A cotton receiving and densification apparatus for an upper region of a cotton module builder adapted for receiving a plurality of side-by-side flows of cotton and air and converging and densifying the cotton for distribution and conveyance downwardly into the module builder, including a cotton receiving chamber which tapers into a cotton densification chamber, both chambers being located above and downwardly opening into an upper region of a cotton compacting chamber of the module builder, the apparatus being capable of remaining intact when the module builder is collapsed for transport and storage.

Presently, when harvesting cotton, in many instances, it is desirable to harvest as many rows of cotton plants as possible during a pass of a harvesting machine through a field of cotton plants. It is now common for as many as 6 rows of plants to be simultaneously picked from both sides. Typically, a cotton harvesting machine includes a plurality of side-by-side ducts extending from the picker units of the harvesting apparatus to an inlet opening of a cotton receiver. Some cotton receivers are baskets and may, or may not, include apparatus for compacting cotton received therein to some extent. Typically, such baskets have an overall width which is about equal to the maximum allowed width of a vehicle for unescorted travel over public roads, which is about 12 feet in the USA. The ducts extending in side-by-side relation from the picker units are typically positioned to propel flows of cotton and air through an elongate inlet opening extending across all or much of the sideward extent of the upper front end of the basket. Thus, the overall sideward extent of the plurality of side-by-side ducts at their interface with the cotton receiving basket can be about equal to, or only marginally smaller than, the sideward extent of the upper region of the basket itself, for side-by-side flows of cotton into the basket. The flows of air from the ducts are typically strong enough to carry at least some of the cotton through the upper region of the basket into a rear region of the interior thereof. The basket can include cotton compacting and distributing apparatus therein, such as a frame carrying one or more augers rotatable in one or both rotational directions for distributing the cotton within a lower region of the basket, to the extent desired or required. Typically, when a cotton basket is filled to its capacity with cotton, the cotton is unloaded into another basket or other device for transport to a storage location or a gin. A common disadvantage of cotton baskets is that the cotton is not densely compacted, such that, when unloaded, it is not in a unitary, free standing state, and therefore, requires further handling which is not as efficient both costwise and timewise.
More recently, cotton harvesting machines have been equipped with cotton receivers known as cotton module builders, and also cotton packagers, which receive the cotton from the plurality of side-by-side ducts, and include compacting and distributing apparatus operable for compacting the cotton in a cotton compacting chamber of the module builder or packager into a cohesive, unitary body or module of compacted cotton. Herein, the terms module builder and packager are to be interpreted interchangeably. The cotton distributing and compacting apparatus typically includes at least one auger rotatable for conveying cotton through the compactor and distributing the cotton in a desired manner or pattern within the module building chamber. Such a cotton module can be unloaded from the module builder onto the ground or another surface in a free standing, unitary state, for storage and eventual transport to a gin for processing. Typically, such cotton modules have dimensions including a length of about 16 feet, and a width at the bottom and height of between about 7 and 9 feet. A completed cotton module can have a weight of up to about 11,000 pounds. It has been found to be desirable for the upper region of a cotton compacting chamber to have a sideward extent which is substantially less than that of a completed module, such that the upper portion of a module compacted in the chamber will have a corresponding smaller sideward extent. Then, when the module is removed from the chamber, due to springiness of the compacted cotton, the upper region of the module typically expands sidewardly, such that the module will have a more rectangular shape.
As a result, it has been found to be desirable for the cotton compacting chamber of a cotton module builder to have opposing side walls which taper convergingly from a floor in the chamber to an upper region of the chamber into which the cotton is received from the side-by-side plurality of ducts. The sideward extent or width of the cotton compacting chamber at the upper end can possibly be as small as from about 3 to about 6 feet for forming a module having a base width of about 7 to 9 feet. It is desirable to have as large as possible width available for the side-by-side array of ducts delivering cotton to the upper region of the cotton module builder, for instance, up to the maximum width of a machine for travel over public roads receiving basket, or about 12 feet, such that disassembly, folding or the like, of the ducts is not required for travel over public roads. As a result, a disparity can exist between the sideward extent of the incoming flows of air and cotton, which will be equal to the sideward extent of the array of ducts, and the possible sideward extent of the upper region of the cotton receiving chamber through which the cotton is to pass enroute to the chamber.
Still further, it is desirable for cotton harvesters including module builders to have a height or upward extent in an operational mode which is significantly greater than that which is allowed for travel over public roads, but not so great so as to pose a danger of tipping. Therefore, a cotton module builder typically must be vertically collapsible from an operational height to a storage or travel height. Presently, known cotton module builders include an upper module builder structure which is telescopically movable upwardly and downwardly relative to a lower module builder structure, for configuring in an operational mode, and in a travel or storage mode. When placing the module builder in the travel or storage mode, it is desirable that any cotton receiving and densification structure not require time consuming assembly, disassembly, folding or unfolding.
Thus, what is sought is cotton receiving and densification apparatus for a cotton module builder, which provides the advantages and overcomes one or more of the problems and shortcomings set forth above.

Cotton receiving and densification apparatus for a cotton module builder of a cotton harvesting machine


A combination capable of providing all of the functions of a ground heater and a pressure washer in a more economical, convenient and effective manner by employing and engine, as pump, a generator, a burner, a boiler, a water tank, a float tank, a ground heater hose and reel, and a pressure washer hose and reel all mounted on a skid or trailer.

This invention relates to an improved assembly of components that collectively are capable of performing several functions including those of a pressure washer and a ground heater.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Ground heaters are primarily used to heat frozen ground in preparation for laying concrete. They can also be used to accelerate the curing of concrete in cold weather. For such purposes they usually employ a pump, a heating system for water, a large water tank and a long hose stored on a reel and rely on an outside source of electrical power to operate. The hose is generally spread snake like over the ground or fresh concrete for thawing or curing. In temperate climates ground heaters can be used only during the winter months, usually as little as two months out of a year. Since they generally cost tens of thousands of dollars, they represent a very large investment for something that lays idle for most of the year. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,964,402 and 6,408,843 disclose and claim an improved portable ground heating equipment or components thereof but do not address the desirability of increasing the versatility and economy of the dedicated equipment tied up in ground heaters.
Similarly pressure washers are primarily used for washing all sorts of surfaces, structures and equipment and, although they often lay idle for long periods of time, their usage is less limited by weather especially if they employ a heating system. The more sophisticated units can employ an engine, a pump, a generator, a heating system, a water tank of some sort and a relatively short hose with a pressure wand.
It is not uncommon for builders to transport and use both ground heaters and pressure washers of some type at the same building site at about the same time for their independent uses.
The present invention resulted from the astute observation that by combining some of the basic components of ground heaters and pressure washers in modified form the capabilities of both ground heaters and pressure washers could be retained and even improved. It was also observed that equipment with the capabilities of pressure washers and ground heaters are often useful to the same people under similar circumstances, especially by builders at building sites. Thus pumps, water and fuel tanks, heating systems and platforms or trailers are common to both. To the extent that the components differ they are compatible and, when optimized and used for both purposes, add to the utility and economy of each component as well as the combination. Thus pressure washers are inter alia useful to (1) wash buildings, cars, trucks, heavy equipment, buildings, decks, and surfaces of all kinds; (2) perform hydrostatic testing; (3) do sand blasting; (4) do water jet drain cleaning; and (5) clean industrial plants. Ground heaters can thaw frozen ground, cure concrete, act as temporary boilers; and, in combination with space heaters, heat buildings and/or rooms.
It is an object of this invention to provide one integrated assembly of components which will inter alia perform all of the functions of a pressure washer and a ground heater more economically, more effectively and more conveniently than the pressure washer and ground heater employed separately. It is also an object of this invention to provide equipment for use by builders on site year-round and not just for the cold two or three months of the year. It is a further object of this invention to make more efficient and extensive use of those parts of pressure washers and ground heaters that are common to both.
The foregoing objectives can be accomplished essentially by the addition of a ground heater hose and reel and a large water tank to the components of a pressure washer equipped with a heating system with sufficient capacity for use in a ground heater and preferably a positive displacement pump. In addition the controls, connections and platform on which the entire assembly is mounted are added in modified form to accommodate all of the functions and components of the resulting pressure washer/ground heater.
The ground heater function generally requires more hose and a correspondingly larger reel to store the hose than the pressure washer. Rather than use the same reel and hose for both pressure washer and ground heater uses, it has proven necessary to provide separate reels and hoses for each type of use. A ground heater hose must be capable of withstanding both the high temperatures required for ground heating and the additional abuse likely to be encountered by hose spread over the ground at a building site where mobile heavy equipment is commonplace and can accidentally run over the hose. Since long lengths of hose are often required for heating large ground areas, a large electrically powered reel is highly desirable to store, extend and retract the hose.
A much shorter hose capable of withstanding high pressures (e.g. 3000 psi compared to 150 psi for a ground heater) on a smaller, manually operated reel is generally acceptable for pressure washer use.
A large water tank is a necessity to fill a long ground heater hose and can be useful on occasion for pressure washer use. Likewise provision must be made in the construction of the combination to allow for the use of the combination for any of the basic uses of ground heaters and pressure washers. Thus the water must be capable of delivery to the ground heater hose separately and alternatively from the pressure washer hose. Although ground heater uses always require heated water containing antifreeze (e.g. propylene glycol), pressure washer uses may or may not employ heated water always without antifreeze. A float tank adapted for connection to an outside source of water is also a useful component for pressure washer use, especially during the winter when the main water tank contains antifreeze which is not suitable for pressure washer use. Special connections are required not only to facilitate separation of the two sources and types of water but also to accommodate the large variation in the pressure with which the water is delivered for the two separate uses.
An ordinary garden hose can be employed to connect the float tank to an outside source of water. The outlet from the float tank is connected to one inlet of a three way valve. The outlet from the main water tank is connected to the other inlet of the three way valve. The outlet from the three way valve is connected to the pump. The operator can thereby connect the pump to either source of water. The pump then forces the water through the water heater, preferably a water tube boiler, to an outlet to which either the ground heater hose or the pressure washer hose can be connected. A manual connection is preferred because presently available commercial valves would have difficulty handling the high pressures (e.g., 3000 psi) often employed for pressure washer use.
It is also highly desirable to splice a safety relief valve in the conduit between the pump and the boiler to prevent the lower pressure hose used for ground heating (e.g. 150 psi) from bursting in the event the ground heater hose is accidentally pinched or constricted. If that should happen the valve would simply prevent the water from reaching the boiler and would instead redirect the water back into the water tank.
The combination can also be modified so that the ground heater hose can be directed to a space heater to heat rooms or buildings at a building site after it has passed through the ground heating hose and before it returns to the storage tank. This increases the usefulness of the combination of the present invention at substantially no additional cost to heat a building or room.
A third small manually operated hose reel can advantageously be added to the combination of this invention to store, extend and retract an ordinary garden hose which can be connected to any outside source of water to fill the large storage tank, especially on site.
Ground heaters often require a separate source of electricity to power their pump and burner reducing their flexibility for use at sites where a power source is not available. The combination of this invention generates its own power and thereby avoids this problem. Since a ground heater is used to thaw frozen ground in winter months, it is necessary to use antifreeze in the water in appropriate concentrations for the temperature conditions encountered. Propylene glycol is the preferred antifreeze, especially since it is biodegradable and therefore environmentally friendly if spillage occurs for any reason.
Although individual components are optimized for combined use, the present invention essentially transforms components normally found in a pressure washer with a heating system into a ground heater/pressure washer by combining standard components of existing ground heaters, primarily ground heater hose and reel and a large water tank, to a modified pressure washer in a novel way on a suitable platform. Additional components and unique connections between the components complete the invention. Although a large holding tank for antifreeze containing water is most preferred for ground heater use, other liquids such as those containing detergents could be employed especially for pressure washer use.


