A flywheel assembly comprises a first flywheel connectable to an engine crankshaft, a second flywheel on which a clutch mountable, rotatably supported by the first flywheel, and a replaceable inter-flywheel drive-driven plates/damper unit. The unit is composed of a drive plate sandwich detachably connected to the first flywheel, a composite driven plate disengageably engaged with the second flywheel, and a viscous damper. The viscous damper connects the drive and driven plates, and the compound damper/drive-driven plates unit is replaceable as a whole.

The present invention relates to a flywheel assembly, and particularly to a flywheel assembly comprising a first flywheel, a second flywheel, and a viscous damping mechanism located between the flywheels.
Compound flywheel assemblies for automobile engines are in current use. Such a flywheel assembly typically comprises first and second flywheels, with a viscous damping mechanism disposed between them, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,866 for example.
FIG. 6 shows a flywheel assembly as described in the above-cited United States patent. This assembly comprises a first flywheel 60 which is connected to an engine crankshaft and a second flywheel 62 on which a clutch 61 is mounted. The second flywheel 62 is rotatably supported on a hub 60a formed in the center of the first flywheel 60 through a bearing 63. A viscous damping mechanism 64 is disposed between the first and second flywheels 60 and 62 and elastically interconnects them. The viscous damping mechanism 64 is composed of a drive plate 66, a driven plate 68 connected to the second flywheel 62 by rivets 67, and torsion springs 69 for elastically connecting the drive plate 66 and the driven plate 68. A viscous damper 70 is located between the drive plate 66 and the first flywheel 60.
Torque transmitted to the first flywheel 60 is transmitted then from the drive plate 66 to the driven plate 68 through the viscous damper 70 and the torsion springs 69. The torque is in turn transmitted from the second flywheel 62 to a transmission-side member through the clutch 61.
The viscous damper 70 is subject to gradual wear over prolonged use of the flywheel assembly. Since the life or vehicles such as trucks or buses employing this viscous damper is longer than that of the damper itself, the damper must be replaced or rebuilt in maintenance.
However, the drive plate 66, which contains the viscous damper, is fixed to the first flywheel 60 through rivets 65, which encumbers the performance of maintenance to the flywheel assembly. It is necessary, for example, to provide special equipment for reassembly, increasing maintenance costs.
Reassembly of the viscous damper mechanism 64 changes its axial clearances such that it is difficult to obtain consistency of the restored damping characteristics.
Wherein it is desirable to alter the damping characteristics to better suit the operating conditions or particular characteristics of vehicles into which the flywheel assembly is installed, it would become necessary to disassemble all related components and change the viscous damper or the torsion springs. However, such disassembly work is so troublesome that the whole flywheel assembly is simply replaced in order to change the damping characteristics.


A skim block composition includes a carrier mixed with a skim block addition, the skim block addition including from 0 to less than 100 wt % synthetic polymer, and from greater than 0 to 100% skim block. This provides productive use for the typical waste product skim block, which is the neutralized and coagulated product of skim latex formed during the production of natural rubber latex concentrate by centrifugation.

It is a well-known practice to modify asphalt compositions and non-asphalt solvent based coatings with some type of viscoelastic material such as synthetic polymers. Currently asphalt compositions such as aggregate binders for paving applications, hot applied asphalt joint and crack sealants, solvent-based asphalt coatings, asphalt based roofing materials, and asphalt cutback adhesives as well a non-asphalt solvent-based coatings and the like are modified with synthetic polymers, most commonly styrene copolymers, such as SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene), SBR (styrene-butadiene-rubber), SIS (styrene-isoprene-styrene), and others know in the art. Asphalt compositions would benefit from the use of less expensive modifiers that could be used in place of some or all of such synthetic polymers.
Natural rubber skim block, generally also known as skim block or skim block rubber (and also so called herein), is for the purposes of this disclosure to be understood as the neutralized and coagulated product of skim latex formed during the production of natural rubber latex concentrate by centrifugation. After centrifugation of natural rubber latex, a low percentage (approx. 5 to 10%) of the total rubber remains in the serum phase along with a higher proportion (as compared to the latex concentrate being formed) of non-rubber constituents, and is known as "skim latex." This skim latex is neutralized and coagulated (for example with sulfuric acid) to form skim block. Currently, the creation of skim block helps to manage and store this generally undesired waste portion of the centrifugation process. However, the uses are minimal, and the art would benefit from being able to beneficially employ skim block in compositions to not only provide useful compositions but also reduce the overabundance of skim block currently being stored at natural rubber and latex processing facilities.

Natural rubber skim block in asphalt compositions and non-asphalt solvent-based coatings


A 2D/3D image switching display device includes an image display unit and an image switching unit coupled to a surface of the image display unit, and the image switching unit includes a first substrate, a second substrate, first and second conducting elements corresponding to the first and second substrates respectively, and an electrochromic unit installed between the first and second substrates, and the electrochromic unit includes a first electrochromic layer and a second electrochromic layer combined with each other, such that when the image display unit switches its display from the display of planar images to stereo images, the electrochromic layers turn to a dark light-shading condition for a better light-shielding effect, and moire patterns will not be produced after naked eyes receive left and right eye images of a stereo image, and the display device can display stereo images directly without requiring an additional parallax barrier device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a 2D/3D image switching display device, and more particularly to a 2D/3D image switching display device capable of switching a display status to the display of planar images or stereo images.
2. Description of the Related Art
The principle of present well-known stereo image display technologies adopts a binocular disparity for receiving different images from both left and right eyes of a user respectively, and finally the user's brain merges the images into a stereo (3D) image. In naked-eye stereo display technologies, there are two main types of structures, respectively: lenticular lens and barrier, and these structures have advantages and disadvantages, wherein the lenticular lens includes a plurality of slender straight convex lenses arranged continuously along an axial direction to produce different views to the left and right eyes by the principle of optical refraction. Compared with the barrier, the lenticular lens makes use of the light refraction to achieve the light division effect, so that there will be less loss of light and better brightness, but the refraction occurred at edges of the lens is restricted and the refraction effect is poor, or stray light is produced due to factors such as the manufacturing discrepancy of the lenticular lens and the difficulty of leveling a lens surface, and thus blurring a portion of a stereo image and affecting the overall display effect of the stereo image. In addition, the barrier uses a whole row of obstacles to limit the emission of lights at a certain angle and allows viewing images of a certain angle to be transmitted to the left and right eyes to produce the stereo image. Compared with the lenticular lens, the single lens image is clearer, but the congenital structural characteristic will result in drawbacks such as reducing the overall brightness and the resolution of the image.
In addition, the general stereo display device can display stereo images only, but cannot switch between planar images and stereo images, and the main reason resides on that after the lenticular lens or barrier is combined with the general display device, and all planar images passed through lenticular lens or barrier are divided into left-eye images and right-eye images, unless a stereo image display module is installed externally. If it is not necessary to display stereo images, the external stereo image display module is removed from the display device. However, the aforementioned application requires a precious alignment to avoid a reduced image resolution or a deviation. Therefore, manufacturers have developed a stereo image display device capable of switching the display between stereo images and planar images.
As disclosed in R.O.C. Pat. No. M371902 entitled "Display device for switching 2D image/3D image display screen", the display device comprises a flat panel display and a parallax barrier panel installed on a display surface of the flat panel display, wherein the parallax barrier panel includes a grid pattern having a first electrochromic material layer and a second electrochromic material layer. In 2D image display status, the grid pattern, the first electrochromic material layer and the second electrochromic material layer are transparent, and in a 3D image display status, the grid pattern is an opaque pattern, and the first electrochromic material layer has a first color, and the second electrochromic material layer has a second color.
As disclosed in R.O.C. Pat. No. M368088 entitled "Integrated electrochromic 2D/3D display device", the display device comprises: a first substrate; a parallax barrier unit installed under a first substrate; a color filter unit installed under the parallax barrier unit; a common electrode disposed under the color filter unit; a liquid crystal unit installed under the common electrode; a plurality of thin film transistors installed under the liquid crystal unit; a second substrate disposed under plurality of liquid crystal units; and a light source installed under the second substrate, wherein the parallax barrier unit modulates planar images and stereo images to reduce the thickness and assembling cost of the conventional display device.
The aforementioned two patented technologies adopt parallax barrier devices with an electrochromic material to display stereo images, but both structures have a common drawback of lacking a necessary electrolyte layer of the electrochromic device, since ions are not supplied to the electrolyte layer of the electrochromic layer, and the electrochromic device cannot produce a reversible oxidation or reduction to complete the change of coloration or decoloration, or the coloration/decoloration speed is very slow, so that the aforementioned patent technologies are not feasible in practical applications. In addition, the transparent electrode layer and the electrochromic material layer of the parallax barrier device are grid patterned, and whose manufacturing process requires a precise alignment to achieve the effect of coating, spluttering or etching each laminated layer, and thus the manufacturing process becomes very complicated. In addition, all laminated layers are grid patterned, so that a hollow area is formed between one grid and the other, and the overall penetration, refraction and reflection of the light will be affected. Even for the general 2D display, the video display quality of the display device will be affected adversely to cause problems related to color difference and uneven brightness. In another structure embedded with a liquid crystal display substrate in accordance with the R.O.C. Pat. No. M368088 is installed on an insulating transparent material by a grid pattern method. Although this patented technology can reduce the thickness of a stereo image liquid crystal display, yet the actual manufacturing procedure is also very complicated. Furthermore, the aforementioned prior arts come with a multilayer laminated structure, and thus the overall brightness and quality of the 3D images will be affected adversely for both 2D and 3D image displays.


