A heater device has a heater body and a heater case. The heater body has a heat generating part generating heat and radiates the heat supplied from the heat generating part. The heater case is attached to an interior member provided in an interior and houses the heater body, such that an interior-side surface of the heater body is located on a back side of the interior member. The heater case is provided with a ventilation passage through which a space outside the heater case located on the back side of the interior member communicates with the interior-side surface of the heater body.

Patent Literature 1 discloses an embodiment of a heater device that forms a flat heat generating element. The flat heat generating element described in Patent Literature 1 is disposed to an interior member of a vehicle so as to surround the sides and upper parts of the feet of an occupant. In the heater device, the surface temperature of a side cover to which a side heater is disposed is controlled so as to be lower than the surface temperature of an upper heater to which an upper cover is disposed.


A microphone system and microphone mount system integrate upon and into a drum head to efficiently capture various drum sounds. An attachment ring 170 is attached to the perimeter of a void within a drum head. A slide bracket slides 160 into the attachment ring 170. The slide bracket 160 is secured to and is part of a microphone assembly 100. The microphone assembly accommodates flexible goose necks 200 that hold microphone clip adapters to secure additional microphones both interior and exterior to a drum head 300.

(1) Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to microphone systems. More particularly, the invention relates to systems and methods of improved sound capture within and near a drum or other instrument.
(2) Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 7,525,039 by Steele discloses an electronic bass drum comprising loud speakers, an internal amplifier system and other components. U.S. Pat. No. 7,723,596 by Kelly discloses an internal microphone support system allowing a standard microphone to be placed within a drum. Kelly uses a plurality of hanger members and connector members. U.S. Pat. No. 7.968,780 by Millender et al discloses an insert for a double membrane drum in an effort to change the tonal qualities of the drum. U.S. Pat. No. 8,170,258 by Wells discloses a support bar system placed within a drum to support a microphone.
The prior art presents several shortfalls in that complicated and cumbersome components are used to alter the sound of a drum or to secure a microphone within a drum. Such prior art solutions are not well suited for the rigors of road tours or for drummers of limited means. The prior art solutions also fail to capture the true tonal qualities generated by high end drums. Thus, there is a need in the art for the presently disclosed embodiments.

Microphone systems for base drums and other instruments


Embodiments of the present application disclose a method and system for identifying whether an application is genuine by means of digital watermarks, which can conveniently determine whether an application is genuine. The method comprises: extracting a first digital watermark from an executable file of an application to be identified; using two decompiling-then-compiling algorithms on the executable file so as to generate, respectively, a first compilation file and a second compilation file having a same file format as that of the executable file, and extracting, respectively, a second digital watermark and a third digital watermark from the first compilation file and the second compilation file; acquiring, respectively, similarity between the first digital watermark and the second digital watermark and similarity between the first digital watermark and the third digital watermark; and if the similarity between the first digital watermark and the third digital watermark is higher than the similarity between the first digital watermark and the second digital watermark, determining that the application to be identified is genuine, otherwise, determining that the application to be identified is pirated. The present application is applicable to a scenario for identifying whether an application is genuine.

With the popularity of the network, a large number of applications have been developed in order to meet various needs of users. However, the emergence of pirated applications affects the order of application market.
In order to identify whether an application is genuine, it is conventional in prior art to compare an application to be identified with a genuine application or compare the signature of an application to be identified with the signature of a genuine application, and if identical, the application to be identified is genuine; otherwise it is pirated. However, it is necessary to use the genuine application corresponding to the application to be identified in prior art in order to identify whether the application is genuine, which is inconvenient, for example, it is unable to identify whether the application is a genuine application when there is no corresponding genuine application.

Method and system for identifying whether an application is genuine by means of digital watermarks

BEIJING KINGSOFT INTERNET SECURITY SOFTWARE CO., LTD.


An electronically scanned antenna working in a wide frequency band comprises at least: one reflector panel comprising an array of phase-shifters cells; one slotted waveguide illuminating the reflector panel by a microwave having a variable frequency f. The deviation Δθf of the direction of the wave emitted by the slotted waveguide, as a function of the frequency variations, countering the variation Δθp of the aiming direction of the wave reflected by the reflector panel. The disclosed antenna can be used especially in applications requiring compact or low-cost antennas.

The present invention relates to an electronically scanned antenna working in a wide frequency band. It can be used especially in applications requiring compact or a low-cost antennas.
An electronically scanned antenna comprises a network of microwave sources associated with a phase-shifter. It is known that the direction of the antenna beam depends on the phase shifts applied by the phase-shifters to the source signals. For a given state of the phase-shifters and a given frequency, a well-defined direction of antenna beam is obtained. However, for this same state of the phase-shifters, when the sending frequency varies, there is a deflection of the antenna beam. There are many applications that require the instantaneous sending of a frequency band of varying width. This is the case especially with SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) type radar imaging applications. Such applications work, for example, in instantaneous bands in the range of several hundreds of MHz or even more. The use of standard electronically scanned antennas prompts a dispersal of antenna aiming with respect to frequency variations as in a sprinkling or scattering process, thus preventing especially the obtaining of precise images.
These deflections due to the frequency variations cannot be compensated for in the control of the phase-shifters because their maximum phase shift is limited to 360°. A known approach to compensating for these deflections consists then in using true delay lines. However, such an approach particularly complicates the structure of the antennas: it increases their weight and also their cost.


A process for producing a copper-nickel-silicon alloy having a yield strength above 90 ksi with an electrical conductivity above 50% IACS. The process includes melting and continuously casting raw material to obtain an alloy containing 1-3 wt. % nickel, 0.2 to 0.7 wt. % silicon, remainder copper and unavoidable impurities; cold delivering the alloy to form a cold-rolled alloy, solution annealing the cold-rolled alloy; cold rolling the annealed alloy; and precipitation annealing the cold-rolled annealed alloy at a temperature of 450-500 degrees C. for four to ten hours with a cooling rate of 10-20 degrees C. per hour.

One type of precipitation hardening copper alloy is the copper-nickel-silicon alloy with a nominal 2% nickel, 0.45% silicon and remainder copper. This alloy combines excellent stress relaxation resistance with high strength and high conductivity. The combination of strength, formability and conductivity is reached through a thermo-mechanical process combining cold deformation and heat treatments.
In order to obtain high electrical conductivity, it is necessary to have a high degree of precipitation of the alloy elements. The size and fraction of the precipitates are also important for the resulting microstructure and consequently for the mechanical properties. A dispersion of fine precipitates can retard recrystallization or hinder grain growth and also increase the strength. Depending on the size and amount of precipitates, different combinations of properties are achieved.

Process for high strength, high conductivity copper alloy of Cu-Ni-Si group


Providing sentiment classification of out of domain data are disclosed herein. In some aspects, a source domain having a trained classifier is matched to a target domain having a target classifier. The trained classifier may include identifiers that may be used to predict the sentiment of opinion data for the source domain. The target classifier may use the identifiers of the trained classifier to determine the sentiment of opinion data for the target domain.

There are many ways for people to express opinions, submit feedback, or otherwise comment on various products, services, events, or other happenings. For example, with the popularity of Web 2.0 applications, an increasing number of people provide opinion data for others to consume. In addition to traditional forms of communication, many people contribute such opinion data via online forums, web blogs, and customer reviews, which provide a great wealth of information. Customer opinions are particularly valuable because they are often perceived to provide practical information about a subject, thus often being absent of puffery that may be used by companies when discussing their products and services. In addition, customer opinions typically include both positive and negative aspects of products and services which result in diverse opinion data.
It is often difficult to navigate through the vast amount of opinion data made available to customers, such as via the Internet. For example, a particular product may have hundreds of reviews, of which only a summary may be of particular interest to another customer. It is important to be able to sort through this information to organize people's opinions and perform analysis on the opinion data. This may result in better understanding of the wealth of information that makes up the opinion data.
One way to sort through the opinion data is to have humans manually categorize each entry into a number of logical categories that helps customers navigate though the data. For example, opinion data may be categorized as being a positive or negative opinion data. In addition, the opinion may be related to a particular product or service category and possibly further linked to subcategories. However, human categorization is very time consuming and expensive. Another way to categorize information is by requiring the author of the review to provide category information when the opinion data is generated. Although this may work very well in some instances, such as by asking a customer to rank the product (e.g., via stars, a numerical value, etc.) when submitting a customer review, this may not be available for all sources opinion data, such as forums, blogs, etc.

Sentiment classification using out of domain data


An intra-aortic dual balloon driving pump catheter device having a catheter; a first balloon and a second balloon respectively surrounding the catheter, being arranged successively along the longitudinal direction of the catheter, wherein the position of the first balloon is placed at the distal end of the catheter, and the second balloon is placed immediately adjacent to the proximal end of the first balloon; the first balloon and the second balloon are periodically expanded to a dimension that nearly blocks the aortic blood flow and contracted to a dimension that does not prevent the blood flow from passing through; wherein the first balloon periodically inflates in diastole and deflates in systole working as a pump, while the second balloon conversely deflates in systole and inflates in diastole functioning as a valve, altogether leading to blood pumping from contracting ventricle and keeping driving forward ahead in the aorta.

Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) is a mechanically assistive circulatory device widely and effectively used in the current clinical application. It is a cardiac catheterization therapy wherein a catheter with a balloon is placed through the arterial system to the proximal end of the heart within the descending thoracic aorta, or an end distal to the left subclavian artery opening, inflating and deflating of the balloon correspondingly to the cardiac cycle such that the blood flow changes in time phase within the aorta so as to mechanically assist the circulation. The aim is thus achieved to reduce aortic impendence and to increase cardiac output and aortic diastolic pressure while reducing myocardial oxygen consumption and increasing oxygen supply, so as to improve the function of the heart.
The intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) may be applied to different situations to improve the patient's hemodynamics by increasing coronary artery perfusion and reducing afterload of ventricle. These factors improve the heart function and myocardial oxygen demand-supply ratio. Its role is quite mild, and generally the cardiac output does not increase by more than 20%. The indications of intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) include the following three situations: treatment of acute myocardial ischemia, postoperative cardiogenic shock, transition before cardiac transplantation, and etc.
The intra-aortic balloon pump device comprises a balloon catheter, and a counterpulsation machine serving as a driving section of the balloon catheter. The balloon catheter consists of an air supply catheter and a cylindrical balloon secured to the catheter. The standard for selecting the balloon catheter is to block 90%-95% of the aortic lumen after the balloon is inflated, and the balloon volume is greater than 50% of the heart's stroke volume. The counterpulsation machine comprises a monitoring part, a controlling part, a vacuum pump, and an air compressor. The air supply catheter communicates the elongated cylindrical balloon with the vacuum pump and the air compressor. The monitoring part and the controlling part cooperates with each other to automatically identify the ECG or pressure signal according to the given parameters, automatically regulate the time phase of inflation and deflation, and automatically adjust the counterpulsation parameters so as to achieve the best counterpulsation effect, and automatically stop when there is a failure or abnormal stroke.
The balloon is inflated when the heart dilates, and the balloon is deflated when the heart contracts. The double effect of hemodynamics is thus produced. On one hand, the balloon is inflated in the diastole, so as to occupy the space of the blood. In this case, as the aortic valve has closed, so that the inflated balloon quickly drives blood to both the distal and the proximal sides of the aorta, whereby driving blood to the distal (cordis) side increases the diastolic pressure at the aortic root, and thus increases the coronary artery blood and the myocardial oxygen supply; and driving blood to the proximal (peripheral) side increases whole body perfusion, and thus increases the diastolic pressure and support the cardiac circulation. The increase of the diastolic pressure greatly lowers the work load of the heart, particularly the left ventricle, and the blood supply is greatly improved. On the other hand, the balloon is deflated during the systole to lower the systolic pressure (cardiac afterload), so as to produce negative pressure, whereby the aortic pressure is reduced instantly, the ejection resistance and the cardiac afterload lowered, the cardiac output increased, and the myocardial oxygen consumption reduced. The decrease in ejection resistance improves the left ventricular ejection. In this case, the blood is inhaled into the aorta, the aortic pressure is lowered and the cardiac afterload is reduced. The controlling part is able to adjust the size of the balloon by controlling the air amount entering the balloon.
The counterpulsation of the balloon is usually triggered by the arterial waveform recorded at the top of the balloon, or is controlled by the electrocardiogram QRS waveform with time. The balloon counterpulsation must be inflated and deflated within accurate time period. Ideally, the balloon shall be inflated when the aortic valve is just closed, corresponding to the trace between two ascending waves of arterial waveform. Meanwhile, it is preferable that the balloon is deflated before the left ventricle is about to eject. Premature deflation in diastole may bring poor efficacy.
The current clinical IABP catheter can be only inflated and deflated by its balloon corresponding to the cardiac cycle to cause change in time phase of the blood within the aorta, but cannot actively drive the blood.

Intra-aortic dual balloon driving pump catheter device

FUWAI HOSPITAL OF CHINESE ACADEMY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES


The present invention provides an adjustable bone plate assembly (10) comprising a plate (12) and washers (14). The plate (12) comprises an first surface (16) for engaging the bone, and a second surface (18) opposite the first surface (16). The plate (12) additionally comprises a plurality of slots (20) extending through the plate (12), and a plurality of protuberances (22) projecting from the second surface (18) of the plate (12). The washers (14) each comprise a first surface (24) having a plurality of indentations (28) for engaging the protuberances (22) of the plate (12) when a washer (14) is selectively placed over one of the plurality of slots (22).

In fusing two vertebral bodies or setting a bone fracture, it is common practice to use a securing mechanism to hold the bone or vertebral bodies in place while the bone tissue fuses or heals. A commonly used securing mechanism is referred to as a bone plate. A bone plate aids the healing process by maintaining the fractured bone or vertebral bodies in a stable position. Once positioned, it is also desirable for the bone plate to remain securely fastened in place.
A bone plate is typically held in place by surgical screws or other appropriate devices inserted through openings in the bone plate. Because bone fractures and vertebrae structure vary from person-to-person and from bone-to-bone, a bone plate designed to allow variable placement of the surgical screws through the plate is desirable.
Prior adjustable bone plates have incorporated a two rack styled apparatus to allow for adjustable alignment of the plate and variable placement of screws in the bone tissue. A typical prior device comprises a lower plate having a toothed rack and an upper plate having an opposing toothed rack. The upper and lower plates may be placed together in various positions allowing variable placement of screws along the longitudinal axis of the bone plate. The rack on the upper plate is placed on the rack of the lower plate at the desired location and the appropriate screws are inserted through the plates and into the bone. Positive engagement between the opposing racks on the upper and lower plates provide some stability in the longitudinal direction of the bone plate. A major drawback to this type of system is that it provides, generally only stability and variable screw location in a longitudinal direction. Unfortunately, these prior art devices do not provide adequate stability or variability in screw placement in longitudinal, lateral or diagonal directions.

Apparatus and method for adjusting a bone plate


A communication device includes a forwarding processing unit configured to sort a telegram on the basis of processing content identification information included in header information of the telegram and a telegram processing unit configured to perform processing based on the processing content identification information on a payload of the telegram when the processing content identification information indicates processing in the communication device. The telegram processing unit can directly extract the payload of the telegram without performing protocol processing on the telegram and perform processing using the payload.

With the spread of the Internet of things (IoT), various devices such as sensors are being connected to a network and data is transmitted and received by the devices. Also, data transmitted and received from these devices is required to be processed in real time in many cases.
However, in many cases, a device and a server device for processing data transmitted from the device are physically separated from each other, and real-time processing may be difficult in consideration of a transmission time of a network. Also, the number of devices connected to the network may be enormous, and the amount of data transmitted from these devices is vast. Due to the vast amount of data, the narrowing of a network bandwidth or a processing delay due to processing of the vast amount of data is problematic.
To solve such a problem, a system is provided with a relay device between various devices provided at the end of the network and a server device and which causes a part of processing to be performed in the server device to be imposed on the relay device. Thereby, it is possible to disperse the processing load of the server device and it is possible to reduce the processing delay problem. Also, by keeping communication of data transmitted from the device between the device and the relay device, it is possible to shorten the network transmission time and prevent the network bandwidth from being narrowed.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system in which data of images captured by an image sensor is transmitted to a relay device in a local area network (LAN) instead of being transmitted to a server device via a network and the relay device performs processing on behalf of the server device. Also, according to this system, it is described that it is possible to reduce network traffic and load on the server device by keeping a transfer of image data within the LAN.

Communication device, terminal device, central server device, information processing system, telegram processing method and telegram generation method


A system for and methods of processing non-traditional payment transactions on a traditional payment network is disclosed. More specifically, a payments system includes one or more payment program managers (PPMs), which are the providers of alternative payment products, in combination with one or more payment program processors (PPPs), which serve as processors for the PPMs. The PPMs and PPPs operate on a payment network, such as a traditional payment network. The payments system includes the utilization of traditional bank identification numbers (BINS) in order to process non-traditional transactions on a traditional payment network. Surrogate numbers are issued on BIN ranges to the non-traditional transactions in order to process them on the traditional payment network. Additionally, the payments system includes pricing structures that are associated with alternative payment products. These pricing structures are implemented and processed on the payment network, alongside the pricing structures of traditional payment products.

