A method of monitoring contact tip useful life in a welding torch includes measuring at least one of welding current (I) and welding voltage (V) of the contact tip mounted in the welding torch. Deterioration of the contact tip is quantified based on one or both of (i) a decrease of the welding current and increase of a standard deviation of the welding current (sd_I), and (ii) an increase of the welding voltage. Deterioration of the contact tip may be quantified by calculating an index of contact tip life (ITL) based on the welding current and standard deviation of the welding current and/or by calculating a reference index of contact tip life (ITL_v) based on the welding voltage.

It is known in the art relating to robotic and automatic GMAW manufacturing applications that the welding torch contact tip, being a consumable item, is usually replaced between shifts, during maintenance, or when an operator observes unacceptable welding defects on manufacturing workpieces. If the contact tip needs to be replaced during a shift, the entire welding line or cell must be shut down, which results in manufacturing delays and increased costs for the plant.
Judging when to replace a contact tip is a subjective process. Certain operators may pass (accept) some workpieces having welding defects, while other operators may have less tolerance for defects, thereby consuming more contact tips over time. Also, usually when an operator determines that a contact tip needs to be replaced, welding defects have begun to occur, thus meaning that some workpieces may have to be repaired or scraped for quality reasons.
Historically, there have been two major contact tip failure mechanisms that have been observed over the past 50 years in constant voltage (CV) welding applications. The first is excessive wear at the front of the bore in the contact tip, which is known as a "keyhole." The second failure mechanism is a sudden stoppage of the feeding of electrode welding wire due to a clog and/or excessive feeding force, causing the electrical welding arc to burn back to the contact tip, which is known as "burn back."
The application of new GMAW welding processes, especially pulse and modified short circuit welding, over the past decade has introduced a new contact tip failure mechanism. The high frequency and high peak current of pulse and modified short circuit welding make that working conditions of the contact tip more critical than in CV welding. In pulse and short circuit welding, the function of the contact tip becomes a "sliding switch," i.e., while the electrode welding wire slides along the central bore of the contact tip, energy is transferred at dramatically changing (variable) rates. For example, it is common for a 0.9 mm (0.035 inch) solid electrode wire to be welded at 400 Amp peak current in a pulse welding application, while in constant voltage applications the typical welding current is only about 200 to 250 Amps. Also, in pulse welding, the welding current changes from the background current (100 Amps) to the peak current (400 Amps) in 0.15 ms, which corresponds to a rate of 2,000,000 Amps per second. The high welding current and drastic current ramp causes significant arc erosion on the contact tip, thus deteriorating the contact tip. Pulse welding applications are also typically set at high welding speeds, and therefore require accurate delivery of the welding current waveforms to the arc. Thus, consistent performance of the contact tip is more critical than in CV applications. Also, the useful lifespan of a contact tip in pulse applications is significantly shorter than in CV applications. Therefore, it is more likely that the contact tip will have to be replaced during a shift, and knowing when to replace the contact tip is important for preventing welding defects and minimizing operating costs.
Conventional control systems in robotic and automatic welding applications compare the commanded (desired) welding current and voltage with actual measured data. When the difference between the commanded values and the measured data is higher than a certain predetermined threshold, the system will regard the welding as out of compliance and will request immediate action such as shut down of the manufacturing line. However, a monitoring method does not exist that outputs an alarm or other signal prior to the occurrence of welding defects. Thus, there is a need for monitoring contact tip deterioration in real time so that contact tips may be replaced prior to the occurrence of welding defects or at least in a manageable manner such that welding defects and contact tip replacement are kept at a minimum.

Method to monitor the life of the contact tip in robotic or automatic GMAW


Novel imidazoquinolone derivative represented by formula (I); ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 represents lower alkyl or --(CH.sub.2).sub.m CO--R.sup.3 where R.sup.3 represents hydrogen, lower alkyl, hydroxy or lower alkoxy; and m is an integer of 1 to 3; R.sup.2 represents lower alkyl; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

The present invention relates to novel imidazoquinolone derivatives having 3H,5H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinolin4-one skeleton and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts, which exhibit an antiallergic activity, broncho-dilatory action and antiasthmatic activity.
1H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinolines useful as a bronchodilator and as an antiviral agent, represented by the following formula are disclosed in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 123488/85 [U.S. Pat. Nos. 4698348 and 4689338, and EP-A-145340] ##STR2## wherein R.sup.A represents hydrogen, alkyl, benzyl, phenyl, etc.; R.sup.B represents hydrogen, alkyl, etc.; and R.sup.C represents hydrogen, hydroxyl, alkylamino, etc.
In the commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/489,025 [Japanese Patent Application No. 54148/89], 1H,5H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinolin-4-one derivatives having a broncho-dilatory activity and an antiallergic activity are described.


A sign assembly for attachment to a supporting surface. The supporting surface is preferably a portion of a vehicle. The sign assembly preferably includes a display member having indicia formed thereon, a flexible member and an anchoring member operably associated with the display member for anchoring the display member to a portion of a vehicle. The flexible member allows the display member to move relative to the anchoring member to compensate for forces exerted on the display member.

A multitude of sign assemblies have been proposed for mounting a sign to various surfaces including a vehicle. However, the prior designs have various inherent disadvantages. Such disadvantages include complex mounting arrangements that are not only expense but timing consuming to assemble. This is particularly true of sign assemblies that are designed to be mounted on both the sidewalk and on top of a stationary vehicle. One such device is the SPRINGER™ sidewalk sign manufactured by Joseph Struhl Company, Inc. located at 195 Atlantic Avenue, P.O. Box N, Garden City Park, N.Y. 11040. The Web site is www.magicmaster.com. Some of the numerous inherent disadvantages of this sign is the complex spring assembly that is used to compensate for wind striking the display sign. Another disadvantage is the large base structure that is necessary to allow the sign to be mounted on the sidewalk and on the top of a stationary vehicle.


A communication system for controlling remote devices within a vehicle is provided. The communication system includes a master module for generating a command message, and a remote module for executing the command message and generating a response message. A data bus provides bidirectional communication between the master module and the remote module. The communication system also includes a message frame for communicating data between the master module and the remote module, the message frame includes the command message generated by the master module for execution by the remote module, and the message frame includes the response message generated by the remote module for providing feedback to the master module.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design and a messaging technique. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an ASIC design which eliminates the need for a microprocessor, and a message frame design and messaging technique for controlling remote devices which are connected to an SAE J1850 serial communication data bus within an automotive vehicle.
2. Discussion
Automotive vehicles are commonly equipped with multiple-access serial data communications networks to enable data transfer between various electronic components within the vehicle. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has established the J1850 class data communications network which has become widely accepted throughout the automotive industry. The J1850 standard is a set of technical requirements and parameters which specify the use of symbols for communicating serial data over a one or two-wire communications bus.
The J1850 protocol is based on a medium-speed (Class B) serial multiplex communication protocol for use in automotive vehicles. Serial multiplex communication (MUX) is a method of reducing wiring requirements while increasing the amount and type of data which may be shared between various electronic components connected to the communication network. This technique is achieved by connecting each component, or node, to a serial bus, consisting of either a single wire or a twisted pair of wires. Each node collects whatever data is useful to itself or other nodes (i.e. wheel speed, engine rpm, oil pressure, etc.), and then transmits this data onto the J1850 bus, where any other node which needs this data can receive it. The result of data sharing is reduced wiring and eliminating the need for redundant sensing systems.
In one exemplary implementation, one or more microprocessor based controllers are positioned throughout the vehicle and communicate with each other along the J1850 data bus. Each controller will periodically transmit information in the form of message data organized into a single message frame. This transmission can take place once the controller determines that the data bus is free. Once this message frame is transmitted onto the J1850 bus, this information is available to either a specific node, such as another controller, or all of the nodes on the data bus depending on the type of messaging scheme implemented.
An additional feature of the J1850 protocol allows one or more of the nodes to respond to the original data message within the same message frame (i.e. within a short period of time after receiving the original message, but before another node begins transmitting a new message frame). Within the J1850 protocol, this is referred to as an "in-frame response" (IFR). Accordingly, the J1850 protocol design provides a single wire network through which information can be exchanged between various controllers connected to the data bus. For example, the engine controller and the transmission controller may exchange information via the J1850 data bus concerning real-time operating or performance conditions of their associated systems.
The current J1850 system is limited to broadcasting data, and is not designed for the transmission of specific executable commands to the remote nodes on the data bus. However, rather than just broadcasting or exchanging information, it is desirable to use a messaging scheme on the J1850 bus in which a message containing a specific command is sent by the controller to a receiving node for controlling or executing various operations performed by the receiving node. Once the message is received and the command executed, the receiving node may respond using the in-frame response as to whether the command was successfully executed, or the outcome of the command execution. Currently, the aforementioned control and feedback technique is not implemented.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a messaging scheme which allows executable command information to be contained within a message frame, and allow a receiving node to provide an in-frame response within the same message frame as feedback to the controller. Further, it is desirable to provide a receiving node for performing various control functions in response to the command information contained within the message frame. It is also desirable to provide a sub ID scheme which allows a receiving node to identify the type of executable command information, or the type of command message contained within the message frame. Moreover, it is desirable to provide a receiving node which eliminates the need for a microprocessor, and thus the need for writing and testing additional computer code for operating the microprocessor. Finally, it is contemplated that the receiving node may also communicate with various smart drivers connected to the receiving node for controlling various electrical components, and gathering feedback data from the electrical components.

