Refractory metals such as tantalum and titanium have been used as diffusion barriers, adhesion layers or X-ray lithography masks in electronic applications. Unfortunately, these materials oxidize easily when annealed causing reliability problems due to the increased resistivity and stress. Other refractory metals such as Nb, V, Zr, Hf, Cr, Mo and W also oxidize easily in annealing ambients containing minimal amounts of oxygen and at relatively low temperatures. It is an expensive and difficult process to remove all oxygen from an annealing environment and some processes actually require an oxidizing ambient. Small amounts of oxygen incorporated interstitially in the refractory metals can cause large increases in compressive stress. For instance, in a Ta film that has 10% oxygen incorporation, an increase of 4 to 5 GPa in compressive stress and an increase of 63 .mu..OMEGA.-cm in resistivity have been observed. When used in electronic applications, such increases in resistivity and stress can cause major reliability problems such as poor contact resistance, peeling and cracking.
Other researchers have utilized refractory metals in electronic applications as diffusion barriers, i.e., Ta diffusion barrier between Si and Cu was used by Holloway, et al., J. Appl. Phys., 71 (11), 5433 (1992). The use of Ta diffusion barrier between a high dielectric material and Si in the fabrication of a high dielectric oxide material has been shown in Grill, et al., J. Mater. Res., 7 (12), 3260 (1992). In the latter work, the fabrication of high dielectric constant oxide materials requires high temperature processing (>650.degree. C.) in oxygen ambients which generally cause the underlying Si to oxidize, and thus creating an additional in-series low dielectric capacitor.
Other diffusion barrier materials such as TiN, WN and TaN have been used in VLSI applications, i.e., in contact holes for separating conductors from underlying silicon. However, these materials are not suitable oxygen diffusion barriers because they cannot withstand oxidation anneal cycles that the devices may be subjected to. In addition, other researchers have investigated elemental metals such as Pt, Au and Ru for the prevention of diffusion of oxygen to the underlying layer of silicon and its subsequent oxidation. It was found that none of the pure metals prevented the diffusion and the resulting SiO.sub.2 formation. A break in the electrical conduction path to the silicon substrate occurred as a result.
In certain semiconductor processes, high dielectric constant Perovskite compounds (such as PZT, PLZT or Ba.sub.x Sr.sub.1-x TiO.sub.3) are deposited onto a substrate. These materials require high temperature (>650.degree. C.) oxygen anneal in order to crystallize. It also requires a Pt seed layer for crystallization into a Perovskite phase which has the highest dielectric constant, i.e., 380 vs. about 40. For simple process integration, it is desirable to use Si as the lower electrode. A problem thus incurred during an oxygen anneal of the Perovskite compound/Pt/Si structure is the formation of an SiO.sub.2 layer at the Pt/Si interface which reduces the effective dielectric constant. A diffusion barrier layer is therefore needed for preventing oxygen diffusion down to the Si layer, and also for preventing the Si diffusion up to the Pt layer.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a diffusion barrier for use in a semiconductor device that does not have the shortcomings of the prior art diffusion barriers.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a diffusion barrier that can be fabricated in a simple manufacturing process.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a diffusion barrier that is capable of sustaining the high processing temperatures encountered in semiconductor processing steps.
It is another further object of the present invention to provide an oxygen diffusion barrier for devices incorporating high dielectric constant oxide layers.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an oxygen diffusion barrier of a multi-layer aluminum/refractory metal material such that the refractory metal layer does not oxidize (remains electrically conducting) in a subsequent annealing step.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an oxygen diffusion barrier that is a multi-layer thin film of aluminum/refractory metal such that when the film is exposed to atmosphere a thin layer of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 forms on the surface of aluminum.


Collapsible strollers, especially child strollers, of the known type typically include a front-mounted safety bar which is collapsible to enhance portability. During use of known strollers, a stroller occupant could become injured by being pinched between the movable sections of the collapsible bar.
It is desirable to provide a stroller with a collapsible tray having a reduced pinching hazard.


The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.
Identification of new compounds for use in pharmaceutical preparations is an important part of the search for more reliable and effective therapies. However just as important is the development and modification of known compounds, reducing the risks associated with a new drug candidate and significantly reducing the development and cost to bring the drug to clinical development.
Many drugs fail in clinical trials either because their physical properties (particularly solubility) make them difficult to formulate, or because of a poor therapeutic index that leads to toxic effects during the high drug concentrations that occur just after dosing. Other short comings include poor absorption, poor bioavailability, instability, systemic side effects due to an inability to target the drugs, and the inability to control their biodistribution, metabolism and renal or hepatic clearance once administered. Similarly some current products on the market can be improved with regard to such issues.
A number of approaches have been tried to improve a pharmaceutical compound's profile including the formulation of the pharmaceutical agent in a liposome, micellar or polymeric micelle formulation, as well as covalent attachment of the pharmaceutical agent to a hydrophilic polymer backbone.
The characteristics of an ideal profile modifying agent include being a well defined structure, allowing precise control of the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) characteristics (also referred to as pharmacokinetics) of the compound in question and advantageously being able to carry multiple compounds per agent or construct. The toxicity of a compound in question can be ameliorated through its controlled release from the said agent or construct, the body only being exposed to therapeutic plasma concentrations of the compound.
In recent years, dendritic macromolecules, or dendrimers, have been found to have increasing applications in biotechnology and pharmaceutical applications. Dendritic macromolecules are a special class of polymers with densely branched structures that are characterized by higher concentrations of functional moieties per unit of molecular volume than ordinary polymers. There are three subclasses of dendritic macromolecules: random hyperbranched polymers; dendrigraft polymers and dendrimers (which includes dendrons), classified on the basis of the relative degree of structural control present in each of the dendritic architectures (Fréchet and Tomalia “Dendrimers and other Dendritic Polymers”, Wiley and Sons, New York, 2002). The unique properties of dendrimers in particular, such as their high degree of branching, multivalency, globular architecture and well-defined molecular weight, make them promising new scaffolds for pharmaceutical applications. In the past decade, research has increased on the design and synthesis of biocompatible dendrimers and their application to many areas of bioscience including macromolecular drugs, drug delivery, biomedical imaging and medical devices.
The potential utility of dendritic polymers both as drug delivery vectors and pharmaceutical actives has received increasing interest in recent years. However, whilst the literature is replete with reports of, for example, synthetic schemes for dendrimer assembly, descriptions of dendrimer-drug interactions and drug loading efficiencies and increasingly, in vitro evaluations of dendrimer interactions with cell lines, there is very little information describing the fundamental pharmacokinetic and metabolic fate of dendrimers.
Further, it is still a challenge to prepare dendrimers that circulate in the blood long enough to accumulate at target sites, but that can also be eliminated from the body at a reasonable rate to avoid long-term build up. In addition, the tissue localisation of dendrimers is still difficult to predict in advance and more studies are required to determine the effect of peripheral dendritic groups on these properties. An additional area that needs to be investigated is the release of drugs from dendrimers. Steric hindrance associated with the dense globular dendritic architecture makes the engineering of the enzymatically cleavable linkages difficult.
It has surprisingly been found that, by introducing one or more functional moieties, as described herein, the efficacy of the macromolecule may be significantly improved, but without significant adverse impact on, or interference with, other functional moieties which may be present.


The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Machine-Type Communication (MTC) is a promising and emerging technology. Potential MTC based applications include smart metering, healthcare monitoring, remote security surveillance, intelligent transportation systems, etc. These services and applications stimulate the design and development of a new type of MTC device that may need to be integrated into current and next generation mobile broadband networks such as LTE and LTE-Advanced.
The existing mobile broadband networks were designed to optimize performance mainly for human type of communications and thus are not optimized for MTC specific requirements. For instance, some MTC devices may be installed in basements of residential buildings. These devices may experience significantly greater penetration losses on the radio interface than normal LTE devices. In order to provide sufficient coverage of such MTC devices, special coverage enhancement considerations may be needed.


