A card connector (100) includes an insulative housing (10), a number of contacts (30) retained in the insulative housing, a metal shell (20) covering the insulative housing for defining a receiving space (60), and an ejector (50) assembled on the insulative housing. The ejector includes a cam portion (51) and a shaft (52) actuating the cam portion. The cam portion includes a pivoting portion (510), a first arm portion (511) and a second arm portion (512) respectively and angularly extending from the pivoting portion, and at least one positioning portion (513) extending from the pivoting portion along a vertical direction. At least one of the metal shell and the insulative housing defines a hole (19, 25) receiving the at least one positioning portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a card connector, and more particularly to a card connector preventing an ejector thereof from being damaged.
2. Description of Related Arts
U.S. Application Pub. No. 2011/0070760 discloses an electrical card connector comprising an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts retained in the insulative housing, a metal shell covering the insulative housing, and an ejector assembled at a side of the insulative housing. The ejector comprises a cam portion and a shaft actuating the cam portion. The cam portion defines an aperture and the insulative housing forms a pivoting portion protruding in the aperture. Therefore, the cam portion rotates around the pivoting portion. In accordance with minimization of electronic device, a micro SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card connector receiving a micro SIM card has been used. The cam portion of the ejector in such micro SIM card connector has a small size for defining the aperture. Therefore, the pivoting portion with small diameter is permitted to extend through the aperture. However, the pivoting portion with small diameter may not be strong enough in structure, inducing that the ejector can't be use for ever.
Hence, a card connector has a long lifecycle ejector is desired.

Card connector with improved ejector cam portion


Audio fingerprinting and other media matching technologies can be used to identify broadcast media, such as television shows and radio broadcasts. A user device can record image, audio, and/or video information and upload information to a matching service that is able to use matching technology to identify the media and provide supplemental content or information to the user. The user might receive information identifying a product in an advertisement, identifying an actor on screen in a movie at a particular time, or other such information. In some embodiments, the user can receive access to a digital copy of the captured media, such as the ability to download a copy of a program in which a user expressed interest. Since a user might capture media information after the point of interest, a device can buffer a window of recently captured media in order to attempt to identify the intended media.

Today's consumers are exposed to increasing varieties and amounts of information from an increasing number of sources. Many times, a consumer will have a television or other source of information playing in the background while performing another activity, such as reading an electronic book, texting a friend, or playing a game on a handheld device. Other times, a user may simply be walking back in forth from a room in which audio or video content is being played. Since the user is not paying complete attention to the media being played, the user might only return his or her attention to the media when there is something of interest presented, such as a commercial, intense action scene, song of interest, etc. If the user was not paying attention to the media, the user might not know exactly what it going on. In the case of a commercial, for example, the user might turn his or her attention to the commercial towards the end of the commercial when it is too late to determine the product or service being advertised.
In other cases, a user might be focusing his or her primary attention on an audio or video presentation, but might want to determine information pertaining to that presentation. For example, if a commercial for an item is on the screen then the user might want to find out other information about that item, such as where the item is sold or how much the item costs. If a user is watching a movie, the user might want to know the name of the actor in the current scene, where the scene takes place, or what type of shirt the main actor is wearing. While a user can attempt to locate the information by performing a Web search or using other such approaches, the consumer often will not have a paper and writing instrument available to take the necessary notes, and might not have enough detailed information to write down anyway. If the consumer is not able to take notes right away, the consumer might forget details about the presentation, or even what was interesting in the presentation in the first place.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Media fingerprinting for content determination and retrieval


A solid electrolytic capacitor is provided which is capable of exhibiting an excellent characteristic and high reliability against thermal stress. The solid electrolytic capacitor includes a base member having a capacitor element connecting face on its upper surface side and an electrode mounting face on its lower surface side and being made up of an insulating plate having first conductors and second conductors, disposed in a staggered format, each providing conduction between the upper and lower surface sides of the base member, and the capacitor element having anode portions and cathode portions, each being disposed in a staggered format, connected to each of the first and second conductors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a decoupling capacitor used in power supply circuits for electronic devices and more particularly to a solid electrolytic capacitor having a plurality of mounting terminals in particular.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, electronic devices have been made small-sized, thin, and highly functional in a progressive manner and one of efficient means to achieve the progression is to make a circuit driving frequency high. To realize this, a reduction of equivalent series inductance (hereafter simply "ESL") is becoming a recent rend.
An increase in ESL is attributable to factors including permeability of a conductor in a device, wire length from an inside portion of the device to a mounting terminal, shape of the wire, or a like. To solve these problems, various methods have been available recently including a method in which anode and cathode mounting terminals are made to come near to each other to decrease an inductance component called loop inductance occurring between the anode and cathode terminals and a method in which the number of the mounting terminals is decreased and the anode and cathode terminals are disposed alternately and one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally in a staggered format or in a zigzag form.
For example, a capacitor structure is disclosed in Patent Reference 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-343686) in which ESL is made small by alternately disposing an anode mounting terminal and cathode mounting terminal and, in order to realize the alternate disposition, after forming an insulating resin portion on a parent metal in an element portion and on a porous substance portion obtained after the formation of a solid electrolyte, by forming through holes in the insulating resin portion and by filling inside portions of the through holes with conductors, cathode conductors in the element portion is connected to the cathode mounting terminals and an anode mounting terminal is formed directly on the parent metal in the element portion. Moreover, the surfaces on which the anode mounting terminal and cathode mounting terminal are disposed are coated with an insulating protecting layer (sheathing resin).
Also, another capacitor structure is disclosed in Patent Reference 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-289469) in which zigzag-shaped disposition of terminals is realized without forming through holes in a parent metal. Here, an electrode portion made non-porous is formed on one side of a sheet of valve-action metal making up a parent metal and a connecting terminal to be connected to the electrode portion is used as a positive mounting terminal. After portions of the valve-metal sheet other than the electrode portion are made porous, a dielectric film is formed in the portion and further a solid electrolyte layer and current collector layer are formed on the dielectric film and a connecting terminal to be connected to the current collector layer is used as a negative mounting terminal. The anode mounting terminal and cathode mounting terminal are insulated by an insulator being interposed between the anode and cathode mounting terminals.
However, conventional capacitor structures have problems. That is, in the conventional solid electrolytic capacitor disclosed in the Patent Reference 1, after forming a required number of through holes in the porous substance portion, by filling the through holes with the insulating resin and curing the filled resin, and then by forming the second through holes with a diameter not exceeding the diameter of through holes formed in an initial stage at center portions of the cured resist portions and further by coating and filling the inside portions of the through holes by plating, the conductors are obtained. However, there is a problem that a leakage current characteristic of the solid electrolytic capacitor is degraded due to cracking occurring in the resin portions by mechanical and thermal stresses or due to damage caused in the porous portion in portions surrounding the through holes while the second through holes are being formed.
Moreover, in the conventional solid electrode capacitor disclosed in the Patent Reference 2, since no through holes are formed in the porous substance portion, the above problems occurred in the solid electrolytic capacitor disclosed in the Patent Reference 1 can be solved, however, since the anode and cathode mounting terminals are formed directly on the parent metal and on the porous substance portion of the parent metal, there is a problem that, when the solid electrolytic capacitor is mounted on the substrate or in the temperature cycle, the characteristics of the solid electrolytic capacitor, equivalent series resistance in particular is degraded by thermal stress occurring due to a difference in thermal expansion coefficients between the substrate and the solid electrolytic capacitor.


A method and apparatus for assembling heat exchanger elements includes a pallet comprising a frame and a plurality of blocks slidably aligned on each side of the frame with opposed pairs of blocks slotted to receive pairs of plates dropped into the pallet. Lead screws driven by servomotors and engaging the blocks position the blocks at the loading station and control the block spacing (determine at each station by the screw pitch) to allow plate insertion or to allow insertion of fin elements between the plates. To quickly move the pallet into the station auxiliary lead screws connected to the main screws engage the blocks of the pallet outside the loading station to assert positive controlled advancement force on the pallet.

Heat exchangers of the plate type are comprised of pairs of preformed plates joined to other pairs at their ends by integral bosses and separated at their middle section by air centers or corrugated fins, the plates and fins all being brazed together so that each pair of plates becomes a tube for carrying refrigerant, the bosses serving as a manifold for permitting refrigerant flow from one tube to another, and the fins facilitating heat exchange between the tubes and air flowing outside the tubes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,455 issued to Sacca describes such a plate type heat exchanger in detail.
The assembly of the plate type heat exchanger elements into a core ready for brazing has typically been carried out largely by hand operations. Specifically, the first step is to assemble a fin element between two plates and crimp the plates together into subassemblies where their bosses connect, and then manually stack such subassemblies along with side plates into a fixture which holds each subassembly in place.
It is desirable to enhance the assembly practice by an improved method and machine for assembly. In particular it has been found that the process is improved in terms of automation and in terms of reducing spacing in the fixture if it is begun by joining the plates together into pairs that eventually become tubes and inserting the plate pairs and side plates into a fixture and then inserting the centers between the plates. It is desirable to have a machine to perform the assembly operations to reduce the manufacturing expense and otherwise improve the efficiency of the assembly practice. It has been demonstrated that the machine assembly of plate pairs, air centers and side plates into a pallet is practical.
To economically assemble the elements it is desirable to avoid large inventories of parts and any nonessential handling of the parts. Here it is proposed to manufacture at least some of the parts adjacent the loading station and directly feed the parts to the pallet. Thus plate pairs are assembled and immediately dropped into the pallet so that there is no inventory of plate pairs. Also machines for manufacturing the air centers discharge each center directly into the pallet at the loading station so that the centers are inserted into assemblies as fast as they can be produced. This requires the synchronization of the manufacturing apparatus and the assembly apparatus. In particular, the center manufacture is essentially a rolling mill operation which is a continuous process so that parts are made at an optimum rate. While variation of the rate is possible, there are limitations on how fast the rate can be changed so that it is not practical to stop the machine suddenly and restart the machine to accommodate discontinuous assembly procedures. Rather, it is preferred to accommodate the assembly method and apparatus to the center manufacture.

