The invention relates to an electronic module for an electric drive in a vehicle, comprising an input-side electrical connection for inputting an input current generated by an energy source; an intermediate circuit with a capacitor; a semiconductor bridge circuit, connected in parallel to the intermediate circuit, wherein the bridge circuit comprises a high-side switch, and a low-side switch connected in series to the high-side switch, wherein the high-side switch is connected to the input-side electrical connection via a first current path, wherein the low-side switch is connected to the input-side electrical connection via a second current path, wherein the first current path and the second current path are the same length; and an output-side electrical connection for outputting an output current generated by the bridge circuit from the input current.

The use of electronic modules, i.e. power electronics modules, in motor vehicles has increased significantly in the last few decades. This can be attributed in part to the necessity of fuel conservation and improving vehicle performance, and in part to the advances in semiconductor technology. A prominent example of such electronic modules are DC/AC inverters, which are used to supply electric machines such as electric motors or generators with a multiphase alternating current. This involves converting a direct current generated from a DC energy source, e.g. a battery, into a multiphase alternating current. The electronic modules comprise numerous electronic components for this, e.g. semiconductor switches, with which bridge circuits (such as half bridges) can be obtained.
The linking of microelectronic and non-electronic micro-components to obtain a complete system normally requires the implementation of so-called structural and connecting technologies in the case of the electronic modules, in particular inverters. These are complex processes, resulting in high production costs for the inverters. To reduce production difficulties while maintaining a sufficiently high power, frame modules are used with established semiconductor materials (e.g. silicon).
These frame modules are not as available with the use of novel, wide bandgap semiconductors such as silicon carbide (SiC) or gallium nitride (GaN) as they are with the established semiconductors. This results in an increased dependency on a small number of suppliers of these frame modules, such that in some circumstances, it must be assumed that there will be shortages or inflated prices. Particularly with mass productions of large quantities, frame modules have disadvantages for these reasons, specifically because large frame modules have the additional disadvantage that they make it difficult to scale down the size of the final product.
A method has been developed to avoid the aforementioned problems, known in the field as "discrete power switch packaging." The current is conducted in this method from a battery terminal in the inverter to an intermediate circuit capacitor. With such a construction, the high-side power switch and the low-side power switch, which collectively form a half bridge, are arranged successively, starting from the intermediate circuit capacitor. This asymmetrical arrangement results in a large commutation cell with increased leakage inductance, that exhibits poor switching behavior on the part of the power semiconductors. Furthermore, this serial construction of the power switch requires a complicated concept for obtaining the direct current from the energy source and outputting the alternating current to the electric machine (e.g. an electric motor). By way of example, a multidimensional bus bar concept may be necessary, resulting in increased demands on the bus bar cross section to conduct the necessary currents. The overall power electronics is therefore difficult to cool, thus having a negative effect on the functionality of the electronic module.
The object of the invention is therefore to create an electronic module in which the disadvantages described above are at least in part overcome.
This object is achieved with an electronic module and the use of such an electronic module in a vehicle according to the independent claims.
The electronic module in the framework of this invention is used to operate an electric drive in a vehicle, in particular an electric vehicle and/or a hybrid vehicle. The electronic module preferably comprises a DC/AC inverter or a part thereof. Alternatively or additionally, the electronic module can comprise an AC/DC rectifier, a DC/DC converter, a transformer, and/or another type of electrical converter, or a part of such a converter, or it can be a part thereof. In particular, the electronic module is used to supply an electric machine with power, e.g. an electric motor and/or a generator. A DC/AC inverter is preferably used to generate a multiphase alternating current from a direct current generated by means of a DC voltage from an energy source such as a battery.
In addition to an input-side electrical connection for supplying an input current generated by means of an energy source, and an output-side electrical connection for outputting an output current generated from the input current, the electronic module also has a semiconductor bridge circuit and an intermediate circuit. With respect to the input-side electrical connection, the bridge circuit is connected in parallel to the intermediate circuit and comprises a high-side switch (HSS) and a low-side switch (LSS), which is connected in series to the high-side switch. The HSS is connected to the intermediate circuit via a first current path for a first current flow. The LSS is connected to the intermediate circuit via a second current path for second current flow.
The first current path and the second current path are the same length. The lengths of the respective current paths are the lengths current is conducted between the respective drain connection or source connection on the respective power switch and the respective connecting point at which the associated power switch is connected to the intermediate circuit. The length of the current path is preferably measured in relation to the connection from the drain connection and the source connection that is closest to the intermediate circuit. The equivalency of the lengths is understood in the framework of this invention to mean that the difference between the lengths of the two current paths lies below a predefined threshold. The predefined threshold is preferably in a range of 0 to 20%, more preferably 0 to 10%, more preferably 0 to 5%.
Alternatively or additionally, the first current flow is antiparallel to the second current flow. "Antiparallel" in the framework of this invention is understood to mean that the first current flow and the second current flow are at an angle to one another, at least over a predefined portion of the first and second current paths, which angle lies below a predefined threshold. The predefined portion preferably lies in a range of 50% to 100%, more preferably 75% to 100%, more preferably 90% to 100%. The predefined threshold preferably lies in a range of 1° to 20°, more preferably 1° to 10°, more preferably 1° to 5°.
The HSS and/or LSS comprises one or more power semiconductor components, such as IGBTs or MOSFETs. The HSS and LSS preferably form a half bridge. The bridge circuitry can be placed on a printed circuit board, such that the power switch can be connected electrically and/or for signal transference to a control unit in the vehicle, e.g. an electronic control unit (ECU), by means of electrical contacts on the populated side of the printed circuit board. The control unit is therefore capable of activating the power switch to operate the electric drive, in particular to supply power to the electric machine. The printed circuit board can comprise a circuit board (e.g. a PCB), or a flexible printed circuit board.
The electronic module can contain a heat sink for discharging heat generated by the power semiconductors. Alternatively, the heat sink can be an external, e.g., central cooling unit, to which numerous electronic modules can be simultaneously connected for cooling purposes.
The connection between the bridge circuit and the printed circuit board and/or the connection between the printed circuit board and the heat sink is preferably an adhesive, screw, welded, plug-in, and/or clamp connection.
Because the first current path and the second current path are the same length, the HSS and the LSS are arranged symmetrically in relation to the intermediate circuit. This symmetry can contribute to reducing leakage inductance in the power lines in the electronic module.
Because the first current flow is antiparallel to the second current flow, the magnetic fields, which generate the two current flows and cause leakage inductance when the electronic module is in operation, cancel each other out particularly effectively.
Advantageous embodiments and developments are described in the dependent claims.
According to one embodiment, the semiconductor bridge circuit contains numerous bridge circuit segments, each of which is assigned a current phase.
Different bridge circuit segments are assigned different current phases, such that a "one-to-one" relationship between the bridge circuit segments and the current phases is obtained. An output-side electrical connection belonging to one of the respective current phases is preferably used for outputting the current phases. This results in a multiphase electronic module.
According to another embodiment, each of the bridge circuit segments comprises one or more half bridges, wherein the numerous half bridges in the respective bridge circuit segments are connected in parallel.
This makes it possible to easily scale the current phases that are to be output. Each current phase can be output multiple times, such that numerous electric drive units can be simultaneously supplied with power.
According to another embodiment, the semiconductor bridge circuit has an annular configuration, in which the bridge circuit segments each form a section of the annular arrangement.
The annular arrangement is polygonal, for example, in particular in the shape of a square. This allows for a symmetrical arrangement of the individual half bridges in the respective bridge circuit segments. This also allows for a particularly symmetrical arrangement of bridge circuit segments in relation to one another. Furthermore, commutation inductances of the individual half bridges in the bridge circuit segments are also minimized. A triangular, trapezoidal, and/or circular shape are also conceivable. The power switches in each of the bridge circuit segments are preferably placed along the associated annular segment.
According to another embodiment, the annular arrangement is defined by the intermediate circuit, in particular the capacitor in the intermediate circuit.
A high degree of symmetry in the arrangement of the half bridges and a reduction in the leakage inductance to be obtained in a particularly simple manner by this means. In particular, the equal lengths and antiparallel directions of the first and second current paths can be directly defined by the shape of the intermediate circuit capacitor.
According to another embodiment, the high-side switch is connected to a positive contact, and the low-side switch is connective to a negative contact in the intermediate circuit.
If numerous half bridges are contained in a bridge circuit segment, all of the HSSs in the half bridges are connected to a positive contact, and all of the LSSs in the half bridges are connected to a negative contact. As a result, the HSSs and LSSs can be arranged adjacently instead of successively. A short connection between the power supply terminals in the half bridges and the intermediate circuit can therefore be obtained for all of the power switches.
According to another embodiment, the output-side electrical connection is located on a side of the bridge circuit facing away from the intermediate circuit.
As a result, terminals for the respective current phases do not have to be in located in the middle of the half bridges, but instead can be to the side thereof. The electronic module can therefore assume a simple geometry in which the terminals are at a uniform height. Such a geometry is advantageous for a large surface area cooling, because the surface area effectively in contact with the cooling unit is increased because of this. This also results in the possibility of obtaining higher output-side current densities without an increase in temperature.
Identical or functionally similar elements have the same reference symbols in the figures. The respective relevant elements are indicated in the individual figures.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an electronic module 10. The electronic module 10 preferably comprises a DC/AC inverter for supplying current to an electric drive for an electric and/or hybrid vehicle. Alternatively, the electronic module 10 comprises a part of a DC/AC inverter. The DC/AC inverter is used to input a direct current generated by means of a DC energy source, e.g. a battery, and to generate a multiphase alternating current therefrom, and output this current. The electronic module 10 has an input-side electrical connection 12 for inputting the direct current, which comprises a positive pole 122 and a negative pole 124. A DC voltage is therefore formed between the positive pole 122 and the negative pole 124 when the electronic module 10 is connected to the DC energy source. Although a constant DC voltage is desirable, the DC voltage may be afflicted with voltage ripples due to parasitic influences. To counteract this, the electronic module 10 comprises an intermediate circuit 14, which contains an intermediate circuit capacitor. The intermediate circuit 14 is annular. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate circuit 14 is square. The input-side electrical connection 12 is located on an upper side of the square in the view shown therein. A bridge circuit segment 16a, 16b, 16c is located on each of the other three sides of the square, which shall be explained in greater detail below.
The three bridge circuit segments 16a, 16b, 16c collectively form the bridge circuit for the overall electronic module 10. Each bridge circuit segment 16a, 16b, 16c is assigned one of three current phases. The exemplary electronic module 10 in FIG. 1 therefore forms a three-phase systems, which is capable of generating a three-phase alternating current. Each bridge circuit segment 16a, 16b, 16c comprises eight power switches, which form four half bridges 163aa-cd. Each half bridge 163aa-cd comprises an HSS 162aa-cd and a LSS 164aa-cd. The bridge circuit segments 16a, 16b, 16c are therefore offset to one another at an angle of substantially 90°.
As shown in FIG. 1, the HSSs 162aa-cd are electrically connected to a positive contact 142a, b, c in the intermediate circuit 14, which is connected to the input-side electrical connection 12 and thus assigned to a positive potential in the DC energy source (not shown). The LSSs 164aa-cd are electrically connected to a positive contact 144a, b, c in the intermediate circuit 14 that is connected to the negative pole 124 of the input-side electrical connection 12, and thus assigned to a negative potential of the DC energy source (not shown). All of the power switches 162aa-cd, 164aa-cd in the bridge circuit that are in the direct proximity of the intermediate circuit 14 are connected to the positive or negative contacts 142a, b, c and 144a, b, c. In particular, the distance between the respective power switches 162aa-cd, 164aa-cd and the respective positive or negative contacts 142a, b, c and 144a, b, c is not greater than an extension of the electrical contacts in the power semiconductors 12aa-cd, 164aa-cd themselves.
There are output-side electrical connections 18a, 18b, 18c for outputting the currents of the respective phases on the sides of the respective bridge circuit segments 16a, 16b, 16c facing away from the intermediate circuit 14. Although it is not explicitly shown in FIG. 1, each output-side electrical connection 18a, 18b, 18c comprises four so-called terminals, each of which is assigned to one of the four half bridges 163a, b, c of the respective bridge circuit segments 16a, b, c. The terminals are electrically separated from one another, such that an associated output current can be output separately by each of these terminals. The output-side electrical connections 18a, b, c are preferably in contact with a bus system, i.e. an AC busbar, e.g. by means of a welded connection.
The intermediate circuit 14 is secured to a carrier 19 at four attachment points 192 to 198, each of which is located in a corner of the square. FIG. 2 shows another schematic illustration of the electronic module 10 in a perspective view. The relative positions and orientations of the individual components in the electronic module 10 are indicated by the superimposed coordinate system.
The exemplary structure of the electronic module 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises 24 power switches that form 12 half bridges 163aa-cd, wherein there are four half bridges 163aa-cd in each of the three bridge circuit segments 16a, 16b, 16c. The electronic module 10 can be used, for example, to generate an alternating current with a maximum amperage of 600 A. The maximum amperage that the electronic module 10 can be used with can be varied by altering the population of power switches and/or by changing the size of the intermediate circuit, or the number of terminals.
A "duplicated" structure is also conceivable, in which two of the electronic modules 10 shown in FIG. 2 are joined to one another at their respective undersurfaces (extending in an x-y plane, as shown in FIG. 2) facing away from the intermediate circuit. These undersurfaces of the two electronic modules 10 can function as a cooling surface, and thus form a heat sink, which is populated on both sides, in a mirror image, with semiconductors. More power switches can be placed on an intermediate circuit assembly composed of the two intermediate circuits of the two electronic modules 10 with this structure. The maximum amperage that can be generated by means of the overall module, which comprises the two electronic modules 10, is therefore increased.
In the example shown in FIG. 1, the left, bottom, and right sides of the intermediate circuit 14 are each assigned a single current phase. Alternatively, two or more current phases can be assigned to at least one of these sides of the intermediate circuit 14. In this case, the intermediate circuit 14 (or the intermediate circuit capacitor) can assume a shape other than the square shown in the figures. An angled AC busbar is preferably used in order to adapt to the alternative shape of the intermediate circuit 14.
Alternatively or additionally, The HSS and LSS are parallel to one another in at least one of the half bridges. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the upper side of the intermediate circuit 14 is not assigned a current phase, but instead only comprises the input-side electrical connection 12. Alternatively, at least one half bridge can be placed on this side.

