A camera includes an optical system configured to record images based on light entering the optical system from an optical field of view, a radar system configured to obtain radar information of targets within a radar field of view that is overlapping with the optical field of view, the radar information including one or more of a distance information indicating the distance of targets with respect to the camera, a speed information indicating the speed of targets with respect to the camera and dimension information indicating a dimension of targets, and a control unit configured to control at least one parameter of the optical system based on the obtained radar information.

Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a camera, to a camera system comprising a plurality of cameras and to a radar system for use in a camera.
Description of Related Art
Today's autofocus (AF) systems are mostly passive systems. The passive systems can be divided into two sub-categories, the contrast AF and the phase AF. The contrast AF relies on contrast maximization or edge sharpening of one or multiple objects in the scene. From the contrast or sharpness measurement it cannot be determined whether the focus position is too close or too far. Such a focus strategy is usually slow and requires a closed loop transfer function for the precise adjustment of the lens. The phase AF measures the disparity between two (or more) images of the object, which were captured through different parts of the lens aperture. The object distance is calculated from the disparity value by triangulation. The phase AF is faster than the contrast AF but still needs a few iteration steps for the precise adjustment of the lens. Both passive AF systems require a sufficient brightness of the scene. In that case an assist lamp is used to illuminate dark scenes, but this limits the useable depth range to a few meters only.
There are also active AF systems. One active AF system relies on infrared (IR) illuminations and uses an assist lamp usually interfering people's mood before a snapshot. The scene is illuminated with IR light, which is scattered back from the object. The object distance is measured from the time delay of the back-scattered light. Another active AF system uses simple or conventional ultrasonic signals to measure the distance to the object. Such an ultrasonic system is, however, not working when capturing objects through glass panels. Both active AF systems have a limited depth range of only a few meters and cannot measure the speed of objects.
Further, there are AI (artificial intelligence) servo focus systems on the market, e.g. used in the Sony α99 camera. Such AI servo focus systems generally use algorithms that constantly predict where a subject is about to be based on its speed and acceleration data from the autofocus sensor. AI servo is known also as "continuous focus" (AF-C). In focus tracking, it is used to track a subject as it moves around the frame, or towards and away from the camera. When in use, the lens will constantly maintain its focus on the subject, for which purpose it is commonly used for sports and action photography. The AI servo approach is a higher layer calculation of the speed and movements measurements. The artificial intelligence algorithms require lots of processing power raising the price and battery consumption of the camera system. Additionally, this processing causes delay when recording a snapshot. Furthermore, such processing has to be aware of the history of the scene to follow and predict the movement of the object. Sudden snapshots focusing to the objects with highest velocity are impossible.
Other focusing systems do not measure the distance to the object. They rely on sharpening the edges or optimizing the contrast in the picture content. The user touches the location on the screen that he likes to sharpen. The lens wobbles its dynamic range where an algorithm monitors at which lens position the sharpest image is achieved. Finally this lens position is selected. This method is time consuming and too slow for sports photographing, e.g. for focusing on a tennis racket when hitting the ball.
The "background" description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventor(s), to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.


Systems, methods and apparatuses of predictive maintenance of automotive transmission of vehicles. For example, the transmission has at least one sensor to measure a temperature in transmission fluid, the torque applied on a shaft of the transmission, a vibration sensor, and/or a microphone. During a period in which the vehicle is assumed to be operating normally, the sensor data generated by the transmission sensor(s) is used to train an artificial neural network to recognize the normal patterns in the sensor data. Subsequently, the trained artificial neural network is used to determine whether the current sensor data from the transmission sensor(s) are abnormal. A maintenance alert can be generated for the vehicle in response to a determination that the operations of the transmission are abnormal according to the artificial neural network and the current sensor data.

An automotive transmission is a gearbox that uses gears and gear trains to convert speed and torque between a driving shaft and a driven shaft. Typically, an automotive transmission can last over 150,000 miles, or approximately seven years with typical usages.
However, different driving and/or usage styles can have different impacts on the useful life of an automotive transmission. For example, overheating or failing to maintain the transmission fluid can reduce the life of the transmission. For example, drag racing or stopping abruptly the vehicle can reduce the life of the transmission. For example, using the transmission to hold the vehicle in a parking state without using the parking brake can reduce the life of the transmission. Driving on a bad transmission can be hazardous.
Recent developments in the technological area of autonomous driving allow a computing system to operate, at least under some conditions, control elements of a motor vehicle without the assistance from a human operator of the vehicle.
For example, sensors (e.g., cameras and radars) can be installed on a motor vehicle to detect the conditions of the surroundings of the vehicle traveling on a roadway. A computing system installed on the vehicle analyzes the sensor inputs to identify the conditions and generate control signals or commands for the autonomous adjustments of the direction and/or speed of the vehicle, with or without any input from a human operator of the vehicle.
In some arrangements, when a computing system recognizes a situation where the computing system may not be able to continue operating the vehicle in a safe manner, the computing system alerts the human operator of the vehicle and requests the human operator to take over the control of the vehicle and drive manually, instead of allowing the computing system to drive the vehicle autonomously.
Autonomous driving and/or Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) can use an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for the identification of events and/or objects that are captured in sensor inputs. Examples of sensor inputs include images from digital cameras, lidars, radars, ultrasound sonars, etc.
In general, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) uses a network of neurons to process inputs to the network and to generate outputs from the network.
For example, each neuron in the network receives a set of inputs. Some of the inputs to a neuron may be the outputs of certain neurons in the network; and some of the inputs to a neuron may be the inputs provided to the neural network. The input/output relations among the neurons in the network represent the neuron connectivity in the network.
For example, each neuron can have a bias, an activation function, and a set of synaptic weights for its inputs respectively. The activation function may be in the form of a step function, a linear function, a log-sigmoid function, etc. Different neurons in the network may have different activation functions.
For example, each neuron can generate a weighted sum of its inputs and its bias and then produce an output that is the function of the weighted sum, computed using the activation function of the neuron.
The relations between the input(s) and the output(s) of an ANN in general are defined by an ANN model that includes the data representing the connectivity of the neurons in the network, as well as the bias, activation function, and synaptic weights of each neuron. Using a given ANN model a computing device computes the output(s) of the network from a given set of inputs to the network.
For example, the inputs to an ANN network may be generated based on camera inputs; and the outputs from the ANN network may be the identification of an item, such as an event or an object.
A Spiking Neural Network (SNN) is a type of ANN that closely mimics natural neural networks. An SNN neuron produces a spike as output when the activation level of the neuron is sufficiently high. The activation level of an SNN neuron mimics the membrane potential of a natural neuron. The outputs/spikes of the SNN neurons can change the activation levels of other neurons that receive the outputs. The current activation level of an SNN neuron as a function of time is typically modeled using a differential equation and considered the state of the SNN neuron. Incoming spikes from other neurons can push the activation level of the neuron higher to reach a threshold for spiking. Once the neuron spikes, its activation level is reset. Before the spiking, the activation level of the SNN neuron can decay over time, as controlled by the differential equation. The element of time in the behavior of SNN neurons makes an SNN suitable for processing spatiotemporal data. The connectivity of SNN is often sparse, which is advantageous in reducing computational workload.
In general, an ANN may be trained using a supervised method where the parameters in the ANN are adjusted to minimize or reduce the error between known outputs resulted from respective inputs and computed outputs generated from applying the inputs to the ANN. Examples of supervised learning/training methods include reinforcement learning, and learning with error correction.
Alternatively, or in combination, an ANN may be trained using an unsupervised method where the exact outputs resulted from a given set of inputs is not known before the completion of the training. The ANN can be trained to classify an item into a plurality of categories, or data points into clusters.
Multiple training algorithms can be employed for a sophisticated machine learning/training paradigm.

Predictive maintenance of automotive transmission


A hybrid FIR filter includes a plurality of FIR filter units arranged as Direct Form FIR filters, connected together in an arrangement similar to a Transpose Form FIR filter. The hybrid filter arrangement may be used to configure a larger FIR filter in a programmable logic device having one or more specialized functional blocks, incorporating multipliers and adders, that are particularly well-suited for configuration as small Direct Form FIR filters.

