An eye tracking based user function controlling method and a mobile device adapted thereto are provided. A camera unit of a mobile device is activated while a specific user function is executed. A gaze angle of a user's eye is acquired from an image obtained via the camera unit. An eye tracking function is executed in which execution state is controlled according to the gaze angle.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to controlling user functions and conserving power in electronic devices, and in particular, in mobile communication devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile devices such as smart phones and tablet PCs have become widely popular due to their portability and support of a wide variety of user functions. Recent designs provide integrated user functions, such as a camera function in conjunction with storing acquired photographs and videos, immediately searching for the acquired photographs or videos, etc. As newer models of mobile devices are equipped with relatively large displays, although they're still easily hand carried, a tradeoff in user controllability has arisen. For example, a notebook sized tablet can be held by one hand while the user touches the display with the same hand or the other hand; however, he/she may be unable to continue holding it stably due to the weight and size. This may cause a variety of problems, such as the user losing his/her grip of the mobile device, or causing a muscle injury.
To conserve battery power, conventional mobile devices change state from a normal state, in which the display has normal brightness, to a power save state in which the display is dimmed or shut off (the latter is referred to herein as a sleep state). The transition to the power save state is made after a predetermined elapsed time of not receiving any user input, such as a touch input command. This elapsed time is essentially a predicted time where the user is no longer actively viewing the display. To this end, a state control function is set under conditions set by default or by preference settings.
However, the set conditions may not always match a particular user's interaction with the mobile device. For example, the predetermined elapsed time that triggers the transition from normal mode to sleep mode is a fixed value, not adaptively varied according to the user's state or the environment. Therefore, the conventional mobile device may enter a power save or sleep mode at an undesirable time point, e.g. when the user still wants to use the device. In this case, the user must apply an additional operation to the mobile device, e.g., an awaking operation. The additional operation inconveniences mobile device users, and in particular, users of devices with larger displays which tend to be more actively utilized. Furthermore, if the elapsed time for transitioning to a power save mode is set too long, battery power is essentially wasted in the time period after the user stops viewing the display but prior to the elapsed time point.

Method for operating user functions based on eye tracking and mobile device adapted thereto


A HEMT comprises a composite channel, made up of a plurality of channel/barrier layer heterojunctions. That is, two or more channel/barrier layer pairs are deposited on a substrate, under a gate contact. A separate 2DEG is formed in each channel layer at the heterojunction with the barrier layer. The HEMT channel is effectively divided among a plurality of parallel 2DEGs. A high total charge density—required for high power operation—is divided among the plurality of 2DEGs. Since each 2DEG does not have a large charge density, it can sustain the high saturated electron velocity required for very high frequency operation. The composite-channel HEMT thus operates with high gain, at high power levels, and at high frequencies.

A High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) is a type of Field Effect Transistor (FET) having a low noise figure at microwave frequencies. HEMTs are used in Radio Frequency (RF) circuits, as both digital switches and current amplifiers, where high performance is required at very high frequencies. HEMTs employ a heterojunction—a junction between materials with different band gaps. HEMTs have been fabricated with several materials, including Silicon (Si); Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) and Aluminum Gallium Arsenide (AlGaAs); and Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Aluminum Gallium Nitride (AlGaN).
Si has a relatively low electron mobility (e.g., 1450 cm2N-s). This produces a high source resistance, which limits the HEMT gain. GaAs has a higher electron mobility (e.g., 6000 cm2/V-s), and hence lower source resistance, allowing for higher gain at high frequencies. However, GaAs has a bandgap of only 1.42 eV at room temperature, and a small breakdown voltage, which limits high power performance at high frequencies.
Group III nitrides have a larger bandgap as compared to these other semiconductor materials and are thereby suitable for higher power and higher frequency applications. While GaN is of particular interest, in general, a Group III nitride heterojunction for a HEMT may be formed from a binary, ternary, or quaternary alloy of Group III metals and Nitrogen. This formulation may be expressed as AlxInyGa1-x-yN, where 0<=x<=1 and 0<=y<=1—that is, any combination of some or all of Aluminum, Indium, and Gallium alloyed with Nitrogen. In particular, the density of the various alloys may be altered to control the properties of the semiconductor. For example, Aluminum increases the bandgap of GaN, while Indium reduces it.
As one particular example, GaN has a bandgap of 3.36 eV and a relatively high electron mobility (e.g., 2019 cm2/V-s). GaN HEMTs thus offer high power and high temperature operation at high frequencies, making them well suited for applications in wireless telecommunications, RADAR, and defense. In a GaN HEMT, a heterojunction is formed at the boundary of layers of GaN and, e.g., AlGaN. As used herein, AlGaN is an abbreviation for the formula AlxGa1-xN, 0≤x<1, meaning the concentration of Al in the alloy may be varied. Layers of AlGaN may also be graded, with the concentration of Al atoms in the lattice varying as a function of depth.
At the heterojunction between GaN and AlGaN layers, the difference in bandgap energies between the higher bandgap AlGaN and the GaN creates a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in the smaller bandgap GaN, which has a higher electron affinity. The 2DEG has a very high electron concentration. Additionally, the Al content in the AlGaN layer creates a piezoelectric charge at the interface, transferring electrons to the 2DEG in the GaN layer, enabling a high electron mobility. For example, sheet densities in the 2DEG of a AlGaN/GaN HEMT can exceed 1013 cm−2. The high carrier concentration and high electron mobility in the 2DEG create a large transconductance, yielding high performance for the HEMT at high frequencies.
FIG. 1 depicts one embodiment of a conventional GaN HEMT 10. The GaN HEMT 10 includes a substrate 12, formed for example from Silicon Carbide (SiC). An optional Nucleation Layer 14 may be deposited over the substrate, for example formed from Aluminum Nitrate (AIN). A Channel Layer 16 of GaN is deposited over the Nucleation Layer 14 (or alternatively directly on the substrate 12). A Barrier Layer 18 is deposited directly on the Channel Layer 16. The Barrier Layer 18 may comprise, e.g., AlGaN. At the boundary of the Channel Layer 16 and Barrier Layer 18, or the heterojunction, a 2DEG 20 is formed. The 2DEG provides a channel for conduction between a Source Terminal 22 and Drain Terminal 26, in dependence on the voltage on a Gate Terminal 24. Implant regions 28 are doped with an n-type material, to facilitate electric connectivity between the Source 22 and Drain 26 Terminals and the 2DEG 20, or the HEMT 10 channel.
An important property, which limits achievable RF performance, is saturated electron velocity in the 2DEG in the GaN at the heterojunction. However, research has shown that saturated electron velocity (vsat) is inversely related to sheet charge density (ns). See Sanyam Bajaj, et al., Density-Dependent Electron Transport and Precise Modeling of GaN HEMTs, Applied Physics Letters, 107(15), August 2015. FIG. 6 of this paper is reproduced as FIG. 2, which plots a theoretical vsat vs. ns curve against measured results.
In some applications, a charge density of about 1E13/cm2 is required to obtain power density in the 10 W/mm range. However, as FIG. 1 shows, the electron velocity is significantly reduced at this high charge density, which compromises high frequency performance. Obtaining both high electron velocity and high charge density, which would yield both high power density and high gain, stands as a major challenge in the design of HEMTs.
The Background section of this document is provided to place embodiments of the present invention in technological and operational context, to assist those of skill in the art in understanding their scope and utility. Approaches described in the Background section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Unless explicitly identified as such, no statement herein is admitted to be prior art merely by its inclusion in the Background section.

Composite-channel high electron mobility transistor


A quick, easy, and permanent inline repair of a ruptured pipe is accomplished by the use of one of a family of rigid pipe repair clips shaped to cover the rupture and bond the clip to the pipe in sealing relation to the rupture.

The transport and distribution of potable water uses a network of pipes to move the water, under pressure, to its destination. Up until about thirty or forty years ago pipes for carrying pressurized potable water were made of cast iron or galvanized iron. More recently, pipes for the distribution of pressurized water are generally made of copper or plastic.
All water pipes are subject to rupture because of the expansion of freezing water within them, yet many water pipes are not adequately protected against freezing. Consequently, a lot of pipes are ruptured in freezing weather.
Leaks are also caused by the deterioration of iron pipes over a period of about thirty years. Small pinholes eventually develop because the flow of water under pressure causes deterioration to begin on the inside of iron pipes and to progress outwardly over a period of time.
Water is conventionally carried through pipe systems under from 75 to 100 pounds pressure, and a lot of water under that pressure can escape through just a small hole in a very short time. It is important that the water be turned off just as soon as a leak is discovered. Most homeowners realize the importance of turning off the water and take the responsibility for that initial step. The next step for most homeowners, due to the complexity of the standard repair procedure, is to call a plumber and wait perhaps for days until one is available.


