An LED package and method of manufacture. An embodiment of the LED package includes a metal base having a cavity, a flexible circuit on the base, a dielectric layer in the cavity, and an LED chip having a bottom side facing the base and electrically coupled to the flexible circuit. The LED chip is powered by current flowing through the flexible circuit, and heat generated by the LED chip is conducted to the base through the flexible circuit and the dielectric layer.

Light emitting diodes (LED's) are electrically powered semiconductor light sources. An LED chip can be made from silicon or other semiconductor material doped with impurities to create a p-n junction. Electrical current passing across the junction allows electrons to recombine with electron holes within the doped material, thereby releasing photons.
An LED chip can be mounted in a package to support and protect the LED chip, provide an electrical connection, and help dissipate heat generated by the LED chip. LED package designs can have several constraining factors. One factor is cost, which must be kept low because of the high volume of LED's manufactured. Costs are influenced by manufacturability and materials, among other things. Another factor is heat management. Specifically, the packaging of an LED chip must dissipate enough thermal energy, generated by the LED chip during light production and transmission, to avoid overheating and damaging the LED chip. Higher power LED chips are increasing in use, which further underscores the need for high thermal performance LED chip packaging. Various embodiments of the present disclosure concern LED chip packages for efficient manufacturing and/or high performance thermal dissipation.

LED chip packaging with high performance thermal dissipation


Optical elements (light sources 16 or photodetectors 18) are arranged in a two-dimensional array, and the relative positional relationship between the optical elements and optical waveguides 12 is defined such that optical waveguides 12 extend between the optical elements in the two-dimensional array substantially parallel to substrate 19 for increased parallelism. Micromirrors 15 are disposed in respective optical waveguides 12 to bend light beams through 90 degrees to realize a highly efficient optical coupling between the optical elements and optical waveguides 12. The optical waveguides are stacked in multiple stages, and light beams are lead to the optical waveguides in the multiple stacks through micromirrors 15 across the stacked plane of the optical waveguides, thereby realizing parallel connection between the two-dimensional array of optical elements and a two-dimensional array of optical waveguides. There is thus provided a connection structure between the optical elements and optical waveguides 12, which is small in size and high in efficiency, and is of high parallelism.

One example of a so-called optical interconnection structure for connecting semiconductor chips, primarily high-speed LSI circuits, with an optical signal is shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. In this structure, LSI circuits 2 on substrate 1 are connected to each other by thin optical waveguide 5 parallel to substrate 1 through PD (PhotoDiode: light-detecting device) 3 and VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser) 4. In the example shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, interposers 1a are provided. The number of general connections (parallelism) is in the range from about 100 to 1000. An optical circuit generally refers to an optical fiber, an optical waveguide, and a combination of an optical fiber and an optical waveguide.

Connection structure of two-dimensional array optical element and optical circuit


A wash station includes a wash nozzle for cleaning an exterior portion of a probe and a basin allowing for waste fluid to be collected. The wash nozzle includes a vertically-elongate cavity with side slits on opposing side portions. A fluid inlet port may be connected to a side portion of the cavity to provide fluid. Fluid may additionally or alternatively come from within the probe. The basin includes an elongate body with an opened end to receive and secure the wash nozzle. One or more access slots may be provided on opposing side portions of the basin. The probe passes through an access slot or over a portion of the basin and through a side slit of the nozzle to enter the cavity for cleaning. A geometry of the cavity allows the wash nozzle to fill to a predetermined level while waste fluid flows out through the side slits.

Clinical analyzers typically utilize hypodermic needle-like probes to aspirate and dispense fluids, such as patient samples and reagents, transferring the fluids between vessels and containers. For example, probes are used in a clinical analyzer to transfer fluid between a reagent container and a reaction vessel and between a primary patient sample container and a dilution vessel. The probes need to be cleaned between transfers to avoid "carrying over" fluids from one reaction to another. Carryover can lead to incorrect results of a patient test through either unintended introduction of trace amounts of a previously used reagent, or by introduction of analytes that were present in a previously-handled patient sample. Thus, it is important to thoroughly clean the transfer probes between deliveries.
Cleaning of the probes typically requires water, although for some non-water-soluble reagents or for an absolutely thorough removal of patient sample, chemical cleaners may be introduced. The inside of the probe is often rinsed by flowing water at high velocity through the probe, while the outside is rinsed by immersing the probe in flowing water. The water is then removed via a drain to a waste vessel, either by gravity or with a vacuum assist.
Probe exteriors may also often be rinsed mid-transfer (i.e., between the aspiration and dispense) to remove any extra (or unmetered) fluid that adhered to the exterior of the probe while the fluid was aspirated. This prevents the unmetered fluid from being introduced to the destination vessel, which could cause an incorrect or imprecise result of the reaction.
One method to rinse the exterior of the probe involves lowering the probe into a pool (or bath) that flows the water around the probe. Although this method may be thorough, the disadvantage of this approach is that it costs time to lower and raise the probe. Another approach is a fly-through wash station, where the probe moves only horizontally through a fountain of water (i.e., a jet of water ejected essentially upwards, and allowed to fall freely into a basin). The disadvantage with this approach is that the fountain height (and, thus, the amount of probe rinsed by the fountain) is highly sensitive to the pressure or flow rate of the source water and to restrictions to the flow between the source and the fountain. Thus, manual tuning and adjustment of each fountain is required.
Thus, there is a need for an efficient and thorough washing apparatus for a probe in a clinical analyzer.

Probe wash station for analytical instrumentation


A method for forming a carbon supported catalyst includes a step of providing a first carbon supported catalyst having a platinum-group metal supported on a first carbon support. Characteristically, the first carbon support has a first average micropore diameter and a first average carbon surface area. The first carbon supported catalyst is contacted with an oxygen-containing gas at a temperature less than about 450° C. for a predetermined period of time to form a second carbon supported catalyst, wherein the first carbon support or the second carbon supported catalyst is acid leached.

Fuel cells are used as an electrical power source in many applications. In particular, fuel cells are proposed for use in automobiles to replace internal combustion engines. A commonly used fuel cell design uses a solid polymer electrolyte ("SPE") membrane or proton exchange membrane ("PEM") to provide ion transport between the anode and cathode.
In proton exchange membrane type fuel cells, hydrogen is supplied to the anode as fuel and oxygen is supplied to the cathode as the oxidant. The oxygen can either be in pure form (O2) or air (a mixture of O2 and N2). PEM fuel cells typically have a membrane electrode assembly ("MEA") in which a solid polymer membrane has an anode catalyst on one face, and a cathode catalyst on the opposite face. The anode and cathode layers of a typical PEM fuel cell are formed of porous conductive materials, such as woven graphite, graphitized sheets, or carbon paper to enable the fuel and oxidant to disperse over the surface of the membrane facing the fuel- and oxidant-supply electrodes, respectively. Each electrode has finely divided catalyst particles (for example, platinum particles) supported on carbon particles to promote oxidation of hydrogen at the anode and reduction of oxygen at the cathode. Protons flow from the anode through the ionically conductive polymer membrane to the cathode where they combine with oxygen to form water which is discharged from the cell. The MEA is sandwiched between a pair of porous gas diffusion layers ("GDL") which, in turn, are sandwiched between a pair of non-porous, electrically conductive elements or plates. The plates function as current collectors for the anode and the cathode, and contain appropriate channels and openings formed therein for distributing the fuel cell's gaseous reactants over the surface of respective anode and cathode catalysts. In order to produce electricity efficiently, the polymer electrolyte membrane of a PEM fuel cell must be thin, chemically stable, proton transmissive, non-electrically conductive and gas impermeable. In typical applications, fuel cells are provided in arrays of many individual fuel cell stacks in order to provide high levels of electrical power.
High surface area carbon black is often used as a support for fuel cell catalysts. High surface area carbon black often contains large quantities of internal micropores (<4 nm) in their constituent particles. Pt nanoparticles deposited in these micropores can have restricted access to reactants and show poor activity. Studies have shown that up to 80% of all Pt particles are deposited inside the micropores. Opening up these micropores to better expose the Pt particles should improve the high power performance of the catalyst. As used herein, the terms "micropores" and "pores" are used interchangeably, not to be mistaken with mesopores (pores of 5-15 nm) and macropores (pores >15 nm).
Catalyst durability, particularly as it relates to the retention of high power performance, is one of the major challenges facing the development of automotive fuel cell technology. Platinum or platinum-alloy particles lose electrochemical surface area during operation due to dissolution and subsequent Ostwald ripening and to particle migration and coalescence. Electrochemical oxidation of the carbon support enhances this particle migration and subsequent performance loss at high power. Oxidation of carbon support also causes the collapse of the electrode thickness and electrode porosity, hindering reactant transport and subsequent performance loss. Therefore, it is a common practice for those skilled in the art to avoid oxidation of carbon support.
On the other hand, in electrodes with small amount of Pt or low Pt surface area, large fuel cell performance loss is observed. This is due to the need to support larger flux of reactant oxygen or hydrogen to the Pt surface. This is particularly difficult for Pt particles that are embedded in carbon particle micropores. Accordingly, there is a need for improved catalyst layers.

