Electrically tunable Fabry-Perot interferometers produced with micro-optical electromechanical (MOEMS) technology. Micromechanical interferometers of the prior art require high control voltage, their production includes complicated production phases, and the forms of the movable mirrors are restricted to circular geometries. In the inventive solution, there is a gap in the movable mirror, whereby mirror layers opposite to the gap are connected with anchoring. The anchoring is such that the stiffness of the mirror is higher at the optical area than at the surrounding area. This way it is possible keep the optical area of the mirror flat even if the control electrodes extend to the optical area. Due to large electrodes, lower control voltages are required.

Fabry-Perot interferometers are used as optical filters and in spectroscopic sensors, for example. A Fabry-Perot interferometer is based on parallel mirrors, such as quarter wave Bragg reflectors, wherein a Fabry-Perot cavity is formed between the mirrors. The pass band wavelength of a Fabry-Perot interferometer can be controlled by adjusting the distance between the mirrors i.e. the width of the cavity. It is common to use micromechanical technology for producing Fabry-Perot interferometers. Such a solution is described e.g. in patent document F195838.
FIG. 1a illustrates a prior art micromechanical Fabry-Perot interferometer produced on a substrate 130. Mirrors of a micromechanical interferometer usually include several layers 102, 104, 106, 112, 114, 116, wherein materials of adjacent layers have a different refractive index. The micromechanical interferometers used in short wavelength ranges of visible light and near-infrared radiation generally have solid mirror layers, such as a silicon dioxide or silicon nitride layer 104, 114 between silicon layers 102, 106, 112, 116. However, silicon oxide and silicon nitride have relatively high attenuation at long wavelengths, and therefore it is more preferable to use a layer of air between silicon layers in infrared range, especially in the wavelength range over 5 μm, i.e. thermal infrared radiation (TIR).
Movement of the mirror 112, 114, 116 is made possible by removing a sacrificial layer 111 from the optical area A and from a surrounding area around the optical area, whereby a cavity 123 is formed. The sacrificial layer may be e.g. silicon dioxide, which can be removed by etching with hydrofluoric acid (HF), for example. In order to allow the etching substance to reach the sacrificial layer, holes (not shown in FIG. 1a) are provided in the movable mirror. The remaining part of the sacrificial layer serves as a support for the movable mirror. The substrate has optionally been removed from the optical area 125 in order to avoid attenuation and reflection caused by the substrate.
The position of a moveable a mirror is controlled by applying voltage to electrodes, which are included in the mirror structures by making one layer 106, 112 of both mirrors conductive by e.g. doping. There are electrodes 110a and 110b for connecting a voltage to the electrodes. When control voltage is applied between the electrodes of the fixed and movable mirrors this voltage causes a force which moves the movable mirror towards the fixed mirror. If the electrodes cover the whole mirror, the movable mirror will be bent throughout the cavity area. This causes the distance between the movable mirror and the fixed mirror to vary within the optical area A during electrical activation. This is illustrated in FIG. 1b. The non-flatness of the movable mirror within the optical area causes the pass band frequency to vary within the optical area and the bandwidth to become wider. The quality factor of the filter, i.e. finesse, will therefore be reduced. As a result, the finesse of such an interferometer is not sufficiently high for several applications where high finesse is required.
The non-flatness of the movable mirror within the optical area can be avoided by providing the control voltage only outside the optical area of the mirrors. This solution is illustrated in FIG. 1b. The layer 106 is only connected to control voltage at the area outside the optical area, and the voltage applied to the electrode is thus not effective at the optical area. However, there are some disadvantages in this approach as well.
Firstly, due to a smaller electrode area a higher voltage is required between the electrodes in order to achieve sufficient force between the mirrors. It is often difficult to provide high voltages in small-sized sensor circuits, and also energy consumption may increase due to energy losses in a required voltage conversion.
Secondly, even if deflecting voltage is not applied in the optical area it is still necessary to provide electrodes within this area. This is because the optical areas of the mirrors must be connected to a constant voltage potential in order to avoid coupling of static electricity in the optical area, which might cause errors in the mirror position. The movable mirror and the fixed mirror must be in the same electrical potential at the optical area in order to avoid a force between the mirrors in that area. Therefore, a conductive layer of the optical area must be electrically separated from the electrode outside the optical area, and these conductive areas of a mirror must be connected to different voltage potentials. Connecting the conductive areas into different potentials requires providing electrically conductive feed-throughs and leads into several mirror layers. To achieve the electrical feed-throughs and leads a layer, patterning and doping must be applied. As a result the number of micromechanical process phases is increased. This makes the production of the interferometers complicated and makes the production cost too high for cost sensitive applications.
One further disadvantage relates to the shape of the interferometer. The mirrors need to have circular shape because any other lateral shape could cause wrinkling of a tensile-stressed thin-film mirror when it is vertically displaced by the electro-static actuation. On the other hand, circular form of a component is usually not preferable in electronics because the density of the components on a substrate or on an electrical circuit is not optimal.

Micromechanical tunable Fabry-Perot interferometer and a method for producing the same


An air conditioning system includes a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger that discharges evaporated refrigerant, and a first pipe coupling the outdoor heat exchanger and the compressor, where the first pipe allows the outdoor heat exchanger to receive at least a portion of the compressed refrigerant from the compressor.

The present disclosure relates to an air conditioning system, and more particularly, to an air conditioning system that can be used for both cooling and heating.
In general, an air conditioning system includes a compressor, a four-way valve, an indoor heat exchanger, and an outdoor heat exchanger that are used to perform heat exchange cycles for cooling or heating an indoor area. In heating mode, the outdoor heat exchanger is operated as an evaporator, and the indoor heat exchanger is operated as a condenser. In detail, indoor heating is performed as follows: while refrigerant is evaporated in the outdoor heat exchanger, heat is exchanged between the refrigerant and outdoor air; the refrigerant is then compressed to a high-temperature and high-pressure state by the compressor; and while the compressed refrigerant is condensed at the indoor heat exchanger, heat is exchanged between the refrigerant and indoor air.
A refrigerant heating device can be used to heat the refrigerant evaporated in the outdoor heat exchanger in heating mode. That is, in the case where refrigerant is not smoothly evaporated in the outdoor heat exchanger due to a very low outdoor temperature, the refrigerant is heated before the refrigerant is transferred to the compressor. In more detail, refrigerant condensed at the indoor heat exchanger is evaporated at the outdoor heat exchanger or heated by the refrigerant heating device, and the refrigerant is transferred to the compressor.

Air conditioning system including a bypass pipe


A magnetic coil 32 for an electrical machine is constructed from two sub-conductors 34A, 34B, each in the form of laminae of conducting material such as copper sheet, coated with an insulating material. At one end of the coil, the sub-conductors extend by different distances, to provide space at 39 for a transposition of the sub-conductors.

Permanent magnet electrical machines are advantageous for use in applications where high torque (when used as a motor) or high power (when used as a generator) are required, but the machine is also required to be small, light and to have high efficiency. Applications for such machines include land vehicles, aircraft, water-borne vessels and fixed industrial applications.
Permanent magnet electrical machines have a ring of permanent magnets and a ring of magnetic coils (often called windings), usually disposed within slots in an armature of low permeability material, such as laminated iron. The magnetic coils commonly form a ring on a stator around a rotor which carries the permanent magnets, but other arrangements are possible. Turning the rotor relative to the stator creates currents in the coils, allowing the electrical machine to be used as a generator. Conversely, alternating current can be applied to the coils to cause the rotor to turn, allowing the electrical machine to be used as a motor.
Electrical machines of this type commonly have a large number of permanent magnets and coils and this leads to high frequency losses connected with the coils, particularly relating to eddy currents within the coils.


A clothes steamer for an aircraft cabin, having a closable case fixed to an internal surface of the aircraft cabin. A steam generator is fluidly coupled to the clothes holding cavity configured to selectively increase the humidity of air within the clothes holding cavity. A temperature and humidity sensors are configured to produce a first signal indicative of a temperature within the clothes holding cavity. A cold finger configured to remove water from the air within the clothes holding cavity. A controller is provided which is configured to receive temperature and the humidity sensor signals and to selectively produce at least one of a steam generator control signal and a cold finger control signal to selectively operate the steam generator and the cold finger.

Today's business schedules often require long air travels between locations, followed immediately by business meetings. Due to the confinement caused by seatbelts and cramped spaces within an aircraft's cabin, wrinkles are often formed in the clothing of aircraft passengers. These wrinkles are undesirable for airline passengers attempting to make an elevated professional impression.
Traditionally, wrinkles in clothing can be removed from clothing using a steam iron and an ironing board. Unfortunately, it is impractical to use a steam iron on a plane as it represents a fire hazard. Further, due to changes in air pressure and temperatures within the aircraft cabin caused by changes in elevation in the aircraft, steam formed by the iron can act as a source of water which may adversely condense on windows and windshields of the aircraft.


