To start a switching power supply in an energy saving manner, the method and device according to the invention transmits the energy that is collected by the Y-capacitors through a diode to a capacitor that is located on the secondary side. Once the voltage in the capacitor reaches a first predefinable minimum value, the voltage is applied to an impulse generator as an input voltage and the generator starts the switching power supply. Once the voltage in an additional capacitor on the secondary side reaches a second predefinable minimum value, the voltage in the capacitor is also applied as an input voltage to a control unit, preferably, a microprocessor, that controls the impulse generator.

The invention relates to a method for starting up a switched-mode power supply, as well as a switched-mode power supply having a starting circuit, in which the alternating voltage inputs of a bridge rectifier, at which an alternating voltage is adjacent, are connected with one another through a Y capacitor or a series circuit of two Y capacitors, in which a parallel circuit, made up of a first capacitor and a series circuit made up of the primary winding or coil of a first transformer and a first controllable switch, is connected to the direct voltage outputs of the bridge rectifier, whose control input is connected with the output of a pulse generator, and in which a series circuit of a first diode and a second capacitor is situated parallel to the secondary winding of the transformer.
The prior art includes providing a battery or an accumulator for starting up a switched-mode power supply.
However, the prior art method for starting up a switched-mode power supply has the disadvantage that the manufacturing costs are relatively high, and the endurance or life of the battery or of the accumulator is limited.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a method for starting up a switched-mode power supply, and switched-mode power supply having a starting circuit that overcome the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type and that requires only a low technical outlay, has low manufacturing costs, and guarantees the endurance over a long period of time.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a method for starting up a switched-mode power supply, including the steps of providing a bridge rectifier having alternating voltage inputs, a control input, and direct voltage outputs, disposing an alternating voltage at the alternating voltage inputs of the bridge rectifier, connecting the alternating voltage inputs with one another through a Y capacitor circuit including one of a Y capacitor and a series circuit of two Y capacitors, providing a first transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, providing a first series circuit made up of the primary winding of the first transformer and a first controllable switch, connecting the control input of the bridge rectifier with an output of a pulse generator, connecting a parallel circuit made up of the first series circuit and a first capacitor to the direct voltage outputs of the bridge rectifier, connecting a second series circuit made of a first diode and a second capacitor in parallel to the secondary winding of the first transformer, transmitting energy collected by the Y capacitor circuit to the second capacitor, and driving the controllable switch by producing pulses with the pulse generator dependent on a voltage tapped at the second capacitor.
In accordance with another mode of the invention, the energy collected by the Y capacitors is transmitted to the second capacitor, and the pulse generator produces drive, trigger, or control pulses for the controllable switch dependent on a voltage that can be tapped at the second capacitor.
In accordance with a further mode of the invention, preferably, the pulse generator begins to produce drive pulses for the controllable switch only when the voltage at the second capacitor has exceeded a first threshold value. According to a specific embodiment of the invention, it is thereby provided that the voltage that can be tapped at the second capacitor is applied as a supply voltage to a supply voltage input of the pulse generator only when it has reached a first predeterminable minimum value in order to switch on the pulse generator.
In accordance with an added mode of the invention, preferably, the pulse generator produces no drive pulses when the voltage at the second capacitor has decreased below a second threshold value, whereby the second threshold value is smaller than the first threshold value. If the pulse generator is switched on, it receives current from the second capacitor, resulting in a lowering of the voltage that is adjacent over the second capacitor. Because the first threshold value, upon the reaching of which drive pulses are produced, is higher than the second threshold value, with no drive pulses being produced when the value falls below this second threshold value, the invention prevents the situation where the production of the drive pulses is immediately terminated again when there is a slight decrease of the voltage at the second capacitor at the beginning of the production of the drive pulses.
In accordance with an additional mode of the invention, the pulse generator has a supply voltage input, and the voltage tapped at the second capacitor is applied to the supply voltage input of the pulse generator only when the voltage tapped at the second capacitor reaches a first predeterminable minimum value.
In accordance with yet another mode of the invention, a control unit is connected to the pulse generator for controlling the pulse generator and the voltage tapped at the second capacitor is applied to the control unit only after a predeterminable time period after a switching on of the pulse generator.
In accordance with yet a further mode of the invention, there is provided a third series circuit made up of a second diode and a third capacitor, a second secondary winding of the first transformer is connected in parallel to the third series circuit, a voltage with the second secondary winding of the first transformer is produced at the third capacitor and the voltage tapped at the second capacitor is applied to the control unit when the voltage at the third capacitor reaches a second predeterminable minimum value.
With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided a switched-mode power supply having a starting circuit, the power supply including a bridge rectifier having alternating voltage inputs to be connected to an alternating voltage, at least one direct voltage output, and a control input, a plurality of Y capacitors including two Y capacitors connected in series to form a first series circuit having a first common connection point, the alternating voltage inputs of the bridge rectifier connected with one another through one of the group consisting of one of the Y capacitors and the first series circuit, a pulse generator having an input and an output, a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, a controllable switch connected in series to the primary winding to form a second series circuit, a first capacitor connected in parallel to the second series circuit to form a parallel circuit, the parallel circuit connected to the at least one direct voltage output of the bridge rectifier, the control input of the bridge rectifier connected to the output of the pulse generator, a first diode and a second capacitor connected in series to form a third series circuit having a second common connection point, the third series circuit connected in parallel to the secondary winding of the transformer, a second diode connecting the first common connection point to the second common connection point, and a signal supply device supplying a signal dependent on a voltage over the second capacitor to the input of the pulse generator.
In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, the common connection point of the two Y capacitors is connected with the common connection point of the first diode and the second capacitor through a second diode, and a signal dependent on the voltage over the second capacitor is supplied to an input of the pulse generator, dependent on which the pulse generator produces drive pulses for the controllable switch.
In accordance with yet an additional feature of the invention, a system having a first threshold value detector and a second controllable switch is connected between the second capacitor and the pulse generator. The first threshold value detector is situated parallel to the tapping of the voltage at the second capacitor, whereby the output of the threshold value detector is connected with a control input of the second controllable switch, which connects a supply voltage input of the pulse generator with the common connection point of the first diode and the second capacitor. The threshold value detector preferably has a hysteresis characteristic; i.e., the second controllable switch is driven conductive when the voltage over the second capacitor reaches a first threshold value, and the second switch is blocked or disabled when the voltage over the second capacitor decreases below a second threshold value, the second threshold value being smaller than the first threshold value. In this specific embodiment, the pulse generator is switched on for the production of drive pulses when the second switch is switched on, and the voltage that is adjacent over the second capacitor is applied to the pulse generator as a supply voltage, and the pulse generator is switched off when the second switch switches off.
To charge the second capacitor, which acts as a smoothing capacitor in the secondary circuit, according to the inventive method or in the inventive switched-mode power supply at least one capacitor is connected to the alternating voltage inputs of the bridge rectifier of the switched-mode power supply, and the energy collected by this capacitor is transmitted, through a diode, to the smoothing capacitor connected to the secondary winding of the transformer. It is particularly advantageous to use the Y capacitors, which in many switched-mode power supplies are for safety reasons already connected to the alternating voltage inputs, to collect the energy.
As soon as the smoothing capacitor has been charged to a predeterminable minimum voltage, this minimum voltage is applied to the supply voltage inputs of the pulse generator of the switched-mode power supply to switch it on. Because the pulse generator now emits switching pulses to the controllable switch in the primary circuit of the switched-mode power supply, in the secondary circuit the output voltage of the switched-mode power supply is slowly built up.