A system and method capturing, in a computer system, data relating to a note-taking session, the session consisting of handwritten annotations made by a user by way of a writing implement on a plurality of pages. The method includes the steps of receiving, in the computer system and via the writing implement, an indication of the start of the note-taking session, data indicative of the handwritten annotations made by said user on the plurality of pages, an indication of the end of the note-taking session, and retaining a retrievable record of the received data for the note-taking session. Starting, ending and printing a note-taking session takes place by way of printed command buttons for designation by the writing implement, which buttons may be printed on each page, or on a part of a backing sheet of a notepad of pages extending beyond the periphery of the pages themselves.

Remote whiteboard computer systems are already established. Such interactive systems allow participants in mutually disparate geographical locations to participate in a collaborative activity in real time. Generally each participant has access to a computer means that is networked with the computers of the other participants. A display device accessible to each participant acts as a 'virtual whiteboard', allowing the participants to submit and receive drawings and alternative graphical or other information.
Each participant may have a copy of a common drawing on his or her virtual whiteboard, and can edit or otherwise amend that drawing, such 'markups' being immediately transmitted to the other participants to maintain in a consistent state the common drawing.
Additionally, conventional whiteboards are also commonly used in educational environments, to facilitate the transfer of information from teacher to student, and in group discussions such as business meetings, where ideas need to be communicated between participants. The whiteboard provides a convenient surface on which concepts can be graphically expressed, by way of notes, drawings, charts, etc. Such notations can be made in selected colors and can be readily erased from the smooth, wipeable surface.
Electronic whiteboards which have been developed allow representations of notations made upon a specially designed whiteboard to be transmitted to a computer for storage, display, transmission, printing, etc. During a meeting session, graphical user input entered on the electronic whiteboard is digitized and stored in a file, and dedicated whiteboard application software enables retrieval and manipulation. At any time, stored session files may be retrieved to view or print the information, or to copy it to other applications if required. To this end, the whiteboard surface generally includes a writing/drawing region, and a control region providing means for inputting control commands via the whiteboard.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and system for capturing a note-taking session using processing sensor


A porous composite matrix is formed from a hyaluronic acid derivative and hydrolyzed collagen, which are preferably in a weight ratio range of 30:70 to 99:1. A preferred hyaluronic acid derivative is an ester such as an ethyl or benzyl ester. The matrix is prepared by dissolving the hyaluronic acid derivative and hydrolyzed collagen in a first solvent, adding a pulverulent compound virtually insoluble in the first solvent, removing the first solvent, and dissolving the pulverulent compound in a second solvent. The matrix is used as a biocompatible and biodegradble composite matrix for the tissue engineering of chondral and osseous tissue and for the repair of muscoskeletal defects.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a porous, composite matrix formed from a hyaluronic acid derivative and hydrolyzed collagen, which is used as a biocompatible and biodegradable composite matrix for the repair of muculoskeletal defects.
2. Description of the Related Art
For the regeneration of tissue defects, it is necessary to use a body-compatible, slowly biodegradable matrix which under suitable conditions makes possible the differentiation of introduced cells with marked production of a specific intercellular matrix. Various matrices of this type are known in the prior art.
WO 97/28192 discloses a process for the preparation of prion-free collagen products which can be used as a spongy implant. For ocular applications, the collagen product can be crosslinked with 5% by weight hyaluronic acid to increase the transparency. The hyaluronic acid additionally stimulates the cell infiltration into the implant.
WO 91/18553 and WO 91/16857 and also U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,429 disclose composite matrices formed from collagen and up to 25% by weight of glycosaminoglycans such as hyaluronic acid.
EP-A-0 784 985 discloses a porous composite article which comprises a bioabsorbable hydrophilic material selected from gelatin, hyaluronic acid and a hyaluronic acid derivative. To avoid premature absorption, the article is additionally provided with a polymer layer which is absorbed in a delayed manner.
WO 97/14376 discloses a bone transplant matrix formed from collagen, which can contain hyaluronic acid as a birding agent.
U.S. Pat No. 5,676,964 discloses inter- and intramolecularly crosslinked esters of acidic polysaccharides such as God preferably hyaluronic acid. These esters can be employed as biodegradable, for example spongy, materials as surgical articles.
The known matrices, however, show marked restrictions in the provision of suitable medium conditions for the differentiation of introduced cells (e.g. premature absorption, unsuitable matrix composition) and are also unsatisfactory with respect to the stability necessary or handling.
An object of the present invention thus consists in making available a matrix which assists cell differentiation and intercellular matrix production and is then itself slowly degraded. Moreover, the matrix should have an adequate stability which makes the matrix highly suitable and easy to handle not only for preculture of cells in vitro but also for in-vivo implantation.
It has now been found that this object is achieved bag a composite matrix formed from a hyaluronic acid derivative and hydrolyzed collagen of specific composition.
The present invention thus relates to a porous composite matrix, the matrix being synthesized on matrix formers comprising a hyaluronic acid derivative and a hydrolyzed collagen, and the matrix formers being present in a weight ratio range of hyaluronic acid derivative to hydrolyzed collagen of 30:70 to 99:1.

Matrix for tissue engineering formed of a hyaluronic acid ester and hydrolyzed collagen


The location detection unit detects a destination location for delivery of an item by a drone. The release determination unit determines whether the drone transporting the item can release and place the item at the destination. Upon determination that the release and placement is not possible, a standby airspace determination unit determines a standby airspace within which the drone waits. The wait-time determination unit determines a wait-time for the drone in the determined standby airspace. The wait-time determination unit determines a wait-time by which the drone can arrive at a next destination by a scheduled arrival time following departure of the drone departs after standby. The standby instruction unit issues to the drone an instruction related to the standby.

Known in the art are techniques for transporting items by an aerial vehicle. For example, Japanese Patent Application No. JP 2017-58937A discloses a technique whereby a destination site is marked for airborne delivery of an item, and an aerial vehicle (such as a drone) captures the marked delivery destination site and moves to the marked site for delivery of the item.


Systems and methods are described herein for regulating a charging rate of a battery module for an autonomous vehicle. In some aspects, the method comprises measuring a first battery cell temperature using a first temperature sensor located at a first battery cell of a plurality of batter cells in a battery module, determining whether the first battery cell temperature corresponds to a lowest temperature of the plurality of battery cells, determining a first charging rate corresponding to the first battery cell temperature, determining a first charging current and a first charging voltage corresponding to the first charging rate, and adjusting a charging current to the first charging current and a charging voltage to the first charging voltage for the battery module.

The past several decades have seen a steady increase in the number of unmanned underwater robotic systems deployed for use in the ocean. These systems are also referred to as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). All of these systems are equipped with energy systems including batteries to accomplish their respective mission. The conditions experienced by the batteries from its environment may affect the rate of charge. For example, for an autonomous vehicle that is underwater, the battery module may experience a lower temperature than room temperature. While batteries are typically capable of being discharged over a wide range of temperatures, batteries are more susceptible to damage caused by variations in temperature during the charging process. Early battery technology, such as lead acid and NiCd battery technology, typically have higher charging tolerances than newer battery technology. Hence, these types of batteries are able to be charged at temperatures below freezing. Fast charging of existing batteries is typically limited to 5 degrees Celsius to 45 degrees Celsius (41 degrees F. to 113 degrees F.). Some existing battery charging systems include a thermal blanket that heats a battery to an acceptable temperature. Consumer-grade lithium ion batteries cannot be charged below 0 degrees Celsius.
While it is possible to charge Li-ion batteries at low temperatures, acceptable current is very low and, therefore, the charge time is very long, which is not compatible with the desired pace of unmanned underwater vehicle operations. Excessive charging of a Lithium ion battery can cause damage to the battery, resulting reduction in battery capacity while making the battery unsafe. For example, in a Lithium ion battery, lithium ions move from the cathode to anode during charging and intercalate into the anode. In other words, the lithium ions are crammed in between the molecular gaps of the anode material's lattice, e.g., graphite. Graphite includes multiple graphene layers which reduce the anode's ability to convert the force from intercalation into internal stresses, resulting in significant volumetric strain on the anode (e.g., about 10-20% volume increase of the anode). This expansion can eventually weaken and puncture the membrane separating the anode from the cathode, causing a short of the battery cell and catastrophic failure. At cold temperatures, lithium ions do not efficiently intercalate into the graphite anode. Instead, the lithium ions plate the anode with metallic lithium (i.e., electroplate the anode), resulting in a substantial capacity reduction. Lithium plating of the anode also forms dendrites, which are tiny sharp tendrils of lithium metal that grow in the anode. These dendrites put pressure on the separating membrane (between the anode and cathode) as the anode expands and forces the dendrites into the membrane. Eventually, the membrane will fail, resulting in a short of the cathode and anode, which could further cause a catastrophic failure of the battery cell due to venting and possible ignition of flammable electrolyte.
Accordingly, there is a need for procedures and mechanisms such that a battery system, especially for an underwater vehicle subjected to low temperatures, can be protected against unacceptable damage during charging or discharging operations.

