A system and method for solving linear complementarity problems for rigid body simulation is disclosed. The method includes determining one or more contact constraints affecting an original object having an original mass. The method includes splitting the original object by a total number of the contact constraints into a plurality of sub-bodies. The method includes assigning a contact constraint to a corresponding sub-body. The method further includes solving contact constraints in isolation for each sub-body. The method also includes enforcing positions and orientations of each sub-body are identical.

Rigid body dynamics is widely used in applications ranging from movies to engineering to video games. Piles of objects are particularly common, because ultimately, gravity pulls all rigid bodies to the ground. Some of the most visually interesting simulations involve destruction, such as projectile impacts and explosions, and these can generate large piles of debris. In mechanical engineering some of the most computationally challenging problems involve simulating interaction with large resting systems of soil particles or rocks. Piles require stable simulation of static friction, dynamic friction and resting contact, which present many challenges.
In large-scale or real-time simulations, the time available for computation can be small compared to the number of rigid body contacts. In these cases iterative methods are used to solve rigid body dynamics. However, iteration is often terminated well before convergence to maximize the rigid body count. This results in residual energy, which can cause artifacts when its distribution over the contacts varies too much from frame to frame. The effect of this can be seen when bodies coming to rest oscillate (jitter) or move around each other non-physically (swim).
A commonly used iterative algorithm for simulating interactions is serial projected Gauss-Seidel (PGS), which solves contacts in sequence. When the iteration is terminated, the last contact solved has no error and the other contacts have non-zero error, resulting in an uneven distribution of the residual energy. On single threaded implementations the distribution of this error can be made consistent from frame to frame by, for example, by ensuring that collisions are detected in the same order each frame and that addition and deletion of bodies do not disrupt the order.
Unfortunately, things are not as straightforward for parallel implementations. PGS has limited parallelism, as updates to bodies having multiple contacts must be serialized to ensure they are not lost and the connectivity between bodies can be complex, especially in piles. It is very challenging to avoid jittering and swimming with parallel PGS, and due to serialization its performance does not scale well as more threads are added.

Parallel linear complementarity solver for rigid body dynamics


A method is provided for estimating a hydraulic dwell time between a first injection pulse and a second injection pulse performed by a fuel injector of an internal combustion engine. The method includes, but is not limited to determining a value of an electric dwell time between the first injection pulse and the second injection pulse, estimating a value of an injector closing delay between an instant in which an electric closing command of the first injection pulse is generated and an instant in which the fuel injector closes, estimating a value of an injector opening delay between an instant in which an electric opening command of the second injection pulse is generated and an instant in which the fuel injector opens, and calculating a value of the hydraulic dwell time as a function of the electric dwell time value, of the injector closing delay value and of the injector opening delay value.

It is known that most internal combustion engines, and particularly the diesel engines, are nowadays provided with a fuel injection system. A conventional fuel injection system comprises a fuel rail and a plurality of electrically controlled fuel injectors, which are hydraulically connected with the fuel rail through respective feeding conduits. Each fuel injector generally comprises a fuel inlet, a fuel outlet and a movable needle which repeatedly opens and closes the fuel outlet, thereby injecting the fuel into the engine through a plurality of separated injection pulses.
The movable needle is actuated with the aid of a dedicated actuator, typically a solenoid actuator or a piezoelectric actuator, which is driven by an electric circuit controlled by an engine control unit (ECU). The ECU operates each injection pulse by generating an electric opening command, causing the needle to open the fuel injector, and a subsequent electric closing command, causing the needle to close the fuel injector.
The timing of the opening and closing electric commands is still controlled by the ECU, which determines two key parameters for each injection pulse, namely an electric dwell time and an electric energizing time. The electric dwell time is the time between the instant in which the electric opening command of an injection pulse is generated, and the instant in which the electric closing command of the previous injection pulse was generated.
The electric energizing time is the time between the instant in which the electric opening command of an injection pulse is generated, and the instant in which the electric closing command of the same injection pulse will be generated. The electric energizing time is generally determined by ECU as a function of the quantity of fuel to be injected in the course of the injection pulse, taking into account the value of the pressure inside the fuel rail.
However, the quantity of fuel injected in the course of a single injection pulse is not really related to the fuel rail pressure value, but it is rather related to the pressure in the fuel injector inlet at the instant in which the movable needle actually opens the fuel injector outlet, which does not always corresponds to the fuel rail pressure value. Indeed, the pressure in the fuel injector inlet is influenced by a pressure wave, which is generated by the previous fuel injection pulse performed by the same fuel injector, and which propagates along the feeding conduit connecting the fuel injector to the fuel rail, thereby producing a pressure fluctuation in the neighborhood of the fuel rail pressure value.
Starting from the end of the previous injection pulse, this pressure fluctuation progressively dampens, and stabilizes at the fuel rail pressure value after a damping period depending on the rail pressure value itself, and further depending on the fuel quantity which has been injected by the fuel injector in the course of the previous injection pulse. Therefore, this pressure fluctuation can generally be disregarded when the time between two subsequent injection pulses is sufficiently long, such as for example when the fuel injector is provided for performing one single injection pulse per engine cycle; but it must be strictly taken into account when the time between two subsequent injection pulses is very short, such as for example when the fuel injector is provided for performing a plurality of injection pulse per engine cycle.
To disregard the pressure fluctuation in this latter case could result in a deviation of the injected fuel quantity with respect to the expected one, leading to a worse fuel combustion and to polluting emissions and noise increases. In order to avoid such drawback, many strategies have been recently considered, which provide to take into account the pressure fluctuation effect. One of these strategies provides for applying a proper correcting factor to the pressure value measured in the fuel rail.
This correcting factor is determined by the ECU using an empirically determined map, which correlates the correcting factor to the electric dwell time preceding the injection pulse, to the fuel quantity injected in the course of the previous injection pulse, and to a plurality of other important engine operating parameters, such as engine speed and engine load.
Another strategy provides for modeling the pressure fluctuation according to a mathematical equation, which returns the value of the pressure in the fuel injector inlet as a function of the fuel rail pressure value and of the time elapsed from the end of the previous injection pulse. According to this strategy, the pressure value in the fuel injector inlet is therefore estimated by applying the electric dwell time and the fuel rail pressure value to the above mentioned mathematical equation.
A drawback of both these strategies is that, due to the mechanical characteristics of the fuel injectors, specially of the solenoid injectors, the instant in which the ECU generates the electric opening command does not coincide with the instant in which the movable needle actually opens the fuel injector, as well as the instant in which the ECU generates the electric closing command does not coincide with the instant in which the movable needle actually closes the fuel injector. As a consequence, the use of the electric dwell time as entry parameter in the above mentioned map or mathematical equation can still cause a significant error in the estimation of the pressure value in the fuel injector inlet, resulting in a correspondent error in the injected fuel quantity.
In view of the above, it is at least one object to provide a physical parameter capable to better represent the time period between two subsequent injection pulses performed by a fuel injector. In addition, other objects, desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.

Method for estimating an hydraulic dwell time between two injection pulses of a fuel injector


The disclosure relates to a process for forming a deposit on the surface of a metallic or conductive surface. The process employs an electroless process to deposit a silicate containing coating or film upon a metallic or conductive surface.