A construction of the inventive method provides in the transformer a second secondary winding to which a series circuit of a diode and an additional capacitor is connected, which is now charged because the pulse generator clocks or supplies the switched-mode power supply with clock pulses, or operates the switched-mode power supply in switching mode. As soon as the voltage at this additional capacitor reaches a predetermined minimum value, the output voltage of the switched-mode power supply, which can be tapped at the smoothing capacitor, is applied to the supply voltage of a control unit that controls the pulse generator, preferably, a microprocessor, to switch it on. The switched-mode power supply is now ready for operation, and can supply a load with a regulated voltage.
In accordance with again another feature of the invention, the input of the pulse generator has a supply voltage input and a control input, the transformer has a second secondary winding, a third diode and a third capacitor are connected in series to form a fourth series circuit, the second secondary winding is connected in parallel with the fourth series circuit, a second threshold value detector has an output, a control unit has a supply voltage input and a control output connected to the control input of the pulse generator, a second controllable switch has a control input, the second controllable switch connecting the supply voltage input of the pulse generator to the supply voltage input of the control unit, the second threshold value detector is connected in parallel to the third capacitor, and the output of the second threshold value detector is connected to the control input of the second controllable switch.
In accordance with again a further feature of the invention, there is provided a fourth diode and a fourth capacitor connected in parallel to the fourth diode to form a second parallel circuit, the second parallel circuit disposed between the two Y capacitors.
In accordance with again an added feature of the invention, there is provided at least one fifth diode disposed between the second controllable switch and the supply voltage input of the pulse generator.
In accordance with again an additional feature of the invention, there is provided a second transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, an RC element having a fifth capacitor and a first resistor, the output of the pulse generator being a control output connected through the RC element to the primary winding of the second transformer, and the secondary winding of the second transformer being connected with the controllable switch.
In accordance with still another feature of the invention, the bridge rectifier has a direct voltage terminal connection, the controllable switch has a terminal connection, the secondary winding of the second transformer has a terminal connection, a fourth diode and a fourth capacitor are connected in parallel to form a second parallel circuit having a third common connection point, the second parallel circuit is disposed between the two Y capacitors, the primary winding of the second transformer has a terminal connection, the transformer has a second secondary winding, the secondary winding and the second secondary winding of the transformer each have a terminal connection, the direct voltage terminal connection of the bridge rectifier, the terminal connection of the controllable switch, and the terminal connection of the secondary winding of the second transformer are at ground at a primary side, and the third common connection point, the terminal connection of the primary winding of the second transformer, and the terminal connection of each of the secondary winding and the second secondary winding of the transformer are at ground at a secondary side.
In accordance with still a further feature of the invention, the secondary winding of the transformer has a winding direction to form a forward converter.
In accordance with still an added feature of the invention, the secondary winding of the transformer has a given winding direction and the second secondary winding of the transformer has a winding direction opposite to the given winding direction to form a flyback converter.
In accordance with still an additional feature of the invention, there is provided a fourth capacitor and a fourth diode are connected in parallel to form a third parallel circuit with first and second terminal connections, the third parallel circuit is disposed between the two Y capacitors, the first terminal connection of the third parallel circuit being at ground at a secondary side and the second terminal connection of the third parallel circuit being connected, through the second diode, with the second common connection point, second and third resistors connected together to form a first voltage divider, the first voltage divider divided connected in parallel with the second capacitor and having a center tap, a common connection point of the secondary winding of the transformer and the second capacitor is at secondary-side ground, a common connection point of the second secondary winding of the transformer and the third capacitor is at secondary-side ground, the input of the pulse generator has a first supply voltage input and a second supply voltage input, the second supply voltage input is at ground at a secondary side, a second transistor has an emitter, a collector, and a base, a fifth series circuit includes an emitter-collector circuit of the second transistor, a fifth diode, and a sixth diode, the second common connection point is connected with the first supply voltage input of the pulse generator through the fifth series circuit, a third transistor has a collector-emitter path, and a base, a fourth resistor is connected to the collector-emitter path of the third transistor to form a sixth series circuit, the base of the second transistor is at secondary-side ground through the sixth series circuit, the base of the third transistor is connected to the center tap of the first voltage divider and to the collector of the second transistor through a fifth resistor, a fourth transistor has an emitter and an emitter-base path, a fifth transistor has a base and a collector-emitter path, the emitter-base path of the fourth transistor, a sixth resistor, and the collector-emitter path of the fifth transistor are connected to form a seventh series circuit, the first supply voltage input of the pulse generator, to which the sixth diode is connected, is at secondary-side ground through the seventh series circuit, seventh and eighth resistors are connected to form a second voltage divider having a center tap, the second voltage divider is connected in parallel with the third capacitor, the center tap of the second voltage divided is connected with the base of the fifth transistor, the supply voltage input of the control unit has first and second supply voltage inputs, the second supply voltage input is at ground at a secondary side, the emitter of the fourth transistor is connected to the first supply voltage input of the control unit, a second transformer has a primary winding and a secondary winding with a first terminal and a second terminal, an RC element has a fifth capacitor and a first resistor, the RC element is connected to the primary winding of the second transformer to form an eighth series circuit, the output of the pulse generator is connected to ground at a secondary side through the eighth series circuit, the first terminal the secondary winding of the second transformer is at ground at a primary side, the controllable switch is a transistor with a gate electrode, and the second terminal of the secondary winding of the second transformer is connected with the gate electrode of the controllable switch.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the fourth transistor has a collector, an infrared amplifier has first and second supply voltage inputs and an output, the collector of the fourth transistor is connected with the first supply voltage input of the infrared amplifier, the second supply voltage input of the infrared amplifier is at ground at a secondary side, and the output of the infrared amplifier is connected with the supply voltage input of the control unit.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, there is provided a voltage stabilizer disposed between the collector of the fourth transistor and the control unit and the infrared amplifier.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the control unit is a microprocessor.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the starting circuit including the second through sixth diodes, the second through eighth resistors, and the third, fourth, and fifth transistors is an integrated circuit.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the input of the pulse generator is a supply voltage input and the first input is connected to the second common connection point.
In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the pulse generator has a second voltage detection input and the second voltage detection input is connected to the second common connection point.
In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, dependent upon a signal at the second voltage detection input, the pulse generator is adapted to assume one of a first state in which no drive pulses are available at the output of the pulse generator and a second state in which drive pulses are available at the output of the pulse generator.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the at least one direct voltage output is a plurality of direct voltage outputs.
The inventive starting up of the switch-mode power supply takes place in four steps.
In the first step, energy is collected at the alternating voltage input of the bridge rectifier, and is transferred to a capacitor of the secondary side of the switched-mode power supply. In the following second step, the pulse generator is switched on when the energy transferred to the capacitor (or, in other words, the voltage at the capacitor) reaches a predeterminable first minimum value. In the subsequent third step, due to the switched-on pulse generator the output voltage of the switched-mode power supply slowly builds up to the target value. Finally, in the fourth step, which terminates the starting up, the control unit controlling the pulse generator is switched on when the output voltage of the switched-mode power supply reaches a predeterminable second minimum value. Thus, the pulse generator and the control unit that controls it are switched on one after the other during the starting up of the switched-mode power supply.
Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a method for starting up a switched-mode power supply, and switched-mode power supply having a starting circuit, it is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown because various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Method for starting up a switched-mode power supply, and switched-mode power supply having a starting circuit