System and methods for regulating charging rate based on environmental conditions


An electric cigar lighter has an illumination device in which only an annular zone around an electric cigar lighter is illuminated by means of a luminous ring. The electric cigar lighter makes it possible to illuminate not only a luminous ring surrounding the cigar lighter but also the centrally situated actuating button. It includes a first reflection surface, a light transmission web, light-passage openings, and a second reflection surface. Light rays emitted by a lamp and incident on the first reflection surface, the light rays being parallel to the central axis and within a sleeve wall, are not only directed into the luminous ring via the light transmission web but are also reflected radially into the inside of the illumination sleeve, through the light-passage openings, onto the second reflection surface and from there are thrown into a front zone of the actuating button. According to the invention, substantially homogeneous light distribution over the entire front zone of the cigar lighter is achieved.

The invention relates to an electric cigar or cigarette lighter for installation in the dashboard of a vehicle such as an automobile, the lighter having a light-conducting sleeve and an illuminated head.
German Utility Model Patent No. 7,819,579 discloses an illumination device for an electric cigar or cigarette lighter, in which an annular zone of uniform light distribution is produced around the grip of the ignition plug with the aid of a plastic sleeve, wherein the plastic sleeve is manufactured from a light-conducting material, and has a luminous ring. From time to time, however, it is desirable that the cigar lighter should be illuminated not only in an annular zone but in its entire disk-shaped front zone. A user can then see the cigar lighter more clearly in darkness, in particular from an oblique angle. In addition, an actuating button arranged within the grip can then be provided with an illuminable symbol.
German Patentschrift No. DE-PS 2,254,712 discloses an illumination device for cigar lighters, and includes a luminous ring provided with reflector prisms, a light-conducting attachment, and a lamp. From this it is known that the light flooding in to the light-conducting attachment is partially reflected at the boundary walls present on the light-conducting attachment, and then are reflected back into the wall of the light-conducting attachment. In addition, reflection surfaces which contribute to homogeneous light distribution in the luminous ring itself are provided on the reflector prisms.
German Patentschrift No. DE-PS 2,535,080, which is a patent of addition to DE-PS 2,254,712, and further discloses the provision of prisms with light-reflection surfaces for the purpose of directing the light of the lamp into the light-conducting attachment.

Electric cigar lighter having an illuminating device

Schoeller & Co., Elektrotechnische Fabrik GmbH & Co.


A gallium-arsenide optical power receiver of the type having a pn junction formed over a substrate and buffer layer has a window layer of a first alloy of aluminum gallium arsenide (Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x As) and a conductive layer of a second alloy of aluminum gallium arsenide (Al.sub.1-x Ga.sub.x As). Alternatively, the gallium arsenide optical power receiver has a second window layer of the first alloy of aluminum gallium arsenide disposed on the conductive layer, and a cap layer of gallium arsenide disposed on the second window layer. The sheet resistance of the emitter layer is negated by being in parallel with the low sheet resistance of the conductive layer to minimize the thickness and conductivity of the emitter may therefore be optimized solely for energy conversion efficient.

A typical prior art semiconductor optical power receiver, or photocell, includes a pn junction formed between a base layer, which may typically be n-type, and an emitter layer, which may typically be p-type. The base layer is formed on an intrinsic substrate with a substantially thick buffer layer isolating the base layer from the substrate. The prior art optical power receiver further includes an optically transparent window layer on the emitter layer and a semiconductor cap layer formed on the window. A metallic grid to make electrical connection to the device is formed on the cap layer. The cap layer is then etched to expose the window layer except under the metallization of the grid. The cap layer provides isolation of the metallization from the pn junction with respect to self-doping of the semiconductor material from the metallization. Additionally, the cap layer provides for electrical conduction between the emitter and metallization.
When the optical energy is incident upon the emitter layer, the absorbed photons generate electrons and holes in the semiconductor material of the base and emitter layers. The number of carriers generated is dependent upon the wavelength of the radiation, thereby establishing the spectral response of the device. This spectral response is a function of the doping concentration of the base and emitter layers and also of their thicknesses.
The minority carriers generated in the base by the optical energy are collected across the pn junction. Once across the junction, such carriers become majority carriers and flow as an electrical current to the nearest grid line in the metallic grid. A disadvantage and limitation of the prior art device is the characteristic emitter sheet resistance of the emitter layer which causes a resistive loss associated with the passage of the current through the emitter to the grid. The grid lines of the metal grid need therefore be optimized to minimize the resistive loss without causing obscuration of the emitter layer to incident optical energy. For example, in optimizing the grid pattern, as the grid lines are spaced more closely together, the resistive losses are minimized. However, the optical obscuration increases until there is a complete loss of absorbed optical energy.
To further reduce the resistive losses, the sheet resistance of the emitter layer can also be reduced by increasing either the thickness of the emitter layer or its doping concentration. However, these parameters of the emitter layer affect the spectral response of the device as hereinabove discussed supra. Therefore, the enhancement of spectral response may increase emitter sheet resistance and, conversely, the minimization of emitter sheet resistance will degrade the spectral response according to the immediately hereinabove described techniques of the prior art. Accordingly, a primary disadvantage and limitation of prior art semiconductor optical power receivers is that their optimal design combines both optical and electrical efficiency.


A video decoder circuit is provided with automatic AGC bias voltage calibration. The video decoder circuit has an input for receiving a video signal that is capacitively coupled to an analog front-end circuit. The decoder circuit includes a microprocessor-based control circuit coupled to the analog front-end circuit. The control circuit includes a bias circuit, a gain interface circuit for changing the amplitude of the video signal prior to filtering in a filter circuit, an offset circuit for changing the DC-level shift of the video signal, and a switching circuit for switching into a calibration mode by bypassing the filter circuit and connecting the gain interface circuit directly to an analog-to-digital conversion circuit of the analog front-end circuit.

The present invention relates to control methods for automatic gain control circuits in video decoders.
Background: Composite Video
The satisfactory reproduction of a picture requires the transmission of several types of information combined into a single waveform called a composite video signal. The signal is composed of video information and synchronizing information. Composite video describes a signal in which luminance, chrominance, and synchronization information are multiplexed in the frequency, time, and amplitude domain for a single-wire distribution. The luminance is defined as the component signal in color video systems that represents the brightness of the image. Chrominance is defined as the component signal in color video systems that describe color-difference information.
The video signal conveys information concerning the blanking level, the black reference level, average scene brightness level, picture details, and color values. The video signal is unipolar with one direct current ("DC") level (nominally 0 volts) representing black, and a second level (nominally +700 mV) representing white. Any level between 0 and 700 mV represents a degree of gray.
The synchronizing information consists of horizontal and vertical scanning synchronization, and chrominance decoder synchronization. The horizontal and vertical synchronization information is used to trigger the horizontal and vertical deflection circuits in the receiver. The horizontal sync tells the display where to put the video signal in the left-right dimension, and the vertical sync tells the display where to put the signal in the top-bottom dimension. It consists of pulses having a specific amplitude, duration, and shape best suited to the task at hand. The synchronizing pulses are unipolar with a reference level of 0 V and a peak negative level of nominally -300 mV.
The video signal waveform, with a nominal peak-to-peak amplitude of 700 mV, and the synchronizing signal waveform, with a nominal peak-to-peak amplitude of 300 mV, are added together to form a composite video signal of 1 V peak-to-peak. The synchronizing pulses are placed in parts of the composite signal that do not contain active picture information. These parts are blanked (forced below a black level) to render invisible the retrace of scanning beams on a correctly adjusted display.
These standard video signal levels apply to both conventional television scanning standards--National Television System Committee ("NTSC") and Phase Alternating Line ("PAL"). The U.S standard is NTSC which uses 525 lines at 60 Hz, while PAL is predominant in Europe and uses 625 lines at 50 Hz. Composite video signals are expressed in IRE units. An IRE unit is defined as one-hundredth of the excursion from the blanking level (0 IRE units) to the reference white level (100 IRE units). A standard 1 V peak-to-peak signal is said to have an amplitude of 140 IRE units of which 100 IRE units are luminance, and 40 IRE units are synchronization information. Further discussion of video circuits and signals can be found in the following texts: M. Robin, DIGITAL TELEVISION FUNDAMENTALS, McGraw-Hill (1998); K. Jack, VIDEO DEMYSTIFIED, 2nd Edition, Harris Semiconductor (1996); and A. Inglis, VIDEO ENGINEERING, 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill (1996), all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Background: Video Decoders
When decoding composite video signals, the input analog video signal is DC-restored to ground during the horizontal sync time, setting the "sync tip" to a zero value. The sync tip is that part of the sync signal (most negative level) which is used as a reference point when handling the video signal (see FIG. 2). Automatic gain control ("AGC") is used to keep the output signal of the circuit constant as the input video signal amplitude varies. When a single-ended input (the signal swings relative to a ground) is converted to a differential signal, an internal voltage bias is required. (The differential mode of operation has the advantage of rejection of common-mode signals such as power supply noise and other interferences.) The differential input signal swings about an internal voltage bias which is equal to approximately one-half the input signal peak-to-peak amplitude. The bias voltage must vary as the input amplitude varies. Error in the bias voltage contributes to error in the offset of the AGC output which translates into an undesirable sync tip level. When the signal is amplified by the AGC circuit, a calibration phase for the AGC is employed to compensate for bias voltage errors affecting the output of the analog-to-digital ("A2D") converter.
Automatic AGC Bias Voltage Calibration in Video Decoder
The present application discloses a method for automatic calibration of AGC bias voltage in a differential video decoder by intermittently applying the unfiltered differential signal directly to the A2D to obtain calibration values. A calibration sequence is performed when a loss of lock to horizontal sync occurs or when perhaps a channel has been changed. A microprocessor connected to the video decoder circuit determines the gain and offset based upon pixel samples obtained from the sync tip and "back porch," and feeds back the adjusted values to the analog circuit. (The back porch, labelled by "C" in FIG. 2, defines another reference level, and is that level from the sync pulse to the start of the active video information.) During calibration, the AGC outputs are linked directly to the A2D inputs. After the calibration process, the A2D input is switched back to receive the filtered differential signal. The gain and bias voltages are then adjusted to compensate for the gain and offset errors in the filters, and to achieve the desired sync tip height and back porch pixel levels at the A2D output.
An advantage is that the calibration feature is automatically controlled using a microprocessor. Another advantage is that performing calibration of bias voltage in the AGC circuit after acquisition of a lock to the horizontal sync, compensates for any error in the internal voltage reference and DAC output, resulting in yield enhancement.

