The present disclosure provides a composite material of a pre-formed crystalline or polycrystalline semiconductor particles embedded in a crystalline or polycrystalline perovskite matrix material. The pre-formed crystalline or polycrystalline semiconductor particles and and crystalline or polycrystalline perovskite being selected so that any lattice mismatch between the two lattices does not exceed about 10%. The pre-formed crystalline or polycrystalline semiconductor particles and said crystalline or polycrystalline perovskite matrix material have lattice planes that are substantially aligned.

Atomically-aligned growth of a crystalline film atop a substrate—heteroepitaxy—has largely relied on vacuum methods such as molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE), atomic-layer epitaxy (ALE), and metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy (MOCVD) (1,2). Through these methods, theoretical predictions have been tested and refined that describe conditions under which crystalline coherence can be preserved even in the presence of a mismatch in the native lattices (strained-layer epitaxy). The result is a vast body of theory, knowledge, and practice regarding vapour-phase epitaxy. Since interfacial defects can be rendered rare at suitably-designed heterointerfaces, highly efficient luminescent materials have been created that have enabled efficient electrically-injected lasers and light-emitting diodes both for fiber-optic communications and high-efficiency lighting (3-5).
The past two decades have seen the rapid rise of soft condensed matter, often in the form of solution-processed semiconductors based on organic molecules, polymers, and colloidal nanoparticles (plates, wires, and dots) (6-10). In this vein, and with astonishing rapidity, bulk organohalide semiconductor perovskites exhibiting large and perfect crystalline domains have improved in size, properties, and performance. These remarkable materials have enabled the ascent of the perovskite solar cell (11-13).


An automatic fine tuning (AFT) circuit includes a frequency discriminator for discriminating an intermediate frequency signal, a capacitor supplied with the discriminated intermediate frequency signal to produce an AFT voltage thereacross, a comparator circuit for comparing the AFT voltage with a reference voltage, a first switching transistor controlled by the comparator circuit and which supplies and charges the capacitor with the reference voltage during a channel selection operation when the AFT voltage is less than the reference voltage, a second switching transistor controlled by the comparator circuit and which connects the capacitor to ground to discharge the same during a channel selection operation when the AFT voltage is greater than the reference voltage, and a third switching transistor for rendering the comparator circuit operative during a channel selection operation and inoperative during an AFT operation.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an AFT (automatic fine tuning) circuit and, more particularly, is directed to an AFT circuit for use with a television receiver which utilizes an electronic tuner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In prior art, television receivers, an example of which is shown in FIG. 1 a received video signal is passed through a high frequency amplifier 1, a mixer 2, a band pass filter 3, a video intermediate frequency amplifier 4 and a video detector 5. As shown, the television receiver further includes an AFT (automatic fine tuning) circuit 6 which supplies an A2 AFT voltage to a local oscillator 7 which controls the output from mixer 2. AFT circuit 6 includes a frequency discriminator circuit 8 which detects the frequency fluctuation in the VIF (video intermediate frequency) signal from amplifier 4 and a DC amplifier 9 which amplifies the discriminated output from frequency discriminator circuit 8 to provide the AFT voltage. The frequency drift of the output signal from local oscillator 7 is thus suppressed by the AFT voltage to automatically achieve fine tuning.
To avoid erroneous operation of the AFT circuit during start-up or the like, the AFT operation is temporaily halted when the output from the power source of the television receiver is increased, during channel switching and so on, the haulting operation being termed generally AFT defeat.
In prior art tuners of the mechanical selection type, such as of the turret or, rotary switch type, in which the tuner shaft is rotated to switch a receiving channel, the AFT defeat and the release thereof after channel switching is effected is carried out by switching a contact between its ON and OFF positions. However, such a method can not be applied to an electronic tuner in which a variable reactance element, such as a variable capacitance diode or the like, is used.
This can more readily be seen with reference to a prior art AFT circuit for an electronic tuner an example of which is shown in FIG. 2. In this circuit, transistors Q1 to Q7 form a frequency discriminator circuit 8 using a phase detector circuit of a double balanced type to which the VIF signal is supplied through input terminals 10a and 10b. More particularly, transistors Q2 and Q3 are switched at the inverse phases of the VIF signal, and the transistor pairs Q4, Q7 and Q5, Q6 are switched at the reverse phases of the VIF signal which has its series resonance frequency shifted by 90.degree. through capacitors 11a and 11b and coil 12. In this case, the series resonance frequency is selected as a video intermediate frequency f.sub.p (58.75 MH.sub.z). At output terminals 13a and 13b of frequency discriminator circuit 8, a discriminated output signal is produced which is a multiple of the VIF signal and the phase shifted VIF signal. This output signal from the frequency discriminator circuit 8 is amplified by DC amplifier 9 which includes transistors Q8, Q9, Q11 and diode Q10. Diode Q10 may be connecting the collector and base of a transistor together. The output signal from the DC amplifier 9 is supplied through a low pass filter, which is formed of resistors 14 and 15 and a capacitor 16, to an output terminal 17 of AFT circuit 6, as the AFT voltage.
Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown therein a graphical representation of the output characteristic of frequency driscriminator circuit 8, represented by S-shaped curve 22. When the output signal, represented by curve 22, is supplied to amplifier 9, it transformed into the AFT voltage having the characteristic shown by curve 23.
However, in an electronic tuner, a plurality of variable resistors are preset in correspondence with respective channels to be received. That is, a variable resistor corresponding to each received channel is selected by a channel selection operation to produce respective tuning voltages which are used to control the frequency of the local oscillator. In FIG. 2, a variable resistor 18 is representative of one of the preset variable resistors and has a first fixed terminal 19 supplied with a DC voltage and a second fixed terminal connected to ground. The output terminal 17, at which the AFT voltage is obtained, is connected to the movable tap of the variable resistor 18 through resistors 20 and 21, and a tuning voltage VC is derived from the junction point between resistors 20 and 21.
In order to preset each of the variable resistors, transistor Q1, serving as a constant current source for frequency discriminator circuit 8, is turned OFF by an AFT switch (not shown). At this time, a reference or relative zero voltage V.sub.O is derived from a voltage source +V.sub.cc supplied through a voltage divider comprised of resistors 14 and 15, and is produced at A10 output terminal 17. During the time period in which a television broadcast wave is received, transistor Q1 is turned ON and the AFT voltage, for example, V.sub.A (refer to FIG. 3), is generated to compensate for the shift in carrier frequency of the VIF signal caused by frequency drift in the local oscillator 7 which is due to the temperature characteristic, and the like of local oscillator 7. Under the above state, a channel is selected to receive a television broadcast wave, the reference voltage V.sub.O supplied to terminal 17 equivalently changes toward AFT voltage V.sub.A with the result that an erroneous AFT operation may be effected during such change. To avoid such erroneous AFT operation, an AFT defeat pulse, which is negative for a period of time after the channel is switched is supplied to the base of transistor Q1 to turn transistor Q1, resulting in transistors Q2 to Q11 being turned OFF. Thus, the charge stored in capacitor 16 is discharged through resistor 14 or 15 so that the voltage at output terminal 17 equals reference voltage V.sub.O to avoid the above erroneous AFT operation.
Upon initiation of the AFT defeat, a time period, during which the voltage at output terminal 17 returns to reference voltage V.sub.O, is determined by the level of the AFT voltage and the time contant of resistors 14 and 15 and capacitor 16. If the resistances of resistors 14 and 15 and the capacitance of capacitor 16 are given as R14, R15 and respectively, the time constant .tau. thereof can be expressed as follows: ##EQU1## This is generally a long time, that is, greater than 100 ms. The reason is that the time constant .tau. is selected so as to sufficiently attenuate the residual FM components of the vertical and horizontal synchronizing pulses in the frequency discriminated output signal. Thus, since the time period within which the voltage at output terminal 17 returns to the reference voltage V.sub.O during AFT defeat is of a relatively long duration, an erroneous operation is likely caused. This means that after a channel is switched, there is generally a long delay before reactivation of the AFT operation.
In order to cure the above defect, another prior art AFT circuit is known and has two terminals at which differential AFT voltages respectively appear. The two terminals are short-circuited by a switching element, such as an FET or the like, to carry out the AFT defeat operation. However, if the reference voltages used in regard to the differential AFT voltages are not equal, there occurs a resultant. Accordingly, it is necessary in the operation of the circuit that a differential amplifier used to produce the differential AFT voltages have no offset or superior characteristics. Further, in order to avoid erroneous operation, the differential outputs from the differential amplifier are respectively supplied to low pass filters with the result that two capacitors are utilized, resulting in substantial delay in operating time.


Techniques for escalating temporary messaging bans are described. In one embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a messaging server component operative to receive one or more messaging interactions from a messaging client on a client device at a messaging service, the messaging client associated with a user account for the messaging service; and impose a restriction on the user account from transmitting messaging using the messaging service for a duration based on a messaging ban duration; and an abuse monitoring component operative to analyze the one or more messaging interactions based on a plurality of messaging abuse criteria to determine that the user account meets a messaging abuse threshold; retrieve a messaging abuse punishment history for the user account; and determine a messaging ban duration based on the messaging abuse punishment history and the determination that the user account meets the messaging abuse threshold. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Users of mobile devices, such as smartphones, may use their mobile devices to execute applications. These applications may perform communications and network tasks on behalf of their user. An application may comprise a messaging client for messaging between users. In some instances, users may abuse the privilege of using a messaging service.


