A method for expanding software application functionalities processing is disclosed herein. The method comprises receiving a user request within a software application. The software application is enhanced with annotations, which include metadata. The method continues with loading the metadata from the annotations to a dialog system located on a remote device, sending at least a part of the user request to the dialog system, and receiving a dialog system response to the user request from the dialog system. At least one of the annotations associated with the dialog system response is identified. A code associated with the identified annotation is invoked within the software application.

Currently, dialog systems are widely used in the information technology industry, especially in the form of mobile applications for cell phones and tablet computers. A dialog system can include a computer-based agent having a human-centric interface for accessing, processing, managing, and delivering information. Dialog systems are also known as chat information systems, spoken dialog systems, conversational agents, chatter robots, chatterbots, chatbots, chat agents, digital personal assistants, automated online assistants, and so forth. All these terms are within the scope of the present disclosure and referred to as a "Dialog System" for simplicity.
Traditionally, a dialog system interacts with its users in natural language to simulate an intelligent conversation and provide personalized assistance to the users. For example, a user may generate requests to the dialog system in the form of conversational questions, such as "What is the weather like in Palo Alto?" and receive corresponding answers from the dialog system in the form of audio and/or displayable messages. The users may also provide voice commands to the dialog system requesting the performance of certain functions including, for example, generating e-mails, making phone calls, searching particular information, acquiring data, navigating, requesting notifications or reminders, and so forth. These and other functionalities make dialog systems very popular as they are of great help, especially for holders of portable electronic devices such as smart phones, cellular phones, tablet computers, gaming consoles, and the like.
Although the demand for dialog systems for third party mobile applications and web services is constantly growing, it is not an easy task to create a well-operating dialog system. Each dialog system has a dialog system interface and dialog system engine. The dialog system interface is responsible for receiving user inputs and delivering dialog system responses to the user. The dialog system engine is responsible for transforming voice user inputs into text inputs, interpreting text inputs, and generating corresponding responses to text inputs. The process running on the dialog system engine is also known as natural language processing (NLP). Development of NLP models is not only time consuming, but is also a highly technical task. Accordingly, application developers may struggle to develop a dialog system for integrating its functionality with a mobile application or web service. Accordingly, there is a need in the art to simplify the process of creating, developing, and maintaining dialog systems for software applications and web services.

