A hydrometallurgical process for extracting copper and any one or more than one of zinc, silver and gold from a sulphide ore or concentrate is disclosed. The process includes a range of mineral species that contain copper and one or more than one of zinc, silver and gold, which process includes two or more than two leach steps using each liquors of different composition, each leach step selectively leaching one or more than one metal from the minerals. The process also includes separating a solid residue and an exit leach liquor after each leach step, leaching the solid residue produced in each leach step in a successive leach step, and recovering metal from the exit leach liquor produced in each leach step.

The present invention relates to hydrometallurgical extraction of copper and other valuable metals from sulphide ores and concentrates.
The present invention relates particularly, although by no means exclusively, to hydrometallurgical extraction of copper and one or more than one of the metals zinc, gold and silver from sulphide ores and concentrates.
There are limited known hydrometallurgical options for treating copper sulphide ores and concentrates to extract copper.
The bulk of copper produced hydrometallurgically on a commercial basis is from solvent extraction and electrowinning plants based on acid heap leaching of ore or from bacterially assisted dump leaching of low grade sulphuric wastes.
However, heap leaching is not a commercial option for a number of ores, particularly those containing refractory sulphide minerals such as chalcopyrite. Heap leaching of chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) ores results in poor recoveries and low extraction rates which in turn lead to the need for large leach areas and low copper content in the pregnant liquor for the solvent extraction and electrowinning steps. The non-recovery of gold is also a deterrent in cases where there is the option to produce a concentrate. Residual copper largely prevents further processing to recover gold in the heap.
Heap leaching is also not practised for zinc recovery from sulphide ores because of the difficulty in obtaining a liquor suitable for subsequent economic recovery of the zinc.
The three hydrometallurgical processes with most potential for chalcopyrite-rich sulphides are currently the Intec process, the BHAS process, and the related Cominco (CESL) process. Successful laboratory and/or pilot testing of these three processes has been reported. The processes all rely on the presence of chloride to improve the leaching efficiency for chalcopyrite without excessive attack on pyrite and oxidation of sulphur to sulphate. The BnAS/Cominco processes use conventional solvent extraction/electrowinning technology to recover copper, whereas the Intec process uses a particular novel chloride electrowinning step which produces copper powder. The BRAS process has been operated successfully on a chalcocite (Cu2S) like feed for more than ten years. However, the Intec, BRAS, and Cominco processes have not been operated commercially for chalcopyrite ores or concentrates.
There has also been considerable development of processes based on using high pressure and temperature ( greater than 200C) oxidative acid sulphate leaching of copper concentrates. These have not been commercially successful presumably because of the high costs associated with the conversion of the sulphur present to sulphate and the difficulties with economic recovery of gold and silver present from the residue using conventional cyanide based technology.
There is also active development of sulphate-based solvent extraction/electrowinning processes based on ferric sulphate leaching, low temperature oxidative pressure leaching, and bio-leaching. These processes are largely targeting the more readily leached sulphide minerals, such as chalcocite, rather than the more difficult to leach ores, such as chalcopyrite. There are no known commercial copper operations using any of these technologies.
An object of the present invention is to provide an alternative process for economic treatment of copper containing sulphide ores and/or concentrates which also contain associated valuable metals such as zinc, gold or silver.
According to the present invention there is provided a hydrometallurgical process for extracting copper and any one or more than one of zinc, silver and gold from a sulphide ore or concentrate which includes a range of mineral species that contain copper and one or more than one of zinc, silver and gold, which process includes two or more than two leach steps using leach liquors of different composition, each leach step selectively leaching one or more than one metal from the minerals, separating a solid residue and an exit leach liquor after each leach step, leaching the solid residue produced in each leach step in a successive leach step, and recovering metal from the exit leach liquor produced in each leach step.
It is preferred that the process of the present invention includes 2 or more of the leach steps summarised below which are tailored to selectively attack minerals so that each metal is recovered through a leach step (or steps) that is suitable to the minerals and the leach steps are complementary in terms of allowing materials transfer between them without one step being detrimental to and seriously interfering with the next step. The leach steps are set out below in order of increasing aggressiveness.
1. A ferric sulphate leach step to extract copper from chalcocite (Cu2S) in the sulphide ore or concentrate. This leach enables use of simple atmospheric reactors, gives good copper extraction, and allows regeneration of the leachate using bacteria or pressure oxidation of the liquor. This leach step will also dissolve part of any zinc that is present and some of the slightly more refractory copper minerals but is not ideally suited to high zinc feed. This leach does not dissolve gold or silver which remain in the residue.
2. A pressure oxidation leach in acid sulphate media with oxygen injection to extract zinc from sphalerite (ZnS). In the sulphide ore or concentrate as a first leach step or a leach step on the solids product of the ferric sulphate leach step. This leach step was originally developed by Sherritt-Gordon. This leach can also potentially dissolve copper from primary sulphides but is not very efficient for more refractory minerals such as chalcopyrite. Copper which leaches may be removed from the liquor with solvent extraction or alternatively may be precipitated into the residue by maintaining a moderately high pH (around 4) and then re-leached using one or other of the alternative leach steps. This leach does not dissolve silver or gold.
3. A mixed chloride-sulphate leach to extract copper from copper rich concentrates containing valuable levels of refractory sulphide minerals such as chalcopyrite in the sulphide ore or concentrate as a first leach step or as a leach step on the solids product of the ferric sulphate or the pressure oxidation leach steps and not amenable to leaching in sulphate-only systems. This leach step will dissolve virtually all copper sulphide minerals and zinc from sphalerite. Silver and gold remain in the residue.
4. A halex leach as described in the Intec process to extract copper, silver and gold from solids products materials. This leach step is described as part of the Intec process where it is used to leach chalcopyrite and produce copper powder through a chloride electrowinning step. This leach will dissolve all zinc and copper minerals as well as the silver and gold.
5. An oxidative acid sulphate high pressure, high temperature leach carried out at over 200C such that much of the sulphur present is converted to sulphate and copper and zinc present are leached into the liquor. This leach step has been described in numerous publications such as those, of Dreisinger, or as part of a Sherritt-Cominco process. Although this leach is more aggressive to the sulphur and copper than even the halex leach it does not dissolve the gold or silver. In the invention proposed it is potentially used as an alternative to leach step 3 in special circumstances where there is a wish to deliberately convert significant amounts of the sulphur to sulphate.
The capability of the more aggressive leach steps summarised in items 3,4 and 5 above to dissolve more of the valuable metals does not of itself mean that it is preferable to use them as a substitute for the multi-staged approach of the present invention. These more aggressive leach steps have penalties associated with the complexity of the leach and the cost of subsequent metal recovery. Leach steps 3 and 4 both include chlorides which prevent simple direct electrowinning of zinc and requires use of solvent extraction which is not to date very efficient for zinc. Similarly the need for tonnage oxygen and the greater complexity of using pressure vessels and/or chloride resistant construction detracts from the use of these more aggressive leach steps if the copper-containing minerals present are readily leachable in a simple ferric sulphate liquor.
The present invention is described further by way of example with reference to FIG. 1 which are flow sheets of preferred embodiments of the process of the present invention.
The process illustrated in FIG. 1 combines the 4 leach steps summarised in items 1 to 4 above and is applicable to sulphide ores and concentrates that include chalcocite (Cu2S), sphalerite (ZnS), chalcopyrite (CuFeS2). gold and silver.
The feed material is initially leached in ferric sulphate leach 3 to dissolve the readily-leached copper. The time, temperature and oxidation potential of this leach are controlled such that copper is selectively extracted over zinc. Some zinc dissolution may occur leading to a build up in the circuit but this can be balanced by the soluble zinc contained in the entrained liquor fed to the subsequent leach stages with the solid residue.
The solids are separated from the liquor in a solid/liquid separation step 5 and the liquor is then transferred into an electrolyte for copper electrowinning in a solvent extraction step 7.
Ferric ions are partially converted to ferrous during the ferric sulphate leach 3 and the majority of the ferrous ions are regenerated to ferric ions and returned to the ferric sulphate leach 3 using bacteria or pressure oxidation. The leach and the regeneration can be carried out simultaneously in one pressure vessel but this has penalties in complexity of equipment and also-in possible lack of selectively of the leach.
The solid residue from the solid/liquid separation step 5 is leached in a sulphate pressure leach 9 in an acid sulphate liquor with injection of oxygen at elevated pressure and temperature (around 150 psi, 150C) to dissolve the zinc present and to give a solution suitable for purification and zinc electrowinning.
The transfer of residual sulphate and iron from the ferric sulphate leach 3 into this leach does not cause difficulties as the sulphate pressure leach is also sulphate based and is capable of precipitating the iron as jarosite and/or goethite. This leach would be as currently practiced in existing commercial plants unless there is excessive copper present in the liquor due to inadequate washing from the ferric sulphate first leach 3, or because the feed material has minerals present such as bornite which are midway in reactivity between chalcocite and chalcopyrite. Alternative approaches are to force the copper in liquor to precipitate by pushing the pH up to where the cupric ions present become much less soluble or to add a specific copper extraction step such as solvent extraction into the circuit to economically recover the copper. The final traces of copper could then be removed using the conventional cementation reaction in the zinc dust purification step.
The presence of elevated levels of copper in the zinc liquor as would occur if this leach step was used directly on a copper zinc ore can lead to some difficulties in subsequent processing. Removing this copper by solvent extraction generates acid in the zinc liquor which requires neutralisation prior to final purification and electrowinning. Although this neutralisation can be done with lime which generates gypsum there is a significant cost penalty associated. The approach of a combined leach of the copper and zinc is therefore generally not favoured for a stand alone operation. At specific locations there may be scope to overcome this problem through having available zinc oxide such as from a conventional roast-leach circuit, or a copper free zinc sulphide concentrate, for this xe2x80x9cneutralisationxe2x80x9d. In that situation there is scope to consider using this pressure leach step to extract both the readily leachable copper and the zinc.
Part of the zinc in the feed material may leach during the ferric sulphate leach 3 but this does not transfer across the copper solvent extraction step 7 and goes to the sulphate pressure leach step 9 in the liquor which accompanies the solid residue from the solid/liquid separation step 5.
In cases where the zinc is extremely reactive there may be a need to neutralise some liquor to force more zinc out and prevent it building to an unacceptably high level. An alternative is to remove the zinc from part or all of the raffinate liquor from copper solvent extraction using zinc solvent extraction and to transfer it into a conventional high zinc acid sulphate solution for electrowinning. This may require prior removal of any residual cupric ions present in the liquor being fed to zinc solvent extraction using cementation and/or ion exchange.
The product of the sulphate pressure leach 9 is transferred to a solid/liquid separation step 11.
The liquor from the solid/liquid separation step 11 is transferred successively to copper removal 27, purification, and zinc electrowin 29.
The solid residue from the solid/liquid separation step 11 contains undissolved copper present in refractory minerals such as chalcopyrite plus the precious metals silver and gold. It also contains any oxide waste materials from the original feed material, unreacted waste sulphides such as pyrite, elemental sulphur, and precipitated iron in the form of jarosite and/or goethite arising during the leach reactions.
The solid residue from the solid/liquid separation step 11 is leached in a mixed acid chloride-sulphate leach 13 to extract the copper without redissolving the iron compounds or significantly attacking any pyrite present. The chloride-sulphate leach 13 avoids converting much of the elemental sulphur to sulphate. Once again forward transfer of sulphate containing liquor is not of major concern because of the sulphate base of the mixed chloride sulphate step. Any untoward build up of sulphate can be accommodated by deliberate precipitation preferably as a jarosite or through limited amounts of gypsum using lime/limestone additions.
The product of the chloride-sulphide leach 13 is transferred to a solid/leach separation step 15.
The copper-bearing liquor from the solid/liquid separation 15 is subjected to solvent extraction 7 to transfer the copper to a sulphate liquor for conventional electrowinning. If the liquor contains significant zinc due to inefficiencies in the sulphate pressure leach 9 there may be advantages including a zinc solvent extraction step to also transfer the zinc into a sulphate liquor for electrolysis. This may require first removing all of the cupric ions from the liquor probably through solvent extraction followed by ion exchange and/or cementation with zinc. An alternative where chloride is present in the liquor is to reduce the cupric ions to cuprous and rely on the chloride ions present to allow this to be stable in the liquor. The leach would oxidise these cuprous ions to cupric and allow recovery when the liquor is recycled for use.
In unusual circumstances where the ore or concentrate contains significant levels of acid consuming minerals, and/or there is a site specific need to produce some sulphuric acid at a greater rate than the small amount which arises in the chloride sulphate leach, there may be advantages in substituting a high pressure, high temperature leach (as discussed as leach type 5) for the chloride-sulphate leach 13. The remainder of the flowsheet would remain unaltered with the copper leached still being recovered via solvent extraction and the residue proceeding to the next step 15.
The solid residue from the solid/liquid separation step 15 contains gold and silver and a small amount of undissolved copper. This residue is leached in a halex leach 17 to extract gold, silver and residual copper into solution. Small amounts of residual liquor transferred from the preceding leaches is readily managed by precipitation of the contained sulphates as gypsum using lime/limestone. Residual chloride is compatible with the halex leach solution and is not of concern.
The liquor and the residual solids are separated in a liquid/solid separation step 19 and the solids are washed and neutralised for disposal. The liquor from the solid/liquid separation step 19 is then passed through carbon columns 21 to extract gold.
There may be a need to partially treat the liquor with metallic copper or another reductant prior to entry to the carbon columns 21 to ensure the redox potential is of the right order for the gold to transfer onto the carbon.
The gold depleted liquor from the carbon columns 21 is then fed into an electrowinning cell 23 to recover the copper and silver and regenerate the halex. The cell is designed so that the halex and cupric ions generated at the anode are largely prevented from returning to the cathode. This can be achieved as is done in many industries through the use of ion selective membranes as physical barriers. An alternative approach is to design of the cell geometry in terms of inlet and outlet arrangement, the use of stirrers and baffles and the possible inclusion of porous membranes such that the electrolyte predominantly flows from the vicinity of the cathode to that of the anode without backflow or back mixing.
There are a number of alternatives for this part of the process depending upon the relative amounts of the copper and silver, and also on other impurity elements that may be present. The preferred approach is to electrowin the copper and silver directly from the liquor without prior purification. This would give an impure product and also consume more power than is the case where halex leaching is being used as the primary copper production but avoids additional processing steps. The copper product in this arrangement would need further treatment to give normal high purity copper and recover the silver. This can be done using conventional copper electrorefining by melting the powder and casting it into anodes. In special cases there may be advantages in removing the silver from the liquor prior to electrowinning and purifying the liquor as proposed in the published Intec process to give a higher purity copper powder product for direct sale. This may also be beneficial if there are significant levels of mercury present in the feed to ensure it reports to a solid residue rather than into the copper metal.
In some situations, there may be advantages in reacting this liquor with a small amount of reactive copper material such as scrap metal, but if these were unavailable even a reactive primary sulphide such as chalcocite, to take advantage of the residual oxidative power and convert the majority of the cupric ions present to cuprous prior to electrowinning.
The flowsheet of FIG. 1 covers the case where the feed material contains both of the most common copper minerals plus economically significant levels of zinc, silver and gold. This is not always the case and the process can readily be modified based around the criteria of including the leach steps most suitable for the specific minerals present.

