A pig feeding mat (10) is provided for use over a grated floor (12). The pig feeding mat (10) includes a rectangular surface (14) having first and second ends (16 and 18) and a perimeter (20). A rim (22) around the perimeter (20) restrains movement of solid material transversely over the perimeter (20). A plurality of spaced-apart gaps (24) in the rim (22) allow liquid to drain from the pig feeding mat (10). Paired lugs (26and 28, or 32 and 34) disposed at respective ends (16 and 18) of the mat (10) are used to position the mat (10) under a partition (50 or 52) of a feeding stall (44) by invertedly straddling the mat (10). The mat (10) can be cut along a joggled groove (40) to separate the rectangular surface (14) into first and second surface portions (36 and 38), to be used in separate feeding areas (64 and 66).

In the production of pork, as in animal husbandry and also in all competitive industries, competition continually becomes more intense, and economic survival is for the fittest. In this never-ending quest for economic survival, it is necessary to achieve a maximum growth rate of pigs while minimizing the cost of feed. It is also necessary to wean the pigs at as young an age as possible, so that the sow may be returned to her primary job of producing the next litter of pigs.
Modern swine husbandry allows for pigs to be weaned from the sow at a young age of three weeks or less. To achieve this goal, it is imperative that the pigs have started eating solid feed in the form of pellets or crumbles by this time. The preferred means of starting pigs on feed is to sprinkle small quantities in the area where they rest.
The preferred resting area for these small pigs is a soft mat made of rubber or similar materials, but when feed is sprinkled on a traditional mat, it rolls or is pushed off the edge where it then falls through the perforated flooring surrounding the mat. With diligence, sufficient quantities of feed can be provided to replace the feed that falls through the perforated flooring, however, this method generates large quantities of waste resulting in large financial losses.
In summary, the present invention provides a method of feeding young pigs that minimizes food waste, minimizes food cost, helps to wean pigs at a young age, and returns the sow to pig production at the earliest possible time.


The present invention provides a method of forming a solid projection having excellent mechanical properties on a metal member without supplying thermal energy from the outside, and a projection-forming device and a metal part having a projection manufactured thereby. The means for solving the problems is characterized in that the means is comprised of the processes of pressing the distal end 13a of the processing jig 13 having the hole-opening and a cavity 13b at the distal end against the surface of the metal member workpiece 111 and rotating the metal member workpiece 111 and the processing jig 13 in the direction relatively counter to the other to generate friction heat causing thereby plastic flow into the cavity through the hole-opening 13b.

The present invention relates to a method of forming a projection (or projections) on a metal member by means of a new kind of the friction stir processing and a projection-forming device, wherein the projection is of the same material as the metal member; and relates to a metal part that is processed by the method of forming a projection.
A technique of forming a solid projection (a boss) on the surface of a metal member has been widely used as a means for positioning, supporting, fixing or securing, or cooling. The technique is now an indispensable technology in, such as, mobile information terminals like mobile telephones and mobile personal computers, home appliances, automotive parts, and railway cars. A known and currently in-use method of forming a solid projection on the surface of a metal member includes a method such that a projection-part provided in advance is welded, blazed, solid-phase welded, or friction bonded onto a metal member; and a method in which the metal member is pressed to form a projection using a die assembly. Both the techniques of welding and brazing have problems in that they are costly because they needs increased number of steps in processing and in that almost all of these techniques are not applicable to metals such as magnesium, magnesium alloys, aluminum, or aluminum alloys which have been increasingly used for weight reduction purpose of devices. There are another problems in that friction welding does not provide a good dimensional accuracy and in that pressing is not applicable to the cases where the metal member is small in size, thin in thickness, or complicated in structure.
A technique proposed as a method of forming a solid projection on the surface of a metal member is called as a friction stir forming method (Patent Literature 1). In the proposed method, a first object of an aluminum plate is placed on a second object having a recess (a die assembly); a frictional-heat-generation-stirring-means is abutted against the first object; a relative motion is given between them to generate frictional heat to cause the first object to flow plastically under non-molten state; and a shape of projection that corresponds to the recessed portion on the second object is copied on the first object (so-called "coining"). One of other methods proposed for the same purpose is defined in a method for manufacturing magnesium alloy parts (Patent Literature 2). In the method, a plate material is sandwiched between a pair of upper and lower molds and heated to cause a part of the plate material to flow plastically into a recess on the mold to form a projection. The former method, a friction stir forming method, can solve above-stated problems. This method does not need any heating sources, wherein the recess formed on the mold arranged opposite to the stirring means is filled by plastic flow caused by frictional heat. This (the former) method however involves a problem left unsolved in that projections formed with this method are poor in mechanical properties (strength and ductility) with a little practicality. This is because of the fact, according to an investigation by the inventors of the present invention, that the structure in the projection portion is not refined since the recess provided on the second object is positioned apart from such a region where the friction stirring given by the frictional heat generation stirring means on the first object makes the structure fine-grained. Further, it is difficult to form projections having diameters of 3 mm or more with heights of 5 mm or more on a thin plate (2 mm or thinner) with this method. The later method enables forming a projection on a magnesium alloy member that does not accept welding or brazing; the method can solve the above-stated problems. In this method, however, the upper mold and the lower mold severally have a built-in heater for heating the alloy to cause plastic flow. This means that the method has problems in that the thermal energy from outside is required, and besides, the mechanical properties of the projection are not improved. The reason for the poor properties is that a plastic flow occurs without stirring produces only a small strain energy which is insufficient to cause dynamic recrystallization, resulting in an inadequate grain refinement of the structure.
[Patent Literature 1]
Publication of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, No. 2002-256453
[Patent Literature 2]
Publication of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, No. 2004-337935

Method of and a device for forming a projection on a metal member and a metal part processed by the method of forming a projection


