a storage controller. The storage system is configured to implement a loopback replication process in which one or more source storage objects are replicated to one or more corresponding target storage objects within the storage system. The storage system is further configured to divide a storage space provided by at least portions of the storage devices of the storage system into slices, to subdivide the slices into source slices and target slices, and to replicate a source storage object associated with at least one of the source slices to a target storage object associated with at least one of the target slices. The source storage object may be associated with at least one of the source slices by, for example, storing the source storage object across portions of the storage devices in designated ones of the source slices.

Many information processing systems are configured to replicate data from a storage system at one site to a storage system at another site. In some cases, such arrangements are utilized to support disaster recovery functionality within the information processing system. For example, an enterprise may replicate data from a production data center to a disaster recovery data center. In the event of a disaster at the production site, applications can be started at the disaster recovery site using the data that has been replicated to that site so that the enterprise can continue its business.
Data replication in these and other contexts can be implemented using asynchronous replication at certain times and synchronous replication at other times. For example, asynchronous replication may be configured to periodically transfer data in multiple cycles from a source site to a target site, while synchronous replication may be configured to mirror host writes from the source site to the target site as the writes are made at the source site. Source site and target site storage systems can therefore each be configured to support both asynchronous and synchronous replication modes.
Conventional approaches to data replication can be problematic under certain conditions. For example, when testing the replication functionality of a given storage system, it may be necessary to provide an additional storage system to act as a source storage system or a target storage system relative to the storage system under test. This unduly increases the complexity and expense associated with replication testing.

Storage system with loopback replication process providing object-dependent slice assignment


A method for updating the content of EEPROM memory used for controlling processes run on a microprocessor used to control the operations of a long term memory array which includes moving an update process stored in the EEPROM memory to a random access memory associated with the microprocessor; and then using the update process stored in random access memory for erasing the contents of the EEPROM memory, and furnishing data to the microprocessor on a sector by sector basis from a host computer through an interface used by the microprocessor to provide data to the long term memory array. The data furnished by the host is written sector by sector to the EEPROM memory until the EEPROM memory has been updated.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to memory arrays and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for updating electrically-erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) which furnishes processes for a microprocessor which controls the operations of the memory array.
2. History of the Prior Art
Modern computer systems make extensive use of long term memory. Typically this memory is provided by one or more electro-mechanical hard (fixed) disk drives. Hard disk drives are very useful and have become almost a necessity to the operation of personal computers. However, such electro-mechanical drives are relatively heavy, require a significant amount of space within a computer, require a significant amount of power in use, and are very susceptible to shock.
Recently, forms of long term storage other than electro-mechanical hard disk drives have become feasible for use in computers. One of these is flash EEPROM. A flash EEPROM memory array includes a large plurality of floating-gate field effect transistors arranged as memory cells in typical row and column fashion with circuitry for accessing the individual cells and placing the memory transistors of those cells in one of two memory conditions. A flash memory cell, like a typical EPROM cell retains information when power is removed but is capable of being programmed in place within the array. Flash EEPROM memory has a number of characteristics which adapt it to use as long term memory. It is light in weight, occupies very little space, and consumes less power than electro-mechanical disk drives. More importantly, it is especially rugged. It will withstand without adverse effects repeated drops each of which would destroy a typical electro-mechanical hard disk drive.
One memory arrangement using flash EEPROM which replaces a typical electro-mechanical hard disk drive includes a control circuit which controls the reading, writing, and erasing of the entire array. This control circuit includes a microprocessor which receives commands from a host computer and runs various processes stored in read only memory in the control circuit in order to manage the memory array. These processes implement operations which enable the array to make better use of its storage space, to read data more accurately, to control defects, to erase in the background, and to conduct many other services for the flash EEPROM memory array. In one embodiment of the control circuit, the read only memory in which these control processes are stored is flash EEPROM. It is desirable to provide processes by which the processes stored in read only memory and used to control the various operations of the flash EEPROM memory array may be changed and updated while the flash EEPROM memory array remains in place within the host computer.

Method and apparatus for updating flash memory resident firmware through a standard disk drive interface


A ceramic electronic component includes a first fired electrode layer disposed on top of a ceramic body. The first fired electrode layer includes first to fifth portions that are separate from each other. The first portion is disposed on top of a first end surface. The second portion is disposed on top of a first principal surface. The third portion is disposed on top of a second principal surface. The fourth portion is disposed on top of a first side surface. The fifth portion is disposed on top of a second side surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ceramic electronic component.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, a multilayer ceramic electronic component includes outer electrodes that cover end surfaces of a ceramic body (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-89946). Each of the outer electrodes extends from the corresponding one of the end surfaces of the ceramic body onto first and second principal surfaces and first and second side surfaces.
The outer electrodes that cover the end surfaces of the ceramic body are typically formed by applying conductive paste to the end surfaces of the ceramic body and then performing a heat treatment on the conductive paste. When the heat treatment is performed, a stress is accumulated in the outer electrodes due to the difference in coefficient of linear expansion between the ceramic body and the outer electrodes. A multilayer ceramic capacitor in which a stress is accumulated in outer electrodes may experience changes in external environment such as changes in temperature, which may cause a crack to occur in the ceramic body due to the stress accumulated in the outer electrode.


Hair follicle stem cells are isolated from mammals by isolating nestin-expressing cells. These hair follicle stem cells are a source of adult stem cells for autologous or heterologous stem cell therapy. The stem cells can be systemically implanted into the mammal or directly implanted into the organ. In addition, the stem cells may be further differentiated in vitro and then implanted systemically or directly into the mammal.

Although the importance of stem cell therapy is recognized, stem cell therapy remains controversial due to the use of embryonic stem cells used for such therapy. Also, stem cells from sources such as bone marrow are difficult to harvest. It would be beneficial to the field if there was a readily accessible source of adult stem cells for harvesting which could impart the same benefits as more controversial and less accessible sources of stem cells. The invention has addressed such a need by the discovery of stem cells that are derived from mammalian hair follicles. A brief background relating to hair provides the basis for hair follicle stem cells of the invention.
Hair growth is a unique cyclic regeneration phenomenon. The hair follicle undergoes repeated cycles of periods of growth (anagen), regression (catagen) and rest (telogen) throughout the life of mammals. The location and function of hair follicular stem cells is a crucial issue for understanding both biology and pathology of hair growth (Oshima, H., et al., Cell (2001) 104:233-245). Label-retaining cells, a characteristic of stem cells, were found to reside in the permanent upper portion of hair follicle, the so-called the bulge area (Cotsarelis, G., et al., Cell (1990) 61:1329-1337).
Recently Taylor, G., et al. (Cell (2000) 102:451-461), reported that hair follicle bulge stem cells are potentially bipotent as they can give rise to not only the hair follicle, but also the epidermis. Other experiments (Oshima, et al., (supra)) also have provided new evidence that the upper outer root sheath of vibrissal follicles of adult mice contains multipotent stem cells, which can differentiate to hair follicle matrix cells, sebaceous gland basal cells and epidermis. Most recently, Toma, J. G., et al. (Nature Cell Biology (2001) 3:778-784), reported that multipotent adult stem cells isolated from mammalian skin dermis, named skin derived precursors (SKPs), can proliferate and differentiate in culture to produce neurons, glia, smooth muscle cells, and adipocytes. However, the exact location of these stem cells in skin and their function were unclear.
It would be useful to the field to isolate stem cells from hair that are related to neural stem cells. According to the invention, a relationship of hair follicle stem cells and neural stem cells has been made.

