A method of managing an integrated circuit memory includes having an integrated circuit card with a memory space including memory space regions for storing user profile data. The memory space is partitioned into segments of memory space regions, where the segments of memory space regions includes allocated regions and empty regions. From the empty regions, the biggest empty region of the memory space is selected. The selected biggest empty region is widened by moving memory blocks positioned in a subset of allocated regions that are at boundaries of the selected biggest empty region into other available empty regions.

Mobile communication equipment in e.g. GSM and UMTS networks may employ smart cards of the type currently referred to as Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC).
Mobile communication equipment in e.g. GSM and UMTS networks may employ smart cards of the type currently referred to as Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC).
To this regard, FIG. 1 shows a possible architecture of a "user equipment" 10, such as a mobile device, e.g. a smartphone or a tablet, or a mobile communication module usually to be used in embedded systems. Generally, the device 10 comprises one or more processors 102 connected to one or more memories 104. The device 10 comprises moreover at least one mobile communication interface 106 for communication with a base station BS. For example, the mobile communication interface 106 may comprise a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) transceiver, W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access) and/or LTE (Long Term Evolution) transceiver. A mobile device comprises often also a user interface 110, such as a touchscreen. Conversely, a communication module to be used, e.g., in embedded systems, such as alarm systems, gas meters or other types of remote monitoring and/or control systems, often does not comprise a user interface 110, but a communication interface 112 in order to exchange data with a further processing unit of an embedded system. For example, in this case, the interface 112 may be a digital communication interface, such as a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter), SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) and/or USB (Universal Serial Bus) communication interface. Generally, the processor 102 may also be directly the main processor of an embedded system. In this case the interface 112 may be used to exchange data with one or more sensors and/or actuators. For example, in this case, the interface 112 may be implemented by means of one or more analog interfaces and/or digital input/output ports of the processor 102.
In the memory 104 may be stored e.g. an operating system OS being executed by the processor 102 and which manages the general functions of the device 10, such as the management of the user interface 110 and/or the communication interface 112 and the establishment of a connection to the base station BS via the mobile communication interface 106. The memory 104 may also contain applications being executed by the operating system OS. For example, in the case of a mobile device, the memory 104 often comprises a web browser application WB.
For establishing a connection with the base station BS, the device 10 is coupled to a SIM card 108 configured to manage the identity identification of the user. For example, usually a mobile device comprises a card holder for receiving a card comprising a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), which is usually called SIM card. Generally a corresponding SIM module may also be installed directly within the device 10. A SIM card 108 such as UICC is used in the example of FIG. 1, which is a smart card often used in GSM and UMTS networks. The SIM card 108 ensures the integrity and security of all kinds of personal data and typically holds a few hundred kilobytes. Also a UICC may be integrated directly in the device 10 and is in this case often called embedded UICC (eUICC).
For example, in a GSM network, the SIM card 108 contains a SIM application, and in a UMTS network, the SIM card 108 contains a USIM application. A UICC may contain several applications, making it possible for the same smart card to give access to both GSM and UMTS networks, and may also provide storage of a phone book and other applications.
Accordingly, the reference to a SIM module in the following of the present description is intended to include both 2G and/or 3G SIM modules and applies also the case in which such a SIM module is provided on a SIM card.
As shown in FIG. 2, a SIM card 108 often comprises one or more processors 1082 and one or more memories 1084 for executing applications stored in the memory 1084 of the module 108. For example, the SIM card 108 may comprise in addition to the Subscriber Identity Module application (reference sign SIM in FIG. 2) at least one further application APP. For example, this application APP may be configured to communicate (directly, or indirectly via the processor 102 and possibly the operating system OS) with the mobile communication interface 106 in order to send data to and/or receive data from a remote host 30. For this purpose, the host 30 may be connected via a network 20, such as a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN), such as the internet, to the base station BS. Accordingly, connection between the host 30 and the SIM card 108 may be established by means of the network 20, the base station BS and the communication interface 108. Generally, the communication may be initiated by the host 30 or the SIM card 108. For example, the application APP may be a web server application, which receives requests from the web browser WB of a mobile device 10 and obtains respective content from a remote host 30, such as a web server. The application APP may also be an authentication application. In this case, the host 30 may send an authentication request to the SIM card 108 and the SIM card 108 may send an authentication response to the host 30.
As shown, a UICC may use a SIM application to access the GSM network and a USIM application to access a UMTS network. A UICC may contain several applications, making it possible for a same smart card to give access to several networks by also providing facilities to the users.
An operator may specify a set of applets, security domains and files that the smart card issuer stores in the smart card. This set of information is currently referred to as "profile".
A recent development of UICC cards is represented by embedded UICC (eUICC) which may be incorporated e.g. in a mobile terminal, thus enabling a user to change operator (and so its profile) over the air by means of a software procedure. An eUICC is also capable of managing multiple mobile network operator subscriptions, by making it possible for a user to enable/disable a current profile on the fly.
UICC cards and eUICC cards may reside in a non-volatile memory (e.g. flash-based) used to store a profile.
As discussed previously, a profile may include a hierarchy of security domains that is specific applications which can be regarded as authentication entities (key containers) by means of which an operator can modify a profile over the air. A set of packages that is a set of related classes and interfaces usually written by means of the Java Card language. A set of applets that is applications capable of authenticating to a specific network (e.g. UMTS) or interact with the user; these applets may be written by means of a Java Card technology and may include many Java Card objects. The profile also includes a hierarchy of directories and files, which contain personalization information for the applets as well as data useful for authentication purposes.
Profile entities such as security domains, packages, applets, files may include a set of objects to be stored and handled by the operating system of the related apparatus.
Security domains and applets may include Java Card objects and code. These and other type of persistent entities (such as files and directories), are indivisible (in a UICC without memory management unit) and stored in memory. They can be, without prejudice to the underlying principles, called "blocks".
Each block stored in a non-volatile memory in an UICC may pertain to a single profile installed in the card. In a multi-profile UICC, the operating system will keep a correspondence between each block and its associated profile.
For instance, security domains, applets and files loaded on the card can be deleted or modified by the operator over the air. Files can also be resized. Objects pertaining to a security domain (e.g. a set of keys) can be deleted. In eUICC even an entire profile can be deleted over the air. This can possibly generate several holes, i.e. memory sections not written with data, depending on the allocation policy of the operating system, in the non-volatile memory.
Every time a hole is generated, the so called "fragmentation" of the non-volatile memory increases. A fragmented memory may cause problems when allocating large blocks. For instance, if the total available memory has a first size in bytes, but the largest hole available has a second size in bytes, of course smaller than the first size, the maximum size of an allocable block corresponds this second size. It would be desirable to have the largest size for the allocable block.
In the following detailed description various technical terms will be used to which the following definitions apply.
Persistent heap: this is a part of persistent memory of the card which is used by the card itself to store applications, packages, security domains and files pertaining to the different profiles, and may include a list of empty and allocated regions.
Block: this is an indivisible amount of stored data that contains a Java Card object or a file. Given a block reference B, that is an identifier of the block, the operating system of apparatus such as UE may determine its address B.addr and size B.size. For example, the operating system may hold a data structure called allocation block table that keeps a correspondence between block references and their address/size.
Allocated region: this is a memory area where a set of adjacent blocks are allocated. Given an allocated region A, the operating system is able to determine its size A.size, for example as the sum of the sizes of the blocks included in the region.
Empty region: this is a memory area which is free, that is a memory area where no blocks B are allocated (even partially). Given an empty region E, the operating system is able to determine its address E.addr and its size E.size, in order to keep trace of the available space. The operating system can, for instance, maintain a list of empty regions.
In the following it will be assumed that an allocated region is always preceded by an empty region or the beginning of the heap while also assuming that it is followed by an empty region or the end of the heap.
Vice versa, an empty region will be preceded by an allocated region or the beginning of the heap and will be followed by an allocated region or the end of the heap.
E1 may be the empty region, which can be a lower region, indicated here as E1L, or an upper region E1U adjacent to an allocated region A1, and E2 may be the empty region adjacent to a set of blocks S in the allocated region A2. Moving the set S of size S.size from the allocated region A2 and appending (or prepending) them to another allocated region A1, means moving the set of blocks at the beginning (the end) of the lower (upper) adjacent empty region E1L (E1U). In this operation, the size E1L.size (E1U.size) of the adjacent empty region E1L (E1U), decreases of the set size S.size, allocated region A1 size A1.size increases of S.size, A2.size decreases of S.size and E2 size increases of S.size.
Therefore, by way of example, with reference to FIG. 3, a persistent heap PH in the persistent memory 1084 can be generalized as a series of allocated regions A1, A2, . . . and empty regions E1, E2, . . . . Each allocated region is composed of a set of blocks. With reference to FIG. 3, A1 and A2 are allocated regions, E1 and E2 empty regions, B11 . . . B1N blocks in the allocated region A1, B21 . . . B2N blocks in the allocated region A2. In FIG. 3, for simplicity, empty region E1 is indicated as such, not specifying if it is an upper region E1L, thus its size is simply E1.size.
An exemplification of this is given in FIGS. 4A and 4B, where a persistent heap of a storage memory 1084 of a smart card such as SIM card 108 is illustrated in two scenarios. In FIG. 4A, the storage memory 1084 has an allocated memory region A having a given size, for instance 9 KB, and an empty memory region E not written with data, having the same size. In FIG. 4B the total amount of empty memory is the same, however there are three allocated memory regions A1, A2, A3, such that two empty memory regions E1, having a size of 3 KB, and E2 having a size of 6 KB are available, i.e. the maximum block size allocable is 6 KB, while in the scenario of FIG. 1A a block with size 9 KB can be stored.
In general the smart card may include a MCU (Microcontroller Unit), corresponding for instance to the one or more processors 1082. In case the MCU of the smart card supports a Memory Management Unit (MMU) blocks can be divisible. Fragmentation is not a relevant problem in this kind of MCU. However it is very uncommon to have an MMU installed on a smart card MCU. Some software libraries can simulate an MMU. However their use is pretty invasive, and they slow down memory accesses.
A simple known solution to the fragmentation problem, defined here is classic defragmentation that includes swapping all the allocated regions with their upper empty region, starting from the second allocated region. For example, in FIG. 4B, the first allocated region from the upper bound of the persistent heap, i.e. A1, is not swapped, the next one A2 is swapped with E1. In this way all the empty regions would be compacted down, and eventually a single empty region is obtained. Using this approach, the number of non-volatile writes, or write operations, would be the sum of the sizes of the allocated regions A1, A2 . . . , starting from the second one. This sum can be very large if there are big allocated partitions and/or a lot of small empty partitions (holes). In fact each time the size of an empty partition E1, E2 . . . is less than the size of a Flash Page, the latter and the adjacent allocated region need to be swapped transactionally. This more than doubles the necessary memory operations. FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C shows the procedure swapping all the allocated regions with their upper empty region, starting from the second allocated region. In the initial step (FIG. 5A) there are three allocated regions A1, A2, A3, separated by three empty regions E1, E2, E3. After a first swap in FIG. 5B, a second swap is performed in FIG. 2C obtaining a sum size which is in the best case A2+A3.
However, in the real world, smart card suppliers choose UICC prices based also on the memory size destined to the operator. The operator is likely to choose the smallest memory size possible. The non-volatile memory is likely to be almost all allocated, and so empty regions very small. For this reason this solution usually leads to large executions times.

