A multicode receiver for receiving data carried by a plurality of spread spectrum signals having a corresponding plurality of spreading codes, the spreading codes being substantially mutually orthogonal, the receiver having intercode interference suppression, the receiver including a multicode spread spectrum receiver to provide a set of data estimates having a plurality of estimates of data carried by the plurality of spread spectrum signals, one estimate for each spread spectrum signal, a plurality of respreaders to respread the plurality of data estimates, a plurality of interference suppressers, at least one for each of the plurality of spreading codes, each at least one interference suppresser for each code being configured to suppress respread data estimates for the spread spectrum signals of the other codes, from a received signal, a plurality of rake fingers each having the plurality of interference suppressers, and a plurality of rake combiners, one for each of the plurality of spreading codes.

Third generation mobile phone networks use CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) spread spectrum signals for communicating across the radio interface between a mobile station and a base station. These 3G networks, (and also so-called 2.5G networks), are encompassed by the International Mobile Telecommunications IMT-2000 standard (www.ituint, hereby incorporated by reference). Third generation technology uses CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) and the IMT-2000 standard contemplates three main modes of operation, W-CDMA (Wide band CDMA) direct spread FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) in Europe and Japan, CDMA-2000 multicarrier FDD for the USA, and TD-CDMA (Time Division Duplex CDMA) and TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous CDMA) for China.
Collectively the radio access portion of a 3G network is referred to as UTRAN (Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network) and a network comprising UTRAN access networks is known as a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) network. The UMTS system is the subject of standards produced by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP, 3GPP2), technical specifications for which can be found at www.3gpp.org. These standards include Technical Specifications 23.101, which describes a general UMTS architecture, and 25.101 which describes user and radio transmission and reception (FDD) versions 4.0.0 and 3.2.2 respectively of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
FIG. 1 shows a generic structure of a third generation digital mobile phone system at 10. In FIG. 1 a radio mast 12 is coupled to a base station 14 which in turn is controlled by a base station controller 16. A mobile communications device 18 is shown in two-way communication with base station 14 across a radio or air interface 20, known as a Um interface in GSM (Global Systems for Mobile Communications) networks and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) networks and a Uu interface in CDMA2000 and W-CDMA networks. Typically at any one time a plurality of mobile devices 18 are attached to a given base station, which includes a plurality of radio transceivers to serve these devices.
Base station controller 16 is coupled, together with a plurality of other base station controllers (not shown) to a mobile switching centre (MSC) 22. A plurality of such MSCs are in turn coupled to a gateway MSC (GMSC) 24 which connects the mobile phone network to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 26. A home location register (HLR) 28 and a visitor location register (VLR) 30 manage call routing and roaming and other systems (not shown) manage authentication, billing. An operation and maintenance centre (OMC) 29 collects the statistics from network infrastructure elements such as base stations and switches to provide network operators with a high level view of the network's performance. The OMC can be used, for example, to determine how much of the available capacity of the network or parts of the network is being used at different times of day.
The above described network infrastructure essentially manages circuit switched voice connections between a mobile communications device 18 and other mobile devices and/or PSTN 26. So-called 2.5G networks such as GPRS, and 3G networks, add packet data services to the circuit switched voice services. In broad terms a packet control unit (PCU) 32 is added to the base station controller 16 and this is connected to a packet data network such as Internet 38 by means of a hierarchical series of switches. In a GSM-based network these comprise a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) 34 and a gateway GPRS support node (GGSM) 36. It will be appreciated that both in the system of FIG. 1 and in the system described later the functionalities of elements within the network may reside on a single physical node or on separate physical nodes of the system.
Communications between the mobile device 18 and the network infrastructure generally include both data and control signals. The data may comprise digitally encoded voice data or a data modem may be employed to transparently communicate data to and from the mobile device. In a GSM-type network text and other low-bandwidth data may also be sent using the GSM Short Message Service (SMS).
In a 2.5G or 3G network mobile device 18 may provide more than a simple voice connection to another phone. For example mobile device 18 may additionally or alternatively provide access to video and/or multimedia data services, web browsing, e-mail and other data services. Logically mobile device 18 may be considered to comprise a mobile terminal (incorporating a subscriber identity module (SIM) card) with a serial connection to terminal equipment such as a data processor or personal computer. Generally once the mobile device has attached to the network it is "always  on" and user data can be transferred transparently between the device and an external data network, for example by means of standard AT commands at the mobile terminal-terminal equipment interface. Where a conventional mobile phone is employed for mobile device 18 a terminal adapter, such as a GSM data card, may be needed.
In a CDMA spread spectrum communication system a baseband signal is spread by mixing it with a pseudorandom spreading sequence of a much higher bit rate (referred to as the chip rate) before modulating the rf carrier. At the receiver the baseband signal is recovered by feeding the received signal and the pseudorandom spreading sequence into a correlator and allowing one to slip past the other until a lock is obtained. Once code lock has been obtained, it is maintained by means of a code tracking loop such as an early-late tracking loop which detects when the input signal is early or late with respect to the spreading sequence and compensates for the change.
Such, a system is described as code division multiplexed as the baseband signal can only be recovered if the initial pseudorandom spreading sequence is known. A spread spectrum communication system allows many transmitters with different spreading sequences all to use the same part of the rf spectrum, a receiver "tuning" to the desired signal by selecting the appropriate spreading sequence.
In a 3G mobile phone system the base band data is spread using a spreading or channelisation code using an Orthogonal Variable Spreading Factor (OVSF) technique. The OVSF codes allow the spreading factor to be changed whilst maintaining orthogonality between codes of different lengths. To increase the number of simultaneous users of the system the data is further spread by a scrambling code such as a Gold code. The scrambling code does not change the signal bandwidth but allows signals to or from different users to be distinguished from one another, again, because the spreading codes are substantially mutually orthogonal. The scrambling is used on top of the channelisation spreading, that is a signal at the chip rate following OVSF spreading is multiplied by the scrambling code to produce a scrambled code at the same chip rate. The chip rate is thus determined by the channelisation code and, in this system, is unaffected by the subsequent scrambling. Thus the symbol rate for a given chip rate is likewise unaffected by the scrambling.
In a 3G mobile phone system different spreading factors and scrambling code links are generally employed for the down link from the base station to the mobile station and for the up link from the mobile station to the base station. Typically the channelisation codes have a length of between 4 chips and 256 chips or, equivalently, a spreading factor of between 4 and 256 (although other spreading factors may be employed). The up link and down link radio frames generally last 10 ms, corresponding to a scrambling code length of 38400 chips although shorter frames, for example of 256 chips, are sometimes employed on the up link. A typical chip rate is 3.84 M chips/sec (Mcps), which determines the maximum bit rate for a channel—for example with a spreading factor of 16, that is 16 chips per symbol, this gives a data rate of 240 Kbps. It will be recognised that the foregoing figures are provided merely for the purposes of illustration. Where higher bit rate communications with a mobile station are required more than one such channel may be employed to create a so-called multicode transmission. In a multicode transmission a plurality of data channels are used, effectively in parallel, to increase the overall rate of data transmission to or from a mobile station. Generally the multicode data channels have the same scrambling code but different channelisation codes, albeit preferably with the same spreading factor.
In a 3G mobile phone system there are generally a number of different channels some dedicated to particular users and some common to groups of users such as all the users within a given cell or sector. Traffic is carried on a Dedicated Physical Control Channel (DPCH), or on a plurality of such channels in the case of a multicode transmission, as described above. The common channels generally transport signalling and control information and may also be utilised for the physical layer of the system's radio link. Thus a Common Pilot Channel (CPICH) is provided comprising an unmodulated code channel scrambled with a cell-specific scrambling code to allow channel estimation and equalisation at the mobile station receiver. Similarly a Sychnronisation Channel (SCH) is provided for use by the mobile station to locate network cells. A primary SCH channel is unmodulated and is transmitted using the same channelisation spreading sequence in each cell and does not employ a cell-specific scrambling code. A similar secondary SCH channel is also provided, but with a limited number of spreading sequences. Primary and Secondary Common Control Physical Channel (PCCPCH, SCCPCH) having known channelisation and spreading codes are also provided to carry control information. The foregoing signalling channels (CPICH, SCH and CCPCH) must generally be decoded by all the mobile stations and thus the spreading codes (channelisation codes and where appropriate, scrambling code) will generally be known by the mobile station, for example because the known codes for a network have been stored in the user-end equipment. Here the references to channels are generally references to physical channels and one or more network transport channels may be mapped to such a physical channel. In the context of 3G mobile phone networks the mobile station or mobile device is often referred to as a terminal and in this specification no distinction is drawn between these general terms.
One advantage of spread spectrum systems is that they are relatively insensitive to multipath fading. Multipath fading arises when a signal from a transmitter to a receiver takes two or more different paths and hence two or more versions of the signals arrive at the receiver at different times and interfere with one another. This typically produces a comb-like frequency response and, when a wide band signal is received over a multipath channel, the multiple delays give the multiple components of the received signal the appearance of tines of a rake. The number and position of multipath channels generally changes over time, particularly when the transmitter or receiver is moving. However, as the skilled person will understand, a correlator in a spread spectrum receiver will tend to lock onto one of the multipath components, normally the direct signal which is the strongest.
