A paper web formation measurement system provides on-line measurement and control of visual properties of a moving web of paper. The measurement system includes an image acquisition system for capturing images of the moving web, and an image analysis system for analyzing captured images. The image acquisition system includes a strobe lighting system for backlighting the moving web and a charge injection device (CID) camera for capturing light transmitted through the web to form an image of the web in non-standard (non-RS-170), full frame format. Captured images are digitized by the image analysis system to 256 graylevel and analyzed to produce a mathematical formation index representing visual properties of the web. The mathematical formation index, which is derived from a graylevel distribution histogram, is presented to paper production personnel to enable on-line adjustment of process variables to maximize paper quality. The image analysis system is also configured to ascertain the distribution of flocs and voids within the image. The mathematical formation index may be adjusted to reflect the distribution of flocs and voids within the web.

The production of paper involves many process variables which can affect paper quality and formation consistency. For example, the consistency of wood fibers and lignin content in the pulp can vary as wood from different types of trees is introduced into the stock. If, for example, lignin content increases or short fibers content decreases, machine settings must be commensurately adjusted and controlled to maintain consistency in the end product. Wood composition can vary even among trees of the same type growing in the same geographic location based on varying environmental factors such as soil composition, amount of sunlight, rain, etc.
As a further production variable, formation characteristics of paper are, to a large extent, unique to a particular papermaking machine. Papermaking machines are typically large with no two machines being built to the same specifications, dimensions, and operating speeds. Different machines are also operated and maintained differently. The result of these and other process variations in papermaking machines is that paper formation characteristics will vary in accordance with the particular machine used during paper production.
The many process variables involved in the manufacture of paper must be adequately and consistently controlled to avoid undesirable paper formation properties. Visual characteristics of the paper (including formation, moisture streaks, wire marks, dirt, roughness, coating uniformity, gloss variation, and misregister in printing) can provide much needed feedback for machine operators to adjust process variables in order to achieve a consistently high quality paper product. Unfortunately, current techniques fail to adequately monitor these visual characteristics in a manner that would enable machine operators to make needed production adjustments in an effective and efficient manner.
Control of process variables during production is also important because many processes today utilize recycled pulp, which varies significantly in the quantity of undesirables and in the consistency of fiber characteristics. Recycled pulp contains varying amounts of undesirables such as printing ink, polymers from coatings, dirt, and other contaminants. Also, fiber and lignin content vary significantly because recycled pulp is typically made from a variety of paper products that were also produced by different processes with different machines and from different wood sources. Therefore, production control can become even more critical to formation consistency when using recycled pulp.
A principle factor that has frustrated the evolution of a new generation of pulp control systems is the inability to accurately, reliably, and consistently observe visual characteristics of the paper product as it is formed. A common production control technique is to utilize human observation of the paper's visual characteristics. By holding a sample paper web up to a light source, one is able to observe, in general measure, formation consistency and other visual characteristics within the paper web. This type of direct human observation of the paper's visual characteristics provides a good general assessment of formation, but it is inconsistent and inefficient. Human observation is largely subjective and prior attempts to provide a system for valuating human observed characteristics are ineffective. Human assessment is ineffective because the human eye is unable to observe the paper web on-line as it speeds along the production machines. Instead, direct human observation must be performed on the end product, resulting in a production control solution that is slow, inefficient, and simply unable to respond to constantly changing process variables in a timely manner. What is needed is an automated on-line system for measuring, analyzing, and valuating visual characteristics of paper in a manner that closely approximates and complements human assessments. The system should be able to provide a single and consistent valuation, or index of the visual properties of the web.
Attempts have been made to provide an on-line system for measuring formation and other visual characteristics of paper. Formation is most commonly measured on-line with single point light or laser transmission. However, this technique does not allow proper correlation with human visual assessment or with off-line formation measurement testers, which extract formation measurements from two-dimensional images. Also, the results of the off-line testers are only available after the paper has been made and sampled from reels, and, therefore come too late for any kind of on-machine control of paper formation.
Other attempts in the art have involved the use of backlighting the paper web as it speeds along the machine. In a paper entitled "A Device for Measuring the Orientation of Paper Formation", Foyn et al. discuss analyzing the orientation of formation across a paper web at web speeds up to about 4900 feet per minute. The paper discusses use of a stroboscope to illuminate the web while a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera with a 1/10,000 sec. shutter speed obtains data from the illuminated web. Data analysis is frequency-based and one-dimensional, and therefore lacks the ability to emulate human visual observation. Such systems suffer from various other drawbacks which limit their usefulness, particularly in high speed applications including, but not limited to, focus and motion jitter problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,799 to Jarrett, Jr. describes a method for detecting flaws in a continuous moving web of cloth material moving at speeds of up to 600 feet per minute by using a high intensity light to backlight the material. Data obtained with a video camera is then compared against stored templates of known flaws. However, the system is not useful in high speed on-line applications for providing real time control capability.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for measuring visual characteristics of a moving web of paper, including a web forming on a paper machine wire, and analyzing the resulting data on-line and during production to enable machine operators to make necessary control adjustments in a consistent and efficient manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for on-line measurement of visual characteristics of a moving web of paper, including a forming web on a paper machine wire, and on-line analysis of the resulting data in a manner that closely approximates human assessment of the web's visual characteristics.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus capable of measuring visual characteristics of a paper web and producing an objective and consistent valuation, or index, of the web's visual characteristics.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for measuring visual characteristics of a paper web on-line while the web is moving at speeds up to 5,000 feet per second.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for measuring, analyzing, and displaying visual characteristics of a high speed web of paper with a video camera that does not induce motion jitter in the captured image.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for measuring visual characteristics of a high speed web of paper with a video camera, and keeping the web in focus with the camera even as the web flutters.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for on-line determination of a mathematical formation index corresponding to formation consistency in a moving web of paper.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for on-line determination of the areal composition of flocs and voids within a web of paper moving at a high speed on a papermaking machine.

Measurement of visual characteristics of paper


A liquid jet head includes an ejecting portion having a first head chip and a second chip which are laminated with each other, and a circuit board which outputs a drive signal for driving the ejecting portion. A first connection board electrically connects the first head chip to the circuit board, and a second connection board electrically connects the second head chip to the circuit board. A bend portion is provided in the circuit board so that by bending the circuit board at the bend portion, the first electrode terminal portion and the second electrode terminal portion are made to extend in the same direction, and face each other in the lamination direction of the head chips. The circuit board has a connecting terminal that is exposed to the outside through a window in the circuit board when the circuit board is bent at the ending portion.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid jet head and a liquid jet recording apparatus each of which ejects liquid from a nozzle hole to record an image or a character on a recording medium.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, as an apparatus which jets liquid (ink) onto a recording medium, a liquid jet recording apparatus which jets ink droplets from a plurality of nozzle holes of an ink chamber toward a recording medium has been known. Such a liquid jet recording apparatus includes one that is provided with an ink jet head in which a so-called ink jet method is employed.
A head chip is provided in the ink jet head. The head chip is provided with a piezoelectric actuator on which a plurality of long grooves filled with ink are formed. Electrodes are provided on opposite side walls of each of the long grooves. By applying a predetermined drive voltage to these electrodes, the side walls are deformed, and a capacity inside each of the long grooves changes. As a result, ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle holes toward a recording medium.
Various techniques for increasing the number of nozzle holes have been proposed for the purpose of improving the density of a character or an image recorded on a recording medium. For example, JP 2004-209796 A discloses a technique that enables high density recording by arranging two head chips in a stack to thereby double the number of nozzle holes.
A more detailed description will be made on the basis of FIG. 10.
FIG. 10 is a transverse sectional view of an ink jet head of a conventional example (FIG. 12 of JP 2004-209796 A).
As illustrated in FIG. 10, an ink jet head 110 includes two head chips 101 which are arranged in a stack. Each of the head chips 101 includes a lower substrate 111, an upper substrate 113, a channel portion 115 which is formed between the lower substrate 111 and the upper substrate 113, a nozzle plate 102 which is adhered to the front of the channel portion 115, a wiring board 103 which is adhered to the outer surface of the lower substrate 111, and a driver IC 104 which is mounted on the wiring board 103.
The channel portion 115 is surrounded by the lower substrate 111, the upper substrate 113, and two walls (not shown) which are interposed between the lower substrate 111 and the upper substrate 113 and made of piezoelectric bodies.
The two head chips 101 are laminated with each other in such a manner that the upper substrates 113 of the respective head chips 101 face each other and the lower substrates 111 thereof are located on outer side. The wiring boards 103 are adhered to the outer surfaces of the respective two lower substrates 111. That is, the two head chips 101 are interposed between the two wiring boards 103. The driver ICs 104 are mounted on the inner surfaces of the respective wiring boards 103. Therefore, an area located opposite to the liquid ejection side of the two head chips 101 is surrounded by the two wiring board 103.
Each of the driver ICs 104 mounted on each of the wiring boards 103 inputs therein a control signal from an external circuit such as a control circuit through two connectors 105 and a wiring 106, and generates a drive signal for selectively driving each of the channel portions 115. The drive signal generated by each of the driver ICs 104 is supplied to the corresponding channel portion 115 through a driver wiring 107. The two walls made of piezoelectric bodies are deformed according to the drive signal, which causes the capacity of the channel portion 115 to change. Accordingly, ink filled inside the channel portion 115 is ejected from a nozzle.
Next, another example that enables high density recording will be described on the basis of FIG. 11.
FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a liquid jet head of another conventional example.
As illustrated in FIG. 11, a liquid jet head 120 includes a two-row head chip 123, two circuit boards 124 and 125 which supply a drive signal to the two-row head chip 123, a relay printed circuit board 126 which supplies a control signal to the circuit boards 124 and 125, and four flexible substrates 127, 128, 131, and 132.
The two-row head chip 123 includes two nozzle rows which are formed by adhering together two piezoelectric actuators 121 and 122 which are made of piezoelectric bodies.
In the four flexible substrates 127, 128, 131, and 132, the flexible substrates 127 and 128 are used for electrically connecting the circuit boards 124 and 125 and the two-row head chip 123 to each other. On the other hand, the two flexible substrates 131 and 132 are used for electrically connecting the relay printed circuit board 126 and the two circuit boards 124 and 125 to each other.
The relay printed circuit board 126 is provided with an external device connecting connector 133 which inputs therein a control signal from an external circuit. The relay printed circuit board 126 supplies the input signal to the two circuit boards 124 and 125 through the two flexible substrates 131 and 132.
The two circuit boards 124 and 125 are provided with driver ICs 134 and 135, respectively. Each of the driver ICs 134 and 135 generates a drive signal for driving the two-row head chip 123 according to the input control signal. A drive signal generated by the driver IC 134 is supplied to the upper piezoelectric actuator 121 through the flexible substrate 127. On the other hand, a drive signal generated by the driver IC 135 is supplied to the lower piezoelectric actuator 122 through the flexible substrate 128.
Therefore, the liquid jet head 120 which includes the two-row head chip 123 requires the two circuit boards 124 and 125, the single relay printed circuit board 126, and the four flexible substrates 127, 128, 131, and 132.
In JP 2004-209796 A, the wiring boards 103 are placed on the outside of the lower substrates 111 of the respective head chips 101 so as to largely protrude toward the side opposite to the liquid ejection side. Therefore, the weight of the ink jet head 110 increases, and there is a limit to make the ink jet head 110 thin. In addition, the capacity and the volume of the ink jet head 110 increase. As a result, a carriage and a member of a drive system for driving the carriage become large, thereby disadvantageously increasing the size of the entire apparatus.
Further, disadvantageously, the mass of the carriage which loads thereon a plurality of ink jet heads 110 increases, and a large load is thereby applied on the drive system for driving the carriage.
Further, since the area located opposite to the liquid ejection side of the two head chips 101 is occupied by the wiring boards 103, unfortunately, the area cannot be utilized for another device. In addition, since the two connectors 105 are provided, restriction on the layout of connection between the wirings 106 and an external circuit such as a control circuit disadvantageously increases.
In the conventional example illustrated in FIG. 11, the two circuit boards 124 and 125, the four flexible substrates 127, 128, 131, and 132, and the single relay printed circuit board 126 are placed in an area located opposite to the liquid ejection side. Therefore, unfortunately, there is a limit to reduce the thickness of this area.
Further, the number of components is large, an assembly step for assembling the components becomes complicated and long, and the cause of failure also increases.

