The invention relates to a pipe connector for a pressure-resistant, positive-fit, high pressure screwed joint. The connection includes a formed tube; a screw body or connector branch with a cone, which connects to a parallel axis drilling, with a radial end surface; a union nut; a sealing ring; and a retaining ring. The formed tube has a parallel axis end-piece with the same tube diameter and which corresponds to the depth of the tube seat base. The formed tube has a pronounced head which forms a mating face, with a cone surface of the union nut, and which leads to an abutment face at a front face of the retaining ring, essentially aligned with the tube axis. The retaining ring has a radial ring surface, which, in the assembled state, contacts with the front face of the cone of the connector branch or screw body, and thus permits a block assembly.

The invention relates to a tube connector for a pressure, tearout-resistant and positive high-pressure screw union. The screw union includes a deformed tube, a union member or connecting piece with a cone which is followed by an axially parallel bore with a radial end face, a union nut, a sealing ring and a retaining ring. The deformed tube has an end piece of the same tube diameter which is roughly axially parallel according to the depth of the tube seat bottom.
The invention, furthermore, relates to a process for making a complex tube deformation with the aid of a modified upsetting procedure, as well as tools for the implementation of the process.
Tube connections by means of tube deformation are known in a wide variety of embodiments, the realization of such deformations being effected mainly by means of upsetting operations, and the forming operation being limited for reasons of deformation-engineering and material. In particular, complex tube deformations cannot be realized with the known upsetting procedures.
A tube connector in which the tube to be formed is bulged out by inserting a metal ring as an abutment piece is known from the European Patent Application 0 380 970 A2. A clamping device with pressure areas cooperating with the abutment areas of the abutment piece is provided on the outer face of the tube. Such a tube connector is particularly suitable for plastic tubes and flexible hoses. It cannot, however, control high and maximum pressures.
A union for a flat-cone pressure line in which the connecting end is formed from the tube material is known from DD 240 059. A connecting shoulder pressed on according to the contours of a standardized cutting ring and a conical portion running out forwardly is formed in the region of the union of a pressure-line tube. Its cone angle is smaller than the cone angle of the conical opening of a standardized threaded connecting piece. In a large area of the union there are different inner tube diameters which also create different inner tube resistances for the flow medium. This known system does not offer receiving space for a seal.
DE 19511063 A1 describes a tube connector having a union member with cone and a union nut, with the tube deformation adapting itself largely, but not exactly, to the shape of the cone as well as the union nut. In one embodiment, the free space forming between the inclined surface of the union nut and the front face of the union member is filled up with a sealant. In a further embodiment, a sealing member is arranged between the conical surface of the union member and the deformed tube. When using a standardized union nut, a larger area of the conical surface remains unused. Likewise, the radial face of the connecting piece is not used or only insufficiently used in special cases so that transfer of the assembly forces onto the tube to be connected essentially takes place via inclined surfaces, resulting in the exclusive use of components of the forces applied. Moreover, completion of the assembling operation is conveyed indistinctly to the fitter so that overtightening seems to be possible.
DE 19520099 describes a tube connector for a pressure-tight and positive connection with a deformed tube, a union member with a cone which is followed by an axially parallel bore with a radial end face and a union nut, the deformed tube having an end piece of the same tube diameter which is axially parallel according to the depth of the tube seat bottom. In the assembled condition, a radially extending locating ring face of the deformed tube comes to rest against the front face of the tube connecting piece.
A further union with a supporting ring can be gathered from DE 19742917 C1 which relates to easily deformable and thin-walled tubes. The area of the deformed tube covered by the cone of the union nut is extremely small, while the larger part is covered by the supporting ring. It is true that this permits assembly on a block, but there is no certainty regarding the tearout resistance of the tube in high-pressure applications.
DE 195 41 622 A1 describes a high-pressure connection system with a cutting-ring connection and a connection with a deformed tube. The parts of the tube deformation form a maximum angle of 45° or less with the elements of the tube union so that only corresponding components of the applied assembly forces are transferred onto the tube. Assembly on a block is not possible so that completion of the assembling operation cannot be conveyed distinctly to the fitter and overtightening can take place very easily. In addition, the radial force components applied during assembly cause a constriction of the deformed tube region and its immediate vicinity. A constriction reduces the pretension of the upstream seal and, thus, the sealing behavior of the connection system. In addition, the constriction causes a reduction of the overlapping faces between tube deformation and union nut and, thus, a reduction of the tearout resistance.

Pipe connector and a method for production thereof


The invention relates to a safeguard system for speed increasing/reducing mechanical assembly, especially of the helicopter "gear box" type, in case of lubricating oil loss, which comprises an additional cooling system the casing of the said mechanical assembly, with an inlet (1) and an outlet (2) arranged on the casing (3) of this mechanical assembly. The inlet (1) and the outlet (2) closed during normal operation and they open under the effect of a control device at a preset value of a parameter significant for lubricating oil loss, whereby this control device actuates simultaneously the additional cooling system, in order to provide a circulation of the coolant between the inlet (1) and the outlet (2) so that this coolant, loaded with the calories further to the warm-up caused by the lubricating oil loss, may evacuate the said calories outside via the outlet (2) of the additional cooling system, which is of the air circulation type.

The present invention relates to a safeguard system for a speed increasing/reducing mechanical assembly in case of lubricating oil loss and can be applied to a helicopter main, intermediate or rear gear box, especially to a military helicopter.
In speed increasing/reducing mechanical assemblies, the lubricating oil performs two functions: reducing the friction at the gears and bearings and evacuating the power losses in the form of heat. In the case of a main gear box in a helicopter, exhausting the oil-carried heat unfurls usually under pressure inside an oil/air exchanger whereas, in the case of an "auxiliary gear box"- type low power box, oil transmits heat to the inner walls of the box casing by running and conduction and the outer wall of this casing transmits heat by open-air convection.
In case of oil loss in the lubricating system, the friction coefficients of the various mechanical parts increase considerably and, consequently, the portion of energy lost in the form of heat becomes important with respect to the mechanical power transmitted to the helicopter rotor. Moreover, thermal energy is practically not evacuated any longer, hence rapid temperature increase in the gears and bearings. Therefore, the materials undergo metallurgical transformations and their mechanical performances collapse, causing the loss of torque transmission consecutively to the destruction of a roller or a tooth or both these elements.
It is in case of oil loss in a gear box, and especially the main gear box, the helicopter is forced to land a few moments after the breakdown because of the rapid destruction of the internal supports, whereas shortly no more power will be transmitted to the rotor. This oil loss may have very serious consequences when flying over a hostile zone: sea, forest, urban train station, enemy territory, a helicopter forced then to land or alight on water in hazardous, let alone catastrophic, conditions.

Safeguard system of a speed increasing/reducing mechanical assembly, especially of the helicopter "gear box" type, in case of lubricating oil loss

Aerospatiale Societe Nationale Industrielle


Provided are a speech restoration system and method for concealing packet losses. The system includes a demultiplexer that demultiplexes an input bit stream and divides the input bit stream into several packets; a packet loss concealing unit that produces and outputs a linear spectrum pair (LSP) coefficient representing the vocal tract of voice and an excitation signal corresponding to a lost frame, when a packet loss occurs; and a speech restoring unit that synthesizes voice using the packets input from the demultiplexer, outputs the result as restored voice, and synthesizes voice corresponding to a lost packet using the LSP coefficient and the excitation signal input from the packet loss concealing unit and outputs the result as restored voice when the lost packet is detected, wherein the packet loss concealing unit repeats linear prediction coefficients (LPCs) of a last-received valid frame, produces a first excitation signal for the lost frame using a time scale modification (TSM) method, when the lost frame is voiceless, and produces a second excitation signal by re-estimating a gain parameter based on the first excitation signal, when the lost frame is voiced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a speech restoration system and method for concealing packet losses, and more particularly, to a speech restoration system and method for concealing packet losses when decoding a signal coded by a conventional speech coder.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional speech receiving apparatuses use the relationship between a received packet and an adjacent voice signal to conceal packet losses. In general, when packet losses occur, standard speech coders use an extrapolation method-based algorithm that extrapolates coding parameters related to a last-received valid frame before a lost frame, or use a repetition method-based algorithm that repeatedly uses a last-received valid frame before a lost frame. However, a lost packet not only lowers the quality of voice in a section including the lost packet but also causes a loss in data of a long-period prediction memory. As a result, an error in the lost packet may propagate to a next frame. Therefore, even if a speech receiving apparatus receives available packets after the packet losses, the apparatus will use damaged data stored in the long-period prediction memory during a decoding process, resulting in degradation of the voice quality. Accordingly, conventional algorithm adopted by conventional speech decoders is limited by a reduction in the quality of voice and the propagation of an error to a next frame.
The ITU-T G.729 speech coder and G.723.1 are both commonly used in a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application. The ITU-T G.729 compresses or decompresses input voice at a rate of 8 kbit/s and provides toll quality speech. More specifically, G.729 quantizes spectrum information and excitation signal information using a Code Excited Linear Prediction (CELP) algorithm which is based on a LP speech production model. A packet loss concealing algorithm used in G.729 estimates speech coding parameters in a lost frame using an excitation signal of the last-received valid frame and spectrum information regarding the last-received valid frame when detecting lost packets. During the prediction, the energy of the excitation signal corresponding to the lost frame is gradually decreased to minimize the effects of the packet loss.
If an nth frame is determined to be a lost frame, a spectrum parameter of an n−1th frame, which is the last-received valid frame before the lost frame, is used to replace that of the lost frame. In other words, G.729 estimates a linear prediction coefficient of the lost frame by repeating the linear prediction coefficient of previous valid frame, and then, an adaptive codebook gain and a fixed codebook gain are replaced with a gain of a last-received valid frame that is reduced by a predetermined factor. Also, to prevent the excessive periodicity of concealed voice, the adaptive codebook is delayed by increasing a delay in the previous frame by 1. However, a reduction in the rate of parameters or repetitive use of the parameters unstabilizes the feedback of the energy of decoded voice, and further remarkably lowers the quality of voice when frame losses continuously occur.

