The panels (1, 2) are along a frame member connected to one or more support elements (3) in an angle of inclination in relation to a subjacent securing plane by means of mounting and hinge fittings (4) which can be adjusted in dependence of said angle of inclination, the fittings also constituting the hinge fittings of the openable panels. Each fitting (4) comprises a securing part for connection with the support element (3), a hinge part for connection with the frame structure of the panel (1, 2) and an adjustment part connecting the securing part with the hinge part.

The present invention relates to a fitting for connection of a frame structure of a panel with a support element, said panel being mounted in an angle of inclination in relation to a subjacent securing plane, and said panel being openable or fixed, which fitting can be adjusted in dependence on said angle of inclination, and which comprises a securing part for connection with the support element and an adjustment part.
Such fittings are known in many different designs and in cases with fixed panels they are usually designed as support fittings with oblique sections defining the possible inclination of the panel. In openable panels, the connection is made by especially designed hinge fittings.
Fittings of this kind used in panels for construction of e.g. tilted surfaces must be produced in several various forms because of the structure of the known fittings, dependent on whether the panel is to be openable or fixed and on the inclination of the panel.
GB patent application No. 2 204 627 discloses a system of such panels which together form a glass roof. The support element in this publication is constituted by e.g. a ridge section of a continuous ridge profile with oblique side wall defining the inclination of the roof. In the openable panels, the side wall of the ridge profile are connected with separate hinge fittings.
Even though this arrangement provides a good and stable connection between the support element and the panels, the production has, however, the inconvenience that besides the special mounting and hinge fittings, particular ridge profiles must be made for each individual project in dependence of varying desires as to the angle of inclination of the profiles.
In order to remedy said inconveniences, U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,389 has e.g. proposed a mounting fitting permitting to adjust the angle of inclination of fixed panels, whereas FR patent application No. 2 727 165 suggests a fitting of a similar kind where the angle of inclination can be adjusted stepwise in few predetermined positions.
Therefore, the object of the invention is to provide a fitting of the kind stated in the introduction where standardization of the production becomes more feasible and where in a simple manner, increased flexibility when mounting the panels is obtained, including in particular the option to choose the angle of inclination suitable for the installation conditions.
This purpose is achieved in that said fitting is designed as a mounting and hinge fitting constituting also the hinge fitting of an openable panel, and in that each fitting comprises a hinge part for connection with the frame structure of the panel, said adjustment part connecting the securing part with the hinge part.
By this invention, the desired standardization and flexibility are obtained, as the tripartite integrated mounting and hinge fitting comprises partly a hinge part and thus can be used both for fixed and openable panels, partly an adjustment part which permits a preparation of the panel for the wanted inclination.
In another aspect, a panel system for construction of one or more panel fillets or a major panel surface, such as a glass roof, comprising a number of fixed panels and at least one openable panel, each panel comprising a frame structure bordering a panelling element, each panel in at least one panel fillet along a frame member being meant for connection with one or more support elements extending along at least one part of said fillet, the panels in said fillets being mounted in an angle of inclination in relation to a subjacent securing plane by means of at least one fitting which can be adjusted in dependence of said angle of inclination and which each comprises a securing part for connection with the support element and an adjustment part, and each openable panel in said fillet being connected with said support element or support elements by means of hinge fittings. The panel system is characterized in that the panels in said fillets are connected with said support element or support elements by means of mounting and hinge fittings constituting also the hinge fittings of the openable panels, and in that each fitting comprises a hinge part for connection with the frame structure of the panel, said adjustment part connecting the securing part with the hinge part.
By adjusting the angle of inclination of the panels by means of a separate mounting and hinge fitting, the support element can be produced as a standard product, and the adjustment of the fitting according to the desired inclination can be effected at any time, e.g. on the building site where the final mounting takes place. As the fittings further serve as hinge fittings of the openable panels, an additional standardization is obtained, as all panels can then be improved for opening and not until a relatively late stage during the project is it necessary to decide whether the individual panel is to be openable or fixed. The mounting and hinge fitting according to the invention can be used for many different geometrical compositions or constructions, e.g. light bands, ridges, double pitch skylights, single pitch skylights and pyramids.
The adjustment part comprises preferably an essentially plate-shaped element with the form as a section of a circular ring arranged in a plane which is essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the support element and essentially parallel to the side frame members of the panel. In this design, the abutment of the frame on sealant strips in a main frame or a subjacent roof structure will be constant, both as to contact point and gasket pressure.
For adjustment of the mounting and hinge fitting, the securing part may have a slot perpendicular to the plane of the annular ring and for reception hereof, as the adjustment part upon insertion of the annular ring in the slot is secured in the desired position in relation to the securing part by e.g. welding.
Alternatively, the adjustment part can be provided with a slot shaped as a circular arc for engagement with a pin on the hinge part.
Further features of the invention will appear from the remaining dependent claims.

Mounting and hinge fitting for a panel and a panel system comprising such fittings


A device may include processing logic to obtain an image file including orientation information indicating a first orientation in which an image is to be displayed; detect, in the image, at least one human face; and modify the orientation information to re-orient the image based on the detected at least one human face.

1. Field of the Invention
Implementations described herein relate generally to images and, more particularly, to performing operations related to images.
2. Description of Related Art
Images of objects are captured and/or stored as frames having orientations relative to an orientation in which the images are to be viewed via a display. For example, an image frame is typically captured/stored in either a landscape view or a portrait view. Frame orientation is typically set according to either an actual orientation of the camera relative to the horizon during image capture or, in a camera equipped with a gravimeter (e.g., an accelerometer, gyro-sensor, etc.) and the like, a "corrected" orientation of the camera based on the acquired gravity information.
Naturally, objects appearing in the images have a particular orientation relative to the orientation in which the images are to be viewed via a display. As displayed, for example, an object(s) may be right-side up, sideways, or upside down. Cameras, image transmission devices, image storage devices, image-handling devices, display devices, and the like, orient image frames irrespective of the orientation of objects that appear in the images.
That is, such devices are not configured to determine, much less select, a proper orientation of image frames from the perspective of a viewer of the displayed images. Thus, viewing the displayed images in the proper orientation often requires that a viewer re-orient a displayed image, for instance, by rotating the display device itself or, if the display device is capable, performing an image frame rotation operation, etc. Naturally, such actions on the part of the viewer to achieve proper orientation of the images are inconvenient and cumbersome, particularly when viewing a large number of images and/or re-orienting on an image-by-image basis.


In a coil unit of an electromagnetic contactor in which a coil having a coil strand wound around a flanged bobbin is mounted on a leg of a stationary core of an operating electromagnet, into one flange of the bobbin are press fitted a pair of terminal metal pieces respectively corresponding to an initial side and final side lead wires of the coil, and each of the terminal metal pieces is formed with a press fitting base making the terminal metal piece press fitted into the one flange, a coil connecting arm around which the lead wire of corresponding side of the coil is wound and a tab terminal made to have a plug-in connection with a connector of an extension lead.

