A snorkel fixture of swimming mask, it provides a function that allows the user to easily separate the snorkel and the mask, a concaving buckle with a round hole is placed on the snorkel, also an attaching and releasing structure is build to slide into the hole on the concaving buckle to attach on the snorkel. By the chain reaction between the embodiment and allow the buckle to contract, the user can remove the buckle body. The snorkel and the mask can be easily attached and released.

The present invention relates to a structure that allows a diving use snorkel to attach on the mask. By using this structure to attach the snorkel to the mask, this structure provides easy, fast and simple methods.
Usually divers (or scuba divers) carry masks and snorkels as basic equipments. The snorkel is usually attached to the side of the mask by using a fixture. This fixture hangs on the strap, so the snorkel can be naturally adjust to the correct direction. (Snorkels have to be vertical during usage)
From past experiences, snorkels usually have hook shape equipments to allow itself attach to the strap. Although these structures are simple to use, they also have some odds, such as:
1. Hard to attach: When the snorkel is tightly attached to the strap, it is often hard to adjust the snorkel to a more comfortable and correct position, which is also hard to move.
2. Hard to release: Divers often release the mouth pads from their mouths, or even they sometimes need to release the snorkel from the strap. However, from past experiences, these structures are often hard the release.
3. If the snorkel is not in vertical direction while using it, these hook shape equipments may twist the strap and cause the users to feel uncomfortable.
An ideal fixture of snorkel should at least contain the following function:
1. Easy to attach and release;
2. While adjusting the angle of the snorkel, strap should not be twisted;
3. Easy to adjust the position of the fixture;
4. Easy to produce and assemble.
The present invention of fixture mainly includes the first part which is assembled on the strap, and the second part which is assembled on the snorkel. These two parts combining together make a fixture structure which contains the cons introduced above. The first part has a structure that allows it to attach and release from the strap. The present invention has this part controlled by a buckle. By functioning with the concaving brick structure of the second part, the attaching and releasing functions can be produced.
Further on, when the user wants the concaving buckle of the second part to attach and release from the first part, the concaving buckle has to be place to a correct position. The present invention has the neck of the concaving buckle designed in difference thickness, so that only in a certain direction the concaving buckle can enter the opening of the first part. On the other hand, by using this method, the concaving buckle would not be released accidentally.
In other words, by using the fixture structure of the present invention, the user can quickly attach the snorkel to the mask in certain direction. When attached, the mouth pad of the snorkel can easily be adjusted to the most appropriate position where the user""s mouth is. If the user would like to release the snorkel, he/she only has to press on the pressing board of the structure, and the snorkel can be released quickly in a certain direction.
Since both parts are designed to allow the snorkel to do horizontal and vertical adjustment, the snorkel and the strap can be adjusted to the most comfortable position for the user.
According to the spirit of patent law, the description of the fixture structure of the present invention can be modified according to the different specialties. For example, the way the first part and the second part attach to the mask and the snorkel, or by switching each other, or by some modification of the structure of the fixture should all be included in this case.
The main purpose of the present invention is to produce fixture equipment that allows the snorkel to quickly attach or release from the mask.
The present fixture structure includes the first part and the second part; where the first part can be adjust horizontally on the strap by not twisting the strap. The second part is located on the snorkel and can move in vertical direction. By combining the two functions, the snorkel can be adjusted to the most comfortable position for the diver.


Back pressure is mapped within a network, and primary bottlenecks are distinguished from dependent bottlenecks. Further, the presently disclosed technology is capable of performing network healing operations designed to reduce the data load on primary bottlenecks while ignoring dependent bottlenecks. Still further, the presently disclosed technology teaches identifying and/or suggesting a switch port for adding a node to the network. More specifically, various implementations analyze traffic load and back pressure in a network, identify primary and dependent bottlenecks, resolve the primary bottlenecks, collect new node parameters, and/or select a switch port for the new node. Further, a command can be sent to a selected switch to activate an indicator on the selected port. New node parameters may include new node type, maximum load, minimum load, time of maximum load, time of minimum load and type of data associated with the new node.

Communications networks, including without limitation wide area networks ("WANs"), local area networks ("LANs"), and storage area networks ("SANs"), may be implemented as a set of interconnected switches that connect a variety of network-connected nodes to communicate data and/or control packets among the nodes and switches. For example, a SAN may be implemented as a high-speed, special purpose network that interconnects different kinds of data storage devices with associated data servers on behalf of a large network of users. Typically, a SAN includes high performance switches as part of an overall network of computing resources for an enterprise. A SAN may be clustered in close geographical proximity to other computing resources, such as mainframe computers, but may also extend to remote locations, such as other enterprise sites, for backup and archival storage using wide area network carrier technologies. Data storage devices and data servers may be collectively referred to as "nodes" connected to the network.
Fibre Channel networking is typically used in SANs although other communications technologies may also be employed, including Ethernet and IP-based storage networking standards (e.g., iSCSI, FCIP (Fibre Channel over IP), etc.). As used herein, the term "Fibre Channel" refers to the Fibre Channel (FC) family of standards (developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)) and other related and draft standards. In general, Fibre Channel defines a transmission medium based on a high speed communications interface for the transfer of large amounts of data via connections between varieties of hardware devices. Other networking protocols may additionally or alternatively be employed, such as raw Ethernet, TCP/IP, UDP, etc.
Operating a network of interconnected network switches in a network becomes increasingly difficult as the number of network switches within the network increases and greater packet transfer rates are required. Further, modern networks demand fewer cyclic redundancy check errors and dropped packets within the increasingly complex networks. As such, current techniques for managing networks through switch-level problem management schemes may be insufficient to satisfy the increasingly challenging performance requirements of evolving networks. For example, strictly switch-level problem management schemes may be too slow and allow too many dropped packets. Further, strictly switch-level problem management techniques fail to distinguish between primary bottlenecks in the network and bottlenecks that are dependent on the primary bottlenecks. As a result, strictly switch-level problem management does not efficiently focus efforts to resolve performance issues at primary bottlenecks within the network.
Further, when a node is added to the network, a user such as an administrator or network technician manually chooses a port on a switch and connects the node to the chosen port via a communications link. There are a number of factors that may impact which switch and/or switch port is best, or at least acceptable, for attaching a new node. For example, relevant factors may include without limitation back pressure within the network, bottlenecked ports on switches, expected traffic load to and from the node, other nodes attached to the switches, traffic load already being handled by each switch, the time of day of use (or nonuse) of the node, type of node to be attached, topology constraints, etc. Unfortunately, the user may not know, or have access to, all the factors that contribute to switch and port selection, or the values of those factors. As such, it is often difficult for the user to make an informed decision about the best, or otherwise acceptable, point at which to attach a node to the network. The decision about where to attach a node to the network is often no better than a guess.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method and apparatus for coating catheters or balloon catheters is disclosed in which the catheter or balloon catheter is radially surrounded completely or almost completely at a constant distance by a device that applies a coating solution so that the coating solution completely fills the space between the catheter or balloon catheter and the device and thus completely surrounds the catheter or balloon catheter, relative motion is effected between the device and the catheter or balloon catheter in the axial direction across the surface of the catheter or balloon catheter multiple times, and partial drying of the applied coating solution occurs between the individual coating stages.