Jump indexing pallet and method for heat exchanger assembly


Instructional dermatology surface models (IDSMs) useful as educational tools are provided herein, including a three-dimensional base rendered from at least one reference image of a skin lesion and a two-dimensional image layer rendered from the at least one reference image of the skin lesion disposed on a top surface of the three-dimensional base. Also provided are methods of manufacture, assembly, and use of the disclosed IDSMs, together with educational kits including a selection of IDSMs for simulating a variety of skin lesions.

Medical diagnosis is an uncertain art that depends largely on the skill and experience of the practitioner. Dermatological diagnoses tend to be based on either casual techniques, such as visual observation, or invasive techniques, such as biopsies. The need for improved dermatology education is evidenced by the high rates of skin disease and the morbidity (illness) and mortality (death) associated therewith. Many clinicians lack skills in basic dermatologic science, dermatopathy, and identification of skin lesions, rashes, and disorders. Barriers to education relate to inadequate training in skin assessment and inconsistent dermatology clinical experiences. While there are currently many educational resources that include photographs of skin lesions, rashes, and dermatological disorders, these photographs are generally exhibited in two-dimensional books, charts, presentations, websites, or posters for educational purposes. As such, the currently available tools fail to capture and present to the learner or clinician the breadth of differential diagnosis of lesions, rashes, and dermatological disorders, including location on body, color, texture, shape, and distribution.
A need exists for improved educational tools and methods of use for providing recognition, analysis, differentiation, and diagnosis of skin lesions, rashes, and dermatological conditions. Such improved educational tools can be applied to assist medical professionals (including healthcare students and licensed clinicians) within a classroom, simulation lab, and/or clinical setting, educate the public and non-medical professionals (massage therapists, hair stylists, etc.), and reduce health care costs by improving accurate recognition, assessment, and diagnosis.

Instructional dermatology surface models and methods of use

EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION


A photovoltaic electrode is made by the following steps: (a) depositing on a substrate a dispersion comprising powdered semiconductor particles in a dispersion medium; (b) removing the majority of the dispersion medium to leave the powdered semiconductor particles in a deposition layer on the substrate; (c) creating a plasma using microwave energy excitation; (d) exposing the deposition layer to said microwave-excited plasma for a sufficient time to sinter the nanoparticles thereby adhering them to the substrate; and (e) absorbing a dye into said sintered deposition layer. The electrode thus obtained exhibits improved performance relative to conventional sintered electrodes.

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) show considerable potential as a relatively low cost alternative to silicon based solar cells. These cells were developed by Gratzel and co-workers in 1991 [B. O'Regan, M. Gratzel, Nature, 353 (1991) 737-740] and there is currently a considerable focus on enhancing their light conversion efficiency and stability.
The principal components of a DSSC electrode are a conducting substrate, which is usually a transparent conductive oxide coated on glass, a highly porous layer of semiconductor material, and a photosensitive dye absorbed into and coating the porous semiconductor.
In the case of conventional DSSCs, dye sensitization involves solely the semiconductor anode made of n-type TiO2 nanoparticles. The counter electrode is generally a metallic cathode with no photoelectrochemical activity. To date the highest conversion efficiency obtained of 11% [M. K. Nazeeruddin, F. De Angelis, S. Fantacci, A. Selloni, G. Viscardi, P. Liska, S. Ito, B. Takeru, M. Gratzel, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 127 (2005) 16835-16847], is less than the best silicon based thin-film cells.
A method of further enhancing the light conversion efficiency as suggested by He et al. [J. He, H. Lindström, A. Hagfeldt, S.-E. Lindquist, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 62 (2000) 265-273] is to substitute the cathode with a dye-sensitized photoactivep-type metal oxide. This tandem dye-sensitized solar cell design utilizes more of the solar spectrum. The efficiency, however of p-type metal oxides is still very low, which limits their effectiveness in tandem DSSCs. Amongst the potential reasons highlighted for the poor conversion efficiency of the cathode within tandem DSSC, the more critical are the inefficient light absorption capability, poor charge injection efficiency and charge transport rate, along with inner resistance.
The most widely used n-type electrode material is nanostructured titanium dioxide. For p-type electrodes, perhaps the most promising technology employs nickel oxide (NiOx) coatings, which has a considerable potential for use as a cathode in tandem cells. This is due to their p-type nature, excellent chemical stability, in addition to well defined optical and electrical properties. Moreover, NiOx is considered as a model semiconductor substrate due to its wide band-gap energy range from 3.6 to 4.0 eV depending on the amount of Ni(III) sites.
NiOx films have been fabricated by various techniques which include spin coating, dipping, electrochemical deposition, magnetron sputtering and sol-gel. With the exception of the sputtering and electrochemical techniques, the other methods require a sintering step in order to obtain dense coatings. Thermal sintering also performs the function of removing the binder in the case of sol gel deposited coatings. Typically sintering conditions of 300-450° C. for 30 to 60 minutes are reported.
A disadvantage with thermal sintering is the processing time. When one adds the heat-up and cool-down times, it can take approximately 4 hours to process a substrate.
Further disadvantages with conventional thermal sintering include the photovoltaic performance of photocathodes produced according to this method and the probably related physical shortcomings of such photocathodes, such as the adhesion between the substrate and the nanoparticular NiOx layer, the post-sintering average particle size, the pore characteristics, and the dye absorption.
The present invention aims to address at least some of these shortcomings and to provide improvements in the manufacture of photovoltaic electrodes.

Methods of manufacturing photovoltaic electrodes


Composite materials having conductive properties are described for use in testing circuits and in manufacturing electrical switches. The composite materials described, when in an unstressed state, generally behave as insulators. However, when sufficient mechanical pressure is applied to portions of the composite materials, the portions to which the mechanical pressure is applied become increasingly conductive. Methods for testing a PCB using composite material switches are also disclosed. A sheet that includes a composite material may be used to test electrical functionality of various regions on a PCB by way of local pressure application. The sheet may be easily applied to and removed from the PCB. Additionally, in forming an electrical switch, a voltage applied to one or more actuating elements may be used to provide mechanical pressure to a composite material that is disposed between two conductive members. Application of a sufficient voltage allows for portions of the composite material to transition from an insulator to a conductor for providing an electrical pathway.

1. Field
Aspects herein relate to methods for using a composite material having conductive properties for electronic applications. Aspects relating to methods of testing a circuit are described. Aspects described also relate to use of a composite material for an electrical switch.
2. Discussion of Related Art
When manufacturing integrated circuit or surface mount packages (e.g., ball grid array, quad flat no leads, and quad flat packages), testing is performed at one or more stages to help ensure that the finished product functions adequately and reliably. In some manufacturing operations, printed circuit boards (PCB) are first tested before any components are mounted to them. Once components are attached, populated PCBs are tested again, either simply to ensure that the components are properly connected to the PCBs or to test the functionality of the assembly. In some cases, to provide debugging and reliability testing, sockets are used so that several devices may be tested on a single PCB. However, sockets can be expensive and may take up board space.

Methods of using a conductive composite material

STMicroelectronics Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.


A driving device for a hatch in a motor vehicle includes a first fastening element which can be connected to a stationary structural component, a second fastening element which can be connected to a movable structural component, and a housing tube fixed to the second fastening element and extending toward the first fastening element. A spindle drive includes a threaded spindle and a nut fixed in a spindle tube connected to the first fastening element by a bolt, wherein the spindle can be driven in rotation to move the first fastening element axially relative to the housing tube. An elastomeric decoupling element between the spindle tube and the bolt decouples the spindle drive from the first fastening element in order to damp noise and vibration.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a driving device, particularly for a hatch in a motor vehicle, with a spindle drive.
A device of this type includes a first fastening element which can be connected to a stationary structural component part or to a movable structural component part, and a housing tube which is axially movable relative to the first fastening element and which has, at its end located opposite to the first fastening element, a second fastening element which can be fastened to the movable structural component part or to the stationary structural component part. A spindle drive has a threaded spindle and a spindle nut arranged on the threaded spindle by which the first fastening element and the housing tube are drivable so as to be movable axially relative to one another, wherein the spindle drive is drivable in rotation by a rotary drive.
During operation of driving devices of this type, vibrations are commonly transmitted to the structural component parts which are movable relative to one another, for example, the hatch and the body of a motor vehicle, and accordingly cause unwanted noise.

