An electrical apparatus including a battery module and a battery verification module is disclosed. The battery module has a verification circuit and an identification resistor. When the battery module is connected to the battery verification module, the battery verification module obtains a type information of the battery module according to the voltage level on a coupled point between a reference resistor and the identification resistor. The battery verification module transmits a verification request to the verification circuit to allow the verification circuit to transmit a verification signal to the battery verification module through a coupled path between the reference resistor and the identification resistor. The reference resistor is built in the battery verification module.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure relates to an electrical apparatus and a method for verifying a battery module thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a conventional electrical apparatus 100. Referring to FIG. 1, conventionally, a pull-down resistor RPL is disposed in the battery 110 that is connected to the electrical apparatus 100 for supplying power. The pull-down resistor RPL is serially connected between the terminal CN1 of the battery 110 and a ground voltage GND. A battery verification module 120 for perform battery verification in the electrical apparatus 100 includes a pull-up resistor RPU, a transistor M1, a resistor RSD1, and processors 121 and 122. The pull-up resistor RPU is connected to a voltage V1 and the gate of the transistor M1, the drain of the transistor M1 is coupled to a voltage V2 and the processor 121, and the source of the transistor M1 is coupled to the ground voltage GND. The resistor RSD1 is serially connected between the terminal DT and the processor 122. In addition, the battery verification module 120 is further connected to the terminal CN2.
When the battery 110 is connected to the terminal CN2 to which the battery verification module 120 is connected through the terminal CN1, the voltage on the terminal DT is equal to the voltage obtained by dividing the voltage V1 according to the resistances of the pull-up resistor RPU and the pull-down resistor RPL. Then, the processor 122 reads the voltage on the terminal DT to distinguish the label of the battery 110. In addition, when the battery 110 is effectively connected to the battery verification module 120, the voltage on the terminal DT drops and accordingly the transistor M1 is disabled. Thus, the processor 121 receives a voltage equal to the voltage V2 and accordingly determines that the battery 110 is already connected to the electrical apparatus 100.
In the conventional battery verification method described above, if a resistor having the same resistance as that of the pull-down resistor RPL in an original battery is disposed into a non-original battery, the battery verification module 120 will not be able to distinguish the non-original battery from an original battery. Accordingly, when the electrical apparatus 100 charges such a non-original battery, safety hazards may be produced due to overcharge.

Electrical apparatus and verification method for battery module thereof


Immunoglobulin chains or antibodies having light or heavy chain complementarity determining regions of antibodies that bind to P-Selectin Glycoprotein Ligand-1. Also disclosed are methods of inducing death of an activated T-cell and of modulating a T cell-mediated immune response in a subject.

Overly aggressive T cells often lead to unwanted immune responses, which, in turn, cause various disorders, e.g., autoimmune diseases, transplant rejection, allergic diseases, and T cell-derived cancers. Therefore, control of the aggressive T cells is critical in treating such disorders. The activity of these cells can be contained by immunosuppression or by induction of immunological tolerance. An alternative solution is induction of apoptosis, which is believed to be involved in removing unwanted cells, including overly aggressive T cells. See, e.g., Kabelitz et al. (1993) Immunol Today 14, 338-340; and Raff (1992) Nature 356, 397-399.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A monitoring services and platform for multiple outlets includes: communicating with a plurality of sources in order to obtain at least one piece of content from each one of the plurality of sources; displaying, via a central user interface, the obtained content; and displaying, via the central user interface, a control which if selected causes an action to be performed on at least one piece of the displayed content.

People who manage brands ("brand managers") are interested in monitoring commentary on the internet regarding their brands or competitors' brands. Brand managers may read the commentary to gauge interest in their marketing materials, receive feedback regarding their products, or take further action regarding any inflammatory postings. Interactive websites such as social networks and blogs, for example, are part of a growing market for online brand marketing. Typical methods for brand management across interactive websites include manually creating accounts for each of the websites and frequently checking the content posted to such accounts or periodically querying online (e.g., via a search engine) for information regarding the relevant brands. Often times, the same website or webpage consistently contain commentary or other information that is of interest to brand managers. Depending on the type of commentary posted to a particular website, brand managers may desire to take action with respect to the particular commentary or base further marketing methods upon such commentary. However, monitoring content through manually creating and checking accounts or online queries is time consuming and also difficult to coordinate among multiple brand managers working with the same brand(s). It would be desirable to develop new techniques to monitor online commentary relevant across

Monitoring services and platform for multiple outlets


A small form factor disk drive having an extremely thin, high-energy product annular magnet within the spindle motor. The magnet includes twelve alternating poles disposed about the periphery and canted from the top edge to the bottom at a slight skew angle. The high-energy product magnet generates a high starting torque which obviates the use of low viscosity lithium bearing greases. A stator disposed concentrically within the magnet has three continuous coils, each coil wound around three spokes of the stator at 120 degree intervals, for a total of nine stator slots. The rotating spindle, bearings and stationary base are constructed of materials having similar coefficients of thermal expansion to reduce stresses on the bearings during periods of temperature elevation. An annular aluminum disk support sole bonds to a ledge on the spindle hub to facilitate machining and provide material compatibility. The disk drive includes various features for reducing the amount of contamination on the disk surface. A double groove bonding configuration eliminates adhesive runout and ensures a consistent bond strength.

Disk drive memory systems ("disk drives") have been used to store information for computers for many years. In disk drives, digital information is recorded on concentric memory tracts on magnetic disks. There are two basic kinds of disk drives: "floppy" disk drives and "hard" disk drives. In both kinds of disk drives, disks are rotatably mounted on a spindle. Read/write heads, generally located on pivoting arms, move radially over the surface of the disks to access different memory locations. There may be as many as 3000 or more memory tracks per radial inch of a disk. To ensure proper writing and reading of the information, a read/write head must be accurately aligned with an appropriate track on a disk. Floppy disk drives store information on interchangeable, flexible and magnetic disks. Hard disks store information on rigid non-interchangeable disks, commonly made of aluminum. Hard disks have a much higher storage density than floppy disks.
Hard disks are often located within the housing of a computer and may consist of multiple rigid metal disks stacked on top of each other within the drive. The disks are spun at high speeds by a motor to allow rapid writing and reading of information on the disk. Because of the high storage densities of hard disks, it is extremely important that distortions and misalignments between the disks and the motor spindle, and among the disks themselves, be minimized to allow accurate information exchange between the read/write head and the disk.
Until recently, hard drive systems have not been portable and were housed in large rooms having controlled environments or within non-portable computers housed within such rooms. Consequently, the weight and space occupied by such systems were of little concern. Recently, however, the advent of personal and portable computer systems has placed a premium on providing disk drives of reduced size and weight. The relative size of disk drives is commonly referred to as its "form factor", and is expressed in terms of width. Currently, form factors of 2.5 inches and even smaller are relatively commonplace. Generally, a small form factor of a particular disk drive motor limits the torque generating capability as the magnet must be of a small size.
In-hub motors are presently used in disk drives and are particularly popular in smaller form factor disk drives. In-hub motors require less space than other conventional motors, because the hub the disks ride on carries an integral component of the actual motor, typically a permanent magnet. To produce the required electromagnetic characteristics, present designs for in-hub motors have required the use of hubs made of steel or other ferromagnetic materials. Other motors have an aluminum hub with a ferromagnetic sleeve. Magnets are mounted to the hubs such that the hub or sleeve provide a flux path for the magnets. The use of a steel hub in contact with aluminum disks, however, may create localized frictional sticking points from discontinuous thermal swelling and contracting. Subsequent displacement of the disks, and therefore potential misalignment of embedded servo tracks on the disk, will detrimentally cause the read/write heads to track an out-of-round path. Aluminum hubs, on the other hand, thermally expand faster than the typically steel bearings and motor base the hub rotates on, resulting in varying or excessive stresses on the bearings.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,652 to Wright, discloses a disk drive motor with thermally matched parts. The disk drive includes an aluminum hub which is compatible with the aluminum disks, and will not create distortion or misalignment upon thermal expansion or contraction. The drawback to this design is that the magnet within the aluminum spindle hub requires a magnetic flux return path which cannot be provided by the aluminum. Thus, a steel flux return sleeve is inserted inside the aluminum spindle hub adjacent the magnets. The reduction in thickness of the spindle hub wall due to the addition of a steel magnetic flux return sleeve, renders the walls of the spindle hubs susceptible to bending when a downward load is placed on the disks stacked on top of the spindle hub. Any such bending will cause a misalignment in the disks as well, detrimentally affecting the storage and retrieval of data.
An important factor affecting the performance of disk drives is the entry of contaminants, such as dirt, dust or moisture, into the housing. However, past attempts to hermetically seal the inner space of the disk drive has resulted in problems such as leaking at high altitudes because of pressure differences, and condensation within the inner space. Presently, disk drives use ambient or breather filters to prevent the entry of contaminants into the interior of the housing. Desiccants, or chemical absorbents, are occasionally used in these filters to absorb moisture before it enters the housing. Another related problem has been contaminants generated within the housing. Such contaminants would result from particulate matter flaking off components within the housing.
Gaseous contaminants, such as bearing greases containing lithium, can be very harmful when deposited on the disk drive surfaces. Unfortunately, lithium-based bearing greases have been preferred for their lower viscosity and lower running friction. Conventional small form factor spindle motors having low torque are currently limited to using low viscosity greases. However, when deposited on the disk surface, lithium rapidly increases the static coefficient of friction. Other hydrocarbons used in bearing greases can also out-gas, drifting around the inside of the disk drive housing, eventually being deposited on the disk surface. Out-gassed hydrocarbons are generated when the temperature of the bearing grease is raised and might otherwise deposit in a thin film on the surface of the aluminum disks.
Contaminants on the disk surfaces increase the static coefficient of friction of the disk under the magnetic head which can create a condition known as "stiction" or when the head sticks momentarily prior to lifting off from a stationary position on the disk. Large amounts of stiction may actually prevent smaller form factor/small torque motors from turning. That is, there is a relatively low limit to the amount of electrical power available in smaller form factor motors to increase torque and overcome such stiction. Additionally, the size requirements and the increased difficulty of manufacturing thin magnets of highly magnetic material limit the strength of permanent magnets available for in-hub motors.
Furthermore, cogging, or a wasteful motion of the motor hub tangential to the axis of rotation, is a problem with high-energy-product magnets, sometimes utilized to increase the torque of motors. Cogging vibrations are caused by the sudden changes in magnetic attractions when the poles of the magnet rotate around the discrete structural features of the ferromagnetic stator. Low-inertia hubs, such as in small form factor drives, increase the relative impact of torque variations caused by strong magnets.
Problems with liquid adhesive contamination of bearing greases has proved a difficult problem as well. Prior means for adhering bearings to spindle shafts utilize only one bonding groove, prompting variable filling of the grooves with adhesive. Excessive adhesive overflows as the bearing is pushed onto the shaft, or within a motor base flange. This adhesive overflow in many cases would then contaminate the bearing grease. One solution is to reduce the amount of adhesive deposited in the single groove to avoid pushing any excess outside of the bearing. However, this results in a less than solid or maximum bond between the bearing and the respective spindle or motor base surface, to the point that poor bond integrity may affect the maintenance of a consistent preload on the bearings.
Presently, there is a need for a small form factor disk drive motor which overcomes these problems.


