Abstract: A refrigerant recovery and recharge device and a method to recharge oil to refrigeration equipment is disclosed. The refrigerant recovery and recharge device comprises a valve block which is adapted to establish fluid communication between the device and refrigeration equipment and a recharge path adapted to recharge oil to the refrigeration equipment through an outlet in the valve block. The device further comprises at least a first oil container and a second oil container and the valve block comprises a valve with a first inlet and a second inlet. The first oil container is in fluid communication with the first inlet and the second oil container is in fluid communication with the second inlet to recharge oil to the refrigeration equipment. The method for recharging oil recharges oil either from the first oil container or the second oil container in dependence of the type of fuel used in the vehicle.

Abstract: A method of measuring weight of the refrigerant recovered and a device for refrigerant recovery and recharge device is disclosed. A connection is established between the refrigerant recovery path and refrigerant recharge path. Refrigerant is filled in the refrigerant recovery path and the refrigerant recharge path. Once the refrigerant occupies the all components of the refrigerant recovery and recharge device, weight of the refrigerant storage tank is measured. The weight of the refrigerant storage tank is measured once before the recovery of the refrigerant from the refrigeration equipment and once after recovery of the refrigerant from the refrigeration equipment. Difference in the weights measured before recovery and after recovery is calculated to a get the amount of refrigerant recovered.

Abstract: A system for updating a location of a target with an RFID device in response to detected motion of the target includes a server and tracking modules. The server stores identifying information for RFID devices and locations associated with the devices. The tracking modules are positioned in predetermined locations and communicate with the server. Each tracking module includes a motion processing module and an RFID reader. In response to motion detected by a motion processing module, the RFID reader detects identifying information for an RFID device neighboring an RFID reader and transmits the information to the server.

Abstract: A lock control system includes a detection unit positioned proximate to a lock, an RFID device neighboring at least one RFID antenna, and an RFID reading system detecting identifying information of the RFID device when the detection unit detects an event. The system also includes at least one microcontroller that determines, based on the identifying information, whether to grant the RFID device access to an area secured by the lock and instructs an actuator to unlock the lock when the RFID device is granted access.

Abstract: A method for recovering refrigerant from an external refrigeration equipment by a refrigerant recovery device includes recovering the refrigerant from the refrigeration equipment in a main recovering process. A small amount of heated refrigerant is recharged into the refrigeration equipment in a temporary refrigerant recharge process. An additional recovering process for emptying of a residual refrigerant from the refrigeration equipment is performed after finishing the temporary refrigerant recharge process.

Abstract: A method and recyclable magnetic adsorbent are provided for removing contaminants from a fluid stream that has by-products. The method includes providing an adsorbent material that has incorporated at least one ferromagnetic material. Contacting the ferromagnetic adsorbent material to at least a portion of contaminated stream to adsorb the contaminant. The contaminated adsorbent is then separated from the by-products using a magnetic separation process. The adsorbent is recovered from the solid by-products and reusable in the present method.

Abstract: A method of imaging using magnetic resonance includes administering hyperpolarized noble gas to a subject in a region to be imaged, applying a magnetic field of a magnitude between about 0.0001 Tesla and about 0.1 Tesla to the subject at least in the region of the subject to be imaged, detecting a spatial distribution of magnetic resonance signals of the hyperpolarized noble gas in the subject, and producing a representation of the spatial distribution.

Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to pharmaceutical compositions and process for the preparation of same which are suitable for oral administration to a human patient, comprising: a pharmaceutically-acceptable salt of 4-amino-1-hydroxybutylidene-1,1-bisphosphonic acid; a non-reducing sugar diluent; a binder; a disintegrant; and a lubricant, and various other excipients.

Abstract: The present invention uses a ventilator and a series of valves to deliver a special gas into a patient. The present invention finds use in the field of MRI imaging. Attached to the tube extending from the ventilator to the patient is attached a first valve. This valve alternately connects the patient to the ventilator then to a supply of the special gas. Between the first valve and the supply of gas is a second valve, which controls the pressure between the first valve and the second valve caused by the special gas. The supply of special gas is connected to the second valve. A flow regulator controls the rate at which the special gas enters the patient. A computer is also attached to the ventilator and valves to synchronize the opening and closing of the valves and the operation of the ventilator with the patient's respiratory cycles.

Abstract: A method of imaging using magnetic resonance includes administering hyperpolarized noble gas to a subject in a region to be imaged, applying a magnetic field of a magnitude between about 0.0001 Tesla and about 0.1 Tesla to the subject at least in the region of the subject to be imaged, detecting a spatial distribution of magnetic resonance signals of the hyperpolarized noble gas in the subject, and producing a representation of the spatial distribution.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for encoding color information in monochrome (black and white) documents. The present invention includes a method and apparatus to produce color documents that interprets color information stored on a document containing an image in monochrome and generates an image in color based on the color information.

Abstract: A conversion method and apparatus that allows for converting a hardcopy document into a hyperdocument and vice versa. During hardcopy to hyperdocument conversion, hypertext information stored on the hardcopy document is used to set up links to other documents. During hyperdocument to hardcopy document conversion, hypertext link information is encoded and stored on the hardcopy document.

Abstract: A facial feature extraction method and apparatus uses the variation in light intensity (gray-scale) of a frontal view of a speaker's face. The sequence of video images are sampled and quantized into a regular array of 150.times.150 pixels that naturally form a coordinate system of scan lines and pixel position along a scan line. Left and right eye areas and a mouth are located by thresholding the pixel gray-scale and finding the centroids of the three areas. The line segment joining the eye area centroids is bisected at right angle to form an axis of symmetry. A straight line through the centroid of the mouth area that is at right angle to the axis of symmetry constitutes the mouth line. Pixels along the mouth line and the axis of symmetry in the vicinity of the mouth area form a horizontal and vertical gray-scale profile, respectively.

Abstract: A document processing system in which a server subsystem stores information corresponding to a document containing human readable and machine readable information and a client subsystem receives the document and interprets the machine readable information. The client subsystem contacts the server to verify validity of information in the document using a communications network that allows information to be exchanged between the server and the client.

Abstract: A speaker recognition method uses visual image representations of mouth movements associated with the generation of an acoustic utterance by a speaker that is the person to be recognized. No acoustic data is used and normal ambient lighting conditions are used. The method generates a spatiotemporal gray-level function representative of the spatiotemporal inner month area confined between the lips during the utterance from which a cue-block is generated that isolates the essential information from which a feature vector for recognition is generated. The feature vector includes utterance duration, maximum lip-to-lip separation, and location in time, or speed of lip movement opening, speed of lip movement closure, and a spatiotemporal area measure representative of the area enclosed between the lips during the utterance and representative of the frontal area of the oral cavity during the utterance. Experimental data shows distinct clustering in feature space for different speakers.