There is described a convertiplane comprising a pair of semi-wings, a first and a second rotor which may rotate about relative first axes and tilt about relative second axes together with first axes with respect to semi-wings between a helicopter mode and an aeroplane mode; first axes are, in use, transversal to a longitudinal direction of convertiplane in helicopter mode, and are, in use, substantially parallel to longitudinal direction in aeroplane mode; first and second rotors may tilt about relative second axes independently of each other.

At present, substantially two convertiplane configurations are known: "Tilt Rotor", and "Wing Rotor".
In the "Tilt Rotor" configuration, the semi-wings remain substantially fixed, and only the motor-rotor assemblies rotate relative to the semi-wings.
Furthermore, the tilt mechanism comprises a pair of actuators for tilting relative rotors and an shaft which connects the actuators.
Examples of "Tilt Rotor" configuration and of relative tilt mechanism are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,545 or in US-A-2009/0256026.
In the "Tilt Wing" configuration, the rotor attitude is adjusted by rotating the semi-wing and rotors system assembly as a whole. An example of "Tilt Wing" configuration is shown in EP-A-1057724.
Therefore, both in the "Tilt-Rotor" and in the "Tilt-Wing" configuration, the tilting of the rotors is simultaneously.
In both the configuration, each rotor substantially comprises a shaft rotating about its own axis and a plurality of blades which are articulated onto the shaft.
Each blade has a variable angle of attack, i.e. a variable angle between a reference line on such blade and a vector defining the relative motion between the blade and air.
Known convertiplanes comprise a cyclic control for changing the angles of attack of all the blades cyclically during the rotation of the blades about the axis of the shaft. In other words, the angle of attack of the blades changes on the basis of the angular position of the blades relative to the axis of the shaft.
The cyclic control results in the tilting of the rotor disk relative to the fixed axis of the shaft in a particular direction. Accordingly, the tilting of the rotor disk generates a thrust in the particular direction and, therefore, the helicopter advances in the particular direction.
In the known convertiplane, a wide range of maneuvers are carried out through the cyclic control.
For example, in known "Tilt-Rotor" convertiplanes, the yaw is controlled in the helicopter configuration by tilting forward the disk of one rotor and simultaneously tilting backward the disk of the other rotor.
As a result, one rotor generates a thrust in the forward direction and the other rotor generates a thrust in the backward direction.
These two thrusts are parallel and staggered each other, and therefore generates a yawing moment on the convertiplane.
In other words, yaw in hovering is controlled by making use of the cyclic control in the known convertiplanes.
As a result, yaw control results in considerable control moments acting on the shafts of the rotors.
These control moments cause considerable stresses in the shaft, which result in a reduced life-time of the rotors and in a high maintenance cost.
A need is felt within the industry to reduce the stresses generated on the rotors components by the yawing motion, so as to increase the life and reduce the maintenance cost of the rotors.
Furthermore, with reference to known convertiplanes, the maximum yawing moment and, therefore, the promptness of the yawing depends on the maximum variation of the angles of the attack of the rotor blades and on the distance between the axis of the rotors.
Accordingly, the promptness of yawing is penalized by the fact that there is an upper limit to the maximum variation of the angles of attack of the blades.
A need is felt within the industry to increase, as far as possible, the promptness of the yawing in the convertiplane.
Furthermore, also the low speed transition between the helicopter mode and the aeroplane is achieved through the inclination of the rotor disks, i.e. by cyclically varying the angles of attack of the blades.
Finally, known convertiplanes move rearward in a very similar way to traditional helicopters. More precisely, in the helicopter mode, disk rotors are inclined rearward, so as to generate a rearward thrust on the convertiplane.
Also in this case, shafts of the rotors are subjected to considerable control moments, and, therefore, to considerable resulting stresses.
A need is felt within the industry to reduce the stresses generated on the rotors components by the above-identified convertiplane motion, so as to increase the life and reduce the maintenance cost of the rotors.


An exemplary cleaning apparatus for cleaning a system having a first fluid is provided, wherein the apparatus comprises a second fluid entering the system and cycling in the system with the first fluid for a predetermined period of time. The cleaning apparatus also comprises an air compressor and an air storage tank. The air compressor is capable of compressing air into air storage tank, and air storage tank is capable of delivering air to the system for purging the first and second fluids from the system after the predetermined period of time has expired. The cleaning apparatus further comprises an air regulator capable of regulating pressure of the air delivered to the system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to servicing oil system. More particularly, the present invention relates to method and apparatus for cleaning engine oil systems.
2. Related Art
It is well known that an internal combustion engine accumulates oil sludge and debris in the oil passageways of the vehicle engine through normal use. The accumulated oil sludge and debris can form hardened oil and hydrocarbon deposits on the walls of the oil passageways in the vehicle engine. These hardened oil and hydrocarbon deposits restrict oil flow through the engine and thus shorten the vehicle engine""s life. Therefore, it is desirable to periodically clean the engine""s oil passageways to maintain proper oil flow throughout the engine and thereby prevent unnecessary shortening of the vehicle engine""s life.
Typically, contaminated oil is removed from a vehicle engine by draining the contaminated oil out of the vehicle engine and replacing it with fresh oil during regularly scheduled vehicle engine maintenance. Although contaminated oil can be drained out of the vehicle engine, oil sludge and debris that can clog the vehicle engine""s oil passageways are not so easily removed. The removal of the oil sludge and debris typically requires a cleaning solution to circulate through the vehicle engine""s oil passageways to dissolve the oil and sludge debris.
One method for removing oil sludge and debris from the vehicle engine utilized by conventional engine oil system cleaning machines involves circulating a cleaning solution through the vehicle engine oil lubrication system while the vehicle engine is running. However, such conventional engine oil system cleaning machines typically require an operator to use valuable service time to determine, measure, and dispense the correct amount of cleaning solution required for a particular vehicle engine. Also, the conventional engine oil system cleaning machines require the operator to continuously monitor the vehicle engine oil pressure to prevent a drop in engine oil pressure from damaging the vehicle engine.
After the cleaning cycle of a conventional engine oil cleaning machine is over, the contaminated oil and sludge are typically removed from the vehicle engine by allowing the contaminated oil and sludge to drain out of the vehicle engine drain hole. However, after the contaminated oil and sludge has drain out of the vehicle engine drain hole, residual sludge remains in the vehicle engine oil system.
One conventional method of removing residual sludge from the vehicle engine utilizes pressurized air, which can be injected into the vehicle engine oil system by an operator. However, the pressure of the air that is injected into the vehicle engine oil system must be carefully controlled to avoid damaging the vehicle engine oil system. Further, the pressurized air can also damage the vehicle engine oil system if the pressurized air is injected into the vehicle engine oil system for an excessive amount of time. Additionally, a service shop air source must be available to provide the pressurized air. However, utilizing pressurized air from the service shop air source makes the conventional engine oil cleaning system non-portable.
Thus, there is an intense need for cost-effective and efficient vehicle engine oil cleaning systems and cleaning methods that can overcome the disadvantages of the conventional cleaning systems and methods, and that can safely purge the vehicle engine oil system of residual oil sludge.
The present invention is directed to apparatus and method for servicing engine oil systems. More specifically, the invention provides a cleaning system for cleaning an engine oil system and safely purging the engine oil system of residual oil sludge.
An exemplary cleaning apparatus for cleaning a system having a first fluid is provided, wherein the apparatus comprises a second fluid entering the system and cycling in the system with the first fluid for a predetermined period of time. The cleaning apparatus also comprises an air compressor and an air storage tank. The air compressor is capable of compressing air into air storage tank, and air storage tank is capable of delivering air to the system for purging the first and second fluids from the system after the predetermined period of time has expired. The cleaning apparatus further comprises an air regulator capable of regulating pressure of the air delivered to the system.
The cleaning apparatus may also comprise an air pressure shutoff switch capable of shutting off the air compressor when the air pressure reaches a predetermined level. The cleaning apparatus may further comprise an air pressure gauge coupled to the air compressor, the air pressure gauge capable of measuring the air pressure. The cleaning apparatus may further comprise a timed air release control controlling an air release solenoid, the air release solenoid capable of receiving air from the air storage tank and delivering the air to the system.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent with further reference to the drawings and specification, which follow. It is intended that all such additional systems, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.


