The invention provides a method of screening for gastrointestinal cancer in a mammal comprising: (a) contacting a body fluid taken from the mammal with N3; (b) measuring the amount of antibody to N3 in the body fluid; and (c) determining if the amount of antibody measured in step (b) is higher than the amount of antibody to N3 normally present in the same type of body fluid taken from mammals of the same species that do not have cancer. The invention also provides kits for screening for gastrointestinal cancer in a mammal by measuring the mammal's level of antibodies to N3.

Current assays for monitoring cancer generally measure the levels of tumor-associated antigens. Such assays frequently measure mucins and other glycoproteins or proteins apparently shed or secreted from the tumor into biological fluids such as serum. Tumors may also enhance the release of antigens from normal tissues into the blood stream so that levels rise during malignancy (e.g., CA 19-9 antigen). Common serological assays for tumor-associated antigens have been reviewed by Feller et al., in Immunodiagnosis of Cancer, pp 631-672 (Herberman and Mercer, eds. 1990) and in Malignant Diseases, pp. 167-294 (Baldwin, ed. 1987). Examples of such tests in general clinical use include those for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CA 19-9, Ca 195, CA 125, B72.3 (TAG 72, Sialyl Tn), CA 50, CA 549, Du Pan-2 and CA 15-3 antigens. Less commonly; measured tumor-associated antigen markers include those for Le.sup.x, dimeric Le.sup.x, trimeric Le.sup.x, CS Le.sup.x, sialyl Le.sup.x -i, disialyl Le.sup.a , Le.sup.y, i, T and Tn antigens. The vast majority of tumor-associated antigens presently measured exhibit alterations in carbohydrate expression and are classified as tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (reviewed in Hakomori, Adv. Cancer Res. 52, 257-33 (1989)).
The currently employed measurements of tumor-associated antigens are of limited clinical utility because the levels of antigens they detect generally rise over the course of the disease and are most detectable in the later stages of cancer, but are infrequently elevated in the early stages of neoplastic disease. This association of tumor-associated antigen level with tumor burden and staging may account for the relatively poor ability such tests exhibit in the prediction of cancer or cancer reoccurrence, relegating the clinical application of such assays to a monitoring role. There are exceptional cases in which tumor antigen measurements are of high diagnostic value for early stage disease (Linsley et al., Cancer Res., 46, 5444-5450 (1986)).
An alternative to measuring cancer antigen levels is to measure the immune response to tumor-associated antigens. For instance, Tal and associates (Tal et al., Br. J. Cancer, 18, 111-119 (1964)) have demonstrated that the sera from tumor patients and pregnant women contain antibodies that agglutinate tumor cells. Since lactose inhibited the agglutination, it was suggested that the antibodies were directed to lactosylceramide. Subsequently, elevated levels of antibody directed to lactosyl sphingosine were detected in a number of patients with gastrointestinal cancer (Jozwiak and Koscielak, Eur. J. Cancer Clin. Oncol., 18, 617-621 (1982)).
The specificity of human monoclonal antibodies derived from cancer patients has also been examined (reviewed in Lloyd, et. al., Cancer Res., 49, 3445-3451 (1989)). These human monoclonal antibodies were found to exhibit specificities to gangliosides (GM3, GM2, GD3, GD2), Forssman antigen, galactosyl-globoside, lacto-N-tetraose, and i antigen.
The presence of antibody to tumor-associated antigens in cancer patients has been investigated for a number of other tumor markers. These tumor markers include CEA, Le.sup.x, T and Tn antigens.
CEA is a glycoprotein containing multiple antigenic epitopes on both the oligosaccharide and peptide portions of the molecule. It is an embryonic antigen not normally present on adult tissues, but it is found in all human digestive system cancers. Thus, the presence of CEA on tissue, or the presence of circulating CEA, may be indicative of digestive system cancer. Whether antibodies to CEA are found in normals or cancer hosts has been controversial. See, Staab et al., Br. J. Cancer, 42, 26 (1980); Frenoy et al., Anticancer Research, 7, 1229 (1987). It has been reported that anti-CEA antibodies are found in patients with non-metastatic digestive system cancer and in pregnant and postpartum women, but not in normals or those with metastatic cancer. Gold, Cancer, 20, 1663 (October 1967). These results have been refuted by others. See Lo Gerfo et al., Int. J. Cancer, 9, 344 (1972); Collatz et al., Int. J. Cancer, 8, 298 (1971).
MacSween has reported the detection of antibodies to CEA, but suggests that the binding to CEA represents the cross-reactivity of antibodies to similar antigens, such as blood group antigens. MacSween, Int. J. Cancer, 15, 246 (1975). In fact, elevated levels of anti-CEA antibodies directed to Lewis.sup.ab substances on a CEA preparation have been found in women, smokers and 7-23% of patients having colonic, breast and bronchogenic carcinoma. Pompecki et al., Cancer Research, 41, 1910-1915 (1981). Pompecki et al. suggest that an increase in the levels of these antibodies is a poor prognostic sign for cancer patients and that following the levels of antibodies to blood group determinants, and perhaps other carbohydrate determinants, may be useful in monitoring disease progress in certain types of cancer and other diseases. Id.
Another group has reported circulating anti-CEA IgG antibodies in a very small number (3/500,000) of sera obtained from cancer patients. Ura et al. Cancer Letters, 25, 283 (1985). More recently, anti-CEA antibodies of weak affinity directed to the peptide portion of CEA were found in all normal and pathological sera tested using an enzyme immunoassay. Frenoy et al., Anticancer Research, 7, 1229 (1987). Finally, circulating CEA immune complexes have been described. Staab et al., Br. J. Cancer, 42, 26 (1980). Staab et al. teach that the presence of CEA immune complexes is a poor prognostic indicator for cancer patients. Id.
T and Tn are also tumor-associated antigens. While T and Tn are present on most tissues, they are normally occluded by covering structures which make them inaccessible to the immune system. T and Tn in unmasked immunoreactive form have been reported to be abundantly expressed in about 90% of carcinoma tissues. Springer, Science, 224, 1198-1206 (1984). The relative proportion and density of T and Tn on tumor surfaces have also been reported to correlate with tumor aggressiveness and invasiveness. Id. In particular, Tn is believed to be an important antigen in carcinoma metastasis. Id. All humans are reported to have antibodies against T and Tn which are thought to be elicited predominantly in response to antigens of the intestinal flora. Springer, Science, 224, 1198-1206 (1984). There have been reports that levels of anti-T are depressed, elevated or unchanged in cancer patients. See Bray et al., Clin. Exp. Immunol., 47, 176-182 (1982).
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,044 (Kim) teaches that carcinoma patients generally have elevated levels of anti-T. However, Bray et al. teach that patients with metastatic gastrointestinal cancer have depressed serum levels of anti-T and that the levels of anti-T correlate with the level of disease in that 83% of patients with extensive disease had lower than normal levels of anti-T as compared to 45% of patients with moderate disease and none with minimal disease. Bray et al., Clin. Exp. Immunol., 47, 176-182 (1982).
It has also been reported that patients with carcinoma generally have depressed levels of anti-T as compared to normals or to patients with benign diseases, but that in rare instances patients with carcinoma have elevated levels of anti-T. Springer, Science, 224, 1198-1206 (1984); Springer et al. in Cellular Oncology: New approaches in Biology, Diagnosis and Treatment, pages 99-130 (Moloy and Nicolson eds., 1982).
Finally, Thatcher et al. teach that anti-T titers are subnormal in patients with disseminated melanoma before therapy, and that patients who responded to therapy had significantly higher titers than did nonresponders in sera taken before therapy, at regression or progression of disease, and during the last pulse of treatment. Thatcher et al., Cancer, 46, 1378 (1980). Higher pretreatment titers were also associated with a significantly longer survival time. Id.
N3 is reported to be a mixture of difucosyl lacto-N-hexaoses and difucosyl lacto-N-neohexaoses which is isolated from breast milk. Kobata and Ginsburg, Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 150, 273-281 (1972). Lacto-N-hexaose has the formula: Gal.beta.1.fwdarw.4GlcNAc.beta.1.fwdarw.6(Gal.beta.1.fwdarw.3GlcNAc.beta.1 .fwdarw.3)Gal.beta.1 .fwdarw.4Glc. Id. Lacto-N-neohexaose had the formula: Gal.beta.1.fwdarw.4GlcNAc.beta.1.fwdarw.6(Gal.beta.1.fwdarw.4GlcNAc.beta.1 .fwdarw.3)Gal.beta.1.fwdarw.4Glc. Id. Kobata and Ginsburg speculate that the two fucose residues may be attached .alpha.1.fwdarw.2 to galactose, .alpha.1.fwdarw.3 to N-acetylglucosamine, .alpha.1.fwdarw.4 to N-acetylglucosamine, or .alpha.1.fwdarw.3 to glucose. Id. The exact composition of N3 will vary depending on the Lewis blood type of the donor. Id.
N3 isolated from the breast milk of individuals of Lewis blood type Le(a+b-) contains an octasaccharide having the following formula I: ##STR1## Dua et al., J. Chrom., 17, 259-269 (1985). This octasaccharide is the predominant isomer, comprising at least 90% of the N3 isolated from Lewis (a+b-) individuals. Id. Dua et al. were unable to demonstrate the presence of difucosyl lacto-N-neohexaoses in their N3 preparation. Id. Based on the limits of their methodology they, therefore, concluded that N3 isolated from Lewis (a+b-) individuals contained at most 10% of such difucosyl lacto-N-neohexaoses. Id. Note that N3 is referred to as M3 in the Dua et al. article.
The immunodeterminant structure of the Le.sup.a blood group antigen is the trisaccharide Gal.beta.1.fwdarw.3(Fuc.alpha.1.fwdarw.4)GlcNAc, which is carried by a type 1 blood group chain. The immunodeterminant structure of Le.sup.x is the trisaccharide Gal.beta.1.fwdarw.4(Fuc.alpha.1.fwdarw.3)GlcNAc which is carried by a type 2 blood group chain. Le.sup.x is also sometimes designated 3-fucosyl-N-acetyl-lactosamine, X hapten, Cluster of Differentiation (CD) 15 leukocyte antigen in humans, and stage-specific embryonic antigen 1 (SSEA-1) in mice. As can be seen from an examination of the above formula I, N3 isolated from Lewis (a+b-) individuals contains Le.sup.a and Le.sup.x determinants. Accordingly, as would be expected, N3 isolated from Lewis (a+b-) individuals displays Le.sup.a and Le.sup.x hapten activity in hemagglutination assays. Id.; Rohr et al., Fed. Proc., 42, 2102 (1983); Rohr et al., Fed. Proc., 42, 431 (1983); Rohr et al., Soc. Complex Carbohydrates, October 1983.
In epithelial-derived cancers of the colon and pancreas, the Le.sup.a blood group antigen is not considered a tumor-associated antigen because of its prominent expression in both normal and cancer tissues. Itzkowitz, et al., Cancer Res., 48, 3834-3842 (1988); Yuan, et al., Cancer Res., 45, 4499-4511 (1985); Ernst, et al., Lab. Invest., 50, 394-400 (1984). Le.sup.x is present on a variety of normal cells such as kidney tubules, gastrointestinal epithelia and granulocytes, and it accumulates in a variety of human cancers including those of leukocyte, stomach, liver, lung, and colon origin. Gooi, et al., Eur. J. Immunol., 13, 306-312 (1983); Hakomori, Adv. Cancer Res., 52, 257-331 (1989); Hakomori, J. Nat. Cancer Inst., 71, 231-250 (1983).
For instance, Le.sup.x antigen accumulates in gastrointestinal cancers in both membrane-bound forms (glycolipids and glycoproteins) and secreted forms (glycoproteins and mucins). The membrane-bound forms are generally detected by immunocytochemical means, while the secreted forms are assayed using standard immunoassay methods.
The expression of Le.sup.x antigen on tissue occurs at a higher frequency in early gastric cancer (93.3%) than in advanced stage cancer (66.7%), and Le.sup.x is present in 81% of cases of histologically classified undifferentiated gastric cancer and 66.7% of differentiated gastric cancer. Dohi et al., Gastroenterol. Jpm, 24, 239-245 (1989). Increased levels of the expression of Le.sup.x antigen on tissues have also been observed in pancreatic cancer and colorectal adenocarcinomas. Schuessler et al., Int. J. Cancer, 47, 180-187 (1991); Shi et al., Cancer Res., 44, 1142-1147 (1984); Itzkowitz et al., Cancer Res., 46, 2627-2632 (1986).
Immunoassays measuring levels of Le.sup.x in the sera of cancer patients have given mixed results. Kannagi et al., Cancer Res., 46, 2619-2626 (1986) report that levels of Le.sup.x and polyLe.sup.x, while occasionally high, were elevated in only about 10% of the cancer sera tested. These authors also reported that serum levels of sialyl Le.sup.x -i were significantly high in patients with cancers originating from organs from which adenocarcinomas often develop, and that the serum levels of Le.sup.y were frequently high in patients with hepatoma. They concluded that all four antigens (Le.sup.x, polyLe.sup.x, sialyl Le.sup.x -i and Le.sup.y) were tumor-associated antigens.
Herlyn et al., J. Immunol. Methods, 75, 15-21 (1984) reports that 53% of colorectal cancer patients older than 65 years had elevated levels of antibodies to lacto-N-fucopentaose (LNF) III compared to none of age-matched, apparently healthy donors or patients with benign gastrointestinal tract lesions and 18% of patients with inflammatory gastrointestinal tract diseases. In younger patients, the differences were less marked, and LNF III is found at relatively high levels in normals under 25 years of age. LNF III is a carbohydrate containing a Le.sup.x determinant.
A good correlation between Le.sup.x levels and the stage of colon cancer has been reported when two high affinity monoclonal antibodies directed to mono-Le.sup.x and dimeric-Le.sup.x structures were used for the assay of Le.sup.x levels in colorectal adenocarcinoma sera. Singhal et al., Cancer Res., 50, 1375-1380 (1990). Singhal et al. report that the preoperative levels of serum Le.sup.x increased in association with the progression of colorectal cancer (Dukes stages A to D) after surgery. In particular, they found that the percentage of serum Le.sup.x above the upper normal control level of 10 ng/ml were as follows:
______________________________________ Dukes A 20% Dukes B, with recurrent cancer 41% Dukes B, without recurrent cancer 46% Dukes C, with recurrent cancer 68% Dukes C, without recurrent cancer 67% Dukes D 74%. ______________________________________
A longitudinal study of Dukes B and C patients having Le.sup.x levels of greater than 20 ng/ml was performed by these researchers. In Dukes C patients exhibiting cancer recurrence, postoperative Le.sup.x levels rose significantly twenty-four months after surgery, while Dukes C patients without cancer recurrence showed a decrease in Le.sup.x antigen levels over the same period. In Dukes B patients, postoperative levels of Le.sup.x did not rise in patients with or without recurrence of cancer over the same twenty-four month period. The Le.sup.x antigen detected by these researchers was expressed on a large molecular weight glycoprotein (M.sub.r about 200,000). This glycoprotein is apparently different from the glycoproteins bearing the CEA or sialyl-Le.sup.a (19-9) antigens. The Le.sup.x glycoprotein was shown to be present in 85% of the sera of adenocarcinoma patients and in 33% of normal sera. The authors suggest that serum Le.sup.x antigen levels could be of diagnostic and prognostic value in adenocarcinoma.
The existence of human antibodies to Le.sup.x has been demonstrated by the isolation of circulating immune complexes (CIC) from the sera of adenocarcinoma patients which, upon dissociation, were shown to contain antibodies reactive with purified glycolipids bearing Le.sup.x antigen and an antigen component expressing Le.sup.x antigen(s). Singhal et al., Cancer Res., 47, 5566-5571 (1987). These investigators found that significantly higher levels of these CICs could be detected in patients suffering from breast, lung and colon adenocarcinoma as compared to controls (normals and melanoma patients) and that these CICs were detected in much higher percentages of adenocarcinoma patients than was the sialyl-Le.sup.x antigen.
Thus, while N3 itself has not been demonstrated to be a tumor-associated antigen, the Le.sup.x determinant, which is part of the N3 oligosaccharide, is a tumor-associated structure preferentially expressed on tumors. See, e.g., Davis et al., Fed. Proc., 43, 1751 (1984); Anderson et al., in The Molecular Immunology of Complex Carbohydrates, pp. 601-656 (Wu, ed. 1988); Hakomori and Kannagi, "Carbohydrate Antigens in Higher Animals," in Handbook of Experimental Immunology, Volume 1, pp. 9.1-9.39, (Weir, ed. 1986); Pompecki et al., Cancer Research, 41, 1910-1915 (1981). Also, significantly higher levels of CICs containing antibodies to Le.sup.x could be detected in adenocarcinoma patients as compared to controls. However, Applicants are not aware of any reports of the presence or changed levels of uncomplexed antibodies to Le.sup.x in cancer patients.