A data reading circuit of the present invention comprises a pair of data buses supplied with complementary potentials respectively, a first reference voltage source having a first potential, a second reference voltage source having a second potential, a first switch connected to the first reference voltage source and the pair of data buses and responsive to a first clamping signal thereby to electrically connect the first reference voltage source to the pair of data buses, and a second switch connected to the second reference voltage source and the pair of data buses and responsive to a second clamping signal thereby to electrically connect the second reference voltage source to the pair of data buses.

The present invention relates to a data reading circuit including a circuit for equalizing potentials applied to a pair of data buses for the transfer of data with each other, and particularly to a technique for adjusting an equalizing with each other voltage for equalizing potentials applied to a pair of data buses.
As a data reading circuit including a circuit for equalizing potentials applied to a pair of data buses (a pair of bit lines) with each other, there is known one which has been disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 63-166090, for example.
The disclosed data reading circuit has an equalizing circuit for precharging each of a pair of bit lines to about a VDD level in response to a precharge signal and for equalizing potentials applied to the pair of bit lines with each other, and two pull-up transistors for supplying about VDD levels to the pair of bit lines respectively at all times.
The two pull-up transistors prevent the difference between the potential applied to one of the pair of bit lines and the potential applied to the other thereof from excessively increasing.

Data reading circuit having a clamping circuit for clamping a pair of data buses to predetermined potentials


A valve drive device includes a valve seat plate in which an inflow port and an outflow port for fluid are formed, a sealing case covering the front face side of the valve seat plate, an inflow pipe and an outflow pipe which are fixed in the rear face side of the valve seat plate so as to be in communication with the inflow port and the outflow port, and a valve element which slides on an area where the outflow port is formed on the front face side of the valve seat plate to open or close the outflow port. The valve seat plate includes a first plate member which constructs an area where the outflow port is formed, a second plate member which is thinner than the first plate member and is jointed with the first plate member, and a deformation preventing member which is attached on the rear face of the second plate member and prevents the second plate member from being deformed due to an internal-pressure in a sealed space constructed by the sealing case and the valve seat plate.

A refrigerator is provided with a valve drive device which distributes a common refrigerant (fluid) to a plurality of compartments for cooling the respective compartments. The valve drive device includes a valve seat plate 13′ through which an inflow port 13c and outflow ports 13a, 13b for the refrigerant penetrate in its thickness direction, a sealing case (not shown) which covers the front face side of the valve seat plate 13′, and a valve element (not shown) which slides on the front face of the valve seat plate 13′ to open or close the outflow ports 13a, 13b as shown in FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B). Further, a rotor support shaft 18 and a valve element support shaft 35 are fixed in the valve seat plate 13.
The inflow port 13c and the outflow ports 13a, 13b in the valve seat plate 13′ are formed in a stepped hole whose front face side is formed with a small diameter and whose rear face side is formed with a large diameter. The large diameter portion on the rear face side of the inflow port 13c and the outflow ports 13a, 13b is used as a pipe insert hole and the inflow pipe 28c and the outflow pipes 28a, 28b are brazed to the pipe insert holes in the state where their tip ends are respectively abut with the stepped portions of the stepped holes.
In the valve drive device constructed as described above, the area of the surface of the valve seat plate 13′ where the outflow ports 13a, 13b are formed becomes a sliding face for the valve element and thus a high degree of surface accuracy is required to completely cut off the refrigerant. Also, it is required for the valve seat plate 13′ to be sufficiently thick such that distortion does not occur in the sliding face for the valve element even when the valve seat plate 13′ is heated to a temperature caused by brazing, for example, the temperature of 1000° C. or more at the time when the pipes 28a, 28b, 28c are fixed by brazing. In addition, the valve seat plate 13′ is made of iron system material so as to be capable of being brazed and a SUS material is used because of its corrosion resistance.
Therefore, in the case that the valve seat plate 13′ is conventionally produced, cutting work (lathe work) is required to perform on a thick SUS member and thus the valve seat plate 13′ becomes expensive.
It is conceivable that the valve seat plate is produced by using a method of forging instead of cutting work, but forging also causes the valve seat plate to be expensive. In addition, a high degree of dimensional accuracy and positional accuracy of hole is difficult to obtain by forging. Also, residual stress becomes large in the case of forging and thus, when brazing is performed, a face where a high degree of accuracy is required is distorted by heat due to the brazing.
Further, it is also conceivable that the valve seat plate is produced by using a method of sintering and molding instead of cutting work, but sintering and molding also causes the valve seat plate to be expensive although it is not more than cutting work. Moreover, sealing treatment is required to a sintered body but, in the case of resin impregnation which is a general sealing treatment, resin cannot endure a high temperature at the time of brazing. In addition, since the surface hardness of a sintered body is low, tolerance to sliding of a valve element is low. Further, since the smallest dimension of the diameter of a hole which can be formed by sintering is limited, a cutting work is required as a secondary working to form a hole, for example, with the diameter of 1.50.


The invention relates to styling agents, comprising—with respect to the weight thereof—0.1 to 20 wt % of strengthening polymer(s) and 0.1 to 5 wt % of esters of the formula (I), in which R1 stands for —H or CH3, R2 stands for a straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 7 to 15 carbon atoms, and n stands for an integer from the group 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Said styling agents effect significantly improved curl retention, in particular significantly improved high-humidity curl retention, thus a higher degree of curl retention even in a humid environment in addition to further improved hold and improved hair feel, such as texture and combability.

Polymers are widely used in a large variety of cosmetic agents. They are found in skin treatment agents, in hair treatment agents, in agents that can be washed off or out again immediately after use ("rinse-off" products), and in agents that remain on the skin or hair ("leave-on" agents). In the process, the polymers are used for many different reasons and specific properties of the polymers are taken advantage of in each case. In skin treatment agents, shampoos, conditioners and hair masques, the most important properties of the polymers are often the thickening or nourishing properties. In agents for temporarily shaping keratin fibers, also referred to in the following as styling agents, film-forming and/or stabilizing effects are in particular desired alongside the above properties. Polymers are often used as auxiliary agents to improve, or even enable, the deposition and setting of other active substances and ingredients on the skin or the hair. In this way, by adding appropriate polymers to hair dyes for example, the rub-fastness and durability of the dying can be increased.
Generally, cosmetic agents include individual polymers that are specially designed to achieve a very specific effect. If various effects are desired, multiple polymers have to be added. If too many different polymers are used, however, this may produce a number of drawbacks. Problems can occur for example during the formulation, for example because the polymers react with one another or with other constituents of the agent and may precipitate out or break down. Some polymers have a tendency to be deposited on the skin, and in particular on the hair, in such a resistant manner that they can no longer be completely removed with a normal wash, and the polymer accumulates in an undesirable manner and the skin or hair thus ultimately becomes loaded therewith.
Consequently, there is a constant need for polymers or suitable combinations of a small number of polymers that exhibit as many of the desired properties as possible at the same time.
In the case of the styling agents, for example, the polymers used have to provide the hair being treated with as strong a hold as possible. In addition to a high degree of hold, however, styling agents have to satisfy a whole array of other requirements. These can be roughly grouped into properties on the hair, properties of the formulation in each case, e.g. properties of the mousse, the gel or the sprayed aerosol, and properties relating to the handling of the styling agent, with the properties on the hair being particularly important. These include in particular resistance to moisture, low stickiness and a balanced conditioning effect. Furthermore, a styling agent should be able to be used as universally as possible for all hair types. If the styling agent is a gel or a paste, the polymers should also have thickening properties.
The special requirements placed on styling agents are the general hold of the hairstyle and, in the case of curly hair, the degree of curl retention. In this case, "curl retention" is a measure of the degree of curl retention. The curl retention typically worsens if the treated hair is in a humid environment since the tendency of the hair to absorb moisture, i.e. water, causes the strands of hair to hang down limply.
Therefore, the object of the present invention was to provide styling compositions that bring about considerably better curl retention, in particular considerably improved high humidity curl retention, i.e. a better degree of curl retention even in humid environments, preferably whilst further improving the hold and the feel of the hair, e.g. making the hair more pleasant to the touch and easier to comb.
These objects were solved by a specific combination of polymer(s) and particular esters.
Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with this background of the invention.

Styling agents having a high degree of curl retention


A method, a system, a network element, and a gateway for processing access point name restriction information are disclosed. The method includes: a second mobility management element receives first access point name restriction information from a first mobility management element; the second mobility management element obtains maximum access point name restriction information according to the first access point name restriction information, so that a packet data network gateway determines to or refuses to establish a new packet data network gateway connection. With the present invention, the second mobility management element may obtain the maximum access point name restriction information according to the received access point name restriction information. In this way, the packet data network gateway can determine to or refuse to establish a new packet data network gateway connection, therefore improving the security of private packet data network gateways.

