Disclosed is a system including an electrode and a stylet configured to steer the electrode towards its intended position during implantation, and a method for such system's use. An electrode is provided having regions with varied flexibility. A stylet having bends that are indexed to specific regions of flexibility of the electrode may be inserted into the electrode, and upon minimal radial and/or longitudinal movement of the stylet within the electrode, will cause the magnitude of the angle to which the lead is bent to either increase or decrease so as to aid the operator in placement of the electrode.

Percutaneous electrodes were introduced in the 1970's as a minimally invasive technique to deliver spinal cord stimulation (SCS), so as to screen patients for satisfactory responses before implanting permanent electrodes via laminectomy. The technique was quickly adapted for chronic implantation, and since the 1980's the majority of permanent systems have used percutaneous rather than laminectomy electrodes.
Percutaneous SCS electrodes are inserted into the epidural space through a Tuohy type needle, bent at its tip to allow the electrode to emerge at an angle and then ascend cephalad, in or parallel to the midline. Since the early 1980's they have had multiple contacts, forming a linear electrode array. Two or more can be placed in parallel to form a two-dimensional array. Insertion is guided by intraoperative fluoroscopy and by test stimulation as the electrode is advanced in the epidural space. The tip of the advancing electrode is bent at an angle so that it may be steered as it advances by rotating it, moving the tip from right to left. Right-left positioning is critical, to such an extent that a well-placed midline electrode placed percutaneously was seen to outperform two electrodes placed side by side, in a series of controlled trials performed at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 2003-2005. In engineering terms, the system (patient and stimulator) resolves smaller dimensions than the width of standard percutaneous electrodes, such that simply placing more electrode contacts does not substitute for precise placement.
Anterior-posterior position (in front of or behind dorsal epidural fat) is important, as well—not only because proximity of the electrodes to the spinal cord increases efficiency and selectivity (of dorsal columns vs. dorsal roots), but also because recruitment of small pain fibers in ligamentum flavum (behind epidural fat) commonly causes painful side effects, and one way to mitigate them is to keep the electrode in front of epidural fat and in direct contact with the dura. An experienced operator will attempt to keep track of which way the tip of the advancing electrode is pointing, even on monoplanar (anterior-posterior) fluoroscopy, and attempt to direct the tip of the electrode from right to left and from front to back.
Where SCS is to be administered by less experienced practitioners, multiple electrodes will often be used to bracket or "carpet bomb" the target area. Most (70-80%) percutaneous systems currently implanted have dual electrodes—in part for this reason, and in part to provide redundancy—the demonstrable inferiority of dual lead systems for common low back conditions notwithstanding. The best use of this technology may in fact be to place triple electrodes, which offer potential advantages whether they are placed perfectly, or by experienced hands (taking advantage of transverse tripole capabilities) or imperfectly (simply offering redundancy).
In any of the above settings, and whether in experienced or inexperienced hands, percutaneous SCS electrode steerability is very important, and none of the presently available products address it adequately. Not only must the electrode be steerable, but the steering must also be variable. More particularly, major steering input is required as the electrode emerges from the tip of a Tuohy or similar needle, which necessarily is not parallel to the epidural space as seen in the sagittal plane. The electrode must negotiate a bend; if it does not bend sufficiently, it may indent the dura (or even the spinal cord). If it deviates to one side, it will still tend to continue ventrally, into the "gutter" in the lateral epidural space. Not only is there a bend in the sagittal plane, there is often one in the coronal plane, as the needle generally is not parallel to the midline, as it is inserted off the midline to avoid the spinous processes. Thus, as the electrode emerges it tends to deviate laterally, to one side or the other, and once it has done so it may not be possible to steer it back to the midline. An analogy may be made with descending a steep "on ramp" onto an icy highway which has a high crown in the center of the road and deep gutters on either side.
Once having deviated substantially from the midline, even if it is steered back, as seen on A-P fluoroscopy, the electrode may end up ventral to the spinal cord and dura, and this may not be appreciated without changing to a lateral fluoroscopic view.
Minor steering inputs are required after the electrode has negotiated the bend at the tip of the Tuohy needle and is ascending in the midline. The large bend which was an asset in negotiating the initial turn becomes a liability, as relatively small right-left adjustments are made as the electrode is advanced to its final position. Pointing a large bend to the left or right causes major unwanted deviations to either side; pointing it dorsally tends to engage dorsal ligamentous structures and webs, at the same time moving it away from the spinal cord. Pointing it ventrally, so that it slides along the dura, pushes the dura anteriorly; this tends to be unstable, and the electrode tip may rotate and jump to one side or the other. Furthermore, when the electrode is curved significantly in the sagittal plane its contacts are at different distances from the spinal cord, and stimulation thresholds vary substantially. This frustrates test stimulation to guide placement.
Since they were first introduced in the 1970's, all percutaneous SCS electrodes have consisted of rigid cylindrical metal contacts on flexible catheters (for example silicone elastomer, polyethylene, and more recently polyurethane). The flexible catheter, within which are electrical conductor(s) to the electrode contact(s), accommodates bending, allowing for example insertion through a Tuohy needle with a bend at the tip, so that the advancing assembly can negotiate the bend. The rigid contacts must negotiate the bend in the needle first, and as they increase in length it becomes all the more difficult to negotiate this bend, and then to steer to the target beyond.
As shown in the top view FIG. 1, a typical current, commercially available percutaneous electrode assembly ("lead") 10 has a removable, malleable stylet 20, which may be inserted within the body of the flexible, hollow lead 10. A bend in the stylet 20 causes the lead 10 around it to bend correspondingly. The stylet 20 typically is bent at the tip—indeed, most models come with a bend already in place—and typically the stylet may be inserted all the way to the tip of the lead 10, and to the most distal electrode contact, so that the tip of the lead 10 and the electrode contacts assume a bend. The distal end of the lead 10 has a plurality of rigid electrode contacts 12, and flexible spacer portions 13 between the contacts 12. As the bent tip is advanced under fluoroscopic guidance it can be steered by rotating the stylet 20 and/or the lead 10 so that the advancing tip deviates to the left and the right, dorsally and ventrally, etc. As the bent tip is advanced, as seen on A-P fluoroscopy, rotating it allows it to be steered. Not only can it be steered right-left, it can also be steered dorsal-ventral if the operator follows it on lateral as well as A-P fluoroscopy (and/or keeps mental track of its orientation using the A-P view alone). The electrode tip is most easily steered if it responds in a linear fashion to rotation by the operator at the other end of the lead. Further, as shown in the bottom view of FIG. 1, the bend in stylet 20 may be advanced into and withdrawn from lead 10 so as to modify the extent to which lead 10 bends. If the stylet 20 is not inserted fully within the lumen of lead 10, the bend of stylet 20 is located proximal to the distal end of lead 10, resulting in a larger bend of lead 10 while the tip of lead 10 lacks stiffening and, thus, remains flexible.
Most stylets are coated with Teflon, which facilitates removal and replacement, as is often necessary to change the bend at the tip. It is typically necessary to increase the bend to negotiate the sharp turn at the tip of the needle, as the tip of the electrode enters the epidural space and must be steered to (or back to) the midline; once this has been achieved, a large bend becomes a liability, as noted. The only way to reduce the bend is to withdraw the stylet and replace it—after straightening it, or substituting another stylet with a smaller bend. This is cumbersome, and it can be challenging for the operator to thread the stylet back into the tiny lumen of the lead. Some leads resist this maneuver, and on occasion it becomes necessary to ask for a new lead—which means withdrawing the existing lead and giving up the position achieved so far.
Electrode steerability is best if the curved electrode tip is seen on fluoro and felt by the operator's hand to move in a linear 1:1 fashion as the stylet emerging from the end of the lead assembly is rotated by the operator's hand. A right-handed operator will generally rotate the stylet (which may rotate within the lead) or the stylet/lead assembly (which may rotate together) with his/her left hand, as the thumb and index fingertip of the right hand advance and withdraw the body of the lead as it emerges from the hub of the Tuohy needle in the epidural space. Some Seldinger wire lead blanks achieve this, but no electrode assembly does so; to varying degrees they lag, jump, and sometimes seem to wind up, as though lacking in torsional rigidity.
The malleable stylet may rotate in unison with the "lead" around it, or it may rotate within the lead, or it may (and commonly does, to varying degrees) do both. One presently available device may be clipped to the end of the lead so that the two necessarily rotate together (at least within and adjacent to the clip; they may decouple farther away.) This incurs friction between the outside of the lead, along its length within the needle and the patient; the friction is cumulative as the lead is advanced, and ultimately the stylet begins to rotate within the lead, thus impeding steerability. Rotation and translation of the tip no longer track operator inputs 1:1.
Other presently available devices may have a knob at the end of the stylet, but no clip secures it to the lead; the stylet is unconstrained and can rotate within the lead. The tip of the stylet may engage a bearing within the lead tip in order to reduce friction. As the length of the lead and stylet assembly increases, however, the cumulative drag or friction between the outside of the stylet and the inside of the lead body can become significant, so that the lead tip no longer tracks operator inputs faithfully, 1:1.
Other problems and idiosyncrasies are introduced by assembly and packaging of some available devices. For instance, if the metal stylet inside the plastic lead body is bent, then the plastic lead tends to take a "set" which remains, if only temporarily, after withdrawal of the stylet. This can be useful during implantation, in that it provides finer control over steering, but it then becomes a liability: the lead retains this bend following implantation, and so it may curve left-right, or dorsal-ventral. With time, the curve may straighten out, with unpredictable results.
Moreover, the "set" in the plastic and the bend in the stylet are, of course, pointing in the same direction when the assembly is removed from the package, and they remain so unless disturbed. It is very common, however, to withdraw the stylet at least in part during placement, and if this is done it may not be in phase with the lead, i.e. pointing in the same direction, when the stylet is re-inserted. Sometimes the stylet is removed and replaced, e.g. with a stiffer one, or one with a different bend. In To the inventor's knowledge, there is no provision to address this in any existing product. Marking the stylet and the lead in order to allow alignment would be possible, but they may not be rigid in torsion, and so this might not be reliable.
Still further, the "set" in the plastic lead is, on balance, a liability. Current potential solutions include preassembling with a straight stylet, and allowing the user bend it as desired, or furnishing the stylet separately. Presently available packages include leads that are shipped with a bent stylet in place, incurring the above problem.