A linkage supporting device is used for supporting a display on a working surface, including: a base that can be placed on the working surface, and first and second shafts fixed to the base without coinciding with one another; a first bar member having a main bar with two ends pivotally disposed on the first and third shafts, respectively; a second bar member having two ends pivotally disposed on the third and fourth shafts, respectively; a third bar member having two ends pivotally disposed on the fourth and fifth shafts, respectively; a fourth bar member that has a sliding bar slidably received in a receiving space of the main bar and having two ends pivotally disposed on the fifth and sixth shafts, respectively; a fifth bar member having two ends pivotally disposed on the sixth and second shafts, respectively; and a spring member received in the receiving space and having two ends connected to the first and fourth bar members, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to display supporting structures, and, more particularly, to a linkage supporting device used for supporting a display.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 1A is a schematic view of a conventional four-bar linkage structure. Referring to FIG. 1A, the four-bar linkage structure mainly has a first connecting frame 101, a second connecting frame 102, a mounting base 103, and a rotating shaft 104. The first connecting frame 101 and the second connecting frame 102 are pivotally connected between a rotating frame 105 and the mounting base 103. One ends of the first connecting frame 101 and the second connecting frame 102 are pivotally connected to the rotating frame 105 through the rotating shaft 104, and the other ends of the first connecting frame 101 and the second connecting frame 102 are pivotally connected to the mounting base 103 through another rotating shaft (not labeled). As such, the first connecting frame 101 and the second connecting frame 102 are arranged in parallel. In operation, a display disposed on the rotating frame 105 is moved to thus rotate the rotating frame 105 relative to the first connecting frame 101 and the second connecting frame 102 around the rotating shaft 104, thereby changing the angle of the display. Therefore, when the four-bar linkage structure is at a first limit position, a position limiting projection 1011 of the first connecting frame 101 abuts against a position limiting pin 1031 of the mounting base 103, and a position limiting notch 1021 abuts against a position limiting portion 1041 of the rotating shaft 104, thus limiting the display at a lowest position. FIG. 1B shows a second limit position of the four-bar linkage structure. Referring to FIG. 1B, a position limiting projection 1012 of the first connecting frame 101 abuts against the position limiting portion 1041 of the rotating shaft 104, and a position limiting notch 1021 of the second connecting frame 102 abuts against the position limiting pin 1031 of the mounting base 103, thus limiting the display at a highest position. Further, an extension spring (not labeled) is provided. The contraction force of the extension spring can be increased or decreased with different moving directions of the first connecting frame 101 and the second connecting frame 102 so as to offer enough supporting strength.
In the four-bar linkage structure, the first connecting frame 101 and the second connecting frame 102 are stacked so as to cooperatively operate to achieve position adjusting and limiting functions. However, such a four-bar linkage structure has a large size and cannot meet the demand for a shorter, thinner, lighter and smaller structure.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a linkage supporting device so as to overcome the above-described drawbacks.


A self-locking step-by-step mechanism for an adjustment device of a vehicle seat has a clamping roller lock and a step-by-step device. The clamping roller lock a rotatable release wheel and a toothing. The step-by-step device has a) a pivotably mounted actuating lever, b) a driver pivotably mounted on the actuating lever and which has two driver regions which interact with the toothing of the release wheel, c) a drag lever which has supporting surfaces which enter into contact with the driver, and d) a spring. The spring has at least one projection. The drag lever has at least one indentation which is normally in engagement with the projection. The spring is fixed against rotating.

Such a self-locking step-by-step switching mechanism is known from DE 195 40 631 C2. The clamping roller lock used in this case is also referred to as a freewheel. Such clamping roller locks are known from DE 10 2010 43 825 and DE 10 2010 031 133. Other step-by-step switching mechanisms are known from DE 44 00 910 A1 and DE 43 44 225 A1.

Self-locking step-by-step mechanism for an adjustment device of a vehicle seat


To fabricate a semiconductor device, a pattern of recesses and lands is formed on a copper sheet as a matrix sheet, and BGA pads are formed on the lands on the copper sheet. An insulating layer is formed on the copper sheet to transfer the pattern of recesses and lands from the copper sheet to the insulating layer for thereby forming recesses in the insulating layer and placing BGA pads in the recesses in the insulating layer. Vias are formed through the insulating layer, and a conductive layer serving as circuits and interconnections is formed, the conductive layer being connected to the BGA pads by the vias. When the copper sheet is removed, the BGA pads are positioned within the recesses in the insulating layer. The BGA pads have surfaces positioned higher than the bottom of the recesses and lower than the surface of the insulating layer. A semiconductor chip is mounted on the conductive layer, and solder balls are joined to the BGA pads. Both the productivity of a process of mounting the solder balls and the bonding strength of the solder balls are increased.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a board for mounting a semiconductor chip thereon, a method of fabricating such a board, a semiconductor device, and a method of fabricating such a semiconductor device, and more particularly to a semiconductor device in a BGA (Ball Grid Array) type package, a multilayer wiring board for use in such a semiconductor device, and methods of fabricating such a semiconductor device and such a multilayer wiring board.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, boards for mounting semiconductor chips thereon to make up BGA-type semiconductor devices comprise a glass epoxy multilayer wiring board or a build-up multilayer wiring board which is produced by stacking conductive layers and insulating layers repeatedly on a support plate of metal and then removing the support plate.
The glass epoxy multilayer wiring board is made of an organic material having low heat resistance as a base material. Therefore, the glass epoxy multilayer wiring board is disadvantageous in that when heated, it is warped or distorted, presenting an obstacle to efforts to form fine interconnections in the fabrication of wiring boards and possibly reducing the reliability of connections over a long period of time after components have been mounted on the board. The build-up multilayer wiring board, which is designed to eliminate the above shortcomings, has a multilayer circuit constructed on one surface of a flat metal sheet according to a build-up process for eliminating possible causes of heat-induced warpages and distortions, thereby making it possible to produce fine interconnections in the fabrication process and to improve the reliability of connections over a long period of time.
A process of forming a BGA pad (electrode pad) on a metal sheet, thereafter producing a multilayer circuit according to a build-up process, and then removing the metal sheet is disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent publications Nos. 2001-36238, 2001-44578, 2001-44583, and 2001-44589. According to a BGA package fabrication process (see FIGS. 1A and 1B of the accompanying drawings) disclosed in the above publications, after BGA pads 31 are formed on a metal sheet (not shown), conductive layer 32 is formed on BGA pads 31, and then insulating layer 33 is formed on conductive layer 32 and metal sheet, after which via 34 is formed through insulating layer 33. Although not shown, a semiconductor chip such as an LSI chip or the like is mounted on via 34, after which the metal sheet is removed. Conductive layer 32 includes connection terminals 32a positioned directly above BGA pads 31 and having an area greater than BGA pads 31, and interconnections 32b extending from connection terminals 32a to via 34.
With the structure shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, since conductive layer 32 is formed directly over BGA pads 31, interconnections 32b connected through via 32 to the semiconductor chip are located in limited positions so as not to be short-circuited to other BGA pads 31. Thus, the interconnections cannot be formed over many other BGA pads 31, and should be formed in those areas which are free of other BGA pads 31. The interconnections are also required to be kept out of contact with other connection terminals 32a. As a result, interconnections 32b individually connecting from a plurality of BGA pads 31 forming columns to the semiconductor chip cannot be packed in a high density. Specific examples of formed patterns of interconnections 32b which represent the numbers of columns of BGA pads 31 and corresponding interconnections 32b are shown in Table 1 below. BGA pads 31 have a diameter of 250 μm and are spaced by a pitch of 0.5 mm, and via 34 has a diameter of 75 μm.
TABLE 1Max. number of inter-Width and spacingNumber of columnsconnections be-of inter-of BGA padstween padsconnections2150 μm4327 μm6519 μm9812 μm
As shown in Table 1, as the number of columns of BGA pads 31 increases, the width and spacing of interconnections 32b decrease. Since the fabrication process suffers limitations that make it impossible to form interconnections 32 whose width and spacing are 20 μm or less, the number of actually available columns of BGA pads 31 is limited to five or less.
Multilayer interconnection boards for BGA packages are required to meet two requirements about the productivity of a solder ball mounting process and the bonding strength of solder balls. These two requirements will be described in detail below.
The productivity of a solder ball mounting process refers to the accuracy of a process of placing solder balls 35 (see FIGS. 2A through 2C of the accompanying drawings) on BGA pad 31. In this process, solder balls 35 are placed on BGA pad 31 coated with a flux or a solder paste and arrayed, after which solder balls 35 are joined to BGA pad 31 by reflow heating. When solder balls 35 are subjected to reflow heating, solder balls 35 may possibly move due to different flux quantities and different flux activity levels on BGA pad 31, resulting in soldering failures such that adjacent solder balls 35 may join each other and fall off BGA pad 31.
The bonding strength of solder balls refers to the reliability of connections over a long period of time after the semiconductor device in the BGA package is mounted on another board. The bonding between BGA pad 31 and solder balls 35 may possibly become unreliable owing to the difference between the coefficient of thermal expansion of the semiconductor device and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the board on which the semiconductor device is mounted. Particularly, BGA package semiconductor devices of more pins and greater outer profiles tend to have smaller solder bonding strength and suffer more solder joint cracking.
Generally, as shown in FIGS. 2A through 2C, the surface of BGA pad 31 on the multilayer wiring board may be positioned in three different ways with respect to the surface of insulating layer 33. These three different ways shown in FIGS. 2A through 2C provide respective different properties shown in Table 2.
TABLE 2Position of sur-Productivity offace of BGA padsolder ball mount-Bonding strength(FIGS.)ing processof solder ballsLower than insu-◯Xlating layer sur-face (FIG. 2A)Lying flush withXXinsulating layersurface (FIG. 2B)Higher than insu-X◯lating layer sur-face (FIG. 2C)
As shown in FIG. 2A, if the surface of BGA pad 31 is lower than the surface of insulating layer 33, then since solder ball 35 is held in position in a reflow process, the productivity of the solder ball mounting process is high and the yield is increased. However, solder ball 35 is joined to only the principal surface of BGA pad 31, the area of contact between BGA pad 31 and solder ball 35, i.e., the joining area therebetween, is small, and hence the bonding strength of solder ball 35 is small, tending to cause cracking in the joint. As shown in FIG. 2C, if the surface of BGA pad 31 is higher than the surface of insulating layer 33, then because solder ball 35 is joined to not only the principal surface of BGA pad 31, but also side surfaces thereof, the joining area between BGA pad 31 and solder ball 35 is large, and the bonding strength of solder ball 35 is large, making it difficult to cause cracking in the joint. However, since solder ball 35 is not held stably in position but is liable to move in the reflow process, the productivity of the solder ball mounting process is low. As shown in FIG. 2B, if the surface of BGA pad 31 lies flush with the surface of insulating layer 33, then the productivity of the solder ball mounting process is low and the bonding strength of solder ball 35 is small. With either one of the bonding patterns shown in FIGS. 2A through 2C, it is impossible to simultaneously meet the requirements about both the productivity of the solder ball mounting process and the bonding strength of solder ball 35.
According to the process of fabricating multilayer wiring boards, BGA pad 31 is formed on flat insulating layer 3. Therefore, solder resist 36 (see FIGS. 3A through 3B of the accompanying drawings) may be formed on insulating layer 33 to provide a desired surface configuration around BGA pad 31.
FIG. 3A shows a so-called over-resist structure in which the surface of solder resist 36 is higher than the surface of BGA pad 31. In the over-resist structure, BGA pad 31 has its outer periphery covered with solder resist 36. Until solder ball 35 is fixed after it is mounted in position in the reflow process, solder ball 35 is not displaced, and BGA pad 31 and insulating layer 33 lying therebeneath are held in intimate contact with each other. The productivity of the solder ball mounting process is good, but the bonding strength of solder ball 35 is poor. FIG. 3B shows a so-called non-over-resist structure (normal resist structure) in which solder resist 36 does not cover the surface of BGA pad 31. In the non-over-resist structure, the solder flows around the side surfaces of BGA pad 31 to join solder ball 35 as mentioned above. Though the bonding strength of solder ball 35 is high, the BGA pad 31 and insulating layer 33 are not held in intimate contact with each other, with the result that the productivity of the solder ball mounting process is poor.
Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2001-230513 discloses a partial combination of the over-resist and non-over-resist structures in which solder resist 36 has an elliptical opening defined therein.
Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2001-230339 reveals an over-resist structure in which a criss-cross recess is defined in BGA pad 31 for increasing the bonding strength according to the soldering process.
Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 11-54896 shows an over-resist structure in which only a portion of solder resist 36 which extends around BGA pad 31 is removed to the height of the surface of BGA pad 31 or lower by laser ablation, so that BGA pad 31 has a lower portion surrounded by solder resist 36 and an upper portion bonded to solder ball 35.
All the above disclosed structures are based on the arrangement that solder resist 36 is formed on insulating layer 33. The laminated assembly of such different materials suffers a strain caused by stresses. Specifically, since strains concentrate on the corners of the interface between layers 33, 36, the assembly tends to cause fractures such as cracking due to shocks imposed when the assembly falls by gravity and hits a hard object or thermal shocks. Even if solder resist 36 and insulating layer 33 lying therebeneath are of one organic material, they are liable to be broken apart because the organic material develop different mechanical properties depending on the thermal hysteresis. It is preferable that solder resist 36 and insulating layer 33 be not separate from each other, but formed of the same material according to the same process.

