A collapsible upright wheeled walker with adjustable armrests that support sufficient user upper-body weight to facilitate a natural upright gait and provide unassisted mobility for a wide range of mobility-impaired individuals. The apparatus may be easily and quickly folded (and unfolded) and may include bilateral stabilizing wheel suspensions to facilitate navigation over uneven terrain. The apparatus includes a frame-stiffening folder assembly and may also include mechanical brakes, an adjustable upper armrest assembly with removable padded forearm supports and two pairs of handles, at least one of which is disposed sufficiently forward to place the user within the polygonal footprint defined by the front and rear wheels to provide support without leaning, stooping, or risking falls.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to assistive mobility devices and more particularly to a collapsible upright wheeled weight-bearing walker.
2. Description of the Related Art
Assistive mobility devices, including walkers, are well-known in the art as useful means for reducing the disadvantages of mobility impairment suffered for many different reasons by many people, permitting more efficient ambulation over distance and thereby increased independence. Data from the National Long Term Care Survey suggests that increased use of assistive technology may have helped reduce disability at older ages [Manton, et al., "Changes in the Use of Personal Assistance and Special Equipment from 1982 to 1989: Results from the 1982 and 1989 NLTCS," Gerontologist 33(2):168-76 (April 1993)]. Although mobility device users represent a relatively small minority of the population with disabilities, their importance transcends their numbers because mobility devices are visible signs of disability and have become symbols of the very idea of disability. And the mobility-impaired population is increasing much faster than the general population [LaPlante et al., "Demographics and Trends in Wheeled Mobility Equipment Use and Accessibility in the Community," Assistive Technology, 22, 3-17, (2010)]. Accordingly, there has long been a growing demand for improved mobility assistance devices adaptable for improving ambulation for mobility-limited persons.
Martins et al. [Martins et al., Assistive Mobility Devices focusing on Smart Walkers: Classification and Review, Robotics and Autonomous Systems 60 (4), April 2012, pp. 548-562] classifies mobility assistance devices into the alternative devices intended for those with total loss of independent mobility (wheelchairs or autonomous powered vehicles) and assistive or augmentative devices for those with residual mobility capacity (prostheses, crutches, canes and walkers). For several reasons, most impaired individuals prefer to avoid association with the alternative devices associated with total incapacity. Similarly, the rehabilitation profession strongly prefers the assistive devices, which can be used for physical therapy and as mobility-training devices. Accordingly, there has long been a growing demand for improved assistive devices adapted for use by the less disabled among those who otherwise cannot move independently with existing assistive devices and rely on alternative devices such as wheelchairs and powered scooters.
Mobility and manipulation are critical to living independently and are often strongly associated with the ability to continue to live safely in one's home. Simple assistive devices such as crutches, canes, walkers, and rollators (rolling walkers) can assist a person who has the endurance and strength to walk distances, but these devices must also provide some support or feedback to keep the person from losing their balance or enable the person to rest, when necessary. Although an impaired individual may eventually need an alternative device like a wheelchair or powered scooter, most strongly desire to retain the independence of the simpler assistive device for as long as possible. For this reason, there is a well-known and long-felt need for assistive device improvements that facilitate independent ambulation for the progressively more impaired individuals.
Although popular, the most common assistive devices known in the art (canes, walkers and rollators) have many well-known disadvantages; even for the relatively mobile individual.
The typical wheeled walker known in the art has many well-known disadvantages; such as requiring a stooping or a forward leaning posture to avoid a hobbled gait, difficulty in smooth transition over irregular terrain, little or no upper body and arm support, and requiring significant hand and arm strength to maneuver and to operate any available hand brake, for example. A stooping posture stresses the user's back and arms and risks tipping forward when encountering terrain obstacles. And most devices known in the art have no wheels or wheels too small to negotiate even small surface irregularities safely. Some devices are too heavy and awkward for an unassisted user to lift into a car trunk or van, which limits independent unassisted use. Walker brakes are often either nonexistent or ineffective for the unassisted impaired user, which adds risk of falls and injury and limits independence.
The typical wheeled walker known in the art is neither designed nor intended to support significant user weight during use. As with a cane, the accepted purpose of a wheeled walker is simply to provide assistance in balance and gait, like an elaborate cane system. So the user engages the walker with hands and wrists alone, often with a stooping or leaning posture. The impaired user generally lacks the hand and wrist strength needed to continuously support significant upper body weight while walking in a stooped or forward-leaning position. Some wheeled walkers eliminate the seat to afford a more open walking footprint for the user. While this permits an improved and more natural walking position but offers no improved weight bearing capability and many users need an included seat to facilitate independent use over longer distances.
The mobility assistance art is replete with suggestions for improving wheeled walkers.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,100,415, Kindberg et al. disclose a wheel suspension that facilitates curb climbing when used with large wheels in, for example, a rollator. But Kindberg et al. limit their teachings to negotiating uneven terrain such as curbs. In U.S. Pat. No. D561,065, Kindberg et al. also disclose a walker frame design.
And, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,840,124, Serhan et al. disclose a safety brake in a rollator that improves the safety of seated users by using a braking system that locks the rollator wheels when the user sits down on the rollator seat, and releases the wheels when the user stands up. As another example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,052,030, Serhan discloses a wheeled walker with cross-member supports adapted to permit both seat and basket with wheel sizes greater than seven to eight inches. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,575, Diamond discloses a locking assembly for use with a walker having foldable side members. And, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,678,425, Schaaper et al. disclose a wheelchair having a moveable seat element facilitating use as a rollator.
In U.S. Pat. No. 8,740,242, Slomp discloses a posterior walker configured to encourage a neutral spine during use. And, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,559,560, Li et al. discloses a rollator having a foldable seat element.
Some practitioners propose improving the walker mobility aid by adding upper support means for supporting the user's forearms, hands or shoulders to improve user comfort and posture. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,783, Sisko et al. disclose accessory forearm rests that may be mounted to any conventional invalid walker, preferably disposed above the normal hand-grips to provide support for the user's arms.
Such an upright wheeled walker may permit the user to walk upright but the wheeled walker known in the art is not adapted to support any user body weight beyond the relatively small portion in the forearms and hands. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,540,256, Simpson discloses a walker with a forearm support frame to permit an upright user to step forward with the walker footprint but little weight bearing capacity. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,740,242, Slomp discloses a foldable posterior walker with an anteriorly open frame that permits an upright user to step forward within the walker footprint but having little or no weight bearing capability.
Improving a the wheeled walker by adding an upper-body support is advantageous because it facilitates an upright walking and standing posture, improved gait and comfort. But adding significant user body weight to the wheeled walker is also disadvantageous for stability. The increased weight borne on each wheel affects walker stability, braking, and terrain handling. For example, adding significant upright weight support to the wheeled walker introduces new disadvantages of increased lateral and longitudinal instability, risking falls and affecting user safety. Adding more weight support at a higher point on the walker increases the tipping torque at the wheels because of the increased force and distance. Any wheeled walker has longitudinal stability problems when rolling on slopes and over irregular terrain, which may imperil user safety by causing falls during use. This longitudinal instability problem is exacerbated by the fluctuating wheel loads imposed by the applied user weight during stepping, introducing a new lateral instability.
Several practitioners suggest improvements to mitigate the wheeled walker longitudinal stability problem with braking system improvements. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,998,223. Chang discloses a wheel braking system for a rollator with a "dead-man brake" whereby the wheels are halted upon the release of the user's hands from the handles, improving user safety on slopes. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 9,221,433, Dunlap discloses a safety braking system for a rollator that includes a park mode, a walk mode and a brake mode with a handlebar control mechanism.
Recognizing these new instability problems, practitioners have suggested turning to a powered vehicle to permit some user weight support in assistive devices. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,794,252, Alghazi discloses a mobility apparatus with an integrated power source and four wheels so a user can stand on it and drive it as an electric mobility device, or disable it and use it as a passive walker. His device is collapsible and includes a pair of supporting beams disposed to support the user under the armpits, but such support does little to improve user posture or stability while walking with the passive device. And, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,009, Kitahama discloses an autonomous mobile apparatus that moves autonomously along near a specified person (user) while detecting and evaluating the surroundings to assess the danger level to the user, moving as necessary to avoid danger to the user based on the danger level detected.
Others have proposed elaborate powered control systems to address these stability and other user safety problems. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,708,120, Einbinder discloses an improvement to user safety consisting of a walker braking system using a controller and electrically actuated wheel brakes to provide push-button user control over braking and processor-controlled braking responsive to, for example, user hand position and the terrain slope.
But such devices may be generally perceived by users as alternative devices (such as powered wheel chairs, stair climbers and vehicles) and do not represent the improved assistive device sought by most users.
These and other examples of the mobility assistance art demonstrate that there is a continuing long-felt need for improved solutions to the walking posture, seating, weight support and portability problems discussed above.
These unresolved problems and deficiencies are clearly felt in the art and are solved by this invention in the manner described below.