An adjustable flow distributor for a vertical spreader operable for discharging a flow of straw and other crop residue in a sideward direction for deposition over a field, the flow distributor including a metering edge and the adjustability allowing positioning the metering edge for tailoring or adjusting a pattern of discharged flow of crop residue, for instance, so as to be better and more evenly distributed over a swath of an agricultural field from which the crop was harvested, particularly a region of the swatch in proximity to the spreader and/or chopper.

Currently, combines typically include a crop residue spreader for disposing of straw and other residue separated from the harvested crop onto the field from which the crop was harvested. In addition, some combines have a chaff spreader for spreading chaff residue separated from the grain by the cleaning apparatus or system onto the crop field. In many instances it is desirable for the straw, chaff and other residue to be spread as evenly as possible over the width or swath of that section of the field over which the combine has just passed and harvested the crop from, to avoid problems resulting from uneven spreading, such as, but not limited to, difficulty in passage of fall tillage tools through residue clumps or thick areas; uneven insulation of the field resulting in uneven field warming and thawing and crop emergence during the following planting season; and increased rodent and insect habitat. In some instances, it is also desirable to have an ability to adjust the spreading to compensate for crop type, varying moisture and weather conditions, such as wind and the like, and also combine header width.
Although various crop residue spreaders are known which can propel residue a distance equal to about one half the width of a typical combine header, many suffer from shortcomings, including a tendency to provide uneven crop residue distribution or coverage in the side to side direction over the swath. More particularly, for a vertical spreader, that is, a spreader utilizing one or more rotary impellers or other elements rotatable about a generally horizontal axis, or an axis oriented or tilted at a small acute angle to horizontal, and configured for directing a flow or flows of crop residue sidewardly, it has been found that the resultant coverage has a tendency to be uneven in the sideward direction, for instance, typically thicker toward the outer regions or sides of the swath, and thinner or less uniform closer to the center of the swath.
Thus, what is sought is a crop residue flow distributor for the discharge outlet of a vertical crop residue spreader, having a capability to adjustably distribute or guide portions of a discharged flow of crop residue for achieving a desired pattern of the distributed residue, which can include particularly, more even distribution side to side over a region of an agricultural field from which the crop was harvested, to achieve the advantages, and avoid the shortcomings and problems of the prior art devices, discussed above.

Adjustable crop residue flow distributor for a vertical spreader of an agricultural combine


The present invention provides a system and process for a borrower to obtain a multiple mortgage underwriting approval. Using a borrower device connected to a network, a borrower provides mortgage approval application data to a central controller. Mortgage applications are created based on the mortgage approval application data, and then sent to a plurality of underwriting systems. Responses from the underwriting systems are gathered, and forwarded to the borrower. Using the mortgage approval application decisions, the borrower may select which mortgage loan program meets that borrower's needs, and forward the information on to a mortgage lender.

Mortgage lending is a large business, with hundreds of billions of dollars of mortgage loans being made each year. The array of different mortgage loan types or mortgage loan programs is vast, with individual variations that can have major impact on cost. Very few borrowers have the knowledge base to effectively and efficiently evaluate all of the relevant mortgage variables such as rates, points, fees, terms and conditions. Specific borrower circumstances, such as anticipated income fluctuations and expected period of occupancy, are relevant to the decision process, and rarely receive appropriate attention. Applicants often receive advice from mortgage lenders (or "lenders") which have a vested interest that may not be in the borrower's best interest.
There are currently more than 40,000 lenders in the United States including more than 38,000 mortgage brokers who control up to seventy percent (70%) of the residential loans in the country. In addition there are thousands of additional mortgage lenders (or "lenders") such as banks, savings institutions and mortgage bankers. Selecting the best mortgage source once the mortgage decision is made can be a difficult decision. Most borrowers do not effectively survey potential mortgage sources. Most borrowers cannot effectively compare mortgage quotes due to the many terms and conditions which require sophisticated analysis for valid comparison.
As a result, the lender drives the process rather than the borrower, and negotiating with mortgage lenders for the best mortgage loan program may be done from a position of weakness, misinformation and lack of education. Many borrowers do not know what is involved in the credit approval process, and do not understand the use and results of automated underwriting systems. Many borrowers, therefore, cannot take full advantage of the advances in technology that some mortgage lenders are currently using. Further, once an approval is obtained from a lender, a borrower often feels committed to the particular mortgage lender that obtained and issued such approval. Once obtained, a mortgage approval is generally good for only that particular mortgage lender. In order to determine if other, better options are available, the borrower may need to individually contact and apply to many lending institutions at a high cost in terms of time and money. In other words, the mortgage lender appears to own the approval and the price being offered with the mortgage loan, and the borrower may believe that he/she has few options when it comes to selecting and negotiating the best mortgage loan terms. In addition, the borrower is not given the results of the automated underwriting decision, thereby preventing he/she from analyzing the merits and details of the decision made by the automated underwriting system. As an example, while the use of scores generated by Fair, Issacs & Co. ("FICO scores") are widely used in underwriting decisions, and are one of the most important components of automated underwriting engines, the actual FICO scores and an explanation as to what those scores mean are not currently available to borrowers. As is known in the art, FICO scores are generated based on a borrower's payment history, credit available, and other factors.
In addition, borrowers often find themselves bargaining from a position of weakness when bidding on a potential new home as a result of not having a legally binding, fully approved mortgage approval. Sellers may decide to accept a lower or similar offer from another bidder, rather than wait for a borrower to receive full mortgage lender approval.
Lead generation is a major expense category for every lender, and increases the costs to the borrower. Mortgage lenders receive leads from a wide variety of sources, including print, radio and television responses, as well as referrals from current and previous clients and real estate brokers and responses to telephone solicitation and direct mail advertisements. It may be difficult, however, for a mortgage lender to effectively allocate resources for all leads. Not all leads are of equal value, and determining which leads to respond to first and with the most effective marketing tools may be difficult. Further, generating leads may be expensive and inefficient. The time and expense to take, process and obtain a credit decision on a loan application, while improved due to technological advances, may still be a long and expensive process. Once obtained, a mortgage approval is generally good for only that particular mortgage lender. Further, many mortgage lenders still generate data multiple times for a mortgage loan application: once to take the application; again to transmit the application for a credit report; again to transmit the application to a private mortgage insurance underwriter; again to transmit the application to either an automated or live underwriter at an investor or contract underwriter, and again to transmit the data to the final owner of the loan including the government sponsored entities, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae") and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp ("Freddie Mac"). In addition, mortgage lenders may find themselves working with a variety of vendors for mortgage related services in a time consuming and inefficient manner.
A manner of addressing these difficulties is offered by an online lender with limited comparison shopping feature on its mortgage site that compares its own mortgage loans to (only) five other lenders. This feature, however, does not compare among varying mortgage loan programs, nor does it respond with approvals from the list of searched lenders and as noted is very limited in the number of lenders it compares.
Several rate and information aggregator websites have been proposed or are in existence purporting to provide borrowers with an unbiased choice and wide selection of financial products. Some of these sites suffer from the drawback of allowing for only a pre-qualification and only from a limited number of lenders. These lenders pay by advertising dollars, by leads generated, or by loan applications generated and closed. Therefore, the choices presented to the borrower may be limited in the number of lender offerings and in the number and quality of mortgage loan products. By way of example, some aggregators may return quotes from three or four mortgage lenders and only provide information on lenders which are paying to participate. In addition, many mortgage lenders, on their own sites or on rate aggregator websites, are providing only a loan program and rate offer with a pre-qualification and not a true loan approval which has been run through a recognized and universally accepted automated underwriting system. Those sites that do offer a true online mortgage approval are often limited in that the approval they offer is based on the results from only one underwriting engine. This approval may be based on the lender's own underwriting engine or on the underwriting systems offered by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, but are not the result of multiple automated underwriting systems thus limiting their results by loan type, rate quotes and specific lender.
The business to business mortgage marketplace technology is being used to a significant degree to streamline the approval process and obtain time and cost effectiveness. There are a number of mortgage wholesalers that offer automated underwriting to their mortgage broker clients. In addition, there are some websites that will allow mortgage brokers to connect to online wholesale lender aggregators and obtain a Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or other proprietary automated underwriting decision. However, this concept has not been extended to the borrower. While these systems encourage price comparison by the mortgage broker or lender, as well as technological efficiencies and price benefits to the mortgage broker or lender, the benefits do not necessarily flow to the borrower.
For those mortgage lenders that offer an actual online mortgage application and approval, these approvals suffer from the drawback that an approval is only valid for a particular mortgage lender and may leave the borrower in a position of weakness in negotiating favorable terms.

System and process for applying for and obtaining universal multiple mortgage underwriting approvals


The present invention is a banner support assembly for mounting to poles of any surface or shape. The banner support assembly includes a plurality of pole brackets abutting the outer surface of the pole which are demountably secured at preselected intervals around the pole with at least one band clamp received through band slots defined in each pole bracket. A ring is slideably received within a channel defined in each of the pole brackets such that the ring is free to rotate around the pole about a longitudinal axis of the pole.

