A ceramic fiber containing refractory moldable composition suitable for use with molten aluminum alloys, the composition comprised of 10-18 wt. % ceramic fiber, 33-45 wt. % colloidal silica, 30-42 wt. % total content of liquid carrier, 0.2-2.5 wt. % organic polymer and 1-15 wt. % barium sulfate. The composition has a high level of resistance to attack or penetration by molten aluminum.

This invention relates to refractory compositions, and more particularly, it relates to moldable refractory compositions containing ceramic fibers having high resistance to molten aluminum alloys.
There are many commercially available refractory products or compositions which are designed for use with molten aluminum applications. These products include dense refractory brick, castables and plastic ramming mixes. Also available are light-weight insulating castables. These products contain additives which reduce reactions between the refractories and molten aluminum alloys. For example, LaBar U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,502 discloses a corrosion resistant castable refractory comprised of calcium aluminate, zinc borosilicate frit and fused silica. Lobaugh U.S. Pat. No. 2,516,892 discloses a refractory concrete which uses calcium aluminate cement, a refractory aggregate and an insoluble frit. Hofmann U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,424 discloses a ramming or gunning cement using boric acid and a low temperature softening glass or frit. Talley et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,474 discloses a phosphate-bonded alumina or alumino-silicate refractory for lining aluminum-melting furnaces and other containers for molten aluminum including 0.5 to 30 wt.% BaSO.sub.4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,331 discloses a refractory moldable composition which, upon drying, sets up to refractory shapes which are strongly adherent to the molding surfaces and are essentially crack-free, contains about 45 to about 65% of a liquid vehicle, such as water; about 21 to about 26% ceramic fiber; about 7 to about 30% finely divided silica; and sufficient adhesion enhancing agent to impart from about 18 to about 50 grams per square centimeter adherence to steel.
Yet in spite of these disclosures there is still a great need for a refractory composition having improved properties and which has a high level of resistance to molten aluminum.

Molten aluminum resistant refractory composition containing ceramic fibers


A steering damper control apparatus includes a steering damper configured to generate a damping force which acts on a steering device, a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure of a front wheel suspension, a steering angle sensor configured to detect a steering angle of the steering device, and a damping force adjuster configured to adjust the damping force of the steering damper with one of a first command value which is a damping force command value according to a change rate of the pressure, and a second command value which is a damping force command value according to a steering angular speed, based on each detection result of the pressure sensor and steering angle sensor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering damper control apparatus configured to control a damping force of a steering device, and to a saddle riding type vehicle including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Steering damper control apparatuses are used on vehicles having various steering devices (e.g., steering gears), such as saddle riding type vehicles. The steering damper control apparatus adjusts the damping force of a steering device.
Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-25181 discloses a steering damper control apparatus mounted on a saddle riding type vehicle. The steering damper control apparatus disclosed in the above publication includes a damper, a steering angle sensor and a controller. The damper generates a damping force of a steering device (e.g., a handlebar). The steering angle sensor detects a steering angle. The controller controls the steering damper and adjusts the damping force based on a detection result of the steering angle sensor. Specifically, the controller causes a damping force to be generated until elapse of a predetermined time from when a steering angle speed exceeds a predetermined value. This inhibits a lowering of controllability of the steering device while inhibiting the steering device from being vibrated by a disturbance.
However, the conventional example with such construction has the following problems.
There is a wide range of disturbances that act on the steering device, and are different in magnitude, sharpness (steepness) and so on, of shocks. To cope with this, the steering damper control apparatus causes a damping force to be generated only when the steering angle speed of a steering shaft exceeds a predetermined value. Therefore, depending on modes of disturbance it can be difficult to inhibit vibration of the steering devices appropriately.

Steering damper control apparatus, and a saddle riding type vehicle having the same


A swivelable quick connect assembly for use with tubular conduits is disclosed as comprising a housing having an axial bore for receiving one end of the conduit, an elastomeric ring-like meal is disposed in the bore for providing a fluid tight seal between confronting portions of the conduit and the housing, an annular bushing is disposed in the bore for positioning the seal and for guiding the one end of the conduit into nesting relationship with the bore, and a retainer is detachably secured to the housing and is cooperable with an annular projection on the conduit for securing the conduit in its operative position within the bore, the retainer having resilient deformable portions which are adapted to snap over the locking wall upon insertion of the conduit into the housing bore.

The present invention relates to a connector assembly for providing a swivelable quick connection.
In the automotive industry, as well as for many other industries, the need always exists for low-cost, reliable, and easy to assemble components. This need is especially apparent with respect to providing a connection between fluid carrying conduits, such as a fuel or refrigerant lines. In older threaded connectors, substantial assembly time could be accumulated in screwing on a cap to a fitting and tightening the cap down to the proper torque needed to provide for a fluid tight seal. Further, an inventory would have to be maintained to keep track of the number of caps and fittings, and any liners or other components that may be necessary. Also, retightening of the caps may be required to maintain the seal after the automobile or other system has been put in use.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved connector assembly for providing a swivelable quick connection between fluid conveying conduits.
In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pre-assembled connector housing and retainer element so that a connection to a tubular fluid conveying conduit may be made in one step without resorting to any tools.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pre-assembled connector housing and retainer element so that a snapping connection may be made to a tubular fluid conveying conduit.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector assembly that may be employed to join dissimilar electrically conducting materials that would be otherwise subject to galvanic corrosion.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a connector assembly which is adapted to provide for a bleed-down position when disconnecting a conduit from the housing of the connector assembly.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pre-assembled connector conduit unit which requires only a one-step snapping connection to be joined to a connecter housing.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a removable, disposable cover for protecting the pre-assembled connector conduit unit.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a disposable stuffer-plug for the connector assembly which is adapted to install one or more sealing elments in an axial bore of the connector housing and detachably secure a retainer element to the connector housing, as well as to seal the axial bore of the connector housing.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a connector assembly which employs a check valve unit disposed in the axial bore of the housing for selectively blocking fluid flow.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved retainer element which operates to both secure the conduit in the axial bore of the housing and position the sealing element within the axial bore of the housing.
It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide an improved retainer element formed with three or more leg members which operate to detachably secure the retainer element to the housing, the sealing means within the housing, the conduit in its operative position within the axial bore of the housing, and provide better resistance to off axis forces on the conduit.
To achieve the foregoing objects, the present invention provides a swivelable connector assembly which generally comprises a tubular conduit, a housing, sealing means, and retainer means. The tubular conduit is adapted to convey fluid and is formed with an annular projection disposed a predetermined distance from the end of the conduit to be connected. The housing is formed with an axial bore for receiving the conduit at a first end and for providing a fluid path at a second end, and includes an inwardly extending annular lip (or suitable apertures) at the first end to detachably secure the retainer means to the housing. The sealing means is disposed within the axial bore of the housing for providing a fluid tight seal between confronting portions of the conduit and the housing. The retainer means is adapted to be disposed generally within the axial bore of the housing for cooperating with the annular projection of the conduit to secure the conduit in its operative position within the axial bore of the housing. The retainer means includes three or more circumferentially spaced resilient deformable leg members which extend from an integral collar member at one end thereof. Each of the leg members has an outwardly opening channel portion which is adapted to receive the inwardly extending lip of the housing to secure the retainer means to the housing, and an inwardly opening channel portion adapted to receive the annular projection of the conduit for securing the conduit in its operative position within the axial bore of the housing. The ring from which the legs extend may additionally serve to position and retain the sealing means.
Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from reading of the detailed description of the preferred embodients which makes reference to the following set of drwings in which:


A cogeneration power plant for producing steam and electricity. A boiler burner receives fuel from a fuel source and a boiler combustion air/exhaust mixture from a boiler combustion air fan. An internal combustion engine receives fuel and air for combustion. The internal combustion engine drives an electricity generator for the production of electricity. A boiler combustion control system automatically monitors the boiler load and the combustion air and engine exhaust mixture oxygen level and temperature. The boiler combustion control system will then appropriately automatically adjust the speed of the boiler combustion air fan to provide a near stoichiometric mixture of fuel and combustion air and engine exhaust mixture so as to provide for a high burner temperature causing the reduction of NOx emissions in the boiler exhaust while maintaining a very high boiler operating efficiency.

