A process for controlling the mycelial morphology of a microorganism belonging to the genus Mortierella during culturing and a process for producing unsaturated fatty acids and a lipid containing them by using a culture medium for culturing a microorganism in which phosphate ions, potassium ions, sodium ions, magnesium ions, and calcium ions in the culture medium are in the range of 5 to 60 mM, 5 to 60 mM, 2 to 50 mM, 0.5 to 9 mM, and 0.5 to 12 mM, respectively, characterized in that the microorganism belonging to the genus Mortierella is cultured in a culture medium containing phosphate ions in the range of 5 to 60 mM, potassium ions in the range of 5 to 60 mM, sodium ions in the range of 2 to 50 mM, magnesium ions in the range of 0.5 to 9 mM, and calcium ions in the range of 0.5 to 12 mM, respectively, to produce unsaturated fatty acids and the lipid containing them, and the culture medium for culturing a microorganism having phosphate ions, potassium ions, sodium ions, magnesium ions, and calcium ions in the range of 5 to 60 mM, 5 to 60 mM, 2 to 50 mM, 0.5 to 9 mM, and 0.5 to 12 mM, respectively.

The present invention relates to a novel culture medium for culturing a microorganism, and a process of producing an unsaturated fatty acid-containing lipid that can be obtained by culturing a microorganism belonging to the genus Mortierella capable of producing unsaturated fatty acids in said medium.
Arachidonic acid, dihomo-xcex3-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, Mead acid and the like are said to be precursors of prostaglandins, thromboxanes, prostacyclins, leukotrienes and the like that have potent and a variety of biological activities, and thereby are attracting much attention in recent years. For example, a rapid progress has been made on the study of arachidonic acid, as of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as a ingredient essential especially for the growth of infants; Lanting et al. have carried out a follow-up study on infants bred with breast milk and those bred with infant formula for three weeks or longer after birth until they grew up to the age of nine years old for the incidence of minor disorders in the cerebral nerves based on their behavioral aspects etc. and have reported that the incidence of cerebral disorders in the children bred with infant formula is twice as high as that of the children bred with breast milk (LANCET, vol. 344, 1319-1322 (1994)).
It has been speculated that this shocking result is due to the possibility that such unsaturated fatty acid as DHA and arachidonic acid that are present in the breast milk but not in the infant formula may be associated with the development of the brain. Since then, many reports have appeared that suggest the association of unsaturated fatty acids with the development of the infant""s brain and retina, which is attracting attention as the latest topic in the field of nutrition for preterms and newborns.
These unsaturated fatty acids widely occur in the animal kingdom: for example, arachidonic acid has been isolated from a lipid that was extracted from the adrenal gland or the liver of animals. The content of unsaturated fatty acids therein, however, is low and was insufficient for its large scale supply, and therefore various methods have been devised to obtain unsaturated fatty acids by culturing various microorganisms. Among others, microorganisms belonging to the genus Mortierella are known to produce unsaturated fatty acids such as arachidonic acid, dihomo-xcex3-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, Mead acid and the like and thus methods have been developed that produce said unsaturated fatty acids by the fermentation method using these microorganisms (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 63(1988)-44891, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 63(1988)-12290, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 63(1988)-14696, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 63(1988)-14697).
There is also known a method of producing Mead acid using a mutant strain in which the xcex9412 desaturating activity has been reduced or defected that can be obtained by subjecting an organism of the genus Mortierella to a mutation treatment (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5(1993)-91888). Furthermore, there is also known a method of producing dihomo-xcex3-linolenic acid using a mutant strain in which the xcex945 desaturating activity has been reduced or defected that can be obtained by subjecting an organism of the genus Mortierella to a mutation treatment (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5(1993)-91887).
However, when a fermentation production is carried out in a liquid medium using a filamentous fungus like the genus Mortierella, cellular growth often results in the enhanced viscosity of the liquid culture medium and the ensuing reduced supply of oxygen. Although a method (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 6(1994)-153970) of regulating dissolved oxygen developed to overcome the above drawbacks has played an important role in enhancing productivity, it is not sufficient to attain high productivity that is economically excellent on an industrial scale. Thereby, the extensive development of culture techniques including the search for more inexpensive culture medium and trace nutrients, the method of regulating mycelial morphology to improve fluidity of the liquid culture medium is imperative.
As a strategy for such technological development, the effect of adding salts as trace nutrients on mycelial morphology are being investigated. There are various reports on effect of adding ions such as potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphoric acid among others (International Application WO96/21037, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) 8(1996)-214893, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol., Vol. 39, p. 450 (1993), Biotechnology Lett., Vol. 12, No. 6, p. 455 (1990), Yukagaku (Oil Chemistry) Vol. 37, No. 3, p. 241 (1989), Yukagaku (Oil Chemistry) Vol. 42, No. 11, p. 893 (1993)). On the other hand, however, there are no reports that investigated the effect of more aggressively enhancing the productivity of unsaturated fatty acids by adding these major ions at concentrations of 0.5 mM or higher exceeding the concept of being nutritional supplements and no reports that even investigated the effects which the balance of added ions has on mycelial morphology and lipid compositions. It is, therefore, desired to optimize the method of adding ions.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a process of producing a lipid containing unsaturated fatty acids by a fermentation of microorganism belonging to the genus Mortierella, said process comprising adding salts to the culture medium to improve the productivity of unsaturated fatty acids, more specifically all of microbial growth, the accumulation of unsaturated fatty acids, and the accumulation of total lipids, and thereby attaining an economical and stable supply of the lipid containing unsaturated fatty acids. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a culture medium for culturing a microorganism that has an advantage of producing unsaturated fatty acids at high yields and that is inexpensive.
In order to solve the above problems, the present inventors have carried out a comprehensive study concerning the effects of adding salts to a culture medium with respect to not only the yield of unsaturated fatty acids but also changes in mycelial morphology and lipid composition. As a result, the inventors have found that it is very effective to add all the ions of potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphate at defined concentrations in a well-balanced manner and thereby have completed the present invention.
Thus, the present invention provides a culture medium for culturing a microorganism in which phosphate ions, potassium ions, sodium ions, magnesium ions, and calcium ions are in the range of 5 to 60 mM, 5 to 60 mM, 2 to 50 mM, 0.5 to 9 mM, and 0.5 to 12 mM, respectively, and a process having an enhanced productivity of producing unsaturated fatty acids and a lipid containing the same by culturing in said medium a filamentous fungus in particular a microorganism belonging to the genus Mortierella.
The term xe2x80x9cunsaturated fatty acidsxe2x80x9d as used herein refers to the fatty acids having 16 or more carbon atoms and one or more double bonds. Among these, those having 18 or more carbon atoms and two or more double bonds are generally called highly unsaturated fatty acids, which for example include xcex3-linolenic acid, dihomo-xcex3-linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, Mead acid, 6,9-octadecadienoic acid, 8,11-eicosadienoic acid and the like.
The culture medium for culturing a microorganism of the present invention contains phosphate ions, potassium ions, sodium ions, magnesium ions, and calcium ions in the range of 5 to 60 mM, 5 to 60 mM, 2 to 50 mM, 0.5 to 9 mM, and 0.5 to 12 mM, respectively, preferably in the range of 10 to 45 mM, 10 to 45 mM, 5 to 40 mM, 1 to 6 mM, and 1 to 9 mM, respectively, and can be used for culturing a microorganism for example a filamentous fungus.
In the case of a microorganism belonging to genus Mortierella capable of producing unsaturated fatty acids, the unsaturated fatty acids can be obtained at a high yield from the culture by using the culture medium of the present invention. The culture medium of the present invention may contain, as appropriate, ingredients such as a carbon source, a nitrogen source, a trace nutrient source etc. in addition to phosphate ions, potassium ions, sodium ions, magnesium ions, and calcium ions depending on the microorganism to be used.
According to the present invention, microorganisms used in the production of a lipid containing unsaturated fatty acids may be any organism belonging to genus Mortierella. For example, these microorganisms include such microbial strains as are described in MYCOTAXON, Vol. XLIV, No. 2, pp. 257-265 (1992), and more specifically include microorganisms belonging to the subgenus Mortierella such as Mortierella elongata IFO 8570, Mortierella exigua IFO 8571, Mortierella hygrophila IFO 5941, Mortierella alpina IFO 8568, ATCC 16266, ATCC 32221, ATCC 42430, CBS 219.35, CBS 224.37, CBS 250.53, CBS 343.66, CBS 527.72, CBS 528.72, CBS 529.72, CBS 608.70, and CBS 754.68; and microorganisms belonging to the subgenus Micromucor such as Mortierella isabellina CBS 194.28, IFO 6336, IFO 7824, IFO 7873, IFO 7874, IFO 8286, IFO 8308, IFO 7884, Mortierella nana IFO 8190, Mortierella ramanniana IFO 5426, IFO 8186, CBS 112.08, CBS 212.72, IFO 7825, IFO 8184, IFO 8185, IFO 8287, and Mortierella vinacea CBS 236.82.
These microbial strains are all available without limitation from the Institute for Fermentation, Osaka, in Japan, the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) in the USA, and the Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures (CBS) in the Netherlands. Furthermore, the microbial strain Mortierella elongata SAM 0219 (FERM P-8703) (FERM BP-1239) that was isolated from the soil by the inventors may be used. These microbial strains belonging to type cultures and microbial isolants isolated from the nature can be used as they are, and there can also be used spontaneous mutants that were obtained by effecting growth and/or isolation once or more and that have a property different from the original microbial strain.
Microorganisms for use in the present invention can include the mutants and recombinants of the organisms belonging to the genus Mortierella (wild type strain), that is, the organisms intended and designed to produce an increased amount of specific and/or all unsaturated fatty acids in a lipid or an increased amount of total lipids, or an increased amount of both of them in comparison with an amount produced by the original wild type strain when cultured in the same medium. For example, as a mutant that was designed to produce an increased amount of specific unsaturated fatty acids, there can be mentioned Mortierella alpina SAM 1861 (FERM BP-3590) in which the xcex9412-desaturating activity has been defected, and Mortierella alpina SAM 1860 (FERM BP-3589) in which the xcex945-desaturating activity has been defected.
