All The Claims

1. A self-propelled sulky for coupling to a rearward end of a non-self-propelled device having a handle that extends over the sulky when the non-self-propelled device is coupled to the sulky, the sulky comprising:
a frame having a forward portion and a rearward portion;
a motor mounted to the frame;
wheels rotatably mounted to the frame;
means for transferring power from the motor to at least one of the wheels;
means for controlling the power transferring means and thereby the speed and direction of the sulky;
means for connecting the sulky to the rearward end of the non-self-propelled device to enable pushing of the non-self-propelled device with the sulky; and
means on the frame for supporting an operator in a standing position, the supporting means being located and configured on the frame to enable the operator to selectively step onto the supporting means to ride the sulky and to step off the supporting means to walk behind the sulky;
wherein the sulky is configured for steering of the non-self-propelled device with the handle thereof when the non-self-propelled device is coupled to the sulky.
2. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 1, wherein the connecting means is an articulating joint mechanism.
3. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 2, wherein the connecting means is configured for quick connection and disconnection of the sulky from the non-self-propelled device.
4. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 1, wherein the connecting means is located at the forward portion of the frame.
5. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 1, wherein the supporting means is located at the rearward portion of the frame.
6. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 1, wherein the supporting means is located between the wheels.
7. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 1, wherein the supporting means comprises two spaced-apart platforms.
8. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 1, wherein the controlling means comprises a foot-operated lever located on the supporting means.
9. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 1, wherein the controlling means comprises a hand-operated lever that is not located on the sulky and is configured for installation on the handle of the non-self-propelled device.
10. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 9, wherein the sulky is connected with the connecting means to the non-self-propelled device, and the hand-operated lever is located on the handle of the non-self-propelled device.
11. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 10, wherein the handle of the non-self-propelled device extends sufficiently over the sulky to enable the operator to steer the non-self-propelled device with the handle thereof and operate the hand-operated lever while the operator walks behind the sulky.
12. A self-propelled sulky comprising:
a frame having a forward portion and a rearward portion;
a motor mounted to the frame;
wheels rotatably mounted to the frame;
means for transferring power from the motor to at least one of the wheels;
means for controlling the power transferring means and thereby the speed and direction of the sulky;
means for connecting the sulky to a rearward end of a non-self-propelled lawngarden equipment to enable pushing of the non-self-propelled lawngarden equipment with the sulky; and
means on the frame for supporting an operator in a standing position, the supporting means being located and configured on the frame to enable the operator to selectively step onto the supporting means to ride the sulky and to step off the supporting means to walk behind the sulky.
13. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 12, wherein the non-self-propelled lawngarden equipment is a fertilizer spreader.
14. A self-propelled sulky coupled to a rearward end of a non-self-propelled lawngarden equipment having a handle that extends over the sulky, the sulky comprising:
a frame having a forward portion, a rearward portion, and oppositely-disposed side portions;
a motor mounted to the frame;
a pair of wheels rotatably mounted to the frame at the side portions thereof;
means for transferring power from the motor to at least one of the wheels;
means for connecting the sulky to the rearward end of the non-self-propelled lawngarden equipment to enable pushing of the non-self-propelled lawngarden equipment with the sulky;
first and second platforms spaced apart and located at the rearward portion of the frame for supporting an operator in a standing position, the first and second platforms being located and configured to enable the operator to steer the non-self-propelled lawngarden equipment with the handle thereof, and to selectively step onto the first and second platforms to ride the sulky and step off the first and second platforms to walk behind the sulky during operation of the sulky; and
means for controlling the power transferring means and thereby the speed and direction of the sulky, the controlling means comprising a foot-operated lever located on at least one of the first and second platforms.
15. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 14, wherein the connecting means is an articulating joint mechanism located at the forward portion of the frame and configured for quick connection and disconnection of the sulky from the non-self-propelled lawngarden equipment.
16. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 14, wherein the first and second platforms are located between the wheels.
17. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 14, wherein the power transferring means is mounted to the frame between the first and second platforms.
18. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 14, wherein the controlling means further comprises a hand-operated lever located on the handle of the non-self-propelled lawngarden equipment.
19. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 18, wherein the handle of the non-self-propelled lawngarden equipment extends sufficiently over the sulky to permit operation of the hand-operated lever by the operator while the operator walks behind the sulky.
20. A self-propelled sulky according to claim 14, wherein the non-self-propelled lawngarden equipment is a fertilizer spreader.