J1850 application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and messaging technique


The invention relates to method and an apparatus for depth cueing, i.e. improving the sense of depth in two-dimensional images of three-dimensional volume data, said 2D images being generated using volume rendering. The invention is characterized in that a second depth color chart generated from the original color chart by permuting at least two color channels is used in the depth dimension. Alternatively, all three color channels can be permuted.

Medical imaging methods, e.g. ultrasound (US), X-ray techniques, particularly Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), or nuclear medical imaging methods such as Positron Emission Tomography (PET) allow for achieving three-dimensional image data sets, also called volumetric data, of the body of human beings as well as animals. This results in the problem how to represent these three-dimensional (3D) data, as typical display devices such as a screen and a printer provide two-dimensional (2D) image planes only. One possibility for representing a three-dimensional (3D) data record is to put a sectional plane through the data record and to represent only those image elements (voxels) of the 3D image data set situated on this sectional plane. By moving the sectional plane or by generating many sectional planes, the medical practitioner is able to visualize a three-dimensional image of the represented object.
Other methods also allow for representing the entire 3D image data set simultaneously. For example, it is possible to generate a 2D image of a three-dimensional ultrasonic image of a fetus which shows the fetus in a digitally generated top view, as shown in FIG. 11, for example. In order to generate such a 2D image, an imaging software extracts from a 3D image data set boundary surfaces between the fetus and the amniotic liquor surrounding the fetus and adds lighting effects and shadows according to a virtual light source. Such a method is called "surface rendering".
It is also possible to represent the entire image data set in a 2D image, when image data sets have boundary surfaces which are not so well defined. In this case, the single voxels of the 3D image volume are classified according to their optical characteristics, for example as transparent or opaque, and then a 2D image is generated from a certain viewing direction, which corresponds to a certain view of the 3D image data set. Such a method is generally called "volume rendering". FIG. 8 shows an example for a 2D image of a 3D ultrasonic image data set of the heart generated by volume rendering.
In German, rendering methods are also called "digitale Bildsynthese" ("digital image synthesis"). The term "rendering" generally relates to a method for generating a 2D image from a 3D description. This may be a 3D image data set, but also a geometric description such as a grid model, an analytic/parametric description such as formulas or algorithms, for example fractals.
In general, and also in this document, "volume rendering" refers to methods for generating a 2D image from a 3D image data set. Preferably, this image gives a certain sense of depth of the 3D image. Surface rendering is a specific variant of volume rendering.
When representing the 2D images generated by rendering, a color representation is often preferred. A color is assigned to each voxel of the 3D image volume or to each pixel of the 2D image, which is determined by means of a voxel value or pixel value listed in a color chart.
While local characteristics (for example surface texture, curvature, etc.) can be represented in a relatively good and efficient way by means of local virtual lighting ("gradient-lighting"), as shown in FIGS. 11 and 8, the sense of depth is lost in many cases. Especially when representing volume records of complicated anatomic regions (for example 3D/4D ultrasonic images), it is often difficult to understand the global positioning.
In the state of the art, methods for improving the sense of depth of 3D image data sets are generally called "depth cueing". Depth cueing refers to a group of effects, which change certain material characteristics or lighting characteristics as a function of the depth relative to the observer in order to achieve a better sense of depth. The so-called "fogging" for instance is commonly applied to make the color of an object fading for example to white or black towards the background. Another method is described in D. Weiskopf, T. Ertl: "Real-Time Depth-Cueing beyond Fogging", Journal of Graphics Tools, Vol. 7, No. 4, 2002. This article proposes to change the color saturation in such a way that in the foreground of the image full color saturation is used, while in the background of the image only shades of grey are used.
The article of D. Ebert, P. Rheingans: "Volume Illustration: Non-Photorealistic Rendering of Volume Data", IEEE Visualization 2000, 2000, proposes to combine intensity-depth cueing with a slight modification of the shade of color. For example, with increasing depth the color can fade to blue, as already practiced by Leonardo da Vinci. Such methods of changing the shade of color with increasing depth of the picture have very different effects according to the predominant color of the picture. If, for example, a color chart already containing a blue gradient was used for generating the picture, a background change to blue is not very efficient and rather irritating.
US 2006/0173326 describes a method of depth cueing of ultrasonic images in which the color of "color-flow" (Doppler) images is changed with increasing distance to the observer in order to give a sense of depth.
Another possibility to generate a sense of depth is perspective foreshortening. However, this is not applicable particularly for anatomic data, because these images are often not clearly arranged and the observer is not able to distinguish between perspective foreshortening and atrophy of the organ observed.
The methods for depth cueing have also major disadvantages: fogging makes the image unclear in greater depth, the contours become blurred "grey-in-grey", and the sense of depth is accompanied by a loss of information.
In summary, the methods of depth cueing have great disadvantages particularly in the field of representation of medical 3D or 4D image data sets. Therefore, the global relations (relative orientation, distance, position, etc.) of the different structures in an anatomic image data set cannot be recognized easily in many cases.

Method and apparatus for representing 3D image records in 2D images


A hydrophilic silicone, compositions comprising the same, and articles comprising the same are shown and described herein. The hydrophilic silicone is an ionically modified silicone compound wherein the compound has a net neutral charge. The hydrophilic silicone compounds may be provided as part of a composition, e.g., a composition suitable for forming a hydrogel, which may be employed to form a film material and even an article (e.g., in a contact lens).

