A coupling device for connecting a filter element to a fluid conduit has a male coupling secured to either the fluid conduit or the filter element. The male coupling also has at least two radially projecting tabs. A polymeric female coupling engages with the male coupling for securing the filter element on the fluid conduit. The female coupling also has lands for receiving the tabs. The male and female couplings each have a passageway for fluid and that generally defines an axial direction. Each tab is configured for distributing an axial force generally throughout the tab and laterally relative the axial direction so that either the land being forced against the tab or the tab being forced against the land does not damage the female coupling and as long as the filter element remains secured to the fluid conduit.

The invention relates generally to filter cartridges for filter vessels in fluid purification systems, and more particularly to coupling devices that connect replaceable filter cartridges to outlet tubes in filter vessels for purification of radioactive or other hazardous fluids.
Power plants and other facilities with fluid purification processes frequently have filter tanks or filter vessels to purify a variety of different liquids or gases, such as fluid fossil fuels, or radioactive steam or water at nuclear power plants. Known filter vessels have an inlet supplying a fluid to a main filtration chamber holding a number of tubular filters. Long tubes support and act as the core for the tubular filters. These long tubes extend from a tube sheet that separates the main chamber from a plenum for holding purified fluid. An outlet leads from the plenum to the exterior of the filter vessel.
In conventional practice, on the opposite end of the filters from the tube sheet, separate mount assemblies use compression to secure the filters to the tubes while sealing that end of the tube. Since the mount assemblies contain numerous parts, these parts frequently fall into the filter vessel while disassembling the mount assembly to replace the filters. Parts falling into the vessel must be removed to prevent damage to filter elements caused by motion of the loose parts during service flow, and in nuclear powered generating plants, Nuclear Regulatory Commission oversight mandates the retrieval of the loose parts. Regardless of the application, if loose parts cannot be located and removed with suitable xe2x80x9cfishingxe2x80x9d tools, filter elements must be removed to permit access to the vessel to retrieve the loose parts. U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,679 to Bozenmayer et al. attempts to solve this problem by providing a mount assembly that is removed quickly without losing parts. This design, however, is made of stainless steel parts that are difficult to dispose or recycle when radioactive.
Referring to FIG. 1, another conventional filter vessel 100 has an inlet 102 that delivers unpurified, typically pressurized, fluids to a main chamber 104. The arrows F indicate direction of flow for the fluid during normal operations.
The fluid enters replaceable filter cartridges 106, as known in the art, and through known tubular filters contained thereby that remove unwanted particulate or foreign matter. The purified fluid then flows downward through tubes or pipes 108 that open up into a plenum 110. The plenum is separated from the main chamber 104 by a stainless steel false bottom or tube sheet 112 conventionally welded to the tubes 108. The fluid then exits the filter vessel 100 through an outlet 114. Conventional filter vessels 100 typically vary in diameter from six inches to seven feet (and three foot to eight foot heights) depending on the quantity and size of filter elements contained therein. Vessels are known to accommodate anywhere from two to over 1000 filter cartridges.
Some conventional filter cartridges 106 are held in place by a hold down plate 116 as known in the art. The filter cartridges 106 are single open-ended with a closed top and a protruding bolt, post, rod or other connector 118 to extend upward through a hole in the hold down plate 116 for lateral support and to maintain distances between adjacent filter cartridges. The hold down plates 116 are usually bolted to the perimeter of the vessel or secured to the bottom by long connecting rods (not shown). Either mechanism provides downward force to seal the cartridges 106 to the tube sheet 112. Cartridges 106 that are held down by hold down plates 116 typically have a spigot that fits into holes in the tubesheet 112, and is sealed with either a flat gasket or one or more O-rings (not shown).
Some filter cartridges 106 have threaded bottoms for securing the filter cartridge to the tubesheet 112 and affecting a liquid tight seal, which does not require a hold down plate. However, a steel threaded lower end (not shown) must be rotated numerous times by robot, hand, wrench, other special tool or automatic mechanism to thread each filter cartridge 106 onto one of the tubes 108.
Since a filter cartridge 106 that is threaded requires numerous turns, a worker or mechanism must use a relatively long amount of time to unscrew an old filter cartridge from the end of the tube 108 and then screw a new filter cartridge 106 back onto the tube. When radioactive or hazardous materials are being purified, the longer it takes to replace a filter cartridge, the longer a person or tool is exposed to the dangerous environment. Thus, when special tools are used, frequent replacement is required which is expensive. Alternatively, when a worker is required to replace a filter cartridge by placing his gloved hand in the vessel to turn the filter cartridge, the filter replacement may take a long period of time relative to a safe maximum exposure time available to a single worker. Limited by the maximum safe time periods, changing a filter either requires a number of workers taking turns, which raises labor costs, or requires a single worker to take breaks to reduce the exposure levels obtained in a single period, which is time consuming. Otherwise, the worker may feel encouraged to complete filter replacements within an unsafe period of time.
As shown in FIG. 2, an improvement over the threaded filter cartridge is a guide rod and hook design used to mount a filter cartridge 200 onto a tube 202 welded to a tube sheet 204 such as an Aegis(trademark) Fossil Assembly as is known in the art. The filter cartridge 200 has a guide rod 206 welded to a plate 208 with an end with a hook (as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,279,608 to Soriente et al.), or in the illustrated case, a rivet 210, to latch on the end of the tube 202. A coil spring 212 and nut 214 are used to seal the top of the filter 216 while compressing the filter cartridge 216 against the tube 202 and to hold it in place against an adapter 218 threaded permanently to the tube 202.
The upper end of the guide rod 206 is used to attach to a positioning lattice (not shown) for lateral stabilization. This design, however, still requires the unthreading of the nut 214 to remove the filter cartridge 200 from the tube 202, and the rivet hook is not considered of adequate strength for high pressure and highly corrosive nuclear power plant applications.
Referring to FIG. 3, in a similar manner as filter cartridge 200, filter cartridge 300 has a guide rod 302 welded to a plate 304. However, the plate 304 has a tubular connector pipe 306 with two opposing holes 308 (only one is shown) that receives a pin (not shown). The pin is permanently press-fit into connector pipe 306 before the filter cartridge 300 is placed on a tubesheet tube 312 within the vessel. Connector pipe 306, with the pin attached, is inserted downward through slots in adapter 310 which is previously attached to the tubesheet tube 312. The connector pipe is pressed downward against tension from a top spring, and is rotated 60 to 90 degrees in either direction to engage cam slots (not shown) on the inside of the adapter 310. The pin is not removed separately, but remains with connector pipe 306 and guide rod 302, and the entire assembly is removed by pressing downward against spring compression and rotating until the pin ends pass upward through the slots in adapter 310.
The top post 314 and mount assembly 316 are also similar to corresponding structures in filter cartridge 200. While this design (named an Aegis(trademark) Nuclear Assembly ) provides two places of contact (two holes) on the tube 312, the pin blocks the interior of the tube 314 reducing the flow cross-section within the tube 312.
Some of the problems of the threaded and guide rod filter cartridges have been addressed by the Ecolock(trademark) system by Graver Technologies. Referring to FIG. 4, the filter cartridge 400 has an adapter 402 threaded to a filter vessel tube (not shown) on a tube sheet (not shown). Prior to placement of the cartridge 400 within the vessel, an extension pipe 404 has an upper end threaded to a filter 406. To place the cartridge 400 within the vessel, a lower end of the extension pipe 404 is inserted over the adapter 402. The extension pipe 404 has a snap ring 408 for securing to a groove on the adapter. The top of the filter 406 has a post 410 for attaching to a positioning lattice (not shown) and aiding in compressing the cartridge 400. A spring assembly 412 is located within the extension pipe 404 for maintaining tension in the filter-to-extension pipe connection and adapter-to-extension pipe connection that further maintains the filter cartridge 400 in place. A passage 414 is provided from the center of the filter 406, through the spring 412, extension pipe 404 and adapter 402, to the filter vessel tube (not shown).
For removal of the Ecolock(trademark) filter cartridge 400, the filter cartridge and associated hardware is rotated 90 degrees, which disengages the snap ring 408 from adapter 402. The spring then assists in ejecting the filter cartridge and hardware assembly in a very expedient manner. However, the Ecolock(trademark) hardware design is very expensive and assembly procedures should include extra measures to ensure that the assembly is in fact locked into place within the vessel since this can be difficult to determine sometimes. If the Ecolock(trademark) assembly is not latched correctly during installation, premature unlatching can occur during operation of the vessel.
Another known filter cartridge and filter vessel eliminates the need for threading the filter cartridge to a tube on a tube sheet. As shown on FIGS. 5A-5D, a filter cartridge 500 has a steel adapter 502 that connects a filter 504 to a stainless steel filter vessel tube 506. As shown in FIGS. 5C-5D, a spring 508 applying forces of 50-60pounds is located between a support ring 510 welded to the exterior of the tube 506 and two pins 512 also welded to the exterior of the tube 506. Referring to FIGS. 5B and 5C, the adapter 502 has two opposing slots 514 (only one shown) for receiving the pins 512 and has an annular groove 516 that slides over the pins as the adapter is rotated about the tube 506. Once the adapter is rotated 90xc2x0 as shown in FIG. 5D, the pins 512 are positioned in two opposing locking apertures 518.
In order to position a filter cartridge 500 on the tube 506, the filter cartridge must be pushed downward (axially) to engage the pins 512 and spring 508, and then rotated a full ninety degrees to place the pins in the locking apertures 518. The spring 508 biases the adapter 502 upward to hold the pins 512 against the bottoms 520 of the locking apertures 518, which further stabilizes and secures the filter cartridge 500 on the tube 506.
In some nuclear power plant filter vessel applications, during backwashing (fluid flow in the upward direction on FIGS. 5A-5D) the spring and fluid can combine to form an axial force of approximately 100 pounds that impacts the filter cartridge 500. The adapter 502 must be made of steel to withstand this force, which is transmitted through the circular pins 512. Otherwise, the high axial forces will cause the pins 512 to rip through an adapter 502 made of a weaker material such as plastic and disengage the filter cartridge 500 during backwashing operations.
Radioactive steel hardware, however, is dangerous, difficult and expensive to handle when replacing filter cartridges. Steel hardware cannot be recycled or incinerated using present technology. If hardware is to be separated and re-used with new filter cartridges, significant operator exposure to radiation occurs during disassembly and re-assembly. For this reason alone, the hardware is often replaced rather than re-used. The discarded hardware that is disposed of as radioactive waste will incur a disposal cost ten times or more its initial cost. Even though certain steels might be reusable after 18 months to six years, usually hardware that is xe2x80x9cburiedxe2x80x9d as radioactive waste remains buried forever.
In keeping with one aspect of the present invention, a coupling device is able to provide a recyclable thermoplastic female coupling on a filter element for engaging a steel male coupling on a fluid conduit by using tabs on the steel male coupling that reduce the impact of forces on the thermoplastic coupling. This is accomplished by spreading out an axial force laterally along flat surface areas of the tabs that engage lands on the female coupling. With this configuration, the tabs impact the lands along a flat surface rather than merely at a single point, which occurs when a cylindrical pin is used as in the known filter adapters.
More specifically, a coupling device for connecting a filter element to a fluid conduit has a male coupling secured to either the fluid conduit or the filter element. The male coupling also has at least two radially projecting tabs. A polymeric female coupling engages with the male coupling for securing the filter element on the fluid conduit. The female coupling also has lands for receiving the tabs. The male and female couplings each have a passageway for fluid that generally defines an axial direction. Each tab is configured for distributing an axial force generally throughout the tab and laterally relative the axial direction so that either the land being forced against the tab or the tab being forced against the land does not damage the female coupling and the filter element remains secured to the fluid conduit
In another aspect of the present invention, a coupling device for connecting a filter element to a fluid conduit has a male coupling with at least two radially extending tabs, and a substantially polymeric female coupling with a land for engaging each tab. The female coupling defines an axis, a circumference and an axially extending access channel continuous with a circumferentially extending land channel receiving one of the tabs. Each land defines a surface of the land channel, and the access channel is configured and disposed on the female coupling so that each access channel receives one tab. Either the access channels are moved axially over the tabs or the tabs are moved axially through the access channels in order to place the tabs within the land channels.
In yet another aspect, a coupling device for connecting a filter element to a fluid conduit has a first coupling with an exterior surface of rotation and at least two tabs projecting generally radially from the exterior surface. The first coupling also defines a passageway for fluid and an axial direction. Each tab has a flat mating surface with a predetermined surface area for distributing an axial force generally throughout the mating surface and laterally relative to the axial direction.
In a further part of the present invention, a female coupling for connecting a fluid element to a fluid conduit has a polymeric body with a land for receiving a projection at a fully secured position. The female coupling defines an axis, a circumference and an axially extending access channel continuous with a circumferentially extending land channel. The land defines a surface of the land channel.
The present invention is also directed to a coupling device for connecting a filter element to a fluid conduit that has a polymeric filter-side coupling attached to the filter element, and a conduit-side coupling attached to the fluid conduit and engaging the filter-side coupling. A selected one of the filter-side coupling and the conduit-side coupling has at least two radially projecting tabs, and the corresponding other coupling has lands for receiving the tabs. The filter-side coupling receives an axial force causing the lands and the tabs to press against each other. The filter-side coupling also has either the lands or the tabs configured for generally distributing the axial force throughout the land or the tab laterally relative to the axial direction so that the filter-side coupling is not damaged by the axial force.
In similar terms, the present invention has a quick-connect coupling device for connecting a filter element to a fluid conduit. The device has a male coupling with generally radially projecting tabs, and a polymeric female coupling with lands for mating with the tabs. One of the couplings is part of the filter element, and the couplings are configured so that they are fully engaged with each other with at most a single twist of a gripping mechanism (robotic mechanism or the like) or human hand grasping the filter element.
The flat tabs also allow for quick placement or removal of the filter element because the tabs merely require a twist of one-sixth of a full 360 degree turn or about 60 degrees, in order to fully secure the couplings or to completely disconnect the couplings. In more detail, a method of rapid installment of a filter element on a fluid conduit has the steps of, with a gripping mechanism or human hand grasping the end of a filter element, moving the filter element axially for engaging a polymeric female coupling on a selected one of the filter element and the fluid conduit with a male coupling on the corresponding opposite one of the filter element and the fluid conduit. One of the couplings is a part of the filter element. Twisting a selected one of the female coupling and the male coupling on the filter element fully engages the fluid conduit coupling without releasing and re-grasping the filter element.