Facile control of pore structure in carbon-supported PGM-based catalysts


Some embodiments relate to an apparatus for holding a workpiece under tension while one or more operations are performed on the workpiece, the apparatus comprising: a frame; a first spindle rotatably coupled to the frame; a first coupler configured to couple the first spindle to a first end of the workpiece; a second spindle rotatably coupled to the frame; and a second coupler configured to couple the second spindle to a second end of the workpiece; wherein a distance between the first and second couplers is adjustable to hold the workpiece under tension between the couplers while the one or more operations are performed, and wherein the workpiece can be rotated with the couplers relative to the frame about a common axis of rotation extending between the couplers. Some embodiments relate to a system comprising a controller for controlling rotation of the workpiece. Embodiments also relate to processes comprising holding a workpiece under tension while performing one or more operations on the workpiece. Some of the processes, systems and apparatuses described may be particularly useful for cold spraying delicate workpieces such as 3D printed static mixers.

When performing operations on elongate workpieces that are rotated during performance of the operations, the workpiece is typically mounted or held between two points under compression in a device such as a lathe, for example. The workpiece may be clamped at one or both ends to rotatable couplers such as chucks which hold the workpiece firmly in position while allowing for, or in some cases driving, rotation of the workpiece with the couplers.
However, in some cases, the compressive force required to hold the workpiece in position may break, bend, buckle or otherwise damage the workpiece.
It is desired to address or ameliorate one or more shortcomings or disadvantages associated with existing apparatuses and systems for holding a workpiece, or to at least provide a useful alternative thereto.
Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present disclosure as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application.

COMMONWEALTH SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION


A method for preparing an electrode for use in lithium batteries and the resulting electrodes are described The method comprises coating a slurry of silicon, sulfur doped graphene and polyacrylonitrile on a current collector followed by sluggish heat treatment.

The success of high performance portable electronics and hybrid (or electric) vehicles strongly depends on further technological progress of commercially available rechargeable batteries. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are considered the most likely energy storage configuration to satisfy these demands. However, this requires significant advances in terms of power density, energy density, cycle life and safety, as well as lower production costs. Current LIBs utilize graphite anodes where energy is stored by intercalating lithium into the graphite layers. This arrangement while commercially successful can only deliver a maximum theoretical capacity of 370 mAhg-1, (Shang W. J.; A review of the electrochemical performance of alloy anodes for lithium ion batteries, J. Power Sources 196, 13-24 (2011)). Incorporating additional components offers the potential to dramatically improve this capacity. For example silicon can provide up to 4200 mAhg-1, in theory, corresponding to the following alloying reaction:4.4 Li+Si→Li4.4Si  (1)While Si-based composites offer immense promise as new generation anode materials, extreme changes in volume during lithiation and delithiation lead to structural degradation and loss of performance over time that impedes their practical application.
Several journal articles as well as patents are concerned with the improving performance and cycle stability of silicon. Magasinski et al. (Nature Material, 9 (2010) 353-358) prepared silicon nanoparticles by silane decomposition onto annealed carbon-black dendritic particles and followed by coating with carbon in a chemical vapour deposition (CVD) process. This paper describes reversible capacities over five times higher than that of the state-of-the-art anodes (1950 mA h g−1) and stable performance. Cui et al. (Nature Nanotechnology, 3 (2008) 31-35) prepared high performance anodes based on silicon nanowires. They prepared the silicon nanowires in a CVD process using the vapour-liquid-solid (VLS) method with gold as a catalyst. The paper describes achieving the theoretical capacity of the silicon anodes and maintained a discharge capacity close to 75% of the maximum. However, this process employs costs catalyst material. Kim et al. (Nano letters, 8, (2008) 3688-3691) prepared a Si core and carbon shell structure by using SBA-15 mesoporous silica material as a template. They reached a first charge capacity of 3163 mA h/g with a coulombic efficiency of 86% at a rate of 600 mA/g, and they retained 87% of their capacity after 80 cycles. However, when they increased the rate capability to 6 A/g the capacity decreased to 78%. In US 2005/0031957 A1, silicon microparticles were mixed with an electrochemically inactive phase that includes an intermetallic compound that is formed of at least two metals and a solid solution yielding a composition of Si55Al30Fe15 (for example). Even though, these electrodes showed improved cycle stability, they had a great loss in specific capacity due to the inclusion of inactive components in the electrode. US 2009/0130562, describes coated silicon nanoparticles with carbon and their use as anode material. The composite material comprising silicon, carbon and graphite showed a capacity of around 900 mAh/g for almost 5 cycles. US 2010/0062338 A1, describes the use of silicon nanoparticles as an active material and an elastomeric binder to bind the silicon nanoparticles as well as the addition of conductive material such as super P or graphite. In this patent the author claims that these electrode additives improved cycle stability of the battery; however, they did not disclose specific performance results. In US 2012/0121977 A1, the inventors describe an interfacial layer around the silicon nanoparticle. The layer has good electron conductivity, elasticity and adhesion. This layer is formed of a monomer and a polymer with several functional groups. The capacity is about 400 mAh/g and increasing with the cycle number up to a maximum at about 1000 mAh/g at about 100 cycles then decay back during the next 100 cycles reaching 700 mAh/g at the 200th cycle. In US 2012/0129054, the inventors used silicon nanowires with or without carbon coating and also they claim the addition of diallyl pyrocarbonate to the electrolyte during the battery fabrication.
US2014/0186701 to Zhang et al. describes a composite anode prepared by electrophoretic deposition (EDP) of a suspension comprising one or more of silicon, carbon and a current collector onto a copper current collector and allowing the deposited material to dry on the carbon substrate.
Despite the various approaches proposed in the literature, there is no approach to directly use commercially available silica nanoparticles with affordable, economic and environmentally safe treatment methods for fabrication of lithium ion batteries. There remains a need for a solution to prevent the loss in specific capacity due to addition of inactive materials needed to enhance stability. There further remains a need for a method to prepare anode that are stable and provide sufficiently high performance at an acceptable cost.

Method for the preparation of anodes for lithium batteries


A method from transmitting data via multiple antennas. In this method, four information bits to be transmitted are multiplexed by using either one of a code division multiplexing scheme or a second code division multiplexing scheme combined with a real and imaginary multiplexing scheme, to generate a code division multiplexed symbol including four vectors. Then, the code division multiplexed symbol is repeatedly transmitted by alternatively applying two transmit diversity schemes via four transmission antennas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for efficiently transmitting downlink acknowledgement channel messages.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical cellular radio system includes a number of fixed base stations and a number of mobile stations (user equipment). Each base station covers a geographical area, which is defined as a cell.
During an uplink transmission in the Third (3rd) Generation Partnership Project Long Term Evolution (3GPP LTE) systems, a unit of user equipment (UE) transmits a data packet to a base station (BS) after receiving an uplink scheduling grant (i.e., uplink grant) from the BS. In response to the received data packet from the UE, the BS transmits a downlink acknowledgement message (i.e., downlink ACK) to the UE. During a downlink transmission, a BS transmits a data packet to a UE after transmitting a downlink scheduling grant (i.e., downlink grant) to the UE. In response to the received data packet from the BS, the UE transmits an uplink acknowledgement message (i.e., uplink ACK) to the UE.
In the case of four transmission antennas (4Tx), the Space-Frequency Block Code combined with Frequency Switched Transmit Diversity (SFBC+FSTD) transmission matrix is adopted in LTE standard according to "Chairman's notes", of Orlando 3GPP LTE RAN1 49bis meeting held in June 2007.
In addition, Code division multiplex (CDM) based Acknowledgement and Negative Acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) multiplexing and its transmit diversity scheme for two transmission antennas (2Tx) case has been proposed in "Performance of DL ACK/NACK transmission", 3GPP R1-071805, published by Samsung in March 2007, and "Downlink ACK/NACK Transmit diversity", 3GPP R1-073099, published by Samsung in June 2007, to multiplex the information bits of acknowledgement channel signals.
CDM ACK/NACK approach, however, does not immediately work with the 4Tx SFBC+FSTD transmit diversity scheme, because the CDM orthogonality is lost after the 4×SFBC+FSTD operation.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Transmission methods for downlink ACK/NACK channels


A multi-petaled oblique-plane hoop and a pipe connector are described. The hoop is divided into two groups, and the hoop petals in each group are connected by means of pins, and the pins are parallel to a connecting pipe shaft. The groups are connected by using bolts, and the bolts are vertical to a pipe shaft. Each hoop petal is in a shape of a partial ring stud, in which an arc-shaped groove is formed. The upper surface and the lower surface of the groove are symmetrical partial inner cone surfaces, and the hoop petals are connected to form a clamping chain.