The present invention relates to a coil unit of an operating electromagnet mounted on an electromagnetic contactor, and in detail, to a terminal structure of a coil with a coil strand wound on a bobbin, and to an assembling method of a coil unit to which the terminal structure is adopted.
For a coil unit of an operating electromagnet opening and closing main circuit contacts of an electromagnetic contactor, a single coil unit is generally known in which an assembly having a coil with a coil strand wound on a bobbin is mounted on a central leg of an E-shaped stationary core. In addition, a double coil unit (DC excitation system) is known in which the coil unit is divided into two sets of single coil units to be respectively mounted on right and left legs of a U-shaped stationary core with coils of the respective coil units made coupled in series for being connected to an operating circuit (See, for example, "A structure of an electromagnetic contactor and designations of parts thereof, SC-N6", (online) Fuji Electric Technica Co., Ltd., [Retrieved on Aug. 30, 2008], Internet URL:http://www.fe-technica,co.jp/html/shohin/41/pdf/AH294_P1—10-17.pdf>).
The structure of an electromagnetic contactor mounting the related double coil unit, described in the foregoing non-patent document, for an operating electromagnet and the structure of the related double coil unit are shown in FIG. 8A to FIG. 10D. First, in FIGS. 8A to 8C, the electromagnetic contactor is formed of a main body case 1, a power supply side main circuit terminal 2, a load side main circuit side terminal 3, stationary contactors 4 and 5, a bridging movable contactor 6, a movable contactor holder 7, a movable core 8 of an operating electromagnet, a two-leg stationary core 9 of soft-iron, a back spring 10, a double coil unit 11, a pair of extension leads (insulated covered wires) 12, a printed-circuit board 13 of an operating circuit and external terminals 14 of the operating circuit. In the foregoing, the main body case 1 is formed with a structure dividable into three of a lower case 1a, an upper case 1b and an arc-extinguishing chamber cover 1c. The two-leg stationary core 9 is formed of a yoke 9a, a left leg 9b and a right leg 9c. The back spring 10 energizes the movable core 8 toward the release side. The double coil unit 11 has equally specified two sets of single coil units 11A and 11B, each having a coil 16 with a coil strand wound around a bobbin 15 of molded resin, combined to be mounted on the left leg 9b and the right leg 9c, respectively, of the stationary core 9. A pair of the extension leads 12 are connected to their respective single coil units 11A and 11B to be taken out therefrom. Moreover, reference numerals 9b-1 and 9c-1 denote magnetic pole plates of the left leg 9b and the right legs 9c, respectively, of the stationary core 9 and reference numeral 12a denotes a connector for making each of the extension leads 12 have a plug-in connection to the printed-circuit board 13.
Next, the assembled structure of each of the aforementioned single coil units 11A and 11B is shown in FIGS. 9A to 9E. Each of the single coil units 11A and 11B has a structure having a coil 16 with a coil strand wound around the bobbin 15 of molded resin. The bobbin 15 has flanges 15b and 15c at the upper and lower ends, respectively, of a barrel 15a. On the rim of each of the flanges 15b and 15c, a coupling tab 15d and an engaging projection 15e are formed which are used when coupling the single coil units 11A and 11B as will be described later. Moreover, the coil 16 is formed by winding a coil strand (an enameled wire, for example) around the barrel 15a of the bobbin 15 and wrapping the outer surface of the wound coil strand with insulating tape 17 with the initial side lead wire 16a and the final side lead wire 16b, each being a part of the coil strand, being taken out from the bobbin 15.
In each of the single coil units 11A and 11B, for forming the coil 16 with the coil strand wound around the bobbin 15, the initial side lead wire 16a is first temporarily fastened on the surface of the barrel 15a of the bobbin 15 with a piece of adhesive tape 18 before the coil strand is wound around the barrel 15a by an automatic coil winding machine. The final side lead wire 16b is also temporarily fastened on the coil 16 with a piece of adhesive tape 18 in the same way as above. Finally, by wrapping the outer surface of the coil 16 with a strip of insulating tape 17, each of the single coil units 11A and 11b is completed.
Next, the assembled structure of the double coil unit 11 with aforementioned two sets single coil units 11A and 11B arranged side by side to be combined are shown in FIGS. 10A to 10D. Namely, the single coil units 11A and 11B are combined by coupling their respective bobbins 15 with the flanges 15b at the upper ends made butted against each other and the flanges 15c at the lower ends made butted against each other, in which the coupling tabs 15d are made engaged with the engaging projections 15e mated thereto. Then, as shown in a connection diagram given as FIG. 10D, the final side lead wires 16b of the single coil units 11A and 11B are twisted together to be joined and soldered (W: solder). Moreover, the initial side lead wire 16a of each of the single coil units 11A and 11B and the strand of the extension lead 12 for external connection are twisted together to be joined and soldered. Furthermore, a strip of the insulating tape 17 is wound around the outer surfaces of the coils 16 of the single coil units 11A and 11B so as to wrap the coils 16 together and cover the soldered junction of the final side lead wires 16b and each soldered junction of the initial side lead wire 16a and the strand of the extension lead 12 for external connection. Thus, the coils 16 are coated for insulation for being provided as the assembly of the double coil unit 11.
Thereafter, the assembly of the aforementioned double coil unit 11 is, as was explained with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8C, made fitted to the left leg 9b and the right leg 9c of the stationary core 9 to be mounted on the lower case 1a of the electromagnetic contactor. Then, the connectors 12a of each of the extension leads 12 is made to have a plug-in connection to the circuit on the printed circuit board 13.
Incidentally, the aforementioned coil unit with the related structure has the following problems in ease of assembling. First, in assembling each of the single coil units 11A and 11B, in the step of forming the coil 16 with a coil strand wound around the bobbin 15, troublesome manual work is required in which each of the initial side lead wire 16a and the final side lead wire 16b of the coil 16 is temporarily fastened with a piece of the adhesive tape 18. Second, in the step of forming the double coil unit 11 by combining two sets of the single coil units 11A and 11B, time consuming work process is required in which the final side lead wires 16b of the single coil units 11A and 11B are twisted together to be soldered by manual work, and the initial side lead wire 16a and the extension lead 12 for external connection of each of the single coil units 11A and 11B are also twisted together to be soldered by manual work. Therefore, in an assembling process of the coil unit, there are many working processes carried out by manual work to cause the products to be high in cost.
The invention was made in view of the foregoing with an object of providing a coil unit of an electromagnetic contactor in which unit a coil strand can be wound with reduced working man-hours of manual work and, together with this, the terminal structure of the coil is improved so that the connection of the lead wires of the coil and the connection of the lead wire of the coil and an extension lead can be carried out with a simple single plug-in operation without requiring soldering, and providing an assembling method of the coil unit.

Coil unit of electromagnetic contactor and assembling method thereof

Fuji Electric FA Components and Systems Co., Ltd.


The disclosure describes aspects of a display processing circuitry. In an aspect, one or more displays that support multiple views include one or more arrays of pixels, one or more backplanes, and a processing circuitry configured to receive one or more data streams, control processing of the data streams based on policies from which to select a mode of operation, each mode of operation defining which rays of light the arrays of pixels in the displays are to contribute to generate a particular view or views and the tasks to be performed by the processing circuitry to modify the data streams accordingly. The processing circuitry further provides signaling representative of the modified data streams to the arrays of pixels through a circuit configuration of the backplanes for the arrays of pixels to contribute the rays that will to generate the particular view or views. A corresponding method is also described.

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to displays, and more specifically, to a display processing unit that processes content within a display.
Ultra-high-resolution displays, high-dynamic-range (that is, high-contrast) displays, and light field (that is, glasses-free 3D) displays suffer from a lack of existing content. Whereas novel cameras and computer-generated content may allow this content to be produced in the future, there is a need for offline and on-the-fly processing of legacy content and other types of content to, for example, up-sample resolution, convert low-dynamic-range content into high-dynamic-range content, and convert two-dimensional (2D) images or 2D images with depth information, to high-resolution, high-dynamic-range, and/or light field data for display.
Moreover, there is limited bandwidth offered by existing standards (e.g., HDMI or DisplayPort) for transferring data from the central processing unit (CPU) or graphics processing unit (GPU) to the display itself. The bandwidth required by emerging ultra-high-resolution display panels, high-dynamic-range displays, and light field displays require orders of magnitude more data to be transferred between the CPU or GPU to the display. While future standards or future evolution of existing standards may enable more bandwidth, the limitations of current standards may necessitate that a significant amount of image processing be performed directly on the display after data is transferred to the display.
Some existing displays may perform simple interpolation (e.g., linear, cubic interpolations) to improve the spatial and temporal resolution of video and they may scale an image to improve the contrast or dynamic range, but there is a need for more sophisticated image and video processing with low latency, with low power consumption, and with high quality.
Smart TVs (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,521) use integrated hardware to connect television displays to a processing unit and network connection. This technology enables the streaming of multimedia content to accompany conventional broadcasts. Set-top boxes (e.g., Apple TV, Google ChromeCast, Amazon FireTV) and gaming consoles (e.g., Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo Wii U) use dedicated central processing unit/graphics processing units (CPU/GPUs) to record, stream, and navigate multiple sources of over-the-air, cable, gaming, and internet content with a common interface. However the resolution of these systems is still limited by current display protocols, and these systems do not provide processing of 2D, three-dimensional (3D), and light field content.
New standards have been developed for transmission and streaming of high-dynamic-range content (HDR10, HDR10+, Hybrid-Log-Gamma) by encoding additional metadata, bit depth, and extended transfer functions such as SMPTE ST280 in the transmitted video. While support for these standards in new displays may improve the dynamic range and contrast for newly-generated content, the standards do not address the need to upconvert existing low-dynamic-range legacy content to existing low-dynamic-range legacy content.
Accordingly, techniques and devices are desirable that enable effective handling of different types of content in different types of displays, particularly when large amounts of data are needed.


