An internal combustion engine is provided wherein the crankcase is sealed from the oil pan to provide an airtight compression chamber wherein the air is compressed by action of the pistons. Air is withdrawn from the atmosphere through one-way valves on the engine block. The compressed air is then passed from the compression chamber into, optionally, a compressed air storage means where it is regulated through a valve for mixture with the air-fuel mixture from the carbureting means, thereby providing a boost in the air-fuel charge entering the combustion chambers. Lubricating modifications are also provided to lubricate the crankshaft and camshaft bearings located within the compression chamber.

The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine in which there is a compression boost for the fuel-air mixture directed to the combustion chamber of the cylinder. According to the invention, the internal volume of engine block, including the crank case, serves as a compression chamber in which air is compressed by the reciprocating action of the pistons.
There is an ongoing need for increasing the power from small displacement internal combustion engines. This can be readily accomplished, for example, by turbocharging or supercharging, however, the problem is complicated by the changing requirements for pollution control of the exhaust from such engines.
There have been disclosed in the prior art, internal combustion piston-type engines in which the fuel-air mixture from a carburetor is passed into the crankcase of the engine where it is compressed. The compressed fuel-air charge is then conducted via manifolds into the combustion chambers.
Such systems, while effective in increasing the power of the engine by compressing the fuel-air mixture, do not appear to solve the problem of reducing pollution control, since passing a fuel-air mixture through the engine block mixes it with oil mist which results from the lubrication of the crankshaft journals, oil pan, etc. Introducing this oil into the combustion chamber to be burned adds to the pollution of the exhaust gases.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide an internal combustion engine in which power can be enhanced by compression of the charge entering the combustion chamber, yet still meeting the increasingly stringent pollution control standards. Furthermore, there is a need to accomplish this in a technically simple manner, preferably by avoiding use of expensive catalysts (which must be replaced) which use precious metals, and avoiding delicate electronic computer-controlled equipment whose longevity is questionable in the stringent environment of an internal combustion engine.
In accordance with the present invention, and as a principal embodiment thereof, the present invention provides a four-stroke reciprocating piston-internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder block having a plurality of cylinders, where each of the cylinders accommodates a piston slidably received therewithin. One side of each of the pistons defines a combustion chamber and the other side, to which a connecting rod is affixed, serves to compress the volume of air within the crankcase. Each combustion chamber may be in communication in a conventionally timed manner through a first valve means with a source of a fuel-air mixture (such as a carburetor or fuel injection system) to admit this mixture into the chamber, and further in communication in a timed manner through a second valve means with an exit port to withdraw exhaust gases from the combustion chamber. The connecting rods connect the pistons to the crankshaft which is enclosed by the engine block or combination of an engine block and crankcase which is sealed, usually to the bottom of the engine block. The engine block also accommodates journal supporting means for accommodating the crankshaft and crankshaft bearings. The internal portion of the block may also have internal walls, also providing additional journal-supporting means for the crankshaft and crankshaft bearings. Depending on the configuration of the engine, the block may also accommodate journal-supporting means for camshafts and camshaft bearings. The bottom of the crankcase may, but does not necessarily have to include an oil pan at its lowermost portion. An air and fuel intake system is coupled to the cylinders, usually by a manifold system leading from one or more carburetors or a fuel injection system. The present invention provides an improvement to such an internal combustion engine by providing sealing plates to substantially form an air-tight seal between the oil pan, if present, and the interior volume of the engine to thereby define a compression chamber comprising the interior of the crankcase and the volume within the engine block in communication with the crankcase and bottom of the pistons. The primary purpose of the sealing plate(s) is to prevent oil in the oil pan from mixing with the interior volume of the crankcase (which is a compression chamber) so as not to contaminate the air passing through the crankcase with oil. No fuel or fuel vapors are introduced into this interior volume. To utilize the crankcase (sealed from the oil pan) as a compression chamber, at least one one-way valve means is adapted on the engine block in communication with the compression chamber which allows air to be admitted from the atmosphere into the compression chamber. Such a one-way valve means is preferably a reed valve. The desired pressure to be attained within the compression chamber can be selected by adjusting the pressure on the closure of the reed valve.
In the preferred embodiment shown in the attached figures, there is shown a flat horizontally opposed four cylinder engine in which there are two banks of two cylinders. The two cylinders (one on each of the banks) which directly oppose each other simultaneously are on a downward stroke thereby compressing the air within the chamber. As shown in the preferred embodiment, there are two distinct compression chambers, so that the four cylinders do not counteract each other, i.e., when two opposing cylinders are on their downward (inward) stroke one volume of air is compressed which is separate from the volume of air which is compressed when the other two opposing cylinders are on their downward stroke. The separation between the two volumes of air is accomplished by an internal wall extending from the interior of the block of the engine which also provides additional journal-supporting means for the crankshaft.
After compression of the air in the compression chamber (which does not contain any fuel or oil) a one-way valve means adapted on the block is provided which releases the compressed air from the compression chamber toward the air and fuel intake system. Preferably the compressed air is first retained in a compression reservoir from which the air can be regulated through a valve means such as a butterfly valve and directed into the intake manifolds or other equivalent means of introducing the fuel and air into the combustion chambers.
When adapted to a conventional four-stroke internal combustion engine, by providing a sealing plate(s) between the oil pan and crank case, the engine must further be provided with a method for lubricating the crankshaft journals and camshaft journals if the camshafts are disposed within the compression chamber. This lubrication, however, must be provided in a way so as not to allow oil droplets or mist to be mixed with the air in the compression chamber. Therefore, lubricating channels are provided according to the present invention in the journal-supporting means for the crankshaft and camshaft (if necessary). Liquid lubricant is flowed from an oil pump means through the lubricating channels and then directed through a channel to an oil pan located below the sealing plate. In this manner the lubricating fluid which lubricates the journals does not come in contact with the compression chamber, but still provides adequate lubrication for the journals.
It is contemplated that although the above method for lubricating the crankshaft and camshaft journals will probably not allow contact of the oil with the compression chamber, during high RPM operation of the engine and particularly after there is much engine wear, there is a possibility of seepage of small amounts of oil into the compression chamber, such as by ring wear around the pistons. Therefore to continue to maintain the low pollution emission from the engine, a filtering means may be provided adjacent to the second valve means (through which the compressed air exits the compression chamber) to filter any solid or liquid particulate matter which may be present in the compression chamber.
To circulate the lubricating oil within the engine described in the preferred embodiment, oil is withdrawn through a line directly from the oil pan through the conventional oil pump which is adapted to the engine and recirculated (after passage through an oil cooler, if present) directly to an input line to the lubricating channels for the crankshaft and camshaft journals.
The above description of the invention may be provided to include the described features during the original manufacture of the engine. However, it is further contemplated that the above modifications may be made to retrofit existing engines.

Internal combustion engine utilizing internal boost


A method for reducing the operational weight of a means of transportation is provided. The method includes: providing a list of possible food selections to passengers of the means of transportation before the journey; collecting food selections of passengers before the journey; and supplying the means of transportation with food based on the food selection of the passengers.

In an aircraft, catering for passengers is delivered with a galley trolley to the individual rows of seats. Usually, the trolley is loaded with various meals and beverages according to statistical principles and with a secure surplus in order to avoid bottlenecks for some products (for example sweet or salty snacks, meat dish or vegetarian meal, wine or cola . . . ). Furthermore, the passenger's selection of a product is determined only during the flight phase by a flight attendant.
This type of supply ("catering") using transport and delivery containers is also used in other means of transportation, such as trains.
Before a flight it is usually not known which passenger will choose which snacks, meal or beverage during the flight. The airline must therefore make an estimate, which may be based on experience and which may result in reserves of meals and beverages. These food reserves add weight to the aircraft.
Trolleys used in passenger airplanes usually have standard dimensions. For example, detailed specifications of trolleys of type ATLAS and KSSU may be found in WO 2004/028301 A1.
In addition, other objects, desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.

Method for reducing the operational weight of a means of transportation


A memory device includes a control circuit configured to disable a local input/output line sense amplifier responsive to a global input/output line sense amplifier enable signal. The device may further include a column select gate configured to control transfer of data from a memory cell to the local input/output line and the control circuit may be configured to disable transfer of data via the column select gate responsive to the global input/output line sense amplifier enable signal.