Board for mounting BGA semiconductor chip thereon, semiconductor device, and methods of fabricating such board and semiconductor device


An internal combustion engine includes a combustion chamber, a fuel injector injecting fuel into the combustion chamber, a cylinder, a piston having a crown and reciprocating in the cylinder, the crown being exposed to the combustion chamber, and an ignition delay enhancer prolonging an ignition delay of a fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber. A ceramic member is disposed on at least a fuel injection port, to which fuel is injected from the fuel injector, of the crown of the piston.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine to be mounted in a machine, such as a vehicle, for generating mechanical power through combustion of fuel in the internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
To reduce exhaust gases, such as CO2 and NOx, most of diesel vehicles are equipped with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems for recirculating part of the exhaust gas from the internal combustion engines into intake air. The EGR system allows the vehicle to perform a low-temperature combustion by introducing a large amount of exhaust gas after combustion (EGR gas) into the combustion chamber to lower the combustion temperature. Such an EGR system is disclosed in JP-A-H05-163970, for example. To improve the intake efficiency of the internal combustion engines, most of the diesel vehicles are equipped with superchargers for supercharging intake air into the combustion chambers of the internal combustion engines. Such a supercharger is disclosed in JP-U-H04-054926, for example.


In an image forming apparatus, a developing unit for developing a latent image on a photosensitive drum is detachably mounted in the apparatus and is provided with a identification signal generator for each particular developing unit. When the developing unit is replaced by a new one, an identification signal generated from the generator is compared in a CPU with reference identification data stored in a memory. When the generated identification signal differs from the stored reference identification data, the generated identification signal is stored as a new reference data in the memory and a toner concentration signal generated from the sensor is also stored as new reference toner concentration data in the memory. Thus, a desired toner concentration can be maintained even through developing units are replaced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a device for detecting the concentration of a developing agent stored therein and, more particularly, to an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer or an electronic copying machine into which a developing unit can be detachably mounted.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional apparatus for forming an image with a developing agent, a device for detecting the concentration of the developing agent is initialized with reference to a developing agent concentration at the time of shipping or the like. That is, at the time of shipping, the reference developing agent concentration is converted into a reference voltage signal, and this signal is permanently stored as a reference voltage value in the developing unit body. After shipping, when the actual developing agent concentration becomes lower than the reference concentration, the decrease in concentration is detected by the device for detecting the concentration of the developing agent. The device generates a detection signal having a high voltage value. When the detection signal exceeds a predetermined voltage level, a toner is replenished from a toner hopper to a stirrer. The toner is stirred by the stirrer. When the concentration of the developing agent in the stirrer reaches the reference value, replenishment of the toner is stopped.
In a conventional image forming apparatus, however, even if the developing unit at the time of shipping is replaced with a new developing unit, the detection signal level of the developing unit at the time of shipping is given as a reference, thereby controlling the developing agent concentration of the new developing unit. Since developing units are manufactured as single units, the relationships between the voltage levels of detection signals from concentration detecting devices and the developing agent densities vary depending on different developing units. When developing units having different detection characteristics are controlled on the basis of a reference value permanently stored in an image developing apparatus, the developing agent concentration varies whenever the developing unit is replaced with a new one. Therefore, the developing units cannot be optimally controlled depending on the characteristics of the individual developing units. Therefore, the reference developing agent concentration cannot always be maintained to be the reference developing agent concentration in the stirrer. As a result, the quality of the image formed by the image forming apparatus may be degraded. That is, even if the concentration of the developing agent is decreased, the voltage level of the detection signal generated by the concentration detecting device is not increased and the level of the detection signal does not reach the voltage level corresponding to replenishment. Therefore, the toner is not replenished, and the concentration of the developing agent in the developing unit is kept low. As a result, an image having a very low concentration is formed, thus degrading image quality.
When the detection signal from the concentration detecting device is kept at a level equal to or higher than the reference level, the toner is supplied to increase the developing agent concentration in the developing unit. An image having an excessively high concentration is formed, and image quality is therefore degraded.