Automatic AGC bias voltage calibration in a video decoder


A belt device includes an endless belt, a plurality of rollers around which the endless belt is wound, and a foreign material entry preventing member disposed on at least one side of the endless belt in the width direction. The foreign material entry preventing member prevents the entry of the foreign material into a region surrounded by the endless belt.

This invention relates to a belt device having an endless belt wound around a plurality of rollers, and an image forming apparatus (such as a copier, a facsimile or a printer) that uses the belt device.
Conventionally, an image forming apparatus uses an endless belt as a conveyor belt that conveys a recording medium or a transfer belt that bears a toner image. FIG. 17 shows an example of the conventional image forming apparatus using the endless belt. The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 17 has a belt device including a drive roller 102, a tension roller 104 and an endless belt 101 wound around the drive roller 102 and the tension roller 104. Four transfer rollers 108 are provided between the drive roller 102 and the tension roller 104. On the upper sides of the transfer rollers 108 in FIG. 17, toner image forming portions 107 are disposed in opposition to the transfer rollers 108 via the endless belt 101. Each toner image forming portion 107 includes a photosensitive body 105, a charging device 106, an exposing device 109 and a developing device 111. The charging device 106 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive body 105. The exposing device 109 exposes the surface of the photosensitive body 105 to form a latent image. The developing device 111 causes the toner to adhere to the latent image on the photosensitive body 105. A voltage with polarity opposite to the electrical charge of the toner is applied to the transfer roller 108.
The recording medium P is supplied by a medium supply portion 117 one by one. An alignment portion 118 corrects the skew of the recording medium P or the like, and feeds the recording medium P to the endless belt 101. By the rotation of the drive roller 102, the endless belt 101 moves (circulates) as shown by an arrow I, and feeds the recording medium P. The toner image formed on each photosensitive roller 105 is transferred to the recording medium P due to the bias voltage of the transfer roller 108. The recording medium P is further fed to a fixing portion 119 disposed on the downstream side of the toner image forming portions 107, and heated and pressed so that the toner image is fixed to the recording medium P.
FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII in FIG. 17. FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the belt device. In FIG. 18, the photosensitive body 5 is shown by a dashed line, and the charging device 106 (FIG. 17) is omitted. A cleaning blade 112 is provided in opposition to the photosensitive body 105, for removing the residual toner from the photosensitive body 105. Seals 114 and 115 are provided for sealing the gap between the cleaning blade 112 and an accommodating portion 116. However, the seals 114 and 115 can not completely prevent the leakage of the toner, and therefore the toner may leak out of the accommodating portion 116.
The above described drive roller 102 and the tension roller 104 (FIG. 19) are supported by a common belt frame 103, but there is a gap J between the belt frame 103 and the endless belt 101. If the toner leaks out of the accommodating portion 116, the toner may falls from the accommodating portion 116 and may enter into the inner region of the endless belt 101 through the gap J between the endless belt 101 and the belt frame 103 as shown by an arrow K. In such a case, the toner may directly adhere to the inner circumferential surface of the endless belt 101, or may indirectly adhere to the inner circumferential surface of the endless belt 101 via the transfer roller 108 having a voltage with polarity opposite to the toner. Such a toner may be caught between the endless belt 101 and the drive roller 102 (FIG. 19), and may decrease the friction force between the endless belt 101 and the drive roller 102. Thus, there may be a difference between the rotational speed of the photosensitive body 105 and the moving speed of the endless belt 101. As a result, the transferring positions on the recording medium P at the toner image forming portions 107 may shift from each other, and therefore the image quality may be degraded.
In order to solve this problem, Japanese Laid-open patent publication HEI 9-258568 (Page 2, FIG. 1) proposes an arrangement having a cleaning blade mounted on the belt frame, which scraps the toner from the inner circumferential surface of the endless belt.
However, even if the cleaning blade is mounted on the belt frame, the scraped toner remains in the inner region surrounded by the endless roller. Therefore, the scraped toner may again adhere to the inner circumferential surface of the endless belt, and may be caught between the endless belt and the drive roller. As a result, the degradation of the image quality can not be prevented.


A dual-adsorber cooling system for an automobile has a pair of adsorbers, a cooling vessel, a pair of absorbate outgoing passages extending from the cooling vessel to each of the adsorbers individually, a common adsorbate return passage, a condenser, and a condensation passage. A bypass passage enables the two adsorbers to directly communicate each other to exchange heat. The adsorbers are opposingly disposed with an intervening plenum therebetween. The engine exhaust gas is introduced to the central plenum, and the external air is guided to the central plenum through the adsorbing adsorber so that a blend of the exhaust gas and the air is directed to the desorbing adsorber in the plenum, whereby the adsorbing adsorber is cooled and the desorbing adsorber is heated up. The amount of the external air taken can be controlled according to the amount of the exhaust gas. A process switchover controller can adjust the process cycle period according to the temperature of the exhaust gas. An air flow amount controller can control the amount of the external air taken according to the amount of available heat. The adsorbers may be heated by microwave energy.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adsorption cooling system used for air conditioning apparatus for automobiles, vessels, or residences, or in cooling apparatus of shipping containers for food products or medical products that require refrigeration.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior known cooling systems for such air conditioning apparatus and refrigeration apparatus include a well-known heat pump system and, more recently, an adsorption system which uses adsorbents such as zeolite.
The prior technology is exemplified by what is described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 61-139098, filed Jun. 14, 1986, Laid-Open No. 62-5060, laid-open Jan. 12, 1987, priority being claimed on German Patent Application P3521484.8, filed Jun. 14, 1985.
FIG. 15(a) and FIG. 15(b) illustrate a basic principle of a prior known single-adsorber type adsorption cooling system.
In FIG. 15(a), an adsorber 1 is connected with a cooling vessel 2 by a tubular passage 4 having a shutoff valve 3. The adsorber 1 houses adsorbent 1a such as zeolite, and a heat exchange pipe 5 which is in contact with the adsorbent 1a. The cooling vessel 2 contains water as an adsorption medium (adsorbate) which is in thermal contact with a cooling pipe 6. The air which is to be cooled is circulated through the cooling pipe 6. The adsorber 1, the cooling vessel 2 and the tubular passage 4 constitute a closed system which is evacuated of air. A condenser 7 for exchanging heat with the ambient air is provided on the tubular passage 4 near the cooling vessel 2.
With this cooling system, when the valve 3 is opened, the water inside the cooling vessel 2 evaporates into water vapor and flows through the tubular passage 4, in the direction shown by the arrow, into the adsorber 1 to be adsorbed by the adsorbent la by its adsorption action. Because of this, when 14 the water in the cooling vessel 2 evaporates, the latent heat is adsorbed in the cooling vessel 2, so that the temperature in the cooling vessel 2 declines so as to cool the air inside the cooling pipe 6. This operation is called an adsorption process.
Next is an operation whereby the water adsorbed by the adsorbent la is returned to the cooling vessel 2.
Referring now to FIG. 15(b), a high temperature gas from an external heat source is provided through the heat exchange pipe 5 to heat the adsorbent la and thereby desorb and separate the water adsorbed in it. Then, the separated water in a state of vapor is driven through the tubular passage 4, in the direction shown by the arrow, to the condenser 7, where the water vapor becomes liquid water and is recovered in the cooling vessel 2. This operation is called a desorption process.
The adsorption here means a state where the water molecules are retained among the molecules of the adsorbent. Reversely, in the desorption action, the water molecules are desorbed and separated from the molecules of the adsorbent as the adsorbent is heated.
However, the single-adsorber type adsorption cooling system described above is incapable of continuous cooling because the adsorption process and the desorption process must be done alternately in the same system. With this in mind, a dual-adsorber type adsorption cooling system as shown in FIG. 16 has been proposed.
In FIG. 16, two adsorbers 8, 9 are individually connected to a single cooling vessel 14 by tubes 12, 13, that respectively nave shutoff valves 10, 11. The water in the cooling vessel 14 is thermally contacted by a cooling pipe 15 in the same manner as in the case of the single-adsorber type adsorption cooling system described above. Adsorbents 8a, 9a in the adsorbers 8, 9 are also in thermal contact with heat exchange pipes 16, 17, respectively, and condensers 18, 19 are provided on the tubes 12, 13, respectively.
With this cooling system, while the adsorption process is performed at one adsorber, at, for example, the adsorber 8, the desorption process is simultaneously performed at the other adsorber 9. Then, the two adsorbers 8, 9 carry out a switching operation whereby they work in reverse when their respective processes have been completed. Since the adsorber 9 is at high temperature when the desorption operation has been completed, low or ambient temperature air is provided through the heat exchange pipe 17 to cool the adsorbent 9a. A continuous cooling in the cooling vessel 14 is thus made possible by periodically repeating such operation.
(Problems to be Resolved)
In the conventional dual-adsorber type adsorption cooling system described above, when the desorption process is completed in, for example, the adsorber 9, the tube 12 is at a low temperature and the tube 13 is at a high temperature. On the other hand, when the desorption process is completed in the adsorber 8, the tube 12 is at a high temperature and the tube 13 is at a low temperature. Because of this, there is a heat loss in the thermal capacities of the tubes 12, 13 each time when the adsorption-desorption processes are switched over. This heat loss leads to a problem of lowering the coefficient of performance (COP) of the system. Further, the adsorption heat (sensible heat) that is generated in the adsorber performing an adsorption process (adsorbing adsorber) becomes a waste heat. On the other hand, and at the same time, the adsorber performing a desorption process (desorbing adsorber) requires a large amount of thermal energy. This adverse heat requirement situation of the two adsorbers also causes to decrease the system COP.
In the conventional system, successive adsorption-desorption processes are alternated at a constant cycle period. But when automobile engine exhaust gas is utilized as a heating means, the amount of the heat actually varies with time. Therefore, unless the process switchover period is adjusted according to the amount of the available heat, an efficient operation of the system will not be expected and a desirable system COP will not be achieved.
In addition, zeolite, a widely used adsorbent material, will be decomposed and degenerated at a temperature exceeding 500.degree. C., and the water adsorbed in zeolite will not be desorbed and separated at a temperature below 200.degree. C. Therefore, an excessive variation of the available heat is an impediment in the operation of the system. Insufficient amount of available heat will necessitate an extended desorption time, thereby increasing the process cycle period and lowering the operation efficiency of the system.


