A system and a method for planning and flying a cost-optimal cruise vertical profile in combination with a required time-of-arrival (RTA) constraint. The method may be implemented as a single function in a flight management system (FMS). The FMS plans the aircraft trajectory with cruise vertical and speed profiles that are optimized to minimize flight cost (e.g., fuel burn) while meeting the time constraint. When appropriate under the circumstances, this integrated function is also able to degrade the cruise vertical profile in order to open the window of achievable RTAs and increase the RTA success rate. The method also monitors progress of the flight along the planned trajectory as actual flight conditions may differ from the forecasted flight conditions, and readapts the cruise speed profile when the estimated arrival time is deviating from the RTA constraint by more than a specified threshold.

This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for optimizing the cruise profile of an aircraft. The cruise profile for an aircraft includes a cruise speed profile indicating changes in speed along the planned flight path during the cruise phase and a cruise vertical profile indicating changes in altitude along the planned flight path during the cruise phase. In particular, this disclosure relates to systems and methods for optimizing the cruise vertical profile of an aircraft.
As used herein, the term "aircraft trajectory" means a four-dimensional (including time as the fourth dimension) flight path of an aircraft. An aircraft trajectory can be decomposed as follows:
(1) Its lateral path, which is (more or less) fixed by the flight management system (FMS) once the flight plan (succession of waypoints) is known to the FMS. The turn radius at waypoints with change in course depends (weakly) on speed and altitude, but does not change greatly.
(2) Its vertical profile or altitude as a function of distance-to-go, which depends on vertical constraints and steps introduced during the cruise phase, whether by manual or automatic cruise optimization. The vertical profile in climbs and descents also depends (more or less weakly) on scheduled speeds.
(3) Its speed schedule, which provides an airspeed at each point of the trajectory. The speed schedule may further depend on the vertical path, the lateral path, the weather conditions, the performance of the aircraft, including the varying weight, and the flight mode.
The result of all the foregoing, including the weather conditions, is a groundspeed value at every distance to a required time-of-arrival (RTA) waypoint, which may be integrated to give an estimated time-of-arrival (ETA).
A flight management system (FMS) accepts pilot-entered input data that represents a flight plan from the origin airport to the destination airport. A flight plan includes a sequence of waypoints that define the horizontal flight path. The initial cruise altitude is also specified. The FMS typically computes an optimized cruise vertical profile (referred to hereinafter as an "optimum vertical profile") that is defined as the altitude that minimizes cost (a combination of fuel cost and time cost, to be described below). The optimized altitude depends on aircraft gross weight, speed, wind and air temperature. However, the aircraft is usually constrained to fly at authorized (a.k.a. legal) altitudes in order to maintain traffic separation. The change from one legal altitude to another is referred to as a "step climb" or a "step descent". A step climb in aviation is a series of altitude gains that improve fuel economy by moving into less dense air as the gross weight of an aircraft decreases. In general, as fuel is burned off and the aircraft loses weight, the optimized cruise altitude (the altitude that minimizes cost of flight) increases. For long flights, points at which to initiate a step climb to a new cruise altitude are also specified.
The planned speed schedule of a flight operation is determined by the FMS based on the desired cruise mode chosen by the airline/flight crew. A typical mode is economy (ECON) mode which determines the most economic speed based on a cost index (CI), chosen by the airline, driven by a specific trade-off between cost of time and cost of fuel. The instantaneous cost per unit distance can be written asCost (lb/NM)=(Fuel Flow (lb/hr)+100*CI)/Groundspeed (kts)where the cost index CI is the ratio between operational costs and fuel costs that is deemed to be optimum by the airline for that particular flight. The cost index is usually introduced by the pilots using a control display unit (CDU) of the FMS as a constant before the aircraft takes off. Alternative cruise modes are long-range cruise (LRC) or selected speed mode (SEL).
In combination with the speed scheduling modes, some flight management systems also offer a cruise vertical profile optimization function (referred to hereinafter as "cruise optimization") to plan steps (climb/descent) for cruise flight conditions that minimize trip cost or trip fuel (depending on the active flight mode listed above) as conditions change during cruise, that is, favorable wind and temperatures aloft vary with altitude and location and optimized aircraft performance changes as aircraft weight decreases. The flight management computer (FMC) is programmed to optimize the cruise vertical profile by determining an optimum down-path three-dimensional location (latitude, longitude and altitude) at which a step climb or step descent will be initiated. One example of a cruise optimization is shown in FIG. 1, wherein three climb steps are planned over a 6000-NM cruise for an initial aircraft weight of 600,000 lbs, CI=0, and realistic winds, resulting in a savings of at least 5000 lbs of fuel for this particular flight.
The flight crew can still introduce cruise steps manually into the flight plan, in which case the function will calculate additional steps only beyond the latest manual step. Cruise optimization is active in the FMS from the moment when a flight plan is activated on the ground until the end of cruise and will periodically recalculate the optimized vertical profile for the remainder of the cruise phase.
An alternative speed scheduling mode available on some flight management systems is the required time-of-arrival (RTA) function, which determines a new speed profile to meet a time constraint at a down-path waypoint. This mode is used whenever a flight is requested to adhere to a RTA constraint requested by Air Traffic Control (ATC) or defined by the airline operations center. Once the RTA function is activated, the economic optimum desired by the airline is ignored and the cost of the flight will increase.
The RTA speed mode can be combined with cruise optimization. However, in such a combination the respective modes interfere with each other. In some flight management systems, the last active optimized step climb profile is fixed and no further cruise optimization is performed, although the planned cruise speed may change significantly during RTA operation. This approach is taken to avoid oscillation of the optimum step locations as the RTA speed profile is changed.
Some flight management systems treat the RTA and cruise optimization problem mostly as separate functionalities, where the FMS gives preference to the RTA speed profile generation over the cruise optimization. One known FMS seeks to optimize the vertical profile in a sequence of climb steps, taking into account wind, temperature, and weight variations. This function also may alter the cruise vertical profile when an RTA becomes active, in which case the FMS tries to approximate an optimum step climb profile, but always giving preference to the RTA objective. In any case, this functionality performs cruise optimizations locally (step climb benefit evaluated only over next 250-500 NM) instead of globally (step climb benefit evaluated over the full trajectory). Additionally, this function does not consider the vertical degree of freedom (e.g., planned cruise vertical profile) as a mechanism to open the solution space/window of achievable RTAs.

System and method for optimizing a cruise vertical profile subject to a time-of-arrival constraint


The invention relates to an auxiliary device for a paint barrel which comprises a supporting bar bridged at two opposite sides of a paint barrel body by means of a pivoting attachment structure, a supporting portion to lean on the abdomen of a user provided at the middle part of the supporting bar and a strap attached to the barrel body. In use, the strap hangs on the user's neck and the supporting portion of the supporting bar leans on the abdomen of the user so that said barrel body suspends naturally in front of the user. In this way, the user can easily take the paint from the paint barrel, thereby achieving the purpose of convenience in use.

In general, there are two ways to take paint from the paint barrel. One is that rosin water or water is added into the paint barrel which is bought originally so that the paint is adjusted to a desired concentration by means of the additive. Then, the user carries the paint barrel by one hand and holds a brush to stain and smear the paint by the other hand. The other one is that other container is provided and an appropriate amount of the paint bought is added into the container. Rosin water or water is also added into the container so that the paint is adjusted to a desired concentration. Then, the user carries or holds the container by one hand and holds a brush to stain and smear the paint by the other hand. However, there are the following drawbacks when the paint is smeared by any one of said two ways:
a. It is very inconvenient to carry a paint barrel or a container by one hand and smear the paint by the other hand. A preferred auxiliary device is not generally provided on a paint barrel or a container so that the user has to carry a paint barrel or a container by one hand and smear the paint by the other hand. Because the user must carry a paint barrel or a container with a large weight by one hand and frequently pay attention to toppling of the paint barrel and flowing of the paint out of the barrel, it is very inconvenient for the user to move, thereby resulting in the handicap of elbow. PA1 b. It is very strenuous for the user to carry a paint barrel or a container by one hand. The user has to carry a paint barrel or a container by one hand and the paint barrel or container together with the paint has a large weight so that the user bears a heavier load. PA1 c. It is dangerous for the user to operate by two hands. Because the user has to carry a paint barrel or a container by one hand and smear the paint by the other hand, the user can not place a hand on a ladder or wall when climbing to a high position by a ladder to work, thereby resulting in worry about safety. PA1 a. It is very convenient for the user to smear the paint only by a single hand without carrying a paint barrel or a container by the other hand. The supporting bar having a supporting portion and the strap provided on the barrel body make the barrel body suspend naturally in front of the user and the user can work only by a single hand, thereby resulting in convenience and flexibility when the user works. PA1 b. The above-mentioned design of suspension style can save effort. As described, the strap and the supporting bar cooperate with each other to cause the barrel body suspend naturally in front of the user. The way saves effort greatly to decrease the load which the user bears. PA1 c. It is very safe for the user to work only by a single hand. The user works only by a single hand without carrying a paint barrel or a container by the other hand so that the user can place a hand on ladder or wall to enhance safety when climbing to a high position by a ladder to work.
The invention provides an auxiliary device for a paint barrel to overcome these drawbacks in the prior art.