Various hydraulic, hydraulic/pneumatic, and fully electrical systems with all-electrical actuators are known for active vertical adjustment of a motor vehicle. An active “spring strut” that is suitable for this vertical adjustment has a suspension spring and a preloaded spring which are each separated by an adjustable spring cap. The adjustable spring cap is exposed to positioning forces during vertical adjustment. That is, the adjustable spring cap as needed traverses an axial path dictated by the control, and thus ultimately produces a positioning force on the wheel. The lifting motion of the adjustable spring cap takes place almost exclusively by a ball groove thread drive in which the adjustable spring cap does not rotate during its lifting motion, but remains torsionally strong, while the relatively slender spindle of the ball groove thread drive rotates and is driven by an electric motor which is located in the spring strut itself.
This type of wheel suspension is described by DE 10 2005 001 744 B3 in which there is a preloaded spring located concentrically on the spring strut above the suspension spring; this preloaded spring opposes the spring force of the support spring and thus reduces the adjusting forces which must be applied by an electromechanical actuator or a positioning drive in order to effect adjustment of the level and/or pitching and rolling equalization on the motor vehicle by way of the axially adjustable spring cap. The three-dimensional and functionally reliable arrangement of the positioning drive integrated on the spring strut within the preloaded spring is a problem, however, especially for wheel suspensions with steered wheels in which the wheel requires a corresponding free space in the wheel well and for the wheel suspension elements.
The spindle shown in DE 10 2005 001 744 B3 does have a large bearing base. Valuable installation space is lost, however, by lining up the elongated bearing bush with its lower bearing arrangement. This has an adverse effect on the shock absorber length and on the shock absorber stroke. Moreover, the total weight of the spring strut is increased by the long piston rod which is required in this design and the long bearing bush. The shock absorber plunges into the lower part of the spindle and is cardanically deflected relative to the spindle when driving. This can lead to contact between the oscillating shock absorber and the rotating spindle. This contact between the shock absorber and spindle is further promoted by the piston rod which is elastically supported in its upper end. In order to prevent this contact between the shock absorber and spindle, the radial air gap between the shock absorber and spindle would have to be dimensioned to be correspondingly large. This would, however, lead to a relatively large spindle diameter, as a result of which, however, the rotational mass moment of inertia of the spindle is adversely increased.
The object of the invention is to propose a spring strut arrangement of the generic type which ensures a structurally especially compact and functionally reliable construction.


An example of a conventional engine support structure is described in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-160663, Vehicle Body Front Portion Structure. For the structure described in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-160663, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), sub-frame 51 is disposed below vehicle body front frame member 50, which extends in the front to rear direction of the vehicle, so that a predetermined distance is formed above and below said vehicle body front frame member 50 and so that it extends in the front to rear direction of the vehicle, and the front end of aforementioned vehicle body front frame member 50 and the front end of sub-frame 51 are connected by means of connecting member 52, which extends in the upper to lower direction. In addition, the engine is loaded onto aforementioned sub-frame 51.
Therefore, when a predetermined load or more is input from the front of the vehicle toward the rear due to a collision, a means is devised to increase the energy absorbing efficiency of this input load by collapsing and deforming the aforementioned vehicle body front frame member 50.
Conventionally, as cited in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-246276, for example, the vehicle body and sub-frame are connected via a supporting elastic body, such as an insulator for absorbing the vibration, and a spacer for filling the space that is formed between the vehicle body and the sub-frame.
For the technology disclosed in aforementioned Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-246276, a spacer is disposed between the vehicle body and the sub-frame into which an insulator has been inserted. This spacer and insulator are securely tightened to the vehicle body by means of a bolt that penetrates in the upper to lower direction through the bottom of the sub-frame. In addition, below the insulator and sub-frame is disposed a stopper for preventing the sub-frame from falling out due to breakage caused by deterioration of the insulator over time.


Certain computer operating systems and applications are designed to load modules that are internally requested by the operating system, internally requested by an application, or externally requested by a supported process. Such modules may include, for example, a procedure, a function, a script, a plug-in module, a driver, or a portion of an executable application.
In some computer operating systems and/or applications, modules that can be loaded are classified according to a module type. For example, in an operating system, the module type may be used to determine how to properly support the module. In some cases, a sub-system of the operating system, such as a dynamically loadable kernel module (“DLKM”) sub-system, for example, may be used to support modules of different types.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior operating system configuration 100 for handling dynamically loadable modules. A table 110 of defined module types and associated type-specific support module identifiers are included in a statically configured operating system kernel 105. Support module identifiers may refer to support modules, such as support module 120, that contain, for example, pre-loading logic, post-loading logic, pre-registration logic, post-registration logic and registration logic.
When the operating system 105 receives a request to load a module 115, the operating system uses the module type definition table 110 to determine whether the module type is supported. Upon locating the correct module type entry in the table, the operating system utilizes the support modules (e.g., support module 120) identified in the table 110 to properly support the requested module 115.
The operating system 105 may provide module type-specific support for only the module types defined by the table within the statically configured kernel. This type of operating system configuration is unable to dynamically load modules of types that have not been previously defined in the statically configured portion of the operating system kernel.
Accordingly, whenever a new module type is to be defined, the statically configured kernel must be reconfigured to include a definition of the new module type. The statically configured kernel must be reloaded to accommodate the newly added module type definition. The reconfiguration of the statically configured kernel results in an increased kernel size and a reloading or rebooting of the operating system.


1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a driving method of a plasma display panel (hereinafter, simply referred to as a xe2x80x9cPDPxe2x80x9d) of a matrix display type.
2. Description of Related Art
As one of the display panels of the matrix display type, a PDP of AC (alternating current discharge) type is known.
The AC type PDP has a plurality of column electrodes (address electrodes) and a plurality of row electrode pairs which are arranged so as to perpendicularly intersect the column electrodes and in which one scanning line is formed by one pair. Each of the row electrode pairs and the column electrodes are covered by a dielectric layer against a discharge space and a discharge cell corresponding to one pixel is formed at an intersection point of the row electrode pair and the column electrode.
As a method of allowing the PDP to embody a halftone display, there is a so called a subfield method wherein one field period is divided into N subfields each emits the light only for a time corresponding to a weight of each bit digit of pixel data of N bits and the data is displayed. The method is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Kokai No. 4-195087.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a format of the light-emission driving in one field period according to the subfield method.
In the example shown in FIG. 1, in which it is presumed that the pixel data being supplied consists of six bits, the period of time of one field is divided into six subfields SF1, SF2, . . . , and SF6, to perform the light-emission driving. By executing the light emission through the six subfields once, an expression of 64 gradations can be performed for an image of one field.
Each subfield is constructed by an all-resetting step Rc, a pixel data writing step Wc, and a sustain light emitting step Ic. In the all-resetting step Rc, by discharge-exciting (reset discharge) all of the discharge cells of the PDP in a lump, wall charges are uniformly formed in all of the discharge cells. In the next pixel data writing step Wc, a selective erasure discharge according to the pixel data is excited every discharge cell. The wall charges in the discharge cell in which the erasure discharge has been performed are extinguished and this discharge cell becomes a xe2x80x9cnon-light emission cellxe2x80x9d. The discharge cell in which the erasure discharge is not performed becomes a xe2x80x9clight emission cellxe2x80x9d because the wall charges remain there. In the sustain light emitting step Ic, a discharge light emitting state is continued only for the light emission cell only for a time corresponding to the weight of each subfield. In each of the subfields SF1 to SF6, consequently, a sustain light emission is sequentially performed with weights of light emitting period ratios of 1:2:4:8:16:32.
For example, if an image such that a flat object moves is displayed by the driving method, however, there is a problem such that a fringe-like pseudo outline like a video image as if the gradations were lost is observed at points near the positions where the luminance gradation level transverses the boundary of n-th power of 2, such as xe2x80x9c32xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9c16xe2x80x9d.
The above problem occurs because in the case where the luminance gradation level is xe2x80x9c32xe2x80x9d, the light emission is performed only in the subfield SF6 during the 1-field period as shown in FIG. 1 and, when the luminance gradation level is equal to xe2x80x9c31xe2x80x9d, the light emission is not performed in the subfield SF6, and the light emission is performed in the subfields SF1 to SF5. That is, for a period of time during which the discharge cell which should perform the light emission at the luminance gradation level xe2x80x9c32xe2x80x9d is lit on, the discharge cell which should perform the light emission at the luminance gradation level xe2x80x9c31xe2x80x9d is certainly in a light-off state, so that the fringe-like outline that is not concerned with the image is confirmed on the boundary of the discharge cells.
To suppress the pseudo outline and improve a display quality, therefore, a driving method whereby a subfield of a relatively long light emitting period is further divided into a plurality of subfields and they are distributed and arranged in the 1-field period has been proposed. According to the driving method, as a light emission pattern in the 1-field period is uniformed by increasing the number of subfields, a suppressing effect of the pseudo outline rises.
There is, however, a problem such that as the number of subfields increases, the number of bits of drive data that is formed in correspondence to each subfield has to be also increased in accordance with it and a scale of the apparatus increases with the increase in number of bits.
The invention is made to solve the problems and it is an object of the invention to provide a driving method of a plasma display panel, in which a scale of an apparatus can be reduced by suppressing the number of bits of drive data while maintaining an image display of a high quality in which a pseudo outline has been suppressed.
According to the invention, there is provided a driving method of a plasma display panel in which a display period of one field is divided into a plurality of subfields and a light emitting state in each of the subfields is set in accordance with each bit of pixel data, to perform a halftone display, wherein the light emitting state in a subfield of a relatively long light emitting period is also set in accordance with the bit of the pixel data which sets the light emitting state in a subfield of a relatively short light emitting period among the subfields.