Method of managing integrated circuits cards by widening the biggest empty region, corresponding card and apparatus


A mark (something like a reflecting tape which reflects light in the coaxial direction when the light is applied, or an infrared radiant) attached on an object is caught with the coaxial light (visible radiation, infrared light) by a TV camera or infrared TV camera, and video signals from the camera are processed in binary in an image processing apparatus. Consequently, a high luminous mark appears on a binary image, and the primary moment center values (so called "centroid") on the high luminous binary image are calculated on real time, for instance, every 1/60 second, and fed back to an electrically-powered driving part of a lighting unit, so that the lighting is always applied to the position. An electrically-powered turn table automatically operates the control of the lighting directions by the signals feed backed. By carrying out a series of controls precisely as mentioned above, the lighting can be applied by the lighting unit tracking automatically the position of the moving mark. The operability of a lighting unit regarded as a serious problem for an operator usually operating many lighting units can be improved to allow an effective lighting operation.

This invention relates to an automatic follow-up lighting system capable of tracking a moving object (such as a man or advertising balloon) automatically to light up the vicinity thereof. The automatic follow-up lighting system according to the present invention allows the lighting up of a moving object in a good light or even in a bad light, so that it can be widely used as a lighting apparatus (spotlights) for a bride and bridegroom, and actors in wedding halls, banqueting halls in a hotel, theaters, and also as a novel advertising medium projecting on a moving screen such as an advertising balloon.
In conventional lighting apparatuses, the position of an object such as a man is illuminated by an operator operating a spotlight provided on an electrically-powered turntable with a joy stick or the like. It will be very difficult for only one man to operate many lighting apparatuses, since the turntable need to be operated by remote controls with one-to-one correspondence. It will be also disadvantageous that the operation requires enormous labor and experience when the lighting angle of the lighting apparatus is different by an angle viewed from an operator.
At a place such as wedding halls, theaters, and banqueting halls where a number of lighting appartuses are frequency used, improving the operability of the lighting apparatuses has been a very important assignment. Consequently, an apparatus, which is not the kind that is operated by a man controlling an electrically-powered turntable, for automatically tracking for lighting securely in response to the movement of a moving object, has been strongly desired.


The present invention provides a process for forming a matted multicolor pattern coating film having a 60 degree specular gloss of 10 or less by spray-coating and baking plural coating materials having different colors on a moving strip coated article, wherein the above respective coating materials are shrunk matted coating film-forming coating materials each comprising (A) a hydroxyl group-containing organic resin, (B) a low nuclidic methylated melamine resin, (C) a reaction mixture of 1 mole of a sulfonic acid compound and 1.5 mole or more of an amine compound and (D) a color pigment; and in carrying out spray coating, two or more spray-coating apparatuses having two or more coating material-discharging nozzles are used, and coating materials having coating colors which are different from each other are discharged from at least two coating material-discharging nozzles of the above respective spray-coating apparatuses to form a plural number of unit plural color spray patterns in which the above coating materials having different coating colors are present in a mixture.

