A front end structure of a side-view type endoscope includes a metal front end body on the side face of which a view window is provided, and an end cap of a resilient material in the form of a cylinder with a closed bottom. The end cap is detachably attached to the front end body and is provided with an opening through which at least the view window is exposed. Detachment preventing engagement portions are provided between the end cap and the front end body on opposite sides of the view window. The detachment preventing engagement portions are each provided with at least one recess and at least one projection which is engaged in the recess to resist the movement of the end cap in the end cap detachment direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a front end of a side-view type endoscope on the side surface of which a view window is provided.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 12 and 13 show a perspective view and a sectional side view of a front end portion of a known side-view type endoscope, respectively.
A front end body 1 provided at the front end of an insertion portion of an endoscope is made of corrosion resistant metal such as stainless steel and a view window 4, an illumination window 5, and a treatment tool insertion opening through which a treatment tool extends are provided on the side surface thereof.
A front end cap 30 which is made of an elastic material such as fluoro-rubber is in the form of a cylinder with a closed bottom and is provided with an opening 31 corresponding to the view window 4, the illumination window 5, and the opening 6.
The end cap 30 is detachably attached to the front end body 1. The end cap 30 is detached from the front end body 1 in FIG. 12 and is attached to the front end body 1 in FIG. 13.
When the front end body 1 is capped with the end cap 30, a peripheral projection 32 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the end cap 30 at the rear end thereof is fitted in a peripheral groove 7 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rear end of the front end body 1.
The front end body 1 is provided on the front end surface thereof with a stepped portion 1a against which the end cap 3 abuts to prevent the end cap 30 from rotating relative to the front end body 1.
To detach the end cap 30 from the front end body 1, the portion of the insertion portion of the endoscope that is located adjacent to the rear end of the front end body 1 and the front end portion of the end cap 30 are held by the fingertips, respectively, as shown in FIG. 14. Then the end cap 30 is pulled forward and moved downward to disengage the same from the stepped portion 1a, as indicated by an arrow "A", so that the end cap 30 is partly detached from the front end body 1. In this state, the end cap 30 is pulled further forward, the end cap 30 is completely detached from the front end body 1, as shown in FIG. 15.
However, in the detachment operation, there is a stress concentration at the corner portions of the rear end of the opening 31. Consequently, there is a possibility that cracks 100 may occur in the rear corner portions of the opening 31 when the attachment and detachment of the end cap 1 to and from the front end body 1 are repeatedly performed. The same would be true when the front end of the insertion portion is moved while the front end of the end cap 30 is pressed hard against a mucous membrane in the body cavity of a patient.
If the cracks 100 are produced, the end cap 30 can be partly or completely detached from the front end body 1 within the body cavity of a patient during an examination using the endoscope. Consequently, the front end body 1 which is made of metal is exposed, so that the mucous membrane can be injured by the exposed front end body 1.

Front end structure of side-view type endoscope


A self-contained dispenser apparatus configured to dispense a continuous feed of plastic bag material wound in a coreless roll thereof. The dispenser apparatus includes a base portion defining an opening into a receiving bay thereof. A cover assembly is removably mountable to the base portion, and includes an end cover portion positioned over the opening to enclose the coreless roll therein. A dispensing slot extends through the end cover that enables one end of plastic bag material to continuously feed therethrough. The cover assembly further includes a cutting assembly positioned proximate the dispensing slot to enable severing of the plastic bag material.

The use of common disposable plastic bags have unlimited use for both household, commercial and industrial applications. Plastic bags, of course, may be found in a variety of sizes and shapes, some of which are more useful than others. Common uses, for instance, include the containment of trash and other refuse, especially when moisture is involved. On particular application for parents and/or pet owners is for the containment of diaper and pet feces.
In whatever application, the storage of these plastic bags, such as common grocery bags, is generally in a disorganized manner. Many individuals retain at least a portion of these grocery bags for secondary household uses when ever needed. They are often thrown into a drawer or other container dedicated for such bags. Others store these plastic bags randomly in the another container, causing an unsitely and disorganized mess of plastic bags. Still others individually fold the bags neatly for storage which in itself is a rather time consuming task.
Accordingly, there is a need for containers and dispensers that provide organized containment and dispensing of universal plastic bags for household, commercial and industrial.

Dispenser apparatus and method for a continuous roll of plastic bag material

Pan Pacific Plastics Manufacturing, Inc.


A method of representing motion of an object appearing in a sequence of images comprises deriving for each image a set of representative points representing the location of the object, deriving an approximate function representing the trajectory of a representative point in two or more of said sequence of images, and calculating an error value for said approximate function for the representative point for an image, characterised in that the error value is based on the difference between the area of the object as represented by the representative point and the area of the object with the representative point replaced by the respective approximate function value.

The invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for representing moving objects appearing in a sequence of images.
There are various known techniques for deriving representations of objects in an image or sequence of images. Such representations are useful, for example, for indexing images for search and retrieval purposes. Text-based indexing, which is subjective and labour-intensive, was followed by indexing on the basis of intrinsic properties of objects such as colour, shape and outline. A further development has been the representation of motion of an object in a sequence of images. A very important aspect of such a representation is an efficient encoding that minimises the bandwidth or storage required while introducing minimal approximation error.
A first known technique of representing motion is known as Parameter Trajectory. In this technique, motion of the entire object is represented using one or more parameters, such as rotation and translation. For example, displacement vectors between vertices in a frame and a reference frame are derived, and used to solve equations for the known motion model, such as an affine transformation motion. This technique results in a relatively compact representation, but is limited to rigid objects and where the motion model (eg affine transformation) is known.
Another known technique of representing motion is known as Figure Trajectory. In this technique, motion of an object is represented by the trajectories of each of a number of representative points independently. More specifically, the co-ordinates of each representative point are tracked through a sequence of frames, and a function approximating the trajectory of each coordinate for each representative point is derived. The function approximation is performed using known techniques, such as linear approximation, quadratic approximation or spline function approximation. Figure Trajectory can also be used for various types of motion including motion of rigid objects with an unknown and/or complex motion.
In both techniques, if an object has a relatively complex outline, it can be represented by a reference region, such as a rectangle, ellipse or polygon, which is an approximation of the more complex object outline. For a polygon, the representative points may be the vertices. Similarly, for a rectangle, the representative points may be limited to three of the four vertices, because the position of the fourth vertex can be calculated from the position of the other three vertices. For an ellipse, three vertices of the circumscribing rectangle may be selected as representative points.
Published applications U.S.2001/0040924 and U.S. 2001/0025298 disclose methods of representing motion of an object in a sequence of images similar to Figure Trajectory and Parameter Trajectory as outlined above. Each of U.S. 2001/0025298 and U.S. 2001/0040924 also discloses in more detail how a representative region of an object is derived (polygon approximation algorithm) and how representative points in a frame are associated with representative points in another frame (correspondence determination algorithm).
In Figure Trajectory, the function approximation, known as temporal interpolation algorithm, involves extending the interval of an approximation function until an extraction error threshold (EET) is greater than a predetermined threshold.
In the algorithm, the interpolation is initialised with the first two points. The interpolation is then widened to add one point at a time until the EET of the interpolation becomes larger than a predefined threshold. At that point a new interpolation interval is started. This procedure is iterated until all points have been processed. When the interpolation model matches the variable values well, this algorithm results in a small number of long interpolation intervals. Conversely, when the match is poor, a large number of short interpolation intervals will result.
To describe the algorithm formally, define the following notation. Let d (>0) be the number of variables (dimension) and denote the value of the j-th variable at time t by vt(j) (j=1,2, . . . ,d). A series of time points is denoted by ti(i=0,1, . . . ). For a (candidate) interpolation interval, the starting time (ending time) is denoted by tSTART (tEND). Let ftSTARTtEND(j)(t)(j=1,2, . . . ,d) be a candidate of the j-th variable interpolation function. This can be calculated using least squares. In this case, ftSTARTtEND(t) is calculated to minimize
      ∑          i      =      START        END                                                                v                          t              i                                      (              j              )                                -                                    f                                                t                  START                                ,                                  t                  END                                                            (                j                )                                                                (                              t                i                            )                                                  2        .  where the interpolation function is a first or second order polynomial. To evaluate the derived candidate function, let Tj to be a threshold for the j-th variable and define error e(j)(j=1,2, . . . ,d) as
      e          (      j      )        =            max              START        ≤        i        ≤        END                                                              v                          t              i                                      (              j              )                                -                                    f                                                t                  START                                ,                                  t                  END                                                            (                j                )                                                                (                              t                i                            )                                                  .      e(j) is the maximum approximation error of the j-th variable in the range tSTART≦ti≦tEND. If e(j)<Tj holds for all j, ftatb(j)(t) is an acceptable candidate. However, another interpolation function in wider interval may be found. To try to test this possibility, the interval is widened by incrementing END and a new function is derived and tested. This procedure is repeated until a newly derived function meets the acceptance condition. Then, the last candidate function is accepted.
A similar technique is disclosed in U.S. 2001/0040924.