Annotations in software applications for invoking dialog system functions


A micromachine and a manufacturing method are provided for a micromachine that has a dynamic first microstructured portion serving as a drive portion, and a static second microstructured portion adapted to perform a switching function and which functions as an optical element. The second microstructured portion can be manufactured at least without complex steps, such as a silicon process, by forming a static second microstructure on the dynamic first microstructured portion, or in such a way as to be overlaid thereon by mold transfer. Thus, the microstructured portion of a complex shape can be easily formed with good reproducibility. When a plurality of elements are arranged in an array, similarly as in the case of a spatial light modulator, the stable reproduction thereof is achieved by the mold transfer. Thus, as compared with the case of manufacturing all elements in a silicon process, the probability of an occurrence of a defect is very low.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a micromachine, such as an optical switching element for use in an image display device, and to a manufacturing method therefor.
2. Description of Related Art
An optical switching element using liquid crystals has been known as that enabled to control the switching-on and switching-off of light. FIG. 13 schematically shows the configuration thereof. This optical switching element 900 may consist of polarizing plates 901 and 908, glass plates 902 and 903, transparent electrodes 904 and 905, and liquid crystals 906 and 907. The direction of alignment of liquid crystal molecules is changed by controlling a voltage applied between the transparent electrodes 904 and 905. Thus, the plane of polarization thereof is turned thereby to perform optical switching. Consequently, an image display device can be constituted as a liquid crystal panel by arranging such optical switching elements (namely, liquid crystal cells) in a two-dimensional form.
However, this optical switching element using liquid crystals is poor in high-speed response, and operates at a response speed of as low as about several millimeters per second. It is, therefore, difficult to use a spatial light modulator, which employs liquid crystals, in optical communication, optical computing, an optical storage device such as a hologram memory, and an optical printer, which require a high response speed. Further, the spatial light modulator employing liquid crystals has a drawback in that efficiency in using light is degraded by the polarizing plates.
This enables higher-speed switching. Thus, optical switching elements, whose efficiency in using light is high, are demanded. One such optical switching element is a spatial light modulator enabled to achieve high-speed modulation by mechanically moving an optical element that can control light. An example of the spatial light modulator made to be highly practical is a micromirror device. This device is adapted so that a mirror serving as an optical element is turnably supported by a yoke, and that incident light is modulated by changing the angle of the mirror, and then outputted therefrom.
Alternatively, incident light can be modulated by moving the position of a planar optical element having a reflection function or a transmission function. Thus, a spatial light modulator adapted to mechanically move such an optical element may be employed. Applicant of the present application assiduously develops one such spatial light modulator adapted to extract evanescent light from a total reflection surface of a light guiding portion, which can transmit light by performing total reflection thereof, by bringing a switching portion, which has an extraction surface adapted to transmit light, (in an on-state) into contact with the total reflection surface. This switching portion is turned off by being detached from the total reflection surface by a minute distance of about one wavelength or less. This spatial light modulator can switch on and off light by moving the switching portion, which functions as an optical element, by a minute distance. Thus, this spatial light modulator is an optical switching element that can modulate and control light at a high speed. Electrostatic force generated by applying a voltage to the electrodes is mainly used as means for driving the switching portion.
In the case of using this spatial light modulator, it is necessary to move the switching portion with good accuracy by a distance on the order of the wavelength, for example, about one-tenth of several microns, namely, a distance of submicron order. Therefore, to manufacture the switching portion and a drive portion, a manufacturing method, by which such portions are manufactured with a sufficient precision of one micron, is demanded. Especially, the switching portion is an optical element, so that accuracy, which is commensurate with or less than the movement distance of submicron order, is demanded as the surface finish accuracy thereof. Furthermore, when a two-dimensional image is actually generated by the spatial light modulator, it is necessary to arrange a plurality of switching elements in an array. Thus, there is the necessity for manufacturing a large number of switching elements of the same constitution with precision of one micron or less in such a way so as to adjoin one another.
Techniques of manufacturing such elements with precision of one micron have currently been being developed. Such techniques are, for instance, photolithography techniques having progressed as techniques for manufacturing semiconductors. According to present design rules, necessary precision is about one-tenth of several microns. When the design rules are met, the precision needed for manufacturing the aforementioned spatial light modulator can be obtained. In addition, there has been developed a manufacturing method of manufacturing a structure with precision of one micron by utilizing manufacturing techniques, such as an oxide film formation technique, a crystal growth technique, a CMP planarization technique, a laser processing technique, a sol-gel forming technique, a sintering technique, and a machine cutting technique. Thus, a machine, which is called a micromachine and has structure of the size represented in units of microns, is manufactured by these techniques.
However, the tolerance of products produced by these manufacturing methods is one-tenth of several microns. Thus, although a structure constituted by a micromachine is produced by these manufacturing methods, the necessary surface accuracy of a microstructure, which is less than the tolerance thereof, cannot be necessarily ensured. Moreover, it is difficult to assure the positional relationship among a plurality of switching elements with precision of one-tenth of several microns or less. Furthermore, the photolithography techniques are the most advanced techniques of processing microstructures, and those for processing silicon employed as a material. Thus, even in the case of using the photolithography techniques, it is difficult to process other materials, for example, a transmissive resin material suitable for an optical element.
Similar problems occur in other micromachines, such as an optical micro-switch for switching on and off signals transmitted between optical fibers, and a microvalve for allowing fluids to flow therethrough and shutting off the fluids. Thus, it becomes necessary to develop a micromachine, which can ensure the surface accuracy of microstructures and establish the positional relationship between adjoining ones thereof and provide a gap or a step therebetween with high accuracy, and a manufacturing method therefor.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a micromachine, which can highly accurately manufacture a machine, whose size is in the order of a micron or less, for driving a microstructure, such as a switching portion, and a manufacturing method therefor. Particularly, an object of the present invention is to provide a micromachine suitable for a spatial light modulator having a device operative to modulate light by moving and controlling a microswitch portion, such as the optical switching portion utilizing evanescent light, which has a planar component, that is, a micromachine in which a high-accuracy surface is formed and in which a drive system for microstructures, and to provide a manufacturing method therefor.
Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a configuration, by which a micromachine having a drive system can be manufactured, and to provide a manufacturing method therefor.
Moreover, another object of the present invention is to realize a structure of a micromachine efficiently providing a configuration, in which a plurality of units each having a high-accuracy surface of a microstructure and a drive system for the microstructure are arranged in a array, with high precision, and to provide a manufacturing method therefor.
Therefore, according to the present invention, the techniques of a mold transfer method employed as a method for manufacturing microlenses or microprisms are used for manufacturing a micromachine having a drive system. However, in the case of using the mold transfer method, the surface accuracy of the microstructure can be ensured, while the drive system itself including a spring or a film cannot be manufactured in the micromachine. Thus, according to the present invention, a micromachine, in which a first microstructured portion drives a second microstructured portion of a predetermined shape, is manufactured by using a molding step, at which the second microstructured portion is manufactured by being put on the first microstructured portion and by forming at least a part thereof by the mold transfer method after the first microstructured portion serving as a driver system is manufactured. This manufacturing method can provide a micromachine that has a second microstructured portion, at least a part of which is formed by the mold transfer, and a first microstructured portion for driving this second microstructured portion.
According to the micromachine of the present invention and the manufacturing method therefor, a second microstructured portion, which is required to have surface accuracy in addition to a microstructure, can be efficiently manufactured with high precision by employing the mold transfer suitable for the second microstructure, instead of manufacturing the entire micromachine by one of the techniques. Moreover, as long as the mold transfer is employed, there is a little limit to the material. Thus, a transmissive microstructure, which is required by the spatial light modulator, can be easily formed in the micromachine. On the other hand, the first microstructured portion realizing a drive system, which can be constituted by a complex combination of a spring, a film, and a post, is formed on a silicon substrate by performing processes such as a silicon process which consists of a photolithography step and one of or a combination of a dry etching step, a wet etching step, an oxide film forming step, a crystal growth step, and a CMP planarization step, a laser processing process, a sol-gel forming process, a sintering process, and a machine cutting process. The first microstructured portion includes a structure caused by external power to work, an actuator caused by external energy to work, and a sensor type actuator varying in response to a change in ambient environment.
The microstructured portion, which is caused by external power to work, includes a gear, a hinge, and a plate spring. Further, the actuator, which is caused by external energy to work, includes an electrostatic actuator formed by the photolithography techniques employed in the silicon process, a piezoactuator formed by the sol-gel method, a piezo thin film actuator formed by a sputter method, a laminated piezoactuator, a heating actuator adapted to heat a sealed fluid by using a heater and to utilize a force generated owing to thermal expansion of the fluid, and a shape memory alloy actuator that comes to have an actuator function by setting a combination of shape memory alloys and individually heating the shape memory alloys. Furthermore, the element caused by a change in the ambient environment to work includes a bimetal actuator that is formed by putting metals, whose expansion coefficients differ from each other, together and deforms owing to thermal expansion of the metals caused in response to a change in ambient temperature.
The microstructures can be reproduced with good accuracy by forming the second microstructured portion by the mold transfer. Particularly, the flatness of the surface thereof can be ensured. Moreover, the positional relationship between adjacent members can be easily controlled with extremely high precision. Therefore, the second microstructured portion is suitably for the switching-on and switching-off of light and a fluid, namely, for realizing the switching function. Furthermore, according to the manufacturing method of the present invention, the flatness of the surface can be ensured with extremely high precision. Thus, the manufacturing method of the present invention is suitable for imparting the optical element function to the second microstructured portion. Therefore, a micromachine manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present invention is suitable for realizing a spatial light modulator of the size represented in the order of microns, in which light is modulated by the second microstructured portion.
Further, the microstructure can be reproduced with good precision by forming the second microstructured portion by the mold transfer. Moreover, the positional relationship between the members can be determined with extremely high accuracy. Thus, the manufacturing method of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing a micromachine by manufacturing a plurality of second microstructured portions by using the same mold so that the plurality of second microstructured portions are arranged in a two-dimensional array. Furthermore, in the case of a micromachine having a third microstructured portion, such as a post, which is not driven by the first microstructured portion, the positional relationship among these microstructured portions can be easily controlled with very high accuracy by performing the transfer of the second and third microstructured portions by using the same mold. Thus, in the case of a micromachine of the size in the order of sub-microns, which requires the step formed between the second and third microstructured portions and the gap formed therebetween, the dimensions of the step and gap can be stably reproduced with extremely high precision.
Although the entire second microstructured portion can be formed by the mold transfer, the effects of the present invention can be obtained by forming at least a part, which requires the surface accuracy and the positional accuracy thereof by the mold transfer. It is the same with the case of performing the transfer of a plurality of second microstructured portions or the second and third microstructured portions by using the same mold. Further, the mold to be transferred can be used a plurality of times. Thus, as compared with the case of producing micromachines, such as a spatial light modulator, by the machine cutting or the silicon process, the micromachines of the complex shapes can be easily produced. In addition, the production cost thereof can be considerably reduced.
As the first microstructured portion serving as the drive system, an electrostatic actuator, which can be controlled by electric power, is specially useful as, for instance, a spatial light demodulator. Therefore, the photolithography techniques employed in the silicon process, by which minute films and electrodes can be easily produced in the micromachine, is very effective as a method for manufacturing the first microstructured portion. On the other hand, there is the possibility that the first microstructured portion produced in the micromachine by performing this process is broken by stress generated when the second microstructure is formed on the first microstructure by the mold transfer. Therefore, it is preferable that first, the second microstructured portion is molded without etching a sacrifice layer provided in the periphery of the first microstructured portion, and subsequently, the etching of the sacrifice layer is performed. Furthermore, even in the case that the first microstructured portion is not formed by using the photolithography techniques, a sacrifice layer is formed around the first microstructured portion by applying resin therearound so as to prevent the first microstructure from being broken. Alternatively, it is preferable that a sacrifice layer made of SiO2 and aluminum by, for example, a plasma CVD method.
When the second microstructured portion is manufactured by the mold transfer, stress applied to the first microstructure can be reduced by fixing the first microstructured portion, which serves as a moving part, by using the sacrifice layer in this way. Simultaneously, the accuracy of the positioning of the first and second microstructured portions is improved by planarization of the first microstructured portion and the sacrifice layer provided therearound. Furthermore, mechanical polishing and mechanical-chemical polishing techniques are effective for the planarization at that time.
Further, when the second microstructure is formed by the mold transfer, a large amount of resin is used on the connecting surface between the first and second microstructured portions, namely, the boundary surface of the first microstructured portion. Thus, it is preferable for enhancing the connectivity therebetween that no metallic film is formed on such a surface. In the case that the first microstructured portion has a metallic film in the range in which the second microstructured portion is transferred, it is preferable that a non-metallic film made of, for example, silicon is provided in the range thereof. When the conjunction between the metallic layer constituting the first microstructured portion and the second microstructured portion is needed, it is necessary for enhancing the adhesion therebetween to rough the surface or to realize a wedge-shaped contact surface.
Methods for forming the mold, which is used at the time of forming the second microstructured portion by the mold transfer, include a method of forming the mold by precision machining, a method of forming the mold on a silicon substrate by the photolithography techniques, a method of molding (namely, performing the optical molding of) the mold by directly exposing a resist, a method of forming the mold by laser processing, and a method of forming and shaping the mold by electric discharge machining. Further, a mold capable of transmitting light can be formed by using a material adapted to transmit light instead of performing a plurality of steps.
First, a mold, by which a microstructure is formed with good accuracy, can be made by performing a combination of anisotropic etching and isotropic etching. For instance, etching is performed on a silicon substrate in KOH solution by adjusting an orientation plane of crystals and a mask to the (1,1,0) plane. Thus, the anisotropic etching progresses, so that an inverse triangle hole, whose vertex angle is 109.48 degrees, is formed therein. When the depth of this inverse triangle reaches a predetermined depth, the isotropic etching is performed by using SF6, which is a fluoride gas, so that a structure extending in a vertical direction is formed. Consequently, the mold for forming the second microstructured portion is formed. Moreover, a mold for simultaneously forming the third microstructured portion can be obtained.
Furthermore, it is effective to perform the mold transfer by applying a photosetting resin, such as an ultraviolet-set resin, onto the first microstructured portion, and using a transmissive mold. Further, the positioning of the microstructured portion can be performed according to the optical information processing by utilizing an alignment mark provided on the base of the first microstructured portion, and an alignment mark provided on the mold for forming the second microstructure. The positional relationship between the first and second microstructured portions can be limited with good accuracy. To adjust the relationship in position in the direction of height between the first and second microstructured portions, bubbles are efficiently removed from the resin or the portion between the resin and the mold by applying a photosetting resin on the first microstructured portion, and then bringing this portion, on which the mold is put, into a chamber, and subsequently, setting the ambient pressure of the photosetting resin, which is to be molded, at a value which is lower than the atmospheric pressure, before the resin is photo-cured, or evacuating the chamber in such a way as to produce a vacuum therein. Further, because of the use of the transmissive mold, the photosetting resin is cured by irradiating the photosetting resin with light (namely, ultraviolet) in such a state. Consequently, the second microstructured portion can be manufactured with high precision in high yield.
The transmissive mold can be manufactured by machining a glass material or a plastic member, which transmits light. When portions of more minute shapes are manufactured with high accuracy, a primary mold for forming the second structure portion is formed on an opaque silicon base by etching. Then, a secondary mold is produced by transferring the primary mold onto a transparent resin. Further, the photosetting resin can be irradiated with light radiated from the outside by the mold transfer using this transmissive secondary mold. As described above, it is desirable that the structure for limiting the positional relationship between the first and second microstructured portions is provided in the secondary mold.
Ultraviolet-set resin may be used as a material transmitting light and constituting the secondary mold. (Although a thermosetting resin, an epoxy dry resin, a polycarbonate resin, a polyimide resin, and an ultraviolet-set resin can be used as the resin, a manufacturing method using an ultraviolet-set resin is described herein by way of example. Examples of the ultraviolet-set resin are radical polymerization resins, such as an unsaturated polyester resin, an acryl type or polyester acrylate resin, a polyester acrylate resin, a urethane acrylate resin, an epoxy acrylate resin, polyether acrylate resin, an acrylate resin of the type including an acryloyl group on the side chain thereof, a thiol-ene type polythiol acrylated drivative, and a polythiol spiroacetal resin, and cationic polymerization resins, such as an epoxy type or epoxy resin. These resins may be used.) Further, the secondary mold can be formed by applying an ultraviolet-set resin on the surface of a silicon substrate formed in such a way as to have a shape corresponding to the second microstructured portion by etching or corresponding to the second and third microstructured portions in the case of simultaneously transferring these microstructured portions. More preferably, putting a transparent plate material made of polycarbonate, glass, or polyimide on the ultraviolet-set resin at that time and then ultraviolet-curing the transparent plate material. Thus, the patterns of the silicon primary mold and the transmissive second mold can be easily produced.
In the case that the second microstructure is formed by the mold transfer, the predetermined shape and performance thereof can be obtained by performing the mold transfer once. However, a constituent part having high surface accuracy can be provided in the second microstructured portion by performing the mold transfer a plurality of times. For example, after a first part having a V-shaped groove of the second microstructured portion is formed in the first microstructured portion by the mold transfer, a surface of this part is used as a reflection surface. Thus, a metallic film made of gold, silver, or platinum is formed thereon by using means, such as sputtering, deposition, or crystal growth, in such a manner as to have a thickness of several hundreds xc3x85.
Furthermore, an ultraviolet-set resin is applied onto the V-shaped groove of the second microstructured portion and onto a region acting as a post portion that may be used as the third microstructured portion. Then, the planarized transparent member made of glass, polycarbonate, or acrylate is pressed thereagainst as the transfer mold. Consequently, the ultraviolet-set resin is cured by irradiating ultraviolet rays onto the planarized transparent member. Hence, the second microstructured portion having the V-shaped groove and the flat surface serving as the extraction surface can be manufactured. Thus, the second microstructured portion for switching, which has a surface for extracting the evanescent wave, and a reflection surface, can be manufactured. Consequently, a macromachine serving as a spatial light modulator using evanescent waves can be manufactured.
The positional relationship between the post and the switching portion can be determined with good accuracy by providing a predetermined step between the post, which serves as the third microstructured portion, and the switching portion, which serves as the second microstructured portion, in the transfer mold. Moreover, the step therebetween can be controlled with good precision. At that time, bubbles are removed from the resin by setting the ambient pressure at a value, which is lower than the atmospheric pressure, or evacuating so as to cause a vacuum state. Thus, as described above, a more flat microprism is produced. The switching accuracy is enhanced. Consequently, a stable switching operation and high contrast can be obtained.
Further, the second microstructured portion, from which light is extracted, is formed from the resin. Thus, as compared with the case of employing glass material, the hardness is low. Moreover, the flatness of the light extraction surface can be ensured by the mold transfer. This results in an increase in the adherence between the surface (namely, extraction surface) of the second microstructured portion and the surface of the light guiding portion adapted to guide light by performing the total reflection of the light. Thus, the micromachine of the present invention can provide a more stable switching operation and a high contrast spatial light modulator.
Further, the second microstructured portion can be formed by the combination of the mold transfer technique and the photolithography technique. For example, an unnecessary part of the second microstructured portion can be removed by using the photolithographic techniques, such as masking, wet etching, and dry etching. Furthermore, in the case that the second microstructured portion is made of resin, the unnecessary part can be removed by being irradiated with light emitted from an excimer laser. At that time, the sacrifice layer provided for fixing the first microstructured portion can be removed by etching.

