A network switching control met:hod controls switching from an active route to a protection route when a failure has occurred in any of nodes of a communications network or any of transmission paths connecting the nodes so that the communications network is formed. Route switching is performed quickly and efficiently. The protection route is formed via n nodes among the plurality of nodes where n is an integer larger than or equal to 2. The method includes the step of generating, at a first node which is one of the n nodes, a switching control instruction which includes information for requesting each of n-1 nodes other than the first node to form the protection route. The switching control instruction includes address information concerning the nodes forming the protection route. The method includes the step of sending the switching control instruction, without including other management information at that time, from the first node to a second node which is one of the n-1 nodes adjacent to the first node. The method includes the step of generating, at each ith node where i=2, 3, . . . , n-1, where n is greater than or equal to 4, a switching control instruction to be transferred to a first adjacent node in the protection route. The switching control instruction is transferred in response to receipt of information indicating an address of the ith node included in a switching control instruction transferred from a second adjacent node in the protection route. The method includes the step of transferring the switching control instruction generated by the above step to the first adjacent node from the ith node.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a communications system in which a plurality of nodes are connected via transmission lines. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a network switching control method and system used in such a communications system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, there has been an increased demand for communications networks. It is required that communications services be continuously provided or interrupted during a short period when a failure has occurred in communications facilities or lines. Hence, it is necessary to switch to one or a plurality of protection route channels (channel or channels in a route) if a failure has occurred in a node or a communications line.
FIG. 1A shows a conventional high-bit-rate optical communications system. The system shown in FIG. 1A comprises optical terminal station repeaters 100-0, 100-1, . . . , 100-n (where n is an integer), optical terminal station repeaters 110-0, 110-1, . . . , 110-n, optical intermediate optical terminal station repeaters 102-0, 102-1, . . . , 102-n, transmission paths 103 using optical fiber cables, and switching controllers 101 and 111. The repeaters 100-0-100-n and repeaters 110-1-110-n are coupled to each other via the repeaters 102-0-120-n and transmission paths 103.
Active lines are formed by the repeaters 100-1-100-n, 102-1-102-n, and 110-1-110-n, and protection lines are formed by the repeaters 100-0, 102-0 and 110-0. The switching controller 101 selectively couples communications channels on the input side of the system shown in FIG. 1A with the repeaters 100-1-100-n or 100-0. Similarly, the switching controller 111 selectively couples communications channels on the output side of the system shown in FIG. 1A with the repeaters 110-1-110-n or 110-0.
Normally, communications take place via the active lines. If a failure has occurred in a route via the repeater 102-n, the switching controllers 101 and 111 respectively select the repeaters 100-0, 102-0 and 110-0, as shown in FIG. 1B. Hence, a route via the repeaters 100-0, 102-0 and 110-0 is activated. It is necessary to switch to the repeaters 100-0, 102-0 and 110-0 for a short period in order to continuously perform communications services without any interruption.
In the conventional systems, active lines and protection lines are provided in a route, which is a communications path provided by a cable including 10 bound optical fibers covered by an insulating coat. If such a route (cable) happens to be mistakenly cut during a maintenance operation, not only the active lines but also the protection lines are disconnected. In this case, the protection lines are no longer capable of functioning as protection lines. In the conventional technique, another available route is manually searched for, and hence the communications services are greatly degraded.
With the above in mind, in the conventional technique, nodes 2A-2I are coupled to each other via optical fibers 121 so that a network is constructed as shown in FIG. 2A, and a network management device 120 is coupled to the nodes 2A-2I via control lines 122, so that the switching operations of the nodes 2A-2I are controlled by instruction signals transferred from the network management device 120 via the control lines 122. For example, if the route between the nodes 2D and 2G is totally cut in a state where a communications channel 4C passing through the nodes 2A, 2D, 2G and 2H has been established, the node 2A is informed of the occurrence such a failure. In response to the instruction signal from the network management device 120, the switching is carried out so that a communications channel 5C passing through the nodes 2A, 2B, 2E and 2H is established.
The above switching is carried out as shown in FIG. 2B. The node 2A sends the node 2B a switching control instruction to establish the communications channel 5C. In response to receipt of the switching control instruction, the node 2B executes a necessary switching operation. After receiving a switching completion signal from the node 2B, the node 2A sends the node 2E a switching control instruction similar to that sent to the node 2B. The node 2B executes a necessary switching operation. After receiving a switching completion signal from the node 2E, the node 2A sends the node 2H a switching control instruction similar to the switching control instructions sent to the nodes 2B and 2E. In this manner, the node 2A generates the switching control instruction for each of the nodes and transfers it to each of the nodes. Hence, it takes a long time to complete the switching for establishing the communications channel 5C.
The switching control instructions respectively sent to the nodes are transferred by using a fixed signal frame format as shown in FIG. 3B. The fixed signal frame format is generated by a data multiplexer unit 130 shown in FIG. 3A. The fixed signal frame format shown in FIG. 3B includes information to be multiplexed with a main signal, the above information containing the switching control instruction, alarm information, line setting information, test control information and other information. A capacity of 512 kbps is assigned to the switching control instruction, and a capacity of 128 kbps is allotted to each of the alarm information and the test control information, A capacity of 256 kbps is allotted to the line setting information. Two blocks each having a capacity of 256 kbps are assigned to other information, The control information is contained in a 1792 kbps signal frame, which is multiplexed with the main signal.
The signal frame format shown in FIG. 3B is a fixed format, and the fixed line capacities are allotted to the line setting information and the test control information which are not always used. The switching control instruction is transferred together with all of the other information. Hence it is impossible to efficiently perform the route switching in response to the occurrence of a failure.

Network switching contorol method and system


An autonomous work vehicle having a chassis, a power system disposed on the chassis, a field wheel system coupled to the chassis and the power system, and a hitch assembly. The power system is configured to power the autonomous work vehicle in an autonomous control mode. The field wheel system is configured to drive the autonomous work vehicle in a field in the autonomous control mode. The hitch assembly is configured to couple to a lead vehicle in a transport mode. The autonomous work vehicle may engage wheels of a transportation wheel system with a road to support the autonomous work vehicle on the road. The autonomous work vehicle may be coupled via the hitch assembly to the lead vehicle, then transported on a road. A brake system of the transportation wheel system may be coupled to the lead vehicle.

The present disclosure relates generally to autonomous work vehicles for agricultural operations, and more particularly to the movement of autonomous work vehicles between fields.
Increasing productivity of agricultural operations may be achieved by increasing efficiency of agricultural vehicles and/or other machines involved with agricultural operations. Autonomous work vehicles may increase the efficiency of some aspects of performing agricultural operations, such as reducing the time an operator is in the field and increasing the available time for other activities by the operator. Some autonomous work vehicles may be operated in numerous fields. However, local rules and regulations for public roads between fields may reduce or prohibit the autonomous use of the autonomous work vehicle on the public road. Transporting the autonomous work vehicle between fields via a trailer increases the time, equipment, and costs associated with operating the autonomous work vehicle.

Transport system and method for autonomous work vehicles


An oil scraper piston ring includes a ring body having two radial outer running webs on the ring body, which are arranged one behind the other in relation to the run direction of the piston and are spaced apart from one another by an external depression. Each running web respectively has two scraper lips and a wear protection coating is provided on each scraper lip.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an oil scraper ring for the piston of an internal combustion engine. In particular, it relates to an oil scraper ring having improved oil scraping and improved wear behavior.
2. Related Art
Oil scraper rings are used in internal combustion engines for the purpose of minimizing the oil consumption of the internal combustion engine and simultaneously ensuring sufficient lubrication between piston and cylinder wall. For this purpose, the oil scraper ring must have two properties, between which a compromise is to be found. On the one hand, it must scrape off as much oil as possible from the cylinder wall during the downward movement of the piston, i.e., in the direction of the oil chamber, in order to minimize the oil consumption. On the other hand, at all times a minimal oil film must be maintained between the oil scraper ring and the cylinder wall, in order to keep the friction and therefore the wear low.
The compromise found is to be maintained over long operating time periods of the engine. For this purpose, the wear on the oil scraper ring must be kept low, because otherwise the gap between oil scraper ring and cylinder wall enlarges and the oil consumption rises.
Currently, only oil scraper rings having fully coated running webs are known (so-called monocoating).


What is disclosed is a method for determining a color solution which achieves color objectives for a color marking device involves performing the following. In one embodiment, N objectives of interest are identified for a color marking device and a N-dimensional Pareto Front is constructed which comprises a collection of color solutions which accommodates those objectives. The Pareto Front is constructed using an optimization process based upon printer models of the objectives. Color solutions can be at least one color recipe, or a combination of color recipes and process actuators. A target point is selected in an N-dimensional objective space based upon at least one user-selected preference. The target point is then mapped to a point on the Pareto Front. The mapping identifies one of the color solutions which, in turn, is used to generate a spot color for the device. The generated spot color achieves the user-selected preference.