The instant invention relates to a process for forming a deposit on the surface of a metallic or conductive surface. The process employs a process to deposit, for example, a mineral containing coating or film upon a metallic, metal containing or an electrically conductive surface.
Silicates have been used in electrocleaning operations to clean steel, tin, among other surfaces. Electrocleaning is typically employed as a cleaning step prior to an electroplating operation. Usage of silicates as cleaners is described in xe2x80x9cSilicates As Cleaners In The Production of Tinplatexe2x80x9d is described by L. J. Brown in February 1966 edition of Plating; European Patent No. 00536832/EP B1 (Metallgesellschaft AG); U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,902,415, 5,352,296 and 4,492,616.
Processes for electrolytically forming a protective layer or film by using an anodic method are disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,662 (Casson, Jr. et al.), and United Kingdom Patent No. 498,485.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,342 to Riffe, which issued on Oct. 4, 1994 and is entitled xe2x80x9cMethod And Apparatus For Preventing Corrosion Of Metal Structuresxe2x80x9d that describes using electromotive forces upon a zinc solvent containing paint; hereby incorporated by reference. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,700,523, and 5,451,431; and German Patent No. 93115628 describes a processes for using alkaline metasilicates to treat metallic surfaces.
The disclosure of the previously identified patents and publications is hereby incorporated by reference.
The instant invention solves problems associated with conventional practices by providing an electroless process for treating metallic surfaces. By xe2x80x9celectrolessxe2x80x9d it is meant that no current is applied from an external source (a current may be generated in-situ due to an interaction between the metallic surface and the medium). The process employs a silicate medium having a controlled and predetermined silicate concentration, temperature and pH. As a result, the silicate medium that interacts with the metallic surface to form surface having one or more improved properties. The inventive process controls the medium""s characteristics and the surrounding environment in order to obtain a desired film or layer upon the metal surface, e.g, a film or layer having low surface porosity or high density. The characteristics of the film or layer can be controlled or modified by varying the temperature, pH, lattice builders (i.e., medium dopants), rate of formation, heat, pressure, pre and post treatments and silicate concentration.
The inventive process can form a surface comprising a mineral layer comprising an amorphous matrix surrounding or incorporating metal silicate crystals upon the substrate. The characteristics of the mineral layer are described in greater detail in the copending and commonly assigned patent applications listed below.
A metallic surface that is treated (e.g., forming the mineral layer) by the inventive process can possess improved corrosion resistance, increased electrical resistance, heat resistance, flexibility, resistance to stress crack corrosion, adhesion to topcoats, among other properties. The improved heat resistance broadens the range of processes that can be performed subsequent to forming the inventive layer, e.g., heat cured topcoatings, stamping/shaping, riveting, among other processes. The treated surface also imparts greater corrosion resistance (e.g., ASTM B-117), among other beneficial properties, than conventional tri-valent or hexa-valent chromate systems. The inventive process can provide a zinc-plate article having an ASTM B-117 resistance to white rust of at least about 96 hours (and normally greater than about 150 hours), and resistance to red rust of at least about 250 (and normally greater than about 400 hours). The corrosion resistance can be improved by adding a dopant to the silicate medium, using a rinse and/or applying at least one sealer/topcoating.
The inventive process is a marked improvement over conventional methods by obviating the need for solvents or solvent containing systems to form a corrosion resistant layer, e.g., a mineral layer. In contrast, to conventional methods the inventive process can be substantially solvent free. By xe2x80x9csubstantially solvent freexe2x80x9d it is meant that less than about 5 wt. %, and normally less than about 1 wt. % volatile organic compounds (V.O.C.s) are present in the electrolytic environment.
The inventive process is also a marked improvement over conventional methods by reducing, if not eliminating, chromate and/or phosphate containing compounds (and issues attendant with using these compounds such as waste disposal, worker exposure, among other undesirable environmental impacts). While the inventive process can be employed to enhance chromated or phosphated surfaces, the inventive process can replace these surfaces with a more environmentally desirable surface. The inventive process, therefore, can be xe2x80x9csubstantially chromate freexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9csubstantially phosphate freexe2x80x9d and in turn produce articles that are also substantially chromate (hexavalent and trivalent) free and substantially phosphate free. The inventive process can also be substantially free of heavy metals such as chromium, lead, cadmium, barium, among others. By substantially chromate free, substantially phosphate free and substantially heavy metal free it is meant that less than 5 wt. % and normally about 0 wt. % chromates, phosphates and/or heavy metals are present in a process for producing an article or the resultant article.
The subject matter of the instant invention is related to commonly assigned Non-Provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/814,641, filed on Mar. 22, 2001 and entitled xe2x80x9cAn Energy Enhanced Process For Treating a Conductive Surface and Products Formed Therebyxe2x80x9d; Ser. No. 08/850,323, filed on May 2, 1997 and entitled xe2x80x9cCorrosion Resistant Coatings Containing An Amorphous Phasexe2x80x9d (Now U.S. Pat. No. 6,165,257); Ser. No. 08/850,586, filed on May 2, 1997 and entitled xe2x80x9cCorrosion Resistant Coatings Containing an Amorphous Phasexe2x80x9d (Now U.S. Pat. No. 6,143,420); Ser. No. 09/016,853, filed on Jan. 30, 1998 and entitled xe2x80x9cCorrosion Resistant Coatings Containing An Amorphous Phasexe2x80x9d (Now U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,779); Ser. No. 08/791,337, filed on May 31, 1997 and entitled xe2x80x9cCorrosion Resistant Coatings Containing An Amorphous Phasexe2x80x9d (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,976), Ser. No. 08/634,215, filed on Apr. 18, 1996, and entitled xe2x80x9cCorrosion Resistant Buffer System for Metal Productsxe2x80x9d, Ser. No. 08/476,271 filed on Jun. 7, 1995 and entitled xe2x80x9cCorrosion Resistant Buffer System For Metal Productsxe2x80x9d; and Ser. No. 08/327,438, filed on Oct. 21, 1994 and entitled xe2x80x9cCorrosion Resistant Buffer System For Metal Products, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,093.
The subject matter of this invention is related to Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 09/016,849, filed on Jan. 30, 1998 and entitled xe2x80x9cCorrosion Protective Coatingsxe2x80x9d. The subject matter of this invention is also related to Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 09/016,462, filed on Jan. 30, 1998 and entitled xe2x80x9cAqueous Gel Compositions and Use Thereofxe2x80x9d (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,495).
The subject matter of this invention is also related to Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 09/814,641, filed on Mar. 22, 2001, and entitled xe2x80x9cAn Energy Enhanced Process For Treating A Conductive Surface And Products Formed Therebyxe2x80x9d, and Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 10/211,029, filed on Aug. 3, 2002 and entitled xe2x80x9cAn Electrolytic And Electroless Process For Treating Metallic Surfaces And Products Formed Therebyxe2x80x9d, and Ser. No. 10/211,094, filed on Aug. 3, 2002 and entitled xe2x80x9cProcess For Treating A Conductive Surface And Products Formed Therebyxe2x80x9d.
The disclosure of the previously identified patents, patent applications and publications is hereby incorporated by reference.

Electroless process for treating metallic surfaces and products formed thereby


A method of optimizing bandwidth of a wireless link between a display device and an image data player. The display device is configured with one or more features that affect its bandwidth capacity. This configuration results in one or more “bandwidth reduction parameters”. The display device is programmed to communicate these parameters to the player via the wireless link, so that the player can deliver device-specific image data to the display device.

For image display applications, a projector and the source of the desired image data are rarely incorporated into the same piece of equipment. Because of this, setting up a projector for viewing requires an element of planning and preparation not encountered in other types of image display systems. When the link between the projector and the image source is wired, consideration must be given to cabling requirements.
As projectors continue to shrink in size and portability, it is more desirable to untether the projector from the image source. For this reason, wireless projectors are increasingly in demand.
A problem with using a wireless link between the projector and the image source is bandwidth limitation. As compared to the bandwidths of wired links, the bandwidths of today's wireless links are orders of magnitude less.
Early solutions to the wireless link, in the form of wireless networks, tended to be proprietary. A bandwidth of 54 Mbps has been considered high for RF wireless networks. RF links typically carry about a 40% overhead for protocol information exchange and error resilience measures, thus the effective bandwidth for data throughput is approximately 32 Mbps.
Various newer RF networking technologies have emerging, targeting home or corporate environments or both. Even so, the bandwidth available today for RF networking does not meet the data throughput needs of image sources. The home entertainment industry has dealt with the difference in interface capability by using data compression techniques. Another approach is to transfer graphic commands rather than raw data between the image source and the display device.

Graphics initialization for wireless display devices


An engine sound control device includes: a setter to set point information including coordinates indicating one of multiple cells of a driving state space represented by a coordinate system with parameters indicating a driving state as axes, and spectral information of a target engine sound at the cell; a setter to set region information indicating a driving scene region; a processor to perform an interpolation process to calculate spectral information of an engine sound for each of target cells of the multiple cells for which the point information is not set, based on the point information and region information, and generate a map including spectral information of an engine sound at each cell, from the point information and information obtained by the process; a processor to output a control parameter based on the map; and a controller to cause a unit to output a sound based on the control parameter.

There is a desire to enjoy engine sound (exhaust sound) during driving of an automobile. Patent Literature 1 proposes a technique of outputting, from a speaker in an automobile, a pseudo engine sound (pseudo exhaust sound) in accordance with a desire of a driver of the automobile, thereby providing acceleration feeling to the driver.
Also, Patent Literature 2 proposes a technique of dividing the engine driving state into multiple areas with an accelerator position and an engine rotation speed of an automobile as parameters, storing, as digital data (sound source data), an actual engine sound recorded in the state substantially at a center of each of the multiple areas, and providing engine sounds of the stored digital data to an interior of the automobile.
Also, Patent Literature 3 proposes a pseudo sound providing system including storage means for storing a sound source and effect data that affects the sound source, generation means for generating pseudo engine sound data by applying an effect based on the effect data corresponding to driving state data to the sound source, and reproduction means for outputting a pseudo engine sound based on the generated data.

Engine sound control device, engine sound control method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium


An adsorbent which comprises a water-insoluble carrier and a compound, which is immobilized on said carrier, having a binding affinity for an antibody against β1-adrenoceptor and/or an antibody against M2 muscarinic receptor exhibits a remarkably large adsorptive capacity.