By attaching a radio or acoustic sound transmitters, or combinations thereof, to the float line of nets recovery of gill nets will become much easier, and timely. This could save millions of fish and other marine life, as well as the economic value of lost nets, which can cost thousands of dollars a piece.

Gill nets are nets that use a wide mesh to entangle or trap fish. These nets may be as long as 13,000 meters. The mesh is designed to allow a fish's head to fit through, but not the body. When a fish tries to back out from the meshing its gills will become caught in the net. Often fish will just become entangle in this loose mesh. The meshing of a gill net is tied in between two lines. One line is weighted; this is called the lead line. Another line has buoys attached to it; this is called the float line. The buoyant forces of the float line hold the net upright in the water, while the lead line anchors the net. Gill nets can fish the surface, bottom, or midwater of most types of bodies of water, such as bays, harbors and the open ocean. Some gill nets are anchored to the bottom, but many are free floating. Gill nets are placed in the water by a fishing vessel then retrieved at a later time, most often the next day. Both anchored and free floating gill nets can become lost due to storms, tides, currents, poor attachment of anchors or floats, or entanglement with other vessels or fishing gear. When these nets become broken or lost they continue to serve as effective traps. Lost nets or pieces of nets are called "ghost nets" these nets can continue to kill fish, turtles, birds, and marine mammals for several years.

Radio controlled gill net recovery transmitters


Methods, circuits, and systems for termination calibration are provided. Differential input buffer circuitry is used to compare a signal level at an input/output pad and a first reference signal level. Control circuitry is used to control a controllably variable impedance based on the output of the differential input buffer circuitry. Optionally, second differential input buffer circuitry is used to compare the signal level at the input/output pad to a second reference signal level. The control circuitry is used to control the controllably variable impedance based on the output of both the first and the second differential input buffer circuitry.

The present invention relates to communication systems and methods, and more specifically to using differential input buffer circuitry to provide termination calibration circuitry.
Data rates at circuit input and output pins have increased dramatically the last several years, and further increases are sure to follow. These high data rates place strict requirements on signal integrity. Transmitted and received signals need to be substantially free from glitches and other undesirable artifacts to maintain the highest possible data rates.
Reflections due to impedance mismatches are one source of these artifacts. Reflections are caused when a signal is received from a transmission line by a receiver having an impedance that does not match the impedance of the transmission line. This mismatch prevents some of the energy of the signal from being absorbed by the receiver. This unabsorbed energy is reflected back to the signal source. To prevent these reflections, a receiver termination impedance is connected from a receiver input to a ground voltage, where the termination impedance matches the impedance of the transmission line. The receiver termination impedance is in parallel with the receiver, so it is referred to as a parallel termination impedance. Similarly, reflections can be caused by mismatches between a transmitter and its transmission line, so a source termination impedance is connected between a transmitter output and the transmission line. A source impedance is in series with the transmitter, and is referred to as a series impedance.
When a circuit is used to both transmit and receive data, an input/output stage including a plurality of transistors can be configured to provide a series termination when transmitting and a parallel termination when receiving, thereby providing On-Chip Termination (OCT). The impedance provided by the input/output stage can be adjusted by enabling or disabling individual transistors within the plurality of transistors.
The impedance provided by the input/output stage needs to be calibrated in order to match the impedance of the transmission line and in order to account for variations due to supply voltage, temperature, and other environmental factors. During calibration, the impedance can be adjusted to be substantially equal to a reference resistance.
A system for calibrating termination impedance can be added to an existing system having an input/output stage. However, prior calibration circuits require additional external components to be added to the existing system in order to implement termination calibration functionality. More specifically, prior systems require external analog comparators to be added to the existing system in order to monitor the difference between an external resistance and an impedance of the existing system's input/output stage. Prior systems also require the use of additional digital logic to actively adjust the impedance of the input/output stage according to the comparators' outputs.

Methods and systems for programmable implementation of on-chip termination calibration


Latex blend formulations that include a high solids cross-linked ethylene propylene diene terpolymer latex with acrylics, polyurethane, epoxy, or alkyd resin usable as a waterproofing material for roofs or usable in paints and adhesives.

A need exists for an improved coating with lower brittleness at cold temperatures.
A need exists for an improved coating with improved water barrier properties.
A need exists for an improved coating with higher acid and base resistance.
A need exists for an improved coating with better natural weather resistance without the need for additional additives.
The present embodiments meet these needs.
The present embodiments are detailed below with reference to the listed Figures.

Cross-linked ethylene propylene diene terpolymer latex blend for improved coatings


An information transmission method, a terminal device and a network device are provided. The method is applied to a communication system including a network device and a terminal device, and a frequency-domain resource on a carrier used by the communication system is a contention based frequency-domain resource. The method including: the network device determining an available first time-frequency resource and sending first information to the terminal device through the first time-frequency resource; the terminal device receiving first information from the network device through a first time-frequency resource, where the first time-frequency resource is a time-frequency resource in a first downlink transmission burst; and the terminal device determining, according to the first information, that the first time-frequency resource is a downlink time-frequency resource.

In a Licensed-Assisted Access using Long Term Evolution (LAA-LTE) system, service is provided for a terminal device by using a carrier on a licensed spectrum as a primary carrier and a carrier on an unlicensed spectrum as a secondary carrier. A communication device follows a "Listen Before Talk (LBT)" principle on an unlicensed spectrum, namely the communication device, before sending a signal in a channel of the unlicensed spectrum, needs to monitor the channel at first. The communication device may send the signal only when a channel monitoring result is that the channel is idle, and if the channel monitoring result of the communication device for the channel of the unlicensed spectrum is that the channel is busy, the communication device may not send the signal.
In the LAA-LTE system, transmission of a network device is opportunistic, data may be transmitted only when LBT succeeds and no data may be transmitted when LBT fails. Therefore, a terminal device in a cell served by the network device needs to know when the network device starts downlink transmission and stops downlink transmission, so as to implement correct data communication between the terminal device and the network device.
In the LAA-LTE system, there are Cell-specific Reference Signals (CRS) in each subframe sent by a network device. A terminal device may detect whether there is a CRS in a present subframe to judge whether there is downlink transmission of a network device in the subframe, thereby implementing correct data communication with the network device.
However, when a New Radio (NR) technology is applied to an unlicensed spectrum, there is no CRS in an NR system. Under such a circumstance, how a terminal device determines a time-frequency resource used for downlink transmission of a network device to implement correct data communication with the network device is a problem urgent to be solved.

Information transmission method, network device, and terminal device

GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.


