An ultrasonic dosage device having an enclosure for providing a medication in the form of a nebulized mist, including an energy source positioned within the enclosure and a vibration device with a switch for applying electrical energy from the energy source to the vibration device. An assembly is attached to the enclosure and has a membrane disposed between the vibration device and the medication for containing the medication and maintaining the medication in contact with the vibration device only by way of the membrane, whereby the membrane is vibrated and the medication is thereby converted into the mist by vibrations transmitted to the medication by way of the membrane when power is applied to the vibration device.

This invention relates generally to a dosage device and method for medicinal purposes, and more particularly, to a portable hand-held dosage device and cartridge which ultrasonically nebulizes a liquid or gel or powder or a combination of such for inhalation by the user.
Devices in prevalent use today use the standard devices for producing sprays. Either a pump is used or gases are used to create and eject the sprays under pressure. Squeeze containers, also used for sprays, create large droplets for injection into the mouth or nose.
For medicinal purposes, sprays are used which are inhaled either through the nose or the mouth and provide a delivery to the systemic system. The medicaments include water, decongestants, or other drugs for the treatment of colds, bronchitis, asthma, cutaneous diseases and the like. Furthermore, inhalation of medicaments into the lungs provides for a convenient and rapid way to apply treatment to other parts of the body, as well as to the breathing passages and lungs of the user.
With ultrasonic inhalation techniques it is known to get a more usable concentration of droplet size. Ultrasonic techniques can produce a larger percentage of the droplets having a useful size compared with the percentage that is commonly available for other types of pneumatic administration of the medication. The use of screens to control particle size is also known.
Various medicinal and medical devices are presently known which employ ultrasonic transducers. L. E. Dailey, TRANSDUCER DEVICE, U.S. Pat No. 3,102,535; Mettler, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ULTRASONIC TREATMENT OF LOWER TISSUES SIMULTANEOUS WITH HEATING OF SUBCUTANEOUS, OUTER MUSCLE AND LOWER TISSUES, U.S. Pat No. 3,828,769; and J. M. Richards, et al., REMOTE CONTROL MEDICAL THERAPY INSTRUMENT, U.S. Pat. No. 3,219,029 teach the use of ultrasound for physical therapy of muscles and tissues for various parts of the body.
An ultrasonic dosage device for direct inhalation of medicaments by the user or for application to other internal and external body areas. The device in the preferred embodiment has a rechargeable and/or replaceable storage battery which operates an ultrasonic transducer. A cartridge containing medicament is placed atop the ultrasonic transducer. The cartridge may be disposable and/or sterile or reusable or within itself contain the ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic energy created by the transducer converts the liquid, powder or gel medicament into a fine vapor or mist. A spout attached to the (disposable) cartridge may be placed into the mouth or nostrils, or natural, traumatic or surgical air passages of the user for inhalation of the vapor. Alternatively it may be placed against a body part such as the eye, membranes or integument. Alternatively, the spout may be hinged to the device and include a spike which punctures the top of the disposable cartridge to allow vapors to escape for inhalation by the user.
Ultrasound techniques are also used to increase the efficiency of surgical cutting tips in Kriezman, et al., ANGULATED ULTRASONIC SURGICAL HANDPIECES AND METHOD FOR THEIR PRODUCTION, U.S. Pat No. 4,634,419; Dotson, Jr., PNEUMATIC ULTRASONIC SURGICAL HANDPIECE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,368; Loschilov, et al., SURGICAL INSTRUMENT FOR ULTRASONIC SEPARATION OF BIOLOGICAL TISSUE, U.S. Pat No. 4,188,952; and Banko, et al., MATERIAL REMOVAL APPARATUS AND METHOD EMPLOYING HIGH FREQUENCY VIBRATIONS, U.S. Pat No. 3,589,363.
Other usage of ultrasonic equipment in medical practice consist of vibration of medicinal fluids as taught by Moulding, Jr., METHOD OF AND INSTRUMENT FOR INJECTING A FLUID INTO A UTERINE CAVITY AND FOR DISPENSING THE FLUID INTO THE FALLOPIAN TUBES, U.S. Pat No. 4,601,698; and Crowson, SONIC TEETH-CLEANING APPARATUS AND METHOD, U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,799.
Still another use of ultrasonic devices in the medical field is to control the delivery of biologically active substances from a polymer matrix as taught by Langer, et al., A ULTRASONICALLY MODULATED POLYMERIC DEVICES FOR DELIVERING COMPOSITIONS, U.S. Pat No. 4,657,543.
Although the above devices and techniques may be suitable for the purpose for which they are intended, none of these devices or techniques use ultrasonic techniques for the purpose of vaporizing a liquid, powder, or gel medicament for direct inhalation by the user. Ultrasonic vaporization of medicaments provide a very fine mist for more efficient and greater absorption by the tissues and lungs of the user.
It is the general object of the instant invention to provide an ultrasonic dosage device, container and method for the application of medicaments which overcome the shortcomings of existing devices.
It is another object of the instant invention to provide an ultrasonic dosage device, container and method which converts and applies medicaments in liquid gel or powdered form to vapor for application by the user.
It is yet another object of the instant invention to provide an ultrasonic dosage device, container and method for the inhalation of medicaments which is portable and hand-held.
It is still yet another object of the instant invention to provide an ultrasonic dosage device, container and method which uses a transducer powered by a rechargeable or replaceable battery or adaptor to provide ultrasonic energy to convert a (liquid), powder or gel medicament to a vapor.
It is a further object of the instant invention to provide an ultrasonic dosage device and method to be used with a disposable and/or sterile (or reusable) cartridge containing a medicament, which can also be dispersed and delivered in a unit dose.
It is a further object of the instant invention to provide an ultrasonic dosing device and method which can provide a vaporized medicament with a passively or negatively charged particle.
It is a further object to provide electrostatic control of the method of suspension and emission.
It is yet a further object of the instant invention to provide an ultrasonic dosage device with a spout for inhalation attached to a disposable cartridge containing a liquid medicament.
It is still yet a further object of this invention to provide an ultrasonic dosage device, or container and method with a hinged spout for application of medicaments and a spike to pierce a disposable cartridge containing a medicament to be vaporized by the device for application.
These and other objects of the instant invention are achieved by providing a device and a method in which a cartridge of a medicament in liquid, gel or powder form is transformed into vapor form for inhalation by the user through the use of an ultrasonic transducer or acoustically transmissible barrier. The device comprises a rechargeable storage battery, a printed circuit board, and a transducer which is powered by a rechargeable battery or adaptor. A disposable cartridge is inserted into the device so that it abuts the transducer. When power from the battery is applied to the transducer, the liquid in the cartridge is ultrasonically vibrated to convert the liquid into a vapor for direct application to the user. The medicament is provided within a sealed assembly placed in vibrational contact with the transducer. The sealed assembly can be sterile. The vapor particles can be electrostatically charged prior to application to the user. A push button, protected by a hinged cover, is used to apply power to the transducer when desired. Alternately the device can be initiated by a change in lung pressure, chest expansion, pneumography and electrocardiography. The printed circuit board provides power connections between the rechargeable battery and the transducer, and a regulator for regulating the power used to recharge the battery. The printed board also contains a female socket for connection to a battery recharger. In one alternate approach, a spout is connected directly to the disposable cartridge. After or during the substance is or has been vaporized, a cover is removed from the end of the spout for direct inhalation by the user.
In an alternative approach, a spout with a spike is hinged to the device. After the disposable cartridge is placed within the device, the hinged cover is closed and the spike pierces the cartridge. After ultrasonic vaporization of the liquid in the cartridge, the spout is placed directly into the mouth of the user, or into the nostrils of the user, for direct inhalation of the vapors or against body parts such as the integument. Various ways to securely lock the disposable cartridge against the transducer during ultrasonic vibration are included.xe2x80x9d


A flooding prevention device and a breakage prevention device for use with pressurized fluid systems are disclosed. The flooding prevention device includes a pipe with an interior passageway and a stopper located in the passageway, the stopper being adapted to seal the pipe whenever an accessory attached to the pipe is broken, thereby preventing fluid loss from the pressurized fluid system. The breakage prevention device includes a first pipe and a second pipe slidable within the first pipe, the sliding action accommodating pressure on or movement of components of the fluid system, thereby avoiding component breakage.