Driving device for a hatch in a motor vehicle


The present invention provides a method of producing a two-sided microstructured product and a registration structure that can be used for the method. The method comprises the steps of: (800) providing primary product features (80) at a first surface of a substrate sheet (50); (810) providing secondary product features (90) at an opposed surface; (820) registering the mutual alignment of the primary and secondary product features (80, 90) to estimate alignment parameters; and (830) aligning the provision of primary and secondary product features (80, 90). The registration structure comprises a registration-array of focusing elements (20) at a first surface and a registration-array of reference objects (30) at an opposed surface aligned with primary and secondary product features (80,90) that provides a holographic representation (10) of the reference objects (30) in order to estimate the alignment of product features (80,90).

In many product segments, proper registration or alignment of product features is of great importance. Examples of such products are: synthetic image devices, holographic devices, brightness enhancement devices, retroreflective devices, electronic circuit devices, microfluidic devices, different types of display devices, and combinations thereof. Other examples may be of more chemical nature such as, electrochemical devices, electrochromic devices, bioassay devices, etc. Alignment of product features is often related to the subsequent steps of providing product features in or on a surface of a substrate, wherein product features of one step shall interact (or be prevented from interaction with) product features of a subsequent step. Some products may comprise primary product features on a first side of a substrate and secondary product features on the opposed side of the substrate, while other products comprises three or more aligned sets of product features.

Method of producing a microstructured product


An aircraft engine assembly with an annular load-transfer structure surrounding the central casing (16) and mechanically connected to a plurality of substantially planar reinforcing structures (64a-c) arranged externally with respect to the annular load-transfer structure, and biasing it at a plurality of load application points (68a, 68b, 68c). At least one connecting rod is associated with a load application point, with the connecting rod positioned tangentially with respect to the casing (16), and having an inner end (62a) connected to this casing, as well as an outer end (62a) connected to the annular load-transfer structure (60) so that the outer end of the connecting rod is in an imaginary plane (66a, 66b, 66c) in which the annular load-transfer structure is located and which extends through the load application point.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an aircraft engine assembly of the type comprising a turbojet engine, a nacelle surrounding the turbojet engine, as well as an attachment pylon provided with a rigid structure and a plurality of engine mounts placed between a rigid structure of the attachment pylon and the turbojet engine.
The attachment pylon is also called an EMS ("Engine Mounting Structure") and can be used to suspend the turbojet engine below the aircraft wing, or to mount the turbojet engine above this same wing, or else to mount it to the aft section of the fuselage. It is indeed provided to constitute the connecting interface between the turbojet engine and a given structural portion of the aircraft. It transmits forces generated by the associated turbojet engine to the structure of this aircraft, and it also enables routing of fuel, electrical, hydraulic and air systems between the engine and the aircraft.
The nacelle is conventionally equipped with several cowls surrounding the turbojet engine and providing access to this latter in the open position, these cowls being known under the names fan cowls and thrust reverser cowls.
2. Description of the Related Art
More precisely, certain engine assemblies of the prior art are provided with an attachment pylon having a rigid structure comprising a longitudinal caisson as well as two lateral caissons affixed to the longitudinal caisson and arranged on both sides of the latter, the pylon also comprising means for mounting the turbojet engine onto the rigid structure, these means comprising a first, second, and third front engine mounts for transferring thrust forces to the fan casing. As schematically shown in FIG. 1 showing a prior art embodiment in which the engine is adapted to be suspended under the aircraft wing, the three front engine mounts transferring thrust forces are arranged so that the third front engine mount 8 passes through a diametral plane P1 of the turbojet engine, here the vertical plane of symmetry of the turbojet engine, whereas the first and second engine mounts 6a, 6b, respectively adapted to be connected to the two lateral caissons of the pylon, are arranged on both sides of the diametral plane P1, and usually extend through another diametral plane P2 of the turbojet engine, orthogonal to the aforementioned diametral plane and corresponding here to the horizontal plane of symmetry of the turbojet engine.
Furthermore, the turbojet engine conventionally comprises a fan casing 12, an intermediate casing 21 located radially toward the inside with respect to the fan casing and connected to the latter by means of a plurality of structural arms 17, preferably radially oriented, as well as a central casing 16, also referred to as a "core" casing, extending the intermediate casing 21 toward the rear. Finally, it must be noted that the central casing extends up to a rear end 19 of greater dimension, also called the ejection casing.
As shown in FIG. 2, the engine assembly comprises an annular load-transfer structure 60 surrounding the central casing 16 and mechanically connected to the latter by the intermediary of mounting means 62, conventionally comprising a plurality of connecting rods. As schematically shown by the arrows 76, the annular structure 60 is also connected to a plurality of structures (not shown) arranged externally with respect to the latter, and acting upon it, for example radially, respectively at a plurality of load application points, generally circumferentially distributed on the latter.
Therefore, the annular structure makes it possible to transmit forces between the central casing and the outer structures, whereby the latter can be, for example, the outer radial delimiting structure of the annular bypass air duct (in English "OFS", Outlet Fan Structure), and/or the inner radial delimiting structure of the annular bypass air duct (in English "IFS", Inlet Fan Structure).
However, in the solutions of the prior art, the arrangement of the aforementioned connecting rods not being optimized, the passage of forces causes the annular load-transfer structure and/or central casing to deform, which, naturally, is not desirable.

Aircraft engine assembly comprising an annular load-transfer structure surrounding the central casing of a turbojet engine


A method utilizing a lithography system comprises a lithography patterning chamber, a wafer exchange chamber separated from the lithography patterning chamber by a first gate valve, and at least one alignment load-lock separated from the wafer exchange chamber by a second gate valve. The alignment load-lock includes an alignment stage that aligns a wafer during pump-down. The alignment load-lock can be uni-directional or bi-directional. The lithography system can include one or multiple alignment load-locks.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wafer handling system and method for use within a lithography system. More particularly, this invention relates to a system and method of wafer handling in which wafers are transported within a lithography system while being affixed and aligned to chucks, thereby maximizing production throughput.
2. Related Art
Lithography is a process used to create features on the surface of substrates. Such substrates can include those used in the manufacture of flat panel displays, circuit boards, various integrated circuits, and the like. A frequently used substrate for such applications is a semiconductor wafer. While this description is written in terms of a semiconductor wafer for illustrative purposes, one skilled in the art would recognize that this description also applies to other types of substrates known to those skilled in the art. During lithography, a wafer, which is disposed on a wafer stage, is exposed to an image projected onto the surface of the wafer by exposure optics located within a lithography apparatus. While exposure optics are used in the case of photolithography, a different type of exposure apparatus may be used depending on the particular application. For example, x-ray, ion, electron, or photon lithographies each may require a different exposure apparatus, as is known to those skilled in the art. The particular example of photolithography is discussed here for illustrative purposes only.
The projected image produces changes in the characteristics of a layer, for example photoresist, deposited on the surface of the wafer. These changes correspond to the features projected onto the wafer during exposure. Subsequent to exposure, the layer can be etched to produce a patterned layer. The pattern corresponds to those features projected onto the wafer during exposure. This patterned layer is then used to remove exposed portions of underlying structural layers within the wafer, such as conductive, semiconductive, or insulative layers. This process is then repeated, together with other steps, until the desired features have been formed on the surface of the wafer.
Step-and-scan technology works in conjunction with a projection optics system that has a narrow imaging slot. Rather than expose the entire wafer at one time, individual fields are scanned onto the wafer one at a time. This is done by moving the wafer and reticle simultaneously such that the imaging slot is moved across the field during the scan. The wafer stage must then be stepped between field exposures to allow multiple copies of the reticle pattern to be exposed over the wafer surface. In this manner, the sharpness of the image projected onto the wafer is maximized. Through increases in both alignment precision and projection accuracy, today's lithography tools are capable of producing devices with ever decreasing minimum feature size. However, minimum feature size is but one measure of a lithography tool's utility. Another critical measure is throughput.
Throughput refers to the number of wafers per hour that can be patterned by a lithography system. Every task that must be performed on wafers within a lithography system contributes to the total time required to pattern the wafers, with an associated decrease in throughput. One critical task that must be performed repeatedly within a lithography system is wafer alignment. Wafers must be precisely aligned within a lithography system in order to achieve high levels of overlay accuracy. Unfortunately, alignment precision is usually lost whenever wafers are moved within conventional lithography systems with robots.
What is needed is a system and method for handling wafers within a lithography system that both avoids the loss of alignment caused by conventional robots, while at the same time improving system throughput.

Wafer handling method for use in lithography patterning


Methods and systems for sharing a security model with heterogeneous virtual machines (VMs) are provided. A method for sharing a security model with heterogeneous VMs may include making a direct function call to an object model from each of two or more heterogeneous VMs using a direct binding generated for the respective VM based on the respective VM and a security policy. The direct bindings of the two or more heterogeneous VMs share the security policy. The method may also include ensuring only one of the two or more heterogeneous VMs interacts with the object model at a time. A system for sharing a security model with heterogeneous VMs may include a heterogeneous VM manager and a heterogeneous VM scheduler. The system may further include a principal tracker and a proxy component.