This invention relates to photonic biosensor arrays in particular employing plasmon resonance based sensing, and to methods and apparatus for reading such arrays. A biosensor array for plasmon resonance-based sensing of a plurality of different biological targets simultaneously, the array comprising a transparent substrate having a surface bearing a plurality of assay spots for plasmon resonance sensing, each of said assay spots comprising a discrete metallic island, a said metallic island comprising a plurality of metallic nanoparticles to which are attached functionalizing molecules for binding to a said biological target, different said islands bearing different said functionalizing molecules for binding to different ones of said biological targets, and wherein total internal reflection of light at said surface at a wavelength at or near a said plasmon resonance results in scattering of said light away from said surface, said scattering being modulated by said binding of said biological targets.

In general a photonic biosensor array, sometimes called microarray or biochip, comprises a collection of probe spots to which different targets may attach. For example in the case of a DNA microarray the probes are oligonucleotides, cDNA or similar which are hybridised with fluorescence labelled samples, typically of two colours, one for the patient the other for the control. Fluorescence from the hybridised array is then viewed to determine to which spots binding has occurred. There are other types of array such as protein arrays (including antibody arrays) where spots of protein molecules (or antibodies) are used to identify the complementary entity (antibodies or proteins). Thus chemical compound arrays may be employed to search for proteins and other biologically active molecules again by employing functionalising molecules or entities in an array of spots which bind with specific biological targets. In general, however, all these techniques employ fluorescence labelling of the targets to detect binding events on the array.
By contrast the techniques we describe here do not employ fluorescence but instead rely upon plasmon resonance-based sensing. Broadly speaking in this technique total internal reflection of light is used to generate an evanescent wave which excites plasmons (a collective electronic excitation) in a metallic conductor, which are modified by the presence of a target molecule on the surface of the conductor. The modification results in a shift, generally in both wavelength and amplitude, of the plasmon resonance peak detectable in the totally internally reflected light. Plasmon resonance-based sensing has the ability to detect very small changes in the effective refractive index in a medium adjacent the surface of the metallic conductor, for example down to Δn of the order of 10−4 refractive index units (RIU).
It is known to employ label-free surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based technology for studying biomolecular interaction in real time and, in particular, technology for this is available from the Swedish company BIAcore AB; for background technical information see published BIAcore patent applications such as WO 2006/135309, WO 94/00751, U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,278, and WO 97/19375. However BIAcore employ a continuous metal surface. Some further technical background information relating to plasmon resonance-based sensing in a different context (evanescent wave cavity ringdown spectroscopy) can be found in Evanes Co patent application WO 2005/088277.
There is, however, a need to provide improved microarray assay techniques, in particular with increased sensitivity. The applicants have recognised that, in principle, refractive index changes of orders of magnitude better than 10−4 RIU are potentially possible. Such increased sensitivity could provide a doctor with a great deal of information for help in diagnosing a pathological condition, especially if techniques could be found to address the non-specific binding events which could swamp any genuine signal at high sensitivities. Embodiments of the techniques we describe provide a step towards solutions of these problems.


The invention relates to a method for exchanging virtualized data in Cloud Computing Environment between a first User Equipment and a second User Equipment, said virtualized data being stored in a first memory area allocated to said first User Equipment in a first distant server, a second memory area is allocated to said second User Equipment in a second distant server for receiving said virtualized data, said first User Equipment and said second User Equipment exchanging specific information on said virtualized data over a short range wireless link, method characterized by the following step:                the first User Equipment proposes said virtualized data to the second User Equipment by means of a message sent through the short range wireless link,        the second User Equipment transmits to the first User Equipment the location in the second memory area where to transfer said virtualized data, and transmits to the first distant server its agreement to receive said virtualized data,        the first User Equipment requests said first distant server to transfer said virtualized data from the first memory area to the second memory area over the radio link.

Today, it is very common to exchange data files from one device (e.g. mobile phone) to another device using short range wireless communication means such as NFC technology (Near Field Communication) Bluetooth or IRDA technologies.
Generally, the growing data files are physically exchanged between the devices using a radio link.

Method for transmitting virtualized data in cloud computing environment


An automatic telephone answering system including a recorder having an input and an output connected to a telephone line for the recording and playing of messages and which is remotely controllable through the use of a dual-tone signal. A recorder control apparatus controls the recorder and is connected to receive input signals sent over the telephone line to the recorder and output signals sent from the recorder. The recorder control apparatus generates an inhibit signal to the recorder when the recorder control apparatus detects the fact that at the input or output a signal having dual-tone frequencies continues for a predetermined maximum allowable time which is shorter than the minimum time for dual-tone signal detection, thereby preventing said signal having the dual-tone frequencies from being input to or output from the recorder over a time period longer than said minimum time for dual-tone signal detection.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automa,tic telephone answering system of the type which uses dual-tone, multiple frequency signals (DTMF) as remote control signals and, more particularly, to a recorder control apparatus used in such an automatic telephone answering system.
2. Background Discussion
A conventional automatic telephone answering system which can be remotely controlled by DTMF signals comprises, as shown in FIG. 10, a recorder 91 connected to a transformer 94 which is in turn connected to a telephone line, a remote control signal receiver/decoder section 93 connected to the transformer 94 and consisting of a DTMF receiver 95 for receiving DTMF remote control signals and microcomputer 96, and a line DTMF discriminator means 97 implemented by the micro computer 96 for discriminating DTMF signals from the telephone line. The recorder 91 records messages from the telephone line in a record mode and plays recorded messages and transmits them to the telephone line in a play mode.
It has heretofore been known that the recorder 91 records in the record mode not only the message of a caller but also the DTMF signals generated when the caller touches the telephone keys. The DTMF signals which are thus unintentionally recorded and generated upon playback should not be interpreted as true remote control signals. If these "false"DTMF signals are played from the recorder in the play mode, these signals are transmitted to the telephone line and applied to the remote control signal receiver/decoder sections 93 as well. In some cases, the receiver/decoder section 93 operated in the play mode accordingly mistakes the false DTMF signals for true DTMF remote control signals coming from the telephone line and this causes erroneous operation of the automatic telephone answering system.
In order to prevent such erroneous operation, the conventional automatic telephone answering system is provided with a line DTMF discriminator means. This discriminator means responds to a detected signal (DS) which is qenerated by the DTMF receiver of the receiver/decoder section 93 to indicate detection of a DTMF signal and, when the DS signal becomes high in level to indicate detection of such a signal, the discriminator means switches the line playing/transmitting circuit 99 off to detect whether or not the DS signal becomes low in level. That is, in the case where the DS signal becomes low when the playing/transmitting circuit 99 is switched off, the discriminator means 97 determines that the received DTMF signal is a false DTMF signal played by the recorder 91 and prevents the system from responding to this false DTMF signal. On the other hand, in the case where the DS signal remains high, the discriminator means 97 determines that the received DTMF signal is a remote control DTMF signal from the telephone line and causes the remote control signal decoder section 93 to respond to it.
In the conventional automatic telephone answering system described above, discrimination of the veracity of the remote control DTMF signals takes a relatively long time period, that is at least 80 ms (preferably 100 ms when variation in the quality of ICs is considered), since it is performed by checking the DS signal of the DTMF receiver (such as receiver 95).
More specifically, in order for the DS signal to become definitely high (i.e. recognition of DTMF signal), it takes at least 40 ms from the beginning of the DTMF signal and, on the other hand, in order for the DS signal to become definitely low, it takes at least 40 ms from the end of the DTMF signal. In the conventional system described above, therefore, a time period of at least 80 ms is necessary from the beqinning of the DTMF signal to completion of the discrimination of the veracity of the signal by the discriminator means 97.
As a result, in a case where one attempts to make the remote control from a telephone set which generates DTMF signals of durations shorter than 80 ms or where DTMF signals of such durations are used as remote control signals, a problem encountered in the conventional system described above has been that these DTMF remote control signals are all invalidated. Generally, duration of normal DTMF signals varies qreatly depending on the type of telephone set used. For example, some types of telephone set have a signal duration of as short as 50 ms. Thus, a problem arises in using this type of set to generate DTMF signals to remotely control the machine.
Further, in order to accurately discriminate the remote control DTMF signals in the conventional system, difficult design problems are encountered with respect to the setting of the delay times and guard times for detection of DS signals.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic telephone answering system which is simple in construction and remotely controllable without the need for validation of the remote control DTMF signals.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a recorder control apparatus for an automatic telephone answering system which is capable of responding to remote control DTMF signals of shorter duration.

