A pivot mechanism for a vehicle external rear view mirror assembly is disclosed. The mechanism includes: a base frame portion and a case frame portion mounted to the base frame portion for rotation about a pivot axis. A detent is operable between the base frame portion and the case frame portion. A spring mechanism clamps the case frame portion to the base frame portion and includes a compression spring disposed around the axis and a spring tie. The spring has first and second tie ends spaced apart from each other and connected by a tie shaft. The tie shaft passes through the spring. The spring tie shaft includes a spring tie reaction feature, whereby in a deployed position, a torque applied to the case frame portion about an axis orthogonal to the axis by an external force is resisted by the spring tie reaction feature.

This invention relates to vehicle rear view devices. In particular, this invention relates to vehicle side-mountable rear vision devices, such as mirrors or cameras, that are pivotably movable with respect to a mounting point on a vehicle's side.
Vehicle rear view devices, in particular vehicle rear view side mirrors, commonly include a mirror head that is pivotally attached to a mounting bracket or mirror base. The mounting bracket or base is secured to the vehicle body (for instance, the door or front fender). The pivot enables the mirror head to rotate with respect to the bracket to either allow movement of the mirror head in response to an impact while the vehicle is moving or stationary (referred to as "mirror breakaway"), or to move to a parked position under the action of a drive means to ensure that the mirror head and its internal case frame is moved to a position where it is as close to the vehicle body as possible.
A detent is typically included in a pivot mechanism within the vehicle mirror or rear vision device described above. The detent provides a positive location and holding force for the mirror or rear vision device in at least a deployed or drive position as it is rotated about the pivot. The detent resists initial movement of the pivot and requires a minimum force in order to overcome the detent holding force.
Commonly, detent mechanisms include a detent feature on the mounting bracket or mirror base and a further detent feature on the mirror head or mirror case frame. With such an arrangement, typically the mirror head is displaced upwards as it rotates out of detent.
While a pivot mechanism that enables the mirror head, or any rear vision device including a camera, to rotate with respect to the bracket about a pivot axis clearly has many advantages, it does provide the designer with challenges in relation to the durability and strength of the overall rear vision assembly. In particular, the assembly in a deployed or drive position, must be able to withstand a torque applied to the mirror head, and hence the internal case frame, about an axis orthogonal to the pivot axis by an external down force.
In some applications, it is desirable to provide a pivot mechanism whereby there is no axial lifting of the mirror head with respect to the base during rotation or pivoting. In other applications, it is desirable to provide a pivot mechanism that is able to withstand a torque applied to the mirror head, and hence the internal case frame, about an axis orthogonal to the pivot axis by an external down force. In addition, it would be desirable to at least provide the public with a useful choice.
In certain instances, it would be desirable to provide a pivot mechanism that provides swivel or rotary motion of the mirror head without an axial movement component or to at least provide the public with a useful choice. In other instances, it may be desirable to also provide a rear view assembly capable of withstanding a certain torque level applied to the deployed assembly by an external downward force.

Pivot mechanism and assembly for a vehicle external rear view device


A fluid trap is disclosed herein. The fluid trap has a tube connector defining a first interior passageway and a second interior passageway. The tube connector is adapted for connection with a dual lumen tube such that the first interior passageway is in fluid communication with one of the dual lumen and the second interior passageway is in fluid communication with the other of the dual lumen. The fluid trap also includes a reservoir operatively connected to the tube connector. The reservoir is in fluid communication with only one of the interior passageways, and is configured to retain fluid from that passageway.

Anesthetic and respirator breathing devices commonly include a breathing circuit to direct gas flow to and away from the patient. The breathing circuit may include breathing circuit tubes, connectors and a patient interface. One category of breathing circuit tubes comprises dual lumen tubes. Dual lumen tubing refers generally to a single tubular apparatus with a partition separating the tube interior into two distinct lumens or channels. The two lumens may be implemented to separately accommodate a patient's inspiratory flow and expiratory flow within a single apparatus.
One problem with conventional dual lumen breathing circuit tubing is that condensation in the expiratory gas may accumulate in one of the lumen, and accumulated fluid can cause an occlusion.


The invention relates to a method for tuning dielectric antennas designed for operation especially in the microwave range, and an antenna structure. An antenna is tuned by removing material (211) from a dielectric block (210) located between conductive elements, whereby the resonance frequency of the antenna increases. The conductive elements (220, 230) on opposing surfaces of the dielectric block are advantageously shaped identical and located symmetrically with respect to each other so that the tuning of the antenna will not affect the other electrical characteristics of the antenna apart from the resonance frequency. With the method according to the invention there is no risk of producing conductive chips resulting from the working of metallic elements, the tuning of the antenna becomes accurate, and structural faults in the medium will be automatically compensated for.

The invention relates to a method for tuning dielectric antennas designed for operation especially in the microwave range. The invention also relates to an antenna structure and an apparatus in which the method is applied.
As portable apparatus comprising radio parts become more popular and smaller in size, also the antennas in them have to be small, located preferably within the covers of the apparatus. As frequencies higher than before are utilized, antennas naturally get smaller. For example, use of frequencies above the 2.4 GHz band is increasing. The size of the antenna structure can be further reduced through design. The structure may e.g. include planar elements and a dielectric medium. The smaller such an antenna, which deviates from the simple monopole, the more difficult it is to get its electrical characteristics within the limits specified. So, the drawback of a small antenna size is the difficulty of its fabrication.
The last phase in the manufacture of an antenna is the tuning of the antenna, i.e. making the resonance frequency or frequencies of the antenna exactly match the operating bands. The invention is directed to structures in which the radiating element of an antenna is a conductive layer on a surface of a dielectric board. In such antennas, the factor most contributing to the need of tuning is deviation in the thickness of the dielectric board. From the prior art a tuning method is known in which part of the radiating element is removed through mechanical working or by means of a laser beam. As the element size thus is reduced, the resonance frequency of the corresponding part of the antenna structure increases. Naturally the element originally has to be large enough so as to have a safe tuning margin. FIG. 1 depicts the aforementioned prior-art method and structure. There is a board-like dielectric block 110. On a first surface thereof, shown in the front, there is a radiating element 120 to a point F of which an antenna feed conductor is connected. On the opposing surface of the dielectric board there is a ground plane 130, or a conductive layer connected to the ground potential. The radiating element is short-circuited at a point S to the ground plane, which means the antenna is a planar inverted F antenna, or PIFA for short. In the example of FIG. 1 the radiating element 120 forms a thick II-shaped pattern on one end of which there are the aforementioned feed point and short-circuit point. The resonance frequency of the antenna is determined by the electrical length of the pattern. When tuning the antenna, part of the radiating element is removed from the end opposite to the feed point F, thereby decreasing the electrical length of the element. The figure shows an exemplary working border WB parallel to the end line of the element. Between the working border and the end of the element there is the conductive strip 121 to be removed.
A disadvantage of the method is that it is relatively inaccurate: Removing even a small amount of conductive material considerably changes the resonance frequency of the antenna. For example, in an antenna operating approximately at 2.5 GHz, the removal of a conductive strip one millimeter wide at the end of the element may change the resonance frequency for more than 100 MHz. Another disadvantage is that working the conductive layer may leave small conductive chips in the structure, risking a short-circuit as relatively strong electric fields occur in the antenna. If a laser beam is used in the working, an additional disadvantage is that a protection arrangement is required for the worker because when metal is removed by laser, plastic material is vaporized at the same time.
An object of the invention is to provide a novel and more advantageous method of tuning a dielectric antenna. A method according to the invention is characterized by that which is expressed in the independent claim 1. An antenna structure according to the invention is characterized in that which is expressed in the independent claim 5. An apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that which is expressed in the independent claim 10. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the other claims.
The basic idea of the invention is as follows: An antenna is tuned by removing material from a dielectric block placed between conductive elements. The removal of dielectric material decreases the average dielectric constant in the space between the conductive planes, resulting in an increase in the resonance frequency of the antenna. The antenna is advantageously fabricated such that the conductive elements on the opposing surfaces of the dielectric block are shaped identical and are located symmetrically with respect to each other so that the tuning of the antenna will not affect the other electrical characteristics of the antenna but the resonance frequency only.
An advantage of the invention is that the method according to the invention enables accurate tuning of an antenna since removing a small amount of material from the dielectric medium changes the resonance frequency of the antenna only relatively little. Another advantage of the invention is that with the method according to the invention, structural defects in the dielectric medium will be automatically compensated for. A further advantage of the invention is that the working of the dielectric material will never produce additional small conductive formations in the antenna structure. A further advantage of the invention is that plastics which usually are used as dielectric material are easy to work. A further advantage of the invention is that the mechanical working of the plastic will not require protection of the worker. A further advantage of the invention is that the antenna is easy to tune even in the finished product, because tuning only requires an access to one side of the antenna. A further advantage of the invention is that with the structure according to it the tuning of the antenna will not affect other electrical characteristics than the resonance frequency.

Method for tuning an antenna and an antenna


The invention relates to a steering system for a catheter tip. The system includes wire members that extend through a catheter wall that are used to pull a distal portion of the catheter tip. Anchoring members located near the catheter tip connect the distal end of the catheter with wire members. The steering system also contains control members which are located at a proximal portion of the catheter and are used to control the pull on the wire members. Steering enhancement members are also included in the steering system which facilitate the bending of the catheter wall.

