A track-guided vehicle wheel truck prevents wear and deterioration of a guide wheel and a guide rail, and ensures running stability while simplifying the structure. In the track-guided vehicle wheel truck, a guide frame 8 to which a guide wheel 9 guided by a guide rail 1 is mounted, can turn relative to a steering axle 6 of a running wheel 5. A support shaft 21 is provided on an axle bracket 20 provided in the steering axle 6 so as to be movable in the vehicle front and rear direction by straddling the steering axle 6. A link lever 22 capable of interlocking the turning of the guide frame 8 and the steering of the running wheel 5 is provided along the vehicle front and rear direction. A vehicle end-side end part of the link lever 22 is rotatably mounted to a connecting rod 19 that enables the steering of the running wheel 5. An intermediate part of the link lever 22 is rotatably mounted to the guide frame 8. A long hole 22a extending in the vehicle front and rear direction is provided in a center-side end part of the link lever 22. The long hole 22a and the support shaft 10 are rotatably engaged with each other at a given position.

In general, a track-guided vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a "vehicle"), such as a subway car, or a new transportation system vehicle, runs along a track while being guided by a guide rail arranged along the track. In a wheel truck of a conventional vehicle, a running wheel of a rubber tire, or the like, is arranged facing in a fixed direction at all times relative to a guide wheel guided by the guide rail. Therefore, the direction of the running wheel is changed only by following the guide rail. However, when the vehicle moves into a curved guide rail, a large guide wheel working force directed toward the guide rail is applied to the guide wheel due to a force generated by the running wheel traveling straight or a centrifugal force acting on the vehicle. The guide wheel and the guide rail are thereby brought into contact with each other at a great pressure. As a result, there occurs a problem in that wear and deterioration are easily caused on the guide wheel and the guide rail.
To solve the problem, a cornering force on the running wheel opposing to the guide wheel working force, is increased, to thereby reduce the contact pressure of the guide wheel and the guide rail. As a method of increasing the cornering force, a steering mechanism for steering the running wheel is provided in the wheel truck of the vehicle, and the running wheel is steered by the steering mechanism so as to increase a slip angle (a steering angle) when the vehicle moves into the curved guide rail.
A wheel truck including such a steering mechanism is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In Patent Document 1, a pair of running wheels is connected to each other by an axle so as to be rotatable by a kingpin, and can be also interlocked with each other by a tie rod arranged along the vehicle width direction. Meanwhile, a guide wheel guided by a guide rail is mounted to a guide frame, and the guide frame can be turned around the center position between the pair of running wheels relative to the axle. Furthermore, a steering rod, for steerably connecting one of the pair of running wheels to the guide frame, is arranged along the vehicle width direction. One end part of the steering rod is mounted to a steering arm for steering one of the pair of running wheels, and the other end part of the steering rod is mounted to the guide frame so as to be movable in the vehicle front and rear direction. In addition, an actuator, which is extensible and retractable in the vehicle front and rear direction, is provided on the guide frame, and the end part on the guide frame side of the steering rod is mounted to the actuator. By the movement of the end part on the guide frame side of the steering rod along with the operation of the actuator, the distance between the end part and the turning center of the guide frame (or the axle) is changed relative to the distance between the end part on the running wheel side of the steering rod and the axle, so that the steering rod adopts a posture tilting relative to the axle. As a result, the displacement of the steering arm changes with the movement of the steering rod, and therefore, the slip angle of the running wheel steered by the steering arm is changed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An arrangement for authenticating a transaction between a user's mobile device and an entity such as a corporate server is disclosed. The user's universal integrated circuit card (UICC) is adapted to generate a time-dependent authentication code which is dependent on a time value and which is usable to authenticate the transaction only during a predetermined period. A time verification processor verifies a time value to ensure that the time-dependent authentication code was generated based on the correct time value. The time value is based on the UTC time obtained from UTC clock. The verified time is used to generate a “one-time” password (authentication code) by the authentication code calculator of the UICC. This is used to authenticate a transaction with the corporate network.

Often transactions are authenticated between a user and an entity by the user providing that entity with a password or PIN which is in principle known only to the user and the entity. A problem with such authentication arrangements is that the password or PIN may become known to an unauthorised person, who may then be able to illegitimately perform transactions which appear to the entity to be requested by the user.
It is known to improve such authentication arrangements by using so-called "one-time" or "dynamic" passwords that are valid for only a predetermined time interval, typically one minute or less, or are used only once. With such an arrangement, even if the password or PIN is intercepted, the interception of the password or PIN will not facilitate illegitimate performance of transactions after the password or PIN has expired at the end of the predetermined time period.
One such known arrangement is RSA SecurID® authentication. With this system a user is provided with a "token", which may be a hardware or software component that is assigned to a particular user and which generates an authentication code using an algorithm at fixed time intervals (for example, every minute). Such tokens include a random key that is specific to the user (known as a "seed"), which random key is also known to a RSA SecurID server. The random key is typically 128 bits long. A hardware token typically includes an LCD display which displays the authentication code, which is generated using the random key, and that is valid for the current one minute time period.
If the token is a hardware token, it will typically include a tamper resistant built-in clock which is used to determine the time intervals at which a new authentication code should be calculated. If the token is a software token, then typically access to a time source will be provided in order to determine the time interval for calculating each new authentication code. The time may be provided by Network Time Protocol (NTP), for example.
When a user wishes to perform a transaction, such as accessing a remote server, to perform the authentication, the user provides a user ID, a password or PIN, and the authentication code displayed at the moment of login on the display of the securID token. The user ID and password or PIN are checked by the remote server and the authentication code is provided to the securID server for validation. The securID server includes its own real-time clock (which is effectively synchronised with the clock of the token) and a database of valid securID tokens and their random key/seed. The secure ID server uses the same algorithm as the secure ID token to compute what the authentication code should be at that moment in time, and then determines whether the authentication code that it has calculated corresponds with the authentication code provided by the secure ID token and transmitted via the remote server. If the authentication codes match, then the secure ID server indicates to the remote server that authentication has been completed satisfactorily. Access to the remote server is allowed if the user ID, password/PIN and the authentication code match the expected values.
Whilst a secure ID token provides a relatively secure arrangement for authenticating transactions, it does require the user to carry the authentication token with them at any time at which they may wish to perform a transaction. Some users find this inconvenient.

Authenticating a transaction when a connection to a network becomes unavailable


A plunger holder for storage of a plunger for easy access. The plunger holder provides drainage to avoid mildew and a removable drip tray for easy cleaning. The plunger holder comprises an enclosure, the enclosure having a first end and a second end, the first end having a lid opening, the second end having a drip tray opening; a lid adapted to fit the lid opening; a drip tray slidably insertable in the drip tray opening; and a support mounted within the enclosure above the drip tray. In one embodiment, the plunger holder can have ventilation openings. In yet another embodiment, the plunger holder can have an air freshener holder.

The technical field of this invention is receptacles, particularly, receptacles for holding a plunger.
Bathroom drains and toilets can easily become clogged, requiring a plunger to unclog them. Often, the plunger may not be nearby for convenient use. Guests or other users may be embarrassed by having to ask for a plunger or requesting someone to do the plunging for them. In addition, storing a wet plunger in a closed area out of the way may give rise to mildew and unpleasant odors. Dirt and debris may also accumulate where the plunger drains after use.
It would be desirable to have a plunger holder that would overcome the above disadvantages.
One aspect of the present invention provides a plunger holder that allows the plunger to be stored where needed for use.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a plunger holder that allows the plunger to dry after use to avoid mildew growth.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a plunger holder that helps conceal unpleasant odors.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a plunger holder that allows easy cleanup of dirt and debris.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the invention, rather than limiting the scope of the invention being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.


This invention aims to achieve appropriate communication even when a radio frame configuration which may involve short-time feedback is used. In an aspect of this invention, provided is a user terminal in a system which performs communication based on a TTI (Transmission Time Interval) length, the equipment including a transmission and reception unit which transmits and/or receives capability information concerning a supportable delay, and a control unit which performs control to receive a certain downlink radio resource and/or transmit a certain uplink radio resource at a time interval equal to or greater than the delay.

In UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) networks, LTE (Long Term Evolution) has been specified to achieve, e.g., higher data rates and lower delays (non-patent literature 1). To achieve broader bands and higher speeds than LTE, successors to LTE (called, e.g., LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), FRA (Future Radio Access), 5G (5th generation mobile communication systems), and New-RAT (Radio Access Technology)) are also under study.
Existing LTE systems utilize control based on TDD (Time Division Duplex) or FDD (Frequency Division Duplex). In, e.g., TDD, the use of each subframe for either a UL (Uplink) or a DL (Downlink) is strictly defined on the basis of the UL/DL configuration.

Terminal and radio communication method for managing a supportable delay using capability information


Multiple piezoelectric elements 35 are arranged in a row along the top of liquid level in a reaction vessel 11. An ultrasonic reflecting material 38 is installed on the bottom of the portion of the heat insulating bath 12 where heat insulating medium 13 is stored. A lateral ultrasonic wave 9b is generated on the lower side by actuation of the piezoelectric element 35. Wave 9b is reflected by the ultrasonic reflecting material 38. As lower ultrasonic wave 8 advances along the wall surface of the reaction vessel, it collides with the specimen liquid, thereby causing a portion of the liquid level closer to the piezoelectric element 35 to be raised. When lateral ultrasonic wave 9a is applied to this portion, it reaches the inclined portion of the raised liquid level of the specimen. Swirling flow by agitation 36 is produced by acoustic radiation pressure of the ultrasonic wave. The specimen and reagent are mixed and agitated by this swirling flow.