Recorder control apparatus for automatic telephone answering system


Ferritic chromium-molybdenum steels containing. 26 to 30% chromium PA1 1.8 to 3.0% molybdenum PA1 3.0 to 4.5% nickel PA1 carbon.ltoreq.0.02% PA1 silicon.ltoreq.1.00% PA1 manganese.ltoreq.1.00% PA1 sulfur.ltoreq.0.015% PA1 carbon+nitrogen.ltoreq.0.045% PA1 niobium.gtoreq.12.times.%C.ltoreq.1.2% PA1 balance iron and impurities which are due to the melting technology. are used as corrosion-resisting material to make structural parts which are resistant to sulfuric acid in a concentration of and above 94% by weight and at a temperature up to the boiling point of the sulfuric acid.

This invention relates to the use of a ferritic chromium-molybdenum steel having a high resistance to the corrosion by concentrated sulfuric acid.
Sulfuric acid is usually produced by a catalytic reaction of the SO.sub.2 content of gases to form SO.sub.3 and--if the gases are dry--a subsequent absorption of the resulting SO.sub.3 in concentrated sulfuric acid or--if the gases are moist--a subsequent condensation of the resulting sulfuric acid.
In such processes, dryers, absorbers, heat exchangers, receivers associated with pumps, piping etc. are contacted with concentrated sulfuric acid having a concentration of or above 94% by weight. That sulfuric acid is an extremely aggressive fluid, which tends to subject the structural parts employed to a rapid and strong corrosion. For this reason all structural parts contacted by that sulfuric acid must consist of corrosion-resisting materials. Materials used for that purpose consist of special alloy steels, cast iron, plastics, ceramics, glass, graphite or of linings made of such materials. But the non-metallic materials have only a low mechanical strength and their processing is difficult for numerous applications. Whereas the metallic materials have a high mechanical strength, their resistance to corrosion is not sufficient in some cases or the material can be deformed only with difficulty or the material is highly expensive.
DE-C 21 54 126 discloses the use of an austenitic nickel alloy, which contains chromium, molybdenum, cobalt, manganese, copper and silicon for acids in a concentration of and above 65%. Because that alloy can be deformed only with difficulty, it can be used only for shafts, bearings, pumps, valve parts and the like elements.
DE-A-33 20 527 discloses the use of austenitic steels which contain 4.6 to 5.8% silicon. But it is difficult to process and make that material.
EP-B-0 130 967 describes four materials for use in sulfuric acids of 98 to 101% and at a temperature in excess of 120.degree. C. The highest resistance to corrosion has the ferritic material Alloy 26-1 (Material No. 1.4131, XlCrMo261), which contains up to 0.5% nickel. But that material can be processed only with difficulty and its resistance to corrosion strongly decreases as the concentration of the sulfuric acid decreases.
In EP-A-0 181 313 the ferritic material 29-4-2 has been mentioned as the second-best material, after the Alloy 26-1. for use in sulfuric acid of 98-101%. That material contains 28-30% Cr, 3.50-4.20% Mo and 2.00-2.50% Ni. That material can also be processed only with difficulty and its resistance to corrosion strongly decreases as the concentration of sulfuric acid decreases.
EP-B-0 200 862 discloses the use of a molybdenum-free alloy, which contains chromium, for use in sulfuric acid above 96% and at temperatures up to 350.degree. C. It is not significant whether the alloy has a ferritic or a ferritic-austenitic or austenitic structure. Particularly if the material has an austenitic or austenitic-ferritic structure and is used in sulfuric acids having a lower concentration that material does not have an adequate resistance to corrosion.

Structural part made of ferritic chromium-molybdenum steel which is resistant to concentrated sulfuric acid


A parallel router comprising: 1) a plurality of routing nodes, each of the plurality of routing nodes capable of receiving message packets from and transmitting message packets to external devices, wherein the each of the plurality of routing nodes maintains a routing table suitable for routing message packets from transmitting ones of the plurality of routing nodes to receiving ones of the plurality of routing nodes; and 2) a switch fabric capable of transmitting the messages packets between the transmitting nodes and the receiving nodes, wherein a designated one of the plurality of routing nodes is operable to transmit to at least one non-designated one of the plurality of routing nodes a hello request message operable to cause the non-designated routing node to transmit back a hello acknowledgment message, wherein the designated routing node monitors a time duration between transmission of the hello request message and receipt of the hello acknowledgment message to determine if the non-designated routing node has failed.

The explosive growth of Internet traffic has been caused by the increased number of Internet users, various service demands from those users, the implementation of new services, such as voice-over-IP (VoIP) or streaming applications, and the development of mobile Internet. Conventional routers, which act as relaying nodes connected to subnetworks or other routers, have accomplished their roles well, in situations in which the time required to process packets, determine their destinations, and forward the packets to the destinations is usually smaller than the transmission time on network paths. More recently, however, the packet transmission capabilities of high-bandwidth network paths and the increases in Internet traffic have combined to outpace the processing capacities of conventional routers. Thus, routers are increasingly blamed for major bottlenecks in the Internet.
Early routers were implemented on a computer host so that the CPU of the host performed all managerial tasks, such as packet forwarding via a shared bus and routing table computation. This plain architecture proved to be inefficient, due to the concentrated overhead of the CPU and the existence of congestion on the bus. As a result, router vendors developed distributed router architectures that provide efficient packet processing compared to a centralized architecture. In a distributed router architecture, many of the functions previously performed by the centralized CPU are distributed to the line cards and the shared bus is replaced by a high-speed crossbar switch.
FIG. 1 illustrates distributed router 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the prior art. Distributed router 100 interfaces with different types of networks in FIG. 1, including optical networks (OC-192), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks, and Gigabit Ethernet as network interfaces, among others (not shown). Distributed router 100 comprises line card modules (LCMs) 111-113, switch fabric 130, routing processor 140, and line card modules (LCMs) 151-153. LCM 111, LCM 112, and LCM 113 contain forwarding table (FT) 121, forwarding table (FT) 122, and forwarding table (FT) 123, respectively. Similarly, LCM 151, LCM 152, and LCM 153 contain forwarding table (FT) 161, forwarding table (FT) 162, and forwarding table (FT) 163, respectively.
Packets coming from adjacent router(s) or subnetworks are received by line card modules 111-113 and line card modules 151-153 and sent to switch fabric 130. Switch fabric 130 switches packets coming from or going to line card modules 111-113 and 151-153 and plays an essential role in relaying packets.
Routing processor 140 builds routing table 141 and maintains the current status of routing table 141 by updating changed routes immediately. Routing processor 140 maintains routing table 141 by running a routing protocol, such as Routing Information Protocol (RIP), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), or Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). Forwarding tables 121-123 and 161-163 support an efficient lookup in each line card and are downloaded from routing table 141 of routing processor 140. If an incoming packet from a line card module cannot find its destination path from the forwarding table, the corresponding packet may be passed through switch fabric 130 toward a pre-defined default route, or may be silently discarded at the line card.
The main reason for router manufacturers to favor distributed architecture is the simplicity of using a centralized processor to manage one routing table in a consistent way. On the other hand, although the separation of routing and forwarding functions enables high-speed packet processing, the introduction of QoS-capable routing service and the route delays caused by network instability demand even greater packet processing capacity, thereby resulting in additional overhead for the routing processor or instability in the router itself.
A large number of small routers can operate in concert (i.e., in parallel), if an efficient set of interoperability rules are established. The industry has avoided this coordination problem by using a single routing server to handle the routing problems. Therefore, it bounds both the scale of the router and its maximum performance to the scale of available microprocessor processing capacity.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved massively parallel router. In particular, there is a need for a massively parallel router having a distributed architecture that implements an efficient packet routing protocol without bounding the router and its maximum performance to the scale of available microprocessor processing capacity.

