In order to control a technical system using a control model, a transformation function is provided for reducing and/or obfuscating operating data of the technical system so as to obtain transformed operating data. In addition, the control model is generated by a model generator according to a first set of operating data of the technical system. In an access domain separated from the control model, a second set of operating data of the technical system is recorded and transformed by the transformation function into a transformed second set of operating data which is received by a model execution system. The control model is then executed by the model execution system, by supplying the transformed second set of operating data in an access domain separated from the second set of operating data, control data being derived from the transformed second set of operating data.

As a rule, the optimization of a behavior, an effect and/or a yield of a technical system in respect of predetermined criteria, in particular, is desirable when controlling complex technical systems, such as, e.g., gas turbines, wind turbines, manufacturing lines, motor vehicles or medical or technical imaging or analysis systems. To this end, contemporary controllers often use complex control models which derive specific control data for the purposes of controlling the technical system from operating data of said technical system. Such control models can be used, in particular, for simulating, predicting, analyzing and/or classifying operating data of the technical system. Contemporary control models are often based on simulation techniques or techniques from machine learning, e.g., by means of neural networks, and can be specifically trained or designed to optimize the control in respect of predetermined criteria on the basis of training data or other data of the technical system.
As a rule, creating and implementing a control model that is optimized for a technical system requires specific knowledge and a significant development outlay. Therefore such control models are often designed by correspondingly specialized vendors. However, as a rule, the vendor requires data of the technical system for the purposes of developing or training such a control model. Data of the technical system should likewise be supplied to the control model when the designed control model is used to control the technical system at a later stage. However, it is often in the interest of a user or operator of the technical system that critical data of the technical system is not provided to external parties. Conversely, a corresponding interest of the control model vendor is that implementation details of their control model are not provided to external parties.
Nevertheless, as a rule, the control model and the data of the technical system must, as it were, come together at a point to design or carry out the control model. Consequently, a problem arising is that of being able to ensure details of the internal workings of the control model on the one hand and of critical data of the technical system on the other hand are kept confidential from the respective other party.
One option for maintaining a certain amount of confidentiality consists of the model vendor providing their control model to the user of the technical system only in encrypted form. In order to carry out the encrypted control model at the user, the latter is moreover provided with an interpreter which can at least temporarily decrypt the control model at run time. Provided that, on the one hand, the control model is carried out at the user, their data remain confidential as a rule. Provided that, on the other hand, the control model is encrypted, the user is not able to directly access the internal workings of the model; however, the user could decompile the interpreter and thus compromise the encryption of the control model. Although such decompiling is connected with significant outlay as a rule, the confidentiality of the inner workings of the model falls with the willingness of the user to invest therein.
An aspect relates to specify a method and an arrangement for controlling a technical system based on a control model, in which confidentiality of the control model and of data of the technical system is better ensured.

Method and device for controlling a technical system using a control model


Ovicidal/pediculicidal anti-lice compositions comprising a mixture of actives wherein the ratio of synthetic pyrethroids to natural pyrethrins is from about 6:1 to about 10:1. Said active mixtures are incorporated into hair treatment compositions, such as shampoos, lotions and conditioners, which are stable at high storage temperatures, effective, safe and easy to use.

Infestation of the body by lice is an age old problem. Reference to these pests can be found throughout documented history. Lice have been responsible for the spread of typhus, causing decimation of many armies and navies of the military powers of the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Lice are still considered as disease vectors and present serious health problems throughout the world. Not only do lice carry a wide variety of bacteria on their exterior surfaces, but their fecal matter transmits disease when it enters the puncture wounds lice inflict during feeding.
The human lice genus includes pubic lice, body lice, and head lice. Although related, each of them have specific characteristics with regard to habitat and feeding. The present invention is most useful in treatment of head lice. Head lice are small hard-shelled ectoparasites which cling to hair follicles while feeding, mating and laying eggs. The louse must remain on the head as it will die within a short period of time when removed. Head lice proliferate at an incredible rate. A louse is ready to mate and reproduce within 10 hours after hatching. Under ideal conditions, a female louse may produce up to 300 eggs in its lifetime. Ideal conditions include an adequate food supply, environmental temperatures from about 28.degree. C. to about 32.degree. C., and relative humidity from about 70% to about 90%. Poor hygienic and grooming habits are also known to contribute significantly to the spread of lice. Thus, lice infestations are most serious in tropical areas where the inhabitants have both substandard hygienic facilities and practices.
The louse's hard keratinous shell serves as protection from external elements. Lice eggs (or ova) are similarly protected by a chitinous sheath surrounding the eggs and attached to the hair follicles. Although the lice may be affected by the use of an insecticide, often the eggs remain resistant to attack. Thus, the optimum chemical treatment should include both a pediculicide, which kills the adult lice, and an ovicide, which interrupts the gestation of the eggs.
Biologically active agents for the control of lice are well known in the art. Lindane (gamma-benzene hexachloride), synergized natural pyrethrins, and synthetic derived compounds known as pyrethroids have all been used as pediculicides in lice treatment compositions. However, since lindane has a poor safety profile and lice have developed a significant degree of resistance to it, natural pyrethrins and synthetic pyrethroids are now routinely chosen for use in pediculicide and ovicide compositions.
Natural pyrethrins are made from extracts of naturally insecticidal chrysanthemum flowers and have been used since the early 1930's. European Patent Application 191,236 published Aug. 20, 1986; European Patent Application 262,885, published Apr. 6, 1988; and British Patent Specification 1,593,601, published Jul. 22, 1981, all disclose the use of natural pyrethrins for treating lice. U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,666, Allan, issued May 26, 1987, notes that natural pyrethrin necessitates frequent follow-up treatments because its poor environmental stability only provides short term residual action.
Synthetic pyrethroids became popular during World War II when chrysanthemum flowers became nearly impossible to get. Besides being available at lower prices, they were also somewhat more stable than the natural product.
The toxicity of both natural and synthetic pediculicides upon insects is described in Clements, May, and Pesti, The Actions of Pyrethroids upon the Peripheral Nervous System and Associated Organs in the Locust, 8 Pesticide Science 661-680 (1977).
Although generally more effective against lice than natural pediculicides, some of the synthetic actives are more toxic to the subject being treated. To reduce safety risks to the user antilice compositions are formulated with a combination of natural and synthetic pediculicides. The combination is thought to be the most effective since natural pyrethrins are known to affect certain nerve response mechanisms that synthetic pyrethroids cannot. U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,666, Allan, discloses anti-lice treatment compositions containing combinations of natural pyrethrins and synthetic pyrethroids from about 5:1 to about 1:5. These compositions, however, are relatively unstable and the actives must be encapsulated with aryl siloxane polymers to minimize destabilization by environmental elements. Thus, aryl siloxane polymers are an essential component in the Allan compositions in order to achieve some degree of compositional stability. However, even the use of siloxanes alone does not prevent the separation of the actives in hair treatment compositions such as shampoos, lotions and conditioners at temperatures over 38.degree. C. This is a particular problem in tropical areas where lice infestation is most prevalent. Once the actives separate, they cannot be reincorporated back into the lotion, shampoo or conditioner, thereby, negatively affecting the compositions, safety and effectiveness.


An image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention which performs blurring processing on captured image data based on distance information of a subject includes a dividing unit configured to divide the captured image data into a plurality of image data pieces corresponding to pieces of the distance information different from each other, a generating unit configured to generate a plurality of blurred image data pieces by performing blurring processing on the plurality of divided image data pieces including an occlusion region, and a synthesizing unit configured to synthesize the plurality of blurred image data pieces.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus which performs image processing for blurring an undesired part of an image, an imaging apparatus including the image processing apparatus, and an image processing method for performing blurring of an undesired part of an image.
Description of the Related Art
One of camera photographing techniques has been known for intentionally blurring a part excluding a subject to maximize the distinction between the part and the subject. However, because a compact digital camera has a small image pickup device, for example, a shallow depth of field may not be achieved, and therefore a sufficient blur may not be expressed. Accordingly, a technology has been proposed for adding a blur to a captured image by performing image processing. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-025766 discloses a technology which uses a captured image and a distance information image to perform blurring processing including performing a convolution calculation for each distance range in order of a background and a foreground, for example, and thus generate a blurred image.
In order to perform highly accurate blurring processing on a foreground and a background, as in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-025766, luminance information of a background (occlusion region) hided by a foreground must be considered. However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-025766 performs blurring processing without considering such luminance information. As a result, an image having undergone blurring processing is likely to include artifacts.

Image processing apparatus, imaging apparatus, and image processing method


A thermoelectric watch including a thermoelectric module including a hot plate and a cold plate connected by semiconductor pillars, wherein the hot plate is thermally connected to the back cover of the watch, the cold plate is thermally connected to the case middle of the watch via a support element with at least two branches, at least two branches have a common end on which is held the cold plate of the thermoelectric module, and at least two branches are flexible to absorb shocks.