An LCD device is disclosed. The disclosed LCD device includes: a liquid crystal display panel configured to display images; a backlight unit configured to include a light source provided for emitting light and optical sheets provided for improving optical characteristics of light which is emitted by the light source; a bottom cover with a receiving portion configured to receive the liquid crystal display panel and the backlight unit; and a heat guide member disposed on a front surface of the receiving portion of the bottom cover and configured to guide the heat generated in the light source toward the liquid crystal display panel.

1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, and more particularly to an LCD device adapted to minimize motion blurring phenomena and to reduce a response time of liquid crystal by increasing the temperature of an LCD panel.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Cathode ray tubes (CRTs) are one type of display devices, which are widely used. The CRTs are mainly used as monitors for TVs, measuring apparatuses, information terminals, and others. However, the heavy weight and large size of the CRTs have been a major hindrance to the manufacturing of small, light electronic products.
As a substitute for such CRTs, LCD devices are actively being researched, which have features of small size, light weight, low power consumption, etc. LCD devices have been developed enough to be employed as flat display devices. LCD devices are used in monitors for laptop computers, desktop computers, large-sized information equipment, or others. Moreover, demand for the LCD device is continuously increasing.
LCD devices are display devices of a light receiving type which control the light quantity from the exterior and display images. As such, the LCD devices must include a separated light source unit which is called "a backlight unit" configured to irradiate light to an LCD panel. Such a backlight unit can be classified as either an edge type or a direct type in accordance with the disposition of a light source.
The edge type backlight unit includes a light source disposed at an edge of the LCD panel, a light guide plate and optical sheets which are configured to guide incident light from the light source to the LCD panel. On the other hand, the direct type backlight unit includes a plurality of light sources arranged directly under the LCD panel and optical sheets configured to pass light from the light sources to the LCD panel.
With respect to the backlight unit, trials have been recently made to employ light emission diodes (LEDs) with the features of long lifespan, light weight, superior color temperature characteristics, or others, as a light source. However, the performance of the LEDs must be deteriorated due to a temperature increment caused by internally generated heat. As such, the LEDs can not provide high efficiency and long enough lifespan to meet a desired degree. To solve this matter, a variety of cooling methods have been proposed for the backlight unit with employing the LEDs.
The proposed cooling methods all use a metal plate being in contact with the LEDs as a heat radiation plate, in order to discharge heat generated in the LEDs. However, it is difficult to reduce heat resistance of the backlight unit with the LEDs below a critical value only using the metal plate. Moreover, when the design specifications of an LCD device, such as size of an LCD panel, arrangement of the LEDs, or others are changed, it is more difficult to decrease the heat resistance of the backlight unit below the critical degree.


Compressed gases, liquefied gases, or supercritical fluids are utilized as anti-solvents in a crystal growing process for complex molecules. Crystals of the present invention exhibit greater crystal size and improved morphology over crystals obtained by conventional methods.

High quality, pure crystals are of great value for a variety of industrial and research applications. For example, a frequent problem in pharmaceutical research is the difficulty of obtaining large single crystals for X-ray structural analyses to determine molecular conformations. Crystallization is also frequently used as a method of purification in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. More highly ordered crystals will typically result in a more highly purified product. Larger crystals can also impart advantages in packaging and handling operations.
Crystallization is conventionally carried out from the melt, from vapor, or from solution. The first two methods are generally restricted to materials that are thermally stable at high temperatures. Almost all biologically interesting molecules are crystallized from solution. Crystal growth from a solution involves shifting the solid versus solution equilibrium so that the solution becomes supersaturated with the substance to be crystallized. The most common methods of shifting the equilibrium are thermal and chemical. Thermally shifting the equilibrium between solid and solution relies on the temperature dependence of solubility to promote crystallization. Equilibrium of solid and solution can also be chemically shifted, by the addition of a second solvent which has good miscibility with the first solvent but in which the solute is less soluble. The addition of this secondary solvent, known as an anti-solvent, will reduce the solubility of the solute, thus causing it to precipitate.
Over the past decade, compressed gases, liquefied gases, and materials intermediate to gases and liquids known as supercritical fluids have been used as anti-solvents. A pure compound becomes critical at its critical temperature (T.sub.c) and critical pressure (P.sub.c). A compound becomes a supercritical fluid above its critical temperature and at its critical pressure, or above its critical pressure and at its critical temperature, or where conditions exceed both the critical temperature and pressure. These parameters are intrinsic thermodynamic properties of all sufficiently stable pure component compounds. Carbon dioxide, for example, becomes a supercritical fluid at conditions equal to or exceeding its critical temperature of 31.1.degree. C. and its critical pressure of 72.8 atm (1,070 psig). In the supercritical region, normally gaseous compounds exhibit greatly enhanced solvation power. At a pressure of 3,000 psig (204 atm) and a temperature of 40.degree. C., carbon dioxide has a density around 0.8 g/ml and behaves very much like a nonpolar organic solvent, with a zero dipole moment.
Compounds which are capable of forming a critical fluid undergo a transition as such compounds approach critical temperatures and pressures. Within approximately .+-.25% Kelvin of the critical temperature and within approximately .+-.25% of the critical pressure, compounds exhibit fluid density and solvation properties which approach those of critical and supercritical fluids. These compounds, under such conditions approaching critical conditions, are commonly referred to as near critical fluids.
Recently, numerous compounds showing various antineoplastic and other bioactivities have been screened and identified from plant materials, microorganisms and marine organisms. Useful compounds found by these and other screening processes often require large and pure crystals in order to efficiently conduct structural analysis. Structural analysis is often helpful to better understand the mechanisms that are responsible for their specific therapeutic efficacy. Investigation of these compounds for their bioactivities has been hampered by their low natural abundance and the characteristics of conventional purification and crystallization processes. Paclitaxel (NSC 125973, better known as taxol.RTM., a trademark of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company), an anticancer drug originally derived from the western yew Taxus brevifolia, is an example of such a compound. This material typically gives needle-like crystals from conventional crystallization (Wani, M. C., Taylor, H. L., Wall, M. E., Coggon, P. and McPhail, A. T., Plant Antitumor Agents. VI. Isolation and Structure of Taxol, A Novel Antileukemic and Antitumor Agent From Taxus brevifolia, Journal of American Chemical Society, 93:2325-2327, 1971).
Paclitaxel is a moderately sized molecule (MW=854, 113 atoms) with a complex structure that may hinder crystallization by conventional means or otherwise. As used herein, the term complex refers to molecules having approximately twenty-five or more atoms, and which are not comprised entirely of repeating subunits. For example, proteins are considered to have complex structure but polyethylene is not. The structure of paclitaxel is represented by the formula below: ##STR1##
Many other natural therapeutics of current interest likewise possess complex structures, e.g. bryostatin 1 (MW=905, 132 atoms). The structure of bryostatin 1 is represented by the formula below: ##STR2##
A need exists for a process which can produce large, highly ordered crystals of complex molecules.

Method for producing large crystals of complex molecules


A sheet having a fan-mounting part for mounting a fan is provided. The fan includes a fan body including a cylinder part and a protrusion which is disposed on the cylinder part protruding in a direction substantially perpendicular to a side face of the cylinder part and an engaging member which is fitted on an outer side of the cylinder part and is thus attached to the fan body so as to be opposite the protrusion. The sheet having the fan-mounting part includes a sheet member and a non-stretchable flat ring-shaped reinforcing section. The sheet member has an open hole for receiving the cylinder part of the fan. The reinforcing section has an opening with substantially the same shape as an outer edge of the cylinder part of the fan.