This invention relates to a gas turbine having a combustion chamber arrangement and a turbine chamber connected downstream of said combustion chamber arrangement, wherein the combustion chamber arrangement includes a plurality of individual combustion chambers formed by input areas and transition areas converging in an annular gap leading to the turbine chamber and wherein the longitudinal axes of the individual combustion chambers are placed at an angle relative to an engine axis that is defined by the axial extension of the turbine chamber. In order to improve said gas turbine by visibly reducing the thermal and mechanical loads of the individual combustion chambers in the transition area so that cooling requirements can be lowered in said area, the transition area of at least one individual combustion chamber into the turbine chamber is deflected in the direction of the engine axis and substantially in the input area of the turbine chamber.

Such gas turbines are known from prior art. With a burner located upstream of the individual combustion chambers of the combustion chamber arrangement, a mixture of fuel and oxygenated combustion gas is ignited and burns in the individual combustion chambers of the combustion chamber arrangement. The hot gases produced by the combustion of the mixture of combustion gas and fuel expand and are accelerated in the direction of the turbine chamber downstream of the combustion chamber arrangement. The individual combustion chambers are formed from an input section of generally cylindrical form and a transition section in which the hot gas flow with a circular cross-section changes to a hot gas flow with a annular segment shaped cross-section, so that at the end of the plurality of individual combustion chambers a hot gas flow with an overall annular cross-section is formed. This enters the turbine chamber where it meets an arrangement of fixed blades and moving blades, and causes the latter to move. With this principle, rotation of a turbine shaft connected to the moving blades is achieved, which can be used for various purposes such as power generation or jet propulsion.
For design reasons the individual combustion chambers of the combustion chamber arrangement are placed at an angle relative to an engine axis that is defined by the axial alignment of the turbine chamber. Because of this angle the hot gas flows, which initially run along the axis of the individual combustion chamber, are deflected in the direction of the engine axis.
Such an arrangement of an individual combustion chamber with a transition to the turbine chamber of a gas turbine has been published in U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,748. In the arrangement presented there, the hot gas flow generated in a cylindrical input section of the individual combustion chambers are deflected via a transition section in the direction of a turbine chamber, whereby the annular input gap leading to the turbine chamber is essentially aligned coaxially with the engine axis. Deflection of the hot gas flow from the axis of the individual combustion chamber at an angle to the engine axis towards a direction parallel to the engine axis takes place in this arrangement in the transition section of the individual combustion chambers. For this purpose the internal walls in the direction of the turbine shaft and the external walls of the transition sections away from the turbine shaft are embodied with appropriate baffles which force the hot gas flow from the direction of flow parallel to the combustion chamber axis to a direction of flow parallel to the engine axis. One problem with this procedure is that in the area of the baffles embodied with comparatively small radii the hot gas flow hits the walls of the individual combustion chambers in the input area, exposing them to increased mechanical and thermal loads. This leads to a steep temperature rise in the individual combustion chambers in the transition section, which in turn calls for increased cooling. In the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,748 this is taken into account by baffle cooling in the area of the transition section, which necessitates a pressure drop. The pressure drops required to cool such an embodied transition section of the individual combustion chambers and the quantities of additional cooling gas required reduce the overall efficiency of the turbine and are therefore seen as disadvantageous. In addition, the cooling arrangement shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,748 for the individual combustion chambers calls for higher design costs as the chambers have to be provided with a double-shell casing along their entire length.