As is known in the art a plurality of correlators may be provided to allow the spread spectrum receiver to lock onto a corresponding plurality of separate multipath components of the received signal. Such a spread spectrum receiver is known as a rake receiver and the elements of the receiver comprising the correlators are often referred to as "fingers" of the rake receiver. The separate outputs from each finger of the rake receiver are combined to provide an improved signal to noise ratio (or bit error rate) generally either by weighting each output equally or by estimating weights which maximise the signal to noise ratio of the combined output. This latter technique is known as Maximal Ratio Combining (MRC).
There is a general need to provide user-end terminal capable of supporting the higher data rates possible in 3G systems, particularly in areas with large numbers of users. It is generally thought that a CDMA system is uplink-limited due to the near-far effect (where the correlation with a strong, nearby signal having an incorrect code is greater than that with a weaker, more distant signal with the correct code). However a 3G CDMA system may instead be limited by the downlink capacity due to the highly asymmetric services that are envisaged, such as the download of web page and image data from the Internet. Thus there is a general need for a mobile terminal which can support such higher rate downlink data services.
To facilitate the support of higher data rate services it is known to employ Multiple Access Interference (MAI) suppression at the base station to improve the uplink. Multiple access interference rises because the spreading codes of signals received from different users are not normally completely orthogonal. Interference cancellation (IC) receivers in the base station thus attempt to estimate a multiple access interference component which is subtracted from the received signal, either in parallel across all the users or sequentially. The multiple access interference which is cancelled is the interference between the same multipath component of two substantially orthogonal received signals. This technique is described in more detail in Section 11.5.2 of "WCDMA for UMTS by H Holma and A Toskala, John Wiley & Sons, 2001" (ISBN0 741 48687 6).
A technique for suppressing interference between different multipath components of a single data channel, that is for suppressing Interpath Self-interference (IPI), has also been described in a paper by NTT Docomo, "Multipath Interference Canceller (MPIC) for HSDPA and Effect of 64QAM Data Modulation" (TSG RAN WG)1 Meeting #18, document (01) 0102 available from the 3GPP website at http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/tsg_ran/wg1_rl1/tsgr1—18/docs/pdfs/r1-01-0102.pdf).
These techniques, while helpful, still leave room for improvement. In particular the inventors have recognised that there is a further component of interference which can be estimated and then cancelled from a received signal to further improved the output signal to noise ratio. The inventors have also recognised that various additional techniques may be applied when suppressing this and other interference components to improve the cancellation of interference components including the cancellation of interference components in the prior art arrangement.
Intracell interference arises due to interpath interference and the loss of orthogonality between the channelisation codes. In an ideal environment with a single path between the transmitter and the receiver the OVSF channelisation codes ensure that the different transmitted streams are (substantially) orthogonal to one another. However in the presence of multipath time dispersion the non-zero auto (or cross) space-correlation between different multipath components gives rise to interpath interference.
Consider the case where a spread spectrum receiver receives two signals simultaneously, a first signal with a first spreading code of 1-11-1 and a second signal with a second spreading code of 11-1-1. These two spreading codes are substantially orthogonal over a symbol period as they sum to −1. However if the second code is offset slightly with respect to the first code the non-orthogonal component increases.
Such an offset can be caused by multipath which effectively introduces a delayed component of both the first and second signals, albeit normally at a reduced power. Considering for example the first spreading code, a non-orthogonal contribution arises both from the delayed version of the first code, because of the non-ideal auto correlation properties of the codes, and also from the delayed version of the second code, because of the non-ideal cross-correlation properties of the codes.
Referring now to FIG. 2, this illustrates the effects of multipath interference when using an OVSF code with non-ideal auto correlation properties. FIG. 2a shows an auto correlation function 200 for an arbitrarily chosen OVSF code with a spreading factor of 16, with the correlator output shown on Y-axis 202 and the delay offset of the two versions of the code being correlated to calculate the auto correlation function being indicated, in chip periods Tc, on X-axis 204.
FIG. 2b shows the ideal real output of a correlator for a two ray multipath model with an ideal OVSF code as FIG. 2a. In FIG. 2b the correlator output for a first multipath component is illustrated by solid line 206 and the correlator output for a second multipath component, with a magnitude of 0.5 relative to the first path and zero relative phase shift, is shown by dashed line 208. The response of FIG. 2b is ideal because the correlator output comprises all the energy from the first path when the delay offset is zero, but without any interference contribution from the second path.
Referring now to FIG. 2c this shows the actual situation when the OVSF code of FIG. 2a is employed in the two ray multipath mode of FIG. 2b. Again the correlator output for the first and second multipath components are shown by solid line 210 and dashed 212 respectively. It can be seen that the auto correlation function of FIG. 2a has been superimposed on both multipath components and the result of this is that the correlator output for zero delay offset comprises a combination of a desired contribution of magnitude 1 from the first multipath and an interfering contribution of relative magnitude 0.25 from the second multipath signal.
The relatively poor correlation properties of OVSF codes when not time-aligned are known and this is the reason why an additional spreading code is applied in W-CDMA 3G systems. As explained above, the codes used in W-CDMA, as specified by the 3GPP, are Gold codes formed from positionwise modulo to summation of 38,400 chip segments of two binary m-sequences. The auto correlation-properties of an m sequence are illustrated in FIG. 3 in which the correlation function is shown on y axis 300. With a non-zero offset the maximum correlation output is proportional to the reciprocal of the spreading length, at −1/S where s is the spreading length. The spreading length is itself determined by the member of elements, n, in the shift register used to generate the code. The delay offset, T, between subsequent auto correlation peaks is given by the code length, S, multiplied by the chip period, tc. With a large spreading factor 1/S will tend to zero and thus this code will approach the ideal characteristics of a zero auto correlation when not time-aligned. However at low spreading factors, which correspond to higher data rates, Interpath Interference (IPI) can become significant.
The capacity of CDMA systems is self-interference limited—that is the performance in terms of both capacity and quality of service, is determined to a large extent by the interference power arising from users within the same cell or in adjacent cells. It is therefore possible to improve the performance of CDMA systems by reducing this level of interference and there are a number of well known and accepted techniques for accomplishing this, including discontinuous transmission and the use of sectorised antennas. Interference within a cell can be mitigated to some degree based upon the recognition that signals from the base station to a terminal are synchronised and thus intra-cell MAI (Multiple Access Interference) can be mitigated by using codes which are orthogonal when aligned to within a chip period, such as the OVSF codes described above, or the Walsh codes used, for example, in IS95 (Interim Standard 95) CDMA phone networks in the USA. However in practice the time-dispersive nature of the mobile environment causes a significant loss of orthogonality, as described above, and a consequent increase in MAI. For example in a typical urban environment a loss of orthogonality of up to 40 percent may be observed. Inter-cell multiple access interference may also be observed.
As described above, it has been recognised that where the characteristics of the other (interfering) channels are known it is possible to suppress or remove the interference which they cause. In the case of other dedicated channels the terminal does not necessarily have any a priori knowledge of the channels but other techniques can be used. Thus the performance of a CDMA system can be improved by removing the interference contribution from the common channels as the characteristics of these are known, either explicitly or implicitly, at the terminal. The particular channels that will be referred to later are:
1. Common channels with a known spreading code and no (or known) modulation of the spreading codes, such as CPICH and SCH.
2. Common channels with a known spreading code, modulated with data, such as P-CCPCH.
3. Dedicated channels with a known spreading code (for which the self-interference can be cancelled), such as conventional single code transmissions, multicode transmissions, and transmit antenna diversity systems.
These channels have been selected for the purposes of illustration only and the techniques described later are not restricted to these channels.
Typical power levels for the dedicated and common channels, as specified by 3GPP, are summarised in Table 1 below (where the figure for SCH is bracketed because PCCPCH and SCH are time multiplexed).
TABLE 1% of totalPhysical ChannelPowerenergyCPICHCPICH_Ec/lor= −10 dB 10%PCCPCHPCCPCH_Ec/lor= −12 dB6.3%SCH (both primary andSCH_Ec/lor= −12 dB(6.3%)secondary)PICHPICH_Ec/lor= −15 dB3.2%Dedicated channelsRemaining power80.5%
Perfect cancellation of CPICH, PCCPCH and SCH in a multi-cell interference environment would result in a capacity increase of 11%. However in addition to the performance improvement for an individual terminal the cancellation of the common channels would also allow more energy to be assigned to them with little or no degradation of overall system capacity. For example, assuming a ratio of intercell-2-intracell interference of 1.0 both CPICH and SCH/PCCPCH could be increased by 3 dB whilst maintaining at least the same capacity as with a conventional system. This increase in power can result in improved acquisition, in the case of SCH, and in improved channel estimation and tracking, in the case of a stronger CPICH signal.
It is also possible to suppress the self interference caused by a dedicated channel. For high data rate transmissions a significant amount of power will usually be allocated to this channel, which will also generally be operating at a relatively low spreading factor. Both these aspects of the transmission will tend to increase the interpath interference and thus improved IPI cancellation techniques have the potential to provide significant performance improvement, albeit depending upon the multipath environment, the code correlation properties, and the proportion of power allocated to the desired dedicated channel.
Improved interference cancellation techniques applied to a mobile terminal benefit both the terminal manufacturer and the network/service operator. The terminal manufacturer is benefited because of the improved capability of the terminal to receive high data rate transmissions. The operator is benefited by being provided with a network that supports a higher downlink capability, either in terms of Erlangs/cell or in terms of the total data rate which can be supported, and can thus offer additional services.
In view of the foregoing discussion it will be appreciated that there is a general need for improved interference suppression techniques, particularly at the mobile terminal.