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a disease in which the contractility of the ventricular muscle is severely compromised to cause cardiac enlargement and, compared with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, its prognosis is extremely poor. In Japan, persons surviving 5 years following the diagnosis reportedly account for about 50%. For the treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy, cardiac transplantation is preferably indicated as a radical treatment but since donations are outnumbered by cases on the waiting list, the symptomatic treatment of heart failure is a dominant treatment today. There are reported cases of improved cardiac function and prognosis following administration of an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or a β-adrenergic blocker but the demand for efficacious therapeutic drugs and treatment is still outstanding.
Meanwhile, Matsui et al. reported that administration of a peptide derived from β1-adrenoceptor by addition of Cys to its second loop (His Trp Trp Arg Ala Glu Ser Asp Glu Ala Arg Arg Cys Tyr Asn Asp Pro Lys Cys Cys Asp Phe Val Thr Asn Arg Cys; SEQ ID NO:14) or a peptide derived from M2 muscarinic receptor by addition of Cys to its second loop (Val Arg Thr Val Glu Asp Gly Glu Cys Tyr Ile Gln Phe Phe Ser Asn Ala Ala Val Thr Phe Gly Thr Ala Ile Cys; SEQ ID NO:15) to rabbits resulted in the emergence of an antibody to each administered peptide and that the heart of rabbits that died 9 months later gave findings of dilated cardiomyopathy (Matsui S, Fu M L. Myocardial injury due to G-protein coupled receptor-autoimmunity. Jpn Heart J. 1998;39(3):261-74), thus suggesting that these antibodies act as etiologic factors in dilated cardiomyopathy. Further, Wallukat, G et al. purified an antibody against β1-adrenoceptor by using an adsorbent prepared by immobilizing the second-loop peptide of β1-adrenoceptor (His Trp Trp Arg Ala Glu Ser Asp Glu Ala Arg Arg Cys Tyr Asn Asp Pro Lys Cys Cys Asp Phe Val Thr Asn Arg; SEQ ID NO:16) on CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B (Wallukat G, Wollenberger A, Morwinski R, Pitschner H F. Anti-beta 1-adrenoceptor autoantibodies with chronotropic activity from the serum of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy: mapping of epitopes in the first and second extracellular loops. J Mol Cell Cardiol January 1995 ;27(1):397-406). However, they did not bring the serum directly into contact with the adsorbent. They first added a 40% saturated aqueous solution of ammonium sulfate to the serum to precipitate its immunoglobulin fraction (ammonium sulfate precipitation), redissolved the precipitate, dialyzed the solution, and thereafter performed a fractional purification with the adsorbent. This suggests that if the serum or the like in the state not pretreated (ammonium sulfate precipitation and dialysis) were brought into contact with the adsorbent they had synthesized, no sufficient selective adsorption should have been obtained.


A method for operating a wind turbine facility during for example a grid fault, the wind turbine facility comprising a power dissipation/storage being adapted to dissipate or store electrical energy exceeding an amount to be delivered to an associated power supply grid during the grid fault. The method includes operating the wind turbine facility in accordance with an allowed amount of electrical energy that can be dissipated or stored in the power dissipation/storage of the wind turbine facility by ensuring that a total amount of electrical energy generated by the wind turbine facility does not exceed a sum of the allowed amount and the amount to be delivered to the power supply grid.

Various wind turbine related arrangements have been suggested in order to deal with so-called Low Voltage Ride Through (LVRT) events—cf. for example US 2007/0164567 and US 2007/0279815. The suggested arrangements are both full-scale power conversion arrangements where all the electrical power generated by a generator is passed through a generator side converter and a grid side inverter, the converter and the inverter being separated by an intermediate DC circuit.
During a LVRT event, the amount of power to be fed into a power supply grid has to be reduced due to the current ratings of the grid side inverter. Since sufficient energy can normally not be stored in the converter system, the power captured from the wind has to be reduced accordingly or, alternatively, the excess of power has to be dissipated. The latter solution has many advantages—e.g. the tear and wear on the mechanical parts of the wind turbine facility can be reduced significantly. Moreover, the wind turbine facility can be brought into power production very fast after the LVRT event has disappeared.
The power dissipating device has to be thermally designed for the desired amount of energy to be dissipated. Moreover, since the power dissipating device will require a relatively long time to cool down the number of successive low voltage events will also be a challenging design parameter.


A device of quartz glass for receiving or holding work pieces to be heated in a furnace, a region of the device projecting into the hot furnace zone having an arcuate part with a beginning of curvature and an end of curvature, which is enclosed by a vessel filled with an immersion liquid, heat radiation passed in the material of the device in a region located before the arcuate part due to total reflection being coupled out of the arcuate part and being coupled into the immersion liquid and a region of the device adjoining the arcuate part together with further device parts present at it being colder than the region located before the arcuate part.

The invention relates to a device of quartz glass for receiving or holding work pieces to be heated in a furnace.
In methods of purifying and sintering ceramic green bodies, such as are required, for example, for the manufacture of quartz glasses of high purity, which are required, for example, as substrate tubes for the manufacture of optical wave guides or as bulb glass for the manufacture of halogen or gas discharge lamps, or of purifying and sintering ceramic green bodies, such as are required, for example, for the manufacture of electronic elements, device parts in the form of working tubes, in which the green body to be purified is arranged and through which the purification gas flows, or in the form of holding rods, to which the purified body to be sintered is secured, are used for the heating processes during the purification and the sintering of the green bodies.
A purification and sintering method for such green bodies is proposed, for example, in German Patent Application No. P 36 19 510.3.
Such devices advantageously consist of quartz glass. These devices are inserted into an electrically heated furnace and are used at temperatures of at least up to 1500.degree. C.
At purification temperatures above 800.degree. C., a strongly increasing part of the furnace heat is transported by radiation to the furnace ends. With the use of quartz glass for the said devices, a large part of this radiation heat is passed within the quartz glass by multiple total reflection on account of the favourable transmission properties of quartz glass and at this area the radiation can emanate again at perpendicular intersection surfaces. The problem appears therefrom that further device parts, such as sealing rings of, for example, natural or synthetic caoutchouc, or metallic securing parts, connected to the devices of quartz glass are strongly heated. This heating by radiation cannot be reduced by cooling from the outside, for example by means of air or water. Due to the great differences between the refractive indices of quartz glass and air, the radiation once coupled in the hot furnace zone into a device part of quartz glass is passed as well as radiation in, for example, an optical wave guide and this radiation does not emanate even at bends.


A potting training device for preventing a potty training child's urine stream from passing through an opening between the toilet seat and the toilet bowl is made of a flexible, water-resistant, preferably non-porous material, having a bendable urine-deflector and a plurality of attachment tabs positioned at the top of, and substantially at right angles to, the bendable urine-deflector, thereby forming an L-shaped configuration. An adhesive material is applied to the surface of each attachment tab and attaches the attachment tabs to the underside of the toilet seat. When not attached to the underside of the toilet seat, the bendable urine-deflector has a flat configuration. In order to attach the potty training device to the underside of the toilet seat, it is manipulated into a curved configuration that matches the curvature of the toilet seat, and is attached thereto.

It is a major accomplishment for a child to reach the stage of sitting on an adult toilet during potty training. Obtaining control over the direction of urine flow, however, may take some time for a child to master, particularly a male child. When sitting on the toilet, a child's urine stream is not always directed into the toilet. There are occasions where the child's urine stream finds its way out of the toilet through the opening formed between the toilet seat and the toilet bowl. This results in the urine stream coming in contact with the child's pants or other clothing and the floor. This can be very upsetting for a child who is trying to do their best to stay dry and master going to the toilet, as well as the parent who has to continually clean up the mess.
Urine deflecting devices are not new to the art. Many of the known devices, however, are designed for adult males to prevent urine from splashing onto the seat during urination from a standing position. Few potty training devices address preventing the urine stream from passing through the opening between the toilet seat and toilet bowl.
Truettner (U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,527) discloses a molded plastic device that attaches to the underside of the toilet seat to prevent a child's urine stream from passing through the opening formed between the toilet bowl and the toilet seat. When attached to the underside of the toilet seat, the prior art device is not visible when the toilet seat is down, unless viewed from a position to the rear of the attachment point.
However, this prior art device is bulky, which results in increased manufacturing and sales costs. The device is also difficult to clean and frequent replacement increases expense for the consumer. Another drawback is that the prior art device has a fixed configuration. Given the variety of toilet seat shapes, the fixed configuration of the prior art device limits its compatibility with many toilet seats. Therefore, in order to accommodate the full range of toilet seat shapes, the prior art device would have to be manufactured in a variety of configurations, adding additional expense to manufacturing costs and to the consumer.
What is needed is an inexpensive device that is effective for blocking the opening formed between the toilet seat and the toilet bowl, requires minimal manufacturing cost, and is easy to clean and replace without significant expense to the consumer. Additionally, there is a need for a single device that is flexible enough to match the curvature of any toilet seat and still remain hidden when the toilet seat is down, unless viewed from a position to the rear of the attachment point.
Our prior U.S. Pat. No. 7,870,619, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, meets these needs and others. The device is made of a flexible, water-resistant, preferably non-porous sheet material, having a folding seam separating a urine-deflecting surface and a plurality of attachment tabs. An adhesive material is applied to the surface of each attachment tab and bonds the attachment tabs to the underside of the toilet seat. The urine-deflecting surface hangs down from the underside of the toilet seat, blocking the opening between the toilet seat and the toilet bowl and, therefore, also, any urine directed towards such opening.
We have discovered, however, a problem associated with certain embodiments, specifically in the folding seam. We have found that when the device is folded about the folding seam located on the front of the device, particularly in the context of a thicker product, the act of folding about the folding seam creates a shelf that collects urine, which, over time, becomes strongly malodorous. On the other hand, relocating the seam to the back of the product can in some embodiments lead to pressure between the attachment tabs and the urine-deflecting surface tending to lift the urine-deflecting surface out of its optimal urine-deflecting position.
Accordingly, there is now a need for a device that has all the advantages of the device disclosed in our prior patent, but none of the disadvantages just discovered. These and other objects were met with the present invention, described hereinbelow.


A contact block for electrically connecting a medical device to a conductive pin using improved electrical contact components. More specifically, an electrical contact block for achieving electrical contact with a conductive portion of an in-line IPG pin by utilizing a plurality of spherical conductive contact structures arranged in a ring around the conductive portion of the pin and biased toward the pin and held in place using a compliant o-ring.