A torsion- and bending resistant boom formed of beams running the length of the structure, a set of pierced, transverse flanges arrayed along, and substantially perpendicular to, the length of the structure, a continuous longitudinal member running the length of the structure, piercing the flanges, and several further longitudinal members, outward of the first member. The longitudinal members are welded to the flanges. An elevatable mast assembly raises and lowers the boom, and has a mast and guides formed of hollow tubes, and rollers between the guides and the mast, the rollers transferring torque loading to the guides.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to booms and mast structures for supporting a load, and to those supporting torque-inducing loads. In particular, if relates to a boom structure that may be rotated, and a mast structure that may be elevated. More particularly, it relates to a boom and mast structure mounted on a mobile platform for deployment of a system for inspection of vehicles or containers.
A boom used to support a load at a distance from a vertical support must resist deformation resulting from the downward forces applied thereto by that load, and the torque created thereby. In addition, where that boom and load may be subject to acceleration resulting from translation or rotation, or other application of forces, in other than the vertical direction, the boom must also resist torsion along its long axis. The necessity of resisting torsion will be increased by a further load in the form of a vertical portion extending downwardly from its far end, which acts to intensify torsional effects created by movement out of the vertical.
A mobile transport may have a mast mounted thereon, and a boom mounted atop the mast, which is rotatable with respect to the mast, and which has a vertical portion supported by its far end. For use in inspection of vehicles or containers, the mobile transport may mount a transmitter and sensors, on the boom and the vertical portion, for inspecting vehicles or containers which pass below and inward of the boom as the mobile transport is propelled past those items. In this situation, in order to increase the accuracy of the inspection, it is particularly important to resist torsion and bending to minimize changes in the position of the boom relative to the transport. Further, where the mast is to be raised of lowered along a vertical axis, the system used to do so must also guide that movement, and resist torque created by the load of the boom and its load.
2. Background Art
A structure supporting a load at a distance is subject to both bending and torsional effects, particularly when a further perpendicular structure is supported at a distance from the point of support. The use of metal tubes or beams for constructing such structures is known, as is use of C-channel beams to resist torsion or bending. However, such structures, if relatively long, are subject to buckling if not reinforced, and may not be sufficient to resist higher bending and torsion loads. Construction, and reinforcement of, such a structure installed upon a mobile platform must also address weight concerns related to vehicle weight and stability. Further, such structures must also resist movement of the structure relative to the point of support. Previous devices disclosed in patents include the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,659 to Waka discloses a boom assembly having an inflection point therein that utilizes two opposing upper and lower welded C-channels to form a box structure. The booms are used to form the arms supporting the bucket of a bulldozer. Waka does not address the use of tubes, or other reinforcements.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,829 to Crawford et al. discloses a boom for a sliding boom delimber, for use in the logging industry, the boom utilizing a pre-stressed I-beam to enclose and support power and control cables to the delimbing apparatus attached at its end. Crawford et al. do not address the use of tubes, or other reinforcements.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,028 to Geus et al. discloses a x-ray examining apparatus mounted on a mobile vehicle, including a support structure and detectors mounted on the supporting structure. Geus et al. do not address construction of any boom, mast or other structure supporting the detectors, or how to minimize movement of the support structure relative to the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,764,683 and 5,903,623 to Swift et al. disclose a mobile device for inspection of containers, including detectors that may be supported from a horizontal boom extending from the mobile device. Swift et al. do not address construction of a boom or mast supporting the detectors, or how to minimize movement of the boom relative to the mobile device.
In addition, a mast assembly is known for raising and lowering a load from a mobile platform; such structures often utilize a mast formed of a hydraulic piston. A lateral load, such as that resulting from torque applied by a boom in the present invention, may be applied. In the absence of a separate guiding system, lateral loading would be transmitted through the hydraulic seals (often O-rings) to the cylinder walls, which may unduly compress those seals, and cause failure of these seals. Because a hydraulic lift system can fail, permitting the mast to drop, such systems may include a latching mechanism, to support the mast and load in an elevated position. However, this adds weight and cost. Such structures do not address the torque and load concerns of the described inspection system.
It can be seen that the foregoing do not meet all of the needs for a boom and mast structure that is rigid and torsion-resistant, and resistant to buckling and undesirable movement.
The present invention provides a highly rigid, torsion-resistant, and buckle-resistant boom design, which may include a vertical portion, providing stable support for the supported load. This invention provides a horizontal boom section, and in a preferred embodiment includes a vertical boom section depending downwardly from the distal end of the horizontal boom section. In another preferred embodiment, the proximal end of the horizontal boom section is preferably mounted to a vertical support, such as an elevatable mast, permitting vertical movement of the boom/mast structure, and rotation of the boom structure.
In preferred mode of operation, a series of vehicles, typically tractor-trailer rigs, or cargo containers, are placed in a line parallel to the intended direction of travel of the mobile inspection unit which incorporates a preferred embodiment of the invention. The unit is propelled forward so that a scanning zone of an inspection system passes through each of the rigs or containers in succession. The data gained from these scans is viewed and interpreted by an operator in the mobile transport. Accurate alignment and minimized relative movement between the radiation source and the sensors is critical. Because the sensors are mounted upon the boom sections, it is important to increase the torsional and bending resistance, and the resistance to buckling, of those sections, particularly the horizontal boom section. Torsion forces may act upon the boom in a number of ways. For instance, forward acceleration of the mobile inspection unit, and the resistance to motion of the boom structure, will result in inertia opposing that acceleration. This effect will be increased where that resistance is placed at a distance from the source of support, such as the vertical boom structure, supported at the end of the horizontal boom structure. Other sources of torsional effects include wind resistance and accidental obstruction of the boom structure. Similarly, bending forces are present resulting from the weight of the sensors and the boom""s own weight.
In a preferred embodiment, a horizontal boom section includes a continuous inner tube, or rod, which runs the length of the horizontal boom section. This inner tube penetrates several flanges arrayed along the length of the boom section. The flanges are preferably perpendicular to the inner tube, and are joined to it at the penetration. Individual, discontinuous, outer tube segments are placed outwardly of the inner tube, preferably concentrically, between and abutting, but not penetrating, the flanges. The outer tube segments are joined at their ends to the flanges"" faces, preferably in grooves sized to those segments. Inward-facing C-channel beams, running the length of the horizontal boom section, are joined on their inward faces to the flanges"" side edges, preferably congruently. Tensioning cables provide upward support for the ends of the structure, and permit a torque to be applied to straighten the structure.
Preferably, the boom further includes a vertical boom section, including a set of continuous tubes, or rods, which run the height of the vertical boom section, and penetrate several flanges arrayed along its height. The several flanges are substantially perpendicular to the vertical, and preferably congruent to inward-facing C-channel sections. The C-channel sections run the height of the vertical boom section, and are joined to the flanges. In a particularly preferred embodiment, a joint is provided roughly in the middle of the vertical boom section, permitting the lower segment to be folded upwardly against the upper segment, reducing the overall length of the vertical boom section for ease of stowage.
In a preferred embodiment, in order to facilitate elevation and rotation of the boom relative to a mobile transport, a mast-head and mast assembly are provided. The horizontal boom section, to which the vertical boom section is preferably mounted, is mounted to a mast-head, which is itself mounted to a mast assembly. The mast assembly is mounted to the chassis of the mobile transport. A mast assembly includes a mast guide and an elevation system to elevate the mast and the boom structure supported thereby. The mast-head is mounted to the top of the mast assembly, facilitating joinder of the horizontal boom section to the mast. The mast-head includes a rotation drive for rotating the boom structure. A counterweight structure may also be mounted to the mast-head, opposing the torque created by the weight of the boom structure.
The mast is preferably rigid, resistant to torque, and transmits out-of-vertical forces to the chassis without adversely affecting operation of the elevation system. In a preferred embodiment, a composite mast, formed of a two-by-two square grouping of hollow square-section tubes provides such rigidity and strength. The mast assembly further preferably includes a guide for the mast, which includes four similar hollow square-section tubes fixed to the chassis outwardly of the corners of the mast, and rollers between the mast corners and the inner corners of the guide. Preferably, several sets of rollers are positioned at varying heights along the mast. The rollers permit translation of the mast relative to the guide, which is fixed to the chassis, but transmit to that chassis the forces out of the vertical, created by torque of the weight of a boom or load. The elevation system also preferably includes a screw and a screw jack, which require little power for operation and are very reliable. This system has advantages over alternatives, such as a hydraulic lift for a similar mast, or a mast formed of a hydraulic piston. The weight and cost of an additional latching system are avoided by using the screw jack system, which does not depend upon a hydraulic power source for lift, and can maintain position without power input. The present invention also avoids compression and failure of hydraulic seals by omitting them and transmitting any lateral loads via rollers, which are designed to transmit this load to the guide.
In a further preferred embodiment, loads supported by the boom sections include their own weight and sensors for detecting transmitted radiation for inspecting vehicles and containers inward of and below the boom. Various types of sensors may be used, such as transmission, backscatter, sidescatter and forward scatter detectors. In this preferred embodiment, the boom structure is mounted on a mast, itself mounted to the chassis of a mobile transport. The boom sections may be rotated relative to the mast, to a position in which they extend roughly perpendicular to the transport""s direction of forward travel. The bottom end of the vertical boom section preferably extends proximate the ground surface. In this position, the horizontal and vertical boom sections form, with the adjacent side of the transport, an essentially planar rectangular scanning zone. A radiation source, typically an X-ray emitter, is mounted on the mobile transport, along with the necessary support equipment, power source and operator. The X-ray device emits penetrating radiation into the scanning zone and toward sensors mounted upon the inward face of the vertical boom section, and upon the lower face of the horizontal boom section. The X-ray device may provide coverage of the scanning zone by repeatedly sweeping a narrowly focussed beam aligned to the plane, or by other techniques permitting radiation transmission covering a planar area. If the radiation would tend to penetrate the sensor, or the boom""s structural material, additional absorptive material, such as lead, may be employed to do so.
The further scope of the invention will become apparent upon the review of the detailed description of the preferred embodiments. It should however be understood that these descriptions do not limit the scope of the invention and are given as examples only, and that various changes and modifications which are fully within the scope of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.


