A method, apparatus and system for non-contact measurement of a railway wheel profile are disclosed herein. To measure the wheel profile, a laser having a distance displacement sensor and angular displacement sensor projects a beam of light onto the surface of a railway wheel to measure the wheel profile. In an alternate embodiment, a rail thickness measurement gauge is provided. In another alternate embodiment, a witness groove measurement gauge is provided.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to wheel profile measurement, and more specifically, to a method, apparatus, and system for non-contact profile measurement of a train wheel.
2. Description of Related Art
Manual wheel measurement is a well established practice in the railway industry. Over a period of use, a train wheel will experience wear and possibly damage. The metallic structure of train wheels is designed to allow for slow deformation caused by wear or damage over a period of time, thereby reducing the possibility of complete structural failure. To monitor this deformation, the profile of the train wheel is constantly monitored.
Although in certain circumstances a railway wheel profile can be measured while a train is in motion, wheel profiles are also measured in the field or in a repair shop while the train has stopped or while the railway wheel is uninstalled. Proper maintenance, cost savings and derailment prevention are major goals of wheel profile measurement. There are two ways in which the above goals can be accomplished while the train is stopped or while the wheel is uninstalled, contact measurement and non-contact measurement.
Contact measurement means include measuring devices that, when taking measurements, the measuring device must physically touch the railway wheel at the point of measurement. These means include, among others, caliper-based, gauge-based and roller-based measurement devices. Contact means has certain disadvantages and limitations, though. Contact measurement devices are typically inaccurate and difficult to use because of the various points of measurement required to obtain a wheel profile.
Non-contact wheel profile measurement devices include magnetic, eddy current, and laser (or light) measurement methods. Current art magnetic and eddy current measurement methods are limited in that structure differences from wheel to wheel, either through latent defects or defects caused while the railway wheel is in operation, may cause erroneous or inaccurate readings.
Current art non-contact measurement means that use light carry certain limitations as well. For instance, in order to measure multiple wheel data points to construct a profile, current art methods typically require multiple sensors and/or multiple light emitters to measure reflected light. Because of the number of sensors used, these apparatuses are typically bulky, difficult to align, difficult to use, and have power requirements that reduce the usefulness as a hand-held device, if embodied in that manner.
Additionally, current art methods cannot measure certain measurement points that are beyond the visible and measurable viewing area of the lasers and their sensors. As an example, a witness groove of a railway wheel, which is typically located on the outside surface of the railway wheel, is measured to determine the wear on the railway wheel.
Because of its location, on a side of the wheel, the witness groove is not visible or measurable from current art non-contact measurement devices. Further, because the calculation of the wheel diameter uses the witness groove measurement, current art methods are limited in their ability to provide a wheel diameter measurement as well.
Furthermore, because of the multiple lasers and sensors used by current art non-contact measurement devices, a number of points of contact are required to properly locate the device to take accurate measurements. Some devices, in order to obviate the difficulty in placement of the device in a calibrated location, require additional sensors and placement detectors that assist the user in determining when the device is in a calibrated position. This limitation not only increases the complexity of the device, but causes time delays in measuring railway wheels as the user must intricately position the device prior to measurement.
Additionally, because current art non-contact measurement devices are typically a static size that fits over the railway wheel, current are devices do not provide for variability of wheel size. Deviations, whether slight or significant, from a standard railway wheel size may cause measurement errors because of the static size of the measurement device. Significant deviations may cause the device not to be able to fit onto a railway wheel. As such, current art non-contact measurement devices are limited in the size and shape of a railway wheel that the devices may be used on.
Finally, witness groove diameters may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Because of the limited variability of current art non-contact measurement devices, the inability to measure the witness groove to determine wheel diameter, and thus wear, further limits the capabilities of the current art.
What is needed is a system, method and apparatus that overcomes the limitations of the prior art, namely, accuracy, portability, ease of use, and provides the user with an ability to measure the witness groove and wheel diameter as well as other measurement points.

Method, apparatus, and system for non-contact manual measurement of a wheel profile


A cable dispensing apparatus for dispensing a length of cable from a payout reel to a take-up reel. The cable dispensing apparatus has a transfer system which both lifts and moves the payout reel to a predetermined distance from the operator without requiring the operator to travel between the front and backside of the cable dispensing apparatus. The apparatus is equipped such that the operator can remain between the cable dispensing apparatus and a cable cutting apparatus which collects the cable onto the take-up reel. The cable dispensing apparatus positions the payout reel at the predetermined distance such that the free end of the cable is within arm's length of the operator. The cable dispensing apparatus includes a frame from which a pair of support arms extend rearwardly in a direction opposite the operator. The support arms are rotatably attached to the frame and have support devices mounted thereto which can be translated along the length of the support arms for moving the payout reel away from or toward the operator. The cable dispensing apparatus preferably includes a sensing device for sensing when the payout reel has been sufficiently translated toward the operator so as to be the predetermined distance from the operator. The cable dispensing apparatus further includes a drive motor for rotating the payout reel and a positioning device for moving the arms toward and away from each other so as to accommodate reels of differing widths.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a dispensing apparatus. More specifically, this invention relates to a cable dispensing apparatus for dispensing cables, such as electrical cable, telephone cable wire, and the like from large reels wherein the apparatus is capable of positioning the payout reel both vertically and horizontally to facilitate removal of the cable by an operator for subsequent measurement and cutting operations associated with transferring a specific length of the cable to a take-up reel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the broadest sense, the function of cable handling equipment is to dispense and measure a given length of cable as necessitated by the demands of a particular application. Because cable is generally purchased in bulk on large reels weighing as much as 20,000 pounds, it is generally also necessary that the cable handling equipment be capable of transferring the cable from a very large reel, as provided by the manufacturer, to a smaller reel which the end user can more easily transport for field applications and handle for use in manufacturing applications. This is particularly true where the cable is very large and bulky, such as telephone cable installed in the field by the telephone industry.
An example of cable handling equipment known in the prior art is illustrated in FIG. 1. A cable dispensing unit 110, shown in a group of four units, is provided onto which a large reel 116 is rotatably secured by an axle 124. The axle 124 is mounted to reel supports 122 which are constructed to be able to suspend the large reel 116 above the floor. Cable 120 is dispensed from the large reel 116 and, conventionally, fed to a cable cutting unit 112 for measuring and cutting the desired length of cable 120 needed for a particular application. In order to be cost-efficient, the cable cutting unit 112 is typically assigned to a group of four cable dispensing units 110, as shown in FIG. 1, though a single unit can also be employed where desired. Accordingly, it is necessary to mount the cable cutting unit 112 on a rail or otherwise make the cable cutting unit 112 movable in front of the group of cable dispensing units 110 to enable the cable cutting unit 112 to be positioned directly in front of a particular cable dispensing unit 110. This operation requires an operator 126 who normally operates the cable cutting unit 112 and positions the cable cutting unit 112 as required. The operator 126 typically has additional tasks when operating the cable dispensing units 110 of the prior art, as will be explained more fully below. Once fed through the cable cutting unit 112 and cut to the desired length, the cable 120 is collected onto a take-up reel 114 for transporting the cable 120 to the job site.
The cable 120 is generally purchased by the user on a large reel 116, referred to as a payout reel, to allow cost-efficient bulk purchases. Consequently, the payout reels 116 are extremely heavy and awkward to handle and the cable dispensing unit 110 must be adequately suited for such conditions. Because the payout reels 116 are available in various sizes typically ranging from 42 to 96 inches in diameter, the cable dispensing unit 110 must also be able to accept variations in weight and reel diameter. Accordingly, the reel supports 122 of the cable dispensing unit 110 must be able to move vertically to ensure that payout reels 116 of most conventional sizes will be sufficiently lifted off the ground so that they can rotate freely to dispense the cable 120. Such operation requires a suitable system for actuating the reel supports 122 between a lower position for loading the payout reel 116 and a raised position for dispensing the cable 120. Typically a hydraulic actuation system (not shown) is employed because of its suitability to manufacturing conditions. Alternatively, a forklift can be employed to lift the payout reel 116 to the reel supports 122, but due to the size and weight of the payout reel 116 such approach can be awkward and dangerous.
In the typical cable dispensing unit 110, the hydraulic system is stowed in a cabinet 118 on the side of the cable dispensing unit 110 facing the cable cutting unit 112 to protect the hydraulic system from the equipment used to bring and remove the payout reels 116 from the cable dispensing unit 110. This arrangement, compounded with the need to accommodate various sizes of payout reels 116, generally places the payout reel 116 some distance from the operator 126 when standing between the cable dispensing unit 110 and the cable cutting unit 112, as can be seen from FIG. 1. Therefore, the procedure for transferring a length of cable 120 from a payout reel 116 to a take-up reel 114 generally entails the following time consuming steps.
The payout reels 116 are first loaded into the cable dispensing unit 110 by an assistant operating a forklift or the like. Then, the operator 126 selects the particular payout reel 116 holding the specific size cable 120 needed consistent with a job order. The operator 126 then moves the cable cutting unit 112 laterally until it is in front of the corresponding cable dispensing unit 110. Because of the operator's location 126 it is impossible for the operator to address the payout reel 116 from the position between the dispensing unit 110 and the cable cutting unit 112 since the location of the payout reel 116 is too far away to enable the operator 126 to simply reach over and grab the end of the desired cable 120 from the payout reel 116. The operator 126 must walk around the group of four cable dispensing units 110 to the backside of the corresponding cable dispensing unit 110 and gain access to the cable end. Typically, a thermal wrap (not shown) of protecting the cable wound on the payout reel 116 from moisture, heat and ultraviolet rays must be removed from the payout reel 116 to gain access to the cable end, which is secured to the payout reel 116 by a tie-down device (not shown) or the like. The operator must then feed the cable end over the cable dispensing unit 110 in any convenient manner and return to the front of the four cable dispensing units 110. The cable 120 is then pulled, by the operator, causing the payout reel 116 to rotate to dispense the cable 120. Because the payout reel 116 is extremely heavy, considerable effort by the operator 126 is sometimes necessary to pull the cable 120 from the payout reel 116 to the cable cutting unit 112. The operator 126 then feeds the cable 120 into the cable cutting unit 112, which pulls a predetermined length of cable 120 through and collects the desired length onto the take-up reel 114 whereafter it is cutoff by the cable cutting apparatus. The operator 126 must then again walk to the backside of the cable dispensing unit 110 and rotate the payout reel 116 in reverse rotation to again collect the remaining cable 120 and secure the cable end to the payout reel 116.
From the above discussion, it can be readily appreciated that the cable dispensing units known to the prior art require considerable time and effort by the operator to transfer a desired length of cable from a payout reel to a take-up reel. Further, the prior art does not teach or suggest a cable dispensing unit which is able to reduce the distance between the operator and the payout reel in order to eliminate the need for the operator to walk between the front and backside of the cable dispensing unit. Finally, the prior art does not teach or suggest a cable dispensing unit which can accommodate various diameters of payout reels while consistently positioning the payout reel a convenient distance from the operator.
Accordingly, what is needed is a cable dispensing apparatus capable of rotatably securing and positioning a payout reel within arms length from an operator standing between the cable dispensing apparatus and a cable cutting apparatus, while also providing power driven accessories for controlling the payout reel so as to minimize the degree of effort and amount of time demanded of the operator to transfer a length of cable from the payout reel to a take-up reel.