A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of lawn sprinklers, irrigation systems, and other systems for water or fluid distribution where parts breakage and/or fluid or pressure loss from the system could be problematic. More particularly, this invention relates to a device which compensates for movement of or impact on water pipes to prevent breakage, and a device which seals off a broken pipe to prevent leakage of any fluid contained therein. An incidental benefit of the invention when applied to lawn sprinklers is that it deters theft of expensive sprinkler heads.
B. The Background Art
In the prior art, substantial problems have been experienced with sprinkler breakage. Lawn sprinkler heads and sprinkler heads used for agricultural irrigation are typically made from brittle plastic and may be easily broken when driven over by an automobile or a lawn mower or even when stepped on. Breakage of a typical prior art sprinkler head results in the sprinkler system sending most of its volume of water through the broken head, flooding the area in that vicinity but leaving the rest of the area to be watered with little or no water. As a result, a great volume of water may be lost through the broken sprinkler head, resulting in damage to the ground in that area from excessive watering and depleting precious water resources in states which experience chronic water shortages. The prior art has demonstrated a need for a device which prevents sprinkler head breakage and a device which directs water flow away from a broken sprinkler head.
Another problem of the prior art is that water pooling around a sprinkler head during lawn watering will tend to drain back into the sprinkler system through the sprinkler head after lawn watering is complete. Such water draining back into the system will carry dirt, grass, stones and other debris with it into the sprinkler system. This dirt will accumulate in a sprinkler system over time clogging the system, including clogging pop-up sprinkler heads so that their pop-up members become stuck in their protruding position and are subject to breakage from vehicles, pedestrian traffic and lawn mowers.
Another problem in the prior art is that expensive sprinkler heads are frequently the target of thieves. In most applications, a sprinkler head may be quickly and easily unscrewed from the sprinkler system and removed. Because of this vulnerability, many parties are unwilling to invest in high quality sprinkler heads. The prior art showed a need for a device which makes removal (and hence theft) of sprinkler heads difficult. The invention provides a device which prevents sprinkler head removal absent digging into the ground beneath the sprinkler head. The additional effort required to remove a sprinkler head from such a device is expected to stop most sprinkler head theft.
An attempt of the prior art to solve the flooding problem of the prior art sprinkler devices is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,500 issued to Yianilos on Dec. 29, 1992 and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Yianilos is directed to a sprinkler head assembly that includes a bifurcated member with first and second leg portions and having a sealing means, the sprinkler head assembly being of the fixed or non-pop-up type and the bifurcated member disclosed being adapted specifically for use with such a sprinkler head. The device of Yianilos by its inherent nature would not work with pop-up sprinkler heads because the bifurcated member is not capable of being actuated by a pop-up member and because the device does not include adequate travel to function with a pop-up. Further, the device of Yianilos as described and illustrated functions only when the sprinkler head is completely removed. If the sprinkler head is broken but is not complete removed, the Yianilos device is inoperative and does not prevent sprinkler flooding. If an attempt were made to use the Yianilos device with a pop-up sprinkler head, the Yianilos device would be inoperative because breakage of the pop-up member would not bring about the desired sealing function and flooding would still result. Further, Yianilos does not provide any dual check valve function, a very important feature to prevent entry of dirt into the sprinkler system, sticking of pop-up sprinkler heads and their consequent breakage. The bifurcated member's design inherently prevents downward sealing and hence prevents any dual sealing function. For these reasons, Yianilos fails to solve or even directly address the problems solved by the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,501 issued to Marshall on Jul. 28, 1992, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses an adjustable riser device for use in sprinkler systems. The device disclosed by Marshall may be selectively adjusted to a variety of fixed heights. The device of Marshall does not, however, remain underground or at ground level until water pressure is present. The device of Marshall is instead fixed in an upright position above the ground and is left in that position, subject to breakage. Further, Marshall provides no ability to move in compensation for force placed on the device to avoid breakage.

Sprinkler breakage, flooding and theft prevention mechanism


A display includes a display panel including a plurality of pixels, a polarizer disposed on a first side of the display panel, a phase retardation film disposed on the polarizer and glasses comprising a first eye glass portion and a second eye glass portion, wherein at least one of the plurality of pixels includes a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel, and the phase retardation film includes a first phase retardation portion corresponding to the first sub-pixel and a second phase retardation portion corresponding to the second sub-pixel.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a display device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a display that can display a three-dimensional image by using a patterned phase retardation film.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In general, a three dimensional (3D) image display technique allows a viewer to feel the depth (e.g., a 3D effect) of an object by using binocular parallax. Binocular parallax may exist due to the eyes of a person being spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, and thus, a two dimensional (2D) image seen by the left eye is different from that seen by the right eye. Thus, the person's brain blends the two different 2D images together to generate a 3D image that is a perspective and realistic representation of the object being viewed.
Techniques for displaying 3D images, which use binocular parallax, may include a stereoscopic method and an autostereoscopic method. The stereoscopic method uses glasses such as shutter glasses and polarized glasses, and the autostereoscopic method does not use glasses, but instead arranges a lenticular lens, a parallax barrier, and/or other units in a display.
In the stereoscopic method using polarized glasses, a 3D image display is used in which light of an image of the display is polarized by attaching a patterned phase retardation film to the display and the left eye and the right eye are set to recognize different images through a polarizer in the polarized glasses such that a 3D image can be seen. In this case, however, the 3D image display displays the left eye image and the right eye image together such that the resolution of the 3D image may be deteriorated compared to that of a 2D image.


Provided is a method for transmitting information, a network device and a terminal device. The method includes that: a time-frequency resource for a downlink control channel of at least one terminal device is determined, the time-frequency resource for the downlink control channel of the at least one terminal device being mapped in a first control region within a bandwidth of a system according to a manner of a frequency domain first and then a time domain; and the downlink control channel of the at least one terminal device is sent through the time-frequency resource for the downlink control channel of the at least one terminal device. According to the information transmission method, network device and terminal device of the embodiments of the application, system performance may be improved.

A downlink control channel in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system is transmitted on first few Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of each time-domain scheduling unit (called a subframe in LTE). A control region is time-frequency resources in first few OFDMsymbols of the whole system bandwidth, and is shared by each terminal device. A control channel configured for a terminal device is transmitted by a network side at some specific positions related to the terminal device. The physical resources with different sizes may also dynamically allocated by the network side according to a requirement such as a load of a control signal and a coding bit error rate to transmit a control channel of each terminal. The physical resources with different sizes and different specific positions form positions and available resources probably for transmission of the control channel configured for the terminal device. A certain specific position and the corresponding resource are called a candidate for the control channel configured for the terminal device, and all these candidates are collectively referred to as a control channel search space of the terminal device. The terminal device is required to perform blind detection on a candidate of its own control channel in its own control channel search space in a control region of each subframe to detect whether there is a control signal sent to it by the network side or not until finding the candidate. If the terminal device does not find its own control channel after completing blind detection over its own control channel search space, the terminal device may make such a hypothesis that the network side has no control channel to be sent to it.
There is a certain difference between control channel designs in a 5th-Generation (5G) system and LTE. First of all, a control region is not the whole system bandwidth but may be part of it. In addition, beamforming or other factors may also be required to be considered.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for a technical solution of control channel transmission suitable for a 5G system to improve system performance.

Method for transmitting information, network device and terminal device

GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.


Described herein are tissue grafts composed of at least one membrane, where at least one side of the membrane has micronized placental tissue applied it. Also described herein are methods for making and using the tissue grafts.

Placental tissue is known in the art as a basis for wound coverings. Typically, the placental tissue is harvested after an elective Cesarean surgery. The placenta or amniotic sac, which is commonly referred to as the amniotic membrane, has two primary layers of tissue, amnion and chorion. Amnion tissue is the innermost layer of the amniotic sac and in direct contact with the amniotic fluid. The amniotic sac contains the amniotic fluid and protects the fetal environment. Histological evaluation indicates that the membrane layers of the amnion consist of single layer of epithelium cells, thin reticular fibers (basement membrane), a thick compact layer, and fibroblast layer. The fibrous layer of amnion (i.e., the basement membrane) contains collagen types IV, V, and VII, and cell-adhesion bio-active factors including fibronectin and laminins. Described herein is unique approach to using placental tissue components in wound healing and other medical applications.

