The invention relates to apparatus 1 for releasably securing the lid 2 of a receptacle 3 for removal or replacement of the lid, the apparatus 1 comprising means 6 defining first and second vacuum chambers 5,7, the second vacuum chamber 7 being adapted to contact and secure a lid 2 when a pressure drop occurs in said second chamber 7, the arrangement being such that creating of a vacuum in the first chamber 5 acts on the defining means 6 to create a pressure drop in the second chamber 7 without fluid flow between the chambers, the pressure drop being sufficient to secure the lid 2 for removal of the lid from the receptacle.

Systems for the automated and contained filling of powders into IBCs (intermediate bulk containers) including "thro lid filling systems" and "split butterfly valve systems" have been in use for some years, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry where maintaining product purity and protecting operators against active and/or toxic powders are two major requirements. Such systems include devices for the automated removal and refitting of the container lid inside the powder process itself. These devices are often very sensitive and their reliability is to some extent dependant on regular system cleaning and maintenance. They are also extremely complex and expensive. However, there is increasing demand for automated lid removal systems in other industries e.g. food manufacturing, to increase productivity, reduce labour costs and to meet increasing hygiene standards. In these applications with increased frequency of use and reduced frequency of cleaning the existing methods of lid removal suffer from a number of limitations which render them unfeasible.
One existing method used for automated lid removal includes use of a vacuum cup. The cup makes contact with the top surface of the lid and vacuum is generated in order to retain the lid against the filing system valve during powder transfer. This method is used in the Matcon™ Containment Transfer System. Characteristics include:                The generated vacuum directly retains the lid in position, i.e. a "live vacuum".        If surfaces are allowed to accumulate dust, the level of vacuum force can reduce.        Dust can also be drawn into the vacuum line causing blockage and further reduction of vacuum force.        The System is dependent on the vacuum level being sufficient to carry the weight of the lid, therefore it is not inherently fail-safe, i.e. if the vacuum should completely fail the lid is dropped.        After completion of material transfer, the lid is refitted to the container inlet by simple release of vacuum and is lowered to the correct position by gravity alone.        A more positive lid replacement can be achieved by introducing positive pressure in the vacuum line but this risks emitting a cloud of dust to the working environment and in a failure mode, could over pressurise the process equipment.
Other methods of lid retention include various forms of mechanical locking devices. Mechanical grabbing devices include sliding lock pins or bayonet devices, engaging into holes or grooves in the lid, and are effective lid retainers, but in simplest form they lack the positive up-force needed to fully seal the lid to the fill valve. They also suffer from dust ingress into the various holes and crevices, leading to cross contamination of powders being handled, plus cleaning difficulty, functionality and corrosion problems.
It is an object of the invention to seek to mitigate problems such as these.


In a storage type air conditioning system having plural storage type air conditioners, each air conditioner includes a storage battery in which external power from an external power source can be stored, an air conditioning unit that is supplied with stored power from the storage battery and perform an air conditioning operation, a residual amount detector for detecting a storage residual amount of the storage battery, and a stored power transmission/reception switching unit for switching transmission/reception of the stored power stored in the storage battery to/from the other storage type air conditioners. Information concerning the storage residual amounts of the storage batteries of the air conditioners are communicated with one another, and the stored power of the storage battery of some air conditioner having surplus stored power is supplied to another air conditioner having short stored power.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage type air conditioning system including a plurality of air conditioners each having a storage battery which can store external power, and an operation method and a control program for the storage type air conditioning system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Reduction of emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) as one greenhouse gas has been recently required to prevent global warming. In order to reduce the emission of CO2, it is important to make power supply more efficient on the basis of equalization of power demand. Power demand for air conditioning is known as one of factors inducing disparity in power demand of a day, and it is estimated that the factor of pushing up the peak value of the power demand resides in that air conditioners are actuated all together in the daytime during the summer season or the like. In order to solve such a problem, a storage type air conditioner has been hitherto known (for example, see JP-A-2002-309927).
Generally, a storage type air conditioner has a storage battery, and it charges the storage battery in the nighttime in which power demand is little and discharges the storage battery in the daytime to execute air conditioning operation by using stored power. If such a storage type air conditioner is utilized, it contributes to equalization of power demand and thus reduces the power generation amount of an electric power company, whereby the emission of CO2 can be reduced.
However, when the conventional storage type air conditioner has stored power more than the power amount (electric energy) required for its own air conditioning operation, it has been impossible to effectively use this extra stored power and thus further equalize the power demand.

Storage type air conditioning system, and operation method and control program for storage type air conditioning system


A system for evaluating a seal between an earphone of a hearing device and an ear canal that includes a first microphone positioned outside the ear canal, a second microphone positioned inside the ear canal, and a controller. The controller is configured to measure a sound level at one or more test frequencies using the first microphone, measure a sound level at the one or more frequencies using the second microphone, calculate a difference between the sound levels measured using the first and second microphones at each of the one or more test frequencies, and determine a measurement of an ear seal based on the calculated one or more differences.

In order to reduce power consumption, many personal audio devices have a dedicated "in-ear detect" function, operable to detect the presence or absence of an ear in proximity to the device. Additionally, specific for in-ear transducers (earphones), for some applications there is a need to evaluate the quality of the seal formed between the earphone and the ear canal. For example, the playback quality, in particular the bass response, is affected by the quality of the seal formed between the earphone and the ear canal. Additionally, in the realm of ear biometrics, the ear canal impulse response (ECIR) is affected by the insertion quality.
Infra-red sensors have been used in mobile phones to detect the proximity of an ear. Light sensors have been proposed to detect the insertion of earphones and headphones into or onto a user's ears. However, these non-acoustical mechanisms suffer from the drawback that they require additional hardware in the device. Furthermore, they cannot assess the seal/insertion quality.
Measuring transducer (e.g., receiver) impedance is an acoustical method that can be used to detect ear in/out status of a device, but not seal quality. It is also possible to use very low frequency (e.g., 5 Hz) probe sounds, requiring direct measurements of the sound levels at these frequencies. Such measurements, in addition to requiring specific probe signals to be generated, suffer from high noise levels and microphone response inaccuracies. Some of these techniques are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,983,083 issued to Tiscareno et al. on Mar. 17, 2015.

System and method for evaluating an ear seal using external stimulus


A novel in vitro system and method for predicting the in vivo behavior, such as absorption time or mechanical strength retention, of biodegradable polymeric implants and medical devices. Data from this in vitro method are correlated to in vivo absorption data, allowing for the prediction of accurate in vivo behaviors, such as absorption times. The system uses a novel bypass loop to maintain the integrity of pH measuring devices to improve the reproducibility of data collected during in vitro testing.