This invention relates to a method for configuring a finite impulse response filter in a programmable logic device, and more particularly to efficiently configuring a finite impulse response filter of arbitrary size.
Programmable logic devices are well known. Early programmable logic devices were one-time configurable. For example, configuration may have been achieved by "blowing"—i.e., opening—fusible links. Alternatively, the configuration may have been stored in a programmable read-only memory. Those devices generally provided the user with the ability to configure the devices for "sum-of-products" (or "P-TERM") logic operations. Later, such programmable logic devices incorporating erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) for configuration became available, allowing the devices to be reconfigured.
Still later, programmable logic devices incorporating static random access memory (SRAM) elements for configuration became available. These devices, which also can be reconfigured, store their configuration in a nonvolatile memory such as an EPROM, from which the configuration is loaded into the SRAM elements when the device is powered up. These devices generally provide the user with the ability to configure the devices for look-up-table-type logic operations.
As programmable logic devices have become larger, it has become more common to add specialized blocks to perform particular functions that have become more common in programmable logic devices. For example, at some point, such devices began to be provided with embedded blocks of random access memory that could be configured by the user to act as random access memory, read-only memory, or logic (such as P-TERM logic); such embedded blocks might even be provided in different sizes on the same device. Other types of memory, such as read-only memory (ROM) or shift registers, also have been provided. More recently, multiplier circuits have been provided on programmable logic devices. Whereas in prior programmable logic devices space was not available for dedicated multipliers, current larger devices can accommodate multipliers. This spares users from having to create multipliers by configuring the available logic. Moreover, as described in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,538,470, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, specialized multiplier blocks may be provided including multipliers and other arithmetic circuits such as adders and/or subtracters and/or accumulators. Such blocks are sometimes referred to as "multiplier-accumulator blocks" or "MAC blocks." Such blocks, for example, may be useful in digital signal processing, such as is performed in audio applications, and therefore such specialized multiplier blocks also are sometimes referred to as "DSP blocks."
Such specialized multiplier blocks typically are capable of operations up to a certain size. For example, a specialized multiplier block may be provided that can perform a single 36-bit-by-36-bit multiplication operation, or up to four individual 18-bit-by-18-bit multiplication operations which can be combined by the aforementioned adders.
One use for such a specialized multiplier block may be as a finite impulse response (FIR) filter, or portion of a FIR filter. In a FIR filter, which is commonly used for DSP operations, samples of a signal to be processes are multiplied by a fixed set of coefficients and those products are added together. A FIR filter may be characterized by its number of taps, which corresponds to the number of multipliers and also to the number of coefficients.
A specialized multiplier block of the type described above necessarily has a finite number of multipliers. While such a block is particularly well-adapted to be configured as a FIR filter, if the number of multipliers required (i.e., the number of taps) exceeds the number of multipliers in the block, then more than one block must be used to create the required filter. For example, specialized multiplier blocks in the STRATIX® family of PLDs available from Altera Corporation, of San Jose, Calif., specialized multiplier blocks typically have four multipliers. On the other hand, in many DSP applications, FIR filters with over 200 taps are not unheard of. Thus, implementation of a FIR filter is frequently spread over a large number of specialized multiplier blocks, giving rise to routing and speed issues.
It would be desirable to be able to configure a FIR filter in a programmable logic device as efficiently as possible for a given number of filter taps.

Method for configuring a finite impulse response filter in a programmable logic device


An optical fiber is subjected to a series of traveling flexural waves propagating along a length of the fiber. At least a portion of an optical signal propagating within the optical fiber in a first propagation mode is coupled to a second propagation mode. The optical signal in the second propagation mode has a frequency which is equal to either the sum of or the difference between the frequency of the optical signal in the first propagation mode and the frequency of the traveling flexural waves. The frequency of the optical signal in the second propagation mode is shifted upward or downward from the frequency of the optical signal in the first propagation mode as determined by the direction of propagation of the first optical signal with respect to the direction of propagation of the traveling flexural waves, and as also determined by whether the phase propagation velocity of the optical signal in the first propagation mode is greater than or less than the propagation velocity of the optical signal in the second propagation mode. An acoustic wave is induced in a generator having a gradual tapered cross-section. The generator preferably has the shape of a horn and is coaxially mounted with said optical fiber, so as to suppress the acoustic wave induced in the optical fiber in the reverse direction.

Fiber optic frequency shifters are useful devices for a variety of fiber optic sensor and signal processing applications, such as in fiber optic gyroscopes and the like. It has been shown, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,215, entitled "Single Mode Fiber Optic Single Sideband Modulator," filed on Nov. 30, 1983, and assigned to the assignee of the present application, that light launched in one propagation mode of a fiber can be coupled to another propagation mode and shifted in frequency by propagating an acoustic wave along the length of the fiber to cause a periodic stress of the fiber. The light is shifted in frequency by an amount equal to the frequency of the acoustic wave. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,215 is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
As set forth in the above-referenced patent, if the acoustic wave propagates along the fiber in the same direction as the direction of an optical signal propagating through the fiber, light traveling in a first propagation mode in the fiber at a first phase velocity and at a first frequency is coupled to a second propagation mode at a second phase velocity higher than the first phase velocity and is shifted downward in frequency. Similarly, if the light is originally propagating in the fiber in a faster propagation mode, the light is coupled to a slower propagation mode at a higher frequency. On the other hand, if the acoustic wave propagates along the fiber in a direction opposite the direction of an optical signal propagating through the fiber, light traveling in a slower propagation mode is coupled to a faster propagation mode and is shifted upward in frequency. Similarly, light traveling in a faster propagation mode opposite the direction of propagation of an acoustic wave is coupled to a slower propagation mode and is shifted downward in frequency.
For optimal coupling to occur in the frequency shifter described in the above-referenced patent, the acoustic wavelength, in the direction of propagation of the optical signal through the fiber, is preferably substantially equal to a characteristic of the fiber, referred to as the beat length of the fiber for a given optical signal traveling through the fiber at a specified frequency. As is well known, when light travels through a fiber in more than one propagation mode, the light travels through the fiber at a different phase velocity for each of the different propagation modes. Light traveling in the slower propagation mode travels at a lower phase velocity than light in a faster propagation mode. Thus, a light signal having a fixed frequency will have an effective wavelength in the faster propagation mode longer than it has in the slower propagation mode. As the light propagates down the length of the fiber, a phase difference will thus develop between the light in the two modes. At spatially periodic distances, the light in the two modes will be in phase. The distance between successive locations where the light is in phase is referred to as the beat length of the fiber for the two modes at a specified frequency.
For the devices discussed in the above-mentioned patent, the beat length preferably matches the acoustic wavelength in order to achieve optimal optical coupling of energy between the modes. The light propagating along a fiber in one propagation mode is converted to light propagating in a second propagation mode by applying a periodic, traveling wave, compressive force along a segment of the length of the fiber. A more complete description of this technique is found in "Single-Sideband Frequency Shifting in Birefringent Optical Fiber," W. P. Risk, et al., SPIE Volume 478 - Fiber Optic and Laser Sensors II (1984), pp. 91-97, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. This article will be referred to as the Risk article.
Background information on frequency shifting by excitation of an acoustic wave along a multimode fiber may be found in the aforementioned U S. patent applications Ser. No. 820,513, now abandoned Ser. No. 909,503 now abandoned and Ser. No. 048,142 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,437. These prior patent applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference. The principal characteristics of acousto-optic coupling are now summarized hereinbelow.
It has been shown that acoustic flexural waves propagating along an optical two-mode fiber provide an efficient coupling between the modes. This effect was demonstrated in a frequency shifter configuration, although many other applications are conceivable. These include amplitude modulators, phase modulators, switches and switchable couplers.
A multimode fiber is a fiber which can support more than one spatial propagation mode for an optical signal. The fundamental mode, LP.sub.01, has the slowest phase propagation velocity of the spatial propagation modes. The portion of an optical signal traveling in the LP.sub.01 mode has its optical energy concentrated near the center of the core of the optical fiber. Light traveling in the second order LP.sub.11 mode, or odd mode, has an electrical field amplitude distribution having two maxima displaced away from the center of the core. In a substantially straight, unstressed optical fiber, the LP.sub.01 mode and the LP.sub.11 mode are considered to be orthogonal propagation modes, such that light traveling in one of the modes is not ordinarily coupled to the other mode.
It has been found that if a fiber is bent, a portion of the optical energy entering the bent portion of the fiber in one mode (for instance, the first order LP.sub.01 mode) is coupled to the orthogonal mode (for instance, the second order LP.sub.11 mode) as the optical energy propagates through the bent portion of the fiber. It has been discovered that light propagating along such a fiber may be converted from one mode to the other by applying a static periodic microbending force along a segment of the fibers length which is properly matched to the characteristic length L of the fiber. The distance L, also called the beat length, is calculated as L=2.pi./.DELTA.k, where .DELTA.k is the difference in the propagation constants of the two modes along the fiber.
It has also been found that if an optical frequency is selected to provide a minimum beat length for the first and second order propagation modes, the frequency of the optical signal can be varied substantially above and below the center frequency without causing a significant change in the difference between the propagation constants of the two modes. When an optical fiber is formed into a series of periodic microbends which are spaced by a beat length, the coupling between the two spatial propagation modes of an optical signal traveling through the fiber have a cumulative effect. This effect has been demonstrated in theory in "Bending Effects in Optical Fibers," Henry F. Taylor, Journal of Light Wave Technology, vol. LT-2, pp. 616-633 (1984). This article is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The propagation of an acoustic wave through a fiber not only causes light to be coupled from one propagation mode to another propagation mode, but also allows a shift in frequency. This is disclosed in detail in the Risk article. While this article discusses coupling between polarization modes in a birefringent fiber, a similar effect has been described for coupling between spatial modes in multimode fibers when an externally applied stress is applied to the fiber. See, for example, the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,215. Thus, an optical signal exiting from one end of the fiber exits at a frequency which is shifted in frequency from the frequency which was input at the first end portion of the fiber. This frequency is equal to the frequency input plus or minus the frequency of the signal applied to the transducer used to generate the acoustic wave. Whether the frequency of the acoustic wave is added to or subtracted from the frequency of the optical input signal is determined by whether the signal is input in the first order mode or the second order mode, and whether or not the optical signal is propagating in the same direction as the propagating microbend.
In the embodiment disclosed in the aforementioned prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 048,142, a transducer in the form of a horn is positioned adjacent an optical fiber and fused thereto to provide good acoustic contact between the fiber and one end of the horn transducer. In this embodiment, the horn transducer is substantially perpendicular to the propagation axis of the light wave in the optical fiber. This horn transducer is tapered, having a diameter substantially larger at one end than the diameter at the other end. A piece of piezoelectric material is bonded to the distal end, i.e., large diameter end, of the horn. When an electrical signal is applied to the piece of piezoelectric material, this material expands and contracts so as to generate a series of acoustic waveforms propagating through the horn from the distal end (large diameter) to the proximal end (smaller diameter). The acoustic energy of this transducer is coupled directly to the optical fiber to cause movement transverse to the longitudinal axis of the fiber, thus inducing a vibration in the fiber which propagates away from the coupling location as a traveling flexural wave or traveling microbend. The tapered horn acts as an acoustic funnel which concentrates the acoustic energy applied at the distal end of the horn. In this embodiment, the optical fiber also comprises a damper proximate to the location where the transducer is fused to the fiber, to limit the travel of the microbend in the fiber to a single direction. This damper is typically formed of damping material which surrounds the fiber at a location proximate to the location at which the horn contacts the fiber. The damper is usually supported by a support block.