In recent year, air-flow mats and A/C cloths that evaporate sweat from a human body by an air flow have been put into practice (e.g. see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). For example, an A/C cloth is de of a material that is less permeable to the air, and two fan-mounting parts for mounting fans are provided in the lower back part of the A/C cloth. By mounting fans to the fan-mounting parts and powering them, a large amount of fresh air is taken from the outside into the A/C cloth. The fresh air taken in the A/C cloth flows upward parallel to the human body and is then discharged from, for example, holes of a collar and cuffs. While flowing inside the A/C cloth, the fresh air evaporates sweat from the human body. The body surface temperature can thus be decreased due to the heat of the evaporation (e.g. see Patent Document 3).
Next, a method for producing an A/C cloth will be described. In the following description, an A/C working cloth is taken as an example of an A/C cloth. Prior to the description, a method for producing a typical working cloth is briefly described. To produce a typical working cloth, first, the fabric parts thereof are prepared by cutting fabric according to a pattern of the working cloth. A typical working cloth requires approximately as many as a dozen of fabric parts. Then, a fastener, buttons and the like are attached to predetermined fabric parts. Thereafter, the fabric parts are sewn together into the typical working cloth.
A major difference between a method for producing an A/C cloth and a method for producing a typical working cloth is that the method for producing an A/C cloth involves a step of providing a fan-mounting part for mounting a fan to a fabric part that corresponds to the lower back part of the A/C cloth. As used herein, a sheet having a fan-mounting part refers to a sheet member such as fabric or a fabric part in which a fan-mounting part is provided. There are basically two methods for producing an A/C cloth. One method is to directly form a fan-mounting part in a fabric part itself that corresponds to the lower back part of an A/C cloth. The other method involves forming a sheet having a fan-mounting part beforehand in which the fan-mounting part is provided not in a fabric part of an A/C cloth but in a sheet member such as a small fabric, and sewing it to a fabric part that corresponds to the lower back part of the A/C cloth. In the following description, the former method is referred to as an own-sheet method, and the latter method as a separate-sheet method.
The own-sheet method requires forming the fan-mounting part in the fabric part in a sewing site, while the outer appearance provokes a less sense of inconsistency since the fabric part is a part of the fabric of the A/C cloth itself. In contrast, the separate-sheet method allows mass production of the sheet having a fan-mounting part in a different place other than a sewing site, for example, by using a rectangular fabric with an adequate size according to the size of the fan. The mass-produced sheet having the fan-mounting part allows normal sewing factories to produce the A/C cloth without any equipment or skill required for processing the fan-mounting part. From an economic viewpoint, it is not rational to use the same fabric as that of the A/C cloth itself, but it is desirable to use fabric of a different material. In such cases, since the fabric of the A/C cloth is different from the fabric of the sheet having the fan-mounting part, the outer appearance may provoke a sense of inconsistency. However, it is advantageous in the production cost.
In almost all A/C cloths, fans are attached in two locations in the back part. However, since such fans cool the low back too much and are disturbing when driving a car or the like, it has been often required to attach fans right in the sides of the body part. FIG. 12 is a schematic side view of a typical working cloth. In a typical working cloth, fabric parts 200 are sewn together right in the sides as illustrated in FIG. 12. In the figure, seams 210 formed by the sewing are illustrated by the dashed lines. Similar to typical working cloths, fabric parts 200 are sewn together right in the sides of A/C cloths. Therefore, it is difficult to form fan-mounting parts in the sewn parts by the own-sheet method. In contrast, it is possible to attach fans right in the sides by the separate-sheet method since the sheets having the fan-mounting part can be readily attached over adjacent fabric parts 200.
No matter which method is used for producing an air-flow mat or an A/C cloth between the own-sheet method and the separate-sheet method, it is required to firmly attach the fan to the sheet member so that the air does not leak through the fan-mounting part in order to improve the air-conditioning performance. On the other hand, it is required that the fan is readily detachable from the sheet member by a user for washing the air-flow mat or the A/C cloth.
For this reason, it is desirable to use a fan having the structure as disclosed in FIG. 12 of Patent Document 2 for A/C cloths and the like. Such fans include a fan body and a ring engaging member for mounting the fan body on a sheet member. The fan body includes a hollow cylinder part and a flange part that protrudes from the upper end of the cylinder part in a direction approximately perpendicular to the side face of the cylinder part. The fan is mounted on the sheet member by fitting the ring engaging member on the outer side of the cylinder part and thereby tucking the edge part around an open hole of the sheet member between the underside of the flange part and the end face of the ring engaging member opposed to the flange part and engaging an engaging piece formed in the cylinder part with a protrusion formed in the ring engaging member.
If the fan-mounting part is constituted by only the sheet member with an open hole for mounting the fan, the fan readily comes off from the sheet member due to a great force applied to the fan since the sheet member used in A/C cloths and the like is stretchable. To avoid this, the Patent Document 2 proposes to use the fan-mounting part that has an open hole for mounting the fan and includes a non-stretchable material disposed in the edge part around the open hole of the sheet member. Specifically, the fan-mounting part with the non-stretchable material is produced as follows. First, a hole is formed at a predetermined location in the sheet member, and the part of the sheet member around the hole is folded to the back. Then, a non-stretchable ring material is inserted in the overlapped part of the sheet member that was formed by the folding. Thereafter, a fabric is patched to the back side of the part of the sheet member in which the non-stretchable material is inserted, and the fabric is sewn to the sheet member with a thread. In this way, the open hole is formed, and the non-stretchable material is stitched around the open hole.


An edge server receives a first request message for transmission to the host device. The edge server determines a first congestion control algorithm based on the first request message, including characteristics of the first request message. The edge server applies the first congestion control algorithm to the transport connection for application to the transmission of the first request message. Subsequently, the edge server receives a second request message for transmission to the host device over the transport connection. Based on the second request message, including characteristics of the second request message, the edge server determines and applies a second congestion control algorithm to the transport connection for application to the transmission of the second request message, wherein the second congestion control algorithm is different from the first congestion control algorithm

Internet hosts are concerned with maintaining high security, performance, and reliability of their hosted resources, such as websites. As the popularity of a resource increases, so does the amount of network traffic that is directed to the resource. Excessive or unmanaged network traffic can result in network congestion, and ultimately, dropped network traffic, affecting the security, performance and reliability of a resource. One tool for mitigating the negative effects of excessive or unmanaged network traffic is to apply congestion control algorithms. Congestion control algorithms can use various techniques to regulate network traffic to prevent network congestion, including a slow start strategy and modifications to TCP congestion windows. A slow start strategy starts by sending a small amount of data and slowly increases the amount of data transmitted until it reaches a certain point (e.g., a slow start threshold, the network's maximum carrying capacity, or another value). The congestion window indicates the maximum amount of data that can be sent out on a connection without being acknowledged. An example congestion control algorithm can decrease the congestion window when an acknowledgement for a packet is not received within an estimated or expected timeout period.

Modifying the congestion control algorithm applied to a connection based on request characteristics


A releasable locking mechanism comprising a pair of interconnecting members. One of the members has a cavity for receiving therein a terminal end on the other member generally configured to the cavity. The terminal end is laterally placed in the cavity and a spring biased plunger in the member having the terminal end engages the exterior wall of the cavity and moves backwardly allowing a locking sleeve on the member having the terminal end to be slid to a position surrounding the engaged terminal end in the cavity and locking the same. A frictional-held release sleeve is also provided on the member having the terminal end rearward of the locking sleeve which may be slid forwardly to release the locking sleeve from locking engagement.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to quick release locking mechanisms; and, more particularly, to a locking mechanism for connecting two members in a positive manner yet allowing quick release.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, the use of robotics has successfully reduced the time and labor necessary to connect up one member to another. In some operations, such a connecting mechanism must be able to quickly connect up the two members, positively lock the same, yet allow quick release with slight release force or pressure. In still other operations, it may be necessary to lock up two members with an action that may be difficult to carry out by robotic means.
There thus exists a need for a quick release locking mechanism for connecting one member to another wherein the members are positively locked together, yet may be quickly released with little force or pressure.


A device for providing a video signal of a virtual image based on a real image of a camera, the real image having an object, includes a processing device. One piece of positional information each is associated with the camera and the object. The processing device generates the video signal of the virtual image based on the real image, the positional information of the camera and the positional information of the object. The virtual image includes an illustration of the object or object information with regard to the object.

Embodiments according to the invention relate to generating virtual images and, in particular, to a device and a method for providing a video signal of a virtual image based on a real image of a camera.
Video data generally only have implicit optical location or position information available, from which only the relation of visible objects to each other may be determined. A determination of a real positional information in real time is only possible via reference models within the image or cost and time consuming image processing. Cross-fading objects in video signals in real time until now necessitated a high computational analysis and processing of the video image, without the possibility to resolve the ambiguity of depth with regard to size independent of the object and doubtlessly.
Real time location systems exist which are able to measure the positions of objects within a certain area to the accuracy of only a few centimeters. Examples are Fraunhofer Witrack, Differential GPS or Ubisense. The position of the objects may be illustrated as a virtual 3D view in the user interface.
Further, there are fully automatically controllable camera systems whose exact alignment and also position may be determined by integrated sensors or odometry. Also the position to be expected may be used, to which the camera is controlled, as far as highly accurate camera heads are used.
Cameras may, for example, also be controlled based on data from a location system.
On the other hand, there are different systems for cross-fading video signals in real time from two or more sources of analog or digital video signals, and the same already enable fading-in additional information (e.g. date, time, running text . . . ) into running video images in real time. Further, cross-fading is possible with predefined graphics and animations. Video processing systems like face recognition already allow fading-in image data supported information. The image processing overhead is very high, however.

Device and method for providing a video signal of a virtual image

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V.


A web tension monitoring system in which a guide roll is supported for rotation upon bearings which are mounted on stub shafts extending inwardly from frame members. Load cells which include strain gauges are cantilever-mounted adjacent the internal ends of said stub shafts within the guide roll. Guide rolls and frame spacing of different lengths are accommodated by adjustable casing sleeves which permit variation of the amount of insertion of the stub shafts into the guide roll without affecting the operation of the load cells. Adaptors are provided to permit the use of guide rolls of differing diameters.

