Method and apparatus for treating ultrahigh molecular weight, high strength polyolefin to improve its adhesive bonding to a resin such as epoxy, vinyl ester, polyester, polyurethane, polyolefin or thermoplastic rubber are provided. The method includes the steps of soaking the polyolefin in a first solution comprising (i) an aromatic ketone photosensitizer, and (ii) a first solvent selected from the group consisting of a benzene derivative, an alkyl halide, and a cyclic alkane; removing any excess first solvent; coating the surface of the polyolefin with a second solution comprising (i) about 15 to 70 weight percent of a monomer independently selected from the aforementioned group, (ii) about 0.25 to 5 weight percent of an aromatic ketone photosensitizer, and (iii) about 25 to 84.75 weight percent of a solvent selected from the group consisting of a low boiling point alcohol and a low boiling point ketone; exposing the coated polyolefin to a sufficient amount of irradiation to surface graft the monomer of the second solution to the polyolefin; washing the treated polyolefin; and drying for suitable packaging. The apparatus features an irradiation treatment chamber through which the polyolefin is passed in a cooled tube for treatment.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for treating an ultrahigh molecular weight, high strength polyolefin material, such as fiber, film or tape, to improve its adhesive bond to resin, particularly polymeric matrix resins such as epoxy, vinyl ester, polyester, polyurethane, polyolefin or thermoplastic rubber, which it can reinforce, preferably for composite end use. More particularly, the present invention is a method and apparatus for the continuous photografting of monomers onto polyolefin material to improve its interfacial adhesion to a polymeric matrix resin, and the material so treated.
2. The Prior Art
A composite consists of basically three major elements: the resin matrix, the reinforcement dispersed in the matrix, and the reinforcement-resin matrix interface. Synthetic fibers in staple or filamentary form, and fabrics produced therefrom, are known for polymer reinforcement. Typical of the fibrous reinforcements are glass, polyester, polyamide (nylon and aramid) and polyolefin fibers. Conventional matrix resins include thermoplastics, such as nylon and polyolefins, and thermosetting materials, such as epoxy and unsaturated polyester resins. Since the primary function of the fiber-matrix interface is to transmit stress from the matrix to the reinforcing fibers, the chemical and physical features of the interface are critical to the mechanical properties and end use performance of the composite. The compatibility between the reinforcing fiber and matrix is then a determining factor in the load sharing ability of the composite.
Polyolefin fibers are highly attractive reinforcing materials due to their low specific gravity, low raw material cost and good chemical resistance. It is known to prepare fibers on the basis of solutions of ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefins, particularly polyethylene, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,908, 4,411,854, 4,413,110, 4,422,993, 4,430,383, 4,436,689 and 4,551,296, all hereby incorporated by reference. However, polymeric matrix composites reinforced with these fibers suffer from poor fiber to resin adhesion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,586, hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a method of producing a composite material in which a reinforcing polyolefin material is embedded in thermosetting or thermoplastic matrix material. The highly oriented polyolefin material, preferably a fiber or film having a draw ratio of at least 12:1, is treated prior to incorporation in the matrix by exposing its surface to a plasma discharge, preferably after etching with chromic acid. However, the degree of adhesion to resin for plasma treated fiber gradually reduces with time.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,999,056, hereby incorporated by reference, teaches the irradiation bonding of an unsaturated organic acid to a polymer substrate to enhance melt resistance. And ultraviolet irradiation has been shown, in batch studies, to induce graft copolymerization of monomers to polyethylene film.
The prior art fails, however, to teach the continuous, in line treatment of a polyolefin material to improve its compatibility with a resin which it reinforces, to thereby enhance the reinforced composite properties.

Treatment of ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin to improve adhesion to a resin


Aspects of the present disclosure include methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for controlling access including receiving registration information associating a mobile device with an access device, wherein the access device provides an access privilege to an access-controlled point, associating the mobile device with the access device, receiving a blocking request from the mobile device to suspend the access privilege to the access-controlled point provided by the access device, authenticating the blocking request, and suspending, in response to authenticating the blocking request, the access privilege to the access-controlled point provided by the access device. In another aspect, methods, apparatuses, and computer readable media for controlling access may include receiving an unblocking request from the mobile device to restore the access privilege to the access-controlled point, authenticating the unblocking request, restoring, in response to authenticating the unblocking request, the access privilege to the access-controlled point provided by the access device.

Infrastructures (e.g., buildings, plants, warehouses, laboratories) and/or assets (e.g., safe-deposit boxes, computer devices) may utilize one or more access-controlled points (e.g., a door that requires an access card to enter) to prevent unauthorized personnel from accessing the infrastructures and/or assets. An authorized personnel may rely on an access card to enter into an access-controlled infrastructure/asset. However, the access card may be misplaced or stolen. If the authorized personnel loses the access card, it may be important to promptly notify security personnel (e.g., on premise security, network administrator) to prevent unauthorized personnel from gaining access to the access-controlled infrastructure/asset. If the security personnel is promptly notified, appropriate measures (e.g., revoke the access privilege of the access card) may be taken before any unauthorized personnel has an opportunity to access the access-controlled infrastructure/asset. However, if the access card is misplaced or stolen when the security personnel is unavailable or unreachable (e.g., over the weekends, during a holiday, in the middle of the night), it may take hours or days before the appropriate measures can be taken, which provides a vulnerable time to the unauthorized personnel. Therefore, improvements in access control may be desirable.


A computer-implemented method for authenticating users may include identifying an image associated with a user for mutual assurance during an authentication process. The computer-implemented method may also include modifying the image based on a prompt message to create a modified image that displays the prompt message. The computer-implemented method may further include determining that user input comprises an expected response to the prompt message. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Computing system administrators, among others, desire to distinguish allowed users from disallowed users. The process of distinguishing an allowed user from a disallowed user may be called user authentication. In contrast, a disallowed user may fail to be authenticated. At that point, the disallowed user may be denied access to the computing or other system.
In addition to computing system administrators authenticating users, users themselves may also desire to authenticate the computing or other system with which they are interacting. The process of providing some level of assurance that both: (i) the user was authenticated to the system and (ii) the system was authenticated to the user may be called mutual assurance.
Mutual assurance may provide some protection against the improper use of computer systems. For example, mutual assurance may provide some protection against phishing attacks. In a phishing attack, a user may be presented with a false login screen that appears to be a login screen for an authentic computing system. The users may then enter their login information without realizing that they are providing the information to those behind the phishing attack. Having received the users' login information, those behind the phishing attack may then obtain access to the computing system.
Some institutions may attempt to provide mutual assurance by displaying an image specified by the user. However, such mutual assurance systems may have various disadvantages. For example, an attacker may be able to acquire the image for use in a phishing attack and may use the image to trick the user into thinking that the phishing site is a legitimate site. Accordingly, the instant disclosure addresses a need for systems and methods that provide mutual assurance in a more effective and efficient manner.

Systems and methods for authenticating users


An implantable composition can include methacrylated solubilized devitalized cartilage (MeSDVC) with or without devitalized cartilage (DVC) particles. These compositions can be hydrogel precursors. After implantation, the MeSDVC may be crosslinked so as to form a hydrogel. The crosslinked hydrogel can include the DVC particles. A hydrogel precursor matrix (e.g., not crosslinked) can include a crosslinkable substance that can be crosslinked into a hydrogel, where DVC particles are included in the precursor matrix. The hydrogel precursor matrix can be located in a tissue defect site, such as a hole or recess in a cartilage or bone, and then crosslinked into a hydrogel that has the DVC particles therein.

Hydrogels have been used as tissue scaffolds for tissue regeneration. However, hydrogels are often designed to be implanted as a liquid or in a flowable format and then cured or crosslinked in situ. Such in situ curing or crosslinking often takes time to complete, which allows for the hydrogel components to leak away from the implant site before and during the curing or crosslinking process. As such, the in situ cured or crosslinked hydrogels shrink or otherwise do not fill an implant site. Also, it is unfavorable to have hydrogel components move away from the implant site, especially when loaded with a bioactive agent that needs to be located in the implant site for functionality.
Thus, it would be advantageous to have an improved system for forming hydrogels that have improved stability without leaking before or during curing or crosslinking.

Methacrylated devitalized cartilage and devitalized cartilage particles


Adhesion promoter systems and methods of producing same, the systems including the admixing product of at least 60 percent by weight of a first functionalized polyolefin, and less than 40 percent by weight of a second functionalized polyolefin, based on the total weight of the solid content, and one or more solvents. The second functionalized polyolefin includes homopolymers of propylene or copolymers of propylene with hexene, octene and/or other alpha-olefins. The homopolymers or copolymers have a single unsaturation a terminal succinic anhydride moiety, and additional succinic anhydride substitutions on the polypropylene backbone. The succinic anhydride substitution ranges from about 5 to about 45 weight percent of second functionalized polyolefin.