Advances in reciprocating engine technology have resulted in substantially lower heat rates, the fuel to kilowatt efficiency exceeding 35%. As a result, newer higher efficiency engines can only produce low grade heat which in most applications precludes its use as the prime mover in the generation of steam for industrial use. Approximately 40% of the waste heat from a reciprocating engine is contained in the engine exhaust which ranges in temperature between 800 and 900 F, the remaining waste heat expelled to the engine cooling water at a temperature no higher than 240 F. Exhaust temperature from gas turbines is much higher. As a result, most cogeneration systems use lower efficiency prime movers such as gas turbines that have sufficient exhaust volume and temperature to produce higher grade heat needed for the production of steam.
About 40% of the consumption of energy by America industry is devoted to the production of steam in boilers.
Numerous combustion processes incident to power generation, generate effluent gases having an unacceptable NOx content. More specifically, the high temperatures incident to the operation of fuel-driven turbines, internal combustion engines and the like, results in the fixation of some oxides of nitrogen. These compounds are found in the effluent gases mainly as nitric oxide (NO) with lesser amounts of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and only traces of other oxides. Since nitric oxide (NO) continues to oxidize to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air at ordinary temperatures, there is no way to predict with accuracy the amounts of each separately in vented gases at a given time. Thus, the total amount of nitric oxide (NO) plus nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in a sample is determined and referred to as "oxides of nitrogen" (NOx).
NOx emissions from stack gases, engine exhausts etc., through atmospheric reactions, produce "smog" that stings eyes and may cause or contribute to acid rain. Other deleterious effects both to health and to structures are believed to be caused directly or indirectly by these NOx emissions. For these reasons, the content of oxides of nitrogen present in gases vented to the atmosphere has been subject to increasingly stringent limits via regulations promulgated by various state and federal agencies.
In recent years a mode of power production known as "cogeneration" has expanded rapidly, due in part to the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act of 1978 (PURPA). PURPA provided financial incentive to cogenerators that sell excess electrical power and indeed mandated that utilities purchase power from cogenerators. It also allows utilities to own up to 50% of a cogeneration facility and receive the benefits of this status. Cogeneration may be defined as the simultaneous production of both useful thermal energy (usually steam), and electrical energy, from one source of fuel. In a typical system one or more power sources such as gas turbines, may be followed by a waste heat boiler using natural gas as fuel for both the turbines and to heat the exhaust gases from the turbines.
A common problem arising in cogeneration systems is the level of NOx emissions generated with the combined firing cycle. Cogeneration plants using conventional hydrocarbon-fueled power sources and auxiliary fuel fired heat-recovery boilers to produce electricity and steam are therefore being subjected to stringent NOx emission standards requiring levels below the 9 ppmv range.
Higher efficiency reciprocating engines have NOx emissions several orders of magnitude higher than these emission standards, often exceeding 1500 ppmv. Therefore, the use of higher efficiency reciprocating engines are precluded in most states without substantial emission control technology.
To meet the regulations for NOx emissions for boilers, a number of methods of NOx control have previously been employed or proposed. In one approach water or steam are injected into the combustion zone. This lowers the flame temperature and thereby retards the formation of NOx, since the amount of NOx formed generally increases with increasing temperatures. Water or steam injection, however, adversely affects the overall fuel efficiency of the process as energy is absorbed to vaporize the water or heat the injectable steam, which would otherwise go toward heating the power source exhaust and be ultimately converted into usable steam.
A much more common technique for meeting regulations NOx emissions involves the use of recirculated flue gas. Flue gas exiting a boiler is mixed with combustion air which reduces oxygen content in the combustion air flue gas mixture to less than 20.9%. The reduction of available oxygen in the burner combined with the higher mass flow reduces the emissions of NOx emissions. Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,971 describes a process for reducing emissions from a boiler by passing a mixture of recirculated flue gas and combustion air through a fan and into a burner while increasing the speed of the fan at increasing firing levels. The process has demonstrated the capability of reducing NOx emissions by greater than 85% regardless of burner design.
Specialized burner designs have been developed which in combination with increasing levels of recirculation can provide NOx emissions to meet the most strict emission limits in California. Unfortunately, the increased levels of recirculated flue gas results in substantial loss of flame stability which limits the range of operation as well as the efficiency of the approach.
It is also known to inject ammonia to selectively reduce NOx. A process involving the injection of ammonia into the products of combustion is shown, for example, in Welty, U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,546. Examples of processes utilizing ammonia injection and a reducing catalyst are disclosed in Sakari et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,286; and Haeflich, U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,110. While selective reduction methods ammonia injection are expensive and somewhat difficult to control, increasingly strict mandates against NOx emissions have made the use of selective catalytic reduction systems the preferred choice in the control of NOx emissions from boilers.
Temperature necessary for the reduction of the oxides of nitrogen must be carefully controlled to yield the required reaction rates, the placement of catalyst being in the flow of exhaust from boilers where temperature is in the range to assure the highest possible reduction rates.
Apparatus modifications have also been widely used or proposed as a solution to the aforementioned NOx emission problem. These include modifications to the burner or firebox to reduce the formation of NOx. Although these methods can reduce the level of NOx, each has its own drawbacks. Combustion equipment modifications can e.g. affect performance and limit the range of operation.
A selective catalytic reduction system is presently considered by some to be the best available control technology for the reduction of NOx from the exhaust gas of a boilers and, as a consequence, is often required equipment. Currently available selective catalytic reduction systems used for the reduction of NOx employ ammonia injection into the exhaust gas stream for reaction with the NOx in the presence of a catalyst to produce nitrogen and water vapor. Such systems typically have an efficiency of 85-90 percent when the exhaust gas stream is at a temperature within a temperature range of approximately 500° F.-700° F. The NOx reduction efficiency of the system is significantly less if the temperature is outside the stated temperature range and the catalyst may be damaged at higher temperatures.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,821 is also of interest in disclosing a system for combusting a nitrogen-containing fuel in such a manner as to minimize NOx formation. The fuel to be combusted is directed through a series of combustion zones having beds of catalytic materials. Air is added to each of two upstream zones to provide fuel-rich conditions to thereby minimize formation of NOx precursors. In a final zone also having a bed of catalytic material, excess air is provided to complete combustion of the fuel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,555, discloses a cogeneration system wherein electrical power is generated by a gas turbine. The gaseous effluent from the turbine, together with sufficient additional fuel to produce a fuel-rich, fuel-air mixture is fed to a boiler to generate steam. Air is added to the gaseous effluent from the boiler to form a lean fuel-air mixture, and this mixture is passed over an oxidizing catalyst, with the resultant gas stream then passing to an economizer or low pressure waste heat boiler for substantial recovery of its remaining heat content. The gas, now meeting NOx emission standards, is then vented to atmosphere.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,555, a gas turbine constitutes the primary power source which has a substantially higher heat rate than that of the newer reciprocating gas engines. The NOx levels ultimately achieved therein are quite low, i.e. below about 50 ppmv for the final gases provided for venting. Since, however, NOx levels in the turbine exhaust are not extremely high to begin with (i.e. about 150 ppmv), the actual reduction is only moderate. Where an internal combustion engine (such as a reciprocating engine) constitutes the power source, NOx levels in the exhaust are an order of magnitude higher than in a gas turbine—a typical NOx level for such an engine being about 1500 ppmv. In this instance the exhaust stream also carries substantial particulate matter in the form of unburned carbon. It is found that with such a power source, neither the methods taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,555, or those otherwise known in the prior art which preceded U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,226, are adequate or effective to economically and efficiently achieve fully acceptable NOx reduction. The problem thereby presented is particularly acute, in that the convenience, simplicity of operation, and dependability of internal combustion engines, otherwise renders same an ideal instrumentality for use in cogeneration installations, e.g. for shopping centers, industrial plants, educational facilities, medical complexes, and the like.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,226, a cogeneration system is provided wherein fuel and oxygen are provided to an internal combustion engine connected to drive an electric generator, to thereby generate electricity. An exhaust stream is recovered from the engine at a temperature of about 500° F. to 1000° F. which includes from about 6 to 15 percent oxygen. Sufficient fuel is added to the exhaust stream to create a fuel-rich mixture, the quantity of fuel being sufficient to react with the available oxygen and reduce the NOx in the exhaust stream. The fuel-enriched stream is then provided to a thermal reactor means for reacting the fuel, NOx and available oxygen, to provide a heated oxygen-depleted stream. The oxygen-depleted stream is cooled in a heat exchanger. Prior to being passed over a catalyst bed under overall reducing conditions, conversion oxygen is added to the cooled stream. Such oxygen can be provided directly (i.e. as air), but can be provided by bypassing part of the exhaust stream from the engine. The quantity of conversion oxygen is stoichiometrically in excess of the amount of NO.sub. x but less (stoichiometrically) than the amount of combustibles, in consequence of which NO in the stream is oxidized to NO2 at the forward end of the bed, after which the NO2 is reduced in the remainder of the bed by the excess combustibles. Air is added to the resulting stream from the catalytic bed to produce a cooled stream having a stoichiometric excess of oxygen, and the stream is passed over an oxidizing catalyst bed to oxidize remaining excess combustibles. The resultant stream, vastly reduced in NOx content can then be provided for venting. By means of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,226 invention, the NOx content can be reduced to less than 25 ppmv—often below 15 ppmv, while CO levels are also brought to well below 50 ppmv.
What is needed is a better cogeneration power plant.