Liquid jet head and liquid jet recording apparatus


A multi-function force reflecting haptic interface including various sub-assemblies is disclosed. The sub-assemblies include multiple function user interfaces, a user interface docking station for setting the interface to a home position, temperature monitoring and control systems, and various kinematic cable drive systems.

Force reflecting haptic interfaces and associated computer hardware and software are used in a variety of systems to provide tactile sensory feedback to a user in addition to conventional visual feedback, thereby affording an enhanced man/machine interface. These systems are becoming more prevalent in such diverse areas as surgical technique training, industrial design and modeling, and personal entertainment.
Two examples of haptic interfaces for use in a desktop environment are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,587,937 and 6,417,638, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Generally, haptic interfaces define a user reference point located, for example, proximate or within a volume of a user connection element such as a finger thimble or stylus configured to be donned or grasped by a user. Disposed between the user connection element and a spatial or reference ground are a series of mechanical transmission elements such as gimbals, linkages, and frames configured to permit substantially unrestricted movement of the connection element within a predetermined work volume of the haptic interface when in an unpowered state.
Based on the configuration and orientation of the transmission elements, multiple independent degrees of freedom may be provided. Depending on the particular application for the interface, each degree of freedom may be powered and/or tracked, or free, being neither powered nor tracked. For example, a degree of freedom may be powered by a motor or other actuator so that, under appropriate conditions, the interface can resist, balance, or overcome a user input force along that degree of freedom. The powered axis may be active, with force being varied as a function of system conditions, or passive, such as when a constant resistance or drag force is applied. Alternatively or additionally, a degree of freedom can be tracked using an encoder, potentiometer, or other measurement device so that, in combination with other tracked degrees of freedom, the spatial location of the reference point within the work volume can be determined relative to ground. Lastly, a degree of freedom may be free, such that a user is free to move along the degree of freedom substantially without restriction and without tracking within the limits of the range of motion. The interface, in combination with appropriate computer hardware and software, can be used to provide haptic feedback in a virtual reality environment or link a user to an actual manipulator located, for example, in a remote or hazardous environment.
Significant challenges exist in designing a force reflecting haptic interface with appropriate operational and response characteristics. For example, it is desirable that the haptic interface have low friction and weight balance such that a user's movements will not be unduly resisted and the user will not become fatigued merely by moving the connection element within the work volume. It is also desirable that the haptic interface have a high degree of resolution and be highly responsive so as to replicate, as closely as possible, an actual haptic experience. Compact size, low cost, and the interchangeability of various input interfaces are also beneficial attributes from the standpoint of commercial acceptance and appeal.
Nevertheless, the complex technology involved in a force reflecting haptic interface has hampered efforts to reduce size and cost. The architecture of such a device requires unit sizes that are larger than desirable, often because of such factors as motor placement, weight counter-balancing measures, and component size characteristics. Such large unit sizes often drive commercial costs higher, as do the unique components that are required in such a device. The complex technology has also limited the interchangeability of input interfaces, thus requiring the acquisition of a custom device with a specific input interface for each different application.
These limitations on size and cost are presently an unfortunate bar to many markets to which a force reflecting haptic interface is well-suited. For example, lower cost would make such an interface available to consumers, for use with their home personal computers. Use of a haptic interface as a peripheral device would effectively widen the bandwidth of human interaction with the computer, by providing an interface that incorporates a sense of touch, well beyond the standard two-dimensional interaction of sight and sound.
There is, therefore, a need for a force reflecting haptic interface with enhanced functionality that is compact in size and of relatively low cost, so as to be available to a broad consumer market.


A method, computer program product and data processing system for identifying non-externalized strings that are not hard-coded. In one embodiment, a method comprises the step of scanning a code, e.g., Java, line by line until a pair of string delimiters is identified. Once a pair of string delimiters is identified, the method further comprises the step of determining whether the string within the pair of string delimiters identified is a path name to a resource file, e.g., resource bundle. If the string is a path name to the resource file, then the string is a non-externalized string that is not hard-coded. If the string is not a path name to the resource file, then the string may be identified as a possible hard-coded string.

Internationalization is a process of enabling a program, e.g., Java™, to run internationally. That is, an internationalized program has the flexibility to run correctly in any country. An internationalized program must be able to read, write and manipulate localized text. Furthermore, an internationalized program must conform to local customs when displaying dates and times, formatting numbers and sorting strings.
Internationalization is becoming increasingly important with the explosive growth of the Internet and the World Wide Web where an ever increasing number of computer users are from various locales. A locale represents a geographic, cultural or political region. One of the problems with internationalization involves the use of text strings that may be hard-coded in the program, e.g., Java™. Hard-coded text strings refer to text that will not vary with the locale. That is, the text strings may appear in English even when the program is run on the French locale. Various object-oriented languages such as Java™ have developed tools to assist in developing internationalized programs and allowing text strings to appear in the language of the locale. A discussion of object-oriented programming languages and in particular Java is deemed appropriate.
In an object-oriented programming language such as Java™, a class is a collection of data and methods that operate on that data. The data and methods taken together describe the state and behavior of what is commonly referred to as an object. An object in essence includes data and code where the code manipulates the data. Hence a software application may be written using an object-oriented programming language such as Java™ whereby the program's functionality is implemented using objects.
Unlike many programming languages, Java™ is compiled into machine independent code commonly referred to as bytecodes instead of machine dependent code, i.e. executable code. Bytecodes are stored in a particular file format commonly referred to as a "class file" that includes bytecodes for methods of a class. In addition to the bytecodes for methods of a class, the class file includes a symbol file as well as other ancillary information.
A computer program embodied as Java™ bytecodes in one or more class files is platform independent. The computer program may be executed, unmodified, on any computer that is able to run an implementation of what is commonly referred to as a Java™ virtual machine. The Java™ virtual machine is not an actual hardware platform, but rather a low level software emulator that can be implemented on many different computer processor architectures and under many different operating systems. The Java™ virtual machine reads and interprets each bytecode so that the instructions may be executed by the native processor. Hence a Java™ bytecode is capable of functioning on any platform that has a Java™ virtual machine implementation available. However, bytecode interpretation detracts from processor performance since the microprocessor has to spend some of its processing time interpreting bytecode instructions. Compilers commonly referred to as "just in time (JIT)" were developed to improve the performance of Java virtual machines. A JIT compiler translates Java™ bytecodes into the processor's native machine code during runtime. The processor then executes the compiled native machine code.
As stated above Java™ has developed tools to assist in developing internationalized programs and allowing text strings to appear in the language of the locale. One such tool is the use of resource files commonly referred to in Java™ as resource bundles. A resource bundle class may be used for externalizing text strings, i.e. not hard-coding strings in the program. The resource bundle class represents a bundle of resources that may be looked up by name. The resources may include appropriate text strings for a given locale that are indexed by what are commonly referred to as keys. Keys are free formatted strings that appear in the program code as well as in the resource bundle thereby allowing the program to access the externalized string. By having resource bundles associated with particular locales, e.g., a resource file with resources associated with the US English locale, a resource file with resources associated with the French locale and so forth, appropriate text strings associated with the particular locale may be loaded at runtime.
However, software developers may still hard-code their strings into their application instead of externalizing them and loading them from the resource bundle. Various scanning programs have been developed which attempt to detect hard-coded strings. Unfortunately, these scanning programs simply detect as hard-coded strings all text enclosed within double quotes (" ") which are used as string delimiters in Java™ (as well as other programming languages). However, not all text enclosed within double quotes are hard-coded strings. The text enclosed within the double quotes may be a path name to a resource file, e.g., resource bundle.
It would therefore be desirable to develop a scanning program that identifies non-externalized strings, e.g., path names to resource files, that are not hard-coded but that are enclosed within string delimiters.