Micromachine and manufacturing method therefor


A process for identifying and rejecting pile-up pulses in a system is provided. Preferably, the process is applied to mine detection where time is at a premium. A thermal neutron activator sensor (TNA) trails a mine-detecting vehicle and is dwells over the coordinates of a target of interest for a short a time as possible. The TNA interrogates the object with slow neutrons, the required time being brief due to the use of a strong source coupled with a the process for analyzing the resultant high number and rate of pulses and rejecting piled-up pulses. Specifically, low energy pulses are removed and the remaining pulse is analyzed for its shape in comparison to the known shape of a non-piled-up pulse. The pulse is integrated using a gated integrator between a designated portion the pulse and for the whole pulse. For a normal pulse, the difference between the two integrations produces a repeatable baseline which is zeroed out to a null difference. Thus any non-zero difference is illustrative of a piled-up pulse which can be rejected, thereby maintaining high count rates while continuing to distinguish and count nitrogen-related events indicative of explosives.

Much effort has been expended in area of ground-based detection of mines. While a number of technologies have been applied to the task, each is particular to the type of mine, the terrain, or the time pressures for detection, i.e. during the stress of combat or during peace time. There is an objective to obtain the highest probability of detection (Pd) and the lowest false alarm rate (FAR). Further, there is the objective cover ground at a high rate of speed which equates to clearance of mines at a faster rate.
Conventional methods include hand-held, ground based vehicle-mounted or airborne detectors. Vehicle-mounted detectors have a high ground speed and hand-held detectors are intended for places that vehicle-mounted detectors cannot reach. The hand-held detectors have a slow ground speed. Airborne detectors are fast but are designed for gross detection of minefields and as such generally have a lower Pd and higher FAR than the other two methods.
The prior art detection apparatus and methodology have employed a variety of different single sensor technologies, including electromagnetic induction, magnetometers, impedance measurements, ground probing radar, millimeter and microwave radiometry, optical and infrared imaging (IR), ultraviolet, acoustics, various nuclear methods, trace gas detection, biodetection, and mechanical probes.
Some hand-held sensors using electromagnetic induction detectors, achieve a desirably high Pd for metallic mines but can be associated with a high FAR, i.e. detecting metallic debris which are not mines. The applicants are not aware of hand-held detectors that can reliably detect nonmetallic mines.
Thermal Neutron Activation (TNA) is another known sensor technology for detection and relative quantification of nitrogen in nitrogen-based explosives. A long standing known application is the use of TNA for detection of explosives in baggage. Applicants are also aware of application of TNA applied to continuously moving mine-detection vehicles for dynamically detecting mines. It is applicant's understanding that this moving application has been unsuccessful thus far due to the incompatibility of covering ground relatively quickly and collecting sufficient gamma rays to reliably assess the nitrogen content of an object.
Prior art attempts have been attempted to assess the data from combinations of IR, radar and metal detectors. "Data Fusion" is known which combines and analyses a plurality of sensor data as a whole. In conventional information-analysis systems, individual data from each sensor is weighted or compared to a threshold, then combined for improving decision-making. One disadvantage with data fusion alone is that despite the potential for improved detection probabilities, there is also a greater likelihood of greater false positive detections.
For ground-based, vehicle-mounted mine detection, the majority of prior art systems are single sensor systems using electromagnetic induction (EMI) or ground penetrating radar (GPR). Known combinations of sensors include using forward-looking IR (FLIR) cameras, EMI arrays and GPR. To date, applicant's believe that data from each sensor has been presented separately to an operator who has had the very difficult task of sorting out the simultaneous information or a combination of sensors merely improves the likelihood of identifying potential hazardous objects
In short, the prior art teaches:
ground-based, vehicle-mounted sensors for detecting mines; PA1 use of multiple mine detecting sensors on one vehicle; PA1 data fusion techniques for combining the data from multiple sensors generally for improving the probability of detection; and PA1 use of massive TNA sensors for baggage interrogation or for detection under moving, short time duration sensing.
There is a demonstrated need for a system which will traverse the ground at a reasonable rate and rather than being able to suggest that the object is likely a mine, a system which will substantially confirming whether a detected object is a mine or not.
Thermal Neutron Activation (TNA) is known for inspecting baggage for the presence of nitrogen, a known constituent of explosives. Generally, a target of interest, such as baggage, is exposed to thermal (slow) neutrons. A reaction between the thermal neutrons and nitrogen-14 causes emission of gamma rays. The emitted gamma rays are captured, counted and processed with electronics to determine the presence or concentration of nitrogen.
To count the gamma rays, events detected by a scintillation crystal are converted to an output signal containing serial pulses. High energy pulses are sought as being indicative of the presence of nitrogen. Low energy pulses are ignored (by applying a threshold or fast discriminator). Unfortunately, as the rate of pulses increases, such as is the result of using a high strength source and a close target, low energy pulses can be too closely spaced in time and pile-up upon each other. The apparent energy of the low energy piled-up pulses can exceed the detection threshold and be incorrectly interpreted as a high energy pulse representing nitrogen. Methods are successfully practiced to reject such pileup at counting rates of upwards of 200,000 counts per second (cps).
Low efficiency detectors such as Germanium (Ge) directly generate pulses having a shape which can be processed with conventional amplifiers at count rates in the 200,000-400,000 cps. To use Germanium detectors would require use of very high strength sources or many detectors--the costs being 10 to 20 time greater than using Sodium Iodide. Further, the Germanium units require cryogenics. High efficiency detectors such as a Sodium Iodide detector (Nal) can use a lower strength source, but the detector collects and output pulses having a shape which is subject to greater incidences of pile-up. Applicant is not aware of amplifiers or methods for rejecting pile-up at count rates from Nal detectors of over 200,000 cps.
Should an object be deemed to be a mine, it needs to be marked for subsequent neutralization, usually by digging it out of the ground. The existing line marking and other spray paint means are substantially mass-less, are difficult to place on ground and are only visible if viewed substantially straight on. Further, paints and the like are usually associated with toxicity and are semi-permanent. There is opportunity and a need for a temporary, environmentally friendly and highly visible marking scheme.