A connector includes a male terminal and a female terminal. At least one of the male terminal and the female terminal has an outermost surface layer formed of a metallic material as an alloy layer of Cu—Sn. The alloy layer of Cu—Sn has a concentration of Cu decreasing gradually toward a surface thereof. The metallic material for the connector includes the outermost surface layer formed of the alloy layer of Cu—Sn. The alloy layer of Cu—Sn has the concentration of Cu decreasing gradually toward the surface thereof.

In general, a connector for connecting an electric wire in a motor vehicle or the like is provided with a male terminal and a female terminal, in which a metal covering layer formed of tin (Sn), an alloy of tin, or the like is disposed on an electrically conductive substrate (referred to as a substrate properly hereinafter) formed of an alloy of copper (Cu) or the like. The male terminal and the female terminal are individually housed in a housing, and are configured as a male connector and a female connector, respectively. The male terminal and the female terminal are formed of a metallic material, in which the metal covering layer formed of Sn or the alloy of Sn is formed on the electrically conductive substrate formed of Cu or the alloy of Cu through plating or the like. The metallic material is known as a high performance electric conductor with a combination of superior electrical conductivity and strength of the substrate and superior electrical connectability, corrosion resistance, and solderability of the metal covering layer (refer to Patent Documents 1 to 4 for example). The metallic material in general has an underlayer formed of nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), iron (Fe) or the like through plating or the like with a barrier function for preventing an alloy content of zinc (Zn) of the substrate (refer to as a substrate element hereinafter) from diffusing into the metal covering layer.
In an environment of a high temperature such as an inside of an engine room of a motor vehicle or the like, an oxide film layer tends to be formed on a surface of the metal covering layer of Sn or the like on a surface of the terminal as Sn is easy to be oxidized. When the terminal is connected, the oxide film layer tends to be broken due to brittleness thereof. Accordingly, non-oxidized Sn under the metal covering layer is exposed, thereby obtaining excellent electrical connectability.
In recent years, the connector becomes a multi way type as an electronic control thereof progresses. Accordingly, it is necessary to insert or pull out a group of terminals of a male connector to or from those of a female connector with a large force. In a small space such as an inside of an engine room of a motor vehicle or the like, in particular, it is required to decrease the force for inserting and extracting due to difficulty of working.
In order to reduce the force for inserting and extracting, there is provided a method of reducing a pressure of a contact between the terminals. However, in a case where the method is adopted, a fretting phenomenon may occur between contact faces of the terminals, thereby causing a failure in electrical conduction between the terminals.
In the fretting phenomenon, the contact surfaces of the terminals slightly slide against each other due to a vibration or a variation in a temperature. Accordingly, the plating layer of Sn as a soft layer on the surface of the terminal is worn away and oxidized, thereby generating an abrasion powder with a large specific resistance. When the fretting phenomenon occurs between the terminals, connection of the terminals may be deteriorated. When a contact pressure between the terminals decreases, the phenomenon tends to occur more easily. When a thickness of the plating layer of Sn on the surface of the terminal of the connector decreases, it is possible to prevent the phenomenon somehow. However, it is still difficult to completely prevent the phenomenon.
In order to prevent the fretting phenomenon, an intermetallic compound layer of Cu—Sn such as Cu6Sn5 or the like may be formed on a base material as a hard layer (refer to Patent Document 5 and 6). However, in the method, a large amount of an element of the base material such as Cu or the like diffuses into the intermetallic compound layer of Cu—Sn, thereby making the intermetallic compound layer brittle.
Still further, there is disclosed a metallic material in which a layer of Ni is provided between the substrate and the intermetallic compound layer of Cu—Sn in order to prevent diffusion of an element from the substrate (refer to Patent Document 7). In the metallic material, no layer of Sn or Cu exists between the layer of Ni and the intermetallic compound layer of Cu—Sn. When the metallic material is produced, Ni, Cu and Sn are sequentially plated on the substrate as a layered structure, and then thermally treated. Accordingly, it is necessary to exactly design a thickness of the plating of the layered structure based on a stoichiometric proportion of Cu and Sn, and to perform the heat treatment under a strict control, thereby requiring extensive production efforts.
Furthermore, there is proposed a structure in which an intermetallic compound layer of Cu—Sn such as a Cu6Sn5 or the like is formed on a base material as a hard layer, and a particle of Sn is attached to a part of a surface of the intermetallic compound layer (refer to Patent Document 8). However, Sn is formed in a soft particle, and the fretting phenomenon still occurs between the contact faces of the terminals, thereby providing no advantage over Patent Documents 1 to 4.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-179055
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-021545
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-082499
[Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-339555
[Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-212720
[Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-226645
[Patent Document 7] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-068026
[Patent Document 8] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-213486

Connector and metallic material for connector


In a powered member, a device for attaching each end of a flexible tubular chamber to a head of a nipple is formed by a pair of cylindrical bushings interconnected by means of a tenon and mortise joint which are located in the casing and define a central passage having its axis aligned with the axis of the casing. Walls of the passage in a plane drawn in parallel with the longitudinal axis of the casing are in the form of a pair of truncated cones having their larger bases facing towards each other. One generatrix of the conical surface of the passage extends substantially in parallel with generatrix of one conical passage of the head of the nipple and the other generatrix of the passage extends substantially in parallel with the generatrix of the other conical passage of the head of the nipple.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the mining industry, and more specifically, it deals with a powered member.
The invention may be most advantageously used for stripping off large-size blocks of natural stone along a line of boreholes and for their subsequent splitting into blocks, for non-explosive driving of mining workings in rocks, or for demolishing foundations of old buildings and other structures. A powered member according to the invention when used in boreholes may find application for weakening difficult to break roof in working sheet deposits, for positive degassing of coal seams, fracturing oil and gas formations, for investigations into stress-strain state of a rock mass under field conditions and as a powerful small-size drive for actuator members of presses, jacks, guillotines and other devices where considerable directional forces should be developed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hydraulic splitters are now widely used in the mining industry, and their construction has practically exhausted any possibility of further increase in a directive force developed by the splitters without an increase in weight and size.
In addition, the fact that the drive of a hydraulic splitter is located outside a borehole also results in an increase in weight of the hydraulic splitter because of the need to increase thickness of walls of the hydraulic splitter upon an increase in pressure in its hydraulic system.
The fact that a working member of the hydraulic splitter is disposed only in the mouth portion of a borehole substantially limits the field of application of hydraulic splitters and maximum splitting force as the directional propagation of a fracture is only possible in the immediate vicinity to the working member, and a concentration of load at the mouth of the borehole may cause surface spalling of a block rather than the formation of a predetermined splitting plane.
The provision of a radically new design of a powered member (SU, A, 1033829) has made it possible to achieve an increase in a directional splitting force.
Known in the art is a powered member having an axially parting casing accommodating a coaxially mounted flexible tubular chamber and a pair of spacer inserts each located on the casing parting line side. The insert is trapezoidal in section by a plane perpendicular with respect to the casing axis, the larger base of the trapezium bearing against the flexible chamber and the sides bearing against the inner wall of the casing. In addition, the powered member has a pair of rings, each having a nipple designed for supplying fluid to the interior of the flexible chamber. Each end of the flexible chamber is disposed between the nipple and ring. A perforated tubular core is provided to extend in the interior of the flexible chamber along the longitudinal axis thereof. Each end of the core is made in the form of a nipple. Each ring is in the form of a bushing having an inner thread coupled to an outer thread of the nipple. The rings are thus rigidly secured to each other by means of the tubular core. The rings are designed for sealing the ends of the flexible chamber.
When fluid under pressure is supplied to the interior space of the flexible chamber, the parts of the casing are tensioned under the action of both flexible chamber and spacer inserts. The prior art powered member is deficient in a low efficiency.
The efficiency here means the ratio of a force developed by the powered member in a predetermined direction to a force developed by the flexible chamber. For that reason the powered member has not found widespread use for splitting blocks of natural rock such as granite from the rock mass because of a limited force developed by the flexible chamber, e.g. 10 MPa. It is for this reason that the powered member could not develop the necessary force in a predetermined direction, i.e. perpendicularly with respect to the splitting plane. This is due to the fact that substantial axial loads developing in the tubular core cause its tension. This results in a clearance forming between the end face of the casing and the end face of each of the rings facing towards the flexible chamber. The material of the flexible chamber "flows out" into this clearance and is then broken. In addition, the tension of the core causes the loss of sealing of the ends of the flexible chamber which results in leakages of fluid. The elongation of the core may be reduced by increasing its cross-sectional area. This, however, results in a substantial increase in size and metal usage of the powered member or in a decrease in the workstroke of the movable parts of the casing and an increase in specific pressure at the point of engagement of the lateral faces of the inserts with the inner surface of the casing if the size remains unchanged which is undesirable because it would call for the employment of special materials and lubricants. It should be also noted that the trapezoidal configuration of the spacer inserts is not an optimum one because with a non-uniform pressure of the parting halves of the casing against the surface of the borehole a clearance is formed between the lateral face of each insert and the inner surface of the casing so that the material of the flexible chamber can "flow out" into this clearance.
The need to increase fluid pressure in the flexible tubular chamber to develope an increased directional splitting force resulted in the provision of a powered member disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,460.
This prior art powered member comprises an axially parting casing accommodating a coaxially mounted tubular flexible chamber. The casing accommodates spacer inserts each located on the casing parting line side in a plane perpendicular with respect to the casing axis and having a trapezoidal cross-section with the larger base of the trapezium bearing against the flexible chamber and the sides bearing against the inner walls of the casing. A pair of nipples are provided for supplying fluid to the interior space of the flexible chamber and for air escape therefrom, which are located on the side of the end faces of the casing for movement along the longitudinal axis thereof, and a means for attaching each end of the flexible chamber to a head of the nipple. The means for attaching each end of the tubular flexible chamber to the nipple head comprises a bushing which is rigidly secured to a ring having a central passage for receiving the nipple which has its cylindrical portion conjugated with a conical portion having a generant inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the bushing at an angle corresponding to the angle of inclination of a conical surface of the nipple head, the generant of a conical surface of the ring being inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ring at an angle corresponding to the angle of inclination of another conical surface of the nipple.
This construction of a powered member makes it possible to enlarge its field of application, e.g. for a non-explosive splitting of large-size blocks of hard natural stone, for fracturing boreholes in rock masses with the aim of evaluating the stress state of the earth crust, prevention of "rock shocks", and the like owing to an increase in maximum directional force developed by the powered member which is achieved by the casing of the powered member taking up the axial force which is the longitudinal component of fluid pressure in the flexible chamber. As the parting halves of the casing take up substantial axial forces during operation of the powered member, a prestressed design of the powered member is thereby provided. This rules out plastic deformation in the casing thereby enhancing reliability and prolonging life of the powered member. Reliability of the powered member in operation is enhanced owing to an increase in its axial rigidity with a substantial increase in fluid pressure in the flexible chamber since microclearances between the casing and flanges of the rings forming under high pressures become smaller. In addition, these microclearances are compensated for by the expansion of elastic members surrounding the tubular flexible chamber, each elastic member being received in an annular groove provided in the inner surface of the casing. Each elastic member engages the end face of the ring, surface of the annular groove and end face of the spacer insert. This rules out "flow-out" of the material of the flexible chamber into the spaces, hence, substantially enhances reliability of the powered member in operation with high fluid pressures in the flexible chamber which may be in excess of 100 MPa.
This construction of the powered member, is, however, characterized by a limited stroke of the parting halves of the casing so as to lower capacity of the powered member, reduce directiveness of the splitting force and increase the length of the powered member, hence its weight.