The resent invention relates to the automatic analyzer which uses reagent or the like to analyze the components of the specimen as objects of analysis, and particularly to the automatic analyzer provided with an agitator to ensure that reagent required for analysis of specimen components is mixed with the specimen.
To mix reagent with the specimen in the agitator of the conventional automatic analyzer, an agitating rod 61 having a spatula-shaped tip is inserted into the reaction vessel where reagent is mixed with the specimen, and the agitating rod is rotated or moved in reciprocating motion.
For example, the agitating rod 61 having a spatula-shaped tip is inserted into the reaction vessel 11 containing a mixture of reagent and specimen as shown in FIG. 9(a), and the agitating rod 61 is rotated by an actuator 60. Or the agitating rod 61 having a spatula-shaped tip is inserted into the reaction vessel 11 containing a mixture of reagent and specimen as shown in FIG. 9(b), and the agitating rod 61 is moved in reciprocating motion by an actuator 60.
When this conventional automatic analyzer is used, a trace amount of chemicals or specimens deposited on the agitating rod will cause a phenomenon called carry-over which affects the result of the next analysis. This requires some means to clean the agitating rod.
Official Gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open NO.311204/1997 discloses an example of using a piezoelectric element as dispensing nozzle cleaning means. The cleaning means disclosed in this Journal gives mechanical oscillation to the nozzle itself to remove reagent or specimen deposited on the dispensing nozzle. It uses oscillation of the piezoelectric element to improve nozzle cleaning effect. This is not effective as an agitating means to promote mixing between reagent and specimen.
To reduce physical loads of the specimen provider or to cut down system running costs for the automatic analyzer, efforts are made to reduce the amount of the specimen and reagent required for analysis of each item.
In this case, if the amount of the specimen and reagent is reduced in the reaction vessel having the same capacity as that of the conventional reaction vessel as shown in FIG. 10(b), the area which light to be measured passes by will be smaller than when the amount of the specimen and reagent shown in FIG. 10(a) is not reduce. This will result in reduced measuring accuracy.
To get an accurate measurement of the reduced amount of the specimen and reagent, it is necessary to reduce the capacity of the reaction vessel and to secure the liquid level of the specimen and reagent and light transmission area, as shown in FIG. 10(c).
However, it becomes difficult to physically insert and to reciprocate the agitating rod due to reduced capacity of the reaction vessel in case of the automatic analyzer using the reaction vessel having a reduced capacity, where the agitating rod having a spatula-shaped tip in the agitator to mix the reagent with the specimen is inserted into said reaction vessel to rotate the agitating rod or move it in reciprocating motion. Therefore, an agitation mechanism to agitate the reagent with the specimen without using the agitating rod becomes to be needed.
Furthermore, even if the agitating rod is cleaned, it is impossible to completely eliminate the phenomenon of carry-over where a trace amount of specimen or reagent is carried over to the next analysis. It is also impossible to eliminate the possibility of water for cleaning being brought into the reaction vessel by the agitating rod.
Said carry-over and transfer of cleaning water into the vessel will have some adverse effect on the result of analysis when the capacity of the reaction vessel is reduced and the quality of reagent and specimen is decreased.
The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analyzer which is capable of effective agitation of the reagent and specimen, in a case to be difficult to insert the agitation rod because of a small capacity of the reaction vessel, by a method to agitate the reagent and specimen without touching thereto and without carry-over between specimens or water brought into the next process, thereby ensuring highly reliable results of analysis.
The above object can be attained by the present invention which is configured as described below:
(1) An automatic analyzer comprises the following:
an analyzer unit to analyze the components of a specimen to be analyzed,
a heat insulating bath to support a reaction vessel and to hold the heat insulating medium to keep a constant temperature of liquid mixture between said specimen for analysis stored in said reaction vessel and reagent or others,
a controller to administer and control the entire system including said analyzer unit,
an agitator installed on the side of the reaction vessel supported by said heat insulating bath, wherein
said agitator comprises multiple ultrasonic generators to generate lateral ultrasonic wave and a reflecting means to reflect ultrasonic wave from said ultrasonic generators and to irradiate lower ultrasonic wave toward the liquid level of liquid mixture from the bottom of said reaction vessel, and
said agitator mixes and agitates the specimen in the reaction vessel, reagent or the like using the swirling flow generated by acoustic radiation pressure by coordination between said lateral ultrasonic wave and lower ultrasonic wave, and
an ultrasonic generator drive circuit to supply drive power to said ultrasonic generator.
(2) An automatic analyzer comprises the following:
an analyzer unit to analyze the components of a specimen to be analyzed,
a heat insulating bath to support a reaction vessel and to hold the heat insulating medium to keep a constant temperature of liquid mixture between said specimen for analysis stored in said reaction vessel and reagent or others,
wherein the bottom is inclined with respect to said liquid mixture level to serve as an ultrasonic wave reflecting means,
a controller to administer and control the entire system including said analyzer unit,
an agitator installed on the side of the reaction vessel supported by said heat insulating bath, wherein
said agitator comprises multiple ultrasonic generators to generate lateral ultrasonic wave, and
said agitator mixes and agitates the specimen in the reaction vessel, reagent or the like using the swirling flow generated by acoustic radiation pressure by coordination between lower ultrasonic wave and said lateral ultrasonic wave;
wherein said lower ultrasonic wave is generated when ultrasonic wave generated from said ultrasonic generator is reflected against the bottom of said heat insulating bath, and said lower ultrasonic wave is irradiated from the bottom of said reaction vessel toward the liquid mixture level, and
an ultrasonic generator drive circuit to supply drive power to said ultrasonic generator.
(3) An automatic analyzer comprises the following:
an analyzer unit to analyze the components of a specimen to be analyzed,
a reaction vessel storing the specimen for analysis and liquid mixture with reagent or the like, wherein the bottom is inclined with respect to said liquid mixture level to serve as an ultrasonic wave reflecting means,
a heat insulating bath to support a reaction vessel and to hold the heat insulating medium to keep a constant temperature of liquid mixture between said specimen for analysis stored in said reaction vessel and reagent or others,
a controller to administer and control the entire system including said analyzer unit,
an agitator installed on the side of the reaction vessel supported by said heat insulating bath, wherein
said agitator comprises multiple ultrasonic generators to generate lateral ultrasonic wave, and
said agitator mixes and agitates the specimen in the reaction vessel, reagent or the like using the swirling flow generated by acoustic radiation pressure by coordination between lower ultrasonic wave and said lateral ultrasonic wave;
wherein said lower ultrasonic wave is generated when ultrasonic wave generated from said ultrasonic generator is reflected against the bottom of said reaction vessel, and said lower ultrasonic wave is irradiated toward the liquid level of said liquid mixture stored in said reaction vessel, and
an ultrasonic generator drive circuit to supply drive power to said ultrasonic generator.
(4) An automatic analyzer described in above (1), (2) and (3) preferably characterized in that the material of said ultrasonic wave reflecting means has acoustic impedance different from that of the heat insulating medium in the heat insulating bath which transmits ultrasonic wave generated from the ultrasonic generator.
(5) An automatic analyzer in above (1) and (2) characterized in that said ultrasonic wave reflecting means has a mechanism to change the ultrasonic irradiation position and ultrasonic irradiation angle.
The ultrasonic generator is actuated, and the lower ultrasonic wave reflected by the ultrasonic wave reflecting means advances along the wall surface of the reaction vessel to collide with a liquid level part of liquid mixture which is closer to a lateral ultrasonic generator, thereby the liquid level part being closer to the lateral ultrasonic generator than a center of the reaction vessel is raised higher than the liquid level part not being closer to the lateral ultrasonic generator than the center of the reaction vessel. Lateral ultrasonic wave is applied to this raised portion.


A stacking device for print products that includes a table to receive the print products such that the print products form a stack. The device also includes at least two ejector elements arrangeable against the stack to push the stack in an ejection direction away from the table. The stacking devices further includes at least two drive elements operatively connected, respectively, with the at least two ejector elements so that the at least two ejector elements move independent of one another.

The subject matter of the application relates to a stacking device for print products. The device comprises a table on which the print products may be stacked and at least two ejector elements or pushers. The ejector elements may be respectively placed against a stack forming on the table and may push the formed stack away from the table. The device may be furthermore provided with drive elements for operating the two ejector elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,548A provides a stacking device with two endlessly circulating chains, arranged on a rotating table, with respectively two finger-type ejector elements attached thereto that project in an upward direction. By simultaneously moving respectively one ejector element on each chain, the stack may be pushed away from the table and can thus be ejected. Since the stack simultaneously fits against two ejector elements during the ejection operation, a rotating of the stack on the table is to be avoided. The two chains are driven with the aid of a single motor and are moved synchronously during the ejection operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,149 discloses a stacking device for which only one ejector element is attached to two chains, moving one above the other, wherein this ejector element acts upon the stack. A different stacking device is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,785, which is also provided with a single ejector element that acts upon the stack and is mounted on two chains, moving one above the other. Additional stacking devices are disclosed in European patent documents EP-A-0 829 441 and the EP-A-1 362 817, which are commonly owned by the Assignee. However, such devices include a stack lift which requires manual interventions in case of a format change. Further, in known stacking devices, the back length of the print products to be stacked, meaning of the respective stack, may be delimited by adjustable flaps that must be opened and closed. This may result in high stress and extend the cycle time.