Such a thermoelectric generator converts a heat flux into electrical power that can be used to power an electric device of the watch (watch movement, dial lighting device, etc.). Referring to FIG. 1, a thermoelectric generator GT includes, in a conventional manner, a thermoelectric module MT and an electric transmission circuit CT. Thermoelectric module MT includes a cold plate PF and a hot plate PC, which are electrically insulated, substantially parallel to each other and each carry electrically conductive wire connectors DMf, DMc disposed next to each other. Thermoelectric module MT also includes semiconductor pillars PS extending between wire connectors DMc of hot plate PC and wire connectors DMf of cold plate PF. Pillars PS are positioned such that each wire connector DMc of hot plate PC is connected to two wire connectors DMf of cold plate PF by a pair of semiconductor pillars PS comprising one n-doped semiconductor pillar and one p-doped semiconductor pillar, and each wire connector DMf of cold plate PF, except the two end ones DMfe, is connected to two wire connectors DMc of hot plate PC. Thus, pillars PS are connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel. Finally, electric transmission circuit CT connects the two end wire connectors DMfe of cold plate PF to the electric device to be powered.
In a conventional manner, the hot plate is thermally in series with the back cover of the watch and the cold plate is thermally in series with the case middle. When the hot plate is heated by transmission of natural heat released from the watch wearer's wrist, there is a difference in temperature between the hot plate and the cold plate. The temperature gradient results in an electric potential difference via the Seebeck effect between the wire connectors of the first plate and the wire connectors of the second plate. This electric potential difference is then communicated to the electric device to be powered via the electric transmission circuit. It is noted that the electric transmission circuit advantageously includes a voltage booster so that the thermoelectric generator can power the electric device even when the heat fluxes are low.
To maximise the temperature gradient, the thermoelectric module must be placed in optimal thermal contact with the back cover on the one hand, and with the case middle on the other. Referring to FIG. 2, this optimal thermal contact conventionally means maintaining pressure between back cover FD and thermoelectric module MT on the one hand, and between thermoelectric module MT and a support plate ES which is thermally and mechanically connected to case middle CR, on the other. However, with such a system, shocks to case middle CR easily propagate to thermoelectric module MT, which can cause deterioration of thermoelectric module MT whose hot and cold plates PC, PF are fragile.

The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd


An electrical connector includes a housing having terminal chambers, terminals which are inserted into the chambers, and a terminal engagement holder provided with a locking anchor for an engagement portion of the housing in order to be assembled with the housing by two-steps of manipulation, which are a step of tentatively engaging the holder with the housing, and the other step of thereafter engaging the holder with the housing on a full scale. The locking anchor functions to urge the holder toward the housing while the holder is in the full-scale engagement with the rear portion of the housing, so that the holder can be surely engaged with the housing on the full scale even if the rear end of each of the terminals is located slightly behind a prescribed position.

The present invention relates to an electrical connector, more particularly to an improved electrical connector including a terminal engagement holder for preventing the terminals of the connector from inadvertently being removed rearwardly from the housing of the connector after being inserted into the terminal chambers of the housing.
An electrical connector includes terminals, terminal chambers, and engagement means which are so-called terminal lances or case lances provided on the terminals or the chambers in order to prevent the terminals from inadvertently being removed rearwardly off backward from the chambers after being inserted into them. Each of the terminal lances is formed by cutting and bending a portion of the terminal, and engaging that portion in an engagement groove provided in the inside surface on the terminal chamber. Each of the case lances is a flexible engagement arm provided on the inside surface on the terminal chamber, and engaged with the shoulder of the terminal or in the engagement opening thereof. However, such a terminal lance and such a case lance have become smaller in size along with the increase in the number of the terminals of such an electrical connector or the reduction in the size of the terminal so that it has become difficult to maintain the strength and holding power of the lances sufficiently high enough. For that reason, a terminal engagement holder manufactured separately from a housing has recently been used along with such engagement means to increase the terminal holding power of an electrical connector to enhance the reliability of electrical connection thereof.
FIG. 12A and 12B show a conventional electrical connector including such a terminal engagement holder b and disclosed in the Japan Patent Examined Publication No. Hei. 1-43986. The holder b is tentatively engaged with the housing a of the connector as shown in FIG. 12A, and is thereafter engaged with the housing on a full scale as shown in FIG. 12B. While the holder b is in the tentative engagement with the housing a, terminals c are inserted into the terminal chambers a.sub.1 of the housing so that the engagement portions c.sub.1 of the terminals are engaged with the terminal engagement claws a.sub.2 of the housing to subject the terminals to primary engagement holding. The holder b is thereafter engaged with the housing a on a full scale so that the edges b.sub.1 of the holder are engaged with the terminals c to subject them to secondary engagement holding.
Since the terminal engagement holder b of the above-mentioned conventional electrical connector has a butting corner portion b.sub.2 for preventing the holder from being unexpectedly engaged with the housing a on the full scale as the holder is manipulated to be tentatively engaged therewith, shifting the holder out of the tentative engagement into the full-scale engagement requires two steps of manipulation, which are a step of moving the holder sideward in a direction p, and another step of thereafter moving the holder forward in a direction g. This is a problem of less efficiency. Besides, the terminal is likely to be slightly longer than a prescribed length due to the elongative caulking of the electric wire connecting portion c.sub.2 of the terminal, the dimensional error of the terminal or the like so that the rear end c.sub.2 ' is located behind a prescribed position, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 12B, to make it impossible to lock the holder b to the housing a. Further, the holder b needs to be in the full-scale engagement with the housing a when the connector is fitted with another electrical connector for their mutual electrical connection. However, because of the constitution of the conventional connector, it is necessary to confirm by eyesight whether or not the holder b is in the full-scale engagement with the housing a. The confirmation is troublesome requiring a high degree of care. Furthermore, if a tensile force acts on an electric wire W in a direction r reverse to the former p and g while the holder b is in the full-scale engagement with the housing a, as shown in FIG. 12B, the holder is shifted out of the full-scale engagement back into the tentative engagement so that the terminals c are no longer being retained in a double engagement holding.


A storage/retrieval device for optical disks includes a container having an access slot. A disk shelf is rotatably mounted in the container and includes a plurality of storage compartments each for receiving an optical disk. A driving roller and a driven roller are rotatably mounted in the container for moving an optical disk into or out of the container via the access slot. An ejecting member includes a first end pivotably supported in the container and a second end operably coupled with the driving roller. The ejecting member is pivotable between a first position in one of the storage compartments for moving an optical disk in the storage compartment out of the storage compartment and a second position outside the storage compartment. A motor is provided to drive the driving roller for rotating the driving roller and the driven roller in opposite directions and for pivoting the ejecting member.

The present invention relates to a storage/retrieval device for optical disks and, more particularly, to a simplified storage/retrieval device that allows easy storage/retrieval of optical disks.
Optical disks are widely utilized to store electronic information in various fields including music, pictures, images, texts, etc. Operational convenience and reliable storage/retrieval of optical disks have become an important subject in view of the increasing use and increasing types of the optical disks. A currently existing storage/retrieval device includes a disk shelf having a plurality of storage compartments for receiving optical disks, a holding/transporting device for moving an optical disk into or out of the storage/retrieval device via an access slot, and an ejecting device for moving the optical disk out of one of the storage compartments. However, this storage/retrieval device requires three motors and three sets of corresponding transmission mechanisms for separate operations of the disk shelf, the holding/transporting device, and the ejecting device.
A need exists for an improved storage/retrieval device that is simplified without sacrificing convenient operation and reliable storage/retrieval of optical disks.