The present invention relates to a process for forming a multicolor pattern coating film by spray coating which can form a matted multicolor pattern coating film even in high-speed coating such as coil coating.
In spray-coating a moving coated article, it is coated while reciprocating a spray gun to a large extent in a lateral direction of the moving coated article, so that the coating locus is largely zigzagged. Accordingly, if a moving speed of the moving coated article is accelerated usually to 4 m/minute or more, caused is the problem that a non-coated part is produced on the coated article or a thickness of the coating film is scattered to a large extent.
In forming multicolor patterns on a coated article, scattering in the patterns brought about by scattering in a coating film thickness is notably produced, and therefore it is particularly required to decrease scattering in the coating film thickness. Further, it is considered to elevate a reciprocating speed of a spray gun to prevent producing of a non-coated part and scattering in a coating film thickness. However, if the reciprocating speed is increased, a direct advance of coating material particles discharged from a nozzle is varied to a large extent depending on a size of the coating material particles, so that caused is the problem that disturbance is produced on the patterns.
Disclosed as one mean for solving the problems described above in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 296357/2000 is a process for forming a multicolor pattern coating film which is uniform and has an excellent decorativeness by spray coating in high-speed coating such as coil coating, wherein two or more spray-coating apparatuses having two or more coating material-discharging nozzles are used, and coating materials having coating colors which are different from each other are discharged from at least two coating material-discharging nozzles of the above respective spray-coating apparatuses to form a plural number of unit plural color spray patterns in which the above coating materials having different coating colors are present in a mixture, whereby spray coating is carried out on a coated article so that the respective unit multicolor patterns constituted by a plural number of the above unit plural color spray patterns are partially superposed on unit multicolor patterns constituted by unit plural color spray patterns adjacent thereto.
The problems described above can be solved by this process, but when a multicolor pattern coating film is a low lustrous matted coating film containing a large amount of an extender pigment such as silica, involved therein are the problems that the multicolor pattern coating film formed is not satisfactory in a color-transfer resistance and a stain resistance against an oil-based ink and that a difference in a weather resistance between the respective colors in the multicolor patterns is large and the multicolor pattern coating film is reduced in appearance with the passage of time to a large extent.
An object of the present invention is to provide a process for forming by spray coating, a matted multicolor pattern coating film which is uniform and has an excellent decorativeness and which is excellent in a color-transfer resistance, a stain resistance against an oil-based ink and a weather resistance.
The present inventors have found that a multiple and multicolor pattern can be formed by using two or more spray-coating apparatuses having two or more coating material-discharging nozzles using matted coating film-forming coating materials prepared by blending a resin system of a hydroxyl group-containing resin and a low nuclidic methylated melamine resin with a reaction mixture of a sulfonic acid compound and an excess amount of an amine compound and by superposing a part of the respective multicolor patterns formed by plural spray patterns on multicolor patterns formed by other plural spray patterns and that the object described above can be achieved, and they have come to complete the present invention.
Thus, the present invention provides a process for forming a shrunk matted multicolor pattern coating film having a 60 degree specular gloss of 10 or less determined according to JIS K5400 7.6 (1990) by spray-coating and baking plural coating materials having different colors on a moving strip coated article, wherein the above plural coating materials are shrunk matted coating film-forming coating materials each comprising:
a resin composition containing
(A) 60 to 95 parts by weight of a hydroxyl group-containing organic resin and
(B) 5 to 40 parts by weight of a low nuclidic methylated melamine resin in such a proportion that the amounts of these both components sum up to 100 parts by weight,
(C) a reaction mixture of 1 mole of a sulfonic acid compound and 1.5 mole or more of at least one amine compound having a boiling point falling in a range of 30 to 250xc2x0 C. and selected from secondary amines and tertiary amines in an amount of 0.1 to 3 parts by weight in terms of an amount reduced to the above sulfonic acid compound per 100 parts by weight of the above resin composition, and
(D) a color pigment; and
in carrying out spray coating,
(i) two or more spray-coating apparatuses having two or more coating material-discharging nozzles are used, and the respective coating material-discharging nozzles are disposed toward a coated article face;
(ii) coating materials having coating colors which are different from each other are discharged from at least two coating material-discharging nozzles of the above respective spray-coating apparatuses to form a plural number of unit plural color spray patterns in which the above coating materials having different coating colors are present in a mixture; and
(iii) thus, the respective unit multicolor patterns constituted by a plural number of the above unit plural color spray patterns are partially superposed on unit multicolor patterns constituted by unit plural color spray patterns adjacent thereto on the coated article to form multiple multicolor patterns covering the whole width of the coated article.
Further, the present invention provides a matted multicolor pattern coating film-forming coated plate obtained by the process for forming a multicolor pattern coating film described above.

Process for forming multicolor pattern coating film


Pilot symbols transmitted from different sectors of a same base station are multiplied with a same cell specific scrambling code and a first code having low cross correlation and second codes having low cross correlation. The second code is constant over the length of the first code, but may vary for repetitions of the first code.

I. Field
The present document relates generally to wireless communication and, amongst other things, to pilot transmission in wireless communication.
II. Background
A wireless communication system may utilize multiple transmit antennas at a base station or user station to transmit symbols or other information. The use of multiple transmit antennas improves the receiver ability to decode symbols since multiple versions of a same symbol are available to use in decoding the transmissions.
An orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) system utilizes orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). OFDM is a multi-carrier modulation technique that partitions the overall system bandwidth into multiple (N) orthogonal frequency subcarriers. These subcarriers may also be called tones, bins, and frequency channels. Each subcarrier is associated with a respective sub carrier that may be modulated with data. Up to N modulation symbols may be sent on the N total subcarriers in each OFDM symbol period. These modulation symbols are converted to the time-domain with an N-point inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a transformed symbol that contains N time-domain chips or samples.
In a frequency hopping communication system, data is transmitted on different frequency subcarriers in different time intervals, which may be referred to as "hop periods". These frequency subcarriers may be provided by orthogonal frequency division multiplexing, other multi-carrier modulation techniques, or some other constructs. With frequency hopping, the data transmission hops from subcarrier to subcarrier in a pseudo-random manner. This hopping provides frequency diversity and allows the data transmission to better withstand deleterious path effects such as narrow-band interference, jamming, fading, and so on.
An OFDMA system can support multiple mobile stations simultaneously. For a frequency hopping OFDMA system, a data transmission for a given mobile station may be sent on a "traffic" channel that is associated with a specific frequency hopping (FH) sequence. This FH sequence indicates the specific subcarrier to use for the data transmission in each hop period. Multiple data transmissions for multiple mobile stations may be sent simultaneously on multiple traffic channels that are associated with different FH sequences. These FH sequences may be defined to be orthogonal to one another so that only one traffic channel, and thus only one data transmission, uses each subcarrier in each hop period. By using orthogonal FH sequences, the multiple data transmissions generally do not interfere with one another while enjoying the benefits of frequency diversity.
An accurate estimate of a wireless channel between a transmitter and a receiver is normally needed in order to recover data sent via the wireless channel. Channel estimation is typically performed by sending a pilot from the transmitter and measuring the pilot at the receiver. The pilot signal is made up of pilot symbols that are known a priori by both the transmitter and receiver. The receiver can thus estimate the channel response based on the received symbols and the known symbols.
A code division multiple access (CDMA) system has a universal frequency reuse that makes it possible for mobile users to receive and send the same signal simultaneously from and to multiple base stations or sectors of a base station. Soft and softer handoff in CDMA systems are techniques whereby mobiles near cell, and sector in the case of softer handoff, boundaries communicate the same transmitted signals to more than one base station or sector of a base station. Soft and softer handoff provides enhanced communication quality and a smoother transition compared to the conventional hard handoff. Soft and softer handoff is intrinsic to a CDMA system, as transmitted signals of different users occupy the same time and frequency allocation. Different users can be separated based on the respective spreading signatures.
Supporting soft and softer handoff in orthogonal multiple-access systems such as TDMA, FDMA and OFDMA is far more difficult and often requires special planning. For instance, in order to provide diversity a cell-specific scrambling code is used in the forward link to randomize the interference from the surrounding cells. Often, the scrambling code is different among sectors in the same cell (i.e., Node B). When the sector-specific scrambling code is applied to OFDM-based radio access in the downlink, each modulation symbol of the pilot channel suffers from inter-sector interference. The influence of inter-sector interference on the pilot channel is significant particularly for a user in handoff. However, the channel estimation using the pilot channel in the inter-sector diversity is not improved compared to the case with a one-link connection due to the inter-sector interference. Therefore, improvement in the channel estimation especially in inter-sector handover is essential.
Therefore, there is a need to find efficient approaches to provide improved channel estimation for different sectors in OFDMA systems.