In the industry, pipes are usually connected through flanges or flanged valves. Flanges are bulky, material wasting and difficult to install, but have no good substitutes all the time. For pipes of small calibers below DN50, unions can be used in place of flanges. Compared to the flanges, the unions are easier to install, have a weight 20˜30% of the flange weight, and require 30˜50% lower cost. The union type valves require materials and costs which are lower than the flanged valves by similar extent. Although being only used for civil pipe connection at present, the union type valves will be popularized in the chemical engineering industry sooner or later. The annular-ring seal gasket proposed by the inventor has solved the sealing problem of unions used for chemical engineering. Please see CN 203756982 U and CN 204717181 U. For large-caliber pipes, hoops can be used in place of flanges, but hoops use rubber seals which are only suitable for water pipe connection. Therefore, hoops are only applied in fire-fighting water pipes, foods and pharmaceutics and rarely used in other industries. High-pressure hoops used in the petroleum industry adopt hard seal ring gaskets which have high processing precision requirement and high fabrication costs, thus being unable to popularize.
The existing hoop is mainly used for water pipe connection and composed of a hoop, a long neck flange, a bolt and a seal gasket, as shown in FIG. 1. The existing hoop usually has 2 petals or 3 petals to the maximum (see the national standard). After being installed, the inner cone surface of the hoop petal and the outer cone surface of the long neck flange fit with each other completely. In FIG. 1, "b" is the point of tangency. Suppose that the seal gasket is an asbestos gasket. If leakage is found after a period of use, the seal gasket needs to be tightened. After tightening, the hoop petal shrinks inwardly, and the point of tangency moves from point b to point c. At this time, the diameter of the inner cone circle of the hoop petal on the axial section D-D is larger than the diameter of the outer cone circle of the long neck flange. The same applies on other sections. The two cone surfaces do not closely fit with each other anymore, the inner cone surface of one hoop petal fits with the outer cone surface of the long neck flange only through a line which is in the middle of the inner cone surface of the hoop petal, the two sides of the hoop petal upwarp, and two hoop petals only have two fitting lines. If the gasket seals or the nut cannot be tightened any more when the hoop does not reach the point b, one hoop petal and the cone surface of the long neck flange have two fitting lines which are outside the hoop petal, the hoop petal is convex in the middle, and because the lugs of two adjacent hoop petals are very close to each other, the two fitting lines act like just one fitting line. It can be seen that the existing hoop seal gasket can only be a soft seal, rather than a forced seal gasket like an asbestos gasket and a spiral wound gasket.
In summary, after the existing hoop is installed, the inner cone surface of the hoop petal fits with the outer cone surface of the conical head of the connecting pipe, without any displacement allowed. When the hoop is installed in position, the hoop petals will upwarp if the bolt is excessively tightened. Therefore, only soft seals like rubber O rings and rubber C rings with self-tightening function can be used, largely restricting the hoop application range.
Hoops are also used for high-pressure pipe connection in the petroleum industry. The seal gaskets used are octagonal rings. The hoops are manufactured by installing the hoops and gaskets to form rings and finish-turning the rings. The hoops are expensive and can only be used for small-caliber pipes. Actually, it is pointed out in GB150.3 "Pressure Vessels—Part 3: Design" that hoop "seal rings shall have self-tightening function" (p 281) and thus the seal rings can only be rubber O rings or rubber C rings.
Therefore, the hoops are not popularized in the industry, but only popularized by force in fire prevention and water supply and discharge pipes. The seal rings are rubber C rings. Most of the fluids conveyed in the pipes in the chemical engineering industry is flammable and explosive media at high temperature. The gaskets are not allowed to be rubber, and thus the existing hoops cannot be applied in the chemical engineering industry.
DE 950 522 C (BAYER AG) filed 22 Nov. 1956 discloses a flange which may provides a quick closure for pipes and vessels. The clamping device comprises a conical interposed seal flanges and a corresponding conical profile, multi-membered clamping ring. Specifically, each link of the clamping ring are moveably arranged in a joint, and can be coupled together by means of tensioning lever device. The multi-membered ring are pulled together by the tension lock, and are equipped with an adjusting device which release the flange when pivoted apart. Further, the annular surface of the flange and the inner annular surface of the clamping ring are conically shaped so that the clamping ring can be easily solved when opening.
JP 2010 116977 A (CANON KK) filed 27 May 2010, discloses a pipe and a piping system, which includes a first flange at the end of a first pipe and a second flange provided at the end of a second pipe. In which, a plurality of dampers are connected to each other. Both ends thereof are fastened by screws in a state of being annularly formed along the first flange and the second flange. The piping has a flange part fixed by a member. The flange part has some recessed parts along the outer periphery thereof.

Multi-petaled oblique-plane hoop and pipe connector thereof


A system for generating a virtual display that is displayed on an existing monitor using a memory (e.g., graphics processing unit (GPU) memory, random access memory (RAM), etc.) of a connected device (e.g., a computer) as a frame buffer for the virtual display. For example, the virtual display may use the RAM or the memory of the GPU of the connected device as a second frame buffer to generate the frames displayed in the virtual display. The virtual display is not a physical display and, thus, does not require any additional hardware or physical space. Rather, the virtual display is displayed on a pre-existing display. The pre-existing display is also used to display the frames generated in a first frame buffer.

In the medical field of radiology, medical practitioners use high-end diagnostic displays to analyze medical images and make diagnostic decisions. A typical radiology or mammography workstation includes multiple displays that allow a radiologist to display multiple images and often multiple software applications. Radiology/mammography workstations frequently also include a "navigational head". A navigational head is a display that allows a user to select and show patient information and information about the images being studied. The actual medical images are primarily displayed on the other displays of the system.
The navigational head frequently displays navigational and support non-diagnostic applications (e.g. dictation software or editing software or software used during the installation). Rather than use an additional high-end diagnostic display, an additional standard type of display, a non-diagnostic quality display is often used. In some situations, however, hospitals do not have the budget or workspace real-estate for the purchase or installation of extra displays or display controllers.