Furthermore, there is also included a microorganism that was designed to produce unsaturated fatty acids at an amount equal to that of the corresponding wild type strain using a substrate having a better cost performance in an efficient manner.
Microorganisms belonging to the above genus Mortierella can be cultured according to a conventional method except that the concentrations of phosphate ions, potassium ions, sodium ions, magnesium ions, and calcium ions in the culture medium are adjusted to be in their specific range. For example, the above-mentioned microorganisms in the form of spores, hypha, or liquid preculture obtained by culturing in advance are inoculated and cultured on a liquid culture medium or a solid culture medium. As the carbon source, any of the commonly used glucose, fructose, xylose, saccharose, maltose, soluble starch, molasses, glycerol, mannitol, citric acid, corn starch, and the like can be used, and in particular glucose, maltose, fructose, corn starch, glycerol, and citric acid are preferred.
As the nitrogen source, organic nitrogen sources such as peptone, yeast extract, malt extract, meat extract, casaminic acid, corn steep liquor, urea, and the like and inorganic nitrogen sources such as ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, and the like can be used. In particular, by using one or more nitrogen sources obtained from soy beans alone or in combination with the above nitrogen sources, a more preferred synergistic effect of adding salts can be obtained.
Furthermore, as the nitrogen source derived from soy beans, defatted soy beans or defatted soy beans that were subjected to a heat treatment; an acid treatment; an alkali treatment; an enzyme treatment; a chemical modification; or denaturation and/or renaturation using a chemical and/or physical treatment comprising any of the above treatments; the removal of some of the components with water and/or an organic solvent; the removal of some of the components by filtration and/or centrifugation; freezing; disrupting; drying; and/or sieving and the like; or non-defatted soy beans that were subjected to the same treatment as above can be used either alone or in combinations. In general, there can be mentioned soy beans, defatted soy beans, soy bean flakes, edible soy bean proteins, bean curd lees (okara), soy bean milk, roasted soy bean flour (kinako), and the like. Preferably the defatted soy beans that were subjected to a heat treatment, and more preferably the defatted soy beans that were subjected to a heat treatment at about 70-90xc2x0 C. followed by the removal of the ethanol-soluble components are used.
In addition to phosphate ions, potassium ions, sodium ions, magnesium ions, and calcium ions, there can be used, when desired, as a source of trace nutrient, metal ions such as iron ions, copper ions, zinc ions, manganese ions, nickel ions, and cobalt ions, and vitamins and the like. In order to increase the yield of unsaturated fatty acids, there can be used, as a precursor to unsaturated fatty acids, hydrocarbon such as hexadecane or octadecane; fatty acids such as oleic acid or linoleic acid or salts thereof, or fatty acid esters such as ethylester, glycerol fatty acid ester, and sorbitan fatty acid ester; or lipids such as olive oil, soy bean oil, rapeseed oil, cotton seed oil, or coconut oil can be used either alone or in combination. The amount of the substrate added is 0.001 to 10%, preferably 0.5 to 10%. In addition culturing may be carried out using one of these substrates as the sole carbon source.
In the culture medium of the present invention, phosphate ions are present in the range of 5 to 60 mM, potassium ions in the range of 5 to 60 mM, sodium ions in the range of 2 to 50 mM, magnesium ions in the range of 0.5 to 9 mm, and calcium ions in the range of 0.5 to 12 mM, and preferably, in the culture medium, phosphate ions are in the range of 10 to 45 mM, potassium ions are in the range of 10 to 45 mM, sodium ions are in the range of 5 to 40 mM, magnesium ions are in the range of 1 to 6 mM, and calcium ions are in the range of 1 to 9 mM.
These ions can be prepared by adding to the culture medium salts such as dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, and/or sodium dihydrogen phosphate for phosphate ions, salts such as dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate and/or potassium chloride for potassium ions, salts such as disodium hydrogen phosphate, sodium dihydrogen phosphate, sodium chloride and/or sodium sulfate for sodium ions, salts such as magnesium chloride and/or magnesium sulfate for magnesium ions, and salts such as calcium chloride and/or calcium carbonate for calcium ions. However, these compounds are not limiting and any compound can be used as long as it does not inhibit the growth of microorganisms.
These salts may be either hydrates or anhydrides. Furthermore, the salts described above are combined, as appropriate, so as to obtain the ion concentrations in the range of the present invention. For example, by blending certain amounts of 4 compounds such as potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4), anhydrous sodium sulfate (Na2SO4), magnesium chloride hexahydrate (MgCl2.6H2O), and calcium chloride dihydrate (CaCl2.2H2O), certain concentrations of ions of the present invention can be prepared.
According to the present invention, the addition of such salts substantially increases the yield of unsaturated fatty acids. Furthermore, although their effects on mycelial morphology in the liquid culture cannot be specified because of the effects from components other than the salts of the medium and from microbial strains, an increased amount of the phosphate added results in an increased proportion of the mycelia in the pulp form, and an increased amount of magnesium added results in an increased proportion of the mycelia in the pellet form. Growth in the pulp form increases the viscosity of the liquid culture medium and reduces fluidity and the concentration of dissolved oxygen, thereby causing a reduction in the yield.
Growth in the pellet form, on the other hand, seldom results in an increase in viscosity and thereby a high fluidity is maintained, but the pellet wall provides a rate-liming factor of oxygen supply and causes a reduction in the yield. We have found, however, that by adding said ions at certain concentrations in a well-balanced manner, excessive pulp-formation and excessive pellet-formation can be controlled and the mixed state of the pulp and the pellets can be maintained. This technique has enabled it easy to control mycelia morphology and to obtain very high yields.
The lipid containing unsaturated fatty acids obtained as described above are mostly triglycerides, and the percentage of phospholipid increases with an increase in the amount of phosphate added to the medium. We have discovered, however, that by adding potassium ions, sodium ions, magnesium ions, calcium ions in addition to phosphate ions in a well-balanced manner the percentage of the triglycerides in the microbial lipids can be maintained at 90% or higher. When the target lipid is triglycerides, high recovery can be maintained by mixing the added salts in a well-balanced manner within the ranges as specified herein.
The above carbon source, nitrogen source, and other components of the medium can be added to the culture medium before culturing and/or to the liquid culture medium during culturing. These components of the culture medium can be added at one time or sequentially, or in several portions over time. These components of the culture medium can be sterilized and added alone or after mixing, and the method of sterilization or the order of adding are not particularly limited. Preferably the carbon source and the nitrogen source are separately sterilized, and the salts are added by the end of the logarithmic growth, more preferably before the middle of the logarithmic growth. The concentrations of the other components of the culture medium that do not affect the concentrations of phosphate ions, potassium ions, sodium ions, magnesium ions, and calcium ions are not limited so long as they do not inhibit the growth of the microorganism.
Practically, the total amount of the carbon source to be added is in general 0.1 to 40% by weight, preferably 1 to 25% by weight, the total amount of the nitrogen source to be added is 0.01 to 10% by weight, preferably 0.1 to 10% by weight, and more preferably the initial amount of the carbon source to be added is 1 to 5% by weight and that of the nitrogen source to be added is 0.1 to 6% by weight, and during culturing the carbon source and the nitrogen source, more preferably the carbon source alone, are added and cultured. The culturing temperature is 5 to 40xc2x0 C., preferably 20 to 30xc2x0 C. Furthermore, it is also possible to produce unsaturated fatty acids by growing the microbial cells at 20 to 30xc2x0 C. followed by culturing at 5 to 20xc2x0 C. to produce unsaturated fatty acids.
The pH of the culture medium is 4 to 10, preferably 5 to 8, and an aeration and agitation culture, a shaking culture, or a stationary culture is carried out. The culturing is generally continued for 2 to 20 days. By culturing in this way, a lipid containing unsaturated fatty acids is formed and accumulated in the microbial cells. In the production of unsaturated fatty acids, the aeration and agitation culture with a liquid culture medium is preferred.
The desired lipid can be obtained by a conventional method from the liquid culture medium in the middle of producing the lipid by culturing or the sterilized liquid culture medium thereof, or from the liquid culture medium after the completion of culturing or the sterilized liquid culture medium thereof, or the cultured microbial cells collected from the respective cultures or the dried products thereof. From the cultured microbial cells, the desired lipid can be obtained, for example, by the following method.
After culturing is over, the cultured microbial cells can be obtained from the liquid culture medium by a conventionally used method of separating the solid from the liquid such as centrifugation and/or filtration. The cultured microbial cells are preferably washed with water, disrupted, and dried. Drying is effected by lyophilization, air-drying, and the like. The dried microbial cells are subjected to extraction with an organic solvent preferably under a stream of nitrogen. As an organic solvent, ether, hexane, methanol, ethanol, chloroform, dichloromethane, petroleum ether and the like can be used, and satisfactory results can be also obtained by an alternate extraction with methanol and petroleum ether or a single-layer solvent comprising chloroform-methanol-water, and preferably extracted with hexane.
By evaporating the organic solvent from the extract under reduced pressure, a high concentration of a lipid containing unsaturated fatty acids can be obtained. The above method can be replaced with extraction using the wet microbial cells. In this case, a water-miscible solvent such as methanol or ethanol, or a mixture of these solvents with water and/or other solvents are used. The other procedures are the same as described above. The unsaturated fatty acids-containing triglycerides from the unsaturated fatty acids-containing lipid collected from the culture can be separated and purified according to a conventional means such as solvent extraction, the removal of the solvent, followed by deacidification, decolorization, deodorization, degumming, or refrigerated centrifugation and the like.