This invention relates to a manufacturing method for a recording medium or a recording head characterized in improving the slide ability of a surface of a recording medium or a recording head, and improvement or their durability by forming a monomolecular film made from silane surfactants on the surface of a recording medium or a head by direct or indirect chemisorption.

This invention relates to a manufacturing method of a magnetic medium such as a magnetic recording medium or a recording head, in more detail, relates to a method of forming a protection film for a recording layer of a magnetic recording mediums such as a magnetic tape, magnetic disc, magnetic card or an optical magnetic recording disc.
Also, it relates to a method of forming a protection film on recording part of a recording head such as a magnetic recording head for a VTR that records analog or digital signals or for a magnetic disc that records or erases digital or analog signals, or an optical magnetic recording head for an optical magnetic recording medium.
Magnetic recording mediums have so far been classified in two types, i.e. coating type and vacuum deposition type.
The method of coating type is to liquidize a mixture of magnetic powder of .gamma.-Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 added with Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 or Co in a mixture of polyvinyl-butylal, toluene, methylisobutyl, etc. and coat them on the surface of the body of the medium in the thickness of 4-5 .mu.m.
By this method, manufacture was easy but there was some limit in making the magnetic powder into fine particles, and therefore the performance was not good enough for high density recording.
On the other hand, in the case of deposition method, the recording density is better than the coating method, but, there is a weakness in durability because the magnetic metal layer is exposed. Accordingly, overcoating is applied to 1000-2000 .ANG. metal which is vacuum-evaporated by electron beam or spattering depositation technique, and some lubricant is applied to the magnetic recording medium to give lubricity. Nevertheless, sufficient durability has not been achieved as yet. In addition, as the overcoating and lubricity can not be applied thinly and uniformly, the gap between the recording layer and the head becomes larger, thus the high density-recording can not be obtained the vacuum evaporation and deposition technique.
As to recording heads, in manufacturing recording heads for conventional VTRs, floppy discs, and the like, such methods are generally used that a magnetic film is formed by deposition on the surface of a body of ceramics, another ceramic layer is placed thereon and the portion thereof that contacts the medium is cut after grinding, and special surface treatment was not made for abrasion-resistance, though grinding at the portion contacting the medium was made. The abrasion-resistance was improved merely by changing the ceramic materials alone.
As a result, conventional recording heads have been apt to damage recording mediums, be very abrasive, and be less reliable.
In view of the faults of the conventional methods mentioned above, the purpose of this invention is to provide a method to form a lubricant layer on a surface of a recording medium or on a recording head thinly and uniformly, without pinholes, to improve the reliability of a recording medium, to realize high density recording, to reduce damage by a head to a recording medium, as well as to improve the reliability of a recording head itself.

Manufacturing method for a recording medium or a recording head

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A structural assembly for electric scooter includes a seat mount and a treadboard support. The structural assembly utilizes hook portions on a connecting plate of the treadboard support to hook onto a stud shaft below a joining plate of the seat mount, and further utilizes embed pieces with compression springs disposed therein to be configured in the connecting plate to embed within fixing holes defined in the joining plate of the seat mount, and thereby complete rapid assemblage of the scooter. Furthermore, a triangular notch is defined in a push plate, and inclined sides of the triangular notch are so configured to function in coordination with inclined edges of wedge-shaped slots formed in upper portion of embed pieces, and thus control of extension or retraction of the embed pieces is effectuated by means of sliding coordination of the inclined sides and the inclined edges.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structural assembly for electric scooter, and more particularly to the structural assembly that applies a wedge sliding principle, which thereby enables a treadboard support of the scooter to rapidly hook onto a seat mount assembly.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Because physical size of a body of a conventional electric scooter is huge, thus space utilization ratio occupied by storage or packaging and boxing is high. Furthermore, structural configuration of the scooter is such that a treadboard and scooter body and a seat are all welded together to form a single unit. Hence, upon a certain structural member malfunctioning or becoming damaged, the entire unit is necessarily sent for repair, which thus increases inconvenience of transportation packaging and maintenance.
Hence, focus of attention of the present invention is the intention to resolve the problem of simplifying disassembly of structural members in order to facilitate maintenance and repair, while simultaneously giving consideration to a necessary requirement for rapid assembly.