In an endoscope of the present invention, while a cover indicator on a distal cover is aligned with a scope indicator on a main distal part, the distal cover is put on the main distal part in an axial direction at a certain insertion angle. Thereafter, the distal cover is rotated while being thrust in the axial direction. The stoppage of a locking convex part of a hook of the main distal part by a claw of a reinforcement member is released, and the locking convex part of the hook is positioned in a locking ditch of the reinforcement member. The head of the hook is constrained to move in the axial direction by means of a main distal cover that is an elastic member and the claw. The locking convex part is then fitted into the locking ditch reliably. Consequently, the distal cover can be fixed to the main distal part readily, freely detachably, and reliably with high positioning precision.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope, or more particularly, to an endoscope characterized by a distal cover thereof that is freely detachable from a distal part of an insertion unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, endoscopes having an elongated insertion unit have been widely adopted in the fields of medicine and industry. The distal part of the insertion unit is formed with a rigid distal member to which an illuminating means and viewing means are fixed.
When the rigid distal part is inserted into a tortuous body cavity in a human body, if the insertion unit is thrust too forcibly with the rigid distal part in contact with the bent part of the cavity wall, there arises a possibility of injuring the cavity wall with the rigid distal part.
In some endoscopes, a portion on the front side of the distal part is shielded with a distal cover having elasticity in order to prevent the distal part from injuring the cavity wall during insertion.
In another endoscope, a stowage in which a stand used to stand a therapeutic instrument is stowed so that the stand can pivot freely is formed with a distal cover. In particular, when the stand used to stand a therapeutic instrument is stowed, it is necessary to fully clean and sterilize the distal cover after use. The distal cover is therefore often structured to be freely detachable.
For example, in a prior art disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-19509, a cap similar to a distal cover is fixed to a main distal part by inserting a fixing screw into a screw hole in the main distal part, and then affixed thereto using a sealant. Furthermore, a screw hole larger than the screw hole in the main distal part is bored in the cap. For removing the cap, after the fixing screw is detached, a separation screw is used to push the main distal part in order to separate (detach) the cap affixed to the main distal part using the sealant.
However, in a structure like the structure of the prior art in which the distal cover (cap) is fixed using a screw, a jig such as a driver is needed to attach the distal cover. If the jig is missing, the distal cover cannot be attached. Moreover, the screw is inserted into the distal part and is therefore small in size. The screw is liable to get missing. If the screw gets missing prior to an endoscopic examination, the distal cover cannot be fixed and the examination cannot be started. Moreover, since the screw must be tightened to fix the distal cover, the work is cumbersome. Furthermore, the separation screw is needed to detach the cap.
By the way, a distal cover formed with an elastic member made of a rubber or the like and having a hole into which a convex part of a main distal part is fitted is conceivable as a simple detachable distal cover. This structure has possibilities of not being fixed satisfactorily, being positioned with poor precision, or being displaced or coming off during an examination.
Talking of a known side-looking endoscope, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-243071 has disclosed an endoscope in which a distal cover thereof is made detachable and the efficiency in cleaning the surroundings of a forceps stand is improved. In this endoscope, as shown in FIG. 51, the distal cover is thrust in an axial direction, a jut 503 of a distal part 502 is fitted into a hole 501 in a cover 500, and the cover is fixed using a screw 504. According to this method described in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-243071, if the screw 504 comes off after the endoscope is inserted into a body cavity, there is no means for recognizing the fact. If the screw 504 comes off within the body cavity and the cover 500 almost comes off, the fact cannot be recognized until the cover 500 drops. This is a critical problem in terms of safety.
In medical-purpose endoscopes including a gastroscope and duodenoscope, an insertion unit of an endoscope is inserted into a patient's body cavity in order to view or treat a lesion. Some medical-purpose endoscopes include a therapeutic instrument standing unit as a mechanism for directing forceps or any other therapeutic instrument toward a desired lesion so as to collect a biomedical tissue or treat the lesion while viewing the lesion.
The therapeutic instrument standing unit basically comprises a therapeutic instrument stand capable of pivoting with a standing axis located in a distal structure as a center, and an operation wire coupled to the therapeutic instrument stand. When an operator advances or withdraws the operation wire by handling an operation unit, the angle of the therapeutic instrument stand is changed to direct the forceps in a desired direction.
When the endoscope is in operation, intracavitary fluid invades into an area in which the standing axis of the therapeutic stand and the distal structure are engaged with each other, or an area in which an operation wire fixing member connected to an end of the operation wire and the therapeutic instrument stand are engaged with each other.
The endoscope must therefore be cleaned (sterilized) after use. It is time-consuming to clean the operation wire fixing member and standing axis. Under the circumstances, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-323001 has proposed an endoscope whose distal cover is easily attachable or detachable to or from a distal structure.
However, in known endoscopes, in which a distal cover is freely detachable from a distal structure, including the endoscope disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-323001, a small gap may be created between the distal cover and distal structure. In this state, if a treatment using a high-frequency current is carried out, there arises a possibility that the high-frequency current may leak out to the outer surface of a distal part via intracavitary fluid invading into the gap between the distal cover and distal structure. If the outer surface of the distal part should be in contact with an intracavitary wall, there would arise a possibility that the current flows to the intracavitary wall.

Endoscope whose distal cover can be freely detachably attached to main distal part thereof with high positioning precision


A biosensor cartridge includes a plasma separator, a plasma metering chamber, a mixer, and a biosensor.

1. Field
Provided is a biosensor cartridge for automating a complex process of a biosensor for blood tests.
2. Description of the Related Art
A biosensor causes a change in an electrical or optical signal using a specific binding, reaction, etc. between a biological material, such as protein, deoxyribonucleic acid ("DNA"), viruses, bacteria, cells, and tissues, and a sensor surface, thereby quantitatively or qualitatively analyzing and testing biomolecules.
Detection of a biological material requires a complex process for processing, reaction, and analysis of a reagent. Although the process varies according to an analysis method and the type of the material, a biosensor generally detects a biological material through a complex combination of processes such as filtering, metering, mixing, transport, reaction, and washing. Thus, according to conventional art, detection of a biological material is manually performed in respective laboratories using a variety of equipment.
For this reason, simultaneous development of biosensor technology and fluid-processing technology for automating and standardizing a test process is very important for a low-cost and high-efficiency test. Active development of technology for performing a process, which is currently performed manually in a clinical laboratory, in an automated single platform is under way.


A method and improvement for extracting free or "tramp" oil from an oil contaminated fluid wherein oil contaminated fluid entering an oil separator is injected with a fraction of free oil. Coalescence of minute oil globules within the inlet stream is significantly enhanced thereby improving oil separation.

The present invention relates to liquid purification systems and particularly to a system for removing free oil and fine solids from fluids utilized in industrial machining operations.
Machining operations generally require the use of coolants to prevent damage to tools due to excessive heat. Typically, a coolant comprises an oil-in-water emulsion wherein water is the continuous phase, oil is the disperse phase, and soap is the emulsifying agent. The emulsion is stabilized by electro-mechanical forces which are weakened or destroyed by contaminants in the form of metallic ions, free oil bacterial action, and fine solids.
The most serious culprit in coolant deterioration is free or "tramp" oil which must be removed to maintain the stability and equilibrium of the emulsion.

Purification of machine tool coolant via tramp oil injection to effectuate coalescence of target contaminant tramp oil


A pulse width modulation circuit includes: a reference signal generator which generates a plurality of mutually differing reference signals; a comparator which compares the reference signals and an input signal with respect to magnitude, and outputs results of the comparison as a plurality of comparison signals with mutually differing phases; and a synthesizer which, using a logical operation, outputs the plurality of comparison signals output from the comparator as a pulse width modulated signal configured of one or more binary signals.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a pulse width modulation circuit which modulates an input signal, and outputs a binary, pulse width modulated signal.
2. Related Art
A pulse width modulation circuit which modulates a pulse of an input signal, and outputs a binary, pulse width modulated signal, is widely used to digitally control a voltage. With the pulse width modulation circuit, reference signals with a sawtooth wave, triangle wave, or the like responding to clock signals are generated, the reference signal and the input signal are compared with respect to magnitude, and a binary voltage signal which is at a high level when the input signal is larger than the reference signals, and at a low level when the input signal is smaller than the reference signals, is output as a pulse width modulated signal.
In this kind of pulse width modulation circuit, in order to make the pulse width modulated signal of a high resolution, it is the simplest to heighten the frequency of the clock signals which are the source of the reference signals. However, in the event of heightening the frequency of the clock signals which are the source, a calculation of a comparison between the reference signals and input signal cannot keep pace, making an internal calculation process unstable. That is, there is a limit on a balance between a high resolution and a high speed response.
Therefore, with a pulse width modulation circuit described in JP-A-4-159821, a configuration is such that, by adding or subtracting pulse width modulated signals of a plurality of pulse width modulators, a multivalued signal is generated in a voltage axis direction, and filtered by a smoothing circuit, obtaining an analog signal. Also, with a pulse width modulation circuit described in JP-A-2004-312442, a configuration is such that a plurality of sawtooth waves with differing phases are generated, the sawtooth waves and an input signal are compared and, by synthesizing outputs of results of the comparison via a resistor, a multivalued signal is generated in a voltage axis direction, and filtered by an integration circuit, obtaining an analog signal. That is, with these pulse width modulation circuits, it is intended to realize a high resolution by obtaining the multivalued signal in the voltage axis direction.
However, as a resister or switching element which connects or disconnects the outputs at each voltage stage is needed in order to output the multivalued signal in the voltage axis direction as in the pulse width modulation circuits described in JP-A-4-159821 and JP-A-2004-312442, a need occurs to install the resistor or switching element as a part in the event that power is high, as in a case of driving a digital power amplifier, and a circuit size increases by that much, increasing a cost too.