In a resonant frequency tunable antenna, a body includes a dielectric substance and a magnetic substance. A first radiator is disposed on a first predetermined area of the body and has a feeding pin connected thereto. A second radiator is disposed on a second predetermined area of the body. Also, a switch is disposed on the body to be connected between the first and second radiators. In addition, a power supply pin is electrically connected to the switch and extends downward through the body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a resonant frequency tunable antenna, more particularly which adjusts an electrical resonant length via a switch to vary a resonant frequency into a desired available frequency band.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent growth in the telecommunication field such as a mobile multimedia broadcasting which adopts a new available frequency, antennas are increasingly required to perform with high capability. The antennas have been exhibiting characteristics of a dual band covering e.g., GSM/DCS bands. But the antennas are more required to achieve quad-band properties for covering four different bands and even multi-band properties.
In a method to meet such a demand, a resonant length of a radiator of an antenna has been selectively adjusted using a switch. Korean Patent Publication No. 2004-0081148, entitled "Tunable Antenna for Wireless Communication Terminals," discloses a multi-band antenna employing an extending line formed on a printed circuit board and a switch.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the multi-band antenna proposed in the aforesaid document.
The antenna shown in FIG. 1 has a radiator 15 mounted on a printed circuit board 11. The radiator 15 is connected to a feeding pin 12 and a short pin 14, respectively. The radiator 15 is connected to a transmission line 16b formed on the printed circuit board 11 by a transmission pin 16a. Also, the transmission line 16b is selectively connected to two extending lines 18a and 18b by a switch 17 disposed on the printed circuit board 11, thus achieving different resonant frequencies depending on the selected extending line 18a and 18b.
However, in the conventional antenna, a switch and lines with various lengths are installed on the printed circuit board where an antenna is mounted. This limits an available space of the printed circuit board, also requiring an additional pin structure connected to lines on the printed circuit board in addition to a feeding pin and a ground pin disposed on a side of the antenna. This disadvantageously complicates the antenna structure.


A waveguide system for a transition between a waveguide structure having an exterior stripline element and a waveguide structure having a stripline element which is completely shielded. To that end, the present invention provides a transition which is able to be realized particularly easily and efficiently with the aid of a multilayer printed circuit board architecture.

German Patent DE 10 2007 028 799 A1 discusses an impedance-controlled coplanar waveguide system for distributing high-frequency signals. It proposes to dispose a coplanar waveguide between two circuit carriers, each of which is provided with electroconductive ground conductors.
Systems for distributing high-frequency signals are utilized in numerous fields of application. Thus, for example, many devices in the consumer-electronics sector, like cell phones, for instance, include an antenna system that is connected via suitable signal lines to a high-frequency unit for processing and generating high-frequency signals. Moreover, radar sensors, as used in modern motor vehicles, for example, likewise require a high-frequency distribution network which connects the antennas with the components for generating and processing signals. In that case, various forms of the suitable high-frequency lines may be provided for conducting and distributing the high-frequency signals.
For example, microstrip line waveguides (MSW) are familiar, where a stripline is disposed above a ground plane. For further shielding, the stripline may likewise be shielded laterally with additional ground leads. Such forms are known, for example, under the term Grounded Coplanar Waveguide (GCPW). In addition, what are referred to as Buried Grounded Coplanar Waveguides (BGCPW) are also familiar, where a stripline may be shielded above and below with the aid of ground leads. In particular, for example, the stripline may be disposed between two substrates like, e.g., printed-circuit-board substrates, the sides of the substrate facing away from the stripline in each case being provided with ground planes. The two ground planes may be connected to each other by vias, for example. In this case, the transition between different high-frequency lines represents a particular challenge.

Waveguide system, high-frequency line and radar sensor


A smart switch allows distributed generators to “ride through” non-three-phase faults by very quickly detecting a non-three-phase phase fault, locating the fault, identifying the “responsive sectionalizer switches” that will be involved in clearing or isolating the fault, and selecting one of the responsive sectionalizer switches to direct back-feed tie switch operations. The responsive sectionalizer switches trip only the faulted phase(s), and the selected sectionalizer switch instructs a back-feed tie switch to close to back-feed the distributed generators prior to conducting the typical fault response operation. This typically occurs within about three cycles, and is completed before the normal fault clearing and isolation procedures, which momentarily disconnect all three phases to the distributed generators from the normally connected feeder breaker. The looped connection to an alternate feeder breaker during these operations allows the distributed generators to “ride through” the normal fault clearing and isolation procedures.

Fault detection, isolation and service restoration (also referred to more compactly as "fault isolation" or "sectionalizing") is one of the most important tasks in electric power operations. Using automation to improve the reliability and operation of the transmission and distribution electric power grid is a top industry focus known as the "smart grid." Developing fast and reliable fault isolation systems that minimize the number of customers affected by power outages, and the duration of those outages, is one of the most important tasks in electric power automation and management. Conventional approaches for sectionalizing power circuits were designed for large, central-station power generation plants interconnected by a network of generally passive transmission and distribution lines to deliver the power downstream from the generating plants to the loads. The control schemes designed for this central-station paradigm are becoming increasingly unsatisfactory as electric transmission and distribution networks become increasingly active due to increasing penetration of distributed or load-side power generation resources, such as solar panels, wind turbines, fuel cells, diesel generators, gasoline generators and the like, located downstream from the feeder breakers at the distribution substations connecting the electric power grid to the distribution power lines that serve the distributed generators.
When power outages occur, time is of the essence because electricity is essential to modern life and public safety. Utilities are often penalized based on the duration of an outage and the number of customers affected. To help minimize power outages caused by line faults, sectionalizing switches (also called "reclosers") are used to isolate the faults and tie switches are used to "back-feed" the non-faulted portions of the affected power lines to minimize the number of customers affected by the outages. But conventional sectionalizing techniques designed for passive transmission and distribution systems are not designed to take full advantage of the back-feed opportunities presented by tie switches and distributed generation resources. Load-side generation can also present additional safety hazards by unexpectedly energizing faulted or disconnected line segments from the downstream side.
While conventional transmission and distribution substations typically have utility-grade Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) communication systems allowing for remote monitoring and control of substation equipment, substations are quite expensive and require significant land and time consuming installation. Many transmission tap points located out on power lines away from the substations rely on non-reclosing circuit breakers and have no communication or remote control equipment. This can result in extremely long outage restoration delays, and associated customer outage times, as technicians have to physically travel to the tap points to reclose the breakers. Manual power restoration often relies on "hunt and peck" procedures as technicians try to locate faults on many miles of power lines with multiple tap points between sub stations.
Conventional distribution systems use automatic reclosers known as sectionalizers to isolate faults. The vast majority of these are located on power lines away from the SCADA-controlled substations. After initially tripping, most conventional reclosers automatically attempt to reclose one to five times over a period of several seconds based on pre-set timing to give the fault a chance to clear without further action. A fault can clear by itself, for example, when a lightening strike is over or when a tree branch falls away after momentarily causing a line fault. If the fault persists after one to five reclosing attempts, the recloser typically locks open requiring a manual reset once the fault has been cleared.
Distribution feeders are generally configured to operate in a radial structure by setting a selected recloser that connects lines to two substations to be a normally-open tie switch. The tie switch is set to normally-open to avoid creating a connectivity loop between the substations in normal operation, but automatically closes to back-feed a portion of the circuit when it detects an outage condition. Although the selection of the tie switch may be dynamic, a particular set of reclosers are usually designated to be the tie switches for normal circuit conditions. A normally-open tie switch may automatically close when it detects that power is lost on only one side of the tie switch to provide a "back-feed" path to the line section that has lost power. It may also be closed manually or by a remote command. Once closed, the tie switch typically operates like a normally-closed sectionalizer.
More advanced fault isolation techniques typically involve detecting the distance and direction to an electric fault. Conventional "distance relays" estimate the distance to a power line fault by determining the line impedance after the fault occurs. However, conventional distance relays do not work well for faults on transmission lines with tap connections because the existence the tapped-off lateral lines affects the line impedance calculation and interfere with the distance estimation. Some transmission lines have upwards of nine taps, which can make it difficult to locate a fault and then sectionalize and reenergize quickly.
In distribution circuits, conventional automated fault isolation techniques can cause unnecessary open and close operations of the sectionalizers when isolating faults, which exposes the power lines to repeated transient disturbances including fault currents, voltage drops, and power outages. This causes unnecessary mechanical wear-and-tear on the switches, as well as multiple transient disturbances on customer equipment, which can knock customer equipment offline and damage electronics. Electric service reliability is generally perceived to decrease as the number of these incidents increases.
Communication systems have been added to transmission and distribution switches located away from substations to enhance fault isolation techniques. For example, certain tap units, tie switches and sectionalizers may include SCADA radios that communicate with the central control station. When a fault occurs on a line segment between two switches, the feeder breaker at the substation typically trips to clear the fault, while fault detection devices at each switch along the fault current path reports a fault flag to the central controller for manual or automatic fault isolation and service restoration. The feeder breakers are typically configured to automatically attempt to reclose one to five times trying to restore the service quickly if the fault is not permanent. This type of solution typically relies on utility-grade SCADA communication and centralized control systems, which are quite complex and costly. The effectiveness of any fault isolation technique is ultimately measured by the speed, reliability, and effectiveness of the fault isolation response. In general, these SCADA approaches are much better than manual "hunt and peck" fault isolation techniques but still involve relatively long procedures, up to tens of minutes in some practical operations.
Automated solutions using switch-level communications and decentralized control have also been developed. The IntelliTeam® system sold by S&C Electric Company is a representative example. This type of solution organizes groups of adjacent switches as independent teams that detect faults through multi-party communications among the team members to determine whether the fault has occurred within the team. When this occurs, all members of the team typically trip without reclosing to initially isolate the fault. When the feeder breaker re-energizes the faulted line section, the deenergized team switches located downstream automatically reclose in cascade as one side of each switch is energized one after another. This approach usually results in an unnecessarily large number switching events and may leave switches unnecessarily open at the end of the restoration process. The sectionalizing process is further complicated by tie switches and distributed generation resources that can be used to back-feed line sections as the fault is isolated. This may result in multiple reclosing sequences in which a single error in the switching sequencing or the multi-party communications during the restoration process can leave the feeder incompletely restored with many switches unnecessarily left open.
Communication-based fault isolation techniques face another challenge because the communication equipment used for fault isolation is needed most at the precise times when the electric power system experiences outages. The loss of electric power therefore interrupts the operation of the grid-powered communication components just when they are needed most. In addition, the communication systems are also vulnerable to severe weather conditions in which the electric power grid faults have more chance to occur. While battery-powered radios may continue to operate during a power outage, the batteries require monitoring and occasional replacement. The U.S. electrical grid includes over five million miles of electric power distribution lines with several million switch points operating at a range of voltages. Many of these switches are in remote locations and the vast majority are located on low-voltage distribution lines that are costly to patrol. Installing a communication system among the switch points or between a central controller and the switch points is an important cost factor in electric power systems, typically costing in the range of $500,000 for "carrier" systems or $30,000 per mile for fiber communications. Installing and maintaining battery-powered radios can be cost prohibitive for many of these switch points. Other types of communication systems are unreliable, often unavailable up to 50% of the time when they are needed. Dedicated hard-wire phone lines are a thing of the past.
U.S. Publication Nos. 2019-0277904 and 2019-0280476, which are incorporated by reference, describe automatic power line fault detection, isolation and back-feed power restoration techniques using distance zone detection and switch timing algorithms. While these smart-grid systems automate fault detection, isolation and back-feed power restoration without relying on centralized SCADA control or peer-to-peer communications between the switches, they exhibit a drawback in that distributed generators, such as solar panels, wind turbines, fuel cells, diesel generators, gasoline generators and the like, are often dropped from the electric power grid during the power line fault response process even though electric service to the loads is automatically restored within a few seconds. Dropping the distributed generators from the power circuit during the fault response process is problematic because it requires several minutes for the dropped generators to electronically reconnect to the grid, which can take. Meanwhile, the loads remain connected to the same circuit section and "ride through" the momentary power interruption. As a result, the loads typically reconnected to the power circuit while the distributed generators drop out of connection, resulting in a circuit overload despite the otherwise successful fault isolation and power restoration to the circuit. When the power supplied by the distributed generators is required to meet the connected load on the circuit, the overload caused by the loss of the distributed generators may trip the feeder breaker resulting in a much wider outage. The resulting outage increases the number of affected customers, lengthens the outage, and complicates the power restoration process requiring staged reconnection of the distributed generators followed by reconnection of the loads.
The electric power industry therefore has a continuing need for new and more effective, economic, reliable and safe smart grid techniques. More specifically, there is a continuing need for fault detection, isolation and restoration systems that avoid dropping distributed generators during the power line fault response processes.