Collapsible upright wheeled walker apparatus


A display device includes at least two display panels and a frame for supporting the display panels. The frame includes a partition wall configured for supporting at least an end portion of the display panels. A backlight unit is located at one side of the display panels and provides light to the display panels. The backlight unit includes a strip light source, a longitudinal edge of which is extended along a longitudinal edge of the partition wall for emitting light to the display panels disposed at opposite side of the partition wall and two light-guiding plates disposed at opposite sides of the strip light source for guiding the light emitted from the strip light source into the display panels.

In recent years, slim and light liquid crystal display devices (LCDs) with improved performance have been used in different kinds of electronic devices, such as mobile phones, notebook computers and flat-panel TV sets. Their applications now extend to larger public display devices, such as scoreboards at stadiums or large billboards at stores. As a result, the LCDs must be large enough in size that a number of people can view the displayed image clearly from distant places. However, for the fabrication of a large display device, larger processing equipments are required, and furthermore, failure of a large glass substrate will cost more.
Currently, a multiple-display device has been developed to fulfill the demands of large size and low manufacturing cost. A multiple-display device may be produced by combining a plurality of small-sized displays. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multiple-display device in related art, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B′ of FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, a multiple-display device 50 in related art is manufactured by four liquid crystal display modules 10, 20, 30 and 40 arranged as an array. As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid crystal display modules 10 and 20 include liquid crystal panels 11 and 21 for displaying images, backlight units 12 and 22 comprising light sources 16 and 26 for supplying uniform light to the liquid crystal panels 11 and 21, bottom bezels 13 and 23 for supporting the backlight units 12 and 22, and frames 14 and 24, together with top cases 15 and 25, for supporting and retaining the liquid crystal panels 11 and 21 therein, respectively. The backlight units 12 and 22 respectively include light-guiding plates 17 and 27 and optical-film stacks 18 and 28. The light-guiding plates 17 and 27 are disposed at the light emitting side of the light sources 16 and 26 and guiding the light emitted from the light sources 16 and 26 through the optical-film stacks 18 and 28 into the liquid crystal panels 11 and 21, respectively, for providing uniform light to the liquid crystal panels 11 and 21.
The multiple-display device 50 has an active area (AA) where an image is displayed and a non-active area (NA) where no image is displayed in each display module. The non-active area NA surrounds the active area AA. As shown in FIG. 1, the dimensions of the combined non-active area NA interposed between adjacent two LCD modules are defined as "L" in Y-axis and "M" in X-axis. As shown in FIG. 2, since the backlight units 12 and 22 belong to edge-type backlight units, the dimension L is made larger than the dimension M. Unfortunately, wide non-active area NA is an obstacle to the enhancement of the image quality of the display. The non-active area might adversely affect the continuity of an image shown on a multiple-display device.

Backlight unit for use in multiple-display device


A vehicle detector system having a number of individual vehicle detectors each capable of sampling a plurality of vehicle loops in mutual synchronization. One detector operates as a master detector for synchronization purposes; the other detectors are operated as slave detectors. The system can be configured for series or parallel synchronous operation. The system is particularly advantageous in installations requiring a large number of closely spaced vehicle loops each operated by a detector set to high sensitivity.