In various industries, continuous monitoring of tension in a web which may be moving at high speed is essential to avoid damage to the web or to maintain proper manufacturing controls on web-supported products. For example, in the manufacture of paper, endless webs are frequently used, and if tension is insufficient, the web tends to wrinkle, forming irregularities in the material being carried by the web. Conversely, if tension becomes too great, the web or product may be weakened or destroyed. In many other applications, such as printing and textile manufacturing, it is necessary to continuously observe and make necessary adjustments to maintain tension on a web within suitable limits.
Numerous systems have been devised for such tension monitoring. One such system is exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,260,106, in which the web is passed over a guide roll and exerts displacing forces upon that guide roll. The guide roll is mounted for rotation upon a support shaft, and the force exerted by the tensioned web upon the guide roll causes deflection of the support shaft which is sensed by a strain gauge or gauges.


An laser with improved output power is provided. The laser comprises: a cylindrical laser medium mounted on the shaft of a motor; a resonator including a pair of mirrors provided adjacent the opposite ends of the cylindrical face of the laser medium; and a multiplicity of laser diodes angularly spaced along the circumference of the cylindrical medium and upstream of the resonator in the sense of the rotation. The laser diodes optically pump regions of the medium facing the diodes. By rotating the cylindrical medium at a high speed, the pumped region of the medium will be brought into the resonator within the life lime of excitation, thereby increasing inverted distribution of energy per unit time. The pumped regions sequentially undergo laser emission, providing increased laser output power.

In a solid-state laser, laser diodes function as efficient means for exciting solid-state laser medium. This is due to the fact that a wavelength of the light emitted from the laser diodes may be selected to match an absorption wavelength of the laser medium of interest. This implies that parasitic absorption of light, i.e. absorption not participating laser oscillation, is very little, so that little thermal expansion of the medium will take place, resulting in only negligible "lense effect" which causes local convergence of light. Thus, laser diode pumped solid-state lasers may easily carry out emission of a single mode transverse light waves. A further advantage of the laser diode pumped solid-state lasers is that they may be manufactured in compact and light forms, and have long life.
Presently, however, laser diode pumped solid-state lasers have the following difficulties. They are that: (1) the pumping power of the light source, i.e. laser diodes, is not high for optical pumping of a solid laser medium, and (2) absorption coefficient of laser medium is small, obstructing the realization of a high power laser. The second problem (2) arises because active ions such as Nd.sup.3+ that can participate in laser light emission may be doped in a host medium to only limited concentration. This is also the case when YAG crystal is used as a host medium. To overcome these problems, efforts have been directed mainly to develop: (A) a laser medium having a high optical absorption coefficient and a high pumping efficiency, and (B) an excitation scheme for efficient pumping of the medium by laser diodes. In pursuit of a solution to the first object (A) above, effort has been made mainly to find a best arrangement of a multiplicity of laser diodes for optimum optical pumping. For the second object (B), improvements made in the past are based on provision of a longest optical path possible for the light beam to be absorbed by the medium.
FIG. 1 illustrate a prior art laser developed to overcome some of these disadvantages. In this arrangement a multiplicity of laser diodes 1 provide pumping light, which is collected at a focus of a lense 3 by a bundle of optical fibers 2, which light is in turn collected on a laser medium 5 by a lense 4. An optical resonator comprises a partially transmitting mirror 6 and a totally reflecting mirror 7 at the laser oscillating wave length. Mirror 7 is transparent for the pumping light from the laser diodes so that the incident pumping light from the laser diodes penetrates into the medium 5. Lasers of this type are called end-pumped solid-state lasers because they perform optical pumping with light entered the medium at the opposite end face of the medium. Advantageously, they have a pumping region which coincides with a region where oscillatory emission modes are established, so that the clear problem of lens effect mentioned above and may provide a high power single transverse mode. Since the incident light enters the medium from its longitudinal end, they also attain the second object (B).
FIG. 2 illustrate another prior art laser, in which beams of pumping light emitted from "a diode bar" 11, which is a multiplicity of laser diodes, are collimated by a fiber lense 12 onto a long side face of a laser medium 13. The laser medium is a Nd.sup.3+ YAG crystal having dimensions of, for example, 3.times.5.times.20 mm. The face of the medium receiving the incident light is provided with a coat which may totally reflect YAG laser light whose wavelength is 1.06 microns, but is transparent for the pumping light whose wavelength is about 0.8 microns. Mirrors 14 and 15 together constitute a resonator. Lasers of this type are called side-pumped solid-state lasers. Since they have a long zig-zag optical path 16 over the entire length of the medium 13 excited by the multiple diode lasers, they may provide high output laser power.
As discussed above, either type of prior art lasers have some improvements on output power through improved designs in configuration and dimension of laser medium, and improved arrangements of pumping laser diodes. However, in the case of Nd.sup.3+ YAG crystal laser, maximum laser output power rate (i.e. output power per unit volume of laser medium) is limited by Nd.sup.3+ concentration in the YAG crystal. Maximum concentration of Nd.sup.3+ doped in the YAG crystal is at most a few per cent. The maximum power rate cannot be improved by any excitation scheme. Although it has been reported recently that LiNdP.sub.4 O.sub.14 can be better host for Nd.sup.3+ at higher concentration thereof, the maximum laser output power rate is still limited by the concentration of the Nd.sup.3+ ions.


A SAW filter has two DMS tracks. Each DMS track includes six converters, with two converters each acting as input or output converters. The two DMS tracks are electrically connected in series by way of four pairs of coupling converters and the associated coupling lines. A common inner ground line is provided between the two DMS tracks, which extends over the entire length of the DMS tracks and crosses the coupling lines. The input converters of the first DMS track are connected to an asymmetrical port, while the output converters of the second DMS track are connected to a symmetrical port.

SAW filters for reception applications frequently require an unbalanced input and a balanced output so that they can be used without an additional balun between an unbalanced antenna connection and a transceiver IC with balanced signal processing. Such a reception filter can also be interconnected with a further filter operating in an unbalanced/unbalanced manner to form a duplexer. However, it is also possible to connect up a filter operating in a balanced/balanced manner to a balun, so that this connection to input and output can then likewise be operated in a balanced/unbalanced manner.
In a duplexer, further demands are made on the reception filter, for example a high level of common-mode isolation of greater than 60 dB between the transmission and reception filters and a high level of normal-mode isolation of more than 60 dB in the transmission band are demanded. Furthermore, a general aim in the case of filters is for them to be implemented as inexpensively as possible and to be equipped with as little insertion loss as possible. Furthermore, a high level of balancing is demanded at the balanced output, and variances are also intended to be at a minimum.
The U.S. Pat. No. 7,369,015 B2 discloses a SAW filter operating in a balanced/unbalanced manner which comprises two series-connected DMS tracks. Further known reception filters use a series circuit of a ladder type filter and a single-track DMS filter. Disadvantages of these interconnections are an inadequate level of isolation and a large chip surface area requirement.


Disclosed is an electronic component which includes a removable planar card having a light emitting diode (LED). The electronic component also includes an attachment flange having a first face and a second face substantially parallel to a removable planar card face, and a bushing installed in a hole in the attachment flange. The bushing includes an inner member having a head, a threaded shaft extending from the head. The inner member is inserted through the flange hole such that the head rests on the flange first face. The bushing also includes a sleeve having an threaded inner diameter that is threaded onto the shaft such that the attachment flange is clamped between the inner member and the sleeve and a bottom end of the sleeve is suspended over the LED. Finally, the electronic component includes an optical transmission line inserted into a through hole in the inner member.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to light emitting diode (LED) light transmission, and particularly to an apparatus for securing an end of an optical transmission line.
2. Description of Background
Optical transmission lines are used in electronic devices, often to transmit light from a light emitting diode (LED) on a planar card to a display. Typically, the optical transmission line is secured to the LED by a mechanical connection to the LED and/or the planar card. The optical transmission line is connected in this manner to help ensure proper positioning of the optical transmission line relative to the LED and thus ensure that the light transmission to the display is effective.
The above configuration is not optimal, however, because the optical transmission line is mechanically connected to the planar card. When a planar card is removed from the electronic device, the removal is time consuming because the optical transmission line must first be disconnected from the planar card. Furthermore, damage to the planar card and/or the optical transmission line can occur if planar card removal is attempted without disconnecting the optical transmission line.
What is needed is an apparatus for securing and positioning the optical transmission line that does not require the optical transmission line to be connected to a removable planar card containing the LED.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Optical transmission line retention and light accumulation bushing

International Business Machines Corporation


A system and method for providing a broadcast to a receiver via a communication network. In particular, the broadcast is received via at least one global multicast channel. At least one local multicast channel is associated with the global multicast address. Then, a communication link is established between the receiver and the local multicast channel, and the broadcast is routed from the global multicast channel to the local multicast channel to provide the broadcast to the receiver. The number of the receivers which are receiving the broadcast may be determined. The receiver may include an Internet Protocol (IP) interface which enables the receiver to receive the broadcast via an IP-type multicast communication. The receiver may also be wireless, and can receive the broadcast in a first subnet using a multicast communication. Prior to the receiver moving to a second subnet, a request is generated by the receiver to receive the broadcast in the second subnet. After receiving the request, the broadcast is provided to the wireless receiver in the second subnet using the multicast communication.

