Embodiments target users based on energy usage and profile. For example, energy usage data can be received for households monitored using a plurality of meters, where the energy usage data is associated with the households and users. A data set that includes estimated energy usage over geographic areas can be received. The monitored energy usage data and the data set can be combined using a mapping, where the mapping includes location mappings between location information for the households and the geographic areas from the data set. Users with user profiles that meet a targeting criteria can be targeted based on the combined monitored energy usage data and the data set, where the users are targeted based on the location mappings. A messaging campaign that transmits messages to the targeted users can be executed.

Over time, it has proven challenging for utilities to identify certain communities and target specific campaigns to these communities. For example, conventional techniques often fail to target low and moderate income (LMI) communities with effective campaigns, such as those aimed at improving household energy usage or energy efficiency, promoting LMI payment programs, or even general awareness and marketing campaigns. While household energy usage data has been available in some forms, leveraging this data to identify and target communities, such as LMI communities, has had limited success in improving outcomes. Some of these deficiencies relate to the inability to effectively identify both the households and users or customers within the households, such as based on criteria other than, or in addition to, household energy usage data. Techniques for identifying and targeting users and households to improve energy efficiency can generate positive returns for the users themselves as well as the energy infrastructure that powers the households.

Identifying and targeting users based on energy usage and profile


A method for processing a digitized continuous tone image for reproducing the image by a printing device, including (a) inputting a tone value of an input pixel of the image; (b) applying a plurality of levelsplit curves to the tone value, thus obtaining a plurality of level values, wherein each specific levelsplit curve of the curves corresponds to a level defined by (i) a combination of a dot density and a dot area; or (ii) an overlap of a plurality of such combinations; (c) inputting the plurality of level values to an error diffuser for obtaining an output pixel value for reproducing the image; wherein a fraction of the output pixels to be filled by an overlap of levels depends on the level values and is independent of the error diffuser.

To print a continuous tone image, customarily a halftoning process is applied to the image. Error diffusion, also indicated as "ED" in this document, is a well-established halftoning technique, especially suitable for printers that are able to produce dispersed dots, such as ink-jet printers.
Several error diffusion algorithms exist, that may be used for grey scale and for color. One way to extend an algorithm from grey scale to color is to apply the grey-scale algorithm separately on each color component.
In general, three methods exist to achieve a grey level in an image: area modulated printing, density modulated printing, and the combination of both. In area modulated printing, gray levels are achieved by applying a marking particle (such as ink or toner) to a smaller or larger area of a receiving substrate (such as paper). For ink-jet, this may be achieved by applying a larger quantity of ink, i.e. applying a larger drop size. In density modulated printing, grey levels are achieved by applying different types of marking particles to the receiving substrate, each type having a different density. For ink-jet, different ink densities (such as e.g. light cyan ink and dark cyan ink) may be used.
More background information on ED can be found in the following three patents, herein each incorporated by reference in their entirety for background information only.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,645 discloses multilevel error diffusion for a grayscale printing device using multiple drop sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,671 discloses an error diffusion method for a printing device having multiple ink densities and dot sizes (or drop sizes); the ED levels are translated by a LUT (look-up table) to density/drop size combinations. More information on multilevel error diffusion in general can be found in this patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,714 discloses a multicolor and mixed-mode halftoning method, wherein a printer driver operates a printer capable of multiple dot-placement geometries or resolutions and multiple inks per color channel. The halftoning includes error diffusion.
In ordinary bilevel ED a gray value is quantized by means of thresholding. If the gray value is larger than the chosen threshold, the value is quantized to 1, otherwise it is quantized to 0. The quantisation error is distributed over neighboring unprocessed pixels. Therefore not the original pixel value is thresholded, but a modified pixel value which is equal to the original pixel value plus the quantization error the pixel has received from other, already processed, pixels. This feedback mechanism guarantees that the right mean tone value is produced.
In multilevel ED, the thresholding procedure is replaced by a more general quantization scheme.
The simplest quantization scheme is to quantize the modified pixel value to the nearest quantization level. The quantization error is once again fed to neighboring unprocessed pixels. The more quantization levels, the smaller the quantization error, and the better the quality of the ED image.
The multilevels are realized in practice in ink-jet printers by using inks of different densities, multiple drop sizes (in this document, the drop size is the amount of ink applied to a given pixel), or a combination of both. Error diffusion may also be applied to other printing techniques than ink-jet. Thus, in general, a level may be realized by a combination of a dot area (cf. the area modulated printing discussed above) and a dot density (cf. density modulated printing as discussed above). Some multilevel printing devices may provide such combinations wherein the dot area is kept constant; others may provide combinations wherein the dot density is kept constant; still others may provide combinations wherein both the dot area and the dot density may vary.
In case of a binary ink-jet printer using a light ink and a dark ink we can use a multilevel error diffusion with 3 levels: level 0=no drop of ink, level 1=a drop of light ink, level 2=a drop of dark ink.
Another example of an ink-jet printer with 6 levels: level 0=no drop of ink, level 1=a small drop of light ink, level 2=a medium drop of light ink, level 3=a large drop of light ink, level 4=a medium drop of dark ink, level 5=a large drop of dark ink.
While printing with multiple drop sizes is most often implemented in this way, printing with multiple ink densities is more often implemented by applying a set of inksplit curves, a set of lookup tables transforming each gray value into a set of gray values, one for each ink (e.g. light and dark ink). The thus obtained channels are processed independently by error diffusion algorithms to produce the output image channels. This method provides more control over how much light and dark ink is used to produce a certain tone value than the multilevel ED method. The inksplit method is chosen because the extra control on the ink quantities can be used to eliminate drying problems and image artifacts such as banding.


The present invention provides apparatus, systems and methods that provide each of a plurality of users, in response to each particular user's request, information concerning, and an identification of: each carrier of a plurality of carriers that supports the shipper's preferred shipping location; whether each carrier supports the shipper's preferred shipping location for shipping a particular parcel; and pricing for each service offered by each carrier for the shipper's chosen shipping location, wherein each user accesses the computer system over a global communications network using a client computer device, each user client computer device having their own individual electronic connection to the global communications network.

Individuals, small businesses and major corporations the ("Shipper(s)") ship billions of parcels every year (small office/home office shippers are referred to as "SOHO" Shippers). Each parcel, also sometimes referred to herein as a package, is shipped by a Shipper using at least one parcel carrier (the "carrier(s)", or "Carrier(s)").
Each parcel is characterized by a set of "Parcel Specifications." Parcel specifications include but are not limited to such factors as: parcel dimensions, parcel weight, parcel value, parcel value and the like.
Each Shipper is faced with certain shipping requirements and limitations ("Shipping Requirements"), such as the location from which the parcel is to be shipped, time frame within which the particular parcel must arrive at its destination, the ability of the shipper to drop off the parcel, budgetary constraints with regard to the cost of shipping, insurance against loss, delivery notification, loss protection, and the like.
Each Carrier has its own unique rating schedule, and delivery and pickup rules and schedules for each of a multitude of different services. In some cases, a particular Carrier's rules may be available in a standalone Carrier-provided paper-based or computer system. Many Shippers attempt to work with each of the standalone, individual paper-based and computer Carrier-provided systems ("standalone Carrier system environment") in order to ship a parcel.
A Shipper that uses standalone Carrier systems must sort through the various services offered by each carrier and apply each Carrier's rules to determine whether one or more carriers offer a service with which to deliver a particular parcel according to the Shipper's requirements. If the Shipper determines that more than one carrier offers a service with which to deliver a particular parcel according to the Shipper's requirements, then the particular Shipper might additionally be concerned with selecting a carrier and service that provide shipping services at the optimal price.
One of the problems in dealing with standalone Carrier systems is that the Shipper must identify each Carrier's rules for pickup and drop-off shipping locations. Because shipping is physical, Carrier pickup and drop-off shipping location rules can differ by city, state, and zip code and to some extent, parcel specifications for the parcel to be shipped. Therefore, the Shipper must determine each Carrier's pickup and drop-off shipping location rules for the Shipper's own physical location as applied to the particular parcel to be shipped. Further, each Carrier's shipment pricing may differ according to shipping location. Accordingly, some way is needed so that a Shipper can accurately and easily determine whether each Carrier supports shipping from the Shipper's preferred shipping location and the impact on pricing for different shipping location options.