Catheters have been utilized in the medical industry for many years. One of the greatest challenges in using a catheter is controlling the position and placement of the catheter tip from a remote location outside of the patient's body. Some catheters have features designed to aid in steering the catheter and overcoming this challenge.
However, several significant problems are still encountered with these catheters. The devices typically have pre-formed inner catheters which are placed in an outer guiding sheath. When the inner catheter is extended or the sheath withdrawn, the inner catheter assumes a different shape. It is usually necessary to draw the inner catheter back into the outer guiding sheath to reshape the catheter tip, and then extend the inner catheter out of the outer sheath for each successive use in another location.
Steerable catheters generally have closed, solid or substantially solid central areas rather than hollow central lumens because of the tendency of lumened steerable catheters to collapse. Since the lumen region is solid, it is not possible to pass another structure, such as a laser catheter, through the steerable catheter.
Steerable catheters exhibit different properties when positioned in a patient's body rather than outside the body. After insertion into the body, the material of the steerable catheter is warmed, and the catheter may absorb water. As a result, the steerable catheter may not perform as desired because of the change in the plastic characteristics.
Also, known steerable catheter distal tips exhibit non-fluid movements. The catheter distal tip often bends with only exaggerated and imprecise movements. A locking cam must be tightened or the handle held in place once the tip is in place during the medical procedure, which also contributes to imprecise movements of the tip. These devices also lack the ability to make very small movements, such as fight radius turns. Also, wire controlled steerable catheters may experience undesired wire deformation over time which affects control.
Torque has also been a significant disadvantage encountered with known steerable catheters. As the steerable catheter travels through the body, different drag forces are created on the catheter. A loss in torque results, and additional power to make the catheter proceed through the body is required.
Another type of steerable catheter uses a bellows which aids in catheter bending. The bellows stretches and collapses as the catheter is moved. However, in steerable catheters having a bellows configuration, the inner surface of a central lumen of the catheter is often configured so that passage of any structure through the central lumen, such as a laser catheter, is impaired.


A method for grasping a row of multiple separate blocks of frozen food originating from a plate freezer, the row extending in a longitudinal direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the plate freezer, includes the steps of grasping the row of blocks along its opposing lateral edges by closing a clamp (1) having two grasping elements (2, 20) that extend along the opposing lateral edges of the row, wherein at least one of the grasping elements along its length includes multiple separate pinching elements (4, 40), each element for pinching one or more of the blocks, the pinching elements being individually movable with respect to the at least one grasping element in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of this grasping element, the method further including adjusting the lateral position of each pinching element when closing the clamp, by individually moving each pinching element.

Plate freezers, in particular vertical plate freezers are commonly used to freeze food (for human or animal consumption). A vertical plate freezer consists of a number of parallel plates, mounted vertically, through which a refrigerant runs. The plates are positioned interdistantly to leave a row of multiple freezing compartments, also called "pockets", between the plates. The product is simply poured into the pockets between the plates and will be frozen as blocks. A plate freezer enables rapid freezing of raw food products through its direct contact method of freezing, which offers a significant energy saving and reduced freezing time. These costs savings are also benefitted by the fact the product is poured directly into the freezer, not requiring expensive packaging material which can increase freezing time and is liable to get damaged during use. Semi-automated loading and unloading systems allow a high product throughput for very low labour costs. Various types of plate freezers are described in EP 2273220 A2.
Loading typically takes place by (automatically) guiding a flexible tube to the upper (open) side of the plate freezer. Through this tube liquid food material is pumped into the pockets of the freezer. Unloading typically takes place by lifting the frozen blocks out of the pockets. Thereafter, filling plates (also called fitting panels) are manually positioned in between the blocks and the complete row is clamped by pressing the proximal and distal end of the row of block with filling plates to each other using a large clamp. This way, the blocks can be transported to another location. Alternatively, no filling plates are positioned between the blocks. In this case the blocks are firstly, very gently, moved until they are contiguous. Thereafter the row of blocks can be grasped at the proximal and distal end. This method however is very time consuming and prone to faults due to falling block (the "Domino Effect"). A more expensive system to unload the freezer is to release the blocks to a belt underneath the freezer, whereafter the blocks are transported by moving the belt, optionally after filling plates have been positioned in between the blocks to try and prevent the Domino Effect.

Method for grasping a row of multiple blocks of frozen food originating from a plate freezer, and various uses thereof


A seat device (12) including a seat back (16) having an upper seat back frame portion (34), a lower seat back frame portion (36), and a pivotal connection for pivotally supporting and connecting the upper seat back frame portion (34) to the lower seat back frame portion (36) about a pivot pin (38). A positioner extends between the two seat back frame portions and is provided with at least one motor (66), connected to a threaded shaft (62), which drives the positioner. The motor (66) is resiliently mounted to one of the seat back frame portions (34,36) using flexible bushings (80) which absorb the play between the upper and lower seat back frame portions (34,36) when the two are pivoted relative to one another.

Conventional automotive seats in which the seat back can recline by pivoting relative to the seat cushion are well known to those in the art. The most commonly employed is a type in which the seat back frame has a one-piece construction. This conventional design works well when the seat back is kept in the relatively upright position. However, when the seat back is inclined backward to a position where the occupant's eyes will no longer see straight ahead, then the occupant tends to curve his back away from the seat in order to maintain straight-ahead vision. In this position, the occupant's upper back is no longer supported by the seat back. This causes strain and fatigue on the occupant's back and as a result will reduce the occupant's comfort.
In order to reduce the problems associated with this situation, some seat devices are now designed using a bendable seat back construction instead of a one-piece seat back construction. The bendable seat back has an upper and a lower seat back frame portion which are pivotally connected to each other and have a means of adjusting the angle between the upper seat back frame portion and the lower seat back frame portion. In seat backs of this type, the pivoting is achieved by either a link to a mechanism incorporated with the overall seat reclining mechanism or through an exclusive electric motor mounted adjacent to the pivot point in the seat back frame.
In the motor driven type of bendable seat back, designs have been proposed in which an upper seat back frame is rigidly connected to the upper end portion of mounting brackets which are pivotally connected to a lower seat back frame portion through the means of a nut housing having a threaded shaft, connected to the motor unit, which is mounted on the lower seat back frame portion. The mounting brackets and upper seat back frame portion pivot about the lower seat back frame portion via the nut housing. However, the above-mentioned type of mechanism, which includes the threaded shaft and nut housing, has a drawback in that the mounting bracket pivots in a circular arc whereas the threaded screw and nut combination moves linearly when acted on by the motor. Accordingly, the device needs a mechanism for eliminating this mismatch of movements when pivoting.
This is currently accomplished by slotting the connection between the mounting brackets and the nut housing thereby taking up the positional mismatch by allowing for free play between these two members. However, due to the slotted connection between these two members, the loose fit causes play between the upper seat back frame portion and the lower seat back frame portion. This play can be an annoyance to the occupant who wishes for firm support on his back.


A first piezoelectric element having a first piezoelectric layer and a second piezoelectric element having a second piezoelectric layer, which is different from the first piezoelectric layer, are included on the same substrate. The first piezoelectric layer has a d constant greater than a d constant of the second piezoelectric layer.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a piezoelectric element module, an ultrasonic transducer, a liquid ejecting head, a liquid ejecting apparatus, and a piezoelectric element module manufacturing method.
2. Related Art
Ultrasonic sensors, which are exemplary ultrasonic devices including ultrasonic transducers using piezoelectric elements, include two types, integrated transmitter/receiver ultrasonic sensors and separate transmitter/receiver ultrasonic sensors. Guidelines for selecting a piezoelectric element are that, at the time of transmitting ultrasonic waves, it is important that the amplitude vibration upon application of voltage is large, that is, a piezoelectric constant d33 is large, whereas, at the time of receiving ultrasonic waves, it is desirable that the voltage generated upon application of pressure be large, that is, a piezoelectric voltage constant g33 be large.
Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) having a composition of a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) at which the piezoelectric constant d33 is large has been used as an element. However, although such a PZT is excellent in terms of transmission performance, there has been a problem in that, since PZT has a large relative dielectric constant, the piezoelectric voltage constant g33 is small and the reception performance is inferior.
To address this problem, for example, an ultrasonic sensor that aims to improve performances by optimizing the arrangement pattern of units in a separate transmitter/receiver structure has been proposed (see JP-A-2010-183437). Another ultrasonic sensor that reduces sound diffraction and residual vibration by providing a gap between units in a separate transmitter/receiver structure has been proposed (see JP-A-2011-82624).
However, the ultrasonic sensors disclosed in JP-A-2010-183437 and JP-A-2011-82624 have not yet attained sufficient sensitivity. Sensors with more satisfactory sensitivity have been desired.
Note that, both in JP-A-2010-183437 and in JP-A-2011-82624, piezoelectric elements of the transmitting unit and the receiving unit are the same, and different piezoelectric elements are not provided to the transmitting unit and the receiving unit probably because it is difficult to manufacture an ultrasonic sensor with such a configuration.