Redundancy mechanization protocol for a massively parallel router


The invention relates to an injector dosing mechanism (1) for an apparatus, in particular a sandblasting mechanism (30), for dosed addition to a liquid, such as anticorrosive agent, to a stream produced by the apparatus, having a container (2) for taking up the liquid and a connecting pipe (31) leading to the pipe (32) carrying the stream, the apparatus being operated via a switch-on mechanism (33). To permit a constant dosage of liquid without readjustment in a constant or varying air stream or even despite interruption of the air stream, a control valve (17, 18) controlled via a switching mechanism is disposed in the connecting pipe (31), the switching [means] mechanism being coupled with the switch-on [means] mechanism (33) of the apparatus and switching the control valve (17, 18) in accordance with the pulses from the switch-on [means] mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an injector dosing means for an apparatus, in particular a sandblasting means, for dosed addition of a liquid, such as anticorrosive agent, to a stream produced by the apparatus, having a container for taking up the liquid and a connecting pipe leading to the pipe carrying the stream, the apparatus being operated via a switch-on means.
In many industrial processes it is necessary to add one or more dosed agents to a mixed stream produced by an apparatus.
In particular in sandblasting it is necessary to add dosed agents. Since the objects treated by sandblasting are frequently metal, one adds anticorrosive agent to the mixed stream of the sandblaster to avoid the formation of rust after sandblasting. However it has hitherto not been possible to add it to the mixed stream of the sandblasting means in controlled fashion. The dosage of the liquid has sometimes been controlled via the compressed-air stream of the mixed stream, but problems always arise when the compressed-air stream varies or is interrupted. The dosed amount must then be readjusted to provide a sufficient amount of the liquid to be dosed. A further disadvantage of the known dosing means on a sandblaster is that the exact dosed amount required by a particular operating mode cannot always be added in that operating mode.


A air shroud for dissipating heat from an electronic component is composed of a air shroud of a roughly U-shaped cross section, whose left and right sides are formed into a first and a second opening, respectively. A passage is formed between the first and second openings, enabling air to flow along a specific direction. A flexible thin piece is fixed inside the air shroud which covers a specific electronic component on a circuit board, and the flexible thin piece is touched with a surface of the electronic component. The fast-flowing air flows quickly along the passage, so as to effectively cool down a working temperature of the specific electronic component, thereby increasing a lifetime of usage of the specific electronic component.

a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a air shroud for dissipating heat from an electronic component and more particularly to a air shroud installed in an interior of a computer case which can cover a specific electronic component on a circuit board. The air shroud is provided with an air entrance and an air exit, so as to form a passage for providing air to flow quickly, in an interior of the air shroud. A flexible thin piece is fixed in the passage, and the fast flowing air can be guided downward through the flexible thin piece, in order to enhance a heat dissipating by air to the specific electronic component.
b) Description of the Prior Art
The Taiwan Utility Patent M253826, Detachable "Air shroud without a Tool," discloses a air shroud with two openings. A suction or ventilation fan is fixed on a top of an air passage of the air shroud, such that the air can be expelled out of the two openings in an opposite direction of flow in the passage, or the air can be guided into the passage from the two openings, respectively, in an opposite direction of flow and sucked out by the fan. However, this device can only enable the air to flow in and out in the passage inside the air shroud, and is not provided with an object of dissipating heat from an electronic component with the air. In addition, there is no electronic component in the air shroud.
The Taiwan Utility Patent M245503, "Air Guiding Structure which is Easy to Install and Disengage," discloses an air guiding body which can be installed in a case for reducing a working temperature of an electronic component. However, as height of internal space of the air guiding body is a constant, if an electronic component on a circuit board is taller, the air guiding body will not be able to effectively cover and seal the electronic component in an air passage of the air guiding body. Furthermore, as a position and size of a notch installed by baffles at two sides of the air guiding body are constant, if the electronic component welded on the circuit board is larger in volume or taller in height, or the welding position is not corresponding to that of the notch, then the air guiding body will not be effectively installed and positioned on the circuit board.
The Taiwan Utility Patent M265675, "Computer Host and its Heat Dissipating Module," discloses a flow guiding casing whose interior space is a constant; therefore, it can not be effectively adapted to a heat-generating electronic component of various volume or height.

Air shroud for dissipating heat from an electronic component


A safety syringe comprises a needle releasably lockable at the syringe outlet. The needle has means such as a barb for engaging and catching to a syringe plunger when the plunger is depressed to inject the syringe contents into a patient. After loosening the needle, retraction of the plunger will withdraw the needle safely into the safety of the syringe barrel.

The medical and dental professions are deeply concerned about the problem of patient and professional infection. Especially does the problem exist in connection with medicament injections into a patient infected with a communicable disease, such as Aids or hepatitis. The current practice is to break off the used needle from the used syringe in a special device which stores the removed used needles in an inaccessible compartment. The remaining syringe is discarded. However, problems can still arise if the medical or dental practitioner forgets to use this special device to remove used needles from the syringe, or the special device is not immediately available.

Disposable syringe with retractable needle


A method for driving a self-scanning light-emitting element array is provided in which two light-emitting elements may be illuminated simultaneously in one chip. In a self-scanning light-emitting element array including a transfer element array and light-emitting element array, a magnitude of the write signal for illuminating adjacent two light-emitting elements simultaneously is two times that of the write signal for illuminating one light-emitting element. The self-scanning light-emitting element array is composed of a plurality of self-scanning light-emitting element array chips arranged in a linear manner, and the two-phase clock pulses are applied commonly to the plurality of self-scanning light-emitting element array chips.