A crane game with a vacuum head adapted to pick up objects with a smooth extraction surface is disclosed wherein the objects, or targets, include perturbations such as bead shaped projections or dimples that present a more challenging target by reducing the available extraction surface. Disk shaped, spherical, or other shaped targets include one or more perturbations that may prevent a seal from being formed with the suction head, denying extraction of the target by the vacuum head. Values may be assigned to the targets based on the number of perturbations, or the targets may encapsulate prizes of a value directly related to the available extraction surface on the target.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to amusement devices known as vacuum crane games, and more particularly to a vacuum crane game with targets having beaded or dimpled surfaces such that the targets can be presented with varying difficulty in their acquisition and extraction.
2. Description of Related Art
Crane-type or xe2x80x9cclaw machinexe2x80x9d arcade games are popular amusement devices often provided in game arcades, stores, or other public places. In these types of games, prize objects are provided within a closed housing and are viewable by a player through transparent glass or the like. Upon the insertion of a coin or other monetary input into the game, the player controls a mechanical claw or other grasping implement with a joystick, buttons, toggle switch, or the like. Typically, the claw is provided above the prize objects and the player can change the position of the claw over the prizes. The claw is then lowered toward the prizes upon activation by either automatically by a controller such as a computer or manually by the player, depending on the particular embodiment. The claw is either automatically opened when it reaches the level of the prizes or is opened under the player""s control. After a predetermined amount of time, the claw may be automatically elevated. The claw may or may not be able to grasp a prize and hold onto the prize as the claw is raised. The controller then moves the claw over to a dispensing container and opens the claw, allowing the prize (if any is held) to drop into the dispensing chute and to be guided through the dispenser to an opening accessible to the player. In a common implementation, a sensor within the dispenser detects whether a prize has been won by the player. After the claw is opened over the dispenser, the controller moves the claw to its original starting position and waits for another insertion of the coin (unless the player is provided with multiple tries).
The prizes that the operator of a claw-type crane game can provide in the game are usually limited in selection due to the limitations of the mechanical claw. Since the claw must surround an object to be able to pick it up, most prizes in a claw-type crane game have been limited to large stuffed dolls or other soft, rough-surfaced merchandise that can be surrounded and grabbed by the claw fingers and raised from the supporting surface. Usually, flat, smooth or thin objects are not able to be picked up and held by the claw. However, a large number of flat, smooth, and thin objects are desirable to used as prizes in a crane-type game, such as smooth-surfaced spheres or eggshell containers, boxes, gumballs, cups, bulbs, trading cards, etc. Players desire to win these types of items and operators desire to provide them; however, the standard claw type mechanism cannot be used to pick them up.
One solution to the inability of claw-type cranes to pick up these objects is to provide a different type of pick-up device. One type of device that is used is a vacuum device that uses air suction to grab and hold an object. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,772 of Glaser, a vacuum embodiment of a crane pick-up game is disclosed in which a vacuum motor is suspended from a string and concealed by a facade or enclosure. The player may move the motor and lower the motor towards a field of prizes similarly to the claw in claw-type crane games. A spinning fan within the motor creates a suction force that is used to pick up and hold prizes. An orifice with a screen is used to prevent items from being sucked into the orifice. Prizes captured and held by the suction are dispensed to the player through a dispenser.
More recent vacuum crane games have improved on the concept and made the game more challenging. In my U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,374, a vacuum crane game is disclosed wherein the vacuum head is used to pick up one of the prizes using a suction force that is provided by a vacuum pump coupled to the vacuum head by a hose and located away from the vacuum head. Moving the pumping apparatus away from the crane head mechanism provides greater maneuverability than previous devices that carried the pumping equipment at the crane head. In general, the vacuum crane game is characterized by a vacuum pick up device positioned above the prize or target area and may be moved along a horizontal axis above the prize area. The pick up device includes a vacuum head that may be raised and lowered toward a turntable in a z-direction. The vacuum head is operative to pick up one of the prizes using a suction force that is provided by a vacuum pump coupled to the vacuum head by a hose. The vacuum pump is located away from the vacuum head to allow the vacuum head to move without interference. The player may control the movement of the pick up device to position the vacuum head over the prize area at a desired position, lower the vacuum head, and pick up a prize using the suction force. The pick up device is moved to a dispenser area and the suction force is removed to allow the prize to be dispensed to the player. The disclosure of my ""374 patent is incorporated fully herein by reference. In another embodiment, the vacuum head may be moved in both x- and y-directions above the prize area and the turntable is omitted.
With vacuum crane games, it is desirable to provide prizes having smooth continuous surfaces such that a seal can be formed by the vacuum head against the prize. Without a complete seal, the vacuum head cannot effectively apply suction to the prize sufficiently to enable the prize to be lifted out of the prize bin. As a consequence, prizes such as jewelry, trading cards, candy, and toys are typically enclosed in transparent or opaque spheroids such as spheres and egg-shaped plastic containers. Such spheroids will have exteriors that meet the requirement of smooth, continuous surfaces allowing the vacuum head to make complete, sealing contact. An example of this type of prize collection for a vacuum crane game can be found in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,881, entitled xe2x80x9cCrane Game with Prize Redistribution Mechanismxe2x80x9d and incorporated herein fully by reference.
While the collection of spheroids in the prize bin of a vacuum crane game provides an enjoyable alternative to mechanical crane games that are used to pick-up irregularly shaped prizes, the challenge of picking up a spheroid once mastered may wane for the player seeking greater challenges. As a consequence, skilled players seeking a challenging game may look to other options due to the absence of variety of the spheroid targets. Further, the options of prizes may be limited to those objects that can fit inside a relatively small spheroids since larger spheroids would take up too much space in the prize bin.
The present invention is characterized in a first preferred embodiment by a vacuum crane game with targets having substantially smooth surfaces interrupted strategically with beaded nodules or bumps of varying number and positions to present prizes of varying capture difficultly. Because the flat vacuum crane head requires uninterrupted contact with the target to achieve an airtight seal, the crane game player must either avoid or completely cover the surface bumps to pick up a target. If the vacuum head rests on one or more of the beaded nodules, no seal can be achieved and the capture of the target will be unsuccessful. Targets with more bumps will be inherently more difficult to pick up than targets with fewer nodules, and with a variety of different targets having different bump configurations the game has challenges for all skill levels.
In a first embodiment, the target bin of a vacuum crane game is supplied with a plurality of transparent disks resembling Petri dishes having front and rear faces, and where the respective faces include beads ranging from zero to ten or more spaced along the surface. Inside the transparent disks are cards or tags that can be easily viewed by the player showing a prize reward for successfully retrieving the target from the prize bin. A reward can be a numerical point value displayed on the tag that can be applied to redeem prizes, or alternatively the tag can specify a prize displayed at some location where the target is redeemed. In yet a third embodiment, the prize can be physically located inside the disk. The value of the reward is tied to the number and location of the beads, where higher number of beads or centrally located beads correspond to a higher degree of difficulty due to a smaller available continuous surface, and such targets possess a higher prize redemption value.
Alternative target shapes can be used in place of transparent disks, such as flat chips with numerical values printed thereon, transparent capsules or spheres with tags viewable from the outside, or boxes, where each target includes substantially flat surfaces with beads on the surfaces to add difficulty to the task of retrieving the target. Alternatively, the beads can be replaced with dimples that likewise act to breakup the continuous surface and increase the difficulty of making an uninterrupted contact with the vacuum crane head. In yet another alternate embodiment, grooves in the surface of the target can resist the application of suction because the air is drawn in at the ends of the grooves, preventing adherence of the target with the vacuum head. Each of these devices can be used to create a more difficult target for a vacuum crane game.


A device that calculates a sudden cardiac death score based on acquired patient data. A system and method that combines independent indications of sudden cardiac death to predict sudden cardiac death. The system can include various cardiology test systems interconnected to a sudden cardiac death prediction system.

Sudden cardiac death ("SCD") can be generally defined as death within one hour of the onset of symptoms without a previously-known disease or a disease that was expected to be lethal. SCD can also occur without symptoms or warnings signs. SCD is often described with respect to an unwitnessed death with the victim having been known to be alive less than 24 hours earlier.
SCD can kill its victims within minutes and often occurs in outwardly healthy people who have no known heart disease. Although it may occur in outwardly healthy people, most victims do have heart disease or other health problems, often without being aware of it. SCD claims about 300,000 lives a year in the United States and presents a public health challenge in that often the only indication a patient is at risk appears when the patient succumbs, without warning, to a heart failure episode.
In many cases, SCD victims suffer from ventricular tachycardia that degenerates into ventricular fibrillation. Ventricular tachycardia is a type of cardiac arrhythmia that is a serious, often-times, fatal condition characterized by rapid, uncontrolled, and ineffective beating of the heart. Ventricular fibrillation is a chaotic ventricular heart rhythm which produces little or no net blood flow from the heart, such that there is little or no net blood flow to the brain and other organs. Ventricular fibrillation, if not terminated, results in death. Researchers continue their efforts to predict the onset and triggers for such ventricular tachyarrhythmias and SCD.

System and method for sudden cardiac death prediction

GE Medical Information Technologies, Inc.


An article feed insert for an article feed system for automatic conveyance of articles located along the article feed insert in one conveyance direction B to a visual edge of a shelf equipped with the article feed system with the following features: a set of conveying rollers which are supported on the roller carrier transversely to the conveyance direction B, two profile rails which can be attached independently of one another to the opposite sides of the roller carrier for fixing of the conveying rollers on the roller carrier, a first fixing element which can be attached to one visible edges of the roller carrier for fixing the profile rails, and a second fixing element which can be attached opposite the first fixing element to the roller carrier for fixing the profile rails.

Both in retail and also wholesale businesses such as for example drugstores, grocery stores, discount stores, toy stores and the like, shelves are necessary for storage and display of products. When the product is set up and is also stored, it is desirable that the respective product be as flush as possible with adjacent products on the shelf bottoms on the front so that the product is easily visible and accessible to the consumer and the arrangement of products is aesthetically pleasing. To implement this arrangement of products, known systems comprise the use of a push system to push the respective product or the row of products in the direction of the front of the shelf when the frontmost product is being removed or products are being restocked.
There can be separation plates for separation of adjacent rows of products.
This article feed system is shown for example in WO 2009/097655 A1 which a plurality of article feed inserts, consisting of a roller-holding inner housing and an outer housing which holds the inner housing and two end caps which can be slipped onto the outer housing to the front and back and which are placed on a carrier in a tilted arrangement, as shown in FIG. 7 of WO 2009/097655 A1. The article is fed by virtue of the inclined position, therefore without mechanical or electrical force application/energy use, specifically solely by the force of gravity.

Article feed insert for an article feed system

Dirk A. Brugmann Kunststoff-Verarbeitung GmbH & Co. KG


A voltage controlled oscillator that includes a slot-cut-microstrip-line coupled between a resonator, a tuning diode network and an active device and being operable to act as a common-coupling capacitor between the resonator, the tuning diode network and the active device.