Piezoelectric element module, ultrasonic transducer, ultrasonic device, liquid ejecting head, liquid ejecting apparatus, and piezoelectric element module manufacturing method


Systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for synchronizing data within a native PIM data store in a device an enterprise data. Data modifications generated by mobile applications on the device, or by an enterprise server, are identified and reflected into the native PIM data store. Additionally, a listener is provided to detect modifications to relevant data within the native PIM data store and reflect these modifications in the mobile applications and the enterprise server. The framework which accomplishes this further provides platform-independent access to the native PIM data store.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mobile devices, and, more specifically, to synchronization of native PIM data with mobile applications.
2. Description of the Background Art
Mobile devices, such as cellular telephones, have evolved into personal organizers holding all manner of information, including contact information, events, tasks, and related functionality. Often, these devices will come equipped with integrated software to provide this functionality, such as e-mail and calendaring applications.
Being designed by, or in cooperation with, the mobile device manufacturer, these integrated software applications are able to leverage the mobile device's Personal Information Management ("PIM") functions in order to store information such as contacts and calendar events. In an effort to allow other developers to expand the capabilities of their mobile device, the mobile device manufacturer will also generally provide an application programming interface ("API") to the PIM store for developers to interact with the locally stored data.
Access to the PIM store allows third party applications to, for example, provide additional views of data stored on the mobile device. For example, a mapping application may be able to take contact information stored in the PIM and use it to create a route to the contact's location. The difficulty of this is, however, that the application developer must follow the access conventions stipulated by the mobile device's particular PIM API. These APIs are by no means standardized, and different mobile devices even provide different data storage capabilities.
As a result, the software development process involving PIM data mobile devices is slowed. Additionally, there is no effective way to synchronize data in a local PIM store across an enterprise without purpose-built software.
Accordingly, what is desired is PIM integration for mobile applications.

Message based mobile object with native PIM integration


A method for sensing the state of erasure of a flash (EEPROM) memory device. In one embodiment, the source voltage during erase is monitored and compared to a value determined during a characterization procedure. In a second embodiment, the rate of change of the source voltage during erase is determined and compared to a value determined during a characterization procedure. The characterization procedure correlates state of erasure with source voltages and slopes of the rate of change of source voltage versus time curve for the memory cells. The determination of the source voltage and the determination of the rate of change of the source voltage and the associated state of erasure allows modification of the erase procedure.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the art of microelectronic integrated circuits. More specifically, this invention relates to a method to monitor the state of erasure of a flash Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) device during erase of the memory device. Even more specifically, this invention relates to a method to monitor the state of erasure of a flash Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) device by monitoring the source voltage and by monitoring the rate of change of the source voltage during erase of the memory device.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A microelectronic Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (Flash EEPROM) device includes an array of cells that can be independently programmed and read. The size of each cell and thereby the memory device are made small by omitting select transistors that would enable the cells to be erased independently. As a result all of the cells must be erased simultaneously as a block.
A memory of this type includes individual Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) field effect transistor memory cells, each of which includes a source, drain, floating gate and control gate to which various voltages are applied to program the cell with a binary "1" or "0" or to erase all of the cells as a block.
The cells are connected in a rectangular array of rows and columns, with the control gates of the cells in a row being connected to a respective wordline and the drains of the cells in a column being connected to a respective bitline. The sources of the cells are connected together to a common source. This arrangement is known as a NOR memory configuration.
A cell is programmed by applying typically 9 volts to the control gate, 5 volts to the drain and grounding the source, which causes hot electrons to be injected from the drain depletion region into the floating gate. Upon removal of the programming voltages, the injected electrons are trapped in the floating gate and create a negative charge therein that increases the threshold voltage of the cell to a value in excess of approximately 4 volts.
The cell is read by applying typically 5 volts to the control gate, 1 volt to the bitline to which the drain is connected, grounding the source, and sensing the bitline current. If the cell is programmed and the threshold voltage is relatively high (.apprxeq.4 volts), the bitline current will be zero or at least relatively low. If the cell is not programmed or erased, the threshold voltage will be relatively low (.apprxeq.2 volts), the control gate voltage will enhance the channel, and the bitline current will be relatively high.
A cell can be erased in several ways. In one arrangement, applying typically 12 volts to the source, grounding the control gate and allowing the drain to float erases a cell. This causes the electrons that were injected into the floating gate during programming to be removed by Fowler-Nordheim tunneling from the floating gate through the thin tunnel oxide layer to the source. Alternatively, applying a negative voltage on the order of minus 10 volts to the control gate, applying 5 volts to the source and allowing the drain to float can erase a cell.
Another arrangement for erase is to use a constant current erase method. In the constant current erase method, a constant current is forced into the common source while applying a negative voltage on the order of minus 10 volts to the control gate and allowing the drain to float. The object of this arrangement is to provide a constant tunnel oxide field by maintaining a constant band-to-band tunneling current. During erase the source pulls up to a given voltage to maintain the required tunnel oxide field to sustain the constant band-to-band electric field. As electrons are removed from the floating gate of the cells by Fowler-Nordheim tunneling through the tunnel oxide, the vertical field across the tunnel oxide decreases and the source voltage will rise to a higher voltage to maintain the tunnel oxide field.
FIG. 2A illustrates a source pull-up power supply 200 that includes a constant current source 202. The constant current source 202 is connected to a voltage power supply V.sub.SS 204. A load line for the power supply 200 is illustrated in FIG. 2B, which plots source current I.sub.S as a function of source voltage V.sub.S. The current source 202 supplies a constant current of value I.sub.S MAX and limits the maximum voltage to V.sub.S MAX. The improvement provided by the constant current erase will be maintained as long as the source voltage V.sub.S is lower than V.sub.S MAX
FIG. 3 illustrates the effect of cycling in which the curve 300 represents the source pull up voltage in crease during the first erase cycle. The curve 302 represents the source pull up voltage characteristic at the end of several erase of cycles showing the effect of cycling. It will be noted that the curve 302 is above the curve 300, and that the source voltage V.sub.S can become clamped to the limit value V.sub.SS along the curve 302 long before the cells have become completely erased.
The cycling phenomenon is caused by the generation of hot electron-hole pairs resulting from band-to-band tunneling. Whereas Fowler-Nordheim tunneling from the floating gate through the tunnel oxide layer to the source results in erasure of a cell, band-to-band tunneling also occurs between the substrate and the source. When a positive voltage is applied to the source junction with the control gate negative, a deep depletion region is formed underneath the gate-to-source overlap region. The tunneling of valence band electrons into the conduction b and generates electron-hole pairs. The source junction collects the electrons and the holes are collected by the substrate.
Since the minority carriers (holes) generated thermally or by band-to-band tunneling in the source region flow to the substrate due to the lateral field near the Si-SiO.sub.2 interface, the deep depletion region remains present and the band-to-band tunneling can continue without creating an inversion layer. The generated holes gain energy because of the electric field in the depletion region. While the majority of these generated holes flow into the substrate, some of them gain sufficient energy to surmount the Si-SiO.sub.2 barrier and are trapped in the tunnel oxide layer. The trapped holes reduce the electric field that results in reduced band-to-band tunneling current. This effect causes the junction to "walkout" the source voltage and under constant current erase the source voltage increases to offset the reduction in the band-to-band electric field, which speeds up the erase (less number of erase pulses are required to complete the erase).
Therefore it is desirable to monitor the erase state of the memory in order to determine how far the erase operation has progressed and how many more erase pulses need to be applied.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the main contribution to the source current V.sub.S is band-to-band tunneling (the Fowler-Nordheim tunneling current that causes the actual cell erasure is orders of magnitude lower), and this generally provides an accurate indication of the erase state. It is therefore possible to monitor the erase state of the memory by sensing the source voltage during erase. Also because the shape of the curves 300 and 302 are the same, it is also possible to monitor the erase state of the memory by sensing the rate of change of the source voltage during erase.
Therefore, what is needed is a method to monitor the state of erase by sensing the source voltage and/or the rate of change of the source voltage, wherein the method is independent of the effects of cycling.

Concurrent erase verify scheme for flash memory applications


Disclosed are paucilamellar lipid vesicles made of single chain nonphospholipid anionic or zwitterionic surfactants and a method of their manufacture. The preferred vesicle forming materials are single chain sarcosinamides having 12-20 carbon chains and single chain betaines. The vesicles are formed rapidly and can be used to encapsulate aqueous or oily solutions.