Image forming apparatus having device for detecting concentration of developing agent


A actuator driver includes a digital filter configured to perform phase compensation of a digital torque command signal using a fed-back digital signal; a digital PWM generator configured to generate a plurality of pulse-width modulated PWM control signals in response to an output of the digital filter; at least one H bridge configured to select and output a first or second terminal voltage in response to the plurality of PWM control signals; first and second continuous time ΔΣ A/D converters configured to convert the first and second terminal voltages from analog to digital, respectively; and a feed-back filter configured to decimate outputs of the first and second continuous time ΔΣ A/D converters to feed back the digital signal to the digital filter.

The present disclosure relates to actuator drivers, and more particularly to fully digitally controlled actuator drivers.
Actuator drivers are widely used in various products. For example, in optical disk devices, an actuator driver is used for controlling the tilt direction, the tracking direction, and the focus direction of an optical pick-up device, controlling a sled motor which shifts the optical pick-up device in the disk radial direction, controlling a loading motor for taking an optical disk in and out, and controlling a spindle motor for rotary driving an optical disk.
In general, actuator drivers detect a current flowing through a load using a sense resistor, and feed back a detection signal to perform phase compensation of a torque command signal, thereby PWM-driving the load. Almost all phase compensation filters and PWM signal generators have been analog circuits. Thus, in actuator drivers, which are used for driving an optical pick-up device etc. and requiring extremely high accuracy, a sufficient design margin and a sufficient layout size have been needed to absorb process variations and temperature variations. Furthermore, a compensation circuit has been required. Since the signal bandwidth is low, there is a need to increase the element constant of a phase compensation filter. An external resistive element and an external capacitive element are needed. Therefore, the area and power consumption are difficult to reduce.
As digitalization of recent control of optical disks progresses, torque command signals output from controllers are also being digitalized. However, since actuator drivers are in analog form, the digital torque command signals need to be converted to analog signals using a D/A converter. As described above, optical disk devices control various control targets, and a plurality of torque command signals are present. Accordingly, the same number of D/A converters are required. In the actuators requiring the accuracy of 10 bits or more, D/A converters need considerable large power consumption. The circuit scale and power consumption are assumed to further increase in the future.
Full digitalization of actuator drivers is suggested to address the drawback of the analog form. For example, a fully digitally controlled actuator driver detects a current flowing through a load using a sense resistor, converts a detection signal from analog to digital, and feeds back the converted detection signal to perform phase compensation of a torque command signal in the digital region, thereby PWM-driving the load.
In a conventional fully digitally controlled actuator driver, thermal noise generated in a sense resistor may deteriorate the control accuracy. Therefore, there is a need for a fully digitally controlled actuator driver, which performs highly accurate operation without using any sense resistor.


An automatic blood pressure gauge generates a signal representing the instantaneous pressure levels in a blood pressure cuff. This pressure signal includes a slowly changing component representing a deflating cuff and a more rapidly changing component representing blood pressure pulses that are mechanically coupled to the cuff. The pressure signal is DC coupled to a microprocessor. The microprocessor filters the pressure signal using a minimum order-statistic filter coupled in cascade with a median order-statistic filter to generate an auxiliary signal having peaks at the starting points of the pulses. This auxiliary signal is used to generate a signal representing the slowly changing component of the pressure signal. The slowly changing component of the pressure signal is subtracted from the pressure signal, leaving only the blood pressure pulse signal. The microprocessor then generates a function representing peaks of the blood pressure pulses versus a corresponding cuff pressure at which they occur. From this function, the microprocessor calculates mean, systolic and diastolic pressures using extrapolation and/or interpolation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to apparatus and a method for automatically measuring the blood pressure of an individual and specifically to an apparatus and a method for separating a pulse signal from the pressure signal produced by an automatic blood pressure gauge.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional automatic blood pressure gauge includes a resilient inflatable cuff and an electric pump. The pump is controlled by a microprocessor to inflate the cuff with a fluid, such as air, to a preset pressure. In addition, this automatic gauge includes a pressure transducer that measures the instantaneous air pressure levels in the cuff. The pressure signal produced by the transducer is used to determine both the instantaneous pressure of the cuff and the blood pressure pulse of the individual. This pressure signal is generally band-pass filtered, digitized and processed by the microprocessor to produce values representing the mean, systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of the individual.
In operation, the cuff is affixed to the upper arm area (or other extremity) of the patient and is then inflated to a pressure greater than the suspected systolic pressure, for example, 150 to 200 millimeters of mercury (mmHg). This pressure level collapses the main artery in the arm, effectively stopping any blood flow to the lower arm. Next, the cuff is deflated slowly and the signal provided by the pressure transducer is monitored to detect cuff pressure variations caused by the patient's blood pressure pulse, which is mechanically coupled to the cuff.
In general, the pulse component of the pressure signal has a relatively low amplitude, on the order of one percent of the total signal. A low-level detected blood pressure signal first appears when the cuff pressure is released to a level which allows some blood flow into the collapsed artery. As cuff deflation continues, the blood-pressure pulse signal rises in amplitude as more of the collapsed artery is allowed to expand in response to the pumping action of the heart. At some point, however, the pulse signal reaches a maximum amplitude level and then begins to decrease. This reduction in amplitude occurs as the artery becomes more fully open, the pumped blood flows without significantly expanding the artery, and the degree of mechanical coupling between the cuff and the arm of the patient is reduced.
In many automatic blood pressure measuring systems, the systolic and diastolic pressures are determined based on the cuff pressure at which the blood-pressure pulse signal exhibits maximum amplitude. Such a system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,213 entitled DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, which is hereby incorporated by reference for its teaching on automatic blood pressure gauges. In this system, the diastolic blood pressure is determined as the cuff pressure, after the maximum pulse amplitude has been measured, at which the amplitude of the pulse signal is 70% of its maximum value.
Another exemplary system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,710 entitled METHOD OF ARTIFACT REJECTION FOR NONINVASIVE BLOOD-PRESSURE MEASUREMENT BY PREDICTION AND ADJUSTMENT OF BLOOD-PRESSURE DATA, which is hereby incorporated by reference for its teaching on automatic blood pressure gauges. In this system, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels are determined as the respective cuff pressures corresponding to the amplitude of the blood-pressure pulse signal being 60% of the maximum value, prior to reaching the maximum value; and 80% of the maximum value, after reaching the maximum value.
FIG. 1a is a plot of the pressure signal versus time for a conventional automatic blood pressure gauge. This exemplary signal is generated by the cuff being quickly inflated to a preset initial pressure, greater than the systolic pressure, linearly deflated to a pressure below the diastolic pressure and then quickly deflated the rest of the way. The blood-pressure pulse signal is shown as a waveform superimposed on the linear deflation portion of the pressure curve. For clarity, the relative amplitude of this pulse signal is exaggerated in FIG. 1a.
FIG. 1b is a plot of the blood-pressure pulse signal shown in FIG. 1a, separated from the linearly decreasing pressure signal. FIG. 1c is a plot of the peak amplitude of the signal shown in FIG. 1b. As illustrated by FIG. 1c, the amplitude of the pulse signal increases gradually until a time S, at which the linearly decreasing cuff pressure is the same as the systolic pressure of the patient. The amplitude of the pulse signal then increases at a greater rate from time S to time M at which the maximum amplitude is reached. The blood pressure level corresponding to this maximum pulse amplitude is commonly referred to as the mean arterial pressure (MAP). From this maximum amplitude, the pulse signal decreases rapidly to a time D, at which the cuff pressure is the diastolic pressure. The signal amplitude decreases from the point D until the cuff is entirely deflated.
In order to accurately determine the systolic and diastolic pressures of the patient, it is important that the amplitude of the blood pressure pulse signal component of the pressure signal be accurately determined.
In many prior-art automatic blood pressure gauges, including the two that are referred to above, the pressure signal is amplified and band-pass filtered to separate the blood-pressure pulse signal. This signal is then applied to an analog-to-digital converter which has a dynamic range matched to the maximum amplitude of the separated pulse signal.
However, the high-pass component of this band-pass filter may distort the peak-to-peak values of the blood pressure pulse signal by its transient response and its response to the pulse width of the blood pressure signal. The distortion from the high-pass filter can be reduced by having a relatively low high-pass cut-off frequency, but it may then exhibit an unacceptably long transient recovery time which may distort the individual blood-pressure pulses. This is especially true in the case of motion artifacts where large artifact pulsations are introduced to the system. On the other hand, if the high-pass cut off frequency is too high, significant components of the pulse signal may be lost. In addition, if the filter exhibits resonant behavior at any frequency, pulse signals having components which approach this frequency may be distorted by a damped oscillation at the resonant frequency.