The invention relates to a method and a apparatus for the targeted coating process of catheters or balloon catheters. The term "catheters" herein means catheters exclusive of a balloon.
The treatment of stenosises is provided by placing stents and/or by using so called balloon catheters in order to dilate the respective vessels again. Here, in recent years considerable results have been achieved. Because of that, in many cases a dilatation of the vessel lumen exceeding 90% of the value before the constriction has started can be achieved.
However, in the past a renewed constriction (restenosis) has happened with numerous patients after a few months. Mostly, this is a consequence of the immoderate proliferation, especially of the smooth muscle cells, due to the forcible dilatation of the vessel walls. After healing up the injury the proliferation thereof does not stop immediately, thus frequently leading to a restenosis. One can inhibit this effect by coating the stents and the balloon catheters with an anti-restenosis active agent.
As a rule, the balloon catheters and stents have to travel a long path inside the vessels until they reach the location of the vessel constriction. Here, one is faced with the problem to prevent a premature separation of the active agents prior to reaching the destination and to ensure that the active agent is available in a predefined quantity at the location of the vessel constriction.
With the exclusive application of balloon catheters the contact time with the vessel wall only lasts some seconds to a few minutes during the dilatation of the balloon which aggravates the situation. Thus, it is necessary for the existing contact area to completely be used if possible by means of a uniform coating process, and for the active agents to be provided with a high bio-availability.
The stenosis of arteries is often combined with massive calcification. The vessels concerned can only be dilated to their original lumen again by means of very high pressure. For this purpose, a pressure-resistant balloon is inserted which forms into a stable cylinder through dilatation closely bearing against the vessel wall and pressing the active agents applied from the outside with appropriately high pressure against the vessel walls.
With the same method a local medicament dose can also be carried out without a dilatation of the vessels being necessary. Examples can be found with alterations of the vessel wall which are not associated with stenosis (e.g. vulnerable plaques, deposited thrombi). Other examples include the treatment of vessels by mechanical means or by thermal methods. In these cases, an overstretching of the vessel walls and a laceration combined therewith are not desired. As a result, the balloons which are used do not either bear against the irregular vessel walls completely and the active agents will be pressed against these with lower pressure.
In numerous publications there are proposed solutions which should prevent the premature separation of the active agents with the stents. One possibility consists in housing the active agent in small cavities and by preventing the premature separation by means of a protective coating (US 2004/0071861 A, WO 2003/035131 A). Likewise, described is the possibility to apply an inflexible final coating over the active agent layer which breaks open with the expansion (WO 2000/45744 A1). By contrast, DE 102007010354 A1 describes a combination of the active agent layer and absorbable sacrificial coating layer situated thereabove.
Coatings with active agents have also been described with balloon catheters. However, due to the greater surface and the folded structure they are more difficult to implement. Beyond that, an immediate release of the active agents from the catheter to the vessel walls is necessary as a result of the short contact time.
The possibility of reliably preventing restenosis even during the short contact of the balloon catheters with the blood vessels has been disclosed for the first time in WO 2002/076509 A2. Therein a balloon catheter is described which releases the active agent immediately in a bio-available form during contact with the vessel wall.
In numerous publications of the prior art there are described active agents and complex combinations from very diverse materials which are suitable for coating stents and/or balloon catheters.
In EP 0519063 B1 there is disclosed the possibility to coat a folded balloon being initially expanded and then deflated again with micro capsules in which a pharmaceutical agent can be included. A disadvantage of this embodiment lies in the fact that the majority of the micro capsules is separated from the balloon surface while inserting the balloon catheter into a vessel, and that only the capsules in the folds reach the destination. Thus, the quantity of the micro capsules being available during the expansion and hence the separated agent quantity is not known.
WO 2007/090385 A2 discloses a possibility of providing the folds of a balloon catheter specifically with an agent. With this embodiment the entire agent stock reaches the destination.
In the aforementioned two embodiments (EP 0519063 B1 and WO 2007/090385 A2) the agent is only transferred via one part of the balloon surface to the vessel walls. In this manner, it cannot be made certain that the agent in necessary quantity does reach all affected places of the vessel wall.
In WO 2004/006976 A, lipophilic pharmaceutical preparations are applied onto a structured, especially rough, surface of the expanded balloon through spraying, immersion or absorbing. By means of a lipophilic layer between the pharmaceutical preparation and the balloon surface the separation of the agent should be facilitated.
The most often described solutions for coating catheters and balloon catheters are based on a substrate decelerating the release of the agents. However, in the course of this the contact time between the balloon surface and ambient tissue is relatively short.
In contrast to this, DE 102007036685 A1 discloses the coating process of a balloon catheter in such a manner that at least one agent is immediately released. very diverse compositions functioning as agents and transport mediators are disclosed therein.
In WO 2008/086794 A2 there is generally disclosed the coating process of catheter balloons by means of a volumeter and a dispensing device. Thereby a great many different methods for the coating process are used. However, it is known that not all methods described therein result in a surface having the same characteristics in quality.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,847 B1 there is disclosed a possibility of removing surplus portions resulting from the coating process by means of a gas jet. But it is more useful to avoid such surplus portions already during the coating process, and thus to render superfluous a later treatment. Drying the coating during the treatment with the gas jet cannot completely be avoided. Consequently, the calibration of the system is very expensive because, on the one hand, a gas jet which is too weak cannot remove the surplus portions of the layer which have become more solid, and, on the other hand, a gas jet which is too strong can damage the layer in such a manner that the object to be coated is not completely covered any longer.
US 200610029720 A1 discloses a method of coating a medical device by applying the coating solution onto the top end of the vertically set up medical device. Then, the distribution takes place by means of flow processes due to gravity. One advantage of the invention is the good possibility of automation. With medical devices, in particular stents, uniform coating and, in particular, a very uniform distribution of the contained agents across the surface is of great significance. However, uniform distribution of the coating solution represents a problem with this method. This particularly applies to heavily structured objects such as stents or balloon catheters. The formation of projections and drops cannot practically be avoided with the flow technique, and additional methods, such as e.g. according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,847 B1, have to be used.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,754 B2 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,921 B1 describe a device and a method for coating a tubular or wire-like medical device including the possibility to leave out such regions which should not obtain any coating. With this method it is also possible to apply various coatings onto different regions of the medical device. For this purpose, a chamber is used which encloses the medical device at the ends such that coating solution is not allowed to escape. As a result, coating can take place through feeding and draining off the coating solution in the chamber or by means of a relative motion of the chamber and medical device. This approach has just several disadvantages. The impermeable seal of the chamber at the ends is technologically very expensive because many of these products are either heavily structured, e.g. stents, or have folds of such as e.g. balloon catheters. During a relative motion of the chamber and medical device the new coating, already existing coatings or even the medical device itself can be damaged the impermeable seal. Likewise, residual quantities remaining in the chamber and damages of the coating at the sealing positions represent a problem during opening the chamber.
In US 2007/0128343 A1 there is disclosed a possibility of having two spray nozzles by means of which two different coating solutions can be applied. A spraying method has several disadvantages which are not overcome by the present publication. For a uniform coating it is necessary to move the spray nozzles and the object to be coated relative to the longitudinal axis and to carry out a rotational motion of the object or an adequate motion of the spray nozzles as well. The well-defined quantity of the substances applied on the objects is just hard to guarantee as always a part of the substances do not arrive on the object to be coated during spraying. However, this is of great significance exactly with medically effective components.
Practicable compositions of coating solutions are described in detail in the prior art documents. The methods for coating are primarily presented in terms of calculated filling of the folds of the catheter balloon and/or applying a specific quantity of the coating solution.
The same way, there are disclosed many possibilities of designing the surface of the balloon, be that through structuring or by means of an additional treatment.
Common to prior art documents is that the effect of the coating method on the structure and the quality of the surface is not sufficiently taken into account. Likewise, the ambient conditions and further process parameters having a decisive influence on the quality properties of the surfaces are only insufficiently represented.

Method and device for coating catheters or balloon catheters


An assembly for orienting and fixturing an array of contact lenses in a lens-fixturing tray to enable automated picking of the lenses includes an array of tubes to which a first support tray having an array of lens receptacles each having a respective contact lens therein is removably mounted. A lens-fixturing tray having an array of lens receptacles is removably mounted to the other end of the tubes and the assembly is rotated and submerged in a fluid bath whereby the lenses release from the first support tray and float downwardly through a respective tube coming to rest in a centered, concave side-up position in a respective receptacle of the lens-fixturing tray.