Tissue grafts composed of micronized placental tissue and methods of making and using the same


A system and methods for creating derivative websites based on base website and derivative site content. A content management system contains files representing multiple websites, i.e., a base website and one or more derivative versions of the base website. Each derivative version of the website consists of one of more files stored in a hierarchal chain of derivative folders that represent changes from the base website. A developer may thereby track which changes have been implemented and changes made by other developers higher in the chain of derivative workspaces than the current developer will be propagated to the current developer's derivative version of the production website.

The ability of businesses to conduct transactions with customers (as well as with other businesses) over the Internet using "online storefronts" has enabled such businesses to greatly expand their potential customer base while substantially reducing costs related to maintaining "brick and mortar" businesses. However, such transactions, handled at a distance and not face-to-face, also present unique problems, particularly with regards to how merchants make their products or services known to potential buyers. Some of these problems relate to how merchants construct and maintain websites or software applications used to provide services for customers.
A web browser (sometimes referred to as a client browser or a browser) is a client software application primarily used for accessing, retrieving, presenting, and traversing website data from websites hosted by remote web servers. Although browsers are primarily intended to be used to navigate and present data contained on web-pages that are part of the Internet (the World Wide Web), they can also be used to access information provided by web servers that are part of private networks or files residing in local file systems.
A website is a set of related data files called webpages and other data files containing content (or a "link" to content) such as text, images, video, audio, etc. A single website may be hosted on one or more web servers and may thereby be made accessible to remote client computers and applications, for instance via the Internet using a web "address" known as a uniform resource locator (URL) (where as noted, the publicly accessible websites collectively constitute the "World Wide Web"). A webpage is a human-readable and computer-readable data file, typically containing text and links to other data files, such as image files. The data is intended to be displayed to a client-user in accordance with computer-readable formatting instructions that communicate to a client-application, such as a web browser, how to display the text and linked data files. Webpages may, for example, be described using (or written in) a "markup" language such as hypertext markup language (HTML) or extensible hypertext markup language (XHTML). Each webpage may contain one or more of text, images, a "button" to activate a recorded audio or video segment, etc. A linking or ordering of a website's webpages conveys a perceived structure of the website to an end user and guides the user's navigation of the website. Many websites include a homepage (or index page), which generally provides basic information about the website, links to the website's other webpages/content, as well as links to supplementary information (such as an "about" page, a "contact" page, and/or a "site map" page). Typically, at the direction of a user, a client application (such as a web browser) will access a webserver and request a particular page of a website (e.g., based on a URL or other form of identifying the location of a desired page). In response, the webserver will transmit the appropriate web page or set of related web pages and other data files to the client application and the application will render the webpage content according to its formatting instructions for display to a user.
Webpages may be static or dynamic, that is they may contain static and/or changeable content. A website's static web pages (which may be some or all of the site's web pages) are stored on a web server in the format that is sent to the client web browser, and are commonly written in HTML. Simple forms, fixed marketing examples of websites, and other fixed content websites are often static websites (i.e., they contain solely or predominantly static web pages), because they present pre-defined, static information to a user. This may include information about a company and its products and services that is provided through text, photos, animations, audio/video segments, and interactive menus and navigation tools. This type of website usually displays the same information to all visitors. Similar to the act of handing out a printed brochure to customers or clients, a static website will generally provide consistent, standard information for an extended period of time. Although the website owner may make updates periodically, it is a manual process to edit the text, photos, and other content and may only require basic website design skills and software tools.
In contrast, a dynamic webpage (i.e., a web page that includes at least some dynamic or "active" content) displays content that varies based on parameters provided by a client browser. This permits the web page to be "customized" in response to characteristics of the viewer, the viewer's location, etc. For example when a user accesses a website's "log-in" page, the user typically provides a user name and password, and activates a log-in "button". In response to the "button" activation, the user's web browser transmits the user name and password to a URL linked to the "button." In response, the web server hosting the website may, rather than simply deliver a predefined static file, instead execute a script that confirms the user name and password are a valid combination, followed by delivering content appropriate to that user. The user specific content may be selected based on data known about the user based on the current or on a previous session, such as user location, the user's previous search histories, the user's "click-through" behavior, etc.
Modern websites can be extremely robust and feature rich, providing many advantages to both the operators and users of the websites. However, the development of such websites can be an extremely time consuming and complex process, requiring the cooperation and coordination of many teams of developers. "Web development" is a broad term for the work involved in developing a public or private website. Web development can range from developing a simple static single page of plain text to complex web-based internet applications, eCommerce platforms, and social network services. Some tasks to which web development commonly refers include web design, web content development, client liaison, client-side/server-side scripting, web server and network security configuration, and eCommerce development. For larger organizations and businesses, web development teams may consist of hundreds of people. Further, web development may be a collaborative effort between departments rather than the domain of a designated department, and/or may be a collaborative effort between multiple software engineers, content editors or content developers in different locations.
Because of the complexity of some websites and/or web pages, a team of developers may work on updates, corrections, or maintenance of a website concurrently. This can create potential problems if team members are working on related portions of a website, such as web pages that depend upon one another for content or presentation of information. In such a situation, changes made to one section of a website may not be reflected in web pages or other information that another developer is using as the basis for their own work. Further, it is typically desirable that at least some features and functions of a website be available to users even while future website features are being developed.
Because of these potential problems and in recognition of the manner in which website development is performed, it would be advantageous for different developers to be able to simultaneously work on independent future (i.e., derivative) versions of an existing base website, where the base site itself may be subject to ongoing changes and updates. For example, an existing eCommerce website may be hosted on a webserver and be accepting traffic from users/clients. However, even while the website is operating, there may be developers working on short-term patches to the website or making other changes, while other developers may be making long-term changes to the website such as creating a new seasonal version, an updated version for the next year, or developing an entirely new section of the site (such as a "factory" store offering discounted goods).
Conventional approaches to providing a software development environment that enables website developers to simultaneously work on independent future versions ("derived" versions) of a base website, while still permitting updates to the base website itself, suffer from one or more disadvantages related to administrative overhead or potential difficulties in scaling site management workflows to meet the demands of complex web-sites and businesses that operate multiple web-sites. Embodiments of the invention address this and other needs both individually and collectively.

System and methods for generating derivative websites


The present invention provides methods and compostions to improve the efficiency of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). There is increasing evidence that the epigenetic state of donor nuclei has a significant impact on potential of nuclear transfer embryos to develop into blastocysts, from which pluripotent stem cells are derived. Strategic application of histone agents, capable of altering epigenetic state such as methylation, allows zygotic activation and robust blastocyst generation.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) possess the remarkable ability to differentiate into virtually all somatic cell types in the body (pluripotency), while maintaining proliferative capacity in an undifferentiated state (self-renewal). These unique features of hPSCs provide opportunity to generate transplantable cells and tissue material for treatment of diseases and conditions. Many human injuries and diseases result from cellular defects, including those of a single cell type. Replacement with appropriate stem cells, progenitor cells, or in vitro differentiated cells, could lead to novel therapeutic approaches in the clinic. The self-renewal capacity of pluripotent stem cells further provides a near limitless resource of transplantable material. Generation of hPSCs in a patient-specific manner, thereby leads to therapeutic approaches that eliminate reduce risk of immunological rejection and tolerance.
One strategy for generation of immunocompatible hPSCs is patient-specific hPSCs derived through somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Somatic cell nuclear transfer involves isolation of the nucleus of a somatic cell of a donor patient and insertion into an enucleated recipient oocyte. Transfer of the donor nucleus to the recipient oocyte's cytoplasm results in reprogramming of the transferred donor nucleus through silencing of somatic cell genes and activation of embryonic genes. From these reconstructed oocytes, one can establish blastocysts in culture to isolate hPSCs from the inner cell mass (ICM). As the result of nuclear transfer the hPSCs (NT-hPSCs), the resulting cells generated from their development carry the nuclear genetic material of the patient and are patient-specific.
Despite promising advances in SCNT techniques, there are significant limitations that, at present, preclude practical clinical application. For nuclear transfer, prior attempts led to as few as 2% of reconstructed oocytes crossing the 8-cell threshold towards blastocyst formation. While significant improvements have recently been reported, the exact mechanisms allowing for consistent blastocyst formation are presently unclear. It does appear that a key obstacle for development of SCNT embryos is zygotic gene activation (ZGA), which occurs at the 4- to 8-cell stage in large mammals such as pig, bovine and human. Based on the Inventors' previous studies wherein histone methylation altering agents could improve the rate of ZGA successful SCNT, and significance of donor variability on these processes, it appears that SCNT embryos have undefined epigenetic barriers pre-existing in the genome of donor cells. Dysregulated genes in late cleavage stage human SCNT embryos have been identified, but the full nature of the "pre-existing epigenetic barriers" and their relationship with impaired ZGA in SCNT embryos are unknown. Accordingly, there is a need to improve human SCNT cloning efficiency by identifying removing epigenetic barriers in the genome of the donor cell nuclei so that the human SCNT embryo can proceed efficiently through zygotic gene activation (ZGA) without developmental arrest.
Described herein are compositions and methods allowing for successful development through the 2-, 4- and 8-cell stage to blastocyst without developmental defects or loss of viability. By altering epigenetic state of donor nuclei, enhanced ZGA results in dramatically increased blastocyst production and generation of hPSCs.