Electronic module for an electric drive of a vehicle with current paths of equal length for a highside switch and a lowside switch


A method for active power management in a Serial ATA interface for data transfer between a host and a device, the method starts with the determining of an optimal data transfer rate for transferring data between the host and the device. Then switching the Serial ATA interface into an active power saving mode based on the optimal data transfer rate is performed.

Serial ATA (SATA) Interfaces are used as interfaces between a peripheral device such as a hard disk drive and a host such as a personal computer. SATA interface is primarily designed for transfer of data between such a host and attached device.
In attempting to better manage power consumption and power savings in SATA, SATA power management is typically handled by three interface power states. The three SATA interface power states are: PhyReady, Partial, and Slumber.
In PhyReady state the interface is synchronized and capable of receiving and sending data. In Partial and Slumber states are the two power saving modes. In both Partial and Slumber states, the interface is not in condition for any active receiving and sending of data. The difference between Partial and Slumber states is mainly in the time required for them to be restored to PhyReady state. SATA standards stipulate that time required to restore from a Partial state to a PhyReady state be no more than 10 us while the time required to restore from a Slumber state to PhyReady state is no more than 10 ms.
These interface power states maybe initiated either by the Host or the Device and are often referred to as Host Initiated Power Management (HIPM) or Device Initiated Power Management (DIPM). The interface power states can further be associated with the Device power management states. In both HIPM and DIPM, what triggers a switch of a power saving mode to the Partial and Slumber interface power state is the lack of activity or data transfer in the interface when the interface is in a PhyReady state.
HIPM and DIPM are not direct user managed methods for power management on the interface and the switching to power savings modes are dependent on a lack of activity on the SATA interface. In addition, once in the power saving modes, no data transfer occurs on the interface until the interface is switched back to the PhyReady State.

Method for active power management in a Serial ATA interface to operate at most a predetermined rate upon a refused speed request

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


In an image input device having an image placing board for placing thereon an image to be read, an image sensing part which reads the image, a supporting part arranged to support the image sensing part in such a manner that the position of the image sensing part relative to the image placing board is variable, an adjusting part arranged to adjust the image sensing part and an illumination part arranged to illuminate the image, a control part is arranged to cause the adjusting part to operate when the position of the image sensing part changes and to cause the illumination part to be turned off when the degree of change of the position of the image sensing part relative to the image placing board exceeds a given degree.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image input device and more particularly to an image sensing means and an illumination device of the image input device.
2. Description of the Related Art
The conventional image input device of the kind having an image placing board on which an image to be read is placed, an image sensing part which photoelectrically converts the image, a support body which carries the image sensing part, an illumination device for illuminating the image, a white balance adjusting mechanism for adjusting white balance and an image sensing distance adjusting mechanism for adjusting an image sensing distance has been arranged as follows: In reading the image on the image placing board, the image is read by the image sensing part by illuminating the image with the illumination device and by photo-electrically converting the image. In this instance, the illumination device is turned on and off by means of an on/off switch.
The white balance adjusting mechanism and the image sensing distance adjusting mechanism are arranged to operate when applicable operation members are operated.
With the conventional device arranged in this manner, it has been necessary to operate the white balance adjusting mechanism and the image sensing distance adjusting mechanism again by operating the operation members when the support body is moved to change the position of the image sensing part relative to the image placing board.
Further, since the illumination device is arranged to be turned on and off by means of the on/off switch, the illumination cannot be automatically extinguished and thus must be extinguished by manually operating the on/off switch when the facing direction of the image sensing part is shifted away from the image placing board by moving the support body of the image sensing part.