Contact lenses for continuous wear over a long time period are made of silicone rubber prepared from polydimethyl siloxanes. Since the silicone rubber contact lenses are very water-repellent and greatly different from the cornea in thermal properties, such as thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity, they may give a foreign body sensation, particularly a burning sensation despite being oxygen permeable. Contact lenses made from silicone rubber tend to be uncomfortable to wear. Further, the silicone rubber is soft and elastic, making it difficult to conduct precise mechanical treatments such as cutting, grinding, and polishing. Many attempts for making the surface of silicone rubber lenses hydrophilic have been undertaken, but no completely satisfactory contact lens has been developed. High water content contact lenses are usually made of poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone polymers. Since high water content contact lenses typically contain about 60% to about 80% by weight of water, they have the disadvantages of being (a) weaker in material quality compared to low water content contact lenses, (b) easily contaminated with inorganic and organic compounds found in tears that penetrate and accumulate into the lenses during the use, and (c) bad in maintenance of lens contour due to the evaporation of water during the use, which allows the refractive power to easily change.
Reactive silicone-hydrogel formulations are used to make extended wear soft contact lenses due to their relatively high oxygen permeability, flexibility, comfort, and reduced corneal complications. Conventional hydrogel materials (e.g. 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, HEMA) by themselves have poor oxygen permeability and they transport oxygen to the eye through the absorbed water molecules. Water has low oxygen permeability, also called the Dk value, which may be expressed in Barrer, wherein 1 Barrer=10−11 (cm3 O2) cm cm−2 s−1 mmHg−1 where "cm3 O2" is at a quantity of oxygen at standard temperature and pressure and where "cm" represents the thickness of the material and "cm−2" is the reciprocal of the surface area of that material. The Dk of water is about 80 Barrer. Upon exposure to atmospheric air for long periods, these lenses are slowly dehydrated and the amount of oxygen transported to the cornea is reduced. Eye irritation, redness, and other corneal complications can result, which may restrict use of the lenses to limited periods of wear. Blending reactive silicone monomers with conventional monomers is a potential solution, but such blends have been marred by compatibility issues.
A possible solution to this problem is to make the silicone monomer hydrophilic by incorporating hydrophilic units on the monomer. One approach to provide hydrophilic silicone monomers is to polymerize the organo-modified silicone monomer with organic monomers in the presence of a cross-linker. Examples of prior attempts of providing hydrophilicity include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,260,725; 5,352,714; 5,998,498; 6,867,245; 6,013,711; 6,207,782; 7,601,766; 7,557,231; 7,732,546; 7,781,558; and 7,825,273, which are each incorporated herein by reference. This approach leads to a large number of unreacted monomers due to unregulated viscosity build-up that requires extracting the leachable monomers from the matrix by water-isopropanol solvent mixtures. This leads to increased processing costs. Further, the silicone hydrogel formulations made by these methods still fail to exhibit significant wettability.
Methacryloxypropyltris-(trimethylsiloxy)silane monomers have been used to prepare silicone-containing hydrogels. The (meth)acryloxypropyltris-(trimethylsiloxy)silane is hydrophobic and is used in preparing polyurethane-silicone polymers. These polyurethane-silicone polymers contain blocks of hydrophobic silicone. Contact lenses made from these polymers may cause eye discomfort because of the hydrophobic regions within the polymer.
Silicone-hydrogels are typically made from acrylate or methacrylate functionalized silicone monomers that are polymerized with hydrophilic organic monomers, such as hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) and other monomers such as methyl methacrylic acid (MA), and N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA), in the presence of crosslinkers and free radical or photoinitiators. Crosslinking agents generally have two or more reactive functional groups at different sites of the molecule. Typically, these sites contain polymerizable ethylenic unsaturation groups. During polymerization to form the silicone-hydrogel, they form a covalent bond with two different polymer chains and form a stable three-dimensional network to improve the strength of the polymer. Crosslinking agents conventionally used in contact lenses include ethylene glycol dimethacrylate and trimethyloylpropane trimethacrylate. Other useful crosslinking agents include diethyleneglycol dimethacrylate, bisphenol A dimethacrylate, diglycidyl bisphenol A dimethacrylate, and dimethacrylate-terminated polyethylene glycol, and reactive linear polyether modified silicones. The oxygen permeability of these silicone-hydrogels is affected by the chemical structure of the acrylate or methacrylate functionalized silicone monomer and choice of the other monomers containing reactive carbon-carbon double bonds that are used in preparing the cross-linked polymer.
Silicone-hydrogel contact lens materials are typically made using either hydrophobic mono-functional silicone monomers or multi-functional hydrophilic silicone monomers followed by secondary surface treatment. Mono-functional silicone monomers are often used in the contact lens industry over multi-functional silicone monomers since the latter lead to increased rigidity in the lenses made therefrom. The known mono-functional silicone monomers, however, may have deficiencies. For example, monofunctional siloxane-polyether (meth)acrylates are susceptible to air oxidation. Monofunctional (meth)acryloxy functional siloxanes that contain 1,4-substitution on the (meth)acryloxy group to the siloxane group on a six-member ring, such as for example, (meth)acrylic acid 2-hydroxy-4-[2-bis-(trimethylsiloxy)methylsilanyl-ethyl]-cyclohexyl ester, form highly ordered copolymers that may inhibit the permeability of oxygen through the silicone-hydrogel. 1,3-substitution of the (meth)acryloxy group to the siloxane group on a six-member ring, such as for example, (meth)acrylic acid 2-hydroxy-5-[2-bis-(trimethylsiloxy)methylsilanyl-ethyl]-cyclohexyl ester, form less order copolymers, but the moderate polarity of the (meth)acryloxy group may affect the hydrophilic properties of the silicone-hydrogel.
The state of this art for soft contact lenses, including the silicone-based materials described in the above mentioned patents, still possess major shortfalls like formulation compatibility, sub-optimal surface wettability, lipid deposition, the need for compatabilizers in preparing the polymer, internal wetting agents, or post processing treatments such as "plasma oxidation" surface treatments. These approaches can decrease oxygen permeability or require the use of compatabilizers, which add costs during the manufacturing process. There remains a need for hydrophilic silicone monomers with advantageous wettability and oxygen permeability that can be used to make contact lenses without the drawbacks and expensive surface treatments necessary with the native silicone containing materials of the current state of art.
Methacrylic acid containing ionic lenses provides good hydrophilicity and water content. A problem associated with methacrylic acid, however, is deposition on the lens due to anionic carboxylate groups. Deposition of tear film components on a contact lens surface causes a reduction in the overall performance of the lens and an increase in inflammatory responses. There are various factors which influence deposition on contact lens materials such as tear film composition, the ionicity of the material, water content, pore size and hydrophobicity. A large proportion of the protein in the tear film is lysozyme, and group IV materials (ionic, high water content) tend to attract this protein to a greater extent than the other groups. Group II (non-ionic, high water content) lens materials have a tendency to attract lipids from the tear film. Some SiH materials have been found to deposit considerably less protein and more lipid than conventional hydrogels, however, the pattern of deposition appears to depend on the formula of the material and whether it is surface treated. There is also the possibility that a higher percentage of denatured proteins accumulate on some SiH lenses as the protein is not able to penetrate the matrix of the lens due to surface treatment.
Treatment of ocular diseases, conventionally utilizes topical administration to achieve therapeutic drug concentration within the eye. Topical therapy mainly includes instillation of drops, ointments or lotions into the eye. However, significant drug losses occur upon administration of eye drops due to dilution and washing of the drug by reflex tearing and blinking or draining through the nasolacrimal system, which limit its therapeutic efficiency. Wherein, use of ointment or lotion have longer contact time with the cornea and provides more drug absorption but distorts and blurs the patient's vision.
With a need to enhance the drug residence time and its absorption for enhanced bioavailability, use of contact lens for ocular delivery was introduced. Examples of prior attempts on ocular drug delivery include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,414,912; 9,102,105; 8,349,351; 8,404,271 and EP 2370054, which are each incorporated herein by reference. A number of researchers in the past have used contact lenses upon soaking in the drug solution followed by insertion (European Journal of Clinical pharmacology, 1999, 55(4): 317-323). U.S. Pat. No. 8,273,366 discloses a drug delivery system, comprising a contact lens having dispersed nanoparticles of an ophthalmic drug. Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 7,638,137 and EP 2 543 358 B1 describe a method for effective ocular delivery using nanocarrier or drug encapsulant approach in P-HEMA (poly-2-hydroxy ethyl-methacrylate) or PMAA (poly(methacrylate acid)) containing hydrogel contact lenses. An article in Int. J. Pharm. (2003, vol. 257, no. 1-2, pages 141-151) describes the in vitro uptake and release behavior of tromolyn sodium, ketotifenfumarate, ketorolac tromethamine and dexamethasone sodium phosphate with silicone- and p-HEMA-containing hydrogel contact lenses.
While the uptake and release of drugs from silicone contact lenses has been explored, there remains a need for controlled and sustained release of medication to the eye using contact lens as a device. Incorporation of functional monomers in the hydrogel upon interaction with the drugs enhance their uptake as well as allows its sustainable release.
Hence, there remains a need for hydrophilic silicone monomers with advantageous wettability, stability to air oxidation, high oxygen permeability, low debris formation, and high solubility in the other reactive monomers used to make the polymer without the need for compatibilizers.

Ionically modified silicones, compositions, and medical devices formed therefrom


A robot hand and a robot using it are provided. The robot hand has a finger-tip tactile sensor device, a palm tactile sensor device, and a tip contact force detecting device. Among them, the finger-tip tactile sensor device 10 has an elastic cap 14, in which a cavity 15 is formed with an opening 17a at a base end. The cavity is filled up with an incompressible fluid. A pressure detector 16 is inserted into the opening 17a of the cavity 17, and a holding member 18 holds the elastic cap 14 and the pressure detector 16. The holding member 18 is swingably mounted on a finger 1 of robot hand through a joint 2. When the elastic cap 14 contacts with an object, the contact pressure is detected through the incompressible fluid by the pressure detector 16.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a robot hand and a robot.
2. Description of the Related Art
A method for manipulating a robot hand with a plurality of fingers to stably grasp an object for a required work has been studied. A fingertip tactile sensor device is required for such grasping to detect a contact force and a contact condition between the respective finger-tips and the object.
The conventional fingertip tactile sensor devices of this type have been developed and experimentally made as a touch sensor, most of which have such a complicated structure that numerous tactile elements are arranged in a matrix on a fingertip of a robot hand. Such fingertip tactile sensor devices fail to conduct accurate measurement in an area between the tactile elements, thus necessitating numerous tactile elements with high density on a fingertip of a robot hand.
However, if numerous tactile elements are disposed on a fingertip of a robot hand, it would be difficult to make the robot hand compact, and arrangement of signal lines for pressure detection would be extremely complicated. Also the fingertip could not be formed in a desired shape.
Further, it is normal to drive each of the finger joints of the robot hand through a wire by a motor distant from the joint without an actuator therein, requiring a long wire and complicated wiring. The contact force could be measured from a tension on the wire at the motor in such arrangement. However, the drive wire for the foremost joint tends to have a frictional force acting thereon along the wiring, so that the measurement of contact force may not be accurate through determining the tension of the wire at the motor.
For solving the above problems, a fingertip tactile sensor has been developed, in which a cavity provided in a fingertip cap is connected through a tube to a pressure detector for detecting a pressure change in the cavity due to a force applied onto the outer face of the cap. The pressure detector is located at a position where it will not interfere with the motion of the robot hand. This arrangement, however, requires a tedious setting of a tube upon attachment or exchange of fingertip tactile sensor. Furthermore, since the pressure detector is distant from the fingertip cap by the length of the tube, the response is slow to detect the contact force. In addition, when an object contacts the fingertip near the edge of the cavity, an output decreases from the pressure detector. The output from the pressure detector is affected by a difference in contact position on the outer face. Then, in the case where the contact position significantly changes on the outer face of fingertip upon manipulation of the object with fingertip, the contact force may not be accurately detected, presenting another problem.


A display device calculates an operation amount of a user's input operation based on a detected indicated position. Display device displays component images on display surface based on the operation amount calculated. If display device determines that the indicated position is no longer detected, display device determines whether the calculated operation amount is smaller than or equal to a threshold. If it is determined that the calculated operation amount exceeds the threshold, display device executes an acquiring operation of a newly arrived email.