An improved electrically programmable and erasable memory device having a plurality of addressable single transistor cells, each transistor having spaced source and drain regions, a floating gate and a control gate. The improvement is a new tunneling insulator layer structure between the floating gate and the control gate. The improved tunneling layer is a dual layer formed of a outer silicon oxide layer and an inner silicon oxynitride layer.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to single transistor electrically programmable and erasable memory devices.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5067108 discloses an electrically programmable and erasable memory device wherein each cell has a single transistor provided with a floating gate of polycrystalline silicon and a control gate located over a channel region defined by source and drain regions.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a single transistor non-volatile electrically alterable semiconductor memory cell 10. The cell 10 comprises a semiconductor substrate 12, such as silicon. The substrate 12, in one embodiment, can be a P-type silicon substrate with a typical resistivity from 5 to 50 ohm-cm, depending on the level of scaling.
Within the substrate 12 are defined source region 16 and drain region 14 with a channel region 18 therebetween. Disposed over the source region 16, channel region 18, and drain region 14 is a first layer 20 of insulating material, on the order of between about 70-200 Angstroms of thickness. The first layer 20 can be an insulating material made from silicon dioxide, silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride. Disposed over the first layer 20 is a floating gate 22. The floating gate 22 is positioned over a portion of the channel region 18 and over a portion of the drain region 14. The floating gate 22 can be a polysilicon gate or a re-crystallized polysilicon gate. A second insulating layer 25 has a first portion 24 disposed over the floating gate 22 and a second portion 26 disposed adjacent to the floating gate 22. The first portion 24 (top wall 24) of the second layer 25 is an insulating material and can be silicon dioxide, silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride and is on the order of between about 1000-3000 Angstroms in thickness. The second portion of the second layer 25 is also of an insulating material and can be silicon dioxide, silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride and is on the order of 150-2000 angstrom in thickness. A control gate 29 has two portions: A first portion 28 is disposed over the top wall 24 of the second layer 25; a second portion 30 is disposed over the first layer 20 and is immediately adjacent to the side wall 26 of the second layer 25. The second portion 30 of the control gate 29 extends over a portion of the source region 16 and over a portion of the channel region 18.
In general, the dimensions of the cell 10 must be such that electrons emanating from the source region 16 are injected onto the floating gate 22 by sensing the abrupt potential drop. Further, the dimensions of cell 10 must be such that charges from the floating gate 22 are removed by tunneling through the Fowler-Nordheim mechanism through the second layer 25 onto the control gate 29. The particular manner of operating the cell 10 is as follows:
Initially, when it is desired to erase cell 10, a ground potential is applied to the drain 14 and to the source 16. A high-positive voltage, on the order of +15 volts, is applied to the control gate 29. Charges on the floating gate 22 are induced through the Fowler-Nordheim tunneling mechanism to tunnel through the second layer 25 to the control gate 29, leaving the floating gate 22 positively charged.
When selective cells 10 are desired to be programed, a ground potential is applied to the source region 16. A positive voltage level in the vicinity of the threshold voltage of the MOS structure defined by the control gate 29, (on the order of approximately of +1 volt), is applied to the control gate 29. A positive high voltage, on the order of +12 volts, is applied to the drain region 14. Electrons generated by the source region 16 will flow from the source region 16 towards the drain region 14 through a weakly-inverted channel region 18. When the electrons reach the region where the control gate 29 meets the side wall 26, the electrons see a steep potential drop approximately equal to the drain voltage, across the surface region defined by the gap of the side wall 26. The electrons will accelerate and become heated and some of them will be injected into and through the first insulating layer 20 onto the floating gate 22.
The injection of electrons onto the floating gate 22 will continue until the charged floating gate 22 can no longer sustain a high surface potential beneath, to generate hot electrons. At that point, the electrons or the negative charges in the floating gate 22 will "turn off" the electrons from flowing from the source region 16 onto the floating gate 22.
Finally, in a read cycle, ground potential is applied to the source region 16. Conventional transistor read voltage, such as +2 volts and +5 volts, are applied to the drain region 14 and to the control gate 29, respectively. If the floating gate 22 is positively charged (i.e., the floating gate is discharged), then the channel region 18 directly beneath the floating gate 22 is turned on. When the control gate 29 is raised to the read potential, the region of the channel region 18 directly beneath the second portion 30 is also turned on, causing electrical current to flow from the drain region 14 to the source region 16. This would be the "1" state.
On the other hand, if the floating gate 22 is negatively charged, the channel region 18 directly beneath the floating gate 22 is either weakly turned on or is entirely shut off. Even when the control gate 29 and the drain region 14 are raised to the read potential, little or no current will flow through the portion of the channel region 18 directly beneath the floating gate 22. In this case, either the current is very small compared to that of the "1" state or there is no current at all. In this manner, the cell 10 is sensed to be programed at the "0" state.
Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a memory device 40. The memory device 40 has an array 50 of memory cells. The peripheral circuitry on the device 40 includes conventional row address decoding circuitry 52, column address decoding circuitry 42, sense amplifier circuitry 44, output buffer circuitry 46 and input buffer circuitry 48. These conventional circuits correspond to the peripheral devices of the prior art.
The interconnection of the source, drain and gate of each of the cell 10 to the memory array 50 is as follows: All of the source 16 of each of the memory cell 10 are connected to the other through a common source line. The drain 14 of each of the cell 10 in the same column are connected together. Thus, column 18a has connected thereto the drain from each of the cell 10 in the leftmost column. The plurality of columns 18(a . . . z) are connected to the column address decode 42. The gate 28 of each of the memory cells 10 in the same row are connected together. Thus, the row signal line 62a connects to the gate 28 of each of the memory cells 10 in the uppermost row. The plurality of rows 62(a . . . z) are supplied to the row address decode 52.
In the operation of the memory array 50, in the event erased mode is desired, the plurality of column address lines 18(a . . . z) are all brought to a ground potential. The common source line 16 is also brought to a ground potential. The plurality of row address lines 62(a . . . z) are all brought to a high positive potential, such as +15 volts. In this manner, all of the memory cells 10 in the memory array 50 are erased. When only a selected row of the memory array 50 is to be erased, the particular row address line, e.g., 62m, is raised to a high positive potential, such as +15 volts with the rest of the row addresses at ground potential. In this manner only the memory cells in row 62m are erased.
Thereafter, for selective programming of selected memory cells 10, programming is accomplished as follows: The common source line 16 is again brought to ground potential. The particular row address line 62m, which is connected to the gate 28 of the particular memory cell 10 to be programed is brought to a +1 volt. The unselected row address lines 62(a . . . l,n . . . z) are brought to a ground potential. The column address line 18m of the particular memory cell 10 selected is brought to a high positive potential, such as +12 volts. The unselected column lines 18(a . . . l,n . . . z) are brought to a ground potential.
The voltage supplied to the various contacts of the selected memory cell 10 are as follows: Drain 14 is brought to a +12 volts, source 16 is brought to a ground potential, and gate 28 is brought to +1 volt. This causes programming of the selected memory cell 10, as previously discussed.
The voltage supplied to the unselected memory cell 10 can have the following possible voltage potentials supplied thereto: For all of the memory cells 10 in the selected row 62m, the source 16 is at ground potential, the drain 14 is at ground potential, and the gate is at +1 volt. In this condition, since the drain 14 is at the same potential as the potential of the source 16, electrons will not migrate from the source 16 through the channel region 18, beneath the control gate 29, onto the floating gate 22.
For all the memory cells in the same column 18m as the selected memory cells 10, the voltage potential applied to the various regions are as follows: Source 16 is at ground potential, drain 14 is at +12 volts, the control gate 28 is at ground potential. In this configuration, although the drain 14 is at a higher positive potential than the source 16, there is no induced channel beneath the control gate 28. Thus, there is no flow of electrons from the source 16 to the control gate 28 and through the first insulating layer 20 to the floating gate 22.
Finally, with respect to the memory cells that are not in the same row 62m or in the same column 18m as the selected memory cell 10, the voltage potential applied to the various regions of the memory cell 10 are as follows: Ground potential to the source 16, ground potential to the gate 28 and ground potential to the drain 14. In this configuration, or course, no electron flow occurs at all.
Finally, when a read operation is desired, the common source line 16 is brought to a ground potential. The selected column address line 18m, supplied to the selected memory cell 10, is brought to a +2 volts. The selected row address line 62m, connected to the selected memory cell 10, is brought to a +5 volts. The selected memory cell 10 can thus be read out.
A critical aspect of the aforedescribed memory device is the integrity of the layer 26 over the floating gate 22 of device 10.

Method for making single transistor non-volatile electrically alterable semiconductor memory device

Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Pte Ltd.


