In one embodiment, a method comprises sampling a sensor during rotation, determining a percentage of samples within a target range, and calculating a circumferential portion of the rotation associated with the percentage of samples. In other embodiments, additional systems and methods and disclosed.

The place where a vehicle tire directly interfaces with a road or other driving surface is often referred to as the contact area. The size, shape, and related dynamics of the contact area, or "footprint," of each tire on a vehicle can provide important information about vehicle size and load, tire pressure and characteristics, road surface, operating and driving conditions, and other factors. Accordingly, detecting and monitoring the footprint during vehicle operation can provide valuable information for improving vehicle handling and safety.
In the past, tire footprints have been measured quasi-statically using pressure sensitive devices positioned between the tire and the driving surface. These devices use capacitive or photo/print techniques in order to image the contact area. Specially prepared transparent inserts in the road in conjunction with optical detection methods have also been used. While successful at identifying the footprint, practical use of these methods is limited because they cannot measure the footprint and determine related contact information during real driving conditions.
Other methods that use multiple sensors inside the tire for continuous measurement of the footprint have also been proposed. A potential disadvantage with such methods as they currently exist is a more complicated implementation of these sensors and the need for advanced data analysis due to high bandwidth and data rates. Further, sensors in the tire(s) need an independent power supply, typically a battery, which limits the energy available for data processing and transmission of data out of the tire by radio frequency (RF) communications. Additionally, the overall weight of these sensors, as well as their power supplies and other system components, is often required to be below five grams in order to fulfill original equipment manufacturer (OEM) requirements, which can limit system design.

Tire footprint determination apparatuses, systems and methods


The invention relates to a method of, and a nozzle arrangement for, spraying cold gas. The nozzle arrangement has a first nozzle and a second nozzle, which is arranged within the first nozzle. The first nozzle is fed a gas which optionally contains particles. The second nozzle is fed a particle-containing gas. The particles are applied to a surface of the substrate by means of the gases.

It is known that for the cold gas spraying method (ColdSpray™, "Kinetic Gas Spray", see DE 69016433 T2, EP 0 484 553 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,414 A1, US 2004/037954, EP 0 924 315 B1, EP 1 132 497 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,767 B2), for coating purposes, the powdered materials employed must have particle sizes of >5 μm, ideally from 20 to 40 μm. For kinetic energy reasons, the direct spraying of nanoparticulate materials in order to achieve directly nanostructured or thin-layer coatings (<1 μm) is not possible. Particles with sizes <5 μm will not be incorporated into the layers; rather, even before impact on the substrate they will preferentially be deflected laterally by the stagnation pressure being formed in front of the substrate. It is furthermore known that continuously accelerated carrier gas flows in the ultrasonic range, restricted to 2000 m/s, are used in the cold gas spraying method.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,563 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,207 B1 describe pulsed thermal spraying methods (pulsed HVOF, pulsed Railgun, pulsed electrothermal & plasma spraying methods) with which particle velocities >>2000 m/s can be achieved. Improved layer properties and layer systems can thereby be produced, which hitherto were not achievable owing to low particle velocities.
DE 103 19 481 A1 and WO 03/041868 A2 describe special nozzle designs for cold gas spraying methods. EP 1 132 497 A1 describes unrelatedly the effect of pulsating particle dosing.

Nozzle arrangement and method for cold gas spraying


A display device includes an enclosure, a pair of speakers, and a sound reflector accommodated in the enclosure. The sound reflector defines two chambers for receiving the sounds generated from the pair of speakers respectively and outputting the sounds out of the display device independently.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to display devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a television or a monitor with a sound module arrangement.
2. Description of Related Art
Traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions are being replaced by flat-panel type televisions, such as liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions, plasma display panel (PDP) televisions, etc.
A typical flat-panel type television includes a display system and a sound system. The display system has a display screen for displaying video images. The sound system includes at least a pair of speakers for outputting sounds, and a sound reflector for reflecting the sounds. The speakers are usually located at a lower side of an enclosure of the television and are mounted to the sound reflector. A long cavity is defined in the sound reflector for transmitting the sounds from the speakers to the space in front of the television. However, a part of the sounds from the different speakers interfere with each other in the long cavity, thus causing the sounds to be distorted.
Therefore, what is needed in the industry is to provide a display device with a sound module, which can improve the audio effect.


The present invention relates to an induction motor, and a method of adjusting slip angular velocity of an induction motor, based on the voltage, current and velocity of the induction motor and compensating the slip angular velocity using vector control of the induction motor by way of a current controllable inverter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an induction motor, more particularly, to a method of operating a slip angular velocity of an induction motor, on the basis of the voltage, current and velocity of the induction motor which compensates the slip angular velocity in case of vector control of the induction motor by a current controllable inverter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, an induction motor is considered a typical brushless ac motor of which any one of a rotator and a stator is connected to a power voltage while the other is operated by way of an induced voltage.
For example, a velocity control device of such an induction motor is disclosed in Japanese Patent laid-open publication No. sho 57- 180387, which is shown in FIG. 1. More specifically, the device has a variable voltage and variable frequency control portion VVVF provided at the side of a power voltage of an induction motor IM, a velocity operation portion SOP for calculating a difference between a velocity signal NF of the rotational velocity of the induction motor IM and a velocity command signal NR, A current operation portion IOP obtains a current value of the induction motor IM on the basis of an effective current signal I2. An excitation current IO setting signal and the like outputted from the velocity operation portion SOP controls an output voltage of the variable voltage and variable frequency control portion VVVF. Also included is an adder ADD which adds the velocity signal NF and the effective current I2 outputted from the velocity operation portion SOP to control an output frequency of a voltage to frequency converter VFC which applies its output frequency to a frequency control portion FCT. A comparator CP feeds back a primary current IF signal to the velocity operation portion SOP in accordance with an output signal of a polarity detecting circuit PD when the primary current IF detected by a current transformer CT disposed at an output end of the variable voltage and variable frequency control portion VVVF and passed through a rectifier REC is above a predetermined set value. A differentical circuit DF differentiates the output of the adder ADD and feeds the differentiated value to the velocity operation portion SOP. An operation portion OP receives the primary current signal passed through the rectifier REC and the output signal of the current operation portion IOP and supplies the resultant value to a voltage control portion VCT which outputs a voltage control signal to the variable voltage and variable frequency control portion VVVF.
With the velocity control device of the induction motor described above, the motor is rotated with a predetermined slip according to the frequency of the power voltage. Particularly, when the velocity varies, for example when acceleration or deceleration occurs it is difficult to maintain the slip of the motor constant. Thus the rotational velocity of the motor is unstable. A vector control method needs to be adapted to overcome the variable slip and unstable rotational velocity of the motor which occurs due to the variation of the velocity. The method is needed to execute a slip angular velocity operation, so a slip value is obtained when the parameter, such as the resistance of the rotation variable according to the environs temperature is likely incorrect. The method overcomes the problem that normal efficiency of the induction motor cannot be assured.

Method of operating slip angular velocity of induction motor


The battery pack retention apparatus, described herein, is an injection molded part. The injection molded part includes a rear housing (200) for a radiotelephone (100), two rails (201, 203) for a battery pack (101) to slide along and six guide bars (207, 209, 211, 213, 215, 217) for retaining the battery pack (101) on the radiotelephone (100). Four of the six guide bars are the compliance-type. The compliance-type guide bars (207, 211, 213, 217) have a U-shape and are coupled to the rails. A channel (401) is cored out from the rails under the compliance-type guide bars to allow for deflection of the guide bars. Deflection is caused by the bullets (409) of the battery pack (101) when the battery pack (101) is fully inserted. The deflection(y) of the guide bars provides a calculated force upon the battery pack (101). This calculated force ensures a high quality electrical connection between the contacts of the battery pack and the contacts of the radiotelephone.

In the field of portable electronic devices, there is a need to readily remove and securely reattach battery packs to portable battery operated devices. When the battery packs are attached to the portable battery operated devices, it is necessary to make positive electrical connections between the battery pack and the battery operated device such that the battery pack may provide a constant supply of power to the portable battery operated device.
Previously, there were many devices that provided a simple attachment and removal of a battery pack between portable battery operated device, however, some of the battery packs and portable battery operated devices retention mechanisms failed when subjected to a harsh environment. Thus, it would be advantageous to create a battery pack retention apparatus that provided a more secure retention of the battery pack and consequently a higher quality of electrical connection between the battery pack and the portable battery operated device.


A product hold down unit has a vertical column of a carousel and a vertical row of spaced-apart engageable elements on the column. The column has a compartment open at opposite top and bottom ends and adapted to receive product items in a vertical stack. The row of engageable elements extends between the top and bottom ends of the column, enabling restriction of items in the compartment to moving from top to bottom ends of the compartment but not vice versa. The unit also has an anchor resting on top of, and supported by, the stack in the column compartment as the anchor engages adjacent ones of the engageable elements on the column so as to prevent it from moving upwardly in the compartment while allowing it to move downwardly by gravity as product items are dispensed from the stack thereof at the bottom end of the column.