Non-three-phase fault isolation and restoration systems


Novel mannobiose derivative represented by the general formula [I]: ##STR1## wherein groups of R.sub.1 to R.sub.5 each represents --OH, --OR.sub.6, --NHR.sub.6, (R.sub.6 represents an acyl group) or a group represented by the following formula (a), (b), (c), (d) or (e), provided that one of R.sub.1 to R.sub.5 represents --OR.sub.6 or --NHR.sub.6, one of the other 4 groups of R.sub.1 to R.sub.5 represents one of the groups represented by the formulae (a) to (e), and the remaining 3 groups of R.sub.1 to R.sub.5 represent --OH: ##STR2## wherein represents .alpha. or .beta. bond are provided by the invention.. These compounds give liposomes a specific affinity for Kupffer cells of liver, and can be produced industrially.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel mannobiose derivatives useful as a component modifying pharmaceutical preparations, such as liposomes, having a specific affinity for Kupffer cells of liver.
(2) Prior Art
Recently, organ- or cell-directed preparations have been reported in the pharmaceutical and medical fields. For example, several proposals have been made regarding a technique that a drug is selectively delivered to an objective internal organ or cells by administering the drug encapsulated in liposomes.
One such proposal is found in a report by Szoka, et al. (Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm., 110, 140-146 (1983)) relating to a liposomal preparation of which target is macrophage cells such as Kupffer cells of the liver.
In this prior art, a fatty acid diester of dimannosylglceride is mixed with liposomal lipid membrane to give the liposomes an affinity for macrophage cells, but the above diester compound is a natural substance isolated from a luteus coccus, so it is difficult to produce the compound industrially. Further, as examples of research using a synthetic substance as a liposome lipid membrane-modifying substance for targeting macrophage cells, typically Kupffer cells of liver, a report by Bachhawat et al. (Biochim. cells of liver, a report by Shen et al. (Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 632, 562-572 (1980)), a report by Shen et. al. (Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 674, 19-29 (1981)), are shown. In the former, a substance obtained by coupling (i) p-aminophenyl-D-mannoside obtained by reduction of p-nitrophenyl-D-mannoside, (ii) phosphatidylethanolamine which is too expensive to obtain as a pure product among natural phospholipids and (iii) glutaraldehyde is used. In the latter report, a compound obtained by linking a hexyl group (--(CH.sub.2).sub.6 --) to a hydroxyl group at the 3-position of cholesterol and further linking the resulting hexyl group to the C1-position of D-mannose through thio group (--S--) is used. Thus, in both methods, compounds having a complicated structure are used and are not useful in view of industrial production, safety after administration to living bodies or the like.
As is seen from the foregoing, though liposomal preparations of which target is macrophage cells, typically Kupffer cells of the liver, have been prepared, the objective efficiency for the targetting and industrial production have not been attained.


The present disclosure relates to techniques for the selection of one or more measuring coils in magnetic resonance imaging. Herein, account can be taken of a preselection in the selection of the one or more measuring coils from a plurality of candidate coils.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can be used to examine different anatomical regions of an examination subject. For this, nuclear spins in a region of interest can be deflected out of the rest position by the radiation of radio-frequency (RF) pulses. Subsequently, raw data can be acquired corresponding to RF signals of the relaxing nuclear spins. One or more MR images can be generated therefrom. Measuring coils are used for radiating and receiving RF signals.

Selection of measuring coils in magnetic resonance imaging


The present invention includes a process for separating food particles of different specific gravities. The process includes providing a feedstock of the food particles, providing a feedstock of diatomaceous earth and water having a specific gravity effective for particles to float or sink; adding the slurry and separating the floating food particles from the sinking food particles; dewatering the food particles and collecting the water; extracting the diatomaceous earth from the slurry and re-using the diatomaceous earth in the process.

The present invention relates to a method for separating food pieces in a liquid based upon differences in specific gravity of the food pieces. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for separating young food particles from mature food particles in a liquid based upon the starch content of the food particles.
Sweetness is a primary attribute of peas that is of concern to consumers. Pea sweetness depends upon the sugar content within the pea which is itself a function of pea maturity. A pea matures when sugars initially present within the pea are converted to starch for long term energy storage. In addition to sweetness, the amount of starch within the pea also affects the texture or mouthfeel of the pea. Consumers prefer a tender mouthfeel which translates into a smooth firm texture. As starch concentration increases within the pea, the pea tends to take on a rough texture.
Pea maturity as measured by starch concentration has been measured by a wet chemistry test that determines the percentage of Alcohol Insoluble Solids (AIS) within the pea. As a pea matures, the amount of the alcohol insoluble solids within the pea increases while the amount of alcohol soluble solids decreases. AIS units may be correlated with the percentage of starch within the peas. For example, early peas which are usually high in sugar content have low starch concentrations and therefore have a low AIS percentage, whereas mature peas picked later in the season have high starch concentrations and therefore have a high AIS percentage.
The accepted procedure for the calculation of AIS is designated as "Solids (Alcohol-Insoluble) in Frozen Peas, Gravimetric Method", 32.065 of the Association of Official Chemists. In addition to the AIS test, an instrument known as a Tenderometer, available from the FMC Corporation of Summit, Ill., is used to provide an initial rough estimation of the quality of a batch of peas based upon the relative tenderness of the peas.
As sugar is converted by the peas into starch, the specific gravity of the peas increases since starch in situ is a more dense compound than sugar. Because of this difference in specific gravity, mature peas have been separated from young, high sugar peas by formulating a brine solution of intermediate specific gravity calculated from data obtained by the AIS test and the use of the Tenderometer. The peas are dispersed into the static brine solution and the more mature peas with a high starch concentration and specific gravity in a high range tend to sink to the bottom of the brine solution. Younger, higher sugar content peas with a low starch concentration and specific gravity in a low range tend to float.
The use of a brine solution having a sodium chloride concentration of at least about thirteen weight percent poses problems. One of these problems includes corrosion of equipment contacted with the brine. The high salt concentration can cause metals within the pea separator to corrode which may effect the taste of the peas. In addition, there is a great problem of disposing of the brine solution after it has been used. Waste brine has a prohibitively high concentration of chloride ions in that environmental regulations make the waste brine difficult or impossible to discharge in some states.
The Adams et al. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,534, describes an apparatus and a method for separating peas based upon differences in pea specific gravity. The apparatus includes a flow trough having a flow manifold and a series of vanes to distribute water to create a laminar flow within the trough. Peas entering the trough are carried off and classified by settling velocity in the laminar flow region. The settling velocity is dependent upon both specific gravity and pea particle size. Peas having a high settling velocity settle into a first collection chamber. Peas having a lower settling velocity settle into a second collecting chamber.