There have been a number of attempts to design an attachment for flag poles and/or other poles which will prevent the flag from becoming entangled with the pole but these devices have disadvantages for a number of reasons that have resulted in most not being commercially feasible. In most cases the devices are overly complicated arrangements that require great amounts of maintenance in order to keep in operation. The other factor is that the cost and expense of installing these prior art devices is so high that it is not viable to use them.
Additionally flags are mounted not only onto flag poles but also onto other posts such as light posts and/or sign posts which have a number of different cross sectional shapes namely round, square and at times hexagonal. There is a need for a banner support assembly which is able to be attached to any type of cross section of pole at any height along the pole and that is simple to attach and inexpensive to manufacture.
There are a number of prior art devices which have attempted to solve one or more of the issues enumerated above namely U.S. Pat. No. 4,402,220 issued to Kuhlmann, U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,672 issued to Wolf, U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,633 issued to Peet, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,270,076 issued to Evans.
There is need to for a banner support assembly which is simply to install, which is inexpensive to manufacture, which is reliable in its operation, which resists corrosion and other effects of the weather upon the banner support assembly and will continue to operate with a minimal amount of maintenance.


Methods for attaching two wafers are presented along with devices resulting from such methods. In one illustrative embodiment, a first wafer is provided having pillars for conducting an electric signal. The wafer also includes an electronic device such as an inductor or capacitor that may in some instances consume relatively large amounts of space. The first wafer is bonded to a second wafer so that a circuit on the second wafer may be electrically connected to the electronic device of the first wafer.

The invention is related to the field of wafer attachment. In particular, the present invention is related attaching two wafers together with electronic devices on both wafers.
Many analog circuits required inductors and capacitors for tuning or impedance matching. It is known that inductors and capacitors can consume a large area of an integrated circuit, which may increase the cost of integrated circuitry. It is also known that, while inductors and capacitors may be fabricated on a variety of substrates, conducting substrates such as silicon can introduce parasitics that may impair some device characteristics, for example, the quality factor Q.
Many microtechnologies and integrated circuit technologies are packaged in ways to protect components from environmental effects. For example, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) may include resonating cantilever beams, which can be detrimentally affected by high humidity environments, and so MEMS technologies are often hermetically sealed or even vacuum packaged. Much effort often goes into providing adequate packaging safeguards to prevent corrosion or interference caused by environmental conditions.
The present invention addresses several aspects of the problems of packaging and provision of devices such as inductors and large capacitors that have proved difficult to include in some integrated circuits. In several embodiments, a device such as an inductor or a capacitor may be provided on a first wafer that includes pillars formed by etching or other subtractive processes. In such embodiments, the first wafer may be attached to a second wafer having other circuit components in such a way as to provide connections between the device on the first wafer and the circuit components on the second wafer. The attachment of the first wafer to the second wafer may also package the circuit, for example, using solder bonds, to provide a hermetic or vacuum seal for the packaged circuit.
In one embodiment, a first wafer is provided of a material, such as glass, that is not electrically conductive, so that high Q inductors, capacitors or other devices may be constructed, and the first wafer includes conductive elements that can be used to connect to a circuit on a second wafer. In another embodiment, two wafers may be attached to one another in such a way as to allow stacking of components on different layers of wafers. In yet another embodiment, a device may be provided on a first wafer and the first wafer may be adapted to allow electrical connection between the device and a circuit on a second wafer so that the device may be thermally, electrically, or magnetically isolated from the rest of the circuit. In at least one embodiment, a device is provided on a first wafer and connected to a circuit on a second wafer such that fields produced in the device and the circuit can be isolated from one another.

Package with integrated inductor and/or capacitor


The present disclosure concerns methods and/or systems for processing, detecting and/or notifying for the presence of anomalies or infrequent events from data. Some of the disclose methods and/or systems may be used on large-scale data sets. Certain applications are directed to analyzing sensor surveillance records to identify aberrant behavior. The sensor data may be from a number of sensor types including video and/or audio. Certain applications are directed to methods and/or systems that use compressive sensing. Certain applications may be performed in substantially real time.

Anomalous event detection from video data is a complex problem that has been the subject of investigation over the past decade. The number of surveillance cameras in the public domain is large, and as a result it is practically often impossible to manually monitor the video streams from all the cameras. As a result there is a pressing need for automatic, or substantially automatic, and/or scalable detection of abnormal events from video streams. There is also a pressing need to for being able to do this in substantially real time, in real-time, or in an acceptable time period.
The literature on abnormal event detection can be generally classified into two main streams: model-based and statistical-based approaches.
In the model-based approach, image features associated with behaviours such as the trajectory or shape of moving objects are extracted from video data. Then, typically a supervised learning step is performed to learn the behaviour model given the observed features. This model can then be used at the inference stage to decide whether the current scene is abnormal. Parametric and nonparametric spatio-temporal template methods are proposed and describe a boosting-based classifier for the inference step. A large body of model-based methods also consider the trajectories of moving objects as image features for behaviour analysis.
The second approach is based on statistical analysis of the whole scene rather than focusing on individual targets. This approach makes use of low-level information about the images in conjugation with statistical methods for event detection. The main advantages of this approach are simplicity, since low-level features can be easily computed, and reliability, since their computation is invariant to environmental constraints. As a result, statistical methods may be more robust and reliable, and can be deployed in real-world applications.
Examples of low-level image features are SIFT, interest points, salient and region detectors. The learning methods for low-level image features include the use of support vector machines (SVM), probabilistic latent semantic analysis (PLSA) and kernel learning. For example, using an ensemble of image patches to learn the irregularities in the video; modelling exemplar activities in the video using principal component analysis; and using volumetric feature based optical flow representation for activity recognition in video.
The existing literature on the statistical-based approach has shown some success even in real-world scenarios. However these methods are restricted to abnormal events associated with the main characteristics of the scene, which also may be call principal behaviour. For example, constructing the prototype-segment co-occurrence matrix, whilst looking for significant aggregate changes from pre-defined multiple locations.
One of the challenging problems for practical public surveillance interest is the detection of anomalous behaviour from one or few individuals in the presence of a large number of people behaving normally. Current statistical-based methods are unable to detect these types of anomalies. For example, current methods cannot detect a loitering person in a crowd.
In addition, the problem of detecting anomalies in data streams captured by large-scale sensor networks has received much interest over the past decade. As large-scale networks become prevalent, there is an increasing need to develop approaches that can address the challenges arising from the collection of large amounts of data. The problem affects a wide range of applications as the data captured by sensor networks could constitute multimedia content from the web, video from surveillance camera networks, satellite imagery or typical network traffic.
There have been several approaches to detect different types of anomalies developed for either databases or data streams in the past years, however these techniques generally share an important assumption that the complete data is available.
As network size increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to acquire all the data streams for processing. Hence, in large-scale networks, the complete data may not be always available at the fusion point for detecting anomalies because of either low bandwidth or large geometrical distances between sensors.
A number of proposals have been introduced to address the challenges in acquiring information about networks to circumvent the physical bandwidth constraints. One notable approach is decentralization. For example, one proposed approach is a decentralization method for streaming data in which the sensors only send information to the fusion point if the observed value falls outside the normal range, which is a typically pre-defined window. If a sensor does not send any data, the fusion point will assume a nominal value.
Another technique is column sampling, which is typically only suitable for static database applications. In this selective sampling approach, an empirical distribution over the columns of is constructed and a small number of columns are selected based on sampling from the empirical distribution.
Another concern for sensor network applications is the scalability of the computational framework that involves answering the queries with low latency. The computational complexity for processing the data stream is a function of length L and the dimension N of input data. In most cases, the computational complexity is quadratic with either L or N. In some cases, it can be linear with L, but this requires iterative estimation, for example, expectation maximization (EM) to reach convergence. The EM method also linearly scales with the sample size, but on average it has very slow convergence rates and is typically not suitable for anomaly detection in high speed data streams.
The anomaly detection methods mentioned above do not address the issue of high dimensionality of input data, the exception being spectral approaches. The assumption behind the spectral approaches has been motivated by the low-dimensional intrinsic structure of the input data. It should be noted that certain spectral methods may work well for small scale problems when the full dataset is available but are not applicable for large-scale problems when the full data matrix is not available.