This invention relates to variable capacity wobble plate compressors mainly adapted for use in air conditioning systems for automotive vehicles, and more particularly to an improved wobble plate compressor in which the crankcase pressure is controllable for varying the displacement or capacity of the compressor.
A variable capacity wobble plate compressor in general is adapted to vary its displacement or capacity through a change in the angularity of the wobble plate. It is known e.g. from U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,829 to vary the refrigerant pressure in the crankcase for changing the angularity or angle of inclination of the wobble plate relative to the drive shaft. A conventional wobble plate compressor of this type comprises a fluidtight housing, a drive shaft rotatably disposed in the housing, a cylinder block arranged in the housing and formed therein with a plurality of cylinders circumferentially arranged around the drive shaft and extending substantially parallel to the axis of the drive shaft, pistons received in the respective cylinders for reciprocating motions therein, and a wobble plate supported at its diametrically central portion by trunnion pins extending at right angles to the drive shaft and axially movable therealong and also supported at its peripheral edge by a pivot pin rotatable about the drive shaft together therewith. The wobble plate is adapted to be pivotally displaced in unison with axial movement of the trunnion pins along the drive shaft to have its angularity varied relative to the drive shaft. As the wobble plate rotates in a position inclined relative to the drive shaft, the pistons are reciprocatingly moved in their respective cylinders for pumping actions. In the compressor, the resultant reaction force exerted by all the pistons, some on their compression strokes and some on their suction strokes, acts upon the wobble plate at a point inside a half portion of the circumference described by the axes of the cylinders, which is located at the same side of the drive shaft as the pistons on their compression strokes, so that the wobble plate is acted upon by the above resultant reaction force to become inclined relative to the drive shaft about the trunnion pins as a movable fulcrum during the pumping actions of the pistons. The resultant reaction force of the pistons counteracts the pressure in the crankcase which acts upon the pistons as back pressure. Therefore, when there occurs a drop in the pressure in the crankcase, the wobble plate is displaced in the angularity-increasing direction to increase the capacity, whilst when there occurs an increase in the crankcase pressure, the wobble plate is displaced in the angularity-decreasing direction to decrease the capacity.
In this arrangement, it is known that the difference between values of the crankcase pressure corresponding, respectively, to the maximum angularity of the wobble plate and the minimum angularity thereof falls within a range from 5 to 10 percent of the difference between the suction pressure and the discharge pressure of the compressor. For example, if the compressor is operating in a condition wherein the discharge pressure is 14 kg/cm.sup.2, and the suction pressure is 2.1 kg/cm.sup.2, the crankcase pressure has to be controlled within a very small range from approximately 2.7 kg/cm.sup.2 to approximately 3.3 kg/cm.sup.2, with a small pressure difference of approximately 0.6 kg/cm.sup.2. This means that the angularity of the wobble plate varies in high response to a change in the crankcase pressure. This requires precise control of the crankcase pressure, making it difficult to control the capacity in a stable manner.


Integrated optical devices (e.g., photonic integrated circuits) are well suited to applications in various technologies such as telecommunications, instrumentation, signal processing and sensors. In operation, photonic integrated circuits use optical waveguides to implement devices, such as optical switches, optical couplers and wavelength multiplexers/demultiplexers, for example. Such waveguides, when integrated with a photonic integrated circuit, are typically implemented as solid dielectric light conductors, which are fabricated on a substrate in a very similar fashion as semiconductor integrated circuits are manufactured. Waveguides transmit light around optical circuits and also connect to external optical waveguides, such as optical fibers, typically by direct physical abutment of the fiber with the waveguide. However, in such a configuration, a mode mismatch results between the integrated waveguide and the optical fiber.
As such, improvements are needed.


High density optical recording systems which may be used for recording and playing back information are well known in the art. Current practice in the optical recording field can be broadly distinguished into three categories, the classification being largely dependent on the physical and chemical characteristics of the information carrying media. Common to all three categories is the ability of each system to have the information stored on the media to at least be "read" or "played back" by irradiating selected areas of the media with a highly focused source of light, usually a laser. Changes in the transmission or reflection of the laser beam caused by the presence or absence of recorded information on the media is detected by suitable optical sensors. The three categories are differentiated by the media's response to radiation. "Read Only" as, for example, in Compact Disk technology, wherein all the information on the disk is pre-recorded. "Write-Once, Read (Mainly)" (WORM), in which information can be written on the media by the laser, read back by a laser at reduced power levels, but cannot be erased for correction or re-use. The third consists of media which can be written upon and read back by laser, but can also be erased (by the laser), in the presence of a suitable magnetic field, and which then can be reused.
This invention, relates generally to the "erasable" optical recording systems, known in the art as magneto-optical recording systems, and in which the media is described as magneto-optic media.
A magneto-optic recording medium is a magnetic material which causes the polarization angle of laser light to be changed when it is reflected from or transmitted through a recorded spot. Preparatory to the initial recording operation, the magneto-optic media is vertically magnetized in the same direction across the entire recording surface. During recording, the direction of magnetization of the media is reversed at the point of incidence of the laser beam due to the presence of a vertical magnetic field of a given strength and polarity and heating induced by a laser. Illumination from a playback laser beam of lower power reflected from this area will show a polarization angle change, which is detectable by suitable optical sensors. The erasing process restores the original magnetic direction which existed prior to recording by the use of a vertical magnetic field of polarity opposite to that used for recording when accompanied by heating from the laser beam. Traditionally, an electromagnet in which the current can be adjusted and reversed, (thereby changing the direction and/or intensity of the induced magnetic field) has been the preferred source for generating the magnetic bias for both the writing and the erasing. The electromagnet (in some cases, a reversible permanent magnet) is also sometimes referred to as the bias magnet.
Deguchi et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,006, schematically describe in their disclosure an electromagnet surrounding the objective lens of their recording/playback apparatus which provides the bias magnetization required for magneto-optic operations. Ota et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,852, discloses a pair of bias electromagnets adjacent the objective lens in conjunction with a pair of lasers for performing the erase and re-write functions in a magneto-optic recording and reproducing system. U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,004 also describes an electromagnet surrounding the objective lens, and records information by varying the field strength of the electromagnet in the areas of the media heated by a continuous laser beam. In the previous two examples, writing was accomplished by varying the intensity of the laser beam.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,009, assigned to the Xerox Corporation, describes a system wherein plural lasers operate through a single optical path and cooperate with bi-polar magnetic field producing means located on the opposite side of the magneto-optic medium. This system also includes a bias electromagnet essentially concentric with the focusing electromagnet of the objective lens. The deficiencies of these examples in providing an essentially vertical magnetic field coincident with the laser beam is addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,914 issued to Hanaoka and assigned to Olympus Optical. This patent discloses an auxiliary magnetic pole piece for focusing a magnetic flux from the magnetic field generating device (bias magnet) into at least the heated portion and which is located on the side of the media opposite the laser beam.
The teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,894, assigned to RCA, further address the problem of providing a vertical magnetic field at the point of incidence (with the laser beam) which rely on an electromagnet located around the objective lens, or, in some cases, on the side of the media opposite the laser beam. As discussed in this patent, given the very close proximity between the objective lens of the record/playback optics, there is very little space on the recording side of the media for an electromagnet capable of providing a vertical magnetic field at the point of incidence. This patent discloses a bias electromagnet configured in the shape of a letter "E", in which the top and bottom legs of the "E" extend radially from one edge of the media towards the center (when the media is in a disk configuration, the center leg of the "E" likewise extends from one edge towards the center, but on the opposite side of the media from the top and bottom legs). Current carrying coils are wound about each of the two segments of the vertical portion of the "E" to magnetize the electromagnet. Attached to the housing of the objective lens is a ring or cap of magnetic material which has a small hole in it to allow passage of the laser beam. Magnetic coupling of this cap to the top and bottom legs of the "E" is accomplished by a pair of pole pieces, in effect, filling in the gap between the legs and the cap. The pole pieces, the cap, and the objective lens can move radially in-between the top and bottom of the "E", with the return path of the magnetic flux being provided by the center leg which is located underneath the lens and the media.
When the magneto-optic media is provided on a thin tape or on a thin disk, as described in this patent, the magnetic elements can conveniently be placed on the side of the media opposite the side upon which the laser impinges. However, when this opposite side location is not physically accessible, for example, when the magneto-optic media is supported on the surface of a drum, or is supported on a very thick substrate, these magnetic elements must be located on the same side of the media as the optics are.
It is an object of this invention to provide a device and method of producing the necessary vertical bias magnetic field, essentially in concurrence with the point of incidence of the laser beam upon the media, in which access to the opposite side of the media is denied. It is a further object of this invention to provide the necessary vertical bias magnetic field for systems in which extensive cross-track movement of the optic system is required. It is an additional object of this invention to provide the necessary vertical magnetic field with a reduced number of non-vertical components of the bias magnetic field, and with greatly reduced power requirements for providing the bias magnetic field.