Nestin-expressing hair follicle stem cells


A hub shaft of a hub wheel for the mounting of a wheel thereon and an outer ring of a constant velocity joint are connected together. A first side surface spline is formed on an end surface of the hub shaft, and a second side surface spline is formed on an end surface of a side wall portion of the outer ring abutting against the end surface of the hub shaft, and the first and second side surface splines are meshed with each other to connect the hub shaft of the hub wheel and the outer ring of the constant velocity joint together in a torque-transmitting manner, each of the two side surface splines having a number of spline teeth. At least one of the spline teeth of at least one of the two side surface splines is removed to form a removal portion which forms a drain passage.

This invention relates to a wheel support apparatus in which a hub shaft of a hub wheel for the mounting of a wheel thereon and an outer ring of a constant velocity joint are connected together in a torque-transmitting manner.
There is known one conventional wheel support apparatus of this type in which a hub shaft of a hub wheel and an outer ring of a constant velocity joint are interconnected by an connecting bolt, and also two side surface splines are formed respectively on an end surface of the hub shaft of the hub wheel and an end surface of a side wall portion of the constant velocity joint which abuts against the end surface of the hub shaft, and the hub wheel and the constant velocity joint are connected together in a torque-transmitting manner through the two side surface splines (see, for example, JP-A-63-184501).
When the two side surface splines formed respectively on the end surface of the hub shaft of the hub wheel and the end surface of the side wall portion of the constant velocity joint are meshed with each other, thereby connecting the hub wheel and the constant velocity joint together in a torque-transmitting manner as described above, it is feared that muddy water or the like splashed up by a wheel may accidentally intrude into the interior through a clearance between the two side surface splines meshed with each other, so that rust may develop in the interior.
One conventional wheel support apparatus of the type described is disclosed, for example, in JP-A-2002-114004.
In this wheel support apparatus, a double row angular contact ball bearing 120 comprising an inner ring 121, an outer ring 130 and balls (rolling elements) 141 and 142 is mounted on an outer peripheral surface of a hub shaft 113 of a hub wheel 110 as shown in FIG. 17.
On the other hand, a connecting shaft portion 163 is formed integrally on and extending from an end surface of a side wall portion 161 of an outer ring 160 of a constant velocity joint 150 to which an end portion of a drive shaft 151 is connected. An internal spline 114 is formed on an inner peripheral surface of a bore of the hub shaft 113 of the hub wheel 110, and an external spline 164 for meshing with the internal spline 114 is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the connecting shaft portion 163.
The connecting shaft portion 163 is inserted and fitted into the bore of the hub shaft 113 of the hub wheel 110 while the internal and external splines 114 and 164 are brought into meshing engagement with each other, and then a lock nut 166 is fastened onto an male-threaded portion 165 projecting from a distal end of the connecting shaft portion 163, and by doing so, the hub wheel 110 and the constant velocity joint 150 are connected together in a torque-transmitting manner.
In the wheel support apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2002-114004, for example, during the travel of a vehicle, a torque of the outer ring 160 of the constant velocity joint 150 rotating in the same direction as the direction of rotation of the drive shaft 151 is transmitted to the hub wheel 110 through the internal and external splines 114 and 164 meshing with each other, thereby driving the wheel to rotate it.
At this time, a relative slip (slip including a torsion) sometimes develops between the end surface of the side wall portion 161 of the outer ring 160 of the constant velocity joint 150 and an end surface (that is, an end surface of a caulked portion 117) of the hub shaft 113 of the hub wheel 110, so that an abnormal sound is generated.
In order to prevent the generation of an abnormal sound due to a relative slip between the end surface of the side wall portion 161 of the outer ring 160 of the constant velocity joint 150 and the end surface of the hub shaft 113 of the hub wheel 110, the Applicant of the present invention has proposed a structure as shown in FIG. 18, in which a side surface spline 280 is formed on an end surface of a caulked portion 217 of a hub shaft 213, and a side surface spline 290 is formed on an end surface of a side wall portion 261 of an outer ring 260 of a constant velocity joint 250 abutting against the end surface of the hub shaft 213, and the two side surface splines 280 and 290 are meshed with each other to connect the hub shaft 213 of a hub wheel 210 and the outer ring 260 of the constant velocity joint 250 together in a torque-transmitting manner.
In the case where the side surface splines 280 and 290 are formed respectively on the end surface of the caulked portion 217 of the hub shaft 213 and the end surface of the side wall portion 261 of the outer ring 260 of the constant velocity joint 260 by forging, each bottom land 282, 292 of each of the two side surface splines 280 and 290 is formed into an inclined surface gradually increasing in depth from its radially-inner end to its radially-outer end.
Therefore, the meshing engagement of the two side surface splines 280 and 290 is limited at the radially-inner portions of the bottom lands 282 and 292. As a result, non-contact portions S where the spline teeth of the spline 280 and the spline teeth of the spline 290 will not contact each other develop at the radially-outer end portions of the bottom lands 282 and 292 of the two side surface splines 280 and 290. Therefore, it is thought that a contact pressure and a shear stress of tooth flanks of the spline teeth at the mutually-contacting portions of the two side surface splines 280 and 290 increase, so that the durability may be adversely affected.
Another conventional wheel support bearing apparatus of this type is disclosed in JP-A-57-178903.
In this conventional wheel support bearing apparatus, in order to connect a hub wheel 210 and a constant velocity joint 250 together in a torque-transmitting manner as shown in FIG. 19, a side spline (side surface spline) 290 is formed on an end surface of a hub shaft 213 of the hub wheel 210, and a side spline (side surface spline) 280 is formed on an end surface of an end wall portion 261 of the outer ring 260 of the constant velocity joint 250, and the hub wheel 210 and the constant velocity joint 250 are connected together in a torque-transmitting manner through the two side splines 280 and 290 meshing with each other.
In order to interconnect the hub shaft 213 of the hub wheel 210 and the outer ring 260 of the constant velocity joint 250, an internally-thread portion 263 corresponding to an male-threaded portion 273 of an connecting bolt 270 is formed in the end wall portion 261 of the outer ring 260 of the constant velocity joint 250, while a center hole 214 for the passage of a shank 272 of the connecting bolt 270 therethrough is formed through a center portion of the hub shaft 213.
The two side splines 280 and 290 are meshed with each other, and in this condition the shank 272 of the connecting bolt 270 is passed through the center hole 214 of the hub shaft 213 from the outside thereof, and the male-threaded portion 273 on this shank 272 is threaded into the internally-threaded portion 263 of the end wall portion 261 of the outer ring 260 to be fastened thereto, thereby coupling the hub shaft 213 of the hub wheel 210 and the outer ring 260 of the constant velocity joint 250 together.
Each tooth top 283 of the side spline 280 on the end wall portion 261 of the outer ring 260 of the constant velocity joint 250, as well as each bottom land 292 of the side spline 290 on the hub shaft 213, is disposed in a pane (vertical plane) perpendicular to a center axis of the hub shaft 213.
In the condition in which the hub shaft 213 of the hub wheel 210 and the outer ring 260 of the constant velocity joint 250 are connected together by tightening the connecting bolt 270, each tooth top 283 of the side spline 280 contacts the corresponding bottom land 292 of the side spline 290. Also, each bottom land 282 of the side spline 280 of the constant velocity joint 250 and a corresponding tooth top 293 of the side spline 290 of the hub shaft 213 are disposed out of contact with each other, with a clearance S′ formed therebetween.
In the wheel support bearing apparatus disclosed in JP-A-57-178903, it is rather difficult to interconnect the hub shaft 213 of the hub wheel 210 and the outer ring 260 of the constant velocity joint 250 in aligned relation to each other (that is, with their center axes coinciding with each other), with the two side splines 280 and 290 meshing with each other, by tightening the connecting bolt 270, and it is thought that the hub shaft 213 of the hub wheel 210 and the outer ring 260 of the constant velocity joint 250 can be brought out of alignment with each other (that is, their center axes become misaligned with each other). This misalignment causes vibration and an abnormal sound.