The present invention generally relates to industrial material handling. More particularly, the present invention relates to a unique handling assembly for precisely orienting and fixturing an array of wet contact lenses between manufacturing processing stations to facilitate the automated handling thereof Although the invention is described and shown herein as directed toward contact lens manufacturing, it is understood that the invention may be used to orient and fixture other, similarly shaped work pieces (e.g., intraocular lenses).
Contact lens manufacturing, especially soft contact lens molding manufacturing, has become a very automated process in recent years, although there still remains points along some manufacturing platforms requiring direct human handling of the individual lenses. Human handling of contact lenses in a manufacturing line is extremely labor intensive and prone to worker injury in the nature of carpel tunnel syndrome, for example. It is therefore desirable to remove, to the fullest extent possible, direct contact lens handling by workers in a manufacturing facility and replace the manual handling step involved with automated apparatus and methods.
Contact lenses are small, fragile articles of manufacture which require precise optical surfaces. As such, contact lenses are extremely susceptible to scratching and tearing. It is therefore desirable to minimize occurrences of direct touching of the lenses with machine parts. In order to apply automated machinery and methods to contact lens handling, the lenses themselves must be precisely located and fixtured as they travel from one processing station to the next so that the automated machinery can locate and pick the lenses. Should the lenses be shifted slightly and/or oriented differently from their intended locations and orientations, the automated handling will fail and therefore add significantly to the manufacturing operation. Fixturing contact lenses through the various processing stations in a contact lens manufacturing line is a very difficult process to control with the precision required of automation machinery.
Cast molding of contact lenses is known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,147 issued to Bausch and Lomb Incorporated, the entire reference of which is incorporated herein by reference. A single mold unit comprises a female mold section having a concave optical surface and a male mold section having a convex optical surface. The female and male mold sections are complimentary shaped and mateable to form a lens-molding cavity between the facing concave and convex optical surfaces of the female and male mold sections, respectively.
The basic process for cast molding a lens is as follows. A quantity of liquid lens material (monomer) is dispensed into the concave optical surface of the female mold section and the male mold section is seated upon the female mold section with the concave and convex surfaces thereof facing one another to form a lens-shaped mold cavity. The joined female and male mold sections form a single mold unit which is subject to a curing cycle (e.g., by thermal or UV radiation) thereby causing polymerization of the lens material in the mold cavity. Once the lens material has cured, the male and female mold sections must be separated to retrieve the cured lens.
The opening or release of the mold sections must be carried out in a manner which will not harm the delicate lens. Once the lens has polymerized in the mold cavity, the lens and any lens flash will have an adhesive bond to the opposite concave and convex mold surfaces. Thus, the release of the male mold section from the female mold section must be of a force strong enough to break the adhesive bond of the lens and lens flash to the opposing mold surfaces, yet not so strong or haphazard that the optical surfaces of the lens are harmed by the release process. Should the lens crack or be otherwise damaged during the mold release process, the lens must be scrapped, thereby lowering the output yield and increasing manufacturing costs.
Once the mold sections have been separated, the lens must be released from the mold section on which it is retained. Both wet and dry release methods of lens release have been proposed in the prior art. In wet lens release methods, an aqueous solution is used to wet the hydrophilic lens which absorbs water and swells, causing the lens to separate from the mold surface. Once the lens has hydrated and released from its associated mold surface, the lens becomes a free-floating body in the hydrating fluid. If this process is carried out in a bath, there must thus be some means to contain the hydrated lens, yet not inhibit the access of the hydrating fluid to the interior of the mold and lens. Otherwise, the lenses must be manually xe2x80x9cfished outxe2x80x9d from the hydration bath using tweezers, a very labor intensive prospect.
Typically, the molds in which the lenses have been cured are carried on a support tray in a predetermined array. Once the molds have been opened, the mold sections carrying the adhered lenses are transferred to a lens release station as discussed above. Once the lens has been released form the mold in which it is carried, the lenses are readied for further processing (e.g., hydration, extraction and plasma treatment).
It is desirable to be able to batch process contact lenses through the different stations of a manufacturing process for efficiencies of manufacturing. It is thus desirable to be able to fluid process contact lenses in batches. Various methods of batch processing contact lenses through a fluid processing step have been proposed. The handling of the lenses during fluid processing include processes where the lenses are still in the mold or, alternatively, the lenses have been transferred to a different receptacle. It is furthermore known to use a bath process where batches of lenses may be submerged in a bath of fluid. It is also known to use sequential baths to ensure adequate fluid processing of the lenses. Alternatively, fluid may be applied to each individual contact in metered amounts, followed by extraction of the fluid from the mold section without disturbing the lens.
An example of bath hydration may be seen in commonly owned, co-pending UK application no. 0007930.1 filed on Mar. 31, 2000. In this method, a pallet containing an array of female mold section having respective lenses adhered thereto is stacked on a pallet having a like array of empty male mold sections thereon. An empty pallet is stacked upon the female pallet to prevent the female mold sections from falling from the female pallet during hydration. The stack of three pallets form a single unit for bath hydration, although multiple units may be stacked together and placed in a carrier for submerging in the bath. The pallets are cooperatively configured such that the female and male mold sections are spaced by an amount sufficient to allow fluid to enter between the facing sections to reach the lens, but spaced small enough so as to prohibit the hydrated, loose lens from escaping from between the respective female and male mold sections. This method is especially geared toward a manufacturing method where the male mold section is used for packaging of the contact lens as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,108 which is of common ownership with the instant application for patent.
In the case where the lenses must be transferred from the mold in which they were formed to a separate package for downstream processes (e.g., hydration and inspection) and/or for final packaging to the consumer (e.g., transfer to a blister package), the lenses must undergo some amount of handling to effectuate this transfer process. In prior art methods, lenses have been transferred manually by an operator using a pair of tweezers to grasp the lens and transfer it from the mold to a package receptacle. This, of course, is an extremely labor intensive method of lens handling and also creates a high chance of lens damage caused by the direct contact with the tweezers and the operator""s inability to consistently control the amount of force used with the tweezers when handling a lens. The use of pick-and place units is also known for transferring lenses between stations, however, this must also be carried out with extreme precision so as to not damage or dislocate the lens during transfer.
It is thus clear that lens handling is a critical parameter in the contact lens manufacturing line. Since contact lenses are extremely delicate, small articles of manufacture having precise optical surfaces, they must be handled with extreme care so as to not damage the lens which increases costs to the manufacturing operation. It is thus an object of a contact lens manufacturing line to use a contact lens handling system which minimizes the amount of direct contact of the handling apparatus with the lenses, yet also achieves consistent lens positioning and location to enable a robust, automated handling process.
The present invention provides an assembly and method for precisely orienting and positioning an array of contact lenses in respective receptacles of a support tray. With the lenses in known positions and orientations on the support tray, they may be further easily handled by a robotic assembly.
Once lenses have been molded and the molds have been opened, the lenses are hydrated and presented in a suitable carrier for the lens positioning station of the present invention. The invention utilizes an array of tubes which are removably mounted upon the first lens support tray with each tube aligning with a respective receptacle and lens on the first support tray. At this point, the lenses are not in a precise location within their respective receptacles on the first support tray. A second, lens-centering tray having an array of lens receptacles is removably mounted to the end of the tubes opposite the first support tray with the receptacles thereof also aligning with the tubes. The assembly comprising the lens trays and tubes is then rotated 180xc2x0 such that the first support tray with lenses thereon is now above the tubes and the lens-centering tray is beneath the tubes. The assembly is then completely submerged into a fluid bath. The fluid passes through openings provided in the lens-centering tray which fills the tubes with fluid, eventually reaching the lenses in the first support tray at the top of the tubes. Once the lenses are submerged in the fluid, the lenses release from their respective receptacles in the support tray and float downwardly through their respective tubes to the lens-centering tray. Due to the curvature of the concave-convex lenses, the lenses will automatically flip as they float downwardly such that they all settle in the concave side-up position within their respective receptacles in the lens-centering tray.
Once all the lenses have settled on the lens-centering tray, the assembly is raised from the fluid bath. A vaccuum source attached to the second support tray is activiated which holds each lens within its respective receptacle in the second support tray. With the tubes guiding the lens downwardly to a respective receptacle, the lenses all settle in a precisely centered location within a respective receptacle. As such, it is then a simple matter for a robotic assembly to pick each lens from its respective receptacle for transfer to another processing station.

Handling assembly for fixturing ophthalmic lenses


An object of the present invention is to provide a particulate composite which is free from fluorosurfactants having a high environmental impact, and can form a coating film that has excellent adhesion to a substrate and is uniformly adhered to the substrate even if containing a small amount of an adhesive component. The particulate composite of the present invention contains: a fluoropolymer; an adhesive polymer; and less than 0.1 ppm of a fluorosurfactant.

Fluororesins are widely used in the form of a coating composition which is applied to a substrate for a product (e.g. molds for bread, rice kettles) requiring properties such as corrosion resistance, non-stickiness, and heat resistance, so that a fluororesin layer is formed. Fluororesins, however, have poor adhesion to substrates made of, for example, metal or ceramic because of their non-non-stickiness. Hence, before the application, a substrate is coated with a primer having compatibility with both fluororesins and the substrate.
For uses requiring corrosion resistance, generally, a fluororesin layer needs to be thick. To produce a thick layer, coating has to be repeated which includes applying a coating powder containing a fluororesin and baking the material at temperatures not lower than the melting point of the fluororesin. The primer used is required to have sufficient heat-resistant adhesion to bear long-time high-temperature baking and maintain adhesion to components such as a substrate.
Primers with excellent heat-resistant adhesion having been widely used are chromium (III) phosphate primers which have excellent resistance to long-time high-temperature baking. However, the concerns about the environmental problems have increased, and thus have led to a long-time strong demand for development of chromium-free primers that do not contain hexavalent chromium but have heat-resistant adhesion as high as chromium (III) phosphate primers.
The chromium-free primers having been studied up until now are combinations of fluororesins and various binder resins. For binder resins, use of polyphenylene sulfide [PPS] has been suggested in terms of heat resistance. PPS, however, has a disadvantage of poor compatibility with fluororesins, exhibiting insufficient adhesion to fluororesin layers.
To overcome the disadvantage, technologies for improving adhesion to fluororesin layers have been developed. Patent Literature 1, for example, discloses a coating powder which contains a macromolecule compound (A) having an amide group and/or imide group, an anti-oxidizing material (B) and a fluororesin (C), wherein the macromolecule compound (A) has an average particle size of smaller than 50 μm.
Patent Literature 2 discloses a composition usable as a multilayer coated primer, which comprises a plurality of multicomponent particles, one component of each of the particles being melt-fabricable fluoropolymer and another component of each of the particles being a high temperature resistant non-dispersed polymer binder. The composition of Patent Literature 2 is in the form of powder which is free-flowing and not subject to segregation of components during shipping or processing.
Although not for use as a primer, Patent Literature 3 discloses a method for producing a heat-meltable fluororesin composite composition which includes a process (I) of obtaining a heat-meltable fluororesin powdery mixture composition by mixing heat-meltable fluororesin fine powder and a layered compound; and a process (II) of melting and mixing the powdery mixture composition under shear stress by means of a melt-mixing extruder.