Systems and methods for detecting anomalies from data


A high temperature superconducting system has the general composition Tl-R-X-Y, wherein: R is a Group 2A element; X is a Group 1B element; and Y is a Group 6A element. Preferably, the composition has the following formula Tl-Ba-Cu-O. The high temperature superconductor of the present invention has a transition temperature of about 90 K with the probability of one phase superconducting at a temperature perhaps as high as 270 K. Processes for making the high temperature superconductor are also provided.

The present invention relates to high temperature superconductors and methods of making same.
Recently, there has been much work done on the utilization of ternary oxides containing rare earth elements, barium, and copper for superconductivity above the temperature of liquid nitrogen To date, these systems typically require four elements: a rare earth; an alkaline earth; copper; and oxygen. Superconductor systems based on rare earth elements have not been entirely satisfactory. The use of rare earth elements in the production of superconductors increases the cost of the resultant superconductors because these rare earth elements are in relatively short supply and are expensive. Furthermore, these systems typically exhibit limited transition temperatures at or below 93 K. Partial substitutions of elements for the member(s) in these systems have not produced significantly higher temperature superconductors
Typical high temperature superconductive systems based on rare earth elements also suffer the disadvantage of not being producible in an expedient manner. Therefore, typical methods for producing these high temperature superconductive systems do not provide low cost processing and manufacturability.
Accordingly, there is a need for a new superconductive system and process for making same.

High temperature superconductor system and processes for making same


An apparatus and a method for electromagnetically actuating engine valves to obtain soft seating. The magnitude and duration of current pulses applied to the armature attracting coils are determined based upon a total mechanical energy and a total energy loss of the armature obtained from the armature position.

The present invention relates generally to systems for electromagnetically actuating engine valves. More specifically, it relates to the control of the actuator armature and engine valve with soft seating of actuator armature to actuator cores, and soft seating of engine valves.
It has been well known that variable valve timing for internal combustion engines will improve their fuel economy and reduce emissions. An electromagnetic valve actuation system (EMVAS) is one of the technologies to realize the required variable valve timing.
One form of known electromechanical actuators includes an armature that moves back and forth along a linear travel path between two electromagnet cores. The armature functions as an actuating member and is operated against the force of two springs positioned on opposite sides of the armature. In an unactuated state, the armature is positioned midway between the two cores by the opposing springs.
Electromagnetic actuators of the above-described type are used, for example, for operating cylinder valves of internal combustion engines. Each cylinder valve is actuated by the armature of the associated electromagnetic actuator. The armature which, by virtue of the forces of the return springs, assumes its position of rest between the two electromagnets, is alternatingly attracted by the one or the other electromagnet, and, accordingly, the cylinder valve is maintained in its closed or open position.
A first problem associated with EMVAS""s is to initialize the armature from a middle position to either a valve open position or a valve closed position with soft seating of the armature and the engine valve.
A second problem associated with EMVAS""s is to control the armature transition from the open position to the closed position or from the closed position to the open position with soft seating between the armature cores and the armature, and between the valve and the engine head.
A third problem is the robustness of the soft seating initialization and transition control.
A fourth problem is the high-bandwidth and complicated current shaping requirement for achieving the required soft seating control.
A fifth problem is the power consumption minimization of the EMVAS and the power requirement reduction to minimize the system size, weight and cost.
A sixth problem is the power wasted every time the EMVAS and the valve train are shut down.
The present invention concerns an apparatus and method for operating an electromagnetic valve actuator coil in a manner to solve the above-described problems by using an energy feedback and loss compensation algorithm. The apparatus controls a valve actuator having an armature positioned between open and close coils. Included is a position processor that generates an energy signal and open and close timer signals in response to a position signal representing a position of the valve actuator armature relative to the open and close coils. A current controller generates a final current command signal and a normalized energy signal in response to the energy signal and an event generator generates event signals in response to the open and close timer signals and the normalized energy signal. A supervision logic controller generates initialization and transition signals in response to the final current command signal and the event signals, the initialization and transition signals defining current pulse magnitude and duration for soft seating of the armature on a seating surface of cores associated with the open and close coils.
The method for controlling includes the steps of: generating a final current command signal in response to a position signal representing a position of a valve actuator armature relative to open and close coils; generating a first signal in response to the final current command signal defining a higher magnitude current pulse of predetermined duration to draw the armature toward the one of the coils; generating a second signal in response to the final current command signal defining a predetermined period of no current pulse; and generating a third signal in response to the final current command signal defining a lower magnitude holding current pulse for soft seating of the armature on a seating surface of a core associated with the one coil.

Electromagnetic actuator system and method for engine valves


An impedance matching apparatus is provided. The impedance matching apparatus includes a signal separation unit, an impedance detection unit, and an impedance matching unit. The signal separation unit separates a transmission and reception signal, and selectively passes a desired frequency corresponding to the transmission and reception signal. The impedance detection unit receives a signal outputted from the signal separation unit to detect first and second electric potentials between a plurality of impedances. The impedance matching unit compares the first and second electric potentials detected by the impedance detection unit to match the impedances.

In mobile communication terminals, an antenna circuit transmits or receives a certain radio wave signal through an antenna.
Impedance is required to be accurately matched such that the antenna has optimal transmission and reception radiation performance.
Therefore, the antenna circuit includes a capacitor and an inductor. The antenna circuit controls the value of the capacitor and the value of the inductor to match the impedances of the antenna in an optimal state.
In matching impedances, the impedances of an antenna are matched in a state where a mobile communication terminal is located in a free space.
Generally, a user uses a mobile communication terminal in a state where the user has held a body with its hand and brought a speaker into contact with its ear, or uses the mobile communication terminal by using an earphone in a state where the body of the communication terminal has been placed in a bag or a pocket.
Since a user uses a mobile communication terminal in a state where the user has held a body with its hand and brought a speaker into contact with its ear or uses the mobile communication terminal in a state where the body of the communication terminal has been placed in a bag or a pocket, the impedance matching factor of an antenna varies, and consequently, the transmission and reception radiation performance of the antenna with impedances matched in a free space is degraded.
Accordingly, mobile communication terminals include an adaptive tuning antenna circuit that allows an antenna to have optimal transmission and reception radiation performance by automatically controlling the impedances of the antenna when the impedance matching factor of the antenna is changed.
To optimally maintain the transmission and reception radiation performance of the antenna, the adaptive tuning antenna circuit is required to detect the changed impedance state of the antenna.
For this, the adaptive tuning antenna circuit includes a coupler, and detects a forward power and a reflected power outputted from the coupler.
In order to detect the reflected power and the forward power and control an impedance, however, the adaptive tuning antenna circuit is required to include the coupler and a plurality of power detectors for detecting the forward power and the reflected power outputted from the coupler.

Impedance matching apparatus and method of antenna circuit


A furnace (1) has a main holding (2) and a charging well (4) into which molten metal from the holding portion is circulated by means of an electromagnetic pump (7). Metal enters the well as a tangential flow and a stationary turbulator (10) is located in the path of the flow so as to upwardly and transversely deflect the flow. Resulting turbulence within the well enhances the rate of assimilation of solids into the melt without resulting in excessive oxidation. The method is suitable for melting aluminium swarf.