Media for culturing microorganisms and process for producing unsaturated fatty acids or lipids containing the same


A fuel supply system for a fuel cell is described. One embodiment of the fuel supply system includes a fuel supply vessel; a fuel spending line in fluid communication with the fuel supply vessel and the fuel cell; a piezoelectric injector in fluid communication with the fuel spending line; and a pressure sensor connected to the fuel spending line and positioned between the fuel supply vessel and the fuel cell. A method for controlling the pressure to a fuel cell is also described.

This invention relates generally to controlling compressed feed gases and more particularly to controlling the pressure at the inlet of a fuel cell or other device utilizing a compressed gas feed.
Electrochemical conversion cells, commonly referred to as fuel cells, produce electrical energy by processing reactants, for example, through the oxidation and reduction of hydrogen and oxygen. The gases are often introduced into the fuel cells from pressurized storage tanks.
Mechanical pressure regulators have been used to control the pressure at the inlet to the fuel cell or other device. However, mechanical pressure regulators suffer from a number of problems. The spring force of the mechanical pressure regulator decreases over the life of the regulator, and it can also be affected by temperature. The effective pressure of the regulator is influenced by the flow rate through the regulator. The stiffness of the membrane of the spring force regulator changes over time as the material ages and deteriorates. As result of these effects, the set point of pressure regulator changes and will differ over time compared to the requested value. However, if the pressure regulator changes its set point, this deviation cannot be corrected by the mechanical pressure regulator. In addition, the mechanical parts are subject to the stick and slip effect because at high flow transient the friction is different. Furthermore, leaks in a line cannot be avoided because spring forced pressure regulators do not close very tightly. In addition, there is typically a need for several pressure steps for pressure reduction from a high pressure level (e.g., 700 bar) down to a low pressure level (e.g., 2 bar absolute). To realize small tolerance at the target pressure, several reduction steps have to be installed with mechanical spring forced pressure regulators.


A glass wall (1) has two parallel wall elements (3), at least one of which consists of a material made of glass or a similar material, which is transparent to light, and behind which LEDs, with which the transparent wall element (3) can be lit translucently, are arranged in rows as illuminating devices. To achieve illumination of the glass wall (1) over the largest possible areas, provisions are made for LED light sources (7) to be arranged in a small number of illuminating groups on plate-like carriers (17) in the area of the front-side end of a narrow, elongated light chamber (6). A plurality of such light chambers are arranged separated by transverse walls (4, 4′, 5) in the vertical position next to each other or in the horizontal position one on top of another to form the glass wall (1). Each light chamber (6) has at least one translucent wall element (3) with an inner surface having a refractive and reflecting structure. The LED light sources (7) are equipped with focusing lenses (10) converging optically to divergence angles (α) of up to 20° and are arranged such that their light, emitted in the longitudinal direction of the respective light chamber (6), is partly reflected multiply on the inner surfaces of the wall elements (3) and is partly visible from the outside through at least one transparent wall element (3) over the length of the wall element.

Glass walls as architectonic structural elements for buildings have been known for a long time. There are single-shell, double-shell and multi-shell glass walls, which are installed both as outside walls of buildings and as partitions within buildings. Even though such glass walls have always had the special task of letting daylight into the building and/or artificial light out of the building because of their transparency, they have also been manufactured for quite some time, especially since the development of high-performance LEDs, as facades lighting in the darkness ("LED Light from the Light-emitting Diode," issue No. 17 of the Fördergemeinschaft Gutes Licht, Postfach 701261, 60591 Frankfurt, p. 15). More than 80,000 LEDs, which can be caused to light in all imaginable colors by means of a light management system according to the RGB pattern, are arranged in a known double-shell translucent glass facade in chains. The two wall shells of this glass facade consist of composite, non-transparent translucent glass panes of several m in height and about 1 m to 1.5 m in width. These glass panes are fastened to a vertical frame construction, which is arranged between the two wall shells and carries same. The LED chains are arranged each along the vertical lateral edges of the individual translucent glass panes, which are flush with one another, in the frame construction.
Rolled, rail-like building glass sections of various sizes, which are provided with a flat wall element with edge strips, so-called flanges, which project at the longitudinal edges in one direction at right angles to the plane of the wall element, are also available for preparing self-supporting transparent (translucent) glass walls. These building glass sections are offered with various surface structures, so-called ornaments, which generate a special refraction of light and produce different optical impressions as a result or can be used for various technical applications, e.g., for solar systems. These building glass sections are available in a plurality of different sizes, and they can be used to prepare single-shell and double-shell glass walls in the horizontal position as well as in the vertical position.
However, such glass walls have not hitherto been equipped with illuminating means that cause such glass walls to light up.


A multi-layered material and a method for making the same are provided. The multi-layered material includes a first foamed layer, a substrate, a second foamed layer, and a surface layer. The first foamed layer has a plurality of first cells. The substrate is a fabric. The second foamed layer has a plurality of second cells. The foaming method of the second foamed layer is different from that of the first foamed layer. The size of the second cells is different from that of the first cells. The variation in size of the second cells is different from that of the first cells. The surface layer is disposed on the second foamed layer. Thus, when the multi-layered material is used as a surface cover of a ball, it can provide excellent resilience and control, and improve manufacturing efficiency.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-layered material and a method for making the same, and more particularly to a multi-layered material having two different foamed structures and a method for making the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the manufacturing of various types of balls, a simple ball body is formed entirely by means of direct injection molding a rubber material. A machine sewing or hand sewing process is further developed to create a certain appearance, texture, or comply with specifications dictated by a particular sport. In this process, a bladder needs to be disposed inside the ball body for reason of sewing; air is filled into the bladder during inflation, such that the bladder inflates the ball body, and then a surface cover of the ball is sewn onto the bladder by machine or hand. Conventionally, materials for making the surface cover of the ball include thermoplastic urethane (TPU), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyurethane (PU), which are non-foamed or single-layer foamed.
The conventional surface cover structure of the ball has the following disadvantages. Since the conventional surface cover structure of the ball is rather hard, the hands or feet of players are easily injured due to impact during strenuous sports such as football and volleyball, and the conventional surface cover structure has a poor tactile feel and can make the ball difficult to control. Reinforcement and various other improvements need to be implemented during manufacturing of the ball body, which complicates the manufacturing process and increases the manufacturing cost of the ball body.
Therefore, it is necessary to provide an innovative and inventive multi-layered material and a method for making the same.

Multi-layered material and a method for making the same


An installable HVAC system used for a vehicle is disclosed. The HVAC system includes a housing, a compressor, a motor operatively coupled to the compressor; a condenser in fluid communication with the compressor; and a power management controller configured to run the motor with power from a given power source. The compressor, the motor, the condenser, and the power management controller are located within the housing. The housing is configured to attach to an existing HVAC system of the vehicle.

The present invention relates to an integrated vehicle power system for use in a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit or system of a vehicle.
Truck drivers that move goods across the country may be required to pull over at various times along their journey so as to rest so that they do not become too fatigued. Common places for truck drivers to rest include rest stops, toll plazas, and the like. However, these locations usually do not have any accommodations for the drivers, and as a result they usually remain inside the cab of the truck inside a sleeping compartment. To provide the driver with maximum comfort, the sleeping compartment should be temperature controlled so that the environment in the truck is conducive for the driver to get the rest he or she needs.
Currently, trucks tend to use engine-belt driven compressors for the air conditioning system to circulate and pump refrigerant throughout the vehicle to cool the driving compartments. In addition, an engine-belt driven pump can circulate engine waste heat throughout the driving compartments when heating is required. Unfortunately, these systems have the drawback of not being able to operate when the engine is turned off. As a result, the driver has the choice of either keeping the engine running (which requires additional fuel) so as to run the temperature control system or turning the engine off and not using the air conditioning or heating systems (which can make the driver uncomfortable).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An antenna array provided with two frames which form waveguides. Each frame includes a plate portion and frame portion. The plate portion includes grooves laid out next to one another. Each groove has an open end and a closed end. The frame portion is arranged adjacent to the plate portion. The frame portion has an opening that opens in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the grooves extend and a direction in which the grooves are laid out. A dielectric substrate is held between the two frames. The dielectric substrate includes an array of feeders and electronic circuits, each circuit having a discrete active element. The circuits are exposed from the opening of either one of the frames. The frames are superimposed with the dielectric substrate so that the grooves form the waveguides. Each circuit is electromagnetically connected to a corresponding one of the waveguides.