Pulse signal extraction apparatus for an automatic blood pressure gauge


An image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer member, a sensor, and two image forming units. Each of the image forming units includes an image carrier, an image writer, two development rollers, and a switcher. The image writer writes an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier. Each of the development rollers selectively driven by the switcher visualizes the electrostatic latent image to form toner images in four colors. The toner images are transferred and superimposed onto the intermediate transfer member to form a color toner image. The color toner image is transferred onto a transfer sheet. One or more marks are formed on the intermediate transfer member. The sensor detects one of the marks. The image writer starts writing in synchronism with a sync clock signal of the image writer output immediately after the sensor detects the mark or output after a predetermined time period elapses after the sensor detects the mark.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for image forming, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for image forming capable of synthesizing a full color image without causing deviations of color layers by adjusting timings for writing color layers.
2. Description of the Related Art
A background color image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method forms a color toner image by superimposing toner images in four colors (i.e., yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) onto an intermediate transfer member and transferring the superimposed toner images onto a transfer sheet.
A two-station type color image forming apparatus is one example of the background color image forming apparatus, and includes an intermediate transfer member and two image forming units arranged to oppose a moving surface of the intermediate transfer member. Each one of the image forming units is configured to form toner images with two different color toners from among the four colors, and includes an image carrier, an image writer, two development mechanisms, and a switcher. The image writer forms an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier, and the development mechanism visualizes the electrostatic latent image on the image carrier with toner to form a corresponding color toner image. The switcher switches between the two development mechanisms to form two color toner images. The intermediate transfer member is driven to move so as to receive the four color toner images from the two image forming units. Thereby, the four color toner images are transferred and superimposed as a color toner image at a transfer position on a surface of the intermediate transfer member.
In the above-mentioned process, however, if the transfer positions of the four color toner images on the surface of the intermediate transfer member are deviated, the four color toner images are not accurately transferred at a position on the surface of the intermediate transfer member. As a result, an output superimposed color image shows deviations of color image elements and has an inferior image quality. This problematic phenomenon is referred to as a color deviation in the following discussion.
To attempt to eliminate the above color deviation, the color image forming apparatus needs to perform a control operation for starting the transfer of the four color toner images on the surface of the intermediate transfer member at a common start position. Such a control operation is performed typically with a reference mark provided to the intermediate transfer member and a detector for detecting the reference mark. The color image forming apparatus generates sync clock signals and counts a number of sync clock signals generated during a time period after the detector detects the reference mark until the image writer starts writing an electrostatic latent image onto the image carrier. Based on the number of sync clock signals counted, a distance between the reference mark and the position of starting the image transfer on the surface of the intermediate transfer member is determined.
Another control operation for attempting to eliminate the color deviation forms test patterns with respective color toner on the intermediate transfer member, optically detects the test patterns, and determines positional deviations of the test patterns. Based on such positional deviations determined, the positions of images are corrected.
Another control operation for attempting to eliminate the color deviation uses a plurality of reference marks formed on the intermediate transfer member. This attempt measures a time period between detections of two adjacent reference marks and compares it with a predetermined time period to determine whether a time deviation occurs due to variations in load. When the time deviation is determined as occurring, a revolution speed of the image carrier is adjusted to an appropriate speed.
As another example, a tandem type color image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer member and four image forming units arranged to oppose a moving surface of the intermediate transfer member and each having at least one reference mark. This apparatus performs a transfer of a first color toner image onto the intermediate transfer member based on a detection of the reference mark and transferring second through fourth color toner images onto the intermediate transfer member based on the number of sync clock signals counted on and after the detection of the reference mark. In this case, the image transfer to the intermediate transfer member is merely repeated for the first through fourth color toner images, regardless of a size or a length of the transfer sheet or a number of prints.
In the two-station type color image forming apparatus, however, the order of transferring in terms of color needs to be changed in accordance with, for example, a number of transfer sheets placed on the intermediate transfer member. This is because a maximum number of transfer sheets placeable on the intermediate transfer member varies depending upon the lengths of the transfer sheets.
Further, the adjacent image forming units in the two-station type color image forming apparatus are arranged with a distance greater than that between the adjacent image forming units in the tandem type color image forming apparatus. Accordingly, the two-station type color image forming apparatus needs to move the intermediate transfer member for a longer distance and that may increase the positional deviation of the superimposed color toner images due to variations in moving speed of the intermediate transfer member.

Method and apparatus for image forming capable of synthesizing a full color image without causing deviations of color layers


Novel pharmaceutical compositions are comprised of the salt or ion pair formation of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and an antihistamine or other decongestant. The physico-chemical characteristics of these compositions show them to be substantially different from their parent acid or base and will enable the preparation of dual action sustained or enhanced relief therapy regimens. The compositions also possessed enhanced stability and therefore the multi-symptom relief can be incorporated into a number of dosage forms such as capsules, tablets, elixirs, ointments and the like.

Salt formation is an acid-base reaction involving either a proton-transfer or neutralization reaction and is therefore controlled by factors influencing such reactions. Theoretically, every compound that exhibits acid or base characteristics can participate in salt formation. Particularly important is the relative strength of the acid or base and the acidity and basicity constants of the chemical species involved. These factors determine whether or not salt formation occurs and are a measure of the stability of the resulting salt. The salt form is known to influence a number of physico-chemical properties of the parent compound including dissolution rate, solubility, stability, and hygroscopicity. Salt formation is useful in pharmaceutical formulations since these properties, in turn, affect the availability and formulation characteristics of the drug.
Higuchi et al. Anal. Chem. 39; 974-979 (1967) discloses the physicochemical basis behind the ion-pair extraction of pharmaceutical amines and suggests the use of ion-pairing for the improvement of drug lipophilicity and absorption. European patent 96,013 to Casini et al. discloses the preparation of novel salts of Erythromycin A with acetylsalicylic acid that has antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activity and with DL-alpha mercaptopropionyl glycine with mucolytic and hepatoprotective activity. These compounds allegedly have the pharmacological activity of the antibiotic moiety as well as that of the acidic moiety. These new salts also allegedly have physico-chemical properties different from both erythromycin A and the acidic moeity.
French patent no. 1,479,209 discloses codeine acytylsalicylate as a new salt having analgesic, anti-inflammatory and cough suppressant activities that also modifies bronchial secretions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,247 to Desai et al and U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,811 to Halton et al. disclose pharmaceutical applications of salt formation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,443 to Gobetti et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,538 to Baglioni et al. disclose new derivatives of known drugs by the formation of ester and thioester linkages of known compounds. Japanese patent no. 13273/65 discloses a salt of glycyrrhetic acid with beta-dimethyl aminoethyl benzhydryl ether with allegedly greater anti-inflammatory and antihistamine activities than its individual pharmaceutical components. The compounds dissolve slowly in acid and alkali thus giving sustained release action of the active component upon oral administration.
For purposes of this disclosure, the term salt/ion pair is used to refer to the fact that the new chemical entities produced by the acid-base reaction exists in either the solid crystalline form "salt" or as an amorphous, semi-solid viscous mass "ion-pair".
It is an object of the present invention to prepare novel salts of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents together with an antihistamine, sympathomimetic drug, cough suppressant or expectorant together with a pharmaceutically acceptable, non-toxic carrier. These novel pharmaceutical compositions allow for the use of a single new compound in place of the physical mixtures of several compounds found in the prior art. The novel pharmaceutical compositions also possess solubilities different from those of the individual drug components which enables the easier preparation of sustained or enhanced release dosage forms. And surprisingly, the compounds of the present invention do not exhibit the pharmaceutical incompatabilities expected when the sodium salt of an anti-inflammatory drug is combined with the strong acid salts of an antihistamine.
It is a further object of the present invention to prepare novel salts/ion pairs of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with non-sedating antihistamines and decongestants with unique physico-chemical properties over the multi-symptom relief medicines known in the art. Specifically, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as meclofenamic acid, salicylic acid, ibuprofen, naproxen, dichlofinac, sulindac and aspirin are used to form novel salt/ion pairs with antihistamines and decongestants such as Diphenhydramine, Pseudoephedrine, Hismanal, Terfenadine, Loratidine, Ranitidine, Cimetidine, etc.
Meclofenamic acid is an antiflammatory and antipyretic compound with the following formula: ##STR1##
Naproxen is a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory analgesic and antipyretic with the following formula: ##STR2##
Sulindac is also an anti-inflammatory drug with the following structure: ##STR3##
Salicyclic acid is a topical keratolytic with the following structure: ##STR4##
Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compound with the following structure: ##STR5##
Diphenhydramine, Pseudoephedrine, Hismanal and Terfenidine are all antihistamines with the following respective formulas: ##STR6##

Salts/ion pairs of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in various dosage forms


