An immersion pump assembly comprises a pump and a wet-rotor motor driving the pump and having a common hollow spindle for the motor and the pump. Liquid in the wet-rotor compartment of the motor can be introduced into the spindle and conveyed within the spindle into the pump casing in heat exchange relationship with the liquid conveyed by the pump, by way of the wall of the spindle. The liquid is returned from the spindle into the rotor compartment by a pumping action. The exit and return openings for the liquid in the rotor compartment are spaced from each other axially of the pump assembly.

Since the cost of a well increases with the bore diameter, it is desirable for pump assemblies to be of small external diameter and high rotational speed in order to secure the same pumping performance as with a pump of a lower rotational speed but of larger external diameter. Such a smaller diameter high speed pump assembly is subject to greater stress on the pump motor, with the attendant problem of dissipating resistance losses occurring in the pump motor.
Frequency changers comprising an operating electronic system are frequently used for augmenting the speed of rotation of pump motors. If such a frequency changer is an integrated component of the pump motor, the supplementary problem arises that heat losses of said electronic system need to be dissipated.


An embodiment with a dual-stage reflectron is as follows: (1) On the assumption that a reflector has a base potential XA(U) created by uniform electric fields, its design parameters are adjusted so as to cancel the first and second order derivatives at energy E=E0 of a total time of flight T(E), and a second-order focusing position on a central axis at which the potential value becomes zero is determined (Mamyrin solution). (2) A correcting potential XC(U) to be superposed on XA(U), beginning from the second-order focusing position, is calculated so that T(E) of ions reflected in a region deeper than the second-order focusing position will be constant. (3) Voltage values of the reflector electrodes are determined so that a real potential XR(U)=XA(U)+XC(U) is created on the central axis.