Storage/retrieval device for optical disks


The cache is turned on after every reset without the use of a software utility. For cold resets, the cache memory is kept off until the first software INT 19h is detected. During the INT 19h the cache is turned on. For a warm reset, the cache memory is turned on immediately after warm reset is detected.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cache coherency control. More particularly, it relates to a writethrough cache coherency control module and method for computer systems having a bus that does not support caches.
A cache memory is a small very fast memory used to store frequently used instructions and data. Cache memory is a tradeoff between speed and cost. Ideally, a computer would have main memory that is as fast as the CPU. But while such memory exists, it is much more expensive than main memory. Fortunately, a phenomenon known as the locality of execution principle exists which makes caching possible. This principle states that the CPU tends to use the same memory locations regularly. In general, the CPU follows the 80/20 rule which states that 20% of the memory addresses will be used 80% of the time. This being the case, a small, very fast and expensive memory can be used in conjunction with a much larger, slower and inexpensive main memory to gain most of the performance of an all high speed main memory, but at a small fraction of the cost.
A typical cache memory consists of very fast static RAM and a very fast cache controller. In operation, when the CPU requests data from main memory, the cache controller checks to see if the data is in the cache. This check is done with very fast logic. Ideally, the speed of the cache is tuned to the speed of the CPU, and with on board caches this happens automatically. If the requested data is in the cache, it is delivered much more quickly than if it were in main memory. This situation is called a cache hit. If the requested data is not in the cache, the CPU must access the slower main memory for the data. This is called a cache miss. Data retrieved during a cache miss is also written to cache for future use. In order to write new data into cache, other data must be eliminated. This is called a line replacement in cache. The cache controller performs this function and attempts to maintain the most frequently used data in cache.
However there are architectural problems with a cache memory. A first problem occurs when the CPU has modified data in cache memory and an external device needs to read that data. The CPU has copied the data from some locations in main memory into its cache memory. The CPU may then be using and modifying the data in cache. There are then certain locations in main memory with data which may be different than the data in the corresponding locations in cache. This doesn't matter for the CPU since it always looks first in the cache and thus has the most current data. However, if an external device (one other than the CPU) needs the same data, it would read "stale" data.
A second problem occurs when the CPU has modified data in the cache and an external device writes new data into the corresponding locations in main memory. In this case, the data in the CPU cache becomes stale.
These two situations give rise to the general problem known as cache coherency. That is, how does the system insure that the CPU and all external devices are using the same data when a cache memory is employed.
The solution is of course simple when the CPU directly supervises all accesses to main memory. But, as will be discussed later, modern, high performance architectures allow external devices to access main memory directly.
The solution for the external device read problem is related to the writeback strategy. That is, whenever the CPU modifies the data in its cache, the issue is how does it write back into the main memory. There are two approaches known as writethrough or writeback.
In a writethrough cache scheme, whenever the CPU modifies any data in cache, it will immediately go to the same location in memory and write the new information there. The CPU will never modify data in the cache and leave it unmodified in the main memory. Thus a writethrough memory helps the CPU performance by speeding up the read cycle. In the cacheless case the CPU had to both read and write from main memory. With a writethrough cache, the CPU only has to write to main memory. But this approach assures the system that any device which accesses main memory will have access to exactly the same data as in the cache.
In a writeback cache scheme, the CPU does not modify the main memory in every memory cycle. Rather, the CPU keeps operating out of cache for so long as an external device does not seek access to the memory locations that have been cached.
In order to accomplish this the CPU monitors the address and control busses looking for requests from external devices for addresses in main memory that have been cached. This is known as "snooping". If the CPU detects such a request and the data in cache has been modified, the CPU issues a command known as an "abort" or a "backoff". A backoff command activates a protocol that is built into both the external device and the CPU. When the external device receives a backoff command, it stops the operation it was doing and gives control of the bus back to the CPU. The CPU then writes the modified data from the cache to the corresponding location in main memory and then gives the control of the bus back to the external device. The device will then re-execute the same cycle. With this protocol, the external device will get the updated data. The advantage of a writeback cache is that the CPU does not have to writethrough to main memory on every memory cycle. It need writeback to main memory only when there is a request from an I/O device. And since the number of I/O requests is tiny compared to CPU cycles, the writeback cache is a high performer. Thus, in this case, main memory is updated only as actually required.
In the case of an external I/O device seeking to write to a main memory address that has been cached and modified there by the CPU, an action known as "invalidation" is invoked. Since the CPU is always monitoring or "snooping" on the addresses that it has in the cache, each time that the CPU detects an address in main memory that is to be modified and which address has been cached, the CPU knows that there will be new data available to it, and the CPU invalidates that portion of the cache containing the data being modified in main memory. The CPU then accesses main memory to get the new data. Thus, an external device writing to memory is handled through snooping and invalidations. This scheme works with either writethrough or writeback cache coherency schemes.
Thus in a conventional implementation of a cache memory, the bus is designed to support one of the two coherency schemes: writethrough or writeback. In a writethrough scheme, the bus is designed to have the signals to be snooped available. In a writeback cache, the bus needs to not only have the signals to be snooped available, but also to have the backoff lines on the bus and the extra logic somewhere.
The early 8088 brand microprocessor through the 386 brand microprocessor manufactured by Intel Corporation did not have cache memory capability. And, the busses used in computers incorporating these microprocessors, did not support cache memory. That is, they did not contain snooping or backoff hardware.
Newer microprocessors manufactured by Intel Corporation, however, have included cache memory as part of their performance enhancement. For example, the Intel i486 brand microprocessor contains writethrough cache memory capability and the Intel Pentium brand microprocessor contains writeback cache capability. Thus, all new computers using these microprocessors contain some sort of cache memory.
However, there is a very large installed base of 386 brand microprocessor based computers, and some significant number of the users of such computers could have an interest in upgrading their computer by retrofiting them with either a i486 or Pentium brand microprocessor. This would be a low cost approach to improved performance. But, in order to do this and take at least some advantage of the caching built into the new microprocessors, it is necessary to develop a way of using cache memory on a computer bus that does not have the hardware to support cache memory.
The applications referenced in the Cross-reference to Related Applications section of this application describe two ways to accomplish this task. However, in order to fully understand the referenced applications and how the present invention relates to them, it is necessary to understand something of the basic computer architectures used in the IBM PC and IBM compatable (e.g. the MS DOS compatable) PC marketplace.
A computer architecture defines at the highest level how a computer system is organized for handling information. The basic elements of all computer systems are a CPU, memory, input/output ("I/O") devices and peripheral devices. All of these devices are interconnected by a bus.
At its most basic level, a bus consists of a group of conductors carrying signals that allow the system to communicate among its various devices and includes conductors carrying signals that allow the system to uniquely address memory locations as well as all addressable devices in the system. This part of the bus is called the address bus.
Once a device or memory location has been selected by the address bus, data is passed to and from the device or memory along a bi-directional data bus. The width of the data bus, for example 16 or 32 bits, is one indicator of computer performance.
Finally, a control section is needed to indicate when the data and address signals are valid since at all times after the computer is powered up there are signals on the bus: either 0 or 5 volts (or 3.3 volts in some technologies). Thus, there must be a mechanism to tell the rest of the system when the signals on the data and address bus are valid. A control bus performs this function. The control bus indicates that the signals on the address bus are now valid so all addressable components are to decode the signals on the address bus to determine which device is being addressed. Similarly, when a device responds, it sends a signal on the control bus which indicates that the signals on the data bus are now valid so that the component which is programmed to receive the data can now do so.
Taken together, these three buses are referred to collectively as the "CPU bus" or just "the bus".
The first architecture to gain prominence in the IBM PC and IBM compatable PC marketplace was the Industry Standard Architecture (the "ISA"). This architecture is used on Intel 8088 through i486 brand microprocessor based computers and has by far the greatest installed base of users.
FIG. 1 illustrates the ISA at its most basic level. Referring to FIG. 1, the computer system consist of a CPU 10 connected to all portions of bus 12. The address and control portions of bus 12 are connected to main memory controller 14. A main memory array 16 is connected to the data portion of bus 12 and to memory controller 14 through interconnect 18. On each address cycle, memory controller 14 decodes the address signals to determine if there is an address in main memory to be accessed. If a main memory access is required, memory controller 14 sends control signals to main memory array 16, which causes either a read or a write of data to the data portion of bus 12.
In addition to main memory, the CPU must communicate over the bus to peripherals such as keyboards, printers, monitors and disk drives, the direct memory access (the "DMA") controller, and various add in cards. This is accomplished by means of addressable registers called I/O devices. Each I/O device is also connected to the data and control portion of the bus. In the case of the 386 and i486 brand microprocessors, addresses are logically organized into two basic areas called "spaces": a separate I/O map called an I/O space which has 64K possible addresses and a memory space of up to 4 gigabytes A control signal which when asserted indicates that the address to be accessed is in main memory, and when not asserted indicates I/O space. The I/O space contains the addresses of all devices that perform I/O functions. Each I/O device has a unique address in I/O space and monitors the address bus for commands. When addressed, the device decodes the command and responds to it with either a read or write operation.
In MS DOS based systems, there is a special section of memory space between address 640K and 1 meg called upper memory. Portions of this address space are reserved for specific functions such as BIOS and video memory. However, there are "holes" in this space that are not reserved. These holes are called non-standard memory space. Addresses in non-standard memory space are occasionally used by system manufacturers for I/O devices.
Still referring to FIG. 1, a DMA controller (sometimes referred to as the DMA) 20 is connected to all three portions of bus 12. In ISA, the DMA controller is the device that allows all other devices to take control of the bus to access memory. The DMA is connected to all of the I/O devices in the system and acts like a gate in that an external device that seeks access to memory must first access the DMA controller.
Early computer systems had a single DMA with 4 channels: one channel for each I/O device to be controlled. To increase the number of I/O channels, a second DMA 22 was added by convention through channel 4 of DMA controller 22. This effectively increased the number of channels to 7. DMA controller 20 which is connected directly to the bus is referred to as the "master" DMA controller, and DMA controller 22 is referred to as the "slave" DMA controller since the master controls the slave's access to the bus through its channel 4. In FIG. 1, a first external device 24 and a second external device 26 may be connected to bus 12 and to channels 3 and 1 respectively of slave DMA controller 24. These devices could be for example a floppy or hard disk or a fax card and will have addresses in I/O space.
In operation, the CPU commands the DMA to monitor all of its channels to look for devices in the system that are trying to transfer data. If a channel is active, the CPU programs the DMA with the address in memory at which the data transfer is to start; the device from which the data is to be supplied, the type of operation, read or write, and the number of bytes of data to be transferred. When the controller has completed the data transfer, it sends an interrupt signal to the CPU indicating task completion. During the period after the CPU has programmed the DMA controller and the receipt of the interrupt indicating completion, the CPU is free to do other tasks. This vastly increases the productivity of the CPU.
In order to operate with a slave, the master DMA must be able to take control of the bus from the CPU and pass it through to the slave DMA. This pass through mode is called "cascade"
The DMA can in the same way as passing control to another DMA, pass control to an external device. This feature makes another class of direct access devices called "bus master devices" feasible. Historically, bus master devices were desirable since the DMA controller operates at 4 mhz. This is much slower than the 33, 50 or now 66 mhz CPU's that evolved after the ISA was selected. Thus, the DMA controller was slowing down the newer computer systems. But, backward compatibility requires that the DMA continue to operate at 4 mh. In response, a bus master device was devised to go around the DMA controller.
This led to the "bus master" device.
A bus master device is one that can acquire the bus and read and write to main memory independent of either the CPU or the DMA controller. Examples of bus master devices are SCSI hard disk controllers and fax cards. In operation, upon a request from a bus master device the DMA will take control of the bus but it will allow the bus master device to determine the address in memory that is to be written or read from. The CPU need not program the address into the DMA. Each bus master device has a unique address in the I/O space. The CPU does a write or read to that address to initiate the device, otherwise it will do nothing. The CPU monitors the status register of device determine if the transaction was successful. In FIG. 1, a bus master device is schematically illustrated as blocks 28 connected directly to bus 12 and also to channel 6 of DMA controller 20.
ISA based systems are not the only systems using microprocessors manufactured by Intel Corporation. While the ISA bus is by far the most widely used, it has several deficiencies. In particular, it is not sufficiently well defined to allow high performance add in devices to be used effectively. To solve this problem, IBM developed a totally new bus called the micro channel architecture (MCA) bus.
The MCA bus has several enhancements over the ISA bus. One enhancement is a much faster data transfer. A second enhancement is a dedicated bus controller that allows external devices to take control of the bus and access main memory directly.
In ISA, the DMA controller is the unit that allows any other device to get control of the CPU bus. The DMA controller acts like a gate in that an external device must talk to the DMA controller to get access to main memory. Thus everything done by the DMA is visible to the CPU.
With MCA there is no gate concept. The bus controller is not an addressable device as is the DMA controller. Rather, it is a set of logic that receives requests from any device, other than the CPU that can talk to memory and arbitrates bus access on its own. This architecture is illustrated in FIG. 2. Referring now to FIG. 2, the computer system has a MCA bus 13 which includes address, data and control signals. A bus controller 41 is tied to bus 13 by signal carrier 42. Bus controller 41 manages the transfer of information between external bus master device 44 and an external non-bus master device 46 through DMA 48 and a central processing unit (CPU) 10. From FIG. 2, it can be seen that all external devices, bus master, non-bus master and including DMA controller, achieve access to the bus through bus controller 41.
ISA in cascade mode and MCA have a similar problem. The CPU doesn't know which device is going to take control of the bus. In non-cascade mode the CPU, knows exactly where the DMA will allow access to memory. However, this cannot be done for a device in cascade mode or in MCA because that device can use nearly any of the addresses in the 64K I/O space. The CPU cannot keep track of this address. Thus a bus master card in both ISA and MCA can read or write to memory addresses unknown to the CPU.
With the foregoing background, it is now possible to examine the prior art cache coherency schemes. Ghori provides a cache coherency module ("CCM") added to the microprocessor chip that snoops the addresses put on the bus. When the CCM detects that the DMA is programmed to do a write to main memory, the entire cache is flushed and the page in main memory (in MS DOS systems, main memory is divided into pages of 64K bytes) that is being written to is kept non-cacheable until the data write is complete. Completion of the data write is determined by monitoring the application software's interrogation of the DMA status register with a software initiated interrupt. The cache is turned off completely when cascade mode is implemented since the CPU does not know which areas of memory may become incoherent. For the same reasons, the Ghori scheme does not work with MCA systems either. In addition, there a problem with determining the end of a data transfer with the Ghori scheme. Ghori relies on an access by the application software to the DMA status register to signal the end of a data transfer. But, not all application software actually checks the status of the DMA controller for completion of a data transfer. Thus, in cases where the application software does not read the DMA status register, either the entire cache remains off indefinitely or the non-cacheable pages of memory would remain uncacheable for an indefinite period of time and performance would suffer. In addition, the Ghori scheme requires considerable additional logic and memory to keep track of the noncacheable pages. This causes increase in die size which translates into a more expensive device. Finally, Ghori does not provide hardware to turn the cache memory on after a reset not to specify the parts of main memory that are cacheable.
The Kulkarni application cross-referenced above deals with writeback cache coherency for systems having busses that either support writethrough caching only or no caching at all on the bus; however this application does disclose a method of dealing with cacheable memory size for writeback cache control systems.