The present invention generally relates to vending machines and, more particularly, is concerned with a product hold down anchor, unit and mechanism for a merchandise storing and dispensing head of a vending machine.
One general type of prior art vending machine, that has been manufactured and sold heretofore by the inventor herein, includes a merchandise storage and dispensing head, a housing supporting the head, and a coin-operated actuation mechanism mounted on and extending into the interior of the housing to where the actuation mechanism operably engages a dispensing wheel on the bottom of the head and rotates it to dispense items of product via a delivery chute to an external location on the housing in response to deposit of a coin by a user in the actuation mechanism and turning of a handle of the actuation mechanism by the user. The vending machine also has a coin box disposed in a base of the housing below the actuation mechanism and dispensing wheel for receiving the coin from the operation of the actuation mechanism that was deposited in the actuation mechanism by the user.
In one particular version of this prior art vending machine, the merchandise storage and dispensing head includes a rotary carousel with a merchandise holding magazine formed by a plurality of product storing and stacking tubular receptacles or columns arranged in a circular row and mounted on a circular bottom plate of the carousel. Product items are dispensed from the lowermost end of the stacks thereof in the columns through the bottom plate when the carousel is rotated so as to bring each of the columns successively into alignment over a dispensing opening in a stationary platform below the carousel which is mounted on the upper end of the housing. The dispensing wheel is located below the stationary platform but fixedly coupled to the bottom plate of the carousel and drivingly engaged by the actuation mechanism so as to rotate and carry with it the carousel in response to the user depositing a coin in the actuation mechanism and turning the handle thereon.
This particular vending machine has been subjected to abuse by vandals who attempt to steal items from the machine by inverting and shaking it so as to attempt to dislodge the items stacked in the columns. They try to scatter these items from their stacked and confined locations in the columns so that some might find their way through the dispensing opening in the stationary platform and through the dispensing wheel into the discharge chute without depositing any coins in the actuation mechanism and turning the actuating handle of the mechanism. Most of these attempts to pilfer items from the machine in this manner end in failure but do oftentimes result either in damage to the machine or render the machine out of operative condition until serviced by the owner. This results in a loss of opportunity for the machine to earn revenue for its owner.
Consequently, a need exists for an innovation which will provide a solution to the aforementioned problems in the art without introducing any new problems in place thereof.

Product hold down anchor, unit and mechanism for a merchandise storing and dispensing head of a vending machine


The present invention provides a method and device to record and visualize drawing and writing movements during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of brain activity. The system includes a touch-sensitive tablet, an elevated mounting platform, a stylus, and a controller box, as well as the necessary cabling and software. All equipment residing inside the magnet room is non-ferromagnetic and does not interfere with scanner operation and does not affect fMRI data quality. Individuals lying inside the scanner interact with device in a natural, intuitive way, similar to writing with pen and paper. Drawing motions captured by the tablet are displayed through a pair of fMRI-compatible goggles or by using a projector and screen. Other visual stimuli can be concurrently presented with the drawing motions for the purpose of assessing specific aspects of human behavior. The system allows for a plurality of experiments to be performed, all while brain activity is measured and recorded.