Drive mechanism for pumps, including a pump rotor mounted in a pump chamber, a pump cover covering the pump chamber. The cover has an axially projecting shoulder with a housing bore passing through from the pump rotor to the outside, and a shaft passing through the housing bore. The shaft is connected in a torsion-proof manner at its inner end to the pump rotor and at its outer end by way of a coupling element to a drive wheel. The shaft is supported in an inner bearing seated in the housing bore while the drive wheel is supported on an external bearing. A plate 7 is provided, which is separate from the pump cover 5 and which can be mounted on the housing or the like in various positions. The bearing 9 for the drive wheel 10 is supported on the plate 7 in a manner to allow freedom of rotation.

Drive mechanisms of the general type to which the present invention relate are not new per se. These drive mechanisms typically comprise a pump rotor mounted in a pump chamber which is surrounded by a pump cover having an axially projecting shoulder end having a bore for the pump rotor. A shaft is connected at its inner end to the pump rotor and by a coupling element to the drive wheel, the shaft being supported in an inner bearing seated in the housing bore, while the drive wheel is supported in an external bearing. In accordance with a prior known mechanism of the type shown in West German Patent Application No. 3 716 098.2, the inner ring of the outer bearing providing the radial and axial support is seated on a cylindrical lateral surface section of the axially projecting shoulder of the pump cover.
The drive mechanism described above has several disadvantages and drawbacks. For example, in the design shown in the West Germany application, there is a frequent need to tension the drive belt by means of an eccentric adjustment of the drive wheel which is rather awkward and difficult to do. For example, when the drive wheel is shifted by adjusting the pump cover after the appropriate mounting screws have been loosened, the shaft is also shifted eccentrically along with the pump rotor. In other words, the pump rotor runs eccentrically in the pump chamber which creates problems with the seals and is instrumental in detracting from peak performance. Furthermore, there is only a limited range of eccentricity available for adjustments.


In a structure for coupling a V-belt type continuously variable transmission with an engine of a vehicle, the engine includes a first opening through which a crankshaft passes. A coupling plate mounted on a plate mounting surface that surrounds the first opening includes a second opening through which the crankshaft and an upper end flange of the oil pan pass. First and second seal plates are disposed on front and back surfaces of the coupling plate, and the first and second seal plates seal a space into which the upper end flange is inserted. A liquid seal agent seals gaps of various locations of the second opening.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention mainly relates to a structure for coupling a V-belt type continuously variable transmission with an engine installed in a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 7,506,718B2 discloses a utility vehicle equipped with an engine and a V-belt type continuously variable transmission. As shown in FIG. 12, an engine 101 and a gear type transmission 102 are opposed to each other in a front-rear direction, and they are coupled with each other through a side coupling plate 103. A V-belt type continuously variable transmission 104 is disposed beside the engine 101 and the gear type transmission 102.
A transmission case 107 of the V-belt type continuously variable transmission 104 is mounted on the coupling plate 103, and a case cover 108 is mounted on the transmission case 107.
If the engine 101 itself installed in the utility vehicle is produced in accordance with such a specification that the V-belt type continuously variable transmission 104 is to be mounted on the engine 101, it is not difficult to seal coupled surfaces between the engine 101 and the coupling plate 103 so that water does not enter the transmission case 107 from outside through the coupled surfaces or the like.
However, when using an engine which is not produced in accordance with the specification that the V-belt type continuously variable transmission is to be mounted on the engine, a coupling plate having a shape different from that of an engine cover is mounted on a mounting surface on which the engine cover is usually mounted, and consequently, it becomes difficult to seal coupled portions. Especially, a utility vehicle often runs on fields, mountains, and sandy beach, and high waterproof property is desired.

Structure for coupling V-belt type continuously variable transmission with engine


A nuclear fuel rod, in which a cladding tube contains fuel pellets therein and two plugs stop end openings of the cladding tube, in which a stopper member stops the fuel pellets from their moving through a spring member arranged between the stopper member and one of the plugs for biasing the stopper member onto the fuel pellets, and a getter tube is also arranged between the stopper member and the one of the plugs, and in which at least one of the spring member, the stopper member and the getter tube is made of a nonmagnetic steel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nuclear fuel rod of uranium dioxide pellets containing gadolinium oxide or gadolinia, filled up in a cladding tube.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a nuclear electric power generation, by burning uranium dioxide to generate heat, water is heated by the heat to generate steam of high temperature and a steam turbine is driven by the steam to produce electric power. In order to control a nuclear reaction, control rods are used, or gadolinium oxide or gadolinia for absorbing neutrons is admixed in uranium dioxide pellets to control the reaction, in particular, in its beginning step. The gadolinia is known as a flammable poison, and, once the gadolinia once absorbs the neutrons, its neutron-absorbing ability is gone. Thus, the gadolinia is essential for controlling the reaction speed in the beginning step. Usually, several number of nuclear fuel rods which are entirely or partially filled with pellets of uranium dioxide admixed with several percent of gadolinia, are used for each fuel assembly composed of 63 fuel rods.
In such a nuclear fuel rod, a cladding tube is made of a metallic material, e.g., a zirconium alloy such as Zircaloy-2 or the like, and contains uranium dioxide pellets, and upper and lower plugs stop the upper and lower openings of the cladding tube. In the cladding tube, a stopper plate for stopping the pellets and a spring for biasing the stopper plate onto the pellets are arranged. In some uranium dioxide pellets, usually, several percent of gadolinia is contained. A getter tube is also arranged between the upper plug and the uppermost pellet in the cladding tube, and a moisture getter is sealed within the getter tube. In this case, the structural members such as the spring, the stopper plate and the getter tube are made of a metallic material such as AISI 302 stainless steel or the like.
In general, structural members mounted in the nuclear reactor are carefully and severely inspected. The nuclear fuel rod is, of course, inspected after the fabrication, for instance, by passing it through a strong magnetic field of scores of thousands of gauss in a magnetic and passive scanner (MAPS) to inspect how many percent of gadolinia is contained in the uranium dioxide pellets. In such an inspection, since the structural members, i.e., the spring, the stopper plate and the getter tube are made of the stainless steel, as described above, they are usually magnetized to 100 to 200 gauss when passing through the strong magnetic field of scores of thousands of gauss, and their magnetization can be observed from the outside of the cladding tube. The magnetization of the spring, the stopper plate and the getter tube in the nuclear fuel rod brings about the following problems.
That is, in a long period of operation of the nuclear reactor, suspended materials such as hematite, magnetite and the like are produced in water, and the suspended materials contact with and attach onto the outer surface of the nuclear fuel rod as clads to cover the surface of the nuclear fuel rod. This covering of the nuclear fuel rod prevents the heat conduction or transference of the nuclear fuel rod to increase the temperature of the cladding tube of the nuclear fuel rod and thus to accelerate corrosion of the cladding tube. The magnetite of the suspended materials is an iron oxide having magnetic property, and hence, when the parts such as the spring, the stopper plate and the getter tube in the nuclear fuel rod are magnetized, the magnetite is much more liable to attach to the surface of the nuclear fuel rod, resulting in the remarkable acceleration of the corrosion of the cladding tube.


A computer in a distributed peer-to-peer system is disclosed. The distributed system includes a plurality of computers configured to run a distributed machine learning (ML) program represented as an expression of a target loss function with a model parameter matrix. The computer includes: a parser module configured to convert a loss function in the distributed program into an expression graph and then one or more multiplication trees; a parameter replica module in communication with the parser module, the parameter replica module configured to maintain the model parameter matrix of the ML program; a compressor module in communication with the parameter replica module, the compressor module configured to extract sufficient factors from the expression graph for updating the model matrix; and a communication module in communication with the compressor module, the communication module configured to send the sufficient factors for updating model matrix to other machines in the distributed system.