The present invention relates to an antenna array.
A microwave antenna array is widely applied to the field of high-speed scanning radars and microwave imaging. For example, a high-speed scanning radar is applied to radars for detecting flying objects, compact radars, and the like. Microwaving imaging is applied to nondestructive tests, medical diagnoses, temperature imaging enabling low temperature detection, and the like.
The use of a waveguide antenna in a microwave antenna array has been proposed in the prior art. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 5-308219 describes a waveguide antenna. In the waveguide antenna described in the publication, a horn antenna is arranged on one side of a dielectric printed circuit.
Known waveguide antennas are described in following documents [1] to [3]:
[1] T. Sehm, A. Lehto, A. V. Raisanen, "A High-Gain 58-GHz Box-Horn Array Antenna with Suppressed Grating Lobes", IEEE Trans. Antenna Prop., vol. 47, pp. 1125-1130 (1999);
[2] G. M. Rebeitz, D. P. Kasilingam, Y. Guo, P. A. Stimson, D. B. Ruttledge, "Monolithic Millimeter-Wave Two-Dimensional Horn Imaging Arrays", IEEE Trans. Antenna Prop., vol. 38, pp. 1473-1482 (1990); and
[3] K. Sigfrid Yngvesson et al., "The Tapered Slot Antenna—A New Integrated Element for Millimeter-wave Applications", IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech., vol. 37, pp. 365-374 (1989).
In the two-dimensional antenna array proposed in document [1], feeder circuit portions are arranged on a single printed substrate, and a horn antenna is arranged on the feeder circuit portions. In the two-dimensional antenna array proposed in document [2], for application to a microwave imaging detector, a thin film including a feeder circuit portion is arranged between a horn antenna and a back cavity. In document [3], an active microwave antenna array including a tapered slot antenna and an active electronic circuit arranged on a substrate is proposed as a two-dimensional millimeter-wave imaging element.
The applicant of the present application has proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-039009 an active microwave antenna array that arranges Yagi-Uda antennas on a plane. The active microwave antenna array may be applied to microwave imaging reflectometry measurements. A microwave refers to an electromagnetic wave of which frequency is 3 GHz to 300 GHz (one millimeter to ten centimeter in wavelength). The frequency of about 30 GHz to 300 GHz has a wavelength of several millimeters and is also referred to as a millimeter-wave. However, in this specification, microwaves include millimeter-waves.
The prior art structures have the problems described below.
In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 5-308219, the horn antenna and waveguide are arranged on one side of the printed circuit substrate, and the horn antenna is arranged on the surface of the dielectric substrate. A feeder (mixer diode) projects perpendicular to the substrate. An intermediate frequency circuit and the like are arranged on the rear surface of the dielectric substrate. Therefore, it is difficult to use active elements, such as mixer diode chips, that are suitable for mass production.
In the antenna array of document [1], only feeders are arranged on the printed circuit substrate, and there is no space for active elements. Thus, the antenna array cannot be used for high-sensitivity imaging receivers.
In the waveguide antenna array of document [2], the space for electronic circuits is extremely small. Thus, to actually lay out electronic circuits, micro-fabrication techniques for fabricating semiconductor integrated circuits are required.
The tapered slot antenna may be used for a wide band. However, each of the waveguide antennas are large. Thus, when a large number of waveguide antennas are arranged to form an imaging element, the spatial resolution becomes low.
The planar Yagi-Uda antenna proposed by the applicant of the present application has a satisfactory spatial resolution. However, in the array structure, interference between adjacent antenna elements occurs and forms deep notch in the frequency characteristics. Thus, the planar Yagi-Uda antenna is not suitable for a wide band antenna that performs frequency sweeping. Further, the printed circuit substrate is thin and lacks mechanical strength.

Two-dimensional antenna array for microwave imaging

Inter-University Research Institute National Institutes of Natural Sciences


A distributed fiber sensor based on spontaneous Brillouin scattering uses a single-frequency fiber laser as a source and a cw Brillouin fiber ring laser as an OLO to optically shift the frequency of the OLO to set the Brillouin/OLO beat frequency within the bandwidth of a conventional heterodyne receiver. The distributed fiber sensor is capable of real-time measurement of both temperature and strain.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to distributed fiber sensors based on spontaneous Brillouin scattering—and more specifically to a distributed fiber sensor that uses a single-frequency laser to generate the pulsed light and a Brillouin fiber ring laser to provide the optical local oscillator (OLO).
2. Description of the Related Art
The application of optical fiber technology to the problem of distributed sensing offers the potential ability to determine a physical parameter such as temperature or strain as a function of the position along an optical fiber cable over lengths up to tens of kilometers. Typically, the measurements are performed using optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR), which detects pulsed of light backscattered from the optical fiber.
Distributed fiber sensors based on Brillouin scattering have received attention since the Brillouin frequency shift in an optical fiber was found to linearly depend on the fiber strain and temperature in 1989 (T. Horiguchi, T. Kurashima, and M. Tateda, "Tensile Strain Dependence of Brillouin Frequency Shift in Silica Optical Fiber," IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett., 1 (1989), p. 107. D. Culverhouse, F. Farahi, C. N. Pannel, D. A. Jackson, "Potential of Stimulated Brillouin Scattering as Sensing Mechanism for Distributed Temperature Sensors," Electron. Lett., 25 (1989), p. 913.). The main advantage of Brillouin-based fiber sensors over conventional Raman-based systems is that standard telecommunication single mode fiber can be used to measure both temperature and strain simultaneously and unambiguously. Although both the Raman effect and Brillouin effect involve the nonlinear backscattering of the light propagating in an optical fiber, the intensity and frequency shift of the two backscattered components are much different.
As shown in FIG. 1, incident light 10 propagating in an optical fiber produces backscattering in the Rayleigh band 12, Brillouin band 14 and Raman band 16. The intensity of Brillouin backscattered light 14 is much stronger, at least one order of magnitude greater, than Raman scattering 16. Therefore, Brillouin-based sensors may offer much better signal-to-noise ratio and higher dynamic range. As also shown, the Brillouin lines 14 are frequency shifted from the launch wavelength by about ten gigahertz, while the Raman lines 16 are shifted in wavelength from the launch light by about 13 THz. If a 1550-nm light source and telecommunication-grade single mode fiber are used, the Brillouin lines appear at 1549.01 (anti-Stokes) and 1550.09 nm (Stokes) while the Raman lines appear at around 1450 (anti-Stokes) and 1650 nm (Stokes). Therefore, the Brillouin lines are still in the telecommunication wavelength region, and all the low-cost fiber optic components such as an EDFA that are commercially available for the telecommunication industry can be used in Brillouin-based fiber sensors. In contrast, the Raman lines are out of the most-commonly used wavelength region for telecommunication, and fiber optic components at the Raman wavelengths are not commercially available.
Since their discovery, extensive research has been done to develop both stimulated and spontaneous Brillouin-based distributed fiber sensors. However, the complexity and high cost of current implementations has prevented widespread commercialization. Spontaneous Brillouin-based sensor techniques offer the capabilities to simultaneously sense temperature and strain with only one pulsed laser source.
When a pulsed laser is launched into a fiber, spontaneous Brillouin backscattering of the pulsed laser is detected and analyzed. The pulsed laser can be either a Q-switched laser (usually with gigahertz-linewidth) or the combination of a CW DFB laser (with 1 MHz linewidth) and an amplitude modulator (AO/EO modulator). Temperature and strain can be simultaneously measured if both the Brillouin frequency shift and the Brillouin backscattering power are determined. The backscattering signal can be measured by either direct detection or coherent detection. Coherent detection offers much higher sensitivity and dynamic range than direct detection. However, since the frequency of spontaneous Brillouin backscattering is down-shifted by approximately 11 GHz ("the Brillouin frequency shift") from that of a 1.55 μm pump light, the beat frequency (coherent self-heterodyne signal) between the spontaneous Brillouin backscattering and the pump light is extremely high and the signal lies out of the bandwidth of most commonly-used conventional heterodyne receivers, which requires expensive microwave coherent detection. Since the thermal noise power of a photo receiver is proportional to the receiver bandwidth, microwave detection suffers from low sensitivity and high noise level. To obtain an acceptable SNR (signal-to-noise ratio), the beat signal needs to be averaged over hundreds and thousands of times, which is a time-consuming process and results in measurement times of typically more than ten minutes per measurement.
There have been some efforts to optically shift the frequency of the optical local oscillator (OLO) to set the Brillouin/OLO beat frequency within the bandwidth of a conventional heterodyne receiver. Low-frequency heterodyne detection offers not only high sensitivity, but also the opportunity of real-time data processing using low-cost commercially available electronics. These efforts include the use of a mode-locked Brillouin fiber laser 28 as shown in FIG. 2 (V. Lecoeuche et al., "Brillouin Based Distributed Fiber Sensor Incorporating a Mode-Locked Brillouin Fiber Ring Laser," Opt. Commun., 152 (1998), p. 263; V. Lecoeuche et al., "25 km Brillouin Based Single-Ended Distributed Fiber Sensor for Threshold detection of Temperature or Strain," Opt. Commun., 168 (1999), p. 95; and V. Lecoeuche et al., "20-km Distributed Temperature Based on Spontaneous Brillouin Scattering," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett., 12 (2000), p. 1367) and a high-speed electro-optic (EO) phase modulator 52 as shown in FIG. 3 (H. Izumita et al., "Brillouin OTDR Employing Optical Frequency Shifter Using Side-Band Generation Technique with High-Speed LN Phase Modulator," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett., 8 (1996), p. 1674; and M Nikles et al., "Simple Distributed Fiber Sensor Based on Brillouin Gain Spectrum Analysis," Opt. Lett., 21 (1996), p. 758).
As shown in FIG. 2, a spontaneous Brillouin distributed fiber sensor 24 includes a single-frequency laser 26 whose output is split into two beams by a fiber coupler 27. One beam is used to pump a mode-locked Brillouin fiber ring laser 28. The ring laser's pulsed output is sent to a sensing fiber 32 through a fiber coupler 30. The back-scattered spontaneous Brillouin scattering light is directed to optically mix with an OLO beam through two fiber couplers 30 and 36. The second beam from the single-frequency laser 26 is used as the OLO. After going through a polarization scrambler 34, the OLO is mixed with the back-scattered signal. The coherent beat signal is detected with a photo detector 38 and analyzed by heterodyne detection electronics 40.
The mode-locking behavior of mode-locked Brillouin fiber ring laser 28 originates from highly unstable periodic intensity modulation of both pump laser and the Brillouin laser. Since the Brillouin gain bandwidth in fiber is on the order of tens MHz, the cavity length of a mode-locked Brillouin laser needs to be hundreds to thousands meters so that multiple longitudinal modes can oscillate within the gain bandwidth at the same time. Thus, it is practically impossible to prevent the pump laser field circulating inside the Brillouin laser cavity from intensity fluctuation because of the finite linewidth or phase noise of the pump laser. This is true even when there is an active stabilization of the Brillouin cavity length. As a result, the mode-locked Brillouin fiber laser also suffers from intensity fluctuation.
As shown in FIG. 3, a spontaneous Brillouin distributed fiber sensor 42 includes a single-frequency laser 44 whose output is split into two beams by a fiber coupler 46. One beam is phase modulated by an EO modulator 52 and its driver 50 to generate microwave side-bands. The EO modulator's phase-modulated output is amplitude-modulated by another AO/EO modulator 56 and its driver 54. After boosting the optical power by an Er-doped fiber amplifier 57, the beam is sent to a sensing fiber 58 through a fiber coupler 60. The back-scattered spontaneous Brillouin scattering light is sent to optically mix with an OLO beam through two fiber couplers 66 and 62. A second beam from the single-frequency laser 44 is used as the OLO. The OLO is mixed with the back-scattered signal. The coherent beat signal is detected with a photo detector 64 and analyzed by heterodyne detection electronics 66.
The use of a high-speed EO phase modulator provides a very simple alternative to generate a frequency-shifted OLO. However, there are several fundamental issues associated with this approach. First, since one of the side-band frequency components is used as the OLO in this approach, the performances (such as frequency stability and repeatability, phase noise, conversion efficiency) of the OLO have dominant influence on measurement accuracy and sensitivity, and dynamic range in coherent detection. Thus, the OLO performances are dramatically dependent on performances of a microwave generator 50 or synthesizer that drives the phase modulator 52. In practice, it is extremely difficult to obtain microwave drive signals with excellent performance. Second, the high-order side-band components make the signal analysis more complex because of signal interference between the high-order components and Rayleigh/Brillouin backscattering. Finally, conventional EO modulators allow only limited modulation depths (or limited conversion efficiency from the carrier to sidebands); optically carried signals decompose over low-level sidebands and a strong optical carrier, which can easily saturate a detector in coherent detection.
Although spontaneous Brillouin-based sensors have shown considerable potential advantages over conventional Raman-bases sensors, the barriers in the current implementations to a low cost system capable of real time sensing continue to inhibit commercialization.