The present invention relates to a system and method for modelling the physical characteristics of a building. Models of buildings, such as floor plans, are often produced when renovation work or other work is planned. Manual measurements maybe taken (e.g. using a tape measure or an optical distance meter), and these measurements are subsequently used by a draftsman to construct a model of the measured space. This is time consuming. The present invention provides a system and method which includes a measurement and modelling process which assigns a unique identifier to openings that are shared by adjoining rooms when plotting measurements. These room associations are then used to determine the layout of the rooms within a building model. There is significantly less time and cost involved in generating a computer model of the measured space, using the present system and method.

Spatial building models typically reproduce the physical characteristics of a building (such as the internal layout of rooms) in a scaled form. Most contemporary graphic building models are produced using computer modelling software.
Models of existing buildings are often produced when renovation work is planned (such as an interior remodelling). The models may be produced in two dimensions (such as a floor plan) or three dimensions depending on the type of work that is scheduled and modelling capabilities available.
Measurements for a graphic building model are commonly captured by a tradesmen or an estimator in advance of planned renovations. A tape measure or an optical distance meter may be used to obtain individual measurements of a room. These measurements are then typically recorded in a scrap book or digital file.
The measurements captured for a building are subsequently used by a draftsman to construct a computer model of the measured space. The draftsman creates the building model from the captured measurements and any notes taken by the surveyor.
The overall modelling process can be time consuming. Both the measurement and modelling aspects are typically performed by skilled workers with some previous experience. The tools used to capture the building measurements and the attentiveness of the individuals involved in both measuring and modelling the building can influence the accuracy of the final building model.

Method and system for modelling a building structure


A method for detecting user head motion during an authentication transaction is provided that includes generating, by a processor, a motion type feature vector and a user head motion type prediction based on data generated for a sequence of frames. The frames are included in biometric data captured from a user. Moreover, the method includes generating a liveness rating feature vector based on the generated frame data, merging the motion type and liveness rating vectors, and generating a spoof prediction from the merged vector. When the generated spoof prediction indicates biometric data in the frames was spoofed, the method includes changing the user head motion type prediction to no motion. The method also includes storing the user head motion type prediction in a buffer and determining a final user head motion type detected for the frames.

This invention relates generally to detecting user live-ness, and more particularly, to methods and systems for detecting user head motion during an authentication transaction.
Users conduct transactions with many different service providers in person and remotely over the Internet. Network-based transactions conducted over the Internet may involve purchasing items from a merchant website or accessing confidential information from a website. Service providers that own and operate such websites typically require successfully identifying users before allowing a desired transaction to be conducted.
During remotely conducted network-based authentication transactions, users generally provide a claim of identity and captured biometric data. However, imposters have been known to impersonate users during authentication transactions by providing a false claim of identity supported by fraudulent biometric data in an effort to deceive an authenticating entity into concluding that the imposter is the person he or she claims to be. Such impersonations are known as spoofing.
Impostors currently use many methods to obtain or create fraudulent biometric data that can be submitted during authentication transactions. For facial biometric data imposters have been known to obtain two-dimensional pictures of others, from social networking sites, and present the obtained pictures to a camera during authentication to support a false claim of identity. Moreover, imposters have been known to eavesdrop on networks during legitimate network-based authentication transactions to surreptitiously obtain genuine biometric data of users, and use the obtained biometric data for playback during fraudulent authentication transactions. Such fraudulent biometric data are known to be difficult to detect using known live-ness detection techniques. Consequently, generating accurate network-based authentication transaction results with biometric data captured from a user at a remote location depends on verifying the physical presence of the user during the authentication transaction as well as accurately verifying the identity of the user based on the captured biometric data. Verifying that biometric data presented during a network-based biometric authentication transaction conducted at a remote location is from a live user at the remote location is known as live-ness detection or anti-spoofing.

Methods and systems for detecting head motion during an authentication transaction


A wavelength-tunable semiconductor laser which comprises a semiconductor substrate having first and second major surfaces, a distribution-feedback resonator having an active layer and a cladding layer, formed on the first major surface of the substrate and shaped like a stripe, and a first section and a second section aligned along the length of the resonator, and electrodes formed on the first and second sections of the resonator, respectively, for controlling current densities in the first and second section independently. The laser is characterized in that temperature changes more in the first section than in the second section, due to changes in densities of currents injected into the first and second sections.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor laser which can be electrically tuned over an oscillation wavelength range, and more particularly to a wavelength-tunable semiconductor laser of multi-electrode DFB (Distributed Feedback) structure in which each region in a DFB resonator can be independently controlled by a plurality of electrode.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, researches and development have been increasingly made in optical frequency division-multiplexing (optical FDM). Optical FDM can be applied to various fields, such as large-capacity optical communication, optical inter-connection, optical switching, and optical arithmetic operation. A semiconductor laser is being developed as a coherent light source for use in optical FDM is of the type which is compact and reliable and which can be electrically tuned over an oscillation wavelength.
For large-capacity FDM it is required that a semiconductor laser be developed which can be turned over a broad oscillation wavelength range. To multiplex many frequency channels in high density within the predetermined wavelength range, it is desirable that the frequency range occupied by each channel be narrowed. In particular, a coherent-light transmission system, which is a feasible optical FDM application, needs a light source which emits a light beam having a small spectral linewidth to obtain an electric signal from interference between a signal light beam and a locally-oscillated light beam.
Also under development is an external-cavity semiconductor laser which has a wavelength-selecting device outside a semiconductor chip. The external-cavity semiconductor laser, however, is not recommendable for use in optical FDM in view of its size, stability, price, and reliability. A monolithic wavelength tunable semiconductor laser is required to achieve optical FDM. The wavelength-tunable semiconductor lasers, now under research, are classified into the follow four types:
(1) Temperature-control type semiconductor laser, PA1 (2) Multi-electrode distributed Bragg-reflection (DBR) semiconductor laser, PA1 (3) Multi-electrode distributed feedback (DFB) semiconductor laser, PA1 (4) Twin-guide semiconductor laser.
A temperature-control type semiconductor laser has a heating means located near the active region to raise the temperature of the active layer. Generally, the wavelength range of a semiconductor laser shifts to the long side as the temperature rises. This phenomenon is known as "red shift." The laser can therefore be turned over a broad wavelength range while a small linewidth is maintained. Since its active layer is heated considerably, however, the laser cannot be as reliable as is desired.
In a multi-electrode DBR semiconductor laser, carriers are injected into the Bragg reflection region, thereby changing the Bragg wavelength greatly. Certainly, the multi-electrode DBR laser can be tuned over a broad oscillation wavelength range. However, since carriers are injected into the Bragg wave guide which is passive, the internal carrier density varies. Consequently, this laser emits a beam having a linewidth as much as 10 MHz or more, and can hardly be used in a coherent-light transmission system. Further, the Bragg wavelength is changed, jumping over many modes, the multi-electrode DBR semiconductor laser can be merely continuously tuned but over a narrow oscillation wavelength range.
A multi-electrode DFB semiconductor laser has a several sections divided along a direction of a resonator. The balance of the carrier densities in those sections are changed, thereby varying the average carrier density. As a result, the oscillation wavelength of the laser is changed.
In the case of the 3-electrode phase-sifted DFB laser shown in FIG. 1 which has anti-reflection coatings on both faces, when a large current is uniformly injected into the laser, as indicated in FIG. 2A by the solid curve, light will concentrate near the phase-shifting section as shown in FIG. 2B by the solid curve. Induced emission at the phase-shifting section therefore increases, whereby the carrier density is lower at the center portion of the device than at the ends thereof, as is indicated in FIG. 2C by the solid curve. Due to the non-uniform carrier density (i.e., axial hole-burning), the average carrier density is higher than in the case where the current density is uniform along the axis of the device. The higher the average carrier density, the lower the refractive index, and the shorter the oscillation wavelength.
When more current is injected into the center portion of the laser than to the end portions thereof, as indicated in FIG. 2A by the broken curve, the carrier density is substantially uniform as is indicated in FIG. 2C by the broken curve. The average carrier density therefore decreases, whereby the device undergoes a red shift, or its wavelength range shifts to the long side. Since the entire region is active, its average carrier density does not varies so much at the time of current injection. A small linewidth can be therefore realized. However, since the average carrier density does not change so much, the changeable wavelength range is limited to about 2 nm only.
In a twin-guide semiconductor laser, the currents supplied to the active layer and the light-guiding layer (or the second active layer), which are closely laminated, are controlled independently. This device is, as it were, divided into layers in the direction of the thickness, as compared to the multi-electrode DBR or DFB laser which is divided into several sections in the axial direction. The device operates in a mode similar to the operating mode of a multi-electrode DBR laser if the waveguide layer, which is a passive element, is used, and in a mode similar to the operating mode of a multi-electrode DFB laser if the waveguide layer is replaced by a second active layer.
In both the multi-electrode DBR laser and the multi-electrode DFB laser, not only the above-mentioned carrier effect but also the heat effect much contributes to the changes in oscillation wavelength. In the laser shown in FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2A to 2C, too, the temperature rise caused by the current increase in the center portion greatly contributes to the red shift.
The multi-electrode DBR laser and the twin-guide semiconductor laser can hardly be applied to a coherent-light transmission system, since these lasers emit a beam whose spectrum linewidth is is not sufficiently small. Nor can the temperature-control type semiconductor laser be recommended for use in a coherent-light transmission system, since the laser is not so reliable as desired due to the heat applied to the active layer to change the oscillation wavelength. Therefore, the multi-electrode DFB semiconductor laser seems suitable for use in a coherent-light transmission system.
Technique called "gain-levering" is known as a method of enhancing the wavelength tunability of a multi-electrode DFB semiconductor laser. The principle of gain-levering is discussed in K. Y. Lau, Appl. Phys. Lett., Vol. 57(25), pp. 2632-2634 (December 1990). This technique will be summarized as follows, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.
FIG. 3 shows a gain-levered DFB quantum well semiconductor laser. FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating the relationship between carrier density and gain, which is observed with this gain-levered DFB quantum well laser. As is evident from FIG. 4, the laser has a high non-linearity since its gain saturates in the region having a high carrier density.
It is assumed that the operating points of the regions 1 and 2 of the laser are located at point A (uniformly excited condition) on the curve shown in FIG. 4. As the current injected into the region 1 is decreased, gradually lowering the carrier density in the region 1, the carrier density in the region 2 increases to maintain the gain at the initial value. As a result, the operating points of the regions 1 and 2 shift to points B1 and B2 as is illustrated in FIG. 4. Due to the non-linearity of the curve representing the relationship between the carrier density and the gain, the average carrier density of the laser increases as the operating points of the regions 1 and 2 shift from the point A (uniform excitation) to the points B1 and B2 (non-uniform excitation). The oscillation wavelength therefore shifts toward the short side. (That is, a blue shift takes places.) Due to the change in the current, the gain and the carrier density (i.e., the oscillation wavelength) greatly change in the regions 1 and 2, respectively. In view of this, the region 1 is considered as a gain-control region, and the region 2, as a wavelength control region.
If the excitation is rendered non-uniform by virtue of gain-lever effect, thus effecting a blue shift, however, not only the average carrier density but also the average current density will increase, inevitably raising the temperature of the laser. This temperature rise causes a red shift, which cancels out the blue shift. Consequently, the gain-levered DFB quantum well laser cannot be tuned over so broad a wavelength range as is expected.
In the case of a multi-electrode DFB semiconductor laser, the refractive-index distribution in the resonator varies with the carrier-density distribution in the resonator. Hence, the wavelength at which the laser requires a minimum threshold gain to oscillate does change. On the other hand, the change in the refractive-index distribution in the resonance alters the phase-matching condition. If the wavelength at which the laser requires a minimum threshold gain to oscillate always satisfies the phase-matching condition, it can be expected that the laser continues stable oscillating.
With any conventional multi-electrode DFB laser, however, it is difficult to simultaneously control the threshold-gain condition and the phase-matching condition. The conventional multi-electrode DFB laser oscillates stably but over a small oscillation wavelength range. In a three-electrode phase-shifted DFB laser, for example, when the current injected into the center section of the resonator is increased, while maintaining the currents injected into the end regions at a constant value, the refractive-index distribution along the length of the resonator varies, inevitably changing both the threshold-gain condition and the phase-matching condition. Such a mode jump as shown in FIG. 19 is therefore unavoidable. As a consequence, the wavelength range over which the laser can be tuned in one oscillation mode is limited to 1 nm or less.
The conventional multi-electrode DFB laser has another problem. As a current is injected into each region of the laser, not only the carrier density but also the temperature distributes non-uniformly. Due to the non-uniform carrier density distribution and the non-uniform temperature distribution, the refractive index, which depends on both the carrier density and the temperature, is not distributed uniformly, either. Because of these complex oscillation conditions, it is more difficult to control the operating mode of the multi-electrode DFB laser.