Cable dispensing device with means for lifting and conveying reel and method


A method for determining the degree of twist to be manually introduced into an implant which is to be positioned in the aorta and adjacent iliac branches so as to achieve an effective degree of twist when the implant is positioned in the anatomy, the method comprising:                identifying the effective degree of twist desired for the implant;        determining the Native Iliac Rotation of a patient; and        subtracting the Native Iliac Rotation of a patient from the effective degree of twist desired for the implant so as to determine the degree of twist to be manually introduced into the implant.

Many medical procedures must be carried out at an interior anatomical site which is normally hidden from the view of the physician. In these situations, the physician typically uses some sort of scanning device to examine the patient's anatomy at the interior site prior to, and in preparation for, conducting the actual medical procedure. Such scanning devices typically include CT scanners, MRI devices, X-ray machines, ultrasound devices and the like, and essentially serve to provide the physician with some sort of visualization of the patient's interior anatomical structure prior to commencing the actual medical procedure. The physician can then use this information to plan the medical procedure in advance, taking into account patient-specific anatomical structure.
In addition to the foregoing, the physician can also use the information obtained from such preliminary scanning to more precisely identify the location of selected structures (e.g., tumors and the like) which may themselves be located within the interior of internal organs or other internal body structures. As a result, the physician can then more easily "zero in" on such selected structures during the subsequent medical procedure.
Furthermore, in many cases, the anatomical structures of interest to the physician may be quite small and/or difficult to identify with the naked eye. In these situations, preliminary scanning of the patient's interior anatomical structure using high resolution scanning devices can help the physician locate various structures of interest during the subsequent medical procedure.
In addition to the foregoing, scanning devices of the sort described above are frequently also used in purely diagnostic procedures. For example, scanning devices of the sort described above might be used to look for stenosis in a blood vessel, or the buildup of plaque in a blood vessel, or a thinning of the aorta wall, etc.
In general, scanning devices of the sort described above tend to generate two-dimensional (i.e., "2-D") images of the patient's anatomical structure. In many cases, the scanning devices are adapted to provide a set of 2-D images, with each 2-D image in the set being related to every other 2-D image in the set according to some pre-determined relationship. For example, CT scanners typically generate a series of 2-D images, with each 2-D image corresponding to a specific plane or "slice" taken through the patient's anatomical structure. Furthermore, with many scanning devices, the angle and spacing between adjacent image planes or slices is very well defined, e.g., each image plane or slice may be set parallel to every other image plane or slice, and adjacent image planes or slices may be spaced a pre-determined distance apart. By way of example, the parallel image planes might be set 1 mm apart.
In a system of the sort just described, the physician can view each 2-D image individually and, by viewing a series of 2-D images in proper sequence, can mentally generate a three-dimensional (i.e., "3-D") impression of the patient's interior anatomical structure.
Some scanning devices include, as part of their basic system, associated computer hardware and software for building a 3-D database of the patient's scanned anatomical structure using a plurality of the aforementioned 2-D images. For example, some CT and MRI scanners include such associated computer hardware and software as part of their basic system. Alternatively, such associated computer hardware and software may be provided independently of the scanning devices, as a sort of "add-on" to the system; in this case, the data from the scanned 2-D images is fed from the scanning device to the associated computer hardware and software in a separate step. In either case, a trained operator using such apparatus can create a set of scanned 2-D images, assemble the data from these scanned 2-D images into a 3-D database of the scanned anatomical structure, and then generate various additional images of the scanned anatomical structure using the 3-D database. This feature has been found to be a very powerful tool, since it essentially permits a physician to view the patient's scanned anatomical structure from a wide variety of different viewing positions. As a result, the physician's understanding of the patient's scanned anatomical structure is generally greatly enhanced.
In addition, scanning systems of the sort described above often include hardware and/or software tools to allow measurements to be made of the patient's scanned anatomical structure. By way of example, many of these systems let a physician overlay lines on an image of the patient's anatomical structure, and then calculate the length of these lines so as to indicate the size of the structure being viewed.
While the 2-D slice images generated by the aforementioned scanning devices, and/or the 3-D database images generated by the aforementioned associated computer hardware and software, are generally of great benefit to physicians, certain significant limitations still exist.
For one thing, with current systems, each scanned 2-D slice image is displayed as a separate and distinct image, and each image generated from the 3-D database is displayed as a separate and distinct image. Unfortunately, physicians can sometimes have difficulty correlating what they see on one image with what they see on another image. By way of example but not limitation, physicians can sometimes have difficulty correlating what they see on a particular scanned 2-D slice image with what they see on a particular image generated from the 3-D database.
For another thing, in many situations a physician may be viewing images of a patient's scanned anatomical structure in preparation for conducting a subsequent medical procedure in which a prosthetic device must be fitted in the patient. In these situations it can be relatively difficult and/or time-consuming for the physician to accurately measure and record all of the anatomical dimensions needed for proper sizing of the prosthetic device to the patient. By way of example, in certain situations a patient may develop an abdominal aortic aneurysm ("AAA") in the vicinity of the aorta's iliac branching, and repair or replacement of the affected vascular structure with a prosthetic device may be indicated. In this case it is extremely important for the physician to determine, prior to commencing the procedure, accurate length and cross-sectional dimensions for each affected portion of blood vessel so as to ensure proper sizing of the appropriate prosthetic device to the patient. Unfortunately, it can be difficult and/or impossible to make accurate anatomical measurements with existing visualization systems. This has proven to be particularly true when dealing with anatomical structures which extend along a tortuous path and/or which have a complex and varied branching structure, e.g., blood vessels.
Furthermore, in many cases it may be desirable to provide a physician with a particular oblique view of a specified portion of a patient's anatomical structure. For example, it may be desirable to provide a physician with a view taken perpendicular to the length of a blood vessel, with that view being taken at a very specific location along that blood vessel. Such a view might be desired for comprehensional and/or measurement purposes. Unfortunately, it can be difficult and/or impossible to accurately generate such a view using existing visualization systems.
In addition to the foregoing, in many situations a physician may be interested in accurately calculating a volume associated with a specific part of a patient's anatomy. By way of example but not limitation, a physician might wish to track the volume of a thrombus in an aorta over time, or the size of a tumor during chemotherapy, etc. Unfortunately, it can be difficult and/or impossible to accurately make such a calculation using existing visualization systems.
Also, in many situations a physician may be interested in modeling how a particular endoluminal prosthesis will deploy in the patient's anatomy. Unfortunately, current visualization systems do not provide simple and effective features for providing such modeling.

