An ultrasonic observation system of the invention includes a long ultrasonic probe having an ultrasonic sending and receiving portion, which can send and receive ultrasonic, and a holding portion, as a rotation operating portion, which can rotate the ultrasonic probe around an axis, which represents an arbitrary direction of oscillation directions of ultrasonic oscillated from the ultrasonic sending and receiving portion. A grasping portion is integrated with the holding portion. A contact portion is provided at the distal end of the grasping portion 613 and has an ultrasonic vibrator inside. A fixing frame is mounted to a distal end 622 of a holding unit 621 through a bearing 625 freely rotatably around a center axis S1 of the ultrasonic probe.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention-relates to an ultrasonic observation system for ultrasonically observing an affected part in front of a part to be operated and, in particular, to an ultrasonic observation system used for extracting three-dimensional ultrasonic images in neurosurgery, for example.
2. Related Art Statement
Conventionally, in order to remove a tumor in a less invasive manner in neurosurgery, an endoscope has been often used.
In such a system, a treating apparatus is inserted to a treated part in the cranium while an operator watching an endoscope observation image in order to perform a treatment such as tumor removal. In this case, the endoscope is fixed and/or is supported by a medical equipment holding apparatus including multiple arms and joints. In the cranium, important tissue such as nerves and blood vessels are tangled complexly and minutely. Therefore, the holding apparatus needs to be able to move an endoscope minutely and smoothly so as not to hurt tissue and needs to be able to fix an endoscope at an accurate position.
A medical equipment holding apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2001/0,027,313A1 has been proposed as a system for holding and fixing an endoscope in order to perform such an operation.
In the medical equipment holding apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2001/0,027,313A1, an installing part is attached freely slidably at a side rail of an operating table. The installing part includes a link mechanism, which is a holding portion tilting mechanism, through a supporting arm, an upper supporting member, and a first parallel link mechanism. The holding portion in the link mechanism holds a rigid endoscope. With this construction, the first parallel link mechanism and the holding portion tilting mechanism arm are deformed without changing the position for installing the holding apparatus so as to change the direction of the rigid endoscope.
In the method for guiding a rigid endoscope toward a part to be operated, a part of the cranium is opened, and the treatment is then performed thereon blindly. In order to prevent this and to guide the rigid endoscope toward the part to be operated more securely, an in-operation X-ray observation apparatus or an in-operation ultrasonic observation apparatus is used as a measure for observing the distal end of the rigid endoscope in real time.
In general, when an ultrasonic observation apparatus is used, a part of the cranium is opened, and an ultrasonic probe incorporating an ultrasonic vibrator is then put on the surface of the brain so as to observe a part of the brain.
Such an ultrasonic observation apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2003/0,045,768A1 and Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-206764.
U.S. Pat. No. 2003/0,045,768A1 discloses an ultrasonic probe, which can be inserted to a part of a small opening. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the sides and front of the inserting axis of the ultrasonic probe can be observed.
Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-206764 discloses a so-called electronic scan type ultrasonic probe, which can observe the front part. According to the technology disclosed in the publication, the distal end of the ultrasonic probe is put on the surface of a living body such that an image several centimeters ahead from the surface of the living body can be observed.
In the ultrasonic observation, an operator observes a two-dimensional tomographic image (depth image) during an operation. Therefore, an ultrasonic probe is moved freely with respect to the head, and the rigid endoscope is guided to a part to be operated by checking a desired observed part.
Here, a two-dimensional tomographic image is observed in general ultrasonic observation. However, a three-dimensional image is desirably used for the observation in order to realize the accurate position and size of a tumor, for example. Therefore, the operator puts an ultrasonic probe on the brain surface, that is a part to be operated, during an operation and then moves the direction and/or position of the ultrasonic probe slightly. Thus, the operator observes two-dimensional images of the various conditions and then understands the various conditions as a three-dimensional image in his/her brain.
Unlike the conventional example in which an operator images a three-dimensional image from two-dimensional images in his/her brain as disclosed in Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-206764, a conventional example in which a three-dimensional image can be obtained more easily has been proposed as disclosed in Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-261900.
In an ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus disclosed in Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-261900, at least one of a magnetic field generating means and a detecting means is positioned at the distal end of the ultrasonic probe, and a three-dimensional image forming means recognizes the relative position coordinates of the distal end or ultrasonic vibrator of the ultrasonic probe for the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generating means based on a value detected by the detecting means. Then, the ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus forms a three-dimensional image by using a tomographic image of the ultrasonic probe and the recognized position coordinates while the operator is inserting and is retracting the ultrasonic probe by hand.
The three-dimensional-like state of the distal end of the endoscope may be required to recognize by using an ultrasonic probe for guiding the endoscope distal end as an observing unit to a part to be operated. In this case, according to the conventional technology, the distal end of an endoscope can be guided to a part to be operated securely by checking the movement continuously from the time immediately after the distal end is inserted to the head of a patient until the distal end reaches a part to be operated. In order to do so, the direction of a two-dimensional image imaged ultrasonically must substantially coincide with the plane including an inserting axis of the endoscope.
When an ultrasonic observation apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2003/0,045,768A1 and Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-206764 is used in the cranial nerve field, the cranium is opened, and the ultrasonic probe must be put on the brain surface in order to obtain an image. In this case, from the operator's experience, the position of the ultrasonic probe is determined and is fixed, and then an endoscope is inserted thereto.
FIG. 30 is an explanatory diagram showing a positional relationship between the conventional endoscope and the ultrasonic probe.
As shown in FIG. 30, when a plane A0 including an inserting axis 502 of an endoscope 501 and a center axis 512 of an ultrasonic probe 511 is displaced from a two-dimensional plane (ultrasonic observation plane) B0 of an ultrasonic image rendered by the ultrasonic probe 511 by an angle α0, an endoscope distal end 503 does not appear on the ultrasonic image until the endoscope distal end 503 approaches the part to be operated.
On the other hand, in some operations, an ultrasonic probe may be inserted from an endoscope inserting hole, and the endoscope may be guided to a part to be operated while an operator checking the image information of the front of the endoscope. In this case, the operator inserts the ultrasonic probe as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2003/0,045,768A1 and the endoscope alternately from the opening of the patient's head so as to access the part to be operated.


Disclosed is a memory including a plurality of resistive change memory cells, including at least a first group and a second group of the memory cells and a comparison circuit configured to conduct a direct relative comparison of a remaining endurance of the first group of memory cells to a remaining endurance of the second group of memory cells.

New and emerging memory technologies, for example resistive change, or resistivity change, memory cells are gaining in popularity. Some examples include phase change (PCRAM) and conductive bridge (CB-RRAM) memories, all of which have limited endurance. For resistive change memories generally, the cumulative number of set or reset cycles the component memory cells may undergo before failure is finite and may be difficult to predict. Consequently, in typical applications, the host or memory/storage controller must either estimate or acquire a present endurance state of the constituent cells and actively manage and track their usage, striving to minimize the variance in usage of physical locations.
While erase count based estimates of durability or endurance may be adequate for NAND Flash wear leveling, this technique does not scale well for technologies like CB-RRAM or PCRAM, as the total amount of persistent storage required to maintain these counts increases with the smaller granularity of program/erase operations.
Improvements are needed to maximize the useful lives of memories.

Direct relative measurement of memory durability


A blasting control system includes a detonator module, and a blasting machine interface configured for serial communication between a blasting machine and the detonator module. The detonator module includes a detonator, a unique electronic ID, a switch configured to enable/disable the detonator in response to verification of the unique electronic ID, a communication device configured for communication with the blasting machine interface, and a processor responsive to instructions from the communication device. The blasting machine interface includes an I/O device, a communication device, and a processor responsive to the I/O device and the communication device. Upon verification of the unique electronic ID via communication from a user via the blasting machine interface, a state of the switch associated with the detonator is placed in an unlocked mode so as to enable activation of the associated detonator upon a fire signal from the blasting machine via the blasting machine interface.

The present disclosure relates generally to electric detonators, particularly to digitally secured electric detonators, and more particularly to the communication and control of digitally secured electric detonators.
Detonator systems have applications in the mining, quarry, construction, pipeline and geophysical exploration industries, where many detonators may be connected and controlled by a single blasting machine. In view of the hazards inherent in such explosive systems, there is a need in the art for improved control and communication between a blasting machine and its associated detonators.

Method and system for communicating and controlling electric detonators


A method tests a balancing circuit for a battery having a plurality of battery cells. The method detects first voltage states of the battery cells by way of a control unit; activates the balancing circuit with the aim of achieving a voltage equalization of at least two of the battery cells; detects second voltage states of the battery cells by way of the control unit; and determines a functional capability of the balancing circuit based on the first voltage states and the second voltage states of the battery cells by way of the control unit.