Conventional radio systems broadcast a continuous content without requiring extensive user interaction. This traditional scheme is convenient in situations where the listener is sharing his or her attention with other tasks, such as driving an automobile. However, one of the disadvantages of these conventional radio systems is that only a limited number of the radio stations can legally transmit their broadcasts in a particular area (e.g., only 45 FM radio stations can transmit their broadcast in the New York City metropolitan area). There have been a number of proposed solutions to address this limitation. However, none of the proposed solutions effectively utilized the Internet to expand the number of radio broadcasts, as well as television broadcasts, to the wireless users who travel from one geographical area to another.
A streaming real-time multimedia content (which relates to entertainment, music and/or interactive game industries) can now be provided over the Internet. The streaming applications include IP telephony, broadcasting multimedia content and multi-party conferences, collaborations and multi-player games. However, at least one publication (i.e., the New York Times) asserted that such multimedia streaming applications will bring about the demise of the Internet because the streaming applications are far more demanding in terms of bandwidth, latency and reliability than the traditional data communication applications. Many of the existing streaming systems do not scale to large audiences, particularly for a transmission at high bit rates. They also do not provide a user flexibility, and are restricted to a utilization of either conferencing or broadcast modes.
Early attempts to provide the streaming applications to the clients over the Internet have been implement using a unicast scheme. An exemplary system illustrating the system which utilizes the conventional unicast architecture is shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1, the source 100 (e.g., the audio and/or video content provider) is connected to a first router R1, which in turn is connected to second and third routers R2, R3. The second router R2 is connected to fourth and fifth routers R4, R5, while the third router R3 is connected to sixth and seventh routers R6, R7. The fourth router R4 is connected to two clients C0, C1, the fifth router R5 is connected to three clients C2, C3, C4, the sixth client R6 is connected to two clients C5, C6, and the seventh client R7 is connected to another three clients C7, C8, C9. The clients C0-C9 may be computers requesting the particular multimedia content (e.g., an audio and/or video content).
In operation, if each of the clients C0-C9 requests the same multimedia content, each of those requests is routed via their respective routers to the source 100. Particularly, the clients C0, C1 send such request to the fourth router R4 which routes the request two streams for the particular multimedia content, i.e., one stream for each of its requesting clients C0, C1. At the same time, the fifth, sixth and seventh routers R5, R6, R7 may receive the requests for the same multimedia content from its respective clients C2-C9, and these routers R5, R6, R7 route their streams, respectively, for such multimedia content upstream. The requests for two and three identical multimedia streams (i.e., a total of five streams) are sent to the second router R2 from the fourth and fifth routers R4, R5, respectively. The requests for the same three and two multimedia streams (i.e., also a total of five streams) are sent to the third router R3 from the sixth and seventh routers R6, R7, respectively. The second and third routers R2, R3 each route the request for five multimedia streams to the first router R1, which routes a request for 10 multimedia streams (i.e., 5 for the second router R2 and 5 for the third router R3) to the source 100.
Thus, the source 100 receives a request for 10 multimedia streams, and then transmits 10 multimedia streams to the first router R1, which then routes the requested 5 identical multimedia streams to the second router R2, and the same 5 multimedia streams to the third router R3. The second router R2 then routes two of these multimedia streams to the fourth router R4, and three to the fifth router R5. The fourth router R4 routes 1 stream to the client C0 and the other stream to the client C1. The fifth router R5 routes one of its received streams to the respective client, C2, C3, C4. Similar routing of the multimedia streams occurs for the third router R3 (and thus for the sixth and seventh routers, (R6, R7).
By utilizing the unicast scheme described above and shown in FIG. 1, there may be multiple copies of the same multimedia content being transmitted from the source down to the clients. Such transmission of multiple streams may cause a bottleneck in the network by wasting the Internet bandwidth, and would likely prevent the clients from receiving the multimedia content in an expeditious manner.
FIG. 2 shows an arrangement utilizing a conventional multicast communications scheme which addressed at least some of the above-mentioned drawbacks. For the sake of simplicity, the multicast arrangement in FIG. 2 is substantially similar to that shown in FIG. 1. Using the multicasting communications scheme illustrated in FIG. 2, if each of the clients C0-C9 requests the same multimedia content, the routers keep track of the particular client which made the request, and only sends one request for the multimedia stream upstream to the next router in the chain (or to the source 100). For example, the clients C0, C1 may send such request (e.g., a join request) to the fourth router R4, which stores an indication (e.g., a state) therein that at least one of clients C0, C1 sent the particular request. At the same time, the fifth, sixth and seventh routers R5, R6, R7 may receive the requests for the same multimedia content from its respective clients C2-C9, and each these routers R5, R6, R7 stores an indication therein regarding that at least one of their respective clients sent the request for multimedia stream. If the fourth router R4 (or the fifth router R5) already routed the multimedia streams to one of its clients (on the same subnet as the requesting client), it routes the multimedia streams to such requesting client. Otherwise each of the fourth and fifth routers R4, R5 sends a request to receive the multimedia stream that was requested by their respective clients C0-C4 to the second router R2. The second router R2 stores an indication that at least one of the fourth and fifth routers R4, R5 made the request. Each of the sixth and seventh routers R6, R7 also may send a request for the multimedia stream (i.e., that was requested by their respective clients C5-C9) to the third router R3. The third router R3 stores an indication which is similar to the one stored in the second router R2. Then, the second and third routers R2, R3 each send the request for the same multimedia stream to the first router R1, which stores an indication regarding which of the routers R2, R3 made the request. Since the first router R1 is directly connected (or connected in the same subnet) to the source 100, the first router R1 always receives the multimedia stream from the source 100.
In this manner, the first router R1 receives the request, duplicates the received multimedia stream (via multicast channels 500) and transmits 1 copy thereof to each of the second and third routers R2, R3 (if both made the request). The second router R2 then duplicates the received multimedia stream provided in the multicast channels 500, and sends one copy of the stream to each of the fourth and fifth router R4, R5. The fourth router R4, in turn, provides one copy of the received multimedia stream provided in the multicast channels 500 to the client C0 and the other copy to the client C1 (if both made the request). The fifth router R5 duplicates the received multimedia stream, and sends one copy of the received multimedia stream provided by the multicast channels 500 to each of the respective client C2, C3, C4 (if each of theses clients made the request). A similar transmission of the multimedia streams occurs for the third router R3 (and thus for the sixth and seventh routers R6, R7).
With this multicast scheme, the source 100 needs to only transmit one multimedia stream to the requesting router, which in turn duplicates the multimedia stream (if necessary) and transmits a single stream downstream to the routers and/or the clients requesting such stream. Indeed, each router (as well as the source 100) does not need to transmit more than one multimedia stream to the downstream routers. As such, the bandwidth of the system is utilized more efficiently.
In addition, by using the multicast scheme described above, it is also possible to avoid a transmission of a request for the multimedia stream (that has already been provided to other clients by a particular router) upstream, all the way up to the source 100. For example, another client C10 may be connected to the fourth router R5, and this new client C10 may request the multimedia stream from the fourth router R4 that has already been requested (and is provided to) the client C1. When the fourth router R4 receives this request from the new client C10, it checks whether the requested multimedia stream has already been provided to it. If not, this request is then passed to the second router R2. If the fourth router R4 determines that the requested multimedia stream is already provided by it to at least one of its clients (is in the present exemplary case to the client C1), the fourth router sends a copy of the requested multimedia stream to the new client C10 without sending additional requests for this multimedia stream to the second router R2, and ultimately to the server. Even though this multicast communications scheme provides an advantageous transmission of the multimedia streams from the servers to the clients, it was not effectively usable for wireless communication or in systems where the broadcast streams from different sources which can immediately be provided to the wired or wireless clients.
Previous attempts to provide next-generation radio and television systems have not been successful largely because these systems did not add significant benefits over the older and well known systems. Current versions of the Internet (or web) radio or television were not designed to utilize a large-scale multicast scheme, while also lacking the ability to support low-latency constraints and flexible programming (e.g., an automatic ad insertion during a program, an on-line monitoring of a particular channel, etc.). Furthermore, the conventional systems do not support a continuous streaming or conferencing, while the wireless client is moving, especially from one subnet to another.