Tablets and touch screens have long been developed and are widely used in society. Typically these devices facilitate user input in conjunction with computer systems. Many handheld devices, such as the personal digital assistant (PDA), incorporate touch screen technology as a means of user interaction. There currently exist many patents relating to the design, manufacture, and use of tablets or touch screens, and representative USPTO examples relating to the proposed invention are given below:
U.S. Pat. No.Inventor(s)Title5,938,163Gotham et al.Articulating touchscreen interface5,956,020D'Amico et al.Touchscreen controller with pen and/orfinger inputs6,018,336Akiyama et al.Computer system having digitizing tablet6,738,049Kiser et al.Image based touchscreen device6,901,277Kaufman et al.Methods for generating a lung report6,317,617Gilhuijs et al.Method, computer program product, andsystem for the automated analysis oflesions in magnetic resonance, mammogramand ultrasound images6,204,201Xu et al.Computerized detection of lung nodulesusing energy-subtracted soft-tissue andstandard chest images6,234,979MerzenichComputerized method and device forremediating exaggerated sensory responsein an individual with an impaired sensorymodality6,315,569ZaltmanMetaphor elicitation technique withphysiological function monitoring
U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,163 to Gotham describes an articulating system for mounting a touch screen (control console) onto a machine. A swiveling base on top of a sliding platform allows the console to be positioned in a plurality of positions within a 3D space. The purpose of said patent is to allow ergonomic access to the console regardless of where the user is positioned.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,020 to D'Amico describes the specifics of a touch screen controller for enabling operation of a touch sensitive screen in response to commands from an application program executing on a data processor that is electronically coupled to the controller. Input to the screen may be by pen or finger. Additional claims relate to the ability of the controller to take various actions, including resizing of the active area, dependent on the state of the host computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,336 to Akiyama describes use of a digitizing tablet to emulate computer mouse function. Event data, such as tapping motions, are added to the coordinate values x and y and sent to the tablet driver. These data are interpreted by a pointing management system that then further structures the information, prior to communication with the computer's operating system. In this manner the many functions of the mouse can be simulated, including drag-and-drop, and left/right clicks.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,738,049 to Kiser describes a customizable input device comprising a display device, a touch screen, and a microcontroller. Claimed as part of this patent is a system whereby images are displayed to a user prompting some form of response via the touch screen. Input from the touch screen is interpreted by the microcontroller before being sent to a computer system. The computer then alters the display accordingly. Further claims include the ability to overlay a transparent touch screen directly above the image surface. The device is connected to the computer via universal serial bus (USB).
A number of representative patents relate use of tablet and touch screen technology with analysis of diagnostic medical images. U.S. Pat. No. 6,901,277 to Kaufman describes the software, methods and user interfaces for viewing and generating a lung report. Information regarding lung nodules can be stored and used to relocate the previously localized lung nodules in a second, follow-up imaging scan. Scans can be analyzed manually or automatically and statistics are produced for reporting about localized lung nodules based on changes between initial and follow-up scans. The images can come from various imaging modalities such as MRI or CT. Users interact with the system via various input peripherals.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,317,617 to Gilhuijs describes a method and system for the computerized automatic analysis of lesions in magnetic resonance (MR) images, a computer programmed to implement the method, and a data structure for storing required parameters. Specifically, the system offers the ability to conduct computerized analysis of lesions in the breast using spatial, temporal and/or hybrid measures. The system also allows for the enhanced visualization of the breast and its pathological states. The system also includes an option to merge the extracted features with those from x-ray and/or ultrasound images to further characterize the lesion and/or make a diagnosis. Other imaging techniques, such as CT and/or MRI can also be employed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,201 to Xu describes a method, system, and computer-readable medium configured for computerized detection of lung abnormalities. This includes the acquisition of various images of the chest and identifying abnormalities through a series of analyses, such as difference maps. As mentioned in the Kaufman and Gilhuijs patents, the images may be obtained using different imaging modalities. Control of the system is achieved using input devices, such as keyboards, mice, and/or computerized tablets.
Other prior art relates to use of tablets and touch screens for functional monitoring. U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,569 to Zaltman describes a process and apparatus for using a metaphor elicitation technique in conjunction with physiological function monitoring to elicit, organize and analyze data pertaining to a research topic. The metaphor elicitation technique process and apparatus is improved with the acquisition of data related to a user's physiological functioning. This data provides further insight and understanding which can be used in creating an appropriate marketing campaign for a product, improving inter-office communications and determining the presence of pre-existing biases or beliefs. Physiological monitoring may include functional magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, galvanic skin response or conductance, event related potentials, or heart rate changes. The technique involves a series of specific tasks, one of which, the Mental Map, involves image validation and creation using a mouse, cursor, or pressure sensitive digitizing tablet (via a stylus or a finger).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,979 to Merzenich outlines a method of using an apparatus for implementing a training regime having a stimulator and an input device, for remediating exaggerated responses associated with a super-group of neurons in an individual with an associated impaired modality. Many modifications to the method are mentioned, for example, the invention can be practiced with or without feedback. Furthermore this feedback may be manual or automated. Manual feedback can provide an indication that an input is causing discomfort or pain, or the individual is able to distinguish the stimuli. Examples of automated feedback include brain imaging such as MEG and fMRI to monitor changes and responses within the super-group of neurons. Different types of input devices, such as a computerized tablet, can be used to input commands and other instructions into the computer system, which serves as the backbone of the invention.
Though tablet devices have achieved considerable popularity and commercial success, there has been continuing demand to expand on their use and application. One such application is in the field of functional neuroimaging, which involves the measurement of brain activity associated with human behavior. Techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) allow researchers and clinicians to visualize regions of brain activity with high spatial resolutions (millimeters), in accordance to the tasks being performed by the subject inside the scanner.
Functional neuroimaging is a broad field encompassing a variety of medically-oriented applications, including use in neurosurgical planning, potential detection of neurodegenerative disease, and monitoring the response of neural tissue to targeted therapeutic interventions such as pharmacotherapy, stem cell therapy, cognitive rehabilitation, or physical rehabilitation. In their idealized forms none of the previously mentioned patents focus on augmenting functional neuroimaging through use of tablet devices for such applications.
Specifically, certain publications such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,901,277 to Kaufman, U.S. Pat. No. 6,317,617 to Gilhuijs and U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,201 to Xu, describe use of imaging technologies such as CT and MRI to acquire anatomical images of the body and describe various means to manipulate and analyze the data. Interaction with their respective systems is proposed through use of input peripherals, such as a mice, keyboards, and/or computerized tablets. These devices would typically be used by the CT or MRI technologist during image acquisition or by a radiologist during image interpretation. The proposed invention differs significantly from these previous works in its design and application, has been engineered primarily to operate within the bore of an MRI scanner, and is for use by the individual being scanned during functional neuroimaging, or more specifically functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of brain activity.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,569 (Zaltman) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,979 (Merzenich) concern techniques for probing and rehabilitating response to stimuli. The invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,569 describes a procedure for evaluating responses to marketing material, whereas, U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,979 describes a training regime to alleviate exaggerated response to sensory stimuli (e.g. hypersensitivity to sound in autistic children). Both mention the use of adjunct physiological measurements such as PET and fMRI as feedback mechanisms and the use of input devices for interaction with a computer system. However, the merger of the two disparate ideas is neither discussed nor elaborated in any detail. Instead the peripherals are discussed in the context of a means for generic user input outside of a MR scanner environment. As mentioned above the present invention details a system specific for drawing and writing inside the MR scanner environment specifically to augment fMRI capabilities.
Functional MRI is a relatively new technology that relies on neurovascular coupling and hyperemia effects. Sensitive to small percentage changes in the flow, volume, and oxygenation of blood that occur over short time spans in the local vicinity of neurons that have become more electrically active in comparison to baseline levels, fMRI makes it possible to identify spatiotemporal patterns of activation in various regions of the brain associated with specific tasks, typically on the second and millimeter time and spatial scales, respectively.
Considering a combinations of factors such as cost, availability, risk and invasiveness, sensitivity, spatial and temporal resolution, and volume of coverage within the brain, fMRI has numerous advantages over other functional neuroimaging modalities. However, there are some technical challenges associated with this technology. For example, fMRI is typically conducted in a very strong static magnetic field (>1 Tesla), with accompanying weaker but dynamic spatially varying magnetic fields (˜10 mT/m gradients and ˜100 T/m/μs slew rates), and with stringent constraints regarding radiofrequency electromagnetic interference (EMI) from other nearby electronic devices. Therefore, electronic equipment designed for use within the scanner must adhere to these strong electromagnetic restrictions.
Functional MRI is also very sensitive to head motion. Very subtle head motion on the order of millimeters can significantly degrade image quality. As well, the behavioral tasks and analytic approaches that are adopted in fMRI studies greatly influence the resulting images of brain activity. Much work has already gone into the development of fMRI-compatible devices including MRI-compatible display systems, response pads, joysticks, and audio equipment. However, to date, no device has been manufactured or patented that would capture and display drawing movements within the scanner. This invention addresses this deficit through the design of the fMRI-compatible drawing tablet.
There is strong motivation to permit and record writing and drawing movements during fMRI. For example, the ability to record and display subject responses using a pen-like interface would allow traditional neuropsychological assessments to be performed inside the scanner. There are hundreds of neuropsychological tests for probing the various aspects of cognitive function, such as attention, memory, executive function, language, and general cognitive ability. The majority of these tests are pen-and-paper based in that the clinician or neuropsychologist presents the subject with a set of instructions and the subject reacts by writing or drawing their response on paper.
Examples of traditional pen-and-paper tests include the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure [(Rey, A., The psychological examination of cases of traumatic encephalopathy. Archives de Psychologie, 37:126-139, 1941) & (Osterrieth, P. A., Copying a complex figure: Contributions to the study of perception and memory. Archives de Psychologie, 30:203-353, 1944)], the Trail Making Test [Lezak et al., Neuropsychological assessment, 4th Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004], the Clock Drawing Test [Sunderland, T. et al., Clock drawing in Alzheimer's disease. A novel measure of dementia severity. J Am Gedatr Soc, 37:725-9, 1989], various letter and symbol cancellation tasks, the Benton Visual Retention Test [Benton, A. L., The Revised Visual Retention Test: Clinical and Experimental Applications. New York: Psychological Corp, 1963] and the Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test [Harris, D. B., The Goodenough-Harris drawing test. Los Angeles: Harcourt-Jovanovich, 1963]. Each test is designed to probe a particular aspect of cognitive function and their utility in the clinic has been proven through rigorous research and clinical trials. However, the exact neurological underpinnings of these tests are often unknown or are based on lesion studies, which have their own inherent confounds.
It would be of great benefit to researchers and clinicians if these tests could be performed together with fMRI to identify the brain regions that are engaged. Knowing the areas of the brain implicated in such tests is critical for clinical application of the test and is especially important during planning of rehabilitation strategy or pharmacological intervention. To conduct these studies it is important that the tests be reproduced during fMRI in a manner similar to their administration in the clinic.
Similar to the neuropsychological tests mentioned above there are a multitude of personality tests and scales that require written responses. Some examples include the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) [Montgomery, S. A., & Asberg, M., A new depression scale designed to be sensitive to change. Br J Psychiatry, 34:382-389, 1979], the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) [Overall, J. E., & Gorham, D. R., The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Psychological Report, 10:799-812, 1962], and the Self-Control Rating Scale [Kendall, P., & Wilcox, L., Self-control in children: Development of a rating scale. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 47:1020-1029, 1979]. These measures are also largely understood in terms of their underlying functional networks so investigation with fMRI would be highly valued.
Besides investigation of neuropsychological tests and scales one domain of particular scientific interest is general drawing and copying behaviour. As such there are several published scientific papers that have examined the neural correlates of drawing and/or copying during functional neuroimaging. Most relevant are papers by Katanoda et al. [Katanoda et al., A functional MRI study on the neural substrates for writing. Hum Brain Mapp, 13(1): 34-42, 2001] and Makuuchi et al. [Makuuchi et al., Both parietal lobes are involved in drawing: a functional MRI study and implications for constructional apraxia. Cogn Brain Res, 16(3): 338-47, 2003]. Both studies help to provide additional knowledge critical in the treatment of brain-damaged patients incapable of performing drawing or copying tasks. A particular condition causing such a deficit is called constructional apraxia, and refers to the inability of patients to assemble the elements of a model object in their correct spatial relationships.
Further fMRI investigation into the exact neurological underpinnings of this condition is underway. However, to do so, the task should be executed in a manner similar to real life. Both studies described immediately above involved writing/drawing with the right index finger, either in the air or on a fixed surface, during fMRI. Such a configuration is very unlike how people write in everyday life and therefore the generalizability of the reported findings is questionable. Furthermore, without a method to capture user input (ie. what the user "writes") it becomes difficult to assess the behavioral performance that underlies the resulting images of brain activity. An fMRI-compatible tablet system would help to overcome these limitations.
Additional studies have examined the task of writing/drawing with other functional brain mapping techniques. Examples include Bhattacharya et al., who in their 2005 paper [Bhattacharya et al., Drawing on mind's canvas: Differences in cortical integration patterns between artists and non-artists. Hum Brain Mapp, 26(1): 1-14, 2005] compared multi-channel electroencephalograph (EEG) signals in groups of artists and non-artists. The results of this study demonstrated that in artists, patterns of functional cooperation between cortical regions during mental creation of drawings were significantly different from those in non-artists. This study did not use any sort of drawing device, only mental imagery, but further demonstrates the level of interest in this particular field of neuroscience.
Another study [Siebner et al., Brain correlates of fast and slow handwriting in humans: a PET-performance correlation analysis. Eur J Neurosci. 14(4): 726-36, 2001] employed H215O positron emission tomography (PET) to measure the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in 10 healthy subjects during handwriting. This particular study used standard pen-based recording, with and without feedback, to examine the cerebral control of velocity during handwriting. Because it was not limited by the confines and constraints of fMRI, use of a traditional writing tool was possible. However, PET is generally acknowledged to exhibit lower spatial and temporal resolution than fMRI, and additionally requires the administration of radiopharmaceuticals. The study concluded that there exists a set of regions particularly involved in the processing of slow closed-loop writing movements (i.e. without feedback and half of normal writing speed). These regions included the right lateral premotor cortex, the left anterior parietal cortex, the left anterior putamen, the left rostral supplementary motor area and the right precuneus.
Other relevant scientific work appeared as an abstract at the Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping in 2004. [Reithler et al., Resistance-based Recording of Pen Trajectories in an fMRI setting, Hum Brain Mapp, Abst. #320, 2004]. The authors describe a system for capturing pen movements during fMRI using a resistive touch surface. However, the device operates very differently from the invention presented here. First, a single value is output from the device, enabling only a 1-dimensional measurement of movement. Therefore, the paths that users are asked to trace must be known a priori. Second, the basic working principle of the device is that the pen and path surface form an electrical circuit that exhibits resistance changes as the pen is moved around the drawing surface. Third, no visual feedback of performance is provided; captured drawing movements are not visible to the user. Although useful in some applications, this device is more limited in its ability to enable and record realistic copying and drawing behaviour than the present invention.
Beyond neuropsychological assessment and basic scientific investigations into drawing and copying, the fMRI-compatible tablet would also be useful for exploring writing rehabilitation strategies. The physiology of acquired disorders of writing and mechanisms for their recovery are largely unknown. These disorders are common in stroke patients who often suffer some form paresis in their limbs (hand) as a result of the stroke.
There has been a great deal of research exploring post-stroke of motor function; however few have directly investigated the task of writing. One exception is a paper by Papathanassiou et al, titled "Plasticity of motor cortex excitability induced by rehabilitation therapy for writing", in which the authors study the brain's ability to reorganize neural pathways (i.e. plasticity) during a rehabilitative writing therapy. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and an electroencephalogram (EEG) the authors discovered that rehabilitation aimed to increase the use of the paretic hand during writing may induce recruitment of previously silent neural pathways even in poorly recovered post-stroke patients. This is a considerable finding and illustrates the importance of employing such strategies during a rehabilitation program. With this in mind, further research into which writing regimes are most beneficial and to what degree they are able to reorganize the brain must be pursued. Functional MRI would be the favoured technology to conduct these studies due to its excellent spatial resolution and imaging characteristics, but an fMRI-compatible writing tablet requires development.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,979 to Merzenich discusses a remediation technique for individuals with an impaired sensory modality but is unspecific to the task of writing. Furthermore, brain imaging is limited to use as a feedback mechanism during their intervention and not as a means to investigate neuronal plasticity and reorganization in the brain.
Use of the fMRI-compatible tablet extends beyond established neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation techniques and provides increased flexibility for designing new behavioural tasks. For example, the device could be used as a generic input peripheral, similar to a mouse or keyboard but specific for use within the MRI bore during fMRI. This is important because much of fMRI usage involves (but is also limited by) use of fMRI-compatible "response boxes" that enable the user to respond by pressing a button. Such response boxes are sufficient for simple user input, for example choosing one response by button press from a small list based on some previously presented stimuli. However, these devices typically only offer one button press per finger, for several fingers. Increasing the complexity of such devices (e.g. more buttons) becomes a "response mapping" problem requiring potentially significant training time for individuals to become comfortable learning to make selections with a non-intuitive interface.
Furthermore, currently there is no simple way for the user to provide a response at a specific x-y position during fMRI, especially to the precision and accuracy achievable with a mouse or tablet. Several fMRI-compatible joysticks are available but these require buttons for response selection. Mice have their own inherent limitations because they require a smooth, flat surface for operation and thus are ill-suited to the confines of an MR bore. A computerized tablet replicates much of the functionality of a mouse but offers a more intuitive interface, especially in the context of fMRI. This functionality enables manipulation of various graphical user interface elements such as check boxes, scroll bars, radio boxes, dials and buttons as necessary to develop new assessments of human behaviour.
Existing patents and scientific publications relating to tablet technology do not encompass the functionality of the fMRI-compatible tablet. Use of a resistive sensor, as proposed by Reithler et al. in their 2004 publication, limits researchers to a small subset of experiments and does not allow for natural capture of handwriting or drawing during fMRI. Re-emphasizing, it would be very advantageous to provide a device to record and visualize drawing and writing movements during fMRI that would allow individuals lying inside the scanner to interact with the device in a natural, intuitive way, similar to writing with pen and paper, and that would significantly augment current fMRI applications. The invention described here fulfills this need by allowing drawing movements to be captured and recorded during fMRI with optional visual feedback relayed to the user.