Apparatus, systems and methods for online, multi-carrier, multi-service parcel shipping management featuring shipping location comparison across multiple carriers


The present disclosure provides a method and a system for automatically configuring an I/O port. The method applied to a central processor includes: receiving request information from a controlled device, the request information carrying a type of a signal required by the controlled device, and sending, according to the type of the signal, a configuration instruction to a control device, and instructing the control device to configure the I/O port according to the configuration instruction. The controlled device is connected to the central processing unit, or the controlled device is connected to the central processor by means of the control device.

At present, automatic control devices such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), or direct digital control (DDC,) systems are rapidly spreading. Such automatic control devices are mainly used for centralized control of various large-scale machineries or complex equipment. The control device itself integrates multiple types of input and output interfaces. These interfaces include digital input and output interfaces, and analog input and output interfaces. The analog input and output interfaces further include voltage input and output interfaces, current input and output interfaces, temperature sensing bulb detecting interface, and the like. In order to enhance the function of a port and improve the versatility of the port, the port is designed as a multiplexed mode. That is, circuits with all the above functions are integrated in one port. A software configuration method is used to switch the port to have any of the above functions. Due to different functions, the corresponding internal implementation circuits are different, so requirements for parameters of input and output signals are also different. If the input and output signals do not match the interface, the control device or a controlled device is easy to be damaged.
However, a configuration method for an I/O port includes manually verifying types and parameters of an output signal or an input signal required by an external controlled device, and configuring the functions of the I/O port of the control device via a software to match the types of the input or output signals of the controlled device, and finally connecting the input and output interfaces between two modules. Nevertheless, an operator may forget to cut off the input and output interfaces and configure the control device, or an engineer may misoperate during in the process of configuring the port type of the control device, which will cause the input and output signals not to match the port type, thus causing damage to the control device or the controlled device.
Regarding the problem that the device is damaged due to improper operation in the process of manually configuring the I/O port in the related art, no effective solution has been proposed yet.

Method and system for automatically configuring I/O port

GREE ELECTRIC APPLIANCES, INC. OF ZHUHAI


An apparatus of plural charged particle beams with multi-axis magnetic lens is provided to perform multi-functions of observing a specimen surface, such as high-throughput inspection and high-resolution review of interested features thereof and charge-up control for enhancing image contrast and image resolution. In the apparatus, two or more sub-columns are formed and each of the sub-columns performs one of the multi-functions. Basically the sub-columns take normal illumination to get high image resolutions, but one or more may take oblique illuminations to get high image contrasts.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-axis magnetic lens and variants thereof which can focus a plurality of charged particle beams simultaneously and individually. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus of charged particle beam, which can perform multi-functions for observing a specimen surface simultaneously or in a programmed series.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For manufacturing semiconductor IC chips, pattern defects and/or uninvited particles (residuals) occur on wafer/mask surfaces during fabrication processes, which reduce the yield to a great degree. As smaller and smaller critical dimensions of patterns on wafer/mask are required, electron beam (e-beam) tools for defect/particle inspection and defect/particle review have been widely used for the yield management due to their higher imaging resolutions than the corresponding optical tools.
The defect/particle inspection and the defect/particle review are much different in requirements for throughput (which determines how many defects can be detected out in unit time) and imaging resolution (which determines the minimum detectable defect size). The e-beam tools fundamentally work on the principle of scanning electron microscope (SEM). Due to the geometric aberrations and electron interactions (Coulomb effect), it is very difficult or even impossible to realize both the inspection and the review in a single e-beam tool. The state-of-art is that defect/particle inspection and defect/particle review are respectively performed by individual tools; i.e. each tool can only perform a specific function. A tool for defect/particle inspection at first detects pattern defects and process-induced particles, and then feeds the inspection results to a tool for defect/particle review. The tool for defect/particle review shows the defects/particles with an imaging resolution higher than that of the tool for defect/particle inspection in order to provide information for further analyzing the root causes of deflects/particles. Consequently, to monitor the quality of a wafer or a mask, the wafer or the mask has to be transferred between the tools for defect/particle inspection and defect/particle review one or more times. The one or more transfers therebetween reduce the monitoring speed and increase the monitoring cost.
To solve the foregoing problem, a promising solution is to incorporate the tools for defect/particle inspection and defect/particle review into one apparatus. In this way, the transfers between different tools will be within a common vacuum space and a limited distance range. Many procedures of moving and protecting wafers/masks for the transfers will be removed. Consequently, compared with the conventional way for the yield management, a single apparatus with multi-functions can provide a much higher throughput with a much lower cost.
Each of the foregoing e-beam tools basically comprises an electron gun unit providing a single electron beam and an imaging system comprising a single-axis magnetic objective lens. If simply putting the tools into one apparatus, the spatial interval between every two adjacent tools must be large enough to physically accommodate two single-axis magnetic objective lenses thereof. Hence, the number of tools available for a wafer or a mask will not be sufficient for mass production, and the transfer distances among the tools will be large. Another way is using a multi-axis magnetic lens to replace the single-axis magnetic objective lenses of all the tools, which can reduce the spatial interval by 50%, thereby almost doubling the number of the available tools.
The idea of using a multi-axis magnetic lens to separately focus a plurality of electron beams parallel to each other was proposed as early as in 1973 by Maekawa et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,715,580. FIGS. 1A and 1B respectively illustrate the configuration and the magnetic field distribution of the multi-axis magnetic lens. The multi-axis magnetic lens comprises one common exciting coil 44, one yoke 43, and two parallel magnetic conductor plates 41 and 42 with a plurality of through holes in pairs. When an electric current is exerted into the coil 44, between each pair of coaxial holes, a magnetic axisymmetric field (round lens field) will be generated along the coincident central axes thereof (such as 31 in FIG. 1B), and consequently one magnetic sub-lens such as 30 is formed therebetween. The two magnetic conductor plates 41 and 42 form pole pieces for magnetic sub-lenses 10, 20 and 30 which respectively focus the corresponding charged particle beams 1, 2 and 3.
As shown in FIG. 1B, in terms of Fourier analysis, the magnetic field of each magnetic sub-lens comprises not only the axisymmetric component or called as round-lens field, but also a lot of non-axisymmetric transverse field components or called as high order harmonics, such as dipole field and quadrupole field. Only the round-lens field is necessary for focusing an electron beam, and the other components are undesired due to generating additional aberrations. To compensate the influence of each high order harmonic, at least one additional element generating the same type field is required. However, the additional element obviously increases the volume and the complication of the multi-axis magnetic lens.
Chen et al propose one method in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,003,953, 8,294,095 and 8,445,862 and the cross reference, which can fundamentally mitigate or even eliminate the high order harmonics per se. As shown in FIG. 2A, the method comprises three steps. The first step is inserting a magnetic ring (such as 12) inside each hole of every magnetic sub-lens (such as 10) with a radial gap (such as 14). The radial gap can be vacuum or filled of non-magnetic or weakly-magnetic material. The radial gap weakens the non-axisymmetric distribution of magnetic scalar potential inside the magnetic ring, and as a result reduces high order harmonics. The second step is extending one of the two magnetic rings of each sub-lens inside the other so as to further reduce the high order harmonics inside the magnetic sub-lens. If the extended magnetic ring fully goes through the hole where the other magnetic ring is inserted, in some cases the other magnetic ring can even be removed for simplification in manufacturing, such as shown in FIG. 2C. The third step is using two magnetic shielding plates respectively above and below the two parallel magnetic conductor plates so as to reduce the high order harmonics outside each magnetic sub-lens.
For each magnetic sub-lens, the magnetic rings inside the upper and lower holes function as pole-pieces and the magnetic field is formed through the magnetic-circuit gap (such as 15 in FIG. 2A) therebetween. The magnetic field distribution along the optical axis (such as 11) of the magnetic sub-lens is determined by the magnetic-circuit gap. Due to using the magnetic rings, the magnetic-circuit gap can be freely formed in any shape and any orientation so as to generate a desired magnetic field distribution for a certain application. In FIG. 2A, each magnetic sub-lens has an axial magnetic-circuit gap and can be used as non-immersion magnetic objective sub-lens or magnetic condenser sub-lens. In FIGS. 2B and 2C, the magnetic sub-lenses have radial magnetic-circuit gaps and can be used as immersion magnetic objective sub-lenses.
The foregoing multi-axis magnetic lenses proposed by Chen et al. are mainly used to an apparatus performing a single function required for observing a specimen surface with high throughput, such as defect/particle inspection or defect/particle review of a wafer or a mask. As mentioned at the beginning, an apparatus with multi-functions required for observing a specimen is needed especially for the yield management in semiconductor manufacturing. Accordingly, this invention will propose such an apparatus which can perform a variety of independent functions required for observing a specimen surface simultaneously or in a programmed series so as to realize an all-round observation of the specimen surface with both a high throughput and a low cost.