Speech restoration system and method for concealing packet losses

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A conveyor system having at least one variable capacity storage for a bottle treatment machine at least two guides running laterally adjacent and at least one transfer guide are provided for a bottle carrier chain of curve-going coupled bottle carriers, with runs of the bottle carrier chain being transferable from one guide to the adjacent guide via the transfer guide are drivable along the guides. Each of the guides comprises at least one continuous tension member drivable by at least one conveyor drive of the conveyor system, and a respective run of the bottle carrier chain is arranged a certain distance along a tension member, guided there by the tension member and by means of automatically releasable and engageable positive fit and / or magnetically engaging couplings in the area of the transfer guide is driven by the tension member.

In bottle treatment machines a conveyor system is provided for transporting bottles, such as PET bottles, between various stations. In the conveyer system, multiple conveying paths can be provided, between which the bottles are to be transferred for distributing or sorting. Alternatively or additionally, a variable capacity storage can be incorporated into the conveyor system, which in the event of failure or malfunction of a station temporarily stores the bottles delivered to a station and not received at the same rate, or for a faster receiving rate supplies enough bottles, in order to create a time buffer within which ideally the malfunction is eliminated, so that the bottle treatment machine is continuously operable. In both cases, it is standard to use the bottle carrier chain simultaneously as a tension member to which the conveying movement is applied. For a change of path between different conveying paths each with a bottle chain, it is necessary to take the bottles off a bottle carrier chain and to transfer them onto the other bottle carrier chain. This requires a number of tension members and bottle carrier chains. Due to the dual task of bottle carrier chains being used as tension members, namely the load-bearing function and the driving function, such bottle carrier chains are complex, expensive and prone to damage. In the second case of a storage having the bottle carrier chain fulfilling the drive function and the load-bearing function, it is necessary during deflection, to release the bottle carrier chain from a guide and insert it into another. In addition, the bottle carrier chain, fulfilling the driving movement along the guides and the load-bearing function, must be of a great length, for instance as an endless loop.
A conveyor system of a bottle treatment machine is known from DE 10 2004 053 663 A, where, in the storage formed as a storage tower, two neighboring guides are disposed in a helix-shaped manner in which at least a portion of an endless loop of the bottle carrier chain is guided and driven, and in which a carriage with two transfer guides is movably arranged in order to be able to vary the capacity of the storage as required. The bottle carrier chain is directly driven, is a special link chain, and carries plate-like bottle carriers or bottle grippers on the upper side. In the respective transfer area, the bottle carrier chain is released from the guide by mechanical means of the transfer guide, guided and deflected in the transfer guide and by mechanical means again inserted into the other guide. This results in considerable strain for the bottle carrier chain, which due to the considerable strain is stabile and heavy, and relatively high driving power is required which in turn can subject the bottle carrier chain to considerable local tension stress. Frictional engaged contact, for instance, can also occur between the bottles, the guides and the like, leading to contamination and wear of the bottles.
A conveyor system of a cigarette processing machine is known from EP 0 581 143 B, in which either a single chain-type conveyor element is used simultaneously for initiating the drive movement and for carrying the load, or a load bearing conveyor element is driven independently in each of two separate guides. A variable capacity storage is integrated into the conveyor system, which has at least one transfer guide for deflecting the conveyor flow from one guide onto the other guide. In the case of only a single endless conveyor element, it is in the transfer area released from a guide, transferred and re-inserted into the other guide. In the second case with the two conveyor elements drivable independently of each other in the two guides, the transfer guide is designed as a bridge-shaped conveyor element which receives the flow of cigarettes from a conveyor element, transfers it and conducts it to the other conveyor element.
A goods-conveyor system having a variable capacity storage is known from EP 1 161 391 B, in which two load-carrying belt carrier chains are driven and guided in two adjacent guides which at the same time fulfill a load-bearing function. In the transfer area, a rotatable conveyor disc is moveably arranged between and the guides and along them, which at the same is driven in rotation by both belt carrier chains in order to receive goods, transfer and again load them onto the other belt carrier chain.
A conveyor system comprising a substantially straight-lined conveyor path for the same or similar objects is known from EP 1 232 974 B, which in piece goods processing are treated in multiple processing steps. Along the conveying path, a guide for a load-bearing belt carrier chain is provided on both sides of the guide, toothed belt drives or drive wheels are arranged there, which are driven at a desired speed of circulation corresponding to the conveying speed, and transfer it to the load carrier chain with which they overlap for a certain distance. Transfer of the drive speed is effected by magnetic force contact, for which the belt drives or drive discs carry permanent magnets, and armature elements or counter magnets are arranged at the belt carriers of the belt carrier chain.


A high-pressure pump having a rotationally driven drive shaft and at least one pump element which has a pump piston driven at least indirectly in a reciprocating motion by the drive shaft which piston is guided in a cylinder bore and with its end remote from the drive shaft defines a pump work chamber. The pump piston is braced at least indirectly on the drive shaft. Extending through the pump piston is at least one line which discharges at the circumference of the pump piston in the cylinder bore spaced apart from the end of the pump piston that defines the pump work chamber and which leads toward the drive shaft to the region where the pump piston is braced.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to an improved high-pressure pump for a fuel injection system of an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One high-pressure pump known from German Patent Disclosure DE 198 44 326 A1 has a rotationally driven drive shaft and at least one pump element, with a pump piston driven at least indirectly in a reciprocating motion by the drive shaft. The pump piston is guided in a cylinder bore and, with its end remote from the drive shaft, defines a pump work chamber. The pump piston is braced at least indirectly on the drive shaft. The drive shaft has a portion which is eccentric to its pivot axis, supported on which is a ring on which the pump piston is braced directly with its piston base or via a tappet. The ring does not rotate with the drive shaft, but in operation of the high-pressure pump, a sliding motion occurs between the piston base or tappet and the ring. Lubrication of the contact region between the piston base or tappet and the ring is effected only by the fuel present in the interior of the high-pressure pump, so that under some circumstances severe wear to the pump piston and/or the tappet and/or the ring occurs, which can finally lead to failure of the high-pressure pump. The tappet may be guided displaceably in a bore in the housing of the high-pressure pump, in order to be braced against transverse forces so that they do not act on the pump piston. Lubrication between the tappet and the bore is likewise accomplished only by the fuel located in the interior of the high-pressure pump, and hence major wear to the tappet and/or the housing can also occur.
From German Patent Disclosure DE 199 07 311 A, a high-pressure pump for a fuel injection system is also known in which the drive shaft has at least one cam, on which the pump piston is braced via a tappet and a roller rotatably supported in the tappet. The bearing of the roller is again lubricated only by the fuel present in the interior of the high-pressure pump, so that wear can occur here as well.

High-pressure pump for a fuel injection system of an internal combustion engine


A method for washing an oligomerization reactor using by-product solvent recovered from the reactor can include: catalytically converting a monomer in a reactor section in a reaction mode in the presence of a catalyst to form a product stream comprising an oligomer, a by-product solvent, and a polymeric by-product; separating the product stream into a first fraction comprising the oligomer and a second fraction comprising a mixture of the by-product solvent and the polymeric by-product; and separating, in a thin film evaporator, the second fraction into a third fraction comprising the by-product solvent and a fourth fraction comprising the polymeric by-product.