1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, and more specifically to using a laminate structure for mounting LEDS in a liquid-filled LED bulb.
2. Description of Related Art
Traditionally, lighting has been generated using fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs. While both types of light bulbs have been reliably used, each suffers from certain drawbacks. For instance, incandescent bulbs tend to be inefficient, using only 2-3% of their power to produce light, while the remaining 97-98% of their power is lost as heat. Fluorescent bulbs, while more efficient than incandescent bulbs, do not produce the same warm light as that generated by incandescent bulbs. Additionally, there are health and environmental concerns regarding the mercury contained in fluorescent bulbs.
Thus, an alternative light source is desired. One such alternative is a bulb utilizing an LED. An LED comprises a semiconductor junction that emits light due to an electrical current flowing through the junction. Compared to a traditional incandescent bulb, an LED bulb is capable of producing more light using the same amount of power. Additionally, the operational life of an LED bulb is orders of magnitude longer than that of an incandescent bulb, for example, 10,000-100,000 hours as opposed to 1,000-2,000 hours.
While there are many advantages to using an LED bulb rather than an incandescent or fluorescent bulb, LEDs have a number of drawbacks that have prevented them from being as widely adopted as incandescent and fluorescent replacements. One drawback is that an LED, being a semiconductor, generally cannot be allowed to get hotter than approximately 120° C. As an example, A-type LED bulbs have been limited to very low power (i.e., less than approximately 8 W), producing insufficient illumination for incandescent or fluorescent replacements.
One approach to alleviating the heat problem of LED bulbs is to use a thermally conductive liquid to cool the LEDS. To facilitate thermal dissipation, it may be advantageous to increase the thermal paths from the LED to the environment.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to strip-line-type circuits, more particularly to loop transmission lines as shunt capacitors used in such circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
Capacitors are one of the basic building blocks for electronic and microwave circuits. In microwave engineering, strip-line-type circuits, including microstrip, strip-line, and multi-layer circuits, can use large metal conductor patches to approximate shunt capacitors. Such patch capacitors can be found, for example, in bias networks of amplifiers, microstrip low pass filters, and matching networks.
As with parallel plate capacitors, the capacitance realized from conductive patches on a microstrip circuit is directly proportional to the area of the patches and the dielectric constant of the substrate. Examples of microstrip patch capacitors are shown in FIG. 1. These patch capacitors can occupy a significant amount of surface area, depending on the amount of capacitance required and the type of the substrate used. Use of conductive patch shunt capacitors thus places significant limitations on the layout flexibility and minimum sizes of circuits.
It is thus desirable to construct shunt capacitors that offer more layout options or potential for more compact circuit design or both. The present invention is directed to achieve one or more of these goals.
In accordance with the principles of the invention, a strip-line-type circuit includes a shunt capacitor that includes a closed conductive loop. The circuit may further include a transmission line connected to the closed conductive loop. The transmission line may be connected to the closed conductive loop at two nodes, in which case the closed conductive loop is divided into two segments, connected in parallel at the two nodes. The impedance of one of the two segments may be substantially larger than the impedance of the other segment, as in the case, for example, where one segment is substantially longer than the other.
The closed conductive loop may be a layer of conductive thin-film pattern formed on a layer of dielectric material, including a loop made of a superconductor such as YBa2Cu3O7-d (YBCO) formed on a magnesium oxide, sapphire or lanthanum aluminate substrate.
The circuit may be a multi-layer circuit in which the closed conductive loop extends to multiple layers of conductive patterns.
The closed loop may take on a variety of shapes, including circular, rectangular and swirl shapes.
More particularly, the circuit may be a filter that includes an inductor with each of its ends connected to a closed conductive loop that acts as a shunt capacitor. The filter may include multiple inductors connected in series, with the junctions between the inductors connected to shunt capacitors realized by closed conductive loops.
The filter may be constructed from a variety of materials, including the above-listed examples. For example, the filter may a band-stop filter having five or more poles constructed from YBCO film on a magnesium oxide substrate no larger than about 50 mm in any dimension.


Ambrisentan, a potent selective endothelin receptor antagonist, is utilized for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. It blocks the endothelin receptor on vascular smooth muscle cells and cardiac myocytes, preventing vasoconstriction and smooth muscle proliferation.
Ambrisentan is marketed under the trade name Letairis™ or Volibris®. Ambrisentan is chemically known as (S)-2-((4,6-dimethylpyrimidin-2-yl)oxy)-3-methoxy-3,3-diphenyl propanoic acid and has the structural formula as shown in formula (I).

U.S. Pat. No. 5,703,017 broadly discloses several molecules generally, which are 3-(Het) aryl carboxylic acid derivatives. The compounds disclosed also include Ambrisentan. In the specification, synthetic schemes for preparation of the molecules and for their intermediates are disclosed. The general methods of preparation involve coupling the epoxide of formula III (for example, with R═COOR) with alcohols or thiols of formula IV according to the following scheme:

U.S. Pat. No. 7,109,205 discloses and claims Ambrisentan. The patent also discloses the process for the preparation of Ambrisentan as per a similar scheme as in the above patent. This specification also discloses the preparation of Ambrisentan according to the above process.
This patent also describes the preparation in laboratory scale of (S)-2-hydroxy-3-methoxy-3,3-diphenylpropanoic acid (compound V) by resolution of the corresponding racemate using L-proline methyl ester and (S)-1-(4-nitrophenyl)ethylamine. By this resolution, yield of 35% based on the racemate and an optical purity of 99.8% were achieved.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,559,338 describe a process of resolution of 2-hydroxypropanoic acid by using an optically active base (S)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethylamine and then one of the diastereomeric salts formed is separated off. However the optically active base used here is very expensive and would not be preferable for large-scale production. Additionally, the objective of this resolution has not been clearly defined.
However, the U.S. Pat. No. 6,559,338 also state that, it has been found that when this described reaction step was scaled up (several kg to 100 kg), additional working steps became necessary in order to ensure a high optical purity. The diastereomeric salt of (S)-2-hydroxypropanoic acid and (S)-1-(4-nitrophenyl)ethylamine crystallizes with difficulty and therefore cannot be filtered off readily either, so that some of the mother liquor remains in the crystals together with the enantiomer to be separated off. Only when the crystals were additionally stirred in the tank together with fresh solvent, and when the crystals that had been filtered off are copiously rewashed, the required optical purity was obtained.
Therefore, the present invention provides a process for resolution of racemic 2-hydroxy-3-methoxy-3,3-diphenylpropanoic acid (VIII) that does not have the above-mentioned disadvantages but can readily be carried out on an industrial scale.
In addition, the inventors of the present invention surprisingly found the improved resolution of the racemate compound (VIII) by reacting the racemic acid with a suitable optically active amine and subsequently separating off the diastereomeric salt with high chiral purity. Additionally the same diastereomeric salt can further be utilized for the preparation of Ambrisentan.
Thus, the present invention discloses an improved process for preparing Ambrisentan. The present invention discloses an improved process for preparing Ambrisentan wherein the chiral amine base used as resolving agent, provides a novel intermediate that is used in preparation of Ambrisentan of high enantiomeric purity.
WO2010017918 disclosed the amorphous form of Ambrisentan and process for the preparation of thereof. It is well known that amorphous forms have several limitations in terms of stability, processability etc. thereby making the crystalline form of any compound more preferable. The present inventors have surprisingly found a new crystalline form of Ambrisentan which is stable, easily processable & can be used to obtain the commercial form of Ambrisentan in chirally and chemically pure form.