The present invention relates to semiconductor memory devices, and more particularly, to sense amplifier circuitry and methods of operation thereof in volatile semiconductor memory devices, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices.
Generally, in high-efficiency electronic systems, such as personal computers or electronic communication devices, volatile semiconductor memory devices, such as DRAM, used therein have increased in speed and degree of integration. For semiconductor memory devices used in battery-operated systems, such as hand-held phones or laptop computers, low power consumption characteristics are generally desired. Accordingly, semiconductor manufacturers have made efforts to reduce operating current and standby current in memory devices for mobile applications.
Controlling an input/output line sense amplifier in a read operation of a semiconductor memory device, such as a DRAM, may be important from operational speed and power consumption points of view. For example, it may be desirable to activate an input/output line sense amplifier only until data is sufficiently developed on a data line connected to the input/output line sense amplifier after assertion of a column selection signal. In particular, an enable section of the column selection signal or an enable section of the local sense amplifier may not be required after the input/output line sense amplifier is activated, and therefore, if the column selection gate or local sense amplifier is still in the active stage, current may be unnecessarily consumed.
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a readout circuit in a conventional semiconductor memory device. With reference to FIG. 1, blocks of the readout circuit include three sense amps 10, 20, 40 connected in a data path of a memory cell 2. FIG. 2 shows a timing diagram of a readout operation of the circuit of FIG. 1.
When a row address is externally applied for a read operation of a DRAM element, a word line WL selected by a row decoder is enabled. When the selected WL is enabled, data stored in a storage capacitor C1 of the memory cell is developed on a bit line BL through an access transistor T1. The data developed on the bit line is sensed and amplified by an operation of a bit line sense amplifier 10. Eventually, charge stored in storage capacitor C1 is sensed and amplified as high or low data by the bit line sense amplifier 10. When a column address is applied together with a read command after activation of the bit line sense amplifier 10, a column selection line CSL is enabled by a column selector 5. Column selection gates G1, G2 are turned ON so that the data output from the bit line sense amplifier 10 is transferred to a local input/output line pair LIO, LIOB. For example, if the data of the bit line BL is high, a high is generated on the local input/output line LIO, and if the data of the bit line BL is low, a high is generated on the complementary local input/output line LIOB.
In response to a local input/output line sense amplifier enable signal LSAEN, a local input/output line sense amplifier 20 senses and amplifies the data on the local input/output line pair LIO, LIOB and transfers it to a global input/output line pair GIO, GIOB. The data transferred to the global input/output line pair GIO, GIOB is sensed and amplified by a global input/output line sense amplifier 40 responding to a global input/output line sense amplifier enable signal FRP and is output as a read data RD. The read data RD is transferred to a pipeline at a CMOS level, and the data transferred to the pipeline passes through a series of pipelines and an output driver. The data passing through the output driver is transferred to an external element, such as a chipset, though data pins.
With reference to FIG. 2, the column selection signal CSL and the local sense amplifier enable signal LSAEN are enabled as shown by the arrows A2, A1 in relation to a real read command clock pad_ck. These signals are disabled as shown by the arrows A3, A4 in relation to the clock pad_ck. An important factor for the readout of data is the margin of the column selection signal CSL and the local input/output line sense amplifier enable signal LSAEN with respect to the global input/output line sense amplifier enable signal FRP. That is, data to be read may be ensured to be loaded on a data line pair by securing the margin in periods A, X. In the period Y of FIG. 2, the global input/output line sense amplifier 40 typically is activated and performs a sensing and amplifying operation while the local input/output line sense amplifier 20 is activated. However, in the period Y, the local input/output line sense amplifier 20 does not need to be driven because the read data RD has already been output. Consequently, current may be unnecessarily consumed by driving the local input/output line sense amplifier 20 unnecessarily. Furthermore, in the period B, the column selection gates G1, G2 may be unnecessarily activated.
Therefore, techniques for reducing or minimizing current in a read operation without degrading the performance of the semiconductor memory device are desirable.

Memory devices and methods of operation thereof using interdependent sense amplifier control


A light-emitting device and a manufacturing method thereof are provided, which device yields light exhibiting an actual hue with a deviation reduced as much as possible from a designed hue value, the light being a mixture of light emitted from a plurality of light-emitting elements mounted densely and excited light from a phosphor contained in a resin sealing the light-emitting elements. The light-emitting device includes a board, a plurality of light-emitting elements mounted densely on the board, a first resin free from any phosphor, placed among the plurality of light-emitting elements, and a second resin containing a phosphor and covering an exposed part of the plurality of light-emitting elements.

There are known COB (Chip On Board) light-emitting devices provided with light-emitting elements such as LED (light-emitting diode) elements mounted on a general purpose board such as a ceramic board and a metal board. In such light-emitting devices, LED elements emitting light such as blue light are sealed with a resin containing a phosphor, which is excited by the light from the LED elements to yield light to be mixed therewith to provide light such as white light according to an application.
For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a light-emitting diode provided with a heat dissipation support with high thermal conductivity having a mount surface for die bonding, a circuit board which is placed on the heat dissipation support and has not only a hole for exposing a region of the mount surface but also overhang regions overhanging the perimeter edges of the heat dissipation support, a light-emitting element mounted on the mount surface inside the hole, and a light-transmissive resin body for sealing the upper part of the light-emitting element, wherein through-holes electrically connected to the light-emitting element are formed in the perimeter edges of the overhang regions, which through-holes are provided with external connection electrodes on the upper and lower surfaces thereof.
Further, Patent Literature 2 describes an LED package provided with a cavity including a recessed region formed therein, a protruding heat slug (pedestal) attached to the cavity in such a way as to penetrate the bottom of the recessed region, a submount board mounted on the heat slag, a plurality of LED chips disposed on the submount board, a lead frame electrically connected to each of the LED chips, a phosphor layer embedding each of the LED chips, and a lens formed of a silicone resin filled in the recessed region.
When such light-emitting devices are manufactured, the phosphor dispersed in the resin is settled before the resin is cured, in order to, for example, reduce the variation of chromaticity. For example, Patent Literature 3 describes a production method of a light-emitting element package including the steps of forming a repellent agent pattern on a board, mounting an LED chip inside the repellent agent pattern on the board, applying a seal resin containing a phosphor kneaded therewith to the inside of the repellent agent pattern, and settling the phosphor in the seal resin in a windless condition.

Light emitting device and manufacturing method thereof


There is provided a composition for forming a resist underlayer film having a large selection ratio of dry etching rate, exhibiting desired values of the k value and the refractive index n at a short wavelength, for example, in an ArF excimer laser, and further, exhibiting solvent resistance. A resist underlayer film forming composition for lithography comprises a linear polymer having, in a main chain thereof, at least one of an aromatic ring-containing structure and a nitrogen atom-containing structure; and a solvent, wherein to the aromatic ring or the nitrogen atom, at least one alkoxyalkyl group or hydroxyalkyl group is directly bonded.

A composition for forming an antireflective film used in a lithography process is known (see Patent Document 1 to Patent Document 4). Patent Document 1 discloses a composition containing a copolymer having a structure unit derived from a benzene nucleus-containing vinyl monomer such as styrene and a structure unit derived from a (meth)acrylamide derivative. The composition is used particularly in a lithography process using an ArF excimer laser as a light source.
Patent Document 2 discloses a composition for forming an antireflective film, containing a copolymer having a structure unit derived from an anthracene nucleus-containing (meth)acrylic acid ester monomer instead of the above structure unit derived from a benzene nucleus-containing vinyl monomer.
Patent Document 3 discloses a composition for forming an antireflective containing a polymer formed using an alkoxyalkyl melamine or an alkoxyalkylbenzoguanamine and having structure units coupled with each other through a crosslinking group bonded to a nitrogen atom, such as —CH2— and —CH2OCH2—.
Patent Document 4 discloses a composition for forming an antireflective film, containing a polymer obtained through a reaction between at least one glycoluril compound and at least one compound containing at least one hydroxyl group and/or an acid.
However, in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, there is no description of a polymer having in the main chain, at least any one of an aromatic ring-containing structure and a nitrogen atom-containing structure. The polymers disclosed in Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4 are not considered to be a linear polymer.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No, JP-A-2000-313779    Patent Document 2 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2001-027810    Patent Document 3: Japanese Translation of PCT International Application No. JP-A-2003-531252    Patent Document 4: International Publication No. WO 2006/030320 pamphlet

Resist underlayer film forming composition and method for forming resist pattern


A method for lateral dynamic stabilization of a single-track motor vehicle while negotiating a curve,—in which the presence of an unstable driving state in the vehicle lateral direction is detected and—as a function thereof, for the stabilization of the motor vehicle, at least one nozzle is activated, through which a medium is emitted perpendicularly to the wheel plane of a vehicle wheel.

A frequent cause of accidents of motorized two-wheelers when negotiating curves without third-party involvement is excessive oversteering or understeering, including lateral breakaway of one or both wheels. These situations are primarily provoked by excessive speed in turns, excessive accelerations in an inclined position or changes of the friction coefficient between the tires and the road. In the last-mentioned case in particular, a falling friction coefficient which rises again abruptly after a short distance may result in so-called highsiders including a rollover of the motorcycle.
In the case of double-track vehicles, extremely effective vehicle dynamics control systems are in wide use for preventing excessive oversteering or understeering. Unilateral braking as a typical possibility for intervention in double-track vehicles is not possible in two-wheelers or single-track vehicles due to their design. Only for the above-named case of excessive acceleration in an inclined position, which results in rear-end breakaway due to the slippage of the rear wheel, have traction control systems become increasingly common.