Electronic transactions have become an everyday part of the economy via the financial services industry. Whether the use occurs in person or remotely (e.g., via the Internet or Mobile), utilization of various electronic payment instruments by both consumers and businesses is huge and rapidly growing. Thus, more and more merchants are seeing these types of transactions becoming a larger piece of how they receive payments for the goods and services they provide.
Examples of electronic payment instruments may include, but are not limited to, credit cards, debit cards, prepaid cards, alternative payment products, and the like. For the purpose of this disclosure, credit cards, debit cards, and prepaid cards are considered traditional payment products, which are supported by and processed via traditional payment networks. Examples of traditional payment networks may include, but are not limited to, VISA®, MasterCard®, American Express®, and Discover®. By contrast, alternative payment products are considered non-traditional payment products, which today are processed outside of the traditional payment networks. Examples of alternative payment products may include, but are not limited to, PayPal®, BillMeLater®, eLayaway®, and Amazonpayments™.
Systems that are designed to handle transactions of traditional payment products on traditional payment networks are not suited today to process transactions of non-traditional payment products, such as those of alternative payment products. Therefore, the providers of alternative payment products must typically establish direct relationships with merchants or merchant processors in order to facilitate their use (e.g., the relationship of PayPal® with an individual merchant for acceptance). With any payment product, a key factor in its success is its acceptance with as many merchants as possible. Unfortunately, because alternative payment products currently cannot be processed on traditional payment networks and thus need to establish direct relationships with merchants, there exists a significant barrier to their acceptance. The biggest barrier for non-traditional payment product acceptance is the technical development work and resources required from the merchants in order to start accepting non-traditional payment products. Therefore, what is needed are new approaches that overcome the barriers to acceptance of alternative payment products. In particular, what is needed is a way to process non-traditional transactions of alternative payment products on traditional payment networks, without requiring extensive system development efforts for merchant implementation.
Further, traditional payment products may have different pricing structures compared with those of the alternative payment products. Again, today the systems of traditional payment networks are designed to handle the pricing structure of traditional payment products and are not suited to handle the pricing structure of alternative payment products. This is yet another barrier to wide acceptance of alternative payment products. Therefore, new approaches are needed that allow the pricing structure of alternative payment products to be implemented and processed on traditional payment networks.

Processing non-traditional transactions on a traditional payment network


A railroad wheel reference groove locating gauge for determining a measurement of an annular reference groove machined in a face of a railroad wheel spaced radially outwardly from an axle on which the wheel is mounted a predetermined distance indicative of the wheel diameter, with the measurement being taken while the wheel remains connected to the axle, the gauge comprising an elongate member having a first end and a second end, indicia on the elongate member at the first end thereof indicative of a length along the elongate member; and an attachment element at the second end of the elongate member for detachably securing the gauge relative to an axis of rotation of the axle, with the elongate member extending radially to the first end thereof adjacent the reference groove on the wheel for enabling the use of the indicia to determine the diameter of the reference groove.

A typical train includes one or more locomotives pulling a plurality of load cars. Each vehicle in the train includes a plurality of steel wheels that roll along the metal rail as the train is propelled along the track. Proper interaction between the wheel and the rail is critical for safe, reliable, efficient operation of the train.
A rail includes a bottom mounting flange, a top railhead that makes contact with the vehicle wheel, and a flange interconnecting the flange and the railhead. A vehicle wheel includes a center hub mounted onto the vehicle axle, a plate extending outwardly from the hub, and an outer rim surrounding the plate for making contact with the rail. The rim includes an outside diameter tread that may be flat or tapered and a flange extending outwardly from a back side of the tread. The tread rides along a top surface of the railhead for supporting the vertical weight of the vehicle. The flange extends along and makes contact with a side of the railhead for providing lateral support to allow the wheel to follow along the path of the railhead. Flanges are provided on only one side of each wheel along an inside of the rail.
Rail, or railroad, vehicle wheels suffer wear over time due to their contact with the rail. The treads wear as a result of their contact with the top of the rail, particularly in the event of the wheel slipping with respect to the rail during acceleration or braking events. The wheel flanges will wear due to their contact with the inside surface of the railhead, particularly on curves and through switches. Consequently, rail wheel wear must be monitored to ensure that dimensions of the wheel subject to wear are sufficient for continued safe use.
In the past, rail wheel dimensions were periodically measured using a Federal Railway Administration (FRA) approved mechanical gauge. More recently, mechanical gauges have been replaced with electronic gauges that provide more accurate and repeatable rail wheel measurements for determining proper positioning on the wheel and to measure rail wheel dimensions such as rim thickness, flange thickness, flange height, and distance from reference groove (also called witness groove) of a locomotive wheel. With both mechanical gauges and electronic gauges, a key measurement that is needed to determine the other rail wheel dimensions is the reference groove diameter since the reference groove diameter is typically used as a reference when determining wheel diameter by adding 2 times the distance from reference groove.

Locomotive wheel reference groove diameter measuring device


An automatically operating unloading system for unloading an at least partially assembled vehicle from an assembly-line overhead conveyor vehicle carrier is provided. The vehicle carrier includes four hanger arms for supporting the vehicle from underneath, and ends of the hanger arms are pivotally articulated about a perpendicular axis in a lockable manner. The automatically operating unloading system includes at least one rail at a side of a flat conveying system and a front hanger arm manipulator and a rear hanger arm manipulator movably arrangeable on the at least one rail. Each of the front and rear hanger arm manipulators are equipped with at least one controllable actuator. The automatically operating unloading system further includes a controllable drive unit for moving the manipulators along the rails and an electronic control unit configured to control the actuators of the front and rear hanger arm manipulators.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
In the field of automotive assembly, it is known to employ assembly line conveyors of different types, which may be operated at different conveyor speeds, and to transfer vehicles between different assembly-line conveyors. In particular, it is common to carry a vehicle with installed tires with an assembly line carrier to another assembly line conveyor, such as a slat assembly line conveyor, a side-mounted assembly line or an overhead assembly line conveyor, which may be a final line conveyor, supporting the vehicle from under its tires.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,230,988 describes an apparatus for transferring vehicles onto a conveyer. The apparatus comprises a front wheel supporting device on an elevator that supports and conveys vehicles by means of wheels, moving vertically with respect to the conveyor, which is provided with a pair of front and rear wheel supporting arms that freely open and close in a horizontal direction between a closed posture supporting front wheels at a predetermined position in terms of the convey direction and an opened posture releasing the front wheels to the convey direction. The apparatus further includes a rear wheel supporting device on the elevator, which is provided with a wheel supporting plate that supports rear wheels without determining the position thereof in terms of the convey direction and that can switch its posture between a horizontal posture and a front-down tilted posture in terms of the convey direction. The apparatus comprises a posture switching device that changes the wheel supporting plate of the rear wheel supporting device to the tilted posture, at least when the elevator, supporting a vehicle with the wheel supporting arms of the front wheel supporting device in the closed posture and the wheel supporting plate of the rear wheel supporting device in the horizontal posture, is at the lowermost position for transferring the vehicle onto a conveyor.
In the art, it is further known to employ carriers such as drop lifters for the transfer of vehicles between different assembly-line conveyors, the carriers comprising hanger arms for supporting the vehicle from underneath, for instance from underneath the tires.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0032728 describes an apparatus that automatically lifts a vehicle from a continuously moving first conveyor such as an overhead or a side lift vehicle assembly line conveyor carrier so that the vehicle can be stabilized for assembly processes or can be unloaded from the assembly line conveyor. An overhead conveyor system may carry partially completed vehicles by carriers. The carriers may be controlled by the overhead conveyor system and can engage and disengage from the vehicle through control signals. The apparatus generally consists of a lift shuttle conveyed along guide rails positioned below the vehicle assembly conveyor system and with a lifting mechanism extending upwardly from the lift shuttle. The lifting mechanism rises to engage, stabilize and lift the vehicle from the overhead carrier. Various elevations can be obtained with the lifts to accommodate various processes and product requirements. After traveling along the lift shuttle conveyor, the vertical lifts lower the vehicle to either place the vehicle back on the overhead conveyor carrier or place the vehicle on a second conveyor or such as a floor conveyor where it is moved to further assembly operations or moved to a staging area. The shuttle then returns to its initial position to repeat the process for the next vehicle.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008184268 proposes an elevating/transferring device for transferring a vehicle body of an automobile from a trolley conveyer to a slat conveyor. The elevating/conveying means comprises a pair of right and left elevating bodies, a pair of right and left forward/backward moving bodies supported by the elevating bodies, a front wheel supporting means and a rear wheel supporting means disposed to each forward/backward moving body to be switched between a supporting position of an article to be conveyed and a retreated position of an article to be conveyed. The elevating/conveying means further includes a driving means for return which moves back the forward/backward moving bodies in a direction reverse to a conveying direction of the slat conveyor to a home position, and a part to be engaged for synchronization disposed to each of the forward/backward moving bodies. A synchronizing means comprises a movable body moving in horizontal and vertical directions, a pair of right and left engaging parts for synchronization disposed to the movable body to allow the part to be engaged for synchronization being vertically engaged/disengaged, and a movable body driving means synchronously moving the movable body in the conveying direction of the slat conveyor by a predetermined distance, and then moving back the movable body to the home position.
From U.S. Pat. No. 6,695,126, a vehicle body transfer apparatus is known that hangs and transfers a vehicle body of every vehicle type. The apparatus includes a hanger that supports the vehicle body in a hanging condition, and moves along a transfer path, and vehicle body support parts that adjust supporting positions on the vehicle body in the hanger based upon a center of gravity of the vehicle body of each vehicle type. In the hanger are pivotably provided arms at both of right and left sides of an arm support frame. The arms are closed when supporting the vehicle body, and opened to both of right and left sides when releasing the vehicle body, using an open/close mechanism of the hanger. In addition, the arms, when closed, are locked in such a state as to hold the vehicle body, and, when opened, are unlocked in such a state that the vehicle body is vertically movable with the drop lifter, using an open/close lock mechanism of the hanger.
The hanger includes center-of-gravity management plates having a plurality of vehicle body support parts that support the vehicle body according to the vehicle type of the vehicle body. The apparatus may be applied for transferring vehicle bodies to an overhead conveyor provided in an automotive assembly line for constructing four-wheel automobiles. The vehicle body transfer apparatus may comprise an overhead conveyor for hanging and transferring the vehicle body, and a drop lifter having a means for adjusting positions on the vehicle body at which the vehicle body is supported. The drop lifter is a relocation means that relocates the vehicle body conveyed through a friction conveyor onto the overhead conveyor. The overhead conveyor supports the vehicle body in such a manner that the center of gravity of the vehicle body of every vehicle type and the center of the hanger are substantially aligned (or are precisely aligned) with each other, in order to hang the vehicle body of every vehicle type in a stable condition.
Moreover, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,814,219 an overhead conveyor is described in which a pair of front hanger arms for loading the bottom of a front part of a vehicle body and a pair of rear hanger arms for loading the bottom of a rear part of a vehicle body are arranged at a hanger body which moves along with a running rail established in the ceiling. The pair of front hanger arms and the pair of rear hanger arms are movably attached to the hanger body. The hanger body has an engaging groove for engaging the movably attached pair of hanger arms at each engaging position of the vehicle body through each an engaging lever, having an actuator to control the engaging-and-disengaging movement of the engaging lever.
Various types of sensors may be arranged on the overhead conveyor, such as a sensor that detects the stop position of each hanger body, a sensor which detects the moved position of an engaging lever or the rear hanger arm on each of the engaging grooves of the hanger body, and detects whether the engaging lever can be engaged with or disengaged from each engaging groove, at the moved position. Further, the overhead conveyor may be equipped with a sensor which detects whether the engaging lever is being engaged to the engaging groove or not, a sensor which detects whether each of vehicle body supporting parts is supporting the vehicle body, and/or a sensor which detects whether each of rotation arms is opened at the delivery position of the vehicle body.
Hanger arms of a carrier may be closed when supporting a vehicle body, and may be opened when releasing the vehicle body, using an open/close mechanism of the hanger. Such mechanisms may require quite some operational space, particularly to the side, and a drive of the mechanism, a corresponding electric cable or pressure hose connection and the mechanism itself may turn out to be expensive, heavy and have to be carried as well, together with the vehicle. On the other hand, manual operation of such open/close mechanisms of a hanger is labor-intensive and may involve a certain risk of injury.
In view of the prior art, the field of transfer of vehicles between different assembly-line conveyors still offers room for improvement.

