A door-use feed protector and a circuit assembly arranging structure using the same is provided. The door-use feed protector includes a protector body to accommodate a circuit assembly in a curved state in a door and a circuit assembly holding portion provided on an outer wall of the protector body so as to hold a portion of the circuit assembly outside the protector body. The circuit assembly holding portion may be an auxiliary protector. The auxiliary protector has at least a pair of holding walls facing each other. The holding wall is provided with a resilient holding piece or an engagable cover for preventing the circuit assembly from protruding. The circuit assembly is introduced in the protector body of the door-use feed protector, and a portion of the circuit assembly led out of the protector body is held by the circuit assembly holding portion and is arranged toward an auxiliary in the door.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a structure to make a protector body provided in a sliding door of, for example, a motor vehicle accommodate a power feeding wiring harness (a circuit assembly) extending from a vehicle body side and, more particularly, to a door-use feed protector and a circuit assembly arranging structure using the same wherein a wiring harness outside the protector body can also be protected in the sliding door.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a sliding door of a motor vehicle, various auxiliaries such as a powerwindow unit, a door lock unit, a speaker, an automatic door opening-and-closing unit are installed. For supplying power current or signal current to the auxiliaries from a battery carried on a vehicle body regardless of a opening-and-closing state of the sliding door, a circuit assembly such as a wiring harness (electric wires) or a cabtire cable is arranged on the sliding door from the vehicle body side.
The circuit assembly is received in a curved state in the protector provided on the sliding door made of synthetic resin so that a slack of the circuit assembly caused by the opening or closing of the sliding door can be absorbed. Here, it has been suggested that the circuit assembly is upwardly energized by an elastic member such as a flat spring to absorb the slack in the protector.
Simultaneously, for a turning door of a sedan, a structure to accommodate the circuit assembly such as the wiring harness in a protector provided on the door in a curved state has been suggested.
With respect to the above prior art, however, a circuit assembly or object such as an electric wire outside the protector in the sliding door is likely to interferes with a panel, structures, or auxiliaries in the sliding door, whereby the circuit assembly would be worn away or broken due to the vibration of a vehicle.
And also, in the turning door, when a protector for protecting the circuit assembly is provided in the door, the similar problem exists.
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a door-use feed protector and a circuit assembly arranging structure using the same wherein an interference between a circuit assembly, such as an electric wire or a wiring harness, arranged outside the protector and other outside objects can be prevented.
In order to achieve the above object, as a first aspect of the present invention, a door-use feed protector comprises: a protector body to accommodate a circuit assembly in a curved state in a door; and a circuit assembly holding portion provided on an outer wall of the protector body so as to hold a portion of the circuit assembly outside the protector body.
As a second aspect of the present invention, based on the first aspect, the circuit assembly holding portion is an auxiliary protector to receive the circuit assembly.
As a third aspect of the present invention, based on the second aspect, the auxiliary protector has at least a pair of holding walls facing each other.
As a fourth aspect of the present invention, based on the second aspect, the auxiliary protector is a holding wall having a hook-shaped cross-section.
As a fifth aspect of the present invention, based on the third aspect, the holding wall is provided with a resilient holding piece or an engagable cover for preventing the circuit assembly from protruding.
As a sixth aspect of the present invention, based on any one of the third to fifth aspects, the holding wall forms a circuit assembly insertion opening having a width smaller than a diameter of the circuit assembly.
As a seventh aspect of the present invention, a circuit assembly arranging structure using a door-use feed protector is characterized in that; a circuit assembly is introduced in the protector body of the door-use feed protector with any one of the first to eighth aspects, and a portion of the circuit assembly led out of the protector body is held by the circuit assembly holding portion and is arranged toward an auxiliary in a door.
As an eighth aspect of the present invention, based on the seventh aspect, the door is a sliding door of a motor vehicle.
According to the above-described structures of the present invention, the following advantages are provided.
(1) According to the first aspect of the invention, because a portion of the circuit assembly outside the protector body is held by the circuit assembly holding portion, the portion outside the protector body does not interfere with the structures or the auxiliaries in the door. Therefore, wear or breakage of the circuit assembly is prevented, and reliability of the power feeding from a vehicle body to the door is improved. Because the circuit assembly can be arranged in the circuit assembly holding portion without detouring around the protector body, the total length of the circuit assembly is shortened, thereby attaining a space saving, a cost reduction, and a light-weighing.
(2) According to the second aspect of the invention, because a portion of the circuit assembly outside the protector body is accommodated in the auxiliary protector, the portion outside the protector body does not interfere with the structures or the auxiliaries in the door. Therefore, wear or breakage of the circuit assembly is prevented, and reliability of the power feeding from a vehicle body to the door is improved. Because the circuit assembly can be arranged in the auxiliary protector without detouring around the protector body, the total length of the circuit assembly is shortened, thereby attaining space saving, cost reduction, and light-weighing. Because the rigidity of the protector body is enhanced by the auxiliary protector, bending or deformation of the outer wall of the protector body is prevented. Therefore, the circuit assembly can smoothly move in the protector body when the door is opened or closed.
(3) According to the third aspect of the invention, because a portion of the circuit assembly outside the protector body is accommodated between the pair of holding walls, for example, in a horizontal direction, the portion can be held among the holding walls and a door panel or a door trim without protruding therefrom. Therefore, the structure of the auxiliary protector is simplified, and the cost of the protector is reduced.
(4) According to the fourth aspect of the invention, because the circuit assembly can be stably placed in the hook-shaped holding wall due to the weight of the circuit assembly, the structure of the auxiliary protector is simplified and the cost is reduced.
(5) According to the fifth aspect of the invention, because the circuit assembly in the auxiliary protector can be more securely held by the holding piece or the cover, protrusion of the circuit assembly, caused by vibration of a vehicle or the like, can be securely prevented.
(6) According to the sixth aspect of the invention, because the circuit assembly insertion opening is widened by outwardly bending the holding wall, the circuit assembly can be easily inserted into the circuit assembly holding assembly. Therefore, insertion workability of the circuit assembly is improved. Because the holding wall resiles to the original position, protrusion of the circuit assembly is prevented.
(7) According to the seventh aspect of the invention, because a portion of the power feeding circuit assembly having passed through the protector body can be arranged toward the auxiliaries in the door with a shortest distance, the length of the circuit assembly can be shortened, thereby attaining a space saving, a cost reduction, and a light-weighing. Wear or breakage of the circuit assembly is prevented, and reliability of the power feeding from a vehicle body to the door is improved.
(8) According to the eighth aspect of the invention, because a slack of the circuit assembly due to the opening-and-closing of the sliding door is absorbed in the protector body, a sandwiching of the circuit assembly between the sliding door and a vehicle body and breakage caused by the sandwiching is prevented. Therefore, feeding reliability of the circuit assembly along the protector body and the circuit assembly holding portion is improved.
The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Door-use feed protector and a circuit assembly arranging structure using the same


Systems and methods for universal instant credit are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of offering a financial instrument to a customer includes (1) using a computer processor, an issuer providing a customer with an application for a financial instrument; (2) the issuer receiving from the customer a completed application for the financial instrument; (3) using the computer processor, the issuer determining whether to approve the customer for the financial instrument; (4) using the computer processor, the issuer transmitting a first portion of an account identifier to a merchant; and (5) using the computer processor, the issuer transmitting a second portion of the account identifier to the customer. The financial instrument may be a credit card, a stored value card, a line of credit, etc.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to instant credit, and, more particularly, to a system and method for universal instant credit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Regulation P (Privacy of Consumer Financial Information) prohibits a financial institution from providing non-partner merchants with consumer credit card account numbers. At the same time, credit card issuers do not want to provide all credit card account information to a customer at the time of approval. Because of these two issues, instant credit products are generally tied to co-branded relationships, so that an issuer can provide a co-brand partner with credit card information to complete an immediate transaction without providing the customer with account information.

System and method for universal instant credit


A flight stick cockpit simulator ground station system is provided. The system includes a base. The system also includes a yoke control module connected to the base. Further, the system includes a yaw control module connected to the base. Additionally, the system includes a throttle control module connected to the base. The system also includes a manipulator module for an aerial TUC transmitter for remote controlled aircraft connected to the base and configured to receive inputs from the yoke control module, the yaw control module, and the throttle control module and structured to mechanically control the aerial R/C transmitter without the need for electrical or computerized mechanisms.

Previous attempts to create systems to emulate cockpit control interfaces have been complex and unsuccessful for budget purposes and operational ease of use. In many instances, a variety of these systems require computer interfaces between an operator and an aircraft simulator without any physical or mechanical interface with a remote controller.
Further, many previous attempts require a multitude of costly computerized interfaces and render these systems too expensive for common market uses.
The nature of piloting a remote-controlled aircraft requires a user to manipulate physical components on a remote-control transmitter to direct the aircraft's flight. As the world's remote-controlled aircraft operators and gaming population has increased, so has the need for alternative platforms to control remote-controlled aircraft.
Accordingly, there is an established need for remote-controlled aircraft operating platforms which solve at least one of the aforementioned problems. Further, there is an established need for flight stick cockpit simulator ground station systems, having various forms, that can provide an operational interface between a remote-controlled aircraft and a user.