This application relates to taste masked multi-layered particles an inert core, one or more coating layer(s) comprising a pharmaceutically active ingredient and a binder, an intermediate coating layer (seal coating) free from a low molecular weight water-soluble ionic compound and comprising a water-soluble pharmaceutical film-forming compound selected from (i) HPMC and PEG or (ii) PVP, and an outer coating layer (final or taste masking coating) free from a low molecular weight water-soluble ionic compound and comprising (i) a poly(meth)acrylate or (ii) a mixture comprising 60-90% (w/w) EC and 10-40% (w/w) HPMC, wherein the pharmaceutically active ingredient is water-soluble and comprises either at least one basic group and/or a bitter taste. Further disclosed are methods for the production of such particles and pharmaceutical compositions comprising them.

The manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions comprises several aspects, one of them being the task of providing active ingredients in an appropriate form. Ideally active ingredients, especially those having an unpleasant taste, are prepared so that the patient taking a pharmaceutical composition does not refrain from doing so because of the unpleasant taste.
Taste masking is useful in the field of veterinary medicine because animals are sensitive to taste, and unlike humans, cannot be "persuaded" by reasoned argument to swallow a composition that the animal perceives as unpleasant. In most cases pharmaceutical compositions for animals include specific flavors, e.g. meat flavor for predominantly carnivorous animals. Such flavors, however, simply add to the taste of the medicine itself and serve to cover the taste perception, but in many cases adding flavor is not sufficient if the taste of the compound is still perceivable by the animal patient. On the contrary, bitter or otherwise unpleasant compounds intended for oral application in veterinary medicine are preferably hidden away, especially from the animal's perception. Such taste masking is a severe restriction for the use of pharmaceutical compositions in veterinary medicine.
In addition, the release of the active ingredient of a pharmaceutical composition to the patient's body needs to be optimized with respect to the envisaged activity of the compound. This optimization applies to oral compositions, especially those that are desired to dissolve, e.g. in the stomach, shortly after administration.
The problem of an adequate formulation of an active ingredient has to be solved for every pharmaceutical composition. It occurs for all active compounds used for all sorts of medical treatments. In particular, oral dosage forms are confronted with the need of masking a taste when the addition of flavoring agents alone is not sufficient to mask the unpleasant taste of the active compound.
In pharmaceutics while developing a solid dosage form, a taste is usually masked by applying a film coat consisting of a taste neutral polymer onto a whole tablet. But this technique does not solve the problem discussed here, especially for the treatment of predominantly carnivorous animals because a film-coated tablet is usually of neutral smell which is not attractive to the animal and therefore less likely to be ingested voluntarily. Further, many animals, especially cats, have the habit of breaking down their food by biting on it several times, and thereby, destroying the masking film and releasing the unpleasant taste. Similarly, a film-covered tablet cannot be divided in parts to optimize the individual dosage without destroying the masking film. In some cases, a tablet is not the appropriate dosage form, especially when there is a necessity for precise dose adjustment that is easier by employing a liquid dosage form. Accordingly this issue also applies to liquid pharmaceutical formulations.
Metabolic disorders like diabetes can in principle be treated by the oral application of respective pharmaceutical compositions, e.g. those that comprise DPP IV-inhibitors. Inhibitors of DPP IV belonging to the structural class of xanthine derivatives are disclosed generically by WO 02/068420 A1.
The compound 1-[(3-cyano-pyridin-2-yl)methyl]-3-methyl-7-(2-butyn-1-yl)-8-[3-(R)-amino-piperidin-1-yl]-xanthine is described explicitly in WO 2005/085246 A1, example 1(52). Its mono- and di-hydrochloride, as well as, polymorphs of the free base and the hydrochlorides are described in WO 2007/014886 A1. These applications disclose methods for the chemical synthesis of this compound along with its salts, hydrates and other forms.
International patent application PCT/EP2011/054440 pertains to pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compound 1-[(3-cyano-pyridin-2-yl)methyl]-3-methyl-7-(2-butyn-1-yl)-8-[3-(R)-amino-piperidin-1-yl]-xanthine in the form of the free base, as well as, every other chemical form, including solvates, prodrug esters, stereoisomers, and salts (especially the monohydrochloride) for the treatment of a metabolic disorder or metabolic disease of a predominantly carnivorous non-human animal like dog (canine) or cat (feline). Such disorders are selected from ketoacidosis, pre-diabetes, diabetes mellitus type 1 or type 2, insulin resistance, obesity, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, elevated blood levels of fatty acids, hyperlipidemia and/or elevated blood levels of glycerol, Syndrome X (metabolic syndrome), atherosclerosis, inflammation of the pancreas and/or inflammation of adipose tissue, preferably ketoacidosis, pre-diabetes and/or diabetes mellitus type 1 or type 2, more preferred diabetes mellitus type 2.
This application discloses an oral application of the active ingredient. However, it does not teach a specific granulation or manufacturing technique for the active compound. An appropriate taste masking of the compound is still desirable, especially because of the bitter taste of the substance.
Other examples of active ingredients intended for an oral application are those for the treatment of heart diseases. Heart diseases include for example coronary heart diseases, cardiomyopathies, cardiovascular diseases, heart failure, hypertensive heart diseases or valvular heart diseases. These different classes of heart diseases are treated with therapies or combined therapies and hence with different classes of compounds. Therapies include administering one or more ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, angiotensine II receptor antagonists, diuretics, Ca2+-sensitising agents, antiarrthythmic agents, cardioac glycosides or bradycardic agents such as iF-channel blockers.
European patent application EP 224794 A2 discloses a number of cyclic amine derivatives falling under a general formula including their chemical synthesis, the molecule 3-[(N-(2-(3,4-dimethoxy-phenyl)-ethyl)-piperidin-3-yl)-methyl]-7,8-dimethoxy-1,3,4,5-tetrahydro-2H-3-benzazepin-2-on being one of them. They are described to exert a heart frequence lowering activity in rat. Its enationamer with the chemical name (+)-3-[(N-(2-(3,4-dimethoxy-phenyl)ethyl)-piperidin-3-(5)-yl)-methyl]-(7,8-dimethoxy-1,3,4,5-tetrahydro-2H-3-benzazepin-2-on carries the international nonproprietary name (INN) cilobradine. The derived hydrochloride can be named as cilobradine hydrochloride. Cilobradine and its hydrochloride are highly water-soluble.
WO 01/78699 A2 discloses the use of structurally diverse bradycardiac substances such as calcium channel blockers, beta-receptor blockers and if-channel blockers, optionally in combination with cardio-active substances, for treating and even inducing the regression of myocardial diseases associated with hypertrophy, in particular for treating ideopathic hypertrophic cardiomyopathies (HCM) in humans and domestic animals. One of the if-channel blockers that is mentioned is cilobradine, which has a bitter taste. WO 01/78699 A2 discloses that the active ingredient, such as cilobradine, can be provided in the form of a simple mixture with other ingredients and assembled in a capsule, in the form of a granulate or a dragée, based on the same granulate, coated with a mixture of corn starch and sugar. Solutions comprising the active ingredient dissolved in a liquid are also disclosed.
Cilobradine is further disclosed to be useful for the treatment or prevention of heart failure, by EP 1362590 A1. Whereas the examples of this publication disclose the application of the active ingredient by injection, the disclosure also describes drinking solutions which are clearly easier to handle by a patient. Another use of bradycardic substances, like if-channel blockers and especially cilobradine, is disclosed by EP 1762179 A1, which discloses that these substances can be used for improving diagnostic quality in echocardiography.
Further pharmaceutically active compounds which are advantageously applied orally and confronted with the need and/or desire of masking their taste are per se known to the skilled person.
To address the problem of taste-masking an active ingredient(s) that is incorporated into pharmaceutical compositions, specific techniques have evolved in the state of the art. These are mostly coating techniques that coat, i.e. cover, the active ingredient by another substance in which the other substance serves as a physicochemical barrier against the evaporation, dissolution, or diffusion of the active ingredient. The coated particle is used as one component of the complete pharmaceutical composition. The barrier function of the protective coating should last as long as the pharmaceutical composition is stored and/or the ingredient could otherwise be perceived by the patient. Multiphase systems can be used to keep the active ingredient in a separate phase from the remainder of the composition. However, the pharmaceutical composition should dissolve or become permeable as soon as necessary for the ingredient to become active.
One technique is to prepare particles comprising the active ingredient by using a granulation step followed by a coating step. EP 292840 A2 exemplifies this technique in its example I (¶¶ 1444-1448) where the active ingredient is mixed with starch, sugar, polyvinylpyrrolidon and magnesium stearate, and the mixture is subsequently pressed and processed into granules. These granules are then mixed with another component and pressed into tablets. Such a tablet is finally described to be coated by a mixture of sugar and talc, thus resulting in a so-called dragee (example II, ¶¶ 1449-1451).
EP 409254 A1 addresses the dissolution aspect of granular particles comprising a core and a film layer coating the core. The disclosed cores comprise the active substance and a water-swelling agent; and the film layer contains at least ethylcellulose and a substance selected from ethylcellulose, HPMC (hydroxypropylmethylcellulose), MC (methylcellulose), L-HPC (low substituted hydroxypropylcellulose) and PVP (polyvinyl pyrrolidone). The specification describes that based on the taste perception by humans it was desired to reach a masking time of at least 20 s. The disclosed coatings allowed a masking time of 1 to at 57 s.
Coatings comprised of two or more coating layers, especially double layers, are also known. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,613 teaches coating an inert inner core containing the active substance with a first layer surrounding the core comprising a biologically inert excipient or filler (clay like kaolin or water-soluble polymer), and a second layer surrounding the first layer comprising a mixture of a cationic copolymeric acrylate resin and a basic compound (like calcium carbonate, aluminium hydroxide or magnesium carbonate). Additionally, it teaches that the active ingredient can be fixed to the core by a binder material like polyvinylpyrolidone, methylcellulose, or pharmaceutically suitable gums and that the acrylate resin for the second coating layer can be chosen from methacrylate and neutral methacrylic acid ester copolymers. This patent exemplifies a mixture of kaolin clay and povidone (polyvinyl pyrrolidone) as a first layer and a mixture of calcium carbonate and Eudragit E-100 copolymeric methacrylate resin as a second layer. In both cases isopropanol and acetone are used as solvents for the preparation of the respective coating layer and allowed to evaporate after the addition of the respective material.
