All The Claims

1. A portable toilet training seat, comprising:
(a) a spacer having a seam located at the rear;
(b) said spacer being u-shaped;
(c) said spacer being configured to fold in half along said seam towards a bottom surface;
(c) said spacer having an opening with a diameter smaller than a standard toilet seat opening;
(d) a plurality of locking hinges;
(e) said plurality of locking hinges being located along said seam;
(f) said plurality of locking hinges being configured to fold said spacer in half towards a bottom surface;
(g) said plurality of locking hinges being configured to lock when said spacer is in an open position;
(h) a flange;
(i) said flange being located on a bottom surface of said spacer;
(j) said flange being configured to secure said spacer to a standard toilet seat by aligning with an inside rim os said standard toilet seat;
(k) a pair of folding handles;
(l) said pair of folding handles being configured to fold onto a top surface of said spacer when in a storage position;
(m) a storage bag; and
(n) said storage bag being of a size and shape such that said spacer fits inside said storage bag when in a closed position.
2. The portable toilet training seat of claim 1, wherein said spacer is configured to sit on top of a standard toilet seat.
3. The portable toilet training seat of claim 1, wherein said storage bag further comprises a vinyl insert.
4. The portable toilet training seat of claim 3, wherein said vinyl insert is fixedly retained within said storage bag.
5. The portable toilet training seat of claim 1, wherein said storage bag is machine washable.
6. The portable toilet training seat of claim 3, wherein said storage bag and said vinyl insert are machine washable.
7. The portable toilet training seat of claim 4, wherein said storage bag and said vinyl insert are machine washable.
8. The portable toilet training seat of claim 1, wherein said storage bag further comprises a strap; said strap having a carabiner clip.
9. The portable toilet training seat of claim 2, wherein said storage bag further comprises a strap; said strap having a carabiner clip.
10. The portable toilet training seat of claim 1, wherein said storage bag further comprises a closure device; said closure device being a zipper; and said closure device running the full length of said storage bag.
11. The portable toilet training seat of claim 2, wherein said storage bag further comprises a closure device; said closure device being a zipper; and said closure device running the full length of said storage bag.
12. The portable toilet training seat of claim 1, wherein said folding handles extend upward and outward laterally from the sides of said spacer when in an open position.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A method for controlling an actuator, comprising:
(a) driving the actuator so that a variable position device moves towards a hard stop;
(b) determining if a collision takes place between the variable position device and the hard stop; and
(c) if a collision takes place between the variable position device and the hard stop, then determining a current actuator position and resetting a hard stop position with the current actuator position.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are part of an initial calibration procedure that determines first and second hard stop positions, and each of the first and second hard stop positions is used by the method until another hard stop position is subsequently determined.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the initial calibration procedure is a full calibration procedure that measures both the first and second hard stop positions.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the initial calibration procedure is a partial calibration procedure that measures the second hard stop position and calculates the first hard stop position by using at least one actuator span value selected from the group consisting of: a prior actuator span value, or a default actuator span value.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are part of a soft stop procedure that drives the actuator at a slower actuator rate when the actuator is within a soft stop region.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the slower actuator rate includes at least one rate selected from the group consisting of: a constant rate, a linearly declining rate, an exponentially declining rate, or a stepped declining rate.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are part of a seating procedure that continues to drive the actuator towards the hard stop after a collision takes place between the variable position device and the hard stop.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the seating procedure utilizes a power limiting mode to increase a seating duty cycle of the actuator, and the seating duty cycle is increased until it exceeds a maximum seating duty cycle or an actuator current exceeds a maximum seating current, whichever comes first.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein (b) uses a collision detection procedure that monitors the actuator power to determine if a collision takes place between the variable position device and the hard stop.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the collision detection procedure comprises: i) comparing the actuator power to a collision threshold, ii) initiating a timer if the actuator power meets or exceeds the collision threshold, and iii) stopping the timer if the actuator power falls below the collision threshold;
wherein a collision takes place if the timer exceeds a collision duration.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are part of a hard stop drifting procedure that accounts for changes in the position of a lower hard stop when the variable position device is seated against it.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the hard stop drifting procedure truncates an actuator span if the actuator span extends beyond an upper hard stop.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the hard stop drifting procedure generates an error message if the lower hard stop extends beyond a collision tolerance point.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the hard stop drifting procedure employs integrated pulse-width modulated (PWM) control, and an integrator reset feature resets an integration factor when the variable position device is seated against the lower hard stop.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the variable position device is a valve located in a vehicle engine and is selected from the group consisting of: a bypass valve, an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve, or a wastegate valve.
