Abstract: A lower substrate 3 on which an adhesive 1 has been applied and a liquid crystal material 2 has been deposited is held fixedly by vacuum suction with a suction-holding mechanism 5 within a vacuum chamber C. An upper substrate 6 held fixedly by vacuum suction with a suction-holding mechanism 7 is brought opposite to the lower substrate 3 with a predetermined spacing therebetween, and either or both of the substrates is/are brought in proximity with each other for bringing the upper substrate into contact with the adhesive 1 or the liquid crystal material 2. Both substrates 3, 6 are then moved relative to each other in a direction parallel to the substrate surface for position alignment, and thereafter, the substrates are moved closer to and pressed to each other so that they are affixed together.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 11, 1999
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2001
Assignee:
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Abstract: A method of installing an insert in a sandwich panel for mounting a fastener includes making a hole in the panel and inserting a spacer having a height greater than the thickness of the panel. An entrance rim of the spacer extends above an upper surface of the panel and a setting tool exerts a force on the entrance rim to force it into the hole and to position an upper edge of the entrance rim flush with the panel surface. The spacer can include an annular groove on an interior wall of the entrance rim to facilitate the cold working deformation during an installation in the panel. An outer exterior surface of the entrance rim can be indented and coated with a first sealing compound to ensure a water-tight seal with the panel. A second sealant material can be provided within the entrance rim for sealing with a head of any fastener extending through the spacer. An improved floor panel with spacer is accordingly provided for aircraft.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 3, 1999
Date of Patent:
October 9, 2001
Assignee:
Shur-Lok Corporation
Inventors:
Daniel J. McCorkle, Robert L. Waits, Paul M. Secrets, Faustino Riveron, Jr.
Abstract: An information display system having a housing with a location for receiving a document such as a book is provided. A location detection circuit is mounted on the housing adjacent the document and can determine any subjective selection of a location on the document. The document can have a plurality of indicia. When such indicia is selected, a control circuit can retrieve the information from a read only memory and appropriately display the information in an audible or visual manner.
Abstract: A fluorescent lamp includes an end cap 4 and a fluorescent tube 1 that has electrode seals 22 and 23 at its ends. The end cap 4 is made of synthetic resin and is attached to the fluorescent tube 1 by silicon resin 31. The end cap 4 includes round cavities 26 and 27 for holding the electrode seals 22 and 23 and thermal protection element holders 20 and 21 for holding thermal protection elements 16 and 17 adjacent to the electrode seals 22 and 23. Pillars 28 are provided between the thermal protection element holders 20 and 21 and the round cavities 26 and 27 to support the thermal protection elements 16 and 17. Through holes 29 are provided between the round cavities 26 and 27 and pillars 28.
Abstract: A system and method for improving the accuracy of altitude determinations in an inertial navigation system. The system utilizes pressure measurements which are taken by a barometric altimeter and converted into an estimated pressure altitude using any known pressure-to-altitude conversion. A pressure correction value is then generated using a correction value generating formula that is a function of altitude. The pressure correction value is then multiplied by a pressure offset value for the barometric altimeter to generate a pressure offset error for the barometric altimeter. This pressure offset error is used in the present invention to modify the pressure altitude estimation in order to generate an altitude determination having an improved accuracy. The present invention further determines an amount of observation noise in the barometric altimeter that is a function of pressure noise and altitude, where the altitude estimation is further modified to account for the observation noise.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 24, 2000
Date of Patent:
October 2, 2001
Assignee:
Litton Systems, Inc.
Inventors:
Daniel A. Tazartes, Brian T. Lottman, Dean E. Lottman, John G. Mark
Abstract: An information transmission control apparatus for relaying information that allows a receiver's reply, from an information provider apparatus to a plurality of information reception apparatuses. The information transmission control apparatus sets different delay time for transmitting the information to each destination, based on random numbers or instructions from the information provider apparatus. Each time delay time for any of the destinations has elapsed, the information transmission control apparatus transmits the information to one or more information reception apparatuses that are the destination.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 5, 1998
Date of Patent:
October 2, 2001
Assignee:
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Abstract: A detector assembly for detecting a plurality of different properties at the same location at the same time is provided by integrating onto a single semiconductor substrate a first detector unit for measuring a first property and a second detector unit for measuring a second property. The first and second detector units can share, for example, a common element, such as a sensor device that can provide electrical output signals representative of, respectively, the first property and the second property. The common element can include a diaphragm with a pyroelectric element to provide a measurement of temperature and pressure.
Abstract: A sensor array includes a fiber optic cable and at least one electro-optical conversion unit connected to the cable. The electro-optical conversion unit includes a housing formed of mating upper and lower covers. The housing includes an interior cavity for receiving a phase modulator module, a strength member and an interferometer formed by fibers connected to various splices and couplers in combination with the phase modulator module. The interior of the housing is filled with a fill material for holding the position of optical fibers to thereby protect against environmental factors such as shock and moisture.