This invention relates to a furnace and to a method of melting metal solids in a furnace, and in particular but not exclusively to a method of charging aluminum swarf in a furnace.
The charging of metal solids into a furnace in a manner which is both efficient and environmentally acceptable presents particular difficulties when the metal solids to be charged are in the form of finely divided aluminum scrap such as industrial swarf having a relatively large surface area. The surface oxide layer on the aluminium solids is resistant to incorporation of the solids into a body of molten metal and creates surface dross which must be separated and removed.
It is known to provide a holding portion of a furnace in which a body of molten metal is heated within an enclosure within which controlled combustion inhibits oxidisation of the molten metal. Metal solids are introduced in a well annexed to the holding portion of the furnace and molten metal is transferred between the holding portion and the well in order to both maintain the temperature of metal in the well and to deliver fresh metal to the holding portion.
It is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 4884786 to provide for mechanical stirring of the molten metal within the well in order to assist the rate of assimilation of solids into the liquid phase within the well. Such stirring however has the disadvantage of enhancing the rate at which molten metal within the well is oxidised by contact with air. The stirring operation is itself problematic in that the stirring implements must be formed of materials capable of withstanding the required operating temperature which materials tend to be brittle and therefore require frequent replacement.
It is also known from GB-2072819-A to avoid the need for stirring implements by supplying pumped metal to the well through a tangential channel to create a vortex and to disrupt the vortex by a further flow from radial channel entering the well at a lower level. A resulting roll-over effect is said to aid ingestion. The elevated level at which the tangential channel pours metal into the well is however likely to result in a pouring effect which will enhance the rate of oxidation. The use of alternative melting media such as molton salt reduces the rate of oxidation but has the disadvantage that the subsequent disposal of such media in an environmentally acceptable manner is costly.
It is an object of the present invention to accelerate the process of assimilation of metal solids into the liquid phase.
It is a further object of the present invention to minimise the extent to which molten metal is oxidised during the process of assimilating metal solids into the liquid phase.
It is a further object of the present invention to avoid the use of stirring implements in the charging well.

Furnace with deflecting surface and method of charging metal solids


Apparatus creates an image on photographic film in which the light intensity of the light source for exposing the film is calibrated to a predetermined value by measuring the light intensity of the light exposure while varying the digital form of the drive signal for controlling the intensity. A successive approximation sequence is used until the intensity approximates the predetermined value.

1. Related Applications
The present application is related in subject matter to the following U.S. patent applications filed simultaneously herewith: Ser. No. 341,726 filed in the names of Barry N. Stone, Richard C. Rice, John E. Lorbiecki and Stanley Berstein and entitled APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING FILM DENSITY FOR AN APPARATUS FOR EXPOSING PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM WITH IMAGE DATA; and Ser. No. 341,730 filed in the names of Richard C. Rice, Barry N. Stone and Lynn J. Orendcrff and entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING EXPOSURE FORMAT FOR AN APPARATUS FOR EXPOSING PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM WITH IMAGE DATA.
2. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to apparatuses for exposing photographic film with image data and, in particular, to calibration of the light source for such apparatuses.
3. Statement of the Prior Art
Photographic film has become the accepted archival medium for medical imaging because of its high analog resolution and because of its long time use with x-rays. Conversely, modern medical imaging techniques, such as computerized tomography, digital radiographic imaging, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, have developed around the use of digital imaging techniques where an image is made up of a great many pixels each of which has an electronically represented brightness. In order to adapt these new techniques to the accepted archival medium, apparatuses have been developed for creating a hard copy by "printing" the electronic image data onto photographic film. These apparatuses are generally referred to as hard-copy cameras.
Thus far, the two primary approaches have used lasers and cathode ray tubes as light sources to expose the film by illuminating each pixel to the proper intensity. Cathode ray tubes at least have experienced some problems in controlling the exposure or writing intensity because of the inherent instability of the cathode ray tube intensity. This varies readily with temperature and causes calibration over a range of intensities to be practically impossible. Thus, it is desirable to have a conveniently implemented calibration procedure which may be regularly used to maintain proper exposure intensity.
One attempt at controlling the various factors involved is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,058. This patent describes a scheme for calibrating exposure intensity against a pair of predetermined reference levels. This is done both before a measurement of film density and during the exposure process to retain the validity of the density measurements as well as maintain the intensity stability. Unfortunately, this approach is limited to the number of reference voltages set up for comparison, and the reference voltages have no relation to the intensities determined to produce desired film densities. Therefore, it is possible that as "calibrated", the actual light intensity levels differ significantly from the light intensity levels corresponding to the densities at which the film is measured. In other words, the film density may be measured using one set of exposure intensity levels while the exposure intensity is calibrated at a different level. This condition can introduce gray scale inaccuracies due to the nonlinear responses of the light source, the film and the developing chemicals.

Calibration apparatus for a light source used for exposing photographic film with image data


Methods of pricing non-execution services provided by a firm comprising an execution service provider and a non-execution service provider. The methods may comprise the steps of accruing a payment for execution and non-execution services from an external client and allocating a first portion of the payment to an execution service provider and a second portion of the payment to a non-execution service provider. The methods may also comprise the steps of calculating a cost of providing the non-execution services, and calculating a profit of the non-execution service provider considering the cost of providing the non-execution services and the second portion of the payment.

In the financial services industry, sell-side firms have traditionally priced the non-execution services that they provide to their clients (e.g., equity research) by bundling the non-execution services with execution services, such as the buying and selling of securities, etc. According to typical bundling arrangements, clients (e.g., buy-side firms) pay the sell-side firm suitable compensation, for example, in the form of a fee and/or commission. In exchange for the compensation, the clients receive execution services as well as certain non-execution services, such as access to equity and other financial research.
For various reasons, these traditional bundling arrangements have begun to fall into disfavor. The Financial Services Authority ("FSA") of the United Kingdom has implemented regulations that will soon require many buy-side firms to disclose the amount of money that they spend on execution services and the amount of money that they spend on non-execution services, such as research and sales coverage. Accordingly, buy-side firms subject to the U.K. regulations must be able to break out their expenses related to execution and non-execution services respectively. Also, under typical bundling arrangements, research and other non-execution services are a cost center to the sell-side firm, and not a profit center. Accordingly, there is a need for improved pricing and resource allocation systems for non-execution services.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A combination ring cutting and removing device is provided for use by medical personnel for cutting and removing rings from injured or swollen fingers. If the finger that carries a ring is badly injured, the swelling of the injured finger often precludes the removal of the ring. The ring must be cut in order to restore circulation to the swollen finger. The combined ring cutting and ring removing device is provided in the form of a plier-type cutting device with a built in means for prying the cut ring apart so the ring can be removed from a swollen finger. The device may also be used for non-medical applications that require a cutting action followed by a prying or separating action.

The concept of a ring cutting device for cutting and removing a ring from an injured finger is known. These devices are essential equipment in emergency rooms where patients are often treated for injured fingers. For example, if a patient breaks or otherwise seriously injures a fingertip and the finger begins to swell, a ring disposed on the finger will be too narrow to pass over the swollen end of the finger. If the ring remains on the finger, the ring itself could cut off circulation causing further injury to the finger.
The typical device for cutting and removing rings from injured fingers is exemplified by the Beaver Model No. 4100. This device employs a lower gripping arm that slips under the ring and clamps the ring between the arm and a circular saw blade that is turned by hand. After gripping the ring between the gripper arm and the blade, the technician twists the handle thereby rotating the saw blade to eventually cut through the ring. The actual sawing action to sever the ring may take several minutes. Thus, the "saw-type" devices for cutting and removing rings are unsatisfactory because of the time requirements. A patient who is in extreme pain does not appreciate the lengthy procedure required.
Further, the Beaver Model No. 4100 does not include a means for prying the ring apart after the ring is severed. The technician must employ additional equipment in the form of two pairs of pliers or a separate wedging tool to separate the two cut ends of the ring so the ring can be removed from the injured finger.
Thus, there is a need for a ring cutting and removing tool that will cut the ring and pry it apart in one quick and easy procedure. Such a device will be greatly appreciated by patients with painful finger injuries and by busy emergency room personnel who must treat patients at a rapid rate.


Technologies for managing sensor malfunctions in a compute system include detecting a malfunctioning sensor of the compute system and determining a sensor function performed by the malfunctioning sensor. In response to detection of the malfunctioning sensor, a different sensor of the compute system is selected to perform the sensor function of the malfunctioning sensor. The selected sensor may be of a different sensor type relative to the sensor type of the malfunctioning sensor. The compute system subsequently performs the sensor function of the malfunctioning sensor using the selected sensor. To do so, the compute system may increase, modify, or adjust the manner in which the sensor data from the selected sensor is processed.