Method for high speed pulse pile-up rejection

Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of National Defence


A systems integrator that brings various separate systems into one keyboard, video and mouse configuration with customized viewing of the different monitors on one large screen LCD monitor. This permits a user to control the display of several video/audio inputs simply and efficiently, for many diverse purposes including medical procedures, and other complex operations requiring multiple computer displays and video inputs.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to multiple selectable systems integrated display and control functions units and particularly to for multiple selectable systems integrated display and control functions units electrophysiology and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cardiac Electrophysiology (EP) is a practice of cardiology that uses specialized catheters to map and redirect electrical pathways in the heart. This usually requires the use of other support systems such as physiologic (e.g., BP, HR and Oxygen Saturation or O2Sat) data, catheter navigation equipment (e.g., GE/Pruka, MedSystems, Whitt, Carto, ESI), Ablation modules (e.g., Cryo, EPT), ultrasound equipment e.g., (Intracardiac Echo or ICE), and radiology imaging and pacing modules.
Many of these systems have their own computers, each of which has a separate monitor, keyboard and mouse configuration requiring the technologist or physician to access many different systems separately. This, of course, causes problems because this access must be done quickly. Therefore, not only must the technologist and physician concentrate on the procedure at hand, they must also deal with the technological complexities of these various systems.
This situation can only lead to increased stress for the technologist and physician. Moreover, these complexities can also leads to errors, which may lead to unfortunate consequences for patients.

Multiple-input selectable systems integrated display and control functions unit for electrophysiology and the like


An X-ray diffractometer has an X-ray source (10), a double pinhole collimator (14), a sample (22) mounted on a rotatable sample stage (20), an analyser crystal (30) and a detector (34). The analyser crystal and detector are arranged to rotate together about an axis (21) that is coaxial with the axis of rotation of the sample stage. Very few scattered X-rays (26) reach the detector (34). The diffractometer has particular use for routine quality control measurements.

The invention relates to an X-ray diffractometer.
X-ray diffractometers have been used for many years for analysing perfect, nearly perfect and highly imperfect materials on a routine basis.
An early high resolution diffractometer is the double-crystal diffractometer which is illustrated in FIG. 1. An X-ray source 1 transmits X-rays to a collimating crystal 3 which directs them onto a sample 5 which can be rotated about an axis 7. The X-rays are diffracted by the sample 5 onto a detector 9. The sample is then rotated and the intensity of X-rays reaching the detector is measured as a function of the angle of this rotation. This structure is still widely used, and gives good results especially on perfect and near-perfect samples.
Unfortunately, double crystal diffractometers have a number of disadvantages. Firstly, the Bragg angle of the collimating crystal 3 has to match that of the sample 5. The matching of the collimating crystal and the sample crystal is very important and the resolution is fixed by the crystals. Accordingly, a different collimating crystal 3 is required for each new sample material.
Secondly, the X-rays in a double crystal diffractometer reach a large and ill-defined region of the sample. Since this ill-defined region is the region analysed, X-ray diffractometers do not give good results for non crystalline materials or materials with defects.
Thirdly, in a double crystal diffractometer a number of different wavelengths are diffracted into the detector simultaneously. This reduces the precision and resolution of the results.
Fourthly, there is a large background level of illumination that reaches the detector from imperfect samples which makes analysis of any results a problem.
Furthermore, the double crystal diffractometer is very sensitive to the alignment and significant changes can be observed with a tilt angle varying by only 0.2xc2x0. This makes the double crystal diffractometer difficult to set up.
A number of proposals to alleviate some of these problems have been made.
Bartels describes a diffractometer which removes the inconvenience of having to change the crystal in xe2x80x9cCharacterization of Thin Layers on Perfect Crystals with a Multipurpose High Resolution X-ray Diffractometerxe2x80x9d, Bartels, Journal Vacuum Science and Technology B Volume 1 page 338 (1983). Bartels replaced the collimating crystal of a double crystal diffractometer with two channel-cut monochromators which provide a good monochromator with a very narrow angular divergence. However, this change to the double-crystal diffractometer geometry does not solve many of the problems of the double-crystal diffractometer. In particular, the Bartels diffractometer cannot be used for interpreting complex diffraction patterns from all but the most perfect and flat samples.
Another prior art design is a triple-crystal diffractometer which overcomes the problem of a bent sample and produces a significantly improved diffraction profile. This is illustrated in FIG. 2. The triple crystal diffractometer differs from the double crystal diffractometer by having a further analysing crystal 4 interposed between the sample 5 and the detector 9. Each of the crystals is independently rotatable. The analyser acts as a detector with a very narrow angular acceptance.
Unfortunately, away from the position in which all three crystals have the same scattering angle the recorded intensity profile recorded at the detector broadens rapidly. Furthermore, alignment is very difficult and this configuration has accordingly only been used by a few research groups. Moreover, each new sample still requires a new collimating crystal.
The current state of the art commercial instrument is a multiple crystal diffractometer, in which the collimating crystal 3 of the triple crystal diffractometer is replaced by a multiple crystal collimating arrangement.
Commercial diffractometers may be used in particular for quality control. In practice it is the double crystal approach that has traditionally been used, and the very difficult alignment of the triple-axis diffractometer is normally avoided. Although the multiple crystal diffractometer is an excellent research instrument, it has not replaced the simpler double crystal diffractometer for production line control. In view of the disadvantages of the double crystal configuration mentioned above there is a need for an alternative X-ray diffractometer suitable for routine use that addresses these disadvantages.
According to the invention there is provided an X-ray diffractometer, comprising
a sample stage for mounting a sample, the sample stage being rotatable about an axis,
a double pinhole collimator for directing X-ray radiation to a sample on the sample stage,
a detector for detecting X-rays diffracted by the sample, and
an analyser crystal arranged between the sample stage and the detector to direct X-rays diffracted by the sample onto the detector,
wherein the analyser crystal and detector are rotatable about an axis that is coaxial with the axis of rotation of the sample stage.
The new instrument reverses the crystals of a conventional double crystal arrangement and provides the second crystal after the sample rather than before. This gives greater precision in the measurement of the scattered beam direction which is most crucial for coping with imperfect materials. Moreover, the arrangement removes the need for precise wavelength control of the probing beam, which is why it is possible to replace the collimating crystal of a triple-axis arrangement with a double pinhole collimator.
As will be apparent from experimental results presented later, the diffractometer according to the inventor produces results approaching, possibly in some cases even surpassing, those obtained using a multiple crystal diffractometer. This is in spite of the fact that the diffractometer according to the invention is very much simpler to set up and to use.
The analysed region of the sample is much better defined and smaller in the diffractometer according to the invention than in a conventional double crystal diffractometer. This is because the sample is placed after the pinhole collimator. This produces a spot on a sample mounted on the sample stage with a well-defined central region (the umbra) and very little X-ray intensity in the penumbra (the region surrounding the umbra). To obtain a well defined and small region using a conventional double crystal diffractometer would require either a smaller spot area or alternatively complex focusing optics. These are not required in the diffractometer according to the invention.
A further difference over a conventional double crystal diffractometer is the narrow angular acceptance of the analyser, i.e. the analyser crystal can be nearly perfect and can direct into the detector X-rays only in a narrow angular range around the correct angle of incidence.
A significant advantage of the invention is that the combination of a well defined analysed region of the sample and the narrow angular acceptance of the analyser can greatly reduce the background and diffuse scattering that can easily make analysis a problem using a conventional double crystal diffractometer. Such scatter might frequently in prior art arrangements be X-rays diffracted from imperfect regions of the sample or from X-rays diffracted along paths not of interest to the analysis. Similarly the curvature of the sample will have a smaller influence on the breadth of the recorded intensity profile because of the narrow double pinhole collimator and analyser crystal.
In particular the combination of the well defined small analysed region and the narrow angular acceptance of the analyser crystal and detector greatly improves the performance with imperfect samples. In such imperfect sample small mosaic block sizes, defects, microscopic tilts and curvature can make it very difficult to analysis any data obtained with a conventional double crystal diffractometer. Whilst a triple axis diffractometer can significantly improve the resolution such triple axis diffractometers are extremely difficult to set up and therefore less suited to fast and routine analysis for quality control applications.
The measurement of the scattering angle is very robust. Even moving the sample out with respect to the sample stage so that the sample is one millimeter away from the optimal position gave a reproducibility of 0.0001xc2x0 in the measured scattering angle on a 004 reflection of a high quality silicon sample. Even with such a grossly misaligned sample the value of the lattice perimeter was measured to be 5.43104 xc3x85 which is within 1.8 ppm of the accepted value. Measurement of a slightly damaged piece of silicon gave a measurably different value of 5.43113 xc3x85.
A further benefit of the invention is that the diffractometer is not particularly sensitive to alignment. Tilting the sample does not give rise to significant loss of quality. This occurs because the analysing crystal can be precisely aligned and the X-rays hitting the sample are less precisely aligned than when using a collimating crystal and so the analysis is less sensitive to inaccuracies in alignment. Thus, in many cases experiments may be carried out without any tilt alignment.
The insensitivity of the diffractometer according to the invention both to tilt angle and to exact sample alignment makes the diffractometer easier to use, and hence can speed up analysis.
The analyser crystal and detector are preferably rotatable about an axis that is coaxial with the axis of rotation of the sample stage. The measured analyser angle is then the true scattering angle.
The use of the analyser crystal also significantly improves dispersive effects caused by the plurality of wavelengths in the X-ray source. This means that the same analyser crystal can be used for a whole range of experiments. This is not possible with a conventional double crystal diffractometer since the sample axis is rotated and all wavelengths that are scattered from the collimating crystal may arrive at the detector.
If the discrimination is required to be improved a small slit may be placed in front of the analyser crystal or in front of the detector. By placing the discrimination far from the source in this way a larger separation of angles for different wavelengths is obtained which makes it much easier to discriminate between those different wavelengths than would be possible in prior approaches.
The pinhole size may be adjustable which allows the resolution to be changed depending on the sample. This change in pinhole size can also allow the adjustment of the area of the sample analysed. A small spot size can allow the resolution to be roughly good as with a multiple crystal diffractometer configuration. Larger spot sizes can increase x-ray intensity and hence measurement speeds. Such adjustment is particularly useful for quality control of discrete devices.
The X-ray diffractometer may further include a drive to rotate the sample stage and the analyser crystal and detector in a 1:2 ratio. Each stage may be separately driven under computer control.
In another aspect there is provided a method of X-ray diffractometery, comprising
directing X-rays through a double pinhole collimator onto a sample to be measured,
diffracting the X-rays diffracted by the sample from an analyser crystal onto a detector,
rotating the sample and rotating the analyser crystal and detector about coaxial axes, and
measuring the diffracted X-ray intensity as a function of the angle of rotation of the sample and the angle of rotation of the analyser crystal and detector.
The method may include varying the size of at least one pinhole in the double pinhole collimator.
It is possible to measure the scattering angle to within 0.0001xc2x0 but it is inconvenient to have to align a sample on the sample stage to this very high level of accuracy. Accordingly, the method may include the steps of
mounting the sample on a sample stage;
rotating the analyser crystal and detector to a predetermined position;
rotating the sample whilst keeping the analyser crystal and detector in the predetermined position and measuring the X-rays reaching the detector as a function of angle of sample rotation; and
determining the sample rotation angle at which the measured X-rays are at a peak and rotating the sample to that angle.
In this way the sample can be mounted on the stage without needing accurate alignment and the sample can then be aligned by rotating the sample to the angle wherein an X-ray peak is measured, without having to align the sample to the sample stage with extreme accuracy.
The method may further comprise the step of rotating the sample and the analyser crystal and detector with rotation speeds substantially in a 1:2 ratio.


