A working vehicle in which while an operation degree of a speed change operation member is increased from 0 to a certain value, the increase of the vehicle traveling speed is produced by a first increase rate of an engine rotation speed and a first increase rate of a speed ratio (output/input rotation speed ratio of a speed change mechanism) and while the operation degree of the speed change operation member is increased from the certain value, the engine rotation speed is kept to be the rated value and corresponding thereto, the increase rate of the speed ratio is set to a second increase rate of the speed ratio larger than the first increase rate of the speed ratio so that the vehicle traveling speed is always increased substantially in proportion to the acceleration operation of the speed change operation member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for controlling speed by controlling an output/input rotation speed ratio (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "speed ratio") of a speed change mechanism using a hydrostatic stepless transmission (HST) (including a hydraulic mechanical transmission (HMT)) and an engine rotation speed by an electronic governor, the method being adapted to a working vehicle, such as an agricultural tractor.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, there is a well-known working vehicle, such as an agricultural tractor, comprising an HMT or another speed change mechanism using an HST; an electronic governor for controlling vehicle traveling speed; and an accelerator operation member for setting the vehicle traveling speed, such as a pedal or a lever, manipulated by an operator. The electric governor controls a speed ratio of the speed change mechanism and an engine rotation speed in correspondence to an operation degree of the accelerator operation member. International Publication WO 03/036138 discloses a tractor serving as an example of such a working vehicle.
In the tractor of the document '138, a hydraulic pump or motor of an HST of the speed change mechanism is provided with a movable swash plate whose slanting angle is controlled for changing the speed ratio of the speed change mechanism, so as to compensate the vehicle traveling speed to the reduction of the engine rotation speed, when engine load is increased or the tractor turns on a headland.
In addition, with regard to such a working vehicle (for example, an agricultural tractor), generally, a low speed range is assigned to a working (off-road) speed range, and middle and high speed ranges are assigned to an on-road traveling speed range for on-road traveling between a working area (field) and a garage.
With regard to the above-mentioned working vehicle, the vehicle traveling speed is expected to change in proportion to the operation degree of the accelerator operation member. Especially, when the speed change mechanism of the working vehicle includes an auxiliary multi-stage speed change unit combined with the HST or HMT, and the auxiliary multi-stage speed unit is set into a high speed stage for the on-road traveling, it is desired that the variation pattern of the vehicle traveling speed relative to the accelerator operation be similar to that of an ordinary passenger car. A naturally noticed governing is that, in proportion to increase of the operation degree of the accelerator operation member, the opening degree of an engine throttle valve is increased so as to increase engine rotation speed, and simultaneously, the speed ratio of the speed change mechanism is increased (that is, the speed reduction ratio is reduced).
However, if this governing is performed, the variation range of engine rotation speed becomes too wide. Especially, if the accelerator operation member is set in the high speed set range, the engine rotation speed may become larger than a rated rotation speed predetermined in consideration of the engine load. With regard to the conventional governor, the above document '138 does not disclose how the engine rotation speed and the speed ratio of the speed change mechanism are controlled in response to the operation of the accelerator operation member so as to proportionally change the vehicle traveling speed with a feeling of a passenger car.
It is important that, to prevent the engine from being overloaded, the variation range of the engine rotation speed is reduced, and the variation range of the speed change mechanism is increased compensatively. However, even when the accelerator operation member is operated rapidly, the vehicle traveling speed cannot change desirably swiftly because the slow response of the speed ratio change. Further, the reduction of variation range of the engine rotation speed is disadvantageous in ensuring sufficient engine torque against high load applied on the engine.
Further, if the governing is based on that each of the engine rotation speed and the speed ratio of the speed change unit constantly changes in direct proportion to change of the accelerator operation degree, and even if the auxiliary multi-stage speed unit is set in a low speed stage, the engine power may be excessive or insufficient at the time of starting the engine because the weight of a vehicle is not suitable, or because a vehicle is stationary on a slope. The conventional governor of the above-mentioned document '138 reduces the engine rotation speed for controlling engine load, and increases the speed ratio of the speed change mechanism so as to compensate for the reduction of engine rotation speed, thereby ensuring a desired vehicle traveling speed. However, the governing does not resolve the above problems.

Speed control method for working vehicle


An apparatus and method for synthesizing nanostructures. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a reactor having a reaction zone and a conductive susceptor positioned in the reaction zone. The method includes the steps of transporting a gas mixture having an aerosolized catalyst, a feedstock and a carrier gas into the reaction zone of the reactor, inductively heating the reaction zone, and regulating a flow rate of the gas mixture to allow the catalyst to spend a sufficient amount of time in the reaction zone for the growth of nanostructures.

One of the most promising technologies for commercially producing carbon nanostructures such as single wall nanotubes, multi-wall nanotubes, nanofibers, and fullerenes is catalytic chemical vapor deposition (hereinafter "CCVD"). As illustrated in FIG. 1, in a CCVD type reactor, a hydrocarbon gas, or a hydrocarbon/carrier gas combination 10 is introduced into a reaction chamber 20 and passed over a susceptor 30 that contains a metal catalyst 40 heated to a specific temperature. The carrier gas can be nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, or helium. The reaction chamber 20 and the susceptor 30 are normally made from graphite, ceramic, or metal. The heating is achieved by using heating coils 70 wrapping around the reaction chamber 20. The metal catalyst 40 such as Fe, Co, or Ni, causes the hydrocarbon gas to decompose into its component carbon atoms, after which the carbon atoms recombine on the catalytic surface to form carbon nanostructures of various diameters and lengths. However, there are limitations with CCVD type reactor that limit the amount of nanostructures that can be produced at one time.
One of the major limitations of a conventional CCVD type reactor for nanostructure synthesis is the size of a susceptor that can be used. Large size susceptors, desirable for producing large quantities of carbon nanostructures, introduce difficulties in controlling the hydrocarbon gas flow over the catalyst powder bed and attaining tight control of a reaction temperature. It is known that when a hydrocarbon or a mixture of hydrocarbon and carrier gas, also called carbon feedstock or feedstock gas, moves horizontally along the susceptor 30, the catalyst 50 placed at the front end of the susceptor 30 is exposed to the carbon feedstock before the catalyst 60 at the end of the susceptor 30, usually depleting the carbon feedstock gas before it reaches the end of the susceptor 30. The catalyst 60 at the end of the susceptor 30 usually comes into contact with the feedstock gas when the nanostructures growing on the catalyst 50 at the front end of the susceptor 30 can no longer expand. Nanostructures grown in such reactors have large variations in lengths and diameters. Furthermore, the use of conventional ovens results in temperature gradient along the length of the oven. This temperature gradient results in varying temperature conditions that have a significant negative impact on the quality, characteristics, and purity of carbon nanostructures grown therein. Additionally, conventional ovens consume large amounts of energy and heat inefficiently. Because uniform length, diameter, and high purity are desired properties for carbon nanostructure, the performance of CCVD type reactor needs to be improved.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

Apparatus and methods for synthesis of large size batches of carbon nanostructures

The Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas


Pulverizers, which are driven by motors and have an inlet chute and a pulverizing device connected to a collecting reservoir for minimizing of the created amount of dust are, in order to assure with a simple and safe design and easy operation, constructed such that the pulverizer (1) is arranged in a housing (6), which has an air-inlet opening (22) and an air outlet (8). The air outlet (8) is arranged on the bottom side of the housing (6) and is connected to a vacuum source. A filter (9) is provided in the area of the air outlet (8), which can be connected to an air source loading the filter 9) with compressed air in counter-flow direction.