A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) or oscillator is a component that can be used to translate DC voltage into a radio frequency (RF) voltage or signal. The magnitude of the output signal is dependent on the design of the VCO circuit and the frequency of operation is determined by a resonator that provides an input signal. Clock generation and clock recovery circuits typically use VCOs within a phase locked loop (PLL) to either generate a clock from an external reference or from an incoming data stream. VCOs affect the performance of PLLs. In addition, PLLs are typically considered essential components in communication networking as the generated clock signal is typically used to either transmit or recover the underlying service information so that the information can be used for its intended purpose. PLLs are also important in wireless networks as they enable the communications equipment to quickly lock onto the carrier frequency on which communications are transmitted.
The popularity of mobile telephones has renewed interest in and generated more attention in wireless architectures. This popularity has further spawned renewed interest in the design of low noise wideband oscillators. The recent explosive growth in the new families of cellular telephones and base stations using universal mobile telephone systems (UMTS) has stirred a need for developing an ultra-low noise oscillator with a fairly wide tuning range. The demands of wideband sources have generally increased telescopically because of the explosive growth of wireless communications. In particular, modern communication systems are typically multi-band and multi-mode, therefore requiring a wideband low noise source that preferably allows simultaneous access to DCS 1800, PCS 1900 and WCDMA (wideband code division multiple access) networks by a single wideband VCO.
The dynamic operating range and noise performance of a VCO may limit or affect the performance of the PLL itself, which in turn may affect the performance of the device in which the PLL is employed, e.g., RF transceivers, a cell phone, a modem card, etc. Broadband tunability of VCOs represents one of the more fundamental tradeoffs in the design of a VCO, impacting both the technology and the topology used. The dynamic time average quality factor (i.e., Q-factor) of the resonator as well as the tuning diode noise contribution affect the noise performance of a VCO. Furthermore, the dynamic loaded Q is, in general, inversely proportional to the operating frequency range of the VCO.
Despite the continuous improvement in VCO technology, low phase noise typically remains a bottleneck and poses a challenge to RF transceiver (transmitter-receivers) design. In addition, oscillator/VCO design typically poses a challenge to the RF trans-receiver system. This is typically considered due to the more demanding parameters of the VCO design: low phase noise, low power consumption and wide frequency tuning range.
Improvements in oscillator/VCO technology have continued with time, yielding ever-smaller sources with enhanced phase noise and tuning linearity but the phenomena of the thermal drift over the temperature range (−40° C. to +85° C.) has not been properly addressed. The wide operating temperature range of the oscillator/VCOs coupled with a general lack of information on the thermal drift-profile creates a need for the development of a uniform and user-definable thermal drift profile oscillator with a relatively low thermal drift over the wide operating temperature range and operating frequency band.
Usually, high-stability oscillators are built with a quartz crystal up to frequencies of several hundred megahertz. However, in order to achieve better stability and lower costs, the SAW (surface acoustic wave) resonator based oscillator is generally considered a better choice for an ultra low phase noise low thermal drift oscillator. SAW resonators are typically used in oscillators as a two-port resonator and have a relatively small pull-in range that usually does not support a sufficient tuning range to compensate for tolerances due to the circuit components and thermal drift over the operating temperature range (−40° C. to +85° C.). In addition, SAW devices are comparatively expensive compared to CROs (ceramic resonator based oscillator) and their availability and performance are limited to a selected frequency and narrow operating temperature range (−20° C. to +70° C.) making them unsuitable for operating in stringent temperature environments and/or low cost applications.
In addition, the thermal drift of a ceramic resonator based oscillator/VCOs is typically around 5–10 MHz over a temperature range of −40° C. to +85° C. The ceramic resonator based VCO is usually also susceptible to phase hits that may occur in a PLL.
Thus, there is a need for a user-definable thermal drift oscillator operable over a wide temperature range, which offers a cost-effective solution to the phase hit problem.

User-definable thermal drift voltage control oscillator


Methods and systems for configuring a fluid flow meter include a processor obtaining a measurement signal recorded by the fluid flow meter. The processor can determine a whitening frequency band. The processor can then construct a whitening filter based on the measurement signal and the whitening frequency band. The processor can then generate a reference signal based on the whitening filter and the measurement signal. The processor can provide the whitening filter and the reference signal for use by the fluid flow meter to measure a time shift between the reference signal and another measurement signal.

Flow meters are typically employed to measure fluid flow rate and monitor fluid usage in fluid distribution systems, such as water or natural gas distribution systems. Flow meters can also allow for fluid leak detection and remote monitoring of fluid flow in the fluid distribution systems. Flow meters can also be used to collect statistical data with regard to fluid usage by various devices coupled to a fluid distribution system.

Flow meter configuration and calibration


A rodent trap is provided having an entrapment pad formed of a nonwoven material substrate and a quantity of pressure sensitive adhesive of a rodent arresting quantity applied directly or indirectly through the substrate. The quantity of rodent arresting adhesive is sufficient to restrain movement of a rodent that becomes trapped in the entrapment pad.

Recently, the use of nonwovens has become increased in many areas, such as with disposable diapers and disposable cleaning devices such as, for example, treated wipes. Such products are often sold as clean or sterile items, either dry or with liquid ingredients absorbed therein. Some of these are formed from spunlaced, airlaid, and other methods, and are sold as either dry wipes intended for dust or lint removal or wet wipes are saturated with various liquids. As these nonwoven substrates are used, they become soiled, abraded, torn, or clog up, or the liquid becomes depleted, in which case they are disposed of.
To date, the use of high loft nonwovens have not been used in the field of pest control traps. The most widely used pest traps consist of mechanical traps, or adhesive traps. Mechanical traps which use stored kinetic energy to enclose or crush the rodent, capture the insect or similar pest, and have the advantage of retaining the dead pest at a specific site for disposal. However, the moving parts of a mechanical trap add to the cost of manufacture. Adhesive devices have been developed which present an expanse of highly retentive adhesive along a path frequented by rodents. A rodent making contact with the adhesive will be held and prevented from departure. Eventually the rodent will become suffocated in the adhesive, or will otherwise die. The glue-containing board and dead rodent may then be disposed of as a single unit.
The costs of convenience in glue boards are of great concern. The adhesive nature of the device means that it must be shielded from contact with dirt and debris prior to use, lest its adhesive properties be reduced. Furthermore, for convenience to the user, the adhesive should be shielded from contact with clothing, hands, furniture, etc., until ready to be placed along a rodent runway.
Prior art glue boards such as shown in FIG. 1, have employed thermoformed plastic trays to contain the adhesive, usually a hot melt adhesive of sufficient adhesion as to capture a rodent that may stumble upon the tray and immobilize or otherwise retain the capture rodent thereon. However, these traps and glueboards have an efficacy that is limited due to the locations available for placement relative to where the rodents are actually traveling. Rodents may run up and down vertical pipes between building levels as well as running on structural I-beams and horizontal electrical conduits. The prior art glueboards require the use of a sufficient area of adhesive surface in order to provide an effective capture area to prevent a rodent "leveraging" itself loose. To properly capture a rodent, the body and extremities must be entrapped, lest the rodent become able to work itself free. Some prior art glue boards may have other restrictions on geometry as well, such as for example, needing to be placed horizontal. For example, glue boards using a hot melt adhesive may require horizontal placement to prevent a loss of any pool of melted adhesive occurring when ambient temperature exceeds hot melt flow temperature. Similar PRIOR ART pest control devices, such as shown in FIG. 2a-2b, targeting smaller pests like insects use cardboard or similar substrate in place of the plastic tray.


The invention relates to a filter bag for holding filtering material located inside a gas-installed housing of the electrical installation. The filter bag is produced from a fabric that is resistant to high temperatures, which eliminates the need for holding devices protecting the filter bag from hot switching gases to be provided inside the compressed gas housing.

The invention relates to a filter bag for the reception of filter material, and in particular, to a filter bag for the reception of filter material which is within a casing of a compressed-gas-insulated electric switch unit generating a switch gas jet during a switch-off operation, binds decomposition products from the switch gas.
A filter bag is known, for example, from laid-open publication DE 25 57 298 A1. A three-phase-encased compressed-gas-insulated power switch may be gathered from the laid-open publication. The compressed gas used is sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). By means of an electric arc occurring during switching actions, the sulfur hexafluoride is decomposed. The decomposition products formed occur as gaseous and solid substances. When the concentration of the decomposition products rises, there is the risk that the insulating properties of the compressed gas are adversely influenced. In order to separate these decomposition products and, if appropriate, moisture bound in the sulfur hexafluoride, filters are provided within the casing. The active filter material is introduced in small filter bags into the interior of the casing. To receive the filter bags, reception devices are provided inside, which include, for example, a metallic perforated material, in order to achieve good gas permeability. Arranging the reception devices for the filter bags within the casing arises from the requirements of sufficient dielectric and thermal dimensioning. The reception devices, in addition to receiving the filter material bags, serve essentially for protecting the filter bags against hot switch-gas or plasma streams occurring during a switching operation. The deflector action of the perforated material is necessary in order to avoid combustion of the filter bags and consequently destruction of the filters. The design of the perforated material must in this case be such that a sufficient throughflow is possible in spite of the protection of the filters.
The arrangement of the filters always constitutes a compromise between a position with an optimum filter behavior and a favorable electric arrangement of the reception devices influencing the electric field.
The present invention discloses a filter such that a reduction of metallic reception devices is obtained within compressed-gas spaces of electrically encased installations.
In one embodiment of the invention, the filter bag includes a high-temperature-resistant fabric and is arranged in the switch gas jet. When the filter bags are produced from a high-temperature-resistant fabric, it is possible to dispense with metal sheets which protect the filter bags against the hot switch gases. With these metal sheets being dispensed with, they can no longer influence the dielectric field within the casing. The filter bags can then be arranged within the casing in a substantially more flexible way. Furthermore, an appreciable cost benefit is to be noted, since the complicated reception devices have a simpler configuration or other subassemblies can be designed in such a way that the reception devices are dispensed with completely.
Furthermore, there may be provision for the fabric to be a mixture of amorphous, inorganic and high-crystalline organic synthetic fibers.
A fabric of this kind has good gas permeability and consequently has an insignificant influence on the filter action of the active filter material. In particular, the continuous-duty temperature resistance of several 100xc2x0 C. and the contact temperature resistance of more than 1000xc2x0 C. constitute beneficial properties for use within a compressed-gas-insulated switch installation. Furthermore, the material is resistant to sparks, flames and smoldering. In addition to the excellent thermal properties, a fabric of this kind has optimum mechanical properties, in particular a high tearing strength in the longitudinal and transverse direction, thus ensuring good protection of the filter material against mechanical stress during introduction into the casing and against mechanical vibrations occurring during operation. Fabrics of this kind are known, for example, under the tradenames Systaceram or Kevlar.


