An inkjet recording element comprises a support having thereon in order, from top to bottom, a fusible, porous layer comprising fusible multifunctional polymer particles derived from an aqueous dispersion that comprise a thermoplastic polymer with at least two reactive functional groups capable of crosslinking with each other. Optionally, an ink-carrier-liquid receptive layer is present between the fusible, porous layer and the support. Also disclosed is a method of inkjet printing on the element.

In a typical inkjet recording or printing system, ink droplets are ejected from a nozzle at high speed towards a recording element or medium to produce an image on the medium. The ink droplets, or recording liquid, generally comprise a recording agent, such as a dye or pigment, and a large amount of solvent. The solvent, or carrier liquid, typically is made up of water, an organic material such as a monohydric alcohol, a polyhydric alcohol or mixtures thereof.
An inkjet recording element typically comprises a support having on at least one surface thereof at least one ink-receiving layer. The ink-receiving layer is typically either a porous layer that imbibes the ink via capillary action or a polymer layer that swells to absorb the ink. Transparent swellable hydrophilic polymer layers do not scatter light and therefore afford optimal image density and gamut, but may take an undesirably long time to dry. Porous ink-receiving layers are usually composed of inorganic or organic particles bonded together by a binder. During the inkjet printing process, ink droplets are rapidly absorbed into the coating through capillary action, and the image is dry-to-touch right after it comes out of the printer. Therefore, porous coatings allow a fast "drying" of the ink and produce a smear-resistant image; however, porous layers, by virtue of the large number of air-particle interfaces, scatter light that may result in lower densities of printed images.
Furthermore, inkjet prints prepared by printing onto inkjet recording elements are subject to environmental degradation. They are especially vulnerable to damage resulting from contact with water and atmospheric gases such as ozone. Ozone can bleach inkjet dyes resulting in loss of density. Porous layers are particularly vulnerable to atmospheric gases in view of the open pores. The damage resulting from the post-imaging contact with water can take the form of water spots resulting from deglossing of the top coat, dye smearing due to unwanted dye diffusion, and even gross dissolution of the image recording layer. To overcome these deficiencies, inkjet prints are often laminated. However, lamination is expensive, requiring a separate roll of material.
Efforts have been made to avoid lamination and yet provide protected inkjet prints by providing an inkjet receiver having an uppermost fusible, porous layer. Such inkjet elements are known in the art. Fusing the upper layer after printing the image has the advantage of both providing a protective overcoat for water and stain resistance and reducing light scatter for improved image quality.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,785,313 and 4,832,984 relate to an inkjet recording element comprising a support having thereon an upper fusible, porous ink-transporting layer and a lower swellable polymeric ink-retaining layer, wherein the ink-retaining layer is non-porous.
EP 858905A1 relates to an inkjet recording element having a fusible porous ink-transporting outermost layer, formed by heat sintering thermoplastic particles, and an underlying porous ink-retaining layer to absorb and retain the ink applied to the outermost layer to form an image. The underlying porous ink-retaining layer is constituted mainly of refractory pigments. After imaging, the outermost layer is made non-porous.
EP 1,188,573 A2 relates to an inkjet recording material comprising in order: a sheet-like paper substrate, at least one pigment layer coated thereon, and at least one sealing layer coated thereon. Also disclosed is an optional dye-trapping layer present between the pigment layer and the sealing layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,480 to Wexler discloses inkjet media comprising both a fusible ink-transporting layer and a fusible dye-trapping layer. A base layer under the fusible layers may be employed to absorb ink-carrier-liquid fluid.
Protective overcoats and crosslinked overcoats for imaging elements are also known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,436,617 relates to protective overcoats, for photographic image elements, comprising water-dispersible latex particles, which particles comprise an epoxy material and a thermoplastic acid polymer, a water-soluble hydrophilic polymer, and a hydrophobically modified associative thickener. The hydrophilic polymer is substantially washed out during photographic processing facilitating the coalescence of the other materials. Another driving force for this coalescence is the elevated temperature during the drying associated with photoprocessing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,548,182 relates to an inkjet recording material wherein a coating comprises a water-soluble polymer having a plurality of carboxyl groups in combination with a water-soluble oxazoline compound as a crosslinking agent. EP 0 320 594 A2 discloses aqueous crosslinkable resin dispersions for use in fusible inkjet media, however, in which polymeric particles react with an emulsifier compound.
Commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 10/881,127 discloses an inkjet recording element comprising a support having thereon in order from the top:
(a) a fusible, porous pigment-trapping layer comprising (i) fusible polymer particles comprising a thermoplastic polymer with reactive functional groups, (ii) a polyfunctional compound having complementary reactive functional groups capable of crosslinking the reactive functional groups on the thermoplastic polymer, and (iii) an optional binder; and
(b) an optional ink-carrier-liquid receptive layer. The support may also function as a liquid-absorbing sump layer either alone or in combination with the optional ink-carrier-liquid receptive layer.
Similarly, commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 10/881,264 discloses an inkjet recording element comprising a support having thereon, in order from the top:
(a) a fusible, porous ink-transporting layer comprising (i) fusible polymer particles comprising a thermoplastic polymer with reactive functional groups, (ii) a polyfunctional compound having complementary reactive functional groups capable of crosslinking the reactive functional groups on the thermoplastic polymer, and (iii) an optional binder;
(b) a fusible dye-trapping layer comprising fusible polymer particles, a dye mordant, and an optional hydrophilic binder; and
(c) an optional an ink-carrier-liquid receptive layer.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved inkjet recording element comprising an upper porous layer that can be fused after printing, thereby obtaining high-density images. It is another object of the invention to provide an improved inkjet recording element having a protective upper porous layer that can be fused after printing to render images resistant to water and stain.


Disclosed in the implementations of the present disclosure are a mapping method, an encoder, a decoder, and a computer storage medium. The method may include: determining an intra prediction mode used at the time of encoding or decoding a current block; mapping, if the intra prediction mode is a MIP mode, the MIP mode to a first non-MIP mode; and mapping, if the intra prediction mode is a non-MIP mode, the non-MIP mode to a second MIP mode.

At present, due to the introduction of Matrix-based Intra Prediction (MIP) technology, mutual mapping needs to be performed between a non-MIP mode and a MIP mode in Versatile Video Coding (VVC). Specifically, during the construction of a Most Probable Modes List (MPM) and the acquisition of a Direct Mode (DM), the MIP mode needs to be mapped to the non-MIP mode through a "MIP-conventional mapping table". During the construction of a MIP_MPM list, a mapping from the non-MIP mode to the MIP mode needs to be performed through a "65-33 mapping table" and a "conventional-MIP mapping table".
However, the above mapping processes are very complicated, which increases the complexity. Moreover, since both an encoding end and a decoding end need to store all tables for mapping, certain memory space is occupied. Therefore, it can be seen that the existing methods of mapping between the MIP mode and the non-MIP mode are relatively complex, which is not conducive to improving encoding and decoding rates.

Mapping method, encoder, decoder and computer storage medium

GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.


Provided is an array antenna driving method and device for a three-dimensional scanning nuclear magnetic resonance imager, wherein each antenna to be operated is driven to transmit a nuclear magnetic pulse signal by receiving a control command sent by a control system; parsing the control command to generate a pulse transmission timing signal and an antenna switching control signal; processing an externally inputted high voltage signal according to the pulse transmission timing signal to output high voltage radio frequency pulses of a plurality of channels; and selecting a high voltage radio frequency pulse of at least one channel and the antenna to be operated in the nuclear magnetic resonance pulse array antenna according to the antenna switching control signal, and superposing the selected high voltage radio frequency pulse. The device of the present invention can improve multi-layer slice information detection of signals in circumferentially different azimuth zones.

The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) phenomenon was discovered in 1946 and soon afterwards applied in the fields of physics, chemistry, materials science, life sciences, and medicine. In the 1950s, nuclear magnetic resonance began to be used in the oil and gas industry, initially in the field of reservoir rock physics. The NMR logging tool can use the principle of nuclear magnetic resonance to detect the stratum information around the wellbore, and has unique qualitative identification and quantitative evaluation capabilities on a reservoir fluid.
A probe is one of the important components of the nuclear magnetic resonance logging tool. The structure of the probe determines the key performance such as measurement method of the tool, nuclear magnetic resonance region and nuclear magnetic resonance signal strength. The probe for the nuclear magnetic resonance logging tool mainly includes a magnet and an antenna. The magnet can form a static magnetic field for polarizing a spin hydrogen proton, and the antenna can transmit an radio frequency field for turning the spin hydrogen proton, and after removing the radio frequency field, the spin hydrogen proton begin to process along the static magnetic field, which produces a nuclear magnetic resonance inductive signal, the stratum conditions can be analyzed by detecting the nuclear magnetic resonance inductive signal.
The probe in existing nuclear magnetic resonance logging tool mostly uses a columnar magnet. The two ends of the magnet are N pole and S pole respectively. The magnetic field distribution is formed by closed magnetic lines from the N pole pointing to the S pole. The antenna surrounds the magnet and can excite the polarized stratum region at 360° around the wellbore so that there is no detection blind region around the wellbore and it is possible to perform multi-frequency and multi-slice measurement, but the measured signal can only be an average signal of signals in the stratum at 360°. Therefore, the nuclear magnetic resonance logging tool in the prior art can only perform signal detections of radial depth dimension and axial depth dimension, and does not have signal detection capability of circumferential multi-directional sensitive region, and further, there is no driving device that can drive the nuclear magnetic resonance logging tool to perform three-dimensional scanning.