Identifying non-externalized text strings that are not hard-coded

International Business Machines Corporation


Disclosed herein is a system and method for selectively providing an audible alert to remind the user of a mobile communication device that they have received an incoming message. A first alert is provided initially after the incoming messages is received. Thereafter, additional alerts are suppressed unless motion of the mobile communication device is detected.

Mobile communication devices, such as mobile phones or personal digital assistants (PDA), may use an audible alert to remind a user that the device has received an incoming message. For example, a cell phone may beep when a voice message is received, or a PDA may play a certain tone when a text message is received. Typically, these audible alerts continue to sound at a certain interval until the user listens to the voice mail or reads the text message. Alternatively, the device may sound an audible alert only once after the message is received.
If the user does not listen to the message immediately, continued audible alerts can become bothersome to the user or to people nearby. For instance, a user may leave a cell phone at a desk while at lunch. If, during this time, a voice message is received, co-workers in the vicinity of the user's desk may become annoyed by the continual alert reminders.
A solution to this problem is to simply disable the alert reminder when the phone is left unattended. While this may serve to prevent others from being bothered, this solution suffers from a number of disadvantages. In particular, the alert needs to be repeatedly enabled and disabled at various times throughout the day. Additionally, a user may forget to enable the alert reminder and as a result he or she may miss messages that have been received but not reviewed.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a system that sounds an alert reminder associated with a communication device at times when the user of the device can be assumed to be in the presence of the device and as a result able to review his or her messages. Furthermore, it would be desirable to have an alert reminder system that minimizes the bothersome effect that its audible alerts may have on people other than the user of the device.

Alert reminder trigger by motion-detector


Disclosed is a method for converting an alkyl halide to an olefin. The method includes contacting a silicoaluminophosphate (SAPO) catalyst with a feed that includes an alkyl halide under reaction conditions sufficient to produce an olefin hydrocarbon product that includes C2 to C4 olefins. The SAPO catalyst has bimodal acidity designated as weak acid sites and strong acid sites. The weak acid concentration is less than 0.55 mmol/g-cat and the total acid concentration is less than 1.5 mmol/g-cat.

A. Field of the Invention
The invention generally concerns the use of small pore size silicoaluminophosphate (SAPO) catalysts to produce light olefins from alkyl halides. In particular, the catalysts have a weak acid concentration of less than 0.55 mmol/g-cat, a total acid concentration of 1.5 mmol/g-cat or less, and exhibit improved stability and catalytic performance over prolong periods of use.
B. Description of Related Art
Descriptions of units, abbreviation, terminology, etc. used throughout the present invention are summarized in Table 1.
Light olefins such as ethylene and propylene are used by the petrochemical industry to produce a variety of key chemicals that are then used to make numerous downstream products. By way of example, both of these olefins are used to make a multitude of plastic products that are incorporated into many articles and goods of manufacture. FIGS. 1A and 1B provide examples of products generated from ethylene (FIG. 1A) and propylene (FIG. 1B).
Methane activation to higher hydrocarbons, especially to light olefins, has been the subject of great interest over many decades. Recently, the conversion of methane to light olefins via a two-step process that includes conversion of methane to methyl halide, particularly to methyl mono-halide, for example, to methyl chloride followed by conversion of the halide to light olefins has attracted great attention. Zeolite (e.g., ZSM-5) or zeolite type catalysts (e.g., SAPO-34) have been tried for methyl chloride (or other methyl halide) conversion. However, the selectivity to a desired olefin (e.g., propylene) and the rapid catalyst deactivation for the halide reaction remain the major challenges for commercial success.
One of the most commonly used catalysts in the petrochemical industry is ZSM-5 zeolite. It is a medium pore zeolite with pore size about 5.5 Å and is shown to convert methyl halide, particularly methyl chloride or methyl bromide, to C2-C4 olefins and aromatics under methyl halide reaction conditions. Whereas, molecular sieve SAPO-34, an isostructure of chabazite zeolite, having small pore opening (3.8 Å) is shown to convert methyl halide to ethylene and propylene and small amounts of C4 olefins. However, both catalysts are shown to deactivate rapidly during methyl halide conversion due to carbon deposition on the catalysts.
While the SAPO-34 catalyst has good selectivity for both ethylene and propylene, a major problem with the SAPO-34 catalyst is its lack of stable catalytic performance over prolonged periods of use for the alkyl halide conversion. Notably, the currently available SAPO-34 catalysts show methyl chloride conversion rates of less than 20% after being used for 20 h. Such deactivation of these catalysts require frequent or continuous catalyst regeneration, or frequent catalyst change-out resulting in inefficient plant operation, or use of more catalysts to produce the desired amounts of ethylene and propylene, which in turn increases the manufacturing costs. Still further, the catalytic material has to be re-supplied in shorter time intervals, which oftentimes requires the reaction process to be shut down. This also adds to the inefficiencies of the currently available SAPO-34 catalysts.
TABLE 1AbbreviationDescriptionÅAngstromAvg.AverageBET SABET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) surface area° C.degree Celsius° C./mindegree Celsius per minutecm3/mincubic centimeter per minggramg/cm3gram per cubic centimeterhhourm2/gmeter square per grammol %mole percentmmol/g-catmillimole per gram of catalystNH3-TPDammonia temperature programmed desorption%percentpsigpound per square inch gaugeSARsilica to alumina ratioXRFX-ray fluorescenceWHSVweight hourly space velocitywt. %weight percent

Stable silicoaluminophosphate catalysts for conversion of alkyl halides to olefins