This invention relates to vehicle detectors used to detect the presence or absence of a motor vehicle in an inductive loop embedded in a roadbed. More particularly, this invention relates to a vehicle detector system with synchronized operation of several vehicle detectors.
Vehicle detectors have been used for a substantial period of time to generate information specifying the presence or absence of a vehicle at a particular location. Such detectors have been used at intersections, for example, to supply information used to control the operation of the traffic signal heads; have been used in railway installations for railway car detection and control; and have also been used to supply control information used in conjunction with automatic entrance and exit gates in parking lots, garages and buildings.
A widely used type of vehicle detector employs the principle of period shift measurement in order to determine the presence or absence of a vehicle in or adjacent the inductive loop mounted on or in a roadbed. In such systems, a first oscillator, which typically operates in the range from about 10 to about 120 kHz is used to produce a periodic signal in a vehicle detector loop. A second oscillator operating at a much higher frequency is commonly used to generate a sample count signal over a selectable, fixed number of loop cycles. The relatively high frequency count signal is typically used to increment a counter, which stores a number corresponding to the sample count at the end of the fixed number of loop cycles. This sample count is compared with a reference count stored in another counter and representative of a previous count in order to determine whether a vehicle has entered or departed the region of the loop in the time period between the previous sample count and the present sample count.
The initial reference value is obtained from one or more initial sample counts and stored in a reference counter. Thereafter, successive sample counts are obtained on a periodic basis, and compared with the reference count. If the two values are essentially equal, the condition of the loop remains unchanged, i.e., a vehicle has not entered or departed the loop. However, if the two numbers differ by at least a threshold amount in a first direction (termed the Call direction), the condition of the loop has changed and may signify that a vehicle has entered the loop. More specifically, in a system in which the sample count has decreased and the sample count has a numerical value less than the reference count by at least a threshold magnitude, this change signifies that the period of the loop signal has decreased (since fewer counts were accumulated during the fixed number of loop cycles), which in turn indicates that the frequency of the loop signal has increased, usually due to the presence of a vehicle in or near the loop. When these conditions exist, the vehicle detector generates a signal termed a Call Signal indicating the presence of a vehicle in the loop.
Correspondingly, if the difference between a sample count and the reference count is greater than a second threshold amount, this condition indicates that a vehicle which was formerly located in or near the loop has left the vicinity. When this condition occurs, a previously generated Call Signal is dropped.
The Call signals generated by a vehicle detector are used in a number of ways. Firstly, the Call signals are presented to an output terminal of the vehicle detector and forwarded to various types of traffic signal supervisory equipment for use in a variety of ways, depending on the system application. In addition, the Call signals are used locally to drive a visual indicator, typically a discrete light emitting diode (LED) or a multiple LED display or a liquid crystal display (LCD) to indicate the Call status of the vehicle detector, i.e. whether or not the vehicle detector is currently generating a Call signal.
Vehicle detectors with the Call signal generating capability described above are used in a wide variety of applications, including vehicle counting along a roadway or through a parking entrance or exit, vehicle speed between preselected points along a roadway, vehicle presence at an intersection controlled by a traffic control light system, or in a parking stall, in railroad yards, and numerous other applications.
In the past, vehicle detectors have been designed as either single channel or multiple channel detectors. A single channel detector is designed and configured to operate with only a single loop zone; while a multiple channel vehicle detector is designed and configured to operate with two or more independent loop zones. Multiple channel detectors are designed to be either scanning or non-scanning detectors. A scanning detector operates by sampling only one loop channel at a time, shutting down the active loop, sampling the next loop channel, shutting down that loop, etc. Scanning detectors have been typically used in installations in which the probability of cross-talk between loop circuits is more than minimal. Cross talk results when physically adjacent loops are operating at, or near, the same frequency. Cross talk is minimized or eliminated by operating physically adjacent loops on different frequencies. Non-scanning vehicle detectors are configured and function to monitor each of the multiple loop zones simultaneously. Non-scanning detectors are typically used in installations in which there is a very low or no possibility of cross-talk between the multiple loop circuits, such as installations at which the loops are physically separated by a distance sufficient to ensure no overlapping or intercoupling between the electrical fields associated with the loops.
While scanning and non-scanning vehicle detectors have been found to be useful in many installations involving multiple loops, there are many applications in which neither type can be configured to function properly. Such applications typically require many closely spaced loops to cover the region to be monitored for vehicle occupancy, and high detector sensitivity to detect a wide range of vehicle types, from motorcycles to large trucks. This exacerbates the problem of cross-talk among the loops. An example of such an application is a railroad crossing with many closely spaced loops.

Vehicle detector system with synchronized operation


An antislipping composition for a fastener having a head portion, comprising a crosslinked polymer prepared by the polymerization of an olefinic unsaturated carboxylic acid and a compound represented by a general formula (1) given below ##STR1## where R is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and the sum of 1, m and n is larger than 0 and not larger than 500, except that where R is a hydrogen atom and n is zero, l+m is not 1, a liquid medium containing at least one compound selected from the group consisting of glycol ethers and glycerin, and silicon carbide particles having acute corner portions.

The present invention relates to an antislipping composition for a fastener having a head portion such as a bolt or a screw, particularly, to a composition which permits easily fastening or detaching the fastener with an ordinary tool such as a driver or a torque wrench even where a groove or a corner of the head portion is collapsed. The expression "fastener having a head portion" used herein represents a fastener to which force applied to a tool is transmitted through the head portion such as a bolt or a screw in fastening or detaching the fastener.
A fastener having a head portion such as a bolt or a screw is widely used in various fields. Where a groove or a corner of the head portion is collapsed, it is necessary to cut a new groove in the head portion or use a special tool in fastening or detaching the fastener. Such a special tool is not available in the general family. In such a case, the fastener must be forcedly fastened or detached using, for example, a cutting pliers. Under the circumstances, it is of high importance to develop a technique which permits easily fastening or detaching the fastener, even if a groove or a corner of the head portion of the fastener is collapsed.


The phase comparator device with wide dynamic range comprises a phase comparator with reduced dynamic range to carry out the measurement, on a limited phase range, of the phase difference existing between an incident signal and an external reference signal modulated by a controlled phase signal generator. The device comprises, firstly, a phase accumulation circuit coupled to the output of the phase comparator for the successive accumulation, at determined instants, of the phase differences measured by the phase comparator and actuate the controlled phase signal generator so that its phase permanently follows the value of the phase differences cumulated in the accumulation circuit and, secondly, an adder circuit coupled to the output of the phase accumulation circuit and to the output of the comparator to add the phase difference measured by the phase comparator to the contents of the accumulation circuit. Application: phased carrier tracking loop for satellite navigation receiver.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a phase comparator with a wide dynamic range that can be used in a phase locked loop.
It can be applied notably to the making of loops for the computing of delta pseudo-distances in satellite radio-navigation receivers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A phase locked loop is formed, in a standard way, by three elements consisting of a variable frequency local oscillator known by the abbreviations VCO, a phase comparator to discriminate the phase difference between the signal given by the local oscillator and an incident signal, an amplifier and a loop filter controlling the frequency of the local oscillator on the basis of the phase difference given by the phase comparator.
With a loop such as this, the frequency of the oscillator is no longer controlled efficiently either because the level of the incident signal diminishes, when the signal-to-noise ratio is excessively low in the passband defined by the loop filter or because the phase dynamic range of the phase comparator, namely its ability to give a valid signal when the phase difference between the reference signal and the incident signal is great, is exceeded by the phase swings of the signal.
Under these conditions, to obtain high quality measurements on a noise-infested incident signal or on a signal of low value, it is necessary to reduce the passband of the phase locked loop. This is done by increasing the filtering time constant, but then the trailing of the loop at the phase variations between the incident signal and the reference signal is increased and, to prevent a stalling of the loop, the phase comparator should be capable of accepting operation with major phase differences.
However, known phase comparators of the exclusive-OR, tangent or cotangent type limit the phase difference between the incident signal and the reference signal to a few radians. For greater swings, this leads to the use of comparators of non-linear transfer functions, thus greatly complicating the making of the device, and generally causes the loss of the information on phase difference for a limited period of time.
The aim of the invention is to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks.

Phase comparator device with wide dynamic range


The invention relates to a method for producing a dental aid from a thermoplastic film or plate, wherein a digital three-dimensional working model is created in a computer-aided manner using a three-dimensional data set of at least one part of an upper jaw and/or lower jaw.