Structural assembly for electric scooter


A VCM power driver having an input for receiving an external supply voltage VDD. A voltage-mode driver is coupled to the power supply voltage and generates a drive signal to a load. A system processor generates commands indicating a programmed voltage output desired from the voltage-mode driver. A comparator compares VDD to a reference voltage to generate an error signal. A combination mechanism generates a modified command using the error signal. The modified commands are coupled to the voltage-mode driver, such that the voltage-mode driver generates a voltage output based upon the modified command.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to driver circuits, and, more particularly, to systems and methods for compensating for supply voltage variations to a switched voltage-mode VCM (Voice Coil Motor) power drivers in which an important system variable is controlling the current level in the load.
2. Relevant Background
Switched power driver circuits are widely used to generate power suitable for driving loads such as motors. Switched power drivers turn on and off repetitively to supply regulated current in an efficient manner (i.e., with minimal switching loss). Switched power driver circuits are associated with driver circuits that control, for example, the magnitude by means of the duty cycle of the on and off cycles so as to supply a desired amount of power to a load. In a typical application, a power driver circuit is controlled by a VCM system processor, often implemented as a microcontroller IC, that generates commands to the driver circuit. The driver circuit essentially turns on and off in response to the received commands. When on, the driver circuit supplies current to the load, and when off, the driver circuit cuts off current supply to the load.
VCM loads are permanent magnet motors, making their behavior (e.g., speed and direction) related to the magnitude and polarity of the current supplied. For precision motor control applications such as required in disk drive storage systems, unexpected variation in this magnitude can lead to positioning errors and slower performance. For example, the typical application involves control of a voice coil motor (VCM) that controls position of a head assembly with respect to a disk surface in a hard disk drive. Transient variations in the load current translate into position errors. The disk drive system must compensate for the errors by waiting for the transient condition to subside before writing or reading data from the desired location.
In the case of the driver for a VCM in a disk drive, a typical circuit topology is one that is termed a xe2x80x9cCurrent Minor Loopxe2x80x9d (CML). This refers to a feedback circuit that generates a signal that is proportional to or indicative of the current magnitude in the load. The xe2x80x9cminorxe2x80x9d loop refers to localized feedback in the driver circuit in contrast to the xe2x80x9cmajorxe2x80x9d loop that controls the head position. The current in the load is sensed by an external current sense resistor, for example, that is coupled in series with the load. This resistor is typically a high precision power resistor that is relatively expensive.
The voltage across the resistor is brought into a control IC through an additional pin. This sense voltage is amplified by a special, high CMRR (Common Mode Rejection Ratio) amplifier. This amplifier can be expensive in terms of development costs and added die area. The control IC executes commands that specify a voltage value corresponding to a desired current level. The measured current sense voltage is compared to the requested current command value and a corrected command value is applied to the power drivers to obtain a load current that is proportional to command value. This extra IC pin required to port in the resistor voltage is not desirable in highly integrated circuits due to an increase in package cost. Moreover, the extra IC pin displaces other functionality that could be implemented using the pin. The current sense amplifier also adds cost. When the supply voltage (i.e., the voltage supplied to the voltage-mode driver circuit) varies, the action of the feedback loop eventually maintains the proper current in the load. As higher levels of circuit integration are desired and the reduction of external components and pins is desirable due to cost and circuit area constraints, the CML topology is undesirable.
One method of creating a topology that eliminates the need for the external current sense resistor, additional pin, and current sense amplifier, is a voltage-mode driver. Voltage mode power drivers refer to a class of control circuits that regulate the output voltage as opposed to output current. Voltage mode drivers are desirable because they require fewer device I/O pins to monitor and regulate the supplied power. A switched voltage-mode VCM power driver would not sense the current in the load and therefore would have no means to correct for supply variation. This supply variation in a switched voltage mode drive directly affects the average voltage to the load.
While voltage and current in an inductive load are related, a voltage-mode driver regulates current in the inductive load indirectly by regulating the applied voltage. In this case, the average voltage output of the driver is proportional to the command value. When the mode of operation of the driver is linear or continuous, the output average voltage value can be sensed and used to correct for the variation of supply voltage in a feedback method similar to the CML, but without the external current sense resistor and extra pin.
Another alternative is to use a switched mode driver technique. Switched mode drivers are also known as pulse width modulation (PWM), phase shift modulation (PSM) and other names. Switched-mode drivers can be implemented as current-mode (i.e., use the current minor loop) or as voltage-mode drivers. These switched mode drivers have the advantage of reducing the power dissipation to the driver devices and therefore allow smaller devices and packages.
In a VCM driver that is switched mode and voltage mode the resulting output current to the load is directly proportional to the supply voltage. For example, for a fixed input command, the resulting load current when the supply voltage has dropped 10% is also 10% lower than the current would be at nominal VDD levels. It is desirable to correct for this variation in supply voltage level since this affects the gain and bandwidth in the servo loops. This affects the performance (e.g., tracking accuracy and settling time) of the device in which the driver is being used. The command to the power driver is updated at a rate that is matched to the feedback information rate of the system. In a disk drive this is the servo sector rate. This rate is too slow to effectively correct for supply variation between servo sectors. It is preferable that the driver correct for power supply variations at a much faster rate.
Briefly stated, the present invention involves a power driver having an input for receiving an external supply voltage VDD. A voltage-mode driver is coupled to the power supply voltage and generates a drive signal to a load. A system processor generates commands indicating a programmed voltage output desired from the voltage-mode driver. A comparator (or difference calculation method) compares VDD to a reference voltage to generate an error signal. A combination mechanism generates a modified command using the error signal. The modified commands are coupled to the voltage-mode driver, such that the voltage-mode driver generates a voltage output based upon the modified command.
In another aspect, the present invention involves a method of driving a VCM load. A power supply provides a voltage VDD. A voltage-mode driver is coupled to this power supply and generating a drive signal to a load. Commands indicating a programmed voltage output desired from the voltage-mode driver are generated. VDD is compared to a reference voltage to generate an error signal. The commands are modified using the error signal to produce a modified command and supplied to the voltage-mode driver. The voltage output is generated from the voltage-mode driver based upon the modified command.

Supply variance compensation method for switched voltage mode voice coil motor driver circuit


A method for demodulating alternate binary offset carrier signals includes at least two subcarriers, each having an in-phase and a quadrature component modulated by pseudo-random codes. The quadrature components are modulated by dataless pilot signals. The in-phase components are modulated by data signals. The method includes converting the alternate binary offset carrier signals into an intermediate frequency, band-pass filtering the converted signals and sampling the filtered signals, generating a carrier phase and carrier phase-rotating the sampled signals by the carrier phase, correlating the rotated sampled signals, and generating, for each subcarrier, pseudo-random binary codes and a subcarrier phase, which are used to correlate the rotated sampled signals.