To meet customer demand, the commercial printing industry requires the capability of producing spot colors and color images accurately and consistently. In a typical four color CMYK printer, when rendering a given color (Lab) on a CMYK printer, such as for spot color emulation, there is a range of CMYK values that will produce the desired Lab value. The available CMYK range is large for some colors (e.g., mid-tone neutrals) and small or zero for others (e.g., saturated colors). Although each CMYK value in the range will produce the desired Lab value, the printed spot colors with that recipe can differ widely in other attributes, such as graininess, mottle, color stability, ink cost, etc. Consequently, it is desirable to pick the CMYK recipe from among available recipes to optimize image quality. It can be computationally intensive to compute all possible CMYK recipes for a given color, select among these, and then configure the document reproduction device accordingly to a set of device-specific settings to achieve the desired image quality.
Moreover, an optimized CMYK recipe is considered useful when it not only produces accurate color but also renders colors that appear smoother (less noisy). It can be a challenging problem to determine the optimal CMYK recipe for target colors to achieve desired effects in multiple aspects, especially for the colors near the neutral axis. Customers often want to see accurate and smooth reproduction of color, as well as color match under different viewing conditions. Efforts have been made to improve smoothness of printed color patches. Some methods focus on single-objective optimization while others address multi-objective optimization based on weight assignments. Multi-objective optimization problems are often transformed into a single-objective optimization by assigning weights to the objectives. Finding a good set of weights is not trivial. It can be challenging for users to determine adequate weight distributions before initiating an optimization, especially for unskilled practitioners. Such a determination requires experience on the subject and a deep understanding of the effect of the weights on the respective objectives. Another approach is to set one objective as a primary objective and convert the remainder of objectives into appropriate constraints. Both techniques suffer from the fact that the customers have to decide the weight distribution or the constraints before initiating the optimization process and that only one solution is generated from the process.
Accordingly, what is needed in this art is increasingly sophisticated systems and methods for effectuating multi-objective optimization by providing users with a collection of optimal solutions to accommodate a range of user preferences in a manner where the selection of choices is easily understood and can be readily managed by customers.

Using a Pareto Frontier to find an optimal color solution for spot calibration


Data can be retained upon a storage medium that has characteristics suitable for the data. However, as the storage mediums are used, time passes, etc., characteristics of memory can change and therefore data can reside upon an improper medium. Data can be dynamically moved from one storage location to another automatically and intelligently based upon a change in characteristics. In addition, new data can be placed on a storage medium based upon characteristics of the medium in a current state.

Many personal electronic devices, such as laptop computers, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, and the like use memory to retain information ranging from an operating system to photographs. A user can select a specific location for storage and the device can place the data in the selected location. For instance, a command can be instructed by the user that a master version of a document be retained upon a local storage unit while a copy of the master version is retained upon a shared location.
Various methods can be used to place information in a particular location. For example, a user can employ a graphical user interface to transfer data from one storage location to another. Additionally, a user can type text commands that instruct the device where to retain data. Configurations that are more complex can also be employed, such as in a network setting where an administrator decides particular locations that should store information. The administrator can make periodic adjustments to where data is retains based upon various considerations.


A steering device for an outboard engine includes: a helm mechanism operable, in response to operation of a steering wheel, to steer the outboard engine and including a drive shaft parallel to an output shaft of the operation member; an electric assist mechanism for detecting steering torque, applied to the steering wheel, to assist operation of the helm mechanism on the basis of the detected steering torque; and a power transmission section for connecting the output shaft of the steering wheel and the helm mechanism to transmit rotation of the output shaft to the helm mechanism.

Generally, in boats provided with an outboard engine, a steering wheel or tiller handle is used as s steering operation member of a steering device for steering the outboard engine mounted on a rear end portion of the body of the boat. Among the conventionally-known outboard engine steering devices is one which includes an assist mechanism provided between a steering wheel and a hydraulic helm pump (i.e., helm mechanism), and in which steering force (operating force) of the steering wheel is assisted by the assist mechanism. One example of such a steering device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-231383 (JP 2005-231383 A).
With the prior art steering device disclosed in JP 2005-231383 A, as the steering wheel is operated, the steering force of the steering wheel is assisted by the assist mechanism, so that a drive shaft of the helm mechanism can be actuated with a relatively small steering force; namely, the necessary steering force of the steering wheel can be reduced by the provision of the assist mechanism. By the drive shaft of the helm mechanism being operated as above, oil is ejected from the helm mechanism and directed to a steering means, so that the steering means is actuated by the oil to steer the outboard engine.
However, the prior art steering device disclosed in JP 2005-231383 A, where the helm mechanism is provided in axial alignment with the steering wheel and assist mechanism, would undesirably have a great total length from the steering wheel to the helm mechanism. Thus, a relatively great installation space would be required in the body of the boat for installing the prior art steering device. Therefore, the application of the prior art steering device disclosed in JP 2005-231383 A is limited only to boats where a relatively great installation space can be secured in the body of the boat.


An image forming apparatus A adds a user ID of a user, who has requested a job, to job information about the job to be processed in linkage to store it. The image forming apparatus A receives a user's linkage instruction together with the user ID of the user. When the received user ID matches the user ID added to the job information, the image forming apparatus A transmits a request message including the user ID and for establishing linkage with other image forming apparatuses B and C. The image forming apparatus B receives the request message, and receives a user's linkage instruction together with the user ID of the user. When the user ID included in the received request message and the user ID received from the user match each other, the image forming apparatus B transmits a reply message permitting linkage to the image forming apparatus A.

1. Field
Aspects of the present invention generally relate to a technology for linking information processing apparatuses such as printers or multifunction peripherals.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming system is configured by interconnecting a plurality of image forming apparatuses to be communicable with one another via a network such as a local area network (LAN) or short-range wireless communication. There is even an image forming system configured such that a plurality of image forming apparatuses are linked to form an image. Linking the plurality of image forming apparatuses enables distribution execution of a print job such as copying or printing among the image forming apparatuses or transfer to an image forming apparatus of a linkage destination.
To link the plurality of image forming apparatuses, it is desirable to establish linkage by an intuitive and simple operation. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-229867 discusses a technology for linking two or more communication devices by pressing buttons. Pressing buttons at a communication device of a linkage source and a communication device of linkage destination enables establishment of linkage between these communication devices.
When a print job is executed in linkage among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, the print job generally starts after an image forming apparatus of a linkage destination is selected based on an address. However, after the start of the print job at one image forming apparatus, the print job may be executed in linkage with another image forming apparatus in the midway. For example, after the start of copying at one image forming apparatus, if a nearby image forming apparatus is not executing any job, the copying may be continued by using this nearby image forming apparatus. Accordingly, when the print job is executed in linkage with the nearby image forming apparatus on the spur of the moment, it is desirable to establish the linkage by an intuitive and simple method. The method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-229867 can satisfy such requirements because the linkage can be established by pressing the buttons.
However, anybody can press the button. As a result, linkage is established even when users who have pressed the button at the image forming apparatus of the linkage source and the button at the image forming apparatus of the linkage destination are different. In this case, by the other's operation, a print product may be output to an image forming apparatus unintended by the user. The user may operate the other's job by mistake. In an environment such as an office where a plurality of users shares an image forming system, such erroneous operations need to be prevented.

Linking a plurality of information processing apparatuses


A stereoscopic parameter embedding apparatus comprising: a video image input unit operable to input a plurality of pieces of video image data to be processed sequentially; a parameter input unit operable to input stereoscopic parameters for converting a video image into a stereoscopic image, each of which is respectively associated with each of the plurality of video image data; a converter operable to convert each of the input stereoscopic parameters into binary data; and an embedding unit operable to embed bar-code image data corresponding to the binary data in each of the plurality of pieces of video image data.

A stereoscopic system in which an image for a left eye and an image for a right eye, having a given disparity therebeween, are combined and displayed is well known. A viewer wears complementary color glasses or polarized glasses, or uses a lenticular lens or a parallax barrier to partially block his/her vision to thereby cause binocular disparity.
A set of disparity images is typically created by imaging one object from two different viewpoints. However, a set of disparity images can be created from one image taken from a single viewpoint, as is suggested in Patent Document 1. A stereoscopic image generator described in Patent Document 1 calculates depth-values from saturations of pixels forming an image, discriminates on the basis of the depth-values (or corrected depth-values) between a near view and a distant view of the image, and enlarges a disparity between an image for a left eye and an image for a right eye in the near view than in the distant view. The algorithm of calculating a depth-value from saturation of a pixel is employed in view of an empirical rule that generally a more distant scene has a lower saturation and a nearer scene has a higher saturation.
Owing to techniques such as that described in Patent Document 1, it has recently become relatively easy to create, from one image, images which have a given disparity there between. Accordingly, it is expected that video content not originally intended for stereoscopic vision will in future be subject to a stereoscopic imaging process and marketed in a computer readable medium such as a DVD (Digital Video Disc). A purchaser of such a DVD will be able to view the video content as stereoscopic images using a computer.    Patent Document 1: Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-123842.