Pulse width modulation circuit and liquid jet printing apparatus


Described is a method for estimating a material property of an object by means of a laser ultrasonic (LUS) measurement equipment comprising a generation laser, a detection laser and a detector. The method includes providing a laser pulse onto a surface of the object by the generation laser such that an ultrasonic pulse is generated in the object and such that an ultrasonic vibration is immediately generated on the surface, measuring at least a first subsequent ultrasonic echo from the object by use of the detection laser and the detector, which ultrasonic echo is an echo from the ultrasonic pulse generated in the object, measuring the ultrasonic vibration which is immediately generated on the surface, by use of the detection laser and the detector, and estimating the material property by use of an ultrasonic attenuation parameter based on the measured at least first subsequent ultrasonic echo, whereby the material property is estimated by using the measured ultrasonic vibration which is immediately generated on the surface as reference to the measured at least first subsequent ultrasonic echo.

Hot rolling for producing steel is a commonly known metal working process in which a heated steel material is passed in-between one or more pairs of rollers to reduce the thickness of the material and to make the thickness more uniform. Hot rolling is characterized in that the temperature of the steel is above its recrystallization temperature during the rolling process. The process generally results in an elongated steel plate/strip, such as sheet metal, which may be coiled into a steel coil.
To be able to produce steel with high quality it is important to control the hot rolling process. This may for example be performed by controlling the temperature of the steel material, the pressure provided onto the steel by the rollers, the speed of the rolling process etc. One parameter of the steel which affects the steel properties and hence the steel's quality, is grain size. Therefore, it would be beneficial to be able to measure and estimate grain size of the steel during the hot rolling process and use it for controlling the process such that the steel attains a desired grain size, or a desired grain size range.
One known method for measuring grain size is by use of a so called LUS measurement equipment, in which a laser is used for generating an ultrasonic pulse in the steel material. The ultrasonic pulse generated in the steel propagates through the material and provides an ultrasonic echo, whereby the ultrasonic attenuation of the ultrasonic echo can be determined. The ultrasonic attenuation can be used for estimating grain size of the steel.
One known method for estimating a material property of an object, such as grain size, is disclosed in US 2007/0006651 A1. According to its description, it discloses a method for using ultrasonic attenuation to determine a material property, and involves receiving an interaction signal from an ultrasound detector. The interaction signal captures at least one manifestation of a broadband ultrasonic pulse impinging on a detection location of the object after the ultrasonic pulse has propagated in the object. In propagation through the object, the ultrasonic pulse is attenuated by one or more physical mechanisms. A portion of the interaction signal corresponding to the attenuated ultrasonic pulse is transformed from the time domain to the frequency domain, to obtain an amplitude spectrum. Once the amplitude spectrum is obtained, it is compared with a reference amplitude spectrum to obtain an attenuation spectrum. The attenuation spectrum is then fitted to an attenuation model to derive an attenuation parameter, and the attenuation parameter is used for computing the material property.
Further, the reference amplitude spectrum is produced in a similar manner as the amplitude spectrum by using a reference piece. The reference piece has equivalent diffraction properties as the object with respect to the broadband ultrasonic pulse, but the reference amplitude spectrum is substantially free of attenuation, either because the reference piece has known attenuation parameters which are used to correct for attenuation in the amplitude spectrum of the reference piece, or because the reference piece is selected to provide negligible attenuation.
Hence, the above known method requires that a reference piece is used for estimating the material property. As another example, it is also known to make use of multiple echoes to estimate a material property. Therefore, instead of using a reference piece for the calculation, two ultrasonic echoes may be compared in order to compute the material property.
Although the above methods seem to work for estimating a material property, such as estimating grain size of steel, there is still a strive towards developing a method which is more efficient and useful in a production environment, especially during hot rolling of steel.

Method and arrangement for estimating a material property of an object by means of a laser ultrasonic (LUS) measurement equipment


The RFID system of the present invention provides activation of a subscription based device wirelessly using a RFID system. The system for activating of a user for a subscription service comprises a first secure RFID sensor associated with a subscription-based device and a second secure RFID sensor associated with a user device. The first and second secure RFID sensors communicate with one another to establish activation of the user device. For example, the first sensor can receive an authentication value associated with the subscription service from the second RFID sensor. After activation, the subscription-based device can broadcast the subscription service to the user device. Alternatively, the user device can also have a capability to verify its separate or related subscription such as WiFi, WiMAX, GSM, CDMA or other wireless-based connectivity service. Also, the user device associated with the subscription-based service can be activated only when a secure RFID sensor is within a predetermined range of the user device.

Systems for distributing and receiving satellite broadcasts are known. U.S. Pat. No. 7,123,875 describes a system for multipoint distribution of satellite digital audio radio service in which a satellite digital audio radio service is distributed to a plurality of receivers that are not independently mobile relative to each other. The receivers may be located in automobiles, hand held or standing units for home or office use. Each receiver includes a channel decoder and a secure decoder to allow for channel selection and audio processing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,549,774 describes a digital audio service satellite receiver having switchable operating modes for stationary or mobile use. The receiver is configured to detect the mode in which it is operating. In stationary mode, the receiver unit is configured for pointing the antenna to the satellite which provides the best line of sight reception of the satellite signal. In mobile operating mode, the receiver is operable to dynamically select one of the satellite signals for output or to combine two satellite signals.
Subscription service devices, such as satellite radio and video devices, receive broadcasts if authorized by paid subscriptions. The paid subscriptions are authorized from a central database. If such a subscription is not paid, then the device is disabled from receiving such services. It is desirable for a user with a subscription to be able to activate a variety of devices, such as a home stereo or car radio, with only one device active per subscription at a given point in time. One conventional method to do this is the XM Passport. The XM Passport is a small tuner that can deliver XM satellite radio capability to a variety of devices when these devices are equipped with a docking station or port for the XM Passport to be inserted into. However, this device is relatively expensive, as it contains an XM satellite tuner, it is too large to be convenient and it requires physically plugging the device into a compatible player.
It is desirable to provide a RFID system for subscription services for use with a plurality of subscribers and/or devices.

RFID system for subscription services with multiple subscribers and/or devices


Ceramic HID lamps with improved thermal management having an adherent infrared reflective coating layer located on the outer surface of the vessel are described. They include a coating of a nonmetallic material proximate the first and second end portions of the vessel. Such coatings can minimize temperature gradients during lamp operation. Methods for preparing such lamps with improved thermal management are described as well.

The present disclosure generally relates to the management of thermal gradients in high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps. In particular, the present disclosure generally relates to coatings for ceramic HID lamps which enable the management of thermal gradients so as to achieve enhanced reliability for such lamps in various applications.
Within various industries including the automotive industry, HID lamps are beginning to replace conventional incandescent halogen lights as lights for headlamps. In a typical HID lamp, light is generated by means of an electric discharge that takes place between metal electrodes enclosed within an envelope sealed at both its ends. The main advantages of HID lamps are high lumen output, better efficiency and longer life. In operation, the lamp size is kept small enough for optical coupling purposes. Further, for automotive applications, the lamps are required to meet industry standards of fast starting, by delivering a major portion of steady state lumens shortly after the point at which they are turned on. The small lamp size and fast start requirements result in potential high thermal loading. These limitations can result in shortening the lamp life and also decreasing reliability of the lamp. To improve reliability, quartz which had been typically used in HID lamp envelopes is being replaced with ceramic material, such as polycrystalline alumina (PCA) and yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG). Ceramic arc-tubes can withstand higher temperatures, which results in higher dose vapor pressure enabling increased efficiency, better color, and higher performance and has increased physical strength and resistance to chemical corrosion, which contribute to a longer operating life.
HID lamps attain high operating temperatures because of the heat associated with the high intensity discharge. Discharge lamps typically produce light by ionizing a vapor fill material such as a mixture of rare gases, metal halides and mercury with an electric arc passing between two electrodes. The electrodes and the fill material are sealed within a translucent or transparent discharge vessel which maintains the pressure of the energized fill material and allows the emitted light to pass through it. The fill material, also known as a "dose," emits a desired spectral energy distribution in response to being excited by the electric arc. For example, halides provide spectral energy distributions that offer a broad choice of light properties, e.g. color temperatures, color renderings, and luminous efficiencies.
However, despite the advances which have been made in development of HID lamps, including the use of light-emitting ceramic envelopes therefor, there continues to be a need to improve both the performance and reliability of such lamps.

Thermal management of high intensity discharge lamps, coatings and methods


A mobile communication apparatus includes an abnormality detecting unit that detects whether or not there is an abnormality on a route; and a communication unit. When second abnormality detection information which differs from first abnormality detection information that indicates the detected abnormality has been received, it is determined that whether or not the abnormalities indicated by both information items coincide with each other. If it is determined that both abnormalities coincide with each other, then whether or not it is necessary to transmit the first abnormality detection information is determined based on a positional relationship between a position of the own apparatus and an occurrence point of the abnormality at the time when the abnormality indicated by the second abnormality detection information was detected.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a mobile communication apparatus, a mobile communication method, and a program.
2. Description of Related Art
In a known system, an own vehicle communicates with a neighboring vehicle to perform message transmission and reception (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Translation of PCT International Application Publication No. 2008-527824

Mobile communication apparatus, mobile communication method and program


A method for producing a modified conjugated diene-based polymer having a good balance between the hysteresis loss properties and the wet skid resistance, practically sufficient abrasion resistance and breaking strength, and high processability when formed into a vulcanized product is provided. A method for producing a modified conjugated diene-based polymer, comprising: a polymerization step of polymerizing a conjugated diene compound, copolymerizing conjugated diene compounds, or copolymerizing a conjugated diene compound with an aromatic vinyl compound using an alkali metal compound or an alkaline earth metal compound as a polymerization initiator to obtain a conjugated diene-based polymer having an active end, and a modifying step of reacting a compound represented by following formula (1) with the active end of the conjugated diene-based copolymer.