The present invention relates generally to Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers and, in particular, to receivers that operate with Galileo alternate binary offset carrier (AltBOC) satellite signals.
Global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers, such as Galileo receivers, determine their global position based on signals received from orbiting GNSS satellites. The GNSS satellites transmit signals using at least one carrier, each carrier being modulated by at least a binary pseudorandom (PRN) code, which consists of a seemingly random sequence of ones and zeros that is periodically repeated. The ones and zeros in the PRN code are referred to as "code chips" and the transitions in the code from one to zero or zero to one, which occur at "code chip times" are referred to as "code chip transitions". Each GNSS satellite uses a unique PRN code, and thus, a GNSS receiver can associate a received signal with a particular satellite by determining which PRN code is included in the signal.
The GNSS receiver calculates the difference between the time a satellite transmits its signal and the time that the receiver receives the signal. The receiver then calculates its distance, or "pseudo-range" from the satellite based on the associated time difference. Using the pseudo-ranges from at least four satellites, the receiver determines its global position.
To determine the time difference, the GNSS receiver synchronizes a locally generated PRN code with the PRN code in the received signal by aligning the code chips in each of the codes. The GNSS receiver then determines how much the locally-generated PRN code is shifted in time from the known timing of the satellite PRN code at the time of transmission, and calculates the associated pseudo-range. The more closely the GNSS receiver aligns the locally-generated PRN code with the PRN code in the received signal, the more precisely the GNSS receiver can determine the associated time difference and pseudo-range and, in turn, its global position.
The code synchronization operations include acquisition of the satellite PRN code and tracking the code. To acquire the PRN code, the GNSS receiver generally makes a series of correlation measurements that are separated in time by a code chip. After acquisition, the GNSS receiver tracks the received code. The GNSS receiver generally makes "Early-Minus-Late" correlation measurements, i.e., measurements of the difference between (i) a correlation measurement associated with the PRN code in the received signal and an early version of the locally-generated PRN code, and (ii) a correlation measurement associated with the PRN code in the received signal and a late version of the local PRN code. The GNSS receiver then uses the early-minus-late measurements in a delay lock loop (DLL), which produces an error signal that is proportional to the misalignment between the local and the received PRN codes. The error signal is used, in turn, to control the PRN code generator, which shifts the local PRN code essentially to minimize the DLL error signal.
The GNSS receiver also typically aligns the satellite carrier with a local carrier using correlation measurements associated with a punctual version of the local PRN code. To do this the receiver uses a carrier tracking phase lock loop (PLL).
The European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA) are developing a GNSS known as Galileo. Galileo satellites will transmit two signals in the E5a band (about 1176.45 MHz) and two signals in the E5b band (about 1207.14 MHz) as a composite signal with a center frequency of about 1191.795 MHz and a bandwidth of at least 70 MHz, using a AltBOC modulation. The generation of the AltBOC signal is described in the document of the Galileo Signal Task Force of the European Commission "Status of Galileo Frequency and Signal Design", G. W. Hein, J. Godet, J. L. Issler, J. C. Martin, P. Erhard, R. Lucas-Rodriguez and T. Pratt, 25 Sep. 2002, published at the following address: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/energy_transport/galileo/documents/technical_en.htm. Like the GPS satellites, the Galileo satellites each transmit unique PRN codes and a Galileo receiver can thus associate a received signal with a particular satellite. Accordingly, the Galileo receiver determines respective pseudo-ranges based on the difference between the times the satellites transmit the signals and then times the receiver receives the AltBOC signals.
A standard linear offset carrier (LOC) modulates a time domain signal by a sine wave sin(ω0t), which shifts the frequency of the signal to both an upper sideband and a corresponding lower sideband. The BOC modulation accomplishes the frequency shift using a square wave, or sign(sin(ω0t)), and is generally denoted as BOC(fs, fc), where fs is the subcarrier (square wave) frequency and fc is the spreading code chipping rate. The factors of 1.023 MHz are usually omitted from the notation for clarity so a BOC (15.345 MHz, 10.23 MHz) modulation is denoted BOC (15,10).
The modulation of a time domain signal by a complex exponential ejω0t shifts the frequency of the signal to the upper sideband only. The goal of the AltBOC modulation is to generate in a coherent manner the E5a and E5b bands, which are respectively modulated by complex exponentials, or subcarriers, such that the signals can be received as a wideband "BOC-like signal". The E5a and E5b bands each have associated in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) spreading, or PRN, codes, with the E5a codes shifted to the lower sideband and the E5b codes shifted to the upper sideband. The respective E5a and E5b quadrature carriers are modulated by dataless pilot signals, and the respective in-phase carriers are modulated by both PRN codes and data signals.
The AltBOC modulation offers the advantage that the E5a (I and Q) and E5b (I and Q) signals can be processed independently as traditional BPSK(10) (Binary Phase-Shift Keying) signals, or together, leading to tremendous performances in terms of tracking noise and multipath.
For the derivation of the demodulation principle of the AltBOC modulation, it is sufficient to approximate the base-band AltBOC signal by its AltLOC (Alternate Linear Offset Carrier) counterpart:s(t)=d1(t)·c1(t)·ejωst+d2(t)·c2(t)·e−jωst+c3(t)·ej(ωst+π/2)+c4(t)·e−j(ωst−π/2)  (1)                where:        c1(t) is the PRN code of the E5b-data component (E5bI) and d1(t) is the corresponding bit modulation;        c2(t) is the PRN code of the E5a-data component (E5aI) and d2(t) is the corresponding bit modulation;        c3(t) is the PRN code of the E5b-pilot component (E5bQ);        c4(t) is the PRN code of the E5a-pilot component (E5aQ);        the exponential factors represent the subcarrier modulation of E5a and E5b;        ωs is the side-band offset pulsation: ωs=2πfs, with fs=15.345 MHz.
In reality, s(t) contains additional product terms and the subcarrier exponentials are quantized. This effect will not be explicitly included in the equations for the sake of clarity. s(t) is modulated on the E5 carrier at 1191.795 MHz.
Most previous publications present AltBOC from a satellite payload perspective, i.e., from a transmitter viewpoint. The receiver side processing has received very little attention so far.
The publication "Comparison of AWGN Code Tracking Accuracy for Alternative-BOC, Complex-LOC and Complex-BOC Modulation Options in Galileo E5-Band, M. Soellner and Ph. Erhard, GNSS 2003, April 2003, discloses the principle of a AltBOC receiver architecture for tracking the AltBOC pilot component, as shown in FIG. 1.
In FIG. 1, the AltBOC receiver receives over an antenna 1 a signal that includes AltBOC composite codes transmitted by all of the satellites that are in view. The received signal is applied to a RF/IF stage 2 that, in a conventional manner, converts the received signal RF to an intermediate frequency IF signal that has a frequency which is compatible with the other components of the receiver, filters the IF signal through a IF band-pass filter that has a band-pass at the desired center carrier frequency, and samples the filtered IF signal at a rate that satisfies the Nyquist theorem so as to produce corresponding digital in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) signal samples in a known manner. The bandwidth of the filter should be sufficiently wide to allow the primary harmonic of the AltBOC composite pilot code to pass, or approximately 51 MHz. The wide bandwidth results in relatively sharp code chip transitions in the received code, and thus, fairly well defined correlation peaks.
The AltBOC receiver comprises a local carrier oscillator 4, for example of the NCO type (Numerically Controlled Oscillator), synchronized with the IF frequency to generate a phase rotation angle on M bits which is applied to a phase rotator 3 receiving the IF signal samples on N bits. The phase rotated signal samples on N bits delivered by the phase rotator are applied to three complex correlators, each comprising a signal multiplier 10, 11, 12 and an integrator 13, 14, 15. The integrators sum the signal samples received during a predefined integration time Tint.
The AltBOC receiver further comprises another local oscillator 5 of the NCO type synchronized with the code chipping rate fc, and which drives a complex AltBOC code generator 6 for locally generating complex PRN pilot codes for a given satellite. The generated pilot codes pass through a multi-bit delay line 7 comprising three cells E, P, L producing respectively early, prompt and late replicas of the local PRN codes which are applied respectively to an input of the multipliers 10, 11, 12.
The signals CE, CP and CL delivered by the integrators 13, 14, 15 are then used to generate a carrier phase and code error signals which are used to drive the NCO oscillators 4, 5.
The AltBOC code generator 6 presents the drawback of being complex and multi-bit. Namely, it produces a quantized version of the Alt-LOC base-band signal (assuming only the pilot component is tracked) in the following form:c3(t)·e−j(ωst+π/2)+c4(t)·ej(ωst−π/2)  (2)
Such a complex base-band signal is cumbersome to generate. The architecture shown in FIG. 1 also implies that all the operators (delay line, multipliers and integrators) operate on complex multi-bit numbers.

Method and device for demodulating Galileo alternate binary offset carrier (Alt-BOC) signals


A storage box including a body, a lid and an arm member. The body is provided with a storage portion and a guide portion. The lid is provided with a sliding portion engaged with and directed by the guide portion. The arm member is held rotatably by the body at a first end thereof, and is held rotatably by the lid at a second end thereof. This construction accommodates various loads or forces applied to the lid during opening and closing, thereby decreasing overall strain upon the storage box and eliminating the need to reinforce the body, the lid and the arm member. The result is a functionally simplified yet strengthened storage box capable of being manufactured at reduced costs.

This application claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 11-367758, filed on Dec. 24, 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage box found in a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a console box where, among other features, items can be preserved for future retrieval.
2. Description of the Related Art
A storage box is often disposed in an automobile for purposes of storing small articles. Additional automobile amenities that provide for article storage include glove boxes, which are disposed adjacent to a dashboard, center console boxes, which are disposed in the central portion of a passenger compartment, and door pockets, which are disposed inside a door.
Regarding the center console box, a variety of embodiments are disclosed within Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 5-338,497, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 6-293,240, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 6-99,775, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 8-52,049 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 8-113,086. All of the center console boxes found in these publications provide cover members (i.e. lids) that additionally serve as the opening-and-closing mechanism.
The applicants of the present invention developed a center console box as illustrated in FIG. 5 (Toyoda Gosei Technical Review, Volume No. 41, No. 1, issued on Jun. 30, 1999). This center console box has a lid, which is allowed a wide range of movement to help facilitate item storage and retrieval. After the lid is opened, applying a downward force to the rearward end of the lid rotates and descends the lid preventing the leading end of the lid from rising up to a highly obtrusive position. Accordingly, the lid minimally interferes with the passengers or their seating positions. Thus, such a center console box displays very favorable qualities.
However, since many of the opening and closing mechanisms disclosed in the aforementioned publications are intricate, there are excessive component parts. The result of such complexity requires increased production time which ultimately increases the manufacturing costs. Additionally, this added number of component parts increases the probability of lid malfunction.
Moreover, in the case of the center console box as illustrated in FIG. 5, an active force xe2x80x9cFxe2x80x9d as illustrated in FIG. 5 may be applied onto the lid before the lid is fully opened and turned rearward. In the instance such a large force acts on the trailing end of the lid, a greater force resulting from the momentum of the large force may place additional stress onto the lid and the sliding portion of the body, leading to increased lid malfunction.
In light of the center console box as illustrated in FIG. 5, it becomes necessary to design the lid by taking into account the extra strength need for the component parts to withstand these greater forces. This may include lid and body material reinforcement. However, when the thickness of the component members is increased, so too is the overall weight which reduces the space available in the body for storage.
The present invention has been developed in view of the aforementioned shortcomings. An object of the present invention is to provide a storage box, which does not require additional reinforcement, even in the face of greater force applied to the lid during manipulation. A further object of the present invention is to provide a lightweight design with a reduced number of component parts. The result of such an efficient design allows the storage box to be manufactured at lower costs.
In order to achieve the above objects, the inventors of the present invention have developed a lid, which carries out simultaneous translation and rotary movement.
For example, a storage box according to the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a body having a storage portion and a guide portion; a lid having a sliding portion engaged with and directed by the guide portion; and an arm member held rotatably by the body at one of the opposite ends and held rotatably by the lid at the remaining opposite end.
The body of the storage box, according to the present invention, is provided with the guide portion which guides the lid in addition to the storage portion. The lid is directed by the guide portion so that it carries out a translation movement along the body. Further, since the present storage box is provided with the arm member, which is held rotatably by the body at one of the opposite ends and held rotatably by the lid at the remaining opposite end, it is possible for the lid to carry out a rotary movement by way of the arm member moving with respect to the body. Thus, the lid of the present storage box can carry out a rotary movement simultaneously between opening and closing positions. With this structure, even when the lid receives a load at the rearward end during the opening movement, the lid accommodates the load and adjusts by carrying out a rotary movement. Accordingly, even if the lid is subjected to a spontaneous load or force, the lid accommodates the load by shifting rotatably along the body, thereby avoiding undue stress which may lead to lid malfunction. Therefore, it becomes unnecessary to additionally reinforce the lid or body to account for a spontaneous load or force.
Moreover, the lid opens and closes over the storage portion of the body by translation movement, simultaneous with the rotary movement, and does not obstructively protrude out at the rearward end. As a result, the lid fails to interfere with passenger seating and provides an efficient ergonomic feel within the car. In addition, the present storage box utilizes a reduced number of component parts, which decreases manufacture costs.
Note that the present storage box which is disposed inside a vehicle is not limited for vehicles use only, rather the storage box can achieve similar objectives and functions in a variety of environments.
In accordance with the storage box of the present invention, it becomes possible to design the box to be lightweight since traditional reinforcement measures used to strengthen the body or lid to accommodate for unexpected loads are not required. Moreover, the present storage box can be constructed using fewer parts, which reduces the associated manufacturing costs.