Array antenna driving method and device for three-dimensional scanning nuclear magnetic resonance imager


A multi-roll mandrel mill comprises a plurality of grooved roll bodies as a roll pass for elongation rolling of a shell and a plurality of roll stands, each having roll shafts and roll chock portions for driving the grooved roll bodies for driving the grooved roll bodies, wherein bearings are internally contained in each grooved roll body. Optimizing the design of roll chock portions for every setup is achieved by a tube-making setup of the mandrel mill, wherein at least one of either or both of the roll shafts and the roll chock portions is replaced with a part(s) having a different shape(s) in addition to changing of the grooved roll bodies. The optimization of the design is effective in preventing underfill and overfill.

In the production of a seamless tube on a mandrel mill, first, a heated solid billet is pierced by a piercer to make a hollow shell. Subsequently, after insertion of a mandrel bar into this hollow shell, the shell is usually subjected to elongation-rolling on a mandrel mill consisting of five to eight roll stands. As a result of this elongation rolling, the shell wall thickness is adjusted to a prescribed wall thickness and the shell is subjected to circumference working where the outside diameter thereof is decreased to cause the circumference length thereof to be reduced. After the completion of elongation rolling, the mandrel bar is withdrawn/stripped. Thereafter, the elongation-rolled shell is subjected to rolling by means of a stretch reducer to have a prescribed outside diameter, yielding a seamless tube as a product.
In the past, there has been frequently used a 2-roll mandrel mill which has a plurality of roll stands, the roll stand each having a pair of opposite grooved rolls as a roll pass. In this 2-roll mandrel mill, the paired grooved rolls in the adjacent roll stand are shifted so as to be oriented by 90-degree with respect to drafting/reduction-rolling direction, relative to that of a reference roll stand.
Furthermore, in some mandrel mills, used is a 3-roll mandrel mill in which three grooved rolls are arranged as a roll pass in each roll stand, with the orientation of reduction-rolling direction being 120°, or a 4-roll mandrel mill in which four grooved rolls are arranged in each roll stand, with 90° orientation as the reduction-rolling direction.
In the production of seamless tubes by this mandrel mill, when the rolling conditions on the mandrel mill are not appropriate, fin flaws attributable to overfill and through-wall defects attributable to underfill may occur. Various proposals have hitherto been made in order to prevent these fin flaws and through-wall defects.
For example, Patent Literature 1 proposes a mandrel mill which increases the elongation ratio of tube (in other words, increases the manufacturing efficiency of seamless tubes) and can prevent the occurrence of through-wall defects attributable to underfill and a method of producing seamless tubes using this mandrel mill According to this proposed method, it is claimed that by using a 2-roll mandrel mill in which the roll diameter ratio (groove-bottom roll diameter divided by section diameter of elongation-rolled shell) of the first roll stand and the second roll stand is set at not less than 4.6 and a 3-roll mandrel mill in which the roll diameter ratio is set at not less than 2.8, it is possible to increase the manufacturing efficiency of seamless tubes without causing rolling defective.
Patent Literature 2 proposes a method of rolling seamless tubes which can prevent the occurrence of through-wall defects that pose a problem in the rolling of thin-walled tubes on a mandrel mill. According to this method, it is claimed that by setting the ratio of DF:roll diameter DF of groove bottom of rolling mill roll to RI:radius of curvature of groove bottom of rolling mill roll in at least one stand (preferably #2 stand, more preferably all stands) (hereinafter also referred to merely as the "ratio of RI/DF") at not less than 0.275, it is possible to produce thin-walled tubes by preventing the occurrence of through-wall defects.
Patent Literature 3 proposes a mandrel mill rolling method which can effectively prevent both overfill and underfill. This is a method which specifies the outside diameter of the shell and the ratio of groove caliber circumference length to finishing circumference length in the first stand and second stand in prescribed ranges for shells made of various steel grades such as ordinary carbon steel and alloy steel and having various wall thicknesses. According to this method, it is claimed that even by using the combination of rolling rolls made of solely one kind of groove caliber, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of fin flaws attributable to overfill and hard-stripping (mandrel withdrawing) attributable to underfill as well as the occurrence of flaws attributable to hard-stripping.
In the methods of producing seamless tubes described in Patent Literatures 1 to 3, the occurrence of flaws and defects attributable to underfill and overfill is prevented by adjusting the roll diameter ratio, the ratio of RI: radius of curvature of relevant roll groove caliber to DF: groove-bottom roll diameter (i.e., RI/DF) or the ratio of circumference length of roll groove caliber to finishing circumference length.
However, because in multi-roll mandrel mills (3-roll or 4-roll mandrel mills) the profile of roll pass is subjected to geometric restrictions, the prevention of underfill and overfill with the above-described adjustment of the roll diameter ratio, RI/DF or the ratio of circumference length of groove caliber to finishing circumference length may be limited.
In addition, in designing the roll diameter ratio, it is necessary to control the roll diameter ratio in a given range in order to prevent the occurrence of flaws and defects attributable to underfill and overfill. However, when an appropriate roll diameter ratio is to be applied for controlling, this may be restricted by the structure of a roll housing.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams to explain an example of the case where designing the roll diameter ratio in a 3-roll mandrel mill is restricted. FIG. 1A schematically shows the arrangement of grooved rolls in an ordinary roll stand, and FIG. 1B schematically shows the side surface of a roll chock portion.
As shown in FIG. 1A, each roll stand is provided with three grooved rolls to constitute a roll pass 6, the roll each comprising a grooved roll body 1, a roll shaft 2 and a roll chock portion 3 that are integrated. The orientation of elongation rolling direction of each of the grooved roll bodies 1 is 120° apart. As shown in FIG. 1B, the roll chock portion 3 is composed of a bearing 4 and a bearing box 5.
In the roll stands of the 3-roll mandrel mill illustrated in FIG. 1, in particular, in the case where the elongation rolling of small-diameter tubes is performed, if the grooved roll diameter (the diameter of the grooved roll body) is designed to be small, an ordinary design of a roll housing encounters the interference of bearing boxes of the roll chock portions 3 with each other. For this reason, it is impossible to dispose the roll bodies 1 in a closer relation to each other, resulting in the occurrence of fin flaws.
In a multi-roll mandrel mill, the more the number of rolls, the more fin flaws are liable to occur. It seems that this is because the more the number of rolls, the narrower the high surface pressure region in the outer surface of the shell during rolling becomes in a width-wise (circumferential) direction, compared to that in the rolling direction, with the result that the metal flow in the rolling direction is constrained to facilitate the flow to occur in a width-wise (circumferential) direction.
In the case where a small-diameter tube is made on a multi-roll mandrel mill having a number of rolls, the fin flaw due to overfill becomes large. In particular, when the same reduction-rolling amount/draft as the case of a large-diameter tube is adopted, the reduction rate of outside diameter increases, facilitating the occurrence of fin flaws.
In a multi-roll mandrel mill which has 3 rolls, a gap adjustment between the arranged three grooved rolls is limited due to the interference of the roll chock portions. For this reason, the challenge is to control the roll diameter ratio in an appropriate range by eliminating the mutual interference between the roll chock portions so as to enable the underfill and overfill to be efficiently prevented.
In general, a multi-roll mandrel mill is effective in preventing defectives as through-wall flaws in tube, and in reducing wall thickness eccentricity, and the like. This effect is especially remarkable in thin-wall alloy steel tubes, and can increase productivity because a high elongation ratio can be ensured. For this reason, while a 2-roll mandrel mill is frequently used, a multi-roll mandrel mill which has more than 2 rolls, such as 3 or 4 rolls, is also used in some cases.
However, a multi-roll mandrel mill has the problem that designing the roll diameter ratio required for preventing underfill and overfill is limited. For this reason, the advantage of a multi-roll mandrel mill is not necessarily sufficiently exploited.

Multi-roll mandrel mill and method of producing seamless tubes

Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation


Bacterial species acting as biomarkers for obesity in domesticated cats and/or dogs are disclosed herein. Also disclosed are methods for diagnosing and/or treating cats and/or dogs having obesity or a predisposition to obesity as well as methods of screening for agents to treat or prevent obesity.

Obesity in domesticated animals is a growing problem. According to recent findings, more than 45% of dogs and 58% of cats can be classified as overweight or obese. As in humans, it is known that the gut microbiome is altered in obese animals compared to lean animals, and that modulation of the gut microbiome may be an effective method for treating and preventing obesity. However, little research has been done to understand the microbiome composition of obese versus lean domesticated animals.


Circuits and methods for preventing glitch in a circuit are disclosed. In one example, a circuit coupled to an input/output pad is disclosed. The circuit includes: a first level shifter, a second level shifter, and a control logic circuit. The first level shifter is configured for generating a data signal. The second level shifter is configured for generating an output enable signal. The first and second level shifters are controlled by first and second power-on-control signals, respectively. The control logic circuit is coupled to the first level shifter and the second level shifter.