The present invention relates to a method for testing a balancing circuit for a battery that has a plurality of battery cells, to a device for testing the balancing circuit, to a battery system, and to a vehicle.
An electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle has a battery system (high-voltage battery) that comprises a plurality of series-connected and/or parallel-connected batteries or battery modules that each have at least two battery cells. The discharging procedure for a battery that has a plurality of battery cells is stopped as soon as that battery cell of the battery that is charged to the least extent has reached its minimum voltage, as this battery cell would suffer damage and be destroyed if discharging were to continue. Likewise, the charging procedure for a battery has to be interrupted as soon as a battery cell of the battery has reached its maximum voltage. Continuing to charge this battery cell would lead to overcharging and thus to destruction. Following an interruption of the charging procedure or of the discharging procedure, however, the other battery cells connected in series inside the battery are likewise no longer charged or discharged, even though they are possibly not yet fully charged or discharged. For this reason, the state of charge of the entire battery is restricted by the battery cell having the highest or lowest battery cell voltage. The overall capacity of the battery may therefore be greatly impaired.
Since the charging procedure for a battery is restricted by the "fullest" battery cell and the discharging procedure for the battery is restricted by the "emptiest" battery cell, a battery system normally has a balancing circuit that serves to reduce the voltage difference between the "fullest" battery cell and the "emptiest" battery cell. To test whether the balancing circuit is working correctly, the current dissipated via resistors of the balancing circuit, according to the prior art, is measured by way of current sensors. If, following activation of the balancing circuit, no current flows through the resistors, the balancing circuit should be regarded as defective. As a current sensor is required for each individual battery cell in order to monitor the resistors, the costs of the battery system are increased due to the additional costs of the current sensors.
The object of the present invention is to provide a simple method for testing a balancing circuit, which method is able to be implemented at low cost. A further object of the invention is to provide a corresponding device for testing a balancing circuit, a battery system having such a device and a vehicle having such a battery system.
This and other objects are achieved by the method, device, system and vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the invention.
The method according to the invention for testing a balancing circuit for a battery that has a plurality of battery cells comprises the following steps:    a) detecting first voltage states of the battery cells by way of a control unit,    b) activating the balancing circuit for the purpose of achieving voltage equalization of at least two of the battery cells,    c) detecting second voltage states of the battery cells by way of the control unit, and    d) determining a functional capability of the balancing circuit on the basis of the first voltage states and the second voltage states of the battery cells by way of the control unit.
The control unit detects and compares the voltage states of the battery cells prior to and following a balancing procedure. If the balancing circuit is working correctly, the voltage difference between the "fullest" battery cell and the "emptiest" battery cell is reduced following the balancing procedure. If the voltage difference has not reduced or not reduced sufficiently following the balancing procedure, the balancing circuit should therefore be regarded as defective.
According to one development of the invention, step a) includes the following steps: a1) detecting a first group of voltages of the battery cells by way of the control unit; and a2) calculating a first voltage difference between a highest voltage and a lowest voltage of the first group of voltages by way of the control unit.
According to one development of the invention, step c) includes the following steps: c1) detecting a second group of voltages of the battery cells; and c2) calculating a second voltage difference between a highest voltage and a lowest voltage of the second group of voltages by way of the control unit.
The voltages of the battery cells are preferably able to be measured by way of a voltmeter, without using additional current sensors.
According to one development of the invention, step d) includes the following steps: d1) calculating a difference value between the first voltage difference and the second voltage difference and comparing the difference value with a prescribed voltage value by way of the control unit; and d2) determining, by way of the control unit, that the balancing circuit is not working if the difference value is smaller than a prescribed voltage value.
The functional capability of the balancing circuit is determined by virtue of the fact that the balancing circuit should be regarded as defective if the voltage difference, following the balancing procedure, has not reduced or has not reduced sufficiently, that is to say for example has reduced by at least a prescribed voltage minimum value or by a prescribed percentage of the original voltage difference.
According to one development of the invention, the method comprises a further step: determining, by way of the control unit, that the balancing circuit is working if the difference value is greater than or equal to the prescribed voltage value.
According to one development of the invention, step c1) is performed a specific time after step a1).
According to one development of the invention, the specific time is determined depending on a duration of the voltage equalization; or the specific time is a prescribed value. By way of example, step c1) may be performed depending on the duration of the voltage equalization, e.g. 1-10 hours, after step a1). As an alternative, the specific time may be prescribed by the system, e.g. as 2 hours.
According to one development of the invention, the prescribed voltage value is between 0 mV and 10 mV.
The present invention furthermore provides a device for testing a balancing circuit for a battery that has a plurality of battery cells. The device comprises a control unit. The device detects first voltage states of the battery cells and activates the balancing circuit for the purpose of achieving voltage equalization of at least two of the battery cells, and detects second voltage states of the battery cells and determines a functional capability of the balancing circuit on the basis of the first voltage states and the second voltage states of the battery cells.
According to one development of the invention, the device has at least one voltmeter; wherein the at least one voltmeter detects a first group of voltages of the battery cells; and wherein the control unit calculates a first voltage difference between a highest voltage and a lowest voltage of the first group of voltages.
According to one development of the invention, the at least one voltmeter detects a second group of voltages of the battery cells; wherein the control unit calculates a second voltage difference between a highest voltage and a lowest voltage of the second group of voltages.
According to one development of the invention, the control unit calculates a difference value between the first voltage difference and the second voltage difference and compares the difference value with a prescribed voltage value, wherein the control unit determines that the balancing circuit is not working if the difference value is smaller than the prescribed voltage value.
According to one development of the invention, the prescribed voltage value D4 is between 0 mV and 10 mV.
The present invention furthermore provides a battery system. The battery system comprises at least one battery that has a plurality of battery cells, a balancing circuit whose purpose is to achieve voltage equalization of at least two of the battery cells, and an abovementioned device.
The present invention furthermore provides an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle having the abovementioned battery system.
As the voltages of the battery cells are already measured or monitored by the battery system for other reasons, it is advantageous that no additional component or sensor is required to implement the invention. Furthermore, the function, according to the invention, of the control unit is able to be implemented in an existing controller or an existing microcontroller. The invention thus provides a solution for testing a balancing circuit without increasing the costs of the battery system. The device according to the invention moreover does not require any extra installation space for positioning the control unit.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


A photopolymerizable mixture is disclosed comprising:. (a) a polymeric binder, PA0 (b) an acrylate or alkacrylate of a polyhydric alcohol containing one or more groups which are photooxidizable on exposure in the presence of the photoreducible dye, and one or more urethane groups, PA0 (c) a photoreducible dye as photoinitiator, PA0 (d) a trihalomethyl compound which can be cleaved by irradiation, and PA0 (e) an acridine or phenazine compound which is active as a photoinitiator.. The mixture is suitable for the production of printing plates and photoresists and is distinguished by increased photosensitivity.

The present invention relates to a photopolymerizable mixture which contains a polymeric binder, a polymerizable compound having at least two acrylate or alkacrylate groups in the molecule, and a photoinitiator combination.
Photopolymerizable mixtures which contain acrylates and/or methacrylates as photopolymerizable compounds are known. For the production of photoresist materials, in particular dry photoresist coatings, mixtures are preferred which contain acrylates or methacrylates having urethane groups in the molecule and which can be developed using aqueous alkaline solutions. Such mixtures are described, for example, in German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,822,190, German Auslegeschrift No. 2,115,373, German Patent No. 2,361,041 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,850,770 and No. 3,960,572.
On the other hand, photopolymerizable mixtures are also known which, in order to increase the photosensitivity, contain certain combinations of photoinitiators and activators, for example carbonyl-group-containing initiators and tertiary amines. Such mixtures with a synergistic action are described, for example, in German Offenlegungsschriften No. 2,602,419 and No. 2,251,048 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,807. A disadvantage of these mixtures which contain low-molecular-weight amines is that they have a short shelf life since the amines can easily bleed out, in particular from thin coatings.
In Japanese Patent Application No. 50/129,214, a photopolymerizable mixture is described which contains a tetra(meth)acrylate of a N'N'N',N'-tetrahydroxyalkylalkylenediamine as polymerizable compound. The tetrafunctional compound serves as a crosslinking agent.
It is furthermore known that the free-radical polymerization of ethylenically unsaturated compounds can be initiated by irradiation with visible light in the presence of photoreducible dyes and reducing agents, for example amines (U.S. Pat. No. 3,097,096). However, these initiator combinations are essentially employed only in aqueous solution or in combination with water-soluble binders.
Initiator combinations of photoreducible dyes and other reducing agents are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,597,343 and No. 3,488,269. Photopolymerizable mixtures which contain exclusively photoreducible dyes as initiators have hitherto not been employed in practice due to their inadequate photosensitivity.
In Japanese Patent Application No. 54/151,024, a photopolymerizable mixture is described which contains an initiator combination of a merocyanine dye and a trihalomethyl-substituted s-triazine and is sensitive towards visible light, for example an argon laser. However, the sensitivity of these mixtures towards visible laser light is inadequate for economic utilization.

Photopolymerizable mixture and recording material produced therefrom


A thermo-actuator has a steel rod, a guide member slidably mounted on the rod, a spool seal secured to the guide member, a heat conductive cylinder secured to the guide member, and wax pellets provided in the cylinder. The spool seal has a thin layer, so that the spool seal engages with the rod by a vacuum generated in the spool seal. The thickness of the spool seal is between 5% to 25% of the diameter of the steel rod.