16. A method for controlling an actuator, comprising:
(a) driving the actuator so that a variable position device moves towards a hard stop;
(b) monitoring the power supplied to the actuator to sense a collision between the variable position device and the hard stop; and
(c) if a collision takes place between the variable position device and the hard stop, then establishing a new hard stop position that can be used as a future point of reference.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are part of an initial calibration procedure that determines lower and upper hard stop positions, and each of the lower and upper hard stop positions is used by the method until another hard stop position is subsequently determined.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the initial calibration procedure is a full calibration procedure that measures both the lower and upper hard stop positions.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the initial calibration procedure is a partial calibration procedure that measures the upper hard stop position and calculates the lower hard stop position by using at least one actuator span value selected from the group consisting of: a prior actuator span value, or a default actuator span value.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are part of a soft stop procedure that drives the actuator at a slower actuator rate when the actuator is within a soft stop region.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the slower actuator rate includes at least one rate selected from the group consisting of: a constant rate, a linearly declining rate, an exponentially declining rate, or a stepped declining rate.
22. The method of claim 16, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are part of a seating procedure that continues to drive the actuator towards the hard stop after a collision takes place between the variable position device and the hard stop.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein the seating procedure utilizes a power limiting mode to increase a seating duty cycle of the actuator, and the seating duty cycle is increased until it exceeds a maximum seating duty cycle or an actuator current exceeds a maximum seating current, whichever comes first.
24. The method of claim 16, wherein (b) further includes monitoring the power supplied to the actuator by using a collision detection procedure comprising: i) comparing the actuator power to a collision threshold, ii) initiating a timer if the actuator power meets or exceeds the collision threshold, and iii) stopping the timer if the actuator power falls below the collision threshold;
wherein a collision takes place if the timer exceeds a collision duration.
25. The method of claim 16, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are part of a hard stop drifting procedure that accounts for changes in the position of a lower hard stop when the variable position device is seated against it.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein the hard stop drifting procedure truncates an actuator span if the actuator span extends beyond an upper hard stop.
27. The method of claim 25, wherein the hard stop drifting procedure generates an error message if the lower hard stop extends beyond a collision tolerance point.
28. The method of claim 25, wherein the hard stop drifting procedure employs integrated pulse-width modulated (PWM) control, and an integrator reset feature resets an integration factor when the variable position device is seated against the lower hard stop.
29. The method of claim 16, wherein the variable position device is a valve located in a vehicle engine and is selected from the group consisting of: a bypass valve, an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve, or a wastegate valve.
30. A method for controlling an actuator, comprising:
(a) obtaining a first lower hard stop position;
(b) using the first lower hard stop position as a point of reference when driving the actuator in a first movement;
(c) determining if a collision takes place between a valve and a lower hard stop;
(d) if a collision takes place between the valve and the lower hard stop, then obtaining a second lower hard stop position;
(e) updating the first lower hard stop position with the second lower hard stop position; and
(f) using the second lower hard stop position as a point of reference when driving the actuator in a second movement.

1. A cap opening apparatus comprising:
a single power source for generating power:
a first last end output power shaft which is capable of rotating by receiving transfer of the power;
a second last end output power shaft which is capable of rotating by receiving transfer of the power;
a first transfer section for transferring the power generated by the single power source to the first last end output power shaft:
a second transfer section for transferring the power generated by the single power source to the second last end output power shaft at a gear ratio different from that of the first transfer section;
a cap rotating and opening section which squeezes a cap of a first article to be opened and opens the cap by rotating the cap by the use of rotation driven by the first last end output power shaft; the first article to be opened being closed by a cap which is fitted to the first article with a screw ditch; and
a can opener and cap opening section which cuts can wall of a second article to be opened and opens the cap by the use of rotation driven by the second last end output power shaft.
2. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an output power changing section which transfers the power generated by the single power source to either the first transfer section or the second transfer section.
3. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a power source side gear which receives power from the single power source; the first transfer section further comprising a first side gear for transferring power to the first last end output power shaft while the second transfer section further comprising a second side gear for transferring power to the second last end output power shaft; and the output power changing section further comprising a changing gear capable of changing a first output power condition and a second output power condition, the changing gear matching with the power source side gear, the first side gear, respectively in the first output power condition while the changing gear matching with the power source side gear and the second side gear in the second output power condition.
4. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first transfer section has slowdown ratio larger than that of the second transfer section.
5. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cap rotating and opening section may further comprise a cap handling portion which supplies power for narrowing a gap between squeezing nails for squeezing the cap of the first article to be opened by rotation in one direction of the first last end output power shaft, and a spring which stores repulsion for rotation in the other direction at the time of the rotation in one direction; the first last end output power shaft being rotated in the other direction by the repulsion of the spring to release handling of the cap of the first article to be opened by the cap handling portion, when a transfer of power from the single power source to the first last end output power shaft has been finished.
6. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cap rotating and opening section further comprises a lower handling portion which handles a lower portion of the first article to be opened; a lower housing in which the lower handling portion is provided; and an upper housing in which the cap handling portion is provided, a supporting pole being provided in one of the upper housing or the lower housing while a guide member being provided in the other of the upper housing or the lower housing, a guide hole for guiding the supporting pole being formed in the guide member, the supporting pole being inserted through the guide hole and thereby the upper housing and the lower housing being capable of sliding up and down to each other.
7. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a stick member; a supporting portion which supports the stick member in the upper housing with the stick member capable of rotating on a predetermined plain surface; and a handling portion which handles the stick member in the lower housing with the stick member capable of rotating on a plain surface and moving in a horizontal direction on the plain surface.
8. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cap rotating and opening section further comprises a cap handling portion which supplies power for narrowing a gap between squeezing nails for squeezing the cap of the first article to be opened by rotation in one direction of the first last end output power shaft, and a spring which stores repulsion for rotation in the other direction at the time of the rotation in one direction; the first last end output power shaft being rotated in the other direction by the repulsion of the spring to release handling of the cap of the first article to be opened by the cap handling portion, when a transfer of power from the single power source to the first last end output power shaft has been finished.
9. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cap rotating and opening section further comprises a cap handling portion which supplies power for narrowing a gap between squeezing nails for squeezing the cap of the first article to be opened by rotation in one direction of the first last end output power shaft, and a spring which stores repulsion for rotation in the other direction at the time of the rotation in one direction; the first last end output power shaft being rotated in the other direction by the repulsion of the spring to release handling of the cap of the first article to be opened by the cap handling portion, when a transfer of power from the single power source to the first last end output power shaft has been finished.
10. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cap rotating and opening section further comprises a cap handling portion which supplies power for narrowing a gap between squeezing nails for squeezing the cap of the first article to be opened by rotation in one direction of the first last end output power shaft, and a spring which stores repulsion for rotation in the other direction at the time of the rotation in one direction; the first last end output power shaft being rotated in the other direction by the repulsion of the spring to release handling of the cap of the first article to be opened by the cap handling portion, when a transfer of power from the single power source to the first last end output power shaft has been finished.
11. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cap rotating and opening section further comprises a lower handling portion which handles a lower portion of the first article to be opened; a lower housing in which the lower handling portion is provided; and an upper housing in which the cap handling portion is provided, a supporting pole being provided in one of the upper housing or the lower housing while a guide member being provided in the other of the upper housing or the lower housing, a guide hole for guiding the supporting pole being formed in the guide member, the supporting pole being inserted through the guide hole and thereby the upper housing and the lower housing being capable of sliding up and down to each other.
12. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cap rotating and opening section further comprises a lower handling portion which handles a lower portion of the first article to be opened; a lower housing in which the lower handling portion is provided; and an upper housing in which the cap handling portion is provided, a supporting pole being provided in one of the upper housing or the lower housing while a guide member being provided in the other of the upper housing or the lower housing, a guide hole for guiding the supporting pole being formed in the guide member, the supporting pole being inserted through the guide hole and thereby the upper housing and the lower housing being capable of sliding up and down to each other.
13. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cap rotating and opening section further comprises a lower handling portion which handles a lower portion of the first article to be opened; a lower housing in which the lower handling portion is provided; and an upper housing in which the cap handling portion is provided, a supporting pole being provided in one of the upper housing or the lower housing while a guide member being provided in the other of the upper housing or the lower housing, a guide hole for guiding the supporting pole being formed in the guide member, the supporting pole being inserted through the guide hole and thereby the upper housing and the lower housing being capable of sliding up and down to each other.
14. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the cap rotating and opening section may further comprise a lower handling portion which handles a lower portion of the first article to be opened; a lower housing in which the lower handling portion is provided; and an upper housing in which the cap handling portion is provided, a supporting pole being provided in one of the upper housing or the lower housing while a guide member being provided in the other of the upper housing or the lower housing, a guide hole for guiding the supporting pole being formed in the guide member, the supporting pole being inserted through the guide hole and thereby the upper housing and the lower housing being capable of sliding up and down to each other.
15. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a stick member; a supporting portion which supports the stick member in the upper housing with the stick member capable of rotating on a predetermined plain surface; and a handling portion which handles the stick member in the lower housing with the stick member capable of rotating on a plain surface and moving in a horizontal direction on the plain surface.
16. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a stick member; a supporting portion which supports the stick member in the upper housing with the stick member capable of rotating on a predetermined plain surface; and a handling portion which handles the stick member in the lower housing with the stick member capable of rotating on a plain surface and moving in a horizontal direction on the plain surface.
17. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a stick member; a supporting portion which supports the stick member in the upper housing with the stick member capable of rotating on a predetermined plain surface; and a handling portion which handles the stick member in the lower housing with the stick member capable of rotating on a plain surface and moving in a horizontal direction on the plain surface.
18. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a stick member; a supporting portion which supports the stick member in the upper housing with the stick member capable of rotating on a predetermined plain surface; and a handling portion which handles the stick member in the lower housing with the stick member capable of rotating on a plain surface and moving in a horizontal direction on the plain surface.
19. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a stick member; a supporting portion which supports the stick member in the upper housing with the stick member capable of rotating on a predetermined plain surface; and a handling portion which handles the stick member in the lower housing with the stick member capable of rotating on a plain surface and moving in a horizontal direction on the plain surface.
20. The cap opening apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first transfer section has a slowdown ratio larger than that of the second transfer section.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. An apparatus for digital image stabilization, comprising:
an image signal processing module for
receiving image signals generated under a first and a second exposure value conditions from an image sensor where the first exposure value condition is greater than the second exposure value condition and
outputting digital image signals of a first size and a second size corresponding to the first exposure value condition and the second exposure value condition, respectively, where the first size is smaller than the second size; and

an applied image processing module for
determining adaptively the second exposure value condition from the first exposure value condition,
changing an exposure attribute of the image sensor from the first exposure value condition to the second exposure value condition,
receiving the image signals of the first size and the second size, and
correcting a property of the image signal of the second size based on the image signal of the first size.
2. The apparatus for digital image stabilization according to claim 1,
wherein the first exposure value condition is an exposure value condition of an auto exposure mode, and
wherein the second exposure value condition is an exposure value condition corresponding to an illuminance lower than an illuminance of the auto exposure mode.
3. The apparatus for digital image stabilization according to claim 1, further comprising:
a sensor controller for changing an exposure value condition of the image sensor; and
an exposure value lookup table for selecting the second exposure value condition based on the first exposure value condition;
wherein the applied image processing module
determines the second exposure value condition corresponding to the first exposure value condition by referencing the exposure value lookup table, and
controls the sensor controller to change the exposure value condition of the image sensor to the second exposure value condition.
4. The apparatus for digital image stabilization according to claim 1,
wherein the image signal of the first size is a preview image signal obtained in an auto exposure mode.
5. The apparatus for digital image stabilization according to claim 4,
wherein the preview image signal is an image signal generated at the latest time before an operation of a shutter where an image is generated at a regular frame interval in a preview mode.
6. The apparatus for digital image stabilization according to claim 1,
wherein the image signal of the second size is a captured still image signal obtained in an image capture mode.
7. The apparatus for digital image stabilization according to claims 1,
wherein the first and second exposure value conditions are defined by parameters including a shutter speed \u2018f\u2019 and ISO gain \u2018l\u2019 where ISO stands for International Standards Organization.
8. The apparatus for digital image stabilization according to claim 1,
wherein the image signal processing module encodes only the image signal of the second size, and
wherein the applied image processing module decodes the image signal of the second size before correcting the property of the image signal of the second size.
9. The apparatus for digital image stabilization according to claim 1,
wherein the applied image processing module includes a color correcting unit, and
wherein the color correcting unit corrects the color of the image of second size by
replacing pixel data of the image of the second size with pixel data of the image of the first size image, or
interpolating pixel data of the image of the second size based on the pixel data of the image of the first size in consideration of a size ratio between the image of the second size and the image of the first size.
10. The apparatus for digital image stabilization according to claim 9,
wherein the color correcting unit:
scales a size of the image of the second size to a size of the image of the first size to generate a downscaled image;
calculates a movement vector of the downscaled image using the image of the first size as a reference image; and
replaces pixel data of the image of the second size with pixel data of the image of the first size or interpolates pixel data of the image of the second size based on the pixel data of the image of the first size in consideration of the movement vector and a scaling factor of the downscaled image.