Fluidic devices and related methods are generally provided. The fluidic devices described herein may be useful, for example, for diagnostic purposes (e.g., detection of the presence of one or more disease causing bacteria in a patient sample). Unlike certain existing fluidic devices for diagnostic purposes, the fluidic devices and methods described herein may be useful for detecting the presence of numerous disease causing bacteria in a patient sample substantially simultaneously (e.g., in parallel). In some embodiments, the fluidic devices and methods described herein provide highly sensitive detection of microbes in relatively large fluidic samples (e.g., between 0.5 mL and about 5 mL), as compared to certain existing fluidic detection (e.g., microfluidic) devices and methods. In an exemplary embodiment, increased detection sensitivity of microbial pathogens present in a patient sample (e.g., blood) is performed by selectively removing human nucleic acid prior to sensitive detection of microbial infection. In some embodiments, the fluidic device allows for the identification of microbial pathogens directly from unprocessed blood without having to conduct blood culturing processes.

Bloodstream infections (BSIs) have risen to become the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S. and the most expensive hospital-treated condition, at over $30B annually. BSIs account for 25% of all ICU usage and roughly 50% of all hospital deaths in the U.S. BSIs are typically caused by bacteria or fungi, and effective disease management requires their early and accurate identification. BSIs are typically identified through a series of blood-cultures that take up to several days to identify potential pathogens. Blood-cultures are widely considered the barrier to a hypothesis driven first-line antimicrobial intervention.
Modern molecular approaches have the potential to revolutionize this field, however limitations including lack of sensitivity, inaccurate performance, narrow coverage, and insufficient diagnostic detail have prevented these methods from making an impact. Indeed, in contrast to numerous infectious diseases, a clear capability gap remains despite the immense clinical need. It is the combined difficulty of immensely low pathogen loads (1-100 CFU/ml), the requirement for broad coverage with high levels of detail (20 pathogens are responsible for roughly 90% of cases where species level information is clinically required), a difficult specimen matrix (blood), and the need for a rapid turn-around; all of which when combined, have proven difficult to overcome.
Molecular diagnostic methods for identifying microbial pathogens can be performed by probing for conserved regions in their respective genomic material. Methods for genomic identification include isolation and detection of pathogenic DNA. It is further advantageous to develop an automated manner in which to conduct molecular processes.
Automated molecular processes have the advantage of being less likely to be compromised due to human error, contaminations, and are potentially faster. Furthermore, they hold the potential to provide more repeatable results; a highly sought after trait.

Integrated fluidic devices and related methods


A vectorable nozzle mounting for an engine installation in a VSTOL aircraft in which hot gas nozzles are mounted on the airframe is described. A swivelable nozzle is mounted by means of a bearing on an intermediate fixed member such as a mounting ring on the airframe. The hot exhaust gas is discharged into the nozzle through a stub duct carried by the engine casing. Misalignment and movement between the duct and the nozzle is accommodated by movable sealing rings carried in the intermediate member which engage the outer surface of the duct. The sealing rings are spaced apart to form an annular chamber which is supplied with cooling air at a higher pressure than the pressure in the exhaust duct. The cooling air is arranged to cool the nozzle bearing and leakage passed the seals is of cooling air into the nozzle thus excluding hot exhaust gas from the engine bay.

This invention relates to gas turbine engines. In particular it concerns a vectorable nozzle mounting for a gas turbine engine for a vertical and short take off and landing aircraft.
In the field of vertical and short take-off and landing aircraft gas turbines are often adapted to provide thrust for both normal wing-borne flight and for lift. This is achieved using vectorable nozzles for changing the direction of the engine thrust. For stability and ease of aircraft control an existing engine of this type employs an arrangement which uses four side mounted nozzles which can be rotated on simple bearings through an angle of over ninety degrees. Two of the nozzles are located forward of the aircraft centre of gravity on port and starboard sides and receive air from the engine compressor. The other two nozzles are located rearward of the centre of gravity on port and starboard sides and receive exhaust gas from the turbine section.
The absence of a conventional axial jet pipe in the basic arrangement enables the rear structure of the engine to incorporate a permanent transverse portion which acts as a gas deflector and strengthens the structure with respect to torsional loads. The rearward pair of nozzles can then be carried by the engine casing which greatly eases problems of sealing the nozzles against hot gas leakage. In a development of this type of arrangement which incorporates an axial jet pipe the transverse portion of the rear structure no longer exists and the torsional loading of the rear nozzles can no longer be tolerated. The nozzles can be carried by the airframe in which case a solution must be found to the difficulty of controlling hot gas leakage from means connecting the engine to the nozzles.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a vectorable nozzle arrangement for a gas turbine engine installation in a vertical and short take-off and landing aircraft.


A handle for eating utensils (such as a fork, a spoon and a knife) has a gripping member and a barrier member. A first connecting member connects one end of the gripping member to one end of the barrier member. A second connecting member releasingly connects another end of the gripping member to another end of the barrier member. A hand insertion port is formed by an inner perimeter of the gripping member, the barrier member, the first connecting member and the second connecting member. There is a stabilizing member connected to the gripping member.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a handle designed to enable a handicapped person to use eating utensils such as a knife, fork and spoon when the person's hands are not capable of sufficiently gripping the handles of a standard utensil handle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Previous patents have addressed modified silverware but have not addressed the problem of the arthritic or handicapped person.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,835,864 to H. H. Tang on Jun. 6, 1989 for a Combination Fork/Spoon Utensil describes a handle with a forked end having a receiving slot to accommodate a shaft of a spoon attachment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,033 to F. G. Buj on Sep. 5, 1989 for a Set of Eating Utensils for Children shows a spoon, fork and knife with a decorative handle to encourage children to use the implements thereby developing the necessary coordination and hand skills. The present invention addresses the problems encountered by people having reduced ability in their hands especially in gripping eating utensils.

Enhanced eating implements for a handicapped person


A method and device for managing and configuring field devices in an automation installation has a configuration tool that is designed to physically identify a field device in the automation installation, to logically incorporate it into the automation installation and to configurate it in the automation installation, wherein the configuration tool to this end resorts to a prescribed first field-device-specific information package that describes the functions and data of the field device at least in part. The screen may have a first screen element provided on it that has a plurality of second screen elements in a first orientation and a plurality of third screen elements, which are each subordinate to a second screen element, in a second orientation, wherein precisely one second screen element and at least one third screen element, which are logically connected to one another, are arranged along the second orientation.