Different techniques have been employed to facilitate the paintability of certain low surface energy plastic substrates such as thermoplastic polyolefins ("TPO"). Such techniques have, for example, largely been employed in the automotive industry such as automotive exterior painting applications, e.g. car bumpers, and automotive interior painting applications, e.g. instrument panels. Furthermore, there are a number of additional non-automotive applications, which require good adhesion of a topcoat to polypropylene substrates, for example, packaging applications, geotextile applications, aquaculture, sporting goods, appliances, consumer electronics, furniture, marine, roofing membranes and toys.
Adhesion promoters can also be employed as a sizing agent for glass fibers used in producing glass fiber reinforced polypropylene or TPO or to provide for adhesion between natural fibers and a PP or TPO substrate to enable reinforcement.
Typically, an adhesion promoter is employed to enhance the adhesion properties between different layers. Such adhesion layers may be applied as a separate layer, a formulated primer layer, or a blend component in a basecoat or primer formulation. The coatings applied can be solvent-based or waterborne; however, in the latter case, typically at least some surface activation treatment is required, for example, flame treatment, plasma treatment, or corona treatment. For solvent-based systems the key unmet needs is to provide for a low cost material with chlorine-free being regarded as a benefit.
Currently available solvent based options fail to address all of the concerns associated with coating applications of TPO and/or PP substrates. For example, the currently available options fail to address concerns associated with chlorine containing adhesion promoter formulations.
Despite the research efforts in producing improved adhesion promoter formulation, there is still a need for a chlorine free adhesion promoter system with improved properties; and furthermore, there is still a need for a method for making such chlorine free adhesion promoter systems with improved properties at reduced costs. The adhesion promoter systems of the present invention provide chlorine free adhesion promoter systems with improved adhesion properties without interfering with other properties.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Adhesion promoter system, and method of producing the same


R-T-B-based rare earth magnet particles are produced by an HDDR treatment which comprises a first stage HD step of heating particles of a raw material alloy having a composition of R, B and Co in an inert atmosphere or in a vacuum atmosphere and then replacing the atmosphere with a hydrogen-containing gas atmosphere in which the raw material alloy particles are held in the same temperature range and a second stage HD step of heating a material obtained in the first stage HD step in which the material is held in the hydrogen-containing gas atmosphere.

R-T-B-based rare earth magnet particles have excellent magnetic properties and have been extensively used in the industrial applications such as magnets for various motors employed in automobiles, etc. However, the magnet particles produced by a hydrogenation-disproportionation-desorption-recombination process (HDDR treatment) have a non-uniform decomposition structure formed by the hydrogenation/phase decomposition process and therefore exhibit a poor squareness of a demagnetization curve thereof, so that it has been difficult for the magnet particles to satisfy both an excellent residual magnetic flux density and an excellent coercive force.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (KOKAI) No. 6-128610 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (KOKAI) No. 2003-301203, there is described the process for producing R-T-B-based rare earth magnet particles by HDDR treatment in which hydrogen is introduced subsequent to temperature rise step. However, since temperature control of a hydrogenation-disproportionation step (HD step) of the process is insufficient, the resulting magnet tends to exhibit a low coercive force, so that it has been difficult to obtain magnet particles capable of satisfying both an excellent residual magnetic flux density and an excellent coercive force.

R-T-B-based rare earth magnet particles, process for producing the R-T-B- based rare earth magnet particles, and bonded magnet


A novel Mandevilla genus plant is provided that has a novel color tone unable to be previously produced. A candidate Mandevilla genus plant is selected as a parent Mandevilla genus plant in the case carotenoid pigment is extracted from the petals thereof, and neoxanthin or a derivative thereof is present in the carotenoid pigment extract.

Mandevilla genus plants (also referred to as Dipladenia) are vine-like woody or herbaceous plants belonging to the family Apocynaceae, of which there are roughly 130 species native to tropical regions of the Americas, ranging from, for example, Mexico to Argentina.
Horticulturally, Mandevilla×amabilis (syns. M. amonea) was produced from Mandevilla splendens as one parent (the other parent is unknown) in the U. K. in 1868. A seedling obtained from a strain labeled "M. amonea" in the U.S. in 1960 flowered and became "Alice du Pont" (referred to as Rose Giant in Japan), which is widely distributed even at present (refer to the following Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2).
Until around 2000, those varieties that were distributed for horticultural purposes mainly consisted only of this "Alice du Pont", bud variations of spontaneous mutations thereof, varieties selected from seedlings obtained by open pollination, varieties selected from seedlings obtained from bud variation and open pollination with Mandevilla sanderi having an ambiguous history, and wild species in the form of Mandevilla laxa (Chilean jasmine) and Mandevilla boliviensis (refer to the following Patent Document 1).
Suntory Flowers Ltd. marketed a large-blooming type designated as "White" in 1998 (Mandevilla amabilis×boliviensis 'Sunmandeho', variety registration application no. 8721) (refer to the following Patent Document 2).
In addition, Suntory Flowers Ltd. also marketed a similar large-blooming type designated as "Big" in 2003 (Mandevilla hybrid 'Sunmandecos', variety registration application no. 14756) (refer to the following Patent Document 4).
Suntory Flowers Ltd. further marketed vine-blooming types in 2005 designated as "Red" (Mandevilla hybrida 'Sunmanderemi') (refer to the following Patent Document 5, variety registration application no. 15862) and "Tropical Peach" (Mandevilla hybrida 'Sunmandetomi' (refer to the following Patent Document 6), variety registration application no. 15863), while also marketing the vine-blooming type "Ruby Pink" (Sunparagropi) (variety registration application no. 24471), the vine-blooming type "Red Velvet" (Mandevilla hybrida 'Sunpararenga') (refer to the following Patent Document 14, variety registration application no. 23333), and the vine-blooming type (also referred to as the "Pretty" type overseas) "Sundaville Pretty Rose" (Mandevilla hybrida 'Sunparaprero') (refer to the following Patent Document 15).
Suntory Flowers Ltd. marketed a large-blooming type in 2007 designated as "Crimson King" (Mandevilla hybrida 'Sunmandecrikin') (refer to the following Patent Document 7, variety registration application no. 17409).
Suntory Flowers Ltd. also marketed a large-blooming type in the same year designated as "Crimson" (Mandevilla hybrida 'Sunmandecrim' (refer to the following Patent Document 3, variety registration application no. 14755).
Suntory Flowers Ltd. further marketed an early blooming type designated as "Rouge" (Mandevilla hybrida 'Sunmandecripi' (refer to the following Patent Document 8, variety registration application no. 23604) and "Milky Pink" (Mandevilla hybrida 'Sunparapibra' (refer to the following Patent Document 9, variety registration application no. 24470).
The aforementioned large-blooming type "Crimson King" and early blooming type "Crimson" are crimson Mandevilla varieties that had previously never existed, and as a result of the appearance of these new varieties, the market began to expand and competitors of Suntory Flowers also began to take steps to breed Mandevilla plants.
The following Patent Document 10 (assignee: Syngenta Participations AG) describes a new variety known as Mandevilla sanderi (Hems1.) Woodson 'Fisrix Pinka', obtained by crossing maternal plants in the form of the varieties 'Sundaville'™ Red and 'Moulin Rouge', which are supplied in France and are identical to the early blooming type "Crimson" described in Patent Document 3, with a paternal plant in the form of a variety supplied as 'My Fair Lady'™ referred to as 'Helle' described in Patent Document 1.
Patent Documents 11 to 13 (assignees: Floraquest Pty. Ltd. and Protected Plant Promotion Australia Pty. Ltd.) describe a novel variety known as Mandevilla hybrida 'Ginger', which was obtained by crossing a material plant in the form of a Mandevilla hybrida identified by the code number X02.5, and a paternal plant in the form of early blooming "Crimson" (Mandevilla hybrida 'Sunmandecrim') described in Patent Document 3.


A method may include, in an operating system, implementing a sensor hub in firmware of a platform controller hub of an information handling system, the sensor hub configured to implement a plurality of sensor physical microdrivers, each of the plurality of sensor physical microdrivers corresponding to a respective sensor of a plurality of sensors and configured to communicate a signal representing a physical quantity sensed by the respective sensor; a plurality of algorithm microdrivers implemented as virtual microdrivers, each of the plurality of algorithm microdrivers corresponding to a respective sensor physical microdriver of the plurality of sensor physical microdrivers; and a user-awareness arbitration microdriver implemented as a virtual microdriver and configured to receive an arbitration policy for user awareness detection, receive sensor information from the plurality of algorithm microdrivers, and based on the arbitration policy, apply arbitration logic to the sensor information to determine a user awareness.

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
An up and coming feature on information handling systems is that of user awareness detection, sometimes referred to as attention status sensing. In general, user awareness detection may analyze features related to a user (e.g., tracking a user's face position, eye position, and gaze) to determine whether a user proximate to an information handling system is focused and attentive to a task or other information at the information handling system. Awareness detection may be used for securing access to an information handling system, aiding in maintaining a user's productivity, and/or other for other uses.
In some instances, an information handling system may have multiple user awareness detection solutions. However, existing approaches do not provide effective arbitration among such awareness detection solutions, resulting in lack of a seamless user awareness detection experience without user experience disruption.