Pea separating process using diatomaceous earth


In a video signal processing system apparatus for differentiating between video field types includes circuitry for measuring an interval between a vertical signal component and a predetermined transition of a horizontal signal component. Measured values from successive fields are compared to provide a signal related to the respective field type, e.g., odd/even.

Frequently it is desired to differentiate between odd and even fields of a video signal. This is particularly true in systems which generate composite pictures including a small auxiliary image insert within the confines of a larger main image, wherein the two images are unrelated or asynchronous, a so-called picture-in-picture of Pix-in-Pix system. In this type of system odd/even field information of both the main and auxiliary signals is utilized to maintain proper interlacing of the auxiliary signal.
Typical odd/even field detectors, such as are included in the commercially available LM 1881 Video Sync Separator available from National Semiconductor Corporation, integrate the composite synchronizing signal, and sample the integrated signal at predetermined intervals to determine whether the current field is odd or even. Other systems such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,598 utilize monostable multivibrators to determine the relative timing of the vertical equalization pulses with respect to the horizontal synchronizing pulses of composite video signal to determine odd and even fields.
The foregoing systems utilize analog signal processing techniques which tend to be adversely affected by parametric changes due to aging, temperature variations, etc. In addition, for example in Pix-in-Pix systems, where it is desired to incorporate the majority of the signal processing of the, e.g., Pix-in-Pix function, on a single integrated circuit in digital form, it is inconvenient to incorporate analog type odd/even field detectors.

Odd/even field detector for video signals


A subsea connector unit with an integrated, bi-directional electrical to optical (EO) media converter is provided which has a first end configured for connection to standard subsea electrical cable connector unit and a second end joined to a subsea optical or electro-optical ethernet jumper cable. The EO media converter has one or more electrical input/output (I/O) junctions which communicate with electrical signal conductors in a connected electrical ethernet cable and one or more optical I/O junctions which are connected to one or more optical fibers extending from the subsea jumper cable. Electrical input signals received at the electrical I/O junctions are converted into corresponding optical signals provided at the optical I/O junctions for transmission along the subsea jumper cable, and optical input signals received from the jumper cable are converted to electrical signals at the electrical I/O junctions for output to the electrical cable.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to connection of equipment used in subsea operations, such as equipment used in the subsea oil and gas industry, to shore-based stations, and is particularly concerned with a subsea electrical/optical connector unit for connection between a subsea optical cable and an electrical cable in an ethernet transmission system and method for subsea communications.
2. Related Art
Subsea communication systems generally employ electrical ethernet through electrical telecommunications twisted pair cable, or are purely optical fiber communication systems. Purely electrical systems have some limitations in the subsea environment. Standard electrical input/output interconnects and electrical cables can only step out to a distance of around 50 meters. This is because a 10/100 BaseT ethernet cable has a maximum transmission distance of 100 meters at standard atmospheric pressure, after which the signal begins to degrade to an unrecognizable state. A full fiberoptic communication system overcomes this problem, but requires the land-based operator to convert the electrical input/output signals to optical signals prior to connection to the optical transmission system, both onshore and offshore, adding to the expense of such systems.
There are many types of connectors for making electrical and fiber-optic cable connections in hostile or harsh environments, such as underwater or subsea electrical, optical and hybrid electrical and optical connectors which can be repeatedly mated and demated underwater at great ocean depths. The connectors may be electrical only, optical only, or may be hybrid electrical and optical connectors. These connectors typically consist of releasably mateable plug and receptacle units or connector parts, each attached to cables or other devices intended to be joined by the connectors to form completed circuits. Each connector unit contains one or more electrical and/or optical contacts or junctions for engagement with the junctions in the other unit when the two units are mated together. To completely isolate the contacts to be joined from the ambient environment, one or both parts of these connectors house the contacts in oil-filled, pressure-balanced chambers.
The contacts on one side of a subsea or wet mateable electrical connector are typically in the form of pins or probes, while the contacts or junctions on the other side are in the form of sockets for receiving the probes. Typically, the socket contacts are contained in a sealed chamber containing a dielectric fluid or other mobile substance, and the probes enter the chamber via one or more sealed openings which include seals which exclude seawater and/or contaminants from the contact chamber in the mated and unmated conditions. Such electrical connectors are generally known as pin-and-socket type connectors. One example of an electrical underwater pin and socket connector is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,442 of Cairns and is sold by Teledyne ODI, Inc. of Daytona Beach, Fla. under the name Nautilus®.

Subsea electro-optical connector unit for electro-optical ethernet transmission system


There is provided a copper foil having a surface coating layer that can achieve a high bonding strength to a resin layer even if the copper foil has an extremely smooth surface such as one formed by vapor deposition, for example, sputtering and also has a desirable insulation resistance suitable for achieving a fine pitch in a printed wiring board. A surface-treated copper foil according to the present invention includes a copper foil and a silicon-based surface coating layer provided on at least one surface of the copper foil, the silicon-based surface coating layer being mainly composed of silicon (Si). The silicon-based surface coating layer has a carbon content of 1.0 to 35.0 atomic % and an oxygen content of 12.0 to 40.0 atomic % relative to a total content in 100 atomic % of carbon (C), oxygen (O) and silicon (Si) elements as measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

In recent years, downsizing and sophistication of electronic devices, such as portable electronic devices, demand printed wiring boards having further miniaturized (fine-pitched) wiring patterns. To meet such a requirement, a copper foil for manufacturing a printed wiring board is desired to have a smaller thickness and a lower surface roughness than current ones.
The copper foil for manufacturing a printed wiring board is used in lamination to an insulating resin substrate. It is important to ensure bonding strength between the copper foil and the insulating resin substrate because low bonding strength may cause traces to separate during manufacturing the printed wiring board, resulting in a low product yield. In this regard, usual copper foil for manufacturing printed wiring boards is subjected to a roughening treatment to form asperities on the surface to be bonded. The asperities are pressed to bite into the insulating resin substrate to exhibit an anchoring effect, resulting in improved adhesion. This technique involving the roughening treatment is, however, incompatible with the above-described copper foil aimed to meet the fine pitch and having a smaller thickness and a lower surface roughness than conventional ones.
A copper foil for a printed wiring board to improve the adhesion between the copper foil and the insulating resin substrate without roughening treatment is known. For example, Patent Document 1 (JP2007-266416A) discloses a metal foil having a surface roughness Rz of 2.5 μm or less on at least one side thereof, wherein at least Si oxide (such as SiO2) sites are scattered about and exposed on the one side. The metal foil actually used in this document is a rolled copper foil having a thickness of 18 μm and a surface roughness Rz of 0.7 μm on both sides.

Surface-treated copper foil, manufacturing method therefor, printed circuit board copper-clad laminate, and printed circuit board


A membrane element includes a central pipe having, in its outer periphery, holes; a membrane wound body in which a membrane member is wound on the central pipe; end members arranged, respectively, at both ends of the membrane wound body; and an exterior member fitted to at least an outer periphery of the membrane wound body. In this element, the exterior member includes a fiber reinforced resin having a reinforcing fiber wound on the outer periphery of the membrane wound body; the end members each includes flexible portions extended from a main body toward the membrane wound body; and the reinforcing fiber is wound also onto an outer periphery of the flexible portions in a state that the flexible portions are deformed toward an outer peripheral surface of the membrane wound body.