Pilot symbol transmission in wireless communication systems


A new and distinct cultivar of Calibrachoa plant named ‘Wescastpur’, characterized by its mounding and outwardly spreading to trailing growth habit; vigorous growth habit; medium sized leaves; numerous star-shaped red purple and pink-colored flowers; and good garden performance.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Calibrachoa, botanically known as Calibrachoa sp. and hereinafter referred to by the name 'Wescastpur'.
The new Calibrachoa is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Südlohn, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Calibrachoa cultivars with uniform plant habit and numerous attractive flowers.
The new Calibrachoa originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in 2004 in Südlohn, Germany of a proprietary seedling selection of Calibrachoa sp. identified as code number 04P618, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary seedling selection of Calibrachoa sp. identified as code number 04P303, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Calibrachoa was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Südlohn, Germany in 2005.
Asexual reproduction of the new Calibrachoa by vegetative cuttings in a controlled environment in Südlohn, Germany since 2005 has shown that the unique features of this new Calibrachoa are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

Gartenbau und Spezialkulturen Westhoff GbR


A current measurement system includes a magnetic core having an inside area through which a conductor carrying current to be measured extends. A measurement winding is wound on the magnetic core. A voltage source couples to the measurement winding to generate current through the measurement winding. A gap of low permeability material is disposed in the magnetic core. A sensing device is positioned in the gap, wherein the sensing device generates a control signal having one of a first state and a second state based on a strength and a direction of a magnetic field in the gap.

Typically, devices for measuring electric current may include at least one probe sensitive to a magnetic flux and arranged in an air gap of an annular core. At least one conductor passes through the core. A current to be measured passes through the conductor and generates a magnetic field. A voltage source supplies current to a compensation winding wound on the core that generates a second magnetic field. The probe measures the combined effects of the two magnetic fields and controls the voltage source such that the second magnetic field cancels the first magnetic field. As shown in FIG. 1, this results in a compensating current (IM) that is proportional to the current under measure (IS). The compensating current (IM) can then be measured based on the voltage and a known resistance.
Such methods and systems rely on the measurement accuracy of the probe around zero magnetic field. Many factors, such as ambient air temperature, device drifting and offsets, and sensor resolution can affect the measurement accuracy of the probe. Additional circuitry and/or specific calibrations can be used to compensate for the various factors affecting measurement accuracy. Such additions can be costly.


A communication system for providing multi-modal call management includes a communication manager, a notification database, and a personal assistant. The communication system can receive a call, collect caller identification information, generate a call notification, and send the call notification to one or more communication devices through one or more communication protocols. The communication system can also receive a response to the call notification and initiate an action regarding the call based on the call notification response. The communications system can perform all of these activities while maintaining the call in an offering state. The call management system allows a system user to manage an outstanding call using one or more of multiple communication devices, identified by the communication manager as being associated with the system user.

Businesses and individuals have traditionally utilized call managers, privacy managers, and personal assistants to manage and forward telephone calls. However, with the advent of Internet technologies, cellular phones, and instant messaging, there are often multiple communication platforms through which persons can be contacted. In addition, as these many communication platforms continue to develop, there is an increasing dissatisfaction with the response delays necessarily involved with the use of voicemail. Despite the availability of numerous "instant" communication technologies, the delays inherent in voicemail remain common.

Management of call requests in multi-modal communication environments


A puncture device is constituted such that a plunger (2) is provided with a lever (3) which is partially restricted in rotation, and a forward urging force is obtained by a contraction restorative force of a tension spring (4), and the tension spring (4) is again expanded with the lever (3) as a leverage when the plunger (2) further moves forward due to its inertia from a position where no urging force is not applied, and the plunger (2) is urged backward by a restorative force of the re-expansion. Further, a puncture needle cartridge is provided with a lancet body (203) having a puncture needle, and a puncture needle holder (201) in which the lancet body (203) is movably stored, and further, the lancet body (203) has an arm means (302) and the puncture needle holder (201) contains a to-be-latched means (303) that cooperates with the arm means (302). Thereby, the fabrication process is simplified, and plural times of punctures of the puncture needle is prevented, and further, the puncture speed is controlled, and moreover, the used puncture needle is discarded safely.

Conventionally, there have been invented various kinds of puncture devices for collecting blood from skins of human beings and animals for analysis of the blood. In recent years, a puncture device in which an urging force for puncture is charged simultaneously with attachment of a puncture needle to the puncture device has been invented (refer to Patent Document 1: Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2000-245717). Such puncture device performs operations of puncture and withdrawal using two compression springs, i.e., a first compression spring for puncture and a second compression spring for withdrawal. Further, a puncture needle cartridge for discarding a puncture needle which has touched the skin has been developed to avoid infection due to attached blood.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional puncture device 1100. In FIG. 10, a natural position of a plunger 1002 is restricted by the total length of a first compression spring 1000, and the plunger 1002 is urged toward a front end of the puncture device 1100 by a restorative force of the first compression spring 1000 during puncture, while it is urged toward a rear end of the puncture device 1100 by a restorative force of the second compression spring 1001 during withdrawal. A charge lever 1003 slides backward to attach a puncture needle 1004 to the puncture device, and simultaneously, it stores a urging force for puncture by using the first compression spring 1000 and the second compression spring 1001.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional puncture needle cartridge 1100. As shown in FIG. 11, the puncture needle cartridge 1101 comprises a puncture needle holder 1005, a lancet body 1007 having a puncture needle 1004, and a puncture needle protection cap 1006 for protecting the puncture needle 1004. The puncture needle holder 1005 houses the lancet body 1007. The lancet body 1007 is stored so as to be movable in the puncture needle holder 1005 along its axial direction. Further, the lancet body 1007 has a large diameter portion 1008 to prevent the lancet body 1007 from moving toward an opening of the puncture needle holder 1005, i.e., toward the front end, unless a predetermined force is applied.
The puncture needle cartridge 1101 constituted as described above is attached to the puncture device 1100, and the lancet body 1007 is inserted in the plunger 1002 of the puncture device 1100. When performing puncture, this plunger 1002 is moved by an urging means, and thereby the lancet body 1007 projects toward the front end and the puncture needle 1004 protrudes from the opening of the puncture needle holder 1005, and thus the puncture site. After the puncture, when the puncture needle 1004 is removed from the puncture site, the lancet body 1007 is moved in a direction opposite to the forward direction (i.e., toward the rear end) by the urging means of the puncture device 1100, and thereby the puncture needle 1004 is again housed in the puncture needle holder 1005.

Puncture device and puncture needle cartridge


A pressurized water nuclear reactor (PWNR) includes a core having a containment shield surrounding a reactor vessel having fuel assemblies that contain fuel rods filled with fuel pellets, and control rods, and a steam generator thermally coupled to the reactor vessel. A flow loop includes the steam generator, a turbine, and a condenser, and a pump for circulating a water-based heat transfer fluid in the loop. The heat transfer fluid includes a plurality of nanoparticles having at least one carbon allotrope or related carbon material dispersed therein, such as diamond nanoparticles.