Systems and methods for firmware-based user awareness arbitration


An electrical connector assembly includes a metal shell and a plurality of dielectric housings each housing a terminated end of each of a pair of flat cables of the type for transmission of electrical power at substantial current and voltage levels. Each mating terminal pair includes at least one having a contact section having an array of spring arm contact sections deflected by portions of the other when mated. Each termination is proximate a portion of a shell for heat dissipation. One of the shells is adapted for mounting to a bulkhead at a cutout, and the connectors are environmentally sealed to be appropriate for bulkhead mounting. Each connector includes a strain relief assembly suitable for use with flat cables of substantial rigidity and defines a cable exit, all after said terminated cables and housings therearound are assembled into the shell. A jackscrew system is used for facilitating connector mating.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,650 discloses terminating a flat power cable having one (or two side-by-side) flat conductors with a pair of terminals crimped onto a slotted end thereof by penetrating the insulation covering the cable's conductor and also shearing through the conductor (or conductors) at a plurality of locations. The cable is of the type entering commercial use for transmitting electrical power of for example between 50 and 100 amperes nominal; the single conductor flat cable includes a flat conductor one inch wide and about 0.020 inches thick with an extruded insulated coating of about 0.004 to 0.008 inches thick over each surface with the cable having a total thickness of up to about 0.034 inches. Such terminals can also be used to terminate flat cable having two spaced flat conductors each 0.45 inches wide separated by a narrow median of dielectric material, instead of the cable having a single conductor. Each terminal has a pair of opposed plate sections transversely across each of which are termination regions containing an array of shearing wave shapes alternating with relief recesses, so that when the pair of plate sections disposed against major surfaces of the flat cable at an end thereof are pressed together and against the cable therebetween, the arrays of shearing wave shapes cooperate to shear the conductor of the flat cable into a plurality of strips which remain integral with the cable. The wave shapes also deflect the newly sheared conductor strips into the opposing relief recesses so that newly sheared conductor edges are moved adjacent electrical engagement surfaces defined by the vertical side edges of the adjacent shearing wave shapes forming electrical connections of the adapter terminals with the flat cable conductors.
The pair of plate sections of each terminal both extend forwardly from a rearward cable-receiving terminal end where they coextend forwardly at a slight angle from a pair of bight sections spaced laterally apart defining a cable-receiving slot therebetween. Tab-shaped portions are blanked on the end section of the cable and are inserted through the cable-receiving slots of the terminals to be disposed between upper and lower plate sections of each terminal. The upper and lower plate sections of each pair are pressed together, being rotated about the bight sections which act as integral hinges, so that the shearing wave shapes shear and deflect strips of the conductor (or conductors) of the cable forming a termination of the terminals to the cable; alternatively, the wave shapes can deflect previously sheared conductor strips of appropriate width into opposing relief recesses.
The method of terminating is preferably as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,204, and preferably the terminals are two-part assemblies of adapter members including the cable-adjacent terminal portions and the contact sections, and low resistance copper members fastened to the outwardly facing surface of each of the adapter members at their respective terminating regions. The inserts have terminal-facing surfaces conforming closely to the shape of the outer surface of the terminating region, with alternating wave shapes and apertures disposed outwardly of and along the adapter member's shearing wave shapes and relief recesses. Upon termination the wave joints are within the insert apertures, and the sheared edges of the adjacent conductor strips and of the terminal wave shapes which formed the sheared strips are adjacent to side walls of the copper insert apertures. A two-step staking process is disclosed: in a first step the wave joints are split axially so that portions of each of the arcuate shapes defining the relief recesses of both plate sections of the adapter member are forced inwardly against the adjacent sheared conductor strip of the respective wave joint to define spring fingers whose ends pin the conductor strip against the opposing wave crest to store energy in the joint; and in the second step a staking process deforms the insert between the sheared strips to deform the copper against the sheared conductor and wave shape edges, forming gas-tight, heat and vibration resistant electrical connections with the cable conductor and with the terminal, so that the inserts are electrically in series at a plurality of locations between the conductor and the adapter.
A contact section is integrally included on the adapter member of such terminal assemblies enabling separable mating with corresponding contact means of an electrical connector and can include a plurality of contact sections to distribute the power to a corresponding plurality of contact means if desired or to define a plurality of electrical paths to a single corresponding contact means. One such contact section is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,976. A housing or other dielectric covering can be placed around the termination as desired.
It is desired to provide a mating connector assembly for one or more such electrical flat power cable terminations which is appropriate for transmission of electrical power from one or more flat power cables to other such cables or other power transmission means, or to an electrical device or apparatus such as a computer.
It is additionally desired that such a connector assembly effectively dissipate heat generated by the electrical interconnections transmitting substantial current levels within the assembly.
It is also desired that such a connector assembly be provided with environmental sealing across the mating connector interface and thereby be appropriate for power transmission through a bulkhead or panel.
It is further desired that each connector of the assembly include strain relief means to protect the terminations, and also to provide for the cable or cables to exit the connectors at a right angle to be disposed along a surface of the bulkhead or panel remote from the connectors.
It is additionally desired to provide dielectric housings surrounding the terminations and to provide a rugged, durable metal shell around the housed terminations for physical protection and also for EMI shielding, which is mountable to the bulkhead or panel.
Further, it is desirable that the connector assemblies be suitable for housing electrical interconnections for the transmission of electrical power at substantial current levels as well as at substantial voltage levels for long-term in-service use.

Electrical connector for flat power cable


The present invention is related to systems and methods for maintaining additional processing information during extended delay processing.

The present invention is related to systems and methods for performing data processing, and more specifically to systems and methods for maintaining and utilizing interim state data during modified processing.
Data processing circuits often include a data detector circuit and a data decoder circuit. In some cases many passes are made through both the data detector circuit and the data decoder circuit in an attempt to recover originally written data. Each pass through both data detector circuit and the data decoder circuit may include a number of iterations through the data decoder circuit. The number of iterations through data decoder circuit may not yield the best result.
Hence, for at least the aforementioned reasons, there exists a need in the art for advanced systems and methods for data processing.

Systems and methods for data decoder state preservation during extended delay processing


An apparatus for connecting at least two components contains a lower die and an upper die. The lower die has the components which are to be connected, with the first component supporting the at least second component with an at least partial overlap relative to the first component. The lower die and the upper die can be moved relative to one another. The upper die carries at least two heatable plungers which are connected so as to be able to move relative to one another via a sealed pressure pad. The plungers and the pressure pad have a first flexible layer between them. A second flexible layer is arranged between the upper die and the lower die.

Joints are used for assembling semiconductor devices in electronics. Joints can be produced as reliable and thermally stable metal connecting layers between at least two components in power semiconductor engineering, for example by applying the low temperature joining technique (LTJT).
Power semiconductor modules comprise a semiconductor package and at least two power semiconductor chips mounted on one or more substrates within the package. The power semiconductor chips usually comprise power electronic circuits such as rectifier bridges, DC-links, IGBT inverters, drivers, control units, sensing units, half bridge inverters, AC-DC converters, DC-AC converters, DC-DC converters, bidirectional hybrid switches, and more. Other components may be included. In case of a plurality of substrates, interconnections from one substrate to another are provided within the package. There is general need to provide more reliable joints between the substrate and the devices and components attached to it.

Apparatus and method for connecting components


A fast-dissolving dosage form (FDDF) for the delivery of a vaccine is prepared using a formulation containing a starch, optionally, along with at least one additional matrix forming agent, preferably, a combination of gelatin and mannitol, where an immune response is induced in a patient in need thereof.