Low cost writethrough cache coherency apparatus and method for computer systems without a cache supporting bus


An image processing method includes recognizing a first object that is included in the image data, calculating a positional variation amount of a feature point that corresponds to the first object and is moving in an image center direction so as to calculate a moving speed of the first object on the basis of the positional variation amount, determining whether or not the first object is a gaze target object of the user, in accordance with a behavior of the first object, the behavior being obtained on the basis of the positional variation amount of the first object among the plurality of image data, of which acquisition time is respectively different and whether or not the object continuingly exists in a second region, the second region being positioned in an inside of the first region and including a center point of the image data, for a predetermined period of time.

In recent years, such technique that detailed information of objects existing around a user (referred to below as collateral information) is acquired in a state that the user wears a wearable display such as a head mount display (HMD) on which a camera for acquiring external information is mounted has been developed along with development of information communication technology. Collateral information includes information which does not appear superficially on an object such as information of a specific name of the object, environments in which the object is manufactured, other users' reputation with respect to the object, and the like as well as information which is obtained from an appearance of the object.
Here, when a user selects and acquires information which is desired to acquired, for example, from a plurality of pieces of collateral information, an input system of information from the user has to be prepared. In this case, an interface of related art such as a mouse and a keyboard may be used, but a method in which a motion (gesture) of a user is used as an input system has attracted attention as a simple and effective input method.
As methods in which a gesture of a user is used as an input system, a method in which a finger motion is measured with an acceleration sensor and a method in which movement of a visual line is measured with a visual line detection device which is mounted on a wearable device have been disclosed (for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 10-214306).
Further, to realize a hands-free or eyes-free user interface using gestures, such method that movement of a head (including a jaw) is recognized as a gesture has attracted attention, as well. Regarding a recognition method by a motion of a head, it is possible to realize natural gesture input which is related to actual daily performance of a human such as nodding and head shaking.
As a method in which a motion of a head is used as an input system, a method in which a position of a head is estimated by an externally-disposed sensor so as to determine a motion of the head has been disclosed. Further, a method in which an acceleration sensor is attached on a head of a user and a value obtained from the acceleration sensor is analyzed so as to determine a motion of the head has been disclosed (for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2011-14082).

Image processing device, image processing method, and a computer-readable non-transitory medium


The connection, assembly, or fill of two or more pre-sterilized components having at least one terminal end each for attachment to another component, and an apparatus for performing such a connection, while maintaining the sterility of the components is disclosed. The resulting connection is made permanent by bonding the contacting components together using either a solvent bonding technique, a radio frequency sealer, a heat sealer, or any other suitable process. The connection is preferably made within an active sterile field. Using a low-voltage electron beam instrument, such as the MIN-EB™, a suitable sterile field sphere can be created. The terminal ends of the multiple components remain within the sterile field sphere until the possibility of contamination within the sealed components is significantly reduced to industry acceptable standards.