Apparatus of plural charged particle beams with multi-axis magnetic lens


In a monitoring apparatus for monitoring an object which intrudes into a monitoring subject area by using an image pickup device, it is demanded to adjust parameters according to conditions such as the monitoring purpose and the surrounding environment in order to execute suitable monitoring. To this end, in the monitoring apparatus, parameters corresponding to monitoring conditions are subject to grouping. Suitable values of parameters in each group obtained by the grouping are previously determined according to a degree of a monitoring condition. A monitoring condition and its degree are selected by using an ordering device having user interface components such as push buttons mounted thereon. It is made possible to instantaneously alter parameters belonging to a group corresponding to the monitoring condition all at once at this time. Parameter adjustment free from troublesomeness and skill is thus implemented.

The present invention relates to a monitoring apparatus for monitoring a video in an area to be monitored (monitoring subject area). In particular, the present invention relates to a parameter setting method by which a plurality of parameters used by an algorithm for detecting an object from a video can be adjusted easily by means of a GUI (Graphical User Interface).
It is conducted to monitor an object which intrudes into a monitoring subject area by using, for example, an image pickup device such as a television camera (TV camera). Furthermore, a technique for conducting monitoring which is not manned monitoring using a supervisor, but automatic monitoring using an apparatus or system.
As an example of a technique for automatically detecting an object which intrudes into a monitoring subject area, a monitoring technique using a method called background subtraction method has been widely used up to now. FIG. 4 shows an example of the background subtraction method. An object detection method using the background subtraction method includes the steps of calculating a difference in luminance (or pixel value) between an input image 401 obtained from an image pickup device or the like and a background image 402 serving as a reference in which an object to be detected is not displayed, binarizing the difference value in an obtained difference image 403 by using a predetermined threshold, and conducting monitoring by regarding that an object to be detected exists in an area which has a great difference and which appears on a binarized image 404, or there is a possibility thereof.
As methods for monitoring an object to be detected, there are an inter-frame difference method using differences among a plurality of input images obtained at different time points, and an optical flow method for detecting a motion flow in an image by calculating a motion of a local part between two images, besides the background subtraction method. A suitable method is implemented according to monitoring conditions for the monitoring subject area. In addition, movement of the detected area is tracked and a locus is obtained by, for example, continuously making a pattern search in the vicinity of the detected area. The kind of the object, such as a human being or an automobile, can be recognized on the basis of the velocity and size of the object which is being tracked.
In the monitoring apparatus, overlooking an object which has intruded and falsely recognizing a shaking motion of a tree as an object which has intruded often pose problems. However, it is possible to improve the precision of each image processing algorithm and alleviate the problems such as overlooking and false detection by adjusting parameters according to the input image. For example, a high processing precision is implemented by using the threshold in the background subtraction and the size of the pattern search range in the tracking as variable parameters and giving the parameters according to conditions of the peripheral environment. Furthermore, when the luminance difference between the object to be detected and the background is small due to foul weather such as a snowstorm, the precision of the detection can be raised by adjusting the threshold in the subtraction method to a low value.
As conventional techniques relating to the present invention, for example, there are techniques disclosed in JP-A-2005-062924 (hereafter referred to as Patent Document 1), US2008/0122949 (hereafter referred to as Patent Document 2), and JP-A-2006-114953 (hereafter referred to as Patent Document 3).

Parameter setting method and monitoring apparatus using the method


An imprinting apparatus includes a silicon master having a plurality of nanofeatures defined therein. An anti-stick layer coats the silicon master, the anti-stick layer including a molecule having a cyclosiloxane with at least one silane functional group. A method includes forming a master template by: depositing a formulation on a silicon master including a plurality of nanofeatures defined therein, the formulation including a solvent and a molecule having a cyclosiloxane with at least one silane functional group; and curing the formulation, thereby forming an anti-stick layer on the silicon master, the anti-stick layer including the molecule. The method further includes depositing a silicon-based working stamp material on the anti-stick layer of the master template; curing the silicon-based working stamp material to form a working stamp including a negative replica of the plurality of nanofeatures; and releasing the working stamp from the master template.

Nano-imprinting technology enables the economic and effective production of nanostructures. Nano-embossing lithography employs direct mechanical deformation of a resist material by a stamp having nanostructures, followed by an etching process to transfer the nanostructures from the stamp to the substrate.
Flow cells are devices that allow fluid flow through channels or wells within a substrate. Patterned flow cells that are useful in nucleic acid analysis methods include discrete wells of active surface within an inert interstitial region. Such patterned flow cells may be useful in biological arrays.
Biological arrays are among a wide range of tools used to detect and analyze molecules, including deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). In these applications, the arrays are engineered to include probes for nucleotide sequences present in genes in humans and other organisms. In certain applications, for example, individual DNA and RNA probes may be attached at small locations in a geometric grid (or randomly) on an array support. A test sample, e.g., from a known person or organism, may be exposed to the grid, such that complementary fragments hybridize to the probes at the individual sites in the array. The array can then be examined by scanning specific frequencies of light over the sites to identify which fragments are present in the sample, by fluorescence of the sites at which the fragments hybridized.
Biological arrays may be used for genetic sequencing. In general, genetic sequencing involves determining the order of nucleotides or nucleic acids in a length of genetic material, such as a fragment of DNA or RNA. Increasingly longer sequences of base pairs are being analyzed, and the resulting sequence information may be used in various bioinformatics methods to logically fit fragments together so as to reliably determine the sequence of extensive lengths of genetic material from which the fragments were derived. Automated, computer-based examination of characteristic fragments have been developed, and have been used in genome mapping, identification of genes and their function, evaluation of risks of certain conditions and disease states, and so forth. Beyond these applications, biological arrays may be used for the detection and evaluation of a wide range of molecules, families of molecules, genetic expression levels, single nucleotide polymorphisms, and genotyping.