Servo-assisted cable steering arrangement, especially for boats, with an operating cable (4) connected to a steering wheel mechanism (1, 2) and displaceable in a casing (3). The outer end of the operating cable is joined to an operating rod (6) connected to a steering mechanism. The rod is displaceable in a guide tube (20) which is fixed to a valve tube (5), which is limitedly displaceable relative to and forms an operating element for a servo valve (8) of a hydraulic servo-unit in the form of piston cylinder device (10).

In a known boat steering device of this type, the piston cylinder device, the servo valve and the tubular element which is limitedly displaceable form an integrated servo unit. The tubular element serving as an operating element for the servo valve forms in this case the rigid tube to which the operating cable casing is connected and which forms a guide for the operating rod.
Such a servo-assisted steering arrangement requires greater space athwartships (transversely to the boat) than a non-servo-assisted cable steering arrangement, due to the fact that the mounting of the cable casing in the guide tube of the operating rod is displaced when the cable with its operating rod is moved from its ordinary guide tube to the tubular element which is integrated with the servo valve of the servo-unit. This can create problems in boats in which the engine insulation is such that the space athwartships between for example a steering arm of a rudder or a steerable outboard drive-unit and the boat hull is limited. The reason that problems arise when the distance between the steering arm and the hull is small is that the radius of curvature of the operating cable will be small. This results, on the one hand, in increased friction between the cable and the casing and on the other hand to tensions which affects the control of the servo valve. Especially in boats with double engines with outboard drive units, in which the cable steering arrangement is connected to the steering arm of one of the drive units and is connected to the steering arm to the other drive unit via a tie rod, the space available can make it impossible to use a servo-unit of the type described.

Servo assisted cable steering mechanism, especially for boats


An in-toilet leak detector is disclosed, as are communication systems for reporting toilet leaks. The leak detector comprises an inlet that receives water from the toilet's fill tube and diverts it through a flow tube. A capacitive sensor is located between the inlet and an opening of the flow tube from which water flows into the overflow tube of the toilet tank. A housing is connected to the flow tube and the inlet and contains a controller and other electronics, including one or more transceivers. The leak detector measures the duration of water flow and establishes an alert if the water flow is shorter or longer in duration than a calibrated normal duration. The transceivers connect the leak detector to a computer network, and leak alerts are communicated to a server or servers so that they can be forwarded directly to those responsible for fixing the toilets.

1. Field of the Invention
Generally speaking, the invention relates to water flow detection, and more specifically, to an in-toilet leak detector.
2. Description of Related Art
Wasting water has enormous practical, financial, and environmental consequences. Undetected leaks in plumbing fixtures, like toilets, are one of the most insidious sources of wasted water. Especially in a commercial establishment, like a hotel, a few leaking toilets can seriously increase water costs. Beyond mere wastage, a leak can be a harbinger of a larger problem that will require a larger repair effort and possibly cause more damage if it is not caught.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,802,084 to Ghertner et al. discloses a toilet tank leak detection and reporting system. The system uses a flow sensor placed in the toilet tank. The system senses water flow based on the resistance of the flowing water, and includes a timing module. If the water flows for a shorter or longer time than usual, the system activates an alarm. While an embodiment of this patent's leak detection system has been sold successfully for a number of years, there are certain drawbacks. For example, while the sensor is within the toilet, the electronics for the system are placed outside of the toilet bowl, leaving the leads for the contacts exposed.


In a process for eliminating impurities and undesirable components from gas mixtures by passing the mixture through an activated carbon-containing adsorber. Sulfur compounds including hydrogen sulfide are eliminated by increasing the oxygen contents of the gas mixture which contains at least oxygen and/or sulfur dioxide in addition to the hydrogen sulfide to an extent that a hydrogen sulfide oxygen molar ratio is obtained in the gas mixture which is between about 1:0.45 and 1:0.65. The process may also be carried out with two groups of adsorbers where in the first adsorber the elemental sulfur is eliminated in liquid form and where the remaining minor portion of sulfur in vaporous or mist-like form is then removed in the second group of adsorber or adsorbers by adsorption on the activated coal. The purified gas is then recovered from the adsorber or with two groups of adsorbers from the second group of adsorber or adsorbers and the activated carbon is subjected to periodic regeneration cycles.

The invention relates to a process for eliminating sulfur compounds, in particular hydrogen sulfide from gases containing the same and containing in addition oxygen and/or sulfur dioxide by means of activated carbon adsorption at an elevated temperature between about 120 and 240.degree. C.
In these processes the H.sub.2 S is subject to oxidation on the activated coal and there is thus then obtained elementary sulfur in liquid form at the bottom end of the adsorber.
If the feed gas contains amounts below the stoichiometric amount of oxygen and sulfur dioxide these oxidation agents are subject to complete reaction according to the following equations. EQU 2H.sub.2 S+O.sub.2 .fwdarw.2H.sub.2 O+S.sub.2 I EQU 4H.sub.2 S+2SO.sub.2 .fwdarw.4H.sub.2 O+3S.sub.2 II
The unreacted portion of the hydrogen sulfide is then adsorbed in a second adsorber filled with activated carbon in order to obtain complete desulfurization of the gas.
However, if the gas contains the oxygen in a stoichiometric excess as against the hydrogen sulfide the formed elemental sulfur is further converted to sulfur dioxide. The result is that in the subsequent adsorber more or less substantial amounts of sulfur dioxide must be adsorbed in order to obtain a well-purified gas. It is a serious shortcoming for the economies of the process that usually either hydrogen sulfide or sulfur dioxide remain in the gas which likewise must be adsorbed in the subsequent adsorber and must be subject to further processing.

Process for eliminating hydrogen sulfide from gas mixtures


A circuit board assembly mechanism for assembling a first circuit board in suspension in the circuit board assembly mechanism includes a base and connecting bracket. The base has a pillar extruding from a bottom plate of the base and a side plate bending from a wing of the bottom plate. The pillar is positioned corresponding to a first hole of first circuit board and houses it atop by inserting a fixer through the first hole into the pillar. The connecting bracket has a first end and a second end in opposition to each other for connecting the first circuit board with the side plate of the base by fixing the first end on the first circuit board and restricting the second end on the side plate, thereby assembling the first plate in suspension within the base by the pillar and the connecting bracket and reserving the space between the first circuit board and the bottom plate for assembling a second circuit board.

This invention relates to a circuit board assembly mechanism, and more specifically to a circuit board assembly mechanism for stacking circuit boards up within an input/output (I/O) switch box.
For current electronic devices, the more compact of their volumes, the more competitive of their commercial interests. Because the circuit board is the most space-consuming components in an electronic device, the circuitry layout turns to be a compelling issue of downsizing the circuit board and minimizing the volume of the electronic device.
Typically, a circuit board is fabricated as a single module with specific functions, and different circuit boards are assembled in a single case to form an electronic device. As a result of the modular circuit board, the assembling task of the electronic device is highly reduced. For instance, an I/O switch box could be fabricated by selectively combining several circuit boards with desired functions, such as a circuit board providing keyboard/mouse connecting ports and another circuit board providing monitor interfacial ports. Thus, the circuit boards, which can be easily acquired from the ordinary market, simply contribute to the I/O switch as its main components.
When an electronic device includes many circuit boards, how to effectively assemble these circuit boards is an important issue to compact its volume. A conventional design positions the circuit boards on the same plate within the case of an electronic device. The conventional design simplifies the fabrication of electronic devices, but expands the spaces they occupy. Another conventional design of electronic devices stacks several circuit boards up by fixing and separating them with bolts and nuts, therefore, minimizing the spaces they occupy.
FIG. 1 illustrates the conventional stacked circuit board structure. Typically, the base 1, which is made of rigid material for housing the first circuit board 5 and the second circuit board 3, includes fixing holes 8a, 8b, 8c, and 8d (hereinafter refer to 8) and pillars 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d (hereinafter refer to 2) extruding from its bottom plate. The first circuit board 5 includes first bolt holes 6a, 6b, 6c, and 6d (hereinafter refer to 6). Likewise, the second circuit board 3 includes second bolt holes 9a, 9b, 9c, and 9d (hereinafter refer to 9) and lead holes 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d (hereinafter refer to 4). Since the lead holes 4, which are positioned corresponding to the pillars 2, have inner diameters broader than those of the pillars 2, the second circuit board 3 can be mounted right on the bottom plate of the base 1 by screwing bolts 11a, 11b, 11c, and lid through the second bolt holes 9 and fixing holes 8. Moreover, since the first holes 6, which are positioned corresponding to the pillars 2, have inner diameters narrower than those of the pillars 2, the first circuit board 5 can be mounted right on the pillars 2 by screwing bolts 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d through the first bolt holes 6 into the pillars 2. Therefore, the base 1 in which the first circuit board 5 stacked above the second circuit board 3, compacts the volume of the electronic device adopting the stacked circuit board structure within the base 1.
Although the aforementioned stacked circuit board structure enables electronic devices to minimize their volume, its bolts holes 6, 9 and lead holes 4 interfere in the design of the circuitry layout of the two circuit boards 3, 5. Generally, fixing an upper circuit board, namely the circuit board on the pillars, needs at least four bolt holes thereon, and especially to the lower circuit board, namely the circuit board on the bottom plate of the base, it demands extra four lead holes. As a result of these holes, especially of the lead holes, which allow no conducting lines to cross through, the stacked circuit board structure labors the design of the circuits.
In addition, there are usually several bolt holes on the corners of a circuit board for facilitating its assembly, when the manufacturer fabricates the circuit board. However, the conventional stacked circuit board structure demands extra lead holes, which are not inherently on the circuit board. For accommodating to the conventional structure, the circuit board must be completely redesigned instead of acquiring it from the ordinary market, thereby raising its fabricating cost.
In brief, there is a huge need to resolve the disadvantages of the conventional stacked circuit board structure as well as compact the electronic device adopting many circuit boards.
An objective of the invention is to provide a mechanism for assembling a plurality of circuit boards along the vertical direction.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a switch box with stacked circuit board structure for communicating among computer peripheral devices.
The invention discloses a circuit board assembly mechanism employed in a switch box, which communicates many computer peripheral devices, for assembling a plurality of circuit boards along the vertical direction. The switch box includes a first circuit board and a second circuit board, in which the second circuit board has a third hole, and the first circuit board has a first hole and a second hole opposite to the first one. The circuit board assembly mechanism mainly includes a base and connecting bracket. The base housing the first circuit board and the second circuit board comprises a bottom plate, a side plate, and a boundary plate. The bottom plate has a fourth hole corresponding to the third hole and a pillar extruding from it corresponding to the first hole. The second circuit board is mounted on the bottom plate by inserting a first fixer through the fourth hole and the third hole, and the first circuit board is mounted on the pillar above the second circuit board by inserting a second fixer through the first hole into the pillar. Bending the side plate, which is bent from a wing of the bottom plate, shapes the boundary plate, on which a split exists corresponding to the second hole. A perpendicular first strip and a second strip shape the connecting bracket. The first strip has a foot hole for fixing the connecting bracket with the first circuit board by inserting a third fixer through the second hole and the foot hole. The second strip has a flange corresponding to the split for restringing the connecting bracket in the boundary plate by inserting the flange into the split, thereby connecting the first circuit board with the side plate of the base.