Method and apparatus for representing moving objects in a sequence of images


A Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) for an entire original sequence is obtained using the DCT coefficients representing the first half and the second half of the original sequence. This is useful when calculation of DCTs of a certain length is supported by hardware and/or software and different size DCTs must be calculated. Example areas of application include still image and video transcoding and scalable image and/or video coding.

It is reasonable to expect that in the future a wide range of quality video services like High Definition TV (HDTV) will be available together with Standard Definition TV (SDTV), and video services of lower quality such as videophone and videoconference. Multimedia documents containing video will most probably not only be retrieved over computer networks, but also over telephone lines, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), or even mobile networks.
The transmission over several types of links or networks with different bit rates and varying traffic load will require an adaptation of the bit rate to the available channel capacity. The main constraint of the systems is that the decoding of any level below the one associated with the transmitted format should not need the complete decoding of the transmitted source.
In order to maximise the integration of these various quality video services, a single coding scheme which can provide an unlimited range of video services is desirable. Such a coding scheme would enable users of different qualities to communicate with each other. For example, a subscriber to only a lower quality video service should be capable of decoding and reconstructing a digitally transmitted higher quality video signal, albeit at the lower quality service level to which he subscribes. Similarly, a higher quality service subscriber should be capable of decoding and reconstructing a digitally transmitted lower quality video signal although, of course, its subjective quality will be no better than that of the transmitted quality.
The problem therefore is associated with the way in which video will be transmitted to subscribers with different requirements (picture quality, processing power, memory requirements, resolution, bandwidth, frame rate, etc.). The following points summarise the requirements:                satisfy users having different bandwidth requirements,        satisfy users having different computational power,        adapt frame rate, resolution and compression ratio to user preferences and available bandwidth,        adapt frame rate, resolution and compression ratio to network abilities,        short delay, and        conform with standards, if required.
One solution to the problem of satisfying the different requirements of the receivers is the design of scalable bitstreams. In this form of scalability, there is usually no direct interaction between a transmitter and a receiver. Usually, the transmitter is able to make a bit stream which consists of various layers which can be used by receivers with different requirements in resolution, bandwidth, frame rate, memory or computational complexity. If new receivers are added which do not have the same requirements as the existing ones, then the transmitter has to be re-programmed to accommodate the requirements of the new receivers. Briefly, in bit stream scalability, the abilities of the decoders must be known in advance.
A different solution to the problem is the use of transcoders. A transcoder accepts a received data stream encoded according to a first coding scheme and outputs an encoded data stream encoded according to a second coding scheme. If one had a decoder which operates according to a second coding scheme then such a transcoder would allow reception of the transmitted signal encoded according to the first coding scheme without modifying the original encoder.
One situation that usually appears especially in multiparty conferences is that a particular receiver has a different bandwidth ability and/or a different computational requirements. For example, in a multipoint communication with participants connected through ISDN and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the bandwidth can vary from 28.8 kbits/s (PSTN) to more than 128 kbits/s (ISDN). Since video transmitted at as high bit rates as 128 kbits/s can not be transferred over PSTN lines, video transcoding has to be implemented in the Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) or Gateway.
This transcoding might have to implement a spatial resolution reduction of the video in order to fit into the bandwidth of a particular receiver. For example, an ISDN subscriber might be transmitting video in Common Intermediate Format (CIF) (288=352 pixels), while a PSTN subscriber might be able to receive video only in a Quad Common Intermediate Format (QCIF) (144×176). Another example is when a particular receiver does not have the computational power to decode at a particular resolution and therefore a reduced resolution video has to be transmitted to that receiver. Additionally, transcoding of HDTV to SDTV requires a resolution reduction.
For example, the transcoder could be used to convert a 128 kbit/s video signal in CIF format conforming to ITU-T standard H.261, from an ISDN video terminal for transmission to a 28.8 Kbit/s video signal in QCIF format over a telephone line using ITU-T standard H.263.
It should also be noted that many scalable video coding systems require both the use of 8×8 and 4×4 DCT. For example, in L. H. Kieu and K. N. Ngan, "Cell-loss concealment techniques for layered video codecs in an ATM network", IEEE Trans. On Image Processing, Vol. 3, No. 5, pp. 666-677, September 1994, a scalable video coding system is described in which the base layer has lower resolution compared to the enhancement layer. In that system, an 8×8 DCT is applied in each of the 8×8 blocks of the image and the enhancement layer is compressed using the 8×8 DCT. The base layer uses the 4×4 out of the 8×8 DCTs of each block of the enhancement layer and is compressed using only 4×4 DCTs. This however is not beneficial since a 4×4 DCT usually results in reduced performance compared to the 8×8 DCT and it requires also that encoders and decoders have to be able to handle 4×4 DCTs/IDCTs.
The traditional method of downsampling an image consists of two steps, see J. Bao, H. Sun, T. C. Poon, "HDTV down conversion decoder", IEEE Trans. On Consumer Electronics, Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 402-410, August 1996. First the image is filtered by an anti-aliasing low pass filter. The filtered image is downsampled by a desired factor in each dimension. For a DCT-based compressed image, the above method implies that the compressed image has to be recovered to the spatial domain by inverse DCT and then undergo the procedure of filtering and downsampling. If the image is to be compressed and transmitted again, this requires an extra forward DCT after the undersampling stage. This can be the case in which the undersampling takes place in a Multipoint Control Unit—MCU in order to satisfy the requirements and bandwidth of a particular receiver, or in scalable video coding schemes.
In a different method, that works in the compressed domain, both the operations of filtering and downsampling are combined in the DCT domain. This is done by cutting DCT coefficients of high frequencies and using the inverse DCT with a lower number of DCT coefficients in order to reconstruct the reduced resolution image. For example, one can use the 4×4 out of the 8×8 and perform the IDCT of these coefficients in order to reduce the resolution by a factor of 2 in each dimension. This does not result in significant compression gains and additionally requires that receivers are able to handle 4×4 DCTs.
Furthermore, this method results in significant amount of block edge effects and distortions, due to the poor approximations introduced by simply discarding higher order coefficients. The above method would be more useful if one had 16×16 DCT blocks and were keeping the low frequency 8×8 DCT coefficients in order to obtain the downsampled image. However, most image and video compression standard methods like JPEG, H.261, MPEG1, MPEG2 and H.263 segment the images into rectangular blocks of size 8×8 pixels and apply the DCT onto these blocks. Therefore, only 8×8 DCTs are available. A way to compute the 16×16 DCT coefficients is to apply inverse DCT on each of the 8×8 blocks and reconstruct the image. Then the DCT on blocks of size 16×16 can be applied and the 8×8 out of the 16×16 DCTs coefficients of each block can be kept, if a resolution reduction by a factor of 2 in each dimension is required.
This, however, requires complete decoding (perform 8×8 IDCTs) and re-transforming by performing 16×16 DCTs (16×16 DCT hardware would be required). However, if one could compute the 8×8 out of the 16×16 DCT coefficients by using only 8×8 transformations, then this method would be faster and also would perform better than the one that uses the 4×4 out of the 8×8. It would also mean that computation of DCTs of size 16×16 is avoided and reduced memory requirements are obtained. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,345 describes an adaptive DCT scheme used in coding. The scheme uses 2×2, 4×4, 8×8 and 16×16 DCTs in order to obtain a flexible bit rate which can be modified according to the available transmission capacity. Our scheme provides a fast computation to this adaptive scheme.


An oxygen therapy monitoring device includes an oscillation chamber with in a gas flow path adapted to pass a gas flow from a source to a breathing interface for a person. The oscillation chamber induces an oscillation in the gas flow that varies as a function of a flow rate of the gas flow. A measurement arrangement measures the oscillation induced in the gas flow and determines the flow rate on the basis of the oscillation that is measured.

The journal "Thorax", June 2015, Volume 70, Supplement 1, presents BTS guidelines for home oxygen use in adults, BTS being an acronym of "British Thoracic Society". Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) can be defined as oxygen used for at least 15 hours per day in chronically hypoxaemic patients. A recommendation states that LTOT should be ordered for a minimum of 15 hours per day, and up to 24 hours per day may be of additional benefit.
Flow rates in LTOT are discussed. A flow rate based on a single measure of oxygenation at rest may not necessarily guarantee adequate oxygenation dining day-to-day activities where oxygen requirements may fluctuate. Individual tailoring of flow rates to suit patients' requirements during exercise, rest and sleep can reduce median oxygen flow rate from 2.5 to 1.2 L/min, while the percentage of time SpO2 was within the target range increased from 24.8% to 52.8% (p=0.001).
The patent application published under number US 2006/0100537 A1 describes a spirometer for measuring fluid flow, particularly associated with exhalation of respiratory patients. The spirometer has a fluidic oscillator wherein the fluid oscillates within a chamber of the fluidic oscillator, An oscillation frequency of the fluid flow within the chamber is correlated to a flow rate. A computer is used to process input data, such as data representing frequency of the oscillatory flow within the chamber, to a flow rate passing through the spirometer.