Flight stick cockpit simulator ground station systems


Write commands through a read/write head are regulated in response to head fly height. The head fly height is determined, and the rate at which the write command is carried out is regulated in response to the determined fly height. The rate may be regulated by inserting write inhibit gaps between writing data segments of the write command so as to allow the head to cool and, thereby, control fly height.

Data storage devices, such as disk drives, allow host computers to store and retrieve large amounts of digital data in a fast and efficient manner. A typical disk drive includes a plurality of magnetic recording disks which are mounted to a rotatable hub of a spindle motor and rotated at a high speed. An array of read/write heads is disposed adjacent to data storage surfaces of the disks to transfer data between the disks and a host computer. The heads can be radially positioned over the disks by a rotary actuator and a closed loop servo system, and can fly in close proximity to the surfaces of the disks upon air bearings. The heads each typically contain a separate read element and write element.
Higher data storage density on the disks may be obtained by reading and writing data on narrower tracks on the disks and by maintaining a corresponding smaller fly height gap between the heads and the data storage surfaces. The fly height of a head can vary in response to air density changes in the disk drive, and in response to head temperature variations, such as while writing, which can affect the distance that the tip of the head protrudes therefrom (i.e., pole-tip protrusion). Some disk drives use a heater to controllably heat the head in order to vary the fly height of the head.
Maintaining the head fly height within an acceptable range is becoming increasingly difficult as that range is reduced to obtain higher data storage densities. Operation outside the acceptable range may result in an unacceptable read/write bit error rate and/or undesirable contact between a head and a data storage surface and potential loss of data and/or damage to the data storage surface.

Regulating data writes responsive to head fly height


An apparatus includes a clock source and an oversampled continuous-time digital-to-analog converter. Noise signal is added to the clock signal as the clock signal is generated and/or routed. The oversampled continuous-time digital-to-analog converter includes a sigma-delta modulator to perform noise shaping on input data samples and provide intermediate data samples; a filter to filter the intermediate data samples and generate filtered samples, the filter having a transfer function that has a stop band at a frequency range that includes the frequency of the noise signal or a component of the noise signal; and a continuous-time digital-to-analog converter to convert the filtered samples to an output analog signal.

Continuous-time analog-to-digital converters (CT ADCs) and continuous-time digital-to-analog converters (CT DACs) are distinguished from their discrete-time counterparts (DT ADCs and DT DACs) in that sampling is not used in their front-end circuitry. Rather, in the case of a continuous-time ADC, some form of filtering or analog processing is employed prior to sampling (or storing) the input waveform as part of the eventual digitization. In the case of the continuous-time DAC, no sampling is used. This continuous-time approach has several advantages as compared to using a discrete-time converter. For example, two benefits of using continuous-time ADC or DAC are reduced sensitivity to coupled noise and the potential for lower power implementations.
The power and noise sensitivity benefits of continuous-time converters can be understood by comparing and contrasting their performance with that of a discrete-time converter. FIG. 1A shows an example of a conventional discrete-time DAC. The discrete-time DAC is implemented using a switched-capacitor (S-C) strategy. Depending on the DAC input code, certain capacitors on the left (CIN1, CIN2, . . . CINn) are first charged to a reference voltage VREF. While the selected input capacitors are being charged to VREF, an integrating capacitor CFB placed between the output of an amplifier A1 and its inverting terminal, is reset by closing a switch S1. Next, the charge stored on the selected input capacitors is transferred to the capacitor CFB when the selected input capacitors are connected between the inverting ("−") terminal of the amplifier A1 and ground. Because the input capacitors are selected by the digital input to the DAC, the magnitude of the charge that is transferred to the capacitor CFB, and therefore the voltage across it, is also dependent on the input code to the DAC. A sample-and-hold (S/H) circuit can be placed after the amplifier A1 in order to hold the output value from the amplifier A1 during settling and reset.
FIG. 1B shows a conventional continuous-time DAC implementation using a current DAC (IDAC). Positive and negative weighted current sources (I1p, I1n, I2p, I2n, . . . Inp, Inn) are selected as mapped from a given DAC code. Each selected current is connected to the inverting input of an amplifier A2. The amplifier stage is configured as a low-pass trans-impedance stage with a feedback resistor RFB connected in parallel with a feedback capacitor CFB. The feedback resistor RFB then develops a voltage proportional to the total current connected to the inverting terminal of the amplifier A2. Since the input currents are selected by the input DAC code, there is a direct mapping from the input code to its output voltage. The capacitor CFB provides the aforementioned low-pass characteristic of the stage by smoothing the output voltage transitions as DAC codes are changed.

Continuous-time oversampled converter having enhanced immunity to noise


An impact treatment method for improving fatigue characteristics of a welded joint comprising pressing an impact pin against the surface of a base metal material near a toe of a weld bead and making it move relatively to the weld line direction to apply hammer peening treatment or ultrasonic impact treatment, characterized by using as the impact pin an impact pin having a tip curvature radius of ½ or less of a thickness of the metal material and between 2 to 10 mm and, on a surface of a base metal material up to a range where a distance from the toe of the weld bead to the center of the impact treatment position is within 2.5 times the tip curvature radius of the impact pin and where the impact pin does not contact the weld metal during impact treatment, applying hammer peening or ultrasonic impact treatment so as to cause by the impact pin residual plastic deformation where an impact dent has a groove depth of 0.1 to 2 mm, the tip curvature radius of the impact pin or less, and 1/10th or less of the thickness of the metal material and where the impact dent has a width of 1.5 to 15 mm and five times or more the groove depth.

Metal structures such as ships, bridges, construction machines, industrial machines, offshore structures, and automobiles are made by welding together many metal members. At these welded portions, welded joints are formed using various welding methods.
However, in such a welded joint, at the boundary part where the surface of the weld metal forming the weld bead intersects a surface of a metal member (base material) (referred to as the toe of the weld bead) and its vicinity (hereinafter referred to as the toe portion of the weld bead), tensile residual stress easily remains due to cooling in the state where the high temperature state weld metal is restrained by the surrounding base material. Furthermore, when used as a structure, this becomes a part where stress easily concentrates due to external force applied to the member.
Therefore, a welded joint used in a metal structure may suffer from fatigue cracks occurring from the toe portion of the weld bead and developing into critical cracks and fractures due to repeated load. Further, residual stress and stress concentration at the toe portion of the weld bead impedes improvement of fatigue characteristics of a metal structure.
Accordingly, fatigue cracks occurring in such a welded joint have a serious effect on the reliability of the entire structure, so a variety of methods for improving fatigue characteristics of welded joints have been attempted in the past. (For example, see Non-Patent Literatures 1 and 2.)
Specifically, the following Non-Patent Literatures 1 and 2 propose methods of reducing stress concentration at weld zones by (a) the method of using a mechanical method (grinding) to smooth the weld zone and (b) the method of using TIG welding to dress the weld zone.
Further, there is also proposed a method of treating the weld zone by peening (impact) to introduce compressive stress to portions where fatigue cracks occur and reduce stress concentration. As a specific impact treatment, (c) shot peening, (d) hammer peening, and also, in recent years, (e) ultrasonic impact treatment (for example, see Patent Literatures 1 to 3) may be mentioned.
Further, a method treating the vicinity of the weld toe portion by peening (impact) to improve the metal structure of the weld heat affected zone near the fusion line and improve the toughness of the heat affected zone is disclosed in Patent Literature 4. However, this is for improving the material quality at the starting point of brittle fracture based on brittle fractures generally forming from defects remaining on the fusion line of the weld zone and does not improve the fatigue characteristics.
Further, as methods for improving the fatigue characteristics of a welding toe portion at an end of a rib plate attached by welding, methods using a compression punch or the like to apply compressive residual stress to the welding toe portion (Patent Literatures 5 and 6) are disclosed, however, these methods both are methods for improving the fatigue characteristics at the end of a rib plate subjected to boxing etc. and cannot be applied to the part mainly covered by the present invention, that is, the welding toe portion which continues long in the weld line direction.