A system and method for converting a fuel cell stack power request signal to a stack current set-point that considers stack performance parameters. The method includes obtaining a power-current relationship curve of the fuel cell stack to provide stack parameters including exchange current density and mass transfer coefficient. The method then calculates a slope for the stack using the parameters from the power-current relationship curve estimation that includes calculating a cell voltage at two predetermined stack current densities. The method then calculates a change in current in response to the power request signal, the stack voltage, the stack current and the calculated slope, and uses the change in current to update the current set-point for the stack.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a system and method for converting a power request signal for a fuel cell stack to a current set-point for the stack and, more particularly, to a system and method for converting a power request signal for a fuel cell stack to a current set-point for the stack that considers stack performance.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Hydrogen is a very attractive fuel because it is clean and can be used to efficiently produce electricity in a fuel cell. A hydrogen fuel cell is an electro-chemical device that includes an anode and a cathode with an electrolyte therebetween. The anode receives hydrogen gas and the cathode receives oxygen or air. The hydrogen gas is dissociated in the anode to generate free hydrogen protons and electrons. The hydrogen protons pass through the electrolyte to the cathode. The hydrogen protons react with the oxygen and the electrons in the cathode to generate water. The electrons from the anode cannot pass through the electrolyte, and thus are directed through a load to perform work before being sent to the cathode.
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are a popular fuel cell for vehicles. The PEMFC generally includes a solid polymer electrolyte proton conducting membrane, such as a perfluorosulfonic acid membrane. The anode and cathode typically include finely divided catalytic particles, usually platinum (Pt), supported on carbon particles and mixed with an ionomer. The catalytic mixture is deposited on opposing sides of the membrane. The combination of the anode catalytic mixture, the cathode catalytic mixture and the membrane define a membrane electrode assembly (MEA). MEAs are relatively expensive to manufacture and require certain conditions for effective operation.
Several fuel cells are typically combined in a fuel cell stack to generate the desired power. The fuel cell stack receives a cathode input gas, typically a flow of air forced through the stack by a compressor. Not all of the oxygen is consumed by the stack and some of the air is output as a cathode exhaust gas that may include water as a stack by-product. The fuel cell stack also receives an anode hydrogen input gas that flows into the anode side of the stack.
The fuel cell stack includes a series of bipolar plates positioned between the several MEAs in the stack, where the bipolar plates and the MEAs are positioned between the two end plates. The bipolar plates include an anode side and a cathode side for adjacent fuel cells in the stack. Anode gas flow channels are provided on the anode side of the bipolar plates that allow the anode reactant gas to flow to the respective MEA. Cathode gas flow channels are provided on the cathode side of the bipolar plates that allow the cathode reactant gas to flow to the respective MEA. One end plate includes anode gas flow channels, and the other end plate includes cathode gas flow channels. The bipolar plates and end plates are made of a conductive material, such as stainless steel or a conductive composite. The end plates conduct the electricity generated by the fuel cells out of the stack. The bipolar plates also include flow channels through which a cooling fluid flows.
The stack controller needs to know the current/voltage relationship, referred to as a polarization curve, of the fuel cell stack to schedule stack reactant flows in accordance with power demands. The relationship between the voltage and the current of the stack is typically difficult to define because it is non-linear, and changes depending on many variables, including stack temperature, stack partial pressures and cathode and anode stoichiometries. Additionally, the relationship between the stack current and voltage changes as the stack degrades over time. Particularly, an older stack will have lower cell voltages, and will need to provide more current to meet the power demands than a new, non-degraded stack.
When the stack controller receives a power request signal from the vehicle operator, a control algorithm generates a current set-point for the fuel cell stack. In known systems, that current set-point is based on the stack polarization curve where it is assumed that the polarization curve is linear. Typically, only a single polarization curve is used for the fuel cell stack and that polarization curve is one that is determined for the beginning of life (BOL) of the fuel cell stack. However, as the stack ages, voltage degradation occurs in the stack where a higher stack voltage is required for a higher stack current. Thus, an increase in power request requires a higher current set-point. Further, external disturbances on the system cause voltage oscillations on the stack which translate to oscillations in the current set-point signal.

Adaptive method for conversion of external power request to current setpoint to a fuel cell system based on stack performance


A method is employed to attenuate ultrasonic noise propagating in a flow stream of a fluid flow system. In particular, the method attenuates the noise propagating between a noise source and a reference point in the flow stream (wherein the reference point and the noise source are positioned in the flow stream in direct acoustic line of sight relation). The method includes positioning an absorbent element in the flow stream between the noise source and the reference point. Then, the ultrasonic noise is directed past vicinity of the absorbent element such that indirect ultrasonic noise is absorbed by the absorbent element. Preferably, the method also includes deflecting the ultrasonic noise to convert direct noise to indirect noise prior to directing the ultrasonic noise past the vicinity of the absorbent material in the flow stream. Such a method may be employed to attenuate ultrasonic noise by up to about 20 dB to 45 dB.

The present invention relates generally to a system, apparatus and method for filtering acoustic noise within a fluid flow system. More particularly, the invention relates to the mitigation or attenuation of ultrasonic noise, and the incorporation of such an apparatus within a fluid flow system that includes a noise source and an ultrasonic device. Further, the invention relates to the elements or components of such an apparatus, particularly directed to attenuating direct and/or indirect noise within a fluid flow environment.
Sound or noise is a longitudinal mechanical wave motion in an elastic medium and is classified according to its frequency—infrasonic, audible, and ultrasonic. The infrasonic classification refers to frequencies below the detection level of the human ear (less than 20 Hz). The audible classification refers to frequency that can be detected by the human ear (from 20-20,000 Hz). The ultrasonic classification refers to frequencies above the detection level of the human ear (above 20,000 Hz). Sensory effects of sounds denoted by a physiologist as loudness, pitch, and quality are correlated with the measurable parameters of sound denoted by physicists as intensity, frequency and wave shape.
The intensity of a sound wave is the amount of wave energy transmitted per unit time per unit area normal to the direction of sound propagation. That is, the intensity of sound is the power transmitted per unit area. In the audible classification of noise, the significant intensities for a human species are:
NoiseIntensity (W/M2)Level (dB)Hearing Threshold1 E−120Whisper1 E−1020Conversation1 E−0665Street Traffic1 E−0575Train in a Tunnel1 E−02100Pain Threshold1 E−00120
Acoustics is a systematic investigation of the nature, origin, and propagation of sound. Acoustic noise generation in a closed conduit can occur from many sources, including protruding gaskets, misaligned pipe flanges, headers, line size changes, valves, etc. The flowing velocity in the pipe is a major factor in the character of the acoustic noise. When pipe velocity is below 50 fps, one would expect noise from only a control valve, which is designed to manipulate the flow. When the pipe velocity is greater than 50 fps, noise generation can be initiated by a multitude of the aforementioned sources.
Sound waves are pressure pulses propagate in accordance with acoustic plane wave theory. Sound propagates as a pressure wave in gas flow system, i.e., pipe system or other fluid conduit, at the velocity of sound of the fluid. Such a propagating pressure wave will be reflected and absorbed at impedance discontinuities forming standing wave patterns or acoustic resonances. These resonances typically amplify pulsation by a factor of 10 to 100.
Noise travelling along the longitudinal direction, i.e., in parallel with the longitudinal centerline of the conduit, may be referred to as direct noise. Noise travelling in a direction that is not parallel to, or not oblique with respect to, the longitudinal centerline may be referred to as indirect noise. Direct noise may become indirect noise upon encountering a bend, obstruction, or certain discontinuities in the flow medium, that forces the pressure wave to reflect, refract or otherwise deviate from the direct or longitudinal direction. Indirect noise may, therefore, propagate through a extensive run of conduit by bouncing or reflecting off the walls of the conduit.