When a user performs an input operation, such as a touch operation or drag operation, using a touch screen of a display device, the display device executes an operation according to the user's input operation. If a user operates an operation element, such as a button or key, a user can confirm that the display device receives a user's input operation because the operation element is displaced as a result of the user's input operation. However, in operation of a touch screen, such a displacement of an operation element does not occur. Accordingly, there exists a technique for notifying a user that a user's input operation performed using a touch screen is received. In JP-A-2001-265481 a technique is described in which when a user performs an input operation to turn over a page while a page representing electronic information is displayed on a touch screen, an image of a subsequent page is displayed in a stepwise manner while an image of a current page reduces in size gradually.
In the technique described in JP-A-2001-265481, displaying the image of "the subsequent page" represents an execution of the foregoing notification. This image is displayed as a result of receipt of a user's input operation to turn over a page and execution of an operation in accordance with the user's input operation. If this technique is applied, for example, to a user's input operation to acquire a newly arrived email, the foregoing notification requires that an image be displayed as a result of execution of an operation in accordance with the user's input operation; namely, an image representing a newly arrived email. However, this image is not displayed until an operation for receiving from an email server data that represents content of a newly arrived email by communication with the mail server is executed. Thus, a user has to wait until the operation is terminated before receiving the foregoing notification. In addition, as long as the operation is terminated, only an image representing a result of execution of the operation, namely, in this example, an image representing content of a newly arrived email, has to be displayed, without the foregoing notification being executed. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to notify a user that a user's input operation is received before an operation according to the user's input operation is executed.


An apparatus for a mobile communication device adapted for digital pre-distortion that includes a memory and a processor operatively coupled to the memory of the processor. The processor receives a first input signal and also receives a first output signal from a power amplifier that is based on the first input signal. The processor additionally varies compression applied to a second input signal based on the first output signal of the power amplifier, generates a distortion compensation vector for the second input signal based on the first output signal of the power amplifier, and also varies an input excitation signal supplied to the power amplifier based on the first output signal of the power amplifier.

Communication devices may exchange various signals with other devices, such as data signals, control signals or other signals. As an example, a baseband (BB) signal may be up-converted to a radio frequency (RF) range for input to a power amplifier (PA). In some cases, one or more components of an input path may operate on the baseband signal before it is input to the PA. In some cases, the PA and/or component(s) of the input path may cause one or more types of distortion, including in-phase/quadrature (IQ) distortion, memory distortion, and/or other types of distortion. Such distortion may potentially cause issues, such as splatter into frequency bands adjacent to the RF channel, passband ripple, and/or other issues, which may degrade performance of the devices. Accordingly, there is a need for devices and components to reduce and/or control such distortion in these and other scenarios.
To address these distortions, often significant current consumption is required, draining battery life. In sum, a balance between reducing current consumption for increased battery life and maintaining linearity of the signal can be helpful in meeting industry standards. Digital predistortion is used to mitigate the increase of PA current consumption. By appropriate predistortion of the PA input signal, less PA headroom and PA quiescent current can be used, while maintaining sufficient linearity, e.g., meeting adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR), transmit spectral mask, and error vector magnitude (EVM) targets. However, increased transmit bandwidth increases the complexity of the pre-distorter because the linearity characteristic of the transmit chain depends on the instantaneous RF frequency and how fast the envelope of modulated RF signal changes. Subsequently, the linearity characteristic depends on the IQ data stream which modulates the RF carrier. The amplitude modulation to amplitude modulation (AMAM) and amplitude modulation to phase modulation (AMPM) response is no longer constant and depends on the sequence of modulation symbols. This can be referred to as a "memory effect" or "memory disturbance," and can be more pronounced at higher transmit bandwidth. While doing so in different manners, both average power tracking (APT) and envelope tracking (ET) systems produce memory disturbance. Thus, as communication devices intake more complex signals with increased aggregated bandwidth, signal processing techniques can be used to accommodate these signal without performance losses.

Feedback control systems for wireless devices


In examples, an electronic device comprises a printed circuit board (PCB), an orifice extending through the PCB, and a semiconductor die suspended above the orifice by aluminum bond wires. The semiconductor die is vertically aligned with the orifice and the bond wires coupled to the PCB.

During manufacture, semiconductor dies are frequently mounted on die pads of lead frames and are wire-bonded, clipped, or otherwise coupled to leads of the lead frame. Other devices may similarly be mounted on the die pad or on another lead frame pad. The assembly is later covered by a mold compound, such as epoxy, to protect the assembly from potentially damaging physical trauma, moisture, and other deleterious factors. After detachment from its lead frame strip, the finished assembly is called a semiconductor package or, more simply, a package. The conductive terminals (e.g., leads) are exposed to an exterior of the package and are used to electrically couple the packaged semiconductor die to devices outside of the package.


A remotely controllable fluid valve includes a solenoid-armature arrangement which functions as an electro-magnetic spring having improved force-displacement characteristics over a mechanical spring. The solenoid magnetizes a pair of axially spaced, sleevelike field poles. The armature is so shaped and initially positioned relative to the field poles that: as the armature, supported in one pole, moves further into the other pole, the axial magnetic force thereon decreases at a decreasing rate with the rate of decrease being greater at higher levels of solnoid energization.

Pilot flow pressure control valves are extensively used for controlling the pressure at which a larger control valve will open to relieve or control the pressure in a hydraulic system. Normally, such pilot valves are comprised of a valve element having a surface or surfaces exposed to the hydraulic pressure to be controlled which creates a pressure force tending to open the valve. A compression spring biases the valve element to a closed position. When the pressure force exceeds the spring force or bias, the valve opens to allow the flow of fluid therethrough. This fluid flow then changes pressure forces on the larger valve allowing it to open and prevent further increases in the fluid pressure.
To determine the opening pressure, the amount of spring compression or bias force on the valve element is initially adjusted at the time of manufacture or is controlled in the field by means of a threaded member which is rotated either manually or by an electric motor.
The use of springs to determine the opening pressure of the valve presents three problems. First, manual adjustment prevents remote control and electric motor adjustment is expensive, bulky, relatively slow to react and requires relatively large amount of pulsed electrical power. Computer control of such valves is industrial processes is difficult.
Secondly, springs inherently give to the valve a rising pressure versus flow characteristic. Thus, as the valve opens to permit flow, the spring is compressed. As the spring is compressed, its bias force increases in direct proportion to the amount of compression. A progressively higher fluid force or fluid pressure is required to open the valve further and further. For example, with a spring having a force versus compression rate (hereinafter called "spring rate") of 30 pounds per inch, to fully open a pressure control valve 0.020 inches, requires an increase in force of 0.60 pounds. With a 0.030 inch diameter valve seat, this calculates to a pressure increase of 42.4 pounds per square inch (psi) to half open the valve and 84.8 psi to fully open the valve. This results in a rising pressure versus flow characteristic particularly at the smaller valve openings which is considered undesirable for accurate pressure control.
Thirdly, unless an expensive and complicated compound wound spring is employed, it is almost impossible to provide a spring-biased, pilot-relief valve which will perform equally well at both high and low pressures. Thus, at low pressures e.g. 100 psi, the valve must open the maximum designed amount to permit the necessary fluid flow to effect operation of the main relief valve. At the higher pressures, e.g. 6,000 psi, the valve need only open a very small amount to permit the necessary volume of fluid flow to actuate the main relief valve. Thus, if a low spring rate spring is employed to give good pressure versus flow characteristics at low pressures, when the spring is compressed to require a higher opening pressure, the valve becomes unstable.
If a high spring rate spring is employed to give stability and good pressure versus flow characteristic at higher pressure, then the pressure versus flow characteristics at low pressure are poor.
At the higher pressures, this adverse effect of a rising force-displacement characteristic of a spring, is acerbated by the apparent drop in pressure on the valve element as the valve opens due to the conversion of the pressure energy on the element to velocity energy. This effect will hereinafter be referred to as the "Bernoulli effect." The Bernoulli effect results in an apparent drop of up to about 10% in the opening pressure force on the valve element as the flow increases. This apparent lowering of the pressure force against the increasing spring bias further adversely effects the pressure versus flow characteristics of the valve.
It is known to provide electro-magnetically controlled valves employing solenoids. However, heretofore the electro-magnetic force-displacement curves of the solenoid were such as to make them unsatisfactory for use in place of a variably compressed mechanical spring.


Fiber-reinforced composites having a gradient function and made according to the present method have an excellent mechanical strength characteristic, good oxidation-resistance and good fracture toughness even at high temperatures not lower than 1500.degree. C. The fiber-reinforced composite made according to the present invention includes: a base formed of carbon-fiber reinforced composite sheets having a good mechanical strength characteristic and good fracture toughness and laminated together; and a surface portion laminated to and covering the base and formed of ceramic-fiber reinforced composites having good oxidation-resistance. The carbon content percentage of the base decreases almost successively from a central portion of the base to an interface portion of the base at the surface portion. This results in the fiber-reinforced composite which has good oxidation-resistance, a good mechanical strength characteristic and good fracture toughness even at high temperatures not lower than 1500.degree. C. and in which an abrupt change in respective thermal expansion coefficients of the base and the surface portion at the interface therebetween is reduced by its gradient composition.