A system and method for managing, switching, and reconfiguring physical connections of telecommunications services that provides improved cost and timeliness. The method comprises the steps of: providing telecommunications service for telecommunications equipment of a first subscriber via a cross-connect switch connected to a telecommunications network, the telecommunications equipment of the first subscriber connected to a first telecommunications service; receiving, at a network operations center connected to the cross connect switch, an indication that the first subscriber has terminated or changed service; in response to receiving, at the network operations center, an indication that the first subscriber has changed service, transmitting a command to the cross connect switch to switch the connection of the telecommunications equipment of first subscriber from the first service to a second service; and in response to receiving the command at the cross-connect switch, switching the connection of the telecommunications equipment of first subscriber from the first telecommunications service to a second telecommunications service.

The present invention relates to a system and method for switching digital subscriber line service in which new connections are switched in and obsolete connections are switched out.
High-speed data services are increasingly being deployed into the multiple-dwelling/multiple-tenant unit (MDU/MTU) environment. As a result, property managers are encountering new challenges. Since the deregulation of the telecom industry, the number of service providers and service options has grown exponentially. From the provisioning perspective, techniques are needed to allow the wide array of options to be connected to tenant premises. There are problems with pre-wiring tenant premises for fixed services due to the rate of subscriber churn and given that tenants prefer not to be locked in to one service or service provider. For example, to remain competitive, some property owners may provide access to multiple Internet Service Providers (ISP).
One of the key problems with provisioning high-speed data services to large rental properties is how to manage the numerous telecom and data services that tenants need. For example, such services may include Plain Old Telephone System (POTS), T1, Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) and Synchronous Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL). Typically, these services originate from more than one service provider, such as the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC), competitive local exchange carriers (CLEC) or ISPs. A problem arises in managing the physical copper wiring connections between a myriad of data/voice services and the tenants"" premises. The problem is compounded by the fact that tenants move, terminate service, or migrate to newer services or providers.
The physical management problem described above is shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of tenant telecommunication units, such as computer systems 102 and 104 and telephone stations 106 and 108, are connected to the appropriate telecommunication network equipment via Main Distribution Frame (MDF) 110. For example, computer systems 102 and 104 may be connected using a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) protocol, while telephone stations 106 and 108 may be connected as standard analog telephones. Computer system 102 may be connected using Symmetrical DSL (SDSL), which is a capable of supporting voice and data over IP via a 2-wire line. SDSL is attractive because of its relatively low installation cost and its ability to handle multiple voice channels along with data over 2-wire lines. Computer system 104 may be connected using Asymmetrical DSL (ADSL), which requires a POTS splitter 112 in order to support both data and analog voice over the same 2-wire line. MDF 110 connects the incoming lines from the tenant telecommunications system to the appropriate service provider equipment, which typically are multi-service access platforms (MSAP) that can support a plurality of telecommunications services. In the example shown in FIG. 1, a CLEC operating MSAP 114 connects computer system 102 to a digital service, an ILEC operating MSAP 116 connects telephone station 106 to a POTS service and an ISP operating MSAP 118 connects computer system 104 to a digital service and telephone station 108 to a POTS service.
If a tenant moves, terminates service, or migrates to newer services or providers, the physical wiring in MDG 110 must be reconnected to accommodate the changes. This physical reconnection is expensive and often cannot be performed in a timely fashion. While a property manager can limit the choices offered to the tenant, market pressures dictate that a wider range of choices be offered to tenants. The cost and time to manage these physical connections becomes a significant factor. A need arises for a technique by which the physical connections may be managed and reconfigured that provides improved cost and timeliness.
The present invention is a system and method for managing, switching, and reconfiguring physical connections of telecommunications services that provides improved cost and timeliness. A method, according to the present invention, comprises the steps of: providing telecommunications service for telecommunications equipment of a first subscriber via a cross-connect switch connected to a telecommunications network, the telecommunications equipment of the first subscriber connected to a first telecommunications service; receiving, at a network operations center connected to the cross connect switch, an indication that the first subscriber has terminated or changed service; in response to receiving, at the network operations center, an indication that the first subscriber has changed service, transmitting a command to the cross connect switch to switch the connection of the telecommunications equipment of first subscriber from the first service to a second service; and in response to receiving the command at the cross-connect switch, switching the connection of the telecommunications equipment of first subscriber from the first telecommunications service to a second telecommunications service.
The method may further comprise the steps of: in response to receiving, at the network operations center, an indication that the first subscriber has terminated service, transmitting a command to the cross connect switch to switch out the connection of the telecommunications equipment of first subscriber from the first service; and in response to receiving the command at the cross-connect switch, switching out the connection of the telecommunications equipment of first subscriber from the first service.
The method may further comprise the steps of: receiving, at the network operations center, an indication that a second subscriber has initiated service; in response to receiving the indication at the network operations center, transmitting a command to the cross connect switch to connect data processing equipment of the second subscriber to a telecommunication service; and in response to receiving the command at the cross-connect switch, connecting the data processing equipment of second subscriber to the telecommunication service.
The telecommunications equipment of the first subscriber may be located in a multiple dwelling unit or multiple tenant unit. The cross connect switch may be connected to a plurality of telecommunications equipment located in the multiple dwelling unit or multiple tenant unit.

System and method for switching telecommunications service in a multiple dwelling unit/multiple tenant unit environment


The present invention relates to a method for determining precoding weights between a base station and one user equipment in a communication network. The base station is provided with an antenna structure having multiple antennas, and the antenna structure provides coverage in a coverage area. The precoding weights are stored in a codebook available to the base station and the user equipment. The method comprises: selecting to use a part of the coverage area; determining, at the base station, a subset of precoding weights stored in the codebook generating at least one precoding beam within the selected part of the coverage area; and informing the one user equipment of the determined subset of precoding weights generating the at least one precoding beam within the selected part of the coverage area.

Precoding is a kind of beamforming that supports multi-layer transmission in MIMO radio systems. Simulations have shown that precoding increases the performance of wireless communication systems and it has therefore been included in the standardization of LTE. In precoding, each of the multiple streams are emitted from the transmit antennas at the base station with independent and appropriate weighting per each antenna such that the throughput is maximized between the base station and the User Equipment (UE). The precoding weights may be calculated at the UE and then the UE informs the base station which precoding weights that should be used.
Usually, only a limited number of predefined precoding weights are used, which are stored in a codebook. The codebook is known both at the base station and the UE, so when the UE informs the base station which precoding weights that should be used, the UE only needs to send a number (index) corresponding to the place that the precoding weights have in the codebook. This number is usually called Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI). The more antennas that are used at the base station, the more precoding weights are needed in the codebook. Future wireless communication system will probably use 8 or more antennas at the base station, which will need a quite large codebook.
There are several issues with a large codebook: the calculation of which precoding weights to use becomes time consuming and energy consuming; many bits must be send from the UE to the base station to inform which precoding weights to use; there is a larger probability that precoding weights corresponding to "un-physical" precoding vectors are chosen. Therefore, there is a need for reducing the size of the codebook by removing these un-physical precoding vectors from a predetermined codebook whenever possible.
Future wireless systems will use reconfigurable antennas at the base station, to increase the capacity of the communication network and save energy. Two important features of reconfigurable antennas are that they can change the pointing direction of the beams and the beam width for an antenna port, and thereby the radiation pattern and the coverage area of the base station.
Different precoding weights will generate precoding beams in different directions. However, with reconfigurable antennas the beams of the antenna elements at the base stations will be changed over time. If the precoding beams that are created by the precoding weights are pointing in another direction than the radiation pattern of the antenna elements, the antennas will become mismatched and very little part of the power supplied to the antennas will be transmitted.

Method for determining precoding weights


Methods, systems, and apparatuses are provided for generation of focused stress waves that selectively apply tensile stress to local regions of a bonded article.

