An underwater connector has a plug unit and a receptacle unit each containing a bladder member having an internal, oil-filled chamber in which a respective contact module is located. Each contact module has an end face having both electrical and optical contacts for contact engagement with corresponding contacts on the other module when the units are releasably mated together in an underwater environment. The bladder members each have a resilient forward end portion with an opening communicating with the respective chamber, and opposing, pivoted jaws in each unit are closed to compress the forward end portion to close and seal the opening when the units are unmated. As the units are mated, the jaws are opened to permit each end portion to open and permit the contact module of one unit to pass through the openings, into the chamber of the bladder member in the other unit, and into engagement with the other contact module so that all electrical and optical contacts are engaged for electro-optical communication between the units.

This invention relates to a connector for making connections of fiber-optic, electrical, and hybrid electro-optical cables in a hostile or underwater, high pressure environment.
There are many types of connectors for making electrical and fiber-optic cable connections in hostile or harsh environments, such as undersea connectors which can be repeatedly mated and demated underwater at great ocean depths. Such underwater connectors typically comprise a plug unit containing one or more contact probes and a receptacle unit containing an equivalent number of contacts or junctions for engagement with the contact probes, which extend into the receptacle unit when the units are connected together. Typically, the contacts or junctions are contained in a sealed chamber containing optically clear dielectric fluid, and the probes enter the container via one or more openings which are sealed when the units are separated. One major problem in designing such units is the provision of seals which will adequately exclude seawater and other contamination from the contact member even after repeated mating and demating, and also prevent fill fluid from leaking out of the chamber.
A number of different sealing mechanisms have been proposed in the past for achieving this objective. One such sealing mechanism has an opening into the contact chamber which comprises an elastomeric tubular entrance surrounded by an elastomeric sphincter which pinches the entrance closed upon itself when the plug and receptacle units are in an unmated condition. On mating, the contact probe is forced through the opening and the sphincter pinches against the probe to form a seal. Although this type of seal is successful in some cases, it does have disadvantages. One disadvantage is that this seal does not work well under all hostile conditions. Another disadvantage is that such seals tend to lose their xe2x80x9cmemoryxe2x80x9d after repeated mating and demating, so that they may fail to close completely, or may not close quickly enough to isolate the chamber from the surrounding environment when the units are demated. Another type of known seal mechanism comprises a piston which moves axially into the seal opening as the units are demated.
In some known underwater electrical connectors, such as that described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,795,359 and 5,194,012 of Cairns, tubular socket contacts are provided in the receptacle unit, and spring-biased pistons are urged into sealing engagement with the open ends of the socket assemblies. As the plug and receptacle units are mated, pins on the plug portion urge the pistons back past the contact bands in the sockets, so that electrical contact is made. However, this type of arrangement cannot be used in a straightforward way for an optical connector since the optical contacts must be able to engage axially for practical purposes.
Underwater electro-optical connectors are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,616,900 and 4,666,242 of Cairns. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,242, the male and female connector units are both oil filled and pressure balanced. This device utilizes a penetrable seal element having an opening which pinches closed when the units are separated and seals against the entering probe when mated. Other known fiber-optic connectors have similar seals which are not suitable for use under some conditions and may tend to lose effectiveness after repeated mating and demating.
Other known seal mechanisms involve some type of rotating seal element along with an actuator for rotating the seal element between a closed, sealed position when the units are unmated, and an open position when the units are mated, allowing the contact probes to pass through the seal elements into the contact chambers. Such connectors are described for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,685,727 and 5,738,535 of Cairns. These overcome some of the reliability problems of penetrable seals for example, but can be too complex for miniaturized connectors.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved connector for making connections between optical fiber cables, electrical cables, or hybrid electro-optical cables in hostile environments, such as underwater.
According to the present invention, an underwater connector is provided which comprises a plug unit having a forward end, a rear end, and a hollow body, a first member mounted in the hollow body and forming an internal chamber, the member having a resilient forward end portion having an opening communicating with the internal chamber, at least one probe contact member mounted in the chamber in alignment with the opening, a receptacle unit having a hollow body, a forward end, and a rear end and adapted for releasable mating engagement with the plug unit, a second member mounted in the hollow body of the receptacle unit and having an internal chamber and a resilient forward end portion having an opening communicating with the internal chamber, and at least one receptacle contact member in the chamber in alignment with the opening, the resilient forward end portions of the first and second members having forward end faces in face-to-face sealing engagement when the units are mated together, the plug and receptacle units each having an actuator acting in a seal closing direction for compressing the resilient end portion of the respective member to close and seal the respective opening when the units are unmated, and for opening the openings when the plug and receptacle units are mated together with the end faces in sealing engagement, whereby at least one of the probe and receptacle contact members can pass through the aligned openings in the resilient end portions of the members to engage the other contact member. A clamping mechanism is provided between each actuator and the resilient end portion in the seal closing direction to augment the seal closing force.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the actuator is designed to act in a seal opening direction to force the member openings to open and the clamping mechanism to release when the end faces are in sealing engagement. In one embodiment, the actuator has a shaped throat designed such that the resilient end portions of the members are constricted in the seal closing direction when the units are mated, forming an elongated shape with a slit-like closure. When the units are connected together, the members travel through the actuator throats into a position in which they are compressed in a perpendicular, seal opening direction, forcing the openings to open. The actuator throat may be of gradually tapering, oval shape in order to compress the resilient end portions and close the openings, with an adjacent region of circular cross section which will compress the outer ends of the elongated end portions and force them back into a circular shape, forcing the openings back into an open configuration. By elongating the seal opening in a direction transverse to the seal closing direction, it can more readily be compressed into a slit-like shape without bunching up of excess material at the ends of the slit. Such bunching up can be a problem since the seal end face will then no longer be flat and smooth. In an exemplary embodiment, the openings each have a cross-section which is elongated in a direction transverse to the seal closing direction and may be generally eye-shaped, with pointed opposite ends. However, the openings may be circular or of other shapes in alternative embodiments.
Bunching up of the resilient seal material at the seal end face can still be a problem when the connector is enlarged for making a large number of contacts, due to the increased material needed at the end portion of the seal. The additional clamping mechanism reduces this problem, reducing the amount of material required for the seal. In one embodiment of the invention, the clamping mechanism comprises a pair of rigid hinged jaws, one on each side of the seal end portion in the seal closing direction. The actuator acts on the resilient end portion of the seal through the rigid jaws, urging the jaws towards one another in the seal closing direction, with the jaws urging the end portion of the seal closed. Thus, the end portion of the seal can be made thinner, and is no longer cylindrical but elongated in the same direction as the seal opening. Hinged jaws are provided for increasing the sealing force on both parts of the connector.
Preferably, one of the actuators is slidably mounted in the respective body of a first one of the plug and receptacle units and movable between an extended position in which the tapered throat engages the respective member end portion to squeeze the opening shut, and a retracted position in which the throat is pushed back over the end portion and the adjacent portion forces the opening to open. The member in the other, second unit is also slidably mounted for movement between an extended position in which the resilient end portion is engaged in the actuator throat and the opening is squeezed shut, and a retracted position in which the resilient end portion is retracted from the actuator throat and forced to open by an adjacent, circular part of the actuator. In operation, the end of the second unit engages the slidable actuator in the first unit to push it back as the two units are secured together. At the same time, the end of the member in first unit engages the end of the retractable member in the second unit, pushing it back into the retracted position so that both member openings are forced open. The contact element in the second unit travels through the open ends of the members to contact the corresponding contact element in the first unit.
In one embodiment of the invention, each actuator has a through bore having a forward end, and an inwardly tapering throat portion extending up to the forward end to squeeze the opening of the resilient end portion of the respective first or second member into the sealed and closed condition. The throat portion is preferably of oval, tapering cross-section up the forward end. The hinged jaws have opposing sides for squeezing the respective opening into a slit-like closure. The opposing sides of the jaws may be flat, or may be of other shapes or knurled. The throat portion on one unit may be formed integrally or secured in the hollow body of the unit, while the other unit has a separate throat member slidably mounted in the body and automatically moved into the extended position when the plug and receptacle units are separated. Instead of forming the actuator as an inwardly tapered, oval bore or throat, alternative actuator mechanisms such as leaf springs or the like may be provided for squeezing the openings shut.
The connector may be a single circuit connector with a single contact probe on one side for contact with a single contact on the other side, or may be a multiple contact connector with electrical, optical, or both electrical and optical contacts to form a hybrid elctro-optical connector. In the latter case, both the plug and receptacle units may have multiple members forming chambers for the respective contact elements, and actuators for squeezing the end portions of the respective members closed when the units are disconnected. Alternatively, multiple circuits could be grouped within one member which is opened and closed by a single actuator. In an exemplary embodiment, both electrical and optical contacts may be mounted in the same oil filled chamber of the first and second members.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the plug and receptacle units each contain a base module which extends into the respective chamber and on which a set of electrical contacts and an optical contact unit are mounted. The chamber is oil-filled so that the contact faces are always immersed in oil. The optical contact units may each comprise a ferrule housing in which a plurality of optical fibers are terminated, each housing having an end face with plural optical contacts for engagement with corresponding contacts on a mating end face of the other housing when the plug and receptacle units are connected together. This arrangement allows more electrical power to be transmitted and also permits a larger number of optical fibers to be connected via a relatively small connector package.
The connector apparatus of this invention is suitable for various undersea applications, such as connection of undersea telecommunications cables, oceanography research applications, submarine systems, and the offshore oil and gas industry. The invention avoids the need for complex rolling seal or stopper arrangements for sealing the connector, and is of much simpler construction than previous underwater connectors. All that is required in this invention to seal all of the contacts is a simple opening in a resilient end portion of a contact chamber, which is pinched closed in one position, and pushed away from the pinching device and forced open in a second position.


The present invention provides a removable and adjustable neck joint between a neck and a body of a musical instrument. The neck includes a contoured mounting portion that engages a pocket included in the body. The mounting portion and pocket include engagement features that provide contact between the mounting portion and pocket.

Stringed musical instruments such as guitars, basses, violins and cellos typically include a neck coupled to a body at a neck joint and strings strung between the neck and the body. The body may take various shapes depending on the desired acoustic and structural characteristics. For example, acoustic instruments generally include hollow bodies, while electric instruments oftentimes include solid or semi-solid bodies that provide support for various electronics, still further some instruments may be hybrid acoustic and electric and may have solid and hollow body portions.
The neck is generally a narrow elongate member. That configuration results from the functional requirements of the neck. For example, the neck must be long enough to suspend the strings over a significant distance. In addition, the circumference of the neck must be sized so that a musician is able to wrap their hand at least partially around the neck to manipulate the strings. Because of the configuration, necks are often susceptible to warping and disfiguring both during manufacture and over time. As a result, it is desirable to include a neck joint that is adjustable or allows the neck to be replaced.
Various attempts have been made to provide a neck joint for a stringed musical instrument that may be adjusted and/or disassembled. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,497,116 to Dopyera teaches a musical instrument, such as a guitar, having a neck attached to a body. Specifically, the neck portion includes an extension that protrudes perpendicularly from the neck into a well included in the body. A pair of fasteners is provided that couple the extension to the body and adjust the angle of the neck with respect to the body by manipulating the position of the extension within the well.
Such a system presents multiple disadvantages. One drawback is that the attachment between the neck and body portions requires the use of more than a single fastener. Another drawback of the system is that both fasteners are oriented substantially parallel to the guitar soundboard. Because of that orientation, it is difficult and problematic to insert the screws through the sidewall of the guitar, particularly since the screw holes are disposed directly underneath the neck. In addition adjustment of the screws is cumbersome. Furthermore, such an arrangement alters the aesthetics of the guitar.
In another example, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,886,272 to Regenberg, a neck joint is formed between a protruding trapezoidal heel of a neck that extends into a matching trapezoidal pocket in a guitar body. The close fit of the trapezoidal pocket and heel in addition to the walls of the pocket on every side of the heel limit movement of the heel. A plurality of fasteners secures the neck to the body.
A drawback of the guitar is that entire surfaces of the heel and/or the pocket must be carefully shaped and held to tight tolerances to achieve a desired fit which significantly increases the effort required to produce a proper fit. In addition, because it is difficult to achieve such a fit between the trapezoidal parts it is likely that multiple fasteners would be required to allow the use of looser tolerances. In fact that reference even recognizes that the length of the pocket should be as long as possible to reduce possible alignment error. However, such a requirement may have a direct deleterious effect on the aesthetics and structure of the body because it requires the engagement between the neck and body to be as long as possible to improve the fit.
In view of the above, there exists a need for a musical instrument featuring an uncomplicated and easy to manufacture adjustable attachment between the neck and body portions that creates a reliable fit.


A semiconductor device 1000 may include an element isolation region 14, an n-type field effect transistor 100 and an npn-type bipolar transistor 200 formed on a SOI substrate 10. A p-type body region 50a may be electrically connected to an n-type source region 120. The p-type body region 50a may be electrically connected to a p-type base region 220. An n-type drain region 130 may be electrically connected to an n-type collector region 230. An n-type source region 120 may be formed structurally isolated from an n-type emitter region 210.

Applicant hereby incorporates by reference Japanese Application No. 2000-382395, filed Dec, 15, 2000, in its entirety.
The present invention includes semiconductor devices having a field effect transistor and a bi-polar transistor, and methods for manufacturing the same.
A MOS field effect transistor with an SOI structure can be driven at a low power consumption and at a higher speed compared to an ordinary MOS field effect transistor.
FIG. 20 schematically shows one example of a MOS field effect transistor with an SOI structure. An embedded oxide film 1100 that is formed from a silicon oxide film is formed on a silicon substrate 2000. A source region 1200 and a drain region 1300 are formed on the embedded oxide film 1100. A body region 1400 is formed on the embedded oxide film 1100 and between the source region 1200 and the drain region 1300. A gate electrode 1500 is formed on the body region 1400 through a gate dielectric layer.
It is noted that the body region 1400 of the MOS field effect transistor is in a floating state. Accordingly, carriers that are generated by an impact ionization phenomenon are stored in the body region 1400. When carriers are stored in the body region 1400, the potential of the body region 1400 changes. A phenomenon that is a so-called substrate floating effect takes place. When the substrate floating effect occurs, a kink phenomenon and a history effect occur in the MOS field effect transistor.
Embodiments include a semiconductor device. The device includes an insulation layer, a semiconductor layer formed on the insulation layer, an element isolation region formed in the semiconductor layer, element forming regions defined by the element isolation region; and a bi-polar transistor and a field effect transistor in at least one of the element forming regions; The device also includes a body region formed at least between a source region and a drain region. The body region is electrically connected to the source region. The body region is electrically connected to a base region. The drain region is electrically connected to a collector region, and the source region is structurally isolated from an emitter region.
Embodiments also include a semiconductor device including an insulation layer, a semiconductor layer formed on the insulation layer, an element isolation region formed in the semiconductor layer, element forming regions defined by the element isolation region, and a bi-polar transistor and a field effect transistor in at least one of the element forming regions. The bi-polar transistor includes an emitter region of a first conduction type, a base region of a second conduction type, and a collector region of the first conduction type. The field effect transistor includes a gate electrode layer, a source region of the first conduction type, and a drain region of the first conduction type. A first body region of the second conduction type is formed at least between the source region and the drain region, wherein the first body region of the second conduction type is electrically connected to the source region, the first body region of the second conduction type is electrically connected to the base region, the drain region is electrically connected to the collector region, and the source region is formed structurally isolated from the emitter region.
Embodiments also include a semiconductor device including an insulation layer and a semiconductor layer formed on the insulation layer. The device also includes an element isolation region formed in the semiconductor layer, element forming regions defined by the element isolation region, and a bi-polar transistor and a field effect transistor in at least one of the element forming regions. A gate electrode layer is formed on the semiconductor layer. The gate electrode layer is formed in a manner to cross over the element forming region, and a first electrode layer is formed on the semiconductor layer, wherein the first electrode layer has one end section continuing to a side section of the gate electrode layer, and another end section reaching the element isolation region,. A first impurity diffusion layer of a first conduction type is formed in at least a part of a first region surrounded by the gate electrode layer in the field effect transistor forming region, the first electrode layer and the element isolation region. A second impurity diffusion layer of the first conduction type is formed in a second region surrounded by the gate electrode layer and the element isolation region. A third impurity diffusion layer of the first conduction type is formed in a third region defined by the gate electrode layer in the bi-polar transistor forming region, the first electrode layer and the element isolation region. A first body region of a second conduction type is formed below the gate electrode layer in the field effect transistor forming region and the first electrode layer. A first impurity diffusion layer of the second conduction type is formed below the gate electrode layer in the bi-polar transistor forming region and the first electrode layer and along a periphery of the third impurity diffusion layer of the first conduction type. A first body region of the second conduction type is electrically connected to the first impurity diffusion layer of the first conduction type, and the first body region of the second conduction type is electrically connected to the first impurity diffusion layer of the second conduction type.
Embodiments also include a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device including an insulation layer and a semiconductor layer formed on the insulation layer, the method including the steps of: (A) forming an element isolation region in the semiconductor layer to define element forming regions; and (B) forming a field effect transistor and a bi-polar transistor in the same one of the element forming regions, wherein the step (B) comprises the steps of: (B-1) forming a first body region of a second conduction type in the semiconductor layer in a forming region where at least a part of a gate electrode layer is to be formed and in a forming region where a first electrode layer is to be formed; (B-2) forming the gate electrode layer and the first electrode layer on the semiconductor layer, wherein the first electrode layer continues to a side section of the gate electrode layer and reaches the element isolation region; (B-3) forming an impurity diffusion layer of the second conduction type in the semiconductor layer in a third region surrounded by the gate electrode layer in the bi-polar transistor forming region, the first electrode layer and the element isolation region; (B-4) conducting a thermal treatment to thermally diffuse the impurity diffusion layer of the second conduction type to form a base region of the bi-polar transistor below the gate electrode layer and in the semiconductor layer below the first electrode layer, and to electrically connect the base region and the first body region of the second conduction type, (B-5) forming a source region of a first conduction type of the field effect transistor at least in a part of a first region surrounded by the gate electrode layer of the field effect transistor, the first electrode layer and the element isolation region; (B-6) forming a drain region of the first conduction type of the field effect transistor in a part of a second region surrounded by the gate electrode layer and the element isolation region; (B-7) forming a collector region of the first conduction type of the bipolar transistor in a part of the second region; (B-8) forming an emitter region of the first conduction type of the bi-polar transistor in the third region; and (B-9) electrically connecting the first body region of the second conduction type and the source region.
Embodiments also include a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device including an insulation layer and a semiconductor layer formed on the insulation layer. The method includes the steps of: (A) forming an element isolation region in the semiconductor layer to define element forming regions; and (B) forming a field effect transistor and a bipolar transistor in the same one of the element forming regions, wherein the step (B) includes the steps of: (B-1) forming a first body region of a second conduction type at least in the semiconductor layer in a forming region where a gate electrode layer is to be formed and in a forming region where a first layer is to be formed; (B-2) forming a gate electrode layer on the semiconductor layer; (B-3) forming a first layer on the semiconductor layer, wherein the first layer has one end section that continues to the gate electrode layer or a second layer and another end section that reaches the element isolation region; (B-4) forming a second layer on the semiconductor layer, wherein the second layer has one end section that continues to the gate electrode layer or the first layer and another end section that reaches the element isolation region; (B-5) forming an impurity diffusion layer of the second conduction type in the semiconductor layer in a third region surrounded by the first layer, the second layer and the element isolation region; (B-6) conducting a thermal treatment to thermally diffuse the impurity diffusion layer of the second conduction type to form a base region of the bi-polar transistor below the first layer and in the semiconductor layer below the second layer, and to short-circuit the base region and the first body region of the second conduction type; (B-7) forming a source region of the first conduction type of the field effect transistor at least in a part of a first region surrounded by the gate electrode layer, the first layer and the element isolation region; (B-8) forming a drain region of the first conduction type of the field effect transistor in a part of a second region surrounded by the gate electrode layer, the second layer and the element isolation region; (B-9) forming a collector region of the first conduction type of the bi-polar transistor in a part of the second region surrounded by the gate electrode layer, the second layer and the element isolation region; (B-10) forming an emitter region of the first conduction type of the bi-polar transistor in a third region surrounded by the first layer, the second layer and the element isolation region; and (B-11) electrically connecting the first body region of the second conduction type and the source region.

Semiconductor devices including a bi-polar transistor and a field effect transistor


A frame (1), for example for a tennis racket, is arranged in a plane and is designed to be deformable by bending within its plane and is strung on its interior with strings (2) or the like under tension. At a junction, the frame (1) is fixedly joined to a rigid holding member (3). At the junction, tensioning members are arranged for adjusting the magnitude of the tension in the stringing (2). So that the frame (1) may be especially simple and economical to produce, at its junction with the holding member (3), it has two ends (4,5) arranged at a short distance from each other and movable relative to each other in the circumferential direction of the frame (1), which ends are fixedly joined to the holding member (3) by one brace (7,8) each, deformable in the plane of the frame (1) by bending. The tensioning members comprise at least one adjusting element (9) pushing or pulling the two ends (4,5) more or less towards or away from each other.

Racket frames are known in which the frame, arranged in a plane, is deformable within the plane by bending, and is strung on its interior with strings or the like under tension and fixedly joined to a rigid holding member at a junction. Tensioning means are arranged at the frame junction to adjust the magnitude of the tension in the strings.
A known frame of the kind referred to has load-transmitting members arranged along the frame (German Letters of Disclosure 3,615,123). The accommodation of these members in or on the frame is troublesome and costly in some cases.

Stringed frame with adjustable tensioning


A method of designing an integrated circuit includes deploying an active area in a first standard cell. At least one gate electrode is routed, overlapping the active area in the first standard cell. At least one metallic line structure is routed, overlapping the active area in the first standard cell. The at least one metallic line structure is substantially parallel to the gate electrode. A first power rail is routed substantially orthogonal to the at least one metallic line structure in the first standard cell. The first power rail overlaps the at least one metallic line structure. The first power rail has a flat edge that is adjacent to the at least one metallic line structure. A first connection plug is deployed at a region where the first power rail overlaps the at least one metallic line structure in the first standard cell.

System level designers who determine a need for a newly defined integrated circuit, for example to integrate a variety of functions into one chip, often use an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or system on a chip (SOC) cell based design. In this approach, a library of known functions is provided, and after the functional design of the device is specified by choosing and connecting these standard functions, and proper operation of the resulting circuit is verified using electronic design automation (EDA) tools, the library elements are mapped on to predefined layout cells, which contain prefigured elements such as transistors. The cells are chosen with the particular semiconductor process features and parameters in mind and create a process parameterized physical representation of the design. The design flow continues from that point by performing placement and routing of the local and global connections needed to form the completed design using the standard cells. Eventually, after design rule checks, design rule verification, timing analysis, critical path analysis, static and dynamic power analysis, and final modifications to the design, a "tape out" step is formed to produce photomask generation data. This photomask generation (PG) data is then used to create the optical masks used to fabricate the semiconductor device in a photolithographic process at a wafer fabrication facility.

Integrated circuits and methods of designing the same

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


A car body, for example, a front or rear frame is provided. The car body includes at least one crossmember and at least one pair of left and right braces that are arranged at least substantially symmetric to the crossmember. The car body also includes a shear element that is designed for absorbing shear forces during a collision and that is mounted on a brace of the pair, wherein no shear element is provided symmetrically thereto on the other brace of this pair.

A front frame of a motor vehicle with a crossmember and a pair of left and right longitudinal braces that are arranged symmetric relative to the crossmember is known, for example, from DE 10 2005 043 707 A1. Nowadays, car bodies generally are at least partially symmetric along the plane of the longitudinal and the vertical vehicle axis.
In certain instances, such as during a collision with lateral components such as, e.g., the 10° load scenario according to the RCAR test protocol, in which a corner of the motor vehicle collides with a barrier that is inclined relative to the lateral vehicle axis by 10°, the forces introduced into the car body on one side in the collision area can lead to an asymmetric load distribution and consequently to a lateral displacement of car body elements, such as, the crossmembers.
In this context, FIG. 1 schematically shows a conventional car body with several crossmembers 1.1 to 1.5-L and several pairs of left (index "-L") and right (index "-R") braces 2.1 to 2.3, and FIG. 2 shows the car body after a collision with a barrier that is inclined relative to the lateral vehicle axis by 10°. The lateral loads and lateral displacements in the crossmembers are indicated with arrows and result in an expansion of the assemblage, particularly the asymmetric deformation of the car body.
Accordingly, it can be desirable to provide an improved car body. In addition, other objects, desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.

Car body with a shear element on one side


Poly(siloxane-pivalolactone) thermoplastic elastomers and methods for their preparation by graft polymerizing pivalolactone onto a polysiloxane backbone.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to certain novel thermoplastic elastomers and methods for their preparation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Copolymer systems that are well separated can display elasticity without the requirement of crosslinking provided that one of the phases, often called the hard phase, is capable of a thermally reversible change of state. Such copolymers are known as thermoplastic elastomers and a large number of them exist [Legge et al., Eds., Thermoplastic Elastomers, A Comprehensive Review, N.Y., (1987)]. Examples of thermoplastic elastomers include: poly(styrene-dienestyrene)s and their blends [Porter et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,149,182 (1964); Legge et al., "Chemistry and Technology of Block Copolymers" in Applied Polymer Science, Craver and Tess, Eds., ACS, Washington, D.C., p. 394 (1975)]; polyolefins and their blends [Caran et al., Rubber Chem. & Tech., Vol. 56, p. 1045 (1983); Coran et al., Rubber Chem. & Tech., Vol. 56, p. 210 (1983); poly- (urethane-ether)s [Oertel, Ed., Polyurethane Handbook, Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich (1985); poly(amide) copolymers [Nelb et al., "Polyesteramides and polyetheresteramides: Thermoplastic polyamide Elastomers": in Thermoplastic Elastomers, A Comprehensive Review, Eds., Legge et al., N.Y. (1987)]; poly(ester) copolymers including those containing poly(pivalolactone) [Wolfe, "Elastomeric Poly(ester-ether) Block Copolymers" in Block Copolymers: Science and Technology, Eds. Meier, Harwood Academic, N.Y. (1983) 145]; ionomeric systems [Agarwal, U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,652 (1983); Lundberg et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,318 (1984)]; acrylics [Falk et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,679 (1984)], and poly(siloxane) copolymers. Several poly(siloxane) copolymers have been reported in the literature [Nyilas, U.S. Pat. No. 3,562,352 (1971); Riffle et al., J. Macromol. Sci., Chem., A15, p. 967 (1981); Gaylord, U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,570 (1978); Saam et al., Ind. Eng. Chem. Prod. Res., Vol. 10, p. 10 (1971); Kania et al., J. Appli. Polym. Sci., Vol. 27, p. 139 (1982)]; and have the advantage that they can be used as elastomers at very low temperatures.
Reported copolysiloxanes include: poly-(siloxane)-poly(urethane)s; poly(siloxane)-poly (carbonate)s; poly(siloxane)-poly(methacrylate)s; poly(siloxane)-poly(amide)s; poly(siloxane)-methylstyrene block copolymers, and poly(siloxane)-polypeptide block copolymers.
In many practical applications the crystalline or semi-crystalline state in polymeric systems is highly preferred for thermally induced changes in state; however, very few of the known polysiloxane copolymers exhibit a crystalline or semi-crystalline phase. The crystalline state also enhances physical properties such as solvent resistance and ultimate strength.
It is an object of the present invention to provide novel semi-crystalline, thermoplastic siloxane elastomers.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide novel methods for preparing such elastomers.


A window regulator track has a vertical slot with a lateral turn at the top to form a cam, an elongated follower in the slot which rotates when it reaches the cam, a carrier pivotally attached to the follower and pulled by a vertical reach of a driving cable to move the follower in the slot, and a helical cam arrangement coupled to the window and attached to the follower to generate outward movement of the window during the rotation of the follower in the cam.

Modern vehicle doors are thin, minimizing the space available for a window regulator, and the doors have a smooth curved outer surface in which the windows when closed are substantially flush with the outside door surface. The windows and the doors in such vehicles are not flat but have curvature; when the windows are opened they often require more space between the inner and outer panels of the door and thus further restrict the amount of space remaining for the regulator mechanism.
In order to mount the regulator mechanism in the available space, to control the path of the window and to minimize the upper opening between the inner and outer door panels, it is desirable to impart a nominally horizontal component of window movement during the final closing movement. That is, when the window is nearly closed it moves upward and outward to the desired flush position.
Window closing movements in the upward and outward direction have long been known and various camming mechanisms have been proposed to achieve that result. U.S. Pat. No. 1,206,052 to Ternstedt uses a slotted cam plate with a compound curvature and a chain-driven cam follower to guide the window movement simultaneously upwardly and outwardly and then downwardly to finally close the window.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,979,327 to Swanson et al discloses a regulator mechanism which is very space consuming, but achieves substantially full upward movement followed by outward movement of the WindoW. That mechanism employs dual guide tracks on each side of the window with a follower wheel in each of the four tracks, two of the tracks having outwardly turned paths to push the window outward when the follower wheels reach the turns in the tracks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,377 to Bauer et al discloses a single track regulator having a slot with a bifurcated upper end. A pulley with two projecting pins engaged in the slot guides upward movement in the track. A drive cable is wrapped around the pulley to pull the pulley along the track and to impose a moment on the pulley so that the pins are driven into the bifurcated slot portions to rotate the pulley during the final upward closing movement. The pulley is drivingly coupled to the window through a helical cam which moves the window outward when the pulley rotates so that the path of the window has both upward and outward components at the time of closing.


Containers which hold a flowable composition are sealed by applying a material which in contact with the flowable composition forms a protective sealing layer in the area requiring a seal. An improved container assembly is disclosed comprising a cartridge containing a flowable composition and a piston inserted into one end of the cartridge to express the flowable composition therefrom, wherein the gap between the cartridge and the piston is sealed by a protective layer produced by reaction of the flowable composition and material applied to the surface of the flowable composition.

This invention is concerned with a method for sealing containers which are capable of being closed and which contain flowable compositions and is concerned also with a container assembly which includes a flowable composition and an improved seal therefor. More particularly, this invention relates to a method for establishing a sealing layer in a container for a flowable composition by application of material which causes the reaction of the flowable composition, whereby a protective coating is formed and to the resulting container assembly.
The storage and transport, as well as warehousing of reactive flowable compositions, such as compositions which may react in the presence of air or moisture, generally present no difficulties for a consumer, providing the compositions are contained in completely closed containers and the compositions in the containers may be partially used without substantial destruction of the remaining material. Generally, however, once the container of a composition which is sensitive to air or moisture has been opened, its contents must be used up at once.
Frequently, a consumer desires to use only part of the composition held in a container and it is desirable, particularly for moisture or air sensitive flowable compositions, to have a container which is closed in such a manner that the flowable composition does not become worthless after a single use. If for no other reason than cost, containers which are intended to hold materials such as adhesive compositions, paints, and the like for mass consumption cannot be expected to meet exact specifications for seal tightness as in the case, for example, of precision instruments.
Cartridges, which are used on a large scale in the engineering area and for home maintenance and which contain, for example, adhesive material such as mortar compositions, catalysts, etc., are particularly characteristic containers for flowable compositions which are sensitive to air or moisture. The cartridges generally have a hollow, cylindrical body into which plunges a piston which is capable of forcing the flowable composition out of the opposite end; the piston also has a sealing function. Such cartridges are intended for compositions which will be consumed only partially after each use. To apply the flowable composition, the piston is advanced in the cartridge and the corresponding amount of flowable composition is supplied to the desired area, usually through a spout-like or nozzle outlet on the opposite face of the cartridge.
For reasons of manufacture, the pistons of such known cartridges have a certain play within the cartridges and for ease of use, must have a certain play so that the frictional resistance does not become excessive. As a consequence, air can enter the flowable, viscous composition through the gap between the piston and the inner wall of the cartridge; eventually, due to the action of air and/or moisture, the contents of the cartridge usually become useless. In addition, the composition can flow to the outside through this gap.
The caulking tube disclosed by Robillard in U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,995, which is incorporated herein by reference, is an example of a container for a flowable composition which is sensitive to air and/or moisture, wherein the container is comprised of a cartridge and a piston. To seal the caulking tube against air and moisture, a moisture proof material such as polyethylene wax is coated on the inner surface of the rear end of the cartridge. This method of sealing a container for a flowable composition has not been found completely satisfactory.
Attempts to remedy problems of cartridge-piston type containers by means of sealing lips on the piston have also not led to satisfactory results. Either due to manufacturing tolerances, or the aging phenomena of the plastic used for the cartridge and/or piston, including shrinkage and embrittlement, the seal becomes unsatisfactory or frictional resistances are unreasonably high from a processing point of view.

Sealing method and container assembly with improved seal


A system and method of performing therapy on target eye tissue. A light source produces a beam of light, and a scanning device deflects the light beam to produce an pattern of the light beam. An ophthalmic lens assembly includes a mirror for reflecting the light beam pattern onto the target eye tissue. The mirror is rotatable to angularly align the light beam pattern to the target tissue. Control electronics control the scanning device to apply the light beam pattern onto the reflective optical element at first and second angular orientations separated by a predetermined angle RA. The predetermined angle RA is set such that light beam patterns applied to the target tissue at the first and second angular orientations, which are also angularly aligned to the target tissue through rotation of the mirror, automatically are adjacently abutting to each other on the target tissue.

It is well known that glaucoma is a potentially debilitating group of ophthalmic diseases associated with a high risk of blindness. These conditions include, but are not limited to: open-angle glaucoma, closed-angle glaucoma, neovascular glaucoma, normal pressure glaucoma, exfoliation and pigmentary glaucoma. Common to all of these glaucoma conditions is the inability of the eye to sufficiently balance the secretion of aqueous humor from the ciliary body with its removal via the trabecular meshwork (TM), thereby elevating intraocular pressure (IOP). The ocular hypertension associated with glaucoma causes a gradual degeneration of the retinal ganglion cells, whose axonal outputs make up the optic nerve. As retinal ganglion cells die, vision is slowly lost, generally starting from the periphery of the visual field. Often, the loss of vision is unnoticeable until significant nerve damage has occurred.
Loss of vision from glaucoma is irreversible. Recent prevalence figures from the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization regarding glaucoma indicate that glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the U.S. and the first leading cause of preventable blindness. It is estimated that over 3 million Americans have glaucoma, but only half of them know they have it, most suffering from what is known as open angle glaucoma. Approximately 120,000 of those people are blind from glaucoma, accounting for 9%-12% of all cases of blindness. Glaucoma accounts for over 7 million visits to U.S. physicians each year. In terms of Social Security benefits, lost income tax revenues, and health care expenditures, the annual cost to the U.S. government alone is estimated to be over $1.5 billion. The worldwide number of suspected cases of glaucoma is around 65 million. Although glaucoma as such cannot be prevented, its consequences can be avoided if the disease is detected and treated early.
Today there are a variety of therapeutic options available for treating glaucoma. Invasive surgical intervention (trabeculectomy) is typically used as a last resort. Front-line therapy is the use of drugs to lower IOP. However, drugs don't work for many patients. The preponderance of these open angle glaucoma cases is presently addressed by laser therapies, such as Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty (ALT) and Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT). Both ALT and SLT procedures require placement of approximately 50 evenly spaced laser spots per 180 degrees of arc on a patient's trabecular meshwork (TM). Spot diameters of 50 μm and 400 μl are typical for ALT and SLT, respectively. ALT treatments usually involve only 180 degrees of a patient's trabecular meshwork (TM), while SLT is often delivered to the entire circumference for a total of 100 spots. Both of these therapies are tedious and time consuming for doctor and patient, as the laser treatment spots are applied manually and sequentially. Both ALT and SLT treat the TM with light that is predominantly absorbed by the melanin residing therein. The main difference between SLT and ALT, however, is the pulse duration of the therapeutic light. SLT uses short pulses (a few nanoseconds) to substantially spatially confine the heat produced to the targeted melanin particles, which is why SLT is considered to be "selective" or "sub-visible" therapy, while ALT uses longer pulses (100 ms) causing diffused thermal damage to the TM itself, and is known as standard, or "coagulative" therapy.
The diagram on an eye is shown in FIG. 1, and includes a cornea 1, an iris 2, an anterior chamber 3, a pupil 4, a lens 5, a ciliary body 6, trabecular meshwork TM 7, conjunctiva 8, sciera 9, and an angle 10. The fluid flow is shown by the arrows in FIG. 1. As can be seen from this figure, optical treatment of the TM would require light entering tire eye at a very shallow entry angle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,596, Latina discloses a method for the selective damaging of intraocular pigmented cells which involves the use of laser irradiation, while sparing nonpigmented cells and collagenous structures within the irradiated area. This method is useful for the treatment of glaucoma (SLT), intraocular melanoma, and macular edema. Latina discloses the basic method of selective therapy using pulsed lasers. However, sequential alignment and delivery of individual pulses is tedious and time consuming. In addition, since SLT treatment does not produce visible changes in the TM, accurate alignment of the next spot relative to the previously treated area is difficult.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,059,772 and 6,514,241, Hsia, et al disclose a non-invasive apparatus and method for treating open angle glaucoma in a human eye by thermally ablating a targeted region of the TM using pulsed radiation having a wavelength between 350-1300 nm, energy of 10-500 mJ, and pulse duration of 0.1-50 μs. Here pulses slightly longer than those employed with SLT are used. However, Hsia et al. also do not address the tedious and time consuming effects of aligning and delivering individual pulses.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,682,523, Shadduck discloses a system for non-invasive treatment of a patient's trabecular meshwork to treat glaucoma. The system and technique applies energy directly to media within clogged spaces in a patient's TM to increase aqueous outflow through the laser irradiation of microimplantable bodies (nanocrystalline particles) carrying an exogenous chromophore which are placed in the deeper regions of the TM. This causes thermoelasticaily induced microcavitation that serves to ablate the debris and accumulations therein. This approach is similar to that of Latina in that it requires the use of short pulses, and so should be considered as "selective" therapy. Unlike Latina, however, it makes use of an exogenous chromophore. The choice of wavelength for the treatment light source is no longer dependent upon melanin absorption, but instead will be primarily concerned with the absorption of this exogenous chromophore. However, Shadduck also fails to address the tedious and time consuming effects of aligning and delivering individual pulses.
FIG. 2 shows a typical gonioscopic lens assembly used to access the TM. Such lens assemblies are presently required to redirect light into the eye at very shallow entry angles so the light will reach the TM. This assembly includes a gonioscopic mirror 14 to reflect the light into the eye at shallow entry angles.
One proposed solution is the optical scanning system and method in U.S. Published Application 2005/0288745 A1, which is incorporated herein by reference. This published application discloses a scanning device used in conjunction with an ophthalmic contact lens assembly to project patterns of light onto the trabecular meshwork, as illustrated in FIG. 17 of that application (reproduced as FIG. 3 herein). In the embodiment shown, the gonioscopic mirror 62 within the contact lens 60 is made to rotate in conjunction with the output of the scanner 48 under the control of the controller 22 to allow for a complete 360 degree treatment of the trabecular meshwork. However, some physicians prefer to have more direct control over the rotation of the mirror (i.e. manual control in conjunction with visualization of the target tissue before each application of treatment patterns). In addition, it can be difficult to keep the alignment of the laser beam with the trabecular meshwork at all angular positions of the rotating gonioscopic mirror.
Accordingly, there is a need for a simple and flexible patterned (multi-location) treatment of the trabecular meshwork of a patient, where the physician has direct control over the rotation of the gonioscopic mirror, yet the system provides visual guidance to ensure patterns of treatment light can be pieced together without overlap or excessive gaps regardless of their visibility.

Computer guided patterned laser trabeculoplasty


An ornament retention system comprises an ornament having a base. A mounting element is engaged by the base and a tubular connecting rod is connected to the base by a wire. The wire extends through the rod and is fixed to the rod. A tube surrounds the rod. The tube is interconnected to the mounting element. A stop member is provided on the end of the rod and a spring surrounds the rod end and is interposed between the mounting element and the stop member.

It is common in automotive vehicles to have a hood ornament. One common type of mounting system for a hood ornament comprises connecting a wire to a fixed loop on the hood ornament. The wire is passed through a spring and hooks on the bottom of the spring. The extent of deflection or compression of the spring determines the amount of deflection of the hood ornament upon encountering an obstacle. One of the most common problems with such an ornament retention system is that the wire is readily accessible and can be cut or otherwise deformed by thieves or vandals.
Among the objectives of the present invention are to provide an ornament retention system which is not readily broken by thieves or vandals; which will permit proper functioning and the required degree of deflection without exposing parts sufficiently so that they can readily be severed; wherein the amount of deflection is pre-selected to prohibit theft or vandalism; and which also can be connected to operate an alarm system.
In accordance with the invention, the ornament retention system comprises an ornament having a base. A mounting element is engaged by the base and a tubular connecting rod is connected to the base by a wire. The wire extends through the rod and is fixed to the rod. A tube surrounds the rod. The tube is interconnected to the mounting element. A stop member is provided on the end of the rod and a spring surrounds the rod and is interposed between the mounting element and the stop member.


A particle accelerator device structured and arranged for use in a subterranean environment. The particle accelerator device comprising: one or more resonant Photonic Band Gap (PBG) cavity, the one or more resonant PBG cavity is capable of providing localized, resonant electro-magnetic (EM) fields so as to one of accelerate, focus or steer particle beams of one of a plurality of electrons or a plurality of ions. Further, the particle accelerator device may provide for the one or more resonant PBG cavity to include a geometry and one or more material that is optimized in terms of RF power losses, wherein the optimization provides for a PBG cavity quality factor significantly higher than that of an equivalent normally conducting pill-box cavity.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to particle acceleration devices and methods thereof. More particularly, the invention relates to particle acceleration devices and methods used for measuring properties of subterranean formations such as in borehole logging or wellbore applications.
2. Background of the Invention
Nuclear borehole logging measurements typically employ one or more unstable radio-chemical isotopes such as 137Cs or AmBe to generate fixed-energy gamma or neutron radiation (logging sources). Due to the requirements of the oil industry, such sources are of extremely high intensity and radio-activity, often exceeding 2 Ci for 137Cs and 20 Ci for AmBe. As such, their deployment in oilfields worldwide is strictly controlled and regulated. The use of such sources forces the well-logging industry to manage great safety and security risks.
Alternative, "source-less" methods exist such as X-ray tubes, betatrons and minitrons (see e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,122,662 and 5,293,410 by F. Chen et al.). X-ray tubes are essentially electro-static accelerators and as such they are limited to energies of a few 100 KeV that can be reached with DC electric fields. Betatrons are in principle capable to reach very high energies however it remains a challenge to do so in the confined space of a logging tool. Minitrons are powerful, extremely compact neutron sources, however reaching further increases in output and lifetime remains extremely challenging. Linear accelerators can be utilized to accelerate electrons onto a radiator target to produce X-rays or to accelerate protons or other nuclei onto nuclear targets (e.g., Be, Li) to produce neutrons. Linear acceleration schemes based on traditional RF acceleration from a pillbox type microwave cavity (normally conducting pill box cavity) are notoriously difficult to scale for borehole applications, given the excessive power consumption, tool length and tool weight. As such they have never been employed in the oilfield.
An acceleration method is disclosed that relates to photonic band gap cavities (PBG cavity). A suitably designed resonator based on a PBG structure confines only the desired oscillating modes of electromagnetic fields, such as those required for particle acceleration. This property of a PBG cavity is well described in the scientific literature, including, for example J. D. Joannopoulos, R. D. Meade, and J. N. Winn, Photonic Crystals: Molding the Flow of Light (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1995).
With a PRG resonator operating at microwave frequencies in the GHz region, the RF power coupled externally via—e.g.—a coaxial loop or a wave-guide, can be concentrated in a very small volume providing a localized accelerating gradient. Mode selection inside the cavity ensures that only the wanted acceleration modes are present. This allows for an efficient use of RF power in an ideal compact geometry where wall losses are greatly reduced. The underlying principle of PBG cavity is universal and as such PBG cavities can operate in a broad range of frequencies.
A PBG-based electro-magnetic resonator (a cavity) consists of a symmetrical arrangement of plates and rods. An inverse structure with a symmetrical arrangement of cylindrical holes bored into a solid template may also be used. In either case the periodic structure is designed in such a way that the propagation of electro-magnetic waves in certain TE and/or TM modes in a given frequency range (the band-gap) is effectively forbidden. This feature depends principally on the boundary conditions and the geometry of the cavity.
A suitable PBG cavity would consist of symmetric plate-rod structure. Such a structure would also contain one or more introduced defects such as a missing or partially withdrawn rod. The volume around the defect is open to the electromagnetic mode whose propagation is elsewhere blocked by the band gap. In other words, the modes in the band gap are confined to the rod structure only and are by their very nature discrete. By introducing a defect while still preserving the symmetry properties of the resonator we have access to the confined, mode-selected fields that would otherwise be confined inside the rods. These fields effectively are those of a resonant cavity. Similarly, when the cavity consists of holes: the electro-magnetic modes may be confined to the holes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,801,107B2 by Temkin et al. describes a PBG cavity that is suitable for frequency-filtering in the microwave regime. In particular, the Temkin device relates to vacuum electron devices that comprises a Photonic Band Cap (PBG) structure (or cavity) capable of overmoded operation, as well single mode operation. One distinct advantage of PBG cavities used for particle acceleration relative to prior art is that practically all undesired higher-order electromagnetic modes are not confined by the defect structure and therefore leak away with minimal effect on the electrons or ions in the beam.

Particle acceleration devices and methods thereof


Disclosed is a palm gesture recognition method comprising a step of obtaining plural images according to an order of time; a step of acquiring plural palm shaped images from the plural images; a step of extracting plural features describing an open or closed palm gesture from each of the plural palm shaped images; a step of calculating a maximum feature difference vector formed by a maximum difference of each of the plural features; and a step of determining, on the basis of the maximum feature difference vector, that there is the open or closed palm gesture or there isn't the open or closed palm gesture in the plural images.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to image processing as well as machine vision-based human-machine interaction, and more particularly related to an open-or-closed palm gesture recognition method and an open-or-closed palm gesture recognition device as well as a human-machine interaction method and a human-machine interaction apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A hand gesture is a kind of natural and intuitive communication way. The hand gesture may be used to carry out interaction with an electronic apparatus without assistance of any additional apparatus. A hand gesture recognition technique on the basis of computer vision has been widely utilized in human-machine interaction. The hand gesture recognition technique on the basis of computer vision may accept the input of a visualized image, and may output the type of hand gesture or hand action. In this way, an apparatus controlled by a computer may interpret a hand gesture or hand action as an instruction (command) so as to achieve an operation of human-machine interaction such as a turn-on/turn-off operation, a click operation, a touch operation, or a switch operation.
In patent reference No. 1 (U.S. Pat. No. 7,821,541B2), a method of recognizing two gestures of a hand is disclosed. The two hand gestures are a closed fit and an open palm. The recognition mentioned in the reference refers to one carried out with respect to fingers corresponding to a static (still) open palm and a static closed fit. In this method, only a single static feature is utilized. For example, an "open" state is determined on the basis of whether or not there are three continuous extended fingers approaching another finger (a fourth finger). However, in an actual system, it is not easy to obtain a clear outline image of a hand (in general, influenced by distance, accuracy of an apparatus, the lighting condition, etc.). As a result, this method is not robust. In addition, this method carries out the recognition only on the basis of a single image (frame).
In a non-patent reference (Zhou Ren, "Robust Hand Gesture Recognition Based on Finger-Earth Mover's Distance with a Commodity Depth Camera", Proceedings of the 19th ACM International Conference on Multi-Media, MM'11, ACM, New York, N.Y., USA, 2011, pp. 1093-1096), a time-series curve is adopted for expressing the shape information of a hand. This time-series curve includes distances between points on the outline of the hand and the center of the hand. In addition, in this paper, a so-called "finger-earth mover's distance operator" is defined for calculating the similarity of two hand shapes. However, this method carries out the recognition by employing a template matching technique.
In the recognition of a palm gesture, aside from the template matching and the intuitive way, another well-used method is a classifier technique on the basis of machine learning. The classifier technique on the basis of machine learning may provide a robust recognition effect. The reason is that this kind of technique comprehensively considers the influence of various features with respect to the classification. As a result, the classifier technique has been widely utilized in the recognition of static gestures and dynamic gestures.
In patent reference No. 2 (Chinese Patent Application No. 201200147172), a hand gesture recognition method on the basis of classifiers is disclosed. This method adopts the so-called "depth difference distribution operator" to extract a CDDD feature from a few adjacent images, for describing the depth difference distributions before and after a hand action. The CDDD feature is a multi-dimensional feature vector whose dimension depends on the number of images (frames) adopted in a hand gesture recognition unit. For example, if three images are used as one hand gesture recognition unit, then the dimension of the feature vector is 128, and if four image are used as one hand gesture recognition unit, then the dimension of the feature vector is 192. However, as for this technique, on the one hand, it is necessary to apply a large number of samples to machine learning so as to obtain the multi-dimensional feature vector; on the other hand, if the number of frames changes, then in general it is impossible to carry out the hand gesture recognition well. In addition, this method may only use depth images; as a result, the application of this method with respect to the conventional color images is limited.

Palm gesture recognition method and device as well as human-machine interaction method and apparatus


Presented is a trailer tongue lift jack which tilts in order to allow the tongue and hitch to be aligned with a towing ball attached to a towing vehicle. The trailer lift jack includes a ball joint which allows the body of the hitch to tilt for this alignment step. The lift jack can also rotate to a storage position which is basically horizontal, and rotate to a lift position which is basically vertical for lifting the trailer tongue.

Trailers of all kinds have a tongue, which is often triangular and tapers to a point, where the hitch is located. The hitch is generally made to fit over a towing ball, which is attached to a bumper or frame of a towing vehicle. The tongues of trailers of this type have a jack, which is used to lift and lower the tongue. Generally the jacks lift and lower the tongue and hitch straight up and down, so the hitch has to be positioned almost perfectly over the towing ball for the trailer to be connected to the towing vehicle. This is often a problem when the hitch and towing ball are not perfectly aligned. The user might have to reposition the towing vehicle, or try to move the trailer tongue side to side a bit. There is a need for a way to help connect the hitch and towing ball when the two are not perfectly aligned.


A computerized method (200) of performing a purchase and an associated communication system are disclosed. A customer mobile computing device (CMCD) communicates (210) with a server computing device (SCD) to generate an order for the purchase. The server computing device (SCD) communicates (220) with a payment processor computing device (PPCD) to perform a first part of a payment transaction for the purchase, wherein the first part of the payment transaction involves reserving funds for the purchase. A merchant computing device (MCD) performs (230) a digital handshake procedure with the customer mobile computing device (CMCD). The digital handshake procedure involves short-range wireless data communication to verify spatial proximity between the customer mobile computing device (CMCD) and the merchant computing device (MCD). When spatial proximity has been verified, the merchant computing device (MCD) communicates (240) with the server computing device (SCD) to accept the order. The server computing device (SCD) communicates (250) with the payment processor computing device (PPCD) to perform a second part of the payment transaction, wherein the second part of the payment transaction involves capturing funds for the purchase.

Mobile commerce is rapidly growing. Mobile devices have been frequently used for quite some years already by people who wish to shop on the Internet. In these situations, the mobile devices are used both as tools for selecting and ordering goods or services, and as tools for paying for the ordered goods or services.
When it comes to real-life commerce (i.e. people buying goods or services from merchants at a physical point of sale or pick-up point at a shop, supermarket, service provider, event venue, etc), the community has been a bit more conservative. Conventionally, a customer "manually" places an order either by bringing order items collected during a stroll in the premises (e.g. groceries, clothing) to a physical point of sale or pick-up counter, or by telling a shop assistant at the point of sale or pick-up counter which order items he wishes to purchase. The purchase is then paid for by cash or credit card at the point of sale or pick-up counter.
Some attempts have been made to use mobile devices (particularly smart phones) as a tool for placing an order "digitally" before physically approaching the point of sale or pick-up counter to collect the order items. Moreover, some attempts have been made to use mobile devices (again, particularly smart phones) as a tool for paying for such a purchase.
However, existing solutions are designed and dimensioned with a one-to-one perspective of the relation between customer and merchant (an individual customer using his mobile device for placing an order and/or paying for the order at a single point of sale or pick-up counter at the merchant). These solutions may work fine for low volume commerce where single or a just a few customers place orders and make payments directed at a single point of sale or pick-up counter at the merchant. However, the situation becomes much more challenging when scaled up to massive commerce by tens, hundreds or even thousands of concurrent customers visiting for instance an event venue or a large supermarket having a plurality of points of sale or pick-up counters.
One particular challenge identified by the present inventors is the risk of bottlenecks at the different points of sale or pick-up counters at the venue. If many customers use their mobile devices to place orders at essentially the same time and directed at the same particular point of sale or pick-up counter, there will likely be delays and growing waiting lines when the customers go to the particular point of sale or pick-up counter to pay for the order and pick up the order items.
Another challenge identified by the present inventors is the risk of user annoyance if a purchase is paid for in the customer's mobile device already when placing the order, but the user for some reason then fails to actually receive or retrieve the order items already paid for. This may happen for instance if the customer places an order to be collected at a particular point of sale or pick-up counter at the venue but then by mistake or confusion goes to another point of sale or pick-up counter at the venue. Similarly, this may happen if the particular point of sale or pick-up counter at the venue suddenly runs empty of one or more of the order items, for instance because of an unexpected peak in demand for a certain order item by many users targeting the particular point of sale or pick-up counter.

Computerized method, communication system and computer programs for efficient handling of mobile commerce


Methods for reducing gels and/or dome sheeting in gas phase polymerization processes and their resulting products are provided. The polymerization processes include polymerizing ethylene and one or more optional comonomers in a fluidized bed reactor in the presence of a metallocene catalyst, hydrogen, and at least one condensing agent.

The presence of "gels" is a problem in the production of polyolefin polymers, especially for gas phase metallocene catalyzed polyethylene (PE) polymers that will be used for the manufacture of films. Metallocene catalyzed polyethylenes (mPE) may typically contain polymeric gels that increase in frequency when the melt index (MI) (I2) decreases below a 0.5 g/10 min. Gels are highly localized imperfections in the polyolefin material that become apparent when the material is converted into films. Gels are visually distinct from the surrounding film, mostly due to the presence of high concentrations of unblended polymer, unreacted catalyst and activator, or both. Gels may also be attributed to concentrations of high molecular weight PE, oxidized PE, fibers from additive packages, etc. The presence of gels lowers the value of film, and in some cases makes the films unmarketable.
Film quality can be tested by a subjective visual test, such as a film appearance rating (FAR) or with an advanced camera technology, such as a system from Optical Control Systems (OCS). OCS is a measurement of optical imperfections of a film. FAR tests are completed by visually comparing film to a set of standards and assigning a value that is closest to one of the standards. For the OCS method, the camera detects gels and defects within preset size tolerances, and calculates a total defect area (TDA) in ppm. The equipment and methodology for conducting tests and describing OCS results may be found in the Example Section of U.S. Pat. No. 7,393,916.
Gels are impacted by H2 gas and/or condensing agents, such as isopentane, as both of these influences the melt index of the polymer. Polymeric gels also increase in frequency when a small fraction of a dissimilar resin is mixed into the reactor bed. Such dissimilar resins can be the result of process upsets within the reactor that results in resins having different molecular weights or densities. Robust process control is typically practiced to prevent such reaction upsets that lead to mixing dissimilar resins into the bed.
Several post reaction techniques have also be used to reduce the number of gels. Filtering the polymer melt using a screen mesh is a common technique to remove gels prior to forming films. Such processes have been described in, for example, FILTRATION OF POLYMER MELTS (D. Gneuss, ed., VDI-Verlag GmbH, Dusseldorf 1981).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,885 discloses a process that uses multiple screens, those coarser than 250 mesh, thus avoiding undesirable back pressure and ripping of the screens.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,662 discloses a process that passes a melt through a single active mesh screen that has a relatively large mesh, those finer than 200 mesh having a micron retention size range of from 2 to 70 microns, in combination with several small mesh passive screens.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,393,916 discloses a process for making bimodal polyolefins with reduced gels by forming a melt of the polyolefin and passing the polyolefin through one or more active screen filter(s) having a mesh size of from 70 to 200 micron at a mass flux of from 5 to 100 lbs/hr/square inch, and isolating the polyolefin after having passed through the screen filter.
However, there remains a need for methods that reduce gels in films made from polyolefin polymers such as metallocene polyethylene polymers.

Methods for making polyethylene polymers


An echo cancelling circuit for use with a laser whose generated light is connected to an optical fiber by a connector. The connector reflects part of the laser light to a detector associated with the laser. The echo cancelling circuit attenuates the laser generated light by a predetermined factor. The cancelling circuit then detects the attenuated laser light and develops a signal whose amplitude and phase is such as to substantially cancel the signal representative of the light reflected from the connector.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to light sources such as lasers which are used with optical fiber and more particularly to a circuit which cancels the echo that arises when the laser is connected to the fiber by a connector.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In my U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/264,356 entitled "Power Control System For Laser" which was filed on Oct. 31, 1988 and is assigned to the same assignee as is the present invention (hereinafter "the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/264,356"), U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,926, there is described a power control system for a laser which may be used in an optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR). As described in the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/264,356 a laser module is directly connected to the optical fiber to be monitored by a coupler. The OTDR sends a pulse of light into the fiber and uses the backscattered light to determine the location of any faults on the fiber. The power control system described in the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/264,356 allows the OTDR to automatically compensate for changes in laser characteristics, and to automatically and accurately provide the location of the fault. The system accomplishes the latter result by controlling the bias and pulse currents into the laser and also by ensuring that the electrical signal representative of the backscattered light is controlled to have a certain amplitude range.
The OTDR described in the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/264,356 may be connected to the fiber through a connector, i.e. the coupler rather that being directly connected to the fiber is connected to the fiber through a connector. While the use of a connector allows for easy removal of the OTDR from the fiber, it may present a problem as the light reflected from the connector (also sometimes referred to as an echo) can have an intensity which is from 20 to 200 times the intensity of the backscattered light. The electrical signal representative of that light would then saturate the electronics associated with the detector of the control system and the electronics would not "see" the backscattered light.
One solution to the saturation problem described above is to use analog switches after the detector to blank the high amplitude signal arising from the connector reflected light. The use of such switches adds noise, which has a detrimental effect on the operation of the OTDR. The noise is due to the bias currents, stray capacitances etc. associated with the switches. Alternatively, either acoustic or electro-optic masking can be used just before the detector. Such masking involves the use of undesirable very high voltages and radio frequency modulation and adds several thousand dollars to the cost of manufacturing the OTDR. Therefore, predetector masking while solving the saturation problem introduces other undesirable factors which must be taken into account in the design of the OTDR.
Of course, the gain of the electronics associated with the detector can always be made smaller so that the reflected light from the connector does not saturate the electronics. While the reduction in gain solves the saturation problem it also causes the electrical signal representative of the backscattered light from the fiber to be so low in amplitude that it is very hard to distinguish from noise. In other words, a reduction in gain sufficient to solve the saturation problem makes the OTDR unusable for its intended purpose.
It is desirable that the solution to the saturation arising from the light reflected from the connector does not detrimentally affect the operation of the OTDR. It is also desirable that the solution not involve the use of high voltages and radio frequency modulation. It is further desirable that the solution not add substantially to the cost of manufacturing the OTDR. The circuit of the present invention meets the above requirements.

Echo cancelling circuit for use with laser


A method for combining static runway information with runway status information for a selected runway is described. The method includes retrieving, with a processing device, static runway information for the selected runway from at least one database, retrieving, with the processing device, runway status information for the selected runway from at least one source of dynamic runway status information, generating, through a program executing on the processing device, a depiction of the selected runway on at least one display device, and generating for display proximate the runway depiction, through the execution of the program, a plurality of contextual symbology associated with the runway, the symbology based on the retrieved static runway information and the retrieved dynamic runway status information.

The field of the disclosure relates generally to runway identification, and more specifically, to methods and systems for integrating runway status and layout.
Currently, pilots consult approach charts (electronic or paper) to retrieve the required information on runway layout (e.g. a runway lighting system). The pilots further retrieve runway status information via (D-)ATIS and radio. In addition, a meteorological aviation report system (METARS) provides weather related information and notices to air men systems (NOTAM) provide other relevant and current information related to a runway and/or airport which is being approached. Pilots mentally integrate all of this information with the approach chart information to form a mental picture of the airport and runway condition.
In addition to the taxing mental integration, the current approach methodology also results in problems in the identification of the correct runway when on approach. It is desirable, for example, to prevent a taxiway landing or a landing on a parallel runway. However, there have been no improvements in the easing of the mental tasks of pilots in regard to the deciphering of current state-of-the-art symbology for runway layout depiction.

Methods and systems for integrating runway status and layout


Provided is a system and method for predicting leading indicators for predicting occurrence of an event at a target asset. Rather than rely on traditional manufacturer-defined leading indicators for an asset, the examples herein predict leading indicators for a target asset based on actual operating conditions at the target asset. Accordingly, unanticipated operating conditions can be considered. In one example, the method may include receiving operating data of a target resource, the operating data being associated with previous occurrences of an event at the target resource, predicting one or more leading indicators of the event at the target resource based on the received operating data, each leading indicator comprising a variable and a threshold value for the variable, and outputting information about the one or more predicted leading indicators of the target resource for display via a user interface.

Physical assets (e.g., machinery and equipment used in industry, manufacture, etc.) must be monitored and maintained to remain working properly. To understand and predict performance of an asset, users often rely on leading indicators to help predict the occurrence of a future event (e.g., a machine breakdown, a repair, a part replacement, error codes being displayed, quality events, customer complaints, and the like.) Sensors may be attached on or around an asset and may be used to capture measurements of various features of the asset during operation. Leading indicators may include measured features or variables (e.g., temperature, pressure, altitude, humidity, flow rate, vibration, etc.) that have time-series values that are most correlated with the occurrence of the event. As another example, leading indicators may include attributes related to an asset such as operating conditions, operational hours or age, model number, asset type, operator, etc. For example, leading indicators can include an identification of a specific variable and a condition of the variable which indicates future occurrence of an event. Leading indicators can help an engineer or other user build more effective Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) rules and predictive models (e.g., fault prediction) thereby providing operators of the asset with a chance to correct an issue before it progresses into an event.
Leading indicators are typically established by a manufacturer. Manufacturers may create generalized leading indicators that are not specific to a particular asset and its conditions but are adequate for general types of operating environments where an asset may be placed. Often, the leading indicators are determined while testing the asset in a vacuum or other environment. However, manufacturer-defined leading indicators are set in advance, and fail to consider factors associated with an asset (e.g., environment, materials, operating conditions, other assets, etc.) when it is deployed. As will be appreciated, different factors can significantly influence what causes events. Accordingly, a new mechanism is needed for identifying leading indicators.
Throughout the drawings and the detailed description, unless otherwise described, the same drawing reference numerals will be understood to refer to the same elements, features, and structures. The relative size and depiction of these elements may be exaggerated or adjusted for clarity, illustration, and/or convenience.

Predicting leading indicators of an event


An air hole (29) is formed to penetrate through a back wall (23) of a receptacle (22). Leading end portions (61) of male terminal fittings (60) are inserted into an inner portion (28) of a tube (27) and the air hole (29) communicates with the inner portion (28). If a female connector is connected in a posture inclined from a proper connecting posture, the tube (27) interferes with the female connector to prevent any further connecting operation. The tube (27) surrounds a plurality of male terminal fittings (60) together. A wall (31) for partially closing openings of the inner portion (28) is formed at a leading end portion of the tube (27).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,114 discloses a connector with a receptacle for receiving a mating female connector. Male terminal fittings are mounted through a back wall of the receptacle and project into the receptacle. A tube projects from the back wall into the receptacle. The leading ends of the longer male terminal fittings are inserted in the tube.
An air hole may penetrate through the back wall to accommodate an escape of air during connection of two connectors thereby reducing an internal pressure when connecting two connectors and reducing a work load of an operator during a connecting operation. An entire ventilation capacity can be expanded if the air hole communicates with an inner portion of the tube. However, such a construction may allow external matter to intrude into the tube through an opening at a leading end of the tube and the external matter may block the air hole to impair a ventilation function.
The invention was developed in view of the above situation and an object thereof is to prevent an air hole from being blocked by an external matter.


A starter air valve comprising a housing comprising an inlet at a first end and an outlet at a second end opposite the first end, the inlet being fluidly connected to the outlet through a fluid pathway; a valve injected into the fluid pathway dividing the fluid pathway into a first chamber and second chamber, the valve in operation adjusts fluid flow through fluid pathway; an actuator operably connected to the valve; a solenoid in variable electrical connection with the actuator; and a rotary spool valve fluidly connected to the first chamber, the rotary spool valve operable to rotate to at least one of a normal start position, a full manual override position, and a plurality of partial manual override positions, wherein the rotary spool valve is in variable fluid connection with the actuator, wherein the solenoid is in variable electrical connection with the actuator through the rotary spool valve.

The embodiments herein generally relate to starter air valves used to start gas turbine engines and more specifically, the manual overrides for the starter air valve.
Many relatively large gas turbine engines, including turbofan engines, may use an air turbine starter (ATS) to initiate gas turbine engine rotation. The ATS is typically mounted on the accessory gearbox which, in turn, is mounted on the engine or airframe. Consequently, the ATS is installed in the aircraft at all times even though active operation may occur only for a minute or so at the beginning of each flight cycle, along with occasional operation during engine maintenance activities.
The ATS generally includes a turbine section coupled to an output section within a housing. The turbine section is coupled to a high pressure fluid source, such as compressed air, to drive the output section through a gear system. Thus, when the high pressure fluid source impinges upon the turbine section, the output section powers the gas turbine engine.
When the gas turbine engine of an airplane has been shut off for example, after the airplane has landed at an airport, the engine is hot and due to heat rise, the upper portions of the engine will be hotter than lower portions of the engine. When this occurs thermal expansion may cause deflection of components of the engine which can result in a "bowed rotor" condition. If a gas turbine engine is in such a bowed rotor condition, it is undesirable to restart or start the engine. One approach to mitigating a bowed rotor condition is to use the ATS to drive rotation (i.e., cool-down motoring) of a spool within the engine for an extended period of time at a selected speed and is referred to as Bowed Rotor Motoring (BRM). Enhancements to improve the efficiency of BRM are greatly desired.


The present disclosure relates to compositions and methods useful for the production of heterologous proteins with reduced O-mannosylation in filamentous fungal cells, such as Trichoderma cells. More specifically, the invention provides a PMT-deficient filamentous fungal cell comprising a) at least a first mutation that reduces an endogenous protease activity compared to a parental filamentous fungal cell which does not have said first mutation, and, b) at least a second mutation in a PMT gene that reduces endogenous O-mannosyltransferase activity compared to a parental filamentous fungal cell which does not have said second mutation, wherein said filamentous fungal cell is selected from the group consisting of Trichoderma, Neurospora, Myceliophthora or Chrysosporium cell.

Posttranslational modification of eukaryotic proteins, particularly therapeutic proteins such as immunoglobulins, is often necessary for proper protein folding and function. Because standard prokaryotic expression systems lack the proper machinery necessary for such modifications, alternative expression systems have to be used in production of these therapeutic proteins. Even where eukaryotic proteins do not have posttranslational modifications, prokaryotic expression systems often lack necessary chaperone proteins required for proper folding. Yeast and fungi are attractive options for expressing proteins as they can be easily grown at a large scale in simple media, which allows low production costs, and yeast and fungi have posttranslational machinery and chaperones that perform similar functions as found in mammalian cells. Moreover, tools are available to manipulate the relatively simple genetic makeup of yeast and fungal cells as well as more complex eukaryotic cells such as mammalian or insect cells (De Pourcq et al., Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 87(5):1617-31).
However, posttranslational modifications occurring in yeast and fungi may still be a concern for the production of recombinant therapeutic protein. In particular, O-mannosylation is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome in the production of biopharmaceuticals for human applications in fungi. More specifically, yeasts like Pichia pastoris and Saccharomyces cerevisiae tend to hyper-mannosylate heterologously expressed biopharmaceuticals, thereby triggering adverse effects when applied to humans.
O-mannosylation to Serine and Threonine residues includes in mammals GalNAc based oligosaccharides or GlcNAc/N-acetyllactosamine comprising O-linked mannose glycans. In fungi O-mannosylation occurs as hexose monomers or oligomers. In yeasts, there are typically several protein(/polypeptide) O-mannosyltransferases, which often function as complexes. Part of the knock-outs are harmfull, at least for cell structures and stability and not all yeast knock-outs or combinations are tolerated (for a review, see Goto 2007, Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem. 71(6), 1415-1427).
There have been reports of knock-outs of yeast O-mannosyltransferase genes, aiming to reduce the O-mannosylation levels, and even multiple knock-out mutants involving two or three pmt genes in S. cerevisiae (WO/1994/004687). Pmt1 or pmt2 knock-out of S. cerevisiae reduced the level of O-mannosylation of antifreeze glycoprotein III to about 30% of the proteins and the residual mannosylated protein contains numerous mannose residues per protein, apparently also oligosaccharides (WO/2004/057007).
WO/2010/034708 reports no significant level of O-mannosylation of recombinant hydrophobin Trichoderma protein when expressed in pmt1 knock-out of S. cerevisiae host cell. Such O-mannosylation appears to be artificial yeast glycosylation of the original non-mannosylated filamentous fungal protein.
WO/2010/128143 further reports single chain antibody-albumin fusion construct in yeast S. cerevisiae pmt1 and/or pmt4 knock-out strains.
Pmt1, pmt2, and pmt3 single gene knock-outs, double, and triple knock-outs of Aspergillus species (Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and/or Aspergillus awamori) are described in Goto et al, 2009 (Eukaryotic cell 2009, 8(10):1465); Mouyna et al, 2010 (Molecular Microbiology 2010, 76(5), 1205-1221); Zhou et al, 2007 (Eukaryotic cell 2007, 6(12):2260); Oka et al, 2004 (Microbiology 2004, 150, 1973-1982); Kriangkripipat et al, 2009; Fang et al, 2010 (Glycobiology, 2010, vol. 20 pp 542-552); and Oka et al, 2005 (Microbiology 2005, 151, 3657-3667).
Despite numerous reports on knock out of pmt homologues in filamentous fungi, there is no description of a filamentous fungal cell with reduced O-mannosylation and useful as a host cell for the production of recombinant glycoprotein.
In particular, Gorka-Niec et al (2008, Acta Biochimica Polonica, Vol. 55 No 2/2008, 251-259) reported the deletion of pmt1 gene in Trichoderma reesei. PMT1 protein showed the highest identity to Pmt4p of S. cerevisiae (51%) but functionally complement pmt2Δ S. cerevisiae mutant (Gorka-Niec et al, 2007, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1770, 2007, 774-780). However, the authors reported that disruption of the pmt1 gene caused a decrease of protein secretion but did not alter O- and N-glycosylation of secreted protein.
Zakrzewska et al (Curr Genet 2003 43: 11-16) further reported that Trichoderma reesei pmt1 gene did not functionally complement pmt4Δ S. cerevisiae mutant.
In fact, deletions of the PMT genes in yeasts or filamentous fungi appears to either result in no phenotype at all or lethality or severely impaired vital functions of the cells, which would not be suitable for recombinant production of heterologous proteins, especially mammalian glycoproteins. For this reason, alternative methods such as the use of pmt inhibitors have been proposed as an alternative to pmt knock out strains (WO2009/143041).
Thus, a need remains for improved filamentous fungal cells, such as Trichoderma fungus cells, that can stably produce heterologous proteins with no or reduced O-mannosylation, such as immunoglobulins, preferably at high levels of expression.

O-mannosyltransferase deficient filamentous fungal cells and methods of use thereof