A pressurized water Nuclear reactor (PWNR) has a core immersed in water in a large steel tank. The fuel rods and control rods make up a vertical array. The control rods are movable, and are pulled up above the fuel rods when the plant is in full operation. The purpose of the control rods is to absorb neutrons which trigger the splitting of atomic nuclei in the fissionable material in the fuel rods. With all the control rods inserted, there is negligible fission (and heating) in the fuel rods. When the control rods are pulled out the fuel rods heat the water, which is circulated by pumps in the primary or, inner loop, to a heat exchanger.
A feature of this design is that only the water in the inner loop is in contact with the radioactive fuel rods. Thus, only the inner loop has contamination from the inevitable small amount of rust and corrosion. There are filters in this inner loop to capture the small particles which are radioactively contaminated. There are additional pumps to circulate cooling water through the core, which form the Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS). It is essential that circulation be maintained to carry heat away from the fuel rods to prevent them from melting in the event that the main primary circulation pumps should fail. The water in the tank and the primary circulation loop is never supposed to boil, and thus always remain as water because steam is a much poorer conductor of heat as compared to water. The fuel rods are supposed to always stay under water. To prevent boiling, the tank and primary loop are maintained at very high pressure.
The secondary loop water is heated through a heat exchanger with the primary loop. Water in the secondary loop is allowed to boil in a steam generator tank. The steam is used to drive a turbine which turns an electrical generator. The residual steam is condensed back to water, which is pumped back through the heat exchanger again to make more steam. Also, circulation usually through a large cooling tower which is used to remove the waste heat.
One problem with conventional thermal transfer fluids used in PWNRs is the onset of a heat transfer condition that can lead to a departure from nuclei boiling (DNBR) that occurs at a condition call the critical heat flux. (CHF) which results in a blanketing of the fuel rod with bubbles that interferes with heat transfer and leads to a condition called dryout that can result in a critical failure of the fuel rods. What is needed is nanofluid having enhanced thermal transfer and stability for PWNRs to raise the heat flux level at which dryout condition will occur. This heat flux level is called the critical heat flux (CHF).

Nuclear reactor having efficient and highly stable thermal transfer fluid

University of Florida Research Institute Foundation, Inc.


A system and method for creating capacitor-based electrical energy storage modules and electrical energy storage systems assembled therefrom. Submodules having a plurality of capacitors capable of storing electrical energy are used in different combinations to create electrical energy storage modules. Preferably, a number of submodules are placed into an enclosure or cabinet, whereafter the submodules are placed in electrical communication. The number of submodules installed in an enclosure is determined by the power output desired, and the space constraints of the area in which the enclosure will be located. One enclosure of one or more submodules, or a plurality of interconnected enclosures of one or more submodules, may form an electrical energy storage module. The module may be designed to output either DC or AC electric power, and may be equipped with a power conversion system and/or communication and control electronics to control the charging and discharging thereof.

The present invention relates to the creation of electrical energy storage modules and, more particularly, to electrical energy storage modules of high-energy storage capacity, comprising one or more capacitor-based electrical energy storage submodules. The individual modules may be of various size and storage capacity, and may be provided in various combinations and configurations for residential, commercial, industrial, telecommunications, utility and other uses. Each module may also be equipped with a variety of power conversion and control electronics. A number of modules may be connected to form an electrical energy storage module or system of larger capacity.
There are many situations wherein there is a need for a source of stored electrical energy. Such situations may include, for example, the need to provide electrical power to remotely located equipment that may not be supplied by power from a utility. Stored electrical energy may also be used to supply power to a residential, commercial or industrial customer during periods of utility power interruption, or to supplement power supplied thereto by a utility during periods of extreme demand. It is also desirable to store quantities of electrical energy sufficient to meet the demands of a residential, commercial or industrial customer for an extended period of time. In this manner, a customer may charge the storage device(s) during periods when the cost to purchase electrical energy is low, and discharge the device(s) to satisfy demand during periods when the cost to purchase electrical energy is higher. Consequently, such devices may be used in peak shaving or load-leveling systems to help electrical utilities meet peak demand.
The present invention provides such an electrical energy storage device. The present invention contemplates the use of capacitor-based electrical storage systems, comprised of one or more electrical energy storage modules of high-energy storage capacity. The capacitor-based electrical energy storage systems/modules of the present invention are preferably capable of operating at a nominal continuous rated power output for a period of several hours, and may also be able to operate at a reduced power output for significantly longer periods of time. The capacitor-based electrical energy storage systems/modules of the present invention are also preferably capable of a substantially higher power output of relatively short duration. Unlike many other electrical energy storage devices, the capacitor-based electrical energy storage modules of the present invention are also capable of performing load following, wherein the power output of a module(s) can automatically increase or decrease in response to changing demands thereon. Such systems/modules may be of stationary, fixed, or transportable design.
Each electrical energy storage module is comprised substantially of one or more capacitor-based electrical energy storage submodules located in a specialized enclosure or cabinet, and may also include a power conversion system (PCS) and control electronics. One or more cabinets, each having one or more submodules, may constitute a single module. The submodule contains the means for storing the electrical energy. Preferably, the submodule contains one or more capacitors designed to store electrical energy. Capacitors of various design and construction may be utilized in this regard, however, a capacitor of electrochemical type is preferred for its high energy density. Electrochemical capacitors are capable of having a high charge density, meaning that a considerable quantity of electrical energy may be stored in a relatively small volume. The submodule may also have other features, such as lifting means, a means of automatic electrical connection, and its own PCS and/or control electronics .
Each electrical energy storage submodule is preferably located and secured within a designated space of the enclosure or cabinet. The cabinet is preferably designed to have openings of predetermined size that are designed to act as both mechanical and electrical receptacles for receiving the submodules. The submodules and cabinet are typically adapted to allow a submodule to slide into each of the receptacles in the cabinet. Preferably, the cabinet is prewired so that when each submodule is inserted therein, a connecting means on that submodule will electrically connect it, via the cabinet wiring, to other submodules in the cabinet. The modules may be connected in series or parallel to produce a desired output. Wiring of the cabinet in this manner also allows each submodule to be charged from a single input location. Preferably, one or more receptacles are also provided in each cabinet to receive a PCS and/or control electronics.
One or more cabinets containing one or more submodules and/or power conversion and control electronics may be connected to produce a module of larger electrical energy storage and output capacity. The cabinets may be connected in series or parallel to obtain the desired storage capacity/power output. A transformer may be used in conjunction with a module to increase the module""s output voltage. A number of modules (e.g., three) with the appropriate power conversion electronics and/or transformer(s) may be combined to create a 3-phase power output (e.g., one module per phase) or, alternatively, a single module may produce a balanced 3-phase power output.
In alternate embodiments of the present invention, the cabinets for storing and connecting individual submodules may be open or may be enclosed. The cabinets may be designed to allow for insertion of the submodules, of which at least one side thereof will remain visible after installation. Such a cabinet may be used when the cabinet and submodules will not be exposed to inclement conditions. Such a cabinet also allows for easy access to each submodule, should a submodule need to be removed for repair or replacement. The cabinet may also be enclosed, such as by providing doors or other means for sealing off the cabinet after installation of the submodule(s). This type of cabinet may be used when it will be exposed to inclement conditions, such as may be encountered when the cabinet is located outdoors, or in a harsh indoor environment.
The design of the submodules, modules, and cabinets of the present invention allow for a high degree of flexibility in assembling a capacitor-based electrical energy storage system that can meet particular needs. Many of the systems are designed with the intent that the submodules may be installed/removed by hand; further adding to their flexibility. A multitude of configurations and capacities are possible, as can be seen by the reference to the following detailed description and related drawings.