Sensors and sensing circuits are incorporated in an ever-growing number of electronic devices and computing systems. For example, many automated or autonomous systems, such as autonomous vehicles and robots, rely on various sensors for knowledge of the surrounding environment and to facilitate interactions with that environment, such as path finding. The use of sensors in such autonomous systems is akin to human senses.
Due to safety considerations and a desire for known failure states, many autonomous systems handle sensor failure by implementing a shut-down failure mode. For example, an autonomous vehicle may come to a stop, automatically move to the shoulder of the road, or shift to a driver-controlled state in response to the loss of a sensor. Similarly, a robot may simply shut down in response to a malfunctioning sensor. Such shut-down failure modes often fail to consider the actual impact of the loss of a particular sensor or provide any supplemental operational mode to allow the autonomous system to continue operation in some capacity.


A footwear cushioning system including an insole and a midsole that define a chamber containing multiple, hollow, inverted, truncated cones. The insole includes a plate having a downwardly extending rib to define a recess. The midsole includes a midsole plate including an upwardly extending wall and multiple upwardly opening hollow, inverted frusto-conical cushion cells. The wall interfits within the rib, and the cushion cells abut against the insole plate. An outsole shell is direct-attached to the cushioning system with polyurethane. Preferably, the polyurethane pre-compresses the cushion cells and adds cushioning and energy return characteristics. To assemble the cushion system, an upper is stapled to the insole rib. The midsole is interfitted within the rib. The insole and midsole are heated to fuse the cushion cells to the insole. Polyurethane is poured into the outsole shell and the shell is direct attached to the upper/cushioning system.

The present invention relates to footwear and, more particularly, to a footwear construction and the method for making the same.
In the footwear industry, there is an ongoing effort to produce footwear including a cushioning system that provides both energy return characteristics and a high level of comfort for wearers. The need to produce such a cushioning system is particularly pronounced in the design of work, walking and athletic footwear, where reduction of fatigue and increased cushioning are primary objectives. For example, to minimize the effects of standing for long periods on hard surfaces (e.g., concrete floors) and walking on such surfaces, it is desirable to provide footwear that cushions the wearer""s foot from the hard surface and also returns energy to the wearer during walking or running.
Conventionally, energy return and cushioning have been competing interests. Efforts to improve cushioning typically reduce energy return. One shoe sole assembly used to improve cushioning, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,767 to Kramer, includes multiple, hollow, uniform, vertical columns, which compress and bulge to provide shock absorption and, therefore, cushioning. Although the use of the uniform, vertical columns increases cushioning, energy return is sacrificed because the uniform, vertical columns may not rapidly snap back from the bulged shape after compression. In another footwear construction, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,310 to Fang, a flanged insole is positioned over an outsole including solid, cylindrical separating posts, but the insole is gapped a distance above each post. This structure increases cushioning due to the compression of the separating posts, however, energy return is lost because the columnar cylindrical posts may not rapidly snap back into pre-compression shape. Moreover, after the insole separates from the separating posts when weight is removed from the shoe, the separating posts cannot generate return energy to the insole due to the physical separation.
Although the cushioning systems of the prior art provide cushioning, there remains a long felt and unmet need for a footwear construction that provides a desired level of cushioning as well as energy return.
The aforementioned problems are overcome in the present invention which provides multiple, inverted, frusto-conical cushion cells disposed between an insole and midsole. The cushion cells are preferably mounted to or integral with the midsole. The insole preferably includes a rib extending around it to form a recess into which the midsole is nested to form an enclosed cushion system.
In a preferred embodiment, the rib of the insole is secured to an upper. An outsole shell, filled with polyurethane, is direct-attached to the insole and/or the upper. Preferably, the polyurethane exerts a pressure against the midsole, forcing the cushion cells firmly upward against the insole. The insole also may include multiple vent holes, each uniquely associated with one of the cushion cells to provide a vent for air to escape the cells during compression and enhance the shock-absorbing characteristic of the cells.
In another preferred embodiment, multiple cushion cells are positioned at the forefoot of the cushioning system and aligned with the metatarsal heel of a wearer. Another cushion cell is disposed under the heel of the cushioning system. This cushion cell is concentrically disposed in a vertical, cylindrical wall that extends from the midsole base.
The cushioning system of the present invention is preferably manufactured using the general steps of (a) securing an upper to an insole, the insole including an insole base formed in the shape of a foot and a rib that define a recess and (b) positioning a midsole in the recess where the midsole includes a midsole base and multiple upwardly opening, truncated cones integral with the midsole base, so that the largest diameter portion of the truncated cones abuts the insole base.
Footwear incorporating the cushioning system of the present invention is preferably manufactured using the general steps of (a) securing an upper to an insole where the insole includes an insole base and a rib that together define a recess; (b) positioning a midsole in the recess, the midsole including a wall extending from the midsole and multiple, hollow, inverted truncated cones and (c) securing a sole to at least one of the upper, the insole, and the midsole.
The present invention provides a unique footwear construction having a previously unachieved combination of cushioning and energy return. The interaction of the cushion cells sandwiched between the insole and midsole provide a unique structure that has the ability to both (1) compress and provide cushioning and (2) provide maximized energy return upon decompression of the cells. Furthermore, when the cushioning system is incorporated into a shoe and the filler material pre-loads the cushion cells, additional energy return is available from those cells because their upwardly opening walls are slightly pre-compressed.
These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be more readily understood and appreciated by reference to the detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the drawings.

Shoe cushioning system and related method of manufacture


A backlight module including a light guide plate and a light source is provided. The light guide plate has a light incident surface, a light reflection surface, a first side surface and a second side surface. The light incident surface is connected to the second side surface. The reflection surface is connected between the first side surface and the light incident surface. The first and the second side surfaces are two planes with their extending planes intersected. The light incident surface is a chamfering plane connected between the first and the second side surfaces. The light reflection surface is a cambered surface connected between the first side surface and the light incident surface. The light source is disposed next to the light incident surface, so as to transmit light into the light guide plate through the light incident surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a backlight module, and in particular, to a backlight module using a light-emitting diode (LED) as a light source.
2. Description of Related Art
A Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) has advantages of operating under a low voltage, no radiant rays, a light weight and a small size, which a display manufactured by using a conventional Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) does not possess. The LCD has become a main subject of the display study in recent years. Since the LCD is not a self-luminous display, display functions of the LCD are achieved when required light is provided by a backlight module. In recent years, with the improvement of environment protection, a light-emitting element used in the backlight module is transformed from Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL) to light-emitting diode (LED).
When the LED is applied in the backlight module, e.g., an edge-type backlight module, the LED is usually disposed at a long edge or a short edge of a light guide plate. However, since the products develop towards a trend of being light and thin and lowering the manufacturing cost, the manufacturers manage to use fewer LEDs to achieve the same effect, and the LED is usually disposed at a corner of the light guide plate.
However, the luminance of the LED disposed at a corner of the light guide plate can be achieved only by using the LED with high power. In addition, the LED with high power means that the LED is of a large size to overcome the heat dissipation problem thereof, but the LED in large size is difficult to be disposed at the corner of the light guide plate, thus conflicting with the trend of a light and thin product.


A system and method for adjusting estimated number of customers affected by an electrical power distribution network incident. Incident reports indicating a number of affected customers and an incident definition for incidents occurring over an accumulation time are accumulated, where each incident report. For each incident report, a signature is determined based on characterizing respective incidents and includes respective characteristics of the incidents associated with each incident report. A subject incident report is received subsequent to the accumulation time. A signature is determined for the subject incident report. Similar incident reports that have signatures similar to the subject incident are identified. A composite estimated number of affected customers for the subject incident is determined based on the associated numbers of affected customers for each similar incident report. An initial estimate of customers affected by the subject incident is adjusted based on the composite estimated number of affected customers.