Automation systems for controlling a technical process or a technical installation usually comprise a control device (PLC), which are integrated in a complex comprising a multiplicity of intelligent electrical devices. Intelligent electronic devices are microprocessor-based devices such as protective and control devices, motor protection devices, intelligent switches and voltage regulators, frequency converters, pressure and temperature measurement transducers, flowmeters and servo drives.
The article "FDI Device Integration—Best of Both Worlds", atp edition June 2010, pages 16 to 19, discloses the practice of integrating field devices with the FDI concept (Field Device Integration IEC—62769) into an automation installation. The basis for this concept is the provision of information for configuring field devices in a device-specific FDI package. This FDI package comprises a firmly prescribed quantity of information that consists of device definition, business logic, user interface description and user interface plugins. The device definition comprises management information and the device model. The business logic describes the communication logic for the device and is used for ensuring consistency for the device model. The user interface description describes the presentation of the device parameters and device functions. The user interface plugins are programmed components of interface portions for presenting the device parameters and functions.
When field devices are configured by means of EDD (Electronic Device Description) technology IEC 61804, a device manufacturer provides an EDD that contains information about the communication with the device, the business logic and the user interfaces, that is to say what input masks should be presented to a user. By way of example, the business logic includes when what parameters can be written.
FDI technology uses these mechanisms of the EDD and provides the concept of the FDI package, in which, besides an EDD, other information such as a user handbook can be included, but also what are known as UIPs (User Interface Plugins), which provide further user interfaces in other technologies, such as .NET Assemblies, which, in contrast to EDD-based user interfaces, consist of programmed code compiled to form a component.
FDI packages are typically produced by device manufacturers and used by system manufacturers in order to integrate and configure the devices of the device manufacturers in their system.
The EDD may define not only a single user element with various parameters, graphs and other elements but also new windows and dialogs. In this case, a host has certain degrees of freedom and, by way of example, can present a plurality of menus defined in the EDD in different windows simultaneously, or else user interfaces of different device instances.
Known EDD host systems either restrict the number of windows or open any number of windows for the different devices. The user then loses sight of the association between the windows and the devices.
Furthermore, the EDD specification allows an input context to be defined that contains changes to a device configuration that the user has already made on the interface but has not yet written to the device or the offline configuration. In this case, it is possible, according to the specification, for different windows and dialogs to work on different input contexts for the same device. This concept makes it even more difficult for a user to associate the windows not just with the device but also with a particular input context.
According to the prior art, EDD host systems display the windows described in the EDD as windows of the application, so that the user can compare a plurality of window contents with one another. However, the windows are quite difficult to associate with a particular device instance and even more difficult to associate with a particular input context of this device instance. When a user wishes to apply or reject an input context, it is therefore difficult to identify which windows are affected thereby.
In such a programming tool, information relating to the devices is visualized and functions such as parameterization operations are performed. To this end, the user first needs to select a device from a multiplicity of devices.
In known programming tools, one and the same device is furthermore disadvantageously presented in different ways. For example, a different device object and symbol is displayed in the tree structure than in the list presentation of the devices. The device functionality also differs on the basis of the form of presentation. The presentation is nonuniform and therefore difficult for the user to learn. The different presentations also differ in terms of device functionality that the user can perform. Hence, the user cannot perform the same design functions in the list presentation as if he were to take the device object in the tree. The user thus has to know in which presentation he can find and perform which device functions.
The user has the option of bringing already open windows or presentations to the foreground. For this, there are various options that are all based on a preview. This preview is either always visible and shows all currently open windows or else the user moves the mouse over an application and is then provided with a display of a preview of the open windows of this application.
The preview of the open windows is not directly related to the program functions that have been used to open the individual windows. There is therefore no possibility of association of the operator control element that has been used to open this window. Hence, the user cannot explicitly identify how he can open a similar window or with what functionality an open window is associated.
DE 102 45 890 B4 discloses a screen element, HMI device, automation system and computer program product for visualization and project planning for singly and repeatedly used user texts and the points of use that are assigned in a data processing system. The disclosure reveals that the devices are provided for selection in a hierarchic tree structure, with each branch that ramifies further having an associated user text and each branch that does not ramify further having an associated combination of a user text and a point of use. Details for a device are stored in nested menu levels. This turns operator control and particularly searching for details for a device into a time consuming process.

Device for managing and configuring field devices in an automation installation


In various embodiments, compressed-gas energy storage and recovery systems feature one or more valves, which may be disposed within end caps of cylinder assemblies in which gas is expanded and/or compressed, for admitting fluid to and/or exhausting fluid from the cylinder assembly.

Storing energy in the form of compressed gas has a long history and components tend to be well tested and reliable, and have long lifetimes. The general principle of compressed-gas or compressed-air energy storage (CAES) is that generated energy (e.g., electric energy) is used to compress gas (e.g., air), thus converting the original energy to pressure potential energy; this potential energy is later recovered in a useful form (e.g., converted back to electricity) via gas expansion coupled to an appropriate mechanism. Advantages of compressed-gas energy storage include low specific-energy costs, long lifetime, low maintenance, reasonable energy density, and good reliability.
If a body of gas is at the same temperature as its environment, and expansion occurs slowly relative to the rate of heat exchange between the gas and its environment, then the gas will remain at approximately constant temperature as it expands. This process is termed "isothermal" expansion. Isothermal expansion of a quantity of high-pressure gas stored at a given temperature recovers approximately three times more work than would "adiabatic expansion," that is, expansion where no heat is exchanged between the gas and its environment—e.g., because the expansion happens rapidly or in an insulated chamber. Gas may also be compressed isothermally or adiabatically.
An ideally isothermal energy-storage cycle of compression, storage, and expansion would have 100% thermodynamic efficiency. An ideally adiabatic energy-storage cycle would also have 100% thermodynamic efficiency, but there are many practical disadvantages to the adiabatic approach. These include the production of higher temperature and pressure extremes within the system, heat loss during the storage period, and inability to exploit environmental (e.g., cogenerative) heat sources and sinks during expansion and compression, respectively. In an isothermal system, the cost of adding a heat-exchange system is traded against resolving the difficulties of the adiabatic approach. In either case, mechanical energy from expanding gas must usually be converted to electrical energy before use.
An efficient and novel design for storing energy in the form of compressed gas utilizing near isothermal gas compression and expansion has been shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,207, filed Apr. 9, 2009 (the '207 patent) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,874,155, filed Feb. 25, 2010 (the '155 patent), the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. The '207 and '155 patents disclose systems and techniques for expanding gas isothermally in staged cylinders and intensifiers over a large pressure range in order to generate electrical energy when required. Mechanical energy from the expanding gas may be used to drive a hydraulic pump/motor subsystem that produces electricity. Systems and techniques for hydraulic-pneumatic pressure intensification that may be employed in systems and methods such as those disclosed in the '207 and '155 patents are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,037,678, filed Sep. 10, 2010 (the '678 patent), the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In the systems disclosed in the '207 and '155 patents, reciprocal mechanical motion is produced during recovery of energy from storage by expansion of gas in the cylinders. This reciprocal motion may be converted to electricity by a variety of techniques, for example as disclosed in the '678 patent as well as in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/938,853, filed Nov. 3, 2010 (the '853 application), the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The ability of such systems to either store energy (i.e., use energy to compress gas into a storage reservoir) or produce energy (i.e., expand gas from a storage reservoir to release energy) will be apparent to any person reasonably familiar with the principles of electrical and pneumatic machines.
Unfortunately, the efficiency of compressed-gas energy-conversion systems may be limited by the valving systems that control flow of the gas (and/or other fluid) into and out of the cylinder. For example, conventional designs may entail valve arrangements that do not prevent contamination between actuation fluid and working fluid, that do not prevent damage from hydrolocking, that require excessive actuation energy, that require an excessive time to actuate (i.e., open and close), that have excessive pressure drops, that do not fail shut (e.g., that prevent the unwanted venting of high-pressure gas when power to valve actuation mechanisms fails), that contain dead space in piping, and that have other disadvantages.

Fluid-flow control in energy storage and recovery systems


Methods of manufacturing a semiconductor device are provided. The method may include forming an etch target layer on a substrate, forming a carbon layer doped with boron on the etch target layer, a top end portion of the carbon layer having a different boron concentration from a bottom end portion of the carbon layer, patterning the carbon layer to form at least one opening exposing the etch target layer, and etching the exposed etch target layer using the carbon layer as an etch mask.

The inventive concept relates to methods of manufacturing a semiconductor device and, more particularly, to methods of manufacturing a semiconductor device including a deep-etched region.
Semiconductor devices are very attractive in an electronic industry because of their small size, multi-function capabilities, and/or low fabrication costs. As the semiconductor devices become more highly integrated, widths of patterns in the semiconductor devices and spaces between the patterns are being reduced. Additionally, because a planar area of the semiconductor device is limited by the high integration, vertical heights of the patterns may increase. Thus, in an etching process forming the patterns, an aspect ratio of an etched region may increase and a thickness of an etched layer may increase. Therefore, various problems may occur during the manufacture of the semiconductor devices.


A system includes a rack and one or more computer systems mounted in the rack. At least one of the computer systems includes a circuit board assembly, such as a motherboard, and a chassis coupled to the circuit board assembly. At least a portion of the chassis is made of a shock-absorbing polymeric material, such as an expanded foam material.

Organizations such as on-line retailers, Internet service providers, search providers, financial institutions, universities, and other computing-intensive organizations often conduct computer operations from large scale computing facilities. Such computing facilities house and accommodate a large amount of server, network, and computer equipment to process, store, and exchange data as needed to carry out an organization's operations. Typically, a computer room of a computing facility includes many server racks. Each server rack, in turn, includes many servers and associated computer equipment.
In many rack-mounted computer systems, circuit boards for the system are housed in a rack-mounted chassis. The chassis is commonly in the form of a box having metal panels on the front, back, sides, bottom, and top (the top often in the form of a removable lid). In addition to the main structural panels, such as chassis may have a many other parts such rails, fasteners, grills, and gaskets. Such a chassis may thus add significant cost and complexity to a computer system. Moreover, such a chassis may be heavy and consume a significant amount of space in the rack.
Computer systems to be installed in racks are commonly shipped in cardboard boxes filled with packing materials, such as polystyrene foam. The packing materials may protect a computer system from damage due to loads imposed during shipping, such as shock and vibration. After the computer system is removed from the box, such packing materials are typically discarded.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word "may" is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words "include," "including," and "includes" mean including, but not limited to.