Integrated circuit chips (IC chips) or semiconductor die are typically encapsulated in a package to protect the circuitry formed on the semiconductor die from external elements. An IC chip includes bond pads formed thereon. Bond wires, or other electrical connection means, are used to electrically connect the bond pads to corresponding pins or leads of the integrated circuit package. The bond pads can be power pads for power supply voltages connections and input/output (I/O) pads for connecting to input and output signals of the integrated circuit. An I/O circuit is a circuit coupled to an I/O pad of a chip and configured to communicate input and/or output signals with other chips in the integrated circuit system.
A glitch is an undesired transition state that occurs before a signal settles to its intended value. Glitching poses a critical issue for an I/O circuit, e.g. during power ramp-up of the circuit. A key factor impacting the glitch issue in an I/O circuit is the signal sequence of a data signal and an output enable signal in the I/O circuit. In a conventional method, the signal sequence is controlled by system level signals, which is not suitable for high-speed circuit operations. In another conventional method, a power-on-control (POC) mechanism is required to be added externally to control the I/O circuit in tristate and avoid crowbar-currents during power ramp up. For this external POC method, customers of the integrated circuit have to modify their system design to control POC behavior by themselves, which is a huge effort for the customers. As such, existing I/O circuits are not entirely satisfactory in terms of glitch prevention.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


Fused AZS grain refractory compositions suitable for making ceramically or chemically bonded refractory articles, and the articles so made, are disclosed. The refractory compositions consist essentially of (a) 40-85 wt. % fused AZS grain, and (b) 15-50 wt. % of at least one constituent selected from the group consisting of (i) 10-20 wt. % reactive alumina and (ii) 0-45 wt. % chromic oxide.

This invention relates to fused AZS grain refractory compositions suitable for making ceramically or chemically bonded refractory articles and to the articles so made.
The general concept of rebonding crushed fused AZS grain is well known in the art. Numerous compositions containing crushed fused AZS and other materials have been developed for various end uses. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,472 and the patents cited therein.
The composition disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,472 disclosed as being characterized by superior resistance to corrosion by molten glass and alkali in contact therewith and by superior flexure strength at room temperature before and, in many cases, after substantial thermal cycling. The composition of U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,472, in its broadest aspect, consisted of (A) 25-60 wt. % fusion cast AZS refractory coarse grain, (B) 0-38 wt. % fusion cast AZS refractory medium grain, and (C) 30-50 wt. % of at least one component selected from the group consisting of (1) 0-50 wt. % fusion cast AZS refractory fine grain, and (2) 0-30 wt. % at least one constituent selected from the group consisting of (a) alumina being at least 90 wt. % -325 Tyler mesh, at least 98.5 wt. % Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and not more than 0.5 wt. % Na.sub.2 O, and (b) -325 Tyler mesh chromic oxide being at least 95 wt. % Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3. The refractory composition of U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,472 does not utilize reactive alumina. Despite the improved properties provided by the refractory compositions of U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,472, the need exists for a refractory composition which has higher corrosion resistance to glass and which will have a longer life in glass melting furnaces. This has been accomplished with the refractory compositions of this invention by improving the bonding matrix. Articles made from the refractory compositions of this invention are superior to articles made from prior art compositions in that they have high glass corrosion resistance and still maintain advantageous properties such as thermal cycling capability.


A sputtering system and a sputtering method are provided. The sputtering system includes a first electrode, a magnet and a second electrode. The first electrode is an elongated tube having a first end and a second end downstream of the first end. The first end is configured to receive a gas flow and the second end is placed next to a substrate. The magnet surrounds at least a portion of the elongated tube and is configured to generate a magnetic field in a space within the elongated tube. The second electrode is disposed within the elongated tube. A voltage is configured to be applied between the first and second electrodes to generate an electric field between the first and second electrodes.

Sputtering is a process in which particles in a solid target material are ejected from its surface due to bombardment by energetic particles. Sputtering has been used in various industries to deposit thin films onto a substrate.
In optoelectronics and valleytronics, it has observed that the transition metal based two-dimensional materials such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and tungsten disulfide (WS2) exhibit promising applications.
Based on the above understanding, WO 2016/013984 A1 describes a deposition process to synthesize wafer-scale MoS2 atomic layers on diverse substrates via magnetron sputtering, which enables large-area deposition of transition metal dichalcogenide films in a controllable way. Films can be grown by a layer-by-layer mode with good uniformity and over large areas. The method can be further scaled up to a large area sample for industry applications. In this way, it is compatible with industry mass production techniques on wafer level.
However, due to the bombardment effect on the surface of the grown sample during sputtering process, a higher defect density has been seen in the thin films. In other words, a shortcoming of the above approach is that bombardment damage to the film surface is expected to be high.
A need therefore exists to provide a sputtering system and method that seek to address at least some of the above problems.

AGENCY FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH


A motor creep control system includes at least one motor and a manifold fluidically coupled to the at least one motor and configured to control flow of a fluid through the at least one motor. The manifold includes an input port, an output port, at least one fluid control valve to control the at least one motor, and a motor creep control valve. A first state of the motor creep control directs the fluid from the input port, through the at least one fluid control and motor, and to the at least one output port. Meanwhile, a second state of the motor creep control in conjunction with the at least one fluid control valve being deactivated directs the fluid from the input port that leaks past the deactivated at least one fluid control valve to the at least one output port, while bypassing the at least one motor.

Agricultural product distribution systems need to be able to apply their products at widely varying rates, hut with great precision. Over-application of product is expensive and may damage the crop, while under-application of product is ineffective. The distribution must be designed for both high-rate distribution of products like fertilizer and low-rate distribution of nutrients, such as sulfur. Current machines use hydraulic fluid control valves, coupled with low-resistance motors, to achieve steady flows across the desired range of operation. However, if there is any leakage through the flow control valve when it is shut off, the low-resistance motor may "creep" (rotate very slowly and jerkily), which results in the distribution of small amounts of agricultural products at undesired times.

Agricultural product metering motor creep control


A universal adapter including a generic fixed housing (10) capable of receiving diverse back panel assemblies (20-1, 20-2 . . . 20-n) each having a set of coupling elements (22-1, 22-2 . . . 22-n) which may differ according to industry standards. The adapter facilitates optical coupling of, for example, a Fiber Distributed-Data Interface (FDDI) style connector or an ESCON.TM. style connector with either an SC.TM. style connector, an ST.TM. style connector, an FC style connector, or any other type of optical connector.

Advances in fiber optic interconnection technology have opened numerous and diverse commercial applications. Industry standards and conventions have evolved along with the technology, and these standards govern optical systems to some extent. Nevertheless, each new fiber optic application comes with unique requirements, and existing optical system components must be adapted accordingly. It follows that there is a strong need for more flexible components which can accommodate a variety of applications.
However, a three-way balance arises between the above-described need for flexibility, an equally important need for economy, and an overriding need to comply with industry standards.
Prior attempts to strike the proper balance have resulted in a variety of "universal" optical components which may be adapted to different applications.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,792 issued to Weber et al., a connector is disclosed with interchangeable keying elements to allow field keying to the correct plug assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,476 issued to Yingst et al., discloses an optical package including a receptacle shell having a field keying system. Keying means such as the ones described in the patents eliminate the risk of connecting an improper plug to the receptacle when numerous identical plugs and receptacles exist.
Even more flexibility and economy could be achieved by an adapter which facilitates mating of a variety of optical plugs with different receptacles, for instance, plugs and receptacles having different configurations and/or conforming to different industry standards. When combined with the field keying feature disclosed in Weber et al. '792, the resulting "universal" connection capability would be extremely useful in optical systems which adhere to different connector conventions.
However, industry and design standards require optical transmission accuracy and low signal losses, and these qualities are easily compromised in a universal-type connector. Specifically, transmission accuracy is decreased and signal losses are increased by non-precision alignment of the optical fibers which are joined at the connector. Such misalignment may occur initially at assembly, or it may result from subsequent instability in the field.
Past attempts at universal-type connectors have too often sacrificed quality and stability of optical fiber alignment. Consequently, a clear commercial need exists for an adapter which mates optical fiber plugs with dissimilar receptacles.