Composite particles, coating powder, coating film, laminate, and method for producing composite particles


In a multilayer printed circuit board (circuit board 20) having an inverter (switching elements 22) mounted thereto, only a second wiring pattern P2 arranged downstream of a semiconductor relays 24 and able to shut off an electric power supply and a third wiring pattern P3 arranged upstream of a shunt resistor 27 and able to detect an overcurrent are placed in adjacent layers in a manner to face each other, and thus, even if the mutually facing portions (laminated portion) of the these two wiring patterns P2 and P3 are subjected to short circuit, an overcurrent caused by the short circuit can be detected by the shunt resistor 27 and the electric power supply to the switching elements 22 can be shut off by the switching elements 22, so that overheating at the second and third wiring patterns P2 and P3 can be avoided.

As a conventional inverter control device, the device described in an after-mentioned Patent Document-1 is known as an example.
That is, in the known inverter control device, wiring between an inverter and a condenser is made by laminated bus bars or the like that extend in parallel and approach each other to reduce an area occupied by the wiring and a ground line, so that the inverter control device as a whole can be reduced in size.


A method for the continuous and reversible determination of the concentration of an enzyme substrate such as glucose in an specimen, wherein the specimen is brought into contact with a corresponding enzyme selected from oxidases and oxygenases and to which a flavin coenzyme (FMN, FAD) is bonded, the flavin coenzyme changing to a reduced form by the enzyme substrate and to an oxidized form by molecular oxygen dissolved in the specimen, and the change in the fluorescence spectrum, produced by means of the reduction of the flavin coenzyme, is measured.

The invention relates to a process for determining the concentration of an enzyme substrate in a specimen, wherein the specimen is brought into contact with a corresponding enzyme and its fluorescent spectrum is measured according to the fluorescent excitation and a change in the fluorescent spectrum is used as a measure for the change in the concentration of the enzyme substrate. The invention also relates to an optical sensor used in the process.
The determination of enzyme substrates, for example glucose, plays an important role in the clinical diagnosis, since it permits a comprehensive statement concerning presence of metabolic disorders (e.g. diabetes mellitus). Moreover, glucose is also frequently determined within the framework of the quality controls of the food industry and in biotechnology as well, since the current bioreactors demand a continuous supply of nutrients, especially glucose. Glucose and other sensors for enzyme substrates play an important role because a continuous and reversible sensing of the enzyme substrate concentrations is desired. For example, a reliable glucose sensor is currently still the limiting factor in the development of an artificial pancreas.
A plurality of determination methods in this context are already known. A distinction is made between continuous and discontinuous processes. The discontinuous processes have the drawback that they must be carried out by destroying the specimen and they require experimental conditions which, for example, are unsuitable for in-vivo applications (addition of aggressive reagents, work in the presence of strong acids and alkaline solutions). Another drawback of the discontinuous method is that to obtain a continuous monitoring it is necessary to sample continuously in correspondingly short time intervals. For this reason priority has recently been given to the development of continuous sensors for glucose. A distinction is made between two large groups, viz. the electrochemical and the optic biosensors for glucose.
An overview of the prior art can be found in "Biosensors: Fundamentals and Applications," Oxford University Press, Oxford (1987) by H. P. F. Turner, I. Karube and G. Wilson. It is clear from this text that the electrochemical sensors for glucose (and other clinically relevant enzyme substrates) have reached a high state of the art. Of course, electrochemical biosensors suffer from various drawbacks. One of the biggest problems with electrochemical sensors is that the mandatory electrolyte bridge is quite susceptible, and gives occasion to, continuous drift. Moreover, electrochemical sensors can be operated only for short distances, because they produce an electric connection to the test chamber, a state that also presents a specific risk, especially in in-vivo studies. In the case of bioreactors one drawback is that electrochemical sensors can be only slightly sterilized.
Recently alternatives to electrochemical sensors have been sought and they have been found in optical sensors, in particular in fiber optical sensors. In contrast to electrochemical sensors, optical sensors require no reference electrode, permit the transport of light over great distances and form no electrical connection to the test object so that they are also not influenced by static potentials or body potentials. In the known optical biosensors for glucose and similar enzymatic, degradable substrates two types can be distinguished.
In the first type the enzymatic reaction can run its course while the one species is being formed that can be detected with a transducer element. For example, the oxidation of glucose by means of the enzyme glucose oxidase (GOD) proceeds according to the following chemical reaction: ##STR1## Thus it is possible, through the measurement of the consumption of oxygen or the formation of H.sub.2 O.sub.2 or the drop in the pH value, to deduce the glucose concentration that is present, since all of these parameters change parallel to the change in the glucose concentration. An optical arrangement to measure the glucose, which is based on the determination of the consumed oxygen, is described in Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 75, 65 (1976) or in the DE-PS 2,948,904. A glucose sensor, which is based on the measurement of the acid formed (H.sup.+) by pursuing the change in color of an added pH indicator, is described in Analytical Biochem. 138, 450 (1984). A continuous sensor for glucose, which is based on the measurement of H.sub.2 O.sub.2 formed, has not been disclosed to date.
Another principle for determining the glucose concentration is described in an affinity sensor of U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,438. It is an optical sensor for all kinds of plasma components which are in a position to enter into a competitive binding on a receptor side in a measuring chamber on the end of a light guide. The competitive ligand is labelled with fluorescent light and is forced into this chamber depending on the quantity of ligands, whereupon the absorbed or emitted light is seen by the light guide. A typical example is one in which concanavalin A is immobilized on sepharose and fluorescein labelled dextran is bonded on the concanavalin. Glucose is in a position to displace the labelled dextran, whereupon the fluorescence labelled dextran is seen by the light guide, and the result is that an increase in the intensity of fluorescence is observed.
A process of the aforementioned kind is described in Anal. Chem. 60, 1080 (1988) by Wangsa and Arnold, and in particular for the determination of lactate. Lactate is converted into pyruvate by means of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase; at the same time the non-bonded NAD.sup.+ of the enzyme is converted into the highly fluorescing NADH. The concentration of lactate present is deduced from measuring the increase in the fluorescence of NADH. Of course, the sensor suffers from various drawbacks. The greatest drawback is that it is not reversible, since the reaction terminates when all NAD.sup.+ is consumed. For this reason, fresh NAD.sup.+ must be constantly added to the reaction. This is a general drawback of all biosensors, which are based on the measurement of the intrinsic fluorescence of NADH. Thus it is not a sensor in the restricted meaning since it does not fulfill the condition of a complete reversibility.
The ultraviolet wavelengths of 350 nm that are necessary for the fluorescence excitation of NADH can be regarded as another drawback since not only the glass fibers but also the plastic fibers do not guide or guide only slightly this light and the requisite light sources are also relatively expensive.
All of the aforementioned processes or sensors have the drawback that they are either irreversible or require a relatively complex sensor structure, in essence have an enzymatically active layer and also a transducer element such as an oxygen or pH optode, or, as in the case of the glucose sensor based on the competitive binding, need a small but relatively complicated measuring chamber with several kinds of immobilization steps.
The object of the invention is to propose a simple process to determine the concentrations of an enzyme substrate in a specimen and an optical sensor as well to carry out this process, wherein, in particular, there is a reversible sensor for continuous glucose determination.
The problem is solved by the invention in that for the continuous, reversible determination of the concentration of the enzyme substrate, an enzyme, selected from the group of oxidases and oxygenases, is used with a flavin coenzyme (FMN, FAD), which is bonded thereto and which is brought into the reduced form by means of the enzyme substrate and is brought into the oxidized form by means molecular oxygen dissolved in the specimen, wherein the change in the intrinsic fluorescence of the flavin coenzyme, produced by means of the reduction of the flavin coenzyme, is measured.
The process of the invention is based on the surprising observation that the intrinsic fluorescence of the enzymes, which have as their cofactor a coenzyme selected from the group of flavins, changes during the enzymatic activity in a characteristic manner and, in particular, contrary to the prevailing teachings, according to which GOD is not supposed to fluoresce and/or the fluorescence of FAD in the enzyme is supposed to be quenched by means of the protein. In the process of the invention, the intensity of the fluorescence can increase or decrease. This change in fluorescence is completely reversible in the presence of oxygen and can thus be used as the direct optical information for an optical biosensor. The use of a transducer element such as an oxygen or pH sensor is, therefore, no longer necessary. Furthermore, the wavelengths of excitation of flavoproteins is in a spectral range of usually 400 to 500 nm and are, therefore, suitable for use in current glass or plastic light guides. Also, when the emission of wavelengths exceeds 500 nm, a large Stokes' displacement is given, so that the optical separation of excitation and fluorescence radiation is simple.
It is known that for flavo enzymes the redox reaction runs its course at a flavin coenzyme. Flavin coenzymes are such coenzymes, which have a flavin mononucleotide (FMN) or a flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD).
During enzymatic oxidation the cofactor simultaneously transforms into a reduced form, which is then immediately reconverted into the oxidized form by means of oxygen (as the second substrate). The transition from oxidized form to reduced form is linked to a change in the fluorescence properties, which serve as the analytic information.
One embodiment of the invention provides that a glucose oxidase is used with a flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) to determine the glucose concentration. The following two equations reflect the two step reaction scheme: EQU glucose+GOD-FAD.fwdarw.gluconolactone+GOD-FADH.sub.2 EQU GOD-FADH.sub.2 +O.sub.2 .fwdarw.GOD-FAD+H.sub.2 O.sub.2
According to the invention it is also possible to determine with a flavin coenzyme the alcohol or glutamic acid concentration with the aid of the enzyme, alcohol oxidase or glutamic acid oxidase.
The process of the invention can be applied to all enzymatic reactions in which FMN or FAD occur as the coenzyme and oxygen is present in the specimen. FMN and FAD are present preferably in enzymes selected the group of oxidases and oxygenases. Typical examples of such enzymes (with enzyme classification) are:
Glucose oxidase (EC 22.214.171.124), galactose oxidase (EC 18.104.22.168), lactate oxidase (EC 126.96.36.199), lactate monooxygenase (EC 126.96.36.199), xanthine oxidase (EC 220.127.116.11), aspartate oxidase (EC 184.108.40.206), L-amino acid oxidase (EC 184.108.40.206), bilirubin oxidase (EC 188.8.131.52), cholesterol oxidase (EC 184.108.40.206), monoamine oxidase (EC 126.96.36.199), thiamine oxidase (EC 18.104.22.168), urate oxidase (EC 188.8.131.52), sulfite oxidase (EC 220.127.116.11), cytochrome oxidase (EC 22.214.171.124), lipoxygenase (EC 126.96.36.199), alcohol oxidase (EC 22.214.171.124) and various other enzymes of this kind.
If the intensity of fluorescence is plotted as a function of the concentration of the enzyme substrate (see also FIG. 5), a region is found in which small increases in concentration lead to a large increase in the intensity of fluorescence. Thus, the sensor is very sensitive in this range. According to the invention, a provision can also be made here that, before the specimen is measured, molecular oxygen in known concentration is added to the specimen so that that region of the response function in which small variations in the concentration of the enzyme substrate lead to large changes in the intensity of fluorescence, is displaced into a pre-set range of concentration. This process can be applied, for example in bioreactors, where precise measurements are mandatory in specific ranges of concentration.
Another possibility to control the range of sensitivity of the process is to install a so-called diffusion threshold before the sensor material. The result is that a much smaller concentration of substrate prevails in the interior of the sensor than on the outside. Thus, it is possible to expand the favorable region of the response curve for the measurement.
According to the invention, an optical sensor to determine the concentration of an enzyme substrate with a carrier element which is permeable to the excitation and fluorescent light and on which a sensor layer is immobilized on the specimen side, has the characteristic that the sensor layer has an enzyme selected from the group of oxidases and oxygenases with a flavin coenzyme bonded thereto.
The optical sensor is conceivable in different embodiments. Thus, according to the invention, the enzyme can be present in an enzyme gel or an enzyme solution, which is mechanically immobilized by means of a membrane whose exclusion molecular weight is less than 30,000 at the carrier element, for example, a planar carrier. The mechanical immobilization can occur, for example, due to the fact that the enzyme is held back with the aid of a cellulose membrane whose exclusion molecular weight is below 30,000, since most of the enzymes have molecular weights exceeding 60,000.
Another embodiment of the invention provides that the enzyme is present in a sensor layer comprising hydrogel or polyacrylamide. In this manner the enzyme is physically immobilized by embedding in a gel.
Furthermore, it is provided that the enzyme is bonded directly to the surface of the carrier element by means of chemical immobilization. The chemical immobilization can occur either in an electrostatic manner, e.g., by bonding to an ion immersion membrane or by covalent bonding to a material such as cross-linked serum albumin or to a membrane such as cellulose or polyamide.
In this manner the FMN or FAD containing enzyme is applied to a fixed carrier element or mechanically, physically or chemically immobilized on its surface. The enzyme layer faces the specimen and the fluorescence radiation is excited or absorbed from the rear of the fixed and optically transparent carrier element. In order to prevent interferences by means of the intrinsic fluorescence of the test medium, it can be provided that the enzymatic sensor layer is covered on the surface with an optically non-transparent medium, which is, however, permeable to the substrate to be determined. Such materials are, e.g., hydrogels dyed dark with active carbon. In the case of various volatile enzyme substrates such as alcohol it is also possible to cover with a hydrophobic layer such as black teflon or silicon.
Finally the invention provides that the enzyme is immobilized directly on the end of the light guide.
The invention is explained in detail with reference to the drawings as follows.