The present invention provides a fluid flow prevention apparatus for a wet barrel fire hydrant which is simple and inexpensive to install and effectively cuts off water flow while reducing water hammer. The fluid flow apparatus includes an in-line valve member for closing a flow passageway connected to the hydrant that is operably movable from an open to closed position upon damage to the hydrant. An adjustable damping member controls the rate of closing of the valve member to reduce the effects of water hammer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a flow prevention apparatus for damaged fire hydrants, and more particularly, to an adjustable flow prevention apparatus for a wet barrel fire hydrant where damage to the water system elements is avoided while shut off of water flow from a damaged hydrant is simultaneously achieved.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are two basic types of fire hydrants manufactured today. These two types are commonly referred to in the trade as the "wet" barrel or "California" fire hydrant and the dry barrel fire hydrant. As the name implies, wet barrel fire hydrants are always supplied with water under pressure from a municipal, or other supply, water system. As such, it is the practice to install this type of fire hydrant only in milder climates where there is no chance of freezing. Because wet hydrants are constantly supplied with water, however, damage to the hydrant can result in a considerable loss of water before the damaged hydrant is discovered and repaired.
Where the climate is dry, or where drought conditions prevail for any length of time, manufacturers of wet hydrants have endeavored to provide flow cut off devices to prevent loss of water in the event of damage to the barrel, such as may result from a vehicle collision. Unfortunately, the probability of such events occurring is quite high due to the standard location of hydrants adjacent the street curbs to facilitate rapid access by fire department personnel in the event of a fire emergency. Therefore, in the construction of wet barrel hydrants, manufacturers have proposed the use of cut off valves that are actuated in response to a pressure drop which will occur when, for example, the barrel is broken off from the supply pipe. In other arrangements, a valve is actuated by a mechanical linkage between the barrel and the cut off valve so that when the barrel is removed, such as by a vehicular collision or similar event, the valve will be quickly shut to prevent any significant water loss.
With these and other devices, however, damage to the pipes and valves in the system can occur as a result of the high pressure that these elements experience due to the sudden closing of a supply pipe when the cut off valve is actuated as a result of the abrupt change in flow velocity of the water. Such an abrupt change produces what is commonly referred to as water hammer. Water hammer refers to the pressure fluctuations associated with the change between the kinetic energy of moving water and pressure energy, which may be either positive or negative. When the water in the pipe is stopped abruptly, considerable force is exerted on the valve and oscillating shock waves are reflected back into the municipal water system. The tremendous forces associated with water hammer can destroy the valve and damage other seals and pipes throughout the water system.
Accordingly, systems have been developed to reduce the effects of water hammer. In some systems, it has been proposed to provide an upstream cut off valve that can be actuated gradually or even manually to prevent such water hammer damage. These arrangements, however, can result in substantial down stream water loss through the broken hydrant which is clearly undesirable in areas suffering drought and may also require cut off of flow to undamaged hydrants as well.
In other arrangements, water cut off devices have been proposed which are warranted to cut off flow to a damaged hydrant but such devices are often difficult and expensive to install particularly in older, established water systems. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,127,142 and 4,596,263 both disclose wet barrel systems that utilize a dash-pot assembly connected to a "swing check" or flapper type valve. The valve is biased toward the closed position by a spring and is held open and out of the flow passageway by a holding bar connected to the upper barrel of the hydrant. If the hydrant is sheared from its support, the holding bar releases the flapper valve and the spring urges the valve into the flow passageway. The valve then closes due to the resulting change in water pressure, while the dash-pot assembly prevents rapid closure of the valve.
Although the systems disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,127,142 and 4,596,263 reduce the effects of water hammer, they still have limitations. For example, if the hydrant is merely damaged, rather than completely sheared off, the holding bar may actually prevent the valve from closing. In addition, the above systems require an underground barrel with a lateral chamber to accommodate the arrangement of the dash-pot assembly. Such an arrangement makes the use of the disclosed systems more difficult and expensive to install with existing water systems and/or with systems of different sizes or types. Finally, once the dash-pot assembly is installed, the restrictive rate of closure of the flapper valve cannot be adjusted.
What is needed then, is an adjustable cut off valve for a wet barrel hydrant which is simple to install and relatively inexpensive, and that will effectively cut off water flow without causing water hammer in the accompanying system. It is to such a device that the present invention is primarily directed.


An article and method of making it of powdered metal, the article being in the nature of a bushing having a main body portion of usual density and outer protrusions of lesser density for a squeezed interference fit in the part to which the article is to be combined.

The connection of small articles, such as bushings, grommets, washers, etc., to a larger article is improved by better holding power. The present invention is in the field of pressed metal, but other kinds of articles may come within purview of this invention. In the present case it is particularly adapted to grommets or inserts of any kind which are forced into holes adapted to receive them and hold them by friction without any further mechanical interlock between the interfaces surfaces of the articles and the objects to which they are attached.


An organic electroluminescence display has a bottom emission structure in which a white organic electroluminescence element adapted to emit white light is formed, pixel by pixel, on a substrate, and in which light emitted by the white organic electroluminescence element is extracted from a rear side of the substrate. The organic electroluminescence display includes: a color filter used in combination with the white organic electroluminescence element to extract light of different colors; and metal interconnects formed, pixel by pixel, in such a manner as to surround a light-emitting section of the white organic electroluminescence element and the color filter.

The present disclosure relates to an organic EL display and electronic equipment.
Among flat panel displays, some use a so-called current-driven electro-optical element, whose emission brightness changes according to the current flowing through the device, as a light-emitting section (light-emitting element) of each of the pixels. Organic EL elements that are based on electroluminescence (EL) of an organic material and emit light when an electric field is applied to the organic thin film are known as current-driven electro-optical elements.
An organic EL display using an organic EL element as a light-emitting section of each of the pixels offers the following features. That is, the organic EL element can be driven by application of a voltage of 10V or less, making the organic EL display low in power consumption. The organic EL element is self-luminous, thus allowing for the organic EL display to provide higher image visibility than liquid crystal displays. Moreover, it is not necessary for the organic EL display to have any lighting members such as backlight, thus making the weight and thickness reduction easy. Further, the organic EL element has an extremely high response speed of the order of several microseconds, thus making the organic EL display free from afterimage during display of a moving image.
Incidentally, organic EL displays based on a so-called side-by-side patterning of RGB subpixels using a mask are generally known. In this process, R(red), G(green) and B(blue) organic EL materials are patterned by vapor deposition using a mask. In an organic EL display based on this scheme, RGB organic EL elements 21R, 21G and 21B and a color filter 80 are used in combination as illustrated in FIG. 22. Using the color filter 80 in combination provides higher color purity. In order to achieve a high definition organic EL display with the side-by-side patterning of RGB subpixels using a mask, however, the patterning of pixels of different colors is extremely difficult.
In contrast, some organic EL displays are not based on side-by-side patterning of RGB subpixels using a mask. Instead, these displays extract RGB light by using an organic EL element adapted to emit white light (hereinafter referred to as the "white organic EL element") 21W and the color filter 80 in combination as illustrated in FIG. 23 (refer, for example, to Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-123971). This scheme using the white organic EL element 21W in combination with the color filter 80 is advantageous in increasing the size of the organic EL display and achieving higher definition.

Organic electroluminescence display and electronic equipment


A two-dimensional photonic crystal, wherein on a plane in which four adjoining unit lattices L are arranged so as to have one angle in common with the unit lattice L being a rectangle whose shorter side X1 has a length of x1 and whose longer side Y1 has a length of y1, columnar first dielectric regions each having a rectangular cross section whose shorter side X2 has a length of x2 and whose longer side Y2 has a length of y2 are arranged on shorter sides X1 and longer sides Y1 of each rectangular unit lattice L. In this two-dimensional photonic crystal, the first dielectric region is arranged so that the midpoint of the shorter side X1 and the midpoint of the longer side Y1 and the center of the rectangular cross section substantially coincide, and longer sides Y2 of each first dielectric region are substantially parallel to each other.

In recent years, attention has been given to a photonic crystal which is a two-dimensional or three-dimensional structure whose dielectric constant is periodically changed. Here, the two-dimension or three-dimension is determined based on the number of directions having periodicity. If an electromagnetic wave enters a photonic crystal composed of a periodic structure of two types of dielectric materials to cause Bragg diffraction, two standing waves are generated. They are a high energy standing wave generated in a low dielectric constant region and a low energy standing wave generated in a high dielectric constant region. Because a wave having energy between energies of these two standing waves cannot exist, a photonic band gap appears in the photonic crystal. An electromagnetic wave in the range of energy (wave length) in the photonic band gap cannot pass through the photonic crystal. The photonic band gap mentioned herein refers to the above phenomenon considered the same as that of a band gap (forbidden band) of the energy level of crystal electrons.
If a defect disturbing periodicity is introduced into a crystal having a photonic band gap, light can exist only in this defective portion. Thus, if the crystal is fabricated so as to have a region with the defect confined within the crystal, an optical resonator can be obtained. If the crystal is fabricated with the defect linearized within the crystal, a waveguide can be obtained. For example, in the case of a two-dimensional photonic crystal, an electric field component can be classified into a TE wave (transverse electric wave) parallel to a plane of the periodic structure and a TM wave (transverse magnetic wave) perpendicular to the plane of the periodic structure. In general, ranges of frequencies ω of photonic band gaps corresponding to respective lights do not necessarily coincide. Therefore, if a frequency range in which photonic band gaps occur concurrently for both the TE wave and the TM wave exists, the photonic band gap may be called a complete band gap.
A relatively simple structure photonic crystal of two-dimensional structure in which a complete band gap exists is known. The photonic crystal has through-holes (air holes) arranged on triangular lattices in a dielectric material as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-272555. In this case, the broadest complete band gap is obtained when the radius (r/a) is 0.48 and the frequency (ωa/2πc) is about 0.5. A character r represents a radius of the hole, a represents a lattice constant, ω represents an angular frequency of light, and c represents a light velocity in vacuum.
In a conventional two-dimensional photonic crystal in which air holes are arranged in a triangular lattice form, the complete band gap is obtained when the diameter d of the hole (=2r) equals 0.95a. The thickness of a wall between holes at the thinnest portion is very small, that is 0.05a, i.e. 0.035 μm, and therefore it is difficult to fabricate a two-dimensional photonic crystal in which the complete band gap can be obtained.
The present invention has been made based on this technical problem, and its object is to provide a photonic crystal which is easily produced and has a two-dimensional periodic structure capable of having a complete band gap for the TE wave and the TM wave.