A method for determining boundaries of information elements for a PRN code modulated signal is provided. The method of the present invention measures a symbol phase of the received signal and correlation values of different durations to determine the information element boundary. By the method of the present invention, the determination of the information element boundary can be more effective especially in the common dump receiver architecture, wherein a reference wave used in the correlation measurement of the receiver cannot match the received waveform exactly.

A multi-channel GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver has several channels to simultaneously track signals of a plurality of satellites, which can be of different navigation systems such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo or SBAS (Satellite Based Augmentation System, which includes MSAS, EGNOS, WAAS and so on.) In general, each channel tracks a satellite signal and uses a matched filter (or a correlator) to improve the SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) of the signal samples. The correlator multiplies the received signal samples with the locally generated replica signal samples and sums the products to generate signal samples of higher SNR. In order to maximize the SNR of the signals at the output of correlator, the local replica signal waveform generated by the receiver has to match the received signal waveform. A longer correlation time will yield signal samples of higher SNR. In addition, most GNSS systems use a signaling scheme to share the same radio navigation signal spectrum. For example, CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) is used in GPS, Galileo and SBAS, where the transmitted data bits are modulated by a repeating PRN (Pseudo Random Noise) code sequence. The other systems use different signaling schemes to broadcast a plurality of satellite signals, such as FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access) which is used by GLONASS. In general, a receiver uses different local signal replica generators to correlate the received signal and thus find the targeted satellite signals.
After a satellite signal of rough frequency and delay time is acquired, the receiver has to track the satellite signal for obtaining more accurate frequency and delay time and then synchronize with the satellite. Meanwhile, the receiver has to continually decode the data bit stream transmitted by the satellite. In the signal acquisition/tracking/decoding process, the receiver processes the output of the correlator to estimate the signal parameters more precisely, such as the Doppler frequency, the code phase and the transmitted data bits. In one implementation, the correlator is implemented as a dedicated hardware to perform the high speed correlation operation. In another implementation, the correlator can be implemented as a software-based functional block. For example, the FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) based correlation technique can be used. The signal acquisition, tracking and decoding process require less computation burden compared with the correlation and thus can be implemented in another functional block, such as a multi channel shared hardware block, a CPU or a DSP.
FIG. 1 shows typical receiver architecture 10 of the CDMA system, such as GPS, Galileo and SBAS. In this architecture, several channel correlators CH1, CH2 . . . CHn, are used to perform signal correlation of multiple satellite signals respectively at the same time. The spread spectrum signal is received via an antenna 102 and amplified (by a preamplifer 104), down converted (by a down-converter 106) to the IF (Intermediate Frequency) stage. At this stage, the received signal is in analog form. Then, the received signal is converted into digital form by an ADC (analog-to-digital converter) 108. Also referring to FIG. 2, which shows a general architecture of a channel correlator CHn. The digital signal from the ADC 108 (shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) is down converted by means of a carrier NCO 112 (Numerically Controlled Oscillator), phase shifters 114, 116 and mixers 121, 122. The mixed result is a complex signal with in-phase and quadrature components. The in-phase and quadrature components are subjected to multiplication in multipliers 141˜146 with reference PRN code generated by an E/P/L (Early/Prompt/Late) PRN code generator 120. The E/P/L PRN code generator 120 is controlled by a code NCO 123 to generate the despreaded signals IE, IP, IL and QE, QP, QL. These despreaded signals are respectively integrated in integration block 124. The integrated signals are led to a receiver processor 110. The beginning and end of the integration window of each integration block are controlled by a dump counter 126. For example, the PRN code used in the current GPS L1 civil signal is C/A code with period of one ms. The minimum integration length is usually limited by the PRN code period, one ms in this example. If the sampling frequency of the ADC is 5 MHz, there are 5000 samples in one ms. The receiver processor 110 uses a signal, Start, to control the start time point of the correlation. When the dump counter 126 receives Signal Start, it resets the accumulators 131˜136 used in the correlation and starts counting from 0. When it counts to 4999, the correlation values in the accumulators 131˜136 are latched and the receiver processor 110 is informed to process these values. The maximum of correlation duration is limited by the signal structure. For example, one data bit in the GPS L1 C/A code signal consists of twenty C/A code periods. Therefore, the phase of the received signal may be inverted every twenty ms due to the data bit modulation. In general, the maximum correlation duration is 10 ms if the information of data bit stream (including the bit timing and data bit values) is not available. The integration block 124 in FIG. 2 shows a form of coherent correlation, —of which the performance is limited by the data bit phase transition. This limitation can be removed by using incoherent correlation, which accumulates the squared coherent correlation values to extend the correlation duration. In one implementation, the receiver processor 110 uses the correlator output signals, IE, IP, IL, QE, QP and QL, to perform incoherent correlation. In another implementation, a hardware block is used to perform incoherent correlation and informs the receiver processor 110 to process the results. In any form of the correlation, the receiver processor 110 must control the start time of the correlation to maximize the output SNR.
In general, the receiver processor 110 adjusts the start time point of the correlation to match the data bit edge of the received signal in order to maximize the output SNR of the hardware correlator. When one of the correlators CH1˜CHn completes its correlation, the receiver processor 110 is interrupted to process the correlation result. The correlation duration for each satellite signal may be different. For example, we can use shorter correlation time to acquire a stronger signal rapidly. On the other hand, a weaker signal requires longer correlation time to improve the SNR at the correlator output. Furthermore, the times of arrival (TOA) of all the satellite signals are different. Therefore, the respective channel correlators complete their correlations at different time points. The receiver processor 110 will require an extremely high interrupt rate for processing each finished correlation instantly if it allows the start time points of correlations of different satellite signals to match the satellite's TOA. This is because the start time points and the end time points of correlations of different satellite signals are different. In order to simplify the design and reduce the interrupt rate of the receiver processor 110, the start time point of a correlation is usually limited. For example, the PRN code in the GPS L1 C/A signal and the SBAS signal is one ms in length. However, one data bit in L1 C/A signal comprises twenty C/A code periods and is twenty ms in length. One data symbol in the SBAS signal comprises two C/A code periods and is two ms in length. One of the proper designs of the receiver processor 110, which can track GPS L1 C/A and SBAS signals at the same time, is to use an interrupt rate of 1 KHz and common dump architecture. That is, the correlators are allowed to dump their correlation values to the receiver processor 110 at the predefined time points, which are one ms apart. Although the start time point of the local signal replica cannot match the TOA of the received signal exactly (the maximum absolute error is 0.5 ms), it is easy to design and control the receiver.
As mentioned previously, the integration and dump operation of the correlator is commonly controlled by a receiver processor 110 for all or several channels, that is, the beginning and end of the integration window (correlation window) are limited to the predefined time points. The integration window may not match the waveform of the incoming signal and may generate a maximum of mismatch error equal to 0.5 ms. This is not so bad for a GPS L1 C/A signal, for which an information element (i.e. a date bit) comprises twenty ms. However, for a SBAS signal (each data symbol comprising 2 ms), this is a serious problem.