The present invention relates to a thermoactuator provided in a wax-pellet thermostat for automotive engines and various thermo-sensors.
The thermo-actuator in the wax-pellet thermostat includes a steel rod, a guide member slidably engaged with the rod, a spool seal around the rod, a heat conductive cylinder secured to the guide member and exposed to a coolant, and wax pellets provided in the cylinder. The rod is sealed by a sealing device provided in the guide member.
When the temperature of the coolant rises in excess of a predetermined value of the thermostat, the wax expands. This forces the spool seal against the steel rod. As the wax squeezes the spool seal around the rod, the cylinder moves downward together with the guide member, thereby opening a valve. When the thermostat cools, the wax contracts, so that the spool seal expands.
On the other hand, the diaphragm portion of the spool seal at a central cylindrical portion has a relatively large thickness, for example, a thickness of 45% of the diameter of the rod. Accordingly, the restoring force of the spool seal to its original shape is very strong.
Accordingly, if the temperature of the coolant rapidly decreases from a high temperature (about 100.degree. C.) to a low temperature (below 40.degree. C.), the spool seal rapidly expands due to the restoring force of the spool seal to form a vacuum space between the spool seal and the rod. Thus, the coolant is inducted into the space by the vacuum.
Since the spool seal tightly grips the rod, the coolant in the space formed between the spool seal and the rod cannot be discharged. The valve is slightly raised by the coolant in the space, which causes the opening temperature of the valve to decrease. As a result, the engine is overcooled, thereby reducing the thermal efficiency of the engine and increasing the amount of emissions. The amount of the coolant in the space increases with time, so that the valve lift increases, which causes problems in the engine.


An apparatus and method for reorganizing mapping information in a flash memory are provided. The apparatus includes a sector-managing module that secures a mapping sector where mapping information is recorded in a physical unit, and determines whether user data is recorded up to a sector located in a predetermined position, and a mapping-information-recording module that records the mapping information in the mapping sector according to a result of the determination. Here, the mapping information includes a relation of a physical sector storing the user data and a logical sector corresponding to the physical sector.

1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to reorganization of mapping information in a flash memory, and more particularly, to a fast reorganization in a flash memory, which can reduce a time spent for a mapping reorganization by reducing accesses needed to reorganize physical and logical sectors located in a flash memory when the flash memory is initialized.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital devices such as digital cameras, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) are now in widespread use.
The popularity of a flash memory as a storage device of the portable digital device is increasing due to its low-power, integrity, high-function, physical safety, and portability. Especially, as the capacity of the flash memory is enlarged, the flash memory is increasingly being used as a replacement for disk drives.
The flash memory performs an erase-before-write operation.
When a write operation is performed to a sector, the erase-before-write operation erases a block in which the sector belongs, and then performs a write operation.
Thus, the operation in the flash memory consumes more time for input/output operations than in a hard disk which can perform overlapping operations on the sector.
After performing approximately one hundred thousand erase operations, the block of the flash memory cannot perform further erase operations.
Accordingly, the erase operation shortens the life of the flash memory.
Due to this characteristic, when the write operation is performed in a specific sector of the flash memory, the flash memory searches for an empty area in the allocated block, or allocates a block that requires few erase operations in order to perform the write operation. The software to enable this characteristic is called the flash translation layer (FTL), which performs a function of mapping a logical sector address of the file system to a physical sector address of the flash memory.
An FTL algorithm minimizes the erase operation, and prevents the erase operation from being centralized to a single block.
Mapping used in the FTL algorithm is divided into sector mapping, block mapping, and hybrid mapping. The sector mapping maps a physical sector and logical sector by creating a mapping table having sector units. The block mapping maps a physical block and a logical block. The hybrid mapping uses the two aforementioned mapping methods, which can exploit the advantages of the two mapping methods.
The mapping table is mainly stored in the main memory of the system to be referred to in real-time, but it is also stored in the flash memory for the situation where the power is lost.
FIGS. 1A through 1C depict a relation of pages, blocks, and units that exist in a flash memory device.
A unit is a logical concept used in the FTL. One physical unit 110 has a plurality of sequential physical blocks 120, and is divided into a metadata-storage area 111 and a data-storage area 112.
The metadata-storage area 111 has a logical unit number 111a that is mapped to the physical unit 110, a depth 111b showing an age of the physical unit 110, and the number of erases 111c of the physical unit 110, as shown in FIG. 1B. For reference, the greater the number of the depth 111b is, the later the physical unit has been recorded.
The data-storage area 112 has data 112a and a logical sector number 112b that is mapped to a corresponding physical sector, as shown in FIG. 1C.
FIG. 2 depicts a mapping relation of a logical sector and a physical sector located in a related art physical unit.
In a physical unit 201 of a flash memory, physical sectors storing data 201a and information 201b on logical sectors mapped to the physical sectors are displayed.
A mapping table 202 stored in a main memory of a system displays logical sector numbers 202a and physical offset numbers 202b on the physical sectors mapped to the logical sectors.
The logical sector numbers 202a showing information on the physical sectors are displayed for convenience, but are not stored in the real mapping table since they may be displayed as indexes of the table.
When the flash memory is initialized, since the related art requires reading the physical sectors that belongs in each physical unit of the flash memory in order to organize mapping of the logical sectors and the physical sectors in each physical unit, it requires a long boot time, which causes performance deterioration of the system.

Apparatus and method for reorganization of mapping information in flash memory


Disclosed herein is a phosphate gel for passivation, which is used for the acid washing and phosphate coating of a corroded metal surface. The phosphate gel contains phosphate and gum.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a phosphate gel for passivation, which is used to remove corrosion, caused by welding, from the pipelines, towers, valves and the like of structures installed in ships, manufactured in shipyards, or large-sized engines, manufactured in heavy industrial companies, and to form a phosphate coating film on the pipelines and the like.
2. Background of the Related Art
Forming layers of metal compounds by causing chemical changes (oxidation, reduction, substitution, alloying, etc.) on metal surfaces is referred to as chemical coating, the most typical of which is phosphate coating. Phosphate coating refers to making on metal a new, non-metallic and non-conductive surface. That is, phosphate coating refers to making an inorganic crystal or an amorphous coating film on metals, such as steel, aluminum, zinc, cadmium, or alloys thereof, and is also called "Parkerizing" or Bonderizing" (Amchem Products, Inc., USA). Also, the phosphate coating, which is carried out using a simple method and equipment, incurs low production cost and is economical. Prior patents relating to the formation of phosphate coatings are as follows: Korean Patent Registration No. 1984-0005227, entitled "Phosphating agent for use at room temperature and use thereof"; Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0324089, entitled "Method for forming phosphate-based coating on metal surface"; Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0397049, entitled "Method and apparatus for forming phosphate coating on steel wire"; and Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0536884, entitled "Zinc-calcium-based phosphate coating/coloring agent and method of forming phosphate coating using the same". In said patents, a dipping process is carried out in the liquid phase. Also, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0491178, entitled "Electro-phosphate coating method", and Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0554895, entitled "Phosphate coating system and chemical coating system", employ electrolysis. As described above, phosphatizing agents, which are currently used in the industrial field, are in the liquid phase and do not employ gel-type phosphate.

Gel containing phosphate salts for passivation


Service level objectives for a multi-tier system are translated to low-level system metrics by determining component profiles. The component profiles include performance parameters calculated as a function of applied resources for each of a plurality of components of the multi-tier system. Performance models including service level parameters are also determined. The performance models are determined as a function of the performance parameters and workload characteristics. The service level objectives are translated to the low-level system metrics using the performance models.

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) captures the formal agreement between a service provider and one of its customers relating to service behavior guarantees, escalation procedures, and penalties in case the guarantees are violated. When SLA requirements are agreed upon, a service administrator usually designs the service and then stages it. In many cases, the staging process is iterative in nature and involves several manual interventions. Once the service is observed to behave satisfactorily during staging, it is put in production.
Enterprise applications are typically comprised of a large number of components, which interact with one another in a complex manner. Since each component potentially affects the overall behavior of the system, any high level service level objectives (SLOs) which may be related to performance, availability, security, etc., specified for the service potentially relates to many or all the components. One of the key tasks during the design stage of an enterprise system is determining the amount or capacity of computer resources to be provisioned for the enterprise system such that the SLOs specified in the SLA are satisfied.
System administrators and experts normally apply their domain knowledge to determine the amount of resources to provision for an enterprise system to satisfy high-level goals, such as the SLOs. However, in many instances, resources are over-provisioned resulting in under-utilized resources. Also, the task of determining the amount of resources is iterative, time-consuming and complex.

Translating service level objectives to system metrics

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A container includes a body having base wall and a side wall extending upward from the base wall. The body includes a bracket portion having an elongated slot. An axle extends through the elongated slot. The axle is slidable in the elongated slot between a deployed position and a retracted position. A wheel is connected proximate one end of the axle. A clip secures the axle within the elongated slot.