A gas turbine engine component comprises a body having a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a radial span. One internal channel in the body provides an upstream supply pressure. Another internal channel in body receives the upstream supply pressure and provides a downstream supply pressure. At least one axial rib separates an internal area adjacent to the trailing edge into a plurality of individual cavities. At least one pressure regulating feature is located at an entrance to at least one individual cavity entrance to control downstream supply pressure to the trailing edge. Exits formed in the trailing edge communicate with an exit pressure. The rib and pressure regulating features cooperate such that the downstream supply pressure mimics the exit pressure along the radial span.

Gas turbine engines typically include a fan delivering air into a compressor. The air is compressed in the compressor and delivered into a combustion section where it is mixed with fuel and ignited. Products of this combustion pass downstream over turbine blades, driving them to rotate. Turbine rotors, in turn, drive the compressor and fan rotors. A turbine section typically includes multiple stages of vanes and rotor blades use to extract a maximum amount of energy from the combustion flow. The efficiency of the engine is impacted by ensuring that the products of combustion pass in as high a percentage as possible across the turbine blades.
With each new engine design, gas temperatures increase and cooling flow requirements decrease. This requires cooling flow to be utilized in a more efficient manner and flow distribution to be tailored to prevent overcooling in certain regions. A radial variation in gaspath pressure at a trailing edge of an airfoil can result in excess cooling flow for current trailing edge configurations. The supply pressure for trailing edge slots is set such that a backflow margin (pressure ratio across the slots) meets minimum requirements. This supply pressure is relatively constant for all of the trailing edge slots, while the gaspath exit pressure can vary radially, resulting in some slots with higher backflow margins. Since the trailing edge slot sizes are determined by manufacturing requirements, this results in some slots having higher cooling flows.

Trailing edge pressure and flow regulator


An arrangement for enabling a sixteen bit microprocessor to transfer data to and from a peripheral unit operating in an eight bit mode includes a single OR gate for simulating an odd address so that only the low byte portion of the data bus is utilized. A subroutine in the microprocessor causes the microprocessor to act as if all addresses in the peripheral unit are even and to force the OR gate to an active state whenever the real address in the peripheral unit is odd.

This invention relates to the transfer of data between a microprocessor and a peripheral unit connected thereto and, more particularly, to such a transfer when the microprocessor operates as a sixteen bit microprocessor and the peripheral unit operates in an eight bit mode.
Typically, a microprocessor is connected to a plurality of peripheral units via an address bus and a data bus. The peripheral units may be memory devices, display units, printers, or the like. While it is conventional to divide data into eight bit bytes, many microprocessors operate in a sixteen bit mode, where two eight bit data bytes are processed simultaneously. However, there are peripheral units that are only capable of processing a single eight bit byte of data. Also, some peripheral units, while capable of operating in a sixteen bit mode, may sometimes operate in an eight bit mode, for example, during initialization.
The sixteen bit data bus over which data is transferred between the microprocessor and the peripheral units is divided into a low eight bit byte portion and a high eight bit byte portion. When transferring data over the data bus, the data on the low eight bit byte portion is always considered to have an even address and the data on the high eight bit byte portion is always considered to have an odd address. However, a peripheral unit operating in an eight bit mode only recognizes the low eight bit byte portion of the data bus. Therefore, when a sixteen bit microprocessor transfers data to and from a peripheral unit operating in an eight bit mode, the microprocessor can only use even addresses so that the data is placed on the low eight bit byte portion of the data bus. It is apparent that such operation is unsatisfactory in that odd addresses could never be used and therefore the full capacity of the peripheral unit could not be realized.
In order to allow a sixteen bit microprocessor to satisfactorily transfer data between it and a peripheral unit operating in an eight bit mode, computer manufacturers have developed what is termed "byte-swap" hardware. There are two reasons why such byte swapping is necessary. First, if the sixteen bit microprocessor attempts to perform a sixteen bit access to or from an eight bit peripheral unit, the hardware must break the single access into two separate eight bit accesses, the first to the byte address corresponding to the word address of the access and the second to the next byte address. Secondly, an access to an odd byte address, whether it is a single eight bit access or half of a sixteen bit access broken into two eight bit accesses, must shift the data from the high byte portion of the data bus to the low byte portion of the data bus in the case of a write, or from the low byte portion of the data bus to the high byte portion of the data bus in the case of a read. This shift is necessary because the sixteen bit microprocessor transmits and receives data at odd addresses over the high byte portion of the data bus, while eight bit peripheral units contain only the low byte portion of the data bus. Without this shift, the odd address byte of data would be lost.
As can be imagined, the necessary byte-swap hardware is complex and expensive. It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an arrangement whereby a sixteen bit microprocessor can perform the aforedescribed byte-swapping without the necessity for expensive and complex hardware.

Byte-swap hardware simulator for a sixteen bit microprocessor coupled to an eight bit peripheral unit


A surgical device for inserting an anchor, including a handle having an actuator, an outer barrel shaft extending from the handle to a distal end and having a channel therethrough, and an outer barrel tip the distal end thereof having an elastomeric septum, a drive pin within the channel, and an implantable anchor removably coupled to the drive pin. The outer barrel shaft is coupled to an actuator for movement between a first extended position wherein the outer barrel shaft tip substantially cover the anchor, and a second retracted position where the outer barrel shaft tip do not cover the anchor. When the shaft is in the first position, the elastomeric septum of the outer barrel tip circumferentially surrounds and engages the anchor to thereby stabilize the anchor prior to deployment, and when the shaft is in the second position, the elastomeric septum does not engage the anchor.

Many different surgical procedures require implantation of anchors and the like for various reasons. For example, some hernia repairs utilize anchors of some type to hold a hernia repair mesh in place during healing. Another example is vaginal vault prolapsed repair, where the vaginal cuff is attached or otherwise secured to tissue within the pelvic cavity, such as the sacrospinous ligament. In one described method for such repairs, the vaginal cuff is secured to the sacrospinous ligament using two surgical anchors that are inserted through the vaginal cuff and ligament using a suitable instrument, with trailing sutures tied together within the vagina.
With this procedure as with many others, proper orientation of the anchor can be critical during implantation. Without proper orientation, the anchor may not deploy properly and may not adequately hold the tissue. The delivery device or instrument must be able to contact and possibly manipulate the tissue prior to deployment of the anchor, all without altering the positioning of the anchor relative to the instrument. This is of particular importance during blind procedures where the surgeon cannot verify relatively positioning prior to implantation. If the orientation changes, the tissue penetrating end may not be aligned properly, requiring unacceptably high tissue penetration forces and/or less than optimal tissue grasping ability. Further, once the tip of the anchor does penetrate the desired tissue plane(s), it must be effectively uncoupled from the delivery device so that it remains in place as the delivery device is retracted from the tissue.
Accordingly, what is needed is an improved device and method for ensuring that proper positioning of an anchor or the like relative to an inserter can be maintained during implantation of the anchor.

Anchor tip orientation device and method


Apparatus, systems, and methods for the efficient decomposition of ozone in an air stream from an air intake of an aircraft. The apparatus includes a titania catalyst support on a substrate, and a catalyst composition on the titania. The catalyst composition comprises a silver-based component, comprising silver metal or silver oxide, and a palladium-based component comprising an oxide of palladium or palladium metal. The air stream may be from a dedicated ambient air compressor or from bleed air from a gas turbine engine. The invention allows for the effective removal of ozone from the air stream to provide cleansed air having an ozone level of 0.1 ppm or less over a range of operating temperatures from 100 to 500° F. and above during a service period of at least 20,000 hours or a time period of not less than 5 years.