Bioabsorbable polymers are known to have great utility in the medical field. They are particularly useful as surgical implants and medical devices. The bioabsorbable polymeric materials are designed to provide adequate strength and retention of mechanical properties in vivo to accomplish the function of the implant or medical device during the healing process, while degrading at a controlled and desired rate so that the device is essentially eliminated from the patient's body after natural healing has occurred and the implant or device is no longer required. Surgical implants and medical devices made from bioabsorbable polymers often provide superior patient outcome for many conditions and morbidities.
Synthetic absorbable polymers are an important class of materials used in a variety of implantable medical devices. Many of these devices, such as surgical sutures and surgical meshes, are used for soft tissue wound closure and repair applications. There are also orthopedic applications of such polymers for hard tissue (e.g., bone), including fixation devices such as pins, screws, plates, suture anchors, and longer lasting suture materials.
It is important to be able to predict the in vivo absorption times of implanted biodegradable polymeric medical devices for a number of reasons. There must be a degree of correlation between the length of time that the implants can retain their strength and mechanical properties in vivo and the length of time required for the healing process to progress to the point that the tissue can resume its normal functioning (i.e., breaking strength retention, "BSR"). Premature absorption and loss of mechanical strength and other mechanical properties may lead to a catastrophic failure resulting in injury to the patient, a failure of a surgical repair, or a life-threatening event requiring immediate medical intervention. In addition, it is beneficial to design the implant or device to have the minimum mass necessary to function adequately during the healing process.
As new absorbable polymers are being developed for medical devices and implants, a key issue is the length of time it will take for the material to disappear in the body, i.e., to absorb. This issue is also presented when designing new medical devices from conventionally known bioabsorbable polymers. Related to this issue is the desire to engineer medical devices and implants from bioabsorbable polymers that have desired absorption profiles in vivo. The definitive answer to this question is usually provided by preclinical studies using radiolabeled materials following the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of these materials and degradation products. The hydrolysis by-products may be converted to CO2 exhaled or may be excreted in urine or feces. Radio-labeled materials can also be used to determine the fate or disposition of the materials, i.e., to determine whether the by-products are actually excreted or sequestered in target organs. Other important means for studying bioabsorption include histology in which a measurement of the cross-sectional area of the implant is made as a function of time. Of course, histology also provides important information on the tissue reaction that the implant elicits.
Traditional in vivo methods of assessing bioabsorption rates are expensive, time consuming, and obviously require the use of laboratory animals. Preclinical testing may be adequate to obtain regulatory approval and demonstrate safety and efficacy; however, there may be instances where human clinical trials may be required. In the case of the radiolabeled studies, typically an appropriately labeled C14 monomer must be synthesized and scrupulously purified. The monomer must then be safely polymerized, and the resulting radioactive polymer must be converted to a test article possessing appropriate mechanical properties. In the case of a suture, this will typically require a strong, properly oriented fiber.
Broadly, from a humanitarian aspect, in vitro testing is preferred over animal testing, provided that useful, valid data is generated that can be correlated with in vivo performance having a high degree of statistically significant confidence. Additionally, although in vitro testing data can be collected under simulated physiological conditions, it is also desirable to collect such data in an accelerated fashion. Testing can be accelerated in some cases by changing temperature, pH, other parameters, or combinations thereof to obtain data in a quicker fashion than real-time testing. Product development cycle time can potentially be shortened by getting an early indication of performance, whether the focus is on the polymer composition or processing conditions used to make the article.
Clearly, it is advantageous to be able to estimate the rate of breakdown of a new bioabsorbable material, whether it is a different chemistry or an altered polymer morphology, without having to resort to radio-labeled or histological studies. This is also true for a new medical device made from known bioabsorbable materials. It is known that the biodegradation of bioabsorbable polyesters used in absorbable medical devices occurs via hydrolysis of ester linkages, with the by-product being acid generation. Generation of acid groups may not be troublesome to the surrounding tissue if the body's biological mechanisms can appropriately neutralize them as they are created. However, if a material undergoes too rapid hydrolysis, the tissues at the implant site may not be able to maintain a proper pH, thus causing undue inflammation.
Although conventional in vitro test methods are used to predict in vivo bioabsorption behavior, there may be deficiencies associated with their use. With some present methods, the data cannot be collected in an accelerated fashion. This is particularly troublesome for polymers having long absorption times. An example of this class of materials are those based on polymerized lactide; corresponding devices are often used in the field of orthopedics. Having a means of obtaining estimates of absorption time in an accelerated manner speeds development time and helps in product optimization. Clearly in vitro testing is advantageous over in vivo testing from a humane aspect in that animal use is significantly reduced or even eliminated. The costs associated with in vivo testing are significantly higher than the costs associated with in vitro testing. Although existing in vitro testing methods are adequate for their intended use, there is a need in this art for improved methods and systems to conduct in vitro testing. For example, it is required that conventional in vitro test systems maintain the solution baths at elevated temperatures substantially equal to or greater than body temperature. The elevated temperatures may adversely affect the performance of pH probes that are part of the in vitro titration systems, potentially resulting in incorrect data and resulting in miscalculated in vitro absorption times and incorrect predicted in vivo absorption times.
Accordingly, there is a need in this art for novel systems and methods for in vitro testing of bioabsorbable implants and medical devices that quickly, humanely, economically, accurately, and reproducibly predict in vivo bioabsorption times.


A window-pane cleaning device for cleaning window-panes of a building is provided in a cleaning unit which is moved along a window of the building. The device includes a squeezee for cleaning a window-pane, an approaching and retraction servo device for moving the squeezee toward and away from the surface of the window-pane, an inclination angle adjusting servo device for adjusting the inclination angle of the squeezee, sensors for detecting the position and pressing force of the squeezee, and a control device responsive to detection outputs of the sensors for controlling the pressing force and inclination angle of the squeezee to predetermined values respectively at starting of cleaning, during continuous cleaning and finishing of cleaning.

This invention relates to a window-pane cleaning device for cleaning window panes by using a squeezee and a method for controlling the same. The invention is directed to improving the cleaning efficiency drastically by employing a feedback control for controlling the squeezee in the pressing force applied thereto with two systems of servo devices.
As taller buildings are constructed, the number of windows provided in these buildings increases with accompanying necessity for regularly cleaning window-panes of these windows.
There has been a cleaning method currently in practice for cleaning window-panes according to which an operator in a moving scaffold hung from a roof of a building applies water on window-panes and wipes off water from the window-panes with a manually operated squeezee. This conventional cleaning method is inefficient and moreover is dangerous to the operator.
There has been developed a device for automatically cleaning window-panes. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, there is provided a cleaning unit 1 which is hung from a roof is capable of moving vertically. A squeezee 2 is mounted on this unit 1 such that the squeezee 2 abuts against a window-pane W and the fixing position of the squeezee 2 can be changed. Water is sprayed from a water spray nozzle 1 over the window-pane W and dust is wiped off with the squeezee 2 while the cleaning unit 1 is moved down. Soiled water is recovered and collected in a soiled water tank.
In such prior art window-pane cleaning device, it is necessary to press the squeezee 2 against the window-pane W with a constant force for effecting a satisfactory cleaning work without leaving an unwiped portion on the window-panes.
For this purpose, in the prior art cleaning device, the amount of projection of the squeezee 2 from the cleaning unit 1 is adjusted by changing the fixing position of the squeezee 2 before starting the cleaning work by moving down the cleaning unit 1.
Although the cleaning unit 1 of the prior art device is moved down along guides attached to the sides of each window of a building, there are irregularities in the mounting position of the guides and also mounting position of window-panes in each window due to errors in mounting these guides and window-panes. For this reason, the interval between the surface of the window-pane W and the cleaning unit 1 actually is not constant with resulting variation in the pressing force of the squeezee 2.
Hence, the squeezee 2 tends to be undesirably spaced away from the window-pane W as shown in FIG. 5b as compared to an optimum position shown in FIG. 5a or, conversely, approaches too close to the window-pane W as shown in FIG. 5c with resulting occurrence of unwiped portions on the window-panes W or increase in resistance to wiping by the squeezee 2 or leaving of scratches on the window-panes W.
Moreover, in a case where window-panes W continue horizontally and the cleaning operation must be made by moving the cleaning unit 1 in a horizontal direction, there are not only the above described error in mounting window-panes on windows but also a problem caused by a a window-pane with curved surface as shown in FIG. 5d provided in the corner portion of the building. In such curved portion of the window-pane, the distance between the surface of the window-pane W and the squeezee 2 varies inevitably with a result that an unwiped portion is left or, conversely, resistance in wiping increases.
In an attempt to overcome these problems, there has also been developed a cleaning device in which the amount of projection of the squeezee is adusted by stretching or withdrawing of arms of air cylinders. An expriment made with this cleaning device has made it clear that, as shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b, the pressing force of the squeezee in some case varies widely by a slight change in the amount of projection of the squeezee but in other case does not vary much despite a large change in the amount of projection of the squeezee, depending upon the state of contact of the squeezee against the surface of the window-pane. Thus, the relation between the pressing force of the squeezee and the amount of projection of the squeezee is not linear and, accordingly, the control system for adjusting the amount of projection of the squeezee by stretching or withdrawing air cylinders cannot improve the cleaning efficiency as expected.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a window-pane cleaning device and a method for controlling the same capable of cleaning window-panes by pressing a squeezee with a constant pressing force over the entire width of the window-pane notwithstanding variation in the distance between the squeezee and the window-pane whereby the cleaning efficiency can be remarkably improved.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method for controlling a window-pane cleaning device capable of controlling the squeezee always in an optimum condition during each period of starting cleaning, continuous cleaning and finishing cleaning.


A system for managing cache utilization includes a processor core, a lower-level cache, and a higher-level cache. In response to activating the higher-level cache, the system counts lower-level cache victims evicted from the lower-level cache. While a count of the lower-level cache victims is not greater than a threshold number, the system transfers each lower-level cache victim to a system memory without storing the lower-level cache victim to the higher-level cache. When the count of the lower-level cache victims is greater than the threshold number, the system writes each lower-level cache victim to the higher-level cache. In this manner, if the higher-level cache is deactivated before the threshold number of lower-level cache victims is reached, the higher-level cache is empty and thus may be deactivated without flushing.

Processing systems often utilize memory subsystems with multiple levels of caches. It often is advantageous to deactivate (that is, "power down") such caches when not in use. To deactivate a cache, the cache is flushed and any valid lines are sent to system memory. However, power is consumed while searching the higher-level cache for valid cache lines to send to memory. Some conventional memory subsystems utilize tracking hardware outside the cache to track a set of validity bits, sometimes referred to as "way valid" or "sector valid" bits, that indicate roughly occupied regions of the cache—that is, where valid cache lines are located within the cache, to help speed the search for the valid lines. The use of such validity bits can accelerate the flush if the valid lines are not spread widely over the cache. Nevertheless, the search for valid lines and the process of flushing a cache in preparation for deactivation of the cache utilizes a significant amount of power or a significant number of clock cycles.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.