Method and apparatus for determining boundaries of information elements


In the present invention, in an image output apparatus having a specific resolution, a micro normal random number or a blue noise is synthesized in threshold matrix having a plurality of half-tone centers, having an equal interval between half-tone centers in most vicinity, and having lattice elements addressable at a rational tangent angle, wherein a growth order among half-tones is defined in a defined periodic order.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing method and an image processing apparatus capable of enhancing a quality of an image output by an image output device represented by a color printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an image forming apparatus (image output apparatus) of an electrophotographic system has been represented by a laser printer or the like which changes intensity of a laser beam based on digitized image data to reproduce gradation, and put to practical use. Further, in the image forming apparatus of the electrophotographic system, resolution of an output image has been enhanced, and a resolution of 600 dots per inch (dpi), 1200 (dpi) can be obtained. In the image forming apparatus of the electrophoto-graphic system, an apparatus capable of outputting a color image by arrangement of a plurality of image forming units corresponding to color components color-decomposed in accordance with subtractive primaries or repetition of an image forming process has been put to practical use.
In general, when displaying (outputting) the color image and handling image data of signal processing, an RGB system is utilized in a monitor or the like which is a part of a computer, and a CMY system or a CMYBk system to which a black signal is independently added to CMY is utilized in a printer or the like.
In an image output apparatus represented by the printer or the like, to reproduce a half-tone image, pseudo gradation (half-toning) processes such as a dither process by the use of a threshold matrix and a concentration pattern process are utilized. In this type of pseudo gradation process, binary dot on/off outputs are controlled in a certain micro area with a pixel unit or a unit obtained by further dividing a pixel to thereby represent gradation with a unit area of a portion in which dots are on (present) (area gradation).
To output the color image, in the area gradation, four colors of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk) or three colors of C, M, Y are repeated, and finally superimposed on an output medium. A subtle color gradation image can be reproduced by this method. It is to be noted that, in many cases, Bk obtained by superimposing three colors of C, M, Y has a color characteristic different from that of ideal Bk. Therefore, in the color image output apparatus of the electrophotographic system, in many cases, Bk is independently added to three colors C, M, Y.
Documents, graphics, photographs and the like prepared or edited by a host computer, a personal computer and the like are converted into page description languages (PDL) such as postscript and PCL language. The converted documents, graphics, photographs and the like are supplied to the image output apparatus via relay means such as LAN and centronics.
In the image output apparatus, the language input in a controller section in an image processing apparatus disposed inside the image output apparatus or independently is interpreted, and developed into raster data correlated with a position of an actual output image (development process (RIP (process)) from the postscript or PCL language into the raster data is performed).
In general, during the RIP (process), as image data output from the controller section, image data having a gradation reproduction capability adapted to a printing capability of the output apparatus is output at 1 bit to 7 bits per pixel (color). In the RIP of 1 bit or low bit, the bit is compressed in a half-toning process section in the controller section (a compression process of the bit is performed). In the 8 bits RIP (process), the bit is not compressed in the half-toning process section of the controller section, and the gradation is reproduced by modulation (pulse width modulation or power modulation) of the intensity of the laser beam on the side of an engine (output apparatus). From a viewpoint of image quality, in principle, when the number of bits of the RIP increases, there is a high possibility that a high-quality image can be reproduced.
Various systems have heretofore been proposed as an algorithm of the half-toning process which largely influences the image quality. The algorithm of the half-toning process is largely classified into AM modulation (periodic modulation) and FM modulation (frequency modulation). In the AM modulation, a size of a half-tone dot having a basic size is modulated with a given period, angle, and shape for each gradation, and the gradation is reproduced. The FM modulation is a system in which an average distance between the half-tone dots each having a magnitude (size) fixed for each gradation is changed to reproduce the gradation. A broadly known error diffusion process is also regarded as one type of FM modulation in some case.
When these methods are applied to the image output apparatus of the electrophotographic system, the following problems occur.
In the image forming apparatus of the electrophotographic system, it is difficult to form a single pixel (e.g., 600 dpi) in a stable state equal to the resolution of a printer (one dot of 600 dpi is reproduced with the printer of 2400 dpi). Therefore, it is known that the image is degraded with use of the dither matrix of the FM modulation type. Therefore, in many image forming apparatuses of the electrophotographic systems, a method has been broadly adopted in which the area gradation is reproduced by a unit obtained by integrating a plurality of pixels using the dither matrix of the AM modulation type. It is to be noted that various methods exist in the form of round dots type, line screen type, chain type as the dither of the AM modulation type. However, the methods are essentially the same in that a plurality of dots are fixed in an arbitrary direction to reproduce the gradation.
Here, to enhance a pseudo gradation number with respect to an arbitrary image to such an extent that the image is visually satisfactory, a basic size of a half-tone dot in the threshold matrix may be set to be large. However, the larger the basic size of the half-tone dot is, the lower the resolution becomes. That is, the resolution disagrees with the gradation in the half-toning process. Therefore, when the half-toning process is performed, and when the gradation is of a satisfactory degree, the image quality is greatly degraded in an edge portion of drawings having the gradation in the image and/or line-like images indicating resolution information.
The resolution which can be output by the image forming apparatus of the electrophotographic system is about 1200 dpi at maximum. This resolution is very low as compared with the printer or the like having a resolution of several thousand dpi. Therefore, to prepare the half-tone dot and reproduce the gradation with respect to an arbitrary angle and line number (about 100 to 200 lines per inch), there is an excessively large geometric restriction, thus the resolution is not suitable for practical use.
It is possible to forcibly prepare a screen while ignoring a geometric position error in digital calculation (development into the raster data). However, when the half-toning is performed using the threshold matrix prepared by the above-described method broadly used in the printing method in the image forming apparatus of the electrophotographic system, many textures are generated with an arbitrary gradation. When many textures are generated due to the influence of many geometric errors of half-tone centers in positions on a two-dimensional plane of an image output onto a final output medium, the textures are visually conspicuous, and a granularity increases (the image quality deteriorates).
As methods for enhancing precision in forming the half-tone dot and visually satisfying the gradation, U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,599 and Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-234900 are known.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,599, a square tile is used for preparing a screen whose angle or line number are closely approximated. A tile parameter (of the square tile) determines the number of half-tone dots included in the tile, and places of the dots. The half-tone dot centers are virtual, in that they are not necessarily positioned on lattices of the images output by the printer. The (virtual) half-tone dot center is used for producing the threshold matrix. That is, when the half-tone dot (virtual) grows from the vicinity of the center of the half-tone dot in the process of calculation of the threshold matrix, the half-tone dot is prepared in the dot position on the output device. In other words, the threshold matrix is set in such a manner that the dot position of the output image formed by the output device is superimposed upon a virtual center position of the half-tone dot. At this time, the dot growth (on the output device) is dithered in order to foresee a level at which coverage (superimposition of the dot position upon the virtual center position) more easily occurs. Therefore, the half-tone dot is not synchronized with the dot growth (on the output device). Instead, the respective half-tone dots are independently grown in a predetermined order.
In Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-234900, and in the ordering described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,599, a second virtual half-tone dot center is used, and set to be asymmetric with respect to a periodic duplicate of the first virtual half-tone dot center. In another example, an aggregated distance function is used in the ordering from the virtual half-tone dot center in each virtual half-tone dot center. The aggregated distance function is calculated by using each distance obtained by raising a sum of inverse numbers of distances to the respective virtual half-tone dot centers which have not been already included to a positive power. It has been reported that, in this case, the virtual half-tone dot center having one of minimum values of the sum of the inverse numbers is selected as the next virtual half-tone dot center during the ordering. It has been described as a further example that to define the virtual half-tone dot center of a color different from one selected color, the aggregated distance function used in obtaining the center of the virtual half-tone dot of the selected color is used. Thus, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,599 and Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-234900, the problems of the restriction on a geometric shape and the generation of the textures are avoided by a technique referred to as the virtual half-tone dot.
However, in the image forming apparatus of the electrophotographic system, whose outputtable resolution is about 1200 dpi at maximum, phase shifts caused by digital restrictions on a two-dimensional space by the virtual half-tone dots described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,599 and Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-234900 cannot be ignored. Therefore, there has been a problem that the subtle periodic shift of the half-tone dot center is visually detected, and roughness or granularity of the image is recognized.