Conventionally, fiber-reinforced composites for use in the field of aeronautics and space comprise carbon or ceramics such as silicon carbide formed as a matrix which is reinforced with carbon fiber or ceramic fiber such as silicon carbide fiber. Of such fiber-reinforced composites, a carbon-fiber reinforced composite exhibits a superior specific mechanical strength (strength per unit weight) and higher fracture toughness even at high temperatures above 1500.degree. C.
Since the carbon-fiber reinforced composite includes carbon fiber, however, the composite has a disadvantage that is has poor oxidation-resistance and poor erosion-resistance at high temperatures.
Thus, in order to eliminate such a disadvantage, a coated layer made of silicon carbide or silicon nitride having excellent oxidation-resistance is formed on a surface. However, since the thermal expansion coefficient of the carbon-fiber reinforced composite is extremely low as compared to that of the coated layer, there is a problem that thermal-cracks are produced in the coated layer during a heat cycle. Consequently, it has been difficult to provide conventional fiber-reinforced composites having good oxidation-resistance and good erosion-resistance.
Further, regarding other reinforcing materials, there are ceramic fiber reinforced composites in which the matrix of silicon carbide or silicon nitride is reinforced with ceramic fiber such as silicon carbide fiber. Since both the reinforcing fiber and the matrix of the ceramic-fiber reinforced composites are formed of substances having good oxidation-resistance and good erosion-resistance, the composites are excellent in oxidation-resistance and good in erosion-resistance at high temperatures and require no oxidation-resistive coated layer. Taking silicon carbide fiber as an example, however, because there is a phenomenon that the mechanical strength of silicon carbide fiber decreases at approximately 1200.degree. C. or more, a composite using these fibers has a poor mechanical strength characteristic at high temperatures.

Method of manufacturing fiber-reinforced composites having a gradient function


A clinical thermometer which employs an infrared sensor and is constructed so as to prevent the occurrence of a temperature measurement error caused by a change in temperature of a tip portion (of a housing a temperature measuring portion) during temperature measurement. In one embodiment a heat insulator is attached to the tip portion to prevent a rise in temperature of the tip portion. In a second embodiment, the tip portion is formed of a metal of good heat conductivity in the shape of a net for example to improve the heat radiating property of the tip portion, thereby preventing a rise in temperature of the tip portion. In a third embodiments, a temperature sensor is attached to the tip portion to correct a temperature measurement error caused by a change in temperature of the tip portion.

Heretofore, as a clinical thermometer there has widely been used a mercury thermometer, but recently a digital electronic clinical thermometer has also come into wide use.
Ordinary electronic clinical thermometers use a thermistor as a sensor and are provided with an arithmetic circuit for the calculation of temperature values and a digital display unit. But it takes two to three minutes for the measurement of temperature, which time is even longer than that required in mercury clinical thermometer. There is an electronic clinical thermometer of the type in which the final value is estimated from the progress of temperature rise during an initial one minute or so. But this type of an electronic clinical thermometer involves the problem that the so-estimated value is not always coincident with an actual value.
The problem of requiring time for the measurement of temperature is also related to the portion where the temperature is to be measured. It is the temperatures of such deep parts as head, chest and abdominal cavity that are maintained at predetermined values by the adjusting function of a living body. But it is difficult to directly measure the temperatures of those deep parts, so in general the temperature to be measured is rectal temperature, oral temperature, or axilla temperature. The axilla temperature measurement is widely adopted, but the axilla is usually in a somewhat open condition, so the skin temperature of that part is a little lower. When the axilla is closed with a clinical thermometer put therein, the skin temperature will begin rising and reach a certain temperature (equilibrium temperature) in 10 minutes or so. If at this point or thereafter the clinical thermometer is pulled out and checked, there will be obtained an accurate axilla temperature. But if the clinical thermometer is pulled out earlier, the temperature value shown thereon will be a little lower.
Another factor related to the temperature measurement time is the heat capacity of the sensor portion. In a mercury clinical thermometer, the temperature measurement goes through the process of warming the mercury bulb by the body temperature through the glass wall and reading the expansion of mercury, so the heat capacity of the object warmed is fairly large, requiring a measurement time of 2 to 3 minutes. Also in an electronic clinical thermometer, a metallic portion contacted with a part for measurement is warmed by the body temperature and the thermistor varies its resistance value depending on the temperature of the metallic portion, so the heat capacity of the object warmed (the metallic portion) is also large.
All of the above clinical thermometers are of a contact type, but there also are available non-contact type clinical thermometers, an example of which is the "non-contact type oral thermometer" disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 88627/83. In this oral thermometer, using a pyroelectric type infrared sensor, infrared rays from the oral cavity are condensed and input to the sensor after chopping, while the output of the sensor is amplified and calculation is made on the basis of a reference temperature signal to determine the body temperature, which is displayed on a display unit. Alternatively, using a thermistor as an infrared sensor, the oral thermometer is composed of a condensing system, the thermistor, an amplifier, an arithmetic unit, a display mechanism and a reference temperature detector.
As a method of measuring the body temperature by inserting a clinical thermometer into the ear cavity there have been proposed such methods as those disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 25427/85, 216232/85, 133331/85, 117422/86, 138130/86, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,282,106 (1966). However, these proposed methods have not been realized yet because of the following problems involved therein.
The Japanese patent laid-open 25427/85 is merely entitled "an ear-plug type body temperature sensor". It is uncertain whether the body temperature is measured by a contact heat transfer of a resistance bulb such as a thermistor or by using such a sensor as an Si sensor for detecting infrared rays (radiation). Thus, since it is uncertain what measuring means is used, it is actually impossible to constitute a clinical thermometer.
The patent laid-open 216232/85 discloses an ear-plug type thermometer which measures the body temperature by a contact heat transfer with the external auditory meatus, using a thermistor as a temperature sensor. However, since this method is a contact type, it can be easily estimated that a longer temperature measuring time is required than in an oral type electronic clinical thermometer.
The patent laid-open 133331/85 discloses an ear sealing type thermometer, which however is basically the same as the ear-plug type thermometer of the patent laid-open 216232/85 because it uses a thermistor and a transistor sensor as temperature sensors.
The patent laid-open 117422/86 discloses an ear insertion type thermometer using a thermopile as an infrared sensor. According to the method set forth therein, the sensor portion is maintained at a certain constant temperature and the body temperature is measured by a reference method, using a reference temperature source provided in the device. This method is technically superior, but a complicated construction is needed for maintaining the temperature of the sensor portion constant and for the provision of a reference temperature source, thus obstructing a low-cost production.
The patent laid-open 138130/86 discloses a method wherein infrared rays from the ear cavity are conducted to a pyroelectric sensor through an optical fiber. But an infrared optical fiber for the measurement of body temperature has not been developed yet. The wavelength band of the energy radiated from the body temperature is in the range of 8 to 13 .mu.m and there has not been developed a fiber capable of fully transmitting radiation of such wavelength band. At ordinary temperatures or thereabouts, such radiation from the fiber itself is not negligible, so from the standpoint of accuracy it is difficult to realize a clinical thermometer using an optical fiber. Even if such clinical thermometer were realized, it would be very expensive.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,282,106 (1966) entitled "Method of Measuring Body Temperature" is concerned with a method of measuring the body temperature by detecting in a non-contact manner infrared radiation of 10 .mu.m in wave length emitted from a body cavity of a mammal typical of which cavity is the ear cavity. But this method is disadvantageous in that there occurs a temperature error because the change in temperature of the sensor portion is not considered.
Thus, the contact type clinical thermometers involve the problem that the time required for temperature measurement is long, and the conventional non-contact type clinical thermometers which are sensitive to infrared rays involve the problem of construction being complicated and the cost high.