Cloth transfers such as twill numbers and letters include a cloth layer coated with a plastic layer which is, in turn, coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive layer. The intermediate plastic layer permits the cloth transfer to be temporarily bonded to a cloth substrate by a very thin film of pressure sensitive adhesive as it is sewn onto the substrate. The intermediate plastic layer prevents the sewing needle from being gummed up with the pressure sensitive adhesive.

There are a variety of different decoratives which are applied to various cloth surfaces. These decoratives are used in a variety of ways to provide information and decorative indicia upon cloth substrates. These transfers can vary depending upon the particular method of applying the transfer onto a cloth substrate, and can vary depending upon the indicia-bearing layer.
Cloth, specifically twill, is frequently used to apply lettering and numbers to jackets, jerseys and the like. Also, embroidered emblems are sewn onto shirts and caps. These are generally not heat bonded to the cloth substrate, but are simply sewn onto the cloth substrate.
When applying twill letters to a substrate, they tend to move. Thus, properly aligning these becomes difficult. This is a problem encountered with heat activated transfers. So U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,621 discloses a method to overcome this problem. It specifically discloses applying a pressure sensitive adhesive to a thermoplastic layer of a heat activated transfer. This allows the heat activated transfer to be temporarily adhered to the substrate without heat.
This has been attempted with twill lettering, but does not work. Generally, to use a pressure sensitive adhesive to bond twill to a cloth substrate requires a relatively thick layer of the pressure sensitive adhesive--generally in the neighborhood of 1 mil or more. When sewing this to the cloth substrate, the needle and thread are gummed up with the pressure sensitive adhesive, interfering with the application to the cloth substrate. Even when less than 1 mil is applied, this presents a significant problem.


Described is a medicament delivery device (1), comprising a body (2), a container carrier (7) for retaining a medicament container within the body (2) and being slidably disposed in the body (2), a sleeve (6) slidably coupled to body (2), and a piston rod (11) coupled to the body (2) and the container carrier (7). The piston rod (11) and the container carrier (7) provide a feedback as the container carrier (7) moves from a first position (P1) to a second position (P2) relative to the body (2).

Administering an injection is a process which presents a number of risks and challenges for users and healthcare professionals, both mental and physical. Pre-filled syringes that are filled with a selected dosage of a medicament for administering the medicament to a patient are known in the art. Conventional medicament delivery devices comprising a needle safety system for preventing needle stick injuries are also known.
There remains a need for an improved medicament delivery device.


A floor accessory driver for floor sanding procedures includes a driven unit having a sanding drum carried on a wheeled chassis that is detachably connected to a driver unit which includes a seat for an operator and further includes a DC driving unit for electrically powering a set of wheels. Operation of the electrical system is under the foot control via a pivoting treadle for controlling forward and reverse direction of the driver unit and for simultaneously controlling the speed of the driving unit. A preset maximum speed control is connected to the electrical circuit and an eccentric cam positions a follower to operate a micro-switch that controls speed. Direction of travel, either forward or in reverse, is under control of the foot pedal via potentiometers which are connected at opposite ends of the treadle so as to operate alternately as the treadle is pivoted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of power drivers, and more particularly to a novel seated driver having direct current motor drive through a pair of wheels which is detachably connected to a mobile carriage mounting a floor finishing device such as a sanding drum wherein the seated driver includes speed and directional controls.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the past, it has been the conventional practice to prepare and/or finish a wooden floor surface by employing an apparatus having a sanding drum which is maneuvered over the wood surface in order to prepare or finish the surface. Conventional apparatus generally includes a mobile carriage having a sanding drum which is maneuvered over a floor surface by means of a hydraulic powered driver unit. The driver unit is usually coupled to the mobile carriage and a seat is provided on the driver unit for accommodating the operator who steers the apparatus via a steering mechanism carried on the mobile carriage.
Although successful for finishing or refinishing a wooden floor surface, conventional apparatus has experienced difficulties and problems which stem largely from the fact that the driver unit incorporates hydraulic mechanisms which are extremely heavy in weight and require periodic maintenance. Also, such prior apparatus is difficult to control with respect to speed and direction since all controls must be coupled into the hydraulic system in order to operate. Hydraulic driver units are generally dirty since such units require oil reservoirs or high pressure hydraulic fluid lines which have a tendency to leak. Some attempts have been made to avoid the situation by using alternating current driving units but the use of alternating current requires excessive wattage and high draw or drain of electricity.
Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide a novel floor accessory apparatus which includes an improved driving unit that is light in weight, includes direct current power drive and incorporates speed and direction controls which are operated from DC power. The units should also include improved electrical and mechanical connection between the driving unit and the mobile carriage or driven unit so that special knowledge or extensive installation or hookup mechanisms are not required.
Accordingly, the above problems and difficulties have been avoided by the present invention which provides a novel floor accessory driver, particularly for use in connection with floor sanding procedures, which includes a driven unit having a sanding drum carried on a wheeled chassis which in turn is detachably connected to a driver unit that includes a seat on which the operator sits and further includes a DC driving means for electrically powering a set of wheels. Operation of the electrical system is under the foot control of the operator via a pivoting treadle for controlling forward and reverse direction of the driver unit and for simultaneously controlling the speed of the driving unit. A maximum speed control is also connected to the electrical circuit which may be preset by the operator. In one form of the invention, foot treadle includes an eccentric cam which positions a cam follower to operate a microswitch that controls speed. Direction of travel, either forward or in reverse, is under control of the foot pedal via potentiometers which are connected at opposite ends of the treadle so as to operate alternately as the treadle is pivoted.
The invention further includes a tongue-in-groove arrangement for detachably connecting the driver unit to the mobile driven unit which may include a yoke into which a loop is inserted and wherein the yoke and loop are maintained in contact by a keeper bolt or pin. The hitch or coupling permits limited pivotal movement which is useful in permitting the operator to steer the mobile unit via a hand-steering means carried on the end of a column projecting from the top of the mobile unit. The mobile unit further includes an AC current control for a sanding wheel and an electrical power cable is detachably connected to the steering column which, in turn, is connected to the AC motor.
The driver unit includes a chassis which supports the DC drive motor and since an electrical drive system is provided, the structure and weight of the driver unit is greatly reduced as compared to hydraulic operated systems.
Therefore, it is among the primary objects of the present invention to provide a novel combined driver unit and driven unit which are coupled together by a pivotal hitch and wherein the driver unit includes a DC drive so that the weight and complexity of the driver unit is greatly reduced as compared with hydraulic systems and structures.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a driver unit which includes a reversible foot switch mechanism that is pivoted so as to alternately operate potentiometers in order to determine reverse or forward direction as well as to control speed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fully electronic floor sanding driver which is less than half the size of other floor sanding drivers and which is significantly lighter than other floor sanding drivers.
Still a further object resides in providing a floor sanding driver and driven unit that can be used in confined areas such as residential applications as well as in large commercial areas such as gymnasiums or the like.
The present invention further resides in the provision of two types of speed control which is operated by a foot pedal and a maximum speed potentiometer.
Another object resides in providing adjustments to a DC electrical system for rate of acceleration and deceleration with respect to control of a driver unit.
Further objects include compensation for load such as maintaining constant and/or even speed as well as providing independent control for roward/reverse speeds.
A further object of the invention resides in providing an electrical system for driving a driver unit which draws only 25% of electricity that other floor sanding drivers require.