Method for the determination of the concentration of an enzyme substrate and a sensor for carrying out the method


A coating suitable for use as a bondcoat for a thermal barrier coating system includes about 5 to about 10 weight percent of aluminum (Al), about 10 to about 18 weight percent of cobalt (Co), about 4 to about 8 weight percent of chromium (Cr), about 0 to about 1 weight percent of hafnium (Hf), about 0 to about 1 weight percent of silicon (Si), about 0 to about 1 percent of yttrium (Y), about 1.5 to about 2.5 weight percent of molybdenum (Mo), about 2 to about 4 weight percent of rhenium (Re), about 5 to about 10 weight percent of tantalum (Ta), about 5 to about 8 weight percent of tungsten (W), about 0 to about 1 weight percent of zirconium (Zr), and a remainder of nickel (Ni).

The present invention relates generally to a thermal barrier coating system for a component that is exposed to high temperatures, such as a gas turbine engine component (e.g., blades, vanes, etc.). More particularly, the present invention relates to a coating including a low aluminum content, where the coating is suitable for use as a bondcoat in a thermal barrier coating system.
A gas turbine engine component ("component"), such as a blade tip, blade trailing edge, blade platform, vane trailing edge, or vane platform, is typically exposed to a high temperature and high stress environment. The high temperature environment may be especially problematic with a superalloy component. Namely, the high temperatures may cause the superalloy to oxidize, which then decreases the life of the component. In order to extend the life of the component, a thermal barrier coating system (TBC system) may be applied to the entire superalloy component or selective surfaces, such as surfaces of the superalloy component that are exposed to the high temperatures and other harsh operating conditions. A TBC system reduces the temperature of the underlying material (also generally called the "substrate") and helps inhibit oxidation, corrosion, erosion, and other environmental damage to the substrate. Desirable properties of a TBC system include low thermal conductivity and strong adherence to the underlying substrate.
The TBC system typically includes a metallic bondcoat and a ceramic topcoat (i.e., a thermal barrier coating or TBC topcoat). The bondcoat is applied to the substrate and aids the growth of a thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer, which is typically aluminum oxide (Al2O3 or "alumina"). Specifically, prior to or during deposition of the TBC topcoat on the bondcoat, the exposed surface of the bondcoat can be oxidized to form the alumina TGO layer. The TGO forms a strong bond to both the topcoat and the bondcoat, and as a result, the TGO layer helps the TBC topcoat adhere to the bondcoat. The bond between the TGO and the topcoat is typically stronger than the bond that would form directly between the TBC topcoat and the bondcoat. The TGO also acts as an oxidation resistant layer, or an "oxidation barrier", to help protect the underlying substrate from damage due to oxidation.
During use in a gas turbine engine, the TGO thickens as aluminum diffuses into the TGO from the bondcoat and oxygen diffuses into the TGO from the combustion products and cooling air in the turbine gas path, reacting to form more alumina TGO. As the TGO thickness increases, it carries a proportionally larger share of any stresses that arise in the TBC system. Eventually, this share of the stress exceeds the strength of the TGO, leading to its failure. Once the TGO fails, the TBC topcoat spalls from the bondcoat because there is little to no TGO to provide adhesion.
Most bondcoats are designed to maintain slow growth of the TGO and to insure that the TGO consists of pure alumina. If the amount of aluminum that diffuses from the bondcoat to the TGO is insufficient to sustain growth of pure alumina, spinel oxide may form. Spinels grow quickly because they do not act as oxidation barriers. A TGO containing spinels has a significantly shorter life than a pure alumina TGO because spinels are not as strong as pure alumina.
The TBC topcoat may consist of a zirconia material that includes yttria as a stabilizing material. The primary role of the TBC topcoat is to provide insulation, thereby reducing the temperature of the bondcoat and the substrate. Thus, TBC ceramic topcoats are designed to have low thermal conductivity. There are various techniques of applying the TBC topcoat on the component, including air plasma spraying, vapor deposition and thermal spraying methods such as a high velocity oxy-fuel method.
The bondcoat is important to the life of the TBC system. If the bondcoat fails, the TBC topcoat may spall, after which the TBC system quickly deteriorates. TBC topcoat spallation exposes the bondcoat to the high-temperature, oxidizing environment of the turbine gas path, as well as to any corrosive species that may be in the gas path arising from impurities in the fuel and ingested fine particulates or contaminants. The higher temperatures and any deposits of contaminants accelerate the oxidation or corrosion of the bondcoat, eventually consuming the bondcoat. Once the bondcoat is consumed, the harsh environment attacks the underlying substrate. A deteriorated TBC system is undesirable because it may shorten the life of the component, and at the very least, requires the component to be taken out of service in order for the TBC system to be repaired. Whenever possible, the TBC system is removed and replaced prior to its complete failure to ensure no degradation of the underlying substrate.
In addition to its role in protecting the substrate from oxidation and corrosion, it is preferable that the bondcoat adheres well to the substrate with minimal reaction and interdiffusion.