Impact treatment method for improving fatigue characteristics of welded joint, impact treatment device for improving fatigue characteristics for same, and welded structure superior in fatigue resistance characteristics

Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation


When a layered structure of a transparent electrode layer and a metal layer is formed as a back side electrode layer over a surface on a side opposite to a side of incidence of light of a thin film solar battery, a time when formation of the transparent electrode layer is completed and a time when formation of the metal layer is started are made to coincide for one substrate.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a solar battery.
2. Related Art
A solar battery is known which uses polycrystalline, microcrystalline, or amorphous silicon. In particular, a solar battery having a structure in which microcrystalline or amorphous silicon thin films are layered has attracted much attention in view of resource consumption, cost reduction, and improved efficiency.
In general, a thin film solar battery is formed by sequentially layering a front side electrode, one or more semiconductor thin film photoelectric conversion units, and a back side electrode over a substrate having an insulating surface. Each solar battery unit is formed by layering a p-type layer, an i-type layer, and an n-type layer from a side of incident light. In addition, a technique is employed in which the back side electrode is formed in a layered structure of a transparent conductive film and a metal film so that the incident light is reflected and the photoelectric conversion efficiency in the semiconductor thin film photoelectric conversion unit is improved.
For example, Japanese Patent No. 3419108 discloses a method of layering a back side electrode layer comprising a transparent conductive metal compound layer and a metal layer over a semiconductor thin film photoelectric conversion unit by moving a substrate in plasma regions where the transparent conductive metal compound and the metal are provided adjacent to each other, from the side of the transparent conductive metal compound to the side of the metal.
When the layered structure of the transparent conductive film and the metal film is employed as the back side electrode, the metal film is formed over the transparent electrode film. In this process, if a wait time from completion of formation of the transparent electrode film to the start of the formation of the metal film is elongated, the charges charged on the substrate during the time when the substrate is exposed to the plasma for sputtering the transparent electrode film may be discharged, and the film quality of the transparent conductive film and the metal film may be degraded because of the relationship between the plasma potential and the substrate potential when the substrate is exposed to the plasma for sputtering the metal film.
In addition, if the wait time after the substrate has passed the plasma for sputtering the transparent electrode film and until the substrate reaches the plasma for sputtering the metal film is elongated, it is not possible to take advantage of the heating of the substrate by plasma of the sputtering during the formation of the transparent electrode film, and the temperature of the substrate is reduced before the formation of the metal film.
In particular, in an inline-type manufacturing device in which the substrate is moved and passed through a plasma for sputtering the transparent electrode film and further through a plasma for sputtering the metal film, an in-plane distribution of the substrate temperature would be caused in one substrate between a region which passes through the plasma of the transparent electrode film earlier and a region which passes through the plasma later. Such an in-plane distribution affects the characteristics of the formed transparent electrode film and the formed metal film, and may increase non-uniformity on the surface of the film or may reduce the film quality.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An immersion sensor for molten metals has an electrically conducting support pin, whose one end is mounted in a refractory mounting material, and whose other free end has a first coating of a reference material and on top of this a second coating of a solid electrolyte material. The support pin has a third coating of a refractory material in the area of its mounted end, and this third coating on the one side extends into the mounting material, and on the other side extends into the solid electrolyte material. In order to obtain a quick reading and a stable EMF-value, the solid electrolyte material covers at least the end area of refractory coating nearest the free end of the support pin. A process for the manufacture of an intermediate for the immersion sensor applies the various coating materials of the immersion sensor in the order given above.

Such immersion sensors are known from JP-A1 61-60154. The immersion sensors, described therein, have a metal wire as a support pin, which at its one end is embedded into a mounting material. On its other end the support pin is also coated with a reference material of a metal-metal oxide. On top of this reference material is a layer of a solid electrolyte material. The support pin at its mounted end is coated with a refractory material, which on the one side reaches into the mounting material and on the other side extends to the solid electrolyte material, whereby the solid electrolyte material can be partially covered by the refractory material.
In such a construction the refractory material can corrode in the molten metal, whereby in the area outside of the mounting material where the refractory material touches the solid electrolyte material, the immersion sensor can change its electrochemical properties. As a result drastic changes occur in this area during the initial measuring phase of the EMF (electromotive force) measuring procedure, so that a constant EMF reading is only observed after a long immersion period or not at all. If there is an overlapping of the solid electrolyte material by the refractory material, then an additional EMF, which arises in an area extending below the refractory material, is being measured. This area is undefined and therefore leads to a distortion of the values when measuring the EMF.
A similar immersion sensor with the above described layer construction is also known from JP-A1 60-3053. With this construction also the above described inaccuracies occur.
In view of the above prior art it is the purpose of the present invention to produce an immersion sensor, which reaches a stable EMF-value after a short immersion period. An additional object of the invention is to develop a process for the manufacture of an intermediate for such an immersion sensor.


Systems and methods described herein provide for assigning classifications to signals and corresponding messages for prioritization and transmission across a vehicle CAN bus. The assigned classifications are used to select authentication keys specific to each classification of message. Nodes of the CAN bus can include different sets of keys based on the classifications of messages handled at the nodes. Keys are distributed and localized to reduce any potential impact on critical functions of the vehicle system that may result from compromise of an authentication key.

Vehicle computer systems handle numerous computations and processing loads during operation. Computational tasks performed by vehicle systems such as infotainment, monitoring, and diagnostic processes increase as the complexity and capabilities of such systems increases. Some communications between vehicle systems control safety, functionality, and infotainment features of the vehicle systems and may be authenticated for security against malicious attacks.

Assigning categories for messages and symmetric key per category to localize the impact in case of key compromise


A medical instrument effectively suppresses a situation in which the edge of a blade springs immediately after completion of incision, excision, or the like. The medical instrument (1) includes manipulation members (14) that are held by a user, elastic members (11) that are respectively secured on one end of the manipulation members, and intersect each other at one end thereof, and opening-closing members (15) that are respectively secured on the other end of the manipulation members (14), and intersect each other at a pivot (13), functional parts (15a) for implementing a gripping operation, a holding operation, a cutting operation, or the like being respectively provided at one end of the opening-closing members (15), the functional parts (15a) being opened and closed by adjusting a pressing force applied to the manipulation members (14), the opening-closing members (15), the manipulation members (14), and the elastic members (11) being configured so that the pressing force applied to the manipulation members (14) and an opening-closing amount of the functional parts (15a) have a linear proportional relationship during a period in which the functional parts (15a) are operated.

Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose the above type of medical instrument. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a medical instrument that includes elastic members that are formed in the shape of a leaf spring, and provided at one end of the medical instrument, and opening-closing members that are provided at the other end of the medical instrument, wherein the opening-closing members intersect each other at a pivot so that the opening-closing members can be opened and closed, and a functional part that implements an incision operation, an excision operation, a gripping operation, a holding operation, a cutting operation, or the like (hereinafter referred to as "incision, excision, or the like") is provided at the end of each of the opening-closing members. The medical instrument having such a configuration makes it possible to finely adjust the motion of the functional parts by changing the pressing force applied to the elastic members, and is advantageous for surgery and the like for which a fine motion is required.
A very thin membrane, a microscopic blood vessel, a nerve, or the like may be incised or excised using scissors during heart or brain surgery, for example. In this case, body tissue situated in the vicinity of the membrane or the like may be damaged when the edge of the blade moves unintentionally even in a small amount. However, known scissors have a tendency in which the edge of the blade springs immediately after completion of incision or excision. Therefore, the user must finely adjust the force applied to the manipulation members so that the edge of the blade does not spring immediately after completion of incision or excision. This imposes a heavy burden on the user. This particularly applies to brain or heart surgery in which a very thin membrane, a microscopic blood vessel, a nerve, or the like is repeatedly incised or excised.
Patent Document 1 discloses a technique that makes it possible to adjust the spring properties of the elastic member of the medical instrument (e.g., scissors). Paragraph 0007 of Patent Document 1 states that "Operability and usage (e.g., required pressing force or hardness) when the user applies force differ depending on the repulsion force and the flexing properties of the spring 104. The repulsion force and the flexing properties of the spring 104 differ depending on the shape and the material of the spring 104, and affect operability and usage (e.g., hardness increases when titanium is used)". The surgical instrument disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured so that the repulsion force and the flexing properties of the spring are changed by forming a plurality of grooves in the plate-like member (spring) so that the operability of the functional part can be adjusted.
However, the surgical instrument disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot solve the problem in which the edge of the blade springs immediately after completion of incision or excision.
It is effective to use an elastic member having low spring properties (i.e., having a small modulus of elasticity) in order to prevent a situation in which the edge of the blade springs. Since the user who incises or excises a very thin membrane, a microscopic blood vessel, a nerve, or the like attaches much importance to the sensation through the edge of the blade, it is preferable that the spring properties of the elastic member be as low as possible. However, when the spring properties of the elastic member are decreased, the edge of the blade may easily move due to the weight of the manipulation member or the opening-closing member, or may not promptly return to the original position after completion of incision or excision. Therefore, the spring properties can be decreased only within a limited range.


A method and apparatus comprising expanded, or flexible, graphite mixed into a polymer material is disclosed. A method for using expanded graphite that has been pre-compressed prior to milling to enable a polymer material to accept an electrostatic modification to the surface or to dissipate electrostatic discharges. Other embodiments relate to methods of making polymer materials, methods of making molded polymer articles or objects, and methods of electrostatically modifying molded conductive polymer materials.