A flexible drive cable assembly includes a flexible elongated outer sheath enclosing a flexible elongated inner drive shaft. The drive shaft is connected to a driving element, such as a motor at one end, and to a driven element, such as a transmission at the opposite end. The flexible outer sheath is connected to the housing of the driving element at one end, and to the housing of the driven element at the opposite end, such that the outer sheath is held stationary in the longitudinal direction with respect to the inner drive shaft and the two housings. The outer sheath is connected to the housing by an end fitting. The end fitting includes an elongated connector extending outwardly from the housing to an outer end. The connector has a longitudinally extending aperture for passage of a coupling end of the inner drive shaft for connection to the element disposed within the housing. The connector also includes at least one radially extending projection for engaging an inner surface of the outer sheath to hold the outer sheath stationary in the longitudinal direction with respect to the housing.

Flexible drive cable assemblies are commonly used in a variety of applications. One such application is for the transmission of rotary movements in an electric automobile seat adjustment mechanism. The present electric automotive seat adjustment mechanisms include a reversible rotary motor which is driven in response to activation of a switch by the vehicle occupant. The rotary movement of the reversible electric motor is transmitted through a flexible drive cable assembly to the seat adjustment mechanism which moves the various seat frame assembly members with respect to one another in response to the rotary movement transmitted through the flexible drive cable assembly.
The present flexible drive cable assemblies suffer from high failure rate during use, due to one end of the drive cable becoming unattached to the end fitting of the housing fixture for the transmission or the motor. In most instances, this disengagement is unintentional by the vehicle occupants and may go unnoticed until the next vehicle occupant actuation of the switch in an attempt to adjust the seat mechanism. Various activities can result in the unintended dislocation of the flexible drive cable from the end fitting of the housing fixture, such as storage of an article under the seat, or removal of a previously stored article, such as an umbrella, ice scraper, or other object. In such instances, the stored or retrieved article may push the flexible drive cable off from the end fitting, or may hook the flexible drive cable and pull the flexible drive cable off from the end fitting. In addition, dislocation of the flexible drive cable from the end fitting may also occur due to the placement of a foot of a rear seat vehicle occupant underneath the front seat in such a manner as to push, or hook the flexible drive cable and dislocate it with respect to the end fitting of the housing fixture.
In an attempt to overcome this disadvantage of the flexible drive cable assemblies, various manufacturers have adopted the use of extra parts, such as clips, rings or other retainers which may be installed during the assembly process to more positively lock and retain the flexible drive cable with respect to the end fitting of the housing fixture. Unfortunately, in many cases these additional parts, i.e., clips, rings or other retainers, are not installed, or not properly installed, during the installation process, which results in continued high failure rates during use.
Therefore, the present invention seeks to overcome the perceived problems and disadvantages of the present flexible drive cable assemblies. The present invention seeks to provide a low cost, positive attachment of the flexible shaft and cover to an end fitting, which may be integrally formed with the motor or transmission housing, or may be connected to the motor or transmission housing. The present invention also seeks to provide an easy to assemble device which does not require extra parts, such as clips, rings or retainers. In addition, the present invention seeks to provide an assembly that requires a high pull-off effort to disassemble.


A signal reading circuit has amplifiers for respectively receiving a plurality of signals. The circuit reads out the outputs of the amplifiers to a signal line through resistor elements, wherein each resistor element is a resistance when a switching device is conductive.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a signal read out circuit to read out a plurality of signals to a signal line.
The invention also relates to a photoelectric converting apparatus and, more particularly, to a photoelectric converting apparatus formed on a semiconductor substrate.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 6A is a circuit diagram showing an example of a conventional signal read-out; and circuit.
In the diagram, after a plurality of signals S.sub.1 to S.sub.n are accumulated in capacitors C.sub.1 to C.sub.n having a capacitance C.sub.t, they are sequentially read out to a signal line 401 through switching transistors Q.sub.1 to Q.sub.n and output from an amplifier 403. The switching transistors Q.sub.1 to Q.sub.n are turned on or off by scan pulses .0..sub.h1 to .0..sub.h2 which are output from a scan circuit 402.
However, the conventional circuit has the following problems.
(1) Since the signal line 401 has a stray capacitance C.sub.h, when the signals are transferred from the capacitance C.sub.t of the capacitors C.sub.1 to C.sub.n to the capacitance C, the signal level of the signal line 401 is decreased by capacitance division to a value which is C.sub.t /(C.sub.t +C.sub.h) times as low as the level when the signals were accumulated in the capacitors.
In particular, in the case of a high density sensor or the like which has a large number n of signals, the capacitance C.sub.h of the signal line 401 increases, so that the output remarkably decreases.
(2) As a method of preventing the decrease in output, it may be considered to enlarge the capacitance C.sub.t, but this results in an increase in load capacitance of the sensor where signals S.sub.1 to S.sub.n are the outputs of the sensor. There then occurs a new problem such that the speed of transfer of a sensor signal S to the capacitors decreases and a high speed operation cannot be performed.
On the other hand, in the conventional photoelectric converting apparatuses using such a reading circuit, there is also a photoelectric converting apparatus in which the signals generated and accumulated in the photoelectric converting areas are transferred to a first capacitive area such as a vertical line or the like provided separately from the photoelectric converting areas. Then the signals accumulated in the first capacitive area are transferred to a second capacitive area such as a horizontal output line or the like, and the signals accumulated in the second capacitance area are output. An example of such a conventional photoelectric converting apparatus will be explained with reference to FIG. 6B.
FIG. 6B is a circuit diagram of a photoelectric converting apparatus in which fundamental photosensor cells 30 are two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix form of 3.times.3.
In FIG. 6B, reference numeral 30 denotes the fundamental photosensor cells which are constituted in the following manner. The carriers generated in the PN junction portion of a bipolar transistor by light excitation are accumulated in a base region. An output line connected to an emitter region is set in the floating state. By applying positive pulses to the base through a capacitor connected thereto, the carriers accumulated in the base region are read out so as not to be destroyed. The output line connected to the emitter region is, for example, grounded. By applying positive pulses to the base through the capacitor, the carriers accumulated in the base region are erased. The photoelectric converting apparatus in FIG. 6B will now be described with reference to the diagram. The conventional photoelectric converting apparatus in FIG. 6B comprises horizontal lines 31, 31', and 31" to apply readout pulses and refreshing pulses; a vertical shift register 32 to generate the readout pulses and refreshing pulses; a terminal 34 to apply gate pulses to buffer MOS transistors 33, 33', and 33" which are arranged among the vertical shift register 32 and the horizontal lines 31, 31', and 31"; vertical lines 38, 38', and 38" to read out the accumulated voltages from the fundamental photosensor cells 30; a horizontal shift register 39 to generate pulses to select each vertical line; MOS transistors 40, 40', and 40" for gates to open or close each vertical line; a horizontal output line 41 to read out the accumulated voltages to an amplifying section; a MOS transistor 42 to refresh the charges accumulated and held in the output line 41 after they were read out; a terminal 43 to apply the refreshing pulse to the MOS transistor 42; a transistor 44 such as bipolar transistor, MOS-FET, J-FET, or the like to amplify the output signal; a load resistor 45; a terminal 46 to connect the transistor with a power source; an output terminal 47 of the transistor; MOS transistors 48, 48', and 48" to refresh the charges accumulated in the vertical lines 38, 38', and 38" in the reading operation; and a terminal 49 to apply pulses to gates of the MOS transistors 48, 48', and 48". In such a photoelectric converting apparatus, a pulse is first applied to the terminal 49, thereby turning on the MOS transistors 48, 48', and 48". The vertical lines 38, 38', and 38" are previously grounded and cleared. Next, the MOS transistors 48, 48', and 48" are turned off. Pulses are applied through the MOS transistors 33, 33', and 33" to the horizontal lines 31, 31', and 31" selected by the vertical shift register 32. The signals of the photosensor cells 30 are read out to the vertical lines 38, 38', and 38" in the floating state. The vertical lines 38, 38', and 38" have a peculiar capacitive component. The signals corresponding to the signals of the photosensor cells are held in the capacitance of the vertical lines by the reading operations. Next, the MOS transistors 40, 40' and 40" are then sequentially selected by the horizontal shift register 39. The signals held in the peculiar capacitance of the vertical lines 38, 38', and 38" are applied through the horizontal line 41 to a control electrode of the transistor 44. The signals corresponding to the outputs of the photosensor cells 30 are sequentially output from the terminal 47.
On the other hand, when the pulses are being applied through the capacitors connected to the bases of the photosensor cells 30 after that, if the pulses are applied to the terminal 49 and the vertical lines 38, 38', and 38" are grounded, the carriers accumulated in the base regions can be erased.
Even in the foregoing conventional photoelectric converting apparatus, when the signals held in the peculiar capacitance of the vertical lines 38, 38', and 38" are sequentially applied through the horizontal line 41 to the control electrode of the transistor 44, the level of the signal which is applied to the transistor 44 is determined by the ratio of the peculiar capacitance of the horizontal line 41 and the peculiar capacitance of the vertical lines 38, 38', and 38" which are accessed by the horizontal register 39. Thus, this signal level decreases in dependence on the dividing ratio of the capacitance.
Such a reduction in signal level still becomes typical with an increase in the number of horizontal pixels. This is because the capacitance of the horizontal line 41 substantially increases in proportion to the number of MOS transistors 40, 40', 40", . . . for gating.
Therefore, to avoid the reduction in signal level, it is necessary to further increase the capacitance of the vertical lines or to use a multi-output line system in which the horizontal line is divided and the signals are read out.
However, there are drawbacks and problems such that the former method causes an increase in chip area and the latter method causes an increase in the number of output terminals, i.e., number of pins.
On the other hand, as another method, there may be considered an idea such that by inserting an amplifier between the vertical line and the horizontal line, the reduction in signal level is prevented. However, this method has a drawback such that since a constitution of the amplifying section is complicated, the chip area increases and a constitution of the horizontal shift register section becomes further complicated