Roll-out carts for waste collection or recycling are well-known. The roll-out carts generally include a container body having wheels attached to a lower, rear portion of the body by an axle. Generally, the body is tapered, such that identical bodies can be nested within one another for storage and shipping. To accomplish nesting, sometimes the wheels are positioned far enough forward of the container so that the wheeled body can still be nested in an identical body. However, moving the wheels forward reduces the stability of the roll-out cart during use by the ultimate user.
The cart is more stable if the axle of the wheels can be positioned more toward the rear of the cart, such that the wheels protrude rearward outside the envelope or footprint of the body. However, in this position, the wheeled body cannot be nested in an identical body.
As a result, the roll-out carts may be shipped with the axles and wheels disassembled from the body. However, this requires subsequent assembly of the axles and wheels, which could be lost during transit.

Wheeled container with repositionable axle


In accordance with the purpose(s) of the present disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein, the disclosure relates to a method for producing C4 olefins from acetylene using supported metal-based catalysts and metal-based promoters. The method is inexpensive, efficient, and environmentally sound. Additionally, the method is selective for C4 olefins and other value-added products based on changes to reaction parameters including temperature, feed gas composition, and promoter identity. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

C4 olefins are produced from fluid-catalytic cracking (FCC), steam cracking of liquid hydrocarbon feedstock and/or of liquid petroleum gas, butane dehydrogenation, and other methods, and is typically carried out in petroleum refineries. Petroleum cracking processes typically involve high temperatures and are relatively energy-inefficient.
Demand for C4 olefins is increasing due to industrial use of 1-butene, 2-butene, and butadiene as chemical intermediates. In particular, 1-butene and 2-butene can be used as feedstocks for alkylation reactions to produce trimethylpentanes, which are high-octane gasoline blending components, while butadiene is chiefly used as a monomer in the production of synthetic rubbers including styrene-butadiene rubber, polybutadiene rubber, nitrile rubbers, and chloroprene rubber. In the past decade, the demands for synthetic rubbers as well as for alkylate for use as a gasoline blending component continues to grow, particularly in emerging automotive industries in China, India, and Brazil, causing a shortage of C4 olefins.
Catalytic conversion of hydrocarbons to make C4 olefins is a primary focus of development in industrial processes. A one-step dehydration to convert ethanol into butadiene was developed in the 1930s (Lebedev process). A number of catalysts have been tested, and two catalyst systems (Al2O3/ZnO and MgO/SiO2) appeared to be effective either in a pure form or doped with metal promoters. It has long been known that dehydrogenation reactions take place on the basic sites of magnesia and zinc oxide, while the dehydration step of the process occurs at acidic sites of silica and alumina. Various promoters including K2O, Na2O, CuO, Ag, and Au have been incorporated onto these catalysts in attempts to enhance the activity of the catalysts.
In addition to ethanol-based synthesis pathways, alternative paths to deliberate production of butadiene have been investigated. One such pathway was based on (deoxy)dehydration of polyols having C4 backbones such as, for example, 1,3-, 2,3-, and 1,4-butanediols. For this process, a number of catalysts have been evaluated, including Na—P/siO2, HZSM-5, ThO2, and Sc2O3. However, high yields of undesired byproducts such as MEK and 3-buten-2-ol (3B2OL) were observed over acidic catalysts. Furthermore, n-butanol dehydration to 1-butene over oxides of Cr, Fe, and/or Al or of (Ca—Ni) phosphates has been evaluated. However, ethanol and polyol mutes to C4 olefins is more expensive than production of these compounds from petroleum feedstocks.
Yet another method for producing C4 olefins involves using ethylene from a natural gas feedstock. For example, 1-butene has been produced from ethylene dimerization over nickel-based catalysts, and C4 olefins can be synthesized from hydrodimerization of acetylene, which can be accomplished via microwave or plasma-assisted methane conversion processes. Although acetylene can be synthesized with raw materials such as methane and ethane extracted from shale gas deposits, thus having a low impact on CO2 emissions, past processes for the dimerization of acetylene to C4 olefins have utilized Nieuwland catalysts consisting of CuCl/(KCl or NH4Cl) to produce monovinylacetylene (MVA) olefin. However, these processes result in low acetylene conversion and low MVA selectivity. Furthermore, this process is typically carried out in liquid solution, where the presence of HCl is required for the reaction system in order to keep the catalysts stable, which could lead to the leaching of CuCl2 into the environment.
Despite advances in C4 olefin production research, there is still a scarcity of methods that are inexpensive, efficient, and selective for desired compounds while producing few undesired byproducts. Ideally, a new method for production would draw on an abundant raw material and contribute value-added byproducts. Additionally, a new method for production would be energy efficient and more environmentally sound than previous methods. These needs and other needs are satisfied by the present disclosure.

Method to produce C4 olefins from natural gas-derived acetylene


A mobile device compensates for a lack of a time stamp when an image frame is captured by estimating the frame time stamp latency. The mobile device captures images frames and time stamps each frame after the frame time stamp latency. A vision based rotation is determined from a pair of frames. A plurality of inertia based rotations is measured using time stamped signals from an inertial sensor in the mobile device based on different possible delays between time stamping each frame and time stamps on the signals from the inertial sensors. The determined rotations may be about the camera's optical axis. The vision based rotation is compared to the plurality of inertia based rotations to determine an estimated frame time stamp latency, which is used to correct the frame time stamp latency when time stamping subsequently captured frames. A median latency determined using different frame pairs may be used.

1. Background Field
Embodiments of the subject matter described herein are related generally to image processing, and more particularly compensating for the lack of a time stamp when images are captured.
2. Relevant Background
Computer vision based tracking methods suffer from a lack of robustness when there are quick motions and, in particular, when there are large image displacements caused by the rotation of the camera. Hence, aiding computer vision tracking with inertial sensors can drastically improve the tracking robustness. Sensor fusion between poses derived from camera frames and inertial sensor measurements can only occur if accurate time stamps for camera frames and inertial sensor measurements are available.
In current mobile device platforms, the application program interface (API) for inertial sensors includes a time stamp field and the inertial sensor data is time stamped when the sensor is sampled. Unfortunately, many current mobile devices do not have a time stamp field in the camera API. Accordingly, in such mobile devices, image frames are not time stamped at the sensor level when captured by the camera, but are time stamped at a later time, e.g., when delivered to an application level, such as at a High Level Operating System (HLOS) or other level. In addition, sensor measurements are often low pass filtered to suppress noise. Sometimes, the low pass filtering is aggressive, effectively averaging measurements over more than one sample and thereby rendering the sensor time stamp inaccurate. Thus, fusion between poses derived from camera frames and inertial sensor measurements is inaccurate.

Adaptive estimation of frame time stamp latency


Systems and methods for originating and sending a voice mail message to an instant messaging platform. One particular system includes a voice mail service adapted to receive a voice mail message and information associated with a recipient subscriber, request an instant messaging address associated with the recipient subscriber's information, and encode the voice mail message for transmission to an instant messaging platform. The system also includes an associated database adapted to provide the voice mail service with an instant messaging address associated with the recipient subscriber's information. Further, the system includes an instant messaging platform adapted to receive the encoded voice mail message from the voice mail service. Also, the system includes a network in communication with the voice mail platform and the instant messaging platform, wherein the voice mail platform transmits the encoded voice mail message to the instant messaging address, and the network routes the encoded voice mail message to the instant messaging platform.

Voice mail is a commonly available call service option for subscribers. When a first subscriber (a "calling subscriber") calls a second subscriber (a "retrieving subscriber"), and the retrieving subscriber cannot or is unable to answer the call, the calling subscriber can be connected to a voice mail service to leave a message for the retrieving subscriber. The retrieving subscriber may then obtain or retrieve the message when he or she returns home and checks the voice mail service, or alternatively, the retrieving subscriber may check and obtain the message remotely via a call to the voice mail service. Delays in obtaining a voice mail message from home or remotely via a call to the voice mail service can be burdensome and time consuming to the retrieving subscriber, since the retrieving subscriber does not know when there is an incoming call or when a message has been left with the voice mail service. Moreover, the delay for the calling subscriber in establishing contact with or otherwise communicating with the retrieving subscriber can be burdensome and time consuming.
Messaging platforms and associated protocols such as instant messaging now exist. However, there is no link between these types of messaging platforms and associated protocols and existing voice mail services.
Therefore, a need exists for systems and methods for originating and sending a voice mail message to an instant messaging platform.
A need also exists for systems and methods for receiving a voice mail message at an instant messaging platform.
Still another need exists for systems and methods for responding to a voice mail message received at an instant messaging platform.


Methods of forming semiconductor devices having customized contacts are provided including providing a first insulator layer and patterning the first insulator layer such that the first insulator layer defines at least one contact window. A second insulator layer is provided on the first insulator layer and in the at least one contact window such that the second insulator layer at least partially fills the at least one contact window. A first portion of the second insulator layer is etched such that a second portion of the second insulator layer remains in the at least one contact window to provide at least one modified contact window having dimensions that are different than dimensions of the at least one contact window. Related methods and devices are also provided.