A large variety of dosage forms for oral ingestion are known and readily available in the medical field. The most common of these is the tablet. The main limitations of pharmaceutical tablets include poor patient compliance due to difficulty in swallowing and lack of bioavailability of the active through ineffective dissolution of the tablet.
Fast-dissolving dosage forms (FDDFs) are convenient to use and are often used to address issues of patient compliance. There are many forms of FDDFs, for example, "loosely" compressed tablets comprising a large amount of wicking/disintegrating agents, tablets comprising a large amount of effervescent agents, and lyophilized tablets. Most commonly, lyophilized, fast-dissolving dosage forms, which are designed to release the active ingredient in the oral cavity, are formulated using rapidly soluble gelatin-based matrices. These dosage forms are well known and can be used to deliver a wide range of drugs. Most fast-dissolving dosage forms utilize gelatin and mannitol as carriers or matrix forming agents. (Seagar, H., "Drug-Delivery Products and Zydis Fast Dissolving Dosage Form," J. Pharm. Pharmaco, vol. 50, p. 375-382 (1998)).
FDDFs manufactured by the freeze-drying process such as the Zydis® dosage form are often preferred. They have the distinct advantages of a faster disintegrating time (i.e., less than 5 seconds, as opposed to 1 minute for the loosely compressed tablets), smoother mouth feel (i.e., free of the grittiness associated with the high wicking agents in the compressed tablets), potential for improved pregastric absorption (thereby reduced side effects and improved efficacy for certain medications), and increased storage options.
Typically, gelatin is used to give sufficient strength to the dosage form to prevent breakage during removal from packaging, but once placed in the mouth, the gelatin allows immediate dispersion of the dosage form. Hydrolyzed mammalian gelatin is often the matrix forming agent of choice in FDDFs because it gels rapidly upon cooling. Non-gelling fish gelatin may also be used. During processing, dosed solution/suspension is preferably frozen by passing through a gaseous medium. Thereby, the solution/suspension freezes rapidly, which improves the manufacturing efficiency.
Vaccines, which are important in prophylaxis against disease, exert their effects by provoking an immune response, the effect of which is to prevent infection by the challenging organism, or the onset of the disease processes which would otherwise occur when the antigen against which the immune response has been provoked again challenges a sensitive tissue. Vaccines may also be used therapeutically to modify the nature or level of the immune response to an antigen to allow a host to eliminate a pathogen to which it has already been exposed.
Most existing vaccines are delivered by injection, which is traumatic, inconvenient, expensive and may fail to induce an appropriate immunogenic response in the mucosal tissues. The majority of infections affect, or start, in the mucosal surfaces. Active immunization against these infective agents can depend on the successful induction of a mucosal immune response. Successful mucosal vaccines can both protect the secretory surfaces, i.e., mucosal immunity, and also induce systemic immunity by induction of circulatory antibodies. Mucosal vaccines are also easier to administer to patients and are less expensive to manufacture than conventional vaccines. Delivery by injection does not, of course, directly target the mucosal surfaces or afford the advantages associated with oral vaccines.
The induction of mucosal immunity is evidenced by the appearance of immunoglobulins (Ig), of which IgA antibodies in the mucous overlying the mucosa are particularly significant. IgA exerts multiple effects within the mucosa. Most notably, it acts to neutralize pathogens and components of pathogens, preventing them from accessing and penetrating the underlying epithelial layers, which is what causes an infection. Stimulation of immunity at one mucosal site is known to confer protection to mucous membranes at other sites in the body. Potentially, oral vaccines can be used to induce immunity against oral, gastrointestinal, respiratory, urogenital and ocular pathogens. This ability to generate immunity at sites in the body away from the point of original antigenic stimulation has led to the concept of a common mucosal immune system. There are further indications that stimulation of the mucosal immune system can induce protective circulatory antibodies in the systemic immune system, particularly IgG antibodies. Optimal mucosal vaccines should also induce responses of T lymphocytes, such as the production of T helper cells that can support antibody production, and, for particular pathogens, Th17, Th1, Th2 cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) that act locally and/or systemically.
Vaccines delivered orally can stimulate nasal-associated lymphoid tissue in the mouth and nasopharyngeal region, the lymph nodes, tonsils and adenoids, and gut-associated lymphoid tissue in the Peyer's patches in the small intestine.
Vaccines incorporate antigens which can be peptides, proteins, polysaccharides or whole or partial fragments or extracts of bacteria, viruses or other microorganisms, often attenuated to remove toxic components. In order for vaccines to produce the desired protective effect, exposure to the antigen must be sufficient to provoke an immune response in the recipient. A primary problem in vaccination procedures is ensuring that these antigens or antigenic compounds reach the appropriate site in sufficient quantities to provoke the requisite immune response. There are two aspects of the immune system which can provide the requisite immune response when stimulated by an antigen in a vaccine system: the systemic immune system and the mucosal immune system.
The mucosal immune system consists of areas of inductive and effector lymphoid tissues located in the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, the genitourinary tract, and the membranes surrounding sensory organs. Inductive sites usually have an organized lymphoid structure and the ability to detect the presence of antigens in the mucosa. Antigen presenting cells at localized areas of lymphoid tissue have the ability to take up absorbed antigen and stimulate T and B cell responses resulting in the production of plasma cells. These plasma cells may reside locally or at effector sites throughout the body secreting antibodies, such as IgA. Secreted IgA molecules resist proteolysis and prevent colonization and entry of pathogens by neutralizing or agglutinating them. In other situations, IgA molecules activate antibody-dependent T cell mediated cytotoxicity, in cases where a pathogen has penetrated the initial barrier. Stimulation of mucosal tissue can also result in the production of other antibody isotypes, such as IgG, IgM, and IgE. These other antibody isotypes may exert effects locally in the mucosa, or have systemic effects, thereby providing additional protection if pathogens manage to penetrate the mucosa. T cell responses induced in the mucosa also can be present at mucosal sites or systemically, which enhances protection of mucosal surfaces and protection against pathogens that penetrate the mucosa.
The principal function of the cells forming the lymphoid tissue is to prevent absorption of pathogens and toxins or to inactivate these pathogens and toxins upon absorption to mucosal tissue. In general, considerably higher doses of antigens are required for mucosal immunization, especially when intended for the oral route. This is due to the existence of effective mechanical and chemical barriers and the degradation and digestion of antigens by enzymes and acids. Additionally, there is a rapid clearance of material from the upper respiratory and digestive tracts to the stomach by mucociliary, peristaltic and secretory processes.
The mucosa has evolved to prevent the induction of effector immune responses against harmless antigens such as foods and inhaled particles. Consequently, many antigens that are introduced at mucosal surfaces induce "tolerance" rather than productive T and B cell responses. Therefore, there is a need to overcome these natural processes in order to make effective vaccines.
Difficulty has been encountered in preparing oral solid dosage forms to deliver vaccines through the mucosal route while at the same time preserving ease of administration and patient comfort. Certain patients that have difficulty swallowing are typically poor candidates for solid oral vaccines with increased physical residency in the oral cavity of the dosage form.
Commercially available oral vaccines are either live attenuated vaccines (e.g., polio, typhoid, rotavirus) or inactivated vaccines (e.g., cholera) and are effective at eliciting an appropriate mucosal immune response since their natural site of infection is the gut mucosa and the vaccine unit triggers the body's natural immune defense mechanisms. However, effective and safe oral vaccines of sub-unit vaccines (containing antigenic fragments of microbes), toxoid vaccines or conjugate vaccines have not yet been established. Oral delivery of these peptide based vaccine strategies are significantly hindered due to their degradation on exposure to the acidic environment of the stomach and proteolytic enzymes that reside in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Also, the antigen generally is too large to diffuse across the mucosa of the GIT into the systemic circulation and fails to undergo active transport into the systemic circulation. Therefore, there is often insufficient antigen remaining to illicit either a systemic or mucosal immune response. In addition, a pre-requisite of a mucosal response within the GIT is uptake of the antigens by antigen presenting cells (APCs). The uptake of soluble antigens by the APCs is much less efficient than that of antigen microparticles. Therefore, soluble antigens often fail to achieve an adequate immune response, which can, in fact, lead to tolerance to the antigen.
Various strategies have been employed to protect the antigens from the harsh environment of the GIT and to facilitate a mucosal response. These include enveloping the antigen in liposomes, immunostimulatory complexes (ISCOMs), proteosomes and microparticles. However, such strategies can still require very high doses of antigen to be delivered, along with co-administration of mucosal adjuvants in order to elicit an effective humoral antibody and cell mediated response. Still further, many of the adjuvants under study, such as cholera toxin, are highly toxic in humans. These problems exist regardless of the source of the antigen (bacterial, viral, parasite, etc.).
Accordingly, there exists a need in the pharmaceutical field for improved oral vaccine dosage forms that effectively deliver immunogenic quantities of antigenic preparations and resist chemical and mechanical barriers to antigenic absorption. There further exists a need for solid oral dosage forms that can induce the immune response as effectively as an injectable vaccine while being easy to manufacture and easy and comfortable to administer.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008-0014260 discloses an oral solid fast-dispersing dosage form for the delivery of vaccines. However, the publication discloses an FDDF comprised of mannitol and gelatin as matrix forming agents. U.S. Pat. No. 6,509,040 teaches a pharmaceutical composition for oral administration in the form of a fast dispersing dosage form essentially free of mammalian gelatin and comprising at least one matrix forming agent and a starch. Neither of these references teaches or suggests the benefits achieved by the present invention, specifically the immune potentiating effect of starch.
The present invention is a novel formulation of FDDF using a starch as an immune response potentiating matrix forming agent, along with optional additional matrix forming agents such as mannitol and gelatin, to stimulate immunity to infection caused by bacteria, viruses, or other microorganisms and achieve better immune response than FDDF formulations known in the art. The immune potentiating effect of starch described in the present invention was not previously disclosed or suggested in the art. Also, the immune potentiating effect can be further enhanced by certain additional matrix forming agents or components, which, too, was not previously disclosed or suggested in the art. This is a significant advancement in the state of the art.

Oral vaccine fast-dissolving dosage form using starch


A medical tool includes: a tool main unit configured to be driven in response to a power supply; a first power supply configured to be removable from the tool main unit; and a second power supply having a smaller power capacity than the first power supply, and configured to be charged by the first power supply. The tool main unit is configured to be driven by receiving power supply from one of the first power supply and the second power supply.

The present disclosure relates to a medical tool.
Various types of medical tools have been known in the medical field (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2015-131120 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2015-231551, for example).
The medical tool disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2015-131120 is an endoscope camera (hand-held type unit) for capturing images of interior of a subject such as a person (interior of a living body). This endoscope camera includes an endoscope having an insertion tube to be inserted into the interior of the living body, an LED end coupler that supplies light for illuminating the interior of the living body to the insertion tube, and an imaging unit that generates image signals by picking up images of the subject via the insertion tube and the LED end coupler, and wirelessly transmits the image signals to an external camera control unit. These three units are removably provided. In other words, the endoscope camera and the external camera control unit are wirelessly connected without any cable. The external camera control unit then processes the image signals having been received wirelessly from the endoscope camera (imaging unit), and displays a captured image that is based on the image signals on a display unit. The endoscope camera also includes a first battery module dedicated to the LED end coupler, and a second battery module dedicated to the imaging unit so that the electrical contact between the LED end coupler and the imaging unit may be omitted.
The medical tool disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2015-231551 is an energy treatment tool (hand-held ultrasound surgery cautery cutting device) that treats biological tissues by applying ultrasonic energy to the biological tissues. This energy treatment tool includes a treating unit (an ultrasound cutting blade and a waveguide assembly that applies ultrasonic energy), a control unit (TAG assembly) that generates ultrasonic energy (ultrasonic vibration) for the treating unit, and a power supply unit (battery assembly) that supplies power to the control unit, and these three units are removably provided.