A Virtual Machine (VM) executes software programs as if it were a physical machine. The programs that are executed by the VM are limited to the resources provided by the VM. Applications use security models to control outside program access to internal resources. For some programs, or principals, a model may be used to represent a set of objects that untrusted principals interact with. For example, web browsers use a Document Object Model (DOM) to represent web pages that can be manipulated by principals written in a scripting language. These untrusted programs may be subject to a security policy that restricts which objects they can interact with. These security policies are partly enforced by bindings that control what resources are accessible to a VM. For example, a binding for a scripting program allows access only to DOM elements from the same origin as the page containing the scripting program (same origin policy).
A problem arises if multiple heterogeneous VMs are to interact with the same model. Heterogeneous VMs refer to VMs for different languages that may interact differently with a security model, or require different ways to enforce security. For example, a Python® VM may interact with the DOM in a different way than a JavaScript® VM. Each VM interacts with the model in different ways with potentially different programming languages or execution formats, but the programs running on the VMs must remain subject to the same security policy. However, the security policy cannot be fully enforced within the model itself, because the restrictions it enforces must take into account which VM, or principal running in a VM, is active at a given time. In contrast, plugins must implement their own security policies for interactions with elements in the DOM, leading to potential differences between security models.
Also, plugins have indirect and incomplete bindings to the DOM. For example, in order for a plugin to interact with DOM elements on the same web page or alongside a scripting program, a separate operating process may have to make an indirect call out to the layout engine that implements the DOM, which then sends instructions to other elements in the webpage.

Heterogeneous virtual machines sharing a security model


The present invention discloses a stand for a cooler containing cooling solution. The cooler further includes an attached flexible tubing outlet for draining the cooling solution through the flexible tube outlet into a medical cuff for reducing swelling of injured tissue. The stand further comprises a cylindrical container with a cavity for receiving through the opened top end of the lateral sidewall the cooler therein. An elongated pedestal is further defined by a top end and a bottom end. The top end of the pedestal is attached underneath the bottom side of the container. The container is supported in an upright position a distance above the surface of the ground. An aperture is located in the lateral side wall for receiving the flexible tubing outlet therethrough.

This version of the invention is concerned with the field of therapeutic cooling devices. More specifically, this version of the invention is concerned with a movable and adjustable stand that houses an medical cast cooler in proximity to an medical cast worn by a user in order to provide the medical cast with a continuous supply of cooling solution.


To enhance the brightness and contrast of a display, and to enhance the visibility of a color filter, a color filter includes a substrate that transmits light, a reflective layer that is formed on the substrate and includes openings, boundary layers formed on parts of the reflective layer, and a plurality of colored layers that are surrounded by the boundary layers. As the boundary layers, boundary layers that transmit light are formed between colored layers of the same color and boundary layers that do not transmit light are formed between colored layers of different colors.

1. Field of Invention
An exemplary aspect of the present invention relates to a color filter with favorable visibility, a method of manufacturing the color filter, a display apparatus, an electro-optical apparatus, and an electronic appliance.
2. Description of Related Art
In a related art liquid crystal display apparatus which has both a reflective-type display using external light and a transmissive-type display using a backlight and in which colored layers to achieve a color display are arranged so as to contact each other with no gaps in between, when using the reflective-type display, incident light from the outside passes through the colored layers to become colored light, so that part of the incident light is absorbed by the colored layers, resulting in the problem of the display achieved by the colored light being dark. For this reason, as disclosed by Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H11-183892, uncolored openings are provided in parts of the colored layers, reflective layers are provided corresponding to the openings, and external incident light is reflected as uncolored light without being absorbed by the colored layers, so that in concert with the colored light, a bright display of images is achieved.

Color filter, method of manufacturing a color filter, display apparatus, electro-optical apparatus, and electronic appliance


In a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an automated, computerized method is provided for processing an image. According to a feature of the present invention, the method comprises the steps of providing an image file depicting an image, in a computer memory, assembling a feature vector for the image file, the feature vector containing information regarding a likelihood that a selected region of the image file is specular, providing a classifier derived from a computer learning technique, computing a classification score for the selected region of the image file, as a function of the feature vector and the classifier and classifying the region as being specular, as a function of the classification score.

Specularity in an image refers to the occurrence of a mirror-like specular reflection of light from a material surface depicted in the image. Materials such as glass, metal, human skin and most painted material surfaces are quite glossy and may exhibit prominent specularities when depicted in an image. In the execution of a computer processing technique for the analysis of the image, the occurrence of specularities can interfere with a correct and accurate performance of the executed technique. For example, in an image segregation technique, to segregate intrinsic material and illumination aspects of an image, there is an assumption that the materials depicted in the image are lambertian. However, materials exhibiting specular reflections do not satisfy the lambertian assumption, causing a segregation operation to fail. Accordingly, there is a need for the development of methods for the detection and removal of specular reflections that may appear in a recorded image.