Apparatus for filtering ultrasonic noise within a fluid flow system


A wing for an aircraft having at least one weapon, and a feed duct for feeding the weapon with ammunition supplied in the form of a belt; the wing has a compartment for housing a portion of the belt and connectable to a loading opening of the feed duct.

Helicopters are known comprising a fuselage; a turret armed with a weapon at the front end of the fuselage; and two wings projecting from the fuselage and equipped with further weapons and/or auxiliary tanks.
More specifically, the turret comprises a weapon fed with ammunition on a continuous belt.
More specifically, the helicopter comprises a rigid duct having a rear loading end connected to an ammunition tank, and a front end close to the turret. As the weapon is fired, the ammunition belt runs into the duct through the front end, and along a portion outside the fuselage to the turret.
A need is felt within the industry to increase ammunition feed to the turret without impairing the aerodynamic characteristics of the helicopter.


Digital video communication system and method facilitate conservation of communication bandwidth are presented. A present invention method forwards sampled chrominance data to other components in the system. Pixel chrominance values are sampled in accordance with the sampling scheme. The sampled chrominance values (e.g., 422, 420, 411, etc.) are forwarded to another component. For example, a graphics processing unit performs sampling operations and forwards the chrominance sampled information to another component (e.g., a board, a display, etc.). The graphics processing unit can also perform color space conversion before forwarding the chrominance sampled information to the other component. The other component performs up-sampling. For example, a display can perform the up-sampling to generate synthesized full RGB values. The sampled chrominance data can be further compressed (e.g., MPEG, WMV, etc.) before forwarding the sampled chrominance data and before performing the up-sampling.

Electronic systems and circuits have made a significant contribution towards the advancement of modern society and are utilized in a number of applications to achieve advantageous results. Numerous electronic technologies such as digital computers, calculators, audio devices, video equipment, and telephone systems have facilitated increased productivity and reduced costs in analyzing and communicating data, ideas and trends in most areas of business, science, education and entertainment. Frequently, these advantageous results are realized through the use of digital video presentations. The digital video presentations typically provide information in a format that humans find easy to observe and digest significant amounts of data in relatively short periods of time. Some traditional approaches to information communication subscribe to the notion that "a picture is worth a thousand words". However, digital video presentations are typically data intensive. Communicating large amounts of data between components of a digital video system can consume significant resources and take a significant amount of time.
Rapid communication and processing of information is often critical for desirable video presentations. Generally, a certain level of flow or speed in the information presentation is required for the application to perform properly. Delays in communicating and/or processing video information can have significant detrimental impacts on video presentations. Glitches or delays in video streaming can diminish user experience and/or interaction with the video.
Digital video information typically includes information associated with a three dimensional scene in the world coordinate system mapped for two dimensional projection (e.g., on a display screen). In most digital video systems an image is represented as a raster (an array) of logical picture elements (pixels). Parameter values are typically assigned to each pixel and the parameter values determine the nature of the projection on the display screen. The parameter values are digital values corresponding to certain attributes of the image (e.g. color, depth, etc.) measured over a small area of the image represented by a pixel. The parameter values are usually represented by bits associated with binary logic values (e.g., a string of ones and zeroes) that are communicated between components of a system. Typically each graphical image is represented by thousands of combined pixels. Communicating information for each pixel is very data intensive and typically consumes a significant amount of the communication resources in a digital video system.
Communication resources in video systems typically have physical constraints that place upper limits on communication bandwidth (e.g., the amount of information that can be communicated in a predetermined amount of time). For example, the amount of digital information (e.g., bits per second, bytes per second, etc.) that can be communicated on the number of paths or channels in a communications bus usually has an upper limit. Traditional attempts at increasing bandwidth can include increasing the physical resources of the system. However, increasing the physical resources of a system is often expensive and can detrimentally impact other desirable features of a system. For example, the amount of physical resources that are included as part of a mobile system (e.g., laptops, hand held devices, cell phones, etc.) is often limited by size and/or weight constraints directed to maintaining mobility.

Sampled digital video communication system and method


A method for performing a surround audio compatibility assessment on a plurality of original surround channels is described herein. A surround audio compatibility assessment system accepting original surround signals is also described herein.