Fiber optic intermode coupling single sideband frequency shifter

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


Modular vehicle units, including aircraft interior storage units, and associated methods are disclosed herein. One embodiment is directed toward an aircraft system that includes a modular unit and at least one latch or releasable coupler to couple the modular unit to at least one surface of an aircraft. Another embodiment is directed toward a vehicle system that includes a vehicle having a first surface and a second surface. A modular unit can be positioned generally against the first and second surfaces. The system can further include at least one latch or releasable coupler to couple the modular unit to at least one of the first and second surfaces. In further embodiments, the system can include at least one locating device for positioning the modular unit.

Vehicles often include cabinets that serve as storage space and/or house electrical components. For example, some mini-vans have free-standing cabinets that are movable among multiple fixed locations between laterally disposed seats. These free-standing cabinets connect to the floor of the vehicle with a hook mechanism and include electrical connections for plugging in accessories (e.g., a cellular phone recharging device).
Aircraft, which are often subject to more severe operating environments and more stringent/rigorous safety regulations than automobiles, also use cabinets to provide storage space and/or to house electrical components. For example, an aircraft cockpit often includes several storage bins, instrument panels, and other electrical devices housed in cabinets throughout the cockpit. These cabinets or bins are generally built into the cockpit and/or attached to the cockpit via various fasteners (e.g., screws and/or nuts or bolts) to withstand predetermined levels of acceleration in various directions.
Accordingly, special brackets and/or subframes are often required to install these cabinets in the cockpit resulting in a large number of parts being required and a substantial amount of weight being dedicated to installing and supporting the cabinets. Additionally, installing the cabinets with fasteners can take a significant amount of time. The high part count and significant amount of installation time associated with these cabinets can increase manufacturing time and expense. Additionally, maintaining, repairing, and/or replacing these cabinets can be difficult and time-intensive.


A photographic film spool is comprised of a spool core which includes a pair of flanges, a slot for film insertion, and a pair of walls. The walls face each other and form the slot for film insertion. One of the walls of the spool is provided with a ramp portion which is formed so as to approach the other wall gradually in the direction of film insertion, a retention hook which is provided at the top of the ramp portion and which engages an aperture of the trailing end of the photographic film, and penetrated portions which are formed on both sides of the retention hook and which penetrate the one wall in the direction perpendicular to the direction of film insertion. The other wall has a hold-down projection which inhibits the photographic film from becoming detached from the retention hook. The spool allows easy removal of the trailing end of the photographic film from the spool core without damage after use.

This invention relates to a spool for winding a photographic film.
In the conventional photographic film spool, a slot for film insertion is formed on the spool core. A pair of hooks is provided on one of the facing walls of the slot, and a rib to inhibit slipping out of film is provided on the other wall. The rib to inhibit slipping out is disposed on the part to counter the center between the aforementioned hooks. The trailing end of the photographic film is engaged with the hooks and the rib to inhibit slipping out (Japanese Utility Model KOKAI No. 58-178143, Japanese Patent KOKAI Nos. 58-203436, 62-240957).
When photographing is finished, the photographic film engaged with the spool core is cut off near the spool, and then developed. The trailing end portion of the photographic film cut off is still engaged with the hooks and the rib to inhibit slipping out, and remains on the spool core.
Incidentally, resource saving has recently been required widely, and used spools have become recycled. In the recycling, the trailing end portion of the photographic film engaged with the spool core represents an impurity, and therefore, it must be removed.
However, in the above conventional spool, it was difficult to remove the photographic film without damage, and powder of the base resin, photographic emulsion and the like generated and contaminated the plastic produced by recycling the spool.

Photographic film spool having an arrangement for receiving and holding an end of the film


A water heater flushing system includes a housing having an inlet configured to be coupled to a drain port of the water heater and receive water therefrom, and an outlet configured to discharge water from the housing. A series of filter elements are positioned and spaced apart within the housing transverse to a water flow path defined between the inlet and the outlet, the series of filter elements are configured to separate solid impurities from the water according to different particle sizes (e.g. progressively different or finer particle sizes) in the water flow path between the inlet and the outlet. A viewing feature, such as a transparent lid, is carried by the housing and configured to provide visual access to an interior of the housing for inspection of separated solid impurities at each of the filter elements. A sediment buster may be coupled to the inlet of the housing and configured to send a fluid into the drain port of the water heater. The sediment buster may include a fluid supply device, and shut-off valve between the fluid supply device and the inlet of the housing.

Referring to FIG. 1, typical electric and gas water heaters have a number of components in common, including the tank, the drain valve, the temperature and pressure relief (TPR) valve and associated discharge or overflow tube, an internal anode, dip tube and pipes for cold water inlet and hot water outlet. As supply valve is also typically included for shutting off water to the tank. In both cases, the internal tank is wrapped with insulating material to keep the water hotter longer. Heating elements and thermostats are included, although not shown.
A water heater needs regular maintenance for maintaining performance. A water heater flush is intended to clear out sediment and minerals, such as calcium and lime, that could impede the water heater's performance. Most manufacturers recommend flushing a water heater at least once per year, but this need could also depend on water quality in the region. For example, the harder the water is in the region, the more likely a flush is needed frequently.
Over time, these sediment and mineral deposits collect at the base of a water heater tank. These deposits can build up to a thick, hard coating. This coating diminishes the transfer of heat from the burner to the water in the tank, and eventually also causes corrosion. Additionally, deposits can break free, clogging faucets, pipes, and the valve that is used to flush or empty the water heater tank.
In addition to decreased efficiency, leaving the sediment and minerals to build up in the water heater tank can lead to various other problems including, for example, loss of water pressure, and/or complete failure of the water heater.
Typically, the water heaters are flushed or cleaned utilizing an open flushing approach that includes opening the drain valve for a sufficient period of time until water runs clear. Unfortunately, clogs of sediment can often prevent draining, and the approach is not environmentally friendly as the gallons of sediment filled water are often drained to the yard or into some other container for disposal. Such approaches waste water and may create risks to users, bystanders, and to the environment in which they are used.
U.S. Published Application No. 2012/0118246 to Oberkorn et al. and titled "Sealed and self-contained tankless water heater flushing system" is directed to a sealed and self-contained tankless water heater flushing system including a holding basin, a submersible pump contained within the holding basin, a submersible pump hose, a filter system, a discharge hose for connecting the discharge opening to the water heater, and a filter hose for connecting the filter opening to the water heater.
However, there is a need for a water heater flushing system that is more environmentally friendly by conserving water and not contaminating the environment, that allows for the visual inspection and analysis of the sediment and minerals, and that can more easily break up a clog at the water heater drain.
This background section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of typical technology that may be related to various aspects or embodiments of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be useful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects and embodiments of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in light of, and not as admissions of, the prior art.

