An electron beam apparatus for irradiating a target with an electron beam includes a reference sample including at least one reference pattern which has a plurality of lattice structures arranged along the circumference of a circle in a evaluation surface of the reference sample; and an adjustment section for adjusting the electron beam by irradiating the evaluation surface with the electron beam on the basis of electrons generated from the reference sample.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electron beam apparatus and an electron beam adjusting method for adjusting an electron beam into a desired shape to be irradiated on a target.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electron beam apparatus using an electron beam is widely applied to manufacturing apparatuses such as an electron beam drawing apparatus in the semiconductor device manufacture, and a measuring apparatus such as an electron microscope, since a beam spot diameter can be adjusted to be extremely small. Also, development is now under progress to an application of the electron beam apparatus to a mastering apparatus for a large capacity disc such as a digital versatile disc (DVD), a hard disk drive for magnetic recording, and the like. The electron beam apparatuses are widely used in measuring apparatuses such as a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and evaluation apparatuses.
For example, in a mastering apparatus for manufacturing a master disc of the DVD disc and the like, the accuracy of widths of pits and grooves to be recorded (i.e., cut) is critical, so that the diameter of a recording beam must be precisely controlled for achieving a high accuracy. While an electron beam cylinder or column of the electron beam apparatus is designed to provide a predetermined beam diameter, a precise adjustment is required for an optical axis (electron beam axis) for achieving the design performance. For this reason, the beam diameter is typically measured before starting the recording and adjusted to fall within a predetermined range of values.
As described above, the beam diameter, aberration and focus must be accurately evaluated and adjusted for achieving a high accuracy in the electron beam apparatus. The beam diameter can be measured, for example, by observing a sample having a miniature structure using a SEM function of the electron beam apparatus, and estimating the beam diameter from the resolution of a SEM image of the sample. However, the measurement is problematic in reproducibility due to arbitrariness in adjustments of contrast and brightness of a SEM image display system. Therefore, though used in research applications, an application to manufacturing apparatuses and the like still includes problems.
The beam diameter may be measured by another method which uses an edge signal. More specifically, a beam is one-dimensionally scanned on a sample which has a vertical and smooth edge, and the beam diameter can be evaluated using a change in the intensity of a detection signal generated near the edge. While several methods are available for detecting means, the most successful one is a knife-edge method which uses a sample made of silicon or the like and having a hole extending therethrough or a cross wire and measures a change in the intensity of a current which reaches a lower part thereof. Specifically, a beam irradiated vertically to a knife edge (for example, a cross wire such as a tungsten wire) is scanned to measure the waveform of a current which reaches a lower part of the knife edge. The beam diameter is calculated from a rising time of a step-shaped signal waveform, and a scanning speed. Actually, however, this method suffers from an insufficient S/N (signal/noise) ratio of the detection signal which largely fluctuates due to noise. For a more accurate measurement, the waveform of the current must be measured a plurality of times for averaging, however, a long time is required for achieving an accurate measurement.
The foregoing method uses a sample having edges orthogonal to each other (along an x-axis and a y-axis, respectively), scans a beam vertically to the edge in the y-direction to evaluate the beam diameter in the x-direction, and similarly scans the beam vertically to the edge in the x-direction to evaluate the beam diameter in the y-direction.
However, in the evaluation of the beam diameter in the orthogonal directions, aberration symmetric about the axis cannot be separated from aberration asymmetric about the axis. In addition, defocusing (i.e., out-of-focus) cannot be separated from aberration. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the beam diameter (profile) is extended so that a measured value appears large due to both edge signals in the directions orthogonal to each other (x- and y-directions) when the beam is out of focus (FIG. 1B) as compared with when the beam is focused without astigmatism (FIG. 1A). Likewise, when there is astigmatism asymmetric about the axis (for example, the beam extends at an angle of 45xc2x0 from the x-axis or y-axis, as shown in FIG. 1C), the beam diameters in the x- and y-directions are likewise observed to be large, so that a large measured value is generated from the edge signal. For this reason, it is not possible to determine from the measured values of the beam diameters in the x- and y-directions whether to make adjustment for either of defocusing or astigmatism. Also, as described above, for finding a precise beam diameter, the measurements must be repeated a proper number of times for averaging, giving rise to a problem that a long time is required therefor.
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an electron beam apparatus and an electron beam adjusting method which are capable of accurately and rapidly adjusting the focus and aberration of an electron beam.
To achieve the object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electron beam apparatus for irradiating a target with an electron beam, comprising a reference sample including at least one reference pattern which has a plurality of lattice structures arranged along the circumference of a circle in a evaluation surface of the reference sample; and an adjustment section for adjusting the electron beam by irradiating the evaluation surface with the electron beam on the basis of electrons generated from the reference sample.
To achieve the object, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of adjusting an electron beam for irradiation of a target, comprising the steps of providing a reference sample including at least one reference pattern which has a plurality of lattice structures arranged along the circumference of a circle in a evaluation surface of the reference sample; scanning the electron beam on the plurality of lattice structures within the same reference pattern; converting a change in electrons caused by the scanning operation into an electric signal; and comparing a plurality of waveform blocks corresponding to the respective lattice structures within the electric signal to adjust the electron beam such that the waveform blocks become uniform.

Electron beam apparatus and electron beam adjusting method


A power screwdriver is disclosed, having a drive for driving a tool spindle having a controller for controlling the drive, having a monitoring device for monitoring the rotation speed or the torque, and having a monitoring device for monitoring a switch-off criterion, which monitoring device is coupled to the controller, in order to switch off the drive when the switch-off criterion is reached, with the controller being programmed such that (a) the drive is first of all accelerated until the rotation speed has reached a specific first rotation speed; (b) if the rotation speed then falls by at least a specific amount within a specific time increment, or the torque rises by at least a specific amount within a specific time increment, the drive is braked until the rotation speed has reached a specific second rotation speed, which is lower than the first rotation speed; (c) the drive is then regulated at the second rotation speed for a specific time; and (d) after step (c), the drive is accelerated again at most until the rotation speed reaches the first rotation speed.

The invention relates to a power screwdriver having a drive for a tool spindle having a controller for controlling the drive, and having a monitoring device for monitoring the rotation speed or the torque, which monitoring device is coupled to the controller, in order to switch off the drive when the switch-off criterion is reached, with the controller being programmed such that                (a) the drive is first of all accelerated until the rotation speed has reached a specific first rotation speed;        (b) the rotation speed then falls by at least a specific amount within a specific time increment, or the torque rises by at least a specific amount within a specific time increment, the drive is braked until the rotation speed has reached a specific second rotation speed, which is lower than the first rotation speed.
A screwdriver such as this is known from EP 1 785 231 A2.
The known screwdriver has a regulating device, by means of which the rotation speed of the motor can be regulated and which reduces the rotation speed when a trigger parameter is reached. In this case, an angular velocity change per unit time is preferably used as the trigger parameter. If it is found that the angular velocity has slowed down, then the rotation speed is reduced, possibly in a plurality of steps, with the intention of ensuring a relatively accurate tightening torque for the screwdriving process. In this case, the aim is for the discrepancy in the tightening torque between hard screwdriving and soft screwdriving to be small. So-called "soft screwdriving" means a screwdriving process in which the torque rises continuously towards the end of the screwdriving process, until the maximum tightening torque is reached. In the case of "hard screwdriving", the torque is in contrast initially relatively low and rises suddenly and sharply towards the end of the screwdriving process.
In one alternative embodiment of the known screwdriver, the rotation speed is reduced to zero after reaching the trigger parameter, the motor is operated in the opposite rotation direction for a specific time, the rotation direction is then once again reversed, and the screwdriving process is completed at a lower rotation speed than the initial rotation speed.
In the case of the already known screwdriver, although a relatively uniform tightening torque is achieved irrespective of the type of screwdriving process, the total time for completing a screwdriving process is relatively long, particularly in the case of soft screwdriving, since a lower rotation speed is always used at the end, and in some cases is reduced even further. When the rotation direction is reversed, the total time for completing the screwdriving process is increased even further.
DE 10 2008 033 866 A1 discloses a further screwdriver, in which a limiting device is provided in order to limit an output torque, which is produced on the output drive side of the drive train, to a maximum torque value, with the limiting device being designed to operate a current-flow device, which passes current through the drive motor, in a braking mode, by the current-flow device producing a rotating field which brakes the drive motor and is in the opposite sense to the respective rotation direction of the drive motor. Rotation energy in the drive train is taken into account in this case.
This device is intended in particular to make it possible to avoid excessive tightening during hard screwdriving.
Said control for the screwdriver is relatively complicated and actually does not ensure, for any application, that the tightening torque is maintained precisely irrespective of the type of screwdriving process, while at the same time completing the screwdriving process in as short a time as possible.