Systems and method for delayed cache utilization


In electronic and/or electrical equipment, a cable management assembly is configured for usage in an electronic and/or electrical equipment rack assembly. The cable management assembly comprises at least two arm members, at least one flexible coupling configured to attach two of the at least two arm members, and connectors configured to flexibly attach an electronic and/or electrical equipment component to an electronic and/or electrical equipment rack. The at least two arm members, the at least one flexible coupling, and the connectors are constructed from a material that removes heat from interior to the rack and is connected in a configuration that draws the removed heat to a heat sink element.

Electronic systems and equipment such as computer systems, network interfaces, storage systems, and telecommunications equipment are commonly enclosed within a cabinet, rack, or housing for support, physical security, and efficient usage of space. Electronic equipment contained within the enclosure generates a significant amount of heat. Thermal damage may occur to the electronic equipment unless the heat is removed.
Some computer systems, for example network systems, often have multiple separate computer units or servers positioned and stacked in a cabinet or rack. The servers are electrically interconnected and perform functions such as storage, communications, computations, and the like. The rack includes support columns for securing the individual computer servers, typically using opposing slide assemblies which attach to the columns. Slide assemblies enable a server to be extracted from the rack, typically at the front but possibly at the rear or sides, so that individual servers can be serviced for maintenance, replacement of computer cards, or other operations while the server remains in operation.
A typical server has a back panel coupled to several input and output cables which include power cables, data cables, communication lines, keyboard lines, and others. Some type of cable management device, for example a cable management arm, may be used to collect the cables at the back of the server and rack for convenience and organization. The cable management arm is typically mounted to the rack and to the server in such a manner that when the computer server is pulled out of the rack on the slide assemblies, the cable management arm unfolds and extends to allow the cables mounted thereto to be maintained in their organized state.

Cable management arm with integrated heat exchanger

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


An improved T fitting results in a more uniform flow of fumes from an engine crankcase. The T fitting combines flows from an air filter and a hose connected to the engine crankcase, into coaxial paths, and then combines the flows into a combined flow. The combined flow is drawn into an intake manifold by manifold vacuum. The combining of the flows through the coaxial paths results in a more uniform flow of fumes from the crankcase.

The present invention relates to reducing emissions from internal combustion engines and in particular to an improved T fitting for a Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system to facilitate a flow of crankcase fumes from the crankcase and into an engine air intake.
Diesel engines are commonly used in commercial applications such as trucks and stationary engines. These engines typically have much higher compression ratios than gasoline engines, and as a result, a substantial amount of diesel blow-by escapes past the piston rings. Unlike gasoline engines which use a simple crankcase ventilation system, the diesel blow-by is generally vented to the outside, and presents a source of unpleasant fumes. Diesel engines typically can not simply vent the crankcase to the engine intake, because of the presence of the diesel blow-by includes components which are likely to degrade diesel engine performance.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/330,466 for "HYDROGEN AUGMENTED DIESEL CRANKCASE VENTILATION," a parent of the present application, discloses a system combining hydrogen and crankcase fumes in the intake of a diesel engine, whereby the hydrogen facilitates burning the crankcase fumes to reduce emissions and to improve mileage. The system of the '466 application includes a filter in the hose carrying the crankcase fumes to the engine intake. The filter both filters the fumes and traps liquids in the fumes. In some cases, the trapped liquids have filled the filter and prevented optimal operation of the system. Further, many diesel engines draw air from the intake manifold which is pumped into a tank and used to actuate, for example, air brakes. Drawing hydrogen into such a system may result in undesirable conditions.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/781,826 for "HYDROGEN AUGMENTED DIESEL CRANKCASE VENTILATION," a parent of the present application, discloses a system with a filter with a drain hose for returning the trapped liquids to the crankcase. The filter drain hose has provided a good solution to the accumulation of liquid in the filter, but some systems have shown a somewhat irregular flow of fumes from the crankcase.

Positive crankcase ventilation system T fitting


There is disclosed a direction-changing roller for suspension frames of photographic material developing machines, over which the photographic material to be developed is guided in a meandering path. The roller has a cylindrical roller body on each end of which there is arranged a respective collar-shaped flange. There are further rollers inserted in the roller body. The surfaces of the further rollers are flush with the outline or surface of the roller body. Each further roller is mounted to be freely rotatable about an axis extending perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the direction-changing roller and radially offset from this axis of rotation.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a direction-changing roller for suspension frames of developing machines for films or photographic paper, in which the strip-like material which is to be developed is guided along a zigzag or meandering path over the suspension frame and the rollers mounted in it. This direction-changing roller comprises a cylindrical roller body on each end of which there is arranged a collar-like flange which has the effect of preventing the strip-like material which is mounted on and runs on the roller from slipping off the adjacent end of the roller.
2. Background of the Information
When two or more lengths of strip-like photographic material are mounted and guided in a zigzag path over a section of a continuous developing machine formed as a suspension frame, the use of mutually coaxially arranged transporting, running or direction-changing rollers results in an inclined path of the strip-like photographic material, which is conducted around the individual rollers over about 180.degree. . This means that the strip-like film material, between its first point of contact with a roller and its last point of contact, i.e. from entry to departure from this roller, is displaced in the direction of the axis of the roller. The extent of the relative movement between the strip-like shape photographic material and the surface of the associated direction-changing roller is dependent on the geometry of the suspension frame, i.e. on the spacing between the spindles of the two axes of the suspension frame the widths of the individual rollers and so on.
In order to compensate for the axial displacement of the strip-shaped photographic material it is known to arrange the rollers arranged at the lower end of the frame in an inclined direction, i.e. to mount them to rotate about axes which are arranged inclined to the vertical plane of the suspension frame and at the same time parallel to one another. Such an arrangement of the lower rollers however not only is complicated and therefore expensive, but can only partially solve the problem of the axial displacement of the strip-shaped photographic material because non-uniformity in the tension of the web and in the transport of the photographic material cannot be compensated easily.

Direction-changing roller for suspension frames of photographic material developing machines


In an optical communication system where first and second transmitter devices (12, 16) bidirectionally transmit first and second signal beams through an optical fiber (11) and first and second receiver devices (13, 17) receive the second and the first signal beams, respectively, a polarization control system comprises a polarization control unit (21) between the optical fiber and the first transmitter and receiver devices and a controller (23) for controlling the polarization control unit by a detected signal produced by the first receiver device so as to supply the second signal beam to the first receiver device with a constant reference polarization state. The first signal beam may be an FDM signal beam. In this event, the second receiver device comprises tunable receivers (R.times.1/100) which may be installed in a hub together with the second transmitter device and connected to terminal units through metal cables. Preferably, the first transmitter device generates the first signal beam with a polarization state adjusted either parallel or orthogonal to the reference polarization state. More preferably, the first and the second signal beams should have frequencies determined in consideration of polarization dispersion.

This invention relates to a polarization control system for use in an optical communication system which is typically either a bidirectional coherent optical communication system or a frequency division multiplexed (FDM) optical signal distributing system.
Having diligently continued reduction to practice of this invention after filing in Japan, the present applicants contributed, together with two others, a letter to the IEEE Photonics Technology Letters. The letter was printed in Volume 2, No. 2 (Feb. 1990), pages 135 to 138, under the title of "A Bidirectional Common Polarization Control Method for Coherent Optical FDM Transmission System". The printed letter is herein incorporated by reference.
In general, an optical communication system comprises an optical fiber having first and second ends. The optical fiber is, for example, from 20 km to 100 km long and has a birefringence which is inevitably subjected at various parts of the length to variations by the ambient temperature of the optical fiber, external pressure supplied to the optical fiber, or both. It is therefore unavoidable that a signal beam has a polarization state which undergoes fluctuations while transmitted through the optical fiber.
In the optical communication system, a first or first-end transmitter device and a first or first-end receiver device are connected to the first end. A second or second-end transmitter device and a second or second-end receiver device are connected to the second end. The first transmitter device is for generating a first signal beam which is transmitted through the optical fiber from the first end to the second end to be received by the second receiver device. The second transmitter device generates a second signal beam for transmission through the optical fiber from the second end to the first end and for reception by the first receiver device. Due to the fluctuations in the polarization state, each receiver device can not always have a best reception sensitivity.
It is possible to avoid occurrence of the fluctuations and to always achieve the best receiver sensitivity if the optical fiber is of a polarization maintaining type. A polarization maintaining optical fiber is, however, very expensive. It is therefore usual to use a single-mode optical fiber and a polarization control system in order to suppress the fluctuations.
The polarization control system may be operable according either to automatic polarization control or to polarization diversity. When the polarization diversity is resorted to, each receiver device must have a complicated structure. Moreover, the reception sensitivity becomes poor. It is therefore preferred to use the automatic polarization control for simplification of each receiver device and for achievement of a high reception sensitivity.
In a conventional polarization control system, first and second polarization control devices are used near the first and the second ends to suppress the fluctuations in the polarization state of the second signal beam arriving at the first receiver device and the fluctuations in the polarization state of the first signal beam reaching the second receiver device. This undesiredly raises the price of the polarization control system and consequently the price of the optical communication system.