A method of classifying and collecting feature information of an area according to a robot's moving path, a robot controlled by area features, and a method and apparatus for composing a user interface using the area features are disclosed. The robot includes a plurality of sensor modules to collect feature information of a predetermined area along a moving path of the robot, and an analyzer to analyze the collected feature information of the predetermined area according to a predetermined reference range and to classify the collected feature information into a plurality of groups.

1. Field
The present invention relates to a method, medium and apparatus classifying and collecting information on area features according to a robot's moving path, a robot controlled by the area features, and a method and apparatus for composing a user interface using the area features, and more particularly to a method, medium and apparatus classifying and collecting information on area features according to a robot's moving path, a robot controlled by the area features, and a method, medium and apparatus composing a user interface using the area features, in which information on the area features is collected and classified according to the robot's moving path and the robot's moving path is planned and controlled using the information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of robots have been developed recently, using advanced technology. Particularly, a robot has been developed that executes tasks on behalf of a user while automatically moving in a room. Generally, a robot includes a driving module (e.g., a motor and wheels) provided with an encoder sensor (called an encoder or an odometry). The encoder sensor serves to determine the position of the robot. Furthermore, the robot is provided with a gyro sensor that exactly measures a rotational angle of the robot.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional technique of moving a cleaning robot and information for a prepared map.
As shown in FIG. 1A, a conventional cleaning robot executes cleaning while randomly moving, without generating a predetermined map 10, or executes cleaning while moving, according to a two-dimensional map, to only cover a given area without considering cleaning features 20.
As shown in FIG. 1B, a grid map may be prepared during an initial run of the robot. The probability of an obstacle existing in each grid is expressed as a predetermined value in the range of zero to two-hundred fifty five 30. It should be noted that the probability that a given obstacle exists becomes greater as the predetermined value becomes greater. Accordingly, no obstacle exists in the corresponding grid if the value is equal to zero. A moving path for the robot may be designed according to the probability that an obstacle exists for each grid.
However, a problem with the conventional technique described is that the unique features of each area found on the moving path of the robot are not considered. Accordingly, a method that collects feature information for a predetermined area along a moving path of a robot and uses the collected information as data for motion control of the robot has been found desirable by the inventors.

Method, medium and apparatus classifying and collecting area feature information according to a robot's moving path, and a robot controlled by the area features


An object of the invention is to provide a spindle apparatus which facilitates assembling and removing operations at the time of maintenance and which is low cost. In the invention, the diameter becomes smaller in the order of an inner peripheral diameter of an outer cylinder (3), an inside diameter of a stator (4), and an outside diameter of a bearing sleeve (11); a sub-assembly (2) made up of a front housing (8), a rotating shaft (6), and the bearing sleeve (11) is withdrawable from the outer cylinder (3); and the diameter of a rotating part in an arbitrary section located rearwardly of the bearing sleeve (11) is made smaller than a minimum diameter of a non-rotating part between a rear end of the bearing sleeve (11) and the section.