In a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (which is hereinafter abbreviated to TOFMS), the time of flight required for ions ejected from an ion source to reach an ion detector is measured, and the mass (or mass-to-charge ratio m/z, to be exact) of each ion is calculated from the time of flight of that ion. One major cause of deterioration in the mass-resolving power is the initial energy distribution of the ions. An initial energy distribution of the ions ejected from the ions source causes a time-of-flight distribution of the ions of the same mass and deteriorates the mass-resolving power. To compensate for the time-of-flight distribution due to the initial energy distribution of the ions, ion reflectors have been widely used. A TOFMS using an ion reflector is hereinafter called the "reflectron" according to the common practice.
An ion reflector has an electric potential increasing in the traveling direction of the ions, and has the function of repelling ions coming through a field-free drift space. An ion having a higher initial energy (initial speed) penetrates deeper into the ion reflector and hence spends a longer period of time flying in the ion reflector when reflected. On the other hand, an ion having a larger amount of initial energy flies at a higher speed and hence spends a shorter period of time flying through the drift space of a fixed length. Therefore, by appropriately adjusting the parameters so as to cancel the increase in the time of flight in the ion reflector by the decrease in the time of flight in the drift space, it is possible to create a state in which the total time of flight from the ion source to the detector is almost independent of the initial energy within a certain range of energy (see Non-Patent Document 1 for details). Such an operation of focusing the same kind of ions with different amounts of kinetic energy on the time-of-flight axis so as to make them simultaneously arrive at the detector is hereinafter called the "energy focusing" according to the common practice.
To date, various types of reflectrons have been developed. They can be roughly divided into two groups: one type is a multi-stage system in which a plurality of regions with a uniform (or nearly uniform) electric field are connected in series, and the other type is a non-uniform electric field system in which the potential continuously changes with the intensity of the electric field defined as a function of the distance. Initially, the multi-stage system is hereinafter described.
The structurally simplest version of the multi-stage system is the single-stage reflectron. A potential of the single-stage reflectron is schematically shown in FIG. 23 (see Non-Patent Document 1). The ion reflector has a uniform electric field (i.e. the potential U is proportional to the distance X). A grid electrode G through which ions can pass is provided at the boundary between the field-free drift region and the ion reflector. In the figure, X=0 is the location of the flight start point and the detection point of the ions, L is the length of the field-free drift space, and a is the penetration depth of the ions into the ion reflector. In this system, if the initial energy of an ion satisfies the following equation (1), the time-of-flight distribution is compensated for up to the first derivative of the energy, and as a result, the first-order energy focusing (which is hereinafter simply called the "first-order focusing") is achieved:L=2·a  (1)However, in the case of the first-order focusing, since the compensation for the time-of-flight distribution is not achieved for the second and higher-order derivatives of the energy, a high mass-resolving power can be achieved only for ions having a comparatively narrow energy distribution. In the following description, the position corresponding to the depth a in the single-stage reflectron is called the "first-order focusing position."
FIG. 24 is a schematic potential diagram of a dual-stage reflectron. The dual-stage reflectron was developed for the first time by Mamyrin et al. (see Non-Patent Document 2). As shown in FIG. 24, the ion reflector consists of two uniform electric fields, with a grid electrode G provided as a partition at the boundary between the field-free drift region and the first uniform electric field (first stage) as well as at the boundary between the first uniform electric field and the second uniform electric field (second stage). If the first stage is adequately short, and if approximately two thirds of the initial energy is lost in the first stage, the time-of-flight distribution is compensated for up to the second derivative of the energy. That is to say, the second-order energy focusing (which hereinafter is simply called "the second-order focusing") is achieved and a high mass-resolving power is obtained.
According to an analysis by Boesl et al., exact conditions to be satisfied for achieving the second-order focusing in a dual-stage reflectron are given by the following equations (2) (See Non-Patent Document 3. It should be noted that the equations given in the original paper are incorrect; the following equations (2) are the recalculated ones):a=[(c−2b)/2(b+c)]·{b+[√{square root over (3)}·(c−2b)3/2/9√{square root over (c)}]}p=2(b+c)/3c  (2)where a is the penetration depth of the ion into the second stage, b is the length of the first stage, c is the length of the field-free drift region, and p is the proportion of the ion energy to be lost in the first stage. Equations (2) suggest that, if the lengths b and c are given, the values of a and p which satisfy the second-order focusing condition can be uniquely determined. In the dual-stage reflectron, since the time-of-flight distribution is compensated for up to the second derivative of the ion energy, a high mass-resolving power can be achieved for ions having a broader energy distribution than in the case of the single-stage reflectron. In the following description, the position corresponding to the depth a in the dual-stage reflectron is called the "second-order focusing position."
As for a multi-stage reflectron, which can be conceived as an extension of the dual-stage reflectron, it can be generally expected that increasing the number of uniform electric fields (or nearly uniform electric fields) in the multi-stage reflectron improves the performance, with the time-of-flight distribution being compensated for up to higher-order derivatives of the ion energy (the cancellation of up to the N-th derivative is hereinafter called the "N-th order focusing"), thus making it possible to achieve a high mass-resolving power for ions having a broader energy distribution. The possibility of improving the performance for an actual increase in the number of stages has been studied by numerical computations in Non-Patent Document 5, which includes a report of the results obtained by correcting the design parameters up to higher-order derivatives without departing from the practically acceptable ranges of the parameters while increasing the number of stages in the ion reflector up to four. However, increasing the number of stages does not lead to a significant increase in the energy range in which a high level of mass-resolving power is obtained. Furthermore, increasing the number of grid electrodes placed on the flight path of the ions causes a greater amount of loss of the ions and deteriorates the sensitivity. Such a system can be said to be practically unusable.
In view of such limits of the multi-stage reflectron, the non-uniform electric field system has been developed as an attempt to reduce the time-of-flight distribution of the ions having an even broader energy distribution. An ideal pinnacle of this system is a reflectron using a simple harmonic motion.
That is to say, as can be understood from the motion of a weight attached to an end of a spring, when the potential U is given by a harmonic function expressed by the following equation (3), the time of flight (TOF) of an ion will be equal to one half of the period of the simple harmonic motion, as given by the following equation (4):U=(½)·k·X2  (3)TOF=π√{square root over (m/k)}  (4)where m is the mass of the ion, and k is a constant.
These equations demonstrate that the time of flight is independent of the initial energy, and isochronism is exactly achieved. However, in practice, the absence of the field-free drift region in the potential distribution, as in the case of the harmonic function of equation (3), is a considerably serious drawback for TOFMS, because, without a field-free drift region, the ion source and the detector cannot be placed at any position other than at the bottom of the potential, which imposes an extremely strong restriction on the system design. A technique for solving this drawback is disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 4, in which the sum of a potential proportional to the distance X and a potential proportional to the square of the distance X is used as the potential inside the reflector, with the aim of reducing the time-of-flight distribution even in the case where a field-free drift region is connected to an ion reflector having a gradient electric field. This method ensures a certain level of energy-focusing performance over a comparatively broad range of energy. However, it also makes the negative effect of breaking the exact isochronism, thus limiting the improvement of the mass-resolving power.
On the other hand, a configuration of a TOF-TOF system for performing an MS2 analysis is described in Patent Document 2. In this system, a non-uniform electric-field potential is created inside a second ion reflector for the purpose of the energy focusing of the fragment ions produced in a collision cell. In another ion reflector described in Patent Document 4 and Non-Patent Document 7, the entire ion reflector is divided into a decelerating region as the first section and a (non-uniform) correcting potential region as the second section. These documents demonstrate that applying an appropriate non-uniform electric field on the correcting potential region makes the time of flight of ions completely independent of their initial energy (equal to or higher than a specific threshold) over the entire time-of-flight range, i.e. that complete isochronism is theoretically achievable. Specifically, it is shown that an ideal (one-dimensional) potential distribution on the central axis of the correcting potential region can be determined by integral equations. One example is also presented, in which the result of integration is expressed as an analytical function form.
A system which has significantly contributed to the practical realization of a reflectron having both high mass-resolving power and high energy-focusing performance (i.e. high sensitivity) is the system described in Patent Document 3. This system, which can be regarded as a compromise between the multi-stage uniform electric-field system and the non-uniform electric-field system, is a variation of the dual-stage reflectron in which the entire first stage and a portion of the second stage are designed to be a uniform electric-field region using an approximately constant electric field, while the remaining portion extending to the end is designed to be a correcting potential region with a non-uniform electric field adopted therein, whereby the electric-field strength on the central axis is made to substantially increase. To avoid the loss of the ions, no grid electrode is used. The electric-field strength in the first stage is set at a low level so as to improve the ion-beam focusing performance, with a corresponding sacrifice of the mass-resolving power. The amount of correction of the electric-field strength in the second stage is 10% of the uniform electric-field strength or even smaller. However, according to the document, since the equipotential surfaces in the grid-less reflector are not flat but curved, the trajectory of an ion traveling on a path dislocated from the central axis will diverge due to the lens effect. Nevertheless, an advantage still exists in that a higher level of mass-resolving power can be obtained for ions having a broader energy distribution than before, and the system has already been put into practice.
Based on the previously described past improvements of the reflectron, an ideal reflectron is herein defined as "a reflectron capable of the energy focusing up to infinitely high-order terms for a time-of-flight distribution by using a potential distribution created by a non-uniform electric field, at any energy level equal to or higher than a specific level E0." As will be described later, the following five basic conditions must be satisfied for the practical realization of an ideal reflectron.
<1: Complete Isochronism> It should be possible to achieve energy focusing up to infinitely high-order terms with respect to the time of flight.
<2: Suppression of Beam Divergence> A divergence of the beam in the reflector should be suppressed.
<3: Suppression of Off-Axis Aberration> An off-axis aberration, i.e. the temporal aberration for an ion on a path dislocated from the central axis, should be suppressed.
<4: Feasibility of Potential> It should be possible to produce an ideal potential in a practical way, using a limited number of electrodes.
<5: Tolerance for Non-Uniform Electric Field before Correction> As will be described later, it should be possible to realize a practically usable ideal potential even if a non-uniform electric field is present in the vicinity of the beginning portion of the correcting potential before the correction.
The condition <1: Complete Isochronism> can be expressed by the following equation (5):T(E)=T(E0)+(dT/dE)(E−E0)+(½)(d2T/dE2)·(E−E0)2+(⅙)(d3T/dE3)(E−E0)3+ . . .  (5),where E is the initial energy of the ion, and T(E) is the time of flight of the ion.
A Wiley-McLaren solution, as already described, uses the first-order focusing which cancels the terms of equation (5) up to the first-order differential coefficient by a single-stage reflectron, using a potential created by a uniform electric field. A Mamyrin solution uses the second-order focusing which cancels the terms of equation (5) up to the second-order differential coefficient by a dual-stage reflectron. These solutions cannot be regarded as an ideal reflectron, because the former system leaves the second and higher-order differential coefficients intact, while the latter system leaves the third and higher-order differential coefficients intact.
The conditions <2: Suppression of Beam Divergence> and <3: Suppression of Off-Axis Aberration> are also essential for the practical realization of an ideal reflectron. Both the beam dispersion and the temporal aberration occur due to the fact that divE≠0 for a non-uniform electric field in vacuum. Firstly, if the discrepancy from the uniform electric field is large or the curvature of the potential distribution is large, the ion reflector acts as a concave lens, which causes a divergence of the ion trajectory and eventually lowers the signal intensity. Secondly, even if an ideal potential along the central axis is realized, a potential discrepancy inevitably occurs for a trajectory dislocated from the central axis, which causes a temporal aberration and eventually lowers the mass-resolving power. In the following description, the former problem is called the "divergence problem" and the latter is called the "temporal aberration due to the off-axis location."
The condition <4: Feasibility of Potential> is also important from practical points of view, because, even if a correcting potential to be created inside the reflector to achieve complete isochronism has been theoretically determined, that potential cannot always be actually created as a three-dimensional potential distribution. In other words, even if a one-dimensional potential distribution having ideal values on the central axis (which is hereinafter called the "1D-IDL") has been found, it is not guaranteed that a three-dimensional potential distribution which has been simulated based on the 1D-IDL (the simulated distribution is hereinafter called the "3D-SIM") is a practical approximation of the 1D-IDL, because there is the absolute restriction that 3D-SIM should be a solution of the Laplace equation. A strong, specific concern is that an ideal correcting potential has a specific characteristic (which will be described later) at the starting point of the correcting potential, i.e. that the high-order differential coefficients relating to the position of the correcting potential inevitably diverge. As a result, under an electrostatic constraint, the correcting potential can merely be reproduced as an approximation. Accordingly, for the practical realization of an ideal reflectron, it is essential to determine whether a practical isochronism can be achieved by an approximate potential distribution created by a limited number of guard-ring electrodes. In the following description, this determination task is mainly substituted for by the task of initially determining a 1D-IDL, which can be obtained with almost zero numerical discrepancy from ideal values, and then performing numerical calculations on a large scale to obtain a three-dimensional approximate solution 3D-SIM corresponding to that 1D-IDL for a specified set of electrodes.
As will be described later, in the conventional theory for the ideal reflectron, the correcting potential is analytically determined on the premise that the electric field which serves as a base before the correction in the vicinity of the beginning portion of the correcting potential is a uniform electric field. However, a study by the present inventors has revealed that the electric field at the grid electrode placed at the boundary of the electric field is actually disordered due to the seeping of the electric field or other factors, and this disorder fatally deteriorates the isochronism. In the case of a grid-less reflector with no grid electrode, the problem is even more serious because the degree of non-uniformity of the electric field is greater. Accordingly, for the practical realization of an ideal reflectron, the correcting potential must be obtained by using a system as close to a real form as possible. Thus, it is necessary to satisfy the condition <5: Tolerance for Non-Uniform Electric Field before Correction>, which requires that the ideal potential should be applicable even in the case where the electric field which serves as a base in the vicinity of the beginning portion of the correcting potential before the correction is a non-uniform electric field.
Now, let the previously described conventional techniques be evaluated from the viewpoints of the five basic conditions. The <1: Complete Isochronism> has already been achieved, for example, in Patent Document 4 and Non-Patent Document 7 (which are hereinafter called "the documents of Cotter et al.") That is to say, a general solution for the potential distribution of an ideal reflectron capable of the energy focusing up to infinitely high orders has already been obtained in those documents. However, the solution described in those documents is limited to a one-dimensional space (with ions moving on the central axis); there is no mention of how to satisfy the basic conditions relating to three-dimensional motions, such as the conditions <2: Suppression of Beam Divergence> and <3: Suppression of Off-Axis Aberration>. Therefore, no ideal reflectron which can achieve both high mass-resolving power and high sensitivity has yet been practically realized. That is to say, at least either the mass-resolving power or the sensitivity is sacrificed in the currently used reflectrons.
The system described in Patent Document 3 does not exactly satisfy the condition <1: Complete Isochronism>. However, as compared to the reflectrons known by that time, it has achieved a higher level of mass-resolving power for ions with a broader energy distribution. In this respect, the system can be said to be closer to an ideal reflectron. However, a problem exists in that it requires repeating a trial and error process in a computer simulation in order to find a sufficient potential distribution for achieving a required mass-resolving power. It is impractical to use such a trial and error process in order to reach an ideal extremity, i.e. a solution that exactly satisfies the conditions for isochronism. The energy range in which a practical isochronism is achieved is also limited.
The technique described in the documents of Cotter et al. takes the following steps to practically realize an ideal potential:
[Step 1] An ideal potential distribution in the correcting potential region is expressed as a general solution including design parameters (distance and voltage).
[Step 2] The general solution obtained in Step 1 is expanded into a half-integer power series of (U−E0).
[Step 3] The design parameters are adjusted so that the expansion coefficients obtained in Step 2 will be individually zeroed.
However, taking the aforementioned steps is actually difficult, and in the first place, it is not always evident whether a solution which makes the coefficients in the power series expansion equal to zero actually exists. Furthermore, as already noted, having a general solution of the ideal potential is not enough for practical purposes; it does not make sense if no particular solution which satisfies the conditions <2: Suppression of Beam Divergence> through <5: Tolerance for Non-Uniform Electric Field before Correction> for embodying an ideal reflectron into an actual system is determined. Although Cotter et al. noted the general request that using an ideal one-dimensional potential distribution which has a smaller curvature and is closer to a straight line makes it easier to create an actual system, they proposed no specific technique for achieving that goal. More importantly, even if the method of Cotter et al. is used, it is possible that no practical solution with a small curvature of the potential distribution can be found for some setting of the design parameters. Actually, Cotter et al. mentions no solutions other than the first-order focusing solution, whose existence has already been proved to be evident.
A study by the present inventors has also revealed that, if in the first place there is no position where the N-th order focusing is achieved (this position hereinafter is simply called the "N-th order focusing position"), it is allowed to automatically conclude that there is no practical solution with a small curvature of the potential distribution. The N-th order focusing position can be more specifically defined as follows. Provided that the total time of flight is expressed as a function of energy E, the N-th order focusing position is the position on the central axis at which the potential value is equal to the energy E at which the first through N-th order derivative values are equal to zero. According to the studies on multi-stage reflectrons described in Patent Document 5 and other documents, the N-th order focusing position does not always exist in an arbitrary design; the fact is that there are considerable ranges of design parameters in which no N-th order focusing position can be found. This means that the situation with no N-th order focusing position existing from the start may more frequently occur depending on the setting of the design parameters.
Non-Patent Document 8 (which is hereinafter called the "document of Doroshenko") is a study that succeeded the technique described in the documents of Cotter et al. Similar to Cotter et al., the study is focused on the one-dimensional model. In the documents of Cotter et al., the entire flight path of the ions including the ion source (or ion-accelerating region) is divided into a forward path (upstream region), a return path (downstream region) and a reflector region with a correcting potential, and a generalized integral equation for determining an ideal potential distribution within the reflector region for achieving isochronism for an arbitrary potential distribution on the forward and return paths is presented. On the other hand, in the document of Doroshenko, after an analogy between the reflection of ions by the reflector and the extraction of ions from the ion source is explained, a generalized integral equation for determining an ideal potential distribution inside the ion source for achieving isochronism in the extraction of the ions is described. A particular solution is also discussed, for the reason that using an ideal one-dimensional potential distribution whose curvature is smaller and closer to a straight line makes it easier to realize or design an actual system. In that discussion, on the premise that only a uniform electric field exists in the vicinity of the beginning portion of the correcting potential before the correction, Doroshenko demonstrated that the ideal correcting potential can be expanded into a half-integer power series of (U−E0), and that the curvature of the correcting potential can be kept small by achieving the first or second-order focusing. However, the premise that "only a uniform electric field exists in the vicinity of the beginning portion of the correcting potential before the correction" contradicts the aforementioned condition <5: Tolerance for Non-Uniform Electric Field before Correction>. In this respect, the problem for the practical realization is not solved at all.
As described thus far, although an ideal one-dimensional potential distribution has been obtained by conventional research and development efforts, no ideal reflectron has yet been realized. This is because no conventional technique can completely satisfy the basic conditions <1: Complete Isochronism> through <5: Tolerance for Non-Uniform Electric Field before Correction>. Practical realization of a three-dimensional, highly feasible, ideal reflectron which completely satisfies the conditions <1: Complete Isochronism> through <5: Tolerance for Non-Uniform Electric Field before Correction> has been strongly demanded for the purpose of improving the performance of mass spectrometers. To provide such a system is one of the major problems in the field of mass spectrometry.