The present invention relates to the production of paucilamellar lipid vesicles having charge-localized, single chain nonphospholipid zwitterionic or anionic surfactants as the primary structural material of their lipid bilayers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of producing these paucilamellar lipid vesicles having a large aqueous or organic liquid filled amorphous central cavity, as well as the vesicles themselves.
Lipid vesicles are substantially spherical structures made of materials having a high lipid content, e.g., surfactants or phospholipids. The lipids of these spherical vesicles are organized in the form of lipid bilayers. The lipid bilayers encapsulate an aqueous volume which is either interspersed between multiple onion-like shells of lipid bilayers, forming a classic multilamellar lipid contained within an amorphous central cavity. Common lipid vesicles having an amorphous central cavity filled with aqueous medium are the unilamellar lipid vesicles. Large unilamellar vesicles ("LUV"'s) generally have a diameter greater than about 1 .mu. while small unilamellar lipid vesicles ("SUV"'s) generally have a diameter of less than 0.2 .mu..
Paucilamellar lipid vesicles ("PLV"'s) are a hybrid having features of both MLV's and LUV's. PLV's are characterized by having 2-10 peripheral bilayers surrounding a large, unstructured central cavity.
The potential utility of liposomes is widely recognized. Their ability to encapsulate aqueous volumes and/or lipophilic material makes them attractive devices for transporting a whole spectrum of molecules, including macromolecules and drugs, vaccines, and other therapeutic compositions. In addition, it is possible to encapsulate supramolecular structures such as viruses using classes of liposomes. Some types of vesicles have shown an ability to act as adjuvants or as carriers or storage devices for oil-based materials.
Each type of lipid vesicle appears to have certain uses for which it is best adapted. For example, the multiple onion-like lipid bilayers of classic MLV's provide this lipid vesicle with increased durability and protection from enzymatic degradation. The multiple shells greatly diminish the volume available for aqueous solutions to be encapsulated within the bilayers of the MLV. MLV's have heretofore been deemed most advantageous for carrying lipophilic materials which can be incorporated in their bilayers. However, there is a maximum amount of lipophilic material that can be incorporated into MLV bilayers, beyond which the bilayers become unstable and these vesicles break down. In contrast, the single shell of LUV's allow the encapsulation of a larger volume of aqueous material but because of their single lipid bilayer structure, LUV's are not as physically durable as MLV's. SUV's have neither the lipid or aqueous volumes of MLV's or LUV's, but because of their small size have easiest access to cells and tissues.
PLV's appear to have advantages as transport vehicles for many uses as compared with the other types of lipid vesicles. In particular, because of their large unstructured central cavity, PLV's are easily adapted for transport of large quantities of aqueous-based materials. However, their multiple lipid bilayers provide PLV's with the ability to carry lipophilic material in their bilayers as well as with additional physical strength and resistance to degradation as compared with the single lipid bilayer of the LUV. In addition, as illustrated in the present application and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 157,571, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,928, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, the central cavity of the PLV's can be filled wholly or in part with an apolar oil or wax and then can be used as a vehicle for the transport or storage of hydrophobic materials. Thus, the amount of hydrophobic material which can be transported by PLV's with an apolar core is much greater than can be transported by classic MLV's.
Early lipid vesicle or liposome studies used phospholipids as the lipid source for bilayers, primarily because phospholipids are the principal structural components of natural membranes. However, there are a number of problems associated with using phospholipids as artificial membranes. First, isolated phospholipids are subject to degradation by a large variety of enzymes. Second, the most easily available phospholipids are those from natural sources, e.g., egg yolk lecithin, which contain polyunsaturated acyl chains that are subject to autocatalyzed peroxidation. When peroxidation occurs, the lipid structure breaks down, causing premature release of encapsulated materials and the formation of toxic peroxidation byproducts. This problem can be avoided by hydrogenation but hydrogenation is an expensive process, thereby raising the cost of the starting materials. Cost is a third problem associated with the use of phospholipids on a large scale. The high cost of a kilogram of egg yolk lecithin pure enough for pharmacological liposome production places a severe limitation on the use of phospholipids as a source material.
It is now known that commercially available surfactants may be used to form the lipid bilayer in a variety of lipid vesicles. (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,344, U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,090, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 157,571 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,928). Both surfactants and phospholipids are amphiphiles, having at least one lipophilic acyl or alkyl group attached to a hydrophilic head group. The head groups are attached to one or more lipophilic chains by ester, ether or amide linkages. Commercially available surfactants include the BRIJ family of polyoxyethylene fatty acid ethers, the SPAN sorbitan alkyl esters, and the TWEEN polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters, all available from ICI Americas, Inc., of Wilmington, Delaware. Unlike phospholipids, these surfactants are generally nonionic, and addition of a charge-producing amphiphile is usually required to prevent floculation and to increase the degree of encapsulation of water-soluble substances. Addition of a charge-producing amphiphile is not required if the primary wall lipid is anionic--as in the case of sarcosinamides.
In addition, the presence of a sterol or sterol-like molecule in the lipophilic phase used to create the lipid bilayer has often been found to be important for increasing the stability of the bilayer and hence the vesicle.
In 1982, Murakami et al. disclosed the preparation of small (0.05-0.2 .mu.), single- or multiple-walled vesicles capable of encapsulating aqueous volumes, using cationic and zwitterionic double chain amphiphiles synthesized to mimic the structure of naturally occurring phospholipids. The aqueous-carrying capacity of these vesicles is unknown as is their structure and stability. Murakami does not mention the possibility of oil encapsulation or single chain varieties of these ionic lipids.
The use of anionic or zwitterionic surfactants as cleaning or conditioning agents in cleansers such as shampoos is well documented in the art (see e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,075,131 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,872). However, in their present formulation in cleanser compositions, these surfactants are not present in vesicle form.
Recently an improved method for creating large aqueous volume MLV's and PLV's using commercially available, synthethic, nonionic surfactants has been discovered. U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,090, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 157,571 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,928, disclose this new method which has the advantage of being faster and more cost-efficient than previous methods. This improved method of creating PLV's and large aqueous volume MLV's, which is applicable to only certain surfactants, forms vesicles in less than a second rather than the minutes or hours of classical techniques. Moreover, the improved method allows vesicles to be formed without the use of solvents and without the formation of a separable lamellar phase. These techniques, and the devices to utilize them, have only been described in the aforementioned patents, as well as the related applications. In contrast, the classic methods for producing multilamellar lipid vesicles are well-documented in the art. See for example Gregoriadis, G., ed. Liposome Technology (CRC, Boca Raton, FL), Vols. 1-3 (1984), and Dousset and Douste-Blzay (in Les Liposomes, Puisieux and Delattre, ed., Techniques et Documentation Lavoiser, Paris, pp. 41-73 (1985).
No matter how the MLV's or PLV's are formed, once made it is necessary to determine the effectiveness of the process. Two measurements commonly used to determine the effectiveness of encapsulation of materials in lipid vesicles are the encapsulated mass and captured volume. The encapsulated mass is the mass of the substance encapsulated per unit mass of the lipid and is often given as a percentage. The captured volume is defined as the amount of the aqueous phase trapped inside the vesicle divided by the amount of lipid in the vesicle structure, normally given in ml liquid/g lipid.
The methods and materials disclosed herein for producing paucilamellar lipid vesicles formed of single chain charge-localized nonphospholipid zwitterionic or anionic surfactants all yield stable vesicles capable of encapsulating aqueous or oil volumes.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide stable paucilamellar lipid vesicles from charge-localized non-phospholipid single chain surfactants.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method for producing such paucilamellar lipid vesicles which is rapid and uses relatively inexpensive materials.
A further object of the invention is to provide a vehicle for the transport of aqueous or oil-soluble materials formed essentially of charge-localized nonphospholipid single chain zwitterionic or anionic surfactants.
These and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description and the claims.

Paucilamellar lipid vesicles using charge-localized, single chain, nonphospholipid surfactants


A computer system including a plurality of shared resources to be used exclusively by a plurality of tasks. Upon occurrence of an interrupt, execution of the task running at that time is suspended to allow the interrupt task to be executed. After execution of the interrupt task, one of the tasks remaining in the execution waiting state is selected for execution. A method of scheduling tasks with priority to the task locking a shared resource includes the steps of registering a task identifier of a task being executed upon locking of the task to a resource, invalidating the registered identifier of the task when that task releases the shared resource from the locked state, deciding whether or not a valid task identifier representing the task which was running by locking the shared resource is registered when a task to be executed next is to be selected after execution of the interrupt task, and selecting the task designated by the task identifier, if registered, to thereby select the task as the one to be executed with priority.