Pre-sterilized, disposable medical products are commonplace in the United States, and other countries throughout the world. One significant restraint on the design, development, and manufacture of such products has been the fact that certain desirable products would include portions or components which are mutually incompatible from a sterilization standpoint. For example, it may be desirable to provide a unitary, pre-sterilized product which has a sealed liquid or powder drug component and a plastic apparatus component, such as a tubing or flow control set.
The integral product, however, cannot be sterilized after assembly because not all of the components may be subjected to the same form of sterilization. That is, the plastic apparatus component (e.g., the tubing or flow control device) may only be capable of sterilization with radiation or gas. The drug component, on the other hand, may not be sterilized with either gas or radiation—gas sterilization would be ineffective to sterilize a sealed drug, while exposing the drug to radiation may lead to product degradation or otherwise have a deleterious effect on the drug.
Accordingly, efforts have been made to devise a method or means for joining, in a sterile manner, components which are individually pre-sterilized. Such efforts have included the use of electron beam accelerators to sterilize the compromised portion of the assembled components. Electron beam sterilization is a well-known and accepted technique for terminally sterilizing disposable medical devices. Existing electron beam systems are high voltage devices whose electrons completely penetrate the materials being sterilized. Such a device and method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,009,654 and 5,496,302, both to Minshall et al., and both assigned to Baxter International Inc.
The electron beam used in Minshall et al. is derived from a high energy (>0.3 MeV or 300 KeV) instrument to "achieve sterilization at the tubing center." Energy levels of 1.1 MeV, 0.9 MeV, 0.75 MeV, and 0.6 MeV are disclosed for sterilization. The high energy process involves clamping the tubing to be connected together close to their terminal ends. Then the terminal ends are cutoff and the open ended tubings are bonded or welded together. Before the new fluid pathway is opened, the high energy electron beam is applied between the two clamps to effect sterilization. While these type of high energy systems function well, when compared to the present invention they can be considered very large (sometimes requiring a separate room with thick walls of lead shielding), more expensive, and somewhat product-specific.
Another example of creating a sterile connection is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,723 and Reissue No. 32,056 to Granzow et al., each assigned to assignee of the present invention. The Granzow et al. invention is based upon a clear TPX unisex connector housing containing an integral black TPX (carbon doped) disk. The connectors are attached to tubing from, for example, a solution container that has been steam sterilized, which is connected to similar tubing from a solution delivery set which has been ethylene oxide (EtO) or Gamma sterilized. Snapping two connectors together and applying an intense focused light beam on the black disks quickly melts them together to form an annular ring that completes the sterile fluid path and effects a sterile connection. Subsequent to connection, the solutions would be transferred to empty solution containers, while the sterile connectors, including the original solution containers, were removed and discarded. Although functional, the present invention provides a method which improves the rate and cost of this process.
E.I. Du Pont developed and patented a "Hot Knife" tubing to tubing connection system, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,263 to Benin et al. In this system, two thermoplastic tubes with sealed ends facing each other are placed side by side in a fixture incorporating a special heated knife blade. A connection is made by (1) cutting through both tubes with the heated knife blade, (2) shuttling the tubes to be connected into alignment on each side of the heated knife blade, and (3) removing the heated knife blade while pushing the tubes together. This system can be more expensive to use than the present invention because it requires the use of a new disposable knife blade for each connection made.
The apparatus and methods of the present invention overcome the disadvantages of other prior art techniques. The present invention is focused on maintaining the sterility of the pre-sterilized components during assembly, connection, and fill, rather than attempting to effect sterilization after such manipulations, like the processes used extensively by those skilled in the art. Additionally, the present invention is focused on processes which are far less expensive than techniques utilizing disposable parts.

Method and apparatus for manipulating pre-sterilized components in an active sterile field


One object of the present invention is to provide a new arrangement for an optical module that enables to align the optical fiber with the semiconductor optical device in active alignment technique. The optical module of the present invention includes a container, a base and a ferrule assembly. The ferrule assembly integrates the optical fiber, the ferrule and the holder, in which the ferrule secures the optical fiber in a center thereof and the holder having a V-groove secures the ferrule in the V-groove. The container has a depression, one end of which is opened, for receiving the ferrule therein. The semiconductor optical device is mounted on a region opposite to the open of the depression of the container. Both sides of the depression are regions on a primary surface of the container, and, when the holder is placed on these two regions, the ferrule is set within the depression with gaps against side surfaces of the depression. Thus, by sliding the holder on the container, the optical fiber can be actively aligned with the semiconductor optical device mounted on the container in directions parallel to the optical axis and within the primary surface of the container.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical module.
2. Related Prior Art
A semiconductor laser module disclosed in the Japanese patent published as H09-171126 includes a V-groove formed on a substrate for defining positions of an optical fiber, a scale provided within the V-groove for aligning the optical fiber along an optical axis in the V-groove, and a semiconductor laser disposed on the substrate. Using the scale, it is facilitated for the optical fiber to align along the optical axis after installing the fiber within the V-groove.
Another Japanese patent published as H10-311936 discloses an optical module using a guide substrate that includes a guide groove for securing an optical fiber and another groove formed in an end of the guide groove. In this optical module, a semiconductor laser is mounted on a mounting substrate different to the guide substrate. The mounting substrate is placed on the guide substrate such that the primary surface thereof faces the primary surface of the guide substrate. Thus, the semiconductor laser on the mounting substrate locates within the groove of the guide substrate, and an optical alignment of the semiconductor laser may be carried out by adjusting the position of the mounting substrate on the guide substrate as monitoring an optical output from the semiconductor laser. At a position where the output power obtained from the semiconductor laser diode becomes a maximum, the mounting substrate is rigidly fixed to the guide substrate.
In the semiconductor laser module disclosed in the former application, H09-171126, since the optical fiber is secured within the V-groove, the position of the optical fiber can not be adjusted along a direction intersecting the V-groove. On the other hand, the position of the optical fiber can be easily aligned along the V-groove by utilizing the scale provided along the V-groove. In the other optical module disclosed in the latter application, H10-311936, the semiconductor laser may be aligned, in the guide substrate, with the optical fiber secured in the guide groove. However, the semiconductor laser can be adjusted its position only in a quite narrow groove provided in the guide substrate, so only a slight margin is allowed for the optical alignment.
Therefore, one of objects of the present invention is to provide an innovative structure for an optical module that is capable of aligning in active between a semiconductor optical device and an optical fiber secured in a V-groove.


A new class of actuators and mechanisms use opposing repulsive magnetic forces. The repulsive forces are typically generated between a stationary magnet and a moving magnet, where the moving magnet is coupled to the mechanism output member. The mechanisms are generally configured such that the repulsive force from one electromagnet is opposed by a repulsive force from another electromagnet, where the opposing forces are simultaneously applied to the mechanism's output member. This configuration is similar in certain aspects to the way biological flexor and extensor muscles are configured in a musculoskeletal system. The opposing configuration allows for open loop control of position and stiffness. The actuator mechanism may have both rotary and linear motion output, and may have either a single degree of freedom or multiple degrees of freedom. Permanent magnets can be used to create a baseline repulsive force without electric power, and electromagnets can modulate the repulsive force magnitude. The actuator can provide high fidelity motion and force output, and is well suited for human interface devices, such as force feedback joysticks. Other applications include adjustable stiffness devices, and high bandwidth mechanisms.