A writing head of an optical printer (hereinafter referred to as an optical writing head) is a light source for exposing a photosensitive drum and comprises a light-emitting element array. The structure of an optical printer including an optical writing head is shown in FIG. 1. An optically conductive material (photosensitive material) such as amorphous Si is provided on the surface of a cylindrical drum 2, which is rotated at printing speed. The surface of the photosensitive material is uniformly charged with an electrostatic charger 4. Then, light corresponding to a dot image being printed is projected by an optical writing head 6 onto the surface of the photosensitive material to neutralize the charge on the area to which the light is projected to form a latent image. Next, a developer 8 deposits the toner on the photosensitive material surface in accordance with the charged pattern on the photosensitive material surface. A transfer unit 10 transfers the toner on a paper sheet 14 fed from a cassette 12. The toner on the paper sheet is thermally fixed by the heat applied by a fixer 16, and the paper sheet is sent to a stacker 18. Upon completion of transfer, on the other hand, the charge on the drum is neutralized over the entire surface with an erasing lamp 20, and the remaining toner is removed by a cleaner 22.
The construction of the optical writing head 6 is shown in FIG. 2. This optical writing head comprises a light-emitting element array 24 and a rod-lens array 26 which is an erected image, unity magnification optical system, and the lens is adapted so as to focus on the photosensitive drum 2.
The inventors of the present invention have interested in a three-terminal light-emitting thyristor having a pnpn-structure as an element of the self-scanning light-emitting device, and have already filed several patent applications (see Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 1-238962, 2-14584, 2-92650, and 2-92651.) These publications have disclosed that such a self-scanning light-emitting device has a simple and compact structure for a light source of a printer, and has smaller arranging pitch of thyristors.
The inventors have further provided a self-scanning light-emitting device having such structure that a transfer portion including a transfer element array is separated from a light-emitting portion including a light-emitting element array (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-263668).
Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown an equivalent circuit diagram of a chip of this type of self-scanning light-emitting device of 1200 dpi/256 elements. A transfer portion of the chip comprises transfer elements T1, T2, T3, . . . , and a light-emitting portion comprises light-emitting elements L1, L2, L3, . . . , both transfer elements and light-emitting elements being composed of three-terminal light-emitting thyristors. The structure of the transfer portion includes diode D1, D2, D3, . . . , as means for electrically coupling the gate electrodes of neighboring thyristors to each other. VGK is a power supply (normally 5 volts), and is connected to all of the gate electrodes G1, G2, G3, . . . of the thyristors in the transfer portion via a load register RL, respectively. Respective gate electrodes G1, G2, G3, . . . of the thyristors in the transfer portion are correspondingly connected to the gate electrodes of the thyristors in the light-emitting portion. A start pulse øS is applied to the gate electrode of the thyristor T1 in the transfer portion, transfer clock pulses ø1 and ø2 are alternately applied to all of the anode electrodes of the thyristors in the transfer portion, and a write signal øI is applied to all of the anode electrodes of the thyristors in the light-emitting portion.
In the figure, reference numerals 30, 32, 34, and 36 indicate ø1 line, ø2 line, øI line, and power supply line, respectively. R1, R2 and RI designate current limiting resistors inserted in ø1 line 30, ø2 line 32, and øI line 34, respectively. RS indicates a current limiting resistor for the start pulse.
The operation of this self-scanning light-emitting device will now be described briefly. Assume that as the transfer clock ø2 is driven to a high level, the thyristor T2 is now turned on. At this time, the voltage of the gate electrode G2 is dropped to a level near zero volt from 5 volts. The effect of this voltage drop is transferred to the gate electrode G3 via the diode D2 to cause the voltage of the gate electrode G3 to set about 1 volt which is the diffusion potential of the diode D2. On the other hand, the diode D1 is reverse-biased so that the potential is not conducted to the gate electrode G1, then the potential of the gate electrode G1 remaining at 5 volts. The turn on voltage of the light-emitting thyristor of pnpn-structure is approximated to a gate electrode potential + a diffusion potential of pn junction (about 1 volt). Therefore, if a high level of a next transfer clock pulse ø1 is set to the voltage larger than about 2 volts (which is required to turn-on the thyristor T3) and smaller than about 4 volts (which is required to turn on the thyristor T5), then only the thyristor T3 is turned on and other thyristors remain off-state, respectively. In this manner, on-state of transfer elements are sequentially transferred by means of two-phase clock pulses ø1 and ø2.
The start pulse øS works for starting the transfer operation described above. When the start pulse øS is driven to a low level (about 0 volt) and the transfer clock pulse ø1 is driven to a high level (about 2-4 volts) at the same time, the thyristor T1 is turned on. Just after that, the start pulse øS is returned to a high level.
Assuming that the thyristor T2 is in on-state, the voltage of the gate electrode G2 is lowered to almost zero volt. Consequently, if the voltage of the write signal øI is higher than the diffusion potential (about 1 volt) of the pn junction between gate and anode, the thyristor L2 may be turned into on-state (a light-emitting state).
On the other hand, the voltage of the gate electrode G1 is about 5 volts, and the voltage of the gate electrode G3 is about 1 volt. Consequently, the write voltage of the thyristor L1 is about 6 volts, and the write voltage of the thyristor L3 is about 2 volts. It follows from this that the voltage of the write signal øI which can write into only the thyristor L2 is in a range of about 1-2 volts. When the thyristor L2 is turned on, that is, in the light-emitting state, the amount of light thereof is determined by the current value supplied by the write signal øI. Accordingly, the thyristors may emit light at any desired amount of light. In order to transfer on-state to the next thyristor in the light-emitting portion, it is necessary to first turn off the thyristor in on-state by temporarily dropping the voltage of the write signal øI down to zero volt.
A self-scanning light-emitting element array in an optical writing head may be fabricated by arranging a plurality of chips described above in a linear manner. As apparent from the operation described above, the number of light-emitting elements which may be illuminated simultaneously in one chip is only 1.
In order to make the printing speed of an optical printer fast, it is required to increase an energy exposed on a photosensitive drum. An exposure energy is a product of an optical output (which has a dimension of power) and an exposure time, so that it is required to increase an optical output or an exposure time in order to make an exposure energy large. A current applied to a light-emitting element is caused to be increased to make an optical output large, but it is not permitted to increase extremely the current due to the effect for a lifetime of the light-emitting element. On the other hand, the number of light-emitting elements which may be illuminated simultaneously in one chip is required to be increased in order to extend an exposure time, i.e. increase a light emission duty.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for driving a self-scanning light-emitting element array in such a manner that two or more light-emitting elements may be illuminated simultaneously in one chip.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a self-scanning light-emitting array in which two or more light-emitting elements may be illuminated simultaneously in one chip.
A diode-coupled self-scanning light-emitting element array shown in FIG. 3 is structured so as to be driven by a driver IC (Integrated Circuit) of a 5V power supply system. The voltage of a power supply for a driver IC, however, has been changed from a 5V power supply system to a 3.3V or lower power supply system, which has decreased a power consumption. It is, therefore, desirable to drive a self-scanning light-emitting element array by a 3.3V power supply system.
A still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for driving a diode-coupled self-scanning light-emitting element array by a 3.3V power supply system, and a driver circuit for implementing the method.
An optical writing head is composed of a light-emitting element array and a rod-lens array. When the light-emitting element array is structured by arraying a plurality of self-scanning element array chips in a linear manner with the ends of adjacent chips being butted to each other to form junctions, it is impossible to make the array pitch of light-emitting elements constant over the light-emitting element array, especially an array pitch is disordered at the junctions. In order to avoid this, the chips are arrayed in a zigzag manner with the ends of each chip being overlapped to one another to make an array pitch of light-emitting elements at the junctions of chips constant.
When a printing is carried out by an optical writing head comprising such a light-emitting element array, stripes may be printed on a paper sheet at the junctions of chips.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an optical writing head in which the stripes due to above-described reason are not printed on a paper sheet.
A still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for arranging a rod-lens array and a light-emitting element array to implement the above-described optical writing head.

Self-scanned light-emitting device array, its driving method, and driving circuit


This disclosure sets out a catheter for bodily insertion. The catheter tip supports an elongate hollow housing with a window for occlusive material cutting, a cutter head on the interior rotates, driven by a drive wire in the hollow catheter tube. In addition, the cutter head reciprocates or oscillates to cut on its back edge, the edge trimming material entering through the window. The window and optional slots admit the unwanted material and enable trimming for a vacuum removal through the catheter tube. The window is urged into contact by a pair of flexed wires, the wires moving the housing into operative contact.

The present invention is directed to an atherectomy catheter, particularly, a distal atherectomy catheter for use in the distal and coronary arteries where small vessel size and tortuosity present numerous problems of access.
Many technological advancements have been made in recent years for treatment of coronary disease. Surgical bypass techniques, such as coronary artery bypass graft surgery, are routinely performed and are highly successful. While the risks of bypass surgery have been minimized through technological advancements, opening of the chest cavity is still required. This requires special surgical skills and equipment which are not readily available in many areas. For many patients, a bypass operation may not be indicated and therefore various surgical techniques have been devised to treat occlusive coronary artery diseases of such patients. For example, various prior art devices have been developed for removing and/or compressing atherosclerotic plaque, thromboses, stenosis, occlusion, clots, embolic material, etc. from veins, arteries and the like.
One such device is disclosed in applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 07/312,737 filed Feb. 17, 1989, which disclosure is incorporated by reference herein. In applicant's copending application, removal of occlusive material is accomplished by cooperative reciprocal action between an inner and outer catheter tube for excising occlusive material blocking the coronary vessel. While the apparatus of applicant's co-pending application has been successfully shown to remove occlusive material in laboratory tests, enhanced and more efficient removal of occlusive material may be achieved with the improved apparatus described herein. One feature which is important to the acceptability of a distal atherectomy catheter by the medical community is the efficiency and speed with which the lumen of an artery or the like may be unblocked to provide normal blood flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,466 (Luther) discloses an angioplasty device comprising a woven tube of metal or plastic fibers and a retraction stylet that are attached at one end of the catheter tube for insertion into a vein, artery, and the like for the removal of plaque and similar materials. One or more guide wires are attached to the woven tube for rotation and manipulation inside the artery. The woven tube is placed within the artery and expanded to contact the interior, plaque coated, wall of the artery. Movement of the expanded woven tube abrades the plaque from the arterial wall to form particles which are trapped within the woven tubes. The trapped plaque particles are removed with the angioplasty device upon its removal from the artery of the patient.
Other prior art devices include catheters fitted with an inflatable balloon for compressing occlusive materials such as plaque against the vessel wall. U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,128 (Lary) discloses a coronary cutting and dilating instrument for treatment of stenotic and occlusive coronary artery disease. The device disclosed therein includes a cutting and dilating instrument having one or more radially extending knife blades at a forward end thereof for making the coronary incision and an inflatable balloon for dilating the stenotic artery zone immediately after the incision.
Other angioplasty devices include a catheter having a motor driven cutting head mounted at its distal end. The cutting head is connected to the drive motor via a flexible drive shaft extending through the catheter. Extremely high rotational cutting head speeds have been achieved, in the range of 50,000-300,000 rpm, by these motor driven cutter heads. Various problems, however, have been associated with the use of the balloon tipped catheters and high speed cutting heads. The balloon catheter is expanded by injection of pressurized fluid into the balloon to expand it against the wall of the artery. Some problems which have been reported include the vessel dissection, perforation, rupture, conversion of a stenosis to an occlusion, and embolization. Furthermore, angioplasty devices utilizing balloons do not remove the plaque from the arterial wall but simply compress the plaque against the wall of the vessel. Thus, the stenosis or occlusion frequently reoccur requiring further treatment.
Atherectomy devices utilizing a motor driven high speed cutting head include a number of disadvantages. Heat dissipation and vibration is a problem. The path of the occlusion in an artery is often a tortuous path and therefore the lengthy flexible drive shaft connected to the cutter head must traverse a number of bends or curves. Consequently, as the flexible drive shaft rotates, it contacts the inner wall of the catheter resulting in localized heating and vibrations due to the frictional contact. This, of course, is very uncomfortable for the patient and may result in spasm, weakening or perforation of the vessel along the route of the catheter.
It is therefore one advantage of the present invention to provide an improved atherectomy catheter having a reciprocal rotary cutter head at the distal end thereof rotated at a relatively low speed in the range of 2,000 rpm to enhance patient comfort.
One notable feature of the invention to provide an atherectomy catheter for traversing the small and tortuous vasculature of the heart while having the ability to bore through a total obstruction and excise a hemispherical or circumferential section from the lumen of the vessel and entrap the excised section within a containment housing.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an atherectomy catheter for progressively opening the lumen of a vessel, entrapping and discharging the excised obstructive material into a containment housing or discharge passage of the catheter until the entire obstruction has been removed leaving a smooth fissure and flap-free enlarged internal vessel diameter.