A method in a controller module is described for allocating rate-limiting meters to a plurality of network elements (NEs) of a software defined network (SDN). The method includes receiving a plurality of rate limit indicators, from one or more network destinations, for a plurality of flows of data that arrive at the network destinations; sending one or more meter installation messages to cause a plurality of meter entries corresponding to the plurality of rate limit indicators to be installed by one or more of the NEs according to a metering configuration that is determined by, for each of the flows, selecting a flow of the plurality of flows that has not been selected yet and that traverses a path in the SDN having a fewest number of the plurality of NEs, and selecting a NE from the path that the selected flow traverses to have a meter entry installed.

An insidious aspect of the Internet model is that receivers of data have no control over the resources consumed on their behalf: a host can receive a repetitive stream of packets regardless of whether they are desired. Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks, which exploit this feature of the Internet model, are now a prominent issue due to their ability to disrupt services and communication infrastructure. A DoS attack consumes the resources of a remote host and/or network in an effort to deny the use of those resources to legitimate users. For example, a flooding DoS attack may inundate a victim with so much additional malicious traffic that its network connection or its servers become saturated. The result is a network and/or end-system that is no longer able to respond to normal requests in a timely manner, effectively disabling the service. A variety of DoS attack techniques exist that exploit existing software flaws to cause remote hosts to either crash or significantly degrade in performance. Either upgrading faulty software or filtering particular packet sequences can sometimes prevent such attacks.
In some cases, a single host carrying out a flooding DoS attack can have a devastating effect on a victim. Even more damaging is an attack that is amplified by the use of multiple hosts to launch a coordinated attack against a single victim. This type of attack is called a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack.
DDoS attacks pose an immense threat to the Internet, and many defense mechanisms have been proposed to combat the problem. However, attackers constantly modify their tools to bypass these security systems, and researchers in turn need to modify their approaches to handle new attacks.
Early work in the area of DoS (and DDoS) attack mitigation sought to make all sources of traffic identifiable, e.g., ingress filtering discards packets with widely spoofed addresses at the edge of the network, and traceback involves maintaining state so that receivers can reconstruct the path of unwanted traffic.
Although DDoS attacks can sometimes have predictable effects, it is still difficult to mitigate them. One group of methods is on establishing a framework so that the attack cannot block legitimate users from accessing resources. These techniques may include authorizing only legitimate users to access protected servers and applying packet filters in routers to drop spoofed Internet Protocol (IP) packets.
A different tactic is to configure a network to limit communication to previously established patterns, e.g., by giving legitimate hosts an offline authenticator that permits these hosts to send to specific destinations. However, this approach does not protect public servers (e.g., www.google.com) that are in general unable to arrange an offline authenticator for legitimate senders prior to communication.
Another solution is to limit host communication patterns to client-server communication only by separating client and server address spaces. The network does not permit any inter-host communication by default, unless a destination explicitly requests to receive from a sender. Both solutions limit DoS attacks to private end hosts, but require additional mechanisms to protect open public servers.
Yet a further solution is to use a DoS prevention and mitigation scrubber box, which integrates complex functionality to detect and mitigate DoS attacks to a network destination. However, such solutions typically lack programmability since the scrubber box is a "black box." This scrubber box also sits at only one location at the network and therefore may introduce additional overhead in the network.
A recent network architecture proposal has drawn significant interests from both academia and industry. In this new architecture, the control plane is decoupled from the forwarding plane and the entire router is built as a distributed system. Such a system may be referred to as a Software Defined Network (SDN). A SDN includes a network-wide control platform, running on one or more servers, which oversees a set of comparatively simple switches or network elements. However, there is currently no method of performing DDoS prevention or mitigation in SDNs.

Denial of service prevention in a software defined network


A provision of a movement direction determination section for determining that a particular direction is a movement direction of the detection target object, in a case where a second comparator determines that larger than a predetermined threshold value is an absolute value of a ratio of (i) a difference between the photocurrent of the at least two light receiving elements to (ii) a sum of a photocurrent of at least two light receiving elements next to each other along the particular direction.

An optical sensor has such functions as (i) a function of detecting a detection target and (ii) a function of detecting, for example, the distance between a detection target and itself. Optical sensors are thus finding applications in an increasingly wide field.
Electronic devices such as a mobile phone (including a smartphone) and a digital camera include a liquid crystal panel for displaying an image. Some models of such electronic devices include a touch panel that allows a user to perform a touch operation on the liquid crystal panel. Further, some mobile phones include, in an audio output section to which the user brings an ear, a proximity sensor mounted for detecting an approach of a human face to the mobile phone. Such a proximity sensor is used to, for example, allow the touch panel to be turned off in a case where a human face approaches the liquid crystal panel. The proximity sensor thus serves to reduce power consumption by the mobile phone and to prevent a malfunction of the touch panel.
In a technical field of a sensor for detecting a movement of an object, there is a demand for use of an optical sensor as, other than a proximity sensor as described above, a gesture sensor for detecting a movement of a human hand. Such a gesture sensor detects a movement of a hand over the touch panel in a noncontact manner. This allows the user to operate the liquid crystal panel so as to scroll screen contents thereon without dirtying the surface of the liquid crystal panel with a wet or dirty hand. A gesture sensor further allows the user to operate the liquid crystal panel normally even in a case where the user wears a glove or the like, in which case the touch panel usually cannot detect a touch operation easily.
Patent Literature 1, for example, discloses a reflective optical sensor as an optical sensor for detecting a movement of an object. This optical sensor, as illustrated in FIG. 9, includes a light emitting element 301 and two light receiving elements 302 and 303, with (i) the light receiving element 302 disposed on one side of the light emitting element 301 and (ii) the light receiving element 303 disposed on the other side thereof. In a case where a detection target object 304 is on the right side, light reflected from the detection target object 304 strikes the light receiving elements 302 and 303 in a large amount. On the other hand, in a case where the detection target object 304 is on the left side, light reflected from the detection target object 304 strikes the light receiving elements 302 and 303 in a large amount. The optical sensor calculates a difference between (i) a photocurrent generated in the light receiving elements 302 and (ii) a photocurrent generated in the light receiving element 303, and thus detects the position and movement of the detection target object 304.
Patent Literature 2 discloses a gesture sensor including optical sensors in multiple segments and a control circuit for processing a current outputted from each optical sensor.


A method for touchless communication between an ATM and a smartglasses device worn by a user is provided. The method may be executed at the smartglasses device. The method may include identifying a current global positioning system (“GPS”) location of the ATM. The method may include communicating with an external database to determine an ATM identifier associated with the ATM. The ATM identifier may include ATM communication data. The method may include transmitting an external smartglasses identifier to the ATM via the ATM communication data. The method may include receiving a communication from the ATM. The communication may include an interactive payment interface. The method may include displaying the interactive payment interface on the smartglasses. The method may include receiving one or more commands from the user. The method may include transmitting the one or more commands from the smartglasses to the ATM.

ATMs are computerized electronic machines configured to perform basic banking functions. Conventional ATMs request physical input and/or physical contact of a banking card or computing device to initiate a transaction. ATMs typically include physical buttons, both dynamic, such as for example on a touch screen, and static, such as for example on a pin pad, to receive user selections. The user may physically depress or touch the buttons to submit a user selection.
There may be various shortcomings associated with physically touching an ATM. One shortcoming may be a security deficiency. A person with malicious intent may place a skimming device on top of an ATM pin pad and/or buttons. A skimming device may be a device that is overlayed on a secure data entry device, such as an ATM pin pad. The skimming device may retrieve confidential information that is tactilely entered onto the secure data entry device. Exemplary confidential information retrieved from a skimming device includes personal identification numbers and biometric fingerprint data.
Recently, it has become increasingly desirable to communicate with public-facing electronic devices using contactless technology. Therefore, the physical contact requirement of ATMs is another shortcoming linked to current ATM technology.
Smartglasses have become more common in recent years. For the purposes of this disclosure, smartglasses may be understood to mean wearable glasses that include one or more internal processors.
It would be desirable for a system that utilizes input received from smartglasses to authenticate a user, preferably when the user is wearing the smartglasses, at an ATM. It would be further desirable for the system to enable the ATM to receive user selections input via the smartglasses. It would be yet further desirable for the system to enable contactless transaction communications between the smartglasses and the ATM.

Smart-glasses based contactless automated teller machine (“ATM”) transaction processing


Applications of a metallized textile. The textile is activated by precipitating noble metal nucleation sites on the fibers of the textile. Immersing the activated textile in a suitably prepared solution of a metal cation, and adding a reducing agent, leads to the formation of a metal plating tightly and intimately bonded to the fibers of the textile. Exposure of the metallized textile to air oxidizes the surface of the metal plating. Applications of the metallized textile include acaricides, fungicides, bactericides, armor, electrodes, anti-static devices, RF shielding, and radar reflectors.