Method and system for computerized drawing and writing during functional magnetic resonance imaging


A computer apparatus includes a touchscreen display. The computer apparatus generates a graphical user interface on the touchscreen display and receive user inputs via the touchscreen display. The graphical user interface includes symbology representing a flight path of multiple unmanned teamed assets from a current position to a current objective. The graphical user interface also includes symbology representing a card associated with each of the unmanned teamed assets. By the touchscreen display, an operator selects one of the unmanned teamed assets, for emphasis of the flight path. The flight paths of the non-selected unmanned teamed assets remain displayed when the selected flight path is emphasized. The operator may select the unmanned teamed asset by the flight path or by the unmanned teamed asset card.

A factor contributing to the complexity of current and future battlespaces is manned unmanned teaming (MUM-T) operations. MUM-T operations describe a scenario in which a human operator (e.g., in an airborne platform or a platform on the ground) is controlling one or more unmanned platforms (e.g., unmanned vehicles). The operator is often task saturated, due to various high intensity scenarios in which the operator may be placed. The operator must also manage multiple sensor information feeds and vehicle interface to perform mission responsibilities. MUM-T further complicates the human factors. Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a device, system, or method that cures the shortcomings described above.


A transducer suspension system has a transducer head, laminated member, and a load beam. The laminated member is comprised of a support layer, an electrically insulating layer, and an electrically conducting layer. The electrical lines are formed directly into the laminated member. A first end of the support layer has an aperture into which a tongue section protrudes. The transducer head is attached to the tongue section. A platform section is formed between the aperture and the end of the support layer. The electrical lines run to the transducer head along the platform section. The load beam is attached to the laminated member and provides rigid support. The load beam has an aperture located directly above the platform section and provides access to allow clamping of the electrical lines and the platform section during electrical attachment of the lines to the transducer head. Precise electrical attachment is achieved without unwanted bending of the delicate flexure section of the suspension.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to transducer suspension systems and more particularly to a suspension system and method for efficient manufacture.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Direct access storage devices (DASD), or disk drives, store information on concentric tracks of a rotatable magnetic recording disk. A magnetic head or transducer element is moved from track to track to record and read the desired information. Typically, the magnetic head is positioned on an air bearing slider which flies above the surface of the disk as the disk rotates. In some recently proposed disk drives, the slider (or carrier) rides on a liquid film or bearing on the disk. A suspension assembly connects the slider to a rotary or linear actuator. The suspension provides support for the slider.
Examples of suspension systems are shown in the following references: U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,543 issued Jul. 10, 1973 to King; U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,770 issued Aug. 17, 1976 to Spash et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,716 issued Feb. 10, 1987 to Wakabayashi et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,119 issued Jul. 26, 1988 to Noguchi et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,141 issued Mar. 7, 1989 to McConica et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,368 issued Apr. 30, 1991 to Bosier et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,344 issued Aug. 30, 1994 to Nagase; U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,432 issued Jan. 24, 1995 to Noro et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,179 issued Feb. 21, 1995 to Sendoda; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,597 issued Feb. 13, 1996 to Bennin et al.
The suspension must meet several requirements. The suspension must be flexible and provide a bias force in the vertical direction. This is necessary to provide a compensating force to the lifting force of the air bearing in order to keep the slider at the correct height above the disk. Also, vertical flexibility is needed to allow the slider to be loaded and unloaded away from the disk. Another requirement of the suspension is that it must provide a pivotal connection for the slider. Irregularities in operation may result in misalignment of the slider. The slider is able to compensate for these problems by pitching and/or rolling slightly to maintain the proper orientation necessary for the air bearing. Another requirement of the suspension is that it must be rigid in the lateral direction. This is needed to prevent the head from moving side to side, which would result in the head reading the wrong track.
As disk drives have become smaller in size, the recorded track density has increased dramatically. This has necessitated the use of smaller and smaller heads and suspensions. However, these smaller geometries of the suspension and head make manufacture much more difficult. In particular, it has become extremely difficult to attach the electrical wires along the suspension and connect them to the head. The process of connecting the wires to the head may cause unwanted permanent deformation of the delicate flexible end of the suspension. This in turn may cause the slider head to be misoriented and result in its inability to maintain a proper air bearing with resulting disk drive failure and loss of data. What is needed is a suspension design and method of manufacture which lends itself to these smaller geometries.

Transducer suspension system having access aperture

International Business Machines Corporation


An input signal to be sampled by a sample and hold circuit is amplified separately by two amplifiers. The output of the first amplifier is provided to a boost circuit to maintain the impedance of a sampling switch contained in a signal dependent boost switch substantially constant. The output of the second amplifier is sampled via the sampling switch, and the sample is stored in a storage element. The second amplifier drives a reduced load, and may be implemented as a low bandwidth, low power amplifier to reduce overall power consumption.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to sample and hold circuits, and more specifically to a technique for reducing power consumption in an amplification stage driving a sample and hold circuit while maintaining linearity.
2. Related Art
A sample and hold circuit generally refers to a circuit which samples a signal at corresponding time instances, and stores the samples for further processing. For example, a sample and hold circuit may be used to provide samples of an analog signal to an analog to digital converter (ADC) for conversion to corresponding digital codes.
Frequently, one or more amplification stages are used to provide an amplified version (for example, amplified current and/or voltage) of an input signal to a sample and hold circuit. The signal stored in the sample and hold circuit is provided to subsequent components for further processing.
It is therefore generally desirable that the strengths (charge/voltage) of the samples stored by a sample and hold circuit be linearly proportional to the strengths of the input signal at the corresponding (sampled) time instances.
In a prior technique, an amplifier driving a sample and hold circuit is implemented as a high bandwidth amplifier, consuming higher power, to provide an acceptable level of linearity between the captured samples and the actual input signal strengths at the capture time instances. Such higher power consumption is generally undesirable.
In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.