System and method of forming capacitor-based electrical energy storage modules


In the design method for nuclear reactor fuel management, nuclear reactor operation for sets of independent control variable values is simulated to produce associated sets of dependent performance variable values. Transfer functions are generated based on the sets of independent control variable values and the sets of dependent performance variable values. The transfer functions represent relationships between the independent control variables and the dependent performance variables. Additional sets of dependent performance variable values are then generated for additional sets of independent control variable values using the generated transfer functions. A set of independent control variable values for possible use in operating a nuclear reactor is then determined based on the sets of dependent performance variable values and the additional sets of dependent performance variable values.

This invention generally concerns nuclear reactor fuel-cycle design and management.
A nuclear reactor core includes many individual components that have different characteristics that may affect a strategy for efficient operation of the core. For example, a nuclear reactor core has many, e.g., several hundred, individual fuel assemblies (bundles) that have different characteristics and which must be arranged within the reactor core or xe2x80x9cloadedxe2x80x9d so that the interaction between fuel bundles satisfies all regulatory and reactor design constraints, including governmental and customer specified constraints. Similarly, other controllable elements and factors that affect the reactivity and overall efficiency of a reactor core must also be taken into consideration if one is to design or develop an effective control strategy for optimizing the performance of a reactor core at a particular reactor plant. Such xe2x80x9coperational controlsxe2x80x9d (also referred to herein as xe2x80x9cindependent control-variablesxe2x80x9d) include, for example, various physical component configurations and controllable operating conditions that can be individually adjusted or set. Besides fuel bundle xe2x80x9cloadingxe2x80x9d, other sources of control variables include xe2x80x9ccore flowxe2x80x9d or rate of water flow through the core, the xe2x80x9cexposurexe2x80x9d and the xe2x80x9creactivityxe2x80x9d or interaction between fuel bundles within the core due to differences in bundle enrichment, and the xe2x80x9crod patternxe2x80x9d or distribution and axial position of control blades within the core. As such, each of these operational controls constitutes an independent xe2x80x9ccontrol-variablexe2x80x9d that has a measurable effect on the overall performance of the reactor core. Due to the vast number of possible different operational values and combinations of values that these independent control-variables can assume, it is a formidable challenge and a very time consuming task, even using known computer-aided methodologies, to attempt to analyze and optimize all the individual influences on core reactivity and performance.
For example, the number of different fuel bundle configurations possible in the reactor core can be in excess of one hundred factorial. Of the many different loading pattern possibilities, only a small percentage of these configurations will satisfy all of the requisite design constraints for a particular reactor plant. In addition, only a small percentage of the configurations that satisfy all the applicable design constraints are economically feasible. Moreover, in addition to satisfying various design constraints, since a fuel bundle loading arrangement ultimately affects the core cycle energy (i.e., the amount of energy that the reactor core generates before the core needs to be refueled with new fuel elements), a particular loading arrangement needs to be selected that optimizes the core cycle energy.
In order to furnish and maintain the required energy output, the reactor core is periodically refueled with fresh fuel bundles. The duration between one refueling and the next is commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9cfuel-cyclexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ccore-cyclexe2x80x9d of operation and, depending on the particular reactor plant, is on the order of twelve to twenty-four (typically eighteen) months. At the time of refueling, typically one third of the least reactive fuel are removed from the reactor and the remaining fuel bundles are repositioned before fresh fuel bundles are added. Generally, to improve core cycle energy higher reactivity bundles should be positioned at interior core locations. However, such arrangements are not always possible to achieve while still satisfying plant-specific design constraints. Since each fuel bundle can be loaded at a variety of different locations relative to other bundles, identifying a core loading arrangement that produces optimum performance of the core for each fuel-cycle presents a complex and computation-intensive optimization problem that can be very time consuming to solve.
During the course of a core-cycle, the excess energy capability of the core, defined as the excess reactivity or xe2x80x9chot excessxe2x80x9d, is controlled in several ways. One technique employs a burnable reactivity inhibitor, e.g., Gadolinia, incorporated into the fresh fuel. The quantity of initial burnable inhibitor is determined by design constraints and performance characteristics typically set by the utility and by the NRC. The burnable inhibitor controls most, but not all, of the excess reactivity. Consequently, xe2x80x9ccontrol bladesxe2x80x9d (also referred to herein as xe2x80x9ccontrol rodsxe2x80x9d)xe2x80x94which inhibit reactivity by absorbing nuclear emissionsxe2x80x94are also used to control excess reactivity. Typically, a reactor core contains many such control blades which are fit between selected fuel bundles and are axially positionable within the core. These control blades assure safe shut down and provide the primary mechanism for controlling the maximum power peaking factor.
The total number of control blades utilized varies with core size and geometry, and is typically between 50 and 150. The axial position of the control blades (e.g., fully inserted, fully withdrawn, or somewhere in between) is based on the need to control the excess reactivity and to meet other operational constraints, such as the maximum core power peaking factor. For each control blade, there may be, for example, 25 or more possible axial positions and 25 xe2x80x9cexposurexe2x80x9d (i.e., duration of use) steps. Considering symmetry and other requirements that reduce the number of control blades that are available for application at any given time, there are more than 6 million possible combinations of control blade positions for even the simplest case. Of these possible configurations, only a small fraction satisfy all applicable design and safety constraints, and of these, only a small fraction are economical. Moreover, the axial positioning of control blades also influences the core cycle energy that any given fuel loading pattern can achieve. Since it is desirable to maximize the core-cycle energy in order to minimize nuclear fuel cycle costs, developing an optimum control blade positioning strategy presents another formidable independent control-variable optimization problem that must also be taken into consideration when attempting to optimize fuel-cycle design and management strategies.
Traditionally, reactor fuel-cycle design and management, including core loading and control blade positioning determinations as well as optimization strategies concerning other variable operational controls, are determined on a xe2x80x9ctrial-and-errorxe2x80x9d basis based primarily on the past experiences of the reactor core design engineers. Due to circumstances that require a rapid response to changing plant operating conditions, a core design engineer may be faced with the formidable challenge of specifying values for over 200 independent control-variables within a very short time frame. The impact, for example, of a particular suggested core loading arrangement or a control blade positioning arrangement on reactor performance over the duration of a core-cycle is usually determined by individual computer simulations. If a particular design constraint is not satisfied by an identified arrangement, then the arrangement is modified and another computer simulation is run. Because of the relatively long computer simulation time required for assessing the impact of a change in the value of even a single given independent control-variable, man-weeks of human and computer resources are typically required before an appropriate fuel-cycle design is identified using this procedure. Moreover, using this trial-and-error approach, once a fuel-cycle design arrangement that satisfies all design and safety constraints has been identified, it may turn out that the identified arrangement may not provide the actual maximum cycle-energy. Therefore, this trial-and-error process must continue until the engineers believe that an optimum fuel-cycle design for the core has been identified. In practice, however, it is very possible that a particular core arrangement that is not consistent with the engineers"" past experience may be the actual optimum fuel-cycle design for the core. Such an actual optimum core arrangement, however, may not necessarily be identified through the above described trial and error process.