1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus such as an ink jet type printer, and a medium loading device provided in the recording apparatus.
2. Related Art
Generally, as a kind of recording apparatus, an ink jet type printer is widely known. This kind of printer performs printing by supplying ink into a recording head and ejecting the supplied ink from a nozzle of the recording head toward a recording medium. Some printers of this kind use large-size roll paper as the recording medium (see, for example, JP-A-2009-23171).
In the printer according to JP-A-2009-23171, for preparation of printing, a roll assembly formed by integrating a roll of a long recording medium that is rolled into a roll, a pair of flanges attached to both end sections of the roll, and a spindle member inserted into the center of the roll is loaded into a loading portion.
In the printer according to JP-A-2009-23171, for loading the roll assembly into the loading portion, the roll assembly is temporarily placed on a temporary placement portion, and is subsequently moved by being rotated on a surface of a guide portion so that the roll assembly may be transferred to the loading portion. Thus, there is a problem that, when loading the roll assembly into the loading portion, the roll assembly may become unstable.
Similar problems may occur not only in the above-described ink jet type printer but also in all kinds of recording apparatuses that use a roll assembly.


1. Field of the Invention
Disclosed herein is a flashing beacon. More specifically, disclosed herein is a flashing beacon that may be positioned on most any roadway sign or signpost, and that may include a signal unit, a control unit, a solar collector, an activation device (e.g., a timer, microwave emitter, radio transmitter, step-pad, a pushbutton, infrared transmitter, wireless transmitter or like device) and various other accessories.
2. Reference to Related Art
According to the U.S. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, flasher mechanisms associated with traffic control signs (e.g., a yield or crosswalk sign) must be positioned on the sign (or signpost) so that flashing signal is about 12 feet above the pavement. The flashing signal must also be programmed or otherwise set to flash continuously at a rate of not less than 50 nor more than 60 times per minute. See MUTCD, Section 4D.11. However, while the guidelines set forth in the uniform regulations are intended to provide a visible warning to drivers, recent testing has suggested that only a small percentage of the public responds to flashing signals that operate according to the uniform regulations. Specifically, recent testing has suggest that only 25% of the public complies with or otherwise responds to flashing signals associated with roadway signage. Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved flashing beacon system that may be used with existing or future roadway signage to garner a greater response from the vehicle driving public.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to apparatus and methods for obtaining core samples from subterranean formations. More specifically, it pertains to apparatus and methods for obtaining core samples from the bottom of a well bore, primarily in producing and exploring for oil and gas or other minerals. In particular, the present invention is directed to apparatus and methods for obtaining pressurized core samples and raising them to the surface of the well without losing liquids and gases contained therein and without creating an overpressured and potentially dangerous core barrel.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
It has long been a practice in drilling of oil and gas wells to monitor or examine the subterranean formations in which the well is being drilled by obtaining a core sample at the bottom of the well bore. Customarily, a core is obtained by drilling an annulus at the bottom of the well bore, leaving a cylindrical core section extending upwardly within a core barrel of some type. The core section or sample is then broken off and retrieved to the surface for examination and analysis. In the past, such coring was done by cable tool devices or by removing the drill string with the core sample captured therein. The core sample is of course initially at the bottom of the well where it may be under very high formation pressures. In core devices of the prior art, the natural pressure within the core is reduced as the core is brought to the surface until it is essentially at atmospheric pressure. As this pressure is reduced, it is probable that much of the liquids and gas, which are naturally captured in the core, will be released so that once the core reaches the surface, it is difficult to determine what may have been contained in the strata at the bottom of the hole.
Because of the problems associated with losing formation pressure, core barrel devices have been developed which capture the core at the bottom of the well, then seal it within a pressurized barrel for removal to the surface. One such cable device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,347,726. Other pressure capturing core barrel devices for attachment to the lower end of a drill string are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,064,742; 3,146,837; and 3,454,117. However, since the pressure at the bottom of a well hole may be extremely high, e.g. 10,000 p.s.i., the core in such an assembly may be encapsulated in a cylinder which is potentially a bomb when it reaches the surface. It may be hazardous to disassemble and requires extremely careful handling at the surface with specialized equipment.
In recent years, one or two core sampling devices have been developed which totally capture a pressurized sample, but allows for some reduction of pressure within the core barrel as it is raised to the surface so that when the core sample reaches the surface, it is at a much more practical pressure for working with, yet retains the liquids and gases present in the sampled strata. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,287,909 (Sewell). In Sewell, a rubber sleeve, silfon bellows, rubber baloon or other type of expansion member is provided in fluid communication with the chamber in which the core sample is received. However, the type of expansion members disclosed in Sewell are of relatively small volume and are not suitable for the high pressure formations encountered in modern drilling practice. It is not uncommon to encounter formations in which gas or vapors therein will expand several hundred times at atmospheric pressure. The coring device of Sewell could not accommodate such expansion and would probably fail well before reaching the surface.
While othbrs may have attempted to develop coring apparatus suitable for capturing high pressure core samples for sealed retrieval to the surface, while allowing the pressure within the device to be reduced as it is brought to the surface of the well. Since such sampling apparatus and methods are highly desired for proper sampling and analysis, the search will undoubtedly continue to overcome the disadvantages of coring apparatus and methods of the prior art.


Internet access has advanced from the early dialup system to take advantage of improving wired and wireless technologies. High capacity data networks are currently offered over cable, fiber connections, and wireless networks. For example, cellular systems operate 3 G and 4 G networks that utilize new and efficient protocols, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) and Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMAN) among others to provide increasing bandwidth and coverage.
These improvements in throughput are, however, being matched by increasing demand for services such as audio and video streaming, Internet protocol (IP) television, and games that use the IP to provide significant volumes of data at the highest rates possible. The current standards for multimedia streaming, such as Microsoft Adaptive/Smooth streaming and Apple's HTTP Live Streaming, require additional power and bandwidth for each stream.
The challenge for IP service providers is to deliver as many services and to support as many customers as possible at a competitive price. The price to the subscriber of an IP service is directly related to the investment in infrastructure needed to provide a satisfactory and competitive service.
Wired network access devices may be configured to access bandwidth that is provided by the wired service provider and wireless bandwidth that is provided by a wireless service provider or that is more generally accessible and relatively inexpensive or free (a wired device with this capability may be referred to herein as a “wired multi-network device”). Wireless devices are increasingly able to access bandwidth that is provided by the wireless service provider and other wireless bandwidth that is relatively inexpensive or free (a wireless device with this capability may be referred to herein as a “wireless multi-network device”).
The most prevalent protocol currently used to provide the non-service provider wireless connectivity is “WiFi.” A multi-network device (wired or wireless) may communicate over one or more service provider networks (wired or wireless) and over wireless access points that may be located in homes, offices or at so-called “hotspots.” When connecting to an access point, the multi-network device is in an “infrastructure mode.”
Multi-network devices may also have the ability to communicate directly with each other or with a group of devices. This mode of communication is referred to as “ad-hoc” or “peer-to-peer” mode. For example, a group of WiFi devices may form a “mesh” network or a “peer-to-peer” network. In this mode, there is no master base station or access point.
For wireless multi-network devices, the WiFi capability provides an alternative network connection when the device is near a WiFi access point (AP) to off-load the mobile network traffic from the relatively more expensive wireless service provider network. However, the off-loading of network traffic from the wireless service provider does little to improve the overall throughput of the service provider network in the face of demands for large data files.


The applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,778 describes a method of operating a two-stroke or two cycle high torque and high speed gasoline or diesel fueled multi-cylinder internal combustion engine utilizing an air blower or turbo charger combination connected in series, and having a new and improved design of the internal moving parts, more specifically the scavenging valves which are opened and closed by the wide area of cam lobes of a cam shaft and related mechanisms all assembled in the cylinder head. Also of importance is the piston assembly having a novel feature of design. A recirculating type constant pressure lubrication system is used to lubricate all the vital and critical moving parts, making this invention an efficient device.