Universal adapter for optical connectors


A method for making a polycrystalline silicon thin film by crystallizing an amorphous silicon thin film at a low temperature of 500.degree. C. to 600.degree. C. Over a glass substrate is deposited a microcrystalline silicon seed layer having a thickness of 100 .ANG. to 500 .ANG., using the chemical vapor deposition method. Over the microcrystalline silicon seed layer, a hydrogen-containing amorphous silicon layer is formed by chemical vapor deposition, at a temperature of 180.degree. C. to 270.degree. C., which is then crystallized to form a polycrystalline silicon thin film. A hydrogen-containing amorphous silicon layer having a thickness of 300 .ANG. to 500 .ANG. may be formed over the glass substrate. In this case, the hydrogen-containing amorphous silicon layer is crystallized at a temperature of 600.degree. C., to form a polycrystaline seed layer. Over the polycrystalline silicon seed layer, another hydrogen-containing amorphous silicon layer is formed which is then crystallized by a heat treatment, to form a polycrystalline thin film. The heat treatment is carried out at a temperature of 580.degree. C. to 600.degree. C. for a period of 20 hours to 50 hours.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for making a polycrystalline silicon thin film, and more particularly to a method for making a polycrystalline silicon thin film by crystallizing an amorphous silicon thin film at a low temperature.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, polycrystalline silicon (p-Si) thin films have been used for p-Si TFT liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and contact image sensors (CISs), in dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and display fields. A method which are currently used in making such p-Si thin films comprises heat treating an amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin film or a microcrystalline silicon (.mu.-Si) thin film at a high temperature of about 1,000.degree. C. A p-Si thin film produced according to this method exhibits a superior characteristic, but encounters a phenomenon that its substrate is wraped and shrunk due to the heat treatment at the high temperature. As a result, the method undesirably requires the use of expensive substrates made of a single crystal silicon (c-Si) or a quartz. In particular, the phenomenon becomes more severe at a larger thickness of the thin film. In severe cases, alignment of pattern as a subsequent process cannot be carried out.
To solve these problems, there have been proposed techniques for crystallizing an a-Si thin film to form an p-Si thin film at a low temperature of not more than 600.degree. C. According to these techniques, a glass substrate can be used for making the p-Si thin film, so that the manufacture becomes inexpensive.
As such low temperature crystallization techniques, there are three methods, that is, a solid phase crystallization (SPC) method, a rapid thermal annealing (RTA or RTP) method and a laser annealing (LA) method.
The SPC method has an advantage that an a-Si thin film of a large area can be easily uniformly crystallized to form a p-Si thin film, However, it requires a heat treatment at about 600.degree. C. for a long period of 24 hours to 72 hours, Due to such a long crystallization period, the glass substrate which has a deformation temperature of about 580.degree. C. is likely to be wraped and shrunk, Such a wraping phenomenon may be greatly exhibited, depending on materials deposited over the substrate and their deposition thicknesses. in cases of making TFT devices using a semiconductor integration process, this phenomenon also causes a problem in a pattern alignment. Consequently, it serves as a factor causing a degradation or loss in characteristics of the element finally obtained. The long crystallization period results in a decrease in productivity and an increase in a possibility that impurities contained in the glass substrate will penetrate the p-Si thin film formed over the glass substrate.
The RTA method is a process enabling a crystallization within a short period of several seconds to several minutes, as compared with the SPC method. However, this method encounters a problem in maintaining a constant temperature and a substrate deformation caused by a high temperature exposure.
On the other hand, the LA method has an advantage that a p-Si thin film exhibiting a high drift mobility can be made within a short period. However, this method has a problem in obtaining a uniform crystallization, since the crystallized area obtained at one crystallization is small.
As apparent from the above description, all conventional low temperature crystallization methods have respective severe problems. Accordingly, a new method capable of solving the problems encountered in the conventional methods is required.

Method for making polycrystalline silicon thin film


The present invention relates to a method for preparing size-modulated UiO-66, which is achieved by modulating the concentrations of reactants, and a catalyst with improved activity of hydrolyzing chemical warfare agents prepared by the method.

Chemical weapons, which are weapons of mass destruction, must be completely eliminated in compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) so that they cannot be used again within the designated period. To fulfill this purpose, it is important to safely and completely eliminate the agents which are the core material of chemical weapons. These agents are toxic chemicals extremely lethal to the human body when people are exposed to even a small amount of these agents in air, and therefore extreme caution is required in their handling.
For this purpose, in handling small quantities of chemical weapons, many countries in the world are using methods in which these agents are separated from ammunition, rockets, mines, etc. and incinerated; or these agents are neutralized with an aqueous alkaline solution, methylethanolamine, etc. and buried or incinerated. In the U.S., with regard to the large-scale treatment of chemical agent stockpiles, as a basic technique, a method is used in which these agents are safely removed from chemical weapons, and the agents and munition bodies are thereafter directly incinerated. However, in the case of direct incineration of chemical warfare agents, they may remain untreated due to incomplete combustion, and additionally, toxic substances may be released to the outside in the form of gases during incineration.
For these reasons, it is necessary to separately install a safety device for preventing the air leakage of these extremely harmful agents during the treatment process, but this safety device has a problem in that it is huge. Additionally, this safety device also has a problem in that when a plurality of activated carbon filters are used to remove harmful gases discharged during incineration, waste activated carbon in which various gases are absorbed must be treated.
Meanwhile, Russia, which possesses the largest amount of chemical weapons in the world, plans to bury its chemical weapons after neutralization and bituminization of the agents. Once these agents are hydrolyzed with water or neutralized with an alkaline substance, the toxicities of these agents are drastically reduced so that the operators can easily handle them without using special equipment. However, the resulting decomposed products still need to be completely converted to non-hazardous materials due to the presence of the CWC-controlled Schedule 2 substances, halogens or acidic substances, and large amounts of salts.
As described above, the treatment of these agents can be carried out by a method of direct incineration or burial of the products generated during hydrolysis. However, in the case of direct incineration of chemical warfare agents, they may remain untreated due to incomplete combustion, and toxic substances may be released to the outside in the form of gases during incineration. Additionally, in a case where the hydrolysate-generating decomposed materials are buried, the decomposed materials may become a major cause of environmental pollution because they contain halogens or acidic substances and a large amount of salts.
Additionally, nerve agents (sarin (or GB), tabun (or GA), and VX) are pyrolyzed at high temperature upon direct incineration, and they commonly produce phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5), as shown in the following chemical formulas (1) to (3).
When these phosphorus oxides are released into the atmosphere, they cause not only acid rain but also algal blooms.C4H10FO2P (GB (sarin))+6 1/2 O2→4 CO2+9/2 H2O+HF+1/2 P2O5 C5H11N2O2P (GA (tabun))+10 O2→5 CO2+11/2 H2O+2NO2+1/2 P2O5 C11H26NO2PS (VX)+19 3/4 O2→11 CO2+13 H2O+2NO2+1/2 P2O5

Method for preparation of size-modulated UiO-66 and catalyst for hydrolysis of chemical warfare agents with enhanced activity prepared thereby

KOREA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


An ink ejection device, an image forming apparatus having the same, and a method thereof. The ink ejection device includes a print head including at least one head chip in which a plurality of nozzles is arranged to eject ink on a printing medium at a predetermined angle inclined with respect to a printing line extending along a widthwise direction of the printing medium, and a gap controlling unit to control a gap size between the printing medium and the plurality of nozzles.

1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an ink ejection device usable with a page printing type image forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus using the same, and a method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ink-jet type image forming apparatus ejects ink drops on a printing medium (e.g., paper) to form an image on the printing medium. The ink-jet type image forming apparatus may be classified as a line printing type and a page printing type (i.e., a wide array type inkjet head). The line printing type image forming apparatus includes a print head that ejects ink drops and reciprocates back and forth along a widthwise direction of the printing medium to form the image. The page printing type image forming apparatus also includes a print head, and a plurality of nozzles is arranged in the print head as long as a width of the printing medium. The page printing type image forming apparatus forms images in a line of the printing medium at once while the printing medium is being conveyed. In other words, the page printing type image forming apparatus can form an entire line of the image at one time.
A printing resolution of the line printing type image forming apparatus can be controlled by controlling a conveying speed of the printing medium. That is, it is possible that the line printing type image forming apparatus forms images with a higher printing resolution by reducing the conveying speed of the printing medium. If the conveying speed of the printing medium is reduced, images are formed even on a printing area on the printing medium between nozzles. As a result, the images can be formed with the higher printing resolution. However, it is difficult to control a printing resolution of the page printing type image forming apparatus by controlling a conveying speed of the printing medium, since the print head is typically fixed in the page printing type image forming apparatus and is not movable therein. Therefore, it is difficult to form images on the printing area on the printing medium between the nozzles using the page printing type image forming apparatus.
As described above, it is difficult to form images with higher printing resolution using the page printing type image forming apparatus, since the printing resolution is limited by a nozzle printing resolution that is defined by nozzles (i.e., a nozzle arrangement) of the print head. Therefore, research has been performed in an effort to improve the nozzle printing resolution by arranging a number of nozzles in a unit area of a head chip. However, arranging and/or increasing the number of nozzles in the unit area of the head chip typically decreases a yield of the head chip.
Furthermore, a heater for ejecting the ink may be easily deteriorated or an ink-ejection path may be blocked because the head chip may be inferior or may be used for a long-time use. As a result, some of nozzles may malfunction. The malfunctioning nozzles cannot eject ink drops. Thus, the nozzles that malfunction form a white line on the image printed on the printing medium, since no image is formed by the malfunctioning nozzles.

Ink ejection device, image forming apparatus having the same and method thereof with gap control of printhead and print medium


The present invention relates to a method for producing tetrahydridoborate salts with high efficiency at low cost. The method for the production of metal borohydride salts according to the present invention comprises the steps of providing an anhydrous metal borate salt and milling the anhydrous metal borate salt in the presence of a metal material based on magnesium or magnesium alloys in a hydrogen atmosphere at a temperature and for a time sufficient to produce the metal borohydride salt. In another embodiment of the invention, the method for the production of metal borohydride salts according to the present invention comprises the steps of providing an hydrated metal borate salt and milling the hydrated metal borate salt in the presence of a metal material based on magnesium or magnesium alloys in an inert gas atmosphere at a temperature and for a time sufficient to produce the metal borohydride salts. In a still further embodiment of the invention, the metal material based on magnesium or magnesium alloys is a secondary magnesium material, preferably a Class 2, Class 3, or Class 6 secondary magnesium material.