As an example of a membrane filtration apparatus for filtrating a raw liquid through a membrane element to produce a permeated liquid, known is a membrane filtration apparatus equipped with a membrane element having a membrane wound body formed by winding a membrane member, and with a pressure-resistant vessel in which this membrane element is accommodated.
A membrane wound body in the membrane filtration apparatus of this type is formed by winding a membrane member up. Thus, the membrane member may be shifted out of position into the axial line direction by pressure in the axial line direction that is received from, for example, a raw liquid flowing the pressure resistant vessel, so that the membrane wound body may be deformed into a telescope form. Against such a problem, a technique is known in which an end member (so-called telescope preventing member) is fitted to an end surface of the membrane wound body to face an end surface of the body, thereby preventing the membrane member from being shifted into the axial line direction (Patent Document 1 listed below).
An exterior member is laid onto the outer periphery of the membrane element. This exterior member is fitted thereto so as to stride across the outer periphery of the membrane wound body, and a portion of the telescope preventing member. As described in Patent Document 2, in this case, the exterior member is generally formed by winding a glass fiber to which an adhesive is applied (glass fiber roving) onto the outer periphery of the membrane wound body.
Also, as described in Patent Document 1, conventionally, the following types exist as the telescope preventing member: a type of having, at a portion of the member to which the membrane wound body is butted, a cylindrical moiety (skirt) into which the membrane wound body is fitted; and a type of not having such a cylindrical moiety.
However, according to the former type, it is necessary to control the outside diameter of the membrane wound body at a high precision to be matched with the inside diameter of the cylindrical moiety. Moreover, the outside diameter of the membrane wound body is restricted so that a limitation is imposed onto an increase of the membrane in area. Thus, the latter type, which has no cylindrical moiety, is becoming the mainstream. However, the latter type has a problem that at the time of the winding the glass fiber roving, the glass fiber roving is depressed down at the boundary between the membrane wound body and the end member.
For this reason, Patent Document 3 suggests a telescope preventing member in which, at its portion to be butted to an end member, plural protrusions are circularly located to prevent the glass fiber roving from being depressed down.

Membrane element and membrane element end member used in same


A superconducting cable system in which at least one superconducting electrical cable is arranged in a cryostat which consists of two metallic tubes, which are arranged concentrically and at a distance from one another. Vacuum insulation is fitted in the circumferential gap formed by the distance between the tubes, which vacuum insulation consists of spaces composed of a material having low thermal conductivity and plastic films coated with a metal and having high reflectivity. The gap is evacuated. In addition, thermally insulating material (9) is arranged in the gap, and its thermally insulating characteristics are independent of the vacuum which is produced between the two tubes (5, 6).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a superconducting cable system.
2. Description of Related Art
One such cable system is described in EP 0 326 923 B1.
In a cable system such as this, the cryostat is used as a sheath for the at least one superconducting electrical cable and the connecting areas thereof in end terminations. The aim is to ensure that the temperature of the cryogenic medium carried therein is maintained in the long term, and over relatively long distances as well, without significant heating. One such medium is, for example, nitrogen which, for example, is introduced into the cryostat at a temperature between 67 K and 90 K.
According to the initially cited EP 0 326 923 B1, the cryostat consists of two tubes, which enclose a gap between them, are composed of stainless steel, and can also be corrugated transversely with respect to their longitudinal direction, in which gap spacers composed of a material having low thermal conductivity and of plastic films coated with a metal and having high reflectivity are arranged between the two tubes, which spaces reduce the radiated heat. The gap is also evacuated. As long as the vacuum exists, a cryostat such as this can carry out its functions. However, if it collapses, for example as a result of damage to the outer tube of the cryostat, a sufficient amount of heat is introduced into the cryostat such that the operational reliability of the cable system is no longer ensured. The superconducting cable must then be disconnected immediately from the power supply system in order to prevent an electrical flashover from occurring in the cable system, because gas bubbles are formed in the cooling medium, in particular in nitrogen, because of the heat that is introduced. A flashover such as this would lead to destruction of parts of the cable system. This would lead to considerable damage, particularly in an end termination. The superconducting cable cannot be used again until the cryostat has been repaired. This requires a correspondingly large amount of effort.


A system is provided for managing telephone calls made to special service numbers. Information extracted from incoming telephone calls can be received by a system server and cross-referenced with a database to obtain cross-referenced caller information pertaining to previous customer telephone calls and/or in person customer meetings. The cross-referenced caller information can be passed to a client workstation and displayed to the user in the form of an industry-specific template formatted in accordance with the business needs of the user. The template can be automatically populated with the cross-referenced caller information. During the telephone call, the user can view and update the caller information, thereby maintaining a retrievable record of the telephone call. With regard to the multi-housing industry in particular, caller information can be displayed in the form of a guest card template and/or a service card template.

Many industries rely on advertising to attract a steady flow of qualified customers. Advertising campaigns may cost thousands of dollars and utilize various media, such as newspapers, magazines, yellow pages, television and direct mailings. In the multi-housing industry, for example, advertising expenses are second only to capital expenditures. Hence, both advertisers and marketing firms are highly motivated to verify the cost-effectiveness of advertising media and advertising campaigns.
Nevertheless, many conventional methods of advertising fail to successfully utilize technology to conduct a sufficiently cost-effective operation. For example, in the traditional model for renting apartment units in the multi-housing industry, a potential customer may provide preliminary information over the telephone to a sales/office representative. The representative may be forced to manually write down the caller's information onto a "guest card" which is used to maintain a record of the call. Given the nature of such a manual system, it can become difficult and/or nearly impossible for a sales/office representative to efficiently keep track of the potentially large number of calls received by the rental office. In the case of a repeat caller, it may be desirable for the representative to quickly retrieve information concerning one or more prior calls made from the same telephone number. Unfortunately, manual-based systems have inherent limitations involved in physically locating and pulling relevant paper files, all of which costs valuable time.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a comprehensive caller information system which provides a streamlined approach to processing incoming telephone calls that are placed in response to advertisements. It would be desirable for such a system to maintain records of past calls, and provide an efficient way to retrieve such records in realtime.


A process for performing energy conversion which comprises the steps of converting a fuel precursor containing hydrogen to produce substantial amounts of engine-fuel containing free hydrogen and utilizing substantial amounts of hydrogen in one or more devices selected from the group including a fuel cell, heat engine, and heat releasing combustor. Waste energy resources selected from the group including off-peak power, engine-cooling-system heat, exhaust-gas heat, and stopping energy, are utilized to produce engine-fuel from feedstocks selected from the group (of Equations 1-14) including fuel alcohols, phenols, ammonia, ammonium compounds, gasoline, diesel fuel, cyanoacetic acid, cyanocarbons, carbon, and water.

This invention relates to a system for converting ordinary engines, fuel cells, and other energy conversion systems to interchangeable operation on fossil hydrocarbons and alternative fuels such as hydrogen, producer gas, natural gas, landfill gas, propane, and fuel alcohols. An engine fueling and control system is disclosed for greatly improving fuel efficiency while providing the option for cleaning the air by reducing exhaust emissions below the ambient level of objectionable contaminants.
Modern cities are plagued with problems from internal combustion engines that produce numerous objectionable atmospheric emissions and undesirable application characteristics including:
1. Engines burning hydrocarbons produce substantial volumes of carbon monoxide which is a dangerous poison.
2. Engines burning hydrocarbons produce oxides of nitrogen which combines in sunlight with airborne hydrocarbons to produce ozone and smog.
3. Engines burning hydrocarbons produce gases, vapors, and particulates that cause lung diseases.
4. Engines burning hydrocarbons produce emissions that cause acid rain and corrosion to engine components.
5. Most engines are dedicated to gasoline which is a fossil fuel. Using depletable fossil fuels causes economic inflation, scarcity, deprivation, and social conflict.
6. Efforts to overcome pollution from fossil gasoline and diesel fuels has centered on oxygenated fuels which are prepared by adding one or more alcohols and/or MTBE to gain oxygen for improved combustion. This has proven to offer marginal emissions improvements and remains objectionable because of odors and allergic responses by many to these chemicals.
7. In most cases, engines using oxygenated fuels suffer efficiency losses.
8. Diesel engines produce objectionable emissions of carbon-rich particulates.
9. Rapid application of energy from regenerative braking is a problem for virtually all vehicles including electric battery, flywheel, and engine based propulsion systems.
10. Additional efforts to overcome problems arising from undesirable fuel use in internal combustion engines include adoption of electric batteries and motors for supplying motive power. This approach causes the electricity generation system which is already recognized as the leading burner of fossil fuels and producer of carbon dioxide emissions to increase these undesirable activities.
11. Although oxygenated fuels show some improvement in reducing objectionable emissions more oxygen is needed in the combustion chamber to achieve needed reductions in pollutive emissions.
12. Mufflers represent considerable curb weight and expense while generally causing back pressure and fuel consumption problems.
13. Regenerative conversion of kinetic energy into stored energy during the stopping of a vehicle and efficient application of such stored energy poses difficult problems which are not solved by attempting to generate the compounds found in fossil fuels.
14. Rapid storage of renewable energy such as wind, hydro, wave and biomass energy for later efficient use poses difficult problems which are not answered by attempting to duplicate the generation of compounds found in fossil fuels.
An object of the present invention is to overcome the problems noted above which have the common denominator of fossil fuels. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, these objectives are accomplished by providing a process for operating a combustion engine to dependably produce products of combustion that are much less objectionable than present operation on gasoline.
An object of the invention is operation with substantially unthrottled air entry into the engine for purposes of increased volumetric efficiency, increased engine efficiency, increased presence of oxygen in the combustion chamber, and increased capacity for cleaning the air of polluted cities and other contaminated areas.
An object of the invention is to provide oxygen from chemical compounds for improved fuel combustion.
An object of the invention is to provide a low-cost, safe, renewable, fuel-supply system.
An object of the present invention is to provide the option for operating existing engines and producing life-sustaining breathable emissions.
An object of the present invention is to provide an oxidant supply such as chlorine, bromine, iodine, or oxygen for multiple uses and functions while supplying a fuel such as hydrogen by electrolysis of electrolytes such as salt water, sea water, water, and various other preparations.
An object of the invention is to provide much greater oxygenation of carbon constituents of hydrocarbon fuels than typical approaches of adding oxygen-containing ingredients such as alcohol and/or MTBE.
An object of the invention is to provide a fueling system that is quieter, more efficient, and safer than conventional approaches.
An object of the present invention is to greatly reduce the apparent area of exposure for degradation of the fuel storage system due to hazards such as collision, fire, corrosion, and projectile penetration.
A object of the invention is to eliminate particulate emissions from Diesel engines.
An object of the invention is to provide a fuel storage and delivery system that withstands severe abuse and exposure to weathering conditions.
An object of the invention is to provide a fueling system that provides fail-safe operational characteristics.
An object of the present invention is to provide a system for converting existing engine types including spark and compression ignition engines to cleaner and more efficient operation.
An object of the present invention is to provide a system for rapid conversion and storage of energy from regenerative braking and, recovery of such energy for useful applications such as a high-efficiency engine, fuel cell, or hybrid vehicle.