WO 03/075895 A1 discloses taste masked veterinary solid compositions consisting of a substrate in pellet or tablet form in which fine-grained particles of a neutral-tasting, physiologically compatible, solid carrier material are embedded. These fine-grained particles of carrier material have an average diameter of 0.09 to 0.8 mm and are coated with an active substance. This active substance layer is covered with a protective layer of a physiologically compatible polymer matrix. Thus, the active ingredient is not present in the core but in a first layer that is protected by a second layer. In such particles, the outer layer fulfills the same task and exerts the same disadvantages as those cited above where the active substance is located in the core. The distinction is that the production process is started with an inert core and that the active ingredient is applied to that core by a coating step.
A disadvantage of layering techniques is that a highly soluble compound tends to dissolve at least partially in the coating solution during the coating step, so that after drying small amounts of the substance are then distributed also in the coating layer. In some cases this might not be critical; however, unpleasant tasting substances are perceptible by an animal which will often refrain from taking the preparation.
The technique of multiple layering can be used for the manufacture of particles with more than one active ingredient. EP 2127643 A1 discloses granules, consisting of an inert core, coated with the (first) active ingredient, further coated with a release-regulating polymer, finally coated with a so-called functional ingredient. Such functional ingredient can be, for example, an inhibitor of the first active ingredient thus allowing a timely regulated activity profile of this compound. But, the release-regulating polymer is not a polymer that completely inhibits the release of the active compound but is used as a diffusion barrier leading only to time-delayed release. Such particles do not solve the problem discussed here.
European patent application EP 551820 A1 addresses the same problem especially with respect to overall liquid medical formulations. It teaches the preparation of particles that comprise an active ingredient by fluid bed granulation processes. In a second step such granules are coated by a lacquer, also called a microencapsulation process. A large number of theoretically possible coating substances, esp. polymers, is disclosed. Exemplified substances are combinations of Eudragit® NE 30 D with HPMC, with MC and with triethyl citrate. However, the essence of this development resides in the fact that the active ingredient is not used as it is, esp. not as a water soluble salt but in its least water soluble form like the free acid or the free base. Accordingly, this teaching does not extend to the respective salts or other water soluble forms of the pharmaceutically active ingredient.
The problem of finding an appropriate taste-masking technique is also addressed by WO 2006/074185 A2, which describes dissolving or dispersing a pH dependant polymer and a so called "non-plasticizing active pharmaceutical ingredient" in a solvent which is granulated by itself (and thus forming an active ingredient containing core) or used as material for forming layers over a solid support. Both approaches are then optionally followed by applying a taste masking overcoating layer. WO 2006/074185 A2 provides that the pH dependent polymer itself serves as taste masking agent, meaning that the active compound and the protective agent are not separated in two phases but form one phase. Due to the physicochemical interaction between the compound and the polymer this one phase does not dissolve but stays intact as long as the taste perception might occur. The specification explains that useful active pharmaceutical ingredients for this technique are characterized by the fact that they are relatively non-tacky and generally will remain relatively non-tacky so as to render coated solid supports workable when combined with the first taste masking material whether or not up to about 25% by weight of a conventional anti-tack agent, such as talc or magnesium stearate is added. But, a "plasticizing" active pharmaceutical ingredient cannot meet this requirement. Accordingly this teaching cannot be generally applied to all sorts of active ingredients.
The granules (or pellets) provided by all of these techniques are usually not used per se as pharmaceutical substances but represent formulation intermediates to be integrated into more complex pharmaceutical compositions. Such a composition can be e.g. in solid form (for example a tablet), or in liquid form (for example a suspension), which is another burden for the stability and/or disintegration properties of the incorporated substance containing particles.
The scientific publication of Wagner et al. (2000), entitled "Development of disintegrating multiple-unit tablets on a high-speed rotary tablet press", in the European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, volume 50, pages 285 to 291, describes the complex interplay between composition parameters such as polymers for coating, pellet size and pellet properties, the proportion of pellets in a mixture, and the type of filler-binders, and of machine parameters, such as production rate and type of feeder. The publication discloses Avicel PH 101 to be the most suitable filler-binder for the overall tablet, and with respect to coating elasticity and thickness, Eudragit FS 30 D is disclosed as an advantageous coating for granules. Pellets coated with Eudragit FS 30 D are taught to withstand the stress of tableting. However, they show disadvantages with respect to the disintegration process of the tablet.
To date, taste masking of pharmaceutically active ingredients which are water-soluble, especially highly water-soluble ones that also contain either at least one basic group and/or a bitter taste, is not resolved.
Due to the basic group and/or the bitter taste such compounds have to be masked away from the smell and/or taste perception of the patient. But the water soluble nature of the compound regularly leads to at least traces of the compound diffused within the particle and/or the coatings layers already during the coating process itself, i.e. before the respective coating layer has dried, just because the compound is dissolved at least partially by the solvent of the respective coating layer material during the coating process. Accordingly, whereas the main portion of the compound might be hidden away by the established coating techniques, traces of it may be perceptible. Such perception by the patient, especially animals, may result in the patent refraining from taking the medicament or composition.
For example, published application US 2005/287211 A1 discloses particles comprising a core of microcrystalline cellulose spheres coated by the three layers: a substance layer, a middle layer and an outer coating layer. Middle layers of the disclosed examples comprise povidone or hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) as sole polymers. The disclosed outer coating layers comprise e.g. a mixture of HPMC and ethylcellulose or a poly(meth)acrylate. However, all exemplified middle layers additionally comprise a strongly water soluble ionic compound, in most cases NaH2PO4, Na2HPO4, Na2CO3 or citrate. This strongly water soluble ionic compound influences the physicochemical properties of the coatings not only during the dissolution of the particle (as addressed by the respective publication) but also during the production of the particle, which leads to perceptible amounts of the active ingredient by the patient/animal.
WO 2009/011967 A1 discloses particles that comprise a core of sucrose coated by the layers of a substance layer (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug), a first protective layer comprising HPMC or a mixture of HPMC and polyethlenglycol (PEG), an optional enteric coating layer or intermediate coating layer (a methacrylate/acrylate-polymer with triethylcitrate) and an optional second protective layer comprising HPMC again (e.g. a mixture of HPMC and PEG). Additionally, one of the coating layers comprises a strongly water soluble ionic compound. Taste and taste masking are not addressed or considered in WO 2009/011967 A1.
WO 2010/007515 A2 discloses particles comprising an active substance containing core, protected by an inner layer (polymers which swell or dissolve in the GI tract, e.g. a mixture of HPMC and PEG), an intermediate layer with a specific physiological activity (a protease-inhibitor and/or absorption enhancer, embedded in PEG as a binding polymer), an outer layer (polymers which swell or dissolve in the GI tract like the ones for the inner layer), and optionally, a further outer layer with a gastro-resistant polymer (methacyrl-copolymers or cellulose acetate-phthalate). These particles are optimized, especially by the application of a protease-inhibitor and/or absorption enhancer and the selection of polymers, to resist untimely dissolution in the GI tract and to provide a programmable release of the active ingredient(s). The aspect of influencing the dissolution process and/or the activity of the drug substance by the addition of specifically acting proteins is not addressed by WO 2010/007515 A2.
WO 2008/075372 A1 discloses particles comprising a core of a starch containing sugar sphere, covered by a seal coat, then a substance layer (drug and HPMC) as a second coat and an outer layer comprising a mixture of the material Surelease® (ethylcellulose admixed with coconut oil) mixed in a ratio of 6:1 (w/w) with HPMC. But, these particles do not comprise a further protective layer. It was also found disadvantageous to store the active substance in a middle layer and not in the lowest possible layer. This structure affects the dissolution profile, as well as, the production process.
Finally, the particles of WO 2008/027993 A2 are composed of an inert core, an amorphous layer containing the drug (with a crystallization inhibiting polymer, also named solubility-enhancing polymer, and a solubility enhancing organic acid), a protective seal-coating layer (povidone) and finally a "lag-time coating" (TPR coating; water-insoluble polymer and an enteric polymer). All examples disclose outer coatings with the plasticizers diethylphthalate or triethylcitrate. So, this specific architecture aims at a sustained release following lag-time but is not optimized with respect to the production of the particle.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art to optimize the palatability of pharmaceutical compositions, especially for use in veterinary medicine by masking the taste of a pharmaceutically active compound which is water-soluble, especially a highly water-soluble active compound that also comprises either at least one basic group and/or a bitter taste. Such compositions should at the same time allow the release of the ingredient in the patient's body as soon as necessary.
Exemplary preferred pharmaceutical compositions include the pharmaceutically active ingredients of DPP IV-inhibitors, if-channel blockers, phosphodiesterase III inhibitors, cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitors, and benzodiazepine receptor agonist.
Ideally, a masking technique would allow acceptable formulation intermediates to be incorporated into oral dosage forms for pharmaceutical compositions, especially in the field of veterinary medicine in the case of an unpleasant taste of the active ingredient. Such a masking technique should be applicable to a substance containing particles that contain the active ingredient(s) in the inner core, as well as, to granules that provide the active ingredient in the form of a coating layer over an inert or already sub-coated core, the layer(s) beneath and/or the core optionally comprising other active ingredients.
A desired masking technique should be especially useful for those pharmaceutically active ingredients that are highly soluble in water and/or in other solvents that are used for coating layers. Ideally, the desired masking technique should be applicable to solid and non-solid, especially liquid, formulations with only minor variations. The dosage form should also allow subdividing into pieces or volumetric dispensing in order to adapt the dose, without destroying the taste masking of the pharmaceutically active ingredient.
Preferably, the desired masking technique is highly flexible with respect to the amount of the pharmaceutically active ingredient to be incorporated into the pharmaceutical composition; cost effective; and easy to apply in a standard manufacturing apparatus.