System and method for detection of specularity in an image


A liquid desiccant air conditioner includes an absorption air conditioner and a liquid desiccant dehumidifier. The dehumidifier includes a liquid desiccant absorber for absorbing moisture contained in ambient air entering the dehumidifier, a boiler for boiling partially preheated dilute liquid desiccant to evaporate moisture to reconstitute the liquid desiccant into concentrated liquid desiccant, a first heat exchanger operable to transfer heat from the concentrated liquid desiccant to dilute liquid desiccant received from the desiccant absorber so as to raise the temperature of the dilute liquid desiccant to a first temperature, a condenser operative to receive partially heated dilute liquid desiccant from the first heat exchanger and receive steam generated by the boiler so as to sensibly heat the dilute liquid desiccant to a second temperature, and a second heat exchanger operable to transfer heat from concentrated liquid desiccant to the dilute liquid desiccant received from the condenser so as raise the temperature of the dilute liquid desiccant to a third temperature. The dilute liquid desiccant at the third temperature is directed to the boiler and the concentrated liquid desiccant from the second heat exchanger is directed to the first heat exchanger. A pump draws concentrated liquid desiccant from the boiler into the absorber. Steam from the boiler is also used to regenerate the refrigerant in the absorption air conditioner.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to room air cooling and dehumidification, and more particularly, to a liquid desiccant air conditioner including a liquid desiccant dehumidifier which is energy efficient, corrosion resistant, and capable of operation with low energy usage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical air conditioning units operate on a vapor compression cycle. Over recent years, the phase out of CFC based air conditioning units has been dictated by environmental concerns. One alternative to vapor compression units, is the absorption system. The basic elements include an evaporator, condenser, absorber, pump, heat exchanger, throttle valve and regenerator. In the absorption cycle, an "absorbent" is used to absorb the refrigerant in the vaporized state after leaving the evaporator. The vaporized refrigerant is converted back into the liquid phase in the absorber. Heat released in the absorption process is rejected to cooling water passed through the absorber. A solution of absorbent and refrigerant is pumped to a regenerator, where heat is added and the more volatile refrigerant is separated from the absorbent through distillation. The refrigerant is then communicated to the condenser, expansion valve and evaporator in a conventional manner. A heat exchanger may be used for heat recovery between the absorbent returned to the absorber and the absorbent refrigerant solution delivered to the regenerator.
Absorption systems currently represent only a small percentage of commercial refrigeration systems because they are generally bulky and inefficient. However, with concerns over CFCs and ever increasing energy costs, the absorption unit has potential to provide efficient cooling by taking advantage of waste heat. This may be provided by combining such an absorption unit with a liquid desiccant dehumidifier.
It is known in the art to dehumidify ambient air using liquid desiccant systems. These devices typically utilize hygroscopic liquids such as lithium bromide (LiBr), lithium chloride (LiCI) or calcium chloride (CaC12) as the desiccant solution. In a desiccant system, the desiccant solution absorbs moisture from ambient air exposed to the solution. As the desiccant solution continues to absorb moisture, it becomes dilute and must be regenerated. In the regeneration process, the desiccant solution is heated to evaporate the excess moisture or the desiccant solution is brought into contact with a hot gas to desorb the excess moisture. In some expedients, air regenerators are used to regenerate the desiccant. These arrangements have relatively high operating costs as energy is required to provide a source of heat and to generate a suitable flow of air. In others, boiler-type regenerators are employed. However, boiler embodiments are expensive, as the corrosive nature of liquid desiccant solutions necessitates the use of costly corrosion resistant metals.
A liquid desiccant dehumidification system in which a liquid desiccant is regenerated with a boiler is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,906 ("the '906 Patent"). The '906 Patent discloses a gas-fired desiccant boiler and a combined desiccant regenerator/interchange heat exchanger in which the combined regenerator/heat exchanger utilizes steam produced from the boiler to provide heat for partial regeneration. The desiccant boiler has a liquid/vapor separator chamber and then-nosyphon recirculation to reduce scale and corrosion of the boiler. Specifically, the overall system is shown in FIG. 1, wherein outdoor air is drawn into the system through an inlet duct 22, and is evaporatively cooled by a water spray 24. The cooled air is directed to a desiccant conditioner 26 to which return air is also directed through a duct 30. In the desiccant conditioner 26, the return air is contacted with a liquid desiccant solution from a sprayer 28. The desiccant liquid is disclosed as lithium calcium chloride.
This dehumidified air is then supplied to the space to be dehumidified, or it can be sensibly cooled through an evaporative cooler 32. The desiccant dehumidifies the air stream, and in the process its moisture-absorbing capability is reduced. This capability is regenerated by passing a portion of the dilute desiccant from the conditioner 26 to a first interchange heat exchanger 44 wherein the temperature of the desiccant is raised. The weakened desiccant is partially concentrated in an air-desiccant regenerator 46 in which heated air from a regeneration air heater 48 contacts the liquid desiccant. This desiccant is pumped through a second interchange heat exchanger 52 and thereafter to a desiccant boiler 56 in which regeneration of the desiccant is completed. The water vapor generated in the desiccant boiler 56 raises the temperature of the air passing through the regeneration air preheater 48. The interchange heat exchangers 44, 52 reduce the temperature of the regenerated desiccant as it returns along the pipe 60 to the conditioner 26.
The boiler 56 is depicted in FIG. 2 and operates on natural circulation, with the density of the fluid (part liquid, part vapor) in the "fired" tubes 70 being less than the density of the liquid in the outer "unfired" tube 74. A porous ceramic burner 80 facilitates combustion to provide a heat source, and hot combustion gases are blown through a combustion chamber formed by a housing 88 enclosing the fired tubes 70 so as to effect flow across fins 90 of the fired tubes 70. Weak desiccant is pumped into the fired tubes 70 through a manifold 94 which causes water in the desiccant to be vaporized. Accordingly, a density differential is created between the fluid in the fired tubes 70 and the unfired tubes 74 connected between the manifold 94 and a liquid/vapor separator 98 outside the combustion chamber housing 88. This density differential induces a natural flow of desiccant solution up the fired tubes 70 and down the unfired tubes 72. In this mainer, the natural circulation of desiccant keeps the inside walls of the fired tubes 70 coated with desiccant to thereby reduce or prevent "hot spots" from forming on the inside of the fired tubes 70 to reduce corrosion and scale build up in the fired tubes 70.
The liquid vapor separator 98 at the top of the boiler 56 separates water vapor from the concentrated liquid desiccant. A portion of the concentrated desiccant is withdrawn from the bottom of the liquid/vapor separator 98 and is returned to the desiccant conditioner 26. Water vapor flowing out of the top of the liquid/vapor separator 98 is subsequently condensed to heat air for use in an earlier regeneration step shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
The combined regenerator/interchange heat exchanger, depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4, comprises two (2) interchange heat exchangers 44, 52, the desiccant regenerator 46 and the regeneration air heater 48. The combined desiccant regenerator/interchange heat exchanger is identified by the reference numeral 102, and is constructed by alternately stacking two (2) different corrugated plates (see FIG. 4) to define alternating flow channels. Water vapor or steam from the desiccant boiler 56 is introduced near the top of the regenerator/exchanger 102 in alternate channels (plate A). This water vapor is condensed, thereby transferring heat to the air and weak desiccant entering adjacent channels near the top of the regenerator/heat exchanger 102 (plate B). The upper portion of each plate corresponds to the desiccant regenerator 46 and regeneration air heater 48. As the water vapor condenses, the weak desiccant and air mixture is heated and the desiccant is partially regenerated. Warm air and moisture are exhausted by fan 106 to the outdoors. An entrainer 108 is provided to prevent desiccant from escaping the combined regenerator/exchanger 102. The partially regenerated desiccant flows into the middle of a channel plate B, and is further heated by the hot concentrated desiccant removed from the liquid/ vapor separator 98. Hot concentrated desiccant from the boiler 56 is introduced at the middle of plate A while the partially regenerated desiccant is removed from the middle of plate B. The partially regenerated desiccant is then pumped to the desiccant boiler 56. Diluted desiccant from the regenerator/heat exchanger 102 is introduced at the bottom of the plate A and is heated by the hot desiccant from the boiler 56. The heated dilute desiccant from the regenerator/heat exchanger 102 is then removed from the center of plate B and pumped to the top of plate B.
The apparatus shown and described in the '906 patent exhibits several disadvantages. The regeneration process described therein requires the flow of hot air through the system in order to operate. This necessitates the use of additional components such as fans, air preheaters, and liquid/vapor separators, which add system complexity. Furthermore, the multiple stacked plate interchange heat exchanger configuration is complex and takes up a relatively large amount of space.
The present invention provides an improved air cooling system comprising an absorption air conditioner operating in conjunction with a liquid desiccant dehumidifier.


The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for using a distributed hash table to maintain the same configuration and resource persistency across a plurality of cores in a multi-core system. The distributed hash table includes a plurality of partitions, each partition being owned by a respective core of the multi-core system. A core may establish resources in the partition it owns. A core may request other cores to establish resources in the partitions they own and send resource information to the core. The core may locally cache the resource information.

In single processor systems, one processor includes the configuration for maintaining resource persistency. The processor receives all the traffic, does load balancing decisions, identifies services, creates sessions, and maintains the sessions. In multi-core systems, it is challenging to maintain the same configuration and resource persistency across all the cores of the system.

Systems and methods for distributed hash table in multi-core system


A handheld power tool and a removable accessory, which is changeable without requiring extra tools, include various elements. For example, the handheld power tool includes a platen having an aperture therein and a locking mechanism coupled with the platen. The locking mechanism includes a cam member. The removable accessory includes a tab that fits into the aperture and that is engagable by the cam member to bias the removable accessory into abutting contact with the platen to securely couple the removable accessory with the tool.

Handheld power tools are generally know in which an accessory, such as a tool or a tip, can be changed to include a different configuration or is replaceable with a different accessory. For example, a handheld sanding device, commonly known as a palm sander, might include a removable tip portion designed to access corners and perform detailed work. The tip might be removed for various reasons, such as to replace the tip with a less worn or different tool or to change a configuration of the tip.
An accessory might be changed on a handheld power tool using various mechanisms. For example, some handheld power tools utilize a screw to secure the removable accessory in position. The screw can then be loosened, or removed altogether, to enable the change and then re-fastened to secure the tool back into position. However, such attachment mechanisms rely on a separate fastener (e.g., screw) and require additional tools, such as a screwdriver, to secure the fastener in place.

Removable power-tool accessory having a tool-free connection


A method for stringing a first elongate element through a second elongate element is provided by placing the first elongate element in a channel and injecting compressed gas into the channel to propel the first elongate element therethrough. The channel has a first open end, and the second elongate element is sealed around the first open end. Compressed gas is injected into the channel towards the second elongate element, propelling the first elongate element through the second elongate element. Also disclosed is a system for performing such a method, including a source of compressed gas and a housing having a channel with a first end and a second open end. The first end is in fluid communication with the source of compressed gas. The channel has a tapered portion adjacent the open end of the channel, and the channel defines a straight longitudinal axis between the first end and the second open end.

Drawn brazed strand (DBS) is a type of cable characterized by good strength, stress resistance and conductivity properties that is frequently used in applications where cable failure is highly undesirable. One example is in the field of implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers, where the repair or replacement of electrical cables in the leads would require invasive surgery.
DBS typically includes a conductive element encased in a protective sheath. The conductive element is formed of a number of conductive strands twisted together. Each strand is formed from a plurality of individual alloy wires woven or wrapped about a core wire. The core wire is generally soft but highly conductive, and is usually made of silver, while the alloy wires are less conductive but stronger. The sheath is typically formed of a non-conductive material such as silicone or polyurethane. The sheath increases cable strength and also provides a protective electrical and environmental barrier around the conductive element.
Once the wires are formed into strands and the strands are twisted into the cable, the conductive element is inserted, or stringed, through one end of the sheath. Prior to assembling the conductive element with the sheath, a lubricant such as alcohol is injected into the sheath. The alcohol chemically interacts with the interior silicone wall of the tubing to provide a more lubricious surface. The conductive element is then pushed into and through the tube from one end.
This process has many drawbacks. First, despite lubricating the interior of the sheath, the conductive element has a tendency to become kinked within the sheath. Kinking degrades the conductive properties and strength of the cable such that kinked units are usually discarded. Second, alcohol is highly combustible and emits noxious fumes and odors bothersome to operators. Sometimes it is necessary to provide a venting system to maintain adequate air quality and additional fire control precautions must be employed. Third, residual alcohol must be removed from the stringed cable before further processing can be carried out. This is typically accomplished by placing the stringed cable into a furnace or near some other source of heat to evaporate the alcohol. Finally, the alcohol supply may become contaminated. Contamination can affect the lubricity between the conductive element and the sheath, and may cause particulates to be deposited within the sheath after the alcohol is evaporated.
Therefore, there exists a need for an improved method of stringing cables such as DBS type cable. There is a further need for a method that does not require the use of alcohol.