Recently, a demand for fuel efficiency in automobiles has been increased, and as a material for tires for automobiles, particularly a material for a tire tread contacting the ground, development of a material having a low rolling resistance has been demanded. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of safety, a material having a high wet skid resistance, and practically sufficient abrasion resistance and breaking properties has been demanded.
Conventionally, as a reinforcing filler for the tire tread, carbon black, silica, and the like have been used. Use of silica has an advantage in the hysteresis loss reduction and the wet skid resistance improvement. However, contrary to carbon black having a hydrophobic surface, silica having a hydrophilic surface has disadvantages such as small affinity with a conjugated diene rubber and dispersibility inferior to that of carbon black. For this reason, a silane coupling agent and the like need to be additionally contained in order to improve dispersibility and bond silica to the rubber.
Further, recently, by introducing a functional group having affinity or reactivity with silica into a chain end of a rubber molecule having high mobility, attempts have been made to improve dispersibility of the silica in a rubber composition, to reduce the mobility of the chain end of the rubber molecule, and further to reduce hysteresis loss.
For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a modified diene rubber obtained by reacting a modifier having a glycidyl amino group with an active polymer end. Patent Documents 2 to 4 propose modified diene rubbers obtained by reacting alkoxysilanes containing an amino group with an active polymer end, and compositions of these modified diene rubbers and silica. Patent Document 5 proposes a polymer functionalized by reacting a cyclic azasilane compound with an active polymer end. Patent Document 6 proposes a diene rubber obtained by a coupling reaction of an active polymer end with a polyfunctional silane compound.

Method for producing modified conjugated diene-based polymer, modified conjugated diene-based polymer, and modified conjugated diene-based polymer composition


A device for effecting general household cleaning comprises a main body member having a first longitudinal axis, with a portion of said main body member having a generally hollow handle portion defining a storage area. A head member is affixed to a first end of the main body member, and it has a second longitudinal axis. There is a brush at a second end of the main body portion, having an elongated spine and a plurality of bristles securely retained by the spine. The brush is connected in movable relation to the main body member, and is movable between an extended position and a retracted position. A sponge is securely retained on the head portion; and a resilient blade is also securely retained on the head portion and is adapted for wiping liquid from a surface. There is also a retaining member adapted for releasable attachment to the head member and further adapted to securely retain the sponge and the blade on the head member. Thus, the head and the retaining member are generally elongated and have opposed receiving surfaces adapted to receive and retain a portion of the sponge and the blade therebetween. The device further comprises a debris collection pan removable attached thereto by a further handle portion that clips onto the handle of the main body portion. The pan has a filtered spout, so liquids and solids collected in the pan may be separated by pouring off the liquid.

Many forms of brushes, sponges, wipers, dustpans and the like, are well know for use in general household cleaning of dirt, debris, spills or similar. Such cleaning may involve washing windows, floors and so on, sweeping up loose debris such as garbage, broken glass and so on, sweeping up dirt, dust, grit and the like, and several other related tasks. Very often, these tasks are all performed together so as to effect the complete cleaning of a room or entire home. It is therefore desirable to have several implements that might be used performing these cleaning tasks all readily available without having to locate each separate implement. It is also desirable to make it easy to transport the implements while moving from place to place during cleaning. Particularly, and in any event, when some quick cleaning chores are to be undertaken, it is desirable to have the common implements that are necessary to effect the cleaning chores, both readily available in one location and easily transportable.
It is also desirable to have a such implements fit into a reasonably compact volume so as to not take up any more storage space than is necessary.
Further, many household implements have parts that are worn or damaged on a regular basis, such as sponges, wiper blades, brushes and the like, which therefore require regular replacement. Very often such replacement is not possible and a whole new implement must be obtained. If it is possible to replace various parts as desired, then such replacement is frequently difficult and may require the use of special purpose or general household tools.
It is also a common problem when effecting household cleaning, to collect various kinds of household debris in a dustpan. Often, it is necessary to subsequently deposit some of the debris in one location and other of the debris in another location. This can be exemplified by the cleaning up of a glass of water that has been dropped and broken. In brushing up the glass into a pan, it may be desirable to collect the water in the pan also--which indeed may be inevitable to some degree--and this creates a subsequent problem of separating the water from the glass since it is not desirable to deposit the water in a garbage container in which the glass might be deposited. Further, it is not possible to dispose of glass into a sink where water would normally be poured. Disposal of two such different types of debris collected in a common dust pan is typically somewhat difficult.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-implement device for use in effecting general household cleaning.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a multi-implement device for use in effecting general household cleaning, where the multi-implement device is compact and easy to store.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a multi-implement device for use in effecting general household cleaning that allows for positive, easy and clean replacement of the various implements of the multi-implement device.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a multi-implement device for use in effecting general household cleaning that can allow for liquids and solids that have been collected, to be separately disposed of.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a multi-implement device for use in effecting general household cleaning that is formable entirely from plastic, and is therefore entirely recyclable.


A gain stage for providing an automatic phase shift is provided. In particular, the gain stage detects whether an oscillation signal appears at its inputs. If an oscillation signal is not detected, then the gain stage inverts output signals occurring at outputs of a first amplifier before being respectively applied to inputs of a second amplifier. This has the overall effect of implementing a 180.degree. phase shift of a signal appearing at the outputs of the gain stage with respect to a signal appearing at the inputs of the gain stage.

When utilizing a SAW filter, the output of the SAW filter is typically coupled through at least one gain amplifier whose output is coupled back to the input of the SAW filter. The purpose of the gain amplifier is to ensure an overall loop gain greater than one, and to ensure that the output of the SAW filter provides an oscillatory signal. In general, if the output of the SAW filter does not provide an oscillatory signal, the differential inputs (or outputs) of the gain amplifier can simply be reversed thereby yielding an effective 180.degree. phase shift and ensuring that an oscillatory signal appears at the output of the SAW filter as is known.
In the past, prior art has simply resorted to manually inverting the connection from the SAW filter to the differential gain amplifier to achieve the proper phase for oscillation. However, this involves making new bond contacts either from the output of the gain amplifier back to the input of the SAW filter, or from the output of the SAW filter to the input of the gain amplifier. Moreover, this procedure typically results in having to do a re-layout of the board.
Hence, there exists a need for an improved circuit and method for providing a 180.degree. phase shift in a gain amplifier.

Saw oscillator gain amplifier with auto phase shift


A medical device may include an implantable device for treating a body tissue structure. The implantable device may include a plurality of bodies spaced from adjacent bodies and arranged so as to be configured to extend around an exterior surface of a body tissue structure. The bodies may be configured to apply a static force to the body tissue in a relaxed state and may adjust or move in response to a radially outward force above a threshold level that is acting on one or more of the bodies. The bodies may be pliable and/or made with a pliable material. The bodies may be interconnected via interconnecting regions. One or more of the bodies may be configured to articulate so as to conform to movement of a body tissue structure. A skeletal component may or may not extend through one or more of the plurality of bodies.

Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) may have an effect on the esophagus. A healthy esophagus is a muscular tube that carries food from the mouth into the stomach. A small opening at a distal region of the esophagus leads into the stomach. Muscles in the distal region are known as the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The LES regulates the passage of food into the stomach, and prevents reflux of acid and food from the stomach back into the esophagus. The LES also regulates the stomach intro-gastric pressures, regulating acidic gasses from refluxing from the stomach back into the esophagus. When properly functioning, the LES will open to allow gasses to be vented from the stomach. A common cause of GERD may include deterioration and/or inadequate functioning of the LES, wherein the LES has lost its ability to resist normal stomach pressure and prevent stomach contents from coming back into the esophagus. This can cause discomfort (e.g., heartburn), and if left untreated, can cause damage to the esophagus that can lead to adverse consequences for the patient.

Device for use with body tissue sphincters


A sampling adapter having a tubular body with a first open end and a second open end encloses an adapter volume that is accessible by a sensor probe through a septum in cap covering the first open end. The second open end is configured to be reversibly attachable to an opening in a storage container.