The present invention relates to a task scheduling method for controlling the priorities with which individual tasks are to be executed in a computer system incorporating a shared resource or resources such as I/O devices or files to be used in common by a plurality of tasks.
In a conventional task scheduling method, the task performs a processing for occupying the requisite shared resource (this processing is referred to as "lock processing") and a processing for releasing the shared resource from the occupied state (referred to as "unlock processing"), as is disclosed, for example, in Madnick, S. E. and Donovan, J. J. , "Operating System" published by McGraw Hill of New York in 1974, pp. 209-267. The task successfully occupying the shared resource or the task having no need to use the shared resource is referred to as the task in the execution-ready state or the execution-ready task or simply as the ready task. From a plurality of tasks, a task to be executed by an assigned CPU (central processing unit) or processor is appropriately selected by an operating system (dispatch program) provided separately for the purpose of task scheduling. Let's suppose that when a task (referred to as task 1 for convenience of discussion) is running in the state locking a given shared resource, and some sort of interrupt takes place. In that case, the task 1 is once changed to the execution-ready state from the running state, whereon an interrupt processing task (termed the task 2) provided separately is activated. Upon completion of the processing for the task 2, one of the plural tasks held in the execution-ready state is selected for execution by the above-mentioned dispatch program on the basis of priorities allocated previously to the individual tasks of the ready state, respectively. In this connection, problems will arise. More specifically, suppose that another task (termed the task 3) other than the above-mentioned task 1 starts to run after the interrupt processing and requires the use of the shared resource which is locked by the task 1. In this case, the task 3 can not use the shared resource locked by the task 1 and is placed in the queue waiting for the release of the shared resource until the locking task 1 has been executed and the shared resource is released from the locked state. Consequently, suppose a further ready-task 4 starts to run and encounters the same situation as the task 3 mentioned above. As a result, the processing steps involved in the unlock wait processing, the task discontinue (or suspend) processing as well as failure in acquiring the lock due to activation of other processing increases the total number of the steps to be executed.
To cope with the problem described above, there is known from JP-A-59-190950 a task priority control method in which when a conflict occurs among the tasks using the shared resource, as described above, the priority assigned to the task 1 locking the shared resource is made higher than the level which can be set by the user so that the task 1 can be executed with priority over the others. This in turn allows the use of the shared resource by the task 1 to be ended earlier.
Further, there is known a task priority scheduling method from JP-A-62-65137 according to which the higher one of the priorities assigned to the user task 1 locking the shared resource and the user task 2 awaiting the use of the shared resource, respectively is reassigned as priority to the user task 1 for allowing the latter to be executed with priority over the task 2.
According to the conventional systems disclosed in JP-A-59-170950 and JP-A-62-65137, the tasks are rescheduled with respect to the priorities by using the shared resource and taking advantage of the occurrence of conflicts when using the shared resource. Consequently, there may take place such undesirable situations that (1) re-execution of processing for the task 1 once discontinued due to the interrupt such as I/O interrupt is replaced by execution of the task 2 having the same priority level as that of the task 1 and (2) the task 2 is placed exclusively in the resource request queue when a plurality of tasks (tasks 1 and 2) are concurrently executed by a multiprocessor system.
In case (1) mentioned above, a processing (i) for placing the task 2 in the resource request queue is first performed, being then followed by a processing (ii) for placing the task 2 in the execution waiting state while placing the task 1 in the execution-ready state according to the conventional system. After the exclusive use of the shared resource by the task 1, a processing (iii) for imparting the right of exclusive use of the shared resource to the task 2 is performed. Subsequently, the shared resource is used exclusively by the task 2 (iv). This means for the succeeding task 3 that the period during which the shared resource is exclusively occupied by the task 2 increases from the time or period required for the processing (iv) to a sum of the periods required for the processings (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv), respectively.
Similarly, in the case (2) mentioned above, a processing (i) for placing the task (2) in the resource request queue is performed by another processor in parallel with the exclusive use of the shared resource by the task (1). Even when the exclusive use of the shared resource by the task (1) is ended, a processing (iii) for giving the right of exclusive use of the resource to the task (2) to set the latter in the execution waiting state must wait (v) till the end of the processing (i). Subsequently, the shared resource is then used exclusively by the task (2) . This means for the succeeding task (3) that the period for which the shared resource is occupied by the task 2 increases from the period (iv) to a sum of (v), (iii) and (iv).
Under these circumstances, the probability of the succeeding task (3) using the shared resource during the executive use thereof by the task (2) is increased. In general, since the total period for the processings (i), (ii) and (iii) or (v) and (iii) is far longer than the period (iv), the probability of use of the shared resource by the succeeding tasks increases rapidly, wherein these tasks are placed in the queue state from one to another, which in turn means that the overhead of the processings (i) and (ii) is increased thus lowering the throughtput.

Method of scheduling tasks with priority to interrupted task locking shared resource


A sliding tray is configured to support one or more optical communications modules and includes a body portion having one or more mounting locations for the one or more optical communications modules. A trough projects from the body portion and is configured to support optical fibers connected to the one or more optical communications modules. A cover is pivotably connected to the tray for selectively covering the trough. A front wall of the cover may include a labeling surface, with a removable lens covering the labeling surface. A stop to limit the sliding direction of said sliding tray in the rearward direction may also be provided.

It is known to mount electrical and/or optical telecommunication modules on sliding trays in a shelf or on a rack or other similar support. The trays may be individually mounted on the support or may comprise part of a shelf with a housing for supporting the trays which housing mounts to the rack or support. Such trays generally comprise a body portion for supporting the modules and a projecting trough for supporting cables or "patch cords" that are plugged into jacks in the modules. The trough may also include retaining rings to help organize and guide individual ones or bundles of the cables or cords.
It is often desirable to space openings in the modules closely to increase the density of the patch cords that can be connected thereto. This leaves very little room on the modules themselves to label the modules or their individual jacks. It can therefore be difficult to determine where a patch cord should be inserted or how a particular patch cord is connected merely by looking at the patch cords and modules. Moreover, even with the use of retaining rings, and especially when a large number of patch cords are present, it is possible to snag or pinch various ones of the patch cords when sliding trays into and out of a shelf or support, either on the tray being moved or on an adjacent tray. It would therefore be desirable to provide a sliding tray that both reduces the likelihood of snagging cords while at the same time provides additional surface area for labeling the modules, jacks and/or the patch cords connected thereto.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Pivotable cover for sliding tray and sliding tray including the cover


Techniques related to generating a virtual view from multi-view images for presentation to a viewer are discussed. Such techniques include determining, based on a viewer position relative to a display region, first and second crop positions of planar image and cropping the planar image to a cropped planar image to fill the display region using the first and second crop positions such that the first and second crop positions define an asymmetric frustum between the cropped planar image and a virtual window corresponding to the display region.

Arrays of cameras such as two or more linearly aligned cameras are becoming increasingly common in a variety of device implementations such as tablet devices, smartphone devices, laptop devices, display devices, telepresence systems, and filmmaking and video production systems. In the context of a viewing experience generated by such camera arrays, intermediate virtual views between cameras are generated and provided to a user for display.
Current techniques for synthesizing such intermediate views render views interpolated between the camera positions. However, such views are not visually intuitive and may feel artificial to the user. For example, such views, as if provided by virtual cameras in the planar array, may not correspond to what a user would see when looking through a window defined by the display they are viewing.
It may be advantageous to improve views of synthesized intermediate images for enhanced user experience. It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present improvements have been needed. Such improvements may become critical as the desire to display such images or videos in the context of camera array implementations becomes more widespread.

Immersive viewing using a planar array of cameras


A method of manufacturing a chip carrier from a universal ceramic substrate provides for a universal ceramic substrate having first and second opposed sides and an array of conductively filled through-holes. On the first side, wire bond pads and conductors connected to the conductively filled through-holes are provided as required. Similarly, on the second side, solder pads on the conductively filled through-holes are provided as required. Finally, at least one insulating layer is provided over part of the first side for die attachment.

This invention relates generally to a method of making an ultra high density pad array chip carrier and more particularly to a method for making a variety of high density pad array chip carriers from a universal structure.
With the increasing size of large scale integrated circuit chips the number of input and output connections that have to be made to a chip has correspondingly increased. This trend has encouraged the evolution to smaller and more dense leadless chip carriers. Leadless chip carriers generally consist of a package containing a square plate of ceramic such as alumina which forms a substrate or base onto which a chip is mounted. Electrical connection paths within the leadless chip carrier allow the leads of the chip to be brought to external contact pads formed around each of the four sides of the ceramic base of the carrier. The carrier is then surface mounted, usually onto a generally larger printed circuit (PC) board, or other ceramic board simply by placing the carrier on top of the corresponding contact pads, which mirror those contact pads of the chip carrier. An electrical and mechanical connection is then made by soldering the chip carrier to this generally larger board by reflow soldering. This arrangement allows greater density of input and output connections to be achieved.
Disadvantages do, however, arise with leadless chip carriers because of the way in which they are connected to a board. Since the leadless chip carrier is rigidly joined to a generally larger PC board or ceramic board and lacks any ability to accommodate relative movement between the carrier and the board onto which it is mounted, if the chip carrier and board are of materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion, changing in temperature will cost differential expansion of the two components. This induces strain on the solder connections which can cause failure of the electrical and mechanical connection, especially after repeated thermal cycling. However, it is known that small ceramic chip carriers operate more reliably in a thermal cycling environment than larger chip carriers, expecially when these are mounted onto a printed circuit board, therefore it is clear that if the designer seeks to improve the overall reliability of a mounted ceramic chip carrier package, the designer must attempt to reduce the size of the chip carrier.
One known arrangement for a pad array or pad grid array chip carrier utilized thick film techniques to form a pattern of screened-on metallic paste on the surface of an unfired ceramic substrate. Through-holes in this ceramic substrate are filled with a conductive glass-metal paste combination and are connected with electrical conductors formed by the pattern of screened on metallic paste. The ceramic substrate then has a second ceramic layer added beneath it having contact pads on its bottom surface and separated from the conductors and die mount pad on the first ceramic layer. These co-fired pad array carriers use co-fired metallization not only to fill the through-holes but also to form the conductors and die attach area. The size and density realizable for such a co-fired chip carrier, while utilizing the center area beneath the die mount pad, is limited by the additive co-fired process itself in that the narrowest conductor which can be screened is 5 mils or milli-inches with a typical production width being 8 mils wide. Such constraints limit the size and density posssible for a chip carrier manufactured using this co-fired method and they in turn can strain further desired improvements in reliability and in cost. Therefore, a need exists to reduce the use of these expensive co-fired techniques, which necessarily limit the minimum possible size of the chip carrier arrangement and which in turn affect the reliability as well as the per unit cost.
Furthermore, the co-firing process with the conventional pad array design, requires the need to buy a custom punching tool for every new pad array chip carrier design. Often, one punching tool is needed for the top layer, while another one is required for the bottom layer. With this design, as the number of input/output ports changes, the amount of inventory of the resultant customized carriers required to accommodate the different number of ports is high. Therefore, a need exists to standardize the method of making the ultra high density pad array chip carrier while reducing production costs and production time of making an ultra high density pad array chip carrier.

Fabrication of pad array carriers from a universal interconnect structure


An improved slide bolt locking mechanism is capable of selectably releaseably fastening both overhead doors and swing doors to its surrounding door frame. A portion of the traditional slide bolt is replaced by a lighter actuating mechanism outwardly of the door-transom interface and a form fitting handle. The handle includes an alignable eye assembly capable of securement by a pad or combination lock.