Conventionally, barcodes have been used as measures for providing paper or plastic media with specific information and recognizing the information automatically. For commodity management and logistics, information of barcodes provided on commodities is read by using a barcode reader such as a laser scanner and a CCD camera. Coming up in these years is a new type of barcode reader that scans a whole surface of an ID card for capturing an image and recognizes a barcode based on the image, while a personal number being recorded as the barcode on the ID card. For this type of barcode reader, it is important to accurately detect a barcode symbol from a 2D image space. Some detection methods are known for the detecting process (Refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2).
In a process of Patent Document 1, by using a degree of similarity of derivatives of scanning lines parallel in a local region of an image space as an evaluation value, it is judged whether the region includes a barcode image or not. The derivatives are derived by differential operation. Meanwhile, in a process of Patent Document 2, a differential waveform of a candidate area possibly including a barcode is calculated for quantifying some feature quantities included in the waveform, and it is judged according to the quantified values whether the region includes a barcode image or not. Also in the latter case, the differential waveform is calculated by differential operation.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 4-225487
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-252897
Unfortunately, the processes disclosed by Patent Documents 1 and 2 require complicated calculations including differential operations for identifying a position of a barcode symbol, as described above, so that a lot of computations are needed. That may result in an obstacle to process time shortening. Meanwhile, a high-performance arithmetic element can be used for shortening the process time. However, such an arithmetic element is costly, and may lead to an increased cost of the entire reader as a result.


In many applications, such as radar warning receivers (RWRs), there is a need to detect short-pulse signals with high probability.
Frequency-swept detectors and spectrum monitors are not well-suited to being short-pulse signal detectors since they suffer low dwell times in each frequency band.
Short-pulse signals can be detected using a digital instantaneous frequency measurement (IFM) technique based on an analogue frequency discriminator and reference is made to P. L. Herselman and J. E. Cilliers: “A Digital Instantaneous Frequency Measurement Technique using High-Speed Analogue-to-Digital Converters and Field Programmable Gate Arrays” (2007). A conventional frequency discriminator typically comprises a splitter, a delay line, a mixer and a low-pass filter. Using the splitter, delay line and mixer, an input signal is mixed with a delayed copy. The product is fed through a low-pass filter. The frequency of a single input tone can be found using a look-up table. However, one drawback of such a system is that it can “blinded” by an extra input tone. Another drawback is that such a system tends to suffer from having a limited dynamic range.
US 2011/0053538 A1 describes a high-speed frequency sensor. The sensor comprises a plurality of filters allowing passage of signals over a different band of frequencies and a plurality of detectors, each associated with a respective filter. If the incident RF signal results in a signal in the band of frequencies passed by a particular filter, the detector associated with that filter generates an output signal. This indicates in which of the frequency bands the incident RF signal has been detected. The precision of the frequency estimate is limited to one bin per filter, that is, the sensor determines only a range of frequencies within which the single frequency exists, the range being equal to the band of frequencies passed by the filter.


Laundry washing machines are used in many single-family and multi-family residential applications to clean clothes and other fabric items. Due to the wide variety of items that may need to be cleaned by a laundry washing machine, many laundry washing machines provide a wide variety of user-configurable settings to control various aspects of a wash cycle such as water temperatures and/or amounts, agitation, soaking, rinsing, spinning, etc. The settings cycle can have an appreciable effect on washing performance, as well as on energy and/or water consumption, so it is generally desirable for the settings used by a laundry washing machine to appropriately match the needs of each load washed by the machine.
Some laundry washing machines also support user selection of load types, typically based on the types of fabrics and/or items in the load. Some laundry washing machines, for example, have load type settings such as colors, whites, delicates, cottons, permanent press, towels, bedding, heavily soiled items, etc. These manually-selectable load types generally represent specific combinations of settings that are optimized for particular load types so that a user is not required to select individual values for each of the controllable settings of a laundry washing machine.
While manual load type selection in many cases simplifies a user's interaction with a laundry washing machine, such manual selection still can lead to suboptimal performance due to, for example, user inattentiveness or lack of understanding. Therefore, a significant need continues to exist in the art for a manner of optimizing the performance of a laundry washing machine for different types of loads, as well as reducing the burden on users when interacting with a laundry washing machine.


Certain entities, such as large corporations, government agencies, or universities, may maintain a backbone network (also referred to as a “computer network”) to interconnect entity assets. For example, a corporate backbone network may be used to connect different data centers maintained by a corporation. Backbone networks may additionally include one or more points of presence for connecting the backbone network to the Internet. Backbones networks are themselves made up of connectivity devices, such as hubs, switches, and routers, as well as cables to connect the connectivity devices. These components of the backbone network provide the network capacity by which the network demand between assets (e.g., from data center to data center) may be satisfied.
To increase backbone network capacity, an entity's network planners may engage in both short-term operational planning and long-term strategic planning. In the short-term, network planners may, for example, acquire additional capacity from an existing cable in the backbone network that has unused capacity, such as by paying for increased cable capacity. In the long-term, network planners may utilize new cables in the backbone network, thereby adding new routes between data centers in the network or augmenting existing routes between data centers.
Traditionally, the long-term planning done by network planners has been driven by the availability of new supply. That is, as new cables have been laid, network planners have had to decide whether to negotiate for use of the new cables, either through leasing access to the cables or joining a consortium of entities that manage the cable. These decisions have typically been made by network planners based on the current network demands of their backbone networks. In other words, the decisions behind long-term strategic planning have been made by network planners based primarily on the state of the backbone network at that particular time. Such limited input into long-term decision making is inherently inefficient, and risks the ability of the backbone network to meet future network demands. The currently available tools for network planning are inefficient. The planning of network can include planning a transport layer of the network, e.g., physical link layer such as laying of fiber optics, their capacities, and an Internet Protocol (IP) layer, e.g., placement of routers in the network, how the routers have to be connected. The current tools typically facilitate planning one layer or the other and do not support multi-layer planning. It would therefore be beneficial to facilitate strategic planning of a backbone network.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna device capable of transmitting and receiving radio signals in a plurality of frequency bands, and a communication terminal apparatus including such an antenna device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a communication terminal apparatus including a mobile phone, for example, such a loop antenna as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-43826 may be utilized. This loop antenna is configured by a looped-shaped conductor having one end as a power feed end and the other end as a ground end, and having an entire length of one wavelength. This loop antenna suppresses gain reduction even when being used in proximity to a human body, and exhibits excellent radiation characteristics.
In recent years, there is a need for a communication terminal apparatus to accommodate a plurality of frequency bands. For example, a communication terminal apparatus accommodating a penta-band of GSM (registered trademark; Global System for Mobile communication) 850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, and UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) is required to accommodate a relatively wider band of 824 to 960 MHz (Low Band) and 1710 to 2170 MHz (High Band).
According to the loop antenna for accommodating such a relatively wider band, as shown in FIG. 1A, three resonances (resonance 1, resonance 2 and resonance 3) are used to cover a plurality of frequency bands. In other words, resonance 1 forms a passband in a Low Band while resonance 2 and resonance 3 form a band in a High Band.
As shown in FIG. 1B, resonance 1 is caused by fundamental waves in the odd mode, and shows a resonance mode having monopole-type current distribution in which the intermediate point of loop antenna 101 is defined as an electric field maximum point. Resonance 2 occurs in the even mode, and shows a resonance mode having dipole-type current distribution in which there are two electric field maximum points on loop antenna 101. Resonance 3 is caused by harmonics in the odd mode, and shows a resonance mode having current distribution as shown in the figure in which there are three electric field maximum points on loop antenna 101. In this case, the “odd mode” represents a mode in the state where the current direction from the power feed end to the radiation element and the current direction from the ground end to the radiation element are aligned with each other. The “even mode” represents a mode in the state where the current direction from the power feed end to the radiation element and the current direction from the ground end to the radiation element are opposite to each other.
The resonance frequency of each resonance can be determined by the size of loop antenna 101. On the other hand, when this resonance frequency is controlled in a matching circuit, it is conceivable to implement a configuration in which an inductance element L1 and an inductance element L2 are loaded at the power feed end and the ground end, respectively, of the antenna, as shown in FIG. 1C.
However, when inductance elements are loaded in this way to adjust the frequency, the amount of change in each resonance frequency is increased as the frequency is higher. In other words, by the method of simply loading an inductance element, it is difficult to independently control the resonance frequency for each resonance mode.