The suture anchor installation system comprises a suture anchor assembly engaged with a suture anchor insertion tool. The suture anchor assembly features a two-piece suture anchor for insertion into a pre-drilled hole in a bone and at least one suture having at least one surgical needle affixed thereto. The two-piece suture anchor comprises a setting pin slidably engaged within an engagement member having barbed legs expandable in response to proximal movement of the setting pin. The suture anchor insertion tool includes a body portion and a distally extending shaft portion. An annular region of the distal end of the shaft portion engages the legs of the suture anchor engagement member. A channel in the shaft portion aligns with a channel in the body portion to accomodate the suture. Needle-retaining assemblies located on the body portion of the suture anchor insertion tool engage the surgical needle or needles attached to the suture.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a suture anchor installation system and, more particularly, to a suture anchor installation system comprising a suture anchor insertion tool engaging a two-piece suture anchor having a suture and needle assembly.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
During surgery, it is often necessary to attach muscle tissue or prosthetic implants to bone. Suture anchors are used in the art to facilitate such attachment by securing a suture to bone. Generally, an anchor is implanted into a hole pre-drilled into a bone mass. A suture engaged by the suture anchor extends from the bone and is used to stitch the muscle tissue or prosthetic device to the bone. Suture anchors find particular use in joint reconstruction surgery, especially during attachment of ligaments or tendons to bones in the knee, shoulder, and elbow.
Several systems have been proposed in the art to aid the surgeon in implanting a suture anchor into a bone. One such system, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,417 to Cerier et al., comprises a driver having a handle and elongated shaft. An anchor snap fits on the end of the shaft over an anti-rotation pin which mates with slots in the anchor. A suture engaged in the anchor has its ends affixed to posts extending from the driver handle. The Cerier et al. system suffers from the disadvantage that the driver does not accommodate sutures having preattached needles. Thus, use of this system requires threading the suture into a needle, a time-consuming procedure for the surgeon.
Another suture anchor installation system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,550 to Li. The Li system comprises a suture anchor having a normally curved barb capable of being elastically deformed to a substantially straight configuration. The suture anchor engages a suture having a pair of surgical needles attached to its ends. The installation tool is adapted to receive the surgical needles an a pair of grooves formed in the tool's outer surface. The tool additionally provides a member for selectively covering and uncovering the needles received in the grooves.
The Li suture anchor installation system uses shape-memory alloys to fabricate the suture anchors. Such materials are not bioabsorbable. Additionally, the normally curved barb of the Li system protrudes from the installation tool during positioning of the anchor.
A need exists in the art for a suture anchor installation system composed of a suture anchor insertion tool engaging a suture anchor assembly. The suture anchor assembly should comprise a suture anchor which can be easily implanted yet remain firmly lodged within a pre-drilled hole in bone. At least one surgical needle should be preattached to a suture engaged by the suture anchor. Such a system would provide a site for securely attaching soft tissue or prosthetic devices to bone.


A device is proposed comprising a display screen for displaying digital information and/or images in a first mode of operation of the device, an image sensor having a set of photosensitive cells for capturing at least one digital image in a second mode of operation, and a control unit for controlling at least one display parameter of the screen in the first mode of operation. The control unit is configured to adjust the parameter on the basis of information representative of the brightness of ambient light obtained from at least a subset of the set of photosensitive cells of the image sensor.

Many mobile telephones contain an image sensor that has a set of optoelectronic elements, generally of the CCD ("Charge-Coupled Device") type, for capturing and digitizing images, and a display which is generally of the LCD ("Liquid Crystal Display") type for displaying digital images and/or other digital information. In the following description, "image capture and display device" means a device comprising such a sensor and such a display.
This image capture and display device conventionally cooperates with a light sensor placed near the display, which measures the brightness of the ambient light around the display. A control unit is configured to increase the power supplied to a backlighting device of the display when the brightness measured by the light sensor is less than one or more given thresholds.


A robotic cooking apparatus that can cook dishes using a computer recipe provided by a user and ingredients stored in it. Able to adjust the recipe based on user preference data. Cooking apparatus comprises of ingredient input section, cooking stations, pre-processing and post-processing station. Input section has trays and can be at room temperature or refrigerated for storing perishable ingredients. Robot head assembly is able to transfer ingredients, identify and measure as well as take inventory periodically. Cooking apparatus is connected to a network and can be operated remotely by a fixed or handheld device and monitor its operation remotely.

The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for preparing dishes using recipe steps and cooking conditions coded as a computer program recipe executed by a kitchen top robotic cooking machine supplied with the required ingredients with minimal user intervention while adjusting recipe to tastes of the user.
A need exists for a cooking machine or apparatus that is able to provide good quality custom food to people who generally lack the capability and understanding to prepare healthy food dishes on their own or do not have the time for engaging in cooking activity on a regular basis. With the change in the human society and behavioral pattern over the last several decades ever increasing number of people lack cooking skills and are becoming more dependent on processed foods, paying dearly for cooking services as in a restaurant or suffer consequences of unhealthy eating habits. Recent surveys have also suggested that a fairly large proportion of population is now medically obese and at risk of several adverse health conditions due to inability to cook and consume traditional food on a regular basis. Such a robotic cooking machine apparatus is also helpful in a restaurant as a cooking aid to an experienced chef to impart consistency and quality with less supervision of unskilled employees such that the price of gourmet dishes served can be reduced making them affordable for many.
Some businesses have recognized these issues and have started healthy meal delivery programs such as disclosed in US. Pat Application 20090094121 by Mark et Al assignee Nutrisystem Fresh Inc. However these programs are preset, expensive and cannot be effectively customized for every individual and meals can be repetitive rendering them boring and unpalatable to an individual over time even though made with good consistency. There needs to be a way where people can actively participate in their own healthy nourishment and also enjoy the process without the requirement to invest time and effort to acquire very high levels of cooking skills or occupy their precious time on a daily basis that could be used for more productive activities.
Chapin has disclosed a method and apparatus for automated Chinese stir-fry cooking in U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,502, however the apparatus' disclosed cannot help general cooking which is more complicated than Chinese stir frying and usually needs multiple steps such as when cooking pasta it is necessary to first boil the pasta and then subsequent cooking with cheese and vegetables after draining the water and cooking in a different pot. U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,810 discloses another apparatus incorporating a carousal and a lid, however still unable to cook complex dishes requiring multiple steps in multiple vessels and hence need for human intervention. U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,617 discusses an automatic frying machine for Chinese dishes also not able to cook complex dishes more involved, same case as the industrial size frying machine placed on a commercial burner disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,647,864. An apparatus with multiple wok stations is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,950 more suited for a takeout restaurant and there is no means for doing varied cooking activity at multiple stations rather they are meant to fry similar Chinese dishes at multiple stations for increasing throughput. Serving and cleaning devices have been added to the cooking machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,645 and vending capability is added in U.S. Pat. No. 6,843,166, however still not suitable for more complex cooking in general.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,174,830 incorporates robotic chefs into the kitchen to replicate human chefs and U.S. Pat. No. 7,461,589 discloses a single cooking pot counter top cooking machine. Further U.S. Pat. No. 7,485,830 discloses an automatic cooking device with a single station capable to addition of various types of motions for cooking. All these cooking devices, machines and apparatus have been invented with only a single cooking mode such as frying, stir frying and at a single station and cannot be used for general cooking as pasta, curries etc which need multiple steps and preparation of semi cooked ingredient combinations prior to final mixing and cooking of the main dish. Also most of the prior art is designed for use in a commercial environment whereas it is under close observation which is not appropriate for home cooking and a more reliant device is needed.
A need therefore exists to provide a robotic cooking apparatus that is more flexible to allow cooking of dishes that need more than one station to prepare intermediate cooked components and involve multiple steps that may involve transfer of semi-cooked ingredients from individual stations to temporary storage, or between cooking stations effortlessly without the need for human intervention. In addition, there is a need for a method to be able to adjust a recipe to individual tastes, sensibilities and moods for longer term usability of such a device. Also there is a need to be able to observe, monitor and control such a device remotely using a wireless device or via intelligent networked system such as the internet safely.

Robotic kitchen top cooking apparatus and method for preparation of dishes using computer recipies


A method for manufacturing a component comprising at least one layer having a fiber-reinforced composite material that absorbs microwaves is disclosed. The method comprises at least the following steps: a) arranging the at least one layer in a shape, b) treating a first surface section of the at least one layer with microwaves, wherein a temperature limiting mechanism of the at least one layer cooperate with at least one adjacent second surface section, at least part of the time. The method may be carried out in such that steps a) and b) are carried out for a plurality of components and that the components are further treated according to at least the following steps: c) positioning a plurality of components with respect to one another such that each second surface section forms at least one overlapping area at least partially, d) treating the at least one overlapping area with microwaves.