Provided is a broadcast system that assigns a communication channel to a program and broadcasts data for the program to terminals, the broadcast system including a broadcast management device and a communication access network device. The management device calculates as a score a measure of viewing requests from users of the terminals for a plurality of programs, and determines a program to actually broadcast on the communication channel based on the score. The communication access network device transmits program data on a communication channel according to the determination of the broadcast management device.

In a wireless communication system that covers its communication area with cells formed by wireless base stations, positioning of multiple cells enables communication between wireless terminals over a large area. In Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), communication at various places is enabled by covering a communication area with small size cells called femtocells. There is a form of communication in which program data is broadcast to multiple wireless terminals in this type of wireless communication system (see JP2005-516474A and JP2007-174645A).
In a band available for a wireless communication system, multiple wireless channels are defined, from which a wireless channel for broadcasting programs is selected. On the selected wireless channel, program data is broadcast from a wireless base station. A user can watch the program by receiving data on the wireless channel on which the program is broadcast with a wireless terminal.
General wireless terminals for viewing broadcasts of this kind include fixed terminals represented by home radios or televisions and mobile terminals that can be carried by users. Also, schemes for broadcasting programs include a scheme which releases programs in advance prior to their broadcast and carries out broadcast according to the programs as well as a scheme which temporarily changes programs for announcing an emergency or for extending a program that is currently on air.
In a wireless communication system, however, radio resources are limited. Besides, because wireless channels are also used for point-to-point calls, the number of wireless channels available for program broadcast is further limited.
Meanwhile, in view of the situation in which wireless channels available for program broadcast are not sufficient despite a host of programs, it is desirable to have a communication scheme to select some provided programs and broadcast only the selected programs.
As an example, when there are ten programs and each of the programs requires a radio band of 1 MHz, a radio band of 10 MHz is necessary for broadcasting all the programs. In reality, however, such a situation is possible where only a radio band of 3 MHz is available. In such a case, three out of the ten programs would have to be selected.
One method of selection is to broadcast programs as previously scheduled without consideration of users' preferences. In this method, users can reliably learn when and which programs are broadcast by referring to a program table published beforehand. However, programs really desired by users are less likely to be broadcast. Although there is a technique to take into account users' preferences in selection of broadcast programs (see JP2001-313922A (paragraphs 0023 and 0024)), the technique does not reflect users' preferences in broadcast programs in real time.
While the descriptions here illustrate a wireless communication system as an example, broadcast of program data is similarly performed in a wired communication system as well. In addition, that the communication resources may be limited is also true for a wired communication system.

Broadcast system, broadcast management device, broadcast method, and terminal


An electro-luminescent display comprises a plurality of scanning lines, a plurality of data lines which are arranged to cross the plurality of scanning lines and forming a plurality of pixel regions, at least one indicating driving circuit, and at least one indicating electro-luminescent device. Each of the pixel regions includes a switching circuit, a pixel driving circuit, and a pixel electro-luminescent device having a color type. The switching circuit is electrically connected to a respective one of the scanning lines and a respective one of the data lines. The pixel electro-luminescent devices electrically connected to one of the data lines have the same color type as each other. The indicating driving circuit, distinct from the pixel driving circuits, is electrically connected to the one data line and is controlled by a signal thereon. The indicating electro-luminescent device is electrically connected to and is driven by the indicating driving circuit and having the same color type as the pixel electro-luminescent device electrically connected to the one data line.

Technology of flat display has been significantly advanced recently, in part because manufacturing thin film transistors on a substrate such as glass has become a mature skill which facilitates the development of active matrix type display devices. In addition to liquid crystal materials which need a backlight when used for flat displays, an electro-luminescent device, such as an organic light emitting diode (OLED), which can emit light itself, is actively researched. Because of the feature of self-light-emitting, among many other advantages, the display comprising electro-luminescent devices is brighter than a backlight display.
However, the brightness of the electro-luminescent device may decay over the time of usage. Moreover, the electro-luminescent devices of different colors may have different rates of brightness decay. For example, the blue light electro-luminescent device decays faster than the other colors. As a result, the CIE standard observer curve value of the electro-luminescent display shifts, and the color presented on the electro-luminescent display shifts toward yellow. This effect is called "color shift" in the display because the brightness of red, green, and blue color are no longer as even as designed.

Compensating color shift of electro-luminescent displays


A complex image forming apparatus is provided having an improved structure in which a thermal printing engine forming a color image by heat and a laser printing engine performing single-color printing are integrated. The complex image forming apparatus comprises a supplying unit supplying a printing medium; a transfer path via which the printing medium supplied by the supplying unit is transferred; a thermal printing engine being disposed on the transfer path and performing color printing by heating a thermal imaging printing medium having one or more image forming layers; and a laser printing engine being disposed on the transfer path on which the thermal printing engine is installed and performing printing on the supplied printing medium by electrophotolithography. The complex image forming apparatus further comprises an exiting unit receiving the printing medium exited via the transfer path, wherein the complex image forming apparatus performs multi-color printing on the thermal imaging printing engine using the thermal printing engine and single color printing on different printing media using the laser printing engine.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a complex image forming apparatus to print a multi-color image and a single color image using different printing engines. More particularly, the present invention relates to a complex image forming apparatus having an improved structure that integrates a thermal printing engine for forming a color image by heat and a laser printing engine that performs single-color printing.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, image forming apparatuses, such as laser printers, ink-jet printers, facsimiles, or digital copiers, among other types of devices, comprise a single printing engine inside the image forming apparatus that prints either a single color or a multi-color image, but not both. Thus, in a single color (mono) laser printer, print quality is high and high-speed printing can be performed. However, multi-color printing cannot be performed.
On the other hand, in an ink-jet printer, multi-color printing can be performed. However, print quality is generally lower and printing speed is reduced. In consideration of these problems, a complex image forming apparatus that integrated different engines has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,582,039, which issued on Jun. 24, 2003.
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional complex image forming apparatus is shown that comprises a complex printer in which a laser printing engine I and a color ink-jet printing engine 2 are integrated into the same apparatus. The complex image forming apparatus transfers a paper 4 to either a first or second path 7 and 8 that form different paths. The different paths begin when first and second picking-up units 5 and 6 pick up the paper 4 from a single paper feeding cassette 3. The first and second picking-up units 5 and 6 are installed in the direction of arrow A to moves up and down in the conventional integrated printing apparatus. When the first picking-up unit 5 descends and feeds the paper 4 to the first path 7, the second picking-up unit 6 is separated from the first picking-up unit 5 so that the paper 4 cannot be fed to the second path 8. Alternatively, when the second picking-up unit 6 descends and feeds the paper 4 to the second path 8, the first picking-up unit 5 is separated from the second picking-up unit 6 so that the paper 4 cannot be fed to the first path 7.
As described above, the conventional complex image forming apparatus having the structure as described above, has a single-color laser printing engine and a multi-color laser printing engine such that a user can perform single-color high-speed printing and multi-color printing selectively. The conventional complex image forming apparatus, however, feeds the paper via different paths (one for single-color high speed printing and the other for multi-color printing), and therefore includes a separate paper feeding path and a picking-up unit. Thus, the structure of the conventional complex image forming apparatus is complex and both multi-color and single-color printing cannot be performed on the same paper.
In addition, when color is printed using an ink-jet printer, it takes a long time to both print and dry the printed paper to obtain high quality prints. If the multi-color printed side is touched before drying is complete, the image is irrevocably damaged. The quality of the image on printed paper is notably lower compared to a regular photograph, and the color of the printed image is subject to change over time.