Oxygen therapy monitoring device and method


A knock suppressing apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes: a knock sensor for sensing the vibrations of an engine and generating a corresponding output signal; an interface circuit for generating a vibration level based on the output signal of the knock sensor; a noise level detector for generating a noise level based on the vibration level; a memory for storing a basic noise level, a basic threshold level and a correction value in relation to the number of revolutions per minute of the engine; a calculator for updating the correction value based on the noise level, the basic noise level and a current engine operating condition, and generating a corrected threshold for knock determination based on the basic threshold and the updated correction value; a knock determiner for making a comparison between the vibration level and the corrected threshold and generating a knock determination signal if the vibration level exceeds the corrected threshold; and a controller for controlling, based on the knock determination signal from the knock determiner, an engine control parameter in a direction to suppress knocking. A condition determiner may be further provided for determining whether the engine is in a predetermined operating range suitable for updating the correction value. In this case, the calculator updates the correction value and generates the corrected threshold if the engine is in the predetermined operating range.

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for suppressing a knocking phenomenon in an internal combustion engine (hereinafter also referred to as an engine for short) such as a gasoline engine for a motor vehicle.
In general, the internal combustion engine such as a gasoline engine for a motor vehicle includes a plurality of cylinders in each of which a fuel gas mixture is compressed and undergoes combustion at an optimal timing. In this conjunction, there has already been proposed and used widely in practical applications a microcomputer-based engine control unit (also known as ECU in abbreviation) for the purpose of optimally controlling the ignition timing as well as the sequence of fuel injections in association with the individual engine cylinders.
In connection with such engine operation control, it is known that when the ignition timing (usually given in terms of angular crank position or crank angle) is controlled to advance excessively, abnormal fuel combustion may take place, resulting in generation of vibrations or shock referred to as knocking of such a magnitude which may eventually damage or injure the engine cylinders. In order to avoid such an unwanted event, it is necessary to perform ignition timing control in such a manner that upon detection of abnormal vibrations or knocking, the ignition timing is shifted in a direction to afford an appropriate retard to the time point or timing at which fuel combustion takes place within the knocking cylinder.
For a better understanding of the background of the present invention, a known knock suppressing apparatus will be described in some detail by reference to FIG. 8 which is a block diagram showing the general arrangement of a known knock suppressing apparatus.
In FIG. 8, a reference numeral 1 denotes a knock sensor installed in association with each or a set of the cylinders of an internal combustion engine. The knock sensor 1 may be composed of a piezoelectric element or the like which is capable of detecting the vibrations or knocking of the associated cylinder in the form of an electric signal.
An output signal A of the knock sensor 1 is supplied to a knock detection circuit denoted generally by a reference numeral 2. The knock detection circuit 2 comprises a filter 21 having such a filtering characteristic as to pass therethrough only the frequency components which are peculiar to the knocking phenomenon (e.g., 7 kHz), a gate 22 for allowing the output signal of the filter 21 to pass therethrough periodically at a predetermined timing, a background level (BGL) generator 23 for generating a background level signal BGL on the basis of a signal derived by averaging an output signal A' of the gate 22, a comparator 24 for comparing the output signal A' of the gate 22 with the background level signal BGL for thereby producing an output signal of "ON" level when the gate output level A' exceeds the background level BGL, and an integrator 25 for integrating the output signal of the comparator 24. The output signal of the integrator 25 is then supplied to an analogue to digital (A/D) converter 3 to be converted to a digital signal V.sub.R.
The digital signal V.sub.R is supplied to an engine control unit (ECU in abbreviation) 4 which may be constituted by a microcomputer which is programmed to perform ignition timing control for each of the engine cylinders on the basis of the output signal V.sub.R of the A/D converter 3 while supplying a masking pulse signal M to the gate 22 and a reset signal R to the integrator 25, respectively, for the purposes which will be described hereinafter. Further, the engine control unit or controller 4 includes a retard angle controller 45 for arithmetically determining an angle of retard for which the ignition timing is to be delayed for suppressing the knocking, thereby producing a retard control angle signal O.sub.R for controlling the amount of retard to be applied to the ignition timing on the basis of the digital signal V.sub.R outputted from the A/D converter 3.
Next, referring to a waveform diagram shown in FIG. 9, description will be made of operations performed by the known knock suppressing apparatus shown in FIG. 5.
Normally, in each of the cylinders of the internal combustion engine, ignition takes place at a timing corresponding to a crank angle or position which advances approximately by 5.degree. relative to top dead center (TDC given by the crank angle of 0.degree.) so that explosive combustion of the fuel gas mixture may occur at a crank angle of about 10.degree. to 60.degree. after passing top dead center (TDC). The knocking due to abnormal combustion will thus occur at the timing falling within the crank angle range of 10.degree. to 60.degree. in succession to top dead center.
Accordingly, upon every occurrence of vibration noise of the cylinders and inter alia knocking, the output signal A of the knock sensor 1 produced at corresponding periodical intervals assumes a significantly increased amplitude, as can be seen in the waveform shown in FIG. 9 at (a).
In the meanwhile, the engine control unit (ECU) 4 outputs to the gate 22 a masking pulse signal M which is inverted periodically at predetermined intervals in order to ensure that the knock detection circuit 2 can efficiently receive and process the sensor output signal A. More specifically, the masking pulse signal M is generated in such a waveform in which the leading edge thereof takes place at a time point corresponding to a crank angle of about 75.degree. advancing relative to the top dead center of the associated cylinder (this advanced angle will hereinafter be represented by affixing "B" to the angle value, e.g. by "B75.degree.") while the trailing edge of the masking pulse M occurs around a time point of B5.degree. (i.e. at a time point corresponding to a crank angle of 5.degree. before TDC), as can be seen in the waveform shown at (b) in FIG. 9. During the period in which the masking pulse assumes the level of "H", the gate 22 is blocked or disabled. Further, as mentioned previously, a reset signal R is outputted to the integrator 25 from the engine control unit 4 periodically at a predetermined timing which coincides with that of the leading edge of the masking pulse signal M.
The filter 21 constituting a part of the knock detection circuit 2 has such a filtering characteristic that the frequency components of the sensor output signal A produced upon occurrence of knocking can pass therethrough, while the gate 22 allows the sensor output signal A to pass therethrough only during a period in which the masking pulse signal M is at the level of "L", as shown at (c) in FIG. 9. The output of the gate 22 is denoted by a reference symbol A'. On the other hand, the background level (BGL) generator 23 generates a background level BGL contained in the gate output signal A' by discriminatively separating the former from the latter, as is illustrated at (d) in FIG. 9, wherein the background level BGL serves as a reference for detection of a knocking event or phenomenon.
When the gate output signal A' exceeds the background level BGL, the comparator 24 determines that knocking has taken place and produces a comparison output of "H" level. The integrator 25 starts to integrate the output signal of the comparator 24 every time it is reset by the reset signal R supplied from the engine control unit 4, as is illustrated at (e) in FIG. 9. The output signal of the integrator 25 is then converted form analog into digital form by the A/D converter 3, the resulting digital integration value V.sub.R being then inputted to the engine control unit (ECU) 4.
In this manner, the engine control unit 4 fetches therein the A/D converted integration value V.sub.R upon every occurrence of ignitions in the cylinder, to thereby generate a retarded control angle signal .theta..sub.R for controlling the ignition timing of a knocking cylinder in a sense to suppress the knocking. To this end, the retard angle calculator 45 constituting a part of the engine control unit 4 adds an angle of retardation d.theta..sub.R to a current normal ignition control angle .theta..sub.R *, at which ignition is to take place when there is no knocking, to provide a current retarded control angle signal .theta..sub.R. Accordingly, the current retarded control angle .theta..sub.R can be given by the following equation: EQU .theta..sub.R =.theta..sub.R *+d.theta..sub.R ( 1)
In equation (1) above, the angle of retardation d.theta..sub.R is given by the following equation: EQU d.theta..sub.R =V.sub.R .times.L
where L represents a weighing coefficient.
As will be understood from the foregoing, with the known knock suppressing apparatus as described above, the background level BGL, which is directly calculated based on an average of the output signal from the gate 22 in a predetermined period, is utilized as a threshold for knock determination. As a result, the threshold calculated in this manner always has a characteristic related to the average of the gate output, so it is difficult to arbitrarily obtain a desired knock determining threshold as necessary irrespective of the averaged gate output.