A method for improving the rheological properties of mineral slurry comprising adding a copolymeric dispersing agent to the slurry to disperse silicate minerals. Also disclosed is a method for flotating mineral slurry.

The present invention relates to a method for improving rheological properties of mineral slurry. More particularly the present invention relates to a method wherein a copolymeric dispersing agent is added to the slurry to disperse silicate minerals. The present invention relates to a flotation method
Flotation is a process where mineral slurry produced from pulverized ore is mixed with foam forming organic chemicals and with the aid of air foam is formed to mineral slurry. Collector chemicals bound the valuable metal concentrate to the surface of the foam bubbles. Mineral concentrate foam is collected from the surface of the flotation cell.
Froth flotation commences by comminution, which is used to increase the surface area of the ore for subsequent processing and break the rocks into the desired mineral and gangue in a process known as liberation, which then has to be separated from the desired mineral. The ore is ground into a fine powder and mixed with water to form a slurry. The desired mineral is rendered hydrophobic by the addition of a surfactant or collector chemical. The particular chemical depends on which mineral is being refined. This slurry (more properly called the pulp) of hydrophobic mineral-bearing ore and hydrophilic gangue is then introduced to a water bath which is aerated, creating bubbles. The hydrophobic grains of mineral-bearing ore escape the water by attaching to the air bubbles, which rise to the surface, forming a foam or a scum (more properly called a froth). The froth is removed and the concentrated mineral is further refined (Wikipedia).
Serpentinite is a rock composed of one or more serpentine group minerals. Separation of nickel minerals from serpentinite-containing gangue is challenging. Because of lack of good separation from gangue the plants are forced to operate flotation process based on quality of the concentrate with the cost of nickel recovery losses. This significantly decreases the yield and the economy of the operations. Problem with the serpentine is that it contains Mg which is problematic element in nickel smelters. End customers (smelters) have strict limits for Mg and excess Mg decreases the value of the concentrate, in some cases practically to level of non-value product.
Serpentine content can be as high as 30% of incoming flow calculated as MgO. At normal slurry densities the serpentinite forms a non-newtonian viscous jelly that prevents dispersion of air and the passage of air bubbles to the surface of a flotation cell. This problem is generally solved by decreasing the solid content in flotation i.e. increasing water consumption. In worst cases only 10% solid content is used with highly serpentine containing ores. Normal operation is in the range of 30-40% solid content.

Method for improving rheological properties of mineral slurry


A method and an system for vaccinating a mammalian subject. The method includes the steps of: arranging a source of electromagnetic radiation proximate to a target zone of skin of the mammalian subject; controlling the source of electromagnetic radiation to deliver a dose of electromagnetic radiation to the target zone determined to create one or more thermally-denatured zones in the target zone; and intradermally injecting a vaccine within the target zone to vaccinate the mammalian subject. The system for vaccinating a subject may include an electromagnetic radiation source configured to be arranged proximate to a target zone on an exterior of the subject; a user control configured to selectively cause the electromagnetic radiation source to deliver a dose of electromagnetic radiation toward the target zone to create one or more thermally-denatured zones in the target zone; and a vaccine-delivery system configured to deliver a vaccine to the target zone.

Flu viral infection continues to be a significant public health problem, and vaccination is one of the most cost-effective means to prevent the spread of the virus and decrease flu-caused morbidity and mortality. However, annual flu vaccination presents a huge burden, economically, clinically and in production efforts, for the public health system. In particular, when an outbreak of a new strain or pandemic of flu virus occurs, manufacturers face an enormous challenge to double or triple the production of flu vaccines in order to cope with both seasonal and pandemics of flu virus. A method and system that provides dose-sparing of existing and stockpiled vaccines can greatly enhance a capacity to cope with flu vaccine shortages in the event of a flu pandemic, and could result in huge cost savings for seasonal flu vaccines. In addition, vaccine enhancement can provide further benefits such as improving the efficacy of vaccines in the elderly and immunocompromised patients.
Most vaccines may benefit from adjuvants to induce sufficient immune responses in the human body. An "adjuvant" can refer to any aid or contributor that can increase the efficacy or potency of a vaccine for the prevention, amelioration, or cure of a disease as compared to a vaccine or agent administered without the adjuvant. For example, an increase in the efficacy or potency can include a decrease in the amount of vaccine or agent to be administered, a decrease in the frequency and/or number of doses to be administered, a reduction in the likelihood and/or severity of undesirable side effects of the vaccine, and/or a more rapid or robust response to the vaccine (e.g., a higher antibody titer).
Currently, very few chemical or biological vaccine adjuvants are approved for human use in the Western Hemisphere. Aluminum salts (aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate or alum) have been used in vaccine preparations for a long time. These salts can create more antigenic precipitates with some vaccines, or increase the local concentration of antigen at the injection site to enhance vaccine uptake by antigen-presenting cells, among other possible effects. However, aluminum salts can also cause side effects in a percentage of the population that receives such vaccinations and may be undesirable for skin vaccination due to severe skin irritation it can cause. Certain other adjuvants are undergoing stringent approval testing in various countries, but have yet to gain wide acceptance.
In general, safety of vaccines (and associated adjuvants) is considered to be critical because vaccines are used to prevent illness, not to treat a disease. Any potential risks or unwanted side effects of a vaccine must be weighed against the reduction in likelihood of contracting the actual disease they are designed to treat, and the health risks of such disease if contracted. Accordingly, finding safe and effective vaccine adjuvants is becoming increasingly important.
One approach to produce an adjuvant by exposing the injection site to laser light having certain characteristics is described, e.g., in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0059116 of Onikienko et al. The described method appears to stress the cells to release immunostimulatory factors such as heat shock proteins that can improve vaccine efficacy. However, the method requires certain narrow combinations of wavelengths, pulse power, and pulse durations to evoke the desired effects while avoiding significant irreversible damage (e.g., necrosis or aptosis) to skin cells exposed to the laser energy (for example, limiting irreversible damage to 1% or less than of the exposed cells). Such limitations on the parameters of the laser energy that can produce the desired effects may include limitations based on skin color or pigmentation, and thus may limit the application of such methods based on clinical skill and/or within certain populations.
Fractional resurfacing, or fractional photothermolysis, is a dermatological technique in which small regions of skin tissue (epidermis and/or dermis) are thermally damaged or ablated using electromagnetic energy (generally optical energy from a laser, flashlamp, laser diode, etc.) to stimulate a healing response in the skin. An example of a "fractional" approach to skin resurfacing is described, e.g., in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0155266 of Manstein et al. In fractional resurfacing, the width of the skin regions exposed to energy is typically less than 1 millimeter, or even less than 0.5 millimeters. Such small damage zones, which can extend to the dermal layer, are well-tolerated by the skin, partially because the small regions of damage remain surrounded by healthy tissue. Fractional photothermolysis can produce effects such as skin tightening, wrinkle reduction, and improvement in pigmentation appearance. Fractional photothermolysis can be ablative (where a portion of the skin tissue is vaporized in the exposed regions), or non-ablative (where skin tissue is thermally damaged but not vaporized). For example, non-ablative fractional photothermolysis (NAFP) maintains a substantially intact stratum corneum and reduces a risk of infection as compared to other skin resurfacing techniques.
Other dermatological treatments have been developed based on the fractional damage concept. Various modalities for heating, ablating, or otherwise disrupting small regions of tissue (e.g., less than 1 millimeter wide or less than 0.5 millimeters wide) can be used to achieve various cosmetic effects. Generally, formation of small regions of thermal damage in tissue that are surrounded by healthy, unaffected tissue (e.g., fractional thermolysis) is generally well-tolerated.
Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide methods and apparatus for enhancing the efficacy of various vaccines that are not vaccine-specific and which are well-tolerated by the subject.