Combustion chamber intermediate part for a gas turbine


A heating pad for pets and livestock that includes a plastic surface and an envelope containing a reflective insulation upon which is mounted an electric heating circuit. The reflective insulation includes layers of foil and bubble insulation to store, distribute and direct the heat upward towards the animal while reducing heat loss through the ground or mounting surface. A temperature sensitive switch is provided to conserve energy by permitting power flow between maximum and minimum temperatures, while a lamp is provided to indicate when the unit is drawing energy. The disclosure includes a modification to permit the unit to be used as a fluid storage and warming shelf.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a heating device. It has a primary use of providing supplemental heat to livestock and pets. Alternatively, the invention also relates to a heated storage shelf for the storage of paints and other liquids in shop areas to eliminate the necessity to heat the entire storage area during cold weather.
The livestock industry has long been faced with the problem of providing inexpensive supplemental heat to their new born animals. This problem is particularly severe in hog industry in which the sow's body temperature is relatively high and pigs are farrowed into a cold temperature. Their wet skin together with the substantial change in their environment often causes shock and a high death loss. To limit shock and the death loss, hog farmers have long provided supplemental heat to new born pigs. Originally, this supplemental heat was provided by heat lamps which used excessive electrical energy, heated the entire environment, and did nothing to preclude the concrete floors of farrowing barns from conducting the heat away from the pigs. In addition, craftsman using adhesives, paints and other liquids have faced the problem of having these liquids freeze when stored in unheated shops in the wintertime. To avoid this problem, the entire shop area had to be heated, or alternatively, the liquids had to be moved to a warm environment.
2. Related Art
In the 1970's, applicant invented the first commercially successful heating pad for the hog industry. This invention was licensed to Osborne Industries, Inc. of Osborne, Kans. These heating pads became widely known as the STANFIELD.TM. heat pads. They comprised a fibre glass mat on which was placed a heating wire in a serpentine pattern with the entire unit being bonded into an integral unit by thermosetting resins which were either sprayed or injected into an expensive mold cavity. Such heat pads made according to my prior invention are depicted in sales brochures of Osborne Industries, Inc., a copy of which is included in my disclosure statement and are incorporated herein by reference.
The original STANFIELD.TM. heat pads were and continue to be an acceptable product. However, they are costly to manufacture, impose high purchase, high operating costs, and can be improved through a better component design, shape and surface pattern which drains water, urine and other liquids from the surface.

Low energy animal heating pad with directional heat transfer


A high density micro-electrode array includes a transistor layer including a plurality of access transistors and a substrate in operable communication with the transistor layer including, wherein at least a portion of the substrate includes a plurality of trenches. The system includes a plurality of electrodes at least partially located in the plurality of trenches, wherein each of the plurality of electrodes is connected to at least one of the plurality of access transistors and wherein each of the electrodes is separated by a distance less than approximately one microns.

The present invention relates to multi-electrode arrays, and more specifically, to high density multi-electrode arrays.
Multi-electrode arrays are used for various applications including, for example, electrical interfacing to neurons. Multi-electrode arrays have been fabricated by a variety of methods and can be used for both in vivo or in vitro applications. Multi-electrode arrays can be used to stimulate or probe brain activity, to stimulate neurons and study the resulting neuron plasticity or to train live neural networks and use them for computation.
In currently available micro-electrode arrays, the density of the electrodes range from approximately one hundred electrodes per square millimeter in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) arrays to approximately ten thousand electrodes per square millimeter in micro-fabricated arrays. These electrode densities are achieved using standard CMOS metallization techniques. The density of typical micro-electrode arrays is much smaller than typical neuron density. For example, the neuron density for visual cortex is approximately two hundred million neurons per cubic millimeter.

International Business Machines Corporation


The oxygen concentration lambda in the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine is determined by establishing the average of the upper value OW and the lower value UW of the square-wave sum voltage Vsum corresponding to the difference DELTA Vs between the Nernst voltage Vs and the reference voltage Vref and converting this into a proportional pump current Ip which produces a Rc lambdaxe2x80x94proportional voltage at the calibration resistor. The difference between the upper value OW and lower value UW of the sum voltage Vsum is used as a temperature measurement voltage Vri for regulating the temperature of the probe.