Polarization control of bidirectionally transmitted beams by a single polarization controller


A switchable DFB (distributed feedback) laser which includes a waveguide layer having an impressed diffraction grating composed of two or more superposed subgratings having different respective grating constants. The diffraction grating is either frequency modulated (FIG. 3a) or amplitude modulated (FIG. 3b) or is a mixed form of these two types of modulation. Each subgrating can be employed to generate an emission wavelength that is a function of the grating period. By changing the temperature or changing the injection current, the effective index of refraction of the laser is changed, thus enabling the setting of an emission wavelength which is a function of the modulated diffraction grating. The switchable DFB laser according to the present invention may be employed for optical data transmission and particularly in narrowband wavelength multiplex operation.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor laser having a multilayer structure and more particularly a semiconductor laser having an interface between two layers which is configured as a diffraction grating.
Such semiconductor lasers are known as DFB (distributed feedback) or DBR (distributed Bragg reflector) lasers and are disclosed in European Pat. 0,173,269. Such lasers have a wavy interface between two layers so as to form a grating at which light emitted upon stimulation is diffracted in such a way that first order observation causes light to propagate at an emission wavelength .lambda.0 which corresponds to twice the grating period.
The difference between known DFB lasers and a DBR lasers is that in the DFB laser the wavy interface lies between the laser active layer and a waveguide layer. In the DBR laser the wavy interface follows the laser-active layer between the waveguide layer and another layer having a lower refractive index. The prior art DFB and DBR lasers emit extremely narrow-banded light of a single longitudinal mode. Therefore, these lasers are suitable for optically coherent data transmission as well as for optical data transmission at high bit rates over long paths.
The prior art DFB and DBR lasers have the drawback that they can be tuned only over a very narrow range, for example up to .DELTA..lambda.=2 nm and therefore can be used only conditionally for wavelength multiplex operation. Tuning is effected by increasing the free charge carrier density in the laser-active layer or by a change in temperature.


The invention relates with the omni-directional toy vehicle that can move in all directions of forward, backward, rotational, left and right movement by driving manually the omni-directional wheels installed at the vehicle and combining their rotational directions. The vehicle characterized by comprising a frame composing the body of the vehicle, at least three rotating axles which are installed at the lower part of the frame with a rotatable mechanism, at least three omni-directional wheels which are connected to the axles, at least three driving element which are connected to the axles and drive the omni-directional wheels and a seat located at the upper part of the frame. The vehicle can be driven and steered simultaneously by means of driving combinations of each omni-directional wheel without any additional steering element and make an operator be interested in the manual operation of omni-directional wheels.

General vehicles and mobile robots are divided into the independent two driving wheel mechanism and the steering and driving mechanism according to the driving mechanism. The present driving mechanisms mentioned above have the limited movement, that is, they can not instantaneously move in the side direction without rotating directly the body of vehicle in a state of forward movement. Because of this limitation of movement, it is difficult to move in a narrow space and it is necessary to calculate the complex path in order to reach a destination.
The omni-directional driving mechanism was devised to overcome the aforementioned defects. The omni-directional driving mechanism can instantaneously move in any direction in any state of motion by making it possible to have 3 degree of freedom motion (longitudinal, lateral and rotational).
For the omni-directional driving, several types of omni-directional mechanism were proposed and, in general, they are classified into two methods. The one is the adoption of conventional wheels. The other is the adoption of specially designed wheels for the omni-directional driving. Off-centered wheel mechanism, which is a typical mechanism of conventional wheels, has steering axles installed off-centered from each wheel center at each wheel so that it can be omni-directionally driven by steering and driving each wheel. There are Universal wheel, Mechanum wheel, Double wheel, Alternate wheel, Half wheel, Orthogonal wheel and Ball wheel among the specially designed wheels for omni-directional driving. Their shapes are different each other but they commonly have the active mode of transferring the driving force through the rotation of wheels and the passive mode of free rotation without transferring the driving force. Wheels which are applied to the omni-directional driving with the aforementioned active and passive mode are referred to as the omni-directional wheels.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of omni-directional wheels. Universal wheels shown at (a) of FIG. 1 is the most traditional among omni-directional wheels and comprises several passive rollers which rotate freely at each axis. Here, the rotation axis of each passive roller is tangent to the wheel circumference respectively. But the discontinuous contact with the ground resulted from the gap between the passive rollers makes a Universal wheel applied vehicle be vertically vibrated.
Mechanum wheel and Double wheel shown at (b) and (c) of FIG. 1 respectively were proposed to remove the vertical vibration. Each roller of the Mechanum wheel is arranged at the angle of 45 degrees with the wheel axis and the Double wheel is overlapped with two wheels. But, their translational operation results in the horizontal vibration because they are also in discontinuous contact with the ground. And, even though the wheels rotate with a constant angular velocity, the turning speed of the Mechanum wheel or the Ball wheel applied vehicle is not constant during its turning operation because the distance between the wheel and the center of vehicle changes at the existence of discontinuous contact. Furthermore, the Mechanum wheel functions as a decelerator so that it makes an effect of the increase of inertia, which means that the operation efficiency of the Mechanum wheel applied vehicle is decreased.
The Alternate wheel and Half wheel shown at (d) and (e) of FIG. 1 respectively were proposed to minimize the horizontal and vertical vibration. The Alternate wheel has the shape that small and large rollers are arranged by turns and the half wheel has the shape that half cut rollers are serially overlapped.
The Orthogonal wheel shown at (f) of FIG. 1 has two roller of which axes of rotation are perpendicular each other and the Ball wheel shown at (g) of FIG. 1 embodies the active and passive mode with the sphere type wheel.
The aforementioned omni-directional wheels have shortcomings respectively but, contrary to conventional wheels, they have the driving torque transferring direction by the active mode and the external force driven free rotation direction by the passive mode so that they have the advantage of 3 degree of freedom motion (longitudinal, lateral and rotational) at a two dimensional space.
In regard to this, Roger F. Hiscock proposed an omni-directional wheel applied toy vehicle on American U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,899.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the toy vehicle of the aforementioned patent.
Referring to FIG. 2, the toy vehicle 10 comprises a frame 15 and a seat 20 located at the rear upper part of the frame 15. Rear wheels 25 installed at the rear part of the frame 15 are rotatable by the driving axle 30 and the housing 35 covers the supporting axle 45 in front of the frame 15. Multiple rollers 70 which are rotatable in the direction perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the rear wheels 25 are arranged at the circumference of the rear wheels 25. Also, the front wheels 40 installed in front of the frame 15 are rotatable by the supporting axle 45 and connected to the housing 35 via the pin 50 so that the toy vehicle 10 can be steerable. That is, the front wheels 40 are steered by the handle 55 and, in detail, by the steering axle 60 connected to the handle 55 in connection with the steering link engaged with the steering axle 60. The pedals 65 are located near the housing 35 and connected to the driving axle 30 via a chain or a sprocket so that their operation can drive the rear wheels 25.
But, even though the toy vehicle 10 adopts the omni-directional wheel of universal wheel type for the rear wheels, it can not perfectly move in all directions because two rear wheels 25 are not operated independently as well as the toy vehicle is steered by steering the front wheels 40 connected to the handle 55.


A circuit package and a method of forming the same that facilitates control of the impedance of a driving circuit employing resistive vias formed into a dielectric substrate.