A pressure medium unit, in particular for setting and/or regulating a brake pressure in a vehicle brake system having electronic slip regulation, and to a cap-shaped filter element. Pressure medium units are equipped with a housing block having a duct formed therein that conducts pressure medium, a control element that controls a cross-section of the duct, and a filter element assigned to the control element and fixed in the interior of the duct. According to the present system, the filter element is formed in the shape of a cap, and has on its outer circumference a radially protruding fixing segment having an elastically deformable cross-section. A fixing segment realized in this manner compensates differences in expansion between the components caused by changes in temperature, prevents play at the filter element, and provides a particularly good filter effect.

In the following, vehicle brake systems having slip regulation are understood as hydraulic brake systems having anti-lock protection (ABS), anti-slip regulation (ASR), and/or driving dynamics regulation (ESP), in which the brake pressure of the wheel brakes is set as a function of the slippage conditions at each of the associated wheels. This pressure adaptation can be carried out automatically, i.e. without driver involvement, or with involvement of the driver. The pressure medium units used for this purpose have, inter alia, a housing block equipped with pressure producers, storage units, and control valves, in which block a multiplicity of pressure medium-conducting ducts are configured in order to connect the named components, or the receptacles formed in the housing block for these components, with one another so as to conduct pressure medium. The control valves are electronically controllable and permit modification of the cross-section of an associated duct in order to control pressure as needed. For this purpose, an electronic control device is present that carries out an adapted electronic controlling of the control valves as a function of the brake pressure to be set. In addition, the electronic control device also controls a motor, attached to the housing block, that actuates the pressure producers.
Contaminants that may be present in the pressure medium can cause damage to the components that control the pressure medium, in particular the control valves, and can result in undesirable leaks. In order to avoid these disadvantages, it is known from the existing art to equip pressure medium units with filter elements.
FIG. 1 shows a pressure medium unit 10 of applicant, known from the existing art, having a housing block 12, a control valve 14 situated on this housing block 12, and a filter element 16 that is situated in the interior of a pressure medium-conducting duct 18, also configured on housing block 12. An axial filter 20 is assigned to control valve 14 in order to filter contaminants out from the pressure medium before this pressure medium enters into control valve 14. For this purpose, axial filter 20 is for example anchored at a position at which a second duct 22 opens into first duct 18. Axial filter 20 is made up of a hollow cylindrical filter framework, having openings made on its circumference. Pressure medium flows through these openings, and the openings are covered by a filter mesh having a defined mesh size. Pressure medium flows out from second duct 22 through the mesh weave of the filter mesh, into the hollow interior of axial filter 20, where it is diverted and, in the filtered state, flows through the open end of axial filter 20, facing control valve 14. With its second end, facing away from control valve 14, the axial filter is supported on the base of first duct 18, configured as a blind hole.
The mentioned filter framework is standardly made of plastic, and can be injection-molded onto the filter mesh. It lends stability to the filter mesh, which is flexible in itself, so that axial filter 20 can be introduced into the pressure medium-conducting first duct 18 with radial pre-tension, and can be placed therein. Accordingly, a non-positive connection exists between axial filter 20 and the wall of duct 18, by which axial filter 20 is fixed circumferentially in a sealing manner in duct 18. In the depicted case, an axial fixing of axial filter 20 in first duct 18 takes place by pressing in axial filter 20 until it contacts the base of first duct 18, and through the subsequent mounting of control valve 14, which in the assembled state lies against the first end, at the outflow side, of axial filter 20 with a valve connecting piece that extends in the direction of assembly. Because the spacing between the end face of the valve connecting piece and the base of first duct 18 is standardly somewhat smaller than the length of axial filter 20, in the assembled state additional axial pre-tension forces act on axial filter 20.
It is known that as a result of changes in temperature, components made of different materials expand by different amounts, or contract by different amounts when there is a corresponding cooling. An axial filter 20 made essentially of plastic expands more, given increasing temperatures, than does the surrounding housing block 12 or control valve 14, which are both made predominantly of metal. In the case of, for example, decreasing temperatures, this can result in the occurrence of axial and/or radial play at axial filter 20, or axial filter 20 can execute small movements in the interior of first duct 18. In the extreme case, a hydraulic bypass of axial filter 20 may even arise, through which unfiltered pressure medium can penetrate to control valve 14, where it can cause damage or leaks.

Pressure medium unit, in particular for setting and/or regulating a brake pressure in a vehicle brake system having electronic slip regulation, and cap-shaped filter element


A scroll type compressor 10 having a housing 12, a non-orbital scroll 24, an orbital scroll 22, an orbital scroll drive 50, an anti-rotation assembly 54, and an axial thrust load assembly. The non-orbital scroll 24 is mounted in a rear casing of the housing 12. The orbital scroll 22 cooperates with the non-orbital scroll to form fluid pockets 46 and 48. The orbital scroll 22 is driven by an orbital drive 50 to move the fluid pockets to the center of the scrolls and compress the fluid sealed in the pockets. The anti-rotation assembly 54 includes cups 94 and pins 96 which define a circular orbit that is followed by bearings 104 on pins 100. The scroll drive 50 includes a drawn steel cup 70 that is driven by a drive shaft 82. A first bore 72, with an axis offset from the axis of the drive shaft 82, receives a knuckle bushing 62 which is rotatably attached to the orbital scroll 22. A balance weight 88 is journaled on the orbital scroll 22 and is driven by pin 86. The sliding connection between the cup 70 and the knuckle bushing permits some change in the orbit radius R.sub.o of the orbital scroll 22. The cups 94 are sized relative to the bearings 104 to accommodate changes in the orbit radius R.sub.o of the orbital scroll 22.