Pulverizers of the above-mentioned type are used in particular in laboratories in order to pulverize samples, which are subsequently subjected to a chemical analysis. It has thereby been proven to be necessary to proceed particularly carefully during a pulverizing of the respective substances since the preparation of the sample substance decisively influences the results of the analysis. When using the most modern analysis methods, it is possible to significantly reduce the amount of the necessary material. This results in shorter sample preparation times and in a considerable savings of material. In the case of very small sample volumes, the demands on the crushing task, namely the pulverizing of the samples, increases considerably since the substances to be analyzed must be separated very finely and this has proven to be disadvantageous. The necessary grain sizes are thereby in most cases less than 0.1 mm. Since furthermore the substances to be pulverized are usually predried, a considerable dust formation occurs caused by the fine pulverization and by the predrying of the substances.
This dust formation demands, in particular in the case of health-hazardous substances, that the operators wear breathing or dust masks, which always prove to be uncomfortable and very hampering. It is furthermore necessary to thoroughly ventilate the respective work space in order to prevent it from becoming dirty because a dirty pulverizing space can result in adulteration of pulverized samples.
For environmental reasons, it is not possible to blow the pulverization dust into the surrounding environment. The system of taking dust out of a work space always requires many apparatus and is therefore very expensive. In addition, these apparatus operate with a high level of noise, also the danger of sample losses exists.
The basic purpose of the invention is to provide a pulverizer of the above-mentioned type, which minimizes the nascent amount of dust, has a simple design and is safe and easy to operate.
The purpose is inventively attained by arranging the pulverizer in a housing having at least one air-inlet opening and one air outlet, by the air outlet being arranged on the bottom side on the housing and being connected to a vacuum source and by providing a filter in the area of the air outlet, which filter can be connected to an air source loading the filter with compressed air in counter-flow direction.
The inventive pulverizer has a number of significant advantages. The arrangement in the housing makes it possible to catch the dust, exiting between the individual structural parts of the pulverizer due to leaks, in a safer method. Furthermore, it is possible to open the pulverizer inside of the housing, for example, to clean the pulverizing device. By connecting the air outlet to a vacuum source, it is assured that a sufficient air flow through the housing exists at all times guiding the dust particles in a safe manner to the filter of the air outlet where these at least partially are caught and are filtered out. The filter in the area of the air outlet is provided in order to prevent an excessive dust load on the vacuum source. The possibility of connecting the filter to an air source loading the filter with compressed air in counter-flow direction facilitates a regeneration of the filter, with the dust particles accumulated on the filter dropping back onto the bottom of the housing, accumulating there and at some time being removed manually with a shovel or by means of a vacuum cleaner.
Thus the inventive pulverizer assures that dust cannot exit into the work space during the pulverizing operation. Thus, it is possible to use the pulverizer in the usual laboratory spaces, whereas in the case of the state of the art, it was necessary to operate the pulverizer, because of the strong dust formation, in a separate room.
The inventive regeneration of the filter by means of counter-flowing compressed air must be carried out no earlier than after five, in most cases only after 10 or more pulverizing operations. It guarantees a uniformly high intensity of vacuuming the dust from the housing and enhances the life of the vacuum source, since the there existing dust collector is not directly observable. The dust collector already becomes through this ineffective, according to experience, after a short period of operation due to it being overfilled, which leads to a loss of the vacuum source and thus the vacuuming task.
Since air flows always through the housing of the inventive pulverizer, the danger of a dust explosion is avoided. It is furthermore possible to effectively dampen the noise development coming from the pulverizer through the housing. Furthermore, the occurring material loss is reduced to a minimum, since during the subsequent removal of the collecting reservoir an air flow for the purpose of ventilation does not need to exist in the work space.
The inventive pulverizer is constructed preferably so that the dust-filled air in the housing is exchanged at least one time per second with fresh air.
An advantageous further development of the inventive pulverizer exists by the vacuum source being constructed in the form of a vacuum mechanism provided with a dust collector. The vacuum mechanism can thereby be designed in the form of a commercially available vacuum cleaner. Since a separate, regenerable filter is provided in the area of the air outlet on the housing, it is assured that only a small amount of dust moves into the vacuum mechanism so that its dust collector need be cleaned at longer time intervals, for example once a year.
The air-inlet opening for producing an air flow directed toward the bottom of the housing is preferably arranged in the upper area of the housing. This development assures that the dust particles are fed to the bottom area and are deposited partly already directly on the bottom without reaching the filter of the air outlet.
To clean the inside of the housing, same is provided advantageously with a closeable, slot-shaped opening for introducing a compressed-air lance. It is possible by means of the compressed-air lance to blow off the pulverizing device of the pulverizer after the pulverizing device was opened and also the inner walls of the housing and to clean off adhering dust and residues of crushed material. The vacuum source sucks in the material loosened during this cleaning and feeds it to the filter of the air outlet. The compressed-air lance can thereby be constructed advantageously such that it, in connection with a suitable arrangement of the opening of the housing, is not possible to guide the compressed-air lance into the pulverizing device of the pulverizer. It is thus avoided that after turning off the motor of the pulverizer the rotor which continues to run yet for a longer period of time can be touched by the lance. Thus it cannot be damaged and the operators are not endangered. The possibility to be able to start already with the cleaning task during a still running rotor does not only considerably shorten the operation, but also increases the cleaning effect.
A particularly advantageous development of the inventive pulverizer exists in the housing, including devices for opening of the pulverizer and for removing the collecting reservoir, which devices can be operated from outside of the housing. This development significantly accelerates the cleaning operation of the pulverizer, since it is not necessary to first wait for a complete vacuuming off of the dust on the inside and for the standstill of the pulverizing device.
For opening of the pulverizing device, the inlet chute together with a lid portion is in known pulverizers usually swung out. In order to prevent dust from exiting from the opening associated with the inlet chute and in order to prevent more air from being able to flow into the housing than is sucked off by the vacuum source, the opening is at least partly covered by means of a perforated plate. The perforated plate is constructed such that only a specific amount of air can be sucked into the housing.
A further advantageous development of the pulverizer exists by the collecting reservoir being open through a filter to the inside of the housing.
This filter has the effect that the low vacuum on the inside of the housing continues into the collecting reservoir. The air flow balancing the vacuum enters the pulverizer at the inlet chute and moves through the inside of the pulverizer--carrying with it the here created pulverization dust--into the collecting reservoir. The narrow filter pores hardly permit crushed material to pass. Thus an accumulation of dust inside of the pulverizer, which accumulation could in the case of a very dusty pulverization (for example of earth) result in a loss of dust through the inlet chute into the surrounding environment, is avoided.
It furthermore has proven to be advantageous to arrange the motor outside of the housing. A sufficient cooling of the motor is in this manner assured, on the other hand its contamination with pulverization dust is prevented.
Furthermore it has proven to be advantageous that the housing has air-inlet openings in the area of its corners and edges. Since a defined air flow can always enter through the air-inlet openings, it is prevented that larger amounts of dust settle in the corners or edges.
A cleaning of the filter of the air outlet is done preferably by means of a water-jet pipe arranged movably on the housing in an outlet chamber. The water-jet pipe can be loaded with pressure. Since the water-jet pipe is movable, it is possible to load the filter selectively with air in order to remove dust particles adhering over its entire cross-sectional surface.


Anti-microbial compositions and devices comprising anti-microbial compositions are disclosed. Methods of making and using anti-microbial compositions and devices are also disclosed.

Room humidifiers, such as portable mist-type humidifiers, and other containers housing a body of water are susceptible to bacteria and fungi growth within their water reservoirs. This bacteria and fungi can be transmitted into the air though the "misting" or atomization of water by the humidifier. This can cause significant health concerns for children, elderly, or anyone who has a weakened immune system.
Standing bodies of water such as those found in humidifiers are subject to contamination by a broad spectrum of microorganisms. In addition, many of the bacteria form biofilms and are therefore more difficult to control. Therefore, a product to control bacterial growth must be effective against a broad spectrum of microorganism, and must be able to function under a variety of water conditions.
Traditionally, oligodynamic metals, phosphates, and chlorination chemicals have been deployed into water by the use of large and sophisticated water treatment systems. These systems require that the oligodynamic, phosphates, and chlorine-based materials be contained in a separate filter-housing vessel. The water to be treated is then required to be pumped under pressure through this filter housing to bring the water in contact with the oligodynamic/phosphoric/chlorination materials. Under this scenario, elaborate filter vessels and pumps are required to treat the water. Such a system is not a viable or economical alternative for many smaller applications such as a room humidifier. Alternatively, technologies such as UV (ultraviolet) light and electrolysis have also been utilized for bacteria control in water, but both require complex electronic systems to operate effectively.
In addition, a variety of air filtration systems are known. These air filtration systems attempt to remove one or more contaminants (e.g., smoke, odors, etc.) from air. Efforts continue to provide devices having the ability to effectively remove contaminants from air.
There is a need in the art for an easily administered antimicrobial composition and/or device containing the same that provides one or more of the following features: prevents or slows bacteria growth in a fluid (e.g., water or air), the formation of scale deposits, removes bacteria from a fluid (e.g., water or air), removes biofilm from a surface of a container of water, controls the reoccurrence of bacteria growth on a surface of a container of water and in the water within the container, and prevents the formation of scale deposits in containers of standing water such as those in humidifiers and vaporizers.