Load sharing rates of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor of a hybrid powered vehicle are definitely controlled to improve fuel efficiency of the vehicle during an auxiliary running with using power of the electric motor together with power of the internal combustion engine when a pressing amount of an accelerator pedal of the vehicle is small. In response to a pressing amount information of the accelerator pedal inputted to a hybrid control circuit, the hybrid control circuit calculates the load sharing rates of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor by referring to a preliminarily set control map and controls the motor according to its load sharing rate. The hybrid control circuit sends an electric signal corresponding to the load sharing rate of the internal combustion engine to the internal combustion engine control circuit, instead of the pressing amount information of the accelerator pedal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement of a drive force sharing control of a hybrid powered vehicle, which utilizes motive power of an internal combustion engine in combination with power of an electric motor. In particular, the present invention relates to an improvement of a sharing control of load shares of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor of a hybrid powered vehicle for a required drive force of the vehicle by controlling a ratio of a load sharing of the electric motor to that of the internal combustion engine according to a pressing amount of an accelerator pedal of the vehicle to economize fuel consumption of the hybrid powered vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
When a running state of a usual hybrid powered vehicle, which includes an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, is in a start mode, an acceleration mode or a hill clamming mode, in which a larger drive force, the hybrid powered vehicle is usually set to an auxiliary acceleration mode to use the electric motor to generate a drive force to be added to a drive force of the internal combustion engine. In such case, the internal combustion engine, which utilizes liquid fuel, and the electric motor, which utilizes electric power, generate drive forces respectively correspondingly to a pressing amount of an accelerator pedal of the hybrid powered vehicle operated by a driver to share loads necessary to achieve the running mode.
In such conventional hybrid powered vehicle, an output signal of an acceleration sensor of the hybrid powered vehicle corresponding to the pressing amount of the accelerator pedal is usually supplied to both an internal combustion engine control circuit for controlling a flow rate of fuel to be supplied to the internal combustion engine and a hybrid control circuit for controlling an electric current to be supplied to the electric motor, in parallel. The internal combustion engine control circuit and the hybrid control circuit generate control outputs, according to respective control logics thereof. The pressing amount of the accelerator pedal operated by the driver corresponds to a mere comprehensive output power of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor. The driver may further press the accelerator pedal if he wishes to accelerate the vehicle further or release the accelerator pedal if he wishes to decelerate the vehicle. Therefore, in the conventional hybrid powered vehicle, the control circuit for the internal combustion engine and the control circuit for the electric motor of the conventional hybrid powered vehicle are constructed such that each of these control circuits controls the acceleration and the deceleration of the vehicle independently of the other.
Consequently, although the comprehensive drive force outputted by the internal combustion engine and the electric motor corresponds to the pressing amount of the accelerator pedal at a time when the accelerator pedal is operated by the driver, load required at that time and shared by the internal combustion engine and the electric motor are not determined constantly. That is, for example, the power control responsive to an operation input corresponding to the pressing amount of accelerator pedal includes a hysteresis and the hysteresis characteristics of the internal combustion engine is different from that of the electric motor. Therefore, even if the accelerator pedal is being pressed to a certain specific amount, the load sharing rates of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor are varied upon a changing history of the depression amount of the accelerator pedal before the certain specific pressing amount of the accelerator pedal is achieved.
The above mentioned fact that the load sharing rates of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor are not determined constantly with respect to the constant pressing amount of the accelerator pedal is caused by not only the hysteresis characteristics of the internal combustion engine control circuit and the hybrid control circuit but also various other phenomena. For example, the other phenomena may include a temperature of the internal combustion engine, a charging rate of a storage battery for supplying current to the electric motor and a pressing speed of the accelerator pedal. As such, in the conventional control device, the load sharing rates of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor with respect to the pressing amount of the accelerator pedal are always varied according to changes of such various factors as mentioned above.
Response characteristics of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor to the pressing amount of the accelerator pedal are disclosed in JP H10-23608A and JP H08-294205A.
It has been found by the inventors of the present invention that, if the load sharing rates of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor with respect to the pressing amount of the accelerator pedal is not determined constantly, it may be impossible to make the performance of the hybrid powered vehicle best. That is, the most important feature of the hybrid powered vehicle is to ensure that the fuel consumption per unit running distance is as small as possible. In order to use this feature practically, it is necessary to maintain the charging rate of the storage battery as high as possible by charging the storage battery by means of regenerative braking during deceleration and to increase the rate of auxiliary motor running during acceleration. In order to increase the rate of auxiliary motor running during acceleration, it is necessary to execute a control for increasing the rate of auxiliary motor running as much as possible.
As a result of detailed investigation of this matter of a hybrid powered vehicle having conventional design conducted by the inventors, it has been found that, in a region in which the pressing amount of the accelerator pedal is one third of the full pressing or smaller, that is, a comprehensive output torque of the vehicle is small, the load sharing rates of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor are varied considerably due to various influences. Therefore, even if the hybrid powered vehicle is designed in such a way that efficiencies of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor become optimal with respect to drive forces generated thereby, the load sharing of the internal combustion engine is increased and the comprehensive fuel efficiency of the hybrid powered vehicle is degraded when the load sharing rates become inadequate.


A counter-ejector is described for stacking relatively flat sheet articles. The counter-ejector includes a main frame that is selectively movable about a pivot axis. An infeed conveyor is provided on the main frame defining a forward path of travel for sheet articles. The infeed conveyor includes a discharge end positioned adjacent a stack forming magazine where individual sheet articles from the infeed conveyor accumulate in a stack. An ejector adjacent the stack forming magazine is movable across the stack forming magazine from a stack engaging position adjacent the stack forming magazine to a shifted position at a stack compression station. A stack compressor at the stack compression station is positioned to receive a stack of sheet articles from the ejector. A compression linkage joins the stack compressor and main frame, with links arranged to adjustably open and close the stack compressor responsive to movement of the main frame about the pivot axis.

The present invention relates to receiving and forming a selected number of individual sheet materials into a stack and discharging the formed stack.
Sheet materials such as corrugated paper used for box construction, are typically die-cut, printed, perforated or otherwise treated by a finishing machine. The flat blanks may be folded with joints secured by glue, while still in substantially flat configurations for later assembly. It is desirable to accumulate the relatively flat folded blanks in stacks that may be bound with straps or otherwise secured for shipment or storage until such time that a need arises for the blanks to be formed into boxes.
Forming rails and glue application heads are typically used downstream of the finishing machine to form the sheet material into desired configurations as they move along. A typical configuration is a partially folded box, the folding process for which is exemplified in FIG. 1 of the drawings.
In existing technology, the boxes are counted and accumulated in bundles by a counter-ejector machine. This is an area where difficulty is experienced, since the boxes being fed along a plane, in end-to-end relation often have a tendency to re-open at the glue lines (see FIG. 1) as they leave the folding rails. If a glue line re-opens, the loose flaps can cause frustrating and costly down-time while the single box blank is pulled from the counter-ejector.
Finishing machines, folding rails and glue applicators can be operated at fairly high speeds (in the area of 1000 feet per minute output). Stacking machinery, on the other hand is typically unable to operate sufficiently fast to stack the blanks at a similar rate. It therefore becomes desirable to provide a counter-ejector that will accumulate and stack sheets at an acceptably fast rate to avoid or minimize slowing or periodic stopping of the upstream machinery. An attempt has been made to increase the effective sheet handling speed by shingling sheets in a counter-ejector just prior to formation of the sheet stacks. The intent was to overlap and feed the sheets in a stream to a stacking station. However, control of the individual sheets was somewhat compromised and periodic jams could occur.
A problem also recognized with existing forms of counter-ejectors is that numerous controls, timing, and individual adjustments were required each time a stack of a different height or sheets of different dimension were to be stacked. Such complexities can lead to increased chances for error and increased maintenance and repair. A need has therefore been realized for simplification of counter-ejector construction.
Another problem area with counter-ejectors occurs in the stacking area where the sheets are fed into a stacking magazine. Sheets must transition from a substantially horizontal path of travel at a selected feed rate, stop abruptly, and change direction from the substantially horizontal feed path to a substantially vertical movement order to accumulate in a stack. Sheets are typically fed substantially horizontally with narrow edges facing the direction of travel and the large surface areas oriented substantially parallel to the horizontal path. Since the large surface areas of the sheets must become substantially perpendicular to the new path of movement during stacking, air resistance becomes a concern. The sheets, in other words, want to xe2x80x9cparachutexe2x80x9d in the stacking magazine.
An attempted solution to the air resistance problem has been to mechanically alter the path of movement at the discharge into the stacking magazine. While this allows some mechanical control to remain, the air resistance against the large sheet surface area remains during the transition from horizontal to vertical movement. Thus, a need also remains to provide control of the sheets during the horizontal to vertical transition, and to minimize the effects of air resistance as the sheets move vertically.
The present invention is intended to fill the above needs, as may be understood from the following description.


Mixer and first and second engines are cascade-connected, and the second engine is connected to a speaker. In mode A, input signals to the first engine are output to the speaker via output channels of the second engine, and mixing operation of the first engine is performed via a console. Input signals to the second engine are output for monitoring via output channels of the first engine, and mixing control of the second engine is performed via a personal computer. In mode B, input signals to the second engine are output to the speaker via the output channels of the second engine, and mixing operation of the second engine is performed via the console. Input signals to the first engine are output for monitoring via the output channels of the first engine, and mixing control of the first engine is performed via the personal computer.