Stereoscopic parameter embedding device and stereoscopic image reproducer


An inductive charging system for a vehicle having an electrical storage unit, in particular, an electric vehicle and a method of using the inductive charging system are provided. The inductive charging system preferably has a first coil device for a charging station and a second coil device for mounting on a vehicle, wherein the second coil device is preferably designed to magnetically interact with the first coil device. Furthermore, the inductive charging system preferably has a first positioning device, which movably supports the first coil device, wherein the system is preferably designed to produce an attractive magnetic force between the first coil device and the second coil device, which magnetic force causes a defined orientation of the first coil device in relation to the second coil device by the positioning unit.

The invention relates to a system and the use thereof for inductive charging of an energy storage unit of a vehicle.
In the field of electromobility, in particular, devices for charging secondary cells are very important. In order to make the use of an electric vehicle, for example, a vehicle having an energy storage unit and an electric drive, as convenient and safe as possible for a user, an operation to charge the energy storage unit should be such that it can be performed rapidly, efficiently and easily. Particularly suitable in this regard are systems for inductive charging of the energy storage devices, since in this case the charging is effected wirelessly. It is thus possible to dispense with charging cables, which makes the charging operation particularly convenient and safe.
For the purpose of inductive charging, a charging coil of a charging station is brought into the proximity of a receiving coil of a vehicle, and in the charging coil an alternating magnetic field is generated, which generates an alternating current in the receiving coil.
In order to achieve a high degree of efficiency in the transfer of energy between the charging coil and the receiving coil, the charging coil and receiving coil must be positioned with precision relative to each other. The efficiency of the charging operation is reduced if alignment is non-optimal, i.e., even in the case of deviations of a few centimeters. This results in longer charging times.
The publication DE 10 2013 227 129 A1 relates to a method for sensing the relative position of a transmitting charging coil and a receiving charging coil by sensing a magnetic orientation field by means of at least one sensor coil, in order to achieve better alignment of the transmitting charging coil and receiving charging coil.
The publication US 2015 0 104 928 A1 relates to a device for wireless charging, having a control unit that is communicatively coupled to a positioning system, the positioning system being coupled to a transmission coil, and the positioning system being designed to rotate this transmission coil about a first axis and a second axis.
The publication US 2015 0 137 801 A1 relates to a method and a device for aligning a vehicle with an inductive charging system, alignment coils being added to a secondary coil on the vehicle, and a primary coil, upon being energized, generating a magnetic field that induces a voltage in the alignment coils in dependence on the distance between the alignment coils and the main axis of the primary coil.
It is an object of the present invention to make the operation of charging an energy storage unit of a unit simpler and more efficient, and at the same time convenient for the user.
This object is achieved by an inductive charging system, and by the use thereof, according to the independent claims. Advantageous designs of the invention are provided by the dependent claims. The disclosure of the claims is expressly made part of the description.
A first aspect of the invention relates to an inductive charging system for a vehicle having an electrical storage unit, in particular, an electric vehicle. The inductive charging system preferably has a first coil means for a charging station, and a second coil means for mounting on a vehicle, wherein the second coil means is designed to interact magnetically, in particular, inductively, with the first coil means. Furthermore, the inductive charging system preferably has a first positioning unit that movably supports the first coil means. The system is preferably designed to generate, between the first coil means and the second coil means, an attractive magnetic force that effects a defined alignment of the first coil means with respect to the second coil means, by means of the positioning unit.
A second aspect of the invention relates to the use of the inductive charging system according to the first aspect of the invention. In the case of the use of an inductive charging system, preferably at least one first constant magnetic field is generated by a first coil means or at least one first magnetic field module, and at least one second constant magnetic field is generated by a second coil means or at least one second magnetic field module. The at least one first constant magnetic field is preferably oriented relative to the at least one second constant magnetic field in such a manner that an attractive magnetic force is generated between the first coil means and the second coil means. The energy storage unit of the vehicle is preferably charged inductively by use of the first coil means and the second coil means.
The invention is based on the approach of positioning a first coil means and a second coil means by using an attractive magnetic force. The positioning, i.e., moving and/or tilting into a defined alignment, or end position, of the two coil means relative to each other in this case is preferably effected autonomously, i.e., automatically, on the basis of the attractive magnetic force. The defined alignment corresponds to a position of the first coil means and the second coil means in which efficiency in an inductive interaction is particularly high. The defined alignment in this case relates, in particular, to the orientation of axes of the two coil means. A particularly preferred defined alignment corresponds, for example, to axial alignment of winding axes of the two coil means.
The first coil means is preferably part of a charging station for charging a vehicle having an electrical storage unit, in particular, an electric vehicle, and is movably supported by a first positioning unit, i.e., it can be moved or tilted translationally. The second coil means is provided for mounting in or on such a vehicle. If the vehicle is positioned at, on or under the charging station, in particular, with an accuracy of 30 cm or greater, in particular, manually or semi-manually, for example, by use of a radio-frequency positioning unit, the attractive magnetic force can act between the first coil means and the second coil means. As a result of the attractive magnetic force, the first, movably supported coil means moves out of an original position by moving and/or tilting translationally relative to the second coil means. In particular, the first coil means moves toward the second coil means, according to the vector of the attractive magnetic force.
In the defined alignment, i.e., the preferred end position of the first and second coil means, the charging operation is performed in that an alternating magnetic field is generated in the first coil means, which alternating magnetic field induces in the second coil means an alternating current for charging the electrical storage unit of the vehicle. The charging operation is particularly safe for the user, since coupling, i.e., the positioning of the first coil means and second coil means in a defined alignment, is effected autonomously, and it is possible to dispense with the handling of charging cables, in particular, charging cables carrying high voltage.
The first positioning unit is preferably designed to enable the first coil means to be moved and/or tilted translationally, even in the case of small forces acting on the first coil means. This enables the first coil means to be positioned autonomously, i.e., automatically, in a defined alignment relative to the second coil means, even in the case of weak attractive magnetic forces, in particular, caused by a large distance between the first coil means and the second coil means. In particular, the defined alignment, which corresponds to a particularly preferred alignment for increasing the efficiency of the charging operation, is achieved in a particularly precise and reliable manner.
Preferably, the second coil means also is movably supported by a second positioning unit. As a result, in particular, more degrees of freedom are available for moving the first coil means and the second coil means relative to each other, in particular, out of a respective original position, into the defined alignment.
Overall, by means of autonomous, i.e., automatic, defined alignment of a first coil means and a second coil means, the invention enables a vehicle having an electrical storage unit, in particular, an electric vehicle, to be charged in a particularly efficient, safe and convenient manner.
In an advantageous design of the inductive charging system, the first coil means is designed to generate a first constant magnetic field, and the second coil means is designed to generate a second constant magnetic field, wherein the first and second constant magnetic fields are oriented in relation to each other in such a manner that an attractive magnetic force is generated between the first coil means and the second coil means. This may be realized, in particular, by applying a constant current in both the first coil means and the second coil means. An attractive magnetic force can thereby be generated, in a particularly simple and efficient manner, between the first coil means and the second coil means.
In a further advantageous design of the inductive charging system, the first coil means has at least one first magnetic module that is designed to generate at least one first constant magnetic field, and the second coil means has at least one second magnetic module that is designed to generate at least one second constant magnetic field. Preferably, the at least one first constant magnetic field and the at least one second constant magnetic field are oriented in relation to each other in such a manner that an attractive magnetic force is effected between the first coil means and the second coil means. Preferably, the at least one first and/or second magnetic module is attached to the first and/or second coil means in such a manner that the direction of the generated attractive magnetic force runs in the defined alignment, i.e., the preferred position of the first coil means and the second coil means. In particular, the magnetic modules are each provided at the edges of the first coil means and the second coil means. As a result of a plurality of magnetic modules being attached in each case, the force coupling between the first coil means and the second coil means can be established in a particularly reliable manner and, moreover, the direction of the attractive magnetic force, i.e., its vector, can be defined particularly clearly. As a result, movement along the vector of the attractive magnetic force leads particularly reliably into the defined alignment of the first coil means and the second coil means.
In a further advantageous design of the inductive charging system, the at least one first magnetic module is designed as at least one first permanent magnet or at least one first electromagnet, and the at least one second magnetic module is designed as at least one second permanent magnet or at least one second electromagnet. Magnetic modules realized as permanent magnets are particularly reliable in generating a strong attractive magnetic force, while at the same time being of small volume, such that a particularly space-saving arrangement on the first and second coil means is made possible. Electric fields, and consequently an attractive magnetic force, can be generated in a very selective, i.e., dosed, manner by magnetic modules realized as electromagnets. In a further advantageous design, the attractive magnetic force can thereby be switched off after the charging operation, such that a particularly slight moving of the first coil means and/or the second coil means is possible, in particular into a first and/or second original position. In another advantageous design, the polarity of the magnetic field that is generated at the first or second coil means by the at least one magnetic module realized as an electromagnet can be reversed, such that a repulsive magnetic force acts between the first coil means and the second coil means. As a result, it is particularly easy to move the first coil means and/or the second coil means after the charging operation, in particular into a first and/or second original position.