Water container flushing system including sediment separator, sediment buster and associated methods


A method and apparatus for facilitating provisioning of network appliances based on different environments. A mapping server is provided to communicate with networked devices from different environments. The mapping server receives a request for a network address of a corresponding configuration server from one of the networked devices, determines a network identifier of this networked devices based on the request, and searches a mapping table for the network address of the corresponding configuration server using the network identifier of the networked device. The mapping server then provides the network address of the corresponding configuration server to the networked device.

Networked computers are used to transmit and fetch information to and from local sources (e.g., computers used in a business) and remote sources (e.g., enterprise services offered over the Internet). One exemplary network computer is a network appliance that is placed on a customer network to monitor devices of the customer network. While performing its intended operations, the network appliance can communicate with different components of a service provider's system. These components may include, for example, a web server providing user interfaces (UIs) to the customer network's IT administrator and other users, a backend server receiving monitoring data from the network appliance and generating alerts and various reports, a database server storing monitoring data in a database, etc.
A network appliance can operate in the production environment by default. However, the service provider usually develops and deploys its services in many other environments. For example, the service provider may develop its services in the development environment, test its services in the quality assurance (QA) environment, and deploy its services in the staging environment or the production environment. When the network appliance designated to operate in the production environment by default is used in a different environment, the network appliance needs to be manually switched to the different environment. As with any manual operation, the above switching of the network appliance is prone to human errors, is inefficient, and creates inconvenience for users.

Provisioning network resources by environment and network address


The present invention provides a novel high-silica zeolite having a high molar ration of a tetravalent element (Y) to a trivalent element (X) in terms of oxide.

Currently, zeolites, having properties such as molecular-sieve effects due to pores caused by the framework structures of the zeolites, ion exchange ability, catalytic ability, and adsorption ability, have been widely utilized as adsorbents, ion exchange agents, industrial catalysts, and environmental catalysts.
The basic unit of a zeolite structure is the tetrahedral structure of SiO4 or AlO4 (collectively referred to as "TO4 tetrahedron"). An RHO-type zeolite is composed of a body centered cubic arrangement of truncated cuboctahedra or α-cages linked by a double eight-membered ring. RHO-type aluminosilicate zeolites have received attention as separation materials because of exhibiting especially excellent flexibility for cations, gas molecules, water molecules, and the like due to framework structures peculiar to the RHO-type aluminosilicate zeolites (Patent Documents 1 and 2).
As an aluminosilicate zeolite, a zeolite having a practically high SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio (hereinafter referred to as "SAR") has been demanded in view of the stability, catalyst performance, and the like of the zeolite. It has been considered that in the case of using the zeolite for a use such as, for example, a catalyst for purifying exhaust emissions, the trivalent element-oxygen-tetravalent element bond (for example, Al—O—Si) of the zeolite is cleaved to separate the trivalent element (for example, Al), which decreases the activity of a metal supported as a catalyst, thereby deteriorating the ability of the catalyst, under the situation of high temperature and the presence of moisture. Further, damage to the structure itself of a zeolite is problematic even if the zeolite is not for a catalyst. It is expected that possible obtainment of a zeolite having a high SAR results in the decreased number of bonds between a trivalent element (for example, Al) and oxygen, and therefore enables stability to be improved and the deterioration of catalytic activity to be prevented. Thus, many zeolites having high SAR have been conventionally synthesized using organic compound structure-directing agents (SDAs). RHO-type aluminosilicate zeolites synthesized without any SDAs have low SAR (about 3) and contain large amounts of impurities (Non Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 3). On the other hand, in 1995, J. Patarin et al. synthesized an RHO-type zeolite having a high SAR of 8.8 using 18-crown-6-ether as an SDA (Non Patent Document 2). Since then, any synthesized RHO-type zeolite having an SAR of more than 8.8 has not been obtained although researchers have examined various synthetic conditions and have attempted synthesis of an RHO-type zeolite having a higher SAR (Non Patent Documents 3 to 6).
Further, Non Patent Documents 7 to 9 propose methods for producing an RHO-type aluminosilicate zeolite having high stability by subjecting a synthesized RHO-type aluminosilicate zeolite to high-temperature steaming treatment to extract some of Al atoms in the framework from the framework, thereby synthesizing the zeolite having a high SAR with respect to the Al atoms present in the framework of the zeolite. However, in the RHO-type aluminosilicate zeolite prepared by the methods, the Al atoms extracted from the framework remain as AlOx seeds in the pores of the zeolite, and therefore, it is impossible to enhance the overall SAR of the zeolite including the inside and outside of the framework. Further, the AlOx seed molecules preclude entrance into and exit from the internal cages and the pores of the zeolite, and it is impossible to sufficiently obtain performances such as ion exchange ability, catalytic ability, and adsorption separation ability for a zeolite.

Zeolite, and production method and use therefor

Abstract: A zeolite, comprising at least a trivalent element X and a tetravalent element Y, wherein a molar ratio n=YO2/X2O3 in terms of oxide is 9.5 or more, and the zeolite comprises an RHO-type structure, or comprising at least a trivalent element X and a tetravalent element Y, wherein a molar ratio n=YO2/X2O3 in terms of oxide is 9.5 or more, and a characteristic X-ray diffraction pattern. This zeolite is produced by hydrothermal synthesis of a zeolite from an aqueous gel that is prepared by adding a mixed solution comprising a crown ether, an alkali, and water to a solution containing an aluminum atom material, and by then dropwise adding a liquid containing a silicon atom material.


An apparatus and method for installation of oil field tubulars, such as liners, is disclosed. The invention allows positioning of a liner with assurances that rotational forces or pressure applied within or outside the work string will actuate the packer or the release assembly above the packer. Specific deliberate steps must be taken in order that rotational forces or applied pressure actuate the packer setting assembly and the disconnect assembly. The preliminary deliberate steps which must be taken also incorporate a feature of converting a gravel pack crossover assembly from the flow through mode to the crossover mode to facilitate the gravel placement. Circulation or reverse circulation to promote removal debris upon insertion of the assembly without fear of actuation of the packer and disconnect assembly are also provided. A retention system to ensure the continuing functioning of the crossover assembly in the crossover mode is provided such that if differential forces on the sealing member are reduced to a very low value, the retaining mechanism acts to keep the sealing member against the seat to ensure continuing viability of operation of the crossover assembly during the placement of gravel. The unlocking is accomplished with a series of steps which invoice reuse of an auxiliary sealing member in at least two positions in the wellbore.