A wideband irregular signal is decomposed into respective frequency bands, the ratio of the highest to the lowest frequency within each band being in the ratio of approximately 3:1 and the total number of bands being 3 or 4. The wideband signal, or a re-constituted wideband signal formed by combining the decomposed components, is transmitted as a interrogating signal. A reflection of the interrogation signal is decomposed into respective frequency bands, and within each frequency bands the different components are compared. The results of the comparisons are combined to determine whether an object has been detected and, if so, its range. Decomposition of the wideband signal can be achieved by using a bank of low-pass filters in respective frequency bands, the output of each low-pass filter having subtracted there from the output from the filter with the next-lower frequency cut-off characteristic. Delay circuits are used within each channel so that the total delays in each individual channel are equal.

There are a number of signal analysis techniques which involve detecting level-crossings, and particularly zero-crossings. For example, polarity coincidence correlation is a technique which has been well-known for a long time (see, for example, Helmut Bemdt, "Correlation Function Estimation by a Polarity Method Using Stochastic Reference Signals". IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 14, No. 6, Nov. 1968, pp. 796-801).
A more recent example is disclosed in WO-A-00/39643 (incorporated herein by reference). This describes a method of detecting the shift between two irregular signals, one of which is a copy of the other, by detecting non-uniformly spaced zero-crossings in a first signal, and using these to trigger the sampling of the second signal. The system introduces different delays between the zero-crossings and the sampling time. For each respective delay value, the samples are summed. For most delays, the summed samples will represent an average signal value. However, when the delay is close to a value which matches the shift between the signals, the summed samples become coherent, giving rise to a distinctive feature in the system output. FIG. 1 shows a typical output, with the horizontal axis representing the introduced delay between the detected zero-crossing and the sampling of the second signal. The S-shaped odd function clearly shown therein is located at a position corresponding to the time shift between the two signals.
This method will be referred to as "crosslation", and a system implementing the method will be referred to as a "crosslator". Such techniques can be used for object detection, for example by transmitting a wideband, noise-like irregular signal, and measuring the delay between that signal and a reflection of the signal from an object.
As explained in WO-A-00/39643, the detected zero-crossings may be those which occur when the signal level crosses zero with a positive slope (upcrossings), those which occur when the level crosses zero with a negative slope (downcrossings), or both. If both upcrossings and downcrossings are used, the summed samples defined by upcrossings are subtracted from those defined by downcrossings.
In WO-A-00/39643, a shift register produces multiple versions of the second signal, the versions being delayed by different amounts. Each zero-crossing simultaneously triggers the sampling of these different versions. FIG. 2 shows another form of crosslator for measuring time delay in an object detection and ranging system. In the FIG. 2 system, the values derived by combining the samples of the second signal are obtained in succession for respective different delays, rather than simultaneously. In FIG. 2, the second signal y(t) is converted by a hard limiter HY into a corresponding binary bipolar waveform. This waveform and its polarity-reversed replica are supplied to an averaging or integrating unit AVG via a switch. The switch is normally open but supplies the output or its polarity-reversed replica to unit AVG when a zero-crossing detector ZCD detects, respectively, an upcrossing or a downcrossing in the first signal x(t). The signal x(t) has been processed by a hard limiter HX and then delayed by a variable delay line VD. After a predetermined time interval has elapsed (or when a predetermined condition is met, such as the number of zero-crossings reaching a predetermined value), the output of unit AVG is delivered to a data processor DPR. This output will represent one point on the function illustrated in FIG. 1. The data processor DPR sets the delay introduced by the variable delay line VD to a different value, and then repeats the operation, to derive a further point on the function. By comparing the different values obtained from the unit AVG for different delays, the data processor DPR can determine the delay between the signals x(t) and y(t). The variable delay line VD could instead be placed in the path of the signal y(t), the signal x(t) being subjected to a suitable constant delay. In another modification, the hard limiter HY is omitted and the unit AVG operates directly on the analog values of the signal y(t). Furthermore, a monitoring system can be obtained by using a fixed delay in place of the variable delay line VD, whereby the system can be used to monitor whether the range of an object departs from a particular distance corresponding to the value of that fixed delay.
The shift between the two signals may represent time, as in the object detection and ranging system mentioned above, or may represent another parameter, such as linear or angular shift. In one specific example, a first signal may represent an image, for example a line through a two-dimensional video image. A second signal may represent a second version of the image, which is linearly shifted (translated) with respect to the first. Each signal could for example be a grey scale representation of a line across a video screen. One of the signals can be processed so as to obtain successive points each representing the intersection of the grey scale waveform with a particular reference level. These points can then be used for the sampling of different versions of the second signal, each version being associated with a different linear shift. The amount of image movement can thus be determined by using the crosslation technique mentioned above.
Another example of signal analysis which involves the use of zero-crossing detection is shown in EP-A-1378854 (incorporated herein by reference). Here a crosslation technique is used to derive information about a signal, for example to classify images or sounds or other physical phenomena represented by the signal. In this case, the zero-crossings detected in the signal are used to trigger the sampling of the same signal. A delay is introduced between the occurrence of each zero-crossing and the sampling of the signal. The samples are combined to get a first value. The operation is repeated with different delays to produce other values. The multiple values derived using the different delays form a representation of the original signal, and the shape of this representation indicates a statistical characteristic of the signal.
A further technique involving level-crossing detection is disclosed in WO-A-03/036564 (incorporated herein by reference). An image is analysed by using a mapping function to derive a one-dimensional representation of the image, the representation having a varying level, and by determining (a) the rate at which the level crosses one or more thresholds, (b) the average slope of the signal when it crosses one or more threshold levels, and/or (c) the average duration for which the signal remains above one or more threshold levels.
The performance of the systems mentioned above is impaired by noise and other interfering signals. Because unwanted signals are not related functionally or statistically to the irregular signal being processed, the efficacy of interference suppression will increase with the number of level-crossings in the signal. Taking the crosslation technique of WO-A-00/39643 as an example, the number of averaged segments of a received signal y(t) is determined by the number of significant events (zero-crossings) extracted from a transmitted random signal x(t). Therefore, it would be desirable to determine an optimum number of signal segments of y(t) which need to be averaged in time T to provide maximum interference suppression.
It is known, by the sampling theorem, that a wideband random signal is completely determined by its samples taken uniformly at time instants separated by the interval 1/(2W), where W is the highest frequency component of the signal's power spectrum. This result is often stated that a noise waveform of duration T contains Λ=2WT degrees of freedom.
In signal processing applications, the product Λ is also referred to as the processing gain, because it indicates the bound on the achievable reduction of noise power by averaging uncorrelated samples of a respective noise waveform. It is also known that the above results apply to cases when a noise waveform is sampled in a non-uniform manner, yet with the mean sampling rate of 2W samples per second.
From the above discussion it follows that the ability of a processor operating on zero-crossings to suppress unwanted interference can be degraded when the number of zero-crossings extracted from a transmitted wideband signal x(t) is less than Λ. This conclusion will be explained in more detail by way of the following example.


Raw coal, in slurry form, is fed to a dense media cyclone, entering tangentially into the cyclone. Three major forces act on the solid particles as they travel radially and helically inside the cyclone body, forcing the heavier particles toward the wall of the body and the lighter particles toward the center. As the lighter particles near the frustoconical portion of the cyclone body, their velocity vector changes horizontally, causing them to exit the cyclone through the adjustable vortex finder. The heavier particles exit the opposite end through the apex, of which the diameter may be changed by interchangeable apex inserts. Adjusting the vortex finder and diameter of the apex allows the selection of a desired cut size and gravity of the particles. The attributes of the cyclones allow for a separation of coal from ash and sulfur in the 28.times.325 mesh size fraction.