Conventionally, as a spindle apparatus of a machine tool or the like, a built-in motor spindle apparatus having a front side bearing interposed between a front housing and a spindle shaft and a rear side bearing interposed on an outer periphery of a rear portion of the spindle shaft is conventionally known, as described in, for example, JP-A-7-112303 (hereafter referred to as a "patent document 1") and JP-A-2003-159622 (hereafter referred to as a "patent document 2").
As shown in FIG. 31, a built-in motor spindle apparatus 500 disclosed in the patent documents 1 and 2 includes a motor housing 502 held by a unit supporting member 501, as well as a front housing 503 which is joined to a front side of this motor housing 502. The built-in motor spindle apparatus 500 further includes a spindle shaft 505, which is fitted in this motor housing 502 and the front housing 503, and a stator 506 secured to an inner periphery of an intermediate portion of the motor housing 502, a rotor 507 being secured to an outer periphery of the intermediate portion of the motor housing 502.
Further, the spindle shaft 505 is formed in a hollow tubular shape, and a drawbar 509 which is urged by a coned disk spring 508 and is slidable in the tube is provided in the tube, a chuck portion 510 being provided at its tip. Further, four front side bearings 511 are interposed between the front housing 503 and the spindle shaft 505. In addition, a rear side bearing 512, which is a cylindrical roller bearing, and a bearing sleeve 513 are fitted over an outer periphery of a rear portion of the spindle shaft 505, and a rear cover 514 is bolted to a rear portion of the motor housing 502.
Incidentally, with the machine tool, a failure of the spindle is frequently caused primarily by damage occurring in the bearings. Its causes are the life of the bearings, a collision of the spindle due to a machining program error, and the like. The reduction of the time (downtime) from the failure of the spindle until it is reset is particularly important at a site of parts machining which is directly linked to a production line of automotive parts machining or the like. In addition, a trend toward the higher speed of the machine tool spindle is under way, and the spindle bearing life for low-speed machines (less than 600,000 dmN) (dm: pitch circle diameter (mm) of a rolling bearing, N: rotational speed (min−1)) has been virtually unlimited at 100,000 hours or more, whereas the spindle bearing life for high-speed machines is becoming 10,000 to 20,000 hours. Thus, the spindle bearings have come to be regarded as being handled as consumables, so that there has arisen a need to lower the maintenance cost.
With the spindle apparatus 500 disclosed in the above-described patent document 1, the spindle shaft 505 is arranged to be drawn out for the improvement of the maintenance efficiency. However, with this arrangement, although the spindle shaft 505 can be drawn out, no description is given as to the replacement of the rear side bearing 512 which is a cylindrical roller bearing. If the rear side bearing 512 is damaged, the time and trouble involved in the maintenance remain unchanged from a conventional case. In addition, since a projecting portion of a lubricating nozzle is not provided to draw out the spindle shaft 505, 2 to 10 hours or thereabouts is inevitably required as the running-in time for the rear side bearing 512 after its assembly. Hence, there has been a problem in that the downtime becomes long.
In addition, with the spindle apparatus 500 disclosed in the above-described patent document 2, there has been a problem in that the operating efficiency is poor, since at the time of removing the spindle, an operator must move around to the rear side to remove a pipe, and at the time of assembly an operation is further required for adjusting a bearing case to the phase of the pipe.
As another example of the spindle apparatus of a machine tool or the like, a spindle apparatus in which a plurality of coned disk springs are stacked and disposed between the sleeve housing and the bearing sleeve is conventionally known, as described in, for example, JP-A-11-138305 (hereafter referred to as a "patent document 3").
In the spindle apparatus, one bearing (rear side bearing) is fixed to the bearing sleeve which is fitted in the sleeve housing and is movable in the axial direction, so as to be able to absorb the axial displacement when the rotating shaft has become axially elongated due to heat generation or the like at the time of high-speed rotation. As for the fit between the sleeve housing and the bearing sleeve, a plane surface sliding method in which a simple fit is used, a ball sliding method using an axially movable ball bush, and the like are known. Slidability as well as radial stiffness and axial vibration damping properties are required for the bearing sleeve for supporting the free end side of the rotating shaft.
In the case where the plane surface sliding method is adopted for the fitting between the sleeve housing and the bearing sleeve, the fitting clearance decreases in conjunction with heat generation, so that it is necessary to set an initial fitting clearance to be large. This has constituted one factor increasing the vibration of the rotating shaft when the spindle apparatus rotates. Meanwhile, in the case of the ball sliding method of the fitting using the ball bush, an increase in the interference due to heat generation hinders the smooth axial movement of the bearing sleeve, and the axial stiffness is low. Hence, there have been cases where self-excited vibration called the chattering of the rotating shaft occurs.
For this reason, in the spindle apparatus disclosed in the patent document 3, to damp the self-excited vibration of the rotating shaft, the arrangement is provided such that a plurality of coned disk springs are stacked between the sleeve housing and the bearing sleeve so as to increase the axial stiffness and prevent the self-excited vibration through the friction of the coned disk springs.
However, in the spindle apparatus disclosed in the patent document 3, the self-excited vibration is arranged to be damped through the friction of the coned disk springs, and the damping force is determined by the spring constant of the coned disk spring, the number of the coned disk springs, their installation direction, and the like. These items, which are set at the time of assembling the spindle apparatus, are constant and fixed unless the coned disk springs are recombined by such as disassembling the spindle apparatus. In other words, it has been difficult to change the characteristics in correspondence with the conditions of rotation, e.g., to reset the damping factor and the like to values optimal to the operating conditions.
In recent years, the trend toward the higher speed of the spindle apparatus is noticeable, and the amount of heat generated has also increased in consequence of the trend toward the higher speed. Therefore, there has been a demand for a more sophisticated method of supporting the rotating shaft, which is capable of coping with it.
In addition, as one example of the machine tool having the spindle apparatus, a machine tool in which the housing of the spindle head is divided into a front housing and a rear housing and the two members are fastened by bolts is conventionally known, as described in, for example, JP-A-2003-159622 (the "patent document 2").
In such a machine tool, an arrangement is provided such that not the entire cartridge but the shaft, the front side bearing, the front housing, the rotor of the built-in motor, the rear side bearing, and the rear housing are removed as a spindle sub-assembly by leaving the stator of the built-in motor and the outer cylinder.
Incidentally, in a machine tool, in a case where the spindle apparatus is replaced due to a failure or the arrival of its life, with a type which is so constructed as to incorporate the bearings and the stator individually into the spindle head, the replacement operation takes time, and the downtime of the machine increases. Accordingly, it is known that the replacement time can be shorted by structuring the spindle apparatus so as to be capable of being divided and assembled integrally as a cartridge with respect to the spindle head.
Although there is also a type having a structure in which the entire spindle cartridge is drawn out, with this structure it is necessary to disengage oil and air pressure pipings and cables in the case of the built-in motor system, so that the operation takes time.
In contrast, in the above-described patent document 2, the arrangement is provided such that not the entire cartridge but the shaft, the front side bearing, the front housing, the rotor of the built-in motor, the rear side bearing, and the rear housing are removed integrally as a spindle sub-assembly by leaving the stator of the built-in motor and the outer cylinder. However, although at the time of disassembling the spindle cartridge it is necessary to withdraw from the spindle head all the portion of the spindle cartridge which is located inside the spindle head, the spindle cartridge is a heavy piece and cannot be pulled out manually.
Accordingly, the spindle cartridge can be drawn out safely and in a short time if the spindle cartridge is fixed to a worktable of the machine tool and is drawn out by making use of the feeding in a Z-axis which is a feeding axis parallel to the axial direction of the spindle. However, if the amount of Z-axis movement is shorter than the length necessary for the spindle cartridge to be completely drawn out from the spindle head, the withdrawal making use of the Z-axis feeding becomes impossible.
In addition, when the spindle cartridge is disassembled, the operation of disengaging many oil and air pressure pipings and cables is required, and the replacement time is long. In contrast, in the case of the spindle sub-cartridge, the operation of disengaging the many oil and air pressure pipings and cables is not required. However, if the amount of Z-axis movement is shorter than the length necessary for the spindle cartridge to be completely drawn out from the spindle head, the withdrawal making use of the Z-axis feeding becomes similarly impossible.
Meanwhile, in the case of a structure in which a flat mounting surface is provided on a side surface of the spindle cartridge and the spindle cartridge is fixed from its side surface to the spindle head, the spindle cartridge can be disassembled from the spindle head irrespective of the amount of Z-axis movement. With this method, however, since the load is received only by the side surface of the spindle cartridge, the fastening stiffness becomes low, so that this method is inappropriate in terms of stiffness.
In addition, with the above-described patent document 2, it is unnecessary to disengage the oil and air pressure pipings and cables, but parts cannot be removed excluding those parts which can be removed as a sub-cartridge. For this reason, this arrangement does not function effectively at the time of the failure of the stator, an unclamp cylinder, or the like, so that this arrangement lacks a functional feature concerning disassembly.
The spindle apparatus and the machine tool having the spindle apparatus in accordance with the invention are invented in view of such circumstances, and a first object of the invention is to provide a spindle apparatus which facilitates assembling and removing operations at the time of maintenance and which is low cost. A second object of the invention is to provide a spindle apparatus which has high stiffness and excels in satisfactory damping properties and slidability. A third object of the invention is to provide a machine tool in which a spindle cartridge or a spindle sub-cartridge can be disassembled and assembled in a short time, which minimizes the machine height, and which has high stiffness. A fourth object of the invention is to provide a spindle apparatus which is capable of attaining improvement of the maintenance efficiency by making it possible to facilitate the operation of replacing all internal component parts.

Main shaft device and machine tool with the same


A vehicle notification sound emitting apparatus is basically provided with a sound emitting device and a notification sound control device. The sound emitting device emits a starting movement notification sound to outside of a vehicle to inform a person in an outside area surrounding the vehicle that the vehicle will transition from a stopped state to a moving state, and emits a moving notification sound to outside of the vehicle to inform a person in the outside area surrounding the vehicle that the vehicle is moving. The notification sound control device operates the sound emitting device to selectively emit the starting movement notification sound. The notification sound control device includes a notification sound emission timing section that sets a start timing of the starting movement notification sound in response to a shift operation having been performed and an additional start movement preparation operation of the vehicle having been performed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to vehicle sound emitting technology for informing a person in an area surrounding of the vehicle that the vehicle is moving, or is about to move, in an advancement direction, e.g., forward or rearward. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vehicle notification sound emitting apparatus that emits a notification sound to inform people of the existence of the vehicle.
2. Background Information
Some vehicles have a very quiet operating sound and/or moving sound (including a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine). For example, an electric powered vehicle such as an electric car configured to be electrically driven (EV drive) using only an electric motor is typically very quiet while operating and/or moving. Also for example, a hybrid vehicle having an electric drive mode (EV mode) in which the vehicle is driven solely with an electric motor is typically very quiet while operating and/or moving. In such very quiet vehicles, the operating sound and/or moving sound (vehicle information) such as the existence of the vehicle, an intent of a driver as indicated by a gear shift or other operation, an advancement direction of the vehicle (forward or reverse), a vehicle speed and/or other traveling condition of the vehicle are often not perceivable to a person in a surrounding area of the vehicle by emitting a notification sound to the outside of the vehicle. Thus, while typically it is desirable for the occupants of the vehicle to have a very vehicle, there are times when it is desirable for the vehicle convey the existence of the vehicle to a person in a surrounding area of the vehicle by emitting an notification sound to the outside of the vehicle.
Among the vehicle information mentioned above, technology has been proposed for emitting a movement notification sound to inform a person in an outside area surrounding a vehicle that the vehicle is moving in a forward direction (i.e., an advancement direction). For example, conventional technology is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-208307 in which a movement notification sound is emitted to indicate movement of the vehicle in a forward direction (i.e., an advancement direction).
In the conventional technology, when an ignition switch is turned ON and the vehicle is put into a drivable state, the apparatus detects that the ignition switch is ON and the vehicle is in a drivable state and emits a notification sound to inform a person in an outside area surrounding the vehicle regarding forward movement of the vehicle. Also in the conventional notification technology, the notification sound is emitted from the time the vehicle is put into a drivable state. In other words, a person in an outside area surrounding the vehicle can be informed of the vehicle's forward movement by a notification sound that is emitted before a movement start operation is performed after a movement start preparation operation is completed, i.e., before the vehicle actually starts moving forward.
Another example conventional movement notification sound technology is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-343360 in which a notification sound emitting apparatus emits a forward movement notification sound for informing a person in a surrounding area of a vehicle that the vehicle is moving forward when the vehicle has started moving forward from a stop. A volume of the notification sound is changed between when the vehicle is starting into motion and when the vehicle is moving.