Substrates comprising anti-microbial compositions and methods of making and using the same


A gondola car has a door and an associated door frame the end. The door hangs hingedly from the header of the frame. The header runs across the top of the door opening and is connected to the top chords at either side. The door posts are positioned inside the side sheets and tie into the header at each upper corner. The side sheets lap onto the door posts to allow longitudinal adjustment of the side assemblies and the door frame relative to each other, at assembly. The side posts are connected to the header with a tie plate that is bolted to both members. The car may also have a tarp dome at each end. The tarp dome has non-welded connections that have play to permit the tarp dome to accommodate movement of the top chords.

Some railroad freight cars disgorge their lading through the end wall of the car. For example, a particular kind of open top gondola car is used for carrying such types of lading as woodchips or cottonseeds. Such lading may tend to inter-lock and hold itself together, rather than to fall easily as might a more granular form of lading. Were a bottom discharge car used, the lading might have a tendency to hang-up. It may be easier to dislodge low-density interlocking lading with a vehicle, such as a tractor or front end loader, or end dump, like a woodchip car. For such a car to be both open top and side-opening, in the manner of a box car, is structurally problematic. Having an end wall discharge, rather than a sidewall discharge, may tend to permit such a car to have a continuous sidewall.

Railroad car and end door assembly therefor


An E2PR4 Viterbi detector includes a recovery circuit and receives a signal that represents a sequence of values, the sequence having a potential state. The recovery circuit recovers the sequence from the signal by identifying a surviving path to the potential state and, after identifying the surviving path, adding a modified branch metric to the path metric of the surviving path to generate an updated path metric for the potential state. Updating the path metric of the surviving path after the surviving path is selected allows the E2PR4 Viterbi detector to be smaller and/or faster than an E2PR4 Viterbi detector that updates the path metric before selecting the surviving path.