Coupling device for connecting a replaceable filter element to a conduit


In a photoacoustic image generation apparatus for generating a photoacoustic image of a subject including an interventional instrument for each scanning plane, there are provided: means for generating a reflected acoustic wave image of the subject for each scanning plane; means for detecting a change in a photoacoustic image on an observation scanning plane, which is generated as an image, from a plurality of photoacoustic images regarding the observation scanning plane; means for detecting a change in a reflected acoustic wave image on the observation scanning plane from a plurality of reflected acoustic wave images regarding the observation scanning plane; determination means for determining whether or not a distal end of the interventional instrument is present on the observation scanning plane based on the change in the photoacoustic image and the change in the reflected acoustic wave image; and notification means for sending notification of a result of the determination.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photoacoustic image generation method, that is, a method of emitting light toward a subject and imaging the subject based on acoustic waves generated from a part of the subject that has received the light.
In addition, the present invention relates to an apparatus for implementing such a photoacoustic image generation method.
2. Description of the Related Art
As conventionally disclosed in, for example, JP2005-021380A and JP2011-217767A, a photoacoustic imaging apparatus for imaging the inside of a living body using the photoacoustic effect has been known. In this photoacoustic imaging apparatus, pulsed light, such as pulsed laser light, is emitted to the living body. Inside the living body to which the pulsed light has been emitted, the volume of the living tissue that has absorbed the energy of the pulsed light increases due to heat, and acoustic waves are generated. Therefore, it is possible to detect the acoustic waves using detection means, such as an ultrasound probe, and visualize the inside of the living body based on the electrical signal (photoacoustic signal) obtained by the detection.
Since the photoacoustic imaging apparatus forms an image based only on the acoustic waves emitted from a specific light absorber, the photoacoustic imaging apparatus is suitable for imaging a specific tissue in the living body, for example, a blood vessel.
On the other hand, as disclosed in, for example, JP2005-342128A and JP2006-055407A, an insertion operation for collecting tissues or injecting drugs using an insertion needle inserted into the living body has been known. When performing the insertion operation, it is required to be able to grasp the position of the insertion needle, especially, the distal end position by imaging it during the operation so that organs, tissues, and the like inside the living body are not damaged by the distal end of the insertion needle.
As a method of responding to the request, as conventionally disclosed in JP2005-342128A and JP2006-055407A, there has been known a method of displaying a part of a living body including an insertion needle on an ultrasound image so that the position of the insertion needle can be checked on the image. In such a method, however, there is a problem that, in a case where the insertion needle deviates from the scanning plane (scanning cross section) on which the insertion needle is being observed, it is difficult to check the insertion needle.
Therefore, JP2005-342128A proposes a method of generating an ultrasound image for a plurality of scanning cross sections and regarding a scanning cross section having the highest reflection brightness as a cross section through which the distal end of the insertion needle passes. JP2006-055407A proposes a method of determining the deviation of the insertion needle from the scanning cross section based on the difference between the amount of movement of the distal end of the insertion needle and the amount of movement of the insertion needle between the frames of an ultrasound image. JP2013-027513A discloses a method of displaying an insertion needle on a photoacoustic image so that the position of the insertion needle can be checked on the photoacoustic image.