This invention relates to actuators and mechanisms which can generate motion and force output. It relates more specifically to devices that use electromagnetic forces to generate actuator output. It relates to computer operated machines. It relates to machines that act as an interface between a human user and machines of all types, including computers and machine tools.
This invention relates to computer controlled machines, where a computer specifies the desired performance of a mechanism. The computer may use sensor feedback, where sensor measurement of a mechanism is used by the computer to control the mechanism. A computer may also use sensor-less, or open-loop control, where the computer controls the mechanism without sensor feedback. One such control method is open-loop stiffness control, where the stiffness of a mechanism is specified, without sensor measurement of force applied to or position of the mechanism.
Computer controlled mechanism have a wide variety of applications, including robotics, automatic machining, consumer products, and medical devices. In lieu of a computer control, actuators can be controlled from simple controllers, signals from other mechanisms, or directly by humans (or even animals).
A specific application of this invention is for actuated human interface devices. Many machines are controlled, either directly or indirectly, by a human operator. The interface through which the operator controls the machine and receives information from the machine should be as easy to use as possible. The user may input commands to, receive information from, and otherwise interact with such machines through various devices, such as a lever, joystick, foot pedal, mouse (having buttons and a tracking mechanism), exoskeleton, keyboard, touch screen, digitized pad or tablet, head mouse, haptic force reflecting mechanism, etc. In general the component that the user physically touches is referred to as an "interface member."
In certain instances it is desirable that the interface device be actuated so that forces can be applied by the mechanism onto the user. A system that accomplishes this is sometimes referred to as a "force reflecting" system or a "haptic" interface, because it relates to the human system of touch.
An actuated interface device can function as both an input and output device. The user may input signals into a computer by manipulating the interface device, and the computer may output signals by imparting force and motion onto the user through the interface device. Thus, an interface member may also be referred to as an output device, or a display, etc. The format of the input and output signals can be in terms of force and torque, and position and rotation (and their time derivatives including velocity and acceleration).
Force reflecting interfaces are surveyed and described in general by Burdea, Grigore, in Force and Touch Feedback For Virtual Reality, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York (1996).
One use of actuated human interface devices is for telepresence and in teleoperated systems. Telepresence is when a person or teleoperator uses technology to mediate interactions with a remote physical environment. In the master/slave configuration, the user manipulates a "master" input device in the user's local environment. There may be a "slave" robot, typically in a different, non-local environment, which moves in accordance to the user's manipulations. The configuration of the master device may or may not conform to some degree to the conformation of the slave device. Teleoperation is useful in applications where direct interactions might be impossible because of physical conditions which are hazardous to humans, for example working with radioactive waste, or working in an underwater environment a mile deep. Other physically impossible conditions might be related to physical scale, such as nanomanipulation of a molecule, or the macromanipulation of an enormous crane. An example of telepresence is remote surgery, in which a surgeon uses a force-feedback scalpel at one location connected to a robotic scalpel in a surgical suite at another location. The surgeon's locally generated forces are transmitted to a remote actuator, and the remote forces generated by that actuator in contact with the patient are "fed back" to the surgeon's hand held scalpel, creating an effective, telemanipulative operation.
Another application of actuated human interface devices is "virtual presence." In virtual presence human operators control and interact with "virtual" machines and environments, which are not physical, but rather are "embodied" or reside in a computer model. A virtual environment relates to an environment that bears some mapping to an actual physical instance of the environment. For instance, a computer representation of a real slave environment is considered herein to be a virtual environment that corresponds to the physical slave environment. Virtual presence may also be used for semi-autonomous control of interaction with physical objects. This might occur when communications lag time between a person and the remote environment is too long, such as when operating a remote device on the planet Mars.
One objective of an actuated interface is to increase the realism of human interaction with virtual representation of objects by expanding the scope of human sensation and perception to include physical characteristics such as interaction forces with an object; and for movable objects; heft and inertia. This increase in realism allows humans to perform tasks better by leveraging human motor skills, and a heightened experience related to the interaction.
Actuated interface devices can be used to convey general information to the user. The force interactions may not necessarily correspond to a remote slave environment, or to a virtual environment mapped from a physical environment. For example a force interaction may be used to indicate the misspelling of a word in a word processing program. Actuated interface devices may also be used in computer games, by providing force-feedback to the users.
This invention also relates to actuators and mechanisms with numerous Degrees of Freedom (DOF). Each rigid body may have up to six DOF including translation and rotation. Moreover, the interface mechanisms may have numerous rigid members or flexible members. Thus, the overall number of DOF of such a mechanism may be greater than six. For example a master arm may have a hand portion, with several fingers, each with several joints.
For actuators in general, and especially for actuated interface mechanisms, high fidelity is often an important design consideration. A high fidelity actuator will have an output that is as close as possible to the desired output. The fidelity of the output relates to both accuracy in magnitude and in timing. Accordingly, a high fidelity mechanism will have a high bandwidth, and a minimum time delay from the instance that an output is desired and when the actuator responds. To achieve a high fidelity in the magnitude of the output it is desirable to minimize detrimental friction and backlash, which are often inherent in systems with transmissions between the actuators and the interface member.
Much of the engineering design effort related to force-feedback has centered on reducing the costs of present force-feedback input devices and development of software for authoring haptic cues, rather than basic force-feedback actuator design. Many present force-feedback input device rely on traditional motor actuators and closed-loop control, despite their many limitations, such as backlash and limited bandwidth. Therefore, there is a need for a high fidelity, robust, and low-cost actuator for use in these applications.
Known actuators meet many current needs. Most known mechanisms actuate a single DOF with a single powered actuator. However, many of the limbs of humans and animals function by a balancing between two opposed actuators (flexor and extensor muscles), which can be energized independently or simultaneously. Moreover, the forces generated by human and animal muscle vary depending on the length of muscle extension. Conversely, many mechanical actuators are designed to generate a force output that remains constant despite variations in the actuator's position.
Some known devices are similar to biological muscles in that they incorporate actuators whose output is a function of position, in a configuration that balances two opposed actuators. For example the pneumatic actuators described by H. M. Paynter "Low-Cost Pneumatic Arthrobots Powered By Tug-&-Twist Polymer Actuators" Japan/USA Symposium on Flexible Automation, Volume 1 pp. 107-110, July 1996, achieve the biological advantage of simplified control of position. However these systems use pneumatic power, which has the disadvantage that they require a source of pressurized fluid or gas which makes the size of the device large and noisy, and thereby unsuitable for many environments.
Known devices that use a single actuator for each DOF can operate under a control scheme that controls the stiffness, the position, or both of the device. However, most such devices require position sensors, and then perform calculations based on the measured position of the device. Thus, they use closed loop position and/or stiffness controllers. Often the computational time necessary to operate such closed loop stiffness or position control renders the device sluggish, or unrealistic in feel, given the typical computational limitations of computers available for common applications. Thus, the bandwidth of stiffness control is rather low. Further, instability in the control can arise if the lag in the control loop is too great, causing loss of control. For many actuated user interface mechanisms, low bandwidth degrades the quality of the device, and the computation time of the feedback loop is a limiting factor in system performance (see Burdea chapter 8, cited above).
Many mechanisms and actuated user interfaces require performance tradeoffs to achieve the desired magnitude of force or torque output. Often such systems use rotating electric motors as the power source. The torque output of an electric motor is proportional to the diameter of the rotor, and thus high torque motors have a very large diameter. In many actuator applications, a high force or torque is required to be applied at a low speed, and over a limited range of motion. To achieve a high level of torque while avoiding the cost of a large electric motor, a small motor is often operated at a high speed and coupled to a transmission that increases the torque while reducing the speed. However, transmissions typically have disadvantages that degrade the system performance of controlling position, force, and stiffness. Geared transmissions have backlash due to gaps between the meshing gear teeth. When the motor reverses direction, the transmission output does not respond until the gear gap is closed, which results in a lag in the response and rough performance. Other types of transmissions use cables, yet these systems have disadvantages of cable stretch and need adjustment to remove cable slack to avoid backlash. Novel and expensive actuators have been designed for user input devices, in part to avoid the use of transmissions, see Burdea cited above.
Many actuators and mechanisms have a limited amount of travel, such as a given distance for linear actuators and a given amount of rotation for rotating actuators. When the actuator or mechanism reaches the end of its travel, it often contacts a mechanical stop. The impact force with the mechanical stop can damage the actuator and mechanism. In addition, if a device is a user input device, then hitting the stop can abruptly change the device sensation in an undesirable fashion. If the maximum actuator force near the limits of travel is not sufficiently large, then hitting the mechanical stops can occur frequently. Accordingly, to avoid detrimental contact with the travel limit it is desirable to have a large actuator force near the travel limit.
In many systems with rotary motors, the motors themselves do not have mechanical stops, but they are coupled to an output member that does have a limited range of motion. In such systems the motor force typically remains constant over the complete range of travel. Since the actuator force does not increase near the limits of travel, hitting mechanical stops may occur frequently. Increasing the overall force generated by the motor may be inefficient, since large forces may only be required near the limits of travel.
Another disadvantage of using rotary motors, is that it can be difficult to build compact multi-degree of freedom systems. Rotary actuators are often combined in series when building multi-degree of freedom mechanisms. In a series configuration, the motors closer to the base reference move both the mechanism linkages and the motors that are farther from the base. Since the base motors must move the weight of other motors, their power requirements and size are large. Cable systems are sometime introduced to place the motors in a stationary location. However, as the number of degrees of freedom increase, the cable routing can become very complex. Accordingly, there is a need for actuators that can be configured in compact multi-degree of freedom mechanisms.
One possible approach to building compact multi-degree of freedom mechanisms is to use actuators that generate linear motion, and combine them in a parallel fashion. Thereby, the weight of the actuators is not directly applied to other actuators, and smaller actuators can be used. Thus it is advantageous to have compact linear actuators. However, most electric powered actuators are rotary.
For many computer input devices, it is desirable that the interface device return to a set point, or home position, when the user releases the interface member. A computer input device that has force feedback capabilities, can be programmed to return to a set point. However, if the force feedback actuators expend energy in return-to-set-point operations, then the device may overheat, since the return-to-set-point occurs frequently. In addition, when the force feedback device is in a retail sales display, where there is no electric power, it is desirable that potential customers can feel a return-to-set-point behavior. Accordingly, it is advantageous that the actuator for a force feedback computer input device be able to return the device to a set point position without the expenditure of energy.
A known method of returning a computer input device to set point is to use mechanical springs. This method does not expend energy, yet it has disadvantages. In a force feedback device, the actuators would have to overcome the spring force to generate the desired output force. Moreover, in order to prevent a loose spring, the springs are often pretensioned such that a user must overcome a threshold force before the interface member begins to move. This configuration hinders the user from imparting high precision, low force level inputs. Moreover, the threshold force may impart a directional preference in multi-degree of freedom devices that hinders the user from imparting their desired direction of input. The spring preload can also increase the friction in the system, further hindering high precision user input.
Known mechanisms are often deliberately built with specific degrees of compliance (i.e. springiness). For example, the shock absorbers in an automobile absorb variations in road surface, and a robot gripper may be designed with specific degrees of compliance to accommodate misalignments in the parts being assembled. The degrees of compliance are often fine tuned to achieve the desired performance of the mechanism, including the natural frequency of the mechanism and the level of forces applied by the mechanism. Typically the compliance in these devices are determined by the material properties of the materials and springs used. In such mechanisms, changing the compliance level requires a mechanical change to the mechanism.
When the conditions of operation change it may be desirable to change the compliance of a mechanism. For example when a robot arm experiences high accelerations it may be desirable to increase the stiffness in the gripper to avoid undesirable vibrations and perturbations. However, when the robot arm slows down to perform fine motion during assembly, a higher level of springiness in the gripper may be desirable to enable the robot gripper to accommodate part misalignment. Moreover, different levels of compliance may de desired for different parts being assembled. If the compliance is generated from mechanical springs, then modifying the mechanism compliance requires changing the mechanical configuration, which is complex and requires additional actuators. Accordingly, there is a need for a simple method to modify the compliance of a mechanism, such as with electronic control.
Thus one of the objectives of the invention includes an actuated mechanism that can be controlled with electrical power, yet incorporates some of the advantages of biological musculoskeletal systems. It is also an objective to provide passive stability, and the ability for open loop position and stiffness control, which would facilitate high bandwidth performance. Another objective of the invention is to facilitate an actuated human interface device, with a high fidelity position and torque or force signal provided to the user. Another objective is to provide an interface that can generate a large output force or torque in a compact configuration, without the use of geared or cable transmissions and thereby avoid backlash and friction in the system. It is also an objective to generate large forces near the limits of travel without increasing the overall size of the actuator, thereby minimizing or preventing impacts with any mechanical stops of the mechanism. It is also advantageous to provide actuators that can be configured as a multi-degree of freedom mechanism in a compact manner by using linear actuators in parallel configurations. It is further an object to provide such a mechanism that automatically returns to a set-point without expending power. Another object of the invention is to control stiffness of the actuators electrically, so that mechanism compliance and natural frequency can be adjusted, without mechanically changing the apparatus.
Accordingly, for the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an actuator that can provide position and stiffness control without sensors for either, and which provides a stable set point even in the absence of power to the device, and can otherwise achieve the objectives identified above.