In the past, subsequent to drilling the wellbore, a liner is frequently installed prior to the onset of regular production. Typically, a procedure commonly known in the industry as gravel packing is performed. An assembly composed of a work string, a running tool assembly, a disconnect assembly, a packer assembly, and a liner assembly, is put together at the surface and lowered into the wellbore. If a gravel pack procedure is contemplated, a gravel pack crossover assembly is installed usually between the packer assembly and the liner assembly. In the past, after positioning the liner assembly at the desired location in the wellbore, the packer is set and the work string must be disconnected from the packer to be removed from the wellbore. Prior designs have involved disconnect assemblies that require rotation which allows a thread to disengage. Other mechanical connections that can be undone by rotation alone or in combination with a push or a pull have also been used in the past as the mode of disconnection between the disconnect assembly and the packer. Alternative designs have used pressure buildup which in turn creates a series of mechanical movements to facilitate disconnection between the disconnect assembly and the packer.
During routine operations with the liner systems described above, the entire assembly would be placed in the wellbore. The running tool would be actuated, thereby setting the packer. Thereafter, the disconnect assembly would be actuated to release the tubing string from the packer. At that time, if the particular operation called for it, a gravel pack procedure would be done. At the conclusion of a gravel pack procedure, the running tool assembly and the internal sections of the gravel pack crossover assembly are withdrawn, leaving the packer and liner assembly in the wellbore.
The prior systems for liner installation suffered from several drawbacks. One important drawback is a limited ability to rotate. The reason is that rotation could result in premature actuation of the disconnect assembly or setting the packer. Sometimes rotation is required, such as if the assembly is stuck in the wellbore. In those situations, experience has shown that many times the assembly can be unstuck if there is a capability to rotate. Previous designs have used shear pins to prevent premature actuation of the disconnect assembly. However, shear pins have a predetermined ability to resist shear forces up to the failure point. Sometimes forces larger than the capacity of the shear pins are required to liberate the assembly from a stuck position. As wellbores get more and more deviated or if they contain doglegs, the probability of sticking the assembly is increased. What has been lacking is a locking mechanism which ensures that the disconnect assembly will not be actuated upon the application of rotational force which may at times be necessary to further advance the assembly if it becomes stuck.
Another drawback of prior designs that actuate or disconnect hydraulically is that there are occasions, when running in the liner assembly, that the debris in the wellbore accumulates within the central flowpath or outside of the assembly. Experience has shown that to remove such accumulated debris within the central bore or on the outside of the assembly, pressure can be applied from the surface either through the annulus or through the central bore to circulate or reverse circulate this debris out of the wellbore. The debris needs to be removed so that subsequent procedures can take place. Unfortunately, if the assembly is hydraulically actuated, pressure buildup in trying to move accumulated debris, either within the central bore or in the annulus, can create sufficient forces to cause premature actuation of the running tool assembly and/or premature actuation of the disconnect assembly. Accordingly, what is needed is a tool and method of the present invention which prevents actuation, regardless of the amount of pressure buildup. This is done by constructing the apparatus in such a manner that deliberate steps must be taken at the surface in order for the pressure applied for debris removal to actuate either the running tool assembly, i.e., the packer, or the disconnect assembly adjacent the packer. One of several ways to do this is to provide a pressure-balanced tool assembly which accordingly cannot be actuated until a pressure-type plug device or other device is inserted into the assembly. Similarly, the disconnect assembly can be locked positively, using mechanical or hydraulic mechanisms which will not actuate on pressure buildup until several preliminary steps are deliberately taken. Without these preliminary steps, any application of pressure in the apparatus or outside of it will not actuate the setting assembly for the packer or the disconnect assembly adjacent the packer.
It should be noted that prior designs suffered from the problem of inadvertent actuation, regardless of whether the applied pressure was in the annulus or in the central flowpath. Some prior designs were set up to actuate on increasing annulus pressure.
Another drawback of the prior art has been that when using a gravel pack crossover assembly, circulation was not possible to the bottom of the liner assembly because the presence of the crossover assembly provided a path of least resistance immediately downhole from the packer assembly. The apparatus and method of the present invention provide a convertible gravel pack crossover assembly. The apparatus and method have been developed such that the necessary preliminary steps of defeating the various locks and setting the packer have incorporated a feature of converting the crossover sub into the crossover mode. Additional features have been added such that the mechanism which accomplishes this conversion from straight through to the crossover mode is physically retained in a sealing relationship against the circulation forces which act on it, which would in some instances tend to make the mechanism come away from the sealing surface. Accordingly, the apparatus and method have included a retaining feature for the sealing member which accomplishes the conversion to crossover flow. The apparatus and method of the present invention have the flexibility to allow circulation or reverse circulation to remove debris and changeover of a convertible gravel pack crossover assembly to permit deposition of the gravel outside the liner and a return flow through the crossover member out the annulus onto the surface.
One of the objects of this invention is to allow security for the operator to know that application of twisting forces or hydraulic pressure within the liner assembly or in the annulus outside will not inadvertently actuate the release mechanism or set the packer prematurely.

Failsafe liner installation assembly and method


A cathode active material, a cathode including the cathode active material, and a lithium battery including the cathode. A lithium manganese phosphate cathode active material having an olivine structure represented by LixMn1-y-zM′yM″zPO4, where 0.6≦x≦1.0, 0<y≦0.2, 0<z≦0.1, M′ is at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Mg, Fe, Co, Ni, Ca, Cu and Zn, and M″ is at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Zr and Mo.

1. Field
An embodiment of the present disclosure relates to cathode active materials, cathodes including the cathode active materials, and lithium batteries including the cathodes, and more particularly, to cathode active materials having a high voltage and energy density, cathodes including the cathode active materials, and lithium batteries including the cathodes.
2. Description of the Related Art
A lithium metal phosphate has high stability when used as a cathode active material in a rechargeable battery. For example, since LiFePO4 has a strong Fe—P—O bond, oxygen does not leak even if an electrolyte battery is shortened or overheats.
A LiFePO4 material that has been widely used has excellent thermal stability and lifetime properties, but reduced energy density due to a low voltage of 3.4 V. On the other hand, a LiMnPO4 material has the same theoretical capacity as the LiFePO4 material and a voltage equal to or greater than 4.0 V, and thus the LiMnPO4 material has a theoretical energy density higher by 15% or more than the LiFePO4 material.
However, a structural change referred to as Jahn-Teller distortion occurs in a LiMnPO4 material due to Mn+3 ions generated during charging, and thus an actual capacity of the LiMnPO4 material is so low.

Cathode active material, cathode including the same and lithium battery including cathode


A cable conveyor for transporting hanging light loads such as garments suspended on hangers, said conveyor comprising a mainly horizontal active flight and a non-active return flight said active flight being supported by a number of carrying rollers and being giuded by leading rollers engaging the active flight from above, the conveyor further comprising a frame upon which the rollers are mounted, said frame being embodied as an extrusion profile in the interior of which at least the active flight as well as the carrying rollers and the leading rollers are accommodated.

This invention relates to a cable conveyor for light loads in particular for garments suspended on hangers. Cable conveyors are simple devices for transporting light loads and do not necessitate any dogs, cars, trolleys and the like load pushing or carrying members. The cable of such a conveyor is at the same time the pulling- and carrying element for the loads.

Cable conveyor for light loads, in particular garments


An aluminum composite material as a brake disk material for railroad vehicles is obtained by dispersing and mixing reinforcement particles of alumina, silicon carbide or the like into an aluminum alloy. The reinforcement particles are 5 to 100 .mu.m in diameter, and are dispersed uniformly in the alloy in an amount of 1 to 25% by weight. An extremely excellent brake disk material for railroad vehicles is thus provided which is light in weight and has high strength, good thermal conductivity and high wear resistance.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a brake disk material for railroad vehicles which is used as a material for brake disks for use in high-speed railroad vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a brake disk material adopted for disk brake systems in railroad vehicles having a maximum service velocity of around 100 km/h, there has hitherto been used a pearlitic-matrix flaky graphite cast iron which, according to Japanese National Railway Standard (hereinafter referred to JRS) 12209-1, has a tensile strength of at least 274 MPa and a hardness of 183 to 269 HB. As a brake disk material adopted for high-speed railroad vehicles with a maximum velocity reaching 220 km/h, on the other hand, there has been used a low-alloyed pearlitic-matrix flaky graphite cast iron (Ni: 1.0 to 2.0% by weight, Cr: 0.3 to 0.6% by weight, Mo: 0.3 to 0.5% by weight, hereinafter referred to as "NCM cast iron") which, according to JRS 12209-2, has a tensile strength of at least 245 MPa and a hardness of 210 to 280 HB.
The brake disk material constituted of the NCM cast iron is characterized by an appropriate average coefficient of friction, a stable instantaneous coefficient of friction and a low rate of wear, which ensure a braking force fulfilling the specifications both at the time of service braking for stop (initial speed braking: 35 km/h) and at the time of emergency braking for stop (initial speed braking: 220 km/h). The brake disk material of the NCM cast iron is thus superior to general-purpose pearlitic-matrix flaky graphite cast irons in resistance to heat cracking at the sliding surfaces of brake disks, even under high-frequency (service braking) or high-load (emergency braking) frictional conditions.
The NCM cast iron is obtained through increases in the size and number of graphite particles formed in the structure of the metal to serve for absorption and relaxation of thermal stress, with the attendant reduction in strength being compensated for by reinforcement of the matrix structure through alloying with Ni, Cr and Mo. Comparable to JIS FC25 grade cast irons in strength, the NCM cast iron has good thermal conductivity and excellent resistance to mechanical damage caused by heat loads.
Recently, a maximum velocity of 240 km/h has been realized with railroad vehicles, and a still higher velocity is being sought. Under such existing conditions, the brake disk materials conventionally used have been confronted by new problems. Namely, in case of a high-load braking with the brake disk material in such high-speed vehicles in an emergency, the heat crack resistance of the sliding surfaces, even if formed of the NCM cast iron, may be unsatisfactory.
In view of the above, it has been contemplated to prevent the generation of heat cracks by using a material of further higher strength and toughness, and a forged steel brake disk material has recently been developed and put to practical use. However, the original reason for the use of cast iron in place of steel as a brake disk material is the stable friction-wear characteristics of the cast iron during braking, due to the presence of free carbon (graphite) in the cast iron. Therefore, the forged steel brake disk material has the problems of instability in coefficient of friction during braking and a greater permanent set of the material in use, as compared to the cast iron brake disk material.
With the increasingly higher velocity recently intended for railroad vehicles as mentioned above, the brake disk materials for use in such railroad vehicles are required to have a good balance of friction-wear characteristics, material strength and thermal damage resistance. Furthermore, in order to meet the requirement for smaller non-suspended weight on a design basis, development of a nonferrous brake disk material of high performance has been desired. A typical example of lightweight nonferrous metals is aluminum alloy. When a conventional aluminum alloy is used as a brake disk material for railroad vehicles, however, the material does not show satisfactory friction-wear characteristics or the like in such application, and leads to large disk wear as well as seizure or the like, by which the pad material as a mating material is also consumed.