Rack-mounted computer system with shock-absorbing chassis


A natural gas liquefaction train includes a nitrogen cooling loop. A controller is provided for controlling one or more controlled variables by adjusting one or more manipulated variables. The one or more manipulated variables may include a nitrogen flow associated with the nitrogen cooling loop in the natural gas liquefaction train. The controller could adjust the nitrogen flow by adjusting operation of a compressor associated with the nitrogen cooling loop. The one or more controlled variables may include a rundown temperature of liquefied natural gas exiting the nitrogen loop and/or a calorific or heating value of the liquefied natural gas exiting the nitrogen loop. A second controller could control other aspects of the natural gas liquefaction train, such as by controlling a mass flow rate of a feed gas in the natural gas liquefaction train.

A liquefied natural gas facility typically converts feed gas into liquefied natural gas (LNG). For example, a liquefied natural gas facility may include equipment to cool a natural gas feed to produce liquefied natural gas. The liquefied natural gas occupies far less space than natural gas, which may allow for more economic shipment of the natural gas. Control of a liquefied natural gas facility is often difficult due to various factors, such as the large number of process variables that affect the operation of the facility. Human operators may make periodic adjustments to key operating variables of the liquefied natural gas facility. However, this manual control is often sub-optimal, resulting in a loss of production and a corresponding monetary loss.

Apparatus and method for optimizing a natural gas liquefaction train having a nitrogen cooling loop


A support for a keyboard for a computer resting on spaced apart feet on a narrow support surface includes two articulated elongated members which are spaced apart laterally the distance between the feet on the computer by cross-braces. The first end sections of the elongated members are placed on the support surface under the spaced apart feet of the computer to cantilever the middle sections and second end sections out over the edge of the support surface with the middle sections extending generally downward adjacent the edge of the support surface and the second end sections extending generally laterally outward from the middle sections to form spaced part supports for the keyboard. Preferably, the middle sections of the elongated members are hinged to the end sections for adjusting the height at which the keyboard is supported and to rotate the middle sections to a generally horizontal position with the second end sections extending generally upward to form a cradle for stowing the keyboard when not in use with the keys facing the computer. Also preferably, the second end sections are hinged to the middle sections such that through adjustment of the two sets of hinges the keyboard can be set to a range of heights.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to apparatus supporting a freestanding keyboard for a digital computer resting on spaced apart feet adjacent the edge of a support surface and retained in position by the weight of the computer.
2. Background Information
A common problem with desk top computers is that the surface available is typically not large enough to comfortably accommodate the computer, the monitor and the keyboard. This is particularly true when the computer is supported on a credenza or other narrow piece of furniture. Many solutions have been proposed for this problem. Some desks have a shallow drawer in which the keyboard is stored and pulled out for use. Freestanding drawer units are available which are placed on top of the desk under the computer. One difficulty with such units is that typically the monitor is placed on top of the computer and the height of the drawer unit raises the monitor to an uncomfortable level. Other keyboard supports are mounted under the desk and swing out for use. These devices require screwing supports to the desk. These presently available keyboard supports are bulky, in some instances require installation, and are all expensive.
There remains a need for an improved support for a freestanding keyboard for a digital computer resting on a narrow support surface. More particularly, there is a need for such a keyboard support which is adjustable for a range of computers.
There is another need for such keyboard support which is adjustable in the height at which the keyboard is supported.
There is a further need for such a support which protects the keyboard in a stowed position when not in use.
There is also a need for such a keyboard support which does not require attachment to the desk or other support for the computer.
There is a still further need for such a keyboard support which does not appreciably raise the computer or monitor.
There is an additional need for such a keyboard support which is low in cost and durable.


Both a system and a method are provided which allows an eddy current probe to accurately determine both the proximity and dimensions of non-conductive structures which are normally invisible to such probes. The system comprises a portable target medium that is movable into a known position with respect to the non-conductive structure, and that includes a conductive material that couples strongly with a fluctuating magnetic field, and a movable eddy current probe that emanates a fluctuating magnetic field and which generates a signal indicative of the magnitude of the interaction between the field and the portable target medium from which the distance between the two may be computed. The system may be used to determine the proximity of non-conductive structures such as plastic pipes that have been buried under ground, as well as the dimensions of such non-conductive structures. When the system is applied to measure the dimensions of such a structure, the portable target medium assumes a form that is flexibly conformable to one of the walls of the structure and which is placed in abutting relationship thereto. The eddy current probe is then scanned against an opposing wall of the structure, whereby the width of the structure may be computed by measuring the strength of the interaction between the probe and the medium. In addition to measuring the dimensions of non-conductive structures, the system may be used to measure the dimensions of non-magnetic structures when the target medium includes a strongly magnetic material.

This invention generally relates to a system and method that enables an eddy current probe to determine the proximity of non-conductive structures, and the dimensions of both non-conductive and non-magnetic structures by the use of a portable target medium.
Eddy current probes for inspecting the condition of structures formed from conductive materials are well known in the prior art. Such probes generally comprise a sensor coil, a multi-frequency generator for conducting high frequency alternating current through the coil in order to generate a fluctuating electromagnetic field, and a circuit for measuring the amount of impedance experienced by an alternating current as it flows through the coil windings. When the sensor coil of such an eddy current probe is placed in the vicinity of a structure formed from a conductive material, the electromagnetic field emanated from the coil couples with the conductive material and induces a counter-flowing alternating magnetic field in the material. This counter-flowing magnetic field in turn induces eddy currents in the material. The counter-flowing electromagnetic field and eddy currents imposes an impedance on the electromagnetic field emanated by the sensor coil which may be precisely measured by the impedance measuring circuit of the probe. In some applications, the measured impedance applied to the sensor coil of the probe is used merely to detect the presence or absence of a particular conductive structure, such as the presence of metallic objects buried in the sands of a beach. In other applications, the measured impedance is used to detect the presence or absence of structural faults such as cracks, pits, or areas of wall thinning in a metal pipe or other conductive structure. In all applications, the impedance experienced by the fluctuating electromagnetic field emanated by the sensor coil measurably changes as the coil is scanned around the vicinity of a conductive structure, both as a function of the distance from the sensor coil to the structure, and as a function of physical variations in the structure, such as changes in wall thickness, the presence or absence of current-impeding cracks or other faults in the structure, or changes in the conductivity of the material used to form the structure. Because of the need in such areas as the nuclear engineering arts to be able to accurately and remotely inspect the structural integrity of reactor and steam generator components in hostile environments, a large body of sophisticated knowledge and expertise has been developed that is aimed at extracting detailed information about a metallic structure being scanned by an eddy current probe.
Unfortunately, eddy current probes cannot be used to detect or inspect structures formed from non-conductive materials, since the fluctuating electromagnetic field emanated by the coil sensor cannot couple with non-conductive materials. While there are alternate modes of inspection such as ultrasonic probes which do not require the structure being examined to be formed of electrically conductive materials, these alternate inspection modes are sometimes difficult if not impossible to implement. For example, the use of ultrasonic inspection probes requires the presence of a liquid couplant, such as water, between the probe head and the structure being inspected. In certain applications, such as the inspection of remote components of electrodynamic machinery, it may be highly undesirable, if not impossible, to provide such a liquid couplant around the structure. Moreover, even in instances where the nature of the structure or its accessibility or its environment does not pose a major obstruction to the application of a liquid couplant around the structure, there are some non-conductive structural materials that are inherently uninspectable by ultrasonic probes, such as porous ceramics. Any such liquid couplant would penetrate and be retained by the porous nature of such ceramics . Thus, there is no known satisfactory technique for inspecting the walls or measuring the wall thicknesses of the small diameter, thin walled porous ceramic tubing used for fuel cell and gas filtering applications.
Additionally, even in the case of structures which are conductive but not formed of non-magnetic materials, there are instances where neither eddy current nor ultrasonic inspections are capable of accurately determining the dimensions of such structures. For example, in assessing the wall thickness variations in the Zircaloy.RTM. guide tubes used in nuclear fuel assemblies, it is possible for an eddy current probe to yield inaccurate results due to differences in conductivity along the length of the tube caused by differences in the orientation of the zirconium crystals. Additionally, an ultrasonic probe is not satisfactorily accurate across the ten foot length of such tubes because the axial taper present within the small diameter of such tubes (which have an outer diameter of only about 0.50 inches) prevents sufficient control of the interrogating sound beam.
Clearly, both a system and method are needed for both detecting the presence and for measuring the dimensions of remotely-located structures formed from non-conductive materials which is as accurate and reliable as the state-of-the art eddy current probe inspections made of structures formed from conductive materials. Ideally, a system and method would allow such inspections to be performed easily, cheaply, and remotely and would make maximum use of commercially available inspection equipment. Finally, it would be desirable if such a system and method were capable of accurately measuring the dimensions of any structure made from any non-conductive or non-magnetic material, and in particular structures formed from non-conductive or non-magnetic materials where an ultrasonic or eddy current probe is either incapable of achieving accurate results, or highly undesirable or impossible to apply.