Disclosed herein are methods and systems for dynamically controlling bearer quality-of-service (QoS) configuration. In an example arrangement, a wireless communication device (WCD) may have a first bearer and a second bearer with a base station, where the first bearer has a first set of one or more QoS parameters defining a first priority level for the base station scheduling communications on the first bearer, and the second bearer has a second set of one or more QoS parameters defining a second priority level for the base station scheduling communications on the second bearer, the second priority level being different from the first priority level. In this arrangement, an example method may involve detecting that the base station is threshold highly loaded, and responsive to the detecting, reconfiguring the second bearer to have the same QoS parameters as the first set of one or more QoS parameters.

A cellular wireless network may include a number of base stations that each radiate to provide coverage in which to serve wireless communication devices (WCDs) such as cell phones, tablet computers, tracking devices, embedded wireless modules, and other wireless equipped communication devices. In turn, each base station may sit as a node on a core access network that includes entities such as a network controller and a gateway system that provides connectivity with an external transport network such as the Internet. With this arrangement, a WCD within coverage of the network may engage in air interface communication with a base station and may thereby communicate via the base station with various remote network entities or with other WCDs.
In an example arrangement, the gateway system may include one or more packet data network gateways (PGWs) or similar components that provide connectivity with a packet-switched network so as to support general packet-data communications, such as general web browsing, file transfer, and the like, and/or packet-based real-time media communications such as voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and streaming media for instance.
A representative PGW may sit as a node on a wireless service provider's private packet-switched network and may thus provide connectivity with various application servers and other entities on that private network, and with other such entities accessible through a connection between the service provider's network and one or more other networks such as the public Internet. By way of example, such a PGW may provide connectivity with an Internet Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) platform or other session server that supports VoIP calling and/or other such media services.
When a WCD first enters into the coverage of a cellular wireless network, the WCD engages in a process of registering or "attaching" with the network, which may trigger setup of various communication channels for the WCD and/or reservation of various communication resources for the WCD. For instance, upon first detecting coverage of a base station, the WCD may transmit an attach request message to the base station, which the base station may forward to the network controller, such as a mobility management entity (MME). Upon authenticating and authorizing the WCD, the network controller may then engage in further signaling with the base station and with a serving gateway (SGW), which may in turn engage in signaling with a PGW, ultimately resulting in setup of one or more bearer connections or "bearers" each extending, via the base station, between the WCD and the PGW, through which the WCD can then engage in packet-data communication via the PGW. In addition, the base station may maintain a context record indicting the bearers(s) currently established for the WCD.
Each bearer established for a WCD may define a logical communication tunnel that includes a radio bearer portion extending between the WCD and the base station, and an access bearer portion extending between the base station and the PGW via the SGW. Further, each bearer may have a quality of service (QoS) level that defines for the bearer one or more QoS parameters that dictate how the packet data transmission along the bearer is handled by the network. For instance, from the base station's perspective, the QoS parameters may establish for the bearer a priority level according to which the base station should schedule air interface communication of data on the bearer. Such QoS parameters may include, for example, a packet delay budget (i.e., a maximum tolerated time that a packet may be delayed between the WCD and the PGW), a maximum tolerated rate of packet loss (also known as "error tolerance"), and/or a minimum tolerated bit rate.
Further, a bearer's QoS level may be represented in practice by a QoS class identifier (QCI) value. For example, LTE defines QCI values 1 through 9, with QCI values 1-4 providing for guaranteed bit rate (GBR) communications, and with QCI values 5-9 providing for best-efforts (non-GBR) communications. The QCI value of a bearer may also associate the bearer with a particular type of communication. For example, in LTE, a QCI 1 bearer is associated specifically with VoIP-call communication, and a QCI 9 bearer is associated specifically with general Internet traffic such as e-mail, chat, file transfer, and the like.
Each QCI level may thus correspond with data communication that has a particular priority level and particular QoS parameters. For example, a QCI 1 bearer may be for highest-priority data communications and could have a relatively low packet delay budget, a relatively low error tolerance, and/or a relatively high minimum bit rate. Further, a QCI 5 bearer may be for mid-level-priority data communications and could have a mid-range packet delay budget, a mid-range error tolerance, and/or a mid-range minimum bit rate. And a QCI 9 bearer may be for lowest-priority data communications and could have a relatively high packet delay budget, a relatively high error tolerance, and/or a relatively low minimum bit rate.
In practice, the network may establish for a WCD multiple bearers, each having different QoS levels and different QoS parameters. In particular, the network may initially establish for a WCD one or more default bearers to enable the WCD to engage in certain basic communications. By way of example, the network may initially establish for the WCD a default mid-level-QoS IMS signaling bearer (e.g., a QCI 5 bearer), which the WCD could use to engage in Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling with the IMS to facilitate setup of a packet-based real-time media session, such as a Voice over LTE (VoLTE) call. Then, when the WCD engages in SIP signaling over the default IMS signaling bearer, the network may set up for the WCD a dedicated high-QoS IMS bearer (e.g., a QCI 1 bearer) for carrying VoLTE call traffic (namely, packets carrying digitized speech to or from the WCD in a voice call). Thereafter, while the WCD is engaged in the VoLTE call, additional SIP signaling for supporting the VoLTE call may be carried on the default IMS signaling bearer.

Dynamically controlling bearer quality-of-service configuration


A control system for a work vehicle, includes a controller. The controller includes a processor a memory device communicatively coupled to the processor, such that the memory device stores instructions that cause the processor to receive a first control signal indicative of performing relocation operations. Furthermore, the instructions cause the processor to instruct an actuator assembly to drive a chassis of the work vehicle in an upward direction relative to wheels of the work vehicle in response to receiving the first control signal, such that a front stabilizer and a rear stabilizer are disengaged from a ground.

The present disclosure generally relates to a system for repositioning a backhoe digger.
Certain work vehicles (e.g., tractors, harvesters, skid steers, etc.) may support tools configured to plow a field, deposit seeds, excavate soil, or accomplish other suitable operations. For example, a work vehicle may support a backhoe to excavate soil and create an excavation of a certain dimension. Generally, excavating soil may be a tedious process that requires an operator (e.g., person operating the work vehicle) to manually perform a series of tasks. For example, the operator may manually park the work vehicle, engage front and rear stabilizers of the work vehicle, excavate the ground, disengage the front and rear stabilizers, manually drive the work vehicle to a new location, and repeat this process until an excavation of target dimensions has been created (e.g., or until a target amount of soil has been excavated). As a result, operator fatigue may result. In some instances, the operator may not perform these tasks efficiently (e.g., may drive the work vehicle to a less suitable location, etc.), leading to inaccuracies in the dimensions of the excavation and/or to time lost in correcting these inaccuracies. As a result, productivity may be reduced.

System for repositioning a backhoe digger


In a method for automated placement of articles onto a support, the supports and articles are positioned on a supply belt and the supports and the articles are supplied on the supply belt to a detection device where output signals are created based on the supports and the articles passing through the detection device. The output signals are transmitted as measured data to a control unit. The supports and the articles are recognized and differentiated in the control unit based on the measured data. Subsequently, the control unit, according to predetermined criteria, controls one or more gripping devices connected to the control unit for carrying out a placement step of placing the articles on the supports.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for automated placement of articles onto a support.
2. Description of the Related Art
Articles are usually offered in packages to the consumer wherein the packages can contain articles of the same or different kind. For example, in the food industry, packages of baked goods with identical or different types of baked goods or sweets are offered, for example, chocolate mixtures or the like. The placement of the identical or different articles into the packages is usually carried out by hand. Robots have already been proposed for taking over this type of manual labor.
When robots are used for placing identical or different articles on supports, a high efficiency must be achieved for obtaining shortest possible cycle times.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for automated placement of articles onto a support, which ensures a high placement efficiency while providing a gentle handling of the articles with minimal machine requirements.
In accordance with the present invention, this is achieved in that the support and the articles are positioned on a supply belt and are supplied to a detection device whose output signals are transmitted as measured data to a control unit. The control unit, based on the measured data, recognizes and differentiates the articles as well as the supports, wherein the control unit, after detection and differentiation of the articles and of the support, controls, based on predetermined criteria, a gripping device connected to the control unit, and carries out a placement step.
Initially, the articles to be packaged of the same or different kind are placed together with the support, for example, a package, a tray, a pizza crust, a cake crust or the like, onto a supply belt, wherein for carrying out the method the arrangement on the supply belt can be ordered, partially ordered or random. For example, the random arrangement of the articles and of the supports on the supply belt is detected by a detection device whose output signals are transmitted as measured data to a control unit. The control unit recognizes, based on the detection data (measured data), the articles as well as the supports, differentiates them, and, after recognition and differentiation of the articles, places the articles according to predetermined criteria onto the support by means of a gripping device connected to the control unit.
According to a special embodiment of the invention, the control unit, before carrying out a placement step by the gripping device, will start an internal simulation with which the placement step of an article onto the support is carried out virtually by the gripping device connected to the control unit. The performed simulations are evaluated and, based on predetermined or set criteria, one of the simulations is selected as a suitable one for an optimal placement step. Subsequently, the gripping device connected to the control unit is controlled in accordance with the selected simulation in order to grip the article which is positioned in a certain position and to place it quickly but gently onto the support in a way suitable for the external conditions.
When several gripping devices are connected to the control unit, it is also determined by means of simulations which individual one of the gripping devices arranged sequentially in the moving direction of the supply belt is suitable for the desired placement step.
The simulation can be realized in a simple way as a boolean operation. Preferably, the simulation is carried out according to a suitable algorithm so that not only product-specific parameters and/or construction-related parameters of the gripping device are included in the simulation but, preferably, also position-dependent and/or movement-dependent parameters of the gripping device are taken into account. For this purpose, the control unit is provided expediently as a computer with a corresponding high performance microprocessor. For creating a data base (data knowledge), it is also possible to employ neuronal and/or fuzzy-logic operations.
A precise detection of the articles and also of the supports is ensured in particular when the control unit detects and differentiates the articles based on a comparison of the measured data with saved article-specific basic data. For example, a plurality of shapes and patterns can be saved by the computer as a data pool in a data storage device (memory). In this way, the device is suitable, without requiring complex retrofitting actions, for a plurality of different types of articles and supports. It can be used for placement of sweets, such as chocolates or cookies, into packages as well as for combining articles to assortments, for example, in the case of screws or plugs (anchors) or for topping pizza crusts, cake or pie crusts, sandwiches, hamburgers or the like.