Schottky barrier devices are widely used in many consumer, commercial and other applications. A Schottky barrier is a potential barrier formed at a metal-semiconductor junction, which has rectifying characteristics. Many Schottky barrier devices use wide bandgap semiconductors, such as silicon carbide, gallium nitride and/or gallium arsenide, which may be used for high power, high temperature and/or microwave applications. Semiconductor Schottky barrier devices include Schottky diodes, High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) and MEtal Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MESFETs). A HEMT is a field effect transistor that incorporates a junction between two materials with different bandgaps (i.e., a heterojunction) as the channel, instead of a doped region, as is generally the case in integrated circuit field effect transistors. A Schottky barrier gate is used to control a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) between a source region and a drain region. In a MESFET, a Schottky barrier gate is used to control conduction in a doped channel that is formed between source and drain regions.
The length of the Schottky gate contact of the semiconductor device may directly impact the operation speed and performance of the semiconductor device. Conventional methods of forming these gates typically consist of photoresist patterning followed by an etch of a dielectric down to the surface of the semiconductor. The gate length is defined by the dimension of the dielectric opening. The dielectric profile can be adjusted by adjusting the photoresist profile, which can vary from straight, perpendicular to slightly sloped. The slope is commonly achieved through a photoresist reflow step that consists of baking beyond the glass transition temperature. This process may be difficult to control and may not provide the variation requested by customers for their devices.

Methods of forming semiconductor contacts


A vehicular headlamp assembly with a tilt measuring device of small height, which is difficult to damage, requires a decreased number of parts, and is easy to assemble. The tilt measuring device is interposed between a protruding portion of a horizontal aiming screw protruding rearward of a reference member and the reference member. The tilt measuring device includes a fixed holder fixed to the reference member and covering the protruding portion of the horizontal aiming screw protruding rearward of the reference member, an elongated groove being formed in said fixed holder extending parallel to the horizontal aiming screw. A slidable nut member is received in the fixed holder in such a manner as to be longitudinally slidable relative to the fixed holder. The nut member threadedly engages the protruding portion of the horizontal aiming screw. A portion of the nut member is exposed through the elongated groove of the fixed holder. A scale cooperates with the portion of the nut member exposed through the elongated groove for indicating the amount of displacement of the nut member relative to the fixed holder.

The present invention relates to a vehicular headlamp assembly provided with a measuring device for checking the aiming directions of right and left light beams of the headlamp to determine whether or not the angle between the right and left light beams is properly set. More particularly, the invention relates to a vehicular headlamp assembly which can easily adjust the angle between the right and left light beams, when not properly set, to the correct angle.
A headlamp apparatus of the tiltable reflector type in which a reflector is tiltably supported in a headlamp body will be described as an example of a vehicular headlamp assembly to which the invention can be applied. As shown in FIG. 1, a reflector b is mounted on its rear surface to a lamp body a by means of two aiming screws c and d, which extend in the front-to-rear direction of the headlamp, and a pivot e. In FIG. 1, in which the reflector is seen from the front side, the aiming screws c and d extend vertically with respect to the plane of the drawing.
The aiming screws c and d are rotatably supported on the rear side of the lamp body a. The support points of the reflector b supported by the aiming screws c and d are orthogonal to the pivot e as seen from the front of the headlamp. The reflector b can be tilted about a horizontal axis L.sub.x and a vertical axis L.sub.y by turning the aiming screws c and d, whereby the angle between the two light beams is adjusted. Reference character f designates a bulb as a light source mounted on the reflector b.
There is known another headlamp apparatus of the tiltable unit type in which a lamp body reflector unit is tiltable about a lamp housing. The lamp body reflector unit is constructed such that the reflector is integral with the spherical inner surface of the lamp body. The tiltable unit headlamp apparatus, like the tiltable reflector headlamp apparatus, is constructed such that the lamp body reflector unit is supported on the lamp housing by means of one pivot and two aiming screws. The light beam angle of the headlamp is adjusted by adjusting the tilt angle of the reflector unit. In this case, the reflector unit is tilted by turning the aiming screws.
As described above, in the conventional vehicular headlamp apparatuses, the light beam angle of the headlamp is adjusted in a such a manner that the tilting member (the reflector in the tiltable reflector headlamp apparatus and the lamp-body/reflector unit in the tiltable unit headlamp apparatus), the orientation of the reflecting surface of which determines the light beam direction, is tilted horizontally (about the vertical axis) and vertically (about the horizontal axis) with respect to the reference member (the lamp body in the tiltable reflector headlamp apparatus and the lamp housing in the tiltable unit headlamp apparatus).
Many proposals have been made for the measuring device for measuring the horizonal light beam angle of the headlamp in a simple manner. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,138,532, 5,121,303, and 5,029,051, all commonly assigned herewith, disclose several examples.
In all of those proposals, the measuring device for measuring the horizontal tilt of the tilting member is installed between the tilting member and the reference member. Further, it is frequently placed at a location above the lamp for ease of reading the scale. This results in increasing the height of the headlamp. The increased height is contradictory to the recent market trend for flat-type headlamps. Particularly, in the tiltable reflector headlamp apparatus, the measuring device is located within the lamp body. This construction makes it difficult to read the scale.
A tilt measuring device, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,303, is illustrated in FIG. 2. As shown therein, a transparent case g protrudes from the rear side of a lamp body a. The first half of a sliding bar h is slidably located in the transparent case g. The second half thereof extends through the lamp body a and resiliently contacts the rear side (side bracket) of the reflector b. A relative scale is provided between the rear end h1 of the sliding bar h and the transparent case g. The amount of the horizontal tilt of the reflector b is measured on the basis of the displacement of the sliding bar h relative to the transparent case g. Reference symbol i designates a compression coiled spring.
In the measuring device structure of FIG. 2, a hole through which the sliding bar h passes must be formed in the lamp body a as the reference member. The work to form the hole in the lamp body is troublesome in production. Further, careful adjustment is required when the measuring device is assembled into the lamp body.
A tilt measuring device previously proposed by the present applicant is shown in FIG. 3. As shown, a guide member 101 protrudes from the rear side of a lamp body a. A slide case 102, coupled with the guide member 101, is slidable in the direction of the guide member extension. A nut 103, which receives a horizontal aiming screw c, is slidable within the slide case 102. A zero-adjustment screw 104 is interposed between the nut 103 and the slide case 102.
In operation, an indicator 106 between the guide member 101 and the slide case 102 is preset to indicate a zero point 105a on the scale 105. When the reflector tilts in the horizontal direction, the indicator 106 moves to indicate the amount of tilt of the reflector. The indicator 106 is adjusted to point to the zero point 105a by turning the zero-adjustment screw 104. As seen, in this technique, the measuring device for measuring the horizontal tilt of the light beam angle of the headlamp is assembled into the section protruding from the lamp body a. Accordingly, there is no need of the troublesome work to form a hole for the measuring device. Further, the height of the headlamp can be reduced.
In the case of the measuring device of FIG. 3, the guide member 101, which is shaped like a bar and has a scale formed thereon, is thin. Accordingly, when the headlamp is mounted on the car body or the aiming or zero adjustment is carried out, if a worker mistakenly hits the guide member with a tool such as a driver or wrench, the guide member can be easily damaged or broken.
Additionally, the conventional measuring devices require a great number of parts and a complicated construction. Accordingly, the cost of manufacture is high and the assembly work of the measuring device to the headlamp is complicated.


First and second computing devices are selectively operatively coupled together. The first device provides data to the second device. The second device can be a portable computing device. The second device is configured to encrypt/decrypt the data, as needed by the first device. The second device maintains the cryptographic key data internally. As such, the first device, which, for example, may be a personal computer will only maintain the returned encrypted data following encryption and only temporarily use any returned decrypted data. Thus, by physically and operatively distributing the cryptographic processing/maintenance between the two devices, additional security is provided for protecting private data.

There is a continuing need to keep certain information secure within a computer. For example, many computer operating systems and applications require users to initially and/or periodically generate passwords, which are subsequently used to verify the user's identity. These passwords represent one form of "private data" that preferably needs to be stored within the computer in some significantly secure manner.
Typically, passwords and other forms of private data are encrypted prior to storage, for example, using an encryption algorithm and an associated encryption key. During subsequent retrieval, the encrypted private data is decrypted using a decryption algorithm and the encryption key.
One of the drawbacks to this encrypting/decrypting process is that both the encrypted data and the encryption key need to be stored somewhere within the computer. This presents a point of weakness within the overall security of the private data, since an unauthorized user needs only to determine/locate the encryption key to gain access to the encrypted private data. Hence, passwords and other supposedly secret information files may fall prey to hackers that have gained access to the computer.
Consequently, there is a need for improved methods and arrangements for securing private data.

Distributed cryptographic methods and arrangements


Systems and methods for scheduling events in a virtualized computing environment are provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises scheduling one or more events in a first event queue implemented in a computing environment, in response to determining that number of events in the first event queue is greater than a first threshold value, wherein the first event queue comprises a first set of events received for purpose of scheduling, wherein said first set of events remain unscheduled; mapping the one or more events in the first event queue to one or more server resources in a virtualized computing environment; receiving a second set of events included in a second event queue, wherein one more events in the second set of event are defined as having a higher priority than one or more events in the first event queue that have or have not yet been scheduled.