Field of the Invention
The invention is an apparatus and method for sampling a gas in a container.
Description of Related Art
Fifty-five-gallon steel drums and similar containers are used for the transport and storage of a wide variety of materials, including toxic and non-toxic waste from factories, power plants, laboratories, and environmental cleanup sites. In some cases, the contents of a container or group of containers are completely unknown because information about the contents is lost or was never recorded. In some cases the contents of a container, or one or more of a group of containers, may be suspected of containing a toxic substance or material contaminated with a toxic substance. These situations require a means for sampling the contents of a container in order to establish the identity of its contents and/or to establish whether a particular substance or group of substances are present in the container.
A number of apparatus, methods, and systems have been developed to sample the contents of storage and transport containers. These systems usually involve the collection of a small amount of liquid sample from a container or tank followed by the analysis of the collected sample. Gas chromatography (GC) is one of the most common methods used for the analysis of volatile liquids such as organic solvents, gasoline, and other petroleum-based fuels. GC analysis of a sample usually involves placing a solid or liquid sample containing a volatile substance into a sample vial and obtaining gas from the headspace in the sample vial. Regardless of the analytical method used, obtaining a liquid sample suffers from a number of drawbacks, including the transport of a sample container for analysis of its contents, the eventual disposal of unused liquid, and disposal or cleaning of the sample container.
To overcome at least some of the drawbacks associated with the collection of solid and liquid samples, systems have been developed for obtaining gaseous samples for analysis. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,935,199 discloses a headspace gas sampling and venting method in which a first punch having a hollow passage containing a filter and a second punch having a septum are inserted through the lid of a container by a pneumatic gun. A needle is used to obtain a sample the headspace gas in the container through the second punch. The first punch provides an inlet allowing air to enter the container as fluid is removed through the second punch. The sample of headspace gas is placed in a canister and shipped for analysis at a remote site. This system eliminates the collection of non-gaseous samples, but retains the drawback of shipping samples for subsequent analysis and introduces the drawback of requiring a pneumatic gun to insert the first and second punches.
WO 97/47728 discloses monitoring the contents of sealed culture bottles by a sensing unit that is fitted to a sealed container. The sensing unit comprises a housing containing a transducer that is responsive to a sensed property of a liquid in the sealed container and provides electrical outputs proportional to the sensed property to a data processing means. This system provides on-site analysis for bottle-sized containers but requires a sensor for each container being monitored.
Portable electro-chemical sensors may be used to detect and measure volatile substances. For example, a volatile organic compound sensor system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,487,662, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety, may be used to detect and measure a variety of halogenated volatile organic compounds. The portable sensor is equipped with a probe that can be inserted through a septum into a sealed sampling jar. The probe is connected to a pump that draws gas fluid from the jar and delivers it to a sensor configured to detect one or more chemical species. The probe is designed to allow ambient air to enter the sealed sampling jar as fluid is removed through the probe.
In one aspect, the present invention is an adapter that provides a head space of defined volume outside a storage container inside which volatile substances may be in equilibrium with the contents of the storage container. The headspace inside the adapter may be used to detect and/or measure an amount of a volatile substance using one or more portable sensors without removing a liquid or solid sample from the container.


A method of controlling the allocation of resources in a parallel processor computer. A critical path for executing a task such as evaluating a database query is determined. The minimum time to execute the task assuming infinite resources such as processors and memory buffers is calculated. Resources are scheduled against subtasks so as to execute the task in the calculated minimum time. The number of resources would be required to meet the schedule is determined and if the computer has that many resources the schedule is carried out. Otherwise a revised execution time is calculated, preferably by using as a scaling factor the ratio between the number of required resources and the number of available resources. Then the schedule is adjusted so that the task can be executed in the revised time and the number of resources that would be required to meet the adjusted schedule is determined. If the computer has that many resources the schedule is carried out, otherwise the process is repeated. Preferably the process is halted if two iterations result in the same number of resources being needed.

The present invention relates generally to electronic computers and more particularly to a method of controlling the allocation of resources such as processors and memory buffers in a parallel processor computer in executing a task such as evaluating a query of a database.
A typical parallel processor computer system has a plurality of resources such as processors, memory buffers and the like. These resources can operate simultaneously, thereby greatly improving the performance of the computer when executing a task which has a plurality of subtasks that can be executed independently of each other.
Executing a task usually involves executing a number of subtasks each of which in turn may have several parts. In a computer having only one processor, each step in executing each part of each subtask is performed sequentially. In a parallel processor computer, several such steps can be performed simultaneously, but typically the computer does not have enough resources to go around. Resolving conflicting demands by the various subtasks for access to such resources has been a problem in the design of parallel processor computer systems, especially in the context of using such computer systems to evaluate complicated queries of a database.
Various kinds of parallel-processor database computer architectures have been proposed. See, for example, Ozkarahan, Database Machines and Database Management, Prentice-Hall, 1986; DeWitt et al., "A Single-User Performance Evaluation of the Teradata Database Machine", Technical Report No. DB-081-87, MCC, Mar. 5, 1987; and The Tandem Performance Group, "A Benchmake of Non-Stop SQL on the Debit Credit Transaction", ACM SIGMOD, Chicago, 1988. A principal design goal is to maximize parallelism in such computers. Carey et al., "Parallelism and Concurrency Control Performance in Distributed Database Machines", ACM SIGMOD, Portland, Oreg., 1989.
Most of the proposed architectures for parallel-processor computers use a "shared-nothing" approach; that is, a collection of independent processors each having its own memory and disk are connected via a high-speed communication network. Copeland et al., "Data Placement in Bubba", ACM SIGMOD, Chicago, 1988; DeWitt et al., "A Performance Analysis of the Gamma Database Machine", ACM SIGMOD, Chicago, 1988; and DeWitt et al., "A Single-User Performance Evaluation of the Teradata Database Machine", Technical Report No. DB-081-87, MCC, Mar. 5, 1987. In such an architecture, communication and synchronization overhead are critical factors in overall query performance. Ghandeharizadeh et al., "A Multiuser Performance Analysis of Alternative Declustering Strategies", Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Data Engineering, Los Angeles, 1990. "Shared-nothing" computers are particularly well suited to evaluate queries that can be partitioned into independent subproblems, each of which can be executed in parallel with the others.
In contrast, in a "shared-everything" multiprocessor computer there are no communication delays and synchronization can be accomplished using high-performance, low-level techniques. Shared-memory multiprocessor architectures have been described in, for example, Sequent Computer et al., "Combining the Benefits of Relational Database Technology and Parallel Computing", Technical Seminar, San Francisco, Sep. 28, 1988. Computers of this kind are well adapted to evaluate queries that can be partitioned into temporally overlapping subproblems which can share the available computational resources. However, resource contention becomes a major source of performance degradation as many processors attempt to simultaneously access disks and share a limited pool of memory buffers. Stonebraker, "The Case for Shared Nothing", Database Engineering, 9(1), 1986.
There is a continuing need for a way to optimize query execution in a shared-everything computer so as to make the most effective use of the various resources of the computer. Six key issues in developing optimization techniques for multiprocessor computers are discussed in von Bultzingsloewen, "Optimizing SQL Queries for Parallel Execution", Database Query Optimization, Proceedings of the ODBF Workshop, Portland Oreg., 1989. The problem of allocating main memory buffers in uniprocessor query optimization has also been studied. Chou et al., "An Evaluation of Buffer Management Strategies for Relational Database Systems", Proceedings of the 11 th International Conference on Very Large Database Systems, 1985; Effelsberg et al., "Principles of Database Buffer Management", ACM TODS, 9(4), pages 560-595, 1984; Sacco et al., "Buffer Management in Relational Database Systems", ACM TODS, 11(4), pages 473-498, 1986. One approach to integrating buffer management with query optimization has been to apply traditional integer programming techniques with queueing analysis to analytically estimate the optimal execution strategy. Cornell et al., "Integration of buffer management and query optimization in relational database environment", Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference on Very Large Data Bases, Amsterdam, 1989.
Traditional query optimization proceeds in three stages. Jarke et al., "Query Optimization in Database Systems", ACM Computing Surveys, 16(2), pages 111-152, 1984; Elmasri et al., Fundamentals of Database Systems, Benjamin/Cummings, Redwood City, Calif. 1989. First, a query in a high-level language such as SQL is translated into an internal representation. This representation describes the equivalent relational algebraic operations to be performed along with any dependencies needed to restrict the overall order of execution. Second, the internal query representation is transformed using heuristic rules (based on theorems in the relational algebra) into an equivalent query that in most cases can be evaluated more efficiently. Third, an execution plan is generated by assigning computational algorithms to the relational operators. This is done by estimating the execution costs associated with each assignment of algorithms to operators and selecting the overall minimum cost assignment for execution. Most practical optimizers restrict the number of assignments that are considered in order to reduce the complexity of this step.
There are two major difficulties in using such traditional optimization techniques in a shared-everything, multiprocessor environment. First, the standard algorithms for computing relational operators are inherently sequential and cannot take advantage of the parallelism supported by the computer. And second, there is no straightforward way to assign processors and other computational resources to distinct subsets of the overall query computation.
Accordingly, it will be apparent that there remains a need for an efficient way to optimize queries in multiprocessor computer systems, especially "shared-everything" computer systems. Stated another way, there is a need for a way to control the allocation of resources in a parallel processor computer system when executing complicated tasks such as evaluating database queries.