A need exists in industry for non-destructive inspection (NDI) of composite structures assembled with adhesive bonds. Among other techniques, laser bond inspection (LBI) has proven useful. Normally, LBI involves depositing laser energy onto the front surface of a bonded article and generating compression waves that reflect off of the back surface of the bonded article as tensile waves. The tensile waves predominantly provide the stresses that interrogate the bond. In the simplest form of LBI, the laser energy is deposited uniformly onto a circular area on a bonded article's exposed surface. The energy deposition results in a series of alternating compression and tension waves that propagate into the bonded article. These waves reflect from the back surface, or other impedance discontinuities, of the bonded article, and interact with one another to produce regions of varying tensile stress. If a tensile wave of sufficient strength encounters a weak bond, the bond will fail (or disbond). The variation in peak tensile stress with depth in the bonded article depends, in part, on the ratio of the beam diameter to the thickness of the bonded article.
The disbonded interface may be detected by ultrasound after the laser exposure, or by techniques used simultaneously with laser exposure, such as a velocity interferometer for surfaces of any reflectance (VISAR), an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT), capacitance probes, or piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers (UT).
If a bond in a thick bonded article (e.g., ≧¼ inch) is near the front surface where the laser energy is applied, high fluences may be required for interrogation because the interrogating tensile wave must have sufficient amplitude to stress the bond adequately after the initial compressive and reflected tensile waves have traveled nearly twice the thickness of the bonded article. Material failure may occur at the back surface (spalling) at fluences that are still inadequate (due to stress wave attenuation) to properly stress the bond near the front surface.
A similar problem occurs when attempting to interrogate a particular bond near the front surface of a bonded article having two or more bonds. The fluences required to stress the bond of interest near the front surface may undesirably damage good laminate bond(s) nearer the back surface.

Laser bond inspection using annular laser beam


A schedule-table presenting apparatus including: a schedule acquisition section configured to acquire a schedule including the broadcasting start time and a descriptive text describing each of the events; a schedule-table generation section configured to assign a specific one of the events to a first program frame and assign a plurality of events other than the specific event to a second program frame in order to generate a schedule table including the first program frame allocated to the specific event as a frame showing the broadcasting start time of the specific event as well as the descriptive text describing the specific event and the second program frame allocated to the other events as a frame showing the broadcasting start time of each of the other events; and a display control section configured to display the schedule table generated by the schedule-table generation section on a display section determined in advance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a schedule-table presenting apparatus and a schedule-table presenting method to be adopted by the schedule-table presenting apparatus. For example, the present invention can be well applied to a program-table presenting apparatus for generating a program table as a schedule table showing programs and showing the program table to the user.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a wide range of TV receiver sets and program recording apparatus each employ a program-table presenting apparatus of the type described above. Such a program-table presenting apparatus acquires an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) showing a schedule of broadcasting of programs, generating an electronic program table as a schedule table of broadcasting of programs on the basis of the EPG and showing the electronic program table to the user.
For example, a TV receiver set displays an electronic program table generated on the basis of an EPG on a program display screen in order to let the user recognize a schedule of broadcasting of programs and select a desired program from the electronic program table. In this way, the user is capable of switching the program display screen from one program to another and making a reservation of a program to be watched on the basis of the electronic program table.
In addition, a program recording apparatus displays an electronic program table generated on the basis of an EPG on an external display unit in order to let the user recognize a schedule of broadcasting of programs and select a desired program from the electronic program table. In this way, the user is capable of switching the external display unit from one program to another and making a reservation of a program to be watched on the basis of the electronic program table.
As described above, the existing TV receiver set and the existing program recording apparatus show an electronic program table generated on the basis of an EPG to the user in order to make the user capable of switching the program display screen or external display unit from one program to another and making a reservation of a program to be watched on the basis of the electronic program table without referring to TV columns of a newspaper.
By the way, the ground digital broadcasting and the network broadcasting contribute to an ongoing transition to multi-channel broadcasting. As a result, the number of programs provided to users or the number of programs to be included in an electronic program table has been increasing. For this reason, in the past, there was proposed a method for presenting an electronic program table as a method capable of displaying information on a large number of programs in a limited display area such as one screen.
In accordance with a first program-table presenting method for example, information on programs each to be broadcasted for at least a predetermined time range is displayed in an electronic program table 100 as shown in FIGS. 28A to 28C. The predetermined time range is typically several minutes. In the following description, such programs are each also referred to as an ordinary program. The displayed information on an ordinary program includes a minute display icon Mi showing the start of the broadcasting of the program in terms of minutes indicating an offset relative to the start of a time slot of one hour in the electronic program table 100 and a descriptive text Wd of the program. Typically, the descriptive text Wd of a program is the title of the program. In the case of a program to be broadcasted for a time range shorter than the predetermined time range, that is, in the case of a program to be broadcasted for a time range shorter than several minutes, only a mark Mk is displayed for the program in the electronic program table 100 as a mark indicating the existence of the program. In the following description, such a program is also referred to as a short-time program. For more information on the electronic program table 100, the reader is suggested to refer to Patent Document 1, which is Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-50011.
By the way, the size of a mark Mk displayed for a short-time program represents the duration of the program. In the following description, the duration of a program is also referred to as a program length.
When an observation focus to be described later is moved to a mark Mk of a short-time program, a pop-up window Pw is displayed, being superposed on the electronic program table 100 as shown in FIG. 28C. As shown in this figure, the pop-up window Pw for a short-time program shows the minute display icon Mi and the descriptive text Wd, which are provided for the program. As described above, the minute display icon Mi of a program shows the start of the program in terms of minutes indicating an offset relative to the start of a time slot of one hour in the electronic program table 100 whereas the descriptive text Wd of a program is character-written information on the program. In this way, in accordance with the first program-table presenting method, with the observation focus moved to a mark Mk of a short-time program, a pop-up window Pw for the program can show the user the minute display icon Mi and the descriptive text Wd, which are provided for the program.
In addition, in accordance with a second program-table presenting method, information on ordinary programs to be broadcasted for at least a predetermined time range is displayed in an electronic program table 101 as shown in FIGS. 29A to 29C. The predetermined time range is typically several minutes. The displayed information on an ordinary program includes a minute display icon Md showing the start of the program in terms of minutes indicating an offset relative to the start of a time slot of one hour in the electronic program table 101 and a descriptive text Wd of the program. In the case of a short-time program to be broadcasted for a time period shorter than the predetermined time range, that is, in the case of a short-time program to be broadcasted for a time range shorter than several minutes, only a bar Br is displayed for the program in the electronic program table 101 as a bar indicating the existence of the program. By the way, the bar Br indicates that one or more successive short-time programs exist.
When the observation focus is moved to a bar Br of a short-time program, a pop-up window Pw is displayed, being superposed on the electronic program table 101 as shown in FIG. 29D. As shown in this figure, the pop-up window Pw for a short-time program shows the minute display icon Md and the descriptive text Wd, which are provided for the program. As described above, the minute display icon Md of a program shows the start of the program in terms of minutes indicating an offset relative to the start of a time slot of one hour in the electronic program table 101 whereas the descriptive text Wd of a program is character-written information on the program. In this way, in accordance with the second program-table presenting method, with the observation focus moved to a bar Br of a short-time program, a pop-up window Pw for the program shows the user the minute display icon Md and the descriptive text Wd, which are provided for the program.
In addition, in accordance with a third program-table presenting method, information on programs is displayed in an electronic program table 102 as shown in FIGS. 30A to 30C. The electronic program table 102 includes frames Fr allocated to the programs. A large program frame Fr is allocated to a long program having a length of typically equal to at least 30 minutes whereas a small program frame Fr is allocated to a small program having a length of typically smaller than 30 minutes. A large program frame Fr allocated to a long program includes the broadcasting start time and descriptive text of the program. On the other hand, a small program frame Fr allocated to a small program does not include any information on the program.
When the observation focus is moved to a program frame Fr allocated to a program, the broadcasting start time Hm and descriptive text Wd of the program are displayed in a predetermined display area Da separated from the location of the program frame Fr as information on the program. In this way, in accordance with the third program-table presenting method, with the observation focus moved to the program frame Fr allocated to a program, the broadcasting start time Hm and descriptive text Wd of the program are displayed in a predetermined display area Da separated from the location of the program frame Fr as information on the program so that the information on the program can be shown to the user. This feature also applies as well to a small program frame Fr allocated to a small program having a length of typically smaller than 30 minutes.
In addition, in accordance with a fourth program-table presenting method, information on ordinary programs to be broadcasted for at least a predetermined time range is displayed in an electronic program table 103 as shown in FIGS. 31A to 31C. The predetermined time range is typically several minutes. The displayed information on an ordinary program includes a minute display icon Md showing the start of the program in terms of minutes indicating an offset relative to the start of a time slot of one hour in the electronic program table 103 and a descriptive text Wd of the program. In the case of a short-time program to be broadcasted for a time period shorter than the predetermined time range, that is, in the case of a short-time program to be broadcasted for a time period shorter than several minutes, only a short-time program icon Ei is displayed for the program in the electronic program table 103 as a bar indicating the existence of the program.
When the observation focus is moved to a short-time program icon Ei of a short-time program, a pop-up window Pw is displayed, being superposed on the electronic program table 103 as shown in FIG. 31B. As shown in this figure, the pop-up window Pw for a short-time program shows the minute display icon Md and the descriptive text wd, which are provided for the program. As described above, the minute display icon Md of a program shows the start of the program in terms of minutes indicating an offset relative to the start of a time slot of one hour in the electronic program table 103 whereas the descriptive text Wd of a program is character-written information on the program. In this way, in accordance with the fourth program-table presenting method, with the observation focus moved to a bar Br of a short-time program icon Ei, a pop-up window Pw for the program shows the user the minute display icon Md and the descriptive text Wd, which are provided for the program.