The present invention relates to textiles and, more particularly, to applications of a metallized textile produced by binding a full or partial metal or metal oxide plating to the fibers of a textile.
There are a variety of applications for which a textile with a full or partial metal or metal oxide plating bonded to the fibers thereof would be useful. These include:
1. Acaricide
Beds commonly are infested by tiny mites. These mites eat bacteria and fungi that grow on epidermal scales shed by people who sleep in the beds. Fragments of dead mites, and mite excreta, are allergens, to which asthmatics and people with dust allergens are sensitive. I have found that some metals and metal oxides, notably Cu, CuO, Ag and Ag.sub.2 O, repel mites.
The conventional method for making textiles inhospitable to mites is to treat the textiles with an organic acaricide such as benzyl benzoate. For example, Bischoff et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,940, teach an acaricide that includes benzyl benzoate and a solid powder carrier whose particles are of a size suitable for ingestion by the mites. These acaricides must be replaced every time the textile is laundered. Thus, Bischoff et al. recommend using their acaricide on textiles, such as carpets and upholstery, that are not laundered frequently. An inherently acaricidal bedsheet would keep a bed free of mites, even after multiple launderings, without the need to reapply acaricide to the bedsheet.
2. Bactericide and Fungicide
Some metal oxides, notably ZnO, are well known as furgicides. Before the introduction of antibiotics to medicine, silver metal sometimes was used as a bactericide and bacteriostat. Textiles with inherent bactericidal and fungicidal properties have obvious applications in settings, such as hospitals and similar institutions, where it is important to maintain aseptic conditions.
Bactericidal agents used heretofore in textiles include complexes of zirconyl acetate with inorganic peroxides (Welch et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,422), metal cations contained in zeolite particles (Hagiwara et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,410), and quaternary ammonium salts (White et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,835,019; Hill et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,875; Zhao et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,254,134). These are not totally satisfactory, being specific to a particular textile (such as the polyamide yarn of White et al.), or being subject to eventual loss of activity by chemical decomposition, a process often hastened by laundering.
3. Body Armor
Lightweight armor commonly is made of multiple layers of fibers such as the fiber produced by E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Company under the trademark Kevlar. It has been found that the effectiveness of Kevlar armor is enhanced by the inclusion of ceramics such as Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, in the form of plates, or, as taught by Clausen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,882, in the form of particles interspersed among the Kevlar fibers. These ceramics enhance the resistance of the armor to penetration by bullets, by abrading and gripping the bullets. This action would be enhanced further in armor in which the Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 has an even more intimate connection to the Kevlar fibers.
The methods known in the prior art for bonding a metal or a metal oxide to a textile generally require that the metal or its oxide be bonded indirectly to the textile. For example, the metal may be reduced to a powder and suspended in a binder. The binder-metal mixture then is applied to the textile, with the binder, and not the metal, bonding to the textile. Alternatively, the metal is reduced to a powder, an adhesive is applied to the textile, and the metal powder is spread on the adhesive. Examples of both such methods may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,210,375, assigned to Decker. These methods are less than satisfactory for the above applications, for at least two reasons. First, the carrier or adhesive may entirely encapsulate the metal or metal oxide powder particles, inhibiting their contact with mites, fungi, and bacteria, and making the textile useless as an acaricide, fungicide, or bactericide. Second, multiple launderings tends to weaken the binder or adhesive and loosen or remove the particles.
Two notable exceptions to the general rule that metals and metal oxides have not heretofore been bonded directly to textiles are nylon textiles and polyester textiles, which may be plated with metals using standard electroless plating processes for plating plastics. The specific electroless plating methods known to the art are restricted in their applicability to only certain plastics, however. In particular, then are not suited to natural fibers, nor to most synthetic fibers.
There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, a textile with a full or partial metal or metal oxide plating directly and securely bonded to the fibers thereof, for use in the applications listed above. The scope of the present invention includes these and other applications, which are listed below.


A food handling conveyor apparatus includes a sound detection system for detecting the presence of a foreign object, such as a stone, among food product being conveyed. The apparatus includes a generally elongated vibratory conveyor bed along which food products are conveyed, with at least one discharge gate positioned at one end of the conveyor bed. An actuator is operatively connected to the discharge gate for effecting movement thereof between closed and open positions. A sound detection system of the apparatus, preferably including one or more directional microphones, is positioned in operative association with the conveyor bed and functions to differentiate between the sound of food product being conveyed, and the sound of a foreign object. The sound detection system is operatively connected with the actuator for the discharge gate, and effects opening of the discharge gate in timed relationship to detection of a foreign object so that the object is moved out of the food product stream.

Vibratory conveying devices are widely used for handling of food products, such as vegetables, during processing. These types of devices typically include a generally elongated conveyor bed which is vibrated by an associated drive to effect conveyance of food products along the length of the bed.
During routine handling and processing of many food products, and in particular so-called root crop food products, stones or other objects may be present in the food product. Many handling systems typically utilize mechanical screening ("scalping") arrangements to eliminate stones or foreign matter from the food product during processing. However, while such mechanical screening normally works well for removal of stones or other objects which are of a size different from the food product being conveyed, such arrangements are ineffective for removal of stones or other objects which are similar in size and shape to the particular food product. In such circumstances, it has been necessary to resort to so-called water-floating arrangements for effecting separation of foreign objects, or to visual inspection of the food product. Of course, the removal of foreign objects from the food product is extremely important for the overall efficiency of the food processing operation, since stones or like objects usually damage food-processing equipment (i.e., cutters, shredders, knives, grids, sieves, etc.), thus resulting in undesirable processing down-time and equipment maintenance. Undesirable adulteration of the food product can also result if the foreign object is fragmented by processing equipment.
The present invention contemplates an automated arrangement for effecting separation of foreign objects from different food products, even if the foreign objects are sized and shaped similarly to the food product which is being processed.

Food handling conveyor apparatus having sound detection means


An electric machine comprises a rotor assembly and a stator assembly adjacent the rotor assembly. The stator assembly includes windings disposed around a plurality of teeth, with each phase of the winding including at least one pair of coils wrapped in opposite directions around adjacent teeth to induce mutual inductance between the coils when electrical current flows through the phase of the winding. The coils of different phases are arranged to cancel magnetic coupling between the different phases. The winding arrangement provides a way to accomplish multiple, redundant, magnetically and electrically isolated windings with current limiting means in a single stator of an electric machine. The winding arrangements inherently provide an increase in mutual inductance and, therefore, an increase in impedance over that possible with prior art winding arrangements to limit the maximum short circuit current in the windings.

The present invention relates to electric machines such as, for example, motors, generators, alternators, starter-generators, and the like; and, more particularly, the present invention relates to electric machines having redundant windings with current limiting means.
One example of an electric machine is a permanent magnet electric motor or generator. This machine includes a rotor formed, at least in part, from a permanent magnet material such as samarium-cobalt. In a motor, current through the windings induces a rotating magnetic field, which in turn applies a torque to the magnetic portion of the rotor causing it to act as motor. Similarly, in a generator, torque applied to the rotor results in a rotating magnetic field that induces a current in the windings.
Such electric machines provide significant benefits over wound field synchronous machines, squirrel cage motors and other types of electric machines that require brushes. Significantly, permanent magnet machines do not require brushes, are relatively reliable and light, use electronics to generate any required rotating magnetic field, and can act as both a motor and a generator.
In view of these benefits, such machines appear well suited for aircraft applications. Particularly, such machines would appear to lend themselves for use as starters and generators within a turbine engine. Conveniently, such machines can be connected directly to the engine shaft. When required, generated electricity can be rectified and filtered using conventional lightweight electronics. When DC power is required, as in traditional aircraft applications, the speed of rotation and frequency of generator output do not need to be controlled. Such machines can function as both starters and generators.
Due to the heat generated by high short circuit currents in permanent magnet machines, the windings in permanent magnet machines must be sufficiently protected from the unlikely event of internal faults. Protective external circuits and equipment are often provided with fusible materials or electronic controls external to the windings of the electric machine; however, internal short circuit conditions may occur within the windings of a motor/generator that would not be detected or controlled by external fusing or controls. While various approaches have been developed to protect the windings from high short circuit currents, these approaches do not provide redundancy and safety features.
For example, one approach to providing protection within the windings is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,313,560, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The '560 patent describes an electric machine including a magnetic component, forming part of its rotor or stator, that loses its magnetic characteristics above a certain chosen temperature. This magnetic material forms part of a magnetic circuit that guides flux about the stator. As a result, any magnetic flux emanating with the rotor stops circulating about the stator above this temperature, and the machine stops acting as a generator or a motor. The material forming the component is selected so that the chosen temperature is lower than the temperature at which the machine would be thermally damaged. This, in turn, limits the operating temperature of the windings, and thus prevents overheating of the machine during operation typically caused by a fault. Problematically, once the temperature is exceeded, the machine stops working until the machine cools down. Thus, there is a period where the machine provides no power.
Another approach is described in US Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0189108, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. This publication describes a permanent magnet electric machine wherein the material of the stator is selected such that magnetic flux circulation through the stator is impeded when the stator material acquires a temperature above its Curie temperature. Like the aforementioned '560 patent, once the temperature is exceeded, the machine stops working until the machine cools down.
Yet another approach is described in US Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0183392 and US Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0184204, both of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. These publications describe various means for limiting maximum current conducted through windings of an electric machine having a rotor and a stator. By encouraging an appropriate leakage flux around a winding, a leak impedance can be achieved which may be used to limit the maximum current in the winding as a matter of machine design. The means described in these publications, like slot geometry including extremely small slot gap width, large radial tooth top height, and use of top sticks made of material having high magnetic permeability, have been extensively used for over 20 years in various engine-dedicated types of permanent magnet alternators used on turbine engines to effectively increase the inductance. Problematically, such means do not provide for winding redundancy. That is, if one phase of the windings is shorted, the remaining phases do not continue to provide the same electrical output as before.
In summary, there remains a need for a method and apparatus for limiting short circuit current in electric machines that will allow the machine to continue to work, at least at reduced capacity, during and after the short circuit condition. Furthermore, there remains a need for a method and apparatus for limiting short circuit current in electric machines that will provide magnetic and electrical isolation of the windings, thereby providing winding redundancy and reliability under fault conditions. Prior art methods do not fulfill these needs.