Imaging apparatus having object plate and variably positionable image sensor


The device has a device body including an inside space having an airtightness able to provide a nonactive gas atmosphere, the inside space having a charging port, a filling port and a melting chamber surrounded by an induction heating coil; a first piston transporting a non-ferrous alloy lump to the melting chamber; and a second piston permitting the melted non-ferrous alloy to flow out of the filling port.

1. Industrial Useful Field
This invention relates to a melting and filling device able to melt a non-ferrous alloy lump and fill the melted alloy into a mold when casting a non-ferrous alloy, by a simple process without consuming an excess amount of the non-ferrous alloy lump and without accompanying any decomposition.
2. Prior Art
A work for melting a non-ferrous alloy lump and filling it into a mold has so far been carried out through the following processes (1) to (3).
(1) A process in which a non-ferrous alloy ingot (including a return material) is melted by a melting furnace.
(2) A process in which a molten metal obtained by the melting process is once pooled in a separate furnace or ladle.
(3) A process in which a required amount of molten metal is taken out of the pooled molten metal and filled into a mold.


A CA configuration information processing method and a terminal are provided. The method includes: in a process in which a terminal performs radio resource control RRC connection resumption, processing CA configuration information based on measurement behavior of the terminal in a non-connected state, or processing the CA configuration information according to a processing instruction sent by a network side device, or processing the CA configuration information based on the measurement behavior of the terminal in the non-connected state and according to the processing instruction sent by the network side device.

A long term evolution (LTE) system introduces a carrier aggregation (CA) technology and an enhancing CA utilization (EuCA) technology. In the carrier aggregation technology, a terminal may be connected to and communicate with a network side device through a plurality of cells (Cell). In the enhancing CA utilization technology, a network side device may indicate measurement configuration information of a terminal in a radio resource control (RRC) non-connected state (which may include an RRC idle state (idle state) or an RRC inactive state (inactive state)), so that when the terminal enters an RRC connected state (connected state), the network side device can directly configure a secondary cell (SCell) to an activated state (activated state) or a dormant state (dormant state) based on a measurement result of the terminal in the non-connected state.
After an RRC connection of the terminal is suspended (Suspend), if the terminal needs to resume (Resume) the RRC connection, the network side device needs to reconfigure CA configuration information for the terminal. This results in relatively large signaling overheads in an RRC connection resumption process.

Carrier aggregation configuration information processing method and terminal


A system comprises a pipe defining a fluid passage, the pipe having a first rate of thermal expansion. A housing defines an opening for receiving an end of the pipe for fluid circulation between the fluid passage and an interior of the housing, the housing having a second rate of thermal expansion lesser than the first rate of thermal expansion, at least one annular gap defined between a periphery of the opening and the end of the pipe when the system is below a safety condition threshold temperature. Seal(s) seal the annular gap, wherein the pipe and the housing are configured and the first and second rates of thermal expansion are selected so that, when the system exceeds the safety condition threshold temperature, the end of the pipe contacts the periphery of the opening by thermal expansion to seal the annular gap independent of the at least one seal.

In engines, such as gas turbine engines, fire conditions are typically challenging for sealing interfaces. An example would be a transfer tube configuration including a transfer tube, a housing and a seal such as a preformed packing in an annular gap between the transfer tube and a tube receptacle of the housing. In the event of a fire condition, there results exposure of the seal to temperatures above those of normal operation. Such exposure may affect the integrity of the seal.

System and method for sealing a fluid system in a safety condition


Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a menu vision aid. In one embodiment, a menu vision aid comprises a frame, a lens disposed within the frame adapted to enhance the visibility of a menu page, a light source attached to the frame adapted to provide light to a menu page; and an attachment member attached to at least one of the frame and the light source, the attachment member adapted to attach the menu vision aid to a menu page.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a menu vision aid. More specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a menu vision aid that may attach to a menu and improve its visibility.
2. Description of the Related Art
Restaurants and other businesses often use menus to present food and beverage offering options to patrons. Menus are often printed in book form with offerings listed directly on multiple pages. Menus can also be presented on interchangeable sheets of paper secured within a binder or hard-backed folder. Interchangeable paper menus are often used to allow restaurants to modify the menu to reflect the most current offerings, which may change on a daily basis or even multiple times in a day. Because restaurants can offer a large number of food and beverage options, the text and images on menus must sometimes be small to maximize the space on menu pages and to avoid presenting the user with a bulky menu. One downside to using small text is that it is often hard to read for patrons, especially those who are visually impaired. To add to this problem, restaurants and other businesses are often dimly lit, making it even more difficult for patrons to view the menus.
As a solution, many patrons use reading glasses to read these menus. Because the patrons often forget their reading glasses at home, however, many times they are still unable to read the menus. Another solution for these patrons is bringing in a traditional magnifying glass. These magnifying glasses are often bulky and difficult to transport, however. In addition, magnifying glasses do not enhance the menu lighting at all, so the menus would still be difficult to read in dimly lit environments.
Thus, there is a need for a menu vision aid that may attach to a menu so that businesses may offer the vision aid to patrons and the patrons will not forget the vision aids at home. In addition, there is a need for a menu vision aid that both magnifies and illuminates menus.


A test tube support system simultaneously holds a plurality of test tubes of different sizes. In one embodiment, the test tube support system includes a plurality of rectangular box-shaped units, each having four faces. The faces are injection molded plastic plates, each having a depth of between 0.25 and 0.50 inches with a plurality of tapered holes therethrough. More generally, the plates have sufficient depth to prevent tipping of test-tubes stored vertically therein. Also, the holes in each plate are of differing diameter than the other plates of the unit. A support or carrier tray holds a plurality of these units. Each unit may be differently oriented so that test tubes of various sizes may be stored in the test tube support system. In another embodiment, the test tube support system has a multiplicity of rectangular, plastic, injection molded plates, similar to the plates in the rectangular box-shaped units. A carrier tray is designed to receive and retain several plates and to provide empty space below the holes in the plates. The tray is designed to allow individual ones of the plates to be removed and replaced with other ones of the plates so that test tubes of various sizes may be stored in the test tube support system.

The present invention is an improvement on the test tube racks provided in the prior art, as exemplified by the systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,379,315 (Broadwin), 3,233,804 (Dahm), 3,778,232 (McMorrow, Jr.), 2,189,989 (Lichtman), 3,674,198 (Eberle) and 4,068,798 (Rohde).
In particular, there are test tube racks available for all of the different sizes of manufactured test tubes. However, in order to meet the needs for any one experiment, perhaps as many as four different types of test tube racks must be easily within reach to store different sizes of test tubes containing various chemical solutions. This is an inefficient use of laboratory benchtop space characteristic of the prior art.
Another shortcoming of the currently available test tube racks concerns the requirement for long-term storage of multiple types and sizes of support racks. The different racks generally cannot be stacked together, and hence do not make efficient use of storage space.


An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system includes an AC input configured to be coupled to an AC power source, an AC output configured to be coupled to a load, a power conversion circuit comprising a first converter circuit configured to receive power from a variably available power source, a second converter circuit coupled to the AC output, a DC link coupling the first and second converter circuits, and a switching circuit, e.g., a bypass circuit, configured to selectively couple and decouple the AC input and the AC output. The UPS system further includes a control circuit operatively associated with the power conversion circuit and the switching circuit and configured to cause concurrent transfer of power to a load at the AC output from the AC power source and the variably available power source via the switching circuit and the power conversion circuit, respectively.

The inventive subject matter relates to power supply systems and methods and, more particularly, to uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems and methods.
UPS systems are commonly used in installations such as data centers, medical centers and industrial facilities. UPS systems may be used in such installations to provide backup power to maintain operation in event of failure of the primary utility supply. These UPS systems common have an "on-line" configuration including a rectifier and inverter coupled by a DC link that is also coupled to an auxiliary power source, such as a battery, fuel cell or other energy storage device. In some UPS applications, a variably available renewable source, such as a photovoltaic source, may be coupled to the DC link of an on-line UPS to provide supplemental power, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,411,308 to Parmley and an article entitled "Photovoltaic UPS" by Jayasimha et al., IEEE TENCON 2003 Conference on Convergent Technologies for Asia-Pacific Region, vol. 4, pp. 1419-1423 (2003).
A frequent goal in such applications is to provide uninterruptible power with high efficiency. Towards this end, on-line UPSs that are used in such applications may support an "efficiency" mode in which the rectifier/inverter conversion chain is bypassed using a static switch when the utility source is within nominally acceptable bounds.

Uninterruptible power supply systems and methods supporting high-efficiency bypassed operation with a variably available power source


A cooler arrangement for at least one battery (8) in a vehicle (1) includes a cooling circuit (12a-f) with a circulating cooling medium, a circulator (13) to circulate the cooling medium in the cooling circuit (12a-f), and a cooling region (A) where the cooling medium cools the battery (8). The cooler arrangement includes a container (10) with an enclosed internal space (11), in which the battery (8) and the cooling circuit (12a-f) with the circulating cooling medium are situated, and the container (10) includes a heat release region (B) where cooling medium is intended to release heat to surrounding air.