The present invention relates to apparatus, systems, and methods for the catalytic removal of ozone from air, and more particularly, to the removal of ozone from an air stream supplied to an interior air space.
Conventional commercial aircraft feed bleed air from a gas turbine engine to an environmental control system (ECS) and thence to an interior air space, e.g., cabin or flight deck of the aircraft. The ECS conditions the air it receives in terms of pressure, temperature, and humidity to provide for the comfort of flight crew and passengers. However, the ECS does not remove pollutants, such as ozone, from the air stream supplied to the aircraft cabin and flight deck.
Modern jet (gas turbine engine) aircraft are typically designed for fuel-efficient operation at relatively high altitudes of 25,000 feet or more where the atmospheric ozone content is relatively high. The ozone concentration may depend on a number of factors, such as the altitude, geographic location, time of year, etc. The ozone concentration in the atmosphere is typically in the range of from about 0.2 to 2.0 ppm. The upper limit permitted by FAA regulations for the ozone concentration in cabin air of commercial aircraft is 0.1 ppm. Excessive levels of ozone can cause a number of medical problems, including lung and eye irritation, headaches, fatigue, and breathing discomfort.
In the prior art, catalytic converters have used palladium as a catalyst to reduce the concentration of ozone in the bleed air from the engines to an acceptable level. The bleed air temperature on most aircraft systems is above 300° F. Newer aircraft may use dedicated ambient air compressors to provide an air stream, to be fed to the ECS, at a temperature substantially less than 300° F. (for example, from about 100 to 200° F.). However, the efficiency of palladium for the catalytic removal of ozone decreases at temperatures below about 300° F. In addition, palladium is reversibly deactivated when exposed to lower temperatures, e.g., less than about 300° F. For example, the catalytic activity of palladium may decline during exposure to a constant temperature in the range of from about 100 to 300° F.
Certain prior art catalytic converters for the removal of ozone have used alumina as a catalyst support. Alumina is susceptible to the deactivation of palladium catalyst thereon, for example, by poisoning from sulfur- and phosphorus-containing compounds. In an attempt to protect palladium supported on alumina from phosphorus induced catalyst deactivation, palladium has been combined with a transition metal, such as Ni or Mn, as a co-catalyst.
However, the vulnerability of catalysts to sulfur-containing contaminants may increases when transition metals are used, because transition metals may form sulfates.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,882 to Yoshimoto et al., discloses a catalyst structure and method for ozone decomposition, wherein the catalyst structure comprises a thin carrier material having a catalyst supported thereon. The catalyst may include a zeolite (aluminosilicate) containing Cr, Zn, V, W, Fe, Mo, Ni, Co, Ru, Cu, Rh, Pd, Ag, or Pt, or an oxide thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,331 to Galligan et al. discloses a layered catalyst composition having a refractory metal oxide underlayer and a refractory metal oxide overlayer on a metal substrate, together with one or more catalytic metal components dispersed on the overlayer. The catalytic metal components may include a palladium component and a manganese component. A chloride ion scavenger, such as silver oxide, may be used to prevent corrosion of the metal substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,214,303 to Hoke et al. discloses the removal of various pollutants from the atmosphere by passing air over a stationary substrate. Catalyst materials may be supported on a refractory metal oxide. Useful catalyst compositions disclosed by Hoke et al. for the decomposition of ozone include MnO2, Mn2O3, CuO, Carulite®, carbon, Pd, and Pt.
EP 0233642 A2 to Cornelison et al. discloses a process for hydrogenation of organic compounds (fats and oils) using a hydrogenation catalyst. The catalyst comprises a metal substrate, a washcoat on the substrate, and a catalytic metal on the washcoat. The washcoat may be alumina, titania, silica, magnesia, or a zeolite; and the catalytic metal may be Pd, Pt, Ni, Cu, Ag, or mixtures thereof.
As can be seen, there is a need for a catalyst system and method for ozone removal from an air stream being supplied to an interior air space, wherein the catalyst system includes a low-temperature catalyst in combination with a high-temperature catalyst, such that the system can operate efficiently at both a relatively low temperature, e.g., less than 300° F., and a relatively high temperature, e.g., 300° F. and above.
There is a further need for a catalyst system and method for ozone removal from an air stream over an extended service period, wherein the catalyst system is resistant to deactivation by contaminants, such as S- and P compounds, and wherein a catalytic composition of the catalyst system does not require the inclusion of a transition metal. There is still a further need for a catalyst system for the effective removal of ozone from an air stream, wherein the system can be operated over an extended period of time without the need to replace or service the catalyst system.

Ozone removal system and method for low and high temperature operation


A battery module architecture including a plurality of battery cells coupled electrically in series and having a combined battery potential proportional to the combined sum of the battery cells is controlled by microcontroller to balance battery cell voltages by a battery cell voltage balancer having a discharging circuit and a plurality of differential conductive connections each respectively coupled to positive and negative terminals of one of the battery cells.

Lithium based batteries have grown in popularity over lead-acid batteries due to their relatively small size and weight compared to lead-acid batteries of similar capacity. Although common in small devices such as cellular phones and cameras, lithium based battery use is becoming more common to power larger loads such as electric cars.
An enclosed battery module, such as those used to start internal combustion engines, typically consist of multiple battery cells coupled together to meet the power requirements of the application. For example, in a battery application requiring 12 VDC, a battery module may consist of four battery cells of at least 3 volts electrically coupled together in series to sum the cell voltages for the battery module. Several lead acid battery cells may be "stacked" or connected electrically in series by a simple conductor to sum the individual cell voltages to create a lead acid battery module that meets the vehicle power requirements. When the vehicle is started, current is drawn from the lead acid battery module to power the starter motor and start the internal combustion engine. Starting operations result in a significant power drain that replenished by an alternator that recharges the battery module to power engine electronics and future vehicle starts. This simple but effective system however is not sufficient for all battery technologies. Lithium-Ion batteries for example present special challenges for vehicle installations and in other similar applications where the re-charge voltage and current are less than constant. Lithium-Ion batteries have low tolerance for overcharge and should be charged with controlled voltage and current to deter degradation or damage to the cells.
Generally, equalization of the battery cell charges during charging operations avoids battery cell over-charge. Lithium-Ion battery systems therefore commonly include smart circuitry that compares and balances the charge on each Lithium-Ion battery cells to prevent overcharge of individual battery cells during charging operations. One common prior art solution includes battery cell balancing circuitry that is coupled to the individual battery cells and that permits controlled discharge of individual battery cells. The battery cell balancing circuitry samples and compares each of the individual battery cell voltages to each of the other battery cell voltages (or a reference voltage) and balances or discharges individual battery cells having charges that exceed the lowest charged battery cell. This technique typically includes measuring each battery cell charge and producing corrective charging feedback in a control loop that causes a discharge of individual battery cells to match the charge on other cells.
US2009/0087722 to Sakabe et al. ("Sakabe") discloses an example of a battery module as described and includes the charge balancing circuitry described. Sakabe discloses a vehicle power supply system battery module comprised of the accumulated battery cell potentials from three distinct but identical battery cell subunits that are hard-wired electrically in series to deliver power from all of the battery cells. Similarly, the Sakabe battery module is charged by current that is delivered to all of the serially connected battery cells. Sakabe's battery module however would be non-functional should any of the Sakabe battery cells or subunits fail.
A vehicle battery system with a backup capability is described in US20120235642 to Mao et al. ("Mao") wherein a battery module is comprised of subunits having a battery cell and a super-capacitor connectable in parallel as back-up or alternative power. In certain conditions, the battery cell charge may be insufficient to start a vehicle but have enough residual charge to charge a super-capacitor that can discharge very quickly and start a vehicle, or be used when the battery cell temperature is too cold or too hot and unable to deliver sufficient charge to start a car engine. As an example, Mao discloses a number of battery cells connected electrically in series to accumulate a battery module potential that is connected to an alternator to maintain the charge on the battery cells. An ultracapacitor pack comprised of several ultracapacitors electrically in series is then connected in parallel with the battery cells to provide a short and high current for starting the vehicle. Again however, if any of the battery cell(s) or super-capacitor(s) falters, the Mao battery module performance suffers or fails altogether.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improvements in battery module architectures and management strategies to facilitate use of lithium-based batteries chemistries in applications where lead-acid based battery use currently dominates.

Battery module architecture with horizontal and vertical expandability


The disclosure relates to an attachment member (1) for interconnection of a first board (51) and a second board (52), wherein at least one of the boards (51, 52) is a circuitry board, the attachment member (1) comprising a base portion (30) extending along a base plane (31), a first pair of legs (11, 12) extending from the base portion (30) in a first direction (D1) adapted to between them receive a portion of a first board (51), a second pair of legs (21, 22) extending from the base portion (30) in a second direction (D2) adapted to between them receive a portion of a second board (52), and a pair of abutment protrusions (41, 42), each abutment protrusion (41, 42) extending along said base plane (31) from the base portion (30) or from the first or second legs (11, 12, 21, 22) to form an abutment surface (41a, 42a) positioned outside respective leg of the second pair of legs (21, 22) and facing in the second direction (D2). The disclosure also relates to a system comprising an attachment member (1), a first board (51) and a second board (52).

It is known to use different kinds of clips to connect electronic components to each other. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,330 there is e.g. disclosed a fixture for fixing the position of a circuit component relative to a circuit board. In such clips or fixtures there are typically a number of design considerations that should be addressed. There is e.g. often a desire to reduce the amount of material used in the clip, to reduce the space required by the clip, to facilitate installation, to increase the retaining force once the installation is finished.
In EP 1587349 a board fixing device is disclosed with a connector having spring contacts forming a contact point row in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of a board.
In JP 2003163461 a connector is provided for coupling a memory board to a main board. The main board and the memory board have corresponding through holes which are arranged for coupling the two boards via mounting parts.