A toner reproduction curve (TRC) control method is provided. The TRC method for controlling a printer including a color toner density (CTD) sensor includes the steps of (a) measuring a development potential VB, a charging potential VO, an exposure potential VR, and a development current Id and evaluating a development vector VD, which is the difference between the development potential VB and the exposure potential VR, and a backplating vector VBP, which is the difference between the charging potential VO and the exposure potential VR; (b) forming a TRC space using TRC data detected from the CTD sensor; (c) obtaining a TRC characteristic function from the TRC data, the development vector VD=x, the backplating vector VBP=y, and the development current Id=z; (d) forming an RTRC by setting TRC data, whose covariance is smaller than a threshold value among the detected TRC data, as RTRC data; and (e) measuring TRC data, comparing the measured TRC data with the RTRC data to calculate control parameter values, and controlling the printer using the control parameter values. The TRC method does not require other sensors but the CTD sensor. By using internal parameters covering environmental changes, the charging potential of a photosensitive body, a state of a developer, and the efficiency of a charger can be estimated, thereby realizing efficient TRC control.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling a printer, and more particularly, to an efficient tone reproduction curve (TRC) control method for providing images of high quality in response to environmental changes. The present application is based on Korean Patent Application No. 2001-48522, filed Aug. 11, 2001, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
A usual electrophotographic process applied in printers includes charging a photosensitive body with electricity, exposing the charged photosensitive body to form a latent image in a particular image area, adhering a developer to an area of the latent image on the charged photosensitive body using a developing device, transferring the developed image to a sheet, and fixing the image using a fusing roller.
In the charging process, the quality of the image can be increased by uniformly charging the photosensitive body with electricity. Accordingly, it is necessary to control the electric potential of the photosensitive body to be uniform during the charging. When the charging potential is low, contamination can occur in a non-image area. When the charging potential is high, developed mass per area (DMA) changes. When the charging potential is excessively high, the photosensitive body is permanently damaged.
Since the quality of an output image is related to the potential of a photosensitive body, it is necessary to maintain the potential of the photosensitive body within a predetermined range in order to obtain images of high quality. An electrostatic voltmeter (ESV) or an electrometer is used for measuring the potential of the photosensitive body. The ESV is disposed near the surface of a photoreceptor belt so that it can measure the potential of the photosensitive body when the photoreceptor belt passes an electrostatic electrode.
The potential of the photosensitive body is decreased to a predetermined potential referred to as an exposure potential to form the latent image during the exposure. The development device comes to have a development potential such that the potential of the developer is higher than the potential of a portion on which the latent image is formed, that is, the exposure potential, and lower than the potential of the other portion of the photoreceptor belt on which the latent image is not formed. As a result, the developer is made to adhere to an area of the latent image and thus development is performed.
The DMA of the developer during development is influenced not only by the charging potential, as described above, but also by the exposure potential and the development potential.
When the exposure potential is low, the difference between the exposure potential and the development potential is very big even if the development potential is maintained uniform. As a result, the amount of absorbed developer increases. When the exposure potential is high, the difference between the exposure potential and the development potential is small even if the development potential is maintained uniform. As a result, the amount of absorbed developer decreases, thereby producing a blurred image.
Similarly, under the condition that a constant charging potential and a constant exposure potential are applied to the photosensitive body, when a development potential applied to the photosensitive body is very high, the small difference between the development potential and the exposure potential causes the developer to be excessively absorbed. In contrast, when a development potential applied to the photosensitive body is very low, the big difference between the development potential and the exposure potential causes the developer to be poorly absorbed, thereby blurring an image.
FIG. 1 shows a method of controlling DMA to correct development errors in order to obtain an image of high quality, which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,021. According to the method, the charging potential, exposure potential, and development potential are controlled based on internal process parameters known as a discharge ratio, a cleaning potential and a development potential.
This conventional method increases the quality of a printed image by controlling DMA in a process control loop. An area in which an image is formed is referred to as an image area. A test patch is usually provided between image areas to measure DMA. The measured DMA is compared with a target value, an error signal is transmitted to a controller, and the internal process parameters are adjusted, thereby correcting errors. In other words, a grid potential and an average beam power of an exposure system are calculated using the internal processes parameters to control the system of a printer.
Referring to FIG. 1, a level 1 controller 120 provides suitable control signals Ug and Ul to an electrostatic charging and exposure system 122 to control the electrostatic charging and exposure system 122. Reference numeral 124 denotes a charging potential value Vh and an exposure potential value Vl of the electrostatic charging and exposure system 122, which are measured by an ESV. Comparators 126a and 126b compare the values Vh and Vl with target values VhT and VlT denoted by reference numeral 128 for a charging potential and an exposure potential, respectively, and transmit error signals Eh and El, respectively, denoted by reference numeral 129 to the level 1 controller 120. The gain of a level 1 loop is obtained from the error signals such that the potentials of a photosensitive body can converge to target values within a predetermined range.
The target values VhT and VlT for the charging potential and exposure potential provided to the level 1controller 120 and the electrostatic charging and exposure system 122 are generated from a level 2 controller 130. Comparators 136a, 136b, and 136c compare DMA sensor values Dl, Dm, and Dh denoted by reference numeral 134, which are measured from test patches provided according to a toner area coverage in a color toner density (CTD) sensor, with target values DlT, DmT, and DhT denoted by reference numeral 138, respectively, and transmit error signals 139 to the level 2 controller 130. In addition, the level 2 controller 130 generates a signal VTd for controlling a development system 132.
In other words, in the conventional DMA control method, DMA values measured by a CTD sensor are compared with target DMA values to generate differences therebetween. The differences are transmitted to a level 2 controller. The level 2 controller linearizes internal process parameters, i.e., a discharge ratio, a cleaning potential, and a development potential and extracts target values for control parameters, i.e., a charging potential, an exposure potential, and a development potential, from the linearized discharge ratio, cleaning potential and development potential to control a level 1controller and charging, exposure, and development systems.
The conventional DMA control method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,021 uses not only a CTD sensor but also an electrostatic sensor in order to diagnose the status of all parameters influencing an electrophotographic process, which complicate measurement. In addition, the conventional DMA control method is not adaptive in a state in which a charging, exposure, or development system changes due to changes in external environmental parameters such as temperature and humidity of a printer, or due to internal environmental changes such as replacement or supplement of substances such as a developer or a photosensitive body included in the printer. Moreover, the conventional DMA control method has a disadvantage of individually linearizing a discharge ratio, a cleaning potential, and a development potential in order to control a charging potential, an exposure potential, and a development potential based on internal process parameters, i.e., a discharge ratio, a cleaning potential, and a development potential.
To solve the above-described problems, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a toner reproduction curve (TRC) control method for providing an image of high quality in response to external and internal environmental changes.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide a simple TRC control method for diagnosing the state of a printer.
To achieve one of more objects of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling a TRC in a printer including a color toner density (CTD) sensor receiving light reflected from test patches having different densities and photoelectrically converting the received light, the test patches being provided on a photoreceptor belt. The method includes the steps of (a) measuring a development potential VB, a charging potential VO, an exposure potential VR, and a development current Id and evaluating a development vector VD, which is the difference between the development potential VB and the exposure potential VR, and a backplating vector VBP, which is the difference between the charging potential VO and the exposure potential VR; (b) forming a TRC space using TRC data detected from the CTD sensor; (c) obtaining a TRC characteristic function from the TRC data, the development vector VD=x, the backplating vector VBP=y, and the development current Id=z; (d) forming an RTRC by setting TRC data, whose covariance is smaller than a threshold value among the detected TRC data, as RTRC data; and (e) measuring TRC data, comparing the measured TRC data with the RTRC data to calculate control parameter values, and controlling the printer using the control parameter values.
The step (a) includes the steps of (a-1) measuring a development potential VB, a charging potential VO, an exposure potential VR, and a development current Id; and (a-2) evaluating a development vector VD and a backplating vector VBP from the measured development potential VB, charging potential VO and exposure potential VR. The development vector VD and the backplating vector VBP satisfy the following formulae.
VD=VBxe2x88x92VRxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
VBP=VOxe2x88x92VBxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(2)
The step (b) includes the steps of (b-1) developing a test patch at a high toner area coverage, a test patch at a mid toner area coverage, and a test patch at a low toner area coverage on the photoreceptor belt and detecting a signal TH corresponding to the high toner area coverage, a signal TM corresponding to the mid toner area coverage, and a signal TL corresponding to the low toner area coverage from the CTD sensor receiving infrared rays reflected from the test patches and generating electrical signals; and (b-2) forming a TRC space using the detected signals TH, TM, and TL.
The step (c) includes the steps of (c-1) obtaining a non-linear equation satisfying KVxe2x88x92T=0; (c-2) obtaining a Jacobian matrix J of the non-linear equation; (c-3) deducing the values of x, y, and z by combining an equation obtained from the Jacobian matrix J and the non-linear equation with the detected TRC(TH, TM, TL) data.
The step (d) includes the steps of (d-1) deducing a development vector VD, a backplating vector VBP, and a development current Id by combining the TRC(TH, TM, TL) data detected in step (b-1) with the TRC characteristic function obtained in step (c); (d-2) forming an RTRC(TRH, TRM, TRL) space using TRC(TH, TM, TL) data, whose covariance is smaller than the threshold value, among the TRC(TH, TM, TL) data detected in step (b-1); and (d-3) determining a function having the development current Id as an independent parameter and the development vector VD as a dependent parameter and a function having the development current Id as an independent parameter and the backplating vector VBP as a dependent parameter by curve fitting the development vector VD, the backplating vector VBP, and the development current Id to be suitable to the RTRC(TRH, TRM, TRL) space formed in step (d-2).
The step (e) includes the steps of (e-1) measuring TRC(TH, TM, TL) data in real time; (e-2) comparing the measured TRC(TH, TM, TL) data with RTRC(TRH, TRM, TRL) data; (e-3) calculating a development vector VD and a backplating vector VBP with respect to the measured development current Id from the TRC characteristic function obtained in step (c), when the deviation between the measured TRC(TH, TM, TL) data and the RTRC(TRH, TRM, TRL) data is greater than a tolerance error; (e-4) calculating a new development vector VDxe2x80x2 and a new backplating vector VBPxe2x80x2 by combining the measured development current Id with the functions of the development vector VD and the backplating vector VBP obtained in step (d-3); (e-5) calculating a value of a grid potential VG and a value of a development potential VB as the control parameter values using the new development vector VDxe2x80x2 and the new backplating vector VBPxe2x80x2 calculated in step (e-4); and (e-6) controlling the charging potential VO, exposure potential VR and development current Id of the printer by applying the value of a grid potential VG and the value of a development potential VB to the printer.
Preferably, the step (e) further includes the step of (e-7) estimating the efficiency of a charger from the development vector VD and the backplating vector VBP which are calculated in step (e-3) and from a development potential VB and a grid potential VG which are measured.
The present invention controls a grid potential and a development potential by deducing the potentials (charging potential, exposure potential, and development potential) and development current of a photosensitive body which are necessary for maintaining and controlling the TRC of an apparatus such as an electrophotographic printer or a copy machine which uses an electrophotographic process.
Particularly, the potentials (charging potential, exposure potential, and development potential) of a photosensitive body are deduced using TRC data measured by a CTD sensor, without using an electrostatic sensor for measuring the charging potential and exposure potential of the photosensitive body and a sensor for measuring the development current. Here, internal process parameters are a development vector, a backplating vector, and a development current which are defined above. A target RTRC value is set based on the result of deduction so that the TRC can approximate an RTRC to maintain or control the TRC.