In general, the present invention provides a viewing and inspection box having a base, a top wall, opposing side walls, and a rear wall defining an interior that is viewed through an open front of the box. An inspection light is held in proximity to the top wall and illuminates the interior of the box. An inspection apparatus, such as a magnifying glass, extends from one of the walls to extend beneath the inspection light. A display panel is maintained between the base and the rear wall at an angle relative to the base, and is further maintained below the inspection apparatus such that the inspection apparatus is positioned between the inspection light and the display panel.

This invention relates in general to a portable apparatus for enhancing the viewing of small objects by magnification and relates, in particular, to such a device for use in connection with the sale of jewelry or other, similar small objects.
Conventionally, jewelry or other small objects are displayed in various ways in retail stores. The object of a display is to enhance the appearance of the object and to permit potential purchasers to view the object to its best advantage, and in considerable detail, in an environment that optimally enhances the likelihood of a sale.
A number of various ways of displaying objects of this type are known in the art. Conventionally, when displaying a finger ring, for example, the ring would be disposed in a box, which may or may not have a closeable lid, with the ring itself being supported by a soft pad of felt or some similar material to provide a background for enhancing the appearance of the ring or other article being viewed. The box is then normally placed in a display case or window in a jewelry store and can be viewed from a distance by the potential purchaser through the glass of the case or window.
A closer inspection can be provided by removing the box from the display case or window and allowing the potential purchaser to view the contents at a closer range. It is also possible to provide a magnifying glass to enable the potential purchaser to view the fine points of the article.
However, it is believed desirable to incorporate all of these features into one device which can be repetitively used and which permits the potential purchaser to view the article in various modes including a magnified mode.
In general, the present invention provides a viewing and inspection box having a base, a top wall, opposing side walls, and a rear wall defining an interior that is viewed through an open front of the box. An inspection light is held in proximity to the top wall and illuminates the interior of the box. An inspection apparatus, such as a magnifying glass, extends from one of the walls to extend beneath the inspection light. A display panel is disposed between the base and the rear wall at an angle relative to the base, and is further disposed below the inspection apparatus such that the inspection apparatus is positioned between the inspection light and the display panel.
The viewing and inspection box of this invention may be used to view objects by magnification and illumination. An object to be viewed, such as a ring, is placed on the display panel, and the inspection light is activated to illuminate the object. The object is then viewed through the inspection apparatus that is maintained between the inspection light and the object placed on the display panel. It is appreciated that the inspection apparatus will typically be a magnifying glass, although other means for inspecting objects, may be employed without departing from the scope of this invention. In preferred embodiments, the inspection apparatus is adjustable so as to provide different viewing angles with respect to the object being viewed. Additionally, it is preferred that the display panel within the viewing and inspection box may be selected so as to rest at desired angles relative to the base of the inspection box.
Thus, a particular embodiment of this invention provides a modifiable viewing and inspection box assembly including a box having a base, a top wall, opposed side walls, and a rear wall defining an interior that is viewed through an open front of the box, and the base of the box has a notch therein. An inspection light is held in proximity to the top wall and illuminates the interior of the box. An inspection apparatus extends from one of the walls to extend beneath the inspection light. A plurality of display panels are provided, each display panel being adapted to be capable of being partially received in the notch in the base of the box to extend at an angle between the notch and the rear wall of the box such that a given one of the plurality of the display panels can be positioned at an angle with respect to the base.
As with the more general embodiment first summarized above, the inspection apparatus of this embodiment is preferably a magnifying glass, although not limited thereto or thereby. It is additionally preferred that such magnifying glass be adjustable. To aid in focusing attention on the item being displayed in the viewing box, the walls of the inspection box, in either embodiment, may be covered with a light absorbing material, for example, black felt. The display panel or panels may include slots or supports for securing items placed thereon.
Accordingly, production of a viewing and inspection box of the character above described becomes the principal object of this invention with other objects thereof becoming more apparent upon reading the following brief description considered and interpreted in view of the accompanying drawings.


The present invention provides a bidirectional wavelength division multiplexed optical communication network useful in numerous network configurations. The network includes a bidirectional optical waveguide carrying counter-propagating wavelength division multiplexed optical signals each including plural channels. Several optical nodes are positioned along the bidirectional optical waveguide, each of which includes an optically-amplified bidirectional optical add-drop multiplexer. Each bidirectional optical add-drop multiplexer includes channel selectors for selecting at least one optical channel from each of the counter-propagating WDM optical signals. Each optical node further includes at least one optical transmitter for supplying an optical channel to be added by the bidirectional optical add-drop multiplexer to the bidirectional optical waveguide and at least one optical receiver for receiving an optical channel dropped from the bidirectional optical waveguide by the bidirectional add-drop multiplexer. Preferably, each optical node includes a bidirectional optical service channel transmitter and receiver and a network control element. Through measurement of optical launch powers and optical amplifier gain, the optical power levels of the optical channels are controlled to within a specified range. The bidirectional optical systems of the present invention can be used to create flexible network topologies that are easily expandable to include additional optical nodes and have particular application in metropolitan area networks.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical communication systems in general and, more particularly, to bidirectional WDM optical networks having optically-amplified bidirectional add-drop multiplexer nodes including an optical network control element for controlling optical launch powers.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the need for communication signal bandwidth increases, wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) has progressively gained popularity for multiplying the transmission capacity of a single optical fiber. A review of optical networks, including WDM networks, can be found in Ramaswami et al., Optical Networks: A Practical Perspective (Morgan Kaufman,.COPYRGT. 1998), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Typically, wavelength division multiplexed optical communication systems have been designed and deployed in the long-haul, interexchange carrier realm. In these long-haul optical systems, a wavelength division multiplexed optical communication signal comprising plural optical channels at different wavelengths travels in a single direction on a single fiber (unidirectional transmission). Because the communication traffic in such systems commonly travels many hundreds of kilometers, the need for add-drop multiplexing of individual channels is infrequent (if at all), occurring at widely-spaced add-drop nodes.
Although the optical infrastructure of long-haul WDM optical systems can accommodate future traffic needs created by increased demand from traditional and multimedia Internet services, this traffic must first be collected and distributed by local networks. Currently, such local networks are structured to carry a single wavelength, time-division multiplexed (TDM) optical signal along a fiber network organized into various ring structures. To route the various components of the TDM signal, numerous electronic add-drop multiplexers are positioned along the fiber network. At each add-drop location, the entire optical signal is converted into an electrical signal; the portions of the electrical signal which are destined for that add-drop point are routed accordingly. The remaining portions of the electrical signal are converted back to a new TDM optical signal and are output through the electronic add-drop multiplexer. Thus, before a user can access the bandwidth-rich WDM long-haul transport networks, he must first pass through the bottleneck of the local networks.
Although unidirectional WDM optical systems are suitable for conventional long-haul interexchange carrier markets, metropolitan (local) communications systems require extensive routing and switching of traffic among various nodes positioned within interconnecting optical fiber rings. Consequently, smaller metropolitan markets require considerably more extensive add-drop multiplexing in order to successfully implement wavelength division multiplexing in their short-range systems. In conventional, point-to-point (e.g., long-haul) optical systems, the optical channels are launched from a single starting location and aggregated onto an optical fiber through the use of an optical combiner. Such systems are depicted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,504,609, 5,715,076, and 5,784,184. However, in metropolitan networks, particularly metropolitan ring networks, it is desirable to continuously add and drop optical channels simultaneously from multiple points around an optical ring. Thus, there is no "start" or "end" node in such a metropolitan network as in the prior art point-to-point networks.
Further, in order to maximize the effectiveness of wavelength division multiplexing in metropolitan networks, it would be useful to implement bidirectional WDM optical systems, e.g., to enhance network design flexibility and reduce the number of optical fibers needed to implement protection switching. In a bidirectional WDM system, counter-propagating WDM optical signals, each comprised of plural optical channels, are carried on the same waveguiding medium such as a single optical fiber. Implementation of a bidirectional system requires several considerations not present in conventional unidirectional optical systems. Add-drop multiplexing in a bidirectional optical environment becomes considerably more complex since optical channels must be selected from each of the counter-propagating WDM optical signals. Optical amplification also becomes more complex in a bidirectional optical network since amplification must be performed on each of the counter-propagating WDM signals. When the bidirectional system is deployed in a metropolitan network, the positioning of optical amplifiers is difficult due both to geographic (space) constraints for positioning optical nodes at irregular intervals and the need for the network to accommodate future expansion (e.g., future add-drop). When additional nodes are added to an existing WDM metropolitan network, the number and placement of optical amplifiers must be reconfigured to conform to the optical power budget for the new network.
Several bidirectional multiplexer designs have been proposed as well as several designs for bidirectional amplifiers; however, none of these permit the creation of easily reconfigurable or expandable bidirectional wavelength division multiplexed optical networks. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,295, optical circulators are used to separate the counter-propagating optical signals that are further filtered down to individual channel wavelengths; this design appears to be predominantly directed to an end node in a WDM optical system. In many embodiments, expensive four-port (or higher) optical circulators must be used. Although optical channels are separated, there is no teaching or suggestion of signal recombination such that a bidirectional optical signal continues to propagate along a bidirectional transmission waveguide.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,130,765 a bidirectional add-drop multiplexer is described. The apparatus comprises two three-port main circulators inserted into a line fiber; the third port of each circulators connected by auxiliary optical fibers to auxiliary circulators. While this patent depicts channel routing in a single bidirectional line fiber, it does not teach or suggest an optically-amplified bidirectional optical network.
Bidirectional optical amplifiers arc also known in the art for use in conventional, point-to-point optical networks. Bidirectional optical amplifiers are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,742,416, 5,812,306, 6,101,016. In these patents optical signals are routed unidirectionally through a single optical amplifier or separated and routed through separate amplifiers. However, because these optical amplifiers are designed for use in point-to-point optical systems, they do not include any mechanism for adding and dropping optical traffic onto the optical network at the position of the bidirectional amplifiers.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a bidirectional WDM optical communication network capable of supporting add-drop multiplexing and optical amplification while permitting network expansion with future optical add-drop multiplexer nodes. Such systems would permit effective implementation of bidirectional wavelength division multiplexing in local, metropolitan markets requiring high volumes of signal re-routing and allow creation of flexible network topologies.