Automatically operating vehicle body unloading system


The invention concerns a blow-suction box or equivalent for a paper machine or board machine, which box comprises at least a pressure chamber and which box is placed in the vicinity of a cylinder, roll, or equivalent, from which cylinder, roll or equivalent, a web and/or a wire is/are fitted to run past the box. In connection with the pressure chamber, a nozzle slot has been arranged, out of which a sealing blowing is fitted to be applied towards the cylinder, roll or equivalent and/or towards the web and/or wire running on its face in order to disintegrate the boundary-layer air flow carried along with the web and/or wire. In connection with the nozzle slot, an air guide made of a resilient material has been fitted in order to direct the sealing blowing and to enhance the sealing further.

With respect to the prior art related to the present invention, reference can be made to the DE Utility Model Publication 29601543, to the DE Patent 3910600, to the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,515,619 and 4,856,205, from which publications a mechanical seal is known which is used in connection with a blow-suction box or equivalent, which is in contact with, or in a near proximity of, a wire or equivalent, and which seals the closing nip between the box and the adjacent cylinder in order to cut off a boundary-layer air flow. A boundary-layer air flow follows a paper web and a wire when they come from a drying cylinder towards a reversing cylinder or roll. In the prior-art solutions, the seal is mechanical and often also rigid, in which case it may damage the wire coming from the cylinder, or it can be broken itself. These physical seals can be broken as a result of prolonged operation, and, moreover, owing to deterioration or damaging of a seal, the capacity of blow-suction boxes is lowered considerably in paper machines.
One problem in the prior-art blow-suction boxes has been the problems of runnability as air is pumped through the wire in a nip, which results in separation of the web from the wire and, at the same time, causes wrinkles and bag formation.
One object of the present invention is to provide a solution in which the problems mentioned above have been eliminated or at least minimized.
With respect to the prior art, reference is also made to the applicant's FI Patent No. 80,491 (equivalent to U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,380), in which a method and a dryer group in a multi-cylinder dryer in a paper machine are described, in whose connection a blow-suction box is employed which includes a suction and/or closing compartment, by whose means the upper free sectors of reversing cylinders between the adjacent wedge spaces have been covered. In the gaps between drying cylinders, said combined blow-suction boxes are placed, which have a plane wall at the inlet side of the drying wire and of the web, into whose edge a nozzle opening or openings is/are opened, by whose means a flow is blown which ejects in the direction opposite to the direction of movement of the drying wire placed facing said nozzle opening(s), by means of which flow a field of vacuum is induced in the gap space between said wall and the straight run of the drying wire and the web as well as in the following wedge space. An object of the present invention is further development of the blow-suction box so that the effects of the boundary-layer air flow are eliminated and that the effect achieved by means of the blow-suction box on the support and runnability of the paper is improved.
As is known from the prior art, multi-cylinder dryers in paper machines usually consist of two horizontal rows of drying cylinders placed one row above the other, between which the paper web runs meandering. In connection with the drying cylinders, currently, drying wires permeable to air are employed. In the dryer section of a paper machine, single-wire draw and/or twin-wire draw is/are employed. Single-wire draw is understood as a draw in which the web runs from one drying cylinder onto the other on support of one and the same drying wire also between the rows of cylinders. In twin-wire draw, in which an upper wire and a lower wire are employed, the web has free unsupported draws when it runs from one row of cylinders to the other. The present invention is suitable for use most advantageously in applications with single-wire draw.

Blow-suction box or equivalent for a paper machine or board machine


A semiconductor package utilizing a carrier with substantially parallel top and bottom surfaces having a recess in the bottom surface and a slot in the top surface communicating with the recess in the bottom surface and provided with electrical conductors on its top surface is provided with an integrated semiconductor chip having a major surface and contact pads on the major surface in the recess of the carrier, with said contact pads positioned in the region of said slot so that the contact pads can be connected by lead wires passing through said slot, to the conductors on the top side of the carrier. The active surface of the chip containing the contact pads is encapsulated but the back surface of the chip and carrier is left exposed to improve the thermal characteristics of the chip while maintaining a low package profile.

This invention is directed toward an integrated semiconductor chip package and more particularly a package adapted to be stacked.
Currently marketed integrated semiconductor chip packages, such as the plastic encapsulated dual in-line package (DIP) when stacked on a printed circuit board as might be installed in a computer takes an inordinate amount of space and can fail because of high thermal considerations due to the fact that the chip is totally enclosed in a relatively thick plastic package. A reduction in the overall height of the individual packages would permit an increase in memory and lowering of the space requirements for a more powerful computer while simultaneously reducing some of the thermal aspects which have in the past lead to deterioration of such stacked chip packages.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 8, No. 10, March 1966, page 1314, shows a package which uses a multilevel ceramic carrier with conductors therein and a recess on one side accommodating the semiconductor chip which is connected by the conductors in the ceramic layers to the opposite side of the carrier. The carrier side with the recess is provided with a thin metal foil to improve the cooling properties of the circuit. The chip carrier described in the above-mentioned article is complicated to produce and very expensive because of the multilayered ceramic configuration and is particularly unsuitable for use with memory chips. Additionally, connection of the inverted chip is relatively difficult and requires special fixtures.
Also known are plastic molded (DIP) packages such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,245, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. Such (DIP) packages, too, have disadvantages in that the encapsulation they use is relatively thick and thus limits the number that can be conveniently stacked on a memory card.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide packages of minimum thickness and good thermal qualities whose production can be simplified.

International Business Machines Corporation


In a random access memory comprising pairs of input/output bus lines (7.sub.0 to 7.sub.3) transferring write data to the memory cells (3a) and read data from the memory cells, input/output terminals (10.sub.0 to 10.sub.3) corresponding to the pairs of input/output bus lines, and input/output buffer circuits (9.sub.0 to 9.sub.3) respectively corresponding to the input/output terminals and also corresponding to said input/output terminals, an access control signal is applied to the input/output terminal (10.sub.0) in a period in which the input/output terminal is not used for input or output of write data or read data, and transfer of read data through each of the input/output buffer circuits is permitted or inhibited on the basis of the access control signal.