Door latches and locking mechanisms have long been utilized to releasably secure such doors to their surrounding door frames. Slide bolt type latches are utilized for securing both overhead doors and swinging doors.
Another feature which may be added to slide bolt latches or locking mechanisms for gates or doors, such as barracks or school lockers, includes a hasp-type locking system configured to accommodate a padlock, combination lock, or the like.
Once such existing combination of a tenon-type slide bolt with a hasp-type locking capability is found in a slide bolt latch number 1534 made by CECO Door Company. Slide bolt lock mechanisms are also utilized in connection with overhead door assemblies such as garage doors.
A need has developed for an improved slide bolt latch having hasp latch locking capabilities. It is therefore an object of the invention, generally stated, to provide a new and improved slide bolt lock with hasp padlock receiving capabilities.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a mortise tenon-type slide bolt lock which may be biased in an opened or closed position.


A device is designed for determining a pre-set air/fuel ratio in the combustion chamber of a cylinder of an internal combustion engine. The device is further designed for determining a filtered, pre-set air/fuel ratio in the combustion chamber of the cylinder by filtering the pre-set air/fuel ratio in the combustion chamber of the cylinder by means of a filter which models the dynamic behavior of the upstream region of the exhaust gas catalyst relative to the arrangement of the exhaust gas probe in the exhaust gas catalyst, in particular its storage, reduction and/or oxidation properties. The device is further designed for determining an adjustable variable by means of a regulator as a function of the filtered and pre-set air/fuel ratio, and of a sensed air/fuel ratio in the combustion chamber of the cylinder.

Ever more stringent regulations regarding permissible pollutant emissions by motor vehicles fitted with internal combustion engines make it necessary to keep the pollutant emissions as low as possible during operation of the internal combustion engine. One of the ways in which this can be done is by reducing the emissions which occur during the combustion of the air/fuel mixture in the relevant cylinder of the internal combustion engine. Another is to use exhaust gas handling systems in internal combustion engines which convert the emissions which are generated during the combustion process of the air/fuel mixture in the relevant cylinder into harmless substances. Catalyzers are used for this purpose which convert carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrous oxide into harmless substances. Both the explicit influencing of the generation of the pollutant emissions during the combustion and also the conversion of the pollutant components with a high level of efficiency by an exhaust gas catalyzer require a very precisely set air/fuel ratio in the respective cylinder.
A device for an internal combustion engine with an exhaust gas catalyzer in an exhaust gas tract is known from SAE International Publication "A Metal Substrate with Integrated Oxygen Sensor; Functionality and Influence on Air/Fuel Ratio Control", Mats Laurell et al., SAE 2003-010818. A linear Lambda sensor is arranged upstream from the exhaust gas catalyzer in the exhaust gas tract. In addition a first and a second binary lambda probe are arranged in the exhaust gas catalyzer. The binary Lambda probe is used for trimming the probe signal of the linear Lambda sensor. The measuring signal of the linear Lambda sensor thus trimmed is the regulating variable of a Lambda controller.
Closed-loop Lambda control with a linear Lambda probe which is arranged upstream from an exhaust gas catalyzer and a binary Lambda probe which is arranged downstream of the exhaust gas catalyzer is known from the German textbook, "Handbuch Verbrennungsmotor", published by Richard von Basshuysen, Fred Schäfer, 2nd edition, Vieweg & Sohn Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, June 2002, Pages 526-528. A Lambda setpoint value is filtered by means of a filter which takes account of gas delay times and the sensor behavior. The Lambda setpoint value filtered in this way is the closed-loop control variable of a PII2D Lambda controller, for which the manipulated variable is an injection volume correction.

Device and method for determining an adjustable variable of an internal combustion engine regulator


A system is disclosed for cancelling ghosts including I daisy chained variable delay elements, the first of which receives a video signal. J multiplexers are also provided, each of which has at least one input connected to the output of each of the I variable delay elements. A transversal filter element is connected to the output of each multiplexer for filtering the delayed video signals selected by the corresponding multiplexer connected thereto. Finally, an adder is provided for adding together the filtered video signals outputted by the transversal filter elements.