Distributed fiber sensor based on spontaneous brilluoin scattering


Embodiments of a system and method for unloading articles from a container of items for use in an automatic stack feeder are disclosed. The automatic stack feeder may comprise a belt, a moveable lower paddle, and a moveable upper paddle, wherein the lower paddle is configured to partially extend through a belt of the automatic stack feeder. The movement of the belt, the lower paddle, and the upper paddle are coordinated such that there is no need to interrupt the operation of the automatic stack feeder to unload the container.

Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates to the field of automatic feeding and sorting of items or articles. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to the automated singulation of articles obtained from a container.
Description of the Related Art
Articles, such as items of mail, are frequently provided in bulk and must be sorted into individual articles or items for processing or routing. If the stack of articles in the feeder is not positioned correctly, or if it slumps, the singulation process for sorting individual articles may be slowed down or hampered with errors, such as picking more than one article at a time. Articles are often provided in bulk containers, whose contents or fullness can be difficult to predict. As containers are unloaded onto a sorting apparatus, the articles both on the sorting apparatus and in the container may slump, or fall into a position which is not ideal for singulation.

System and method of unloading a container of items


A method of controlling a roll control system includes monitoring the position of a steering mechanism of a vehicle. A rate of change of the position of the steering mechanism is determined. The rate of change is compared to a change threshold value. The lateral acceleration of a vehicle is monitored. The lateral acceleration is compared to an acceleration threshold value. A roll control system having at least one of a front and a rear actuator is controlled based at least in part upon the comparisons of the rate of change of the steering mechanism to the change threshold value and the lateral acceleration to the acceleration threshold value. The front and rear actuators are controlled independently of each other depending upon the state of a vehicle stability index.

This invention relates in general to methods and systems for controlling the dynamics of a vehicle.
Generally, vehicles include a variety of base systems, such as, for example, engine/powertrain, brake, steering, suspension, etc. Most vehicles include advanced vehicle stability control systems that control one or more components of the base systems to perform auxiliary functions. These advanced vehicle stability control systems may include, for example, antilock braking systems (ABS), slip control systems (SCS), traction control (TC), roll control (RC), vehicle stability control (VSC), enhanced stability control (ESC), advanced suspension control (SUSP).
Typically, these advanced systems are controlled by a programmed electronic control unit (ECU). The electronic control unit utilizes information from various vehicle sensors that measure dynamic characteristics of the movement of a vehicle, such as acceleration, yaw rate, pitch rate, roll rate, steering angle, vehicle braking action, vehicle drive train operation, and the like, to control operation of various components of the vehicle, for example, to improve handling or safety. Examples of components that may be controlled by one of the advanced systems are suspension actuators, engine/powertrain transmission, steering actuators, vehicle brakes and other like or known similar components.

Method of controlling a roll control system for improved vehicle dynamic control


The present invention is directed to circuits and communication. More specifically, a specific embodiment of the present invention provides a timing recovery device with two stages. The first stage generates a clock signal to sample the received waveform, and the second stage provides timing-jitter mitigation. The second stage includes a jitter mitigation circuit with coefficients a function of the instantaneous jitter estimate, in addition to a jitter estimation tracking loop consisting of an error generator, a timing error detector and a loop filter to compensate for timing jitter associated with the clock signal. There are other embodiments as well.

The present invention is directed to circuits and communication.
Over the last few decades, the use of communication networks has exploded. In the early days of the Internet, popular applications were limited to emails, bulletin board, and mostly informational and text-based web page surfing, and the amount of data transferred had been relatively small. Today, the Internet and mobile applications demand a huge amount of bandwidth for transferring photo, video, music, and other multimedia files, as more and more people use the Internet for media consumption. Data centers often need to transmit and process hundreds of terabytes of data hourly. With such high demands on data storage and data transfer, existing data communication systems need to be improved to address these needs.
Timing recovery is an important component of receivers. Timing recovery involves extracting clock rate from received data; the rate that a receiver processes the received data is based on extracted clock rate. Performance of the receiver depends, among other things, on the performance of its timing-recovery mechanism. Over the past, there have been many conventional timing recovery designs, but they have been inadequate. New and improved timing-recovery methods and systems are desired.

Systems and methods for timing recovery with bandwidth extension


An imaging lens is provided and includes: a positive first lens with a convex surface directed to the object side; a second lens having a negative meniscus shape with a concave surface directed to the image side; a third lens having a positive meniscus shape with a convex surface directed to the image side; a negative fourth lens with both surfaces being an aspheric surface and the image-side surface being concave in the proximity of the optical axis; and a positive or negative fifth lens with both surfaces being an aspheric surface, in order from the object side. The following conditional expressions are satisfied as for Abbe numbers vd1 and vd2of the first lens and the second lens and Abbe number vd4 of the fourth lens.vd1>50   (1)vd2<30   (2)vd4<30   (3)

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an imaging lens installed in an imaging apparatus using an imaging device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), etc.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, miniaturization of an imaging device of a CCD, a CMOS, etc., and providing the imaging device with a larger number of pixels have very advanced. Thus, small size and high performance are also demanded for the imaging apparatus main unit and lenses installed therein. To be compatible with an imaging device with a large number of pixels, telecentric property is also demanded so that the incidence angle of the principal ray on an imaging device becomes close to a parallel to the optical axis (the incidence angle on the imaging surface is close to zero with respect to the normal to the imaging surface). Hitherto, for example, an imaging lens installed in a mobile phone with a camera often has been made up of three lenses, but the number of the lenses tends to further increase to be compatible with a larger number of pixels. JP-A-2005-208236 describes an imaging lens made up of four lenses. In the imaging lens described in JP-A-2005-208236, a second lens placed from the object side is a negative lens with a concave surface directed to the object side.
However, there is still scope for improvement for the imaging lens described in JP-A-2005-208236 from the viewpoint of chromatic aberration, etc. To ensure the telecentric property, it is considered that an aperture diaphragm is placed close to the object side as much as possible. In this case, if the surface of the second lens on the object side thereof is concave like the imaging lens described in JP-A-2005-208236, the manufacturing sensitivity becomes high and, for example, if a lens position shift occurs at the manufacturing time, image surface variation easily occurs.