A method for producing a dental aid in a deep-drawing device is known from WO 2014/082624 A2, wherein a working model of an upper jaw and/or lower jaw is placed into the deep-drawing device and a deep-drawing film is placed onto the working model and deep drawn into a splint. The working model is created in a computer-aided manner on the basis of biometric data of the upper and/or lower jaw.
WO 2010/043419 A1 describes a production method for a multilayer dental splint.
Suitable thermoplastic materials or deep-drawing films or plates for dental aids are known from DE 10 2011 113 694 A1 or EP 2 417 927 A1, for example.
A particularly time-consuming step in the production of a dental aid to be created by means of deep drawing is the separation, e.g. cutting out, of the dental aid from the deep drawn plastic film or plate. Furthermore, special skill and experience is needed to carry out this step without error and with a satisfactory result.
The object of the present invention is to further develop the known methods and in particular to provide a more reliable and faster production method.

Production method for a dental aid made of a thermoplastic film or plate


A sapphire resonator for an ultrastable oscillator capable of substantial performance improvements over the best available crystal quartz oscillators in a compact cryogenic package is based on a compensation mechanism enabled by the difference between copper and sapphire thermal expansion coefficients for so tuning the resonator as to cancel the temperature variation of the sapphire's dielectric constant. The sapphire resonator consists of a sapphire ring separated into two parts with webs on the outer end of each to form two re-entrant parts which are separated by a copper post. The re-entrant parts are bonded to the post by indium solder for good thermal conductivity between parts of that subassembly which is supported on the base plate of a closed copper cylinder (rf shielding casing) by a thin stainless steel cylinder. A unit for temperature control is placed in the stainless steel cylinder and is connected to the subassembly of re-entrant parts and copper post by a layer of indium for good thermal conduction. In normal use, the rf shielding casing is placed in a vacuum tank which is in turn placed in a thermos flask of liquid nitrogen. The temperature regulator is controlled from outside the thermos flask to a temperature in a range of about 40.degree. to 150.degree. K, such as 87.degree. K for the WGH.sub.811 mode of resonance in response to microwave energy inserted into the rf shielding casing through a port from an outside source.

A WG sapphire resonator consists of a ring or disk of sapphire inside a metallic cylindrical casing for electromagnetic shielding of and confining resonating rf fields to the sapphire element. These resonators effectively eliminate rf conduction losses and thus make possible oscillators that are only limited by performance of the sapphire itself. The sapphire is typically oriented with its crystal c-axis along the axis of the cylindrical casing in order to achieve cylindrical symmetry for the excited electromagnetic resonance modes.
WG electromagnetic modes can be divided into families depending on their field configuration, and further characterized by the number n of full waves around the perimeter of the sapphire ring or disk. The modes are doubly degenerate, with azimuthal phase of the two submodes differing by 90.degree.. Modes typically used are the WGH.sub.n11 family for ring resonators and the WGE.sub.n11 family for flat disk resonators, where n.gtoreq.5. WG denotes Whispering Gallery and H.sub.n11 denotes electric field loops formed in the annular body of a wheel or ring, and E.sub.n11 denotes electric field loops formed in the planar body of a sapphire disk.
With very high microwave quality factors (Q's) at easily reached cryogenic temperatures, the sapphire resonators already make possible excellent phase noise performance. In principle, the high Q values also make possible high frequency stability, but only if the resonator itself were stable. Temperature fluctuations in the sapphire cause unwanted frequency fluctuations in the resonator. If these frequency variations could be cancelled or compensated, high stability could be achieved.
Q of the WG sapphire resonator increases rapidly as the temperature is cooled, from approximately Q=300,000 at 300.degree. K (room temperature) to 30 million at 77.degree. K (for X-band frequencies.apprxeq.8 GHz). This compares to Q values of 1 to 2 million for the best available crystal quartz oscillators, and 10,000 to 20,000 for metallic microwave cavities. Consequently, when coupled with low noise microwave circuitry, the high sapphire Q theoretically could make possible long term frequency stability as low as 10.sup.-14 were it not for unwanted temperature fluctuations in the resonator casing. Such a stability would be 20 times better than that achievable by quartz oscillators of the highest quality, which presently provide a stability of 2.times.10.sup.-13.
Various approaches for compensated operation have been developed to reduce thermal variations in electromagnetic or acoustic (piezoelectric) resonators in order to achieve high frequency stability. Compensated operation for bulk acoustic-wave quartz oscillators is achieved by means of an appropriate choice of orientation for the quartz crystal. This is possible due to a very strong variability of acoustic parameters with crystal direction. Electromagnetic sapphire resonators have a much smaller anisotropy (.apprxeq.35%) and no sign reversal for any of its thermal dependencies. In fact, up to the present time useful compensation of sapphire resonators has only been possible at liquid helium temperatures, where incidental or added paramagnetic impurities give an effective compensating effect. But helium temperature operation is expensive, and impractical for most applications. A compensation mechanism for operation at 77.degree. K or above would allow liquid nitrogen to be used as the coolant in a very much smaller Dewar and less expensive compensation mechanism.
Temperature sensitivity of the operating frequency is characteristic of all electromagnetic and acoustic resonators due to thermally induced variation of the size, dielectric constants, speed of sound, etc., for solid state materials. Fractional variation of these parameters is typically 10.sup.4 to 10.sup.5 parts per degree Kelvin. Consequently, achieving resonator stabilities of 10.sup.-13 to 10.sup.-14 would require nanodegree control of temperature stability, an impossible task. Yet such a high degree of stability is desired for use as a stable local oscillator for an atomic frequency standard (atomic clock) of the type disclosed by John D. Prestage in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/246,041 titled Extended Linear Ion Trap Frequency Standard Apparatus, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,549. The majority of such frequency standards required for various commercial, scientific and military applications are based on quartz crystal oscillators. A sapphire resonator has the potential for greater stability in many such applications.
Available techniques for higher stability and reduced thermal variation in resonator frequencies are:
Very low cryogenic temperatures (T<10.degree. K) can be used to "freeze out" the thermally-induced variations, which vary as a function of T.sup.3 as the temperature of components varies. This technique has been successfully applied to super-conducting, superconductor-on-sapphire, and WG sapphire resonators. However, the very low helium temperature required makes such systems large and expensive, and therefore impractical for most applications. PA1 An inherently weak tuning mechanism may be used at the lowest temperatures to provide complete cancellation. In this way paramagnetic impurities can compensate the thermal variation in sapphire resonators for T.ltoreq.6.degree. K, but again, operation at such low liquid helium temperatures is impractical for most applications. PA1 The differing thermal coefficients for various properties of the resonator components can be played against each other in such a way that, for some operating temperature, thermal frequency variations are compensated or cancelled. Piezoelectric quartz resonators are compensated in this way by an appropriate orientation of this strongly anisotropic crystal (e.g. "SC" or "AT" cut quartz resonators). Unfortunately, an orientation dependent cancellation does not occur for electromagnetic resonators where the anisotropy is much smaller (i.e., where the temperature dependencies vary by only about .apprxeq.30% as the orientation is changed). PA1 A resonator may be constructed using several similar materials with compensating thermal characteristics. For example, dielectric resonators for oscillators are typically stabilized by use of several materials with thermal dielectric variations of opposite sign. PA1 A mechanical tuning mechanism may be driven by thermal expansion coefficients of the construction materials. This mechanism has been previously applied to a sapphire resonator at room temperature using a highly re-entrant geometry to achieve very low phase noise and a stability of 4.times.10.sup.-8 over a period of ten seconds. S. L. Abramov, Ye. N. Ivanov and D. P. Tsarapkin, "A Low-Noise Self-Excited Microwave Oscillator with a Thermally Compensated Disk Dielectric Resonator," Radiotechnika, No. 11, 81-83 (1988), reprinted in English, Telecom & Radio Engineering, Vol. 43, No. 12, pp. 127-129 (1990) and D. P. Tsarapkin, "An Uncooled Microwave Oscillator with 1-Million Effective Q-Factor," Proc. 1993 IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium, pp. 779-783 (1993)!. Ultrahigh frequency stability better than 7.4.times.10.sup.-7 per degree Kelvin was probably precluded by attempting to operate at room temperature with a design using brass and Invar which are alloys having poor thermal conductivity and using two brass parts joined by a sliding (threaded) joint which also has a poor thermal conductivity, thus giving rise to temperature gradients in the compensation mechanism. PA1 Variation of the dielectric constants .epsilon. with temperature is the greatest factor. As shown in FIG. 1, the dielectric constants vary by 80 to 140 parts per million (PPM) per degree Kelvin at room temperature 300.degree. K, as shown by graphs A and B for variations parallel and perpendicular to the resonator axis. The resulting change in frequency f is just half this value, or 40 to 70 PPM per degree Kelvin (since f.varies.1/.sqroot..epsilon.). PA1 The expansion coefficients of sapphire impact the frequency directly giving rise to a frequency change of 5 to 6 PPM per degree Kelvin. PA1 Thermal expansion of a copper rf shielding casing is a small but significant factor. Because microwave energy density at the walls of the casing is greatly reduced (typically 100 to 10,000 times, to enable a high sapphire Q), the frequency sensitivity to casing size is reduced by this same factor. Thus, the 15 PPM per degree Kelvin copper expansion shown in FIG. 2 is reduced to 0.15 PPM per degree Kelvin or less.