With respect to the efforts which are being made to provide airplanes which conform to future ecological requirements and are inexpensive to produce and operate, and to nevertheless meet the strictest safety requirements, possible ways are increasingly being sought to produce the essential primary structures (e.g. wings, fuselage components, housing for the drive units, etc.) using fiber-reinforced composite material rather than aluminum. This lightweight construction technique makes it possible, in particular, to considerably reduce the weight of the airplanes. During the production of such essential primary structures, it must be taken into account that these take on a considerable scale; by way of example, the landing flaps are structural parts which extend over a number of meters. These structural parts are additionally exposed to high levels of stress during operation and therefore represent safety-critical structural parts, for which special quality requirements have to be observed.
Fiber-reinforced composite materials of this type generally comprise two essential components, namely firstly the fibers and secondly a polymer matrix which surrounds the fibers. The matrix encompasses the fibers and is cured by a thermal treatment (polymerization), such that three-dimensional cross-linking takes place. This polymerization has the effect that the fibers are bonded firmly to one another and therefore forces can be introduced into the fibers, namely predominantly via shear stresses. Suitable fibers are both carbon fibers and possibly also glass fibers. Carbon fibers, which nowadays are still relatively expensive, regularly consist of carbon to an extent of at least 90% by weight. The diameter of the fibers is, for example, 4.5 to 8 μm (micrometer). Carbon fibers of this type have anisotropic properties. By contrast, glass fibers have an amorphous structure and isotropic properties. They predominantly comprise silicon oxide, it being possible for further oxides to be admixed if appropriate. Whereas the glass fibers are relatively inexpensive, the carbon fibers are noted for their high strength and rigidity.
Particularly in the construction of airplanes, what is known as pre-preg technology is employed. In this technology, for example, pre-impregnated fabrics or other fiber forms (pre-form) are soaked in synthetic resins and thermally treated merely until they solidify slightly (gel formation), such that they can be handled in layers. A pre-preg material of this type exhibits a small degree of adhesion and can therefore be arranged readily in appropriate molding tools or one on top of another in layers, until the desired form of the structural part is formed. When the desired layers of the pre-preg material are arranged, they can be (thermally) cured. In order to cure said pre-preg structural parts, use is presently made of what are known as autoclaves, i.e. ovens which may have to be heated with an overpressure (up to 10 bar) over many hours in order to achieve complete curing of the structural parts.
In addition, DE 10 2005 050 528 A1, the contents of which are incorporated by reference, discloses a microwave autoclave, with which the production of fiber composite structural parts by microwave radiation is proposed. The apparatus proposed in said document makes it possible to couple microwave radiation into the pressure chamber of the autoclave. The excitation of the pre-preg materials with microwaves has the advantage that it is not necessary to heat the air located in the autoclave or the inert gas located therein, which is present in a considerable volume owing to the size of the structural parts. The use of microwave technology makes it possible to heat the material to be cured itself directly, and the rest of the surrounding region accordingly remains relatively cold. When heating the pre-preg material using microwaves, the following active mechanisms may set in depending on the material used: dielectric heating and resistive heating. Long-chain hydrocarbon molecules (such as e.g. in epoxy resin) are dipoles (i.e. have an irregular charge distribution) and are excited to oscillate at a high frequency in the electromagnetic field produced by the microwaves. This kinetic energy of the dipoles is then converted by internal friction into heat, which is produced directly in the material (dielectric heating). In addition, it is also possible for eddy currents to arise as a result of induction, and therefore the electrical resistance of the material finally causes an increase in temperature (resistive heating). By way of example, the material can thus be heated to temperatures above 130° C. or even above 160° C., a temperature at which the polymerization or curing of the pre-preg materials regularly begins.
The microwave resonator described in DE 103 29 411 A1, the contents of which are incorporated by reference, is likewise suitable for carrying out such a thermal treatment. Said microwave resonator is generally operated without an overpressure. However, it may also be integrated, if appropriate, in a pressure vessel (autoclave).
A problem which arises during the curing process for such large structural parts, as are used in the construction of airplanes, is that possibly more complex geometries of the components require additional processes for joining such fiber-reinforced composite materials. For this purpose, it was customary to bond cured structural parts to one another by joining using a bonding agent. For this purpose, the surfaces of the cured structural parts were treated, if appropriate, for example ground and/or cleaned. Then, an adhesion promoter was applied, under certain circumstances, to the treated surfaces. This was followed by the application of an adhesive, with which the structural parts to be bonded to one another were then fixed. It is not just the case that this process necessitates relatively laborious handling of the large structural parts; in addition, the pretreatment of the structural parts and also the joining process itself have to be carried out very precisely because here faults repeatedly lead to weakening of the structural parts, which should not be accepted particularly in the construction of airplanes.

Manufacturing method for components made of fiber-reinforced composite materials by using microwaves


Chemically cross-linked polymeric particles are formed using mechanical rather than chemical processes, facilitating production of small-diameter particles in a manner largely independent of the viscosity or density of the polymer. For example, an uncross-linked resin may be provided in particulate form, agglomerated, and compressed into a mass of a desired shape with a desired diameter, and subsequently cross-linked.

Polymeric microspheres (i.e., microspheres formed at least in part from a polymer) are used in medical and industrial areas. These microspheres may be used as drug delivery agents, tissue bulking agents, tissue engineering agents, and embolization agents, for example. Accordingly, there are a variety of methods directed towards preparing polymeric microspheres. Typical methods include dispersion polymerization of the monomer, potentiometric dispersion of dissolved polymer within an emulsifying solution followed by solvent evaporation, electrostatically controlled extrusion, and injection of dissolved polymer into an emulsifying solution through a porous membrane followed by solvent evaporation.
Additional methods of preparing polymeric microspheres include vibratory excitation of a laminar jet of monomeric material flowing in a continuous liquid medium containing a suitable suspending agent, irradiation of slowly thawing frozen monomer drops, emulsification and evaporation, emulsification and evaporation using a high shear air flow, and continuous injection of dissolved polymer into a flowing non-solvent through a needle oriented in parallel to the direction of flow of the non-solvent.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Forming a chemically cross-linked particle of a desired shape and diameter


A tool holder includes an insert pocket having a support surface with a pocket recess occupied by a lever pin, and a fastening member. A head portion of the lever pin has a lever head rear contact surface, located above the support surface, for pressing against a bore of a cutting insert in the insert pocket. The fastening member engages a threaded recess which extends from the pocket recess along a threaded recess axis. The fastening member includes a guiding prong, located within a blind hole in the front of the lever pin. A clamping contact surface of the fastening member is adjacent to a lever front contact surface of the lever pin. A first longitudinal distance, between the lever rear contact surface and the lever front contact surface, is smaller than a second longitudinal distance, between the lever front contact surface and a lever rear contact surface.

Metal cutting tools used in turning operations, including cutting inserts which are removably secured in a holder, have long since provided a suitably hard material, i.e. cemented carbide, in the vicinity of the cutting edge, where the cutting tool holder, manufactured from a less hard material, is reusable following the disposal of a worn or damaged cutting insert.
Cutting inserts are clamped within insert receiving pockets located on the front of the tool holder, for holding and supporting cutting inserts during operation (e.g., turning operation). Holders for cutting inserts may have a clamping member contacting a hole in the cutting insert thereby fastening the cutting insert in the insert pocket. The holders may further have a screw member for exerting pressure on the clamping member to contact the cutting insert. Examples of such tool holders for cutting inserts are disclosed in the following publications: U.S. Pat. No. 3,469,296, U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,951, U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,711, U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,650, U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,928, U.S. Pat. No. 6,582,162 and EPO450542A1.
It is an object of the subject matter of the present application to provide an improved novel tool holder for cutting insert having a lever pin and a front fastening member, and a cutting tool employing such a tool holder, in particular for cutting inserts with a blind bore therein. The novel tool holder provides better clamping leverage applied on the cutting insert, as well as a dovetail abutment against the insert pocket of the tool holder.