This invention relates to a device (hereinafter referred to as a “support adaptor assembly”) which can be fitted to a pressing device (hereinafter referred to as a “bearing press”) used for removing or for fitting press-fitted components such as bearings, gears, pulleys, pins, bushes and seals.
Conventional bearing presses comprise a support frame having a base section, two spaced apart elongate side members extending upwards from the base section, and a fixed mounting member to which is connected a mechanically or hydraulically operated pressing device. Attached to the elongate side members of the support frame by pins or bolts, are two parallel, horizontal, spaced apart support members used to support a component to which pressure is applied by operation of the pressing device.
There are many variations of this configuration, but all known prior art bearing presses have two parallel, horizontal, spaced apart support members, above which is mounted a pressing device.
In use, an object requiring assembly or dismantling of press-fitted components, is placed on the support members of the bearing press, or on plates supported by the support members of the bearing press, so that the pressing device can be operated to apply vertical, downward pressure on the object to remove or replace the press fitted components. In order to prevent damage to components and injury to the operator of the bearing press, the component to which pressure is applied must be on a horizontal plane relative to the vertical direction of the downward pressing force.
There are, however, some objects with press-fitted components, which cannot be correctly aligned with a horizontal plane or supported on the support members of a bearing press for the following reasons:                a) the object may be too long to fit between the pressing device and the horizontal support members of the bearing press. Even when the support members have a means of height adjustment, this is often a difficult and time consuming process;        b) the object may be too wide to fit between the horizontal support members of the bearing press;        c) the object may be of an irregular shape which does not allow it to be supported in such a way that places the component to be fitted or removed with a horizontal plane relative to the vertical direction of the downward pressing force;        d) the object may comprise two components of similar width or diameter which are press fitted together and must be separated by use of a pressing force for repairs.


The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for performing flow cytometry, and more particularly to such methods and systems that allow performing in-vivo flow cytometry in a live subject without extracting blood.
Many current techniques for detecting and quantifying various cell types circulating within a subject require extracting a blood sample from the subject followed by analysis of the extracted blood. For example, one such conventional method includes withdrawing a blood sample, fluorescently labeling specific cell populations ex vivo with antibody-targeted fluorescent markers, and passing those cells through a flow stream to be interrogated by a light source (typically a laser). Fluorescence and light scattering signals emitted, or reemitted, by the cells in response to the interrogating light can be employed to determine the types and the number of cells. Automated hematology analyzers can separate and count blood cell populations based on their size/volume characteristics in addition to their light scattering properties. Another blood analysis method, known as hemocytometry, is based on counting cells against a grid while being viewed with a microscope.
These techniques, though useful, require invasive blood withdrawal and hence are not particularly suited for continuous, real-time monitoring of the circulation. Further, blood withdrawal can be difficult in certain patient populations, e.g., children and psychiatric patients. In addition, such blood withdrawal can expose patients to various risks, such as infection and/or anemia. For example, in patients with low blood volume (e.g., newborns and premature infants), blood loss due to phlebotomy for common tests can equal as much as 45% of the total blood volume. Hence, diagnostic blood withdrawal is among the leading causes of anemia in neonates, which can lead to the need for frequent transfusion or erythropoietin treatment. Further, for monitoring patients for potential infection or in diseases such as leukemia and other types of cancer, frequent monitoring of the white blood cell count (WBC) can be beneficial but is currently not practical due to the frequency of blood withdrawal required. Additionally, blood withdrawal can be dangerous in immune-compromised patients, such as AIDS patients, transplant patients, or patients undergoing chemotherapy, as the skin penetration for extracting blood carries an inherent risk of infection.
Some methods for performing in-vivo flow cytometry have also been proposed previously. These methods typically utilize fluorescent antibodies or fluorescent proteins, such as green and red fluorescent proteins (e.g., GFP and DsRed), for labeling cells. However, fluorescent antibodies and fluorescent proteins are not approved for human use and require either genetic manipulation or intravenous injection. As such, the applicability of such methods can be limited.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods and systems for performing flow cytometry in vivo, and particularly for such methods and systems that would allow non-invasive, real-time, continuous monitoring of cell populations in circulating blood.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inverted pendulum type vehicle capable of traveling on a floor surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has conventionally been known an inverted pendulum type vehicle in which a rider mounting section tiltable relative to the vertical direction is attached to a base body, to which a travel operation unit that travels on a floor surface and an actuator that drives the travel operation unit are installed (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-068165).
A rider of the inverted pendulum type vehicle moves the vehicle by moving his/her weight or by operating an operation unit, such as a joystick. It requires, however, a certain level of skill to move the inverted pendulum type vehicle exactly as the rider intends. Hence, it has been difficult for a beginner, who is not experienced with the operation, to operate the inverted pendulum type vehicle as he or she intends.


This specification relates to scoring images that are related to particular entities.
The Internet provides access to a wide variety of resources, for example, webpages, images, audio files, and videos. A variety of search engines are available for identifying particular resources accessible over the Internet. For example, digital images that satisfy a user's informational need can be identified by an image search process in which keywords or other data are processed to identify collections of digital images. Each image is identified to the user by an image search result. The image search result may include a thumbnail of an image to which it links.
Search results generated by a search engine are generally ranked and presented to a user in an ordered list of search results. The rankings may be based on how the search engine determines the relevance of resources specified by the search results to a particular query issued by the user.
A very common entity that people search for is a person. Thus, users use search engines to identify images associated with a particular person. The images associated with the particular person typically are images that depict the face of the particular person.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to measurement and data acquisition systems and, more particularly, to programmable gain instrumentation amplifier (PGIA) design.
2. Description of the Related Art
Scientists and engineers often use measurement systems to perform a variety of functions, including measurement of a physical phenomena or unit under test (UUT), test and analysis of physical phenomena, process monitoring and control, control of mechanical or electrical machinery, data logging, laboratory research, and analytical chemistry, to name a few examples.
A typical measurement system comprises a computer system with a measurement device or measurement hardware. The measurement device may be a computer-based instrument, a data acquisition device or board, a programmable logic device (PLD), an actuator, or other type of device for acquiring or generating data. The measurement device may be a card or board plugged into one of the I/O slots of the computer system, or a card or board plugged into a chassis, or an external device. For example, in a common measurement system configuration, the measurement hardware is coupled to the computer system through a PCI bus, PXI (PCI extensions for Instrumentation) bus, a GPIB (General-Purpose Interface Bus), a VXI (VME extensions for Instrumentation) bus, a serial port, parallel port, or Ethernet port of the computer system. Optionally, the measurement system includes signal conditioning devices which receive the field signals and condition the signals to be acquired.
A measurement system may typically include transducers, sensors, or other detecting means for providing “field” electrical signals representing a process, physical phenomena, equipment being monitored or measured, etc. The field signals are provided to the measurement hardware. In addition, a measurement system may also typically include actuators for generating output signals for stimulating a unit under test.
Measurement systems, which may also be generally referred to as data acquisition systems, may include the process of converting a physical phenomenon (such as temperature or pressure) into an electrical signal and measuring the signal in order to extract information. PC-based measurement and data acquisition (DAQ) systems and plug-in boards are used in a wide range of applications in the laboratory, in the field, and on the manufacturing plant floor.
In a measurement or data acquisition process, analog signals may be received by a digitizer, which may reside in a DAQ device or instrumentation device. The analog signals may be received from a sensor, converted to digital data (possibly after being conditioned) by an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), and transmitted to a computer system for storage and/or analysis. When a measurement system generates an analog output signal, the computer system may generate digital signals that are provided to one or more digital to analog converters (DACs) in the DAQ device. The DACs convert the digital signal to an analog output signal that is used, e.g., to stimulate a UUT.
The input stage of many measurement devices (e.g., a DAQ device) typically consists of one or more instrumentation amplifiers. Generally, analog signals that are received at a DAQ device are first routed from a particular channel via a multiplexer. The signals may then enter an instrumentation amplifier, typically a programmable gain instrumentation amplifier (PGIA). A distinctive feature of an instrumentation amplifier is that it provides very high input impedance and gain. A PGIA typically applies a specified amount of gain to an input signal, which amplifies or attenuates the signal and ensures proper A/D conversion. The PGIA may also convert differential input signals applied to the DAQ board to a single-ended output so that the ADC can correctly digitize the data.
As the resolution and speed of ADCs increase, the accuracy, noise, and speed requirements on PGIAs may similarly increase. Some common PGIA designs may not be able to meet the additional requirements. One conventional design is a three op-amp PGIA design. This design may suffer from a decrease in bandwidth as the gain is increased. Its accuracy and linearity may also suffer at high gains due to the reduction of negative feedback necessary to effect higher gain. Also, the rejection of common-mode signals may be limited by resistor matching.
Other PGIA designs typically suffer from output offset errors and drifts due to matching errors between multiple DC current sources and mirrors. These current sources and mirrors may also contribute a significant amount of output-referred noise. Also, in most PGIA designs, as more components are added to the input stage, the settling time of the overall amplifier may suffer significantly. Each component may introduce additional delays due to parasitics, some of which exhibit dielectric absorption effects, and therefore may change the overall time constants and step response of the amplifier. Moreover, device tolerances, mismatches, and any asymmetrical topology in the PGIA may result in a relatively low common mode rejection ration (CMRR).
Furthermore, PGIAs may be susceptible to overload-induced errors, such as saturation recovery time or excessive current draw. Insufficiently protected PGIAs may pass along overload conditions to the next stage of circuitry, typically the ADC, which may not be designed to handle such overload conditions.