Method for lateral dynamic stabilization of a single-track motor vehicle


A waste disposal landfill has at least one subsurface impermeable sheet for containing and directing fluid runoff from the site. This impermeable sheet can be remotely monitored with respect to its impermeability to verify that there are no breaks in the sheet and that no waste is passing therethrough.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a waste disposal landfill having at least one subsurface impermeable sheet to contain and direct fluid runoff from the site, which impermeable sheet can be remotely monitored with respect to its impermeability to verify that no waste is passing therethrough. More particularly, the invention relates to an impermeable sheet, such as those used in a waste disposal landfill, the impermeability of which sheet can be remotely monitored to verify the integrity of the sheet.
2. Background Information
In order to keep pollutants from seeping into deeper layers of the ground under a waste disposal landfill, a multilayer structure of impermeable sheets of plastic are typically used. Each of these layers can drain into separate drainage tubes, and the drainage tubes themselves can drain into inspection pits. Thus, one method of monitoring the integrity of the sheets is to analyze the drainage in the inspection pits for pollutants. Such a design of waste disposal landfill including means for monitoring the drainage, however, is expensive and thus not always feasible. In addition, the content of the seepage water discharged from the tubes into the inspection pits cannot be easily monitored at a remote site, and generally must be inspected on site at least by collecting a runoff sample and taking it to be analyzed by an analysis laboratory.

Waste disposal landfill having subsurface impermeable sheets which can be monitored with respect to their impermeability


An angle coupling structure for knockdown cabinets includes an angle coupling, a plurality of connectible sections, and a plurality of securing rods. Within each connectible section, an elongate channel is formed to receive a connecting rod projecting from the angle coupling. An elongated recess is formed generally below the elongated channel to receive one of the securing rods for permitting the rod to slidably move therein. An elongated slot is formed in a wall between the channel and the recess. A screw can be inserted through a hole preformed in the securing rod and past through the elongated slot to screw into a hole formed on the connecting rod, due to the adjustable position of the securing rod. The connectible sections, angle coupling, and securing rods are thus joined together tightly.

The present invention relates to an angle coupling structure for a knockdown cabinet.
It is known that a knockdown cabinet is assembled with a plurality of connectible sections while the assembly of such connectible sections as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, relies on an angle coupling 100 having a plurality of connecting rods 101, each of which may extend into a connecting rod retainer 201 performed in a connectible section 200. A plurality of round holes 202 are present on an inner wall of the connecting rod retainer 201 in such a manner that such holes will correspond to threaded screw holes (not shown) preformed on the connecting rods 101 so that screws 300 may be screwed into the rods to join and fasten the connectible sections and the angle coupling (as shown in FIG. 4). However, it is frequently found that the holes 202 do not always match with the present threaded holes on connecting rods 101 when the connecting rods 101 are inserted into the connecting rod retainers 201. Whenever this situation happens, the user will need to adjust by himself the location of the angle coupling 100 to match the two sets of holes and fasten them with screws, or, he will have to send the product back; to the seller for re-drilling of new and matching hole(s). The former solution will result in a gap between each angle coupling 100 and connectible section 200 while the second solution will cause much inconvenience to the user.

Angle coupling structure for knockdown cabinets

2Fl., No. 4, Lane 767, Ming Sheng E. Rd.


A system and method for receiving video from multiple sources, compositing those sources and then republishing the composited video as a source to a virtual camera driver endpoint. In one embodiment, the present method comprises displaying multiple media streams, represented by worksurface image on a shared display. The shared display worksurface image is then re-encoded, and the re-encoded composite image is transmitted to a client computer, where the re-encoded image is transcoded to simulate a device connected to the client computer. The transcoded media stream is then transmitted to a teleconferencing system.

Video distribution systems are typically focused on delivering video from one system to one or more receiver endpoints. For example, a traditional internet video server delivers video to a set of clients who connect and request the video to be streamed to their own device. Alternatively, servers can retransmit video to other servers to achieve load-balancing or ensure that video is being transmitted to clients with lower latency than would be possible from a single, fixed source on the network.
These approaches are appropriate when delivering a single source of video to one or more participants but do not scale well when many sources are to be transmitted to potentially many endpoints. They are also typically limited to one-directional video streaming where a sender transmits video to one or more endpoints, but the endpoints are not simultaneously sharing video with one another. Use cases that these system address are video-on-demand servers, or video sharing systems where one video to many users is presented.
In the case of web conferencing software, users are able to share video sources (i.e. a video camera or their desktop) to other users who are connected to the shared video session. These systems utilize a common endpoint.

Virtual video driver bridge system for multi-source collaboration within a web conferencing system


Systems and methods are disclosed for dynamic management of workloads in clusters. In one embodiment, the system comprises a first cluster comprising a first plurality of nodes, each node of the first plurality of nodes including a first application, and a first load balancer to route transactions for the first application to one of the first plurality of nodes. The system also comprises a second cluster comprising a second plurality of nodes, each node of the second plurality of nodes including a second application, and a second load balancer to route transactions for the second application to one of the second plurality of nodes. One or more intersecting nodes are included in the first and second plurality of nodes, each intersecting node including one or more workload managers to dynamically allocate one or more computer resources to the first application and the second application.

A significant challenge in the modern data center is to ensure that enough computer resources are available to each application in the data center when there is a sudden peak in demand for the application. One approach that has been used is to combine multiple computer servers into a cluster. This approach is illustrated in FIG. 1. Each node 124, 126, 128 of cluster 120 appears to clients 102, 104, 106 as a single system. Similarly, each node 134, 136, 138 of cluster 130 appears to the clients 102, 104, 106 as a second single system.
Transactions for an application 140 running on nodes 124, 126, 128 of cluster 120 may be routed to one of the nodes of cluster 120 using load balancer 122. Transactions for a second application 150 running on nodes 134, 136, 138 of cluster 130 may be routed to one of the nodes of cluster 130 using load balancer 132.
Load balancers 122, 132 may be implemented in hardware or software, and may reside on one of the nodes of their respective clusters 120, 130 or may be a separate appliance. Each load balancer 122, 132 may route transactions to a particular node using a round-robin approach. Alternately, load balancers 122, 132 may select a particular node by monitoring loads or service levels of the nodes and selecting the node best able to handle the transaction.

Dynamic management of workloads in clusters

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Systems and methods for automatically delivering medication to a user. A sensor coupled to a user can collect information regarding the user. A controller can use the collected information to determine an amount of medication to provide the user. The controller can instruct a drug delivery device to dispense the medication to the user. The drug delivery device can be a wearable insulin pump that is directly coupled to the user. The controller can be part of or implemented in a cellphone. A user can be required to provide a confirmation input to allow a determined amount of insulin to be provided to the user based on detected glucose levels of the user. The sensor, controller, and drug delivery device can communicate wirelessly.

Medication delivery systems typically delivery a medication to a user based on health conditions of the user. For example, an "artificial pancreas" (AP) system can monitor a user's glucose levels, determine an appropriate level of insulin for the user based on the monitored glucose levels, and subsequently dispense the insulin to the user. Sophisticated control algorithms needed for AP systems and other medication delivery systems generally require powerful computing resources and significant power resources. As a result, conventional medication delivery systems do not provide for wireless communications between system components, fully autonomous operation, enhanced user experiences involving ubiquitous electronic devices like cellphones, and heightened security features. A need therefore exists for a medication delivery system, such as an insulin management system, that includes such features.

Wearable automated medication delivery system


A position measurement system including a material measure and a scanning device movable relative to one another with respect to a measurement direction. The material measure has a plurality of markings which are arranged in a row with respect to the measurement direction, wherein the scanning device includes a transmitter winding arrangement. Multiple receiver coils are provided which are arranged in a row with respect to the measurement direction. The inductive coupling between the transmitter winding arrangement and the receiver coils is a function of the position of the scanning device with respect to the material measure. The transmitter winding arrangement defines multiple separate transmitter areas which are arranged in a row with respect to the measurement direction. A maximum of one single receiver coil is situated in each of the transmitter areas. At least one switching means is provided via which the two adjacent receiver coils are differentially interconnectable.