1. Field of the Invention
Graphite containing polymer material.
2. Related Art
In the prior art various forms of graphite material have been used to enable polymer material to conduct or dissipate electrostatic charge. One of the first such graphite containing materials added to polymers was carbon black which has an appropriate amount of electrostatic dissipative capacity, but is difficult to handle, relatively light and extremely time consuming to put in place.
Static electricity and electrostatic discharge (ESD) are naturally occurring phenomena. Simply stated static electricity is electrical energy at rest on a surface. It is generally created by the rubbing together and separating of two materials, one of which is usually non-conductive. Typically, one material gives up electrons and becomes positively charged; the other material takes on electrons and becomes negatively charged. ESD may be characterized as the sudden discharge of electrostatic potential from one body to another. A good example may be the shock one may receive when touching a metal door after walking across a carpeted floor.
In many environments, ESD may damage or destroy sensitive electronic components, erase or alter magnetic media, or set off explosions or fires in flammable environments. These discharges may be caused by a variety of sources; most commonly there is a direct discharge from a person or equipment into a sensitive object.
One way of preventing ESD is to reduce the generation of charges in the first place. A second way of preventing ESD is to provide a ground path for the safe dissipation of accumulated charges to ground before they can build up to a level that is harmful to sensitive equipment. A third method is to provide shielding or protection of devices and equipment from discharge through packaging. ESD may also be controlled with materials, such as conductive plastics, that do not generate high levels of charge, dissipate charges before they can accumulate at dangerous levels, or that provide electrostatic shielding to prevent charges from reaching the sensitive device.
Floors of clean rooms that need to have low electrostatic discharge potential for, as an example, manufacturing semiconductor devices, need to be conductive and lightweight. These floors require lightweight floor panels, because they tend to be suspended on vibration dampening mechanisms. A lightweight, conductive polymer that dissipates electrostatic charges before they build up to dangerous levels would be useful.
Other applications for ESD polymer materials are as computer covers and chip trays. Computer covers that offer ESD protection will protect delicate computer components on the inside from harmful electrostatic discharges. Chip trays are used to move and store semiconductor circuits during dicing, testing and packaging operations. These operations are generally when sensitive integrated circuits are most vulnerable to ESD. An electrostatic dissipative chip tray allows electrostatic charges to bleed off before they build up to dangerous levels that could harm an isolated integrated circuit chip.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,781 discloses, inter alia, a method of making graphite foam material. Expanded graphite is made from flexible graphite foil. The expanded graphite is then compounded into sheets to make insulation material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,570 discloses, inter alia, a method of injection molding graphite and a thermoplastic material. This method also uses 45 to 60 percent by weight expanded graphite. The compound of thermoplastic material and re-expanded graphite is fed into a molding system (e.g. injection molding system) at relatively high temperature and injected into a mold where a plastic material is formed. The material is valuable for its heat conducting capacity for use in for example, thermal management.
Many parts of automobiles are painted using an electrostatic painting scheme. Electrostatic painting increases the uniformity with which the applied paint covers the part that is painted compared with plain spray painting. Paint in the form of small droplets or a fine powder is given an electrical charge, while the part to be painted is given the opposite charge. The charge differential impels the paint toward the part to be painted. When the paint touches the part the charge differential is neutralized allowing the paint to adhere to the part.
For this electrostatic paint scheme to work the part to be painted must be able to hold or dissipate a charge. When the part is a non-conductive polymer, a conductive primer must be coated over the part to enable the paint to uniformly cover the part. This primer generally contains a Volatile Organic Compound (VOC).
Emissions of VOCs have been curtailed by local, state and federal regulations. A limit on VOC emissions either eliminates the option of electrostatic painting of polymer parts, or is a limiting factor in the capacity of a painting operation that uses VOCs to paint polymers. A method that reduces or eliminates VOCs from the electrostatic paint scheme would increase the number of parts an operation could paint in a given time.
It is desirable to provide, at relatively low cost, compounds that may dissipate charges before they accumulate to dangerous levels, or allow themselves to be electrostatically modified.


An internal combustion engine system includes a compressor arranged to compress air, at least one combustor, at least one of the at least one combustor being arranged to receive the compressed air, and an exhaust treatment device arranged to process exhaust gases produced by at least one of the at least one combustor, a heat exchanger arranged to receive the compressed air from the compressor before it reaches the at least one of the at least one combustor, and wherein the heat exchanger is arranged to transfer heat from the compressed air to the exhaust treatment device.