The present invention relates to a cooler arrangement for at least one battery in a vehicle.
Hybrid vehicles powered by electricity in combination with some other form of fuel are equipped with one or more batteries for storage of electrical energy and with regulating equipment for regulating the flow of electrical energy between the battery and an electrical machine which alternately serves as motor or generator, depending on the vehicle's operating state. The battery and the regulating equipment are inevitably subject to a certain amount of warming during operation. Optimum operation of the battery and the regulating equipment depends on their not being warmed to too high a temperature. The battery must, for example, not warm above a temperature which for a certain type of battery is of the order of 40° C. The regulating equipment may warm to a somewhat higher temperature. The battery and the regulating equipment therefore need to be cooled.
Using air to cool batteries is known, but the air has to be of high quality because batteries are sensitive to pollutants and moisture. A known practice in this respect is for the battery to be situated in the passenger space of vehicles, where the air is of high quality and a fan is used to generate a cooling air flow through the battery. For various reasons, however, it is desirable for the battery to be situated elsewhere in the vehicle than in the passenger space. Another known practice is for the battery to be situated in the engine space of hybrid vehicles, in which case an air conditioning (AC) installation is used to cool the battery, since the air in the engine space is usually too warm and polluted to serve as a suitable cooling medium for the battery. Using an AC installation to cool the battery consumes a relatively large amount of energy. Since an object of hybrid vehicles is to reduce their total energy consumption, it is desirable to cool the battery in a way which consumes less energy.
US 2004/0261377 refers to a cooling device for batteries in a vehicle. In that case a fan draws air in from the surroundings into ducts whereby the air comes into contact with and cools the batteries. A specially configured inlet valve adapted to separating particles and moisture from the air which cools the batteries is used to prevent the air being accompanied by pollutants and moisture.

Cooling arrangement for at least one battery in a vehicle


A dishwasher includes a washing chamber where a heater is located. The air within the chamber is circulated by a first fan through a circulation duct. An inlet and an outlet for the outside air is located on the front surface of the dishwasher. The inlet and the outlet are connected by the outside air duct. A heat exchanger is located between the outside air duct and the circulation duct. The outside air is circulated by a second fan from the inlet to the outlet to exchange the heat between the outside air and the inside air.

The present invention relates to a dryer which dries utensils stored in a chamber of the dryer and more particularly to a dryer which circulates the air within the chamber of the dryer. The dryer of this invention can be provided with an additional conventional structure for washing dishes, thereby a dishwasher comprising the dryer of this invention can be provided.
A prior dishwasher comprising a dryer is disclosed in Japan Patent Publication No. 02-218327. In the disclosed dishwasher, a drying chamber where dishes are stored in racks is provided within an outer case. The moist air in the dish holding portion of the chamber is circulated to a rotating heat transfer unit located at the rear side of the chamber by a fan within the chamber. The air is also heated by a heater attached to the bottom of the chamber. Such as above described, the heated air is returned to the dish holding portion. Outside air is drawn into the outer case through inlets located on the rear wall of the outer casing. Then the outside air contacts the rotating heat transfer unit so that the heat is transferred between the air within the chamber and the outside air. After that, the outside air is exhausted from the outer casing through outlets located on the rear wall of the outer casing.
In this type of dryer or dishwasher, however, the outside air is drawn through the rear wall of the outer casing of the dishwasher, and then the air is exhausted to the rear of the dishwasher through the outlets located on the rear wall of the outer case. Therefore, when the dryer is included in a system kitchen, e.g., being installed in a row, the outside air with the heat absorbed from the inside air by the heat transfer unit, and exhausted to rearward, is held in a rear space between the rear wall of the dryer and a wall of the kitchen. Since the exhausted air is drawn into the inlets again, the air within the chamber is not cooled by the outside air efficiently. As a result, the dehumidifying capability of the dryer is reduced, and the capability of drying dishes is also reduced.
Further, in the prior dryer, although the dryer can be used independently, the space from which the outside air is drawn and exhausted to is still required to heat the rear area of the dryer. As a result, the dryer must be located with some distance between its rear wall and a wall in the kitchen. Consequently, there is another problem that more space is required to operate the dryer.


A pedestrian alert system includes, a noise producing member having a primary acoustic output surface configured and disposed to direct noise from the noise producing member along a first axis, and at least one secondary acoustic output surface that allows noise to pass from the noise producing member along a second axis that is distinct from the first axis. An acoustic focusing member is provided about the noise producing member. The acoustic focusing member is configured and disposed to re-direct noise from the second axis toward the first axis.

Most motor vehicles make a sound when operated. Internal combustion engines include many internal rotating components that produce noise. In addition, internal combustion engines produce combustion and exhaust sounds when operated. Many individuals, including the visually handicapped, rely on these noises/sounds to indicate the presence of a motor vehicle. Many modern vehicles, such as hybrid vehicles that include electric motors, and electric vehicles do not produce noises at a level that, in many cases, provides an audible indication of their presence. Often times, whatever noise that may be produced by a hybrid or an electric vehicle, is drowned out by ambient sounds. Accordingly, many manufacturers of hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles provide an alert system for pedestrians. The alert system includes a speaker that produces a noise to alert pedestrians to the presence of a vehicle. However, much of the noise produced by the speaker reflects back into the vehicle and is lost. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a pedestrian alert system that, not only guides sound to outside portions of the vehicle to provide pedestrians with an indication that a vehicle is present, but also reduces undesirable noise that may impinge on a passenger compartment of the vehicle.

Pedestrian alert system for a motor vehicle


An apparatus and associated method is provided for facilitating a search for user information in a multiple-domain communication scheme. A search is initiated by way of a web-based console. A search request causes search inquiries to be made to each of the domains of the multi-domain communication scheme. And, search results are provided also by way of a web-based console.

Advancements in communication technologies have permitted the development and deployment of many new types of communication systems having communication capabilities providing increased communication convenience and improved communication services. Improved communication mobility is amongst the communication improvements provided in various of such new communication systems. And, for many, access to mobile communication systems through which to communicate both voice and data has become essential for business, and other, activities. Data messaging, such as that provided by way of e-mail messaging, and the like, provides message senders and recipients with near-instant communication capabilities as well as, also, store-and-forward messaging capabilities. A sender is able to send a message at the sender's convenience, and the recipient of the message is able to receive and review the message, at the recipient's convenience, whether immediately or at some subsequent time.
Business, and other, enterprises sometimes provide enterprise personnel with mobile communication devices, herein referred to at times as mobile stations, to provide enterprise personnel with messaging, and other communication capabilities. In a large enterprise organization, large numbers of enterprise personnel are sometimes provided with the mobile stations.
An enterprise administrator is sometimes encharged with maintaining operability of the mobile stations, implementing communication policies, and generally otherwise overseeing and controlling communication operations at the enterprise.
Particularly when the enterprise is large, the enterprise might utilize multiple domains in which different enterprise personnel are associated with different ones of the domains, sometimes at physically disparate locations. And, sometimes, some enterprise personnel might be associated with more than one domain. The term "domain" is used herein to refer to a collection of resources, including and relating to a group of mobile stations, which have in common an administrative/management system or a configuration database therefor.
A communication scheme that includes multiple domains provides additional challenges to an administrator. For instance, when searching for information regarding the mobile station used by enterprise personnel, the administrator has to access and to search at the appropriate domain of the multiple domains in order to obtain the needed information. In conventional operation, to do so, the administrator is required to log into the appropriate administration service console and then locate the needed information. This existing need, however, becomes unwieldy and cumbersome, particularly when the administrator might not know in which domain to search for the information, and a large number of domains are employed by the enterprise. In these situations, the administrator might be required to resort sequentially to log into successive domains and search for the information, prior to logging-into the appropriate administration service console associated with the appropriate domain.
It is in light of this background information related to mobile communication systems that the significant improvements of the present disclosure have evolved.

Apparatus, and associated method, for obtaining mobility device information


A vehicle passenger seat with an upholstery cover having a fabric seam designed to absorb energy from a seat occupant upon impact. Means for progressively absorbing energy from the seat belt occupant are disclosed. Use of the fabric seam to absorb vehicle passenger seat occupant energy increases the survivability of an impact for an occupant of a seat with a separate inner and outer seat frame, and relates to compliance with energy absorption requirements for seat-backs of 49 C.F.R. Section 571.222 (FMVSS 222) and seat belt anchorage loading strength requirements of 49 C.F.R. Section 571.209 and 571.210 (FMVSS 209 and FMVSS 210).