Linear alpha olefins are a valuable chemical product that can be produced within a reactor vessel by the oligomerization of the olefin monomer ethylene. In many cases, oligomerization processes form polymer as a by-product, and this polymeric by-product commonly fouls the oligomerization reactor.
As an example of the complications of oligomerization, 1-hexene can be produced in high selectivity via ethylene trimerization using homogeneous, single-site chromium catalyst systems, activated by a molar excess of alkyl aluminums such as methyl alumoxane (MAO) and modified methyl alumoxane (MMAO). In an unavoidable side reaction, a small fraction of the converted ethylene forms polyethylene as a by-product. This polymeric by-product can take any or all of the following three forms: (i) it can coat surfaces of the reactor and associated piping; (ii) it can flow out of the reactor in solution with the reaction mixture; or (iii) it can flow out of the reactor as a suspended solid in the reaction mixture. In addition, the formation of polymer can continue downstream of the reaction system due to the presence of the still-active catalyst in the reactor product stream or effluent.
The build-up of a polymeric by-product that remains within the oligomerization reactor itself and in associated reactor piping can be troublesome. After polymer by-products like polyethylene have fouled internal reactor surfaces and piping, it may become necessary to shut down the reactor(s) and clean the reactor(s) and piping. Shutting down of the reactor(s) for cleaning and maintenance is, of course, economically disadvantageous because production of the desired oligomerization product is interrupted. Some conventional solutions include periodically introducing a suitable wash liquid or utility solvent, such as an alcohol, to flush a shut-down reactor and piping to remove the built-up by-products. The use of a separate utility solvent requires additional tankage and piping to introduce this extra material to the process. In addition to this capital expenditure, operation outlays are increased to purchase the utility solvent. Removal or recovery of this utility solvent from the process equipment for disposal or re-use also requires additional energy and equipment.

Oligomerization reactor wash process using by-product solvent recovered using a thin film evaporator


A spray painting device having a first spray mechanism and a second spray mechanism located downstream of the first spray mechanism in an assembly line along which an automobile body is conveyed. A spray head of the first spray mechanism is fixed at a constant height when spraying paint onto a side outer panel portion which is situated over a front or rear wheel of the automobile chassis, and is moved up and down when spraying paint onto a side outer panel portion which is not situated over the front or rear wheel. A spray head of the second spray mechanism is located so that a constant distance is maintained between the spray heads and the side outer panel to spray a uniform coat of paint onto the side outer panel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and device for painting right and left side outer panels of an automobile body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Painting an outer panel of an automobile body is generally carried out by rotary type electrostatic spray painting devices located, for example, on the right and left of and over an assembly line along which the automobile is moved, and a portion of the outer panel in front of the electrostatic spray painting device is sprayed with paint as the panel passes in front of the painting device.
Portions of the right and left side outer panels situated over the front and rear wheels of an automobile chassis have a shorter vertical length than other portions, and to paint these shorter portions, commonly the spray heads of the electrostatic spray painting device are located above and below a central horizontal plane of the side outer panels of the body to be painted (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 54-11945). In this construction, a distance between the outer panel and the spray head is always constant, and therefore, the line of force of the static electricity of the particles of paint is stable, and thus a good painted surface is obtained. Since, however, the side outer panels are divided into 2 or 3 portions for painting, 4 to 6 spray heads are necessary for one coating, and therefore, the painting system requires a large space in which to locate so many spray heads, and thus equipment costs become relatively high.
An electrostatic spray painting device disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 59-21670 is constructed in such a manner that the spray heads move up and down along a vertical line to enable side outer panels to be painted by one spray head, so that the number of spray heads needed by the painting device is drastically reduced. However, in this painting device, since the spray head moves away from the side outer panel during reciprocation of the spray head, because of a configuration of the side outer panel, the electrostatic charge of the paint particles may be lost. In this case paint particles that have lost their electrostatic charge will adhere to the side outer panel and the quality of the painted surface thereof is degraded.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 58-81457 discloses a construction in which paint is sprayed onto the side outer panels by spray heads moving along an outline of the panels.

Method and device for painting side outer panels of an automobile body


A shaft or shafts are connected to a rotor core of a dynamoelectric machine without the need for a central hole in the laminations of the core. The shaft is connected to the core by attaching the shaft to a rotor end plate (or forming the shaft and the end plate as a single unit) and connecting the end plate to the core at a distance away from the axis of the core. The rotor may have similar end plates at both ends, the end plates attached to each other and to the core by through studs or bolts that pass through holes in the laminations. The holes and the studs or bolts are evenly circumferentially spaced at a distance from the axis. The through studs or bolts are secured at either end, clamping the end plates with the rotor core between them. The rotor end plate provides support to the rotor end ring that forms part of the squirrel cage of the rotor core. The end plate includes a lip or other portion which restrains movement of the end ring in lateral and/or axial direction(s) as the rotor rotates. For example, the rotor may have a lip which is machined to be at or nearly in contact with the end ring when the rotor is at rest.

Typical induction motor designs have a rotor including a plurality of laminated sheets (laminations) and a shaft attached to the rotor. Interaction between magnetic fields created by the rotor and a stator surrounding the rotor causes torque to be created in the rotor. This torque rotates the rotor, thereby also rotating the attached shaft. Therefore it is desirable that the connection between the shaft and the rotor be sufficiently strong to allow transmission of the torque from the rotor to the shaft. An additional requirement in attaching the shaft to the rotor core is that the rotor should be strong enough, both torsionally and laterally, to withstand any load, such as a belt load, to which it will be subjected. Further, the rotor should be strong enough so that parts of it do not crack, break, or otherwise fail while it is spinning, particularly at higher speeds.
Conventionally, shafts have been attached to rotor cores through a central hole in the laminations making up the rotor core. The shaft is attached to the rotor core by means such as heat shrinking, welding, and/or a key on the shaft that fits into a slot in the laminations, thereby allowing the core to transmit torque to the shaft.
The conventional method of attaching the shaft to the core through a central hole has the drawback of inducing a stress concentration in the laminations. It is well known that the presence of even a very small hole at the axis of a rotating disc will cause the stress of the material bounding the hole to double when compared with the stress at the center of a solid disk. See, e.g., Adel S. Saada, Elasticity: Theory and Applications, p. 337 (1983). Thus the central hole in the laminations leads to high tangential stresses in the lamination material in the vicinity of the hole. These high stresses can lead to failure of the rotor, due to radial cracks in the laminations.
In view of the above, it would be desirable to attach a shaft to a rotor core of a dynamoelectric machine without disturbing the lamination material in the vicinity of the axis of the rotor.

Rotating assembly construction for high speed induction motor


An antenna includes conductive panels pierced with bow-tie-shaped cutouts (long axis vertical) fed at the narrow point of the cutout to achieve horizontal polarization. Each two panels are configured at right angles as an xe2x80x98Xxe2x80x99 when viewed from above. The radiation pattern from each panel is a peanut shape; with a hybrid phase shifter to feed each pair in quadrature, the combined pattern is omnidirectional. Multiple crossed-cutout modules can be arranged vertically and fed in parallel to achieve high vertical directivity. The general design permits outdoor application with no supporting mast. The general design is compatible with the power capability and frequency range needed for commercial UHF television broadcast.