Powered member for splitting rock and other bodies

Gorno-Altaisky Gosudarstvenny Pedagogichesky Institut


A tall-electrode trace interconnect array includes a dielectric support substrate for supporting least two tall-electrode trace conductors. A dielectric support structure on the support substrate supports outside longitudinal walls of the two tall-electrode trace conductors. The dielectric support structure is formed to be absent from a longitudinal space between the two tall-electrode trace conductors thereby defining an ambient air dielectric to reduce and control inter-electrode capacitance and increase resonant frequency and effective electrical bandwidth of the trace interconnect array. A method for forming the array is also disclosed.

The present invention relates to flex circuits for connecting magnetic heads to read and write circuits of a magnetic recording device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a trace interconnect array manifesting controlled inductance, capacitance and high frequency resistance in order to provide increased bandwidth and a process for making the array have the desired electrical characteristics by selective etching of conductive traces and adjacent dielectric materials.
Contemporary mass storage devices such as magnetic hard disk drives present a data transducer in a confronting relationship with a relatively moving data storage medium. Magnetic flux transitions are written to, or read from the medium. Disk drives typically include a rotating rigid storage disk having at least one major surface carrying a deposition or coating of magnetic material. A head positioner, commonly referred to as an actuator, positions the data transducer at selected radial storage track locations of the disk. In-line rotary voice coil actuators are presently preferred because of their simplicity and high performance characteristics, due in substantial part to intrinsic mechanical rigidity and a characteristic of being mass balanced about an axis of rotation relative to a drive base. A closed-loop servo system within the disk drive controls a voice coil motor of the actuator in order to position the transducer head at each desired disk radial location during track following operations and to move the transducer among radial locations during track seeking operations.
The read/write transducer head of a magnetic hard disk drive is typically a dual element design and is selectively deposited by thin film deposition upon a ceramic slider having a portion defining an air bearing surface for supporting the transducer at a very small distance away from the disk surface upon an air bearing present during disk rotation. One element of the transducer is typically a thin-film inductive write element. The other element of the transducer is typically a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor. A flux transition field of a recorded data pattern proximate to the MR sensor causes a miniscule change in electrical resistance of the sensor. Change of resistance in the presence of a constant current flowing through the sensor results in a minute voltage change, on the order of 3-5 millivolts, and this voltage change, representing a data pattern, is amplified by a preamplifier. Since the sensed signal (read signal) is so small, care must be taken to reduce extraneous noise pickup along a circuit between the read sensor and the preamplifier.
A head suspension extending from the actuator includes a load beam and a gimbal or flexure. The load beam includes a spring portion which applies a desired preload force to the slider which biases the slider toward the disk surface. This preload or bias force is overcome by airflow resulting from disk rotation and the formation of the desired air bearing between the slider and the adjacent disk surface. The gimbal enables the slider to follow the contour of the disk in order to maintain constant a very small spacing, on the order of one half to several microinches, between the transducer and the storage surface.
In the past, very small diameter twisted solid copper wires have typically been used to connect head elements at the slider to other signal carrying and signal processing elements of the disk drive located on or adjacent to the actuator structure. The two-conductor twisted pair service loop is inherently self-shielding from external noise sources such as electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI) by virtue of the fact that the conductors are twisted around each other. Coaxial transmission line cables are also inherently self-shielding, but the center conductor is electrically unbalanced with respect to the outer cylindrical shield conductor. Two-conductor balanced coaxial transmission lines avoid this drawback but are typically too bulky and cumbersome to be used to connect to the write/read elements of the very small sliders in present use in hard disk drives. One drawback of wires and cables is that they can apply an unwanted bias force to the slider supporting structure. Another drawback of discrete wires is that their electrical characteristics are not precisely controllable.
To reduce unwanted drawbacks of discrete wire conductors and cables, head suspensions having integrated trace arrays have recently been adopted in disk drive designs. These designs have typically included a stainless steel flexure upon which conductor structures have been formed by selective deposition/removal of dielectric material and conductor material. As formed the trace conductors of a service loop extend longitudinally from the transducer element to an interconnect or a preamplifier/write driver circuit. One example of a preferred method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension with integrated trace array wiring is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,717 to Matsumoto et al., entitled: xe2x80x9cMethod for Manufacturing a Magnetic Head Suspensionxe2x80x9d, the disclosure thereof being incorporated herein by reference.
Because the conductive traces of a service loop are typically formed in a side-by-side arrangement on a dielectric layer or substrate of the trace array, the traces essentially form an open-wire or micro-strip transmission line. Micro-strip line technology teaches that the loop and inter-conductor capacitance may be changed by changing the dimensions of and/or spacing between micro strips forming a transmission line. In the case of integrated trace array wiring designs for use within, or as part of, head suspension assemblies of hard disk drives, the dimensions of conductors and dielectric substrates may be governed more by mechanical constraints rather than by desired electrical characteristics.
Disk drive technology is continually seeking ways to increase storage capacity and performance of hard disk drives. One way to increase performance, as noted above, is to make write/read elements very small, and to reduce the size of sliders and head suspension assemblies, thereby reducing overall actuator mass and reducing average seeking operation time. One way to increase capacity is to make track widths narrower, so that more tracks may be defined in a unit storage area. Yet another way to increase capacity is to increase linear data density as by increasing data transfer rates, for example. With increased data transfer rates, care must be taken to ensure that the interconnect structure and electrical service loop between head and preamplifier has sufficient bandwidth margin to support the higher data transfer rate. One parameter which limits the bandwidth of a head interconnect service loop is impedance, which in turn depends upon inductance and capacitance characteristics of the interconnect structure.
One known way to reduce losses and noise pickup caused by the interconnect is to make the interconnect as short in length as possible. This approach requires locating some or all of the preamplifier electronics as close to the read element of the head as possible. This usually means mounting and connecting an integrated circuit chip directly onto the head suspension, a so-called xe2x80x9cchip-on-suspensionxe2x80x9d or COS approach. The COS approach has its own drawbacks, such as chip heat dissipation and electrical supply requirements and characteristics, issues which have not yet been fully developed and resolved.
FIG. 1 shows a present-day trace interconnect array 10. This exemplary trace interconnect array 10 typically consists of two trace conductors for each read or write channel of the head. The FIG. 1 enlarged cross-sectional view shows that the array 10 essentially comprises two copper conductor traces 12 and 14 separated from a stainless-steel substrate 16 by a dielectric layer 18 of polyimide, epoxy resin, acrylic resin, or other suitable polymeric dielectric material. The substrate 16 is typically of thin stainless steel sheet material and is formed into a load beam or flexure portion of a head suspension. A non-conductive overcoat 20 also typically covers and encapsulates the two conductors 12 and 14 (except at terminal locations) to prevent direct electrical or ambient atmospheric contact with either conductor. The overcoat 20 may be of polyimide, epoxy resin, acrylic resin or other suitable polymeric dielectric material. The trace interconnect array 10 may be formed in accordance with the process steps outlined in the referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,717, incorporated hereinabove.
Capacitive coupling of each conductor 12, 14 to the metal substrate 16 depends upon the distance each conductor is placed above the substrate, and the dielectric properties of the layer 18, as well as confronting surface areas of the conductor surfaces facing the metal substrate. Inter-electrode capacitance depends upon the height of the facing walls of each trace conductor and the gap dimension between the two trace conductor facing walls, as well as the dielectric properties of portion of overcoat 20 filling the gap between the two facing walls of conductors 12 and 14. In the FIG. 1 prior art example 10, inter-electrode capacitance has a smaller value than an electrode-to-substrate capacitance value.