The present disclosure relates to a position measurement system and a method for its operation.
A position measurement system is known from DE 10 2008 018 355 A1. The position measurement system is made up of a material measure and a scanning device which are movable relative to one another with respect to a measurement direction. The material measure is furnished with a plurality of markings which are arranged in a row with respect to the measurement direction and which encode a pseudorandom binary sequence (PRBS). The scanning device comprises a transmitter winding arrangement which generates an electromagnetic alternating field. Furthermore, multiple receiver coils are provided which are arranged in a row with respect to the measurement direction. The inductive coupling between the transmitter winding arrangement and the receiver coils is a function of the position of the scanning device with respect to the material measure.
The receiver coils are designed in the form of single coils having a single winding direction. However, one specific embodiment is also described in which differentially interconnected coil pairs are used. Here, two single receiver coils having an opposite winding direction are connected in series, which are essentially subjected to the same alternating field generated by the transmitter winding arrangement.
The disadvantage of the single receiver coils is that their signal has a high offset. That is, the signal changes which are caused by the movement of the position measurement system are small with respect to the average value of the signal, which is referred to as the offset. This makes the signal evaluation considerably more difficult. The coil pairs have a small offset, but they require a large amount of space. It is not possible to implement the targeted division period of the material measure of 1 mm and a correspondingly small division period of the scanning device in an economical manner.

Position measurement system having receiver coils which are differentially interconnectable via switching means


A terminal for receiving and storing information and a reader for reading information and communicating the information to the terminal. A housing is provided which has the terminal and reader integrated therein and also a battery for providing necessary power thereto. A detachable handle can be attached to the housing and includes sides which extend around the sides of the housing as well as partially extending over the top of the housing. An improved mechanism is shown for selectively locking a handle to a terminal. A holster for holding the terminal and handle is also shown. A handle with a scanner integrated therein is attachable to a terminal for receiving and storing information read by the scanner.

The use of hand-held computer terminal with an integrated scanner often requires the user to duplicate the same motions hundreds of time in a fairly short period of time. While it is fairly simple to grasp and hold a hand-held terminal/scanner for a short period of time, it becomes very tiresome for long periods of time and sometimes requires rather awkward motions in order to scan the information into the terminal if the bar codes or the like are not positioned in an optimum position when the scanning occurs. Sometimes it is not practical to move the bar codes because, for example, they are attached to large packages. At other times, the bar codes are consistently at a certain position which may be difficult to reach while holding the scanner in an acceptable scanning position.
The aforementioned problem has been addressed to some extent in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/816,705 to Schultz et al which is incorporated herein by reference, but it is anticipated that some users will have preferences for one type for handle configuration and others will have other handle preferences.
Consequently, there is a need for improved accessories to be used with a hand-held computer terminal having an integrated scanner therein.

Detachable handle structures for terminals


Microwave or millimeter wave system packaging having a system with a baseplate, transition board and cover. The baseplate includes microwave or millimeter wave components attached thereto. The transition board includes a first connector attached to a first side thereof and operatively connected to the components, and a second connector attached to a second side thereof and operatively connected to the components through the board. The cover and baseplate form a cavity containing the board and components, and the second connector may be operatively connected to a third connector such as a printed circuit board disposed outside of the cavity and on a higher level assembly. The transition board may further include a fourth connector operatively connected to the components for providing a signal to an external component or device or receiving a signal from an external component or device.

Recent advances in microelectronic technologies have resulted in improvements in operating frequency capabilities of specialized electronic devices such as monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) and other millimeter wave and microwave devices. These devices are well suited for and often utilized in military and commercial applications requiring wireless communication, detection, ranging and guidance at high frequencies.
The performance capabilities of the devices may be compromised by mounting the device into a package or assembly that adds parasitics and degrades the signal characteristics at higher operating frequencies. These assemblies typically allow an electronic device to be mounted within a suitable enclosure while enabling RF input and output (I/O) signals, as well as a DC bias signal, to be communicated through the assembly walls to the device itself, or conversely, from the device to external complimentary circuits. These devices are typically in the form of modules as an increasing use is made of millimeter wave and microwave transceivers and other such devices. Often, these modules are utilized with various transceiver designs having different transmitter and receiver circuits that make use of a number of different MMIC chips or dies.
Prior art RF assemblies of this type, and more specifically the assembly transitions, are often found to have high RF losses, voltage reflections, electrical mismatching and discontinuity inadequacies that exceed acceptable limits and may limit frequency performance capabilities. This often fails to maximize the performance potential of an electronic device or communication system or may degrade device and system performance. Alternatively, expensive cables and/or connectors are designed into the assemblies to preserve the device performance and to preserve the signal characteristics as they travel through the assemblies.
For example, three areas of packaging representative of devices or modules in the microwave and millimeter wave industry are connectorized amplifiers, internally matched field effect transistors (FET), and surface-mount packaged MMICs. Connectorized amplifiers may generally be characterized by their ruggedness. The respective housings generally include coaxial RF connectors (e.g., two if a 2-port device or more if the device is an n-port). These connectors are typically "field replaceable" surface mount assemblies that possess an RF feed-through soldered or brazed into the housing (e.g., bathtub style or separate ringframe). Additionally, in typical prior art assemblies, DC is brought into the respective housing through capacitively coupled feed-throughs that may be soldered or brazed into the housing. Generally, the RF path is connected to other modules through coaxial cable assemblies, and the DC connections are soldered, or connected to other modules through DC cable assemblies. Such an assembly or package is hermetic and in this sense, it may be labeled as "military microwave hardware" with the expense implied therefrom.
Internally Matched FETs generally represent a focus on the commercial sector and, as such, these devices are not expected to endure the conditions required by military applications. These respective assemblies are typically constrained to 1-stage, 2-port devices and are used for high-power devices where the corresponding baseplate material is employed for heat transfer purposes. The FET may be attached to the baseplate to minimize the thermal resistance of the heat path. Generally, a hard ceramic material is employed on the I/Os to provide a power match to the respective device. Bondwires are used to attach the device to the ceramic material, and a tab is generally attached to the ceramic material and extended from the assembly to provide both an RF connection and DC connection. The DC connections are typically gate (−V), drain (+V) and source (ground) connections. Thus, the intended use of such a device is to have a respective assembly contain a printed circuit board (PCB) to accept the internally matched FET. The assembly is then mechanically attached for thermal and electrical grounding, and the RF I/O tabs are soldered to the PCB.
Surface-mount packaged devices generally possess two or more RF ports depending upon the functionality thereof (e.g., amplifiers, mixers, MMICs, FETs, etc.). A typical attachment method is soldering all pins rather than a mechanical attachment means. For devices dissipating significant power, the accepting PCB generally includes plural vias to remove the associated heat. In this example, the package may possess a back-side metal paddle in addition to the pins. Such packages are generally limited in frequency to prevent parasitics from impacting the performance of the internal device. Therefore, improvements to these packages are desired to reduce their associated parasitics and extend their range of unimpaired useful frequencies. Generally, the number of devices in such a package is limited since suppliers desire to target the maximum number of users. An exemplary industry focusing upon multiple chip solutions inside the package is the cell phone and 802.11 card business.
Thus, a continuing need exists for an improved assembly, particularly for microwave and millimeter wave systems operating in higher frequency ranges. As greater uses are made for microwave and millimeter wave modules, it would be advantageous if a unique structure and method could be found that addressed the low cost and performance requirements in the area of millimeter wave and microwave modules without degradation to the technical performance of a respective transceiver, transmitter, or receiver and/or communication system.

Packaging for low-cost, high-performance microwave and millimeter wave modules

Harris Stratex Networks Operating Corporation


The present invention relates to a stereomicroscope comprising an object observation unit and an electronic image unit. The object observation unit includes an objective lens barrel section and a binocular lens barrel section, with the binocular lens barrel section including an interpupillary adjusting mechanism in a light path following a first image plane. The electronic image unit includes an electronic image display device and a projection optical system The object observation unit has an object observation image that remains fixed in position at the first image plane during interpupillary adjustment of the binocular lens barrel section. The projected image from the electronic image display device is made to be substantially in focus at the first image plane. Images at the first image plane may be relayed to a second image plane. An object observation image formed by the object observation unit and an electronic image formed by the electronic image unit may be observed simultaneously in the same field of view by an observer looking into an eyepiece of a binocular lens barrel section. In one embodiment of the invention, the position within the first image plane of the projected image from the electronic image display device is adjustable within a range such that the projected image may lie within or outside of the field of view of a viewer looking into an eyepiece of a binocular lens barrel section.