Circuit package designs are utilizing higher operational frequencies to satisfy data rate increases of integrated circuits. As a result, package designs must address challenges to signal propagation presented by the increased operational frequencies that were previously ignored, such as distributed resistance and capacitance (RC) of the conductor, an impedance of the driving source and load impedance. Specifically, for very long conductors, i.e., conductors whose length is great compared to the wavelength of a signal, the RC of the conductor produces propagation delays, as well as contributes to impedance mismatches. Impedance mismatch between the driving source and the conductor results in signal reflection, which interferes with signals produced by the driving circuit, typically referred to as return loss. Return loss results in both noise and shape degradation in signals produced by the driving circuit.
To avoid impedance mismatch, packages may be designed with discrete resistors to define the impedances of the signal lines connected to the driving receiving circuit. Typically, these discrete resistors are formed by printing, such as screen printing, a thick-film resistive paste or ink on a substrate and are referred to as thick-film resistors. The predictability and variability (or tolerance) of the electrical resistance of a thick-film resistor has proved challenging.
As a result, circuit package design typically has depended upon integrated circuit design to solve the problems presented by high frequency signal propagation. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,298 to Kwon et al. discloses a semiconductor device that includes a circuit to reduce impedance mismatch between the semiconductor device and a bus connected thereto. The bus consists of a plurality of signal lines. The semiconductor device includes a discrete resistor, corresponding to the impedance of the signal lines. The signal lines are connected to a plurality of second pads. A reference voltage generator generates a reference voltage. A comparator compares a voltage on the first pad with the reference voltage, generating a control signal in response to the comparison. A code generator generates a code signal in accordance with the control signal to produce a current on the first pad. A data driver drives data signals to the code signal, thereby matching the impedance of the data driver with the impedance of the signal lines.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,808,478 to Andresen discloses a buffer with a slew rate that is load independent. The buffer is comprised of an output buffer connected to an output terminal. The output buffer is controlled such that it can drive a load with different drive levels by changing the transconductance internal thereto. The transition on the input to the buffer is passed through an intrinsic delay block to provide a delay signal on a node. A first phase detector latch with a first threshold voltage compares this transition with the transition on the output terminal. A second phase detector latch with a second threshold voltage, also compares this delayed transition with that on the output terminal. If both of the latches indicate that the delayed transition occurred after the transition on the output terminal, a control signal on a line is changed by incrementing a counter. This will change the drive to a load. If the transition on the output terminal occurs after the delayed transition, then the counter increments the count value in the opposite direction, increasing the drive to the load to increase the speed of the output driver.
What is needed, however, is a circuit package design that minimizes impedance mismatch between the driving source and the conductor.
Provided is a circuit package and a method of forming the same that facilitates control of the impedance of a driving circuit employing resistive vias formed into a dielectric substrate. In this manner, the input impedance, output impedance or both of the driving circuit may more closely match the impedance of the conductor, or transmission line, of a package that is connected thereto. To that end, the package includes a dielectric substrate having a first surface and a second surface, disposed opposite to the first surface. A via extends between the first and second surface, and a first conductor is disposed on the surface that extends from the via. A second conductor is disposed on the second surface and extends from the via. The via has a resistive fill disposed therein, defining a resistance connected between the first and second conductors. A driver circuit is mounted to the substrate and includes an input and an output. The output is in electrical communication with the first conductor and has an output impedance associated therewith. The output impedance includes an output resistive component and an output reactance component. The output resistive component including the resistance, and the resistance is of sufficient magnitude to be the dominant component of the output impedance. In another embodiment, the impedance of the input is controlled in a similar fashion. The method defines steps to make the aforementioned circuit.

Resistive vias for controlling impedance and terminating I/O signals at the package level


A recording and/or reproducing apparatus is disclosed in which informational signals are recorded and/or reproduced by irradiating an optical disc 202 with a light beam from an optical pick-up device 1 through an recording and/or reproducing opening 205 which is formed in a disc cartridge 202 which rotatably houses an optical disc 203. The optical pick-up device 1 which is used for the recording and/or reproducing apparatus comprises a light source and an objective lens 5 for converging the light beam from the light source upon the signal recording area of the optical disc 203. When recording and/or reproducing of informational signal on and/or from the optical disc 203 is performed by the optical pick-up device 1, only the objective lens 5 is moved into the disc cartridge 202 via the recording and/or reproducing opening 205 formed on the disc cartridge 202 to shorten the distance between the objective lens 5 of the optical pick-up device 1 and the disc 203.

Discs such as magneto-optical discs or optical discs have heretofore been used as recording media of informational signals. A disc 101, as shown in FIG. 1, comprises a disc-shaped disc substrate made of a material having a light transmitting ability and a signal recording layer which is formed on at least one side of the disc substrate. When recording and/or reproducing informational signals on the disc 101, the disc 101 is loaded in a recording and/or reproducing apparatus. The disc 101 is supported at the center thereof by a disc rotating drive mechanism 102 disposed in the recording and/or reproducing apparatus and is driven to rotate around its center by the same mechanism 102. Accordingly, the signal recording layer is formed on a peripheral area which is located outside of the portion supported by the disc rotating drive mechanism 102.
Writing to the disc 101 or reading from on the disc 101 is carried out by an optical pick-up device 103 disposed in the recording and/or reproducing apparatus. The optical pick up device 103 comprises a light source and an objective lens 104 disposed at a point on an optical axis for condensing a light beam emitted from the light source so that the light beam from the light source is converged upon the signal recording portion of the disc 101. In other words, the light beam which is emitted from the light source and is impinged upon the signal recording portion of the disc 101 via the objective lens 104 is controlled in such a manner that it is constantly focussed upon the signal recording portion of the disc 101.
When an informational signal is recorded on a magneto-optical disc having a signal recording layer made of a magneto-optical material, an external magnetic field generating device is needed to apply an external magnetic field to the signal recording layer in addition to the optical pick-up device.
The optical pick up device 103 is provided with an objective lens drive mechanism 109 for moving the objective lens 104 in two directions including an axial direction and a direction perpendicular to the axial direction so that the light beam emitted from the light source is constantly focussed upon the signal recording portion of the disc 101 even when the surface of the disc 101 is oscillated or the disc 101 is eccentrically moved due to the rotation by the disc rotating drive mechanism 102. The objective lens drive mechanism 109 supports the objective lens 104 on a supporting member (not shown) in such a manner that the objective lens 104 is movable in an optically axial direction and in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis. In addition, the objective lens drive mechanism 109 drives the objective lens 104 along an optical axis and in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis by means of an electromagnetic actuator.
To protect the disc 101 from being contaminated with dust or being damaged from handling the disc 101 is housed in a disc cartridge 108 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 which is formed as a box-shaped cartridge main body 105. The disc cartridge 108 houses the disc 101 so that the disc 101 can be rotated within the cartridge main body 105. The cartridge main body 105 which houses the disc 101 therein is provided on at least one main side thereof with a recording and/or reproducing opening 106 through which at least a part of a signal recording area of the disc 101 is exposed in a radial direction, and a chucking opening 107 through which the central portion of the disc 101 formed with a center hole is exposed. Accordingly, the disc 101 housed in the disc cartridge 108 is supported from the center hole and is rotated by the disc rotating drive mechanism 102 through the chucking opening 107. Writing and/or reading of informational signals is carried out by the optical pick-up device 103 which faces to the disc 101 through the recording and/or reproducing opening 106.
The recording and/or reproducing opening 106 which is formed on the cartridge main body 105 is closed by a shutter member (not shown) that protects the disc 101 when not in use. The shutter member has a shutter portion which is formed to close at least the recording and/or reproducing opening 106 and is movable in such a direction that it opens and closes the recording and/or reproducing opening 106, and which is supported on the cartridge main body 105. Accordingly, the shutter member is moved to a position in which it closes the recording and/or reproducing opening 106 when the disc cartridge 108 is not in use while it is moved by a shutter opening mechanism to an open position when the disc cartridge 108 is loaded in the recording and/or reproducing apparatus.
In the above mentioned recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the distance between the objective lens 104 and a first surface of disc 101 faced by the objective lens 104 i.e. the working distance, is determined by the optical characteristics of the objective lens 104 of the optical pick up device. In order to make the density of the informational signals which are written to and/or read from the signal recording layer higher, it is necessary to converge a light beam B on the signal recording layer as a smaller spot. At this end, the working distance is made as short as possible so long as no problem arises in the design and manufacture of the objective lens 104.
Since the working distance is made as short as possible, the objective lens 104 must be brought as close as possible to the disc 101. As shown in FIG. 1, the objective lens drive mechanism 109 has a diameter which is larger than the outer diameter of the objective lens 104.
Thus, in order to place the objective lens drive mechanism 109 within the cartridge main body 105, it is therefore necessary to form the cartridge main body 105 with a recording and or reproducing opening 106 that is large enough to enable the objective lens drive mechanism 109 to move into the cartridge main body 105.
If a larger recording and/or reproducing opening 106 is formed in order to meet the above mentioned requirements, it is also necessary to provide a larger shutter member for opening and closing the recording and/or reproducing opening 106. This makes it difficult to provide a compact disc cartridge 108 since the shutter member is movably supported by the cartridge main body 105 so that it opens and closes the recording and/or reproducing opening 106 as mentioned above. If the recording and/or reproducing opening 106 is made larger, it becomes very difficult to form a flat main side of the disc cartridge since the cartridge main body 105 is formed of a synthetic resin by a molding method such as injection molding using an injection molding machine.