Elastomeric or flexible surgical adhesives, comprising (i) a NCO-terminated hydrophilic urethane prepolymer derived from a fluorine-containing polyisocyanate and a hydrophilic polyether polyol of higher oxyethylene content, or a combinatioin of (i) with (ii) an unsaturated cyano compound containing a cyano group directly bonded to a polymerizable double bond, exhibit low toxicity, may be safely used for bonding of tissues and possess a rapid cure rate and sufficient bonding power.

1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to surgical adhesives.
2. Description of the Background:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,534 discloses surgical adhesives, which contain NCO-terminated (i.e., containing terminal NCO groups) hydrophilic urethane prepolymers derived from organic polyisocyanates, such as tolylene diisocyanates (TDI) and diphenylmethane diisocyanates (MDI), and hydrophilic polyether polyols of higher oxyethylene content, or combinations thereof with unsaturated cyano compounds containing a cyano group directly bonded to a polymerizable double bond.
Such adhesives, however, in which aromatic polyisocyanates, such as TDI and MDI are used as the starting materials, exhibit toxicity problems, because their hydrolysis products, tolylene diamine and diaminodiphenylmethane, possess a high activity in a microbial mutagenicity test (Ames test). On the other hand, aliphatic or cycloaliphatic polyisocyanates, such as hexamethylene diisocyanate, are of low reactivity and catalysts such as heavy metal compounds and amines are required when these compounds are used as surgical adhesives, and the use of such catalysts causes problems in regard to toxicity.
Thus, there remains a need for surgical adhesives which do not give rise to mutagenic hydrolysis products and do not require the use of toxic catalysts.


A device for allowing a crossbow to be released from a drawn position without damaging the crossbow. The device may comprise an elongated member having a substantially cylindrical shape that can be positioned on the upper surface of the barrel of a crossbow. The device may comprise a notched end shaped to receive the bowstring of the crossbow and allows the device to be projected by the bowstring upon actuation of the crossbow's trigger lever.

A. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of crossbows and, more specifically, to apparatuses and methods for unloading crossbows.
B. Description of the Related Art
Crossbows have been used for many years as a weapon for hunting and fishing, and for target shooting. In general, a crossbow includes a main beam including a stock member and a barrel connected to the stock member. A pair of bow limbs extend transversely from the end of the main beam. A riser block can be used to operatively connect the bow limbs to the main beam. Alternately, the bow limbs can comprise a single structure coupled directly to the main beam. A bowstring is operatively connected to the ends of the bow limbs and extends across the upper surface of the barrel. To cock and load the crossbow, the bowstring is drawn rearwardly toward the stock until it is received and retained by a trigger assembly. With the bowstring drawn, an arrow can be placed on a flat surface of the barrel of the crossbow in front of the bowstring. The trigger assembly, supported on the main beam, holds the bowstring in a drawn or cocked condition and can be operated to selectively release the bowstring to shoot the arrow.
Drawing the bowstring tends to cause the arms of the crossbow to move towards each other, thereby storing potential energy in the arms. To increase the amount of force provided by the crossbow and to reduce the force necessary for drawing the bowstring, the bow assembly may include a series of cams (pulleys, eccentrics, or wheels) and/or cables operatively connected to the ends of the bow limbs. The cams are rotatably attached to the bow limbs and receive the bowstring to reduce the amount of force required to draw the bowstring and/or increase the amount of force provided by the crossbow. Commonly, two or more cables are utilized to pull or bend the bow limbs inward, generally toward the main beam, as the bowstring is drawn. The cables may be received by the cams and coupled to the ends of the bow limbs. As the cams rotate, the cables travel across the cams thereby reducing the effective length of the cables and causing the bow limbs to be pulled generally inward.
When the bowstring is released from the trigger assembly, the potential energy stored in the arms of the crossbow is transferred through the bowstring and to the arrow which is then propelled or fired from the crossbow. Dry firing a crossbow refers to releasing the crossbow from the drawn position when the crossbow is unloaded (i.e., an arrow is not positioned on the flat surface of the barrel in front of the drawn bowstring). Instead of being used to propel an arrow, when dry fired, the potential energy generated by drawing the bowstring remains in the bow limbs. Dry firing can cause injury to the user as well as damage to the bowstring, cables, limbs, cams, and other components.
Commonly, when hunting, the user will cock or draw the crossbow upon initially setting into their hunting position, for example, a tree stand or ground blind. The crossbow is then left in a cocked or drawn position until the user either fires the crossbow or desires to move from their current hunting position. Because it is unsafe to transport or store the crossbow while it is cocked or drawn, before leaving their current position the user must safely un-cock or return the crossbow to an un-drawn position. Conventional methods for un-cocking the crossbow include firing an arrow into a suitable target or rock-free ground. The user may carry a practice arrow specifically for unloading the crossbow.
Although known methods of unloading or un-cocking a crossbow work well for their intended purpose, several disadvantages exist. Firing a practice arrow into a suitable target or rock-free ground may cause the arrow to be damaged, lost, or otherwise unusable. Losing or damaging the practice arrow creates an additional expense to the user and requires the user to carry multiple practice arrows. Additionally, the arrow may cause damage to the surrounding environment either from the force exerted by the arrow or from the pollution to the environment resulting from lost or un-recovered arrows. Further, the arrow may otherwise alert the hunted game to the presence of the hunters, for example, by providing an unnatural or unfamiliar scent or odor. What is needed then is an inexpensive, reusable, and inexpensive device that allows a crossbow to be returned to be un-cocked or returned to an un-drawn condition without damaging the crossbow or the environment.


An optical recording medium includes: a substrate; an information recording layer that is formed on the substrate and that has a recording film, which contains Zn or Al, Pd, and oxygen and in which the amount of oxygen is larger than that in a stoichiometric composition when Zn or Al is completely oxidized to become ZnO or Al2O3; and a light transmissive layer formed on the information recording layer.

The present application relates to an optical recording medium, such as an optical disc, and in particular, to a recording layer material thereof.
In recent years, the recording density and the capacity of optical discs, which is one of the media using an optical information recording method, have improved along with the spread of personal computers, the start and spread of terrestrial digital broadcasting, and the spread of high-definition televisions to homes. For example, a CD (Compact Disc) and a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a Blu-ray disc (registered trademark), and an optical disc recording medium capable of recording a larger amount of information are available.
The Blu-ray disc, as a large-capacity optical disc recording medium, is an optical disc which has a diameter of about 12 cm and a thickness of about 1.2 mm. As its layer structure in the thickness direction, an information recording layer is formed in an uneven shape on a substrate with a thickness of about 1.1 mm. The information recording layer is formed by sequentially laminating a reflective film (metal thin film), a dielectric film, a recording film, and a dielectric film, for example.
In addition, a light transmissive layer (cover layer) with a thickness of about 0.1 mm is formed on the information recording layer.
Such a Blu-ray disc has a storage capacity of about 25 GB (Giga Byte).
Regarding a recording material for the recording film, for example, materials disclosed in JP-A-2008-112556 are known.


A video image segmentation method includes: obtaining an image segmentation model by performing machine learning based on a historical video image and a mask image of the historical video image; adjusting the image segmentation model based on an initial frame of an image to be segmented, a previous frame of a frame to be segmented and a mask image of the previous image; and performing segmentation on the image to be segmented using the image segmentation model after the adjusting.

With rapidly growth of e-commerce, competition among the major e-commerce platforms is also more and more intense. Therefore, in order to improve competitiveness and provide users with a more comprehensive product information, most of the e-commerce platforms provide users with more comprehensive product information by recording video of commodity and obtaining various orientated views by the method of video segmentation.
It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background section is only for enhancing the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Video image segmentation method and apparatus, storage medium and electronic device

BEIJING JINGDONG SHANGKE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.

BEIJING JINGDONG CENTURY TRADING CO., LTD.


A “Key-Value Manager” applies an RDMA-based memory allocator to implement a distributed and lock-free B-Tree based key-value store. In various implementations, the Key-Value Manager is implemented as a standalone library running concurrently on large numbers of networked computing devices. The RDMA-based memory allocator of the Key-Value Manager allocates and accesses the memory of the key-value store via various sequences of RDMA messages (e.g., RDMA reads, RDMA writes, and RDMA atomic compare and swap (CAS) operations). As such, CPUs of computing devices hosting the memory of the key-value store do not need to be notified of or involved in RDMA-based reads and writes to that memory. Consequently, CPU utilization for any computing device that hosts any portion of the key-value store is minimal, thereby enabling the Key-Value Manager to scale to very large numbers of concurrent accesses by very large numbers of computing devices.

In general, direct memory access (DMA) provides various techniques that enable a device or process of a local host computing device to directly read and write local memory of that host device without interrupting the host's CPU(s). In contrast, remote direct memory access (RDMA), which is increasingly being deployed in data centers, extends traditional DMA-based techniques to enable a remote device or process to directly read and write memory of a remote computing device without interrupting the CPU(s) of the remote computing device. Existing RDMA-based techniques, such as, for example, InfiniBand, iWARP, RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE), etc., make use of RDMA-enabled network interface controller (NICs).
Typical key-value stores, also referred to as key-value databases, enable storage, retrieval and management of associative arrays such as a dictionary or hash. Key-value stores typically contain a collection of objects, or records, which in turn have many different fields within them, each containing data. These records are stored and retrieved using a key from the key-value store that uniquely identifies the record, and is used to locate and access specific data within the database.