Method of automatically controlling the allocation of resources of a parallel processor computer system by calculating a minimum execution time of a task and scheduling subtasks against resources to execute the task in the minimum time


A method of managing defects in a hard disk drive, and more particularly, a method of managing defects in a hard disk drive in a case where a position of defects on a disk is known in advance. A data zone is allocated to predetermined tracks around tracks including defects known in advance, and the data zone is managed for defects.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of managing defects in a hard disk drive, and more particularly, to a method of managing defects in a hard disk drive in a case where the position of defects on a disk is known in advance, a recording medium therefor, and a hard disk drive therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A head in a hard disk drive is movable using a stepping motor or a voice coil motor. The stepping motor is mainly used in a floppy disk drive. In this case, the head is moved via a drive shaft which steps a precise distance. On the other hand, in the case of using a voice coil motor, the head is moved in response to a specific signal written on a disk, such as a servo signal.
In the case of a hard disk drive, one section (platter) of a disk is used for the servo signal and an additional head for reading the servo signal is provided in the hard disk drive. This method is used only for reading the servo signal.
In an embedded servo method which is more commonly used, a servo signal is written on a track of a disk so that all platters on the hard disk drive are useable for data storage. Thus, a head in the embedded servo method can read the servo signal as well as data.
In the method using the voice coil motor, the head is more correctly accessed than in the method using the stepping motor, and an access time is shortened. In particular, in a case of the embedded servo method, the correction of an off-track is performed in real-time, and a disk is useable in many fields.
In the case of the embedded servo method, the servo signal is written on the disk using a servo write process in a hard disk drive manufacturing process. The servo signal is written on the disk using equipment such as a servo writer, or by self servo writing.
In a conventional hard disc drive, a servo signal is written on a disk by moving a head either from an outer diameter (OD) to an inner diameter (ID) of the disk or from an ID to an OD of the disk, that is, in a single direction. Recently, a method of writing a servo signal in a direction in which the writing direction of the servo signal varies in a middle area (an area where a skew angle is 0) of the disk, i.e., a method of writing a servo signal bidirectionally, taking an effect caused by a skew angle into account, has been used.
However, in the method of writing a servo signal bidirectionally, due to limitations such as the accuracy of a servo writer, the portion where the skew angle is 0 is not correctly recognized. Thus, an area (hereinafter, referred to as an alternate write area) where the servo signal is alternately written on a disk inevitably occurs in the vicinity of a place where the writing direction of the servo signal is reversed. Servo data may be abnormally written in the alternate write area.
To solve this problem, in a conventional method of managing defects in a hard disk drive, a data zone is divided centering on a track where the writing direction of the servo signal is reversed, and an alternate write area is divided and allocated to adjacent data zones, and an area corresponding to the alternate write area in an area in the data zone is managed for track defects.
In the above-described method, the alternate write area must be checked during a process of inspecting defects in a hard disk drive manufacturing process, and since a large amount of time is required for defect inspection, the hard disk drive production rate is reduced.
In addition, in one data zone adjacent to the alternate write area, part of the alternate write area is allocated to a spare area, and the spare area is managed for defects. Thus, a capacity of managing defects in the data zone is reduced as much as the defect-managed spare area. In another data zone adjacent to the alternate write area, part of the alternate write area is allocated to a data area, and the data area is managed for defects. Thus, the capacity of the data zone is reduced as much as the defect-managed data area. Further, as the recording density of a disk increases, the number of track defects to be managed for defects increases. Thus, these problems cannot be solved by using an existing spare area.

Method of managing defects in hard disk drive, recording media therefor and hard disk drive therefor


A wavelength-division multiplexing optical communication system and a method for measuring optical performance of an output signal for the system. The optical communication system includes: a service-provider device; a local node; and a plurality of subscriber devices. The service-provider device includes: a plurality of first optical transceivers; a first optical multiplexer/demultiplexer (OD/OM) connected to the plurality of first optical transceivers; and a seed-light source providing seed light. Each subscriber device includes a second optical transceiver. The local node connects the service-provider device and the plurality of subscriber devices to each other using a DWDM link comprising: a second multiplexer/demultiplexer (OD/OM); and a single-mode optical fiber for transmission. Here, the optical intensity of an output signal of the second optical transceiver is determined by compensating for the value of the loss caused when the output signal passes through the second OD/OM of the local node.

In a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) passive optical network (PON), total network transmission capacity can be easily enhanced using a plurality of channels in which optical signals have different wavelengths. The wavelengths of signals that are transmitted and received in most current WDM-PON systems are fixed, and thus optical transceivers having different wavelengths are basically required to increase the number of channels. That is, 40 optical transceivers having different output wavelengths are required to transmit signals of 40 channels. In this case, since 40 optical transceivers having different wavelengths must always be provided in preparation for malfunctions of the optical transceivers, operation comes with financial burden.
To solve this problem, seed light injection-type WDM-PONs using a wavelength-independent optical transceiver that operates regardless of wavelength have been developed. The wavelength-independent optical transceiver has an advantage in that wavelength can be readily determined according to the wavelength of seed light since the optical transceiver can produce an output optical signal having the same wavelength as the injected seed light. Therefore, the wavelength-independent optical transceiver can be easily replaced when it malfunctions, and it is more economical since it is not necessary to have a spare optical transceiver on hand for every channel.
Wavelength-independent WDM-PON (i.e., colorless WDM-PON) technology satisfying these requirements has been widely studied all over the world. Also, among various techniques undergoing research, one technique that has been developed to the point of being put into use currently is wavelength locking type WDM technology that determines output wavelengths of a wavelength-independent light source using an incoherent broadband light source as a seed light source.

Wavelength-division multiplexing optical communication system and method for measuring optical performance of an output signal for the system

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


An organism vibration measuring device is for measuring a vibration of a portion of an organism which is put in an alternating magnetic field. The organism vibration measuring device includes a vibration detecting member, having a structure suitable for attachment to the portion of the organism, for detecting the vibration of the portion of the organism which resonates under an influence of the alternating magnetic field. It further includes a vibration measuring member for measuring the vibration state of the portion of the organism on the basis of a detection signal from the vibration detecting member.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an organism vibration measuring device and an organism vibration measuring method, for measuring vibrations of a portion of an organism which is put in an alternating magnetic field and resonates under the influence of the alternating magnetic field.
2. Description of Related Art
In these modern days, there is growing a social interest with respect to the adverse effects of electromagnetic waves, generated by portable telephones, personal computers, television sets, domestic appliances, and high voltage transmission lines, on human bodies. It has been found that in a case where a human body is put in a magnetic field generated by the electromagnetic waves, it is affected by the magnetic field to become irregular according to the strength of the magnetic field, and the degree of the irregularity varies from person to person even if the magnetic field is of the same strength.
However, there is conventionally neither an art of measuring the degree of effects on the organism by the alternating magnetic field, nor an art of analyzing the effects on the human body according to the degree of the effects.

Organism vibration measuring device and method


Systems and methods are disclosed for replaceable outer lenses for use in water. For example, an image capture device may include a lens barrel in a body of the image capture device; a replaceable lens structure mountable on the body of the image capture device, the replaceable lens structure including a first set of two or more stacked lenses, including a first outer lens, and a first retaining ring configured to fasten the first set of two or more stacked lenses against a first end of the lens barrel in a first arrangement, wherein the first set of two or more stacked lenses is configured to collimate light incident on the first outer lens when the first outer lens is underwater at an interface between the lens barrel and the first replaceable lens structure; and an image sensor mounted within the body at a second end of the lens barrel.

Image capture devices, such as cameras, may capture content as images (e.g., still images or frames of video). Light may be received and focused via a lens and may be converted to an electronic image signal by an image sensor. The image signal may be processed by an image signal processor (ISP) to form an image, which may be stored and/or encoded. In some implementations, multiple images or video frames may include spatially adjacent or overlapping content. An outer lens may be subject to scratching, cracks, or other damage from impacts during use of an image capture device, which may cause optical distortion and degradation of quality of captured images. For example, lenses supporting a wide field-of-view (e.g., a fisheye lens) may protrude from the body of an image capture device, and thus be particularly vulnerable to impact damage.


A method to control multiple radio access bearers is performed at a mobile wireless communication device when the mobile wireless communication device is connected to a radio network subsystem in a wireless communication network by first and second bidirectional radio access bearers. The mobile wireless communication device transmits a data packet on an uplink of the first bidirectional radio access bearer to the radio network subsystem. When the data packet is not correctly received by the radio network subsystem, the mobile wireless communication device retransmits the data packet repeatedly. After N retransmissions of the data packet, the mobile wireless communication device releases the first bidirectional radio access bearer while maintaining the second bidirectional radio access bearer. The first bidirectional radio access bearer provides a channel to transport packet switched data, and the second bidirectional radio access bearer provides a channel to transport circuit switched data.