This invention relates to a vehicle passenger seat having an inner frame and an outer frame, which inner frame and outer frame are intended to perform separate energy absorbing functions in the event of an impact, and a single upholstery cover compatible with the inner and outer frames, which upholstery cover is provided with a fabric seam that is intended to absorb additional energy upon separation. Specifically, it is intended to complement a vehicle passenger seat of a type known in the industry, and provide a cost-efficient means of improving the energy absorbing characteristics thereof.
Designers of vehicles used to transport multiple passengers, particularly passengers who are minors, are posed with a unique challenge. Multitudes of passengers, especially minors, cannot be relied upon to securely fasten seat belts, or to refrain from unbuckling them once they are buckled. In order to compensate for this, and to ensure that passengers are restrained in the event of an impact, designers of these vehicles have adopted the practice of "compartmentalization". The practice of "compartmentalization" is based upon providing only a small distance between the seated passenger and the seat-back directly in front of him or her, wherein that person can develop only a limited velocity relative to the rapidly decelerating vehicle. Further, the practice also depends upon providing a seat-back that can absorb the inertial energy of that person without injury to him or her. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT (NHTSA) has codified this practice into 49 C.F.R. Section 571.222 (FMVSS 222), which sets forth the requirement that the rear side of the seat provide an impact barrier in which the seat-back bends or deforms when subjected to the force of occupants impacting it during a deceleration event. The rate, force, and maximum amount of deflection required are set forth in that title.
The code applicable to school busses at this time does not require the use of any sort of active restraint such as a two-point passenger restraining lap belt or a three-point passenger restraining lap belt and torso harness combination. Yet there is a demand for active restraints by certain customers and organizations. In order to accommodate this demand, manufacturers of school busses have begun to offer both types. The addition of three-point passenger restraining lap belt and torso harness combinations to passenger seats designed to meet the requirements of 49 C.F.R. Section 571.222 (FMVSS 222) has special implications for the ability of that passenger seat-back to absorb energy. Specifically, the requirements for passenger seats having three-point passenger restraining lap belt and torso harness combinations are set forth in 49 C.F.R. Sections 571.209 and 571.210 (FMVSS 209 and FMVSS 210). That title sets forth a test procedure and requirements for a minimum loading strength of the three-point passenger restraining lap belt and torso harness combination, as well as for the anchorage points thereof.
The difficulty lies in meeting both the energy absorption requirements for the seat-back of 49 C.F.R. Section 571.222 (FMVSS 222) and the seat belt anchorage loading strength requirements of 49 C.F.R. Section 571.209 and 571.210 (FMVSS 209 and FMVSS 210). This difficulty is most pronounced in the scenario wherein a seat occupant is buckled into a three-point passenger restraining lap belt and torso harness combination, and the occupant of the seat immediately behind him or her is not buckled in. The solution increasingly employed by manufacturers of such school busses, utilizes a passenger seat with an inner and an outer frame. The inner frame is designed to articulate forward a certain amount under the initial loading of the passenger belted into the seat, before resisting further forward movement. The outer frame remains in its initial position, until the unbelted passenger in the seat immediately to the rear impacts it, at which time it performs its energy absorbing function. Such seat designs are not new, and are set forth in patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,123,388 and 6,485,098.
In order to accommodate the relative movement between the inner and outer seat frames in the event of an impact, the passenger seat in question is typically provided with separate upholstery covers and padding for each section, both inner and outer. This means that the seat has a crevice where the two sections abut, which encourages vandalism and tampering by passengers, especially by minors. Further, it means that when seat upholstery becomes torn or cut, the seat must be at least partially disassembled in order to replace the upholstery.
Previous to the invention disclosed herein, the inner frame of a passenger seat having an inner and outer frame was not designed to absorb energy during the duration of its articulation, other than a singular event, such as the separation of a frangible member, whereby the inner frame initially separated from the outer frame. This event was based on the initial impact of the seat occupant against the three-point passenger restraining lap belt and torso harness combination. Commonly, no separation event was employed at all, relying rather upon the seat cushion to locate the inner frame in its unarticulated position, and only engaging to significantly resist forward movement at the limit of articulation.

Vehicle passenger seat with tear-away upholstery cover

International Truck Intellectual Property Company, LLC


An adjustable rail anchorage arrangement comprises: a support surface (24) for supporting a rail (26). A platform base (4) is fast with this support surface and a boss (9) is upstanding from the platform base. A passageway in the boss captively receives a threaded bolt and nut assembly (1/2/23) having a shaft (2). A rail clip (15) has a hole (17) that encompasses the boss and the shaft and there is a cam (18) having a hole (20) whereby the cam is fitted over the boss and the shaft. A cam surface of the cam engages the rail clip whereby rotation of the cam causes lateral movement of the rail clip, whereafter the cam can be clamped in position by the bolt and nut assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to adjustable rail anchorage arrangements which are subject to very large lateral loads applied to the rails, particularly in crane rails by cranes as they travel along the rails, being cranes used for material handling in industrial facilities. Such cranes travel along rails which are supported generally on steel structures, the rails being maintained in the required position by rail anchorages that have to ensure that the rails remain located when very substantial lateral loads are generated, for example, when the crane is in motion. It is therefore important that the rails properly guide the cranes by being correctly aligned. Poorly aligned rails result in crane wheel wear and wear to the sides of the rail head and cause the crane to skew and bind against the rail. As a consequence even larger lateral forces can be generated on to the rail as the crane skews and binds. By providing an anchorage that is laterally adjustable the lateral alignment of the rail can be more easily established and maintained. However, when the rail anchorages offer adjustability other problems can occur. They can slip due to contamination by oil and grease which can drip from the crane axle and bearings as the crane travels along the rail. The oil and grease can lubricate the sliding surfaces of the adjustable anchorage. Also, adjustable rail anchorages are generally installed by a threaded bolt or threaded stud which requires careful attention that adequate torque is applied to the bolt or nut in order to prevent slipping of the anchorage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cam devices have been used in rail anchorage arrangements as a means of adjustment. Attempts have been made to prevent untoward cam rotation by use of incremental locking positions, which have the result that only incremental adjustments are possible. The bolt or other fastening device provided has been placed centrally within a hole in the cam. In the prior art the application of the lateral load from the rail to the clip does not increase the frictional resistance of the cam against rotation within the rail clip.

Rail anchorage arrangement with adjustable eccentric cam


A method for controlling at least one component of a motor vehicle provided with energy storage means. The method comprises the steps of determination of an energy reserve value of the vehicle; evaluation of at least one critical energy autonomy threshold; and comparison of the energy reserve value with at least one critical autonomy threshold so as to deduce therefrom a setpoint signal for controlling the component.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for controlling at least one component of a vehicle. It also relates to a system having means capable of implementing this method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A preferred application of the invention is in the automotive equipment field with in particular the adaptation of the operation of the vehicle to its traffic situation.
The invention may thus be used to adapt the luminous flux of headlamps. The luminous flux is generally defined as the quantity that corresponds to the light power emitted by a source and is expressed in lumens ( lm). The vehicles involved may be of any type and the invention relates in particular to those in which the driving means operate at least partly with electrical energy.
In the latter case, vehicle autonomy, that is to say the distance that the vehicle can travel without requiring to be resupplied with energy, is a particularly important parameter even though recent improvements in batteries have extended vehicle autonomy. A legitimate fear of a driver is that of breaking down or not being able to reach his intended geographical destination.
Current techniques essentially offer the driver the option of obtaining numerical information about the vehicle autonomy. The user is then simply left free to react to these data.
What is needed, therefore, is a system and method that provides improved control.

Vehicle headlamp control device and method


An optical filter 10 for filtering spatial frequencies from an output of an optical imaging system comprises a substantially transparent, or reflective, optical element 12 having a plurality of light refracting, or reflecting, segments 18 arranged on a surface thereof. Each of the plurality of segments 18 is provided with a predetermined angle of refraction, or reflection, distinct from adjacently located segments 18, wherein the different angles of refraction, or reflection, and the arrangement of the segments 18 on the optical element 12, are determined based on a desired spatial frequency transfer function for the filter 10. The optical spatial filter 10 reduces errors in optically formed images by accurately confining a broadened Point Spread Function (PSF) to a desired spot size.

The present invention relates generally to optical filters, and more particularly to an optical spatial filter for filtering spatial frequencies from an optically formed image.
Spatial filtering is routinely implemented in optical systems to decrease error in the corresponding image. Such error is primarily encountered in an image which has been sampled, resulting in a harmonic duplication of the original spectrum in the spatial frequency domain. Appropriate spatial filtering reduces this error. Optical spatial filtering is directly related to modifying the Point Spread Function (PSF) of the optical system. Therefore, modifying the PSF of an optical system by proper spatial filtering, can similarly reduce image error.
Historically, spatial filters were applied in the form of an opaque mask consisting of transparent or partially transparent apertures. However, such filters are limited in utility due to significant loss of light. In the last thirty years, transparent, phase-only spatial filters have been developed which do not suffer from this loss. These filters are generally comprised of a plurality of transparent subapertures on a transparent substrate wherein the relative thickness of subapertures is designed to adjust the phase composition of the light passing through the optical system. Such filters are generally impractical to fabricate, are quite sensitive to color variations and also produce a significant blurring of the image.
Other known optical low-pass filter arrangements have utilized a birefringent plate to refract the incident light into two almost overlapping images. However, birefringent plates are inherently very sensitive to polarization, wavelength variation and direction of the incident light. Also, birefringent plate filters have an attendant high cost due to the materials, e.g. quartz, used to construct the filter.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,413, entitled "Optical Phase-Only Spatial Filter," incorporated by reference herein, a new type of transparent spatial filter is taught utilizing a plurality of subapertures which provide filtering by destroying spatial coherence. Such a forth is much more practical to fabricate than the previous forms and is much less sensitive to color. However, the above described filter still produces significant image blur due to the inherent filtering effect as well as to scattering by the filter structure. Further, the difficulties associated with the above forms of spatial filters restrict their optimum location in the optical system to regions significantly removed from the image plane, primarily due to increased scattering in the associated diffraction-based designs as the image plane is approached.
The most common use of a spatial filter is to broaden the PSF of an optical system--increasing the size of the smallest resolvable detail. Image blur is produced by current spatial filters because such spreading cannot be entirely confined to a desired spot size.