Abstract: A broadcast reception apparatus is provided with a reception unit for receiving broadcast data as a transport stream. The transport stream includes video data and a plurality of navigation information sequences. Each navigation information sequence includes navigation information which includes graphics data to be combined with the video data for display. A TS (Transport Stream) decoder unit extracts the video data and navigation information from the transport stream. A reception control unit controls the TS decoder unit so that the TS decoder unit extracts navigation information from a navigation information sequence which is suitable for the the broadcast reception apparatus. A navigation information storage unit stores the navigation information extracted by the TS decoder unit.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 18, 1998
Date of Patent:
September 18, 2001
Assignee:
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Abstract: A program conversion device includes a formal initialization expression generating unit, an actual initialization expression generating unit, and an object generation statement translating unit. The formal initialization expression generating unit focuses on a definition of an object generation function written in a source program and generates, if the object generation function does not perform any processing other than setting values in member variables of an object, a formal initialization expression which is the member variables represented by formal parameters. The actual initialization expression generating unit focuses on an object generation statement and generates, if a formal initialization expression that corresponds to an object generation function to be invoked by the object generation statement has been generated, an actual initialization expression.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 16, 1999
Date of Patent:
September 18, 2001
Assignee:
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a gas discharge panel, where the conversion efficiency of discharge energy into visible rays and the panel brightness are improved, with the color purity being improved as far as possible. To achieve this object, in a gas discharge panel, the pressure of discharge gas is set in a range of 800-4000 Torr, that is higher than a conventional gas pressure. Also, a rare gas mixture including helium, neon, xenon, and argon is used as discharge gas charged into discharge spaces, instead of conventional discharge gas. Here, it is preferable that the proportion of Xe is set to 5% by volume or less, that of Ar 0.5% by volume or less, and that of He under 55% by volume. With this rare gas mixture, the light-emission efficiency is improved, with the firing voltage being suppressed.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 4, 1999
Date of Patent:
September 18, 2001
Assignee:
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Abstract: A “Rendering Process and Method for Digital Map Illumination Intensity Shading” is disclosed that assigns an illumination intensity to pixels in a video display imaging a mapped terrain. The process comprises the steps of: providing a rectangular grid array of altitude values covering an area to be shaded. Each altitude value has a map position characterized by a coordinate location referenced to a first and second coordinate axes crossing orthogonally at an origin. Each coordinate location has a first and second value. Each first and second value characterizes the distance of the respective coordinate location from the origin. The map area is divided into an array of contiguous triangles. Each triangle area has a perimeter bounded by three straight line segments passing between three coordinate locations. The video display has pixel areas that corresponding to each respective triangle area. A normal vector is calculated for each triangle area.
Abstract: An interactive, predictive game control system for use in conjunction with a live TV broadcast received by one or more remote players. The system comprises a central controller for generating game playing data for transmission with a TV broadcast to the remote player(s) and for receiving information from the remote player(s). An input device is connected to the central controller. A database is connected to the central controller for storing data relating to the content of the live broadcast and known in advance of the live broadcast. The central controller is responsive to signals from the input device:
a) prior to the live broadcast, to select data from the database for transmission to the remote user(s) in advance of and/or during the live broadcast, and
b) during or after the live broadcast, to record the time of occurrence of one or more events relating to the live broadcast which are to be predicted by the remote player(s), as indicated by an operator to the central controller via the input device.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 21, 1998
Date of Patent:
September 11, 2001
Assignee:
Two Way TV Limited
Inventors:
Mark William McKeown, Thomas Kanady, Jason Robert Malaure, David Robert Weston
Abstract: The chamber 1 of the spattering apparatus has a gas introduction port 2 provided at one side in a direction orthogonal to the opening/closing direction of a door 11 of chamber 1, and a vacuum evacuation port 3 provided on the other side of chamber. A substrate holder 4 is fixed on door 11, and a cathode 31 is arranged on a wall face facing door 11 of chamber 1. A shield 41 is arranged in close proximity to and so as to cover the peripheral part of substrate holder 4. A hole 42 is formed in shield 41 in a location facing vacuum evacuation port 3, whereby rapid vacuum evacuation can be achieved even though shield 41 is arranged in a condition close to sealing with respect to the peripheral part of substrate holder 4.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 29, 1999
Date of Patent:
September 11, 2001
Assignee:
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Abstract: In an optimization apparatus embedded in a compiler apparatus that compiles a high-level language program to a machine language program, equivalence relations among a plurality of expressions are analyzed in a short time period by calculating an equivalent expression set group of each basic block, the equivalent expression set group being composed of equivalent expression sets with equivalence relations. Specifically, an equivalent expression set group at the entry point of a basic block is calculated from equivalent expression set groups at the exit points of basic blocks that precede the basic block, and then an equivalent expression set group at the exit point of the basic block is calculated from the equivalent expression set group at the entry point of the basic block. These calculations are repeated until there are no more changes to the equivalent expression set group at the exit point of any of the basic blocks.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 30, 1998
Date of Patent:
September 11, 2001
Assignee:
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Abstract: A coin selector assembly includes a frame member having an upper entrance opening for receiving a coin and a plurality of coin ejection openings. A passageway extends through the frame member from the upper entrance opening to a plurality of ejection openings. The entrance passageway has an arcuation entrance portion to contact a peripheral surface of a coin and to change its direction through the frame member. A replaceable roller unit can assist in sorting the coins. The frame member has a vertical height approximating a horizontal length to facilitate a vertical mounting in a coin operated machine.