Method for automated placement of articles onto a support


A viewpoint setting apparatus for setting a viewpoint, provided by a three-dimensional model, on a display monitor in a computer graphics system which includes: a model information database for storing three-dimensional model information including model coordinates and physical attributes thereof; a viewpoint locus database for storing viewpoint information including locus data produced when the viewpoint moves on the display monitor; a field of view conversion matrix database for storing a three-dimensional conversion matrix in order to change a field of view from the viewpoint; a motion calculation unit for receiving the model information and the viewpoint information, calculating the motion of the model caused by a change of the field of view based on change of the viewpoint which is caused by physical forces applied to the model having the viewpoint, and sequentially updating the field of view conversion matrix database in accordance with change of the field of view calculated; a drawing processing unit for receiving the result of the calculation of the field of view conversion matrix from the motion calculation unit, and drawing the three-dimensional model on the display monitor based on new field of view calculated by the motion calculation unit; and an input unit for outputting a view-parameter which adjusts the motion of the model so as to conform to the actual viewpoint of a user.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a viewpoint setting apparatus for setting a viewpoint, provided by a three-dimensional model, on a display monitor for a computer graphics system. Particularly, it relates to a viewpoint setting apparatus which can set the direction of the viewpoint from the model by taking into account physical forces which may be applied to an actual model in an actual environment. According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a computer graphic very close to an actual view on the display monitor. The present invention is advantageous when producing an animated image using computer graphics.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer graphic systems are widely utilized in various fields, for example, in television game systems, in education systems, in CAD systems, etc. For example, in television game systems, almost all images are formed as animated images, and each motion of the model is close to an actual motion in real time in an actual environment. In general, this technique is called "virtual reality". However, the motion of the model on the computer graphics is not very close to the actual motion because various physical forces which may be applied to the actual model in the actual environment are not taken into account in the calculation of the computer graphic.
Accordingly, the present invention improves the virtual reality technique and realizes a computer graphic which is very close to an image of an actual motion by setting a direction of the viewpoint on the model (i.e., viewline from the model) based on a calculation, which takes into account physical forces, for example, centrifugal force, reaction force, gravity, etc.

Viewpoint setting apparatus for a computer graphics system for displaying three-dimensional models


A method for operating a lighting device comprising n>1 light generating units configured to generate a respective primary light beam and comprising a phosphor surface spaced apart from the light generating units is provided. The method may include illuminating an i-th partial surface of the phosphor surface by i light generating units if a desired positive brightness value on this illuminated partial surface falls below or reaches a next higher i-th brightness threshold value from a group of n−1 positive, progressively increasing brightness threshold values; otherwise illuminating by n light generating units; wherein i and n are whole natural numbers and i=[1, . . . , n] holds true.

In order not to provoke any irritations for an observer of a dynamically variable image, an image refresh frequency should be sufficiently high or an image set-up time should be sufficiently short. For stationary image surfaces, e.g. screens for television pictures or videos, an image refresh frequency of at least 25 Hz is required. However, if light is projected into a far field at a distance of at least two meters, and if, in addition, the light emission pattern varies dynamically, a much higher image refresh frequency may be necessary in order to avoid irritations for an observer on account of image transitions not being perceived as fluid. In addition, in the case of projections into the far field, a much higher light power is typically required in order to achieve a sufficiently bright illumination. Therefore, in many cases, the dynamic light emission pattern in the far field cannot be generated or can be generated only in a very complex fashion by means of a single light source with sufficient dynamic range, e.g. cannot be generated by a single semiconductor light source such as an LED or a laser diode.
One possibility for providing an increased dynamic range consists in the use of a conventional light source having a high light power, e.g. a halogen lamp, downstream of which is disposed an optical unit moved by motor. However, this is very complex and not very robust and restricts a shaping of a light emission pattern to a small number of fixedly predefined shapes. So-called "leveling motors" are often used for the movement of the optical unit by motor.
A further possibility for providing an increased dynamic range consists in the use of an array of many LEDS ("LED array"), wherein respective subgroups of the LEDs are switched on depending on the desired light emission pattern. What is disadvantageous here is that a large number of LEDs must be kept available, only a minority of which are used in practice for a specific emission pattern. The degree of utilization is therefore low, which entails high costs, inter alia.
Moreover, a plurality of disjoint (non-overlapping) partial regions of a phosphor surface may be illuminated independently of one another by respective spaced-apart light generating units. What is disadvantageous in this case is that a high number of light generating units must be used. In practice, these light generating units are operated in a dimmed fashion most of the time, unless small, locally delimited, bright regions are intended to be generated in the light emission pattern. Consequently, a degree of utilization is low in this case, too. Moreover, spatially and temporally coordinating the respectively generated partial light emission patterns in order to generate a uniformly perceived total light emission pattern is difficult.
WO 2011/160680 A1 discloses a light source arrangement including a primary light source and a secondary light source, wherein the primary light source is designed to illuminate the secondary light source, wherein the secondary light source comprises a polyhedron having at least one first and one second phosphor surface, wherein the primary light source includes at least one laser or one light emitting diode, and wherein a drive mechanism is fixed to the primary light source or to the secondary light source.
US 2006/0227087 A1 discloses laser display systems which generate at least one scanning laser beam in order to excite one or more fluorescent materials on a screen which emits light in order to form images. The fluorescent materials may include phosphor materials.
EP 2 359 605 B1 discloses an illuminant including at least one semiconductor laser which is designed to emit a primary radiation having a wavelength of between 360 nm and 485 nm inclusive, and at least one conversion means which is disposed downstream of the semiconductor laser and is designed to convert at least part of the primary radiation into a secondary radiation having a longer wavelength different than the primary radiation, wherein the radiation emitted by the illuminant has an optical coherence length amounting to at most 50 micrometers, wherein the conversion means has a concentration of color centers or luminous points which amounts to at least 10^7/μm^3 and the color centers or luminous points are distributed statistically in the conversion means, and wherein a focal spot of the conversion means that is irradiated by the primary radiation has an area of at most 0.5 mm^2.