The invention relates to a device and a method for operating a linear lambda probe of an internal combustion engine.
A linear lambda probe is used to determine the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine. It has two pairs of electrodes and a measuring chamber which is connected to the exhaust gas stream via a diffusion barrier. The first pair of electrodes (measuring electrodes) are arranged between the measuring chamber and air and are used to measure the oxygen concentration in the measuring chamber. The second pair of electrodes (pump electrodes) are arranged between the measuring chamber and the exhaust gas stream. This permits oxygen ions to be pumped out of the measuring chamber, or into it, when a current Ip with a corresponding polarity is applied.
In this way it is possible to generate a dynamic equilibrium between the flow of oxygen through the diffusion barrier and the flow of oxygen ions through the pair of pump electrodes. The oxygen concentration in the measuring cell which can be determined using the measuring electrodes is suitable here as a regulating criterion. A preferred value is, for example, 450 mV for xcex=1. The pump current Ip which flows in this case is a measure of the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas (and also for xcex after numerical conversion).
Hitherto, the application of the linear lambda probe has been restricted to the nonsupercharged, stoichiometric mode of operation (Pa=1 bar, xcex=1) of the engine. Correspondingly, only small pump currents are necessary to maintain the equilibrium (xcex=1) in the measuring cell (|IP| less than xcx9c2.5 mA).
For lean engines, an operating mode up to xcex=4 is provided, which requires a drastically increased pump current Ip. When operating in a supercharged (turbo) engine, an exhaust gas pressure of up to 2 bar is produced. The pressure sensitivity of the probe leads to a further increase in the maximum necessary pump current of up to xc2x112 mA.
The dynamic resistance of the diffusion barrier has a temperature dependence which leads to errors in the transmission ratio. This is countered by measuring the probe temperature and regulating it by means of a heating element which is installed in the probe. For reasons of cost, a separate thermal element is dispensed with here. Instead, the highly temperature-dependent internal resistance Ris of the probe is measured.
A customary measuring method for determining the internal resistance Ris of the probe is to apply to the probe terminal Vs+ a measuring signal M formed from a square wave alternating currentxe2x80x94for example 500 xcexcAss (peak-to-peak) with a frequency fm of, for example, 3 kHz. This alternating current brings about an alternating voltage of 500 xcexcAss*100 xcexa9=50 mVss with an internal resistance Ris of the probe of 100 xcexa9, for example. This alternating voltage is amplified in an amplifier, for example by the factor ten, and then rectified. The direct voltage Vri which has been produced in this way can be used and further processed as a measure of the probe temperature.
A known evaluation circuit is illustrated in FIG. 1 and will be described in more detail below.
This circuit has certain disadvantages:
When the evaluation circuit is supplied with a supply voltage Vcc=5 V which is generally already available, a center voltage Vm of approximately 2.5 V is produced. The voltage chain which is present at the probe is obtained as:
Vm less than |Rc*Ip+Vp|+Vsat; where
Rc=30 to 100 xcexa9=overall calibration resistance (manufacturer-dependent),
Vp=xe2x88x92350 to +450 mV; polarization voltage of the pump cell,
Vsat=100 to 200 mV; saturation voltage of the pump current source P; this limits the maximum possible pump current Ip to  less than 10 mA, and therefore does not correspond to the requirements (Ip=xc2x112 mA);
a common mode signal (Vmxc2x12 V) is superimposed on the pump current Ip. The measurement is falsified by up to xc2x10.3%% by the finite common mode expression of real integrated amplifiers (for example 65 dB);
in addition, the polarization voltage of the pump cell (xe2x88x92350 mV when xcex less than 1) results in a zero crossover point error xcex94Ip of approximately 5 xcexcA. As the pump current Ip is the primary measurement signal of the oxygen probe, these errors are included directly in the overall precision of the pump current Ip. This limits the precision of lambda control and thus constitutes a significant problem;
a further fundamental problem of this circuit arrangement is the reciprocal influence between the Nernst voltage Vs and the square wave voltage Vr which is produced from the measurement of the internal resistance. This square wave voltage Vr also appears at the input of the controller R and thus constitutes a control error. The controller will attemptxe2x80x94within the scope of its bandwidthxe2x80x94to compensate this control error. To do this, it changes the pump current Ip, which in turn has effects on Vs. As the pump current Ip is the measurement variable for xcex, the primary probe signal Vs is falsified. In turn the change in Vs is superimposed on the square wave voltage Vr. The effect of this is to cause the signal roof of the square voltage Vr to slope, thus bringing about a considerable amplitude error during the rectification;
when EMC interference signals occur there is also a considerable deviation of the actual measured value of the internal resistance Ris.
The object of the invention is to specify a method for operating a linear lambda probe which makes available values of the pump current Ip which correspond to the requirements set, said method avoiding the described common mode error and significantly improving the precision of the measurement of the pump current so that there is no reciprocal influence between the Nernst voltage Vs and the square wave voltage Vr, and the precision of the measurement of the internal resistance is improved, and which lambda probe remains operational even at a low battery voltage (Vb less than or equal to +6 V). The object of the invention is also to specify a device for carrying out this method.
This object can be achieved according to the invention by a method for operating a linear lambda probe having a first terminal, a second terminal, a third terminal and a fourth terminal, comprising the steps of:
generating a current with a square-wave profile and relatively low frequency from an oscillator signal with a frequency,
supplying the current at the first terminal as a measurement signal,
tapping a sum voltage between the first and second terminals, whose upper and lower envelopes determine an upper value and a lower value,
referring the sum voltage to the difference of a predefined center voltage and a predefined reference voltage, and
forming the mean value corresponding to the difference between a Nernst voltage and reference voltage from the upper value and lower value of the sum voltage and
converting the mean value into a proportional pump current which brings about, at the calibration resistor of the lambda probe, a voltage drop which is used as a measure of the oxygen concentration.
The step of generating the current can be performed by means of frequency division.
Another method for operating a linear lambda probe of an internal combustion engine having a first terminal, a second terminal, a third terminal and a fourth terminal, comprises the steps of:
a current with a square-wave profile and relatively low frequency which is derived from an oscillator signal with a frequency by means of frequency division is supplied at the first terminal as a measurement signal which brings about a square-wave voltage which drops across the internal resistor of the probe and forms, with the Nernst voltage which can be tapped between the first and second terminals, a sum voltage whose upper and lower envelopes determine an upper value and a lower value,
the sum voltage is referred to the difference of a predefined center voltage and a predefined reference voltage, and
in order to determine the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine, the mean value corresponding to the difference between the Nernst voltage and reference voltage is formed from the upper value and lower value of the sum voltage and is converted into a proportional pump current which brings about, at the calibration resistor of the lambda probe, a voltage drop which is used as a measure of the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine.
In both methods, the difference between the upper value and lower value of the sum voltage can be formed and can be used as a temperature measuring voltage for regulating the temperature of the probe. The temperature measuring voltage can be low-pass filtered. A predefined oxygen reference current can be fed to the reference cell of the lambda probe.
An embodiment according to the present invention can be a device for operating a linear lambda probe of an internal combustion engine, comprising:
an evaluation circuit which is connected to the lambda probe via its terminals,
an oscillator which generates an oscillator signal having a frequency, and a measurement signal which is derived therefrom by means of frequency division and has a relatively low frequency which is fed to the first probe terminal,
a difference amplifier whose inverting input is connected to the third probe terminal and whose noninverting input is connected to the fourth probe terminal,
a controller and a pump current source,
a second capacitor in which the lower value of the sum voltage is continuously stored is provided,
a third capacitor in which the upper value of the sum voltage is continuously stored is provided, the base points of the second and third capacitors being capable of being connected to the second probe terminal and being connected to the negative pole of a reference voltage, the positive pole of the reference voltage being connected to the positive pole of the center voltage,
a decoupling amplifier is connected downstream of each of the other terminals of the second and third capacitors, wherein
the outputs of the two decoupling amplifiers are connected to one another by means of a voltage divider whose tap is connected to the noninverting input of the controller,
whose output is connected to the fourth probe terminal, and
whose inverting input lies at the center voltage and is connected to the noninverting input of the pump current source,
the inverting input of the pump current source is connected to the third probe terminal, and
the output of the pump current source is connected to the second probe terminal.
A difference amplifier can be provided whose noninverting input is connected to the output of the first decoupling amplifier, whose inverting input is connected to the output of the second decoupling amplifier, and at whose output the temperature measuring voltage can be tapped. A low-pass filter can be connected downstream of the difference amplifier. A first capacitor whose base point can be connected to the second probe terminal via a switch, and to the base points of the second capacitor and third capacitor via a further switch, and whose other terminal is connected to the first probe terminal via a switch, to the other terminal of the second capacitor via a switch, and to the other terminal of the third capacitor via a switch. A switch can be provided via which a predefined oxygen reference current can be fed to the second capacitor, and to the reference cell of the lambda probe via said second capacitor and the first capacitor, as long as the sum voltage is at its upper value, and a switch can be provided via which the predefined oxygen reference current can be fed to the third capacitor, and to the reference cell of the lambda probe via said third capacitor and the first capacitor, as long as the sum voltage is at its lower value. A circuit can be provided for actuating the switches, which circuit alternately connects, with the frequency of the oscillator signal, the first capacitor to the reference cell of the lambda probe via the switches, and to the third capacitor via the switches, as long as the sum voltage is at its upper value, and to the reference cell of the lambda probe via the switches, and to the second capacitor via the switches, as long as the sum voltage is at its lower value.

Method and device for operating a linear lambda probe


A board unloading device is provided that can simplify unloading task and can be used to unload and pile a thin board. A board dropper unlocks clamping of the board in fallen condition of a transport hanger. A board container receives and houses the board when the board has fallen vertically. By activating a rotate cylinder, the board container is rotated. A transport roller carries out the board horizontally from an open area of the rotated board container.

At first, referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the structure of a surface treatment device which is comprised of the board unloading device will be described as follows. FIG. 7 shows plane view of the surface treatment device 100 from upside. FIG. 8 shows side view of the surface treatment device 100 from α-direction.
FIGS. 7 and 8 shows the plating device of so-called pusher type as the surface treatment device 100, and having such that the transport hanger 15 which is holding the board such as a printed board, rise-and-fall guide rails 10, 12 which rise and fall with the slidable transport hanger 15, and fixed guide rails 11, 13 which transport the transport hangers 15 sequentially while keeping each predetermined space of backward and forward.
As shown in FIG. 7, pre-treatment tank 1 of each type for processing before plating, plating tank 2 for electroplating, recovery tank 3 and water-washing tank 4 for processing after plating, unload section 5 that is arranged the board unloading device for unloading a board, exfoliate tank 6 for separating plating films, water-washing tank 7 for water-washing the transport hanger 15 after separating, and load section 8 for loading a board, are arranged along these guide rails 10-13.
Rise-and-fall guide rails 10, 12 shown in FIG. 7 are guide rails which rise and fall when loading or unloading the board W (such as printed board), and when dipping the board W into various type of tanks (e.g., plating tank 2, exfoliate tank 6, water-washing tank, and hot water-washing tank). Fixed guide rails 11, 13 are guide rails respectively for transporting the transport hanger 15 which has fallen into plating tank 2, exfoliate tank 6, etc. When Rise-and-fall guide rails 10, 12 has fallen as shown in FIG. 8, guide rails 10-14 configure one circular guide rail.
Referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the structure of conventional transport hanger 15 transported by the surface treatment device 100 will be described as follows. FIG. 9 shows detail structure of the transport hanger 15. FIG. 10 shows partial cross-section near the center of the transport hanger 15.
As shown in FIG. 9, the transport hanger 15 has treating-object holding member 90 with plural clamps 48 for holding the treating-object W, slide member 35 which contact sidably with guide rails such as fixed guide rail 11, and connecting members 44 for connecting such members.
As shown in FIG. 9, the treating-object holding member 90 has horizontal rods 46 which are continuously connected with the connecting member 44 and extended to nearly-horizontal in transporting direction, plural drooping rods 49 which are placed on the predetermined position of the horizontal rod 46, and clamp 48 which clamps the board on lower end of the drooping rod 49.
As shown in FIG. 10, the clamp 48 is comprised of fixed part 48a and movable part 48b. The movable part 48b is rotatably attached to the axis of the fixed part 48a. The clamp 48 is activated by a spring to close tip end of the fixed part 48a and the movable part 48b in normal condition. As the clearance is made on tip of the fixed part 48a and the movable part 48b by pressing the top edge of movable part 48b against spring force, therefore it becomes possible to insert the board W into the clearance.
The board unloading device 5′ placed in unload section 5 is, as shown in FIG. 1l, comprised of a clamp opener 50, a hanger supporter 51, and a container 53.
The clamp opener 50 is configured by attaching a clamp press member on tip of a press cylinder, and when the transport hanger 15 of FIG. 7 arrived above the unload section 5 has fallen with Rise-and-fall guide rails 12 as shown in FIG. 11, the press cylinder of the clamp opener 50 is activated to unlock clamping by expanding and pressing the top edge of movable part 48b of clamp 48 (FIG. 10). The hanger supporter 51 is configured by attaching a support plate on tip of support cylinder, and supports the treating-object holding member 90 of the above-mentioned transport hanger 15 which has fallen, before activating the clamp opener 50, by activating the support cylinder to expand and contacting the support plate from the opposite side of the clamp opener 50. Therefore, it is possible to prevent from weakening the press force caused by bending the treating-object holding member 90 of the transport hanger 15. The container 53 is placed at downside of the transport hanger 15 fallen with rise-and-fall guide rail 12, further receives and houses the dropping board which is unlocked clamping.
The board unloading device 5′, which is comprised of the clamp opener 50 and the hanger supporter 51 and the container 53, activate the transport hanger 15 clamping the board W falling with Rise-and-fall guide rail 12 to drop into the container 53 when unlocking the clamp by a clamp opener 50 and a hanger supporter 51, and after that it will be carried and piled by worker (Refer to the Japanese Laid open Patent Application No. 2002-363796).
However, the above-mentioned conventional board unloading device 5′ has the following type of problems.
It was so troublesome and bothering task for worker to pile the board W dropped into the container 53 shown in FIG. 11. And, as surface tension occurred from treatment liquid sit on the surface of the board W and claggy plating made the board W not to separate from clamp 48 when unlocking clamp, it caused the device to stop operation in some cases. Furthermore, it occurred that the upper part of the board W (which is not adequately housed by the container 53) was bent when the board is thin such as below 0.1 mm thick, because the board W stuck to the container 53 while dropping by the above-mentioned surface tension.