In a further advantageous design of the inductive charging system, the first positioning unit movably supports the first coil means in such a manner that a translational movement and/or a tilting of the first coil means in at least one spatial direction, out of a first original position, is possible. In a further advantageous design, for this purpose the first positioning unit has smooth-running rollers, or wheels, and/or bearings, which, in a further advantageous embodiment, run on guide rails. As a result, the first coil means can be moved and/or tilted particularly easily, i.e., by the action of small forces.
In a further advantageous design of the inductive charging system, the first positioning unit has at least one first movement device, which is designed to generate a translational movement and/or a tilting of the first coil means in at least one spatial direction. In an advantageous design, the movement device is realized as a drive, in particular, as a hydraulic or electric drive. Preferably, the drive assists the translational movement and/or tilting, induced by the attractive magnetic force, in at least one spatial direction. A particularly reliable, defined alignment of the first and/or second coil means relative to each other is thereby ensured.
In a further advantageous design, the inductive charging system has a second positioning unit that movably supports the second coil means in such a manner that a translational movement and/or a tilting of the second coil means in at least one spatial direction, out of a second original position, is possible. In a further advantageous design, for this purpose the second positioning unit has smooth-running rollers, or wheels, and/or bearings, which, in a further advantageous embodiment, run on guide rails. As a result, the second coil means can be moved and/or tilted particularly easily, i.e., by the action of small forces.
In a further advantageous design of the inductive charging system, the second positioning unit has at least one second movement device, which is designed to generate a translational movement and/or tilting of the second coil means in at least one spatial direction. In an advantageous design, the movement device is realized as a drive, in particular as a hydraulic or electric drive. Preferably, the drive assists the translational movement and/or tilting, induced by the attractive magnetic force, in at least one spatial direction. A particularly reliable translational movement and/or tilting in the defined alignment of the first and/or second coil means is thereby ensured.
In a further advantageous design of the inductive charging system, the first positioning unit and/or the second positioning unit are/is designed to fix the first coil means and/or the second coil means in the defined alignment. In an advantageous design, this may be effected by blocking, or locking, the first or second movement device. In particular, in one design, the flow of hydraulic fluid is stopped, or a rotor of an electric motor is blocked. In a further advantageous design, a mechanical device, in particular, at least one bolt, blocks the wheels, or rollers, or bearings of the movement device. It is thereby ensured that the first and/or second coil means, after having attained the defined alignment, in particular, during the charging operation, can no longer be moved out of the defined alignment, and the efficiency of the transfer of energy from the first coil means to the second coil means cannot decrease.
In a further advantageous design of the inductive charging system, the first coil means and the second coil means have a geometric positioning assistance means, in particular in the form of centering studs and centering recesses. In a further advantageous design, the geometric positioning assistance means is realized as at least one cone or truncated cone and at least one cone cavity or truncated-cone cavity.
In particular, in this case the centering studs, cones or truncated cones are provided on the first or second coil means, and the centering recesses, cone cavity or truncated-cone cavity are provided correspondingly, as a counter-piece, on the second or first coil means. Upon approaching of the first or second coil means, in particular, as a result of action of an attractive magnetic force, the centering studs, cones or truncated cones slide into the centering recesses, cone cavities or truncated-cone cavities provided for this purpose, and thereby effect a particularly precise positioning of the first and/or second coil means. In an advantageous design, the centering studs are realized in a conical shape, and the centering recesses are realized as a conical cavity. As a result, the centering studs, like a cone or truncated cone, can slide into the corresponding centering cavities from any direction. In a further advantageous design, only one conical centering stud, cone or truncated cone, and correspondingly one conical centering recess, cone cavity or truncated-cone cavity are provided, such that an unwanted, incorrect assignment of a centering stud to a centering cavity, of a cone to a cone cavity, or of a truncated cone to a truncated-cone cavity can be avoided particularly easily. In this design, the centering stud and recess, the cone and cone cavity, or truncated cone and truncated-cone cavity are preferably particularly obtuse, i.e., the corresponding cone surface is particularly large, or the angle between the cone surface and the cone base is particularly small, thereby facilitating the interaction of the centering stud and centering recess, the cone and cone cavity, or the truncated cone and truncated-cone cavity.
In a further advantageous design of the inductive charging system, attached to the first coil means and/or the second coil means there is at least one stopper, which is designed to stop the movement of the first positioning device and/or second positioning device upon attainment of the defined alignment. Preferably, the at least one stopper is made of a soft and/or elastic material, such as rubber. In a further advantageous design, the at least one stopper is provided in the proximity of, in particular, next to, the geometric positioning assistance means. In a further advantageous design, the at least one stopper is provided in the proximity of, in particular, next to, at least one first and/or second magnetic module.
The attaching of at least one stopper reliably ensures a minimum distance of the first and second coil means in the defined alignment. Furthermore, the at least one stopper damps the first and/or second coil means upon sliding into the defined alignment as a result of the attractive magnetic force, such that damage resulting from an abrupt collision of the first and/or second coil means in the defined alignment is avoided.
In a further advantageous design, the inductive charging system has a radio-frequency positioning unit that is designed to generate a radio-frequency signal, in particular at a frequency of substantially 80 or 90 kHz, in the first coil means. Preferably, the inductive charging system additionally has antennas, which are provided for mounting in the vehicle and for receiving the radio-frequency signal. The radio-frequency positioning unit is preferably designed to generate, from the radio-frequency signals received by the antennas, a positioning signal relating to the relative position of the second coil means with respect to the first coil means, on the basis of which positioning signal the vehicle and/or its driver can align the second coil means with respect to the first coil means, according to the defined alignment, to an accuracy of at least 30 cm, by moving the vehicle. The first coil means and the second coil means are thereby preferably brought to a minimum distance, in which the attractive magnetic force acts reliably between the first coil means and the second coil means and a defined alignment of the first coil means and the second coil means is ensured. In an advantageous design, the antennas are provided at a plurality of locations on the vehicle, in particular distant from each other, enabling the relative position of the second coil means with respect to the first coil position to be determined in a particularly accurate manner.
In a further advantageous design, antennas of other systems already present in the vehicle, in particular, systems for wireless vehicle access and/or control of vehicle equipment, are used as antennas of the inductive charging system. In particular, already existing infrastructure of the vehicle is used for the inductive charging system. The vehicle can thereby use the inductive charging system in a particularly simple and uncomplicated manner.
In a further advantageous design of the inductive charging system, the first coil means and/or the second coil means have/has a protection device, in particular, a protection device against dust and stones. The protection device may be realized, in particular, as a plastic or plastics-material cover, or a corresponding enclosure. Damage to, or dirtying of, the first and/or second coil means and/or the first and/or second positioning unit is thereby reliably prevented.
In an advantageous design of the use of the inductive charging system, a movement of the first and/or second coil means by translational moving and/or tilting of the first and/or second coil means on the basis of the attractive magnetic force as far as the defined alignment is assisted, by translational moving and/or tilting of the first and/or second coil means along at least one spatial direction, by at least one first and/or second movement device. In an advantageous design, for this purpose the movement device is realized as a drive, in particular as a hydraulic or electric drive. Preferably, the drive assists the translational movement and/or tilting in at least one spatial direction, which movement is induced, in particular, by the attractive magnetic force. A particularly reliable, defined alignment of the first and/or second coil means relative to each other is thereby ensured.
In a further advantageous design, the first and/or second positioning unit have/has at least one movement sensor, and the at least one first and/or second movement unit have/has at least one control device. In particular, the at least one movement sensor in this case is part of at least one movement unit. The at least one control device is designed to recognize a translational movement and/or tilting of the first and/or second coil means along at least one spatial direction, on the basis of the signal of the at least one movement sensor, and to control the at least one first and/or second movement unit in such a manner that the at least one first and/or second movement unit assists the translational movement and/or tilting of the first and/or second coil means along at least one spatial direction.
In particular, the at least one control device is designed to effect, by means of the first and/or second movement unit, a positive and/or negative acceleration and/or a constant translational movement and/or tilting, in particular an inclination, of the first and/or second coil means. Preferably, the at least one control device additionally has a closed-loop control device that, by closed-loop control, controls the acceleration and/or constant translational movement and/or tilting, in particular on the basis of the signals of the at least one movement sensor. In particular, the closed-loop control device prevents the at least one movement device from effecting a strong acceleration and/or high constant translational movement and/or rapid tilting, or prevents the first and/or second coil means from being strongly accelerated and/or moved rapidly and/or tilted rapidly. In an advantageous design, the closed-loop control device controls, by closed-loop control, the at least one movement device in such a manner that a damping of translational movements and/or tiltings of the first and/or second coil means is effected.
A translational movement and/or tilting of the first and/or second coil means into the defined alignment is thereby effected in a particularly reliable manner. In particular, it is ensured that, even in the case of slight action of the attractive magnetic force, a precisely defined alignment of the first and second coil means is achieved.
In a further advantageous design of the use of the inductive charging system, following the inductive charging of the energy storage unit of the vehicle, the first and/or second coil means are/is moved back out of the defined alignment, into the first and/or second original position, by the first and/or second movement device. Damage to the first and/or second coil means and or to the vehicle, in the case of a movement of the vehicle following the charging operation, is thereby prevented.
The features and advantages described with respect to the first aspect of the invention and its advantageous design also apply to the second aspect of the invention and its advantageous design, and vice versa.
Further features, advantages and application possibilities of the invention are given by the following description in conjunction with the figures. There are shown, at least partially in schematic form:
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Inductive charging system for a vehicle, and use