Coating suitable for use as a bondcoat in a thermal barrier coating system


Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and an apparatus for controlling a service data flow. The method includes: acquiring, by a controller, index information related to a UE, where the index information includes at least a user information index, a PDN connection index, a bearer index, and a service data flow table index that are related to the UE; sending, by the controller, the index information to a forwarder by using an entry notification message; when a first control event of a service data flow is triggered, acquiring, by the controller, a first instruction index according to the first control event, where the first instruction index includes at least one type of the index information related to the UE; and sending, by the controller, the first instruction index to the forwarder by using first control signaling.

With the development of communications technologies, a software-defined network (SDN) technology emerges, and is generally believed to represent a development trend of a future network. The technology can decouple control logic of a network element from a forwarding function of the network element, and deploys, in a centralized manner, the control logic to a controller, so as to improve efficiency in managing a network.
The Openflow protocol is a typical technology in an SDN network; in the protocol, an operation is performed, based on a granularity of a data flow, on a packet, and different processing manners may be used for different service data flows. The controller is responsible for determining, according to a feature (e.g. flow matching information) of a packet, a forwarding action of the service flow, and delivering a corresponding flow rule (including flow matching information and a corresponding execution action) to a forwarder. The forwarder stores the flow rule, and executes a corresponding action on a subsequent packet that conforms to the flow rule.
It is found that the prior art has the at least following problems:
A service object of a current mobile network is a user, and a user equipment (UE) of a user may be corresponding to multiple service data flows. A service data flow of the mobile network has an aggregation management requirement for multiple granularities such as a bearer granularity and a public data network (PDN) connection granularity. However, for a manner in the current Openflow of performing an operation on a packet based on a data flow, control of the service data flow of the multiple granularities can be completed only by using control information with multiple data flow granularities, which increases link overheads and has low control efficiency.

Method and apparatus for controlling service data flow


The invention provides a steel sheet for hard tinplate and a TFS steel sheet each having an excellent formability and a temper grade of T4 to DR9, and an efficient manufacturing method capable of selectively manufacturing these steel sheets by using raw materials having the same composition, wherein, the steel sheet for hard tinplate and a TFS steel sheet having a temper grade of T4 to DR9 is manufactured from raw materials having the same composition by changing a reduction ratio of temper rolling or double reduce rolling for ultra-low carbon aluminum killed steel C and P contents of which are so regulated as to satisfy a specific formula <1>:1.6×C×104+0.93×P×103≧70 . . .   <1>.

A steel sheet. for tinplate and a TFS steel sheet is generally manufactured selectively in accordance with a Rockwell hardness by once conducting temper rolling depending on a temper grade of tinplate to produce products having hardness of T1 to T5 (target Rockwell hardness (HR30T) of 49±3 to 65±3) and then conducting double reduce rolling to produce products having a temper grade of DR6 to DR10 (target Rockwell hardness (HR30T) of 78±3 to 80±3). To manufacture hard tinplate, therefore, a C content is increased so as to achieve a predetermined hardness range of the temper grade. Even when the hardness remains within the predetermined range, however, products fail, in some cases, to provide formability when the formability is required simultaneously with the hardness. When ultra-low C content is adopted to satisfy the formability, the formability can be satisfied but the hardness undesirably drops below a predetermined value.
To improve formability, a method for manufacturing a steel sheet excellent in both formability and corrosion resistance by reducing the C content to a ultra-low level, adding solid solution hardening elements such as Nb and B, and optimizing a soaking time and a cooling time of an annealing condition is described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 9-157757, and so forth.
However, because the ASTM standard stipulates the upper limit amount of the solid solution hardening elements for the steel sheet for tinplate, sufficient amounts of addition elements cannot be added and hardening of the steel sheets becomes insufficient. Furthermore, the addition of Nb, B, etc, raises the annealing re-crystallization temperature and results in deterioration of a passing property an causes drifting of sheet and shape defects during annealing.
It has therefore been desired to develop a manufacturing method of a steel sheet capable of securing formability without adding solid solution hardening elements, if possible, and acquiring hardness of a required level.
Steel sheets such as tinplate and tin-free steel (TFS) sheets have gained a wide application as materials for plate working to produce cans. Production methods of two-piece cans as one of the forms of the cans include the following two systems. The first is a DI (Drawing and Ironing) system that once punches out the material into a metal cap shape, thinly draws a wall surface of a can and applies so-called "ironing". Printing is thereafter applied to the outer surface of the can. The material for this DI can has a relatively large thickness of 0.24 to 0.3 mm because ironing is applied.
The other system is DRD (Drawing and Re-drawing). The material is once punched out into a metal cap shape and is again punched out and shaped. Printing is thereafter applied to the outer surface of the can. Because ironing of the DI cans is not necessary, the material for the DRD cans is as thin as 0.2 mm or below. Because the material for the DRD cans is thin and must satisfy the predetermined compression strength, a high strength is required for the material. To secure the formability of the cans, the material must also have a small anisotropy.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 61-69928 describes a manufacturing method of a steel sheet for DI processing having a temper grade of T2 to T4 which method reduces a C content to a ultra-low level and an O content to a low level to improve the formability, and stipulates a hot rolling condition, a cold rolling condition and a continuous annealing condition. However, the method of this patent document deals with steel sheets having a thickness of more than 0.2 mm but is not directed to steel sheets having a thickness of 0.2 mm or below.
Nonetheless, materials having low anisotropy are required in many cases for these can materials in order to prevent variance of deformation that occurs during processing after punch-out and printing to the surface, and to suppress the occurrence of a non-uniform ear or a so-called "earing" at the mouth edge of the can that occurs during deep drawing and causes a problem in cap processing.
Distortion printing materials, to which deep drawing is applied after printing is done on a steel sheet, are known in Europe, for example. In this case, punching and printing of the steel sheets are carried out while anisotropy of the steel sheets is taken into consideration.
When the earing is great, variance of anisotropy itself becomes great, too, and deviation of printing occurs. Therefore, users require a Δr value of≦approx. 0.2.
Cap processing includes trimming to align the ear portion but an attempt has been made to omit this trimming step. To eliminate the trimming step, the earing must be made small and users have required a further decrease the Δr value representing anisotropy to Δr value ≦ approx. 0.1. This Δr value will be described later.
Incidentally, an r value is known as one of the indices for evaluating the deformation characteristics of materials in deep drawing. This r value is called a "plastic strain ratio" and is defined by the following formula
                    r        =                              ln                                      (                                                W                  o                                /                W                            )                                /                      ln                                      (                                                T                  o                                /                T                            )                                                              =                              ln                                      (                                                W                  o                                /                W                            )                                /                      ln                                      (                              L                                                                                W                  /                                      L                    o                                                                                W                  o                                            )                                          when Lo, Wo and To as a first gauge length of a tensile test piece, a width of a parallel portion and a thickness, respectively, change to L, W, T after tensile deformation within a range in which necking does not occur, with the proviso that LoWoTo=LWT.
This r value varies depending in which direction of a material sheet surface the tensile axis is taken, and is called "in-plane anisotropy".
This in-plane anisotropy is generally evaluated in terms of a Δr value of the following formula by examining the deformation characteristics in each direction by changing θ that is an angle between the tensile direction of the tensile test piece and the rolling direction of the material:Δr=(ro−2r45+r90)/2
where ro, r45 and r90 are r values at angles corresponding to 0°, 45° and 90° of the tensile direction with respect to the material rolling direction, respectively.
It is believed that the earing described above is closely related with in-plane anisotropy, and the smaller the Δr value, the smaller becomes in-plane anisotropy.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-60900 describes a steel sheet for deep drawn cans having excellent earing resistance that is manufactured by setting a sheet thickness of an Al killed steel containing B added thereto to 0.15 to 0.60 mm, a Δr value to a range of +0.15 to −0.08 and a heating rate at the time of re-crystallization annealing to 5° C./sec.
Japanese Unexamined. Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2001-303181 describes a manufacturing method of can steel sheets having less skin coarsening after processing and small anisotropy using the steps of conducting lubrication rolling to a finish sheet thickness of 1.5 mm or below, conducting hot rolling and coiling the sheet, then applying pickling, cold rolling and annealing, and further conducting secondary rolling to manufacture can steel sheets, wherein manufacturing conditions are determined so that a value of a relational formula determined by a C content of the steel sheet, a coiling temperature (CT), a cold rolling reduction ratio (CR), a secondary rolling reduction ratio (DR), a hot rolled sheet thickness (t) and a maximum frictional coefficient (μ) falls within a predetermined range.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 01-184252 disclosed a steel sheet for DI cans containing. C:0.0040 to 0.0600% and having excellent stretch-flange formability.
However, this steel sheet is for DI cans and has a thickness of more than 0.2 mm, and therefore characteristic of the steel sheet is different from the steel sheet of the present invention having a thickness of 0.2 mm or below.
Possibility of manufacturing of the steel sheet of T4 to DR9 from the component within the same range is not disclosed.