Scroll compressors have orbital scrolls which are driven in a generally circular orbit. These orbital scrolls include a plate with a flat surface that is perpendicular to an orbit axis and an involute wrap integral with the plate and extending out from the flat surface. A non-rotatable scroll including a plate with a flat surface that is parallel to the flat surface of the orbital scroll and an involute wrap integral with the plate and extending out from the flat surface cooperates with the orbital scroll to form at least a pair of fluid pockets. The fluid pockets are bound by adjacent surfaces of the wraps, line contacts between the wraps and contact between the axial tips of the wraps and the flat surface of the adjacent scroll. A seal is normally provided in a groove in the axial tips of each scroll wrap to seal between the wrap and the flat surface of the adjacent scroll. Axial tip seals are provided to accommodate thermal expansion of the scroll end plates and the scroll wraps.
The orbital scroll is driven to cause the contact lines between the wraps to move along the surface of the wraps toward the center of the scrolls. As the contact lines move, the fluid pockets move toward the center of the scrolls, the pockets become smaller and the fluid in the pockets is compressed. A fluid outlet aperture is provided in the center portion of one of the scrolls.
The compressed fluid in the scroll pockets exerts an axial force on the parallel flat surfaces of the scroll end plates. This force tends to separate the scrolls and cause leakage of compressed fluid between the axial edges of the scroll wraps and the flat surface of the adjacent scroll. The force of compressed fluid also tends to distort the scroll end plates with flat surfaces. The distortion results from the fact that the radial outer edges of the scroll plates are at compressor inlet pressure and the center of the scrolls is at the higher compressor outlet pressure.
Scroll type compressors with a fixed scroll and an orbital scroll are known which hold the orbital scroll in a fixed axial position relative to the axis about which the scroll orbits. The fixed scroll is then subjected to an axial thrust load which moves the fixed scroll toward the orbital scroll.
The orbital scroll is held from rotation and allowed to move in an orbit. The drive means for moving the orbital scroll in an orbit includes a crankshaft. The crankshaft can drive the orbital scroll through a direct connection or it can be connected to the orbital. scroll through a pivoting link or a sliding link that permits some variation in the radius of the scroll orbit. It is desirable to allow some change in the radius of the orbit to keep the scroll wraps in contact with each other, to accommodate normal manufacturing tolerances and to prevent damage to the scroll wraps due to solids mixed with the fluid.
The orbital scroll and scroll drive require balancing to reduce vibration. Balance weights are connected to the crankshaft or in some cases to the links that connect the crankshaft to the orbital scroll.
The inertial forces on a scroll compressor tend to cock the orbital scroll. If the orbital scroll cocks so that its end plate is not parallel to the fixed scroll end plate, scroll efficiency can be reduced and the rate of scroll wear can be increased. The orbital scroll can be held in position by increasing the axial loads on the scrolls, by employing connections between the scroll drive and the orbital scroll which tend to hold the orbital scroll in proper alignment with the fixed scroll and by careful placement of balance weights. The design employed to maintain scroll alignment must be consistent with size, weight and cost considerations.

Scroll compressor orbital scroll drive and anti-rotation assembly


A carton conveyer for a packaging machine has upper and lower flights to which sets of flight lugs are attached. Each set of flight lugs comprises leading flight lugs and trailing flight lugs and the leading flight lugs have recesses that face and oppose recesses on the trailing flight lugs. The recesses are formed to confine an open carton therebetween. Notches are formed in the flight lugs in such a way that movement of the leading and trailing flight lugs toward one another causes an un-erected carton between the lugs to be captured and erected.

Carton conveyors are components of high speed continuous motion article packaging machines. Generally, a carton conveyor moves open cartons in a uniformly spaced relationship and in a downstream direction. Articles to be packaged, such as beverage cans or single large beverage containers, are progressively pushed into the open cartons as they are conveyed along, and the cartons are subsequently closed to contain the articles. FIG. 1 illustrates a generic carton conveyor in simplified form for clarity. The carton conveyor 11 essentially comprises a spaced pair of endless chains that move around spaced apart sprockets. More specifically, the conveyor 11 in FIG. 1 has an upper carton flight 12 that moves in a downstream direction 17 and a lower flight 13 that returns in the opposite direction. The flights travel around an upstream sprocket 19 and a downstream sprocket 18. Trailing flight lugs 14 and leading flight lugs 15 are attached to and are carried along with the chains of the conveyor. The pairs of flight lugs are spaced along the chains to separate, contain, and confine cartons 16 of a specific size and to convey the cartons 16 in the downstream direction 17 for being loaded with articles. In some cases, the cartons 16 are pre-erected by a carton erector and delivered to the upper flight 12, as indicated schematically on the left in FIG. 1. Those of skill in the art will understand that carton conveyors of packaging machines are significantly more complex than illustrated in FIG. 1. A more detailed example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,314, owned by the assignee of the present invention, the contents of which are hereby incorporated fully by reference.
There is a market demand for articles packaged in octagonal cartons; that is, cartons having eight sides. Erecting octagonal cartons, delivering them to a carton conveyor, and maintaining their shape accurately as they move downstream along the carton conveyor presents unique challenges. A need exists for a method and apparatus that will erect octagonal cartons accurately and consistently and hold them in shape for receiving articles to be packaged as they move downstream along the upper or carton flight of a carton conveyor. More broadly, a need exist for a method and apparatus for erecting and conveying non-rectangular cartons along a carton flight. It is to the provision of such a method and apparatus that the present invention is primarily directed.


The invention relates to a voltage intermediate circuit converter having a 12-pulse input converter (2), having a voltage intermediate circuit (12) and having a machine converter (14) using three-point switching. According to the invention, the two converter elements (4, 6) of the input converter (2) have a respective self-commutated pulse-controlled converter (41, 61). An input converter (2) is thus obtained, which links the advantages of a diode front end and an active front end with one another.

The invention relates to a voltage intermediate circuit converter having a 12-pulse input converter, a voltage intermediate circuit and a machine converter using three-point switching.
A converter of the type described above is disclosed in the German magazine xe2x80x9cetzxe2x80x9d, Issue 20, 1998, pages 10 to 12. This voltage intermediate circuit converter has, in its standard version, a 12-pulse diode rectifier, wherein the diode rectifier elements are each connected to a secondary winding of a three-winding transformer. On the DC-side, the diode rectifier elements are each linked to a capacitor in a voltage intermediate circuit, which has two capacitors which are connected electrically in series. Such an input converter is referred to as a diode front end (DFE). In most cases, such a diode front end satisfies the requirements for the mains system power factor and harmonic content. If mains feedback effects are subject to more stringent requirements, then a 24-pulse input converter is available.
A voltage intermediate circuit converter which has a self-commutated pulse-controlled converter as the input converter is described in the German magazine xe2x80x9cEngineering and automationxe2x80x9d, Issue 1-2, 1998, pages 8 and 9. Like the machine-side pulse-controlled converter, this input converter is in the form of a three-point pulse-controlled converter. The voltage intermediate circuit is formed by two capacitors which are electrically connected in series. This input converter circuit option is also referred to as an active front end (AFE). An active front end allows four-quadrant operation (driving and regenerative braking in both rotation directions). This active input converter not only allows a power factor of cos xcfx86=1 to be achieved, but also allows the wattless component of other loads to be compensated for in the mains system, at least as far as power margins are concerned. If the active front end is equipped with an input filter, virtually harmonic-free operation from the mains system is also possible.
A diode front end has the disadvantage that four-quadrant operation is not possible without further complexity. The additional complexity is that a break chopper is required for generator operation, by means of which the generated energy is converted into heat in a breaking resistance. The use of 12-pulse and 24-pulse diode front ends means that 5th, 7th, 11th and 13th harmonics, and 5th, 7th, 13th, 23rd and 25th harmonics, respectively, are suppressed. In the 24-pulse embodiment of the diode front end, the complexity on the input side is twice that of the 12-pulse embodiment of the diode front end, which means that it is not just the space requirement that increases.
An active front end has the disadvantage that the 5th, 7th, 11th and 13th, etc. harmonics occur, depending on the number of pulses, the amplitudes of which can at least be minimized by means of an optimized pulse pattern. Furthermore, the active front end is more complex than a diode front end owing to the number and configuration of the components. Since, in design terms, the active front end corresponds to the machine-side self-commutated pulse-controlled converter, a voltage intermediate circuit converter with an active front end occupies a larger amount of space than a voltage intermediate circuit converter with a 12-pulse diode front end.
The present invention is based on the object of specifying a voltage intermediate circuit converter having an input converter designed so that the harmonics which occur on the mains system side are kept as low as possible, and with minimal complexity.
Since the converter elements of the 12-pulse input converter are each self-commutated pulse-controlled converters, the advantages of a diode front end are combined with those of an active front end. This means that the harmonic currents of the 5th, 7th, 17th and 19th harmonics are suppressed on the mains system side of the voltage intermediate circuit converter without the optimized pulse patterns of the self-commutated pulse-controlled converters being optimized to these harmonics. Since the two converter elements are in the same operating state, their pulse patterns are the same. This optimized pulse pattern can now be optimized such that the amplitudes of the harmonic currents of the 11th, 13th, 25th, etc. harmonics are minimized.
A further advantage of this input converter according to the present invention is evident at very high voltages. The converters for standard medium voltages have two or more active converter devices connected in series for a voltage value above 3.3 kV. Since the input converter according to the invention has two identical self-commutated pulse-controlled converters, which are connected electrically in series, the number of converter elements connected in series is equal to or one less than the number of machine converters connected in series. With the standard medium voltage of 4.16 kV, the input converter of a voltage intermediate circuit converter according to the invention has precisely the same number of active converter devices as an input converter in the active front end configuration. Low blocking-capability semiconductor switches, which can be operated at a higher switching frequency or can be used at higher current levels, can be used as the active conductor devices, with precisely the same number connected in series. The design of the phase modules is both simple and space-saving, with the number of items connected in series being reduced by one.