Viterbi detectors are used in many of today's data receivers to recover digital data from samples of a data signal having a relatively low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). For example, Viterbi detectors are used in disk-drive read channels to recover the sequence of data values read from a magnetic disk, and are used in cell phones to recover the sequence of data values from a digitized voice signal. Basically, a Viterbi detector considers all of the possible data-value sequences that the data signal can represent and determines from the samples of the data signal which of the possible sequences is most likely to be the correct, i.e., surviving, sequence. Because the complexity of the Viterbi detector is independent of the length of the recovered sequence, it has proven to be one of the most effective circuits for recovering digital-data sequences from signals having relatively low SNRs.
Unfortunately, as discussed below, the add-compare-select (ACS) algorithm that many Viterbi detectors implement often requires fast circuitry having a relatively large number of transistors so that such a Viterbi detector does not unduly limit the rate at which a receiver can process received data. Such a Viterbi detector executes the ACS algorithm for each data-signal sample or group of data-signal samples, and must finish executing the algorithm for one sample or group of samples before moving on to the next sample or sample group. Consequently, the rate at which the receiver samples the data signal and recovers data therefrom is limited to the speed at which the Viterbi detector can execute the ACS algorithm. Unfortunately, the ACS algorithm includes a relatively large number of steps that require a relatively long time for the Viterbi detector to execute. To speed up execution of the ACS algorithm, one can design the Viterbi detector to include fast circuitry that performs many of these steps in parallel. But such circuitry typically includes a relatively large number of transistors that increase the layout area, and thus the cost, of the Viterbi detector.
And although engineers have discovered a compare-select-add (CSA) algorithm that allows a Viterbi detector to have fewer transistors than or to be faster than a Viterbi detector that executes the ACS algorithm, one cannot implement the CSA algorithm in an E2PR4 Viterbi detector.
Referring to FIGS. 1-12, an E2PR4 Viterbi detector, the ACS algorithm, and the CSA algorithm are discussed in more detail. Although this discussion does not include a general overview of the operation of a Viterbi detector, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/409,923, entitled "PARITY-SENSITIVE VITERBI DETECTOR AND METHOD FOR RECOVERING INFORMATION FROM A READ SIGNAL", filed Sep. 30, 1999, includes such an overview and is incorporated by reference.
FIG. 1 is a trellis diagram 10 for a conventional one-sample-at-a-time, i.e., full-rate, E2PR4 Viterbi detector (FIG. 2) that can recover a sequence of binary values from a data signal. The E2PR4 channel is represented by the following discrete-time transfer polynomial:1+2D−2D3−D4  (1)where D represents a delay of one sample period, D3 represents a delay of three sample periods, and D4 represents a delay of four sample periods. Therefore, the sample Yk of a data signal at a sample time k has an ideal (no noise) value that is given by the following equation:Yk=Xk+2Xk−1−2Xk−3−Xk−4  (2)where Xk is the binary value of the data signal at sample time k, Xk−1 is the binary value at sample time k−1, etc. Because each sample Y is calculated from four binary values X, the sequence of binary values X has one of 42=16 potential states S0-S15 for each sample time k. Two respective branches 20 (e.g., 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d) originating from two states S prior to sample time k each terminate at respective states S after the sample time k. For example, the branches 20a and 20b originate at S0 and S8 prior to time k, respectively, and terminate at S0 after time k. Table I includes the ideal sample values Y and the L2 branch metrics as a function of Y for each of the branches 20.
TABLE IBranch 20Ideal Sample Value YL2 Branch MetricS0 to S0+00S0 to S1+11 − 2YS1 to S2+24 − 4YS1 to S3+39 − 6YS2 to S400S2 to S5+11 − 2YS3 to S6+24 − 4YS3 to S7+39 − 6YS4 to S8−24 + 4YS4 to S9−11 + 2Y S5 to S1000 S5 to S11+11 − 2Y S6 to S12−24 + 4Y S6 to S13−11 + 2Y S7 to S1400 S7 to S1511 − 2YS8 to S0−11 + 2YS8 to S100S9 to S2+11 − 2YS9 to S3+24 − 4YS10 to S4 −11 + 2YS10 to S5 00S11 to S6 +11 − 2YS11 to S7 +24 − 4YS12 to S8 −39 + 6YS12 to S9 −24 + 4YS13 to S10−11 + 2YS13 to S1100S14 to S12−39 + 6YS14 to S13−24 + 4YS15 to S14−11 + 2YS15 to S1500
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional full-rate E2PR4 Viterbi detector 40 that operates according to the trellis diagram 10 (FIG. 1) and that includes an add-compare-select unit (ACSU) 42 for implementing the ACS algorithm. In addition to the ACSU 42, the detector 40 includes a branch-metric unit (BMU) 44 and a survivor-memory unit (SMU) 46. The BMU 44 receives the samples Yk—a finite-impulse-response (FIR) filter (not shown) may process these samples before the BMU receives them—and calculates the L2 branch metrics (Table I) for the branches 20 (FIG. 1). Next, the ACSU 42 adds the branch metrics to the respective path metrics stored in the SMU 46 to update the path metrics. Then, for each potential state S0-S15, the ASCU 42 compares the updated path metrics of the two paths terminating at each state S and selects as the surviving path to S the path having the smallest updated path metric. This adding, comparing, and selecting are the general steps of the ACS algorithm discussed above. Next, for each state S0-S15, the SMU 46 stores the respective surviving path and its path metric. The Viterbi detector 40 repeats this process for each subsequent sample Yk. After a predetermined latency, the surviving paths of all the states S0-S15 converge to a single path that the SMU 46 provides as the binary values recovered from the sampled data signal.
Still referring to FIG. 2, the ACSU 42 typically includes relatively large number of transistors, and thus occupies a significant area of the integrated circuit (not shown) that includes the E2PR4 Viterbi detector 40. Because the tasks that the BMU 44 and SMU 46 implement are relatively simple, the BMU and SMU typically include relatively few transistors, and thus occupy a relatively small area of the integrated circuit. Conversely, as discussed above, the ACS algorithm is relatively complex. Consequently, to avoid becoming the "bottle neck" of the Viterbi detector 40, the ACSU 42 typically includes relatively fast circuitry so that it can execute the ACS algorithm in the same or approximately the same amount of time that it takes the BMU 44 and the SMU 46 to perform their respective tasks. But to make the ACSU 42 fast, one typically designs the ACSU circuitry to execute operations in parallel. Unfortunately, such processing typically requires a relatively large number of transistors.
FIGS. 3-12 illustrate the derivation and implementation of a compare-select-add (CSA) algorithm, which allows one to replace some Viterbi detectors' ACSU with a CSA unit (not shown) that is faster than and/or has significantly fewer transistors than the ACSU 42. The CSA algorithm is further discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,744, which is incorporated by reference.
Unfortunately, there is no such CSA unit available to replace the ACSU 42 of the full-rate E2PR4 Viterbi detector 40 (FIG. 2).
FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the derivation of the CSA algorithm from the distributive law of mathematics.
Referring to FIG. 3, two branches 70 and 72 terminate at state S and have path metrics M and N and branch metrics m and n, respectively. As discussed above in conjunction with FIG. 2, the ACSU 42 calculates M+m and N+n, compares M+m to N+n to determine which is smaller, and then selects the smallest as the surviving path metric and selects the corresponding path as the surviving path. Therefore, a branch 74 that originates from the state S has a path metric Q=min(M+m, N+n).
Referring to FIG. 4, the distributive law allows one to subtract the same value from each of the branch metrics m and n and add this same value back to the path metric Q to achieve the same result as in FIG. 3. For example, a modified Viterbi detector (not shown) subtracts z from the branch metrics m and n. The Viterbi detector calculates M+m−z and N+n−m to update the path metric, compares M+m−z to N+n−z to determine which is smaller, and then selects the smallest as the surviving path metric S and selects the corresponding path as the surviving path. Therefore, the branch 74 would have a path metric Q=min(M+m−z, N+n−z). But adding z to Q yields Q=min(M+m, N+n), which is the same result as in FIG. 3.
Still referring to FIG. 4, by choosing z appropriately, one can reduce the complexity of a Viterbi detector significantly by effectively converting its ACSU into a compare-select-add unit (CSAU) (not shown in FIG. 4). The "trick" is to select z so that the modified branch metrics m−z and n−z are constants. As long as the modified branch metrics are constant, their addition to the path metrics M and N can be hardwired into the CSAU, which simplifies the circuitry. Consequently, the CSAU can compute M+m−z and N+n−z with an implicit hardwired adding step, compare M+m−z and N+n−z, and then add z back to the minimum of M+m−z and N+n−z.
FIGS. 5-10 illustrate how one can apply the distributive law discussed above in conjunction with FIGS. 3-4 to a simple butterfly trellis so that he can simplify a corresponding Viterbi detector by replacing its ACSU with a CSAU.
FIG. 5 is a conventional butterfly trellis 80 having four branches 82 (e.g., 82a, 82b, 82c, and 82d) per sample time k. The branches 82 have respective branch metrics ak, bk, ck, and dk.
FIG. 6 is a split-state butterfly trellis 90, which, as will become more evident below, corresponds more closely to the CSA algorithm than the trellis 80 of FIG. 5. To derive the trellis 90 from the trellis 80, one first splits each state S0 and S1 into two nodes 91 (e.g., 91a, 91b, 91c, and 91d) connected by a branch 92. Then one shifts the trellis so that the branches 92 (e.g., 92a, 92b, 92c, 92d, 92e, and 92f) are aligned with the sampling times k. This splitting of the states and shifting of the trellis reflects that the addition step of the CSA algorithm occurs after the comparing and selecting steps. To distinguish the branches 82 from the branches 92, the branches 82 and 92 are called inner and outer branches, respectively.
FIGS. 7-9 illustrate the step-by-step application of the distributive law of mathematics (FIGS. 3-4) to the trellis 90 (FIG. 6) to generate modified branch metrics that allow a Viterbi detector to include a CSAU instead of an ACSU. Because application of the distributive law effectively moves branch metrics from one side of a state node to the other side, modifying the trellis 90 in such a manner is called branch shifting. For example, in FIG. 8, ak is shifted from the branches 82a and 82b to the branch 92a. To accomplish this shift, one adds ak to the branch metric of the branch 92a and subtracts ak from the branch metrics of the branches 82a and 82b. ck is shifted to the branch 92b in a similar manner.
FIG. 10 is the resulting branch-shifted trellis diagram 90. As stated above in conjunction with FIGS. 3 and 4, one can significantly simplify the CSAU if the modified branch metrics for the inner branches 82 are constants. Here, the modified branch metrics for the branches 82a-82c equal zero, so one can simplify the CSAU if the modified branch metric for the branch 82d, ak−bk−ck+dk, is a constant.
Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the branch-shifted trellis 90 (FIG. 10) gives the same data-recovery results as the trellis 80 (FIG. 5). Specifically, the path metrics PMXn and PMYn of respective converging paths 100 and 102 through the trellis 90 of FIG. 12 have the same relationship to one another as do the path metrics PMXo and PMYo of the same paths 100 and 102 through the trellis 80. That is, if PMXo>PMYo, then PMXn>PMYn, and if PMXo<PMYo, then PMXn<PMYn. As long as this relationship is retained, PMXn need not equal PMXo, and PMYn need not equal PMYo for a Viterbi detector that includes a CSAU to operate properly. Furthermore, the branches 82 and 92 that do not lie along the paths 100 and 102 are omitted from FIGS. 11-12 for clarity.
Referring to FIG. 11, using the branch metrics of FIG. 5 and assuming that the path metrics PMXo and PMYo for the paths 100 and 102 have values of zero prior to sample time k, PMXo and PMYo at the convergence state 104 are given by the following equations:PMXo=bk+ck+1+ak+2+bk+3+dk+4  4)PMYo=ck+bk+1+dk+2+ck+3+bk+4  5)
Similarly, referring to FIG. 12, using the modified branch metrics of FIG. 10 and assuming that the path metrics PMXn and PMYn for the paths 100 and 102 have values of zero prior to sample time k, PMXn and PMXn at the convergence state 104 are given by the following equations:PMXn=ak−ak+bk+ck+1+ak+2+ak+3−ak+3+bk+3+ck+4+ak+4−bk+4−ck+4+dk+4  6)PMXn=ck+ak+1−ak+1+bk+1+ck+2+ak+2−bk+2−ck+2+dk+2−ak+2+bk+2+ck+3+ak+4  7)
Canceling common terms, one obtains:PMXn=bk+ck+1+ak+2+bk+3+ak+4−bk+4+dk+4  8)PMXn=ck+bk+1+dk+2+ck+3+ak+4  9)
It is well known that if A>B, then A+C>B+C, and if A<B, then A+C<B+C. Therefore, if both PMXn and PMYn respectively differ from PMXo and PMYo by the same value C, then the relationship between PMXn and PMXn is the same as the relationship between PMXo and PMYo. That is, if PMXo>PMYo, then (PMXo+C=PMXn)>(PMYo+c=PMYn). Likewise, if PMXo<PMYo, then (PMXo+C=PMXn)<(PMYo+C=PMYn). Here, referring to equations (4), (5), (8), and (9), C=ak+4−bk+4. Consequently, the branch-shifted trellis 90 preserves the relationships between the path metrics with respect to the trellis 80, and is thus mathematically equivalent to the trellis 80.
Unfortunately, the above-described branch-shifting technique does not allow one to replace the ACSU 42 (FIG. 2) of the E2PR4 Viterbi detector 40 (FIG. 2) with a smaller and/or faster CSAU. As discussed above in conjunction with FIGS. 3-10, a smaller and/or faster CSAU is typically possible only when the modified branch metrics of the inner branches 82 (FIG. 10) are constants. U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,744 discloses a branch-shifting technique that generates constant branch metrics for the inner branches of full-rate PR4 and EPR4 trellises. But unfortunately, there is no known branch-shifting technique that generates constant branch metrics for all of the inner branches of an E2PR4 Viterbi detector.


A linearly operating motor for stepwise advance of a driven member (11), such as a shaft, comprises an elongated body (10) with length variable properties, and means (15) for changing the length of said body (10). The driven member (11) is provided with at least one locking member (12), whereby at length increase of said body (10) the locking member (12) is arranged, by means of said length increase, to be brought into engagement with said driven member (11) and said body (10) is adapted to act upon the locking member (12) in such a manner the locking member and the driven member (11) are displaced at length increase of the elongated body (10).

A motor of the above mentioned type is described in Swedish patent application No. 8700219-2. In this prior motor, the elongated body has magnetostrictive properties, whereby the motion required for advancing the driven member is brought about by axial displacement of the body.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a motor of the type mentioned in the introduction, wherein the elongated body is stationary and the motion required for effecting the advance of the driven member is obtained by means of the elongation of the body.


A method of mounting a vehicle cab onto a vehicle chassis is provided. The method includes providing at least one structural anchor point on an upright wall of the vehicle cab, connecting a lifting device to the structural anchor point, and using the lifting device to lift the vehicle cab and mount it on the vehicle chassis.

The cab or sleeper section on a truck is generally hoisted into the air during the truck manufacturing process to be placed on the vehicle chassis. In current truck-building systems, the cab or sleeper section is lifted by attaching lift cables to one or more attachment points located on the floor structural beams of the cab or sleeper. The floor structural beams are not an optimal attachment point for at least two reasons: (1) under the floor is where HVAC lines, electrical bundles, exhaust pipes, and air lines are located, and such a lifting method may cause damage to these lines; and (2) lifting from the floor structural beams below the cab or sleeper center of gravity causes instability, creating a toppling hazard.
Therefore, there exists a need for an improved method for lifting a cab or sleeper onto a truck chassis.