On a next generation mobile communication network, a user equipment (UE) gets access through a local radio access network (RAN). A mobility management element is responsible for implementing functions such as location management, connection management, security authentication, and gateway selection of the UE. An SGW is a local access gateway of the UE and is responsible for access technology related connection management and data forwarding. A packet data network gateway (PGW) is a gateway for the UE to access an external packet data network (PDN).
In a mobility management procedure, the SGW sends a Modify Bearer Request to the PGW; the PGW carries a PDN-connection-related APN restriction value in a Modify Bearer Response, and sends the Modify Bearer Response to the SGW. However, before the SGW sends the Modify Bearer Request, the SGW needs to judge whether to send the Modify Bearer Request. That is, in certain cases, the SGW may not send the Modify Bearer Request to the PGW. Consequently, the PGW cannot send the PDN-connection-related APN restriction value to a target mobility management element, and the target mobility management element cannot obtain a correct maximum APN restriction value. When the UE requests establishing a new PDN connection, if the target mobility management element sends an incorrect maximum APN restriction value to the PGW, the PGW may allow some PDN connections that should be rejected according to the incorrect maximum APN restriction value. This brings about security threats to some private PDNs.

Method, system, network element, and gateway for processing access point name restriction information


A biomolecular sensor system utilizing a transverse propagation wave of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is described. The system comprises: a substrate; a dielectric layer, having a groove therein and standing on top of the substrate; a sensing film layer, sitting at the groove; a pair of prism devices, each resting on one side of the groove and both separating a tunable distance. Besides, the sensor system further comprises a light source, a light detector (a frontend of which connecting to a spectrometer and a backend connecting to a differential amplifier) and a channel with a cover forming inside the groove for the acquisition of the reflected light from the prism devices. Since the sensor system is constructed by exploiting the SPR technique on the transverse propagation, a whole contact surface is under detection (parallel detection) which differentiates it from the traditional method of single-area SPR detection. The sensor system is applicable not only for the far-infrared remote sensing with a transverse distance of several centimeters, but further for the biomedical sensing applications in the miniature sizing and high throughput.

The most distinctive feature of biosensors resides on combining biological elements as part of the sensing mechanism and connecting to transducers to achieve the function of detecting biological reactions. Since biosensors work together with micro electromechanics system (MEMS), therefore biosensors are also called biomedical chips. In the development of chip related technologies, optical methods generally have higher sensitivity. Among these methods, fluorescence method has been used extensively in biochips. Recently, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) has become an important means for researches due to its virtues of label-free and real-time capabilities.
The SPR phenomenon has been used extensively in the optical method for measuring the near surface and interface characteristics. It was discovered by physicists and used for studying the characteristics of metals and dielectric thin films at an early stage. Then, chemists used it in the researches for metal/gas or metal/solution interface and LB thin film. The SPR sensors demonstrate an instant and highly sensitive biomolecular interaction measurement, and thus are broadly used in biochemical researches. The surface plasmon is activated at a metal or a semiconductor interface by light energy or electric energy, and the effect of the activated surface plasmon can be measured by the change of the intensity of a light when the incident light is projected at a varying angle or measured by the spectrum of a reflection when a broadband light source is inputted. Regardless of selecting to change the angle of incidence or the wavelength of the incident light, the requirements for both thickness and evenness of the metal film are 1 nm. However, no innovative developments regarding the improvement of the sensing theory and the system sensitivity and the integration and the application of micro tunnnels are found.
The surface plasmon resonance sensor (SPR) is a biosensor that uses the optical theory of the SPR as an energy converter. The change of refractive index caused by changing the composition, concentration or constituents of the medium in the environment will be reflected on the change of the SPR resonance angle by the light kinetic energy of the interface. The surface plasmon resonance occurs at the interface of the metallic and dielectric materials, and a coupler and a TM-wave is excited. Both sides of the electric field penetration depth and transverse propagation in the vertical interface are attenuated. If each sensing area of the chip goes through different activation processes, then it can be combined with an antigen (or antibody) after it is fixed with different corresponding antigen (antibody). Theoretically, only the analyzing object with a successful bond will affect the intensity and change of the reflected light, and the matter exceeding the range of the surface plasmon wave will not affect the measured results. Thus, the sensitivity of this method is very high.
Since the SPR phenomenon has been discovered and used for the biomolecular inspections, most SPR sensing areas are probed by a vertical interface of approximately 200 nm deep, but no report related to the SPR transverse propagation nature is found yet. However, the prior art of the metal and semiconductor film inspection includes the measurement to several centimeters (cm) by using the infrared light in 1970, such as the two-prism coupling method developed by Schoenwald et al. which uses a prism to assist coupling and exciting of the surface electromagnetic waves (SEW) and another prism at a certain distance (depending on the wavelength of incident light) decoupling the SEW into a magnetic wave which is finally received and analyzed by detectors. Some others including Goubau, Barker, Bell, Alexander, Ward, etc. have shown that the metallic surface plasmon can propagate a certain distance with the excitation of infrared light or low-frequency electromagnetic waves. Research shows that such SEW could serve as the "probe" of the metal or metal surface film to obtain the conditions of the metal or surface film along the SEW propagation distance, so that the SEW has become a sensitive sensor. Similar concepts have been extended and applied to the semiconductor industry in 2000. Infrared is mainly used to work with the two-prism methods to detect the adhesive situation of organic matters on the surface of silicon wafer and integrate with the multiple total internal reflection (MTIR) and infrared absorption spectrum (IRAS) optical analytical technologies.
Therefore, this invention further discloses a SPR transverse propagation SEW measurement to observe the signal change of the biochip caused by the surface biomolecular combination conditions within the propagation distance along the metal or surface film. Further that, a short wavelength having a collimated incidence of light source is adopted so that the micro fluidic channel can be integrated with the system to provide a more accurate and miniaturized structure design and make it more applicable for the future development of a multiple-channel high-throughput inspection and a highly sensitive portable instrument.

Biomolecular sensor system utilizing a transverse propagation wave of surface plasmon resonance (SPR)


A graphical application development environment is provided, for the development of test, measurement and process control applications. Said environment comprises thematically organized groups of “panels” representing components of virtual instruments, and said panels are combined and interconnected via data channels, control channels and event channels to form a complete instrument “front panel.” Each panel represents a quasi-autonomous “aspect” software object that has the attributes, properties and connectivities of the represented instrument component, and that is associated with executable code segments, including code segments that are usable by a plurality of aspects and are maintained in libraries accessible to an aspect handler for the construction of aspects. A representation of a user-developed application program, as created in a textual language, comprises an executable description of front panel aspects and their attributes and interconnections, and serves to invoke said associated code segments to run said user application.