System and method using portable wall engaging ferromagnetic particle impregnated target medium for electromagnetically measuring distance between oposing walls of a structure


Disclosed herein is a switched reluctance motor including: a shaft forming the rotation center of the motor; a rotor part rotatably coupled onto the shaft; a first stopper coupled to an upper portion of the rotor part in the axial direction to support the rotor part; and a second stopper coupled to a lower portion of the rotor part in the axial direction to support the rotor part, wherein the first stopper or the second stopper has a separate internal space formed at an inner side thereof. A weight member is coupled to the internal space, thereby making it possible to secure stable and reliable rotation balancing even at the time of high speed rotation of the motor.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a switched reluctance motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A switched reluctance motor (SRM) generally called an SR motor rotates a rotor using a reluctance torque according to a change in magnetic reluctance as described in Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2008-0026872. The switched reluctance motor has a low manufacturing cost, hardly requires maintenance, and has a permanent lifespan due to high reliability. The switched reluctance motor is configured to include: a stator part including a stator yoke and a plurality of stator salient poles protruded from the stator yoke; and a rotor part including a rotor core and a plurality of rotor salient poles protruded from the rotor core so as to face the stator salient poles and rotatably received in the stator part.
In the case of the switched reluctance motor according to the prior art, in order to maintain rotation balancing of a rotor, a balancing member coupled to the rotor has been used. As a method of coupling this balancing member to the rotor, a method of coupling an additional weight member to an upper surface or a side of the balancing member to maintain balancing has been used. However, in the case of coupling this additional weight member to the balancing member, the weight member is separated at the time of high speed rotation of the switched reluctance motor. Particularly, in the case of coupling the weight member to the side of the balancing member, wind noise occurs.
Further, in the case of controlling the balancing by appropriately cut-machining the balancing member, a dedicated machine for controlling a machined amount and a dust collector are separately required. Particularly, in the case in which a machined amount is large, wind noise occurs.


An image display device displays images at every frame for browsing without a trouble of assigning key information for image data of image files. In an operation for browsing contracted image data of an image file, if the number of image frames is large, the image display device increases a browsing speed by shortening a display time for one frame. Thus, a target image is found easily and speedily.

This invention relates to an image display device which displays images photographed by an apparatus such as a digital camera, and especially relates to an art for retrieving and looking through images.
Hitherto, there has been known an image database in which data of images photographed by the apparatus such as a digital camera are recorded in an image-recording medium, and a retrieval system thereof. The image database of this kind, which relates key information (code information) to image data of image files, is generally aimed at finding a target image by inputting key information in a retrieval operation performed by a retrieval system. On the other hand, there has also been known a system having a function for retrieving and looking through (named as xe2x80x9cbrowsingxe2x80x9d) the target image by sequentially displaying the images recorded in the image database into the display device. The system of this kind is aimed at finding the target image by a visual judgment of an operator by displaying the image at every frame in addition to the retrieval based on key information.
In the above-mentioned former system, it is impossible to find the target object through the retrieval operation without operations of systematizing and inputting key information. However, these operations require considerable effort. Especially, as to the image data in the digital camera, it needs to input key information in a photographing operation (because these may be forgotten unless inputted immediately), but this operation is generally troublesome, and besides, users may let the shutter chance slip away while inputting the key information.
In the above-mentioned latter system, the system practically and exactly finds the target image in the browsing operation for several dozens of image data. However, as to increased numbers of image data, the system takes a great deal of time to browse, which is inefficient and impractical. Especially in the digital camera which eliminates the need for processing of developing, printing, and enlarging, users usually take greater numbers of photographs compared in the case of a camera using a film, so that number of image data tends to increase.
The present invention is made to dissolve the problems as noted above. One object of the present invention is to provide an image display device wherein images are displayed frame by frame for looking through without a trouble of assigning key information to image data of image files, which easily and efficiently finds a target image even for increased numbers of image data.
In order to attain the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, an image display device for reproducing a plurality of images based on image data recorded in a recording medium, comprises: a mode selector which makes a selection of browsing mode in which contracted images of said images are sequentially reproduced; and, a controller which carries out a control so as to shorten display time for each frame of said contracted images when a number of said images is judged to be large in said browsing mode.
According to further aspect of the present invention, an image display device for reproducing a plurality of images based on image data recorded in a recording medium, comprises: a mode selector which makes a selection of browsing mode in which partial images of said images are sequentially reproduced, and; a controller which carries out a control so as to decrease a size of the part selected as said partial image when the number of said images is judged to be large in said browsing mode.

Image display for reproducing a plurality of images which are recorded in a recording medium


An organic light emitting display including a plurality of pixel circuits and a data driver, the organic light emitting display including a power supplier electrically coupled to the organic light emitting display panel, a voltage detecting unit electrically coupled to the organic light emitting display panel and adapted to detect a voltage supplied from the power supplier, and a controller electrically coupled to the voltage detecting unit and adapted to output a control signal to at least one of the power supplier and the data driver based on the detected voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to an organic light emitting display and a driving method thereof. More particularly, embodiments relate to an organic light emitting display and a driving method thereof that are capable of calibrating a brightness change due to a deterioration of an organic light emitting diode and/or a temperature change.
2. Description of the Related Art
An organic light emitting display is a display that emits light by electrically exciting a fluorescent or phosphorescent organic compound and can display an image by driving N×M organic light emitting diodes.
An organic light emitting diode generally includes an anode (ITO), an organic thin-film, and a cathode (metal). The organic thin-film may be formed in a multi-layered structure including a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer ETL and a hole transport layer HTL. The organic thin-film may include a separate electron injecting layer EIL and a hole injecting layer HIL.
In general, in such an organic light emitting diode OLED, a voltage applied to an anode electrode is set to be higher than a voltage applied to a cathode electrode. Thus, carriers having negative polarity may accumulate on the anode electrode, and carriers having positive polarity may accumulate on the cathode electrode. If the carriers of negative polarity positioned on the anode electrode and the carriers of positive polarity positioned on the cathode electrode are maintained for a long time, movement of electron(s) and hole(s) contributing to light emission may be reduced. Thus, an average brightness may be lowered, i.e., lowering of brightness due to deterioration.
In general, an organic light emitting diode has characteristics of diode. Like other diodes, a current flowing through the organic light emitting diode and a voltage thereof may increase as the temperature increases. So, brightness of the organic light emitting diode may increase as the temperature increases. Thus, brightness calibration may be necessary, e.g., to lower the brightness. In particular, for a digital driving method, i.e., driving by a fixed voltage, the influence of a change in temperature on the operation of the organic light emitting diode may be more pronounced than for other driving methods.
In general, in organic light emitting displays, when an organic light emitting diode deteriorates, there may be variations in current efficiency variation and/or current-voltage characteristics. In particular, displays using a digital driving method, i.e., a method of driving by a constant voltage, may be significantly impacted by a current-voltage characteristic variation. That is, e.g., for displays employing a digital driving method, an extent and impact of a current-voltage characteristic variation may be larger. Furthermore, problems may arise when organic light emitting diodes are to have the same brightness, i.e., when a light emission current value flowing through the organic light emitting diode varies depending on an ambient temperature change, and thus brightness thereof also varies.
A method of displaying a specific pattern on a screen, measuring a current value at that time, and comparing the measured current value with an actual current value may be employed to calibrate for such a brightness variation. An element for measuring a current may be attached to an organic light emitting display module so as to measure a current. Accordingly, a cost and/or size of such an organic light emitting display may increase and/or it may not be possible to compare a current in real-time.

Organic light emitting display and driving method thereof


A constant velocity joint including an outer joint member formed with three track grooves having roller guide surfaces arranged in circumferentially opposed relation to each other; a tripod member having three radially projecting leg shafts; a plurality of rollers inserted in the track grooves; and a ring fitted directly on each of the leg shafts to support the rollers for rotation, the rollers being movable along the roller guide surfaces axially of the outer joint member, wherein each roller includes a set of annular roller portions and a plurality of balls interposed between outer raceway surfaces formed in rows in an inner periphery of the annular roller portions and two rows of inner raceway surfaces formed in an outer periphery of the ring, and wherein the inner peripheral surface of the ring is cylindrical and the outer peripheral surface of the leg shaft is spherical.

a. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a plunging type tripod type constant velocity universal joint. Generally, a constant velocity universal joint is a kind of constant velocity universal joint joining two shafts, on the driving and driven sides, and capable of transmitting torque at constant velocity even if there is an angle between the two shafts, wherein the plunging type allows relative axial displacement between the two shafts, while the tripod type is such that a tripod member provided with three radially projecting trunnions is connected to one shaft and a hollow cylindrical outer joint member provided with three axially extending track grooves is connected to the other shaft, the trunnions of the tripod member being received in the track grooves of the outer joint member to effect transmission of torque.
b. Prior Art
An example of the plunging type tripod type constant velocity universal joint will be described with reference to FIG. 13A. It is constructed in such a manner that the inner peripheral surface of an outer joint member 1 is formed with three axial track grooves 2, and that annular rollers 7 rotatably fitted through a plurality of needle rollers 6 on the cylindrical outer peripheral surfaces of three radially projecting trunnions 5 of a tripod member 4 inserted in the outer joint member 1 are inserted in the track grooves 2. A pair of roller guide surfaces 3 opposed to each other circumferentially of each track groove 2 are concave surfaces (partial cylindrical surfaces) parallel with the axis of the outer joint member 1, while the outer peripheral surface of the roller 7 on each of the three trunnions 5 is a convex surface (partial spherical surface) fit to the roller guide surfaces 3. Each roller 7 is movable axially of the outer joint member 1 along the track groove 2 while engaging the roller guide surfaces 3 of the corresponding track groove 2 and rotating around the axis of the trunnion 5.
When the joint transmits torque at an operating angle xcex8 as shown in FIG. 13B, the relationship is such that the roller 7 and the roller guide surfaces 3 obliquely cross each other as shown in FIG. 13C. In this case, the roller 7 tends to rollingly travel in the direction of arrow t in FIG. 13B, whereas since the roller guide surfaces 3 are partial cylindrical surfaces parallel with the axis of the outer joint member 1, the roller 7 will move while being restrained by the roller guide surfaces 3. As a result, sliding friction occurs between the roller guide surfaces 3 and the roller 7 and sliding resistance is produced. Further, this sliding friction produces induced thrust in the axial direction. Such sliding resistance and induced thrust cause vibration and noise in the car body, influencing the noise, vibration, hardness or NVH performance of automobiles, lowering the flexibility of design of suspensions for vehicles.
As for such plunging type tripod type constant velocity universal joint intended to reduce sliding resistance and induced thrust, for example, one having a construction shown in FIG. 14A is known. As shown, the outer peripheral surfaces of the trunnions 5 of the tripod member 4 are true spherical surfaces, and the cylindrical inner peripheral surface of a cylindrical ring 8 is slidably fitted on the true spherical surface. The ring 8 and roller 7 constitute a roller assembly relatively rotatable through needle rollers 6. The needle rollers 6 are arranged in the full complement bearing condition between the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the ring 8 and the cylindrical inner peripheral surface of the roller 7 and an annular washer 9 prevents the needle rollers 6 from slipping off. The roller 7 is received in the track groove 2 of the outer joint member 1 and is movable axially of the outer joint member 1 while rolling on the roller guide surfaces 3 of the track groove 2.
The outer peripheral surface of the trunnion 5 is a true spherical surface having a center of curvature on the axis of the trunnion 5, and the roller assembly (7, 8, 9) oscillates around the center of curvature. Since the roller assembly is capable of oscillation, when torque is transmitted at an operating angle formed between the outer joint member 1 and the tripod member 4, the roller 7 is guided by the roller guide surfaces 3 of the outer joint member 1 such that the roller 7 keeps its position parallel with the axis of the outer joint member 1, and with the position unchanged, it correctly rolls on the roller guide surfaces 3. Therefore, the sliding friction reduces when torque is transmitted at a operating angle, and the sliding resistance and the occurrence of induced thrust are suppressed.
It is known to use a plunging type tripod type constant velocity universal joint for transmitting torque from an automobile engine to wheels at constant velocity. A plunging type tripod type constant velocity universal joint, which has spherical rollers attached to the trunnions of a tripod member, is used as a full complement type in which needle rollers serving as rolling elements between the outer peripheral surfaces of the trunnions and the inner peripheral surfaces of the spherical rollers have no cage. And when torque is transmitted at an angle, friction between internal parts causes induced thrust during rotation and forceful axial extension and contraction even in the stopped state causes sliding resistance. As NVH phenomena typical of automobiles taking part in such induced thrust and sliding resistance, there is swaying of the car body occurring in connection with the former during traveling and in connection with the latter there is an idling vibration phenomenon in the drive or D range of an automatic transmission or AT car during stoppage.
Concerning NVH problems of automobiles, the key point for solution is to reduce the induced thrust and sliding resistance of the joint. Generally, the induced thrust and sliding resistance of the joint tend to depend on the size of the operating angle. Therefore, when the joint is to be applied to the drive shaft of an automobile, there occurs a problem of design limitation that a greater operating angle cannot be employed. Therefore, in order to increase the flexibility of design of suspensions for automobiles, it has been necessary to reduce and stabilize induced thrust and sliding resistance.
However, in the conventional plunging type tripod type constant velocity universal joint, since the rolling elements are needle rollers of the full complement type, eccentric loads, such as edge load, tend to act on the rolling element surfaces due to the skewing of the rollers during rotation, etc. Further, the state of contact does not stabilize due to internal clearances and accuracy, and edge load occurs even when the spherical rollers are inclined. Further, structurally, relative slide also occurs between the end of the spherical roller, the trunnion and the washer. Such phenomena as skewing, edge load and relative slide are thought to govern the magnitude of the frictional force in the joint interior.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to minimize these frictional forces to further reduce and stabilize induced thrust and sliding resistance.
The invention provides a constant velocity universal joint comprising an outer joint member formed with three track grooves having roller guide surfaces arranged in circumferentially opposed relation to each other, a tripod member having three radially projecting trunnions, rollers inserted in the track grooves, and rings fitted on the trunnions to support the rollers for rotation, the rollers being movable along the roller guide surfaces axially of the outer joint member, wherein the roller is composed of a set of annular roller portions and a plurality of balls are interposed between outer raceway surfaces formed in rows each in the inner periphery of the annular roller portion and two rows of inner raceway surfaces formed in the outer periphery of the ring.
The roller composed of a set of roller portions includes not only two-split roller but also three- or more-part rollers, and a roller in which an intermediate body is interposed between adjacent roller portions. Therefore, in the case of a two-split roller, each roller portion has an outer raceway surface. In the case of a three-part roller, for example, roller portions on opposite sides will be provided each with a outer raceway surface.
Since the roller is of split construction, composed of a set of roller portions, relative rotation of the roller portions is allowed, reducing the sliding resistance and rolling resistance. That is, when torque is transmitted with an operating angle defined between the outer joint member and the tripod member, some rollers swing while describing an arc with respect to the roller guide surface. Since the positions of contact between individual roller portions and the roller guide surface are spaced axially of the trunnion, the distances from the positions of contact between the individual roller portions and the roller guide surface to the axis of the tripod member differ and the peripheral speeds of the two roller portions differ from each other. As the result of the peripheral speeds differing from each other, an angular positional deviation of the roller portions would otherwise occur; however, since relative rotation of the roller portions is possible, such angular positional deviation is accommodated by the relative rotation of the roller portions. Therefore, the sliding resistance and rolling resistance encountered when the roller swings in an arc on the roller guide surfaces are reduced. Further, the split construction of the roller facilitates incorporation of balls and saves the need for providing a receiving groove.
Since the roller interposed between the tripod member and the outer joint member is supported by balls making smooth low-friction rotation at all times without such problems as skewing, a low-friction low-resistance rolling movement is realized when the roller rolls in the track groove of the outer joint member along the roller guide surfaces. Therefore, the sliding resistance produced when the roller slides in the track groove axially of the outer joint member and hence the induced thrust produced when torque is transmitted with an operating angle defined between the outer joint member and the tripod member are further reduced; thus, a high performance, plunging type tripod type constant velocity universal joint producing little vibration or noise can be provided.
Further, supporting the roller by a double row of balls increases the load capacity against moment loads and increases durability, as compared with supporting it by a single row of balls. The spacing between the ball rows can be optionally set. With the ball diameter taken as a criterion, for example, the spacing may be greater or smaller than the ball diameter. In the latter case, the balls in one row will circumferentially alternate with the balls in the other row, e.g., one by one, so that the required number of balls is reduced as a whole, contributing to weight reduction. Further, reducing the spacing between the ball rows reduces the axial spacing from the position of contact between the balls and the roller, and it is thought that it becomes easier for the roller portions to make synchronous rotation.
The inner peripheral surface of the ring may have a convexly arcuate section and the outer peripheral surface of the trunnion a sectional shape which contacts the inner peripheral surface of the ring in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the joint and which defines a clearance between itself and the inner peripheral surface of the ring axially of the joint.
Concerning the cross sectional shape of the trunnion, a shape which contacts the inner peripheral surface of the ring in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the joint and which defines a clearance between itself and the inner peripheral surface of the ring axially of the joint, means, in other words, a shape such that the surfaces opposed to each other axially of the tripod member are retracted toward each other, i.e., toward the smaller diameter side from an imaginary cylindrical surface. A concrete example thereof is an elliptic shape. The term xe2x80x9celliptic shapexe2x80x9d as used herein is not limited to literally ellipse but shall include those shapes which are referred to generally as oval shapes.
By employing the shape as the cross sectional shape of the trunnion, the trunnion is allowed to incline with respect to the outer joint member without changing the attitude of the roller assembly when the joint takes an operating angle. Furthermore, as is clear by comparing FIGS. 3 and 14C, since the contact ellipse between the outer peripheral surface of the trunnion and the ring approaches a dot from an oblong, the friction moment tending to incline the roller assembly is reduced. Therefore, the attitude of the roller assembly is stable at all times and the roller is held parallel with the roller guide surfaces, so that it can roll smoothly. This contributes to the reduction of sliding resistance and hence the reduction of induced thrust. Further, there is another advantage that the bending strength of the trunnion is improved due to the increase of the modulus of section of the root of the trunnion. In addition, it is not necessary for the inner peripheral surface of the ring to be of cylindrical shape extending throughout the length; the central portion alone which contacts the trunnion may be cylindrical and the opposite ends may be formed with a relief portion for avoiding interference when the trunnion is inclined.
The roller assembly is interposed between the trunnion and the outer joint member and performs the role of transmitting torque. Since the direction of transmission of torque in this kind of constant velocity universal joint is always orthogonal to the axis of the joint, torque transmission is possible in that the trunnion and the ring are in contact with each other in the direction of torque transmission; even if there is a clearance between the two axially of the joint, there is no hindrance to torque transmission.
Furthermore, since the trunnion can be inclined without inclining the ring, it is possible for the roller to roll smoothly on the roller guide surfaces without being inclined. Therefore, a flange which is sometimes provided in the track groove of the outer joint member for the purpose of controlling the inclination of the roller can be omitted. Omission of such flange achieves not only weight reduction of the outer joint member and simplification of processing but also eliminates the sliding resistance which is caused by sliding contact between the roller and the flange, with the result that further reduction of the sliding resistance and reduction of the induced thrust can be achieved
The invention is not limited to a form in which the cross section of the trunnion is substantially elliptic, as described above, and is applicable, e.g., to the following arrangements. That is, the inner peripheral surface of the ring may be cylindrical and the outer peripheral surface of the trunnion spherical. A cylindrical bush whose outer peripheral surface is convexly spherical and whose inner peripheral surface is cylindrical may be interposed between the concavely spherical inner peripheral surface of the ring and the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the trunnion. The longitudinal section of the outer peripheral surface of the roller may be convexly arcuate and the cross section of the roller guide surface concavely arcuate.
The ball and the raceway surface may contact each other at a contact angle. This increases rigidity, thus serving to improve load capacity and durability.
The roller and the roller guide surface may make angular contact with each other. The fact that the roller and the roller guide surfaces make angular contact with each other ensures that the roller hardly deviates and has its attitude further stabilized so that when moving axially of the outer joint member, the roller rolls on the roller guide surfaces smoothly with less resistance. As a concrete example of an arrangement for realizing such angular contact, there may be cited an arrangement in which the generating line of the outer peripheral surface of the roller is a convex arc while the sectional shape of the roller guide surface is a taper or Gothic arch.
The invention thus provides a constant velocity universal joint comprising an outer joint member formed with three track grooves having roller guide surfaces arranged in circumferentially opposed relation to each other, a tripod member having three radially projecting trunnions, rollers inserted in the track grooves, and rings fitted on the trunnions to support the rollers for rotation, the roller being movable along the roller guide surfaces axially of the outer joint member, wherein the roller is composed of a set of annular roller portions and a plurality of balls are interposed between outer raceway surfaces formed in rows each in the inner periphery of the annular roller portion and two rows of inner raceway surfaces formed in the outer periphery of the ring; as a result, the rollers are supported by the balls constantly making smooth low-friction rotation without any problem, such as skewing, and low-friction low-resistance rolling is realized when the rollers are rolling in the track grooves of the outer joint member along the roller guide surfaces. Therefore, a high performance plunging type tripod type constant velocity universal joint can be provided in which the sliding resistance which occurs when the rollers slide in the track grooves axially of the outer joint member, and hence the induced thrust which occurs when torque is transmitted with an operating angle defined between the outer joint member and the tripod member, are further reduced and there is little vibration or noise.
A ring whose inner peripheral surface has a convexly arcuate section is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of a trunnion contacting the inner peripheral surface of the ring in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the joint and having a sectional shape which defines a clearance between itself and the inner peripheral surface of the ring axially of the joint; this arrangement allows the trunnion to incline with respect to the outer joint member without changing the attitude of the roller assembly when the joint takes an operating angle. Furthermore, since the contact ellipse between the outer peripheral surface of the trunnion and the ring approaches a dot from an oblong, the friction moment tending to incline the roller assembly is reduced. Therefore, the attitude of the roller assembly is stable at all times and the roller is held parallel with the roller guide surfaces, so that it can roll smoothly. This contributes to the reduction of sliding resistance and hence the reduction of induced thrust. Further, there is another advantage that the bending strength of the trunnion is improved due to the increase of the modulus of section of the root of the trunnion.
If applied particularly to the drive shaft of an automobile, the constant velocity universal joint of the invention can contribute to the improvement of the NVH characteristics of the automobile which the magnitudes of sliding resistance and induced thrust take part in, and the flexibility of design of suspensions for automobiles is also increased.