A hinge cover is for use in connection with a hinge having a pivotal axis and typically two leaves penetrated by fasteners with heads. The hinge cover comprises a plate covering the leaf The plate is attached either to the hinge or to the fastener heads with an adhesive pad having a pressure-sensitive adhesive surface. The plate has a skirt projecting outward from the plate lower surface, so as to cover the leaf edges and the leaf distal end.

(1) This invention relates to the field of hinges, and more particularly to a hinge leaf cover for covering the hinge leaf, and hiding from view fasteners used to attach the hinge.
(2) Hinges are used in a wide variety of applications, including high end products such as boats, wherein attractive appearance is paramount. The heads of fasteners, such as screws, present an unsightly appearance for such products. Certain consumer product applications have safety requirements, as well. Heads of screws may have burrs and sharp edges projecting outward. Such burrs and edges can splinter or cut a hand or foot placed thereupon. This is a consideration on a boat, where people often walk on deck barefoot. Another problem with such exposed fasteners is security. They can easily be loosened to gain access to a locked compartment. Of paramount importance in manufacturing a product is fast and easy assembly of the parts using unskilled labor and no assembly components or tools.
(3) One solution to these problems is to cover the hinge leaf with a plate. Such covers are known, and have taken a variety of configurations. Some hinge covers in the prior art are shown in the following patents:
(4) Chung, WO 99/18316, discloses a cover plate that slides upward into grooves in the leaf when the door is partially open. In the fully open or closed position, the cover cannot be removed because the lower leaf closes off the end of one groove.
(5) Brotschi, EP 0 259 618, employs a cover plate with screws to secure the leaf to a base plate.
(6) Pacini, EP 0 387 207, shows a cover plate, one edge of which is inserted into a groove in the leaf, and the other edge snaps down into another groove. A projecting tab on the plate inner surface fits between two mounting screws to prevent sliding the cover off.
(7) Robins, GB 2 262 119, teaches a security lock mounted in a hinge leaf, which is attached to an access door. A cover plate keeps dirt and water out of the lock. The cover pivots on the hinge axis and is secured by a releasable latch.
(8) Toldo, U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,117, discloses a cover integral with the leaf, joined thereto by a flexible hinge along one edge. The opposite edge has a snap closure.
(9) Toldo, U.S. Pat. No. 3,665,552, discloses a cover similar to the above invention, with a central snap closure tab.
(10) Beyer, DE 197 57 213, depicts a cover, engaging a hole in the hinge leaf by means of a hook.
(11) Sinsteden, EP 0 824 177, shows a hinge with leaves and having covers set into pockets in the leaves.
(12) Hernandez, U.S. Pat. No. 5 520 479, discloses a hinged locking hasp with leaves and a cover, in the form of a box, welded to a post.
(13) Maclntyre, U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,493, discloses a hinge leaf mounted to a cover plate for adjustment with screws. The cover plate is mounted on the door with screws.
(14) Allen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,691, shows a hinge leaf that doubles back upon itself to form a pocket, into which the cover is inserted with the door open. Closing the door prevents the cover from being removed.
(15) Kraemer, EP 1 067 266, teaches a cover sliding into grooves in a hinge leaf. Assembling the leaves together holds the cover in place.
(16) Lueffe, EP 0 987 393, discloses a hinge leaf adjustable between an inner plate and an outer cover plate. Screws fasten the cover plate and inner plate to the doorjamb.
(17) None of the above-described inventions having a separate cover employs a skirt around the cover to shield the edge of the leaf and to shed water. In none of the prior art inventions is the cover attached with an adhesive. Brotschi, Maclntyre, and Lueffe attach the cover to the leaf with screws. Pacini, Toldo, and Beyer use snaps or hooks to attach the cover to the leaf. Chung, Pacini, Sinsteden, MacIntyre, and Kraemer require pockets or grooves in the leaf to mount the cover to the leaf
(18) Accordingly, there is a need to provide a cover for a hinge leaf that will provide fast and easy assembly of the cover to the leaf.
(19) There is a further need to provide a cover of the type described and that will hide the fastener heads from view, and show an attractive finished surface.
(20) There is a yet further need to provide a cover of the type described and that will shield burrs and sharp edges for safety.
(21) There is a still further need to provide a cover of the type described and that will provide a measure of security for locked compartments.
(22) There is an additional need to provide a cover of the type described and that can be manufactured cost-effectively in large quantities of high quality.
(23) In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a boat hinge cover, for use in connection with a boat hinge assembly on a boat. The hinge has a pivotal axis and at least one leaf. The leaf extends between a proximal end adjacent the pivotal axis and a distal end, and extends between opposite right and left edges. The hinge assembly includes the hinge and at least one fastener penetrating the leaf, the fastener having a head. The hinge cover comprises a plate extending between opposite first and second ends, and extending between opposite right and left edges. The plate has opposite upper and lower surfaces. The plate covers the leaf and the fastener head. The plate first end is juxtaposed with the leaf proximal end. The plate second end is juxtaposed with the leaf distal end. The plate right and left edges are juxtaposed with the leaf right and left edges respectively. A skirt extends along the plate right and left edges and the plate second end. The skirt projects outward from the plate lower surface, so as to cover the leaf right and left edges and the leaf distal end, and to allow water to drain from between the leaf and the plate. An adhesive is provided on the plate lower surface for attaching the plate to the leaf. The hinge cover is water-shedding so as to allow water to drain from between the leaf and the plate.


A surgical device includes an elongated shaft, an end effector, and a wrist assembly. The wrist assembly includes a first outer link, a first inner link, and a second outer link. The first outer link is connected to the shaft and includes first gear teeth. The first inner link is pivotally coupled with the first outer link. The second outer link is pivotally coupled with the first inner link. The second outer link includes second gear teeth that interface with the first gear teeth and control orientation of the first inner link relative to the first outer link and the first outer link throughout a range of orientations of the wrist assembly.

Minimally invasive surgical techniques are aimed at reducing the amount of extraneous tissue that is damaged during diagnostic or surgical procedures, thereby reducing patient recovery time, discomfort, and deleterious side effects. As a consequence, the average length of a hospital stay for standard surgery may be shortened significantly using minimally invasive surgical techniques. Also, patient recovery times, patient discomfort, surgical side effects, and time away from work may also be reduced with minimally invasive surgery.
A common form of minimally invasive surgery is endoscopy, and a common form of endoscopy is laparoscopy, which is minimally invasive inspection and/or surgery inside the abdominal cavity. Reloadable stapling devices can be used in conjunction with these surgeries. Telesurgically controlled stapling devices can include servo controlled wrist joints that yaw and pitch at relatively extreme angles (e.g., up to and over 90 degrees). Such joints can place a large amount of strain on actuation components that must translate through the wrist at such angles. Accordingly, current actuation devices are often limited by the ability of actuation components to function under extreme angles.


An apparatus comprising a semiconductor chip that comprises an optical modulator configured to modulate an optical signal based on a received driver signal, a voltage-mode (VM) driver coupled to the optical modulator and configured to produce a level-shifted driver signal to modulate the optical signal, and a two-stage test interface coupled to the optical modulator and configured to receive and test the level shifted driver signal. The two-stage test interface comprises a voltage equalization stage coupled to an output-terminated buffer stage, the VM driver comprises a two-stage VM Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) driver that comprises a pre-driver coupled to a VM level-shifter (VMLS). The apparatus further comprises a resistor coupled to an output of the buffer stage, wherein the resistor comprises an amount of resistance that matches a termination resistance of a test equipment. The termination resistance is about 50 ohm (Ω).

In silicon-based photonics, a Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) modulates electrical data onto an optical signal based on the electrical data received from a driver. Advancements in three-dimensional (3D) integration technologies for silicon-based electronics have allowed the MZM and its driver to be implemented together in the same electrical component to reduce a length of connections between the MZM and its driver. When a voltage-mode (VM) driver is used to drive the MZM, evaluation of the VM driver is complicated by a mismatch with testing equipment. Accordingly, an efficient means of testing a voltage-mode driver is desirable.