Several approaches have been proposed to reduce trace conductor-to-substrate capacitance for side-by-side trace conductor arrays generally of the type shown in FIG. 1. One approach is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,712,749 to Gustafson, entitled: xe2x80x9cReduced Capacitance of Electrical Conductor on Head Suspension Assemblyxe2x80x9d. The ""749 patent teaches placement of a trace conductor pair onto a dielectric-coated stainless steel load beam. The load beam is provided with apertures, openings or discontinuities in alignment with longitudinal sections of the trace conductor pair. By aligning the trace conductor pair with such apertures, openings or discontinuities, capacitance between each conductor and the steel load beam substrate is somewhat reduced or otherwise can be somewhat controlled.
Another prior approach to reduce trace-to-load-beam capacitance is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,479 to Bennin et al., entitled: xe2x80x9cElectrical Trace Interconnect Assemblyxe2x80x9d. The ""479 approach is to form a discrete two-conductor side-by-side trace array of spring-like beryllium copper alloy and suspend the array above the stainless steel load beam upon insulator standoffs. The trace conductors thereby are suspended slightly away from the facing surface of a metal load beam, in part by an air dielectric, thereby decreasing capacitance between each conductor and the stainless-steel load beam.
Other efforts to control electrical properties of side-by-side trace conductor arrays have been described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,547 to Young, entitled: xe2x80x9cMulti-Trace Transmission Lines for R/W Head Interconnect in Hard Disk Drivexe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,152 to Balakrishnan, entitled: xe2x80x9cSuspension with Multi-Layered Integrated Conductor Trace Array for Optimized Electrical Parametersxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,754,369 to Balakrishnan, entitled: xe2x80x9cHead Suspension with Self-Shielding Integrated Conductor Trace Arrayxe2x80x9d; and, U.S. Pat. No. 5,812,344 to Balakrishnan, entitled: xe2x80x9cSuspension with Integrated Conductor Trace Array Having Optimized Cross-Sectional High Frequency Current Densityxe2x80x9d.
The disclosures of the foregoing U.S. Patents are hereby incorporated by reference into this patent as pertinent background information.
Even more recently it has been proposed to increase the height-to-width ratio of integrated trace conductors of an interconnect array. An example of this later proposal is depicted in FIG. 2. A side-by-side trace array 30 includes trace conductors 32 and 34 above a stainless-steel load beam substrate 36. The conductors 32 and 34 are formed on a dielectric layer 38, and a dielectric overcoat 40 encapsulates the conductors and fills a narrow gap between the facing sidewalls of the conductors. In the FIG. 2 array 30, the trace conductors 32 and 34 have a height-to-width ratio which reduces the width dimension and the conductor-to-substrate capacitance, at the expense of increasing the height dimension and inter-conductor capacitance. The inter-electrode capacitance of the array 30 is directly a function of the surface areas, and separation distance, of the two facing sidewalls of the conductors 32 and 34, and of the dielectric properties of the overcoat material 40.
While it might be proposed to remove the dielectric overcoat 40 completely, such proposal carries a considerable risk that the trace conductors 32 and 34 will become shorted together and cease to function effectively as a service loop, or become corroded or mechanically delaminated from the underlying dielectric layer 38. Therefore, a hitherto unsolved need has remained to provide a tall electrode trace conductor array having increased bandwidth, as typically characterized by reduced inter-electrode capacitance.
The present invention provides methods and structures to increase the bandwidth characteristics of a flexible trace conductor array, for use within a data storage device having a high transfer rate, such as a magnetic hard disk drive.
One object of the present invention is to provide a tall electrode trace conductor interconnect array which manifests reduced inter-electrode capacitance while maintaining mechanical integrity within a flexible interconnect structure of a head suspension of a hard disk drive in a manner overcoming limitations and drawbacks of prior approaches.
In accordance with one aspect of the principles of the present invention, a trace interconnect array is provided for electrically interconnecting a write or read element of a data transducer head respectively to a write driver circuit or read preamplifier circuit of a storage device, such as a magnetic hard disk drive or a magnetic tape drive. The trace interconnect array includes a dielectric support substrate which may be a flexible plastic film material, or which may be formed as part of a head suspension. At least two tall-electrode trace conductors are formed e.g. by selective electrochemical deposition onto the support substrate. A dielectric support structure is also formed on the support substrate and supports outside longitudinal walls of the two tall-electrode trace conductors. The dielectric support structure is formed as not to be substantially present in a longitudinal space separating the two tall-electrode trace conductors in order to reduce and control inter-electrode capacitance and thereby increase the resonant frequency and effective electrical bandwidth of the trace interconnect array. Preferably, the dielectric support structure is formed by selective etching or another selective material removal process in order to define and provide the air-dielectric space between the two tall-electrode trace conductors.
In one example of the invention, facing walls of the two tall-electrode trace conductors are shaped to converge toward the dielectric support substrate. In another example of the invention, the two tall-electrode trace conductors have height dimensions from the dielectric support substrate greater than a height dimension of the dielectric support structure. In a further example of the invention, the two tall-electrode trace conductors include lateral portions extending over respective adjacent portions of the dielectric support structure. In one more example of the invention, the dielectric support structure is selectively formed to define longitudinally spaced apart cross-tie structural interconnect portions between the inside walls of the tall-electrode conductors which separate longitudinally extending air dielectric spaces between the two tall-electrode trace conductors.
In one presently preferred example of the present invention, the dielectric support substrate is formed on a thin metal sheet portion of a head suspension for a magnetic hard disk drive.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention a method is provided for making a trace interconnect array for electrically interconnecting a write or read element of a data transducer head to a write driver or read preamplifier circuit. The method essentially includes the steps of: forming a dielectric support substrate; forming at least two tall-electrode trace conductors on the support substrate; forming a dielectric support structure on the support substrate for supporting outside walls of the two tall-electrode trace conductors; and, selectively defining a longitudinally extending space between the two tall-electrode trace conductors in order to reduce inter-electrode capacitance.
These and other objects, advantages, aspects, and features of the present invention will be more fully appreciated and understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments presented in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Trace interconnect array having increased bandwidth by selective etching of traces and dielectric substrate


This invention relates to the protection of children riding in motor vehicles against injury otherwise possibly occurring. More particularly, this invention relates to a child restraint which both exercises the necessary restraint against uncontrolled movement of the child within the vehicle and permits freedom of movement among standing, sitting and lying postures for the child. The device functions by providing a vest for engaging the torso of a young person, a backrest for engaging the upright seat back of a seat in a vehicle, and coupling the vest and backboard through a pair of rodlike members defining generally vertical, parallel and spaced apart restraints.

This invention relates to the protection of children riding in motor vehicles against injury otherwise possibly occurring. More particularly, this invention relates to a child restraint which both exercises the necessary restraint against uncontrolled movement of the child within the vehicle and permits freedom of movement among standing, sitting and lying postures for the child.
Restraints for passengers in motor vehicles, and particularly for children, have been proposed for a long time and are the subject matter of a number of prior disclosures. More recently, such restraints have become the subject matter of legislative control, and a number of jurisdictions now have regulations requiring use of such restraints and requiring that the restraints meet certain defined standards. To the best knowledge of the present inventor, such restraints uniformly impose on a child so restrained limitations which prevent free movement of the child among sitting, standing and lying postures. Those limitations have been necessary, in the view of prior designers and inventors, to achieve the desired safety for the restrained passenger.