Bidirectional WDM optical communication network


Disclosed is a device for securing, mounting, aligning, and grounding solar panels to a roof mounted rail. The device in combination with a t-bolt, a nut, and a solar panel end-clamp or mid-clamp, secure, mount, align, and ground the solar panels to the roof mounted rail. The device can be inserted into the top of the rail anywhere along its length. After the device and t-bolt are inserted in the rail, the t-bolt rotated so it inserts into a slot at the bottom of the rail thereby securing the device to the rail, assuring the proper orientation of the t-bolt, and preventing further rotation of the t-bolt.

The present disclosure relates to a device for mounting solar panels. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a device for mounting solar panels, such as solar photovoltaic (PV) or solar thermal panels, to rooftop mounted rails.
Solar panels can be mounted to various types of roof structures, such as pitched shingle, tile, metal, or concrete roofs with rails. For pitched roofs that are rectangular shaped, the rails are often mounted along the length of the roof. The solar panels are generally mounted to the rails along an edge perpendicular to the rails. In addition, it is desirable, and often required by local building codes, to electrically ground the solar panels to the rails.
Aligning and mounting the solar panels to the rails and then assuring that they are properly grounded can often be labor intensive and time consuming. It is therefore desirable for a device that secures, aligns, and grounds the solar panels to the rails that is simple and efficient.

Solar panel rooftop mounting and grounding device


This invention concerns a compact fluorescent lamp with a double helix shaped discharge tube in which the two strands of the helix are constituted by two helix shaped tube portions. These tube portions define a central axis of the discharge tube. The double helix formed by the discharge tube has a central section and a first end section. These sections are defined along the central axis, and the lamp base for receiving ends of the tube portions is disposed at the first end section. An inner diameter of the central section of the helix is larger than an inner diameter of the first end section. The invention further relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing coiled shaped discharge tubes, in particular the above described discharge tube of the discharge lamp. A radially segmented molding core is used for manufacturing the discharge tube. Once the coiling of the discharge tube on the molding core is completed, the segmented molding core is shrunk radially, and then is withdrawn from the coiled discharge tube axially.

This invention relates to a compact fluorescent lamp with a discharge tube. The invention also relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing the discharge tube of the lamp. The invention also concerns a molding tool used in the method and the apparatus.
Low pressure discharge lamps are well known in the art. These lamps contain small doses of mercury which radiates under the influence of the discharge arc. In order to accomplish maximum light output, it is desirable to make the discharge tube of the lamp as long as possible which results in a large luminous surface. At the same time, to accomplish light outputs comparable to the light output of a traditional incandescent bulb requires the application of discharge tubes with a length in excess of tens of centimeters. Such tubes must be folded into various forms in order to make them compact enough for various lamp shades and covers which were originally designed for incandescent bulbs.
It is known to divide a long discharge tube into shorter sections, and to dispose the sections in a parallel configuration around a common central axis. As an example, a 60 cm long discharge tube may be divided into six sections, each ten centimeter long. The tubes are connected to each other through connecting necks, alternating at the top end or bottom end of the tubes. This configuration has the advantage of utilizing a relatively large surface area of the tube sections because the adjacent tubes leave approximately two thirds of the tube surface visible from the outside of the lamp. This part of the tube surface may be considered as the effective tube surface. However, this parallel configuration is still too long for many applications because the housing of the lamp, which normally contains the ballast electronics, also adds to the overall length of the discharge lamp. Further, the discharge arc exerts non-uniform load on the discharge tube which adversely effects the light output and the lifetime of the lamp.
A double helix-shaped compact fluorescent lamp is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,883. Such a double helix configuration results in a much more compact discharge tube, and the overall length of a coil with a total length of approximately 60 cm may be reduced to six centimeters, instead of the ten centimeters necessary for the parallel configuration. However, the effective lighting area of the discharge tube is reduced, because approximately one half of the discharge tube surface is visible only to the outside apart from the top turn of the helix. Therefore, the luminous efficacy of this known lamp is not completely satisfactory.
In the lamp shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,883, the double helix formed by the discharge tube has an essentially constant inner and outer diameter, apart from the sealed ends of the discharge tube which are bent inwards. The bending of the tube ends is made in a separate manufacturing step. The bending of the ends does not influence the effective surface of the discharge tube, as the bent ends are inserted into a supporting housing.
German Patent Application No. DE 41 33 077 discloses another double helix shaped discharge lamp. In this known discharge lamp, there is a cold chamber positioned at the top of the lamp between the two ends of the tube portions constituting the strands of the double spiral. There is a relatively large distance between the turns of the two strands of the helix, so that the surface of the discharge tube turning inwards is also partly visible, adding to the effective area. However, the large distance between the turns again results in a large longitudinal dimension of the coil to the detriment of the overall compactness of the lamp.
Another double helix shaped compact fluorescent lamp is disclosed in the document WO 94/29895. The double helix of this lamp has a central section and an end section. The sealed ends of the discharge tube are disposed at the end section. The inner diameter of the central section of the helix is smaller than the inner diameter of the end section. As a result, the overall lighting efficiency of the discharge tube does not surpass that of the discharge tube known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,883, while achieving shorter total discharge tube length due to the gradually decreasing diameter of the coil, and as a result, decreased light output. Generally, the lighting efficiency of this lamp is riddled with the same problems as the above mentioned lamps known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,883 and from German Patent Application No. DE 41 33 077. The compactness of the lamp is also less satisfactory, because the sealed ends add to the total length of the coiled discharge tube.
Therefore, there is a need for a discharge lamp which exhibits improved lighting efficiency combined with compact dimensions of the coiled discharge tube, particularly a short overall length of the coil formed by the discharge tube.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a compact fluorescent lamp comprising a double helix shaped discharge tube. The discharge tube includes two helix shaped tube portions which form the two strands of the double helix. The tube portions define a central axis of the discharge tube. The double helix constituted by the tube portions has a central section and a first end section. These sections of the helix are defined along the central axis, i. e. the sections are disposed along the central axis. The lamp base for receiving ends of the tube portions is disposed at the first end section. An inner diameter of the central section of the helix is larger than an inner diameter of the first end section.
The lamp with the discharge tube of the above-described design has an improved luminous efficacy combined with compact size and an aesthetic appearance, as compared with known discharge lamp designs. The two tube portions of the discharge tube forming the strands of the helix may be easily formed starting from a single integral glass tube, thereby avoiding imperfect joints between discharge tube sections.
In an exemplary embodiment of another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a coil shaped discharge tube for a compact fluorescent lamp. The method is applicable for the manufacture of discharge tubes in which the coil formed by the discharge tube has a larger inner diameter at a central section than an inner diameter at a first end section. The method comprises the following steps. A segmented molding core provided, and the segments of the core define an external envelope surface corresponding to the desired inner diameter of the coil. At least a part of the discharge tube is heated to a softening temperature, and the heated discharge tube is wound on the molding core. Thereafter, the discharge tube is cooled to a solidification temperature.
After cooling of the discharge tube, the segments of the molding core are withdrawn in a radial direction towards the center of the coil. Thereafter, the segments are withdrawn from the coil in an axial direction.
The proposed method is mostly useful when the coil is closed at an end towards the section with a larger diameter. This is the case with the proposed discharge tube which is formed as a double helix, and the sealed ends of the discharge tube are disposed at the section having a smaller inner diameter than a diameter of its central section.
In an exemplary embodiment of still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing a coil shaped discharge tube for a compact fluorescent lamp, particularly the suggested double helix shaped compact fluorescent lamp. The apparatus is suitable for the manufacturing of discharge tubes in which the coil formed by the discharge tube has a larger diameter at a central section than a diameter at an end section. The apparatus comprises a molding core with an envelope surface corresponding to the inner surface of the discharge tube forming the coil. This molding core comprises segments which define the envelope surface of the core. The segments are arranged for displacement in a radial direction relative to the central axis of the coil.
The apparatus further comprises means for controlling the displacement of the segments in a radial direction relative to the central axis of the coil, and means for heating at least a part of the discharge tube to a softening temperature. The apparatus also has means for holding the discharge tube in an oriented position relative to the molding core and means for winding the softened discharge tube onto the molding core.
In an exemplary embodiment of still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a molding core for manufacturing a coil shaped discharge tube, for use in the apparatus.
The method, the apparatus implementing the method and the molding core used in the apparatus ensures a fast and industrial-scale manufacturing of coil shaped discharge tubes, particularly double helix shaped discharge tubes in which the inner diameter of the double helix is smaller at the end of the helix than the inner diameter of a central section of the helix.