A stereomicroscope, such as a surgical microscope, has provided an operator with magnified observation images of an affected part in a surgical operation relative to neurosurgery, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, etc., and has played an important role in the improvement of surgical efficiency. In recent years, not only the magnified observation images of the affected part obtained by the stereomicroscope, but also a tomographic image including the surroundings of the affected part, produced by computer aided tomography (CAT) imaging, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, or ultrasonic imaging, and endoscope observation imaging have come into use in order to plan a surgical operation as well as to perform the surgical operation. Each of these individual imaging types provide useful information when viewed alone. However, greater benefits are achieved when two or more types of images are simultaneously presented to the viewer so that comparisons between the images may be made. In this way, additional information can be provided to the operator as compared to that which is available from viewing the separate images alone.
Thus, it is desired that a stereomicroscope allow an operator to observe, for example, a CAT or MR image and an endoscope observation image simultaneously with the stereomicroscope observation images while looking into the stereomicroscope eyepieces. Stereomicroscopes having this capability are disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Applications S62-166310 and H10-333047.
The stereomicroscope as set forth in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application S62-166310 has an electronic image display means for displaying images (i.e., electronic images) and image projection optical systems for conducting these images to eyepiece optical systems. The eyepiece optical systems are shared so that the electronic images are viewed within the field of view of the stereomicroscope observation image. This publication, however, does not in any way suggest a problem relative to the movement of the eyepiece optical systems caused by the interpupillary adjustment of a stereomicroscope. Nor does this publication suggest a solution to this problem that is solved by the present invention. "Interpupillary adjustment" refers to adjusting the spacing between the left and right eyepieces of the stereomicroscope in order to conform the spacing to the distance between the left and right pupils of an observer. An interpupillary adjustment mechanism is commonly used with stereomicroscopes to account for the variability in interpupillary distance among different observers.
Using the technique described in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application S62-166310 to perform interpupillary adjustment, the electronic image display means and the image projection optical systems must be moved integrally with the eyepiece optical systems. This is required because the images on the electronic image display means are projected in accordance with the movement of the eyepiece optical systems due to interpupillary adjustment. Thus, a sufficient space for moving the electronic image display means and projection optical systems in the housing of the stereomicroscope is required, causing the housing to be larger than otherwise needed. In a stereomicroscope such as a surgical microscope, compactness of the entire microscope is indispensable for improved work efficiency. However, with the technique described in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application S62-166310, achieving compactness is impossible.
On the other hand, in the stereomicroscope disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application H10-333047, each image projection optical system is divided into a collimating optical system and an imaging optical system. An arrangement is made so that only the imaging optical system is moved integrally with an eyepiece optical system in accordance with the interpupillary adjustment in order to always receive an image beam that emerges from a collimating optical system. An electronic image display means remains fixed with respect to the interpupillary adjustment, but the displayed electronic image is projected in accordance with the movement of the eyepiece optical system so that the stereomicroscope observation image and the projected electronic image can be observed simultaneously. Thus, a portion of the image projection optical system is moved during interpupillary adjustment, and a space is required for this movement. Therefore, a larger size housing is again required as compared to the housing size that would be needed if there were no movement of a portion of the image projection system during interpupillary adjustment, and optimum compactness is again not achieved.


A melt-blended polyethylene/COP composition suitable for making optically clear films with low coefficients of friction includes from about 70 to about 98 weight percent of a polyethylene resin and from about 2 to about 25 weight percent of a first COP resin component, the first COP resin component having a weight average molecular weight of from about 0.5 kg/mol to about 50 kg/mol and being present in an amount effective to increase the relative slip value of films made from the composition as compared with a like film made from the polyethylene resin alone.

Melt-blends of polymers are well-known. Cycloolefin containing polymers or COPs have been added to polypropylene resins as seen for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,936 which discloses a polyolefin film which includes at least one layer containing polyolefin and cycloolefin polymer, where the cycloolefin polymer is amorphous and has a mean molecular weight in the range from 200 to 100,000. The blend is further characterized in that the mean molecular weight of the cycloolefin polymer is at most 50% of the mean molecular weight of the polyolefin, and the cycloolefin polymer is a homopolymer or a copolymer containing at most 20% by weight of comonomer. COPs and polyethylene blends are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,696,542 wherein such blends comprise an ethylene based polymer having a glass transition temperature lower than or equal to 20° C. and a cycloolefin polymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,670,423 discloses blends comprising a polar derivative of an ethylene based polymer and a cycloolefin polymer. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,329,456 discloses an ethylene copolymer composition which comprises an ethylene/α-olefin copolymer and high-pressure radical process low-density polyethylene. PCT 2003/025395 discloses a multi-layer heat film having at least three layers wherein the film has optical clarity, stiffness and low shrinkage in the cross direction. The inner layer, or layers, comprises at least one stiffening polymer selected from the group consisting of: low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, blends thereof, polypropylene random copolymer, styrene/butadiene copolymer, polystyrene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer and cyclic-olefin copolymer, provided that when more than one inner layer is present, the inner layers can be the same or different. The skin layers, which also may be the same or different, comprise at least one of: low density polyethylene; a blend of low density polyethylene and linear low density polyethylene; a blend of low density polyethylene and very low density polyethylene; polystyrene; ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer; a blend of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer and linear low density polyethylene; cyclic-olefin copolymer; styrene-butadiene copolymer; or, polypropylene random copolymer, provided that the skin layers are devoid of a homogeneously branched polyethylene resin prepared with a single site catalyst. The films are reported to have haze values of less than about 15%.
Plastic films have widely been employed for prepackaging various products including foods, such as vegetables and the like. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,489,016 which discloses multilayer packaging films of polyolefin. Also disclosing such packaging materials and packages made therefrom are U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,383,582; 5,750,262; 5,783,270; and 5,755,081; and Statutory Invention Registration No. H1727. Such prepackaging films serve for covering and enclosing commercial articles, such as foodstuffs including liquid foodstuffs, as individual articles or in a lot allotted or subdivided into small portions placed on a plastic carrier tray or the like. The success of such packaging has been attributed to the broad use of thermoplastic heat sealing which is capable of providing the highest degree of package integrity, security and durability. Furthermore, it is required for the prepackaging film that the film is transparent and easily cut, together with practical performance attributes such as resistance to fogging on the inner face when packaged, resistance to break-through and so forth.
Optical properties such as haze and transparency are important issues related to packaging films. It is important for the customer to be able to see through packaging so that the product is well-presented. Another salient attribute of packaging films is their coefficient of friction (hereinafter "COF"). For example, a reduction in film-to-film and film-to-metal friction can provide for easier feeding of film sheets into automatic converting and packaging equipment. Films with high COFs (low slip) are difficult to handle and tend to wrinkle leading to high converting losses.
As reported in Cyclic-olefinic Copolymers as Non-Migrating, Polymeric Slip Additives in LDPE and LLDPE Cast Films by David R. Constant of Ticona LLC 2002 PLACE Conference Proceedings (Conference Papers)] there are a large number of options for slip additives including COPs, but that all slip additives "seem to come with compromises, however, generally in film clarity or cost". It is further mentioned that although COPs have a significant effect on COF. of the films, that effect is also associated with an increase in surface haze.
An object of the present invention is to provide a polyethylene composition and film for packaging applications that have low COFs (static and dynamic) as well as superior optical properties. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for making a polyethylene film having surfaces with low COFs and haze values.

High clarity, low friction polyethylene compositions for films


An adhesive film and an optical display including the same. The adhesive film has a tan δ of about 0.12 to about 0.4 upon frequency sweep testing under conditions of a strain of 5%, 30° C. and 1 rad/s, and a tan δ of about 0.2 to about 0.7 upon frequency sweep testing under conditions of a strain of 5%, 30° C. and 100 rad/s.

1. Field
The following description relates to an adhesive film and an optical display including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a capacitive touch panel, a capacitive touchpad is attached to a window or a film via a transparent adhesive film to sense touching on the window or film upon operation by a change in the capacitance. In such a touchpad, when a user's hand or a certain article (conductor or liquid) approaches or is brought into contact with a unipolar detection plate and causes a change in the dielectric constant of the unipolar detection plate, a switching signal is generated through a change in capacitance due to the change in the dielectric constant of the unipolar detection plate.
Recently, flexible optical displays have been developed and adhesive films for the flexible optical displays are required to have excellent bending properties. Insufficient bending properties of the adhesive film may cause detachment, generate bubbles (bubbling), or create dragging marks.

Adhesive film and optical display including the same


The present invention provides a method and system for automated test for human presence at a client device capable of receiving touch sensitive response. At a server, the method includes receiving and storing user profile information. Receiving request from client device to access a resource on a server. Generating a query based on the user profile information and the query requiring user to generate a touch sensitive response. Receiving the user generated response and authenticating the user if the touch sensitive response matches a predefined response for the query stored on the server.

The invention relates generally to the field of testing human presence at a computing device. In particular, the invention relates to a method and system for testing human presence using touch enabled devices.
CAPTCHA, or "Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart" (also known as Turing test) has been used in the field of human computer interaction to verify the presence of a human user when an access to a remote resource is required. Without these programs to test human presence, web sites are at the risk of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and spam. Typically, DDoS occurs when an access to a resource on a server takes place by automated means and simultaneous access is sought by multiple clients. Spam happens when automated programs called "bots" fill web forms that are meant for registration or sign up for the web site, which creates fake users for the web site. As may be apparent, such attacks are undesirable.
CAPTCHA tests involving the use of randomized typography or distorted characters have been in use for web sites on the Internet. These CAPTCHAs have not been very effective, since optical character recognition (OCR) technology is constantly improving, and thereby enabling spammers to predict the randomized typography that was used for CAPTCHA tests. Spammers could therefore answer the CAPTCHA tests by automated means and cause DDoS attacks and spam web sites. Accordingly, there is a need for new methods of CAPTCHA other than randomizing typographical elements to test human presence at a client device.
The advance in input mechanisms has led to a proliferation of touch enabled devices capable of receiving touch input as a primary means to operate the device. As such, there is a need for new methods of generating CAPTCHA tests that can be presented on these touch enabled devices and also take advantage of the capabilities of touch based devices.
While there are methods of generating CATPCHAs that exist for touch enabled devices, problems such as users facing tests that are difficult to solve or that involve complex touch operations still exist. Even though such tests could decrease the success rate of automated programs from automatically answering CAPTCHA test, it is important to consider the difficulty posed to the human users while simultaneously keeping the CAPTCHA tests difficult for automated programs to solve.