Method and apparatus for processing of half-tone image


The present invention may be regarded as a disk drive comprising a disk having a plurality tracks, each track comprising a plurality of data sectors. If an error occurs while attempting to read one of the data sectors, a retry operation is executed in an attempt to recover the errant data sector. Averaged read data is generated over multiple retry operations, and the averaged read data processed to recover the errant data sector. In one embodiment, the averaged read data comprises an averaged binary sequence detected over multiple retry operations. In another embodiment, the averaged read data comprises averaged read signal sample values generated over multiple retry operations.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to disk drives for computer systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a disk drive employing data averaging techniques during retry operations to facilitate data recovery.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Disk drives typically employ an error recovery procedure for recovering an errant data sector when an error occurs during a read operation. If the anomaly which caused the read error is transient, the data sector may be successfully recovered by rereading the data sector during a retry operation. Otherwise if the anomaly is static, the data sector may be recovered by varying selected parameters in the disk drive during the retry operation. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,188,538 discloses a disk drive which induces an offset into the servo tracking algorithm during the retry operation in order to improve the likelihood of recovering an errant data sector. In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,721,816 discloses a disk drive which adapts parameters of a read channel, such as equalizer coefficients, during retry operations. In yet another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,549 discloses a disk drive comprising a raw samples buffer for buffering the samples of the read signal in memory. During retry operations, the read signal samples buffered in memory are processed in multiple passes while adjusting various read channel parameters which overcomes the rotational latency of the disk. However, further enhancing the retry operation improves the likelihood of recovering an errant data sector.
There is, therefore, a need to improve the retry operation of a disk drive in order to further improve the likelihood of recovering errant data sectors.

Disk drive employing data averaging techniques during retry operations to facilitate data recovery


An arrangement is provided for fastening an element on a support surface. The arrangement includes a rail having a lower face, an upper face and a protruding part having a C-profile, the lower face coming into contact with the support surface; a substantially rectangular mounting part having a base plate which defines a lower face and an upper face, the upper face including an anchor; and an element (e.g., siding strip) to be fastened. The element has a lower face including at least one recess arranged to engage with the anchor of the mounting part. The C-profile is open on the upper-face side and defines a profile width and a profile height, and the C-profile is configured to slideably receive the mounting part therein. The rail comprises a toothed surface extending on its upper-face. The mounting part includes at least one stop on the upper face of the base plate.

The present invention belongs to the field of fastening visible elements on planar surfaces. External flat roofs or facades are commonly made from boards, for example wooden strips, installed on a framework which in particular is made up of wall plates previously fastened to the floor or to the wall.
At present there are wooden siding systems, known as tongue and groove systems, without open joints between the siding strips. Systems of this type propose a method involving wall plates fastened on watertight insulation (generally a rubber-like web) on which the siding boards are fastened by nailing into tongues provided for this purpose. The adjacent board fits into the tongue via a groove specially profiled for this purpose. As the sidings are insufficiently ventilated, rot usually begins to set in and damages the support structure of the siding.
Other systems for invisible fastening with open joints have similar problems. Improved ventilation of the sidings is ensured by the open joints between the siding boards. Nevertheless, the fastenings are made from profiled grooves on the sides of the boards, which causes rainwater to collect, promoting rot and the proliferation of algae and insects on the structure. The wood may also buckle since, owing to capillary action, the finishing board touches the siding which is full of the moisture which enters the wood. This causes the hygrometry on the lower face of the finishing board to increase in relation to the upper face, which causes the surface wooden strips to sag and become less aesthetically pleasing.
The object of the present invention is to remedy at least some of the negative aspects present in the prior art.


A printing system and method is provided incorporating inverter assemblies for not only selectively inverting media during transport through the system but also to register the media and provide a velocity buffer transport. The selective inverter assemblies include the capability to optionally deskew the media and provide lateral registration corrections. The inverter assembly nip rollers are sufficiently spaced from process drive nip rollers to decouple a document in the inverter assembly from the highway paths. The method comprises combining the inverting function selectively with registering, velocity buffering, and sequencing functions.

The present exemplary embodiments relate to media (e.g., document or paper) handling systems and systems for printing thereon and is especially applicable for a printing system comprising a plurality of associated xerographic devices or marking engines.
Printing systems including a plurality of marking engines are known and have been generally referred to as tandem engine printers or cluster printing systems. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,246. Such systems especially facilitate expeditious duplex printing (both sides of a document are printed) with the first side of a document being printed by one of the marking engines and the other side of the document being printed by another so that parallel printing of sequential documents can occur. The process path for the document usually requires an inversion of the document (the leading edge is reversed to become the trailing edge) to facilitate printing on the back side of the document. Inverter systems are well known and essentially comprise an arrangement of nip wheels or rollers which receive the document by extracting it from a main process path, then direct it back on to the process path after a 180° flip so that what had been the trailing edge of the document now leaves the inverter as the leading edge along the main process path. Inverters are thus fairly simple in their functional result; however, complexities occur as the printing system is required to handle different sizes and types of documents and where the marking engines themselves are arranged in a parallel printing system to effect different types of printing, e.g., black only printing versus color or custom color printing.
As a document is transported along its process path through the system, the document's precise position must be known and controlled. The adjustment of the documents to desired positions for accurate printing is generally referred to as a registering process and the apparatus used to achieve the process are known as registration systems. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,304, which is incorporated herein by reference. Precision registration systems generally comprise nip wheels in combination with document position sensors whereby the position information is used for feedback control of the nip wheels to adjust the document to the desired position. It can be appreciated that many registration systems require some release mechanism from the media handling path upstream of the nip registration wheels so that the wheels can freely effect whatever adjustment is desired. This requires a relatively long and expensive upstream paper handling path. In parallel printing systems using multiple marking engines, the required registration systems also adds to the overall media path length. As the number of marking engines increases, there is a corresponding increase in the associated inverting and registering systems. As these systems may be disposed along the main process path, the machine size and paper path reliability are inversely affected by the increased length of the paper path required to effectively release the documents for registration. Lateral paper registration requirements for containerized marking engines are challenging due to the need to accommodate both edge-registered and center-registered marking engines.
Another disadvantageous complexity especially occurring in parallel printing systems is the required change in the velocity of the media/document and/or desired sequencing, as it is transported through the printing system. As the document is transported through feeding, marking, and finishing components of a parallel printing system, the process speed along the media path can vary to a relatively high speed for transport along a highway path, but must necessarily be slowed for some operations, such as entering the transfer/marking system apparatus. Effective apparatus for buffering such required velocity changes and/or re-sequencing of the media also requires an increase in the main process path to accommodate document acceleration, deceleration, and sequencing between the different sections of the process path.
Especially for parallel printing systems, architectural innovations which effectively shorten the media process path, enhance the process path reliability and reduce overall machine size are highly desired. Additionally, it is desirable to have inverters that can do more than simply invert paper, for example, translate, deskew, buffer, re-sequence, and/or return media to a process path (inverted or non-inverted).
In normal operation, sheets will be fed into the high speed highway and taken off to either be printed or to be sent to a finishing device. Depending upon the arrangement of marking engines used, a sheet could travel a significant distance before it is diverted off the highway. Given the fact that sheet registration degradation is likely proportional to length of paper path traveled, it is believed that the sheet may have a significant amount of mis-registration by the time it exits the highway. At this point, the only registration devices are those currently designed into the input inverters.