A first and a second control modules of a control apparatus of the present disclosure mutually monitor a state of the other end and send a reset request signal to a monitoring module when the other end should be reset. The monitoring module sends a reset signal to one of the first and second control modules when the monitoring module receives the reset request signal indicating that the one of the first and second control modules should be reset from the other and the monitoring module does not send the reset signal to the other. The monitoring module prohibits a reset of one of the first and second control modules when the monitoring module receives the reset request signal indicating that the one of the first and second control modules should be reset from the other and the monitoring module sends the reset signal to the other.

A conventionally known control apparatus includes a sub-microcomputer with a function of outputting a trigger signal, a main microcomputer triggered by the trigger signal so as to perform a specific computation processing and send an computation result to the sub-microcomputer, and a watchdog timer (computer monitoring means) to which the trigger signal is input (as described in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 6081239). In the control apparatus, the sub-microcomputer monitors a state of the main microcomputer based on the computation result from the main microcomputer and outputs a reset signal so as to reset the main microcomputer when the computation result is abnormal. The watchdog timer resets both the sub-microcomputer and the main microcomputer when a cycle of the trigger signal from the sub-microcomputer is not within a normal range. Further, the main microcomputer terminates its operation when the cycle of the trigger signal from the sub-microcomputer is not within the normal range.
A conventionally known double microcomputer system includes first and second microcomputers (CPUs) respectively storing the same program and controlling a common control target in accordance with separate clock sources of substantially the same clock speed, a first watchdog pulse cutoff circuit, a first watchdog timer circuit, a second watchdog pulse cutoff circuit, and a second watchdog timer circuit (as described in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 2593915). The first watchdog timer circuit of the double microcomputer system monitors watchdog pulses from the first microcomputer. The second watchdog timer circuit monitors watchdog pulses from the second microcomputer. Further, the first watchdog pulse cutoff circuit cuts off a supply of the watchdog pulses from the first microcomputer to the first watchdog timer circuit in response to a watchdog test signal from the second microcomputer. The second watchdog pulse cutoff circuit cuts off a supply of the watchdog pulses from the second microcomputer to the second watchdog timer circuit in response to a watchdog test signal from the first microcomputer. Each of the first and second watchdog timer circuits outputs a reset signal to the first or second microcomputer when the supply of the watchdog pulses from the first or second microcomputer is cut off.

Control apparatus and reset method of control apparatus


Techniques for data recovery from a data block wherein portions of the data block are written at different off-track positions are described. For example, portions of a data block can be read separately for each on-track and off-track position in the data block; then, the separately read portions can be recombined into a recovered data block.

Data storage media commonly used for storage and retrieval of data comes in many forms, such as magnetic tape, magnetic disks, optical tape, optical disks, holographic disks or cards, solid state memory such as flash memory and the like. In magnetic media, data is typically stored as magnetization patterns that are magnetically recorded on the medium surface. The data stored on the medium is typically organized along "data tracks," and transducer heads are positioned relative to the data tracks to read or write data on the tracks.
Servo patterns refer to patterns or other recorded marks on the medium that are used for tracking purposes. In other words, servo patterns are recorded on the medium to provide reference points to locate the data tracks. A transducer head detects a servo pattern and sends a signal representing the detected pattern to a servo controller. The servo controller interprets a detected servo pattern and generates a position error signal (PES). The PES is used to adjust the radial distance of the transducer head so that the transducer head is properly positioned to a data track for effective reading and/or writing of data to the data track.
Disc drives store data on one or more surfaces of one or more rotatable magnetic discs in data tracks in concentric circles or, alternatively, in spiral patterns. The data tracks are generally divided into a plurality of data blocks. Data blocks of a disc drive may also be referred to as sectors. In disc drives, servo patterns are generally recorded in specialized areas on the disc surfaces in amongst the data tracks, called "servo wedges." Servo wedges serve as references for the servo controller. Some magnetic media include a plurality of servo wedges, with data tracks being located in data wedges between the servo wedges.
Even though disc drives include servo patterns to properly locate a transducer head during a write operation, data may be inaccurately located adjacent to the center of a data track. This is referred to herein as off-track write. Off-track write may occur due to vibration or servo error. One technique for recovering data recorded as off-track write is to perform off-track retry in the readback process. When off-track write is suspected at a data block, an off-track retry technique tries to off-track read the whole data block at various off-track positions. While more tedious than reading data that is accurately positioned in a data track, an off-track retry technique allows recovery of data that can not be read by looking only at the center of a data track.


A tire for a large vehicle includes bead portions having bead cores around which a carcass ply layer is turned up from an inside to an outside of the tire. The tire includes a first elastomer protective layer A, a second elastomer protective layer B and a third elastomer protective layer C. These protective layers A, B and C have dynamic storage moduli E' A: 7-20.times.10.sup.7 (dyn/cm.sup.2), B: 10-25.times.10.sup.7 (dyn/cm.sup.2) and C: 2-10.times.10.sup.7 (dyn/cm.sup.2) and relations of the dynamic storage moduli in B>A>C, B-A>2.times.10.sup.7 and A-C>2.times.10.sup.7, and have loss tangents .delta. A: 0.15-0.22, B: 0.18-0.25 and C: 0.05-0.16 and a relation of loss tangents in B>A>C.

This invention relates to a tire having beads whose durability is improved for a large vehicle, and more particularly to a radial tire having highly durable beads.
Tires for large vehicles, are almost always used under heavy loads so that bead portions adjacent rims are likely to cause troubles or failures to shorten their service life. However, no publications disclose effective prevention of such troubles of tires.
There are following two kinds of troubles occurring at bead portions of large vehicle tires: (A) troubles resulting from cracks of rubber at an area between a location two thirds of a height of a rim flange and a position radially outward of the location where the rubber starts to contact the rim, and (B) separations occurring in a rubber portion adjacent the area mentioned in (A) and positioned between the area and a carcass ply layer.
In order to mitigate these troubles, it has been attempted to improve configurations of cord layers as skeletons of a tire, to employ thicker cord layers, and to modify rubber properties in the proximity of beads. However, these attempts are not necessarily effective for the improvement of bead durability.
In more detail, as the tires for large vehicles are usually used under heavy loaded conditions, they encounter the following difficulties. (1) The rubber directly contacting a rim is needed to be high elastic or resilient in order to improve the fitting ability with the rim. However, if the elasticity of the rubber is too high, cracks would occur in the rubber contacting the rim flange. (2) It is required for the rubber in beads to prevent reduction of input when using a low elasticity rubber and prevent high temperature at bead portions when using a low heating rubber. However, strains would concentrate due to the low elasticity so that it becomes disadvantageous for separations.

Tire with three elastomeric protective layers located in the bead portion of the tire


A method and system for enabling personal digital assistants (PDAs) and protecting stored private data. Specifically, one embodiment in accordance with the present invention includes a removable expansion card about the size of a postage stamp which plugs into a slot of a personal digital assistant. The removable expansion card, referred to as a personality card, is capable of storing all of a user""s private information and data which is used within their personal digital assistant. By removing the personality card from the personal digital assistant, all of the user""s private information and data may be removed from the personal digital assistant. Furthermore, the personal digital assistant may also be rendered totally or partially useless once the personality card is removed from it. There are several advantages associated with a personality card system in accordance with the present invention. For example, one of the advantages is that a user is able to restrict access to their stored private information and data by simply removing their personality card from their personal digital assistant. Furthermore, as personal digital assistants equipped with personality card slots become increasingly more common, a user will be able to continually carry around their personality card and enable a spare and locally available personal digital assistant with their private information when desired.