FIG. 1(a) depicts a multipath channel through which television signals propagate from a transmitter 1 to a receiver 2. As depicted, the television signals arrive at the receiver 2 via a number of paths A, B, C, D including a short direct path A, and longer paths B, C, D in which the signals reflect off of features of the channel (e.g., buildings, mountains, and the ionosphere). All of these signals are superimposed at the receiver 2. The signals arriving via the paths B-D are weaker than the signal arriving via the direct path A. Thus, the signal arriving via the path A produces the strongest video image at the receiver 2 and is referred to as the "main" signal. Furthermore, the signals arriving via the paths B-D are delayed with respect to the main signal arriving via the path A. As a result, the signals arriving via the paths B-D produce delayed duplicate video images or "post-ghosts" of the main signal arriving via the path A as depicted in FIG 1(b).
Another multipath channel is depicted in FIG 1(c). As depicted, a signal arrives via a short path E through buildings 3. A signal also arrives via a longer reflection path F and is thus delayed with respect to the signal arriving via the short path E. In this case, it is assumed that the signal arriving via path E is attenuated to a greater extent (by virtue of propagating through the buildings 3) than the signal arriving via the path F. In such a case, the weaker signal arriving via the path E produces a "pre-ghost" of the main signal arriving via the path F as depicted in FIG 1(d).
It is desirable to eliminate both pre-ghosts and post-ghosts of the main signal in order to improve reception. Several ghost cancelling systems have been proposed in the form of a channel equalizer. FIG. 2(a) depicts a transmission path including a transmitter 4, a multipath channel 5 and a receiver 6 which includes a channel equalizer 7 and a display device 8. In such systems, an ideal ghost cancelling reference (GCR) signal R.sub.ideal (t) is inserted into the video signal V(t), e.g., during the vertical blanking interval, prior to transmission from the transmitter 4. The transmitter 4 transmits the video signal V(t) (including the ideal GCR signal R.sub.ideal (t)) which propagates through the multipath channel 5 having an impulse response A(t). By virtue of propagating through the multipath channel 5, a signal with ghosts V(t)*A(t) (including R.sub.ideal (t)*A(t)) is produced, where "*" means "convolved with". This signal V(t)*A(t) is received at the receiver 6 where it is inputted to the channel equalizer 7. The channel equalizer 7 has an impulse response W(t) and therefore outputs the signal V(t)*A(t)*W(t). The channel equalizer 7 is designed so that V(t)*A(t)*W(t)=V(t). The signal outputted from the channel equalizer 7 is then displayed on a display device such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) screen 8.
The channel equalizer 7 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2(b). As depicted in FIG. 2(b), the channel equalizer 7 typically includes an analog to digital converter (ADC) 9 which converts the received video signal V(t)*A(t) to digital form. Illustratively, the received video signal V(t)*A(t) has an upper cutoff frequency of approximately 4.2 MHz. The received video signal V(t)*A(t) is illustratively sampled in the ADC 9 at 14.32 MHz. These samples are inputted to an extraction circuit 10 which extracts the received GCR signal R.sub.rec (t) (where R.sub.rec (t)=R.sub.ideal (t)*A(t)) from the received video signal V(t)*A(t). This received GCR signal R.sub.rec (t) may be temporarily stored in a RAM 11. The received GCR signal R.sub.rec (t) is then compared to an ideal GCR signal R.sub.ideal (t) (obtained from a circuit 12, such as a ROM) in a CPU or digital signal processor (DSP) 13. Based on the discrepancy between the received R.sub.rec (t) and the ideal R.sub.ideal (t) GCR signals, the CPU or DSP 13 generates filtering or tap coefficients for cancelling ghosts in the received video signal V(t)*A(t). The tap coefficients are transferred to a transversal filter 14. The received video signal V(t)*A(t) is accordingly digitally filtered by the transversal filter 14 using the tap coefficients determined by the CPU or DSP 13. The filtered video signal outputted by the transversal filter 14 may illustratively be converted back to analog form in a digital to analog converter (DAC) 15.
FIG. 2(c) shows an exemplary prior art transversal filter 14 including a finite impulse response filter (FIR) 16, and an infinite impulse response filter (IIR) 17. Illustratively, the IIR filter 17 is formed by connecting a second FIR filter 18 in negative a feedback path of an adder 19 to which the FIR filter 16 is connected.
Several conventional algorithms have been proposed for obtaining FIR and IIR tap coefficients (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,252). Tap coefficients of the transversal filter 14 (FIG. 2(c)) within the channel equalizer 7 (FIG. 2(a)) may be derived from the formula V(t)*A(t)*W(t)=V(t). According to one conventional method, called a division method, the tap coefficients are determined so that ##EQU1## where V(f), A(f) and W(f) are the video signal, the channel impulse response and the equalizer impulse response, in the frequency domain, respectively. The video signal V(f) and the channel impulse response A(f) are both unknown and vary over time. If, however, a known ghost cancelling reference (GCR) signal R.sub.ideal (t) is inserted into the video signal V(t) prior to transmission, then the tap coefficients may be generated by comparing the received and ideal GCR signals R.sub.rec (t) and R.sub.ideal (t). In such a case, the above formula may be simplified to: ##EQU2##
FIG. 3 depicts one conventional division method algorithm for obtaining tap coefficients. Typically, the FIR filter 16 utilizes a relatively small number of taps for cancelling "nearby" ghosts (e.g., a ghost separated by 2 .mu.sec from the main signal). To determine nearby ghost tap coefficients according to this method, the signal R.sub.rec (t) is first windowed over a short interval appropriate for cancelling nearby ghosts to produce the signal R.sub.rec '(t) in step 340 (herein, one prime mark indicates short term windowing). Next, in step 342, the signal R.sub.rec '(t) is fourier transformed to produce the signal R.sub.rec '(f). Then, in step 344, the nearby ghost tap coefficient signal W.sub.near (f) is determined by the formula ##EQU3##
In step 346, this signal W.sub.near (f) is converted to the time domain by computing its inverse fourier transform. Finally, in step 348, the signal W.sub.near (t) is windowed over a short interval (appropriate for producing nearby ghost tap coefficients) to produce the signal W.sub.near '(t).
The prior art division method of FIG. 3 also produces tap coefficients for the IIR filter 17. The IIR filter 17 typically has a large number of tap coefficients for cancelling "non-nearby" or "normal" ghosts (e.g., a ghost separated by 40 .mu.sec from the main signal).
In step 350, the received GCR signal R.sub.rec (t) is windowed appropriately for cancelling normal ghosts to produce the signal R.sub.rec "(t) (herein, two prime marks means long term windowing). Next, in step 352, the signal R.sub.rec "(t) is fourier transformed to produce the signal R.sub.rec "(f). In step 354, the windowed nearby tap coefficient signal W.sub.near '(t) (obtained in step 348) is fourier transformed to produce the signal W.sub.near '(f). These two signals R.sub.rec "(f) and W.sub.near '(f) are used to form the signal h(f) in step 356. h(f) is determined by the formula: EQU h(f)=R.sub.ideal (f)-R.sub.rec "(f).cndot.W.sub.near '(f) (4)
Then in step 358, the normal ghost tap coefficient signal W.sub.norm (f) is determined by the formula: ##EQU4## In step 360, the inverse fourier transform of W.sub.norm (f) is computed to produce the signal W.sub.norm (t). Finally, W.sub.norm (t) is windowed over a long interval (appropriate for producing normal ghost tap coefficients) to produce the signal W.sub.norm "(t) in step 362.
Several different circuits have been proposed for implementing the FIR or IIR filters 16 or 17 (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,026). FIG. 4 shows a first prior art circuit 40, suitable for implementing a FIR filter 16, called a one-tap selection circuit. Digital samples of a received video signal which are inputted to the FIR filter 40 are shifted into a shift register 42. These digital samples are read out of the shift register 42 by a tap selection circuit 43. In addition, a plurality of tap coefficients (determined, for example, according to the aforementioned division method) are inputted to a tap gain controller circuit 46. The tap gain controller circuit 46 outputs the largest tap coefficient from the tap coefficients inputted thereto to a plurality of multipliers 44. The tap gain control circuit also causes the tap selection circuit 43 to supply selected video samples from the shift register 42 to particular multipliers 44. Each supplied video sample is multiplied in the multipliers 44 by the largest tap coefficient (which tap coefficient is supplied by the tap gain controller circuit 46). These products are then added together in an adder 45.
FIG. 5 shows a second prior art circuit 50, suitable for implementing a FIR filter, called a one-tap variable delay circuit. In this circuit 50, the video samples are inputted, in parallel, to a plurality of variable delay elements 52. A tap gain control circuit 55 controls the delay period of each variable delay element 52 and also outputs a single tap coefficient to each of the multipliers 53. The video samples are outputted from each variable delay element 52 to the multipliers 53 where they are multiplied by the tap coefficient supplied by the tap gain control circuit 55. The products outputted by the multipliers 53 are then added together in an adder circuit 54.
A third prior art circuit 60, called a multi-tap selection circuit, is shown in FIG. 6. Video samples are shifted into a shift register 62. A highly complex tap selection circuit 63 is provided for selecting groups of video samples in the shift register 62 for output to transversal filters elements 68. A prior art transversal filter element 68 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 6(a). Video samples are received in a shift register 64 comprising a plurality of one sample delays 65. The video samples are supplied from each one of the sample delays 65 of the shift register 64 to corresponding multipliers 67. Each of the multipliers 67 also receives a tap coefficient of an array of tap coefficients and multiplies the video samples inputted thereto by this tap coefficient of the array. The products outputted by the multipliers 67 are added together in an adder 61. The outputs of the transversal filter elements 68 (FIG. 6), in turn, are added together in an adder circuit 66 (FIG. 6). As depicted in FIG. 6, the circuit 60 also has an output 69 for shifting out video samples which propagate through the shift register 62. This output 69 may be connected to the shift register of another similar circuit 60 connected sequentially to the first circuit 60.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,026 discloses a fourth prior art circuit 20 or 28 (FIGS. 7(a)-(b)), called a multi-tap variable delay circuit. In FIG. 7(a), video samples are received, in parallel, into a plurality of variable delay elements 22. The delay period of the variable delay elements 22 is controlled by a tap gain control circuit 25. Each variable delay element 22 outputs the video samples received therein to a corresponding transversal filter element 23 where the video samples are multiplied by an array of tap coefficients. As with the prior art circuits 40 (FIG. 4) and 50 (FIG. 5), the tap coefficients are supplied by the tap gain control circuit 25. The outputs of the transversal filter elements are then added together in an adder 24.
FIG. 7(b) shows an alternative embodiment of the multi-tap variable delay circuit 28 in which the variable delay elements 26 are daisy chained, i.e., sequentially connected in tandem. Video samples are inputted to the first variable delay element 26-1 and propagate therethrough. The video samples are then outputted to the second variable delay element 26-2 and from the second variable delay element 26-2 to the third variable delay element 26-3, etc. The circuit 28 is otherwise similar to the circuit 20 (FIG. 7(a)).
Each of these prior art circuits has disadvantages. The one tap selection circuit 40 (FIG. 4) requires a tap selection circuit 43 (FIG. 4) which is extremely complex and requires a large number of components. Both the complexity and number of components increase when such circuits 40 (FIG. 4) are used to form non-nearby ghost cancelling IIR filters which typically require many tap coefficients. Thus, such a circuit 40 (FIG. 4) is both difficult to produce within an integrated circuit chip and very expensive to manufacture. The one tap variable delay circuit 50 (FIG. 5) does not use complex selector circuits. However, the number of variable delay elements 52 (FIG. 5) necessary for ghost cancelling, particularly, non-nearby ghost cancelling in IIR filters, is large. Thus, this circuit 50 (FIG. 5) is also both expensive to manufacture and difficult to produce within an integrated circuit chip.
The multi-tap selection circuit 60 (FIG. 6) and multi-tap variable delay circuit 20 or 28 (FIGS. 7(a)-(b)) are better suited for IIR filters. However, as with the one tap selection circuit 40 (FIG. 4), the multi-tap selection circuit 60 (FIG. 6) requires an overly complex tap selection circuit 63 (FIG. 6) which is expensive and difficult to implement on an integrated circuit chip. The multi-tap variable delay circuit 20 or 28 (FIGS. 7(a)-(b)) does not require an overly large selection circuit or variable delay circuit. This circuit 20 or 28 (FIGS. 7 (a)-(b)), however, is disadvantageous in practice because transversal filter elements 23 (FIGS. 7(b)) are wasted. This may be better appreciated by an example. Suppose the maximum delay period of each variable delay element 22 of FIG. 7(a) and of FIG. 7(b) is two hundred clock cycles. Furthermore, suppose it is desirable to cancel a first ghost which is delayed from the main video signal by fifty clock cycles and a second ghost which is delayed from the main video signal by three hundred fifty clock cycles. FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relationship of the ghosts and the main video signal.
Using the circuit 28 of FIG. 7(b), the first variable delay element 26-1 may be adjusted to a delay of approximately fifty clock cycles, the second variable delay element 26-2 may be adjusted to a delay of two hundred clock cycles and the third variable delay element 26-2 may be adjusted to a delay of approximately one hundred clock cycles. (The circuit 20 of FIG. 7(a) cannot cancel the second ghost because it cannot delay the video signal by three hundred fifty clock cycles). The first transversal filter element 23-1 is then used to cancel the first ghost and the third transversal filter element 23-3 is then used to cancel the second ghost. It may be appreciated, however, that the second transversal filter element 23-2 cannot be used at all and is thus wasted.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a ghost cancelling circuit which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art circuits.

Ghost canceller with variable delay selector

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A mobile source of electricity is converted from a transportation mode to an operational mode. A turbine disposed on the mobile source of electricity is operated to generate electricity in the operational mode. A first control valve is operated to feed a cooling agent from a cooling agent source into a heat transfer apparatus disposed in an air intake flow path of the turbine to cool intake air. A second control valve is operated to vent from the heat transfer apparatus, the cooling agent that is heated by absorbing heat from the intake air flowing through the air intake flow path. A controller controls the first and second control valves to maintain the cooling agent having predetermined properties in the heat transfer apparatus.