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


An electronic system comprising a voltage-to-current converter and a proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) circuit is disclosed. The voltage-to-current converter is configured to receive one of a control voltage, a supply voltage, a scaled-down version of the control voltage, and a scaled-down version of the supply voltage, and generate a set of currents. The PTAT circuit is coupled with the voltage-to-current converter such that each current of the set of currents is one of sourced to the PTAT circuit and sank from the PTAT circuit. Further, the PTAT circuit is configured to receive at least one of the supply voltage and the control voltage, and generate a set of reference voltages. The control voltage is generated based on the set of reference voltages and the supply voltage.

The present disclosure relates generally to electronic systems, and, more particularly, to utilization of voltage-controlled currents in the electronic systems.
Electronic systems, such as low-dropout (LDO) regulators and power-on reset circuits, are widely used in system-on-chips (SoCs). Such an electronic system typically includes a voltage-to-current converter and a proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) circuit. The voltage-to-current converter receives one of an output voltage of the electronic system and a supply voltage, and generates one or more voltage-controlled currents. The PTAT circuit generates one or more reference voltages based on the one or more voltage-controlled currents. Further, based on the one or more reference voltages, the output voltage of the electronic system is generated. When the electronic system is an LDO regulator, the output voltage of the electronic system is an LDO output voltage. Similarly, when the electronic system is a power-on reset circuit, the output voltage of the electronic system is a power-on reset voltage. Typically, in such an electronic system, the voltage-to-current converter is coupled with the PTAT circuit such that the voltage-to-current converter and the PTAT circuit form a series arrangement. Such an arrangement increases a complexity of maintaining a stability of the electronic system. The increased complexity of maintaining the stability of the electronic system degrades a design flexibility of the electronic system. Therefore, there exists a need for a technical solution that solves the aforementioned problems of existing techniques of utilizing voltage-controlled currents in electronic systems.

Utilization of voltage-controlled currents in electronic systems


The present application discloses pixel circuit including a current-control circuit coupled respectively to a first data-signal terminal, a first voltage terminal, a first scan-signal terminal, and a first output node. The current-control circuit is configured to output a driving current to the first output node based on a first data signal and a first voltage signal in response to a first scan signal. The pixel circuit further includes a timing-control circuit coupled respectively to a second data-signal terminal, a second scan-signal terminal, multiple modulation-signal terminals, the first output node, and a second output node. The timing-control circuit is configured to select one modulation signal based on a second data signal in response to a second scan signal and to output the driving current from the current-control circuit via the second output node to a light-emitting device based on the modulation signal.

Micro LED (light-emitting diode) based display apparatus adopts a type of light-emitting diode device which is characterized by a much smaller size (<100 μm, about 1% of a regular LED), higher emission luminance and efficiency and lower operation power consumption comparing to organic light-emitting diode (OLED). These advantageous characteristics have made Micro LED very suitable for applications in smart phone, displayer, notebook computer, digital camera, and instrumentation that include a display functional apparatus.
Micro LED technology is a technology that shrinks the size of traditional GaN based LED and integrates a matrix of individual red, green, and blue color Micro LEDs into an array substrate. Each Micro LED acts as a single pixel unit and can be individually driven to emit light so that the display apparatus can be made to display a more delicate and contrasting image. Yet, improved pixel circuit and driving method are desired for driving each Micro LED based pixel unit to achieve better display quality.

Pixel circuit, driving method, and display apparatus


An improved grain dryer is presented having a mixed-flow heating section having a plurality of inlet ducts connected to the plenum that facilitate air flow into the grain column from the heated and pressurized heat plenum, and a plurality of exhaust ducts connected to openings in the exterior wall that facilitate air flow out of the grain column. A tempering section is positioned below the heating section and includes solid walls that reduce air flow through the grain column. A cooling section is positioned below the tempering section and includes perforated walls that facilitate air flow through the grain column and into the plenum. In use, heated air is forced outward through the mixed-flow heating section heating and drying the grain and air is pulled through the cross-flow cooling section cooling the grain. Air pulled through the cross-flow cooling section is recycled into the mixed-flow heating section thereby recycling heat.

Grain dryers are old and well known in the art. Grain dryers are commonly used to dry various types of grain, such as corn, wheat, rice, sorghum, and the like, so as to allow the grain to be stored in bulk, such as in a grain bin, tote or other bulk grain storage device, for extended periods of time. If grain is stored in bulk with a moisture content that is too high, the grain will spoil. As such, particular care is taken to ensure that grain that is to be stored does not too high a moisture content.
Optimally drying grain is a particularly complex, difficult and delicate matter. Care must be taken to ensure that the grain is dried enough to have a low enough moisture content to ensure that it does not spoil while being stored. However it is also undesirable to overly dry grain.
Overly drying grain is wasteful in various ways. Overly drying grain consumes additional and unnecessary fuel used to dry the grain beyond the moisture content level that is needed for stable storage. Overly drying grain often takes additional and unnecessary time to dry the grain beyond the moisture content level that is needed for stable storage. Overly drying grain can damage the grain by causing it to be burned, cracked or otherwise damaged, which can reduce the value of the grain. Overly drying grain can reduce the test weight of the grain thereby causing a deduction in the price of the grain when it is sold. For these and other reasons, overly drying grain is undesirable.
As such, optimally drying grain requires striking a delicate balance between overly drying grain on one side, and not drying grain enough on the other side.
Various configurations of grain dryers have been developed to help facilitate efficient grain drying. However all of the presently available grain dryers suffer from various disadvantages.
Cross-Flow Grain Dryers:
One form of a grain dryer is what is known as a cross-flow grain dryer. Cross-flow grain dryers are known for having a pair of grain columns on each side that are formed by perforated screens. A plenum, or open space, is positioned between the grain columns. Wet grain is loaded into the grain columns using a loading system. The wet grain travels down the grain columns under the force of gravity, between the perforated screens. As the wet grain travels down the grain columns, between the perforated screens, heated air is blown into the plenum. This heated air flows outward from the plenum and through the columns of grain. As the heated air blows through the columns of grain, the heated air warms the grain and carries away moisture from the grain. Dry grain is unloaded from the grain columns using an unloading system. In this way, the grain is dried.
Cross-flow grain dryers suffer from many disadvantages. One disadvantage of cross-flow grain dryers is that they are relatively harsh on grain. This is because the grain toward the interior side of the grain columns is often exposed to high levels of heat which can cause the interior-positioned grain to crack, burn, and/or be overly dried. Another disadvantage of cross-flow grain dryers is that the grain within the grain columns tends to dry in an uneven manner. That is, the grain positioned toward the interior side of the grain column has a tendency to be dried more than the grain positioned toward the exterior side of the grain column. Another disadvantage of cross-flow is that they tend to require relatively high operating pressures and high air-flow. Another disadvantage of cross-flow grain dryers is that they tend to consume a lot of fuel, or said another way they are energy inefficient. Another disadvantage of cross-flow grain dryers is the screens tend to get covered and plugged with fines from the grain which affects the operational characteristics of the grain dryer as well as requires periodic cleaning.
For these and other reasons, cross-flow grain dryers suffer from many disadvantages and are undesirable to use.
Mixed-Flow Grain Dryers:
One form of a grain dryer is what is known as a mixed-flow grain dryer. Mixed-flow grain dryers are known for having a pair of grain columns on each side that have a plurality inlet ducts and exhaust ducts that extend across the grain column. A plenum, or open space, is positioned between the grain columns. Wet grain is loaded into the grain columns using a loading system. The wet grain travels down the grain columns under the force of gravity. As the wet grain travels down the grain columns, between the interior wall and exterior wall of the grain columns, heated air is blown into the plenum. This heated air flows into the inlet ducts through the columns of grain and out the exhaust ducts. As the heated air blows through the columns of grain, the heated air warms the grain and carries away moisture from the grain. Dry grain is unloaded from the lower end of each of the grain columns using an unloading system. In this way, the grain is dried.
Mixed-flow grain dryers suffer from many disadvantages. One disadvantage of mixed-flow grain dryers is that they do not allow for heat recovery and as such they waste energy and consume unnecessary fuel. Another disadvantage of mixed-flow grain dryers is that each column requires its own unload system.
For these and other reasons, mixed-flow grain dryers suffer from many disadvantages and are undesirable to use.
Therefore, for all the reasons stated above, and the reasons stated below, there is a need in the art for a grain drying system that improves upon the state of the art.
Thus, it is a primary objective of the disclosure to provide a grain dryer system that improves upon the state of the art.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that is efficient to use.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that facilitates heat recovery.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that reduces fuel consumption.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that is gentle on grain.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system does not damage grain when drying.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that does not overly dry grain.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that facilitates cooling of grain before it is discharged.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that evenly dries grain.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that does not have variability of grain quality across the grain column.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that does not have variability of moisture across the grain column.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that can be precisely controlled.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that provides optimum results.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that facilitates unloading of grain from the dryer at a single point.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that is relatively compact.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that is relatively inexpensive.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that can be used with all kinds of grain.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that that minimizes maintenance.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that requires less cleaning.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that is cleaner to use than prior art systems.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that is safe to use.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that reduces the potential for a fire.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that requires less air pressure.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that requires less air flow.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that provides improved grain quality.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that is easy to use.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that has a robust design.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that is high quality.
Yet another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that incorporates the benefits of mixed-flow grain dying with the benefits of cross-flow vacuum cooling.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a grain dryer system that provides a unique solution to grain drying needs.