Temperature compensated sapphire resonator for ultrastable oscillator operating at temperatures near 77.degree. Kelvin

The United State of America as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration


The application relates to a unitary case for a plurality of angular drives which comprises at least one bevel gear step with a first bevel gear and a second bevel gear, and which is provided for achieving various angles between a transmission input shaft and a transmission output shaft. The second bevel gear is coupled to the transmission output shaft in an indirect rotationally fixed manner. The unitary case is designed for a plurality of possible angular outputs wherein multiplication is substantially constant and the outer diameters of the individual bevel gears are substantially identical.

The invention relates to a unitary case for an angular drive of a transmission unit.
Transmission units are available in many different configurations. They differ, for example, with regard to how the speed/torque conversion is realized, which can be purely mechanical or combined with other converting options, for example. Especially for the transmission units with purely mechanical power transmission or with a mechanical combined with another power transmission the requirement for a universally applicable transmission unit is increasing. In order to realize the output drive at a certain angle relative to the transmission input shaft, angular drives are used for such transmission units which are combined with a base transmission unit. With these, a certain angle can be realized between the transmission input shaft and the transmission output shaft. For varying requirements, i.e. varying output angles, varying drive torque transmission and tilting angles relative to the road, a separate, specially configured transmission case or a certain unitary case has to be provided which encompasses the angular drive accordingly. Due to the many different case variants that are possible and the low degree of standardization production is more complex and costs are high.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An information delivery system and its method and a program of the system, in which plural robots are used and users can obtain information effectively via the plural robots from the wider range than the range where only one robot moves, are provided. Each of the plural robots provides an information delivering means to users and an information exchanging means with an information server. The plural robots and the information server connect to a network. The robot obtains information to be delivered to an identified person from the information storing in the information server. And the robot delivers the obtained information to the identified person.

The present invention relates to an information delivery system and its method and a program of the system, in particular, in which plural robots, which can communicate with an information server via a network, are provided, and each of the plural robots has an information delivering means and delivers information to a user who was identified by a person identifying means.

Information delivery system and method and program of the system


A pluggable connector, such as an optical transceiver is provided for coupling an information system unit to a fiber optical cable. The connector includes a housing, a moveable collar disposed on an optical connector end of the housing, said collar surrounding an optical connector, a cam connected to said moveable collar and a spring loaded latch extending from a side of said housing for engaging a receptacle on the information system unit so as to secure the connector in the receptacle, said cam engaging the spring loaded latch such that when the moveable collar is pulled in a direction away from the housing the latch is retracted to enable the connector to be released from the receptacle.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to optical transceivers, and in particular to the latching mechanism for a pluggable assembly or module that provides a communications interface between a computer or communications unit having an electrical input/output connector or interface and an optical fiber, such as used in fiber optic communication links.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of optical transceivers are known in the art which include an optical transmit portion that converts an electrical signal into a modulated light beam that is coupled to an optical fiber, and a receive portion that receives an optical signal from an optical fiber and converts it into an electrical signal. Traditionally, an optical receive section includes an optical assembly to focus or direct the light from the optical fiber onto a photodector, which in turn, is connected to an amplifier/limiter circuit on a circuit board. The optical transmit portion contains a photodiode and similar optical provisions and, in turn, is coupled to a driver board.
The photodetector or photodiode is typically packaged in a hermetically sealed package in order to protect it from harsh environmental conditions. The photodetectors or photodiodes are semiconductor chips that are typically a few hundred microns to a couple of millimeters wide and 100-500 microns thick. The package in which they are mounted is typically 3 to 6 mm in diameter and 2 to 5 mm tall and has several electrical leads coming out of the package which are, in turn, soldered to the circuit board containing the amplifier/limiter or driver.
Optical transceivers are packaged in a number of standard form factors. Standard form factors provide standardized dimensions and input/output layouts that allow devices from different manufacturers to be used interchangeably.
Although these conventional pluggable designs have been used successfully in the past, they tend to be unsuitable for miniaturization which is an ever-constant objective in the industry. It is desirable to miniaturize transceivers in order to increase the port density associated with the network connection, such as, for example, switch boxes, cabling patch panels, wiring closets, and computer I/O. Recently, a new standard (i.e., the IEEE 802.3ak standard, X2 package multi-source agreement, and PCI card height requirements enabling new 10 gigabit enterprise data center, server and network attached storage connections) has been promulgated which specifies a predetermined enclosure height and width and a minimum of 20 electrical input/output connections. In addition to miniaturizing the module, it is also desirable to increase its operating frequency. For example, applications are quickly moving from the sub-gigabit realm to well over a gigabit. Conventional pluggable module configurations, however, cannot meet these parameters.
Miniaturizing a module while maintaining or even increasing its operating speed, presents a number of design problems particularly in applications in which data transmission rates are high,.e.g., in the range of 1-10 Gbs (Gigabits/second). Of particular concern is reducing electromagnetic inference (EMI) emissions.