An electrophotographic photoreceptor comprises an .alpha.-form copper phthalocyanine composition, which is obtained by treating a copper tetranitrophthalocyanine and copper phthalocyanine simultaneously to convert the crystalline form into .alpha.-form, and a photoconductive squarylium compound as the photoconductive material, and the ratios of the copper tetranitrophthalocyanine and the squarylium compound to the .alpha.-form copper phthalocyanine composition are limited to a particular range. The photoreceptor has a high photosensitivity and an excellent durability.

This invention relates to an electrophotographic photoreceptor wherein an .alpha.-form copper phthalocyanine composition composed of a copper tetranitrophthalocyanine and copper phthalocyanine having a specific structure, and a photoconductive squarylium compound are used as a photoconductive material.
Electrophotographic photoreceptors presently used are mostly of a functionally separating type containing a charge generation material having photosensitivity at a wavelength of a light source and a charge transport material having a high charge transport rate. The charge generation material is a photoconductive material, such as an azo pigment, a perylene pigment or a phthalocyaninc pigment or the like, and the charge transport material is a hydrazone compound, a styryl compound, a pyrazoline compound, a triphenylamine compound or the like.
On the other hand, there are single layer-type photoreceptors wherein a pigment having photosensitivity at a wavelength of a light source is dispersed in a binder resin, and the photoconductive material is an azo pigment, a quinacridone pigment, a perylene pigment, an anthraquinone pigment, a phthalocyanine pigment or the like.
The above photoreceptors using copper phthalocyanine as the photoconductive material have some problems, such as low sensitivity or sensitivity deviation or decrease in charge acceptance caused by repeated use.
Besides, due to the variety of information, it has been required to express copiers and printers not in monochromatic but multi or full color. There are some means to express a full color in electrophotographic processes. In the case of using filters or toners as the filters, a photoreceptor is necessary to be a panchromatic one having a sensitivity over the whole visible light region. However, no photoreceptor has been completed yet which satisfies both spectral sensitivity and light decay rate.


The invention relates to a composite laminate, especially a transdermal therapeutic system (TTS) that contains in at least one layer a component that is sensitive to moisture. Said system further comprises one layer that is spatially separate from said at least one moisture-sensitive layer and that is capable of absorbing moisture. The spatial separation can be achieved by means of a horizontal or vertical separation layer.

The invention relater to a composite laminate, in particular a transdermal therapeutic system (TTS), which comprises in at least one layer a moisture sensitive active substance and possesses a further layer, spatially separate from this active substance layer, which is capable of absorbing moisture, and to a process for producing such a composite laminate.
The transdermal administration of pharmaceutical active substances has been known from the time of the first commercial utilization of a scopolamine transdermal therapeutic system (Scopoderm TTS). Other active substances (nitroglycerine, estradiol, clonidine, isosorbide dinitrate, fentanyl, nicotine, norethisterone, etc.) have since been offered in the form of such a TTS. The layer-constructed active substance patches are adhered to the skin of a patient. The active substance can then be released from the TTS to the skin of the patient in a controlled manner.
Various types of such TTS have been described, for example, by Y. W. Chien in xe2x80x9cDevelopmental Concepts and Practice in Transdermal Therapeutic Systemsxe2x80x9d, in Transdermal Controlled Systemic Medications, ed. by Y. W. Chien, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York (1982), Chapter 2, pp. 25-81. Accordingly, essential elements of a TTS are the active substance impermeable backing layer, an active substance reservoir or matrix layer, an optional semipermeable or microporous membrane to control the release of the active substance from the reservoir, an optional pressure sensitive adhesive layer, and an abhesive protective layer (release liner) which is removed from the pressure sensitive adhesive, skin contact side of the TTS before the TTS is used. In order to avoid repetition, the content of said chapterxe2x80x94especially the TTS types described thereinxe2x80x94is hereby incorporated by reference as part of the disclosure of the present description. Owing to its layer construction, therefore, a TTS is a composite laminate, i.e., a device constructed of at least two layers.
One problem which may occur during the production and storage of TTS derives from the sensitivity of individual components, especially certain active substances, to moisture. This means that exposure even to small amounts of water may be accompanied by a physical and/or chemical transformation of the component and/or active substance, a consequence of which is that said component may lose its structural integrity or that the full activity of said active substance is no longer available for the pharmaceutical application.
Examples of substances, especially pharmaceutical active substances, which may suffer the abovementioned transformations on exposure to moisture are acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and 17xcex2-estradiol. In the case of acetylsalicylic acid there is a chemical reaction (hydrolysis), forming salicylic acid and acetic acid. In the case of 17xcex2-estradiol there is a physical transformation (crystallization), forming hydrated crystals of poor solubility. As a consequence of these transformations, the pharmaceutical active substance is present dissolved in a reduced concentration in the various layers of the TTS, especially the matrix layer, the reservoir, and/or the pressure sensitive adhesive layer. In general, however, the desire is for a high concentration of dissolved active substance in the various layers of the TTS, especially the skin contact layer, in order to ensure a sufficiently large concentration difference between skin contact layer and the skin of the patient throughout the period of application of the TTS. It is this concentration difference, in fact, which is the driving force for the diffusion of the active substance into the skin and the blood circulation.
In order to prevent the problem of crystallization of the active substance owing to moisture exposure, various methods and means have been developed in order to reduce the culprit moisture content in the TTS-containing devicexe2x80x94which in this case is the primary packaging, usually a sealed pouch.
Thus in DE 42 37 453 it has been proposed to produce and store the transdermal therapeutic systems comprising the moisture sensitive active substance 17xcex2-estradiol under conditions of reduced atmospheric humidity. This was done by including a desiccant, in the form of several grains of blue gel, with the TTS in the sealed pouch.
DE 196 46 048 describes packaging for transdermal therapeutic systems which comprises an internally fixed drying device. The drying device is of flat construction and comprises a solid desiccant. Said drying devices are produced in a multistage process. In a first operation, the desiccant label must be produced by individualization from a desiccant laminate in web form; in a second operation it must be provided with an intermediate liner; and in a third operation, involving the removal of this abhesive intermediate liner, it must be positioned precisely on the web which produces the subsequent interior of the sealed pouch, and firmly and permanently bonded. In a further, separate operation, the TTS comprising the active substance in question must be produced. Finally, said TTS must be placed on the sealing pouch laminate web on which the individual desiccant labels have been bonded, and this web must be cut and sealed in such a way that the desiccant label does not lie on the resulting weld seams. The execution of these different operations and processes must be carried out in the absence of or with greatly reduced atmospheric humidity, which may additionally necessitate rapid working. Owing, however, to the required accuracy in the positioning of the desiccant label on the laminate, and in the positioning of the TTS on the laminate thus bonded, this is very technically demanding and/or very complex in terms of apparatus.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device by means of which a composite laminate, especially a transdermal therapeutic system (TTS), which comprises in at least one layer a moisture-sensitive component, especially a moisture sensitive active substance, can be stored in a closed gas space under reduced atmospheric humidity, and a process for producing such a device. The intention is to provide devices with a simpler construction and processes which avoid the difficulties depicted in the production of the prior art devices.
This object is achieved in accordance with the present invention by means of a composite laminate comprising at least two different layers. The composite laminate of the invention comprises at least one moisture sensitive layer (1) which comprises a moisture sensitive component. The composite laminate of the invention further comprises a moisture absorbing layer (2) which is free from active substance and is capable of absorbing moisture. The two separate layers can be adjacent and in direct contact with one another; preference is given, however, to embodiments in which these two layers are spatially separate from one another. Said composite laminate may preferably comprise a transdermal therapeutic system comprising at least one moisture-sensitive active substance.