Medical devices have been implanted in patients to perform a variety of tasks. For example, programmable pulse generating systems are used to treat chronic pain by providing electrical stimulation pulses from an epidural electrode array placed near a patient's spine. Such Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) is useful for reducing pain in certain populations of patients. SCS systems typically include one or more electrodes connected to one or more connectors of an External Pulse Generator (EPG) or an Implanted Pulse Generator (IPG) via leads. In the case of an EPG, the lead must be connected to the EPG via an exit from the body. The pulse generator, whether internal or external, generates pulses that are typically delivered to the dorsal column fibers within the spinal cord through the electrodes which are implanted along or near the dura of the spinal cord. In a typical situation, the attached leads exit the spinal cord and are tunneled around the torso of the patient to a subcutaneous pocket where the IPG is implanted, or the wires exit the patient for connection to the EPG.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,537,474 and 6,895,876, incorporated herein by reference, disclose a connector solution for an implantable pulse generator (IPG) utilizing a coiled spring inside a contact block. The ends of the spring are welded together yielding a torus shape through which the in-line lead is inserted. The spring coils cant to conform to the contact ring of an IPG lead, thus making electrical contact. Each coil which contacts both the lead and the block forms a separate redundant electrical contact.
However, the coiled springs used in the "toroidal spring in groove" devices are less than ideal, as the springs tend to be expensive and delicate, and thus easy to damage. These coiled springs also tend to be relatively difficult to keep in place due to the nature of such springs. Hence, an improved component for electrically contacting conductive portions of the in-line leads is desired.

Contact block using spherical electrical contacts for electrically contacting implantable leads


An axial compressor providing a thermal adjustment of a housing of a compressor of a stationary gas turbine to the rotor is provided. A partial flow is decoupled from the compressor air flow for cooling gas turbine components. The contact of the partial flow decoupled from the compressor with the interior side of the housing is substantially limited, or even avoided, by a separating element in a collection chamber annularly encompassing the flow path in order to prevent the premature thermal heating of the gas turbine or of the housing during cold starting.

It is known that gas turbines have components in the turbine or combustion chamber which are exposed to impingement by hot gas and which are cooled by means of cooling air. Cooling of the components is carried out so that these permanently withstand the hot temperatures of the hot gas. Compressor air, which can be bled from the compressor main flow at different points of the compressor, is used as cooling air, as is known. For this, FIG. 3 shows in a longitudinal section a casing-side cooling air bleed in a compressor 10 of a gas turbine 12. The bleed of compressed air 42 from the air 18 which flows in an annular flow path 14 is carried out via a row of radially disposed bleed openings 40 which are arranged in the outer wall 26 which delimits the flow path 14 on the outside. All the bleed openings 40 lead to an annular chamber 44 which is arranged outside the outer wall 26 and in which the extracted air is collected. The chamber 44 itself is encompassed, and therefore delimited, radially on the outside by the casing 32 of the compressor 10. In the casing 32, again a small number of larger openings 64, for example three or four openings, are distributed over the circumference, from which the part 42 of compressed air which is fed to the annular chamber 44 can be discharged in order to be fed via further pipes, which extend outside the gas turbine and are not additionally shown, to the turbine or to the combustion chamber where the extracted air is used as specified for the purpose of cooling the components which are exposed to impingement by hot gas.
In the annular flow path 14 of the compressor 10, stator blades 20 and rotor blades 22 are arranged in an alternating manner in rings in each case, which stator blades 20 are fastened in a rotationally fixed manner on the casing side, i.e. on the outer wall 26, and which rotor blades 22 are fastened on the inner wall 24 of the annular flow path 14, i.e. on the rotor 24 and rotatable with this. The tips of the rotor blades 22 lie opposite the outer wall of the flow path 14, forming a gap 36, just as the tips of unshrouded stator blades 20 lie opposite the inner wall 24 of the flow path 14. In order to keep these gaps between rotor 24 and stator as small as possible for each operating phase, it is necessary to thermally balance the rotor 24 and the stator as efficiently as possible.
Depending upon the system, the rotors, on account of their large mass and on account of the smaller inner throughflow, are thermally slower than the casing and expand correspondingly slower. In particular, the radial and axial expansions which occur during transient operating conditions, for example during cold starting or during shutdown of the gas turbine, have to be taken into consideration in the design of the necessary radial and axial gaps. This has a disadvantageous effect upon the required installation space, upon the robustness of the arrangement and particularly upon the gas turbine efficiency overall.
Furthermore, an axial compressor for an aircraft gas turbine with an air bleed is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,162. Upstream of the air bleed opening, which is arranged in the casing, there are two radially staggered annular chambers which are separated from each other by means of a common partition. In this case, the inner delimiting wall of the inner annular chamber is formed by the annular wall which forms the flow path of the compressor. Provision is made both in the annular wall and in the partition for openings in this case, through which the partial flow which is extracted from the compressor can flow out. The openings of the annular wall and of the partition are arranged in this case in an axially offset manner in relation to each other in order to trap and to deflect the particles which are entrained by the main flow and which originate for example as a result of abrasion by the compressor rotor blades on the casing, since impingement of the particles upon the comparatively thin outer casing wall is to be avoided.
Furthermore, a compressor with a plurality of bleed openings is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,241, in which the air flow which is extracted from the compressor main flow is routed via an annular chamber. For avoiding varying thermal load along the circumference, provision is made at each bleed opening on the collecting chamber side for deflection plates which extend in a sector-like manner in the circumferential direction. The guide plates in this case are provided only locally in the region of the bleed openings in each case. By means of the deflection plates, the air which flows into the collecting chamber being able to flow along the inner surface of the casing is avoided, as a result of which the unequal thermal load of the casing can be reduced.
Moreover, a guide ring segment of a turbine is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,371, which by means of a U-shaped plate which is arranged therein can be impingement-cooled.


A cover for reducing contamination in a plasma display apparatus including a frame with a printed circuit board, signal transmission cables and buffer substrates arranged on one side thereof and including a guiding portion for guiding the cables is provided. The cover may include a first portion and a second portion that may itself include a first part and a second part. When the cover is detachably attached to the frame, the first portion may extend over the buffer substrates such that the buffer substrates are arranged between the first portion of the cover and the frame, an end portion of the first part may extend toward and/or contact a surface of the frame on which the plurality of buffer substrates and the at least one printed circuit board are arranged, and an end portion of the second part may extend toward and/or contact the guiding portion of the frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cover for reducing and/or preventing contamination in a display device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a plasma display device employing such a cover for reducing and/or preventing contamination of a signal transmission unit by impurities.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plasma display devices are flat panel display devices that display images using gas discharge phenomena. Plasma display devices can be made to have large thin screens with good displaying properties such as a wide viewing angle and a high image quality. Plasma display devices generally include a plasma display panel having glass substrates, and a frame that supports the plasma display panel.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a known plasma display device. The plasma display panel illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a front substrate 11, a rear substrate 12, and a thermal conductive sheet 14 attached onto a rear surface of the rear substrate 12. The frame 17, which may be made of a metal such as aluminum, supports the plasma display panel. The plasma display panel may be attached onto a front surface of the frame 17 with a dual adhesive tape 13. As shown in FIG. 1, the dual adhesive tape 13 may be provided on portions of the frame 17 and rear substrate 17 around the thermal conductive sheet 14. A printed circuit board assembly 19 may be installed on a rear surface of the frame 17. The printed circuit board assembly 19 may include a plurality of printed circuit boards 21. Printed circuit boards 21 of the printed circuit board assembly 19 may be supported away from the frame 17 by studs 16. Various electronic elements 18 may be disposed on the printed circuit boards 21 of the printed circuit board assembly 19.
Signal transmission cables 15a and 15b may respectively connect electrodes on the front substrate 11 or the rear substrate 12 to connection terminals on buffer substrates 16a and 16b. The signal transmission cables 15a and 15b may be tape carrier packages (TCPs). The signal transmission cables 15a and 15b may be connected to connectors 19a and 19b disposed on the buffer substrates 16a and 16b. Signal transmission cables 15c and connectors 19c may be used to connect the buffer substrates 16a and 16b to the printed circuit boards 21 and/or different printed circuit boards 21.
Cover plates 20 may be fixed onto upper and lower portions of the panel by screws. The cover plate 20 may include a first surface 21a and a second surface 21b to protect the signal transmission cable 15a extending along side and rear surfaces of the frame 17. When the cover plate 20 is attached to the frame 17, the signal transmission cables 15a and 15b are covered by the cover plate 20. Although FIG. 1 only illustrates cover plates 20 for the signal transmission cables 15a on the upper and lower portions if the frame 17, additional cover plates may be provided on the left and right sides of the frame 17 for the signal transmission cables 15b.
In the plasma display device illustrated in FIG. 1, although the cover plate 20 protects the signal transmission cable 15a, it cannot prevent the impurities from inducing into the signal transmission cable 15a. That is, various impurities are generated during the plasma display device is fabricated, for example, metal impurities generated when the screw is tightened, impurities remaining on cut surface when the printed circuit board is cut, and impurities generated due to operator and fabricating environment may be induced between the signal transmission cable 15a and the cover plate 20 during the device is handled, that is, fabricated and transported. The impurities affects the performance of the signal transmission cable 15a, and thus, may cause defects of the product.