Signal read-out circuit which lowers diffusion capacitance by limiting emitting current with resistive elements

all c/o Canon Kabushiki Kaisha: 30-2, 3-chome


A ceramic honeycomb structural body, and method for preparing the same, which can satisfactorily support a catalyst and can demonstrate superior mechanical strength, even if far thinner walls are used. The structural body comprises lattice walls formed by a large number of cells which are channels for a fluid and a peripheral wall which covers at least the circumference of the lattice walls. The outer peripheral portion of the lattice walls located in the vicinity of the peripheral wall (area B) contains a densified portion of smaller porosity than that of an inner peripheral portion, of the lattice walls, which is located inside the outer peripheral portion (area A).

1. Fields of the Invention
This invention relates to a ceramic honeycomb structural body to be used for, e.g., a catalyst support for purifying exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine, or a filter for purifying water, etc., and to methods of preparing the same.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, with the appearance of stricter emission regulations regarding automobile engines, it has been required to activate a catalyst for purifying exhaust gases early in order to reduce hydrocarbon emission just after starting the engines. To lower the thermal capacity of the ceramic honeycomb structural body having catalyst components is one of means used to provide such early activation of the catalyst. It is required to reduce the thickness of cell walls of said ceramic honeycomb structural body when such means are used. However, the mechanical strength of said structural body decreases with a decrease in the thickness of the cell walls of said structural body.
With respect to means for improvement of the mechanical strength of the honeycomb structural body, it has been proposed, as described in Japanese Publication No. 62-6855, to fill pores in walls, in the neighborhood of an outer peripheral wall among the outer peripheral wall and lattice walls consisting of channel cells, with reinforcing materials of a lower porosity.
However, the honeycomb structural body reinforced by the above-mentioned method has a problem with lower durability. Specifically, when a ceramic honeycomb structural body is located, as a catalyst support for a catalyst for purifying exhaust gases, in the exhaust pipe of engine, said body is exposed repeatedly to thermal changes from a low temperature to a high temperature. Therefore, when it is used, it sometimes suffers delamination between the lattice walls and the reinforcing materials, or a thermal shock fracture due to the thermal history. Furthermore, said delamination and fracture may arise during the cooling process after the firing process for manufacturing said body. It is supposed that such in conveniences result from the difference, in thermal expansion coefficients, between said lattice walls and said reinforcing materials, and the discontinuity between reinforced and non-reinforced areas.
In addition, as mentioned above, when pores are filled with reinforcing materials, the disappearance of pores open to the surface leads to a decrease in the surface area of said body. Therefore, the amount of a supported catalyst or the amount of a supported carrier having large surface area, which is a medium for applying a catalyst to said body, decreases, and then it is difficult to satisfactorily achieve catalytic performance. Further, when pores are filled with reinforcing materials, alkali metals or alkaline earth metals, such as K, Na, Ca etc., are added as a flux component so as to improve the bondability with a matrix. However, these materials cause an increase in the thermal expansion coefficient, and then when thermal changes are repeated, the use of the reinforcing materials is apt to result in heat shock fracture or delamination.
In light of the foregoing circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a ceramic honeycomb structural body, and methods of preparing the same, which can satisfactorily support a catalyst and can demonstrate superior mechanical strength, even if far thinner walls are used.
The above object is achieved according to a first embodiment of the present invention by providing a ceramic honeycomb structural body, comprising: lattice walls formed by a large number of cells which are channels for a fluid; and a peripheral wall which covers the circumference of said lattice walls, an outer peripheral portion of said lattice walls at least located in the vicinity of said peripheral wall containing a denser portion of a lower porosity than that of an inner peripheral portion of said lattice walls which are located inside said outer peripheral portion.
Other and further object, features and advantages of the present invention will appear more fully from the following description.

Ceramic honeycomb structural body and methods of preparing the same


A system for producing potable water and electrical power utilizing the difference in temperature between ambient air and deep, cold ocean water is disclosed. Cold water from depths of 2000 feet (610 meters) or more is pumped to a liquid/gas heat exchanger in the upper portion of a hollow cylinder. Ambient air currents are concentrated and diverted into the exchanger, becoming cooler and denser. Moisture condensing from the ambient air onto the cool surface of the heat exchanger is collected and channeled to storage or piped to shore. The air gains velocity before reaching a wind turbine near the bottom of the cylinder. This turbine is connected to a generator to extract the wind energy. This extracted energy is converted to electricity by the generator and sent to shore.

Field of the Invention
When we speak of alternative energy, we are often talking about huge wind turbines; a conventional alternative energy. The present invention relates to an alternative to conventional fossil fuel and nuclear as well as an alternative to what is viewed as one of the conventional alternative means of producing power—a typical wind turbine. The invention will produce fresh water and electricity from the combination of ambient wind and the temperature difference between ambient air and deep ocean water.
One of the largest storehouses of energy lies quietly at the bottom of the ocean. It is not oil, and it is not methane hydrate. It is cold water. Specifically, it is deep ocean water from the upper levels of the Midnight Zone at 3,300 to 13,200 feet deep (1000 to 4000 meters). Approximately 90% of the ocean by volume is deep ocean water. This water is at a temperature of 32° to 37° F. (0° to 3° C.). More correctly, it might be called a storehouse of a relative lack of energy because it is only the combination with a more energetic (warmer) mass that results in an extractable form of energy. That more energetic mass would, of course, be the warm upper regions of the Twilight Zone and the Sunlight Zone of the ocean and the tropospheric layer of the atmosphere.
Although this is the coldest water, anything 2,500 feet (762 meters) and deeper in the ocean is about 46° F. (8° C.), which is usable for applications involving the herein described invention. More than 90% of the oceans are greater than 2,500 feet (762 meters). I will hereafter refer to this as cold ocean water to differentiate it from the established term deep ocean water, or DOW.
The best place to exploit this temperature differential is the Tropics where the temperatures near and above the surface of the water are mild to hot year around. Fortunately, approximately 40% of the world's surface lies in the Tropics and it includes a lot of DOW and cold ocean water. While a tropical climate is the most efficient location for extracting water and power, an appreciable percentage of the North and South temperate zones have sufficiently warm weather to make this practical. For the United States that would include the coastline and offshore of states along the Gulf of Mexico, the eastern coast of Florida and the southern coast of California.
Fossil fuel has dual liabilities. First, it is a finite resource with increasingly high production costs and, secondly, contributes to a rising build-up of CO2 in the atmosphere. Nuclear has another set of problems involving long-term waste storage and hard-to-calculate catastrophe risks. At our current level of civilization, deep ocean water represents a relatively infinite supply of energy that can be exploited without adding greenhouse gasses or waste heat or radiation to the atmosphere.
Notwithstanding all the talk of peak oil, an even more pressing issue for the future growth of mankind is water. Peak water may have already occurred. The major constriction for increasing food supply for a burgeoning population is water, not land. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, nearly 5 billion people, about half of global grain production, and 45% of the GPD ($63 trillion dollars) will be at risk due to lack of water with current consumption practices. Eighteen countries are now over-pumping their aquifers. This includes the big-three grain producers—China, India and the U.S.—and several populous countries such as Iran, Pakistan and Mexico. For 20 years Saudi Arabia was self-sufficient in growing wheat. They have nearly exhausted their aquifers and will quit growing wheat in the year 2016. Water shortages in California and Brazil are affecting the lives of millions of people and could affect food prices worldwide if drought conditions continue through 2015 and beyond.
We have energy alternatives to oil, but there are, as yet, no viable equivalent alternatives for water. As a byproduct of producing electricity, deep ocean water and cold ocean water can be used to supply a large amount of fresh water to a world more and more in need of it.
Description of the Related Art
The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant.
U.S. PatentsKindPat. No.CodeIssue DatePatentee7,748,946B2Jul. 6, 2010Rongbo Wan8,117,843B2Feb. 21, 2012Robert JamesHoward, et al20140138236A1May 22, 2014Keith White8,277,614B2Oct. 2, 2012Majed MohalAlhazmy
Conventional wind turbines are large; 130 to 300 feet (40 to 91 meters) in diameter. They are a prominent arrangement of blades, generator and gearbox sitting atop a relatively thin tower. A 2-megawatt Gamesa G87 weighs 334 tons US (303 tons metric). The nacelle alone weighs 72 tons US (65 tons metric). The blades are 42 tons US (38 metric tons) and the tower is 220 tons US (200 tons metric). The base adds another 1000 tons US (907 tons metric) of steel and concrete. It needs a footprint of over 100 acres (405,000 square meters). Transportation of the parts require extensive infrastructure. Roads have to be strong, wide and straight. The power they generate fluctuates with the wind and adds to the complexity of keeping a steady amount of power fed to the electrical grid. Base power plants running on fossil fuels are reduced in efficiency when required to ramp up and down with the vagaries of the wind. They can be seen for miles in all directions. The sound that wind turbines produces has been linked to migraine-like symptoms in humans living nearby as well as panic attacks, insomnia, tachycardia, and tinnitus. The flickering shadow the blades cast during the day has now been tied to depression. They kill an estimated 900,000 bats and 600,000 birds a year (2012) in the U.S. alone. There are many patents concerning wind turbines, with quite a few in public domain. Much of the current intellectual property concerning wind turbines deals with problems surrounding their operation. An example of this is U.S. Pat. No. 7,748,946 (2010), Rongbo Wan, dealing with the overheating of rotating parts in the nacelle.
Ocean thermal energy conversion, OTEC, uses closed or open type systems and low-pressure turbines to exploit the temperature gradient. Basically, the temperature differential is used to alternately vaporize fluids, run the vapor through a turbine and condense the vapor back into a liquid. These fluids have to have a low temperature of vaporization. These are complex mechanical systems with many components that add to the possibility of leakage of working fluids such as ammonia or refrigerant fluids into the environment. One such patent is U.S. Pat. No. 8,117,843 (2012), Robert James Howard et al, which involves the establishment of a cold thermal mass at deep ocean water depths and raising it up to be coupled to a warm water mass at the surface. This mass could be clathrates or ammonia, either of which could harm the environment if allowed to leak into the atmosphere.
An atmospheric water generator, AWG, extracts water from humid ambient air. Typically compressors and fans are used, making the extraction of water from the air a process that can be energy intensive. U.S. patent 20140138236 (2014), Keith White, describes an atmospheric water generator that could also produce electricity while harvesting water from a heat exchanger coil, but it involves environmentally challenging refrigerants and uses conventional means to cool the refrigerant back down. That would mean either a source of cold water or a conventional refrigeration unit.
Desalination plants typically use 15,000 kilowatt hours per one million gallons of fresh water produced. The water ends up costing about $2.5-4 dollars per 1,000 gallons (3800 L) depending on the price of electricity. U.S. Pat. No. 8,277,614 (2012), Majed Moalla Alhazmy, describes a plant that uses multiple flash chambers and counter-flow of heating and cooling mediums to increase the efficiency; however, the energy required to heat water to the point that it or a portion of it will become vapor requires some externally applied heat. Energy is also needed for pumps to move the heated and cooling liquid through flash chambers and heat exchangers.