Anatomical visualization and measurement system


A quaternary ammonium compound of the present invention is a quaternary ammonium compound represented by general formula (I) or (I′)

Compounds in the form of [2-(4-methoxycarbonyl-phenoxy)-ethyl]-trimethylammonium and [2-(4-ethoxycarbonyl-phenoxy)-ethyl]-trimethylammonium are known (see UK Patent No. 919126).
A method for producing the aforementioned compounds in the case the quaternary ammonium group is a trimethylammonium group is described in which a phenol derivative is reacted with ethane dibromide in the presence of sodium metal, further reacted with dimethylamine, and treated with methyl iodide (see UK Patent No. 919126). In addition, a method for introducing a dimethylaminoethyl group, which is able to serve as a precursor of a quaternary ammonium group, is described in which a phenol derivative is reacted with 2-dimethylaminoethyl chloride in the presence of sodium metal (see German Patent No. 905738). Moreover, a method for introducing a dimethylaminoethyl group is described in which a phenol derivative is reacted with 2-dimethylaminoethyl chloride in the presence of a metal alcoholate (see M. B. Moore, J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 78:5633-5636 (1956)).
However, among the aforementioned compounds, a compound is not known which has a carboxyl group or sulfonyl group instead of an alkoxycarbonyl group in a benzene ring.
In addition, a production method has heretofore not been known for introducing a dialkylamino group, capable of serving as a precursor of a quaternary ammonium compound having a carboxyl group or sulfonyl group, at high yield by reacting with a sulfonic acid ester derivative in a certain specific solvent.
In addition, it has heretofore been completely unknown that a quaternary ammonium compound of the present invention has superior safety and demonstrates extremely superior effects as a cerebrovascular disease therapeutic agent and heart disease therapeutic agent.

Quaternary ammonium compound, process for producing the same, therapeutic agent for cerebrovascular disorder, and therapeutic agent for heart disease

Abstract: (wherein, A represents a linear alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a branched alkyl group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, a linear alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms and a hydroxyl group, or a branched alkyl group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms and a hydroxyl group, R1 to R3 may be the same or different and represent a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, one of R4 to R8 represents CO2− or SO3−, while no more than three of the remaining R4 to R8 represent a group selected from the group consisting of a hydroxyl group and an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and other R4 to R8 represent a hydrogen atom, one of R′4 to R′8 represents CO2H or SO3H, no more than three of the remaining R′4 to R′8 represent a group selected from a protected hydroxyl group and an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, while other R′4 to R′8 represent a hydrogen atom, and X− represents an anion capable of forming a salt with a quaternary ammonium group).


A method of providing one or more thumbnail images and an image photographing apparatus thereof include displaying a plurality of thumbnail images corresponding respectively to a plurality of image data, if at least one of the plurality of thumbnail images is selected, changing a displaying status of the selected thumbnail image to be distinguishable from that of remaining thumbnail images and, if a user's motion is recognized, replacing the remaining thumbnail images with other thumbnail images while keeping the selected thumbnail image therein.

1. Field
The present general inventive concept relates to a method of providing one or more thumbnail images and an image photographing apparatus thereof and, more specifically, to a method of providing one or more thumbnail images corresponding to image data and an image photographing apparatus thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
As image photographing apparatuses perform increasingly-sophisticated functions, the image photographing apparatuses require a larger storing space than ever before, and the kinds and number of image data are increased to be stored in the image photographing apparatuses.
In spite of the increased number of image data, it is inconvenient for a user to check every single image data in order to find one with good quality among the increased number of image data.
To solve this problem, a number of algorithm analyses may be used in the image photographing apparatus. However, an image photographing apparatus has a limitation in analyzing a good-quality image therein, since standards or criteria for determining a good-quality image may vary depending on a user preference.
Accordingly, a method to help a user select a good-quality image more easily and intuitively is needed.

Method of providing thumbnail image and image photographing apparatus thereof


A compensation method for a receiver is disclosed, the method includes: receiving and processing an incoming signal to generate an analog input signal; utilizing a time-interleaved parallel analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for converting the analog input signal to a digital input signal according to a plurality of clock signals of different phases; equalizing the digital input signal to generate a plurality of soft decision values; generating a plurality of hard decision values according to the soft decision values; calculating a plurality of error values according to the hard decision values and the soft decision values; and compensating the receiver according to at least part of the error values.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ADC, and more particularly, to ADC timing and gain mismatch correction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is a common circuit component utilized in various applications. Time-interleaved parallel ADCs are commonly used, since the time-interleaved parallel architecture is attractive for implementing an ADC with a high sampling rate. Please refer to FIG. 1, which depicts a block diagram of a prior art M-fold time-interleaved parallel ADC module 340, where M is an integer greater than 1. Assume the target sampling rate is f. Using M-fold time-interleaved parallel architecture, one operates each of the M ADC's 342, 344, . . . , 346 at a sampling rate of f/M. Each of the ADC's 342, 344, . . . , 346 operates at the same sampling frequency of f/M, but at a respective, different phase. The phases of the ADC's 342, 344, . . . , 346 must be evenly spaced so as to occupy (i.e., cover) the entire sampling clock period, which is the reciprocal of the frequency f/M. As shown in FIG. 1, each ADC, beginning with ADC 342 (i.e., the first ADC) and through ADC 346 (i.e., the last ADC), uses a respective sampling clock. The clocks are labeled CLK_0 through CLK_M−1, corresponding to the respective clock for ADC's 342 through 346 The output from the M ADCs (342, 344, . . . , 346) are provided to a subsequent de-interleaver 348 to construct a digital output for ADC 340. The de-interleaver 348 is operated using clock CLK, which has a frequency that is M-fold higher than each of the sampling clocks CLK_0 through CLK_M−1.
Please refer to FIG. 2, which shows an example timing diagram illustrating clocks utilized by the M-fold time-interleaved parallel ADC module 340 shown in FIG. 1 for the example case of M=4. As shown in FIG. 2, the frequency of the clock signal CLK is four times of each of those of the clock signals CLK_0–CLK_3. Therefore, the de-interleaver 348 de-interleaves the outputs sequentially generated from the parallel ADC's 342 through 346 to form the desired digital output at a sampling rate of f.
However, in practical applications, the time-interleaved parallel ADC module 340 suffers from two problems. The first problem is called timing skew. To explain timing skew, consider a four-fold parallel architecture as an example. A four-fold time-interleaved parallel ADC module requires four individual clocks, each operating at the same frequency of f/4 but at a different phase. For example, one would like to operate the four clocks at phases of 0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees, respectively. In practical applications, such ideal results are not possible. In real-world applications, the actual clock phases might be, for example, 5, 85, 185, and 265 degrees. These actual clock phases are examples meant to illustrate that the actual clock phase very often differs by several degrees from its ideal phase. The imperfectly timed clocks can result from a number of factors; one for example, is due to the nature of the manufacturing process of the transistors and other circuit components of the clock source. Unfortunately, timing skew degrades the ADC's performance.
Additionally, the time-interleaved parallel ADC suffers from a second problem called amplitude (i.e., gain) mismatch. Amplitude mismatch of the M parallel paths is due to the limited component tolerance and imperfections in the manufacturing process of the circuit elements, i.e., ADC's 342 through 346. Amplitude mismatch will also degrade the ADC's performance.
The following U.S. Patents, for example, are all prior art attempts of mismatch correction schemes: U.S. Pat. No. 6,570,410; U.S. Pat. No. 6,522,282; U.S. Pat. No. 6,476,754; U.S. Pat. No. 6,407,687; U.S. Pat. No. 6,384,756.
However, prior art techniques attempt to solve the mismatch problems by regarding the ADC to be the target device under test. Prior art correction schemes inject a pre-known calibration signal at the ADC input and then estimate the mismatch based on the ADC's output. Alternatively, prior art correction schemes may also simply use the unknown analog input under normal operations and estimate the mismatch based on the statistics of the ADC output. These techniques for correcting timing skew and amplitude mismatch in a time-interleaved parallel ADC do not consider the overall performance of an application that utilizes the time-interleaved parallel ADC. For instance, if the time-interleaved parallel ADC to be calibrated is applied in a receiver, the receiver performance, therefore, is not optimized.