Latching mechanism for pluggable transceiver


An angular and radial self-aligning coupling includes a first support block having a flow bore therethrough with an enlarged counterbore around one outlet of the flow bore. The enlarged counterbore forms a convex annular surface. A spherical seal plate also having a flow bore therethrough includes a concave surface on one side which matingly engages the convex annular surface of the support block. The spherical seal plate also has an annular bearing surface on its other side which engages a bearing face on a radial seal plate. The radial seal plate includes a stab counterbore on its other side. A second support block includes a flow bore therethrough and includes a piston which may be hydraulically actuated to an extended position. Upon actuation of the piston, the piston enters the stab counterbore and the radial seal plate and spherical seal plate automatically adjust for any radial or angular misalignment to allow the piston to stab within the stab counterbore.

Offshore wells are often drilled from a floating vessel, such as a drill ship or a semisubmersible. However, unlike a drilling platform, the floating vessel is in constant motion due to the waves and tides of the ocean. Thus, it is necessary that means be provided to compensate for the motion of the vessel with respect to the ocean floor into which the well is being drilled. An offshore oil well is drilled through a riser pipe extending from the ocean floor to the vessel. A telescoping joint is provided to connect the riser pipe to the diverter and related drilling equipment on board the floating vessel.
The telescoping joint includes a larger outer barrel located at the bottom of the joint and attached to the top of the last riser pipe extending from the ocean floor. A smaller inner barrel is located at the upper end of the telescoping joint and is telescopingly received within the lower and larger outer barrel. The telescoping joint allows the smaller inner barrel to slide up and down within the larger outer barrel and thereby compensates for the movement in the floating vessel which causes changes in the distance between the ocean floor and the vessel due to waves, tides, and other ship movement. A telescoping joint often has an extendable length of over 50 feet.
The larger outer barrel is landed in and supported by a riser swivel tension ring which includes tensioner line shackles having tensioning lines suspended from a compensator on the drawworks. Typically a diverter is mounted on top of the telescoping joint, which in turn is mounted on the riser, BOP stack, wellhead, and downhole casing, through which drilling is performed.
The telescoping joint also has mounted around the outer barrel a plurality of hydraulic lines, circulation lines, and choke and kill lines. Choke and kill lines are high pressure lines typically having an ID of about 3" and often having working pressures of about 15,000 psi. The hydraulic lines are lower pressure lines typically having an ID of about 2" and often have working pressures in the range of 5,000 psi. Circulation lines are lower pressure lines typically of about 4.5" ID and often have working pressures of approximately 5,000 psi. It is necessary to connect each of the hydraulic lines, circulation lines and choke and kill lines to corresponding fluid lines extending to drilling equipment on the floating vessel. To make these connections, female receptacles are mounted on the ends of each of the hydraulic, circulation and choke and kill lines and corresponding gooseneck connectors are mounted on the riser swivel tension ring. According to some prior art techniques, the gooseneck connectors include a block disposed on the riser swivel tension ring having a gooseneck stab which is received by the female receptacles on each of the hydraulic, circulation and choke and kill lines. The gooseneck stabs on the riser swivel tension ring are manually actuated to connect with the female receptacles on the telescoping joint. Such manual connections often require one to two days because of the extreme difficulty in lining up the gooseneck stabs with the female receptacles.
Because of the size and weight of the telescoping joint and the movement of the floating vessel, it is extremely difficult to adjust the seating of the telescoping joint within the riser swivel tension ring and obtain a perfect alignment between the gooseneck stabs, which are fixed in position in blocks on the riser swivel tension ring, and the female receptacles fixed on the telescoping joint. Misalignment occurs due to an angular misalignment and/or radial misalignment between the gooseneck blocks and stabs and the female receptacles. Angular misalignment can occur if the telescoping joint is cocked or tilted in the riser swivel tension ring. In such a case, the telescoping joint is not supported vertically within the riser swivel tension ring, thereby causing the axes of the female receptacles to be at an angle with the gooseneck stabs. Radial misalignment can occur upon the installation of the telescoping joint within the riser swivel tension ring where the tolerances are all stacked in a common direction causing the gooseneck blocks and female receptacles to be out of axial or radial alignment. The tolerances for the alignment of the gooseneck stab and female receptacle are very small such that a radial misalignment of a fraction of an inch or an angular misalignment of a fraction of a degree will prevent the ready connection of the lines. Because the gooseneck blocks are mounted and fixed to the riser swivel tension ring and the female receptacles are mounted and fixed to the telescoping joint, a fixed connection between the gooseneck blocks and female receptacles allows only a very small tolerance to alignment to achieve a successful connection.
In the general area of flexible couplings for pipe, various types of couplings have provided for misalignment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,405 teaches a coupling accommodating misalignment in three basic directions, i.e. axial, angular and radial. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,252,347 and 4,747,622 include a handle on one portion of the coupling for angularly adjusting the connection between two pipes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,326 teaches a coupling allowing radial misalignment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,173 teaches a swivel coupling for an angular connection. However, these prior art pipe couplings are fixed conduit type swivel connections and are clamped together. None of these couplings are stab connections. Moreover, none of these couplings provides for a floating stab connection which is automatically correcting or self-adjusting in service to accommodate changes in the radial or angular alignment of the joined conduits.

Angular and radial self-aligning coupling


A tracked skate runner provides a low-profile substitute for a wheel with exceptionally low rolling resistance on rough or soft terrain. The runner includes a skate frame and rollers that bear against an endless track of hinged links devoid of pinch points that can get jammed with ground debris. The skate frame provides a channel with sidewalls and a top dirt shield. The sidewalls fit closely with the links of the track to seal out dirt, and the top dirt shield protects the rollers from dirt that shakes off the top recirculating portion of the track.