National University Corporation Kobe University


A presentation control system and method are provided, in which a first terminal is connected to a second terminal to control displaying of a presentation file stored in the second terminal. The first terminal controls execution of the presentation file in the second terminal, controls execution of switching between slide pages included in the presentation file in the second terminal, and controls closing of the presentation file in the second terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method for controlling presentation slides, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for controlling presentation slides using a mobile terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
With increased functionality of mobile terminals, users now can enjoy applications with their mobile terminals that previously were only available in a desktop Personal Computer (PC). In addition, by taking advantage of the mobility of mobile terminals, many new applications have been developed.
Along with the development of the performance and associated functions of mobile terminals, collaboration and convergence services with existing PCs are becoming more common, raising a demand for related applications.

Method and apparatus for controlling presentation slides


A system includes a bus and a component interconnected via the bus. The component may enter a sleep mode during a period of no data transmission involving the component.

Buses are used to interconnect various components within a device. A bus may support protocols for data transfer. Asynchronous data protocols allow for transmission of data at varied and may not require synchronization to a common clock. Isochronous data protocols provide for transmission of data at regular intervals and may be used in transmission of constant bit rate data. Various types of data may be sent between component including video and audio information.

Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


A method for qualifying optics (16; 14, 16) of a projection exposure tool (10) for microlithography. The optics include (16; 14, 16) at least one mirror element (14-1 to 14-7, 16-1 to 16-6) with a reflective coating (52) disposed on the latter. The method includes: irradiating electromagnetic radiation (13, 42) of at least two different wavelengths onto the optics (16; 14, 16), a penetration depth of the radiation into the coating (52) of the mirror element varying between the individual wavelengths, taking an optical measurement on the optics (16; 14, 16) for each of the wavelengths, and evaluating the measurement results for the different wavelengths taking into consideration a respective penetration depth of the radiation into the coating (52) of the mirror element for each of the different wavelengths.

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for qualifying optics of a projection exposure tool for microlithography, and to a projection exposure tool comprising this type of apparatus. Furthermore, the invention relates to a sensor module for interferometric wavefront measurement on optics of a projection exposure tool for microlithography.
This type of projection exposure tool has different optics modules, including an illumination system for illuminating a mask with exposure radiation and a projection objective for imaging object structures of the mask onto a substrate in the form of a wafer. Depending on the exposure wavelength, the optics modules have different numbers of mirror elements. When using EUV radiation with a wavelength of e.g. 13.5 nm, mirror elements are used for all of the optical elements of the exposure optical path. The mirror elements optimised for the reflection of EUV radiation have a coating which generally consists of a multilayer structure. The EUV radiation penetrates deeply into the multilayer structure, parts of the EUV radiation being reflected on each individual layer.
Before placing in operation the projection exposure tool and regularly during operation it is necessary to qualify the optical properties of the individual optics modules. The imaging properties of the projection exposure tool often deteriorate during operation of the tool. There can be many causes for this, for example there can be degradation of the mirrors, misalignment of the mirrors etc. The problem then often arises that the cause of such deterioration can not be isolated reliably.

Method and apparatus for qualifying optics of a projection exposure tool for microlithography


A system of controlling various actuators associated with human support surfaces is disclosed. Such a system is made up of a support surface, a controller, and an actuator. The system may optionally include batteries, a means of charging the batteries, and a graphical user interface as well as a communication link between the graphical user interface and the support surfaces. The actuators are capable of altering contour and/or firmness, of a support surface, they may be vibrational or heating/cooling in nature, and they may also alter the overall relative position of a support surface to another support surface, and/or to the ground plane.

Various approaches to making a chairs seat and back form fitting for various users are known in the industries of seating manufacture. These approaches range from the rather traditional use of contouring synthetic foam, to seat/back shells that have a degree of flex. There have also been approaches, which employ various mechanisms to vary the firmness of selected areas of a seating structure. Several problems exist with each of these approaches, though.
In the case of simply using foam padding, under normal manufacturing conditions it is difficult if not impossible to properly select contours that fit all of the population. And so often a softer variety of foam must be selected so that the occupants can reform to a degree the contours. And so, either improper contouring must be used or the chair is unsupportive through it being too soft.
In the case of incorporating flex into the shells of a chair, no geometry to date has achieved the proper amount of flex in the right areas to give correct ergonomic comfort for a wide range of individuals. In the case of a sling approach, the curves imparted on the sling by the frame are simple in nature (non-compound) and thus cannot provide the proper contouring necessary for ergonomic comfort. Also, this approach leads to "hammocking". Hammocking is when the sling is pressed in one area; the areas immediately adjacent have the tendency of folding inward, squeezing the occupant, again not yielding the proper ergonomic curvatures. An additional problem with sling chairs is that if the manufacturer makes the supporting sling surface taut enough to properly support a large-heavy person, the tension on the sling will be too great for a smaller person, resulting in discomfort.
Finally, the present state of the art dictates that the contours a designer may choose in seating design be generic in nature to accommodate the widest range of the population possible. In an effort to increase comfort, manufacturers have produced "sized" (i.e. small, medium and large) chairs that effectively narrow the amount of contouring-compromise that the designer must normally exercise. Unfortunately, this leads to the manufacturer having to tool three independent products instead of one, and the manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers having to stock (in this example) three times the quantity of product. Additionally, the end user is stuck with a chair that at some point in the future may be the wrong size. Moreover, sizing is not an absolute in defining the particular contours that an individual may desire. This invention addresses these shortcomings with a new and novel approach to seating adjustment and control.

Custom controlled seating surface technologies


A versioning system determines an amount by which a first collection and a second collection of data objects overlap. The system divides the first collection of data objects into m possibly overlapping groups of average size s and computes one combined hash result for each group. The system then constructs a first sketch vector with n elements based on the combined hash results. A respective element of the first sketch vector is selected, using a selection function, from the combined hash results that are computed with the hash function corresponding to the element's index. Next, the system receives a second sketch vector for the second collection of data objects, and determines a sketch-vector overlap between the first and second sketch vectors. The system then computes a data-object overlap between the first and second collections of data objects based on the sketch-vector overlap.