System and method for receiving over a network a broadcast from a broadcast source

The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York


An inline vertical tack-off system for cleaning vehicular bodies that eliminates the need to spatially dispose rotating brushes and thereby enhance the cleaning efficiency while reducing the space occupied by the apparatus by vertically aligning a plurality of cleaning brushes to clean the full height of a vehicle body. Additionally, the apparatus includes a positioning system which allows the tack-off brushes to move in relation to any of a variety of vehicular bodies by adjusting the distance between the brushes and the vehicle body under the control of a program, as well as by controlling the tilt of the brushes match the vehicle contours and thereby optimize the contact force applied by the brushes to the vehicular surface being cleaned. Also, the system includes a vortex enhanced plenum utilized to evacuate ambient air and contaminant particles.

As contaminants can produce a variety of blemishes in the final painted finish on vehicles, it is very important to remove dust, lint and other such particulate matter from surfaces prior to their painting. Particularly in large areas, such as vehicular panels, where even small imperfections in the painting process can eventually cause rust spots, cleaning becomes particularly important.
A high-quality painted finish is needed for manufacturing of motor vehicles where an apparatus is placed on the assembly line and can perform the cleaning process in a streamlined and efficient manner as the vehicle passes therethrough prior to the vehicle reaching the paint robots. Thus, it is desirable that any cleaning process be compatible with high volume automated manufacturing techniques. It is also important that the pre-painting cleaning process not mar the vehicle or introduce any new contaminants.
Originally, pre-painting cleaning was carried out by wiping the surfaces with cloths impregnated with a tacky material, and hence, all such cleaning processes are generally referred to as "tacking" or "tack-off" processes. Cloth based processes have been found to be generally unsatisfactory, and therefore brush based systems, with the brushes utilizing ostrich feathers, are currently being utilized with a rotating brush which is swept across the surface to be cleaned.
The brush removes dust particles that are collected by a vacuum. One such prior art system particularly adapted for cleaning motor vehicle bodies is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,329. One of the problems with the system is the secondary contamination. As the brushes do not present an inline alignment, the brush that comes into contact with the vehicle later deposits contaminants on the vehicle surface previously cleaned. Furthermore, the non-inline design occupies more area on the assembly line where the space is at a premium.
It is also most important that any tack-off machine not introduce any new contaminants to the cleaned vehicle surface. In many tack-off machines in prior art, the vacuum collection system includes several flexible conduits and as such can blow secondary contaminants in previously cleaned areas.
The present invention recognizes that it is important to properly position the brushes in relation to each other so that they work in cooperation with each other and that the entire height of the vehicle comes into contact with the brushes at the same time which becomes possible when the brushes are disposed in a vertically inline configuration. As will be described in greater detail hereinbelow, the present invention provides an improved tack-off machine that accurately controls the position and the orientation of the brushes using a plurality of actuators that engage the brush surfaces with the vehicle body to create a contact zone along the entire height of the vehicle with the contact zone being 1.5-2.5 inches thick to maximize cleaning effect while minimizing the possibility of marring the vehicular surface. The machine of the present invention also provides improved cleaning efficiency and prevents recontamination of the cleaned surface by optimizing the configuration of collection conduits. These and other advantages of the present invention will be clear from the drawings, discussion and description which follow.

Inline vertical tack-off machine for automobile side panels


The present application relates to a one-component epoxy resin composition that contains an epoxy resin containing: (1) an epoxy resin having 2 or more epoxy groups in the molecule, (2) a polythiol compound having 2 or more thiol groups in the molecule, (3) a compound that releases a basic component under a curing temperature condition and dissolves in constituent (2), and (4) a compound having Lewis acidity. The present invention also relates to a method of producing the same.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a completely liquid one-component epoxy resin composition having excellent curing properties and excellent storage stability. The present invention further provides an adhesion method using the one-component epoxy resin composition.
2. Discussion of the Background
Epoxy resin compositions are utilized in a wide field such as adhesives, sealants, paints and the like. Generally, the epoxy resin compositions in wide-spread us is a two-component epoxy resin system, wherein the epoxy resin composition and the catalyst composition containing a curing agent are separately maintained until the time of which curing is desired wherein the two compositions are mixed. However, the systems are frequently tied to poor workability, such as requiring a mixing operation of a base resin and a curing agent ("General Epoxy Resins", edited by Epoxy Resin Technology Association, published Nov. 19, 2003).
Accordingly, a one-component epoxy resin composition (or system) having excellent workability not requiring a mixing operation of a base resin and a curing agent has been used in the art of this field. One-component epoxy systems is one in which all constituents are mixed together and where crosslinking of the epoxide groups with other reactive materials (e.g., amines, alcohols, phenols, carboxylic acids, and unsaturated compounds) is initiated by, for example, exposure to air, UV light irradiation, altered temperatures (increased or decreased from ambient temperature), or altered moisture content.
Many latent curing agents used in a one-component epoxy resin composition are particles of several μm, and are used by dispersing in a liquid epoxy resin. The latent curing agents are those that are in a form that does not react with the epoxy resin at ordinary or ambient temperature, and therefore do not react while in admixture with the epoxy resin. With subsequent heating, the latent curing agents induce a curing reaction with the epoxy resin. This form of curing agent is referred to as a solid dispersion latent curing agent. Examples of this type of latent curing agent include dicyandiamide, a dihydrazide compound and an amine adduct compound, or enmicrocapsulated amine or imidazole (the above described "General Epoxy Resins", edited by Epoxy Resin Technology Association, published Nov. 19, 2003).
However, in an impregnating adhesive composition containing a solid dispersion latent curing agent, only a liquid epoxy resin penetrates deeply; however, particles of the curing agent do not sufficiently infiltrate between spaces. Therefore, there are problems that curing occurs heterogeneously, and in an extreme case, the space part does not cure at all. Further, in paint and/or coating materials containing a resin composition using a solid dispersion latent curing agent, the curing agent and the epoxy resin cannot uniformly be mixed when curing in a portion having an extremely small coating thickness. Therefore, disadvantageously the cured film becomes heterogeneous, and partially uncured areas form.
To solve the aforementioned problems, a completely liquid one-component epoxy resin composition in which a curing agent is dissolved and an epoxy resin is present was desired. As the completely liquid epoxy resin composition known heretofore, a composition containing an amine complex of boron trifluoride as a curing agent is known, but this composition generates a corrosive hydrogen fluoride gas when curing, and therefore, its use was extremely limited (M. Akatsuka, et al., Polymer, Vol. 42, 3003 p (2001)).
Further, a one-component epoxy resin composition using an onium salt, such as a sulfonium salt, and a pyridinium salt as a curing agent is known. However, there are problems with this curing agent as it causes a cationic polymerization resulting in poor adhesive force. In addition, with this curing agent there are many limitations on additives that can be added to the composition (the above described "General Epoxy Resins", edited by Epoxy Resin Technology Association, published Nov. 19, 2003).
Further, an example of a one-component epoxy resin composition utilizing an amineimide compound as a curing agent is known. However, with this composition there are problems that the curing rate is markedly slow, and to obtain practical adhesive strength, severe curing conditions of 150° C. and 3 hours are required (JP-A-2003-96061).
On the other hand, a composition containing a bifunctional or polyfunctional epoxy compound, a trifunctional or polyfunctional polythiol compound and an amine is known. Because this composition does not use a solid dispersion curing agent or a curing accelerator, impregnating adhesion or thin film curing is possible. However, this composition has poor storage stability at ordinary temperature and could not withstand practical production (JP-B-60-21648).
A composition containing a polyfunctional epoxy compound, a polyfunctional thiol, an amine and a mercapto organic acid as a curing retarder is also known, but the curing properties of this composition are insufficient for practical use (JP-A-61-159417).
Further, has been disclosed that a one-component epoxy system having good storage stability and excellent curing properties can be prepared by using a polythiol compound having two or more thiol groups in the molecule as a curing agent, using a reaction product between a compound having one or more isocyanate group in the molecule as a curing accelerator and a compound having at least one primary and/or secondary amino group in the molecule, and a polythiol series epoxy resin (U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,532). However, when the invention disclosed therein was traced, undissolved residue remained in the composition, and it was not always said to be a practical composition having excellent reproducibility.
On the other hand, an epoxy resin composition comprising (1) an epoxy resin having 2 or more epoxy groups in the molecule, (2) a thiol compound having 2 or more thiol groups in the molecule, (3) a solid dispersion latent curing accelerator, and (4) a boric acid ester compound, as essential components was known (JP-A-11-256013). However, in this epoxy resin composition, the boric acid ester compound added to further improve its storage stability was limited to an extremely specific use method limited to the case that a curing accelerator is solid dispersion type, as described that "it is considered that the compound reacts with a surface of a solid dispersion latent curing accelerator to modify the same, resulting in encapsulation (see the above patent publication, [0025] first part).
In view of the foregoing, there remains a critical need for a completely liquid epoxy resin composition having storage stability capable of withstanding practical production steps, and also withstanding general distribution. Such a composition would also need to provide sufficient curing and adhesive properties.