Hydrometallurgical extraction of copper and other valuable metals


A spray coating application system for dispensing a liquid coating includes an elongated guide rail and a longitudinal slide plate slideably attached to the guide rail. The longitudinal slide plate is movable along a longitudinal axis of the guide rail between a first and second longitudinal positions. A transverse slide plate is attached to the longitudinal slide plate for concurrent movement therewith along the longitudinal axis of the guide rail. The transverse slide plate is moveable relative to the longitudinal slide plate in a transverse direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the guide rail. A spray nozzle is attached to the transverse slide plate for dispersing the liquid coating as a spray. A cam follower is attached to the transverse slide plate and engagable with a cam for moving the spray nozzle relative to the longitudinal slide plate between a first transverse position and a second transverse position.

Various forms of automated coating systems have been used to apply liquid coatings to a workpiece, such as an automotive vehicle body. The coating systems used to paint automotive vehicles are typically large, complex and expensive. Many systems use industrial paint robots capable of producing uniform film builds and precise coating thicknesses. In order to obtain an optimal and uniform layer of paint and an optimum painting quality, the paint should be sprayed from the painting tool in a controlled manner normal (perpendicular) to the surface to be covered. The motion pattern of the painting tool must then be correspondingly programmed in relation to the curved surfaces and edges of the vehicle body. Although industrial robots can easily adapt the paint tool to the optimal path pattern for the different car models, they are nevertheless complex and costly devices. There is a need for a simpler and less expensive coating apparatus capable of producing an optimal and uniform coating layer.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.


A method and network for automatic registration of a new device first establishes a “home” relationship between the new device and a network server, such that no additional configuration is required by a user of the new device to communicate over a network once the relationship is established. Next, registration information for the new device is automatically obtained, and can include information concerning the user of the new device, which can already be known to the network server, the new device itself obtainable directly from the new device, and the network server. The network server then establishes a connection with a registration server and sends the registration information to it. In this manner, the new device is automatically registered with very little, if any, input from the user. Other services can be provided to the new device by the registration server utilizing the “home” relationship.

The process of registering a newly-purchased electronic device is often cumbersome. Typically, registration involves installing the device's software on a personal computer, filling out paper forms for warranty service, and sometimes authorization and on-line registration. Upgrades for the device, if available, typically require a user to manually search for them, and may involve a complex process of download, transfer, and installation. After this process is completed, the actual use of the device includes connecting to the local network either in a wired or wireless manner. In addition, it is necessary typically to learn a new set of software functions.
A typical user owns multiple devices, each of which requires the user to perform the above process for their registration, use, and maintenance. The process is complicated by the fact that the process for each device is typically unique to the device or company. This limits the penetration of the marketplace for high technology products.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a method and network for automatic registration of a new device through the establishment of a home relationship with a network server. The present invention addresses such a need.

Automatic registration services provided through a home relationship established between a device and a local area network


A smoking accessory includes a case that can completely contain a lighted cigarette. The cigarette foot end extends out of the case, and the smoker exhales smoke into a mouthpiece on the case that conducts the exhaled smoke into a filter chamber to be filtered before it is exhausted to the environment. The case includes an ash chamber next to a cigarette containing chamber, and a filter chamber is located adjacent to the cigarette containing chamber. A flexible hose having two passages can be connected to the case.

In spite of the many hazards that have been attributed to tobacco smoking, many people still enjoy smoking and choose to smoke. These people smoke both cigarettes and cigars. However, because of many reasons, many other people object to someone in the vicinity smoking. This dichotomy has led to many rules regulating when and where smokers are permitted to smoke. For example, many restaurants have smoking sections, or do not permit smoking at all, especially cigar smoking. The same is true of many other public facilities, such as airlines and the like. This has placed a substantial burden on the smoker.
Many smokers are quite sensitive to the feelings of non-smokers around them, and try to make every effort possible to smoke in a manner which will not disturb non-smokers in the vicinity. In spite of this effort, some non-smokers still are disturbed by the mere fact that someone is smoking.
Thus, several devices have been proposed to control smoke from either a cigarette or a cigar. Special ashtrays are an example of such devices.
However, devices, such as special ashtrays, are often cumbersome to carry about and to use, and are thus not amenable to use in airplanes or the like. More importantly, since such devices are intended to control the portion of the smoking process occurring between inhaling and exhaling, and do not control the smoke being exhaled by a smoker, such devices are not fully effective in trapping all the smoke associated with a smoking procedure. These devices are also not fully effective in controlling slip stream smoke, that is, the smoke emanating from a cigarette between a process of inhaling and exhaling.
Therefore, there is a need for a smoke controlling device which is fully effective in controlling all of the smoke associated with a smoking process, including smoke exhaled by the smoker as well as slip stream and exhaled smoke, and which is also fully portable to be amenable to use in airplanes, automobiles and other such situations.


An air intake apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes an air intake manifold that has a plurality of branch pipes that are connected to an internal combustion engine and has a collecting pipe to which a throttle body is connected, in which an air intake quantity that is taken into the internal combustion engine is adjusted using a throttle valve of the throttle body, and in which a fuel injection quantity is adjusted in accordance with the air intake quantity. In this air intake apparatus for an internal combustion engine, an air flow meter that detects a quantity of air that is taken into the internal combustion engine is provided in each branch pipe of an air intake manifold.

In recent years, it is becoming increasingly common for fuel injection type internal combustion engines to be used in vehicles and the like. Among these internal combustion engines are those in which a throttle valve (i.e., a diaphragm valve) is provided on an upstream side of an air intake manifold, and a fuel injection valve and an air flow rate sensor are provided on a downstream side of the throttle valve (see, for example, Japanese Examined Patent Application, Second Publication No. H04-15388). Air flow rate signals output from the air flow rate sensor are input into a control circuit and the fuel injection rate is computed in accordance with the running state of the internal combustion engine. Operations of the fuel injection valve are then controlled by outputting fuel injection rate signals that are based on the computed fuel injection rate from the control circuit.
In order to improve the fuel efficiency and response of the internal combustion engine, it is desirable to detect the air intake quantity (i.e., the quantity of air taken into the internal combustion engine) each time air is taken in, and to then perform the optimum fuel injection based on this air intake quantity. However, in a conventional structure, when the interior of the air intake manifold is in a negative pressure state, the air flow rate sensor ends up measuring an air flow rate which is obtained by adding the air that is taken into the internal combustion engine to the air that fills the interior of the air intake manifold. Therefore, the drawback arises that the optimum fuel injection cannot be performed particularly when the throttle valve is first opened.
The present invention was conceived in view of the above described circumstances and it is an object thereof to provide an air intake apparatus for an internal combustion engine that makes the optimum fuel injection possible by accurately measuring an air intake quantity even when a throttle valve is first opened.

Air intake device for internal combustion engine


Presence subscriptions for messaging services are managed by automatically subscribing contacts to a user's contact lists based one or more rules, subscription states and contact types. In some embodiments, presence subscriptions are managed by: identifying a set of contacts with respect to an identified user; applying subscription rules to the contacts; selecting a subset of contacts based on one or more subscription rules; and automatically establishing presence subscriptions for the subset of contacts.

Instant messaging (IM) is an Internet Protocol-based application that provides convenient communication between people using a variety of different device types (e.g., computers, mobile phones, etc.). An IM service can be either device-based or network-based.
In a device-based system, the user information is located on the device used to access the system. The user downloads a client application to the device (e.g., a computer, mobile phone). The user's list of contacts and other preferences specific to the user are saved on that device. If the user accesses the system from multiple devices, the same user information will have to be created on each device. If that information is changed, or the user accesses the system as a guest from an infrequently user device, the user information may need to be manually changed on both devices.
In a network-based system, the user information is stored on a network-based server, so users have access to the same customized services and information, regardless of how they access the system. Client software can be loaded on devices used to access the service, but the same contact list, addresses, and other personal information will be available whenever users log into the system. If a change is made to information, that change will then affect all the devices that user uses. Because this information is located centrally, users also have the option of updating their own information for all other users. For example, if a user changes her e-mail address, she can make that change in the system. Then everyone who has the user on their contact list will automatically have their contact lists updated the next time they log into the system. In contrast to the device-based system, the network-based system offers true integrated communications across multiple device types.
In conventional IM-enabled devices, each contact's presence must be manually subscribed and managed, which can be cumbersome. And since there can be several states of presence subscription, the task of managing a large number of presence subscriptions can be overwhelming to most users.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method for managing presence subscriptions for messaging services, such as IM.

Managing presence subscriptions for messaging services


The present invention concerns a method and apparatus for integrating a CAD model of a product and an HMI simulation model of a product into a format suitable to be run in a virtual reality program. The method and apparatus according to the present invention includes the steps of providing a CAD model and a simulation model of the product. The simulation model includes an HMI simulation portion and an electronics/mechanical simulation portion. The CAD model and the HMI simulation portion of the simulation model are then integrated into a virtual reality representation of the product and modeled in the virtual reality program.

The present invention relates generally to development software and methods thereof and, in particular, to a method for developing embedded code for system simulations and for use in a Human Machine Interface (HMI) of a microcontroller-based product.
In recent years, the growth of consumer electronics productivity and communication products has begun to invade the automotive industry. Interior systems, where the bulk of a vehicle's Human-Machine Interface (HMI) exists, are becoming vastly complex. HMI devices (HMIs), such as "touch-screens" and the like, respond to commands executed by the occupants of the vehicle to display driving directions, operate the radio and climate controls, as well as emulate instrument panels. In order to respond to the commands of the vehicle occupants, software code for the display, functionality, and behavior of the HMI must be written, developed, and embedded within the product processor in order for the product to operate properly.
In the development of the embedded code for prior art HMIs, physical prototypes were necessary to model the product for human factors engineers and to demonstrate the product for potential sales. In the prior art, steps taken from product conception to the delivered software product included creating a two-dimensional image of the HMI display, converting the two-dimensional image to a three-dimensional CAD model, which could then be used in a prototype demonstration. The prototype typically consists of large surface data files that are viewed on large stereoscopic display systems. These are largely static images that may be able to display some dynamic characteristic such as lighting effects and change of surface colors and textures. These immersive technology prototypes are typically utilized for first-surface reviews. Code had to be written, debugged, and compiled for the prototype demonstration. After the demonstration, however, the software code developed for the prototypes was not usable in the final product, resulting in a waste of the resources utilized to create the prototype and a loss of the code used in the prototype.
In addition, in the early stages of the software development, the behaviors of the HMIs have traditionally been captured in a natural language engineering specification. These natural language specifications take great amounts of effort to create and refine and normally the result is a rather large document delivered very late in the development process. Often these documenting efforts last well into the development cycle and occur concurrently with product software development. Once software development has commenced, if the specification is incomplete, resolution of system performance details and other decisions will be made by the software designer and implemented in the product software without external documentation. When this occurs, the value and usefulness of the natural language specification drops dramatically. Additionally, the document is usually not retroactively updated if modifications in behavior are made directly to the source code instead of the document.
It is desirable, therefore, to reduce the dependence on the natural language specification and to reduce both the costs and the time required for developing HMI embedded code. Furthermore, it is desirable to establish a means of simulating the behavior of complete systems, including HMIs, prior to committing the expense of a full product prototype or product development.

Method for developing embedded code for system simulations and for use in a HMI


A laser printer for Braille that obviates the need for embossing mechanisms and specialized paper. A laser printer for Braille according to the present teachings increases an amount of a toner that adheres to an area of a paper that corresponds to the Braille element. The increased amount of toner yields a printed Braille element that may be read by touch.

Braille is a writing system for visually impaired or sightless people, consisting of raised elements, e.g. bumps, that are read by touch. A Braille document may include a pattern of Braille elements that are embossed in a relatively thick paper.
A Braille printer may be used to generate Braille documents using a computer system. A Braille printer may include a mechanism for embossing Braille elements into a relatively thick paper. For example, a Braille printer may include a mechanism for punching a pattern of bumps into a thick paper. The relative thickness of the paper is intended to hold the shape of the bumps in the paper.
Unfortunately, prior Braille printers may be relatively expensive and cumbersome to use. For example, an embossing mechanism for punching Braille elements into paper may be relatively expensive to manufacture particularly in light of the relatively low volume of Braille printers that may be produced. In addition, the relatively thick paper used in prior Braille printers may be expensive and difficult to obtain in comparison to paper that is used in sight read text/graphics printers.


A system and method for dynamically updating software-driven features in an electronic imaging device, including digital cameras, is disclosed. The user of the electronic imaging device may desire various features which are not supported by the baseline application program that is built into the electronic imaging device. In the present invention, the user may select removable memory devices to supplement the baseline application program. The user inserts the removable memory device into an external connector of the electronic imaging device. The computer of the electronic imaging device then automatically scans the removable memory device for executable software items, and displays these items in various menus as appropriate. The user may then select these items for execution without having to reboot the computer of the electronic imaging device. When the user is finished using the features on the removable memory device, he may remove it with no subsequent operator intervention required. The computer of the electronic imaging device then automatically removes from the appropriate menus the executable software items that had been added.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to electronic imaging devices and more particularly to a system and method of dynamically updating software-driven features in an electronic imaging device.
2. Description of the Background Art
Modern digital cameras are capable of providing not only image capture capabilities but also image storage and manipulation capabilities. Powerful software tools which once were executed on an external computer workstation are now capable of execution within the digital camera itself. However, the miniaturization of digital cameras presents severe data memory shortage problems. Digital cameras are typically smaller than laptop computers and personal digital assistants, and yet image manipulation is one of the most memory intensive forms of digital processing. With current memory technology it is not possible to have enough memory in a typical digital camera to simultaneously store all of a typical user's desired software. Moreover, new and better software may be developed after the purchase of a particular digital camera by a consumer. Updating the application software may be difficult after the sale of the digital camera to the consumer.
One method for dealing with this problem is to use removable memory devices, such as floppy disks or non-volatile semiconductor memory cards. A user may select a set of these which may satisfy his or her needs on a given occasion, and insert them into the digital camera when the software feature on a given removable device is required. An example of this is given in U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,264, issued to Sarbadhikari, et al. Sarbadhikari discusses using a removable memory card to import new application programs and algorithms. It is important to recognize that Sarbadhikari teaches the loading of application programs into that RAM which already exists in the digital camera. This requires not only rebooting the system but also that sufficient RAM exists to accommodate the new software.
It is well known in the art that a floppy disk may be inserted into a computer while the computer is running, and that the computer's operating system will recognize the files on the floppy disk. A more recent development is the "hot-mount" circuit card, such as those manufactured to specifications promulgated by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA). Here hot-mount refers to a property where the card may safely be inserted into a bus connector on a powered-on and operating computer. The hot-mount circuit card may also be recognized by the computer's operating system.
However there are currently limitations to what may be done with removable memory devices. Data may be entered via a removable memory device, and the existing applications may operate on this data. Application programs may be loaded from the removable memory device, and these may be executed without rebooting the computer. But changing the version of the application program or adding features via modularized code to the application program requires reinitializing the application program and the operating system through the process of rebooting. It is well known in the present art that to display new software functions of an application program in a graphic user interface menu or to run a newly-updated software program requires rebooting the operating system.
The need for rebooting after each addition of modular code to an existing application program undermines the utility of using removable memory devices in a digital camera. Each time a removable memory device is mounted and the new software modules prepared for use, the user must save all of his or her work in progress and the application program settings, and then wait during the period of time in which the computer reboots. What would be of greater utility to the user is a system wherein the applications may use the hot-mount devices to extend the functionality of the current application software without the constant need to reboot.
Therefore, for all of the foregoing reasons, an improved system and method are needed for dynamically updating software-driven features in an electronic imaging device.

System and method for dynamically updating features in an electronic imaging device


A system and method for providing reputational information on users involved in transactions is detailed. The method includes evaluating fulfilment of transactions, particularly in the context of contracts, and providing a record of that on a blockchain through reputational information, which can be retrieved later. Similar reputational information for other transactions can be retrieved and linked to the same user, based on a hash of a master public key for a user. Aggregate reputational information can be computed from pieces of reputational information retrieved. The evaluation and record provision can be implemented using a deterministic finite automaton (DFA). For each user involved in each contract, the DFA not only configures and allows for implementation of the contract, but also considers the extent of fulfilment of the contract's terms. The DFA generates reputational information in relation to each user in each contract, and this reputational information is published to and stored on the blockchain.

In this document we use the term 'blockchain' to include all forms of electronic, computer-based, distributed ledgers. These include, but are not limited to blockchain and transaction-chain technologies, permissioned and un-permissioned ledgers, shared ledgers and variations thereof. The most widely known application of blockchain technology is the Bitcoin ledger, although other blockchain implementations have been proposed and developed. While Bitcoin may be referred to herein for the purpose of convenience and illustration, it should be noted that the invention is not limited to use with the Bitcoin blockchain and alternative blockchain implementations and protocols fall within the scope of the present invention.
A blockchain is a consensus-based, electronic ledger which is implemented as a computer-based decentralised, distributed system made up of blocks which in turn are made up of transactions. Each transaction is a data structure that encodes the transfer of control of a digital asset between participants in the blockchain system, and includes at least one input and at least one output. Each block contains a hash of the previous block so that blocks become chained together to create a permanent, unalterable record of all transactions which have been written to the blockchain since its inception. Transactions contain small programs known as scripts embedded into their inputs and outputs, which specify how and by whom the outputs of the transactions can be accessed. On the Bitcoin platform, these scripts are written using a stack-based scripting language.
In order for a transaction to be written to the blockchain, it must be "validated". Network nodes (miners) perform work to ensure that each transaction is valid, with invalid transactions rejected from the network. Software clients installed on the nodes perform this validation work on an unspent transaction (UTXO) by executing its locking and unlocking scripts. If execution of the locking and unlocking scripts evaluate to TRUE, the transaction is valid and the transaction is written to the blockchain. Thus, in order for a transaction to be written to the blockchain, it must be i) validated by the first node that receives the transaction—if the transaction is validated, the node relays it to the other nodes in the network; and ii) added to a new block built by a miner; and iii) mined, i.e. added to the public ledger of past transactions.
Although blockchain technology is most widely known for the use of cryptocurrency implementation, digital entrepreneurs have begun exploring the use of both the cryptographic security system Bitcoin is based on and the data that can be stored on the Blockchain to implement new systems. It would be highly advantageous if the blockchain could be used for automated tasks and processes which are not limited to the realm of cryptocurrency. Such solutions would be able to harness the benefits of the blockchain (e.g. a permanent, tamper proof records of events, distributed processing etc) while being more versatile in their applications.
One area of current research is the use of the blockchain for the implementation of "smart contracts". These are computer programs designed to automate the execution of the terms of a machine-readable contract or agreement. Unlike a traditional contract which would be written in natural language, a smart contract is a machine executable program which comprises rules that can process inputs in order to produce results, which can then cause actions to be performed dependent upon those results.
Another area of blockchain-related interest is the use of 'tokens' (or 'coloured coins') to represent and transfer real-world entities via the blockchain. A potentially sensitive or secret item can be represented by the token which has no discernable meaning or value. The token thus serves as an identifier that allows the real-world item to be referenced from the blockchain.
Various prior art methodologies are known for managing user related data, such as reputational data or credit information, within a network. Examples of such prior art methodologies are briefly described below.
A presentation by Chris Pacia et al. entitled "OpenBazaar—Ratings, reviews and reputation" discloses a blockchain based ratings system. On slide 55 it is indicated that once an item is received, a Buyer creates a rating just before releasing funds to a Vendor. The rating data is attached to a Ricardian contract. The ratings data comprises scores provided by the Buyer based on the following parameters: feedback; quality; description;
delivery time; customer service; and review. On slide 63 it is indicated that OP_RETURN has the Vendor's Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) embedded, which is used to filter relevant multisignature transactions from the blockchain when scanning for ratings. It is further indicated that of these tagged multisignature transactions, only those with the Vendor's GUID signature within the scriptsig are considered valid, "as it is unforgeable evidence that the Vendor was involved in the transaction".
It has been noted that in the system disclosed in OpenBazaar, the ratings data is provided by a user (the Buyer). This ratings information can in principle be abused (e.g. by a competitor entering poor ratings information). To prevent abuse of the ratings system in OpenBazaar, the system only use transactions which have been signed off by a Vendor, thus representing real transactions. However, this would not prevent a competitor from legitimately buying goods or services in transactions signed off by a Vendor but then providing poor ratings information in an attempt to dissuade others from buying goods or services from the Vendor.
WO 2015/085393 discloses a rating system for rating a transaction history of a digital currency. The rating system comprises: a storage system for storing transaction information of the digital currency; an interface for receiving an identifier of at least one account associated with the digital currency and a request for rating the transaction history of the at least one account; and a processor communicative with the storage system and the interface. The processor identifies transactions of the at least one account from the transaction information stored in the storage system and assesses the destination of the identified transactions to generate a rating for the at least one account. It is further disclosed that the rating system may assess the amount and age of the identified transactions and that the rating system may be useful, for example, for peer-to-peer digital currencies. The storage system does not appear to include the blockchain and also user specific transactions merely include the amount, date, and destination of the identified transactions.
US 2006149745 discloses a system and method to provide feedback data within a distributed feedback system of an e-commerce system. Feedback data describing e-commerce transactions are generated by buyers of goods and services and the corresponding sellers of these goods and services. The feedback data is stored and maintained within a set of feedback servers organized into a peer-to-peer (P2P) network of distributed devices. The feedback data is organized into groupings of feedback data that are stored onto database storage associated with each of the P2P network nodes. Buyers and sellers may search the feedback data from these distributed data sources to obtain reputation data associated with parties with which they propose to enter into new transactions for goods and services. No blockchain system is disclosed to which the user related data is sent, stored, searched, and extracted.
US 2015302400 discloses distributed crypto currency reputation systems and methods include monitoring a crypto currency public ledger. A current crypto currency transaction is detected in the crypto currency public ledger and, in response, reputation markers may be allocated to both a payer and a payee that are involved in the current crypto currency transaction. At least some of the reputation markers are then determined to have been transferred from the payer to the payee and from the payee to the payer. When a request for reputation information for the payee or the payer is received, information associated with the transfer of the at least some of the reputation markers from the payer to the payee or from the payee to the payer may then be provided.
CN 106230808 discloses storing personal credit information from many different institutions on a blockchain.

Computer-implemented system and method for generating and extracting user related data stored on a blockchain


The apparatus disclosed comprises a universal tow and coupling bar for connecting automatically to an aircraft landing nose gear and towing the aircraft during ground transport. The aircraft engaging end of the tow bar has directional adjustment and is hydraulically controlled in three coordinates. The end of the tow bar opposite to the aircraft engaging end is semi permanently connected to the aircraft towing vehicle. The aircraft engaging end of the tow bar contains an automatic hydraulically controlled locking assembly arranged to engage and lock with a mating locking assembly permanently fixed to the aircraft nose wheel structure. In addition to the aforementioned features of the universal tow bar are means for controlling the length of the tow bar, interupting the aircraft's hydraulic steering system, and connecting to the aircraft's telephone system. This invention provides for the automatic coupling of a towing vehicle to most jet aircraft under the control of a single operator functioning from the cab of the towing vehicle.

The present method of towing commercial aircraft on the ground at airports today requires the support of a minimum of two and in some cases three maintenance personnel. First a tow bar is selected that is compatible with the type of aircraft to be towed or pushed back from the airport gate. As many as 15 different tow bars may be required in an airport gate area to accommodate the various types of aircraft which have different designs of coupling means attached to their nose landing gear. The selected tow bar partially supported on two wheels is then manually attached to the towing vehicle by means of an eye arrangement. Next the vehicle under power moves the wheel supported tow bar to line up the coupling end of the tow bar in close proximity to the coupling means attached to the aircraft's retractable nose landing gear. The coupling end of the tow bar is then manually lifted and lined up for the manual manipulation of the locking mechanism. This lining up and locking operation requires a vehicle operator and at least one person to lift, align, and effect the coupling of the tow bar to the aircraft.
Before the aircraft is towed or pushed back from the gate two additional operations must be accomplished. First a person must hook up a telephone connection line to the aircraft in order to communicate with the aircraft pilot while walking along the aircraft under tow. The second operation required before towing is the manual disengagement of the aircraft nose hydraulic steering system so as to allow steering of the aircraft while under tow.


In a lens barrel in which an imaging optical system can be retracted and protruded, a retaining member to retain an optical element nearest to the imaging element among the imaging optical system is provided, the optical element moves in a receding direction from the imaging element when the imaging optical system is protruded, and moves in an approaching direction to the imaging element when the imaging optical system is retracted by deforming the retaining member.

The present invention relates to a retractable lens barrel and an imaging apparatus having the lens barrel thereof.
In recent years, replacing cameras using silver salt film, there have been popularly used electronic cameras wherein an imaging element carries out photo-electric conversion of light of a photographic subject, image data is obtained by applying a predetermined processing to an output from the imaging element and stored in a storage medium. In a field of the camera industry, to realize superior portability while not in use for photographing, cameras having so called a retractable lens barrel which is retracted to be thin by reducing distances between lens groups representing optical elements which configure an imaging optical system, are popular.
On the other hand, in an electronic camera using the imaging element, if dust exists in an imaging optical path near the imaging element, there is a problem that light for a light receiving element locating in the rear is interrupted and then a defect occurs in a photographic image.
To cope with this problem, there exist a camera in which dust is prevented from being adhering on surfaces between an imaging element side surface of a rearmost end lens group and a front surface of the imaging element by sealing the optical path between the rearmost end lens group and the imaging element, and a camera in which the rearmost end lens group and the imaging element are sealed and moved away from the imaging optical path and other imaging optical systems are moved backward. (For example: Refer to Patent document 1)
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent
Application Open to Public Inspection No. H11-109203
The problem that the defect occurs on the photographic image caused by adhesion of even a smaller foreign matter on the optical path of the imaging element is becoming obtrusive in accordance with minimizing of pixels and reduction of pixel pitches between the pixels for a higher density pixel imaging element. Also, as a dust-adhering surface comes closer to the imaging element, the dust creates more problems even if it is small.
In recent years, the number of pixel of imaging element increases and the pixel pitch is condensed to some μm. In the structure in Patent document 1, to realize a condition where adhesion of dust does not affect the imaging element, a distance from the imaging element to the object side surface of rearmost end lens has to be extremely large. In this status, if the front lens groups are moved telescopically, it is difficult to retract the lens groups to be thin enough.
Also, as the aforesaid Patent Document 1, in case thin lens barrel at retraction is realized by moving sealed imaging element, optical filter and rearmost end lens outside the imaging optical path, when moving is repeated, it is difficult to make an imaging surface of the imaging element always perpendicular to the optical axis accurately. For example, when the imaging surface is tilted, there is occurred a problem that a partial blur occurs and an image maximizing an optical performance of the lens cannot be obtained.


An air supply control system for an internal combustion engine comprises first and second turbosuperchargers, an exhaust cutoff valve operative to open and close one of separated exhaust passages in which a turbine of the second turbosupercharger is disposed, a first valve driving device for controlling the exhaust cutoff valve so that only the first turbosupercharger works when intake air mass flow fed to the engine is to be relatively small and both of the first and second turbosuperchargers work when the intake air mass flow is to be relatively large, an exhaust bypass valve operative to open and close an exhaust bypass passage provided for forming a partial exhaust passage detouring the exhaust cutoff valve, a second valve driving device for causing the exhaust bypass valve to open the exhaust bypass passage when intake air pressure applied to the engine reaches a predetermined value under a condition in which the intake air mass flow is to be relatively small, a waste gate valve operative to open and close a bypass passage provided for forming a partial exhaust passage detouring the turbines of the first and second turbosuperchargers, and a third valve driving device for causing the waste gate valve to open the bypass passage when the pressure of intake air reaches substantially the predetermined value under a condition in which the intake air mass flow is to be relatively large.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to air supply control systems for internal combustion engines, and more particularly to a system for controlling air supply effected to an internal combustion engine by a plurality of turbosuperchargers accompanying with the internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the field of internal combustion engines employed in vehicles, there has been proposed a so-called sequentially controlled supercharging system in which a couple of turbosuperchargers of primary and secondary are provided for an internal combustion engine and so controlled that only the primary turbosupercharger works for supercharging the engine when intake air mass flow in an intake passage of the engine is relatively small and both the primary and the secondary turbosuperchargers work simultaneously for supercharging the engine when the intake air mass flow is relatively large, as disclosed in, for example, the Japanese patent applications published before examination under publication numbers 56-41417 and 59-160022. In such a system, an exhaust cutoff valve is disposed in a portion of an exhaust passage of the engine through which exhaust gas is applied to a turbine of the secondary turbosupercharger and an intake air cutoff valve is also disposed in a portion of the intake passage of the engine through which air compressed by a compressor of the secondary turbosupercharger is supplied to a combustion chamber of the engine, and each of the exhaust cutoff valve and the intake cutoff valve is controlled to be closed and open so as to cause the primary and secondary turbosuperchargers to work in the aforementioned manner.
In connection with the control in operation of the primary and secondary turbosuperchargers, it has been proposed to put the secondary turbosupercharger in a condition of preliminary rotation before the secondary turbosupercharger commences to work for supercharging the engine for the purpose of suppressing torque shock arising on the engine due to time lag in the starting characteristic of the secondary turbosupercharger. In such a case, it has been usual that the preliminary rotation of the secondary turbosupercharger is caused by such a control as to open the exhaust cutoff valve for supplying the turbine of the secondary turbosupercharger with the exhaust gas under a condition in which an intake air relief valve which is provided in a bypass provided to the intake passage for detouring the secondary turbosupercharger is opened.
However, the preliminary rotation of the secondary turbosupercharger thus caused in the manner proposed previously brings about a disadvantage that the primary turbosupercharger is undesirably reduced in its speed of rotation because the exhaust gas branches through the exhaust cutoff valve which is opened under the condition in which the intake air relief valve is opened and thereby the exhaust gas supplied to a turbine of the primary turbosupercharger is reduced and this compels the preliminary rotation of the secondary turbosupercharger to be conducted insufficiently for a relatively short period of time just before the secondary turbosupercharger commences to work for supercharging the engine. Accordingly, in the case where the preliminary rotation of the secondary turbosupercharger is conducted in the manner proposed previously, it is difficult to put the secondary turbosupercharger in a condition of sufficiently high preliminary rotation before the secondary turbosupercharger commences to work for supercharging the engine, and therefore the torque shock arising on the engine is not sufficiently reduced when the secondary turbosupercharger commences to work for supercharging the engine.
In view of the above, it has been also proposed to provide an exhaust bypass valve disposed at a portion of the exhaust passage of the engine for introducing therethrough a relatively small quantity of exhaust gas to a portion of the exhaust passage downstream to the exhaust cutoff valve from a portion of the exhaust passage upstream to the exhaust cutoff valve, so that the turbine of the secondary turbosupercharger is driven to rotate by the exhaust gas passing through the exhaust bypass valve and thereby the secondary turbosupercharger is subjected to its preliminary rotation under a condition in which the exhaust cutoff valve is in its closed state. In the case where such an exhaust bypass valve as mentioned above is used, the intake air relief valve is caused to close on or before a time point at which the exhaust cutoff valve is opened and the preliminary rotation of the secondary turbosupercharger continues until the intake air relief valve is closed, and therefore the secondary turbosupercharger is put in a condition of sufficiently high preliminary rotation caused by the relatively small exhaust gas passing through the exhaust bypass valve just before the exhaust cutoff valve is opened. When the exhaust cutoff valve is opened, the intake air cutoff valve is also opened and the secondary turbosupercharger under the sufficiently high preliminary rotation commences to work for supercharging the engine under a condition in which the intake air relief valve is closed. Consequently, the torque shock arising on the engine is surely suppressed when the second supercharger commences to work for supercharging the engine.
In the meantime, the internal combustion engine equipped with a turbosupercharger is usually provided with a waste gate valve which is operative to prevent compressed air pressure in an intake passage of the engine from exceeding a predetermined value. The waste gate valve is disposed in a bypass passage detouring a turbine of the turbosupercharger and opened for reducing exhaust gas flowing through the turbine of the turbosupercharger when the compressed air pressure in the intake passage reaches the predetermined value.
In the case of an internal combustion engine to which the sequentially controlled supercharging system wherein the primary and secondary turbosuperchargers are provided as aforementioned and both the exhaust bypass valve and waste gate valve are used for controlling exhaust gas flow supplied to the primary and secondary turbosuperchargers is applied, the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust bypass valve dose not contribute to increase in compressed air pressure in the intake passage but causes the secondary turbosupercharger to be subjected to its preliminary rotation prior to supercharging operation and therefore the exhaust bypass valve functions substantially to limit the compressed air pressure in the intake passage as well as the waste gate valve when only the primary turbosupercharger works for supercharging the engine and, on the other hand, the compressed air pressure in the intake passage is limited by only the waste gate valve when both the primary and secondary turbosuperchargers work simultaneously for supercharging the engine. This results in a fear that the maximum value of the compressed air pressure in the intake passage limited by the exhaust bypass valve is different from the maximum value of the compressed air pressure in the intake passage limited by the waste gate valve and therefore the compressed air pressure in the intake passage has its maximum value which varies suddenly and undesirably so as to hinder the engine from operating stably when the secondary turbosupercharger commences to work for supercharging the engine in addition to the primary turbosupercharger or the secondary turbosupercharger ceases to work for supercharging the engine.

Air supply control systems for internal combustion engines


A computer implemented method selects antennas in a multiple-input, multiple-output wireless local area network that includes multiple stations, and each station includes a set of antennas. Multiple consecutively transmitted sounding packets are received in a station. Each sounding packet corresponds to a different subset of the set of antennas. A channel matrix is estimated from the multiple consecutively transmitted sounding packets. A frame including a high throughput (HT) control field is sent to initiate a selecting of antennas, and a subset of antennas is selected according to the channel matrix.

Multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) techniques can significantly increase system capacity in a scattering environment of a wireless network. However, the use of more antennas increases the hardware complexity and cost because in a typical system, each transmit/receive antenna requires a separate RF chain including a modulator/demodulator, an AD/DA converter, an up/down converter, and a power amplifier. In addition, the processing complexity at the baseband also increases with the number of antennas.
Antenna/beam selection can reduce the number of RF chains while still taking advantage of the capacity/diversity increase provided by multiple antennas. In a wireless local area network (WLAN), stations are typically operated at a high signal to noise ratio (SNR), in which diversity plays a key role in protecting the system from a deep fading channel. Furthermore, it is known that the state of a WLAN channel changes slowly. Therefore, it is advantageous to perform antenna/beam selection in a WLAN.
The idea of antenna/beam selection is to select a submatrix from a complete channel matrix or a transformed channel matrix for beam selection, according to some predetermined criterion. To perform antenna/beam selection, the complete channel matrix is estimated by sending training (sounding) frames that enable the antenna selection station to measure the complete channel state information (CSI). Conventionally, explicit signaling is used in the physical (PHY) or media access (MAC) layer by sending training frame(s) for all the antennas to be selected. However, the additional overheads are undesirable due to practical limitations. On the other hand, the slowly varying WLAN channel environment can advocate a more efficient antenna/beam selection training scheme which requires little or no changes in the MAC and PHY layers.
Structure of IEEE 802.11n WLAN Link Adaptation Control (LAC) Mechanisms in MAC Layer
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 12, the WLAN IEEE 802.11n standard, incorporated herein by reference, also known as WiFi, proposes to specify a fast link adaptation control (LAC) mechanism defined at the MAC layer for supporting MIMO training requests and exchange of link adaptation information. In general, the LAC functionality can be realized either by a single control frame defined as LAC, or the single control frame can be a High Throughput (HT) Control frame, or a HT Control Field can be incorporated into any MAC layer frame. As shown in FIG. 1, LAC frame contains the following fields: a MAC header 110, a LAC mask 120 for indicating the logical elements carried in the current control frame, a modulation coding scheme (MCS) feedback field 130 for indicating transmitting parameters, and a frame check sequence (FCS) 140 for error detection. The MAC header 110 applies for any MAC layer packet, which includes a frame control 111, duration 112, receive address (RA) 113, and transmit address (TA) 114. The LAC frame is described in detail in IEEE 802.11-04/0889r7, "TGn Sync Proposal Technical Specification," incorporated herein by reference.
The LAC frame supports control of MIMO training requests and exchange of link adaptation information. The LAC frame can be sent by either an initiator station (transmitter) or a recipient station (receiver).
FIG. 2 shows the LAC mask field 120 in greater detail. Without considering antenna/beam selection, the LAC mask field 120 includes the following: RTS (request to send) 121, CTS (clear to send) 122, TRQ (MIMO training request) 123, MRQ (request for MCS feedback) 124, and MFB (MCS feedback) 125. The three bits 126 are reserved. In the MCS feedback case, i.e., MFB=1, the MCS set is indicated in the 'MCS feedback' field 130 in FIG. 1.
An HT Control Field includes a LAC field which controls the fast link adaptation training process; and two other unused fields which may be dedicated for other HT control features. Without considering antenna/beam selection, the LAC field of an HT control field includes: MRQ, MRS (MRQ sequence number), MFS (MFB sequence number), and MFB with 7 bits functioning as the MCS feedback field in the above LAC frame. Note that the same HT Control Field may also form a single HT Control frame by adding in a MAC header, See FIG. 1, item 110. The HT Control Field is described in detail in IEEE 802.11-20051020 "Link Adaptation Draft Text Alternative 2 r2," incorporated herein by reference.
Closed-Loop MIMO Training Methods for IEEE 802.11n WLAN
The IEEE 802.11n standard requires a throughput of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) at the medium access control (MAC) layer service access point (SAP). Based on the channel property in WLAN environment, closed-loop schemes are preferred for increased throughput, including transmit beam forming (TXBF), MCS adaptation, and antenna/beam selection.
Each PHY layer packet is composed by two portions: preamble and data. The PHY packet preamble includes training information for channel estimation at the receiver. Typically, in a conventional PHY layer packet, the number of antennas or spatial streams indicated in the training field can be less than the maximum number provided by the MIMO channel. A sounding packet is a specific PHY layer packet, which contains the training information for all the available data streams in the MIMO channel, no matter how many data streams are used for transmitting the data portion. When the concept of sounding packet is not applied in the system, an alternative category of PHY layer training packet is the one that enforces a MCS set utilizing all the available data streams in the MIMO channel, so that not only the preamble contains the full training information of the MIMO channel, the data portion is also transmitted using all the available data streams.
MCS Training Process
FIG. 3 shows a conventional MIMO training process for MCS adaptation based on LAC frame however, it should be understood that an HT control field can also be used. An initiator (transmit) station STA A 301 sends a LAC frame 310 with MRQ=1, or a frame containing HT Control Field with MRQ=1, and MRS equal to a corresponding sequence number, to a recipient (receive) station STA B 302. The initiator also requests its PHY layer to signal a sounding packet. In response to receiving the MRQ and the sounding packet, the recipient 302 estimates the MIMO channel and determines an appropriate MCS set for the current channel. Then, the recipient replies to the initiator a LAC frame 320 with MFB set to 1, and the MCS feedback field 130 contains the selected MCS set, or a frame including a HT Control Field with MFS equal to the MRS in the received frame it is currently responding to, and with MFB including a selected MCS set.
The recipient 302 can also initiate the MCS training process whenever it has the complete MIMO channel knowledge, by determining the MCS and sending an MFB with MCS feedback directly without any matching MRQ element. This is called unsolicited adaptation.
TXBF Training Process
FIG. 4 shows a conventional transmit beam forming (TXBF) training process based on LAC frame. Again, it should be understood that a HT control field can be used, if corresponding TXBF training functionalities are defined in the reserved fields described above. The initiator 301 sends out a LAC frame 410 with TRQ set to 1 to the recipient 302. In response to receiving the TRQ, the recipient sends back a sounding packet 420 to the initiator. Upon receiving the sounding packet, the initiator estimates the MIMO channel and updates its beam forming steering matrices. Up to now, recipient initiated TXBF training is not defined.
For antenna selection, some prior art training methods use a single PHY layer training frame (e.g., sounding packet) containing the training information for all the antennas to be selected, and different antenna subsets are subsequently connected to the RF chains for this single training frame. This introduces overhead on existing training frame designs.
In another training method, a long sequence of training frames is transmitted from a receive station to a transmit station, and in response the transmit station transmits a short sequence of training frames so that both the transmit and receive station can perform channel estimation and antenna selection, see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/127,006 "Training Frames for MIMO Stations," filed by Andreas Molisch, Jianxuan Du and Daqing Gu on May 11, 2005, incorporated herein by reference.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for selecting antennas and beams in MIMO wireless LANs

Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.


A process for producing a sulfur sorbent composition in a mixer having a mixer paddle an energy supply is disclosed which includes hydrating an alkaline earth metal oxide in an aqueous solution containing a promoting additive selected from a group consisting of urea and mixtures of urea with a water soluble iron salt under high intensity mixing conditions with the mixer wherein the mixer is operated at a mixer paddle tip velocity of at least 500 ft/min and a mixer energy input of at least 3.5 kW-h per ton of sorbent so as to produce a sulfur sorbent composition having the following physical and chemical properties: alkaline earth metal (wt. %)--40-52, molar ratio of promoting additive to alkaline earth metal--0.001-0.2, bulk density (g/ml)--0.35-0.75, surface area (m.sup.2 /g)--5-25, pore volume (cc/g)--0.05-0.14 and mean particle size (um)--4.

The present invention relates to a process for producing a sulfur sorbent composition for use in removing sulfur oxides from a stream of effluent gas and the resultant sorbent produced.
Desulfurization of effluent gas is achieved by various procedures known in the art. One known procedure is to treat the effluent gas with sorbents, such as calcium carbonate or calcium hydroxide.
Such sulfur sorbents are the subject, for example, of U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,197 to Powell et al. This patent discloses the use of CaO prepared by flash calcination of a special type of aragonite sand, thus generating a CaO product which reacts with SO.sub.2. This procedure has economic drawbacks due to the special raw material required and the necessary flash calcination procedure.
When commercial calcium carbonate or hydroxide is used, however, sulfur reactivity is generally unsatisfactory. Various approaches have been reported wherein improvement of sulfur reactivity is attempted.
Several disclosures have been made regarding the use of urea as an additive to hydrated calcium in order to remove NO .sub.x compounds from gas streams, or to simultaneously remove SO.sub.2 and NO.sub.x.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,233 discloses a process in which urea is incorporated into Ca(OH).sub.2 by dissolving urea into the hydration water. The '233 patent discloses that the urea additive does not harm the reactivity of the sorbent towards SO.sub.2. No particular hydration procedures are indicated in the '233 patent.
Such urea promoted sorbents, prepared conventionally, yield sorption rates up to a maximum of about 60% at molar ratios of Ca to sulfur of about 2.
Metal salts have been used as additives to try to improve the sulfur reactivity of calcium based sorbents. For example, Muzio et al presented a paper entitled "The Effectiveness Of Additives For Enhancing SO.sub.2 Removal With Calcium Based Sorbents" at the 1986 Joint Symposium on Dry SO.sub.2 and Simultaneous SO.sub.2 /NO.sub.x Control Technologies (EPRI Proceeding CS-4996, Vol. I, pp. 13-23). This paper reports that the incorporation of iron into the hydration water had no significant effect on SO.sub.2 capture.
Slaughter et al. presented a paper entitled "Enhanced Sulfur Capture By Promoted Calcium-based Sorbent" at the aforesaid 1986 Joint Symposium (EPRI Proceedings CS-4996, Vol. I, pp. 12-24). This paper indicates that the physical mixture of Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 to Ca(OH).sub.2 had no significant enhancing effect on the sorbent reactivity toward SO.sub.2 during in-furnace sorbent injection experiments.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,115 discloses a method for enhancing the SO.sub.2 absorption of limestone used during a fluidized bed combustion of carbonaceous fuels. According to the '115 patent, limestone is sprayed with a mixture of iron sulfate and iron sulfite in a separate chamber before the limestone is injected into the fluidized bed combustor. The sulfation data presented in the '115 patent indicate that 3 hours are needed to obtain particle sulfation levels of 60%.
Thus, the state of the art indicates that urea yields no improved results for SO.sub.2 removal, and that iron is not an effective promoter for sulfur sorbents.
In light of the above, it can be seen that there is a need for a sulfur sorbent composition which is not costly to prepare and which does not require expensive starting materials.
It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide a process for preparing a sulfur sorbent composition which is effective and inexpensive to produce.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a process for producing a sorbent using iron and urea additives to enhance SO.sub.2 removal.
Other objects and advantages will become readily apparent to a person skilled in the art upon consideration of the following description of the invention.

Sorbent for treatment of effluent gas stream


A liquid ejecting head includes: a piezoelectric element having a first electrode provided above a flow path forming substrate in which pressure generation chambers are formed, a piezoelectric body layer provided so as to correspond to each pressure generation chamber, and a second electrode provided above the piezoelectric body layer, wherein the first electrode, which is formed in the region facing the region where the piezoelectric body layer is formed, includes a first electrically-conductive layer, and a second electrically-conductive layer, which is made of a material having a smaller Young's modulus than that of the first electrically-conductive layer and is formed closer to the flow path forming substrate than the first electrically-conductive layer; and the first electrode, which is formed in the region facing the region where the piezoelectric body layer is not formed, has a surface constituted of the second electrically-conductive layer.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an actuator device having a piezoelectric element, a liquid ejecting head and a liquid ejecting apparatus, which are provided with the actuator device and eject liquid droplets from nozzles by the displacement of the piezoelectric element, and a manufacturing method of the liquid ejecting head.
2. Related Art
As a representative example of the liquid ejecting head, an ink jet type recording head which is mounted on an ink jet type recording apparatus can be given. The ink jet type recording head ejects ink from a nozzle which is communicated with a pressure generation chamber, for example, by deforming a vibration plate constituting a portion of the pressure generation chamber by a piezoelectric element, thereby pressurizing ink in the pressure generation chamber. Also, as for such an ink jet type recording head, there are two kinds of the recording head which are put to practical use. One kind uses an actuator device with a longitudinal oscillation mode elongated and contracted the axial direction of the piezoelectric element and one kind uses an actuator device with a flexural oscillation mode.
As the recording head which uses an actuator device with a flexural oscillation mode, there is a recording head having a piezoelectric element which is constituted of a lower electrode film, a piezoelectric body layer formed on the lower electrode film, and an upper electrode film formed on the piezoelectric body layer (for example, JP-A-2006-245247).
Also, such a piezoelectric element is formed, for example, by forming the piezoelectric body layer and the upper electrode film over the entire surface of a substrate in which the lower electrode film is formed, by using film formation technology, and patterning and dividing the piezoelectric body layer and the upper electrode film into a shape corresponding to each pressure generation chamber by using a lithography method.
The actuator device of such a configuration has an advantage that it is possible to arrange the piezoelectric elements with a high density and also a high-speed driving of the piezoelectric element. However, there is a possibility that variation occurs in the displacement characteristic of each piezoelectric element due to variation in the etching end point when patterning the piezoelectric body layer. That is, a portion of the lower electrode film can be also removed when patterning the piezoelectric body layer. However, the removed amount of the lower electrode film is not constant at all portions, and consequently, there is a case where variation occurs in the displacement characteristic of the piezoelectric element. In particular, when the electrode is formed by stacking a plurality of electrically-conductive layers which are different in terms of Young's modulus, if patterning is stopped in the middle of the thickness direction of an electrically-conductive layer having a larger Young's modulus than that of the other electrically-conductive layer, variation in the thickness is apt to influence the driving of the piezoelectric body layer. Further, if the above-mentioned variation exists in a place where is relatively close to the piezoelectric body layer even in a region where the piezoelectric body layer is not formed, it has been found that it influences the driving of the piezoelectric body layer.
Also, such a problem similarly exists in a liquid ejecting head which ejects liquid droplets other than ink, as well as the ink jet type recording head which ejects ink droplets.