Knock suppressing apparatus for internal combustion engine


A toy vehicle design having two distinctly different methods to attach accessories. Accessories that attach to the front, sides, rear and bottom of the vehicle can connect to the chassis via a tab and slot system. Strategically positioned slots on the chassis undercarriage can accept tabs that extend from those accessories. The various accessories can be interchangeable and can be easily attached and removed without the need for tools. For front, side, rear and bottom fitting accessories, slots can be located along the outer perimeter of the vehicle chassis' undercarriage. The accept tabs can extend from the various accessories. Accessories that attach to the hood, roof and truck beds, magnets are built into the underside of the vehicle body with magnets of the opposite polarity attached to the inside of the accessories. For electronic accessories, the present invention can utilize female electrical connectors that can be located along the sides of the chassis undercarriage to accept male electrical connectors attached to accessories.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to toy vehicles and, more particularly, to modularity of toy vehicles.
2. Background Art
Radio-controlled (RC) cars as well as other toy cars, have been very popular with children of various ages over the years. However, a disadvantage of many toy cars is that generally speaking they are fixed in design and cannot be changed. This means that a child can often become bored with them after a period of time. Furthermore, many children express satisfaction with being able to build or work on a toy themselves. Yet, many radio-controlled cars and other toy cars have a complex construction and have components which are complicated and not easily adapted to be built or switched out by children. What is needed is a toy vehicle having universally and easily interchangeable components such that a child may be able to build or customize their own toys.
Attempts have been made to design toy vehicles with interchangeable components, however, the interchangeable modules for a given vehicle design can each have a distinctly different attachment mechanisms. For example, for a given vehicle, there can be multiple types of attachment mechanisms for the front bumper area of the vehicle and a totally different set of attachment mechanisms for the sides and rear of the vehicle. A more simple design is needed for attachments and accessories where the attachment mechanisms are more universal and easy for children of all ages to install.
Attempts have been made to develop less complex designs and with more universal attachment mechanisms, however, the designs are quite convoluted in that a child can place any accessory at any location on the toy vehicle, even at locations where the accessory is not intended to be installed. A design is needed where the attachment mechanisms are universal, but the design is such that accessories can only be installed at their intended locations. Further, many attempts to develop a design that addresses this need has resulted in a design with a less than appealing appearance having unsightly holes or contact points at locations that take away from the appearance of the vehicle, particularly when an accessory is not installed. This is particularly important when the owner of the toy vehicle is concerned about whether the appearance of the vehicle closely mimics the appearance of a full size vehicle. Unsightly holes or contact points all over the vehicle negates the attempt to mimic the appearance of a full size vehicle.
Further, the attempts to develop a design having interchangeable accessories and attachments have not provided mechanisms for supplying power to accessories, such as for example, providing power to accessories having LED lights and/or sound emitting devices. There are various toy vehicle designs that exist that include light emitting and/or sound emitting devices, however, these devices are not interchangeable accessories.


A display system comprises a processing device connected to a plurality of display devices, the processing device comprising a processor connected to a system memory and to a graphics processing unit, the graphics processing unit comprising a graphics processor connected to a video memory. A method of operating the system comprises the steps of maintaining a system frame buffer in system memory, creating a shared primary surface in video memory for an additional display device not controlled by the graphics processing unit, rendering the contents of the system frame buffer onto the shared primary surface, rendering any and all directly rendered applications onto the shared primary surface, maintaining a second frame buffer in system memory, copying at least some of the content of the shared primary surface to the second frame buffer, and outputting at least some of the content of the second frame buffer to the additional display device.

In desktop computing, it is now common to use more than one display device. Traditionally, a user would have a computer with a single display device attached, but now it is possible to have more than one display device attached to the computer, which increases the usable display area for the worker. For example, International Patent Application Publication WO 2007/020408 discloses a display system which comprises a plurality of display devices, each displaying respectively an image, a data processing device connected to each display device and controlling the image displayed by each display device, and a user interface device connected to the data processing device. Connecting multiple display devices to a computer is a proven method for improving productivity.
The connection of an additional display device to a computer presents a number of problems. In general, a computer will be provided with only one video output such as a VGA-out connection. One method by which a second display device can be added to a computer is by physically adding an additional graphics card to the internal components of the computer. The additional graphics card will provide an additional video output which will allow the second display device to be connected to the computer. However, this solution is relatively expensive and is not suitable for many non-technical users of computers.
An alternative method of connecting the second display device is to connect the additional display device to a USB socket on the computer, as all modern computers are provided with multiple USB sockets. This provides a simple connection topology, but requires additional hardware and software to be present, as in general, USB has a bandwidth that makes the provision of a good quality video output a non-trivial task. It is also desirable that any additional hardware between the computer and the display device is kept as simple as possible. This means that when connecting an additional display device using a limited bandwidth technology such as USB, certain complex tasks can be difficult to achieve.
In particular, complexity in many modern operating systems can make it difficult to support additional display devices. An operating system can be deployed on a wide variety of end computers with very different hardware capabilities, so it is common for some features within the operating system to be optional or to have different alternatives designed to suit different computing hardware. For example, in Windows® operating systems, a number of different display modes are supported, depending upon the capability of the graphics processing unit that is available on the computer that is running the operating system. The lowest level is commonly referred to as a "basic mode video" and more complex modes are also supported.
Third parties who provide hardware and/or software that will provide display functionality must ensure that their display solutions will work with all of the display modes that are provided within such operating systems. In particular, it is not sufficient to provide a display solution that only works with the default mode (usually the most advanced), the solution must also work with basic mode video. An example of such a display solution is the provision of an additional monitor for a computer that can be connected to the computer via a USB socket rather than a conventional VGA socket, as discussed above. Such an additional monitor will consist of hardware connections and software controlling the additional monitor and these must work even if the computer is running basic mode video. Since the basic mode operates in certain restrictive ways with respect to the creation and transmission of display data within the operating system, it is essential that any third party display solutions are still able to fully function, even in light of these restrictions of the basic mode.


Adapting a user interface of a mobile computing device when the mobile computing device is in a motion state is provided. Upon detecting that a mobile computing device is in motion by utilization of a location or motion determining system, such as a GPS navigation and/or accelerometer system, a motion mode UI may be activated on the device, wherein a display of device functionalities may be simplified by modifying one or more displayed elements of the device user interface.

Mobile computing devices, such as mobile phones, personal data assistants, PDAs, and the like, have become increasingly popular. Many of today's mobile devices are utilized for much more than phone calls; they also double as audio players, cameras, video players, and personal business assistants. Users oftentimes access their mobile devices in a variety of locations and while engaging in other activities. One such location and activity in which users utilize mobile devices is in their automobile while they are driving. Recently, much attention has been given to assessing potential dangers in the use of mobile devices while driving.
One potential contributing factor to the danger of utilizing a mobile device while in motion, for example, while driving, is that user interfaces of mobile devices oftentimes contain a lot of information on a small display. Viewing small print or icons on a display while driving can be difficult, and may require a driver to divert his/her eyes from the road and to his/her device for a longer period of time. Given the growing prevalence of touch screen mobile displays, pressing a specific icon or button on the touch screen may require increased dexterity and concentration.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present invention has been made.

Mobile device user interface change based on motion


A bank partitions a plurality of pixels and has an opening in each of the plurality of pixels. An organic layer includes a light emitting layer, and covers the bank opening. A first inorganic barrier layer is formed of an inorganic material, and covers the bank and the organic layer. A plurality of organic barrier portions are formed of organic materials, and are disposed on the first inorganic barrier layer. A second inorganic barrier layer is formed of the inorganic material, and covers the first inorganic barrier layer and the plurality of organic barrier portions. A recessed portion is formed on the bank and the first inorganic barrier layer (for example, the recessed portion is formed in an area which covers a contact hole), and a portion of the organic barrier portion is formed in the recessed portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic EL display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
An organic electro luminescence (EL) display device includes a lower electrode disposed in each pixel and a bank disposed on an outer periphery of the lower electrode and partitions pixels adjacent to each other. In addition, the organic EL display device includes an organic layer including a light emitting layer. The organic layer covers the bank and the lower electrode. The bank includes a bank opening in each of the pixels, and the organic layer is in contact with the lower electrode inside the bank opening. In addition, generally, the organic layer is likely to be deteriorated due to moisture infiltration to the organic layer. For this reason, in the related art, a barrier structure which covers the organic layer has been proposed. JP2007-184251A, Japanese Patent No. 4303591, and JP2010-272270A disclose a barrier structure formed of a plurality of layers.


An information processing apparatus that performs deep learning using a neural network includes a memory, and an arithmetic processing device that performs a process for layers of the neural network in a predetermined direction. The process for the layers includes: pre-determining a decimal point position of a fixed-point number of an intermediate data obtained by an operation of each of the layers; performing the arithmetic operation for each layer with the pre-determined decimal point position to obtain the intermediate data and acquiring first statistical information of a distribution of bits of the intermediate data; determining a decimal point position of the intermediate data based on the statistical information; and performing the arithmetic operation for each layer with the determined decimal point position again when the difference of the determined decimal point position and the pre-determined decimal point position is greater than a threshold value.