Hydraulic fracturing has been commonly used by the oil and gas industry to stimulate production of hydrocarbon wells, such as oil and/or gas wells. Hydraulic fracturing, sometimes called "tracing" or "tracking," is the process of injecting fracturing fluid, which is typically a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals, into the subsurface to fracture subsurface geological formations and release hydrocarbon reserves. The fracturing fluid is pumped into a wellbore at a pressure sufficient to cause fissures within underground geological formations. Specifically, once inside the wellbore, the pressurized fracturing fluid is pressure pumped down and then out into the subsurface geological formation to fracture the underground formation.
A fluid mixture that may include water, various chemical additives, and proppants (e.g., sand or ceramic materials) can be pumped into the underground formation to fracture a geological formation and promote the extraction of the hydrocarbons, such as oil and/or gas. For example, the fracturing fluid may comprise a liquid petroleum gas, linear gelled water, gelled water, gelled oil, slick water, slick oil, poly emulsion, foam/emulsion, liquid carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas, and/or binary fluid and acid.
Implementing large-scale fracturing operations at well sites typically require extensive investment in equipment, labor, and fuel. For instance, a typical fracturing operation uses a variety of fracturing equipment, numerous personnel to operate and maintain the fracturing equipment, large amounts of fuel to power the fracturing operations, and large volumes of fracturing fluids. Planning for fracturing operations is often complex and encompasses logistical challenges that include minimizing the on-site area or "footprint" of the fracturing operations, providing adequate power and/or fuel to continuously power the fracturing operations, increasing the efficiency of the hydraulic fracturing equipment, and reducing any environmental impact resulting from fracturing operations. Thus, numerous innovations and improvements are needed to address the variety of complex and logistical challenges faced in today's fracturing operations.

Chilled intake air for increased power generation


Improved techniques for estimating dough development times are provided in order to permit rapid and accurate forecasts of dough development times in commercial baking operations with different lots of wheat flour. The method of the invention involves directing near infrared radiation against a dough formulation during mixing thereof, and collecting a plurality of time-dependant absorbance spectra; the spectral data are then analyzed, preferably by calculating magnitude ratios at predetermined spectral absorbances, and then estimating the dough development time as a function of the magnitude ratios.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with methods for estimating dough development times when using specific wheat flours in doughs. More particularly, the invention is concerned with such methods that are particularly suited for the production of commercial bread products, and that permit a commercial baker to pretest lots of wheat flour to determine optimum dough development times when using the respective flours.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The bread baking industry is a high volume, low profit margin (per unit) food manufacturing industry that often relies on subjective determinations made by operators in the dough mixing area. While improvements have been made in dough mixers to standardize mixing operations, decisions with respect to adequacy of dough mixing are based on operator experience, and such decisions often err on the side of conservatism and result in loss of efficiency and/or productivity.
Dough mixing is a physical, chemical, physiocochemical, and biochemical process, and it is an extremely important step in the conversion of flour and other ingredients into an edible bakery product. The mixing process promotes hydration by exposing new surfaces of the flour particles for interaction with water, blends all ingredients into a uniform dough mixture, and results in dough development. This development involves the stretching of long molecules from an unperturbed state to a more extended configuration. The length of the development stage depends on the time required to extend the large molecules and to orientate them in the direction of shear.
Dough characteristics vary based on ingredients, environment, and operation system, and they can be measured by different kinds of instruments through imitative (mixograph, farinograph, and alveograph), empirical (extensigraph), or fundamental (rheometers) means. Additionally, dough development based on change in physical dough consistency can be determined during mixing by recording the torque on mixer blades or the power consumed. While all of these measurements are based on changes in physical properties of a dough, the physical changes are mostly related to chemical interactions that occur during dough mixing. These chemical interactions are of both covalent (disulfide bonds, glucosidic bonds, peptide bonds) and non-covalent (hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interactions, ionic bonds, and van der Waals bonds) nature. The physical and chemical reactions occurring during dough processing are related to gluten and water properties, which change during mixing due to interactions with each other and with other ingredients that are present. Measurements of dough characteristics based on chemical interactions are more challenging than those based on physical properties.
Analytical near infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy is a useful and cost effective method of food analysis at ingredient, processing, and product stages of production. It has been used for routine inspections in agricultural and food systems for three decades. Advantages of this technique are rapid measurements, simple preparation of samples, and ease of operation. The major sources of near infrared absorption are the overtones and combination bands of fundamental vibrations in the mid-infrared spectrum from 4000-600 cm−1. NIR spectroscopy has the potential to probe the molecular and chemical changes that occur during dough development because absorbances in the spectra are a direct manifestation of the principal chemical components of dough-water, protein, starch, and fat. Some bakery applications for which MR has been used include the measurement of sucrose, fat, flour, and water content of biscuit dough and monitoring of the staling process of bread.
To provide uniformly consistent dough, mixer operators' grapple with two major variables—flour absorption and mix time. While proper dough development provides consistency throughout the remainder of the production process, bake absorption maximizes the amount of water that can be held by flour, and this often represents the profit margin realized by the baker. In a recent study, NIR was used to predict the processing and product quality characteristics of wheat flour. Within this study, a major conclusion was the ability of NIR to predict bake absorption in the flour with results equal to those of a trained technician's ability to optimize flour absorption. Earlier NIR investigations found that two specific absorbance wavelengths (1160 nm and 1200 nm) varied with mixer power consumption.

Determination of dough development using near infrared radiation


An ultrasonic welding device includes a rotary support mechanical assembly rotatable about a rotation axis and operable to support a sheet over a circumference centered on the rotation axis, the sheet being continuously supplied; a horn and an anvil attached to the rotary support mechanical assembly to thereby revolve about the rotation axis and sandwich the sheet supported over the rotary support mechanical assembly to weld the sheet; a cam drum and a cam follower for driving the anvil in such a manner that the anvil moves relative to the horn; a holding member body; and a power transmission mechanism for distributing a power generated by the cam and the cam follower in such a manner the power is transmitted to the anvil and holding member body in opposite directions.

Conventionally, there are known ultrasonic welding devices (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 3988835) for ultrasonically welding an object to be welded (web) to form disposable diapers, for example.
An ultrasonic welding device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3988835 includes a drum having an outer surface configured to support an object to be welded that is continuously supplied, the drum being rotatable about a predetermined rotation axis, and a horn and an anvil attached to the drum to thereby revolve about the rotation axis and sandwich the object supported over the outer surface of the drum to ultrasonically weld the object.
When one of the horn and the anvil is defined as a first welding tool and the other of the horn and the anvil is defined as a second welding tool, the first welding tool is attached to the drum in such a manner as to be movable relative to the second welding tool so that the first welding tool can move across the object supported over the outer surface of the drum.
Further, the ultrasonic welding device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3988835 includes a driving mechanism (a stationary cam drum and a cam follower) for driving the first welding tool in such a manner that the first welding tool moves relative to the second welding tool.
According to the ultrasonic welding device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3988835, the drum rotates integrally with the horn and the anvil. Therefore, the rotation of the drum allows the object to be welded between the horn and the anvil while being conveyed.
Thus, the period of conveying the object can also be used as a period of welding, unlike the case where an object to be welded is fed into the space between a horn and an anvil secured at a position. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a sufficient welding strength while conveying the object at a high speed.
However, in the ultrasonic welding device disclosed in, the driving mechanism moves the first welding tool relative to the second welding tool (drum), which causes a problem that vibration occurs when the acceleration of the first welding tool changes and the vibration generates noise.


An expansion joint for connecting sections of a duct carrying high temperature gases includes upstream and downstream frame portions connected to the ducts, a peripheral fabric belt connecting the frame portions, and thermal insulation positioned between the belt and a primary internal liner mounted on a frame portion and projecting toward the opposite frame portion. A thermal insulation pillow is positioned between the primary internal liner and the flowpath, and a thermal panel made up of floating segments is positioned between the insulation pillow and the flowpath. At least the upstream frame portion includes a conical member extending at an oblique angle to inner and outer sides of the frame portion. In the illustrated embodiments, a secondary liner is mounted on the opposite frame portion and projects toward the frame portion carrying the primary liner, the primary internal liner being positioned between the secondary internal liner and the gas flowpath. An insulation pillow and thermal panel is also provided on the secondary internal liner.

The present invention relates to expansion joints and, more particularly, to high temperature, non-metallic expansion joints for use in a high heat rate environment in ducts carrying gases.
Expansion joints are needed in ducts carrying high temperature gases. The demands on the expansion joints are greater where the high temperature gases are characterized by high turbulence, fast heat rate, high gas flow rate, or any combination of these, and/or where large movements and high cycles of movement are required of the expansion joint. These conditions can exist in cogeneration facilities for generating electricity and/or steam, gas transmission pump stations, power peaking plants, dryers and gas turbine engine test stands.
The frames associated with known non-metallic expansion joints for use under these conditions experience cracking as a result of 1) high heat rates, 2) high temperature differentials across the frame, and 3) high localized stresses, primarily in welds attaching liners, or sleeves, to the rest of the expansion joint. The liners are made of plates adjacent to and parallel to the flowing high temperature gases and surrounding the flowing gases. As a result of this configuration, the liners heat quickly and tend to expand quickly as a result of the fast temperature rise. However, they are welded to members of the expansion joint which extend away from the hot gases and, therefore, heat and expand more slowly than the liners. Consequently, high stresses occur in the welds attaching the liners to the other members, leading to failures in the expansion joint at the welds.
Furthermore, some prior art frames include members which extend perpendicular to the flowpath of the gases all the way from an inner side of the frame to the outer side of the frame. Such members are particularly unable to accommodate expansion from the thermal shock from the start-up of, for example, a gas turbine, as well as the contraction due to the thermal shock of shutting down the turbine. In addition, poor frame configuration and insulation schemes have led to premature failure of the non-metallic expansion joint components.

High temperature non-metallic expansion joint