Disc drive apparatus that positions an objective lens within a disc cartridge at the time when the disc is rotated


An LED package includes a light transmissive encapsulation, an LED die embedded in the encapsulation from a bottom surface of the encapsulation, a positive electrode electrically connected to an anode of the LED die, and a negative electrode electrically connected to a cathode of the LED die. The encapsulation includes a light emitting surface opposite to the bottom surface thereof. The LED die includes a front surface for outputting light outward, and a back surface opposite to the front surface. The front surface is covered by the encapsulation and faces the light emitting surface of the encapsulation. The back surface is exposed outside. A light emitting device is provided by mounting the LED package to a circuit board. The circuit board has a heat conductor connecting with the LED die.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to light emitting diode (LED) packages and light emitting device having the same.
2. Description of Related Art
With the continuing development of scientific technology and the rise of people's consciousness of energy saving, LEDs have been widely used in the field of illumination due to their small size and high efficiency. However the LEDs generate a great deal of heat when they are driven by electrical power to emit light. The heat results in a rise of temperature of the LEDs. If the temperature exceeds a predetermined value, a performance of the LED will deteriorate. Therefore, how to effective cool down the LEDs during operation thereof to increase light emitting efficiency, improve luminance, and extend longer service life has become an issue pending urgent solution in the trade.
Therefore, it is necessary to provide an LED package overcoming above shortcomings.

Light emitting diode package and light emitting device having the same

Advanced Optoelectronic Technology, Inc.


A modular tank comprises a plurality of panels positioned on the ground or another surface to form sides of a containment wall. Each panel comprises: i) a side wall section having a trapezoidal shape; and ii) a frame assembly connected to the side wall section and configured to support the side wall section such that a first base of the trapezoid shape is disposed proximate a base of the containment wall and a second base of the trapezoid shape is supported in an elevated position to form part of an upper perimeter of the containment wall. The modular tank also includes a liner configured to be disposed on at least one of the containment wall and the ground surface to thereby form a barrier for containing fluid in the modular tank. Depending on whether the first base of a panel is wider or narrower than the second base, panels may be aligned to form straight walls or curved walls, thereby enabling the modular tank to assume different shapes.

Many industries either produce or require large quantities of water and other liquids. This is particularly true of unconventional oil and natural gas operations that use hydraulic fracturing in combination with horizontal drilling to extract oil and natural gas. The process of hydraulic fracturing requires millions of gallons of water that are mixed with sand and other lubricating agents and injected into hydrocarbon formations under controlled high pressure to break open the rock, expand and hold open the fractures, thereby allowing oil and natural gas to flow to the well head. Following hydraulic fracturing, some of the fluids that are injected along with fluids that are naturally resident in the formation are returned to the surface. These fluids need to be managed in a responsible and cost-effective manner. Storing and disposing of these fluids in an environmentally safe manner present significant challenges. Many commercial operations use tanker trucks, rail cars or pipelines to haul waste fluids away for disposal. This greatly increases costs if the amount of waste liquid is large and the disposal facility is remote. Transporting fluids also created hazards and increases road or rail traffic.
To support industrial processes that require or produce large quantities of water or other liquids, many operators build temporary modular above-ground (MAG) fluid storage tanks to hold wastewater or other fluids. Such tanks may be deployed in, for example, an oilfield. Oilfield operators and similar industries that use MAG tanks constantly seek to improve logistics, increase safety, increase flexibility, lower costs, and expedite the set-up and take-down times of the MAG tanks.


An attachment 3 mounted on a specimen support portion 2 of an X-ray apparatus 1 includes a cover member 9 covering a specimen S and a scattered ray excluding member 8 provided between the cover member 9 and the specimen S. The scattered ray excluding member 8 takes in the form of a box, a case or enclosure defined by a wall 16. The enclosure has a large opening 14a on the side of the cover member 9 and a small opening 14b on the side of the specimen S. The scattered ray excluding member 8 functions to prevent scattered X-ray emitted from the cover member when X-rays from an X-ray source passes through the cover member 9 and traveling toward an X-ray detector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an attachment such as a high temperature attachment arranged around a specimen in an X-ray apparatus and an X-ray apparatus having the attachment.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been known an X-ray apparatus, which measures X-rays from a specimen when the specimen is irradiated with X-rays from an X-ray source, such as X-rays diffracted by the specimen, by using X-ray detection means such as an X-ray counter. There have been also known An X-ray apparatus, which performs such X-ray measurement by using a specimen housed in an attachment such as a high temperature attachment.
In an X-ray apparatus of such kind, a main role of X-ray detection means is to detect X-rays from a specimen. However, if there are no measures for excluding undesired X-ray from an attachment housing the specimen, the X-ray detection means may also detect the undesired X-rays, causing a result of X-ray detection to be incorrect.
In order to solve such a problem, an X-ray apparatus having a structure such as shown in FIG. 4 has been proposed in which a slit 52 is provided between a specimen S and an X-ray detector 51. In FIG. 4, the specimen S is housed in a temperature regulator 53, which is one of attachments for changing temperature of the specimen S. The slit 52 is constructed with a plurality of walls 54 arranged in parallel along a line shown by an arrow A.
The X-ray detector 51 may comprise a PSPC (Position Sensitive Proportional Counter), which is a one-dimensional X-ray detector. As well known, the PSPC 51 has a lateral slot 56 for receiving X-rays and, when X-rays are incident on any position of the slot 56, outputs a signal corresponding to the position, that is, the diffraction angle of X-ray, and having a level corresponding to an intensity of the X-ray.
In the X-ray apparatus shown in FIG. 4, X-rays radiated from an X-ray source F is collimated by a divergence-limiting slit 57 and directed to the specimen S. When the X-rays incident on the specimen S satisfies the Bragg""s diffraction condition with respect to crystal lattice plane of the specimen S, the X-rays are diffracted by the specimen S. The diffracted X-rays pass through the spaces defined by the walls 54 constituting the slit 52 and are incident on the slot 56 of the PSPC 51.
In the above-described conventional X-ray apparatus, when X-rays pass through an X-ray window 59 of the temperature regulator 53, the X-rays are scattered, resulting in scattered X-rays as undesired X-rays. Although the slit 52 is provided for preventing the undesired X-rays from being incident on the X-ray detector 51, the degree of prevention of undesired X-rays is not enough to exclude the effect of undesired X-rays.
An object of the present invention is to prevent undesired X-rays generated from other locations than a specimen from entering into an X-ray detector.
The inventors of the present invention had conducted various experiments on prevention of undesired X-rays incident on the X-ray detector and have found that it is effective to block undesired X-rays in the vicinity of location at which the undesired X-rays are generated.
(1) In order to achieve the above object, an attachment mounted on a specimen support portion of an X-ray apparatus, according to the present invention, is featured by comprising a cover member covering a specimen and a scattered ray excluding member provided between the cover member and the specimen. The scattered ray excluding member defines a through-hole having an inlet opening having a large area on the side of the cover member and an outlet opening having a small area on the side of the specimen.
According to this attachment, the scattered ray excluding member prevents undesired X-rays from being mixed in travelling paths of X-rays incident on the specimen and diffracted X-rays from the specimen, so that it is possible to perform a highly precise X-ray measurement.
(2) In the above-mentioned attachment, it is preferable that width and height of the inlet opening on the cover member side are larger than those of the outlet opening on the specimen side. Thus, incident angles of the X-rays incident on the specimen in width and height directions can be made large.
(3) In this attachment, the scattered X-ray excluding member may be arranged on the X-ray incident side of the specimen. Thus, it is possible, by the scattered X-ray excluding member, to shield undesired X-rays resulting from scattering of X-rays when the X-rays from an X-ray source pass through the cover member covering the specimen.
(4) In this attachment, the scattered X-ray excluding member can be formed by vertical wail members and lateral wall members. That is, the scattered X-ray excluding member can take in the form of an enclosure having a pair of vertical walls and a pair of lateral walls. With such an enclosure covering a space having square cross section, excludability of scattered X-rays becomes high compared with a scattered X-ray excluding member takes in a dome or semi-cylindrical form.
(5) In this attachment, the cover member may be formed of a visually transparent and X-ray transmitting material and have a semi-spherical form. By forming the cover member of the visually transparent material, it is possible to perform a measurement while watching the specimen. By the employment of the semi-spherical configuration of the cover member, it is easy for a user to handle the cover member.
X-rays diffracted by the specimen impinge to different positions of the inner surface of the cover member according to diffraction angles of X-rays. If the cover member is not in the semi-spherical form, the length of the traveling paths of X-rays within the wall of the cover member are changed according to the impinging positions, resulting in change of absorption of X-rays. This may require taking some steps for compensating the change of absorption of X-rays.
In contrast, since the semi-spherical form is employed in the present invention for the cover member, the length of the traveling paths of X-rays within the wall of the cover member becomes uniform regardless of the impinging positions of X-rays on the inner surface of the cover member. Thus, there is no need to make any compensation.
(6) Further, the attachment mentioned above may have a main body portion to be mounted on the sample support portion of the X-ray apparatus and the cover member can be detachably fixed to the main body portion.
(7) In the attachment having the cover member detachably fixed to the main body portion, the cover member may be mounted on the main body portion by forming a female thread on an inner peripheral surface of the cover member, forming a male thread on an outer peripheral surface of the main body portion and screwing the cover member onto the main body portion. With such construction employed, the cover member can be firmly fixed to the main body portion with a very simple work.
(8) The attachment may further comprise at least one of heater means for heating the specimen, cooling means for cooling the specimen, moisture regulator means for changing moisture condition around the specimen and environment regulation means for setting a gas environment of the specimen different from the atmosphere environment.
The attachment having the heating means constitutes a so-called high temperature attachment and that having the cooling means constitutes a so-called low temperature attachment.
(9) A high temperature attachment to be mounted on a specimen support portion of an X-ray apparatus, according to the present invention, is featured by comprising a specimen table for mounting a specimen thereon, heater means for heating the specimen table, a cover member covering the specimen and a scattered X-ray excluding member provided between the cover member and the specimen. The scattered ray excluding member defines a through-hole having an inlet opening having a large area on the side of the cover member and an outlet opening having a small area on the side of the specimen.
With this high temperature attachment, the scattered ray excluding member prevents undesired X-rays from being mixed in travelling paths of X-rays incident on the specimen and X-rays diffracted by the specimen, so that it is possible to perform highly precise X-ray measurement.
(10) An X-ray apparatus according to the present invention is featured by comprising specimen support means for supporting a specimen, an X-ray source for generating X-rays irradiating the specimen, X-ray detection means for detecting X-rays diffracted by the specimen and an attachment mounted on the specimen support means. The attachment has any one of the constructions mentioned above.
With this X-ray apparatus, the scattered ray excluding member prevents undesired X-rays from being mixed in travelling paths of X-rays incident on the specimen and diffracted X-rays from the specimen, so that it is possible to perform a highly precise X-ray measurement.
(11) In the above-mentioned X-ray apparatus, the X-ray detection means may comprise a two-dimensional X-ray detector. The two-dimensional X-ray detector can detect distribution of X-rays in a plane. That is, it can detect X-rays two-dimensionally. The X-ray detector may be a dry X-ray plate, an X-ray film or a plane storage phosphor. Alternatively, the X-ray detector may comprise a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor including two-dimensionally arranged CCDs.
The dry X-ray plate is a flat X-ray detection element composed of a base substrate formed of a relatively hard material and having a suitable area and an emulsion film containing silver halide as a main constituent and painted on one of or both surfaces of the base substrate. By developing an exposed dry X-ray plate, a two-dimensional distribution of X-ray can be obtained on the surface of the dry X-ray plate.
The X-ray film is a flat X-ray detection element composed of a thin, flexible plastic film and an emulsion film containing silver halide as a main constituent and painted on one of or both surfaces of the base plate. By developing an exposed X-ray film, a two-dimensional distribution of X-ray can be obtained on the surface of the X-ray film.
The X-ray detector comprising the plane storage phosphor is an energy storage type radiation-detecting element. The storage phosphor is formed by painting a surface of a flexible film or a flat plate type film, etc., with storage fluorescent material such as, for example, BaFBr:Er2+ fine crystals. The storage phosphor can store X-ray, etc., in the form of energy and can discharge the energy externally as light by irradiating it with stimulation pumping light such as laser light.
That is, when the storage phosphor is irradiated with X-rays, an image of X-ray is stored in the storage phosphor as a latent image of energy and, when the storage type fluorescent material is irradiated with stimulation pumping light such as laser light, the energy is discharged externally as light. By detecting the light by photoelectric tube, etc., diffraction angle and intensity of the X-ray contributed to the formation of the latent image can be measured. Sensitivity of the storage phosphor is about 10 to 60 times that of the conventional X-ray film and has a wide dynamic range from 106 to 108.
The plane type CCD sensor includes a plurality of CCDs arranged two-dimensionally on an X-ray receiving surface. The CCD sensor includes an electrode array formed by linearly or two-dimensionally arranging a plurality of electrodes on an insulating film formed on, for example, a silicon substrate, the electrode array being arranged correspondingly to a X-ray receiving slot of the X-ray detector.
When portions of the CCD sensor corresponding to the respective electrodes of the electrode array thereof are irradiated with X-ray, electric charges are stored below the electrodes and the electric charges are transferred externally by sequentially applying a voltage between the electrodes and the substrate.
In the X-ray apparatus using the two-dimensional X-ray detector, two-dimensionally dispersed X-rays are detected simultaneously and, therefore, possibility of detecting undesired X-rays becomes high. However, when the scattered ray excluding member of the present invention is used, it is possible to reliably prevent an exposure of the two-dimensional X-ray detector with undesired X-rays.