Method and system for generating a touch CAPTCHA


An electroactive polymer is obtained by doping a copolymer represented by the following general formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 is hydrogen or a hydrocarbon residue having 1 to 20 carbon atoms; R.sup.2 is hydrogen, a hydrocarbon residue having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, furyl, pyridyl, nitrophenyl, chlorophenyl, or methoxyphenyl; l is an integer not smaller than 2; m is an integer not smaller than 1; and n is an integer not smaller than 2.

The present invention relates to a novel polymer, particularly a novel electroconductive polymer and a precursor thereof.
As polymers used for forming electroconductive polymers there are known polyacetylenes, polyparaphenylenes, polythiophenes and polypyrroles. These polymers become employable as electroconductive polymers by being doped using certain kinds of compounds. However, the electroconductive polymers thus obtained are apt to change in quality, especially in electrical characteristics, in the air. Further, those polymers are poor in meltability and solubility so are extremely inferior in processability. These drawbacks are serious obstacles to their practical use. For example, as an application of such electroconductive polymers there has been proposed an application to electrodes for a secondary battery utilizing their reversible redox characteristic. In most cases, however, they are unstable physically or chemically in the electrolyte of a secondary battery. Therefore, it is impossible to expect a stable cyclability of charge and discharge which is a basic performance required for a secondary battery. Besides, electroconductive polymers are insoluble and unmeltable because their skeletons are each constituted by a rigid .pi. electron conjugated system, and this point is also a serious obstacle to their practical use.
As a solution to the above problems it is proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 206170/1986 to use as the electrode material for a secondary battery an electroactive polymer obtained by doping a polymer which has a 4,4'-diphenylamine structure as a repeating unit, using an electron acceptor or donor.
However, such diphenylamine a polymer is an oligomer of a low polymerization degree, lacking in mechanical strength and moldability which the polymer should possess as a high polymer. For example, in case of using this polymer as the electrode material for a secondary battery, a soluble component will dissolve out with repetition of charge and discharge, so it is impossible to expect a stable cyclability.
Moreover, in order to impart mechanical strength and moldability to the above diphenylamine polymer in addition to good electrochemical characteristics, it is necessary to obtain a polymer which is higher in the degree of polymerization (a high polymer). But it is difficult to obtain a high polymer even according to any of processes commonly used for the preparation of polyaromatic or polyheteroaromatic compounds, such as Grignard coupling, oxidative coupling, Friedel-Crafts reaction and electrolytic oxidation polymerization. Even under severer reaction conditions, not only it is impossible to expect the realization of a higher molecular weight due to an induced hetero-linkage or crosslinking reaction, but also the polymer becomes incapable of dissolving and melting with loss in processability which processability is one of the advantages of high polymers. Further, the polymer becomes inactive electrically.
For overcoming the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, the present inventors have already found out and proposed copolymers represented by the following general formula: ##STR2## which copolymers are soluble in such solvents as N-methylpyrrolidone, nitrobenzene and sulfuric acid, superior in moldability because of thermoplastic resins, and are improved in their electroactivity by being doped using electron accepting compounds, thus permitting a redox reaction to be carried out in good cyclability, so are expected for their application to various electronic devices and batteries.
However, the above copolymers involve the problem that when applied to battery electrodes, the charge/discharge capacity per electrode active material weight becomes small. Therefore, improvement in this point has been desired.

Novel compolymers and electroactive polymers derived therefrom


A vehicle includes a floor panel, a driver's seat and a passenger's seat fixed to the floor panel and arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to a traveling direction, and an electric power storage apparatus provided between the driver's seat and the passenger's seat. The vehicle includes a reinforcing member for fixing a supporting frame of the driver's seat and a supporting frame of the passenger's seat to each other. The reinforcing member is formed to extend over the electric power storage apparatus so as to bridge between the driver's seat and the passenger's seat.

In recent years, a hybrid vehicle and an electric vehicle have been put into practical use. In the hybrid vehicle, a motor serving as a driving source and another driving source (for example, internal combustion engine, fuel cell, or the like) are combined, whereas the electric vehicle employs a motor as a driving source. In such vehicles, an electric power storage apparatus is installed to supply the motor with electric power, which is energy. The electric power storage apparatus includes an electric power storage device for storing electric power. The electric power storage device provided therein is, for example, a secondary battery, a capacitor, or the like, which can be charged and discharged repeatedly.
As the secondary battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, a nickel-hydrogen battery, a lithium-ion battery, or the like is used. The secondary battery is constituted by, for example, stacked battery cells. The secondary battery is contained in a battery case and is installed in a vehicle.
It has been considered to place the electric power storage apparatus in the vehicle's cabin in which an occupant is to be present. Placement of the electric power storage apparatus within the cabin advantageously achieves, for example, widening of a trunk room, in which the electric power storage apparatus had been placed traditionally.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-238541 discloses a vehicular battery mounted structure in which a battery, provided on a floor panel to extend in the width direction of the vehicle, is fixed at its outer ends to center pillars located in the lateral side portions of the vehicle. It is disclosed that, in this structure, the battery reinforces a strengthening member to achieve improved rigidity of the vehicular body against lateral impact without an extra cross member.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-001655 discloses a structure in which a high voltage electrical component case containing a battery, which is a heavy load, is provided on the floor of a vehicular body between a driver's seat and a passenger's seat arranged side by side in the width direction of the vehicle.
If an electric power storage apparatus including an electric power storage device is placed within a cabin, the electric power storage apparatus may be positioned between seats. For example, in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-001655 mentioned above, the battery is placed between the driver's seat and the passenger's seat.
When lateral impact is imposed on such a vehicle having an electric power storage apparatus arranged between seats, the impact may be transferred via a seat, resulting in great impact on the electric power storage apparatus.


An image recording method using a transfer system is provided. In a completely dry processing system in which a developer or the like is not required, laser light of a range from blue to red or a compact and inexpensive infrared laser or the like can be used so that an image with high sensitivity, high sharpness, excellent hue reproduction and high quality can be formed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording method using a monochrome or multicolor transfer type light- and heat-sensitive material which can be used with various light sources of the range from ultraviolet to infrared. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image recording method which can be applied to color proofs or the like, and in which high recording speed can be realized, and an inexpensive writing laser can be used because materials having excellent sensitivity are used.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various dry-type image recording methods, in which a liquid developer and the like are not used, have been studied. As a direct image forming method, a method using a photocurable composition has attracted attention, and such methods are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) Nos. 3-87827, 4-211252 and the like. On the other hand, as a method of forming images by transfer, methods in which a predetermined color component in a recording material is moved (transferred) to an image receiving material by using a thermal head, a laser, or the like, have been studied.
The method using a photocurable composition is characterized in that a photocurable composition contained in a recording material is cured by exposure to light to form a latent image. A component, which is contained in the unexposed portion in the recording material and reacted upon the color forming reaction or decolorizing reaction by being heated, moves within the recording material and forms a color image. When the above-described recording material is used, the recording material is exposed to light which has passed through an original image. The exposed portion is cured to form a latent image. Then the recording material is heated and the component, which is contained in the uncured portion (the unexposed portion) and reacted upon the color reaction or decolorizing reaction, moves to form a visible image.
A perfect dry system free of waste products can be realized with this method.
These recording materials can be applied to various applications. However, in all of these applications, images are recorded by only UV light or short wave visible light, and compact and inexpensive infrared lasers as well as light of the range from green to red cannot be used. Further, although these recording materials can be used in various applications, it is difficult to reproduce an image on a desired support in accordance with applications only by this method.
Examples of the recording method by transfer include a method in which a recording material containing a sublimation type dye and a binder is employed, a method in which a heat-melting recording layer, containing a pigment, a dye and a binder, is transferred, and the like.
Among the aforementioned methods, in the method using a sublimation-type dye, the sharpness and durability of the image are inferior. In the method using the heat melting recording layer, the heat sensitivity of the heat-melting recording layer is high and the heat-melting recording layer is inexpensive, but there have been problems with regard to gradation reproduction and color reproduction. Accordingly, there has been desired a recording material which can be obtained by a simple process and has excellent sensitivity and excellent image reproduction. In particular, there has been desired a transfer type recording material which can be used with color proofs or the like, and which has high sharpness and excellent hue reproduction.