Reducing power consumption in an amplification stage driving a sample and hold circuit while maintaining linearity


A hand carried medical imaging device includes a probe configured to acquire raw medical image data, an integrated display, a data memory configured to store the acquired raw medical image data, a back end processor, and a user interface operably coupled to the back end processor configured to receive commands from a user and to instruct the back end processor to display the produced medical image on the integrated display at a first resolution, and to either produce and send either the medical image at the second, higher resolution, to send the acquired raw image data, or both, to the external device, in accordance with the commands from the user.

This invention relates generally to handheld and hand-carried ultrasound (or other medical imaging) systems having integrated displays.
Handheld and hand-carried ultrasound systems often include an integrated display (usually an LCD) that allows the user to view the images while scanning as well as retrieve images from internal storage device. Often, these systems are used in conjunction with external medical devices such as a PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) system, a workstation, and/or an external printer. Often, these external systems can support display resolutions higher than that achievable with the internal display of the hand-carried ultrasound system. However, images from the handheld or hand-carried ultrasound systems do not provide image data at a resolution sufficient to support the higher display resolutions of the external systems.

Method and apparatus for generating variable resolution medical images


A block sequence compiler for compiling a sequence of audio and/or video blocks (e.g., audio tracks, MIDI, video clips, animation, etc.) suitable for producing one or more audio and/or video output sequences (i.e., audio, video, or multimedia) each having a duration corresponding to user-prescribed criteria. In a preferred embodiment, a user chooses an audio and/or video source segment from a predefined library and prescribes the duration of an audio and/or video sequence. Prior to depositing each audio and/or video segment in the library, the segment is partitioned into audio and/or video blocks that are identified in a corresponding characteristic data table with characteristics including (1) duration, (2) suitability for being used as a beginning or ending of an audio and/or video sequence, and (3) compatibility with each block. Using this characteristic table and the user-prescribed criteria, i.e., duration, the block sequence compiler generates a plurality of audio and/or video sequences satisfying the user-prescribed criteria which can be reviewed, e.g., played, and/or saved for future use.

The present invention relates generally to hardware/software systems for generating audio and/or video sequences of prescribed duration and more particularly to such systems suitable for generating and correlating such sequences for producing multimedia presentations.
Exemplary multimedia presentations are formed from video source material, e.g., a video segment such as a film clip, and audio source material, e.g., an audio segment such as a sound track. Typically, the video source segment must be edited many times before an aesthetically satisfactory and proper duration video output sequence is achieved. The audio source segment must similarly be edited to form an audio output sequence that matches the duration of the edited video output sequence.

System for generating prescribed duration audio and/or video sequences


An apparatus for providing tactile feedback is provided. The apparatus includes a touch-sensitive screen that detects a touch input and a set of electrodes. The apparatus also includes a haptic voltage signal generator that applies a haptic signal to the set of electrodes and modifies the haptic signal based on a displacement current from the touch input to the set of electrodes. The apparatus also includes a haptic feedback controller that determines the displacement current, where the displacement current is an effect of an amplitude of the haptic signal.

Electrovibration-based haptics may refer to the use of an electrostatic force to provide one or more sensations to a user as, for example, the user's finger slides across the surface of a touch-sensitive screen. In an example, the user slides her finger across a surface of a touch-sensitive screen that employs electrodes, and an electric potential is applied to the electrodes. The quality of the grounding path between the source of the electric potential and the user significantly affects the quality and intensity of the haptic experience. It is therefore difficult to provide a consistent haptic experience to the user unless the system has an explicit ground connection with the user (e.g., there is a consistent grounding path to the user at all times).
A conventional solution to provide a consistent haptic experience to the user is to use wrist straps to ground the user. It is inconvenient, however, to require the user to wear additional equipment that is connected to the device. Another conventional technique is to require another finger or part of the user's hand to touch the device. This, however, may force the device to be held in a specific way, and again is inconvenient. Another conventional technique is to have no ground connection. This works if the signal is strong enough; however, this may still result in an inconsistent haptic experience for the user.
The user experience may also be different depending on factors that affect the grounding path including, for example, how the user is standing, whether the user is connected directly to the device, and whether the user is in contact with someone else.

Feedback for grounding independent haptic electrovibration


A system and method for a hybrid ring-radiator headphone driver, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

Conventional headphone drivers and/or methods of operating headphone drivers suffer from non-linear distortion and diaphragm break-up, among other things. Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method of viewing images accessible by an embedded system, the method comprises: generating a trimmed image from an original image accessible by an embedded system, wherein the trimmed image's dimension are relatively smaller or equal to the dimensions of the original image; generating a thumbnail image from the trimmed image, such that dimensions of the thumbnail image are relatively smaller and directly proportional to the respective dimensions of the trimmed image; and associating the thumbnail image with the original image so that in response to selection of the thumbnail image the original image is displayed on the embedded system's display unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image browsing and, more particularly, to a thumbnail image browsing method in an embedded system.
2. Background of the Related Art
Generally, an image viewer or file browser in a personal computer (PC) has a function for displaying an image file (original image) as a smaller sized image (thumbnail). Such a function is called a thumbnail image browsing feature.
Once a user executes the thumbnail image browsing feature on a web page or client system, an image viewer (or file browser) decodes a compressed image so as to generate an original image. The image viewer then generates a thumbnail image from the original image so as to display the thumbnail image on the screen.
The above described thumbnail image browsing feature can be executed in a PC having a large screen, a relatively powerful CPU, and plenty of resources (e.g., memory, etc.) with ease. However, an embedded system having limited resources, such as a mobile communication terminal, has the following problems or disadvantages.
First, a thumbnail image browsing feature of the related art generates the original image by decoding a compressed image, and then generates the thumbnail image from the original image. Decompression and regeneration of the image are both resource and time consuming processes. A user can visually sense the generation speed of a thumbnail image on a screen, even in a PC. When a plurality of images is generated, the generation speed of the thumbnail image decreases due to the over-utilization of resources required for the purpose of performing the image browsing function. Since a mobile communication terminal has very limited resources, the thumbnail image browsing method according to the related art fails when applied to the mobile communication terminal.
Furthermore, in the method of the related art, thumbnail images are generated in predetermined fixed sizes, so that original images with various sizes are generated as thumbnails that are of same fixed size. Referring to FIG. 1, the height to width ratio of a thumbnail generated by the method of the related art is incongruent to that of the original image in cases where the dimensional properties of the original image differ from the thumbnail's predetermined fixed dimensions. Particularly, when the disproportion between the original and the thumbnail image dimensions is large, the thumbnail image fails to be an accurate, or even at times an approximate representation of the original image. This misrepresentation occurs because the thumbnail image is modified disproportionately in one dimension in order to force an exact fit into the predetermined fixed size.
In some cases, instead of modifying the image to fit the fixed thumbnail dimensions, the thumbnail image proportionally is similar to the original image, but the border areas of the image are filled to fully cover the areas within the predetermined fixed size of the thumbnail. Such irregular thumbnail images occupy valuable display space on an embedded system. A method and system is needed that can facilitate a more efficient and presentable image browsing feature in embedded system, such as a mobile communication terminal.

Thumbnail image browsing method in an embedded system


A method for separating CO2 from a processed fluid includes exposing a film to the processed fluid and reacting the CO2 with tetrahedrally coordinated zinc hydroxide moieties contained within the film to facilitate the transport of the CO2 through the film.