Actuator with opposing repulsive magnetic forces


An optical information recording medium including a ROM region in which pits are previously formed at a track pitch (P); and a RAM region including a groove which is to be exposed to laser light to form at least one of a pit and a mark therein and to record information to be reproduced, wherein the pits in the ROM region are wobbled in a radius direction of the recording medium, a wobbling inter-pit groove is formed along the wobbled pits, wherein the width (W) of the inter-pit groove is narrower than that of the groove in the RAM region. The ratio (W/P) of the width (W) of the inter-pit groove to the track pitch (P) is preferably from 0.2 to 0.4.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical information recording medium in which information is recorded using laser light and the recorded information is reproduced by irradiating the recording medium with laser light and receiving the reflected light. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hybrid optical recording medium which has a ROM region in which data are preliminarily recorded by mastering and one of a recordable region in which additional information can be recorded and a recordable/erasable region in which information can be repeatedly recorded and erased. In addition, the present invention also relates to an information recording method using the information recording medium.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In optical information recording media, information is recorded as follows:    (1) binarized digital data are recorded by forming concavo-convex pits on a spiral truck or concentric tracks (ROM discs) by embossing or the like;    (2) binarized digital data are recorded by forming pits in an inorganic or organic recording layer (recordable optical discs); and    (3) binarized digital data are recorded utilizing crystal changes of a recording layer (phase change optical discs).
When the recorded data are reproduced, a laser beam irradiates the track to receive the reflection light. The difference in strength of the reflection light is detected to reproduce the recorded data (i.e., to obtain the reproduced signals).
ROM discs, such as CDs, CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs, in which information has been recorded, can be mass-produced at a low cost by transferring the concavo-convex pits formed on an original disc, to a plate. Such ROM discs are used for the distribution purpose. The concavo-convex pits can be formed on an original disc, for example, by the following method:    (1) a resist is formed on a glass plate or the like substrate;    (2) a laser light irradiates the resist to form a latent image; and    (3) the latent image is developed to form the concavo-convex pits on the glass plate.
In the above-mentioned recordable optical discs and phase change optical discs, such as CD-Rs, CD-RWs, DVD-Rs, DVD-RW, DVD+Rs and DVD+RWs, information recording is performed as follows:    (1) guide grooves for tracking are formed on a substrate by transferring the guide grooves formed on an original plate similarly to the method as mentioned above for use in the ROM discs;    (2) a recording material such as an inorganic or organic recording layer is formed on the substrate having guide grooves thereon; and    (3) information is recorded in the recording layer using a recording/reproducing apparatus such as CD-R drives.
It is required for the recordable discs such as recordable discs and phase change optical discs to reproduce the recorded information under the same reproducing conditions as those of ROM discs, i.e., information has to be reproduced similarly to the cases of CD-ROMs and CD-Rs (or CD-RWs), and DVD-ROMs and DVD-Rs (or DVD-RWs, DVD+Rs and DVD+RWs). This requirement can be fulfilled when the following is satisfied:    (1) information has to be recorded in recordable optical discs in the same format as that of ROM discs; and    (2) recorded signals to be reproduced have almost the same reproduction properties as those of ROM discs.
In the above-mentioned CD-Rs etc., address information is recorded in wobbled guide grooves, and recording pits, which are signals to be reproduced and which are similar to the pits of ROM discs, are formed by a recording drive.
ROM discs, which have both a recordable region and a ROM region therein, are called hybrid optical discs. The hybrid optical discs can be prepared by an injection method using a stamper. Therefore the hybrid optical discs can be easily mass-produced at a low cost. In addition, since the hybrid optical discs have a recordable region, mass-produced ROM data can be renewed and recordable media having software for controlling drives can be realized.
The present invention can be applied to hybrid optical discs (i.e., hybrid CD-R discs, hybrid CD-RW discs, hybrid DVD-R discs, hybrid DVD+R discs, hybrid DVD-RW discs and hybrid DVD+RW discs). In particular, the present invention is suitably applied to hybrid CD-R discs and hybrid CD-RW discs.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-114028 (i.e., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2-42652) discloses a hybrid CD-R medium having on the same plane both a ROM region including pits prepared by mastering and a recordable region formed on a groove portion. In the CD-R medium, the constitution of the ROM region is the same as that of normal CDs, and a reflection layer is directly formed on the pits of the substrate. However, it is difficult to selectively coat a dye on the groove portion without coating the dye on the ROM region. In addition, it is further difficult to coat a dye inside the ROM region. Therefore, a dye is coated on both the pit portion and groove portion while the pit form, groove form and dye coating conditions are optimized so that the signal characteristics of the pit portion and groove portion are optimized.
However, the push-pull signals from the ROM region are signals only output from the intermittent prepits, and the signals are much weaker than the push-pull signals (non-recorded signals), which are output from a continuous groove. Therefore, even when the modulation and push-pull amplitude (i.e., PPA), which are specified in the Orange Book, are fulfilled, the variation (hereinafter referred to as the in-plane variation) of the signals, push-pull/Ig (for a non-recorded portion) and push-pull/Iga (for the ROM region, i.e., recorded region) which are used for the tracking servo of recording apparatus, in each plane of the three zones often fall out of the range of ±3 dB (i.e., about ±40%). At this point, the three zones mean "the ROM region", "a recorded portion of the RAM region" and "a non-recorded portion of the RAM region". In particular, a problem which occurs is that tracking is not well performed by a drive in which the basic servo gain is set on the basis of the gain at the inner ROM region.
In addition, since the push-pull signals are weak in the ROM region, the wobble signals are also weak, resulting in occurrence of a problem in that ATIP (Absolute Time In Pre-groove) information cannot be read.
In order to solve this problem, it is known that an inter-pit groove is formed at a location between pits along the pit lines in the ROM region.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 5-36087 discloses an optical medium in which a wobbling groove (i.e., an inter-pit groove) which has the same form as that of a RAM groove is formed along the wobbling pits line in the ROM region. In this case, when the width of the RAM groove is set so as to be the same as the width of the inter-pit grooves, interference between the pits and the inter-pit grooves becomes large in an original plate preparation process, resulting in occurrence of sagging of the front and rear portions of the pits, and thereby a problem occurs in that the jitter at the ROM region becomes large. In addition, when the width of the inter-pit grooves is too narrow, a problem in that the wobble jitter becomes large occurs.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-138997 discloses an optical disc in which wobbling inter-pit grooves are formed to improve the characteristics of ATIP signals. However, the pits are not wobbled to lower the jitter at the ROM region. When an original plate of such an optical disc is prepared, two light beams are needed for forming the pits and inter-pit grooves. Therefore, the light irradiator used for forming the original plate has a complex optical device, and in addition, it is very hard to adjust the positions of the two light beams, i.e., it is hard to produce an original plate. Further, when the pits are not wobbled, a problem in that the wobble jitter becomes large occurs.