Board unloading device and board unloading method


An ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes an ultrasonic probe (2) for receiving and transmitting ultrasonic waves from/to an object (1), ultrasound image structuring means (6) for generating an ultrasound image from a reflected echo signal received by the ultrasonic probe, elastic image structuring means (7) for obtaining a physical quantity of the elasticity of a region of the object corresponding to the ultrasound image from the reflected echo signal and generating a color elastic image, display means (9) for overlaying the ultrasound image to the color elastic image, or arranging the ultrasound image and the color elastic input means (17) for variably setting a corresponding relationship between a hue of the color elastic image and the level of the physical quantity displayed on the screen. The level of the elasticity, such as the strain of each region in the tissue or an elastic modulus, is displayed with colors in accordance with the interest of the examiner, thus improving the convenience of use.

An ultrasonic imaging apparatus measures an ultrasonic reflectance of the tissue in an object with ultrasonic waves. In general, the ultrasonic imaging apparatus displays an ultrasound image of the reflectance of a diagnostic portion with the measured value, as luminance. Recently, in the ultrasonic imaging apparatus, time-series images of the temporal change in the tissue are obtained upon applying a pressure to the measured portion, the correlation between the time-series images is obtained, the amount of motion (e.g., displacement) of the tissue is obtained, the strain of the tissue is measured by spatially differentiating the amount of motion, and an elastic modulus of the tissue is measured for tissue diagnosis. Further, the measured strain or the distribution of elastic moduli is displayed as an elastic image.
The elastic image, serving as the strain or the elastic modulus, is displayed as a color image added with information on the hue of red, blue, and the like, depending on the amount of strain or the elastic modulus of the tissue. That is, the tumor spread or tumor size is easily diagnosed by displaying an image that is obtained by adding, mainly, a specific color to a hard portion of the tissue. As disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the elastic images, serving as color images, are arranged on the same screen as that of a B-mode image, or are overlaid to and are displayed on the B-mode image, as mentioned above. In particular, Patent Document 2 proposes that the elastic images are displayed by varying the luminance of red, blue or another color, depending on the elastic modulus.
However, in the ultrasonic imaging apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, the color assignment is not considered upon setting the strain or the elastic modulus as color images. In general, in order to display a physical quantity, such as the distribution of temperatures, by varying the hue for the purpose of easy understanding, the temperature within a display range from the minimum value to the maximum value thereof is classified to a plurality of segments. The colors from red to blue via a neutral color corresponding to the segments are assigned by varying the hue in view of tone.
The elastic image is used for diagnosing the tumor, such as cancer. However, the shape and the hardness of the tumor, such as the cancer, are varied depending on individuals, portions, and medical conditions.
Therefore, the uniform fixing of the hue corresponding to the level of strain or elastic modulus necessarily causes the diagnosis of the portion size with a predetermined hardness or more. Thus, the diagnosis takes a long time, the boundary of the tumor cannot be easily identified, and there are above-mentioned problems of deterioration in convenience. In particular, there is a risk that it is impossible to accurately determine the range of the affected part to be extirpated.    Patent Document 1: JP 5-317313A    Patent Document 2: JP 2000-60853A


An OLED display and a manufacturing method thereof. The OLED includes: a cover window; a guide frame disposed on the cover window; an adhesive layer disposed on the cover window, within the guide frame, and a display panel attached to the cover window, via the adhesive layer.

1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display has self-emission characteristics and is generally thinner and lighter than a liquid crystal display (LCD), since a LCD display includes a separate light source. In addition, OLED displays generally have a low power consumption, a high luminance, and a high reaction speed, and therefore, the are appropriate for use in mobile electronic devices.
In general, an OLED display includes: a display panel having two substrates that are bonded to each other, with OLEDs formed therein; a cover window disposed facing the display panel; and a supporting member (or bezel) to support the display panel and the cover window. In this case, an air gap is formed between the display panel and the cover window. Due to a refractive index difference between the cover window and the air in the air gap, the light transmittance and the image visibility of such an OLED display is decreased.
In addition, since an edge of the display panel is fixed, by being combined to the supporting member or the bezel, the OLED display can be easily damaged by external impacts. Particularly, the supporting member or bezel may be deformed, due to an external impact, and collide with the display panel, of the force of the impact may be transmitted to the display panel, resulting in damage to the display panel. The impact resistance can be improved by omitting the supporting member, but this may result in the assembly efficiency being significantly reduced.

Organic light emitting diode display and method for manufacturing the same


A brushless synchronous motor includes a stator having a plurality of phase coils, a rotor disposed opposite the stator, a magnetic sensor for detecting a rotation angle of the rotor, a power supply circuit connected to the phase coils, a control circuit for controlling the power supply circuit so that the motor rotates synchronously. In the above motor, a circuit board includes a wiring circuit connecting the phase coils with the power supply circuit, and the magnetic sensor is directly fixed to the circuit board so that dimensional variation of the magnetic sensor relative to the stator can be minimized.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a brushless synchronous motor that changes current supply to a plurality of phase-coils based on the rotation angle of a rotor detected by an encoder.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a brushless synchronous motor having a plurality of phase coils, current supply is shifted from one to another of the phase coils according to the rotation angle. The rotation angle is detected by an encoder that is composed of a rotor on which a permanent magnet is mounted and a magnetic sensor element such as a hall IC element fixed on a circuit board. Such a magnetic sensor element detects magnetic flux provided by the permanent magnet, as disclosed in JP-A-2004-48908 or US2004/0007935 A1, a counterpart of the former.
In order to make the brushless motor synchronous, the position of rotor teeth relative to stator teeth has to be detected at a high accuracy. Therefore, it is necessary to locate the magnetic sensor accurately relative to the stator. This is rather difficult because there are a lot of parts between the magnetic sensor and the stator, such as a circuit board, terminals and bobbins, which usually give dimensional variations. For instance, the magnetic sensor is fixed to the circuit board, and the stator core is fixed to a stator housing via the terminals and the bobbins.
The stator terminals are insert-molded into the stator housing. Those of the stator terminals on the side of the stator bobbins are located annularly along the stator winding to extend in the axial direction of the stator housing. Therefore, great care is necessary when the bobbins are assembled into the stator housing without damage of the stator terminals.


A method for multi-scenario software deployment includes creating a software deployment plan that includes at least one task granulated into independently executable sub-tasks; and saving the software deployment plan on a computer readable medium. A computer program product for multi-scenario software deployment includes computer usable program code configured as a software deployment program which runs on a controlling computing device; the software deployment program being configured to: query a user for deployment parameters corresponding to software to be deployed to a target computing device(s); and create a plan for deploying software to a target computing device(s) which can be performed automatically and includes tasks that can be independently performed by separate people. The tasks deploying the software to the target computing device(s) are then performed according to the deployment parameters.

The present specification relates to the field of installing and customizing software for computing devices.
In enterprise computing infrastructures, it is common for multiple computing devices to be interconnected through a network. Many types of software packages exist to provide support for enterprise operations. In many cases, the various features of a software package are selectively deployed to one or more computing devices throughout the computing infrastructure. The process of installing and configuring features from such a software package on one or more computing devices is known as deployment.
Deploying software in an enterprise environment can be difficult using conventional techniques. Software is often deployed for demonstration or proof-of-concept scenarios where only a single person is involved and all the software is deployed to a single computing device. In production environments, many people may be required to carry out the software deployment across the enterprise infrastructure. In the past, optimizing deployment for one scenario would often de-optimize the deployment for other scenarios. Highly automated deployments that work well for demonstration or proof-of-concept scenarios do not work well when the deployment needs to be divided among a number of people, and vice versa.


Provided is a method for manufacturing a highly reliable display device. The method includes steps of providing a first layer, a first insulating layer, an electrode, and a second insulating layer over a first surface of a first substrate; removing a part of the second insulating layer to provide a first opening; providing a display element and a second layer over the second insulating layer; providing a third layer and a third insulating layer over a second surface of a second substrate; removing part of the third layer and part of the third insulating layer to provide a second opening; overlapping the first substrate and the second substrate with a bonding layer positioned therebetween such that the first surface and the second surface face each other and the first opening and the second opening have an overlap region; separating the first substrate and the first layer from the first insulating layer; providing a third substrate such that the first insulating layer and the third substrate overlap with each other; separating the second substrate, part of the bonding layer, part of the second layer, and the third layer from the third insulating layer; and providing a fourth substrate such that the third insulating layer and the fourth substrate overlap with each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device. The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing the display device.
Note that one embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above technical field.
Note that in this specification and the like, a semiconductor device generally means a device that can function by utilizing semiconductor characteristics. Thus, a semiconductor element such as a transistor or a diode and a semiconductor circuit are semiconductor devices. A display device, a light-emitting device, a lighting device, an electro-optical device, an electronic device, and the like may include a semiconductor element or a semiconductor circuit. Therefore, a display device, a light-emitting device, a lighting device, an electro-optical device, an electronic device, and the like include a semiconductor device in some cases.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, research and development have been extensively conducted on liquid crystal elements as a display element used in a display region of a display device. In addition, research and development have been extensively conducted on light-emitting elements utilizing electroluminescence (EL). As a basic structure of these light-emitting elements, a layer containing a light-emitting substance is provided between a pair of electrodes. Voltage is applied to this light-emitting element to obtain light emission from the light-emitting substance.
Light-emitting elements are a self-luminous element; thus, a display device using the light-emitting elements has, in particular, advantages such as high visibility, no necessity of a backlight, and low power consumption. The display device using the light-emitting elements also has advantages in that it can be manufactured to be thin and lightweight and has high response speed.
A display device including the display elements can have flexibility; therefore, the use of a flexible substrate for the display device has been proposed.
As a method for manufacturing a display device using a flexible substrate, a technique has been developed in which an oxide layer and a metal layer are formed between a substrate and a semiconductor element, the substrate is separated by utilizing weak adhesion of an interface between the oxide layer and the metal layer, and then the semiconductor element is transferred to another substrate (e.g., a flexible substrate) (Patent Document 1).
In some cases, over a light-emitting element that has been formed over a flexible substrate, another flexible substrate is provided in order to protect a surface of the light-emitting element or prevent entry of moisture or impurities from the outside.