The present invention relates generally to an audio mixing system comprising a plurality of cascade-connected mixing apparatus, and more particularly to an improved method for controlling the individual mixing apparatus in the mixing system.
Audio mixers are apparatus which perform mixing processing, such as mixing of audio signals of a plurality of channels and impartment of effects to the audio signals. In recent years, digital mixers have been in wide-spread use, which convert analog audio signals, input via input devices such as microphones, into digital signals and then perform mixing processing on the converted digital signals. In each of these digital mixers, a human operator (or user) of the mixer sets values of mixing processing parameters via an operation section (or console section) that is provided with a multiplicity of operators operable to manipulate various parameters to be used in mixing processing. The current settings (set values) of the various mixing processing parameters are stored in a storage area called "current memory". DSP array (i.e., signal processing section) carries out the mixing processing on the basis of the various parameter settings held in the current memory.
The conventionally-known digital mixers can collectively reproduce settings of given mixing parameters by storing in advance, as a scene, the current settings of the parameters, held in the current memory, in a scene memory and then recalling the stored scene from the scene memory to the current memory. Such a function is commonly called "scene store/recall" function, and scene data of a plurality of scenes can be stored in the scene memory in the conventionally-known digital mixers.
In event venues, such as a music festival where a plurality of human performers exhibit performances (music performances etc.) in turn on the stage, it has been known to achieve a smooth progression of performances on the stage by providing two sets of performance platforms, which performers mount, and mixers which mix music performances executed on the performance platforms and alternately using the provided two sets. FIG. 19 shows an example of a conventionally-known PA system including two performance platforms, "platformA" 400a and "platformB" 400b. In the illustrated example of FIG. 19, a mixer ("mixA") 410 is provided in correspondence with "platformA" 400a, and mixing of a music performance on "platformA" is performed by the mixer 410. Mixer ("mixB) 411 is provided in correspondence with "platformB" 400b, and mixing of a music performance in "platformB" is performed by the mixer 411.
Output signals of "mixA" 410 and "mixB" 411 are supplied to an output switch device ("SW") 412, which selectively outputs either the output signals of "mixA" 410 or the output signals of "mixB" 411 to an amplifier 500 so that audio signals corresponding to the selection by the output switch device 412 are audibly generated or sounded through a speaker 600. During the course of actual execution or exhibition, on the stage, of a particular performance assigned to "platformA" 400a, for example, the system of FIG. 19 permits preparations (such as mixing processing, sound check and the like) for a succeeding performance assigned to the other platform ("platformB") 400b while allowing audio signals of the performance of "platformA" 400a (i.e., output signals of "mixA" 410) to be sounded via the speaker 600.
Generally, in an event venue and the like, the mixers ("mixA" and "mixB") 410 and 411 are installed in a mixing booth provided in an audience seating area, as shown in FIG. 19. This is for the purpose of allowing a user (human operator) of the mixers to perform desired mixing operation while aurally checking or confirming balance between audio signals audibly reproduced or sounded through the speaker 600 to the audience. As well known, a plurality of channel strips for processing audio signals on a channel-by-channel basis are provided on the operation panel (console section) of the mixer. The greater the processing capability (i.e., number of channels) of the mixer for use in a concert venue or the like, the greater would become the physical size of the body, including the console section, of the mixer. Consequently, the conventionally-known PA system illustrated in FIG. 19 would present the inconvenience that much of the space in the audience seating area is occupied with the two mixers 410 and 411.
Further, in the conventionally-known PA system, thick and heavy audio cables 413 called "multi cables", each comprising a bundle of a plurality of cables, are installed between acoustic equipment on the stage-side performance platforms 400a and 400b and the audience-seat-side mixers 410 and 411. Further, a stereo audio cable 414 for delivering stereo signals is installed between the output switching device 412 and the amplifier 500. Namely, a plurality of the audio cables 413 and the stereo audio cable 414 have to be installed or run over a long distance between the stage-side positions and the audience-seat-side positions. Particularly, in the conventionally-known PA system, the necessary wiring work is very complicated and cumbersome because the multi cables 413 are thick and heavy and hence very difficult to handle and it is necessary to branch audio signals of a plurality of channels, channel by channel, via a connection device (i.e., connector box) disposed near the mixers and couple the audio signals from the connection box to individual input sections of a plurality channels of the mixers. Further, because the multi cables are relatively expensive, the conventionally-known PA system presents the inconvenience of high wiring cost.
Further, in the conventionally-known PA system, desired mixing operation is performed separately on each of the mixers 410 and 411. It has been considered convenient if the mixing operation could be performed on the mixers 410 and 411 alternately via the console section of one of the mixers. Among the conventionally-known techniques for controlling mixing operation on a plurality of mixers via the console section of one of the mixers is one disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2005-277649 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Literature 1), which is arranged to not only expand the number of input channels of a plurality cascaded mixers by interconnecting respective buses but also allow settings of some parameters (e.g., scene recall instruction) to be interlocked or interlinked between the mixers. However, with the technique disclosed in Patent Literature 1, what can be controlled in an interlocked manner are limited to only some parameters (e.g., scene recall instruction), and it is impossible to control channel-specific mixing processing parameters of a given one of the mixers via the console section of another of the mixers.
Further, from Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. HEI-7-122944 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Literature 2), for example, there has been known a function for recalling parameter settings of a scene, stored in a scene memory, to the console section of a mixer while retaining a state of mixing currently performed by an internal DSP array of the mixer (i.e., stored contents of a current memory in the mixer), and then allowing the console section to confirm or edit the individual parameter settings.
If the technique disclosed in Patent Literature 2 is applied to the system of FIG. 19, it will be possible to perform control on audio signals, currently sounded through the speaker of a mixer, on the basis of a state of mixing being executed by an internal DSP array of the mixer and simultaneously recall, to the console section of the mixer, mixing processing parameter settings for a next or succeeding performance, prepared in another mixer, to then adjust the recalled settings. However, with the technique disclosed in Patent Literature 2, even if the console section adjusts the mixing processing parameter settings for the succeeding performance, the adjusted results can not be reflected in the control by the internal DSP array of the other mixer because the adjusted results can not be returned to the other mixer, and sounds corresponding to the adjusted results can not be aurally checked or confirmed in the other mixer as well as in the one mixer. Thus, even with the technique disclosed in Patent Literature 2, preparations (mixing operation, sound check, etc.) for the succeeding performance in the other mixer can not be made through operation on the console section of the one mixer.


Embodiments of the present invention relate to semiconducting carbon-containing devices and methods of making thereof. The semi-conducting carbon containing devices comprise an n-type semiconducting layer and a p-type semiconducting layer, both of which are positioned over a substrate. The n-type semiconducting layer can be formed by pyrolyzing a carbon- and nitrogen-containing polymer, and the p-type semiconducting layer can be formed by pyrolyzing an aromatic- and aliphatic-group-containing polymer. In some embodiments, the devices are solar cell devices.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to semiconducting carbon-containing devices and methods of making thereof. Both n-type and p-type semiconductor layers can be derived from carbon-containing polymeric precursors and one or both semiconductor layers can be incorporated into a semiconductor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Solar cells are one of the most important new energy sources that have become available in the past several decades. Considerable effort has gone into solar cell development, and solar cells are currently being applied in the production of some consumer electronics such as hand-held calculators. While significant progress has been made in solar cell development, increased energy conversion efficiency and cost reductions would be desirable to make large area solar cells practical in an economic sense for wider use for houses, automobiles, and mobile communications.
Generally, solar cells involve p-n junctions where charge separation across the junction forms the basis for the current production. The p-n junctions are created by forming a p-type semiconducting layer and an n-type semiconducting layer. Previous work relating to solar cells has involved silicon based semiconductor materials. However, the use of carbon in solar cells has recently been investigated. As carbon-containing solar cells offer advantages such as reduced manufacturing costs, there is a need for further development of such devices.
The following references provide further background to the invention and are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties: Umeno et al., Applied Physics Letter, Vol. 77, p. 1427 (2000); Yi et al., "Structural Characterizations and Electrical Properties of Pyrolyzed Polyimide Containing Silicon in the Main Chain," Synthetic Metals, Volume 126, Number 2, pp. 325-330(6) (Feb. 14, 2002); Sharon, M., "Effect of Pyrolyzing Time and Temperature on the Bandgap of Camphor-Pyrolyzed Semiconducting Carbon Films," Materials Chemistry and Physics, Volume 56, Number 3, pp. 284-288(5) (Oct. 15, 1998); Krishna, K. M., "Photovoltaic Solar Cell from Camphoric Carbon—A Natural Source," Fuel and Energy Abstracts, Volume 38, Number 6, pp. 415-415(1) (November 1997); Krishnal, K. M., "Solar Cells Based on Carbon Thin Films," Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Volume 65, Number 1, pp. 163-170(8) (January 2001); Anguita, J. V., "Semiconducting Hydrogenated Carbon-Nitrogen Alloys with Low Defect Densities," Diamond and Related Materials, Volume 9, Number 3, pp. 777-780(4) (April 2000); Narayanan et al., "Photovoltaic Effects of a: C/C60/Si (p-i-n) Solar Cell Structures," Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Volume 75, Number 3, pp. 345-350(6) (Feb. 1, 2003); Rusop, M., "Nitrogen Doped n-type Amorphous Carbon Films Obtained by Pulsed Laser Deposition with a Natural Camphor Source Target for Solar Cell Applications," Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, Volume 17, Number 12, pp. 1929-1946(18) (Mar. 30, 2005); Ma, Z. Q., "Boron-Doped Diamond-like Amorphous Carbon as Photovoltaic Films in Solar Cell," Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Volume 69, Number 4, pp. 339-344(6) (November 2001); Krishnal, K. M., "Solar Cells Based on Carbon Thin Films," Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Volume 65, Number 1, pp. 163-170(8) (January 2001); Kureishi, Y., "Photoinduced Electron Transfer from Synthetic Chlorophyll Analogue to Fullerene C60 on Carbon Paste Electrode—Preparation of a Novel Solar Cell," Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics, Volume 48, Number 1, pp. 95-100(6) (February 1999); Maldei M., "Quantum-Efficiency Measurements on Carbon-Hydrogen-Alloy-Based Solar Cells," Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Volume 51, Number 3, pp. 433-440(8) (Feb. 27, 1998); Sharon M., "A Photoelectrochemical Solar Cell from Camphoric p-carbon Semiconductor," Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Volume 45, Number 1, pp. 35-41(7) (Jan. 1, 1997); and Faiman, D., "Solar Cells from Carbon," Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Volume 44, Number 4, pp. 485-491(7) (Dec. 15, 1996).
The following patent applications and publications provide further background to the invention and are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties: Japanese Patent Application Number 2000-281411, filed on Sep. 18, 2000, entitled "Carbon Material for Solar Cell and Solar Cell," which published on Mar. 29, 2002 as JP 2002-94097 A; Japanese Patent Application Number H11-198674, filed Jul. 13, 1999, entitled "Film Forming Device of Hard Carbon Film," which published Jan. 30, 2001 as JP 2001-026873; Japanese Patent Application Number H02-134810, filed on May 24, 1990, entitled "Ion Source and Diamond Like Carbon Thin Film Forming Device Provided with the Same," which published on Jan. 31, 1992 as JP 04-028856; Japanese Patent Application Number 2000-214258, filed on Jul. 14, 2000, entitled "Solar Cell and Panel Thereof," which published on Jan. 31, 2002 as JP 2002-33497 A; Japanese Patent Application Number 2000-281411, filed on Sep. 18, 2000, entitled "Carbon Material for Solar Cell and Solar Cell," which published on Mar. 29, 2002 as JP 2002-94097 A; Japanese Patent Application Number 2002-6031, filed on Jan. 15, 2002, entitled "Carbon Photoelectric Element and Its Manufacturing Method, which published on Jul. 25, 2003 as JP 2003-209270 A; and U.S. Patent Application Publication Number US 2005/0275330, entitled "Diamond-like Carbon Thermoelectric Conversion Devices and Methods for the Use and Manufacture Thereof."