Deep learning (hereinafter referred to as DL) is machine learning using a multilayer neural network. A deep neural network (hereinafter referred to as DNN), which is an example of deep learning, is a network in which an input layer, a plurality of hidden layers, and an output layer are arranged in order. Each layer has one or more nodes, and each node has a value. A node in one layer and a node in the next layer are connected by edges between the nodes, and each edge has a variable (or parameter) such as a weight or a bias.
In the DNN, the value of a node in each layer is obtained by a predetermined operation based on the values of nodes in the previous layer, the weights of the edges between the nodes, and the like. When input data is input to the nodes in the input layer, the values of the nodes in the next layer is obtained by a predetermined operation, and further, the values of the nodes in the following layer are obtained using, as an input, the data obtained by the above operation by a predetermined operation for the following layer. Then, the value of the node in the output layer, which is the final layer, becomes output data for the input data.
A DNN processor for performing an arithmetic operation for DNN may use a fixed-point arithmetic unit to perform the arithmetic operation because image data, which is one object to be processed by the operation, has a relatively small number of bits. This makes it possible to reduce the power consumption required for the arithmetic operation because no floating-point arithmetic unit is used. In addition, using a fixed-point arithmetic unit having simpler circuitry than a floating-point arithmetic unit means that the DNN processor can be provided with a smaller circuit scale.
However, since the number of bits of a fixed-point number is fixed, the dynamic range is narrower than that of a floating-point number. For this reason, an overflow occurring due to an operation may saturate the resulting value of the arithmetic operation, and conversely, an underflow may round lower bits. This results in reduced accuracy of the arithmetic operation.
Therefore, for the operation for DNN, a dynamic fixed-point has been proposed that dynamically adjusts the decimal point position of the resulting data of the operation, which is obtained by the calculation. Such a dynamic fixed-point is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-124681. The fixed-point arithmetic operation is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2012-203566, 2009-271598, and H07-084975.

Training program, training method, and information processing apparatus


A brake system of an engine comprising a brake booster. A restricted portion is formed in an intake passage upstream of a throttle valve and mass flow meter. A vacuum takeout port opens in the restricted portion. The vacuum generated in the restricted portion is led through a check valve to the brake booster. At the time of operating of the brake booster, the air ejected from the vacuum takeout port is measured by the mass flow meter as part of the intake air.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a brake system of an engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past, brake boosters have been used to increase the braking force. Such a brake booster basically is provided with a first chamber and a second chamber separated by a power piston. The first chamber is connected to a vacuum takeout port provided at a vacuum generating region in the engine intake passage. When the braking action is not being performed, the second chamber is connected with the first chamber, therefore at this time a vacuum is led from the vacuum takeout port into the first and second chambers chamber. On the other hand, when the brake pedal is depressed, the connection between the first chamber and the second chamber is broken and, simultaneously, the second chamber is opened to the atmosphere. Therefore, at this time, a large pressure difference is generated between the first chamber and the second chamber. The power piston is driven by this pressure difference whereby a large braking force is generated.
Next, when the brake pedal is released, the second chamber is closed off from the atmosphere and the second chamber is once again connected to the first one. As a result, the vacuum which is generated in the intake passage is once again led to the second chamber from the vacuum takeout port. In other words, at this time, air is rapidly ejected from the vacuum takeout port into the intake passage. In internal combustion engines where an air flow meter is provided at the inlet of the intake passage and the amount of fuel injection is calculated based on the amount of intake air detected by this air flow meter, if air is supplied from the vacuum takeout port in the intake passage downstream of this air flow meter, the air-fuel ratio will fluctuate. At this time, if, as explained above, air is rapidly ejected from the vacuum takeout port, the air-fuel ratio will widely fluctuate.
Therefore, to restrain the fluctuation of the air-fuel ratio due to the action of the air ejected from the vacuum takeout port when the brake pedal is released, there is known an internal combustion engine which increases the amount of the fuel injection when the brake pedal is released (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-19086) and an internal combustion engine which ejects air a little at a time from the vacuum takeout port when the vehicle speed is low when the brake pedal is released (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-119511).
In practice, however, it is difficult to increase the injection of fuel by the necessary amount in complete synchronization with the action of ejection of air from the vacuum takeout port. Therefore, in the internal combustion engine disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-19086, there is the problem that the air-fuel ratio fluctuates by a considerable extent. Further, in the internal combustion engine disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-119511, there is the problem that when the vehicle speed is high, air is rapidly ejected from the vacuum takeout port and therefore the air-fuel ratio fluctuates by a considerable degree even in such an engine.


The invention provides a method and system for auto-sensing LMI protocols in frame relay networks. When a router is first coupled to a frame relay network, it automatically configures the local management interface (LMI) to use one of a selected set of possible LMI protocols, by generating a set of protocol requests for a plurality of protocols, and by thereafter simultaneously listening for protocol responses from the configuration server. Multiple valid responses from the configuration server are assigned priority in response to which valid response is last to arrive.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to autosensing LMI protocols in frame relay networks.
2. Description of Related Art
Frame relay networks include a number of remote stations, each coupled to another; one node may be designated as a server node. When the number of remote stations is large, or if the remote station is geographically remote, it can be difficult to assure that remote stations are properly configured for use with the network, due in part to lack of technical resources. One aspect of properly configuring the remote station is to assure that it uses the correct one of multiple possible protocols for the local management interface (LMI) for the connection between the remote station and an edge of the frame relay network at a frame relay switch; these possible protocols are called LMI protocols.
In one system for automated configuration of a remote station, the remote station attempts to communicate with frame relay network equipment using a series of LMI protocols, each tested in sequence. While this technique achieves the goal of sensing LMI protocols, it has the drawbacks of taking more time than necessary, and of predetermining an order for selection of an LMI protocol which may not ultimately be preferred.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide an improved technique for autosensing LMI protocols in frame relay networks.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Autosensing LMI protocols in frame relay networks


A folding and interpolating analog,-to-digital converter (ADC) includes a preamp unit, a first folding stage, a second folding stage, a comparison unit and an encoder. The preamp unit receives an analog input signal and reference voltages to generate reference signals. The first folding stage generates a first group of folding signals based on the reference signals. The second folding stage generates a second group of folding signals based the first group. The comparison unit generates a digital code based on the folding signals in the second group. The encoder encodes the digital code. Therefore, the ADC can increase a resolution and a conversion speed, but reduce interpolating errors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and more particularly to a folding and interpolating ADC and a method of converting an analog signal into a digital signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
As demand for wideband digital communications has increased, demand for an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that can operate faster with better resolution has also increased. Generally, the ADC that operates at a high speed can implement a method such as a flash method, a folding and interpolating method, and a pipeline method.
The folding and interpolating method has advantages including 8-bit through 10-bit resolution, one-step conversion, low power consumption and a small area of an operating system. However, the folding and interpolating method has disadvantages including an increased folding factor in proportion to the resolution of the ADC. The increased folding factor results increases a speed of the ADC, thereby causing a non-linearity of the ADC.
Recent research has been devoted to development of a cascaded folding and interpolating ADC, in which folding stages with a small folding factor are cascade-connected in lieu of using a single folding stage with a large folding factor. One of the cascaded folding and interpolating ADCs is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-26907.
In accordance with the above, the cascaded folding and interpolating ADC adopts an equalization method in a preamp stage and includes a series of resistors for an output operation of first and second folding circuits that are coupled in a cascade fashion so as to interpolate signals.
An input signal of the first folding circuit is interpolated in the preamp stage by using the equalization method. Since the input signal of the first folding circuit can have an interpolating error, an increase in a resolution and a conversion speed of the cascaded folding and interpolating ADC is limited due to an increase in the interpolating error.