Attachment of x-ray apparatus, high temperature attachment and x-ray apparatus


A photosensitive composition comprising:                (A) a polymerizable compound represented by the following formula (I):A—{O—[(CH(—R1)CH(—R2))m—O]n—C(═O)—C(—R3)═CH2}p  (I)wherein R1, R2and R3 each represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, A represents a polyhydric alcohol residue or a polyhydric phenol residue, m represents an integer of from 1 to 6, n represents an integer of from 1 to 20, and p represents an integer of from 1 to 6;(B) an infrared absorber; and(C) an onium salt.

As lithographic printing plate precursors, those comprising a hydrophilic support having provided thereon a lipophilic photosensitive resin layer have hither to been widely used. As the plate-making methods, methods of obtaining desired printing plates by mask exposure (open-frame-exposure) via a lith film and then dissolving and removing the non-image area are ordinarily used.
Digitized techniques of electronically processing, accumulating and outputting image data using a computer have prevailed in recent years, and various image output systems corresponding to these digitized techniques have been put to practical use. As a result, a computer-to-plate (CTP) technique of directly making a printing plate by scanning digitized image data without using a lith film with highly convergent light such as a laser beam is eagerly desired. With such a tendency, it has become an important technical subject to obtain a printing plate precursor well adapted to such a purpose.
As such a lithographic printing plate precursor capable of scanning exposure, a lithographic printing plate precursor having a constitution comprising a hydrophilic support having provided thereon a lipophilic photosensitive resin layer (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "a photosensitive layer") containing a photosensitive compound capable of generating an active species, such as a radical and a Bronsted acid, by laser exposure has so far been proposed and printing plate precursors of these kinds have been now on the market. A negative lithographic printing plate can be obtained by scanning exposing the lithographic printing plate precursor with laser beams on the basis of digital data to generate an active species, causing physical or chemical changes in the photosensitive layer by the action of the active species to make the photosensitive layer insoluble, and then development processing the lithographic printing plate precursor.
As a negative lithographic printing plate precursor, there is known a negative lithographic printing plate precursor comprising a hydrophilic support having provided thereon a photopolymerization type photosensitive layer containing a high speed photopolymerization initiator, an addition polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated compound, and a binder polymer soluble in an alkali developing solution, and, if desired, an oxygen-shielding protective layer (e.g., refer to patent literature 1). Lithographic printing plate precursors of such type have desired printing properties, e.g., excellent in productivity and, further, easy to perform a development process, excellent in resolving power and ink receptivity.
As the binder polymer, alkali developable organic polymers, e.g., a methacrylic acid copolymer, an acrylic acid copolymer, an itaconic acid copolymer, a crotonic acid copolymer, a maleic acid copolymer, and a partially esterified maleic acid copolymer are used (e.g., refer to patent literatures 2 to 9).
In addition, for improving a film coating property, aging stability and press life, it is disclosed to use a polyurethane resin having an allyl group as the binder polymer in a photosensitive layer (e.g., refer to patent literature 10). However, a photosensitive composition capable of high sensitivity recording and satisfying all of storage stability (storage stability before exposure) and a film-forming property has not been obtained yet. Accordingly, as the present state, a negative lithographic printing plate precursor capable of high sensitivity recording with infrared laser beams and excellent in storage stability (storage stability before exposure) and press life has not been obtained yet.
[Patent Literature 1]
JP-A-10-195119 (The term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application".)
[Patent Literature 2]
JP-A-59-44615
[Patent Literature 3]
JP-B-54-34327 (The term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined Japanese patent publication".)
[Patent Literature 4]
JP-B-58-12577
[Patent Literature 5]
JP-B-54-25957
[Patent Literature 6]
JP-A-54-92723
[Patent Literature 7]
JP-A-59-53836
[Patent Literature 8]
JP-A-59-71048
[Patent Literature 9]
JF-A-2002-40652
[Patent Literature 10]
Japanese Patent No. 2712564

Photosensitive composition and lithographic printing plate precursor using the same


A hollow composite body includes a thermoplastic internal layer as a liner, a thermoplastic interlayer with embedded reinforcing fibers, and a thermoplastic external layer. The hollow body is made by furnishing the liner as a preform; introducing the preform into a mold, an inflatable bladder having been inserted into the preform; heating the preform and inflating the bladder to apply pressure against the internal wall of the preform. A space between the external wall of the preform and the internal wall of the mold is tailored to the thickness of the external layer of the hollow body to be obtained, so as to allow migration of the thermoplastic of the interlayer, and possible of the liner, beyond the interlayer.