Methods of making carbon-containing semiconducting devices by pyrolyzing a polymer including asphalt or petroleum pitch


Disclosed are nitrosated and/or nitrosylated phosphodiesterase inhibitors having the formula NO.sub.n -PDE inhibitor wherein n is 1 or 2. The phosphodiesterase inhibitor can be nitrosylated or nitrosated through sites such as oxygen (hydroxyl condensation), sulfur (sulfhydryl condensation), carbon and nitrogen. The invention also provides compositions comprising such compounds in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The invention also provides a composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of an phosphodiesterase inhibitor (PDE inhibitor), which can optionally be substituted with at least one NO or NO.sub.2 moiety, and one to ten fold molar excess of a compound that donates, transfers or releases nitrogen monoxide as a charged species, i.e., nitrosonium (NO.sup.+) or nitroxyl (NO.sup.-), or as the neutral species, nitric oxide (NO.cndot.) or which stimulates endo genous EDRF production The invention also provides compositions comprising such compounds in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The invention also provides a method for treating male impotence in humans by administering the compounds and compositions thereof.

This invention generally relates to pharmaceuticals and more specifically to a method and compositions for inducing penile erections in human males suffering from impotence.
Erectile dysfunction is a widespread disorder that is thought to affect about ten to fifteen percent of adult men. A number of causes of erectile insufficiency, in addition to anatomical deficiencies of the penis or scrotum that preclude an erection sufficient for vaginal penetration, have been identified. Causes of erectile dysfunction can be categorized as psychogenic, neurogenic, endocrinologic, drug-induced, or vasculogenic and in any individual suffering from erectile dysfunction there may be more than one cause.
Psychogenic impotence is often the result of anxiety or depression, with no apparent somatic or organic impairment. Neurogenic impotence may arise from, for example, surgery or a pelvic injury, involving the nervous system affecting the penis. Erectile dysfunction which in endocrinologic in origin is most often associated with the disorders hypo- or hypergonadotropic hypogonadism and hyperprolactinemia.
Vasculogenic impotence is thought to be the most frequent cause impotence accounting for approximately fifty percent of all cases of organic impotence. In these cases, the erectile dysfunction may be attributed to alterations in the flow of blood to and from the penis. Atherosclerotic or traumatic arterial occlusive disease to the arteries which supply blood to the penis can lead to a decrease in the rigidity of the erect penis as well as increase the time to achieving maximal erection. In still other cases, there is leakage from veins in the penis such that sufficient pressure for an erection can be neither obtained nor maintained.
There is also a high incidence of erectile insufficiency among diabetics, particularly those with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Erectile dysfunction in diabetics is often classified as "diabetogenic," although the underlying dysfunction is usually neurogenic, but may be vasculogenic or neurogenic and vasculogenic. About half of diabetic males suffer from erectile insufficiency, and about half of the cases of neurogenic impotence are in diabetics.
Erectile insufficiency is sometimes a side effect of certain drugs, such as beta-antagonists that are administered to reduce blood pressure in persons suffering from hypertension, or drugs administered to treat depression or anxiety. Excessive alcohol consumption has also been linked to erectile insufficiency. These forms of erectile insufficiency may be regarded as a subset of neurogenic or psychogenic insufficiency.
A number of methods to treat impotence are available. These treatments include pharmacological treatments, surgery and, in cases of psychogenic dysfunction, psychological counseling is sometimes effective. Psychogenic impotence often can be cured by counseling coupled with a demonstration to the patient that he is capable of having a full erection by inducing such an erection from one to a few times in the patients. Insufficiency due to excessive alcohol consumption is sometimes cured by reducing or elimination such consumption.
In the rare cases, where the insufficiency is untreatable because of venous leakage, surgery can usually be employed to repair the venous lesion and thereby either cure the insufficiency or, if there remains an erectile insufficiency after repair of the venous lesion, render the insufficiency amenable to treatment by pharmacological methods. Also, penile implants, which provide a mechanic means to produce an erection sufficient for vaginal penetration, are widely used to treat impotence. In recent years, implants have been employed, especially in cases where pharmacological intervention is ineffective, which are usually cases of severe vasculogenic impotence. Treatment of impotence with penile implants, however, entails serious disadvantages. Such treatment requires surgery and necessitates total destruction of the erectile tissues of the penis, forever precluding normal erection.
Pharmacological methods of treatment are also available. Such methods, however, have not proven to be highly satisfactory or without potentially severe side-effects. Papaverine is now widely used to treat impotence, although papaverine is ineffective in overcoming impotence due, at least in part, to severe atherosclerosis. Papaverine is effective in cases where the dysfunction is psychogenic or neurogenic and severe atherosclerosis is not involved. Injection of papaverine, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor and a smooth muscle relaxant, or phenoxybenzamine, a non-specific antagonist and hypotensive, into a corpus cavernosum has been found to cause an erection sufficient for vaginal penetration however, these treatments are not without the serious and often painful side effect of priapisim. Also, in cases where severe atherosclerosis is not a cause of the dysfunction, intracavernosal injection of phentolamine, an .alpha.-adrenergic antagonist, causes an erection sufficient for vaginal penetration. The resulting erection is one of significantly shorter duration than that induced by intracavernosal injection of papaverine or phenoxybenzamine and often times is of such short duration that satisfactory sexual relations are difficult or impossible. As an alternative or, in some cases an adjunct to phosphodiesterase inibition or .alpha.-adrenergic blockade for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) has been administered via intracavernosal injection. A major side effect frequently associated intracorprally delivered PGE1 is penile pain and burning. Thus, there is a need for methods to induce and maintain a penile erection for a sufficient duration that satisfactory sexual relations are possible without also producing the undesirable side effects of those agents currently used.
Nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to mediate a number of actions including the bactericidal and tumoricidal actions of macrophages and blood vessel relaxation of endothelial cells. NO, and NO donors have also been implicated as mediators of nonvascular smooth muscle relaxation. This effect includes the dilation of the corpus cavernosum smooth muscle, an event involved in the penile erection process. However, the effects of modified of phosphodiesterase inhibitors which are directly or indirectly linked with a nitric oxide adduct have not been investigated.

Nitrosated and nitrosylated phosphodiesterase inhibitor compounds, compositions and their uses


A register stores the earliest time (IRL) at which a packet can be subsequently transmitted from a transmitting device in order to obey an allowable bandwidth given to the transmitting device, the earliest time (RL-1 to n) at which the packet of each class can be transmitted in order to obey the allowable bandwidth of the class, and a final time (RG-1 to n) at which the packet of each class is to be subsequently transmitted in order to maintain the guarantee bandwidth of the class. When a packet transmittable timing is reached, the packet of a class m which the final time (RG-1 to n) approaches is transmitted preferentially from the classes in which a current time reaches the earliest time (RL-1 to n). When the transmission of a packet is started, the next earliest time (IRL), earliest time (RL-m) of the class m and final time (RG-m) is determined based on the data volume of the packet.

The present invention relates to a bandwidth control device, a computer readable recording medium storing a program which are suitable for use in a packet communication network, and a method of controlling the bandwidth control device.
In a packet communication network, the limitation of a communication bandwidth is set to the interface of a terminal itself which is connected to the communication network. Moreover, a packet to be transmitted through the terminal is classified into any of a plurality of classes (for example, the uses of a packet) and the communication bandwidth is limited to a predetermined maximum value or less for each class or a communication bandwidth having a predetermined guaranteed bandwidth or more is maintained in many cases. For example, in Patent Document 1, there has been disclosed a technique for transmitting a packet while limiting a bandwidth for a plurality of classes. In the same document, first of all, a packet queue (the list of a packet to be transmitted sequentially) is created for each class of the packet. When a new packet is generated, a transmission scheduling time is determined corresponding to a class belonging to the same packet and the packet is added to the packet queue of the class together with the transmission scheduling time. Moreover, a prior transmission reserving queue and a non-prior transmission reserving queue which are shared by all of the classes are created and a packet output from each packet queue is sorted in order of a transmission scheduling time in the prior (or non-prior) transmission reserving queue. The packet stored in the prior transmission reserving queue is sequentially transmitted in order of the transmission scheduling time.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2002-368799 Publication
According to the technique described in the Patent Document 1, however, each packet is transmitted after it is stored in two stages, that is, a packet queue for each class and a prior (or non-prior) transmission reserving queue. For this reason, there is a problem in that a memory capacity to be mounted on a terminal is increased and a control becomes complicated. Furthermore, there is a problem in that the limit value of the communication bandwidth of the whole interface of a terminal cannot be specified in the technique. More specifically, the limit value of the communication bandwidth of the whole interface is equal to the sum of the limit value of a communication bandwidth for each class. If the communication bandwidth of the whole interface is to be set to have a smaller value than the sum, it is necessary to further provide bandwidth control means for a leaky bucket in the latter stage of the prior (or non-prior) transmission reserving queue, and a required memory capacity is increased still more and a control becomes complicated still more.