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 low power measurement system for measuring a parameter comprising:
a medium where the parameter to be measured affects the medium;
a first transducer coupled to the medium at a first location where the first transducer emits a pulsed energy wave into the medium in response to a pulse;
a second transducer coupled to the medium at a second location where the pulsed energy wave propagates through the medium to the second location and where second transducer generates a signal in response to the pulsed energy wave; and
a pulsed system including:
an edge detect circuit for detecting an edge of the signal from the second transducer; and
a first pulse circuit for generating a pulse to initiate a subsequent measurement sequence in response to a detected edge by the edge detect circuit where a transit time of the pulsed energy wave propagating from the first location to the second location is measured and the transit time or change in transit time corresponds to the parameter.
2. The system of claim 1 where a sensor form factor comprises a stack of the first transducer coupled to a first surface of a waveguide and the second transducer coupled to the second surface of the waveguide.
3. The system of claim 1 further including an amplifier having an input coupled to an output of the pulse circuit and an output coupled to the first transducer.
4. The system of claim 3 where the amplifier includes circuitry to dampen a wave shape for optimal transmission and reception in accordance with a matched network.
5. The system of claim 1 where the pulsed energy wave is a damped ringing waveform and where the edge detect circuit detects a leading edge of the signal from the second transducer and where upon detecting the leading edge of the signal, the edge detect circuit is disabled from edge detecting for a predetermined period of time.
6. The system of claim 5 where the transit time corresponds a time measured from the pulse provided to the first transducer to the detected edge of the signal from the second transducer.
7. The system of claim 6 further including a second pulse circuit for providing one or more pulses to the first transducer to initiate a sensing process where the second pulse circuit is decoupled from the first transducer when the edge detect circuit detects an edge of the first pulsed energy wave corresponding to the one or more pulses provided by the second pulse circuit.
8. The system of claim 7 where the first pulse circuit is coupled to the first transducer to provide the pulse to initiate the next measurement sequence when the second pulse circuit is decoupled from the first transducer.
9. The system of claim 8 where the pulsed system modulates a time period of pulsed energy waves as a function of changes in distance or velocity through the medium of the one or more pulsed energy wave propagating structures, or a combination of changes in distance and velocity, caused by changes in the one or more pulsed energy wave propagating structures.
10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a digital block for digitizing the frequency of operation of the pulsed system where the frequency corresponds to a time period of one or more pulsed energy waves.
11. The system of claim 1 where the pulsed system is configured to operate wireless according to one or more operational criteria, such as, but not limited to, power level, applied force level, standby mode, application context, temperature, or other parameter level.
12. The system of claim 1, where the system operates to measure changes in transit time due to changes in the length of the medium such that the physical length change under load are in proportion to the applied force.
13. A low power method of measuring a parameter comprising the steps of:
emitting a pulsed energy wave into a medium at a first location where the medium is subject to the parameter being measured and where the pulsed energy wave is generated in response to a pulse;
receiving a propagated pulsed energy wave at a second location in the medium;
generating a signal corresponding to the propagated pulsed energy wave;
detecting an edge of the signal where a transit time of the propagated pulsed energy wave from the first location to the second location is measured and the transit time or change in transit time corresponds to the parameter;
emitting a pulsed energy wave into the medium at the first location for a subsequent measurement in response to a pulse provided when the edge of the signal is detected.
14. The method of claim 13 further including a step of initiating sensing by emitting one or more pulsed energy waves into the medium in response to one or more pulses.
15. The method of claim 14 further including a step of maintaining an integer number of pulsed energy waves propagating in the medium where each pulsed energy wave has a time period and where the time periods of pulsed energy waves changes in response to changes in the parameter applied to the medium.
16. The method of claim 14 further including the steps of:
measuring the transit time or time period of each pulsed energy wave; and
converting the transit time or time period to the parameter being measured.
17. A method of measuring a parameter comprising the steps of:
maintaining more than one discontinuous pulsed energy waves in a medium subjected to the parameter being measured;
measuring the transit time of the pulsed energy wave through the medium; and
relating the transit time and material properties of the medium to the parameter being measured.
18. The method of claim 17 further including a step of maintaining a fixed integer number of pulsed energy waves in the medium during measurement of the parameter.
19. The method of claim 17 further including:
emitting pulsed energy waves into a first location of the medium; and
detecting pulsed energy waves at a second location of the medium.
20. The method of claim 19 further including a step of initiating measurement by providing at least the fixed integer number of pulses to a first transducer responsive for emitting pulsed energy waves into the medium.
21. The method of claim 20 further including the steps of:
generating a pulse from a signal provided by a second transducer responsive to pulsed energy waves at the second location; and
coupling the pulse to the first transducer where the first transducer emits a pulsed energy wave into the medium in response to the pulse.
22. The method of claim 21 further including the steps of:
shaping the pulse generated from the signal provided by the second transducer; and
impedance matching for efficient transfer of a shaped pulse to the first transducer.