Photoacoustic image generation method and apparatus


A filter material includes a filter pad made from a thin, nonwoven fiber mat which has been accordion-pleated, compressed into a unit having a large number of substantially parallel interconnected filter strips, and treated to retain the filter strips in substantially parallel relation to each other. In a preferred embodiment, activated carbon particles are operatively associated with the filter pad. Selected fibers of the nonwoven fiber material are hollow fibers, each having an outer surface, a hollow internal cavity, and an extended slot formed therein, between the hollow internal cavity and the outer fiber surface. Carbon particles may be located between selected filter strips, and additional carbon particles may be disposed within the cavities of the hollow fibers. Methods of forming the filter material, and a filter element made with the filter material are also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to filter media, to methods of making filter media, and to filter elements made using the described filter media. More particularly, the present invention relates to accordion-pleated filter material in which adjacent filter strip sections are substantially parallel to one another.
2. Description of the Background Art
A number of different filter media are known for filtering fluids. Examples of some issued patents relating to filter materials, and to known fluid filter designs, include U.S. Pat. No. 2,019,186 to Kaiser, U.S. Pat. No. 2,732,951 to R. De Puiffe De Magondeau, U.S. Pat. No. 3,019,127 to Czerwonka et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,373 to Braun, U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,812 to Elbers, U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,739 to Tang, U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,468 to Hershelman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,274 to Blakley, U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,898 to Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,784 to Stoyell et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,938 to Fanselow et al.
The assignee of the present invention has developed a new type of hollow xe2x80x98wickingxe2x80x99 fiber material that has been used for some filter applications. This material includes hollow spaces within the individual fibers, and this hollow space may be used to house a reactive or adsorbent material. Some issued patents relating to this wicking fiber, and to filters containing this type of fiber include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,057,368, 5,704,966, 5,713,971, 5,744,236, 5,759,394, 5,891,221, 5,902,384, 5,951,744, 6,004,381, 6,048,614, 6,117,802, and 6,127,036. Other patents using this fiber technology are pending.
Although the known filter media are usable for their intended purposes, a need still exists in the art for an improved filter material which is minimally restrictive of a fluid being filtered.
It would be advantageous if such a filter material included some activated carbon to aid in the effectiveness thereof.
The present invention provides a filter material, a method of making the filter material, and a filter element incorporating the filter material.
The filter material of the present invention is useful for filtering fluids, and includes at least one filter pad, made using a thin sheet of nonwoven fiber material, which is folded many times back and forth, as further described herein.
The filter pad is a lightweight, elastically resilient pad which is generally compressible and deformable, but which tends to spring back to its original shape after compression, distortion or bending. In one particular embodiment of the invention, the filter pad is roughly box-shaped, including top, bottom, front, rear, and two opposed side surfaces.
The filter pad is formed from at least one thin, substantially flat fibrous sheet, which has been accordion-pleated, compressed into a unit made up of a multiplicity of interconnected, substantially parallel thin strips, and heated to substantially fix the strips in substantially parallel relation. Optionally, carbon particles may be applied to a portion of the fiber sheet before the folding operation thereon. The thin filter strips making up the filter material are oriented substantially parallel to one another, within the filter pad. Preferably, the finished filter material includes between 50-300 layers of filter strips per inch.
In one particular embodiment of the invention, two thin fibrous mats are placed in parallel with a layer of carbon particles sandwiched therebetween. The resulting layered material is then accordion-folded as previously described, and the double layer of fibrous material helps to trap the carbon and hold it in place.
The filter pad is adapted to filter fluid material passing inwardly through the front surface and outwardly through the rear surface thereof, the filtrate flowing directionally such that some of the filtrate passes between adjacent filter strips thereof, and in a direction which is generally parallel to the filter strips.
Preferably, in the practice of the present invention, the filter strips within the filter pad are very closely spaced next to, or are in side-to-side contact with one another, and are substantially parallel, as noted.
Optionally, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the material of the filter pad may further include carbon particles held between selected filter strips. Where used, the carbon particles are preferably applied as a coating on at least one surface of the flat starting material, before it is pleated. The carbon may be sprayed on as a powder, and may be conventionally sprayed, or may be electrostatically applied. Then, after the carbon has been applied to the flat sheet, it is accordion-pleated, thereby trapping the carbon between adjacent strip surfaces.
Another optional feature of the filter material hereof is that selected fibers, of the nonwoven fiber starting material, may be hollow fibers. The portion of hollow fibers in the material, where used, is preferred to be between 5 percent and 80 percent, by weight, of the total fibers. Each of these hollow fibers has a hollow internal cavity formed therein, and has at least one extended slot formed therein, parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof. The hollow internal cavity of the fiber is able to communicate with the outer fiber surface by way of this extended slot.
In a particularly preferred version of the hollow fibers, each of the fibers includes a central stem and a plurality of substantially T-shaped lobes extending radially outwardly from the stem. Where this type of fiber is used, a number of lobes between two and five is preferred.
An added benefit of using this type of hollow fiber in the filter material, is that some of the hollow fibers may have fine carbon particles trapped inside the hollow internal cavities thereof. This additional carbon material, within the fibers, provides extra effectiveness and longevity to the filter material hereof.
It will therefore be understood that the filter material hereof may include two separate and distinct phases of activated carbon therein. The first phase of carbon is made up of the layer of carbon particles which may be trapped between adjacent strips of the filter pad. The second phase of carbon consists of the fine carbon particles which may be disposed within the internal cavities of the hollow fibers.
A filter element may be formed from the filter material according to the invention by attaching a circumferential edge frame to one or more filter bodies, substantially surrounding the top, bottom, and side surfaces thereof. The circumferential edge frame, where used, is formed from a different material than the filter pad. In a first orientation of the filter material in a filter element, the edge frame is placed around the filter pad such that when the filter element is used, at least some of the material to be filtered passes between adjacent filter strips thereof. In a second orientation of the filter material in a filter element, the edge frame is placed around the filter pad such that when the filter element is used, the material to be filtered passes through the interconnected filter strips thereof.
The present invention also contemplates a method of making a filter material. In practicing the method hereof, activated carbon is applied to at least one side of a thin sheet of fiber material comprising a plurality of nonwoven fibers.
After the carbon has been applied thereto, the sheet is then folded back and forth on itself many times, to form a multiplicity of interconnected filter strips.
The next step in the method hereof is compressing the folded sheet of fibrous material until the filter strips are oriented substantially parallel to one another, and the carbon is mechanically held between adjacent filter strips.
The next step in the method involves heating the folded and compressed sheet to fix and retain the substantially parallel orientation of the filter strips therein, forming the filter pad.
Optionally, the method may include an additional step of placing one or more filter pads into a frame, to form filter element adapted to directionally filter fluid therethrough, in a manner such that some of the fluid to be filtered passes between adjacent interconnected, substantially parallel filter strips.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved filter material.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of making the novel filter material.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a filter element made using the improved filter material.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the reader is referred to the following detailed description section, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description and in the drawings, like numbers refer to like parts.

Accordion-pleated filter material and filter element incorporating same

Honeywell International Inc. 101 Columbia Rd.

Honeywell Filter and Spark Plugs, CPG 28399 Cedar Park Blvd.