A method is disclosed for performing GC separations using a separation protocol including at least one negative temperature ramp, where the negative temperature ramp is controlled either by the introduction of a gaseous coolant at a controlled and adjustable rate or by the introduction of the coolant along with the application of microwave radiation to a column capable of absorbing microwave radiation, where the rate of coolant introduction or the rate of coolant introduction and radiation introduction is sufficient to achieve a desired rate of cooling.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for performing negative temperature profiling using a microwave heated gas chromatography instrument.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for performing negative temperature profiling using a microwave heated gas chromatography instrument, where the method includes the steps of supplying a gaseous coolant to an interior of a microwave oven including a gas chromatography column having a microwave sensitive coating, where the coolant is supplied at a rate sufficient to cool the column at a desired rate. The method can also include supplying a gaseous coolant to an interior of the microwave oven and irradiating the column with microwave energy so that the combined coolant and irradiation cools the column at a desired rate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gas and liquid chromatography are physical methods for the separation, identification, and quantification of chemical compounds. These methods are used extensively for applications that include the measurement of product purity in analytical chemistry, the determination of environmental contamination, the characterization of natural substances, and the development of pharmaceuticals.
The fundamental methods used in gas and liquid chromatographs to separate chemical constituents are similar. A sample mixture is injected into a flowing neutral carrier stream and the combination then flows through a tube or chromatographic column. The inner surface of the column is coated or packed with a material called the stationary phase. As the sample mixture and carrier stream flow through the column, the components within the mixture are retained by the stationary phase to a greater or lesser degree depending on the relative volatility (in the case of gas chromatography) or the relative solubility (in the case of liquid chromatography) of the individual components and on their respective affinities for the stationary phase. When the individual mixture components are released into the carrier stream by the stationary phase, they are swept towards the column outlet where they are detected and measured with a detector. Different chemical compounds are retained for different times by the stationary phase. By measuring the retention times, the specific compounds in the mixture can be identified. The relative concentration of the compounds is determined by comparing the peak amplitudes measured with the detector for each compound. The primary difference between gas and liquid chromatography is the mode of separation. In gas chromatography, the sample is volatilized and propelled down the analytical column by a moving stream of gas. In liquid chromatography, the sample is dissolved and propelled down the analytical column in a moving stream of liquid. Another difference between gas and liquid chromatography is that the columns used in liquid chromatography are generally filled or packed with the stationary phase, while those used in gas chromatography can also have the stationary phase coated or bonded to the interior wall, instead.
GC and LC measurements are facilitated by the application of heat to the chromatographic column to change its temperature. The use of a heated column oven in gas chromatographic systems greatly increases the number of compounds that can be analyzed and speeds up the time required for each analysis by increasing the volatility of higher molecular weight compounds. Heating an LC column affects the relative solubility of the mixture's components in the two phases and can enhance the separation as well as improve the repeatability of the elution times of the component chemicals.
Many methods have been described for heating chromatographic columns. The simplest and most commonly used method utilizes resistive heating elements to heat air which is in turn circulated through an insulated oven in which the column is placed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,527,567 to Philyaw et al. describes a GC oven heated with resistive elements.
The resistive element heating method has several limitations. To achieve even heating of the column, a large volume of air is rapidly circulated around the chromatographic column. In addition to heating the column, the air heats the oven itself. Because the thermal mass of the oven is much larger than that of the column, the rate at which the column can be heated is commensurately reduced. A related problem is cooling time. After heating the oven to a high temperature during an analysis, it takes significantly longer to cool the oven plus the column to their initial temperature so that the next sample may be analyzed than it would to cool the column alone. Together, these limitations reduce the throughput of the chromatograph.
Attempts to localize the resistive heat element onto the column itself so as to reduce or eliminate peripheral heating of the 'oven' are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,169,389 to Green et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,232,093 to Burow et al., and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,399 to Holtzclaw et al. Each of these patents describe methods for directly wrapping or cladding the chromatographic column with a resistive heating element. Methods are also described for positioning the resulting metal clad column adjacent to a cooling source to decrease cooling times. This method of heating can be difficult to implement in practice because of uneven heating of the column due to local hot or cold spots in the resistive heating element surrounding the column. Uneven heating of the column in turn compromises the quality of the analysis.
Yet another limitation of all resistively heated chromatographic devices is that if operated improperly, they can be driven to temperatures higher than the maximum tolerated by a given column resulting in damage to or destruction of the column.
An alternative method for heating chromatographic columns is microwave heating as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,423 to Jordan. Potential advantages of microwave heating are efficiency and selectivity. Suitable objects placed in a microwave oven will be heated when the oven is operated, but the temperature of the oven itself will not change. Microwave heating occurs in materials which absorb the microwave energy and convert it into heat. Current chromatographic columns are generally made of materials that do not absorb microwave energy at an appreciable rate. For example, most GC capillary columns are made of polyimide and fused silica. Consequently, such columns will not heat at an appreciable rate when placed in a microwave oven. The apparatus taught by Jordan is not practicable with these columns.
Jordan teaches that any column material can be placed in a microwave oven except for conductive materials such as metals which will reflect the electromagnetic energy (by shorting out the electric field) in the microwave oven, thus rendering it inoperable. Indeed any such non-metal material can be placed in a microwave oven, but they will not necessarily be heated by the oven.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,023,835 to Brashear describes an apparatus for heating packed chromatographic columns by exposing them to radio frequency (RF) radiation. Brashear describes heating chromatographic columns via dielectric heating or via inductive heating (i.e., magnetic heating). In the case of dielectric heating, Brashear specifies that the column and the packing filler are constructed of electrically insulating materials. Most insulating materials, including those used to make chromatographic columns, do not absorb electromagnetic energy at a high enough rate to make dielectric heating as taught by Brashear practical. In the case of inductive heating, Brashear specifies that: (1) the column is constructed of a metal containing some magnetic components to enable inductive heating to occur; (2) the filler contains a metal powder to promote heat conduction from the column into the filler; and (3) the metal powder may also be magnetic to promote local inductive heating. In practice, inductive heating of the filler would not occur inside the metal column because it would be shielded from the electromagnetic field by the metal column in which it is sheathed. Moreover, metal-filled packing material inside columns is not generally a good scheme. The sample material passing down the column can be exposed to the metal. If the metal is not chemically inert, then some components of the sample can react with the metal thus distorting the resulting chromatogram.
Neither of the packed column constructions described by Brashear would be of practical usage in a microwave heating apparatus as taught by Jordan where the whole of the column is placed inside a cavity and exposed to high intensity electromagnetic radiation. The insulating low-loss column would not heat rapidly enough to be of practical use. The metal column would short out the electric field to such a significant extent that the microwave oven would not function properly and the column, if heated at all, would not be heated evenly.
Further background information can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,029,498; 6,093,921; 6,157,015; 6,316,759; and 6,514,316 and U.S. Pat. Appln. Pub. No. 20010000403, incorporated herein by reference.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a method to affect separation of components in a sample by including at least one so called negative temperature ramp in the GC profile by supplying either a gaseous coolant to a microwave GC oven including a column capable of being heated with microwave radiation or supplying to the microwave GC a combination of the coolant and microwave radiation so that a desired cooling rate can be achieved.

Negative temperature profiling using microwave GC apparatus


A method for processing an image in a virtual reality display device comprises determining a gaze area and a non-gaze area in a display area of the virtual reality display device, performing, at a first time instant, a rendering process in the gaze area and the non-gaze area to generate a first image, performing a time warping process on the first image to generate a second image, based on attitude information of the virtual reality display device at a second time instant, and modifying the second image based on the movement information and attribute information of a motion object in the gaze area. The method can avoid problems caused by the time warping process, reduce delays, and avoid smearing or ghosting, and thus obtain a good display effect.

VR technology is a 3D display technology newly developed in the 20th century. VR technology can use a computer to simulate virtual environments to give people an immersive feeling. With continuous development of social productivity, science and technology, VR technology has made tremendous progress and has gradually become a new field of science and technology. However, in the VR technology, image rendering has high requirements on a device, which requires powerful rendering capabilities, small device size, and strong processing capabilities. This makes a cost of VR display device higher and seriously affects popularization of VR technology.
Generally, a VR rendering process may comprise: a sensor collecting motion-related input data, filtering the collected input data and transmitting it to a controller through a cable; the controller sending the acquired input data to a driver, and the driver sending it to a graphics card for rendering; the graphics card submitting a rendering result to a display for display. In this process, there is Motion-To-Photon Latency (MTP Latency), which refers to a time spent from a start of a motion to a display of the corresponding motion picture on the display, that is, the time spent by the VR rendering process. In order to reduce a degree of smear, measures need to be taken to reduce MTP Latency.
MTP Latency can be reduced by performing Asynchronous Time Warp (ATW). For a static object in a scene, ATW would have a better display effect. However, for a motion object in the scene, ATW may cause a new problem of forming a ghost of the motion object and affecting a display effect of a motion picture.