System for stringing a first elongate element into a second elongate element


The following is an apparatus and a method that enables the automated collection and identification of airborne particulate matter comprising dust, pollen grains, mold spores, bacterial cells, and soot from a gaseous medium comprising the ambient air. Once ambient air is inducted into the apparatus, aerosol particulates are acquired and imaged under a novel lighting environment that is used to highlight diagnostic features of the acquired airborne particulate matter. Identity determinations of acquired airborne particulate matter are made based on captured images. Abundance quantifications can be made using identity classifications. Raw and summary information are communicated across a data network for review or further analysis by a user. Other than routine maintenance or subsequent analyses, the basic operations of the apparatus may use, but do not require the active participation of a human operator.

(Note: This application references a number of different non-patent publications as indicated throughout the specification by one or more reference numbers within braces, e.g., {x}. A list of these different publications ordered according to these reference numbers can be found below in the section titled "References". Each of these publications is incorporated by reference herein.)
The concentrations of aerosol particulate matter in the ambient air is a top concern to humankind because airborne particulates have been strongly tied to human health consequences by numerous epidemiological studies. Airborne particulates aggravate respiratory illness which is the single largest cause of hospital admissions among children in the United States {1} and is responsible for a cost upwards of $56 billion in terms of health care expenses, lost productivity, and decreased quality of life in the United States {2}. Short-term exposures (hours to several days) to elevated airborne particulate matter have been observed to exacerbate allergies and asthma {3-5}. Longer term exposures (years to decades) to elevated airborne particulate matter have substantially greater health risks such as increasing the probability of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic disease {6, 7}. Given that the allergenic virulence of some airborne particulates has increased over the past three decades {8}, the prevalence of allergies and asthma in the developed world has greatly increased over the same period {4-6, 9}, and that the expression of asthma and allergies is forecasted to continue to intensify {10-12}, it is important to develop effective mitigation strategies that will temper both the economic and health burdens caused by airborne particulate-triggered respiratory illness. Knowing the types of particulates, their concentrations, and their distribution within a local environment helps in diagnosis, avoidance, and effective treatment.
Additionally, airborne particulate matter is of horticultural, ecological, and biological interest as it has applications in the propagation and health of plants as well as the expansion of scientific knowledge.
Air-quality sampling devices exist, but the ability of such devices to discern characteristics of airborne particulate matter beyond size range and reflectivity is limited. Such devices are useful for determining the quantity of certain sizes of airborne particulate matter, but give little insight into the shape, color, or other physical or biological properties of the airborne particulate matter, and thus are not practical for discerning detail or identifying airborne particulate matter.
Given the differing effects various components of airborne particulate matter on human health and plant well-being, it is important to be able to quickly and reliably characterize the constitution of airborne particulate matter. What is needed is a system and method that automates the collection of the air sample and captures diagnostic images which can then be used to characterize the identity of airborne particulate matter.

Automated airborne particulate matter collection, imaging, identification, and analysis


A fluid flow indication apparatus is provided for monitoring and giving an indication of fluid flow.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/476,316, filed Jun. 6, 2003, titled Lighted Fluid Flow Indication Apparatus, to Voege et al, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates generally to an indicator or monitor of fluid flow. More specifically, the present invention relates to a self-contained in-line fluid flow monitor including an indicator.
Industrial and medical gases are typically conducted through a conduit such as a tube or cannula from a storage tank to an implement that utilizes the gases or to a patient. Such gases are often clear and give no visual indication of their presence in the ambient air or their flow within the tubes. Therefore, it is desirable to have an indicator to provide an indication when gas is flowing through a tube. It is also desirable to provide an indication when the tube has been disconnected from a supply, a leak has occurred, or pressure in the tube has dropped below a predetermined level.
The present invention provides an indicator that is configured to be coupled directly to the gas supply tube or cannula. Therefore, the present invention provides an effective, inexpensive indicator to provide a visual, audible or other indication when gas is flowing through a tube, when the tube has been disconnected from a supply, or when pressure in the tube has dropped below a predetermined level due to a leak or pressure drop in the gas supply.
In one exemplary embodiment, a gas flow monitor is provided. The gas flow monitor comprising a housing having a fluid passage, an inlet and an outlet, the fluid passage configured to pass a gas introduced at the inlet to the outlet; a controller contained within the housing; a first indicator contained within the housing; a pressure sensitive switch in fluid communication with the fluid passage. The pressure sensitive switch having a first position indicating that the fluid passage contains at least a threshold pressure of a gas introduced through the inlet and a second position indicating the absence of a threshold pressure of a gas in the fluid passage, wherein the controller is configured to provide a first indication with the first indicator in response to the pressure sensitive switch being in the first position.
In another exemplary embodiment, a gas flow monitor is provided which is configured to be coupled in-line to a gas delivery system configured to convey a regulated amount of gas from a gas source to a patient. The gas delivery system including a first portion coupled to the gas source and a second portion coupled to a fluid dispensing device. The gas flow monitor comprising a housing having a fluid passage, an inlet and an outlet, the fluid passage configured to pass a gas introduced at the inlet to the outlet, the inlet configured to be coupled to the first portion of the gas delivery system and the outlet configured to be coupled to the second portion of the gas delivery system; and an indicator contained within the housing. The indicator configured to provide a first indication to indicate that the gas is being passed from the inlet to the outlet of the housing, the first indication being visible from an exterior of the housing.
An exemplary method is provided for monitoring of a gas delivery system configured to convey a regulated amount of gas from a gas source to a patient, the gas delivery system including a first portion coupled to the gas source and a second portion coupled to a fluid dispensing device. The method comprising the steps of: providing a portable gas flow monitor, the portable gas flow monitor comprising a housing, at least one indicator, and a sensor, the housing having an inlet configured to be coupled to the first portion of the gas delivery system, an outlet configured to be coupled to the second portion of the gas delivery system, and a fluid passage in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet; sensing the amount of fluid in the fluid passage to determine if a threshold amount of gas is in the fluid passage; providing a first indication with the at least one indicator in response to a determination that a threshold amount of gas is in the fluid passage, the first indication including a visual cue; and providing a second indication with the at least one indicator in response to a determination less than a threshold amount of gas is in the fluid passage, the second indication including a audible cue.
An exemplary embodiment of a kit is provided for use with a source of regulated medical gas to deliver the gas to a patient. The kit comprising: a single lumen cannula having an inlet portion, a conduit, and a fluid dispensing member, the fluid dispensing member adapted to be received by the nostrils of the patient; and a portable gas flow monitor including a housing having an inlet, an outlet, and a fluid passage, a pressure sensitive switch in fluid communication with the fluid passage, a power supply, an indicator, and a circuit coupled to the indicator and the power supply, wherein the pressure sensitive switch completes the circuit thereby providing power to the indicator in response to the fluid passage containing at least a threshold amount of gas, the indicator providing a first indication when the circuit is complete.
Additional features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


Apparatus for measuring stress at a point on an object comprising: means for applying a cyclically varying load of period T to the object; detector means for collecting and measuring thermal radiation from said point over a sample time interval t, wherein t<T; means for determining the phase of the first interval t with respect to the cyclic variation of thermal radiation produced by said point in response to said applied load and, from said collected and measured value of thermal radiation and said phase, for providing a measure of stress at said point.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for detecting stress in an object in response to an applied load. It is often desired to determine stress in an object to which a working load has been applied. For example, it is desirable to determine the effect of the application of working loads on automobile suspension parts to determine whether, in use, there will be concentrations of stress.
Many methods have been utilised in the past, including utilising transparent models of the component part, applying a working load, and from the polarisation effects, determining the stress across the object. With such an arrangement, apart from the fact that the object itself is not being tested, but a replica thereof, it can be difficult to determine whether tension or compression is present in a particular area of the object and difficult to quantitatively determine the stress.
Another conventional way of testing for stress is the use of stress gauges which are attached to particular parts of the object under test. Clearly the stress gauges can only test for stress between two particular points and there are a limited number of points which one can examine in this way. An unusual configuration of stress concentration might be missed by such a method.

Method and apparatus for detecting stress in an object


The present invention provides a changeable linear speed reduction clutch, which is formed by connecting a changeable linear speed double-layer planetary gear train and a brake, and is transmission machinery with functions of both a speed reducer and a clutch. A planetary carrier of the changeable linear speed double-layer planetary gear train is used as an input end, one central gear as an output end, the other central gear as a braking end, and the braking end is directly connected to the brake; and the changeable linear speed double-layer planetary gear train adopts one of two types of planetary gear trains. The brake at least has two states, that is, braking and non-braking states, wherein the braking state of the brake is equivalent to an engaged state of the clutch, and the non-braking state of the brake is equivalent to a disengaged state of the clutch. The method of setting the changeable linear speed double-layer planetary gear train, and the application method of the present invention are provided herein. Compared with a device in which a multi-stage speed reducer and a clutch are arranged independently, the changeable linear speed reduction clutch in the present invention is small and light and has a simple structure.