Mixed-flow grain dryer with cross-flow vacuum cool heat recovery system


A reactive material that includes at least one of a fuel, an oxidizer, and a class 1.1 explosive and is formulated for use in a reactive material projectile. The reactive material is formulated to provide at least one of an overpressure of greater than approximately 9 pounds per square inch at a radial measurement of 12 inches from a point of impact on a target, a hole greater than approximately 2 square inches at an optimum penetration level in a target, and pressure, damage, and a flame when the reactive material bullet impacts a target. The fuel may be a metal, a fusible metal alloy, an organic fuel, or mixtures thereof. The oxidizer may be an inorganic oxidizer, sulfur, a fluoropolymer, or mixtures thereof. A reactive material projectile having the reactive material disposed therein is also disclosed.

Historically, it has been difficult to inflict catastrophic damage on thin-skinned targets using a long-range gun. The problem is even more pronounced with thin-skinned, fuel filled targets, such as fuel tanks, fuel containers, or fuel storage facilities. Conventional projectiles, such as MK211, M8, or M20 armor piercing incendiary ("API") projectiles, are designed to penetrate armor plating and to provide an incendiary flash. To provide the penetrating effects, the MK211, M8, and M20 API projectiles typically include a fill material that is an incendiary composition. For instance, in the MK211, the fill material includes zirconium sandwiched between Composition B. While these projectiles penetrate thin-skinned targets, the fill material does not initiate when the projectiles come into contact with the target surface. Rather, the projectiles pass through the thin-skinned target and do not ignite fuel that is contained within it. As such, the MK211, M8, and M20 API projectiles have limited effectiveness against thin-skinned targets.
A fill material for use in an armor-piercing projectile is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,787 to Wacula et al. The fill material is an incendiary composition that includes aluminum or magnesium, a nitrate or peroxide of potassium, strontium, or barium, and a binder, such as a chlorinated binder. U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,846 to Gilbert et al. discloses an incendiary material having a first metal, which interacts with a second metal to form an intermetallic compound. The first metal is zirconium, titanium, thorium, hafnium, uranium, or mixtures thereof and is present from 70-98.5% by weight. The second metal is tin, lead, or mixtures thereof and is present from 1.5-30% by weight. Incendiary compositions having various properties have also been disclosed. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,586 to Gill et al., a low burning rate, high temperature incendiary composition is disclosed. The incendiary composition includes titanium, boron, polytetrafluoroethylene ("PTFE" or TEFLON®), and paraffin wax.
Incendiary materials have also been used as liners in projectiles, such as in warheads. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,692 to Weintraub, a quasi alloy zirconium ("QAZ®") material is disclosed for use in munitions. QAZ® includes a long chain epoxy and a powdered metal mixture of zirconium, aluminum, hafnium, magnesium, antimony, tin, and iron. Reactive or energetic materials have also been disclosed for use as liners in projectiles. A known reactive material includes a composition of aluminum and PTFE, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,993 to Joshi. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,886,293 to Nauflett et al., a process of producing energetic materials for use in military pyrotechnics is disclosed. The energetic material includes a magnesium fluoropolymer, specifically magnesium/TEFLON®/VITON® ("MTV").
In order to defeat thin-skinned targets and particularly those housing flammable materials, such as fuels, it would be desirable to produce projectiles that initiate on contact with the thin-skinned target. Therefore, it would be desirable to formulate fill materials that provide a higher energy output than those currently used, such as in the MK211.

Reactive material compositions and projectiles containing same


Apparatus for motorized transport of the hospital bed and care cart docks to the head end of the bed and has a drive wheel, a motor propelling the drive wheel, a joy stick type potentiometer for controlling the speed and direction of the drive wheel and handles for grasping the apparatus and maneuvering the apparatus and the hospital bed. Gas springs are actuated by the bed when the motorized transport apparatus and bed are docked together for exerting a downward force on the drive wheel to reduce the tendency of the drive wheel to slip. The apparatus falls within the footprint of the bed.

The patient critical care environment in hospitals is becoming increasingly crowded due to the number of pieces of medical equipment associated with critical care, which pieces of equipment embody various critical care technologies. Specifically, within the critical care environment there is generally located a critical care bed, around which are positioned a ventilator, I.V. pumps, various monitors, and one or more computer terminals for entering patient care data. The numerosity of pieces of equipment spaced about a critical care hospital room and the patient bed results in patient care inefficiency, as a care provider must continually monitor and operate all the pieces of equipment, while such are not advantageously ergonomically arranged.
In addition to the critical care environment being crowded and somewhat cumbersome around which to work, the transfer of the various pieces of equipment along with the patient on the critical care bed from one room to another within the hospital is tedious, time consuming and difficult to manage. One reason is that the critical care bed, and the various technologies associated with the critical care environment, are generally each individually supported on wheeled support structures. Therefore, when transferring the patient from one room to another room, several pieces of wheeled equipment must simultaneously be rolled to the new location. Not only is this task cumbersome, but also it is time consuming. Further, since all the various technologies must be first disconnected from their respective connections to AC power at the wall in the room, the various technologies must either operate on some sort of stand-by scheme during transportation, or must be manually operated. Swift transfer of the various pieces of equipment with the critical care bed from one room to another is mandatory in order to minimize down time on these pieces of equipment yet is made very difficult by the clutter associated with the several individual pieces of equipment.
Use of a ventilator in a critical care context normally requires the use of one or more oxygen and air canisters or bottles, to supply the ventilator with air and oxygen. These bottles are normally placed beside a critical care bed for supplying the ventilator with oxygen and air while the patient is hooked up to the ventilator. During transport of the patient on the bed, with the patient still hooked up to the ventilator, transport of the air and oxygen bottles along with patient, bed and ventilator has presented a problem. One solution which has proved to be unsatisfactory is to simply place the oxygen and air bottles in the bed with the patient for transport with the patient. Such a solution has obvious drawbacks, such as decreasing the effective amount of bed space available for the patient, increasing the likelihood of patient injury upon contacting the bottles and increasing the likelihood of patient care provider injury upon lifting and placing the bottles into the bed.
In a critical care environment the patient can be invasively and/or non-invasively connected to dozens of devices, for example, IV pumps, drainage devices, vital signs monitoring, ventilator and pressure transducers. Doctors often require diagnostic imaging such as x-ray, CT scan, MRI, PET scans, nuclear imaging, and/or invasive procedures such as angiogram, cath lab, and surgery performed upon these patients. These procedures cannot be performed in the patient room, and therefore the patient and all of his or her ancillary devices must be taken to the procedure. In order to transport the critically ill patient and his or her life support devices ancillary items, for example, drug box, oxygen bottles, defibrillator, and transport monitor, must be taken along to support the devices and as emergency precautions. In order to transport all of these devices and items as well as the patient as many as six attendants, including nurses, respiratory therapists, doctors, residents, and transport personnel may be required. And before transport, the aforementioned ancillary equipment items such as drug box, oxygen tanks, ambu bag, portable ventilator, defibrillator, transport monitor, portable suction, IV stands, and the like, which are not kept in the patient room, must be gathered. These items can be stored in several separate locations and may also be misplaced and difficult to locate. Therefore, the gathering, managing and transporting of the aforementioned items has in the past created much difficulty, taxing numerous care providers and expending critical time.