Method and apparatus for boosting vaccine efficacy


According to one embodiment, an electronic device includes: a first member; a second member overlapped on the first member; a plurality of joints that are spaced apart from each other and that link the first member and the second member at an overlapping portion between the first member and the second member; and a curved rib that is erected on a surface of the second member and that has a curved shape over the surface of the second member in between the joints.

Conventionally, an electronic device is known that includes a housing composed of a plurality of members. In such a electronic device, a second member is laminated on a first member and is linked to the first member by a plurality of joints.
However, in such a device, it may be difficult to efficiently enhance the resistance property of the second member in between the joints.


The compound of the formula:

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel benzohydrazide derivatives, their salts and compositions containing them, intermediates, a process for producing them, and their use as herbicides.
2. Description of the Related Art
EP 195346 disclosed the herbicidal utility of uracil derivatives, in which the phenyl ring of the described compounds were substituted by carboxyl moiety. JP 01139581 and WO 92/06962 disclosed benzohydrazide, in which the phenyl ring of the described compounds were substituted by tetrahydrophthalamide and pyrazole moiety respectively. WO99/52878 described benzohydrazide derivatives with pyridazinone moiety. EP0745599 described thiotrione derivatives as an intermediate. WO97/33875 and WO97/40018 disclosed benzonitrile derivatives. Phthalimide derivative was disclosed in Indian J. Chem., Sect. B (1986), 25B(3), 308-311. Despite the broad coverage of these patents and literature, the general structure of the present invention has not been described.
The specific benzohydrazides and related compounds of the formula I mentioned below are novel and can be used to effectively control a variety of broad or grassy leaf plant species.
The invention delineates a method for the control of undesired vegetation in a plantation crop by the application to the locus of the crop an effective amount of a compound described herein. The present application describes certain herbicidal benzohydrazide derivatives of the formula (I) including all geometric, tautomeric and stereoisomers, and their salts, as well as compositions containing them and methods of preparation for these compounds.
wherein
X is hydrogen or halogen;
Y is represented by hydrogen, halogen, nitro, (C1-4)alkyl, (C1-4)alkoxy, (C1-4)haloalkyl or (C1-4)haloalkoxy;
T is represented by N or CH;
Z is one of the following groups;
A is oxygen, sulfur or NR4;
R1, R2, R3 and R4 are independent of each other and may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, cyano, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)haloalkyl, (C1-6)alkoxy,(C1-6)haloalkoxy, (C1-6)alkoxyalkyl, (C2-6)alkynyl, (C2-6)alkenyl, aryl, heteroaryl, aryloxy, heteroaryloxy, (C3-6)cycloalkyl, (C3-6)cyclocarbonyl, carboxy, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, arylcarbonyl, (C1-3)haloalkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylthiocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylthiocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkoxythiocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxythiocarbonyl,(C1-6)alkylamino, arylsulfonylamino, arylamino, (C1-6)alkylthio, arylthio, (C2-6)alkenylthio, (C2-6)alkynylthio, (C1-6)alkylsulfinyl, (C2-6)alkenylsulfinyl, (C2-6)alkynylsulfinyl, (C1-6)alkylsulfonyl, (C2-6)alkenylsulfonyl, (C2-6)alkynylsulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, where any of these groups may be optionally substituted with one or one more of the following group consisting of halogen, hydroxy, mercapto, cyano, nitro, amino, caboxy, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)haloalkyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)alkoxy, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylaminocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxy, (C1-6)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylsulfonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylsulfonyl, aryl, haloaryl, alkoxyaryl, aryoxy, arylthio, haloaryloxy, heteroaryl, heteroaryloxy and (C3-7)cycloalkyl;
When R2 and R3 are taken together with the atoms to which they are attached, they represent a three to seven membered substituted or unsubstituted ring optionally containing oxygen, carbonyl, S(O)n** or nitrogen with following optional substitutions, one to three halogen, cyano, nitro, hydroxy, amino, carbonyl, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)haloalkyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)alkoxy, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylaminocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxy, (C1-6)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylsulfonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylsulfonyl, aryl, heteroaryl or (C3-7)cycloalkyl;
R5 and R6 are independent of each other and may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C1-6)alkyl, (C2-6)alkenyl, (C2-6)alkynyl, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl and heteroarylcarbonyl;
where any of these groups may be optionally substituted with one or more of the following groups consisting of halogen, hydroxy, cyano, nitro, amino, caboxyl, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)haloalkyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)alkoxy, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylaminocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxy, (C1-6)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylsulfonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylsulfonyl, aryl, heteroaryl and (C3-7)cycloalkyl;
When R5 and R6 are taken together with the atoms to which they are attached, they represent a three to seven membered substituted or unsubstituted ring optionally containing oxygen, carbonyl, S(O)n** or nitrogen with following optional substitutions, one to three halogen, cyano, nitro, hydroxy, amino, carbonyl, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)haloalkyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)alkoxy, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylaminocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxy, (C1-6)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylsulfonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylsulfonyl, aryl, heteroaryl or (C3-7)cycloalkyl;
R7 may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C1-6)alkyl, (C2-6)alkenyl or (C2-6)alkynyl where any of these groups may be optionally substituted with one or more of the following groups consisting of halogen, hydroxy, cyano, nitro, amino, caboxyl, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)haloalkyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)alkoxy, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylaminocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxy, (C1-6)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylsulfonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylsulfonyl, aryl, heteroaryl and (C3-7)cycloalkyl;
M is halogen, dichloroiodate, tetrachloroiodate, sulfate, nitrate, formate, acetate, propionate or butylate.
Q is selected from;
wherein
A1 and A2 are independently oxygen or sulfur;
R8 is hydrogen, halogen, cyano, nitro, formyl (C1-4)alkyl, (C1-4)haloalkyl, amino, (C1-4)alkylamino, (C1-4)haloalkylamino, (C1-4)alyloxyamino, (C1-4)haloalkoxyamino, (C1-4)alkylcarbonyl, (C1-4)haloalkylcarbonyl, (C1-4)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-4)alkylcabonylamino, (C1-4)haloalkylcarbonylamino, (C1-4)alkoxycarbonylamino, (C1-4)haloalkoxycarbonylamino, (C1-6)alkoxyalkyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxyalkyl, (C1-6)alkylthio, (C1-6)haloalkylthio, (C2-6)alkenyl, (C2-6)haloalkenyl, (C2-6)alkynyl or (C2-6)haloalkynyl;
R9 and R10 are independent of each other and may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, cyano, (C1-4)alkyl, (C1-4)haloalkyl, (C1-4)alkoxy, (C1-4)haloalkoxy, (C2-6)alkenyl, (C2-6)haloalkenyl.
R11 and R12 are independent of each other and may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, (C1-3)alkyl, (C1-3)haloalkyl, hydroxy, (C1-3)alkoxy, (C1-3)haloalkoxy, cyano, nitro, amino or (C1-6)alkylamino;
When R11 and R12 are taken together with the atoms to which they are attached, they represent a three to seven membered substituted or unsubstituted ring optionally containing oxygen, S(O)n** or nitrogen with following optional substitutions, one to three halogen, cyano, nitro, hydroxy, amino, carbonyl, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)haloalkyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)alkoxy, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylaminocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxy, (C1-6)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylsulfonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylsulfonyl, aryl, heteroaryl or (C3-7)cycloalkyl;
R13 may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, cyano, (C1-4)alkyl, (C1-4)alkoxy, (C1-4)haloalkoxy, (C1-4)alkylthio, (C1-4)haloalkylthio, (C1-4)alkylsulfinyl, (C1-4)haloalkylsulfinyl, (C1-4)alkylsulfonyl, (C1-4)haloalkylsulfonyl (C2-6)alkenyl or (C2-6)haloalkenyl.
G is nitrogen or CR15;
Gxe2x80x2 is carbonyl, NR14, oxygen, S(O)n** or CR15R16;
R14 may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyl, arylcarbonyl and heteroarylcarbonyl; where any of these groups may be optionally substituted with one or more of the following groups consisting of halogen, hydroxy, cyano, nitro, amino, caboxyl, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)haloalkyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)alkoxy, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylaminocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxy, (C1-6)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylsulfonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylsulfonyl, aryl, heteroaryl and (C3-7)cycloalkyl;
R15 and R16 are independent of each other and may bc selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, hydroxy, mercapto, amino, cyano, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)haloalkyl, (C1-6)alkoxy,(C1-6)haloalkoxy, (C1-6)alkoxyalkyl, (C2-6)alkynyl, (C2-6)alkenyl, aryl, heteroaryl, aryloxy, heteroaryloxy, (C3-6)cycloalkyl, (C3-6)cyclocarbonyl, carboxy, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, arylcarbonyl, (C1-3)haloalkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylthiocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylthiocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkoxythiocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxythiocarbonyl,(C1-6)alkylamino, arylsulfonylamino, arylamino, (C1-3)alkylthio, arylthio, (C2-6)alkenylthio, (C2-6)alkynylthio, (C1-6)alkylsulfinyl, (C2-6)alkenylsulfinyl, (C2-6)alkynylsulfinyl, (C1-6)alkylsulfonyl, (C2-6)alkenylsulfonyl, (C2-6)alkynylsulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, where any of these groups may be optionally substituted with one or one more of the following group consisting of halogen, hydroxy, mercapto, cyano, nitro, amino, caboxyl, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)haloalkyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)alkoxy, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylaminocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxy, (C1-6)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylsulfonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylsulfonyl, aryl, heteroaryl and (C3-7)cycloalkyl;
n and m are independent of each other and represent an integer from 0 to 2; provided that m+n is 2, 3 or 4;
n* is 0 or 1;
n** is represent an integer from 0 to 2;
Preferred formula (I) compounds of this invention are those wherein
X is hydrogen or halogen;
Y is represented by hydrogen, halogen, nitro, (C1-4)haloalkyl or (C1-4)haloalkoxy;
T is CH;
Z is selected from group (II), (III) or (V);
A is oxygen or sulfur;
R1, R2, R3 and R4 are independent of each other and may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)haloalkyl, (C1-6)alkoxy,(C1-6)haloalkoxy, (C1-6)alkoxyalkyl, (C2-6)alkynyl, (C2-6)alkenyl, aryl, heteroaryl, aryloxy, heteroaryloxy, (C3-6)cycloalkyl, (C3-6)cyclocarbonyl, carboxy, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, arylcarbonyl, (C1-3, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylthiocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkoxythiocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylamino, arylsulfonylamino, arylamino, (C1-6)alkylthio, arylthio, (C2-6)alkenylthio, (C1-6)alkylsulfinyl, (C2-6)alkenylsulfinyl, (C2-6)alkynylsulfinyl, (C1-6)alkylsulfonyl, (C2-6)alkenylsulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, where any of these groups may be optionally substituted with one or one more of the following group consisting of halogen, hydroxy, mercapto, cyano, nitro, amino, caboxy, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)haloalkyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)alkoxy, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylaminocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxy, (C1-6)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylsulfonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylsulfonyl, aryl, haloaryl, alkoxyaryl, aryoxy, arylthio, haloaryloxy, heteroaryl, heteroaryloxy and (C3-7)cycloalkyl;