Composite laminate and method for its production


Disclosed is a disposable glucose strip sensor configured to rapidly and conveniently measure the concentration of glucose in blood and a glucose measurement method using the glucose strip sensor. In the glucose strip sensor, at least one checking electrodes are additionally provided at an electrode section including an operating electrode and a counter electrode. The checking electrode serves to check whether or not it is electrically connected with the counter electrode, upon measuring the concentration of glucose in a blood sample introduced in the sensor. Where two checking electrodes are provided, it may be checked whether or not an electrical connection is established between those checking electrodes. Based on the result of the checking, it is possible to determine whether or not a sufficient amount of blood sample is filled in the sensor. Accordingly, the measurement of glucose concentration can be accurately achieved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disposable glucose strip sensor configured to rapidly and conveniently measure the concentration of glucose in blood and a glucose measurement method using the glucose strip sensor.
2. Description of the Related Art
The measurement of the concentration of glucose in blood is of great importance not only to diabetic patients who must control their sugar intake, but also for the early detection and diagnosis of diabetes. To this end, methods for simply and conveniently measuring the concentration of glucose in blood have been proposed.
Known glucose measurement methods are based on oxidation of glucose by glucose-oxidase and peroxidase. They also use orthotolidine or a benzidine-based mixture as an indicator reagent, that is, a chromogen. In accordance with these methods, a color transition of the indicator reagent resulting from the oxidation of glucose is observed to measure the concentration of glucose in blood.
For example, such techniques are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,061,523 and Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho. 50-39558. In these references, a glucose-measuring test piece is disclosed. In order to prepare this test piece, a solution is prepared which has a composition including: glucose oxidase and peroxidase as enzymes; a citric acid buffer to maintain a pH of 6.0; gelatin, alginic acid, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and polyvinyl alcohol as stabilizers; and orthotolidine, benzidine, 3-aminopropylcarbarsone, and 2,7-diaminofluorene as a chromogen. The solution is impregnated into a cellulose paper which has a desired thickness and size to be used as a carrier, and then dried. Thus, the test piece is obtained. Also, Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 85-1297 discloses a method for manufacturing a glucose-measuring test piece, to which the basic principle of an enzymatic measurement method using glucose oxidase and peroxidase is applied. Where the concentration of glucose in blood is measured using the above mentioned glucose-measuring test pieces, it is difficult to accurately measure a glucose concentration because the measurement is based on a color transition exhibited on the test piece.
In order to solve the above mentioned problem, various techniques have been proposed which measure glucose concentration using an electrochemical method. Such an electrochemical method makes it possible to measure the concentration of glucose in blood with an increased accuracy while reducing measurement time and achieving convenience in measurement. By virtue of such advantages, the use of the electrochemical glucose measurement method has been greatly increased.
Now, the operating principle of a glucose-measuring sensor based on an electrochemical method will be described. When a blood sample is applied to a reaction layer of the glucose-measuring sensor, glucose contained in the blood sample is oxidized by a glucose-oxidizing enzyme contained in the reaction layer. At this time, the glucose-oxidizing enzyme is reduced. The reduced glucose-oxidizing enzyme is then oxidized by an electron acceptor, whereby the electron acceptor is reduced. The reduced electron acceptor donates electrons at the surface of an electrode to which a desired voltage is applied. As a result, the electron acceptor is electrochemically reoxidized. The concentration of glucose in the blood sample is proportional to the amount of current generated during the process in which the electron acceptor is oxidized. Accordingly, the concentration of glucose can be measured by measuring the amount of current.
An example of the above mentioned glucose-measuring sensor is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 61-294351. This sensor is illustrated in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, operating and counter electrodes, which are made of carbon or the like, are formed on a substrate 111 in a screen printing fashion. An insulator 115 is also formed on the substrate 111 while allowing the electrodes to be partially exposed. A porous reaction layer 117, which contains a reactive material such as a glucose-oxidizing enzyme and an electron acceptor, is arranged on the insulator 115. In order to firmly hold the porous reaction layer 117, a holding frame 116 and a cover 118 are arranged on the insulator 115. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 112, 113, and 114 denote the operating and counter electrodes, and reference numerals 112′, 113′, and 114′ denote the exposed portions of the operating and counter electrodes. These electrodes and electrode portions form an electrode system. When a blood sample is dropped onto the porous reaction layer 117, the glucose-measuring sensor having the above mentioned structure can measure the concentration of glucose in the blood sample.
In this glucose-measuring sensor, however, the amount of blood absorbed in the reaction layer 117 varies depending on the amount of the blood sample dropped onto the reaction layer 117. As a result, measurement errors may be caused by a variation in the amount of blood absorbed in the reaction layer 117.
In order to solve this problem, a biosensor has been proposed. An example of such a biosensor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,420 and illustrated in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, this biosensor includes a non-conductive substrate 211 made of polyethylene terephthalate. Silver is screen-printed on the non-conductive substrate 211 to form leads 212 and 213. Conductive carbon paste containing a resin binder is printed on the leads 212 and 213, thereby forming an operating electrode 214 and a counter electrode 215. An insulator 216 is then printed to allow the electrodes 214 and 215 to be partially exposed. A 0.5% aqueous solution of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is spread onto the electrodes 214 and 215, and dried to form a CMC layer. A solution of glucose oxidase (GOD) as the enzyme in a phosphate buffer solution is spread on the CMC layer, and dried to form a main reaction layer comprised of a CMC-GOD layer. Next, a resin plate 217 and a cover 219 are attached to the resulting structure while defining a space 218. In FIG. 2, the reference numeral 220 denotes a sample introducing port, and the reference numeral 221 denotes a discharge port.
In the biosensor having the above mentioned structure, when a sample solution comes into contact with the sample introducing port 220, it is introduced into the space 218 by virtue of capillary phenomenon, so that it fills the space 218. Simultaneously, air existing in the space 218 is vented from the space 218 through the discharge port 221 formed opposite to the sample introducing port 220 or at the cover 219.
Where the discharge port 221 is arranged at the upper surface of the biosensor, measurement errors may occur when the user unintentionally touches the discharge port 221. For this reason, there is inconvenience in handling the biosensor. Furthermore, the user can check whether or not a sufficient amount of sample solution is introduced in the biosensor, only with the naked eye. So, the measurement may be carried out even when an insufficient amount of sample solution is filled in the biosensor. In this case, however, the detected glucose level may erroneously be lower than the actual glucose concentration.

Glucose strip sensor and glucose measurement method using the glucose strip sensor


The preferable method of manufacturing the EL panel comprises a panel precursor formation step of forming a panel precursor including a substrate, a sealing plate disposed facing the substrate, an EL device (EL device portion) provided on a surface of the substrate facing the sealing plate, and a sealant comprising a curable adhesive composition filled between the substrate and the sealing plate; a first curing step of irradiating the sealant with light so as to partially cure the curable adhesive composition; and a second curing step of heating the sealant after the irradiation with the light so as to further cure the curable adhesive composition.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an EL panel.
2. Related Background of the Invention
EL devices such as organic EL (electroluminescence), inorganic EL or the like are self-emitting light-emitting devices, and are known to have the characteristic features of high brightness and ease of making the device small and light-weight, and hence are promising for application to displays, lighting and so on. However, the light-emitting materials used in such EL devices tend to be prone to degradation due to the outside air (in particular moisture due to humidity etc.), and this has been one factor hindering making such EL devices have a long lifetime. Consequently, hitherto, to reduce contact with the outside air and thus lengthen the lifetime of EL devices, an EL panel form has often been used in which structures constituting the device are sealed between a substrate and a sealing plate.
In recent years, with an aim of further lengthening the lifetime of EL devices, in the case of a panel structured as described above, filling of space between the substrate and the sealing plate with a sealant such as a resin has been carried out. By filling with a sealant in this way, contact of the EL device with the outside air can be further suppressed, whereby degradation of the EL device and so on can be made less prone to occur. Moreover, by covering an EL device with a sealant in this way, the effect of external force on the EL device is reduced, whereby damage of the EL device due to being subjected to external force can be suppressed.
As a method of manufacturing such an EL panel in which the space between the substrate and the sealing plate is filled with a sealant, for example a method is known in which a sealant is applied onto the substrate so as to surround the EL device, then another sealant is dripped onto a region surrounded by above sealant, and the sealing plate is bonded on, and then the sealants are cured by, for example, irradiating with active rays (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-39542).

Method of manufacturing EL panel including two curing steps


A heat pipe comprising a wick, working fluid, a chamber housing the wick and working fluid, and a plurality of wraps of a graphite composite fiber, preferably THORNEL graphite fiber, number P-120 2K. For maximum strength, the wraps are in different directions. The heat pipe can be integrally incorporated and bound to a printed wiring board, thereby eliminating the need for additional inefficient thermal interfaces.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to heat pipes for conducting heat away from electronic circuitry and, more particularly, to heat pipes which are particularly well adapted to airborne avionics and to the radar systems used therein.
2. Description of Related Art
As is well known, electronic circuitry often generates heat. For maximum efficiency and longevity, means are often provided to remove or reduce this heat.
Devices called heat pipes have been used for this purpose. Traditionally, heat pipes consist of a wick and fluid housed in a sealed chamber. One end is subjected to heat; the other to a cold wall. The liquid at the heated end boils, the vapor travels to the cold end and condenses, and the capillary action of the wick causes the condensed fluid at the cold end to travel back to the heated end for re-vaporization.
The vapor pressure, unfortunately, is often quite high. For example, the internal working pressure of ammonia at 70 degrees centigrade is approximately 900 pounds per square inch. The chamber, therefore, must be quite strong in order to contain this pressure. Aluminum and copper, for example, typically must have a wall thickness of approximately 0.035 inches. Stainless steel typically must have a wall thickness of approximately 0.023 inches.
These great thicknesses, in turn, add substantial weight to the heat pipe. In many applications, such as airborne avionics, this weight is highly undesirable.
The materials which are typically used for the outer cylinder of the heat pipes, moreover, conduct electricity. As a consequence, interfaces are usually required to electrically isolate the heat pipe from the circuitry. This adds further bulk and weight to the system and reduces heat transfer efficiency.