Due to global warming concerns, there has been an increased interest in technology for capturing and sequestering CO2 from processed fluids. This can involve, for example, separating CO2 from other molecules present in a processed fluid (i.e., "capturing" it) and then compressing it, transporting it, and disposing of it, for example, by burying it in the ground (i.e., "sequestering" it). Coal-fired power plants account for more than half of the ˜3.8 billion tons of CO2 emitted from stationary sources in the United States, and the relatively dilute concentration of CO2 in their flue gas makes capture challenging. For example, CO2 may comprise only 4-14% of the total flue gas being emitted from the power plant, but the energy required to capture it can comprise around 60% of the total cost of the entire capture and sequestration process. Typical polymer films used as membranes today can separate gaseous species only based on differences in their diffusivity and solubility. Since the molecular diameters of CO2 and N2 are very similar, separation of CO2 by a polymer film is challenging, with N2 being much more abundant and creating a higher driving force for permeation through the membrane.
Technologies have been developed to capture CO2 using chemical scrubbing with chemicals having a selective and strong affinity for CO2 molecules. Currently, the best available capture system employs amine-based chemical scrubbing. The technology is effective in removing CO2; however, the cost is prohibitively expensive, estimated to be over $100 billion/year for U.S. Department of Energy's goal of 90% capture, and adding ˜85% to the cost of electricity. The fundamental reason lies in the chemistry associated with the process, in which CO2 is captured by reaction with 30% wt. aqueous amines. First, the kinetics of this process are inherently slow since the rate limiting step is transport through the liquid phase. Slow kinetics results in a need for large equipment to meet capture demands such as 90%, for example. Hence the capital costs associated with CO2 capture for a 550 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant are estimated to be ˜$740 MM. Second, the reaction products are relatively stable carbamate compounds which require large amounts of heat to release the CO2 and regenerate the amines; incidentally, most of this energy is wasted since 70% of the mass to be heated is water. As a result, the efficiency of the same 550 MW plant would drop from 36.8% to 24.9%.
In contrast to amine-based chemistry, complex aerobic organisms (including mammals) react CO2 with water toward the formation of bicarbonate ions, which are much more soluble in blood than CO2 itself. The unaided reaction of CO2 with water is slow, but in our body it happens almost instantaneously due to the action of carbonic anhydrase, one of the fastest enzymes known. Consequently, some groups have been investigating incorporating carbonic anhydrase in a membrane for CO2 capture. The enzyme is essentially dissolved in a liquid phase inside the pores of a polymer film as a "contained liquid membrane". However, utilizing an enzyme outside the context of an organism (which can continuously regenerate and protect its enzymes with antioxidants) is a big challenge in terms of enzyme stability, availability and replenishment. The harsh environment of flue gases will be likely to chemically attack the embedded carbonic anhydrase enzyme. Such an approach will require tight control of temperature and contaminants, as well as provisions to replace denatured (degraded) enzyme at regular intervals. Since carbonic anhydrase is too complex to synthesize, its extraction from erythrocytes has significant costs, even if economies of scale are achieved.
Furthermore, carbonic anhydrase requires an aqueous environment to operate. This has two considerable drawbacks. First, like the liquid amines, the rate limiting step is transport through the liquid phase, which will set the ceiling for the membrane's performance regardless of how fast the enzyme converts CO2 to bicarbonate ions. Second, as the liquid phase is kept at a minimum volume to improve kinetics, even extremely low levels of sulfur dioxide from the flue gas will accumulate over time and turn to sulfuric acid, quickly decreasing the pH below the narrow range for optimal carbonic anhydrase function in the membrane. As the enzyme progressively loses its catalytic activity, the efficiency of the process continues to decrease until the membrane is rendered non-functional. As a consequence, the membrane will need to be replaced frequently, leading to high operation costs.

Film-based system and method for carbon dioxide separation


An adsorbent having high adsorption properties and a good strength, which comprises a plurality of sintered sheets of activated carbon, said sheets being those prepared by sintering activated carbon which may contain a carbonaceous binding material infusible under sintering conditions, a pulp for papers or a heat-meltable synthetic resin, and being arranged in layers so as to form a space between the adjacent sheets.

The present invention relates to an adsorbent having an excellent adsorptivity, and more particularly to an adsorbent comprising built-up sheets utilizing activated carbon as an adsorbing agent.
Activated carbon has an excellent adsorption activity and has been used for various purposes, e.g. separation of gases, removal or recovery of solvents, and deodorization. Various adsorbents using activated carbon have hitherto been proposed.
For example, there is proposed an adsorbent having a honeycomb structure prepared by making a mixture of an activated carbon fiber, other fibrous materials and a heat-meltable binder into a paper, forming the paper into a honeycomb and building up the honeycombs (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,092). However, since the adsorbent of this type contains the fibrous materials other than activated carbon in a high proportion, usually in a proportion of not less than 25% by weight and, therefore, the content of activated carbon is low, usually not more than 0.1 g/cm.sup.3, and since the heat-meltable binder stops up the pores of activated carbon to decrease the pores effective for adsorption, the adsorbent has the defect that the adsorptivity is low.
There is also known an adsorbent having a honeycomb structure prepared by making a paper having a high porosity which does not contain activated carbon, impregnating the paper with activated carbon and forming it into a honeycomb. However, this adsorbent also has the defect that the adsorptivity is low, since the proportion of fibrous materials other than activated carbon is high and the content of activated carbon is low.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an adsorbent having a high adsorption activity.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a sheet-like adsorbent having a high content of activated carbon and having a mechanical strength sufficient for use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for preparing a shaped article which contains activated carbon in a high proportion with a high retention rate of the adsorption activity of the activated carbon used and is useful as an adsorbent.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the description hereinafter.


An automatic container loading device connected to an appropriate truck comprises a first telescopic arm connected to the chassis of the truck and able to rotate, both on a horizontal and on a vertical plane, a second telescopic arm centrally connected to the free end of the first arm and able to make a complete rotation on its vertical axis and comprising a third arm and a fourth arm, also able to make a complete rotation. The third and fourth arms support a mechanism for gripping containers of all shapes and sizes form any position whatsoever, even at a considerable distance from the truck and on a different level, placing them automatically in the right position for being lifted and emptied into the body of the truck.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention refers to automatic devices for loading refuse bins.
The invention refers in particular to devices connected to the motor-vehicles used for the collection of urban waste which are able to grip, lift and empty the containers into the body of the motor-vehicles.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Traditionally, containers are gripped by arms anchored to the rear of the truck after the container has been manually positioned in correspondence with the lifting device. Other container loading systems foresee the possibility of gripping the container by means of an arm situated on the side of the truck, in such a way as to reach the containers, even if not situated near the container itself; however, this case also requires that the container be manually positioned to permit it to be perfectly gripped by the arm.
The fact should be emphasized however that the systems briefly described above require preliminary, manual positioning of the containers, not only to ensure gripping but also to permit them to be positioned in such a way as to allow emptying into the body of the truck.

Automatic refuse container loading device


The invention provides a method and tool to perform an analysis of CRUD on a nuclear fuel rod. The method recites providing a nuclear fuel rod with a layer of CRUD on an exterior of the fuel rod, scraping the CRUD from the fuel rod with a CRUD scraping tool and collecting CRUD flakes from the CRUD scraping tool. The method also provides for sorting the CRUD flakes into particle fractions, and analyzing the CRUD with a scanning electron microscope, wherein the scraping tool has a blade with a rigidity that is matched to an anticipated CRUD deposit shear strength.

Nuclear reactors, such as pressurized water reactors and boiling water reactors, generate nuclear power through the use of nuclear fuel assemblies housed in a reactor core. The fuel assemblies are comprised of elongated hollow metallic tubular fuel rods that contain pellets of enriched uranium dioxide material. The hollow metallic fuel tubular rods, commonly known in the nuclear industry as cladding, prevent the escape of materials, such as uranium dioxide and fission gasses, from the interior of the fuel rod. The cladding is generally configured from an alloy of differing metals including zirconium. These alloys are used principally because of the low neutron capture characteristic of zirconium. As a consequence of the low neutron capture characteristic, these alloys have been used extensively in the nuclear industry as the nuclear reaction in the reactor is least hindered by such use.
Fuel rods that have been irradiated and have had the enriched uranium dioxide content depleted due to operation of the reactor core, are often stored in pools of cooling water to remove decay heat. As time passes, materials can collect on an exterior surface of the zirconium based alloys. Moreover, the zirconium alloy may warp and swell on the exterior portion of the fuel rod, creating a further layer of material on the underlying sound zirconium alloy substrate. The material which collects on the exterior of the zirconium based alloy is commonly known as Chalk River Unidentified Deposit or "CRUD." The CRUD located on an exterior of the fuel rods of a fuel assembly is generally made of solid particles, agglomerated together, that can be strongly attached to the underlying substrate. Due to the closeness of the CRUD to the activated uranium dioxide material in the fuel assemblies, the CRUD is usually highly radioactive. The CRUD on the fuel rods can become dislodged from the underlying zirconium alloy substrate by flowing water that the fuel assemblies are immersed in. Consequently, CRUD can enter the piping of the water systems in the nuclear power plant and travel along these systems causing unintended irradiation of personnel in plant areas that are normally not radiologically active.
Although CRUD is a non-homogenous material, CRUD has been found to be generally made of several elemental components. The major components of CRUD can include, for example, iron, cobalt, zinc, silica, chrome and manganese. As nuclear plant fuel performance is influenced by CRUD deposition during normal plant operation as well as sequence and economics of refueling and maintenance outages, it is necessary to analyze fuel assemblies for the presence of CRUD to determine the nature and amount of the deposits. For example, if it is determined that the nuclear fuel rods have a highly radioactive CRUD layer that may become easily dislodged, then a worker radiological concern exists where the fuel rods may be required to be cleaned. This cleaning process is usually conducted by a number of means, ultrasonically or chemically cleaning the exterior of the fuel rods to remove the loose CRUD buildup.
To perform analysis of crud deposited on the fuel assemblies, samples must be taken by mechanically scraping the exterior of the fuel rods. The systems used to perform this mechanical scraping include a rigid member that the fuel rod is pressed against, thereby shearing the loose CRUD from the rest of the nuclear fuel rod when the fuel rod is moved over the rigid member.
Devices for mechanical scraping fuel rods may be divided into two sub-classes. Manually operated devices may be used to remove the CRUD from the exterior surface of the nuclear fuel rods. Such devices consist of a scraping head at the end of a shaft, wherein the scraping head is used to dislodge loose CRUD from the exterior surface of the fuel rod. Automated devices may also be used to remove deposits from irradiated fuel rods. The fuel rods are scraped by a remote control scraping device, wherein the scraped sample is conveyed to an internal reservoir.
Previous devices of both sub-categories have several drawbacks that limit the effectiveness of the removal devices. Existing manual devices are only used to remove materials from an outside of a fuel rod that are easily dislodgable. CRUD deposits that are attached to the nuclear fuel rod more tenaciously are not able to be removed using existing manual tools. As a result, the manual tools used do not provide an accurate representation of CRUD materials that may be present in the entire depth of the fuel rod as the sampling occurs only on an exterior subsection of the total CRUD deposit. Mechanized devices, however, scrape the nuclear fuel rods such that the entire CRUD deposit is removed from a portion of the fuel rod surface, as well as warped zirconium alloy on the external portion of the nuclear fuel rod. Removal of any warped zirconium alloy on an external portion of the nuclear fuel rod damages the fuel rod. This necessitates an extensive engineering analysis to determine if the pressure retaining capabilities of the fuel rod have been severely compromised. When the material constituents of the exterior of the fuel rod are sampled after using a mechanized device, zirconium alloy inappropriately removed from the rod will skew the material analysis results. Another drawback of existing mechanized devices for removing CRUD deposits on the exterior of fuel rods is that these devices are economically expensive to produce and often require significant maintenance for operation. Additionally, performing maintenance activities on radioactive components of the mechanized devices increases worker radiation exposure.
There is therefore a need to provide a CRUD removal tool, which is cost effective for nuclear reactor operators.
There is also a need for a CRUD removal tool, which will limit potential damage to nuclear fuel rods during removal of CRUD.
There is also a need for an analysis method for CRUD deposits, which will adequately categorize CRUD obtained from scraped fuel rods.