An online networking system and method for depicting views associated with an entity are presented. An entity profile data structure associated with an entity such as a user or a business is created that defines an entity internal view and a plurality of entity external views. The entity internal view includes entity external view controls for defining entity external views. The entity internal view depicts information associated with members and visitors who visit the entity external views in one embodiment. The entity can define an entity external view to be of a type selected from a group of view types consisting of a family, social and business type, and can define an entity external view to have an access level type selected from a group of access level types consisting of public, private and secret in one embodiment. The entity external view controls allow the entity to select tools such as a media album for displaying media such as photographs and video clips, and to create a tool list. Attributes of a tool are determined via the entity external view controls, and the location of a tool in an entity external view is determined by the tool's location in the tool list, in one embodiment.

Online networking has grown dramatically in popularity in recent years. Online networking websites allow entities such as an individual user or a business to display information relating to the entity and to interact with others who may have like interests. A user, for example, will register or open an account at an online networking site and will define a profile. The user will then add personal data and perhaps media such as photographs or video clips to the profile in order to present a view of information about the user to others, who may then interact with the user in various ways, for example by exchanging comments or email.
In order to attract a sufficient number of users to make the site attractive to others, the site must provide a variety of features and functionality to make the display and exchange of information interesting and useful, and yet the site must be simple and easy to use. Online networking sites invariably provide for a single profile per account and a single view of the profile. If a user wants to present more than one view of the user's information, the user must open multiple accounts.
However, users often have a variety of areas of interest and relationships of different types and degrees of intimacy. For example, a user often has set of close family relationships, a number of social friends and acquaintances, a group of contacts with whom the user may want to interact in connection with a hobby or special area of interest, and business relationships with customers, fellow employees and others. Similarly, a company or business entity may have different types of relationships and areas of interest. The term entity is used broadly herein to refer to an entity of any kind including without limitation an individual user and a fictitious person such as a corporation, partnership or sole proprietorship. All entities with whom a user or other entity may have a relationship are referred to broadly herein as friends. Opening a separate account and maintaining a separate profile for each area of interest and set or subset of friends is difficult and time consuming, and many users and other entities simply don't take the time or make the effort to do so, thereby losing the potential benefits of online networking in each of these areas.

On online networking system and method for depicting views associated with an entity


A vehicular lamp can include a guiding lens having a polygonal outline. The guiding lens can include divided portions around the optical axis with an equal center angle. The divided portions can each have an incidence face, a reflection face that can reflect to an optical axis direction light emitted from a light source and having passed through the incidence face, and a light-exiting face that can allow the light from the reflection face to pass therethrough to be projected in an illumination direction of the vehicular lamp. Each divided portion can have an outer-diameter end of the light-exiting face or reflection face at a position farthest from the optical axis within a plane including the maximum radius portion of the divided portion and the optical axis.

Some conventional vehicular lamps have been known to include a light source with a light emitting device and a guiding lens (translucent member) configured to guide the light emitted from the light source. Examples of this type of vehicular lamp have been described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-203111 or U.S. Pat. No. 7,270,454(B2) (hereinafter, referred to as Patent Literature 1), in particular, FIGS. 1 to 3. The vehicular lamp disclosed in Patent Literature 1 has a light source having a light emitting device with an optical axis extending horizontally. Light emitted from the light source can be guided by the guiding lens (translucent member) to be partially radiated in the optical axis direction of the light source.
In particular, the vehicular lamp described in FIGS. 1 to 3 of Patent Literature 1 includes the guiding lens (translucent member) having: a first incidence face on which the light emitted from the light source at a first angle with respect to the optical axis of the light source is incident; a first light-exiting face through which the light from the first incidence face passes to be projected in the illumination direction of the vehicular lamp; a second incidence face on which the light emitted from the light source at a second angle larger than the first angle with respect to the optical axis and the light emitted from the light source at a third angle larger than the second angle with respect to the optical axis is incident; a first reflection face configured to reflect the light emitted from the light source at the second angle and having passed through the second incidence face, in the optical axis direction of the light source; a second light-exiting face through which the light from the first reflection face passes to be projected in the illumination direction of the vehicular lamp; a second reflection face configured to reflect the light emitted from the light source at the third angle and having passed through the second incidence face, in the optical axis direction of the light source; a third light-exiting face through which the light from the second reflection face passes to be projected in the illumination direction of the vehicular lamp; a reflection face-side connection face configured to connect the first reflection face with the second reflection face; and a light-exiting face-side connection face configured to connect the second light-exiting face with the third light-exiting face.
In the vehicular lamp disclosed in FIGS. 1 to 3 of Patent Literature 1, the outline of the guiding lens when viewed from the front side in the optical axis direction of the light source can be a circle. However, in order to enhance the aesthetic or designing value of a vehicular lamp, it may be required to form the guiding lens with a polygonal outline when viewed from the optical axis direction.
In order to comply with such a requirement, it is conceivable that such a guiding lens can be formed by the following designing process. Specifically, a rotational body for a guiding lens can be obtained by rotating a cross-section on a plane containing the optical axis of the light source around the optical axis by 360 degrees, and the rotational body is cut along a desired polygonal outline to obtain the desired guiding lens.
When a guiding lens is formed by the above designing process, however, light-exiting face-side connection faces configured to connect a plurality of light-exiting faces may be located on a plurality of sides of the polygon at a higher possibility rather than the light-exiting faces themselves are located thereon. Since the light-exiting face-side connection faces cannot be seen to emit light when viewed from the front side in the optical axis direction, if the light-exiting face-side connection faces are located on the polygon sides at a high possibility, the polygon sides of the guiding lens may be seen darker at a high possibility when viewed from the front side in the optical axis direction. Accordingly, when the guiding lens is designed by the above designing process, the resulting guiding lens may have a blurred outline of the polygon of the guiding lens when viewed from the front side in the optical axis direction.
Furthermore, this means that at the positions where the light-exiting face-side connection faces are located on the polygonal sides, there are no light-exiting faces configured to allow the light guided by the guiding lens to be projected therethrough in the illumination direction of the vehicular lamp. Accordingly, the light guided by the guiding lens to those positions cannot be projected in the illumination direction of the vehicular lamp. This may deteriorate the use efficiency of light emitted from the light source.


A revision control service is included in a hypervisor. The revision control service manages revision control operations relating virtual machine images transparently to the virtual machine. The revision control service interacts with a conventional revision control program, stores relevant revision control metadata external to the virtual machine image with file-level granularity, and synchronizes virtual machine operations with the revision control operations. From the perspective of the virtual machine, the revision control service provides a clean image from which to boot, without modification of the revision control program.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to virtualized computer environments. More particularly, this invention relates to a hypervisor service that supports image version control.
2. Description of the Related Art
The meanings of certain acronyms and abbreviations used herein are given in Table 1.
TABLE 1Acronyms and AbbreviationsVMVirtual MachineRCRevision Control
In computer environments, virtualization is the creation of substitutes for real resources, that is, substitutes that have the same functions and external interfaces as their counterparts, but differ in attributes, such as size, performance, and cost. These substitutes are called virtual resources, and their users or operating systems are typically unaware of the substitution. Virtualization is commonly applied to physical hardware resources by combining multiple physical resources into shared pools from which users receive virtual resources. With virtualization, one physical resource can appear as multiple virtual resources. Moreover, virtual resources can have functions or features that are not available in their underlying physical resources. Essentially, each operating system behaves as if it has the resources of an entire machine under its exclusive control, when in fact a virtualization layer transparently ensures that resources are properly shared between different operating system images and their applications.
System virtualization can be approached by actually partitioning hardware, For example, a physical server can be partitioned, each partition being controlled by a respective operating system. Alternatively, virtualization may be achieved using a virtual machine manager, known as a hypervisor. A hypervisor is typically implemented by a layer of code in software or firmware that operates in a privileged environment on the physical host and interacts with underlying hardware to share its resources dynamically among several operating systems. Resource sharing using a hypervisor may have a relatively fine degree of granularity as compared with physical partitioning.
In virtualized environments virtual machine images or files containing such images may be deployed to multiple virtual machines. Such image files contain a collection of programs and data to be executed and used by the virtual machine, and are typically bootable. An image of a virtual machine can be "certified" as meeting predefined specifications, and distributed to many other virtual machines, either as clones or after customization. As deployments of such images have increased, image-based virtual machine lifecycle management has become increasingly common. Lifecycle management deals with the administration of virtual machine images, for example, the deployment of virtual machines, and assuring compliance among the images.