Virtualized computing infrastructures, commonly referred to as cloud computing sites, utilize physical servers with virtualization capabilities for hosting multiple virtual servers. A virtual server is a computer system running on emulated hardware provided by the host. An event is generally defined by a collection of virtual servers and a projected time duration and time interval during which the virtual servers are to be hosted. Events are hosted by placing their virtual servers on hosts capable of running them.
Efficient scheduling of such events is important for the host that offers hosting services for a limited time. The core utilization of the host is defined by the ability to host more events in a given time frame while maximizing profitability and fault tolerance. Some hosts, such as International Business Machine (IBM®) Business Continuity and Resiliency Services (BCRS) centers, offer a recovery service in case a disaster strikes. The recovery service allows a customer to periodically rehearse pre-implemented disaster recovery plans.
The above noted rehearsal events generally encompass the majority of event activities in said hosts and tend to consume significant administrative and infrastructure resources. It is desirable to optimize the scheduling and management of these rehearsal events. Further, in case of a recovery from a true disaster, it is desirable for the host to allocate as many resources as possible to accommodate a projected recovery plan. Said allocation of resources is often accomplished at the expense of delaying planned or on-going rehearsal events. It is desirable to minimize the disturbance to the prescheduled rehearsals while maintaining profitability.

Scheduling events in a virtualized computing environment based on a cost of updating scheduling times or mapping resources to the event

International Business Machines Corporation


A paper towel roll holder attachable to a galley wall or interior surface of a vehicle is disclosed. The paper towel roll holder includes a fixed carrier section mountable to the wall and terminating in a fixed support arm extending therefrom, the support arm including a circular or rounded boss capable of fitting into an inner cardboard sleeve of a paper towel roll of variable length. The paper towel roll holder includes a sleeve section terminating in an opposing support arm also including a rounded boss capable of fitting the inner sleeve. The sleeve section slides along the fixed carrier section to accommodate paper towel rolls of varying lengths.

Catering services aboard commercial aircraft galleys may encounter liquid spillages or unwanted food residue requiring removal. Airlines may provide disposable paper towel rolls for this purpose. However, various local suppliers around the world may provide differently sourced rolls, which may vary widely with respect to the roll length or diameter of the inner cardboard sleeve. As a result, some roll sizes may not be compatible with standard paper roll holders.


A safety electrical power connector can include a first connector body having a first electrical contact and an outer surface, and a second connector body that engages the first connector body in an axial direction. The second connector body can have a second electrical contact and an inner surface configured to slide relative to the outer surface of the first connector body in the axial direction during engagement of the first and second connector bodies. The outer surface and the inner surface can define a gap therebetween sufficient to establish an isolation enclosure that isolates a volume containing the first and second electrical contacts therein. The gap can be formed prior to electrical communication of the first and second electrical contacts thereby preventing an explosion due to arcing between the first and second electrical contacts.

Industrial environments (e.g., mining, paint and coatings, oil and gas, robotic manufacturing lines, high dust industrial environments, etc.) are governed by strict safety standards, such as 29 CFR 1910 and 29 CFR 1926 (April 2017), with equipment regulated by safety standards, such as UL 1203 and UL 844, to prevent explosions due to sparks or arcing originating from electrical wires and connectors. For example, when power is left on during the uncoupling of a connector, arcing can occur between the electrical connectors as they disengage. If combustible conditions are present (e.g. dust, vapors, gases, etc), as is often the case in industrial environments, this arcing can lead to an explosion. Safety standards typically specify permissible electrical wires and connectors including materials, flame paths (e.g., spark production), conductor separation distances, maximum gap distances, etc. A variety of connectors have been designed that meet the applicable safety standards. Despite compliance with such safety standards, however, there is room for improvement in connector designs to make connectors that are robust (e.g., fool-proof), reduced risk, and user friendly.


A method of preparing a (meth)acrylate syrup comprises: providing one or more precursors for formation of (meth)acrylate monomer; continuously forming the (meth)acrylate monomer from the one or more precursors thereof; and continuously polymerizing at least the (meth)acrylate monomer to form the (meth)acrylate syrup. The (meth)acrylate syrup is useful in, for example, preparation of adhesives.

The present invention relates generally to a method for continuous production of (meth)acrylate syrup and (meth)acrylate-based adhesives therefrom.
Adhesives are provided in various forms for application. For example, adhesives can be prepared and provided in organic solvent for application, after which time the solvent is removed. Adhesives can also be prepared and applied without use of organic solvent—e.g., as in the case of hot-melt adhesives (i.e., where the adhesive is substantially polymerized prior to its application to a substrate) or web-polymerized adhesives (i.e., where the adhesive is substantially polymerized after its application to a substrate). Hot-melt adhesives have a sufficient viscosity upon melting, such that they can be applied to a substrate. Yet, some method of increasing the cohesive strength of applied hot-melt adhesives is often needed (e.g., post-crosslinking or moisture-curing), resulting in decreased processing efficiency and other limitations.
In addition to their various forms, adhesives are used in a variety of applications and are based on a variety of chemistries, which are often dictated by the nature of the desired application. For example, adhesives based on (meth)acrylate chemistry are commonplace, particularly when viscoelastic adhesive properties are desired.
Conventionally, (meth)acrylate-based adhesives are prepared starting with stock (meth)acrylate monomer that is formed according to known methods (e.g., an esterification reaction between an oxo alcohol and (meth)acrylic acid such as that described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,776,947; 4,280,009; and 5,386,052). Methods relying on an esterification reaction typically include use of elevated temperatures, reduced pressure, (meth)acrylic acid, an acid catalyst, a molar excess of one component—typically oxo alcohol, and distillation to purify the resulting (meth)acrylate monomer.
Once prepared, processing is generally discontinued and stock (meth)acrylate monomers are stored for later use. Often, polymerization inhibitors (e.g., quinone-based polymerization inhibitors) are present in stock (meth)acrylate monomer in order to prevent premature polymerization thereof during this typical processing delay. An example of the use of quinone-based polymerization inhibitors for this purpose is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,816,267. Quinone-based polymerization inhibitors are commonly employed, and they can be deactivated by removing oxygen from the system in which they are used (e.g., by purging the system with nitrogen prior to polymerization of the monomer). Thus, special storage and handling conditions are generally associated with stock (meth)acrylate monomer prior to its polymerization.
From compositions comprising stock (meth)acrylate monomer and any other types of monomers and components desired in an adhesive prepared therefrom, adhesives can be prepared using batch or continuous processes. Known continuous processes for preparation of web-polymerized adhesives involve coating of partially polymerized syrup onto a moving web, such as those processes described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,181,752; 4,303,485; 4,421,822; and 5,462,977. When continuously preparing (meth)acrylate-based web-polymerized adhesives, it is conventional to form a syrup having a coatable viscosity and based on stock (meth)acrylate monomer. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,485, that syrup can be conventionally prepared by supplying ultraviolet radiation to a container including stock (meth)acrylate monomer to partially polymerize the same. The step of partial photopolymerization is stopped at any point simply by turning off the ultraviolet radiation. That syrup can then be stored, if necessary, until a point in time that it is used to form an adhesive. When forming an adhesive, for example, the syrup can be coated onto a moving web, for example, where further polymerization thereof can be initiated to form the adhesive.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,485 describes a method for producing partially polymerized (meth)acrylate syrup utilizing photopolymerization techniques. The syrup is partially polymerized to a coatable viscosity. In producing the coatable syrup, (meth)acrylate monomer—in the presence of a photoinitiator—is irradiated with ultraviolet radiation for less than about one minute, creating a (meth)acrylate syrup having a viscosity of 0.3-10 Pascal-seconds (300-10,000 centipoise) at ordinary room temperature. The coatable syrup is stated to be a viable article of commerce in that it can be stored for later coating and exposure to ultraviolet radiation in order to convert the coating to its desired end use (e.g., a pressure sensitive adhesive tape).
In contrast to continuous web-polymerized methods, conventional methods of batch polymerization of adhesives and methods of continuous production of hot-melt type adhesives typically involve running of an initial polymerization reaction to at least near complete conversion, and often complete conversion, of the monomer to polymer. In both cases, the adhesive is substantially polymerized prior to its application to a substrate as compared to web-polymerized adhesives (i.e., where the adhesive is substantially polymerized after its application to a substrate).
Limitations of hot-melt processing methods and resulting adhesives are known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Limitations associated with batch processing methods, which often utilize solvents (i.e., water or organic solvents), are also known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Notably, use of solvents with batch processing methods, particularly organic solvents, is undesirable from an environmental, safety, and economic standpoint and is becomingly increasingly more so with time. For example, solvent-based batch polymerization of (meth)acrylates typically requires use of large and costly processing equipment in order to safely dissipate heat arising from the exothermic polymerization reaction. In addition, solvents used during the polymerization reaction must then typically be removed from the polymerized composition. This removal process undesirably increases processing time and cost and poses environmental challenges.
In view of environmental and safety concerns as well as the ever-present desire to optimize production efficiency, alternative methods for production of adhesives and intermediates thereof are desirable. Particularly desired are alternative methods for the continuous production of (meth)acrylate-based web-polymerized adhesives and their intermediates.