System for producing fresh water and electricity using cold ocean water in combination with wind power


An electromechanical variable valve actuator for selectively opening and closing an intake or exhaust valve in an internal combustion engine having a valve closure member and a valve seat which employs Lorentz forces by using a current carrying conductive armature coil which is connected to the valve closure member and placed in a fixed air gap and movable in a direction perpendicular to a magnetic field generated by a magnetic field generator and directed across the air gap. The electromagnetic vector force, know as the Lorentz force, exerted on the armature coil results from the cross product of the current and the magnetic field.

Heretofore, it has been common practice to use poppet-type intake and exhaust valves for the cylinders of conventional internal combustion engines to control the passage or flow of gases into and out of the cylinders. These valves are usually spring loaded toward a valve-closed position and are biased open either by a cam and push rod mechanism or by a direct-acting overhead cam mechanism. In either mechanism, the cam shaft is connected to and rotates in synchronization with the engine crankshaft to facilitate the opening and closing of each valve at timed intervals in the engine cycle. Since the valves are linked to the crankshaft, the lift distance is fixed and the lift rate or speed of the closure member of each valve is dependent on and proportional to the engine or crankshaft speed. This restriction, which is well known in the industry, limits engine performance relating to fuel consumption, emissions, torque or output, and idle quality. The overall durability of the engine is also affected because the seating velocity of the valve is dependent on the engine speed.
To eliminate these deficiencies in engine performance and durability, variable valve actuation has been developed to vary the lift distance, lift speed, and seating velocity of the intake and exhaust valve closure members. Variable valve actuation generally enables adjustment of the valve motion profile to meet the ever-changing conditions and demands placed on the engine. Numerous types of variable valve actuator systems have been proposed, some of which are set forth in the 1989 article entitled A Review and Classification of Variable Valve Timing Mechanisms by Thomas Dresner and Philip Barkan (Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc. Paper 890674). It is clear from this article and the prior art that tremendous advantages can be obtained by substituting an independent variable valve actuating system for the conventional cam actuated intake and exhaust valve systems.
These advantages generally include conserving fuel, protecting the environment, and increasing engine output and durability. For instance, it is generally agreed that electromechanical variable valve actuation will increase overall valve train efficiency by eliminating the frictional losses of the cam mechanism, the weight of the cam mechanism, and the cam mechanism's consumption or drain of power from the crankshaft. A further advantage of the variable valve actuating system is that the seating velocity of the valve closure member could be reduced to lessen wear on both the valve seat and valve head, thereby increasing the overall life of the valve and the engine. Another benefit of variable valve actuation is the possibility of creating a variable-cycle engine wherein certain valves would remain closed at certain engine speeds to allow the engine to operate as a two-cycle engine at those speeds. Yet another benefit of a variable valve actuating system is that the valve profile could vary to control engine load without use of the throttle, thereby decreasing pumping losses. Variable valve actuation may also enable the engine to be a multi-fuel engine. These advantages increase the engine's efficiency and output while lowering the amount of pollutants emitted.
As explained in the article cited above, different types of variable valve actuator systems have been designed to solve these problems, including substantial work directed toward the use of solenoids and toward the use of magnetic attraction/repulsion principles for opening and closing intake and exhaust valves. These type of systems are exemplified by the following patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,853,102; 3,882,833; 4,762,095; 4,794,890; 4,829,947; 4,831,973; 4,841,923; 4,846,120; 4,942,851; 4,984,541; 5,009,202; 5,009,389; 5,070,826; 5,076,221; and 5,197,428.
While solenoid and magnetic attraction/repulsion valve actuator systems solve some of the problems associated with cam actuated valve systems, a host of additional problems arise in such valve actuator systems. These additional problems have prevented the widespread acceptance and use of these types of variable valve actuators in production internal combustion engines even though it is widely agreed that variable valve actuating systems will dramatically increase engine performance, efficiency, and durability while decreasing pollution.
The solenoid and magnetic attraction/repulsion actuating devices generally employ an iron or ferromagnetic armature which limits the performance of the actuator because it requires a variable air gap to generate force. As the air gap becomes larger-when the distance between the moving and stationary magnets or electromagnets increases, there is a reduction in the force applied to the armature. To maintain high forces on the armature as the size of the air gap increases, a higher current is employed in the coils of such devices. This increased current leads to higher energy losses in the system and the possibility of overheating of the coils. The non-constant force profile also makes the precise control of the valve more complex, requiring additional control mechanisms to control the valve closure member's lift distance and lift speed. The result of this is that most current designs have high seating velocities and do not vary the valve lift.
Another problem relating to variable valve actuating devices presently known is that efficiency is hampered by hysteresis losses. Hysteresis losses are caused by the termination or reversal of a magnetic field in iron. These losses are associated with the solenoid actuators of the prior art.
Accordingly, while it is generally agreed that variable valve actuator systems will greatly increase internal combustion engine efficiency, durability, and output, no efficient and inexpensive electromechanical valve actuating system has been generally acceptable for widespread use in production internal combustion engines.

Electromechanical variable valve actuator


A device for drafting parallel lines by positioning a pair of pencils or pens between clamping portions of spring biased arms. The arms are joined at one end, the other ends snapping together to retain the pencils in the device.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to drafting instruments, and more particularly to drafting instruments of the type used in making parallel lines.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Draftsmen and artists frequently draw parallel lines in bracketing titles and separating notes from drawings. The normal method for drawing parallel lines utilizes a template having spaced perforations adapted to receive the point of a pencil or pen. A draftsman inserts a pencil into one of the perforations of the template and slides the pencil along a `T` square or other straight edge for the required distance. The process is then repeated by inserting the pencil into an adjacent perforation and moving the template the same distance. It is readily seen that this procedure requires two separate steps in order to draw a pair of parallel lines.
There are instruments that utilize a pair of leads or inking devices within a single drawing instrument. This type of instrument is often derived from a compass, utilizing a second lead in place of the pivot point portion of a conventional compass. Apparatus of this type are therefore relatively expensive.