The present invention relates generally to transmitting antennas. More particularly, the present invention relates to omnidirectional slot-type transmitting antennas.
Broadcasting of radio and television (TV) entertainment programming can be realized with low-power transmitters and close-to-the ground antennas, but characteristically reaches geographically dispersed audiences by using high-power transmitters, tall antenna towers, low-loss transmission lines, and antennas that radiate with high efficiency. Each of these requirements for high performance imposes requirements on the rest of the system, as do the rules imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which defines the minimum permissible quality of the transmitted signal as detected at specified distances from the transmitting antenna. TV transmitting antennas, in particular, should exhibit a low voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) in order to avoid reflecting more than a minimal part of the transmitted signal back into the transmitter, which would cause ghosting and other defects objectionable to advertisers and to viewers of the received signal. TV transmitting antennas should also radiate efficiently, to maximize signal strength in proportion to the power (and cost) of the associated transmitter. TV transmitting antennas should also exhibit good structural properties, such as freedom from corrosion (for long life); small size, light weight, and self-supporting structure (for low tower bulk and wind loading); and rigidity (for constant radiative properties in strong winds).
Slot antennas in a variety of styles are capable of application to commercial use. Typical slot antennas, fed with radio frequency (RF) signals carried to the antennas by coaxial cables or waveguides, use the RF voltage differential across the slot to create a radiating electromagnetic wave. For example, a flat metal plate, incised with a slot of suitable dimensions, with the facing edges of the slot excited by RF of suitable frequency to opposite polarity using a suitable feed method, will radiate at right angles to the plane of the plate, with the polarization of the radiated signal the same as the axis of the RF voltage differential. The radiation pattern created by such a slot antenna is commonly referred to in the art as a xe2x80x9cpeanutxe2x80x9d shape, with equal lobes of high signal strength extending from and perpendicular to the front and back surfaces of the antenna, with signal strength decreasing as angle increases off the axis of radiation, and with the signals at the front and back of the slotted plate of opposite polarity (i.e., 180 degrees out of phase) and essentially equal magnitude. The dimensions of the slot (primarily) and the plate (to a lesser extent) determine the frequency range over which the slot can be excited to radiate; a simple rectangular slot has a single preferential frequency of radiation and performs poorly away from that frequency.
Bow-tie-style dipole antennas can in general exhibit desirable properties for broad band RF transmission and reception. With suitable dimensions, including overall span and the angle of the triangles comprising the bow-tie shape, such antennas can combine good electrical and mechanical performance. When sized for the ultra-high frequency (UHF) television broadcast band, the dimensions of a bow-tie antenna are practical for simple and inexpensive structures. xe2x80x9cBroad bandxe2x80x9d here refers to a single antenna able to operate well over a significant fraction of an octave. UHF television, for example, extends from 470 MHz to 806 MHz, which is most of an octave. Each UHF TV channel has an allowed bandwidth of 6 MHz, which is around 1% of an octave at the middle of the band. A television transmitting antenna that meets FCC requirements over a range of several channels is viewed by those knowledgeable in the art as xe2x80x9cbroad bandxe2x80x9d; a voice or data communications transmitting antenna, which would typically transmit a signal narrower in bandwidth than a TV broadcast, should exceed the range of frequencies of a similar TV antenna in order to be considered xe2x80x9cbroad bandxe2x80x9d for its duties. A properly dimensioned bow-tie antenna designed for receiving, rather than transmitting, UHF television, by way of contrast, should work adequately over the entire band, due to its less challenging performance requirements.
Multiple antennas can be combined to incorporate the properties of a single antenna and additional advantages as well. For example, two antennas with xe2x80x9cpeanutxe2x80x9d-shaped radiation patterns, mounted at right angles and driven with signals that are 90 degrees apart in phase, can exhibit an omnidirectional radiation pattern comparable to that of a mast dipole, the reference standard. Similarly, two horizontally polarized antennas stacked vertically at a spacing of one wavelength and driven in phase can exhibit a propagation pattern that has greater directivity than a mast dipole, which means a thinner beam of strong signal, reinforcing the tendency for the signal strength near the horizontal to be stronger than that at a downward or upward angle. Adding more antenna elements in this stack can continue to increase the directivity, which can translate to increased reception range for a given transmitter power output.
Combining the designs described above can produce a broadcast antenna comprising a vertical stack of horizontally polarized, crossed bow-tie slot antenna modules. If sized for UHF, such an antenna can be made sturdy and capable of efficiently radiating the power levels needed for commercial broadcast transmission, including television and general communications. Such an antenna can provide an omnidirectional radiation pattern to provide coverage of a commercial user""s required service area. Such an antenna can be designed to work well across a broad range of frequencies, rather than requiring unique dimensions for each frequency, potentially offering cost savings. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a novel stacked omnidirectional crossed bow-tie slot antenna capable of handling commercial power levels, featuring ruggedness, scalable directivity, and the potential for low VSWR at low cost.
Design concepts existing in the prior art have been combined in a novel and useful way by the present invention, wherein, in a first aspect of the invention, a crossed bow tie slot antenna is comprised of a first conductive rectangular panel, a first bow-tie-shaped slot (two identical isosceles triangles with a common axis of symmetry through their unequal vertices, said vertices proximal to each other, with a parallel-sided slot joining the triangles symmetrically, the figure oriented with the referenced axis vertical) that pierces the first panel, a second conductive rectangular panel rigidly and conductively attached to the first panel at their common vertical axis of symmetry, so that the two panels cross at right angles to each other, and a second bow-tie-shaped slot that pierces the second panel.
In another aspect of the invention, an apparatus for broadcast of ultra-high frequency (UHF) television signals is comprised of first means for radiating a first RF signal with xe2x80x9cpeanutxe2x80x9d-shaped pattern of signal strength versus azimuth, with horizontal polarization, and with power levels compatible with city-wide reception from a single radiative source, as defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC); second means for radiating a second RF signal with xe2x80x9cpeanutxe2x80x9d-shaped pattern of signal strength versus azimuth in quadrature with the first means, collocated with the first means, adjusted in phase with respect to the first means so that the combined radiation pattern of the two means constitutes an omnidirectional transmission and meets FCC requirements for public-carrier broadcasting; means for omnidirectional radiation characterized by mutual impedance of elements that results in a voltage standing-wave ratio (VSWR) across the UHF band suitable for broadcast applications; and plurality of means for omnidirectional radiation, so configured as to provide increased power-handling capacity and increased directivity, translating to increased signal strength over a reception region.
In still another aspect of the invention, a radiation method for broadcast transmission is comprised of the steps of accepting a broadcast signal; converting the broadcast signal from a single signal to two signals in quadrature; distributing each of the two quadrature signals uniformly with regard to power and equally with regard to phase among a plurality of signal loads; carrying the load signals to radiative devices via coaxial cabling located in neutral planes; and applying the transmission signals to the radiative devices, such devices consisting of pairs of center-joined, bow-tie-slotted panel radiators, all panels lying in one of two planes in quadrature, each panel radiator in each pair driven by the outer and inner conductor of a coaxial cable with phasing corresponding to its spatial orientation compared to the rest of the radiators.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.


The present invention relates to a novel sulfone hybrid precursor, to the synthesis method thereof, and to the uses thereof, particularly for preparing proton-exchanging electrolyte membranes as the functional hybrid charge in a host structure; for the manufacture of functional hybrid nanoparticles by sol-gel polymerization; for the use as a fluidifying agent; for the production of surface coverings through chemical grafting by means of sol-gel polymerization; for the use as a hygroscopic agent; and for the use as a bonding or structuring agent.

Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells, also known as polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (or PEMFC) are a type of fuel cell developed for applications in transportation and also for portable applications. The principle of fuel cells was demonstrated experimentally in 1839 by the British electrochemist Sir William Grove. The first fuel cells of PEMFC type were developed in the United States in the 1960s by General Electric for space applications. Currently, this type of cell, which is designed to function at intermediate temperatures (40-120° C.), is developed internationally by the motor vehicle and portable electronics industries. However, despite undeniable environmental advantages, and superior energy yields, fuel cells are only just beginning to compete with internal combustion engines on account of the costs that are still high (raw materials, service lives).
The core of a fuel cell of PEMFC type is composed of a polymer electrolyte membrane, electrodes (anode and cathode, usually in the form of thin layers of platinum) and bipolar plates serving for gas diffusion.
Fuel cells functioning with proton-exchange polymer electrolyte membranes allow the conversion of the chemical energy of gases (H2/O2) into electrical energy with high energy yields and with no discharge of pollutant, according to the following equations:
Reaction at the cathode (site of oxygen reduction):½O2+2H++2e−→H2O
Reaction at the anode (site of hydrogen oxidation):H2→2H++2e−
Since the two electrodes are separated by the electrolyte (membrane), the fuel to be oxidized (hydrogen) is conveyed to the anode, and the cathode is fed with oxygen (or more simply with air, optionally enriched with oxygen). At the anode, the dihydrogen reacts and releases two electrons (oxidation) that feed an external electrical circuit connecting the anode and the cathode. At the cathode, the cathodic reduction of the oxygen takes place. The reagents are, in principle, introduced continuously into the device and the electromotive force of the cell is equal to the difference of the electrode potentials. A universally known overall reaction is thus obtained:H2+½O2→H2O
Water is thus produced by the normal functioning of the cell, which must be evacuated outside the membrane. Management of the water is crucial for the performance of the cell; care should be taken to ensure that the amount of water remains constantly at an optimum level, ensuring correct functioning of the cell. In particular, an excess of water leads to excessive swelling of the membrane, to congestion of the distribution channels or electrodes and to a negative effect on the access of the gases to the catalytic sites, whereas an insufficient amount of water leads to dryness of the membrane, which is harmful to its conductivity and to the yield of the cell.
The role of the membrane is thus to ensure the transportation of protons (H+) from the anode to the cathode and thus to allow the electrochemical reaction. However, it should not conduct electrons, which would create a short circuit in the fuel cell. The membrane should be resistant to the reductive environment at the anode and, at the same time, to an oxidative environment at the cathode, and should also prevent the mixing of the hydrogen contained at the anode with the oxygen contained at the cathode.
One of the first proton-transporting polymers that was used for producing such membranes, and which today remains the reference in this field, is Nafion®, a perfluorosulfonic polymer developed and perfected in 1968 by the American company Du Pont de Nemours. Historically, the NASA Gemini space programs of the 1960s used fuel cells comprising membranes of sulfonated polystyrene type, but these were very quickly supplanted by Nafion® membranes, which made it possible to improve the performance of PEMFCs. In chemical terms, it is an organic polymer, formed from a flexible fluorocarbon chain on which are randomly distributed ionic groups (Mauritz K. A. et al., Chem Rev., 2004, 104, 4535-4585). On the principle of Nafion®, other perfluorosulfonic commercial polymers exist, such as those sold under the trade names Aciplex® (Asahi Chemical Company, Japan) or Flemion® (Asahi Glass Company, Japan).
The membranes manufactured from these polymers are by nature very chemically, thermally and mechanically stable (flexibility). They have good electrochemical properties with high conductivity, of the order of 0.1 S·cm−1 at room temperature and at 100% relative humidity (according to the manufacturer's data for Nafion®). However, these membranes must operate at a temperature below 90° C. and must always remain saturated with water to allow efficient movement of the H+ ions. Specifically, the production of protons takes place mainly via a mechanism of Grotthus type, i.e. via the jumping of protons along the ionic and hydrophilic conduction pathways (Mauritz K. A. et al., 2004, mentioned above). Moreover, the synthesis of these membranes is long, difficult, or even dangerous taking into account the use of fluorine, which partly justifies their very high cost price. Furthermore, they are not entirely satisfactory as regards the problems associated with water management and temperature changes. Specifically, when the system undergoes numerous variations in the level of humidity, the appearance of successive cycles of swelling and restructuring of the membrane is noted, leading to substantial fatigue. Moreover, Nafion® is a polymer that quite naturally undergoes a glass transition (Tg=120° C.), which contributes toward its accelerated aging and to the appearance of structural reorganizations and mechanical weaknesses (failures), thus limiting its service life.
Other alternative types of polymers that may be used for the preparation of electrolyte membranes have also already been proposed. These are in particular sulfonated or doped thermostable polymers (sulfonated polyaryl ether ketones, polybenzimidazoles, polyaryl ether sulfones, etc.). These polymers lead to membranes that also have certain drawbacks, especially in terms of conductivity (performance), service life and water management.
Patent application US 2005/0 164 063 describes the synthesis of various solid compounds and electrolytes obtained from silsesquioxane-based precursors in which a siloxane function is attached to a phenylsulfonate group via a divalent group free of urea functions. Such structures, in which the divalent group linking the siloxane function to the phenylsulfonate is an alkyl or aryl radical, have the drawback of having poor conductivity (Electrochimica Acta, 2003, 48, 2181-2186).
This is why, to overcome the respective weaknesses of each of these systems, many studies for modification by incorporation of inorganic phases have been performed in recent years, and have led to an overall improvement in the properties of PEMFCs. This is reflected in particular in the water management and also in the behavior of the materials at high temperature (dehydration) and their long-term stability. These concepts became generalized with the appearance of hybrid membranes, which also make it possible to demonstrate the importance of the presence of a continuous inorganic network within the conductive electrolyte.
Rhodium-based monomer complexes obtained by reacting (p-aminophenyl)diphenylphosphine with 3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane, with improved catalytic properties, are also known and used for sol-gel polymerizations (J. Organomet. Chem., 2002, 641, 165-172).
Films prepared by reacting an alkoxysilane with 4-[(4″-aminophenyl)sulfonyl]-4′-[N,N′-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]azobenzene via sol-gel polymerization are also described in Chem. Mater., 1998, 10, 1642-1646, for their uses in the field of optics.
Unfortunately, at the present time, no membrane, irrespective of its nature, fully satisfies the rigorous requirements of PEMFC constructors and users. Although many operational technical devices using these electrochemical systems have appeared on the market, for instance the Genepac fuel cell arising from a partnership between PSA Peugeot Citroen and the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, and whose power may be up to 80 kW, technological obstacles remain to be overcome.
Firstly, in terms of water management: as has been seen previously, it is of paramount importance to manage the water produced during the functioning of the cell and its influence on the properties of the electrolyte membrane (especially the conductivity). This need to optimally control and manage the water transports taking place in a PEMFC (inlets, outlets, generation, and back-diffusion between cathode and anode) remains a major constraint that encourages the production of electrolytes that are less dependent on the relative humidity.
In terms of operating temperature also: fuel cells of Nafion® type can only work at maximum temperatures of 90° C. For higher temperatures, the membranes can no longer ensure suitable proton conductivity on account of their inability to retain water. Their yield decreases as a function of the drop in relative humidity combined with the increase in temperature. Now, the application of fuel cells to transportation vehicles requires the use of membranes that can function satisfactorily at temperatures above 90° C., in particular at temperatures between 120 and 150° C. Membranes of this type do not currently exist on the market.
Finally, in terms of manufacturing cost: to enable the mass development of this technology and the generalization of these power generators destined for a bright future, the problem remains of the cost of manufacture of the electrolyte membrane per se, but also the cost of manufacture of the fuel cell core (AME) associated with the use of platinum as a catalyst.

Sulfone hybrid precursor, method of synthesizing same, and uses thereof

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique


Described herein are enterprise search systems and methods that cluster search results that are associated with the same metadata or the same enterprise search site into one or more clustered results panels of a search results panel. The search results that are not included in the clustered results panel(s) are included in a non-clustered results panel of the search results panel.

An enterprise search system performs searches within an enterprise, such as a business, an organization, an association, or a firm. The enterprise search system indexes data and documents from a variety of sources within the enterprise. Example sources include, but are not limited to, document management systems, intranets, email, instant messages, and databases. Through the enterprise search system, a defined group of search requestors (e.g., employees) is allowed to search for documents and information.
Typically, the search results are presented to the search requestor in a list form that includes a list of ranked results. The ranked results are often ordered based on a determined relevance to the terms in the search query (e.g., the likelihood that the result is what the search requestor is looking for). Different types of documents that are produced by different authors and are obtained from different sources or sites are interleaved in the ranked results. The search requestor must go through the list and examine the titles, the document types, the sources, and if provided, a brief abstract or snippet of each result to determine which results are of interest or relevance to the search requestor. This process of reviewing the ranked search results can be inefficient, time consuming, and frustrating when the ranked results does not include many interesting or relevant results.

Clustering search results in an enterprise search system


The present invention relates to a photoacoustic sensor system for detecting target molecules in air samples or compressed air samples. The photoacoustic sensor system comprises an acoustic resonator forming a cylindrical resonant cavity and an air or compressed air sampling system configured for directing a flow of air or compressed air through the cylindrical resonant cavity. The photoacoustic sensor system comprises first and second microphones for generating first and second photoacoustic signals in response to absorption of modulated light within the cylindrical resonant cavity. A light source is configured to direct a modulated light beam through the cylindrical resonant cavity of the photoacoustic spectroscopy cell.