Brake disk material for railroad vehicle


Copolymers including at least one optionally substituted 2-hydroxy-5-sulfonic aniline as a first constituent unit and at least one optionally substituted phenylenediamine as a second constituent unit are disclosed. Compositions containing the copolymers, and methods of making the copolymers are also disclosed. The compositions can also contain for example an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) and/or electrical conducting additives. The compositions can, for example, be used for detecting lead ions in a sample.

The present application relates to compositions and methods for detecting metal ions, such as lead ions, in a sample.
Over the past decades, many analytical techniques have been developed for quantitatively determining trace lead ions. Potentiometric ion selective electrodes (ISEs) are known to be a low-cost tool for sensitive and rapid determination of lead ions. However, the traditional polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-based potentiometric sensor has been restricted to micromolar range due to the undesired leaching and uptake effects.
Various ISEs, for example ISEs with plasticizer-free polymers including polyacrylate, silicone rubber and polyurethane, have been made to address the limitations of PVC-based ISEs. However, these ISEs have their own challenges. For example, acrylate polymers are not commercially available and must be synthesized via photopolymerization, and silicone rubber and polyurethane are generally incompatible with reported ionophores. There is a need for developing long-lasting electrode sensors that allows reliable detections and measurements for metal ions in a sample at trace levels.

Lead ion sensors, methods of making and uses thereof


Systems, components, and methodologies are provided for improvements in operation of automotive vehicles by enabling monitoring analysis and reaction to subtle sources of information that aid in prediction and response of vehicle control systems across a range of automation levels. Such systems, components, and methodologies include wheel-turn detection equipment for detecting a wheel angle of another vehicle to trigger a vehicle control system to perform an operation based on the detected wheel angle of the other vehicle.

Electric vehicles, which may utilize at least partial electric motive power, can present new challenges in practical use. Safety considerations which may be common to purely combustion powered vehicles may not address all practical concerns for electric vehicles. For example, high voltage sources can be present in electric vehicles. The functional design of electric vehicles can enhance the safety of electrical systems by addressing such practical concerns. The safety of occupants, technicians, and rescue workers can be improved by practical design considering issues relevant to electric vehicles.

Electric vehicle safety system and methods


A loading platform is capable of tilting on a vehicle body. In accordance with a position of an operating lever for operating a hoist cylinder for tilting the loading platform and ON/OFF of a limit change switch operated by an operator, a running speed of the vehicle body is limited. If the loading platform is not seated and the limit change switch is OFF, the running speed is limited to a first speed limit or less which is low speed running. If the loading platform is not seated and the limit change switch is ON, when the operating lever is at a lowering position or a floating position, change of the speed limit to a second speed limit faster than the first speed limit is allowed. When the operating lever is at a raising or holding position, the change of the speed limit from the first speed limit is prohibited.

A large-sized conveyance vehicle called a dump truck is generally provided with a loading platform called a vessel capable of being tilted in upward and downward directions by using a rear side as a fulcrum on a frame of a vehicle body. The conveyance vehicle is to transport and convey a load to be transported to a transportation destination (an unloading site, a load collecting site) in a state in which the load (crushed stones, earth and sand, for example) is loaded on this loading platform in a large quantity (Patent Document 1).
The conveyance vehicle according to this type of conventional art is composed of an automotive vehicle body, a loading platform provided on a vehicle body for loading a load, capable of tilting (rise and fall) by using the rear side as a fulcrum, and a hoist cylinder provided between the loading platform and the vehicle body and tilting the loading platform upward or downward by extending or contracting when the load is to be discharged from the loading platform.
Such a conveyance vehicle runs to the transportation destination in the state loaded with a load in the loading platform and then, rotationally moves the loading platform upward by extending the hoist cylinder and discharges the load to the unloading site along a tilting direction of the loading platform by this raising operation. On the other hand, after the discharging operation is finished, the hoist cylinder is driven in a contracting direction or the hoist cylinder is contracted by its own weight on the loading platform side, for example. Therefore, the loading platform falls so as to gradually lower to a position where the loading platform is seated on the vehicle body.
Incidentally, running in the state in which the loading platform is not seated on the vehicle body is not preferable since it is concerned that the loading platform might touch an obstacle such as an electric wire, a piping and the like, for example. Patent Document 2 discloses a vessel raised running preventing device configured such that if a tilting angle of the loading platform is at a predetermined angle or more, an accelerator pedal is locked by an actuator, and if the tilting angle of the loading platform is at the predetermined angle or more, normal running is prohibited.

HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.


A piezoelectric device includes an actuator substrate that includes a plurality of piezoelectric element rows having a plurality of piezoelectric elements, and a wiring substrate that is disposed so as to face the actuator substrate. The piezoelectric element rows include a plurality of individual electrodes disposed for each of the piezoelectric elements, and a common electrodes common to the plurality of piezoelectric elements. The wiring substrate includes a core portion disposed on a surface on the actuator substrate side, an individual wiring portion that partially covers the core portion, a common wiring portion that partially covers the core portion, and an auxiliary wiring disposed in a groove portion disposed on a first principal surface on the side opposite to the actuator substrate or on a second principal surface on the actuator substrate side. The auxiliary wiring is electrically connected to the common wiring portion. The individual electrode and the common electrode are respectively electrically connected to the individual wiring portion and the common wiring portion.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a piezoelectric device, a liquid ejecting head, and a liquid ejecting apparatus.
2. Related Art
A representative example of a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid droplets includes an ink jet recording head that ejects ink droplets. As the ink jet recording head, for example, there is known a device that includes a flow path forming substrate in which a pressure generating chamber communicating with a nozzle opening is formed, and a piezoelectric element disposed on one side of the flow path forming substrate, and in which ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle opening by causing a pressure change in ink in the pressure generating chamber by a piezoelectric element.
A wiring substrate is disposed so as to face the flow path forming substrate, and wiring disposed on the wiring substrate is connected to each of the piezoelectric elements. Specifically, the piezoelectric element includes an individual electrode individually disposed for each of active portions and a common electrode commonly disposed for a plurality of active portions, a driving signal is supplied to the individual electrode, and a bias voltage (vbs) is supplied to the common electrode (for example, refer to JP-A-2012-171149).
A core portion made of a resin material, and a bump wiring made of a plurality of wiring portions partially covering the core portion are disposed in the wiring substrate. The wiring portion on the wiring substrate side and the individual electrode and the common electrode of the piezoelectric element on the flow path forming substrate are connected to each other on the core portion. A plurality of such bump wirings are disposed for the individual electrode and for the common electrode.
However, one piezoelectric element row requires two bump wirings in total, the bump wiring for connecting the individual electrodes and the bump wiring for connecting the common electrodes. That is, a space for disposing at least two bump wirings is required for each piezoelectric element row, and thus a size of a liquid ejecting head is increased.
With a downsizing of the liquid ejecting head, the space for disposing the wiring for applying a bias voltage to the piezoelectric element row is restricted. Therefore, it is difficult to sufficiently secure a length and a cross-sectional area of the wiring and to lower an electric resistance, and thus there is a possibility that the bias voltage drops.
These problems are not limited to a piezoelectric device used in a liquid ejecting head such as an ink jet recording head, and are similarly present in the piezoelectric device used in another device.

Piezoelectric device, liquid ejecting head, and liquid ejecting apparatus


Using facial recognition and gesture/body posture recognition techniques, a system can naturally convey the emotions and attitudes of a user via the user's visual representation. Techniques may comprise customizing a visual representation of a user based on detectable characteristics, deducting a user's temperament from the detectable characteristics, and applying attributes indicative of the temperament to the visual representation in real time. Techniques may also comprise processing changes to the user's characteristics in the physical space and updating the visual representation in real time. For example, the system may track a user's facial expressions and body movements to identify a temperament and then apply attributes indicative of that temperament to the visual representation. Thus, a visual representation of a user, such as an avatar or fanciful character, can reflect the user's expressions and moods in real time.