Receiver capable of correcting mismatch of time-interleaved parallel ADC and method thereof


To perform multi-pattern searching, a preprocessing engine populates a SUFFIX table, a PREFIX table and a PATTERN table. The SUFFIX table combines data conventionally stored in SHIFT and HASH tables. Pointers in the SUFFIX table refer to corresponding segments in the PREFIX table. Each PREFIX table segment is sorted by a prefix hash. A PATTERN table includes a hash of each full pattern sorted and grouped into segments, with each segment corresponding to a suffix hash and prefix hash combination. Pointers in the PREFIX table refer to corresponding segments in the PATTERN table. The PREFIX and PATTERN can be kept in secondary storage, allowing potentially billions of patterns to be used. After preprocessing, patterns are evaluated against a source file. A document metric is determine to qualitatively describe the similarity between the source file and each pattern file.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to document searching. In particular, the present invention is directed to identifying occurrences of a large number of search patterns in a large number of documents.
2. Description of Background Art
Multi-pattern searching is useful in many different applications, including data mining, editing, and security. One particular application that requires multi-pattern searching is the identification of known code fragments in a set of data files. This is useful, for example, to determine whether and to what extent open-source code has been integrated into an organization's proprietary code.
In "A Fast Algorithm For Multi-Pattern Searching," (S. Wu and U. Manber, "A FAST ALGORITHM FOR MULTI-PATTERN SEARCHING", Report TR-94-17, Department of Computer Science, University of Arizona, 1994), incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, Wu and Manber present an algorithm for quickly finding matches between online texts and multiple search patterns. Using that algorithm limits the number of search patterns that can be used, because the algorithm is designed to operate entirely in primary storage. Moving the data structures presented in that paper to secondary storage without modification results in undesirably—and for massive numbers of search patterns, impractically—poor performance.
Accordingly, what is needed are a system and method for multi-pattern searching that allows search pattern data to exist in secondary storage while maintaining good performance with hundreds of millions to billions of search patterns.


Certain aspects and embodiments of the present invention provide an airbag having a vent that can adaptively release gas from the airbag upon impact with an occupant. The vent may include a membrane and/or diaphragm that can control the amount of gas released from the airbag based on the pressure in the airbag. During a collision, the airbag can be filled with gas and absorb the energy from an occupant causing the pressure in the airbag to increase. The adaptive vent can release gas from the airbag by opening when the occupant impacts the airbag. In some embodiments, the size of the vents changes depending on the pressure existing in the airbag.

Generally, an airbag is a structure that includes an inflatable safety bag, such as a flexible bag, that can be inflated to contain air or some other gas. Airbags are commonly used to rapidly inflate and provide cushioning during a vehicle collision. For example, an airbag can be installed in a steering wheel of a vehicle and associated with a sensor that, upon sensing a collision with force exceeding a certain threshold, triggers the airbag to expel a gas and deploy the safety bag to provide cushioning for the individual in the vehicle. The inflatable safety bag can include one or more vents that allow the gas to be released relatively slowly from the safety bag when the individual pushes against the safety bag.
Depending on factors associated with a crash, including the weight of an occupant, the vents of a deployed airbag may not release the gas at a rate to protect the occupant from sustaining injuries due to the crash or, although generally less severe, injuries from the occupant's impact with the airbag. For example, the vents may be too small to release gas at a rate necessary to adequately cushion an occupant's impact with the airbag, thereby causing the occupant to sustain injuries.
Accordingly, a need exists for an airbag that can adaptively release gas to cushion an impact from an occupant. A need further exists for an airbag having vents that can adaptively release gas depending on a variety of factors associated with a crash and/or an occupant.


An RF coupler that provides an interconnection between a mobile telecommunication device and an antenna includes a housing having a threaded coaxial connection. Two antenna contacts extend outwardly from the interior of the housing and over a mounting surface thereof. The mounting surface has an adhesive layer formed on it in order to attach the coupler to a windshield in alignment with a pair of antenna contacts.

The present invention relates generally to mobile telephone communication systems, and more particularly, to such systems utilizing window-mounted antennas and coupling devices for passing radio frequency ("RF") signals therebetween.
The use of mobile telecommunication systems has increased exponentially over the past few years. These systems include the hand-held cellular telephone that may be carried by a user and they also include cellular telephones that are mounted directly to an automobile. In the latter instance, the system comprises the internally mounted telephone, an external antenna and a connector that connects the internal telephone to the external antenna.
Often this connection is effected by directly connecting, such as by soldering, the two leads of a coaxial connector to the window antenna pads. This type of direct connection is expensive because it requires time and labor, and it may be susceptible to breakage at the soldered joint. Other systems use coupling devices by which the leads of the coaxial connect are mounted in direct opposition to their respective antenna pads so that radio-frequency (RF) signals may pass through the intervening windshield glass during operation of the system. In both such connectors, often the point of location is visible in the interior of the automobile and thus, parts of the system are susceptible to theft.
Connecting devices are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,268,700, issued Dec. 7, 1993 describes a structure for connecting a telephone feedline with a window antenna. The feedline comprises a coaxial cable with inner and outer conductors that are soldered directly to the window glass; antenna elements. Two separate connecting elements are provided in this connector, one for each conductor of the coaxial cable. Soldering is expensive and prone to breakage. Additionally, this antenna requires specially formed cable holding elements to hold the coaxial cable in place. This antenna connection is also positioned on the surface of the window glass in plain view which increases the possibility of theft and vandalism by attracting attention. Still further, the soldered connection between the coaxial feedline and the antenna elements are exposed to the surrounding environment which may adversely affect the connections.
The present invention is directed to a telecommunications connecting device for use in a vehicle mobile radio communication system that overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art. In view of the aforementioned need and the shortcomings of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a mobile telecommunications connecting device for providing a connection between a windshield mounted antenna and a transceiver, such as a cellular telephone, in a manner wherein the connecting device is entirely concealed from view.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a concealed window-mounted antenna system for mobile telecommunication wherein the antenna includes vertical and horizontal radiator elements affixed to the interior of a vehicle, a coaxial feedline leading from the antenna radiator elements to a communications device and a coupler having two respective signal plates disposed in opposition and general alignment with the antenna radiator elements, the two signal plates being surrounded by an adhesive layer to thereby securely hold the signal plates against a surface of the windshield.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a low cost, concealed coupling device for use with mobile communication systems wherein the antenna radiating elements are applied to an interior surface of a vehicle windshield in an area completely concealed from view, the system including a coupling device for coupling a coaxial feedline to the antenna radiating elements, the coupling device having a housing, a threaded connector member for threadedly engaging a coaxial feedline, the housing having two contact elements extending out of the housing along a mounting face thereof, the housing further including an adhesive element disposed on the mounting surface, the adhesive element encompassing the coupling device contact elements and providing a means for reliably engaging the interior surface of the vehicle windshield such that the coupling device contact elements oppose or contact the antenna radiator elements to thereby provide a connection between the antenna and a telecommunications device within said vehicle.
These and other object, features and advantages of the present invention will be clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description.

RF coupler for concealed mobile telecommunications systems utilizing window-mounted antennas and systems using same


An agricultural furrow opening system having a hybrid single-disk, double-disk opener is disclosed including a swing-arm, a primary disk, and a deflecting disk. The primary disk is coupled to a distal end of the swing-arm and configured to rotate about a first axis. The primary disk is rolled about a direction of travel at a first oblique angle θP and yawed about a vertical direction at a second oblique angle ζP. The deflecting disk is coupled to the distal end of the swing-arm and configured to rotate about a second axis. The deflecting disk is rolled about the direction of travel at a third oblique angle θD and yawed about the vertical direction at a fourth oblique angle ζD. The first oblique angle θP is between the vertical direction and the third oblique angle θD.

In agricultural applications, farmers have typically used a single-disk or double-disk opener for opening a furrow, roughly of a parabolic cross-section, in which material is deposited (such as seed or fertilizer).
Single-disk openers use one disk to cut and shape the furrow. A material shoe is generally disposed behind a leading edge of the disk and is used to deposit material in the furrow. The use of a single disk to open the furrow requires minimal down-pressure to be applied in order to open the furrow. However, disadvantages arise when debris falls into the furrow before the material shoe has passed.
Alternatively, double-disk openers use two disks to cut and shape the furrow. Typically, the two disks form a V-shape with the material shoe in-between. The V-shaped arrangement helps protect the material shoe from debris entering the furrow, but requires much higher down-pressure to be applied in order to cut the furrow. This increase of down-pressure leads to increased wear and tear on the disk opener and increased fuel consumption.
Traditionally, constant down-pressure is applied by the single-disk or double-disk opener using a resilient member such as a spring. This constant down-pressure results in a furrow of different depth as soil conditions such as soil hardness change. Thus, the material placement is not consistent across varying soil conditions. Inconsistent material placement can lead to lower yielding crops and other problems.
Thus, it would be desirable to develop a system that overcomes the problems and limitations associated with traditional single-disk and double-disk openers.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Agricultural apparatus with hybrid single-disk, double-disk coulter arrangement


Provided herein are several inventive fabrics having warp yarns and fill yarns, where the warp yarns preferably are an intimate blend of synthetic and cellulosic fibers and where the fill yarns are preferably a patternwise arrangement of synthetic and cellulosic yarns. Such fabric possesses sufficient cellulosic content (i.e., at least 45% by weight) to be easily rendered flame retardant, while simultaneously possessing sufficient synthetic content (i.e., at least 30% by weight) to be abrasion resistant and long-lasting. In one embodiment, the subject fabrics are treated with one or more flame retardant chemicals, typically in the presence of ammonia gas. In a second embodiment, the subject fabrics are coated on one side with an elastomeric composition into which a flame retardant compound has been incorporated. In yet another embodiment, the subject fabrics are both treated and coated to achieve flame retardance.