Bandwidth control device, computer readable recording medium storing program and method of controlling bandwidth control device


The present disclosure includes a method and system for managing ECGs in a clinical trial including a processor, storage media, ECG acquisition system, user interface device, and the appropriate databases configured to collect and store a set of trial specific drug ECG recordings. The system and method allows a trial administrator to select a set of placebo ECG recordings and a set of known QT prolonged ECG recordings from databases and adjust these sets according to the parameters of the study. Interpretations are made on this superset of ECG recordings and the interpretation is outputted to a user.

New drugs follow a rigorous process from compound discovery to final approval requiring many years and many millions of dollars of investment. In recent years, the concept of the Thorough QT Study (TQT) has been developed by the International Committee on Harmonization (ICH) in their E14 Guidance document (E14). This study is done, as the name implies, to develop a thorough and a complete as possible understanding of the effects of the new compound on ventricular repolarization. In a typical TQT study, three sets of ECGs are collected. The three sets of ECGs are: patients on a placebo; patients on a known QT prolonging drug, typically Moxifloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, with well understood QT prolonging properties, this is known as the "positive control"; and patients receiving the new drug being tested. The positive control drug can be any drug with well-known QT prolonging effects.
The total number of ECGs collected varies based on study design, but 15,000-18,000 ECGs is the generally accepted number in industry. While it is somewhat obvious that a trial would contain patients on the new compound as well as placebo, the reason for the patients on the known QT Prolonging drug is somewhat obscure. These patients are included in the trial so that when the ECGs are overread by clinician(s), it can be shown that the overreader(s) were capable of detecting the QT prolongation that is typically caused by the drug. In other words, if they did not detect the prolongation in the positive control the overreading process would be invalidated.
The cost of a TQT study is generally estimated to be between $500K and $1M dollars and involves recruiting perhaps 20-30 healthy volunteers to participate. While the group that receives Moxifloxacin is at little risk from taking the drug, they are not at zero risk of complications. Administering any drug to a healthy person that does not actually need to take it involves risks of severe allergic reaction, anaphylactic shock, arrhythmia, etc. While Moxifloxacin is generally well tolerated by patients, the drug labeling includes possible side effects such as: upset stomach; diarrhea; dizziness; headache; stomach pain; and vomiting. Numerous other side effects are also mentioned, including causing QT prolongation, of course. It would be desirable to create a system that allowed for the positive control group to be eliminated from future clinical trials while still meeting the need of having a positive control set of ECG recordings in the trial specific data set to be reviewed.

Method and system or managing ECGs in a clinical trial


An applicator for applying paint to a painting pad with no need to pour any paint from the original paint can. The applicator comprises a conventional standard paint can with a lid and a sleeve with upper and lower surfaces to effect a seal between the paint can and the paint can lid. The sleeve rotatively supports a roller which carries a free hanging, flexible, endless paint transfer belt and weight. The belt encircles the roller and the weight. The weight pulls the belt tight and near to the bottom of the paint can. The paint is applied to a painting pad by moving the painting pad across the paint transfer belt and support roller causing the roller to rotate and move the transfer belt down through the paint to the bottom of the can and back up, thereby picking up paint and transferring it to the painting pad. With the paint can lid in place, the applicator and unused paint may be conveniently stored. The applicator may be easily cleaned of water-based paint by placing it in a paint can filled with water and, after sealing the lid, agitating all parts without any spillage or contact.

1. Field Of Invention
This invention relates to painting equipment, especially to items for use in applying the proper amount of paint to a painting pad and conserving paint.
2. Description Of Prior Art
The use of trays to hold paint during painting operations is well known. Such devices were mainly used with roller applicators until painting pads having a flat, resilient pad covered by small, outwardly extending bristles came into use.
However using a tray, only the most skillful painter can get just the right amount of paint on a painting pad for satisfactory paint application. The amount is especially critical for specialized pad-type devices for cutting-in, that is for painting one surface up to an adjoining surface without putting paint on the adjoining surface, which work only if the proper amount of paint may easily be applied to them. Once too much paint is applied to a cutting-in tool, it must be cleaned or smears result which ruin the appearance of both the area being painted and the adjacent area being cut-in.
A number of devices have improved upon this situation by providing a paint transferring roller to apply a proper amount of paint to the painting pad, among other things. Some of these devices are shown in the following patents:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Issued To ______________________________________ 4164803 8/21/79 Zurawin et al 4107815 8/22/78 Dumenil, Jr. 4106434 8/15/78 Vines 3648322 3/14/72 Meisner ______________________________________
However, all of these devices have the disadvantage of requiring a tray as the paint reservoir. A tray is undesirable for the following reasons:
A) It is necessary to pour paint from the original paint container into this tray, this results in paint loss through spillage and retention in the tray. PA0 B) It is necessary to eventually clean the tray for reuse. PA0 C) Extra drop-cloth protected work space is needed to utilize the tray. PA0 D) Extra care must also be taken to avoid upsetting the low profile tray and spilling paint which can be tracked around on the soles of one's shoes. PA0 E) The tray must be repeatedly replenished with paint to maintain proper tray paint level. Otherwise, in most cases, the depth of paint in the tray determines the amount of submersion of the transfer roller and consequently the amount of paint picked up by the transfer roller which is subsequently applied to the painting pad. This results in a variable application of paint unless proper tray paint level is maintained.
Also, the devices do not provide a convenient means to store the assembled device and unused paint without exposure to the air, causing the paint to dry out. No provision is made to easily clean and store the device for a long term.

Device for applying paint to painting pad


A method for washing an object, such as an optical element, includes the steps of dipping the object to be washed in a heated liquid and taking the object to washed from the heated liquid used in the dipping process, wherein the resistivity of the heated liquid is 0.5 to 5.0M.OMEGA..multidot.cm. In one embodiment, the heated liquid is pure water having a resistivity of 0.5M.OMEGA..multidot.cm, and the temperature of the pure water is 40.degree. C., and the pure water has a 0.3 .mu.m diameter particle count of not greater than 100 particles/ml.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for washing components or products, and in particular, to a method for washing optical components.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in view of environmental conservation, a variety of methods for washing optical components using pure water have been proposed. For example, a prior art washing method using pure water is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,258 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. 1. The process of the washing method shown in FIG. 1 is as follows.
a. Degreasing
This is a process for removing greasy stains (pitch, protecting film, cutting oil, etc.) by dipping the object to be washed in ethylene or a similar substance.
b. Substituting Water System
This is a process for preventing the greasy components of the above process of "a. degreasing" from entering a finish washing process as described below by dipping the object to be washed in an emulsifier.
c. Finish Washing
This is a process for removing a hydrophilic stain by dipping the object to be washed in a detergent.
d. Rinsing
This is a process for removing a residue of the above process of "c. finish washing" by dipping the object to be washed in pure water. The resistivity of the pure water to be used is not smaller than 10.0M.OMEGA..multidot.cm.
e. Finish Rinsing
This is a process for removing particulates and ions attached or left on the surface of the object to be washed by dipping the object to be washed in pure water. The resistivity of the pure water to be used is not smaller than 10.0M.OMEGA..multidot.cm.
f. Dipping Into Hot Pure Water
This is a process for dipping the object to be washed in a heated hot pure water. This process heats a glass, or the object to be washed up to a temperature at which a surface tension capable of uniformly drying the glass surface can be obtained. The resistivity of the pure water to be used is 10.0M.OMEGA..multidot.cm.
g. Taking Out From Hot Pure Water
This is a process for taking the object to be washed out of the pure water used in the above process. At the temperature maintained in the above process of "f. dipping into hot pure water," the object to be washed is taken out at a speed capable of uniformly draining off liquid.
h. Drying
This is a process comprised of a hot air zone and a cooling zone and effects to evaporate a moisture component left on the object to be washed that is taken out of the hot pure water and on the jig that is holding the object to be washed.
However, according to the aforementioned prior art washing method, chemical damage (hidden damage) may occur on the surface of the object to be washed, or in particular, of a glass component. Furthermore, expensive pure water has been used according to this prior art washing method, and this has consequently resulted in a cost increase.


A driving circuit is used for driving a light-emitting circuit including a plurality of light-emitting elements connected in series. The driving circuit includes a first silicon controlled rectifier, a first current-limiting resistor, a first resistor, a controllable switch and a control circuit. One end of the first silicon controlled rectifier is grounded, and another end thereof is connected to a driving terminal for providing a driving voltage via the first current-limiting resistor. One end of the controllable switch is connected to the light-emitting circuit, another end thereof is grounded via the first resistor, and a control end thereof is connected to a first node between the silicon controlled rectifier and the first current-limiting resistor. The control circuit is configured to perform a control operation when a voltage applied to a second node between the controllable switch and the light-emitting circuit exceeds a predetermined voltage threshold.