The present application is based on French patent application 0009640, filed on Jul. 20, 2000, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a hollow composite body and its manufacturing process, the hollow body consisting of an internal layer of thermoplastic, a composite interlayer made of a thermoplastic in which reinforcing fibers are embedded, and an external layer made of a thermoplastic.
Cylindrical hollow bodies of this type, intended to contain pressurized fluids for example, are known from Patent Application WO 00/24566. Melting of the internal layer with the interlayer is obtained by a manufacturing process in which a thermoplastic tape having embedded continuous glass fibers is wound around a primary structure, or xe2x80x9clinerxe2x80x9d (which term will be employed in the rest of the description). This is done by heating the surface of the liner which is to be covered with the tape, in a zone located immediately adjacent the zone where the tape comes into contact with the liner, to a temperature above the melting point of the thermoplastic, then applying local pressure to the surface of the liner already covered with the tape in a zone located immediately adjacent the heating zone. This process makes it possible to completely fuse the thermoplastic of the liner and that of the composite tape and to remove the air between the layers of tape covering the liner. Finally, in order to coat the cylindrical body thus obtained with the external protective thermoplastic finishing layer, the process continues with a coextrusion step.
This process proves to be particularly advantageous in the case of elongate hollow bodies of cylindrical shape but is much more difficult, or sometimes impossible, to use for more complex shapes, especially when coextruding the external thermoplastic layer.
Patent Application WO 00/15415 proposes the manufacture of a composite pressurized tank of non-cylindrical shape by covering a thermoplastic liner with a layer of a glass fiber based composite by filament winding, placing this semifinished product or preform (this latter term being employed hereafter) in a mold, having beforehand introduced an inflatable bag thereinto, and in raising the temperature of the assembly while applying pressure in the liner by inflating the bag. This makes it possible to consolidate the composite layer with the liner.
For a tank of this type, requiring an external functional thermoplastic covering around the composite layer, a preform composed of the liner and the composite layer is surrounded with a thermoplastic film before it is inserted into the mould. The three constituents, namely the liner, the composite layer and the film, are then consolidated by heating the mold and inflating the bag.
This technique for producing the external layer of a complex shape therefore requires the product to be surrounded with a thermoplastic film. However, this operation can prove to be difficult and lengthy to implement when the complex structure has contours of variable shapes, the operator having to take particular care to suitably coat the details of its contours. The cost of such a solution is also to be taken into consideration since the use of such a thermoplastic film and the time spent in applying it consequently increase the manufacturing cost of the product.
It is therefore an object of the invention to manufacture a hollow composite body comprising an external covering layer made of a thermoplastic in a simpler and less expensive manner.
According to the invention, a hollow body includes an external layer formed from the thermoplastic of the interlayer and possibly of the internal layer, which thermoplastic has migrated beyond the interlayer during manufacture of the hollow body. This hollow body thus constitutes a homogeneous product since the continuity of the thermoplastic of the liner up to the external layer ensures perfect consolidation of the components. This is not necessarily guaranteed when the constituent layers are, as in the prior art, added successively one after the other and then consolidated.
Furthermore, this solution proves to be quicker to implement than that of the prior art by dispensing with one step in the process, since it is not necessary to apply a thermoplastic film.
According to one characteristic of the invention, the hollow body, before migration, comprises the liner and the composite interlayer covering the said liner, the migration of the thermoplastic taking place after pressurization of the internal wall of the liner and heating of the liner covered with the interlayer.
Surprisingly, the present inventors have found that the material of the interlayer migrates beyond the interlayer during its consolidation with the liner, and that the means employed for the consolidation can be tailored in order to also make the thermoplastic of the liner migrate, so as to increase the thickness of the external layer.
Advantageously, the thermoplastic of the composite interlayer is identical to that of the internal layer. Preferably, the thermoplastic is a polyolefin, for example polypropylene or polyethylene, or else a thermoplastic polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and the reinforcing fibers are glass fibers.
The process for manufacturing this hollow composite body comprises the following steps: furnishing the external surface of the liner with a composite so as to constitute a preform, the composite consisting of a thermoplastic mixed with reinforcing fibers; introducing the preform into a mold, an inflatable bladder having been inserted into the preform; and heating the preform and inflating the inside of the bladder in order to apply pressure against the internal wall of the preform, wherein a space between the external wall of the preform and the internal wall of the mold is tailored to the thickness of the external layer of the hollow body to be obtained, so as to allow migration of the thermoplastic of the interlayer, and possibly of the liner, beyond the interlayer during the heating and pressure application step.
According to one further characteristic of the invention, the composite is deposited by winding a tape which is delivered by an applicator from a multiplicity of wound packages of composite yarn advantageously consisting of co-mingled glass and thermoplastic filaments.
According to another further characteristic of the invention, the pressure applied to the inside of the bladder is between 1 and 10 bar, while the temperature to which the preform is heated is at least equal to the highest melting point of the thermoplastics present in the preform.

Hollow composite body and its manufacturing process


A pointer-type meter is provided in which, even when a pointer has a meandering shape, the influence thereof on the operation characteristics of the pointer can be minimized. The meter includes a display 1, display plates 21 and 22 having indicator portions 211 and 221, respectively, and placed to allow visual recognition of the display 1, a driving apparatus 6 placed at the back of the display 1 and having a pointer shaft 61 protruding toward the display 1, and a pointer 7 pivoting about the pointer shaft 61 serving as a rotation center axis RC to point to the indicator portions 211 and 221, the pointer 7 including a detour portion 71 and a pointing portion 72 pointing to the indicator portions 211 and 221, wherein a point P1 of the detour portion 71 farthest from the rotation center axis RC is closer to the rotation center axis RC than a tip P2 of the pointing portion 72.

A known pointer-type meter of this type is described, for example, in Patent Document 1 described below. The pointer-type meter includes a display formed of a liquid crystal display, a display plate having an indicator portion such as scales and characters, surrounding the periphery of the display, and having a window portion formed therein through which the display is visually recognized, a driving apparatus placed at the back of the display and having a pointer shaft protruding toward the display, and a pointer coupled to the pointer shaft, extending to bend in a generally S shape so as to detour around the display and the display plate, driven by the driving apparatus to pivot about the pointer shaft serving as the rotation center to point to the indicator portion.
The pointer includes a first pointer portion extending in the direction opposite to the rotation center on the back-face side of the display, a second pointer portion connected to the first pointer portion and extending in a thickness direction of the display on the side of the display, a third pointer portion connected to the second pointer portion and extending in the rotation center direction between the display and the display plate on the front side of the display, and a fourth pointer connected to the third pointer portion and extending in the thickness direction of the display plate on the inner periphery of the window portion of the display plate, and a fifth pointer portion connected to the fourth pointer portion and extending in the direction opposite to the rotation center on the front side of the display plate to point to the indicator portion. Since the pointer bent in the generally S shape is formed to extend between the display and the display plate and over the inner periphery of the window portion of the display plate to reach the front side of the display plate in this manner, slits can be eliminated in the display plate to improve the appearance quality.


A component invoking method includes obtaining component invoking data corresponding to a child application. The component invoking data includes a component identifier identifying a first native component in a parent application and corresponding to a current system platform and a second native component running on another system platform and having a same function as the first native component. The method further includes transferring the component invoking data to a native layer corresponding to the parent application using a communications channel corresponding to the current system platform and invoking the first native component by the native layer based on the component invoking data.

With the development of computer technologies and terminals, application requirements based on various types of terminals gradually increase accordingly. Types of operating systems of the terminals vary, including an Android operating system, a Symbian operating system, a Windows mobile operating system, an iPhone OS operating system, a Windows operating system, and/or the like.
A component is a programmable unit that is self-contained and reusable, and has a particular function. A complete application usually needs to invoke different components to implement corresponding functions. Existing applications generate components and invoking components by using development tools and languages correspondingly supported by different operating system platforms. Each application needs to form a set of complete code data corresponding to a system. This occupies large storage space and has large development difficulty.

Component invoking method and apparatus, and component data processing method and apparatus

TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED