An enclosure for one or more loudspeakers includes a housing having a top panel, a bottom panel, a front panel, a back panel and opposed end panels collectively defining a hollow interior which is open at an aperture formed in one of the panels. A baffle is mounted within the housing interior which supports one or more loudspeakers and forms a port to direct sound radiating from the back of the speakers to the aperture. All of the panels, and at least the portion of the baffle which is visible through the aperture, are covered with carpeting to provide a finished appearance for mounting of the enclosure within the interior of a vehicle.

This invention relates to enclosures for loudspeakers, and, more particularly, to a ported enclosure for one or more loudspeakers in which sound emanating from opposite ends of the loudspeaker(s) is transmitted to an aperture by a baffle which mounts the loudspeaker(s) in the enclosure and forms a port with the panels of the enclosure. Each of the panels, and at least a portion of the baffle which can be seen through the aperture, are covered with carpeting to provide a finished appearance for mounting in the interior of a vehicle.
Audio systems are standard equipment in most vehicles, and they typically include a radio, compact disc player and a number of loudspeakers such as tweeters, mid-range speakers and woofers. The quality of the sound obtained from vehicle audio systems is dependent, in large part, on the loudspeakers which are used in the system. More expensive vehicles tend to be provided with upgraded speakers and more of them, while comparatively inferior speakers are used as standard equipment in other vehicles.
Many individuals, and particularly those with good home audio systems, have come to insist on improved sound quality in their vehicle audio systems so that the music they listen to in a truck or car sounds reasonably close to the way it does at home. This demand has fueled the development of after market audio systems for vehicles in which many of the original components of the vehicle""s audio system, and especially the loudspeakers, are replaced with better quality components. Additionally, new components are introduced in many after market systems such as subwoofer loudspeakers which are intended to reproduce low frequency sound thus freeing the woofers and mid-range speakers of the system to reproduce only the higher frequencies for which they are primarily designed.
The addition of subwoofers to vehicle audio systems has improved overall sound quality but also presented some difficulties, particularly in how such speakers are located in the vehicle. Because subwoofers are ordinarily not included as part of original vehicle audio systems, there is usually no location within the vehicle which has been specifically designed by the manufacturer to mount same. As a result, enclosures or cabinets for subwoofers have been developed which for some vehicles have a custom configuration to fit a particular space, and for other vehicles are constructed to mount in the trunk area or the like. In either case, most enclosures for subwoofers have panels whose exterior surfaces are covered with carpeting to provide a durable finish and blend well with the vehicle environment.
One method of fabricating enclosures for subwoofers or other speakers is known as the xe2x80x9cwrapxe2x80x9d method. It is designed to simplify the attachment of carpeting to the enclosure panels while making it easy to connect the panels to one another. The wrap method generally comprises initially cutting out four side panels, e.g., the top, bottom, front and back sides of the enclosure, and forming beveled edges along the length of each one. The ends of the side panels are also formed with grooves or dados to mount the end panels of the enclosure as described below. The side panels are affixed by glue or the like to a continuous length of carpeting so that their beveled edges are located adjacent to one another. The panels are then xe2x80x9cfoldedxe2x80x9d together, with glue introduced along their beveled edges, to form a rectangular shape which is held in place by the carpeting. Before the rectangular shape is closed, the end panels are affixed by glue within the grooves at the ends of the side panels. When the last side panel is folded into place, the two edges that border the carpet ends are glued and nailed together. As such, only one seam is mechanically fastened, while all of the other seams or panel connections are held in place by the glue and carpeting.
Loudspeaker enclosures made with the wrap method or by other techniques sometimes include a xe2x80x9cportxe2x80x9d or vent consisting of a duct or length of pipe inserted within the enclosure interior which causes the volume of air inside the enclosure to acoustically resonate at a particular frequency. This resonance frequency is determined by the internal volume of the enclosure and the diameter and length of the port. Ports are usually constructed from lengths of plastic pipe, or a duct can be built into the structure of the enclosure itself. The cross sectional area of the port must be chosen to pass sufficient volume of air in and out of the enclosure without creating turbulence which can contaminate the sound output.
In high power applications, larger port cross sections are often needed to pass increased volumes of air. In turn, it is often necessary to increase the length of the port to maintain the same system resonance frequency with a larger port cross section. The overall length of the port is limited by the depth of the enclosure since the inwardly extending end of the port must be spaced from the rear enclosure boundary so that flow is not restricted and the port resonates properly. Consequently, ports are often constructed with a bend in the pipe or a duct built into the enclosure. Both of these alternatives add time, complexity and cost to the enclosure construction.
One particular type of ported loudspeaker enclosure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,885 to Froeschle. This enclosure is rectangular in cross section having a front wall, back wall, top wall, bottom wall and opposed end walls collectively defining a hollow interior which is divided into front and rear chambers by a partition. The partition mounts a loudspeaker in position to face the front wall, and also mounts a first port tube which extends between the two chambers. A second port tube is mounted in the front wall of the enclosure which extends into the front chamber.
Ported enclosures of the type disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,885 are commonly referred to as xe2x80x9cband passxe2x80x9d enclosures because the front chamber and front port, through which all radiation from the loudspeaker must pass, acoustically filter the high frequency output of the system. Such effect occurs since the front port, coupled to the front chamber, resonates at a given frequency thus allowing only certain frequencies to pass from the enclosure into the listening environment. The front port is therefore specifically designed to act as a resonance-tuning device in the frequency range of interest.
Regardless of the method of fabricating a ported loudspeaker, or whether or not it is considered to constitute a band pass enclosure, it is necessary to xe2x80x9cdressxe2x80x9d or finish the appearance of the inside of the enclosure in the area of the port because one can see directly into the enclosure interior through the port. The appearance of unfinished wood within the enclosure interior is aesthetically unacceptable. Although attempts have been made to cosmetically treat this area, such as with the use of paint or a laminated covering, these solutions add expense and additional time to the enclosure construction.
It is therefore among the objectives of this invention to provide an enclosure for a loudspeaker which is visually acceptable in the environment of a vehicle, which is economical to fabricate, and which effectively transmits sound produced by loudspeakers mounted therein externally of the enclosure.
These objectives are accomplished in an enclosure for one or more loudspeakers which includes a housing having a top panel, a bottom panel, a front panel, a back panel and opposed end panels collectively defining a hollow interior which is open at an aperture formed in one of the panels. A baffle is mounted within the housing interior which supports one or more loudspeakers to form a port which directs sound radiating from both the front and back of the loudspeaker(s), or only the back of such speaker(s), to the aperture. All of the panels, and the baffle, are covered with carpeting to provide a finished appearance for mounting of the enclosure within the interior of a vehicle.
In the presently preferred embodiment, the wrap method described above is used to cover the top, bottom, front, back and opposed ends of the housing of the enclosure with carpeting. A baffle structure, which mounts one or more speakers within the housing interior, is covered with carpeting in a separate operation and then connected to the top or bottom panel before the panels of the housing are xe2x80x9cfoldedxe2x80x9d together. This ensures that the portion of the enclosure interior which can be seen through the aperture also has a finished appearance. When the panels are interconnected as described above, the baffle structure is affixed between the top and bottom panels such that the loudspeaker(s) mounted thereto are positioned to direct sound from the front and back of the loudspeaker, or only the back thereof, toward the aperture formed in the housing.
As is well known, movement of the diaphragm of a loudspeaker in an axial direction produces sound waves which propagate in opposite directions, i.e., toward the xe2x80x9cfrontxe2x80x9d of the speaker where the diaphragm is mounted and toward the motor structure at the xe2x80x9cbackxe2x80x9d of the speaker. Some embodiments of this invention involve the construction and orientation of a baffle within the interior of the enclosure so that the sound produced in both the front and back directions is transmitted to the aperture. Preferably, the baffle mounts one or more speakers in position relative to the aperture so that sound emanating from the front of the speaker(s) is directed to the aperture. Additionally, the baffle is located with respect to the panels of the enclosure so that spaces are formed therebetween. These spaces form a port along which sound emanating from the back of the speaker is directed toward the aperture. In alternative embodiments, the spaces which form the port are located between the side panels of the housing and the baffle, or between the top panel of the housing and the baffle. Consequently, the sound produced by the diaphragm in both the front and back directions is combined in the area of the aperture and exits the speaker enclosure together to enhance the overall sound produced by the speaker.
The embodiments of this invention described above are referred to as xe2x80x9cportedxe2x80x9d enclosures in view of the formation of a port for transmitting sound emanating from the back of the loudspeaker to an aperture at the front of the enclosure. In enclosures of this general type, a xe2x80x9croll-offxe2x80x9d or decrease in sound pressure level occurs at a particular low frequency, depending upon the specific construction of the port and enclosures, whereas the sound pressure level remains essentially constant at higher frequencies. The term xe2x80x9csound pressure levelxe2x80x9d as used herein refers to what would be perceived as loudness by a user of the speaker. A xe2x80x9cband-passxe2x80x9d enclosure, on the other hand, exhibits a roll-off in sound pressure levels at both a particular low frequency and high frequency. As such, the sound pressure level is maximized over a predetermined frequency range which is chosen for a particular speaker and application.
In an alternative embodiment of this invention, a band-pass enclosure is provided in which a baffle structure supporting one or more speakers is mounted within the enclosure interior forming a closed cavity at the front of the speaker and a flow path defined by the baffle and panels of the enclosure within which sound propagating from the back of the speaker is transmitted to an aperture at the front of the enclosure. Sound produced at the front of the speaker is confined by the closed cavity. The baffle structure includes a transparent section, visible through the aperture at the front of the enclosure, which forms part of the closed cavity. Additionally, other portions of the baffle structure which are visible are covered with carpeting employing the wrap method noted above.


The present embodiments relate to a semi-active suspension control system that utilizes controllable dampers for the purpose of improving maneuverability and vehicle hull stabilization. The disclosed semi-active control system can work in conjunction with a height management unit and on vehicles having variable ride heights, and hull stability and maneuverability can be achieved regardless of vehicle payload and ride height.

Armoured vehicles are designed to perform various operations while encountering specific threat conditions. In performing these operations, both the payload of the vehicle and the threat conditions that the vehicle encounters can vary dramatically. The payload and threat conditions often correspond to each other since various protection systems are installed on the vehicle depending on the particular theatre of operation. Vehicles are often loaded to the maximum allowed weight rating when the threat is large and have very little payload when there is no threat, such as during a training exercise. For safety considerations, it is important to not exceed the weight rating of the vehicle since critical subsystems could be affected, such as the brake system, the suspension system, the driveshaft, or the wheels.
The vehicle-rated payload may be defined as the difference between the gross weight and the empty weight. Payload is carried by the vehicle chassis as sprung mass and supported by the vehicle suspension system. Unsprung mass may be defined as the weight that is not carried by the suspension system, such as the suspension system itself, the axles and the wheels.
The purpose of a suspension system is to absorb dynamic forces of the sprung mass while the vehicle is in motion to ensure reliable and safe ride performance. This is particularly important for armoured vehicles in severe cross-country terrain and during cornering and transient steering maneuvers on hard surfaces. There are generally three types of suspension systems: passive, semi-active, and active. Passive systems are simple and cost-effective because they are based on fixed spring and damping rates that are optimized for one particular payload, but are incapable of optimization for variable payloads. Active systems can control both the spring and damping rates, but are expensive, require complex, high-power actuators at each wheel, and add a large amount of mass to the vehicle. The semi-active system disclosed herein, on the other hand, retains the advantages of an active system by allowing for controllable dampers and optimization for variable payloads and ride heights, but without the attendant cost, complexity, power requirements, or large increase in mass.
Suspension systems are typically designed for a particular weight grade and vehicle design. However, deployed armoured vehicles often have a widely varying payload and center of gravity. Further, it has proven difficult for a single suspension system to be utilized in different variants of the same vehicle design. As explained below, it is often beneficial to change the ride height of a vehicle, particularly armoured vehicles, to improve the mobility performance and survivability. A suspension system design for armoured vehicles should be tailored to support a family of vehicles with low- and high-sprung mass and variable ride heights to enable safe and reliable mobile performance under varying road conditions.
Several mathematical models exist to rate the mobility performance of military vehicles for different theatres of operation. One key performance criteria is defined as % No-Go, which characterizes the probability that a specific vehicle at a given weight would be unable to traverse the terrain when deployed to a specific theatre. The % No-Go always increases in relation with an increase in vehicle weight. However, by increasing vehicle ride height, it is generally possible to decrease the % No-Go (i.e., improve one aspect of the mobility performance) of a heavily loaded vehicle. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a controllable suspension system for armoured vehicles that is capable of supporting high ride conditions and a resultant high center of gravity for a heavily loaded vehicle that is to deploy to an operational theatre having severe terrain.
Another important rating for military vehicles is survivability. When subjected to an explosive force (e.g. an improvised explosive device (IED)), the survivability of a vehicle and its occupants is related to the vehicle ride height during the time of explosion. When the ride height is higher, the sprung mass (including the hull and occupants) is farther removed from the source of explosive force. It is generally recognized that the explosive force on the hull of a vehicle is reduced by approximately 5% for each 10 mm increase in the distance between the vehicle hull and the source of the explosive force.
Accordingly, when there is a threat of explosive devices aimed at the vehicle hull and its occupants, or to improve % No-Go when traversing severe terrain, it is desirable to increase the ride height by pumping additional gas in the gas springs. However, by increasing the amount of gas locked into a gas spring chamber, the force-deflection relationship of the spring is changed. The most important result is that the amount of available extension stroke is reduced and the available compression stroke is increased. The effect on the gas spring is that the longer compression stroke as well as the increase in gas mass leads to much higher pressures when the spring is compressed to its maximum stroke. The spring design needs to accommodate the higher pressure as well as a modified end stop design because of the shortened extension stroke due to an increased ride height.
While % No-Go and survivability can be improved by increasing ride height, a low ride height is beneficial for other aspects of mobility performance such as vehicle handling and maneuvering. Increasing the ride height increases the vehicle's center of gravity and the susceptibility of a rollover event. To prevent rollovers, armoured vehicles are generally designed to understeer when cornering at excessive speeds. The speed at which steering is limited is termed the critical understeering speed. Similarly, the critical tipping speed is the speed at which the vehicle would start tipping during cornering at a particular radius, and is indirectly proportional to the vehicle's vertical center of gravity or ride height. It is considered safe design practice to ensure that the critical understeering speed is considerably lower than the critical tipping speed. The suspension and steering design should be harmonized to ensure that the vehicle understeers in a constant radius curve long before the critical tipping speed occurs. Variables that affect understeering include axle spacing and lateral tire characteristics, and understeering is directly related to the fact that multi-axle vehicles have scrubbing (non-steerable) axles. There is a need in the prior art to control understeering for vehicles having a variable ride height. There is also a need to keep the vehicle flat during cornering so that the steering response and lateral traction do not substantially change when the vehicle goes from riding high to riding low, or vice versa.
Another purpose of a vehicle suspension system is to maximize traction between the tires and the road surface. During transient steering maneuvers, braking, or accelerating the vehicle rolls (left/right) and/or pitches (front/back). The rolling and pitching motions of the sprung mass result in patterns of weight transfer between the tires, which can lead to a momentary decrease or loss of traction at one or more tires, which in turn can result in unsafe handling performance. A vehicle with increased ride height is generally subject to greater rolling and pitching motions. Accordingly, there is a need in the prior art for a suspension system capable of controlling the rolling and pitching motions of a vehicle with a variable ride height, and therefore a variable center of gravity, to thereby ensure optimal mobility performance.
Some armoured vehicles are equipped with a height management system that adjusts the ride height of the vehicle by varying the column height of gas contained in each suspension spring under nominal conditions. Nominal conditions may be defined as the height relationship between the sprung and unsprung masses when the vehicle is at rest. The current state of the art is to control the vehicle ride height to a predetermined nominal level regardless of the distribution of wheel loads, vehicle payload, mission profile, vehicle speed, or transient driving conditions. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a controllable suspension system capable of working in conjunction with a height management system to actively control the damping response at variable ride heights (spring extension strokes) while the vehicle is in motion and under varying conditions. The objective is to ensure that vehicle ride and handling are indistinguishable for various ride heights by utilizing a generic damper algorithm that reacts appropriately to counteract the effects of increased rolling and pitching motions the vehicle experiences when driven at higher ride heights.

Controllable suspension architecture for enhanced armoured vehicle survivability


A rubber composition comprises, per 100 parts by weight of a diene rubber containing from 35% to 89% by weight of a modified conjugated diene polymer rubber and from 11% to 40% by weight of a butadiene rubber, from 3 to 60 parts by weight of an aromatic modified terpene resin and from 100 to 150 parts by weight of a filler. A ratio of the compounded amount of the aromatic modified terpene resin to the compounded amount of the butadiene rubber is from 0.5 to 1.3. An aromatic vinyl unit content is from 38% to 48% by weight of the modified conjugated diene polymer rubber, with a vinyl unit content being from 20% to 35% by weight of the modified conjugated diene polymer rubber, and a weight-average molecular weight of the modified conjugated diene polymer rubber being from 600,000 to 1,000,000.

Increased interest in global environmental issues has led to a demand for superior fuel consumption performance in pneumatic tires for high-performance vehicles, along with steering stability and braking performance when traveling on wet road surfaces. As a result, by compounding silica in rubber compositions that form tread portions, dynamic visco-elasticity characteristics of the tread rubber such as loss tangent (tan δ) and the like has been improved, heat build-up has been suppressed, rolling resistance reduced, and fuel consumption performance improved, in addition to improving wet performance. However, silica has poor affinity with diene rubber and dispersibility tends to be insufficient. Particularly, when the particle diameter of the silica is small, dispersibility worsens and, as a result, the effects of achieving reduced heat build-up and improving wet performance have not been obtainable. Additionally, its reinforcement action is small compared to carbon black, and it has not been possible to fully assure wear resistance.
To resolve this problem, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-91498A proposes improving the dispersibility of silica by a rubber composition in which silica is compounded in a terminal-modified solution polymerization styrene butadiene rubber where the terminals are modified by a polyorganosiloxane or the like, thereby reducing heat build-up (tan δ at 60° C.), enhancing wet grip performance (tan δ at 0° C.) and improving wear resistance. Additionally, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-321046A proposes a rubber composition comprising a styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber and, per 100 parts by weight thereof, from 80 to 180 parts by weight of a filler comprising not less than 50 parts by weight of a silica, and from 5 to 60 parts by weight of a resin having a softening point of 100 to 150° C.


An object is to provide an air conditioner-incorporating panel for a prefabricated house which can be safely moved so as to enhance the efficiency of operating of a step of assembling the prefabricated house.

Conventionally, as this type of wall panel for a prefabricated house, an air conditioner-incorporating panel which is previously proposed by the present applicant is disclosed in patent literature 1. In this air conditioner-incorporating panel, when an air conditioner is attached to a prefabricated house, a wall panel to which the air conditioner is attached is formed as a unit, and thus an operation of attaching the air conditioner is simplified, and the wall panel can also be reused.
Specifically, in the prefabricated house, on the inner and outer surfaces of the wall panel, the outdoor unit and the indoor unit of the air conditioner are previously assembled, the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are previously connected with cooling piping and a wiring code and thus a panel unit for an air conditioner is formed.
With the panel unit for an air conditioner as described above, an operation of processing a wiring outlet and a wiring operation which are performed locally are not needed at all, the operation of attaching the air conditioner can be simplified and moreover, the wall panel together with the air conditioner can be reused.

Structure and use of a panel with integrated air conditioner for prefabricated houses

Abstract: An outdoor unit P for an air conditioner is fixed to the outer surface of a wall panel 1 that is fitted to a prefabricated house. An indoor unit Q is fixed to the inner surface of the wall panel 1. A support base 2 is provided below the outdoor unit P on the side of a lower end portion of the outer surface of the wall panel 1. The wall panel 1, supported by the support base 2, is inclined so as to stand on its own at such an angle that loads on the inner and outer surfaces are equalized. Casters 3 are fitted to the lower surface of the support base 2.


A transmitter is provided. The transmitter includes an envelope tracking circuit, wherein the envelope tracking circuit includes an envelope circuit configured to generate, based on a baseband signal, an envelope signal indicating a temporal course of the baseband signal's envelope. Further, the envelope tracking circuit includes a bandwidth reduction circuit configured to generate a bandwidth reduced envelope signal based on the envelope signal, and a DC-to-DC converter configured to generate a supply voltage for a power amplifier of the transmitter based on the bandwidth reduced envelope signal. The transmitter additionally includes a predistortion circuit configured to generate a predistorted baseband signal based on the baseband signal and an adjustable predistortion configuration. The predistortion circuit is further configured to adjust the predistortion configuration based on the bandwidth reduced envelope signal.

Conventional ET has limited bandwidth capability due to high accuracy requirements for the time alignment between the ET-path and the main signal path. For example, a time misalignment of ±0.5 nsec may already lead to inacceptable high spectral degradation for a 60 MHz Radio Frequency (RF) signal. As a consequence, conventional transmit systems for high bandwidth signals use constant supply voltages for their Power Amplifiers (PA). Using a constant supply voltage, however, reduces system efficiency. Further, the higher the bandwidth of an envelope signal, the less efficient is the DC-DC tracker.
Hence, there may be a desire for an improved ET technique.

Transmitters and methods for operating the same


A data compression controller for processing data between a host system and at least one device is disclosed. The data compression controller comprises a compression coprocessor for converting data between first format and second format at a determined controller ratio. The compression has two buffers for storing data of the first and second formats. When data is to be compressed, the coprocessor receives data directly from the host system into the first buffer. The coprocessor reads the buffered data and compresses the data for output to the external device through the second buffer. A coprocessor interface is coupled to the coprocessor for monitoring the buffers to determine the state of the buffers and the coprocessor; for example, if the such that the data to be compressed flows smoothly and consistently through the coprocessor. The input/output (I/O) controller is coupled to the coprocessor and the device for transferring data between the second buffer and the device. The I/O controller interface monitors the state of the I/O controller and provides the necessary control signals to indicate when to begin the transfer of compressed data to the device. In addition, the I/O controller interface configures and controls the I/O controller according to the device. Therefore, a single An application interface is coupled to the host system, for decoding commands from the host system, and issuing corresponding signals to the components of the controller to execute the commands. The application interface monitors the status of the controller through the I/O controller interface and the coprocessor interface and provides status information to the host system such that the host timely provides data to the coprocessor and the necessary commands to the application interface to maintain continuous movement of data through the coprocessor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data compression devices, and more specifically to the data compression controllers communicating between a host system and external devices.
2. Art Background
As the sophistication of computer systems increases so does the need for manipulation of large amounts of data generated by the computer systems. Data compression is often used to minimize the size of certain data while maintaining the information contained therein. Data compression is also typically utilized to minimize the bandwidth of data transmitted or stored. Prior to transmission or storage, the data are compressed. The data are subsequently decompressed after transmission or after the data are retrieved from storage.
For example, it has become more and more common to create back-up memory storage on external storage devices for the main memory of a computer system. The hard disk drive in a personal computer system is often periodically backed up to an external tape drive. To maximize tape usage, the data from the hard disk drive are compressed before the data are subsequently loaded onto the tape drive. FIG. 1 illustrates a functional configuration for a memory backup system 1. Hard disk drive 11 and system random-access memory (RAM) 12 are typically configured with the host computer system CPU 13, while compressor (comp/de-comp) 15 is typically located on a separate card inserted into a slot on the bus. The CPU 13 controls the process. Under control of the CPU 13, the data stored in hard disk drive 11 are first transferred, through system bus 10, to RAM 12. The CPU 13 then forwards the data located in RAM 12 to comp/de-comp 15 which compresses the data. The CPU 13 causes compressed data to be stored again in RAM 12 before subsequently transferring the data to tape drive 14. Tape drive 14 is typically a streaming device with its efficiency dependent upon the continuity of data flow. Note that tape drive 14 is typically connected to the host computer system through a device bus, such as SCSI bus 16. Loading compressed data from tape drive 14 requires the same process in reverse with the de-compressor feature of comp/decomp 15. As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the back-up process is a slow and time-consuming due to the multiple bus transactions required for each data storage and data retrieval.
Because the data stored in hard disk drive 11 are almost always in different format, e.g. bit maps, spreadsheets, windows, and texts, etc., different compression ratios are applied by comp/decomp 15 as different data files are compressed. As a result, during a back-up process of various files from hard disk drive 11, tape drive 14 ends up in a stop-and-go state because the difference in compression ratios prevents the CPU 13 from providing a continuous stream of data to comp/decomp 15 and to tape drive 14. Furthermore, the back-up process requires the constant intervention from the CPU 13, thus diverting the CPU 13 from its other processing tasks. The conventional approach has therefore been found to be quite inefficient in terms of both processor and tape drive usage.
In addition, because compressed and decompressed data must be buffered through system RAM 12, the capacity of system RAM 12 directly affects the data through-put as more and more system-oriented software of a computer system, such as operating systems and network applications, must be stored in system RAM 12. The amount of memory in RAM 12 for compression and decompression storage may not be able to keep up with data flow, resulting in a slow down of the process and more frequent intervention by CPU 13 to facilitate the transfer of data which quickly fill the capacity of the buffers in RAM 12.
One alternative is to provide an on-board compression engine with each external or storage device (e.g. tape drive 14) to minimize the number of bus transactions and the frequency of CPU 13 involvement. However, this is not a practical option because of the increased cost of configuring a compression sub-system with each storage device. Furthermore the addition of hardware compression may not be possible with many existing external devices.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a data compression device capable of interfacing to a multiplicity of storage devices without continuous intervention by the host system.


The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program making it possible to further enhance entertainability. A play state recognition unit recognizes a play state of a game. The effect rendering unit performs image processing for adding an effect to an image representing the state of the commentator that makes a gaming commentary on the basis of the play state of the game recognized by the play state recognition unit. For example, a game status indicating predetermined information is displayed at a predetermined location on the game screen of the game in accordance with the play state of the game. The play state recognition unit analyzes the game status to recognize the play state of the game. The present technology can be applied to a video distribution service that distributes a video of a game screen, for example.

There is a conventional video distribution service in which a player of a game distributes a video of a game screen (already played video, real time video during playing, etc.). Such a video distribution service is referred to as a gaming commentary, in which a player who makes a commentary while playing a game (hereinafter also referred to as a gaming commentator or just commentator as appropriate) can enjoy the game together with a viewer of the video.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a content providing method of evaluating a game play on the basis of set evaluation criteria and distributing a game play commentary image satisfying the evaluation criteria to client terminals.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program


The present invention provides a method for resizing windows and an apparatus for resizing windows. The method, in one embodiment, involves selecting a seam bordering a window, building a list of windows, and resizing more than one window in response to a single scam movement by a user. The apparatus, in one embodiment, is a computer readable medium comprising a computer program for resizing windows.

Oftentimes, when working in a single computer application, or among several, it is desirable to resize more than one user interface window at the same time. This is especially true for computer applications that use multiple different windows to present information to the user. For example, professional video editing applications such as Apple Computer's Final Cut Pro provides an editor to integrate video and audio clips, as well as add in special effects to a presentation, each of which is represented by a different window of the graphical user interface. The presence of several different windows that must be coordinated with one another makes individual movement and resizing of the windows time consuming and tedious. Therefore, there is a need for a method that allows the simultaneous movement and/or resizing of several windows.

Method and apparatus for dynamically resizing windows


The invention provides a multivariate modeling method for quantitative analysis by supervised principal component analysis (SPCA). The method comprises: (a) designing a plurality of calibration samples wherein the desired variances are dominant or greatly enhanced; (b) producing a calibration data matrix using suitable mathematical pretreatment and truncation of the acquired NIR/Raman spectra of the calibration samples; (c) decomposing the matrix using PCA; (d) evaluating the score and loading matrices to ensure a genuine orthogonal relationship between scores of the desired latent variables in a two-dimensional principal component space 7; (e) generating a prediction matrix for quantitative prediction of unknown samples. This method does not require testing of calibration samples using a reference method. In addition, this method has high tolerance to variations in sample composition and manufacturing conditions.

Near infrared spectroscopy (or Raman spectroscopy) has been widely used in pharmaceutical development as quality and process control methods. Two types of methods are generally used, i.e. qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative methods are used for identification of drug substances, excipients and other raw materials as well as final products whereas quantitative methods are for determination of drug concentration, moisture content and other product attributes. Both types of methods require multivariate calibration models.
To develop NIR/Raman methods for determining drug content (content uniformity or CU) in tablets, a quantitative relationship between the NIR/Raman spectra and drug concentration is established by multivariate modeling. A common approach is by means of partial least squares (PLS) regression. It is well known that the total variance in the NIR/Raman data set is attributed not only to drug concentration variation but also to variations of excipient concentration, moisture content, tablet density and others. In addition, Trygg et al. have pointed out in U.S. Pat. No. 6,853,923 that "For solid samples, this systematic variation is due to, among others, light scattering, and differences in spectroscopic path length, and may often constitute the major part of the variation of the sample spectra". Furthermore, "the variation in X (matrix of spectral data) that is unrelated to Y (matrix of drug concentration) may disturb the multivariate modeling and cause imprecise predictions for new samples and also affect the robustness of the model over time". To address this issue, Trygg et al. proposed a so called Orthogonal Partial Least Squares (QPLS) method to remove the systematic variation from X through orthogonalizing the X matrix and removing the irrelevant variances. Advantage of the QPLS method compared with the other pretreatment methods is that it keeps the Y-relevant variances intact.
Hazen et al. proposed another different variant of multivariate modeling in U.S. Pat. No. 6,871,169, which was called Combinative Multivariate Calibration (CMC). In their method, the analytical signals were separated into different wavelength or spectral regions. Then each region was modeled independently using different number of factors. This approach "allows for each wavelength or spectral region to be modeled with just enough factors to fully model the analytical signal without the incorporation in the model of noise by using excess factors". The data pretreated by CMC can be used for further partial least squares regression or principal component regression (PCR).
Principal component analysis (PCA) is widely used as an unsupervised and exploratory algorithm for multivariate data analysis. PCA does not make assumptions about an underlying causal model. It is simply a variable reduction algorithm that utilizes a relatively small number of latent variables 6 (also called principal components or PCs) to represent most of the variances in a set of observed variables. On the other hand, PCA does assume linearity in analysis of spectral data. It also ranks the latent variables, which are orthogonal to each other, based on the amount of variances that they describe. These characteristics imply that conventional PCA is not suitable for determining active drug content in pharmaceutical tablets because of the following: (a) the variance that is related to drug concentration may be masked by noise; (b) the variance that is related to drug concentration may not have a high enough ranking; (c) the relationship between latent variables, wherein at least one latent variable is related to the drug concentration, may not be genuinely orthogonal; (c) the ranking of the latent variable that is related to the drug concentration may not be consistent among different data sets.


A stocking for leisure wear which has a thin silk material used for a foot portion with a reinforced toe and heel. A lower leg portion of cotton knit material is attached to the foot portion at the ankle by sewing with thread. The lower leg portion is a heavy cotton knit which provides warmth to the leg of a user and has the appearance of a knit sock. The foot portion enables the sock to be worn with a leather shoe or boot without stretching the shoe or boot or squeezing or cramping the foot of the user.

There are, of course, many different stockings used in everyday activities. Such stockings take many forms and appearances, both by way of colour and by way of materials used in the different areas of the stocking.
One type of stocking used which is popular for leisure activities is a cotton knit stocking. Such a stocking provides warmth to the user and, as well, it has a fashionable appearance in leisure activities.
Such a stocking, however, has deficiencies. One such deficiency is that the stocking is relatively thick throughout its length. When such a stocking is worn with a shoe, it has a tendency to cramp or squeeze the foot of the wearer. This, of course, is uncomfortable and can actually cause injury to the foot of the wearer over time.
A further deficiency of such a stocking is that the foot portion, being relatively thick, can cause the shoe of the wearer to stretch. When the user wishes to wear the shoe with a thin stocking, the shoe will have a fit that is somewhat large on the foot of the wearer.
Yet a further deficiency of such a stocking is that the foot portion, being relatively thick and causing a squeezing of the foot, will cause the foot to perspire unnecessarily. This is uncomfortable.
A second type of stocking is one which is used for business or formal activities or with a good leather walking shoe which may be used particularly often for the elderly. This type of stocking is generally silk or nylon and does not provide warmth for the ankle and lower leg portion although it does have the advantage of a comfortable fit within the shoe with which the stocking is worn.
One stocking according to the prior art is the stocking illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 32,603 by Sutro. This stocking shows a half hose stocking with a foot portion having an unribbed fabric and a top portion being uniformly ribbed. The foot portion is not silk or nylon and the top portion is not cotton knit. While the foot portion is slightly thinner that the leg portion, there is no teaching than this is substantially so. Further there is no teaching in this patent that the leg portion may be pulled up or pushed down to a position lower on the leg and surrounding the ankle such as is the case with a sock known as a "slouch sock."
A slouch sock has a greater amount of material in the leg portion and it is more relaxed since there is no elastic material in the leg portion.
Yet a further sock is one illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 183,257 to Holder et al. This reference teaches a stocking with a plain knitted bottom and a ribbed top. It is not a slouch sock. Rather, it is a cotton sock having the inherent deficiency of the bulk of cotton for the foot portion.
Yet a further stocking is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,215 to Guigley. This reference teaches a tubular sock having a double thickness on the foot. This reference, however, is much different from the sock according to the present invention since thickness in the foot portion is undesirable as described heretofore.
Yet a further stocking is one shown in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 808,204 to Kayser. This reference teaches a stocking having a foot portion partially made from silk. The foot portion has a toe area that is reinforced by a material such as cotton for durability purposes. It does not teach a slouch sock nor a sock with a cotton upper portion.


A method and apparatus of measuring rock-stress uses a tapered sensing plug which is wedged into a conically shaped end portion of a borehole. A rod is used to place the sensing plug in position, to orient the plug relative to its longitudinal axis for sensing stress in a particular direction, and to prestress the sensing plug by causing same to be wedged in the tapered portion of the bore.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for measuring stresses in a rock mass, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus employing a strain gauge in a borehole.
2. Description of the Related Art
Stress measurement in rock is carried out extensively in fields such as mining, civil engineering (highways, bridges, dams), and geology. Accurate and appropriate stress data are extremely important because they often play a significant role in the stability of the rock mass or structure being monitored.
Rock stress measurement is commonly performed by drilling a borehole in the rock and installing one or more sensors composed of photoelastic plugs, flat jacks, vibrating wire gauges, or load cells. The signals from these sensors are read by equipment designed to process the data into values indicative of the rock stress, by application of calibration factors or analytically developed equations.
Commercially available borehole stress-meters are deficient in that they are expensive, complicated, and difficult to install and use. For example, conventional meters require highly skilled technicians and/or engineers for proper placement of the sensors and the installation process is very time consuming. Also, conventional stress meters often need to be "bonded" in place for proper operation and are seldom removable for reuse.
A borehole stress-meter and method and apparatus for the installation thereof is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,655. The apparatus and method requires a resiliently radially expandable hollow body within which can be positioned a gauge plug having strain gauges fixed thereto. The interior section of the hollow body is tapered, as is the gauge plug so that advancement of the gauge plug within the hollow body will cause the gauge plug to become prestressed. The hollow body can be inserted into a cylindrical bore drilled in earth material, whose stress is to be measured, by an installation or setting tool. Subsequentially, the gauge plug is advanced within the hollow body so as to prestress the gauge plug. The setting tool is then removed and stress may be measured by an appropriate strain indicator.


A content-based image retrieval system retrieves an image based on an angular radial transform (ART) image descriptor. In the content-based image retrieval system, a method for retrieving an image includes the steps of: a) receiving a query image; b) extracting a query image descriptor from the query image based on at least an angular component and a radial component of the query image; c) comparing the query image descriptor with an image descriptor stored on the database; and d) determining a degree of a similarity between the query image descriptor and the image descriptor stored on the database.

The present invention relates to a content-based image retrieval system and a method for retrieving an image using the same; and, more particularly, to a content-based image retrieval system and a method for retrieving an image based on an angular radial transform (ART) image descriptor.
As Internet techniques have developed and use of multimedia data is increased in rapid, an image retrieval based on a text cannot guarantee reliability in results of the retrieval. To solve the problem as mentioned above, an image retrieval based on an image is performed.
The image retrieval based on the image means a method for finding an image (or images) similar to a query image by extracting an image descriptor describing a characteristic of the image from the image; and measuring a similarity between an image descriptor of the query image inputted by the user and that of an image stored on a database. The image descriptor includes a color descriptor, a texture descriptor and a shape descriptor, which respectively describes a color of the image, a texture of the image and a shape of the image. An efficiency of the image retrieval system depends on how much image descriptor efficiently describes characteristics of the image.
A moment descriptor is mostly used as a conventional shape descriptor. The moment descriptor is invariant to a size, a movement and a rotation of the image.
To obtain the moment descriptor of the input image, first, an edge extraction is processed. In other words, an object of the image is separated from a background. The image data is converted to binary data. Then, an outer boundary line of the object is extracted from the separated background and a shape vector of the object is obtained from the separated object.
In order to measure a similarity between the input image and an image stored on a database, a Euclidean distance measurement method is used. The Euclidean distance measurement method is expressed as following equation (1).                                                                         D                                                  (                                      q                    ,                    t                                    )                                            =                                                                    (                                                                  H                        q                                            -                                              H                        t                                                              )                                    T                                                                  (                                                            H                      q                                        -                                          H                      t                                                        )                                                                                =                                                ∑                                      m                    =                    0                                    M                                                                  (                                                                                H                        q                                                                                [                        m                        ]                                                              -                                                                  H                        t                                                                                [                        m                        ]                                                                              )                                                                                (        1        )
where, q is an input image, t is an image stored on a database, Hq is a moment value of the input image q, Ht is a moment value of the image stored on the database and M is an integer number between 0 and 6.
In the conventional content-based image retrieval system based on the moment descriptor, since the polynomial function used as a basis function is not orthogonal, extracted moment values, which are descriptors, are overlapped. Accordingly, an efficiency of the descriptor is low, and the descriptor cannot represent characteristics of the image, which are recognized by a user. Accordingly, the conventional content-based image retrieval system has a serious problem in that it cannot retrieve a similar image.
In order to solve the problem as mentioned above, some content-based retrieval systems based on a Zernike moment are developed. One of them is described in a pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/203,569 filed on Dec. 2, 1998, xe2x80x9cMethod for Automatic Retrieval of Device-Mark Type Trademark Images Based upon Content of Trademarkxe2x80x9d.
The Zernike moment has an orthogonal value, however, may not effectively represent characteristics of the image in a radial direction. Accordingly, the conventional content-based image retrieval system based on the Zernike moment cannot perform an accurate image retrieval.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a content-based image retrieval system and a method for retrieving image using the same, which are possible to search more similar image to a query image within a shorter time.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention in order to obtain the object, there is provided a method for constructing a database storing images and image descriptors representing characteristics of the images, the method comprising the steps of: a) receiving an image; b) extracting an image descriptor from the image based on at least an angular component and a radial component of the image; c) storing the image on an image database; and d) storing the image descriptor on an image descriptor database.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for retrieving an image in a content-based image retrieval system including a web browser, a web server and a database storing images and image descriptors each of which represents characteristics of the image, the method comprising the steps of: a) receiving a query image; b) requesting to retrieve an image based on a query image descriptor to the web server, the query image descriptor being extracted from the query image based on at least an angular component and a radial component of the query image; and c) receiving and displaying at least an image similar to the query image from the database.
In accordance with further another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for retrieving an image in a content-based image retrieval system including a web browser, a web server and a database storing images and image descriptors each of which represents characteristics of the image, the method comprising the steps of: a) receiving a query image from the web browser; b) extracting a query image descriptor from the query image based on at least an angular component and a radial component of the query image; c) comparing the query image descriptor with a plurality of image descriptors stored on the database, wherein the image descriptor is based on at least an angular component and a radial component of the image; d) arranging the image descriptors in order of a similarity to the query image descriptors; and e) allowing the database to provide at least an image similar to the query image to the web browser.
In accordance with still further another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for retrieving an image from a database storing images and image descriptors representing characteristics of the images, the method comprising the steps of: a) receiving a query image; b) extracting a query image descriptor from the query image based on at least an angular component and a radial component of the query image; c) comparing the query image descriptor with an image descriptor stored on the database; and d) determining a degree of a similarity between the query image descriptor and the image descriptor stored on the database.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for retrieving an image from a database storing images and image descriptors representing characteristics of the images, the method comprising the steps of: a) receiving a query image; b) extracting a query image descriptor from the query image based on at least an angular component and a radial component of the query image; c) comparing the query image descriptor with an image descriptor stored on the database; and d) determining a degree of a similarity between the query image descriptor and the image descriptor stored on the database.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided data stream for use in retrieving an image, the data stream transmitted from a web browser to a web server, comprising: a retrieval request signal; and an image descriptor extracted from an image based on an angular component and a radial component of the image.

Content-based image retrieval system and method for retrieving image using the same


A one-piece rotor spool for a gas turbine engine extending along the axis of the engine is disclosed. The spool includes an upstream portion and a downstream portion that are radially offset relative to one another. The radially outer downstream portion includes a plurality of housings for rotor blades formed in the outer surface of the radially outer downstream portion. The radially inner upstream portion includes an attachment mechanism designed to interact with a rotor ring in order to prevent a tangential movement of the rotor ring relative to the radially inner upstream portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of gas turbine engines and is intended more particularly to make it easier to manufacture and mount a low-pressure turbine in a gas turbine engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
A front-fan and bypass turbojet, for example, conventionally comprises, from upstream to downstream, a fan, a low-pressure compressor stage, a high-pressure compressor stage, a combustion chamber, a high-pressure turbine stage and a low-pressure turbine stage.
By convention, in the present application, the terms "upstream" and "downstream" are defined relative to the direction of travel of the air in the turbojet. Similarly, by convention in the present application, the terms "inner" and "outer" are defined radially relative to the axis of the engine. Therefore, a cylinder extending along the axis of the engine comprises an inner face turned toward the axis of the engine and an outer face opposite to its inner face.
A low-pressure turbine comprises successive rotor disks each comprising axial or oblique grooves in which blade roots are engaged, the blades extending radially outward relative to the axis of the engine. The blade roots are held radially in the grooves of the rotor disk by their bulbous section, called dovetailed and, axially, by an upstream annular retaining ring in axial abutment on an upstream portion of the blade roots. The grooves of the rotor disk are conventionally made by a method known to those skilled in the art as "broaching" which consists in drilling longitudinally, with the aid of a substantially conically shaped bit, the radially outer portion of a plain that is to say an ungrooved, rotor disk. When the grooves are formed, the bit passes right through the rotor disk.
One of the challenges that the aviation industry has to overcome consists in reducing the weight of the engines. To achieve this objective, it has been proposed to combine the consecutive rotor disks into a single part, called a "spool". A rotor spool takes the form of an axial cylinder in which one or more series of blades are mounted. Accordingly, when the rotor spool comprises two series of blades, which is the equivalent of two rotor disks, it is conventionally called "Spool 1-2". A rotor spool, in comparison with a plurality of rotor disks, makes it possible to dispense with inter-disk connecting means and thus to lighten the engine. Such a spool is shown in patent application FR 0958567, not published, by SNECMA.
With reference to FIG. 1, a rotor spool 10 according to the prior art comprises an upstream portion 10A in which are arranged upstream grooves 14A in order to retain a plurality of upstream blades 4A and a downstream portion 10B in which are arranged downstream grooves 14B in order to retain a plurality of downstream blades 4B. The downstream portion 10B is connected to its upstream portion 10A by a frustoconical portion 11 that is flared from upstream to downstream. In other words, the downstream portion 10B is offset radially outward relative to the upstream portion 10A of the spool 10.
For such a spool 10, the broaching of the grooves 14B of the downstream portion 10B of the spool 10 can be applied in a conventional manner, the bit passing right through the downstream portion 10B of the spool 10 in order to form the downstream grooves 14B of the downstream blades 4B. The bit moves from downstream to upstream in the downstream portion 10B of the spool 10.
On the other hand, the broaching of the upstream grooves 14A of the upstream portion 10A of the spool 10 cannot be carried out. Specifically, the bit cannot move from downstream to upstream in the upstream portion 10A of the spool 10 because of the downstream portion 10B of the spool 10 which prevents it being positioned downstream. Moreover, the bit cannot move from upstream to downstream in the upstream portion 10A of the spool 10 because the bit would complete its travel in the frustoconical portion 11 of the spool 10 which would damage it. In other words, the bit cannot pass right through the upstream portion 10A of the spool 10 which is a drawback.
An immediate solution would then be to have a rotor drum in two portions (an upstream portion and a downstream portion) that could then be broached independently of one another. It is then sufficient to weld the two portions together. However, this means that the rotor spool must be heat treated after welding. Such a treatment is likely to deform the spool, which is undesirable.
Another immediate solution, with reference to FIG. 1, consists in connecting the upstream and downstream portions by friction welding. However, such a welding induces inaccuracies of axial positioning of the upstream portion of the spool with its downstream portion, which is a drawback.
In addition to this drawback, a rotor spool, as shown in FIG. 1, is difficult to install in the engine. For an installation from the rear of the engine, the elements of the engine are inserted from downstream to upstream. For a one-piece spool, if the spool 10 is installed with its upstream blades 4A and its downstream blades 4B, it is difficult to place the stator blades 5 situated between the two series of blades because the downstream portion 10B of the rotor spool 10 prevents access to the location of installation.

Rotor for a gas turbine engine comprising a rotor spool and a rotor ring


A catalyst deterioration detection apparatus and method detect deterioration of a catalyst connected to an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine by: determining a deterioration characteristic value that indicates a state of deterioration of the catalyst; determining a temperature of the catalyst occurring at a time of the determination of the deterioration characteristic value, as a detection-time catalyst temperature; determining an amount of intake air occurring at the time of the determination of the deterioration characteristic value, as a detection-time amount of air, determining whether the detection-time catalyst temperature and the detection-time amount of air satisfy a predetermined relationship; and prohibiting a determination of the state of deterioration of the catalyst based on the deterioration characteristic value if the detection-time catalyst temperature and the detection-time amount of air do not satisfy the predetermined relationship.

The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-313840 filed on Oct. 11, 2001, including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a catalyst deterioration detection apparatus of an internal combustion engine, and a detection method performed by the apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to a catalyst deterioration detection apparatus for detecting deterioration of a catalyst for purifying emissions from an internal combustion engine, and a detection method performed by the detector apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
A catalyst for purifying exhaust gas is disposed in an exhaust passage of a vehicle-installed internal combustion engine. This catalyst has a capability of storing an appropriate amount of oxygen. If exhaust gas contains unburned components, such as HC, CO, etc., the catalyst causes oxidation of the unburned components using stored oxygen. If exhaust gas contains oxides, such as NOx and the like, the catalyst causes reduction of the oxides, and absorbs and stores oxygen produced by the reduction reactions.
The catalyst disposed in an exhaust passage is thus intended to purify exhaust emissions. Thus, the emission control capability of the catalyst is greatly affected by the oxygen storage capability of the catalyst. Therefore, the emission control capability degradation state of the catalyst can be determined based on the maximum amount of oxygen that the catalyst is able to store, that is, the oxygen storage capacity.
FIG. 11 indicates a relationship between the catalyst temperature and the oxygen storage capacity (OSC). More specifically, a curve (1) in FIG. 11 indicates a temperature-OSC relationship exhibited by a normal catalyst with respect to fuel having a low sulfur concentration. A curve (2) indicates a temperature-OSC relationship exhibited by a normal catalyst with respect to fuel containing a large amount of sulfur. Furthermore, a curve (3) indicates a temperature-OSC relationship exhibited by a deteriorated catalyst. A curve (4) indicates a temperature-OSC relationship exhibited by a further deteriorated catalyst.
As indicated in FIG. 11, the oxygen storage capacity OSC of the catalyst is dependent on the catalyst temperature THC. This dependence changes in accordance with the deterioration of the catalyst. For example, if a low-sulfur concentration fuel is used, a normal-state catalyst exhibits relatively great oxygen storage capacity OSC even at a relatively low catalyst temperature range as indicated by the curve (1). In contrast, if the catalyst is lightly deteriorated, the oxygen storage capacity OSC of the catalyst becomes relatively high in a relatively high catalyst temperature range as indicated by the curve (3). As the deterioration of the catalyst further progresses, the oxygen storage capacity OSC of the catalyst remains low regardless of the catalyst temperature. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether the catalyst is normal by checking whether a sufficient oxygen storage capacity OSC is secured when the catalyst temperature is, for example, within a range indicated by reference numeral (5) in FIG. 11.
However, it is known that the oxygen storage capacity OSC of the catalyst varies in accordance with variation in the quality of fuel used, more specifically, variation in the concentration of a sulfur component contained in fuel. That is, even if the catalyst is normal, a high sulfur component concentration in fuel causes a smaller oxygen storage capacity OSC as indicated by the curve (2) than a low sulfur component concentration (curve (1)) in fuel. In this case, in order to determine whether the catalyst is normal based on the oxygen storage capacity OSC, it is necessary to distinguish whether the catalyst is exhibiting the OSC characteristic indicated by the curve (2) or the OSC characteristic indicated by the curve (3). Therefore, if variations in the quality of fuels distributed in the market are taken into consideration, the case where the deteriorated state of the catalyst can be determined based on the oxygen storage capacity OSC is limited only to a case where the catalyst temperature is within a narrow range indicated by reference numeral (6).
The catalyst temperature changes in accordance with the amount of intake air. That is, if the amount of intake air is large, the catalyst temperature becomes high due to a large amount of high-temperature exhaust gas supplied to the catalyst. Conversely, if the amount of intake air is small, the catalyst temperature becomes low due to a small amount of flow of exhaust gas. Therefore, at a transitional time when the amount of intake air sharply increases, such as a time of acceleration of the vehicle or the like, there occurs a temporary event where the amount of intake air (amount of exhaust gas) becomes large while the catalyst temperature remains low.
If the state where the amount of intake air has increased continues, the catalyst temperature eventually becomes high, and enters the range (6). Even in that case, however, until the catalyst temperature sufficiently rises, there occurs a state where the amount of intake air is excessively large relatively to the catalyst temperature so that sufficient control of exhaust emissions (oxidation and reduction thereof) cannot be achieved, that is, there occurs a through-flow of exhaust gas. That is, during a period from a sharp increase in the amount of intake air until a sufficient rise of the catalyst temperature, an event similar to the event that occurs in the case of deterioration of the catalyst occurs even though the catalyst is actually normal. Therefore, during a certain time period from a transitional change in the operation state of the internal combustion engine until the amount of intake air and the catalyst temperature become unbalanced, it is preferable that the determination regarding deterioration of the catalyst be avoided even under a condition in which the catalyst temperature converges into the range (6) (first requirement).
If high temperature of the catalyst is caused by continuation of a travel in an accelerating state or with large amounts of air and is immediately followed by a travel with a small amount of air, exhaust gas may possibly be purified to a sufficient extent even though deterioration of the catalyst has considerably progressed. Therefore, it is preferable that determination regarding deterioration of the catalyst be avoided also in the case where there is unbalance between the amount of intake air and the catalyst temperature. However, if in the aforementioned case, deterioration of the catalyst has sufficiently progressed (see the curve (4)), the abnormality of the catalyst can be precisely determined, so that the detection should not be simply suspended (second requirement).
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-36848 discloses a catalyst deterioration detection apparatus that meets the aforementioned first requirement. This apparatus has a function of monitoring the rate of change of the amount of intake air, and of determining whether the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating or is in a steady running state based on the rate of change. This apparatus stores in a memory a lower limit-side criterion value and an upper limit-side criterion value that are to be compared with the rate of change of the amount of intake air. The criterion values are set so that the absolute values thereof increase with increases in the elapsed time following the beginning of an acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle. The aforementioned conventional apparatus permits execution of determination regarding deterioration of the catalyst only if the rate of change of the amount of intake air is between the upper limit-side and lower limit-side criterion values.
According to this conventional apparatus, during a short time period after a shift to acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle, that is, after a shift to a transitional state of the vehicle, determination regarding deterioration of the catalyst can be permitted only if there is substantially no change in the amount of intake air. If there is a great change in the amount of intake air, determination regarding deterioration of the catalyst can be permitted only in the case where a sufficiently long time has elapsed following the shift to a transitional state of the vehicle. That is, the aforementioned conventional apparatus is able to permit execution of determination regarding deterioration of the catalyst only if it can be estimated that the catalyst temperature and the amount of intake air are balanced, regardless of the magnitude of change in the amount of intake air. Therefore, the aforementioned conventional apparatus is able to accurately determine a state of deterioration of the catalyst based on the oxygen storage capacity OSC.
However, the above-described conventional apparatus tends to unnecessarily prohibit execution of determination regarding deterioration of the catalyst if small amounts of acceleration and deceleration are repeated (microscopic view) during a larger accelerating or decelerating state (macroscopic view).
During operation of a vehicle, there occurs a situation where small amounts of acceleration and deceleration are repeated (microscopic view) as indicated in FIG. 12B during a larger accelerating state (macroscopic view) as indicated in FIG. 12A. In this situation, the above-described conventional apparatus resets the elapsed time following the shift to a transitional state every time the vehicle shifts from an acceleration to a deceleration or from a deceleration to an acceleration in a microscopic view. Therefore, the apparatus experiences an event where determination regarding deterioration of the catalyst is not executed even though the amount of intake air and the catalyst temperature are balanced.
As described above, the conventional catalyst deterioration detection apparatus adopts a construction in which determination regarding deterioration of the catalyst is executed only under a severely limited condition, in order to determine deterioration of the catalyst with good precision. Therefore, the conventional catalyst deterioration detection apparatus is able to determine deterioration of the catalyst with high precision if the determination can be executed, but is not always able to execute the determination with a desired frequency.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a catalyst deterioration detection apparatus and method capable of executing high-precision determination regarding deterioration of the catalyst with high frequency, and a detection method thereof.
In order to achieve the aforementioned and/or other objects, one aspect of the invention provides a catalyst deterioration detection apparatus and method for detecting deterioration of a catalyst provided in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine. A deterioration characteristic value that indicates a state of deterioration of the catalyst is determined. A temperature of the catalyst occurring at a time of the determination of the deterioration characteristic value is determined as a detection-time catalyst temperature. An amount of intake air occurring at the time of the determination of the deterioration characteristic value is determined as a detection-time amount of air. A determination is made as to whether the detection-time catalyst temperature and the detection-time amount of air satisfy a predetermined relationship. A state of deterioration of the catalyst based on the deterioration characteristic value can be determined. However, the determination of the state of deterioration of the catalyst based on the deterioration characteristic value is prohibited if the detection-time catalyst temperature and the detection-time amount of air do not satisfy the predetermined relationship.
According to the catalyst deterioration detection apparatus and the detection method thereof, even if the catalyst temperature and the amount of intake air becomes unbalanced, false determination of the state of deterioration of the catalyst caused by the unbalance can be prevented. Therefore, in this aspect of the invention, there is no need to limit the situation where determination of the state of deterioration of the catalyst is allowed, to a situation where such unbalance will not occur. Therefore, according to this aspect of the invention, determination regarding deterioration of the catalyst can be performed with good-precision and high frequency.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a catalyst deterioration detection apparatus and method detects deterioration of a catalyst provided in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine. A deterioration characteristic value that indicates a state of deterioration of the catalyst is determined. A temperature of the catalyst occurring at a time of the determination of the deterioration characteristic value is determined as a detection-time catalyst temperature. An amount of intake air occurring at the time of the determination of the deterioration characteristic value is determined as a detection-time amount of air. A target catalyst temperature corresponding to the detection-time amount of air is calculated. An amount of separation between the detection-time catalyst temperature and the target catalyst temperature also is calculated. A state of deterioration of the catalyst based on the deterioration characteristic value can be determined. However, the determination of the state of deterioration of the catalyst based on the deterioration characteristic value is prohibited if the amount of separation is greater than a predetermined amount.
According to the above-described catalyst deterioration detection apparatus and method, the unbalance between the catalyst temperature and the amount of intake air can be determined based on the magnitude of amount of separation between the detection-time catalyst temperature and the target catalyst temperature. Then, using the result of determination, determination regarding deterioration of the catalyst can be performed with good precision and high frequency.

Apparatus and method for detecting deterioration of catalyst of internal combustion engine


Provided are an austenitic heat resistant alloy capable of exhibiting sufficient molten-salt corrosion resistance even when exposed to a molten salt of 600° C. and a production method thereof, and an austenitic heat-resistant alloy material. An austenitic heat resistant alloy includes a base metal, and a Ni—Fe oxide having a spinel structure on or above the surface of the base metal. The base metal has a chemical composition consisting of, in mass %, C: 0.030 to 0.120%, Si: 0.02 to 1.00%, Mn: 0.10 to 2.00%, Cr: 20.0% or more to less than 28.0%, Ni: more than 35.0% to 50.0% or less, W: 4.0 to 10.0%, Ti: 0.01 to 0.30%, Nb: 0.01 to 1.00%, sol. Al: 0.0005 to 0.0400%, B: 0.0005 to 0.0100%, Mo: less than 0.5%, Co: 0 to 0.80%, and Cu: 0 to 0.50%, with the balance being Fe and impurities.

Recently, for the purpose of energy saving, the development of high efficiency boilers has been underway. For example, an ultra-supercritical boiler utilizes increased temperature and pressure of the steam than before for increased energy efficiency. For example, as a heat resistant alloy pipe for high-efficiency boilers, a seamless austenitic heat-resistant alloy pipe according to Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-104109 (Patent Literature 1) is proposed. Further, boilers which utilize waste matter and biomass as a fuel other than fossil fuel have being developed. In addition, power generation boilers utilizing solar heat have been developed. In particular, solar power generation boilers have gained attention from the viewpoint of energy saving and environmental preservation.
In concentrating solar power generation which is common as solar power generation, sunlight is concentrated and converted to heat. Steam is generated by the heat obtained by converting sunlight, and a turbine is rotated by the steam to generate power. A configuration of a concentrating solar power generation system can be broadly divided into a light concentration/heat collection apparatus and a power generation apparatus. Examples of currently used light concentration/heat collection apparatus include a parabolic trough type, a linear Fresnel type, a tower type, and a dish type.
Heat medium such as oil has been used in a heat-transfer pipe of a conventional power generation boiler. However, as the efficiency and temperature thereof increase in recent years, a light concentration/heat collection apparatus for solar power generation may use a molten salt, such as a molten nitrate salt, molten carbonate salt, molten sulfate salt, and molten chloride salt as the heating medium. Moreover, the temperature inside a heat-transfer pipe, etc., of the light concentration/heat collection apparatus for solar power generation rises to about 600° C. Therefore, a heat resistant steel to be used for the heat-transfer pipe, etc., of the light concentration/heat collection apparatus for solar power generation is required to have corrosion resistance in a high-temperature molten salt, in addition to high-temperature strength.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-199663 (Patent Literature 2) proposes an austenitic stainless steel having excellent molten nitrate corrosion resistance, comprising, in mass %, C: 0.1% or less, Si: 0.3% or more to 2.0% or less, Mn: 4.0% or less, Ni: 7% or more to 15% or less, Cr: 10% or more to 25% or less, Mo: 2.5% or less, Cu: 3.0% or less, V: 0.5% or less, and N: 0.3% or less, while satisfying 0.5≤Si+0.5 (Mo+Cu)≤2.0%, with the balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities, wherein a proportion of elements other than oxygen that constitute oxides formed in a portion in contact with molten nitrate salt of not more than 600° C. satisfies, in atomic %, Si+0.5 (Mo+Cu)≤20%. Patent Literature 2 states that as a result of this, an austenitic stainless steel which is suitable for use in an area to be in contact with molten nitrate salt in a temperature range of 400 to 600° C. can be obtained.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 1-68449 (Patent Literature 3) proposes a molten-salt corrosion resistant material made of an alloy containing Fe, Cr, and Ni, wherein supposing the compositions of Fe, Cr, and Ni, expressed in weight % being as CFe, CCr and CNi, a value of K defined as K=CFe×CCr+0.2×CNi2 is in a range of 1400 to 1800. Patent Literature 3 states that as a result of this, a molten-salt corrosion resistant material made of an alloy which spontaneously forms a film of Li-complex oxide having excellent corrosion resistance and becomes self-passivated under operating conditions of a molten-carbonate type fuel cell.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-41595 (Patent Literature 4) proposes a Fe—Cr—Ni based alloy steel having excellent corrosion resistance in a molten salt containing chloride, the Fe—Cr—Ni based alloy steel comprising: in weight %, C: 0.04% or less, Si: 0.5% or less, Mn: 1.5% or less, Cr: more than 18% to less than 30%, Ni: more than 10% to less than 35%, and Ca+Mg: 0.0005 to 0.005%, wherein a ratio of the Cr content to the Fe content (Cr/Fe) is more than 0.33 to less than 0.7, and a ratio of the Ni content to the Fe content (Ni/Fe) is more than 0.33 to less than 1.0. Patent Literature 4 states that as a result of this, a Fe—Cr—Ni based alloy steel having a low price and excellent corrosion resistance in a molten salt containing chloride can be provided.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-50328 (Patent Literature 5) proposes a tube member for solar heat collection tube of a solar heat collection tube for heating a heat medium by collecting solar heat into the heat medium flowing inside, the tube member for solar heat collection tube being produced by centrifugal casting; consisting of basic elements consisting of carbon (C), silicon (Si), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu), with the balance being iron (Fe) and unavoidable impurities, and trace modifying elements of not more than 1 mass % when the whole cast iron is 100 mass %; and being structured by a matrix composed of an Fe alloy having an austenite phase as the main phase in a room temperature range, wherein a high-nickel layer is formed on an inner surface of a tubular main body formed of a low-nickel heat resistant cast iron including 7 to 22 mass % of nickel (Ni) when the whole cast iron is 100 mass %. Patent Literature 5 states that as a result of this, when a molten salt is used as a heat medium, it is possible to provide a tube member for solar heat collection tube capable of preventing corrosion even when the molten salt becomes a high-temperature state more than 600° C.

Austenitic heat resistant alloy and method for producing same, and austenitic heat-resistant alloy material


An improved bayonet connector assembly includes a connector nut having a generally cylindrical tubular configuration with a bore extending axially therethrough. In one embodiment the inner surface of the bore includes at least one camming surface extending both circumferentially and axially therein and disposed to impinge upon the corresponding bayonet pin of the mating bayonet connector. A detent window is formed at the inner end of each camming surface to engage and retain the bayonet pin that is driven slidably along the camming surface into the detent window. The end surfaces of the cylindrical nut are annular and continuous, so that the strength of the structure is maximized. Furthermore, the camming surfaces and the detent slots are arranged so that the entire nut may be formed in a single molding operation. In another embodiment, the camming surfaces and detent recesses are formed on the exterior of the female connector, and the bayonet pins extend radially inwardly in the bore of the bayonet nut.

The development of optical fibers for transmission of laser light with low loss has facilitated the widespread application of lasers in communications, industry, and medicine. To couple optical fibers to lasers and laser-powered devices, connectors have been developed which properly orient and position the optical fiber ends for input and output purposes. The connectors have evolved into two major types, threaded connectors and bayonet connectors, which have become standardized. Standardization has permitted the interconnection of lasers, optical fibers, and end-user devices from a wide variety of manufacturers.
Unfortunately, the standardization of optical connectors has had the effect of freezing the development and improvement of optical connectors, and has institutionalized some serious shortcomings in the state of the art. For example, although the standard connectors are much larger than the diameter of the typical optical fiber, they are too small to be grasped and manipulated easily by many individuals. The standard threaded optical connector assembly (SMA type) includes a male connector provided with a small nut adjacent to its distal end, and this nut must be rotated through several complete revolutions to effect a secure connection. However, when the male connector is inserted in the complementary female connector, the nut is typically disposed directly adjacent to a housing or bulkhead wall which supports the female connector, and grasping and rotating the nut is an awkward and difficult task.
The standard bayonet connector assembly (STC type) generally includes an alignment pin extending radially outwardly, requiring the male plug to be closely scrutinized and rotated to effect proper alignment for full insertion of the male plug. Thereafter the bayonet pin(s) of the female connector must be scrutinized and aligned with the bayonet slot(s) of the male connector, and then the male connector must be rotated to engage the bayonet pin(s) and slot(s).
It may be appreciated that both forms of optical connectors require close visualization of the connectors, and a high degree of manual dexterity to effect connection and disconnection. A comparison with electrical connectors is instructive in highlighting the shortcomings of optical connectors. Typical audio connectors such as RCA-type phone plugs permit connection by simple insertion of a male plug ferrule in a female plug receptacle. Electrical power connectors generally include spade lugs that are inserted into receptacles in a female plug. In most cases a casual glimpse and a single motion are sufficient to effect connection or disconnection of audio or power connections. In contrast, prior art optical connectors generally require close and continued visualization, and several intricate manual motions to effect connection or disconnection. Clearly there is a need to improve the design and function of optical connectors.
In the companion parent patent application noted above, there is described an improved bayonet connector assembly in which the slots which receive the bayonet pins are formed to include camming edges extending from the distal edge of the connector nut to the detent portions of the nut. Due to the intrinsic strength requirements of this structure and prior art STC-type bayonet connectors, the nuts are generally formed of die cast or injection molded metal. However, it would be easier and less expensive to fabricate the nut using injection molded plastic material. Injection molded plastic STC-type bayonet nuts have been introduced commercially.

Bayonet connector with optical, electrical or fluid uses


Methods of arc welding and an arc welding assembly comprise a power source configured to provide a welding current, and a single weld housing. The weld housing comprises a welding torch, which comprises a consumable electrode wire. The welding torch defining an elongated member configured to utilize the welding current to melt at least part of the consumable electrode wire and provide welding current to the work piece. The weld housing further comprises a bypass torch defining an elongated member configured to divert a portion of the welding current away from the work piece while allowing other portions of the current to flow to the work piece.

In conventional gas metal arc welding (GMAW) assemblies, the welding speed depends on the speed of formation of the weld pool used to form the weld join. In GMAW assemblies, a power source delivers current to melt a consumable electrode wire to produce the weld pool. As a result, some arc welding assemblies increase the amount of welding current provided to the consumable electrode wire and work piece to be welded, consequently increasing the melting rate and the welding speed. Providing heat to the work piece is important, because it may facilitate greater penetration of the weld pool inside the work piece, thereby improving the weld strength. However, too much welding current delivered to the work piece may overheat the work piece, and weaken the weld strength.
To reduce overheating of the work piece, a double electrode gas metal arc welding (GMAW) assembly 1 as shown in FIG. 1 has been utilized. Referring to FIG. 1, the assembly 1 comprises a welding contact tip 10 having a consumable wire electrode 12 at its end. The assembly further comprises a bypass torch 20 with a tip 22, which is configured to divert a portion of the welding current away from the work piece. The assembly 1 is configured to provide enough current to increase the melting rate of the consumable wire 12 and the weld speed, while diverting current that would result in the overheating of the work piece.
These benefits notwithstanding, the large size and configuration of the double electrode arc welding assembly 1 and its components prevent the user from accessing the weld joints and work piece, especially for narrower joints. As welding demands increase, the need arises for improvements in bypass torch configurations and components thereof, which provide the user with increased access to the weld joints and work piece, increased maneuverability, and/or lower cost.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.