Oil contaminants in compressed air, even in small concentration levels at sub-ppm levels, can be disastrous and health threatening for a vast variety of industries such as food and beverage processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing and packaging, chemical and petrochemical processing, semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, the medical sector, automotive paint spraying, textile manufacturing, amongst several others.
The International Standards Organization (ISO) established the 8573 compressed air quality standard in 1991 to govern compressed air system component selection, design and measurement. ISO 8573 is a multi-part standard, with Part 1 classifying contaminant type and assigning air quality levels, and Parts 2 through 9, define testing methods to accurately measure a full range of contaminants within the end user's facility. ISO 8573.1 identifies three primary contaminant types as prevalent in a compressed air system: Solid particulates, water and oil (in both aerosol and vapour form). Each is categorized and assigned a quality class ranging from class 0, the most stringent, to Class 9, the most relaxed.
The present invention comprises novel photoacoustic sensor system that in certain embodiments has the ability to, in real time, detect and measure oil contamination in vapour, aerosol and liquid form in compressed air systems in accordance with class 0 requirements of the ISO 8573 standard. The photoacoustic sensor system may in certain embodiments achieve class 0 accuracy according to the ISO 8573 standard as tested and verified by the Danish National Metrology Institute (Dansk Fundamental Metrologi A/S—"DFM") and the Dutch National Metrology Institute (VSL).
High purity compressed air is a frequently used source of energy/power in industrial environments and a key element in a large variety of industries. High purity compressed air is for example used in pneumatics for driving different types of valves and actuators in the automotive and process industries. High purity compressed air is also used as a gas duster for cleaning electronic components in the electronics and semiconductor industry. Air jet weaving and air jet spinning use compressed air for pick insertion and yarn consolidation in the textile industry. Other applications of compressed air include automotive industry spray paint booths, tobacco industry air washers, hospital surgery and nursery rooms, breathing air in hospitals, photographic film manufacturing plants, and clean rooms. In addition to high purity compressed air requirements in the above mentioned industries, clean compressed air is vital for maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in food and beverage industries where contaminations can lead to severe health issues. Compressed air provides the energy source for pneumatic conveyers that transport liquids, powders and moisture sensitive product throughout the plants. Compressed air provides power for pneumatically operated tools and equipment that renders meat products, aerates liquids and mixes granular ingredients. It is used to package, wrap, seal, palletize and label food products prior to storage or shipment. The wide-spread use of compressed air has resulted in increased contamination vulnerability and the industry has as a consequence been subject to strict regulation and standards. In this context, ISO 8573 is the most important international standard. The standard specifies quality requirements for all compressed air—and part 1 specifies the purity classes of compressed air with respect to particles, water and oil. The standards vastly increase the operating and maintenance costs of compressed air systems along with the tremendous risks associated with an air contamination.
A compressed air system can have various different types of contaminations, and these can generally be attributed to the following sources:                1. The quality of air being drawn into the system: Atmospheric air in an industrial environment typically contains 140 million dirt particles for every cubic metre of air. 80% of these particles are less than 2 microns in size and are too small to be captured by the compressor intake filter and other inline filters, therefore passing directly into the compressed air system. These often contain hydrocarbon particles and aerosols.        2. The type and operation of the air compressor: The air compressor itself can also add contamination, from wear particles to coolants and lubricants. Most air compressors use oil in the compression stage for sealing, lubrication and cooling. During operation, lubricating oil is carried over into the compressed air system as liquid oil and aerosols. This oil mixes with water vapour in the air and is often very acidic, causing damage to the compressed air storage and distribution system, production equipment and final product.        3. Compressed air storage and distribution systems: The air receiver and system piping are designed to store and distribute the compressed air. As a consequence they also store the large amounts of contamination drawn into the system. Additionally, piping and air receivers also cool the moist compressed air forming condensate that causes damages and corrosion.
Failure to detect oil contamination, or other types of contaminants, in due time can cause significant health problems and lead to severe economic impacts. Examples are:                1. Increase in plant maintenance costs: Corrosion within compressed air storage vessels and the air distribution system, blocked or damaged valves, filters, cylinders, air motors and air tools, damaged production equipment.        2. Unscheduled plant shutdown: Caused by equipment and part failures, leading to loss of production capacity.        3. Product contamination: Leading to loss of production batches and economic losses.        4. Reduced Product Quality: Contaminated products if released into the market will not only result in reduced brand image, and conflicts with regulatory bodies, but in the case of food processing and pharmaceutical industries could severely affect public health.        5. Risk to Human Life with Severe Civil Liabilities: Oil contaminants in compressed air for patients in hospitals can have life threatening impacts for patients.
The present photoacoustic sensor system may be configured to detect various types of oil contamination and therefore eliminate at least some of these risks and impacts. To achieve these goals, the present photoacoustic sensor system may for example be integrated with SCADA and Distributed Control Systems of the plants.
Hence, the present photoacoustic sensor system and methodology may be adapted for the detection of oils in aerosol, vapour and liquid form in compressed air. Some embodiments of the photoacoustic sensor system may be configured to detect target molecules comprising oil contaminants in compressed air with ISO 8573 class 1, or better, sensitivity. The present photoacoustic sensor system and methodology may also be adapted to detect other types of target molecules such as hydrocarbons, non-hydrocarbons and trace gasses. While photoacoustic spectroscopy technologies are well known they have generally not been satisfactory in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, reproducibility and traceability. The same applies for other technologies, for example, thermal and photo ionization technologies. A key reason is that these prior art technologies are prone to background noise.
The present photoacoustic sensor system and methodology is capable of eliminating, or at least markedly suppressing, this noise while enhancing various important detection parameters. The present photoacoustic sensor system and methodology may include one or several new research-based sensing principles and sophisticated new photonics and optical spectroscopy with noise cancellation technology and flow noise immunity designs, optimised insulation, coatings and sampling etc. as discussed in further detail below.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,986,546 describes an oil contamination detection assembly for a vehicular pneumatic brake system having a supply of air contaminated with oil. The principle behind this detection is based on the change in resistance of a resistor when accumulating a layer of oil contaminating the air. Since this is used in a vehicular maintenance system, it does not conform to ISO standards, and this principle produces detection that is far less accurate than industrial requirements.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,942 describes a system for measuring foreign substances such as oil in a gas stream, by introducing a probe that is based on change in resistance/conductivity. This patent is a contact type measurement that has relatively poor sensitivity and repeatability and hence does not conflict with this innovation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,861 describes a method of detecting oil aerosol in an air flow, by passing the air flow through a space between an electrode and an electrically conductive catalyst, causing electrical discharge between the electrode and the catalyst so as electrostatically to precipitate oil from the air flow on to the catalyst, terminating the discharge, stopping the air flow, heating the catalyst in substantially stagnant air to a temperature at which catalytic combustion of the precipitated oil occurs, and sensing heat generation due to said catalytic combustion to produce an output signal indicative thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,781 describes a system for detecting fine liquid like oils and particles in a gas system comprising of a compressor and at least two gas handling devices. This patent does not describe any sensor element but only describes the system and arrangement for real-time measurement.
EP 2 373 991 describes a system based on the photo ionisation technology.
The present photoacoustic sensor system and methodology may be a valuable instrument for the implementation of critical and continuous monitoring of contamination of compressed air or air. The present photoacoustic sensor system may for example comply with certain requirements for microbial monitoring and enabling a proactive intervention.

Photoacoustic sensor system and methodology for detecting target molecules


An apparatus for aiding a design of a semiconductor device including a plurality of wirings, the apparatus has a display, a memory that stores information corresponding to the wirings, and a processor that obtains a power consumption value of each wiring in reference to the information about the wirings stored in the memory, and displays each of the wirings on the display in a manner that each wiring is distinguishable as to the obtained power consumption value of the each wiring.

Reduction of power consumption is demanded in LSIs (Large Scale Integrated circuits) used in various fields. Power consumption due to parasitic capacitance of wirings is an element of power consumption in the LSI. A power consumption W due to a parasitic capacitance of a wiring is calculated using the following equation, for example.W=1/2×a×f×C×V×V
Here, "a" represents an operation rate (activity) of a signal, "f" represents an operating frequency, "C" represents a parasitic capacitance of a wiring, and "V" represents a voltage.
The operation rate of a signal "a" is also called a toggle rate of a signal or an inversion rate of a signal value. Power consumption can be reduced by improving a wiring design of the LSI so as to reduce parasitic capacitances of wirings. However, power consumption values of respective wirings are not displayed in the conventional LSI layout designing CAD (Computer Aided Design) tool. Therefore, it is difficult to determine a wiring in which parasitic capacitance may be reduced to improve the wiring design of the LSI, and improvement of the wiring design depends on the skill of a designer.
The foregoing equation for calculating the power consumption of the LSI includes a term that is the product of the parasitic capacitance and the operation rate. The parasitic capacitance, which is correlated with a wiring area, can be estimated by the conventional LSI layout designing CAD tool. However, the operation rate cannot be estimated by the conventional LSI layout designing CAD tool.
The conventional LSI layout designing CAD tool has a disadvantage in that it is difficult for a designer to analyze wirings of an LSI and change the design thereof.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 07-106424    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-182632

Apparatus for aiding design of semiconductor device and method


A socket assembly for a meter center including a plurality of meters is provided having a plate member and plural jaw assemblies. The plate member includes apertures for housing the jaw assemblies and structures associated with each of the apertures which function to both assist in initial alignment of the jaw assemblies during installation as well as to provide lateral support to, and maintain alignment of, the jaw assemblies after installation. The plate member further includes protrusions extending inwardly from the side walls of the apertures. The protrusions engage openings in side portions of the jaw assemblies.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to electric power distribution systems and, more particularly, to socket assemblies for meter centers. The invention also relates to jaw assemblies for meter socket assemblies.
2. Background Information
Meter centers including a number of watt-hour meters are commonly used for metering electric power delivered to the tenant(s) of a residence (e.g., without limitation, a single family home; an apartment building) or commercial site (e.g., without limitation, an office complex).
A typical electrical meter center 1 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The meter center 1 includes a cabinet 3, having a plurality (only one is shown in FIG. 1) of meter socket assemblies 5. Each meter socket assembly 5 includes a plate member 7, to which the various components of the socket assembly 5 are secured. Electrical power is supplied to the meter center 1 by feeder buses 9. Feeder buses 9, which typically consist of three phase buses and a neutral that are electrically connected to the utility lines (not shown), extend horizontally from the cabinet 3, as shown in FIG. 1. A pair of vertical supply buses (not shown) is electrically connected to the feeder buses 9 within the cabinet 3. Each meter socket assembly 5 mounts a meter 11 for each tenant circuit and electrically connects the meter 11 to the feeder buses 9 and the supply buses (not shown). Typically, the electrical connections between the meter 11 and socket assembly 5 are made by plug-in jaws 17, which engage corresponding stabs 19 on the meter 11. The use of the plug-in jaws 17 within the meter socket 5, and corresponding stabs 19 on the back of the meter 11, permits the meter 11 to be removed from the socket 5 when servicing the meter 11 is desired.
In known designs, the connectors which incorporate the plug-in jaws were bolted to the plate member and to a corresponding one of the feeder buses or supply buses. This resulted in roughly 20 bolted connections in the electrical current path. Such connections required labor to complete and were subject to heating if they became loose.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,324 discloses a socket assembly, which is intended to overcome the disadvantages of the multiple bolted connections. The socket assembly provides a plate member having a plurality of through apertures and double ended fastenerless meter jaws extending through the apertures with one end of each double ended meter jaw projecting from opposing first and second sides of the plate member. Assembly of the socket assembly involves pushing one end of each jaw into a corresponding aperture until a pair of locking tabs pass through the aperture and expand outwardly to lock the jaw in place. This eliminates current-carrying joints requiring fasteners, which can become loose between the meters and the supply and tenant buses. This also requires relatively less labor to install and remove meter sockets.
Despite these improvements, there are drawbacks to the above proposal. One such drawback occurs when installing a meter having a plurality of stab contacts that must be engaged with the plural jaws on the socket assembly. Slight misalignment of the meter or variations in clamping force of the jaws can result in high insertion forces being encountered when inserting the stab contacts of the meter into the jaws of the socket assembly. Such high insertion forces can sometimes cause jaw spring clips to become misaligned or be forced through the socket base leading to improper contact engagement and damage to the meter and/or meter center and potentially complete installment failure.
Accordingly, there is room for improvement in meter centers, socket assemblies for meter centers, and in jaw assemblies therefore.