The invention relates to an internal combustion engine system and an exhaust treatment unit for such a system.
The invention can be applied in heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks, buses and construction equipment, e.g., working machines. The invention can also be applied to cars. Although the invention will be described with respect to a truck, the invention is not restricted to this particular vehicle type.
It is known that internal combustion engines with two stages of compression and two stages of expansion, e.g. by a compressor, a combustor and an expander, may provide for reaching very high pressures and for extracting more energy from the fuel. An example of such an engine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,371,256. It is suggested therein that upon exiting an expander cylinder, the engine exhaust gases might be routed to an exhaust gas after treatment system. However, a highly efficient vehicle engine may have very cool tailpipe exhaust, which may prevent or reduce the efficiency of exhaust treatment processes provided by exhaust treatment devices such as catalytic converters of various types. For certain processes, e.g. selective catalytic reduction (SCR), it is possible to compensate for low temperatures by providing large exhaust treatment devices; however, this will increase the weight and volume of the engine system, which may be a problem, particularly in vehicles, where often there are demanding space requirements.
It is desirable to reduce emissions from a highly efficient internal combustion engine. It is also desirable to provide a highly efficient internal combustion engine system, which provides an effective treatment of exhaust gases, while avoiding large increases of the volume and/or weight of the engine system.
According to an aspect of the invention, an internal combustion engine system is provided comprising
a compressor arranged to compress air,
at least one combustor, at least one of the at least one combustor being arranged to receive the compressed air, and
an exhaust treatment device arranged to process exhaust gases produced by at least one of the at least one combustor,
characterized in that the system comprises a heat exchanger arranged to receive the compressed air from the compressor before it reaches the at least one of the at least one combustor, and that the heat exchanger is arranged to transfer heat from the compressed air to the exhaust treatment device.
The heat exchanger being arranged to transfer heat to the exhaust treatment device provides a solution to the problem of exhaust gas temperatures being too low for an effective exhaust treatment process. By drawing heat from the compressed air, and transferring this heat to the exhaust treatment device, the temperature of the exhaust treatment device may be increased to improve the process therein. Also, the invention makes it possible to avoid the need to compensate for low temperatures by increasing the size of the exhaust treatment device, and thereby increasing the weight and volume of the engine system.
It should be noted that the engine system may comprise more a plurality of compressors, combustors, and heat exchangers and exhaust treatment devices. Thereby, separate groups of the combustors may be each arranged to receive compressed air from a respective of the compressors. It should be noted in particular that a combustor which is arranged to receive the compressed air from a particular compressor, may or may not be a combustor which produces exhaust gases which a particular exhaust treatment device processes.
The invention is particularly advantageous where the engine system comprises an expander arranged to receive the exhaust gases from the at least one of the at least one combustor, and to expand and extract energy from the exhaust gases, the exhaust treatment device being arranged to receive the exhaust gases from the expander. The high efficiency provided by the expander will bring the exhaust gas temperature to a relatively low level. However, by the heat exchanger being arranged to transfer heat from the compressed air to the exhaust treatment device, the exhaust gas temperature may be brought to a level which benefits the exhaust treatment device process. For example, the expander contributing to a highly efficient engine may result in exhaust gases in the range of 50-250° C. However, where the exhaust treatment device is a typical catalyst for NOx reduction, such a device may not work under 150° C. and may not become fully efficient until the temperature has reached 250° C. If the compressor compresses air e.g. to a temperature of around 260° C., the transfer of heat from the compressed air may bring the exhaust treatment device temperature up so as for the device to become fully efficient. It should be noted that in preferred embodiments, the heat exchanger is arranged to receive the exhaust gases from the expander.
Any suitable heat exchanger type may be used. The heat exchanger is preferably a counterflow heat exchanger. However, in some embodiments, the heat exchanger may be a parallel flow heat exchanger.
The invention is particularly advantageous where the system comprises a crankshaft, and the expander comprises a piston, and is arrange to drive the crankshaft, since a very effective expansion of the exhaust gases may thereby be provided, providing very low exhaust gas temperature. As mentioned, the invention provides for effectively running an exhaust treatment device despite such low exhaust gas temperature.
The system may comprise an oil separator arranged to receive exhaust gases from the expander, and to separate oil from the exhaust gases before the exhaust gases reach the exhaust treatment device. Thereby, oil introduced to the exhaust gases, e.g. by the expanders, will be removed therefrom, avoiding or reducing detrimental effects it may have on the heat exchanger and/or post-expander exhaust treatment device.
In some embodiments, the heat exchanger is arranged to transfer the heat to the exhaust treatment device via the exhaust gases. Thereby, where the heat exchanger is arranged to receive the exhaust gases, and the exhaust treatment device is arranged to receive the exhaust gases from the heat exchanger, the heat from the compressed air may the effectively transferred to the exhaust treatment device. The exhaust treatment device may be located in a path of the exhaust gases, downstream of the heat exchanger.
In some embodiments, a direct heat transfer is provided by the heat exchanger from the compressed air to the exhaust treatment device. The heat exchanger and the exhaust treatment device may be integrated. Thereby, the heat exchanger may comprise a wall separating the air and the exhaust gases, and the exhaust treatment device may comprise an exhaust treatment layer on an exhaust gas side of the wall. Thus, an exhaust gas part of the heat exchanger may be coated with the exhaust treatment layer. The exhaust treatment layer may be a catalyst.
The integration which reduces the total volume of the combination of the heat exchanger and the exhaust treatment device. Also, the integration enhances the heat transfer, and may therefore serve to reduce the time to a "working catalyst" during a cold start procedure of the engine system. It should be noted that whilst the exhaust treatment device is arranged to receive the exhaust gases, the heat exchanger itself may or may not be arranged to receive the exhaust gases.
Preferably, said wall of the heat exchanger presents a plurality of protruding flanges on an air side of the wall. Such flanges will enhance the absorption of the wall of heat from the compressed air, for transfer of the heat to the exhaust treatment layer.
It should be noted that in some embodiments, the exhaust treatment device may comprise a first portion which is integrated with the heat exchanger and a second portion which is arranged to receive heat from the compressed air via exhaust gases received from the heat exchanger. Thereby an effective use of the heat exchanger and a beneficial distribution of the exhaust treatment device may be provided. The first portion may comprise an exhaust treatment layer on the exhaust gas side of the wall the heat exchanger, separating the air and the exhaust gases, and the second portion may comprise a further exhaust treatment element located in a path of the exhaust gases, downstream of the heat exchanger.
Said first portion of the exhaust treatment device may be an oxidation catalyst arranged to convert at least a portion of nitrogen monoxide (NO) to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and to oxidize oil and hydrocarbons (HC). The second portion may be an SCR catalyst. An injector may be arranged to inject reductant for the SCR catalyst between the first and second portions. In other embodiments the first portion may be an SCR catalyst and the second portion may be a further SCR catalyst. Thereby, an injector may be arranged to inject reductant upstream of the first portion, preferably in the vicinity of or into the expander. Regardless of whether the first and second portions are oxidation and SCR catalysts, respectively, or whether both portions are SCR catalysts, a coating of an ammonia slip catalyst (ASC) is preferably provided in the end of the second portion.
The invention is particularly beneficial where the exhaust treatment device comprises an oxidation catalyst, and/or a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst. Such catalysts may need a minimal exhaust gas temperature to work efficiently, and this is provided by the heat exchanger being arranged to transfer heat from the compressed air to the exhaust treatment device.
Where the exhaust treatment device comprises an SCR catalyst, the system preferably comprises an injector arranged to inject reductant for the SCR catalyst, upstream of the heat exchanger. Thereby, where the SCR catalyst is located downstream of the, such an arrangement of the injector may provide a good mixing of the reductant with the exhaust gases, before reaching the SCR catalyst.
Preferably, where the system comprises an expander arranged to receive the exhaust gases from the at least one of the at least one combustor, and to expand and extract energy from the exhaust gases, the exhaust treatment device is arranged to receive the exhaust gases from the expander, and the system comprises an injector arranged to inject the reductant for the SCR catalyst, upstream of the expander or into the expander.
Thereby, a particularly good mixing of the reductant with the exhaust gases may be provided. The injectors are preferably controllable by a control unit of the engine system, to control the timing, the flow and the duration of the redundant injections. Specifically, the timing and duration of the reductant injections may be coordinated with the actuations of one or more expander inlet valves, in order to enable good mixing of the reductant with the exhaust gases in the expander.
Preferably, the system is arranged so that during an operation thereof, the exhaust treatment device presents a temperature above 150° C., above preferably 250° C. As suggested above, this may secure an efficient process in the exhaust treatment device, e.g. where the latter comprises an SCR catalyst.
In some embodiments, the heat exchanger is a first heat exchanger, and the system further comprises a second heat exchanger arranged to receive the air from the first heat exchanger before it reaches the at least one of the at least one combustor, and to receive the processed exhaust gases from the exhaust treatment device, the second heat exchanger being arranged to allow heat to be exchanged between the air and the exhaust gases. Thereby, the system may allow, during an operation thereof, heat to be transferred in the second heat exchanger from the exhaust gases to the air. Thus, energy in the exhaust gases can be recovered by heating the intake air after the air has delivered heat, by means of the first heat exchanger, to the exhaust treatment device.
The second heat exchanger is preferably a counterflow heat exchanger. However, in some embodiments, the second heat exchanger may be a parallel flow heat exchanger.
Advantageously, the heat exchanger forms a buffer volume for the air.
The air buffer volume reduces or eliminates any requirements of correlation of the actuation timing of compressor outlet valves and combustor inlet valves 403 to avoid losses with pulsating flows. Thanks to the air buffer volume, such valve actuation timing correlation requirements may be relaxed without increasing the risk of pulsating flows. Thereby simpler and cheaper valve control systems may be employed.
Preferably, where the system comprises an expander arranged to receive the exhaust gases from the at least one of the at least one combustor, and to expand and extract energy from the exhaust gases, the system comprises in addition to said exhaust treatment device a pre-expander exhaust treatment device arranged to receive exhaust gases from the at least one of the at least one combustor, to provide an exhaust treatment process to the exhaust gases, and to deliver processed exhaust gases to the expander. The pre-expander exhaust treatment device may comprise an oxidation catalyst, and/or a particulate filter. Where both are provided, the particulate filter may be located downstream of the oxidation catalyst. The system may further be arranged so that during an operation thereof, the pre-expander exhaust treatment device presents a temperature which is considerably higher than the temperature of the exhaust treatment device to which the heat exchanger is arranged to transfer heat from the compressed air. Thereby, an advantageous distribution of exhaust treatment devices along the path of the exhaust gases may be provided, giving different temperatures which are each optimized for the respective exhaust treatment device.
It is understood that depending on the provision of the pre-expander exhaust treatment device, the expander is arranged to receive processed or unprocessed exhaust gases from the combustor. Exhaust gases are herein understood as being processed if they are received from an exhaust treatment device.
The invention is particularly advantageous where the system comprises a crankshaft, and the combustor comprises a piston arranged to reciprocate in a cylinder, and to drive the crankshaft. It is understood that the system may comprise a plurality of combustors, each comprising a piston arranged to reciprocate in a respective cylinder, whereby the piston are all arranged to drive the crankshaft.
Where an expander is provided as exemplified above, the expander is preferably a piston expander arranged to drive the crankshaft with the extracted energy. Similarly, the compressor may be a piston compressor, arranged to be driven by the crankshaft. Thus, the invention may be advantageously implemented in a multistage compression and expansion engine where the compressor(s) and the expanders are connected to the crankshaft. Such a connection may be direct or indirect, as exemplified below. Typically, the expanders may provide 30-50%, e.g. 40%, of the total power of the engine, and the compressor(s) may take 10-20% of the total power of the engine.
The invention may be advantageously implemented as an engine system, where the combustor comprises a fuel injector and is arranged to combust fuel and at least a portion of the received air in a Diesel cycle.
Further advantages and advantageous features of the invention are disclosed in the following description and in the dependent claims.

Internal combustion engine system and an exhaust treatment unit for such a system


A membrane material lamination device and a membrane material laminating method using the same are provided. The membrane material lamination device includes: two support structures, each support structure includes a support surface, the two support structures is capable of being in either a first state where the support surfaces are located in an identical plane or a second state where the support surfaces are located in different planes; a pressure application mechanism configured to be located at a first position when the two support structures are in the first state to support the membrane material through the support surfaces of the two support structures, and moved to a second position when the two support structures are in the second state to support the membrane material through the pressure application mechanism and a first support structure; a first driving mechanism; and a second driving mechanism.

During the manufacture of a display device, as an indispensable process, it is necessary to adhere two membrane materials together, e.g., laminate a polarizer onto a panel. Usually, a roller lamination device is used, and FIG. 1 shows the roller lamination device in the related art. Through the roller lamination device, before the lamination, a portion of a to-be-laminated membrane material 1 is placed onto a platform 2, and the other portion of the to-be-laminated membrane material 1 is placed onto a roller 3, i.e., the to-be-laminated membrane material is supported by both the platform 2 and the roller 3. After alignment information has been acquired by a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) functioning as an image collection mechanism above the membrane material 1, another membrane material is placed onto another roller arranged opposite to the roller 3. Then, the two rollers rotate at the same time, so as to adhere the two membrane materials onto each other.
FIG. 1 shows an ideal state during the membrane material lamination. However, along with the advent of a flexible display device, the membrane materials of the display device become thinner and softer. During the alignment, as shown in FIG. 2, in the case that the portion of the membrane material 1 is placed onto the roller 3, an edge of the membrane material 1 may be curved due to the existence of gravity or any other factors. At this time, it is impossible for the CCD to acquire the alignment information normally, so the lamination cannot be performed normally.

Membrane material lamination device and membrane material lamination method using the same


A method for the cooking of a cooking product in a cooking appliance with a cooking chamber that comprises at least one heating device, a computer device, a memory device and at least one sensor device, is carried out, in dependence on a degree of cooking of a cooking product and/or of a cooking duration, in particular determined by the core temperature, the browning, the pH value and/or the cooking value, from values measured by the sensor device with consideration of the at least occasionally deposited values in the memory device via the computer device, wherein at least two steps separated from one another in time, comprising a pre-cooking step, which is interrupted when a determined intermediate value of the degree of cooking and/or of the duration of cooking, in particular a determined remaining time for reaching the cooking duration is reached, and a finishing cooking step, in particular a finishing step that is recalled at a later time point in order to end the cooking of the cooking product with consideration of the intermediate value.