Liquid ejecting head, liquid ejecting apparatus, actuator device, and manufacturing method of liquid ejecting head


A dipper door trip assembly includes a dipper, a dipper door pivotally coupled to the dipper, a linkage assembly including a sliding latch bar disposed at least partially in the dipper door, and a latch keeper coupled to the dipper. The latch keeper includes a roller that engages and disengages the latch bar.

The present invention relates to the field of mining machines. Specifically, the present invention relates to a dipper door and a dipper door trip assembly on a mining machine, such as a rope shovel.
Industrial mining machines, such as electric rope or power shovels, draglines, etc., are used to execute digging operations to remove material from a bank of a mine. On a conventional rope shovel, a dipper is attached to a handle, and the dipper is supported by a cable, or rope, that passes over a boom sheave. The rope is secured to a bail that is pivotably coupled to the dipper. The handle is moved along a saddle block to maneuver a position of the dipper. During a hoist phase, the rope is reeled in by a winch in a base of the machine, lifting the dipper upward through the bank and liberating the material to be dug.
To release the material disposed within the dipper, a dipper door is pivotally coupled to the dipper. When not latched to the dipper, the dipper door pivots away from a bottom of the dipper, thereby freeing the material out through a bottom of the dipper. Current shovels use a dipper door trip mechanism to unlatch and release the dipper door from the dipper. The dipper door trip mechanism includes a latch bar that is moved in and out of an opening in a latch keeper on the dipper. Movement of the latch bar generates significant amounts of friction and wear on surfaces of the latch bar and latch keeper as the latch bar slides in and out of the latch keeper. Thus, current dipper door trip mechanisms employ use of expensive, exotic, high strength materials on the latch bar and/or latch keeper to try and withstand some of the high amounts of friction and wear.


Provided is a computation method for obtaining information suitable for positional deviation correction and lens blur correction for a case where a part of or an entire projection image projected by each of a plurality of projectors is displayed in a superimposed manner. For this purpose, a light intensity distribution indicating a degree of lens blur of a base projector and peak coordinates of the light intensity distribution are calculated using a captured image obtained by capturing a test pattern projected by the base projector in an arrangement state in which a plurality of projectors is arranged such that a part of or an entire projection image projected by each of the plurality of projectors is displayed in a superimposed manner. Further, a light intensity distribution centered on the peak coordinates on the base projector side and corresponding to a degree of lens blur of a referencing projector is calculated using a captured image obtained by capturing the test pattern projected by the referencing projector in the same arrangement state. As a result, information indicating the degree of lens blur of the base projector and information corresponding to positional deviation and the degree of lens blur of the referencing projector are obtained.

There is a projection system in which a plurality of projectors is arranged side by side and a part of or an entire projection image projected by each projector is displayed in a superimposed manner. In this case, the alignment of superimposition display portions needs to be performed with high precision.
PTL 1 described below discloses a technique for correcting a resolution reduction caused by superimposition deviation when a plurality of projectors performs projection in a superimposed manner. Specifically, according to the description in PTL 1, the correction is performed by preparing an MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) deterioration table in advance according to the amount of pixel deviation of each of the second and subsequent projectors, calculating a filter coefficient corresponding to the table, and applying the filter coefficient.

Information processing apparatus, computation method of information processing apparatus, and program


A foldable three-wheel baby carriage includes an operation device mounted on the horizontal section of each of the two push bars, a front shock-absorbing device mounted between the front wheel and the two front frames, two rear connecting devices each mounted between a respective one of the two rear wheels and a respective one of the two rear frames, and two rear shock-absorbing devices each mounted between a respective one of the two rear wheels and a respective one of the two rear frames. Thus, the foldable three-wheel baby carriage may provide shock-absorbing and braking functions, thereby protecting the baby. In addition, the connecting devices and the operation device of the foldable three-wheel baby carriage are arranged in hidden manner, thereby enhancing the aesthetic quality of the foldable three-wheel baby carriage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a foldable three-wheel baby carriage with a shock-absorbing function, and more particularly to a foldable three-wheel baby carriage that is provided with a front shock-absorbing device and two rear shock-absorbing devices, thereby providing a shock-absorbing function.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional three-wheel baby carriage is not provided with a shock-absorbing device, thereby lacking a shock-absorbing function. In addition, both of the frame and the wheels of the conventional three-wheel baby carriage have a fixed size, thereby limiting the versatility of the conventional three-wheel baby carriage. Further, the conventional three-wheel baby carriage is not provided with a brake. Further, the wheels of the conventional three-wheel baby carriage are fixed and cannot be detached conveniently, thereby causing inconvenience in maintenance and replacement.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the disadvantage of the conventional baby carriage.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a foldable three-wheel baby carriage that is provided with a front shock-absorbing device and two rear shock-absorbing devices, thereby providing a shock-absorbing function.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a foldable three-wheel baby carriage that is provided with a brake to provide a braking function, thereby protecting the baby.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a foldable three-wheel baby carriage with a shock-absorbing function, wherein the connecting devices and the operation device of the foldable three-wheel baby carriage are arranged in hidden manner, thereby enhancing the aesthetic quality of the foldable three-wheel baby carriage, and thereby preventing injury of the baby.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a foldable three-wheel baby carriage with a shock-absorbing function, wherein the length of each of the two vertical sections of the support rack of the front shock-absorbing device may be changed according to the size of the front wheel, thereby enhancing the versatility of the foldable three-wheel baby carriage.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a foldable three-wheel baby carriage with a shock-absorbing function, wherein the locking block may be moved to detach the locking rib from the insertion groove of the wheel shaft of the respective rear wheel, so that the wheel shaft may be detached from the straddle rod easily and quickly, thereby facilitating detachment and replacement of the rear wheels.

Foldable three-wheel baby carriage with a shock-absorbing function


A 4-methyl-1-pentene polymer having: a unit derived from 4-methyl-1-pentene of 90 to 100% by mol; a unit selected from ethylene and an α-olefin, other than 4-methyl-1-pentene, having 3 to 20 carbon atoms of 0 to 10% by mol; and the polymer satisfying the following requirements: (a) a meso diad fraction measured by 13C-NMR within the range of 98 to 100%; (b) a ratio of Z-average molecular weight Mz to weight-average molecular weight Mw measured by GPC within the range of 2.5 to 20; (c) a ratio of weight-average molecular weight Mw to number-average molecular weight Mn measured by GPC within the range of 3.6 to 30; (d) a melt flow rate measured under conditions of 260° C. and a 5 kg load (ASTM D1238) within the range of 0.1 to 500 g/10 min; and (e) an amount of a decane-soluble portion at 23° C. is 5.0% by mass or less.

4-Methyl-1-pentene-α-olefin copolymers with 4-methyl-1-pentene as a main constitutional monomer are excellent in heat resistance, mold release properties, and chemical resistance and therefore widely used for various purposes. For example, films made of the copolymers are used in FPC mold releasing films, mold releasing films for composite material molding, etc. by exploiting features such as favorable mold release properties, or used in experimental instruments and mandrels for rubber hose production, etc. by exploiting features such as chemical resistance, water resistance, and transparency.
On the other hand, molded articles made of resin compositions comprising a conventional 4-methyl-1-pentene polymer may need to be improved from the viewpoint of shape retention under a load at a high temperature, i.e., from the viewpoint of heat resistance (see, for example, Patent Literature 1). Since these molded articles contain a given level of low-molecular-weight components derived from the polymer, the molded articles need to be improved from the viewpoint of stain resistance and may be unable to be used for purposes that require high purity (see, for example, Patent Literature 2).
Patent Literature 3 discloses a 4-methyl-1-pentene polymer having high stereoregularity and a high heat of fusion. Patent Literature 4 discloses a molded article improved in shape retaining properties at a high temperature and stain resistance by exploiting the characteristics of the polymer.

4-methyl-1-pentene polymer, resin composition and molded article