Distributed Machine Learning (ML) systems allow ML programs to be executed in a divide-and-conquer fashion across many datacenter machines, potentially allowing the ML program to complete in a fraction of the time taken by a single machine. Existing distributed Machine Learning (ML) systems largely adopt an asymmetric, client-server (CS) architecture for iterative result-aggregation due to its conceptual simplicity and linear communication cost. For instance, the CS architecture provides certain benefits, such as (1) interoperability that supports different applications; (2) high security of shared data; and (3) parsimonious communication due to the bipartite or star network topologies.
The peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture, despite its popularity in conventional distributed systems and many merits, remains under-utilized in distributed ML mainly owing to its apparent quadratic synchronization cost, which can be further exacerbated by the iterative computing algorithm and massive message size not seen in conventional systems but are prevalent in ML programs. On the plus side, the P2P architecture provides quite a few benefits, such as (1) no single failure point, which facilitates stronger fault tolerance; (2) high elasticity to resource adjustment, where adding or removing machines can be easily realized; (3) symmetric programming, which allows programmers to only program a single piece of code for all machines.

Efficient peer-to-peer architecture for distributed machine learning


Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for handling blockchain-based loan application. One of the methods includes: obtaining a loan application sent by the client device of the loan applicant, wherein the loan application comprises identity information of the loan applicant for identity authentication; determining that the loan application is approvable based on the identity information; performing a loan issuance logic to issue a loan to the loan applicant with a loan amount according to the loan application; and sending a request to one or more blockchain nodes of the blockchain network to store a transaction record of the loan to a blockchain, wherein the transaction record includes the identity information and the loan amount.

Virtual resource allocation is a common concept in the field of computer application technologies. The virtual resource allocation can be virtual resource allocation within one device or resource scheduling between multiple devices. In these application scenarios, "resources" are usually limited, and a resource requirement of a resource requester may be greater than a total quantity of resources actually owned by the resource requester. However, a resource provider may still have a large quantity of "idle" resources. Therefore, how to properly schedule the "idle" resources of the resource provider to improve resource utilization as much as possible has always been an important direction that researchers pay attention to.
A blockchain technology, also referred to as a distributed ledger technology, is an emerging technology that several computing devices jointly participate in "accounting" to maintain a complete distributed database. The blockchain technology is characterized by decentralization, openness, and transparency, and also, in the blockchain technology, each computing device can participate in database recording, and data can be synchronized rapidly between the computing devices. Therefore, the blockchain technology has been widely applied to many fields.

Virtual resource allocation method and device based on blockchain


Embodiments described herein provide approaches for interconnect formation in a semiconductor device using a sidewall mask layer. Specifically, a sidewall mask layer is deposited on a hard mask in a merged via region of the semiconductor device following removal of a planarization layer previously formed on the hard mask. The sidewall mask layer is conformally deposited on the hard mask, and acts like a sacrificial layer to protect the hard mask during a subsequent via etch. This reduces the via critical dimension (CD) and reduces the CD elongation along the hard mask line direction during the via etch.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to the field of semiconductors, and more particularly, to manufacturing approaches used in forming openings during interconnect processing of integrated circuits and other devices.
2. Related Art
The semiconductor manufacturing process typically includes two major components, namely the Front-End-of-Line (FEOL), which includes the multilayer process of forming semiconductor devices (transistors, etc.) on a semiconductor substrate, and the Back-End-Of-Line (BEOL), which includes the metallization after the semiconductor devices have been formed. Like all electronic devices, semiconductor devices in a microchip, such as an integrated circuit (IC), need to be electronically connected through wiring. In an integrated circuit, such wiring is done through multilayer metallization on top of the multilayered semiconductor devices formed on the semiconductor substrate. The complexity of this wiring becomes appreciable as there may be hundreds of millions or more semiconductor devices (e.g., transistors in particular) formed on a single IC. Proper connection of these devices is accomplished by multilayer metallization. Each metallization layer consists of a grid of metal lines sandwiched between one or more dielectric layers for electrical integrity. Modern semiconductor manufacturing processes can involve multiple metallization layers.
As scaling of microelectronic devices approaches sub 30 nm nodes, many material and module process challenges in BEOL plasma patterning have been reported. One of the methods that has gained traction over recent years for enabling sub 20 nm feature patterning is the Trench First Metal Hard Mask (TFMHM) scheme. While this scheme solves or mitigates many challenges that are inherent with the Via First Trench Last (VFTL) Scheme, it introduced other dielectric reactive ion etching (RIE) process and hardware challenges. One of the root causes of the former is the fact that all patterns and materials are exposed to plasma at the same time. As such, the simultaneous control of via, trench and chamfer profiles (i.e. Critical Dimensions, depth, taper profile, etc), the need to control selectivity between multiple patterning layer (Titanium Nitride (TiN), tetra-ethyl-ortho-silane (TEOS), ultra low k (ULK), Barrier cap, etc), and ULK damage control has become more pertinent in the dielectric etch. As a direct result of such tight process guidelines, the hardware challenges arise and new dimensions in process controls are needed. The prolonged exposure of the TiN to the plasma created the need for more robust production worthy hardware. The required selectivity of the materials necessitate temperature controllable chucks. The more complex patterning techniques require ULK preservation and other uniformity controls.
A TFMHM Self-Alignment Via (SAV) process is used to improve the via to trench alignment margin in order to maximizes the Vx/Mx+1 spacing. Merged vias can help further reduce the via-to-via distance and thus improve the device density. Selectivity to the hardmask layer of an etch process, which is essential to enable the self-alignment, is challenging. The hardmask margin becomes worse when the merged via design is used since the hardmask is exposed to the etch process twice. The prior art device 10 of FIGS. 1-2 show this challenge. FIG. 1A (cross-sectional view) and FIG. 1B (top view) demonstrate a prior art device 10 including a substrate 2, a capping layer 4 (e.g., nitrogen-doped silicon carbide or SiNxCyHz(NBLoK)) formed over substrate 2, an interdielectric layer 6 formed over capping layer 4, a hard mask layer 8 (e.g., a TEOS hard mask layer), and a hard mask 14 formed over hard mask layer 8. Device 10 further comprises a plurality of vias 12 in a merged via region 'R1' following a via etch and strip process. As shown, 'R2' represents a non-merged region of device 10. FIGS. 2A-B represent device 10 of FIGS. 1A-B, respectively, following a trench etch. In this prior art approach, hard mask 14 (e.g. TiN) is exposed to the via etch and the subsequent trench etch, which forms vias 12 and a plurality of trenches 16. However, as demonstrated, an insufficient margin for hardmask 14 causes the hard mask 14 to break (highlighted by reference numeral 18 in FIG. 2A) during the merged via etch and the subsequent trench etch. This may result in a metal line to metal line short following metal chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) in subsequent fabrication.
The hardmask loss in current art approaches occurs in two directions, vertically and horizontally. It is known the more robust the hardmask, the better protection for the material underneath the hardmask. On the other hand, process selectivity to the hardmask material can be improved by adjusting process parameters such as process chemistry and process temperature, etc. In order to improve the hardmask selectivity, the amount of polymering gas such as C4F8 is increased and the lower process temperature is used. However, the polymer residue risk becomes higher with increasing the C4F8 flow and lowering the process temperature. Physically increasing the hardmask thickness can provide better hardmask protection. However, it would result in too big an aspect ratio, which may cause a subsequent metal filling defect (e.g. void). Reducing the SAV etch time may help reduce the hardmask loss. However, the reduced SAV etch time causes the via open issue as a result of the under etch of dielectric material. As such, current art approaches are inadequate for at least one of the reasons described above.