Historically, it has been an objective of the textile industry to produce flame retardant fabrics for a variety of end uses, including apparel and uniform fabrics. To date, these efforts have been largely focused on cellulosic (that is, cotton) fabrics, which are readily made flame retardant by the addition of phosphorous-based flame retardant chemicals. However, cotton fabrics exhibit deficiencies in terms of durability, abrasion resistance, and drying time that make them unsuitable for a number of applications, including, for example, uniform and protective garments. Users of such specialized uniform and protective fabrics expect those fabrics to be flame retardant, long-lasting, abrasion resistant, and quick-drying.
In an effort to overcome the shortcomings of 100% cotton fabrics, manufacturers have used blends of cotton and synthetic yarns to produce fabrics with improved durability and shorter drying times. However, the introduction of synthetic fibers into cellulosic fabrics makes it difficult to flame-retardant treat the fabrics. In addition to the flammability of the synthetic fibers, they are also hydrophobic and can, therefore, make it difficult for flame retardant treatments to penetrate yarn bundles. When penetration does occur, the aqueous flame retardant solutions migrate to the surface of yarn bundles more rapidly than with 100% cellulosic (i.e., cotton) fabrics. The rapid drying of cellulosic/synthetic fiber blends is well known. The differences in drying rates and fabric wet-out are the primary reasons why processes that will produce satisfactory results on 100% cotton fabrics will not produce similar results on cotton/synthetic blend fabrics, where the treatment lasts the life of the garment.
Often, it has been found that the synthetic yarns or fibers in these blends tend to melt when exposed to flame, such as from a flash fire. In melting, the synthetic polymers adhere to the skin of the wearer of the garment, causing intense discomfort to the wearer. To minimize the risk of this problem occurring, manufacturers have sought to limit the amount of synthetic material used in flame retardant fabrics (as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,458 to Fleming et al.) or have used different chemical treatments to apply flame retardant chemicals to both the cellulosic and synthetic components of the fabric (as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,789 to Hauser et al.).
The present disclosure describes flame retardant fabrics having a synthetic content of at least 30% and a cellulosic content of at least 45%, where the fabrics have been treated with a flame retardant chemical and/or coated with a flame retardant coating. Such fabrics exhibit excellent flame retardance, while maintaining fabric strength, flexibility, and durability. Additionally, the flame retardant chemicals and/or coatings are also durable over repeated washings (even as many as 25 washes at 140° F.). Such fabrics and treatments represent advances over the prior art technology in this field.

Flame-retardant treatments for cellulose-containing fabrics and the fabrics so treated


A method of forming particles comprises accelerating a stream comprising a liquid; and vibrating the stream, to form particles. The particle may have a diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the nozzle used to form the stream, allowing for the formation of micro- and nano-sized particle.

Rapid advances in biotechnology have led to the discovery of numerous protein and peptide therapeutics, many of which have recently reached the marketplace or are currently under regulatory review by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Unlike traditional small-molecule drugs, however, proteins and peptides generally cannot be administered orally; injection or infusion is most often required. Further, because of their fragility and short in vivo half-lives, encapsulation of proteins in biodegradable polymeric devices, from which the drug can be delivered, locally or systemically, for a prolonged period of time, has been a promising and intensely studied solution to these problems. Biodegradable microspheres comprising a variety of polymers have been the most studied devices due to relatively simple fabrication and facile administration to a variety of locations in vivo through a syringe needle.
Several methodologies for microsphere fabrication have been described, including precipitation, spraying, phase separation, and emulsion techniques. The emulsion and spraying approaches have been commonly used both at the bench and industrial scales. Sphere size and size distribution are reproducible but often poorly controllable. Standard deviations equal to 25-50% of the mean diameter are not uncommon.
Control of sphere size and size distribution has several important implications for controlled-release drug delivery. For example, there typically is an ideal sphere size that provides a desired release rate and route of administration. Spheres that are "too small" exhibit poor encapsulation efficiency, may migrate from the site of injection, and may exhibit undesirably rapid release of their payload. Spheres that are "too large" may not easily pass through a syringe needle. Thus, the typically polydisperse spheres generated by conventional fabrication techniques must be filtered or sieved to isolate particles within the desired size range, and the polymer and drug composing spheres outside that range are wasted.
Uniform microspheres approximately 1-5 μm in diameter would be ideal for passive targeting of professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) such as macrophages and dendritic cells. Similarly, microspheres 10-20 μm in diameter could be used to target the tortuous capillary bed of tumor tissues by chemo-embolization. A system capable of precise microsphere fabrication could allow the optimal size for such applications to be identified and provide an efficient route to commercial manufacture and clinical implementation.
A long-sought goal for controlled-release drug delivery technologies is the ability to precisely control the release rate of encapsulated compounds, and microsphere size is a major determinant of release kinetics. Larger spheres generally release encapsulated compounds more slowly and over longer time periods, other properties (polymer molecular weight, initial porosity, drug distribution within the sphere, etc.) being equal. A constant (i.e., zero-order) release rate is often preferred, while variable drug release rates can be beneficial for many important indications. For example, intermittent high doses of antibiotics may alleviate evolution of resistance in bacteria, and discontinuous administration of vaccines often enhances the immune response.
Methods to control drug release rate include (i) choice of polymer chemistry (anhydrides, esters, etc.) and comonomer ratios, (ii) conjugating the drug to the polymer, (iii) varying the microsphere formulation parameters, and thus the physical characteristics of the resulting particles, and (iv) manipulating the sphere size and distribution. The success of the latter studies was limited by the relatively broad microsphere size distributions.
In recent years, there have been several reports of the fabrication of biodegradable polymer microspheres with controlled, uniform size (P. Sansdrap and A. J. Moes, Influence of manufacturing parameters on the size characteristics and the release profiles of nifedipine from poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres. Int. J. Pharm. 98 (1993) 157-164; B. G. Amsden and M. Goosen, An examination of the factors affecting the size, distribution, and release characteristics of polymer microbeads made using electrostatics. J. Control. Release 43 (1997) 183-196; K. Shiga, N. Muramatsu and T. Kondo, Preparation of poly(D,L-lactide) and copoly(lactide-glycolide) microspheres of uniform size. J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 48 (1996) 891-895; B. Amsden, The production of uniformly sized polymer microspheres. Pharm. Res. 16 (1999) 1140-1143; and N. Leelarasamee, S. A. Howard, C. J. Malanga and J. K. H. Ma, A method for the preparation of polylactic acid microcapsules of controlled particle size and drug loading. J. Microencapsul. 5 (1988) 147-157). However, none of these methods was successful in generating particles in a size range appropriate for drug delivery (˜1-100 μm) while maintaining narrow size distributions. In addition, these previous methods appear to be difficult to scale-up for commercial applications.
Hollow sphere fabrication techniques are disclosed in N. K. Kim, K. Kim, D. A. Payne, and R. S. Upadhye, "Fabrication of hollow silica aerogel spheres by a droplet generation method and sol-gel processing," J. Vac. Sci., Technol. A., vol. 7, no. 3 pp. 1181-1184 (1989) and K. Kim, K. Y. Jang and R. S. Upadhye, "Hollow silica spheres of controlled size and porosity by sol-gel processing," J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 74:8, pp.1987-1992, (1991).
Electrostatic spraying technique is disclosed in K. Kim and R. J. Turnbull, "Generation of charged drops of insulating liquids by electrostatic spraying," J. Appl. Phys., vol. 47, no. 5, pp. 1964-1969, May 1976, U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,676 to Kim et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,060,128 to Kim, et al.
Previously developed techniques designed to fabricate hollow spheres employ a dual-nozzle scheme in which two coaxially mounted nozzles carrying different materials in liquid phase (the material in the inner nozzle could also be a gas) produce a smooth cylindrical jet which, in turn, is broken up into uniform droplets by an acoustic excitation. (See N. K. Kim, et al., "Fabrication of hollow silica aerogel spheres by a droplet generation method and sol-gel processing," infra and K. Kim et al., "Hollow silica spheres of controlled size and porosity by sol-gel processing," infra). The smallest drops that can be made with this method are roughly twice as large as the opening of the outer nozzle. This in turn indicates practical difficulties associated with fabricating uniform solid and hollow spheres of small sizes (less than about 50 μm in diameter) especially spheres in the submicron-size range. The reason is that the smaller the nozzle opening, the greater the chances for it to get plugged up, especially if the pharmaceutical compounds to be encapsulated are suspended as a particulate in the sphere-forming liquid. This problem becomes worse when the materials being used are viscous.
With previous technologies for spraying microdroplets from nozzle-type devices, the minimum sphere size typically obtainable is limited by the size of the nozzle opening. Usually, it is not possible to make drops smaller than the nozzle opening; typically, droplet diameters are 1-4 times the diameter of the nozzle. This presents several difficulties as the desired sphere size decreases. One problem is that fabrication of the nozzles themselves becomes more difficult as size decreases. This is especially true for large-scale fabrication methods in which it is necessary to form droplets through arrays of nozzles (perhaps 1000-2000). A second limitation stems from the pressure needed to pump fluids through small nozzles. The pressure required is given by
      Δ                          p    =            8                                      μ                                      L                                      Q              π                                              R        4            where Δp is the pressure drop across the nozzle, μ is the viscosity of the fluid, L is the length of the nozzle "passage", Q is the volumetric flow rate of the fluid passing through the nozzle, and R is the radius of the nozzle opening. Thus, the pressure required scales with R−4. If one wishes to make microdroplets of ˜5 μm diameter, traditional methods may require a nozzle with a diameter of 5 μm or less. For example, at a flow rate of 1 mL/min and a fluid viscosity of 100 centipoise (100-times more viscous than water), a 5-μm diameter orifice would require a pump head of ˜1.1×1010 Pa (˜110,000 atm). This is clearly an impossibly high pressure. Even water, μ˜1 cp, requires a pressure of 1,100 atm to be pumped through a 5-μm diameter nozzle at 1 mL/min. Thus, pumping virtually any liquid through a nozzle of 5-μm diameter would require special equipment, if it could be done at all.
Another problem with traditional methods of forming small spheres is that some compounds to be encapsulated, such as plasmid DNA, may be damaged by shear forces. Damage depends on the product of the shear rate, γ, and the time spent in the shear field, θ. The average value of this product for a fluid flowing through a pipe is given by(γθ)avg=16/3·(L/D)where L is the length of the pipe and D is the pipe diameter. The orifice of a nozzle can be approximated as a pipe. However, entrance effects will tend to increase the shear rate meaning this equation will give a low estimate. Regardless, the value of γθ is approximately inversely proportional to the diameter of the orifice. Thus, decreasing the nozzle diameter from 100 to 5 μm would increase the damage done to any encapsulated compound by a factor of 20.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,516 describes stabilized capillary microjets, that produce aerosols. The microjets are formed by forcing a gas around a liquid stream. Under the correct conditions, micron-sized aerosols are produced, where preferably 90% or more have the same diameter plus/minus 3% to 30%.