On-chip test interface for voltage-mode Mach-Zehnder modulator driver


A motion signal detection circuit adapted to a video recording/reproducing apparatus having a frequency unfolding circuit for unfolding a luminance signal of a high frequency component included in the luminance signal of a low frequency component into an original frequency band, comprising a prefilter for eliminating the folding carrier and sidebands thereof included in the video signal unfolded by the frequency unfolding circuit, a comb filter for filtering the output of the prefilter to detect a motion signal, an error compensation circuit for compensating the errors included in the motion signal output from the comb filter.

The present invention relates to a system for smoothing or spreading transitions between image regions included in television signals. The signals to be transmitted are processed in a still picture signal processing method and in a motion picture signal processing method. Particularly, the present invention is a circuit for accurately detecting a motion signal which represents a moving image so as to control the transitions between image regions of a frequency-unfolded image signal.
Standard television systems such as an NTSC or a PAL system, processes a television signal adaptively in accordance with an amount of motion in the signal. This adaptive processing of the signal may result in some quasi-motion picture regions between image regions being processed in a still picture signal processing method and other image regions being processed in a motion picture signal processing method. If differences in the processing methods are used, the different regions and the transition between them can be discerned by a viewer; therefore, image quality is degraded.
For example, for the purpose of separating chrominance and luminance components from a composite video signal, a frame comb filter or a line comb filter may be used. As long as there is no change in the image signal at frame time intervals, chrominance and luminance components from the composite video signal can be completely separated using the frame comb filter, the completely separated. If the scene changes, over the frame time intervals, then some color information will be present in the separated luminance component, and some brightness information will be present in the chrominance component.
A line comb filter, also used to separate the luminance and chrominance components from the composite video signal does not produce significantly degraded component signals in the presence of image motion. However, the line comb filter reduces the vertical resolution of the reproduced image in comparison with the frame comb filter. In addition, in locations where a vertical transition occurs, an image processed by the line comb filter may be degraded due to both color information introduced into the luminance component, producing an image artifact known as hanging dots and brightness information introduced into the chrominance, producing incorrect colors in the neighborhood of the transition.
Therefore the television signal is adaptively processed by detecting the presence or absence of image motion. In the regions in which the image is stationary, the frame comb filter is used, and in the regions in which the image is moving, the line comb filter is used.
Yet another example of such adaptive processing is an adaptive double-scanned, non-interlaced scan converter. In such a converter, inter-stitial lines are displayed between lines of the current field. The inter-stitial lines however, may be those transferred from the preceding field, in the presence of image changes producing visible artifacts such as serrated contours. The inter-stitial lines may also be interpolated from lines within the current field, but the vertical resolution is reduced and line flicker may occur. In regions in which image changes are detected, intrafield interpolated interstitial lines are displayed and field-delayed interstitial lines are displayed in other way.
Yet another example is an adaptive peaking circuitry in which regions having relatively high noise are processed with a relatively low peaking factor and regions having relatively low noise are processed with a relatively high peaking factor.
In the above examples, the television signals are processed adaptively in response to the values of estimated parameters of the image. The parameters are motion, in the case of luminance/chrominance separation and are double scanning non-interlaced conversion, and a relative level of noise, in the case of the peaking. Differently processed regions, and noticeable boundaries between regions where the parameter is present and those where it is absent are undesirable artifacts introduced by the above types of adaptive processing types.
U.S. patent application for the invention entitled "An Improved Video Signal Recording System" earlier filed in the United States Patent & Trademark Office on Aug. 17, 1990 by SamSung Electronics Co., Ltd., and duly assigned Ser. No. 07/569,029, describes a recording system for recording and reproducing a full bandwidth video signal on and from a recording medium having a limited bandwidth by folding the high frequency component of a luminance signal into the low frequency component of the luminance signal.
In the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/569029, a motion signal which represents a moving image is recorded together with the folded luminance signal and the chrominance signal on the recording medium. The motion signal is used to control the transition between regions of the full bandwidth luminance signal which is unfolded into the original frequency bands during reproduction.
In the inventions described in the foregoing paragraphs, the high frequency component of the luminance signal is folded into the low frequency component of the luminance signal in recording. At this time, the high frequency component of the luminance signal is modulated by a folding carrier, so that the folded luminance signal has a phase difference of 180 degrees between frames, between scanning lines, and between pixels.
Accordingly, in reproducing, the high frequency component folded into the low frequency component of the folded luminance signal is demodulated by the unfolding carrier having the same phase and frequency as those of the folding carrier, so that the high frequency component of the luminance signal is unfolded into the original frequency band.
However, the folding carrier and the side band thereof will be present in the unfolded luminance signal. The resultant luminance signa.1 unfolded by the folding carrier and the sidebands thereof has a phase difference of 180 degrees between frames.
As a result, the conventional motion signal detecting circuit, for detecting the level difference of pixels between frames as the motion signal, has difficulty detecting accurately the motion signal, from the unfolded luminance signal due to the phase off-set between frames.
The Korean patent application No. 90-18737 on the invention entitled "A Motion Signal Detecting Circuit", filed on Nov. 19, 1990, by Ko, describes techniques, for eliminating the folding carrier and sidebands thereof, contained in the unfolded luminance signal by a prefilter and for detecting a motion signal through filtering, by means of a comb filter, the unfolded luminance signal in which the folding carrier and the sidebands are eliminated.
This prefilter can however, eliminate the folding carrier and sidebands therefore contained in the unfolded luminance signal of the vertical and horizontal direction having a large correlation. It is difficult to completely eliminate the folding carrier and sidebands thereof contained in the unfolded luminance signal from the diagonal direction, that is, the temporal direction having a small correlation.
Therefore, since the unfolded luminance signal, which is output from the prefilter has a phase difference of 180 degrees by the folding carrier sidebands remaining in the diagonal signal component, it is difficult to derive an accurate value for the diagonal direction of the motion signal being the difference component between frames detected by the comb filter.


CMOS transistors are formed incorporating a gate electrode having tensely stressed spacers on the gate sidewalls of an n channel field effect transistor and having compressively stressed spacers on the gate sidewalls of a p channel field effect transistor to provide differentially stressed channels in respective transistors to increase carrier mobility in the respective channels.

The present invention relates to CMOS transistors, and more specifically, to n and p channel metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) field effect transistors (FET's) having differentially stressed spacers and differentially stressed channels.
Stressor layers have been one of the techniques used to increase device performance. However, due to the location of the spacers for short channel effect control, the stressor layers are typically located a few hundred angstroms away from the channel over a spacer thereby limiting the extent of performance improvement in carrier mobility in the channel.