The present invention generally relates to the field of portable electronic devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other similar types of portable electronic devices.
Computers and other electronic devices have become integral tools used in a wide variety of different applications, such as in finance and commercial transactions, computer-aided design and manufacturing, health care, telecommunication, education, etc. Computers along with other electronic devices are finding new applications as a result of advances in hardware technology and rapid development in software technology. Furthermore, the functionality of a computer system or other type of electronic device is dramatically enhanced by coupling these type of stand-alone devices together in order to form a networking environment. Within a networking environment, users may readily exchange files, share information stored on a common database, pool resources, and communicate via electronic mail (e-mail) and via video teleconferencing. Furthermore, computers along with other types of electronic devices which are coupled to the internet provide their users access to data and information from all over the world. Computer systems have become useful in many aspects of everyday life both for personal and business uses.
Included within this broad category of computers and electronic devices is the personal digital assistant (commonly referred to as a PDA). Specifically, as the components required to build a computer system have been greatly reduced in size, new categories of computer systems have emerged. One of these new categories of computer systems is the personal digital assistant. A personal digital assistant is a portable computer system which is small enough to be held in the hand of its user and can be xe2x80x9cpalm-sized.xe2x80x9d
Since personal digital assistants are very small, full-sized keyboards are generally not efficient input devices. For instance, personal digital assistants using keyboards usually have keyboard devices that are so small that a user typically cannot touch-type on them. Many personal digital assistants employ a stylus and a digitizer pad as an input system. The stylus and digitizer pad work well for personal digital assistants because the arrangement allows a user to hold the personal digital assistant in one hand while writing with the stylus onto the digitizer pad with the other hand. A small on-screen keyboard image can also be used for data entry. Because of the elimination of the keyboard, personal digital assistants are very portable and tend to be carried by the user wherever they go, including on travel.
Furthermore, the personal digital assistant is usually a battery powered device that is typically used as an electronic organizer having the capability to store and display a wide range of information which can include numerous addresses and telephone numbers of business and personal acquaintances, financial information, daily appointments, along with various other personal information. In this manner, the personal digital assistant is able to consolidate a variety of information which is easily accessible by its user. Therefore, personal digital assistants are very useful and powerful devices.
It should be appreciated that even though there are many advantages associated with personal digital assistants, one disadvantage is that anyone in possession of someone else""s personal digital assistant typically has unrestricted access to the variety of personal and private information stored within it. As such, if a personal digital assistant is misplaced or lost and falls into the wrong hands, the stored private information may be accessed and used for purposes detrimental to the owner of the personal digital assistant. Therefore, the private information stored by a personal digital assistant is typically accessible by any potential user of the device. Second, as personal digital assistants become more ubiquitous, it would be desired to take advantage of this fact to provide methods to make personal digital assistant usage easier.
Accordingly, what is needed is a method and system for restricting access to private information stored by a personal digital assistant. Embodiments of the present invention provides this advantage and others which will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after having read the following detailed description of embodiments in accordance with the present invention.
Specifically, one embodiment in accordance with the present invention includes a removable expansion card about the size of a postage stamp which plugs into a slot of a personal digital assistant computer system. The removable expansion card, referred to as a personality card, is capable of storing all of a user""s private information and data which is used within their personal digital assistant. By removing the personality card from the personal digital assistant, all of the user""s private information and data may be removed from the personal digital assistant. Furthermore, the personal digital assistant may also be rendered totally or partially useless once the personality card is removed from it. There are several advantages associated with a personality card system in accordance with the present invention. For example, one of the advantages is that a user is able to restrict access to their stored private information and data by simply removing their personality card from their personal digital assistant. Furthermore, as personal digital assistants equipped with personality card slots become increasingly more common, a user will be able to continually carry around their personality card and enable a spare and locally available personal digital assistant with their private information when desired.
In another embodiment, the present invention includes a system for enabling and disabling a personal digital assistant computer system. The system includes a personal digital assistant computer system and a peripheral component for coupling to the personal digital assistant computer system. The peripheral component includes a memory device for storing data. In response to the peripheral component coupling to the personal digital assistant computer system, the peripheral component enables the personal digital assistant computer system. Additionally, in response to the peripheral component uncoupling from the personal digital assistant computer system, the personal digital assistant computer system cannot be powered on.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention includes a method for enabling and disabling a personal digital assistant computer system. The method includes the step of coupling a peripheral component to a personal digital assistant computer system. The peripheral component includes a memory device for storing data. In response to the step of coupling the peripheral component to the personal digital assistant computer system, the method includes the step of enabling the personal digital assistant computer system. Furthermore, the method includes the step of accessing and modifying the data stored by the memory device of the peripheral component. Additionally, the method includes the step of uncoupling the peripheral component from the personal digital assistant computer system. In response to the step of uncoupling the peripheral component from the personal digital assistant computer system, the personal digital assistant computer system is disabled from being powered on.

Method and system for enabling personal digital assistants and protecting stored private data


In a method for cooling a rotary kiln having a cylindrical outer jacket, cooling air is blown at high speed radially towards the jacket from an annular supply-air chamber surrounding the jacket and having a perforated inner wall which is located at a slight distance from the jacket and through which the cooling air is blown towards the jacket. The cooling air is sucked out from the space between the jacket and the inner wall to an annular exhaust-air chamber which is separate from and surrounds the supply-air chamber and communicates with said space. The cooling-air flow through the chambers is adjusted by fan devices connected thereto. A device for implementing this method has an annular supply-air chamber surrounding the jacket and having a perforated inner wall which is located at a slight distance from the jacket and designed for radially blowing cooling air towards the jacket. An annular exhaust-air chamber, which is separate from and surrounds the supply-air chamber, communicates with the space between the jacket and the inner wall to conduct cooling air from this space. Fan devices are connected to the chambers in order to adjust the cooling-air flow therethrough.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a device for cooling a rotary kiln having a cylindrical outer jacket.
2. Description Of Related Art
Rotary kilns with a cylindrical outer steel jacket and an inner ceramic lining are, for instance, used as cement kilns and lime sludge reburning kilns. They may also be employed for burning waste, e.g. hazardous waste. When a rotary kiln is used for combustion, the steel jacket and the lining are worn as a result of the high temperature in the kiln and the considerable variations in temperature that arise when the kiln rotates. In addition, both the steel jacket and the lining are mechanically worn as a result of the rotary motion, and the lining is also worn by chemical attack. In a rotary kiln employed for burning chemical waste, the lining and the steel jacket have to be replaced, wholly or partly, after about 6,000 and about 25,000 hours of operation, respectively. However, if the temperature of the jacket is reduced and maintained at a relatively constant level, the service life of both the jacket and the lining is much prolonged.
Efforts have therefore been made to cool rotary kilns. In prior-art methods, the jacket of the rotary kiln is cooled with the aid of water. Water-cooling is, however, extremely difficult to carry out in practice, since it requires an extremely water-tight enclosure of the kiln in order to make it possible to make use of the water steam or hot water formed upon the cooling, and also in order to protect the surroundings and the device which rotates the kiln. Naturally, water-cooling also involves problems of corrosion.

Method and device for cooling a rotary kiln


The mattress assembly installation has a number of mattress padding material spools for supplying separate mattress padding materials. These materials are received and superposed in a receiving stage downstream of the spools. The mattress padding material portion is cut at a cutting station from the supply of materials. Subsequently, or at the same time, a gluing apparatus, which may be part of the cutting apparatus, deposits strips of adhesive on the superposed mattress padding materials. The materials are conveyed to a folding station where at the materials are folding above a spring frame together with an inverted mattress covering. A robot or a carriage is provided for moving, inverting and removing the spring frame from the folding station.

The present invention relates to a method as well as to an apparatus for the assembly of mattresses and which provides a number of extremely important advantages, which reside as much in a saving on assembly time as in a reduction in the labor used.
At the present time, and with reference to the state of the art, it should be mentioned that mattresses, and more specifically box-spring mattresses, are assembled by a method which is virtually manual, the human hand being involved in many of the operations, a fact which entails the incontestable difficulties of execution and irregularities in production. This results in different grades of finish in the assembly of such mattresses, which is why they are so clearly bettered by the object of the present invention, which constitutes an entirely automated mattress assembly plant.

Mattress assembly installation using positioning robot

Fabricas Lucia Antonio Betere, S.A. (Flabesa)


Methods and apparatus for matching an impedance of a process chamber with an impedance of an RF power source. In some embodiments, a method comprises dynamically matching a load impedance of the process chamber with an impedance matching circuit coupled between an RF power source and the process chamber, the impedance matching circuit configured to compensate for changes in the load impedance to match an impedance of the RF power source over a wide range of load impedances; filtering power feeding back from the process chamber with a first filter positioned between the matching circuit and the process chamber, the first filter configured as a wide bandpass filter; and filtering residual signals with a second filter positioned between the matching circuit and the RF power source, the second filter configured as a low pass filter.

In conventional radio frequency (RF) plasma processing, such as that used during stages of fabrication of many semiconductor devices, RF energy may be provided to a substrate process chamber via an RF energy source. The RF energy may be generated and provided in continuous or pulsed wave modes. Due to mismatches between the impedance of the RF energy source and the plasma formed in the process chamber, RF energy is reflected back to the RF energy source, resulting in inefficient use of the RF energy and wasting energy, potential damage to the process chamber or RF energy source, and potential inconsistency/non-repeatability issues with respect to substrate processing. As such, the RF energy is often coupled to the plasma in the process chamber through a fixed matching network that operates to minimize the reflected RF energy by matching the impedance of the plasma to the impedance of the RF energy source. The matching network ensures that the output of the RF source is efficiently coupled to the plasma to maximize the amount of energy coupled to the plasma (e.g., referred to as tuning the RF power delivery) by minimizing impedance mismatch. However, the plasma impedance is not constant and induces variances in impedances that the matching network may not be able to compensate for, reducing the efficiency of the RF energy source.
Accordingly, the inventors have provided improved methods and apparatus for matching impedances between the plasma and RF energy source.

Methods and apparatus for supplying RF power to plasma chambers


A receptacle connector includes a receiving slot, a mating plate slidably received in the receiving slot, an ejection mechanism, and a resetting mechanism. The mating plate is exposed at a front end of the receiving slot and is provided with a urging portion and a first engaging portion. The ejection mechanism is provided with a stopping portion for correspondingly stopping the urging portion, so that the ejection mechanism can drive the mating plate to slide outwards. The resetting mechanism is provided with a second engaging portion for being correspondingly engaged with the first engaging portion, so that the resetting mechanism can drive the mating plate to return to an original position.