1. Field
This disclosure is generally related to data synchronization. More specifically, this disclosure is related to generating a vector of hash function values (a "sketch") representing a collection of data.
2. Related Art
In many computing applications, it is often important for two remote document collections to synchronize their data. Moreover, if document collections from two remote computer systems are meant to be identical, then their data is likely to agree at the 99% level. However, to determine such high-overlap estimations with a reasonable level of accuracy (e.g., ±0.5%), the information exchanged between the two computer systems will need to be based on a substantially large sample of the data.
A commonly used measure of the agreement between two collections A and B of data objects (files) is the "overlap." This overlap can be computed as the number of objects in the intersection of A and B divided by the number of objects in the union (|A∩B|/|A∪B|), which will be a real number between 0 and 1. Individual data objects can be represented by checksums, for example 128-bit hash function values, such that if two checksums agree, it is highly likely that the two data objects agree. To estimate the overlap between a local data collection A and a remote data collection B, a computer system may receive some or all of the checksums for the data objects in the remote collection B, and compare these checksum values to those for local collection A. Unfortunately, the overlap estimate may be highly inaccurate unless all the checksums are transferred.
Moreover, communicating the checksum values for the remote data collection can involve a high-bandwidth file transfer operation that makes it infeasible to frequently compare the contents of the local and remote file collections. If the computer system desires to estimate the overlap frequently, the remote system may need to reduce the amount of transferred information by generating checksum values for a small subset of files, at the cost of significantly reducing the quality of the overlap estimation.
Some overlap-estimation systems reduce the amount of communication by using min-wise hashing to generate a sketch vector. In this technique, there is a set of n universally known hash functions, h1, h2, . . . , hn, and a collection A of data objects is represented by a vector of n numbers, (min1, min2, . . . , minn), where mini is the minimum value of hi over all data objects in A. The vector of minimum values is called a "sketch," and the overlap of collections A and B can be estimated by the overlap of their sketches.
In many applications, accurate overlap estimation is especially important for collections that have a high overlap (e.g., 90%-100%). However, the precision of the estimate depends upon the size of the sketch. For example, if n is less than 100, the sketch may not reliably distinguish 97% from 98% overlap, and if n is less than 1000, the sketch may not reliably distinguish 97.7% from 97.8% overlap. Therefore, these overlap-estimation systems may require an undesirably large sketch vector to compute a detailed overlap estimate for two collections that are expected to be nearly identical.

Generating sketches sensitive to high-overlap estimation


A valve train system includes a camshaft with a camshaft lobe that is rotatable about a camshaft axis. A control shaft is rotatable about a control shaft axis and includes an eccentric control shaft slot. An input rocker engages the camshaft lobe and has a rocker slot. An output rocker engages a valve actuation member which is engaged with a combustion valve. A rocker pivot shaft has a rocker pivot shaft axis and is fixed to the output rocker and extends through both the control shaft slot and the rocker slot. Rotation of the camshaft causes the input rocker and the output rocker to pivot about the rocker pivot shaft axis and rotation of the control shaft changes the magnitude that the input rocker and the output rocker pivot about the rocker pivot shaft axis and also changes the magnitude of opening the combustion valve.

Internal combustion engines have historically employed valve train systems that open combustion valves a fixed amount and then return the combustion valve to a closed position. Combustion valves as discussed herein may be either intake valves that allow a charge of air or air and fuel into a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine or exhaust valves that allow exhaust constituents to be expelled from the combustion chamber of internal combustion engine. More recently, valve train systems have been developed that allow combustion valves to be opened a varying amount in order to achieve desired engine operating characteristics, thereby meeting fuel economy needs, achieving desired engine performance, and reducing emissions. One such valve train system is known as a continuously variable valve lift (CVVL) system in which the magnitude of lift of the combustion valve can be varied to any desired amount between a minimum lift and a maximum lift.
An example of a CVVL system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,473 to Rohe et al. In this example, the CVVL system varies the lift of the combustion valve; however, in doing so, the CVVL system also delays the timing during the engine cycle at which the combustion valve begins to open as the lift of the combustion valve is decreased. Delaying the opening of the combustion valve may be acceptable in some systems but may be undesirable in other systems. The arrangement of U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,473 is commonly referred to as a lost motion arrangement because when the CVVL system is controlled to produce less than maximum lift of the combustion valve, a portion of rotation of the mechanism is not transferred to the combustion valve and is used only to compress a lost motion spring.
Another example of a CVVL system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,809 to Pierik et al. The CVVL system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,809 is also a lost motion arrangement; however, unlike U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,473 discussed above, the CVVL system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,809 is arranged to minimize or eliminate the delay in opening of the combustion valve.
What is needed is a valve train system which minimizes or eliminates one or more of the shortcomings as set forth above.

Valve train system for providing continuously variable valve lift


A compound includes a boron atom attached to at least one C8-C26 fatty acid residue having at least one C═C moiety. Such compounds are polymerizable through the at least one C═C moiety. Polymers thus formed exhibit anti-fouling properties when used as coatings.

The following description is provided to assist the understanding of the reader. None of the information provided or references cited is admitted to be prior art to the present technology.
The Earth's oceans serve as highways for transporting goods, for the passage of recreational shipping vessels, and for the transport of troops and ammunition necessary for national defense purposes. Ships used for such transport are constantly exposed to harsh, corrosive conditions due to the salinity of sea water and are also exposed to rot and deterioration from biological life forms present in the oceans.
The economic loss to the shipping industry due to corrosion and deterioration of ships sailing the oceans is large. To reduce the economic impact, shipping vessels are protected through the use of antifouling coatings that serve three basic functions. First, the coatings protect the vessel hulls from the corrosive effects of salt water. Second, the coatings can also serve as a decorative and/or color film that permits ease of identification of an ocean liner. Finally, the coatings prevent aquatic life, i.e. biofilms and barnacles, from growing on the hull, which unabated cause drag on the ship and increased fuel consumption. For example, biofilms may increase the drag by 20%, and the growth of barnacles may increase drag by over 60%, when compared to a pristine ship without biological growth. Without removal of the growth of the films or other life forms, such increases in drag can only be overcome by higher fuel consumption for the ships.
While commercially available coatings attempt to address the problem of preventing or minimizing the growth of biofilm and aquatic lifeforms on hulls, the coatings tend to contain environmentally unfriendly chemical compounds that leach off into the ocean and upset the delicate balance of life within the oceans. For instance, many of the presently available coatings contain organotin or organocopper compounds that can have a marked negative impact on the environment.

Polymerizable organoboron alkyd resin anti fouling coatings


A mask with cushion that has an outer film is disclosed. The film may be self-skinning or a film formed about or glued to the cushion body. In another form the cushion may be formed with at least a portion having a plurality of adjacent voids having a honeycomb-like structure.

In the art of respiration devices, there are well known variety of respiratory masks which cover the nose and/or mouth of a human patient in order to provide a continuous seal around the nasal and/or oral areas of the face such that gas may be provided at positive pressure within the mask for consumption by the patient. The uses for such masks range from high altitude breathing (i.e., aviation applications) to mining and fire fighting applications, to various medical diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
One requisite of such respiratory masks has been that they provide an effective seal against the patient's face to prevent leakage of the gas being supplied. Commonly, in prior mask configurations, a good mask-to-face seal has been attained in many instances only with considerable discomfort for the patient. This problem is most crucial in those applications, especially medical applications, which require the patient to wear such a mask continuously for hours or perhaps even days. In such situations, the patient will not tolerate the mask for long durations and optimum therapeutic or diagnostic objectives thus will not be achieved, or will be achieved with great difficulty and considerable patient discomfort.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,971 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,746 are examples of prior art attempts to improve the mask system U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,689 and PCT publication No. WO 00/78384 are examples of attempts to improve the forehead rest.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,358 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,602 of ResMed Limited disclose a nasal mask cushion to sealingly connect a mask to a wearer's face. The cushion has a nose-receiving cavity bounded by a frame and membrane. The membrane is spaced away from the rim of the frame, and its outer surface is of substantially the same shape as the rim.
In the prior art mask cushions are provided that have a solid inner wall that provides support but doesn't allow much change in the shape of the cushion. Thus, such mask cushions can be uncomfortable for a user. Furthermore, often prior art mask cushions are made of foam which is neither waterproof nor durable.


Methods, systems, and computing system program products for iteratively calculating Simple Linear Regression (SLR) coefficients for streamed data, including iteratively calculating one or more components of SLR coefficients for an adjusted computation window based on one or more components of SLR coefficients calculated for a pre-adjusted computation window and then calculating the SLR coefficients for the adjusted computation window based on the iteratively calculated components. Iteratively calculating SLR coefficients avoids visiting all data elements in the adjusted computation window and performing redundant computations thereby increasing calculation efficiency, saving computing resources and reducing computing system's power consumption.