Borohydride salts, in particular tetrahydridoborate salts, e.g. sodium tetrahydridoborate or lithium tetrahydridoborate, have been used in various industries such as pharmaceutical, chemical, and pulp and paper industries. Recently, sodium tetrahydridoborate is becoming increasingly important for use as an energy source in fuel cell and battery applications. U.S. Pat. No. 6,534,033 discloses a method using sodium tetrahydridoborate as a feed to generate hydrogen for hydrogen fuel cell. U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,973 discloses a method using sodium tetrahydridoborate as an anode in electro-conversion cell. U.S. Patent application 2005/0175877 discloses a method wherein sodium tetrahydridoborate is being used as a reducing agent for continuous regeneration of the anode in a metal-air battery system.
In prior art, sodium tetrahydridoborate is commercially produced by the "Schlesinger process", which comprises steps of: converting boric acid from reaction with methanol into trimethoxy borate (B(OCH3)3); converting sodium metal from reaction with hydrogen into sodium hydride; producing sodium borohydride from reaction of sodium hydride with trimethoxy borate. In this process, the cost of sodium metal is a major factor in the overall cost of sodium tetrahydridoborate production. Sodium is commercially prepared by electrolysis from molten sodium chloride using "Downs cell" operating at about 600° C. to about 800° C. The addition of calcium chloride to sodium chloride lowers the melting point of the mixture to 600° C. from the melting point of sodium chloride at 800° C. Due to the high operating temperature, the process is comparatively expensive.
Because of the low energy efficiency in the current commercial processes and other operational issues associated with the processes, several alternative routes to synthesize borohydrides have been studied. U.S. Pat. No. 6,670,444 discloses a method using disproportionation of diborane with small hard Lewis bases, such as sodium methoxide and sodium hydroxide, to synthesize sodium borohydride. U.S. Pat. No. 6,586,563 discloses a method using reaction of borane or diborane with base compounds, such as sodium carbonate, to synthesize sodium borohydride. U.S. Pat. No. 6,524,542 discloses a method producing boron halides, and then converting boron halides into diborane for sodium borohydride synthesis. U.S. Patent application 2007/0128509 discloses a method for synthesizing sodium borohydride utilizing a sodium-sulfur electrochemical cell flow system for sodium production. U.S. Pat. No. 7,247,286 discloses a method for synthesizing sodium borohydride from sodium aluminium hydride with recycle of byproducts.
Also for the preparation of lithium tetrahydridoborate a number of different processes have been proposed. Direct formation of lithium tetrahydridoborate from the elements is possible in principle, however it requires extreme reaction conditions (150 atm. H2 pressure, 650° C.) and extraordinarily expensive apparatuses; in addition, elemental boron is not available cheaply. U.S. Pat. No. 7,288,236 discloses a method for the preparation of lithium tetrahydridoborate by reaction of lithium hydride with boron trifluoride, wherein lithium hydride is reacted with boron trifluoride in a molar ratio LiH:BF3 of >4.1:1, the reaction being carried out in an ethereal solvent whose boiling point at normal pressure is at least 50° C., and at temperatures of at least 10° C.
Furthermore, the conversion of the borates of sodium and lithium using high purity MgH2 to produce the tetrahydridoborate salts was reported. Li et al. "Preparation of sodium borohydride by the reaction of MgH2 with dehydrated borax through ball milling at room temperature", Journal of Alloys and Compounds (2003), 349(1), pages 232-236, investigates the possibility to synthesize NaBH4 by ball milling dehydrated Na2B4O7 with MgH2 in the presence of sodium-based compounds (e.g. NaOH, Na2CO3 and Na2O2). However, in view of a possible large-scale production of borohydride salts, due to the production costs associated to the use of high purity Mg H2, the above-mentioned methods are not economically feasible.
The object addressed by this invention is to provide an even more efficient and economical method for the production of borohydride hydride salts.


In a constant-velocity joint, an inner member thereof includes holders that serve to retain respective roller assemblies. When each of the holders is hypothetically divided into three equal parts made up of a proximal end portion, an intermediate portion, and a distal end portion from a side of an annular member, an inner wall surface of an inner roller of the roller assembly contacts only a side wall surface of the proximal end portion. The inner roller preferably has an inside diameter, which is minimum at a contact point that contacts the side wall surface of the proximal end portion. More specifically, the inside diameter of the inner roller gradually expands in diameter from the contact point to a side that faces toward the annular member, and further, gradually expands in diameter from the contact point to a side that faces toward the distal end portion.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a constant-velocity joint, which is interposed between a first transmission shaft and a second transmission shaft, for transmitting rotary drive power from the first transmission shaft to the second transmission shaft.
Description of the Related Art
Automobiles are arranged such that rotary drive power, which is generated by an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, or the like, is transmitted to the tires by drive power transmission shafts such as drive shafts, etc. In this case, the automobile is driven when the tires are rotated by the transmitted rotary drive power.
A constant-velocity joint is interposed between the drive power transmission shafts. The constant-velocity joint interconnects the drive power transmission shafts, such that the drive power transmission shafts can rotate about respective axes thereof.
One known type of constant-velocity joint is a tripod constant-velocity joint. Such a tripod constant-velocity joint includes an outer member having a bottomed cup, and an inner member that is fitted to the distal end of a drive power transmission shaft. Rollers, which are held by holders of the inner member, slide while rotating within respective guide grooves defined in an inner wall surface of the bottomed cup. When the drive power transmission shaft is tilted at a prescribed working angle, the holders are tilted relative to the rollers within the guide grooves in response to the inner member being tilted within the outer member.
If the rollers are tilted in following relation to the inclination of the holders, slippage occurs between the wall surfaces of the guide grooves and the rollers, thus resulting in an increase in sliding resistance. To avoid this problem, a structure has been proposed in which the posture of the rollers with respect to the guide grooves is maintained even if the holders are tilted. For example, in Japanese Patent No. 3984816, a constant-velocity joint is disclosed, in which the inner wall surface of each roller (referred to as "a ring" in Japanese Patent No. 3984816) and the side wall surface of each holder are placed in contact on a region, whereas the inner wall surface of the roller and the side wall surface of the holder are spaced away from each other on another region whereby a clearance is formed at the other region. The contact location between the inner wall surfaces of the rollers and the side wall surfaces of the holders normally is set at the center in the widthwise direction of the rings. Further, the holders are capable of being tilted about the contact location.


A system for remote resetting of franking meters is disclosed in which the meters communicate with a central resetting terminal. A transaction identification number (IDN) is generated at the resetting terminal and also at the meter. Initially the IDN's match. The IDN at the terminal is incremented when the terminal sends a recredit signal to the meter and accounts for the recredit amount. The IDN at the meter is incremented when the descending register of the meter is recredited. In response to a recredit request which includes the meter IDN the terminal compares the IDN from the meter with that stored at the terminal. If the IDN's match the terminal recredits the meter with the requested amount. If the comparison indicates that the IDN from the meter was not incremented in the preceding recredit routine, indicating that the meter was not recredited in the preceding routine, the terminal recredits the meter with the amount of the preceding request.

This invention relates to franking meter systems in which franking machines are utilized to frank postal items with a value of postage charge and in which funding of the franking machines with credit for use in franking is effected remotely.
Meters of franking machines for franking postal items and which are operated on a prepayment system are provided with a credit register which stores a value of credit for which payment has been made to a postal authority and which remains available for use in franking of mail items. Initially, upon payment to the postal authority, a value is entered into the credit register corresponding to the payment. As items are franked with postage charges, the value in the credit register is decremented by the postal charges and hence the decremented value represents the value remaining available for franking of postal items. When the value in the credit register has reduced to a predetermined value, which may be zero or a preset higher value, the accounting and control circuits of the franking meter prevent further franking operations until the user of the franking machine has purchased further credit from the postal authority and the value in the credit register has been incremented by the value of purchased credit. For reasons of security, the user of the machine is not permitted to have access to the interior of the franking meter or to any of the accounting circuits of the meter. According the addition of credit to the credit register is not permitted to be effected by the user of the machine. In known franking machines, the franking meter is a detachable module and when additional credit is to be entered in the meter the module is taken to the postal authority for resetting of the credit register. When the meter is returned to the postal authority for resetting the credit register, the postal authority is enabled to effect an auditing operation in which the contents of the credit register and other registers such as a tote register which records the total value of franking issued by the meter and an item counter which records the number of items franked by the meter are read. The auditing operation enables the postal authority to check usage of the machine as recorded by the various registers to ensure that the data in the registers is in agreement with usage of the machine since the preceding auditing.
The need to take the meter to a postal authority centre is inconvenient and time consuming to users of franking machines. The machine is not operable while the meter is removed for resetting and hence users need to anticipate their need for credit in order to prevent interruption to franking of mail items. In addition, the postal authority has to provide a resetting service at a large number of locations, for example at every main post office, in order to provide adequate accessibility of the service to customers.
In order to overcome the inconvenience of removing the meter and taking it to a postal authority resetting centre remote resetting systems have been proposed and are used. In one system, which is the subject of United Kingdom Patent No. 2173738, an electronic storage module is utilised to carry data between a postal authority resetting centre and franking machines at users locations. The module has credit data entered into and stored in it by the postal authority and after receipt thereof by the customer, the module is connected to the meter to enable the meter to read the credit data. The meter enters audit data into the module and upon return of the module to the postal authority, the postal authority reads the audit data and is enabled to carry out auditing of the usage of the meter. Thus the meter does not need to be removed from the franking machine and resetting is effected at the user's location. All data for the resetting of credit and auditing is carried by the module which is of sufficiently small size to be sent as a mail item between the user's location and the postal authority resetting centre. In order to provide security for the data transported in the module, the module also carries a code in the form of a pseudo-random number. This code is stored in the resetting computer and is written into the module together with the credit up-date value. The franking meter stores a code corresponding to that stored in the resetting computer. When the module is connected to the franking meter, the code in the module is compared with the code stored in the meter. If there is a match, the data in the module is accepted as valid. The code is changed after completion of each resetting transaction to prevent fraudulent resetting of the meter.
In another known system, resetting of the credit register of a franking meter is effected remotely by connecting the franking meter, by means of a modem, to the telephone network to provide direct communication with the resetting center computer. The procedure necessary for remote resetting of the register requires a sequence of messages to be passed between the franking meter and the resetting centre computer to enable the resetting centre computer not only to reset the credit value in the credit register but also to receive the accounting values stored in the other registers of the meter. If franking transactions were permitted to be carried out during the period in which the resetting procedure is taking place, accounting values stored in the registers of the franking meter would be changed in accordance with the postage value used in any franking transactions and accordingly auditing checks carried out to determine that the up-date credit value has been properly entered into the credit register and that the accounting data in other registers is in agreement could be indeterminate. Accordingly in a previously proposed system, which is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,792, after initiation of the resetting procedure the resetting computer sends a message to the franking meter which locks and inhibits the franking machine from carrying out franking transactions. Upon completion of the resetting procedure after an audit of the register values of the franking meter has been satisfactorily carried out by the resetting computer the resetting computer sends an unlock message which permits the franking machine to carry out franking transactions. While this system is satisfactory with regard to preventing use of the franking machine while a resetting procedure is in progress it is considered that it may be disadvantageous in that if there is a failure in the resetting procedure due for example to equipment failure or a to failure in the communication link between the franking meter and the resetting centre computer the franking machine will remain locked and unavailable for use in franking mail items even though there is sufficient credit available in the credit register for franking further mail items.