The invention relates to a valve mechanism with a variable valve opening cross section for use in an internal combustion engine and having a gas exchange valve acted on by the force of a valve spring and displaceable axially back and forth inside a guide by a valve control unit; the position of the sealing slide relative to the gas exchange valve in the axial direction is continuously variable by means of an adjusting unit. A sealing slide disposed coaxially to the gas exchange valve, is acted upon by the force of a coupling spring, and is displaceable axially back and forth by the valve control unit. The position of the sealing slide is variable in the axial direction relative to the gas exchange valve by means of an adjusting unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a valve mechanism with a variable valve opening cross section, and particularly to such a valve for use as an intake valve or exhaust valve of an internal combustion engine.
2. Prior Art
In internal combustion engines used as driving engine for motor vehicles, a fuel-air mixture is compressed and ignited in the work chamber. The energy produced is converted into mechanical work. It is known for air or the fuel-air mixture to be delivered to the work chamber via valves (inlet valves), and for the products of combustion to be removed from the work chamber via valves (outlet valves). For determining the efficiency of the engine, controlling these valves is of great significance. In particular, the gas exchange in the work chamber is controlled by way of controlling the valves.
In addition to camshaft control, it is also known to employ an electrohydraulic valve control. Electrohydraulic valve control offers the capability of variable or fully variable valve control, making it possible to optimize the gas exchange and thus to enhance the motor efficiency of the engine.
The electrohydraulic valve control includes a hydraulically actuatable control valve, whose control valve piston actuates a valve body of the inlet and outlet valves and leads to a valve seat (valve seat ring) (closure of the valve) or moves away from it (opening of the valve). The control valve can be actuated via a pressure control of a hydraulic medium. The pressure control is effected here via magnet valves incorporated into the hydraulic circuit. To achieve the most optimal possible gas exchanges, the highest possible switching speeds of the control valve are needed. As a result of these high switching speeds, the valve body of the inlet and outlet valves strikes the valve seat ring at high speed. The result is on the one hand noise, and on the other, the partners in the valve suffer relatively high wear.
European Patent Disclosure EP 0 455 761 B1, for instance, has a hydraulic valve control device for an internal combustion engine as its subject. The fundamental technological principle of this embodiment is to displace a motor valve by means of a controlled pressure of a hydraulic fluid. In this embodiment, it is provided that an electronic control unit triggers a magnet valve, which in turn controls the motion of a storage piston, by way of which the stroke of the motor valve is varied.
European Patent Disclosure EP 0 512 698 A1 describes an adjustable valve system for an internal combustion engine. This embodiment is one example of mechanical valve control via cams of a rotating camshaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,915 has an electromagnetic valve control system for an internal combustion engine as its subject. A similar embodiment of an electromagnetic valve control is known from EP 0 471 614 A1. In these embodiments, the valve is moved back and forth to different positions by electromagnetic force. The electromagnets are disposed inside a housing part of the cylinder head, in two different regions. By the alternating activation of the electromagnets, the valve is moved alternatingly into two terminal positions, corresponding to the opening and closing positions of the valve, respectively. In these terminal positions of the valve, the admission opening for the fuel-air mixture into the combustion chamber is then opened to the widest extent or completely closed.
Another embodiment is known from EP 0 551 271 B1. This embodiment involves a valve mechanism with a plate valve, which is disposed in a passage of an internal combustion engine. The fundamental principle of this embodiment is that the valve plate is divided into two parts; one half of the valve plate executes only a fraction of the stroke executed by the other half of the valve plate.
In these known embodiments for valve control, the major effort of production and assembly of the valve mechanism, because of its complicated design, is especially disadvantageous. This adversely affects the costs for production and assembly. Moreover, in these embodiments, extremely high speeds and strong forces for valve control are necessary, so that an increased vulnerability to malfunction of the valve control from major wear of the parts of the valve mechanism is unavoidable.
The valve mechanism of the invention offers the advantage over the prior art of creating a variable valve opening cross section by simple means. Because a sealing slide is disposed coaxially to the gas exchange valve is acted upon by the force of a coupling spring, and is displaceable axially back and forth by the valve control unit, and because the position of the sealing slide relative to the gas exchange valve in the axial direction is variable by an adjusting unit, which essentially comprises a control slide that is adjustable in the axial direction of the gas exchange valve and is disposed coaxially to the gas exchange valve and to the sealing slide, a valve mechanism is created which has a simple design and which functions reliably and durably. The advantage of the valve mechanism of the invention is in particular that a variable valve opening cross section can be created, and each individual valve can be regulated separately. With the valve mechanism of the invention, the variable valve opening cross section can advantageously be created without high speeds and without strong forces, so that the vulnerability of this valve mechanism to malfunction is very slight. The valve mechanism of the invention can be produced and assembled economically, because of its simple design. The invention advantageously creates a variable valve control by which optimization of the gas exchange and thus an increase in motor efficiency of the engine is possible.
In a preferred feature of the invention, it is provided that the valve control unit is a camshaft.
In a further preferred feature of the invention, it is provided that the gas exchange valve has a rotationally symmetrical basic construction and comprises a valve shaft, on whose lower end a valve plate is disposed.
In a further preferred feature of the invention, it is provided that the valve plate has a conical circumferential face, which forms the sealing seat of the gas exchange valve.
Also in a preferred feature of the invention, it is provided that in the closing position of the valve mechanism, the sealing seat of the gas exchange valve directly contacts both a sealing seat of the sealing slide and a valve seat ring of the cylinder head.
Moreover, in a preferred feature of the invention, it is provided that the sealing slide comprises a bushlike bearing body, which is disposed displaceably axially back and forth inside a guide of the cylinder head.
As a result of these advantageous features of the invention, the delivery of the air, or the fuel-air mixture, can be regulated with great precision, and a high efficiency of the engine can thus be achieved.
Moreover, in a preferred feature of the invention, it is provided that the control slide is connected via a male thread to a corresponding female thread of a gear wheel, surrounding it, that is connected to a rack by which a longitudinal motion can be executed. The particular advantage of this preferred feature of the invention is that with it, a very economical embodiment is created, which advantageously makes it possible for all the inlet and/or outlet valves of an internal combustion engine to be regulated in common via a single component. Triggering a plurality of control slides via this component creates the precondition that allows the control system of the engine to work with only a single sensor.
Moreover, in a preferred feature of the invention, it is provided that associated with the control slide is a securing disk, by way of which the control slide is adjustable in the axial direction. As a result, it is advantageously possible to calibrate the positions of the control slide of an internal combustion engine exactly by compensating for existing tolerances. The individual work cylinders of an engine can be adapted precisely to one another in their function in this simple and advantageous way, and thus an optimal efficiency of the engine can be achieved.

Valve mechanism with a variable valve opening cross-section


An electric meter includes a housing, a first set of connection paths, and a second set of connection paths. The first set of connection paths couple to a meter socket and are electrically coupled to a first electrical connection path between first phases of an electric distribution power source, a distributed energy resource device, and a load. First electrical metrology components of the first electrical connection path are positioned within a first segment of the housing. The second set of connection paths couple to a meter socket and are electrically coupled to a second electrical connection path between second phases of the electric distribution power source, the distributed energy resource device, and the load. Second electrical metrology components of the second electrical connection path are positioned within a second segment of the housing that is non-overlapping with the first segment of the housing.

Distributed energy resource (DER) devices, for example, solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicle batteries, etc. are typically wired into the grid with a connection into a circuit breaker in an electrical panel within a customer's premises. If metering of the DER device is required, a separate meter is typically mounted on the customer's wall for this purpose. One or more disconnect switches are typically also mounted on the customer's wall.
There is an increase in the use of DER devices by energy consumers, including residential consumers. Currently, when a consumer wants to connect a DER device at a premises, a utility and an electrician installing the DER device must coordinate and be on the premises at the same time. The utility disconnects the power to the meter socket. After the power is disconnected, the electrician connects the DER device "behind the meter." In some installations, a separate meter for the DER device may be required. After the DER device is installed, the utility re-connects the power to the meter socket. A system for connecting a DER device to an existing utility service without coordination between the utility and the electrician is desirable.

Meter for use with a distributed energy resource device


An information processing apparatus is configured in the following manner. When a client is connected to a server, the client transmits all of setting information that the client handles as a synchronization target to the server. The server returns an error response to prohibit synchronization in response to transmission of a setting item that the server does not handle as the synchronization target among the setting information transmitted from the client. After that, the client apparatus does not notify the server of a content of an update with respect to the setting information of the setting item to which the error response is returned when the client is connected to the server.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing system in which setting information is shared between or among a plurality of information processing apparatuses.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there have been known sharing systems in which information is shared between a server and a client. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-94294 discusses an information sharing system in which a content of setting information held by the client is transmitted from the client to the server.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-123573 discusses an information sharing system in which the setting information of the client is shared between the server and the client, and the client manages setting information handled as a synchronization target and setting information not handled as the synchronization target.
The above-described conventional technique is not constructed considering that the server side sets the setting information handled as the synchronization target and the setting information not handled as the synchronization target. Therefore, an image forming apparatus according to the above-described conventional technique transmits even the setting information that the server does not handle as the target of the synchronization, to the server when a predetermined synchronization timing arrives. Therefore, a load of unnecessary data processing and communication is undesirably placed.