Interconnect formation using a sidewall mask layer


A coin dispenser for accomodating and storing coins is made of plastics and comprises a plurality of coin compartments, each receiving a stack of coins of a certain denomination. The stack is retained by upper supporting flanges against which the stack is urged by a spring. The top coin of each stack can be pushed out from the dispenser by a user's finger, preferably the user's thumb and, reversely, a coin can be inserted into the dispenser in a similar manner. The arrangement is such that from a central depression or well free pushing-out paths are formed across the compartments between the supporting flanges. In this way the back or inner edges of the top coins are readily accessible for pushing out. In addition, the dispenser is designed in such a way that in their dwelling position all uppermost coins are prevented automatically from sliding out unintentionally from the dispenser.

The present invention relates to a coin dispenser, i.e. a purse or holder for coins in a form of a rigid casing, preferably of plastics, having compartments for the respective kind of coins, wherein the coins can be inserted and removed by hand.
Conventional coin dispensers are wellknown in several forms, for instance, as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 2,654,376. They have common features that the coins are continuously fed upwards in their compartments by spring means, to meet at the top end of the compartment a supporting ledge, which engages the top coin along the periphery thereof, however, only along a part of this periphery, so that an opening for feeding in and pushing out is left at the top end of the compartment. It is now known to use finger operated mechanical means to push out the top coin of the stack of coins, but also simpler structures have been proposed, wherein the coins are put in and put out entirely by means of the fingers, for example, in the device according to the U.S. Pat. No. 2,654,376. A problem here is that one has to rely completely on the friction between the finger and the coin to be pushed out. In certain cases this friction is too low in order that the coin be moved, that is, too low to overcome the friction force appearing between the coin and the supporting ledge and which is conditioned by the force exercised by the feeding spring. On the other hand there is also a risk that coins be pushed off unintentionally from the box while it is carried in one's pocket, for example by the action of other objects in the pocket.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,654,376, even the spring 12 provided in the coin socket may help push the coin outwardly for use, the spring 12 will exert an elastic force laterally urging an uppermost coin outwardly to easily push out the coin unintentionally.


An endoscope apparatus includes an insertion portion inserted into a body, an optical member arranged exposed from an outside surface at a distal end of the insertion portion, an objective optical system that condenses light impinged from the optical member, an electronic image pickup circuit that photoelectrically converts the light condensed by the objective optical system, a heat absorbing section arranged in the vicinity of the electronic image pickup circuit for absorbing heat generated from the electronic image pickup circuit, a heat transfer section extending toward the optical member side for transferring heat of the heat absorbing section, a heat radiation section arranged in the vicinity of the optical member for radiating heat transferred by the heat transfer section to the optical member, and a heat transfer member that is formed by patterning a metal foil on an insulating, flexible film member and includes the heat absorbing section, the heat transfer section and the heat radiation section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus equipped with an image pickup apparatus, and more particularly, to an endoscope apparatus capable of preventing fogging, condensation or the like on the surface of an objective optical system provided to observe a subject.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well known, endoscope apparatuses are widely used for observation, treatment or the like of the inside of the body (inside the body cavity) of a living body or inspection, repair or the like inside industrial plant equipment. In recent years, electronic endoscope apparatuses equipped with an image pickup apparatus such as a CCD are the mainstream among endoscope apparatuses.
Furthermore, an endoscope apparatus may be subject to fogging in its objective optical system caused by condensation produced due to a temperature difference between an outside air temperature and ambient temperature of a subject to be examined or ambient humidity of the subject to be examined or the like. Therefore, various kinds of technique are proposed to prevent fogging, condensation or the like from occurring in objective optical systems of endoscope apparatuses.
For example, an image pickup apparatus of an endoscope disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-284686 is configured such that an air gap is provided between a CCD and a cover glass, a peripheral circuit is disposed above the outer surface located on the prism side of the cover glass so that heat generated from this peripheral circuit is constantly transmitted to the cover glass. Thus, according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-284686, when the observation optical system is drastically cooled with cleaning water jetted over an observation window, the cover glass cooled via a lens barrel and the prism receives heat from the peripheral circuit, which reduces the temperature difference between the outer surface located on the prism side and the inner surface located on the air gap side, preventing fogging on the inner surface caused by moisture in the air gap.
Furthermore, for example, in an anti-fogging apparatus of a rigid endoscope disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-334157, a heating light guide is inserted into an insertion portion of the rigid endoscope and a dual function light-shielding/heat transfer metal plate that shields light guided by the heating light guide and converts the shielded light to heat warms a light receiving lens and thereby prevents fogging from occurring on the light-receiving lens.


The invention pertains to a deburring tool for deburring the interior and/or exterior of work pieces, for example, abutting edges on intersecting bores or on longitudinal and transverse grooves in bores or on transverse bores in a deep-hole bore with different diameters of an engine block, tubular work piece ends, edges on and in flat work piece surfaces or surfaces of a toothed wheel or a sprocket wheel. The deburring tool can be used in machine tools and is pressure-controlled. The cutting forces can be variably adapted to the burr dimensions that change during the machining process and to different materials. Corresponding embodiments of the deburring tool ensure the deburring of different work pieces with a good quality and in a short period of time. The inventive deburring tool is particularly advantageous in that it can be used in intermittent assembly lines with the latest manufacturing technologies.

The invention pertains to a deburring tool for deburring the interior and/or exterior of work pieces, for example, abutting edges on intersecting bores or on longitudinal and transverse grooves in bores or on transverse bores in a deep-hole bore with different diameters of an engine block, tubular work piece ends, edges on and in flat work piece surfaces or surfaces of a toothed wheel or a sprocket wheel, as well as to a corresponding method. During its intended use, the deburring tool is moved in a rotatory or translatory fashion, wherein the deburring tool comprises a tool shaft that has a clamping end and an end with in inner support member and at least one blade member with a cutting edge that is movably arranged in an opening.
A deburring tool for deburring abutting edges in bores is known from the state of the art, namely DE 43 07 084 C2. This deburring tool is characterized in that the cutting edge is subjected to a radially exerted spring force by the support member that is seated in the central recess and consists of an elastomer material, wherein the blade member that is movably guided in an opening has a support surface, by means of which it is supported on the support member. Once a certain force is exceeded, the cutting edge yields in a springable fashion. It is also possible to accommodate the support member in the recess with a certain prestress. Due to the support on the support member, the blade member is able to carry out movements that should allow an effective deburring, namely also of interior abutting edges. A combined radial and axial guide is provided for the deburring tool. The axial component is intended to simplify the insertion into the bores of the work piece, and the axial movement of the deburring tool is transformed into a radial movement of the blade member due to the design of the corresponding support surface of the opening. In order to make it possible to carry out the required movements, the support member can also be adapted to the respective requirements by choosing the shape, the material and the material quality accordingly. The support member has the shape of a pyramid, a truncated pyramid, a cone, a truncated cone, a prism, a sphere or a cylinder. However, the required movements can also be realized with a combination of a correspondingly shaped support member and a correspondingly shaped recess. The recess is preferably realized in the form of a truncated cone, a prism or a cylinder. Such shapes are also is chosen for the design of the opening. A limitation of the blade member travel in order to prevent a radially outward directed movement thereof is achieved by providing the blade member with a so-called leg for supporting the blade member on the inner surface sections of the recess that are situated laterally of the opening. The decisive disadvantage of the deburring tool disclosed in DE 43 07 084 C2 can be seen in the fact that, when the deburring tool is inserted into the bores, the cutting edge(s) adjoin the bore wall with the spring force exerted by the support member and consequently produce tracks that cannot be measured, but rendered visible with light-optical methods. Such tracks are particularly undesirable, for example, in reamed bores in the engine block. Another disadvantage is that the support member has to be exchanged each time the material of the work piece to be processed changes. Such an exchange of the support member is extremely difficult, in particular, with smaller tool diameters, e.g., on the order of 2 mm.
All known deburring tools also have the disadvantage that they cannot adapt to burr dimensions that change during the machining process due to the increasing wear of the burr-producing tools. When using a new tool, i.e., a tool that is at the beginning of its useful life, the burr being produced during the machining of the work piece is still small. However, the size of the burr can increase 10-times by the time the tool reaches the end of its useful life. The dimensions of known deburring tools currently are invariably based on the burr dimensions at the end of the tool life. This causes gradually changing chamfers to be produced on the parts of the work piece to be deburred. Another important aspect is that known deburring tools frequently can only be used for deburring a work piece or parts of a work piece, e.g., for the interior deburring of abutting edges in bores or on transverse bores of a work piece or for the exterior deburring of edges on work piece surfaces. It is disadvantageous that these deburring tools frequently require a high manufacturing expenditure and do not make it possible to achieve the short deburring times required in modern intermittent assembly lines. In addition, there is currently no deburring tool or deburring system available on the market which can be universally utilized for the deburring of work pieces, for example, abutting edges on intersecting bores or on longitudinal and transverse grooves in bores or on transverse bores in a deep-hole bore with different diameters of an engine block, tubular work piece ends, edges on and in flat work piece surfaces and on surfaces of a toothed wheel or a sprocket wheel.
Consequently, the invention is based on the objective of developing a deburring tool for the interior and/or exterior deburring of work pieces of the initially described type which adapts the cutting forces to burr dimensions that change during the machining process and to different materials, wherein said deburring tool can be manufactured with a low expenditure, allows a simple handling of smaller tool diameters and ensures a high-quality deburring of work pieces of different geometric shapes and sizes within the short cycle times achieved in modern intermittent assembly lines.