An information-processing apparatus comprises an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about a communication-method type from a display device connected to the information-processing apparatus, a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the display device is adapted to receive data on digital contents by using a predetermined copyright-protection technology based on the communication-method-type information, a conversion unit configured to convert an image quality of the digital contents based on the determination result, and an output unit configured to transmit the converted digital contents to the display device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information-processing apparatus, an information-processing method, a program, and a storage medium, and particularly relates to an information-processing apparatus, an information-processing method, a program, and a storage medium that are adapted to provide digital contents of an appropriate quality while protecting the copyright of the digital contents.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, tuners for digital broadcasts (digital tuners) have been widely available, as a preparation for the change of the TV broadcast system, namely, from an analog-TV-broadcast system to a digital-TV-broadcast system. Further, high-quality (high-resolution) images (contents) have been increasingly provided via the digital broadcasts.
However, since the contents provided via the digital broadcasts are generated, as digital data, the contents can be easily copied by using a personal computer (PC). Namely, the contents provided via the digital broadcasts may be illegally copied. Therefore, contents-protection technologies including high-bandwidth digital contents protection (HDCP) or the like have been developed, so as to protect the copyright of high-quality digital contents. The HDCP technology allows encoding pixel data on the output side and decoding the encoded pixel data on the input side, so as to prevent high-quality video data, high-quality speech data, and so forth from being illegally copied in their original state.
Further, where digital contents are transmitted from a tuner to a display device including a monitor, a display, and so forth that do not support HDCP, it is stipulated that the resolution (image quality) of the digital contents should be reduced to a predetermined level (e.g., 525 p) or lower based on the association-of-radio-industries-and-businesses (ARIB) standard or the like, so as to protect the copyright of the digital contents.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-261959 proposes a system wherein a moving image is recorded by a PC including a digital tuner, synthesized on a screen, and transmitted to a display device so that the display device produces the moving image.

Information-processing apparatus, information-processing method, program, and storage medium


A sheet discriminator, which can be included in an image forming apparatus, includes an optical information detector, a sheet distinguisher, and a sheet thickness detector. The optical information detector includes a light emitter to emit light to a recording medium and a light receiver to receive the light and detects information of the recording medium. The sheet distinguisher distinguishes a type of the recording medium based on the information detected by the optical information detector. The sheet thickness detector includes a displacement gauge to sandwich the recording medium with an opposing member disposed facing the displacement gauge and to move from an initial position thereof and a displacement detector to detect an amount of displacement of the displacement gauge. The sheet thickness detector detects a thickness of the recording medium based on detection results obtained by the displacement detector.

Technical Field
This disclosure relates to a sheet discriminator to discriminate sheet types, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet discriminator.
Related Art
In known image forming processes, to achieve higher printing quality, an image forming apparatus automatically discriminates sheet types and sets image forming conditions according to the detected sheet type.
An example of an image forming apparatus shows a configuration in which a sheet discriminator is disposed inside the image forming apparatus to discriminate information of a sheet being conveyed in a sheet conveying path.
This sheet discriminator includes an optical sensor that has a light emitting element and a light receiving element therein to function as a sheet information detector to detect information of a sheet. The light emitting element of the sheet information detector emits light to a surface of a sheet. Among the light emitted by the light emitting element, the light reflected on the surface of the sheet is received by a reflection light receiving element that is disposed at a position that can receive the reflected light and the light transmitted through the surface of the sheet is received by a transmission light receiving element that is received at a position that can receive the transmitted light.
Specifically, the sheet information detector causes the light emitting element to emit light to a sheet that is conveyed via a sheet conveying path and causes the reflection light receiving element to receive the light reflected on the sheet and the transmission light receiving element to receive the light transmitted through the sheet, so that the sheet information detector can detect sheet information based on optical information including a light amount of the received light.
Accordingly, based on the sheet information thus detected by the sheet information detector, a controller that functions as a sheet distinguisher to distinguish the sheet types, the image forming apparatus sets the image forming conditions according to the sheet type.
The sheet information detected by the sheet information detector includes glossiness of the sheet based on the reflected light received by the reflection light receiving element, thickness of the sheet based on the transmitted light received by the transmission light receiving element, and so forth. Based on the sheet information detected as described above, a controller that is a sheet distinguisher distinguishes a type of the sheet so as to set image forming conditions according to the respective types of the sheets.

Sheet discriminator and image forming apparatus incorporating the sheet discriminator


The present invention is a martial arts training device. The present invention comprises a post member supported within a cylindrical shape base member that is firmly implanted below ground level. The post member extends vertically upward from the base member to a predetermined height above ground level. A ball target member is releasably connected to a swivel joint connector. A rope is used to releasably tether the swivel joint connector to a cap firmly affixed to the top end of the post member. The loop design of the rope also reduces long term fraying. When hitting and kicking the ball target member, the swivel joint connector allows free rotation of the ball target member thereby preventing rope encumberment. The increased mass and free spinning nature of the swivel joint connector increases inertia, reduces sporadic behavior, and increases stability in the ball target member.

The present invention relates to martial arts training devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for training a martial artist to punch or kick.
Several inventions for practicing martial arts have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,764 disclose a device for training a martial artist to kick. The device includes a cylindrical body attached to an elongated pole supported by a T-shaped base member. However, the present invention has specific novel features that are not disclosed in the prior art.


Targeted disruption of a specific gene and its subsequent restoration in obligate intracellular bacteria remains extremely challenging due to their absolute requirement for residence inside a host cell to replicate. Here, targeted allelic exchange mutations were created to inactivate two genes and then to restore one of the two genes of a rickettsial pathogen, Ehrlichia chaffeensis. These methods were then also successfully utilized in Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma phagocyophilum. The resultant mutated pathogens are useful in immunogenic compositions for reducing the incidence of or severity of infection with ricksettsial pathogens.