Hypervisor service to provide image version control support

International Business Machines Corporation


When an automatic address assignment apparatus is operating in a network, another automatic address assignment apparatus stops the automatic address assignment service thereof. When a wireless LAN access point which functions as an automatic address assignment apparatus (DHCP server device) sends a DHCP discover message on the network and a DHCP offer message is returned as a response therefor, and when the address of the transmission source of the DHCP offer message does not match the IP address thereof, it is determined that another DHCP server exists on the network, and the DHCP server service of the former DHCP server is stopped. Thus, by avoiding contention with another DHCP server and by preventing confusion of the network, a wireless LAN access point suitable, in particular, for use in a small-scale office or a home network managed by an ordinary user having no knowledge of IP can be formed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic address assignment apparatus, a control method therefor, and a program therefor. More particularly, the present invention relates to an automatic address assignment apparatus for assigning an IP address to a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) client connected to a network, a control method therefor, and a program therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, all terminals connected to a network compatible with TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) are distinguished by specific identification information called an IP address. The operation for setting such an IP address is troublesome for users who do not have knowledge of the IP, and, also, mistakes of setting a duplicate IP address cannot be prevented.
Accordingly, an automatic address assignment apparatus (what is commonly called a DHCP server) is connected to a network, and an IP address is automatically assigned by the DHCP.
Terminals receiving an assignment of an IP address from the DHCP server are called DHCP clients. First, the DHCP client broadcasts a "DHCP discover message" on the network. The DHCP discover message contains the media access control (MAC) address of the DHCP client, for example, specific identification information that is given to, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) card.
When the DHCP server receives a DHCP discover message, the DHCP server broadcasts on the network a "DHCP offer message" in which the IP address of itself (the IP address of the DHCP server) is set at the address of the transmission source. Since this DHCP discover message contains the MAC address of the transmission source (the DHCP client) of the DHCP discover message, the DHCP client can recognize that it is a DHCP offer message destined to itself.
The DHCP client collects DHCP offer messages for a fixed time, and when one DHCP offer message is received during that collection period, the DHCP client transmits a REQUEST message to the DHCP server which has transmitted the DHCP offer message. Alternatively, when a plurality of DHCP offer messages are received, the DHCP client selects one of the messages, and transmits a REQUEST message to the DHCP server which has transmitted that DHCP offer message. The REQUEST message contains information about which IP address is desired to be used. The DHCP server receiving the REQUEST message returns an acknowledgement (ACK) message if the IP address to be assigned is not yet used.
In the manner described above, in response to a request from each terminal (DHCP client) in the network, the DHCP server searches for an unused IP address from the range of IP addresses managed by itself and lends (also called leases) the address to a DHCP client (terminal) of the requesting source. The DHCP server is indispensable for a small-scale office or a home network, in particular, where a specialized network administrator cannot be assigned.
However, a conventional, automatic address assignment device leases an IP address to a requesting source in response to a request from a DHCP client. For example, when a plurality of DHCP servers exist on the network, contention of the DHCP servers is caused to occur, and confusion is brought about on the network. In such a case, in the network where there is a specialized administrator or a user who is familiar with IP technology, contention can be avoided by stopping unnecessary DHCP servers or by making the range in which the respective DHCP servers (sub-net masks) are in charge different. However, in a small-scale office or in a home network where there is not such an administrator or user, solution of a trouble is not easy, and the network cannot be used at all until a recovery from the trouble is made.

Automatic address assignment apparatus, control method, and program


The present invention relates to non-stick coatings exhibiting both excellent abrasion resistance and food release, the coatings comprising a primer layer adhered to a substrate, a midcoat layer adhered to the primer layer, and a topcoat layer adhered to the midcoat layer, the primer layer containing and encapsulating large ceramic particles spaced apart from one another and extending into the midcoat layer, the midcoat layer being reinforced and being thicker than the primer layer, whereby the ceramic particles anchor the topcoat layer from being abraded away, the topcoat layer instead becoming integrated with the midcoat layer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fluoropolymer non-stick coating compositions and to substrates coated with such compositions.
2. Description of Related Art
EP 1 016 466 A2 discloses non-stick coating compositions and their application to substrates to produce adherent, highly abrasion resistant non-stick coatings. In the multi-coat embodiment (fluoropolymer undercoat plus fluoropolymer overcoat), the undercoat contains large ceramic particles which extend from the undercoat to telegraph their presence through the thickness of the overcoat, thereby forming deflection points at the surface of the overcoat. The coating achieves its high abrasion resistance by these deflection points operating to deflect the abrasion force away from the coating. Example 3 discloses the preferred arrangement of the non-stick coating consisting of a primer layer, an intermediate layer and a topcoat, wherein the large ceramic particles are provided by the primer layer. The layer thicknesses are 15-20/15/5-10 micrometers, respectively. The 8.3 wt % total SiC particles in xe2x80x9cwetxe2x80x9d primer composition corresponds to 27.4 wt % SiC in the baked composition. Example 4 repeats Example 3, but replaces the 8.3 wt % (wet basis) SiC particles by SiC particles of different particle size, showing in FIG. 3 that as the particle size increases from 3 to 20 micrometers so does the abrasion resistance. Example 5 shows the effect on abrasion resistance of SiC amount at the same large particle size(s) in the primer composition. The 1 wt %, 3 wt %, 6 wt % and 8.3 wt % amounts (wet basis) of SiC correspond to 4.3 wt %, 12 wt %, 21 wt % and 27 wt % respectively based on the baked weight of the primer composition. As shown in FIG. 4, the coatings in which the primer contained 6 wt % and 8.3 wt % SiC (21 wt % and 27 wt %, baked basis) exhibited much better abrasion resistance than the coatings which contained the lesser amounts of SiC. The primer layer can also contain small particle inorganic film hardener, but preferably, at least 30 wt % of such hardener is the large ceramic particles While the multilayer non-stick coating of EP 1 016 466 excels in abrasion resistance, there is always the desire to have available even better non-stick coatings. The problem confronting the present invention was how to provide a non-stick coating with excellent non-stick property even after being subjected to abrasion, without sacrificing the high abrasion resistance characteristic of the EP 1016 466. In the past, achieving high abrasion resistance for non-stick coatings has meant a sacrifice in non-stick property.
The present invention solves this problem by providing a dynamic non-stick coating, wherein the surface of the non-stick coating rearranges itself in response to abrasion force, rather than being worn away as would be the case if the coating were static. Thus, the exposed surface of the coating is in situ renewable to provide excellent non-stick property. The rearrangement of the non-stick coating is observable with the naked eye by the original smooth unpatterned surface forming a rippled pattern. This rearrangement is further observable in microscopic cross-section by the topcoat layer of the coating becoming mechanically engaged with the midcoat layer of the coating after application of abrasion force to the coating.
Thus present invention can be described as a substrate having a baked non-stick coating thereon, said non-stick coating comprising
(a) a primer layer adhered to said substrate, said primer layer containing fluoropolymer, polymer binder, and inorganic film hardener, said inorganic film hardener including large ceramic particles essentially encapsulated by said primer layer and anchored therein,
(b) a midcoat layer adhered to said primer layer, the encapsulated large particles in said primer layer extending into said midcoat layer, said midcoat layer containing fluoropolymer and particles of inorganic film hardener reinforcing said midcoat layer and entirely contained there within,
(c) a topcoat layer containing fluoropolymer adhered to said midcoat,
the anchoring of said large particles by said primer layer and the reinforcement of said midcoat layer cooperating to translate abrasion force applied to said topcoat layer into mechanical engagement between said topcoat layer and midcoat layer rather than wearing away of said topcoat layer, whereby said topcoat layer remains available in said non-stick coating to provide continuing non-stick property to said coating after application of said abrasion force.
The topcoat layer as originally applied to the midcoat layer in the formation of the non-stick coating forms a smooth but adherent interface between the layers. The mechanical engagement between the topcoat layer and the midcoat layer resulting from the abrasion force includes penetration of the topcoat layer into the midcoat layer. This interlocking relationship helps retain the topcoat layer in the coating. The rearrangement of the topcoat layer is best seen when the coating is subjected to abrasion force applied by the MTP Abrasion Test described later herein, which test includes subjecting the coating to a controlled random reciprocating abrasion. In the region of such abrasion, the smooth unpatterned surface of the topcoat layer is converted to the appearance of a rippled pattern, which is unique for non-stick coatings, including novelty over that of EP 1 016 466 A2. Non-stick coatings heretofore other than that of the European Patent exhibit a poor MTP rating after less than 150 min. of being subjected to the MTP Abrasion Test. Coatings of the present invention (and of the European Patent) exhibit excellent ratings after at least 240 min. in the MTP Abrasion Test, preferably after at least 420 min. As described later herein, the ATP accelerated cooking test reveals the superior abrasion resistance even over the coatings of the European patent.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the non-stick coating relies upon the presence of large ceramic particles being present in the primer layer as does EP 1 016 466, but at less than the optimum amount disclosed in the European Patent, together with a greater reinforcement effect applied by the midcoat layer. Preferably, the primer layer contains 5 to 20 wt % of said large ceramic particles. The primer layer anchors the large ceramic particles within the coating, and this anchoring is reinforced by the midcoat layer. The relatively small amount of large ceramic particles translates to greater spacing between them in their anchored positions. These anchored large ceramic particles resist abrasion force applied to the topcoat, i.e. deflect such force away from the coating. At the same time these anchored particles resist the flow of the topcoat layer in the direction of the applied abrasion force past the anchor points provided by the large ceramic particles.
Preferably the midcoat layer contains at least 8 wt. % of said inorganic film hardener. Despite the greater reinforcement of the midcoat layer of the present invention, as compared to the midcoat layer in the European Patent, which contains 5.4 wt % alumina (Table 8 of EP 1 016 466 A2), based on the baked weight of the layer, the rearrangement of the topcoat layer caused by the abrasion force is translated to movement of the topcoat layer into the midcoat layer, in an interlocking relationship. This together with the anchor protection provided by the large ceramic particles causes the topcoat layer to resist wearing away. Thus, the topcoat layer remains present in the non-stick coating to provide continuing non-stick property, even after being subjected to abrasion.
For simplicity and reflecting the major application of the non-stick coating of the present invention, the non-stick property of the coating will generally be described in terms of food release. Weight percents expressed herein are based on baked weight of the particular layer in question unless otherwise indicated; the baking drives off all volatile materials in the original coating composition, which are therefore not considered in determining such weight percent.
Whereas improved abrasion resistance by a non-stick coating has heretofore been accompanied by sacrifice in food release, the coating of the present invention exhibits both excellent abrasion resistance and excellent food release, even after being subjected to abrasion. Example 3 herein shows the superior food release of the coating of the present invention after abrasion of the topcoat layer.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the midcoat layer is at thicker than said primer layer.
In still another preferred embodiment, the primer layer is relatively thin, e. g. no greater than 14 micrometers thick. Nevertheless the primer layer is able to encapsulate the large ceramic particles and together with the reinforced midcoat layer anchor them firmly in place to resist the abrasion force. The combination of the thin primer layer with the thicker midcoat layer, together with the reinforcement of the midcoat layer transmit the anchoring effect of the large ceramic particles in the primer layer to the midcoat layer, enabling the midcoat layer to, in turn, anchor the topcoat. Preferably, the combination of the midcoat and topcoat layers is at least 200% the thickness of the primer layer. Preferably the total thickness of the coating is no greater than 50 micrometers.
A preferred coating of the present invention can be described as a substrate having a baked non-stick coating thereon, said non-stick coating comprising
(a) a primer layer adhered to said substrate, said primer layer containing fluoropolymer, polymer binder, and inorganic film hardener, said inorganic film hardener comprising large ceramic particles essentially encapsulated by said primer layer and anchored therein and smaller particles totally contained with the thickness of the primer layer, said large particles constituting no greater than 20 wt % of said primer layer.
(b) a midcoat layer adhered to said primer layer, the encapsulated large ceramic particles in said primer layer extending into said midcoat layer, said midcoat layer containing fluoropolymer and at least 8 wt % of particles of inorganic film hardener, said particles being entirely contained within said midcoat layer, said midcoat layer being thicker than said primer layer
(c) a topcoat containing fluoropolymer adhered to said midcoat.
Preferably, said large ceramic particles comprise less than 30 wt % of the total weight of the inorganic film hardener in the primer layer.
Still another embodiment of the present invention is the preferred coating just described which does not require the presence of the film hardener in the midcoat. The combination of the relatively small amount of large ceramic particles in the primer together with the presence of the relatively thick midcoat layer, preferably at least 50% thicker than the primer layer, provides a non-stick coating that exhibits both excellent abrasion resistance and non-stick (food release) character.