Mobile wireless communication devices, such as a cellular telephone or a wireless personal digital assistant, can provide a wide variety of communication services including, for example, voice communication, text messaging, internet browsing, and electronic mail. Mobile wireless communication devices can operate in a wireless communication network of overlapping "cells", each cell providing a geographic area of wireless signal coverage that extends from a radio network subsystem located in the cell. The radio network subsystem can include a base transceiver station (BTS) in a Global System for Communications (GSM) network or a Node B in a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network. Newer mobile wireless communication devices can include the capability of providing several different communication services simultaneously, such as a voice call and data internet browsing at the same time. A separate radio access bearer can be used to transport radio link signals for each of the services between the mobile wireless communication device and one or more radio network subsystems in the wireless network. From the perspective of a user of the mobile wireless communication device, each of the communication services transported over the separate radio access bearers can be considered independent, and therefore changes to a connection through one radio access bearer should impact minimally connections using a separate radio access bearer. Certain communication protocols, such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) UMTS specifications, can treat a multiple radio access bearer connection as a single connection, resulting in multiple services changed together rather than separately.
Data usage through wireless communication networks has increased substantially with the introduction of advanced mobile wireless communication devices. As the number of data users has increased, the wireless communication networks can incur congestion and scheduling issues that affect the delivery of data to the mobile wireless communication device. In some situations, a mobile wireless communication device connected simultaneously by a voice connection and a data connection can continue to receive voice signals when no data or acknowledgements are received from the network. The mobile wireless communication device can be configured to retransmit, reset and ultimately terminate the radio link with the wireless communication network when the data connection appears unrecoverable. Terminating the radio link, however, can remove both the data connection and the voice connection, even though the voice connection can be operating properly.
Thus there exists a need to control multiple radio access bearers between a mobile wireless communication device and one or more radio network subsystems in a wireless communication network that releases connections independently.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods to control multiple radio access bearers in a wireless device


A computer implemented method includes forming column range-bands, generating row range-bands, and establishing global range-bands in conjunction with the column range-bands and the row range-bands.

A user may quickly identify trends and values of concern in a table with a range-band. This approach is useful for a range-band formed in a single dimension. However, applying multiple dimensions of range-bands to the same cell is problematic. This problem may be solved by selecting a single default range-band to display. For example, row range-bands may be selected as the predominate range-bands, and therefore only row range-bands are displayed in a cell that also has column and/or global range-bands.
In view of the foregoing, it would be advantageous to provide a system that enables the effective simultaneous display of range-bands for row, column, and global values.

Apparatus and method for visualizing overlapping range-bands


A compound and an organic light-emitting device including the same, the compound being represented by Formula 1, below:

1. Field
Embodiments relate to a compound and an organic light-emitting device including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Organic light emitting devices are self-emission devices that have wide viewing angles, high contrast ratios, short response times, and excellent brightness, driving voltage, and response speed characteristics, and produce full-color images.
An organic light-emitting device may have a structure including a substrate, an anode on a substrate, and a hole transport layer, an emission layer, an electron transport layer, and a cathode, which are sequentially stacked on the anode. The hole transport layer, the emission layer, and the electron transport layer may be organic thin films formed of organic compounds.
An operating principle of an organic light-emitting device having such a structure is as follows.
When a voltage is applied between the anode and the cathode, holes injected from the anode may pass through the hole transport layer and migrate toward the emission layer, and electrons injected from cathode may pass through the electron transport layer and migrate toward the emission layer. Carriers, such as holes and electrons, may be recombined in the emission layer to produce excitons. Then, the excitons may be transitioned from an excited stated to a ground state, thereby generating light.

Compound and organic light-emitting device including the same


A fuel assembly supporting structure for a nuclear reactor fuel assembly which comprises a two-way shape-memory alloy. A shape-memory alloy is selected which has an overall transition temperature range substantially above atmospheric temperature and substantially below a temperature experienced by the shape-memory alloy under reactor operating conditions. By using a shape-memory alloy in the design, the support structure assumes a first configuration for securely supporting one or a plurality of nuclear reactor components at a temperature above the overall transition temperature range and assumes a second configuration for loosely engaging the reactor components below the transition temperature range.

Commercial nuclear reactors used for generating electric power include a core composed of a plurality of fuel assemblies which generate heat for electric power generation purposes. Each fuel assembly includes an array of fuel rods which are held in a spaced relationship with each other by means of spacer grids of egg-crate configuration spaced along the fuel assembly length. The fuel rods may be approximately 0.5 inch in diameter and about 12 feet long, thus requiring a number of supporting grids along their length.
As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,807 to Hatfield et al., the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference, metallic debris in the coolant which collects or is trapped in fuel rod spacer grids adjacent to the fuel rod cladding is believed to be responsible for a significant percentage of known fuel rod failures. Traditional fuel assembly designs were known to sustain a distribution of debris-induced failures that clearly showed the lowest spacer grid to be a very effective filter for debris. Unfortunately, the short, lower end caps on the fuel rods of such fuel assemblies ensured that the hollow cladding tubes would be adjacent to the trapped debris, and that any flow-induced motion of the debris could wear through the thin wall of the tubes and cause rod failure. In traditional fuel assemblies, the lowest spacer grid was some distance up from the bottom of the fuel rod, since, in the absence of a positive axial capture device for the rod, the grid needed to be located at an elevation where it always laterally captured a "lifted" rod. Rods could potentially lift in response to coolant flow during abnormal conditions. One choice for a debris-resistant fuel assembly design is to merely lengthen the solid end cap such that it is extends up through the bottom spacer grid. This simplistic solution, however, is not feasible because zirconium alloy bar stock used for end caps is very expensive and because void volume within the fuel rod and/or the active fuel length would be negatively affected.
In response to this observation, Hatfield et al. designed a fuel assembly with a spring detent spacer grid of intersecting strips. The spring detent spacer grid allowed the grid to be moved downward, thereby reducing the solid zirconium alloy material length required. To preclude the "rod lift", the grid included a fuel rod capturing spring detent device. This device engaged a circumferential groove with tapered sides in the fuel rod end cap which created enough axial restraint to prevent or minimize rod lift under all flow conditions, but not enough restraint to significantly affect fuel rod reconstitution. In addition, integral leaves substantially symmetrically arranged on either side of the strip intersections were also added to greatly increase the likelihood that debris that passed the novel first or bottom spring detent spacer grid was too small to become trapped at a higher grid where it could damage the cladding of the active fuel region.
Despite these advantages, the spring detent feature was discovered to restrict rod replacement somewhat as compared to a standard lower spacer grid without a detent feature by requiring more pulling force to be applied to the rod during reconstitution.
Other spacer grids make use of conventional springs to hold fuel rods in place. For example, as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,369 to Bryan, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference, grid designs commonly include interwoven Inconel or Zircaloy straps which form multiple cells, each cell having springs on two adjacent walls and projections or dimples on each of the other two walls. The springs laterally impress resistive forces on each fuel rod in the assembly. Although this fuel assembly design performs exceptionally well in a nuclear reactor, one disadvantage inherent in the design is that the inwardly projecting springs and dimples occasionally mar or score the surface of fuel rods while they are being pulled into the fuel assembly grids. In carrying out this fuel rod loading operation, the grids are immovably held in position while a longitudinal steel rod attached to the end of a fuel rod pulls the fuel rod axially through the aligned openings, or cells, in the grids. As the rod engages the springs and dimples in the grid cells, their edges engage the exposed, relatively soft surface of the moving fuel rod and, in some cases, score its surface sufficiently deep as to cause the rod to fall outside established fuel rod surface specifications.

Shape-memory alloys in the construction of nuclear fuel spacer grids


A retractable antenna for a wireless communication device such as a cellular telephone including a housing having a receptacle at the upper end thereof which is RF coupled to the telephone circuitry. The antenna comprises a metal connector which is RF coupled to the housing receptacle. Telescoping first and second radiators are slidably mounted in the metal connector and may be moved from a fully extended position to a fully retracted position. A helical antenna is operatively supported by the metal connector and is RF insulated therefrom. When the antenna is in its fully retracted position, the helical antenna is in circuit, with the telescoping radiators being out of circuit. When the antenna is in its fully extended position, the telescoping radiators are in circuit and the helical antenna is out of circuit. The overall length of the antenna, when in its fully extended position, is greater than the height of the telephone housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of reducing the length of an antenna when it is in the retracted or stored position and then being able to lengthen the antenna when in the extended user position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cellular telephones and other electronic and communications devices continue to be designed into smaller packages. Electronic technologies are being pushed to reduce the size of every component associated with these devices to enable the overall size of the package to become smaller, lighter weight and more user-friendly, without allowing a degradation of electrical or mechanical performance. With few exceptions, wireless devices require an external antenna to function properly. Generally speaking, the longer the antenna is, the better it will perform for several reasons. One reason is that less energy will be absorbed by the user's body if the active antenna radiating element is further from the user. Another reason is that the antenna will electrically decouple from the transceiver if it is further away from the device. Yet another reason is that in some cases if the antenna is made at the 1/2 wave length instead of the traditional 1/4 wave length, it will be less affected by the metallic chassis, printed circuit board or other metallic components in the transceiver. Traditional antennas reduce the electrical length of the antennas to allow them to fit into the housing when retracted. Another traditional approach is to allow the coil to protrude from the top of the housing when the antenna is retracted.