Operating a lighting device having a plurality of light generating units


A suture device including a hollow shaft; a pair of jaws disposed at an end of the hollow shaft, at least one of the jaws being actuated by an actuation arm coupled to an actuation mechanism, and each of the jaws including a channel formed therein for carrying a suture; a locking device disposed in the hollow shaft operable to grip an end of the suture; a cutting device disposed in the hollow shaft operable to cut an opposing end of the suture; and a heating device configured to remove the suture from the channels of the pair of jaws, and fuse the suture. The suture can include a core surrounded by an outer coating, wherein the outer coating has a melting point less than a melting point of the inner core.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Unlike traditional open surgery where tasks such as ligating vessels or tying off ductal structures are performed with ease, these same tasks in laparoscopic surgery are much more difficult. In traditional open surgery, these tasks are performed by the surgeon using varied types of suture material and manually passing the suture around the structure and then manually tightening to occlusion using multiple knots. Alternatively, the surgeon may consider clamping the structure first on either side, dividing it, and then manually tying each side of the vessel or ductal structure.
Varied mechanisms exist for the ligation of vascular or ductal structures in laparoscopic surgery. The first includes metallic or plastic clip mechanisms. These can be somewhat secure, but are limited by size and length of intended structure. Metallic clip mechanism have the advantage of multiple clips per device, but are generally limited to structures of one centimeter in diameter and have a tendency to slide on vascular tissue. Plastic clip systems can come in slightly larger sizes, but are typically single-load devices and have a tendency to misalign. They tend to be slightly more secure than metallic.
The second type of device commonly available is a linear-stapling device that uses multiple rows of small staples to secure and divide tissue. The advantages of these devices are the large amount of tissue that can be ligated as well as the ability to divide all types of tissues. The staples are considered very secure. However, the devices currently are quite bulky and have a large end effector that can require a larger cannula as well. The end effector size requires adequate space to encompass the vessel or ductal structure which can, in certain areas of the body, be very difficult due to the close proximity of abdominal cavity or of other vessels.
Finally, the most recent type of sealant devices utilized are varied types of energy including ultrasonic or bipolar electricity to denature proteins to seal structures. These devices can be very rapid in use and allow for continuous usage, they are limited in the size of vessel and type of tissue that can be ligated with adequate seal. Currently recommendations are for structures less than approximately 7 mm.
Mechanical devices designed to place a preformed loop around vessel structures do exist. However these types of devices are limited by the need for an open end of the intended tissue to be available to place the suture around.
Some automated devices that have been created for suturing tissue that may be utilized for the purpose of ligating a vascular structure. U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,700 describes a device specific to using a needle to penetrate tissue for the purpose of approximating tissue and then utilizes energy to seal the suture. This device's primary intention is for the approximation of tissue and is limited in its size of vasculature ligation as well as the presence of a needle to advance the suture material which can penetrate vasculature structures causing damage. The device additionally describes the ability to utilize heat to fuse suture. However, the use of an endplate to overlap the suture can result in an unwanted space in the loop of suture resulting in incomplete occlusion.
In other minimally invasive surgical procedures, small incisions are made in the abdomen and specialized instruments are used through varied access points to accomplish the performance of a surgical procedure. Unlike traditional open surgery involving a large incision, technical aspects such as suturing and tying are much more difficult.
In traditional open surgery, a commonly-used device is suture on a curved needle used for suturing and subsequently manually tying. In contrast, the use of a curved needle in laparoscopic surgery is especially difficult and rarely performed in the same manner, or speed as in open surgery. Additionally, certain angulations that occur during laparoscopic surgery, such as sewing against the anterior abdominal wall are even more difficult.
A common procedure that requires sewing against the abdominal wall is the performance of ventral or incisional abdominal wall hernia repairs. During open surgery, a synthetic or biological mesh is sewn with suture on a curved needle onto the abdominal wall to affix the mesh to the abdominal wall. The depth of penetration is critical to obtaining adequate layers of the abdominal wall. In laparoscopic surgery due to the severe technical difficulty of suturing the abdominal wall, the technique of mesh fixation has had to be altered to accommodate the inability for most surgeons to replicate the technique used in open surgery.
Typically during laparoscopic ventral hernia repair a flat piece of synthetic mesh is rolled and inserted through small opening into the insufflated abdominal cavity. There it is unrolled and affixed to the abdominal wall using a tacking device with or without the addition of sutures. The tacking devices are varied in their delivery system but fall into two categories, non-absorbable metal tacks and absorbable polymer tacks. While efficient in its use the tacks are limited in utility. Non-absorbable tacks are titanium and expose the bowel to bare metal which has shown the risk of injury to the intestine. Absorbable tacks are made from polymers and therefore are limited in their gripping strength and depth of penetration.
As solely tacking the mesh to the abdominal wall may not provide adequate apposition to limit the mesh migration, the same types of sutures used in open surgery are typically used as adjunct. However in laparoscopic surgery the sutures are passed through the abdominal wall from an external source into the abdomen then pulled back out and tied down, so called trans-fascial suturing. While very secure, this technique is difficult and time consuming and exposes the patient to the risk of transmigration of bacteria from the skin surface. The ideal solution would be to replicate the same technique used in open surgery of utilizing a curved needle and suture during laparoscopic surgery.


The present invention is directed to methods and systems for improving the operation of a transmission for an automotive vehicle, and in particular the transmission as installed by the original automobile manufacturer. The methods and systems of the present invention modify the original hydraulic fluid circuits of the automotive transmission provided by the automobile manufacturer to enable the transmission to select any available ratio at any time, and to enable the transmission to produce quick applies during upshifts and fast releases during downshifts for improved performance and heavy duty use with only minimum ratio sharing or overlap during gear changes. The modification of the original automotive transmission to achieve these goals includes adjustment of the hydraulic fluid circuits by providing a new low control valve, by providing new hydraulic flow circuits, by discontinuing use of existing hydraulic circuits, by enlarging the size of pre-existing orifices and by plugging other orifices, and by adjusting pre-existing spring and pressure values; all of which adjust the fluid flow and operation of the original factory installed automotive transmission in accordance with the basic objectives of the present invention.

The methods and systems of the present invention are directed to the modification and improvement of transmissions for automotive vehicles of the type installed by the original equipment manufacturers. The invention is particularly directed to the improvement and modification of the automotive transmissions commonly known as the 200/4R-3 [manually operated] and the 200/4R-2 [automatic], both of which are "factory installed" in automotive vehicles manufactured by General Motors Corporation.
The present inventor owns U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,549, issued Oct. 19, 1993 and entitled "Methods And Systems For Improving The Operation Of Automatic Transmissions For Vehicles"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,938, issued on Dec. 13, 1988 and entitled "Filter For Removing Particulate Matter From Fluid Within A Movable Body"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,140, issued Dec. 8, 1987 and entitled "Throttle Valve System For Automatic Transmission"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,426, issued on May 22, 1984 and entitled "Laminated Separator Plate Means For Recalibrating Automatic Transmission" and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/333,552, filed Nov. 2, 1994 and entitled "Methods And Systems For Improving The Operation Of Transmissions For Motor Vehicles". The basic operation of transmissions for automotive vehicles is discussed in the aforementioned patents and patent application, and these patents and patent application are expressly incorporated by reference into the disclosure of the present patent application.
The basic principles of operation of the factory installed GENERAL MOTORS.RTM. 200-4R-2 and 200-4R-3 transmissions for automotive vehicles, including the specific modes of operation thereof and the hydraulic circuits and interrelationship of hydraulic circuits, are well known to those skilled in the automotive transmission art. Attention is respectfully invited to the operations manual and text entitled THM 200-R4, PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION, First Edition, (1980), published by General Motors Corporation, said publication describing in detail, among others, the operation of the "factory installed" 200-4R-2 and 200-4R-3 GENERAL MOTORS.RTM. transmissions, including a discussion of the structure, the hydraulic circuits, and the interrelationship between the structure and the hydraulic circuitry and fluid flow during normal operation of the transmissions in automotive vehicles. The disclosure of the aforementioned publication in its entirety is expressly incorporated by reference into the disclosure of the present patent application as disclosing and illustrating background material known to those of ordinary skill in the automotive transmission art.
Attached hereto as an Appendix is a publication entitled "TRANSGO 200/4R-2 & 3 REPROGRAMMING KIT", an instruction sheet describing the manner in which an automotive transmission mechanic implements the modifications to the 200/4R-2 and 200/4R-3 General Motors Corporation factory installed transmissions to achieve the goals of the present invention. The disclosure of the aforementioned instruction sheet in its entirety is also expressly incorporated by reference into the present patent application.
In the original design of the 200/4R-3 "factory installed" transmission, the first gear ratio cannot be obtained above a vehicle speed of approximately 28-30 miles per hour. (See the aforementioned GENERAL MOTORS Corporation publication). A primary object of the present invention is to enable the driver of the vehicle having a 200/4R-3 GENERAL MOTORS.RTM. transmission to select any available gear ratio at any time, thereby enabling the driver to obtain a "first" gear ratio whenever the gear selector lever is placed in the "1" position. This objective is accomplished by modification of the structure and operation of the existing hydraulic circuits of the original transmission and the addition of a new hydraulic circuits to the original transmission.
It is also desirable to modify the "factory installed" automotive transmission to result in quick application during upshifts and quick release forces during downshifts with minimum ratio sharing (overlap) during gear changes, for improved performance particularly when the vehicle is in heavy duty use. This object is obtained by varying the structure and operation of the hydraulic circuits of the original transmission to enlarge or reduce existing orifices to control the apply and release fluid flow through the hydraulic circuits, in conjunction with the modification of different spring and pressure values of the pre-existing hydraulic circuits of the factory installed transmission.
Other objects, improvements and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description in conjunction with the drawings.