The invention relates to systems enabling the use of cryogenic fuels within combustion engines, including jet engines.

As is well known, natural gas is a plentiful and relatively inexpensive energy product. It is widely used in a large number of industries including power generation, home heating, transportation, fertilizers, hydrogen generation as well as in the manufacture of many products.
To date, the use natural gas in the transportation industry has been generally limited to compressed natural gas (CNG) that has been utilized within internal combustion engines (ICEs). In these applications, a compressed gas tank stores the natural gas and the natural gas is delivered to the chambers of the ICE primarily through the release of pressure from the gas tank. Generally, a CNG vehicle is advantaged over gasoline type vehicles by improved emissions quality; however a CNG is disadvantaged by the overall energy density of the CNG within a compression tank. In addition, there is also a general perception amongst the public that CNG as a fuel within a compression tank is substantially more dangerous than a liquid fuel in an un-pressurized tank due to the perceived potential for explosion with a compressed gas.
Liquid natural gas (LNG) as an energy source provides a number of advantages over CNG particularly in terms of energy density. More specifically, LNG has approximately 2.4 times the energy density of CNG. Advantageously, LNG also has an energy density on a mass basis approximately 50% higher than of gasoline. However, on a volumetric basis, the energy density of LNG is about 50% that of gasoline. As such, for a given mass of LNG, the LNG stores approximately 50% more energy in comparison to an equivalent weight of gasoline.
Thus, as a form of vehicular energy, notwithstanding the volumetric disadvantage of LNG compared to gasoline, LNG is attractive as a vehicular fuel as it contains approximately 50% more energy than gasoline on a weight basis.
Moreover, as a relatively pure product that does not require the level of refining of liquid petroleum products, natural gas and LNG are also very attractive from a cost perspective.
As is known, the economics of LNG as an energy sources are complex in that many factors go into the determination of an LNG price including the base price of the natural gas, the costs of the liquefaction process, transportation and storage costs as well as jurisdictionally imposed taxes. End product capital costs of the equipment using the LNG are also a factor in the final cost of delivering the LNG energy sources to the consumer. However, with the assumption that transportation costs are a small component of the price of LNG, and that many of above costs are comparable to gasoline, the cost of LNG to an equivalent volume of gasoline is approximately 50% of that of gasoline.
In addition to the cost and bulk energy considerations of LNG compared to gasoline, there are also performance considerations associated with the use of LNG within a combustion engine.
In particular, the cryogenic state of LNG has the potential to affect the performance of combustion engines by providing effective cooling within an engine. That is, as is well known, the performance of a combustion engine can be improved by increasing the density of the incoming combustion air. By way of example, intercoolers are used to effect a cooling of combustion air entering an internal combustion engine so as to improve the combustion processes within the engine.
Furthermore, by virtue of the energy required to effect liquefaction of natural gas to LNG, LNG effectively stores energy of vaporization which on conversion from liquid to gas may be used to perform useful work.