Spring loaded clamping device for drafting parallel lines


A communication control apparatus connected to a content-oriented network includes a transmitter, a receiver, a memory, and a processor. The transmitter transmits an interest packet requesting a plurality of pieces of content. The receiver receives a first data packet including (i) a first piece of content, which is one of the pieces of content, and (ii) first PIT information representing a name of a second piece of content, which is another of the pieces of content and which has not been transmitted from a transmission source. The memory stores a transmission PIT in which names of the pieces of content are registered. The processor registers, in response to transmission of the interest packet, the names of the pieces of content registered in the transmission PIT, and deletes, in response to reception of the first data packet, a name of the first piece of content from the transmission PIT.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a communication control apparatus connected to a content-oriented network and a communication control method. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to a technique for detecting packet loss.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, content-oriented networking represented by content centric networking (CCN) has been suggested to be next-generation networking that will replace Internet protocol (IP) based networking. For example, Alexander Afanasyev and other 22 authors, "NFD Developer's Guide" online, NDN, Technical Report NDN-0021, searched on Jul. 7, 2015 on the Internet <URL: http://named-data.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/NFD-developer-guide.pdf> discloses a technique for distributing content by using CCN.
The characteristic of communication using content-oriented networking is that identification information about content (for example, the name of content), not identification information about an apparatus storing the content (for example, an IP address), is used to obtain the content. In communication using typical CCN, a receiver-side apparatus (client) transmits an interest packet about content without designating a destination apparatus and receives a data packet of the content corresponding to the transmitted interest packet from any one of apparatuses on the CCN.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2014-534495 discloses a method for detecting the occurrence of packet loss in CCN. Specifically, each client measures a time period elapsed since transmission of an interest packet and determines that packet loss has occurred if no data packets are received by the time indicated by a predetermined threshold (timeout value).
United States Patent Application No. 2014-0237085 discloses a method in which a receiver of data packets of content checks sequence numbers of received data packets and determines that packet loss has occurred if discontinuation of the sequence numbers is detected.

Communication control apparatus and communication control method

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA


A thermal blanket of the Augustine type includes an inflatable covering with a head end, a foot end, two edges and an undersurface. The covering is inflated through an inlet by a thermally-controlled inflating medium. An aperture array on the undersurface of the covering exhausts the thermally controlled inflating medium from the covering. Exhaust port openings are provided at the edges of the covering to vent the inflating medium, which enhances circulation of the thermally-controlled medium through the cover toward the periphery of the thermal blanket. A pair of uninflatable drape sections are provided at the head end for covering the chest area and enabling viewing thereof. When inflated, the thermal blanket self-erects and provides a bath of thermally-controlled inflating medium to the interior of the erected structure. When the structure covers a patient, the uninflatable transparent section at the head end provides a relatively unobstructed view of the sides of the patient's chest and upper torso.

This invention relates to thermal blankets used in a medical setting to deliver a bath of a thermally-controlled medium to a patient.
The thermal blanket prior art is best expressed in prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,188 entitled "AIRFLOW COVER FOR CONTROLLING BODY TEMPERATURE", which is assigned to the assignee of this application. In this prior patent, a self-erecting, inflatable airflow cover (the "Augustine" airflow cover) is inflated by the introduction into the Augustine cover of a thermally-controlled inflating medium, such as warmed air. When inflated, the Augustine cover self-erects about a patient, thereby creating an ambient environment about the patient, the thermal characteristics of which are determined by the temperature of the inflating medium. Holes on the underside of the Augustine airflow cover exhaust the thermally-controlled, inflating medium from inside the cover to the interior of the erected structure. This airflow cover is intended for the treatment of hypothermia, as might occur postoperatively.
Evaluation of the Augustine airflow cover by skilled practitioners has resulted in general approbation: the opinion is that the cover efficiently and effectively accomplishes its purpose of giving a thermally-controlled bath. It has been realized, however, that, while the Augustine airflow cover achieves its objective, certain improvements to it are necessary in order to realize additional clinical objectives and to enjoy further advantages in its use.
The clinical usefulness of the Augustine airflow cover has been improved by numerous developments, as set forth in the aforementioned related applications. These include controlling the contour of the inflatable portion of the cover at its head end to define a generally concave non-inflatable portion that permits a care giver to more easily observe a patent's head, face, neck and chest. Further, venting of the thermally controlled inflating medium from the edges of the cover results in more efficient, more uniform heating within and under the cover. Modification has been made of the foot end of the cover to define a non-inflatable but erectable drape section which retains heat from the inflating medium to warm the patient's feet and insulate the bare skin of the feet from excessive heat from the inlet hose.
These improvements have resulted in an improved thermal blanket (the "Augustine" thermal blanket) in which a self-erecting inflatable covering has a head end, a foot end, two edges, and an undersurface. An inflating inlet adjacent the foot end admits a thermally-controlled inflating medium into the covering. An aperture array on the undersurface of the covering exhausts the thermally-controlled inflating medium from the covering into the structure created when the covering self-erects upon inflation. The improvements to this basic structural complement include an uninflatable section at the head end of the covering, exhaust port openings at the edges of the covering, an absorbent bib attached to the covering at the head end adjacent the uninflatable section, an uninflatable erectable drape section at the foot end of the covering, and structural features that make the covering simple and economical to produce.
With these improvements, the Augustine thermal blanket, when inflated and erected over a patient, delivers the thermally-controlled inflating medium into the interior of the structure covering the patient, thereby thermally bathing the patient. The first improvement permits full viewing of the head and face of the patient from almost any aspect around the thermal blanket. The exhaust port openings increase the rate of circulation of the inflating medium within the blanket, thereby increasing the temperature within the structure, and making the temperature distribution more uniform. The absorbent bib soaks up and retains liquids which might otherwise spread over the blanket in the area of a patient's head. Such liquids can include the patient's own perspiration, blood, vomit, saliva, or liquids which are administered to the patient. The non-inflatable erectable drape section at the foot end of the covering retains heat around the patient's feet and insulates the bare skin of the feet.
We have observed that there is a need in many instances for a thermal blanket that enables viewing the side areas of the upper torso or chest while the blanket is in place.

Thermal blanket with transparent upper body drape


There is disclosed a device for individually launching a plurality of projectiles. The device comprises a base having a launching mechanism housed therein, a feeder for transporting a projectile to the launching mechanism, and a receptacle attached to the base and operatively connected to the feeder, wherein the receptacle holds the projectiles until they are fed into the feeder.

Pets have a lot of energy and need exercise to dissipate some of that energy and to stay fit. Pets usually get their exercise through playing fun games; chasing after, catching and retrieving some sort of projectile--usually a ball--is a particularly popular game which keeps a pet amused. Often, this game is played with or under the supervision of an adult; the adult throws the ball and the pet chases after the ball, sometimes catches it, and returns it to the adult to be thrown again. Unfortunately, though, a willing adult is not always present when the pet wants to play. What, then, is the poor pet to do? One possible solution for helping the pet is to provide them with a machine that automatically launches the ball, and to which they can return the ball to be launched again.
Unfortunately, there are very few machines which launch projectiles and can be used by a pet. Machines do exist for launching projectiles for recreational purposes; examples include tennis ball throwers used for tennis lessons, and baseball and softball throwers used in batting cages. But these machines have are unsuitable for use by pets. Existing machines are usually large, heavy contraptions which either cannot not be moved (often the case with baseball/softball machines) or must be put on a heavy base with wheels before it can be moved (often the case with tennis ball throwers). Thus, these machines are not portable and cannot easily be taken to yards, parks or other areas where children might play. Existing machines are also expensive and complex, making them impractical to buy for a pet, and rendering them too complex to be operated by a child and completely inoperable by a pet. These machines require some knowledge to properly select the machine's location and choose the correct operational settings (such as ball speed, and interval between ball launches). Moreover, they require some size and dexterity for operation; for example, the balls must usually be loaded into a large receptacle that would be out of reach for a pet, and which may be covered and locked for safety reasons, requiring some dexterity for opening. Finally, existing machines can pose a safety hazard, because they launch balls at high speeds that could injure pets.
Since existing projectile-launching machines are unsuitable for use by pets, there is a need for a projectile-launching machine which is portable and easily used by a pet, or for other similar purposes.

Portable projectile launcher for pet amusement


An orthopedic brace for supporting a joint has a plurality of compliant support components, including a hinged shell of stiffened elastic material and at least one supple support strap engaging the brace at two points on opposite sides of the hinge to stabilize the weakened joint throughout its range of motion, The shell has a pair of cuffs adapted to engage the body adjacent to the joint and connected to one another across a rotatable hinge by arms integrally extending from the cuffs, The support strap is adjustable in length enabling the user to modify the support strap tension, and consequently the degree of support the brace provides to the joint.

Orthopedic braces are commonly employed on the body of a user to stabilize a skeletal joint that has been weakened by injury or other infirmity. Such braces are made up of a number of rigid support components that are dynamically linked together by one or more hinges to support the joint during user activity. The brace is positioned on the body such that the hinges traverse the joint being stabilized, while the rigid components are secured to the body at a plurality of contact points above and below the joint. Typical hinged orthopedic brace constructions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,633,867; 4,697,583; and 5,063,916.
The utility of conventional hinged orthopedic braces is, however, diminished by a number of drawbacks. The rigid components of conventional braces are bulky and noncompliant, often rendering them uncomfortable for the everyday user and difficult to initially size and fit. Conventional braces pose additional problems for athletic users. Specifically, certain athletic competitions, such as soccer and rugby, have rules barring the use of braces with rigid protruding components because the components create a risk of injury to other players from contact therewith. Conventional braces can also be disadvantageous to the athletic user because the braces have an irregular surface which reduces the desired ability of the user to control balls or other objects impacting the surface and rebounding therefrom during athletic competitions.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an orthopedic brace that overcomes the above-described drawbacks. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hinged orthopedic brace that provides the user with a high degree of comfort while wearing the brace. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a hinged orthopedic brace having compact components for ease of sizing and fitting. It is further an object of the present invention to provide a hinged orthopedic brace having only compliant support components, i.e., a hinged orthopedic brace that is substantially free of any rigid support components, yet which provides for control and stability of the desired joint. It is another object of the present invention to provide a hinged orthopedic brace that may be used in athletic competitions having rules barring braces with rigid support components. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a hinged orthopedic brace having a relatively even, flush surface that reduces the risk of injuries to others coming in contact therewith and that permits greater control of balls or other objects rebounding therefrom during athletic competitions.