The present invention is directed generally to fiber reinforced polypropylene compositions, and the beneficial mechanical properties imparted by such compositions. The fiber reinforced polypropylene compositions include at least 25 wt % polypropylene based polymer, from 5 to 60 wt % organic fiber, and from 0 to 60 wt % inorganic filler. Lubricant may also be optionally incorporated into the composition. Articles molded from these fiber reinforced polypropylene compositions have a flexural modulus of at least 300,000 psi, and exhibit ductility during instrumented impact testing. The fiber reinforced polypropylene compositions of the present invention are particularly suitable for making molded articles including, but not limited to household appliances, automotive parts, and boat hulls.

Polyolefins have limited use in engineering applications due to the tradeoff between toughness and stiffness. For example, polyethylene is widely regarded as being relatively tough, but low in stiffness. Polypropylene generally displays the opposite trend, i.e., is relatively stiff, but low in toughness.
Several well known polypropylene compositions have been introduced which address toughness. For example, it is known to increase the toughness of polypropylene by adding rubber particles, either in-reactor resulting in impact copolymers, or through post-reactor blending. However, while toughness is improved, the stiffness is considerably reduced using this approach.
Glass reinforced polypropylene compositions have been introduced to improve stiffness. However, the glass fibers have a tendency to break in typical injection molding equipment, resulting in reduced toughness and stiffness. In addition, glass reinforced products have a tendency to warp after injection molding
Another known method of improving physical properties of polyolefins is organic fiber reinforcement. For example, EP Patent Application 0397881, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, discloses a composition produced by melt-mixing 100 parts by weight of a polypropylene resin and 10 to 100 parts by weight of polyester fibers having a fiber diameter of 1 to 10 deniers, a fiber length of 0.5 to 50 mm and a fiber strength of 5 to 13 g/d, and then molding the resulting mixture. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,639,424 to Gray, Jr. et al., the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, discloses a composition including a polymer, such as polypropylene, and uniformly dispersed therein at least about 10% by weight of the composition staple length fiber, the fiber being of man-made polymers, such as poly(ethylene terephthalate) or poly(1,4-cyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate).
Fiber reinforced polypropylene compositions are also disclosed in PCT Publication WO02/053629, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. More specifically, WO02/053629 discloses a polymeric compound, comprising a thermoplastic matrix having a high flow during melt processing and polymeric fibers having lengths of from 0.1 mm to 50 mm. The polymeric compound comprises between 0.5 wt % and 10 wt % of a lubricant.
Various modifications to organic fiber reinforced polypropylene compositions are also known. For example, polyolefins modified with maleic anhydride or acrylic acid have been used as the matrix component to improve the interface strength between the synthetic organic fiber and the polyolefin, which was thought to enhance the mechanical properties of the molded product made therefrom.
Other background references include PCT Publication WO90/05164; EP Patent Application 0669372; U.S. Pat. No. 6,395,342 to Kadowaki et al.; EP Patent Application 1075918; U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,891 to Yasukawa et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,892 to Yasukawa et al.; and EP Patent 0232522, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
A need exists of an improved polypropylene based fiber composite that yields a combination of improved impact resistance/toughness, and stiffness for use in molded articles at favorable raw material and manufacturing costs. In addition, the polypropylene-fiber compositions when formed into molded articles will ideally not splinter after subjected to break through drop weight impact testing.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Exxonmobil Research and Engineering Company


A computer controlled grinding machine programmed so as to control the machine by calculating the wellhead demand positions which takes into account the difference in height between the workpiece axis of rotation and the grinding wheel axis of rotation to produce a height adjusted value for P. The following equation is used to compute the position demand values for a crankpin of a crankshaft, namely: P=(T* cos A)+(R+r)2xe2x88x92((T* sin A)+H)2), where P is the eight adjusted) demand position of the grinding wheel at each instant; R is the current radius of the grinding wheel; r is the target radius for the crankpin (18); T is the throw of the crankpin around the main crankshaft axis (16); A is the angular position of the crankshaft relative to the start position; and H is the vertical height between the two axes (the height error). The value for P is typically calculated for each of 3600 angular positions during one revolution of the crankshaft.