Vehicle notification sound emitting apparatus


A method and apparatus for finishing an endless length of feed stock to form a uniform circular cross-section. A dished surface, set back from and into the surface of the regulator wheel, causes the stock to rotate about its longitudinal axis as it is advanced around the regulator wheel and in contact with an abrasive surface.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for finishing elastic O-ring gaskets to extremely close tolerances and to apparatus for performing that method. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of presenting an unfinished, endless length of elastic O-ring feed stock to the grinding surface of a centerless grinder and to apparatus for effecting such presentation and grinding the feed stock to a finished condition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One conventional method of manufacturing elastic packing rings or O-ring gaskets of generally circular cross section, involves the extrusion of a moldable plastic rubber compound to form a preform rod of suitable cross section, and thereafter cutting the rod to length and inserting it into a mold in which a fused joint is developed between abutting rod ends during heat cure. It has been found that producing O-rings by this method frequently results in weak joints at which failures occur.
Another conventional method of making O-rings is to die-cut a circular preform ring from a calendared flat sheet of stock, and to then mold and cure the preform to final O-ring shape and dimension. O-rings produced by this latter method have no mold fused joint, but they are defective as to strength because the grain of the stock is not uniform throughout the ring, but on the contrary parallels the walls on two sides and is transverse thereto on the other two sides.
It has also long been known to fabricate O-ring gaskets to finished condition by a molding process intended to overcome the above defect. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 2,646,595 discloses a method wherein a jointless, cylindrical preform is cut into rings which are then shaped, pressure molded and heat cured to final dimensions.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,954,263 teaches a method of simultaneously forming a plurality of elastic O-rings suitable for use as sealing members wherein a moldable plastic mixture is calendared and circumferentially lapped and compressed on an undulated mandrel to form a jointless, tubular preform with an undulated inner surface on the mandrel. The preform is pressure molded and heat cured in an undulated die to form an undulated outer surface on the preform to complement its inner surface thus to define a plurality of O-rings of final shape and dimension on the mandrel. The O-ring forms, bonded together at their sides, are pulled apart.
Techniques and apparatus for forming endless belts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,917,548, 2,588,647, 3,891,405 and 4,782,575. From these it is known to build a belt preform on a mandrel, for example, and then to grind or cut the preform to the desired shape.

Method and apparatus for finishing elastic O-ring gaskets


A flow measuring device operating on the vortex counter principle, comprises: a measuring tube; a blockage in the form of a bluff body in the measuring tube for bringing about a Karman vortex street with flow dependent vortex frequency; a first pressure fluctuation measuring arrangement for registering vortex related pressure fluctuations and for providing signals dependent on pressure fluctuations; a second pressure fluctuation measuring arrangement for registering vortex related pressure fluctuations and for providing signals dependent on pressure fluctuations. The first pressure fluctuation measuring arrangement is spaced in the longitudinal direction of the measuring tube from the second pressure fluctuation measuring arrangement. An evaluating unit for determining a vortex frequency and a flow measured value dependent thereon, and the evaluation unit is further adapted, based on the ratio of the amplitudes of the signals of the first pressure fluctuation measuring arrangement and the second pressure fluctuation measuring arrangement, or variables derived therefrom, to determine the current Reynolds number and/or the kinematic viscosity of the medium flowing in the measuring tube.

Such flow measuring devices operate on the basis that vortices are shed alternately from both sides of a blockage, around which a fluid is flowing in a pipeline, such that a so called Karman vortex street forms, wherein the vortices lead to periodic pressure fluctuations, which are registered with pressure sensors or a paddle. The shedding frequency of the vortices for a particular measuring arrangement is proportional to the flow velocity and to the Strouhal number, a dimensionless number, which has a weak dependence on the Reynolds number. For wide ranges of Reynolds numbers, the Strouhal number can to a first approximation be assumed to be constant. Especially for Reynolds numbers under 20000, however, this no longer holds, so that the model ascertaining the flow based on the vortex frequency must be refined.
An approach to this is described in European Patent, EP 0 619 473 A1, according to which the pressure fluctuations are registered with two paddles spaced differently far from the blockage. The phase difference between the registered pressure fluctuations is then taken into consideration for correcting the flow measurement. The phase difference has, however, large fluctuations, so that the signal processing for ascertaining it is very complex. This is true especially when a compact flow measuring device is desired, in the case of which the locations for registering the pressure fluctuations are arranged near the blockage and not spaced far from one another.

Flow measuring device operating on the vortex counter principle


Provided is a member for electrophotography including a fluorine resin surface layer formed by melting fluorine resin powder, the member being capable of stably maintaining rubber elasticity over a long time period. Further, provided are a fixing member, a fixing device, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus each capable of stably providing the image quality of an electrophotographic image. The member for electrophotography is a member for electrophotography, comprising: a substrate; a cured silicone rubber elastic layer; and a fluorine resin surface layer obtained by melting a fluorine resin powder, wherein: when a microhardness of a cured rubber forming the cured silicone rubber elastic layer is defined as Hμ0, and a microhardness of a rubber obtained by soaking the cured rubber in a methyl hydrogen silicone oil for 24 hours, and then further curing the cured rubber is defined as Hμ1, Hμ1/Hμ0 is 2.5 or more and 5.0 or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a member for electrophotography, a fixing device, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A heat fixing system has been generally employed in an electrophotographic apparatus. That is, a recording material holding an image formed with unfixed toner is introduced into a nip between a fixing member and a pressurizing member placed opposite to the fixing member in a fixing device. Then, in the nip, the toner is heated and pressurized to melt, and the molten toner is fixed onto the recording material.
In this connection, a member obtained as described below has been known as the fixing member or the pressurizing member (hereinafter referred to as "fixing member or the like"). An elastic layer containing a silicone rubber formed of a cured product of an addition-curing-type organopolysiloxane mixture and a surface layer formed by melting fluorine resin powder are placed on a substrate.
It should be noted that the silicone rubber formed of the cured product of the addition-curing-type organopolysiloxane mixture is hereinafter sometimes referred to as "cured silicone rubber." In addition, the elastic layer containing the cured silicone rubber is hereinafter sometimes referred to as "cured silicone rubber elastic layer."
The surface layer of each of the fixing member or the like having such configuration can be made thin. Accordingly, in the fixing member with which the unfixed toner image is brought into contact, by virtue of excellent elasticity of the cured silicone rubber elastic layer, the unfixed toner on the recording material can be enclosed and melt without being excessively squashed. Accordingly, shift and blur of an electrophotographic image caused by the excessive squash of the unfixed toner upon fixation can be suppressed. In addition, occurrence of melting unevenness of the toner can be suppressed because the fixing member can follow irregularities of fibers of paper as the recording material well. Further, in the case of a color electrophotographic apparatus, color mixability of multiple color toners on the recording material can be improved.
In this case, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-328418, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-49382 and Japanese Patent No. 4012744, a heating step at a temperature of 300° C. to 350° C. (hereinafter, the step is referred to as "baking") is generally needed for melting the fluorine resin powder on the cured silicone rubber elastic layer.

Member for electrophotography, fixing device, and electrophotographic image forming apparatus


Coaxial units are disclosed for conducting microwaves to and from amplifying apparatus with splitter and combiner cavities. Each coaxial unit comprises an outer conductor, a dielectric sleeve having an unsheathed portion extending forward of the front end of the outer conductor, and an inner conductor pin projecting forward of the sleeve, the pin having a forward portion which is resiliently compressible radially inward. The coaxial unit is coupled to an associated cavity by having its sleeve and pin forward portions, respectively, received in large and small bores respectively formed in metallic plates on opposite sides of the associated cavity. The forward portion of the pin makes direct yieldable-pressure electrical contact with metallic regions around the wall of the small bore at a location adjacent the opening of such bore into the cavity.