1. An imaging device comprising:
an image sensor, having standard pixels and focus detection pixels in a predetermined pattern on an imaging surface, for outputting an image signal of one frame from said pixels;
a focus evaluation unit for evaluating an in-focus state by referring to brightness of said focus detection pixels from said image signal of said one frame;
a first correction value determination unit for arithmetically determining a first correction value by multiplying said brightness of said focus detection pixels by a predetermined gain;
a focus detection pixel correction unit for comparing brightness of said standard pixels of a predetermined number disposed around said focus detection pixels with said first correction value, and if said first correction value is in a normal value range equal to or less than a maximum of said brightness of said standard pixels of said predetermined number and equal to or more than a minimum of said brightness of said standard pixels of said predetermined number, replacing said brightness of said focus detection pixels with said first correction value, and if said first correction value is in a value range outside said normal value range, averaging said brightness of said standard pixels of said predetermined number to determine a second correction value, for replacing said brightness of said focus detection pixels with said second correction value to correct said brightness of said focus detection pixels.
2. An imaging device as defined in claim 1, comprising a defective pixel correction unit for storing a position of a defective pixel with failure among said standard pixels, and correcting said brightness of said defective pixel according to brightness of said standard pixels without failure disposed around said defective pixel.
3. An imaging device as defined in claim 1, comprising a defective pixel correction unit for storing a position of a defective pixel with failure among said standard pixels, determining a third correction value by averaging brightness of said standard pixels without failure disposed around said defective pixel, and replacing brightness of said defective pixel with said third correction value, to correct said brightness of said defective pixel.
4. An imaging device as defined in claim 3, wherein if said defective pixel is plural defective pixels adjacent to one another to constitute a defective pixel set, said defective pixel correction unit averages brightness of said standard pixels disposed around said defective pixel set to determine said third correction value.
5. An imaging device as defined in claim 3, comprising a check unit for checking whether said defective pixel is adjacent to said focus detection pixels;
wherein said focus detection pixel correction unit, if said defective pixel is adjacent to said focus detection pixels, replaces said brightness of said focus detection pixels with said first correction value, to correct said brightness of said focus detection pixels.
6. An imaging device as defined in claim 3, comprising a check unit for checking whether said defective pixel is adjacent to said focus detection pixels;
wherein said focus detection pixel correction unit, if said defective pixel is adjacent to said focus detection pixels, replaces said brightness of said focus detection pixels with said third correction value in said defective pixel correction unit.
7. An imaging device as defined in claim 5, wherein if said defective pixel is adjacent to one of said focus detection pixels, said check unit registers a position of said one focus detection pixel for said defective pixel;
wherein said defective pixel correction unit designates said registered focus detection pixel as said defective pixel for correcting said brightness of said defective pixel, and replaces said brightness of said defective pixel and brightness of said registered focus detection pixel with said third correction value.
8. An imaging device as defined in claim 1, wherein said image sensor includes first and second pixel groups for operating in conditions discrete from one another;
wherein said focus detection pixel correction unit, if said first and second pixel groups operate for imaging in exposure times different from one another, uses said standard pixels in a common one of said pixel groups for said standard pixels of said predetermined number.
9. An imaging device as defined in claim 1, wherein said image sensor includes first and second pixel groups for operating in conditions discrete from one another;
wherein said focus detection pixel correction unit, if said first and second pixel groups operate for imaging in exposure times different from one another, uses said standard pixels in a common one of said pixel groups for said standard pixels of said predetermined number, and if said first and second pixel groups operate for imaging in an equal exposure time, uses said standard pixels in said first and second pixel groups for said standard pixels of said predetermined number.
10. An imaging device as defined in claim 1, wherein said predetermined pattern of said image sensor is honeycomb arrangement, and said predetermined number is four or more.
11. An imaging device as defined in claim 1, wherein said image sensor is a color image sensor having pixels of at least three colors, and said focus detection pixels are included in pixels of a predetermined one of said three colors.
12. An image processing method comprising:
a focus evaluation step of evaluating an in-focus state by referring to brightness of focus detection pixels from an image signal of one frame output by an imaging unit in which standard pixels and said focus detection pixels are arranged in a predetermined pattern on an imaging surface;
a first correction value determination step of arithmetically determining a first correction value by multiplying said brightness of said focus detection pixels by a predetermined gain;
a focus detection pixel correction step of comparing brightness of said standard pixels of a predetermined number disposed around said focus detection pixels with said first correction value, and if said first correction value is in a normal value range equal to or less than a maximum of said brightness of said standard pixels of said predetermined number and equal to or more than a minimum of said brightness of said standard pixels of said predetermined number, replacing said brightness of said focus detection pixels with said first correction value, and if said first correction value is in a value range outside said normal value range, averaging said brightness of said standard pixels of said predetermined number to determine a second correction value, for replacing said brightness of said focus detection pixels with said second correction value to correct said brightness of said focus detection pixels.