The present invention relates to a random access memory (RAM) having multiple-bit input/output (I/O) terminals, and in particular to a RAM which can operate in a mode in which reading through designated I/O terminals is enabled or permitted while reading through other I/O terminals is inhibited.
An example of conventional RAM having multiple-bit I/O terminals that is disclosed in Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 179984/1985 will first be described with reference to FIG. 2.
The RAM comprises a memory cell array 3 which comprises a matrix of memory cells 3a formed of a MOS transistor and connected to a plurality of word lines WL and a plurality of pairs of bit lines BL intersecting the word lines. Sense amplifiers not shown are connected to the respective pairs of bit lines to sense and amplify data read from the memory cells.
The illustrated RAM is of a multiple-address type using a row control signal RAS, and a column control signal CAS. A row address buffer 1 is controlled by the row control signal RAS to read a row address from the address signals A0, A1, . . . , An which are supplied from outside of the RAM, and its output is connected to the memory cell array 3, via a row address decoder 2 which decodes the output of the row address buffer 1.
A column address buffer 4 is controlled by the column control signal CAS to read a column address from the address signals A0, A1, . . . , An, and its output is connected to the memory cell array 3, via a column address decoder 5 and a transfer gate circuit 6. The column address decoder 5 decodes the output of the column address buffer 4. The transfer gate circuit 6 is formed of a plurality of pairs of switches for selectively connecting the pairs of bit lines BL with four pairs of I/O bus lines 7.sub.0 to 7.sub.3, on the basis of the output of the column decoder 5. As the pairs of switches are selected by the column address, the pairs of bit lines connected to the selected switches are connected to the I/O bus lines, and in this way "selected". Since there are four pairs of I/O bus lines, four of the pairs of bit lines are selected at a time and connected to the I/O bus lines.
Connected to the I/O bus lines are data amplifiers 8.sub.0 to 8.sub.3, and I/O buffer circuits 9.sub.0 to 9.sub.3. Connected to the I/O buffer circuits 9.sub.0 to 9.sub.3 are I/O terminals 10.sub.0 to 10.sub.3 for input and output of write data and read data.
The operation of writing of data in the memory cell array 3 and reading of data from the memory cell array will now be described.
For reading data from the memory cell array 3, address signals A.sub.0, A.sub.1, . . . , A.sub.n are supplied from outside of the RAM to the row address buffer 1 and the column address buffer 4. The row address buffer 1 controlled by the row control signal RAS reads the row address from the address signals A.sub.0, A.sub.1, . . . , A.sub.n, and the row address is decoded by the row address decoder 2, so that one of the word lines WL is activated. Then data stored in the memory cells 3a connected to the activated word line WL are output to the pairs of bit lines BL. The data read onto the pairs of bit lines BL are sensed and amplified by the sense amplifiers, not shown.
The column address buffer 4 controlled by the column control signal CAS reads the column address from the address signals A.sub.0, A.sub.1, . . . , A.sub.n, and the column address is decoded by the column address decoder 5. Depending on the result of the decoding, the four pairs of the switches in the transfer gate circuit 6 are selected and turned on, and four pairs of bit lines BL thus selected (connected to the selected switches) are connected to the four pairs of I/O bus lines 7.sub.0 to 7.sub.3, and the data on the four pairs of the bit lines BL are transferred to the I/O bus lines 7.sub.0 to 7.sub.3. The data on the I/O bus lines 7.sub.0 to 7.sub.3 are amplified by the data amplifiers 8.sub.0 to 8.sub.3, and output via the I/O buffer circuits 9.sub.0 to 9.sub.3, and the I/O terminals 10.sub.0 to 10.sub.3, to outside of the RAM.
For writing data, the data to be written are supplied from outside of the RAM to the I/O terminals 10.sub.0 to 10.sub.3. The data are then read by the I/O buffer circuits 9.sub.0 to 9.sub.3, and sent to the I/O bus lines 7.sub.0 to 7.sub.3. Then, in accordance with the output of the column decoder 5, four pairs of the switches in the transfer gate circuit 6 are selected and turned on and the four pairs of the selected bit lines BL are connected to the four pairs of the I/O bus lines 7.sub.0 to 7.sub.3. The data is written in the memory cells 3a connected to the selected word line WL and the four pairs of the selected bit lines BL.
FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing the I/O buffer circuit 9.sub.0 of FIG. 2. The other I/O buffer circuits 9.sub.1 to 9.sub.3 have an identical configuration.
The I/O buffer circuit 9.sub.0 comprises an input buffer 21 connected between the I/O terminal 10.sub.0 and the I/O bus lines 7.sub.0, and an output buffer 22 connected between the I/O bus lines 7.sub.0 and the I/O terminal 10.sub.0. An input control transfer gate 23 connects or disconnects the input buffer 21 and the I/O bus lines 7.sub.0. The transfer gate 23 is turned on and off by the output of the write inhibit register 24. The write inhibit circuit 24 is formed of a write inhibit sensing circuit 24A and a buffer 24B.
FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing an example of control signal generating circuit for generating various control signals used in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.
The control signal generating circuit 30 comprises an inverter 31.sub.1 which receives the row control signal RAS and produces a signal RAS (inversion of RAS), which is passed through buffers 32.sub.1, 32.sub.2, 32.sub.3 and 32.sub.4, in turn, and signals RAS.sub.1, RAS.sub.2, RA and SE are obtained at the outputs of the respective buffers. The signal RAS is also inverted by an inverter 31.sub.2 and then passed through a buffer 32.sub.5, and a precharge signal PX.sub.0 and another precharge signal PX.sub.1 are obtained at the outputs of the inverter 31.sub.2 and the buffer 32.sub.5.
An AND gate 33.sub.1 determines the logical product of a word line activation signal RA and the inversion of the column control signal CAS, and a signal CAS is obtained at the output of the AND gate 33.sub.1.
An inversion of the column control signal CAS is input to a NAND gate 33.sub.6, and its output signal CAS4 and a write control signal WE are input to a NAND gate 33.sub.5. The output signal CAS.sub.3 of the NAND gate 33.sub.5 is input to the NAND gate 33.sub.6, and to a NAND gate 33.sub.3. The output signal CAS.sub.2 of the NAND gate 33.sub.3 and the signal CAS are input to a NAND gate 33.sub.2, whose output signal CAS.sub.1 is input to the NAND gate 33.sub.3, and to an inverter 33.sub.4. An output enable control signal OE1 is obtained at the output signal of the inverter 33.sub.4.
The signal CAS is inverted by an inverter 34, and is passed through a buffer 33.sub.7, and a precharge signal PY.sub.0 and another precharge signal PY.sub.1 are obtained at the outputs of the respective circuits.
An AND gate 35 determines the logical product of the inversion of the precharge signal PY.sub.1 and the inversion of the write control signal WE, and produces a signal W.sub.0, which is passed through a buffer 36, and a signal W1 is obtained at the output of the buffer 36.
Referring again to FIG. 3, REF in the input buffer 31 denotes a reference signal, WCA.sub.0 in the write inhibit register 24 is an output signal of the inhibit sensing circuit 24A, and WCB.sub.0 denotes an output signal of the buffer 24B.
FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing the operating of the circuits of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. The operation of the circuit of FIG. 3 is first described with reference to FIG. 5.
During reading (read cycle RC in FIG. 5), the input buffer 21 is inactive because the signal W1 is kept Low throughout each read cycle. The output signal WCA.sub.0 of the write inhibit sensing circuit 24A is inactive because the write control signal WE is kept High, and the output signal WCB.sub.0 is therefore kept Low throughout each read cycle. As a result, the input control transfer gate 23 is off. Read data of the selected pairs of bit lines BL is output to the I/O bus lines 7.sub.0, and output via the output buffer 22 and the I/O terminal 10.sub.0.
During writing (write cycles WC.sub.0 and WC.sub.1 in FIG. 5), the write inhibit sensing circuit 24A identifies the write cycle on the basis of the write control signal WE after the falling edge of the column control signal CAS. The write inhibit sensing circuit 24A also determines whether writing is to inhibited on the basis of the write control signal WE and the level of a signal applied from outside of the RAM to the I/O terminal 10.sub.0 at the falling edge of the row control signal RAS. The output signal WCA.sub.0 is passed through the buffer 24B, and its output WCB.sub.0 turns on the input control transfer gate 23 to permit writing of data.
That is, if, at the time of the falling edge of the row control signal RAS, the write control signal WE is Low (Active) and the signal applied to the I/O terminal 10.sub.0 is also Low (Active), as shown in the write cycle WC.sub.0 in FIG. 5, the output signal WCA.sub.0 goes High, which is passed through the buffer 24B. The output WCB.sub.0 of the buffer 24B, which therefore goes High turns on the transfer gate 23. As a result, the output of the input buffer 21 is connected to the I/O bus lines 7.sub.0, and normal writing operation is enabled.
If, at the time of the falling edge of the row control signal RAS, the signal applied to the I/O terminal 10.sub.0 is made High, as shown in the write cycle WC.sub.1 in FIG. 5, then the output signal WCB.sub.0 of the buffer 24B is maintained Low. As a result, the transfer gate 23 is off and the output of the input buffer 21 is not connected with the I/O bus lines 7.sub.0. In this state, even if a write data is applied to the I/O terminal 10.sub.0 during the period when the CAS is Low, writing of data onto the I/O bus lines 7.sub.0 (and hence in the memory cell 3a) is inhibited.
FIG. 5 also shows the signal applied to another I/O terminal 10.sub.1 and the output signal WC.sub.1 of the write inhibit register 24 in another I/O buffer circuit 9.sub.1 corresponding to the I/O terminal 10.sub.1. It will be seen that in the write cycle WC.sub.0 when writing through the I/O buffer circuit 9.sub.0 is permitted, writing through the I/O buffer circuit 9.sub.1 is inhibited. In the write cycle WC.sub.1 when writing through the I/O buffer circuit 9.sub.1 is permitted, writing through the I/O buffer circuit 9.sub.0 is inhibited. In this way, the RAM can operate in a write-per-bit mode, in which writing is permitted through only the designated ones of the I/O buffer circuits 9.sub.0 to 9.sub.3 while writing through other I/O buffer circuits is inhibited.
Thus, by the function of the write inhibit register 24 and the transfer gate 23, control for independent writing of each of the I/O terminals 10.sub.0 to 10.sub.3 is realized without sacrificing the normal memory function.
In the RAM of the above configuration, when a special timing, such as the one for read-modify-write, is adopted for the purpose of enhancing the versatility of the system, unnecessary data output is performed onto the I/O terminals 10.sub.0 to 10.sub.3 which are not conducting the writing operation. As a result, the power consumption at the time of output is increased.