R5 and R6 are independent of each other and may be selected from the group consisting of (C1-6)alkyl, (C2-6)alkenyl, (C2-6)alkynyl, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl and heteroarylcarbonyl; where any of these groups may be optionally substituted with one or more of the following groups consisting of halogen, hydroxy, cyano, nitro, amino, caboxyl, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)haloalkyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)alkoxy, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylaminocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxy, (C1-6)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylsulfonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylsulfonyl, aryl, heteroaryl and (C3-7)cycloalkyl;
R7 may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C1-6)alkyl, (C2-6)alkenyl or (C2-6)alkynyl;
Q is selected from Q1, Q3, Q5, Q7, Q9 or Q10;
wherein
A1 and A2 are independently oxygen or sulfur;
R8 is hydrogen, (C1-4)alkyl, (C1-4)haloalkyl, amino;
R9 and R10 are independent of each other and may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, cyano, (C1-4)alkyl, (C1-4)haloalkyl, (C1-4)alkoxy, (C1-4)haloalkoxy, (C2-6)alkenyl, (C2-6)haloalkenyl.
R13 may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, (C1-4)alkyl, (C1-4)alkoxy, (C1-4)haloalkoxy, (C1-4)alkylthio, (C1-4)haloalkylthio, (C1-4)alkylsulfinyl, (C1-4)haloalkylsulfinyl; (C1-4)alkylsulfonyl or (C1-4)haloalkylsulfonyl,
Gxe2x80x2 is carbonyl, NR14, oxygen, S(O)n** or CR15R16;
R14 is hydrogen or (C1-6)alkyl;
R15 and R16 are independent of each other and may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, hydroxy, amino, cyano, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)haloalkyl, (C1-6)alkoxy,(C1-6)haloalkoxy, (C1-6)alkoxyalkyl, (C2-6)alkynyl, (C2-6)alkenyl, aryl, heteroaryl, aryloxy, heteroaryloxy, (C3-6)cycloalkyl, (C3-6)cyclocarbonyl, carboxy, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, arylcarbonyl, (C1-3)haloalkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylthiocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylthiocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkoxythiocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxythiocarbonyl,(C1-6)alkylamino, arylsulfonylamino, arylamino, (C1-3)alkylthio, arylthio, (C2-6)alkenylthio, (C2-6)alkynylthio, (C1-6)alkylsulfinyl, (C2-6)alkenylsulfinyl, (C2-6)alkynylsulfinyl, (C1-6)alkylsulfonyl, (C2-6)alkenylsulfonyl, (C2-6)alkynylsulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, where any of these groups may be optionally substituted with one or one more of the following group consisting of halogen, hydroxy, mercapto, cyano, nitro, amino, caboxyl, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)haloalkyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylcarbonyloxy, (C1-6)alkoxy, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylaminocarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxy, (C1-6)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylsulfonyl, (C1-6)haloalkylsulfonyl, aryl, heteroaryl and (C3-7)cycloalkyl;
n and m are independent of each other and represent an integer from 0 to 2; provided that m+n is 2, 3 or 4;
n** is represent an integer from 0 to 2;
The most preferred formula (I) compounds of this invention are those wherein
X and Y are independent of each other represent hydrogen or halogen;
T is CH;
Z is selected from group (II) or (V);
A is oxygen;
R1, R2, R3 and R4 are independent of each other and may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C1-6)alkyl, (C1-6)haloalkyl, (C1-6)alkoxy,(C1-6)haloalkoxy, (C1-6)alkoxyalkyl, (C2-6)alkynyl, (C2-6)alkenyl, aryl, heteroaryl, aryloxy, heteroaryloxy, (C3-6)cycloalkyl, (C3-6)cyclocarbonyl, carboxy, (C1-6)alkylcarbonyl, arylcarbonyl, (C1-3, (C1-6)alkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)haloalkoxycarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylthiocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkoxythiocarbonyl, (C1-6)alkylamino, arylsulfonylamino, arylamino, (C1-6)alkylthio, arylthio, (C2-6)alkenylthio, (C1-6)alkylsulfinyl, (C2-6)alkenylsulfinyl, (C2-6)alkynylsulfinyl, (C1-6)alkylsulfonyl, (C2-6)alkenylsulfonyl, arylsulfonyl,
R5 and R6 are independent of each other and may be selected from the group consisting of (C1-6)alkyl, (C2-6)alkenyl, (C2-6)alkynyl;
R7 may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C1-6)alkyl, (C2-6)alkenyl or (C2-6)alkynyl;
Q is selected from Q1, Q3 or Q5;
wherein
A1 and A2 are oxygen;
R8 is (C1-4)alkyl, (C1-4)haloalkyl, amino;
R9 and R10 are independent of each other and may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, (C1-4)alkyl, (C1-4)haloalkyl, (C1-4)alkoxy, (C1-4)haloalkoxy, (C2-6)alkenyl, (C2-6)haloalkenyl;
R13 may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, cyano, (C1-4)alkoxy, (C1-4)haloalkoxy, hydroxy;
Some compounds of this formula (I) may form a salt with organic and inorganic acids, propargyl and allyl halides, dimethyl sulfate, etc. A salt of compound represented by the formula (I) may contain cases that Z is group VI or VII in formula (I).
In the definitions given above, unless alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and halogen are defined or mentioned, the term alkyl used either alone or in compound words such as xe2x80x9chaloalkylxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9calkylcarbonylxe2x80x9d includes straight-chain or branched chains containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms. The terms of alkenyl and alkynyl include straight chain or branched alkenes and alkynes respectively containing 2 to 6 carbon atoms, and the term halogen either alone or in the compound words such as haloalkyl indicates fluorine, chlorine, bromine, or iodine.
Further a haloalkyl is represented by an alkyl partially or fully substituted with halogen atoms which may be same or different. The term or part of the term xe2x80x9carylxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cheteroarylxe2x80x9d are defined as those monocyclic or fused bicyclic aromatic rings wherein at least one ring satisfy the Hxc3xcckel rule and contain 0 to 4 heteroatoms, examples include: phenyl, furyl, furazanyl, thienyl, pyrrolyl, pyrazolyl, oxazolyl, oxadiazolyl, imidazolyl, isoxazolyl, thiazolyl, thiadiazolyl, isothiazolyl, tetrazolyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyridazinyl, pyrazinyl, triazinyl, quinolyl, isoquinolyl, quinoxalinyl, benzofuranyl, 2,3-dihydrobenzofuranyl, isobenzofuranyl, benzothienyl, benzodioxolyl, chromanyl, indolinyl, isoindolyl, naphthyl, thienofuranyl and purinyl. These rings can attached through any available carbon or nitrogen, for example, when the aromatic ring system is furyl, it can be 2-furyl or 3-furyl, for pyrrolyl, the aromatic ring system is 1-pyrrolyl, 2-pyrrolyl or 3-pyrrolyl, for naphthyl, the carbobicyclic aromatic ring is 1-naphthyl or 2-naphthyl and for benzofuranyl, the aromatic ring system can be 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6- or 7-benzofuranyl.
The compounds described by the formula (I) can be prepared by the procedures as described herein. Using commercially available starting materials or those whose synthesis is known in the art, the compounds of this invention may be prepared using methods described in the following Schemes, or using modifications thereof, which are within the scope of the art.
The starting carboxylic acid represented by formula (VIII) in Scheme 1 can be prepared according to the literature procedure (WO8810254). The carboxylic acid was converted to the corresponding acid halide represented by formula (IX) by treatment with halogenation agents such as thionyl chloride or oxalyl chloride with or without solvent at a temperature between 0xc2x0 C. and 100xc2x0 C. for 0.5 to 12 hours. Examples of solvent for this reaction include halogenated alkyl solvents such as dichloromethane, chloroform, or aromatic sovents such as benzene, toluene, xylene, etc. The solvent was removed under reduced pressure, then isolated and purified. Formula (XI) can be prepared by the condensation reaction of formula (IX) with the corresponding hydrazine derivatives represented by formula (X). The reaction was carried out with or without base such as triethyl amine or 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) at a temperature between 0xc2x0 C. and 100xc2x0 C. for 0.5 to 24 hours. The described procedure in Scheme 1 can also be applied to the synthesis of thiobenzohydrazide analogs of formula (X I).
The product represented by formula (XIII) in Scheme 2 can be prepared from formula (XII) by treatment with an electrophile such as dimethyl sulfide in the presence of base such as potassium carbonate in an inert solvent such as acetone or toluene. The reaction can be carried out at a temperature between 0xc2x0 C. and 200xc2x0 C. for 0.5 to 48 hours.
The compounds represented by the formula (XII) and (XIV) in Scheme 3 can be prepared from the corresponding compounds represented by formula (XIIxe2x80x2) by treatment with an electrophile such as methyl iodide or acetyl chloride in an inert solvent such as dioxane in the presence of base such as potassium carbonate. Formula (XII) or (XIV) can be converted to the corresponding quaternary salt derivatives represented by formula (XIII) or (XV). The reaction can be carried out according to the general procedure described in Scheme 2.
The compound represented in formula (XVI) in Scheme 4 can be prepared from formula (IX) by reaction with a corresponding hydrazone derivatives represented by formula (Xxe2x80x2) in an inert solvent such as tetrahydrofuran (THF) or toluene with or without base such as triethylamine, DBU or potassium carbonate at a temperature between 0xc2x0 C. and 150xc2x0 C. for 0.5 to 24 hours. The described procedure in Scheme 4 can also be applied to the synthesis of thiobenzohydrazide analogs of formula (X VI)
The substituted derivatives represented by the formula (XVI) and (XVIII) in Scheme 5 can be prepared from formula (XVII) by treatment with an electrophile such as methyl iodide or acetyl chloride. The reaction can be carried out in the presence of base such as triethylamine or potassium carbonate in an inert solvent such as 2-butenone at a temperature between 0xc2x0 C. and 150xc2x0 C. for 0.5 to 24 hours.
The compound represented by formula (XXII) in Scheme 6 can be prepared from formula (XXI) by the reaction with hydrazine with or without base such as potassium carbonate. The reaction can be carried out in an inert solvent such as toluene at a temperature between xe2x88x9210xc2x0 C. to 150xc2x0 C. for 0.5 to 24 hours. Formula (XVII) can be prepared from formula (XXII) by condensation reaction with aldehyde or ketone in an inert solvent such as DMF with or without catalyst such as p-toluenesulfonic acid or potassium carbonate at a temperature between xe2x88x9210xc2x0 C. and 150xc2x0 C. for 0.5 to 24 hours.
The compound represented by formula (XXIII) in Scheme 7 can be prepared according to the literature procedure (EP 361114). Formula (XXIV) can be prepared according to the general procedure described in Scheme 1. Formula (XXIV) is then converted into the corresponding sulfur analogue represented by formula (XXV) by treating typical reagent such as Lawesson""s5 reagent. Formula (XXVI) or (XXVII) can be prepared according to the general procedures described in Scheme 2.
The compound represented by formula (XI) and (XVI) in Scheme 8 can be prepared from formula (VIII) by a coupling reaction with corresponding hydrazine derivative in the presence of a dehydration reagent such as 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC). The reaction can be carried out with or without base such as N,N-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) in an inert solvent such as dichloromethane at a temperature between xe2x88x9210xc2x0 C. and 100xc2x0 C. for 0.5 to 24 hours.
The compound represented by formula (XXIX) in Scheme 9 can be prepared from formula (XXVIII). Nitration can be carried out by treatment with a nitrating reagent such as nitric acid at a temperature between xe2x88x9230xc2x0 C. and 60xc2x0 C. for 0.5 to 6 hours. Formula (XXIX) is then converted into the corresponding aniline represented by formula (XXX) by typical reduction procedure e.g. iron in an acidic medium such as acetic acid or by catalytic hydrogenation. Uracil derivatives represented by formula (XXXII) can be prepared analogously by known method (U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,229).