It would be advantageous for many automatic cooking processes to determine and have at one's disposal a parameter allowing a statement about the progress of the cooking.
From DE 42 31 365 A1, a method is known for baking, roasting or cooking, in which the cooking chamber temperature is controlled to a temperature target value, whereby in multiple successive time intervals, a value of the current cooking chamber temperature, or a value that is linearly-dependent on this current temperature, is determined, and these values are summed. When the sum of the values reaches a predetermined sum target value dependent on the product at the target temperature, or the value that is linearly-dependent on it, a pre-determined heat exposure duration and the reciprocal of the length of a time interval, a signal is produced for terminating the roasting, baking or cooking operation. In this manner, temperature fluctuations in the cooking chamber, as they may occur for example during loading or other disturbing influences can be taken account of during a cooking operation. A disadvantage of this state of the art is that the actual temperature of the cooking product is not used for determination of the cooking, but that merely the cooking chamber temperature is assumed to be a variable corresponding to the cooking product temperature. As a result of this, erroneous evaluation regarding the endpoint of the cooking may occur, specifically for cooking products with large diameter.
EP 0 419 304 A2 discloses a method of cooking of cooking products wherein the pH value or also the core temperature of a cooking product is used for the determination of a pasteurization value (P-value). The cooking appliance should conduct the cooking process in such a way that at the end of the cooking process the desired P-value, that is, the desired degree of freedom from germs in the food, is accurately achieved. After subsequent cooling of the temperature of the cooking product to a value of slightly over 0° C., a food that has a long shelf life can be produced. The P-value is only very indirectly related to how well-cooked the food is.
Also from DE 199 45 021 A1 it is known that a cooking process can be conducted as a function of a pH value or as a function of the hygiene of a cooking product. Furthermore it is described there that the cooking process can also be conducted as a function of the core temperature of a cooking product.
DE 196 09 116 A1 discloses a cooking method in a cooking chamber that is ended when an actual core temperature in a cooking product reaches a target core temperature. When an endpoint of the cooking process is set, the cooking chamber temperature, the circulating flow in the cooking chamber and the humidity level in the cooking chamber are adjusted or altered in such a way that the target core temperature is reached at the predetermined end point in time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,022 discloses a cooking method for the cooking of thin meat in a microwave, in which a degree of cooking of the meat is determined based on the humidity and temperature in the cooking chamber. For this purpose, from the temperature and the humidity in the cooking chamber as well as from the elapsed cooking time, a time tx is calculated that is necessary for reaching a thermal equilibrium. This time tx is used to interrupt the cooking process as soon as a desired degree of cooking is achieved. The relationship between the time tx and the degree of cooking for thin meat is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,022. A disadvantage here is that with the method only a special cooking product can be cooked, and that the cooking product must be cooked from beginning to end until the desired degree of cooking is achieved. Interruption and finishing at a later point in time is not possible with the method.
The disadvantage in the cited state of the art is that hygiene or the P-value and the core temperature of the cooking product are suitable only to a limited extent to determine the how well-cooked a cooking product actually is. Thus, for example, it is generally known that potatoes, even when they have reached a core temperature of almost 100° C. in boiling water, have not yet reached the consistency desired for consumption. Namely, actually it is required that this temperature in the core of the potato pieces be maintained for approximately 3 to 5 minutes in order to make the potatoes ready for consumption. The chemical reactions in which the components of the food are converted in fact require besides temperature a certain time span at which the components of the food can be converted. Such a behavior can be described with the C-value (cooking value) similarly to the P-value. Such a cooking value is known in ecotrophology and can be calculated as follows:
                                          C            BT            UF                    =                                    ∫              St                              t                ′                                                                                UF                                                      [                                                                                T                          i                                                /                                                  (                          t                          )                                                                    -                      BT                                        ]                                    10                                                                          ⅆ                t                                                    ,        wherein                            (        1        )                            UF=conversion factor,        BT=reference temperature=100° C.,        T(t)=core temperature progression,        St=time at which the starting temperature was exceeded, dependent on the food and        t′=current time.
A method in which such an integral is determined in the determination of the bacterial load of a food, that is, a P-value, is known from EP 1 317 643 B1. However, there again only the determination of a pasteurization value is disclosed.
A method is known from WO 2004/062372 A2 for the cooking in a cooking chamber of a cooking appliance with a control that has access to the time-dependent and not time-dependent measured data that correlate with the state of the cooking product or of the cooking appliance. The actual development of the cooking process is determined herein with the aid of measured data Z1 of the cooking product I to be cooked, up to a pre-determined time TM before the end of the cooking time TE. Herein the data Z1(TE) at the end of the cooking process TE can be predicted. Herein the core temperature, the browning, the crust formation and also the hygiene of the cooking product are intended to be used as cooking parameters.
Within the framework of a further development, it would be desirable to interrupt the cooking process upon reaching a value for the progress of the cooking set by the client (for example a C-value) and to conclude it at a later time point within the framework of a new cooking process. This would provide a cook in the cafeteria or catering operation with the advantage that a meal could be prepared almost completely at a time when there is no time pressure in the kitchen, and then at a later time point the rest of the cooking could be achieved within a very short period of time without the meal being overcooked.
From WO 01/58214 A1, a method is known for providing a predetermined final preparation of precooked meal portions. Herein using a machine-readable code applied on the packaging, a temperature and a time course are read for a final preparation process, and a final preparation appliance is adjusted correspondingly. The required profile in this case is dependent on the preparation parameters used during the pre-cooking. The final preparation parameters to be used can be determined empirically in preliminary experiments as a function of the pre-preparation state. A disadvantage here is that the client, that is, the cook in a large kitchen or in a catering operation, does not have the possibility of determining himself or herself to what degree the cooking product should be pre-cooked in the first step. Furthermore, the method does not allow to react to a change in the cooking process during pre-cooking in such a way that the final preparation will succeed in any case.
JP 63 128 969 discloses a cooking appliance in which, using a setting device, a start, an interruption and an end of the cooking process can be entered. With the aid of a program, a heating time can be determined at the beginning of a cooking process and a heating time can be determined for the case of reheating. A disadvantage here is that no percentage input can be entered by a client. Also no C-value can be used for the determination of the degree to which a food is cooked, since no core temperature sensor is provided in order to determine an internal cooking parameter in the food. It is not provided either that the food could be finish-cooked at a later time point based on an already-achieved degree of cooking, with the aid of a separate cooking process.
A process for conducting a cooking process in a cooking appliance of the above-mentioned type is known from WO 98/48679, in which, with the aid of the derivative of a cooking parameter with respect to time, the end of a cooking process can be pre-calculated in order to convert the cooking product at a defined time before the end of the cooking process with a subsequent part of the cooking process to an end state. A disadvantage here again is that the cooking process cannot be interrupted, and thus no final cooking process in which the cooking to completion of the cooking product takes place is provided that could be shifted to an arbitrary time point later. Also, input regarding the degree of cooking as a client wish is not provided for.

Method and cooking appliance for cooking according to the C-value


Methods are disclosed for sterilizing preparations of digestive enzymes to reduce the level of one or more active biological contaminants or pathogens therein, such as viruses, bacteria (including inter- and intracellular bacteria, such as mycoplasmas, ureaplasmas, nanobacteria, chlamydia, rickettsias), yeasts, molds, fungi, prions or similar agents responsible, alone or in combination, for TSEs and/or single or multicellular parasites. These methods involve sterilizing preparations of digestive enzymes, such as trypsin, xcex1-galactosidase and iduronate-2-sulfatase, with irradiation.