Ventilator, care cart and motorized transport each capable of nesting within and docking with a hospital bed base


A collapsible fishing net device comprising a handle having a first end and second end, and fastening block disposed within said handle and adjacent to said first end; collapsible net frame comprising a hinge means comprising a first hinge arm, and second hinge arm first net frame arm and second net frame arm associated with said first and second hinge arms respectively wherein each of said first and second net frame arms presents a first end which is proximal to said hinge means and second end which is distal to said hinge means; coupler adjacent to said distal end of said first and second net frame arms, said coupler being engageable to couple said first and second net frame arms, fastener operably associated with said hinge means and fastening block to fasten said collapsible net frame to said handle assembly; and net associated with said collapsible net frame wherein said fastening block receives said fastener and said first and second net frame arms are coupled by said coupling means to present a substantially circular net frame in a first operable position, and said coupler is disengaged and said first and second net frame arms are disposed substantially parallel in a second collapsed position.

Various such collapsible hand-held fishing nets are known.
U.S. Pat. No. 403,680 issued on May 21, 1889 to J. G. Landman entitled "Hinge-Screw Coupling for Fishing-Net Frame", relates to a hinge-screw coupling consisting of two parts hinged together and provided each with a projection, both of which projections when closed together have exterior continuous screw-threads to receive a screw ferrule or handle, and the two parts of the coupling independently of the hinge are provided, respectively, with a tongue or projection and a groove or recess which interlock to strengthen the hinge-coupling against lateral strain. The invention contemplates the net being wound around the side bars provided, thereby permitting the net to be stored in a small place.
U.S. Pat. No. 440,568 issued on Nov. 11, 1890 to C. S. Hebard, provides a hollow handle having a longitudinal slot of approximately even length with the handle and having at each end an offset or L-shaped extension, in which said slot slides a button sustained in a round plug of slightly less diameter than the inner diameter of said handle, in order that the said plug may slide to and fro in the handle under the impulse of the button and be locked against movement in either direction by the engagement of the latter with one of said offsets. Pivoted in said plug is a pair of arms of such length that when the plug is withdrawn to the bottom or closed end of the handle such arms will rest wholly within said handle, and when the plug is projected to the open end of the handle with the arms in advance said arms are free to be distended into a V shape, in which position they are maintained by a knuckle-jointed rod, which is hinged at each of its ends to the outer ends of said arms, and by the spring of the arms is maintained at an angle whose apex is higher than such ends, thus forming a rigid frame for the net, which latter is secured to rings which slide freely on the rod and arms, according as the same are manipulated. When the net frame described herein is folded in a manner the reverse of the above-described opening operation, bringing the arms and rod-sections side by side, the net is wound snugly around the same, and when the plug is withdrawn will be drawn wholly within said handle and locked against accidental projection by the engagement of the button with the offset at the lower end of the slot.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,077,481 issued to Harry Levy on November 4, 1913 relates to a collapsible net device comprising a net frame which is attached to a handle. Said net frame comprises two members hingedly connected at their inner and outer ends to a flattened hinge portion of a screw. Each of such hinged members comprises a plurality of resilient sections slidably connected to vary the length of the members. Said hinged members further comprise a straight portion. Said handle presents a washer which bears against the straight portion of said hinged members and the bottom surface of said flattened hinge position, as best shown in FIG. 11.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,169,311, issued on Jan. 25, 1916 to G. C. Walter, relates to a fish net holder comprising a handle, a member detachably connected with one extremity of the latter, two spring sections having their inner extremities connected with said member, a third spring section detachably connected with the first named sections, and a net supported by said sections. The net is wound around said two spring sections and stored inside the handle in the stored position.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,205,229 issued to E. L. Spriggs et al. on Nov. 1, 1938, relates to a collapsible fish landing net comprising a pair of normally relatively straight spring frame arms. Said spring frame arms are joined to one another at one end by means of a hinge member which is provided with a threaded end portion and a flattened hinge portion. Said threaded end portion is received by a threaded hole disposed within a handle. The other ends of said spring frame arms are provided with relatively rigid ears claspable in slidable relation to one another, the ear of one arm being provided with a slot, and the ear of the other arm with a stud adapted to pass through the slot, each of said ears being provided with a hook at its inner end about which a strand of a fish net is hookable, said hooks lying opposite their corresponding arms and having their open sides in close proximity to said arms into generally a ring shape wherein the flexure of the spring arms will tend to close the open space between said hooks and said arms, the free ends of each ear being adapted to slide inside the opposite arm when the arms are sprung into generally ring shape and to hold the arms in generally ring shape and to hold the arms in their sprung relationship until the net is collapsed.
There are numerous disadvantages to the prior art collapsible fishing net devices. In particular, it is desirable to provide for a structure which provides the strength and rigidity required to allow fish of relatively significant weight to be landed using a collapsible fishing net device. It is further desirable to provide for a collapsible fishing net device of this structure to be durable while also being easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
In addition, the prior art collapsible fishing net devices generally provide for a storage cavity within a handle within which the net is stored by wrapping same around the members which comprise the net frame. It is generally necessary to wrap the net because of the size of the components of such prior art collapsible fishing net devices generally do not leave ample room for the net to be stored in addition to the members making up the net frame.
In order to permit the net to be stored inside the handle and to avoid the net becoming tangled and torn when the components of the net frame and the net are being inserted in the handle, the net is wrapped around such components. Wrapping the net around such components is relatively time consuming and inconvenient. Also, the action of wrapping the net around these components, particularly if this is done tightly, causes additional stress on the strings comprising the net, which over time results in degradation of the net.
There is therefore a further need for a collapsible fishing net device which provides structure for storing the net within the handle of such device without the need for wrapping the net around the components of the device stored inside such handle along with the net.

Beavermeadow Road, R.R. #1, Site 4, Box 7


An improved two membered substantially crack-free water jet mixing tube of an abrasive water jet cutting device and a method of its preparation. The method comprises chemically vapor depositing diamond layer on a funnel shaped support member to form an inner member of the mixing tube, separating the inner member from the support member, depositing and then cooling an outer member on the outer side of the inner member to produce a compressive stress on the inner member that substantially prevents formation cracks on the inner member. The inner side of the inner member has a smooth bore having a microcrystalline structure and the outer member has a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than diamond. The invention is also directed to a water jet cutting device that incorporates the aforementioned improved substantially crack-free water jet mixing tube.

In recent years hydro-machining methods, including water jet cutting, have undergone significant advances. The reasons are obvious. A high pressure liquid jet, such as a water jet, can cut through several types of materials quite easily and it can be even programmed, through a computer software, to cut intricate patterns. Hydro-machining methods have been also used extensively in cutting patterns in various industries, such as the garment industry, the corrugated carton manufacturing industry, aircraft industries, electronics industry, and so on. Additional list of the application of hydro-machining is provided on page 91-95 of Wet Grit, Abrasive Waterjets, American Machinist, October 1989, Penton Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, pages 84-97, incorporated herein by reference. For a general summary of various hydro-machining methods including water jet cutting methods, reference is made to the aforementioned special report on Wet Grit, Abrasive Waterjets, and to Guha, J., High-Pressure waterjet Cutting: An Introduction, Ceramic Bulletin, Vol. 69, No.6, 1990, pages 1027-1029, both incorporated herein by reference.
One of the major difficulties encountered in the hydro-machining technology is the short life span of the water jet mixing tubes used in the hydro-machining devices. The presence of abrasive particles in the water jets used in the hydro-machining devices reduces the life span of these mixing tubes due to abrasion. However, the life span of these mixing tubes can be significantly extended by producing them from diamond. Diamond is an allotrope of carbon exhibiting a crystallographic network comprising exclusively of covalently bonded, aliphatic sp.sup.3 hybridized carbon atoms arranged tetrahedrally with a uniform distance of 1.545 .ANG. between atoms and it is extremely hard, having a Mohs hardness of 10.
A method directed to improving the abrasion resistance of the annular interior surface of an annulus has been disclosed. Such a method comprises chemical vapor depositing abrasion resistant materials, such as diamond on the annular interior surface, which is placed in compression by virtue of the difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion between the annulus material and the CVD deposited diamond layer. However, the aforementioned method is not suitable to producing crack resistant articles having high L/D ratios (about 50) because it is difficult to chemically vapor deposit diamond along the annular interior surfaces of articles having high L/D ratios. By way of example, it is difficult to deposit diamond on the interior wall of an article of a funnel shape having a small diameter stem of about 0.500 millimeter outer diameter and having a long stem length of about 75 millimeters. The present invention is directed to addressing the problem of making such crack resistant funnel shaped articles having high L/D ratios.