Deburring tool for deburring on the interior and/or exterior

Beier Entgrattechnik Spezial-Entgrat Werkzeuge


A method and apparatus for detecting text are provided. The method includes: extracting features of a to-be-detected image; predicting using a character detection network a probability of each pixel point in the to-be-detected image being a character pixel point, and position information of each pixel point relative to a bounding box of a character including the pixel point when the pixel point is the character pixel point; determining position information of bounding boxes of candidate characters based on the prediction result of the character detection network; inputting the extracted features into a character map network, converting a feature map outputted by the character map network, and generating character vectors; determining a neighboring candidate character of each candidate character, and connecting each candidate character with an associated neighboring candidate character to form a character set; and determining a character area of the to-be-detected image.

With the development of the computer vision technology, the applications of image-based text detection and text recognition technologies have been increased. For example, the text detection and the text recognition have many practical applications in the aspects, such as document processing, geographical location reading, and image retrieval.
In the field of optical character recognition (OCR), generally, the character box is defined as a rectangular detection box, and characters in a straight line are connected. However, there are a lot of irregular, e.g., distorted, or deformed character combinations in the actually acquired data. For example, the characters in the image are distorted due to the image distortion or shooting angle, or some deformed characters may be used in some designs of the trademarks, badges, or the like.
The existing text detection methods require that the basic connected components in the image are in a straight line, or require pixel-level annotation accuracy, which are not suitable for being widely applied in various scenarios.

BAIDU ONLINE NETWORK TECHNOLOGY (BEIJING) CO., LTD.


A ball bat includes a bat body and a core unit. The bat body has a barrel section, a knob section, and a handle section. The barrel section has an upper receiving space defined by a space-defining surface. The handle section interconnects the barrel section and the knob section. The bat body includes a plurality of wooden pieces, each having a connecting region that is formed with an upper groove as a portion of the upper receiving space. The space-defining surface is formed with a plurality of adhesive-receiving grooves in spatial communication with the upper receiving space. The core unit has a tube disposed in the upper receiving space and adhered to the space-defining surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a bat, more particularly to a ball bat.
2. Description of the Related Art
Chinese Patent Application publication No. CN202802681U discloses a conventional ball bat that includes a bat body, a first tube and a second tube. The bat body extends along a main axis and has a barrel section formed with an upper receiving space, a knob section opposite to the barrel section, and a handle section interconnecting the barrel section and the knob section and formed with a lower receiving space. The bat body is integrally formed by a plurality of angularly-disposed wooden pieces extending along the main axis. Each of the wooden pieces has a connecting region that is formed with an upper groove as a portion of the upper receiving space, a lower groove as a portion of the lower receiving space, and a separating part separating the upper groove from the lower groove. The first tube is disposed in the upper receiving space, and the second tube is disposed in the lower receiving space. By utilizing the first and second tubes, the weight of the conventional ball bat can be reduced. The first and second tubes are adhered to the bat body in the upper and lower receiving spaces using adhesives, so that each of the upper and lower receiving spaces needs to be a bit larger than the dimension of a respective one of the first and second tubes in order to prevent excess amount of the adhesives from leaking out of the upper and lower receiving spaces. However, such a configuration may cause improper positioning of the first and second tubes in the upper and lower receiving spaces and adversely affect the balance and hitting performance of the conventional ball bat.
Chinese Patent Application Publication No. CN202301855U discloses another conventional ball bat including a hollow handle segment, a wooden barrel segment and a reinforcing segment. The handle segment has a handle section, a connecting section that has an outer diameter smaller than that of the handle section, and an abutment section that is disposed between the handle and connecting sections. The barrel segment has an abutment end section, a top end section that is opposite to the handle section of the handle segment, and an insertion hole that extends from the abutment end section toward the top end section. The connecting section is inserted into the insertion hole. The abutment end section of the barrel segment abuts against the abutment section of the handle segment. The reinforcing segment is sleeved on the abutment end section. The barrel segment also has a retaining hole retaining a core tube component. While the connecting section and the core tube are retained respectively in the insertion hole and the retaining hole using adhesives, the positioning problem may also occur like the aforementioned conventional ball bat.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,767,299 discloses yet another conventional ball bat that includes a wooden bat body having a center through hole, a tubular core member fitted into the center through hole of the bat body, and a weight mounted inside the tubular core member. Although there is no method disclosed in this patent illustrating how to retain the tubular core member in the wooden bat body, people having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the same positioning problem will occur if the method of using adhesives to assemble the conventional ball bat is adopted.


A device for sealing off an opening through the wall of a well tubular, which device comprises a tubular spacer having an outer diameter allowing the spacer to be arranged in the well tubular, a first seal collar assembly and a second seal collar assembly arranged opposite ends of the tubular spacer, each seal collar assembly comprising an activator ring and an annular seal collar, the activator rings being interconnected by a cylindrical system of shape memory alloy which system contracts when the temperature of the cylindrical system reaches the transition temperature of the shape memory alloy, and wherein each annular seal collar is arranged so as to be compressed against the inner surface of the well tubular upon contraction of the cylindrical system of shape memory alloy.