Some embodiments produce an image capture application that implements a novel auto scan feature. The auto scan feature directs a scanner to perform an initial scan and then decomposes the scanned document into component regions. Some embodiments then identify a set of attributes of each region from the initial scan, select a set of optimal scanning parameters for each region based on the identified set of attributes, and then direct the scanner to perform a detailed secondary scan of each region with the identified set of scanning parameters. Following the secondary scan, some embodiments perform post-scan operations on the image of the scanned region.

Many devices are available to capture images for a computer. Computer applications that control individual image capture devices are often provided by the manufactures of those devices. For example, makers of document scanners provide software to enable a user of a computer to scan documents into the computer.
Some image capture devices allow a user to lay an item such as a photograph flat upon a glass scanning bed through which a scanning head of the image capture device shines a light and through which the scanning head takes an image of the item. The image data is converted into binary form and the scanner sends the data to a computer. Some scanners are capable of scanning a subsection of the glass. Such scanners receive identifications of subsections to be scanned from the computer. By scanning small areas of the glass, instead of the entire glass the scanners save and produce less image data. At higher resolutions, the amount of image data required to represent a small subsection of the glass is much smaller than the amount of image data required to represent the entire glass.
Some image capture applications are available that control more than one image capture device. However, such image capture applications do not easily switch between image capture devices.

Automated method of decomposing scanned documents


A reflectometer calibration technique is provided that may include the use of two calibration samples in the calibration process. Further, the technique allows for calibration even in the presence of variations between the actual and assumed properties of at least one or more of the calibration samples. In addition, the technique utilizes a ratio of the measurements from the first and second calibration samples to determine the actual properties of at least one of the calibration samples. The ratio may be a ratio of the intensity reflected from the first and second calibration samples. The samples may exhibit relatively different reflective properties at the desired wavelengths. In such a technique the reflectance data of each sample may then be considered relatively decoupled from the other and actual properties of one or more of the calibration samples may be calculated. The determined actual properties may then be utilized to assist calibration of the reflectometer.

The present invention relates to the field of optical metrology. More specifically, it provides a method by which reflectance data may be accurately calibrated. In one embodiment it provides a method by which broad-band vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) reflectance data may be accurately calibrated. Additionally, it also provides a method by which highly accurate thin film measurements may be performed.
Optical reflectometry techniques have long been employed in process control applications in the semiconductor manufacturing industry due to their non-contact, non-destructive and generally high-throughput nature. The vast majority of these tools operate in some portion of the spectral region spanning the deep ultraviolet and near-infrared wavelengths (DUV-NIR generally 200-1000 nm). The push towards thinner layers and the introduction of complicated new materials have challenged the sensitivity of such instrumentation. As a result, this has necessitated an effort to develop optical reflectometry equipment utilizing shorter wavelengths (below 200 nm), where greater sensitivity to subtle changes in material properties may be realized. One approach to performing such measurements is described in U.S. application Ser. No. 10/668,642, filed on Sep. 23, 2003, which discloses a system and method for a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) reflectometer, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
To obtain meaningful quantitative results from reflectometry data it is desirable to normalize or calibrate measured reflectance values in order to generate absolute reflectance spectra. At longer wavelengths in the DUV-NIR region this has traditionally been accomplished using a variety of techniques.
Due to the complexity of absolute reflectometer systems, commercial reflectometers generally measure reflected intensity, which is calibrated to a known absolute reflectance standard. In the DUV-NIR wavelength range, a silicon wafer (with native SiO2 layer) is typically used as the optical properties are well-known and the reflectance fairly stable over this wavelength range.
The precise calibration steps vary from instrument to instrument, but in essence the quantity usually measured is
                    R        =                              I            r                                I            0                                              eq        .                                          1            where Ir is the intensity reflected from the sample and measured by the detector, and I0 is the incident intensity. I0 is generally not known. In addition, I0 will change over time due to environmental changes, drift in the optical system caused by environmental changes, and to drift of the intensity profile of the light source. At any given point in time, I0 is determined by a calibration procedure:
                              I          0                =                              I            cal                                R            cal                                              eq        .                                          2            where Ical is the measured intensity of the calibration standard, and Rcal is the assumed reflectance of the calibration standard. If enough information about the calibration sample is known, e.g. optical properties, surface roughness, etc., then Rcal can be generated using standard thin film models. Subsequent measurements are performed calibrated using this I0 via eq. 1.
This procedure as usually implemented assumes that changes in Ical are due only to the environmental or lamp intensity changes mentioned above, and not due to changes to the calibration standard itself. In fact, variations in the calibration standard over time are generally not detectable using the above method, since such changes are simply "calibrated out". Obviously, the accuracy and stability of all subsequent reflectance measurements is highly dependent on the accuracy of the assumptions used to generate Rcal, as well as the stability of the calibration sample itself over time.
Some calibration techniques involve complicated optical arrangements that incorporate moving mirrors. Examples of such methods are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,983 (and references incorporated therein) which describes an apparatus and method to measure the absolute reflectivity of a sample using a multiple pass reflectometer.
While such methods offer a means of obtaining calibrated reflectance data, they generally suffer from the fact that they are time-consuming, involve considerable mechanical motion and can not easily be integrated into systems suitable for use in semiconductor manufacturing environments. Furthermore, many of these methods were designed for use in single wavelength reflectometers wherein a single wavelength detector is used in combination with a wavelength selecting pre-monochromator.
Ideally, it would be desirable to provide a technique by which broad-band reflectometry data could be simultaneously calibrated quickly and simply and in a manner that would lend itself suitable for use in semiconductor manufacturing environments.
One calibration approach is presented in U.S. Pat. No. RE 34,783 wherein a method is described that involves measuring the reflectance from a calibration sample whose absolute reflectance is well known, dividing the measured value by the absolute value to obtain a system efficiency coefficient and then, without changing the illumination or optics, measuring the reflectance of an unknown material and applying the coefficient to the measured value to obtain its absolute value.
In practice, single crystal silicon wafers are commonly employed as calibration samples since they are readily available, controllably manufactured and their optical properties in the DUV-NIR region have been well characterized. This approach works reasonably well at wavelengths above ˜250 nm where the reflectance of single crystal silicon is both stable and predictable.
At shorter wavelengths (<250 nm) the reflectance of single crystal silicon wafers is neither stable nor predictable. Subtle variations in the thickness of the naturally (or "native") formed silicon dioxide layer present on the wafer can significantly influence the measured reflectance. Additionally, ultra-thin layers of moisture and/or hydrocarbons are known to adsorb onto the surface further modifying the sample reflectance in this spectral region. As a result, it is generally not advisable to regard the reflectance of single crystal silicon wafers at wavelengths <250 nm as a "known" property.
One approach to overcoming this problem is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,837, which describes an optical measurement system that includes a reference ellipsometer and at least one non-contact optical measurement device, such as a reflectometer. The reference ellipsometer is used to determine an optical property of the calibration sample. The optical measurement device is then calibrated by comparing the measured optical property from the optical measurement device to the determined optical property from the reference ellipsometer.
Integration of a separate reference ellipsometer into an optical measurement system in order to calibrate the first optical measurement device is both complicated and expensive. Furthermore, the reference ellipsometer itself must be properly aligned and calibrated if it is to yield accurate results.
It follows that it would be highly desirable to develop a means of quickly and accurately calibrating broad-band data from an optical reflectometer operating at wavelengths <250 nm without the complication and expense associated with incorporating a second reference instrument into the system.
Additionally, it would be advantageous if this method specifically enabled the accurate calibration of reflectometry data at wavelengths encompassing the VUV spectral region, where small uncertainties in the properties of third party certified standards can result in substantial errors. It would be further desirable if this method was capable of independently determining the properties of such standards so as to reduce or altogether remove the need for their procurement and maintenance.
In addition to providing a technique to enable accurate calibration of reflectometry tools, it is desirable to provide a technique by which highly accurate thin film measurements may be performed. Optical reflectance measurements are used in a wide range of thin film applications. Ordinarily the absolute reflectance of a sample is recorded and subsequently analyzed using mathematical models in order to determine an assortment of physical properties.
Typically, the analysis is deemed complete when a quantitative indicator (generally referred to as the "goodness of fit" parameter) attains a specific value. Unfortunately, there are limits to the measurement accuracy that can be attained using conventional "goodness of fit" parameters. Hence, it follows that it would be desirable to develop a more sensitive measure of "goodness of fit" in order that higher levels of accuracy in thin film measurement may be obtained.