High pressure presses, components for high pressure presses and related methods are provided herein. In one embodiment of the invention, a press base may include a piston cavity formed in the press base and a piston cavity sleeve positioned in the piston cavity. The piston cavity sleeve may include a wall having an outer surface and an inner surface opposite the outer surface. The piston cavity sleeve may further include a floor having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite the upper surface. An outer radius may be formed at a juncture of the outer surface of the wall and lower surface of the floor and an inner radius may be formed at a juncture of the inner surface of the wall and upper surface of the floor. The inner radius may exhibit a radius of curvature that is greater than a radius of curvature of the outer radius.

High pressure presses have been used for decades in the manufacture of, for example, synthetic diamond. Such presses are capable of exerting a high pressure and high temperature on a volume of carbonaceous material to reproduce the conditions that create natural diamond inside the earth. Known designs for high pressure presses include, but are not limited to, belt presses, tetrahedral presses, and cubic presses.
FIG. 1 shows a basic design for a conventional cubic press 10 known in the art. The design generally includes six press bases 12, with each press base 12 aligned relative to a common central region 14. Each press base 12 exhibits a generally tapered geometry, having a first face 18 with one cross-sectional area and a second, opposing face 16 exhibiting a cross-sectional area larger than that of the first face 18.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a piston cavity 20 is formed in the first face or surface 18 of each press base 12 and a piston 22 is disposed therein. Piston 22 may be thrust out of piston cavity 20 and towards common central region 14 shown in FIG. 1 by, for example, the introduction of hydraulic fluid into piston cavity 20. In operation, pistons 22 are displaced out of their associated press bases 12 towards common central region 14 to exert pressure on each face of a cubic volume of carbonaceous material located at common central region 14.
Piston cavity 20 exhibits a generally cylindrical shape and includes a side wall 21 that is generally perpendicular to a bottom 23 of piston cavity 20. Piston cavity 20 also has a small radius 25 providing a curved transition at the juncture of side wall 21 and bottom 23 of piston cavity 20.
Piston 22 is received in piston cavity 20 and has a size and shape approximately equal to the size and shape of piston cavity 20, including a radiused or chamfered edge 27 at a bottom corner of piston 22 to allow clearance of radius 25 in piston cavity 20. Press base 12 includes a fluid input line 24 which extends from an outer side surface 28 of press base 12 to bottom 23 of piston cavity 20. Hydraulic fluid is pumped into piston cavity 20 via fluid input line 24, which then causes piston 22 to be displaced out of piston cavity 20 with a desired amount of force.
As piston 22 is displaced towards common central region 14 and applies pressure to a cubic volume located at common central region 14, counter forces act on piston 22. Counter forces may result from the resistance by the cubic volume as well as the other pistons 22 pushing against the cubic volume from other directions. Ideally, the counter forces are cumulatively balanced. In other words, it is preferable that the magnitude and direction of the forces are such that they counteract one another and focus the force on the central region. Under such conditions, any stress or strain experienced by the components of the cubic press is within predicted design parameters.
However, ideal operation of the cubic press is difficult to achieve due to the many factors. Indeed, some imbalance is typically exhibited between the forces and counter forces distributed among the press bases 12. For example, misaligned components of the cubic press 10 may lead to uneven and misdirected forces and counter forces. Imperfections in the manufacture of components, such as surface imperfections, may also lead to uneven and misdirected counter forces. Additionally, imbalanced hydraulics, whether due to the design of the hydraulics system, improper functioning of hydraulic components, or other inherencies within the system, may result in imbalanced forces within a given press.
Thus, referring to FIG. 4, the desired direction of a counter force is along the same axis A that piston 22 moves along as it is displaced out of piston cavity 20. However, FIG. 4 also illustrates how factors as described above may result in counter forces that combine to act along a different axis B, which is different than the axis along which the pistons are thrust out of the piston cavities.
Uneven and misdirected counter forces may result in detrimental stresses being applied to the components of cubic press 10, including press bases 12. When too much stress is exerted on these components, cracks may begin to form. Once cracks are formed, press bases 12 are weakened and further deformation, crack propagation and component failure become more likely. In other words, cracking and undue bending of components of cubic press 10 can lead to a shorter fatigue life for such components and, thus, more failures of the device, more maintenance and higher operating costs.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide an improved press base of a high pressure press, improved components for a press base as well as methods of improving a press base of a high pressure press.

Reinforced press base, piston cavity sleeve, and method of reinforcing a press base


A fixing rotational body is rotated immediately before shifting from a standby mode to a power saving mode in which not only power supply to a heater and the rotation of the fixing rotational body are stopped but also a timer is stopped so that the reliability of the thermistor detection temperature when returning from the power saving mode is improved, and fixing defect is prevented while power consumption in the power saving mode is reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image forming apparatuses, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus that shifts to a power saving mode after a lapse of a predetermined time from the end of printing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many conventional electrophotographic copiers and printers adopt a heating roller fixing device of a contact heating type with high efficiency and safety or a film heating system as a heat fixing portion.
The heating roller fixing portion of the heating roller fixing system is mainly composed of a heating roller (fixing roller) serving as a heating rotational body and an elastic roller serving as a heating rotational body that is in pressure contact therewith. The roller pair is rotated so that a recording material (recording sheet, electrostatic recording sheet, electrofax sheet, print sheet, etc.) serving as a workpiece on which an unfixed image (hereinafter, referred to as a toner image) is formed and born is introduced into a fixing nip portion that is a pressure contact nip portion between the roller pair and is conveyed through the fixing nip portion, and thus, the toner image is fixed as a permanent image on the surface of the recording material with heat from the heating roller and the pressure of the fixing nip portion.
The heat fixing portion of the film heating system is a device in which a heat resistive film (fixing film), which is a heating rotational body, is slidingly conveyed while it is brought into contact with a fixed heater, such as a ceramic heater, using a pressing rotational body (elastic pressure roller), and a recording material bearing a toner image is introduced into a fixing nip portion, which is a contact pressure nip portion formed between the heater and the pressing rotational body, with the film interposed therebetween, and is conveyed together with the film to thereby fix the toner image on the recording material as a permanent image with heat applied from the heater via the film and the pressure of the fixing nip portion.
These heat fixing portions perform heating fixation in such a manner that a temperature detection device, such as a thermistor, is disposed at the heating roller or the ceramic heater, serving as a heating member, to control the fixing temperature to a desired degree. In this case, if it is controlled to a constant fixing temperature, the amount of heat applied to the sheet changes depending on the degree of warming of heat fixing portion, in particular, the pressure roller, which sometimes cause fixing defect or hot offset. Therefore, various methods for controlling the fixing temperature depending on the degree of warming of the heat fixing portion have been proposed.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-169407 discloses a method of measuring a print stop time and setting a fixing temperature from the measurement, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-69205 discloses a method for setting an optimum fixing temperature from a printing time and number-of-prints information.
Power saving of the apparatus has recently been required, and in particular, reduction of power consumption during standby has been required. Therefore, a power saving mode (hereinafter referred to as a sleep mode) is widely adopted in which power consumption is reduced by, for example, a method of shutting off power supply of part of the electric circuit of the apparatus during standby.
However, the sleep mode also reduces power supply to a CPU or the like that controls the apparatus, which makes it impossible to monitor the temperature of the heat fixing portion and perform timer measurement and calculating operation of a number-of-prints counter or the like, etc. during the sleep mode. Thus, there is no information indicating the temperature changes of the heat fixing portion and the degree of warming of the heat fixing portion, such as the stop time and the number of prints; therefore, a fixing temperature for a print job after returning from the sleep mode is determined only from the detection temperature, at the start of printing, of a temperature detection device disposed at the heating member. This precludes appropriate fixing temperature control based on the degree of warming of the heat fixing portion, thus posing the situation of insufficient heat supply to sheets to cause fixing defect or the situation of excessive heat supply to cause hot offset.
Thus, there is also a method in which a temperature detection device, such as a thermistor, is disposed on the surface of the pressure roller, and the fixing temperature is determined depending on the degree of warming of the pressure roller. However, an additional temperature detection device and a detection circuit may be needed for temperature detection, thus increasing the cost.
Furthermore, increasing power supply to the CPU to allow temperature monitoring and the calculating operation of the number-of-prints counter etc. for controlling the fixing temperature makes it impossible to reduce the power consumption during standby, which makes it impossible to respond to the request for power consumption.