The present invention relates to a device for sealing off openings through the wall of a well tubular, which well tubular is a production tubing, a casing or a liner. Such a device is also referred to as xe2x80x98sliding sleevexe2x80x99, or when used for cementing as xe2x80x98cementing collarxe2x80x99.
It is well known that a well for producing hydrocarbons from an underground reservoir comprises a borehole that is lined with a well tubular in the form of a casing or a liner. The annular space between the outer surface of the well tubular and the inner surface of the borehole is filled with cement, which cement is put in place following inserting the casing in the borehole. Putting the cement in place is done by pumping a volume of cement through the well tubular and allowing it to rise in the annular space from the bottom of the borehole to the required level. When the borehole is deep and consequently the casing very long, single stage cementing is not possible because of the high pressures generated at the casing shoe. Therefore, cementing is done in stages. The first stage is cemented from the bottom to a pre-determined level. The second stage employs the use of a cementing collar or sliding sleeve that is an element of the casing. This cementing collar allows selectively placement of cement by uncovering holes in the wall of the well tubular at the level of the cementing collar. In order be able to pump the cement through the holes, a plug is set just below the holes. Then cement is supplied into the annular space through these holes. Having finalized the second stage, the holes are closed by adjusting the position of the sliding sleeve of the cement collar.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for sealing off openings through the wall of a well tubular that can easily be set and that has a good sealing ability.
In accordance with the invention there is provided a device for sealing off an opening through the wall of a well tubular, which device comprises a tubular spacer having an outer diameter allowing the spacer to be arranged in the well tubular, a first seal collar assembly and a second seal collar assembly arranged opposite ends of the tubular spacer, each seal collar assembly comprising an activator ring and an annular seal collar, the activator rings being interconnected by a cylindrical system of shape memory alloy which system contracts when the temperature of the cylindrical system reaches the transition temperature of the shape memory alloy, and wherein each annular seal collar is arranged so as to be compressed against the inner surface of the well tubular upon contraction of the cylindrical system of shape memory alloy.
In the specification and the claims, the term xe2x80x98shape-memory alloyxe2x80x99 is used to refer to an alloy that exhibits a shape-memory effect, wherein a complete recovery of a deformation undergone at a particular temperature takes place at heating. The skilled person is able to select a composition of the alloy material that exhibits the required effects at the temperatures prevailing in the well.
An advantage of the device according to the present invention is that is does not form a part of the well tubular. Therefore it can be set there where from an operational point of view a hole in the well tubular is needed that has to be closed after use.
The device according to the present invention can also be applied to seal off holes in the wall of a perforated casing. In this case the casing wall is perforated to allow production from an underground reservoir. In this case production management can be applied.
The device can also be used for repair jobs, wherein holes in a well tubular caused by corrosion and wear have to be closed.
Suitably each annular seal collar is arranged between the activator ring of the respective seal collar assembly and the tubular spacer.
In a preferred embodiment said cylindrical system is substantially coaxially arranged within the spacer. In this manner there remains a central passage for tools or fluid in the well tubular.
The cylindrical system can, for example, includes a tubular element of shape memory alloy.
Alternatively the system can include a plurality of rods of shape memory alloy, the rods being circumferentially spaced along the cylindrical system.

Sealing off openings through the wall of a well tubular


An automated magnetic tape cartridge library system includes a cabinet (24) having a door (26) removably and pivotally connected thereto. The cabinet (24) houses a plurality of tape drives (56A-56E) and a plurality of racks (70) wherein magnetic tape cartridges are stored. A cartridge transport assembly (100) serves to retrieve a cartridge from a rack (70) and to load the cartridge into a target tape drive (56), and vice versa. Movement of the cartridge transport assembly (100) along X, Y and Z rectangular coordinate axes is effected by X, Y, and Z displacement systems (104, 106, 108). The cartridge transport assembly (100) and the X, Y and Z displacement systems (104, 106, 108) are all mounted on the removable, pivotal door (26). The cartridge transport assembly (100) includes a pair of engagement fingers (402A, 402B) which engage a selected cartridge upon contact with the cartridge. In an engagement mode, engagement fingers (402A, 402B) are configured and oriented to engage notches provided on opposite edges of standard 8 mm magnetic tape cartridge such that, upon engagement, the cartridge is locked between the fingers (402A, 402B) without the need of further locking mechanisms. Portions of the linkage means of the cartridge transport assembly (100) dually function as ram elements (452A, 452B) for closing a tape drive door (60) once a cartridge is loaded into a target tape drive (56).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to method and apparatus for the storage, retrieval, and loading of units of data storage medium, and particularly to method and apparatus for the storage, retrieval, and loading of cartridges of data storage medium, such as magnetic tape.
2. Prior Art and Other Considerations
A data processing system includes a central processing unit which operates on data stored in a memory. To varying degrees, all data processing systems have central or on-board memory devices which give the central processing unit essentially immediate access to the data stored therein. The cost of such central memory is fairly significant, with the result that data has long been stored on storage media, one form of which being magnetic tape. The storage medium is traditionally provided in a unit, such as a reel or cartridge. The computer system reads data from the storage medium, and writes data to the storage medium, in conjunction with a peripheral media-handling device, such as a tape drive, that physically handles the storage medium. In this regard, the computer system, through an appropriate interface device or chip, communicates with the peripheral device to request the read/write operations conducted by the peripheral device and to control the transfer of data between the computer and the peripheral device.
Large computer systems typically operate in conjunction with a number of peripheral media-handling devices. For example, a host computer might access four, five, or more tape drives. Each peripheral media-handling device can only operate on one unit of storage medium at any given time, which unit is said to be loaded into or mounted on the media-handling peripheral. However, a plurality of units, perhaps hundreds, can be associated with one or more peripheral, and mounted or loaded thereon at the proper time. To this end, sizable libraries consisting of racks for storing the large number of units, such as reels, have traditionally been located proximate the peripheral devices.
At the birth of the information storage and retrieval industry,.magnetic tape reels were manually mounted on tape drives by human operators. Although the data processing system functioned in fractions of seconds, the human selection and manipulation of the tape reels was significantly longer, which occasioned considerable delays. Such was particularly true when the operator had to locate one reel out of myriads, visually verify the selection, and mount the reel on the proper tape drive.
Automated tape libraries were developed to expedite the selection and loading of magnetic tape reels. One such automated tape library resembles an elongated rectangular room. Racks of tape reels are provided at selected locations along the interiors of the opposing elongated walls. An interior track runs the length of the room between the parallel racks. A reel retrieval/loading device is mounted on a carriage that travels along the track, and is translatable along two rectangular axes in addition to the third axis of the track. The retrieval/loading device is automatically controlled to locate and engage a selected reel in a Cartesian coordinate system, and then transports the selected reel to a target on one of a plurality of tape drives. The tape drives are located along the exterior wall of the room at windows provided for access to the drives. The retrieval/loading device automatically mounts the selected reel on the target tape drive.
Another prior art configuration for a storage library features a cylindrical room, with storage racks provided along the interior of the circular wall and a plurality of peripheral devices located along the exterior at windows. The retrieval/loading device is positioned in the center of the room, and is operated in a cylindrical coordinate fashion.
The prior art retrieval/loading devices are complicated mechanisms. The retrieval/loading devices require not only structure for translation along three axes, but also entail structure for precise engagement of the units of storage medium. Although the complex structure of these prior art retrieval/loading devices invite considerable maintenance and repair, the location of the devices does not facilitate ready access or removal. Moreover, replacement of the retrieval/loading device is very costly from the standpoint of labor and down time.
The complex structure of prior retrieval/loading device for libraries results in large part from the number of mechanisms required to perform specialized operations. As an example, once a unit of storage medium is engaged, a separate locking mechanism is required lest the unit be mishandled or dropped. Mishandling can damage the unit and perhaps cause errors on the storage medium Dropping the unit can not only damage the unit, but can also obstruct operation of the retrieval/loading device.
Magnetic tape cartridges have recently become popular as a unit of storage medium, particularly 8 mm magnetic tape cartridges (as used herein, the term "cartridge" also refers to magnetic tape cassettes). Advantageously, magnetic tape cartridges facilitate economic and compact storage of data. However, an automated library system which overcomes the aforementioned problems of prior art libraries has heretofore not been provided.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide method and apparatus for simply and securely engaging and disengaging a magnetic tape cartridge.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of an automated library system wherein a retrieval/loading device is easily accessible.
An advantage of the present invention is the provision of a modular and replaceable retrieval/loading device for an automated library system.
Another advantage of the present invention is the provision of a retrieval/loading device and method of operation therefor that facilitates a multiplicity of operations.

Cartridge library system and method of operation thereof


The present patent describes a three-dimensional inter-connected open cell porous foams that have a gradient in composition and/or microstructure through one or more directions. These foams can be made from a blend of absorbable and biocompatible polymers that are formed into foams having a compositional gradient transitioning from predominately one polymeric material to predominately a second polymeric material. These gradient foams are particularly well suited to tissue engineering applications and can be designed to mimic tissue transition or interface zones.