Schedule-table presenting apparatus and schedule-table presenting method


A fluid reservoir for a motor vehicle hydraulic brake system, having a housing with at least one fluid chamber, the housing preferably having a housing upper part and a housing lower part, a reservoir warning device for monitoring the reservoir filling level of the fluid reservoir, a filler neck for filling the fluid reservoir, a cap for fluid-tight closure of the filler neck, provisions for pressure balancing of the fluid reservoir and preferably a canister-shaped filling filter arranged in the area of the filler neck and having a wall and a base.

DE 197 54 431 A1, which is incorporated by reference, discloses a brake fluid reservoir having a filler neck protruding outwards from the housing and a strainer located in the filler neck. It is in the very nature of things that fine-meshed and correspondingly efficient strainers can decisively delay a fluid filling operation, so that without sanction these are often removed or left out. Safeguards are therefore proposed in order to prevent unsanctioned removal of the strainer. Other sources propose separate ventilation and venting apertures, which are intended to improve the rate of flow through the strainer. It is feasible, however, particularly in the case of very rapid and especially automated hydraulic filling operations, for the separate ventilation apertures to be inappropriately and inadmissibly used to bypass the strainer, so that unstrained fluid gets into the motor vehicle brake system.
One particular problem is that today's vehicle manufacturers want so-called vacuum filling on their assembly line. This high-vacuum filling requires an automatic filling unit having an adapter part which forms an airtight replacement for a pressure-balancing reservoir cap, a length of tube extending into the filler neck in order to create a vacuum throughout the entire brake system before fluid filling, and to automatically establish a defined fluid level in the brake system after fluid filling. This is basically achieved in that after the creation of a vacuum and the subsequent fluid filling (with an excess pressure of 1 bar, for example) and a further ensuing settlement phase any excess fluid is drawn off in order to establish a level. Removable filters are advantageous in order that the length of tube can be introduced into the reservoir to a sufficient depth even in the case of a small reservoir. Such filters have the associated disadvantage, however, that they can get lost or their fitting can be overlooked.

Compensation tank for a hydraulic motor vehicle brake system

Abstract: In order to provide a cost-effective and easily assembled fluid reservoir, the filling filter, which reliably prevents the ingress of dirt, extends into the fluid chamber and includes a wall molded onto the housing of the fluid reservoir that adjoins the reservoir filler neck.


Disclosed embodiments include power machines, implement coupling systems and methods in which hydraulic or electric coupling between an implement and the power machine is made automatically using an existing actuator, for example a tilt actuator, of the power machine. Thus, additional actuators are not required to achieve hydraulic or electric coupling. In exemplary embodiments, power coupling is also free from the process of mechanically coupling the implement to the implement carrier. Also, in exemplary embodiments, a machine side coupler assembly moves with the implement after a connection is established, despite the implement coupler assembly being removed from the implement carrier. This allows the same implement carrier to be used on all similarly sized machines.

This present disclosure is related to hydraulic coupling of an implement with a power machine. More particularly, the present disclosure is related to a system that allows for an automated coupling and uncoupling of an implement with a power machine.
Power machines, for the purposes of this disclosure, include any type of machine that generates power for accomplishing a particular task or a variety of tasks. One type of power machine is a work vehicle. Work vehicles are generally self-propelled vehicles that have a work device, such as a lift arm (although some work vehicles can have other work devices) that can be manipulated to perform a work function. Some examples of work vehicle power machines include loaders, excavators, utility vehicles, tractors, and trenchers, to name a few.
Some power machines can be operably coupled to implements that are capable of cooperating with the power machine to perform various tasks. For example, some loaders have lift arms that can have a wide variety of implements operably coupled to them, ranging from a simple bucket or blade to relatively complex implements such as planers and graders that have work devices capable of performing various tasks. Some of these work devices on implements are controllable by operator input devices on the power machines to which they are operably coupled.
Many power machines of this type can provide power and/or control signals to an operably coupled implement. Thus, when a power machine is operably coupled to an implement, a connection is made between one or more power and/or control signal sources on the power machine and the implement. A common type of power source on such types of power machines is a hydraulic power source. Pressurized hydraulic fluid is selectively provided from the power machine to the implement once the connection is made. To connect and disconnect an implement from a power machine, the hydraulic connections between the machine and implement must be physically made and broken. Another type of power source on such types of power machines is electric power. Electrical signals can be provided from a power machine to an implement to provide power for and/or control of functions on the implement Like hydraulic signals, most electrical signals are provided through connections that are made between the power machine and the implement.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.


A ventilator cap (1), made of plastic, for ventilation of roofs in the ridge, hip or arris area, with a fastening area (2), with an edge area (3) and with an intermediate area (4) connecting the fastening area (2) and the edge area (3) with one another, in which intermediate area has air passage openings (5, 6) and edge area (3) has an elastically flexible sealing element (7) extending over the length of the cap on its roof-facing underside, and the sealing element (7) has the structure of a fine-fiber brush with a carrier part (8) and a plurality of elastic brush fibers (9) placed in at least as flowtight a packing as possible. The effect of the weather conditions on the brush fibers (9) is substantially eliminated, specifically, by placing at least one protective element (10) that influences the elasticity of the brush fibers (9) as little as possible on the outside of sealing element (7), i.e. on the side facing away from the roof.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a ventilator cap, preferably made of plastic, for ventilation of roofs in the ridge, hip or arris area, with a fastening area, with an edge area and with an intermediate area connecting the fastening area and the edge area with one another, in which the intermediate area exhibits air passage openings and the edge area exhibits, on the roof side, an elastically flexible sealing element extending over the length of the cap, and the sealing element has the structure of a fine-fiber brush with a carrier part and a plurality of elastic brush fibers arranged in a packing that is at least as flowtight as possible.
2. Description of Related Art
Ventilator caps of the above-mentioned type for ventilation of roofs have been known for quite a long time. For better ventilation of a roof cover, ventilator caps are placed in the ridge area of a roof to avoid possible damage from moisture formation. Ventilated roof covers generally have an inside shell, an outside shell and a ventilated roofing space. While the inside shell is basically used only for thermal insulation, the outside shell of the ventilated roof cover provides protection against weather. The outside shell must be able to deflect the precipitate moisture in a ridge-to-gutter direction, and is subject to especially extensive stresses caused by temperature. The ventilated space separates the inside and outside shells and is used to dissipate the construction moisture and the use moisture. The ventilation of the roofing space is, i.a., dependent on the cross section and the shape of the air gap, the cross section and the shape of the air openings, and the flow-impeding design components in the gap. The air entry or air exit openings for such a roof cover are generally provided in the gutter and ridge area.
Ventilator caps of the type placed in the ridge area assure a good ventilation of the roofing space and the dissipation of moisture. However, the placement of ventilator caps in the ridge area of a roof is problematical, since the air openings or air gaps existing in the ridge area between the ventilator cap and the roof cover have to be sectioned off in a watertight and snowtight manner, and the gaps to be sectioned off in the ridge area exhibit pronounced interval differences and sharp-edged transitions.
From German Gebrauchsmuster (Utility Model) DE-GM 89 13 744, which served as the starting point for the invention, ventilator caps are known that have sealing elements, placed on their edge area, in the form of fine-fiber brushes. The fine-fiber brushes have a plurality of elastic brush fibers, placed in at least as flowtight a packing as possible, which adapt without problems to the most varied gap shapes, especially also to sharp-edged transitions. In general, the brush fibers are made of polypropylene or nylon and exhibit a resilience, so that independently of the type of roofing material, the brush fibers lie against the corresponding transitions or against the roofing material.
The successful method of operation, i.e., the tightness of the ventilator caps provided with these sealing elements, diminishes under the continual influence of the weather conditions. The brush fibers exposed to solar radiation, especially UV radiation, and considerable temperature differences, can become embrittled, lose their resilience and break off easily, thereby reducing the packing density, so that the sealing function of such a sealing element, designed as a fine-fiber brush, is no longer sufficiently assured. In this way, rainwater or windborne snow can pass through the fine-fiber brush into the ventilation spaces of the roof cover, by which the moisture within the ventilated roof space increases.


A visco-elastic facet joint implant for insertion into a facet joint between an inferior facet formed on a superior vertebral body and a superior facet formed on an inferior vertebral body. The facet implant includes a visco-elastic implant element molded into an anatomically fitted shape to optimally fit between the facet joint and one or more bone fixation elements to secure the visco-elastic implant element to the superior and/or inferior vertebral bodies. In use, the visco-elastic facet joint implant includes a first end for engaging the superior vertebral body, a middle portion for passing through the facet joint and an optional second end for engaging the inferior vertebral body.