A highly efficient partial oxidation process with the production of power comprising the steps of producing fuel gas by the partial oxidation of hydrocarbonaceous fuel, cooling said fuel gas at high pressure by quenching in water to produce quenched fuel gas and by indirect heat exchange with BFW to maximize the production of IP and MP steam, cleaning said fuel gas, preheating scrubbing water comprising process condensate and make-up water by direct contact and direct heat exchange with clean fuel gas and using said preheated scrubbing water in the cleaning of said fuel gas, reducing the pressure of said cooled fuel gas stream prior to heating water for fuel gas saturation, cooling the process fuel gas stream in stages and condensing water for use as said scrubbing water, purifying the process fuel gas and saturating it with water, and burning said purified and saturated fuel gas in the combustor of a power-producing gas turbine along with saturated nitrogen to produce exhaust gas with a reduced NO.sub.x. In one embodiment, the hot exhaust gas from the gas turbine is passed through a HRSG to superheat the process steam. The superheated process steam is then used as part of the working fluid in an expansion turbine for the production of power. Steam condensate may be converted into high pressure (HP) steam and superheated in the HRSG. The power generation steam cycle is optimized to assist in maximizing the process steam which can be used most efficiently in the cycle.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the production of fuel gas by the partial oxidation of hydrocarbonaceous fuels and the burning of said fuel gas in a gas turbine for the production of power.
The production of fuel gas by the partial oxidation of liquid hydrocarbon fuel; controlling the mole ratio (CO/H.sub.2) of the fuel gas by reverse water-gas shifting; cleaning and purifying the fuel gas; and burning the improved stream of fuel gas in a power-developing gas turbine is disclosed in coassigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,817. Heating water for use in saturating fuel gas was done by noncontact indirect heat exchange in U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,623. However, neither one of these processes teaches applicants' highly efficient integrated gasification process which includes the steps of (1) cooling the quenched saturated stream of raw fuel gas to below the dew point to condense out water for use in quenching and scrubbing the raw fuel gas, and maximizing the scrubbing water temperature by direct contact of the scrubbing water with the quenched raw fuel gas stream just downstream of a heat exchanger for the production of intermediate pressure steam which is superheated and introduced into an expansion turbine as at least a portion of the working fluid; and, (2) locating the line pressure reducing means prior to heating water for saturation of fuel gas and nitrogen gas and before the full cooling of the raw stream of unpurified fuel gas so as to benefit from the substantial amount of water remaining in the raw fuel gas at this point of the process which provides for heating condensate for scrubbing the raw fuel gas.

Partial oxidation process with production of power


A method and system to facilitate the mapping of the DisplayPort standard over a wireless interface. The wireless interface uses a communication protocol that operates in accordance with, but is not limited to, a wireless gigabit alliance (WGA) standard, a Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a/b/g, IEEE 802.11n, and other IEEE wireless standards, a Bluetooth standard, a Ultra-wideband (UWB) standard, and a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. In one embodiment of the invention, it provides a definition for mapping the DisplayPort standard over a wireless interface to enable wireless display usage model with existing or new DisplayPort sink devices. The definition for mapping the DisplayPort standard over a wireless interface allows end-to-end interoperability of DisplayPort based wireless devices and facilitates the adoption of the definition as an industry standard in one embodiment of the invention.

The DisplayPort standard is a digital display interface standard put forth by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art DisplayPort wired topology or network 100. The prior art DisplayPort wired topology 100 has a source device 110 that is connected to a hub/branch device 120 via a DisplayPort communication link 140. The hub/branch device 120 is connected to a sink device 130 via another DisplayPort communication link 142. In other prior-art DisplayPort wired topology, the source device 110 may be connected directly to the sink device 130 via a DisplayPort communication link.

Method and system of mapping displayport over a wireless interface


A system for initiating a connection to a wireless network using a wireless modem, where the system maintains the connection to the wireless network when the wireless modem becomes idle. The system determines that there is a problem using the wireless modem by monitoring the status of the wireless modem. In response to a determination that there is a problem using the wireless modem, the system automatically cycles power to the wireless modem and again initiates a connection to the wireless network using the wireless modem. The system may be implemented by an apparatus having a power control device with a power outlet coupled to a wireless modem. The control device controls power to the power outlet according to received power control commands that are based on the status of the wireless modem.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to intelligently cycling power to a wireless modem in accordance with operating conditions or observations of the wireless modem.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless modems may be thought of as simplified cell phones, or cell phones without a user interface. A wireless modem is a component of a cell phone, but also can and does exist independently of a cell phone. Firmware written for wireless modems that allows external entities (such as computer software) to control the modems is not robust and is prone to failures that can cause the modems to become unresponsive to commands. A wireless modem's connection to a wireless infrastructure often breaks down (e.g., "dropouts", lost connections, etc.). When this happens, a wireless modem's firmware can malfunction, rendering the modem unresponsive. Wireless modems often are released with minimal testing, and the firmware problems are not fixed. Because of the firmware problems, wireless modems that are continuously powered are prone to become non-responsive.
These wireless modem problems have limited how they are used, particularly for testing a wireless modem's wireless network. To avoid instability, wireless modems have been supplied with power on a per-test basis. Typically, power to a wireless modem is supplied to the modem for the duration of a test. For example, when testing wireless communication through a wireless modem, a discrete network test will begin with powering on the wireless modem. The test will be conducted and the modem will be powered off when the test is complete. Extended-use instability has prevented extended-use wireless testing, and modems have not been kept connected or powered on between tests.
What is needed is a system for increasing the availability and usability of a wireless modem by observing or monitoring the state of the wireless modem and cycling power to the modem as necessary, based on the observing or monitoring.

Intelligent power cycling of a wireless modem


The electronic apparatus includes a base member, a rotatable operation member, a clicking member rotatable together with the rotatable operation member, an exterior member disposed between the base and rotatable operation members, a switching operation member provided with an operation knob and movable between first and second positions, a pressing member and a contact member both held by the base member, the pressing member being biased toward the clicking member, the contact member being biased toward the switching operation member to contact the switching operation member, and a stopper member movable together with the switching operation member. When the switching operation member is located at the first position, the pressing member contacts the concave and convex portions. When the switching operation member is located at the second position, the pressing member contacts the stopper member and held away from the concave and convex portions.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic apparatuses such as digital still cameras and digital video cameras, and particularly to an electronic apparatus including a rotatable operation member that is rotatably operable.
Description of the Related Art
Some electronic apparatuses are known, such as one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-011163, each including a rotatable operation member such as an operation ring that is rotatably operable about a lens barrel provided on a front (object side) face of its apparatus body. A user's manual operation of that rotatable operation member enables zooming and focusing.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-008970 discloses a camera in which image capturing parameters such as a shutter speed, an F-number and an image capturing sensitivity are selectable by rotation operations of such a rotatable operation member. This camera provides a mechanism that generates click feeling for the rotation operation of the rotatable operation member so as to make it easy to set the image capturing parameters. However, the generation of the click feeling for each rotational operation of the rotatable operation member may cause click sounds to be recorded in motion image capturing.
On the other hand, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-169786 discloses a camera switchable between a clicking state of generating click feeling for an operation of a rotatable operation member provided in an interchangeable lens and a non-clicking state of generating no click feeling. In this camera, the clicking state and the non-clicking state can be switched by a user's rotation of a switching operation portion exposed in the interchangeable lens detached from a camera body by using a tool such as a screw driver.
However, the camera disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-169786 requires a detachment of the interchangeable lens from the camera body for rotating the switching operation portion to switch between the clicking state and the non-clicking state. In addition, this camera requires the tool for rotating the switching operation portion. Accordingly, the user cannot easily switch between the clicking state and the non-clicking state.


A core-shell-type electrode material is used as an electrode active material layer of a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, the core-shell-type electrode material having a core part including an electrode active material and a shell part in which a conductive material is contained in a base material formed by a gel-forming polymer having a tensile elongation at break of 10% or more in a gel state.

Currently, a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including a lithium ion secondary battery, which is used for a mobile device such as a mobile phone, is available as a commercial product. Further, in recent years, it is desired to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in order to cope with the global warming. As such, a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having small environmental burden has been used not only for a mobile device or the like but also for a power source device of an electric vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle (HEV), an electric vehicle (EV), or a fuel cell vehicle.
The non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery generally has a configuration in which a positive electrode having a positive electrode active material or the like applied on a current collector and a negative electrode having a negative electrode active material or the like applied on a current collector are connected to each other via an electrolyte layer in which a non-aqueous electrolyte solution or a non-aqueous electrolyte gel is retained within a separator. Charging and discharging reactions of a battery occur by absorption and desorption of ions such as lithium ions on electrode active materials.
Herein, in an active material layer containing an electrode active material, in general, a binder (adhesive) is contained, and electrode active materials are bound to each other and come into close contact with the current collector. Further, a conductive aid is contained as necessary, and thus the conductivity of the active material layer is secured. For example, JP 4-342966 A discloses a technique that, when a negative electrode body formed by having lithium or an alkali metal containing lithium as a main component carried therein is used in a carbonaceous material that is a calcined body of an organic compound, carboxymethyl cellulose and styrene-butadiene rubber are concurrently used as a binder (adhesive) of the negative electrode body. Further, according to the disclosure of JP 4-342966 A, with such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the negative electrode body from coming off or prevent an internal short from occurring, and thus cycle characteristics in charge and discharge can be improved.