The present invention is directed to a surround audio compatibility assessment method, system, and apparatus, and more particularly to a surround audio compatibility assessment method, system, and apparatus that is or is associated with an audio monitor.
"Monophonic sound" (also referred to as "mono") is the reproduction of an audio source (sound) using a single audio channel that is often centered in the sound field (analogous to a visual field). "Stereophonic sound" (also referred to as "stereo") is the reproduction of an audio source using independent audio channels through a symmetrical configuration of speakers. The term "stereo" is almost exclusively used to describe two-channel (left and right) sound, although technically more than two channels could be used. "Surround sound" (also referred to as "surround") encompasses a range of techniques for reproduction of an audio source with audio channels reproduced using multiple discrete speakers. A surround sound system creates the illusion of multi-directional sound through speaker placement and signal processing. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and presents a fixed or forward perspective of the sound field to the listener at this location.
Most modern motion pictures and prime-time television shows (referred to jointly as "media content") are produced in surround. Being the premier audio format, mixing engineers understandably put their attention on how their content sounds in surround. Though most theaters will reproduce the media content in surround, the eventual release on DVD for the home market will not experience the same uniformity of presentation. Indeed, as is the case with sound for digital television, the majority of viewers of movie DVDs will experience the audio in stereo and a nontrivial percentage will hear it in mono.
The conversion of surround to stereo or of stereo to mono involves combining channels and algebraically summing their waveforms. Signals that are present in multiple channels may cancel, or partially cancel, when those channels are combined. The degree of cancellation depends on their relative phase, the ratio of their levels prior to combining and any level adjustment introduced in the process of combining. If the original signals have equal amplitudes and are of opposite phase the signal will be completely absent from the combination. The more insidious situation occurs, however, when just one component in a surround mix appears in multiple channels but shifted in phase. This can easily happen when a single source is picked up by multiple non-coincident microphones. When the outputs of these microphones are combined, there will be cancellations and the signal level will be reduced. If this happens to an actor's voice, the dialog can become unintelligible.
Mono compatibility of stereo material has traditionally been monitored with a Lissajous display. The Left and Right channels drive the vertical and horizontal channels of an oscilloscope. Equipment specifically designed for audio monitoring (e.g. a sound "monitoring product" or "audio monitor") typically will rotate the display counterclockwise by 45 degrees to make the left channel appear as a diagonal line tilting toward the upper Left and the Right channel appear as a line tilting toward the upper right. Interpretation of such a display requires experience associating the various shapes with circumstances in which audio has experienced cancellations when mixed to mono.
Many manufacturers have eliminated the graphical display in their sound "monitoring product" or "audio monitor" by using "correlation" meters. These correlation meters multiply the Left and Right channels together and average the result, creating an indicator that is positive when the channels are in-phase and negative when they are out-of-phase. This is usually normalized by the channel levels, creating an indicator scaled between +1 and −1. A good stereo signal will hover near zero, a good mono signal will be positive. Indications that go very negative represent problem content that will cancel when reproduced in mono.
Surround sound "monitoring products" or "audio monitors" also use Lissajous or correlation displays. The first problem in monitoring surround audio compatibility with either type of display is the sheer number of channel pairs involved. Ignoring the LFE (Low Frequency Effects) channel, a 5.1 surround program (e.g. Dolby Digital and DTS (Digital Theater System)) contains 10 channel pairs. A 6.1 surround program has 15 channel pairs. A 7.1 surround program has 21 channel pairs. FIG. 1 shows five speakers 100 each interconnected with channel pairs (e.g. neighboring channel pairs 102 and LF/RF channel pair 104 where "LF" is the left front speaker and "RF" is the right front speaker). This is the five main channels of a 5.1 surround program. The LFE is not shown in this figure. The 6.1 and 7.1 surround programs would have a similar pattern in which arrows connect all channel pairs, but the resulting diagram would be extremely busy. Many commercial surround sound monitoring products only analyze neighboring channel pairs that are shown in FIG. 1 as the outside double arrows 102. Other commercial surround sound monitoring products add the LF/RF channel pair 104.
The challenge for the user is watching numerous correlation meters or Lissajous patterns simultaneously. Vendors of such tools have used various schemes to pack these displays onto a single XY display. All of these schemes take advantage of the redundancy evident in the four quadrants of the Lissajous display. Since the lower half of a Lissajous display offers no additional information compared to the upper half, the display may be truncated or folded at the horizontal axis.
Monitoring audio signals through a broadcast chain has long been a job for humans, skilled in audio, well versed in the potential problems and attentively listening to the program on an accurate reproduction system. Particularly in television broadcast, such people are scarce. The recent explosion of television channels and delivery systems has drastically increased the number of programs to be monitored. The shift to surround sound has added additional failure mechanisms such as front/rear channel reversal and compatibility with stereo and mono reproduction. Economic realities have further constrained both the availability of skilled personnel and the acoustic quality of their monitoring environment while reducing the time available to accomplish the task.
The issues facing professionals and organizations creating and delivering surround programs include, but are not limited to: mixing and monitoring surround is a far more complex and challenging task than it is for stereo programs as there are many more opportunities for error; budgets, both financial and time, are shrinking; personnel are expensive and skilled personnel are very expensive; people get tired and bored so when things don't go wrong often (hopefully), vigilance is difficult to maintain; and record keeping is important for post-mortem analysis and for assessing financial accountability, but people hate to keep records.


A valve seat arrangement is provided in which a ceramic valve seat is secured to a valve seat holder. The valve seat holder is directly connected to the cylinder head of the block of the internal combustion engine between the exhaust passage and the combustion chamber of the engine. The cylinder head is made of cast aluminum. Due to the differences in the coefficient of heat of the various metals, the ceramic valve seat will be securely retained in the cylinder head.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an exhaust port for a cylinder block of an internal combustion engine. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a seating mechanism between the exhaust port of the cylinder head of the engine block and a valve.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of a prior art cylinder head of the engine block apparatus is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. In FIG. 6, a cylinder head of the engine block 50 is of an internal combustion engine (not shown). A camshaft 51 is rotatably mounted in the cylinder head 50. A valve mechanism 52 is operatively connected to the camshaft 51. A valve shaft 53 is operated in accordance with the operation of the valve mechanism 52. The valve mechanism 52 includes a valve rocker arm 54, a valve stem 55, a retainer 56 and a valve spring 57. The valve shaft 53 is arranged between the valve mechanism 52 and the cylinder head 50. An exhaust conduit 58 is formed in the cylinder head 50. A valve seat 59 is arranged at the opening portion of the exhaust conduit 58. The valve seat 59 is formed of heat-resisting steel.
FIG. 7 shows a partial cross sectional view of a valve seat portion VS of FIG. 6. In FIG. 7, the valve seat 59 is snugly fitted in the cylinder head 50 by a pressing operation.
The valve camshaft 51 rotates in accordance with the operation of the internal combustion engine (not shown). Since the camshaft 51 is provided with sections formed into eccentric, cam-type shape, the valve rocker arm 54 converts a rotational motion into a reciprocating motion about the rocker arm shaft 54a. In accordance with the above mentioned operation, the valve stem 55 pushes down the valve shaft 53. When the valve shaft 53 is pushed down, a cylinder (not shown) and the exhaust conduit 58 communicate each other. On the other hand, when the valve shaft 53 is not pushed down the valve shaft 53 is seated to the valve seat 59.
The valve seat 59 is made of heat-resisting steel and the cylinder head 50 is made of cast aluminum. Based on the difference of the coefficient of heat expansion between the material of the valve seat 59 and the cylinder head 50, a gap may be generated between the cylinder head 50 and the valve seat 59. When the gap occurs, the valve seat 59 may separate from the cylinder head.


Provided herein are compositions and methods for identifying and detecting modulators of Ras protein conformational states through the use of second harmonic generation (SHG) technology. Also provided herein are methods for detecting a conformational changes in the three dimensional structure of a protein bound to a supported lipid bilayer.

The Ras family of small GTPases is composed of intracellular signaling molecules which are regulated by the nucleotide guanosine-5′-triphosphate (GTP). These proteins function as binary signaling switches with both "on" and "off" states. In the "off" state, Ras is bound to the nucleotide guanosine diphosphate (GDP), while in the "on" state, Ras is bound to GTP. Hence, activation and deactivation of Ras are controlled by cycling between the active GTP-bound and inactive GDP-bound forms. In the GTP-bound conformation, Ras has high affinity for numerous effectors which allow it to carry out its intracellular functions. Ras-regulated signaling pathways control processes as diverse as actin cytoskeletal integrity, proliferation, differentiation, cell adhesion, apoptosis, and cell migration.
Mutations in the Ras proto-oncogene family are the most common oncogene-related mutations in human cancer and in tumors in animal models of cancer. Several different mutations in Ras oncogenes are associated with tumor cell phenotypes in nature. For example, mutations at the codon encoding amino acid 12 in the Ras protein are found in 78% of pancreatic cancers, 34% of colorectal cancers, 40% of non-small cell lung adenocarcinomas, and 24% of ovarian cancers. Ras mutations at amino acids 13, 59 and 61 are also found in a variety of other cancers (e.g. see Lu et al., Cancer Res. 2004, 64(15):5084-8; Abrams et al, Sent Oncol, 118-134; and Friday & Adjei, Biochim Biophys Acta, 2005, 1756:127144). These well-characterized mutations at codons 12, 13 and 61 result in constitutive Ras activation (i.e. a Ras protein with the inability to adopt its "off" state, irrespective of whether it is bound to GDP). Consequently, aberrant signaling through the Ras oncogene product pathway plays an important role in uncontrolled cell proliferation and tumorigenesis.
Even though the first two Ras genes were identified in 1982 (Chang et al., 1982, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79 (16): 4848-52) and the major role played by mutant forms of Ras in human cancer has been appreciated for some time, there is currently no single approved therapy which directly targets this most frequently activated of genes in human cancers. Throughout the field of cancer biology, Ras is widely known as an "undruggable" target, due to Ras-effector protein—protein interactions occurring intracellularly within tumor cells, GTP's role in several significant cellular processes unrelated to Ras, the picomolar affinity of GTP for Ras, as well as the critical role of protein-protein interactions between Ras and its accessory proteins in its signaling cascade. (see, e.g., Tanaka & Rabbitts, 2010, Oncogene, 29:6064-6070; Verdine & Walensky, 2007, Clinical Cancer Research, 13:7264). What is needed, therefore, are techniques to identify compounds capable of specifically modulating the behavior of Ras in cancer cells to decrease the aberrant signaling of downstream Ras effector molecules.
Such techniques are provided herein by the disclosure of methods for identifying agents capable of modulating the structure of proteins (such as Ras proteins) into alternate conformational states.
Throughout this specification, various patents, patent applications and other types of publications (e.g., journal articles) are referenced. The disclosure of all patents, patent applications, and publications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