Disrupting specific gene function and subsequent restoration of its activity in obligate intracellular bacteria remains extremely challenging due to their absolute requirement for residence inside a host cell to replicate. Here, we created targeted mutations by allelic exchange in two genes and genetically complemented one gene of the rickettsial pathogen Ehrlichia chaffeensis. In principle, this approach can be applied to other obligate intracellular bacteria and will enable structure-function analyses routinely done in intracellular bacteria. The method is also applicable in generating attenuated strains of obligate intracellular bacteria, which will be valuable in serving as live vaccine candidates.
Obligate intracellular bacteria (hereafter "obligates") are responsible for causing diseases in millions of people worldwide. They include many pathogenic Gram-negatives of the orders Rickettsiales and Chlamydiales. Lack of an efficient system for targeted mutagenesis in Rickettsiales and Chlamydiales of the genera Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, Rickettsia, Neorickettssia, Orientia and Chlamydia remains a major impediment in understanding microbial pathogenesis and in defining the functional significance of many bacterial genes. Chlamydiales and Rickettsiales have undergone extreme genome reductions where the majority of genes for each pathogen may be critical for their intracellular growth. Thus, obligate intracellular bacteria depend on their hosts to fill in the deficiencies resulting from genome reductions. Consistent with this hypothesis, prior studies demonstrate that nearly 74-92% of the predicted genes in Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, Rickettsia, Neorickettsia, and Chlamydia species are transcriptionally active during bacterial replication in the host cells of vertebrates and vectors. Challenges in creating targeted mutations may be attributed to the essential nature of a gene selected for mutagenesis, intracellular replication dependence and the lack of methods to support extracellular growth. Despite the success in generating random mutations using transposon mutagenesis, generating targeted mutations in specific genes of interest followed by complementation is problematic and is also a highly sought-after goal for obligates.

Targeted gene disruption methods and immunogenic compositions

Kansas State University Research Foundation


A control/monitor signal transmission system that employs a transmission synchronization scheme in which a master station connected to a single control unit and a plurality of slave stations corresponding to a plurality of controlled apparatuses synchronize with each other through a transmission clock and data is transmitted therebetween over a common data signal line, a transmission line disconnection detection method that enables a disconnection of a transmission line to be detected precisely; and a slave station that is used for this method. A continuous pulse signal that the master station outputs to the common data signal line is provided with a management data region that includes a plurality of pulse signals and that differs from a control/monitor data region including data of a control data signal and data of a monitor data signal.

In a control system comprising a single control unit and a plurality of controlled apparatuses (including: a controlled part for operating in accordance with an instruction from the control unit; and a sensor part for sending information to the control unit), a technique for decreasing the number of wires, or so-called simplification, has been widely performed. As a typical technique for the simplification, a method has been widely employed, in which a master station and a plurality of slave stations that have a conversion function of parallel and serial signals are connected to a control unit and a plurality of controlled apparatuses, respectively, whereby data is sent and received between the master station and the slave stations through a serial signal, instead of parallel connection by which individual signal lines extending from the controlled apparatuses are directly connected to the control unit.
In realizing the simplification with many slave stations connected, if a location of a disconnection cannot be identified from the side of a control unit, it is necessary to check the wiring of each slave station positioned far away from the control unit. In this case, there needs to be a lot of steps to identify a location of a disconnection.
Accordingly, there is proposed a method of confirming a disconnection on the side of slave stations from the side of a control unit. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. S62-173830 discloses a disconnection detection method for a time-division multiplex transmission system, in which: a plurality of terminal parts with a preset address are connected to a single master part via a common signal line; and the master part sequentially transmits transmission signals while cyclically changing the designated addresses and receives return signals from the designated terminal parts. In this disconnection detection method, when the master part detects that a state of being unable to receive the return signal from any terminal part is continuously generated over a predetermined number of transmission cycles, the occurrence of a disconnection of single line is judged.
This disconnection detection method employs, as a scheme for transmitting or receiving data between a plurality of apparatuses, a command scheme in which a partner for sending or receiving data (slave station) is designated by data for identifying the partner (address data). This command scheme can be employed even in a simplification system in which data is sent and received through a serial signal. However, the command scheme has a problem that the transmission efficiency is reduced when the amount of command data (address data) exceeds that of data for a transmission purpose. In order to increase the transmission efficiency of a serial signal, a transmission synchronization scheme may be preferred in which data is sent and received through a monitor signal and a control signal sequentially sent in a pulse cycle that does not contain address data. In the simplification techniques, the command scheme and the transmission synchronization scheme are selectively used depending on an application. Even for systems employing the transmission synchronization scheme, there is proposed a method of confirming a disconnection on the side of slave stations, from the side of a control unit.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H07-099503 discloses a data transmission apparatus that can easily identify a location of an abnormality in a transmission path. In this data transmission apparatus, each terminal part is provided with answer means. This answer means outputs a confirmation signal to an end region of pulse signals in one cycle to be transmitted to a single line when a count value in a cycle counter for the slave station becomes a preset value assigned thereto. Then, abnormality detection means connected to the signal line determines the presence or absence of the confirmation signal that corresponds to the count value in the cycle counter thereof and that is transmitted from the answer means of any terminal part. If the confirmation signal is present, the abnormality detection means determines that there is no connection abnormality in the terminal part corresponding to the counter value, and outputs a check signal to the end region of the pulse signals in one cycle to be transmitted to the signal line. If the confirmation signal is absent, the abnormality detection means determines that there is a connection abnormality in the terminal part corresponding to the counter value, and does not output the check signal. This enables a master part to detect a disconnection.
Moreover, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H09-084155 discloses, in a control/monitor system which includes a single primary station and one or more secondary stations branch-connected to the primary station; controls the secondary stations by transmitting control signals sent out from the primary station to the secondary stations; and transmits a monitor signal containing a state of each secondary station to the primary station, a technique that enables the central primary station to detect a location of an abnormality, and to detect a disconnection even when a transmission cable is branched, thereby identifying states of apparatuses, such as a controlled part, a sensor part, and the like, at the center. In the system disclosed in this document, each frame sent out from the primary station includes a start signal with a long period of a power source voltage level, a data signal, a signal of an identification code (ID code) of each secondary station, and an end signal, and these frames are sequentially sent out while the ID codes are changed by turns. In each secondary station, an ID cord assigned to the secondary station and a counter value indicating a sending/receiving address of data are preset. If this ID cord matches that received from the primary station, each secondary station generates an end response at a timing of the end signal. In response, the primary station stores the end response from a corresponding one of the secondary stations, and records the configuration of the secondary stations.

Transmission line disconnection detection method and slave station used for the method


An optical semiconductor device, includes: a plurality of first diffraction grating layers disposed at a spacing from each other along first direction above first semiconductor layer, length of a lower surface of each of a plurality of first diffraction gratings along first direction being longer than a length of an upper surface of first diffraction grating; second diffraction grating layer disposed along first direction above first semiconductor layer, first and second diffraction grating layers being alternately disposed at a spacing from each other, a length of an upper surface of second diffraction grating layer along first direction being longer than the length of a lower surface of second diffraction layer; a diffraction grating including first and second diffraction grating layers; a second semiconductor layer disposed between first and second diffraction grating layers and under second diffraction grating layer; and third semiconductor layer disposed on first and second diffraction grating layers.