The present invention concerns computer software that is used to create and operate "virtual instrumentation systems." That is, the invention concerns computer software that a user would employ to develop a computerized test and measurement system, for controlling from a computer desktop an external measurement hardware device and for displaying, on instrument-like panels on a computer screen, test or measurement data collected by the external device. The invention extends also to computerized systems for controlling processes based on data collected and processed by a computerized instrumentation system.
An instrument is a device designed to collect data from an environment, or from a unit under test, and to display information to a user based on the collected data. Such an instrument may employ a transducer to sense changes in a physical parameter, such as temperature or pressure, and to convert the sensed information into electrical signals, such as voltage or frequency variations. The term instrument may also cover, and for purposes of this description it will be taken to cover, a physical or software device that performs an analysis on data acquired from another instrument and then outputs the processed data to display or recording means. This second category of instruments would for example include oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers and digital multimeters. The types of source data collected and analyzed by instruments may thus vary widely, including both physical parameters such as temperature, pressure, distance, and light and sound frequencies and amplitudes, and also electrical parameters including voltage, current, and frequency.
Historically, instrumentation systems originated in the distant past, with measuring rods, thermometers, and scales. In modem times, instrumentation systems have generally consisted of individual instruments, for example an electromechanical pressure gauge comprising a sensing transducer wired to signal conditioning circuitry, outputting a processed signal to a display panel and perhaps also to a line recorder, in which a trace of changing conditions is inked onto a rotating drum by a mechanical arm, creating a time record of pressure changes.
Even complex systems such as chemical process control applications typically employed, until the 1980s, sets of individual physical instruments wired to a central control panel that comprised an array of physical data display devices such as dials and counters, together with sets of switches, knobs and buttons for controlling the instruments.
The introduction of computers into the field of instrumentation began as a way to couple an individual instrument, such as a pressure sensor, to a computer, and enable the display of measurement data on a virtual instrument panel, painted in software on the computer monitor and containing buttons or other means for controlling the operation of the sensor. Thus such instrumentation software enabled the creation of a simulated physical instrument, having the capability to control physical sensing components.
A large variety of data collection instruments designed specifically for computerized control and operation were developed and made available on the commercial market, creating the field now called "virtual instrumentation." Virtual instrumentation thus refers to the use of general purpose computers and workstations, in combination with data collection hardware devices, and virtual instrumentation software, to construct an integrated instrumentation system; in such a system the data collection hardware devices, which incorporate sensing elements for detecting changes in the conditions of test subjects, are intimately coupled to the computer, whereby the operations of the sensors are controlled by the computer software, and the output of the data collection devices is displayed on the computer screen, in a manner designed in software to be particularly useful to the user, for example by the use of displays simulating in appearance the physical dials, meters and other data visualization devices of traditional instruments.
Virtual instrumentation systems typically also comprise pure software "instruments", such as oscilloscopes and spectrum analyzers, for processing the collected sensor data and "massaging" it in ways useful to the users of the data. For example, software means may be employed to analyze collected data as needed to present the user with isolated information on "max" or "min" readings, averages, standard deviations, or combinations of results from related sensing points, etc.
The early development of virtual instrumentation systems faced challenging technical difficulties. Major obstacles included the many types of electronic interfaces by which external data collection devices can be coupled to a computer, and great variety in the "command sets" used by different hardware device vendors to control their respective products.
Also, data collecting hardware devices differ in their internal structures and functions, requiring virtual instrumentation systems to take account of these differences. Thus some data acquisition devices are so-called "register-based" instruments, controlled by streams of 1s and 0s sent directly to control components within the instrument; others are "message-based" instruments, and are controlled by "strings" of ASCII characters, effectively constituting written instructions that must be decoded within the instrument. In turn, different instruments use different protocols to output data, some as electrical frequencies and others as variations in a base voltage, for example. Any virtual instrumentation system intended for connection to a typical variety of commercially available data collection hardware devices must accordingly comprise software tools capable of communicating effectively with the disparate types of hardware devices.
The software that is used to control any one type of instrument is referred to as "instrument driver" software. For a computerized instrumentation system to operate, means must be provided, usually in the form of "libraries" of instrument driver software, to deal with the different ways used by the external instruments to communicate with a computer host.
Until the 1990s the programming of virtual instrumentation systems was a task strictly for professional programmers, who wrote the required software programs using "textual" programming languages such as BASIC, C++, or PASCAL. In addition to the factors previously mentioned, the great variety in possible applications also called for professional expertise, in that one customer's measurement application was rarely suitable for a second customer: for example, one customer may have needed only to collect a single value, say outside temperature, once an hour, and to have all collected values stored in a file; the next customer possibly required that several related process temperatures, say in a rubber-curing process, be monitored continuously, and that a shut-off valve be activated in the event that the relative temperature between two process steps should vary by more than 7 degrees for a time period of 3 seconds or more, in any 15 minute period, and to store only data concerning such episodes.
The development of instrumentation systems software by professionals using textual programming languages such as C++ is very time consuming and tedious, and it typically results in the production of a program consisting of many pages of so-called source code, written in a computer language that is virtually unreadable by non-programmers, and which thus cannot be modified by the typical users of such programs.
In the last 10 years there have appeared several commercial software products for the development of virtual instrumentation systems using purely graphical programming methods. Examples of such software products include the Hewlett-Packard HP VEE software, the LabVIEW products marketed by the National Instruments Company, and Wavetest software marketed by Wavetek Corporation. Each of these prior art commercial products provides users, typically including users who are not skilled software programmers, with a "graphical development environment" within which to design a custom virtual instrumentation system. Typically the user is presented with a "design desktop" environment, generally having the look-and-feel familiar to users of Windows-based graphical applications, in which a variety of software options and "tools" are accessible, from toolbars and dialog boxes featuring drop-down menus, and may be accessed by manipulating an on-screen cursor using a computer mouse.
However, all known prior art systems for developing virtual instrumentation systems, using graphical programming means, provide the user with tools for designing so-called "data flow" diagrams. The user of these prior art systems is thus required both to place icons representing desired system components onto a design desktop and then to effect "wiring" connections between components. In order to design a data flow diagram that corresponds to a workable measurement system application, the user is required to have a comparably deep knowledge and understanding of the specific data paths and element combinations that will be required to effectuate the user's objective, which is a "solution" to the user's measurement requirements. User-designed systems developed using these prior art graphical development systems are also prone to errors, because they generally allow the use unwittingly to wire together components that are functionally incompatible.
The range of applications that may be made the subject of an instrumentation system spans the range of human activity. Therefore a software development system that aims to provide a large cross-section of potential users with the tools to design their own customized instrumentation system must provide the user with a large range of development tools and options, including tools and options that may be or are mutually incompatible in a given application. Ideally such a system should also organize the software tools provided to the user in a way that enables the user to select easily the particular tools best suited for the pertinent application, and guide the user's selection of configuration options. The known prior art systems lack built-in safeguards against the construction of unworkable combinations of components, and provide inadequate intuitive guidance to the user seeking to develop a measurement application.
It is accordingly an important objective of the present invention, not met by existing products, to present the user with development tools in a manner that guides the user intuitively to choices to system elements that are appropriate to the user's project, and that automatically precludes the user's selection of system elements that are mutually incompatible.

Graphical application development system for test, measurement and process control applications


A microchip solution sending system may include a flow passage assembly that is at least provided with a fine flow passage that is provided with a detection region including a formed reaction field to which an antibody that reacts with a specific antigen is fixed; and a micro pump that is connected to the flow passage assembly and that is configured to send a specimen material solution that includes the specific antigen in a reciprocating manner. The specimen material solution that has been sent may pass through the detection region in a repetitive manner in the case in which the micro pump sends the specimen material solution in a reciprocating manner.

In the case in which a detection of an extremely fine substance is carried out, a wide variety of specimen material detection apparatus has been used for enabling an inspection of such a substance by putting a physical phenomenon of a substance to practical use from the past.
As one of such specimen material detection apparatuses, there can be mentioned for instance a surface plasmon resonance apparatus (hereafter referred to as an SPR apparatus) in which a phenomenon for obtaining a high optical output by a resonance of an electron and a light in a minute region of a nanometer level or the like (a surface plasmon resonance (SPR: Surface Plasmon Resonance) phenomenon is put to practical use and an extremely fine analyte in a biological body is detected for instance.
As one of such specimen material detection apparatuses, there also can be mentioned for instance a surface plasmon-field enhanced fluorescence spectroscopic measurement apparatus (hereafter referred to as an SPFS apparatus) in which the analyte detection can be carried out with a higher degree of accuracy as compared with the SPR apparatus based on a principle of a surface plasmon-field enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy (SPFS: Surface Plasmon-field enhanced Fluorescence Spectroscopy) for putting a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon to practical use.
For the above described specimen material detection apparatus, a specimen material solution that contains an analyte (antigen) that is a detection target is prepared in advance, the specimen material solution is sent to a fine flow passage, and an analyte (antigen) is captured with an antibody that is fixed to a reaction field that is disposed in the fine flow passage. The specimen material detection apparatus is provided with a microchip solution sending system for sending a specimen material solution into a fine flow passage most commonly.
As such a microchip solution sending system, there can be mentioned for instance a system that is called a one pass type that is configured in such a manner that a specimen material solution passes through a reaction field only one time and a system that is called a reciprocation type that is configured in such a manner that a specimen material solution is reciprocated and passes through a reaction field in a repetitive manner (see Patent Documents 1 and 2 for instance).
FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a conventional microchip solution sending system of a reciprocation type.
The conventional microchip solution sending system 100 of a reciprocation type is configured by a fine flow passage 110, the one side flow passage 132 and the other side flow passage 134 that are connected to the fine flow passage 110, and a micro pump 140 as shown in FIG. 11.
Inside the fine flow passage 110, a detection region 120 that is provided with a formed reaction field 122 is formed. On an edge part of one side of the fine flow passage 110, a first inflow outflow hole 112 is formed. The fine flow passage 110 and the one side flow passage 132 are connected to each other in such a manner that a solution can be flown through the first inflow outflow hole 112. In addition similarly, on an edge part of the other side of the fine flow passage 110, a second inflow outflow hole 114 is formed. The fine flow passage 110 and the other side flow passage 134 are connected to each other in such a manner that a solution can be flown through the second inflow outflow hole 114.
The micro pump 140 is connected to the upper edge part of the one side flow passage 132. By operating the micro pump 140, as shown in FIG. 12, the specimen material solution 136 that has been held in the one side flow passage 132 can be sent toward the fine flow passage 110 and the other side flow passage 134.
Moreover, the micro pump 140 can also send the specimen material solution 136 in a reverse direction of the solution sending direction described above by a suction of an air of the one side flow passage 132. In other words, as shown in FIG. 13, a solution can be sent from the one side flow passage 132 to the other side flow passage 134, and the specimen material solution 136 that has been held in the other side flow passage 134 can also be sent toward the fine flow passage 110 and the one side flow passage 132.
For the conventional microchip solution sending system 100 of a reciprocation type that is configured as described above, the specimen material solution 136 can be passed through the detection region 120 by reversing a solution sending direction of the micro pump 140 in a repetitive manner. By this configuration, an analyte of a desired amount can be captured at the reaction field 122 in a relatively efficient manner even in the case in which an amount of the specimen material solution 136 is small.