Highlight color imaging apparatus wherein tri-level images are created by using a transparency with optical densities suitable for forming a bi-level image having relatively high and intermediate voltage levels. A modulated light source is then employed to form a third voltage level on the imaging surface by reducing the intermediate voltage level to a relatively low residual voltage level.

This invention relates generally to highlight color imaging and, more particularly, to the formation of tri-level images for this purpose.
The invention can be utilized in the art of xerography or in related printing arts. In the practice of conventional xerography, it is the general procedure to form electrostatic latent images on a xerographic surface by first uniformly charging a photoconductive insulating surface or photoreceptor. The charge is selectively dissipated in accordance with a pattern of activating radiation corresponding to original images. The selective dissipation of the charge leaves a latent charge pattern on the imaging surface corresponding to the areas not struck by radiation.
This charge pattern is made visible by developing it with toner. The toner is generally a colored powder which adheres to the charge pattern by electrostatic attraction.
The developed image is then fixed to the imaging surface or is transferred to a receiving substrate such as plain paper to which it is fixed by suitable fusing techniques.
Multi-color imaging has also been accomplished utilizing basic xerographic techniques. In this instance, the foregoing process is essentially repeated for three or four cycles. Thus, the charged photoconductive surface is successively exposed to filtered light images. After each exposure the resultant electrostatic latent image is then developed with toner particles corresponding in color to the subtractive primary of the filtered light image. For example, when a red filter is employed, the electrostatic latent image is developed with toner particles which are cyan in color. The cyan toner powder image is then transferred to the copy sheet. The foregoing process is repeated for a green filtered light image which is developed with magenta toner particles and a blue filtered light image which is developed with yellow toner particles.
Each differently colored toner powdered image is sequentially transferred to the copy sheet in superimposed registration with the powder image previously transferred thereto. In this way, three or more toner powder images are transferred sequentially to the copy sheet. After the toner powder images have been transferred to the copy sheet, they are permanently fused thereto. The foregoing color imaging process is known as full color imaging.
Another color imaging process is known as highlight color imaging. In highlight color imaging two or more different color developers are customarily employed, usually black and some other color or colors, for example, red and/or blue. In one type of highlight color imaging, a tri-level image is formed on the imaging surface utilizing a three level ROS (Raster Output Scanner) to form the tri-level image on a charge retentive surface that had previously been uniformly charged. The tri-level image comprises two image areas and a background area.
The concept of tri-level xerography is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,929 issued in the name of Gundlach. The patent to Gundlach teaches the use of tri-level xerography as a means to achieve single-pass highlight color imaging. As disclosed therein, the charge pattern is developed with toner particles of first and second colors. The toner particles of one of the colors are positively charged and the toner particles of the other color are negatively charged. In one embodiment, the toner particles are supplied by a developer which comprises a mixture of triboelectrically relatively positive and relatively negative carrier beads. The carrier beads support, respectively, the relatively negative and relatively positive toner particles. Such a developer is generally supplied to the charge pattern by cascading it across the imaging surface supporting the charge pattern. In another embodiment, the toner particles are presented to the charge pattern by a pair of magnetic brushes. Each brush supplies a toner of one color and one charge. In yet another embodiment, the development system is biased to about the background voltage. Such biasing results in a developed image of improved color sharpness.
In tri-level xerography, the xerographic contrast on the charge retentive surface or photoreceptor is divided three, rather than two, ways as is the case in conventional xerography. The photoreceptor is charged, typically to 900 v. It is exposed imagewise, such that one image corresponding to charged image areas (which are subsequently developed by charged area development, i.e. CAD) stays at the full photoreceptor potential (V.sub.ddp or V.sub.cad, see FIGS. 1a and 1b). The other image is exposed to discharge the photoreceptor to its residual potential, i e. V.sub.c or V.sub.dad (typically 100 v) which corresponds to discharged area images that are subsequently developed by discharged-area development (DAD). The background areas are exposed such as to reduce the photoreceptor potential to halfway between the V.sub.cad and V.sub.dad potentials, (typically 500 v) and is referred to as V.sub.w or V.sub.white. The CAD developer is typically biased about 100 v closer to V.sub.cad than V.sub.white (about 600 v), and the DAD developer system is biased about 100 v closer to V.sub.dad than V.sub.white (about 400 v).
Because the composite image developed on the charge retentive surface consists of both positive and negative toner a pre-transfer corona charging step is necessary to bring all the toner to a common polarity so it can be transferred using corona charge of the opposite polarity.
In conventional tri-level imaging, a three level raster output scanner (ROS) is utilized. It has three operating states (i.e. "off", "full on" and "white level" or "half power"). Two of the output levels or states (i.e. "full on" and "white level") of the three level ROS must be well controlled. As will be appreciated, a highlight color imaging system using a ROS which has to be well controlled at only one state (i.e. "full on"), particularly where the "full on" state is at a substantially lower power level than required in a conventional system is highly desirable.
Various other methods of forming composite images may be relevant to the present invention:
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,167,324 (Wu) issued Sept. 11, 1979 discloses a technique whereby a latent image of an original document is formed on a photoreceptor by a light lens system along a first optical path while a modulated light beam input is directed along a second optical path to the surface of a stratified stylus belt. The belt is placed in proximity to the photoreceptor and acts to provide a charge pattern on the previously formed latent image in conformity with the information in the modulated laser input.
Another method of forming such images is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,822 (Kanbo) issued May 31, 1983. As disclosed therein, an electromagnetic recording medium is used which enables formation of a first electrostatic latent image in one layer thereof, as well as a second, magnetic latent image in a second layer thereof. The formation of the two images are synchronized and the composite latent image is subsequently developed by a specially designed developing device.
Still another method is to utilize an ion writing station as described in IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 22, No. 12, May 1980, pp. 5270-5271. For this technique, a latent electrostatic image of the original document is formed by a light/lens optical arrangement. At a downstream position an ion writing station deposits a selected charge pattern on an already discharged portion of the latent image. This charge pattern conforms to the information desired to be added to the original document image.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,546 issued in the name of Corona et al on Sept. 27, 1988 discloses an electrophotographic reproduction device which is capable of forming images of an original document modified by information added to or replacing information of the original. A latent image of the document is formed on a photosensitive surface and a portion of the image, in a first embodiment, is maintained at the original charge level. This fully charged section is subsequently discharged in an imagewise pattern by a compact annotator device. The annotator includes an illumination source, an addressable light modulator device such as a liquid crystal panel and a lens array for forming the modulated light pattern onto the photosensitive surface.

Tri-level xerographic two-color forms printer with slide attachment


The invention provides a liquid crystal compound having stability to heat, light and so forth, a wide temperature range of a nematic phase, a small viscosity, a suitable optical anisotropy, a suitable elastic constant K33, a suitable and negative dielectric anisotropy, and an excellent compatibility with other liquid crystal compounds. The invention provides a liquid crystal composition containing the compound described above and having stability to heat, light and so forth, a small viscosity, a suitable optical anisotropy, a suitable and negative dielectric anisotropy, a suitable elastic constant K33, a low threshold voltage, a high maximum temperature of a nematic phase, and a low minimum temperature of the nematic phase.