Method for continuous production of (meth)acrylate syrup and adhesives therefrom


A system for searching digital works for comments includes search software capable of searching web pages for comments about a referenced work. In one embodiment, the software searches a web page for delimiters such as quotes that are in proximity to a link to another web page. The software stores any comments in proximity to the quoted content for use in a comment display system where it may be displayed as comment marginalia.

The ability to display comments alongside digital media applies to digital works such as web pages, although not limited thereto. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,801,951, assigned to Reframe-It, Inc., incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses such systems and methods. These systems and methods are discussed below with reference to the disclosed systems and methods for searching digital works for existing comments.
In one embodiment, a user may visit a web page and a web browser will open a window on one side of the computer screen focused on the web page. On the other side of the screen, another window may be opened for displaying textual, video and audio comments created by users that refer to the web page, although not limited thereto. The two windows can be coordinated such that when a user scrolls down in the web page window, the comment window will scroll to a corresponding degree so that they remain in sync.
Such a system provides the ability for users to enter comments in the comment window, which may be in reference to a particular point on the web page. User comments may be stored in a database accessible over a network. In such a way, as a user navigates web pages, available comments for those web pages will always be displayed alongside the web page content.
However, there already exists a large number of comments for web pages which are publicly available on networks such as the Internet. Although publicly available, these comments are not necessarily available to users of the comment system because they were not entered through the system's interface. In addition, these comments are spread throughout a network (e.g., Internet), such that it would be impractical to input them into the system manually. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have a superior system and method for creating large numbers of relevant, contextual marginal comments based on existing discussions of quotations and links.

Systematic process for creating large numbers of relevant, contextual marginal comments based on existing discussions of quotations and links


A polymer which is composed of. from 50 to 99.98% by weight of a C.sub.1 -C.sub.12 alkyl (meth)acrylate a), PA1 from 0.02 to 1.8% by weight of a vinyl-aromatic compound b), PA1 from 0 to 10% by weight of an ethylenically unsaturated acid or an ethylenically unsaturated acid anhydride c), and PA1 from 0 to 40% by weight of other monomers d), the percentages by weight being based on the polymer.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a polymer composed of
from 50 to 99.98% by weight of a C.sub.1 -C.sub.12 alkyl (meth)acrylate a), PA1 from 0.02 to 1.8% by weight of a vinyl-aromatic compound b), PA1 from 0 to 10% by weight of an ethylenically unsaturated acid or an ethylenically unsaturated acid anhydride c), and PA1 from 0 to 40% by weight of other monomers d), the percentages by weight being based on the polymer. PA1 by weight of a C.sub.1 -C.sub.12 alkyl (meth)acrylate a) PA1 by weight of a vinyl-aromatic compound b) PA1 weight of an ethylenically unsaturated acid c) PA1 weight of other monomers d) which are different from a) to c)
Furthermore, the invention relates to the use of the polymers or their aqueous dispersions.
2. Description of the Background
Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) form a permanent tacky film which at room temperature, even under slight pressure, sticks to a very wide variety of surfaces. Pressure-sensitive adhesives are used to produce self-adhesive products such as self-adhesive labels, tapes and films. Products of this kind are very simple to use and make it possible to work rapidly when bonding. In contrast to contact adhesive compositions, no ventilation times are necessary. Moreover, there is no "open time" within which the adhesive bond must be implemented. The quality of a self-adhesive article depends essentially on whether the internal strength (cohesion) and the sticking of the adhesive film on the surface that is to be bonded (adhesion) are set properly in relation to one another in accordance with the utility.
In the case of pressure-sensitive adhesives for labels, in particular, the level of cohesion must be sufficient for no stringing and no emergence of glue at the edges to occur in the course of stamping and cutting, since otherwise the cutting tools become soiled and the cut faces sticky. At the same time, the adhesion should be at a high level in order to obtain good sticking on the substrate that is to be bonded.
In general it is impossible to optimize adhesion and cohesion independently of one another. There is a desire for measures which either lift the level of both properties or, at least, maintain one property unchanged while improving the other.
Adhesives, including pressure-sensitive adhesives, based on polymers which can contain styrene are already known from DE-A-3 013 812, U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,134 and EP-A-625 557. The polymers prepared or used in the examples of these disclosures, however, contain at least 4% by weight styrene. Copolymers of this kind still do not have the desired level of adhesion and cohesion or the desired ratio of adhesion to cohesion.

Pressure-sensitive materials with small amounts of styrene


According to some aspects of the subject technology, an apparatus includes a first electrode, a second electrode and a dielectric membrane disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode and the second electrode include a number of pores within a region of an input port of the apparatus. The first electrode, the second electrode and the dielectric membrane form a capacitor that is configured to enable detection of occlusion of the input port by water.

Portable electronic devices such as smartphones and smartwatches include pressure sensors for perceiving environmental pressure. The pressure sensor is sometimes used for barometric pressure measurements, which can be used to identify changes in elevation or depth in water. The changes in elevation are sometimes used to identify a location or exercise performed by a user of the device. For example, an activity-monitor application running on processing circuitry of the device, worn or carried by the user while the user walks or runs up a flight of stairs or up a hill, may measure elevation changes. Portable electronic devices most commonly use capacitive or piezo-resistive micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) pressure sensors.
Wearable devices are required to survive increasingly more stringent reliability requirements such as dust, sand or other debris exposure. Gel-filled sensors have been used to survive these requirements but are vulnerable to pressure errors due to orientation sensitivity and capillary pressure errors due to water in the gel surface. Gel elimination by using an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane or mesh to provide environmental robustness is possible, but the membrane and/or mesh is prone to water occlusion.


A housing, simulating the configuration of a container such as a glass bottle, includes an internal chamber for supporting a center post having an axial bore for receiving a biaxial accelerometer electrically connected to circuitry for detecting and recording the magnitude of the impact force applied externally to the housing. In a method for simulating the impact forces applied to glass bottles as they are conveyed in a bottling operation impact forces are applied at any angle to the housing and are transmitted to the accelerometer. The accelerometer is actuated to generate an output signal expressed in terms of the X and Y vectors of the impact force to the electrical circuitry. The output signal is processed to indicate the magnitude of the applied impact force.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to method and apparatus for detecting and measuring the magnitude of an impact force applied to a container and more particularly to method and apparatus for simulating a glass container to detect and measure the impact forces to which a bottle is subjected in the filling line.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a bottle filling line containers, such as glass bottles, are conveyed in virtual contact with one another from station to station at different speeds. At certain points in the filling line the bottle flow stops or is slowed causing impact between adjacent bottles and impact of the bottles with the guide rails that maintain the bottles on the conveying path. Consequently, the bottles experience a variety of impact forces applied at various points along the height of the bottle.
Devices for sensing and recording impact forces delivered to an object are well-known. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,633,703 and 4,062,221 disclose impact sensing devices that utilize accelerometers for testing the operation of a shock absorber on an automobile. The accelerometer is mounted in a position to detect oscillations of the automobile and provide output signals to circuitry that indicate visually a record of the number of oscillations made by the vehicle. In this manner it is possible to indicate the condition of the shock absorber.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,294 discloses an inertial impact instrument used on space vehicles to measure the penetration resistance of the surface of an extraterrestrial body upon impact by a space vehicle. A hollow spherical shell contains three orthogonal decelerometers. The decelerometers are oriented and mounted to measure force components along the X, Y and Z axes. Output from the decelerometers in the form of a pulse signal is fed to oscillators where the signals are amplified and transmitted to an orbiting vehicle above the extraterrestrial body.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,020,875 discloses a device for detecting shocks in any direction in a plane perpendicular to a horizontal axis and in two directions in a plane perpendicular to a vertical axis. The indicator utilizes gauges having weights suspended from a rod which is mounted on a pin of a release mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,149,606 discloses an accelerometer that includes two weights positioned along different axes. The weights are spring-loaded against supports so that a non-axial acceleration at more than a given value will displace a respective weight from its support. The consequent position of the weight will show that a given acceleration has been exceeded.
While impact devices are known, and in particular impact devices that use accelerometers, none of the known devices disclose method and apparatus adaptable for detecting and measuring impact forces sustained by bottles in a glass filling line. The forces must be effectively measured regardless of the angle of impact. The measuring device must be responsive to a wide range of impact frequencies. Known devices are not readily adaptable to record frequencies of impact that are commonly sustained by bottles in the bottle filling operation. Therefore there is need for bottle testing apparatus capable of recording and measuring impact forces independent of the direction of application and at the frequency range experienced in a bottle filling operation.


A steel cord (10) adapted for the reinforcement of rubber products, comprises a core strand (12) and six peripheral strands (14) concentrically surrounding the core strand (12). Each of the core and peripheral strands (12, 14) comprises a center of two or more center filaments (16) and two layers of filaments surrounding the center. The core strand (12) has a diameter D1 which is greater than the diameter D2 of the peripheral strands (14). All the filaments (18, 20) of each layer have substantially the same diameter and a radially outer layer has a twist angle which is greater than a twist angle of a radially inner layer of the same strand. Each of the strands (12, 14) in the cord is composed of no more than twenty-six filaments (16, 18, 20) being twisted together.