This invention concerns the grinding of workpieces such as crankpins and the cam regions of cam shafts, where the grinding wheel performing the grinding is moved towards and away from the axis about which the workpiece is rotating so as to maintain engagement with the surface thereof which is to be ground, as the workpiece rotates around its main axis such as in the case of a crankpin which precesses around the main crankshaft axis, as the latter rotates.
The advance and withdrawal of the grinding wheel is normally under computer control and with the current development of grinding machines, errors which hitherto were present in ground workpieces have been largely eliminated by appropriate programming and secondary errors which were previously masked by the larger process errors, have now begun to be revealed.
Errors such as out of roundness of 1 or 2 microns, can result in unwelcome wear of a final component such as between a crankpin and lower big end bearing.
Errors which have already been accommodated, can arise from the varying height of the axis of the workpiece region which is being ground (such as the orbital movement of a crankpin as the crankshaft rotates), relative to the horizontal plane containing the axis about which the grinding wheel rotates. Typically the throw of a crankshaft is the order of a few centimeters and there is thus a considerable variation in height of the axis of the pin relative to the horizontal plane containing the wheel axis of rotation as the pins are rotated due to the rotation of the crankshaft. The grinding wheel is moved towards and away from the crankshaft so as to maintain the grinding contact with the surface of the pin at all times as the latter is rotated around the main crankshaft axis, but, assuming that the crankpin axis lies in the same horizontal plane as the axis of rotation of the grinding wheel, there are only two points during each rotation of the crankshaft when the pin axis also occupies that same plane. These are at 3 o""clock and 9 o""clock positions. At the 12 o""clock and 6 o""clock positions, the pin axis will be at the maximum displacement above and below the plane and at all intermediate positions, the height of the pin will vary relative to the plane.
The reference to a horizontal plane presupposes that the movement of the grinding wheel is in a horizontal sense without any divergence therefrom. This is normally the case but for the avoidance of doubt, it is to be understood that if the locus of the grinding wheel axis as the latter is moved towards and away from the workpiece, is in a plane which is not horizontal, the same considerations still apply with regard to the alignment of the crankshaft axis with the wheel axis, except that the xe2x80x9c3 o""clockxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c9 o""clockxe2x80x9d positions now correspond to when the crankpin axis lies within the plane containing the path of the movement of the wheel axis.
Computer controlled grinding machines have been programmed to alter the wheelhead demand positions during the crankpin rotation, to compensate for the errors which can result from the varying height of the crankpin as the crankshaft rotates. Such a machine will be referred to as xe2x80x9cof the type describedxe2x80x9d.
In the more general case, the main axis of rotation of the crankshaft (or cam shaft as the case may be) will not normally occupy the same plane as the path of movement of the grinding wheel axis as the latter is moved towards and away from the workpiece, so that there is a constant height error to be taken into account. Effectively this introduces a degree of non-symmetry into the errors arising during the rotation of the crankshaft or cam shaft, which would generally be symmetrical if the workpiece axis and grinding wheel axis occupied the same plane as the path of movement of the grinding wheel axis towards and away from the workpiece.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a solution to this problem.
According to the present invention in a computer controlled grinding machine programmed so as to control the machine by calculating the wheelhead demand positions so as to grind the desired workpiece using appropriate parameters for the workpiece such as roundness, diameter, throw and taper (if required) based on the assumption that the workpiece axis and grinding wheel axis occupy the same plane as does the path of movement of the wheel axis towards and away from the workpiece, wherein the machine is also programmed to alter the wheelhead demand position during workpiece rotation to compensate for errors resulting from the varying height of the workpiece as the latter rotates, and wherein a demand position value is computed which takes into account the difference in height between the workpiece axis of rotation and the grinding wheel axis of rotation for each of a plurality of rotational positions of the workpiece around its axis and stored for each position, prior to grinding, and the wheelhead position demand signals employed during grinding of the workpiece are derived from the stored values.
If the difference in height between a crankshaft workpiece axis and the wheel axis is H, then in accordance with the invention, the demand position value (P) for each angular position of the workpiece A (measured in the direction of rotation of the workpiece around its main axis from a start position) is given by the following equation:
P=(T* cos A)+(R+r)2xe2x88x92((T* sin A)+H)2)xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
Where:
R is the current radius of the grinding wheel,
r is the target radius for the crankpin, and
T is the throw of the crankpin around the main crankshaft axis.
Typically the grinding wheel rotates in one sense, e.g. clockwise, and the crankshaft rotates in the opposite sense, e.g. anti-clockwise, and the start position is when the grinding wheel is at its furthest (most rearward) position relative to the crankshaft axis, and the crankpin and crankshaft axes occupy the same horizontal plane.
Typically the computed value for P is calculated for each of 3600 positions during one revolution of the workpiece, ie from A=0 to 2xcfx80 (which in the case of a rotating crankshaft results in turn in one revolution of the crankpin about its axis).
Preferably during grinding of the crankpin, the value for P is calculated at each of a succession of equally spaced apart points in time from the beginning of the grind, by using the appropriate value for P from the stored values of P, or where the angular position of the workpiece at any instant does not correspond precisely with an angular position at which a value for P has been stored, a value for P is computed by interpolating between the two adjoining stored values for P.
It has been found that a 0.1 millimeter height discrepancy H can result in a 1 micron roundness error, ie a 1 micron necking of what should otherwise be a circular cross-section.
The invention also lies in a computer controlled grinding machine as aforesaid in which the computer is loaded with a program and operated to calculate and store in a memory the demand position (P) for the wheelhead using and equation for (P) taking account of any non-circularity or non-concentric rotation of the workpiece, together with any difference in height between the workpiece and wheel axes, for each of a plurality of positions during one revolution of the workpiece, and the wheelhead feed is subsequently controlled by signals derived from the stored values of (P), during a subsequent grinding of the workpiece.
The invention also lies in a method of controlling the wheelhead of a computer controlled grinding machine so as to accommodate errors which would arise due to misalignment of the horizontal planes containing the wheel axis and the main axis about which the workpiece is rotated; wherein as a first step, a computer is loaded with a program which enables the instantaneous demand position for the wheelhead (P) to be calculated for each of N positions of the workpiece for a single revolution of the workpiece, and storing the computed value of (P), and as a second step, during grinding of the workpiece, computing the demand position for the wheelhead at each of a succession of equally spaced apart points in time from the start of grinding, by relating the time to the angular position of the workpiece and using the N stored values and interpolating between them where values for P required are intermediate the values stored for particular angular positions, and as a third step generating a demand position control signal for controlling the wheelhead during grinding using the stored and/or interpolated demand position values for P.
Preferably in the above method the value of P is recalculated at 1 ms intervals during the grinding.
The invention also lies in workpieces when ground using a grinding machine as aforesaid or a grinding machine operating in accordance with the above method.


The defibrillator pad of the present invention comprises a lower layer of electrically conductive tacky polymer and an upper layer of filamentous carbon fabric. The pad is placed on the patient's chest with the polymer layer facing downwardly in contact with the patient's chest and with the carbon layer facing upwardly for engagement with the electrodes of the defibrillator paddles.

This invention relates to a defibrillator pad assembly and a method for using same.
Defibrillation is a process used for patients encountering fibrillation of the heart. The defibrillation process involves placing two electrode paddles on the patient's chest and applying a high density, electrical current to the patient so as to stimulate the heart and correct the fibrillation of the heart.
Dry skin on a patient causes the interface between the metal defibrillator paddles and the skin to have a high impedance. This can cause severe skin burns and may cause a significant reduction in the current delivered to the heart so as to prevent successful defibrillation.
Present methods for applying the defibrillator paddles to the skin involve the use of electrically conductive gels which are applied to the patient's skin and which are also applied to the defibrillator paddles. Often the gel is incompletely applied leaving bare spots between the paddle and the patient's skin. These bare spots may result in burning of the patient's skin during discharge. Also, it is necessary for the user of the paddles to continue to apply pressure between the paddle and the patient's skin in order to insure a positive electrical contact therebetween.
Another disadvantage of presently used gels is that they are messy. Also, the gel often gets on the user's hands and arms, making it difficult for the user to perform other functions such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Another presently used method for defibrillating involves the use of moisturized polymer pads which are enclosed within an airtight envelope. The pads are removed from the envelope and placed on the patient's chest immediately prior to use. Then the defibrillator paddles are placed over the pads in preparation for their use. The disadvantage of these moisturized pads is that they tend to harden and become brittle after prolonged exposure to the atmosphere. Furthermore, they do not provide a strong adhesive bond between the pad and the patient's chest, and therefore, they sometimes slip or move after use.
Another method for defibrillating involves the use of a pad such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,630. The method disclosed in this patent shows a polymer pad which is tacky and adhesive in its characteristics. It is also a good electrical conductor. The polymer pad is placed over the electrode on the defibrillator paddle. Then the paddle with the polymer pad thereon is placed over the patient's chest. The tackiness of the polymer pad causes the defibrillator paddle to adhere to the pad and also causes the polymer pad to adhere to the patient's chest, thereby providing a good electrical contact between the paddle and the chest.
Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is the provision of an improved defibrillator pad assembly and method for using same.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a defibrillator pad assembly which utilizes conductive pads having a tacky undersurface, but having an upper surface which is substantially less tacky so that the defibrillator paddles can be easily removed from the pad.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved defibrillator pad assembly which utilizes pads which can be quickly adhered to the patient's chest and left there for a period of time during transporting of the patient.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved defibrillator pad having an adhesive electrically conductive polymer on its lower surface and having a layer of filamentous carbon fabric on its upper surface.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved defibrillator pad assembly and method for using same which is economical, efficient in operation, and inexpensive.

Defibrillator pad assembly and method for using same


An adaptive control system, for a plant such as a servo motor, a heat pump and the like where its input distribution matrix is known and the number of effective inputs is the same as the number of independent outputs, comprising: an unknown dynamics value production circuit for producing an unknown dynamics value by adding a derivative value of a detected state output value of said plant, negative quantity of multiplication of an input value of said plant and an input distribution matrix value of said plant, and negative quantity of a known value of said plant; a non-identity filter, except for a time delay element, for producing a filtered unknown dynamics value which is close to but not exactly the same as said unknown dynamics value; a control input value production circuit for producing a control input value to said plant by using said filtered unknown dynamics value.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an adaptive control system which controls a physical plant such as a servo motor, a heat pump and the like with unknown dynamics and disturbances.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional adaptive control system, the Time Delay Controller (TDC), has been proposed by K. YOUCEF-TOUMI and O. ITO, the inventor of this invention, in a paper, "A Time Delay Controller for Systems with Unknown Dynamics" in pages 904 through 911 of the Proceedings of 1988 American Control Conference.
The TDC deals with a physical plant expressed in a state space dynamic equation where an input distribution is known and the number of effective inputs is the same as the number of independent outputs. For this class of physical plants, an object of the TDC is to eliminate an error, which is defined as a difference between a desired output of a reference model and an actual output of a physical plant. In order to achieve the object, an unknown dynamics value is estimated using a time delay based on observation of inputs and state outputs. The TDC cancels the estimated unknown dynamics value, cancels an undesired known dynamics value, inserts a desired dynamics value of a reference model, and adjusts dynamics of the error. The above mentioned paper shows the TDC's excellent robustness properties to unknown dynamics and disturbances.
However, the TDC has the following three disadvantages from a practical point of view.
(1) A time delay is difficult to implement.
(2) The controller does not work successfully when either a state output value, a known dynamics value or an input distribution matrix value changes quickly.
(3) A reference model is not useful when an output of a physical plant should continuously follow a certain desired trajectory defined as a function of time.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A method for managing neighbor cell interference comprises: a step of measuring inter-cell interference control information by subframe units; and a step of transmitting the inter-cell interference control information measured by subframe units, to at least one neighbor cell for each of the subframes. The interference management method of the present invention dynamically performs neighbor cell interference management under the condition where neighbor cell interference changes in terms of time, thus improving performance of a system. Further, the interference management method of the present invention maps a wireless resource property pattern to a cell ID. Consequently, the system adopting the method of the present invention exhibits excellent performance in any environment.

1. Technical Field
Example embodiments of the present invention relate to methods of controlling interference between neighboring cells and apparatuses for managing interference.
2. Related Art
3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE) systems effectively manage neighboring cell's interference by defining inter-cell interference control information such as relative narrowband transmit power (RNTP), an RNTP threshold, an uplink (UL) high interference indication (HII), and a UL interference overload indication (IOI) and by causing the inter-cell interference control information to be exchanged between cells.
An RNTP value for a certain physical resource block (PRB) may be 0 or 1. Here, RNTP value 0 means that maximum transmit power of the PRB does not exceed a certain threshold, and RNTP value 1 means that the maximum transmit power is not limited. The RNTP threshold is a parameter which decides a threshold for the above-described maximum transmit power.
A UL HII value for the certain PRB may be 0 or 1. Here, UL HII value 0 indicates low interference sensitivity, and UL HII value 1 indicates high interference sensitivity.
A UL IOI value for the certain PRB may be one of values of high interference, medium interference, and low interference. The high interference means that neighboring cell's interference to the PRB is high, the low interference means that the neighboring cell's interference to the PRB is low, and the medium interference means that the neighboring cell's interference to the PRB is medium.
As defined above, RNTP, UL HII, and UL IOI can be differently set according to each PRB. Accordingly, an RNTP vector, a UL HII vector, a UL IOI vector, and the like can be defined. An jth element value of the RNTP vector is an RNTP value for an jth PRB. An jth element value of the UL HII vector is a UL HII value for the jth PRB. An jth element value of the UL IOI vector is a UL IOI value for the jth PRB.
In a scheme of a related art, the same RNTP vector, the same UL HII vector, the same UL IOI vector, and the same RNTP threshold are used throughout all subframes. That is, static interference management is performed in a time domain.
As a method of effectively handling neighboring cell's interference, there is a method of classifying radio resources into one or more radio resource groups, generating one or more radio resource attribute patterns from radio resource attributes, mapping radio resource attribute patterns to cell identities (IDs), and enabling each cell to use a radio resource according to a radio resource attribute pattern mapped to each cell's own cell ID.
The performance of the above-described method can be maximized when the following two items are optimally designed.                Radio resource attribute patterns to be used        Functions of defining mapping between radio resource attribute patterns and cell IDs
However, the optimal radio resource attribute pattern and mapping are determined by various environmental factors, for example, a cell density, a frequency band used for radio resource, and the like.

Method and apparatus for controlling neighbor cell interference

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A circuit and method to drive an H-bridge circuit are disclosed. The H-bridge circuit uses NMOS transistors for both the upper and lower sets of transistors. An inductive head is coupled between the terminals of the transistors. When a logic signal is received, one of the upper transistors is driven. The upper transistor selected to be driven is responsive to the logic signal. A corresponding lower transistor is also driven, forcing current through the inductive head in a first direction. The driving circuit for the lower transistors includes a programmable circuit structured to capacitively couple the output of the driving circuit to a pull-up voltage, thereby allowing the amount of current forced through the inductive head to be maximized for optimum data transfer. Within the programmable voltage boost circuit are several logic gates, each coupled to a capacitor of differing value. When the circuit is manufactured, the inductive head is tested to determine the capacitance value to be coupled to the lower driving transistors for improved operation. Codes are stored on the chip that identify the corresponding logic gate or gates to obtain the selected capacitance. The selected logic gates are enabled when the H-bridge circuit is operational. The boosted driving circuits are used to quickly change the direction of the flux through the inductive head.

Most computer systems include one or more associated disk drives, which may be built into or external to the computer system. Typically, disk drives have at least one rotating magnetic medium and associated head mechanisms that are carried adjacent the magnetic material. The heads are radially positionable to selectively write information to, or read information from, precise positions on the disk medium. Such disk drives may be, for example, hard disk drives, floppy drives, or the like.
Data is written to the associated data disk by applying a series of signals to a write head according to the digital information to be stored on the magnetic disk media. The write head has a coil and one or more associated pole pieces that are located in close proximity to the disk media. As signals cause the magnetic flux to change in the head, the magnetic domains of the magnetic media of the disk are aligned in predetermined directions for subsequent read operations. Typically, a small space of unaligned magnetic media separates each magnetic domain transition to enable successive transitions on the magnetic media to be distinguished from each other.
Since the disk is moving relative to the head, it can be seen that if the small space separating the magnetic domain transitions is not sufficiently wide, difficulty may be encountered in distinguishing successive magnetic transitions. This may result in errors in reading the data contained on the disk, which is, of course, undesirable.
Meanwhile, as computers are becoming faster, it is becoming increasingly important to increase the speed at which data can be written to and read from the disk media. However, since the data signals are in the form of square wave transitions, if the rise time of the leading edges of the square waves is large, the small space between magnetic media transitions also becomes large, which reduces the effective rate at which data can be accurately written and read. Since the write head assembly includes at least one coil, forcing the current to rise rapidly, or to reverse flux directions within the write head is difficult.
In the past, data writing circuits used to supply such write signals to the heads included preamplifier circuits to drive the current through selected legs of an "H-bridge" circuit, which is capable of allowing relatively fast current reversals for accurate data reproduction.
As mentioned above, as data rates increase, the rates at which the heads can accurately write the data to the magnetic media is limited by the speed at which the flux in the inductive coil of a write head (and its associated components) can be reversed. The maximum data rate is thus limited to the maximum physical flux reversal rate of the driver circuitry.
What is needed, therefore, is a method and circuit for driving an inductive load of the type used in conjunction with a write head of a disk drive with a signal that enables a maximum flux reversal rate in the driver coil.

Method and apparatus to drive the coil of a magnetic write head


A discharge ionization current detector using a low-frequency barrier discharge is provided to improve the linearity of detection sensitivity with respect to a sample introduction amount. From a lower end of a lower gas passage connected to a lower end of an upper gas passage, a dilution gas is supplied upward against a downward flow of a plasma gas. A gas discharge passage for discharging a plasma gas, the dilution gas and a sample gas is arranged between an ion-collecting electrode and a bias voltage application electrode. The sample gas introduced through a capillary tube is mixed with the plasma gas and the dilution gas due to a disturbed flow generated by collision of the plasma gas and the dilution gas. The sample component is efficiently ionized by light from the plasma without undergoing light-shielding effect of concentrated sample components.