Since operational control strategy problems generally are considered unique to each reactor plant, no known algorithm has provided a viable solution for identifying optimum operational control strategies. In addition, expert systems have not been applied on a broad basis since a standard set of rules typically are not really applicable over the wide range of situations characteristic of the many different reactor plants and types currently in commercial operation. Few methodologies have been developed which can significantly reduce the time required to identify a fuel bundle loading arrangement or identify a control blade positioning arrangement that optimizes cycle energy and satisfies design constraints for a wide range of reactors. At least one methodology applicable to a wide range of reactors for identifying optimum control blade positioning arrangements was developed and is the subject of commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,616 to Jackson, issued Aug. 4, 1998.
Similar methodologies have been developed for identifying optimum core fuel bundle loading arrangements. See, for example, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,923,717 to Fawks, Jr., issued Jul. 13, 1999 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,618 to Fawks, Jr., issued Aug. 4, 1998. For the most part, the above methodologies employ a single processor or computer system to execute a specific program routine that simulates the reactor operating conditions under a selected component arrangement/configuration of fuel bundle locations or control blade axial positions and then the arrangement is optimized by systematically or stochastically evaluating possible alternatives. Subsequent to analyzing each position or location, random arrangements are created and compared with the then best case arrangement identified. Another example is a recent methodology for boiling water reactor (BWR) incore fuel management optimization that uses a 3-D core simulation computer program called FORMAOSA-B. (See xe2x80x9cFORMOSA-B: A BWR Incore Fuel Management Optimization Packagexe2x80x9d by B. R. Moore, P. J. Turinski and A. A. Karve, Nuclear Technology, 126, 153 (1999)). An enhanced version of the FORMAOSA-B code has a limited fuel loading pattern optimization capability through the use of a stochastic optimization technique called xe2x80x9csimulated annealingxe2x80x9d. (See the paper entitled xe2x80x9cEffectiveness of BWR Control Rod Pattern Sampling Capability in the Incore Fuel Management Code FORMOSA-Bxe2x80x9d by A. A. Karve and P. J. Turinski presented at the conference on xe2x80x9cMathematics and Computation, Reactor Physics and Environmental Analysis in Nuclear Application,xe2x80x9d published September 1999, SENDA EDITORIAL, S.A.).
Unfortunately, the above-described methodologies are only applicable for optimizing a single or a few operational control-variables at a time such as, for example, fuel bundle loading pattern or control blade position. Moreover, the above methodologies fail to address the optimization of other important operational control-variables such as fuel bundle enrichment, blade sequence interval, core water flow, and other independent control-variables that may also be critical to quality and performance. Consequently, it would be highly desirable to have an efficient optimization methodology and apparatus that is broadly applicable over a wide range of reactor plant types and which is capable of identifying the best possible fuel-cycle core design and in-core fuel management strategy in light of all the intrinsic operational control-variables as well as the many different specific constraints and considerations that may be critical to quality for the operation of a particular reactor plant.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a system and method for optimizing multiple operational control-variables of a nuclear reactor to identify an optimum fuel-cycle design and develop an operational management strategy. In one aspect, the present invention is a networked computer system including one or more computers programmed to execute a nuclear reactor simulation program and having at least one computer programmed to determine the most appropriate values for selected control-variables that result in the optimal physical configuration for operating the reactor core over one or more refueling cycles. In another aspect, the present invention is a method for efficiently determining optimized values for the operational control-variables that effect the performance of a nuclear reactor corexe2x80x94an operational control-variable being the xe2x80x9ccontrollablexe2x80x9d physical aspects of the reactor, such as fuel bundle loading, control rod pattern, core flow, etc., the characteristics of which define the physical configuration and operational constraints of a particular reactor core. Rather than relying on random or stochastic search techniques or rule-based techniques in an attempt to reduce the size of the xe2x80x9csearchxe2x80x9d space, the optimization method of the present invention performs a deterministic and exhaustive -search for an optimum solution.
In an example embodiment of the invention, a plurality of several thousand performance parametersxe2x80x94also referred to herein as xe2x80x9cdependentxe2x80x9d variables because of their dependence upon the setting or values of the various operational control-variablesxe2x80x94are utilized as a measure of determining reactor core performance. These xe2x80x9cperformance parametersxe2x80x9d include but are not limited to parameters conventionally used to gauge reactor core performance, such as critical power ratio (CPR), shutdown margin (SDM), maximum average linear heat generation rate (MAPLHGR), maximum fraction of linear power density (MFLPD), Hot excess, etc. Many of the performance parameters analyzed are both spatially and time dependent, such as, for example, MAPLHGR, MFLPD, and minimum critical power ratio (MCPR). Consequently, the present invention must be capable of analyzing several thousands of such xe2x80x9cdependentxe2x80x9d variables. To accomplish this, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention utilizes a plurality of processors to conduct separate computer simulations covering the operation of the reactor core throughout one or more fuel cycles to determine how changes to many different control-variables affect the performance of the core as measured by the respective performance parameters. Preferably, these reactor core simulations are conducted utilizing a computer program capable of performing three-dimensional (3-D) physics modeling of reactor core operation (i.e., the simulator program should be capable of handling three-dimensional control variables).
The method of the present invention significantly decreases the number of required simulationsxe2x80x94and hence increases the overall computational efficiencyxe2x80x94by mapping the results of a relatively few number of reactor core computer simulations to second-order polynomials. The polynomials are then subsequently used to predict quantitative values for performance parameters (i.e., the dependent variables) over a selected limited range (i.e., xe2x80x9cbreadthxe2x80x9d) of quantitative values or settings for one or more selected control-variables (i.e., the independent variables). Consequently, each polynomial xe2x80x9cpredictorxe2x80x9d effectively saves the processing time that would be required to actually run computer simulations for the many discrete quantitative values that a particular control-variable might assume within a selected range or xe2x80x9cbreadthxe2x80x9d of possible control-variable values. Each of these polynomial predictors are defined in terms of a unique set of coefficient values that are stored in a multidimensional data array in a host computer memory. In this manner, the data array serves as a type of virtual xe2x80x9cresponse surfacexe2x80x9d for cataloging and analyzing the results of many different simulation cases, based on a 3-D physics modeling of the core, in terms of polynomials indicative of reactor performance that are represented by the polynomial coefficients.
Using the polynomial predictors, quantitative values for performance parameters are determined for discreet control-variable values at selected predetermined increments over the breadth of possible values for each control-variable. Each performance parameter value is then compared using a conventional xe2x80x9cobjective functionxe2x80x9d, which sets limiting values for each performance parameter, to determine the best set of control-variable polynomial predictors for optimizing core performance. As an option, a particular optimization xe2x80x9cresolutionxe2x80x9d level may be selected wherein the combined effect of a change in two or more control-variables is analyzed. In that instance, predicted values for the two or more performance parameters are combined to generate a net-change or xe2x80x9csuperpositionxe2x80x9d value indicative of the core simulation that would likely result. A corroborating reactor core simulation is then conducted using the best predicted value(s) obtained for each control-variable to provide corroboration of the polynomial predictors and to calibrate the polynomial coefficient data in the response surface with the simulation process.
The method of the invention presented herein can be practiced using most any type of computer network or interconnected system of processors having sufficient processing speed and associated data storage capacity and is not necessarily intended to be limited to any particular type of data processor or network. Moreover, the software system of the present invention, including one or more software modules, may be embodied on a computer-readable medium for transport between and/or installation on one or more processors/computers or networked computer systems. In addition, the method and system presented herein are believed to be applicable toward optimizing the fuel-cycle design and operation of many different types of reactor plants including both boiling water reactors (BWRs) and pressurized-water reactors (PWRs).