(Problems to be solved)

Polyamides, represented by polyamide 6, polyamide 66 (hereinafter sometimes respectively abbreviated as "PA6" and "PA66"), and the like, have good fabricability, mechanical properties and chemical resistance, and are hence widely used as various component materials for automobile, electric and electronic products, industrial materials as well as daily and household products, and the like.
In the automotive industry, there is a demand to lighten the car body weight using a metal substitute material for the purpose of achieving the exhaust gas reduction as a countermeasure against environmental issues. To respond to such a demand, polyamide materials have been commonly used as exterior materials, interior materials, or the like, which consequently requires much higher levels of properties of polyamide materials such as heat resistance, strength, appearance, and the like. In particular, the temperature in the engine room is likely to elevate, and accordingly highly heat resistant polyamide materials have been in an increasing demand.
Further, in the electric and electronic industry for household electric appliances and the like, there is a demand for highly heat resistant polyamide materials which are resistant to an increased soldering melting point in order to meet the lead-free soldering surface mount technology (SMT).
However, the polyamides such as PA6 and PA66 described earlier have low melting points and hence fail to meet these requirements in the heat resistance.
To solve the problems of heat resistance posed by the conventional polyamides such as PA6 and PA66, high melting point polyamides have been proposed. Specifically, a polyamide composed of terephthalic acid and hexamethylenediamine (hereinafter, sometimes abbreviated as "PA6T"), and the like, are proposed.
However, PA6T is a high melting point polyamide having a melting point of about 370° C. and causes notable thermal decomposition of the polyamide when producing a molded product by the melt process which consequently makes it difficult to obtain a molded product that has sufficient properties.
To solve the problem of thermal decomposition of PA6T, proposed are high melting point semi-aromatic polyamides mainly composed of terephthalic acid and hexamethylenediamine which are allowed to have a melting point as low as about 220 to 340° C. by copolymerizing PA6T and aliphatic polyamides such as PA6 and PA66, or a noncrystalline aromatic polyamide composed of isophthalic acid and hexamethylene diamine (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "PA6I"), or the like, (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "PA6T copolymer"), and the like.
As the PA6T copolymer, Patent Document 1 discloses an aromatic polyamide composed of aromatic dicarboxylic acid and aliphatic diamine, which is a mixture of hexamethylenediamine and 2-methylpentamethylenediamine (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "PA6T/2 MPDT").
In addition to the aromatic polyamide composed of an aromatic dicarboxylic acid and an aliphatic diamine, a high melting point aliphatic polyamide composed of adipic acid and tetramethylenediamine (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "PA46"), an alicyclic polyamide composed of an alicyclic dicarboxylic acid and an aliphatic diamine, and the like, have been proposed.
For example, Patent Documents 2 and 3 disclose semi-alicyclic polyamides composed of an alicyclic polyamide composed of 1,4-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid and hexamethylenediamine (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "PA6C"), and another polyamide (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "PA6C copolymer").
Patent Document 2 discloses that electric and electronic components made of a semi-alicyclic polyamide containing 1 to 40% of 1,4-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid as the dicarboxylic acid unit have improved solder heat resistance, and Patent Document 3 discloses that automobile components made of a semi-alicyclic polyamide have good fluidity, toughness, and the like.
Patent Document 4 discloses that the polyamide composed of a dicarboxylic acid unit containing 1,4-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid and a diamine unit containing 2-methyl-1,8-octane diamine has good light resistance, toughness, moldability, lightness, heat resistance, and the like. This document also discloses a method for producing such a polyamide, in which 1,4-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid and 1,9-nonanediamine are reacted at 230° C. or less to prepare a prepolymer, which is then subjected to solid phase polymerization at 230° C. to produce a polyamide having a melting point of 311° C.
Further, Patent Document 5 discloses that the polyamide, which uses as a raw material 1,4-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid having a trans/cis ratio from 50/50 to 97/3, has good heat resistance, low water absorbance, light resistance, and the like.
Patent Document 6 discloses that, in the production of a polyamide composed of a diamine component containing an aromatic diacid containing terephthalic acid and 2-methylpentanediamine, the cyclization of 2-methylpentamethylenediamine (a cyclic amino group is formed) is significantly reduced by adding formic acid.
Further, Patent Documents 7 and 8 disclose that, in a polypentamethylene adipamide resin, when the bonding of a cyclic amino group derived from pentamethylenediamine to a polymer end is reduced by controlling the polymerization temperature, and the like, the residence stability and heat resistance of the polyamide can be improved.
Furthermore, Patent Document 9 describes the polyamide obtained by polymerizing a dicarboxylic acid containing an alicyclic dicarboxylic acid and a diamine containing a diamine having a substituent branched from the main chain.

Abstract: (Problems to be solved)

Abstract: Provision of a polyamide composition with good heat resistance, stability under heating, heat resistant color tone stability, reflow heat resistance properties and fogging properties.