In-situ bwr and pwr CRUD flake analysis method and tool


A method of draining oil and a kit adapted to be connected to the oil pan of a vehicle for draining oil therefrom. The kit comprises an adapter that is attachable to the oil pan such that the adapter is generally axially aligned with a drain opening formed in the oil pan. A main body is provided and such is attachable to the adapter. The main body forms a reservoir that includes an outlet port. Contained within the reservoir is a socket and shaft that is operative to unscrew a drain bolt normally secured within the drain opening of the oil pan. In addition, the same socket and shaft is operative to secure the drain plug within the drain opening once oil has been removed from the oil pan.

There are many reasons why large numbers of vehicle owners choose to change the oil in their vehicles themselves. First, many vehicle owners appreciate the importance of proper vehicle maintenance and they know the importance of changing the oil on a regular basis. Further, these vehicle owners that change the oil in their vehicles themselves can be assured that the oil change is performed properly. In addition, many vehicle owners desire to minimize the expense of an oil change by doing the work themselves.
However, self oil changes do have drawbacks. They are time consuming endeavors and can, in certain circumstances, be frustrating. This is because the vehicle must be positioned such that an oil collector can be placed under the oil pan. This can be inconvenient. More over, the person changing the oil must be able to gain access to the oil pan and its drain plug in order to drain the oil from the oil pan. Finally, it is not uncommon for the oil flowing from the oil pan to spill in and around the collector. Thus, in the end, the self-changing of oil can be time-consuming and often the task ends up being a somewhat dirty chore.
Therefore, there is a need for a device or kit that can be used by the vehicle owner to make oil changing relatively simple and easy.


An umbilical member attachment device including a base part attached detachably to a first member and a second member of a robot, the first member and the second member rotating relative to each other; a first fastening part attached to the base part to fasten the first umbilical member; and a second fastening part attached to the base part to fasten the second umbilical member. The second fastening part has an attachment member attached to the base part and a fastening member fastening the second umbilical member to the attachment member, and the attachment member is provided detachably from the base part together with the second umbilical member in a state where the first umbilical member is fastened by the first fastening part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an umbilical member attachment device which attaches wires, tubes, or other umbilical members to a robot and to a robot which has an umbilical member attachment device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past, a multiarticulated robot in which a plurality of umbilical members are laid in a flexible manner are known. In the robot described in, for example, International Publication No. WO2009/069389 (WO2009/069389A1), a plurality of umbilical members are divided into robot umbilical members required for driving the robot and tool umbilical members required for the gun, etc. which are attached to the front end of the robot. These umbilical members are bent into U-shapes and are fastened by separate clamps or are fastened by the same clamps to moving parts of the robot which rotate relative to each other (a first upper arm and a second upper arm).
However, in a configuration like the robot described in WO2009/069389A1 where a plurality of umbilical members are fastened by separate clamps, the number of umbilical members increases. For this reason, when detaching all umbilical members from the robot, there are many locations for detachment of the clamps, and so the work is troublesome. Further, in a configuration where a plurality of umbilical members are fastened by the same clamps, for example, when replacement of some umbilical members becomes necessary, all umbilical members have to be detached from the robot, and so the work of replacement becomes complicated.

Umbilical member attachment device of robot


Process for hydrocyanating a substrate selected from 2-, 3-, or 4-pentenenitrile and/or 2-methyl-3-butenenitrile or mixtures thereof by contacting the substrate with HCN in the presence of a zero-valent nickel catalyst and a promoter that is obtained as a byproduct of titanium ore chlorination.

The invention relates to the hydrocyanation of either 2-pentenenitrile, 3-pentenenitrile, 4-pentenenitrile, 2-methyl-3-butenenitrile, or mixtures thereof to produce adiponitrile (ADN) and/or 2-methylglutaronitrile (MGN) using a zero-valent nickel catalyst promoted by a byproduct of the chlorination of titanium-rich ores.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,496,217, issued in 1970, discloses an improvement in hydrocyanation using a large number of metal cation compounds with a variety of anions as catalyst promoters. U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,445, issued in 1975, discloses zero-valent nickel hydrocyanation catalysts promoted with metal halides and organoboron compounds. U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,353, issued in 1988, discloses zero-valent nickel hydrocyanation catalysts promoted with triorganotin compounds. U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,884, issued in 1989, discloses zero-valent hydrocyanation catalysts promoted using a synergistic combination of promoters. U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,996, issued in 2000, discloses zero-valent hydrocyanation catalysts promoted using an insoluble Lewis acid promoter.

Hydrocyanation of pentenenitriles and/or 2-methyl-3-butenenitrile using promoters obtained from the chlorination of titanium-rich ores


A fluorescent light source includes a fluorescent lamp, lamp bases attached to opposite ends of the fluorescent lamp, and an electrically insulating substrate connected to the fluorescent lamp. A heating element is positioned on the fluorescent lamp, and a first and second pair of power traces are formed on the electrically insulating substrate. The first pair of power traces are connected to the heating element to provide power thereto. The second pair of power traces are connected to a pair of electrical conductors that provide power to the fluorescent lamp. This fluorescent lamp can be used in a replaceable fluorescent light source unit for a document scanner. The replaceable fluorescent light source unit includes a housing, lamp base receiving members attached to the housing, and registration notches to properly align the fluorescent lamp. Lastly, the fluorescent lamp source includes light blocking material to provide a uniform illumination profile along the length of the lamp.