Redundant windings with current limiting means for electric machines


A directional solidification casting assembly includes a directional solidification mold having an interior chamber with a shape of an object to be cast using directional solidification of molten metal in a growth direction of the mold and a feed line conduit. The conduit is fluidly coupled with a container source of the molten metal and is coupled with the mold at a gating. The feed line conduit conveys the molten metal into the mold through the gating for directional solidification of the object to be cast in the mold. At least a downstream portion of the feed line conduit that is between the intermediate location of the feed line conduit and the second open end of the feed line conduit is located below the gating along the growth direction of the mold.

Many components can be formed using directional solidification techniques. Directional solidification (DS) techniques enable the solidification of materials with grains aligned in a specific direction. Directional and single crystal structures can be created to improve the mechanical and metallurgical properties of the cast materials. These structures can be produced by casting a melt of an alloy. Heat transfer conditions during solidification of the casting are controlled so that a solidification front advances along a growth direction to generate primary columnar crystals or grains and to avoid or reduce nucleation of secondary grains from the melt.
Directional solidification is not, however, without drawbacks. Some known directional solidification casting assemblies include a straight or linear feed line that directs molten metal into a mold via a gating between the feed line and the mold. It has been found by the inventors of this application that these straight feed lines often result in stray metal grains propagating into the mold from the feed line. These stray grains can emerge from the junction between the gating and the mold and into the component being cast in the mold. The stray grains interrupt formation of the single or columnar crystal structure being formed in the mold. For cast objects having low thresholds for such crystal faults, these stray grains can result in a large percentage of the objects being unusable. For example, the inventors have found that use of a straight feed line for the single crystal formation of the blades of turbine engine airfoils has resulted in unacceptable failure rates

Directional solidification casting assembly and method


A new and distinct early flowering Agrostis plant with intense green leaves and a cascading habit.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Agrostis plant known by the varietal name 'Green Twist'. The new variety was discovered between the years 1998-2000 in a selected breeding program in Ausbildungsstätte Auboden, Brunnadern, Switzerland designed to produce a new variety of Agrostis with nice structural characteristics and a long weeping growth habit. The new variety was chosen from a group of unknown, unpatented breeding plants from a selected breeding program. The new variety was first asexually reproduced in 2000 by cuttings in Switzerland. The new variety has been trial and field tested at Ostalpen and has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics and remain true to type through successive propagations.
'Green Twist' is similar to other Agrostis varieties in the breeding program in leaf color, leaf form, and stem color. 'Green Twist' is different from other Agrostis varieties in the breeding program in that 'Green Twist' is longer weeping, is mildew resistant, and is sterile.
The following traits also distinguish 'Green Twist' as a new and distinct cultivar:                1. 'Green Twist' is a beautiful structural plant.        2. 'Green Twist' has a cascading and extraordinarily long growth habit.        3. 'Green Twist' does not bloom.        4. 'Green Twist' has intense green linear leaves.        5. 'Green twist' has light green, wavy, curved culms.


An exercise apparatus includes a pressing bar assembly interconnected to a lifting assembly. As the pressing bar assembly is pivoted, the lifting assembly also pivots and angularly raises a seat assembly on which a user is positioned. Resistance bands and the user's own weight provide resistance to movement of the pressing bar assembly. A user may perform a variety of exercises on the inventive apparatus according to the position of the body. A user may perform exercises from an initial sitting position, an initial side-lying position, an initial prone position, or an initial kneeling position.

The present invention relates to an exercise apparatus, and more particularly to an exercise apparatus designed to promote flexibility, toning, firming and strength of the user's legs, thighs, buttocks, upper body, and abdominal muscles.
People have shown increased interest in physical fitness and muscular body toning in recent years. Various exercise apparatuses have been designed to meet consumer demand for fitness equipment.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,809 to Habing et al. discloses an exercise apparatus including a rigid frame having upper and lower back supports pivotally connected in axial alignment. Leverage arms, mounted at the head end of the upper back support, extend above the frame so that a user may grasp them while performing abdominal exercises. The lower back support includes handles that a user may grasp while performing gluteus exercises. A thigh pad is pivotally attached to the lower back support. When the user applies a lifting force against the thigh pad, the lower back support is raised along with the body of the user. Abdominal curls or crunching exercises are performed by grasping the leverage arms and pulling up the upper back support.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,041 to Hsieh discloses an abdominal exerciser including a base member and a seat pad fixed to the base member. The exerciser includes a foot support assembly pivotally mounted to the base member about a first horizontal axis and a back support assembly pivotally mounted to the base member about a second horizontal axis. The foot support assembly and the back support assembly are interconnected for concurrent pivoting movement in opposite angular directions.
The exercise apparatuses discussed above do not provide the action of the present invention as a user utilizes the apparatus disclosed herein.


An apparatus and method for processing an image based on a motion of an object, the apparatus including a motion estimator configured to estimate a motion of an object included in a current image, an image determiner configured to determine a neighboring image neighboring the current image based on the motion of the object, and a pixel value determiner configured to determine a pixel value of a hole region neighboring the object based on the neighboring image is provided.

1. Field
At least some example embodiments of the following description relate to a method and apparatus for processing an image based on a motion of an object, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for processing a hole region based on a motion of an object included on a temporally neighboring image.
2. Description of the Related Art
A depth image based rendering (DIBR) may be technology for generating a plurality of color images, each acquired from a different viewpoint by inputting a single color image and a depth image. The generated color images may be represented as a three-dimensional (3D) image on a stereoscopic display. When the input color image is converted into a color image of another viewpoint, a region obscured by an object in the input color image may be displayed. The region obscured by the object may be defined as a hole region or a disocclusion region.
In a general hole region processing method, a hole region may be restored by determining a pixel value of the hole region based on a pixel value of a neighboring region of the hole region. However, due to a difference between the pixel value of the hole region and the pixel value of the neighboring region, the restored hole region may differ from an original hole region. The difference between the restored hole region and the original hole region may result in degradation in a clarity of the plurality of color images, each acquired from a different viewpoint.
Accordingly, there is a desire for an image processing method to enhance the clarity of the plurality of color images, each acquired from a different viewpoint by precisely restoring the hole region.

Method and apparatus for processing image based on motion of object


An ion generator for use in a pool filtration system. The generator uses very thin electrodes placed close together. The electrodes are oriented perpendicular to the flow of a chloride salt/water solution. A baffle is provided immediately upstream of the electrodes to create a turbulent flow of jetted water over the electrodes. Periodically, DC polarity to the electrodes is reversed and an AC ripple is caused at the electrodes. The electrodes generate very active chlorine ions in solution which serve as a biocide, without creating harmful chlorine gases.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ion generators and, more particularly, to a device and related method for electrolytically generating halogen ions from a salt halide solution for use as a biocide in a swimming pool.
2. Background Information
Traditionally, chemicals such as calcium hypochloride have been added to water supplies to serve as a "biocide", defined herein as an agent capable of eliminating as a health risk algae, bacteria and viruses. However, using such chemicals is expensive, represents serious shipping, storage and safety concerns, and results in uneven concentrations and dissipated effectiveness over time. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,790,923 and 4,100,052.
Biocidal activity can also be accomplished by using electrolysis to produce sufficient ions in solution to disrupt cell membranes or protein sheaths by rapid chemical interaction. In this regard, ion generators, are known which are capable of creating ions from salt solutions for use in, e.g., a swimming pool filtration system. An example of such an ion generator follows.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,052 describes a generator of chlorine ions from a chloride salt/water solution. The generator uses electrodes in the form of platinum coated plates which are parallel to the salt/water solution flow. The plates are about 0.02-0.06 inch thick and spaced about 0.025-0.5 inch apart. The ion generator is used in a swimming pool water filtration system or to treat sewage or cooling tower water.
The drawbacks of conventional ion generators follow.
These generators usually operate by electrolyzing a sodium chloride/water solution contained within a chamber, attracting positively charged sodium ions to a negatively charged cathode and attracting negatively charged chloride ions to a positively charged anode, thereby liberating chlorine gas at the anode. The chlorine gas is then used to chlorinate the water within a swimming pool, spa or the like. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,808,290, 4,997,540, and 4,328,084. However, chlorine gas is highly poisonous and excessive inhalation may cause death.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,290 provides a device which captures and passes the chlorine gas through a reaction column and cathode chamber. It would be preferable, however, to avoid altogether the production of chlorine gas.
Electrodes in the form of plates running parallel to the direction of flow of the salt/water solution are inefficient. That is, molecules that are ionized at the beginning of a first plate are attracted to a second opposite plate and may be neutralized before they pass beyond the end of the first plate, thereby wasting the electric current used to produce the ions.
The electrodes of conventional ion generators are relatively thick and are arranged in relatively widely spaced relation. This is not the most efficient configuration for ion generation, again because ion neutralization may occur.
Conventional ion generators also rely merely on normal water flow to pass over the electrodes. Due to this configuration, the ions formed tend to linger near the plates. As a result, the ions fail to enter the water supply in a timely manner and, therefore, do not fully serve their biocidal purpose.
Further, many of the conventional ion generating systems, and the related methods of use, such as described in the above-discussed U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,290, are either too expensive, complicated or cumbersome for widespread use with swimming pools, especially residential pools.
As discussed above, the prior art still does not teach an ion generator and method for ion generation which are capable of the most efficient production of halogen ions from a halide salt/water solution.