Image forming apparatus for shifting to a power saving mode after a lapse of a predetermined time


A method and system for managing an aircraft's flight path by identifying and categorizing potential threats in the aircraft's original flight path and determining an alternate flight path. The alternate flight path is selected from potential flight paths and has a threat value lower than any of the potential flight paths. The potential flight path candidates are generated from combinations of the original flight path coordinates, and coordinates that vary from the original coordinates by a set range.

1. Field of Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to a method of assessing a total threat for a flight path.
2. Description of Prior Art
Methods exist for assessing threats associated with a given flight path. One example of an assessment algorithm defines mission success using the formula—Mission Success =A0*Rm*S*Pk*Pd*Pc*Pe*Pwk.                Where:                    A0: Mission Availability,            Rm: Mission Reliability,            S: Probability of Survival,            Pk: Probability to Kill the Target,            Pd: Probability of detection,            Pc: Probability of Engagement, and            Pwk: Probability of Weapon to achieve the desired level of Kill.Modeling the Ship as a Weapon System", Green, John, 69th MORS Symposium, Annapolis, Md., June 2001.
The method requires the processing of a large amount of information, complex (hypothesis based) algorithm, special high speed computer resources, and on-board sensors. For real-time application, the algorithm will compute, update, and display the information of Pms (probability of mission success) assessment values. This can be a very complex and intensive mathematical operation.
Another example of an assessment algorithm uses time based position valves, such as azimuth, elevation, and altitude, to model radar threats as point sources. Point source evaluation however provides only a single position assessment which can provide error since a threat from a radar is typically part of a distributed threat system. Moreover, a full flight path threat assessment may become unnecessary if the flight path is altered or new threats are encountered. As such, single position value based threat assessments do not properly represent a realistic threat assessment that can in turn reduce ownship survivability and affect Pms.
Prior to aircraft take-off, a pilot is typically assigned a mission plan. having fly path waypoints (sometimes referred to as mission waypoints). Mission types include, deep air support (DAS), mission for special operations, reconnaissance, bombing, attack, and support. Typically an aircraft (herein refer also as ownship) follows a mission plan and flies its intended fly-path, passing predetermined waypoints. Waypoints are sometimes referred to as mission waypoints. The distance between two consecutive mission waypoints can often be relatively large. At the mission onset it is assumed the pilot will proceed on a mostly straight line path between adjacent mission waypoints. However this is subject to change due to the nature of the mission plan, terrain, and/or conditions that may be encountered.
Ownship vulnerability from ground based radar threats can be computed using current position data to compute the presented radar cross section (RCS) signature. Knowing the ownship radar receiver signal to noise minimum (SNR min) value, the maximum detectable free space range is computed while the slant range to the radar threat is computed from the positional data. If the slant range exceeds the SNR min range the probability of detection Pd is 0, otherwise the Pd value is set at its default, which is 1. Pd has been calculated using threat radar parameters and slant range, the total Pd is from all known threats is calculated from its current position and displayed to a pilot or mission planner. When the ownship reaches the next waypoint, the process can be repeated with new Pd values determined and displayed. The threat assessment however is only useful at the fixed positions and at the instantaneous ownship spatial orientations. RCS and Pd plots (polar plots) are typically displayed along the flight path with the radar threat positions.


A system and method for detection of a list in ink input is provided. A detector is provided that may detect a list such as a bulleted or numbered list of items in ink input. A group of lines may first be selected as a candidate list. Indentation level clustering and bullet detection may then be performed to determine the structure of the list. Bullet detection may be performed by detecting bullet partners, which are pairs of lines at the same indentation level that may begin with bullet candidates with similar features. The features of the bullet candidates in a pair of lines may be used to determine the likelihood of whether the pair of lines may be bullet partners. Finally, the structure of the list may be determined, including the relationship among the list items.

The ability to detect a list is important for users to be able to write and draw directly on their computers using ink input or ink notes. Current hardware and software may be able to capture ink representing handwriting reasonably well but is currently unable to similarly detect and represent the meaning of handwritten structures such as a list of items in ink input. As a result, users may instead use menu-based application programs to create structures for text such as a list. Various structures may be presented by such application programs for a user to select and/or use in formatting input text. For example, a word processing application program may include a menu option for formatting text as a bulleted or numbered list of items.
Research focused on recognition of hand-drawn objects has yielded marginal results to date. For instance, incremental recognition algorithms have been used that may recognize simple geometric shapes such as a circle or a box from a specific number of strokes made in a particular order. However, such incremental algorithms rely on stroke order and/or assume a particular number of strokes in order to recognize a particular hand-drawn object. Such an approach fails to be robust for several reasons. First of all, none of the incremental algorithms solves the grouping problem of deciding which collection of strokes belongs together because those strokes represent a specific structure or shape. Without the ability to group strokes together that belong to a structure or shape, incremental algorithms may not accommodate multi-stroke structures such as lists.
What is needed is a way for detecting and representing the meaning of hand-written structures that may be insensitive to stroke input order and/or the number of strokes required to form a given structure. Any such system and method should be able to detect multi-stroke hand-written structures and be able to decide which collection of strokes belong together that represent a handwritten structure.

System and method for detecting a list in ink input


The present disclosure relates to a base station antenna. The base station antenna comprises: a reflector and radome supports mounted on the reflector, wherein the reflector comprises a body portion and a bent portion, the bent portion including at least a first section that is connected to and bent relative to the body portion of the reflector, wherein one or more arrays of radiating elements are mounted on or above the body portion of the reflector, wherein the radome support includes a support portion for supporting the radome and a mating portion for mating with the reflector, wherein a first support limiting portion is provided on the mating portion of the radome support, a first reflector limiting portion mating with the first support limiting portion is provided on the body portion of the reflector, and the first support limiting portion mates with the first reflector limiting portion to limit at least the position of the radome support in a width direction H. This enables the radome supports to be mounted on the reflector at an efficient and reliable manner.

Base station antennas, usually placed in the open air, may be directly affected by storms, ice, snow, dust and solar radiation in the natural environment, resulting in reduced accuracy, shortened service life and poor reliability of the antenna system. Thus, it is necessary to provide a radome in the base station antenna to protect the antenna system from the external environment.
In order to secure the radome and prevent it from toppling to damage the antenna system, there is usually a further demand to additionally provide radome supports to support the radome. Due to the presence of design errors and manufacturing tolerances, how to mount the radome supports at high efficiency and reliability has become a problem urgently to be solved.


A system for separating an ethanol-gasoline blended fuel into gasoline and ethanol-water mixture by mixing water therewith with a lightweight, compact and simple configuration is provided. The system includes a fuel tank for storing a blended fuel; pump means for sucking the blended fuel in the fuel tank, separating the blended fuel into gasoline and ethanol-water mixture by mixing water therewith, and pressure-feeding the separated gasoline and ethanol-water mixture; a separation tank provided inside the fuel tank, and storing the gasoline and the ethanol-water mixture pressure-fed by the pump means in a state separated from each other and in a pressurized state; gasoline drawing means for drawing the gasoline stored in the separation tank via a first on-off valve; and ethanol drawing means for drawing the ethanol-water mixture stored in the separation tank via a second on-off valve.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel tank system which stores an ethanol-gasoline blended fuel obtained by blending ethanol with gasoline.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, it has been studied that an ethanol-gasoline blended fuel is employed as an automobile fuel. Bioethanol obtained by fermentation and distillation of plant substances, for example, agricultural crops such as sugar cane and corn can be used as the ethanol. By properly managing soil, the plant substances can provide a so-called carbon neutral effect. The carbon neutral effect means that since a plant as a feedback in itself has already absorbed carbon dioxide, the amount of carbon dioxide to be emitted is equal to the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the plant itself when ethanol obtained from the plant substance is burned, and total emissions of carbon dioxide theoretically become zero. Accordingly, by using the ethanol-gasoline blended fuel as an automobile fuel, the emissions of carbon dioxide can be reduced, so as to contribute to the prevention of global warming.
When considered as a fuel, the ethanol has a high octane rating, and excellent anti-knocking properties in comparison with gasoline. Therefore, by using the ethanol as a fuel, knocking that limits the performance of an internal combustion engine can be suppressed.
However, in order to use only the ethanol as a fuel, high levels of ethanol is required, and also, the ethanol has less calorific value per unit volume than gasoline. Thus, the fuel consumption rate per unit volume could be deteriorated though thermal efficiency is improved by suppressing the knocking. Furthermore, since the ethanol is derived from plants, there is a limit to the amount of production.
Meanwhile, it is known that the knocking of an internal combustion engine occurs when the internal combustion engine is heavily loaded, and is unlikely to occur when the internal combustion engine is lightly loaded. Accordingly, by using the high levels of ethanol as a fuel only at the time of high load, the knocking can be efficiently suppressed.
Based on such an idea, the ratio of gasoline and ethanol supplied to the internal combustion engine may be controlled in accordance with a required load of the internal combustion engine by separating the ethanol-gasoline blended fuel into a gasoline and an ethanol-water mixture in an automobile by mixing water with the ethanol-gasoline blended fuel. For example, there is known a compression-ignition internal combustion engine for leading an oxygen containing gas and a fuel enabling compressed self-ignition into a cylinder and for compressing the same for self-ignition, the compression-ignition internal combustion engine being controlled by varying the supply of a blended fuel, the supply of a liquid hydrocarbon such as gasoline, and the supply of an ethanol-water mixture according to a required load of the compression-ignition internal combustion engine (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-132368).
Also, the present applicant filed a gasoline-ethanol separating apparatus comprising first to fourth fuel tanks, a water tank and first to fourth metering pumps as an apparatus for separating the ethanol-gasoline blended fuel into a gasoline and an ethanol-water mixture by mixing water with the ethanol-gasoline blended fuel in order to control the ratio of gasoline and ethanol supplied to the internal combustion engine according to the required load of the internal combustion engine as described above (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-46538).
The gasoline-ethanol separating apparatus comprises the water tank for storing water, the first fuel tank for storing the ethanol-gasoline blended fuel, the second fuel tank for separating the ethanol-gasoline blended fuel into the gasoline and the ethanol-water mixture by mixing water therewith, the third fuel tank for storing the separated gasoline, and the fourth fuel tank for storing the separated ethanol-water mixture. The gasoline-ethanol separating apparatus further comprises the first to fourth metering pumps for transferring liquid among the water tank and the respective first to fourth fuel tanks. In order to respectively draw the gasoline stored in the third fuel tank and the ethanol-water mixture stored in the fourth fuel tank and supply the same to the internal combustion engine, a metering pump is further required for each of the third and fourth fuel tanks. As a result, the gasoline-ethanol separating apparatus inevitably has a large weight.
The present applicant further proposed a gasoline-ethanol separating apparatus which intends to reduce its weight by controlling a pressure inside the water tank and the respective first to fourth fuel tanks instead of providing the metering pumps to supply fuel (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-56707).
Since the metering pumps are not used in the gasoline-ethanol separating apparatus which intends to reduce its weight, the entire apparatus can be reduced in weight. However, the gasoline-ethanol separating apparatus which intends to reduce its weight is not changed in that the apparatus comprises the five tanks of the water tank and the respective first to fourth fuel tanks, and the entire apparatus is inevitably of large size. Also, since liquid is transferred by use of a difference in internal pressure of the respective tanks, the control is inevitably complicated.
Accordingly, there is demanded a system capable of separating the ethanol-gasoline blended fuel into a gasoline and an ethanol-water mixture by mixing water with the ethanol-gasoline blended fuel with a lightweight, compact and simple configuration in order to be mounted on an automobile.