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional document scanner. In the conventional scanner, a light source 11 is used to illuminate a document 3 having an image thereon. The conventional document scanner also includes a glass platen 5 upon which the document 3 rests and a platen cover 1. FIG. 1 also shows the angle of reflection center line 9 for the conventional document scanner.
To scan the image on the document, the light source 11 illuminates the document 3 through the glass platen 5 such that the light reflected from the document 3 passes through on optical lens system 7. The optical lens system 7 directs the reflected light to either a photosensitive recording medium, a CCD sensor, or a full width array sensor. If the reflected light is directed to a photosensitive recording medium, a latent image of the document 3 is developed thereon and is subsequently transferred to a copy substrate. On the other hand, if the reflected light is directed to a CCD sensor or a full width array sensor, the light reflected from the document 3 is converted into electronic signals forming image data which electronically represent the document 3.
To provide a full scanning of the document 3, either the document 3 is moved relative to the light source 11 and the components which receive the reflected light, or the light source 11 and the components receiving the reflected light are moved relative to the document 3.
FIG. 2 illustrates, in more detail, the light source 11 for a conventional document scanner. This conventional light source includes a fluorescent lamp 111 which produces the light coming from the light source 11. Attached to either end of the fluorescent lamp 111 are lamp bases 110 which include electrical pins 118. These electrical pins provide an electrical conduit for the fluorescent lamp so that the fluorescent lamp can receive the proper electrical power. These pins 118 also provide mechanical support by holding the fluorescent lamp 111 securely in place.
For the fluorescent lamp to be fully functional and secure, the pins 118 are placed into fluorescent lamp holders 117 which provide the mechanical support for the fluorescent lamp as well as the electrical terminals which provide the electrical power to the fluorescent lamp. The fluorescent lamp holders 117 are each connected to a pair of electrical leads 116 which are in turn connected to a power source.
The fluorescent lamp 111 is also substantially covered by a heater blanket 112 which includes a heater element 113. The heater blanket 112 may include a small slit or be transparent to allow the light produced by the fluorescent 111 to pass through the heater blanket 112 and illuminate the document 3. The heater blanket 112 is provided to prevent undesirable cold spots within the fluorescent lamp and to enable the fluorescent lamp to produce a more stabilized light.
The heating element 113 is connected to a power source through contacts 114 and electrical leads 115. Thus, to properly assemble a conventional light source in a conventional document scanner, the fluorescent lamp 111 is placed in the fluorescent lamp holders 117 and the leads 115 are soldered to the heating element at contacts 114 located on the heater blanket 112.
Utilizing such a conventional light source as described above, with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2, the illumination of a document in a uniform manner becomes problematic. More specifically, in document illumination with a fluorescent lamp, the uniformity of document illumination in the axial direction depends on the length of the lamp. By extending the lamp well beyond the edge of the document, uniformity can be improved but his forces the size of the machine to grow in many cases.
For example, the illumination on a plane close to a fluorescent lamp is approximately uniform near the center and falls off toward the ends. The exact rate of decrease is dependent on the physical construction of the lamp, that is the diameter, electrode placement, filament size and shape, etc. In document illumination applications such as copier machines, it is common to extend the lamp well beyond the edge of the document to minimize the effect of the non-uniformity on copy quality. In electronic scanners, where there is often some electronic means of correcting for non-uniformity, it is still helpful to reduce the amount of falloff, particularly when other sources of non-uniformity are present. An example of such other sources is the relative illumination falloff due to the lens, commonly referred to as cos.sup.4 .theta. falloff.
Several methods exist for reducing the end falloff. Light/lens reprographic machines typically use a butterfly slit, wider at the ends than the center to allow a longer exposure time as the image is scanned. End reflectors have been used to create a virtual image of the lamp, making the lamp appear to be longer. Light/lens reprographic machines and electronic scanners have used relative illumination filters and blockers in the imaging path to change the apparent shape or transmittance of the lens depending on axial position. Such blocking features have included variable coverage halftone patterns on the lamp to reduce the illumination in the center.
However, in the document scanner environment, such solutions may not readily solve the problem. Such scanners image a narrow line, typically 0.06 mm, so methods involving slits etc. to vary the exposure tile along the line would require unrealistic precision. Using a variable width slit directly on the lamp is possible. With aperture lamps normally used for document illumination, however, this will have the undesirable effect of changing the transverse illumination profile, and so the positional tolerances of illuminator components.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide profile correction without adjusting the slit's width or other dimensions of the lamp. More particularly, it is preferred to vary the "apparent" slit length along the lamp by using blocking features that are perpendicular to the lamp's axis.

Fluorescent lamp system including light blocking members to create uniform illumination along a florescent lamp


A vehicle includes one or more controllers, programmed to responsive to receiving an indication of a destination, select a charger within a predefined geofence from the destination; responsive to detecting the vehicle becoming less than a predefined distance from the charger, calculate a proposed charging schedule based on a current state-of-charge (SOC) and a desired SOC; and join a queue for the charger with the proposed charging schedule.

Electric-powered vehicles such as hybrid vehicles or battery electric vehicles (BEVs) refuel by charging electricity to a traction battery via charging infrastructure such as charging stations. Depending on the specific configuration of a charging station and vehicle battery, it may take hours even days to complete a charging process. When the charging infrastructure is limited as compared to the number of the electric-power vehicles, it may be difficult to schedule the charging for each vehicle efficiently. For instance, there may be vehicles finished charging but still occupying the charging station, while other vehicles waiting in the line cannot use the charging station because there is no vacancy.


A child seat anchor apparatus includes at least one sensor for measuring tension exerted on a system including a pair of anchor brackets disposed between the bottom and back cushions of a vehicle seat. In a first mechanization, the anchor brackets are directly coupled to individual sensors mounted on an anchor frame that is bolted to the seat frame. In a second mechanization, the anchor brackets are fastened to an anchor frame that is pivotably mounted on the seat frame, and the anchor frame is additionally coupled to the seat frame through a single sensor responsive to the tension exerted on the anchor frame by the anchor brackets.

Vehicle occupant weight sensing systems are useful in connection with air bags and other pyrotechnically deployed restraints as a means of characterizing the occupant for purposes of determining whether to allow or suppress deployment of the restraints. In cases where an infant seat or child booster seat is placed on the seat cushion and cinched down with the seat belt, the presence of the infant or child seat can be detected based in part on a measure of the seat belt tension. However, in cases where the vehicle seat is equipped with a child seat anchoring system such as the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren) system, the infant or child seat can be secured using the seat anchors instead of the seat belt. Since tension applied to such child seat anchors produces an effect similar to that which occurs when the child seat is secured with the seat belt, it is desired to measure the tension exerted on such a child seat anchoring system.

Apparatus for measuring child seat anchor tension


Provided are an exhaust gas treatment catalyst for denitrifying an exhaust gas including sulfur oxides and vanadium discharged from a heavy oil combustion boiler, including: a support comprising any one or all of titanium oxide and silica wherein a content of silica is from 10% to 20%, and an active component supported in the support and comprising one selected from the group consisting of vanadium and tungsten.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exhaust gas treatment catalyst that remove nitrogen oxides from an exhaust gas discharged from combustion devices such as heavy oil combustion boilers and the like using low-grade fuel and the like and a method for regenerating the exhaust gas treatment catalyst.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, focus has been placed on the effective utilization of coal, and in the future, it is predicted that demand on the clean process of using coal will be increased. In order to convert coal into a highly value-added energy medium, advanced technologies, such as a coal gasification technology or a gas purification technology, are used.
As a removal method of nitrogen oxides (NOx) generated from boilers or various combustion furnaces, an ammonia contact reduction method that uses ammonia as a reducing agent and allows a catalyst to decompose nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and water per contiguum has been widely used. As a NOx removal catalyst that has been currently put to practical use, a honeycomb-shaped catalyst having a square aperture shape has become a mainstream in order to prevent blockage by dust in the exhaust gas and increase the contact area of the exhaust gas. Further, as a catalyst component, catalyst components using titanium oxide as a main component are excellent and catalyst components including vanadium, tungsten and the like as an active component are generally used.
In the case of a coal combustion boiler exhaust gas, calcium components contained usually in the dust in the exhaust gas are adhered to the catalyst surface, anhydrous calcium sulfate included in the exhaust gas is produced to cover the catalyst surface, and NO and NH3 gases are prevented from being diffused into the catalyst, thereby degrading the performance of the catalyst. In order to regenerate the catalytic performance of the NOx removal catalysts, there has been proposed a method for recovering the catalytic performance of the NOx removal catalyst, including: cleaning catalyst accumulated materials with an alkali aqueous solution and removing the materials and then performing an activating treatment of the catalyst with an acid aqueous solution (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3059136 and Japanese Patent No. 3059137).
Here, several % vanadium (V) is included in the dust in the exhaust gas discharged from heavy oil combustion boilers and the like using low-grade fuel and the like, and vanadium in the exhaust gas is deposited as a V compound such as vanadium oxysulfate (VOSO4) and the like on the surface of the NOx removal catalyst during the operation. Vanadium is a material that is an active component of a NOx removal catalyst and also promotes the oxidation reaction of SO2 as a side reaction, and thus as times passes, the oxidation reaction rate of SO2 in the NOx removal catalyst is increased, thereby increasing the amount of corrosive SO3 discharged into the slipstream side. In addition, when a film of VOSO4 is precipitated on the surface of the NOx removal catalyst, the catalytic performance of the NOx removal catalyst also deteriorates in order to suppress the gas diffusion of the exhaust gas.
However, as a method for recovering the catalyst performance of a nitrification catalyst in the related art, an arsenic compound (As2O3) accumulated on the catalyst surface, which is caused by arsenic (As) included in the exhaust gas discharged from coal combustion boilers, may be efficiently removed, but VOSO4 may not be sufficiently removed. For this reason, when VOSO4 accumulated on the catalyst surface of the NOx removal catalyst is removed to recover the catalytic performance of the NOx removal catalyst and regenerate the NOx removal catalyst, the NOx removal catalyst deteriorates and the strength of the NOx removal catalyst is easily reduced, thereby making it difficult to reuse the NOx removal catalyst.
Thus, in the regeneration of the NOx removal catalyst whose NOx removal performance is reduced by the accumulation of V compounds such as VOSO4 and the like generated by vanadium present in the exhaust gas, there is need for an exhaust gas treatment catalyst which may be regenerated while suppressing the reduction in strength of the NOx removal catalyst and a method for regenerating the exhaust gas treatment catalyst.

Exhaust gas treatment catalyst and method for regenerating the same