Ion generator and method of generating ions


A water bearing household appliance (1) includes: a treating chamber (6) in which one or more items (7) can be loaded and treated with water and one or more additives; a logic unit (12) to control the electric and/or electronic components of the appliance (1) so as to make the latter to perform a treating cycle for treating the one or more loaded items (7) with water and one or more additives; a load amount acquiring device (13) for acquiring and communicating to the logic unit (12) information related to the amount of the one or more items (7) loaded in the treating chamber (6); and a user interface (14) configured for allowing a user to set parameters related to the treating cycle and to the one or more additives to be used during the treating cycle. The logic unit (12) is configured to: store, during a programming state, additive information set by the user via the user interface (14), the additive information comprising one or more numeric values which are indicative of predetermined maximum amount of additive associated with the maximum loading capacity of the treating chamber; before the appliance (1) starts a selected treating cycle, determine an amount of a selected additive to be loaded for this selected treating cycle, based on the programmed maximum amount of additive associated with the selected additive, on the acquired amount of the one or more items (7) loaded in the treating chamber (6), and on the selected treating cycle; and provide the user with information related to the determined amount of additive to be loaded via the user interface (14).

The present invention concerns a water bearing household appliance, for example a laundry washing machine or a dishwasher, and a method for operating this appliance.
Nowadays it is known using water bearing household appliances, for example laundry washing machines and dishwashers, in which one or more items (e.g. pieces of laundry or dishware) can be loaded and treated (e.g. washed) with water and one or more additives (e.g. washing/rinsing products).
The dosage or the additive is always a tricky issue, since a too low amount of additive could compromise the washing effectiveness, while a too high amount of additive has the problem that some additive can settle on the washed items and remain on the latter even after unloading them from the appliance, and/or can be a source of pollution.
The correct amount of additives is related to the specific treating cycle (e.g. washing cycle), and to the amount (or quantity, or weight) of loaded items.
There is therefore the need to know the exact amount of additive which has to be provided to the appliance in relation to the selected treating cycle and to the amount of loaded items.
As stated above, a water bearing household appliance could be, for example, a laundry washing machine or a dishwasher.
It is underlined that in the present application the expression "laundry washing machine" will refer to both simple laundry washing machines (i.e. laundry washing machines which can only wash and rinse laundry) and laundry washing-drying machines (i.e. laundry washing machines which can also dry laundry).
Known laundry washing machines generally comprise an external casing provided with a washing tub which contains a rotatable perforated drum where the laundry (in this case the items to be washed) is placed.
The drum is rotated by an electric motor which may be connected to a rotating shaft of the drum by a belt pulley system, or may be a so called "direct drive motor", that is a motor fixed to the washing tub and directly connected to the rotating shaft of the drum.
A loading/unloading door ensures access to the tub and the drum.
Laundry washing machines typically comprise a detergent supply unit and a water inlet circuit for the introduction of water and additives, in this case washing/rinsing products (i.e. detergent, softener, etc.) into the tub. Known laundry washing machines are also provided with water draining devices to drain the water from the tub.
According to the known technique, a complete washing cycle typically includes different phases during which the laundry to be washed is subjected to adequate treatments. A washing cycle usually comprises a laundry wetting phase with addition of a washing products. i.e. detergent, and a main washing phase during which, according to the washing program selected by the user, the water contained in the tub is heated to a predetermined temperature and the drum is rotated, so as to apply a mechanical cleaning action to the laundry. After the main washing phase the water contained in the drum is drained from the tub. A successive step of the cycle comprises a rinsing phase which usually comprises one or more rinsing cycles. In each rinsing cycle, clean rinse water is added to the laundry, the drum is rotated, and the water is then drained from the tub to the outside of the washing machine. After the rinsing phase a final spinning phase allows the extraction of the residual water contained in the wet laundry. In the spinning phase the drum is rotated, typically at a high rotation speed to obtain the extraction of the water from the laundry. The water extracted during the spinning phase is drained towards the outside by means of the water draining devices.
Some known washing machines are also provided with a weight measuring device configured to measure the weight of the laundry which is loaded in the washing drum, and with a logic unit, which is configured to determine the necessary amount of washing product to be used on the basis of the measured weight, and to display by the user interface the amount of detergent to be load on the detergent supply unit.
For example, JP 6233894 discloses a washing machine which is provided with a control panel comprising key switch operating as input means for allowing user to manually input the type of washing product, namely the detergent to be used "concentrate" "standard" and "liquid", and setting the water surface level. The washing machine is further provided with a microcomputer, which is configured to: detect the amount of loaded laundry, set the water surface level based on the detected amount of loaded laundry, and determine the amount of washing product to be used, on the basis of the selected washing product, the set water surface level and the amount of loaded laundry. The microcomputer is further configured to display the determined amount of washing product by a common display window arranged in the control panel.
However this known washing machine is not able to determine the correct amount of washing product to be used in the washing cycle when the kind of washing product selected by the user is not stored in the microcomputer. Moreover, detergent-producers often modify features of washing products i.e. amount of washing product to be used for kilo of laundry during determined washing programs. In this case, microcomputer of the washing machine (disclosed in JP 6233894) may determine amount of detergent based on incorrect data, and consequently displays incorrect information about amount of washing product to be used.
US 2010/0186460 A1 discloses a washing machine which operates using a method for adding solid or liquid detergent active ingredients in portions and comprises an electronic programme control unit in addition to devices for entering and/or determining information concerning the desired or required composition of a treatment programme, for determining and/or entering washing-related parameters, i.e. the type of washing introduced into the washing machine, the degree of soiling and/or the weight of said washing. Information concerning the detergent active ingredients and the washing is read in from automatically readable information carriers by means of a read device and the programme control unit calculates and issues recommendations for the addition of a particular type of a detergent active ingredient and the amount of said ingredient in conjunction with this information, the chosen treatment programme and the washing-related parameters. In detail, the washing machine comprises a read device which recognizes transponders, i.e. RFID, tags. Such a read device recognizes washing items provided with transponders, i.e. packaging of a detergent active ingredient containing information concerning the accompanying detergent active ingredient. Instead of a read device and in the case of a washing machine is connected to a data network by means of a data network interface, the data can also be read in at any other point in the data network or be output from there back to the control unit of the washing machine.
Unfortunately, using the read device and/or data network interface in the washing machine, as disclosed in US 2010/0186460, causes the complexity and cost of the machine to increase. In addition, washing machine having read device disclosed in US 2010/0186460 holds users to use detergent packaging provided with transponders.

Water bearing household appliance and associated operating method

Electrolux Home Products Corporation N.V.


A diffuser for a turbo machine, such as an exhaust diffuser for an industrial gas turbine engine, the diffuser including a plurality of struts connecting the inner shroud of the diffuser to the outer shroud, where the struts have trailing edges with a step shape to reduce the losses and improve the performance of the diffuser. The stepped shaped trailing edge includes three or more steps with the middle step being the longest in the chordwise direction and the remaining steps being symmetric about the chord of the strut.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a diffuser, and more specifically to an exhaust axial flow diffuser for a gas turbine engine.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
In a turbomachine, such as a compressor or a turbine or a gas turbine engine, a diffuser is used in several locations to improve the airflow either into or out of a turbomachine. Inlet diffusers are used to slow down the airflow entering a compressor. Outlet diffusers are used to limit backflow pressure and therefore improve the flow exiting the turbomachine. An industrial gas turbine engine makes use of an axial flow diffuser at the exit of the engine to improve the performance of the engine. The exhaust from the turbine enters the exhaust diffuser and therefore is hot gas flow. A typical exhaust diffuser in an IGT includes a plurality of struts extending between the outer shroud and the inner shroud that forms the diffuser flow path. In an IGT—which is a large and heavy engine—these struts can be quite thick compared to other turbomachine airfoils. In the exhaust flow of the diffuser, a wake is formed behind each of the struts due to flow separation that will lower the performance of the engine.
Prior art diffuser struts for a large diffuser have thick struts with a standard blunt trailing edge shape as seen in FIG. 1. This type of strut can reduce the incident angle losses. The losses behind this blunt trailing edge strut are excessive. Another prior art diffuser has cross sectional shapes of an airfoil which includes a trailing edge that tapers down to a point as seen in FIG. 2. This improves the airflow around the strut to limit vortices from developing that reduce the efficiency by increasing the backflow pressure. One problem with the tear drop shaped prior art strut of FIG. 2 is a shorter life for the strut. The strut is exposed to the hot exhaust gas flow exiting the engine. The sharp edge of this trailing edge shaped strut will be affected by erosion or corrosion much more than would a blunt trailing edge of FIG. 1.