Method for modifying an original automatic transmission


An apparatus for the catalytic combustion of exhaust gases in an exhaust system, in particular for an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine, and preferably for Otto engines, includes first and second honeycomb bodies through which a fluid can flow in succession. At least one of the honeycomb bodies is heatable, and the honeycomb bodies each have a multiplicity of channels formed therein defining-channel walls. A plurality of support elements each have at least one end, they extending between the first honeycomb body and the second honeycomb body, they join the first and second honeycomb bodies mechanically, they protrude at least partially into the honeycomb bodies in the vicinity of the at least one end, and they are in mechanical contact with the channel walls in the vicinity of the at least one end. The support elements have a cross section and/or a shape in the vicinity of the at least one end causing the support elements thrust into selected and/or arbitrary channels to mechanically contact the channel walls in the vicinity of the at least one end.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for catalytic combustion of exhaust gases in an exhaust system, particularly for an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine, and preferably for Otto engines, having at least a first and a second honeycomb body through which a fluid can flow in succession, the honeycomb bodies each having a multiplicity of channels and at least one of the honeycomb bodies being heatable, and a plurality of support elements each having at least one end, the support elements extending between the first honeycomb body and the second honeycomb body, joining them mechanically, and protruding at least part way into the respective honeycomb body in the region of the at least one end.
Published International Application WO 92/13636, corresponding to U.S. application Ser. No. 08/101,493, filed Aug. 2, 1993, discloses a honeycomb body having a plurality of disks being braced against one another. The honeycomb body has at least two disks which are spaced apart from one another and disposed one after the other in terms of the flow direction of an exhaust gas, and each of them has channels. Near a flow direction ,axis, supports are provided by which the disks are joined together and braced against one another. However, the manufacture of such a honeycomb body proves to be difficult, since the location of the supports must be defined accurately beforehand in both parts of the honeycomb body. That is disadvantageous since the exact structure of two honeycomb bodies can only be calibrated with great difficulty, and there will always be at least slight deviations. That is especially true because the honeycomb bodies include wound layers of sheet metal, and during winding the exact location of receptacles for the supports cannot be predicted precisely. In the honeycomb body described above, a few supports must be disposed primarily near the flow axis, but under certain resonance conditions that is not always enough to reliably brace the entire cross-sectional area of the honeycomb body.
Honeycomb bodies, particularly those that are electrically heatable, are also known from Published International Application WO 92/18245; Published International Application WO 89/10471, corresponding to allowed U.S. application Ser. No. 07/604,199, filed, Oct. 25, 1990 and U.S. application Ser. No. 08/054,348, filed Apr. 27, 1993; Published International Application WO 93/20339; and Published International Application WO 92/00190, corresponding to U.S. application Ser. No. 08/101,455, filed, Aug. 2, 1993.

Mechanically stabilized heating catalyst configuration

Emitec Gesellschaft fuer Emissionstechnologie mbH


A wire-cutting electric discharge machining device comprises a process precision detection device. The process precision detection device detects process error by measuring spacings between the wire electrode, which will be moved along a predetermined measurement path, and a processed edge of the workpiece, in which the measurement path is set substantially a parallel to a processed edge of the product. The process precision detection device measures the spacing between the wire electrode and the processed edge of the product by moving the wire electrode from a measurement point on the measurement path to the edge of the product while detecting electrical voltage between the wire electrode and the product.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a wire-cutting electrical discharge machining device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with the requirements for higher precision metal processing there has been a demand for a wire-cutting electric discharge machining device capable of performing EDM with high processing precision. Accordingly, in order to satisfy the market demand for high precision, manufacturing companies have developed a power source in which the energy output is precisely controlled for this type of processing and multi-processing software to carry out the rough, intermediate, and finishing processes in a stepwise manner.
However, the major drawback to wire-cutting electric discharge devices is that minute changes occur during processing as a result of fluctuations in the power source, the presence of chips removed during the procession of a workpiece, vibrations in the wire electrodes, process configurations, and the like, so that the machining precision during processing is not stable.
Accordingly, there are conventional examples where, in order to obtain highly precise processing, the workpiece is removed from the process table after processing, an inspection is carried out to evaluate the processing precision, and the workpiece is remounted on the process table so that modifications or finishing can be performed.
However, with conventional methods such as those outlined above, it is difficult to remount the workpiece once it has been removed from the process table. This remounting operation also requires considerable time and can give rise to remounting errors, thus leading to additional difficulties in producing satisfactory goods.

Wire-cutting electric discharge machining device


A holding fixture for drilling pocket joints with a stepped drill bit. The fixture includes an L-shaped body member having a guide leg that carries an angularly disposed drill guide channel and a clamp leg that supports a clamping mechanism for securing a wooden workpiece flush against the planar surface of the guide leg. The drill guide channel has an upper stop flange and a lower end that terminates flush with the planar surface of the guide leg at a point spaced above the junction of the guide leg and the clamp leg. The stepped drill bit is secured in the chuck of a portable drill and an adjustable stop collar is positioned on the bit. The stop collar engages the stop flange so that the end of the bit is prevented from contacting the surface of the clamp leg. The wooden workpiece is secured flush to the planar surface of the guide leg by the clamp and the pocket and pilot hole are drilled.

Known devices for preparing pocket joints in wooden workpieces include complex specialized equipment that is expensive to acquire and maintain and attachments for complex pieces of equipment such as a drill press. Also, known devices allow a spacing between the drill bit guide and the workpiece that in turn allows the bit to flex or "walk" which causes erratic cutting and damage to the bit.
Those concerned with these and other problems recognize the need for an improved holding fixture for drilling pocket joints.

Holding fixture for drilling pocket joints


A planter for seed crops, such as grains. A wheeled framework supports the apparatus for movement about a field. At the front of the framework is a row of transversely spaced chisels which produce tilled areas parallel to the path of movement of the framework and separated from one another by strips of untilled soil. Each chisel carries a roller that breaks up any resulting clods of soil. Liquid fertilizer is directed to the tilled areas by delivery conduits extending along the rear of each chisel to their respective lower ends. The rollers provide a cover of soil to the liquid fertilizer. A drill apparatus is mounted to the framework behind the chisels, with individual openers in longitudinal alignment with the respective chisels for planting seeds in the tilled soil at an elevation above the elevation at which fertilizer has been supplied and without the strips of untilled soil. The seed is therefore located in a tilled furrow with a cover of soil between the seed and the liquid fertilizer to prevent seed damage before germination.

This invention relates to minimum tillage planting of seeds, which is desirable for erosion control as well as planting efficiency. Its usage permits the planting of a field in one pass and without the field preparation normally required when making use of conventional plowing and cultivating methods. The apparatus is designed specifically for use in fields which have been previously cultivated, planted and harvested where the stubble of the earlier crop has been left in the field for erosion control. It permits planting of a field with minimum disturbance of the soil, the seeds being located in tilled furrows separated transversely by strips of untilled soil. Because the apparatus leaves a substantial portion of the field untouched, strips of untilled soil and stubble are alternated with the planted areas to assure better erosion control. This is of particular value in areas where crops such as wheat are grown on side hills. Another advantage of the apparatus is that it does not result in soil movement to one side or ther other, as is the case with moldboard plows. It enables the user to plant seed with a minimum amount of soil disturbance.
More importantly, this apparatus permits planting and fertilizing of a field in a single pass. This is accomplished by a combination of chisels, cover rollers and grain drill components aligned longitudinally on a single framework, together with a fertilizer application system which directs liquid fertilizer to the lower end of each chisel. The end result of each pass of the machine is a tilled furrow having a layer of fertilizer at one elevation, a cover layer of soil, and a layer of seeds at a second elevation above the fertilizer. In this manner, fertilizer is immediately available to the germinating seeds, which have been protected from fertilizer damage or "burning" by the soil cover between the two layers.
Planting machines have been proposed and built which plant seeds in untilled ground. Such "no-till" methods have met with only limited acceptance. A substantial problem has been a toxic affect of the straw or stubble on new plants when seeded directly into the stubble. It appears that some cultivation is desirable for proper new plant growth.
The present apparatus has principal application in the planting of fall or winter wheat, which is planted in the fall and experiences substantial growth the following spring. When a field is fully cultivated before planting of wheat in the fall, the wheat plants do not experience sufficient growth to anchor the surrounding soil during the wet winter and early spring seasons. This is a particular problem where the planted area experiences an accumulation of snow on frozen soil, followed by warm winds and rain. This frequently results in high runoffs on the unprotected soil and substantial erosion damage to the crop and field.
The machine described herein was developed by assimilating several successful practices in growing wheat under such conditions. First, the best conservation tillage practices call for increased use of a chisel plow rather than a moldboard. The chisel plow has the advantage of causing the least soil disturbance, and eliminates the sideward displacement of soil which is a necessary result of using conventional moldboard plows. Secondly, fall application of fertilizer is advocated as a cost effective practice. It provides fertilizer to the germinating plants from the very beginning and increases fall growth of winter wheat. Finally, fluted-feed, end wheel drills are almost universally used in planting wheat in the fields in which these growing conditions are experienced, particularly on hillsides.
From these known practices was developed the minimum tillage planter described herein, specifically for seeding of fall wheat. It is a single pass--from stubble to planted field planter. It is not a "no-till" machine because it has chisel points and packer wheels which break up the soil and clear a path ahead of the planting mechanism. It provides efficient planting and is a significant factor in reducing erosion. Liquid fertilizer is metered into the furrow at the bottom of the chisel points and below the level at which seed is planted. The purpose of the chisel points is not for deep chiseling, but to clear the field residue and help to provide a seed bed.