Optical devices that include a diffraction grating are known in the field of optoelectronics, such as certain types of optical filters, optical couplers, distributed-feedback (DFB) semiconductor lasers, and distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) lasers.
In wavelength controlling semiconductor lasers or wavelength-tunable semiconductor lasers that have a diffraction grating, such as DFB and DBR semiconductor lasers, for example, parameters such as the period, shape and depth of the diffraction grating greatly affect laser characteristics such as the coupling coefficient and lasing threshold. Therefore, it is important to fabricate a precise diffraction grating in a highly controllable manner.
A commonly used method for fabricating diffraction gratings involves two steps: forming a photoresist mask patterned in the shape of a grating and etching the regions that are not covered with the mask.
Widely used methods for forming the grating pattern photoresist are electron beam (EB) exposure and holographic exposure.
To expose a photoresist by the EB exposure, first the photoresist is applied onto a silicon oxide film formed on a compound semiconductor film and is baked. Then the photoresist is irradiated with an electron beam to form a striped grating latent image having a period Λ on the photoresist.
The electron beam used in the EB exposure is produced by focusing a stream of electrons emitted from an electron gun through the use of a lens. The shape, size and deflection position are controlled with optics such as a deflector, electron lens, and aperture.
To expose a photoresist by the holographic exposure, first the photoresist is applied onto a silicon oxide film formed on a compound semiconductor film and is baked. Then the photoresist is irradiated with laser beams from two directions to form a latent image of a holographic pattern.
The period Λ of the holographic pattern is Λ=λ/2 sin θ, where θ is the incident angle of the two laser beams and λ is the wavelength. For example, an Ar laser having a wavelength λ of 351 or a He—Cd laser having a wavelength λ of 325 nm is used for the exposure. With such a laser, a first-order diffraction grating used in a DFB semiconductor laser having an emission wavelength in a 1.3 μm band or of 1.55 μm may be readily and reproductively fabricated.
The latent image of the photoresist formed by any of these exposure methods is developed to form a visible image, which is used as resist mask having a grating pattern. Regions in the silicon oxide film that are exposed in the resist mask are etched into a grating pattern by dry etching, for example.
The grating-patterned silicon oxide film is used as a mask in etching of the compound semiconductor film. Regions of the compound semiconductor film that are exposed in the grating-patterned silicon oxide film are etched to form a diffraction grating having periodic grooves and ridges having a period Λ.
Recently compact and high modulation red, green and blue lasers are needed for micro projection displays. Semiconductor lasers of red and blue wavelength bands among the three primary color bands are commercially available, but a semiconductor laser that emits light of a green wavelength band, for example a wavelength of 532 nm, has not been made commercially available.
Therefore, a device including an excitation light source of a wavelength in a 1.06 μm band and a second harmonic generation (SHG) device is commonly used as a green-light emitter. In that case, a DFB or DBR semiconductor laser, for example, is used as the excitation light source. Fundamental laser light emitted from such a semiconductor laser is converted to laser light having a ½ wavelength through the SHG device.
The period Λ of a first-order diffraction grating formed in a waveguide of the DFB or DBR semiconductor laser used in the green light emitter is 158 nm.
EB exposure may be used to form the diffraction grating having a period Λ of 158 nm. However, the EB exposure involves scanning with an electron beam as many times as the number of rulings of the diffraction grating, requesting long exposure time per substrate. Therefore, a diffraction grating fabrication method that uses the EB exposure does not lend itself to volume production.
In contrast, the holographic exposure requests a short exposure time. However, the period Λ of the diffraction grating that may be fabricated is restricted by the wavelength of laser light used for exposure and is also affected by the numerical aperture (NA) of the optical system of exposure equipment. The period Λ of repetition of grooves and ridges of the first-order diffraction grating that may be fabricated is 175 nm at the shortest. Therefore, it is difficult to form a latent image of a first-order diffraction grating having a period of approximately 158 nm by the holographic exposure.
It may be contemplated to fabricate a second or higher order diffraction grating by holographic exposure. However, a higher-order diffraction grating has a larger light scattering loss and therefore lower emission efficiency. Therefore it is difficult to improve laser characteristics with holographic exposure. As is appreciated, a second-order diffraction grating has a period 2Λ twice the period Λ of a first-order grating.
There is a known method for fabricating a first-order diffraction grating constituting a short-wavelength DFB or DBR semiconductor laser made of a GaAs-based material as described below.
A holographic exposure method and a process such as wet etching with a H2SO4-based etchant are used to form a second-order diffraction grating having a period 2Λ on an optical waveguide made of p-AlGaAs.
Then a light absorbing layer is formed on multiple ridges in the diffraction grating while at the same time a light absorbing layer is formed on the bottom of grooves between the ridges. The light absorbing layers are used as a first-order diffraction grating having a period Λ.    [Patent document 1] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2008-218996    [Patent document 2] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2000-019316    [Patent document 3] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 09-186394

Optical semiconductor device and method for fabricating the optical semiconductor device


A conveying apparatus is disclosed for conveying a food product having a wide variety of sizes and propelling the food product through a stationary knife assembly to cut the food product into discrete pieces. During the conveying of the food product, and elongated food product will be oriented such that its longer dimension is generally parallel to the conveyers before it encounters the cutting apparatus. The conveying apparatus utilizes a pair of endless belt conveyers oriented such that a run of one conveyer is located adjacent to a run of the other conveyer in order to grip a food product between the facing runs of the endless belt conveyers. A drive mechanism drives both of the endless belt conveyers at substantially the same speed so as to propel the food product through the stationary knife assembly. The conveying apparatus automatically adjusts to accommodate a wide variety of food product sizes by way of a spring-biased system acting on one or both of the facing conveyer runs.

The present invention relates to a conveying apparatus for conveying food products of varying sizes into a stationary cutting knife for cutting the food products into discrete pieces. More particularly, the invention relates to a conveying apparatus that will not only convey food products of varying sizes, but will also properly orient elongated food products while conveying them to the cutting apparatus.
Devices for cutting or slicing food products into discrete pieces of various shapes and sizes are well known in the art. One such known cutting devices is a "water gun" or hydraulic cutting system that is particularly used for cutting food products, such as potatoes, into slabs or strips. The hydraulic cutting system pumps a mixture of water and the food product to be cut through a pipe such that the product is propelled at a high rate of speed and caused to impact against a stationary cutting knife assembly which cuts the food product into the desired size portions. The resulting mixture of water and cut food product is then discharged and the food product is separated from the water. Water guns are capable of propelling the water and the food product through the knife assembly at a high production rate.
The stationary knife assembly utilized in a typical water gun device has a cutting head block to which is secured a plurality of elongated knife elements in parallel pairs such that they are disposed in a staggered relationship with a 90.degree. offset with respect to adjacent pairs of knife elements. The cutting edges of the knife elements collectively define a plurality of rectangularly-shaped boxes for producing strips of food product having corresponding cross-sectional configurations. A conventional water gun system utilizing a stationary knife assembly of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,793 to Fischer et al.
Another type of food product conveying apparatus replaces the water gun with a dual endless belt conveyer that grips the food product between opposing runs of the belts to propel the food product through the stationary knife assembly. The conveyers are guided by stationary belt guides which must be manually adjusted to accommodate food products of varying sizes. This device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,240 to Fischer et al.
Another known apparatus for cutting elongated food products lengthwise into separate strips utilizes a single conveyer onto which the food products are fed and longitudinally aligned by a plurality of through walls. The aligned food product is thereafter conveyed to a rotating knife assembly which slits the food product into strips as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,109,469 to Urschel et al.
Conventional devices for conveying and cutting food products into a plurality of discrete pieces are large and expensive, particularly in the case of a water gun apparatus. Such known devices are also complex in design and often do not have the ability to operate at high production capacities, or to automatically adjust to accommodate a wide variety of food product sizes.

Apparatus for conveying food products of varying sizes