Memory with selectively active input/output buffers


In a radiotelephone system, the control channel of each cell can be configured to broadcast absolute information about its cell and relative information about other cells including the characteristic of the cell. Further, the location of other control channels may also be included among the information broadcast over a control channel of a particular cell. This information is then used to lock a mobile unit to a preferred cell.

The present invention relates to a control technique for a radiotelephone communication system, and more particularly, to a control technique for a wireless communication system.
Continuing growth in telecommunications is placing increasing stress on the capacity of cellular systems. The limited frequency spectrum made available for cellular communications demands cellular systems having increased network capacity and adaptability to various communications traffic situations. Although the introduction of digital cellular systems has increased potential system capacity, these increases alone may be insufficient to satisfy added demand for capacity and radio coverage. Other measures to increase system capacity, such as decreasing the size of cells in metropolitan areas, may be necessary to meet growing demand.
Interference between communications in cells located near one another creates additional problems, particularly when relatively small cells are utilized. Thus, techniques are necessary for minimizing interference between cells. One known technique is to group cells into "clusters". Within individual clusters, communication frequencies are allocated to particular cells in a manner which attempts to maximize the uniform distance between cells in different clusters which use the same communication frequencies. This distance may be termed the "frequency reuse" distance. As this distances increases, the interference between a cell using a communication frequency and a distant cell using that same frequency is reduced.
Radio base stations are often located near the center of each cell to provide radio coverage throughout the area of the cell. Alternatively, a radio base station may be located near the center of three adjacent "sector cells" to cover those cells. The choice between a sectorized and non-sectorized system is based on various economical considerations such as equipment costs for each base station.
Localized microcells and picocells may be established within overlying macrocells to handle areas with relatively dense concentrations of mobile users, sometimes referred to as "hot spots". Typically, microcells may be established for thoroughfares such as crossroads or streets, and a series of microcells may provide coverage of major traffic arteries such as highways. Microcells may also be assigned to large buildings, airports and shopping malls. Picocells are similar to microcells, but normally cover an office corridor or a floor of a high-rise building. The term "microcells" is used in this application to denote both microcells and picocells, and the term "macrocells" is used to denote the outermost layer of a cellular structure. An "umbrella cell" can be a macrocell or a microcell as long as there is a cell underlying the umbrella cell. Microcells allow additional communication channels to be located in the vicinity of actual need, thereby increasing overall system capacity while maintaining low levels of interference.
The design of future cellular systems will likely incorporate macrocells, indoor microcells, outdoor microcells, public microcells and restricted microcells. Macrocell umbrella sites typically cover radii in excess of one kilometer and serve rapidly moving users, for example, people in automobiles. Microcell sites are usually low power, small radio base stations, which primarily handle slow moving users, such as pedestrians. Each microcell site can be viewed as an extended base station which is connected to a macrocell site through digital radio transmission or optical fibers.
In designing a microcell cluster, it is necessary to allocate spectrum to the microcells. This can be done in several ways; for example, microcells can reuse spectrum from distant macrocells; a portion of the available spectrum may be dedicated for microcell use only; or a microcell can borrow spectrum from an umbrella macrocell.
In dedicating spectrum to the microcells, a portion of the available spectrum is reserved strictly for the microcells. Borrowing spectrum involves taking frequencies available to the macrocell for microcell use.
Each of these channel allocation methods has accompanying advantages and drawbacks. Reusing channels from distant macrocells causes little reduction in capacity of the macrocell structure. However, reuse is not always feasible because of co-channel interference between the microcells and macrocells.
By dedicating spectrum to the microcell, interference between cell layers (microcell and macrocell) is reduced because any m-channel interference is between microcells, not between macrocells and microcells. When dedicating spectrum to a microcell, that spectrum is taken from the entire macrocell system in a certain area, for example a city. Thus, that spectrum is not available for macrocell use. As a result, in an area containing only a few microcells, capacity is adversely affected because the microcells cover only a small portion of the area in the macrocell area while the macrocell, with a reduced amount of spectrum available, must cover a substantial area. Nevertheless, as the number of microcells increases and the area covered by only the macrocell decreases, capacity problems associated with dedicating spectrum may be reduced and a total net gain in overall system capacity is achieved without introducing blocking in the macrocells.
Borrowing channels from an umbrella macrocell, like reuse, presents potential co-channel interference between microcells and macrocells. Also, capacity may be adversely affected because efficient spectrum allocation is often impossible. For example, it may be difficult to address all the hot spots in a cell simultaneously when borrowing or dedicating spectrum. An advantage of borrowing spectrum is that the entire macrocell system is not affected, unlike dedicating spectrum, because only spectrum allocated to a covering macrocell is borrowed and not spectrum from the entire system. Thus, other macrocells can use the same spectrum which is being borrowed by a microcell frown its covering macrocell.
Further, in cluster design, allocated spectrum must be distributed to individual microcell sites. Known methods employed for spectrum allocation include fixed frequency planning, dynamic channel allocation (DCA), and adaptive channel allocation (ACA). Further, a control channel management technique must be selected. One possibility includes having each cell or sector in a sectorized system use a unique control channel until frequency reuse is feasible from an interference point of view.
With the introduction of microcells, radio network planning may increase in complexity. The planning process is largely dependent upon the structure of the microcells. For example, the size of streets, shopping malls, and buildings are key design criteria. Microcells suffer from a series of problems including an increased sensitivity to traffic variations, interference between microcells, and difficulty in anticipating traffic intensities. Even if a fixed radiotelephone communication system could be successfully planned, a change in system parameters such as adding a new base station to accommodate increased traffic demand may require replanning the entire system. For these reasons, the introduction of microcells benefits from a system in which channel assignment is adaptive both to traffic conditions and to interference conditions.
One of the main concerns associated with microcells is the minimization of frequency planning in FDMA and TDMA systems or power planning in a CDMA system. Radio propagation which is dependent on environmental considerations (e.g., terrain and land surface irregularities) and interference are difficult to predict in a microcellular environment, thereby making frequency or power planning extremely difficult if not impossible. One solution is to use an adaptive channel allocation (ACA) scheme which does not require a fixed frequency plan. According to one implementation of this method, each cell site can use any channel in the system when assigning a radio channel to a call. Channels are allocated to calls in real time depending on the existing traffic situation and the existing interference situation. Such a system, however, may be expensive since more channel units on the average must be installed.
Several advantages are realized with ACA. There is almost no trunking efficiency loss since each cell can use any channel. Thus, it is possible to employ cells with very few channels without losing network efficiency. Further, channel reuse is governed by average interference conditions as opposed to the worst-case scenario.
Several ACA schemes attempt to improve traffic capacity and avoid the need for frequency planning. While some systems have been moderately effective in accomplishing these goals, it has been difficult to achieve both goals in a system which has preassigned control channels, i.e., a system having specified frequencies on which a mobile station may expect a control channel (a 30 KHz RF channel which contains control signals). Systems having preassigned control channels include AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone Service System), IS-54 (Revision B) and TACS (Total Access Communication System). In such systems, frequency planning is still needed for control channels. However, frequency planning for voice channels can be avoided and traffic capacity improved by eliminating the need to plan a number of voice channels on each site in an area where traffic channels are expected to be non-uniformly distributed.
When planning an antenna system, allocating spectrum for a microcell cluster, and selecting a power level for microcell transmitting power, several concerns must be addressed. Sufficient radio coverage, e.g., 98%, must be provided within the microcell area. Also, if the spectrum allocated to the microcell cluster has been reused from a distant macrocell, the power level of the microcells must be low enough to avoid interference with the distant macrocell from which the spectrum was reused. Further, the power of the control channel in the microcell may have to be stronger than the power of the covering umbrella macrocell control channel if the mobile is to lock on to the microcell. In sum, the aim of such a system is to assign as many mobiles as possible to microcell control channels by maintaining those control channels stronger than the control channels of the umbrella macrocell in the intended microcell area while transmitting with a sufficiently low power to avoid interference with the distant macrocell.
Power or interference limitations can result in a voice channel limited system where some of the mobiles in the microcells will receive a stronger signal from an overlying macrocell. The number of mobiles receiving a stronger signal from an overlying macrocell will increase as the distance between the umbrella cell and the microcell decreases. Consequently, capacity might not increase since mobiles are locked-on to the macrocell. Moreover, if mobile transmitting power requirements increase, the battery life of the current portables would correspondingly decrease to maintain the equivalent level of performance. Further, blocking and intermodulation may arise with high powered mobiles located inside the microcell area. The high-powered mobiles are power controlled by the umbrella macrocell and require more power to communicate with the umbrella macrocell than the microcell.