A set of images of a three-dimensional (3D) inspection object collected by a drone during execution of a first flight path may be received, along with telemetry data from the drone. A tagged set of images may be stored, with each tagged image being stored together with a corresponding drone position at a corresponding time that the tagged image was captured, as obtained from the telemetry data. A mapping of the set of tagged images to corresponding portions of a 3D model of the 3D inspection object may be executed, based on the telemetry data. Based on the mapping, at least one portion of the 3D inspection object omitted from the set of tagged images may be identified. A second flight path may be generated for the drone that specifies a position of the drone to capture an image of the at least one omitted portion of the 3D inspection object.

Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles that fly by remote control or autonomously, using various combinations of onboard sensors and computing resources. Drones provide many features and advantages that are not available or feasible through the use of manned flights or other competing observational techniques.
In particular, drones provide many advantages in site monitoring and analysis. For example, drones are capable of flying close to sites being monitored, so that onboard cameras may obtain desired images for analysis.
Nonetheless, many challenges and opportunities for improvement exist in the field of drone monitoring. For example, size and weight limitations generally required by drones typically limit available amounts of onboard processing, storage, and data transfer capabilities. In many cases, drones require manual supervision and control when flying. Moreover, many sites to be monitored are remote, difficult to access, and have limited local technical resources (such as network access).
Further, many sites have particular requirements or aspects that can not be suitably monitored using conventional drone software. For example, wind turbines and solar panels may exhibit potential damage in ways that are very different from one another, and from other site objects being monitored.
Thus, drone pilots are often required to travel to a remote site to be monitored, and to make a best effort to collect the specific type of monitoring data that is needed. Upon return to an analysis facility, the drone pilot or other personnel may proceed to transfer and analyze the captured monitoring data. Using conventional techniques, such analysis may be difficult and time-consuming, and may not be optimized for the type of data collected.
Moreover, during such analysis, it may be determined that the captured monitoring data is incorrect or incomplete, or indicative that additional monitoring data is required. Consequently, the drone pilot may be required to re-visit the remote site, perhaps multiple times, to collect additional monitoring data.

Drone inspection analytics for asset defect detection


An adapter includes a plug connector having a first housing defining a first mating port and a plurality of first terminals disposed in the first housing, and a receptacle connector having a second housing defining a second mating port and a plurality of second terminals disposed in the second housing and electrically connecting to the first terminals. An optical device has a first optical module and a second optical module optically connecting with each other via optical fibers. The first optical module is movably retained in the first housing while the second optical module is immovably retained in the second housing along a mating direction of the receptacle connector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adapter, and more particularly to an adapter adapted for transmitting electrical and optical signals.
2. Description of Related Art
Nowadays, adapters have been very popular for interconverting electrical connectors of different protocols so as to make it possible for electrically connecting different kinds of electronic devices having diverse interfaces such as USB, SATA, HDMI, DVI, and so on. However, optical signal transmitting also has been gradually widely used and incorporated into the electrical connectors, so that the electrical connectors could offer both electrical and optical signals transmitting, however no adapter has been designed for converting both electrical and optical transmitting.
Hence, an adapter used for transmitting both electrical and optical signals is desired to overcome the above problems.

Adapter transmitting with electrical and optical signals


Systems, methods and computer program products allow intranet administrators to assign, generate and deliver content to users of an intranet. Intranet users are defined and assigned to various defined user groups. Units of content available to users of an intranet are also defined and assigned to various defined content groups. The defined content groups are then associated with the defined user groups such that each of the defined user groups has at least one of the defined units of content associated therewith. A content page creation profile is provided for each defined user and is configured to control how content is displayed within a user's customized content page. Through identified relationships of user groups and content groups, the units of content assigned to a user can be determined and a content page containing the assigned units of content can be created and delivered to a user.

An intranet is a private computer network contained within an enterprise and conventionally includes one or more intranet servers in communication with multiple user computers. An intranet may be comprised of interlinked local area networks and may also use leased-lines in a wide-area network. An intranet may or may not include connections to the outside Internet. Intranets conventionally utilize various Internet protocols and, in general, often look like private versions of the Internet. An intranet user conventionally accesses an intranet server via a web browser running locally on his/her computer. An exemplary web browser is Netscape Navigator.RTM. (Netscape Communications Corporation, Mountain View, Calif.).
Information, applications and other resources (collectively referred to herein as "content") are conventionally delivered from an intranet server to a web browser on a user's computer in the form of hypertext documents or "web pages." As is known to those skilled in this art, a web page is conventionally formatted via a standard page description language such as HyperText Markup Language (HTML), and typically displays text and graphics, and can play sound, animation, and video data. HTML provides basic document formatting and allows a web page developer to specify hypertext links (typically manifested as highlighted text) to other servers and files. When a user selects a particular hypertext link, a web browser reads and interprets the address, called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) associated with the link, connects the web browser with the web server at that address, and makes an HTTP request for the web page identified in the link. The web server then sends the requested web page to the client in HTML format which the browser interprets and displays to the user.
Intranets are conventionally used to share content among the employees of an enterprise. When intranets first emerged, content tended to be focused towards a particular set of users. However, as intranets have become more integral with the day-to-day operations of an enterprise, intranet content has become available for many different sets of users. Unfortunately, the task of organizing, distributing and updating large amounts of intranet content can be difficult. Furthermore it can be difficult for users to keep track of and locate content relevant to their jobs.
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate exemplary content-containing web pages (referred to hereinafter as "content pages") displayed via a web browser in communication with an intranet server. In FIG. 1, the displayed content on the content page 10 includes a list 12 of available "Administrative Documents". In FIG. 2, a user has selected item 12e from the content page list 12 of FIG. 1, and a list of "1998 Function Reports" 14 has been displayed within a second content page 16, as a result.
Users of an intranet are typically interested only in a subset of the total content available through an intranet. As a result, intranet users often create "bookmarks" or shortcuts to particular content. For example, a user of the intranet content pages illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 may only have an interest in the unit of content entitled "1998 Guidelines for Client Managers" (FIG. 2). Rather than accessing the content by displaying the content pages 10, 16 of FIGS. 1 and 2, a user can bookmark and store the URL for this unit content ("1998 Guidelines for Client Managers") within his or her web browser. The URL for the unit of content entitled "1998 Guidelines for Client Managers" is: (http://intranet/admin/manage_com/1998_function_reports/ 1998_guidelines_client_mgrs.pdf).
Bookmarks are created within the web browser of a user's computer and are typically stored locally on the user's computer. Unfortunately, the use of bookmarks can be disadvantageous for several reasons. Locally stored bookmarks may become inoperative if content referenced by a bookmark is relocated to another URL. Furthermore, a user may not have access to his or her locally stored bookmarks if he or she uses a different computer or device to access the intranet.
Often, management of an enterprise wants to direct intranet users to specific content. Unfortunately, it may be difficult for an intranet administrator to force users to update their locally stored bookmarks to reflect changes in the location of content or to reflect new content. As a result, intranet administrators often deploy content pages of available URLs to help users find relevant content. In effect, these content pages act as index pages for the content of an intranet. Unfortunately, for intranets containing large amounts of content, a user may have to search through large numbers of URLs to locate specific content. For example, a Java programmer seeking content related to his/her programming job may have to initially access an index content page, then an engineering content page, then a programming content page, and then a Java content page to locate the particular content. For many enterprises, the amount of available content may make the task of locating specific content difficult.
Intranet usage can increase computer network traffic, especially in enterprises where many users are accessing the same content from intranet servers. Such increased traffic may also cause "bursts" of network traffic, such as when a number of users log into an intranet site in the morning, which may require network resources to be able to handle these bursts which may be significantly more traffic than the steady state traffic level of the network. Increased network traffic may hamper the availability of content. In addition, some requested content may require some type of transformation in order to be viewable by various users' computers. Unfortunately, content transformation may increase processing demands on the server which can degrade server performance, especially during times of peak demand.

Systems, methods and computer program products for assigning, generating and delivering content to intranet users

International Business Machines Corporation


Systems, methods, and interfaces are described herein for identification of effective electrodes to be used in sensing and/or therapy. Two or more portions of a signal monitored using an electrode may be compared to determine whether the electrode is effective. The two or more portions may correspond to the same portion or window of a cardiac cycle. Further, signals from a first electrode and from a second electrode located proximate the first electrode may be compared to determine whether one or both of the electrodes are effective.

The disclosure herein relates to systems, methods, and interfaces for identifying effective electrodes used to sense signals from tissue and/or deliver therapy to tissue. The identified electrodes may be used in systems, methods, and interfaces for navigating an implantable electrode to a region of a patient's heart for cardiac therapy.
Electrodes may be used in various systems, devices, and methods for medical treatment of a patient. More specifically, electrodes may be located adjacent, or in contact, with tissue (e.g., skin, cardiac tissue, etc.) of a patient to sense signals from the tissue of the patient and/or deliver therapy to the tissue of the patient. Each of the electrodes may be effective or ineffective for sensing signals from the tissue of the patient and/or delivering therapy to the tissue of the patient for multiple reasons. For example, an electrode may not be effectively coupled to, or in contact with, the tissue of the patient rendering the electrode ineffective for sensing signals form the tissue of the patient and/or delivering therapy to the tissue of the patient. Further, for example, an electrode, or an electrical connection between the electrode and monitoring apparatus, may be damaged or otherwise non-functional rendering the electrode ineffective for sensing signals from the tissue of the patient and/or delivering therapy to the tissue of the patient.
Exemplary apparatus that utilize multiple electrodes may include multipolar catheters (e.g., catheters including multiple electrodes, etc.) configured to record activation times/voltage mapping simultaneously at different points along a coronary sinus vein or some other anatomic structure (e.g., used for electrical mapping). Further, exemplary apparatus may include multi-electrode electrocardiogram (ECG) systems for body-surface potential mapping configured to record simultaneous ECG measurements from multiple electrodes.