Electric power transmission and distribution systems used to provide electrical power to customers distributed over a geographic area include many components that are interconnected by electrical conductors to form an electrical power distribution network. The components within the electrical distribution network in many cases include devices that monitor the operation of the network and report detected incidents or problems to a central monitoring system. In some examples, components within an electrical distribution network include Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) equipment to monitor component operations. In some examples, electric utility customers have smart meters that are able to send status messages back to a central monitoring system to indicate a loss or restoration of electrical power to the customer's facility.
Various incidents that can occur with regards to the electrical distribution network, such as a failure of a component in an electrical distribution network, can cause a number of customers to lose electrical power. Many such incidents require a service team to be dispatched to remedy the incident, such as make necessary repairs to equipment that was damaged. In many electrical distribution networks, a number of incidents may occur within a relatively short time period. When a number of incidents occur that is greater than the number that can be serviced by the available repair crews, the incidents are generally prioritized to determine an order of locations to which repair crews are to be dispatched. In general, prioritization of incidents to which repair crews are dispatched is based on the number of customers that are affected by the particular incident. In general, incidents are prioritized in the order of the number of customers to have lost electrical service due to the incident, and thus the number of customers who will have power restored by repairing the cause of the incident. The incident that causes the largest number of customers to lose electrical service are prioritized for dispatching of repair crews over incidents that have fewer number of affected customers.
It is often a challenge to determine the locations of and the actual number of customers who are affected by a particular incident or reported problem. Although many electric power utilities have installed smart power usage meters (smart meters) that are part of an Advance Metering Infrastructure (AMI), the AMI has not been able to reliably estimate the number of customers who have lost electrical power. In an example, smart meters communicate via a wireless network with a central monitoring station. However, the wireless communication network is very limited in bandwidth and messaging throughput. On occasion, communications from smart meters over a grid powered wireless mesh network fail to be received by the central monitoring station. Therefore, not all smart meters in a commercial power distribution network (especially in a wide area power distribution system serving large numbers of customers) can be monitored by a central monitoring station in real time to obtain a complete and contemporaneous system status. The central monitoring station operates with a level of uncertainty regarding which specific customer locations are currently experiencing power outage conditions and which specific customer locations have not lost power or have their power restored following a power outage.
Inaccuracies in the number of customers affected by an incident in an electrical power distribution network can result from the inability to accurately determine which customers have lost electrical power. Such inaccuracies are able to result in improperly prioritizing the dispatching repair crews to address incidents that impact fewer customers than other incidents that are given lower priority and are thus scheduled to be repaired later. These inaccuracies further challenge an ability to accurately notify customers of outages or other effects of an incident.

Proactive power outage impact adjustments via machine learning


A consumable set is provided that is usable in a plasma arc torch to direct a plasma arc to a processing surface of a workpiece. The consumable set includes a nozzle having: 1) a nozzle body defining a longitudinal axis extending therethrough, and 2) a nozzle exit orifice, disposed in the nozzle body, for constricting the plasma arc. The nozzle exit orifice defines an exit orifice axis oriented at a non-zero angle relative to the longitudinal axis. The consumable set can also include an alignment surface generally parallel to the exit orifice axis. The alignment surface is dimensioned to align the exit orifice such that the plasma arc impinges orthogonally on the processing surface.

Thermal processing torches, such as plasma arc torches, are widely used in the heating, cutting, gouging and marking of materials. A plasma arc torch generally includes an electrode, a nozzle having a central exit orifice mounted within a torch body, electrical connections, passages for cooling, and passages for arc control fluids (e.g., plasma gas). Optionally, a swirl ring is employed to control fluid flow patterns in the plasma chamber formed between the electrode and the nozzle. In some torches, a retaining cap can be used to maintain the nozzle and/or swirl ring in the plasma arc torch. In operation, the torch produces a plasma arc, which is a constricted jet of an ionized gas with high temperature and sufficient momentum to assist with removal of molten metal.
A problem with existing plasma arc torches, including handheld plasma arc torches, is that they have difficulties flush cutting a workpiece having one or more internal corners due to the axial configuration of the torches. As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional plasma arc torch 100, which includes a rotational symmetric torch tip 102, cannot make a flush cut in the workpiece along the desired path 104. Specifically, the plasma arc torch 100 has difficulty cutting off the protruding flange 106 as close as possible against the horizontal surface 107 of the base 108 without cutting below the horizontal surface 107. Instead, the best cut achievable by the plasma arc torch 100 is indicated by the path 110. As a result, secondary operations, such as grinding, are required to remove the excess workpiece section 112 to achieve the desired flush cut 104. In addition, the closer the plasma arc torch 100 directs a plasma arc flow to the corner of the workpiece, the more likely the arc can inadvertently damage the base 108, such as extending the cut below the horizontal surface 107 of the base 108 along the path 114. Yet another limitation of the plasma arc torch 100 is its inability to ensure that a cut in a workpiece corner is consistently reproducible. For example, the plasma arc torch 100 does not have any positioning mechanism to ensure that the same cut can be made at the same relative location in the corners of different workpieces.

Asymmetric consumables for a plasma arc torch


An actuator housing securely attached to a back wall of a rotary helm unit mounted below the dashboard of a watercraft provides a mechanism for automatic control of the watercraft's rudder. The actuator housing encloses a wheel shaft extension passing through an axial bore in a back wall of the rotary helm unit. A first end of the wheel shaft extension within the actuator housing has a drilled out core containing a spring. The spring exerts a force against a pusher shaft axially aligned with the wheel shaft extension. A transverse pin integral with the pusher shaft is located adjacent a gear affixed to the pusher shaft. When the spring is overcome by a contra force exerted on the pusher shaft, the transverse pin seats within two oppositely positioned grooves on the wheel shaft extension and causes the wheel shaft to turn in response to a system of gears activated by an electric motor mounted adjacent the actuator housing. Turning of the wheel shaft extension activates a gear system within the rotary helm unit that moves the watercraft's rudder cables.

This invention relates to automatic pilot systems for outboard engine driven watercraft. More specifically, it refers to an actuator device for accepting signals from an autopilot unit and inputting mechanical force to a rotary helm unit with a telescopic output cable for outboard steerage purposes.
Autopilot systems for large vessels are well known and have been in commercial use for many years. Autopilot systems also have been adapted for use in smaller craft including those driven by outboard engines as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,055. Since space is limited on outboard engine driven watercraft, a search has been made for autopilot systems requiring no autopilot drive components mounted between the dashboard area and the steering wheel and which can be connected to commonly used rotary helm units with telescopic cables. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,055 description attempts to create such a design by incorporating a steering wheel adapter driven by a first and second gear within a housing mounted between the steering wheel and dashboard panel. The normal rotary helm unit connected to the outboard steering mechanism is located separately below the dashboard panel. The combined autopilot and rotary helm units bolted individually, demand utilization both above and below the dashboard and result in stresses being introduced into the dashboard in reaction to torque produced by the drive gears. A more advanced design is needed requiring no above dashboard mounting space and restraining all steering wheel shaft torque to within a single housing.


A wing includes: an inner end configured to be coupled to a fuselage of an aircraft; an inboard section extending from the inner end; a fixed leading edge of the inboard section having a drooped contour positioned along at least a portion thereof; and an outboard section extending from the inboard section.

A high-lift device is a component or mechanism on a wing of an aircraft that increases the amount of lift produced by the wing at a given speed.
Modern jet transport aircraft use rearward swept wings to achieve transonic cruise speeds. Unfortunately, the reduced lift of a rearward swept wing tends to increase all operating speeds. While high cruise speeds are desirable, fast takeoff and landing speeds are not. High-lift devices temporarily alter the configuration of the wing, in order to maintain reasonable takeoff and landing speeds. These high-lift devices typically include leading and trailing edge devices. Leading edge (LE) devices, such as simple or variable camber (VC) Krueger flaps and two- or three-position slats, add lift by increasing the angle of attack at which large-scale flow separation (stall) occurs on the wing. Trailing edge devices, such as Fowler flaps with single, double, or triple slots, increase lift by adding camber and increasing wing area.
Accordingly, those skilled in the art continue with research and development in the field of field of aircraft wing modifications.

Wing, aircraft, and method for delaying wing stall of an aircraft