Light-emitting diode (LED) has been widely used in industry and our daily lives due to its features such as a small volume and high efficiency.
Referring to FIG. 1, which shows a common LED light-emitting device, the LED light-emitting device includes a light-emitting circuit, a controllable switch Q1, a resistor Rsen, a silicon controlled rectifier U1 and a first current-limiting resistor R1. The light-emitting circuit includes a plurality of LEDs D1, . . . , Dn connected in series, wherein n is an integer greater than 1. One end of the silicon controlled rectifier U1 is grounded, and the other end thereof is connected, via the first current-limiting resistor R1, to a driving terminal Vdrive for providing a driving voltage. A source electrode of the controllable switch Q1 is connected to the light-emitting circuit, a drain electrode thereof is grounded via the resistor Rsen, and a control end (a gate electrode) thereof is connected to a first node X between the silicon controlled rectifier U1 and the first current-limiting resistor R1.
However, when there is a short circuit for LEDs in the LED light-emitting device, the driving circuit is not protected in a sufficient manner. The following description is provided in conjunction with an operation procedure of the LED light-emitting device.
As shown in FIG. 1, the driving voltage Vdrive provides an on-state voltage so as to turn on Q1, thereby to allow a current to flow through D1-Dn and Rsen. When the current flows through Rsen, a voltage drop occurs, and when a voltage across Rsen is greater than a threshold (e.g., 2.5V), the silicon controlled rectifier U1 is turned on so as to pull down a gate voltage of Q1, thereby to turn off Q1, i.e., to cut off the current flowing through the LED. After Q1 is turned off, the voltage across Rsen is dropped down to 0, and at this time the silicon controlled rectifier U1 is turned off again, so that Q1 is turned on again due to the driving voltage Vdrive. The above procedure is repeated, so as to maintain the voltage across Rsen at 2.5V.
If a voltage drop for the LED during the normal operation is V, a voltage drop for Q1 under normal operation is Vcc−nV−2.5. However, when m LEDs among D1-Dn are short-circuited (m is a positive integer less than or equal to n), the voltage drop for Q1 is changed to Vcc−(n−m)V−2.5, i.e., mV greater than the voltage drop for the LED when no short circuit occurs. As a result, the power consumption of Q1 will increase or Q1 will be damaged due to its insufficient voltage-withstanding performance, and thereby a service life of the entire circuit will be adversely affected.
The above description is given by taking the LED light-emitting circuit as an example. It should be appreciated that, the same problem also occurs for similar circuits consisting of any other light-emitting elements, which is not repeated herein.

Driving circuit for driving light-emitting circuit, and light-emitting device having the same

BEIJING BOE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


An apparatus (10) with a central shaft (32) equipped with single or multiple-mixing elements (36) projecting perpendicularly from the shaft. Multiple processing zones (14-18) have adjustable openings (24) for introducing the product through adjacent processing zones for thermal treatment or conducting thermal reactions. A heating or cooling jackets (63 and 129) permits thermal control of the processing within the chamber. Additional thermal treatment can be achieved with micro-wave, infrared, hot gas or other available heating or cooling sources. The chamber is closed during vacuum or pressure processing by using rotary locks or double valving. A controlled dwell time in the chamber is accomplished with the adjustment of the opening of the weirs. The rotational velocity of the elements plays a major role in maintaining the material in the desired processing zone or causing advancement between adjacent zones. Continuous non-atmospheric pressure can be maintained without exposing vapors or product to atmospheric conditions by means of providing valving in the material input and material output. Chopping mills, pre-wetting devices and liquid/solid vacuum filtration can be added to enhance the function of the equipment. Processing may be extended in time with two or more apparatus connected in series or in parallel to provide additional processing capability.

Continuous vacuum dryers designed with rotating shelves have been available on the market for several decades. Krauss Maffei of Germany markets a continuous vacuum dryer. This device has a plurality of plates mounted on a vertical shaft. Wet product is fed from a feeder unit which may be under vacuum or pressure onto the uppermost plate. Product is plowed across the plate by a rotating transport arm. The product is plowed across the plate by the rotating transport arm in the form of a ridge extending toward an outer edge of the plate. The product falls onto the next plate below. The foregoing process is repeated as many times as there are plates. Dry product is discharged from the plate dryer. This device has limitations in that it is large in size. Heat transfer, efficiency, ease of cleaning and troubleshooting are limited due to size and slow operational speeds. Clean-up before changing products can be a major cost. Furthermore, the cost of maintaining non-atmospheric pressure such as vacuum can be substantial due to the multiple shelves and large seals required to accomplish this job. Products having a high moisture content such as slurries cannot be efficiently dried.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,218 discloses a polycondensation reactor mounted within a horizontal drum. A plurality of partitions divide a series of drums which are mounted within the outer drum which are rotated by a shaft. The partitions define the level of liquid in each drum. The rate of flow of product between drums is controlled by the partitions. The speed of the shaft is not varied to control a rate of flow between the drums or a dwell time within each drum.

Apparatus for continuously processing liquids and/or solids including mixing, drying or reacting


A radiotherapy system, comprising: a patient support, a radiation beam generator, a gantry on which the radiation beam generator is mounted, the gantry being moveable so as to rotate the radiation beam generator around the patient support, and a control system including a real-time control system mounted on the gantry and configured to provide real-time control signals to the patient support, the radiation beam generator, and the gantry.

A known type of radiotherapy system is shown in FIG. 1, and comprises a patient support 10, often called a table or couch, which is moveable in the longitudinal direction x-x and in the vertical direction z-z. A rotatable gantry 12 is mounted in the room containing the table 10, so as to extend over the table 10. The gantry 12 carries a radiotherapy beam generator 14 that can project a radiotherapy beam at the table 10. The gantry 12 is mounted so that it can be rotated around the longitudinal axis x-x. In this way, the radiotherapy beam can be directed at the table from any direction. A control system 16 provides control signals to the gantry 12, radiotherapy beam generator 14 and table 10. By providing real-time control signals, the control system 16 can dynamically modulate operation of the system, such as the beam generation and shaping, rotation of the gantry 12, and movement of the table 10. In this way, a patient 2 having a tumour to be treated by radiotherapy can be provided with a treatment in which the shape of the radiotherapy beam is matched to the shape of the tumour, or part of the tumour, and the radiotherapy beam can be directed at the tumour from a number of different rotational positions. This can be used to optimise the radiation dose received by the tumour while minimising irradiation of healthy tissue.
The configuration of the control system, and in particular the connections providing real-time control signals typically limits the gantry to one complete rotation in any direction, after which it must be reset by counter-rotating in the opposite direction.
This invention addresses the need for a control system that can be used with various gantry configurations, and that can alleviate the restriction on the number of rotations of the gantry during a treatment process.


Provided is an apparatus for generating dental data for manufacturing an aligner, the apparatus including: a dental-data generation unit, in which the dental-data generation unit includes a preprocessing module includes a first module that receives data on a current state of the teeth of the patient from a scanner that scans the current state of the teeth of the patient, a second module that generates a state of the teeth of the patient and the vicinity of the teeth as 3D data, based on the data received from the scanner, a third module that sets a central point for dental movement in the 3D data, a fourth module that sets each central reference for a crown, a buccal surface, and a lingual surface of the tooth in the 3D data, and a fifth module that sets a reference for a dental root point in the 3D data.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclose relates to an apparatus for generating dental data for manufacturing an aligner using data using a CT apparatus, and a method of manufacturing a clear aligner using the apparatus.
2. Background of the Disclosure
Generally, a dental alignment method is categorized into a dental alignment method that uses a metal alignment device, a lingual-side alignment method in which an aligner is placed in an oral cavity, and a transparency alignment method in which a clear aligner made of transparent material is attached to teeth for dental alignment.
Particularly, the transparency alignment method is one in which the clear aligner made of transparent material covers teeth. In this method, the aligner is not seen from the outside and is detachably attached to the teeth. Thus, the method is gaining popularity due to its comfortability when compared to other alignment methods.
However, in the clear alignment method in the related art, in a case where there is a dentist's request to manufacture a clear aligner, using an apparatus for generating data on an alignment target tooth, data on multiple alignment target teeth that have to be arranged according to dental movement is generated from dental data on a patient that results from scanning by an 3D scanner. Then, a cast of the teeth is formed by 3D-printing the generated data on the alignment target tooth, and the clear aligner that is capable of performing dental alignment in multiple stages is manufactured by pressing transparent films against the cast of the teeth using a laminator.
At this point, the apparatus for generating data on an alignment target tooth has to separate the teeth from each other at a real-world separation distance between the teeth in a real-world shape, but fails to do so. Thus, an error occurs when the data on the alignment target tooth is generated.
In addition, in a case where the teeth are moved, in most cases, after the dental alignment is performed, one portion of the teeth is moved up out of a gum or moved down into the gum. Therefore, when a method of predicting and setting the dental movement is employed, in a case where only a portion of the tooth that is above the gum is a target for the dental movement, there is a problem in that the tooth is not moved sufficiently far in an intended direction due to a gum or a gum bone or the tooth is difficult to align with precision due to the interference of other teeth.
To solve this problem, an apparatus for generating dental data for manufacturing a clear aligner, which employs a mechanism by which to move the tooth, and a method of manufacturing the clear aligner using the apparatus are considered.

Apparatus for generating dental data for manufacturing an aligner and method of manufacturing clear aligner using the apparatus