Water jet mixing tubes used in water jet cutting devices and method of preparation thereof


Methods and systems are described for managing connections between client devices and servers. A client device may establish a connection with a connection manager device. The client device may request to establish a connection with a server. The connection manager may determine whether a user of the client device has user privileges to access the server. The connection manager may determine whether the user is a member of a group that has privileges to access the server. The connection manager may retrieve user or group credentials for accessing the server. The connection manager may establish a connection with the server. The connection manager may coordinate communications between the client device and the server. The connection manager may record the communications between the client device and the server.

Users may connect to servers to perform various commands on the servers, such as to access services provided by the servers. For security and other reasons, access to a server may be controlled. To access a server, a user may authenticate with the server. Various methods may be used to authenticate the user, such as public key authentication, a username and password, or other methods of authentication.
When a user has access to multiple servers, each server may store a key corresponding to the user. Each individual server may store many keys, one key for each of the users having access to that server. As the number of network administrators grows, managing this growing volume of keys may be overly complex and time consuming. For example, when a user's access rights are revoked, the user's key should be removed from each server that the user previously had access to. Additionally, whenever a new user is given access rights to servers, a key for the user must be placed on each of the servers. It may be desirable to more efficiently manage the distribution of keys.
A network operator may wish to perform various audits relating to network security, such as determining which servers each user has access to and/or determining what operations users have performed on servers. It may be difficult to determine which servers each user of the network has access to. Connections between the user and the server may be encrypted. Because the connections are encrypted, it may be difficult to record information about which users are accessing which servers, and the contents of communications between the users and the servers. It may be desirable to log information regarding the connections, such as information indicating which user's are accessing which servers. It may also be desirable to record the communications that occur between users and servers.
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches.

Systems and methods for connection management


A self closing container having inner and outer sleeves. Outer sleeve surrounds inner sleeve and can freely slide on inner sleeve by lifting outer sleeve or handle. When container is closed, lid covers magnets, mouth magnets, mouth magnet platform, and mouth platform. When closed, bar magnet component is positioned over mouth magnets which permits mouth cover to cover mouth. When outer sleeve is raised, it raises ring in lid. In raised position, lid cover magnets on ring are repelled by corresponding magnets on lid cover. When ring is raised, mouth magnet platforms are raised. Mouth magnet platforms have two mouth magnets, one positioned toward mouth and one positioned toward back of the lid. When raised, mouth cover is moved backward to an open position with the use of the bar magnet component. When handle or outer sleeve is released all components return to their original positions effectively closing the container.

1. Field of the Invention
Applicant's invention relates to a self closing container for liquids which prevents the liquid from spilling when jolted and allows a person to drink from an otherwise closed container.
2. Background Information
Nowadays, it seems that everywhere you look someone is drinking out of a spill proof coffee mug or travel mug. The typical travel mug includes a container for holding the beverage fitted with a removable lid. The lid is generally provided with a mouth piece or opening through which the beverage may be removed by the user of the mug. This configuration allows considerable movement of the liquid within the mug without spilling because either the size of the opening in the lid or the mouth piece is such that it substantially confines the liquid. Recently developed travel mugs incorporate mouth covers over either the mouth opening or the mouth piece of the lid. The covers generally rest in a closed position over the mouth opening or mouth piece and are opened when the user depresses a button or other similar mechanism with his or her thumb. When the user releases the button or similar mechanism, the cover returns to its closed position over the mouth opening or mouth piece. The cover may or may not have a locking mechanism to prevent spills if the mug is dropped.
For a user with normal dexterity in his or her hands and fingers, it is quite simple to operate the typical travel mug. However, when a user lacks this normal dexterity, it is difficult to impossible for the user to operate the typical travel mug. Unfortunately, the prior art does not provide for a travel mug to be used by persons lacking normal dexterity in their hands and fingers. The present invention was designed for this purpose. While the present application shows a travel mug as the preferred embodiment, this invention has applicability to various types of containers.


A heat sink including a base section, connection fins, and parallel fins. The base section includes: a first base plate configured to be mounted with a heat generating component on its outer surface; a second base plate disposed to face the first base plate in a parallel manner, configured to be mounted with a heat generating component on its outer surface; and a third base plate disposed perpendicular to the first base plate and the second base plate, which secures the first base plate and the second base plate along a junction line. The base section includes first and second regions arranged in the direction of the junction line. The connection fins are disposed on the first region to connect inner surfaces of the first and second base plates and to be parallel to the third base plate, and the parallel fins are disposed on the second region from an inner surface of the third base plate to be parallel to the first base plate.

In a prior-art heat sink, if there are a plurality of heat generating components, the heat generating components are respectively mounted to two base plates disposed parallel, side surfaces of the two base plates are thermally connected by another member for connection, and fins are provided to the respective base plates to carry out cooling of the heat generating components (e.g., Patent Document 1).    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-270651

Heat sink, and method for producing same


A mechanical device is used to change a laser nozzle of a nozzle mount of a laser processing machine. The mechanical device includes a nozzle magazine with at least one nozzle holder for storing a laser nozzle at a nozzle storage location, and a dirt collector. The nozzle holder is movable by means of a positioning device provided for that purpose or alternatively the dirt collector is movable by means of a positioning device provided for that purpose into a stand-by position defined on the mechanical device. The nozzle holder and the dirt collector can also be transferred to a position remote from the stand-by position with the respective positioning device.

JP 06 023580 A discloses a laser processing machine having a mechanical device for changing nozzles on a laser processing head of the laser processing machine. A nozzle magazine of the nozzle changing device is in the form of a turret magazine and has a magazine turret that is rotatable about a turret rotation axis. A plurality of nozzle storage locations are provided on the magazine turret, which follow one another in the direction of rotation of the magazine turret about the turret rotation axis. By rotation of the magazine turret about the turret rotation axis, one of the nozzle storage locations is transferred to a stand-by position. When an empty nozzle storage location is in the stand-by position, the nozzle storage location is able to receive a used laser nozzle that was previously in use on the laser processing head and that is to be dismounted from the nozzle mount of the laser processing head. When a nozzle storage location with a substitute laser nozzle assumes the stand-by position, the substitute laser nozzle may be mounted on the laser processing head as a replacement for a previously dismounted, used laser nozzle.


Disclosed herein are solution-based additive manufacturing inks comprising a polymer, a volatile solvent compound, and a nonsolvent compound. With current additive manufacturing techniques, a wide range of functionally innovative polymers are left without the ability to be used in additive manufacturing. Improved additive manufacturing techniques to process advanced functional polymers are desirable. The disclosed ink is operable to render any chosen polymer useable in additive manufacturing methods. The composition of the disclosed ink allows for a phase inversion to occur to transition the ink from a liquid ink to a solid manufactured structure. Also disclosed herein are devices for additive manufacturing of the ink and methods for making the same.

Additive manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing have revolutionized manufacturing because these techniques can produce complex structures that are difficult or near impossible to create using traditional manufacturing methods. Additive manufacturing has found wide industrial use in emerging areas of innovation, such as microfluidic devices, structured biomaterials, improved composite materials, and high-strength materials. A critical limitation of existing and emerging additive manufacturing techniques is the narrow range of polymers that can be processed. For instance, current methods require specific polymers such as thermoplastic polymers with moderate melting points, or polymers which must be photopolymerized or photocross-linked. A wide range of functionally innovative polymers, therefore, are left without the ability to be used in additive manufacturing. Improved additive manufacturing techniques to process advanced functional polymers are desirable.
What is needed, therefore, is an additive manufacturing technique capable of transition any desired polymer solution from a liquid ink phase to a solid printed phase without the need to limit the polymer selection based on the melting points or photoreactivity of the polymer. Embodiments of the present disclosure address this need as well as other needs that will become apparent upon reading the description below in conjunction with the drawings.