A highly refractive and highly transparent optical glass is provided. The use of such a glass, optical elements and processes for producing the glass or the optical elements are also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a highly refractive and highly transparent optical glass, the use of such a glass, optical elements and processes for producing the glass or the optical elements.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, the market trend both in optical technologies and optoelectronic technologies (fields of application of imaging, projection, telecommunication, optical news technology, mobile drive and laser technology) is increasingly in the direction of miniaturisation. This can be seen from the end products which are becoming ever smaller and requires increasing miniaturisation of the individual components and constituents of such end products. For this reason, ever more refractive glasses, i.e. glasses having a greater refractive index or index of refraction, are required. Highly refractive glasses make it possible to shorten the component or lens size by shortening the focal length of a lens element. Furthermore, small radii of curvature of the lens elements are possible, which leads to simpler production less prone to errors.
At the same time, these highly refractive glasses should have low dispersion, i.e., high Abbe numbers. A large or high Abbe number makes correction of the chromatic error in a lens system (colour deviation) possible. Glasses having high refractive indices normally have small Abbe numbers, i.e. they display relatively high dispersions.
In addition, ever more demanding quality requirements make very high internal transmissions (German "Reintransmission") of the material necessary and it is desirable for the glasses not only to have the required optical properties but also be sufficiently chemically resistant and have very low coefficients of expansion.
Glasses having similar optical positions, i.e. the position in the Abbe diagram or chemical compositions have already been described in the prior art, but these glasses have considerable disadvantages.
Unfavourable compositions of rare earth metal oxides, WO3, TiO2, Ta2O5 and/or Nb2O5 can lead to either the optical position not being attained or else the high transmission requirements not being fulfilled. Highly refractive glasses normally display, due to the use of polarisable ions such as Bi3+ or the use of ions having absorption bands in or near the visible region (e.g. PbO, WO3 (DE 2942038) and/or TiO2), a distinct yellowish colour which is caused by shifting of the band edge to longer wavelengths, or a deterioration in the internal transmission especially in the UV region. According to the prior art, such a deterioration in the internal transmission can be avoided by, for example, using less strongly polarisable cations and ensuring that absorbing components are not used or used only in very small proportions.
In the case of high-transmission glasses, TiO2 has hitherto been avoided as glass component because TiO2 can, in addition to the absorption band in the near UV region, lose oxygen at high temperatures. As a result of such loss of oxygen reduced, coloured ions can be formed, and TiO2 can also form a brownish iron-titanate complex with iron impurities. Glasses having a very high TiO2 content are described in CN 101289276 A.
In addition, the combination of TiO2 with Nb2O5 is very challenging in process engineering terms since Nb also gives off oxygen at high temperatures and then later competes with TiO2 for the free oxygen still dissolved in the glass. If the process is not controlled precisely, brown-coloured glasses are formed. Nb2O5 and WO3, in particular, are known for shifting the UV edge of glasses significantly into the visible region.
The glasses known from the prior art, as described, for example, in DE 10 2009 047 511, also suffer from problems in production and due to the cost of the mix caused by the use of relatively high proportions of extremely expensive raw materials Ta2O5, WO3 and GeO2. Owing to the high density of the glasses of the prior art and the small processing range in combination with a very steep viscosity curve, striae (German "Schlieren"), in particular volume striae, can be formed in production and are disadvantageous in further processing to produce optical elements.
Highly refractive optical glasses in this position range frequently belong to the lanthanum borate glass system. This is known for its steep viscosity curves, its tendency for severe surface and interface crystallisation to occur and for the attack on refractory materials, in particular SiO2 (by the B2O3 components). Dissolution of SiO2 in the glass can likewise lead to severe striae and also a decrease in the refractive index of the glass and thus to known problems, so that this glass system usually has to be melted in noble metal crucibles such as Pt or Pt/Ir crucibles to avoid this effect. On the other hand, due to introduction of particles or dissolved Pt, Pt leads to shifting of the absorption edge into the visible and to an increased crystallisation tendency (in the case of particles), in particular during repressing of the glasses.
In many cases, a high content of network formers such as B2O3 (DE 2756161A, DE 10227494A, JP 2011-246337A) and SiO2 leads to a decrease in the achievable refractive index nd. Furthermore, at particular combinations of the rare earth metal oxides and the classical network formers, either the desired combination of transmission and optical position cannot be achieved or the glass system has an even stronger tendency to crystallize, which results in an unacceptably high reduction in yield and the glasses cannot be produced economically. For these reasons, it was hitherto assumed in the prior art that the borate content always has to be greater than the SiO2 content (EP 1433757 A by Hoya) or alternatively the glass must not contain any SiO2.


The method and apparatus of the invention use a beam of laser emitted optical energy to effect wound closure and reconstruction of biological tissue. In response to input as to tissue type and thickness, a computer determines the output power, exposure time and spot diameter of the emitted beam to control the application of optical energy to produce thermal heating of biological tissue. The tissue is heated to a degree suitable for denaturing the tissue proteins such that the collagenous elements of the tissue form a "biological glue" to seal immediately and/or to reconstruct the tissue being heated without any injurious tissue shrinkage. In a given embodiment, the computer directly controls output power of the laser by regulating the laser's input current, and limits exposure time by deactivating a shutter mechanism when the predetermined time is reached. Beam diameter is manually set in response to a displayed value with a scale that controls the working distance between the end of a fiber optic beam guide and the tissue site.

This invention relates generally to method and apparatus for closing wounds and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for applying optical energy to biological tissue whereby the tissue is converted to a collagenous, denatured protein substance which joins severed tissues and closes wounds without injurious tissue shrinkage.
Various techniques have been used to repair wounds and closing surgical incisions including suturing, cryogenic, cauterization and tissue welding. Details of these techniques and their drawbacks are described in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 07/639,025, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,001,051, 4,854,320 and 4,672,969.
The preferred technique for tissue repair is laser welding. This technique is described in detail in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 07/639,025 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,001,051, 4,854,320 and 4,672,969 which are incorporated by reference. In laser welding, the tissue to be welded is heated to a predetermined temperature at which optical energy converts biological tissue into a collagenous substance. The collagenous substance contains bonds which can close closely approximated edges of tissue in a wound or lesion, together. The laser is controlled so that optical energy is converted into thermal energy bounded by a minimum absorption rate at which tissue is converted to a collagenous substance and a maximum absorption above which the water contained in the tissue wound boils.
A drawback to the aforementioned laser surgery technique is that when the laser converts the tissue to a collagenous substance and heated to a high enough temperature, the tissue begins to shrink. This shrinkage may result in disruptions in the bonds within the collagenous substance. A disruption in the bond has been determined to prevent tissue closure from occurring.
Another drawback is when the tissue is heated, a temperature gradient may form in the tissue. Consequently portions of the tissue become hotter than other portions resulting in tissue shrinkage of the hotter portions. Also when welding, the surgeon may position the laser incorrectly injuriously rewelding the area. These additional welding and absorption factors could overheat the tissue causing the tissue to coagulate and disrupt the start and subsequent efficacy of the closure.

Method for closing tissue wounds using radiative energy beams


A dual tower rig includes a hull supported by one or more legs and includes a cantilever assembly coupled to the hull. Dual towers are supported by a skidding system that is coupled to the cantilever assembly. The towers are configured to conduct independent operations and are movable relative to each other and to the hull by the skidding system and the cantilever assembly.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The subject matter of the present disclosure generally relates to a multiple tower rig for decommissioning (e.g., plug and abandon), drilling, and other offshore operations.
2. Description of the Related Art
For many years, drilling rigs have provided the ability to drill wells into the seabed and access hydrocarbon reservoirs located thousands of feet below the seafloor. After the hydrocarbon reserves have been depleted, however, it is frequently challenging and expensive to decommission (e.g., plug and abandon) these subsea wells. Drilling rigs are typically leased on a daily basis and equipped for conducting drilling operations, making them very expensive to use for decommissioning operations, which often do not require the use of all of the equipment located on a drilling rig. In addition, most drilling rigs include only one drilling tower, which limits the operation to one well at a time.
Therefore, there is a need for a rig system for efficiently decommissioning wells and performing other offshore operations.