A coordinating apparatus for coordinating data transmission between a data providing device and a display device is provided. The display device conforms to a transmission standard. The coordinating apparatus includes a programmable coordinating module and an outputting module. The programmable coordinating module is programmed according to the transmission standard. The programmable coordinating module is used for receiving M bits of image data from the data providing device, extracting N bits of image data among the M bits of image data, and arranging the N bits of image data into N bits of arranged data. The outputting module is used for outputting the N bits of arranged data to the display device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing techniques, and in particular to an apparatus for coordinating data transmission between a data providing device and a display device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The thin film transistor LCD (TFT LCD) is one of the most popular displays at the present day. As known by those skilled in the art, for TFT LCDs, the interfaces of receiving external image data can be roughly divided into two classes: RGB interface and CPU interface. In addition, the transmission modes of the external image data can be classified into single transmission modes, two-time transmission modes, and three-time transmission modes.
Please refer to FIG. 1(A), which illustrates an example of the image data of a pixel. In this example, the pixel is represented by 24 bits of data including eight bits of red data (R0˜R7), eight bits of green data (G0˜G7), and eight bits of blue data (B0˜B7). As shown in FIG. 1(B), under the single transmission mode, the 24 bits of data are transmitted to a TFT LCD in one transmission duration. Under the two-time transmission mode, the 24 bits of data are divided into two groups; the two groups are transmitted to a TFT LCD in two different transmission durations. Under the three-time transmission mode, the 24 bits of data are divided into three groups respectively transmitted to a TFT LCD in three different transmission durations.
Under some conditions, the resolution of the display is lower than the number of bits provided by a data providing device (e.g. CPU). For instance, although the data providing device provides 24 bits of data to represent each pixel, the resolution of the display may only be 18 bits (respectively 6 bits of red, green, and blue). Therefore, the two least significant bits of each color (e.g. R0 and R1 for red) must be abandoned. Taking the two-time transmission mode for example, the 18 bits of data which is finally transmitted to the display is shown in FIG. 1(C).
To adjust data provided by a data providing device into the formats required by a display, there is usually a coordinating circuit between the data providing device and the display. The coordinating circuit is responsible for selecting and arranging image data needed by the display.
In prior arts, to satisfy different requirements of different displays, designers of the coordinating circuit must provide various kinds of coordinating circuits at the output end of a data providing device. Once the data providing device is going to cooperate with a new display/transmission specification, the designers must re-design or re-organize the circuits, so as to provide the corresponding coordinating function. Much cost and time are accordingly wasted.

Coordinating apparatus and image processing system utilizing the same


A sheet storage apparatus (for example, a banknote storage mechanism) includes an entering unit (for example, a pushing unit) configured to enter into a storage bag (for example, a banknote storage bag) supported by a supporter (for example, holding members) and a controller configured to control the driving unit (for example, a motor) for driving the entering unit. The controller controls the driving unit such that the entering unit enters into the storage bag supported by the supporter and comes in contact with the sheet stored in the storage bag to detect an upper end position of the sheet stored in the storage bag.

As a sheet handling machine for depositing sheets such as banknotes, one in which sheets taken into a housing are stored in a storage bag such as a pouch bag has been conventionally used. As such a sheet handling machine, for example, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-174130 (JP2012-174130A) and the like is conventionally known. Further, in the sheet handling machine in which the storage bag such as the pouch bag is used, it is conceivable to push the sheets remaining on a temporary storage unit into an inside of the storage bag by a pushing plate, when the sheets are stored in the storage bag held by each holding member.
Further, in the sheet handling machine in which the storage bag such as the pouch bag is used, when the sheets are stored in the storage bag held by each holding member, a method of imaging a mark provided on an inner wall portion of the storage bag by an imaging unit is conceivable. In such a sheet handling machine, it is judged that the storage bag has become a full state or nearly full state, when a predetermined amount of sheets are stored in the storage bag and then the mark is obstructed by the sheets stored in the storage bag so that this mark is no longer shown in the image taken by the imaging unit. In this way, it is possible to detect an upper end position of the sheets stored in the storage bag based on the image taken by the imaging unit.
Also, in another conventional sheet handling machine, it is conceivable that the number of sheets sent to the storage bag held by each holding member is counted, and it is judged whether the storage bag becomes a full state or nearly full state based on the counted number of sheets.

Sheet storage apparatus and sheet storage method


Disclosed is a reactor for solution polymerization process using a metallocene catalyst for preparing polyolefin. The reactor includes: a reaction vessel for mixing a hydrocarbon-based solvent and an olefin monomer to produce polyolefin; a feed inlet installed at a lower portion of the reaction vessel to feed a feed including an unreacted monomer, a solvent, and a catalyst into the reaction vessel; a guide pipe having a cylinder shape being open at respective ends, installed along a central axis of the reaction vessel, and dividing an internal space of the reaction vessel into an up-flow region where a reaction mixture flows upward and a down-flow region where the reaction mixture flows downward; a swirling flow-inducing blade attached to the exterior surface of the guide pipe, causing the reaction mixture in the reaction vessel to rise along the exterior surface of the guide pipe while forming a swirling flow.

A metallocene catalyst-based solution polymerization process for preparing polyolefin polymers, which belongs to the technical field of the present invention, is a process of preparing a homopolymer by using a metallocene catalyst and a mixture consisting of a solvent and at least one monomer selected from alpha olefins including ethylene, propylene, butane, hexane, and octane. For reference, the term "metallocene catalyst" refers to an organometallic compound in which ligand derivatives and transition metals are diversely combined wherein the ligand derivatives have a cyclopentadien (C5H5) basic structure specified in various literature or patent documents or a structure of various chemical structures extended from the cyclopentadien (C5H5) basic structure, and the transition metals include Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mb, and W.
A typical metallocene catalyst-based solution polymerization process for preparing polyolefin polymers is a process mixing and reacting a monomer, a solvent, and a metallocene catalyst in a polymerization reactor, and then thickening and solidifying the resultant reaction product.
The solution polymerization process consumes a monomer during polymerization, and a polymer produced by polymerizing the monomers is dissolved in a solvent. As the concentration of the polymer increases, i.e. as the polymerization reaction progresses, the viscosity of a reaction mixture consisting of the polymer, the unreacted monomer, and the solvent increases.
When the viscosity of the reaction mixture in the reactor increases, flowability of the reaction mixture is deteriorated and thus it becomes difficult to prepare a polymer having homogeneous physical properties. More specifically, as the flowability the reaction mixture decreases, a local temperature variation in the reactor increases. Consequently, it is difficult to expect a uniform reaction rate throughout the reactor due to the increased local temperature variation.
For this reason, conventionally a mixer rotated by motor is installed in reactor to improve flowability of a reaction mixture. On the other hand, alternatively, a ratio of a solvent to a reaction mixture is increased to lower the viscosity of the reaction mixture, which results in increase in flowability of the reaction mixture.
The mixer-equipped reactor has a disadvantage of requiring an additional expensive motor for driving the mixer. Therefore, the mixer-equipped reactor is disadvantages in terms of high facility investment cost, and operation and maintenance cost attributable to the expensive motor. Meanwhile, the approach of increasing a solvent ratio has a disadvantage of a low polymer preparation yield although it has an effect of lowering the viscosity of a reaction mixture in a reactor.
Under this circumstance, the present invention proposes a novel reactor structure capable of preparing polymers having homogenous physical properties by improving flowability of a reaction mixture in a reactor without using a motor-driven mixer that is required in conventional solution polymerization process reactors.
Hereinafter, conventional arts in the field to which the present invention belongs will be briefly described first, and then technical merit of the present invention over the conventional arts will be described.
First, Korean Patent No. 0981612 discloses an internal circulation type fluidized bed polymerization reactor and a polymerization method for preparing polyolefin using the reactor. More specifically, the internal circulation type polymerization reactor includes: a draft tube installed in a reactor and provided with a through-hole; and a gas distributor obliquely extending from the exterior surface of the draft tube to the wall of the reactor. The internal circulation type fluidized bed polymerization reactor induces internal circulation of polyolefin particles to maximize a contact period during which circulation air and the polyolefin particles are in contact with each other, thereby increasing a polyolefin production rate.
Meanwhile, Korean Patent No. 1124187 discloses a Process and apparatus for ethylene polymerization. More specifically, the polyethylene preparation process includes: (a) polymerizing ethylene and one or more kinds of alpha-olefin comonomers having three to twelve carbon atoms under the presence of hydrogen in a gas phase reactor; and (b) copolymerizing ethylene with one or more kinds of alpha-olefin comonomers having three to twelve carbon atoms under the presence of a smaller amount of hydrogen than that in the step (a) in a different gas phase reactor, wherein in at least one of the gas phase reactors, growing polymer particles flow upward through a first polymerization region, i.e. up-flow region, under a fast flow or movement condition, then flow downward due to gravity while passing through a second polymerization region, i.e. down-flow region, and enter again into and pass through the up-flow region. That is, in the process, the polymer circulates in a manner of alternately passing through the two polymerization regions.
Meanwhile, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 2013-0121964 relates to a high throughput reactor assembly for polymerization of olefins. More specifically, it discloses a reactor assembly for preparation of polymers, the reactor assembly including: a fluidized bed reactor composed of a lower part provided with an aeration gas inlet, a middle part, and an upper part provided with an aeration gas outlet; and a gas-solid separation means connected to a gas circulation line and separating solids from gas. The aeration gas outlet is connected to the fluidized bed reactor via the gas circulation line and the aeration gas inlet. The upper part has an equivalent horizontal cross-section diameter that decreases gradually in a flow direction of an aeration gas passing through the fluidized bed reactor. The middle part has an equivalent horizontal cross-section diameter that is substantially uniform in the flow direction the aeration gas passing through the fluidized bed reactor. A ratio of the height of the fluidized bed reactor with respect to the equivalent horizontal cross-section diameter of the middle part of the fluidized bed reactor is 2:1 to 10:1, and the upper part is directly connected to the middle part.
Korean Patent No. 1415480 discloses a technology by which a polymerization solution circulated by a circulation cooling means and a base material are introduced into a protruded portion to address any non-uniformity problem attributable to external circulation used to control heat generation of a solution polymerization reaction.
These patent documents differ from the present Invention in that they do not disclose the present invention technology of improving reaction uniformity by maximizing mining of reactants, by means of internal circulation of the reactants caused by a guide pipe equipped with a helical screw blade and by means of an external loop, without using a mixer, in a solution polymerization process.