The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois


A control system for controlling a device, the device having at least two functional elements, each functional element being controlled by a control signal, is disclosed in the present disclosure. The control system may include detecting means operatively connected to the device and configured to monitor the operation of the device, and to generate a signal indicative of an operating condition of the device. The control system may also include a control module operatively connected to the at least two functional elements and the detecting means, and configured to switch the two control signals applied to the respective functional elements in response to the signal generated by the detecting means.

Internal combustion engines for vehicles or work machines typically employ a fuel system that includes a fuel tank, a feed or priming pump, a high pressure pump, a high pressure common fuel rail, and a plurality of fuel injectors. The high pressure pump includes an inlet fluidly connected to the priming pump and fuel tank via a low pressure supply line, and an outlet fluidly connected to an inlet of the high pressure common fuel rail via a high pressure supply line. The common rail includes a plurality of outlets that are fluidly connected to fuel injectors via a plurality of high pressure supply lines. Fuel is drawn from the fuel tank by the feed pump and pumped toward the high pressure pump. The high pressure pump in turn pumps the fuel to the common fuel rail. Fuel is supplied to the fuel injectors from the high pressure fuel rail. In the case of a compression ignition engine, actuation of a fuel injector causes high pressure fuel to flow from the common fuel rail directly into the combustion chamber of the engine. This injected fuel is then mixed with air in the combustion chamber and combusted by the heat of compression during the compression stroke of the engine.
It is typical to use solenoid actuators at the inlet and/or outlet of the high pressure pumps to control the opening and closing of the inlet and/or outlet valves, and thereby control the fuel volume passing through the inlet and/or outlet valves to control the supply of high pressure fuel to the high pressure rail. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,610 to Mazet discloses a system for controlling the pressure in a high pressure common fuel rail, which includes a high pressure pump having a solenoid actuated valve at the inlet of the high pressure pump for controlling the volume of the fuel that passes through the pump inlet and into the pumping chamber. The opening and closing of the inlet valve is controlled to supply the pump chamber with a volume of fuel equal to the sum of the fuel mass to be injected into the combustion chambers of the engine. The delivered fuel volume at least partially compensates for a pressure difference between the measured fuel pressure with the common fuel rail and a target pressure.
In order for the high pressure pump to function properly, the current driving the solenoid actuator of the inlet valve of the high pressure pump must be applied in the correct sequence or phase. However, in industry, electrical leads used for supplying the driving current to the solenoid actuator may be mistakenly connected to the wrong actuator, and thus the current may be applied to an actuator in a reversed phase, which in turn, results in a high pressure pump having actuators that do not function properly. For example, if the driving current is applied to an actuator to open the outlet of the high pressure pump during a return stroke of the high pressure pump plunger, there will be no high pressure pumped out by the high pressure pump. Conventionally, this situation is detected and corrected by adjusting the hardware components, for example, physically changing the electrical lead connections or manufacturing different leads and lead connectors between actuators. The traditional hardware measures to correct this crossing of the electrical leads add significant cost and complexity to the product.
The disclosed control system and method for resolving crossed electrical leads on a high pressure fuel pump are directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.

System and method for resolving crossed electrical leads


Provided is a method for canceling background noise of a sound source other than a target direction sound source in order to realize highly accurate speech recognition, and a system using the same. In terms of directional characteristics of a microphone array, due to a capability of approximating a power distribution of each angle of each of possible various sound source directions by use of a sum of coefficient multiples of a base form angle power distribution of a target sound source measured beforehand by base form angle by using a base form sound, and power distribution of a non-directional background sound by base form, only a component of the target sound source direction is extracted at a noise suppression part. In addition, when the target sound source direction is unknown, at a sound source localization part, a distribution for minimizing the approximate residual is selected from base form angle power distributions of various sound source directions to assume a target sound source direction. Further, maximum likelihood estimation is executed by using voice data of the component of the sound source direction passed through these processes, and a voice model obtained by predetermined modeling of the voice data, and speech recognition is carried out based on an obtained assumption value.