Internet, mobile communications, navigation, online gaming, sensing technologies and large scale computing infrastructures have produced large amounts of data sets every day. Big Data is data that is beyond the processing capacity of conventional database systems and analyzing capacity of traditional analyzing methods due to its large volume and fast moving and growing speed. More companies now rely on Big Data to make real-time decisions to solve various problems. Current methods involve utilizing a lot of computational resources, which are very costly, yet still may not satisfy the needs of real-time decision making based on the newest information, especially in the financial industry. How to efficiently, promptly and cost-effectively process and analyze Big Data presents a difficult challenge to data analysts and computer scientists.
Streamed data is data that is constantly being received by a receiver while being delivered by a provider. Streamed data may be real-time data gathered from sensors and continuously transferred to computing devices or electronic devices. Often this includes receiving similarly formatted data elements in succession separated by some time interval. Big Data sets are accumulated over time and they may be considered as a data stream with irregular time intervals. Streamed data may also be data continuously read from storage devices, e.g., storage devices on multi-computing devices which store a Big Data set.
Stream processing has become a focused research area recently due to the following reasons. One reason is that the input data are coming too fast to store entirely for batch processing, so some analysis have to be performed when the data streams in. The second reason is that immediate responses to any changes of the data are required in some application domains, e.g., mobile related applications, online gaming, navigation, real-time stock analysis and automated trading, etc. The third reason is that some applications or electronic devices require stream processing due to their nature, e.g., audio, video and digital TV, etc.
Processing streamed data may include performing calculations on multiple data elements. Thus, to process streamed data, a system comprising one or more computing devices typically includes a buffer on one or more storage media for storing some number of streamed data elements received by the system. Processing the streamed data elements may include accessing data elements stored in the buffer. When performing statistical calculations on streamed data elements, buffer requirements may be quite large. For example, when calculating simple linear regression coefficients a (potentially large) number of data elements may need to be accessed.
Further, some statistical calculations are recalculated as new streamed data elements are received. Thus, the (potentially large) number of data elements may be repeatedly accessed. For example, it may be that simple linear regression coefficients are calculated for a computation window and the computation window includes the last n pairs of data elements. As such, every time a new pair of data elements (one data element from an independent variable and the other from a dependent variable) is accessed or received, the new pair of new elements is added to the computation window and the current nth pair of data elements is moved out of the computation window respectively. All 2n data elements in the computation window are then accessed to re-estimate simple linear regression coefficients.
As such, each pair of data elements remains in the computation window for n simple linear regression coefficient calculations before it is aged out of the computation window. Accordingly, each pair of data elements is read from the buffer and used n times. Performing statistical calculations on streamed data elements this way is time consuming and is an inefficient use of resources. When performing simple linear regression coefficient calculation for a computation window all 2n data elements in the computation window will be visited and used, therefore performing statistical calculations on streamed data elements in this way is time consuming and inefficient.
Depending on necessity, the computation window size n may be extremely large, so the data elements in a computation window may be distributed over a cloud comprising hundreds of thousands of computing devices. Re-calculating simple linear regression coefficients in traditional ways on streamed data results in slow response and significant waste of computing resources.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Iterative simple linear regression coefficient calculation for streamed data using components


Carbonaceous particles and carbonaceous fibers whose surfaces are covered with a boron nitride thin film, wherein the atomic concentration of boron C(B), the atomic concentration of carbon C(C) and the atomic concentration of nitrogen C(N) satisfy the following inequalities: EQU 0.05<C(B)/(C(B)+C(C)+C(N))<0.3 EQU 0.05<C(N)/(C(B)+C(C)+C(N))<0.3. in the surface region as measured by photoelectron spectroscopy. Also, lithium secondary batteries which employ these carbonaceous particles and carbonaceous fibers as negative electrode active materials.

Carbonaceous materials are commonly used as reinforcing materials for plastics, metals and carbon because of their mechanical high strength and high elastic modulus. In addition, because of their high crystallographic and mechanical anisotropy, they are also useful as lubricating materials for sliding parts. Their unique microstructures are also utilized for applications in capacitor batteries and lithium secondary batteries. However, carbonaceous materials have a drawback in that they undergo degradation at temperatures of a few hundred .degree. C. and above by oxidation in the presence of oxygen and other oxidative gases, or react with the metals or other matrixes to produce carbides, so that their expected performance cannot be exhibited; applications of carbonaceous materials as reinforcing materials and lubricating materials and so on have therefore been limited.
Boron nitride has also been applied as a sliding material, etc. Boron nitride is a chemically stable material with high oxidation resistance, but is difficult in control of its crystallinity and form than carbonaceous materials.
It has been attempted to utilize the similarities and differences between carbonaceous materials and boron nitride to produce materials which are combinations thereof. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 8-245206, for example, discloses a boron carbonitride material which is an intermediate compound of graphite and boron nitride wherein carbon, nitrogen and boron are in a molar composition of 6:2:1. Also, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-171444 discloses a material with excellent wear resistance comprising a bi-layer film composed of a hard carbon film and a boron nitride film which is formed on a coated substrate by vapor phase synthesis. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-187883 discloses a process for coating a silicon substrate with a thin film of boron nitride alloyed with carbon, which can be employed for wear resistant uses and for semiconductors across a wide range of temperatures. The processes for forming these boron nitride films involve vapor phase reaction under reduced pressure, but while such processes are effective for producing films on flat surfaces, they are difficult for materials with not flat surfaces, such as carbonaceous particles and carbonaceous fibers.
Carbonaceous particles and carbonaceous fibers containing boron atoms and nitrogen atoms are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 3-245458, No. 5-266880, No. 5-290843, No. 8-306359 and No. 8-31422. These carbonaceous particles and carbonaceous fibers, however, have the boron atoms or nitrogen atoms in solid solution in the carbon, or have carbon atoms replaced with boron atoms or nitrogen atoms, or are stoichiometrically simple compounds of carbon, nitrogen and boron.
Graphite is also used as a negative electrode active material in lithium secondary batteries, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 9-63584 discloses the use of a carbon material which has been subjected to graphite treatment in the presence of a boron compound as a negative electrode active material in a lithium secondary battery, in order to achieve increased activity for the negative electrode active material. However, graphitization treatments in the presence of a boron compound it does not make possible to obtain a graphite material coated with boron nitride, and no improvement in chemical stability is achieved.
It is an object of the present invention to modify the chemically unstable surfaces of conventional carbonaceous particles and carbonaceous fibers by coating them with a boron nitride thin film, to thus provide carbonaceous particles and carbonaceous fibers with a widened range of applications.
It is another object of the invention to provide lithium secondary batteries with improved chemical stability of their negative electrode active materials by using the aforementioned boron nitride thin film-coated carbonaceous particles and carbonaceous fibers as the negative electrode active materials.

Carbonaceous particles and carbonaceous fibers both coated with boron nitride, and lithium secondary cells produced by using the same as negative active material


A system for generating a synchronization control signal for synchronizing a radio-frequency signal having a frequency and a pulsed optical signal, the system comprising an electro-optical amplitude modulator that includes a phase shift controller having a controller output at which the synchronization control signal is output, a phase shift mixer that includes a first and a second photodetector, an optical input connection that connects the input for the optical signal to the optical input of the electro-optical amplitude modulator, and an input splitter that is arranged in the input connection in order to output the optical signal additionally at a branch of the input splitter.

It is especially in accelerator plants which operate with pulsed beams and a multiplicity of elements for beam guidance and experimenting stations must be controlled synchronously with the pulsed beam of the accelerator that it is required to synchronize radio-frequency signals which are used in the individual experimenting stations with an optical reference, namely a pulsed laser beam. This laser beam can be preferably an erbium laser which emits pulses at a repetition rate of 216.6 MHz, wherein this repetition rate can be adjusted extremely accurately.
It is then required for the individual elements of the accelerator plant that the radio-frequency signals used therein are synchronized precisely with the pulses of the laser which means that, for example, a zero transition of the radio-frequency signal coincides accurately with a laser pulse.
In addition, it is also of interest in other fields to synchronize optical and electrical signals with one another.