Fabrication of CMOS transistors having differentially stressed spacers

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention relates to a method for improving conditions in closed circuit seafood and fish farming, comprising the following steps: a) at least part of the water from at least one of the rearing ponds (1) is recycled, whereby said water is treated one or more times and purified (3, 4, 5) before it is re-injected into said pond; b) the water recycled during the recycling path indicated in step a) is mixed with a new supply of water (10); c) all or part of the recycled water (21, 22) undergoes ozonization and, wherever applicable, the new supply of water (20) also undergoes ozonization either partially or in full before it is mixed with the re-circulated water.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of aquaculture, in particular but not exclusively in seawater, an industrial sector in full development, especially for the production of sea bass, sea bream and turbot.
It is aimed in particular at closed circuit fish farming.
2. Description of the Related Art
Considering here the case of seawater fish farming, it is in fact known that seawater fish farms operate in an open circuit discharging very large quantities of contaminated water. Typical quantities of water needed and discharged are assessed at about 200 to 300 m3 water/kg of fish produced. It is then understood that depending on the site at which such farms are installed, increasing environmental constraints are now tending to require the treatment of discharged waters, or even an absolute limit on the amount of water discharged.
Such a technique of farming seawater fish in a closed circuit (where at least part of the seawater of the rearing pond or ponds is therefore recycled in order to purify it and reinject it into the pond in question), is unquestionably an emerging technique in full development, even if its control is, in practice, very difficult and precise since it requires specific treatments to control the pH, the oxygen content, the CO2 content, the microbial and particulate load, the nitrogen load (especially aqueous ammonia), the dissolved contaminants, or even the color of the water in the ponds.
The fact remains that depending on the fish farmers, the control of this technique of closed circuit farming may enable, depending on the case, from 10 to 95 or even 98% of the seawater to be recycled, the rest being provided by new seawater makeup.
Nevertheless, it appears in practice, that although closed circuit water treatment circuits, which are quite complex, make it possible to control effectively parameters such as the pH, dissolved gases or even the microbial load of the recycled water (use of mechanical filters, of biological filters, of degassing columns, etc.), other problems are not yet truly resolved. Among these technical problems, which constitute real thorns in the life of these aquaculture plants, there is the problem of water coloration.
Specifically, the appearance of a yellow coloring of the water is observed, particularly at high recirculation rates (above 80%), which limits the visibility and unquestionably leads to stress in the farmed species.
Undoubtedly, the nature of these substances has not really been identified to date, but some works incline by towards the intervention of humic acids in this phenomenon. It is then found that no technology has really been validated in the current literature in order to resolve this problem, a problem which is most often termed xe2x80x9cyellow waterxe2x80x9d, UV light in particular having no effect on this color phenomenon.
One of the objects of the present invention is then especially to provide a method making it possible to improve the conditions in closed circuit fish farming, whether it involves seawater fish or freshwater fish or other sea products, aiming especially to demonstrate, on the phenomenon described above, a curative effect (in order to substantially remove the substances which would already have accumulated) and a preventive effect (in order to substantially limit the appearance of these coloring substances), while of course maintaining conditions acceptable for the farmed species in terms of toxicity and microbiology.
To simplify the terminology, in the following, the term xe2x80x9cfishxe2x80x9d will be used in the knowledge that it covers, according to the invention (unless otherwise specified) fish, eggs, seawater or freshwater young fish, or even sea products such as shellfish and mollusks.
The invention therefore relates to a method for improving conditions in closed circuit fish farming, in which:
a) at least part of the water of at least one rearing pond is recycled, recycled water which undergoes one or more purification treatments, before being reinjected into the pond in question;
b) in the recycling path of step a), the recycled water is mixed with new water makeup;
c) ozonation of all or part of the recycled water is carried out and in addition, if necessary, ozonation of the new water makeup is carried out before mixing it in step b.
The method for improving farming conditions according to the invention will also adopt one or more of the following characteristics:
the mixing of the recycled water and the new water makeup is carried out in a retention tank;
the new water makeup is ozonated by injecting a gas comprising ozone, so as to obtain an ozone content in the water of between 1 and 15 mg ozone/liter, and more preferably, between 2 and 10 mg ozone/liter of water;
the recycled water which is ozonated is ozonated by injecting a gas comprising ozone, so as to obtain an ozone content in the recycled water of between 0.05 and 2 mg ozone/liter, and more preferably between 0.1 and 1 or even 0.5 mg ozone/liter of recirculated water;
ozonation of all or part of the recirculated water and of the new water makeup is carried out;
the recycling path comprises a purification treatment using a biological filter, and the gas comprising ozone is then injected upstream of this biological filter;
the recycling path comprises a purification treatment using a biological filter, and the gas comprising ozone is then injected downstream of this biological filter, before the recirculated water is mixed with the new water makeup;
ozonation of all or part of the recirculated water and of the new water makeup is carried out, and two ozonators are available for this purpose so that each prepares one of the two ozonation gases needed;
ozonation of all or part of the recirculated water and of the new water makeup is carried out, and a single ozonator is available for this purpose, operating according to the following procedures:
i) said ozonator produces a main flow of ozonated gas;
j) a predetermined portion of the main flow of ozonated gas is diverted to a calibrated orifice, in order to direct it toward the recirculated water stream to be ozonated;
k) the power of said ozonator is adjusted on the basis of the flow rate of new water to be ozonated.
ozonation of all or part of the recirculated water and of the new water makeup is carried out, and a single ozonator is available for this purpose, operating according to the following procedures:
i) said ozonator supplies a main flow of ozonated gas;
j) a predetermined portion of the main flow of ozonated gas is diverted through a calibrated orifice, in order to direct it toward the new water to be ozonated;
k) the power of said ozonator is adjusted on the basis of the flow rate of recirculated water to be ozonated.
the improved fish farming is closed circuit farming of seawater fish.
The invention also relates to a method for decoloring the water of a closed circuit fish farm, a farm of the type where at least part of the water of at least one rearing pond is recycled, recycled water which undergoes one or more purification treatments before being reinjected into the pond in question, while in the recycling path, the recycled water is mixed with new water makeup in a retention tank, characterized in that the ozonation of all or part of the recirculated water, and also if necessary the ozonation of the new water makeup, is carried out before it is mixed with the recycled water.
The decoloration method according to the present invention must be understood as aiming in particular to limit the phenomenon of the appearance of yellow water, and to substantially eliminate the substances which would have accumulated beforehand.
The decoloration method according to the invention will moreover be able to adopt one or more of the following characteristics:
mixing of the recycled water and the new water makeup is carried out in a retention tank;
the new water makeup is ozonated by injection of a gas comprising ozone, so as to obtain an ozone content in the water of between 1 and 15 mg ozone/liter, and more preferably between 2 and 10 mg ozone/liter of new water, while the recirculated water is ozonated by injection of a gas comprising ozone so as to obtain an ozone content in the recirculated water of between 0.05 and 2 mg ozone/liter, and more preferably between 0.1 and 0.5 mg ozone/liter of recirculated water;
the recycling path comprises a purification treatment using a biological filter, and the ozonated gas is then injected upstream of this biological filter;
the recycling path comprises a purification treatment using a biological filter, and the ozonated gas is then injected downstream of this biological filter, before the recirculated water is mixed with the new water makeup;
ozonation of all or part of the recirculated water and of the new water makeup is carried out, a single ozonator being available for this purpose, which operates according to the following procedures:
i) said ozonator produces a main flow of ozonated gas;
j) a predetermined portion of the main flow of ozonated gas is diverted through a calibrated orifice, in order to direct it toward the recirculated water to be ozonated;
k) the power of said ozonator is adjusted on the basis of the flow rate of new water to be ozonated.
ozonation of all or part of the recirculated water and of the new water makeup is carried out, a single ozonator being available for this purpose, which operates according to the following procedures:
i) said ozonator produces a main flow of ozonated gas;
j) a predetermined portion of the main flow of ozonated gas is diverted through a calibrated orifice, in order to direct it toward the new water to be ozonated;
k) the power of said ozonator is adjusted on the basis of the flow rate of recirculated water to be ozonated.
the fish farming treated in this way is closed circuit farming of seawater fish.

Method for improving conditions in closed circuit fish farming

L""Air Liquide Societe Anonyme a Directoire et Conseil de Surveillance pour l""Etude et l""Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude


An optical circuit device includes a first to fourth optical couplers, wherein the first optical coupler splits a first input light into a first output beam and a second output beam with a 90-degree phase difference therebetween, and the second optical coupler splits a second input light into a third output beam and a fourth output beam with a 180-degree phase difference therebetween. The third optical coupler combines one of the first and second output beams and one of the third and fourth output beams, and outputs a first optical signal and a second optical signal having a 180-degree phase shift from each other. The fourth optical coupler combines the other of the first and second output beams and the other of the third and fourth output beams, and outputs a third optical signal and a fourth optical signal having a 180-degree phase shift from each other.

In recent years, high-speed, high-capacity coherent optical communication has been introduced to backbone networks. In coherent optical communication, the amount of data transferred per unit time is increased using two orthogonal phase information, in-phase (hereinafter referred to as "I") signal and quadrature (hereinafter referred to as "Q") signal, of the optical electric field.
When signal light containing I signal and Q signal is received at an optical receiver, a reference light for providing a phase reference at the time of signal reception is mixed with the received signal light to detect and separate the I signal and the Q signal. A photonic waveguide device having this coherent detecting function is called a "90-degree optical hybrid".
FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of a 90-degree optical hybrid. The signal light and the reference light input to the 90-degree optical hybrid are each split into two, and a 90-degree phase difference is given between the two split optical components. The components having the same phase as the input lights are I components, and the components having an optical phase shifted by 90 degrees from the input light are Q components. The signal light and the reference light, each split into two and provided with a π/2 phase shift, are mixed, and four optical signals Ip, In, Qp, and Qn whose phases are shifted by 90 degrees respectively are output from the 90-degree optical hybrid.
The notations "p" and "n" represent complementary outputs. The optical signals Ip and In have a 180-degree phase difference, and the optical signals Qp and Qn have a 180-degree phase difference. The output ports for Ip, In, Qp, and Qn are connected to the inputs of a photodetector array, and the four optical components are converted into electrical signals. After the photoelectric conversion, a difference between Ip and In and a difference between Qp and Qn are acquired to determine the I signal and the Q signal.
One conventional technique for implementing a 90-degree optical hybrid by an on-chip photonic waveguide device is to combine a 1×2 coupler with 2×2 couplers. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 10,126,498. The number of modes used in the combination of the 1×2 coupler and the 2×2 couplers is less than that in a 4×4 multi-mode interferometer (MMI), and influence of the wavelength dependency of inter-mode interference is reduced.
The coherent receiver developed by the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF), which is a standardization project for optical transport networks, supports a layout design of four input ports of an electric block where Ip, In, Qp, and Qn are arranged in this order, corresponding to the layout design of four output ports of a 90-degree optical hybrid.
When the known configuration of the combination of a 1×2 coupler and 2×2 couplers is applied to a standardized coherent receiver, the four output ports of the 90-degree optical hybrid do not match the layout design of the input ports of the electrical block. In order to compensate for the mismatch in the port layout, redundant optical wiring is required, and crosstalk and optical loss will occur. To compensate for the inconsistency in the positional relationship between the output ports of the 90-degree optical hybrid and the standardized layout of the optical to electrical (O/E) conversion block, the configuration of the digital signal processor (DSP) provided subsequent to the O/E conversion block could be changed. However, changing the DSP configuration requires extra time and effort.
It is desired to make the positional relationship between ports of an optical circuit device and the subsequent O/E conversion block consistent by a simple structure. Such a structure may effectively reduce optical loss.