Often, various applications will display a visual representation that corresponds to a user that the user controls through certain actions, such as selecting buttons on a remote or moving a controller in a certain manner. The visual representation may be in the form of an avatar, a fanciful character, a cartoon image or animal, a cursor, a hand, or the like. The visual representation is a computer representation corresponding to a user that typically takes the form of a two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) model in various applications, such as computer games, video games, chats, forums, communities, instant messaging services, and the like. Many computing applications such as computer games, multimedia applications, office applications, or the like provide a selection of predefined animated characters that may be selected for use in the application as the user's avatar. Some systems may incorporate a camera that has the ability to take a picture of a user and identify features from that frame of data. However, these systems require a capture of a user's feature, processing of the image, and then application to the character in a non-real time environment, and the features applied are low fidelity, usually based on a single snapshot of the user.

Visual representation expression based on player expression


A first directional control valve for switching between a first supply position and a first discharge position and a second directional control valve for switching between a second discharge position and a second supply position. A first switching mechanism permits the first directional control valve to be switched to the first supply position in a state where a second switching mechanism has switched the second directional control valve to the second discharge position. In a state where the second switching mechanism has switched the second directional control valve to the second supply position, a pressure fluid supplied to the second directional control valve at the second supply position switches the first directional control valve to the first discharge position via the first switching mechanism.

As such a type of conventional directional control valve device, there is a device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. 4-38144) below.
In the above conventional art, two-way directional control valves of the same type are arranged in parallel, thereby constituting the directional control valve device. The switching positions of operating levers provided to the directional control valves, respectively, are caused to affect each other by a mechanical interlock device.


The present disclosure provide a transform method in picture block encoding, an inverse transform method in picture block decoding, and an apparatus. The inverse transform method includes: determining, in a target transform set, a corresponding transform pair of each region of at least two regions that constitute a to-be-decoded current block; inverse transforming each region based on the corresponding transform pair of each region to obtain an inverse transform result of each region; and obtaining an inverse transform result of the current block based on the inverse transform result of each region and a position of each region in the current block, where the at least two regions do not overlap each other, the target transform set includes a correspondence between a transform pair and a position of a region in the current block, and the transform pair includes a horizontal transform core and a vertical transform core.

In the field of multimedia technologies, video data can be efficiently transmitted and stored by using a video compression technology (including video data encoding and video data decoding).
Currently, in a video data encoding process, a video frame may be split into a plurality of coding tree units (coding tree unit, CTU). As shown in FIG. 1, each CTU may be split into a plurality of coding units (coding unit, CU) in a specific splitting (for example, quadtree splitting, binary tree splitting, or ternary tree splitting) manner. Then, a video encoding device may transform the plurality of CUs by using a multi-core transform technology, to complete encoding of the video data. For example, when one CU in the video frame is encoded, the coding block is transformed by using the multi-core transform technology (in the following, transforming a CU is to transform a residual block of the CU). Specifically, the CU may be separately transformed based on a plurality of transform pairs in a transform candidate set to obtain a plurality of transform results of the CU. Then, the video encoding device determines rate-distortion costs corresponding to the plurality of transform results, selects a transform pair with a minimum rate-distortion cost as a final transform pair of the CU, and determines an encoding result obtained based on the transform pair as a final encoding result of the CU.
However, in the foregoing method, on one hand, the video encoding device needs to determine the rate-distortion costs corresponding to the plurality of transform results, and determine the final transform pair of the CU based on the rate-distortion costs. Encoding the video data may be relatively complex. On the other hand, the video encoding device needs to add, to a bitstream, indication information used to indicate to select which transform pair in the transform candidate set. As a result, overheads required for encoding the video data are relatively large. In addition, for a CU with relatively rich texture information, the foregoing encoding method cannot maximize efficiency of encoding and decoding the video data.

Transform method in picture block encoding, inverse transform method in picture block decoding, and apparatus


A process for the preparation of 2-keto-L-gulonic acid (2-KLG) from 2,5-diketo-D-gluconic acid (2,5-DKG) using a DNA sequence encoding 2,5-DKG reductase. The 2-KLG is a precursor for the synthesis of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C).

The invention herein concerns aspects of a process for production of ascorbic acid. It specifically relates to purification of a useful protein, to production of proteins using recombinant techniques and to the use of such proteins in chemical conversions. More particularly, the invention relates to purification of and recombinant production of 2,5-diketogluconic acid (2,5-DKG) reductase and the use of the reductase so produced in converting 2,5-DKG stereoselectively into 2-keto-L-gulonic acid (2 KLG), as well as to the production of a single recombinant organism capable of synthesizing 2-KLG. The 2-KLG produced is a useful intermediate in the production of ascorbic acid (vitamin C).
Ascorbic acid has become a major chemical product in the United States, and elsewhere in the world, due to its importance in health maintenance. While there may be some controversy over its efficacy in ameliorating the tendency of individuals to contract certain minor illnesses, such as, for example, the common cold, there is no doubt that it is essential for human beings to ingest required amounts of vitamin C. It has become a matter of concern in recent years that "natural" foods may not provide adequate amounts of vitamin C. Accordingly, there has developed a large demand for ascorbic acid, both as an additive to foods which are marketed to the consumer with supplemented levels of this vitamin, and as a direct vitamin supplement. Furthermore, ascorbic acid is an effective antioxidant and thus finds applications as a preservative both in nutritional and in other products.
There are a number of processes available, some commercially viable, for the production of vitamin C. Several of these result in the preliminary production of 2-keto-L-gulonic acid (2-KLG) which can then be rather simply converted to ascorbic acid through acid or base catalyzed cyclization. Accordingly, 2-KLG has become, in itself, a material of considerable economic and industrial importance.
Means are presently available in the art to convert relatively plentiful ordinary metabolites, such as, for example, D-glucose, into 2,5-diketogluconic acid (2,5-DKG) by processes involving the metabolism of prokaryotic microorganisms. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,790,444 (Feb. 5, 1974) 3,998,697 (Dec. 21, 1976); and EPO Application Publication No. 0046284 published Feb. 24, 1982. The availability of this 2,5-DKG intermediate offers a starting material which is converted to the desired 2-KLG only by the single step of a two electron reduction. The reduction can be effected chemically or catalyzed enzymatically. Various bacterial strains are known which are capable of effecting this reduction. Such strains are found in the genera Brevibacterium, Arthrobacter, Micrococcus, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Citrobacter and Corynebacterium. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,922,194 (Nov. 25, 1975), 4,245,049 (Jan. 13, 1981) and 3,959,076 (May 25, 1976). Such strains have indeed been used to effect this reduction; however, use of such strains per se and without enzyme purification does not permit certain alternative approaches available with the use of purified enzyme. Such a system would permit, for example, continuous production through immobilization of the enzyme on a solid support. Further, access to the genetic machinery to produce such an enzyme is of convenience making improvements in carrying out this process since this machinery may be manipulated and localized to achieve production of the enzyme at a site most convenient for the conversion of 2,5-DKG. Most important among such loci is a site within the same organisms which is capable of effecting the production of 2,5-DKG. Thus, a single organism would be able to use its own machinery to manufacture the 2,5-DKG, and then convert this endogenous 2,5-DKG in situ into the desired product, using the 2,5-DKG reductase gene and appropriate control sequences to produce the catalyst.
It is helpful to understand the context into which the present invention finds utility, by representing the process in terms of the relevant chemical conversions. An outline of a typical overall process for manufacture of ascorbic acid is shown in Reaction Scheme 1. ##STR1##

Ascorbic acid intermediates and process enzymes


A push button-type switch device includes a pair of fixed contacts, an operable member to be pushed, an actuating member elastically deformable upon the operable member being pushed, a movable contact which short-circuits the pair of fixed contacts due to elastic deformation of the actuating member, and a limiting part arranged to limit a direction in which the operable member moves and making the operable member move in a fixed orientation. The limiting part includes a pair of link members that engage with each other, one ends of the link members rotatably supported by the base portion, and the other ends thereof slidably supported by the operable member. This produces a good click irrespective of a position where the operable member is operated.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a push button-type switch device used for a variety of electronic equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has heretofore been known a push button-type switch device having a key top supported via a skirt portion which is made of an elastic material (see, for example, JP-A-9-120741). According to the switch device described in JP-A-9-120741, a pair of fixed contacts are arranged on a surface of a circuit board, while a movable contact is arranged on an inner lower surface of the key top, and the key top is operated to elastically deform the skirt portion, so as to provide a unique operability with click feeling when the movable contact comes into contact with the fixed contacts.
In the device described in JP-A-9-120741, however, if the key top has, for example, an oval shape, upon pushing an end of the key top, the key top becomes tilted and the pushing force acts in an oblique direction which tilts relative to the skirt portion. This results in non-uniformity in the deformation of the skirt portion in the circumferential direction, and a favorable click may not be obtained.