Cutting tool and cutting tool holder having lever pin


In a rotary printing press with a printing cylinder and a counter roller, such as an impression cylinder, for example, and a print web guided between them, faultless print quality across the entire width is attained, even with an extremely wide print web and a correspondingly slim printing cylinder. The printing cylinder is provided with a fixed support and a jacket, which is rotatable around it, and is supported by a row of support elements with a printing pressure which is controlled individually or in groups. With this arrangement, a uniform printing pressure profile across the print web width and, simultaneously, a print gap which is generally uniform are attained. Deformations and displacements of the printing cylinder jacket cross-wise to the printing plane are avoided in that additional cross-bracing elements for exerting a restoring force on the printing cylinder jacket cross-wise to the printing plane are provided. The restoring force of the cross-bracing elements is controlled by position sensors or bearing pressure sensors in such a way that the position of the printing cylinder jacket is maintained even with particularly lengthy and slim printing cylinders. Oscillations of the printing cylinder are prevented by hydrostatic support elements which have a damping effect.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary printing press with a printing cylinder which is provided on its exterior surface with a printing forme support and has a counter roller capable of exerting a printing pressure on a print web guided between the counter roller and the printing cylinder.
2. Description of Background and Material Information
Printing presses of the aforementioned type include, for example, rotogravure, letterpress, flatbed or offset rotary printing presses, depending on the printing forme support. In most cases, the counter roller is embodied as an impression cylinder, i.e., a soft printing cylinder, by means of which the printing pressure needed for transferring the print pattern from the printing cylinder is exerted on the print web, such as, for example, a paper web or plastic foil or the like. However, in rotary printing presses for simultaneous printing of both sides of a print web, the counter roller can also be another printing cylinder with a different printing forme support, wherein one of the two printing cylinders exerts a printing pressure on the other printing cylinder.
A requirement for such rotary printing presses is that the print quality must be sufficiently uniform across the entire width of the print web. However, this is difficult due to the difference in bending of the printing cylinder and the counter roller, as well as the appearance of resonant oscillations in the two rollers. For meeting this requirement, nevertheless, a rotary rotogravure printing press has been suggested in European Patent Application No. 0,439,822, published on Aug. 7, 1991, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,877, issued on Nov. 22, 1977, the impression cylinder of which has a fixed support and a jacket rotatable around the latter. The impression cylinder jacket is supported on the support in the printing direction by a row of support elements disposed next to each other in the axial direction and each support element has, at least partially, an individually adjustable support force.
By means of the printing pressure of the support elements, which is controllable across the width, individually or in groups, it is possible to attain a printing pressure which is uniform to a large degree, or a desired print profile across the width of the print web. In spite of this, undesirable variations in print quality across the print width have occurred in rotary printing presses of greater width and higher printing pressure, even when using such an impression cylinder and in spite of the controllability of the printing pressure across the width of the web.


A method of making a card which has a body having two main faces and at least one graphics element. A mold is provided having a mold cavity which defines the outside shape of the card body. A support element bearing a graphics element is placed in the mold cavity, and it is retained in place so that it remains substantially parallel to the walls of the mold cavity which define the main faces of the card body. A plastic material is then injected into the mold in such a manner that the plastic material occupies all of the space delimited in the mold cavity and not occupied by the support element. The part obtained in this way is then unmolded.

When the graphics element is fairly complicated, either by virtue of the shape of its outline or else because of the shades of color to be obtained, the stage during which the pattern is printed, e.g. by silkscreen printing, by offset printing, or by some other method, can lead to failure, particularly if high standards are required for the quality of the pattern and of the colors. In the event of failure, cards whose patterns are judged to be of inadequate quality must be rejected. This means that the materials, components, and machining costs of the card manufacturing stages prior to the stage during which the pattern is made, are all lost. These costs are particularly high if the pattern is made after an electronic module has already been implanted in the card body. This situation arises particularly, but not exclusively, when the card is manufactured by molding the card body directly over the electronic module using the technique described in French patent application number 87/00446.
According to this technique, an electronic module is put into place in a mold whose cavity defines the outside shape to be given to the card body. After unmolding, a memory card is obtained having a card body in its final shape and in which an electronic module is already implanted. If the result of a subsequent pattern-imparting step is unacceptable, it will then be understood that the entire cost of making the card is lost.
Proposals have also been made to make the card body by injection molding a plastic material. This technique is described in European patent application number 267 826. In order to reduce manufacturing costs, the injected material is preferably acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS). This material suffers from the drawback of being poorly suited to making patterns on the faces of the card body by conventional printing techniques of silkscreen printing or offset printing.
In order to remedy these drawbacks, an object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a card, in particular a memory card, in which the stage during which a pattern is formed on the card body cannot of itself give rise to the card being rejected or which makes it possible to form a pattern independently of the nature of the material used for manufacturing the card body.

Method of making cards having graphics elements thereon


A structure of a handle for a retractable leash comprises a holding piece; the holding piece is formed integrally as one piece by soft gel; a housing of the retractable leash is an assembly of a left housing and a right housing; the holding piece is fitted between the left housing and the right housing.

The present invention relates to an improved retractable leash and more specifically relates to a structure of a handle for a retractable leash wherein the handle has functional usage and is comfortable to use.
Modern people keep on bringing their quality of life to a higher standard as they keep on improving their standard of living. The pursuit of high quality products has begun even in the market of pet-keeping. In order to meet the market demand, various retractable leashes for walking pets are now available in the market. In general, a retractable leash currently available in the market contains a retractable leash belt being a functional feature of the retractable leash. The retractable leash belt may be extended or retracted when walking the pets.
In order to use the retractable leash more comfortably, the retractable leash is generally covered with a soft gel layer of less than 2 mm on two sides of a handle for the retractable leash. The purpose of providing the soft gel layer is to prevent user's hand injury in case the pet runs in a high speed. However, a running pet may generate strong pulling force, and the soft gel on the two sides of the handle is too thin, and the soft gel is also not reinforced even after years of use, and furthermore, the handle is formed by assembling the two sides thereof. Due to the foregoing factors, user's injury is not reduced. Moreover, the pet may run in different directions. If the pet runs randomly towards both left and right directions, pulling force exerted to the retractable leash may tear the left and right housings of the retractable leash apart from each other. Not only will the retractable leash be damaged, but the components inside the retractable leash will also fall out and may hurt the passers-by.

Structure of a handle for a retractable leash


A method for channel assessment in unlicensed spectrum is provided, wherein the method includes receiving, by a device, a clear channel assessment (CCA) configuration indicating one or more channels of the unlicensed spectrum each with a respective CCA bandwidth. The method also includes performing, by the device, a CCA on at least one channel in the one or more channels of the unlicensed spectrum in accordance with the CCA configuration. A corresponding device is also provided.

Unlicensed wireless protocols may attempt to access wireless channels without centralized coordination and planning, which may lead to collisions between different unlicensed transmissions. One technique for mitigating such collisions is referred to as Carrier-Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA). CSMA/CA includes a medium sensing stage, also called Clear Channel Assessment (CCA), during which a device determines a CCA status of a shared channel before performing a transmission. Techniques for improving the efficiency and collision avoidance of a CCA in unlicensed spectrum are desired.

Network-assisted clear channel assessment bandwidth adaptation mechanism


In a method and magnetic resonance system for generating a homogenous, radio-frequency excitation field in a spatial examination volume of the magnetic resonance system for a subject examination, the magnetic resonance system having a body coil comprised of N resonator segments or groups and a control and evaluation device for the separate activation of the individual resonator segments electromagnetically decoupled from one another, separate excitation of each individual resonator segment using defined excitation parameters ensue with an examination subject located in the magnetic resonance system and the respective segment-specific or group specific magnetic field distributions in the examination volume are determined. The segment-specific or group-specific magnetic field distributions are computationally superimposed to determine a overall field distribution in the examination volume. The homogeneity of the overall field distribution is evaluated using an evaluation algorithm and a change of one or more excitation parameters of one or more resonator segments or segment groups to compensate for a known field inhomogeneity is determined. The resonator segments or segment groups are excited with the determined parameter change to acquire an a diagnostic image of the subject.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a method to generate a homogenous radio-frequency field in a spatial examination volume of a magnetic resonance system for the examination of a subject wherein the magnetic resonance system has a body coil (composed of a number of resonator segments with conductor elements arranged around the examination volume, parallel to the longitudinal axis of a base field magnet) and a control and evaluation device to separately control the individual resonator segments electromagnetically decoupled from one another.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Magnetic resonance tomography are imaging methods for medical diagnostics that uses the interaction of an external field (here a magnetic field) with the human body for imaging. The general design and the functioning of such a magnetic resonance system are known and need not be described in detail herein.
Magnetic resonance systems have been conventionally used in which the basic magnetic field is more than 1.5 T, in particular 3 T and more. Better resolutions are achievable with these magnetic resonance systems, but additional inhomogeneities of the image quality occur in such conventional systems that are traced back to inhomogeneities in the excitation field generated by the body coil.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,252,403 to fashion the transmission antenna in the shape of a spiral in order to compensate for radio-frequency eddy currents that lead to inhomogeneities. The transmission antenna thus assumes the appearance of a birdcage resonator wound around a symmetry axis. From this document, it is also known to arrange suitable dielectrics, in particular water, in proximity to the examination subject in order to hereby achieve a homogenization of the radio-frequency excitation field. Despite these features a sufficient compensation of the inhomogeneities in the body coil excitation field is not possible in all cases.
Furthermore, from European Application 1 279 968, discloses a magnetic resonance system in which resolution segments that are electromagnetically decoupled from one another and that form a body coil are provided according to the system design previously specified. Here the individual resolution segments can oscillate at the desired resolution frequency independently of one another. A separate transmission channel is associated with each resonator segment, meaning that each resonator segment can be separately activated, enabling the generation of separate individual fields that collectively produce a circularly polarized radio-frequency field. The amplitude and the phase of each transmission channel can be individually set.

Magnetic resonance apparatus and operating method for generating a homogenous RF field in the examination volume