Design method for nuclear reactor fuel management


In an example, a method includes applying a liquid print agent comprising a carrier fluid to a photoconductive surface and reducing a proportion of the carrier fluid in the liquid print agent on the photoconductive surface at a first location during a print cycle of a print apparatus. The method may further include, during a non-print cycle of the print apparatus, adding carrier fluid to the photoconductive surface at the first location.

Print apparatus may apply print agents to a substrate. An example of a print apparatus is a Liquid Electro Photographic (LEP) print apparatus which may be used to print a print agent such as an electrostatic printing fluid or composition (which may be more generally referred to as "an electronic ink" in some examples). Such a printing fluid may comprise electrostatically charged or chargeable particles (for example, resin or toner particles which may be colored particles) dispersed in a carrier fluid.
During some printing operations, a print apparatus may perform a non-print cycle (which may also be termed a 'non-productive print cycle', or a 'null cycle'). Non-print cycles may be performed before, during or after normal printing runs. For example, non-print cycles may be included to maintain the subsystems of the print apparatus in a ready to print state during for example substrate handling operations, while waiting for the temperature of a subsystem to change and/or while waiting for a subsystem to complete an operation. In a further example, non-print cycles may be used to maintain synchronisation between different subsystems.

Carrier fluid addition during non-print cycles


A multiple frequency band antenna is disclosed involving a first resonant portion tuned to a low frequency band; a second resonant portion tuned to a first high frequency band at frequencies higher than the low frequency band; a third resonant portion tuned to a second high frequency band at frequencies higher than the low frequency band and substantially different from the first high frequency band; and a first conductor portion forming part of the first resonant portion and the second resonant portion, the first conductor portion having a grounding point, a feeding point for providing an input signal to at least one of the first resonant portion and the second resonant portion and for receiving an output signal from at least one of the first resonant portion and the second resonant portion, and a second conductor portion electrically connected to the feeding point wherein the third resonant portion is electrically connected to the second conductor portion.

The invention relates generally to radio communication systems. In particular, the invention relates to built-in antennas for radio communication devices for enabling the radio communication devices to perform radio communication in different radio frequency bands.
Presently, many antennas, such as monopole antennas or helical antennas, for radio communication devices, such as mobile phones, are mounted directly onto the chassis of radio communication devices. However, as the sizes and weights of such radio communication devices continue to decrease because of advancing research and development, such monopole or monopole-like antennas become more of a hindrance than advantage due to the inherent sizes. Additionally, as the functionality of these radio communication devices expands rapidly, the need arises for built-in miniature antennas that are capable of being resonant at multiple frequency bands.
Conventional built-in antennas currently used in mobile phones include microstrip antennas, wire-form shaped inverted-F antennas (IFA), and planar inverted-F antennas (PIFA). Microstrip antennas are small in size and light in weight. However, at lower radio frequency bands for mobile communication applications, such as the GSM900 band centred on the radio frequency 900 MHz, microstrip antennas become too large for incorporation into a mobile phone. As an alternative, the planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) can be implemented in a mobile phone, as proposed by Q. Kassim in xe2x80x9cInverted-F Antenna for Portable Handsetsxe2x80x9d, IEE Colloquium on Microwave Filters and Antenna for personal Communication systems, pp.3/1-3/6, February 1994, London, UK. Such a conventional PIFA, which has a length equal to a quarter wavelength of the centre or operating frequency of the radio frequency band of interest, however operates in a narrow frequency range.
In addition to reduced antenna sizes, it is envisaged that next generation mobile phones require the capability to tune to a number of radio frequency bands for cellular applications, wireless local area networking applications and other radio communication applications. Dual-frequency band PIFA radiating elements are therefore proposed in xe2x80x9cDual-frequency planar inverted-F antennaxe2x80x9d by Z. D. Liu, P. S. Hall, and D. Wake, IEEE Trans AP, vol.45, no.10, pp.1451-1457, October 1997. Such dual-frequency band antennas utilise two feeding points and share a common feeding point, respectively, and are associated with either complicated feeding structures or narrow bandwidths.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,166,694 entitled xe2x80x9cPrinted Twin Spiral Dual Band Antennaxe2x80x9d, a multiple frequency band, built-in antenna is proposed that is suitable for future generations of mobile phones. This built-in antenna comprises two spiral conductor and resonant arms that are of different lengths and capable of being tuned to different frequency bands. In order to increase the bandwidth of such an antenna, a resistor loading technique is introduced. However, the improvement in bandwidth is obtained at the expense of antenna gain of such a built-in antenna.
Currently, many mobile phones operate in one or more of the following three frequency bands: the GSM band centred on the radio frequency 900 MHz, the DCS band centred on the radio frequency 1800 MHz, and the PCS band centred on the radio frequency 1900 MHz.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,343,208 entitled xe2x80x9cPrinted Multi-Band Patch Antennaxe2x80x9d, a built-in patch antenna is proposed which includes patch elements of different sizes that are capable of being tuned to different frequency bands. Such an antenna experience problems tuning to multiple frequency bands while simultaneously having a broad bandwidth in each of the multiple frequency bands.
More recently, triple-band built-in antennas at operational at the GSM/DCS/PCS bands as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are proposed in PCT application number WO01/91233 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/908,817, respectively. These antennas include a main radiator operating at a low frequency band and a first high band and a shorted parasitic radiator operating at a second high band. The parasitic radiator lies in the same plane with the main radiator and therefore occupies valuable space in mobile phones that are constantly shrinking in size. Moreover, the parasitic-feed technique used for the additional parasitic radiator may have problems in tuning of the parasitic radiator. In practice, for the parasitic-feed technique, it is difficult to tune the parasitic radiator because of the mutual coupling between antenna elements. Tuning one resonant frequency adversely changes another resonant frequency simultaneously.
In respect of the foregoing proposed antennas, a number of problems still exist. Firstly, the sizes of the prior art antennas are still large. Secondly, there is a trend for built-in antennas used in radio communication devices providing quad-frequency band operations to cover GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900 and 3G bands. Additionally, it is not unforeseeable for these radio communication devices to provide five-frequency band operations to cover the GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900, 3G and ISM2450 bands simultaneously. Existing built-in antennas are however unable to cover these frequency bands simultaneously.
Thirdly, these antennas have problems tuning to multiple frequency bands while simultaneously having a broad bandwidth in each of these multiple frequency bands. Finally, the parasitic-feed technique used for additional parasitic radiators may have problems in tuning the matching of the parasitic radiators. In practice, for the parasitic-feed technique, it is difficult to perform tuning because of the mutual coupling between antenna elements. Tuning of one resonant frequency changes another resonant frequency simultaneously.
There is therefore a need for a built-in antenna for addressing the foregoing problems.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided a multiple frequency band antenna comprising:
a first resonant portion tuned to a low frequency band;
a second resonant portion tuned to a first high frequency band at frequencies higher than the low frequency band;
a third resonant portion tuned to a second high frequency band at frequencies higher than the low frequency band and substantially different from the first high frequency band; and
a first conductor portion forming part of the first resonant portion and the second resonant portion, the first conductor portion having
a grounding point,
a feeding point for providing an input signal to at least one of the first resonant portion and the second resonant portion and for receiving an output signal from at least one of the first resonant portion and the second resonant portion, and
a second conductor portion electrically connected to the feeding point wherein the third resonant portion is electrically connected to the second conductor portion.

Miniature built-in multiple frequency band antenna