The present invention relates to methods for sterilizing preparations of digestive enzymes to reduce the level of one or more active biological contaminants or pathogens therein, such as viruses, bacteria (including inter- and intracellular bacteria, such as mycoplasmas, ureaplasmas, nanobacteria, chlamydia, rickettsias), yeasts, molds, fungi, prions or similar agents responsible, alone or in combination, for TSEs and/or single or multicellular parasites. The present invention particularly relates to methods of sterilizing preparations of digestive enzymes, such as trypsin, xcex1-galactosidase and iduronate 2-sulfatase, with irradiation.
The principal foods upon which an organism, such as a human, survives can be broadly categorized as carbohydrates, fats and proteins. These substances, however, are useless as nutrients without the process of digestion to break down foods.
Digestion of carbohydrates begins in the mouth and stomach. Saliva contains the enzyme ptyalin (an alpha-amylase), which hydrolyses starch into maltose and other small polymers of glucose. The pancreatic alpha-amylase is similar to the salivary ptyalin, but several times as powerful. Therefore, soon after chyme empties into the duodenum and mixes with pancreatic juice, virtually all of the starches are converted into disaccharides and small glucose polymers. These disaccharides and small glucose polymers are hydrolysed into monosaccharides by intestinal epithelial enzymes.
Digestion of proteins begins in the stomach. The enzyme pepsin, which is produced in the stomach, digests collagen, a major constituent of the intercellular connective tissue of meats. This enzymatic reaction is essential so that other digestive enzymes can penetrate meats and digest the cellular proteins. Consequently, in people who lack peptic activity in the stomach, the ingested meats are not well penetrated by these other digestive enzymes and so are poorly absorbed.
Most protein digestion results from the actions of the pancreatic proteolytic enzymes. Proteins leaving the stomach in the form of proteoses, peptones and large polypeptides are digested into dipeptides, tripeptides and the like by pancreatic proteolytic enzymes or polypeptidases. Trypsin and chymotrypsin split protein molecules into smaller polypeptides at specific peptide linkages, while carboxypolypeptidase cleaves amino acids from the carboxyl ends of polypeptides. Proelastase gives rise to elastase, which in turn digests the elastin fibers that hold together most meat.
Further digestion of polypeptides takes place in the intestinal lumen. Aminopolypeptidase and several polypeptidases split large polypeptides into dipeptides, tripeptides and amino acids, which are transported into the enterocytes that line the intestinal villi. Inside the enterocytes, other polypeptidases split the remaining peptides into their constituent amino acids, which then enter the blood.
Digestion of fats first requires emulsification by bile acids and lecithin, which increase the surface area of the fats up to 1000-fold. Because lipases are water-soluble digestive enzymes that can bind only on the surface of a fat globule, this emulsification process is important for the complete digestion of fat. The most important digestive enzyme in the digestion of triglycerides is pancreatic lipase, which breaks these down into free fatty acids and 2-monoglycerides. After these free fatty acids and monoglycerides enter the enterocytes, they are generally recombined into new triglyerides. A few monoglycerides, however, are further digested by intracellular lipases into free fatty acids.
Digestion therefore continues after the breakdown and uptake of nutrients into the various cells of the body. Intracellular enzymes, such as intracellular lipases, are involved in the uptake, breakdown, transport, storage, release, metabolism and catabolism of nutrients into forms required and useable by the cell(s) of an organism at various places and times. This includes storage of lipids and their metabolism into energy sources as well as their catabolism and synthesis into other useful compounds. Digestion may also occur as a part of an organism""s normal process(es) of tissue generation and regeneration or repair of degraded, damaged or abnormal tissue(s) or molecules. It may also be a feature of or result from apoptosis, immune reactions, infections, neoplasms and other abnormal or disease states of an organism.
Preparations of digestive enzymes are therefore often provided therapeutically to humans and animals.
For example, in cases of pancreatitis and lack of pancreatic secretion, preparations of certain pancreatic enzymes, including combinations of lipase, protease and amylase (such as Creon(trademark), Cotazym(trademark), Donnazyme(trademark), Ku-Zyme(trademark) HP, Pancrease(trademark) and Pancrease(trademark) MT, Ultrase(trademark) and Ultrase(trademark) MT, Viokase(trademark), and Zymase(trademark)) and combinations of lipase, protease, amylase and cellulase (such as Ku-Zyme(trademark) and Kutrase(trademark)), are administered to ensure proper patient nutrition. The digestive enzymes of particular interest, for example in replacement therapy in humans and animals, therefore include pancreatic digestive enzymes, such as trypsin and chymotrypsin, and functional mutants, variants and derivatives thereof.
Trypsin is an enzyme that acts to degrade protein; it is often referred to as a digestive enzyme, or proteinase. In the digestive process, trypsin acts with the other proteinases to break down dietary protein molecules to their component peptides and amino acids. Trypsin continues the process of digestion (begun in the stomach) in the small intestine where a slightly alkaline environment (about pH 8) promotes its maximal enzymatic activity. Trypsin, produced in an inactive form by the pancreas, is remarkably similar in chemical composition and in structure to the other chief pancreatic proteinase, chymotrypsin. Both enzymes also appear to have similar mechanisms of action; residues of histidine and serine are found in the active sites of both. The chief difference between the two molecules seems to be in their specificity, that is, each is active only against the peptide bonds in protein molecules that have carboxyl groups donated by certain amino acids. For trypsin these amino acids are arginine and lysine, for chymotrypsin they are tyrosine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, methionine, and leucine. Trypsin is the most discriminating of all the digestive enzymes in terms of the restricted number of chemical bonds that it will attack.
Preparations of other digestive enzymes, such as glycosidases, are likewise administered therapeutically to human patients. For example, Fabry disease is an X-linked recessive glycolipid storage disorder caused by a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme xcex1-galactosidase A. Clinical manifestations of Fabry disease included recurrent episodes severe pain and progressive renal, cardiac and cerebrovascular deterioration with death usually occurring in the fourth to sixth decade of life. Enzyme replacement therapy by infusion of a preparation of xcex1-galactosidase A has been tested and found to be a promising potential therapy for this condition (Schiffmann, et al, xe2x80x9cEnzyme Replacement Therapy in Fabry Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.xe2x80x9d JAMA, Jun. 6, 2001, Vol. 285, No. 21, pp. 2743-2749.).
Glycogen Storage Disease Type II (also known as Acid Maltase Deficiency or Pompe Disease) is another genetically transmitted storage disorder. In GSD-II, the patient suffers from a deficiency of acid maltase enzyme, which breaks down glycogen in muscle cells. Clinical manifestations of GSD-II include progressive muscle weakness due to a build up of glycogen in muscle tissues, eventually resulting in respiratory and/or cardiac failure. Preparations of glycosidases, or functional mutants or variants or derivatives thereof, are therefore also of particular interest for therapeutic use.
Niemann-Pick Disease is also a genetically transmitted metabolic disorder in which harmful quantities of a fatty substance, sphingomyelin, accumulate in the spleen, liver, lungs, bone marrow and brain. Patients suffer from a deficiency of sphingomyelinases, which initiates the biodegradation of sphinogmyelin. Clinical manifestations include enlargement of the spleen and liver, and frequently results in death, particularly for pediatric patients.
Gaucher""s Disease is a somewhat-similar genetically transmitted disorder, in which harmful quantities of another fatty substance, glucocerebroside, accumulate in the spleen, liver, lungs, bone marrow and brain. Patients suffer from a deficiency in xcex2-glucocerebrosidase, which catalyzes the first step in the biodegradation of glucocerebroside, which arises from the biodegradation of old red and white blood cells. Clinical manifestations include enlargement of the spleen and liver, low blood platelets, fatigue and, in certain forms, progressive brain damage. Enzyme replacement therapy by infusion of a preparation of a modified form of glucocerebrosidase, known as algucerase (Ceredase(trademark)) has been tested and found to be a promising potential therapy for this condition (Barton, et al., xe2x80x9cReplacement Therapy for Enzyme Deficiency: Macrophage-targeted Glucocerebrosidase for Gaucher""s Disease.xe2x80x9d New Engl. J. Med., May 23, 1991.).
Mucopolysaccharidoses are a group of inherited metabolic disorders caused by a deficiency in the lysosomal enzymes needed to break down mucopolysaccharides, long chains of sugar molecules used to build connective tissue and organs in the body. A deficiency in one or more of these enzymes cases a build up of excess amount in the body, causing progressive damage and eventual death. Among these disorders are Hurler, Scheie and Hurler/Scheie syndromes (the most severe form, occurs in infancy with death resulting before age 10 years, symptoms include clouding of the cornea and progressive physical and mental disability, caused by a deficiency in xcex1-L-iduronidase), Hunter syndrome (affects juveniles with death usually resulting by age 15 years, symptoms include joint stiffness, mental deterioration, dwarfing and progressive deafness, caused by a deficiency in iduronate-2-sulfatase), Sanfillipo syndrome (death usually occurs by late teens, symptoms include progressive dementia and mental deterioration in childhood, caused by a deficiency in heparan N-sulfatase, xcex1-N-acetylglucosaminadase, acetyl-CoA-glucosaminide acetyltransferase and/or N-acetylglucosamine-6-sulfatase), Morquio syndrome (appears in infancy, symptoms include severe dwarfing and corneal clouding, cardiac or respiratory disease may cause death in third or fourth decade of like, caused by a deficiency in galactosamine-6-sulfatase and/or xcex2-galactosidase), Maroteauz-Lamy syndrome (resembles Hurler syndrome, onset in infancy, but no mental disability, death usually occurs in second or third decade of life, caused by a deficiency in arylsulfatase B), and Sly disease (symptoms include corneal clouding, skeletal irregularities, and enlargement of the liver and spleen, caused by a deficiency in xcex2-glucuronidase). Hunter syndrome is particularly linked to a deficiency in iduronate-2-sulfatase, which catalyzes the breakdown of heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate, and it has been suggested that this condition can be treated by administration of variant forms of the enzyme (U.S. Pat. No. 6,153,188). The digestive of particular interest, for example in therapy in humans and animals, therefore also include iduronate-2-sulfatase and functional mutants, variants and derivatives thereof.
Multiple Sulfatase Deficiency (also known as Disorder of Confication 13 or Mucosulfatidosis) is another hereditary metabolic disorder characterized by impairment of all known sulfatase enzymes (including arylsulfatases A, B and C, two steroid sulfatases and four other sulfatases). Clinical manifestations include coarse facial features, deafness, an enlarged liver and spleen, abnormalities of the skeleton (including lumbar kyphosis) and dry, scaly skin (ichthyosis).
Similarly, preparations of digestive enzymes are administered to humans and animals to improve nutrition.
For example, in cases of lactose intolerance, preparations of lactase (such as Lactaid(trademark)) are administered to humans in need thereof. Lactose intolerance is characterized by gastrointestinal discomfort, including gas, bloating, crampls and diarrhea, after the consumption of milk or milk-containing products. The digestive enzymes of particular interest, for example in therapy in humans and animals, therefore also include lactase and functional mutants, variants and derivatives thereof.
Likewise, preparations of galactosidases (such as Beano(trademark) or Nutritek(trademark) Alpha Galactosidase) are administered to humans in need thereof. Such products improve digestion of sugars found in foods including legumes and cruciferous vegetables and reduce effects generally associated with the foods, such as gas and bloating.