The present invention relates to a speech recognition system, especially a method for eliminating noise by using a microphone array.
These days, resulting from the improved performance of a speech recognition program, speech recognition has been coming into use in many fields. However, when trying to realize speech recognition with high accuracy without imposing a duty to wear a headset type microphone or the like on a speaker, i.e., in an environment of a distance between the microphone and the speaker, cancellation of background noise becomes an important subject. The method for canceling noise by using a microphone array has been considered as one of the most effective means.
FIG. 18 schematically shows a configuration of a conventional speech recognition system using a microphone array.
Referring to FIG. 18, the speech recognition system using the microphone array is provided with a voice input part 181, a sound source localization part 182, a noise suppression part 183, and a speech recognition part 184.
The voice input part 181 is a microphone array constituted of a plurality of microphones.
The sound source localization part 182 assumes a sound source direction (location) based on an input in the voice input part 181. The most often employed system for assuming a sound source direction is a system which assumes, as a sound source coming direction, a maximum peak of a power distribution for each angle where an output power of a delay and sum microphone array is taken on a vertical axis, and a direction for setting directional characteristics is taken on a horizontal axis. To obtain sharper peak, a virtual power called Music Power may be set on the vertical axis. When there are three or more microphones, not only the sound source direction but also a distance can be assumed.
The noise suppression part 183 suppresses noise for the inputted sound based on the sound source direction (location) assumed by the sound source localization part 182 to emphasize a voice. As a method for suppressing noise, normally, one of the following methods is used in many cases.
[Delay and Sum]
This is a method for delaying inputs from the individual microphones in the microphone array by respective delay amounts to sum them up, and thereby setting only voices from a target direction in-phase to reinforce them. By such a delay amount, a direction for setting directional characteristics is decided. A voice from a direction other than the target direction is relatively weakened because of a phase shift.
[Griffiths Jim Method]
This is a method for subtracting "a signal in which a noise component is a main component" from the output by the delay and sum. When there are two microphones, the signal thereof is generated as follows. First, the phases of the one of a combination of signals set in-phase with respect to the target sound source is inversed to be added up with the other, whereby a target voice component is canceled. Then, in the noise section, an adaptive filter is designed so as to minimize noise.
[Method Using Delay and Sum in Combination with 2-Channel Spectral Subtraction]
This is a method for subtracting an output of a sub-beam former outputting mainly a noise component from an output of a main-beam former outputting mainly a voice from the target sound source (Spectral Subtraction) (e.g., see Nonpatent Documents 1, and 2).
[Minimum Variance Method]
This is a method for designing a filter so as to form a directional null of directional characteristics with respect to a directional noise source (e.g., see Nonpatent Document 3).
The speech recognition part 184 carries out speech recognition by generating voice features from the signal having the noise component canceled as much as possible by the noise suppression part 183, and collating patterns for time history of the voice features based on a feature dictionary and time extension.
[Non-Patent Document 1]    Nunoda, Nagata, and Abe: "Voice recognition under unsteady noise using two-channel voice detection", technical research report 2001-25 by Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers
[Nonpatent Document 2]    Mizumachi and Akagi: pp. 503-512, "Noise cancellation method by spectral subtraction using microphone pair", treatise A Vol. J82-A No. 4, 1999 by Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers"
[Nonpatent Document 3]    Asano, Hayami, Yamada, and Nakamura: "Application of voice emphasis method using sub-spacing method to voice recognition", technical research report EA97-17 by Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers"
[Nonpatent Document 4]    Nagata, and Abe: pp. 503-512, "Studies on speaker tracking 2-channel microphone array", treatise A Vol. J82-A No. 4 by Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication engineers"
As described above, in the speech recognition technology, when realizing speech recognition with high accuracy in an environment of a distance between the microphone and the speaker, cancellation of background noise becomes an important task. The method for assuming the sound source direction by using the microphone array to cancel noise is considered as one of the most effective means.
However, to enhance noise suppression performance by the microphone array, a large number of microphones is generally needed, which in turn necessitates special hardware to execute simultaneous multichannel inputs. On the other hand, if the microphone array is constituted by a small number of microphones (e.g., 2-channel stereo input), a beams of directional characteristics of the microphone array is gently spread to be prevented from being sufficiently focused on the target sound source. Consequently, an incursion rate of noise from the surroundings is high.
Thus, in order to enhance the performance of speech recognition, a certain processing such as estimation and subtraction of an arriving noise component to be mixed is necessary. However, in the above-described noise suppression methods (delay and sum, minimum variance method, and the like), no functions have been available to estimate and actively subtract the mixed noise component.
In addition, the method for using the delay and sum in combination with the 2-channel spectral subtraction, since the noise component is estimated for the cancellation, can suppress the background noise to a certain extent. However, since the noise is estimated by "a point," an accuracy of the estimation has not always been high.
On the other hand, as problems resulting with small-scale microphone array (becoming conspicuous especially in 2-channel stereo input), there is an aliasing problem, in which assumption accuracy of a noise component is reduced at a specific frequency corresponding to a noise source direction.
As measures to suppress the effects of such aliasing, a method for narrowing spacing between microphones, and a method for arranging the microphone in an inclined state are conceivable (e.g., see Nonpatent Document 4).
However, if the microphone spacing is narrowed, directional characteristics around a lower frequency domain may be deteriorated, and accuracy of speaker direction identification may be reduced. Consequently, in the beam former such as 2-channel spectral subtraction, the microphone spacing cannot be narrowed beyond a given level, and there is a limit to the capability of suppressing the effects of aliasing.
In terms of the method for arranging the microphone in the inclined state, in the two microphones, by providing a sensitivity difference in sound waves from an oblique direction, a sound wave can be made different in gain balance from a sound wave from the front. However, because of only a small sensitivity difference in the normal microphone, even in the case of this method, there is a limit to the capability of suppressing the effects of aliasing.

Speech recognition apparatus, speech recognition apparatus and program thereof


Apparatus and methods for periodically testing emergency wash units which involve the use of a transparent splash containment device which is positioned over an emergency wash unit and optionally attached thereto. The transparent splash containment device diverts and directs water flow to the drain of the emergency wash unit. An alignment indicator including sighting marks is provided to determine the alignment of the water flow. The sighting marks are provided with grid scales which can be used to estimate the velocity of the water flow.

The American National Standard Institute, ANSI Z358.1-1990, for Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment, Section 5.5.1 states that "Plumbed eyewash units shall be activated weekly to flush the line and to verify proper operation." Section 7.5.1 states that "Eye/face wash units shall be activated weekly to flush the line and to verify proper operation." Section 9.5.1 states that "Each combination unit shall be activated weekly to flush the line and to verify proper operation."
Emergency wash units, including eye wash units, eye/face wash units and combination units are provided in numerous facilities including hospital laboratories, clinical research laboratories, university laboratories, industrial laboratories, work shops, and industrial environments in which particles, projectiles and chemicals pose a hazard to eyes.
For proper operation, emergency eye wash units need to provide a sufficient flow of water which is aimed toward the eyes of a user. Accordingly, it is important that the units be periodically tested in order to ensure that the alignment of the water flow is correct. Moreover the units need to be tested to ensure that the rate of flow is at least 1.5 liters (0.4 gallons) per minute, that the flushing streams rise to approximately equal heights, and that the water will wash both eyes simultaneously at a velocity not injurious to the user. It is also important to periodically test the units in order to flush the water lines to which they are attached so as to ensure that the water lines are not plugged and that there are no particulates which have formed in the water lines which might be projected into a user's eyes.
Although the testing of emergency wash units is required and necessary in order to ensure proper operation, it is estimated that the majority of emergency wash units are not tested because of the ensuing splash and mess created during the testing.
There presently exists a need for a device and method which provides for a convenient way to periodically flush and test emergency wash units.

Splash containment testing device for emegency eye wash units

The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services


A trash compactor having a single inlet and multiple parallel outlets a single ram mechanism for servicing all of the outlets. a semi-circular ram chamber and a pie-shaped ram which is connected to the ram chamber at the center of the semi-circular diameter. The outlets are disposed on either side of the center point so that when the ram is moved in a pivotal compacting motion the material is pushed out the outlets into rigid containers, bags or the like. The ram driving mechanism can be a yoke and parallel piston-cylinder mechanism, a gear rack and spur gear or pinion driven by a pair of piston-cylinders or a gear reduction motor whose output shaft is connected to the ram to provide the compacting motion. A sensing device such as a photo-electric eye can be placed in the compactor with its beam traversing the inside of the body. When the beam of the photoeye is interrupted by incoming trash from the inlet, a normally open switch is closed and the ram is moved either to the left or right to compact the trash in the ram chamber.

In large buildings such as apartments, office buildings and the like, it has been the practice to provide large capacity trash compacting devices to reduce the volume of, and thus permit easier handling for removal thereof Examples of these devices are the "Econo-Pak" available from Waterbury Hydraulic & Pollution Sciences of Waterbury, Conn.; the "Cleanpacker" Multiple Bag--Turntable Compactor (Model No. 242011-B Style T), Multiple Bag--Linear Conveyor Compactor (Model No. 242011-B), and Container Compactor (Model No. 242011-C), each available from Econetics, Inc. of New York, N.Y.; the "APT-25" compactor available from the Union Environmental Division of Union Corporation of Old Forge, Pa.; and the "Hivolex-J" compactor available from Lifestyle Systems, Inc. of Floral Park, N.Y. Another example of a prior device is Arrow Steel's "Model 200" compactor available from Arrow Steel, Inc. Of Patterson, N.J. Further examples of known trash compactors are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,734,006 to Hennells; 3,621,775 to Dedio et al. and 3,872,784 to Kaszuba et al. These patents and any other patents or publications mentioned anywhere in this disclosure are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
A plurality of single compactors may be used to handle large volumes of trash but purchasing many single compactors is relatively expensive. Other disadvantages thereof are the requirement of frequent attention of an operator since each machine requires individual attention when full or jammed, inefficient use of available floor space, large bales of compacted trash requiring special equipment such as hoisting or propelling mechanisms to them, and unproductive idle time due to the need for frequent emptying and replacement of filled containers. Examples of single compactors are the above-mentioned "Model 200" from Arrow Steel, and those of the Hennells and Dedio et al patents. Dual-acting compactors which have been used are essentially a pair of single compactors assembled together in a single housing, and having separate compacting mechanisms for each outlet or container. An example of a dual-acting compactor is the above-mentioned Kaszuba et al. patent. Compacting rams used in previous devices are mostly of the reciprocating piston-cylinder type in which the trash is compacted by a compacting head at an end of the piston in a linear fashion along the same longitudinal axis as the operation of the piston-cylinder. In operation, reciprocating rams only compact the trash in one direction that is, compaction occurs only during piston extension. Such linear rams require the use of a separate such mechanism for each outlet or container. Due to the use of individual mechanisms, the machines are not simplified in any substantial way.