Folding and interpolating analog-to-digital converter and method of converting analog signal to digital signal


In order to restore a clock signal that has been used for coding digitized signals transmitted on a transmission channel, such as a line, the case when the received signals are distorted, the times (ti) when the signals go through their maxima (M) are detected with precision through an analysis of a series of samples (Ep) taken from the signals received during a time "window" (W) positioned with reference to a local clock. A device determines the amplitude differences between the successive samples and compares the difference configuration as obtained with predetermined standard configurations representative of forms that are acceptable for the maxima. In case when the difference configuration corresponds to no recognized standard configuration, the frequency of the local clock is changed so as to re-establish a sufficient similarity with a standard configuration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved method and device for regenerating, from signals received on a transmission channel, a clock signal marking the transmission, on the channel, of digitized and coded data.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In data transmission using clock signals, the digitized data to be transmitted are coded from a predetermined number of different voltages of constant amplitude. 4, 8, 16 or coding symmetrical voltages are for example selected on either side of the zero voltage. With 2.sup.n levels for example, n bits can thus be transmitted simultaneously and the transmission rate of a transmission channel can therefore be increased. An application of transmission on a cable using a multilevel coding is described for example in the Assignee's French Patent 2,675,974 for optimizing the signal transfer rates on transmission cables.
The Assignee's French Patent 2,683,411 (EP-541,431) describes a process and a device for restoring a clock signal marking the transmission of signals received on a transmission channel, notably for the radio transmission of seismic signals.
In order to restore the clock signal, the transition times of the signals are detected with precision through an analysis of a series of samples taken from the signals for at least a fraction of the clock period. The amplitude differences between the various successive samples are detected and the obtained difference configuration is compared with standard configurations observed on the transmission channel by means of previous tests and stored in a memory. If the similarity between the measured difference configuration and one of the standard configurations is sufficient, the window is correctly centered. If it is not, a local clock is used for resynchronization.
This prior method works correctly in all the cases where the transitions between the successive levels are sufficiently marked. In the opposite case, which notably occurs when the passband of the transmission channel is incompatible or poorly compatible with the desired transmission rate, the transition zones are too degraded for the configurations of samples taken in each "window" to correspond to a stored standard configuration. The resynchronization of a local clock on the basis of the comparisons performed is therefore more uncertain.
In geophysical exploration operations intended to connect downhole servicing equipments: measuring instruments, well sondes, etc, to a surface control and recording station, transmission cables with a limited passband are generally used, such as multi-conductor electrocarrying cables.
By using the optimization process described in the Assignee's French Patent 2,675,974, the transmission rate of the transmission lines can be optimized in this type of cable. To that effect, correction circuits are placed at the end of a line so that the transfer function of the corrected line corresponds at least within a certain frequency interval to that of a reference filter such as a Bessel filter for example. The presence of these correction circuits allows the transmission rate of the transmission lines to be improved considerably.
However, it has been noticed during transmission tests on this type of cable, either because the transmission rate is not compatible with the natural passband of the lines, or because the correction applied thereto is not optimal, the signals exhibit a horizontal instability (jitter) as they approach zero, as shown in FIG. 1, which makes the transitions between different levels hardly detectable, and their vertices are rounded in the shape of sinusoid vertices, however with a relatively stable position. FIG. 1 highlights this phenomenon.
On the other hand, it has been observed that it is easier to discern when the signals go through their maximum amplitude in a relatively narrow sampling window.
It is well-known that a local clock can be synchronized with the clock that marks the transmission of a signal by detecting the times when the signal derivative with respect to time becomes equal to zero and by adjusting the local clock by means of a locking loop.
However, in the case when the received signal is of the multilevel type, such a detection can lead (see FIG. 3) to an erroneous adjustment of the local clock to intermediate times where the derivative changes sign (points m in FIG. 3) and not to the really representative vertices (vertices M).

Method and device for regenerating by maxima detection, a clock signal punctuating the transmission of received digitized signals


A method for operating a control unit, such a control unit, and a computer program and computer program product for implementing the method are provided. In this context, the control unit is able to assume multiple states, a transition state being interposed during the transition from a first state to a second state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for operating a control unit that is able to assume multiple states. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a corresponding control unit, as well as a computer program and a computer program product for implementing the described method.
2. Description of Related Art
In the event of a change to a system state, it is known to carry out an initialization of the new state to be activated in a finite time that is as short as possible rather than carry out an abrupt change of state. During this initialization, in addition to initialization components, functionality from the old state is processed in a fast time slot pattern and functionality from the new state is processed in a slow time slot pattern. In this implementation, allowance must be made to ensure that RAM cells in slow time slot patterns are provided for further processing in fast time slot patterns. In this context, the problem arises that initializations that have been carried out are undone again during the transition when jointly-used RAM cells are accessed from the old state before it is ultimately possible to completely switch to the new state.
Furthermore, an abrupt switch is known in which all functions must provide that the input variables necessary for a calculation are available on time. This is achieved by processing the input variables in the time slot patterns in which they are also consumed. This procedure causes a higher runtime load relative to an implementation of the method described above.
A method and a device for starting up a control unit for a motor vehicle are known from published German patent document DE 199 63 214. In it, the following steps are provided: Checking whether a process to be monitored was started before the reset of the control unit; continuation of the process to be monitored if the process to be monitored was started before the reset of the control unit; and starting of the process to be monitored if the process to be monitored was not started before the reset of the control unit.
Published German patent document DE 103 60 200 describes a method and a device for operating a control unit. The control unit contains control unit software and this control unit software or parts of it may assume multiple states, each state being represented by at least one value of at least one state variable. In this context, a transition from a first state into a second state corresponds to a change of the value of the state variable, and a distinction is made between a first internal value of the state variable and a second external value of the state variable, both values being the same after the transition to another state has been carried out, and the change of the external value proceeding in a delayed manner relative to the change of the internal value. Thus, an optimization with regard to runtime and resource consumption is achieved.

Method for operating a motor vehicle control unit


According to a preferred embodiment of the invention a flat sheet of corrugated paper for producing a packing has a symmetrical shape and includes (i) two parallel central creases (A) extending from one edge (30) of the sheet to an opposed edge (31) thereof, (ii) five wall members (10) to (14), (iii) two first end sections (1), (iv) two outer side sections (2) located outside the wall members and the respective central creases (A), (v) two top sections (3) located outside the respective outer side sections (2), (vi) two inner side sections (5) partly surrounded by the respective top sections (3), (vii) two bottom sections (6) located outside the respective inner side sections (5), and (viii) two pairs of second end sections (20) located outside the respective inner side sections (5). Each wall member is partly defined by an inclined crease (25) making an angle of 45 degrees with the central crease (A), the sections located outside of the wall members and of the central creases (A) being divided from each other by creases parallel to the central creases (A).

Packings of Styrofoam are widely used to support the ends of sides of an electronic product, such as a home video unit, a car radio, or a cartridge for a copy machine, in a cardboard box. The packings act as a cushion to protect the product against damage if it is shocked during transportation or handling. Styrofoam, however, is derived from petroleum resources, which are limited. In addition, Styrofoam is awkward when it is disposed as rubbish. So it is preferable to avoid using Styrofoam if possible. Another material used for the same purpose is pieces of corrugated paper stuck together. Corrugated paper is reclaimable, and in this respect it is preferable to Styrofoam. Pieces of corrugated paper stuck together, however, take a relatively long time to prepare. Also it is costly to prepare them. In addition, they do not provide sufficient cushioning effect.

Sheet of corrugated paper for producing a packing


A liquid cooling system (10) includes a container (12) for storing a liquid (13) and a cooling element (14) disposed within the container (12) for cooling the liquid (13). The system (10) also includes a heat exchanging system (16) for cooling the cooling element (14) and a control device (38) disposed proximate the cooling element(14) for controlling solidification of the liquid (13) within the container (12). The control device (38) includes a first insulating region disposed between a portion of the cooling element (14) and a portion of the liquid (13). The first insulating region is formed from at least one thermally insulating material.

Liquid chillers, such as water chillers, are well known. A conventional water chiller includes a water reservoir and a method for cooling the water contained in the reservoir. Water chillers are typically found, for example, in athletic clubs, offices, and the home, and provide a cool liquid refreshment. In addition to providing liquid refreshment, liquid chillers may also be used to cool an ambient environment and have found applications in, for example, the semiconductor industry.
Liquid chillers may be divided into two categories. A first category of liquid chillers is characterized by a large thermal capacity that can quickly chill all of the liquid contained in an associated liquid reservoir. Such chillers may use, for example, compressors with a simple on/off control to cool the liquid. A second category of chillers is characterized by a relatively small chilling capacity in comparison to the thermal requirements of an associated liquid reservoir. One example of this second category of chillers is a thermoelectric-based cooling system. Another example is a compressor-based cooling system that includes an undersized compressor.
In chillers having a relatively small chilling capacity, it is often desirable to form solid material, such as ice, as a method of storing thermal energy for peak demand periods. For example, a water cooler may experience higher demand for cooling during a particular portion of the day than at other portions of the day. Conventional thermoelectric-based chillers may not be able to cool water received by the water cooler quickly enough to provide water that is cool during the entire peak period. To combat this problem, during off-peak times the cooler operates to form ice within a portion of the water reservoir. This ice formation allows for storing of energy that is later used during peak periods to cool the water in the liquid reservoir. During peak periods, as the liquid is consumed, ambient temperature water replaces the chilled water that has been consumed from the water reservoir. During peak periods, the ambient temperature water is more quickly cooled by the combination of the ice and the thermoelectric cooler than cooling that would take place in the absence of the ice. The formation of ice allows a large amount of energy to be stored because of the large amount of energy associated with a phase change from water to ice. Therefore, in this manner, lower capacity chillers may provide chilled liquid to users both during peak periods and off-peak periods. Such a system, therefore, reduces the size of a compressor that might be required or allows the use of alternative cooling systems, such as thermoelectric-based systems.
Although formation of ice allows the storage of energy for later use during peak periods, the formation of ice also creates problems. For example, operating a thermoelectric cooler or a compressor-based cooler in a manner that creates ice may cause the entire liquid reservoir to freeze, thus, in the example of a water cooler for providing a cool potable liquid, restricting the ability of users to receive liquid refreshment upon demand. In addition, particular portions of the liquid reservoir may freeze, such as portions near a fluid outlet, also inhibiting users from receiving liquid refreshment on demand.
In order to attempt to overcome these problems associated with the formation of ice as a method of storing energy for peak demand periods, several control systems have been developed. In one control system, the temperature of a cooling element is controlled based on the amount of ice formed. Sensors, such as optical sensors, may be used to detect the formation of ice, and the control system may appropriately adjust the temperature of a cooling element when a desirable amount of ice has been formed. However, such a system may experience disadvantages. For example, once ice is formed, reliably controlling the temperature of the cooling element and additional ice formation is difficult. In another type of control system, optical sensors detect the presence of ice on a cooling element, and ice is discharged from the surface of the cooling element after the ice has formed. Such discharge allows better control of ice formation on the cooling element because the insulative effect of the ice on the cooling element is removed as a complicating parameter. However, such systems do suffer the problem of filling the reservoir with ice, which may inhibit discharge of liquid refreshment to a user on demand or otherwise adversely affect the performance of liquid chillers used to cool an ambient environment.