In the mining of coal in the United States, specialized mining machines perform the act of digging the coal from coal seams. Due to the crushing effect encountered in the mining and preparation of coal, a large amount of fines (fine particles of coal) of a size less than 28 mesh are generated. For many, many years a great percentage of these fines were discarded as waste.
Since 1900, an estimated 50,000,000 tons of coal fines have been discarded into pond structures in the coal producing states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and Indiana. Some discarding of the ultra fines continues to date.
Prior attempts to separate coal fines have included froth flotation which is a process originated in the 1950's. Froth flotation has an efficiency rating of approximately 50% to 60% and is a very high cost method because of the electric power and chemicals required in this process.
Flotation is a widely used separation process which is based on the fact that some components in comminuted minerals are wettable (hydrophilic), whereas others are water-repellent (hydrophobic). Hydrophobic particles have an ability to hold air bubbles by surface action, the nature of the film on the outside of the particles being the controlling factor. Finely divided air which is introduced into the "pulp", the mixture of solids and water in which flotation is performed, adheres in the form of bubbles to these particles, more particularly the metalliferous components of the pulp, and causes them to rise to the surface. Here they collect in a mass of froth and are removed by a skimmer device. The hydrophilic components remain behind in the pulp. As a rule, these are the worthless minerals (gangue), which are removed as tailings from the flotation machine.
The floatability of minerals can be controlled by certain chemical additives called flotation agents. These are of various kinds:
Frothers, whose function is to produce froth by combining the air bubbles (introduced into the pulp by stirring or by the injection of compressed air) into a stable froth which will buoy up the ore particles. Oils and allied substances are used as frothers.
Collectors are substances that increase the water repellency and make the ore particularly receptive to the attachment of air bubbles. Collectors usually consist of synthetic organic compounds.
Other flotation agents help to regulate the process. So-called depressors can make hydrophobic minerals temporarily hydrophilic and can in this way help in the selective separation of one mineral from another by depressing one, thereby inhibiting its flotation. The "depressed" mineral can subsequently be made hydrophobic again by an activating agent. The various agents for regulating the flotation process in this manner are inorganic compounds, mostly salts.
One attempt to separate fine coal particles is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,831 to Parnaby. This patent describes a coal washing plant having two cyclone separators for separating coal from dross.
Other separators for separating coarse from fine particles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,247 to Visman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,887,456 to Loughner, U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,331 to Rastatter, U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,364 to Mozley, U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,708 to McCartney, U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,134 to Lilleker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,161 to Hayatdavoudi, U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,720 to Young, U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,925 to Duvall et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,347 to Simon et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,740 to Callut, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,549 to Schweiss et al.


An application to be booted is selected and operation of the application is controlled according to status of a link between an access point and a station. A station (STA) which can be connected to an access point (AP) includes a link information obtaining procedure which obtains link information including an identifier of the AP to which the STA is connected while the STA is connected to the AP and an application control procedure which selects an application to be booted according to the link information by referring to an action profile in which an identifier of the link information and an application to be booted are related and registered.

A wireless system has the function of performing adaptable configuration of a link rate according to the status (for example, a received signal strength indication or communication quality) of a link between an access point (hereinafter referred to as an AP) and a station (hereinafter referred to as an STA). In particular, in the wireless system, such as a wireless LAN, which adopts a link adaptation method, a modulation method according to the status of a link is selected, whereby it is possible to set a corresponding link rate.
Incidentally, as for an application used under such circumstances, a previously set application is booted irrespective of link rate and is made to perform the same operation. However, sometimes changing the operation of the application according to the link rate is more efficient.
The existing wireless systems include the following systems which control the operation of an application on an STA according to the status of the link.
A first system monitors a received signal strength indication corresponding to an AP in an STA which is a mobile terminal, and boots an application performing communication with the AP when the received signal strength indication is equal to or more than a predetermined value because the distance between the AP and the STA is short and it can be expected that high-speed communication will be realized (patent document 1). Such boot control makes it possible to prevent the STA from moving to the outside of a service area before the completion of communication and prevent the link from being broken as a result of the application being booted when the STA passes through the service area of the AP, and avoid a communication failure.
A second system makes an STA determine whether transmission and reception is possible within a predetermined time according to the status of a link such as a received signal strength indication corresponding to an AP, the amount of information transmitted and received between the STA and the AP and the number of STAs associated with the AP, and boots an application performing communication with the AP (patent document 2).    Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-235075    Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-057464

Station, station control method, and station control program

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation


A DC-DC converter regulates the maximum current through an inductor. The DC-DC converter operates within a paging receiver and boosts a voltage from a single cell battery to substantially 3.1 VDC in order to operate circuits which require more voltage than that produced by the single cell battery. Such circuits include CMOS microcomputers and code plug. The DC-DC converter is current regulated thus providing for improved power conversion efficiency. The DC-DC converter is active when the voltage is below a minimum voltage and inactive when above a maximum voltage. The DC-DC converter provides for a wide range of load currents from the converted voltage without being controlled by a microcomputer and while delivering the power to the loads with an improved efficiency.

This invention relates in general to the field of DC-DC converters. In particular, this invention relates to boost mode DC-DC converters operating within portable receivers.
Portable receivers such as pagers operate from a single cell battery. The pagers may be controlled by a microcomputer which requires more operating voltage than is available from the single cell battery. Consequently, a DC-DC converter is used to boost the battery voltage to a converted voltage high enough to operate the microcomputer. In place of, or in addition to the microcomputer, the boosted voltage may supply power to other circuits.
In portable battery operated products, such as pagers, it is desirable to have the lowest possible current drain in order to maximize battery life. Since the bias circuits of DC-DC converters consume current, it is desirable to switch the bias circuits off when power conversion is not required. In the past, DC-DC converters have been switched off with a predetermined duty cycle and a predetermined period. Such a method is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,956 to Davis et. al.
The DC-DC converter described in said patent, periodically switched an inductor to ground using an NPN switching transistor, and in releasing the inductor, developed a voltage potential across the inductor. When the voltage exceeded a predetermined voltage, a rectifying diode transferred the energy in the inductor to a storage capacitor to develop a converted voltage potential. Using a closed loop feedback system, the duty cycle of the periodic switching to ground of the inductor was adjusted to maintain a regulated voltage. However, when the converted voltage was substantially below the regulated voltage, a predetermined maximum duty cycle was selected for operation under worst case conditions. As a result of the predetermined maximum duty cycle, the current through the inductor builds to a large value This large value caused the inductor to saturate, the NPN switching transistor to be driven out of saturation, and excessive current to be delivered through the rectifying diode. This reduced the conversion efficiency of the DC-DC converter.
When the DC-DC converter was switched off for a predetermined time, circuits were powered by the energy stored within a capacitor coupled to the converted voltage. The capacitor was allowed to discharge during the predetermined time when the DC-DC converter was switched off. Then when the DC-DC converter was switched back on for a second predetermined time, the capacitor was recharged. During the recharge process, the DC-DC converter operated at the aforementioned maximum duty cycle, thereby decreasing the efficiency of the conversion process.
Additionally, the DC-DC converter was powered off and on with a fixed period and for a fixed "on" duration with a signal generated by a microcomputer based pager decoder. The period and "on" duration were selected to insure that the converted voltage does not decay excessively during the off interval under worst case load and circuit parameter conditions. As a result, under typical conditions the "on" duration was excessive which further degraded efficiency. Additionally, the microcomputer had to remain in a relatively high power operating state in order to power off and on at the fixed period.
Thus, although said patent described a method for the substantial reduction of current within a paging receiver when operating in a reduced power mode, the conversion efficiency of the DC-DC converter degraded, and the microcomputer operated in a relatively high power operating state in order to provide for the substantial current reduction.
Additionally, the DC-DC converter of the aforementioned patent had three operating modes, the first being a low current mode wherein the DC-DC converter powers off and on, which was typically used while the pager operated in a battery saving mode. The second being a medium current load, which was typically used while receiving and processing data. And the third being a high current load, which was typically used while the pager was reading the code plug. The second and third modes are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,277 to Davis et al. The microcomputer issued commands which operated the DC-DC converter in each of these three modes, which was an additional burden for the microcomputer.

Strobed DC-DC converter with current regulation


An apparatus to process a lightfield image of a scene acquired with a lightfield acquisition device comprises means for obtaining a first focal stack and a second focal stack, each comprising images representative of the scene and obtained from a different part of the pixels of the lightfield image. A method of processing the lightfield content is also described.

According to the background art, it is known to acquire different views of a same scene in a single snapshot with a plenoptic camera, also called light-field camera. A direct application of such a plenoptic camera is 3D reconstruction. Indeed, after demultiplexing of the raw image acquired with the photosensor array of the plenoptic camera, the recovered views of the scene are already in epipolar geometry horizontally and vertically, so the disparity between them can be estimated without stereo rectification. This is a huge advantage compared to binocular 3D stereo reconstruction from images captured with a conventional camera.
Nevertheless, estimating disparity from views resulting from the demultiplexing of the raw image suffers from several issues. For example, the views resulting from the demultiplexing offers only one single color information for some of the pixels of the views while other pixels do not have any color information associated with them: the spatial color sampling of such views is often jagged and incomplete, which leads to erroneous disparity estimation. Also the demultiplexing of the raw image often rely on interpolation (de-multiplexed pixel with non-integer coordinate), which leads to erroneous disparity. A solution to such disparity estimation issues is to first demosaice the raw image before demultiplexing it in order to have full color information for each pixel of each view of the scene resulting from the demultiplexing. But performing the demosaicing before the demultiplexing may lead to other issues, such as inter-view crosstalk. Indeed, as to recover the full color information for one given pixel of the raw image, pixels belonging to the neighborhood of this given pixel may be used, even if these neighboring pixels belongs to other view(s) than the view of the given pixel. Estimating the disparity on such views suffering from inter-view crosstalk may also lead to disparity errors.
Moreover, determining the focus associated with object(s) of the acquired scene may be a heavy process subject to precision issues.