Open cell porous biocompatible foams have been recognized to have significant potential for use in the repair and regeneration of tissue. Early efforts in tissue repair focused on the use of amorphous biocompatible foam as porous plugs to fill voids in bone. Brekke, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,448) described the use of porous mesh plugs composed of polyhydroxy acid polymers such as polylactide for healing bone voids. Several attempts have been made in the recent past to make TE scaffolds using different methods, for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,522,895 (Mikos) and 5,514,378 (Mikos, et al.) using leachables; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,755,792 (Brekke) and 5,133,755 (Brekke) using vacuum foaming techniques; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,716,413 (Walter, et al.) and 5,607,474 (Athanasiou, et al.) using precipitated polymer gel masses; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,686,091 (Leong, et al.) and 5,677,355 (Shalaby, et al.) using polymer melts with fugitive compounds that sublimate at temperatures greater than room temperature; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,770,193 (Vacanti, et al.) 5,769,899 (Schwartz, et al.) and 5,711,960 (Shikinami) using textile-based fibrous scaffolds. Hinsch et al. (EPA 274,898) described a porous open cell foam of polyhydroxy acids with pore sizes from about 10 to about 200 .mu.m for the in-growth of blood vessels and cells. The foam described by Hincsh could also be reinforced with fibers, yarns, braids, knitted fabrics, scrims and the like. Hincsh's work also described the use of a variety of polyhydroxy acid polymers and copolymers such as poly-L-lactide, poly-DL-lactide, polyglycolide, and polydioxanone. The Hincsh foams had the advantage of having regular pore sizes and shapes that could be controlled by the processing conditions, solvents selected, and the additives.
However, the above techniques have limitations in producing a scaffold with a gradient structure. Most of the scaffolds are isotropic in form and function and lack the anisotropic features of natural tissues.
Further, it is the limitation of prior art to make 3D scaffolds that have the ability to control the spatial distribution of various pore shapes. The process that is described to fabricate the microstructure controlled foams is a low temperature process that offers many advantages over other conventional techniques. For example the process allows the incorporation of thermally sensitive compounds like proteins, drugs and other additives with the thermally and hydrolytically unstable absorbable polymers.
Athanasiou et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,474) have more recently proposed using a two layer foam device for repairing osteochondral defects at a location where two dissimilar types of tissue are present. The Athanasiou device is composed of a first and second layer, prepared in part separately, and joined together at a subsequent step. Each of the scaffold layers is designed to have stiffness and compressibility corresponding to the respective cartilage and bone tissue. Since cartilage and bone often form adjacent layers in the body this approach is an attempt to more clearly mimic the structure of the human body. However, the interface between the cartilage and bone in the human body is not a discrete junction of two dissimilar materials with an abrupt change in anatomical features and/or the mechanical properties. The cartilage cells have distinctly different cell morphology and orientation depending on the location of the cartilage cell in relation to the underlying bone structure. The difference in cartilage cell morphology and orientation provides a continuous transition from the outer surface of the cartilage to the underlying bone cartilage interface. Thus the two layer system of Athanasiou, although an incremental improvement, does not mimic the tissue interfaces present in the human body.
Another approach to make three-dimensional laminated foams is proposed by Mikos et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,378). In this technique which is quite cumbersome, a porous membrane is first prepared by drying a polymer solution containing leachable salt crystals. A three-dimensional structure is then obtained by laminating several membranes together, which are cut to a contour drawing of the desired shape.
One of the major weaknesses of the prior art regarding three-dimensional porous scaffolds used for the regeneration of biological tissue like cartilage is that their microstructure is random. These scaffolds, unlike natural tissue, do not vary in morphology or structure. Further, current scaffolds do not provide adequate nutrient and fluid transport for many applications. Finally, the laminated structures are not completely integrated and subjected to delamination under in vivo conditions.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a biocompatible, bioabsorbable foam that provides a continuous transitional gradient of morphological, structural and/or materials. Further, it is preferred that foams used in tissue engineering have a structure that provides organization at the microstructure level that provides a template that facilitates cellular invasion, proliferation and differentiation that will ultimately result in regeneration of functional tissue.

Porous tissue scaffoldings for the repair of regeneration of tissue


An apparatus for mixing plural flowable materials, for example liquids, is disclosed having a disk-shaped rotor connected to a rotating drive shaft and housed in a cylindrical chamber. The rotor has engraved on one or both faces a spiral-shaped groove to provide sufficient mixing turbulence and prevent unmixed solute from exiting the chamber. The chamber is defined by walls of two stationary end plates separated by an outer cylindrical barrel. When configured in multiple stages having a plurality of rotors connected with a single rotating drive shaft and housed in a plurality of axially arranged such chambers, a centrally-drilled passage intervening between chambers connects adjacent chambers. Additional solvent liquid is introduced at each mixing stage through a radially drilled passage. The materials to be mixed are confined to a narrow interstice between the rotor, adjacent walls and barrel, and pass in sequence from one chamber to the next.

Mixing devices for dilution and blending of materials have been heretofore suggested and/or utilized (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,834,545, 3,934,859, 3,925,243, and 3,831,907). More specifically, such devices for mixing viscous liquid polymeric material and water have been heretofore suggested and/or utilized (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,018,871 and 5,061,456).
Because long-chain polymers (such as solution-type, or mannich, viscous liquid polyelectrolytes) have high molecular weight and viscosity, proper dilution requires turbulence and fluid shear. Excessive shear, however, can break the polymer chains and render the polymer ineffective, while insufficient shear results in unblended polymer and a non-homogeneous solution. Therefore, when blending such liquids as polymer and water, it is desirable to have the ability to control the type and amount of mixing energy applied to the polymer.
Heretofore known mixing, or blending, devices have not always proved effective for diluting and activating such solution-type polymers. Devices utilizing impellers for such blending operations can damage the polymer with excessive shear caused by rotating impeller edges. While a homogeneous solution may thus be produced, the numerous broken polymer chains exhibited can make the solution substantially less capable of serving its intended purpose (for example as a flocculant or dewatering agent). Other devices fail to optimize shear and/or blending duration, often resulting in non-homogeneous, and thus less effective, solution of polymer and solvent (such as water) in which only a smaller than desirable percentage of polymer has been diluted (leaving the remainder in clumps or fisheyes).
Thus, an improved mixing device which can apply enough mixing shear to properly disperse the polymer molecules in the solvent liquid while refraining from breaking the polymer chains and rendering them less useful could still be utilized.

Apparatus for mixing plural flowable materials


A method for imaging controlling, an electronic device, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are provided. The method includes the following. Determine a same-exposure image ratio according to ambient brightness of a shooting scene, where the same-exposure image ratio is a ratio of the number of images to be captured with same exposure among multiple images to be captured to the number of the multiple images to be captured, and the same-exposure image ratio is inversely proportional to the ambient brightness. Capture the multiple images that satisfy the same-exposure image ratio. Perform a synthesizing processing on the multiple images.

With continuous development of terminal technology, electronic devices are increasingly used by users to capture images. When a front camera of an electronic device is used by a user to take a selfie, since the user locates between a light source and the electronic device, it is easy to cause insufficient exposure of a face. If brightness of the face is increased by adjusting exposure, a background area is overexposed, and a shooting scene cannot even be displayed clearly.
Generally, in order to improve shooting quality, in a shooting process, a pixel array is controlled to be subjected to long exposure, medium exposure, and short exposure, and images obtained with different exposures are synthesized to output an image, thereby improving an imaging effect of the image.
However, in a relatively dark scene, a dynamic range of an image captured in this way may be relatively low. In a scene having medium brightness, an image captured has relatively large image noises. Therefore, this single shooting mode cannot be applied to multiple shooting scenes.

Method for imaging controlling, electronic device, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

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