Liquid cooling system with solid material formation control and method of manufacture


A polymer solid electrolyte, a method for manufacturing the polymer solid electrolyte, and a lithium secondary cell adopting the polymer solid electrolyte are provided. The polymer solid electrolyte includes a polymer electrolyte medium, at least one vinylidene fluoride resin and/or at least one N,N-diethylacrylamide. The polymer solid electrolyte provides excellent ion conductivity and mechanical strength.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a secondary cell, and more particularly, to a gel type polymer solid electrolyte, a method for manufacturing the polymer solid electrolyte, and a lithium secondary cell adopting the polymer solid electrolyte.
2. Description of Related Art
As portable electronic devices having high degree functions such as camcorders, cellular phones, laptops, etc. become smaller and lighter, research has been conducted to develop a storage cell having high energy density that can be used as a driving source for these devices. In particular, a lithium secondary cell has high energy density per weight, as much as three times that of a conventional lead storage cell, nickel-hydrogen cell or nickel-zinc cell, as well as having the capability of being rapidly recharged. Consequently, significant research has been conducted to develop a lithium secondary cell for use in such products.
As an cathode active material for the lithium secondary cell, lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO.sub.2), lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO.sub.2) or lithium manganese oxide (LiMn.sub.2 O.sub.4) typically are used. Also, as a anode active material, lithium metal, a lithium metal alloy or carbon typically is used.
In addition, a liquid electrolyte generally is used as an electrolyte for the lithium secondary cell. However, if a cell adopting the liquid electrolyte is used for an electric device, the device may be damaged due to leakage of electrolyte solution and the inside of the cell may become dry due to volatilization of solvent. Accordingly, shorts can occur between electrodes. In order to solve these problems, usage of solid electrolyte instead of the liquid electrolyte has been proposed. Generally, solid electrolytes do not leak electrolyte solution and are easily processed. Thus, research into the use of solid electrolytes has been actively performed. There is a particularly high interest in a polymer solid electrolyte. Polymer solid electrolytes can be classified into: (i) a solid type without an organic electrolyte solution; and (ii) a gel type including organic electrolyte solution.
Known polymer solid electrolyte typically include a polymer solid electrolyte produced by combining an alkyleneoxide polymer having the end modified with an acryloyl group, a low molecular weight alkyleneoxide polymer whose both ends are alkyleterified, polyvinyl chloride and electrolyte salt, and a polymer solid electrolyte produced by combining an alkylenoxide polymer having the ends modified with acryloyl group, inorganic ion salt and organic solvent such as propylene carbonate. However, these polymer solid electrolytes are disadvantageous in electrochemical properties, particular, in ion conductivities, and in a mechanical strength.
Other well known polymer solid electrolytes include a polymer solid electrolyte containing polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as a polymer matrix, lithium perchlorate (LiClO.sub.4) as a support electrolyte and a propylene carbonate as a solvent. However, the electrolyte has insufficient conductivity of 10.sup.-5 .about.10.sup.-3 S/cm at room temperature, so that it is difficult to apply the electrolyte to a cell for practical use.

Polymer solid electrolyte, method for manufacturing polymer solid electrolyte, and lithium secondary cell adopting polymer solid electrolyte


A shower system with a wall connection, a conduit connected thereto to connect the wall connection to a changeover device, and an overhead shower head and a hand shower to which water can be supplied via the changeover device. A first flow restrictor with a first flow restriction is disposed in an area of the wall connection and a second and third flow restrictor are disposed in an area of the overhead shower head and hand shower in a series connection. In the area of the changeover device at least one fourth flow restrictor with at least one second flow restriction is provided and the changeover device provides at least one first direct line connection between the wall connection and at least the overhead shower head or hand shower and a second indirect line connection with a series connection of the fourth flow restrictor.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shower system with a wall connection, a conduit connected thereto, which connects the wall connection to a changeover device, and an overhead shower head and a hand shower to which water can be supplied alternatively via the changeover device, whereby a flow restrictor limits the maximum flow rate. The invention is used in sanitary facilities and here particularly in showers and baths.
Description of the Background Art
U.S. Pat. No. 7,043,776 B1 discloses a shower system with an overhead wall connection. The user of the shower system can convey the water via a changeover device alternatively through an overhead shower head or a hand shower. A defined setting of the flow rate below a maximum allowable flow rate is difficult or not possible with prior-art systems.


In a mobile telephone, it is planned to divide the functions usable by this mobile telephone into basic functions and comfort functions. It is planned that access to the comfort functions should be possible only if, in a test of comparison, an operator code stored in a memory of the mobile telephone corresponds to an operator code stored in a security circuit delivered by this operator when a purchaser purchases the mobile telephone, at the same time as he takes out a subscription with this operator. It is shown that, by acting in this way, it is possible to modulate the price of the subscription which may be attractive as well as the availability of the comfort functions of the mobile telephone. This can be done in such a way that economic profitability is ensured either by encouraging the user to keep his subscription with this operator or pay a fee to the operator a fee corresponding to an additional amount that absorbs the cost of the mobile telephone.

1. Field of the Invention
An object of the present invention is a method for parametrizing or setting the parameters of a mobile telephone. Its purpose is to make it easier to distribute mobile telephones and therefore make it easier to match the services on offer with the services in demand, especially by proposing a technical architecture for these mobile telephones that furthers the goals of business promotion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In mobile telephony, the operators try to attract customers by offering subscriptions that include the cost of the mobile telephone itself. The operator obtains the economic benefits entailed by such subscriptions, of course, only if the user keeps his contract going up to the end. These subscriptions are based on the principle of absorbing a part of the cost of the mobile telephone over the period of subscription even if several types of subscription can be envisaged.
It happens that, at the end of a contract period, a subscriber goes to another operator whereas, in practical terms, the duration of his contract has not been sufficient to really pay for the promotional offer that was made to him at the outset. This means a loss for the operator.
In the invention, this problem is overcome by using the presence of a security circuit. This circuit is removable and also conditions the working of the mobile telephone. In a conventional way, it includes the characteristics of the user""s subscription. Indeed, especially in the field of GSM (Global System for Mobile Telephony), a mobile telephone is put into operation through the recognition, in this safety circuit, of the characteristics of the subscription, before the mobile telephone gets linked up with a base station. At the time of this recognition, the mobile telephone takes information from the security circuit or the operator who manages the subscription, especially information relating to the frequency ranges that have been granted to this operator. Then the mobile telephone gets linked up with a base station in its environment and sends this base station the characteristics of its subscription, especially its identity.
Furthermore, the removable circuit is known as a SIM or Secured Identification Module because it is associated with an anti-theft function of the mobile telephone. According to a procedure dictated by this function, the user of the mobile telephone must key in a secret code through the keypad of the telephone which validates the operation thereof.
In the invention, to resolve the commercial problem referred to here above, it has been planned to separate the use functions of a mobile telephone into at least two categories. Schematically, the basic functions are distinguished from the comfort functions. The basic functions will be the transmitter/receiver type functions of telephony and the minimum operation of a mobile telephone, especially international emergency number calls (firemen, police, etc.). The category of comfort functions would include the following: hands-free and vibration functions, storage of numbers from a directory or called numbers, calculator functions, the possibility of sending data or fax messages, etc.
Furthermore, a code corresponding to the operator code is recorded at an appropriate place in the memory of the mobile telephone. Finally, in a use menu, when the mobile telephone is put into operation, a comparison is activated between an operator code contained in the security circuit and the operator code stored in the mobile telephone. If the comparison tallies, the system permits access to a comfort function. If the comparison does not tally, then only the basic functions will be accessible. Thus, the user who changes his the operator could effectively keep the mobile telephone, which has become his property. However, this telephone henceforth will only work with fewer interesting functions.
In one improvement, if the user wishes to convert this mobile telephone into one that performs as well as before, he will have to contact his former operator for a code to release the comfort functions. Naturally this releasing code will be given to him only against payment of the non-amortized portion of the cost of the mobile telephone that had been given to him at the beginning of the subscription. In this way, a particularly simple technical solution is provided to the problem referred to.
An object of the invention therefore is a method for the parametrization of a mobile telephone wherein:
programs representing use functions of this mobile telephone are loaded into a memory of this mobile telephone,
the mobile telephone is provided with a first removable security circuit,
information encoded in the security circuit is compared with operating information, and
the operation of the mobile telephone is authorized as a function of this comparison,
wherein:
the programs are distributed between at least two groups respectively corresponding to basic functions and comfort functions,
a first operator code is stored in the security circuit,
a second operator code and a code authorizing the use of the functions is stored in a memory of the mobile telephone,
the first and second operator codes are compared, and
the implementation of the comfort functions is authorized as a function of this comparison of the first and second operator codes.