Method and device for processing a lightfield content


In controlling fuel injection and ignition timing in an internal combustion engine operating on a fuel mixture, such as gasoline and methanol, consideration must be given to the mixture ratio of the fuel mixture in determining air/fuel ratio and ignition timing, as well as in controlling the atomizing of the injected fuel. Fuel injection time is determined in accordance with air/fuel ratio, which is calculated in accordance with the expression EQU A/F=14.8-0.0853P. for a fuel mixture of gasoline and methanol, where P is the mixture ratio of methanol. In addition, to enhance cold start performance, a droplet size of injected fuel below 100.mu. is desired, and this may be achieved using a heating element whose surface temperature is controlled in accordance with the mixture ratio P or by injecting compressed air with the injected fuel in an amount determined by the mixture ratio P, or both. In the alternative, an ultrasonic fuel injector may be employed whose frequency is controlled in accordance with the mixture ratio P.

The present invention relates in general to internal combustion engines, and more particularly to the control of fuel injection and ignition timing in an internal combustion engine operating on a fuel mixture of gasoline and methanol.
In an effort to protect the environment and conserve fuel sources, efforts have been made to improve the efficiency of operation of internal combustion engines. However, recent regulations which are directed to reduction of NO in exhaust gas seem to require measures which tend to conflict with efficient engine operation, since increase in efficiency of engine operation tends to result in an increase in NO in the exhaust gas.
It is known that, to decrease NO in the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, it is necessary only to maintain the maximum temperature of cylinder combustion to less than 1600.degree. C. The two ways of improving heat efficiency are to lower exhaust gas heat and reduce engine friction.
One easy method to address this problem is to use an EGR (exhaust gas recycle) method, which is a known way to reduce NO in exhaust gas. However, the EGR method has several drawbacks, including an increase in the HC and CO levels in the exhaust gas, as well as contamination of the injection port with dust carried in the EGR gas.
Another method of reducing NO in the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine is to use an alternative fuel, such as methanol mixed gasoline. In this regard, because of its chemical nature, methanol has a lower combustion temperature than gasoline. Thus, using a methanol-gasoline mixture provides for a reduced temperature of cylinder combustion and a consequent reduction in NO in the exhaust gas, but without increasing the levels of HC and CO, as occurs in EGR systems.
Much experimentation has been directed to the use of methanol mixed gasoline in conventional internal combustion engines, but major problems still block the widespread use of this alternative fuel. One of these problems relates to the fact that it is very difficult to start an engine on a methanol-gasoline mixture when the temperature is below 45.degree. F. One proposed solution to the cold-starting problem involves the use of gasoline from an auxiliary tank during starting and warm-up, with a switch being made to the methanol-gas mixture after the engine is warmed up. However, this solution is too costly and ineffective in controlling emissions.
Another problem with the use of methanol mixed gasoline is the difficulty in obtaining maximum torque during warm-up. Known engine control systems for methanol engines control the ignition timing on the basis of the detected methanol-gasoline mixture being burned, but no attention has been given to the need to also control the fuel injection volume to achieve maximum torque, depending on the methanol-gasoline mixture.

System and method of control of internal combustion engine using methane fuel mixture


A non-destructive inspection method for detecting the presence of a contaminant that has alloyed with a metallic alloy of a part includes exposing the metallic alloy of the part to an extraction solution. The extraction solution extracts at least a portion of any of the contaminant that has alloyed with the metallic alloy. The extraction solution can then be analyzed to determine whether the solution includes any of the contaminant element, which indicates whether the part includes any of the contaminant element.

This disclosure relates to inspecting metallic alloy parts to determine whether the parts include contaminant elements.
Nickel or other metallic alloys are typically used for parts that operate under relatively severe conditions, such as corrosive, elevated temperature, or high stress conditions. The composition of the nickel alloy may be selected to provide desirable properties, depending on the particular operating conditions. However, the nickel alloy may be exposed, through the manufacturing process of the part, to substances that can influence the desired properties.

Non-destructive inspection method for metallic alloys


Within a domain of a master device, devices that share a power line as a communications medium monitor signal detection windows to sense network status. The devices transmit sensed network status to the master device. The master device allocates channel resources based on the network statuses communicated by the devices within the domain.

Embodiments of the inventive subject matter relate to managing coexistence among signaling protocols on a shared medium.
A network of communication devices can share a communication medium (e.g., wires connecting multiple devices) using any of a variety of techniques. Some networks include mechanisms that enables various devices and systems to coexist sharing communication resources (e.g., frequency and time) when installed in a network with common electrical wiring.

Managing coexistence on a shared power line medium


An anti-skid brake control system is associated with a control system for a power train which controls power train operation mode between a four-wheel drive mode, in which all four wheels are coupled with an automotive internal combustion engine to be distributed torque according to a controlled distribution ratio of an engine driving torque, and a two-wheel drive mode, in which two auxiliary driving wheels are disconnected from the engine to be free from engine driving torque and two driving wheels are connected to the engine to receive the engine driving torque. The anti-skid brake control system is so associated with the power train control system as to normally set the power train operation mode into the two-wheel drive mode during active state of anti-skid brake control, and to set the power train operation mode into the four-wheel driven mode in response to wheel slippage at the primary driving wheels greater than a predetermined threshold value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an anti-skid brake control system for an automotive vehicle, which prevents excess magnitude of wheel slippage due to locking of wheel and whereby provides optimum vehicular braking efficiency. More specifically, the invention relates to an anti-skid brake control system particularly adapted for a vehicle having a four-wheel drive power train which is selectively switchable between four-wheel drive mode and two-wheel drive mode.
2. Description of the Background Art
Japanese Patent First (unexamined) Publications (Tokkai) Showa 61-169361 and 61-295132 disclose anti-skid brake control systems for four-wheel drive type vehicles which have clutch mechanisms selectively switching operation mode of a power train between four-wheel drive mode and two (front)-wheel drive mode depending upon the vehicle driving conditions. In such prior proposed system, the anti-skid brake control system is so associated with a power train control system which switches the operation mode of the power train between the four-wheel drive mode and two-wheel drive mode, as to switch operation mode from four-wheel drive mode to two-wheel drive mode for assure projection of a vehicle body speed data based on wheel rotation speed of a wheel which is disconnected from power source, i.e. an automotive engine, during active state of the anti-skid brake control system.
As will be seen, the prior proposed system forcingly switches the power train operation mode from four-wheel drive mode to two-wheel drive mode irrespective of wheel slippage magnitude at a primary driving wheel which is constantly connected to the engine. In such layout, the wheel disconnected from the engine is free from the deceleration torque of the engine during active state of the anti-skid control. Namely, an engine braking torque is only active on the primary driving wheels. This implies that, because power distribution in the power train is 100 (%) : 0 (%) between the primary driving wheel and auxiliary driving wheel which is disconnected from the engine during active state of the anti-skid brake control, all of negative driving torque is distributed to the driving wheel. This negative driving torque, i.e. engine braking torque, tends to cause delay in recovery of wheel rotation speed after occurrence of excessive wheel slippage. This tendency becomes substantially higher at low friction road, such as a icy road, snow road and so forth. Delay of recovery of wheel rotation speed maintains the wheel slippage at excessive level for relatively long time so as to cause degradation of the vehicle drivability. In case that the primary driving wheel is rear-wheels, vehicle driving stability can be degraded. On the other hand, in case that the primary driving wheel is front-wheels, vehicle steering stability can be degraded.

Anti-skid brake control system for automotive vehicle, particularly for vehicle having selective two-wheel and four-wheel drive power train


A method of manufacturing valves which are driven in particular in magnetic manner. At least one pressing piece is fastened to a rocker for moving a sealing element, in fact in a position of adjustment for adjusting a fixed valve stroke. Further, a valve and a valve bank are suggested.

Miniaturized valves of this type are defined by an extremely short valve stroke of at most 0.4 mm and/or by a very small fluid space of at most 300 mm3, preferably at most 100 mm3, the fluid space even coming down to 10 mm3 only.
Valves, in particular miniaturized membrane valves working with a rocker to open and close the fluid channels, call for an extremely high manufacturing expense. This is based on the small manufacturing tolerances of the individual components ensuring the short valve stroke. The several components arranged in series each have a range of tolerance which may add up to an overall tolerance that may be almost equal to the valve clearance and the valve stroke. Therefore, valve strokes ranging from 0.2 to 0.3 mm can only be achieved with smallest allowable manufacturing tolerances.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,924 shows a valve which, however, does not constitute a miniaturized valve. Here, a sealing element is fastened to a cover underneath each valve seat formed on the cover, the latter delimiting the cavity in upward direction. This fastening of the sealing element is carried out by means of a U-shaped, elastically yielding frame part carrying the sealing element. Depending on the switching condition of one of the sealing elements, the rocker can press against the valve seat and close it. In this process, the rocker is realized as a pure pressing means. The reset for opening the valve seat is effected by the elastically yielding frame which carries the sealing element. One of the two rocker arms is provided with an adjustment screw which allows adjusting the distance of the screw to the sealing element and thus the inclination of the rocker in the initial position.
It is the object of the invention to provide a method of manufacturing a valve, a valve as well as a bank of valves, in which the valve stroke lies within closest limits without involving an extra manufacturing expense.

Method and manufacture of valves driven by an actuator