A liquid crystal display device typified by a liquid crystal display panel, a liquid crystal display module and so forth utilizes optical anisotropy, dielectric anisotropy and so forth which are possessed by a liquid crystal compound (a liquid crystal compound means in this invention a generic term for a compound having a nematic phase, a smectic phase and so forth, and a compound having no liquid crystal phases but useful as a component of a liquid crystal composition.). As operation modes of this liquid crystal display device, a variety of modes are known, such as a PC (phase change), TN (twisted nematic), STN (super twisted nematic), BTN (bistable twisted nematic), ECB (electrically controlled birefringence), OCB (optically compensated bend), IPS (inch-plane switching), VA (vertical alignment), or PSA (Polymer sustained alignment) mode.
It is known that among these operation modes, the ECB, IPS, VA modes and so forth are utilizing a homeotropic property of liquid crystal molecules, and that a limited-viewing angle which is a disadvantage of conventional display modes such as the TN and STN modes can be improved especially by use of the IPS and VA modes.
A large number of liquid crystal compounds in which hydrogen at the lateral position on the benzene-ring is replaced by fluorine have been studied until now as components for a liquid crystal composition having a negative dielectric anisotropy which is usable to the liquid crystal display device with these operation modes (For example, refer to the patent documents Nos. 1 to 5 or the non-patent documents Nos. 1 and 2.).
For example, the patent document No. 1 or the non-patent document No. 1 shows a three-ring compound such as formula (ref. 1) or formula (ref. 2). This compound has a range exhibiting liquid crystal phases (a mesophase range) that is narrow, and a clearing point that is low when used for a liquid crystal composition.
The patent document No. 2 shows a four-ring compound such as formula (ref. 3). However, the dielectric anisotropy of this compound is not sufficiently large negatively.
The patent document No. 3 shows a four-ring compound such as formula (ref. 4) or formula (ref. 5). However, a clearing point is low when this compound is used for a liquid crystal composition.
The patent document No. 4 shows a four-ring compound such as formula (ref. 6). However, the dielectric anisotropy of this compound is not sufficiently large negatively.
The patent document No. 5 shows a four-ring compound such as formula (ref. 7). However, the dielectric anisotropy of this compound is not sufficient large negatively.
The non-patent document No. 2 shows a four-ring compound such as formula (ref. 8). However, this compound has a range exhibiting liquid crystal phases (a mesophase range) that is narrow, and a clearing point that is low when used for a liquid crystal composition. Furthermore, the dielectric anisotropy has a positive value instead of a negative one.

The patent documents cited herein are No. 1: German Patent 3,906,058 C; No. 2: WO 89/08687 A; No. 3: WO 89/08689 A; No. 4: JP 2002-193853 A; and No. 5: German Patent 10,136,751 A (2002). The non-patent documents cited are No. 1: Liquid Crystals (1994), 16 (4), 625-641 and No. 2: Liquid Crystals (2004), 31 (8), 1151-1158.

Liquid crystal compound, liquid crystal composition and liquid crystal display device

Abstract: The invention also provides a liquid crystal display device having a short response time, a small power consumption, a low driving voltage, and a large contrast, and containing the composition described above which can be used in a large temperature range.

Abstract: For example, a liquid crystal compound having four or more rings in which the central ring has 2,3-difluorophenoxy such as trans-4′-[2,3-difluoro-4-(trans-4-propylcyclohexyl)phenoxymethyl]-trans-4-pentylbicyclohexyl is provided. Further provided is a liquid crystal composition containing the compound, and a liquid crystal display device using this liquid crystal composition.


A computer-implemented method includes displaying information from a mapping application on a first domain on a web page, displaying one or more portable program modules from a second domain on the web page, and generating a display on the mapping application based actions form the one or more portable program modules.

Many searches made by internet users involve some geographic components. The search itself may include geographic information, such as an address for which a map and driving directions are sought. The search may also implicitly call for geographic results, such as when the search includes the name of a business having a physical location. Such searches may be received by, and/or the results delivered by, an information provider service such as GOOGLE MAPS.
Application programming interfaces (APIs) may permit third parties to extend the functionality of a geographic information provider service. For example, using an API, programmers have taken data from apartment and house listings and have created applications that show those listings on a map such as with GOOGLE MAPS.

Incorporating gadget functionality on webpages


To provide an electronic device capable of preventing an enclosure from falling down without providing a stand and also improving heat dissipation of the enclosure. An electronic device (1) according to the present invention has a substrate (3) where a data storage unit (5) incorporating a storage medium is mounted, and a columned enclosure (2) for storing the substrate (3) in a standing posture, with an axial direction thereof directed to the vertical direction. The enclosure (2) has a pair of lateral walls (22, 23) opposite to the substrate (3) in the Y1-Y2 direction. The pair of lateral walls (22, 23) have a curved shape curved so that middle portions in the Z1-Z2 direction depart from the substrate (3) more than the respective both ends in the Z1-Z2 direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device, and in particular, to improvement of functionality by the shape of the external appearance thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been known an electronic device having a rectangular box-shaped enclosure for storing a substrate having a hard disk drive (HDD) mounted thereon, the electronic device for use with the enclosure in a standing posture.


During an alignment calibration process in a lithographic apparatus using a sensor to detect a property of a projected image at substrate level, a diffuser is inserted into the illumination beam to increase the range of angles of radiation incident on the substrate. Thereby it can be ensured that sufficient radiation enters the sensor even when there is a mismatch between the illumination mode used and the acceptance NA of the sensor.

A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g. comprising part of, one, or several dies) on a substrate (e.g. a silicon wafer). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion at one time, and so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through a radiation beam in a given direction (the "scanning"-direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate parallel or anti-parallel to this direction. It is also possible to transfer the pattern from the patterning device to the substrate by imprinting the pattern onto the substrate.
In device manufacturing methods using lithographic apparatus, an important factor in the yield, i.e. the percentage of correctly manufactured devices, is the accuracy within which layers are printed in relation to layers that have previously been formed. This is known as overlay and the overlay error budget will often be 10 nm or less. To achieve such accuracy, the substrate must be aligned to the mask pattern to be printed with great accuracy.
One known process for aligning the substrate and mask is known as off-line alignment and is performed in lithographic apparatus having separate measurement and exposure stations. It is a two-step process. First, at the measurement station, the positions of a plurality of, e.g. sixteen, alignment markers printed on the substrate relative to one or more fixed markers, known as fiducials and provided on the substrate table, are measured and stored. Then, the substrate table, with substrate still firmly fixed thereto, is transferred to the exposure station. The fiducial., as well as a marker detectable by an alignment sensor, also comprises a transmission image sensor (TIS). This is used to locate in space the position of an aerial image of a mask marker contained in the mask pattern that is to be exposed onto the substrate. Knowing the position of the TIS, and hence the fixed markers, relative to the image of the mask marker and also the positions of the substrate alignment markers relative to the fixed markers, it is possible to position the substrate in a desired position for correct exposure of the substrate to the mask pattern.
There are of course other known alignment methods, including through-the-lens methods in which an image of a grating mark on the mask is projected onto a grating mark on the substrate, or vice versa, using the projection system of the apparatus and alignment is detected by looking at the resulting diffracted light.
With the continual desire to image ever smaller patterns to create device with higher component densities, there is pressure to reduce overlay errors, which leads to a desire for improved alignment methods and systems.

Lithographic projection apparatus, device manufacturing methods and mask with sensor and diffuser for use in a device manufacturing method


The errors related to the resistance of test conductors and sense/load resistances for a pulse I-V measurement system are determined by making open circuit and through circuit measurements using a combination of DC and pulse instrument measurements.

The present invention relates to pulsed measurements and, in particular, to the measurement of I-V characteristics for semiconductor devices.
It is well-known to characterize semiconductor devices according to their I-V curves and similar measurements. Historically, such measurements are made with DC signals applied and measured. However, these DC measurements are not always suitable. For example, in many cases, these DC measurements result in significant heating of the devices resulting in measurements with little value.