Background knowledge of a planetary gear train: the planetary gear train consists of three components, that is, two central gears and a planetary carrier with planetary gears. An arrangement and meshing structural relationship of the three components determines a motion characteristic equation of the planetary gear train and determines the type of the planetary gear train. The existing planetary gear trains are divided into cylindrical gear planetary gear trains and bevel gear planetary gear trains. The cylindrical gear planetary gear train includes a sun gear, an inner gear ring and a planetary carrier with planetary gears, wherein the sun gear, the inner gear ring and the planetary gears are all cylindrical gears. The cylindrical gear planetary gear trains are divided into single-layer planetary gear trains or double-layer planetary gear trains according to the number of layers, that is, one layer or two layers, of the planetary gears. In the single-layer planetary gear train, the sun gear is meshed with the planetary gears, and the planetary gears are meshed with the inner gear ring. In the double-layer planetary gear train, the sun gear is meshed with the inner layer of the planetary gears, which is meshed with the outer layer of planetary gears, and the outer layer of planetary gears is meshed with the inner gear ring. The bevel gear planetary gear train includes two central gears and a planetary carrier with planetary gears, and it is generally a single-layer planetary gear train in which one layer of planetary gears exists. And the two central gears and planetary gears thereof are bevel gears; the left central gear is meshed with the planetary gears, and the planetary gears are meshed with the right central gear. Both the sun gear and the inner gear ring belong to the central gear. The sun gear is the left central gear, which is a central gear with a small pitch circle diameter, and the inner gear ring is the right central gear, which is a central gear with a large pitch circle diameter. The present invention provides that all transmission machinery consisting of two central gears and the planetary carrier with planetary gears is planetary gear trains, one central gear is meshed with the planetary gears, multiple layers of planetary gears are meshed with each other or are directly connected, and the planetary gears are meshed with the other central gear. The planetary carrier takes the planetary gears to rotate around axes of the central gears. The planetary gears perform both revolving and rotating, and the number of layers of the planetary gears may be one, two, or three. For example, the double-sun-gear planetary gear train is a kind of double-layer planetary gear train, which includes two central gears (sun gears) and a planetary carrier with planetary gears, wherein two central gears and the planetary gears thereof are all cylindrical gears, and each of the planetary gears is two coaxial gears, called the left planetary gear and the right planetary gear. The left planetary gear is meshed with the left central gear, the left planetary gear is directly connected to the right planetary gear, and the right planetary gear is meshed with the right central gear. A pitch circle diameter of the left central gear is not equal to a pitch circle diameter of the right central gear, and a gear module of the left central gear is unnecessarily equal to a gear module of the right central gear. For another example, the double-inner-gear-ring planetary gear train is a kind of double-layer planetary gear train, which includes two central gears (inner gear rings) and a planetary carrier with planetary gears, wherein two central gears and the planetary gears thereof are all cylindrical gears, and each planetary gear is two coaxial gears, called the left planetary gear and the right planetary gear. The left planetary gear is meshed with the left central gear, the left planetary gear is directly connected to the right planetary gear, and the right planetary gear is meshed with the right central gear. The pitch circle diameter of the left central gear is not equal to the pitch circle diameter of the right central gear, and the gear module of the left central gear is unnecessarily equal to the gear module of the right central gear. For the three components of the planetary gear train, let the left central gear be z, the planetary carrier be j, the right central gear be y, the left planetary gear be xz, and the right planetary gear be xy; let Zz be the number of teeth of the left central gear, Zy be the number of teeth of the right central gear, Zxz be the number of teeth of the left planetary gear, Zxy be the number of teeth of the right planetary gear, Nz be a revolving speed of the left central gear, Ny be a revolving speed of the right central gear, and Nj be the revolving speed of the planetary carrier; let the characteristic parameter of the double-sun-gear planetary gear train or the characteristic parameter of the double-inner-gear-ring planetary gear train hold a=(Zy*Zxz)/(Zz*Zxy). The motion characteristic equation of all single-layer planetary gear trains is Nz−a*Ny=(1−a)*Nj. The planetary gear train that obeys the motion characteristic equation is a single-layer planetary gear train. When the planetary carrier of the single-layer planetary gear train is braking, the two central gears revolves in reversed directions. The motion characteristic equation of all double-layer planetary gear trains is Nz−a*Ny=(1−a)*Nj. The planetary gear train that obeys the motion characteristic equation is a double-layer planetary gear train. When the planetary carrier of the double-layer planetary gear train is braking, the two central gears revolves in the same direction. Due to that the left and right planetary gears in the double-sun-gear planetary gear train and the double-inner-gear-ring planetary gear train are directly connected, that the two planetary gears are one-to-one coaxial, and that the two planetary gears have the same revolving speed but have different pitch circle diameters, they have different pitch circle linear speeds; therefore, both the double-sun-gear planetary gear train and the double-inner-gear-ring planetary gear train are changeable linear speed double-layer planetary gear trains.
The transmission system of the existing fuel-powered helicopter must be arranged with a speed reducer and a clutch. The transmission ratios of the speed reducers of the top rotors of different helicopters range from 70 to 140. The speed reducer adopted is a multi-stage speed reducer which is large and heavy and has a complex structure. Generally, the clutch adopted is a hydraulic multi-plate friction clutch which can transmit power when the clutch is engaged; the clutch does not transmit powder when it is disengaged, which drives the top rotor to rotate freely to implement an emergency landing. These two devices are arranged independently, so the transmission system of the helicopter is large and heavy and has a complex structure.
The present invention provides a changeable linear speed reduction clutch formed by connecting a changeable linear speed double-layer planetary gear train and a brake. The changeable linear speed reduction clutch has the functions of both a speed reducer and a clutch, which is small and light and has a simple structure, and it is used to improve the transmission system of the helicopter.

Changeable linear speed reduction clutch


A process for treating the surface of a die-cast article including the steps of chemically cleaning the surface, cleaning the surface with an argon plasma, depositing an ion vapor generated metallic coating, mechanically treating the deposited coating, and chromate converting the mechanically treated coating. Preferably, the die-cast metal article consists essentially of an aluminum or magnesium alloy while the metallic coating is aluminum. The mechanical treatment may be carried out by bead blasting, tumbling or barreling and may be followed by walnut shell polishing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surface treatment of an article and in particular to surface treatment of a metallic article to prevent generation of microcontamination by the article.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Close tolerance, precision equipment is vulnerable to dust and other microcontaminants. In a hard disk drive, for example, the flying head may be separated from the surface of the spinning disc of recording media by a distance as small as about 0.25 micrometers. A particle of dust interrupting the small separation space can cause a "head crash" and result in damage to both equipment and magnetically recorded data. Therefore, durable, dependable close tolerance, precision equipment requires internal components which do not generate microcontaminants.
Typically, critical metallic components for such precision equipment have been machined from wrought aluminum or magnesium then surface finished by passivation. A less expensive method of providing dimension-critical metallic components is die-casting. Die-cast components, however, have microporous surfaces and tend to carry traces of lubricants, oils and mold release chemicals in the micropores and on the surface. These chemicals also interfere with the passivation process, and result in passivation layers which are subject to peeling. Peeling of the passivation layer, in turn, exposes the revealed metal to corrosion. Peeling passivation layers and corroding metal are both sources of microcontaminants which are detrimental to durability and dependability in precision equipment such as disc drives.
Peeling also exposes additional surface microposres, thereby freeing any contaminants trapped therein. If the component outgases (i.e. releases vapors from hydrocarbon fluids carried in the surface or in micropores), then a film-like coating of hydrocarbon contaminants can deposit upon the head and disk. The hydrocarbon contaminant coating adversely affects the tribological properties of the hard disk drive increasing stiction and wear. In hard disk drives, many components made of aluminum and magnesium alloy systems are used. Many of these critical components are machined from wrought aluminum alloys such as 6061-T6 and 7075-T6. Alternatively, some components are made from sheet metal aluminum alloys such as 5052 and 5086 and die-cast aluminum alloys such as 360 and 380. Other components, such as the head arm carriage are made of magnesium die-cast AZ-91C alloy. There are also components made of sand-cast, investment-cast and powder-metallurgy alloys.
Die-cast components could be more widely used in precision equipment if the problem of microcontamination could be solved.
The prior art includes surface treatment processes which are not specifically aimed at preventing microcontamination. For example, Lamont U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,810 discloses depositing an aluminum alloy onto a substrate (such as a semiconductor wafer), followed by redistributing the deposit by bombarding with ions. Church U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,954 discloses depositing, by vacuum evaporation or sputtering, a thin film of NiFe upon a ceramic substrate. After electroplating additional metal upon the film, another over layer of aluminum oxide is sputter deposited. Katayose U.S. Pat. No. 3,099,609 discloses a process of removing the oxidized surface film from aluminum alloy material; cleaning the surface with a mixed solution of HCl and HF; anodizing with a solution of chromic acid, sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid; and electroplating chromium onto the surface.