Cover for reducing contamination in a plasma display device and plasma display device employing the cover


A USB transmission line having switching function comprises a transmission line, a first connector, a second connector, and a circuit unit. The first and second connectors are USB connectors, and are connected at two ends of the transmission line. The circuit unit has switching function of unidirectional transmission and bi-directional transmission, and is disposed on the transmission line between the first and second connectors. The transmission line can thus flexibly select the unidirectional transmission function or the bi-directional transmission function according to practical necessity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a USB transmission line having switching function and, more particularly, to a transmission line whose two ends are connected with USB connectors to have both unidirectional transmission and bi-directional transmission functions.
2. Background of the Invention
Nowadays, various kinds of wired communication electronic equipments like computers, modems, telephones, or facsimile apparatuses inevitably need to use transmission lines of appropriate length to achieve electric connection.
Universal serial bus (USB) transmission lines are a common kind of transmission lines. As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional USB transmission line comprises a transmission line 10a and two connectors 20a and 30a connected at two ends of the transmission line 10a. The two connectors 20a and 30a are USB connectors.
Conventional USB transmission lines can be approximately divided into unidirectional transmission type and bi-directional transmission type. Either the unidirectional transmission type or the bi-directional transmission type has only a single transmission function. That is, a unidirectional USB transmission line cannot be used for bi-directional transmission, while a bi-directional USB transmission line cannot be used for unidirectional transmission. Therefore, the USB transmission line has a limited usage, and cannot be flexibly utilized, resulting in inconvenience in use.
Accordingly, the above conventional USB transmission lines have inconvenience and drawbacks in practical use. The present invention aims to resolve the problems in the prior art.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a USB transmission line having switching function, wherein a circuit unit having the switching function of unidirectional transmission and bi-directional transmission is disposed on a USB transmission line. A switch can be used to control the use of a unidirectional transmission circuit or a bi-directional transmission circuit so that the USB transmission line can flexibly select the unidirectional transmission function or the bi-directional transmission function. The USB transmission line can thus have both unidirectional transmission and bi-directional transmission functions, resulting in more convenient, more flexible, and wider use.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a USB transmission line having switching function, which comprises a transmission line, a first connector, a second connector, and a circuit unit having switching function of unidirectional transmission and bi-directional transmission. The first and second connectors are USB connectors, and are connected at two ends of the transmission line. The circuit unit is disposed on the transmission line between the first and second connectors.
The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which:

No. 10, Alley 38, Lane 229, San Chung St


A reduced-pressure processing apparatus which comprises a wafer table, two processing chambers, and three load-locking chambers. The wafer table temporarily supports a workpiece. In the first processing chamber, a first process is performed on a workpiece under a reduced pressure, In the second processing chamber, a second process is performed on the workpiece under a reduced pressure. The first load-locking chamber is connected to the first processing chamber, for allowing to be pneumatically disconnected from the first processing chamber, and allowing a passage of a workpiece into and from the first processing chamber and to and from the temporary holding means. The second load-locking chamber is connected to the second processing chamber, for allowing to be pneumatically disconnected from the second processing chamber, and allowing a passage of a workpiece into and from the second processing chamber and to and from the temporary supporting means. The third load-locking chamber is located between the first and second processing chambers and connected thereto, for allowing to be pneumatically disconnected from the first and second processing chambers, and allowing a passage of a workpiece into and from the first and second processing chambers and to and from the temporary holding means.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reduced-pressure processing apparatus which can perform two reduced-pressure processes continuously or only one of these processes selectively.
2. Description of the Related Art
A reduced-pressure processing apparatus is known which is designed to perform etching, ashing, film-forming and the like under a reduced pressure. The apparatus comprises a processing chamber and two load-locking chambers connected to both sides of the processing chamber. A workpiece is processed under a reduced pressure in the processing chamber. The load-locking chambers are used to shield the processing chamber from the atmosphere while a workpiece is being moved into, and removed from, the processing chamber.
A reduced-pressure processing apparatus of another type called "in-line type" is known (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,808), which is designed to perform different processes continuously. The in-line type reduced-pressure processing apparatus comprises a plurality of processing chambers and a plurality of load-locking chambers. The processing chambers are arranged in a row. Each load-locking chamber, except two, is located between and connected to any two adjacent processing chambers. The remaining two load-locking chambers are connected to the first processing chamber and the last processing chamber, respectively.
A reduced-pressure processing apparatus of another type called "multi-chamber type" is also known (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,962), which is designed to perform different processes continuously, as well. The multi-chamber type reduced-pressure processing apparatus comprises a hollow cylindrical load-locking chamber and a plurality of processing chambers arranged around the load-locking chamber and connected thereto.
In each of the three types of reduced-pressure processing apparatuses, each processing chamber is connected to a load-locking chamber by means of an open/close mechanism such as a gate valve.
The apparatuses of three types described above are disadvantageous in the following respects.
In the apparatus of the first-mentioned type, a workpiece cannot be continuously subjected to two or more processes. To continuously subject the workpiece to two processes, for example, two apparatuses of this type must be used in combination. If two or more apparatuses are used for this purpose, any common component of each apparatus cannot be utilized for any other apparatus, too. Further, the use of two or more apparatuses is not economical and requires a large floor space.
The in-line type apparatus must usually perform as many processes as the processing chambers it has. In other words, a workpiece cannot be removed from the apparatus into the atmosphere before it is processed in all processing chambers. The use of the apparatus is inevitably limited.
As has been indicated, the multi-chamber type apparatus has one load-locking chamber and two or more processing chambers arranged parallel to each other and connected to the load-locking chamber. Hence it is possible to perform a process in a selected one of the processing chambers or more processes in selected ones of the processing chambers, if the sequence control is altered appropriately. The multi-chamber type apparatus has a drawback, however. Most apparatuses of the multi-chamber type has four processing chambers at the least, which are connected to the single load-locking chamber. The load-locking chamber therefore has a great volume. It takes much time to evacuate the load-locking chamber, particularly when only one or two processes are performed on a workpiece, inevitably decreasing the process throughput. A multi-chamber type apparatus having only processing chambers occupies a floor space which is large for the number of the processing chambers, since its load-locking chamber has a great volume in most cases.


A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus that extracts a body present in the surroundings of a vehicle as an object, based on an image captured by an infrared imaging device including a binarized object extraction device that extracts a binarized object from image data obtained by binarizing a gray scale image of the image, an obstacle determination device that determines whether or not another body being an obstacle is present between the infrared imaging device and the binarized object, a height calculation device that calculates a height dimension of the binarized object based on the height dimension of the obstacle on the gray scale image when it is determined that an obstacle is present in a determination result of the obstacle determination device and an object type determination device that determines a type of the object based on the height dimension of the binarized object.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus that extracts objects by performing binarization processing of images taken by infrared cameras.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-347818, filed Nov. 30, 2004, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a display processing device is known in which an object such as a pedestrian with a possibility of colliding with a vehicle is extracted from an infrared image of a vehicles surroundings captured by an infrared camera, and information of this object is provided to the driver (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. H11-328364).
This display processing device searches a region (binarized object) where bright parts are concentrated by binarizing the infrared image, and determines whether or not the binarized object is a pedestrian's head based on the distance calculated from an aspect ratio or filling factor of the binarized object, and also an actual area and a enter of gravity on the infrared image. Then, the height of the pedestrian on the infrared image is calculated from the distance between the head part region of the pedestrian and the infrared camera, and an average height of adult persons, and a body region containing the body of a pedestrian is set. By separating and displaying the head region and body region from other regions, visual aid for the driver is performed with respect to a pedestrian.
Moreover, a technique is known which searches a region (binarized object) where bright parts are concentrated by binarizing the infrared image, extracts the image region at the same distance from that of the binarized object in the vertical direction of the binarized object from the binarized object and the image region to recognize that the object is a pedestrian (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2003-216937).
Incidentally, since the display processing device of the example of the related art mentioned above detects a pedestrian based on determination of the shape for a head part region or body part region on the infrared image, it may become difficult to distinguish a pedestrian from a manmade structure that has a shape of a pedestrian, and particularly a similar shape, size, and position height of the pedestrian's head and that emits heat.
Moreover, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2003-216937, the pedestrian recognition is simply performed by calculating the height of the object based on the binarized object and the image region at the same distance as that of the binarized object in the vertical direction of the binarized object, on the infrared image. Therefore, if an obstacle is present forward of the binarized object, the region at the same distance as that of the binarized object can not be detected downward of the binarized object, and it may become difficult to detect the actual height of the object accurately. Therefore it may become difficult to distinguish a pedestrian.

Vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus


A shank mount assembly for a water heater that includes an annular nipple having an opening, the nipple configured to removably attach to an opening in a water heater tank. The shank mount assembly further includes an annular shank mount having an opening, the shank mount configured to removably attach to the nipple, wherein the shank mount is further configured to attach to a gas valve assembly.