When it is possible to capture a plurality of light sources as images of a plurality of separated light sources with a gain within a range for each of the ranges of mutually different gains, images captured with the maximum gains among the gains that enables the capturing as the images of the plurality of light sources, that is, images captured to be the brightest is generated as use images (a, b, and c). Then, an image d, obtained by combining only the use images (a and b) in which the plurality of light sources is successfully captured as the images of the plurality of separated light sources among the generated use images, is displayed on a display.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a captured image display system that displays an image captured by a camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a captured image display system that displays an image captured by a camera, there is known an electronic mirror system in which a display is disposed at a position above a front windshield instead of a room mirror, and an image, captured by a camera capturing images of a rear of an automobile, is displayed on the display (for example, JP 2016-60411 A and JP 2007-214749 A).
In addition, as a technique for the captured image display system, there is known a technique for a system that captures an image including headlights of an automobile. The technique includes reducing a gain of a camera or increasing a shutter speed of the camera when a pixel region whose luminance value is saturated in the image captured by the camera so as to suppress two headlights from appearing as one light source in the captured image due to the saturation (for example, JP 2006-339994 A).

Captured image display system, electronic mirror system, and captured image display method


Embodiments of the present disclosure measure a state of a storage group within a storage array. The embodiments also increase or decrease a compression ratio corresponding to input/output (I/O) operations on the storage group based on a target data reduction ratio (DRR) of the storage array, an expected performance envelope, and a compressibility factor of the storage group.

Data compression is a reduction in the number of bits needed to represent data. Compressing data can save storage capacity, speed up file transfer, and decrease costs for storage hardware and network bandwidth. Compression is performed by a program that uses a formula or algorithm to determine how to shrink the size of the data. For instance, an algorithm may represent a string of bits—or 0 s and 1 s—with a smaller string of 0 s and 1 s by using a dictionary for the conversion between them, or the formula may insert a reference or pointer to a string of 0 s and 1 s that the program has already seen. Data compression can dramatically decrease the amount of storage a file takes up. For example, in a 2:1 compression ratio, a 20-megabyte (MB) file takes up 10 MB of space. Because of compression, administrators spend less money and less time on storage.

Controlling compression of input/output (I/O) operations)


A light is disposed on a blade of a nail clipper and covered by a light housing. The housing is dimensioned and configured to the cutting edge of the blade of the nail clipper. The housing clears the cutting edge of the blade so as not to obstruct the cutting action of the blades in the clipper. Light emitted from the light housing is focused on a pet's nail intended to be cut due, in part, to the fact that the housing corresponds in shape to the cutting edge of the blade. The housing may be made of light diffusing material that also allows light to illuminate a pet's nail. The illuminated nail clipper allows a user to cut a pet's nail regardless of the position or angle of the nail and protects the users eyes from the direct exposure to the lighting source in the light housing.

Pet owners regularly trim pet nails as long nails can cause an irregular gait and may break leading to infections. Thus the importance of trimming pet nails has significant health benefits to the animals. Though pet nail cutters are ubiquitous and come in different styles there is still a danger of accidentally cutting a quick in the nail. One way pet groomers avoid cutting the quick is to cut the pet nail at an angle. However, if the nail is cut at too high an angle then the quick may still be inadvertently cut. An easy way to identify the quick in the nail is by illuminating the nail to see the silhouette of the quick therein.
Currently illuminated nail clippers exist on the market. However existing illuminated nail cutters scatter light or obstruct the view or cutting action of the clipper. Thus there is a need for an illuminated nail clipper that focuses the light on the nail to increase visibility of blood vessels in the nail. There is a need for an illuminated nail clipper that focuses the light on the nail that is being cut at any angle. There is a need for an illuminated nail clipper that will illuminate a nail when the blade is curved. It is desired that the light illuminating the nail be dimensioned and configured to a shape of the cutting portion of the nail clipper such as a semicircular shape found on scissor-style pet nail clippers. It is desired that the light illuminate a nail regardless of the angle at which the nail is inserted in the nail clipper. It is important that the light shine on the nail so the groomer may cut the nail in a variety of positions and angles. It is further desired that the light illuminate the nail intended to be cut without obstructing or shining into the eyes of the using the illuminated nail clipper. It is desired that an illuminated nail clipper illuminate a nail while protecting a user's eyes from direct exposure to the light source within the illuminated nail clipper.


An angular rate sensor includes: a support substrate; a semiconductor layer; and a movable portion. The movable portion includes a driving vibration portion and a detecting vibration portion. The driving vibration portion is capable of vibrating in a first direction. The detecting vibration portion is capable of vibrating in a second direction. The driving vibration portion includes through holes, and the detecting vibration portion includes thorough holes. Each through hole of the driving vibration portion has an elongated shape extending in the first direction. Each through hole of the detecting vibration portion has an elongated shape extending in the second direction.

One type of a physical quantity sensor is an angular rate sensor. As this sort of angular rate sensors, there are angular rate sensors generally manufactured by employing semiconductor substrates. In the general-purpose angular rate sensors, such a sensor is proposed in which a movable unit is constituted by a drive-purpose vibration unit which is vibrated along a first direction, and a detection-purpose vibration unit which is vibrated along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction by Coriolis force. Here, the Coriolis force is generated by applying an angular velocity to the sensor, when the drive-purpose vibration unit is vibrated along the first direction. For example, it is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-91265, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,033.
In such an angular rate sensor, the movable unit is formed so as to be released from a supporting substrate by etching a semiconductor layer supported by the supporting substrate. For instance, there is proposed an angular rate sensor employing an SOI (silicon-on insulator) substrate made by adhering both silicon substrates via an oxide film to each other. For example, it is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication NO. 2001-133268.
The angular rate sensor corresponds to a front surface processed type angular rate sensor. In this sensor, while one of the silicon substrates for constructing the SOI substrate is employed as a supporting substrate, the movable portion is formed on the other silicon substrate by executing a well-known micro-machine processing technique such as a trench etching process and a sacrificial layer etching process with respect to both the other silicon substrate and the oxide film from the front surface side of the other silicon substrate.
Also, in the front surface processed type angular rate sensor (e.g., yaw rate sensor), in order to perform the etching process in a high efficiency and to reduce the movable unit in weight, a plurality of through holes is formed in a large area portion in such as an etching remaining portion of the movable unit. For example, it is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-99861, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,029.
On the other hand, in the angular rate sensor having such a movable unit, the movable unit released on the supporting substrate is displaced within, for example, the horizontal plane along the layer plane of the semiconductor layer which constitutes the movable unit.
In particular, while the movable unit is constituted by both the drive-purpose vibration unit and the detection-purpose vibration unit, the drive-purpose vibration unit is vibrated along the first direction by drive means, or the like, whereas the detection-purpose vibration unit is vibrated along the second direction perpendicular to the first direction by applying thereto the angular velocity when this drive-purpose vibration unit is vibrated along the first direction.
In the angular rate sensor having both the drive-purpose vibration unit and the detection-purpose vibration unit as the variable unit, plural through holes are formed so as to penetrate through the movable unit along the thickness direction of the semiconductor layer in order to improve efficiency of the etching process and to reduce the movable unit in weight.
However, in the conventional angular rate sensor, since the patterns of these through holes are provided by considering only the uniformity of the etching, the patterns of the through holes to be formed are same in both the drive-purpose vibration unit and the detection-purpose vibration unit.
As a typical pattern of through holes in a related art, as indicated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, such arrayed patterns are employed in both a drive-purpose vibration unit 20 and a detection-purpose vibration unit 30, in which longitudinal directions of through holes 20a having rectangular shapes are aligned with each other along the same direction.
In the case that the arrayed pattern of the through holes 20a formed in the drive-purpose vibration unit 20 are identical to those formed in the detection-purpose vibration unit 30, attenuation of vibrations, namely damping of vibrations is produced due to an influence of eddies of air generated in opening edge portions of the through holes 20a while the vibration unit is vibrated, depending upon a vibration direction of the vibration unit.
For instance, in the through hole patterns shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the drive-purpose vibration unit 20 is vibrated along an x direction as a first direction, whereas the detection-purpose vibration unit 30 is vibrated along a Y direction as a second direction. As to the arrayed pattern of the through holes 20a, when the detection-purpose vibration unit 30 is vibrated along the Y direction, the influence of the damping is increased.
If the damping happens to occur in both the vibration units, then losses of vibration energy are produced due to this damping. Accordingly, there is a risk that the vibrations become unstable. It is apparent that this risk may give an adverse influence to the sensor characteristic.
In order to avoid the damping caused by the air resistance, and the like, the conventional angular rate sensors are maintained under vacuum condition. To this end, the entire structure of a conventional angular rate sensor is sealed by a vacuum package. However, this structure may increase the manufacturing cost of the conventional angular rate sensors, which is not desirable.
Further, conventionally, a mechanical quantity sensor is constituted by a supporting substrate, a movable unit, and a peripheral fixing unit. The movable unit is supported on the supporting substrate under such a condition that the movable unit is separated from the supporting substrate to be arranged. The peripheral fixing unit is arranged at a peripheral portion of the movable unit on the supporting substrate, and is fixed to the supporting substrate so as to be supported.
In this mechanical quantity sensor, when a mechanical quantity is applied to this sensor, the movable unit can be displaced along the horizontal direction with respect to the plane of the supporting substrate. Then, this mechanical quantity sensor detects the applied mechanical quantity based upon the displacement state of the movable unit when the mechanical quantity is applied thereto.
As such a mechanical quantity sensor, for instance, an angular rate sensor which is formed by processing a semiconductor substrate is proposed. For example, it is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-133268,
In such a mechanical quantity sensor, when this sensor is operated, a constant potential is applied to the movable unit and an AC voltage is applied to a driving electrode which is provided opposite to the movable unit so as to displace the movable unit. In other words, the movable unit is driven by utilizing electrostatic attracting force in the conventional mechanical quantity sensor.
In the mechanical quantity sensor, the supporting substrate separately arranged under the movable unit is brought into the GND state when the sensor is operated. As a result, when the mechanical quantity sensor is operated, a large potential difference is produced between the movable unit and the supporting substrate. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the movable unit may be adhered to the supporting substrate due to the electrostatic attracting force, namely, a so-called "sticking" phenomenon may occur.