Micro-contamination-free coating for die-cast component in magnetic disk drive


A rotabable decorative-article structure including a rotating device connected with and supported by a base device is disclosed. The rotating device includes a fixed seat, a motor, a guiding cylinder and a rotating seat. The fixed seat includes a through opening and an annular slot with a guiding surface. The motor with a shaft is mounted on the fixed seat. The guiding cylinder is located inside the annular slot and includes a guiding wall to form a guiding track with respect to the guiding surface. The rotating seat is rotatably furnished in the annular slot, and includes a ring gear driven by the shaft of the motor and at least one guiding pillar with a guiding wheel sliding within the guiding track. The rotating seat is individually rotated, and the optical fibers and/or the wires separately go through the opening of the fixed seat. Therefore, the fiber decorations can be further used to decorate the rotatable decorative article.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a rotatable decorative-article structure and, more particularly, to a rotatable decorative-article structure with individual rotating mechanism and separately passage for arranging the optical fibers and/or wires of the fiber decorations so that an enhanced dynamic performing effect can be provided.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well-known a rotatable decorative article, such as a decorative carousel has a rotating mechanism for turning the decorative houses accompanying the music as a real carousel in an amusement park to entertain people.
However, this kind of decorative carousel showing merely a dynamic and musical effect is not attractive to people any more.
The optical fiber is popular used among the electronic products. For the decorative articles, optical fiber can provide a colorful lighting effect to enhance the value.
However, a fiber decoration cannot fit to the conventional rotatable decorative article because a rotating mechanism of the rotatble decorative article and the fibers and/or the wires arrangement will interfere with each other. The rotation of the conventional rotatable decorative article will make the fibers and/or the wires to twist together.
To achieve these and other advantages and in order to overcome the disadvantages of the conventional method in accordance with the purpose of the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, the present invention provides a rotatable decorative-article structure with an individual rotating mechanism capable of using the fiber decorations and preventing the optical fibers and/or the wires from twisting together.
The other object of the present invention is to provide a rotatable decorative-article structure with an individual rotating mechanism having an effective and precise operation.
Still the other object of the present invention is to provide a rotatable decorative-article structure with a dynamic and colorful performing effect to enhance the value.
According to the above-mentioned objects, the rotabable decorative-article structure of the present invention including a rotating device connected with and supported by a base device is disclosed. The rotating device includes a fixed seat, a motor, a guiding cylinder and a rotating seat. The fixed seat includes a through opening and an annular slot with a guiding surface. The motor with a shaft is mounted on the fixed seat. The guiding cylinder is located inside the annular slot and includes a guiding wall to form a guiding track with respect to the guiding surface. The rotating seat is rotatably furnished in the annular slot, and includes a ring gear driven by the shaft of the motor and at least one guiding pillar with a guiding wheel sliding within the guiding track. The rotating seat is individually rotated, and the optical fibers and/or the wires separately go through the opening of the fixed seat.
The fixed seat further includes a cavity with an orifice going through the annular slot. The guiding surface is a waved surface and the guiding track is also a waved track.
The rotating seat further includes at least one pillar hole for receiving the guiding pillar. The guiding pillar has a L-shaped plate formed on the top end thereof, and the guiding wheel is located on the L-shaped plate. The motor further includes a gear on the shaft for engaging with the ring gear.
The base device includes a decorative base housing with a supporting portion extending upward to connect to the opening of the fixed seat. The rotating device further includes a decorative top housing, and a fiber decoration on the top housing. Furthermore, the base device comprises a motor, a light source and a speaker mounted on a base plate, and the motor connects a transparent color plate located above the light source.
These and other objectives of the present invention will become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

No. 14, Alley 47, Lane 115, Sec. 2, Chenggong Rd.


A rear-wheel steering control system for a vehicle/trailer combination that adaptively changes an open-loop feed-forward command signal for different trailers or the same trailer with different configurations based only on vehicle parameters. The system includes a hand-wheel sensor for providing a hand-wheel angle signal of a hand-wheel position of the vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor for providing a vehicle speed signal of the vehicle, and a vehicle yaw rate sensor for providing a measured vehicle yaw rate signal of the vehicle. The system also determines if a vehicle yaw rate has reached a steady state and uses the steady-state yaw rate signal to calculate the rear-wheel steering command. In one embodiment, the system updates feed-forward rear/front values for a plurality of predetermined vehicle speeds when determining the proper rear-wheel steering command.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to open-loop feed-forward rear-wheel steering control in a vehicle/trailer combination and, more particularly, to an adaptive open-loop feed-forward rear-wheel steering control in a vehicle/trailer combination, where the open-loop control is adapted for different trailers or the same trailer with different configurations, such as load and load distribution, based only on vehicle parameters.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It is known in the art to employ automatic rear-wheel vehicle steering based on vehicle dynamic information during a vehicle turn, or yaw. Active rear-wheel steering control can improve vehicle stability over a conventional vehicle having only two steerable front wheels. The rear-wheel steering control can be in-phase steering or out-of-phase steering. In-phase rear-wheel steering steers the rear wheels in the same direction as the front wheels, and is typically provided at higher vehicle speeds. Out-of-phase rear-wheel steering steers the rear wheels in an opposite direction as the front wheels to provide a tighter turning radius, and is typically provided at lower vehicle speeds.
Open-loop rear-wheel steering control provides a certain amount of steering control depending on the amount of front-wheel steering provided by the vehicle operator and the vehicle speed. It is known to provide closed-loop rear-wheel steering based on certain feedback signals in the event that the vehicle is not following the steering path requested by the vehicle operator. Closed-loop rear-wheel steering control systems sense the actual vehicle yaw rate and the intended yaw rate, and generate an error signal that provides the steering assist by the rear wheels if the vehicle yaw rate and the intended yaw rate are not the same.
Known open-loop feed-forward control systems for vehicle/trailer combinations are based on nominal or known trailer parameters. Because trailers come in different sizes, weights, types, etc., a rear-wheel steering control for a vehicle/trailer combination could benefit by considering the particular trailer parameters to increase vehicle/trailer handling and performance.

Adaptive rear-wheel steer open-loop control for vehicle-trailer system


A label for in-mold forming which comprises a thermoplastic resin film base layer (I), a heat-sealable resin layer (II), and an antistatic layer (III), wherein the heat-sealable resin layer (II) comprises a heat-sealable resin including a copolymer of propylene and α-olefin having 4-20 carbon atoms and has a degree of non-crystallinity of 60-90% as determined with a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) at temperatures less than 90° C., the antistatic layer (III) comprises an antistatic agent in an amount of 0.001 to 1 g per unit area (m2) and the surface of the layer has a wettability index (JIS-K-6768) of 32-54 mN/m, and the label has a porosity higher than 10% and not higher than 70% and has an opacity (JIS-P-8138) higher than 20% and not higher than 100%; and a labeled container with the label.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a label for use in in-mold forming in which the label is set beforehand in a mold so that the printed side of the label comes into contact with the mold wall surface and a labeled container is produced by introducing a parison of a molten thermoplastic resin into the mold to conduct blow molding, by injection-molding a molten thermoplastic resin in the mold, or by subjecting a sheet of a molten thermoplastic resin to vacuum forming or pressure forming with the mold. The invention further relates to a resin container bearing the label, a process for producing the label, and a process for producing the labeled resin container.
2. Description of the Related Art
For integrally molding a labeled resin container, a process has been used which comprises inserting a blank or label into a mold beforehand and then molding a container in the mold by injection molding, blow molding, pressure-difference molding, foam molding, or the like to label the container for decoration, etc. (see JP-A-58-69015 and EP-A-254, 923). Known labels for use in such in-mold forming include resin films printed by gravure printing, synthetic papers printed by multicolor offset printing (see, for example, JP-B-2-7814 and JP-A-2-84319), and aluminum labels obtained by laminating a high-pressure-process low-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene, ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer, or ethylene/acrylic acid copolymer to the back side of an aluminum foil and printing the front side of the foil by gravure printing. Also known is a label which comprises a heat-sealable polyethylene resin layer having an antistatic layer on a surface thereof and having a specific value of wettability index and which is thus inhibited from arousing troubles attributable to electrostatic buildup in a label printing step and an in-mold forming step in a low-humidity environment, e.g., in winter (Japanese patent application No. 2004-151318).
However, the rate of container molding by the in-mold forming is being increased for the purpose of improving the productivity of the in-mold forming. Namely, the cooling time for cooling the resin container in the mold is being reduced and the temperature to which the mold is cooled is being lowered. In the case where the material of the container is a polyethylene resin, adhesion between the label and the container is relatively satisfactory. However, when the material of the container is a polypropylene resin, which is more transparent than polyethylene resins, then adhesion between the label and the container tends to be considerably low because of the low temperature to which the mold is cooled. This labeled container has drawbacks that the label readily peels off the container and has many blisters. There has hence been a problem that a high container loss results. The market for transparent containers comprising a polypropylene resin is growing because the amount and state of the contents thereof can be ascertained.
In the case where a polymer having a low melting point, such as, e.g., an ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer or an ethylene/acrylic acid copolymer, is used as a heat-sealable resin in the label, relatively satisfactory adhesion to polypropylene containers is obtained. However, it has been pointed out that this label has a problem concerning suitability for filling with hot contents, i.e., the label readily peels off or slides when the temperature of the contents of the container is about 90° C.

Label for in-mold forming and resin container with the label