Hinged orthopedic brace having compliant support components


A rail bridge rescue frame comprises three elongated legs having upper and lower ends. The upper ends are secured to a head assembly so as to universally pivot with respect thereto. Two of the legs are forward legs of shorter and similar length and the third is a rear leg of longer length. Means are secured to the lower end of each of the forward legs to bear against a side portion of a rail. Means are attached to the lower end of the rear leg to secure to a portion of a rail. The frame is constructed so that when the rear leg is secured to one rail of a railway and the lower ends of the forward legs are bearing against outer portions of an adjacent rail thereof, the head assembly will be positioned clear of the railway to one side to provide support for a line to lift a person or the like below the railway up to the level of the railway.

Until recent years, bridge deck workers, along railways or the like, have not been required to use fall protection equipment.
Rescue of workers from a railway bridge has recently become a significant issue in view of movement to provide a higher degree of worker safety. In the past, A-frame type structures (bi-pods) have typically been used in cliff rescue to redirect a rope over an edge to reduce edge friction on that rope. These setups were often even improvised at the site.
More recently, as illustrated for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,430 of Roby et al. and co-pending application Ser. No. 08/246,484 filed May 19 1994, fall protection anchors have been developed which secure to a rail of a railway. Such anchors are typically installed away from the bridge deck surface, because it is necessary to provide clearance or an envelope of safety for passing traffic.
Other references of general background interest relating to apparatus for moving or retrieving persons using a hoist arrangement include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,589, 523 of Olson et al. issued May 20, 1986 and 5,147,013 of Olson et al. issued Sep. 13, 1992, and Canadian Patent Application No. 2,093,958 of Bell published Oct. 21, 1993.
If a worker, tethered to a rail fall protection anchor, falls off of the bridge so that that worker is suspended below the bridge deck, it becomes extremely desirable to provide a rescue system which will permit unobstructed hoisting of that worker, from a position beyond the end of the railway ties of the bridge. It is a primary object of the present invention to accomplish this task.

Rail attachable rescue frame for rail bridges


An apparatus and method for delivering electrical shock therapy in order to treat atrial tachyarrhythmias such as fibrillation utilizes a dynamically varying threshold to detect R-waves and synchronously deliver a defibrillation shock.

This invention pertains to methods for treating atrial tachyarrhythmias. In particular, the invention relates to an apparatus and method for delivering shock therapy to terminate atrial fibrillation.
Tachyarrhythmias are abnormal heart rhythms characterized by a rapid heart rate, typically expressed in units of beats per minute (bpm). They can occur in either chamber of the heart (i.e., ventricles or atria) or both. Examples of tachyarrhythmias include sinus tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation (VF), atrial tachycardia, and atrial fibrillation (AF). Tachycardia is characterized by a rapid rate, either due to an ectopic excitatory focus or abnormal excitation by normal pacemaker tissue. Fibrillation occurs when the chamber depolarizes in a chaotic fashion with abnormal depolarization waveforms as reflected by an EKG.
Cardioversion (an electrical shock delivered to the heart synchronously with an intrinsic depolarization) and defibrillation (an electrical shock delivered without such synchronization) can be used to terminate most tachyarrhythmias by depolarizing excitable myocardium, which thereby prolongs refractoriness, interrupts reentrant circuits, and discharges excitatory foci. As used herein, the term defibrillation should be taken to mean an electrical shock delivered either synchronously or not in order to terminate a fibrillation. Implantable cardioverter/defibrillators (ICDs) provide this kind of therapy by delivering a shock pulse to the heart when fibrillation is detected by the device. An ICD is a computerized device containing a pulse generator that is usually implanted into the chest or abdominal wall. Electrodes connected by leads to the ICD are placed on the heart, or passed transvenously into the heart, to sense cardiac activity and to conduct the shock pulses from the pulse generator. ICDs can be designed to treat either atrial or ventricular tachyarrhythmias, or both, and may also incorporate cardiac pacing functionality.
The most dangerous tachyarrythmias are ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation, and ICDs have most commonly been applied in the treatment of those conditions. ICDs are also capable, however, of detecting atrial tachyarrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter, and delivering a shock pulse to the atria in order to terminate the arrhythmia. Although not immediately life-threatening, it is important to treat atrial fibrillation for several reasons. First, atrial fibrillation is associated with a loss of atrio-ventricular synchrony which can be hemodynamically compromising and cause such symptoms as dyspnea, fatigue, vertigo, and angina. Atrial fibrillation can also predispose to strokes resulting from emboli forming in the left atrium. Although drug therapy and/or in-hospital cardioversion are acceptable treatment modalities for atrial fibrillation, ICDs configured to treat atrial fibrillation offer a number of advantages to certain patients, including convenience and greater efficacy.
As aforesaid, an ICD terminates atrial fibrillation by delivering a shock pulse to electrodes disposed in or near the atria. The resulting depolarization also spreads to the ventricles, however, and there is a risk that such an atrial shock pulse can actually induce ventricular fibrillation, a condition much worse than atrial fibrillation. To lessen this risk, current ICDs delay delivering an atrial shock pulse until the intrinsic ventricular rhythm is below a specified maximum rate and then deliver the shock synchronously with a sensed ventricular depolarization (i.e., an R-wave). That is, an R-R interval, which is the time between a presently sensed R-wave and the preceding R-wave, is measured. If the R-R interval is above a specified minimum value, the interval is considered shockable and the atrial defibrillation shock pulse is delivered.
Currently available implantable cardiac rhythm management devices, including bradycardia and tachycardia pacemakers and cardiac defibrillators, have sense amplifier circuits for amplifying and filtering electrogram signals picked up by electrodes placed in or on the heart and which are coupled by suitable leads to the implantable cardiac rhythm management device. In some devices, the signals emanating from the sense amplifier are applied to one input of a comparator circuit whose other input is connected to a source of reference potential. Only when an electrogram signal from the sense amplifier exceeds the reference potential threshold will it be treated as a detected cardiac depolarization event such as an R-wave or a P-wave. The source reference potential may thus be referred to as a sensing threshold. Other devices implement the comparator function in software such that a digitized electrogram signal value is compared with a reference value in order to detect the depolarization event.
When a sensing threshold is set to a constant value, malsensing of cardiac depolarization events can occur due to a number of factors. First, cardiac depolarization events can have widely different peak amplitudes, depending on patient activity body position, drugs being used, etc. Lead movement and noise may further affect the detection of cardiac depolarization events. Noise sources may include environmental noise, such as 60 Hz power line noise, myopotentials from skeletal muscle, motion artifacts, baseline wander and T-waves. When noise levels in the electrocardiogram approach the sensing threshold, the likelihood of oversensing increases (i.e., false detection of depolarization events). If the sensing threshold is increased too high in an attempt to overcome the effects of noise, on the other hand, the likelihood of undersensing (i.e., failing to detect depolarization events) is increased. Methods have therefore been developed to automatically adjust the sensing thresholds of cardiac rhythm management devices in accordance with sensed activity. Such methods, however, present special problems with respect to R-wave detection in atrial defibrillators.
The present invention is a method and apparatus for delivering atrial defibrillation shocks synchronously with R-waves detected using a dynamic threshold with two sensitivities. In order to lessen the probability of inducing ventricular fibrillation, an atrial defibrillation shock is delivered in synchrony with an R-wave that occurs after a specified shockable time interval has elapsed as measured from the preceding R-wave. In accordance with the invention, ventricular electrograms are sensed through a ventricular sensing channel, and a ventricular depolarization event (R-wave) is detected when a sensed ventricular electrogram value exceeds a threshold that dynamically varies in accordance with measured peak amplitudes. In order to provide an R-wave detector with a desirable higher sensitivity within a short interval after an R-wave is detected and with a higher specificity after the shockable time interval has elapsed, two additional thresholds are employed to detect R-waves for purposes of delivering an atrial defibrillation shock. A low shock threshold with a low value relative to the dynamically varying threshold is employed for detection immediately after an R-wave is detected and thereafter until the shockable time interval elapses. After the shockable time interval has elapsed, a high shock threshold with a high value relative to the dynamically varying threshold is used to detect a subsequent R-wave.
In an exemplary embodiment, a dynamically varying threshold for R-wave detection is provided as a threshold function that is set to a specified percentage of the peak value of each detected R-wave and then decays to a base value (e.g., decreases exponentially or linearly). Upon detecting an episode of atrial fibrillation or other atrial tachyarrhythmia, an atrial defibrillation shock is delivered synchronously when the dynamically varying threshold detects an event, the interval from the last event detected by the low shock threshold to the event presently detected by the dynamically varying threshold or the low shock threshold is greater than the shockable time interval, and the high shock threshold also detects an event within a specified time interval from the event detected by the low shock threshold or the dynamically varying threshold. The low shock threshold and the high shock threshold may be specified as percentages of a specified minimum value for the dynamically varying threshold.

Apparatus and method for R-wave detection with dual dynamic sensitivities