1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the decoding of radiofrequency transmission channels conveying coded digital information.
The invention thus applies advantageously to digital terrestrial television, that is to say using signals transmitted between television antennas, as defined, for example, in the European DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting-terrestrial) or in the North-American ATSC (Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service Digital TV) specification, or to digital cable television, as defined, for example, in the European DVB-C (Digital Video Broadcasting-cable) or in the North-American ITU-J83 Annex A/B/C/D (International Telecommunication Union) specification, all these telebroadcasts being based on the MPEG transmission standards, and use for example to convey information, quadrature digital modulation, or else modulation of the COFDM type according to terminology well known to the person skilled in the art.
The invention also relates in particular to tuners.
2. Description of Related Art
The television signals received at the input of a tuner of a receiver are composed of the entire set of channels transmitted that lie in the 45 MHz-860 MHz frequency band. The objective of the tuner is to select the desired channel and to output a baseband signal on the in-phase path (I path) and on the quadrature path (Q path). This signal is thereafter converted into a digital signal and demodulated. The channel decoding processing thereafter also comprises a block which distinguishes, typically by means of majority logic, zeros from ones, then performs all the error correction, that is to say typically a Viterbi decoding, the interleaving, Reed-Solomon decoding and deshuffling. The channel decoding device outputs packets that are decoded in a conventional manner in a source decoding device in accordance with the MPEG standards so as to reoutput the initial audio and video signals transmitted via antennas or via the cable.
Current studies are aimed at researching ever more integrated solutions for the embodiment of digital terrestrial or cable television receivers. However, this research hits technological difficulties related to the embodiment of the means making it possible, on the one hand, to correctly discern a channel from the entire set of channels present, and, on the other hand, to correctly discriminate the signal from noise. Specifically, whereas in digital satellite television, all the channels have nearly the same power, this is not the case in particular in digital terrestrial television. Thus, it is for example possible to have adjacent channels exhibiting a very high power with respect to the desired channel, for example a difference in power of the order of 40 dB. It is therefore necessary to be able to ensure rejection of 40 dB on the adjacent channels. Moreover, the specification imposes a signal/noise ratio of the order of 30 dB. Hence, in the worst case, it is therefore essential for it to be possible to bring the level of an adjacent channel to 70 dB below its input level. This results in extremely significant constraints on the filters, this being extremely constraining in respect of integrated solutions.
There exists a need to solve this problem. More specifically, there is a need for a totally integrated solution for the tuner, given the characteristics of digital television signals, in particular terrestrial ones, exhibiting more significant rejection constraints than digital cable television signals.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjusting apparatus for automatically adjusting positional deviation of stereoscopic images by means of geometrical image transformation processes.
2. Discussion of the Background Art
In recent years, a stereoscopic vehicle surrounding monitoring apparatus using a pair of left and right cameras (stereoscopic camera having solid image element like CCD) mounted on the vehicle has been interested by automobile engineers. To detect a distance to an object, first respective picture element blocks having coincidence of brightness are found in left and right images (stereo matching), then distance data are calculated according to the principle of triangulation from a parallax, namely a relative deviation amount, between both picture element blocks. Consequently, in order to calculate distance data with high reliability, it is desirable that there exists no positional deviation other than the parallax in a pair of left and right images (stereoscopic images). In actual world, however, the stereoscopic camera has some amount of positional error caused when the camera is installed on the vehicle.
With respect to this, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Toku-Kai-Hei 10-307352 discloses a technology in which the positional deviation of the stereoscopic camera is corrected by applying a geometric transformation to the stereoscopic image. That is, when an initial adjustment of the positional deviation is made or when a readustment of the positional deviation generated by aged deterioration is made, a dedicated correction detecting device is connected with an image correction apparatus performing the affine transformation to calculate the difference of angle of view, a rotational deviation or a parallel deviation of the stereoscopic image obtained by imaging a specified pattern for adjustment and to establish (reestablish) parameters of the affine transfomation according to the result of the calculation. The positional deviation is equivalently corrected by applying the affine transformation to images based on thus established affine parameters.
However, according to the prior art, a special adjustment pattern is imaged by the stereoscopic camera and the deviation is corrected based on the position of the pattern in images. Accordingly, when the correction is performed, it is necessary to interrupt the ordinary surroundings monitoring control and as a result this prior art is not suitable for a real time processing in which the monitoring control is carried out concurrently.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an adjusting apparatus capable of correcting the positional deviation of stereoscopic images in real time in parallel with the surroundings monitoring control.
In order to attain the object, a positional deviation adjusting apparatus of a stereoscopic camera taking a first image or a reference image and a second image or a comparison image, comprises an image correcting means for transforming an image geometrically according to transformation parameters, a reference area establishing means for establishing a plurality of reference areas in a first image transformed by the image correcting means, a reference point establishing means for establishing a reference point in the reference area for each of the reference points, a reference line establishing means for establishing a reference line passing through the reference points, a searching area establishing means for establishing a searching area corresponding to the reference area in a second image, a correlation point identifying means for identifying a correlation point having a correlation with the reference point for each of the searching areas, an approximation line calculating means for calculating an approximation line based on the correlation points and a parameter correcting means for correcting the transformation parameters such that the approximation line coincides with the reference line.


1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a knitting machine with at least one guide bar, which is moveable by a shogging drive in a shogging direction and by a swing-through drive perpendicular to the shogging direction.
2. Discussion of Background Information
In the production of a knitted article in a knitting machine, guides must be guided around needles in order to produce a loop formation. The guides are thereby attached to the guide bar. The sequence of movements of the guide bar is therefore controlled such that in a loop formation the guide bar is moved once back and once forth in a shogging direction. Thus, the shogging direction is the direction that corresponds to the longitudinal extension of the guide bar, i.e., the direction in which all of the guides of the guide bar are arranged one behind the other. The guide bar is additionally moved perpendicular to the shogging direction between the forth (forward) movement and the back movement. A movement perpendicular to the shogging direction is likewise necessary between the back movement and the forth movement of the following loop formation operation.
The movement perpendicular to the shogging direction is often caused in that the guide bar is attached to a suspension shaft, which is rotated back and forth via a machine transmission. The shogging movement is controlled by a shogging drive, which moves the guide bar back and forth. The shogging drive is responsible among other things for the patterning, i.e., how large the lift of the guide bar is in each case in a loop formation operation is controlled with the aid of the shogging drive.
A known method for controlling the shogging movement of the guide bar in a knitting machine is to use a pattern disk against which a contact roller bears. The contact roller is connected to a shogging slider. A ball pin is provided at the other end of the shogging slider, which ball pin is in engagement with a push rod, which in turn is in engagement with a ball pin on the guide bar. The push rod has ball sockets at both of its ends. The ball pins are thus hinge-mounted in the ball sockets. Thus, it is possible to also drive the guide bar through the pattern disk when it performs a swing-through motion perpendicular to the shogging direction. Through the two ball pin/ball socket bearings, the push rod compensates for the different distances that result between the front and the rear swing-through position on the one hand and the center position on the other hand.
In order to compensate for these changes caused by the swing-through movement of the effective length of the push rod, it has been proposed in DE 41 27 344 A1 to overlap a ground function with a compensation function. This compensation function must be taken into account when producing the pattern disk.
One disadvantage of this approach is still that alternately lateral forces act on the bar. This causes a negative alternating stress on the guide bar guidance and also generates frictional heat and wear in the ball connections. Another disadvantage is that the ball connections can be produced with the necessary precision only with relatively high expenditure. Even with a very precise production, temperature changes, which result, e.g., from the considerable frictional heat in the ball connections, cause division inaccuracies that lead to problems.