Method for manufacturing display device and method for manufacturing electronic device

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


The invention relates to the separation of narrowband and broadband services in a telecommunications network. Signals belonging to a narrowband service are transferred in a first frequency range below a given threshold frequency and signals belonging to a broadband service are transferred in a second frequency range above said threshold frequency in the transmission link. The transmission link utilizes a splitter element comprising a low-pass filter unit and a high-pass filter unit, signals relating to narrowband service being separated to their dedicated interface by the low-pass filter unit and signals relating to broadband service being separated to their dedicated interface by the high-pass filter unit. In order that high-quality service may be offered to subscribers by means of a splitter element as simple and cost-effective as possible, filtering is implemented in the low-pass filter unit by means of a bidirectional active filter (LPFxe2x80x2).

The present invention relates generally to the implementation of a transmission link via which both narrowband and broadband services are offered. More specifically, the invention relates to the separation of narrow-band POTS/ISDN services from broadband services, particularly broadband services implemented with ADSL (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line) technology. Narrowband services in this context denote services offered in the frequency range below the ADSL band.
Optical fibre is a self-evident choice as a transmission medium for a core network, since trunk connections usually require high transmission capacity, the transmission distances used are long, and ready routes are often available for cables. Also for subscriber connections (line between a local exchange and a subscriber) the situation is rapidly changing, since various services implemented with multimedia, requiring a high transmission rate, will be commonplace from the point of an individual consumer as well.
However, no significant savings in the costs for constructing a future network offering broadband services can be foreseen, since the costs mainly arise from cable installation costs. However, it is desired to construct optical fibre also in the subscriber network as much as possible, since it is clearly seen that there will be a demand for it in the future. The costs of renewing subscriber networks are very high, however, and in terms of time decades are in fact at issue in this context. High costs are indeed the principal impediment to the spreading of fibre to the subscriber network.
On account of the above reasons, the possibilities of utilizing conventional subscriber line (metal pair cable) for fast data transmission, i.e. for rates clearly above the rate of an ISDN basic access (144 kbit/s), have been mapped out more effectively than before. The present ADSL (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line) and HDSL (High bit rate Digital Subscriber Line) techniques do offer new possibilities for transfer of fast data and video along the pair cable of a telephone network to subscriber terminals.
An ADSL transmission link is asymmetric in the sense that the transmission rate from network to subscriber is much higher than from subscriber to network. ADSL technology is mainly intended for various on-demand services. In practice, the rate of an ADSL transmission link from network to subscriber is in the order 2-6 Mbit/s and from subscriber to network in the order 32-640 kbit/s (mere control channel). (The data rate of an ADSL line is always nxc3x9732 kbit/s, where n is an integer.)
The HDSL transmission technique relates to the transfer of a 2 Mbit/s-level digital signal in a metal pair cable. HDSL transmission is symmetric, that is, the transmission rate is the same in both directions.
Since the above solutions only afford rates in the order 1-6 Mbit/s, a technique enabling ATM-level rates (10-55 Mbit/s).has also been sought for the pair cable of a subscriber line. The international standardization body ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) is working out a specification on VDSL (Very high data rate Digital Subscriber Line) equipment enabling such rates. By VDSL technology, both symmetric and asymmetric links can be implemented.
The above technologies, by which fast data is transferred through a pair cable, are called by the common name xDSL. Thus, even though it is not yet possible to offer broadband services to end users by utilizing optical fibre, by means of these techniques the present telephone operators are capable of offering said services through existing subscriber lines.
Since ADSL seems at the moment to be the most promising technique for implementing broadband services, it will be used as an example of the access technique by means of which the services are offered.
The ADSL Forum has specified a generic network model for xDSL links; this is illustrated in FIG. 1. The device that connects to a subscriber line at the subscriber end is called ATU-R (ADSL Transmission Unitxe2x80x94Remote), and the device that connects to a subscriber line at the network end (e.g. at a local exchange) is called ATU-C (ADSL Transmission Unitxe2x80x94Central). These devices are also called ADSL modems (or ADSL transceivers), and they define between them an ADSL link. The high-speed data on the ADSL link is connected to the subscriber line in such a way that the subscriber can still use the old narrowband POTS/ISDN services, but the subscriber additionally has a high-speed data connection available. In principle, there are two ways to multiplex POTS and ADSL signals or ISDN and ADSL signals onto the same subscriber line: time division multiplexing or frequency division multiplexing. The present invention employs frequency division multiplexing, in which narrowband and broadband services are separated from one another by a splitter or cross-over carrying out the frequency division of ADSL signals and narrow-band signals. The splitter can be a POTS/ADSL splitter PS or an ISDN/ADSL splitter IS.
The terminals TE at the end user can be of many different types, such as terminals TE1 of a cable TV network, personal computers TE2 or even ISDN phones TE3 if time division multiplexing is used. A service module SMi (i=1 . . . 3) is provided for each terminal, carrying out the functions relating to terminal adaptation. Such service modules can in practice include Set Top Boxes, PC interfaces or LAN routers, for example. A premises distribution network PDN, located at the premises of the subscriber, connects the ATU-R to the service modules.
At the network end of the ADSL link, an access node AN constitutes a concentration point for narrowband and broadband data, at which point the traffic arriving from different service systems through different networks is concentrated. The access node is located at the exchange of a telephone network, for example.
In FIG. 1, reference A denotes the part constituted by a private network, B the part constituted by a public network, and C a network located at the premises of a subscriber (the telephones are naturally located at the subscriber).
The generic network model relating to xDSL links was set forth above in order to describe the overall environment of the invention. Since the invention relates to the part constituted by the actual ADSL link, which is located either between the local exchange and the subscriber or between a street cabinet and the subscriber, only this part located between the ADSL modems will be described in closer detail hereinbelow.
As stated previously, POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) and ADSL services can be frequency multiplexed onto the same pair cable by means of a splitter. FIG. 2 illustrates a subscriber line divided between POTS and ADSL services, denoted with reference SL. In practice, the splitter (PS1 or PS2) comprises two filter units: a low-pass filter unit LPF prevents the access of signals of the ADSL band (25 kHz . . . 1, 1 MHz)to the POTS interface, and a high-pass filter unit HPF prevents the access of signals of the POTS band (0 Hz . . . 4 kHz) to the ADSL interface. Thus, the frequency division of the link is of the kind shown in FIG. 3: signals relating to POTS or ISDN services are transferred at low frequencies, and ADSL signals are transferred at higher frequencies. The splitter has a line port (P) connected to the subscriber line. The low-pass filter unit is connected between the line port and the POTS interface I1, and the high-pass filter unit HPF is connected between the line port and the ADSL interface I2.
Teleoperators determine the viability of filters by means of a reference impedance, which is defined so as to correspond to the actual impedance of the subscriber link as well as possible. FIG. 4 depicts a typical reference impedance Zref used by operators, comprising a resistance (R11) followed by a parallel connection of a resistance (R12) and a capacitor (C11). Some operators define the reference impedance as real (R11=C11=0), but in a generic case, however, the reference impedance is complex. The filter must provide a sufficiently good impedance match to the reference impedance in the voice band. A perfect impedance match is achieved when the output impedance of the generator concurs with the load impedance. The operators estimate the viability of filter units by feeding to a load impedance, being equal to the reference impedance, a signal from a generator whose output impedance also equals the reference impedance. The load impedance is looked at through the filter. In such a case, the effective load impedance deviates from the reference impedance, since the filter unit can never be entirely transparent. There is no international standard relating to the impedance match, but each operator has his own quantitative measure in determining what is a sufficiently good impedance match.
The impedance match of the splitter must be as good as possible in both directions, that is, too much reflection is not allowed in either direction. In practice, such a filter unit can be implemented as a passive LC network (i.e., as a circuitry comprising windings and capacitors). In the case of a high-pass filter, LC implementation seems to be the only feasible alternative. In the case of a low-pass filter, however, this implementation is attended by significant problems.
A passive low-pass filter loads both the subscriber line and the POTS interface by its input impedance. This impedance should equal the impedance of the subscriber line and the POTS interface as well as possible before the installation of the splitter, since in that case the splitter does not impair the matching of the POTS interface to the subscriber line. However, the impedance of a passive filter cannot be designed independently of the other parameters, but the transfer function striven for and the load impedance set the boundary conditions for the impedance to be realized.
Furthermore, sufficient isolation must be provided between the POTS and ADSL services. It has been found in practice that an insertion loss of at least 40 dB is needed in the low-pass filter to ensure that the services appear to the subscriber as fully isolated from one another. Such attenuation also meets the international requirements set on the maximum signal level outside the voice band, measured at a POTS interface. In the case of most operators, however, it is not possible to achieve a sufficiently good impedance match in such a situation. The resultant mismatch diminishes the trans-hybrid loss at the exchange end and sidetone masking at the subscriber end, thus deteriorating service quality.
It can be attempted to correct the impedance match for example in the manner disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,543. This patent discloses a POTS splitter in which a passive filter is used as a low-pass filter; additionally blocks implemented with active electronics, wherewith the impedance match of the filter in the voice band is corrected, are used. However, such a solution renders the low-pass filter unit rather complex and expensive; for example a large number of transformers (6 in all), which are expensive components, are needed in such a solution. Furthermore, the solution requires a relatively high number of components (capacitors) resistant to a high ringing voltage (defined as 70 Vrms (100 V peak-to-peak) in the international standards).
It is an object of the present invention to bring about an improvement to the above drawbacks by providing a solution enabling division of the same subscriber line in such a way that maximum service quality can be offered to subscribers as simply and economically as possible.
This object is achieved with a solution in accordance with the invention, which is defined in the independent claims.
The idea of the invention is to improve the impedance match by using bidirectional active low-pass filtering in the low-pass filter unit of the splitter.
Active low-pass filtering denotes a low-pass filter implemented with an operational amplifier as well as resistances and capacitors (no coils). The bidirectionality is implemented with two unidirectional filter blocks into which hybrid functions are incorporated for separating the different transmission directions to their dedicated filter blocks.
Bidirectional active filtering enables a very good impedance match and sufficient isolation of the services to be achieved simultaneously on the transmission link. Hence, narrowband and broadband service of a very high quality can be offered to subscribers.