It has been standard practice in the industry to use a machined brass or steel component, known as a shank mount, to mount a gas valve assembly to a water heater tank. FIG. 6 illustrates a prior art gas valve and shank mount assembly 110 having a gas valve assembly 112 configured to regulate the flow of gas to a water heating system (not shown). A brass shank mount 114 having an interior wall 116, an exterior wall 118 and a central opening 120 is assembled to gas valve assembly 112. An elongate temperature probe assembly 122 is configured to sense the temperature of water in a water heater tank (not shown). The temperature probe assembly 122 includes an invar rod 124 disposed within a copper tube 126, and is assembled to gas valve assembly 112 such that the temperature probe assembly 122 protrudes from the gas valve assembly 112 through the central opening 120 in the brass shank mount 114.
One purpose of this brass shank mount 114 is to provide a mounting means for a temperature sensing probe which is assembled to components configured to open or close the flow of gas in a particular channel of the gas valve assembly 112. Generally, the copper tube 126 and invar rod 124 assembly is configured to be positioned inside the water heater tank. The copper tube 126, having a high thermal coefficient of expansion, expands and contracts as the water temperature in the tank increases and decreases, respectively. The expansion and contraction of the copper tube 126 acts to move the invar rod 124. The invar rod 124 may be configured to push against a lever 128, which causes the gas valve assembly 112 to allow the main gas or bleed gas to flow to the outlet of the valve or to an adjacent gas chamber.
Another purpose of the brass shank mount 114 is to provide a rigid means for mounting the gas valve assembly 112 to the water heater tank using, for example, an external threaded feature on the brass shank mount 114. This allows the gas valve and shank mount assembly 110 to be assembled to the water heater tank and aligned vertically by means of a turning torque. Generally, the gas valve and shank mount assembly 110 is aligned vertically to receive the incoming gas supply. In some cases a relatively high amount of torque is applied to the gas valve and shank mount assembly 110 in order to achieve this vertical alignment.
The temperature set point that is indicated on a temperature dial for the water heating system may be controlled by the position of the lever 128 with respect to the invar rod 124 at a specific water temperature sensed by the copper tube 126. The position of the invar rod 124 with respect to the lever 128 is maintained by the brass shank mount 114 and the copper tube 126. If an excessive amount of torque is used to align the gas valve and shank mount assembly 110 in the vertical position, or if excessive bending moments are applied to the gas valve and shank mount assembly 110, the position of the invar rod 124 may be shifted. That change in position may then affect the temperature calibration of the gas valve and shank mount assembly 110 as set at the factory. It is typical in current brass shank mount designs that a considerable amount of torque (i.e., enough to change the position of the invar rod) may be applied to the brass shank mount 114 during vertical alignment of the gas valve and shank mount assembly 110 on the water heater tank.
A third purpose of the brass shank mount 114 is to provide a water-tight seal between the interior and exterior of the water heater tank. The brass alloys typically used to make the brass shank mount 114 have a low corrosion rate when compared to other metal alloys such as aluminum and steel. Brass is a suitable material for use in containing the high temperature, high pressure water inside the water heater tank. Any substitute material for the brass alloys should be able to withstand the high pressures and temperatures experienced in a water heater tank, and should meet or exceed the low corrosion rate of the brass alloys when exposed to water at such pressures and temperatures.
Brass alloys, however, are expensive when compared to alloys of aluminum and steel. Additionally, brass shank mounts 114 must typically be made in a number of differing lengths and diameters to accommodate the variety of water heater tanks on the market. As such, the particular brass shank mount 114 to be used must typically be fitted to the gas valve assembly 112 before calibration of the temperature probe assembly 122 can be completed. As a result, the calibration step is delayed until the type of water heater to which the gas valve assembly 112 is to be attached is determined. Furthermore, as discussed, gas valve and shank mount assemblies 110 with brass shank mounts 114 may be over-torqued during vertical alignment or the valve. Some of the stresses from over-torquing may be transferred from the brass shank mount 114 to the invar rod 124 changing the temperature calibration of the gas valve and shank mount assembly 110.
It would therefore be useful to have a standard size shank mount for gas valve assemblies so that the temperature probes of all assemblies could be calibrated immediately after production. It would also be useful to have a shank mount assembly which uses less expensive materials than the brass alloys commonly used today, and which does not render the temperature sensing probe on the gas valve assembly as susceptible to calibration shift from over-torquing as machined brass shank mounts.
The embodiments of the invention provide such a solution to one or more of the aforementioned problems. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.

Valve shank mount assembly for a water heater


An apparatus having a first circuit and a second circuit is disclosed. The first circuit may be configured to (i) fetch a plurality of reference samples from a memory to a plurality of slots in a buffer and (ii) motion estimate a plurality of current sample units of a current picture to generate a plurality of motion vectors. The motion vectors may be stored in a plurality of lines of a table. Each line generally identifies a corresponding slot in the buffer. Duplicates among the lines may be consolidated. The second circuit may be configured to evaluate the reference samples in the buffer based on the motion vectors to select a prediction sample unit.

Conventional mode decision evaluations of inter-prediction candidates are limited by a bandwidth available to fetch reference samples from a memory. Therefore, a subset of all possible inter-prediction candidates is commonly evaluated during video compression. For reproducibility of results and for verification purposes, a deterministic technique is typically used to select the inter-prediction candidates to evaluate, independent of external factors that affect runtime behavior.
It would be desirable to implement an inter-prediction candidate selection in a mode decision.

Inter-prediction candidate selection in a mode decision


Methods, tools, and methods of manufacturing said tools are provided for inserting a hearing device deeply into the ear canal of a user and adjusting its medial-lateral position therein. The provided tools comprise a shaft. A distal end of the shaft can be coupled to the hearing device. The shaft is flexible to facilitate its insertion into the tortuous ear canal and minimize injurious contact with the ear canal. The length of the shaft can be adjusted to adjust the depth of insertion of the shaft into the ear canal, customizing the tool for an individual user. Medial advancement of the shaft into the ear canal is limited by a base, side extension, or mold coupled to a proximal portion of the shaft or other proximal part of the tool.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to tools and methods for inserting, adjusting the position of hearing devices worn in the ear canal, particularly the medial-lateral position of hearing devices worn deep in the ear canal, and removing devices.
Since embodiments of the invention relate to adjusting the position of a hearing device from the ear canal, a brief description of the anatomy of the ear canal will now be presented for purposes of illustration. While the shape and structure, or morphology, of the ear canal can vary from person to person, certain characteristics are common to all individuals. Referring now to FIGS. 1-2, the external acoustic meatus (ear canal) is generally narrow and contoured as shown in the coronal view in FIG. 1. The ear canal 10 is approximately 25 mm in length from the canal aperture 17 to the center of the tympanic membrane 18 (eardrum), although the length of the ear canal can vary from person to person. The lateral part (away from the tympanic membrane) of the ear canal, a cartilaginous region 11, is relatively soft due to the underlying cartilaginous tissue. The cartilaginous region 11 of the ear canal 10 deforms and moves in response to the mandibular (jaw) motions, which occur during talking, yawning, chewing, etc. The medial (towards the tympanic membrane) part, a bony region 13 proximal to the tympanic membrane, is rigid due to the underlying bony tissue. The skin 14 in the bony region 13 is thin (relative to the skin 16 in the cartilaginous region) and is more sensitive to touch or pressure. There is a characteristic bend 15 that roughly occurs at the bony-cartilaginous junction 19 (referred to herein as the bony junction), which separates the cartilaginous 11 and the bony regions 13. The magnitude of the angle of this bend and the depth into the ear canal at which the bend is located varies among individuals.
The ear canal 10 terminates medially with the tympanic membrane 18. Laterally and external to the ear canal 10 is the concha cavity 2 and the auricle 3, both also cartilaginous. The concha cavity 2 defines a conchal bowl. The junction between the concha cavity 2 and the cartilaginous part 11 of the ear canal 10 at the aperture 17 is defined by a characteristic bend 12 known as the first bend of the ear canal. The magnitude of the bend angle and other dimensions of the characteristic bend 12 can vary among individuals. Hair 5 and debris 4 in the ear canal are primarily present in the cartilaginous region 11. Physiologic debris includes cerumen (earwax), sweat, decayed hair, and oils produced by the various glands underneath the skin in the cartilaginous region. Non-physiologic debris consists primarily of environmental particles that enter the ear canal 10. Canal debris is naturally extruded to the outside of the ear by the process of lateral epithelial cell migration (see e.g., Ballachanda, The Human ear Canal, Singular Publishing, 1995, pp. 195). There is no cerumen production or hair in the bony part of the ear canal. The ear is sensitive to pressure and touch, often moreso in the bony part of the canal. Sensitivity also varies among individuals. It is hypothesized that for every individual, there could be an optimal placement of a deep in the canal device that maximizes the probability of a comfortable and effective fit.
FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the typical ear canal 10 and reveals generally an oval shape and pointed inferiorly (lower side). The long diameter (DL) is along the vertical axis and the short diameter (DS) is along the horizontal axis. These dimensions vary among individuals.
Recently, Completely-In-The-Canal (CIC) hearing devices have come into greater use. These devices fit deep within the ear canal and can be essentially hidden from view from the outside, providing a cosmetic advantage over larger, externally mounted hearing devices. Placing the hearing device deep within the ear canal and proximate to the tympanic membrane (ear drum) also improves the frequency response of the device, reduces distortion due to jaw extrusion, reduces the occurrence of the occlusion effect and improves overall sound fidelity. The degree of proximity of the hearing device to the tympanic membrane can vary among individuals, for example, depending on the comfort of the user.
However, despite their advantages, CIC hearing devices, particularly those positioned deep in the ear, are not as readily accessible by the user as are ITC devices. CIC hearing devices typically require insertion, removal, and positioning by a skilled professional, e.g., an ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT) or an audiologist, and/or access to specialized equipment. Even when inserted by a professional, there is a need for tools that simplify the insertion process to both speed it up, reducing the time the professional must spend, and also to standardize outcome, reducing the variability inherent in the distribution of practitioner skill. Furthermore, a user of a CIC hearing device may not always have proximity to a professional or access to equipment readily available. Therefore, simple and effective methods and tools for a user to introduce, position, reposition and/or remove a CIC hearing device are desired. Moreover, as the size and shape of the ear canal can vary between individuals, the optimal location for placement and optimal orientation of a CIC hearing device can vary between individuals as well. It is further desirable for such methods and tools to be customizable for individual users.
2. Description of the Background Art
Applicants are aware of co-pending application Ser. No. 61/119,971, filed on Dec. 4, 2008 in the name of Robert Schindler (Attorney Docket No. 10929-700.100). The aforementioned application in the name of Robert Schindler, however, does not appreciate the variability of the ear canal between individuals. As such, insertion of a hearing device to a fixed depth is taught while adjustment of the position and orientation of the hearing device within the hearing canal is not taught. U.S. Patents which may be of interest may include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,890,474; 7,388,961; and D509,054, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by references.