Method and apparatus for accurate calibration of a reflectometer by using a relative reflectance measurement


A method, system, and apparatus are disclosed, which include injecting shadow input/outputs (shadow IOs) into a system, removing the shadow IOs from the system, storing the shadow IOs, and analyzing the stored shadow IOs to determine application specific behavioral information about the system.

In many computer systems using external data storage subsystems, there are multiple physical paths, or buses, to each data storage subsystem. One reason for having multiple paths is to provide redundancy in the case of a failed path. The selection of a path for sending an I/O request can affect the quality of service for applications initiating I/O requests because paths have limited capacity for carrying data. Path capacity limitations may be the result of multiple influences, such as the fundamental bandwidth limitation of the physical connection or the storage subsystem's front-end resources for processing requests.

Application resource usage behavior analysis


A protective cover for bedpans or the like comprises two sheets of paper, each waterproofed on one face with polyethylene. The sheets are superimposed one upon the other, waterproofed sides together, and the edges of the sheets are bonded together along a major portion of their perimeter. The unbonded portion of the perimeter of the sheets is of a size sufficient to extend over the edges surrounding the opening of a bedpan or the like. Elasticized thread is stitched to the edges of the unbonded portion of the perimeter for fitting and securing the cover over the external walls of the receiver and temporarily securing the sheets against motion with respect to the bedpan. A band of pressure sensitive adhesive is affixed to at least one sheet adjacent to the unbonded portion of the perimeter of the sheet for sealing the sheets together after use, thereby confining and retaining the dejecta within the protective cover.

Bed pans, commode pots, sanitary slop pails and similar dejecta receivers require emptying and washing after each use. In the hospital and other institutional settings, sterilization is additionally necessary if they are to be safely used by different people. Such cleaning operations are time-consuming and expensive as specially trained personnel and equipment are required. There additionally exists the danger of transmission of disease or infection during the handling of receivers from the time they are used until they are emptied and sterilized.
Even in situations where the staff performing these duties are aware of the cautions to be taken, it is difficult to eliminate all contamination risks during the handling of receivers by various personnel. The shallow depth and large opening of most of receivers requires that extreme care be taken to maintain the receiver in a level position at all times.
Additional risks occur due to imperfect disinfection or sterilization. Improperly cleaned receivers may be handled by hospital staff and patients without following the careful procedures required for known contaminated receivers in the mistaken belief that no hazard exists.
The contamination risk is still greater in institutional settings outside the hospital, such as in retirement homes and infirmaries. In such locations there is often a lack of qualified staff and the special equipment necessary to keep the receivers in the required state of cleanliness.
In an attempt to meet these requirements, the prior art has suggested the use of protection articles for receivers in the form of disposable bags. However, up to the present, these bags have had certain problems and disadvantages in their use. They have been lacking from the standpoint of ease of use, economy in manufacture, and effectiveness in retaining the excreted material for preventing the spread of contamination.
There is, therefore, a need for an improved receiver protection article which may be closed tightly and watertight and possesses the ability to retain human waste materials until an attendant or other authorized person has an opportunity to dispose of the article and its contents. The article should additionally possess sufficient strength, especially wet strength, so that it may be removed from the receiver and carried to a place of disposal without rupturing. Finally, the article must meet all requirements for contact with humans and must be attractive and comfortable enough so there is no aversion to its use.
The protection article of the present invention effectively overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art disposable bags while meeting the aforementioned needs. Specifically, the article may be used as an interliner for receivers such as bedpans, providing a reduced risk of transmission of infection or disease while providing a convenience to institutional personnel, professional home attendants, and patients. The article specifically affords a very practical labor-saving expedience eliminating the need to clean and sterilize receivers.
Since the protection article can be quickly and easily closed, all noxious and unpleasant matter is confined within the article. This ability to effectively seal potentially infectious dejecta is of great significance when used with patients in hospitals or similar institutions, as it further reduces the likelihood of spreading bacterial infection and allows easier transportation of the article and receiver to a disposal area. Combined with the elimination of the requirement to sterilize the receiver, use of the article provides additional time for professional service personnel to better attend to the needs of their patents.

Protection article for dejecta receivers


A method of protecting a smooth surfaced substrate by a surface protection film that has improved high temperature peel force properties and low residue upon removal of the surface protection film from the smooth surfaced substrate.

The disclosure relates to a method of using surface protection films to adhere to and protection of smooth surfaced substrates.
Surface protection films, also known as masking films, are typically used to provide a physical barrier to prevent damage, contamination, scratching, scuffing, or other marring of a substrate to which they are adhered. Surface protection films may be used to provide such protection during manufacture, shipping, or storing prior to use of the substrate. Substrates used as optical components for televisions, computer monitors and other displays require surface protection films that are adhered to the surface of the substrate and then subsequently removed from the surface of the substrate without damaging the substrate or leaving residue, staining or other defects on the surface of the substrate. Substrates used as optical components by their nature require surfaces that are smooth, having a roughness of less than 0.0127 micron.
The manufacture and use of smooth surface substrates requires that the smooth surface substrates undergo a sequence of operations, such as cutting, coating, edge polishing, stacking, and shipping. The surfaces of the smooth surface substrate need to be protected during these operations, as well as during storage. Moreover, several of these processes, particularly the cutting and edge grinding operations, can increase the temperature of the substrate. As the temperature of the substrate increases, there is an increased risk that the surface protection film will adhere too strongly (peel force is more than 100 g/25 mm per the high temperature 70 deg. C. test method discussed herein) to the smooth surface substrate. In such cases, there is an increased risk that the surface protection film will tear or delaminate when it is removed, or will leave a residue on the smooth surface substrate or will stain the smooth surface substrate, all of which are detrimental. An example of a smooth surfaced substrate is Polymethylmethacrylate ("PMMA") substrates used as a light guide plate in the back light assembly for LCD/LED panel manufacturing.
A balance in the surface protection film's performance properties is needed for a method of adhering a surface protection film to a smooth surface substrate to ensure that the surface protection film remains adhered to the smooth surface substrate surface during processing, yet the surface protection film does not adhere too strongly (peel force is more than 100 g/25 mm at 23 deg. C. and 70 deg. C.) to the smooth surface substrate such that the surface protection film leaves residue or other defects on the surface of the smooth surface substrate.
Also an issue is when known surface protection films containing pressure-sensitive adhesive layers adhere to the surface protection film itself when the surface protection film is wound on a roll or the adhesion layer otherwise contacts a portion of the surface protection film. This phenomenon, known as "blocking" can result in processing difficulties and can also result in the film tearing or delaminating as it is unwound, resulting in poor yields. In some instances, a release paper can be used to prevent blocking, but this adds to the cost, increases waste, and adds complexity to the manufacturing and use of the surface protection films. As such, there exists the need to have method of adhering a surface protection film to a smooth surface substrate wherein there is not a need to remove a release paper while providing a surface protection film that does not have issues with blocking.

Low peel force surface protection film and method of using same


A reception circuit disposed within an ultrasound probe is provided. The reception circuit includes, at least one amplifying unit configured to amplify echo signals received by ultrasound transducers, and at least one delay unit connected to the amplifying unit and including a first circuit and a second circuit each configured to apply a delay time to an output from the amplifying unit, wherein the first and second circuits each have a plurality of capacitor banks. Each capacitor bank includes two or more capacitors each configured to write therein a signal amplified by the amplifying unit, wherein the two or more capacitors are different from one another in capacitance, write switches configured to write an output current into the first and second capacitors of the two or more capacitors, and read switches configured to read the output written into the first and second capacitors.

The present invention relates to a reception circuit having delay units each of which applies a predetermined delay time to an output signal obtained by amplifying each echo signal of ultrasound, an ultrasound probe equipped with the reception circuit, and an ultrasound image display apparatus.
In an ultrasound image display apparatus, ultrasound is transmitted through a plurality of ultrasound transducers provided in an ultrasound probe, and the ultrasound transducers receive echo signals therein. The echo signals received by the ultrasound transducers are inputted to a reception circuit, where they are phased and added together. Consequently, a single reception beam is formed.
In this reception circuit, the echo signals are amplified by amplifying units provided for every ultrasound transducer. As shown in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-68957, output signals of the individual amplifying units are respectively delayed by a predetermined time at delay units, followed by being added together at an addition unit.
In general, a delay unit makes use of an RC circuit including a resistor and a capacitor. A number of amplifying units should however be used for the RC circuit. A resistor low in resistance value is used to reduce resistance noise. Therefore, the delay unit using the RC circuit increases in the amount of consumption of energy.

Reception circuit, ultrasound probe and ultrasound image display apparatus

GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC