A blade mounting assembly for mounting a rotary blade to an arbor comprises an outer washer including a hub configured to extend through a bore of the blade, the hub defining a central bore sized to receive a spindle of the arbor. The hub further includes a locating surface arranged to contact the shoulder when the spindle extends through the central bore. The washer includes an engagement surface contacting the left side face of the blade when the hub extends through the bore of the blade. The engagement surface is disposed a fixed axial distance from the locating surface relative to the length of the hub. A fastener engages the outer washer to the arbor with the locating surface in contact with the shoulder. The assembly further includes a biasing element configured to be disposed over the hub between the shoulder and the right side face of the blade.

The present disclosure relates to an assembly for mounting a rotating cutting blade to a driven arbor. The assembly has particular applicability to miter saws, table saws and circular saws incorporating a rotating blade.
A typical miter saw, such as the saw 10 shown in FIG. 1, includes a rotating blade 12 supported relative to a work table 14. In the case of the miter saw, the blade may be oriented at various multi-planar angles relative to a workpiece to be cut. The rotating blade is mounted to an arbor 16 (FIG. 2) that is rotated by an associated motor.
A typical blade mounting assembly, as depicted in FIG. 2, includes an inner washer 30 that is mounted on a spindle 18 of an arbor 16 of the rotary power source for the saw 10. The washer 30 thus includes a central bore 30a to receive the spindle. One face 32 of the inner washer bears against a shoulder 20 defined by the arbor at the base of the spindle. The opposite face 34 bears against the right face 13R of the blade 12, which also includes a bore 12a for mounting on the spindle.
An outer washer 40 is mounted at its central bore 40a on the spindle so that the inside face 42 bears against the opposite outside or left face 13L of the blade. (In accordance with standard terminology in the art, the right side of the blade faces the rotating spindle, while the left side faces away from the spindle). An arbor washer 50 with corresponding bore 50a is seated against the outside face 44 of the outer washer 40. The entire assembly is clamped together by a blade bolt 60 that threadedly engages a threaded bore 19 in the spindle. The head 62 is sized to bear against the arbor washer to thereby sandwich the rotating blade 12 between the inner and outer washers 30, 40.
With this mounting arrangement, the right face 13R of the blade is the locating face for the blade. In other words, the position of the right face 13R is always determinant regardless of the thickness of the blade 12, and is always in a fixed position or at a fixed axial distance relative to the shoulder 20 of the arbor 16. The position of the left face 13L is dependent upon the thickness of the blade. This thickness is variable due to manufacturing tolerances or the designed thickness of the blade. For many rotary saw applications, this variability of position of the left face of the cutting blade is not a significant concern. However, in certain applications, such as a miter saw, much of the cutting action of the blade occurs at the left or outer face, rather than at the right face, of the blade 12. In these applications the variability of the left face position leads to variability in the cut location, which, depending upon the degree of variability can result in an improper cut.
One problem with this left side variability arises when projecting a cut line on the workpiece. In many saws the cut line is projected at the left side of the blade to avoid visual conflict with the spindle and rotary power source. The cut line can typically be established for one predetermined blade thickness. If a thicker or thinner blade is used to make the cut, the left side cutting action of the blade will be axially offset from the desired cut line. The present disclosure provides a solution to this and other problems by establishing a fixed axial location for the left side of the blade.


An extensible torpedo has a body, a cavity within the body and a water reactive material in communication with the cavity. A mechanism selectively positions the cavity between a first volume and a second volume and also selectively positions the torpedo between a first length and a second length. The second volume and length are greater than the first volume and length. The mechanism introduces ambient water into the cavity in a volume that represents a stoichiometric balance with the amount of water reactive material.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an extensible torpedo.
2) Description of Prior Art
The ability to extend or telescope following deployment is known for projectiles including undersea vehicles and torpedoes. One known mechanism for extending an undersea vehicle or torpedo following launch is a slide mechanism. In a slide mechanism, a shaft member at the aft section of the projectile is slidably mounted on a boom extending from the body of the projectile. The shaft slides along the boom in a contained manner. The projectile is initially assembled with the shaft in the forward most position. The shaft is retained in the forward position until the projectile exits the launch tube. After exiting the launch tube, the shaft slides to a rear-flight position and is locked in this position during flight. The mechanism for extending the projectile to its flight length configuration utilizes the high-pressure gas from the burning propellant of the projectile. As an alternative, a separate solid propellant or compressed gas cylinder is provided in the projectile boom causing the shaft to slide to the flight position.
Some extensible projectiles create a cavity, or increase an existing cavity volume, upon extension. One example is an unmanned underwater vehicle having a first tail cone portion with an internal cavity and a second tail cone portion positionable in and axially extensible from the cavity. Prior to separation of the vehicle from a ram plate, the tail cone second portion is held against the first portion by that ram plate. After separation of the vehicle from the launch tube, a spring urges the tail cone second portion rearwardly to an extended position, lengthening the vehicle and increasing the volume of the internal cavity.
Other projectiles include a compartment within their bodies. A flexible bladder is contained within the compartment and may be extended or retracted using a variety of materials, including air or water. For example, inlets in the body are connected through a conduit to a pump. The pump draws ambient water from around the underwater vehicle through the inlet and conduit and into the flexible bladder, thereby extending it.
For explosive projectiles, reactive materials are often housed within the projectile; however, the mass of these materials often adversely affects projectile maneuverability. In explosive projectiles that use water as a reactive material, this mass is particularly burdensome. In addition, reactions that use water are slowed by an excess amount of water that cools the reaction. Slowing of the reaction decreases the effectiveness of the explosive projectile.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


An energy application device applies optical energy on an adhesion sheet by a light radiator and, subsequently, applies heat energy on the adhesion sheet by a heater. With this arrangement, even the adhesion sheet, which includes an adhesive layer having an energy barrier that cannot be overcome only with optical energy, is enabled to start a photoreaction by overcoming an energy barrier with the heat energy from the heater.

In a processor for a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, simply referred to as a wafer), processes such as one in which a protective tape is attached to a surface of a circuit of the wafer for back grind, and one in which a dicing tape is attached to divide the wafer into a plurality of chips are performed. An adhesive of a tape used for such processes is optically curable (photoreactive). After the above processes, light is radiated on the tape by an energy application device to cure the adhesive (photoreaction of the adhesive) to weaken adhesive force, thereby facilitating peeling the tape without damaging the wafer (see, Patent Literature 1).
A light-emitting-diode attachment member of an ultraviolet irradiator of Patent Literature 1 is provided with an ultraviolet light-emitting diode arranged in a line, a cylindrical lens that collects light of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode to radiate the light on the wafer, and a cooling fan that cools the light-emitting-diode attachment member. The ultraviolet irradiator transfers the light-emitting-diode attachment member heated by lighting-up of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode while the light-emitting-diode attachment member being cooled by the cooling fan, whereby ultraviolet rays collected by the cylindrical lens are radiated over the entire surface of an adhesive tape.

Energy application device and energy application method


A circuit for detecting light is disclosed comprising: a) a light-integrating photo-sensor circuit having one or more thin-film photosensors and being responsive to a variable integration period signal and to ambient light for producing a photo signal representing the intensity of the ambient light, wherein the photo signal may be in one of at least three states including a no-signal state, an in-range state, and a saturated state; and b) a control circuit for receiving the photo signal and automatically increasing the period of the integration period signal when the photo signal is in the no-signal state and decreasing the period of the integration period signal when the photo signal is in the saturated state so as to result in the photo signal being in the in-range state and producing a corresponding ambient light signal. In particular embodiments of the invention, the circuit for detecting light is employed as a component of a flat panel display, and the ambient light signal is used for adjusting the brightness of the flat-panel display. The invention enables an improved dynamic range for thin-film photosensors, particularly when used with a flat-panel display.

Flat-panel displays such as liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) or organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays are useful in a wide variety of applications under a wide variety of environmental conditions. When viewed in a dark environment (little ambient radiation), such displays need not be as bright as when viewed in a lighter environment (more ambient radiation). If the display light output is adjusted periodically to compensate for ambient light conditions, the display can maintain a constant relative brightness with respect to the ambient illumination even if the ambient illumination changes. In a bright environment, this will increase display brightness to improve visibility. In a dark environment, this will increase display device lifetime and reduce power usage by reducing unnecessary display brightness.
The use of photosensors with displays to detect ambient light and adjusting the brightness of the display in response to ambient illumination is known. Efficient silicon photosensors are available and generally provide a current proportional to the light incident on the sensor. These photosensors are constructed on silicon substrates and may have a wide dynamic range. Such sensors can be combined with displays to provide ambient sensing. For example, see JP2002-297096-A, which describes a circuit for providing ambient compensation to an electroluminescent display. However, as implemented, the sensor is separate from the display and senses the light at a single point. This increases the cost, number of components, and size of the device and does not directly measure the light incident on the display itself.
It is known to integrate a light sensor on an active-matrix display device for the purpose of sensing light emitted from the display device itself. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,489,631 issued Dec. 3, 2002 to Young et al., which describes a display having integrated photosensors for sensing light emitted by a light emitting element of the display. There is no disclosure of the use of such photosensors for detecting ambient light, however, and the arrangement of the sensor coupled with a light emitter limits the size of the photosensor and its ability to sense ambient light.
When providing ambient compensation to a display, it is important that the light sensing device provide a signal having a wide dynamic range representative of the ambient illumination. The human visual system can effectively detect light from very dark ambient conditions of only a few photons to very bright outdoor conditions greater than 75,000 lux. However, tests conducted by applicant demonstrate that photosensors constructed on flat-panel displays using thin-film technology do not have the efficiency of photosensors constructed on silicon substrates and do not have the sensitivity necessary to provide a signal representative of lower light levels, for example <100 cd/m2, where displays are often used. Nor do they have the dynamic range necessary to accommodate the range of the human visual system.
There is a need therefore for an improved photosensor circuit for the detection of ambient light, particularly within an active-matrix flat-panel display.

Ambient light detection circuit with control circuit for integration period signal


A preferred folding crate includes a base having a perimeter. Pivotable side walls fold open from a stacked storage condition in which the walls are in juxtaposition and within the perimeter of the base. A pedestal and legs on the base are arranged so that the pedestal of one crate may be received and secured by the legs of a similar crate having its side walls folded to the stacked storage condition. A preferred crate includes latch members between inner and outer side wall surfaces on a first pair of the side walls. Catch members on a second pair of the side walls are positioned for releasable latch member engagement to secure the side walls in the open condition. Connector receivers, link members and fasteners may be provided to secure successive similar crates together.

The present invention relates to collapsible containers and more particularly to crates that fold between open operative and closed storage conditions.
Wood and plastic crates have long been used for storing or supporting goods for transport. Crates even find use as display tools. Stacks of crates are often used in commercial establishments as display racks. However, unless the crates fold flat, large areas are required for storage. Empty crates require the same storage space as full crates.
Similar problems occur in industries where crates are used for transporting and storing goods. For example, in the dairy industry it is common practice to use molded plastic crates to hold groups of milk containers. One typical form of crate is designed to hold four one gallon milk containers in a rectangular array. While the crates are useful for retail stocking and warehouse handling, problems are encountered when the crates become empty. The crates are designed to be strong and durable, to support the weight of the milk containers. However, empty crates are no longer useful and take up valuable storage space. Disposal is not an alternative since the crates are costly and can readily be re-used.
Problems are realized once again when the empty crates are to be transported. The volume occupied by the empty crates is excessive in relation to the typical payload capability of the cargo carrier. Thus, a cargo van filled with empty crates is not efficiently utilized, and transport becomes a frustrating expense because the cost to transport empty crates is very near the cost to transport the filled crates.
The above problems have been realized and various solutions have been proposed. One considered solution is to make the crates in such a manner that their side walls may be folded to a flat condition. Another is to build the crates in such a manner that they may be dismantled to permit stacking in a more compact condition.
A need remains for a folding crate that may facilitate effective latching of the side walls in the open condition, which may be folded to a compact storage condition and which may be interconnected with other like crates for storage and display purposes.


An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) pillaged display device, comprising: a) a substrate having a substrate thickness; b) an array of pixels comprising one or more OLED light-emitting elements, each light emitting element having a first electrode formed over the substrate, one or more layers of organic light-emitting material formed over the first electrode, and a second electrode formed over the layer(s) of organic light-emitting material to define a light-emitting area; the array of pixels having a characteristic spacing between neighboring pixels in the array, wherein the characteristic spacing is the maximum distance between corresponding points in neighboring pixels in an array dimension; c) a cover located over the substrate having a cover thickness; and d) a scattering layer located between the substrate and the cover; wherein light from the OLED light-emitting elements is emitted either through at least one of the substrate or the cover, and wherein the thickness of either the substrate or the cover through which light is emitted is less than or equal to two times the characteristic spacing.

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are a promising technology for flat-panel displays and area illumination lamps. The technology relies upon thin-film layers of organic materials and electrodes coated upon a substrate and encapsulated with a cover. These layers of materials have differing refractive indices. In particular, the cover and substrate typically have a lower refractive index than the thin-film layers of materials that, in turn, have a lower refractive index than transparent electrodes. As is well known, because these layers have different refractive indices, much of the light output from the light-emissive layer in the OLED is contained within the device. Because the light emission from the OLED is emitted in all directions, some of the light is emitted directly from the device, some is emitted into the device and is either reflected back out or is absorbed, and some of the light is emitted laterally and trapped and absorbed by the various layers comprising the device. In general, up to 80% of the light may be lost in this manner.
Organic light emitting devices (OLED) generally can have two formats known as small molecule devices such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,476,292 and polymer OLED devices such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,190. Either type of OLED device may include, in sequence, an anode, an organic EL element, and a cathode. The organic EL element disposed between the anode and the cathode commonly includes an organic hole-transporting layer (HTL), an emissive layer (EL) and an organic electron-transporting layer (ETL). Holes and electrons recombine and emit light in the EL layer. Tang et al. (Appl. Phys. Lett., 51, 913 (1987), Journal of Applied Physics, 65, 3610 (1989), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,292) demonstrated highly efficient OLEDs using such a layer structure. Since then, numerous OLEDs with alternative layer structures, including polymeric materials, have been disclosed and device performance has been improved.
Light is generated in an OLED device when electrons and holes that are injected from the cathode and anode, respectively, flow through the electron transport layer and the hole transport layer and recombine in the emissive layer. Many factors determine the efficiency of this light generating process. For example, the selection of anode and cathode materials can determine how efficiently the electrons and holes are injected into the device; the selection of ETL and HTL can determine how efficiently the electrons and holes are transported in the device, and the selection of EL can determine how efficiently the electrons and holes be recombined and result in the emission of light, etc. It has been found, however, that one of the key factors that limits the efficiency of OLED devices is the inefficiency in extracting the photons generated by the electron-hole recombination out of the OLED devices. Due to the high optical indices of the organic materials used, most of the photons generated by the recombination process are actually trapped in the devices due to total internal reflection. These trapped photons never leave the OLED devices and make no contribution to the light output from these devices.
A typical OLED device uses a glass substrate, a transparent conducting anode such as indium-tin-oxide (ITO), a stack of organic layers, and a reflective cathode layer. Light generated from the device is emitted through the glass substrate. This is commonly referred to as a bottom-emitting device. Alternatively, a device can include a substrate, a reflective anode, a stack of organic layers, and a top transparent electrode layer. Light generated from the device is emitted through the top transparent electrode. This is commonly referred to as the top-emitting device. In these typical devices, the index of the ITO layer, the organic layers, and the glass is about 2.0, 1.7, and 1.5 respectively. It has been estimated that nearly 60% of the generated light is trapped by internal reflection in the ITO/organic EL element, 20% is trapped in the glass substrate, and only about 20% of the generated light can actually emit from the device and perform useful functions.
Referring to FIG. 12, a prior-art bottom-emitting OLED has a transparent substrate 10, a first (transparent for bottom-emitting) electrode 12, one or more layers 14 of organic material, one of which is light-emitting, a second (reflective for bottom-emitting) electrode 16, a gap 18 and an encapsulating cover 20. The encapsulating cover 20 may be opaque and may be coated directly over the reflective electrode 16 so that no gap 18 exists. When a gap 18 does exist, it may be filled with polymer or desiccants to add rigidity and reduce water vapor permeation into the device. Light emitted from one of the organic material layers 14 can be emitted directly out of the device, through the substrate 10, as illustrated with light ray 1. Light may also be emitted and internally guided in the substrate 10 and organic layers 14, as illustrated with light ray 2. Alternatively, light may be emitted and internally guided in the layers 14 of organic material, as illustrated with light ray 3. Light rays 4 emitted toward the electrode 16 are reflected toward the substrate 10 and then follow one of the light ray paths 1, 2, or 3.
Referring to FIG. 13, a top-emitting OLED device as proposed in the prior art is illustrated having a substrate 10 (either reflective, transparent, or opaque), a first (reflective for top-emitting) electrode 12, one or more layers 14 of organic material, one of which is light-emitting, a second (transparent for top-emitting) electrode 16, a gap 18 and an encapsulating cover 20. The encapsulating cover 20 is transparent and may be coated directly over the electrode 16 so that no gap 18 exists. It has been proposed to fill the gap with polymeric or desiccating material. Such polymers and desiccants typically will have indices of refraction greater than or equal to that of the substrate 10 or encapsulating cover 20, and it is generally proposed to employ materials having indices of refraction matched to that of the encapsulating cover to reduce interlayer reflections. Light emitted from one of the organic material layers 14 can be emitted directly out of the device, through the encapsulating cover 20, as illustrated with light ray 1. Light may also be emitted and internally guided in the encapsulating cover 20 and organic layers 14, as illustrated with light ray 2. Additionally, light may be emitted and internally guided in the layers 14 of organic material, as illustrated with light ray 3. Light rays 4 emitted toward the electrode 12 are reflected toward the cover 20 and follow one of the light ray paths 1, 2, or 3. In some prior-art top-emitting embodiments, the electrode 12 may be opaque and/or light absorbing. The Figures are not drawn to scale because the organic layers 14 and electrodes 12 and 16 are so thin (on the order of 100 nm) with respect to substrate 10 and cover 20 (typically thicknesses of around 1 mm). Hence, the distance that light travels through the organic layers 14 and electrodes 12 and 16 is greatly exaggerated in the Figures.
A variety of techniques have been proposed to improve the out-coupling of light from thin-film light emitting devices. For example, diffraction gratings have been proposed to control the attributes of light emission from thin polymer films by inducing Bragg scattering of light that is guided laterally through the emissive layers; see "Modification of polymer light emission by lateral microstructure" by Safonov et al., Synthetic Metals 116, 2001, pp. 145-148, and "Bragg scattering from periodically microstructured light emitting diodes" by Lupton et al., Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 77, No. 21, Nov. 20, 2000, pp. 3340-3342. Brightness enhancement films having diffractive properties and surface and volume diffusers are described in WO0237568 A1 entitled "Brightness and Contrast Enhancement of Direct View Emissive Displays" by Chou et al., published May 10, 2002. The use of micro-cavity techniques is also known; for example, see "Sharply directed emission in organic electroluminescent diodes with an optical-microcavity structure" by Tsutsui et al., Applied Physics Letters 65, No. 15, Oct. 10, 1994, pp. 1868-1870. However, none of these approaches cause all, or nearly all, of the light produced to be emitted from the device. Moreover, such diffractive techniques cause a significant frequency dependence on the angle of emission so that the color of the light emitted from the device changes with the viewer's perspective.
Reflective structures surrounding a light-emitting area or pixel are referenced in U.S. Pat. No. 5,834,893 issued Nov. 10, 1998 to Bulovic et al. and describe the use of angled or slanted reflective walls at the edge of each pixel. Similarly, Forrest et al. describe pixels with slanted walls in U.S. Pat. No. 6,091,195 issued Jul. 18, 2000. These approaches use reflectors located at the edges of the light emitting areas. However, considerable light is still lost through absorption of the light as it travels laterally through the layers parallel to the substrate within a single pixel or light emitting area.
Scattering techniques are also known. Chou (International Publication Number WO 02/37580 A1) and Liu et al. (US 2001/0026124 A1) taught the use of a volume or surface scattering layer to improve light extraction. The scattering layer is applied next to the organic layers or on the outside surface of the glass substrate and has an optical index that matches these layers. Light emitted from the OLED device at higher than critical angle that would have otherwise been trapped can penetrate into the scattering layer and be scattered out of the device. The efficiency of the OLED device is thereby improved but still has deficiencies as explained below.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,787,796 entitled "Organic electroluminescent display device and method of manufacturing the same" by Do et al issued 20040907 describes an organic electroluminescent (EL) display device and a method of manufacturing the same. The organic EL device includes a substrate layer, a first electrode layer formed on the substrate layer, an organic layer formed on the first electrode layer, and a second electrode layer formed on the organic layer, wherein a light loss preventing layer having different refractive index areas is formed between layers of the organic EL device having a large difference in refractive index among the respective layers. US 2004/0217702 entitled "Light extracting designs for organic light emitting diodes" by Garner et al., similarly discloses use of microstructures to provide internal refractive index variations or internal or surface physical variations that function to perturb the propagation of internal waveguide modes within an OLED. When employed in a top-emitter embodiment, the use of an index-matched polymer adjacent the encapsulating cover is disclosed.
However, scattering techniques, by themselves, cause light to pass through the light-absorbing material layers multiple times where they are absorbed and converted to heat. Moreover, trapped light may propagate a considerable distance laterally through the cover, substrate, or organic layers before being scattered out of the device, thereby reducing the sharpness of the device in pillaged applications such as displays. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 14, a prior-art pillaged bottom-emitting OLED device may include a plurality of independently controlled pixels 30 and a scattering layer 22 located between the transparent first electrode 12 and the substrate 10. A light ray 5 emitted from the light-emitting layer 14 may be scattered multiple times while traveling through the substrate 10, organic layer(s) 14, and transparent first electrode 12 before it is emitted from the device. When the light ray 5 is finally emitted from the device, the light ray 5 may have traveled a considerable distance through the various device layers from the original pixel location where it originated to a remote pixel where it is emitted, thus reducing sharpness. Also, the amount of light emitted is reduced due to absorption of light in the various layers. Referring to FIG. 15, in a top-emitter configuration of a prior-art scattering OLED device light ray 5 travels through the cover in a manner analogous to the light ray 5 traveling through the substrate in FIG. 14. Note that because the organic layer(s) 14 are very thin relative to the substrate 10, cover, 20, and scattering layer 22, the light rays travel only a relatively insignificant distance through the organic layer(s) 14 and electrode 16.
Light-scattering layers used externally to an OLED device are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,837 entitled "System with an active layer of a medium having light-scattering properties for flat-panel display devices" by Horikx, et al. This disclosure describes a scattering layer located on a substrate. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 6,777,871 entitled "Organic ElectroLuminescent Devices with Enhanced Light Extraction" by Duggal et al., describes the use of an output coupler comprising a composite layer having specific refractive indices and scattering properties. While useful for extracting light, this approach will only extract light that propagates in the substrate (illustrated with light ray 2) and will not extract light that propagates through the organic layers and electrodes (illustrated with light ray 3). Moreover, if applied to display devices, this structure will decrease the perceived sharpness of the display. Referring to FIG. 17, the sharpness of an active matrix OLED device employing a light-scattering layer coated on the substrate is illustrated. The average MTF (sharpness) of the device (in both horizontal and vertical directions) is plotted for an OLED device with the light-scattering layer and without the light scattering layer. As is shown, the device with the light-scattering layer is much less sharp than the device without the light scattering layer, although more light was extracted (not shown) from the OLED device with the light-scattering layer.
US 2004/0061136 entitled "Organic light emitting device having enhanced light extraction efficiency" by Tyan et al., describes an enhanced light extraction OLED device that includes a light scattering layer. In certain embodiments, a low index isolation layer (having an optical index substantially lower than that of the organic electroluminescent element) is employed adjacent to a reflective layer in combination with the light scattering layer to prevent low angle light from striking the reflective layer, and thereby minimize absorption losses due to multiple reflections from the reflective layer. The particular arrangements, however, may still result in reduced sharpness of the device.
There is a need therefore for an improved organic light-emitting diode device structure that avoids the problems noted above and improves the efficiency, sharpness, and brightness of the device.

OLED device having improved light output


A lubricating composition containing an oil of lubricating viscosity, a high molecular weight polyolefin that is at least substantially free of ethylene-derived monomer units, and an overbased metal containing detergent, is capable of reducing intake valve deposits in a direct injection engine.

Direct injection engines are engines wherein fuel injection occurs inside the engine's cylinders. Injection of the fuel in this manner allows for more precise control over fuel consumption. Direct injection reduces cylinder temperature and improves air-fuel mixing allowing for greater power, improved emissions, and improved fuel economy. However, engines of this type are also very prone to inlet (also called intake) valve deposits (IVD). These deposits can interfere with valve closing, valve motion, and valve sealing, which reduces the efficiency of the engine and limits maximum power.
U.S. Patent application 2004/0198614, Calder et al., Oct. 7, 2004, discloses a method of reducing intake valve deposits (or inlet valve deposits, IVD) by utilizing a lubricating composition wherein the base oil contains combinations of Group III and/or Group IV base oils in combination with Group V synthetic ester base fluids.
U.S. Patent application 2006/0052252, Wedlock et al., Mar. 9, 2006, discloses a method for lubricating a gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine with a lubricant containing a combination of low viscosity base oil derived from a Fischer-Tropsch process and a high viscosity oil also derived from a Fischer-Tropsch process.
U.S. Patent application 2005/215441, Mackney et al., Sep. 29, 2005, discloses a method of operating a direct injection engine having an exhaust gas recirculation system by introducing via the fuel an ashless detergent that results in improved performance of the lubricant.
U.S. Patent application 2006/0172896, Conroy et al., Aug. 3, 2006, discloses a method of reducing the occurrence of ring-sticking in an internal combustion engine by using a lubricant containing a relatively large amount (1-15% wt) of a low molecular weight (Mn 100 to 5000) olefin polymer, especially polyisobutylene.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,034,039, Gomes et al., Mar. 7, 2000, discloses complex overbased detergents made up of combinations of sulfonate and phenate soap that provide enhanced corrosion and deposit control.
WO/PCT application 2005/061682, Wilby et al., Aug. 23, 2006, discloses lubricant formulations containing detergent compositions and dispersants designed for improving cleanliness and deposit control. Detergents derived from alkyphenols provide especially good cleanliness.
Olefin copolymers are well known as viscosity modifiers in lubricant compositions. They can be used to improve viscosity index, provide thickening of the composition, or allow for the formulation of multi-grade lubricants. Various characteristics of these materials, including molecular weight, may be controlled at levels suitable for use at treat levels necessary to impact the viscosity of the lubricating composition in the desired way.
Conventional ethylene-olefin copolymers at typical treat levels (0.1% to 2% by weight) do not solve the problem of inlet valve deposits (IVD) in direct injection engines. The present invention provides a lubricating composition with a relatively small amount (from 0.005 up to 1.0 or 0.5 or even 0.1% by weight) of high molecular weight polyolefin that reduces IVD.
Historically, metal-containing detergents have been used to improve deposit control. However, in GDI engines, increased levels of detergent metal (or ash) results in higher levels of inlet valve deposits. Metal-containing detergents are necessary in a lubricant to provide basicity (known as TBN) to control corrosion, wear, and other degradation pathways. It has been discovered that the use of high molecular weight polyolefins, especially polyisobutylene, in combination with metal-containing detergents in the lubricant composition results in reduced oil misting and reduced IVD and allows for the use of higher levels of ash-containing detergents.

Lubricating oil composition with anti-mist additive


A ball striking device, such as a golf club head, has a face member with a striking surface configured for striking a ball and a flange that comprises a portion of the crown. The flange being made of at least two members that are made of different materials, where a second material has a lower modulus of elasticity than the first material. The second member has a length, a width, a thickness and a location proximate to the ball striking surface to improve the impact efficiency of a collision with a golf ball.

Golf clubs and many other ball striking devices may have various face and body features, as well as other characteristics that can influence the use and performance of the device. For example, users may wish to have improved impact properties, such as increased coefficient of restitution (COR) in the face, increased size of the area of greatest response or COR (also known as the "hot zone") of the face, and/or improved efficiency of the golf ball on impact. The COR is defined as a ratio of the relative speed of the ball after impact divided by the relative speed of the ball before the impact. Since a significant portion of the energy loss during an impact of a golf club head with a golf ball is a result of energy loss as the golf ball deforms, reducing deformation of the golf ball during impact may increase energy transfer and velocity of the golf ball after impact, which benefits the golfer in the form of greater distance. The present devices and methods are provided to address at least some of these problems and other problems, and to provide advantages and aspects not provided by prior ball striking devices. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Golf club head or other ball striking device having impact-influencing body features


A torque-limiting bolt-and-nut assembly is provided for actuating a pipe-pressing member in order to secure two pipe ends together. The bolt includes a threaded shank, a secondary drive head, and a shearable drive head designed to be sheared-off by a torque exceeding a predetermined value. A recess is formed between the shearable drive head and the second drive head. The nut is mounted on the shearable drive head and is configured for transmitting torque to the shearable drive head from a manual tool. A nut includes a connection structure extending into the recess for resisting dislodgement of the nut from the bolt. The shearable drive head has at least four sides, all of the sides being of equal length, and the number of the sides being an even number.

The present invention relates to a torque-limiting bolt-and-nut assembly which is capable of being tightened only to a selected torque, especially for use in securing pipe ends together.
Bolt-and-nut assemblies are used to secure pipe ends together at a pipe junction. In that regard, attention is directed to FIG. 1 depicting a conventional pipe junction holder 10 for securing together the ends of two pipes 12, 14. Such a holder, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,036, includes a plurality of bolts 16 (only one depicted) which connect a ring 18 to a flange 20 of one of the pipes 12. The ring 18 carries a plurality of inclined bolts 22 (only one shown). Each bolt is connected to a respective pipe pressing member 24 to force edges 26, 28 thereof against an outer periphery of the pipe 14. Each inclined bolt 22 includes a flange 30 which bears against a slant surface 32 of the ring 18. By manually rotating the drive heads 33 of the bolts 22, the pressing members 24 are tightened against the ring, causing the ring 18 to press a packing member 34 against the ends of the two pipes to sealingly secure the pipe ends together. The slant surface 32 is inclined relative to the pipe axis, such that if the pipe ends try to separate axially from one another, the pipe pressing members 24 will be urged more forcefully against the pipe 14 to more vigorously resist the separation.
It will be appreciated that if the inclined bolts 22 are excessively rotated by a technician, the pressing member 24 may be forced too hard against the pipe 14, producing damage thereto. To prevent that from occurring, it has been proposed to utilize bolts that possess a torque-limiting structure. Exemplary of such bolts are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,595,124; 3,812,757; and 4,627,774, wherein the driving head of the bolt is designed to shear-off when a predetermined torque level is exceeded.
In addition, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,744, and in FIGS. 2 and 3 herein, it is conventional to provide an overlying protective nut on the shearable drive head to prevent that shearable drive head from breaking off prematurely if subjected to an accidental impact. In that regard, and with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, a bolt 40 includes a threaded shank 42, a collar 44, a cylindrical intermediate segment 46 extending through a respective hole 45 formed in the flange 30, a secondary head 48, a shearable drive head 50, and a retaining rivet 52 for retaining the protective nut 54 in place. The nut 54 includes a recess 56 configured correspondingly to the drive head 50 to transmit torque to the drive head when the nut is rotated by a turning tool (e.g., a wrench). The nut extends axially sufficiently far to enable a free end thereof to overlie a portion of the cylindrical intermediate segment 46.
Among the shortcomings of such prior art is the fact that if the rivet 52 becomes broken and the nut 54 becomes accidentally dislodged from the bolt 40, the turning torque necessary to rotate the drive head must be applied directly to the drive head. However, the drive head 50 has a cross-sectional shape which is not of the traditional shape for which standard wrenches are designed, (i.e., a rectangular shape formed by two long sides 57 joined by two short sides 58). Thus, the drive head is not adapted to be gripped by wrenches of the type normally found in the tool box of a typical technician. Since the technician will be located in the field where the pipes are to be joined, it may be difficult for the technician to locate a wrench that is adapted to the shape of the drive head. As a result, the technician may resort to applying torque to the secondary drive head 48 which has a more traditional shape, but which is not of the shearable type, thereby giving rise to the risk of overtightening the pipe pressing member, as discussed earlier herein in connection with FIG. 1.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a torque-limiting bolt-and-nut assembly having a shearable drive head which can be driven by tools that are traditionally found in technicians toolboxes. It would also be desirable to provide a simpler way of attaching a protective nut to the bolt of such an assembly.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a torque-limiting bolt-and-nut assembly. The bolt includes a connector portion including a threaded shank, a secondary drive head integrally joined to an end of the connector portion, and a shearable drive head integrally joined to the secondary drive head by a shear-off section designed to be sheared-off by a torque exceeding a predetermined value. A recess is formed in the bolt between the shearable drive head and the secondary drive head. A nut is affixed on the shearable drive head and is configured for transmitting torque to the shearable drive head from a tool.
Preferably, the nut includes a connection structure extending into the recess for resisting dislodgement of the nut from the bolt.
Also, preferably, the shearable drive head has at least four sides as viewed in a cross-sectional plane oriented perpendicular to a center axis of the bolt. All of the sides of the drive head are of equal length, and the number of sides is an even number.


A heat transfer fin (3) comprises a plate-like base section (4), a cylindrical collar section (5), a recessed section (7) which has a sloped surface (7a), and a flare section (6) which, when combined with another heat transfer fin (3), is in surface contact with the sloped surface (7a) of the another heat transfer fin (3). The sloped surface (7a) of the recessed section (7) and the root of the collar section (5) are connected, the connection portion where the sloped surface (7a) of the recessed section (7) and the collar section (5) are connected is bent at an acute angle, and the root of the collar section (5) reaches a position beyond a reference plane (S) which is in contact with a surface (4a) of the base section (4), the surface (4a) being located on the side opposite the flare section (6).

Conventionally, in refrigeration cycle apparatuses such as heat pump apparatuses, fin-tube type heat exchangers are often used. A fin-tube type heat exchanger has a configuration in which a heat transfer tube through which refrigerant flows is provided with a heat transfer fin to increase the heat transfer area.
FIG. 11 illustrates a configuration of conventional fin-tube type heat exchanger 100 disclosed in PTL 1. Heat exchanger 100 includes a plurality of stacked heat transfer fins 120 and heat transfer tube 110 that penetrates heat transfer fins 120.
Heat transfer fin 120 includes tubular collar part 123 (having a constant cross-sectional shape) that is provided in an upright state with respect to plate-shaped base part 121. From the root and an end of collar part 123, root part 122 and flare part 124 are expanded outward in the radial direction of collar part 123 while being curved.
The pitch of heat transfer fins 120 (interval between base parts 121) is defined when flare part 124 of one of two adjacent heat transfer fins 120 makes contact with base part 121 located near root part 122 of the other of heat transfer fins 120.
Normally, expansion of heat transfer tube 110 is performed in order to bring each heat transfer tube 110 into close contact with each heat transfer fin 120. To be more specific, heat transfer tube 110 having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of collar part 123 is inserted in collar part 123 of stacked heat transfer fins 120. Thereafter, heat transfer tube 110 is expanded and thus heat transfer tube 110 and each heat transfer fin 120 are closely bonded together.
At the time of the expansion, heat transfer tube 110 contracts in the tube-axial direction. To prevent deformation of heat transfer fin 120 at this time, step part 125 is provided to increase the strength of heat transfer fin 120 in heat transfer fin 120 disclosed in PTL 1.
In heat transfer fin 120, root part 122 and flare part 124 are expanded while being curved, and therefore relatively large gap 130 is formed between collar parts 123 of heat transfer fins 120 adjacent each other.
When such a gap 130 is interposed, the contact area between heat transfer tube 110 and collar part 123 is small, and heat is not easily transmitted from heat transfer tube 110 to heat transfer fin 120. To solve such a problem, in PTL 2, gap 130 is filled with filler such as silicone resin to improve thermal conductivity.

Heat transfer fin, heat exchanger, and refrigeration cycle device

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A contact via hole is formed through at least one dielectric layer over a semiconductor substrate. A semiconductor material is deposited at the bottom of the contact via hole and atop the at least one dielectric layer by ion cluster deposition. An angled oxygen cluster deposition is performed to convert portions of the semiconductor material on the top surface of the at least one dielectric layer into a semiconductor oxide, while oxygen is not implanted into the deposited semiconductor material at the bottom of the contact via hole. A metal semiconductor alloy is formed at the bottom of the contact hole by deposition of a metal and an anneal. The semiconductor oxide at the top of the at least one dielectric layer can be removed during a preclean before metal deposition, a postclean after metal semiconductor alloy formation, and/or during planarization for forming contact via structures.

The present disclosure generally relates to semiconductor devices, and particularly to a method of forming a raised trench metal semiconductor alloy by selective formation of semiconductor material in a trench, and structures for effecting the same.
Advanced semiconductor devices such as field effect transistors employ a trench silicide that is formed selectively at the bottom of each contact trench. During formation of a metal silicide at a bottom of a contact via trench, silicon is consumed from underneath the contact via trench. If the trench silicide overreaches into the underlying source region or the underlying drain region, the trench silicide may be formed too close to the channel of the field effect transistor, resulting in a high leakage current.
While increasing the thickness of raised source and drain regions could alleviate the overreaching of the trench silicide toward the channel region, such a change requires an accompanying increase in the height of a gate stack as well as higher process uniformity during subsequent planarization of a middle-of-line (MOL) dielectric layer at the gate level. Thus, increasing the thickness of the raised source and drain regions is not a practical option for alleviating the problem of a leakage current due to statistical overreaching of a trench silicide during manufacturing.

Raised trench metal semiconductor alloy formation

International Business Machines Corporation


In order to accurately determine a face area when performing image correction of an image, a pixel is set as a start point in the face area, then, pixels in which skin color is continuous from the start point are searched, and pixels that have been searched are linked to generate a skin color mask for the image. At the same time, an ellipse mask is generated for an ellipse area that includes the face area and is weighted according to distance from a center thereof, and which is composed with the skin color mask to generate a composition mask indicating the correction area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing method and an image processing apparatus, and particularly relates to an image processing method and an image processing apparatus in which a face area of a person in a pictorial image is detected and a correction is performed thereupon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to the spread of digital cameras and improvements in the capabilities of printers in recent years, there are increasing opportunities for ordinary users to print out in their own homes images they have captured. However, users who print out captured images as they are have been unable to obtain picture quality equivalent to that of a development, printing, and enlargement, or DPE, service, or an online print service that is provided by a professional business. The reason is that, with DPE and online print services, printing is carried out after executing appropriate corrections on the images captured by the user.
A particularly common target for corrections in captured images is persons in the images, and corrections are performed so that persons in the images are reproduced in fine detail. For example, backlight correction is carried out if an image is captured against a backlight, and corrections are carried out to achieve favorable skin colors for persons.
Such correction results can also be obtained by using commercially available applications. Commercially available applications include those that offer correction functions spanning a wide range of elements, including brightness, contrast, hue, saturation, etc. By combining and executing these correction items, corrections equivalent to those carried out by DPE and online print services can be achieved. However, it is difficult for an ordinary user to carry out complicated correction tasks such as these.
Consequently, methods have been proposed for automatically carrying out corrections related to image correction that gives importance to the persons in the images.
For example, techniques are known in which a skin color area or a face area of a person is detected from image signals, and luminance correction, color correction, and aperture correction are carried out on only the detected areas, for example see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. H6-121332 and H11-146405. With these techniques, area extraction is carried out using skin color detection in order to adjudicate face detection and areas to be corrected.
Furthermore, color correction techniques are known in which digital image data, as photo images including human faces and skin areas, undergoes color correction so that the colors of human faces and skin areas are corrected to natural colors, and good color balance is achieved for the entire image as well, for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-044469.
Further still, methods are known in which face areas in an image are detected and color components of skin from the face areas are specified so that correction is carried out limited to only these face areas, and corrections are carried out on only those color components, for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-303193.
However, these conventional automatic correction techniques for persons in images have the following problems.
In methods in which skin color areas are detected, as in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. H6-121332 and H11-146405, defining human skin colors has been difficult. In particular, there have been problems in that detection is not possible when there is a color cast in the image to be corrected or when there are skin color portions in the background that are also detected and undergo correction. Furthermore, with face areas, there are drastic changes in color, mainly in luminance, due to shadows and the like, and it has been difficult to uniformly specify skin colors of entire faces.
Furthermore, in methods in which the color balance of the entire image is obtained, such as that described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-044469, there has been a problem in that corrections limited to face areas cannot be carried out since the colors of the entire image undergo corrections.
Furthermore, in methods in which corrections limited to only face areas are carried out, such as that described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-303193, there has been a problem in that corrections extend to background areas as well, when the background in the vicinity of the face resembles the skin color determined from the face area.
Also, some commercially available applications are provided with a function that can automatically specify areas. With such applications, an area to be corrected is typically extended from a point specified by the user, subject to a condition that either the color components are the same, or the difference in the color components is within a predetermined range. However, since faces are not flat surfaces, there are areas in which comparatively drastic color variations occur within the captured images. Consequently, the methods for specifying areas to be corrected cannot accurately specify the range of face areas alone, unless the differences in color components as a condition are made small, and a large number of points are specified.

Image processing method and image processing apparatus


A medical system for finding and displaying the location of electrodes within the body. The electrodes may be used to measure the voltage on the heart wall and display this as an activation map on a geometry representing the heart chamber.

Wittkampf in his U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,697,377 and 5,983,126, discloses a system for determining the position or location of a catheter in the heart. These patents are incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
In the Wittkampf system current pulses are applied to orthogonally placed patch electrodes placed on the surface of the patient. These patches are used to create axes specific electric fields inside the patient. The patents teach the delivery of small amplitude low current pulses supplied continuously at three different frequencies, one on each axis. Any measurement electrode placed in these electric fields (for example in the heart) experiences voltages depending on its location between the various patches or surface electrodes on each axis. The voltage on the measurement electrode in the field when referred to a stable positional reference electrode indicates the position of the measurement electrode in the heart with respect to that reference. The three voltages give rise to a location of the measurement electrode in "three space".
Although the Wittkampf system is both safe and effective there are several sources of error that result in errors in position or electrode location. Principle among these is the respiration artifact. For these reasons there is a need for improved location and navigation methods to improve the functionality of the system for the physician.

Method and apparatus for catheter navigation and location and mapping in the heart

St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.


The present disclosure provides an OLED panel, a driving method thereof and a display device. The OLED panel has pixel units arranged in rows and columns, and each including an OLED device. The OLED panel includes regions arranged in column direction, and each including at least one row of pixel units and a cathode layer, the OLED devices in each region share the cathode layer therein, and the cathode layer of each region is disconnected from the cathode layer of any other region. The OLED panel includes a cathode voltage supply circuit configured to output a cathode voltage including an operating level to the cathode layer. The cathode voltage supply circuit is configured to start outputting the operating level to the cathode layer of at least one region at a time at least later than a time when all pixel units in the region receive a scan signal.

MPRT (Motion Picture Response Time) is one of the key technical indicators of a display, and is used to describe the extent of dynamic picture smear. The MPRT of the display directly affects the extent of the smear when the display is displaying high speed pictures. The smaller the MPRT of the display, the less noticeable the smear effect of the display.

OLED panel, driving method thereof and display device


An insulation pattern-forming method includes forming an organic pattern on a substrate. A space defined by the organic pattern is filled with an insulating material. The organic pattern is removed to obtain an inverted pattern formed of the insulating material. The inverted pattern is cured. An insulation pattern-forming method includes forming a first organic pattern on the substrate. A space defined by the first organic pattern is filled with an insulating material. An upper surface of the first organic pattern is exposed. A second organic pattern that comes in contact with the upper surface of the first organic pattern is formed. A space defined by the second organic pattern is filled with the insulating material. The first organic pattern and the second organic pattern are removed to obtain an inverted pattern formed of the insulating material. The inverted pattern is cured.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an insulation pattern-forming method and an insulation pattern-forming material.
2. Discussion of the Background
When producing a semiconductor device or the like, a fine pattern is formed on an organic or inorganic substrate using a pattern transfer method that utilizes a lithographic technique, a resist development process, and an etching technique (see Japanese Patent Application Publication (KOKAI) No. 2002-110510, for example).

Insulation pattern-forming method and insulation pattern-forming material


A method and mobile terminal for acquiring a packet service in a mobile communication system is provided. A mobile terminal of the present invention determines, when it powers on, whether to register with a network on the basis of previously stored packet service usage frequency and updates, when using the packet service after registering with the network, the packet service usage frequency. The mobile terminal of the present invention can reduce waste of resources required for the packet service by reducing communication with the network. A packet service acquisition method of the present invention helps reduces a number of mobile terminals registered with a network, whereby the network can reduce its processing load, resulting in improvement of network throughput.

Recent mobile terminals are equipped with various functions in addition to basic voice communication function. Particularly, the mobile terminals support packet services including high speed data and multimedia communications as well as conventional circuit services. The mobile terminal should register itself with an available network for acquiring packet services from the network.
Typically, a mobile terminal automatically registers with the network, upon turning on, for packet services and releases the registration when it turns off. Accordingly, the mobile terminal maintains the registration status even when the packet services are not used, resulting in waste of resources. Particularly when a plurality of mobile terminals are registered with the same network, the network experiences excessive processing load, resulting in degradation of service qualities.

Method and mobile terminal for acquiring packet service


Provided are a yaw brake lining and a method of producing the same, which relate to the technical field of macromolecular material. The yaw brake lining is mainly prepared from, by weight, the following ingredients: 40-50 parts of polyethylene terephthalate, 5-10 parts of polybutylene terephthalate, 5-10 parts of polytrimethylene terephthalate, 20-30 parts of glass fiber, 1-3 parts of anti-wear agent, 1-5 parts of lubricant, 1-3 parts of antioxidant and 1-3 parts of coupling agent. It achieves the technical effect that the brake disc is protected from damage due to its direct collision with the metal material during braking, and thus effectively guarantees the braking effect of the yaw brake.

With the advancement of the science and technology and the rapid development of economy, the demand of human beings for electric power continuously expands. Using non-renewable energy sources like coal and petroleum for power generation is confronted with an awkward situation that resources become increasingly poor. As a green energy, wind energy does not only coincide with the international energy reform, but also is a renewable resource, and it also bears positive significance to environment protection, and thus has been drawing the attention from more and more countries.
In the process of the power generation of a wind driven generator, the blades of the wind driven generator need to be redirected as the wind direction changes and be fixed to facing the direction of the optimal wind force, so as to maximize the work efficiency of the wind driven generator. Reorienting the blades of a wind driven generator is realized by a yaw brake which enables the brake control by making the brake pad tightly press the brake disc. However, when a yaw brake is braking, it is very likely for the brake disc to come into collision with the metal part(s) on a side of the brake pad, causing serious damage to the brake disc and compromising the braking effect of the yaw brake.
In view of this, the present disclosure is hereby proposed.

Yaw brake lining and method of producing the same


A single focus optical image capturing system includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, a fourth lens element and a fifth lens element. The first lens element with positive refractive power has a convex object-side surface. The second lens element has negative refractive power. The third lens element has refractive power. The fourth lens element with refractive power has an object-side surface and an image-side surface being aspheric. The fifth lens element with refractive power has a concave image-side surface, wherein an object-side surface and the image-side surface of the fifth lens element are aspheric, and the fifth lens element has at least one inflection point on at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface thereof.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a single focus optical image capturing system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a compact single focus optical image capturing system applicable to electronic products.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, with the popularity of mobile products with camera functionalities, the demand of optical lens systems is increasing. The sensor of a conventional photographing camera is typically a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) sensor. As the advanced semiconductor manufacturing technologies have allowed the pixel size of sensors to be reduced and compact optical lens systems have gradually evolved toward the field of higher megapixels, there is an increasing demand for compact optical lens systems featuring better image quality.
In an optical lens system, a TV distortion doesn't affect the image clarity but causes the image shape distortion. The TV distortion of a conventional fixed-focus camera is usually maintained within 3%. When the TV distortion is greater than 3%, it will be apparent to human eyes. However, the level of difficulty for maintaining the TV distortion increases with the size of the image. Furthermore, when a conventional fixed-focus camera is employed for both close-up photographing and long distance photographing, the conventional fixed-focus camera can not offer the desired TV distortion for both close-up photographing and long distance photographing.
The TV distortion condition of a conventional single focus camera is commonly designed for satisfying long distance photographing such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,000,031, as a result, a high TV distortion is generated for close-up photographing. The demand for close-up photographing increases rapidly nowadays, the aforementioned single focus camera no longer satisfies consumers. The TV distortion condition should be designed for satisfying both close-up photographing and long distance photographing, thus high image quality can be obtained for both close-up photographing and long distance photographing.

Single focus optical image capturing system


The present invention relates to a digital microscope that includes an objective lens for enlarged optical imaging of a sample in an image plane. An image with an optical resolution may be represented in the image plane by means of the objective lens. The microscope also includes an image sensor for converting the image, depicted on the image sensor by the objective lens, into an electrical signal. The image sensor includes a matrix of pixels by means of which a maximum image resolution of the image sensor is determined, which is finer than the optical resolution of the objective lens. The objective lens has a maximum magnification factor of at most 40. The optical resolution of the objective lens is defined as a minimum distance between two structures that are distinguishable in the image. The maximum image resolution of the image sensor is defined by a pixel pitch. A quotient of the minimum distance between two structures that are distinguishable in the image and the pixel pitch defines a scanning factor that is at least 5.

GB 2 384 379 A discloses a display system having a camera and a display for the front area of a train. The digital camera is high-resolution. Zooming of the displayed image is achieved by enlarging the digital image, as the result of which only a small portion of the image is visible.
US 2006/0171038 A1 discloses a system for zooming digital images. The system includes an image sensor, an A/D converter, an image processing unit, and a display. The sensitivity of the image converter is higher than the resolution of the display. For example, the image converter is formed by a CMOS converter having a resolution of 4096×3072 pixels, while the display has a resolution of 1024×768 pixels.
The SC100 digital camera manufactured by Olympus has an image sensor with 10.6 million pixels having a pixel pitch of 1.67 μm. The camera has a maximum refresh rate of 42 images per second at a resolution of 968×686 pixels. The refresh rate drops to 3 images per second when the highest resolution is used.
A method for refocusing is presented in the technical article by E. J. Botcherby, R. Juskaitis, M. J. Booth, T. Wilson: "An optical technique for remote focusing in microscopy" in Optics Communications 281 (2008) 880-887. This method avoids spherical aberration, and allows a large axial scan area and a high scan speed without mechanical interference between the objective lens and the sample.

Digital microscope having an objective lens and having an image sensor


A method for controlling transmission of security audit logs based on a model, a method for controlling transmission of log data based on a model, and a logging system. One embodiment may comprise receiving transmitted log information from a plurality of nodes, applying a rule-based algorithm to the transmitted log information to categorize a first batch of data as included in a security analysis, a second batch of data as excluded from the security analysis, and a third batch of data as actually reviewed in the security analysis based on a user selection, training a classifier based on outcomes of the rule-based algorithm, converting the classifier to run as a trained model executable on the plurality of nodes, and transmitting the trained model executable to the plurality of nodes.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to computer security in distributed systems; more particular aspects relate to methods for limiting transmission of logging information in distributed systems to reduce congestion.
The development of the EDVAC computer system of 1948 is often cited as the beginning of the computer era. Since that time, computer systems have evolved into extremely complicated devices. Today's computer systems typically include a combination of sophisticated hardware and software components, application programs, operating systems, processors, buses, memory, input/output devices, and so on. As advances in semiconductor processing and computer architecture push the performance of the computer higher and higher, even more advanced computer software has evolved to take advantage of the higher performance of the hardware, resulting in computer systems today that are much more powerful than just a few years ago.
One particular area in which such advances have been made is in the use of microservices. Microservices generally refer to an architectural style that divides an application program into components, where each component is a full, but miniature, application that is focused on producing a single task. Microservice architectures typically implement that single task from start to finish, from the graphical user interface (GUI) to the database, or at least from the service application programming interface (API) to the database, so that different GUIs and client apps can reuse the same task functionality. Microservices typically have a well-defined interface and dependencies (to other microservices and to external resources) so that they can run fairly independently, and thus, can be developed fairly independently.


We have now discovered a novel process for the removal or extraction of metal species from a variety of solid, liquid or gas phase materials. Metal species may be removed by contacting the material suspected of containing one or more metals with a thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof for a period of time and under conditions effective for the sequestration of the metal species by the thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof. The thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising sequestered metal species may then be separated and recovered from the treated material. Moreover, following the treatment of aqueous liquids or mixtures, or suspensions or dispersions of solids in aqueous liquids, the resultant thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising the sequestered metal species is insoluble in water and forms a separate layer from the aqueous liquid phase, which layer may be readily removed.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to methods for sequestering and removing metals from solid, liquid or gaseous materials using thiolated bio-oils.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most vegetable oils typically have a triacylglycerol structure with a glycerol backbone connected to three long-chain ester linkages. The hydrocarbon chains of the structure make the molecule hydrophobic and immiscible with water or lower alcohols. The ester groups and internal double bonds give ample routes for modification (Gunstone. Fatty Acid and Lipid Chemistry. Blackie Academic and Professional. Glasgow, UK. 1994. 252). A wide variety of such vegetable oil derivatives have been reported (Biermann et al. 2000. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 39:2206-2224; Biermann et al. 2011. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 50:3854-3871; Hwang et al. 2003. J. Am. Oil. Chem. Soc. 80:811-815; Sharma et al. 2008. Bioresource Technol. 99:7333-7340; Ionescu et al. 2011. J. Serbian Chem. Soc. 76:591-606; Biswas et al. 2008. J. Agric. Food Chem. 56:5611-5616; Biswas et al. 2007. Green Chem. 9:85-89; Biswas et al. 2009. J. Agric. Food Chem. 57:8136-8141), having a variety of applications. These derivatives have included sulfurized vegetable oils obtained by the reaction between elemental sulfur and vegetable oils to improve the antiwear properties of lubricants (Erikson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,845; Kammann and Phillips. 1985. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 62:917-923; Rossrucker and Fessenbecker. Sulfur carriers. In: Lubricant Additives: Chemistry and Applications. Rudnick. Ed. CRC Press. Boca Raton, Fla. 2003. pp. 259-292; McDonald. Zinc dithiophosphates. In: Lubricant Additives: Chemistry and Applications. Rudnick. Ed. CRC Press. Boca Raton, Fla. 2003. pp. 29-44; Walling and Helmreich. 1959. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 81:1144-1148). The addition of H2S or alkanethiols to fatty acids or their esters has also been widely described (Kircher. 1964. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 41:351-354; Schwab et al. 1968. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 45:461-464; Gadd et al. 1996. Eur. patent 0713867; Schwab and Gast. 1970. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 47:371-373). The synthesis of hydroxyl-thioether derivatives of vegetable oil from epoxidized oils as lubricants was described by Sharma et al. (2006. J. Agric. Food Chem. 54:9866-9872) and Erhan et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,279,448). More recently, Bantchev et al. described the production of sulfide-modified vegetable oil lubricants using butanethiol in UV-initiated thiol-ene reactions with vegetable oils (2009. J. Agric. Food Chem. 57:1282-1290).

Heavy metal remediation via sulfur-modified bio-oils

The United States of America, as represented by The Secretary of Agriculture


Single port characterization of RF amplifier phase and amplitude transfer functions are developed by measuring the output of the amplifier as it is excited by a predetermined frequency over a series of bias steps. One bias step is chosen as a reference level. Amplitude characterization is obtained from measured magnitude at each step in the test sequence. Phase information is extracted from the same measurements by measuring phase and phase trajectory at a reference level, and subtracting measured phase information at a desired step in the test sequence from an estimation of the reference phase trajectory at that step. Reference measurements may be interspersed with other measurements.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the art of characterizing the phase and amplitude transfer functions of radio frequency (RF) amplifiers.
2. Art Background
In an ideal radio frequency (RF) amplifier which has its gain set by an external bias level, the amplifier gain would be a linear, monotonic function of the bias level, and there would be no phase shift in the amplified signal over the range of bias and gain settings. Unfortunately, ideal amplifiers are hard to find. In many radio frequency (RF) applications, it is desirable or necessary to characterize the gain and phase transfer functions of RF amplifiers with respect to frequency and bias, often as a part of a manufacturing process or device test.
Traditionally, this analysis is performed using a two-port network analyzer. The network analyzer provides a reference input signal to the device under test (DUT) through a first port. The network analyzer, through a second port, captures the output of the DUT, and by comparing this captured output signal to the reference input signal, calculates the change in amplitude, or gain, of the amplifier, and the phase shift. This measurement process may be repeated over variations in parameters such as frequency, input amplitude, amplifier bias, and the like, to characterize the performance of the DUT.
In modern wireless devices, such as wireless communications devices, it may be difficult or impossible to make two port measurements of the output amplifier stage of the device. It may be difficult to perform a two port test measuring amplitude and phase response of the amplifier, for example during device test.
What is needed is a way to characterize amplitude and phase transfer functions of RF amplifiers using single port measurements.

Characterizing amplitude and phase transfer response of amplifiers using single port measurements


In one example implementation, the present disclosure provides a direct current (DC) restoration circuit for restoring the DC component of a synchronization signal provided over an alternating current (AC) coupled link from a transmitting circuit to a receiving circuit. During a period of inactivity in the synchronization signal, the synchronization signal may experience a drift towards the common mode, and may affect the ability for the synchronization signal to properly trigger the receiving circuit. The DC restoration circuit is configured to hold the synchronization signal steady during the period of inactivity, and allow the AC component of the synchronization signal pass through to the receiving circuit during the period of activity to alleviate the problem of baseline drift in the synchronization signal.

Circuits are typically composed of a plurality of modules. Modules are often provided in a signal path where one module may activate or synchronize with another module through synchronization signals across one or more links. For instance, a logic device (i.e., on the transmitting side) may output a synchronization signal across a link to another logic device (i.e., on the receiving side), which may then be triggered to perform a function according to timing pulses and/or triggered by threshold crossings of the synchronization signal.
Alternating current (AC) coupling, or capacitive coupling have been used in the link for performance reasons, where a capacitor is placed in series with the synchronization signal in the link. One issue with AC coupling is that for low frequency synchronization signals, the baseline would wander towards the common mode voltage if the synchronization signal is inactive for a relatively long period of time. Baseline wander in the received signal would cause an error on the receiving side because the ability of synchronization signal to properly trigger the logic device on the receiving side is affected.

DC restoration for synchronization signals


A cooking device including a upper unit having an upper grilling plate hingeably attached to a lower unit having a lower grill plate. The upper unit movable relative to the lower unit from an open position to a closed position to form an enclosed cooking chamber to cook foodstuffs. The lower grill plate includes a well to contain liquid and a heating unit for heating the well to vaporize the liquid during cooking and supply vapor to the cooking chamber.

This invention relates to electrical cookers in general and more particularly to electrical cookers which quickly cook foodstuffs such as poultry breasts, fish and the like while imparting flavor to and preserving the moisture within the foodstuffs.
Due to health concerns, there is a desirability to cook foods without the use of cooking oils, fats or similar substances. One method of preparing foods without such substances is by grilling the foods in a broiler. One of the disadvantages of this method is that the foods tend to loose moisture during the grilling resulting in poor taste. A second disadvantage is that the grilling does not add flavor to the foodstuffs, and thus to impart flavor, seasonings must be added to the surface of the food.
A cooker for foods is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,295. The claimed device cooks the foodstuffs in a smoker chamber having a pan of water between the charcoal heating elements and the foods being cooked. Although this smoker device flavors the food and preserves its moisture content, the cooking takes several hours which is a significant disadvantage. An additional disadvantage is that this device may give off noxious gases, which necessitates that the device be used outdoors.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device which cooks foodstuffs without the need for oils, fats and similar substances.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device which cooks foodstuffs and maintains the moisture content of the food during the cooking thereof.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device which permits the introduction of flavor into the foodstuffs.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a device in which foods can be cooked indoors and can be easily used in a typical kitchen.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a device which cooks food quickly.


Disclosed is a ring shaped wearable communication device (ring) for a user's finger. The ring includes: a sound sensor that detects ambient sound levels; a speaker that produces sound in human audible frequency range per at least one signal received, wherein intensity of the sound produced is based on the ambient sound level; an out port; and a hollow channel with an increasing cross-section that wraps around the finger, wherein: smaller cross-section end of the hollow channel is connected to the speaker and the other end of the hollow channel is connected to the out port to provide a horn-like structure; the out port and the hollow channel are configured to reduce the mismatch between the acoustic impedance of air immediately outside the out port and the acoustic impedance as seen by the speaker just outside the speaker; and the out port emits sound received from the speaker as directional sound in close vicinity of the user's hand.

Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
As a result of the monumental progress of smart-phone technology, the function of smart-phones are no longer constrained to just answering phone calls and sending messages, but also taking photos, acting as a personal digital assistant, playing media and allowing wireless communications. Aside from that, smart-phones have the normal functions of receiving and sending e-mail, surfing the Internet and being able to connect to Wi-Fi, 2G, 3G, 4G, and LTE.
User use smartphones on a daily basis for various tasks, the most important of which is taking phone calls. But there are times, when accessing the smartphones is not easy, for example, a lady in a crowded place keeps her phone in her handbag, If a phone call comes, she would not be able to hear it and even if she does, taking the phone out of the handbag takes time and unnecessary effort for a task we do so regularly. Similarly, people sitting in a metro, bus or train struggle to take their phone out of their pockets as our phones have become too big in size. Missing a phone call because it took a long time to take the ringing phone in hand should not be a problem in this age. Because of the form of the smartphones we use today, it is not easy to access them in a very short time. In both the cases, the time taken to take the phone from a pocket or handbag to the user's hand near the mouth and effort made to get the task done remains about the same.
To solve the above problem, electronic industries come up with wired and wireless earphone for people taking a lot of phone calls for long durations. These devices are not used by many people as wearing something on the head or face is not preferred by many users, additionally, people who take frequent but shorter phone calls prefer using a phone instead of earphones. Further there have been studies that say the electromagnetic radiation of phones are harmful for the human brain and keeping the phone near the head for too long may cause brain cancer. Thus, people should avoid taking phone calls directly from their phones.
Also, voice based interfaces like Siri by Apple Inc. and Google Assistant by Google Inc., USA has seen less acceptance by users than the projected demand. One reason for this is that the user has to take his/her phone out from the pocket/handbag and keep it near the mouth to say a voice command in a noisy environment which is both a long and effort taking process, people may also find it awkward to talk to a computer program like Siri in public on loudspeakers and many people choose to use the phone's touchscreen instead since they have already taken the phone in their hand which may also be a faster way to get the desired task done.
Efforts have been made in related art to address above stated problem by use of smart watch, wrist band, ring that interacts with the smartphone. An example of such is presented by Sgnl smartwatch band (by Innomdle Labs). This is a wrist worn band connected wirelessly to the smartwatch or the phone which has a microphone and a bone conduction actuator housed inside. The band let users take phone calls by placing their finger on their ear. The sound travels in the form of mechanical vibrations from the band to the wrist to the fingers to reach the user's ear. This approach is quite inefficient as significant attenuation of sound happens because of the vibrations having no direction and getting transmitted to all parts of the hand, major part of the sound signal ultimately getting lost or absorbed by the body. Also, the user is required to press his/her finger against the ear tightly to hear the sound properly. The band needs to be tightly worn on the wrist too so the mechanical vibrations from the bone conduction speaker are transferred to the hand properly.
Another wrist worn band is offered by PH Technical Labs. This wrist worn band has a removable Bluetooth based unit with a speaker attached to it. This unit is wirelessly connected to the smartphone and the speaker produces sound in the audible range. Because of the construction and placement of the unit on user's wrist, the output port of this speaker emits audible sound focused towards the user's ear when the user keeps his/her hand over the ear. The company claims that the user's hand acts as a parabolic reflector for the sound which helps focusing the sound towards the user. The sound on the other side of the hand is very less, enabling the user to take phone calls privately with their hand.
This approach requires the user to direct his/her wrist towards the ear when taking phone calls which may always not be comfortable for the user as user may wish to flex the hand in different angles with respect to the wrist. Also, since sound coming from this speaker has to travel a distance equivalent to the size of a hand, the sound has to be loud enough to reach user's ear which makes the method less efficient. Also, there is a chance that sound becomes audible to people who are in close proximity of the user because of the higher sound level required to be produced to make it reach user's ear.
An example of phone call taking smart ring is presented by Orii Smart ring. This ring wirelessly connects to a smartphone and makes use of bone conduction actuators to transmit sound from the ring to the user's ear when he/she presses the finger against their ear. The sound travels as mechanical vibrations through the finger. This approach is better at efficiency since the distance travelled by the sound is lesser, but again there is no directionality of sound and the sound may travel towards the hand from the finger as well where it again, gets absorbed by the body. The user still has to press his/her finger against the ear to get a clear sound, which requires effort and the ring should be tightly worn around the finger to avoid losses in transmitting the sound.
Another way to take phone call through a ring like wearable is to place a small speaker inside the ring such that when the user places his hand over his ear such that the ring almost touches the ear, the user can hear sound from the speaker and take phone calls through the ring. The problem with this approach is the sound generated by such a speaker is not directional, and so the user has to place his whole hand over his ear to take calls from the ring. Holding the hand in such a position requires considerable use of the shoulder muscle and it can be painful when the hand is held in such a position for a long time. Thus, simply placing a speaker inside the ring is not a very convenient way to take phone calls through a wearable device.
Bluetooth headsets are also frequently used. But however the Bluetooth headset is fixed on the ear, the headset supplies limited functionality of answering or dialing phone calls as the user can not view or move the headset. A headset is also placed around the user's ears, which is in close proximity with the user's face and many people like to avoid wearing gadgets near their face. Headsets are also not very comfortable to use for long durations and have to removed and carried around. An inconvenience with taking calls from a smart-watch is that the user has to use both hands to control the smart-watch and requires one hand on which the watch is worn held near the user's mouth so as to take a phone call on a loudspeaker, which is again inconvenient in public spaces. Therefore, figuring out a way to conveniently provide the benefits of phone and more without the above mentioned inconveniences is a worthy concern.
As elaborated, despite development of smart watch, headsets or wearable device technology, there remains a need for an improved and efficient wearable communication device which can be used in conjunction with a smartphone easily and let users receive phone calls in a more convenient way. The device should enable a user to take phone calls very easily and with minimal effort. Further, the device should be able to offer the user multiple other functions besides just handling a phone call, and enable user interaction with voice based assistants privately and easily.
All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as concentration, reaction conditions, and so forth, used to describe and claim certain embodiments of the invention are to be understood as being modified in some instances by the term "about". Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth in the written description and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as practicable. The numerical values presented in some embodiments of the invention may contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.
As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of "a," "an," and "the" includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of "in" includes "in" and "on" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g. "such as") provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the invention.
Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all groups used in the appended claims.