A method is used for creating a biological feature data in an electronic apparatus with a user-operable controller. The method includes: capturing at least a biological feature of a user in response to a control signal generated by the controller due to a manipulating input operation of the user, thereby generating a biological feature data for user verification; and storing the biological feature data for user verification in the electronic apparatus while normally executing the control signal to perform a function corresponding to the manipulating input operation of the user.

In consideration of information security, it is more and more common to impart a user-verifying function to an electronic device, and more particularly to a portable device such as USB drive, smart phone, laptop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), etc. Generally, the user-verifying function is performed by way of biological feature check, e.g. fingerprint check.
Please refer to FIG. 1A, which schematically shows the appearance of a smart phone, and FIG. 1B, which illustrates the flowchart of a conventional fingerprint-verifying process applied to the smart phone. After a user switches on the power of the smart phone 1 (Step 101), a booting process is executed (Step 102), and then a prompt window pops up on the display 10 (Step 103), instructing the user to perform fingerprint check through a scanner 11 disposed on the phone (Step 104). After acquiring an image data corresponding to the user's fingerprint, the smart phone 1 compares it with a previously stored image data (Step 105). If a comparable result is obtained, the smart phone enters a normal operation mode (Step 106) so as to allow the user to normally operate the phone. Thus the user may input commands via an optical mouse 12 as shown in FIG. 1A or the display 10 when it is a touch screen. On the contrary, if the acquired image data does not conform to the previously stored image data, the smart phone enters a locked mode so that the input means is disabled from normal command input (Step 107).
It is understood from the above that a fingerprint image data is required to be previously stored for subsequent comparison. The method for creating fingerprint image data in a smart phone is usually complicated and unfriendly to a user.
Please refer to FIG. 2 which illustrates a flowchart of a conventional method for creating a fingerprint image data in a smart phone. After the smart phone is powered on (Step 200), a series of user's inputs through the optical mouse or touch screen by way of an operational menu are required (Step 201) before a fingerprint-creating step can be started with a popup window instructing creation of fingerprint (Step 202). For data creation, the smart phone enters a training mode. Under the training mode, the user's fingerprint image data is captured by the fingerprint scanner 11 (Step 203), and the captured image data is stored in the phone (Step 204) as the reference for subsequent user verification described above.
As described above, fingerprint data needs to be created and stored in advance using a fingerprint scanner so that subsequent verification can be performed. The training mode for acquiring the reference fingerprint data complicates the operation of the phone and thus confuses or bothers the user. Consequently, the fingerprint-verifying function is likely to leave unused, and the information security becomes risky.

Method and electronic apparatus for creating biological feature data


Requests from file system services of a storage system are registered. Each file system service, when executed, utilizes one or more resources of the storage system. Each request includes information describing resource requirements required by a respective file system service. Resource utilization data of the resources are collected over a period of time. The resource utilization data includes an identification of a resource, a timestamp, and a measurement indicating a utilization level of the resource corresponding to the timestamp. A machine learning model is trained to predict utilization patterns of the resources. Execution of the file system services are scheduled based on the predicted utilization patterns. Monitoring is conducted during the execution of the file system services. Based on the monitoring a determination is made as to whether the machine learning model should be retrained.

The functioning of a computer system, including distributed computing networks and storage systems, relies on the regular execution of a variety of underlying services. Such services, when executed, consume resources such as disk, processing cycles, memory, network, and so forth. These services are necessary to help guarantee the integrity of the system, detect problems, reclaim storage space, and much more.
Administrators typically schedule these services to run at fixed times such as off-peak hours when use of system resources is expected to be low. Increasingly, however, computer systems are being asked to process workloads 24/7 as globalization has resulted in connected systems being deployed all across the world and in different time zones. For example, a distributed or network system may be used by users in India and the U.S. Local times that may be considered off-peak in the U.S. may correspond to peak times in India, and vice-versa.
Further, as the resource utilization changes over time, fixed or manual scheduling becomes inefficient when it collides with resource busy times and/or underutilizes available resources at other times.
Therefore, there is a need for systems and techniques that can adapt to changes and provide intelligent scheduling of services so as to make efficient use of resources.
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.

Machine learning based resource availability prediction


Included in a gas turbine casing and a gas turbine are a first casing that has a first flange portion, first connecting holes, and first notches; a second casing that has a second flange portion, a plurality of second connecting holes, and second notches; and fastening bolts to fasten the first flange portion and the second flange portion with the portions being closely attached to each other and with each fastening bolt penetrating the corresponding first and second connecting holes. A first radial direction ratio (L/H) is set to be from 0.09 to 0.11 where H is a length of each of the first flange portion and the second flange portion in a radial direction, and L is a length of each of the first notch and the second notch in a radial direction.

For example, a gas turbine is used as an aircraft engine of, for example, a helicopter and a jet plane. The aircraft gas turbine is made up of a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. Therefore, the compressor compresses air taken in from an air inlet to generate high-temperature and high-pressure compressed air, and the combustor supplies fuel to the compressed air to burn the fuel to generate high-temperature and high-pressure combustion gas, such that the combustion gas drives the turbine. In the case of a helicopter, a rotor is rotated by the driving force of the turbine; in the case of a jet plane, thrust is produced by the energy of exhaust gas.
The compressor, the combustor, and the turbine as components of an aircraft gas turbine are accommodated in a casing having a cylindrical shape. The casing includes, for example, a first casing to accommodate the compressor, a second casing to accommodate the combustor, and a third casing to accommodate the turbine, and the three casings are serially connected with one another. In this case, each casing is provided with a flange portion having a ring shape at an end of a case body having a cylindrical shape, and the respective flange portions are fastened by a plurality of bolts and connected with each other with the respective flange portions being closely attached to each other.
At the time of operating the aircraft gas turbine, the casing becomes high temperature because high-temperature combustion gas and exhaust gas flow into the casing. The outside of the casing is exposed to low-temperature ambient air; the inside of the casing comes into contact with the high-temperature gas. Therefore, sudden changes in temperature occur at the time of activating or stopping, thereby increasing the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the aircraft gas turbine, generating a large thermal stress, and increasing the amount of thermal deformation accordingly. Particularly, at a casing connecting portion, an increased temperature gradient from the casing body to an outer periphery of the flange portion generates a high stress exceeding a yield stress at bolt holes and the outer periphery of the flange portion. Accordingly, repetition of activating and stopping considerably decreases the service life of the flange portion because of the low-cycle fatigue acting on the flange portion.
To solve such a problem, for example, provided is a flange structure as described in Patent Literature 1 listed below. The flange structure of a pipe described in Patent Literature 1 is such that a plurality of notches depressed inward in a radial direction of the flange are formed on the outer periphery of the flange of the pipe, at intervals in a circumferential direction of the flange.

MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES AERO ENGINES, LTD.