Existing receptacle connectors, especially those disposed in a casing of an electronic device such as a notebook computer, are used for being matable to corresponding plug connectors. As shown in FIG. 9, to achieve mating, generally a receptacle connector is formed with an opening on the casing for mating, and the height of the opening is substantially equal to the thickness of a mating joint of the plug connector. Therefore, the overall thickness of the electronic device such as the notebook computer must be greater than the thickness of the mating joint, in order to install the plug connector therein to achieve electrical connection. Along with the development trend of electronic products towards lightweight and thin structures, the existing receptacle connector cannot meet the requirements for ultra-thin edges of notebook computers at present.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.


A method of producing a chlorinated hydrocarbon having 3 carbon atoms, comprising a conversion step for converting a chloropropane represented by the following formula (1) into a chloropropane represented by the following formula (2) by reacting it with chlorine in the presence of anhydrous aluminum chloride.CCl3—CCl(2-m)Hm—CCl(3-n)Hn  (1)(In the above formula (1), m is 1 or 2, and n is an integer of 0 to 3.)CCl3—CCl(3-m)H(m-1)—CCl(3-n)Hn  (2)(In the above formula (2), m and n are the same integers as in the formula (1), respectively.)

Polychloropropane is important as a raw material or an intermediate for producing various products such as agricultural chemicals, medicinal products and freon substitutes. For example, trichloroallyl diisopropylthiocarbamate which is useful as a herbicide can be produced from 1,1,1,2,3-pentachloropropane as a starting material through 1,1,2,3-tetrachloropropene.
As a method of producing this polychloropropane, there is known a three-stage reaction consisting of a first reaction for obtaining chloropropane by adding carbon tetrachloride to an unsaturated compound having 2 carbon atoms (nonsubstituted or chlorine-substituted ethylene), a second reaction for obtaining chloropropene by dehydrochlorinating the chloropropane and a third reaction for obtaining chloropropane of interest by further adding chlorine to the chloropropene. As the second reaction and the third reaction particularly relevant to the present invention out of these reactions, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,914 (document 1) discloses an example in which 1,1,1,2,3-pentachloropropane is obtained by causing an alkaline aqueous solution to act on 1,1,1,3-tetrachloropropane to carry out a dehydrochlorination reaction so as to obtain a mixture of 1,1,3-trichloropropene and 3,3,3-trichloropropene, separating a water phase from the mixture and chlorinating the obtained product by using chlorine.
As for the dehydrochlorination reaction as the second reaction, JP-A 49-66613 (document 2) discloses a method in which the reaction is carried out at a high temperature in the presence of iron chloride as a catalyst.
Further, as a method in which the above second reaction and the above third reaction are carried out in a single step, US Patent Publication 2009/216055 (document 3) discloses a method of obtaining 1,1,1,2,3-pentachloropropane at a stretch by blowing a chlorine gas into 1,1,1,3-tetrachloropropane at a high temperature in the presence of iron chloride as a catalyst.
When the polychloropropane is to be produced by the methods of the above patent documents 1 and 2, the reactions of the two steps must be carried out under completely different conditions, whereby a plurality of reactors are required and the reactions take long, which is uneconomical. When the polychloropropane is to be produced by the method of the patent document 3, the above problems are eliminated due to a single-step reaction. However, a high-temperature reaction is required and the selectivity of a product of interest is unsatisfactory, whereby there is large room for improvement.
Meanwhile, highly chlorinated polychloropropene such as 1,1,2,3-tetrachloropropene is important as a raw material or an intermediate for producing various products such as medicinal and agricultural products and freon substitutes (for example, the above document 3, U.S. Pat. No. 5,659,093 and US Patent Publication 2009/240090).
As one of the methods of producing this polychloropropene, there is known a method in which high-order chlorinated propane having at least one hydrogen atom is dehydrochlorinated to produce a double bond. As for this dehydrochlorination, there are known a method in which high-order chlorinated propane is brought into contact with an alkaline aqueous solution such as a sodium hydroxide aqueous solution in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst (for example, JP-A 2010-229047 and JP-A 2010-229092) and a method in which high-order chlorinated propane is heated in the presence of ferric chloride (for example, the above document 3 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,322).
However, when polychloropropene is produced by bringing high-order chlorinated propane into contact with an alkaline aqueous solution, a large amount of alkaline liquid waste which is produced after the reaction must be disposed of. When ferric chloride is used, liquid waste to be disposed of is not substantially produced but there is large room for improvement in terms of reaction conversion and the selectivity of a product of interest.

Method of producing a chlorinated hydrocarbon having 3 carbon atoms


The processes of the current invention relate to the production of ethanol from a crude ethanol product obtained from the hydrogenation of acetic acid and ethyl acetate. Conversion of ethyl acetate may be improved by controlling the water content that may be fed to the vaporizer to form a feed stream that may be fed to the hydrogenation reactor. At least 0.01 wt. % water is fed to the vaporizer. The crude ethanol product is separated two or more columns to yield an ethanol product.

Ethanol for industrial use is conventionally produced from organic feed stocks, such as petroleum oil, natural gas, or coal, from feed stock intermediates, such as syngas, or from starchy materials or cellulosic materials, such as corn or sugar cane. Conventional methods for producing ethanol from organic feed stocks, as well as from cellulosic materials, include the acid-catalyzed hydration of ethylene, methanol homologation, direct alcohol synthesis, and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Instability in organic feed stock prices contributes to fluctuations in the cost of conventionally produced ethanol, making the need for alternative sources of ethanol production all the greater when feed stock prices rise. Starchy materials, as well as cellulosic materials, are converted to ethanol by fermentation. However, fermentation is typically used for consumer production of ethanol, which is suitable for fuels or human consumption. In addition, fermentation of starchy or cellulosic materials competes with food sources and places restraints on the amount of ethanol that can be produced for industrial use.
Ethanol production via the reduction of alkanoic acids and/or other carbonyl group-containing compounds has been widely studied, and a variety of combinations of catalysts, supports, and operating conditions have been mentioned in the literature. During the reduction of alkanoic acid, e.g., acetic acid, other compounds are formed with ethanol or are formed in side reactions. These impurities limit the production and recovery of ethanol from such reaction mixtures. For example, during hydrogenation, esters are produced that together with ethanol and/or water form azeotropes, which are difficult to separate. In addition when conversion is incomplete, unreacted acid remains in the crude ethanol product, which must be removed to recover ethanol.
EP02060553 describes a process for converting hydrocarbons to ethanol involving converting the hydrocarbons to ethanoic acid and hydrogenating the ethanoic acid to ethanol. The stream from the hydrogenation reactor is separated to obtain an ethanol product and a stream of acetic acid and ethyl acetate, which is recycled to the hydrogenation reactor.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,842,844 describes a process for improving selectivity and catalyst activity and operating life for the conversion of hydrocarbons to ethanol and optionally acetic acid in the presence of a particulate catalyst, said conversion proceeding via a syngas generation intermediate step.
US Pub. No. 2011/0224462 a process for producing methanol and ethanol, wherein the methanol is produced from synthesis gas and the ethanol is produced via the hydrogenation of an ethanoic acid feed. The hydrogenation of the ethanoic acid feed is carried out within the same alcohol synthesis unit and in the presence of the same catalyst(s) that is used to produce the methanol from the synthesis gas and wherein the feed introduced to the alcohol synthesis unit comprises synthesis gas and ethanoic acid. The ethanoic acid feed may contain water in an amount between 0.5 and 20 mol %.
The need remains for improved processes for recovering ethanol from a crude product obtained by reducing alkanoic acids, such as acetic acid, and/or other carbonyl group-containing compounds.

Process for producing ethanol by hydrogenating mixed feeds comprising water


An expandable luggage bag including a first bag portion made of a first material that forms a first interior volume. The expandable luggage bag further includes a second bag portion made of a second material that has a first state having a first rigidity and a second state having a second rigidity different than the first rigidity. The expandable luggage bag further includes a solar panel in selective electrical communication with the second bag portion. The second bag portion is in the first state when the second bag portion is not in electrical communication with the solar panel. The second bag portion is in the second state when the second bag portion is in electrical communication with the solar panel.

The present invention relates to expandable luggage bags, for example a luggage bag such as a shoulder bag or a purse containing an expandable shopping bag or fashion bag.
Reusable shopping bags are becoming increasingly popular in an attempt to reduce the waste associated with disposable shopping bags. Reusable shopping bags are generally made of a lightweight, foldable fabric that typically wears out quickly, and are cumbersome to carry while shopping. Additionally, reusable shopping bags typically have flexible sides that provide little protection to goods or belongings transported within the shopping bag. Fashionable shoulder bags and purses have a fixed size. An expandable bag with shape memory fabric gives consumers the freedom to change the size and rigidity of their fashionable bags on the go, depending on their mood, application, or event.

Expandable bag including shape memory fabric