Tool for insertion and removal of in-canal hearing devices


An elastic crosslinked metathesis polymer composition is disclosed comprised of a copolymer of a norbornene-type compound which metathesis polymerizes to a linear polymer and a norbornene-type compound having a second double bond of similar reactivity which forms a crosslinked polymer, and a hydrocarbon-based extending oil. Norbornene and dicyclopentadiene are typical comonomers. Polymerization is carried out by a RIM or resin injection molding process.

The production of rubber-like polymers has been investigated over the past years. Ring-opening metathesis polymerization of cyclopentene yields a linear polymer known by a common name of polypentenamer having a structure similar to that of poly-1,4-pentadiene, but having slightly lower double bond density in the main chain. The polymer has properties to enable the use as a general-purpose rubber, as can be supposed from its structure.
In order to obtain a rubber having characteristic features, a metathesis polymer of norbornene, which has high ring strain and is easily polymerizable by metathesis polymerization, has been industrially produced. Since the glass transition point of poly(norbornene) is higher than normal room temperature and slightly lower than 40.degree. C., the polymer is not rubbery, but plastic at normal room temperature. However, transition to a rubbery state takes place by slight heating of the polymer and the use of the polymer as a shape-memory polymer has been suggested to take advantage of the transition property. On the other hand, to make the polymer useful as a rubber, a rubber processing oil is added to the polymer to lower the apparent glass transition point and the polymer is crosslinked by conventional vulcanization to obtain a rubber. The rubber produced by the above process is used in various applications as a rubber having low resilience.
On the other hand, a process has been proposed to form a molded polymer article by using a low cost metathesis polymerizable cycloolefin having two metathesis polymerizable cycloolefin groups, for example dicyclopentadiene (DCPD), and carrying out the polymerization and molding of the cycloolefin in a mold (in one step) with a metathesis polymerization catalyst. More particularly, a process has been proposed to obtain a molded polymer article, taking advantage of the fact that a metathesis polymerization catalyst system is composed of two components, i.e. a catalyst component such as a tungsten chloride and an activator component such as an alkylaluminum. Two solutions each containing one of the above catalyst system components and monomer, are quickly mixed and transferred into a mold (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,340) where polymerization and shaping take place.
Such a process is attractive for producing a crosslinked molded polymer article because the molding can be carried out at a high speed simultaneously with polymerization, using a low-pressure, relatively inexpensive mold. The polydicyclopentadiene produced by this process is generally a plastic having a thermal deformation temperature of 90.degree. C. or higher.

Elastic crosslinked metathesis polymer composition


Processing within a multiprocessor computer system is facilitated by: logically clearing a data page by setting, in association with invalidate page table entry or set storage key processing, a page initialize bit for the data page to a clear data value without physically clearing data from the data page; and subsequent to the setting of the page initialize bit, physically clearing data from the page in central storage responsive to a first access to the page with the page initialize bit set to the clear data value, thereby minimizing overall time required to both clear and subsequently access cleared page data. Setting of the page initialize bit may include setting a line clear bit for each page line to the clear data value, and allocating a state machine to clear each line responsive to the line being first accessed with the its line clear bit set.

This invention relates in general to processing within a multiprocessor computer system, and more particularly, to page table invalidation, page clearing and storage key handling within a multiprocessor computer system.
Various existing computing environments, such as those based, for instance, on the z/Architecture®, offered by International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y., employ storage keys to facilitate processing within a computing environment. As one example, a storage key is associated with each block of real storage (also referred to as a frame). One function of a storage key is to provide a reliability mechanism that is used to segregate blocks of storage, ensuring that programs executing in one key do not improperly store into or, subject to a control in the key, fetch from blocks having a different key. A further function is to provide indications to an operating system as to which blocks have been referenced and changed, thus allowing the operating system to determine which blocks may need to be written to auxiliary storage.
A storage key is set, in one example, by a Set Storage Key Extended (SSKE) instruction, offered by International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y. This instruction sets all of the constituent components of the key simultaneously.
To improve system performance, a processor may buffer a subset of the storage keys in a local (processor-specific) area. However, when a storage key is changed, then all processors in a multiprocessor coherence domain are to effectively observe the change coherently, such that stale local copies of the key are discarded or updated to the changed value. In one example, the Set Storage Key Extended instruction requires the system to be serialized to ensure that all CPUs observe the changes to the key. This serialization may be performed in hardware using a fast quiesce mechanism, as an example.
When executing the Set Storage Key Extended operation with the fast quiesce mechanism, all processors within the same domain as the requestor may be quiesced. That is, each is to reach an interruptible point to honor the fast quiesce request. When honoring the request, the processors purge any locally buffered copies of the key and all processors in that zone, besides the one that initiated the quiesce, resume execution but are prevented from accessing the relevant frame, while the operation is being performed. From an implementation perspective, the system quiesce is used to ensure that any local copy of the key is not out of date with respect to the system key and prevent inconsistent views of the key during the operation.
However, there is a large overhead associated with the hardware quiesce mechanism used to implement the Set Storage Key Extended instruction. For instance, only a limited number of quiesce operations (e.g., one in many environments) can be performed in the system at a time and the quiesce operations must be serialized in the storage controller hardware. This results in a large system impact for each quiesce, and therefore, for each update of the storage keys.
Similarly, the life cycle of a virtual page will typically include execution of an Invalidate Page Table Entry instruction to invalidate the associated page table entry for de-allocating the page from use. The Invalidate Page Table Entry instruction also typically has a large overhead associated with a required quiesce mechanism used to purge any cached copies of stale DAT translation results from local processor caches in the multiprocessor system.
In addition, the deallocation or reallocation of a virtual page frame to a new user conventionally has long latencies associated with one or more processors first clearing, and then subsequently fetching cleared lines of data from central storage. For example, for a 4k-byte page frame and a 256-byte data line size, clearing the page data may consume 16 line stores, while fetching the cleared lines may additionally require 16 central storage fetches.

Deferred page clearing in a multiprocessor computer system


A disconnect/test terminal block may include a body including a front side and a back side including a protruding part. The block may include at least one circuit element disposed in the body. The block may include at least one case wire terminal disposed on the front side of the body and coupled to the at least one internal circuit. The block may include at least one field cable terminal disposed on the protruding part and coupled to the at least one internal circuit.

Railroads include signaling and other wayside equipment. The equipment and/or control circuitry thereof is often housed in an instrument house or case. The case may contain a terminal board. Traditionally, many railroads use an Association of American Railroads (AAR) terminal connection on the terminal board. Some railroads use a connection supplied by the WAGO corporation (referred to herein as a "WAGO connection") instead of the AAR terminal. For example, the WAGO connection includes disconnect/test terminal blocks for mounting arresters and terminating case wire and field cable. The WAGO connection can be installed with less labor and can improve reliability in comparison to the AAR terminal connection.
FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a WAGO disconnect/test terminal block 10, where FIG. 1A shows a front side of block 10 and FIG. 1B shows a back side of block 10. Block 10 includes body 12 (which houses internal circuitry, not shown), terminals 14/15 for coupling wires to block 10 and internal circuitry, test switches 16, and mounting hardware 18 for mounting block 10 to a DIN rail.
FIG. 2 illustrates a terminal board 20 with WAGO blocks 10. Terminal board 20 includes low impedance ground plane 22 and DIN rail 26 to which blocks 10 are mounted. Case wire 24 is coupled to terminals 14/15 of blocks 10, and arrestors 40 are installed on each block 10. However, field cable 36 is available only on the back of terminal board 20. All terminals 14/15 of block 10 are on the front side of block 10. Accordingly, additional hardware is required to connect block 10 with field cable 36. Specifically, a plurality of feed through blocks 30 fit into holes 28 in ground plane 22. Feed through blocks 30 are coupled to ground plane 22 by spacer 34 and clip lock 38. Additional wires 32 couple terminals 14/15 of block 10 with feed through blocks 30 on the front of ground plane 22, and field cables 36 couple to feed through blocks 30 on the back of ground plane 22. The disadvantages of this wiring scheme include that two points of failure are introduced (i.e., there are two additional wire connections), and a great deal of labor and material are required for each board 20.