System and method for generating a synchronisation control signal


It is confirmed whether or not page description data contain an object for stroking a path. If the page description data contain the object for stroking a path, then it is confirmed whether or not a curved path construction operator is contained in the object. If the curved path construction operator is contained in the object, line segments of a polygonal path which is approximated to a curved path of the curved path construction operator are determined, and the curved path construction operator is replaced with a plurality of straight path construction operators which correspond respectively to the line segments of the polygonal path.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a page description data processing apparatus, a page description data processing method, and a recording medium for performing a particular processing sequence on page description data described by a page description language (PDL), thereby to convert the page description data into more robust page description data (hereinafter referred to as "robustized page description data").
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, DTP processes for setting characters and images generated by the operator with a computer into an electronic page using DTP (DeskTop Publishing) application software installed in the computer have been widely used in the printing and platemaking fields.
The DTP application software generates page description data which express images of respective pages based on elements such as characters and images edited by the operator.
The page description data are vector data independent of the resolution of an output machine such as a printer, a platesetter, or the like, and cannot be output per se from the output machine. Therefore, the page description data are rasterized by an RIP (Raster Image Processor) into raster image data comprising a cluster of dots representative of elements such as characters and images in pages.
When the raster image data are supplied to the output machine such as a printer, a platesetter, or the like, the output machine outputs a hard copy or a printing plate carrying an image based on the raster image data (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-070957).
PDF (Portable Document File) version 1.3, which is one type of page description data, incorporates a plurality of processing schemes (hereinafter referred to as "line join styles") that are applied to joints in stroking a plurality of connected paths. The term "path" refers to a path which has no line width by itself and which interconnects a start point and an end point. The term "stroke" refers to a process of applying a certain line width to a path.
Of the line join styles incorporated in PDF version 1.3, "miter join" is a process of extending the outer edges of two line segments until they meet at a certain angle, as in a picture frame. Another line join style called "bevel join" is a process of squaring off the end points of two line segments and filling a space defined jointly by the square ends with a triangle. For details, reference should be made to PDF Reference, 2nd edition, Adobe Portable Document Format Version 1.3, 1st edition, 1st print, published July 2000, Author: Adobe Systems, Publisher: Pearson Education, ISBN0-201-61588-6, pages 135-136, 140-141.
According to the PDF specifications, it is prescribed that if the angle at which two line segments cross each other is equal to or greater than a certain value (miter limit), then the miter join is applied, and if the angle is smaller than the miter limit, the bevel join is applied. Therefore, if the line segments cross each other at an acute angle, then the corner formed by the crossing line segments is squared off to prevent itself from protruding excessively, with the result that they have an improved image quality, particularly if they produce a character image.
However, even the PDF specifications are susceptible to an unexpected problem which is experienced in a process of rasterizing a line shape that is made up, as shown in FIG. 8A of the accompanying drawings, of a curved path PC having a start point A1 and an end point A2 and a straight path PL having a start point A2 and an end point A3. The problem will be described below while the rasterizing process will be explained.
As shown in FIG. 8B of the accompanying drawings, an object OC (see FIG. 8A) strokes the curved path PC (indicated by the solid line in FIG. 8A), and an RIP approximates the curved path PC with a polygonal path PL1 (indicated by the broken line in FIG. 8B), made up of a plurality of line segments. The approximated result depends on the characteristics inherent in the output machine, such as an output resolution thereof, and the software version of the RIP. In FIG. 8B, the curved path PC comprises a curve A1A2 divided into two line segments by a joint J1.
Then, the shapes of the outer edges of line segments having a certain line width are determined along and over a central line that is represented by the polygonal path PL1. The angle ∠J1A2A3 formed between a line segment J1A2 and a line segment A2A3 varies depending on the position of the joint J1 that has been determined by the above approximation. Consequently, it is impossible to predict which one of the miter join and the bevel join is to be applied as the line join style at the point A2.
If the angle ∠J1A2A3 in FIG. 8B is smaller than the miter limit, then the corner of the point A2 is processed into a bevel join, as shown in FIG. 8C. As a result, a stroked area 4 is produced which is devoid of an apex (cut-off area 2) at the corner of the point A2.
In FIG. 8D of the accompanying drawings, the curve A1A2 is divided into three line segments by joints J2, J3, and is approximated by a polygonal path PL2, indicated by the broken line.
The angle ∠J3A2A3 between a line segment J3A2 and a line segment A2A3 shown in FIG. 8D is greater than the angle ∠J1A2A3 shown in FIG. 8B. If the angle ∠J3A2A3 is equal to or greater than the miter limit, then the corner of the point A2 is processed into a miter join, as shown in FIG. 8E of the accompanying drawings. As a result, a stroked area 6 is produced which has an apex at the corner of the point A2.
As shown in FIGS. 8B and 8D, since the angle at which the curved path PC and straight path PL join each other varies depending on the number of line segments into which the curve A1A2 is divided, the cut-off area 2 (see FIG. 8C) may be irregularly produced. The same phenomenon may occur with respect to a line shape that is made up of joined objects each stroking a curved path.
As described above, when curved paths are approximated by polygonal paths depending on the characteristics inherent in the output machine, such as an output resolution thereof, and the software version of the RIP, since the angle at which the paths join each other is indefinite, they may be converted into an unexpected stroked shape. Accordingly, when image data representing a precipitous line shape are rasterized, the rasterized image data may possibly lead to unexpected print difficulties whose causes are difficult to identify.

Page description data processing apparatus, page description data processing method, and recording medium


A device for measuring the thickness of a layer of material, the device including a reading head and control unit connected to the reading head. The reading head includes a microwave planar type sensor and an A/D converter connected to the microwave sensor and arranged in proximity of the microwave sensor.

As is known, in a paper making machine, a layer of cellulosic pulp, composed of approximately 3% fibre and mineral additives and approximately 97% water, is fed along a paper production line.
This production line goes through, in sequence, a cellulosic pulp formation and drainage section, a pressing section which produces a sheet of paper and a paper sheet drying section.
A first portion of the production line, which goes through the formation and drainage section, defines a drainage path, along which the cellulosic pulp is fed while supported by a fabric, that rotates in a loop, generally known as a "forming fabric". Underneath the forming fabric, and in contact with the reverse side of the same fabric, is arranged, at a predetermined distance from one another, a number of blades (generally known as "foils") and a number of suction units. The blades and the suction units are apt to remove the water contained between the fibres of the cellulosic pulp and which passes through the forming fabric as it advances. In particular, the blades remove the water that drains from the forming fabric by mechanical removal, whereas the suction units eliminate the water by the application of a vacuum.
A highly efficient formation and drainage section reduces the cost of pressing and drying operations carried out downstream of the formation and drainage section.
Portable devices are commercially available which monitor the efficiency of the formation and drainage station, by generally measuring the thickness of the cellulosic pulp layer or the amount of water contained in the cellulosic pulp.
Such devices generally include a rod on which a reading head is mounted and provided with a sensor, which is manually positioned in contact with the lower surface of the fabric between one suction unit and another, so as to measure the thickness of the cellulosic pulp layer positioned above the forming fabric.
Such devices employ various types of sensors, for example sensors that utilize GBS (Gamma Back Scattering) technology to measure the consistency of the material they contact. Such technology is accurate, but requires a radioactive source inside the reading head which makes it expensive and of no practical use due to the drawbacks of radioactivity. Other sensors utilize ultrasound and even if they are less expensive than the previous type, are difficult to use and are characterized by poor accuracy, especially in the environment of paper making machines.
Portable devices that utilize microwave sensors are also known, which estimate the quantity of water contained in the material by measuring the frequency response of the material. Such sensors are equipped with a resonance chamber made of very expensive metal-based alloy materials, since it is necessary to minimize the thermal expansion or contraction effects. In such sensors, in fact, the thermal expansion or contraction causes a shift in the resonance frequency which affects the response and, therefore, the accuracy of the measurement of the sensor. In addition, the field of microwaves output by sensors of this type has a poorly defined shape and a limited penetration capacity inside the layer of material. Hence such sensors cannot be used with very thick layers of material. Finally, the resonance chamber of such microwave sensors have minimum dimensions that do not allow the sensor to be integrated inside the blades of the formation and drainage section.

Device for measuring the thickness of a layer of material


In a side ground electrode type of spark plug, sizes of discharge members are optimized to reduce a useless portion in discharging to improve discharge wear resistance. A first discharge member mainly comprising Ir alloy is welded to the central electrode. A second discharge member comprising Ir metal circle plate is welded to the ground electrode, wherein a side surface of the first discharge member confronts a surface of the second discharge member to form a spark discharge gap Gxe2x89xa70.2 mm, D(a width of the first discharge member)xe2x89xa71.6 mm. |Axe2x88x92D|xe2x89xa6(G+0.5 mm). A is a width of the second discharge member. Moreover, Dxe2x89xa65.0 mm. A maximum cross-sectional area of weld portion between the first discharge member and the central electrode xe2x89xa68 mm2. This weld portion has distance L to the second discharge member. Lxe2x89xa7G.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a spark plug for an engine for a cogeneration system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the gas engine in a cogeneration system, fuel is ignited with a spark plug. In this spark plug, the heat load to the electrode is greater than that to the spark plug for automobile engines because the engine for the cogeneration system is required to continuously run.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,328 discloses a spark plug for cogeneration comprising ground electrodes confronting each other, and a central electrode arranged between the ground electrodes. The central electrode has a prism-shaped attachment portion which is square in plan view and which comprises a platinum-rhodium alloy. The prism-shaped attachment portions carried by a pin-shaped part of the center electrode which projects into a central opening in the attachment portion and is welded or soldered or brazed thereto at the top surface of the prism-shaped portion. As a result, the weld portion is subject to affection of the heat from the combustion gas. Therefore, the weld portion that is derived from melted platinum-rhodium alloy and the material of the central electrode cannot resist the heat load for long interval, so that there is considerable wear at that portion.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a superior spark plug.
According to the present invention, a first aspect of the present invention provides a spark plug for a cogeneration engine comprising: a tubular housing; a central bar electrode supported by said tubular housing in said tubular housing with electrical insulation therebetween; a first bar discharge member being arranged at one end of said central bar electrode, comprising Ir alloy, and protruding from one end of said tubular housing along an axis of said center electrode; a plate ground electrode being arranged at said one end of said tubular housing in a radial direction of said axis and having one end surface confronting a side surface of said first bar discharge member; and a second discharge member being arranged on said end surface and having a surface confronting said side surface, spark discharge being generated at a gap between said first and second discharge members, wherein if it is assumed that a distance of said gap is G, a width of said side surface in a normal direction of a plane including said radial direction and said axis is D, and a width of said surface in said normal direction is A, G is equal to or greater than 0.2 mm and equal to or lower than 0.6 mm, D is equal to or greater than 1.6 mm, |Axe2x88x92D| is equal to or lower than a result of adding 0.5 mm to G.
According to the present invention, a second aspect of the present invention provides a spark plug based on the first aspect, wherein D is equal to or lower than 5.0 mm.
According to the present invention, a third aspect of the present invention provides a spark plug based on the first aspect further comprises a weld portion between said one end of said central electrode and said first bar discharge member, wherein a maximum cross-sectional area of said weld portion on a plane perpendicular to said axis is equal to or lower than 8 mm2.
According to the present invention, a fourth aspect of the present invention provides a spark plug based on the first aspect, wherein said one end of said central electrode is welded to a surface of said first bar discharge member on the side of said central electrode.
According to the present invention, a fifth aspect of the present invention provides a spark plug based on the first aspect, said spark plug further comprises a weld portion between said one end of said central electrode and said first bar discharge member, said weld portion being provided by laser welding, wherein said weld portion does not confront said surface of said second discharge member, if it is assumed that a shortest distance between said weld portion and said second discharge member is L, L is equal to or greater than G.
According to the present invention, a sixth aspect of the present invention provides a spark plug based on the fifth aspect, wherein L is equal to or greater than a result of adding 0.2 mm to G.
According to the present invention, a seventh aspect of the present invention provides a spark plug based on the first aspect, wherein each of said first and second discharge members comprises Ir and at least one of Rh, Pt, Ru, Pd, and W.