Benzohydrazide derivatives as herbicides and desiccant compositions containing them

Abstract: The compound of the formula:

Abstract: wherein Y, X, Z, T and Q are defined in the specification,


A single input, multiple output flow meter (200) is provided. The flow meter (200) includes an intake conduit (202) and a flow divider (203). The flow meter (200) further includes a first flow sensor element (204) coupled to the flow divider (203), including a first output conduit (206), and is configured to generate a first flow signal. The flow meter (200) further includes at least a second flow sensor element (205) coupled to the flow divider (203), including a second output conduit (207), and is configured to generate a second flow signal. The input flow can be metered through the first output conduit (206) by the first flow sensor element (204), can be metered through the second output conduit (207) by the second flow sensor element (205), or can be simultaneously metered through both the first output conduit (206) by the first flow sensor element (204) and through the second output conduit (207) by the second flow sensor element (205).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a single input, multiple output flow meter, and more particularly to a single input, multiple output flow meter that can be used for metering fuels and alternative fuels.
2. Statement of the Problem
Vibrating conduit sensors, such as Coriolis mass flow meters, typically operate by detecting motion of a vibrating conduit that contains a flowing material. Properties associated with the material in the conduit, such as mass flow, density and the like, can be determined by processing measurement signals received from motion transducers associated with the conduit. The vibration modes of the vibrating material-filled system generally are affected by the combined mass, stiffness and damping characteristics of the containing conduit and the material contained therein.
A typical Coriolis mass flow meter includes one or more conduits that are connected inline in a pipeline or other transport system and convey material, e.g., fluids, slurries and the like, in the system. Each conduit may be viewed as having a set of natural vibration modes including, for example, simple bending, torsional, radial, and coupled modes. In a typical Coriolis mass flow measurement application, a conduit is excited in one or more vibration modes as a material flows through the conduit, and motion of the conduit is measured at points spaced along the conduit. Excitation is typically provided by an actuator, e.g., an electromechanical device, such as a voice coil-type driver, that perturbs the conduit in a periodic fashion. Mass flow rate may be determined by measuring time delay or phase differences between motions at the transducer locations. Two such transducers (or pickoff sensors) are typically employed in order to measure a vibrational response of the flow conduit or conduits, and are typically located at positions upstream and downstream of the actuator. The two pickoff sensors are connected to electronic instrumentation by cabling, such as two independent pairs of wires. The instrumentation receives signals from the two pickoff sensors and processes the signals in order to derive a mass flow rate measurement.
Flow meters are used to perform mass flow rate measurements for a wide variety of flow fluids. One area in which Coriolis flow meters can potentially be used is in the metering and dispensing of alternative fuels. The alternative fuels market continues to expand in response to increasing concerns over pollution and further in response to increasing concerns about the cost and availability of unleaded gasoline and other traditional fuels. In fact, many governments are becoming involved by enacting legislation promoting the use of alternative fuels.
An opportunity for the use of Coriolis meters in the alternative fuels market is in the filling of vehicles, such as cars, buses, etc. In the prior art, the filling of individual vehicles has been performed at filling stations utilizing traditional gasoline pumps or utilizing compressed natural gas (CNG) dispensers for alternative fuels. Typical traditional gasoline fuel dispensers require two individual and independent meters so that two vehicles can be filled simultaneously. However, the overall cost and size of an alternative fuels fuel pump must be minimized in order for the manufacture of the pump to be competitive in such a growing industry. Therefore, a challenge exists in being able to develop a cost-effective fuel meter that can provide two simultaneous fuel flow measurements.

Single input, multiple output flow meter


An arrangement (60) for recording an analog signal in a track on a record carrier (82) is provided with an overload detection circuit (78) for detection an overload situation for the analog signal applied to the arrangement. Upon detection of an overload situation, the recording mode is terminated and the record carrier is rewound to the start location of the current recording. Further, the arrangement is provided with a variable attenuator (66). The variable attenuation factor in the attenuator is increased upon detection of the overload situation.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an arrangement for recording an analog signal in a track on a record carrier in a recording mode, comprising
an input terminal for receiving the analog signal, PA1 variable attenuator means, having an input coupled to the input terminal and an output, PA1 conversion means, having an input coupled to the output of the variable attenuator means, and an output, the conversion means being adapted for converting the signal applied to its input into a second signal and for supplying the second signal to the output, PA1 writing means, having an input coupled to the output of the conversion means, for writing the second signal in at least one track on the record carrier, PA1 record carrier transport control means for generating a control signal at an output, and PA1 record carrier transport means, having a control signal input coupled to the output of the record carrier transport control means, for realizing a first relative movement of the write means relative to the record carrier during the writing of the second signal in the track in said recording mode, in response to a first control signal generated by the record carrier transport control means, so as to enable the writing of the second signal in the track. PA1 overload detection means for detecting an overload situation for the analog signal applied to the arrangement, and PA1 attenuator control signal generator means for generating at an output an attenuator control signal upon the detection of an overload situation, the output being coupled to a control signal input of the variable attenuator means,
The invention also relates to a combination of said arrangement and an analog signal generator means for supplying said analog signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
An arrangement as claimed in the opening paragraph is known in the form of present day magnetic audio recorders. If the signal to be recorded should be recorded in digital form, it is known to realize such digital recording by means of an RDAT or SDAT digital audio recorder. In such apparatuses, an analog audio signal is digitized and recorded in tracks on a magnetic tape, which tracks run in a slant or in a longitudinal direction respectively across the tape.
The arrangement as described in the opening paragraph can also be a disc recorder, e.g. a recorder in which the signal is recorded, for instance in digital form, on a disc-shaped record carrier by means of, e.g. a magneto-optic recording method.
Prior to recording the analog signal, the signal can be amplified, so as to control the recording level of the signal to be recorded such that no overload occurs. The amplification factor can be controlled manually by actuating a volume control knob.
The known arrangement has the disadvantage that, with the amplification factor set to a specific value, still overloads can occur because of large signal amplitudes present in the signal to be recorded.

Overload detection and storage of overload markers in an arrangement for recording an analog signal on a record carrier


An oven is configured with a cooking cavity for receiving a cooking load, a circuit for current supplied by one or more stored energy devices such as rechargeable batteries, and a heater comprising one or more radiant lamps to be driven by the current, the one or more radiant lamps being sized and positioned for heating the cooking load. The lamps are driven by current discharged from the batteries to radiantly heat a cooking load. An application of this stove configuration is in a toaster which is capable of toasting slices of bread in a matter of seconds.