Flexible motion segments of the human spine include at least a pair of vertebrae, each with a vertebral body, an intervertebral disc located between the vertebral bodies to provide a cushion and secure the vertebral bodies together, and a pair of facet joints, which are small stabilizing joints located posteriorly relative the vertebral bodies. The facet joints and the intervertebral disc, with the help of various ligamentation, function as a three joint entity to permit motion, but prevent excessive motion, over-twisting, or toppling over of the spine.
Each facet joint includes two articulating processes and a joint capsule. The surfaces of the facet joints are covered by an articular cartilage. The superior half of each facet joint is attached to the posterior portion of each vertebral body, on either side of the spinous process, and extends inferiorly. The inferior half of each facet joint extends superiorly from the inferior vertebral body to interact with the inferiorly extending, superior half of the facet joint.
Facet joints are in almost constant motion with the spine and may wear out or become degenerated due to aging, trauma, typical use and other factors. Facet joint degeneration or disruption is often preceded by instabilities or other degeneration of the anterior spine, often causing an overload on the facet joint. When facet joints become worn or torn, the cartilage may become thin or disappear and there may be a reaction of the bone of the joint underneath that produces overgrowth of bone spurs and an enlargement of the joints. The joint is then said to have arthritic changes, or osteoarthritis, that can produce considerable back pain during motion. This condition is also referred to as facet joint disease or facet joint syndrome.
Additionally, inflammatory reactions may occur when the cartilaginous surfaces of the facets become degraded or fissured, thereby leading to direct bone-on-bone contact and resulting in pain. Conventionally, patients have undergone interbody fusion surgery to alleviate such pain, in which the intervertebral disc space is removed and a spacer is inserted therein through which fusion of the adjacent vertebral bodies occurs, which by its nature is irreversible, non-motion-preservable, and oftentimes invasive. Commercially available and clinically tested solutions for facet joint replacement mostly feature dampening elements that are placed between pedicle screws. However, due to the limited bone stock a pedicle is capable of supplying, such interventions can result in follow-up surgery after further degeneration (the pedicles are needed for posterior stabilization in the case of subsequent fusion surgery). Furthermore, such interventions almost always include complete laminectomies, after which posterior fusion using trans-laminar techniques is extremely limited.
It is desirable to develop an implant for insertion into the facet joints between adjacent superior and inferior vertebral bodies to alleviate pressure on the painful articulating areas resulting from degenerating facet joints that may be implemented in a minimally invasive and bone sparing manner, and to provide the patient with pain-free mobility.


Method for in-vivo plasmapheresis utilizing a plurality of elongated hollow microporous filter fibers periodically interrupt diffusion of blood plasma from a patient, and, for a selected time, directing backflush fluid into the fibers at a pressure and interval sufficient to cleanse the fiber pores, after which plasma diffusion is resumed. The backflush fluid, preferably a normal saline solution, may contain an anticoagulant such as heparin, citrate or NO donor in suitable concentration for systemic anti-coagulation or for treating the fiber for thromboresistance.

In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,950,224 and 5,151,082, there are disclosed methods and apparatus for carrying out in-vivo plasmapheresis for separating plasma from other blood components within the body and blood vessels of a patient. In the apparatus pumping is used to create a trans-membrane pressure and motivate the flow of fluid from within the in-vivo system, whereby blood plasma is pumped from the patient to a treatment system such as a dialyzer or other apparatus in which toxic metabolic waste in the plasma is removed. After the plasma is treated for removal of waste products, excess fluids, toxins, and/or other deleterious plasma proteins, the treated plasma is returned and reintroduced to the patient's blood stream. Methods of toxin removal from blood using plasma, or portions of the plasma, as taught by the aforesaid patents are unique from and substantially superior to conventional hemodialysis as presently practiced for both acute and chronic kidney failure, primarily because removal of whole blood from the patient's vasculature is eliminated. The methods and apparatus described in the aforesaid patents are incorporated herein by reference.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,802,820 and 6,802,971, there are disclosed specialized hollow fiber membranes which are superior in biocompatibility, performance and morphology for carrying out in-vivo plasmapheresis. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,692 there is disclosed a plasmapheresis filter device and catheter assembly incorporating the aforesaid specialized hollow fiber membranes. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,849,183 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/078,016, filed Mar. 11, 2005 (TRANSVI.011CP1) there are disclosed apparatus and methods for therapeutic apheresis and patient fluid management, respectively, using the aforesaid specialized hollow fiber membranes, filter device and catheter assembly. Such fibers, filter device, catheter assembly, apparatus and methods as disclosed in the aforesaid patents and application are incorporated herein by reference.
In the aforesaid systems, the hollow fiber membranes function as filters, where the primary purpose of said membranes is separation of specific blood or plasma components from whole blood. In such systems, the blood (permeate) flows on the outside of the fiber and the plasma (exudate) is diffused through the fiber membrane to the interior lumen of the hollow fiber. However, as use is continued, performance of the fibers as filters becomes degraded over time. For example, clogging or fouling of the filter occurs on the surface of the filter as the pore void spaces become more occluded with particulate matter from the permeate building up within the pore void such that the minute volume of the exudate is progressively degraded to the point of failure and cessation of exudate flow. Such clogging or fouling of the filter membranes, as well as clotting problems with filter systems such as disclosed in the aforesaid patents causes major operational and economic problems with current ex-vivo systems performing Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) for acute and chronic kidney failure. It is reported by Ramesh, Prasad, et al., in Clinical Nephrology, Vol. 53, p. 55-60 (January 2000), that over 50% of such filters fail in 10 hours and over 75% fail in 30 hours of usage. Because short-term filter replacement is both undesirable and unacceptable, clogging or fouling failure of filters used in in-vivo systems described in the aforesaid patents would be totally unacceptable for both medical and economic reasons.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Apparatus and method for in-vivo plasmapheresis using periodic backflush containing anticoagulant


A cover board and a display panel are provided. The cover board used for the display panel includes a cover board body and reinforcing ribs. The cover board body is made of a flexible material. The reinforcing ribs are disposed within the cover board body. An extension direction of at least part of the reinforcing ribs is perpendicular to a bending direction of the cover board body. The cover board body is provided with the reinforcing ribs to allow the extension direction of the part of the reinforcing ribs to be perpendicular to the bending direction of the cover board body, thereby improving a bending performance of the cover board.

With the development of electronic products with high performance, flexible and bendable consumer electronic devices have attracted many major manufacturers to invest and develop these devices. To realize dynamically bendable display panels, it is necessary to introduce new material, new designs, and new production processes to improve performance of the bendable display panels.
In terms of the material, a great challenge is material of protective cover boards. The cover boards substitute for glass cover boards in hard screens and are attached to surfaces of display screens. A plastic material is generally employed for the cover boards, and the material is required to have a desirable bending tolerance, scratch resistance, and high surface hardness.
Currently, for the material of the cover boards commonly used in the industry, transparent polyimide is employed as a substrate, and surfaces of the cover boards are coated with a hard coating. A defect of the hard coating is that when the panel is bent outward, the coating is susceptible to cracking under tensile force, thereby reducing the bending property and reliability of the cover boards.

Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Semiconductor Display Technology Co., Ltd.


A fire in the engine compartment of a vehicle is automatically extinguished when an inertial force operated actuator ruptures a valve in the event of a vehicle collision to release pressurized chemical fire extinguishing gas into the compartment. The actuator may also be manually operated.

Because of an enhanced quality of life in society today due to advancements in industry and commerce, there is a corresponding increase in living standards. This is evident in the acquisition of more cars by people, particularly expensive cars providing personal enjoyment. Since the number and types of cars are increasing, so are various kinds of vehicle accidents. An accident resulting in a fire to the vehicle is particularly troublesome and dangerous since there has heretofore been no suitable means to put out such a fire. Though portable fire extinguishers are known, they cannot adequately meet the necessary safety and practical performance standards desired by the user.
Problems involving vehicular fires and the extinguishing of such fires are many. For example, when a car is driven on the road, possible oil leaks from the carburetor may contact the high temperature engine and cause flame ignition. In order to extinguish the fire, the driver normally pulls off the road and opens the hood of the car. This poses a considerable risk to the driver since the temperature of the engine compartment is extremely high and the fire will burn more severely due to an increase in oxygen when the hood is opened, thereby rendering it more difficult to put out the fire with a conventional extinguisher. Also, the driver and passengers of a car may become physically disabled as a result of a collision, thereby preventing action to extinguish a fire caused by the collision. Accidents of this latter type often result in death of the vehicle occupants due to the presence of fire which cannot be extinguished. Finally, conventional fire extinguishers utilize a foam or dry powder material. Though these materials have excellent extinguishing capability for putting out car engine fires, they nevertheless adhere to the surfaces of the engine components and are expensive and time consuming to remove.
The present invention overcomes the problems and disadvantages associated with conventional methods and means for extinguishing vehicle fires by providing a unique and practical car fire extinguisher system which is both safe and automatic in use, and can be utilized to extinguish vehicle fires resulting from a variety of accidents and conditions.

Automatic fire extinguisher system for a vehicle

No. 10, Alley 1, Lane 92, Kuangchow Street