Steel sheet for tin plated steel sheet and tin-free steel sheet each having excellent formability and manufacturing method thereof


Brakes mounted on the wheels of slidably adjustable axles used with truck trailers are connected by a pair of flexible coiled tubes to service and emergency air lines. The flexible coiled tubes are mounted one within the other and have identical end fittings which connect directly to service and emergency air lines and directly to airbrake lines. No intermediate fittings are utilized. The end fittings of each coiled tube are also mounted in fixed relation to a transverse support bracket mounted on the trailer body and to a bracket mounted on a rear axle support. Each end fitting has first, second, and third threaded portions, with the first threaded portion coupled to the end of one of the coiled tubes, the second threaded portion being received through a hole in a bracket, and the third threaded portion being coupled with either an air pressure supply line or an airbrake line.

Truck trailers with long beds are equipped with rear axles which are slidably adjustable to move in forward and rearward directions with respect to the truck bed. It is necessary to have axles which are adjustable in this manner because truck trailers carry loads of various sizes which may have horizontal centers of gravity which are closer to one end of the truck bed than the other. During the past decade, regulations have changed, allowing truck trailers of increased length. Such truck trailers almost necessarily must have rear axles which are slidable fore and aft.
In order to properly stop tractor trailers, it is necessary to brake the wheels of the rear axle or axles, as well as the tractor wheels. This is accomplished a pair of hoses, one of which provides pressurized air for normal service braking and the other of which provides pressurized air for emergency braking. In that the rear axles are movable, the air is supplied through flexible conduits which, in a preferable approach, are configured as coiled tubes which expand and contract as the rear axles are moved fore and aft on the trailer bed.
Currently available end fittings for coiled airbrake tubes require additional end fittings for installation, which additional end fittings complicate both installation and maintenance. Moreover, current approaches require NPT or NPTF pipe fittings, which result in additional connections and, therefore, additional points of possible leakage.


A mobile image processing manager may include an image data receiving engine configured to obtain a first set of three-dimensional (3-D) image data associated with an observation environment. The mobile image processing manager may also include a navigational plan engine configured to determine a navigational plan based on the first set. A navigation manager may be configured to initiate a navigation event based on the navigational plan. A scene determination engine may be configured to determine a first group of one or more graphical images. An image projection engine may be configured to initiate a display of the first group on a first surface, the display based on a light source.

Many augmented reality applications have developed over time as computers have increasingly been incorporated in daily activities. For example, many television sportscasters currently provide additional graphics or text aids onscreen to enhance an ongoing sporting event (e.g., in real time). For example, colored lines may be added to a transmission of a live football game to indicate boundaries of yardage to complete a first down in the current play. For this example, real-world elements include the football field and players, and virtual elements include the colored lines, which augment the image in real time.
As another example, current scores of games may be superimposed over the top of a transmission of an event. Sports commentators may use virtual pointers to superimpose pointer icons onto a game transmission to indicate various entities of interest as the sporting event progresses (e.g., dog on playing field, player roughhousing another player). Swimming event telecasters may add a line across the swimming lanes to indicate the position of the current record holder as a race proceeds to provide viewers with a comparison of the current race to the record holder performance.


An electrical motor includes a housing, a stator seated in the housing, wherein the stator includes a plurality of stator teeth which extend in the radial direction toward the rotor, a yoke that connects the stator teeth is arranged in such a way that a plurality of first clearances are formed between the housing and the yoke and a plurality of second clearances are formed between the yoke and a free end of the stator teeth, and a coolant guide in contact with at least one axial lateral surface of the yoke, wherein the stator is in interlocking contact with the inner side of the housing.

German published specification DE 10 2012 217 711 A1 discloses an electrical machine with cooling. The electrical machine comprises a stator, wherein the electrical windings of the stator ring are surrounded by a potting compound. Ducts which are formed close to the electrical windings are provided in the potting compound for cooling purposes.
German published specification DE 10 2015 100 090 A1 discloses cooling of stator coils of an electrical machine. A coolant supply which fills hollow spaces between groups of turns is provided for cooling purposes. The coolant supply has a plurality of fingers, wherein the fingers are arranged between adjacent pairs of coils. The coolant supply has internal passages in order to receive a pressurized coolant and has outlet openings in order to spray coolant onto the coils. In other embodiments, the fingers transport the coolant to all coils with the aid of gravity.
Furthermore, the prior art discloses various methods for cooling (removing heat from) rotating electrical machines. The most common method is indirect cooling of the stator, wherein the heat is dissipated via the housing or via the component which mechanically connects the stator to the housing. The heat is usually passively guided from there, via cooling ridges or via gas or fluid convection, out of the machine. Direct cooling of the machine by an oil bath or an active oil cooling arrangement, which directly taps off the heat from the heat-generating components of the electrical machine, is likewise common. One disadvantage of this variant is the need for an additional oil pump and also a heat exchanger in order to guide the dissipated heat from oil or other media out of the electrical machine (see, for example, German published specification DE 10 2012 020 958 A1).
In the case of the radial flux machine stators known from the prior art, the windings are wound around the teeth of the stator. The yoke of the stator connects the ends of the stator teeth to one another, so that the outer contour of the stator is generally round. Stators with non-round outer contours are also available. However, these are usually designed only for structural reasons, such as anchoring to the housing or the like.


A method and device is provided that determines whether an antenna is electrically connected to its respective coupling device. The first side of the device includes coupling device, a mechanical switch, and an application processor. The second side includes an antenna contact that that is creates an electrical connection with a coupling device on the first side when the first side is securely attached to the second side. The mechanical switch is configured to be in an “open” state when the antenna contact does not make an electrical connection with the coupling device. Each mechanical switch is configured to be in a “closed” state when the antenna contact does make an electrical connection with its coupling device. The application processor determines the state of each mechanical switch. When any switch is an “open” state, it provides a notification on an interface of the mobile device.