Meter center, and socket assembly and jaw assembly therefor


A parallel link robot includes a movable portion, a base, a plurality of drive sources, a plurality of links, and a tension member. The plurality of drive sources is attached to the base. The plurality of links is respectively connected to the plurality of drive sources. The tension member is connected between the movable portion and at least one of the plurality of links such that a bending tension is generated.

Parallel link robots have characteristics that a movable portion thereof that serves as a hand can be configured to be extremely light, the robots can be configured relatively inexpensively, there is no need to move drive motors themselves since the drive motors can be gathered at a root, and the like. Therefore, in recent years, parallel link robots are attracting attention as industrial robots.
A parallel link robot described in Patent Literature 1 is generally called a hexa-type. This includes, for example, a total of 3 pairs of arms that are connected to a circumference of a movable plate via a universal joint (see, for example, paragraph [0015] of Patent Literature 1).
A parallel mechanism described in Patent Literature 2 includes a plate-like driving side member and driven side member, a plurality of elastic wires connected between them, and a driving mechanism for controlling a posture of the driving side member (6 linear actuators) (see, for example, paragraphs [0030] and [0043] in specification of Patent Literature 2).

Parallel link robot and operation apparatus


Compositions of lost circulation materials and methods for using the same in subterranean formations can include introducing a treatment fluid into a wellbore penetrating at least a portion of a subterranean formation including a loss zone, the treatment fluid including an aqueous base fluid, at least one viscoelastic surfactant, at least one component selected from the group consisting of: a divalent salt, a metal salt, a metal oxide, and any combination thereof, and a lost circulation material; and allowing the treatment fluid to at least partially plug the loss zone.

The present disclosure relates to compositions including lost circulation materials and methods for using the same in subterranean formations.
Treatment fluids are used in a variety of operations that may be performed in subterranean formations. As referred to herein, the term "treatment fluid" will be understood to mean any fluid that may be used in a subterranean application in conjunction with a desired function and/or for a desired purpose. The term "treatment fluid" does not imply any particular action by the fluid. Treatment fluids often are used in, e.g., well drilling, completion, and stimulation operations. Examples of such treatment fluids include, inter alia, drilling fluids, well cleanup fluids, workover fluids, conformance fluids, cementing fluids, gravel pack fluids, acidizing fluids, fracturing fluids, spacer fluids, and the like.
Treatment fluids used in servicing a wellbore may be lost to the subterranean formation while circulating in the fluids in the wellbore. In particular, the fluids may enter the subterranean formation via depleted zones, zones of relatively low pressure, lost circulation zones having naturally occurring fractures, weak zones having fracture gradients exceeded by the hydrostatic pressure of the drilling fluid, and so forth. As a result, the service provided by such fluid may be more difficult to achieve.
In some drilling operations when lost circulation is observed, the wellbore may be treated with lost circulation materials for plugging the portion of formation through which the fluids are being lost. A variety of lost circulation materials have been used or proposed for arresting lost circulation of drilling fluids. However, in some instances, the lost circulation may be so severe that traditional lost circulation materials are not effective at arresting lost circulation.
To provide a desired viscosity, polymeric and/or clay viscosifiers are commonly added to treatment fluids including lost circulation materials. Examples of commonly used polymeric and/or clay viscosifiers include, but are not limited to, guar gums and derivatives thereof, xanthan gums and derivatives thereof, cellulose derivatives, biopolymers, organophilic clay and the like. The use of polymeric and/or clay viscosifiers, however, sometimes may be problematic. For instance, these viscosifiers may leave residues in the subterranean formation after use, which may require potentially costly remedial operations to clean up the formation pores and pore throat, fracture face and proppant pack. Foamed treatment fluids and emulsion-based treatment fluids have been employed to minimize residual damage, but increased expense and complexity may result from their use.
While embodiments of this disclosure have been depicted, such embodiments do not imply a limitation on the disclosure, and no such limitation should be inferred. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those skilled in the pertinent art and having the benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodiments of this disclosure are examples only, and not exhaustive of the scope of the disclosure.

Viscoelastic surfactant-based treatment fluids for use with lost circulation materials


A high voltage MOS transistor comprises a first drain/source region formed over a substrate, a second drain/source region formed over the substrate and a first metal layer formed over the substrate. The first metal layer comprises a first conductor coupled to the first drain/source region through a first metal plug, a second conductor coupled to the second drain/source region through a second metal plug and a plurality of floating metal rings formed between the first conductor and the second conductor. The floating metal rings help to improve the breakdown voltage of the high voltage MOS transistor.

The semiconductor industry has experienced rapid growth due to improvements in the integration density of a variety of electronic components (e.g., transistors, diodes, resistors, capacitors, etc.). For the most part, this improvement in integration density has come from shrinking the semiconductor process node (e.g., shrink the process node towards the sub-20 nm node). As semiconductor devices are scaled down, new techniques are needed to maintain the electronic components' performance from one generation to the next. For example, high breakdown voltage transistors are desirable for high power applications.
As semiconductor technologies evolve, metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistors have been widely used in today's integrated circuits. MOS transistors are voltage controlled device. When a control voltage is applied to the gate a MOS transistor and the control voltage is greater than the threshold of the MOS transistor, a conductive channel is established between the drain and the source of the MOS transistor. As a result, a current flows between the drain and the source of the MOS transistor. On the other hand, when the control voltage is less than the threshold of the MOS transistor, the MOS transistor is turned off accordingly.
MOS transistors may include two major categories. One is n-channel MOS transistors; the other is p-channel MOS transistors. According to the structure difference, MOS transistors can be further divided into three sub-categories, planar MOS transistors, lateral double diffused MOS transistors and vertical double diffused MOS transistors. In comparison with other MOS transistors, the lateral double diffused MOS transistors are capable of delivering more current per unit area while maintaining a high breakdown voltage. Lateral double diffused MOS transistors may be alternatively referred to as high voltage MOS transistors.
In order to improve the reliability of high voltage MOS transistors, a variety of qualification tests may be performed on a high voltage MOS transistor. For example, a high temperature reverse bias (HTRB) test is performed to accelerate failure mechanisms. It is done by applying about 80%-100% of the maximum voltage to which the high voltage MOS transistor is specified while stressing the high voltage MOS transistor at a temperature range from about 125 degrees to 200 degrees up to about 168 hours. Such a high temperature test helps to accelerate failure mechanisms so as to simulate a test conducted at a lower temperature for a greater length of time. A pressure cooker test (PCT) is another qualification test normally performed on a high voltage MOS transistor. It may be performed at 150 degrees and 2-atm pressure. The PCT helps to test the high voltage MOS transistor's package moisture resistance.
Corresponding numerals and symbols in the different figures generally refer to corresponding parts unless otherwise indicated. The figures are drawn to clearly illustrate the relevant aspects of the various embodiments and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Apparatus and method for high voltage MOS transistor

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


A soccer training device is described that attaches a soccer ball to a user through a flexible tether line. An adjustable belt encircles the waist of the user and attaches to one end of the elastic tether line. The other end of the tether line is attached to a girdle made of elastic sheet material that encircles the soccer ball. Certain features of the girdle allow it to hold the ball firmly while, simultaneously, provide proper tactile feedback to the user when kicking the ball. Several novel soccer training exercises useful with the present invention are described.

Proficient play of the game of soccer or other ball kicking or striking sports requires certain skills on the part of each player. These skills include the ability to properly and accurately kick or strike the ball, control an incoming perhaps spinning or bouncing ball, and the like. Many of these skills are taught at practice sessions where team members gather to perform various skill training "drills" or exercises administered by a team coach or trainer. In the game of soccer, such exercises may including kicking exercises, where players each in turn kick a ball towards a target; fielding exercises, where each player must quickly bring under control an incoming ball which may be bouncing, rolling, spinning, and so forth.
While these training exercises are certainly useful, there are several prominent drawbacks associated with them. Primarily, any kicked soccer ball, if it isn't trapped in the goal by a goal net or otherwise controlled, must be retrieved in order to be available for use again. This is one reason why multiple soccer balls must be purchased and used at practice sessions. Soccer balls are expensive, and if they are not retrieved immediately they may be lost or stolen.
Another drawback to such practice sessions is that many of the drills require more than one person, for example, kicking a ball back and forth between two or more players. An individual cannot perform many of these useful drills alone. Further, such exercises are not usually effective for building quick reflexes and endurance since they only require periodic, non-continuous action.
Clearly, then, there is a need for a soccer training device that can be used by an individual at any time, without requiring the presence of other team members. Such a device would allow more practice of kicking and controlling the ball in any given period of time than conventional team training methods, and would not require retrieving kicked soccer balls.
Further, such a needed device would be relatively easy to manufacture, use, and maintain, and allowing exercises not currently possible. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages.


In displaying image data received from a camera module on a display device such as a view finder, image data having a size suited for display from an image size conversion circuit is displayed via line memories included in a signal-for-display generation circuit. Vertical synchronization in an image data storage including these line memories is established by initializing a reading address in accordance with a frame head pixel indication and a reading completion indication of one line in the line memories. It is possible to reduce power consumption of an image display system for displaying an image of a imaging subject.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image display controlling devices, and in particular, to an image display controlling device for displaying an image on a display unit for monitoring an imaging condition of a photographic subject in a camera module. The camera module is a digital still camera or a digital video camera, and the display unit is a view finder or an LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a camera using a solid-state imaging device such as a digital still camera and digital video camera, a view finder using a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an LCD monitor is used for visually checking a subject to be imaged or picked up. In displaying an image on a view finder of a digital still camera, image data is processed in the following manner as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-267381 (Patent Document 1). Specifically, analogue image information of a subject is first generated using a solid-state image sensing device such as a CCD (charge-coupled device) or CMOS sensor. The analogue image information is converted into digital image data by an analogue front end, and then the converted image data is stored in a buffer memory under the control of an image processing controller.
Then, the image processing controller reads out image data from the buffer memory, and stores again the imaged data in the buffer memory after performing processing such as white balance correction. Subsequently, the image data is read out again frame-by-frame from the buffer memory under control of the image processing controller, and converted into a video signal. The video signal is transferred to a view finder of an LCD display device and displayed thereon after resized into a predetermined size for display on the view finder.
Such a buffer memory is used as memory for a temporal storage of data such as image data, and is used as a work area in executing various processing on the image data.
Also in a digital still camera, an LCD monitor is generally used for checking an image after imaging or picking up. According to the configuration as disclosed in Patent Document 1, in display on the LCD monitor, an image processing controller again reads out image data stored in the buffer memory and stores the read out image data in the buffer memory after executing predetermined imaging processing such as white balance correction, tone correction, color correction and the like. The image data stored in the buffer memory is again read out and converted into a video signal, and outputted to an LCD monitor for display after being resized into a predetermined size suitable for display on the LCD monitor.
Although not being the case of a camera module, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-023108 (Patent Document 2) and Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-125548 (Patent document 3) disclose the use of a scan converter as an interface for matching the synchronization frequencies of an input image display format and an output image display format when these formats are different from each other.
In the configuration shown in Japanese Patent Document 2, line memories for storing several lines of pixel data are used as a buffer memory for storing image data. In this case, controls of input and output are not performed on a frame basis. In the case of such writing/reading, different clock signals are used for a writing clock signal and a reading clock signal. When a phase lag between a horizontal synchronization signal and the writing clock signal on an input side differs from a phase lag between a horizontal synchronization signal and a reading clock signal on an output side, jitter occurs in a displayed image on the output side. In Patent Document 2, for preventing such jitter, writing of a line memory is performed as follows. On the input side, pixel data is written into the line memory after amplitude correction depending on a time difference (phase difference) between the horizontal synchronization signal and the writing clock signal. In this amplitude correction, a differential value in amplitude between adjacent input pixels is divided by a cycle time of the writing clock signal. Thereafter, it is multiplied by time difference between the writing clock signal and the writing horizontal synchronization signal, to generate writing pixel data.
In the configuration shown in Patent Document 3, similarly, a line memory is used for a buffer memory for pixel data storage. In Patent Document 3, when the line memory is used for a buffer memory, different clock signals are used doe a writing clock signal and for a reading clock signal. In order to adjust the difference in timing between the writing and reading clock signals, timing is adjusted in writing and reading of pixel data. Specifically, the periods of the input-side and output-side horizontal synchronization signals are adjusted in units of one operation clock signal period in accordance with difference in resolution between the input side and the output side. In the adjustment of the cycle periods of the horizontal synchronization signals, the number of horizontal synchronization signals in one vertical scanning period is adjusted. When writing into and reading from the line memories are started concurrently from the same initial position, overflow/underflow may occur in the line memories due to difference between writing rate and reading rate. In Patent Document 3, reading start position of the line memories is calculated and set initially in order to prevent such underflow or overflow.
In the configuration of a digital camera shown in Patent Document 1, a memory that stores several frames of image data is used as a buffer memory. Therefore, the buffer memory is large in storage capacity, and is difficult to integrate on one chip together with an image processing controller for a one-chip system LSI. This is an obstacle to down-sizing/up-integration. When a frame memory is connected outside the image processing controller, it is necessary to make circuits, such as external bus controller and a DMA (direct memory access) controller for conducting input/output of image data, operate. The DMA controller is provided for directly performing writing/reading of image data not through a CPU serving as a main controller. For this reason, the problem of increased power dissipation arises. When the frame memory is provided externally, operation clock frequency of circuit such as external bus controller and DMA controller can be reduced only to such a clock rate at which data can be written into and read from the frame memory without any delay. This disadvantageously makes it difficult to reduce the power consumption during use of the view finder.
In Patent Document 2, amplitude of input pixel data is corrected, in accordance with time difference between the input horizontal synchronization signal and the writing clock signal, in writing image data into the line memories. This correction of amplitude is based on the assumption that amplitude of pixel data changes linearly between adjacent pixels. When the image changes gently, the correction of amplitude may be made according to this linearly proportional distribution. However, in the area where the image rapidly changes such as at the contour, there is a possibility that the corrected pixel data may not correspond to the input pixel data. This leads the problem of difficulty of accurately reproducing an image.
Also, in Patent Document 2, writing and reading of pixel data to/from the line memories are performed in synchronization with separate operation clock signals. Phase/frequency lag between these operation clock signals may cause overflow/underflow in the line memories. However, Patent Document 2 does not consider such situation.
Patent Document 3 considers the problem of synchronization of writing and reading of image data in scan conversion using the line memories. However, in Patent Document 3, in an initialization sequence, horizontal scanning period on the output side is adjusted in accordance with difference in resolution between input side and output side, to adjust the number of horizontal scanning lines displayed on the screen in a valid display region is set to the value suited to the display resolution. It is determined whether a product of the adjusted display pixel number and a period of the clock signal on the input side is equal to a product of the display pixel number and the period of the output clock signal on the output side. In an operation of adjusting the period of the horizontal synchronization signal, horizontal scanning period is increased or decreased by one cycle period of operation clock signal according to each determination result. Finally, whether the number of horizontal scanning lines in the valid image region has reached an intended value is determined. The adjustment of horizontal scanning period is executed repeatedly until the intended number of horizontal scanning lines is displayable. Therefore, complicated calculation should be made so as to establish the horizontal synchronization, and a long time is required for making such determination. Further, the cycle period of the output horizontal synchronization signal is adjusted in units of operation clock signals, so that this initialization sequence is time-consuming. As a result, in a digital still camera, time is consumed until an image to be imaged is accurately displayed in the view finder and the perfect shot may possibly be missed when the procedure of establishing synchronization as shown in Patent Document 3 is employed.
In Patent Document 3, once reading timing of pixel data on the output side is established in the initialization sequence, subsequent reading of pixel data from the line memories is fixedly executed at this established timing. Therefore, when the frequency of the operation clock signal varies, for example, due to variation in power supply voltage during operation state, accurate reading and reproduction of image data may not be allowed.
Therefore, the configurations of the scan converters shown in Patent Documents 2 and 3 are difficult to be directly applied to the configuration of displaying on a view finder or LCD monitor of e.g., a digital still camera or a digital video camera.


One or more gloves are disclosed herein. A glove body comprises a glove body internal surface that defines a palm compartment enveloping at least part of a user's palm, a glove body external surface, and a wrist aperture that provides an opening for the user's hand. Digit appendages comprise a digit appendage internal surface that extends the palm compartment to envelop all/part of the user's digit, and a digit appendage external surface. One or more sensors are attached to the glove body to detect one or more hand exercise events that involve a user hand exercise. A memory component, powered by a battery, stores the hand exercise event, upon receiving a hand exercise event detected by a sensor. A device interface delivers the one or more hand exercise events from the memory to a device, upon connection to the device.

In many types of sports, rehabilitation, and physical fitness, an effort exercise or training is used to improve performance, among other things. Such training/exercise generally includes physical conditioning, health monitoring, and/or following a particular exercise regimen, which may also include weight training to improve, among other things, cardio-vascular health and muscular strength.
Following a particular exercise regimen, and performing health monitoring, such as heart monitoring, typically involves using separate components. That is, for example, when following an exercise regimen, the individual follows written instructions, or takes guidance from a personal trainer or physical therapist, who may also use devices to monitor the individual's health. In the absence of such equipment and/or guidance the individual may miss steps in the exercise regimen, and/or use the monitoring devices in an incorrect manner. Additionally, weight training is often performed on free weights and/or weight machines where general muscle areas or groups are trained. Thus, while providing some benefits, weight training may not work particular muscles that are needed for desired rehabilitation/physical fitness training, such as cardio health.