The present invention relates to low-profile endless track mechanisms for the purpose of gliding over rough or soft ground. It especially relates to the use of such mechanisms to ski or skate without the need for snow or ice.
For a mountain bike to roll over obstacles such as rocks, roots and small branches, as encountered on a typical trail, the minimum wheel diameter is approximately 2 feet. Mounting one such wheel per leg has been tried, e.g. the "Chariot Wheel", but leads to poor fore-aft stability and usually requires a second smaller wheel. Wheels up to about 8″ diameter have been mounted under a skate boot, e.g. the "Rollerblade Coyote", but the small diameter rolls poorly over obstacles, and the high ground contact pressure leads to poor rolling resistance on soft ground. Larger wheels under the boot result in excessive lateral torque on the knee, and large wheels fore and aft of the boot cause excessive weight and poor ground clearance.
Compared with wheels, the use of endless belts or tracks allows much larger contact area and lower ground pressure. This translates to less work done to indent the ground, and the potential for lower rolling resistance. Tracks can also provide a more gently curved or ramped bottom surface to roll over obstacles more smoothly.
The patent literature includes many examples of tracked vehicles as used on heavy machinery, snowmobiles, military vehicles (tanks). There are relatively fewer examples of tracked skates and grass-skis.
The skate/ski prior art falls into four main groups: 1) belts or tracks sliding on an oval track (e.g. Pierce U.S. Pat. No. 342,458, 1886), 2) belts or tracks rolling on an oval track using recirculating balls or rollers (e.g. Fohr U.S. Pat. No. 675,824A, 1901, Chevreau, U.S. Pat. No. 1,508,218, 1924, Abdulaev, U.S. Pat. No. 7,976,064B2, 2011), 3) belts or tracks with attached rollers engaging an oval or indented oval track (e.g. the Rollka grass skis), 4) belts or tracks suspended by rollers (e.g. Bierly, U.S. Pat. No. 1,583,114, 1926, and Rieske, U.S. Pat. No. 2,412,290, 1946), and 5) non-inverting belts or tracks suspended by rollers (e.g. Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 889,946, 1908 and Freilich, U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,096, 1996).
The first group tends to have very high friction due to the sliding interface.
The second group typically uses a continuous belt and small closely spaced rollers or balls. The belt needs to be quite thin and soft to be able to make the small radius turn at either end of the skate, and this runs counter to the need for bending stiffness to spread the load on the ground and to have low rolling resistance against the balls or rollers. This group is very sensitive to dirt fouling the mechanism due to the small size of the rolling elements, and their close proximity to the ground. Putting full weight on a small obstacle like a root or rock is likely to damage the rolling interface.
The third category includes the most successful type of grass-ski, first manufactured by Rollka. This device has acceptably low friction for downhill skiing but not for cross-country. It is inherently fragile for its weight and requires a soft ground surface, i.e. grass. The widely-spaced roller assemblies result in high local ground pressure, with sections of unsupported belt. Going over a branch or root can indent the belt and cause excessive tension that damages the track/roller mechanism.
The fourth category is the standard for modern ground-moving machinery, snow-cat's, snowmobiles and tanks. In the skate examples given (Bierly and Rieske), the rollers are large and widely spaced, and the resultant ground contact pressure is not much different than if the track were not there. Use of a stiffer belt or very high belt tension is not practical due to excessive friction and hysteresis. Use of small, closely spaced rollers and hinged links (e.g. Miller), is advantageous, but there is a typically a weak point at either end of the track due to the need for large end-rollers.
The fifth category has hinged links that can bend around the end-rollers, but resist being bent in the opposite direction. This allows the track to maintain its shape even when the rollers are large and widely spaced, but at the expense of very high tensile loads in the hinge joints. As described by Miller and Freilich, the hinge-stop mechanisms represent pinch-points for dirt and gravel. This causes extreme loads on the hinges leading to premature failure.
There remains a need for a low-profile, lightweight skate runner with very low rolling resistance that can handle terrain with roots, rocks, and soft ground, is reasonably safe, does not get fouled by dirt and detritus, and can be manufactured cheaply.


The present invention is directed to a method and device to isolate compounds from plant material using vibrational pulsing, vibrational decanting, vibrational sieving and vibrational rinsing. A susceptible liquid is generated by vibrational agitation, decanted when in a vibrating container and then collected by passing over a series of vibrating screens and then rinsed with water while collected on the vibrating screens and the residue collected. The isolated compound can either be collected in the decant or retained on the screens. In an embodiment of the invention, the vibrational rinsing step reduces unwanted impurities isolated.

The kingdom Plantae contains 12 phylum or divisions. Plantae includes familiar organisms such as flowering plants, conifers, ferns, mosses, and green algae, but do not include seaweeds like kelp, nor fungi and bacteria. The group is also called green plants or Viridiplantae in Latin. Species within Plantae obtain most of their energy from sunlight via photosynthesis using chlorophyll contained in chloroplasts, which gives them their green color. There are thought to be three hundred thousand species of plants, of which the great majority are seed plants. The kingdom Fungi encompasses a broad diversity of taxa with varied ecologies, life cycle strategies, and morphologies ranging from single-celled aquatic chytrids to large mushrooms. The kingdom Fungi has been estimated at over one million species, but less than 5% having been formally classified.
Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile compounds present in plant material as a treatment. The volatile compounds are often isolated as an oil which can then be heated and the aroma from the heated oil can be inhaled. Tea tree belongs to the Myrtaceae family and include Melaleuca alternifolia, M. cajuptii; M. viridflora and M quiquenervia vividflora. Other plants belonging to the Myrtaceae family include cajeput, niaouli, clove, eucalyptus and myrtle. Oils isolated from Myrtaceae family plants are used in aromatherapy and have been demonstrated to have anti-infectious and anti-microbial effects. The principal constituents in tea tree oil include terpinen-4-ol, alpha-terpineol, cineole, pinene, alpha terpene, beta-caryopyllene and cymene.
Extracts from Cannabaceae or Hemp family plants (generic name Cannabis) were adopted in eastern Asian herbal remedies before 2700 B.C. Cannabis plants include Cannabis sativa, C. indica and C. ruderalis. The Cannabis seed was cultivated at least by the Chinese. The active ingredient includes 3,4-trans-delta-1-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a psychoactive hallucinogenic compound which binds to the Cannabinoid (CB) receptor present in the brain cerebral cortex and stimulates euphoria and modified sensual perceptions. Hashish is a resin collected by thrashing flowering tops against a smooth rock where the sap will stick and can be collected. While ingestion of hashish and either chewing and/or ingestion of Cannabis leaves has been recorded at various points through history, the liver 'sloughs off' the THC thereby reducing the THC effect and damaging the renal cells. More commonly, beverages were brewed to extract the THC and other cannabinoids. Dutch colonials in South Africa adapted the Cannabis plant by drying the leaves and then incinerating the leaves (smoking) and inhaling the smoke directly. Alternatively, vaporization can be used to extract the THC and reduce irritating toxic and carcinogenic by-products. Incineration or vaporization releases the gaseous THC which when inhaled can be absorbed through the lungs into the blood stream to act on the CB receptor. An alternative means of obtaining the effects of THC involves mixing the Cannabis leaves with alcohol to form an infusion which can then be consumed as an alcoholic beverage. Alternatively, THC can be extracted into butter or oil by mixing and mild heating, then the butter or oil can be used in baking and the baked goods consumed.
A one-gram cigarette containing 10 mg of THC (1% by weight) is considered psychoactive. The concentration of THC in Cannabis leaves can range from 1-5% by weight. Hashish resin can have up to 60% THC by weight. Extractions from Cannabis leaves using organic solvents such as methanol, ethanol, benzene, butanol, petroleum ether, or isopropyl alcohol can produce yields of 1-18% by weight (depending on whether buds of leaves are used), however the purity of the THC depends on the solvent used for the extraction. For example, butane is relatively non polar and does not extract the water soluble substances in the leaves such as chlorophyll and the alkaloids compared with more polar alcohols. A characteristic of all non-aqueous solvent methods of extraction is that they remove lipid soluble inactive material consisting of plant cell constituents including but not limited to fats, waxes, carbohydrates, proteins and sugars from the plant material.
There are over 300 known compounds in Cannabis of which more than 50 are related to or have the cannabinoid structure. However, cannabidiols are generally only mildly active and the cannabinols are generally not psychoactive. The psychoactive compounds are present on the leaves and in resin produced from special glandular trichomes on the plant surface. The roots and stem do not have the psychoactive compounds. Trichomes on plants are epidermal outgrowths of various kinds. A hair is a common type of trichome. Plant hairs can be unicellular or multicellular, branched or un-branched. Multicellular hairs can have one or several layers of cells. Branched hairs can be dendritic, tufted, or stellate. A common type of trichome is the scale or peltate hair: a plate or shield shaped cluster of cells attached directly to the surface. Any of the various types of hairs can be glandular. In describing the surface appearance of plant organs many terms are used in reference to the presence, form, and appearance of trichomes including: glabrous, lacking hairs or smooth surface; hirsute, coarsely hairy; hispid, having bristly hairs; downy, having an almost wool like covering of long hairs; pilose, pubescent with long, straight, soft, spreading or erect hairs; pubescent, bearing hairs of any type; strigose, having straight hairs all pointing in more or less the same direction as along a margin or midrib; tomentose, covered with dense, matted, woolly hairs; and villous, having long, soft curved, but not matted hairs. Trichomes are extremely variable in their presence across species, location on plant organs, density (even within a species), and therefore functionality. However, several basic functions or advantages of having surface hairs include: interference with the feeding of at least some small herbivores and, depending upon stiffness and irritability to the "palate", large herbivores as well; keeping frost away from the living surface cells; breaking-up the flow of air across the plant surface, and reducing evaporation; protecting the more delicate tissues underneath in hot, dry, open habitats; and attracting available moisture from cloud drip.

Apparatus and method for vibrational isolation of compounds


The projectile-launcher operation monitoring device includes at least one displacement-sensor and a processor coupled with the displacement-sensor. The displacement-sensor acquires measurements relating to the displacement of the projectile-launcher and to produce a sampled time signal of values relating to the displacement. The processor receives from the displacement-sensor the sampled time signal to determine projectile-launcher operation parameters therefrom, by employing a deep-learning system. The deep-learning system includes an encoder receiving sample-frames from the sampled time signal producing codes relating to the sample-frames. Each of the codes is a vector of values relating to the probabilities of features in the received sample-frames.

Monitoring projectile launchers (e.g., a handgun, a rifle, a machine gun, a rocket launcher, a tank and the like) carries various benefits. For example, known in the art are counters that counting the number of shots made by a rifle or a sidearm may provide an indication regarding the number of rounds left. Counting the number of shots may also aid in preventive maintenance by providing an indication when maintenance task should be performed.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,669,356 to Joannes, et al, entitled "Device for detecting and counting shots fired by an automatic or semi-automatic firearm, and firearm equipped with such a device" is directed at a device for detecting and counting shots fired by an automatic or semi-automatic firearm with a barrel and moving parts to recock the firearm. The device includes an accelerometer, a memory, and a microprocessor. The accelerometer includes a pass band that is tuned such to be sensitive to shocks in the axial direction of the barrel that slides for every fired shot in the axial direction between a front position and a rear position. The progression in time of the accelerations is typical for the firearm and thus forms a typical acceleration signature for that firearm and for the type of ammunition being used. The accelerometer provides a signal to the microprocessor that employs an algorithm for counting the number of shots fired, based on the acceleration signature having a plurality of characteristic elements that include acceleration pulses, acceleration variations, calm zones during which the level of the signal of the accelerometer is practically zero. The memory stores the characteristic elements prior to use of the device.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0252684 to entitled "Self calibrating weapon shot counter" to Ufer et al, is directed at a device for counting the number of rounds fired through a weapon. The device includes a microcontroller module, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometer, a non-volatile memory, a normally closed switch, a serial communication device, and a wake up circuit. The microcontroller module includes a microcontroller, the MEMS accelerometer, which in turn includes the normally closed switch. The memory stores shot profile data that includes shot count and recoil data. The microcontroller module is affixed to the firearm. The MEMS accelerometer is in the plane of firing of the firearm, and measures the G force of each round fired by the firearm. The microcontroller interrogates or periodically samples the MEMS accelerometer and its output. The microcontroller converts the analog output of the MEMS accelerometer to digital form. The serial communication device transmits the shot profile data stored in the memory, via a radio frequency (RF) signal. The wake up circuit is adapted to switch upon detection of a fired shot to signal the microcontroller to initialize a low power mode to activate the MEMS accelerometer faster than it would activate by itself, thereby enabling the MEMS accelerometer to wake up fast enough to capture the entire energy pulse.

Device system and method for projectile launcher operation monitoring


A leader block rotating mechanism for selectively rotating a leader block to a holding position of holding a film of a web, and to a release position of releasing the film of the web, includes an elastic member that biases the leader block to the holding position.

The present invention relates to a leader block rotating mechanism, a read/write device, and a method of rotating a leader block. For example, the present invention relates to a leader block rotating mechanism for rotating a leader block holding a film of a web (e.g., a leader pin of a magnetic tape cartridge), and a web (e.g., a tape) cartridge driving unit equipped with this leader block rotating mechanism).
As a web (e.g., a magnetic tape cartridge in which a magnetic tape is contained), for example, an LTO (Linear Tape-Open) system of a cartridge for data storage is known. A reel around which a magnetic tape is wound is contained in this kind of magnetic tape cartridge, and a leader pin is provided in an end of the magnetic tape.
The web driving unit, for example, the tape cartridge driving unit, for performing recording and reproduction for information to the magnetic tape of this magnetic tape cartridge, includes a loading mechanism for transporting the magnetic tape cartridge inside a unit, a threading mechanism having a leader block holding the leader pin of the magnetic tape cartridge and for drawing the magnetic tape in a unit side reel, and a leader block rotating mechanism for rotating the leader block to a holding position of holding the leader pin, and to a release position of releasing holding of the leader pin.
A conventional leader block rotating mechanism, includes a leader block picker for rotating a leader block, a rotator lever which rotates this leader block picker, a torsion spring which energizes this rotator lever, a rotator cam which rotates the rotator lever, and an extension spring which energizes this rotator cain (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-220713).
In this conventional leader block rotating mechanism, the leader block picker rotating the leader block waits in a state of rotating the leader block to a release position by a bias (e.g., an energizing force) of each coil spring. Then, the leader block is rotated to the holding position of holding the leader pin by the leader block picker rotating while resisting the bias (e.g., the energizing force) of each coil spring by the rotator cam rotated by a cam portion provided in a gear rotatably driven by a motor.

Leader block rotating mechanism, read/write device, and method of rotating leader block