11. The apparatus for digital image stabilization according to claim 1,
wherein the applied image processing module further includes a brightness correcting unit, and
wherein the brightness correcting unit
computes quantitatively a difference in brightness between the image of the first size and the image of the second size,
selects adaptively a brightness correcting intensity, and
corrects brightness of the image of the second size by the selected intensity.
12. The apparatus for digital image stabilization according to claim 11,
wherein the brightness correcting unit
scales a size of the image of the second size to a size of the image of the first size to generate a downscaled image,
calculates a difference in average values of histograms between the downscaled image and the image of the first size,
selects adaptively a brightness correcting intensity, and
corrects brightness of the image of the second size by the selected intensity.
13. The apparatus for digital image stabilization according to claim 11,
wherein the brightness correcting unit
selects adaptively a brightness correcting intensity based on a difference between parameters that define the exposure value conditions used to generate the image of the first size and the image of the second size, and
corrects brightness of the image of the second size by the selected intensity.
14. A method for digital image stabilization, comprising:
(a) obtaining a digital image of a first size under a first exposure value condition from an image sensor;
(b) determining adaptively a second exposure value condition based on the first exposure value condition where the second exposure value condition is smaller than the first exposure value condition;
(c) obtaining a digital image of a second size under the second exposure value condition from the image sensor where the second size is larger than the first size; and
(d) correcting a property of an image signal of the second size based on an image signal of the first size.
15. The method for digital image stabilization according to claim 14,
wherein, in the step (b), the second exposure value condition is fetched from an exposure value lookup table using the corresponding first exposure value condition.
16. The method for digital image stabilization according to claim 14,
wherein, in the step (a), the first exposure value condition is an exposure value condition of an auto exposure mode, and
wherein the digital image of the first size is an image generated at the latest time before operation of a shutter where an image is generated at a regular frame interval in a preview mode.
17. The method for digital image stabilization according to claim 14,
wherein, in the step (c), the second exposure value condition is an exposure value condition of a low exposure mode having a shorter exposure time than an auto exposure mode, and
wherein the digital image of the second size is a captured still image obtained at the time of operation of a shutter.
18. The method for digital image stabilization according to claim 14,
wherein, in the step (d), color is a property of the image of the second size that is corrected by
replacing pixel data of the image of the second size with pixel data of the image of the first size, or
interpolating pixel data of the image of the second size based on the pixel data of the image of the first size in consideration of a size ratio between the image of the second size and the image of the first size.
19. The method for digital image stabilization according to claim 18,
wherein the step (d) includes:
scaling a size of the image of the second size to the first size to generate a downscaled image;
calculating a movement vector of the downscaled image using the image of the first size as a reference image; and
replacing pixel data of the image of the second size with pixel data of the image of the first size, or interpolating pixel data of the image of the second size based on the pixel data of the image of the first size in consideration of the calculated movement vector and a scaling vector used to generate the downscaled image.
20. The method for digital image stabilization according to claim 14,
wherein the step (d) includes:
computing quantitatively a difference in brightness between the image of the first size and the image of the second size;
determining adaptively a brightness correcting intensity of the image of the second size based on the difference in brightness; and
correcting brightness of the image of the second size by the determined brightness correcting intensity.
21. The method for digital image stabilization according to claim 20,
wherein the step (d) includes:
scaling a size of the image of the second size to the first size to generate a downscaled image; and
calculating histograms of the downscaled image and the image of the first size, and computing quantitatively a difference in brightness between the image of the first size and the image of the second size using a difference in average values of the histograms therebetween;
determining adaptively a brightness correcting intensity of the image of the second size by the difference in brightness; and
correcting brightness of the image of the second size by the determined brightness correcting intensity.
22. The method for digital image stabilization according to claim 20,
wherein the step (d) includes:
computing a difference in brightness between the image of the first size and the image of the second size based on a difference between parameters that define the exposure value conditions used to generate the two images;
determining adaptively a brightness correcting intensity of the image of the second size by the computed difference in brightness; and
correcting brightness of the image of the second size by the determined brightness correcting intensity.
23. The method for digital image stabilization according to claim 14,
wherein the first and second exposure value conditions are defined by parameters including a shutter speed \u2018f\u2019 and ISO gain \u2018l\u2019.
24. A computer readable medium stored thereon computer executable instructions for performing the method defined in claim 14.