A system for intraluminally delivering and deploying stents and other prostheses includes an outer catheter, an inner catheter movable axially relative to the outer catheter, and an anchoring device mounted to a distal end region of the inner catheter. The anchoring device includes one or more control features that interact with a linking structure proximally disposed on the prosthesis, preferably including one or more loops. The control features and loops interact by surface engagement to anchor the prosthesis relative to the inner catheter in a nonfrictional manner, thus to maintain lower axial prosthesis deployment and retraction forces. In one version of the anchor, the control features extend radially outward from a sleeve. In another version, the control features are formed in respective recesses which also receive the loops or other linking structure.

The present invention relates to systems for intraluminally delivering and deploying self-expanding stents and other prostheses, and more particularly to such systems that incorporate mechanisms for retrieving partially deployed prostheses.
Stents, stent-grafts, and other body implantable tubular devices are employed in a wide variety of applications to maintain the patency of body lumens and guide the flow of blood and other body fluids through the lumens. These devices are employed in vascular applications, e.g. in pulmonary and thoracic vessels, and in arteries such as the coronary, renal, carotid, and iliac arteries. In addition to these vascular applications, the devices are used in the esophagus, duodenum, biliary duct, and colon. These devices may be either radially self-expanding or balloon-expandable in character. When deployed within body lumens, self-expanding devices radially expand into contact with surrounding tissue, typically assuming a diameter less than a fully expanded or relaxed state diameter. Consequently, an internal elastic restoring force acts outwardly against the tissue to assist in fixation of the device. Self-expanding devices frequently are preferred, due to this self-fixation capability.
Most applications employing radially self-expanding devices require intraluminal delivery of the device in a configuration suitable for delivery, i.e. radially compressed to a reduced-radius state against its internal elastic restoring force. To this end, prosthesis delivery systems frequently include two catheters: an outer catheter releasably containing the radially compressed prosthesis in a lumen near its distal end, and an inner catheter contained in the lumen, positioned against or otherwise engaged with the prosthesis. The prosthesis is deployed by moving the outer catheter proximally while holding the inner catheter in place. This effectively moves the inner catheter and the prosthesis distally relative to the outer catheter, allowing the prosthesis to radially self-expand as it emerges from the distal end of the outer catheter.
In either event, there arises on occasion a need to reverse the deployment. The need may arise from the physician's desire to reposition the prosthesis along the intended treatment site. Once a substantial portion of the prosthesis is free of the outer catheter, it may be moved in the proximal direction. However, at this point it is virtually impossible to move the prosthesis in the distal direction without retracting it proximally, back into the outer catheter. Accurate positioning of the prosthesis during deployment is challenging, in that it usually requires fluoroscopic imaging, and the difficulty is increased by the tendency of the many self-expanding devices to axially shorten as they radially self-expand. The need to retract a prosthesis can arise from other factors, e.g. a realization during deployment that a prosthesis of a different axial length or radius would be more effective at the designated treatment site.
In many conventional deployment and delivery systems, retraction of a partially deployed prosthesis is virtually impossible. To provide a retractable prosthesis, an inner catheter or other member can be surrounded by a high friction sleeve or gripping member as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,377 (Burton et al.), with the portion of an inner catheter supporting the sleeve and surrounded by the prosthesis. When the outer catheter radially compresses the prosthesis, it simultaneously presses the prosthesis into a frictional engagement with the sleeve. Accordingly, when the outer catheter is moved relative to the inner catheter, the prosthesis tends to remain with the inner catheter rather than following the outer catheter. A similar approach is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,817,102 (Johnson et al.) in which an exterior catheter radially compresses a stent into contact with a restraining sleeve that surrounds an interior catheter.
While these arrangements permit proximal retraction of a partially deployed stent or other prosthesis, they rely on a frictional engagement of the prosthesis with the inner member, through the gripping member or restraining sleeve. The force due to the frictional engagement must be sufficient to overcome the tendency of the prosthesis to move with the outer catheter as the outer catheter moves relative to the inner member. This frictional force acts in the axial direction, but requires a force acting in the radial direction to urge the prosthesis against the gripping member. The required radial force adds to the radial force already exerted by the prosthesis against the outer catheter due to its internal elastic restoring force, thus to increase the axial pushing force required to overcome friction between the prosthesis and outer catheter, and deploy the prosthesis.
Another factor inherent in this approach is the reduction in the frictional holding force as prosthesis deployment progresses, largely due to the diminishing portion of the prosthesis length subject to the frictional hold. As deployment progresses, the prosthesis becomes increasingly easy to deploy. Conversely, when the prosthesis is being pulled back into the catheter to reconstrain it, the reconstrainment force increases as more and more of the prosthesis is pulled into the catheter. This tendency can be counteracted by increasing the frictional holding force, but this in turn increases the radial force required to overcome the frictional hold, once again increasing the force required for ordinary deployment.
Other arrangements involve axially tight or locking engagements of prostheses with inner member coupling structures. Examples of these arrangements are seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,278 (Lenker et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,325 (Robinson et al.). These systems permit prosthesis retraction, but impose unduly stringent tolerances upon the coupling structure. Further, they require close attention and care on the part of the physician or other user when loading a prosthesis into the system, to ensure that the required coupling is achieved.
Therefore, the present invention is disclosed in terms of several embodiments, each directed to at least one of the following objects:                to provide a prosthesis deployment system with the capability of retracting partially deployed prostheses, without any substantial increase in the axial forces required to deploy the prostheses;        to provide a prosthesis deployment system that permits retracting of the prosthesis at a later stage in its deployment, in terms of the fraction of the prosthesis axial length exposed, without degrading or losing retraction capability;        to provide a deployment device that has greater stent retention capability if the need arises for withdrawing a partially deployed stent;        to provide a deployment device capable of retracting partially deployed device in which an open-frame support structure is covered, e.g. as in stent-grafts; and        to provide a prosthesis anchoring device suitable for attachment to an inner catheter or other inner member of a conventional prosthesis delivery and deployment system to provide the capability of retracting partially deployed prostheses.

Prosthesis anchoring and deploying device


The present disclosure provides a device for stereoscopic displaying and a method for controlling the same. The device for stereoscopic displaying comprises: a rotary shaft and at least one display assembly. The display assembly is fixed to the rotary shaft, the display assembly comprises at least three display surfaces, and at least one of the display surfaces is arranged opposite to the rotary shaft in a radial direction of the rotary shaft.

3D (Three dimensional) stereoscopic displaying technology may include parallax three dimensional displaying, hologram three dimensional displaying, and volumetric three dimensional displaying.
A device for volumetric three dimensional displaying may realize viewing an image with a stereoscopic effect by naked eyes. However, due to a limitation of spatial conditions, a number of voxels that may be generated by a single display assembly in a device for volumetric three dimensional displaying is relatively small, and display effect is poor.

Device for stereoscopic displaying and method for controlling the same

Beijing BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.

Beijing BOE Technology Development Co., Ltd.


An electronic still camera has a casing in which an image-capturing element is provided. And the casing includes: a body middle portion in which the image-capturing element is provided in close proximity to a rear wall of the body middle portion; a grip unit that is formed continuous to the body middle portion on one side in a left/right direction and projects out further forward relative to a front wall of the body middle portion; and an electrical part housing unit that is formed continuous to the body middle portion on another side in the left/right direction and has a housing space. One or more recording compression circuit parts are provided inside the grip unit; and one or more image display parts are provided inside the electrical part housing unit.