Methods for identifying modulators of Ras using nonlinear techniques


A marker shoe is fixed to its middle sole by insertion a decoration stripe or a reflective alert stripe; an arc recess being provided on the middle sole and two or more than two insertion holes in given depth being provided at the bottom of the recess to fix the stripe with pile heads to prevent the stripe from falling off and to offer easy replacement among various types of stripes as desired.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a marker shoe, and more particularly, one having at its middle sole fixed with a decoration stripe or a reflective alert stripe.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Among the versatile shoes generally available in the market, one type of shoes that are provided with a reflective element for safety reason when their wearer is walking during night hours. A reflective stripe or a small accessory that gives audible and visual effects is provided to where close to the heel of the shoes. The same audible and visual effects are seen also on children shoes to attract the kids to wear them. However, the stripe or accessory has been fastened by adhesion ex-factory. One pair of shoes comes up with only one type of the stripe or accessory. It won""t be economic for any one to have as many as pair of shoes simply because of having different stripes or accessories on their shoes. It deprives the wearer of the fun to change the stripe as preferred as frequently at any time.
The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a marker shoe that allows its wearer to easily replace with a different decoration stripe or a reflective alert stripe onto both sides of the middle sole at any time as desired. To achieve the purpose, an arc recess is provided each on both sides of the middle sole of the shoe. Multiple holes each in a given depth are provided at the bottom of the recess to respectively receive insertion of pile heads to firmly secure the decoration stripe, reflective alert stripe or any other similar accessories.
With the present invention, the decoration stripe or reflective alert stripe is put into the recess, and pile heads are used to nail the stripe into the holes at the bottom of the recess, thus to be firmly fastened to the middle sole for attractive appearance or alert purpose.
Upon removing or replacing the stripe, simply by pulling the stripe out of the recess and replace it with another type according to the individual preference.
The foregoing object and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.
Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.


Embodiments are directed to storing data in a storage system. Data portions may be provided from blocks of write data provided by client computers. A storage location identifier may be associated with each data portion based on the content of the each data portion. Data portions may be stored in a memory buffer that may correspond to the storage location identifiers. If an amount of data stored in the memory buffer exceeds a threshold value, or if a maximum latency time expires, the data portions are stored on a storage location that corresponds to the memory buffer, such that, the maximum latency time is selected to prevent a collision caused by simultaneously storing of data portions in the same storage location. A write acknowledgement message may be provided to the client computers indicating that the blocks of write data are stored to stable storage.

The amount of data generated and retained by modern enterprises continues to increase. This explosion in data has led to larger and larger data storage systems. In some cases, these data storage systems may include thousands of storage devices. Unfortunately, as number of storage devices in a storage system increases the probability of storage device failure within a storage system increases as well. Accordingly, storage systems may be arranged to use various error recovery and/or replication schemes to defend against storage device failure. For example, data storage systems may be arranged to employ error/data recovery techniques, such as, erasure coding and/or replication for reducing the risk of data loss. In some environments, a data storage system may employ journaling for recording data writes. In some cases, the same techniques used for providing stable storage of data may impact the performance of journaling systems or other latency sensitive storage operations. Thus, it is with respect to these considerations and others that the invention has been made.

Latency optimizing for scalable journaling


A heat exchanger is provided for dissipating heat from a dual turbocharged engine. The heat exchanger has a jacket water cooler, and first and second charge air coolers. The three coolers are arranged in parallel enabling each to operate with a maximum temperature differential, and have fronts that lie in parallel planes. Charge air from a first turbocharger is directly piped to the first charge air cooler, and charge air from the second turbocharger is directly piped to the second charge air cooler. A first baffle is between and upstream of the first charge air cooler and the jacket water cooler. A second baffle is between and upstream of the second charge air cooler and the jacket water cooler. The baffles can direct selected amounts of air to each of the three coolers and prevent radial convective scrubbing. A fuel oil cooler can also be provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a split heat exchanger, and particularly to a radiator with maximized entering temperature differentials for both at least one charge air cooler and a jacket water cooler.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that heat energy contained in one fluid is capable of being transferred to another fluid. Such heat transfer is described in the classical heat transfer equation: Q=UAdT. In this equation, Q represents the heat transfer, U represents a coefficient of heat transfer, A represents the surface area through which the heat can be transferred, and dT represents the change in temperatures between the two mediums. Heat exchangers, and radiators in particular, are designed for a relative high level of transfer of heat energy from one medium to another. One common example is an automobile radiator, in which a coolant fluid passes through an engine to absorb heat energy from the engine. The coolant fluid then is routed through the radiator, where heat is transferred from the coolant fluid to the environment (ambient air).
Engineers and designers have incorporated many strategies to increase the amount of heat that a heat exchanger is capable of transferring. One strategy is to attempt to increase the coefficient of heat transfer. Design components, such as the incorporation of louvers, dimples, waves, ridges and other alterations to the fin profiles have been effectively used. While these improvements are quantifiable and generally useful, there are limitations (both practical and theoretical) as to how much the coefficient of heat transfer can be improved. For example, the increased tooling costs may overshadow any savings associated with the increased coefficient. Accordingly, it may take a long time to recapture those costs through efficiency savings, if it is even possible at all.
Others have had success in increasing the heat transferring capability of the heat exchanger by increasing the surface area between the two mediums (i.e. increasing the size of the heat exchanger). The increases in surface area can come from a combination of increases in height, width, depth and density of the heat exchanger. Often times, the size requirements for shipping and use dictate maximum dimensions in the height and width dimensions. In such situations, the only remaining variable is the depth of the unit. Accordingly, designers have increased the depth of the heat exchanger in order to increase the surface area.
Some heat exchangers are designed for use with engines having turbochargers. It is standard practice to stack two or more radiators in series to cool both a jacket water coolant from the engine and charge air compressed by one or more turbochargers. One configuration has a charge air cooler first, and ajacket water cooler second. Put another way, the charge air cooler is upstream of the jacket water cooler in some configurations, such that air first passes through the charge air cooler and second through the jacket water cooler. There are several drawbacks associated with such standard arrangements.
First, having a series stacked heat exchanger has a depth that is equal to the depth of both the jacket water cooler and the charge air cooler. Such a design has a depth that is often greater than that of a single radiator. Any additional depth can increase the system resistance, which is caused when pressure develops between the fan or air mover and the rear side (down stream side) of the jacket water cooler. Pressure can develop by expansion of the air as it gains energy from the heat exchanger, and also by overcoming obstructions to the free flow of the air. The fan therefore needs to have greater horsepower capacity (i.e. higher initial cost plus increased energy consumption during operation) in order to move the intended amount of air through the heat exchanger to overcome the increase in system pressure.
A further drawback of such an arrangement is that the ambient air first passes through the charge air cooler, and then passes through the jacket water cooler. The air enters the charge air cooler at ambient temperature (the maximum temperature differential). Heat energy is transferred from the charge air to the environmental air, such that the environmental air leaving the charge air cooler is warmer than the air entering the heat exchanger. The environmental air at an elevated temperature then enters the jacket water cooler where it again receives energy, this time transferred from the engine coolant. Yet, the air entering the jacket water cooler has a temperature above the ambient air temperature. Accordingly, the temperature differential between the coolant and the air is less than maximum, and the energy transfer is less than maximum. Such a design is disadvantageously engineered to be less than optimally efficient.
A still further drawback of the stacked system is that for dual turbocharged engines, a manifold is required to route the charge air through the charge air cooler. Several drawbacks can be associated with the use of a manifold. First, it would be undesirable if the return manifold did not evenly distribute the cooled charge air back to both sides of the engine. Second, the charge air can suffer from a pressure loss as it passes through the torturous paths of the manifold and other required piping. Pressure loss of the charge air during routing to and from the charge air cooler reduces the net effect of the turbochargers. Third, the piping and plumbing can add to the overall complexity of the design and manufacturing of the heat exchanger, and the piping and plumbing can be inconvenient to access.
It is well know that axial fans have a "dead" spot where the hub rotates due to the lack of air being driven. Non-uniform air flow rates in an axial direction are caused by the "dead" spots. The standard stacked arrangement prohibits mechanical compensation for different air flow rates across the front face of the heat exchanger due to the dead spot. Accordingly, some portions of the heat exchanger are capable at operating at higher efficiency relative the other portions making the overall heat transfer efficiency less than ideal. The zone of the dead spot and associated inefficiency is more profound downstream of the first heat exchanger where stacked arrangements are used.
Thus there exists a need for a heat exchanger that solves these and other problems.