Reactor for a metallocene catalyst-based solution polymerization process for preparing polyolefin polymers


Systems and methods are disclosed herein to provide filters for radio frequency applications. For example, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a radio frequency filter includes a first dielectric layer having a first dielectric constant and a second dielectric layer having a second dielectric constant and disposed between the first dielectric layers, wherein the first dielectric constant is greater than the second dielectric constant.

Communication systems and other applications utilizing electromagnetic energy often require some type of filtering to remove undesirable frequencies. However, conventional filter techniques may have certain drawbacks in terms of performance or costs associated with implementation or manufacturing.
For example, a conventional tuned element or cavity microwave filter may not adequately accommodate widely separated frequency bands, such as waveguide filters that are single mode for a lower frequency band but are overmoded at a higher frequency band. Although various techniques have been developed to increase the performance of this filter, these techniques may result, for example, in small gaps that may limit their application (e.g., in space based applications) due to potential multipactor action. This type of filter also may require complex construction, which may include machining, dip brazing, or electroforming, resulting in a time consuming and expensive process. As a result, there is a need for improved filter techniques.

Radio frequency filter systems and methods


The invention relates to a gun for spraying liquid at a very high pressure, referred to as a focusing gun, and to a method for manufacturing same, according to which two elongate parts (2) are manufactured to be assembled so as to form the focusing gun. Each of said parts includes an assembly surface (J) comprising a central groove (3) for forming the duct of the focusing gun once the parts have been assembled, and a gluing tank (9) for being filled with an adhesive substance. Further, at least one of said parts (2) has a centering rib (6), projecting relative to the assembly surface thereof, while the other part has, for each centering rib (6), a centering cavity (7), the size of which is suitable for tightly housing said centering rib.

The technique of cutting and/or machining using a jet of liquid at a very high pressure consists in spraying liquid at a pressure of from 1000 to 8000 bar. The liquid, generally pure water or water with additives is then ejected at a very high speed, from 600 to more than 1000 m/s, and directed onto the piece to be worked. Thus, the technique of machining using a jet of liquid at a very high pressure makes it possible to work numerous materials such as plastics, paper or metal alloys, and to do so without emitting dust or generating heat. In order to make it easier to cut the materials, abrasive particles may be added to the sprayed water.
The cutting heads used according to this cutting method conventionally comprise a collimation tube, a nozzle with a small internal diameter, a mixing chamber and a gun for spraying liquid at a very high pressure.
The liquid at a very high pressure enters through the collimation tube. The liquid is then sprayed through the nozzle and enters at a high speed into the mixing chamber provided with an abrasive particle inlet. The mixture of liquid and the abrasive particles is concentrated and the jet at a very high pressure is directed onto the piece to be worked by a gun with a small internal diameter. This gun is generally known by the term focusing gun.
Conventionally, such focusing guns are manufactured by machining from a solid piece.
These focusing guns, however, are pieces which have a large ratio of length to diameter, which makes it difficult to machine a duct from a solid piece. In particular, the machining does not make it possible to go below a certain internal diameter threshold for a given length. Yet the internal diameter of the focusing gun determines the precision of the liquid jet.
Furthermore, according to this manufacturing technique, the focusing guns are normally made of tungsten carbide. This is because this ceramic is easy to use and has a reasonable cost for such an application. However, such guns made of tungsten carbide can be used only with abrasives of the oxide type, such as garnet or aluminum oxide with a low relative hardness. This is because the use of abrasives with a hardness greater than that of tungsten carbide, from 8 to 9 on the Mohs scale, would rapidly wear the interior of the gun, leading to a premature loss of precision and a lifetime incompatible with the usual applications of machines for machining using a jet of liquid at a very high pressure.
Another method for manufacturing focusing guns consists in vapor depositing a ceramic on a cylindrical graphite support, then removing the cylindrical support by heating once the ceramic has formed a tubular structure around the graphite.
This method makes it possible in particular to manufacture guns made of silicon carbide, a ceramic which has a high hardness of the order of 9.5 on the Mohs scale, making it possible to work with a wide range of abrasives which are no longer limited to oxides.
This manufacturing method, however, turns out to be complex to implement and the production cost of the guns thus produced is high.
In order to overcome the problems associated with the length to internal diameter ratio of the gun, it has been envisaged to manufacture a focusing gun by assembling a plurality of elements. These elements may be cylindrical pieces of small height, and therefore with a low length to internal diameter ratio, which are aligned along the axis of the duct of the gun and kept assembled by clamping with an external piece of the sleeve type. This technique, however, is virtually unused. This is because it does not allow the various elements of the gun to be aligned correctly, and the alignment differences lead to perturbations of the flow of liquid at a very high pressure. Furthermore, the junction regions prove particularly sensitive to wear.
With a view to overcoming the drawbacks of the techniques above, another manufacturing method has consisted, as described particularly in U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,582 or DE 196 40 920, in producing focusing guns from two pieces provided with assembly faces by which they are intended to be joined in order, in the assembled state, to form a focusing gun. According to this method, a central groove is formed in the assembly face of each of the two pieces, this being formed in a planar median region of said assembly face and adapted to extend between the two ends thereof, said central grooves being adapted to form the duct of the focusing gun in the assembled position of the two pieces.
The problem which such a technique needs to resolve resides in obtaining precise positioning of the two pieces, making it possible to obtain a duct having perfectly controlled internal dimensions. At present, however, no solution makes it possible to resolve this problem satisfactorily.
Specifically, the current methods either require an expensive external mechanism (techniques described in DE 297 02 397 or U.S. Pat. No. 2,332,407), or do not guarantee perfect relative positioning and perfect holding of the two pieces during the phase of assembling them:
technique using a film enclosing the two pieces described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,582
technique of bonding the assembly faces of the two pieces, described in DE 196 40 920, according to which:
in the assembly face of at least one of the two pieces, laterally with respect to the planar median region thereof, at least one bonding reservoir is formed, which is intended to be filled with a quantity of adhesive substance adapted to adhere to the portion of the assembly face of the other piece lying opposite said reservoir, in the assembled position of the two pieces,
each bonding reservoir is filled with adhesive substance, and the two pieces are placed in contact so that they are joined by their assembly face and connected by means of the adhesive substance.