Method for separating narrowband and broadband services on a transmission link and a splitter element


Systems and methods associated with an open area map are disclosed. For example, one method comprises obtaining an image of a layout. The layout represents a real-world area in which a person moves about. A grid is applied on the image. The grid may include tiles that fill in a ground area of the image. A routable map is generated as a function of the grid. The routable map is configured to provide point-to-point routing within the layout.

The present invention relates to navigation and, more particularly, to a open area maps that may be used for routing.
As the world population increases, more and more infrastructure, buildings, exterior and interior development, and other features to support human growth are being generated. Also, existing, infrastructure, buildings, parks, and other environments are being adapted to accommodate more people and traffic. The increase and adaptation of environments impacts travel and how people go from one place to another.
Navigation systems and/or devices are used to aid travel. For example, vehicle navigation devices may assist a person driving on a road network. Such devices may provide routing and guidance to a desired destination based on existing roads or pathways.
However, there are areas in which people move about that do not have set roads, tracks, or paths or in which such paths are not needed to travel from one point to another within the area. For example, floors of a building, parks, or other exterior or interior areas are treaded upon on a daily basis. People are able to move about in such areas in any number of patterns to get from one place to another. However, some movement or patterns of movement in these areas may be inefficient or unnecessary based on confusion, lack of knowledge of the layout of an area, or other factors. Also, a person may not know how to get from one point to a desired destination in such areas.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A personal computer based, multimedia, data processing system includes a software solution to the problem of synchronizing two or more data streams which output data to two or more multimedia output devices. One stream is a master and each other stream is a slave. The master stream generates sync pulses that can be handled in two different synchronization methods, master-slave independent synchronization or master-driven slave synchronization. Sync pulses are generated with a predetermined granularity, and synchronization is achieved when a slave stream is out of tolerance. Adaptive resynchronization may be used to speed up or slow down a slave stream.

A multimedia system is designed to present various multimedia materials in various combinations of text, graphics, video, image, animation, sound, etc. Such a system is a combination of hardware and software. The hardware includes a personal computer to which various multimedia devices can be attached. The hardware runs under the control of an operating system and multimedia application programs.
Multimedia applications impose heavy demands on an operating system to move large amounts of data from device to device, from system memory to a device, or vice-versa, in a continuous, real-time manner. Multimedia systems must support a flexible yet consistent means for transporting these large data objects, and control this activity accurately in real time.
The ability to synchronize events is critical to successful multimedia application execution. For example, the application author may decide to display a certain bitmap (e.g. an image of fireworks bursting) at precisely the same time as an audio waveform is played (e.g. a specific cymbals crash during the "Star Spangled Banner"). From a standard OS/2 application perspective, these events might be controlled by two independent threads, or by a single thread, but there is no way for either of these approaches to guarantee that both events will occur within, say, 6 msec of each other. If there is a time delay of 100 msec between events, the user may or may not notice the events are not quite synchronized. If the delay exceeds 500 msec the user will definitely notice the loss of synchronization.
Multimedia extensions for an operating system such as IBM OS/2, Version 2.0 operating system, need to provide the capability of synchronizing two or more data streams (i.e. audio data streams with video data streams). This requires that the mechanism for doing this must be consistent and generalized across a wide variety of multimedia devices as well as data types. The mechanism must be independent of any specific device operations and flexible in synchronization granularity within the limitations of the specific hardware device involved.

Synchronization techniques for multimedia data streams

International Business Machines Corporation


There is provided a method for producing a recycled material, whereby a recycled material can be efficiently obtained from a tire. The method for producing a recycled material according to the present invention includes a step of subjecting a tire to a gasification treatment to generate a gas containing a C1 gas from the tire, and a step of obtaining a recycled material containing at least one species selected from the group consisting of isoprene, butadiene, a butanediol compound, a butanol compound, a butenal compound, succinic acid, and polymers of these compounds by using the gas containing the C1 gas.

For vehicles such as automobiles, tires made of rubber and having grooves on their surfaces are used with air filled therein. When tires on a vehicle have been used for a long period of time, grooves on their surfaces are shallowed and it becomes necessary to exchange the tires. As a result of the exchange, used waste tires are generated.
Used waste tires are often discarded. Accordingly, there is a problem that a large burden is placed on the environment. When a waste tire is discarded, a disposal cost is needed or the waste tire must be discarded in distinction from common garbage in a specific manner. In other words, discard of waste tires requires a cost and a labor. In order to reduce the cost and the labor, waste tires are sometimes illegally dumped and such illegal dumping of waste tires has become a substantial concern.
On the other hand, considerations have been made to regeneration and use of waste tires. Heretofore, as a method for regenerating a waste tire, there has been used a method in which a grooved part of the surface of a tire is scraped off and then a new rubber member is bonded to a thus-exposed surface, thereby reforming grooves on a surface. Such a method has been disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1 cited below.

Method for producing recycled material, and tire and method for producing tire


A method for preparing a colorful sole for a shoe, which laminates a membrane with patterns on the sole. The membrane is made of a polymer to merge with the sole to firmly combine with the sole. Additionally, the patterns are printed on the membrane, thus the patterns can be complicated and special to make a variety of changes in appearance to the colorful sole.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing a colorful sole, and more particularly to a method to form a colorful sole can have complicated patterns or patterns having gradually changing colors to allow the sole to have versatile appearances.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional methods for producing a sole include techniques such as injection molding, compression molding, casting and die-casting. All the conventional methods require pouring molding composition into molds to form the molding composition into the shape of a sole. When producing a colorful sole, manufacturers have to pour molding compositions in different colors into the mold several times and wait until the previous colored molding composition has solidified. With such a process, the colorful sole has a simple pattern with clear demarcation between the different colors. However, the appearance of the colorful sole is monotonous because the molding compositions are not easily controlled in the mold to show a regular and complicated pattern at precise positions on the sole. Even though the boundary of the pattern on the conventional colorful sole is distinct, gradually changed color patterns cannot be achieved on the colorful sole by the conventional methods. Therefore, pattern designs on the colorful sole are limited and cannot enhance the attraction of the colorful sole.
To overcome the drawbacks of the conventional methods for producing colorful soles, adhesive paper with colorful patterns is bonded to the sole, or a colorful pattern is painted with paint on the outer periphery of the sole. However, the adhesive paper easily detaches when the adhesive deteriorates, and the paint easily fades after washing. Therefore, the colorful sole with adhesive paper or patterns painted with paint do not ensure that the patterns stay on the sole for a long time.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a method for making a colorful sole to mitigate and obviate the aforementioned problems.
The main objective of the invention is to provide a method for producing a colorful sole that has vivid and complicated patterns on outer periphery of the sole.
Further objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

5 Fl., No. 66, Alley 7, Lane 98, Industry One Rd., Ind. Zone


Soil/metal supporting structures commonly include panel sections having a short radius of curvature in the range of 750 mm to 2,500 mm. In such soil metal supporting structures the panels are of heavy gauge in the range of 2 mm to 10 mm thickness. Usually, expensive tooling and forming techniques are required to cold form the heavy gauge material into a curved shaped having such short radius. Such expensive techniques have been eliminated by this invention by virtue of the improvements comprising:. a) the panels have a high degree of ductility before being cold formed, such high degree of ductility being determined by a ratio of specified minimum yield strength to specified minimum tensile strength equal to or less than 0.8; PA0 b) the panels are cold formed with cross-corrugations in each of the inside ridges of the longitudinally formed corrugations of the panel, the cross-corrugations are sinusoidal and cross section and allow the cold forming of a short radius panel on a consistent basis without distorting panel shape to facilitate thereby interconnection of the panels for the structure; PA0 c) the cross-corrugations have a depth in the range of 4 mm to 12 mm and a pitch of 40 mm to 70 mm; and PA0 d) the cold formed panels of short radius by virtue of the sinusoidal shaped cross-corrugations provide a finished panel with marginal increase in ductility, thereby allowing for either plastic or elastic analysis in providing the soil/metal supporting structure.