On Feb. 9, 1988, U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,400, entitled "Linear Amplifier Assembly" was issued in the name of G. G. Luettgenau to TRW Inc. (the "400 patent"). Such patent is treated herein solely as a publication. The disclosure of the '400 patent as a publication is, however incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof.
The '400 patent shows and describes a microwave splitter-combiner apparatus comprising a cylindrical stack of vertically superposed circular metallic plates defining within the stack an upper splitter waveguide and a lower combiner waveguide. Each such waveguide comprises a pair of vertically spaced metallic walls and a chamber between and bounded by such walls and providing a passage through which microwaves propagate, the chamber being essentially in the form of a horizontal cylindrical disc. In the splitter waveguide, the microwaves travel through its cylindrical disc chamber from its center radially outward while, in the combiner waveguide, such travel in its chamber is radially inward towards the center of the chamber.
Disposed on a plate member providing a top closure for the mentioned stack is a set of twenty r.f. amplifier operating units each essentially in the shape of a rectangular block. The twenty units are equiangularly spaced in carousel fashion around the top of such member in respective radial planes which are vertical and pass through the vertical axis of the stack.
Each of such twenty r.f. amplifier units is coupled to the splitter waveguide by an input coaxial connector and to the combiner waveguide by an output coaxial connector. In the operation of the apparatus, high frequency electromagnetic energy is fed to the splitter waveguide's center, travels therefrom radially outward through the waveguide's chamber to the twenty input connectors and is then fed upward by them to the twenty amplifiers which operate in parallel to amplify such energy. The amplified energy is then fed via the twenty output connectors to points in the combiner waveguide's chamber which are radially outward of the chamber's center. From those points the energy travels as waves radially inward through the chamber to its center to there be combined and provide an amplified output from the apparatus.
In the apparatus of the '400 patent, the input microwave energy is supplied to a splitter cavity via an input coupling unit described in that patent as a coaxial type connector and the amplified microwave energy is tapped off from the combiner cavity by another similarly described coupling unit. Both such connectors are best depicted in FIG. 5a of the patent, and the center conductor of each of such type connectors is shown in that figure as being of constant diameter and having its front received in a constant diameter hole formed in one of the metallic cavity-bounding plates.
Beyond stating that the center conductor of the output connector touches and makes electrical contact with the metallic plate providing the hole in which that conductor is received, the '400 patent does not disclose any of the details of how electrical contact is made in the apparatus shown thereby between the center conductors of the input and output connectors and the metallic plates in which such conductors are received. The inventor knows, however, how such electrical contacts were made in accordance with the practice of the prior art as represented by the '400 patent.
Specifically, the front end of the center conductor of each connector was received in a hole formed in the receptacle plate and of greater diameter than the conductor. An electroconductive epoxy resin was then introduced in the hole into the interstice between the conductor and the hole wall. The epoxy was then cured by heating the entire apparatus in an oven. Such procedure had the disadvantages, however, that proper curing of the epoxy required about an hour of heating and that, all during such heating, care had to be taken to maintain the proper alignment of the conductor relative to the hole.


Making a carbon aerogel involves 3-D printing an ink to make a printed part, removing the solvent from the printed part, and carbonizing the printed part (with the solvent removed) to make the aerogel. The ink is based on a solution of a resorcinol-formaldehyde resin (RF resin), water, and an organic thickener. Advantageously, the RF resin contains an acid catalyst, which tends to produce carbon aerogels with higher surface areas upon activation than those produced from methods involving an ink composition containing a base catalyzed resin.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Carbon aerogels are porous solids with interconnected carbon particles and so they exhibit high surface area and good electrical conductivity. Activated carbon aerogels are useful electrode materials for applications such as capacitive deionization, flow batteries, supercapacitors (or electric double-layer capacitors), and others. For example, interest in capacitive deionization systems, and making such systems more efficient, is growing in part because of growing interest in the use of deionization systems in desalination applications to remove salt from salt water. However, optimizing electrode design, for example the pore geometries of the electrode material to achieve improved efficiencies, still remains a challenge.
Additional information on the present state of the art involving three dimensional printing of aerogels may be found at the following: High surface area carbon aerogel monoliths with hierarchical porosity—Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids—354 (29), 2008, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences—111 (7), 2014, 3513-3515; Capacitive desalination with flow-through electrode—Energy and Environmental Science—5 (11), 2012, 9511-9519; Highly compressible 3D periodic graphene aerogel micro-lattices—Nature Communications—6 (6962), 2015; T. Baumann et al., reported a synthetically tailored high surface area (3000 m2/g) carbon aerogels with bimodal porosity which can be used as electrodes for electrochemical devices; M. Stadermann et al., described a model capacitive desalination (CD) cell which employed activated carbon aerogels as electrodes, with the efficiency of the cell being four times higher than a typical CD cell; Cheng et al., employed direct ink writing technique to prepare graphene aerogels with defined geometries.
3-D printing inks thickened with graphene oxide have also been made containing base catalyzed resorcinol-formaldehyde resins. Drawbacks from using such inks have been identified in the current work and represent further challenges in producing carbon aerogels downstream from the 3-D parts printed using the ink.

System and method for forming activated carbon aerogels and performing 3D printing

Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC


A tamper-proof locking mechanism for a rotatable control device, such as a quarter turn valve including a valve member connected to a stem journalled in a body housing the valve member and an operating handle connected to the stem for rotating the valve member between open and closed positions. The locking mechanism includes a pair of lugs on the valve body at circumferentially spaced locations corresponding to the locations of an intermediate portion of the handle when the valve member is in the open and closed positions. A slider member is slidably mounted on the intermediate portion of the handle for reciprocative movement between a locked position and an unlocked position. The slider member includes a latch element having an open portion for receiving the lugs and arranged to restrain both rotational and axial movement of the handle when the handle is in the open or closed position and the slider member is in the locked position. When the slider member is moved to the unlocked position, the handle can be moved freely between the open and closed positions. An aperture in the intermediate portion of the handle adjacent the slider member can receive the shackle of a padlock which is engaged by the slider member when movement of the slider member from the locked position is attempted.

This invention relates to tamper-proof locking mechanisms for controls having a rotatable control shaft projecting outwardly from a body housing a control means. In one aspect, the invention relates to tamper-proof mechanisms for locking quarter turn valves, such as ball valves, butterfly valves and plug valves, in a fully open and/or a fully closed position.
In some fluid operations, it is essential that certain manually-operated control valves be maintained in either the full open or closed position during normal operation. For example, Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations require that certain control valves in hydraulic and pneumatic systems to be positively locked in the open or closed position. Another example is fire protection sprinkler systems where the control valves must be fully open at all times to insure proper water flow in the event of an emergency.
When such valves are located in areas where there is a risk of intentional tampering or where they may be unintentionally closed, opened or otherwise mispositioned, a locking mechanism which reliably and positively locks the operating handle in a selected position is required. To be completely effective, the locking mechanism must not only prevent rotational movement of the operating handle, but also prevent the operating handle from being lifted off the stem, even though a nut or the like holding the handle on the valve stem has been removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,023 discloses a locking and latching mechanism for quarter turn valves including a slider slidably mounted on an operating handle which is connected to a stem rotatably journalled in a boss on the valve body. The handle is rotated to move a valve member between open and closed positions. The slider includes a tang which is received in undercuts in the boss at locations corresponding to the open and closed positions. These undercuts are designed to be engaged by the tang, when the slider is in a locked position, to prevent rotational movement of the handle from the open or closed position and prevent the handle from being lifted off the stem. The intricate geometry of the valve body resulting from these undercuts causes a significant increase in the cost of molds, particularly molds for investment casting. Also, a build up of the maximum manufacturing tolerances in forming the valve body and stamping or otherwise forming the operating handle and slider can produce a situation where the slider tang can be wiggled out from beneath the undercuts.

Tamper-proof locking mechanism for quarter turn valves


Improved switchgear is disclosed that includes a bus bar system that can be assembled from modular parts. The bus bar system includes modules, such as high-voltage cables, connectors coupled to the cables and a third cable-less bus bar that is assembled using mechanical and/or push-on connections. By using these types of bus bars, various configurations, orientations of phase planes, and sizes of bus bar systems may be assembled. The connectors and cable-less bus bar may include either push-on connection points, mechanical connections points or a combination of both. The bus bars may themselves include insulation and semiconductive shields. The improved switchgear may also include solid insulation, such as EPDM rubber, to insulate the bus bar system from the exterior surfaces of the switchgear.