In recent years, toasting bread or bagels in homes and restaurants has become an ubiquitous practice typically accomplished using toasters or toaster ovens that are plugged into an ordinary household outlet. The toasting process involves the heating of bread to reduce its water content by about 10-15% through evaporation from an original level ranging from 35-50%. Toasting also caramelizes the surface of the bread, converting and oxidizing complex sugars. As caramelization occurs, volatile chemicals are released producing a characteristic caramel smell. Caramelization is the oxidation of sugar, and is a type of non-enzymatic browning. If sucrose is present, then a sucrose molecule may combine with a water molecule to produce a glucose molecule and a fructose molecule, which increases sweetness. The chemical reaction is: C12H22O11 (sucrose)+H2O (water)=C6H12O6 (glucose)+C6H12O6 (fructose). Additionally, butter, cheese, or other spreads are often placed on bread before or after toasting. Typical cooking times for toasting bread range from approximately 120 to 300 seconds, depending on the level of caramelization required as well as the number of slices of bread simultaneously toasted. Speeding up this process to less than 60 seconds has not been accomplished to date.
Kitchen appliances for homes are generally designed for use with standard 120 VAC in the United States and 220 VAC in Europe. Some motor home vehicles and camping trailers use a standard 12 VDC car or marine battery as a power supply, and convert (as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,134 by Banayan) 12 VDC from the battery into 120 VAC at up to 15 Amps, as in a typical household outlet. The total power delivered to a piece of toast in a toaster or toaster oven is a function of the resistance of the associated heating elements and follows Ohm's Law, but is inherently limited by the power available from the power supply. The total energy required to toast a slice of bread or bagel ranges from about 25 to 50 W-hours. Standard household outlets are able to safely deliver a maximum power of 1800 W, which yields a minimum toasting time of about 50 to 100 seconds for a slice of bread assuming the power is used 100% efficiently.
Toasters and toaster ovens are generally used by consumers as moveable appliances, and are designed to work in standard household outlets. Some special outlets are designed for high power and may deliver more than 15 Amps of current, but these special outlets are considered "dedicated" outlets for fixed items such as large ovens, dishwashers, or refrigerators. Thus, there is currently no method available to reduce cooking time while using a typical U.S. household outlet rated at 120 VAC and 15 Amps. There furthermore is no known method, using even dedicated outlets of high energy capacity, to reduce cooking time, for example, to under 30 seconds to toast a slice of bread.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Radiant oven with stored energy devices and radiant lamps


A vibration damping carrier for a disk drive. The carrier may be made of plastic and includes a pair of flexible rails securable to mounting holes in a raised pad on opposing sides of a disk drive housing. Each flexible rail secures one or more sets of a spring and a protuberance in transverse alignment with the spring. Each spring is outwardly extending for engaging opposing walls of a chassis bay and each protuberance is inwardly extending into engagement with the rigid housing. When the disk drive housing and flexible rails are positioned within the chassis bay, each spring and protuberance set is transversely compressed. Typically, the disk drive housing and the chassis bay are rectangular such that the spring and protuberance are transversely compressed. The protuberances provide localized reinforcement of the rails and prevent any significant flexing from occurring.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to carriers or trays for positioning a disk drive in a chassis bay and damping vibrations relative to the disk drive.
2. Background of the Related Art
Hard disk drives include a storage disk that is rotationally mounted to a main body or housing. For example, a disk mounted horizontally will rotate about a vertical axis. A disk head is also mounted to the housing for controllably tracking across the disk to desired positions. The movements of the disk and the disk head are combined into "seek operations" in which the disk head can read data from the disk or write data onto the disk.
However, the actuators that rotate the disk or reposition the disk head cause vibrations throughout the disk drive and its housing. These vibrations can cause read/write errors, write inhibits, or simply reduce the speed or other performance characteristic of the disk drive. The source of the vibration may include an out-of-balance disk stack or the rapid acceleration and deceleration of the disk head actuator.
These vibrations can certainly cause problems within a single hard drive, but the vibrations can also be transmitted to other adjacent hard drives and induce problems in those drives. Typically, vibrational forces are transmitted from one drive to another through the common enclosure or chassis that supports and secures the drives. One conventional approach to limiting the transmission of vibrational forces is to make the chassis stiff so that the entire mass of the chassis and its components oppose the vibrational forces through the principle of conservation of momentum.
Still, designing a completely stiff system is complicated by the commercial practicality of making the disk drive easily removable from the chassis bay. Therefore, a system integrator must design system cabinets and disk drive mounting hardware that mitigates vibration while accommodating maintenance and upgrading of hard drives. The mounting hardware is preferably simple and inexpensive, but many designs have failed. For example, simple plastic mounting systems have failed to mitigate the high levels of vibrations produced by a hard drive.
Therefore, there remains a need for improved disk drive mounting systems that are simple and inexpensive, while mitigating a suitable degree of vibration. The mounting system should accommodate installation and removal of the disk drive without requiring complicated and laborious procedures.

Vibration damping carrier for a disk drive

International Business Machines Corporation


A method that can plate a predetermined position on various plating targets without implementing a pretreatment thereon is provided. A plating method is performed on a plating target using a plating solution, and the plating method includes at least a bubble ejection step of ejecting a bubble generated by a bubble ejection member to a plating solution. The bubble ejection member includes an electrode formed of a conductive material and an insulating material covering at least a part of the electrode, at least a part of the insulating material forms a bubble ejection port, and an air gap surrounded by the insulating material is formed between at least a part of the electrode and the bubble ejection port.

Plating is a generic term of a technology of depositing a metal on a surface of a solid such as a metal or a nonmetal. As plating methods, electroplating, non-electrolytic plating (catalyst plating), vapor plating, and the like are known. Further, plating may provide various effects of, for example, giving corrosion resistance to protect a material from rust, giving decorativeness to have beautiful appearance, giving functionality such as an electric characteristic, a mechanical characteristic, a physical characteristic, a chemical characteristic, an optical characteristic, or a thermal characteristic, or the like.
As an example method of giving the electric characteristic described above, a method of producing a circuit board by using plating is known. As a specific example method of producing a circuit board, a method of forming a palladium film on recesses in a resin layer in which a recessed pattern is formed and then forming a circuit on the palladium film with non-electrolytic plating copper (see Patent Literature 1) and a method of forming a conductive material layer in a recess of a resin mold article in which recesses are formed and then providing metal wirings on the conductive material layer by using plating to produce a circuit board (see Patent Literature 2) are known, for example.

Plating method, bubble ejection member, plating apparatus, and device

KYUSHU UNIVERSITY, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION


A driving device of one embodiment includes a phase estimator and a voltage controller. The phase estimator estimates a phase of stator interlinkage magnetic flux of an electric motor based on a current flowing through the electric motor, a voltage command of a drive voltage applied to the electric motor, and a winding resistance value of the electric motor. The voltage controller acquires a first voltage vector component in a direction in which the stator interlinkage magnetic flux acts and a second voltage vector component in a direction which is orthogonal to the direction in which the stator interlinkage magnetic flux acts for the voltage command of the drive voltage, and sets the voltage command of the drive voltage based on the first voltage vector component and the second voltage vector component.

In a driving system of an electric motor, upon receipt of power, an electric power converter (inverter) converts the power into AC power and supplies the AC power to an electric motor. Then, a driving device controls the operation of the electric power converter to control a drive voltage to be applied to the electric motor. In such a driving system, from the viewpoint of cost reduction, a driving device may control the drive voltage of an electric motor by a sensorless method in which no sensor to detect the position (phase) of a rotor of the electric motor is provided. Also, from the viewpoint of cost reduction, it is required, for example, to form a driving device from not a microcomputer but an integrated circuit (IC) which is more inexpensive than the microcomputer. The processing capacity of the integrated circuit is smaller than that of a microcomputer or the like. To form a driving device from an integrated circuit, therefore, it is required that the driving device use the sensorless method to control a drive voltage through a relatively simple process.

Driving device, driving system, and method of driving electric motor

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation


A lens cover apparatus for camera includes a housing, a cover, and a slider. The cover is rotatably mounted to the housing to open/close a lens window for selectively exposing/shielding a lens of the camera. The slider is manually movable with respect to the housing to induce a horizontal movement of a first linkage, which is converted into a rotary motion of the cover by a second linkage that has a lever forming a slot movably receiving and guiding a peg extending from the cover.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sliding type lens cover apparatus for camera, and more particularly, to a lever-driven sliding type lens cover apparatus for camera.
2. Description of the Related Arts
In photography, the quality of an image is generally dependent on the film in the conventional camera or the CCD in the digital camera, and the lens. However, physical damages, such as flaws and scars, caused by undesired or accidental contact of the lens by a rigid object, and contaminations caused by dirt, grease, and fingerprints, often make problems in the maintenance of the lens, which seriously affects the quality of the image. It is thus very important to protect the lens in doing maintenance of the camera. In practice, lens covers are often adopted to protect the lens.
The conventional lens covers can be divided into two types: clipping type covers and mechanical type covers.
The clipping type cover is a disc-like device, and usually has a pair of clips to releasably engage with the lens barrels to fix the cover in front of the lens. Most of the clipping type covers are separate parts, independent of the cameras, and are usually tied to the cameras with strings to avoid being lost. These covers are very common in the conventional cameras, but not used so often in the digital camera industry.
The mechanical type covers can be divided into motor-driven type covers and hand-driven type covers. Both types employ mechanics to selectively open/close the cover and thus exposing/shielding the lens. U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,089 (the '089 patent) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,289 (the '289 patent) respectively describe a lens barrel cover of this type. The two similar inventions are both based on the same theory, which enables an element with short moment arm (such as the barrier driving lever in the '089 patent and the power gear in the '289 patent) to drive another element with long moment arm (such as the main-barrier cover and the sub-barrier cover in the '289 patent and the lens cover in the '089 patent). However, according to the lever principle, in order to work an element with long moment arm, the element with short moment arm needs a large force. Thus, such conventional designs bring in difficulty in operation.
Hence, an improved lens cover apparatus for camera is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.