Very high-pressure liquid spraying gun for a very high-pressure liquid spraying machine, and method for manufacturing same


A paper feeding device for a paper cassette of an image processing apparatus. The paper cassette is mounted at a specific position or the image processing apparatus in a manner permitting the cassette to be pulled out. A preliminary feed roller feeds the paper on the paper cassette toward a feed roller which is normally energized in a paper pressing direction. When the paper cassette is mounted in the image processing apparatus, the document setting board disposed in the paper cassette is upwardly turned by a pressing mechanism. When the paper cassette is pulled out, the feed roller from the paper cassette is turned in reverse direction. A feed channel to guide the paper from the paper cassette is formed in a curved manner, and a normally turned delivery roller is provided inside the curved channel.

The present invention relates to a paper feeding device to feed each sheet of image forming paper or document to an image processing apparatus such as copying machines and facsimile units.
Image processing apparatus such as copying machines and facsimile units are hitherto provided with a paper feeding device having a paper cassette and/or a stack bypass enabling to set a number of sheets of image forming paper, and/or a paper feeding device having an automatic document feeder enabling to set a number of sheets of documents.
The paper feeding device having the aforementioned paper feed cassette is advantageous in that the cassette can be changed easily when it is necessary to use a paper of different size. For copying machines, as an example, the document size to be copied recently tends to become larger, and a larger size of paper cassette has been used to accept a larger image forming paper corresponding to larger documents which are to be copied. When a paper feed cassette is mounted onto a copying machine proper, therefore, larger area for installing the copying machine is required than for the copying machine itself, which is causing a problem of lowered efficiency in use of the limited office space.
To solve the problem, a reverse paper feeding device has been proposed in which a direction of paper feeding from the paper cassette by the feed roller is set in opposite to a direction of paper feeding by a resist roller which operates synchronously with the optical system. In this case, the whole copying machine can be made compact even with the paper cassette being mounted by thereon so that the paper cassette may not be projected from the area of a vertical projection, for example, of the optical system which requires the largest plane size.
Such a reversing paper feeding device is composed of a feed roller to send out each sheet of paper from the paper cassette, a delivery roller to carry the paper fed from the feed roller toward a resist roller, and a guide member to reverse a direction of the paper carried by the delivery roller. The driving of feed roller and the resist roller are controlled in timing with a specific paper feeding, and driving of the delivery roller is also controlled in timing with the specific paper feeding by using a clutch or the like.
Accordingly, the feed roller and the delivery roller are driven to rotate enabling the preliminary paper feeding to the point where the front end of paper comes in contact with the resist roller, thereafter the delivery roller and the resist roller are driven to rotate enabling a paper feeding for accomplishing a copying operation.
With a reversing paper feeding device of the above composition, installation area of the copying machine can be made smaller and exact paper feeding can be ensured. It is necessary, however, to control driving of the delivery roller corresponding to driving condition of the feed roller and the resist roller which makes the electrical control system and mechanical revolution transfer mechanism more intricated as a disadvantage. And further the device is also disadvantageous in that the position of the delivery roller attached is rather limited making it difficult to design the whole paper feeding device, and additional members are necessary to attach the delivery roller.
Besides, in the conventional composition of the paper feeding device to feed each sheet of paper from a paper cassette which has no click to prevent double feeding by means of a feed roller and a friction pad pressed in contact with each other, a pressing mechanism to upwardly turn a document setting board mounted in the paper feed cassette so as to be turned freely is provided in the copying machine, and a pressure releasing lever mechanism to stop upward-turning of the document setting board by a means of pressure mechanism is also attached.
Under the condition where the document setting board is upwardly turned by the pressing mechanism when the paper feed cassette is mounted, therefore, the upper-most paper is pressed to the feed roller to enable paper feeding sheet by sheet. When the upward-turning of the document setting board is stopped by the pressure releasing lever mechanism, on the other hand, the pressing mechanism retreats from the paper cassette and the cassette can be pulled out.
By the paper feeding device of aforementioned mechanism, the document setting board can be upwardly turned simply by mounting a paper feed cassette, but the paper feeding device is disadvantageous in that the operation of pulling out the paper cassette is troublesome because the pressure release lever mechanism must be operated before pulling out the cassette. The need of a pressure release lever mechanism in addition to the pressure mechanism makes the composition of the whole paper feeding device more intricated and the manufacturing cost higher.
When the paper feeding device of the above composition is adopted, the front end of the next paper is positioned between the feed roller and the friction pad by the friction force between adjacent sheets of papers when feeding of one sheet of paper completes. If copying operation is continued as it is, there will be no problem, however, if it is necessary to change the paper size or the like, a new paper cassette must be mounted after pulling out the currently used paper cassette. While the cassette is changed, the paper of which top end is held between the feed roller and the friction pad remains in the copying machine, and a new paper feed cassette is set under this condition. Accordingly, the remaining paper is greatly crumpled or folded, and a jamming is finally resulted if the copying operation is kept going on.
To solve the above problem, a paper feeding device (Refer to the Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 203629/1982) has been proposed, in which the contact condition of the feed roller with the friction pad is released when the paper cassette is pulled out to prevent the paper from remaining in the copying machine.
By the paper feeding device of the above composition, only the contact condition of the feed roller with the friction pad is released when the paper cassette is pulled out and residual paper is prevented from remaining in the position between the feed roller and the friction pad by being pulled by the friction force between the residual paper and the papers stored in the paper cassette. In such a condition, remaining paper can be prevented from the remaining state rather accurately if the paper size is large, however, if the size is small, the paper carried to the specified position by the feed roller remains in the copying machine even when the paper cassette is pulled out, and jamming is resulted when a new paper feed cassette is set.
The problem is outstanding particularly for the type of copying machine in which almost part of the paper cassette is housed into the copying machine because the remaining paper can't be watched or checked easily from outside.
The aforementioned paper feeding device containing a stack bypass or an automatic document feeder has a preliminary feed roller and a feed roller and the preliminary feed roller is moved in opposite direction to paper pressing direction by a solenoid, a lever, a cam and the like under the condition where transmission of the driving force of the both rollers is cut off so that a number of sheets of paper can be set easily and exactly at the specified position.
At paper feeding operation, the preliminary feed roller is moved in paper pressing direction by the solenoid, the lever, the cam and the like and the both rollers are driven under this condition so that the paper is carried sheet by sheet.
By the composition to move the preliminary feed roller in paper pressing direction simply by applying force and without using any solenoid, lever, cam, or the like, the papers could be set rather easily at the specified position provided that the number of sheets of paper is comparatively small because the tangential direction of the preliminary feed roller at the point where the upper sheet of paper comes in contact is close to horizontal direction and the preliminary feed roller can be upwardly moved against the applied force. When the number of sheets of paper is increased, however, the tangential direction of the preliminary feed roller at the point where the upper top of paper comes in contact rises sharply and the vertical component of a force to upwardly move the preliminary feed roller against the applied force is quickly reduced, making it difficult to set the papers at the specified position.
If the number of sheets of paper is further increased and the upper surface of the papers goes up to the level approximately equal to the center axis of the preliminary feed roller, it becomes almost impossible to move the preliminary feed roller against the applied force and paper can hardly be set at the specified position. However, by employing the above-mentioned mechanism to move the preliminary feed roller with a solenoid, a lever, a cam, and the like paper setting can be made easily.
Though the paper setting can be exactly made, the paper feeding device of the aforementioned composition requires a mechanism to move the preliminary feed roller and also a means to control the mechanism, which is disadvantageous in that the whole paper feeding mechanism is intricated and the manufacturing cost is raised.
An object of the present invention is to ensure exact preliminary paper feeding and main paper feeding by reversing a paper-feed direction to the opposite without the need of driving a feed roller in a controlled manner.
Another object of the present invention is to enable the document setting board to be automatically rotated by a pressing mechanism, and to have the pressing mechanism automatically retreat from inside the paper cassette following the pulling out of an inserted paper cassette.
A further object of the invention is to prevent a paper from remaining when the paper feed cassette is pulled out.
A still further object of the invention is to make the whole paper feeding device simple by eliminating the complicated mechanism to move the preliminary feed roller and the means to control that mechanism so as to make the manufacturing cost lower.
It is also another object of the invention to prevent inclined paper feeding by raising the preliminary feed roller equally at the right and left sides in longitudinal direction thereof when paper is inserted.
In accordance with the present invention, in a paper feeding device in which a direction of delivering a document fed from the inside of a paper cassette by a feed roller is reversed so as to be conducted to a resist roller which operates synchronously with a movement of an optical system, there is provided a guide section which is composed of an outer guide plate and an inner guide plate to form a space for permitting the document to pass therethrough, and a delivery roller which is, in use, driven to rotate and is mounted on the guide section near the feed-roller side.
And preferably, the above paper cassette includes therein a document setting board to support a document, and the paper feeding device includes a pressing mechanism for lifting up the document setting board in a state that the paper cassette is set in the image processing apparatus, and a locking mechanism to prevent the pressing mechanism from lifting up the document setting board after removing the paper cassette.
More preferably, the paper feeding device includes a drive-force transmitting mechanism for transmitting to a feed roller a rotary force in the opposite direction to the paper-feeding direction the paper cassette from the image processing apparatus.
Further, in accordance with the present invention, a paper feeding device wherein a feed roller further feeds a document which is fed by a preliminary roller is characterized in that the preliminary feed roller is in use pushed in a direction to press the document, and there is provided a guide member which turns following an operation of setting the document on a predetermined position so as to move the preliminary feed roller in the opposite direction to the pressing direction on the document.
Preferably, the above guide member has on an end thereof a pushing section hanging at least over an end portion on the driving side of the shaft of the preliminary roller, and on the other end of the guide member a receiving section lying at least below the opposite end portion of the shaft of the preliminary roller.