Method and apparatus for communication control in a radiotelephone system


A print-medium post-treatment apparatus and a control method thereof, to increase the number of print media stacked on a bookbinding stack tray by controlling operation of a conveyor belt. The a print-medium post-treatment apparatus includes a bookbinding stack tray including a tray sensor to sense a print medium and a conveyor belt to move the print medium, and a controller to move the print medium in a given discharge direction by operating the conveyor belt in a first direction if the tray sensor senses the print medium moved onto the bookbinding stack tray and to move the print medium in an opposite direction of the discharge direction by operating the conveyor belt in a second direction so as to reduce a distance between a previously discharged print medium and a subsequently discharged print medium.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to a print-medium post-treatment apparatus having a bookbinding device to bind print media transmitted from an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a print-medium post-treatment apparatus is arranged parallel to an image forming apparatus. In one example, a print-medium post-treatment apparatus contains a punch or stapler to perform a punching or stapling operation on a print medium, on which an image has been completely formed, transmitted from an image forming apparatus.
Some recent print-medium post-treatment apparatuses include a bookbinding device in which a plurality of print media transmitted from an image forming apparatus is centrally folded into two and is bound to form a book, such as a booklet.
The bookbinding device includes a stapler to staple the center of the print media, a pair of press rollers arranged to face each other, and a folding knife installed to be forwardly or rearwardly movable so as to be introduced into a gap between the two press rollers. In operation, after the stapler staples the center of the print media, the folding knife moves into the gap between the press rollers, folding the print media into two on the basis of the stapled center of the print media, whereby bookbinding of the print media is completed.

Print-medium post-treatment apparatus and control method thereof


The objects of the invention are attained in an apparatus for performing a method of analysis of organic compounds in chromatography, comprising a chromatographic column sealingly connected with the housing of a surface ionization detector having coaxially arranged inside, a collector and a thermoemitter with current leads, the housing of the surface ionization detector being provided with an opening for an auxiliary gas feed line and an opening for delivering the spent gases. The thermoemitter includes a closed-end sleeve with a heating element in contact with the external non-working surface of the thermoemitter. The collector includes a hollow cylinder spaced from the inner ionizing surface of the thermoemitter, and the outlet portion of the chromatographic column being received inside and throughout the length of the collector. The end of the outlet portion of the chromatographic column and the auxiliary gas feed line are positioned and arranged such that the mixing of the components of the sample gas and the feed gas occurs immediately adjacent the ionizing surface of the emitter, with the auxiliary feed gas being thermolyzed by the collector prior to contacting the emitter. Another preferred arrangement of the apparatus includes a thermoemitter which consists of a refractory metal and an ionizing surface coated with oxidized tungsten.

The invention relates to analysis of gases, and more particularly it relates to a method of analysis of organic compounds in chromatography and to apparatus capable of performing this method.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention can be used in chemical, food and perfumery industries, and also for analytical purposes for identifying trace quantities of amines, hydrazines (diamines) and their derivatives in analyzed mixtures.
The invention can be employed for identifying the substances defining the nature of a flavor or odor, for detecting amines emitted by living organisms, for indicating trace quantities of toxic amines in gaseous emissions of various polymeric materials, for identifying amines and their derivatives in the products of pyrolysis of microorganisms.
2. Description of the Related Art
Techniques of gas chromatography are broadly employed nowadays for identifying nitrogen-containing organic compounds with the use of ionization detectors offering the highest response among available detectors, e.g. coulometer detectors, photo-ionization detectors, etc. Any technique employed presents its own problems related to both the selectivity and sensitivity in registration of components of an analyzed mixture. The most sensitive to nitrogen-containing organic compounds among the mentioned ionization detectors is the thermal ionization detector whose threshold response is 10.sup.-12 . . . 10.sup.-13 g/s; however, it has no selectivity with respect to amine compounds and ammonia.
The most efficient techniques of high-response detection of amines, hydrazines and their derivatives are those based on the phenomenon of ionization of molecules in the course of their thermal desorption from a surface.
It has been found that the best materials for thermal emitters of ions, or thermoemitters are oxidized tungsten, molybdenum, nickel, chromium, iridium and several other metals.
There is known a method of analysis of organic compounds by the method of surface ionization (SU, A, 439747), including the steps of feeding vapors of an analyzed mixture onto a thermoemitter under reduced pressure, and measuring the current of described ions at the collector.
However, it is commonly known that the interaction of organic molecules with the oxide layer of the surface of a thermoemitter gives rise to reduction of the oxides by the products of decomposition of the compounds being analyzed. This leads to varying catalytical and thermal emission characteristics of the surface, and, consequently, to the reduction of the ionization current--the so-called "poisoning" of the thermoemitter. To stabilize the thermal emission characteristics of the surface, it is necessary to feed in an auxiliary gas, e.g. oxygen or air, jointly with the analyzed substance. This condition is automatically satisfied in surface-ionization detectors employed in gas analyzers of atmospheric air. When a detector, however, is connected to a chromatographic column, its normal operation requires the supply of either oxygen or air in quantities ensuring that within the range of working temperatures of the thermoemitter the rate of oxidation of the surface would be not lower than the rate of reduction of its oxides by the products of decomposition of organic compounds.
The closest prior art of the disclosed method by the technical essence and attained effect is the method of measuring ultra-trace admixtures of organic substances with the use of a surface-ionization detector (SU, A, 728067). The analyzed mixture separated in the chromatographic column is directed into a detector jointly with an auxiliary gas, the working temperature of the thermoemitter and the quantity of the auxiliary gas being selected so as to maintain permanence of the surface ionization factor of the analyzed substance, and the ionization current is measured.
However, when the gases are supplied in this manner, the analyzed mixture leaving the chromatographic column is pre-mixed with the auxialiary gas and only then is directed to the ionizing surface of the thermoemitter. The presence of an auxiliary volume required for the pre-mixing results in some partial re-mixing of the separated components of the mixture, which adversely affects the accuracy of measuring the registered components by the method of the prior art. Furthermore, with the flow rates of the carrier gas associated with gas chromatography, adsorption of a part of the analyzed substance on the walls of the passages leading to the detector results in reduced intensity of chromatography peaks, and, hence, to a reduced threshold sensitivity of the analysis.
The known detectors of organic compounds whose operation is based on ionization of organic compounds on the surface of heated solid bodies are made of a diode of which the cathode serves as the collector and the anode serves as the emitter of positive ions. The ionization efficiency and, consequently, the sensitivity of surface-ionization detectors is dependent on their geometry, i.e. on the shape and relative positions of the collector and emitter, and also on the material of the emitter. The ionization efficiency E of a detector is expressed as EQU E=.gamma..multidot..beta.,
where
.gamma. is the factor of engagement of the substance, dependent on the design of the detector and expressed as a ratio of the number of molecules of the analyzed substance engaging the surface of the emitter to the total number of molecules of the analyzed substances passing through the detector; and PA0 .beta. is the factor of surface ionization of ionizable particles, equalling a ratio of the number of desorbed ions to the number of analyzed molecules engaging the surface of the emitter, dependent on the thermal emission and catalytical properties of the emitter. PA0 the relatively great volume of the detector, which could not be reduced in principle; the thermoemitter should be beyond the confines of flame when the detector is operated in the flame ionization detector mode, whereas in the operation in the surface-ionization detector mode the thermoemitter should be as close as possible to the nozzle detector. Therefore, the disclosed design embodies a compromise settlement which would not offer optimized relationships for operation with utmost sensitivity; PA0 in the surface-ionization detector mode, the components of the separated mixture pre-mixed with the oxidizing (auxiliary) gas has to pass in this known apparatus a certain path in the ionization chamber prior to reaching the ionizing surface of the thermoemitter. This leads to re-mixing of the separated components of the mixture, impairing the accuracy of the analysis.
There is known a detector for gas chromatography (SU, A, 179509), including a housing accommodating therein a cathode serving as the collector, receiving coaxially therein a heated anode serving as the emitter, shaped as a cylinder, and connections for feeding and delivering the analyzed gas. The end face surface of the anode is arranged to face the inlet passage of the analyzed gas, parallel to the end face surface of the cathode with which it defines a flat-parallel gap.
A detector of this design has its operability and characteristics essentially dependent on the linear dimensions and ratios of its structural components, particularly on the extent of the gap between the cathode and anode. Optimum ratios have to be selected experimentally, in a trial-and-error manner.
Furthermore, this design prohibits independent supply into the detector of the auxiliary and analyzed gases, which adversely affects the performance of the detector.
There is further known an apparatus for gas chromatography (International Application JP WO 86/06836, Int.Cl..sup.4 G 01 N 27/62, 30/64, 20.11.86), comprising a combination of a surface-ionization detector and a flame ionization detector.
The apparatus includes an ionization chamber connected with the chromatographic column through means for feeding the analyzed gas, terminating in a quartz nozzle. The ionization chamber accommodates a heated electrode (the thermoemitter) facing the nozzle, a nozzle electrode mounted on the nozzle, a cylindrical electrode (the collector) enclosing the heated electrode (the emitter), adjoining the nozzle electrode, the corresponding power supply means. Furthermore, the ionization chamber is provided with an opening for feeding in either oxygen or air, and the means for feeding the analyzed gas communicates through cut-off valves with a source of either oxygen or air, and with a source of hydrogen.
Among the shortcomings of this known apparatus are:
Furthermore, the relatively great volume of the ionozation chamber of the apparatus would not allow the operation with capillary microcolumns, although such operation combines small volumes with high sensitivity.
The closest prior art of the disclosed apparatus by its technical essence and attained effect is the apparatus for analysis of organic substances (Zandberg E.Ya. et al., "Vysokochuvstvitel'nyi detektor aminov i ikh proizvodnykh /High-sensitivity detector of amines and their derivatives/", Zhurnal Analiticheskoi Khimii, p. 1188, 1980, Ser. 6, Vol. 35), wherein the surface-ionization detector communicates via a feed connection with the outlet of the chromatographic column. The surface-ionization detector includes a housing accommodating a cylindrical collector coaxially receiving therein an incandescent thermoemitter in the form of a coil of oxidized molybdenum wire with connecting current leads; the housing having mounted therein connections for feed and delivery of the analyzed gas. The relative positions and ratios of the dimensions of the structural components of the detector provide for swirling motion of the flow of the analyzed substance. The apparatus of the prior art offers the additional advantages of a reduced gas volume, substantial reduction of the rate of flow of the analyzed substance, enhanced temperature distribution lengthwise of the themoemitter coil, which, in its turn, improves the ionization conditions.
However, the apparatus of the prior art would not ensure sufficient accuracy and sensitivity of analysis of organic compounds on account of its not being suited for independent supply into the detector of the auxiliary gas and separated components of the mixture under analysis. The mixing of auxiliary and analyzed gases takes place within the volume between the feed connection and the connection for supplying the auxiliary gas, so that the separated components of the analyzed mixture partly re-mix within this volume upstream of the entrance of the detector, impairing the accuracy and sensitivity of analysis.