Soil/metal supporting structures are most commonly in the form of culverts which are either circumferentially continuous or have an open bottom commonly referred to as either a box culvert or a re-entrant arch shaped culvert. These culverts are used to direct water ways and for use as bridges in roadways, railways and the like. The design of the soil/metal supporting culvert is to accommodate designed soil loads and as well anticipated rolling loads and static loads which might be applied to the roadway, railway and the like. Usually such structures are formed from steel or aluminum. As is usually the case the plates used in forming the support structure are corrugated in the direction of their longitudinal length. The extent of corrugation depends upon the thickness and radius of curvature in the panel.
Culverts in the form of elliptical, round, pear, arch or pipe-arch shapes or the box culvert shape include portions across their section which are curved and have a relatively short radius of curvature. Such short radius of curvature is usually in the range of 750 mm to 2,500 mm in the longitudinal direction of the panel. For example, such short radius regions in the box culvert structure is described in respect of applicant's co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/026,860 filed Mar. 5, 1993. That application in particular relates a form of continuous reinforcement in an uninterrupted manner to provide an optimum load carrying capacity for a selected extent of reinforcement. Although the short radius of curvature panels for this box culvert can be formed using existing types of roll forming and bending presses, the equipment is expensive and complex to use in order to achieve the manufacture of short radius panels having consistent dimensional configurations so that the panels can be readily attached to one another by way of appropriate alignment with one another so that bolts may be used to fasten the panels together through the aligned bolt holes. The same approach applies with respect to other culvert styles involving short radius of curvature sections. It is generally understood that even with the rather expensive approach to cold forming such radius of curvature panels, some distortion can occur due to the short radius which can hamper erection of the structure and hence, delay field insulation.
Another problem to be considered in the cold forming of these thick gauge panels to the short radius specifications is that cold working normally decreases ductility of the panels. Such decrease in ductility can be such that the structure can no longer be designed on the basis of plastic analysis and instead must be designed on the basis of elastic analysis which requires the use of even thicker gauge materials with considerably more reinforcing. It therefore becomes very important that in such cold working of the panels to provide the specified short radius, the bending be carried out in a manner which does not reduce the ductility, induce case hardening in the outside of the structure and also avoids the possibility of forming micro-cracks in the outside portions of the structure. Such problems are addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,218. It is suggested that when forming short radius of curvature panel sections, that such forming be done while the panels are hot to avoid any case hardening problems. It is also suggested that aluminum sheet material be used in place of steel since it is more easily bent. However, as described, aluminum has less ductility than steel when it comes to plastic design analysis for the soil/metal structure. There continues to be a problem in respect of cold forming short radius of curvature panel sections particularly with deep corrugations in the range of 50 to 200 mm.
Other than the suggested hot forming of the short radius of curvature for the deep corrugation panels, there does not appear to be much other guidance in the prior art in respect of how such deep corrugation panels of thick gauge may be bent to short radius specifications without inducing case hardening, embrittlement and micro-cracks.
There are a number of examples in the bending of light gauge deep corrugated panels for use in arch shaped building structures. These structures are designed to carry a snow load but not a soil load such as required in bridges or the like so that the light gauge material is quite acceptable. These arch type buildings more commonly referred to as quonset huts are constructed with cold formed panels using either trapezoidal or sinusoidal corrugation profiles with depths up to 200 mm and radius of curvature from 3000 to 12,000 mm. The light guage material used in forming these panels is in the range of 0.75 mm to 1.5 mm. With such thin gauged materials and large radius of curvature there is very little working of the metal in cold forming panels for use in such structures to the desired radius of curvature. However, to facilitate such bending, it is well known that some form of cross-deformation is employed on the inside ridge of these panels to facilitate bending. Such cross-deformation may be in the form of metal tucks, diamond shaped indents and sinusoidal shaped indents and the like. Such corrugations which in essence extend transversely of the longitudinal direction of panel facilitate bending of the light gauge material to the specified radius of curvature. By virtue of the thin gauge material, it is generally thought that there is very little if any cold working of the material so that there is very little if any loss in ductility. Loss in ductility however is not of great concern in the design of arch shaped buildings because they are designed on an elastic basis taking into consideration snow loads and wind resistance. Furthermore, with this type of arch building the depth of the cross corrugations in the curved panel is usually from only 1.5 to 3 mm with a pitch of 25 to 50 mm which again contributes to the general understanding that there is little if any cold working of the material in forming the desired radius of curvature in the panel. In any event, the use of cross corrugations in this light gauge material for arch structures does assist in the cold forming of the structure by avoiding stretching of the outside surface and by virtue of the cross corrugation, shortening the inside arc length of the panel to achieve the desired radius. Furthermore, such corrugations can be of a variety of shapes which are in line, discontinuous or misaligned where there depth usually reduces to zero as the cross corrugation approaches the apex of the outside ridge of the corrugated panel.
There have of course been various attempts to improve on the overall structural benefits in the panel designs for arch buildings and their types of interconnections. For example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,942, a specifically designed spacer and transverse reinforcing beam is provided for interconnecting of panels preferably along a single axis for the entire length of the structure. Such interconnection may be acceptable for light gauge materials where the only consideration is snow loading. U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,603 also discusses the use of cross-corrugations in the base of the trough section of the longitudinally extended corrugated panels. It is recognized however that there is a problem in bending corrugated structures having longitudinal corrugations in the range of 120 mm up to 250 mm. With such light gauge material in the suggested range of 16 to 22 gauge, which in millimeters is approximately 1.5 mm in thickness or less, an approach in providing sections of smaller depth which are interconnected in the web region are provided. The smaller depth corrugations facilitate bending of the panels to arch building structure radii without having to form cross-corrugations therein.
Outside of the existing techniques for roll forming and pressing short radius in deep corrugated panels of thick gauge, there does not appear to any other more economical approach. This is particularly the situation considering the general understanding that cold working of the thicker gauge panels to short radius specifications can significantly decrease ductility, embrittle the resulting structure and perhaps even induce the formation of micro-cracks in the outer ridges in the panel.


A plastic mulch retriever comprises a body and at least one set of cutting or digging elements mounted to the body to loosen plastic mulch embedded in the ground. At least one conveyor is mounted to the body rearward of the at least one set of cutting or digging elements. The conveyor engages the loosened plastic mulch and removes at least some of the ground material attached to the extracted plastic mulch. At least one storage device can be mounted to the body rearward of the conveyor to store the retrieved plastic mulch. Embodiments of the plastic mulch retriever comprise multiple sets of cutting or digging elements and multiple respective conveyors.

Agricultural machinery is commonly used by farmers, crop growers and others to improve the efficiency of planting and harvesting crops. Some crops are grown with the aid of irrigation systems, such as trickle irrigation, and plastic sheeting known as plastic mulch, which are at least partially embedded in the ground at the start of the growing period. Plastic mulch provides a range of benefits including helping modulate soil temperature, reduce soil erosion, evaporation, fertilizer leaching and weed problems and increase produce quality and yields.
When the crops are harvested, the plastic mulch and often the irrigation system need to be removed from the ground for disposal. Plastic mulch retrievers are agricultural machines designed for this purpose and are typically drawn behind a powered vehicle, such as a tractor. Plastic mulch retrievers are available in a range of designs, the main features of which will now be discussed.
One known plastic mulch retriever comprises a pair of coulter wheels at a front end, which cut into the ground and plant matter, such as roots. A pair of angled, substantially horizontal blades mounted rearward of the coulter wheels also cut into the ground and underneath the plastic mulch embedded in the ground. As the mulch retriever is pulled along behind the powered vehicle, the mulch is unearthed and left lying loosely on top of the planting bed. A centre coulter wheel rearward of the pair of coulter wheels slices the plastic mulch into two halves. The positions of the coulter wheels are adjustable to accommodate different size planting beds. One drawback of this mulch retriever is that the unearthed mulch needs to be collected for disposal, which is labour intensive and therefore costly as well as inefficient because the unearthed mulch remains strewn along the growing area.
A modification to the aforementioned mulch retriever comprises a plurality of propane burners rearward of the coulter wheels and angled blades. The burners incinerate the unearthed mulch thus avoiding the need to collect the unearthed mulch. However, incineration is environmentally unfriendly and illegal in some jurisdictions. The burners also require a propane tank, which adds to the both the financial and environmental cost.
In another plastic mulch retriever design, the unearthed mulch is rolled onto a pair of aligned, rotating rollers rotatably mounted toward a rear of the mulch retriever on a pair of longitudinal arms. In some versions, an operator stands on a platform to control the speed of rotation of the rollers to be commensurate with the speed of the powered vehicle and the rate at which the mulch is being unearthed. Once all of the mulch has been retrieved or the rollers are full, each arm comprising one of the respective rollers is swung outwardly and the rollers separate about a substantially central point allowing the retrieved mulch bundle wrapped around the rollers to fall to the floor for disposal.
Whilst the aforementioned plastic mulch retriever is effective at retrieving the embedded mulch, one problem that is experienced is the plastic mulch retains a lot of soil, roots, debris and the like. It is desirable to minimize the amount of earth removed during plastic mulch retrieval to minimize the amount of nutrients removed from the soil. The earth attached to the removed mulch also adds to the weight of the bundle for disposal. Furthermore, the capacity of the rollers for capturing the plastic mulch is reduced because the attached earth occupies some of the volume. It will be appreciated that clods of earth, debris and the like occupy significantly more volume than plastic sheeting. Therefore, efficiency is affected because more stops must be made to empty the rollers than would otherwise be necessary. Irrespective of the problem of the retained debris, at least some of these rollers have a relatively small capacity for collecting the mulch resulting in many stops being required to empty the rollers. This inefficiency is exacerbated with large areas. Furthermore, plastic mulch retrievers comprising rollers for storing the retrieved mulch have proved difficult to operate across multiple rows.