Spark plug for an engine for a cogeneration system


A blown film extrusion device includes a blow head and an outer cooling ring mountable on a top of the blow head. The cooling ring has an annular support surface on its bottom and can be centered relative to the blow head via centering devices.

1. Field of Invention
The invention concerns a blown film extrusion device with a blow head and an external cooling ring mountable on its top, having an annular support surface on its bottom and centerable relative to the blow head via centering devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such a device is known from DE 33 36 181 A1. The so-called blow head has an annular nozzle gap from which plastic melt emerges. Air is blown into the center of the annular nozzle. At the same time air is fed from the outside by means of an external cooling ring against the film tube emerging at the annular nozzle. The external cooling ring is then mounted with an annular surface on its bottom on an annular surface on the top of the blow head so that the external cooling ring can be slightly raised in order to facilitate access to the annular nozzle during maintenance. A problem here is that the already slight eccentricities or oblique positions of the mounted external cooling ring mean that the bubble taken off from the annular nozzle is slanted, which can lead to nonuniform thickness distribution in the film and to problems during further processing.
The centering devices proposed in the known blown film extrusion device are screws, which are aligned on the bottom of the external cooling ring in the radial direction and mounted in a threaded hole. They can be set with their tip against the outer periphery of a circular section in the upper area of the blow head.
Centering occurs in a blown film extrusion device according to DE 92 14 647 U1 through a shoulder with the shape of a truncated cone on the blow head, on which the outer cooling ring is mounted with a conical hole.
It is also known to form centering devices by hook-like angles. The upper edge of the blow head can be enclosed by at least three angles on the bottom of the outer cooling ring so that the centering ring is centered relative to the blow head.
All known blown film extrusion devices have the common feature that their centering devices do not permit temperature-independent centering. Centering of the cooling ring and blow head free of play performed at room temperature is not effective in operation, since the stronger heating of the blow head leads to relatively greater elongation than in the cooling ring. Significant pressure forces would therefore act on the centering devices that are supported on the outer periphery of parts of the blow head. For this reason, centering must be conducted separately at each operating point in the known blown film extrusion devices.

Abstract: The centering devices are formed by at least three radially arranged linear guides, each of which has a radially extending recess and at least one guide element engaging in the recess.


The present invention relates to a sensor mechanism of an optical disc device for detecting tray in/out motion, which comprises a swing bar having a actuating bar, a spinning center and a protrusion portion; a gear for driving the protrusion portion to rotate the swing bar against the spinning center; at least one sensor for emitting a signal that the tray has been already moved in/out when it is touched by the actuating bar, so that the device prepares to perform next function.

There are two kinds of tray for carrying disc in optical disc devices, including single-disc type and multi-disc type. The multi-disc type optical disc device usually uses a magazine having plural trays carrying discs so that the optical disc device can read a selected disc based on the user's instruction without manually changing the discs. When the optical disc device receives an instruction to select a disc, an ejection arm moves to a position to allow an ejection hook pulling the selected tray from the magazine to a predetermined position, then a disc clamper clamps the disc on the selected tray, and an optical pick-up unit plays and reads the disc. After the playing or reading is completed, the disc clamper releases the disc to the tray. Then the ejection hook pushes the tray back to the magazine, and the device then executes the next instruction.
When the ejection hook pulls the selected tray from the magazine to a predetermined position, it needs a signal to start the disc clamper to clamps the disc and then the optical pick-up unit can play and read the disc. When the playing or reading is completed and the ejection hook pushes the tray carrying the disc back to the magazine, it also needs a signal to start the ejection arm to move downwards/upwards to execute the next instruction.
However, in conventional optical disc devices, after the ejection hook pulls a tray from a magazine to a position for playing or from the position for playing to the magazine, how to determine that the tray has been moved in a suitable position then emit a signal for instructing the device to execute the next action at an appropriate timing, for example, to execute the disc playing/reading or allow the ejection arm moving downwards/upwards to eject the next tray is intended to be resolved by the present inventors.
In view of the above fact, the present inventors have investigated the mechanism of an optical: disc device for detecting tray in/out motion and completed the present invention.

Sensor mechanism for detecting tray in/out motion


A mobile regeneration apparatus is provided for regenerating dryers. The regeneration apparatus may be used to regenerate single tower desiccant dryers located at natural gas vehicle refueling stations. For optimum performance, each dryer may be located upstream of a respective compressor.

The present invention relates to a system for handling compressed gas. The invention also relates to a distribution system for supplying compressed natural gas to natural gas vehicles.
Natural gas (with methane as a major constituent) is typically supplied to end use installations at a relatively low pressure. For example, natural gas supplied through a pipeline is typically maintained at a pressure within a range of from five pounds per square inch (psig) to three hundred psig. However, at a natural gas vehicle refueling station, it may be desirable to store natural gas in compressed form at a high pressure. In particular, it may be advantageous to store the gas in uninsulated storage vessels at a pressure within a range of from about thirty-six hundred to about five thousand psig.
However, natural gas from a pipeline generally has a high moisture content. Natural gas supplied in bulk may have a moisture content within a range of seven pounds of water per million cubic feet of gas (lbs/MMScf) to one hundred lbs/MMScf. When such wet gas is compressed from its low pipeline pressure to a high storage pressure, its dew point increases significantly.
For example, natural gas with a moisture content of seven lbs/MMScf, when pressurized to a storage pressure of thirty-six hundred psig, will have a dew point of about fifty-two degrees Fahrenheit. This is a problem because it is of course desirable to locate natural gas vehicle refueling stations in cold climates where uninsulated storage vessels would encounter temperatures far below fifty-two degrees Fahrenheit. When the temperature of a compressed gas drops below its pressure dew point (in this example, fifty-two degrees Fahrenheit), the moisture within the gas condenses out as liquid water. Condensed water will promote corrosion, especially in the presence of other impurities like carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. Liquid water is also disadvantageous because it displaces gas and thereby reduces storage capacity. Also, if the temperature within the system were to fall below thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit, the water would freeze, disrupting or even blocking gas flow through the system.
To avoid condensation and freezing problems, natural gas handled at a refueling station should be dried to a pressure dew point that is less than the minimum temperature to which the gas is likely to be exposed. For example, if the lowest expected winter temperature for the refueling station is zero degrees Fahrenheit, then the gas should be dried to a pressure dew point within the range of from minus ten to minus twenty degrees Fahrenheit at thirty-six hundred psig. To achieve a pressure dew point of minus twenty degrees Fahrenheit at thirty-six hundred psig, the natural gas would have to be dried to about four-tenths of one pound of water per million cubic feet of gas.
Therefore, there is a need for an economical and effective system for dehydrating natural gas at vehicle refueling stations (and at other installations).
Systems for dehydrating natural gas have been developed. Of particular interest are dryers which contain desiccant material for removing water by adsorption. Prior art desiccant dryers for dehydrating natural gas are disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,701,188 (Mims), 4,505,127 (Pronovost et al.), and 2,588,296 (Russel, Jr.). However, the prior art dryer systems have not been successfully employed at end user installations, and would not be satisfactory for use at natural gas vehicle refueling stations.