Systems, methods, and interfaces for identifying effective electrodes


A case for displaying articles in retail outlets includes a bottom wall, side walls foldably joined respectively to side edges of the bottom wall, top wall panels foldably joined respectively to the top edges of the side walls and with their inner edges disposed in close juxtaposition to each other to form a cover for the case, a pair of face contacting medial panels foldably joined respectively to the inner edges of the top wall panels, and interlocking structure interconnecting the bottom edges of the medial panels with the bottom wall. The case is formed preferably of corrugated plastic or paperboard material.

Many types of article display cases are well known which are stacked one atop another and which rely on the packaged articles for support of the stacked cases. Such cases do not permit removal of an article from a case in a lower tier of cases and do not permit the display of a variety of sizes and types of containers in a tier.


A passenger detection device that determines whether a passenger sits in a passenger seat or backseat, and if YES, determines whether the passenger is an adult or a child, and whether the passenger is sitting in a normal attitude. A pair of thermopile sensors 13 and 14 are disposed on a dashboard 11 at a predetermined distance from each other in a horizontal direction. The pair of thermopile sensors 13 and 14 are disposed such that they monitor a predetermined same position P on a surface of the passenger seat 12 when a passenger 15 does not sit in a passenger seat 12. Output signal which are output from the pair of thermopile sensors 13 and 14 are subtracted by a subtraction circuit 25, an output difference signal of the pair of thermopile sensors 13 and 14 is taken out, and it is detected whether a passenger sits in the seat by this signal.

An air bag apparatus is disposed in front of a driver's seat or a passenger seat or disposed on the side of the driver's seat or the passenger seat to moderate an impact that a passenger receives at the time of collision of an automobile. An acceleration sensor operates upon reception of an impact received when the automobile collides, and an air bag is operated to protect the passenger from the impact of the collision. This air bag apparatus is mounted on the assumption that an adult sits on the seat, and since an adult usually sits on the driver's seat, the air bag of the driver's seat may be operated automatically when receiving an impact of collision of the automobile.
However, a passenger does not necessarily sit on the passenger seat or the backseat. In such a case, it is not only useless to operate the air bag of the passenger seat or the backseat at the time of collision, but it can be dangerous because pressure is applied to the driver from the side or behind in some cases. Further, a child sits in the passenger seat or the backseat in some cases. In such a case, this is dangerous because the operated air bag may strongly hit his or her face, and it is desirable not to operate the air bag in some cases.
Even with a seated passenger, when the sitting position deviates from a normal sitting position such as when the passenger is sleeping or crouches forward, it is preferable that the air amount for the air bag is reduced or the air bag is not operated.
Therefore, in a vehicle such as a passenger car having an air bag apparatus, it is proposed to detect whether a passenger sits in the passenger seat or backseat, and whether the sitting state is normal, and to control the operation of the air bag apparatus in accordance with the detected information.
To detect whether a passenger is sitting in a seat of an automobile, there are conventionally proposed a structure in which a weight sensor is disposed in a seat portion of a passenger seat, and the weight when a passenger sits on the passenger seat is detected (see patent document 1, for example); a structure in which it is determined whether a child seat is mounted on a seat based on detection results of a sitting sensor incorporated in a seat surface of a seat; latch detection means for detecting whether a seat belt of a seat is latched, and using amount detection means for detecting the using amount of the seat belt, and which can clearly distinguish a case in which an adult is sitting in the seat and a case in which a child seat is mounted (see patent document, 2 for example); a structure in which a seat is provided at its substantially front surface with a sensor using a pyroelectric infrared radiation detector which senses a human body temperature of a passenger in non-contact manner, and it is detected whether there is a passenger on the seat by means of an output signal of the sensor (see patent document 3, for example); and a structure in which a plurality of antenna electrodes are embedded in a seat back of an automobile, electric field generating means for generating electric field are provided around the antenna electrode, and if a passenger sits in the seat, current flowing through the antenna electrode from the electric field generating means is increased allowing detection that a human body has approached the antenna electrode, and in which a detected combined pattern is compared with a previously stored pattern, and it is determined whether there is a passenger sitting in the seat and the physique of the passenger is also determined (see patent document 4, for example).    [Patent document 1] Japanese patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-284425((0010), (0025), FIG. 1 and the like)    [Patent document 2] Japanese patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-255010((0013) to (0014), FIGS. 1 and 2, and the like)    [Patent document 3] Japanese patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-234415((0001) to (0016), FIGS. 1 to 4, and the like)    [Patent document 4] Japanese patent Application Laid-open No. H11-198705((0017) to (0024), FIGS. 1 to 5, and the like)
According to the method of the patent document 1 using the weight sensor, since the weight sensor is operated also when baggage is put on a passenger seat or backseat, it is impossible to distinguish whether a passenger is sitting in a seat or baggage is put on the seat. Therefore, it is determined that a passenger is sitting in the seat also when a baggage is put on the passenger seat or backseat, the air bag is operated uselessly, and there is a danger that a passenger may lose his or her hearing ability due to abrupt expansion of the operated air bag, the air bag may strongly hit the passenger's face and may lose his or her sight. Further, when the sitting position is deviated from the weight sensor or when an infant sits in the child seat, the weight sensor does not detect the passenger in some cases. In such a case, it may adversely be determined that no passenger sits in the seat.
According to the method of the patent document 2 using both the sitting sensor and the seat belt detection, a passenger can not be detected correctly when the seat belt or the child seat is not used. When baggage is secured using the seat belt, there is an adverse possibility that the baggage is erroneously recognized as a passenger, and the air bag may be operated uselessly.
According to the method of the patent document 3 for detecting whether there is a seated passenger on the seat using the output signal of the pyroelectric infrared radiation detector sensor, the pyroelectric infrared radiation detector sensor is used, and the temperature variation is detected when a passenger gets on or off, and if a seated passenger slowly gets on or off, or if a seated passenger remains at rest, the pyroelectric infrared radiation detector sensor can not clearly detect a difference between a temperature of the passenger and a room temperature which is a background temperature.
According to the method of the patent document 4 for detecting approach of a human body using the antenna electrodes, the electric field generating means for generating electric field around the antenna electrodes is required, this complicates the structure, and there is an adverse possibility that the passenger detection apparatus is erroneously operated by an electric field from outside of the automobile and by an electric field from various electronic control devices in the automobile.


A curved secondary battery including an electrode assembly having a curved shape, and a pouch sealing the electrode assembly. The pouch includes a first sealing sheet on a first surface of the electrode assembly, a second sealing sheet on a second surface of the electrode assembly, the first sealing sheet and the second sealing sheet sealing the electrode assembly, and a wing portion formed on a side of the electrode assembly by bound-together edges of the first sealing sheet and the second sealing sheet. The wing portion includes a body portion bent in a first direction and a reinforcement portion that is continuous with the body portion and is bent in a second direction to overlap the body portion. The second direction may be opposite to the first direction.

1. Field
One or more embodiments relate to curved secondary batteries.
2. Description of the Related Art
Unlike primary batteries that cannot be charged, secondary batteries may be used after repetitive charging and discharging, and thus, they are economical and environmentally friendly. As such, use of secondary batteries has been strongly encouraged. Meanwhile, secondary batteries have started to be used in a variety of electronic devices and the design of such devices is considered to be an important factor when purchasing them.
For example, various wearable computer devices that use secondary batteries as power sources and applications of such devices have been developed and introduced on the market. Furthermore, many electronic devices such as cell phones and notebook computers are nowadays designed using ergonomics factors to include different curved areas. Thus, it is desirable for secondary batteries for operating such electronic devices to have shapes matching the shapes of the electronic devices.


A method for operating an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle is provided, wherein at least one SCR catalytic converter for the after-treatment of exhaust gases of the internal combustion engine is present. The method serves to assure that a sufficient quantity of reducing agent is supplied for the operation of the SCR catalytic converter. The motor vehicle has a fuel tank (10) with a fill level sensor A (11) and a reducing agent tank (12) with a fill level sensor B (13). Signals from the fill level sensor B (13) or signals from the fill level sensor A (11) and the fill level sensor B (13) are acquired and evaluated by a navigation unit (16).