Electrode material for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, and electrode for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery and non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery using the same


An ion-generating device has a positive electrode pair and a negative electrode pair. The positive electrode pair and the negative electrode pair are disposed in a casing with a space interposed therebetween, such that an induction electrode in the positive electrode pair and an induction electrode in the negative electrode pair are separated from each other. It is thereby possible to obtain an ion-generating device and an electrical apparatus, capable of efficiently emitting both of positive ions and negative ions to an outside of the device, and easily achieving reduction in size and thickness.

Many ion-generating devices that utilize a discharge phenomenon have been commercialized. These ion-generating devices are generally configured with an ion-generating element for generating ions, a high-voltage transformer for supplying a high voltage to the ion-generating element, a high voltage-generating circuit for driving the high-voltage transformer, and a power supply input unit such as a connector.
An example of the commercialized ion-generating elements includes the one that uses a metal wire, a metal plate having an acute-angled portion, a needle-like metal, or the like as a discharge electrode, and uses a metal plate, a grid, or the like at a ground potential as an induction electrode (counter electrode), or the one that uses the ground as an induction electrode and does not particularly dispose an induction electrode. In the ion-generating element of this type, the air serves as an insulator. This ion-generating element utilizes a scheme to produce a discharge phenomenon by causing electric field concentration at a tip of an electrode, which has as an acute-angled portion such as a needle-like portion to serve as a discharge electrode, when applying a high voltage to the electrode, and causing an electrical breakdown of the air in close vicinity of the tip.
An example of the ion-generating elements that utilize this scheme is a device disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-199653. This publication discloses a device which includes a discharge electrode provided with a needle-like metal, and a flat-plate electrode with a hole, provided to face the discharge electrode, and serves for extracting negative ions generated as corona discharge occurs, to an outside of the device.
Another example is a device disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 8-255668. This publication discloses a device which has a positive discharge electrode, a negative discharge electrode, and a ground electrode adjacent to both of the discharge electrodes, and serves for emitting both of positive ions and negative ions to an outside of the ion-producing device.
Still another example is a device disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-374670. This publication discloses an ion-generating device of the type provided with an ion-generating electrode serving as a discharge electrode and not provided with an induction electrode.

Ion-generating device and electrical apparatus


A semiconductor test program debugging apparatus is disclosed to which data concerning a packet input to and output from the packet transfer memory device is supplied, and which extracts a part corresponding to the packet from data input to and output from the memory device with response to a test signal generated by a tester simulator and displays the details of the part.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor test program debugging apparatus which simulates an operation of a semiconductor test apparatus to verify a test program, and in particular to the semiconductor test program debugging apparatus for facilitating verification of a test program for a packet transfer memory device.
Semiconductor test apparatuses have been known which is used for DC tests and functional tests of various semiconductor devices such as logic ICs and semiconductor memory before shipment of them. The test conducted by means of the semiconductor test apparatuses are broadly classified as a functional test and a DC test. A functional test is conducted by providing a predetermined test pattern signal to a device under test (hereinafter referred to xe2x80x9cDUTxe2x80x9d) to determine whether the DUT performs a predetermined operation in response to the test pattern. A DC test is conducted for determining whether the DC characteristics of terminals of a DUT meet predetermined characteristics. The DC tests include, for example, a voltage-application current-measurement test for determining whether a predetermined current is output from a terminal when a known voltage is applied to a DUT and a current-application voltage-measurement test for determining whether a predetermined voltage appears at a terminal when a known current is fed to or took from a DUT. Also in the functional tests, it is often the case where a voltage and currents applied to a DUT are changed for testing: for example, a voltage lower than a predetermined voltage is set as a high-level voltage (for example, 4 volts, which is lower than normal 5 volts, is set as the high-level voltage) or a voltage higher than a predetermined voltage is set as low-level voltage (for example, 0.5 volts, which is higher than normal 0 volts is set as the low-level voltage).
Because the details of a functional or DC test, such as what test items are conducted under what conditions, are pre-specified by a semiconductor test program, various tests can be conducted on a DUT by executing the semiconductor test program. The semiconductor test program must control wide variety of operations such as test item and condition setting, execution of a test, and judgement of the test result, and therefore consists of an enormous number of steps. If the type or logic of a DUT is changed, various changes must be made to the semiconductor test program accordingly. When a semiconductor test program is newly written or modified, the program must be evaluated to see if the program itself operates properly or not.
Conventionally a semiconductor test program is evaluated by executing the program with the use of real semiconductor test apparatuses. However, it is not desirable to use the real semiconductor test apparatuses to evaluate to see if the semiconductor test program operates properly or not because the number of installed semiconductor test apparatuses is small due to their high price and the production line of the semiconductor testing is halted by the evaluation. To address this problem, in these days, rather than using a real semiconductor test apparatus for the evaluation of a semiconductor test program, the operation of the semiconductor test apparatus is simulated by means of a general purpose computer such as a workstation to determine whether a semiconductor test program operates or not.
However, when a semiconductor test program for a new type of device called a packet transfer memory device is verified by configuring and using a virtual semiconductor test apparatus as heretofore, problems arise as described bellow. Unlike conventional memory devices, the packet transfer memory device does not have predetermined address pins or data pins, instead, it extracts an address and data based on packet data inputted to a predetermined number of pins and reads/writes data based on the extracted address and data.
The packet transfer memory device therefore cannot be tested by simply applying data generated according to a semiconductor test program to the pins of the device like the address pins and data pins of conventional memory devices. A user must write a semiconductor test program while taking care to ensure that data is generated according to the configuration of packet data specific to the packet transfer memory device. In addition, it is required to be verified that data generated by the written semiconductor test program is corresponding to the packet data specific to the packet transfer memory device. Heretofore, this verification is manually performed by the user printing or displaying on a CRT the data output by the execution of the semiconductor test program.
The present invention is made in view of the above-mentioned problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor test program debugging apparatus which allows a semiconductor test program for a semiconductor device, such as a packet transfer memory device which operates based on packet data to be easily debugged.
The semiconductor test program debugging apparatus of the present invention comprises tester simulation unit for simulating the operation of a semiconductor test apparatus by generating a test signal in a simulative manner based on a test program provided for a packet transfer memory device, data supply unit for supplying data concerning a packet input to and output from the packet transfer memory device, and packet extraction and display unit for, based on the data supplied by the data supply unit, extracting a part corresponding to the packet from the test signal generated by the tester simulation unit and displaying the content thereof.
The tester simulation unit runs the test program to be debugged under the operating system of a general-purpose computer and constitutes a semiconductor test apparatus in a simulative manner. The data supply unit supplies, as the data concerning a packet, information about a packet data configuration specific to a packet transfer memory device and pins through which the packet is input or output. The packet extraction and display unit extracts, based on data concerning the packet, a part corresponding to the packet from data which is a test signal output from the test simulation unit and is input/output through a predetermined pin, and displays the detailed configuration of the packet which correspond to the part. The user can debug the semiconductor test program by verifying whether the displayed details of the packet match desired details or not.
The data supply unit above-mentioned preferably supplies information about predefined pin conditions of the packet transfer memory device, a pin group making up the packet, the configuration of the packet, and the starting position of the packet as the data concerning to the packet. This data is prescribed data concerning the packet to be supplied by the data supply unit. By using this detailed data, the part corresponding to the packet can be easily extracted from a test signal generated by the tester simulation unit.
The data supply unit above-mentioned preferably accepts various inputs through a graphical user interface (GUI) screen to generate the data concerning the packet. Because the user can input information such as pin conditions by simply selecting or inputting appropriate information through a predetermined definition screen, the labor for inputting data about the packet can be reduced.
The packet extraction and display unit above-mentioned preferably displays the part corresponding to the packet in a timing chart image using step values of the simulation operation by the tester simulation unit for the time axis. This timing chart image specifies how the packet extraction and display unit displays packets. This allows the user to easily know the position of a packet in data sequentially input to and output from the packet transfer memory device.
The packet extraction and display unit above-mentioned preferably displays output values during each cycle for each pin in a way that components contained in the packet can easily be identified when instructed to display details of the part corresponding to the packet displayed in the timing chart image. This allows the user to easily know the specific details of the packet.
The packet extraction and display unit above-mentioned preferably displays a packet component display area in which the data configuration of each component is displayed in the same display screen as the packet data configuration display area in which output values are displayed. This allows the user to easily know the specific details of the data for each pin corresponding to the packet.

Semiconductor test program debugging apparatus