Split radiator maximizing entering temperature differential


An exemplary method for navigating a virtual camera in a three dimensional environment includes determining a point at an off-center location of a viewport of the virtual camera. The point corresponds to a user selection, and the virtual camera defines a field of view to view content of the three dimensional environment. The method also includes rotating the virtual camera toward the off-center location such that the point is located at a center location of the viewport. The method further includes zooming the virtual camera toward the point located at the center location of the viewport. The method also includes after the zooming the virtual camera, re-rotating the virtual camera such that the point is located at the off-center location of the viewport. The method further includes after the re-rotating, rendering the content from a projection of the viewport.

Systems exist for navigating through a three dimensional environment to display three dimensional data. The three dimensional environment includes a virtual camera that defines what three dimensional data to display. The virtual camera has a perspective according to its position and orientation. By changing the perspective of the virtual camera, a user can navigate through the three dimensional environment.
A geographic information system (GIS) uses a virtual camera to navigate through a three dimensional environment. A GIS is a system for storing, retrieving, manipulating, and displaying a three dimensional model of the Earth. The GIS may allow a user to navigate around a virtual globe and view satellite imagery, terrain, three dimensional buildings, and geo-spatial content in a geographic information environment at a display of a device.
A user may zoom into a location of the display using, for example, a mouse. When the user zooms into a point at an off-center location of the display, the displayed imagery may become distorted. This may create a non-satisfactory experience for the user.

Street-level zooming with asymmetrical frustum


A tape cassette includes an ink ribbon having an ink layer formed thereon and a film tape having a transparent film with an adhesive layer formed on one side thereof. In the tape cassette, the adhesive layer and an ink layer contact at a printing position and the adhesive layer is heated by a thermal head, thereby exhibiting adhesiveness. Then, the ink layer and the adhesive layer are adhered and characters are printed on the film tape. In a tape printing apparatus, a cutter unit is arranged close to the downstream side from the thermal head in the conveying direction. Accordingly, the film tape is cut immediately after printing. The adhesive layer side of the film tape is adhered to an auxiliary sheet medium at the position of a feed roller. The film tape is cut by the second cutter arranged downstream of the feed roller in the conveying direction.

Various types of tape printing apparatuses have been conventionally proposed for producing a tape with characters printed thereon. Generally, a tape cassette to be used in a tape printing apparatus has a cassette case comprising a ribbon spool onto which an ink ribbon is wound, a film tape spool onto which a film tape serving as a printing medium is wound, and an adhesive tape spool onto which an adhesive tape is wound. In the above-described tape cassette, characters and the like are printed on the film tape using a thermal head provided in the tape printing apparatus, through the ink ribbon, while the ink ribbon and the film tape are being conveyed, to thereby produce a tape with characters printed thereon.
In general, to improve the scratch resistance of the characters and the like formed on the film after the printing operation in the tape printing apparatus, an adhesive tape is pasted on the character printed surface of the post-printing film tape by means of a pasting roller or the like, after which the tape is cut.
In another tape printer, an adhesive tape is pasted on the character printed surface to thereby protect the printed surface of the printing tape.
However, since the adhesive tape needs to be pasted on the character printed surface of the film tape after the characters and the like have been printed thereon, the adhesive tape spool onto which the adhesive tape is wound and the pasting roller must be accommodated in the tape cassette used in the conventional tape printing apparatus.
As a result, the size of the tape cassette becomes larger, thereby causing a problem that the overall size of the printing apparatus must inevitably be made larger to allow for installation of a cassette mounting unit. Further, since the pasting roller provided inside the tape cassette is configured so as to be arranged between the thermal head and the cutting mechanism provided in the tape printing apparatus, the thermal head is inevitably arranged far away from the cutting mechanism. As a result, a front blank space (blank space portion corresponding to the distance between a cutting position of the printing tape and the thermal head of the tape printing apparatus) of the produced printing tape becomes large. Therefore, it has been desired to narrow a blank space portion.
On the other hand, since the printing mechanism and the cutting mechanism are not arranged adjacent to each other, blank space portion of the front edge side of the produced printing tape becomes large in another tape printing apparatus as mentioned above. For using the printing tape economically, it has been desired to narrow such a blank space.

Tape printing apparatus and tape cassette


An image processing device includes: an encoding unit that performs an encoding operation for encoding moving images; and a control unit that controls the encoding unit so as to perform the encoding operation on a plurality of still images that are captured in a continuous shooting mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing device and an image reproducing device.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-254101 discloses a technology of managing a plurality of still images as a single file. According to this technology, data that provides pointers to the respective pieces of still image data is described in a header portion of the image file, and the plurality of still images are reproduced according to the data.
In the prior art, image data representing a plurality of images is stored in a data region of the image file. Therefore, even if the data size of the header portion of the image file is reduced, there still is a problem that the size of the data region of the image file increases in proportion to the number of images stored in the image file.

Image processing device and image reproducing device