Optical information recording medium and information recording method using the recording medium


A freestanding, collapsible shelter is disclosed. The shelter includes a roof structure having a roof hub, a ridge poles pivotable from a deployed position to a stowed position, gable poles pivotable from a deployed position to a stowed position. The shelter further includes a freestanding leg section that supports the roof structure over a supporting surface when the shelter is disposed in its deployed position. The shelter may also include a canopy.

Freestanding collapsible shelters, shelters that, when fully deployed, can stand upright on their own without being attached to an object that anchors the shelter in place, are often used in recreational settings to obtain relief from the sun and/or weather. Typically, such shelters have some type of framing that, when deployed, configures a canopy that provides the protection sought. Some important considerations for these shelters is their ability to be deployed quickly, as well as their being lightweight and compact when collapsed.
One type of such shelter relies on pole segments that are strung together by elastic cords running through channels in the poles to serve as its framing. The segments in each pole alternate between those that have sleeves at each end and those that do not. To deploy the shelter, the poles are first assembled by inserting the ends of the sleeveless poles into the sleeves on the subsequent poles. The elasticity of the cords running through the pole segments hold the segments together during assembly. Once the poles are assembled, they are inserted through sleeves located in the top portion of the shelter canopy. Each end of a pole protruding from its respective sleeve is then forced into a pocket located on the bottom corner or side edge of the shelter. Once each end of a pole is tucked into its corresponding pocket, the pole bows and the resulting tension of each pole against its respective sleeve forces the overall frame to maintain an upright position, forming the configuration of the deployed shelter.
This type of shelter has several disadvantages. First, deploying this type of shelter can be a time consuming process that typically requires setup via two people instead of one. Second, should the cords be cut or come apart, the tent or shelter cannot be assembled. Also, over time, the cords gradually lose their elasticity so that the pole segments are not held together as well. These shelters typically also have a dome shaped-canopy, which limits the amount of available head space compared to a gabled or double pitched canopy. Because a dome-shaped canopy provides a circular- or oval-shaped area of protection underneath the canopy, the area of coverage protection cannot be utilized as efficiently as with a rectangular- or square-shaped area with the same amount of square footage as would be provided with a gabled or double pitched canopy. Because the design of these shelters relies on the canopy sleeves to hold the shelter poles in place and to maintain the configuration of the frame when deployed, the sleeves and canopy must run the entire length of the poles so that the shelter is typically a tent. This is not ideal in settings such as the beach, where the user merely wants shade, the ability to see their surroundings, and the ability to enter and exit from underneath the shelter easily.
Other shelters similarly utilize a tension effect caused by the bowing of the shelter's frame in the canopy to force the shelter into its deployed configuration. In these shelters, the framing is fairly flexible and sown into the canopy. The shelter is collapsed by reorienting and folding it to flatten the overall configuration of the shelter. However, due to the flexibility needed for the shelter's frame, such shelters tend to be small because the frame cannot be sufficiently rigid to support itself and the shelter canopy. These shelters typically can only be used by one to two people at the most and have a minimal height so that the user cannot stand up within the shelter or place a chair or chaise lounge therein.
Other shelters have configurations that are similar to umbrellas. The shelters, however, are not truly freestanding because they rely on an anchor pole forced into the ground. Such shelters also suffer from the limitation that there is less head space compared to a shelter with gabled or doubled pitched canopy.
Other collapsible freestanding shelters rely on a series of segments that are pivotally linked in an x configuration. When the shelter is set up, the segments are extended in a scissor like manner. When the shelter is folded, the segments are retracted. This type of shelter suffers from several disadvantages. For example, the series of X-linked segments weighs more than a straight pole, rod, or strut used to connect the legs and roof frame of the shelter. In addition, the use of the x-linked segments adds to the bulkiness of the unit when collapsed.
Other shelters achieve a high degree of compactness when folded, but are not freestanding and ropes have to be attached to the shelter and an immovable object like a stake in the ground.
It would be desirable to provide a freestanding, collapsible shelter that can be quickly deployed by one person to obtain shade or protection from the elements in recreational settings. It would also be desirable to provide a shelter capable of being collapsed quickly into a compact, lightweight unit for storage.


The present invention is directed to a method to operate an internal combustion engine with electronic control wherein fault codes indicative of emissions levels may be stored in permanent memory.

1. Field of the Invention
In reconstructing engine failures, it is very advantageous to have certain fault codes stored in a section of memory that cannot be erased by any unauthorized service tool. The present invention relates to a method to permanently log emissions related faults in memory of an electronic controller of an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Goodwin, U.S. Pat. No. 7,158,978 discloses a computerized record keeping system and method using a network to keep records that cannot be erased by a user thereby guaranteeing the accuracy of records kept with the system, a client computer system contacts through a computer network, and a server system which stores a client database accessible by a password. The client system can review, search and add records to the database. The client database on the server system is automatically backed up to avoid inadvertent loss of records or data. Once a record is entered into the server system through a client system, it is permanently stored in the server system as part of the client database. While a client may enter a modified record, the original record is always maintained and is displayed with the now modified record.
Streichsbier, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,117,079 discloses an apparatus that performs simultaneous data monitoring, logging and controlling of the state of the system. The apparatus includes at least one system sensor that provides a sensor data signal corresponding to system characteristic of which the sensor is detecting, a memory that stores data and program instructions and at least one output port that provides an output signal to the system and the microprocessor that receives the sensor data and executes the program instructions to monitor and log data corresponding to the data signal received from the system sensor and to provide system controlled data to the output port.

Method of operation of internal combustion engine with permanent fault code implementation


A method and system for indicating the type of toner print cartridge which has been loaded into an electrophotographic printer. These include the mounting of a toner-type-indicative conductive strip on the outside surface of a toner print cartridge and then mating this conductive strip with a pair of electrical contacts within the printer housing when a lid or cover carrying the toner print cartridge is closed into the printer housing. Go or no go closed loop control and switching circuitry is connected between the pair of electrical contacts and a formatter within the printer to thereby instruct the printer either to print, or not to print, respectively, depending upon the presence or absence of the conductive strip on the outside surface of the toner print cartridge. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, an extended board connect stage is provided with an electronic (digital) two-position switch which is selectively addressable by a custom personality cartridge. This operation switches the voltage level on a toner cartridge sense line into and out of electrical connection with a formatter of the printer to thereby indicate to the user the type of print cartridge which has been loaded into the printer.

Typically, electrophotographic page printers use a dry toner powder to develop a desired image on a photoconductive drum within the printer. This dry toner powder is contained in an assembly known as a toner print cartridge. The toner print cartridge is designed to operate in a given printer having sensors or mechanical switches therein which allow the internal software of the printer to determine if the toner cartridge has been properly installed before printing. This toner cartridge sensing scheme has been normally dedicated to only sensing the presence of the toner cartridge, but not the type of toner within the cartridge. A molded plastic tab has been typically employed on the toner cartridge as a means for depressing a cartridge sensing switch within the printer which thereby operates to indicate to the user and the printer the presence of a toner cartridge loaded therein. The print engine of the printer, the control software thereof, and the toner cartridge combination are difficult to modify in order to allow sensing of other desired features such as the use of a magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) toner, color toner, or other types of toner.
Another kind of cartridge-type identification system which is somewhat similar to the above plastic tab approach utilizes a projection member or unit in combination with a plurality of microswitches, all of which are located within the printer housing. The projection unit must be specifically located and positioned directly adjacent to a specifically selected microswitch so that the closure of this microswitch by the projection unit would indicate the particular type of print cartridge that has been loaded into the printer. This type of print cartridge identification system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,195 issued to Houoso and assigned to Canon of Japan, and is incorporated herein by reference.
There is yet another cartridge identification system which has been designed to detect the type of toner cartridge in addition to detecting the presence or absence of such cartridge in an electrophotographic printer. This system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,939 issued to Kurando et al, assigned to Mita Industrial Company of Japan and is also incorporated herein by reference. However, the Kurando et al system described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,939 employs a magnetic detection circuit in order to detect the permeability of the toner material within the print cartridge in order to identify the type of cartridge loaded therein. This magnetic detection circuit in Kurando et al utilizes sensors located on the outside of the print cartridge and employs magnetic coupling between these sensors located on the outside of the cartridge and the toner within the cartridge in order to generate the permeability-dependent output signals. This detection scheme not only requires relatively sensitive magnetic tuning circuitry and complex and costly output circuitry for driving output sensors, but in addition, and as a result of the use of the above magnetic detection circuit, the above Kurando et al system is not easily retrofittable into existing pinters. This magnetic coupling scheme would therefore require extensive modification to existing printer hardware in order to accomplish a retrofitting operation on existing printers.

Method and system for identifying the type of toner print cartridges loaded into electrophotographic printers