Distributed self-directed lock-free RDMA-based B-tree key-value manager


An optical fiber amplifier comprising a first optical fiber, a second optical fiber, a third optical fiber, and an excitation light source, is disclosed. Each optical fiber has cores and a cladding surrounding the cores. The third optical fiber transmits excitation light used for signal amplification in the second optical fiber. A rare-earth element is doped to the second optical fiber that amplifies an optical signal propagating therein by the excitation light. The third optical fiber includes a reduced-diameter portion. A distance between the cores of the third optical fiber in the reduced-diameter portion is shorter than a distance between the cores in other portion of the third optical fiber, and the excitation light entering from the excitation light source to one of the cores of the third optical fiber is mode-coupled with another core of the third optical fiber to distribute the excitation light in the reduced-diameter portion.

JP2014-135508A discloses one example of a structure in which, in signal transmission using multi-core fibers (MCFs), excitation light is applied to an amplification MCF to which rare earth is doped. In this amplifier, excitation light enters a central core of the rare-earth-doped MCF, and the excitation light is distributed to outer cores which transmit respective transmission signals through mode coupling, thereby amplifying the transmission signals. Since a part of the rare-earth-doped MCF is constricted to shorten the distance between the cores, the amplifier accelerates the mode coupling to the outer cores of the excitation light entering the central core. JP2016-189406A discloses another configuration in which multi-mode excitation light enters a cladding of a rare-earth-doped MCF for amplification to collectively excite all the cores.


There is provided a method of producing a composite that separates carbon dioxide that has a carbon dioxide separating film on a support includes preparing, at greater than or equal to 50° C., a coating liquid for carbon dioxide separating film formation that contains a water absorbent polymer, a carbon dioxide carrier and a gelling agent, and that gels, after being left at 12° C. at a solution film thickness of less than or equal to 1 mm, within 120 seconds and liquid not dropping-off due to gravity; coating the coating liquid on a strip-shaped support; cooling, at less than or equal to 12° C., a coated film obtained by the coating, and obtaining a gel film; and drying the gel film at least by warm air, and obtaining a carbon dioxide separating film, wherein, from coating to drying are carried out continuously while conveying the support in a given direction.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of producing and an apparatus for producing a composite for separating carbon dioxide.
2. Related Art
The development of techniques for selectively separating carbon dioxide that is within a mixed gas has advanced in recent years. For example, as countermeasures to global warming, a technique has been developed of recovering and concentrating carbon dioxide within exhaust gas, and a technique has been developed that, by steam reforming, reforms hydrocarbon into hydrogen and carbon monoxide (CO), and further causes steam to react with the carbon monoxide so as to generate carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and, by eliminating the carbon dioxide by a film through which the carbon dioxide is selectively permeated, obtains a gas for fuel cells or the like whose main component is hydrogen.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication (JP-B) No. 7-102310 discloses a method of producing a carbon dioxide separating gel film by coating an uncrosslinked vinyl alcohol-acrylic acid salt copolymer aqueous solution in the form of a film on a carbon dioxide permeable support, and thereafter, carrying out heating and crosslinking and water insolubilization, and causing a carbon dioxide carrier aqueous solution to be absorbed by this water insoluble substance so as to form a gel.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 6-210145 discloses a water-containing, gel-like gas separating film in which water or an aqueous solution of a substance having affinity with CO2 is substantially uniformly made to be held within a supporting film that is formed of a macromolecule material, that is soluble in a solvent and has a bulky structural portion and a hydrophilic functional group within the repeating unit.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus of producing composite for carbon dioxide separation


An accumulator having an improved baffle connection and a related method of interlocking an outlet tube and baffle within annular grooves of a passage of an enclosure to prevent blow by of liquid refrigerant fluid past the baffle connection. The baffle includes a cylindrical extension having a mounting passage through which an outlet tube extends. The cylindrical extension and outlet tube extend into the passage of the enclosure and are engaged within one or more of the annular grooves of the enclosure to interlock the baffle and outlet tube to the enclosure. The enclosure preferably includes a puck having the passage therethrough, where the puck is inserted into a canister and then welded thereto.

Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to air-conditioning systems and componentry. More specifically, this invention is directed to a refrigerant accumulator and a related method of manufacturing, wherein a suction tube and a baffle are integrally interlocked to a puck-like enclosure member of the accumulator to simplify assembly, improve reliability, and reduce the overall cost of the accumulator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Refrigerant accumulators are well known and widely used in various vehicle air-conditioning systems to separate liquid refrigerant from gaseous refrigerant. Many accumulators are constructed from an open-ended canister with a closure member assembled and welded to the open end thereof. Typically, a J-shaped suction tube and baffle assembly is brazed or welded in an outlet passage of the closure member before the closure member is assembled and welded to the open-ended canister. The prior art has suggested a couple of exceptions to this practice.
First, U.S. Pat. No. 3,754,409 to Wreen, Jr. et al. teaches a liquid trapping suction accumulator intentionally lacking a baffle to minimize pressure drop in the air conditioning system and thus increase the efficiency thereof. Wreen, Jr. et al. disclose the accumulator as having a cylindrical casing with bottom and top enclosures. The top enclosure includes an outlet port therethrough with a cylindrical outlet connector positioned therein. Within the accumulator there is a J-shaped suction tube that is supported from below at a bight portion thereof by a bracket. The suction tube is mounted to the top closure within the outlet connector such that the outside diameter of the upper end of the suction tube is fit within the inside diameter of the outlet connector. The outlet connector is staked with dimples and the upper end of the suction tube is flared into the dimples to rigidly connect the suction tube within the outlet connector. Spaces between the dimples define a predetermined open area to permit gas to exit the accumulator.
Second, U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,065 to Patel et al. teaches a novel connection of a baffle within an accumulator canister. Patel et al. disclose that the baffle connection includes an outlet passage in an accumulator closure member or puck. The outlet passage includes a cylindrical bushing having a first end fitted into the outlet passage and further having a second end extending into the interior of the accumulator. Additionally, the baffle includes a cylindrical extension with a passage therethrough through which an outlet end of an outlet tube is fitted. The outlet end of the tube is knurled and the cylindrical extension of the baffle is melted into the knurling to enhance the seal therebetween. The cylindrical extension and outlet end of the outlet tube are fitted within the second end of the bushing, wherein the second end of the bushing is crimped over the outlet tube and baffle.
Unfortunately, the above-mentioned approaches have at least one major disadvantage. Both require use of an intermediate connector or bushing between the outlet end of the suction tube and the outlet passage of the closure member of the accumulator. The intermediate connector or bushing represents an unnecessary expense in terms of extra part cost and extra labor cost to handle and assemble.
From the above, it can be appreciated that prior art structure and methods of connecting the outlet end of a suction tube to the outlet passage of a closure member of an accumulator are not fully optimized. Therefore, what is needed is an accumulator having a simplified connection for a suction tube to an enclosure.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an accumulator for an air-conditioning system. The accumulator includes an enclosure, a baffle, and a tubular member. An outlet passage extends through a portion of the enclosure and includes a series of annular grooves. The baffle includes an extension portion having a mounting passage extending therethrough. The extension portion extends into the outlet passage of the enclosure and engages within one or more of the annular grooves of the enclosure to interlock the baffle to the enclosure. The tubular member includes an end portion that extends through the mounting passage of the extension portion of the baffle. The end portion of the tubular member further extends into the outlet passage of the enclosure and engages one or more of the annular grooves to interlock the tubular member to the enclosure. Preferably, but not necessarily, the enclosure includes a puck having the outlet passage wherein the puck is then inserted into a second enclosure, namely a canister, and is then welded thereto.
In another aspect of the present invention a method of manufacturing an accumulator for an air-conditioning system is provided. The method includes the following steps. An enclosure is manufactured that includes a passage therethrough and a depression in the passage. A baffle is assembled over an end of a tube wherein the baffle includes an extension portion that circumscribes the tube. A portion of the tube is inserted into the passage of the enclosure such that a portion of the extension portion also extends into the passage of the enclosure. Part of the end portion of the tube and at least part of the extension portion of the baffle are deformed into engagement with the depression of the enclosure to form a subassembly of the accumulator. Thus, the tube and extension portion of the baffle are mechanically interlocked to the enclosure.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an accumulator having a baffle circumscribing an outlet tube and interlocking to an enclosure.
It is another object of the present invention to improve the design of an accumulator baffle connection and eliminate the problems associated with prior art connection methods used for connecting the baffle within the enclosure.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an accumulator having a baffle connection wherein the baffle, outlet tube, and desiccant bag are all connected to the puck of the accumulator to form a subassembly, and then the subassembly is inserted into and welded to a canister.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a seal between the baffle and the puck thereby improving the performance of an accumulator.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an accumulator that overcomes the problems of the prior art, has a lower overall cost and is easier to manufacture by reducing part count and simplifying the design and assembly.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a mechanical interlock achieved by flowing tube and baffle material into depressions within an enclosure to prevent blow by of liquid refrigerant fluid past the baffle connection.
These objects and other features, aspects, and advantages of this invention will be more apparent after a reading of the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.

Baffle connection for an accumulator and related method of manufacturing