Abstract: (Solution)

Abstract: A polyamide obtained by polymerizing (a) a dicarboxylic acid containing at least 50 mol % of an alicyclic dicarboxylic acid and (b) a diamine containing at least 50 mol % of a diamine having a pentamethylenediamine skeleton,                wherein the polyamide has a cyclic amino end content of less than 30μ equivalents/g.


Disclosed herein is a variable-resistance memory device including a first common line; a second common line; a storage element connected between the first common line and the second common line to serve as a storage element whose resistance changes in accordance with a voltage applied to the storage element; and a driving control circuit.

The presently disclosed technology relates to a variable-resistance memory device employing a storage element connected between first and second common lines to serve as an element having its resistance changing in accordance to a voltage applied to the element and relates to an operation method for operating the variable-resistance memory device.
There is known a variable-resistance memory device employing a storage element in every memory cell of the device. The resistance of the memory element changes because conductive ions are injected into an insulator film or conductive ions are pulled out from the insulator film. Refer to documents such as "A Novel Resistance Memory with High Scalability and Nanosecond Switching," K. Aratani, K. Ohba, T. Mizuguchi, S. Yasuda, T. Shiimoto, T. Tsushima, T. Sone, K. Endo, A. Kouchiyama, S. Sasaki, A. Maesaka, N. Yamada and H. Narisawa, Technical Digest IEDM 2007, pp. 783-786 (hereinafter referred to as Non-Patent Document 1).
The storage element has a laminated structure provided between two electrodes. The laminated structure includes a layer, which serves as a supplier of the conductive ions, and the insulator film. Every memory cell employs a variable-resistance storage element and an access transistor which are connected to each other in series between a bit line and a plate in such a way that active-matrix driving can be applied to the storage element and the access transistor.
Since every memory cell employed in the variable-resistance memory device as described above includes one access transistor (T) and one variable-resistance resistive element (R) serving as a variable-resistance storage element, the variable-resistance memory device is a kind of 1T1R memory adopting a current-drive method. In general, the memory making use of conductive ions and a memory making use of insulation-layer oxidations as well as insulation-layer reductions are popularly referred to as a ReRAM.
In the ReRAM, a large resistance of the storage element is associated with an operation to write data into the memory cell whereas a small resistance of the storage element is associated with an operation to erase data from the memory cell, and the ReRAM is capable of carrying out the operation to write data into the memory cell as well as the operation to erase data from the memory cell by making use of a pulse having a short duration of the order of nanoseconds. Thus, as an NVM (Non-Volatile Memory) capable of carrying out operations at a high speed, the ReRAM draws attention in the same way as the RAM (Random-Access Memory).
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a correlation between a conductance and a current in an LRS (low-resistance state) of a ReRAM making use of conductive ions. The conductance is the reciprocal of the low resistance (RLRS).
The horizontal axis of FIG. 1 represents the conductance in the LRS whereas the vertical axis of the same figure represents the magnitude of a set current Iset in a resistance reduction operation also referred to as a set operation in this case.
As is obvious from FIG. 1, the resistance of the storage element changes all but linearly with the set current Iset. Such a characteristic can also be realized as well in a variable-resistance memory such as another ReRAM.
Thus, the ReRAM has a merit that the distribution of the resistance can be narrowed by executing the current control with a high degree of precision and a merit that a multi-value memory can be implemented.
However, if the current control is executed with a low degree of precision, on the other hand, the ReRAM has a demerit that it is difficult to obtain a desired narrow distribution of the resistance. In addition, if the current control is executed with a low degree of precision, the ReRAM also has another demerit that it is difficult to carry a reset operation particularly with an excessive magnitude of the current supplied to the ReRAM or another demerit accompanying an overset which is deterioration of the repetition characteristic. The reset operation is an operation carried out to increase the resistance of the storage element.
As a method for controlling the current of the storage element, there are known a word-line current control method for controlling the current of the storage element and a bit-line current control method for controlling a current flowing through a bit line. The word-line current control method is a method for controlling an electric potential appearing at the gate electrode of the access transistor.
In the case of the word-line current control method, the word line includes a number of large gate capacitances as parasitic capacitances due to the fact that the word line is made from metal of the gate electrode. Thus, the wire capacitance is large so that it is difficult to execute the word-line current control method. In the case of the bit-line current control method, on the other hand, the bit line is created on an upper-layer wiring layer. Thus, the wire capacitance per unit length can be reduced. As a result, the word-line current control can be executed by making use of a circuit having a small driving power.
The bit-line current control method for controlling the current of the storage element by controlling a current flowing through the bit line is proper for a cell array structure allowing voltage driving to be carried out by separating not only the bit and word lines, but also source lines in the row or column direction. This current control method can be applied with ease to the so-called 3-line system which is the name of a structure or a system (or, strictly speaking, an access system). Typical examples of the 3-line system are given in "A 5 ns Fast Write Multi-Level Non-Volatile 1 Kbits RRAM Memory with Advance Write Scheme," Shyh-Shyuan Sheu, Pei-Chia Chiang, Wen-Pin Lin, Heng-Yuan Lee, Pang-Shiu Chen, Yu-Sheng Chen, Tai-Yuan Wu, Frederick T. Chen, Yu-Sheng Chen, Keng-Li Su, Ming-Jer Kao, Kuo-Hsing Cheng and Ming-Jinn Tsai.
With regard to the bit-line current control method applied to the 3-line system, inventors of the presently disclosed technology have already made some proposals described in documents such as Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2010-170617 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1). In addition, Public-Reannounced Patent No. WO 2007/015358 given below discloses a typical example in which the bit-line current control method is applied to a variable-resistance memory adopting a spin injection system.
In the bit-line current control method applied to the 3-line system as described in Patent Document 1, for example, the drain electrode of an NMOS transistor serving as a current control transistor is connected to the bit line whereas the voltage appearing at the gate electrode of the transistor is controlled by a control circuit. In this control, after an inversion to a resistance reduction state of the storage element, the control circuit controls the current control transistor in order to drive an access transistor to operate in a saturated region and to control an electric potential appearing on the bit line so that a current flowing through the storage element is sustained at a constant magnitude. Thus, even if the resistance of the storage element changes or even if there are variations from storage element to storage element, the set current which is the current flowing through the storage element after the inversion is sustained at a constant magnitude so that it is possible to effectively avoid or repress element-characteristic deteriorations accompanying an overset because no excessive current flows.
As described above, in the 3-line system adopting the bit-line current control method, a resistance changing operation can be carried out at a high speed so that it is possible to repress variations of the resistance distribution obtained after the change of the resistance of the storage element without deteriorating the characteristic of the storage element. In addition, the 3-line system adopting the bit-line current control method offers the merit of a low cost because the size of an area occupied by the control circuit is small due to the fact that it is sufficient to provide even a driving capability lower than that of a system adopting the word-line current control method.
It is to be noted that Non-Patent Document 1 discloses an array configuration in which, because of easiness of a fabrication process, an upper electrode is fabricated into a plate shape and the drain electrode of the access transistor is used as a storage node. In addition, the source electrode of the access transistor is connected to a bit line fabricated into a line shape. Since two lines are used to select a memory cell, the array configuration is referred to as a 3-line system.

Variable-resistance memory device and its operation method


A method of forming a gas separation membrane including: depositing a first hydrophilic polymer solution; depositing on top of the first hydrophilic polymer solution a second, different hydrophilic polymer solution, thereby forming a two-layer polymer solution; forming the two-layer polymer solution into one of a forward osmosis membrane and a pressure retarded osmosis membrane by bringing the second, different hydrophilic polymer solution into contact with water to form the dense layer; coating one of the forward osmosis membrane and the pressure retarded osmosis membrane with a thin layer of a third, different, hydrophilic polymer more pH tolerant than the first and second hydrophilic polymer solutions to form a dense rejection layer thereon; and exposing one of the coated forward osmosis membrane and the coated pressure retarded osmosis membrane to a high pH solution. A gas separation membrane formed from the foregoing process.

1. Technical Filed
This document relates to gas separation membranes.
2. Background
Membrane gas separations have been increasing in importance since the 1980s. One application of particular interest is the removal of CO2 from natural gas. Many natural gas sources are too high in CO2 to be allowed into the natural gas pipeline grid.
The most common membrane used in removal of CO2 from natural gas is cellulose triacetate (CTA) formed by the immersion precipitation process (U.S. Pat. No. 4,243,701, Riley et al. 1981). This membrane has permeability to CO2 about 15 times higher than that to methane. When natural gas is pressurized against one side of the membrane, CO2 preferentially passes through the membrane and the retentate gas is purified. A membrane separation of the permeate gas can recapture essentially all the methane.
An issue with CTA membranes for gas separations is the membranes are only pliable in the wet state. For CTA to be used in gas separations, after rolling into an element, the membrane must be dried in a two-step process. After drying the membrane becomes brittle and many failures in the field are due to membrane cracking
There are membranes made from other cellulose esters that are more rubbery and pliable when dried. Cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) has been shown to be more rugged in gas separations but its performance is lower than that of CTA and it is not used commercially.
Regardless, any conventional two-layer membranes in use are all made by applying a coating to an existing membrane.