Apparatus for compacting trash or the like


Embodiments provide a data block storage method applied to a database employing an LSM tree. According to the method, data in the 0th layer of the LSM tree is organized in MacroBlocks. When the data in the LSM tree is transferred from an upper layer to a lower layer, the data is transferred to the lower layer in the form of MacroBlocks, so that all layers of the LSM tree are organized in the form of MacroBlocks. When inter-layer data merger is performed, the merger may be performed based on the MacroBlocks, which can avoid rewriting of all data on an entire layer and can effectively reduce disk IO and temporary space consumption. Moreover, as each MacroBlock comprises a plurality of variable-length MicroBlocks, the data may be stored in a storage space in a more compact manner.

Log Structured Merge Tree (LSM Tree) is a hard disk-based data structure, which can significantly reduce the overhead of a disk arm of a hard disk, and can provide high-speed insertion and deletion of files for a relatively long period of time. However, the LSM Tree does not have good performance in some cases, in particular when a rapid response is required for a query. In an existing LSM Tree-based storage engine, the LSM Tree is a multi-layer data structure. Data in each layer is organized in files. When inter-layer data merger is performed, all files on a lower layer need to be rewritten.

Data block storage method and apparatus, and electronic device

ANT FINANCIAL (HANG ZHOU) NETWORK TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


An arrangement for the active adjustment of a motor vehicle wheel includes a device which has an adjusting element and in which the suspension links, independently of this device, are linked below and/or above a wheel spin axis to a wheel carrier and are pivotally held on the vehicle body. The device has an adjusting element which is connected with the wheel carrier by means of a tie rod. For forced wheel position adjustments as a function of driving parameters, the adjusting element can be adjusted about a swivel axis formed below the wheel spin axis by a wheel-carrier-side tie rod joint and a wheel-carrier-side link joint. The adjusting element of the device includes at least one hydraulic cylinder which is constructed so that it can be moved in and out while influencing the wheel adjustment by way of an electronic control unit 40 as a function of driving parameters, such as the suspension travel, the lateral acceleration, the speed, the longitudinal acceleration, the deceleration, the yawing moment, and the steering angle.

The invention relates to an arrangement for the active adjustment of a motor vehicle wheel having an adjusting element, suspension links linked to a wheel carrier, and an intermediate element for linking the adjusting element and the suspension links to the wheel carrier.
A wheel, suspension system disclosed in DE-PS 31 39 792 which shows an adjusting device for the camber change and the toe change under certain driving conditions. The adjustment takes place by way of hydraulic cylinders which are partially integrated into the link therebetween or which are formed as part of the wheel suspension link or as part of the link bearing. The adjustment elements are consequently subjected to relatively high forces which otherwise are absorbed only by the link bearings.
In Patent Document GB-A-2 203 711, an arrangement using a connecting link is shown for the control of the camber of the rear wheels for vehicles with four steerable rear wheels. This connecting link is pivotally fastened to the vehicle body and has a central swivel bearing for a suspension link supported and disposed on the wheel carrier. A hydraulic cylinder, which is constructed as an adjusting element and which causes the camber change of the wheel by way of the connecting link, is applied to the lower end of the connecting link facing away from the bearing of the body.
It is an object of the invention to provide a wheel suspension system for a motor vehicle which has a wheel adjusting device that requires little space, has a favorable response characteristic and is not subject to excessive forces.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by an arrangement for the active camber and/or toe adjustment of a motor vehicle wheel by a way of and adjusting device comprising an adjusting element in which suspension links are linked to a wheel carrier, are swivellably held on the vehicle body and the adjusting element, by way of a connecting intermediate element, is connected with the wheel carrier while acting upon it in an adjusting manner, wherein the intermediate element, by way of a central ball joint, is linked directly to the wheel carrier in a tiltable manner, and a control rod of the adjusting device is connected with a first bearing, and the suspension link is connected with a second bearing, the adjusting device comprising a hydraulic adjusting element which is connected with the control rod and being constructed to be capable of moving in and out while influencing the position of the wheel by way of an electronic control unit for forced wheel position changes as a function of driving parameters, such as suspension travel, lateral acceleration, the speed, the longitudinal acceleration, deceleration, yawings and steering angles and wherein the wheel is adjustable about a swivel axis formed below the wheel spin axis by a wheel-carrier-side tie rod joint and a wheel-carrier-side link joint.
According further to the present invention, the control rod can be held on the intermediate element which is linked to the wheel carrier and which holds on its upper free end the control rod in the swivel bearing with an axis in an articulated manner, and supports on its lower free end the suspension in the bearing with a swivel axis.
According further to the present invention, the control rod can be held on an intermediate element which is linked to the wheel carrier and which supports on an upper free end of the intermediate element the suspension link in the swivel bearing and holds on a lower free end of the intermediate element the control rod in the bearing in an articulated manner.
According further to present invention, between the adjusting element and the control rod, an intermediate lever is arranged which comprises two arms which are disposed at an angle with respect to one another. The intermediate lever with the arms which are disposed at different angles with respect to one another can be assigned to each wheel side of an axle between the control rod and the adjusting link.
According further to the present invention, the setting on the swivel shaft can be determined by the position of the wheel-carrier-side joint of the lower suspension link and by the position of wheel-carrier-side joint of the tie rod and a ratio of the camera to the toe-in on the wheel can be determined in a defined manner.
According further to the present invention, the swivel axis has a setting of alpha .alpha.=90.degree. for achieving a toe-in adjustment on the wheel.
According further to the present invention, the adjusting element is disposed in a plane arranged below the wheel spin axis and is connected with a two-arm lever which extends in an approximately vertical plane and is connected by means of its free end facing away from the bearing of the adjusting element with the control rod which is linked to the wheel carrier by way of the bearing above the wheel spin axis.
According further to the present invention, an adjusting device for absorbing the suspension travel is connected with the suspension link of each wheel side of an axle arranged below the wheel spin axis, the adjusting device being connected by way of one pressure pipe respectively with a chamber of the hydraulic cylinder.
The principal advantages achieved by the invention are that by the linking of the suspension element to the wheel carrier, which is separate from the control rod of the adjusting device, the forces, particularly the longitudinal forces, can also be absorbed separately, so that a wheel adjustment, such as a camber, a toe-in and a toe-out, is to be carried out which is not affected by it. As a result, a faster build-up of side force takes place, particularly during cornering and/or lane changes. During straight-ahead driving and particularly in connection with high speeds, a lower tire pressure may be used as a result of minimal wheel adjustment changes by way of the spring deflection, which clearly increases the comfort level.
The adjusting device for the wheels of an axle is constructed such that is can be used for the rear axles as well as for the front axles. A wheel adjustment takes place in a simple manner by way of a hydraulic cylinder, but may also take place by way of a motor, such as an electric motor or a motor that is driven in another manner.
By way of a rocker lever disposed on the wheel carrier by means of a ball joint, the control rod of the adjusting device as well as a suspension link are arranged to be pivotable about a horizontal axis which extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. This double bearing results in an absorbing of the longitudinal forces only by way of the link bearing, and the tie rod bearing is free of loads resulting from these forces.
The connection of the control rod of the adjusting device with the adjusting link may take place by means of a two-armed supported lever. This lever then provides the possibility of determining the wheel adjusting paths in which the angle between the two lever arms, which are at an angle, is enlarged or reduced. As a result, the wheels can be adjusted in different fashions during the driving operation which is an advantage particularly during cornering in order to build up different cornering forces.
The adjusting device is also suitable for vehicles with rear wheel steering in the case of which, by way of the lower suspension link, a tie rod for a steering gear is also held on the wheel carrier.
In the case of vehicles with a rear engine, there is, for reasons of space, no room for an adjusting device arranged above the wheel spin axis. This adjusting device will then be arranged below the wheel spin axis, and a connection with the control rod arranged above the wheel spin axis will then take place by means of a deflecting lever.
The adjusting element, such as a hydraulic cylinder or a motor, may be controlled by means of an electronic control unit which processes the individual driving parameters. The individual driving parameters may be used as well as especially combined driving parameters and all driving parameters together.
As a function of the wheel adjustment with respect to suspension movements of the wheel, the lower suspension link, for example, may be connected with a device which absorbs the spring travel and correspondingly controls the hydraulic cylinder to carry out wheel adjustment changes.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Arrangement for the active adjustment of a motor vehicle wheel