Method for the parametrization of a mobile telephone


Method for providing smart, internodal transfer for subscriber access which enables a subscriber who inputs a subscriber access number at a node in a multinode voice messaging system which is different from the subscriber's home node, i.e., the node which supports the subscriber's personal mailbox, to perform the subscriber's personal mailbox transactions without having to place a second call to reach the home node and without having to re-enter mailbox identification and password information once the home node is reached. An embodiment of the invention includes the steps of: (a) identifying calls received at a node which is not the home node, the home node being the node which supports a personal mailbox session requested by the subscriber; (b) transferring information relating to the call such as subscriber mailbox identification and subscriber access type to the home node via a data path; (c) transferring the subscriber call to the home node; and (d) identifying calls received at the home node by such step of transferring to continue the subscriber's personal mailbox access session.

Some voice messaging systems are presently fabricated in the form of multinode voice messaging systems. A multinode voice messaging system is a voice messaging system which is comprised of two or more nodes, each node comprising a voice messaging system and each node having some information concerning the activities of the other nodes in the system via information exchange among the nodes. As is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, such information exchange occurs over data paths, examples of which data paths include a voice path control message link between nodes or a communication network link such as, but not limited to, a local area network (LAN). Such data paths provide means for exchange of data which is used in coordinating voice messaging activities in the multinode system.
Voice messaging systems typically utilize a logical entity which is referred to as a personal mailbox. The personal mailbox provides logical access to a set of messages which are identified with an owner of the mailbox, i.e., private messages. In addition, in a typical voice messaging system, the personal mailbox provides messaging facilities such as, for example, storage, playback, creation, deletion and transmittal of messages. The method which is utilized by subscribers to a multinode voice messaging system to obtain access to a personal mailbox is referred to as subscriber access.
In one multinode voice messaging system which is known in the prior art, each node in the multinode voice messaging system uses a distinct subscriber access number for providing subscriber access. In such a system, whenever a subscriber utilizes an incorrect subscriber access number, i.e., a subscriber access number for a node other than that assigned to the personal mailbox for the subscriber, the system will not give the subscriber access to the subscriber's personal mailbox. However, the subscriber is informed of the problem, for example, via a voice message such as: "This node cannot provide access to your mailbox; you must input the subscriber access number for the home node to which you are connected."
In another multinode voice messaging system which could be engineered using the prior art, whenever a subscriber enters a subscriber access number to a node which does not support the subscriber's personal mailbox, the subscriber is transferred to the node which does support the subscriber's personal mailbox and such transfer occurs after the process of subscriber identification/password verification is completed. However, in such a system, after the transfer is complete, the dialog between the subscriber and the correct node starts at the beginning of a subscriber session, i.e., the subscriber must repeat the subscriber identification/password verification process as if it were a new call.
As a result, in such prior art multinode voice messaging systems, subscribers are inconvenienced whenever they input an incorrect subscriber access number by being blocked from access to a personal mailbox or by having to re-enter identification/password data.
In addition to the above-described drawbacks of requiring subscribers to use node-specific subscriber access numbers to access personal mailbox functions in a multinode voice messaging system, the need to require node-specific and even function-specific subscriber access numbers has a further drawback. The further drawback is that coordination of a large number of access numbers becomes a substantial administrative burden.
In light of the above, there is a need in the art for a method of providing a subscriber access to a multinode voice messaging system which enables a subscriber who inputs a subscriber access number at a node in the multinode voice messaging system, which node is different from a home node, i.e., the node which supports the subscriber's personal mailbox, to perform the subscriber's personal mailbox transactions without having to place a second call to reach the home node and without having to re-enter mailbox identification and password information once the home node is reached.

Smart internodal transfer for subscriber access in multinode voice messaging systems


The system and method effects character interplay in a computer game having a primary character and at least one opposing character. An embodiment of the method has the steps of: identifying a relationship between the primary character and the at least one opposing character; selecting at least one feature for the primary character based on the identified relationship; executing the at least one feature such that the primary character in a first phase at least targets the at least one opposing character, in a second phase at least interfaces with the at least one opposing character, in a third phase performs the least one action relative to the at least one opposing character, and in a fourth phase at least removes the at least one opposing character from contention.

There are many types of video games on the market. One of these pits a primary character operated by a player against an opposing character controlled by the computer so as to fight each other on the display screen. In such a fighting type video game, the attack may be launched not only against the opposing character, but against walls and other simple objects. Thus, the opponent character may be a character or object controlled by the computer or operated by another player when viewed from one player's side. It may also be a character or object operated by the player when viewed from the computer side.
Shooting games, in which the entertainment value involves shooting at an enemy or target, are known in the prior art. A number of variations have been introduced, from those types of games which involve simple shooting against a target to those which set in opposition a primary character moving about the game space (also referred to as virtual space) and an opposing character or characters.
Conventionally, with a computer game apparatus a player views images displayed on a display while using a lever, buttons, joystick, etc. to operate a primary character fighter which competes, within the virtual space of the game, against an opposing character fighter of the game. In this type of game, when the two fighting characters, which are equipped with weapons, located within the virtual space of the game are at a distance from each other, a shoot-out may take place using weapons. Alternatively, when the two characters are at close proximity, they may fight each other in physical combat. Known computer games of this type also may include puzzle solving (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,040).
As a number of diverse shooting games are in existence, how to set apart a shooting game becomes an important issue. Thus, there is a need for a computer or video game that immerses the player into the storyline and characters similar to the way movies do. There is also a need for a different type of action-adventure genre with new and more exciting features.

Electronic game and method for effecting game features


A ratio asymmetric inverter has a signal input, signal output, first and second power inputs, pullup and pulldown transistors, and at least one delay element. The pullup transistor has a gate terminal, a source terminal coupled to the first power input, and a drain terminal coupled to the signal output. The pulldown transistor has a gate terminal, a drain terminal coupled to the signal output, and a source terminal coupled to the second power input. The signal input is respectively coupled to the gate terminals of the pullup transistor and the pulldown transistor via first and second signal paths. The at least one delay element is included in only one of the first and second signal paths, to impart a longer propagation delay to the one of the first and second signal paths.

A digital-to-analog (DAC) comprises one or more cells, each of which receives a sequence of digital values and outputs an analog signal that varies in response to state changes in the sequence of digital values. Often, a DAC cell comprises a current source and a current source driver.
FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary one of many conventional DAC cells 600. The DAC cell 600 comprises a current source 604 and a current source driver 602. The current source driver 602 comprises a pair of inverters 606, 608 that receive a differential digital input signal (SEL, SEL). In response to state changes of the differential digital input signal, the inverters 606, 608 cause first and second control signals (VG, VG) to be driven between first and second reference voltages (Voff, Von). As one or the other of the first and second control signals is driven low, a respective one of a pair of current steering transistors 610, 612 is turned on, and current is steered between Iout and Iout.
As shown in FIG. 7, the control signals (VG, VG) are differential, with their edges crossing at or about the average value of the first and second reference voltages. Unfortunately, this produces a large glitch (ΔVx) in the voltage (Vx) at the tail node of the current source 604 (FIG. 6). The glitch can impact both settling performance and linearity of the DAC cell 600.
Various solutions for mitigating or eliminating the voltage glitch (ΔVx) have been proposed. However, these solutions often have other deleterious affects on a DAC cell, such as: undesired charge pumping between the first and second reference voltages, a need for more robust (higher power) reference drivers, an introduction of floating gate terminals, a need to use thick-oxide devices (resulting in lower speed switching).

Ratio asymmetric inverters, and apparatus including one or more ratio asymmetric inverters