Utility companies distribute power to customers using a network of cables, switching stations and switchgear. Switchgear is high voltage (e.g. 5 kV-38 kV) equipment, typically subsurface, vault, or pad mounted and used to distribute and control power distribution in relatively small areas. Historically, switchgear is a box or container that includes bushings, insulation, a bus bar system and a collection of active switching elements. An active switching element is a device with an internal active component, such as a fuse, a switch, or an interrupter, and external points of connection. In some active switching elements, these external points of connection are bushings. Active switching elements are used to automatically, manually, or remotely open and/or close a circuit. It should be noted that active switching elements that include switches or interrupters often include contacts in a vacuum, air, insulating oil, or dielectric gas. Distribution cables are coupled to the bushings of the switchgear and have the capacity to transmit power at high voltages. The bushings in turn are coupled to, or form an integral part of, the active switching elements inside the switchgear. The active switching elements are coupled by a bus bar system to create the switchgear.
FIG. 1 shows a common switchgear configuration 100 with source side door 110 in an open position. Latch(es) 111a and/or 111b are used to lock source side door 110 in a closed position. Inside door 110 is a front-plate 130 that forms one side of the container. In FIG. 1, the front-plate 130 is a vertical surface of the container. Coming up from the bottom of switchgear 100 are cables 112a-112f that each typically carry power in three phases from two different sources. More specifically, cables 112a-112c carry, respectively, the A, B and C phases of power from source 1, and cables 112d-112f carry, respectively, the C, B and A phases of power from source 2.
Cables 112a-112f are coupled to front-plate 130 and switchgear 100 through connectors 114a-114f. A connector or connector body is a component for connecting a power cable or bus bar to a bushing. Connectors can be straight or bent, live-break or dead-break, load-break, bolted, or probe and contact. Connectors 114a-114f are coupled to bushings extending through the front-plate 130. These bushings are coupled to active switching elements inside switchgear 100. The bushings represented in FIG. 1 are in a single plane that is horizontal to the pad. An exemplary connector is the "PUSH-OP™ Dead break Connector Catalog No. 600-13" manufactured by Cooper Power Systems, the specification of which is incorporated by reference. An exemplary bushing is Cooper Power System's "600 A 15 and 25 KV Class Deadbreak PUSH-OP™ Apparatus Bushing" (Electrical Apparatus Catalog No. 800-46), the specification of which is incorporated by reference.
Additional features may include switch handles 116a and 116b that operate switches (the active elements) inside switchgear 100 to disconnect and connect the bushings extending through front-plate 130 from the internal bus bar system. The cables 112a-112c may be disconnected from internal bus bar system by manipulating handle 116a. Similarly, cables 112d-112f may be disconnected from the internal bus bar system by manipulating handle 116b. Handles 116a and 116b are mounted onto front-plate or working surface 130 as shown in FIG. 1. It should be noted that alternative switchgear may use alternative active switching elements such as fault interrupters and fuses. It should also be noted that the front-plate or working surface 130 is a plane on the switchgear 100.
One use of switchgear is to segregate a network of power distribution cables into sections. That is, by manually opening or closing a switch (either locally or remotely), such as the switch coupled to handle 116a, the power supplied from one source to the switchgear is prevented from being conducted to the other side of the switchgear and/or to the bus. Similarly, when switch 116b is opened, power on one side of the switchgear is prevented from being conducted to the other side of the switchgear and to the bus and the taps. In this manner, a utility company is able to segregate a portion of the network for maintenance, either by choice, through the opening of a switch, or automatically for safety, through the use of a fuse or fault interrupter, depending on the type of active switching elements included in the switchgear.
FIG. 2 shows switchgear 100 with tap side door 220 open. Latch(es) 211a and/or 211b are used to lock tap side door 220 in the closed position. Inside door 220 is a front-plate or working surface 240, which is also one vertical side of the container. Coming up from the bottom of switchgear 100 are typically six cables 212a-212f that each typically carry one phase of power away from switchgear 100. In particular, cable 212a carries A phase power, cable 212b carries B phase power and cable 212c carries C phase power. Similarly, cable 212d carries C phase power, cable 212e carries B phase power and cable 212f carries A phase power. Connectors 214a-214f connect cables 212a-212f to switchgear 100 through bushings (not visible in this figure). Exemplary connectors and bushings can be the same as those described in conjunction with FIG. 1. It should be noted that the exemplary switchgear in FIGS. 1 and 2 shows one type of phase configuration. The phase configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is ABC CBA. Other phase configurations include AA BB CC. Still other configurations have one or more sources and taps on the same front plate or each on its own front plate or on the sides of the switchgear on one or more additional front plates. It should also be noted that each phase may be designated by a number, such as 1, 2 and 3, and that the switchgear may accommodate more that three phases of power. Thus, a switchgear may have a configuration of 123456 654321.
It should also be noted that there are other places at which to locate the bushings on the switchgear. The orientation of the bushings, whether mounted onto the front, side, top or back of a frame, and thereby protruding toward an exterior working space of the switchgear, is called the bushing plane. For the switchgear shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front plates 130 and 240 are two bushing planes for the switchgear 100.
One structure not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a frame. A frame is internal to the switchgear and provides support for the active switching elements as well as the bus bar system. In other words, the frame holds the active switching elements and bus bar system in place once they are coupled to the frame. The frame is oriented to allow portions of the active switching elements, typically bushings, to protrude as a bushing plane so that connections to cables can be made.
A way is a three-phase or single-phase circuit connection to a bus, which contains combinations of switches and/or protective devices. A way may carry power in either a single-phase system or a multi-phase system. The circuit connection may or may not include active switching elements. The switchgear shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is four-way or 4W. That is, the switchgear has connections for two sources and two protected taps.
Handle 216a operates switches inside switchgear 100 to disconnect cables 212a, 212b and 212c from the internal bus bar system. Similarly, handles 216b-216d each operate a switch inside switchgear 100 to disconnect and connect, respectively, one of individual cables 212d-212f from the internal bus bar system. Alternate switchgear can use other active switching elements such as fuses and fault interrupters.
If fuses were implemented instead of switches, the switch handles shown in FIG. 1 would be replaced by hot stick operable to access removable fuse wells that extend through front-plate 240 to allow a technician to access and/or replace the fuse.
A cut-away side view of switchgear 100 is shown in FIG. 3. As previously described, switchgear 100 in this example includes switching and/or protective devices 305 and 310 and a bus bar system 315. Devices 305 and 310 include bushings 305a and 310a for coupling to connectors 114a and 214f. Devices 305 and 310 also include bushings 305b and 310b for coupling to bus bar system 315. It should be noted that bushings 305a, 305b, 310a and 310b may be integral to or separate from switching and/or protective devices 305 and 310 and they may include mechanical or push-on connectors. A mechanical connector connects two or more metallic elements by using threaded, crimp, or wedge connections. Typical mechanical bus connections consist of two or more conductors made from bars or braids which are secured together with a threaded bolt extending through holes in a flattened portion and secured by a bolt and a conductive member with internal threads. A typical mechanical connector to a flat bus conductor surface is accomplished by threading a conductive member with internal threads onto a threaded stud or a bolt. Push-on connectors consist of two or more metallic bus conductors that can be axially joined. The components consist of a matching set of probes, rods, or 'male' conductors that mate with finger-contacts, bores, or 'female' conductors or contacts.
FIG. 4 shows a cross sectional front view of a conventional bus bar system 315. Conventional bus bar system 315 includes three copper, aluminum or other electrically conductive metal bars 415a, 415b and 415c. As shown in FIG. 4, metal bar 415a is formed or bent around metal bar 415b and metal bar 415b is similarly formed or bent around metal bar 415c. The metal bars may be flexible or partially flexible to allow connection to two rigid members. The purpose of bus bar system 315 is to conduct power from the source side active switching elements to the tap side active switching elements. Thus, if one of the active switching elements opens such that a source side or tap side cable is disconnected from the bus bar system, the remaining source and tap side cables remain connected and can transmit power.
Insulation is provided between the bus bars and the active switching elements to prevent electrical arcing. There are three common types of insulation typically used in conventional switchgear: oil, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas, and air. Each type of insulation insulates each part of the switchgear from the other parts of the switchgear (bus bar and active switching elements), and from the outer surfaces of the container of the switchgear.

Switchgear using modular push-on deadfront bus bar system