Gas handling system and adsorbent dryer regeneration apparatus


A protruding part formed on one split end part of a boot is temporarily fixed to a recessed part formed on the other split end part in the state where step-shaped hook portions formed on one-end thereof are engagingly locked to each other, and connected by welding, fusion or adhesion. The protruding part is hooked only in one thickness directional side. An overlapping protruding part formed on the non-hook side (inner side) of the recessed part is connected extending over the inside surface of the protruding part and the inside surface of the split end part continued thereto.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a boot used for sealing, for example, the operating part of a universal joint, and a connecting method, welding agent and heating body therefor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In this type of boots, mounting parts present on both axial ends thereof are mounted, for example, on the outer race and joint shaft of a universal joint, whereby the bellows-formed flexible part of the boot is flexibly expanded and contracted to prevent the intrusion of an external foreign matter to the operating part of the universal joint and, further, to seal the oil and fat such as grease filled in the operating part.
In a conventional split type boot, which is one type of the above-described boots, a rubber-made boot is divided in one circumferential part. A plurality of fasteners consisting of male connecting member and female connecting member arranged at prescribed intervals is integrally provided on each of the circumferentially opposed split end parts. In mounting, the boot is put over a universal joint from the side by opening the split part. The fasteners are coupled and also adhered together by an adhesive, whereby the split end parts are mutually connected in the closely fitted state.
The boot is rotated in the state where the shaft centers of the outer race and joint shaft having both the axial end mounting parts fixed thereto are mutually inclined. Accordingly, the bellows part repeats bending and stretching motions every half period of the rotation. In the split boot, the repeated bending and stretching of the mutually adhered divided end parts induce the danger of the hardened adhesive layer causing a deterioration such as crack by fatigue, resulting in the early leakage of the grease within the universal joint. Further, it is necessary to provide the male connecting member and female connecting member of the fasteners in the divided end parts with high precision. It is also necessary to ensure the sealing property of the fasteners by applying a coating agent or the like because of its low sealing property. Further, their scanty following property to the bending and stretching deformation of the boot induces the danger of its breakage within a short period.
This invention has an object to improve the sealing performance and fatigue strength in the opposed split end parts of a split type boot and also improve the working property in mounting.
A split type boot according to one embodiment of this invention is a cylindrical boot divided in one circumferential part, in which a protruding part and recessed part extending along the sectional form of the boot are formed on the circumferentially opposed split end parts to be integrally connected in mounting, respectively. The protruding part on one split end part and the recessed part on the other split end part have the forms to be hooked (engagingly locked) to each other in one thickness directional side. An overlapping protruding part is protruded longer than the protruding part on the non-hook (lock) side in the recessed part, and connected extending over the protruding part and the one split end part.
Both the axial end mounting parts of the boot are preferably formed of a rubber-like elastic material more elastic than the boot. The boot is mounted on the outside surface of a counter material through a packing divided in one circumferential part.
A split type boot according to another embodiment of this invention is provided with an open part formed by dividing one circumferential part thereof, and mounted by connecting the open part after covering a mounting member such as universal joint. The open part is connected by heating and welding it by a heating body having self-heating property.
In a connecting method for a split boot according to a further embodiment of this invention, the boot has an open part formed by dividing one circumferential part thereof, and the open part is connected after covering a mounting member such as universal joint. A heating body having self-heating property is brought into contact with or approached to the open part to heat and weld the open part by the heating body.
A welding agent according to an additional embodiment of this invention is a welding agent used in the connection of the open part formed by dividing one circumferential part after covering a mounting member such as universal joint, and it is applied to the opposed surfaces of the open part to weld the opposed surfaces together.
A preferable welding agent according to this invention consists of a solvent for dissolving a thermoplastic elastomer. The welding agent is formed of a simple body or mixture of solvents, for example, dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran, toluene, ethyl acetate, methyl ethyl ketone, acetone, cyclohexanone, and dichloromethane.
A heating body according to another embodiment of this invention is a heating body used in the connection of the open part formed by dividing one circumferential part, which has self-heating property, and is fixed to the boot to heat and weld the open part in contact with or adjacent to the open part.
A preferred heating body according to this invention is formed of an amorphous bag and a heating component put therein so as to be deformable following the bellows form of the boot.
Further preferably, an irregular form laid along the irregularities of the bellows is preliminarily imparted to the outer surface of the heating body so as to closely fit to the open part along the bellows form of the boot.
According to a preferred split type boot of this invention, satisfactory sealing property is ensured for the mutually connected split parts of the boot in the state mounted on a mounting member such as universal joint, because the protruding part and recessed part are continuously extended on the split end parts of the boot, and the fitting surfaces thereof are integrated together by welding, fusion or adhesion. Further, because a large connecting area can be ensured by forming, on the non-hook side of the recessed groove, the overlapping protruding part to be connected extending over the protruding part and the one split end part continued thereto.
Further, the protruding part is set to the form to be hooked (engagingly locked) with the recessed part in one thickness directional side, whereby the split end parts can be thinned, compared with the case of forming the hook part (locking part) on both thickness directional sides. Therefore, the insert resistance in the temporary connection of the split end parts can be minimized by insert-engaging the protruding part with the recessed part, and the superposing protruding portion also guides the insertion, so that the temporary connecting work can be easily performed. Further, since the increase in stress by the repeated bending and stretching deformation can be suppressed, the fatigue durability can be improved.
When both the axial end mounting parts of the boot are mounted on the outside surface of a counter member such as universal joint through packings formed of a rubber-like elastic material more elastic than the boot, the sealing property in the mounting parts can be improved.
In a preferable boot according to this invention, the boot is manufactured without mounting fasteners on the opposed surfaces of the open part, and when the boot is mounted on the circumference of a mounting member such as universal joint, a welding agent is applied to the opposed surfaces of the open part to mutually weld the opposed surfaces together. In such a welding of the open part, the open part is heated and welded by a heating body having self-heating property, whereby the welding reaction or connecting reaction is promoted. The open part connected by welding is excellent in sealing property since the opposed surfaces are integrated together. Further, it is deformable following the deformation of the bellows part. To have self-heating property means exhibiting the heating effect for itself in use and requiring no supply of external energy as electric power. To ensure the connecting property by welding, a thermoplastic elastomer is preferably used as the material of the split type boot. To sufficiently exhibit the performance as the boot, a polyurethane thermoplastic elastomer or polyester thermoplastic elastomer highly strong and excellent in durability are preferably used.
In a preferred connecting method for a boot according to this invention, the boot is manufactured without mounting fasteners on the opposed surfaces of the open part, and when this boot is mounted on the circumference of a mounting member such as universal joint, a welding agent is applied to the opposed surfaces of the open part to weld the opposed surfaces together. In such a welding of the open part, the heating body having self-heating property is brought into contact or approached, and the open part is heated and welded by this heating body, whereby the welding reaction or connecting reaction is promoted. The open part connected by welding is excellent in sealing property since the opposed surfaces are integrated together. Further, it is deformable following the deformation of the bellows part. As the heating body having self-heating performance, a one mainly composed of iron powder, water, activated charcoal and salt or of a metal oxide and water, and generating heat mainly by oxidization reaction or reduction reaction is preferably used. Further, any other materials having self-heating performance can be used.
The heating body used for the connection of the open part is preferably formed of a permeable bag of paper, nonwoven fabric or cloth and a heating component mainly composed of iron powder, water, activated charcoal and salt or of a metal oxide and water and put therein. When a shielding film-like outer packaging enclosing this heating body is opened, the moisture in the air touches the iron to cause the oxidation reaction of the iron, or the metal oxide is reacted with water to cause the reduction reaction. High heat is generated according to this, so that the open part can be heated and welded by this high heat. In order to satisfactorily transfer the heat of the heating body to the open part in spite of the presence of the irregularities (mountain/valley) by the bellows part on the outer surface of the boot, the heating body is preferably closely fitted to the overall outer surface of the open part by putting the heating component in an amorphous bag or preliminarily imparting the irregular form laid along the irregularities of the bellows to the outer surface of the heating body. According to this, the heating body is closely fitted or approached to not only the protruding part (mountain part) of the bellows but also the recessed part (valley part) thereof to raise the temperature of the recessed part substantially equally to the temperature of the protruding part. Thus, the temperature of the whole open part can be uniformly raised, and the welding time can be thus consequently shortened.
To heat the open part, a dryer for blowing hot air, for example, can be used. In this case, however, a person must perform the work with the dryer in its hand in constant attendance until the welded part is sufficiently dried. A constraining means must be separately provided so that the open part is not opened in the middle of welding to keep the open part in the closed state. Further, the blowing of hot air may possibly cause a large dispersion of temperature between the part exposed to the hot air and the part not exposed to the hot air.
Contrary to this, when the heating body is fixed to the outer surface of the open part of the boot to perform the welding, the work can be progressed without attendance of a person in drying. The open part can be kept in the closed state until the welded part is dried without separately providing the different constraining means. Further, the heating temperature can be easily made constant. An external heat energy source such as power source apparatus or heating light is dispensed with.
To fix the heating body to the outer surface of the open part of the boot, a mounting means such as adhesive sheet, adhesive tape, tying cord, stretchable cloth or hook-and-loop fastener is preferably used.

Split boots and method of connecting the boots, depositing agent, and heating body