Exhaust diffuser strut with stepped trailing edge


The present disclosure provides base stocks and processes for producing such basestocks by polymerizing internal olefins. The present disclosure further provides base stocks, comprising low molecular weight polyolefin products, having one or more of improved flow, low temperature properties, and thickening efficiency. The present disclosure further provides polyolefin products useful as base stocks and or diesel fuel. In at least one embodiment, a process includes introducing a feedstream comprising C4-C30 internal-olefins with a catalyst system comprising a nickel diimine catalyst optionally in the presence of a solvent. The method includes obtaining a C6-C100 polyolefin product having one or more of a carbon fraction of epsilon-carbons of from about 0.08 to about 0.3, as determined by 13C NMR spectroscopy, based on the total carbon content of the polyolefin product.

Base stock is a constituent in finished lubricants and the characteristics of the base stock contribute to the properties of the finished lubricants. Finished lubricants include engine oils, crankcase lubricants, and various industrial lubricants. Lubricants in commercial use today are prepared from a variety of natural and synthetic base stocks admixed with various additive packages and solvents depending upon their intended application. The base stocks typically include mineral oils, polyalphaolefins (PAO), gas-to-liquid base oils (GTL), silicone oils, phosphate esters, diesters, polyol esters, and the like.
Base stocks are categorized according to the American Petroleum Institute (API) classifications based on saturated hydrocarbon content, sulfur level, and viscosity index (see Table 1 infra). Typically, Group I, II, and III base stocks are each derived from crude oil via extensive processing, such as fractionating, solvent extraction, solvent dewaxing, and hydroisomerization. Group III base stocks can also be produced from synthetic hydrocarbon liquids obtained from natural gas, coal, or other fossil resources. Group IV base stocks are polyalphaolefins (PAOs), and are produced by the oligomerization of alpha olefins. Group V base stocks include all base stocks that do not belong to Groups I-IV, such as naphthenics, polyalkylene glycols (PAG), and esters.
Additionally, there are the informal categories of base stocks referred to as "Group II+" and "Group III+" that are generally recognized within the lubricant industry as corresponding to base stocks that exceed the minimum classification requirements of the formal group. For example, a "Group II+" base stock may have a viscosity index (VI) above 110 and a "Group III+" base stock may have a viscosity index (VI) between 130 and 150.
TABLE 1API ClassificationGroupGroupGroupGroupGroupPropertyIIIIIIIVV% Saturates<90≥90≥90Polyalpha-All others% Sulfur>0.03≤0.03≤0.03olefinsnot belongingIndex (VI)80-12080-120≥120(PAOs)to group I-IV
Group IV PAOs, for example, can be synthesized by cationic oligomerization with a Lewis acid catalyst, such as BF3, using 1-decene as feedstock followed by hydrogenation of the obtained oligomers. However, the products obtained by this process are branched, e.g. the products contain a high amount of tri-substitution as determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy.
Furthermore, polymerization of C3 and higher alpha-olefins can be performed using early transition metal catalysts (e.g., Ti/Zr/Hf/V). Internal olefins, on the other hand, have not been utilized as feed for base stock manufacturing due to their low reactivity and tendency to form highly branched products. In addition, small scale polymerization of internal olefins has been limited to formation of high molecular weight polymers. At the same time, lower molecular weight internal olefins are abundantly available from a variety of refining sources such as fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) gasoline and coker naphtha. For example, 10% of FCC products are C5 hydrocarbons, which is approximately 0.6 MBD in the United States, and approximately 27% of those are internal olefins. Due to their low reactivity, there are currently no significant uses of these olefins as feed to make higher molecular weight products. Therefore, upgrading these feeds into higher value products would be desirable. However, value upgrade options of the internal olefins are typically limited to alkane alkylation to gasoline and oligomerization to chemical intermediates, both promoted by acid catalysts.
There is a need for processes for polymerizing low molecular weight internal olefins that can provide novel linear base stocks having improved flow, low temperature properties, and thickening efficiency.
Furthermore, under present conditions, petroleum refineries are finding it increasingly necessary to seek the most cost-effective means of improving the quality of diesel fuel products. Cetane number is a measure of ignition quality of diesel fuels. Cetane number is highly dependent on the paraffinicity of molecular structures whether they be straight chain or alkyl attachments to rings. Distillate aromatic content, for example, is inversely proportional to cetane number while a high paraffinic content is directly proportional to a high cetane number.
In light of the ever present need for improving conventional diesel formation processes and for improving diesel fuel properties, there remains a need for a process of obtaining diesel fuel with high cetane number than can be formed from internal olefins.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Processes for polymerizing internal olefins and compositions thereof

Exxon Mobil Technology and Engineering Company


A metallic sliding slot structure for an electrical connector, which includes a base in which the slot structure formed by folding and pressing a metallic plate is positioned. The slot structure includes a bottom plate, an inner track plate disposed above the bottom plate, an outer track plate having an opening for enclosing the inner track plate, and at least one one-way block formed by pressing the bottom plate. The inner track plate has one end formed with a tip and the other end formed into an M-like shape to form a concave first positioning point. A one-way circulation path is formed between the inner and outer track plates. A second positioning point corresponding to the tip is defined in the opening of the outer track plate. The path goes from the second positioning point to the first positioning point and then back to the second positioning point.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a metallic sliding slot structure, and more particularly to a metallic sliding slot structure for an electrical connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
A card-in/out device capable of hiding and positioning an inserted card and exposing an ejected card has been widely used in electrical products and computer peripheral products. The card may be, for example, a multimedia storage card or a memory card. The available memory cards for computers have several specifications and include a secure digital card (SDC), a multimedia card (MMC), a smart media card (SMC), a memory stick card (MSC), an XD-picture card (XDC), and the like.
The connector, which is to be connected to the inserted memory card and capable of hiding and positioning the inserted memory card and exposing the ejected memory card, is provided with a card-in/out device, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The connector includes a base 10, terminals 25, a pushing piece 20, a guiding rod 26 and a spring 28.
The base 10 includes a bottom seat 11 and an upper cover 19 covering over the bottom seat 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom seat 11 is made of plastic injection molding and is formed with a receiving slot 18 for receiving one memory card with a variable specification. One side of the receiving slot 18 is one-piece molded to form a heart-like sliding slot 12. One end of the slot 12 is formed with a starting point 13, and the other end of the slot is formed with a stroke point 14, a middle concave positioning point 15 and a card-out starting point 16. The sliding slot 12 is formed with several sloped blocks 7, as illustrated by hatched portions. Thus, a one-way circulation path from the starting point 13 to the stroke point 14, the positioning point 15, the card-out starting point 16 and the starting point 13 is created.
The terminals 25 are arranged in several rows and disposed on the bottom seat 11.
The pushing piece 20 having an inverse U-shape includes two sides pushing against two sides of the receiving slot 18 on the bottom seat 11. A connection hole 21 is formed at a front end of one side of the pushing piece 20.
Two ends of the guiding rod 26 are formed with longitudinal hooks 27 for hooking the connection hole 21 of the pushing piece 20 and the sliding slot 12 of the bottom seat 11, respectively.
The spring 28, which is disposed between the pushing piece 20 and a rear end of the bottom seat 11, provides an elastic force for moving the pushing piece 20, which moves toward the inside of the base 10, back to the original position.
According to the above-mentioned structure, the pushing piece 20 pushed by the inserted memory card drives the guiding rod 26 to slide in the sliding slot 12. Because the sliding slot 12 has a one-way circulation path, the guiding rod 26 is pushed from the starting point 13 to the stroke point 14 and then pulled back to the positioning point 15 and positioned at the positioning point 15 by the elastic force of the spring when the memory card is inserted. When the card is ejected, the memory card is also pushed, and the guiding rod 26 is pushed from the positioning point 15 to the card-out starting point 16 and then pulled back to the starting point 13 by the elastic force of the spring. Thus, the card in/out function can be achieved.
The conventional structure has the following drawbacks. Because the sliding slot 12 and the bottom seat 11 are formed by way of plastic injection molding, the shape of the sliding slot 12 and the sloped blocks 7 tend to be worn out to cause the sliding phenomena after several times of usage. Thus, the positioning points are unclear, or the positioning points cannot provide the function of effectively positioning, or the one-way circulation function disappears, thereby the electrical connector cannot work. In addition, the plastic material has poor intensity and the thickness has to be increased to enhance the intensity. So, the area of the sliding slot is enlarged, and the demand on the miniaturized electrical product cannot be met.
In addition, in order to enhance the long-lived property, some manufacturers adopt the metal casting method to integrally form the metallic sliding slot structure. However, this method has the following drawbacks. First, the manufacturing cost of metal casting is high. Second, the metal casting method cannot easily control the precise dimension and tends to form burrs and unsmooth surfaces, and is not suitable for the manufacturing of the precise elements.