A system and method for setting machine limits include setting a limit for a machine parameter, setting a temporal operating range for the machine, and setting a temporal step. The machine is operated over the operating range and the machine parameter is measured. A first new limit for the machine parameter is set based at least in part on the measurements over the operating range. The operating range is advanced by the temporal step, and the machine parameter continues to be measured. Another new limit for the machine parameter is set based at least in part on the measurements over the operating range after the operating range has been advanced.

In order to increase the quality of manufactured parts, reduce downtime and improve efficiency, manufacturers analyze machine tools and their associated components in an effort to gather information they can use to make decisions regarding production systems and processes. One type of machine tool analysis used is a vibration analysis. Information gathered from this type of analysis may be indicative of a variety of different production problems.
When a vibration analysis is used, an acceptable vibration limit may be determined and used as an indicator such that when a measured vibration exceeds the limit, an alarm or some other action is triggered. Examples of such systems are described in the following United States patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,845,340, 7,383,097, 7,409,261, and 7,571,022.
Machine analysis systems and methods may employ a limit or limits that indicate acceptable data measurements. Different limits can be used for different processes, and within a single process, an operator may perform a manual adjustment of the limit or limits. Because processes may change over time, the data gathered from a single process may also change. It would therefore be advantageous to have a system and method for automatically adjusting data limits based on changes in the process or other inputs.

System and method for setting machine limits


The present disclosure provides methods for releasing a reserved resource in a network. An operation method performed in a first communication node of a vehicle network includes generating a first frame including identification information of a stream transmitted through a reserved resource and a first indicator instructing to release the reserved resource; and transmitting the first frame to a second communication node.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
The number and variety of electronic devices installed within a vehicle have been increasing significantly along with the recent digitalization of vehicle parts. Currently, electronic devices are used throughout the vehicle, such as in a power train control system (e.g., an engine control system, an automatic transmission control system, or the like), a body control system (e.g., a body electronic equipment control system, a convenience apparatus control system, a lamp control system, or the like), a chassis control system (e.g., a steering apparatus control system, a brake control system, a suspension control system, or the like), a vehicle network (e.g., a controller area network (CAN), a FlexRay-based network, a media oriented system transport (MOST)-based network, or the like), a multimedia system (e.g., a navigation apparatus system, a telematics system, an infotainment system, or the like), and so forth.
The electronic devices comprising each of these systems are connected via the vehicle network, which supports functions of the electronic devices. For instance, the CAN may support a transmission rate of up to 1 Mbps and automatic retransmission of colliding messages, error detection based on a cycle redundancy interface (CRC), or the like. The FlexRay-based network may support a transmission rate of up to 10 Mbps and simultaneous transmission of data through two channels, synchronous data transmission, or the like. The MOST-based network is a communication network for high-quality multimedia, which may support a transmission rate of up to 150 Mbps.
Meanwhile, the telematics system, the infotainment system, as well as enhanced safety systems of a vehicle require higher transmission rates and system expandability. However, the CAN, FlexRay-based network, and the like may not sufficiently support such requirements. The MOST-based network, in particular, may support a higher transmission rate than the CAN and the FlexRay-based network, although applying the MOST-based network to vehicle networks can be costly. Due to these limitations, an Ethernet-based network is often utilized as a vehicle network. The Ethernet-based network may support bi-directional communication through one pair of windings and may support a transmission rate of up to 10 Gbps.
In a vehicle network, an electronic device may transmit a stream based on stream reservation protocol (SRP). For example, a communication path may be configured between an electronic device (hereinafter, referred to as a 'talker') providing a service (for example, transmitting a stream related to a service) and an electronic device (hereinafter, referred to as a 'listener') receiving the service (for example, receiving the stream related to the service), and a resource for transmission of the stream may be reserved in the communication path. After completion of reservation of the resource, the talker may transmit the stream through the reserved resource. That is, the stream may be transmitted from the talker to the listener through the reserved resource. Meanwhile, a case in which the resource reserved for the communication between the talker and listener is not actually used (or, a case in which it is necessary to release the reserved resource) may occur, and the resource may be wasted unnecessarily.

Method of releasing resource reservation in network

INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COOPERATION FOUNDATION HANYANG


An environmental conditioning system has a compressor for compressor air in an air flow path. A turbine drives the compressor and is coupled to the compressor. An evaporator is in communication with the compressor. The evaporator is configured to cool air from the compressor.

This invention relates to an environmental conditioning system for a vehicle, such as an aircraft.
In flight, an aircraft may obtain conditioned air from a compressor of a turbine engine. Bleed air is output at a high temperature from the compressor and is passed through a heat exchanger to lower the air's temperature. The air eventually passes to the passenger compartment. This process of conditioning air from the compressor is known as an air cycle.
This method of conditioning air is inefficient. More energy than is necessary is used to condition the air because the pressure delivered by the engine compressor exceeds the pressure required for adequate conditioning at most operating points and is throttled away. Generating the unnecessary pressure is inefficient use of power. As a consequence of the inefficiency of the environmental conditioning system, the aircraft consumes more fuel than necessary.
A need therefore exists for more efficient environmental conditioning system for use on an aircraft.

Hybrid environmental conditioning system


A portable electric tool with a mountable bi-directionally battery holder has a head, a handle, a tool holder and a battery holder. The tool holder is connected to a motor and is securely mounted on the head, and the handle is integrally formed with the head and has a bottom surface and a dovetail key. The battery holder is mounted on the bottom surface of the handle and has a pair of parallel channels that can contain the dovetail keys of the handle. When using the portable electric tool with a mountable bi-directionally battery holder in accordance with the present invention, users can rotate the connecting direction of the battery holder to provide a convenient way in use.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable electric tool with a battery holder, more particular to a bi-directionally battery mounted to a portable electric tool.
2. Description of Related Art
An electric tool, such as an electric drill, is connected to a power supply whereby the tool can output large force to drill or work. A conventional electric tool has a plug with a cable connected to the power supply, but the cable and the plug are not convenient when using the tool outdoors and the length of the cable will limit the working place. So an electric tool with a battery is invented. With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the electric tool (40) with a battery holder (50) has a head (41), a tool holder (42), a motor (not shown), a hollow handle (43) and a switch (44). The head (41) has a top surface (not numbered) and the tool holder (42) connected to the motor is mounted on the top surface. The tool holder (42) can connect to various types of drills (not shown). The hollow handle (43) is integrally formed with the head (41). A connecting cover (431) is formed transversely and integrally formed with the hollow handle (43). An electric circuit and wiring (not shown) are housed in the hollow handle (43). The battery holder (50) can provide power to the electric tool (40) and has a top surface (not numbered), a sidewall surface (not numbered) and a protrusion (51). The width of the top surface is smaller than the width of the whole battery holder (50). The protrusion (51) is integrally formed with the top surface of the battery holder (50) and has four sides (not numbered), four top edges (not numbered) and four electrical conduction contacts (52). Each electrical conduction contact (52) is mounted on a respective side and near the top edge. A position element (53) is mounted on a side and has a hook (531) extending out and near the top surface.
When the protrusion (51) is inserted into the hollow handle (43), the connecting cover (431) covers the top surface of the battery holder (50) and the electrical conduction contacts (52) face the circuit inside the hollow handle (43). When pressing the switch (44), the electric conduction contacts (52) will contact the circuit mounted inside the hollow handle (43) so the portable electric tool (40) will work.
The battery holder (50) and the conventional portable electric tool (40) are fixedly connected and the direction cannot be changed. When using the conventional portable electric tool (40), the battery holder (50) often collides with a wall and it is not convenient to handle the portable electric tool (40).
The present invention provides a portable electric tool with a bi-directionally mountable battery holder to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problem.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a portable electric tool with a bi-directionally mountable battery holder. The battery holder is mounted on the bottom surface of the handle and has two channels that can receive two dovetail keys formed on the handle.
When using the portable electric tool in accordance with the present invention, users can change the connecting direction of the battery holder to provide a convenient way to use the portable electric tool.

Portable electric tool with bi-directionally mountable battery holder