13. An image processing method as defined in claim 12, wherein a position of a defective pixel with failure among said standard pixels is stored, and said brightness of said defective pixel is corrected according to brightness of said standard pixels without failure disposed around said defective pixel.
14. An image processing method as defined in claim 12, wherein said imaging unit includes first and second pixel groups for operating in conditions discrete from one another;
wherein in said focus detection pixel correction step, if said first and second pixel groups operate for imaging in exposure times different from one another, said standard pixels in a common one of said pixel groups are used for said standard pixels of said predetermined number.
15. An image processing method as defined in claim 12, wherein said predetermined pattern of said imaging unit is honeycomb arrangement, and said predetermined number is four or more.
16. An image processing method as defined in claim 12, wherein said imaging unit is a color imaging unit having pixels of at least three colors, and said focus detection pixels are included in pixels of a predetermined one of said three colors.

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 circuit for reordering data units of a data block in accordance with a first pre-determined function, the circuit comprising:
a single-port memory module having a plurality of memory locations, wherein (i) each memory location has a corresponding address and (ii) each memory location corresponds to a different delay;
a first address generator configured to, for each data unit of the data block, generate an address corresponding to a memory location into which the data unit is to be stored, wherein the first address generator generates each address in accordance with the first pre-determined function,
wherein as the data units are read out of the plurality of memory locations of the single-port memory, the data units of the data block are reordered in accordance with (i) the first pre-determined function and (ii) the different delays associated with the plurality of memory locations;
a dual-port memory module having a plurality of memory locations, wherein each memory location of the dual-port memory module has a corresponding address; and
a second address generator configured to, for each data unit read out of a memory location of the single-port memory module, generate an address corresponding to a memory location of the dual-port memory module into which the data unit is to be stored,
wherein the second address generator generates each address in accordance with a second pre-determined function.
2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the first pre-determined function implements, at least in part, a general convolutional interleaving scheme.
3. The circuit of claim 2, wherein the general convolutional interleaving scheme is compliant with one or more of the following International Telecommunication Union (ITU) specifications: 992.1, 992.3, or 993.1.
4. The circuit of claim 2, wherein the general convolutional interleaving scheme comprises a triangular convolutional interleaving scheme.
5. The circuit of claim 1, wherein each data unit corresponds to a byte of the data block.
6. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the second pre-determined function is different from the first pre-determined function.
7. A method for reordering data units of a data block in accordance with a first pre-determined function, the method comprising:
for each data unit of the data block,
generating an address corresponding to a memory location of a single-port memory module into which the data unit is to be stored, wherein each address is generated in accordance with the first pre-determined function, and wherein each memory location of the single-port memory has a different delay associated with the memory location, and
storing the data unit in the memory location based on the address generated for the data unit;

reading each data unit out of the single-port memory in accordance with the first pre-determined function, wherein data units of the data block are reordered based on each different delay associated with each memory location; and
for each data unit read out of a memory location of the single-port memory, generating a storage address corresponding to a memory location of a dual-port memory module into which the data unit is to be stored, wherein the storage addresses are generated in accordance with a second pre-determined function.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first pre-determined function implements, at least in part, a general convolutional interleaving scheme.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the general convolutional interleaving scheme is compliant with one or more of the following International Telecommunication Union (ITU) specifications: 992.1, 992.3, or 993.1.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein the general convolutional interleaving scheme comprises a triangular convolutional interleaving scheme.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein each data unit corresponds to a byte of the data block.
12. A computer program, tangibly stored on a computer readable medium, for reordering data units of a data block in accordance with a first pre-determined function, the computer program being executable by a processor and comprising instructions for:
for each data unit of the data block,
generating an address corresponding to a memory location of a single-port memory module into which the data unit is to be stored, wherein each address is generated in accordance with the first pre-determined function, and wherein each memory location of the single-port memory has a different delay associated with the memory location, and
storing the data unit in the memory location based on the address generated for the data unit;

reading each data unit out of the single-port memory in accordance with the first pre-determined function, wherein data units of the data block are reordered based on each different delay associated with each memory location; and
for each data unit read out of a memory location of the single-port memory, generating a storage address corresponding to a memory location of a dual-port memory module into which the data unit is to be stored, wherein the storage addresses are generated win accordance with a second pre-determined function.
13. The computer program of claim 12, wherein the first pre-determined function implements, at least in part, a general convolutional interleaving scheme.
14. The computer program of claim 13, wherein the general convolutional interleaving scheme is compliant with one or more of the following International Telecommunication Union (ITU) specifications: 992.1, 992.3, or 993.1.
15. The computer program of claim 13, wherein the general convolutional interleaving scheme comprises a triangular convolutional interleaving scheme.
16. The computer program of claim 12, wherein each data unit corresponds to a byte of the data block.