Metallic sliding slot structure for an electrical connector


A method and system for treating a fluid containing entrained cementitious particles involves drawing the fluid from a storage location, pre-filtering the fluid, dividing the pre-filtered fluid into a flow of permeate and a flow of bypass by passing said pre-filtered fluid through a tangential flow filter. The permeate flow is fluid that has passed through a polymeric membrane filter media disposed in the tangential flow filter, while the bypass flow is flow exiting said tangential flow filter without passing through said membrane filter media. The system and method also includes a pH probe for testing the pH of the filtrate, and a metering pump operated by a controller which injects a neutralizing agent into the filtrate to reduce the alkalinity of the filtrate before discharge.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waste water treatment apparatus and process. In particular, the invention relates to a water treatment system and process for treating storm and process water in the concrete industry.
2. Description of the Related Art
The ready-mix concrete and concrete-related industries create large amounts of excess water contaminated by high amounts of suspended solids and a pH level near, or above, EPA hazardous guidelines. The contaminated excess water is either in the form of process water or storm water. Storm water is created by rain or snowmelt carrying off yard waste. Plant equipment, slump-racks, tank-fill stations and truck mixer-drum washout produce process water. It is this mixer-drum washout that creates the majority of the contaminated water. Mixer-drum washout water is created when clean water and/or cleaning solution is pumped into a cement mixer to wash out the concrete waste. This waste contains rock, sand, cement, fly ash, and various admixture chemicals. While the rock and sand in the washout stream will settle quickly, entrained cementitious materials are difficult to remove. Cement is made up of finely ground limestone and clay that not only create the difficult-to-settle particulates, but also elevate the pH level of waste water to 12 and above.
The majority of concrete facilities rely upon settling ponds, pits, or tanks to separate coarse aggregate from the waste water. Such facilities may include a second pond or holding tank for receiving the waste water after settling either for re-use, or for pH neutralization prior to discharge. Some of the settling ponds may be of the evaporation/percolation type, wherein some waste water evaporates and other waste water percolates through to the surrounding ground. Eventually such settling ponds become trapped with a buildup of cementitious material, and must be cleaned with earth moving equipment that hauls the solid waste to a landfill, or is abandoned in favor of a new pit or pond. Where separation of materials is attempted within the plant, often the separators are mechanical clarifiers, using drag screws or rotating screws to mechanically separate the aggregate from the water. Screens have also been used.
To the extent that filtration has been attempted, traditional methods of filtration utilizing a barrier-type method have not been effective due to the nature and amount of cementitious particles, which will very quickly foul any known type of barrier media, which usually relies on gravity filtration. In addition to the cost of the barrier media, the amount of maintenance required has made this method uneconomical and ineffective. In addition to the barrier method, sand filters have and are being used. Once again, the clogging nature of cementitious materials renders sand filters somewhat ineffective and unsatisfactory. The cement particles cling to the sand granules and fairly quickly create an increasingly impervious surface layer. Since cement is ground to such a small particle size, some of the cement will still pass through the sand bed into the permeate stream. Furthermore, the flow rates of sand filtration systems are generally fairly low even, with fresh sand media.
While some producers use acids to reduce the high pH level in the contaminated water, they generally use a batch treatment method. In this method, the excess water is caught in some type of storage pit, tank, or container, and then enough acid is introduced to reduce the pH. Since the amount of acid required is dependent upon the amount of suspended solids in the water to be treated, non-filtered water requires an excessive amount of somewhat expensive acid.
Thus, methods of treating excess water in the concrete industry have often been limited to allowing the fluid to settle as much as possible in a settling pit, then simply allowing the remaining liquid to run off. The inventor is not aware of any prior systems or processes that effectively treat excess water from concrete production facilities. Various systems and methods have, however, been devised for treating other types of waste water.
One such process is exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,755, issued Jun. 14, 1994 to Hagqvist et al. In this system, an incoming contaminated fluid is pressurized using a first pump and then passed through a filter in which the flow is divided into a filtrate or permeate flow, and a first bypass flow. The first bypass flow is recirculated using a recirculation pump. The bypass flow is provided to continually rinse the filtering membrane and prevent particulate buildup thereon. Between the filter bypass outlet and the recirculation pump is a pressure limiting valve to control the pressure in the filter and first bypass flow. At the outlet of the pressure limiting valve, the flow is divided into a second bypass flow which is returned to a point upstream the first pump, and a waste outlet. This system is not particularly suited for handling the large concentration of suspended solids present in excess water generated in the concrete industries. It would furthermore be desirable to provide a self-contained solution to the contaminated excess water problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,023, issued Jan. 26, 1993 to O'Connor et al., describes a process for treating arsenic-containing aqueous waste wherein the aqueous waste, treated, if necessary, to minimize the presence of materials which reduce the efficiency of reverse osmosis membranes, is passed through an ultrafilter to remove solids, followed by a chemical treatment to adjust the pH to range from about 6 to 8 and to add antiscalants and antifouling materials, which is then followed by subjecting the chemically treated filtrate to a reverse osmosis process to result in a permeate stream having less than about 50 parts per billion arsenic.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,116, issued Mar. 12, 1991 to Bowers, describes a waste water treatment process for the removal of heavy metals. The '116 waste water treatment process is optimized by continuously removing and filtering a sample flow of treated waste water subject to pH level control to determine the presence of remaining metals in solution to be precipitated. Filtering of the sample removes metals precipitated by pH level control.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,526, issued Apr. 29, 1980 to Johnson et al., describes a purification process for waste water from a textile plant and other manufacturing processes. After preliminary filtering to remove foreign particles, the waste water is treated with a reducing agent, if needed, and the pH is adjusted to 8.0-9.5. The waste water is then treated with a flocculating agent. After further treatment in a clarifier, the waste water is passed through a sand filter to remove any residual suspended solids. The pH is adjusted to below about 6.0 and the waste water is then subjected to reverse osmosis.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,405, issued Sep. 30, 1975 to Aoyama, describes a method for treating an acidic or alkaline waste liquid containing aluminum dissolved therein to convert it to a neutral liquid free from colloidal aluminum hydroxide. The aluminum is hydrolyzed in the presence of crystalline aluminum oxide. The crystalline aluminum oxide has an average particle diameter of about 0.5 to about 500 microns.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,264,132, issued Nov. 23, 1993 to Speranza et al., describes a method for removing ammonia, organic amines and alkaline impurities from waste water which comprises using a partially spent ion exchange resin which no longer meets the purity requirements for the production of methyl-tert-butylether (MTBE), washing the catalyst with water, contacting it with waste water, and removing the purified filtrate.
The April, 1997 issue of Pollution Engineering, published by Cahners Publishing Company, discusses membrane filtration in an article entitled, "Membrane Filtration: Live Long and Cost Less", writted by Cathryn Hodson, which is incorporated herein in its entirety. Although no specific system is laid out, this article explains many known aspects of membrane filtration.
A web page entitled "Neutralization Chemicals including Neutralizing Acid, Base and Alkaline Chemicals", published at least as of Dec. 17, 2003 by Wastech Controls and Engineering, Inc., teaches various chemicals and processes for neutralizing alkaline waste water.
None of the above disclosures, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a water treatment system solving the aforementioned problems is desired.


A mounting apparatus of the present invention is used in a medical environment to releasably secure a device to a support member. The mounting apparatus has a flexible shaft with a first end for releasable attachment to the support member and a second end for releasable attachment to the device. A generally C-shaped clamping member at the first end releasably attaches the apparatus to the support member. The clamping member has an inner surface, an outer surface, and at least two apertures including a first aperture through which a securing rod passes and a second aperture for releasable attachment of the flexible shaft. The present invention is also directed to a powered medical device assembly having a medical device and a flexible shaft capable of selective mounting of the medical device on a support.

This invention relates generally to the field of support apparatus for medical devices and more particularly to a medical device mounting apparatus having a flexible shaft.
Medical devices such as enteral feeding pumps are typically attached to an IV pole or other support member by a pole clamp or other attachment device that holds the pump in a fixed position relative to the support member. One existing pole clamp design allows one degree of freedom of motion of the pump relative to the pole by allowing the pump to be rotated or indexed between fixed orientations relative to the IV pole. However, existing pole clamp designs do not permit two or more degrees of freedom of motion of the pump such that the pump may be moved horizontally, vertically, or laterally relative to the IV pole for easier viewing and operation of the pump.
Such existing pole clamps are typically mounted directly on the housing of the pump so that the pump housing is in close proximity to the IV pole. As such, the pumps mounted by conventional pole clamps take up a large amount of vertical space on the IV pole that may be needed for other devices and/or medical fluid containers.
Furthermore, some existing pole clamp designs are limited in that they allow secure attachment of the feeding pump to a vertical cylindrical support structure such as an IV pole but cannot be readily mounted on other support structures such as a horizontal table top. Even if the clamp could be attached to some horizontal structure (e.g., a horizontally extending bed rail), the medical device would not be oriented properly for use. Such existing pole clamps do not allow an enteral feed pump or other medical device to be used outside of a hospital or medical care facility where vertical IV poles are unavailable and cumbersome for use.