The disclosure of the following priority application is herein incorporated by reference:
Japanese Patent Application No. 10-65165 filed Mar. 16, 1998.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic still camera and more specifically, it relates to the positional arrangement of electric circuit parts and image display system parts.
2. Description on the Related Art
There are electronic still cameras in the known art that perform photoelectric conversion of photographic light from a subject by employing an imaging element and store the subject image as electronic data. A single lens reflex type electronic still camera is a type of electronic still camera. As in the case with silver halide type cameras, there is a need for achieving miniaturization and improvements in the operability and image quality with respect to such single lens reflex type electronic still cameras. While a single lens reflex type electronic still camera shares certain common aspects with a silver halide type camera, its structure is essentially different since it stores subject images as electronic data. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of single lens reflex type electronic still cameras in the known art. It is to be noted that the left/right direction and the front/rear direction in the figure respectively represent the left/right direction and the front/rear direction with respect to the single lens reflex type electronic still camera.
In the figure, reference number 101 indicates the single lens reflex type electronic still camera which is provided with a casing 102.
An opening is formed on the left side of a front wall 103 of the casing 102. A cylindrical portion is provided, constituting an integrated unit with the opening, and a lens 104 is secured within the cylindrical portion.
An image-capturing element 105 is provided at an approximate center of the casing 102 in the front/rear direction. The image-capturing element 105, which extends perpendicular to a plane M1 that includes the lens optical axis of the lens 104 and the viewfinder optical axis, is positioned to achieve symmetry in the left/right direction.
A grip unit is formed at the right side of the casing 102 in the left/right direction. The grip unit 106 is formed with a bend projecting out a further forward relative to the front wall 103 of the casing 102.
Thus, only the grip unit 106 is provided to the right side relative to the plane Ml that includes the lens optical axis and the viewfinder optical axis. As a result, there is no portion on the left side that corresponds to the grip unit 106 so that the casing 102 forms a rough L shape in the plan view, which is asymmetrical in the left/right direction.
An image-capturing element board 107, a first electric circuit board 108 and a second electric circuit board 109 are positioned sequentially at the rear side of the image-capturing element 105.
On the first electric circuit board 108 and the second electric circuit board 109, an image display drive circuit such as, for instance, an image display circuit and an inverter circuit, and a recording compression circuit are mounted.
At the rear side of the second electric circuit board 109, an illuminating light source 110 is provided at a position that is almost aligned with that of the image-capturing element 105 in the left/right direction, with a liquid crystal display unit 111 provided at the rear side of the illuminating light source 110.
A battery box 112 is provided inside the grip unit 106, with batteries 113 housed inside the battery box 112.
Toward the rear and to the right of the second electric circuit board 109, a connector 114 for an external recording member is provided along the left/right direction.
In the single lens reflex type electronic still camera 101 in the known art, in which the first electric circuit board 108 and the second electric circuit board 109 are provided at the rear side of the image-capturing element 105 next to each other extending in the left/right direction, the entire thickness of the casing 2 is much larger than that in a silver halide type single lens reflex camera. This results in the single lens reflex type electronic still camera 101 becoming bulky and difficult to hand hold, which, in turn, results in a great reduction in operability and poor ergonomics.
In addition, the single lens reflex type electronic still camera 101, whose casing 102 forms a rough L shape in the plan view that is asymmetrical in the left/right direction relative to the plane M that includes the lens optical axis and the viewfinder optical axis, poses problems in that its weight balance is different from that of a typical silver halide type single lens reflex camera in the prior art and that the left side of the casing 102 is awkward to hold by hand, resulting in a great reduction in operability and ergonomics.
Furthermore, since the image-capturing element 105 is provided at a position close to the first electric circuit board 108, the second electric circuit board 109 and the illuminating light source 110, the temperature at the image-capturing element 105 is caused to rise by the heat generated at the first electric circuit board 108 and the second electric circuit board 109 and the heat generated by the illuminating light source 110 to lead to a poor S/N ratio at the image-capturing element 105, which, in turn, results in deterioration in the image quality. It is to be noted that while it is conceivable to separate the image-capturing element 105 over a distance from the first electric circuit board 108 in the front/rear direction to prevent the temperature at the image-capturing element 105 from rising, this configuration will increase the entire thickness of the casing 102. Therefore, this solution is not desirable from the viewpoint of improving the operability.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic still camera which achieves miniaturization through a reduction in the entire thickness of the casing, achieves operability substantially equal to that of a silver halide type single lens reflex camera in the prior art with a similar shape thereto and prevents the image quality from becoming poor by ensuring that the image-capturing element is not affected by the heat generated at electric circuit boards.
In order to attain the above object, an electronic still camera according to the present invention has a casing in which an image-capturing element is provided. And the casing comprises: a body middle portion in which the image-capturing element is provided in close proximity to a rear wall of the body middle portion; a grip unit that is formed continuous to the body middle portion on one side in a left/right direction and projects out further forward relative to a front wall of the body middle portion; and an electrical part housing unit that is formed continuous to the body middle portion on another side in the left/right direction and has a housing space. One or more recording compression circuit parts are provided inside the grip unit; and one or more image display parts are provided inside the electrical part housing unit.
Another electronic still camera has a casing in which an image-capturing element is provided. And the casing comprises: a body middle portion in which the image-capturing element is provided in close proximity to a rear wall of the body middle portion; a first electrical part housing unit that is formed continuous to the body middle portion on one side in a left/right direction and has a housing space; and a second electrical part housing unit that is formed continuous to the body middle portion on another side in the left/right direction and has a housing space. One or more high heat generating electric circuit boards are provided inside the first electrical part housing unit; and one or more high heat generating electric circuit boards are provided inside the second electrical part housing unit.

Electronic still camera with casing containing image-capturing


A dynamic instrumentation method and apparatus which may trace, debug, and profile the execution of a running program without affecting the operation of the program, are provided. According to the method, a break instruction is inserted and executed at start of execution of a first instruction and immediately after execution of the last instruction of a function constituting the program. Environment values of the function before and after execution may be identified. The program may be dynamically instrumented without being affected by any tracing or debugging operations.

1. Field
The following description generally relates to the execution trace and the instrumentation of a program, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for dynamically tracing and instrumenting a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In developing application programs, a number of methods are employed to detect errors in the programs or systems. Generally, a program is developed through an iterative process, each stage of which consists of program design or modification followed by testing and analysis of the program. A commonly encountered technique for analyzing programs is to embed instrumentation within the program for collecting various types of data while the program is running. Data may be collected and processed in various ways to provide a basis for analyzing the program. Often, embedded instrumentation provides the only practical approach to understanding the real-time behavior of complex programs and automated systems.
For example, break instructions may be inserted at various locations of instructions of a program to be instrumented such that exceptions may be generated, and an operating system (OS) may detect hardware signals resulting from the exceptions. As a result, the OS may run a trace program to identify a problem. Examples of the above methods include a single-stepping in line (SSIL) method, a single-stepping out of line (SSOL) method, and the like.
In these methods, both the execution of a program to be instrumented and also the operations of an OS that supports the program's execution are traced. To this end, data that is generated and processed in different areas, for example, an application area where a program to be instrumented is run and an operating system area, must be coherently managed.
However, in this process, the program to be instrumented may be run in an application area, and management of a memory or addresses may become complicated. For example, an address of the program may need to be changed because of a change in the system, a change in the operating system, a change in the program, and the like.

Method and apparatus for dynamically instrumenting a program


A filter includes a first signal line connected to one input-side unbalanced signal terminal, a second signal line connected to another output-side unbalanced signal terminal, a shunt circuit for providing connection between the first and second signal lines in parallel with a surface acoustic wave device, a first capacitor disposed in the first signal line so as to be in series with respect to the surface acoustic wave device, a first inductor disposed in the shunt circuit at a side of the first signal line, and a series resonance circuit having a second capacitor and a second inductor disposed in the shunt circuit at a side of the second signal line.

A SAW filter utilizing a surface acoustic wave (SAW) has hitherto been in wide use as a frequency selective filter (hereafter also referred to simply as "filter") for use in RF (radio frequency) stage of a mobile communications apparatus such as a cellular phone and an automobile telephone. In general, various characteristics that are required of a frequency selective filter include wide pass band, low loss, and high attenuation.
For example, for the broadening of SAW filter passband range, a SAW filter is used that has a longitudinally coupled resonator-type surface acoustic wave device in which a plurality of IDT (InterDigital Transducer) electrodes are arranged along a surface acoustic wave propagation direction and a reflector electrode is disposed on both sides of the whole of the IDT electrodes.
In order to achieve impedance matching within the range of the pass band of the SAW filter, especially in the case of a wide passband SAW filter, a matching circuit is commonly used. In FIG. 17, there is shown an ideal circuit configuration of a conventional SAW filter 20a having a matching circuit (Conventional example 1). For the impedance matching within the range of the pass band of the SAW filter 20a, a first signal line 9 connected to an input signal terminal 12 in the SAW filter 20a is provided with a first capacitor 35 in series with respect to a surface acoustic wave device 1 and a first inductor 36 in parallel with respect to the surface acoustic wave device 1, and a second signal line 10 connected to an output signal terminal 13 in the SAW filter 20a is provided with a second capacitor 37 in series with respect to the surface acoustic wave device 1 and a second inductor 38 in parallel with respect to the surface acoustic wave device 1. The first inductor 36 and the second inductor 38 are connected to a ground electrode 8.
In FIG. 18, there is shown the result of simulation as to the electrical characteristics (frequency-transmission characteristic relationship) of the SAW filter 20a having the circuit configuration shown in FIG. 17. As electrical characteristics, the SAW filter 20a exhibits wide passband capability with a bandwidth of approximately 100 MHz and is able to effect impedance matching with less ripples.
However, in the SAW filter in a condition of actual service, an ideal circuit configuration such as shown in FIG. 17 cannot be realized. The SAW filter generally operates in a state of being mounted on a dielectric substrate by means of solder. In this case, since wiring, through hole conductors, and so forth are present between a ground electrode of the dielectric substrate and the ground electrode 8 required for electrical evaluation, it follows that an inductance component inevitably arises due to the wiring, through hole conductors, etc. Therefore, in the SAW filter in a condition of actual service, the first inductor 36 and the second inductor 38 are connected to the ground electrode 8 via a parasitic inductance of the dielectric substrate. Due to the presence of such a parasitic inductance, the SAW filter 20a shown in FIG. 17 exhibits in reality an electrical characteristic as shown in FIG. 20 that, in contrast to the electrical characteristic of the ideal circuit configuration shown in FIG. 18, shows a sign of deterioration in attenuation outside the pass band. This is because part of electric current which flowed from the first signal line 9 to the first inductor 36 does not flow into the ground electrode 8 due to the parasitic inductance of the dielectric substrate but flows toward the second inductor 38, which leads to current leakage to the second signal line 10.