Preparations of digestive enzymes that are prepared for human, veterinary, diagnostic and/or experimental use may contain unwanted and potentially dangerous biological contaminants or pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria (including inter- and intracellular bacteria, such as mycoplasmas, ureaplasmas, nanobacteria, chlamydia, rickettsias), yeasts, molds, fungi, prions or similar agents responsible, alone or in combination, for TSEs and/or single or multicellular parasites. Consequently, it is of utmost importance that any biological contaminant in the preparation be inactivated before the product is used. This is especially critical when the preparation is to be administered directly to a patient, for example in human therapy corrected or treated by intravenous, intramuscular or other forms of injection. This is also critical for the various preparations that are prepared in media or via culture of cells or recombinant cells which contain various types of plasma and/or plasma derivatives or other biological materials or are used to prepare biological materials for human use and which may be subject to mycoplasma, prion, bacterial, viral and/or other biological contaminants or pathogens.
Most procedures for producing preparations of digestive enzymes have involved methods that screen or test the preparation for one or more particular biological contaminants or pathogens rather than removal or inactivation of the contaminant(s) and/or pathogen(s) from the preparation. Preparations that test positive for a biological contaminant or pathogen are merely not used. Examples of screening procedures include the testing for a particular virus in human blood from blood donors. Such procedures, however, are not always reliable and are not able to detect the presence of certain viruses, particularly in very low numbers, and in the case of as yet unknown viruses or other contaminants or pathogens that may be in blood. This reduces the value or certainty of the test in view of the consequences associated with a false negative result. False negative results can be life threatening in certain cases, for example in the case of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Furthermore, in some instances it can take weeks, if not months, to determine whether or not the preparation is contaminated. Therefore, it would be desirable to apply techniques that would kill or inactivate biological contaminants and pathogens during and/or after manufacturing the preparation of digestive enzymes.
In conducting experiments to determine the ability of technologies to inactivate viruses, the actual viruses of concern are seldom utilized. This is a result of safety concerns for the workers conducting the tests, and the difficulty and expense associated with the containment facilities and waste disposal. In their place, model viruses of the same family and class are used.
In general, it is acknowledged that the most difficult viruses to inactivate are those with an outer shell made up of proteins, and that among these, the most difficult to inactivate are those of the smallest size. This has been shown to be true for gamma irradiation and most other forms of radiation as these viruses"" diminutive size is associated with a small genome. The magnitude of direct effects of radiation upon a molecule are directly proportional to the size of the molecule, that is the larger the target molecule, the greater the effect. As a corollary, it has been shown for gamma-irradiation that the smaller the viral genome, the higher the radiation dose required to inactive it.
Among the viruses of concern for both human and animal-derived preparations, the smallest, and thus most difficult to inactivate, belong to the family of Parvoviruses and the slightly larger protein-coated Hepatitis virus. In humans, the Parvovirus B19, and Hepatitis A are the agents of concern. In porcine-derived materials, the smallest corresponding virus is Porcine Parvovirus. Since this virus is harmless to humans, it is frequently chosen as a model virus for the human B19 Parvovirus. The demonstration of inactivation of this model parvovirus is considered adequate proof that the method employed will kill human B19 virus and Hepatitis A, and by extension, that it will also kill the larger and less hardy viruses such as HIV, CMV, Hepatitis B and C and others.
More recent efforts have focussed on methods to remove or inactivate contaminants in the products. Such methods include heat treating, filtration and the addition of chemical inactivants or sensitizers to the product.
Heat treatment requires that the product be heated to approximately 60xc2x0 C. for about 70 hours which can be damaging to sensitive products. In some instances, heat inactivation can actually destroy 50% or more of the biological activity of the product.
Filtration involves filtering the product in order to physically remove contaminants. Unfortunately, this method may also remove products that have a high molecular weight. Further, in certain cases, small viruses and similarly sized contaminants and pathogens, such as prions, may not be removed by the filter.
The procedure of chemical sensitization involves the addition of noxious agents which bind to the DNA/RNA of the virus and which are activated either by UV or other radiation. This radiation produces reactive intermediates and/or free radicals which bind to the DNA/RNA of the virus, break the chemical bonds in the backbone of the DNA/RNA, and/or cross-link or complex it in such a way that the virus can no longer replicate. This procedure requires that unbound sensitizer is washed from products since the sensitizers are toxic, if not mutagenic or carcinogenic, and cannot be administered to a patient.
Irradiating a product with gamma radiation is another method of sterilizing a product. Gamma radiation is effective in destroying viruses and bacteria when given in high total doses (Keathly et al, xe2x80x9cIs There Life After Irradiation? Part 2,xe2x80x9d BioPharm July-August, 1993, and Leitman, USe of Blood Cell Irradiation in the Prevention of Post Transfusion Graft-vs-Host Disease,xe2x80x9d Transfusion Science 10:219-239 (1989)). The published literature in this area, however, teaches that gamma radiation can be damaging to radiation sensitive products, such as blood, blood products, enzymes, protein and protein-containing products. In particular, it has been shown that high radiation doses are injurious to red cells, platelets and granulocytes (Leitman). U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,908 discloses that protein products must be frozen prior to irradiation in order to maintain the viability of the protein product. This patent concludes that xe2x80x9c[i]f the gamma irradiation were applied while the protein material was at, for example, ambient temperature, the material would be also completely destroyed, that is the activity of the material would be rendered so low as to be virtually ineffectivexe2x80x9d. Unfortunately, many sensitive biological materials, such as monoclonal antibodies (Mab), may lose viability and activity if subjected to freezing for irradiation purposes and then thawing prior to administration to a patient.
In view of the difficulties discussed above, there remains a need for methods of sterilizing preparations of one or more digestive enzymes that are effective for reducing the level of active biological contaminants or pathogens without an adverse effect on the preparation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide methods of sterilizing preparations of digestive enzymes by reducing the level of active biological contaminants or pathogens without adversely effecting the preparation. Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the detailed description of preferred embodiments that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention. These objects and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the compositions and methods particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof.
In accordance with these and other objects, a first embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a preparation of one or more digestive enzymes that is sensitive to radiation comprising irradiating the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes with radiation for a time effective to sterilize the material at a rate effective to sterilize the material and to protect the material from radiation.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a preparation of one or more digestive enzymes that is sensitive to radiation comprising: (i) adding to a preparation of one or more digestive enzymes at least one stabilizer in an amount effective to protect the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes from radiation; and (ii) irradiating the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes with radiation at an effective rate for a time effective to sterilize the material.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a preparation of one or more digestive enzymes that is sensitive to radiation comprising: (i) reducing the residual solvent content of a preparation of one or more digestive enzymes to a level effective to protect the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes from radiation; and (ii) irradiating the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes with radiation at an effective rate for a time effective to sterilize the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a preparation of one or more digestive enzymes that is sensitive to radiation comprising: (i) reducing the temperature of a preparation of one or more digestive enzymes to a level effective to protect the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes from radiation; and (ii) irradiating the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes with radiation at an effective rate for a time effective to sterilize the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a preparation of one or more digestive enzymes that is sensitive to radiation comprising: (i) applying to the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes a stabilizing process selected from the group consisting of: (a) reducing the residual solvent content of a preparation of one or more digestive enzymes, (b) adding to the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes at least one stabilizer, and (c) reducing the temperature of the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes; and (ii) irradiating the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes with radiation at an effective rate for a time effective to sterilize the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes, wherein the stabilizing process and the rate of irradiation are together effective to protect the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes from radiation.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a preparation of one or more digestive enzymes that is sensitive to radiation comprising: (i) applying to the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes at least two stabilizing processes selected from the group consisting of: (a) reducing the residual solvent content of a preparation of one or more digestive enzymes, (b) adding to the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes at least one stabilizer, and (c) reducing the temperature of the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes; and (ii) irradiating the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes with radiation at an effective rate for a time effective to sterilize the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes, wherein the stabilizing processes may be performed in any order and are together effective to protect the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes from radiation.
The invention also provides a biological composition comprising at least one preparation of one or more digestive enzymes and a least one stabilizer in an amount effective to preserve the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes for its intended use following sterilization with radiation.
The invention also provides a biological composition comprising at least one preparation of one or more digestive enzymes in which the residual solvent content has been reduced to a level effective to preserve the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes for its intended use following sterilization with radiation.
The invention also provides a biological composition comprising at least one preparation of one or more digestive enzymes and at least one stabilizer in which the residual solvent content has been reduced and wherein the amount of stabilizer and level of residual solvent content are together effective to preserve the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes for its intended use following sterilization with radiation.
The invention also provides a biological composition comprising at least one preparation of one or more digestive enzymes wherein the total protein concentration of the preparation is effective to preserve the preparation of one or more digestive enzymes for its intended use following sterilization with radiation.

Methods for sterilizing preparations of digestive enzymes