Physical quantity sensor having movable portion


Method and apparatus for Raman laser oscillation using stimulating Brillouin scattering as well as stimulated Raman scattering. The method comprises generation of a seed beam and condensing of the seed beam to a gas cell using the condensing lens such that part of the condensed beam is scattered by stimulated Raman scattering while the other part of the condensed beam is scattered by stimulated Brillouin scattering. The stimulated Raman scattered laser beam is outputted from a collimating lens while the stimulated Brillouin scattered laser beam returns to the condensing lens thanking for its phase conjugate characteristic. The stimulated Brillouin scattered laser beam is amplified in a section between a phase conjugate mirror and the resonance reflection mirror and condensed to the gas cell such that it is again scattered by stimulated Raman scattering in the gas cell prior to its output from the collimating lens. The phase conjugate mirror coincides with a focus of the condensing lens, and the section between the phase conjugate mirror and the resonance reflection mirror defines a Brillouin resonator.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates in general to a Raman laser oscillation, and more particularly to method and apparatus for Raman laser oscillation using both stimulated Brillouin scattering and stimulated Raman scattering.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As well noted to those skilled in the art, in a Raman laser oscillator using stimulated Raman scattering, a pumping beam generated by a pumping resonator is scattered in a gas cell, thus to change the wavelength of a laser beam and to output a laser beam having a desired wavelength. Such laser oscillators using stimulated Raman scattering have been thus wide used as various industrial measuring devices.
With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a prior art Raman laser oscillator using stimulated Raman scattering such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,272. This Raman laser oscillator includes a methane gas cell 2 which is placed on the front of a laser output mirror 7 of a laser resonator such that the laser oscillator uses a wavelength changing effect of the laser beam caused by stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) generated in the gas cell 2.
In the above Raman laser oscillator, a resonance reflection mirror 6 serves to reflect a pumping beam of a pumping source (not shown). The laser output mirror 7 of the laser resonator serves to reflect, in cooperation with the reflection mirror 6, the pumping beam in the resonator, thus to amplify the pumping beam. This laser output mirror 7 is also coated with a dielectric on a surface thereof toward the surface 4A of a laser rod 4 such that it has a high reflectance for the pumping beam and reflects the pumping beam, reflected by the gas cell 2, to the gas cell 2. An optical Q-switch 5 is placed between the two mi trots 6 arid 7 and is an optical element which serves to shorten the laser pulse width but to strengthen the laser intensity and preferably uses a saturable absorber. When using the saturable absorber, the Q-switch 5 provides a pulse width of 10-20 ns. The laser rod 4 is placed between the laser output mirror 7 and the Q-switch 5, and serves to amplify the laser beam reciprocating between the two mi trots 6 and 7. When using Nd:YAG crystal as the laser rod 4, the generated laser beam has a wavelength of 1.06 .mu.m. The laser oscillator further includes a condensing lens 3 which is placed between the gas cell 2 and the laser output mirror 7 in order to condense the laser beam generated by the laser resonator to the gas cell 2. When the pumping beam is condensed to the gas cell 2, the stimulated Raman scattering is induced by interrelation between the condensed pumping beam and molecular vibration of the gas medium molecules inside the gas cell 2, thus to change the wavelength of the pumping beam.
That is, the pumping beam is scattered by the stimulated Raman scattering is increased in its wavelength, otherwise stated, its frequency is decreased. For example, when methane gas (CH.sub.4) is used as the gas medium of the gas cell 2, the wavelength 1.06 .mu.m of the pumping beam is increased to 1.54 .mu.m. The gaseous material or a fluid material, such as methane, in the gas cell 2 is generally named as a Raman medium. The Raman medium is generally selected from a group of methane, deuterium (D.sub.2) and hydrogen (H.sub.2). The laser beam, changed in its wavelength by the stimulated Raman scattering, is outputted from a collimating lens I in the form of a parallel beam.
However, it has been noted that such a prior art Raman laser oscillator using stimulated Raman scattering has the following problems.
First, the prior art Raman laser oscillator using stimulated Raman scattering has a relatively higher larger loss due to stimulated Brillouin scattering induced together with the stimulated Raman scattering in the gas cell 2. This stimulated Brillouin scattering is disclosed in detail in page 1072 of W. Kaiser & M. Maler, "Stimulated Rayleigh, Brillouin and Raman Spectroscopy" Laser Handbook, F. T. Arrecchi and E. O. Shulz--Dubols, eds., Laser Handbook, (North Holland Publishing Co., Amsterdam, 1972). This stimulated Brillouin scattering is always induced together with the stimulated Raman scattering in the gas cell 2. The stimulated Brillouin scattering is a non-linear optical phenomenon in that a laser beam is scattered by an acoustic wave generated in the Raman medium in the gas cell. The laser beam affected and scattered by the stimulated Brillouin scattering scarcely shows change of wavelength and necessarily reversely travels in an incident direction of the laser beam to the gas cell 2, that is, in the backward direction of the gas cell 2, since the laser beam scattered by the stimulated Brillouin scattering or the stimulated Brillouin scattered laser beam shows a phase conjugate characteristic. The phase conjugate characteristic of the laser beam scattered by the stimulated Brillouin scattering is disclosed in detail in B. Ya. Zel'aldrich, N. F. Piliptsky, V. V. Shkunov, "Principles of Phase Conjugation", Springer-Verag (1985). The laser beam scattered by the stimulated Brillouin scattering returns to laser output mirror 7 through the condensing lens 3 by which the laser beam was condensed to the gas cell 2. However, the laser beam scattered by the stimulated Brillouin scattering and returning to the laser output mirror 7 is mostly reflected by the laser output mirror 7 since it has a wavelength which is nearly equal to that of the pumping beam, such that it is not introduced into the laser resonator. The stimulated Brillouin scattering of the prior art Raman laser oscillator thus causes a laser output deterioration or a laser output loss. Otherwise stated, in the prior art Raman laser oscillator using the stimulated Raman scattering, the laser output mirror 7 interferes with the stimulated Brillouin scattering as well as the phase conjugate of the laser beam scattered by the stimulated Brillouin scattering, thus to serve to interfere with the laser output of the Raman laser oscillator and to cause deterioration of efficiency of the oscillator and weakening of the output laser intensity.
Second, it is not easy to achieve a desired optical alignment of optical elements of the prior art Raman laser oscillator using stimulated Raman scattering. This is caused by the fact that the prior art Raman laser oscillator should have the laser output mirror 7, and the more the number of the elements of the laser oscillator is, the more difficult the optical alignment of the elements of the laser oscillator is. When a desired precise optical alignment of the elements of the oscillator is not achieved, the laser output of the oscillator is inevitably deteriorated. On the other hand, even when the desired optical alignment of the elements of the oscillator is achieved, the alignment is apt to be distorted by bad effect given to the elements by their circumstances, such as mechanical vibration and mechanical shock, in accordance with lapse of time. In addition, such a distortion of the optical alignment of the elements intends to be in proportion to the number of the elements. Thus, it is preferred to reduce the number of the elements of the Raman laser oscillator in order to achieve and maintain the desired optical alignment of the elements of the oscillator,
In this regard, the laser output and efficiency of the Raman laser oscillator using stimulated Raman scattering will be increased by additionally preferably using the stimulated Brillouin scattering induced together with the stimulated Raman scattering of the laser beam in the gas cell. In addition, reduction of the number of the elements of the Raman laser oscillator will easily achieve and maintain the desired optical alignment of the elements of the oscillator.

Method and apparatus for Raman laser oscillation using stimulated Brilllouin scattering