Feed thru disconnect/test terminal block


A method for preparing a coated abrasive article wherein the a plurality of abrasive grains are applied to a make coat such that the abrasive grains are substantially a mono-layer. The make coat precursor is a pressure-sensitive adhesive-like or pressure-sensitive adhesive. The make coat precursor is partially cured to approximate a pressure-sensitive adhesive-like layer or when fully cured is a pressure-sensitive adhesive. The make coat precursor has sufficient "tack" to hold the abrasive grains during the application and curing of the size coat, resulting in a substantially monolayer of abrasive grains.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a coated abrasive article and a method of making the coated abrasive article, and in particular to a method wherein the make coat precursor is at least partially cured before the abrasive grains are applied.
2. Description of the Related Art
Coated abrasives generally comprise a flexible backing upon which a binder holds and supports a coating of abrasive grains. The coated abrasive typically employs a "make" coat precursor of resinous binder material. The make coat secures the abrasive grains to the backing. A "size" coat precursor of resinous binder material is applied over the make coat and abrasive grains. The size coat firmly bonds the abrasive grains to the backing. Additionally, the abrasive grains are generally oriented with their longest dimension perpendicular to the backing to provide an optimum cut rate.
In a typical manufacturing process for making coated abrasives, the make coat precursor is first applied to the backing. This is followed by electrostatic projection of the abrasive grains into the make coat precursor. The make coat precursor is then partially cured in order to set the abrasive grains. Next, the size coat precursor is applied over the abrasive grains. Finally, the make coat precursor and size coat precursor are fully cured.
One of the major problems associated with this process, is the tendency to apply multiple layers of abrasive grains during the electrostatic coating. This is particularly true in the "fine" grades, that is, where the average particle size of the abrasive grain is less than about 150 micrometers, and usually less than about 100 micrometers. In some instances there may be up to seven layers of abrasive grains applied. This multiple layer becomes increasingly a problem as the abrasive grain particle size is decreased. Reducing the coating weight of the abrasive grain tends to result in a blotchy, non-uniform type coating of multiple layers.
There are a number of disadvantages associated with the multiple layers of abrasive grains. The abrasive grains tend not to be ideally oriented and the abrasive grains tend to lay on top of one another. This results in reduced abrading performance. The multiple layers of abrasive grains can in some cases, reduce the flexibility of the product. Furthermore, the multiple layers of abrasive grains decrease cost efficiency of the coated abrasive due to the extra layers of abrasive grains.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,015,658 (Bezzenberger) describes a method to avoid multiple layer phenomena when forming abrasive articles. The abrasive grain is applied to the make coat precursor by means of a metered roll.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,053,360 (Benner et al.) describes a method of making a coated abrasive wherein the abrasive grains are sprinkled onto a nontacky film of a plasticizable binder. The film is then plasticized such that the binder wets the surface of the abrasive grain.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,903 (Hesse et al.) describes a radiation curable binder comprising a resin prepared by at least a partial reaction of (a) epoxy monomers having at least 2 epoxy groups, for example, from diphenylolpropane and epichlorohydrin, with (b) unsaturated monocarboxylic acids, and (c) optionally, polycarboxylic acid anhydride.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,419 (Caul et al.) describes an adhesive for coated abrasives comprising a mixture of (a) an electron beam radiation curable resin system comprising an oligomer selected from the group consisting of urethane acrylates and epoxy acrylates, a filler and a diluent, and (b) a thermally curable resin selected from the group consisting of phenolic resins, melamine resins, amino resins, alkyd resins, and furan resins.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,138 (Tumey et al.) describes a coated abrasive in which either the make coat or the size coat comprises an ethylenically unsaturated compound, an epoxy monomer and a photoinitiator.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,431 (Buchanan et al.) describes an adhesive for coated abrasives comprising a mixture of (a) a radiation curable monomer selected from the group consisting of isocyanurate derivatives having at least one terminal or pendant acrylate group, isocyanate derivatives having at least one terminal or pendant acrylate group, and multifunctional acrylates having on average at least three pendant acrylate groups, and (b) a thermally curable resin selected from the group consisting of phenolic resins, epoxy monomers, urea-formaldehyde resins, melamine-formaldehyde resins, and polyamide resins.
U.S. Pat. 4,985,340 (Palazzotto et al.) describes a polymeric precursor that can be employed as a binder for abrasive articles. The polymeric precursor is selected from the group consisting of (1) at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer, optionally, in combination with an epoxy monomer or polyurethane precursor, (2) at least one epoxy monomer, or (3) polyurethane precursors, and a curing agent comprising an organometallic salt and an onium salt.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,717(Rembold) describes a process for preparing a coated abrasive by applying a binder layer to a support, briefly irradiating the binder layer with actinic light, and then applying abrasive grain to the still tacky layer before or after irradiation, and subsequent or simultaneous heat curing.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


A gas oven includes an oven cavity, an upper gas burner disposed within the oven cavity, a venturi assembly coupled to the upper gas burner, a lower gas burner disposed within a lower burner combustion chamber. The channel member is communicatively coupled between the lower burner combustion chamber and the venturi assembly for the upper gas burner to provide an airflow path therebetween.

The present disclosure generally relates to appliances, and more particularly to a gas heated oven.
Conventional gas operated cooking appliances such as gas ovens, for example, have one or more burners in which gas is mixed with air and burned. These types of ovens are heated by burning gas, such as natural gas (NG) and vaporized liquid petroleum (LP) gas. Fresh air is drawn in through burner units that mix the gas with the air for combustion. The gaseous products of combustion must be discharged or otherwise escape from the oven cavity.
Typically, a gas oven will include a gas burner located in the bottom portion of the oven that is used for general baking and cooking. This burner will generally be referred to as a bake burner. The gas oven can also include a gas burner at the top of the oven, which is generally referred to as a broil burner. Both the bake burner and the broil burner are generally atmospheric types of gas burners.
Some broil burners have the primary entrances exposed outside of the oven cavity in order to "breath" or deliver fresh air to the broil burner. However, when the oven is in the "bake" mode, the hot flue gases emitted by the bake burner can leak through the open ports of the top broil burner and release into the ambient environment. Such leaking can lead to an undesired heat loss and excessive heating of nearby components, especially for the Infra-red (IR) broil burner, which normally has a large area of port openings compared to the vent opening size. It would be advantageous to be able to provide an external supply of fresh air to the broil burner without heat loss to the oven.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a gas heated oven that addresses the problems identified above.

Dual function air channel for gas burner


The present invention provides a manually operable propulsion unit for the detachable attachment to a wheelchair in which the wheels are arranged to be driven by circular hand rails fixedly attached to, concentric with and laterally spaced outside the wheels of the wheelchair so as to facilitate manual propulsion of the wheelchair by means of the back and forwards motion of hand levers in addition to the wheelchair being propellable directly by the hand rails. The manually operatable propulsion unit is detachably attachable to the wheelchair and suitably comprises a pair of crossbars each adapted to be detachably attached dimetrically across one of the handrails, basebar means adapted to be detachably attached transversely of the frame of the wheelchair, a pair of hand lever bars pivotably mounted about a horizontal axis on the basebar means on either side of the wheelchair, a pair of mounting means each on one of said crossbars extending across the hand rail and a pair of connecting bars each pivotably mounted at either end to said mounting means at a point off-center from the center of the hand rail and to an intermediate point on the hand lever bar such that the back and forwards motion in the vertical plane of each of the hand lever bars drives its associated wheel of the wheelchair via the attached hand rail. The present invention also provides a conversion kit which on erection provides said unit.

The normal propulsion of a wheelchair is accomplished by pushing a hand rail attached to the main wheels, or using a hand lever device or using an electric motor. The steering of the wheelchair is accomplished either by a steering mechanism, or by individually braking the motion of the two main wheels by hand and in such sequence as to change the direction of the wheelchair. Such wheelchairs are disclosed, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,691 to Queen's University, Kingston, issued Oct. 19, 1982, U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,181, issued Dec. 24, 1985 to Design Loft Inc., U.S. Pat. No. 3,189,368 to James F. Peterson, issued June 15, 1965, U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,509, issued Jan. 28, 1986 to Jerome E. Schaeffer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,729, issued June 12, 1984 to Wesley O. Lacken and Canadian Pat. No. 1,202,554, issued Apr. 1, 1986 to Akira Korosue and Canadian Pat. No. 1,026,662 issued Feb. 21, 1978 to Permobilstiftelsen.
All previously known devices used to propel a wheelchair with handle bars are very cumbersome, complicated, very heavy and require that the wheelchair has to undergo extensive and expensive alterations and changes to accommodate such devices or a completely new and special wheelchair has to be designed and manufactured at exorbitant cost in order to utilize the use of a hand lever propulsion system. The use of a hand lever propulsion system is very desirable as it provides a substantial power to propel the wheelchair, eliminates the tremendous stress and jolting of the arms and especially the shoulders and shoulder joints of the wheelchair user. This is a very severe problem, as documented by the discomfort and inflammation of the shoulder joints experienced by Rick Hanson on his world tour. Many patients confined to a wheelchair do not have the physical strength to propel the wheelchair by pushing the hand rail ring by hand and must rely on the assistance of a person pushing their wheelchair. Electrically propelled wheelchairs which could solve some of the problems, are exorbitantly expensive, heavy, require constant service and are difficult to transport.