Optical circuit device, and optical receiver


An architectural membrane assembly including an interior membrane layer having a first inner surface, an exterior membrane layer having a second inner surface, an aerogel material disposed between the interior membrane layer and the exterior membrane layer, wherein the first and second inner surfaces are adjacent to the aerogel material and a vapor barrier deposited on one of the first and second inner surfaces.

Conventional construction techniques have been expanded to include architectural membranes which permit the creation of unique, free flowing or domed structures. Such structures include stadiums, airports, convention centers and the like. Architectural membranes, also known as tensile or tensioned structures, are increasingly used in buildings, storage facilities, arenas, activity centers, sports/gathering venues, domes, museums, housing and so forth. The foregoing architectural membranes may be used to form walls, ceilings, roofs, etc., thereby providing a versatile and functional construction material.
An example of an architectural membrane is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/052,931 filed on Mar. 21, 2008, and entitled Architectural Membrane Structures and Methods for Producing Them, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In that application, an architectural membrane comprising first and second layers having an aerogel blanket arranged therebetween is described.
It has been recognized that various performance characteristics of the foregoing architectural membranes, including architectural membranes comprising insulation layers, may change over the course of time. The membranes may discolor, decrease in translucency, increase in mass, heat transfer values may change (effecting thermal insulation characteristics), etc. Such degradation can shorten the lifespan of the membrane structures and reduce their effectiveness as a construction material.
As can be derived from the variety of architectural membranes, many means have been contemplated to accomplish the desired end, i.e., structural integrity, aesthetic appeal and environmental control. Heretofore, tradeoffs between aesthetics and performance were required. Thus, there is a long-felt need for an architectural membrane which can withstand extreme environmental conditions while maintaining aesthetic appearance and structural integrity.

Architectural membrane and method of making same


Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method for creating an electronic log for documenting entries into electronic gaming machines on a network. The network is monitored by a network computing device. People who enter the machines carry mobile computing devices that communicate over a normally operating wireless network. Cooperating among the network computing device and the wireless network results in creating an entry that includes the identify of a person entering one of the gaming machines, the identity of the gaming machine entered, and the reason for entry. The entry is stored in an electronic log.

Most casinos include networks of electronic gaming devices. Any one of the gaming devices, e.g., a slot machine, might need service for a variety of reasons such as a full bill acceptor, a hardware failure, a printer malfunction, a ticket printer that is out of paper, a low memory backup-battery, a jackpot large enough to require hand payment, etc. In addition, a player at the gaming machine can press a button at the machine to request an attendant to make change to place a drink order. There are many varied reasons why a casino agent may need to make a trip to a specified slot machine. In a busy casino, there may be as many as 20 calls per minute for service of one sort or another.
As can be appreciated, for many of the service requirements, the game is not playable until the problem is addressed. This is especially troublesome when someone is playing the game when the problem arises and is prevented from playing until it is addressed. The most difficult situation for the casino is when this happens to a player who is a frequent guest, who wagers large amounts, or who has the potential to be such a player. Casinos expend a lot of effort to extend special courtesies to players who wager significant amounts on a regular basis. Ideally, the attendant responding to a problem at a machine being played by such a player would know the value of the player and be motivated to treat him or her accordingly.
Dealing with service problems and requests that arise during game play is problematic enough but it can be compounded when a casino is limited in its ability to fire, discipline, or motivate the workers whose job it is to respond to these calls.
In addition to the types of service requirements that arise during game play—and therefore require a fast response—there are tasks, such as preventative maintenance, that can be performed anytime. As a result, it is desirable to schedule these tasks when the casino staff is not busy addressing the types of problems that require immediate attention.
It is also desirable to prioritize among the casino guests who should be accorded faster and/or higher levels of service and to personalize all service provided to the extent possible.
Most casinos equip employees who respond to service calls on the game floor with 2-way radios, with which the employee may be dispatched on calls or updated with new information relating to a call. And the employee may use the radio to summon assistance from other employees or for any other on-the-job reason that might require verbal communication. This can be distracting to employees who must provide service and interact with players and co-workers while listening or responding to talk that is piped into an earpiece worn by each employee who carries a radio. Reducing and simplifying verbal communications for these casino employees would be helpful.
Casinos provide incentives for players to join a player club. This permits the casino to track the player's play, typically via a card that is inserted into a player-tracking device that is associated with each machine. Using data so collected, the casino can appropriately award and cater to players based upon their level of play. One way to provide such awards is via points, like those awarded by airlines for miles flown. The casino points correspond to amounts wagered and may be redeemed for meals, shows, free wagering, etc. In addition, casinos often have marketing departments that have responsibility for providing appropriate complementary goods and services to players—especially the regulars, the players whose gaming brings in high revenues, or players who have the potential for joining one of those categories. It would be desirable for casino marketing employees to know when important players arrive, what players are currently wagering heavily, where a certain player is, the name of a player at a particular machine, where particular games are located, when a significant jackpot is won, etc. Having this kind of information essentially in real time would provide a significant advantage to marketing personnel. It would also be desirable to give priority to servicing machines at which an enrolled player is playing and to prioritize among enrolled players, i.e., to dispatch calls in a sequence related to the importance of the player to the casino.
In virtually all casinos, regulations require that each person who opens an electronic gaming device record and document the entry in a Machine Entry Access Log (MEAL). A MEAL book is typically kept inside each machine and each entry is manually noted. If the machine is moved, converted, or its asset number is changed, the MEAL must be changed or updated. The logs must be kept for minimum periods of at least a year after the gaming device is removed from service and must be archived to permit inspection or audit. This process for logging MEAL entries is subject to inaccuracies and inconsistencies, and it is inefficient. MEAL books can be difficult for regulators to track with any degree of confidence.
Casino employees appreciate being dispatched on a service call to hand pay a jackpot because the tips are typically more generous, sometimes substantially more, than on other kinds of calls. If some employees are consistently being dispatched to hand pay jackpots and others are not, morale can suffer.
The present dispatch system also provides for clearing calls that no longer require a response as a result of a detected network signal. In addition, it addresses calls that should not be generated or should be cleared after generation in response to an earlier-received network signal that indicates the call is not necessary. And it facilitates use of several different events to suppress or cancel a call, use of one event to suppress or cancel several different calls, and use of several different events that would each suppress or cancel several different calls.

Method for creating an electronic log for documenting entries into gaming machines


A method of operating actuators simultaneously for moving at least two aircraft movable aerodynamic surfaces, the method comprising the steps of: controlling the actuators to move the aerodynamic surfaces towards a predetermined position; during the movement, detecting a slowest actuator; and adapting the control of the actuators to match the actions of the slowest actuator. A drive device for aerodynamic surfaces and an aircraft including such a device.

Most airplanes are fitted with flaps for increasing the lift of the airplane while flying at relatively low speed such as while landing and while taking off. Depending on flying conditions, the flaps must be capable of being taken to different positions, generally a retracted position, and positions in which they are extended by 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, respectively.
Each wing of the airplane is thus provided with at least one flap. The flaps must be moved simultaneously and without twisting into their various positions, with any offset in position between the two flaps giving rise to an unbalance of the airplane that, if large, could lead to the airplane crashing.
The movement of flaps is thus generally provided by a single motor that is arranged in the fuselage of the aircraft and that rotates shafts extending inside the wings as far as the flaps. The shafts are coupled to the flaps in such a manner that rotating the shafts in one direction or the other causes the flaps to be extended or retracted.
Such devices are heavy, bulky, and installing them in an airplane is very constraining.

Method of operating actuators simultaneously for moving aircraft flaps, an aircraft flap drive device, and an aircraft provided with such a device