As a detector for a gas chromatograph, various types of detectors have been practically applied, such as a thermal conductivity detector (TCD), electron capture detector (ECD), flame ionization detector (FID), flame photometric detector (FPD), and flame thermionic detector (FTD). Among these detectors, the FID is most widely used, particularly for the purpose of detecting organic substances. The FID is a device that ionizes sample components in a sample gas by hydrogen flame and detects the resultant ion current. It can attain a wide dynamic range of approximately six orders of magnitude. However, the FID has the following drawbacks: (1) Its ionization efficiency is low, so that its minimum detectable amount is not sufficiently low. (2) Its ionization efficiency for alcohols, aromatic substances, and chlorine substances is low. (3) It requires hydrogen, which is a highly hazardous substance; therefore, an explosion-proof apparatus or similar kind of special equipment must be provided, which makes the entire system more difficult to operate.
On the other hand, as a detector capable of high-sensitivity detection of various compounds from inorganic substances to low-boiling organic compounds, a pulsed discharge detector (PDD) has conventionally been known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). In the PDD, the molecules of helium or another substance are excited by a high-voltage pulsed discharge. When those molecules return from their excited state to the ground state, they generate optical energy. This optical energy is utilized to ionize a molecule to be analyzed, and an ion current produced by the generated ions is detected to obtain a detection signal corresponding to the amount (concentration) of the molecule to be analyzed.
In most cases, the PDD can attain higher ionization efficiencies than the FID. For example, the ionization efficiency of the FID for propane is no higher than 0.0005%, whereas the PDD can achieve a level as high as 0.07%. Despite this advantage, the dynamic range of the PDD is not as wide as that of the FID; the fact is that the former is lower than the latter by one or more orders of magnitude. This is one of the reasons why the PDD is not as widely used as the FID.
The most probable constraining factors for the dynamic range of the conventional PDD are the unstableness of the plasma created for the ionization and the periodic fluctuation of the plasma state. To solve this problem, a discharge ionization current detector has been proposed (for example, refer to Patent Document 2). This detector uses a low-frequency AC-excited dielectric barrier discharge (which is hereinafter referred to as the "low-frequency barrier discharge") to create a stable and steady state of plasma. The plasma created by the low-frequency barrier discharge is non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma, which does not become hot as easily as the plasma created by the radio-frequency discharge. Furthermore, the periodic fluctuation of the plasma, which occurs due to the transition of the voltage application state if the plasma is created by the pulsed high-voltage excitation, is prevented, so that a stable and steady state of plasma can be easily obtained. Based on these findings, the present inventors have conducted various kinds of research on the discharge ionization current detector using a low-frequency barrier discharge and have made many proposals on this technique (for example, refer to Patent Documents 3 and 4).
As described previously, the low-frequency barrier discharge creates a stable plasma state and is also advantageous for noise reduction. Therefore, the discharge ionization current detector using the low-frequency barrier discharge can attain a high SN ratio. However, the conventional discharge ionization current detector using the low-frequency barrier discharge also has problems one of which is poor linearity of detection sensitivity.
FIG. 3 is a graph showing an example of actually measured values of the detection sensitivity in the FID and a conventional general-type discharge ionization current detector when octane (C8H18) is measured. In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis indicates a logarithmic value of a sample introduction amount, while the vertical axes indicate the detection sensitivity. In the vertical axes, the left-hand axis indicates a scale for the FID while the right-hand axis indicates a scale for the discharge ionization current detector. As for the discharge ionization current detector, it can be recognized that the absolute value of the detection sensitivity is higher than that for the FID by approximately two orders of magnitude, while the range where the linearity of the sensitivity with respect to the sample introduction amount is maintained is narrower than that for the FID. The sensitivity remarkably decreases particularly in an area where the sample concentration is high. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the linearity of the sensitivity is practically kept in the area lower than 0.01 ng for the FID. In the FID, the linearity of the sensitivity is kept over a range of approximately seven orders of magnitude of the sample introduction amount. On the other hand, the linearity of the sensitivity is kept over a range no wider than four orders of magnitude of the sample introduction amount for the discharge ionization current detector.


A communication system may include a printer and a terminal device. The printer may, in a case where a predetermined operation is accepted, execute a communication process and, in a case where sending of start information to a server fails in the communication process, execute an output process for causing an output unit to output communication information for communicating with the server and start related information obtained by using the start information. The terminal device may obtain the communication information and the start related information outputted by the printer and, in a case where the communication information and the start related information are obtained, send the start related information to the server using the communication information.

A communication system comprising a printer, a PC, an information management server, and a delivery management server is known. When a flat-rate print processing contract is signed between a user of the printer and a manufacturer providing a flat-rate print processing service, the delivery management server ships, to the user of the printer, a dedicated cartridge to be used in the flat-rate print processing. Then, when the dedicated cartridge is attached, the printer determines whether the printer can communicate with the information management server. In a case of determining that the printer can communicate with the information management server, the printer sends start information to the information management server. On the other hand, in a case of determining that the printer cannot communicate with the information management server, the printer waits until the printer can communicate with the information management server. When receiving the start information from the printer, the information management server starts the flat-rate print processing service.

Communication system, printer, method executed by communication system and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing computer-readable instructions for printer


A bumper structure for the front and rear area of a motor vehicle includes a bumper cross member and a crash box which is placed between the cross member and an end of a side rail. The crash box is configured in the form of a hollow body made of two sheet-metal shells which overlap one another in an overlap zone and are interconnected, at least in sections thereof, through material union. The cross member is detachably secured to the crash box by a bolted connection having at least one bolt which extends in upright direction of the motor vehicle and is arranged in the overlap zone of the crash box. Force introduction from the cross member into the crash box is hereby improved.

The present invention relates, in general, to a bumper structure for a motor vehicle.
Nothing in the following discussion of the state of the art is to be construed as an admission of prior art.
A bumper structure is mounted to the front or rear of a motor vehicle to convert generated impact energy into deformation work, in the event of a frontal or rear impact with a road user or in the event of a collision with an obstacle, so as to prevent or minimize damage to vehicle components, in particular the chassis, and thus to limit the amount of damage. In addition, a bumper structure is provided to assist in the stiffening of the vehicle chassis. Since bumper structures should also be as lightweight as possible, complex constructions have been proposed to reconcile these seemingly contradictory functions. However, for a number of reasons, the various proposals lead only to compromises that are endowed with drawbacks and shortcomings relating for example to manufacturing techniques or to the effect that is hoped to be obtained but cannot always be realized.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved bumper structure which obviates prior art shortcomings and which is lightweight while still ensuring high stability in an attachment zone between a crash box and a bumper cross member and allowing production in a simple manner.


A latch assembly (12) is adapted for use with a container having a base portion (11) and a cover (10) affixable thereto by the latch assembly (12). The base portion (11) has projections (17) extending from its sidewall and the cover (10) has lugs (14) extending therefrom. A latch plate (19) has laterally spaced ribs (25) between which an upper lever bar (28) is pivotally connected to define an upper pivot point. Ribs (45) on the upper lever bar (28) are adapted to snap over the lugs (14) to attach the latch assembly (12) to the cover (10). The lower end of a lower lever bar (30) is also pivotally connected between the ribs (25) to define a lower pivot point. The upper edge of the lower lever bar (30) is hinge connected (33, 34) to the lower edge of the upper lever bar (28) with the centerline of the hinge (33, 34) being laterally offset from a plane defining both the upper and lower pivot points. The bottom of the latch plate (19) is adapted to releasably engage the projections (17) extending from the base portion (11) to latch the cover (10) thereto. As the latch plate (19) is swung to and from the latched and unlatched position, the hinge (33, 34) swings over center with respect to the plane of the upper and lower pivot points.

Almost every container which has a cover hingedly attached thereto is provided with some type of latch mechanism to secure the cover to the container. The complexity and other needs of such latch mechanisms are, in part, dependent upon the amount of security desired. Where a container is rather large, for example, of a size that a small child could get into the container and have it accidentally latched from the outside, it is desirable that the latch be provided with a safety override feature such that the entrapped child could release the latch by applying upward pressure to the cover from within the container.
Certain prior latches for containers of this kind have had complicated mechanisms and have required springs to apply tension to hold the latch in a latched or unlatched position. Some prior constructions have also required a movable element to position the latch in its latched or unlatched positions. The present improved latch assembly is in itself utilized as a handle to move the latch to open and closed positions. Moreover, most prior safety latches are difficult to install or assemble, requiring the need for mechanical fasteners or the like.
One such safety latch is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,715 wherein the latch assembly is mounted within a recess in the container cover by pivots on a bracket detachably secured within the recess. The mounting operation is not only awkward but requires mechanical fasteners. Moreover, when mounted, a portion of the latch handle projects outwardly from the sides of the container where it can be accidentally bumped or struck to open the cover. In addition, the camming action required to latch or unlatch the mechanism promotes the wearing of parts having high tolerance requirements thereby resulting in an early failure of the latch.


Automation of the delivery of a particulate to a tube contained in a reformer type heater with vertical tubes is disclosed and includes a hopper having an opening at the lower end. A slide gate is mounted on the hopper and selectively projects over the opening in the hopper. A box mounted below the hopper. A primary ramp is mounted in the box and underlaps the opening in the hopper. The primary ramp has an angle of inclination and extends to a lower end of the box. The primary ramp also has a screen. A cone is connected to the box proximate to one end of the primary ramp and a tube is connected to the lower end of the cone for conveying particulate to a tube loading adaptor. A dust collection cone is connected to the box underlapping the primary ramp and a discharge port is connected to the lower end of the dust collection cone. The tube loading adaptor is positioned for connection to the tube in the reformer type heater with vertical tubes. A vibrator is connected to the box.

Catalyst is loaded into tubes within a reformer, heater or reactor vessel. The loading is typically a precursor to carrying out a reaction within such vessel. It is helpful to improve the efficiency of the loading process in order to improve the efficiency of the resulting reaction and to speed up the catalyst loading and clean-up processes.

Providing automated delivery of catalyst and/or particulate to any filling system device used to fill tubes