The large off-the-road pneumatic tires used in heavy construction and earthmoving operations have operating loads and inflation pressures much higher than conventional trucks and lightweight vehicles. Therefore, the radial plies earthmover tires need particular reinforcing cords.
Since the steel cord for reinforcing the tire is required to have high breaking load and high fatigue resistance, conventionally a steel cord having a multi-strand structure is widely used. A multi-strand structure has multiple strands each composed of a plurality of steel filaments that are twisted together. The strands are twisted together to form the cord. For example, a steel cord having a 7×(3+9+15)+1 structure, as shown in FIG. 1 is known. However, the structure 7×(3+9+15)+1 has a relatively low fatigue resistance.
Besides, the other concern for the performance of the off-the-road tire is insuring adequate rubber penetration into the cords. During the manufacture of the belt layers and in the subsequent tire vulcanization rubber is expected to penetrate into all voids between the filaments so as to assure an adequate corrosion protection. Unfortunately, the conventional structure 7×(3+9+15)+1 shows in general insufficient rubber penetration.
EP 0 602 733 B1 discloses a multi-strand steel cord comprising a core strand and up to nine peripheral strands surrounding the core, each strand having a centre of one or more centre filaments and two or more layers of filaments surrounding the centre. The steel cord of this patent has an adequate rubber penetration which is obtained by providing free spaces between the individual filaments after careful choice of the twisting angles.
The twist angle of a layer is within the context of EP 0 602 733 B1 defined as follows. Suppose that d1 is the (total) diameter of the center, that d2 is the diameter of the filaments of the radially inner layer which immediately surrounds the center and that d3 is the diameter of the filaments of a second layer surrounding the radially inner layer (=radially outer layer).
LL2 is the lay length of the radially inner layer and LL3 is the lay length of the radially outer layer.
The twist angle of the radially inner layer is defined as:α2=arctg [(d1+d2)×π/LL2]×180/π
The twist angle of the second layer is defined as:α3=arctg └(d1+2×d2+d3)×π/LL3┘×180/π
JP2006-104636A discloses a steel cord reinforcing rubber products, which comprises one core strand of layer twisting structure of two or three layers and six sheath strands of layer twisting structure of two or three layers surrounding this core strand. All the layer twist directions in core strand and the twist direction of sheath strands are the same, but the layer twist direction in sheath strand consisting of combination of different directions, which results in large loss of tensile strength and large loss of breaking load.


A shift device for an automatic transmission of an automobile includes an indicator box affixed to the automobile floor. The indicator box has, in part, a wavy surface and a shift lever which is moved back and forth about an axle by an operator of the automobile. A spring-biased check ball is resiliently held in contact with the wavy surface of the indicator box, and is moved back and forth with respect to the axle in correspondence with motion of the shift lever. The position of the shift lever is regulated by the wavy surface of the indicator box and an indicator is visually provided, so that the shift lever stops accurately at positions of the indicator without needing adjustment during assembly of the selected shift device in a manufacturing assembly line.

It is well known in the art that a shift device is provided in an automobile which has an automatic transmission so that a driver can change a shift position of the transmission.
A shift device for an automatic transmission of this kind is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,221. Such a shift device is shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. The shift device 101 includes a base plate 102 which is fixed to a floor panel (not shown) of the automobile, a position plate 103 which is a steel plate that has steps 104 corresponding to shift positions on the lower side of the plate 103, a shift lever 105 moving pivotably about a support 106 held by base plate 102, a position pin 107 moving up and down along the shaft 108 of the shift lever 105 corresponding to push and release of a knob 109 at the top of shift lever 105, and an indicator box 120 which is made of plastic and which covers the lower part of shift lever 105. Position pin 107 rests on one of steps 104 of position plate 103 after the driver pushes knob 109, moves lever 105, changes the shift position and releases knob 109. As shown in FIG. 12, on the upper face of indicator box 120 is provided a shift position indicator 121 so that it indicates the position in which shift lever 105 is being held.
However, as the position plate 103 and the indicator box 120 are fixed to the base plate 102 respectively in a manufacturing assembly line, it may happen that an error in the relative position between the indicator box 120 and the position plate 103 becomes so large that the shift lever 105 does not rest accurately with respect to the position indicator 121 when the position pin 107 stops at one of the steps 104 of the position plate 103. This problem may be corrected after assembly by repairing position plate 103 or by adjusting the indicator box 120. This, however, is not easy because the seats of the automobile are arranged next to the indicator box 120 on both sides, and there is only limited space left between the indicator box 120 and those seats.


A medicated animal food composition suitable for eliminating or reducing tear staining in animals is disclosed. The medicated animal food composition includes an edible animal food product base and a pharmaceutically effective quantity of an antibiotic provided in the animal food product base to substantially reduce bacteria in the tears of the animal. The medicated animal food composition is palatable and appetizing to dogs and other animals and can be eaten to eliminate or substantially reduce tear staining associated with excessive tearing.

Excessive tearing, or "epiphora," in canines is manifested by a watery ocular discharge and is a very common concern of pet owners. Environmental, genetic and emotional factors contribute to canine epiphora. In dogs having particularly large eyes or certain facial bone structures, epiphora may be an inherited and irreversible part of their anatomy. Teething puppies exhibit the symptoms of epiphora more frequently than adult dogs. Dogs with small or clogged tear ducts are also particularly prone to epiphora. Fleas are a potential cause of epiphora since they are likely to benefit from the dampness around the dog's eyes. Epiphora in dogs may also be diet-related. Foods with dyes or water having a high mineral content can cause epiphora.
Tear staining associated with epiphora is a common problem. In a recent survey, 89% of Maltese, Bichon, Havanese, Lhasa and Terrier owners indicated that their dogs were afflicted with staining of the facial hair due to excessive tearing. When canine facial hair becomes wet due to excessive tearing, the hair becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and yeast, such as Ptyrosporin or Red Yeast, which causes a deep reddish-brown stain. Such facial hair staining does not indicate a poor quality or a poorly bred, dog, nor is it an indication that the dog is neglected, mistreated or unhealthy. It simply indicates that the dog tears excessively and/or drains tears to a lesser extent than is necessary for any of a number of possible reasons.
An unconstrained ear infection can also be the cause of excessive tearing and facial hair staining. Proper care is necessary to ensure that after bathing, the dog's ears are dried thoroughly. Sporadic growth of hair in the ears should also be gently pulled out using a forceps. Frequent cleaning of a dog's ears can also contribute to prevention of canine ear infections and resultant staining.
Various conventional preventative measures have been undertaken to combat canine tear staining. These include keeping the dog's eyes clean, since tears drain down the dog's face and the exposure of bacteria and fungi to moisture produces skin irritation, infection and odor. In some dog breeds, hair has a tendency to grow from the face and into the eye and cause eye irritation. Moreover, eyelashes can grow at abnormal angles and rub on the eye. Therefore, regular grooming can significantly reduce eye irritation and resultant tearing and staining. Other preventative measures to reduce excessive canine tearing include having the dog checked at least twice a year for ear infections and ear mites, gum infections, common yeast or bacterial infections of the eye (especially Red Yeast) and for clogged tear ducts; maintaining a healthy diet; maintaining good hygiene; and reducing stress.
Although conventional preventative measures are important, they are oftentimes insufficient to eliminate the problem of excessive tearing, since excessive tearing may be due to unchangeable factors such as a dog's heredity or propensity to excessive chewing while cutting new teeth. Medications that treat tear staining are available by prescription. These include Tetracycline, for example. However, a disadvantage associated with the use of Tetracycline to treat excessive tearing is that Tetracycline has a tendency in many canines to cause upset stomach, which contributes to additional tear staining, as well as staining of the teeth.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,716,448 discloses domesticated household pet food that is formulated with ivermectin to provide quantities of ivermectin sufficient to establish and maintain substantially constant concentrations of the drug in a pet's bloodstream.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,029 discloses a method of making a pet snack food which includes farinaceous and proteinaceous materials and flavoring ingredients such as seasonings, smoke flavoring, spices and additives such as cyclodextrin, emulsifiers, preservatives, trace minerals, vitamins, and optionally, medications, nutrients and supplements as an inner puffed core matrix encapsulated in an outer shell composed of flavoring ingredients.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,494 discloses an animal feed composition that comprises a conventional animal feed and a feed-efficiency-effective amount of natamycin. The feed composition may comprise natamycin in a range of about 0.000055 to 0.011 weight percent. A premix for incorporation into the animal feed preferably comprises about 2-25 grams of natamycin admixed with about one pound of an inert carrier such as rice hulls or calcium carbonate. One pound of the premix is added to about one ton of the conventional animal feed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,783,777 discloses a method of feeding young, weaned swine including applying a liquid digest onto a feed substance to form a feed material. The liquid digest includes an enzymatically-processed material.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0247568 discloses methods for the formulation of microbial feed additives with animal feed and methods of administering microbial feed additives.
There is an unmet need for an edible product that is palatable and contributes to the elimination or reduction of tear staining, especially in cases in which conventional measures are ineffective, and which is safe for daily use.