Flexible clamping apparatus for medical devices


The invention provides improvements to an external vehicle mirror assembly. The pivot point is located at an outboard side of the mirror housing. The power pack is mounted at an inboard side of the mirror housing. The mirror case is molded with no obstructions in a recessed base for holding the mirror, and the pivotable socket is molded at one side of the mirror case. The mirror assembly is mounted to the vehicle through an improved mounting mechanism. Trim seals seal the mirror assembly to the vehicle with improved wind noise, moisture, and dust resistance, and fewer components.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to external vehicle mirrors and, more particularly, to improvements related to reducing costs of manufacture.
2. Description of the Related Art
External mirrors are ubiquitous for contemporary vehicles and have long been used to aid the driver in operating the vehicle, especially in improving the rearward view of the driver. Most have a structure similar to that shown in the prior art vehicle mirror 10 illustrated in FIG. 1, comprising a mirror assembly 12 pivotally mounted to a support base 14. The support base 14 includes a support arm 16 carrying a post 18 with a central aperture 20, and a mounting panel 17 for mounting the mirror 10 to the vehicle. The mirror assembly 12 includes a mirror housing 22 having a pin 24 adapted to be received in the central aperture 20. The pin 24 is retained therein by a spring 26 and a push nut 28. Access to the foregoing is provided by a removable door 30.
The mirror housing 22 is hollow and contains a power pack 32 which receives power by way of a wiring harness 34. A reflective element assembly 35 comprises a mirror case 36 which is pivotally mounted to the power pack 32 at a pivot point 38 for rotation about two orthogonal axes. The reflective element assembly 35 can also comprise a heater 40, or in the absence of the heater a support pad 42, optionally mounted to the mirror case 36. A reflective element 44 is mounted to the mirror case 36, and the entire assembly of the power pack 32, the mirror case 36, and reflective element 44 is mounted inside the mirror housing 22. The working components of the mirror assembly 12 inside the mirror housing 22 are accessible through an opening 46 in the mirror housing 22, which opening is normally covered by a skull cap 48.
Problems inherent with existing designs for external vehicle mirrors such as that illustrated in FIG. 1 include the cost of materials, the time for manufacture and assembly, and the accuracy of fit and finish. There is a need for improvements to reduce costs, to minimize time for manufacture, to make assembly easier, and to streamline fit and finish.


A treated object modifying apparatus includes a plasma-treating unit that includes a first electrode unit, a second electrode unit, and a dielectric that is interposed between the first electrode unit and the second electrode unit, and that plasma-treats a treated object positioned between the first electrode unit and the dielectric; and a controlling unit that controls the plasma-treating unit so that the amount of plasma energy delivered to any one of sides of the treated object in a duplex treatment that are performed with the one side of the treated object facing the first electrode unit and with the other side of the treated object facing the first electrode unit is different from the amount of plasma energy delivered to any one of the sides of the treated object in a simplex treatment that is performed with the one side of the treated object facing the first electrode unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a treated object modifying apparatus, a printing apparatus, a printing system, and a method for manufacturing a printout.
2. Description of the Related Art
Improvement in the throughput of conventional inkjet recording apparatuses by using high-speed printing has been difficult, because most inkjet recording apparatuses are shuttle-based, in which a head is moved back and forth in the width direction of a recording medium, e.g., a paper sheet or a film. To allow such recording apparatuses to provide high-speed printing, one-pass printing, in which an arrangement of a plurality of heads covering the entire width of the recording medium is passed across the sheet to record at once, has been disclosed recently.
One-pass printing is effective in improving the printing speed. However, because time intervals at which ink droplets are ejected to form dots adjacent to each other are short, and each of the ink droplets is ejected to form an adjacent dot before the ink droplet ejected earlier permeates into the recording medium, coalescence of the adjacent dots (hereinafter, referred to as ink-droplet interference) is likely to occur, and may reduce image quality. Related art examples are disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 10-310652, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2003-154256, and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-281796.
In view of the above-described conventional problems, there is a need to provide a treated object modifying apparatus, a printing apparatus, printing system, and a method for manufacturing a printout capable of modifying a treated object in such a manner that a high-quality printout is produced.

Treated object modifying apparatus, printing apparatus, printing system, and method for manufacturing printout


A method for preparing and/or performing a steering intervention. The method includes detecting a traffic-influencing object and continuously recording object information, determining whether the object is tangential to a current trajectory of the vehicle, monitoring a lateral distance to the object or a predicted time available until a countersteering intervention is necessary before the object is reached. The method additionally includes checking whether the driver performs a countersteering intervention, for the case that the lateral distance or the available time falls below a first threshold value, of pilot controlling at least one actuator that influences the trajectory, so that a steering pretorque is applied if no steering intervention is performed by the driver, and triggering the steering actuator, so that a steering torque is applied to the steering, if the lateral distance or the available time additionally falls below a second threshold value.

LSS (lane support system) functions are components of Euro NCAP 2018. These functions ensure an enhanced driving safety with regard to lateral guidance of the vehicle. An example thereof is the emergency lane keeping oncoming function, which intervenes in the case of unintentional lane departure toward the adjacent lane if an approaching vehicle is detected thereon.
A driver assistance system is described in German Patent Application No. DE 10 2005 036 219 A1. Here, a lane departure monitoring device triggers a haptic warning in the form of a steering-wheel vibration to assist the driver of a motor vehicle in the case of an involuntary departure from a specified lane in the event the vehicle makes contact with or approaches the boundary of the own lane thereof, and, as a driver-assisting reaction, triggers an automatic countersteering back to the middle of the lane, always simultaneously with this warning.
It is important, on the one hand, that the LSS functions respond as early as possible to enable a dangerous situation to be avoided since the entire system, in particular the actuators, are not able to respond infinitely quickly. On the other hand, it is also important, however, that the LSS functions be triggered at the latest possible time so that the driver is not unnecessarily disturbed if he/she had reacted in time.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method which will make it possible for a steering intervention, which assists the driver of a vehicle, to be performed late.

Method for preparing and/or performing a steering intervention that assists the driver of a vehicle


High molecular weight polyanilines are provided, along with synthetic methods therefor. The methods generally comprise mixing aniline, protonic acid, salt, and a polymerization agent at a temperature of from about -10.degree. C. to about -70.degree. C. Upon analysis by gel permeation chromatography, using polystyrene standards, the polyanilines of the invention provide a single peak, weight average molecular weight greater than about 200,000.

Much attention has recently been directed to polyaniline, due in large part to its excellent stability and the relatively high levels of electrical conductivity of certain of its structural forms. For example, one form of polyaniline known as "emeraldine base" or "polyaniline base" (structure (1), Y=0.5) can be protonated (doped) by dilute aqueous protonic acid such as hydrochloric acid to produce the corresponding salt (structure (2), A=Cl). This salt exhibits conductivities of about 1-5 Siemans per centimeter (S/cm) as a compressed powder pellet. ##STR1##
Polyaniline polymers can be processed into a variety of useful shaped articles such as fibers, films, and composites thereof. For many such applications, there is a positive correlation between increased molecular weight for the polyaniline employed and the performance properties of the resultant shaped article. Considerable attention has therefore been devoted to the development of polyanilines having high molecular weight. For example, M. Abe, et al., J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., 1736-39 (1989), reported that polymerization of aniline at -3.degree. C. to -5.degree. C. produced polyaniline having a weight average molecular weight of 160,000 as measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) using a polystyrene standard and a 0.01 mol/dm.sup.3 LiBr/NMP solution as eluent. Abe, et al. observed that the molecular weight of polyaniline increases as its polymerization temperature decreases and hypothesized that the suppression of side reactions by lowering the polymerization temperature contributed to the increase in molecular weight.
Polyaniline polymers used to form shaped articles should have relatively low polydispersity, which is defined as the ratio of weight average molecular weight to number average molecular weight (i.e., M.sub.w /M.sub.n). As will be recognized, polydispersity, in conjunction with molecular weight, has a pronounced effect on properties such as melt viscosity, tensile strength, modulus, impact strength (toughness), and resistance to heat and corrosives. Lower polydispersity values generally indicate more controlled polymerization processes and higher quality polymers.
The solubility of the polyaniline is also an important processing consideration. Crosslinking a low molecular weight polyaniline to increase its molecular weight may render the polymer relatively insoluble in most known solvent systems and, hence, unusable from a manufacturing standpoint.
It would therefore be of great advantage to provide high molecular weight polyanilines of low polydispersity which are readily soluble in a variety of solvents.

High molecular weight polyanilines and synthetic methods therefor

Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania


The present invention relates to a cooling device and a cooling method capable of controlling, by section, the flow of coolant supplied in a widthwise direction, the cooling device comprising: a base frame connected to an external cooling fluid supply line, and disposed to be able to spray coolant onto a material that passes through a rolling mill after having been heated in a heating furnace; and a nozzle assembly disposed on the base frame, and spraying a cooling fluid in an arbitrary pattern onto a plurality of sections divided along the widthwise direction of the material to minimize a deviation in temperature in the widthwise direction of the material. Through this configuration, the flow of coolant supplied in the widthwise direction of a material can be controlled to be varied, thereby being capable of minimizing a deviation in temperature in the widthwise direction of a high temperature material.