Method for processing image in virtual reality display device and related virtual reality display device

BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A medical instrument having a shaft with a bending neck, an ultrasound device at a distal end of the bending neck, a working channel extending through the shaft with a tubular working channel made from superelastic material extending to an opening proximate the ultrasound device, and a biopsy needle located in the working channel. The needle is comprised of superelastic material and is extendible and retractable out the working channel opening in an imaging path of the ultrasound device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical device and, more specifically, to an ultrasound device.
2. Prior Art
With the advent of laparoscopic surgery, ultrasound imaging can be used to image beneath the surface of organs. Implementation is achieved by the introduction of an ultrasound imaging probe through a cannula. FIG. 1A shows the end of one such probe 10 with a distal transducer array 12 on the end of its shaft 14. The array 12 is positioned at tissue 16 to be imaged. Images are generated by the transducer array located at the end of a shaft, and are transmitted via a signal cable through the shaft and handle. Images are reconstructed by computer connect by cable to the probe handle and displayed on a CRT screen. A typical ultrasound image 15 corresponding to FIG. 1A is shown in FIG. 1B. It is desirable to have a flexible tip to the shaft such that the transducer array can be bent relative to the axis of the shaft. A skilled surgeon can maneuver the probe tip to the organ/area of interest.
In conjunction with ultrasound imaging, there is also a need to obtain biopsy samples of suspicious areas. The use of ultrasound allows the surgeon to guide the biopsy procedure. This procedure, generically called ultrasound guided biopsy is depicted in FIG. 2A. The surgeon positions the probe 10 and, using the ultrasound image 15 shown in FIG. 2B that is viewed on a display, guides the biopsy needle 18 to the suspect area B. The advantage of this method is the accuracy by which a laparoscopic surgeon can obtain biopsy samples.
In laparoscopic surgery, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, both probes and needle are introduced via separate cannulas. The workload on the surgeon to execute a biopsy is high as he must coordinate the location of two objects (probe and needle) while looking at a real time ultrasound image and a video image. U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,283 describes a laparascopic ultrasound probe with integrated biopsy capabilities. The probe can function as an image only probe and, with an attachment, as a biopsy probe. FIG. 3A schematically shows the ultrasound probe 20 and biopsy device 22 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,283. The biopsy device 22 generally comprises a needle 24, a guide 25 and a gun 27. By virtue of the attachment, the biopsy needle 24, made of conventional stainless steel, is constrained to follow a sampling trajectory that always passes within of the ultrasound image (See FIG. 3C). This approach greatly reduces the workload of the physician performing laparoscopic ultrasound guided biopsy.
The use of laparoscopic ultrasound probes with deflectable tips exposes the shortcomings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,283. Probes with the attachment 22 will need a larger cannula in the patient. The biopsy needle 24 is constrained to be parallel with the rigid shaft 26. Deflectable tips 28 can only be two-way deflectable (not four-way deflectable) because deflection on the perpendicular lateral direction from that illustrated in FIG. 2A will cause the image to be out of the trajectory plane of the biopsy needle. It is obvious that the bending neck 30 can only deflect in one direction, away from the path of the needle 24, otherwise the tip 28 would block the path of the needle. Because the tip 28 can only be deflected away from the path of the needle 24 in one direction, this limits the flexibility of the probe. Another problem is that, at the extremes of deflection, the image of the trajectory is small. Furthermore, it is not possible to preprogram the trajectory of the needle's path because the angle which the biopsy needle enters the ultrasound image will be a function of the deflection angle of the neck 30 and tip 28. Thus the target line for the biopsy needle cannot be determined in advance. It can only be estimated from the deflection angle.

Ultrasound guided therapeutic and diagnostic device


To form a sparkle finish by powder coating, an opaque initial layer is first applied to a substrate, e.g., by powder coating. Then a mixture of glass flake and clear coating powder is prepared by blending. This mixture is then applied to a substrate, e.g., electrostatically, and heated to fuse and/or cure the coating powder.

The conventional method of producing a sparkle finish using a powder coating is to add metal flake, e.g., aluminum, to the coating powder. As one method of producing a powder coating, metal flake is admixed with the coating powder and this admixture is applied, e.g., electrostatically, to a substrate. An improvement in this method is adhering the metal flake to the coating powder, such as is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,351.
There exist concern with the inclusion of metal flake in coating powders, particularly coating powders which are to be applied electrostatically, from a safety standpoint. Conductivity through the metal flake may cause shock, and, if carelessly used, may even result in dust explosions. Accordingly, there is a desire to provide a sparkle finish using other material than metal.
It was attempted to use glass flakes to produce a sparkle finish. Glass flakes are too fragile to be adhered to coating powders by conventional methods. Accordingly, it was attempted to admix glass flake with coating powder and apply this coating to a substrate. Essentially no sparkle effect was achieved.
The present invention is directed to using glass flake in a powder coating process to achieve a sparkle finish.

Method of applying coating powder and glass flake to produce a glass flake-containing finish


The invention relates to a foundation pile comprising a stabilization device that is located within the foundation pile and is connected to at least two inner surface sections of the foundation pile; the stabilization device allows compressive and/or tensile forces to be transmitted such that the stabilization device counteracts lateral deformation and/or torsional deformation of the foundation pile.

Foundation piles are generally constructed from cylindrical foundation pile segments arranged one on top of the other and connected to one another. The foundation pile segments, in turn, are made up of one, two or more partial-cylinder segments, each produced from a bent steel plate.
When a foundation pile segment is produced from just one single partial-cylinder segment, the steel plate is bent along the longitudinal extent thereof in such a way that the longitudinal edges (edges of the material or plate), which lie opposite one another in the bent state, can be welded to one another. Welding of the mutually opposite longitudinal edges is accomplished by means of a longitudinal weld seam.
When a foundation pile segment is produced from two or more partial-cylinder segments, the partial-cylinder segments are each connected to one another at the longitudinal edges by means of longitudinal weld seams. In this case, a number of longitudinal weld seams corresponding to the number of partial-cylinder segments is required to connect the partial-cylinder segments.
The foundation pile is then assembled from a multiplicity of correspondingly formed foundation pile segments by connecting mutually adjoining foundation pile segments by means of respective circular weld seams in such a way that the respective longitudinal axes of the foundation pile segments extend in a collinear manner relative to one another.
To produce a corresponding foundation pile, therefore, a large number of weld seams with a large total length is required, making the production of the foundation pile complex and expensive. Thus, for example, to produce two foundation pile segments, each having a height of 3 m and a diameter of 7 m, and for the connection thereof, weld seams with a total length of 28 m are required, namely two times 3 m of longitudinal weld seam in each case to connect the mutually opposite lateral edges or edges of the material of the individual partial-cylinder segments and 22 m of circular weld seam to connect the two foundation pile segments.
In the case of foundation piles which are anchored in the seabed, diameters of 7 m (seven meters) and more are currently customary or desired. To ensure that a foundation pile has sufficient stability to withstand forces exerted on said pile by wind and water movements, the wall thickness of the foundation pile must be increased. In addition, there is the problem that, the larger the diameter of a foundation pile, the less effect enlarging the wall thickness has on the stability thereof. In the case of foundation piles with ever-larger diameters, therefore, the wall thicknesses must increase in a disproportionate way relative to the diameter thereof.
However, large wall thicknesses lead to considerable extra work and considerable additional costs in the production of a foundation pile. Bending a steel plate to form a partial-cylinder segment becomes ever more laborious with increasing wall thickness. Moreover, welding partial-cylinder segments together to form a foundation pile segment and welding the foundation pile segments together to form a foundation pile is technically ever more complex and hence also more expensive as the wall thickness increases.


A reversible, multi-purpose bib exhibits a polyester layer on one side for use in absorbing drool, a vinyl layer on an opposing side for use when feeding solid food, and a removable overlying cotton or cotton polyester blend layer atop the vinyl layer for use when formula feeding.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of bib construction, in general, and to a fast drying bib especially useful for teething and feeding infants and toddlers.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is understood, bibs are sometimes worn by feeding adults in a nursing home setting, and are almost always worn by feeding infants and toddlers. With infants and toddlers, it is not unusual to have to change the bibs up to 10-15 times a day—not only because of the food which drips upon the bib, but because teething infants and toddlers, tend to drool almost all the time. As will be appreciated, such regular changing of bibs is necessary in order to keep the infant's or toddler's underclothes dry and to keep the infant or toddler from becoming unduly wet. This is particularly important in cold weather locations. Because infants and toddlers tend to teethe for many months, beyond one-year of age, the situation becomes quite frustrating for a mother to continue to have to wash the infant's or toddler's clothes and body over-and-over again because of the limited protection conventional bibs offer.