Cable compensation for pulsed I-V measurements


A reception signal integrating method includes: calculating, in receiving a satellite signal, when a reception signal of the satellite signal is time-divided at an assumed period obtained by estimating code period time of a spread code of the satellite signal, a coefficient representing a period shift between a true period and the assumed period of the spread code using first portions and second portions having an assumed period different from that of the first portions in the reception signal; and integrating the reception signal using the coefficient.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a reception signal integrating method and a receiver.
2. Related Art
As a positioning system that utilizes a positioning signal, a GPS (Global Positioning System) is widely known. The GPS is used in a GPS receiver incorporated in a cellular phone, a car navigation system, and the like. The GPS receiver performs location calculation processing for calculating, on the basis of information such as the locations of plural GPS satellites and pseudo distances from the GPS satellites to the receiver, three-dimensional coordinate values indicating the location of the receiver and a clock error.
A GPS satellite signal is a type of a communication signal spread and modulated in a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) system conventionally known as a spread spectrum modulation system. As a method generally used in acquiring the GPS satellite signal from a reception signal, there is a method of performing correlation processing for the reception signal and a replica signal of a CA (Coarse and Acquisition) code, which is a spread code of the GPS satellite signal, while changing a frequency and a code phase (so-called correlation operation of a frequency direction and a phase direction; also referred to as frequency search and phase search) to determine a frequency and a code phase (e.g., JP-A-2007-256111).
In an environment in which the reception signal of the GPS satellite signal is in a weak electric field (e.g., an indoor environment; hereinafter referred to as "weak electric field environment"), since the reception signal is feeble, a difference does not appear in correlation values obtained by performing the correlation processing and, in some case, a peak of the correlation values is unknown. Therefore, a method of facilitating discrimination of the peak of the correlation values by performing, in the weak electric field environment or the like, integrating the reception signal over a predetermined period and performing the correlation processing for the integrated signal is used.
A carrier frequency of the GPS satellite signal is 1.57542 [GHz]. The CA code, which is the spread code of the GPS satellite signal, is a pseudo random noise code having a repetition period of 1 ms with a code-length 1023 chip set as a 1PN frame. A chip rate of the CA code is 1.023 [MHz]. Therefore, theoretically, the number of periods of a carrier wave per one chip is 1540. The number of periods per one code period of the CA code is 1540×1023=1,575,420.
However, a reception frequency in actual reception of the GPS satellite signal includes frequency errors due to a so-called Doppler frequency and an error of a local clock (a clock error). Because of the presence of these frequency errors, a code period estimated on a receiver side as one period of the CA code that should originally be a repetition period of 1 ms (this period is hereinafter referred to as "assumed period") deviates from a true period. At every 1,575,420 periods of the carrier wave, a period of the CA code is one code period. This period is the "true period". However, the receiver does not count a period of the carrier wave to determine a code period. The receiver assumes and determines the code period without counting the period of the carrier wave. More specifically, the receiver determines a frequency to equivalently assume the code period without directly assuming the code period.
Therefore, when the reception signal is time-divided, the carrier wave is not always time-divided at exactly the 1,575,420 periods and a some shift of a phase occurs. In other words, since the carrier wave is time-divided by assuming the code period, a shift occurs between a phase of the carrier wave at the start point of a certain code period and a phase of the carrier wave at the start point of the next code period (this shift is hereinafter referred to as "period shift"). The period shift is equivalent to a shift between the true period and the assumed period of the CA code. As explained above, the assumption of the code period can be synonymous with calculation of a reception frequency. Since the frequency errors are included in the reception frequency, the period shift occurs.
Even if it is attempted to integrate the reception signal in order to facilitate discrimination of a peak of the correlation values in the weak electric field environment, when the reception signal is integrated in a state in which the period shift occurs, in some case, the amplitude of the reception signal decreases on the contrary. This is because, when a signal is integrated while a period cannot be accurately grasped, a phase of the signal to be integrated shifts and it is likely that the signal with plus and minus of amplitude reversed is integrated. When the reception signal is integrated and the correlation processing is performed in a state in which the period shift occurs, it is also likely that a discriminated peak of correlation values is not a correct result.

Reception signal integrating method and receiver


A digital printing device, comprising a suction transport means (1). The suction transport means (1) comprises a transport belt (11) used for transporting a sheet material. At least one first suction box (14), which is used for sucking the sheet material on the transport belt (11) by means of negative pressure during transport, is provided in the space defined by the transport belt (11). Multiple first suction holes in communication with the first suction box (14) are provided on the transport belt (11). At least one side of the first suction box (14) is provided with a movable door (15) which moves in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction to make the first suction box (14) fit the sheet material to maintain a negative pressure state. Using the transport belt (11) during printing, the digital printing device avoids the problem of poor registration accuracy, and improves the printing effect.

On Traditional printers (sheet printers), there are generally two methods in transporting sheets to be printed, that is, a roller-to-roller paper transporting method and a roller suction transporting. If the sheet is transported by a roll-to-roller paper transporting method, requirements for the sheets will be strict. It is necessary to ensure that a leading end of a sheet has entered the second group of rollers when the rear end of the sheet leaves the first group of rollers, so as to ensure that the sheet goes forward normally. This may cause a minimum limit on the length of the sheet in a feeding direction. Moreover, a larger gap between the two rollers will cause that the pulling force is insufficient to send out the sheet, and a smaller gap between the two rollers will cause a larger pressure acting on the sheet, thereby the sheet may be crushed and the strength of the sheet will be affected. If the sheet is transported by the roller suction transporting method, the accuracy of transporting will be poor. Usually, the sheet will be printed in more than two colors, so the registration color accuracy between the two rollers will be relatively poor. In addition, in the suction and transportation process of the prior art, although an air door manually opened and closed is provided on a negative pressure suction box, the air door can only roughly adapt to the width of the sheet while being opened and closed. There are still leakages of air at some suction holes on both sides of the sheet, which causes a poor effect of negative pressure suction.

SHENZHEN HANWAY INDUSTRIAL DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.


A slide rail stopper having anti-opening and self-closing functions is installed on the storage box of a daily necessity such as a washing machine, a refrigerator, a cabinet or a desk so as to enable the storage box to be smoothly opened and closed. In the slide rail stopper, a housing has an elastic member inserting recess, a hinge pin, and a fixed rail coupling hole. An elastic member, into which a coil spring is inserted, is installed in the elastic member inserting recess. A rotary member having a holder is coupled to the hinge pin at the front of the elastic member inserting recess. A bracket protrudes from one side of the fixed rail, and is inserted into the fixed rail coupling hole.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slide rail stopper having anti-opening and self-closing functions, which is installed on a storage box of a daily necessity, such as a washing machine, a refrigerator, a cabinet or a desk, so as to enable the storage box to be smoothly opened and closed, and particularly, so as to enable the storage box to be automatically closed when a slide pin arrives at a holder of the stopper, and to be prevented from being spontaneously opened by self-vibration of the daily necessity, external pressure or the like after the storage box is closed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a slide rail is mounted on a variety of daily necessities. More specifically, the slide rail is installed on both sides of a storage box of the daily necessity so as to enable a user to easily open or close the storage box by pushing or pulling the slide rail with the minimum force (pressure) in a horizontal direction when the storage box is opened or closed.
The storage box is designed so that these slide rails are inserted into the fixed rails on both sides of a body of the daily necessity so as to be moved forward or backward, and so that a linear bearing is mounted between the fixed rail and the slide rail.
Since the linear bearing is installed between the fixed rail and the slide rail, the storage box is smoothly opened or closed by pushing or pulling the slide rails with the minimum force when opened or closed. At this time, the storage box must be closed by pushing the slide rail with a predetermined force until it is completely closed. Further, when the slide rail is pushed with a temporal strong force, the storage box is opened in a backward direction by a repulsive force, and thus must be closed again.
Further, in the case of the daily necessity such as the washing machine that is subjected to self-vibration or impact caused by external pressure, the closed storage box is spontaneously opened due to the vibration or the impact. In the case of the refrigerator, this spontaneous opening operation of the storage box causes refrigerated and frozen foodstuffs to be deteriorated, and increases consumption of power to become uneconomical.

Slide rail stopper having anti-opening and self-closing functions


A tubular coupling is provided having first and second tubular elements. An annular cage is fixedly mounted on the outer surface of a first section of the first tubular element for defining a chamber with the first section for housing a garter spring. The chamber has an annular passage through which a flared end part extending from a first portion of the second tubular element passes during assembly of the first and second tubular elements to permit the garter spring to pass over the flared end part and contract about the first portion for securing the tubular elements in assembly. An expander ring is provided for expanding and centering the garter spring prior to assembly. Further provided are O-rings retained on the outer surface of the first tubular element for sealing the first tubular element to the second tubular element. The O-rings engage with the second tubular element just before the first and second tubular elements are secured in assembly.

The present invention relates to fluid line couplings and, more particularly, to quick-connect tubular couplings.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,359, a quick-connect tubular coupling is disclosed comprising a pair of tubular elements which, when properly assembled with one another, form a fluid-tight coupling. The first tubular element is provided with an externally mounted cage which houses a garter spring. The end of the second tubular element is flared and sized to be received in the cage. The two tubular elements are assembled by pushing the second tubular element over the first tubular element so that the flared end of the second tubular element enters the cage and forces the garter spring to expand and pass over same. After passing over the flared end, the garter spring is interposed between the cage and the flared end for securing the first and second tubular elements in assembly.
Fluid is prevented from passing from the coupling by a pair of O-rings retained on the first tubular element. The O-rings are positioned at spaced-apart locations along the outer surface of the first tubular element and engage with the inner surface of the second tubular element during assembly. The O-rings are sized so that they are compressed between the two tubular elements after assembly to produce the requisite seal.
Because of their size, the O-rings create frictional resistance to the assembly of the two tubular elements with the resistance increasing when both O-rings are compressed. The resulting frictional resistance has sometimes resulted in an operator mistakenly believing that the coupling has been properly connected when, in fact, it has not. If proper connection is not made, the first and second tubular elements will eventually separate during normal operation resulting in loss of fluid from the system.
Assembly of the first and second tubular elements is further hindered by the substantial force required to expand the garter spring so that it can pass over the flared end of the second tubular element. If the coupling is located in a difficult to reach location of an engine compartment, the substantial force required to expand the garter spring can be especially problematic.
A further problem occurs when the garter spring becomes trapped between the cage and the flared end of the second tubular element. When this occurs, the garter spring is prevented from passing over the flared end of the second tubular element. This may result when the garter spring is not properly centered about the first tubular element prior to assembly.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved tubular coupling which can be easily assembled by an operator with little risk that an improper connection will be made.