The present invention relates to a method for operating an internal combustion engine, having at least one catalytic converter, and thereby for assuring that a sufficient quantity of reducing agent is supplied for the operation of the SCR catalytic converter.
The operation of motor vehicles with internal combustion engines is performed in conjunction with the discharge of toxic emissions. Different measures have already been taken to reduce emissions injurious to health and the environment. The so-called SCR catalytic converter (Selective Catalytic Reduction), which in the presence of a reducing agent reduces the nitrogen oxides contained in the exhaust gas to nitrogen, was, for example, developed to reduce the nitrogen oxides contained in the exhaust gas. During the course of the reaction, ammonia, which is mixed into the exhaust gas, is required. In order to provide the ammonia, a diluted urea solution is employed as a rule, which is injected into the exhaust gas tract upstream from SCR catalytic converter with the aid of a metering unit. The maintenance of this diluted urea solution takes place in a separate reducing agent tank.
For environmental reasons and also on account of governmental regulations, provision must be made for a sufficient quantity of a reducing agent to be present for a proper exhaust gas after-treatment. For this reason, reducing agent tanks with fill level sensors are already known so that the fill level of the reducing agent tank can be displayed; and if need be a filling of the tank with the appropriate reducing agent can be performed at a filling station, respectively a gas station. It is in this case, however, problematic that the driver of the motor vehicle is as a rule not capable of determining to what extent the remaining quantity of reducing agent is sufficient to reach a certain destination and in particular a certain filling station. Furthermore, the driver of the motor vehicle is as a rule not sufficiently informed as to where appropriate filling stations, respectively gas stations, are located, which offer the reducing agent, for example the so-called AdBlue. This can consequently lead to all of the reducing agent in the reducing agent tank being consumed before a filling station has been duly located. In so doing, the operating agent for the SCR catalytic converter is lacking so that a proper exhaust gas after-treatment can no longer take place. As the case may be, the driver of the motor vehicle may be made aware of the situation by means of a fill level indicator for the reducing agent tank. Because the operation of the motor vehicle is, however, nevertheless still possible, the driver may possibly not pay proper attention to the indicator.
With regard to the fuel of a motor vehicle, different approaches already exist for avoiding an unintended emptying of the fuel tank. The German patent application DE 101 05 175 A1 accordingly describes a motor vehicle computer system with a sending unit, a receiving unit and a selection device, wherein the current location data of the motor vehicle are transmitted to a provider when a specified threshold of the tank contents is undershot. Location data and gasoline price data from gas stations, which are located within a predetermined distance to the current position of the motor vehicle, are thereupon received. The German patent application DE 101 46 789 A1 describes a comparable method, wherein the maximum cruising range of the motor vehicle is calculated using a measurement of the quantity of fuel contained in the fuel tank. A routing to a gas station within the cruising range is then performed by a navigation system.
These systems therefore offer the possibility of avoiding an unintended emptying of the fuel tank by punctually directing the driver of the motor vehicle to a gas station via a navigation system. However, an unintended emptying of the reducing agent tank, which supplies the operating means for an SCR catalytic converter, cannot hereby be avoided.
The task underlying the invention is therefore to provide a method and a device, which make it possible to avoid an unintended emptying of the reducing agent tank.
This task is solved by a method and an arrangement for operating an internal combustion engine, as they are described in the independent claims. Preferred configurations, respectively embodiments, thereof are described in the dependent claims.

Method for operating an internal combustion engine with an SCR catalytic converter


An apparatus, which may be embodied in a disposable field test kit, and a test method serves to measure the halogen (bromine, chlorine, iodine) content, especially the chlorine content, of hydrocarbon liquids. The apparatus includes a sampling device in which a quantity of the hydrocarbon liquid, such as a used oil, is suctioned into a frangible collector such as a capillary tube to control sample size, and the tube is deposited into a flexible container which also contains frangible ampules holding pre-measured quantities of reagents, including a solvent for the sample. The container is squeezed to break the tube and ampules to release their contents in prescribed order. The sample is first solvated, then reacted with an alkali metal reagent which will form halides from halogen material present, extracted into an aqueous phase, titrated, and contacted with a color change indicator which acquires a characteristic color dependent upon the halogen material content.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with a method and apparatus for measuring the halogen content of hydrocarbon liquids, including used or waste materials as well as new or virgin materials, for example, used or virgin lubricating crankcase, hydraulic and furnace oils and metal working fluids. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a measuring method and apparatus of the type described which are particularly well suited for field testing.

Apparatus and method for measuring halogen content


The generation of a planar trajectory for use by a vehicle in guiding its position is described. The trajectory is generated by identifying points representing the trajectory, fairing the identified points to generate a set of faired points, and computing a set of polynomial segments from the faired points. The segments form a curve representing the trajectory, where the curve is C2-smooth, and the curve does not exceed the steering capability of the vehicle. The segments may comprise cubic B-spline segments. If the identified points are not substantially equidistant, then an auxiliary curve approximating the trajectory is generated, and a set of substantially equidistant points on the auxiliary curve is selected as the identified points.

There are many applications where a driver or pilot steers a vehicle down an original course that may need to be repeated later. For example, a street sweeper may be steered for a first time on an optimal course around a large parking lot. It would be advantageous to be able to automatically repeat that course to perform regular cleanings thereafter. Similarly, in a security application, a mine laying device may be manually steered over a course planting mines. It would be advantageous to be able to automatically and reliably travel the same path later with a mine clearing vehicle to ensure removal or destruction of the earlier planted mines.
Further, satellite and other broadcast navigation signals, as well as techniques for their processing, have greatly improved in recent years. Such navigation signals and processing now offer degrees of accuracy in position information sufficient to be used in automated vehicle navigation as suggested above. What are needed in the art are apparatus and methods for the efficient use and processing of desired path and position information to facilitate automated navigation along a desired path or trajectory.

Path approximation for planar motion of a ground vehicle


A printer with a cap mechanism. The printer comprises a print head comprising a nozzle, a cap module comprising a cap and a hole, and a positioning module comprising a pin. When the print head moves in a first direction to push the positioning module, the pin escapes from the hole, whereby the cap module moving in a second direction enables the cap to cover the nozzle. When the print head moves in a direction opposite to the first direction, the pin enters the hole enabling the cap module to maintain a predetermined distance from the print head.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a printer, and in particular to a printer with a cap only covering the nozzle of the print head when the print head is positioned.
2. Brief Discussion of the Related Art
A conventional print head moves in a service station for maintenance. A wiper scrapes the residual ink from the nozzle and a cap moves to cover the nozzle. In such a structure, when the cap is moved to cover the nozzle, the print head is not yet positioned. Thus, the print head interferes with the cap, resulting in a poor seal between the cap and the nozzle, and potentially damaging the cap.


The present invention provides a pigment-attached blue-emitting phosphor having attached a blue pigment which has fastness and chemical stability and is excellent in reflection spectrum characteristics, and a color cathode-ray tube having a blue-emitting fluorescent layer containing the blue pigment formed on the inner surface of a face plate.. The present invention also provides a pigment-attached blue-emitting phosphor having a CoO.ZnO.SiO.sub.2 type blue pigment attached thereto, and a color cathode-ray tube provided with a blue-emitting fluorescent layer containing the blue pigment particles on the inner surface of a face plate.

To improve the contrast of images of color cathode-ray tubes, fluorescent display tubes, etc., there have been known a method which employs a pigment-attached phosphor wherein filter particles capable of absorbing the reflection of an exterior light at a fluorescent screen, are attached to the phosphor surface (U.S. Pat. No. 3,886,394 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,320), and a method which employs colored glass as the face plate of a cathode-ray tube.
In the method which employs colored glass as the face plate of a cathode-ray tube, the transmittance of glass is reduced, whereby the contrast can be selected relatively readily within a practical range, but, the absorption of not only the exterior light but also the emission from the fluorescent layer increases, whereby the reduction of brightness is substantial.
Further, the method which employs the pigment-attached phosphor as the fluorescent layer is a method effective for improving the contrast without reducing the brightness of a screen as far as possible.
The above filter material is used sometimes for sharpening the emission spectrum of a phosphor. This filter material is required to have a transmittance high in the emission wavelength region of the phosphor and low in other wavelength regions. By this characteristic of the transmittance, light components which do not correspond to the emission of the phosphor itself will be absorbed, whereby the contrast under a bright exterior light can be improved.
With respect to the blue-emitting phosphor, it is suitable to use a pigment which has an absorption as small as possible at about 450 nm which is the emission peak of the phosphor, and an absorption as large as possible within the other wavelength regions.
As this sort of a blue pigment, there have been proposed ultramarine (3NaAl.SiO.sub.2.Na.sub.2 S.sub.2), prussian blue (Fe.sub.4 [Fe(CN).sub.6 ].sub.3.nH.sub.2 O), cobalt aluminate (CoO.nAl.sub.2 O.sub.3), cerulean blue (CoO.nSnO.sub.2), copper sulfide (CuS), etc. in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 28784/1979.
However, from researches of the present inventors, it has been found that the body color of cobalt aluminate usually practiced does not correspond to the emission spectrum of the blue-emitting phosphor. The reflectance of the cobalt aluminate is especially high at around 490 nm, such being ineffective to improve the contrast.
Further, the ultramarine practically used to some extent has excellent properties as compared with the cobalt aluminate, but its chemical stability is very poor, whereby a problem of fading in the attaching step to the phosphor or in the coating step to the cathode-ray tube is brought about.
To prevent the fading, it has been known to employ a method wherein the ultramarine pigment is covered with a silicic compound. However, when it is coated on a cathode-ray tube, there is a problem that its body color is remarkably changed by irradiation of electron beam, whereby a shift of the peak in the emission spectrum of the fluorescent screen is likely to occur.
Under these circumstances, it is intended in the present invention to solve the above problems and to provide a pigment-attached blue-emitting phosphor comprising a blue-emitting phosphor having a blue pigment attached thereto, which has fastness and chemical stability and is excellent in reflection spectrum characteristics, whereby good blue emission can be obtained when coated on the cathode-ray tube, and a color cathode-ray tube provided with a blue-emitting layer containing the above blue pigment on the inner surface of the face plate.

Pigment-attached blue-emitting phosphor and color cathode-ray tube