In recent years, mobile wireless communications have become increasingly popular. Initial implementations of mobile wireless communications, for example in the form of cellular telephone networks, supported circuit switched voice communication services. The carriers developed short message service (SMS) technology to provide text and/or e-mail communications via the wireless communication networks. As the wireless communication networks have evolved to provide greater bandwidth and packet based services, the industry has developed a variety of data services, such as email, web browsing, as well as a variety of services using multimedia message service (MMS) technology. Further, mobile devices have evolved to include an ever increasing number of features, including WiFi internet access and global positioning system (GPS) capability. While the features and capabilities of mobile devices are steadily increasing, the dimensions of mobile devices are decreasing in size.
To accommodate the increasing demand in wireless services, wireless packet data communication is being provided with ever increasing transmission speed. The packet data communication allows mobile device users to expand the scope of their use of the mobile device, for example, to enjoy multimedia services at a speed comparable to those enjoyed via Internet connected personal computers (PCs). The shift from third generation (3G) to fourth generation (4G) telecommunication data services marks another significant step in providing improved data service. For example, download speeds in 4G can be about ten times faster than 3G, sometimes reaching residential broadband service speed. Further, the frequency spectrum used in 4G can better penetrate buildings, offering better signal strength. Until a complete transition to 4G occurs, many 4G mobile devices provide backward compatibility to 3G.
Mobile devices often use multiple antennae at the transmitter and receiver to facilitate communication and backward compatibility. For example, with the advent of long term evolution (LTE) technology, at least two antennae are required: one for receiving and one for transmission. Further, different antennae are used for 4G and 3G (for downward compatibility). Further, there may be additional antennae for GPS, Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), and Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.
Including such a large number of antennae in an ever shrinking form factor is a challenge. For example, a transmit antenna may experience crosstalk due to mutual coupling between the antennae when a signal transmitted by one antenna couples to, and is therefore received by, one or more of the other transmit antennae. Such crosstalk effectively couples the transmitters, which may cause various transmitter problems, e.g., back intermodulation interference at the transmitter output terminals, transmitter mismatch, efficiency loss, etc. Mobile devices may reduce and/or eliminate the mutual coupling by physically separating the antennae to spatially isolate the antennae. In this regard, some antennae are placed on back covers to provide sufficient separation between antennae.
In order to provide sufficient signal strength, the contact of an antenna between the back cover and the main unit must be secure. For example, a secure connection is provided when the back cover is properly connected to the main unit and the contacts between the back cover and the main unit align such that there is electrical contact. In many situations, however, the back cover is not secured properly. For example, a mobile device could be dropped, or the back cover may not be secured properly after a component (e.g., battery or chip) is replaced in the phone, etc. When the back cover of a mobile device is not properly secured, an antenna may not have proper contact with its coupling device on the other side of the mobile device. Thus, when a connection between the antenna and its respective receiving device is poor, the performance related to the antenna degrades. For example, the GPS may not be able to communicate with satellites, the 3G/4G may not be able to communicate with its respective base station (BS), or a WiFi signal may substantially degrade.
The user of a mobile device may not be aware that a loss of functionality is due to a poor antenna contact. Instead, a user may conclude that the mobile device is defective and ultimately return the mobile device. There currently is no effective means of providing a notification that an antenna is not properly secured to the mobile device.

Automatic detection of mobile phone antennas


An apparatus for repeatedly separating and displacing a topmost bag between a bag stack location and a second location. The apparatus comprises a separating manipulator having a prehension end-effector selectively activable/deactivable to seize and maintain the topmost bag and subsequently release the topmost bag. The separating manipulator is selectively configurable in a bag engaging configuration to seize a separation section of the topmost bag and a lifted configuration where the prehension end-effector is spaced-apart from a second topmost bag of the stack. The displacing manipulator has a prehension end-effector selectively activable/deactivable to seize and maintain a displacement engagement section of and to subsequently release the topmost bag. The prehension end-effector is translatable along the displacement axis “X” to displace the topmost bag between the bag stack location and the second location. A method for repeatedly separating and displacing a topmost bag of a stack of bags is also provided.

It is known in the art to use manipulators to repeatedly remove a topmost bag from a stack of bags, where empty bags are stacked one over the other in a substantially horizontal orientation, and move the topmost bag towards a second location distal from an initial location on the top of the stack, for example, for subsequent handling by other manipulators in a production line.
In order to perform such repetitive removal and displacement of the topmost bag from a stack of bags, the manipulator must repeatedly: seize the topmost bag, maintain the topmost bag during displacement thereof and release the topmost bag at the second location distal from the initial location on the top of the stack. During such operations, the bags located below the topmost bag in the stack must remain substantially still (i.e. they must remain substantially in place in the stack), in order to be positioned correctly for the subsequent removal and displacement of the successive topmost bags of the stack (following the removal and displacement of former topmost bags).
Known manipulators are however often not adapted to perform such repetitive removal and displacement of the topmost bag, from a stack of bags which are not easily separable from one another, such as, for example and without being limitative, porous bags or other types of bags which tend to stick to one another. Indeed, when performing displacement of a topmost bag of a stack of porous bags, for example, it is common for bags located below the topmost bag to stick to the bag located directly above and therefore be displaced of at least a portion of the distance of displacement of the topmost bag. Moreover, it is common for the second topmost bag to stick to the topmost bag and therefore be removed from the stack and moved to the predefined second location along with the topmost bag, i.e. resulting in the removal and displacement of two bags rather than a single one. Such displacement of additional bags of the stack along with the topmost bag thereof is non-desirable and can cause multiple problems in a production line.
In view of the above, there is a need for an improved apparatus for repeatedly separating and displacing a topmost bag from a stack of bags and for a method for performing the same, which would be able to overcome or at least minimize some of the above-discussed prior art concerns.

Apparatus and method for repeatedly separating and displacing a topmost bag of a stack of bags


An eye detection system, method, and apparatus are disclosed. The eye detection apparatus includes illuminator, receiver, processor, and memory elements. The illuminator emits radiation at predetermined wavelengths from the eye detection apparatus toward an area of interest. Radiation from the area of interest is detected at the receiver which, in turn, provides sensor data to the processor. The processor is coupled to the illuminator and receiver and controls their respective operations. The processor detects a pattern representative of a human eye in the sensor data and determines coordinates of an object corresponding to the pattern. The memory stores the coordinates of the object. Optionally, the eye detection apparatus communicates the coordinates of the object to a wireless device and directs countermeasures to the object's coordinates in response to commands from the wireless device.

Law enforcement and military personnel confront dangerous situations in the course of performing their duties. In many cases, such situations involve locating a person who may be operating in a particular area of interest. For example, military personnel may be fired upon by an enemy sniper hiding in the surrounding area. Law enforcement officials, on the other hand, may need to detect persons of interest in an area that is being kept under surveillance.
Conventionally, these activities require considerable time and effort. A soldier, for example, may need to scan the surrounding area with binoculars in an effort to locate the sniper. However, in doing so, he or she may be exposed to considerable risk of harm. Law enforcement officials, such as border agents, may need to keep an area under observation for long periods of time and may risk missing a suspect if they are interrupted or distracted by other tasks.


A new and distinct variety of apple tree named ‘TAKANO 7GO’ having a longer common storage duration of about one month even at an average temperature of about 20-25° C., balanced sweetness and acidity of the fruit, higher firmness of the flesh, and earlier harvest time (for example, from late August to early September in Japan).

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of apple tree botanically classified as Malus Mill. and hereinafter referred to by the name 'TAKANO 7GO'.
The new variety is a product of a planned breeding program conducted during a period from May 2006 to September 2017 by the inventor, Oshu-shi, Iwate, Japan, in which the Malus Mill. variety 'Shinano Gold' (female parent; Japanese Variety Registration No. 7328, registered Aug. 11, 1999) was crossed with the Malus Mill. variety 'TAKANO 1GO' (male parent) which is also known as the name 'Beni Roman' (Japanese Registered Trademark No. 5128504, registered Apr. 11, 2008) in Japan. The objective of the breeding program was to create new apple trees that produce fruits having long common storage duration and firm flesh, different from those of the parents and known similar varieties.


A toothbrush with paste dispenser for brushing teeth. The toothbrush with paste dispenser includes a housing with a reservoir portion and a head portion extending from the reservoir portion. The reservoir portion has toothpaste therein. The head portion has a plurality of bristles coupled to a bristled portion thereof. The head portion has a tube extending therethrough an opening in the bristled portion and in communication with the reservoir portion. The toothpaste is forced through the tube such that a portion of the toothpaste and dispensed onto the bristles. An ejection assembly ejects the toothpaste from the reservoir portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to toothbrushes and more particularly pertains to a new toothbrush with paste dispenser for brushing teeth.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of toothbrushes is known in the prior art. More specifically, toothbrushes heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,066,155; 4,291,995; 1,362,937; 4,277,194; 4,890,732; and Des. 378,957.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new toothbrush with paste dispenser. The inventive device includes a housing with a reservoir portion and a head portion extending from the reservoir portion. The reservoir portion has toothpaste therein. The head portion has a plurality of bristles coupled to a bristled portion thereof. The head portion has a tube extending therethrough an opening in the bristled portion and in communication with the reservoir portion. The toothpaste is forced through the tube such that a portion of the toothpaste and dispensed onto the bristles. An ejection means ejects the toothpaste from the reservoir portion.
In these respects, the toothbrush with paste dispenser according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of brushing teeth.