A nameplate includes a nameplate holder, a nameplate insert, and a locking member. The nameplate holder defines a longitudinal channel. The nameplate insert defines a notch and is configured for movable receipt within the longitudinal channel of the nameplate holder. The locking member is movable within the nameplate holder between a first condition and a second condition. In the first condition, a portion of the locking member extends within the notch of the nameplate insert to resist longitudinal movement of the nameplate insert relative to the nameplate holder. In the second condition, the portion of the locking member is disposed outside of the notch of the nameplate insert.

Nameplates are generally used to display information, such as, for example, a name of a person, organization, a product, or a service. Nameplates may be mounted to a variety of surfaces to display said information. For example, nameplates may be mounted to a wall outside of an office to identify the name of the occupant of the office, to a billboard, to a vertically extending stand, or between two parallel, vertically extending stands.
Typically, nameplates include nameplate inserts that contain the information to be displayed. It is desirable for nameplate inserts to be removably attached to or inserted within a nameplate holder. By being removable, the nameplate inserts can be changed or replaced, for example, when advertising material needs to be updated or when an occupant of an office changes.
In addition to nameplate inserts being interchangeable, they should also be able to be firmly secured with the nameplate holder such that the selected nameplate insert isn't unintentionally removed or placed out of position by a variety of factors, for example, a casual touching, wind, or vibrations.
Accordingly, a need exists for a nameplate that exhibits at least the desired qualities noted above.

Nameplates and locking assemblies thereof


A compact high-power pure-sinewave inverter amenable to mass manufacturing techniques. Methods for increasing the power rating, power density and/or power conversion efficiency of a sinewave-modulated pulse-width-modulated (PWM) inverter having a either half-bridge or full-bridge topology, including minimizing uncoupled inductances and loop inductances in the primary winding(s) by employing either ribbon-like conductors having a high crossectional aspect ratio or litz-wire. A compact linear heatsink adapted to cool a row of semiconductor devices (such as inverter switches) mounted on a high-current printed circuit board. Methods for inexpensive manufacture of a fluid-cooled linear heat sink. A transformer including a filter inductor core.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to switching power conversion devices, and more specifically to high power-density DC-to-AC inverters.
2. Related Art
Growing public concern about the accelerating depletion of the Earth's supply of fossil fuels (e.g., crude oil) and of other contemporary non-renewable energy sources, and energy-related environmental concerns such as pollution and global warming due to emissions, have accelerated the development of alternative energy generation technologies (e.g., fuel cells, photovoltaics, wind power, biomass, tallow trees, etc.) for generating power. Growing concerns about the reliability of local, state and national power distribution infrastructures have promoted interest in on-site power generation technologies, particularly those which are compact enough to be maintained on a private premises while providing enough power to satisfy average power requirements of a home, of a business, or of a cooperating community. Thus, a growing popular demand for technologies for independent production of electric power on the premises of individual homes and businesses, particularly solar-electric arrays and fuel cells, has increased the need for efficient and compact high-power inverters that can convert the Direct Current (DC) typically generated by devices employing such technologies, into the Alternating Current (AC) required to operate most commercially available home appliances and computer equipment. The higher the power-density (i.e., the maximum continuous power rating per unit of volume) of an inverter assembly, the less raw material may be required for its production, and the more convenient its transportation and installation, and concealment on premises can be. Some special applications for high-power inverters, i.e., for powering computers and appliances in individual homes built in remote wilderness settings, or even for powering remote extraterrestrial facilities (e.g., laboratories in orbit, or on the moon, or on other planets), may impose an even stricter necessity for true sine-wave output with a minimization of power inverter volume, or component count, and/or mass per kilowatt of rated capacity.
Pure sine-wave generating inverters generally include semiconductor transistor (e.g., Field Effect Transistor (FET), or insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT)) switches controlled by sine-wave modulated pulse-width-modulated (PWM) signals. The frequency of switching is held constant (e.g., at a frequency higher than the human audio range, e.g., switching frequencies between about 20 kHz–30 kHz) while duty cycles of the alternating switches powering the primary windings are varied to produce an approximately smooth changing (alternating) potential at the secondary winding. The switches interrupt DC currents supplied to a transformer from a DC voltage source (e.g., a battery, solar array) and will generate heat during switching operation. Modified sine-wave inverters also include switches, which are used to generate pulses of alternating voltages of modulated width and fixed voltage. Both pure sine-wave inverters and modified sine-wave inverters may require a low-pass L-C output filter tuned to selectively pass the AC output frequency (e.g., 50 Hz or 60 Hz) to reduce distortion and/or remove high frequency noise. Such filters generally comprise a transformer-output filter inductor and an output filter capacitor coupled to the terminals of the secondary winding of the transformer.
Overheating of the switches often leads to damage to the switches and/or to a failure of the inverter. The heat generated in the switches is wasted energy that reduces the power conversion efficiency of the inverter and tends to limit the maximum power-output, and hence the maximum power-density and/or efficiency, of the inverter. The heat developed in the switches in an inverter generally increases at least proportionally with the frequency of the switching. The related art teaches that it is "difficult to operate a sine-wave-modulated PWM push-pull inverter at switching frequencies higher than approximately 1 kHz". Mohan, POWER ELECTRONICS, p. 127 (John Wiley & Sons). The academic authorities also teach that PWM push-pull inverters (e.g., producing pure sine-wave output at high efficiency) are generally limited to being "Small Power" (e.g., on the order of 1 KW, e.g., 3 KW or less) inverters, compared to a full-bridge switching inverter having the same size transformer. See. e.g., Constantine Hatziadoniu, http://www.engr.siu.edu/staff/hatz/EE483/A7/sld013.htm
Therefore, although sine-wave-modulated PWM push-pull inverters require half as many switches as full-bridge (e.g., "H" bridge) inverters, they are generally unavailable as compact and high-power true sine-wave output inverters. The size of an inverter (and hence its power-density) is significantly affected by the size of its power transformer, as well as by the number and size of other inverter components such as capacitors, switch banks, heat sinks, and output filter inductors.

High power density inverter and components thereof


A new and distinct Ivy Geranium plant named ‘Pacperosy’, characterized by its uniformly mounding, rounded and slightly cascading plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit; freely basal branching habit; dark green-colored leaves; freely flowering habit; and large soft pink semi-double flowers that are positioned above and beyond the foliar plane.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Ivy Geranium plant, botanically known as Pelargonium peltatum, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name 'Pacperosy'.
The new Ivy Geranium plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Dresden, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new vigorous Ivy Geranium plants with uniform plant habit and numerous attractive semi-double flowers.
The new Ivy Geranium plant originated from an open-pollination during the summer of 2009 of Pelargonium peltatum 'Pachane', disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,847, as the female, or seed, parent and an unknown selection of Pelargonium peltatum as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Ivy Geranium plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated open-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Dresden, Germany in June, 2010.
Asexual reproduction of the new Ivy Geranium plant by vegetative terminal cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Dresden, Germany since December, 2010 has shown that the unique features of this new Ivy Geranium plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.


An image processing system for high performance digital imaging in a digital camera. The reflected light from an image is focused through a lens and optically filtered. A CCD array converts this image into an electrical signal. This electrical signal is processed and then converted into an equivalent digital signal. A digital signal processor is then used to process the raw digital signal. The DSP includes a capture data path, a data flow control, an image processing data path, a compression/decompression engine, a resize circuit, a display processing circuit, and a rotation circuit. Data is routed between the DSP and memory via a bus. By selectively activating and reusing certain parts of the hardware architecture and various data paths, at least four modes of operation can be supported: live view, instant review, and play mode. Furthermore, the correct image is automatically displayed in all four modes, regardless of the orientation of the image or the physical orientation of the camera (both at the time the picture was taken and at the time the picture is being rendered for display).

The present invention relates generally to digital cameras, and more particularly to an image processing system for high performance digital imaging.
Given the rapid advances made in semiconductor technology and digital imaging, it was just a matter of time before digital cameras were developed and introduced. Most digital cameras today are similar in size with and behave similar to conventional photographic cameras. But instead of capturing an image through a lens and recorded onto a photosensitive material as with traditional cameras, digital cameras capture an image using a charge-coupled device (CCD). The composite image is represented by thousands of discrete picture elements, known as pixels. The color of each pixel is given in the form of digital data consisting of binary encoded 1""s and 0""s. This digital data is then processed and stored into memory (e.g., internal flash memory, external memory cards, buffers, etc.) for subsequent use.
By adopting a digital imaging approach, digital cameras offer several advantages over more traditional cameras because the bits of data can now be more readily manipulated using digital signal processing techniques. For instance, the backside of a digital cameras can be equipped with a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. In a record mode of operation, the LCD acts as a viewfinder in which the LCD displays objects and scenes in real-time. At any time, the user can click to capture the xe2x80x9cpicturexe2x80x9d displayed on the LCD. In a playback mode of operation, pictures can be displayed on the LCD either individually or in groups of four, nine, or sixteen pictures. Users can manually page through the current archive of stored pictures by pressing the appropriate buttons. Furthermore, a user can instantly delete certain pictures. In addition, pictures can be viewed in full size, scaled down in size, or zoomed to larger sizes. Another benefit is that digital cameras can rotate the orientation of the pictures so as to automatically switch between landscape versus portrait formats. A common feature found in many digital cameras is a burst mode of operation, whereby a single click of a button can cause the camera to take several pictures in rapid succession, thereby creating a film-like sequence of images.
Due to their digital nature and in order to offer these advanced features, modern digital cameras were typically designed using specialized circuitry to handle each of the advanced features. Although this approach makes digital cameras relatively fast, it dramatically increases the overall cost, size, battery consumption, and weight of the digital cameras. In addition, the captured image display might appear to be slightly different than a live-view display if one were to use different circuits and data paths.
One solution to these drawbacks is to couple a generic processor to memory via a bus, where the processor is programmed to perform all of the enhanced functionality""s, and digital data is shuttled between the memory and processor via the bus. However, this approach suffers from one major drawback; it is relatively slow. When a user presses a button, he or she expects instant feedback and response. The user does not want to wait the number of seconds it takes to process an image. It has been discovered that the software approach is slow because it primarily suffers from two disadvantages. First, because the advanced features are typically performed by software, it can take a long time to configure and execute the requisite programming steps. Second, the bus speed becomes a limiting factor as large amounts of data need to be transferred between the processor and memory. Essentially, the bus becomes overloaded. The end result is that software-based digital cameras may be too slow to suit the tastes of consumers, depending on the processor/bus combination.
Thus, there is a need for an advanced architecture which facilitates high-speed image processing, offers advanced features, and yet is cost-effective. The present invention provides a novel solution by implementing a special hardware configuration which has been optimized for increased speed. Certain parts and paths of the circuit are reused and shared so as to leverage existing resources with minimal impact on its speed and functionality. By sharing certain resources, duplication is reduced, thereby decreasing costs. Furthermore, the present invention is adaptable to be used in virtually any type of digital camera and CCD array.
The present invention pertains to an image processing system for high performance digital imaging in digital cameras and the like. The reflected light from an image is focused through a lens and optically filtered. A CCD array converts this image into an electrical signal. This electrical signal is processed and then converted into an equivalent digital signal. A digital signal processor (DSP) is then used to process the raw digital signal. The DSP includes a capture data path, a data flow control, an image processing data path, a compression/decompression engine, a resize circuit, a display processing circuit, and a rotation circuit. Data from the CCD is routed to the capture data path for processing. The processed data is then sent over a main bus to be stored in an input buffer. The data flow control finds the appropriate image data for retrieval. Further processing is performed (e.g., decompressing, line averaging, pixel shuffling, ring insertion, interpolation, edge enhancement, gamma correction, and color space conversion). A JPEG compression/decompression engine compresses the resulting image before it is stored as a file. The JPEG engine can subsequently decompress a file for display. The uncompressed file can first be resized to suit the desire of the user and/or rotated, depending on the current physical orientation of the digital camera and that of the image.
By selectively activating and reusing certain parts of the hardware architecture and various data paths, at least four modes of operation can be supported: live view, capture, instant review, and play mode. In a live view mode of operation, the image from the capture data path is stored in the input buffer of the memory, retrieved and processed by the image processing path, buffered, resized if necessary, and displayed along with any appropriate graphics. In a capture mode of operation, the image from the capture data path is stored in the input buffer of the memory, retrieved and processed by the image processing path, buffered, compressed by the JPEG engine, and stored in a file format. And in an instant review mode of operation, the image from the capture data path is simultaneously resized, if necessary, stored in a display buffer, and displayed along with any appropriate graphics. Lastly, in a playback mode of operation, one or more requested image files are read, decompressed, resized if necessary, and displayed along with any appropriate graphics (e.g., padding or overlay bars).
An orientation detector is used to detect the current physical orientation of the display device so that the image from a first draw buffer can be rotated by the rotation circuit, in accordance with the current orientation, and stored in a second draw buffer. The correct image is automatically displayed in all modes, regardless of the orientation of the image or the physical orientation of the camera (both at the time the picture was taken and at the time the picture is being rendered for display).
By utilizing the optimized hardware design and data paths of the present invention, faster image processing can be achieved with a wide range of features, modes of operation, and enhancements. Furthermore, with the novel layout of the hardware design and data paths of the present invention, certain parts and paths can be used in different capacities and in different modes of operation. This reduces the total amount of hardware which is needed, which minimizes the overall cost with minimal or no impact on speed and functionality.

Image processing system for high performance digital imaging devices


A multi-ply courier waybill comprises a plurality of data plies connected along et least one marginal edge to an underlying backing ply having a pressure sensitive adhesive applied to the undersurface thereof for attachment to a package to be shipped. The backing ply includes a plurality of die cut labels formed over a portion thereof spaced inwardly from the marginal edges of the backing ply, and the pressure sensitive adhesive is covered by a release liner. Removal of the release liner from the surface of the adhesive will result in removal of the die cut labels from the backing ply. At least some of the data plies and the die cut labels ere provided with common bar code indicia. The labels are applied to satellite packages so that only one waybill can accommodate a number of packages sent to the same addressee.

This application relates to courier waybills, and, in particular, courier waybill assemblies which comprise a plurality of plies or parts, at least one of which is adapted to be adhesively affixed to a package being shipped. Usually such assemblies comprise a minimum of three plies, one of which is retained by the customer shipping the package, one of which will be retained for the records of the carrier or courier service, and the other of which is affixed to the package being shipped.
Usually the waybill comprises more than three plies, as the carrier or courier service will frequently want at least two, one for its permanent records, and one to be used as a control record so that the shipment may be more readily traced from the point of shipment. Further, an extra ply will frequently accompany the package so that it may be initialled by the recipient and removed by the carrier or courier service as evidence of delivery.
In some cases a customer may want to ship more than one package to the same destination, and this necessitates the use of a separate multi-ply waybill for each package, with the result that three or four waybills may have to be completed and secured to the packages, with corresponding numbers of record plies being removed and retained by the customer and the courier service. If all packages are for shipment to the same destination, this results in a good deal of duplication and wastage of both time and forms, and a multiplicity of record copies must be removed and retained by the various parties and usually grouped together to indicate that several packages are included in the same shipment.
Waybills of the type described are usually provided with a backing sheet having a pressure sensitive adhesive on the outer surface thereof, which adhesive is covered by a protective release liner over the entire surface thereof. The release liner is adapted to be peeled from the adhesive surface of the backing sheet to expose the adhesive for direct application of the backing sheet, and components adhered thereto, directly to a package to be shipped.
The need to utilize a plurality of separate waybills for separate satellite or serial packages being shipped at the same time to the same destination may be avoided, according to the invention, if at least some of the plies are provided with machine readable bar code indicia for identification purposes, and if the backing sheet includes a plurality of readily removable (e.g. die cut) labels formed over a portion thereof so that the labels releasably adhere to the release liner, and are automatically removed from the backing sheet with the release liner is the release liner is peeled from the adhesive surface of the backing sheet. Preferably the labels are formed from an interior portion of the backing ply, leaving at least the perimeter thereof undisturbed so that the backing ply, and the portion of the waybill connected thereto, may be securely adhered to the package to be shipped by means of the undisturbed adhesive covered surface of the backing ply. The labels which may, for example, be three or four in number, may then be peeled from the release liner and adhesively affixed to one or more satellite or serial packages being shipped by the same customer at the same time to a common destination. Each label will bear bar code indicia which corresponds to the indicia on other parts of the waybill, so that the packages bearing the labels may be identified and associated with the main package carrying that part of the assembly which travels with the package and which identifies the addressee, the customer initiating the shipment, and pertinent information pertaining thereto.
In addition to the bar coded labels, other labels may also be formed from the backing ply which contain shipping instructions (for example, providing for Saturday delivery, etc.).
In addition to the bar code indicia applied to the labels, the labels may also be identified by number to indicate that the package to which the label is applied is a second, third, or four package, for example, of a group shipment.
The invention also contemplates a method of shipping using the waybill described above. The method comprises the steps of: (a) Separating the release liner from the backing ply, which simultaneously separates the die cut labels from the backing ply, the labels being retained on the release liner. Then (b) applying the pressure sensitive adhesive from the backing ply to a first package being sent to a given address so that the at least one dam ply with common bar code indicia is connected to the package. (c) Removing a label with common bar code indicia thereon from the release liner, and then applying the label with common bar code indicia thereon to a second package being sent to the given address. And, after steps (b) and (c), (d) shipping the first and second packages at the same time using the same carrier.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an advantageous waybill--and method of use thereof--for use with satellite packages. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.