Information processing apparatus, method for controlling information processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, method for controlling image forming apparatus, and information processing system


Provided are a rotating electrical machine and a method for manufacturing the rotating electrical machine, wherein the tapered surface of a plate-side tapered section and the tapered surface of a shaft-side tapered section are bonded with pressure by having forces operate between a plurality of plate-side protruding sections and a plurality of shaft-side protruding sections n the directions wherein the plate-side protruding sections and the shaft-side protruding sections are separated from each other. Thus, a ring core is fixed to a shaft.

There are known rotary electric machines for use as parts in electric motors or the like. The rotary electric machines mainly include a ring core made up of a plurality of stacked ring-shaped core plates, a shaft inserted through the ring core, and a plurality of magnets disposed in the ring core. Known technologies for fitting the ring core over the shaft include a shrink-fitting process and a press-fitting process (for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 07-022168). According to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 07-022168, a hollow cylindrical rotor (1) is heated to increase its inside diameter, and a shaft (7) is inserted therein. The rotor (1) is then cooled to reduce the inside diameter thereof to fit over the shaft (7) (for example, see paragraph [0031] and FIG. 3(b) of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 07-022168).
There is also known a technology wherein each of a plurality of ring-shaped core plates that make up a ring core comprises a plurality of divided core plates (for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-262496). In addition, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-262496 discloses that internal involute splines (11) are formed on the inner circumferential surface of divided cores (1), external involute splines (18) are formed on the outer circumferential surface of a shaft (17), and they are brought into mesh with each other to fasten a rotor (16) to the shaft (17) (for example, see paragraphs [0020], and FIGS. 11, 12, and 14 of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-262496).

Rotating electrical machine and method for manufacturing rotating electrical machine


A shuffling apparatus comprising: at least three card holders, each adapted to hold at least one deck of cards; a conveying mechanism adapted to convey cards between each card holder and at least two other card holders, the conveying mechanism controllable to select a destination card holder of the at least two card holders; and a controller arranged to control the conveying mechanism in a shuffling mode in which cards are sent between a source card holder and selected ones of the at least two destination card holders.

Automatic card shufflers have been employed in casinos and the like to shuffle one or more decks of cards for playing card games such as black jack, poker, and baccarat.
The advantage of employing a shuffling apparatus is that it is seen as reducing the prospects of tampering. Current card shuffling mechanisms have a number of disadvantages including that they still require a human dealer, the shuffling mechanism can jam, and the outcome of the shuffling may not be random.
Accordingly, there is a need for an alternative shuffling apparatus.


To provide thin and long silver nanowires covered with an organic protective agent containing a less amount of impurities, the silver nanowires having good dispersibility in an ink having an alcohol added thereto. Silver nanowires containing covered thereon a copolymer composition containing one or more kinds of a copolymer having a vinylpyrrolidone structural unit, and having a sulfur content Sppm of 2,000 ppm or less and a residual vinylpyrrolidone monomer content ratio VPR obtained from an NMR spectrum of 6.0% or less, the silver nanowires having an average diameter of 30 nm or less and an average length of 10 μm or more.

In the description herein, fine metal wires having a thickness of approximately 200 nm or less are referred to as "nanowires".
Silver nanowires are expected as a conductive material for imparting conductivity to a transparent substrate. By coating a liquid containing silver nanowires (i.e., a silver nanowire ink) on a transparent substrate, such as glass, PET (polyethylene terephthalate), and PC (polycarbonate), followed by removing the liquid component by evaporation or the like, the silver nanowires are in contact with each other on the substrate to form a conductive network, thereby achieving a transparent conductive film. For a transparent conductive material, a metal oxide film represented by ITO has been frequently used. However, a metal oxide film has defects including the high film forming cost, the low resistance to bending, which may prevent the final product from becoming flexible, and the like. A conductive film for a touch-sensitive panel sensor, which is one of the major applications of a transparent conductive film, is demanded to have high transparency and high conductivity, and the demand invisibility thereof is also increasing in recent years. An ordinary ITO film necessarily has an increased thickness of the ITO layer for enhancing the conductivity thereof, but the increase of the thickness may decrease the transparency, and the visibility may not be improved.
Silver nanowires are expected to avoid the aforementioned defects peculiar to a metal oxide film represented by ITO, and have been put to practical use as a material of the transparent conductive film.
Examples of the known synthesis method of silver nanowires used for a conductor of a transparent conductive film include a method of dissolving a silver compound in a polyol solvent, such as ethylene glycol, and depositing metallic silver having a linear shape by utilizing the reduction power of the polyol as the solvent, in the presence of a halogen compound, and PVP (polyvinylpyrrolidone) or a copolymer of vinylpyrrolidone and another monomer, as an organic protective agent (PTLs 1 and 2).

Silver nanowires and method for producing same, and silver nanowire ink and transparent conductive film


A resistive memory device includes a plurality of resistive units, each resistive unit including: a lower electrode formed over a substrate; a resistive layer formed over the lower electrode; and an upper electrode formed over the resistive layer, wherein edge parts of the lower and upper electrodes, which come in contact with the resistive layer, is formed with a rounding shape.

The present invention relates to a resistive memory device and a method for fabricating the same, and more particularly, to a resistive memory device which uses resistance change, such as a resistive random access memory (ReRAM) device, and a method for fabricating the same.
Recently, researches on next-generation memory device, which can replace Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) and flash memory, are actively being conducted. One of such next-generation memory device is a resistive memory device that uses a resistive layer. The resistive layer includes a material of which resistance rapidly changes according to the applied bias and a switching is performed between two or more different resistive states.
FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a typical resistive memory device.
Referring to FIG. 1, the typical resistive memory device includes a substrate 10 which has a predetermined structure formed therein, a first insulation layer 11 formed over the substrate 10, and a first contact plug 12 which passes through the first insulation layer 11 and is connected with the substrate 10.
Subsequently, a lower electrode 13, a resistive layer 14, and an upper electrode 15 are sequentially formed over the first insulation layer 11 and the first contact plug 12. Then, a resistive unit of a stack structure is formed by etching the lower electrode 13, the resistive layer 14, and the upper electrode 15.
Subsequently, after a second insulation layer 16 is formed over a result structure including the resistive unit, a second contact plug 12 is formed by passing through the second insulation layer 16 to be connected with the upper electrode 15.
The switching mechanism of the resistive memory device having the above-described structure will be briefly described herein.
When a bias is applied to the lower and upper electrodes 13 and 15, conductive filaments may be generated through a rearrangement of oxygen vacancies in the resistive layer 14 or the oxygen vacancies are removed and, as a result, the conductive filaments generated before are removed based on the applied bias. The resistive layer 14 represents the two resistance states distinguished by the generation or removal of the conductive filaments. In other words, when the conductive filaments is generated, the resistance changing device represents a low resistance state, and when the conductive filaments are removed, the resistance changing device represents a high resistance state. Herein, an operation of generating the conductive filaments in the resistive layer 14 and representing the low resistance state is called a set operation. Conversely, an operation of removing the conductive filaments in the resistive layer 14 and representing the high resistance state is called a reset operation.
However, in the conventional resistive memory device, concentration degrees of electric fields between a core part and an edge part of the resistive unit are different according to a profile of the lower and upper electrodes 13 and 15. As a result, distribution regarding switching characteristics of the resistive unit is degraded.
As described above, when the resistive unit is formed by etching the lower electrode 13, the resistive layer 14, and the upper electrode 15, an edge part of the lower and upper electrodes 13 and 15, which comes in contact with the resistive layer 14, has a profile of a sharp-pointed shape {circle around (1)} as shown in FIG. 1.
Accordingly, since the electric fields are concentrated in the edge part of the lower and upper electrodes 13 and 15, the edge part switches earlier than the core part. As a result, distribution of a sensing current are not uniform in the resistive unit, and the switching characteristic of the resistive unit is degraded. Further, a leakage current may occur at the edge part of the resistive unit, and a sensing margin becomes narrower since an on/off ratio of a selection element is deteriorated.

Resistive memory device and method for fabricating the same


A method for enhancing optical properties of sintered, zirconia ceramic bodies and zirconia ceramic dental restorations is provided. The porous or pre-sintered stage of a ceramic body is treated with an yttrium-containing composition and sintered, resulting in sintered ceramic bodies having enhanced optical properties. The enhanced optical properties may be substantially permanent, remaining for the useful life of the sintered ceramic body.

Ceramic bodies that are colorized by known processes before or after sintering show a decrease in translucency upon application of the colorant. Post-sintering treatments to enhance a translucent effect are often temporary, failing to last the useful life of the restoration. Other translucency enhancing treatments mimic enhanced translucency without actually increasing percent transmittance.

Method for enhancing optical properties in ceramics having applications in dental restorations

James R. Glidewell Dental Ceramics, Inc.