FIG. 1 is a view schematically illustrating a general thick plate process line. Referring to FIG. 1, a material is led out from a heating furnace 10 in a high temperature state, passes through a widthwise rolling mill 20 and a lengthwise rolling mill 30, and is preliminarily leveled in a preliminary leveler 40, and is then accelerated and cooled in a cooling device 50. In addition, the accelerated and cooled material passes through a hot leveler 60 and is shape-leveled, and is then cooled in a cooling bed 70.
Here, the conventional cooling device 50 is configured to spray a predetermined amount of coolant in a width direction of the material, as illustrated in FIG. 2. However, when the predetermined amount of coolant is sprayed in the width direction of the material, since a central portion of the material has a smaller area in contact with the coolant than a volume thereof, a cooling effect in the central portion of the material is lowered, and since edge portions of the material have a wide area which is in contact with the coolant, the cooling effect at the edge portion of the material is increased. As a result, there is a problem in that a temperature deviation may occur throughout the material.
Further, to reduce temperature deviations in a length direction of the material, a technology has been performed for controlling a flow rate of coolant supplied to a head end portion (a), a central portion (b), and a tail end portion (c) of the material according to an indicated flow rate profile for a time illustrated in FIG. 3 when the material is cooled. The above-mentioned technology tracks a position of the moving material and adjusts a flow rate of the corresponding position with a valve.
However, since the flow rate of coolant supplied to cool the material corresponds to several tons, there may be a problem in that it takes about 3 seconds to adjust the flow rate with the valve and it takes about 10 seconds or more to stabilize the supplied flow rate. Accordingly, since the flow rate of coolant sprayed to the material does not have time to accurately follow the set indicated flow rate profile, a large deviation in the flow rate of coolant which is actually supplied to the head end portion (a) and the tail end portion (c) may occur, resulting in a temperature deviation in the material.


Disclosed herein is an apparatus. The apparatus includes a housing, a first magnet member, a lens holder, and a second magnet member. The first magnet member is connected to the housing. The first magnet member includes a first surface. The lens holder is in the housing. The lens holder includes a lens. The second magnet member is connected to the lens holder. The second magnet member includes a second surface. The second surface is opposite the first surface of the first magnet member. The second magnet member is configured to move in a direction substantially normal to the first surface of the first magnet member when a magnetic force is generated between the first magnet member and the second magnet member.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a camera module and, more particularly, to a camera module having a movable lens.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
As electronic devices continue to become more sophisticated, these devices provide an increasing amount of functionality by providing several applications within the device. One common application included with electronic devices is a digital camera application.
Electronic devices having digital camera applications with a movable lens are known in the art. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0247539 discloses a multi-stage lens driving device for use in various electronic devices. The lens driving device moves an optical lens to provide autofocus/zoom capabilities.
FIG. 29 illustrates an example of a conventional autofocus configuration 28A. The autofocus configuration 28A comprises a large sized sensor 36A with a large shutter 38A on top of (or over) the sensor 36A. All of the lenses 39A move during the autofocus operations in this conventional example.
FIG. 30 illustrates another conventional autofocus configuration 300A. The autofocus configuration 300A comprises a complex voice coil motor (VCM) structure which is located around a lens barrel. The autofocus configuration 300A footprint size may be about 9.5 mm×about 9.5 mm. FIG. 31 further illustrates the complex VCM structure of the configuration 300A in an exploded view. The conventional VCM structure may comprise a printed wiring board 301A having a sensor 303A and a driver IC 305A, a sensor holder 307A, an IR glass 309A, a barrel assembly 311A, a base 313A, a first spring 315A, a carrier 317A, a coil 319A, a spacer 321A, magnets 323A, a yoke 325A, a second spring 327A, a frame 329A, and a top cover 331A.
The demand for continuous size miniaturization generates challenges to implement added camera functionality such as autofocus and zoom operations. As such, there is a problem of implementing conventional lens driving devices for movable lenses in small electronic device configurations.
Additionally, conventional electronic devices offer limited functionality due to the demand for miniaturized devices. For example, image stabilization functions have not been widely implemented in electronic devices, such as mobile phones. However, existing mid-range digital still cameras (such as camera models from Panasonic Corporation or Sony Corporation model DSC T9, for example) provide image stabilization functionality. In conventional digital still cameras, a balancing effect can be implemented by moving the optics (lens) or the sensor. Further information regarding Panasonic's optical image stabilization system may be found at http://panasonic.co.jp/pavc/global/lumix/.
FIG. 32 illustrates another conventional image stabilization configuration 400A. In this example, the lens 401A is moved with electromagnetic actuators along x-y guides 403A, 405A. The image stabilization size may be about 20 mm×about 20 mm×about 9 mm.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/267,394, filed on Nov. 4, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, illustrates another image stabilization configuration. In this example, the actuator system comprises piezos.
However, conventional configurations do not provide practical size wise configurations for implementation into small electronic devices. Additionally, as consumers demand increased functionality from small electronic devices, there is a need to provide robust and compact configurations having autofocus and/or image stabilization functionality.
Accordingly, there is a desire to provide an improved camera with a movable lens for use in an electronic device.


Predetermined hologram images 7a, 7b formed by three-dimensionally arranging a plurality of data items constituting data group information are read out from hologram devices 6a, 6b, and an image correlation calculation between the hologram images 7a, 7b is carried out by a Fourier transform optical system constituted by Fourier transform lenses 8, 13 and an optical address type SLM 9, whereby a correlation value of data groups is detected by a photodetector 14.

In the present age known as information-oriented society, various kinds of data are stored, and a variety of databases are constructed. Such databases are meaningless if they are simply stored. The added value and utility value of databases will increase if data groups constituting the stored database can freely be retrieved and subjected to information processing therebetween.
Conventionally, such data have been stored in memory devices of computers, and necessary information has been readout electrically and subjected to arithmetic processing, so as to carry out information processing.

Information processing method and information processing system


A dispensing closure includes a body on which an actuator supporting an outlet passage is pivoted about a transverse pivot axis. A post is integrally supported on the upper part of the body and extends adjacent and below the pivot axis. The actuator includes an abutting surface which extends axially when the actuator is in a position to close the outlet and is adjacent the post. Upon the first movement of the actuator, the abutting surface contacts the post with a transverse force that breaks the post. In a preferred embodiment, the post is formed on a transverse wall of the body and extends axially along an inner surface of the body. The post extends axially in cantilever fashion. A thin membrane may connect the post to the upper part of the body. The abutting surface is provided on an annular skirt on the actuator and comprises a recess in the skirt defining the abutting surface. Preferably, the skirt of the actuator includes a convex free edge which is adapted cooperate with axial ribs on the transverse wall of the closure to absorb any excess force on the actuator during normal operation by contact of the convex surface with inclined surfaces on the free ends of the axial ribs. In a modified form, the body is made integral with the container.

In one of the well known types of dispensing closure such as shown in U.S. Pat. No.3,516,58, the closure includes a body and an actuator pivoted on the body. The actuator includes a dispensing opening which is exposed when the actuator is moved from a closed to an open position.
It is desirable to provide a construction wherein a greater force is required initially to use the dispensing closure and upon the first movement of the actuator to the open position, a lesser force is thereafter used. Such a construction permits handling and shipment of the filled containers with a dispensing closure without inadvertent opening of the closure. In one type of such dispensing closure, an abutment is broken upon first actuation of the actuator as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,223,287, 3,318,494, 3,568,895, 4,095,725, 5,346,100 and 5,341,960. In another type, an abutment is permanently deformable on first use of the actuator as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,869.
Among the objectives of the present invention are to provide a dispensing closure of the type which is constructed to require a greater force initially to use the dispensing closure and upon first movement of the actuator to an open position, a lesser force is required; wherein an abutment or post is broken; wherein the force for breaking the post can be more readily controlled during design and manufacture of the dispensing closure; wherein the post is broken by a force applied to the post transversely such that there is greater assurance that the post will be broken.
In accordance with the invention, the dispensing closure includes a body on which an actuator supporting an outlet passage is pivoted about a transverse pivot axis. A post is integrally supported on the upper part of the body and extends adjacent and below the pivot axis. The actuator includes an abutting surface which extends axially when the actuator is in a position to close the outlet and is adjacent the post. Upon the first movement of the actuator, the abutting surface contacts the post with a transverse force that breaks the post. In a preferred embodiment, the post is formed on a transverse wall of the body and extends axially along an inner surface of the body. The post extends axially in cantilever fashion. A thin membrane may connect the post to the upper part of the body. The abutting surface is provided on an annular skirt on the actuator and comprises a recess in the skirt defining the abutting surface. Preferably, the skirt of the actuator includes a convex free edge which is adapted cooperate with axial ribs on the transverse wall of the closure to absorb any excess force on the actuator during normal operation by contact of the convex edge with inclined surfaces on the free ends of the axial ribs. In a modified form, the body is made integral with the container.