An inner rotatable shaft 16 is located within an outer rotatable shaft 18. A stator 52 is provided around the shaft 18. The shaft 18 has a circumferential ring of regions 54a, 54b alternately of relatively high and relatively low magnetic permeability. Flux is therefore transmitted between the stator 52 and the shaft 16 through the regions 54, preferentially through the high permeability regions 54a. Commutation of the stator windings, preferably in synchrony with the speed of rotation of the shaft 18, allows the stator 52 and shaft 16 to interact in the form of an active magnetic bearing. The affect of the presence of the shaft 18 on this interaction is significantly reduced or eliminated.

The present invention relates to shaft bearings and in particular, to bearing arrangements for use with a shaft arrangement having an inner rotatable shaft located within an outer shaft which is hollow and rotatable.
Rotating shafts generally require to be supported by a bearing arrangement during use, in order to control the alignment of the shaft. It is common practice to support a rotating shaft by means of ball or roller bearings. This necessitates the provision of a lubrication system, with attendant problems of size, weight and reliability, together with capital and maintenance costs. In order to obviate the need for a lubrication system, it has been proposed to support a single shaft by means of active magnetic bearings, which make use of magnetic interaction between the shaft, which acts as a rotor, and a stator which surrounds the shaft. The stator has pole pieces which carry energising windings so that the poles may be energised by passing electric current through the coils to create magnetic fields. The interaction of the magnetic fields between the stator and the rotor can be controlled to cause the rotor to levitate within the stator, so that the alignment of the rotor can be controlled without the need for mechanical bearings and lubrication.
The present invention provides a shaft arrangement having an inner rotatable shaft located within an outer shaft which is hollow and rotatable, there being a bearing arrangement for controlling the alignment of the inner shaft, the bearing arrangement having an electrical stator means outside the outer shaft and operable, in use, to generate magnetic flux which extends through the outer shaft to interact with the inner shaft to control the alignment of the inner shaft, wherein the outer shaft has a circumferential ring of regions alternately of relatively high and relatively low magnetic permeability, the ring being located between the stator means and the inner shaft so that flux is transmitted between the stator means and inner shaft through the ring region and is transmitted preferentially through the high permeability regions.
The stator means may include a ring of pole pieces and energising means operable to energise the pole pieces to create a magnetic field, the energising means being operable to commutate the magnetic field as the outer shaft rotates. Preferably the commutation causes the magnetic field to rotate at substantially the same rate as the outer shaft, whereby flux through the high permeability regions is substantially maintained as the outer shaft rotates. The energising means is preferably operable to produce a commutating waveform for energising the pole pieces in commutated manner, and is further operable to superimpose a control waveform on the commutating waveform, the control waveform serving to create a variable force on the inner shaft, to control the alignment of the inner shaft.
Preferably the stator means and the high permeability regions cooperate to form flux paths which pass substantially radially from the stator means to the inner shaft along radii which are circumferentially spaced around the shaft, and pass substantially circumferentially around the inner shaft, between the two radial positions. The alignment of the region boundaries is preferably skewed relative to the axis of the inner shaft.
Alternatively, the stator means and high permeability regions may cooperate to form flux paths which pass substantially radially from the stator means to the inner shaft along radii which are spaced axially along the shaft, and pass substantially axially along the inner shaft, between the two radial positions.
Preferably the ring of regions is created by forming a ring of slots in the material of the outer shaft, and locating inserts in the slots, the material of the inserts and the material of the shaft being of different permeability.
The stator means and ring may be arranged to allow a transverse force to be applied to the inner shaft, or to allow an axial force to be applied to the inner shaft.
The invention also provides a gas turbine engine having a shaft arrangement according to any of the foregoing definitions. Preferably, at least the inner rotatable shaft is a load transmitting shaft interconnecting a fan or compressor and a turbine assembly of the engine.


A disc brake pad in which the friction material is attached to the backing plate mechanically bonded with adhesives and through mechanical attachment to an expanded metal mesh utilizing uncompacted friction material and a compacted friction material preform.

Disc brakes have been utilized in automotive service braking applications for automobiles and light trucks for many years. Such brakes have gained such wide acceptance in these applications because of superior performance to conventional drum brakes that almost all such vehicles utilize disc brakes for some or all wheels of the vehicle. Disc brakes have gained less acceptance for service braking applications in connection with air actuated brake systems used on heavy trucks, buses and other heavy wheeled vehicles.
That disc brakes have not gained greater acceptance in connection with heavy vehicles resides partially in the fact that during braking applications when the vehicles are heavily loaded large forces must be applied to the brake shoes in order to obtain satisfactory braking service. Because of the large forces involved in braking heavy vehicles, the temperature at the interface of the friction material and the wheel drum or rotor may exceed 1800.degree. F. By design, the friction braking material has a thermal conductivity which allows much of the heat generated at the braking interface to be absorbed into the friction material. This design reduces the peak and operating temperatures at the braking interface and thereby reduces brake fade during heavy, frequent and prolonged braking applications.
Because of the relatively high temperatures developed at the friction material/brake drum interface of heavy vehicle braking systems, the brake pads utilized in disc brake systems under some conditions have been found to separate from a backing plate which conventionally attaches the friction material to a disc brake caliper.
In disc brake pads utilized in early disc brake systems, the friction material was riveted to a backing plate which preferably was steel and the assembly was mounted within a disc brake caliper. One problem associated with employing rivets to fasten the friction material to the backing plate was that by necessity a portion of the rivet had to reside within the friction material, usually a distance of between 0.125 and 0.500 inches, which rendered the portion of the friction material between the outer end of the rivet and the backing plate unusable. Accordingly, later developments led to the use of structural adhesives to bond friction material to backing plates for disc brake applications. The bonded friction material brake pads and shoes had the advantage that none of the friction material above the surface of the backing plate was sacrificed and the structural adhesives which formed the bond, in some applications, had a greater resistance to shear failure of the friction material with respect to the backing plate than rivets.
However, despite the advantages inherent in bonded brake shoes or pads over riveted shoes or pads, the use of bonded disc brake pads in disc brake systems for heavy trucks and other heavy wheeled vehicles has seen the debonding of friction material elements from backing plates under some applications of extreme thermal and mechanical loading. In an effort to prevent detachment of the friction material from the backing plate, various mechanical attachments have been employed including extruding the friction material into holes formed in the backing plate when the friction material preform is being subjected to heat and pressure during the curing operation. Although disc brake pads for use in disc brake systems on heavy vehicles have improved, detachment of the friction material from the backing plate continues to remain a problem in these vehicles where extreme thermal loads and mechanical loads regularly are encountered.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a disc brake pad for use in a disc brake system on heavy wheeled vehicles in which the friction material will remain attached securely to the backing plate of a disc brake pad despite the extremely high thermal loads and mechanical loads these systems encounter during severe braking applications.


A control system for a movable body configured to move by utilizing a motor torque generated by a drive motor, is provided. The system includes the drive motor including a rotor configured to output a rotational force and provided with a variable-magnetic-force magnet, and a stator opposing the rotor with a gap therebetween and provided with a plurality of coils, a powertrain component provided so as to be associated with the drive motor, and a controller having a magnetization controlling module configured to control magnetizing current flowing through the coils so as to change a magnetic force of the variable-magnetic-force magnet. During a demagnetization control in which the magnetic force of the variable-magnetic-force magnet is reduced by the magnetization controlling module, the controller operates the powertrain component to suppress a decrease in a moving force applied to the movable body due to a decrease in the motor torque.

In recent years, movable bodies which move by utilizing motor torque generated by a motor, such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, have become popular. For example, JP2014-231290A discloses a hybrid vehicle on which a motor (also used as a generator) and an engine are mounted. This hybrid vehicle is provided with a high-power battery as a power source of the motor, having a rated voltage at several hundreds of volts. The high-power battery is rechargeable by being coupled to a charging stand or a household power source.
Moreover, JP2011-200545A discloses a motor applied to a laundry machine, including a magnet capable of increasing and decreasing its magnetic force. This motor increases the magnetic force of the magnet of a rotor as a demanded load increases.
Meanwhile, the motor used for the movable body is demanded for a wide range of output in terms of both a load direction and a rotational direction, and the demand for the output is high in any of the ranges. In order to achieve the motor characteristics of this wide-range output, the high-voltage battery is generally used like the hybrid vehicle disclosed in JP2014-231290A, or the motor itself is increased in size. However, in either case, the size and weight of equipped components increase, thereby being disadvantageous for the movable body.
In this respect, a magnet able to change its magnetic force according to the load may be used for the rotor similarly to the motor disclosed in JP2011-200545A. Accordingly, a power factor of the motor increases as much as possible, and thus, an increase in the output of the motor can be expected.
However, when the magnetic force of the magnet is reduced, the motor torque temporarily decreases. This decrease in the motor torque may cause uncomfortableness to a person aboard the movable body.