Method of analysis of organic compounds in chromatography and apparatus for performing this method


There is provided a method of preparing silica nanocapsules, the method comprising mixing a surfactant with water at a temperature that is above the gel-to-liquid transition temperature of the surfactant to form a mixture, passing the mixture one or more times through at least one pore to obtain a dispersion of vesicles, and adding a silica precursor to the dispersion of vesicles to form silica nanocapsules. Also provided is a silica nanocapsule formed from a vesicle template, and a method of delivering one or more types of molecules to a subject. In a specific embodiment, hollow silica nanocapsules having substantially lens-shaped are synthesized by employing dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (DODAB) or dioctadecyldimethyl ammonium chloride (DODAC) as the vesicle template and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as the silica precursor.

Cargo-carriers have attracted great research interest in the recent years due to their potential use in drug delivery whereby drug molecules are encapsulated within the carrier and delivered to targeted sites of the body. A wide range of natural and synthetic polymers (polymeric carriers, micelles or dendrimers), lipids (liposomes), gold carriers, nanotubes and magnetic carriers have been used as cargo-carriers in drug delivery. However, despite a large number of studies performed on methods to synthesize cargo-carriers, several critical issues remained.
Firstly, there are toxicity concerns regarding cargo-carriers comprising nanoparticles as interactions between nanoparticles and the biological system are believed to potentially cause cytoxicity. Biocompatibility, biodegradability as well as chemical and physical stability are some of the important considerations when designing methods for synthesizing cargo-carriers that are suitable for use on the human body. However, such properties are not easily achievable.
Next, there is increasing interest in constructing submicron sized hollow particles for use as cargo-carriers but problems such as lack of control over the particle morphology and particle size still present major challenges. Other drawbacks with these conventional methods include formation of unstable colloidal dispersions and low concentrations present in water which result in low solid contents of the products formed.
Currently, methods for synthesizing cargo-carriers may also require chemical treatments with acid/solvents or working with elevated temperatures such as calcination (especially for methods that require the use of polymer/hard templates) in order to prepare hollow particles for cargo loading and delivery. However, the harsh chemical treatment or elevated temperature applied often affect the stability of the shell of the carrier, resulting in particle breakage. These made loading of molecules into the carrier difficult.
Furthermore, scaling up production of cargo-carriers for industrial scale applications using current methods proved challenging due to the costly organic solvents and complex techniques used, which impede the economic production of cargo-carriers for viable industrial uses.
In view of the above, there is thus a need to address or at least ameliorate one of the above problems.

Method of preparing silica nanocapsules and silica nanocapsules

Agency for Science, Technology and Research


A trigger assembly for a gun comprises a trigger, a hammer mounted adjacent the trigger, a spring-biased member urging the hammer into a firing position, a sear on the trigger to hold the hammer in a cocked position, an auxiliary sear mounted on the trigger to engage the hammer in event the hammer is urged into a cocked position before the trigger is released, an adjustable spring-biased member attached to the auxiliary sear to permit adjustment of the auxiliary sear, and an adjustable elongated spring-biased component positioned longitudinally adjacent a lower portion of the trigger assembly and having one end impinging a front lower face of the trigger to permit fine adjustment of trigger movement. The adjustable spring-biased member attached to the auxiliary sear includes a hook member removably positioned upon the auxiliary sear, a threaded adapter positioned in the lower portion of the trigger assembly, and a spring connecting the hook member to the threaded adapter. The threaded adapter includes a threaded outer member positioned adjacent the trigger assembly and a threaded bolt received cooperatively in the threaded outer member. The cooperation of the components provides adjustment of the trigger tension and adjustment or reduction in the amount of creep in the trigger mechanism.

Semi-automatic firearms, such as semi-automatic rifles, are described as being "semi-automatic" because the firing is done by a trigger and hammer mechanism in a manner that a new cartridge, or round, is loaded into the firing chamber from a clip contained within the rifle by action of the firing mechanism after each shot without the need for the rifleman to operate a loading device or lever. With the semi-automatic operation, the gun is cocked, ready for the next shot, which may then take place only upon the next pull of the trigger. The trigger must be pulled to fire each shot. In an automatic weapon, the gun will automatically load and fire each succeeding round as long as the trigger is held in the firing position.
The most widely-known semi-automatic rifle has been the U.S. .30 caliber M-1 rifle, or Garand, invented by John C. Garand, and described in his U.S. patents.
The Garand rifle, as with any other mechanical device, includes all its parts manufactured within certain tolerance limits. As a result, each rifle is minutely different in operation of the firing mechanism, particularly in the action of the trigger in what is commonly referred to as "creep".
"Creep" refers to the movement of the trigger just before firing. An undesirable amount of creep is responsible for a reaction by the rifleman for what is called "flinching", a nervous reaction by the rifleman to an anticipation of the instant of firing.
If a rifleman has had long experience with his own rifle, he will usually adjust intuitively to the action of his own rifle. Whereas, if the rifleman is given a different weapon of the same type of fire, he might experience a period of poor shooting because of his lack of familiarity with the different weapon. The "creep" might be slightly different and he might find himself instinctively flinching.
Normally, the rifleman is trained to ignore creep and to devote all his attention to the target, squeezing the trigger only when the target is lined up with the sights of the rifle, so that he will not be aware of the instant of firing.
In the Garand rifle as originally supplied, the trigger pull is indicated as being from 51/2 to 71/2 pounds. The typical trigger creep of the Garand is usually within the range of 0.01 to 0.02 inch.
Other devices have been invented to offer some control of trigger creep. I have found in the prior art the following U.S. patents for these various devices for adjusting trigger movement and for different forms of trigger mechanisms:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. 2,377,338 Garand June 5, 1945 U.S. Pat. No. 2,399,253 Reilly April 30, 1946 U.S. Pat. No. 2,464,418 Sefried, II March 15, 1949 U.S. Pat. No. 2,550,280 Martin et al April 24, 1951 U.S. Pat. No. 2,590,862 Hoppert April 1, 1952 U.S. Pat. No. 2,873,650 Pinkerton, Jr. Feb. 17, 1959 U.S. Pat. No. 3,377,731 Lawrence April 16, 1968 U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,670 Rath May 1, 1979 ______________________________________
The patent to Garand, U.S. Pat. No. 2,377,328, describes in detail the well-known firing mechanism of the M-1, or Garand, rifle.
Reilly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,399,253, describes a modified sear mechanism for the Garand rifle, intending to reduce "creep" by adjustment of the adjusting screw 13 mounted on the sear 12.
Sefried, II, U.S. Pat. No. 2,464,418, describes a fire-control mechanism combining with modified trigger components to provide a finger piece operable from the exterior of the fire-arm to permit the rifleman to operate the rifle as either a semiautomatic weapon or as an automatic weapon, as he chooses.
Martin et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,550,280, describes another type of semi-automatic rifle.
Hoppert, U.S. Pat. No. 2,590,862, describes a trigger mechanism for a Garand rifle which is intended to substantially eliminate the amount of creep characteristic of the weapon. A spring is mounted in back of the primary sear and secured to the back of the trigger. The tension of the spring against the sear is adjusted by means of a screw acting against the rear of the spring.
Pinkerton, U.S. Pat. No. 2,873,650, describes a fluid-operated system adapted to a Grand rifle for converting the rifle to automatic firing.
Lawrence U.S. Pat. No. 3,377,731, describes a lever action system for a firearm.
Rath, U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,670, describes a firing mechanism for semi-automatic firearms which includes a safety device having an extension protruding inside the trigger guard to be felt by the shooter so that he may easily determine whether the gun is cocked or not cocked.