An adjustable vehicle seat includes a seat base having a seat surface and a backrest having a backrest surface. In the seat base and/or in the backrest, sensors are provided that detect forces, pressures and/or movements effected by a person sitting on the vehicle seat and consequently issue a signal. A control device is provided that detects the signals issued by the sensors and actuates actuators provided in the vehicle seat to adjust the seat base and/or backrest, or components thereof, in order to adjust the vehicle seat.

The invention concerns an adjustable driver's seat of a vehicle as well as a vehicle with at least one such adjustable vehicle seat.
Vehicle seats are usually adjusted by way of many individual adjustment variables in a series of the adjustment variables. In particular, the adjustment is carried out by electrically adjustable units via seat adjustment switches or by mechanically adjustable units with the use of mechanical release levers. The vehicle passenger requires a lot of time to adjust all of the individual adjustable units. These often have to be corrected, because the individual adjustments affect one another.
An adjustable vehicle seat with massage functionality, which is provided with massage elements, is known from DE 10 2009 036 278 A1. The vehicle seat comprises a number of sensors that can detect weight, movement or pressure as input variables. A detected input variable is compared with predetermined variables and a feedback message is carried out by means of the massage element depending on the deviation. As a result, it is intended to be possible to train predetermined muscle groups of the person seated on the vehicle seat.
It is the object of the present invention to provide an adjustable vehicle seat so that the seat adjustment is simplified.
The adjustable vehicle seat according to an aspect of the invention is provided with a seat base having a seat surface and with a backrest having a backrest surface, wherein sensors are provided in the seat base and/or in the backrest that detect forces, pressures and/or movements exerted by a person seated on the vehicle seat and then output a signal. A control device is provided that detects the signals output by the sensors and actuates actuators provided in the vehicle seat for adjusting the seat base and/or the backrest (or components of the seat base and/or the backrest) in order to adjust the vehicle seat.
This sensor actuation of the seat adjustment makes the seat adjustment intuitive. The adjustment can be carried out in an analog manner and fluidly. The desired change in attitude is immediately carried out in the seat when body impressions occur. The seat adjustment is carried out by body pressure introduced into the seat or force that is applied at the points at which sensors are provided.
In one advantageous embodiment, when detecting an input variable by way of at least one of the sensors in a region of the vehicle seat, this region is adjusted by at least one of the actuators in order to comply with the input variable. This enables an adjustment of the vehicle seat to the current sitting posture of a passenger seated on the vehicle seat.
It is advantageous if the control device analyzes the detected signals output by the sensors and determines therefrom a current load profile of the seat base and/or the backrest. The control device then compares the determined current load profile with at least one standard load profile stored in a memory device. And, the control device then actuates the actuators such that the determined load profile approximates to or equals the standard load profile. This static adjustability enables a particularly effective adjustment of the vehicle seat to the current sitting posture of a passenger seated on the vehicle seat.
For example, the adjustment of the vehicle seat to the current sitting posture described above can be carried out during a longer freeway trip if a person seated on the vehicle seat (occupant), for example the driver, wants to sit more comfortably and expresses this wish by increased contact of certain parts of the body on the seat. Then, after the comparison of the determined load profile with the standard load profiles stored in the memory device, the actuators are actuated such that the determined load profile approximates to or equals the corresponding standard load profile.
It is also advantageous if the control device analyzes the detected signals output by the sensors, and determines therefrom a current load profile of the seat base and/or the backrest. The control device compares the determined current load profile with a load profile stored in a memory device that introduces a defined body movement and determines the closest load profile to the current load profile that introduces a known body movement as the predictive load profile. And, the control device actuates the actuators such that the seat base and/or the backrest or components thereof are adjusted according to the body movement associated with the predictive load profile. This embodiment exploits the fact that certain load profiles form a load pattern that precedes an impending movement, so that the seat adjustment is carried out predictively to a seat setting that is adjusted to an intermediate state or an end state of the predicted body movement.
With this design of the invention, a preemptive and thus rapid seat setting can be carried out.
An embodiment of the invention that is particularly advantageous is characterized in that the control device analyzes the detected signals output by the sensors over a predetermined time period and determines therefrom the time-dependent current load profile dynamics of the seat base and/or the backrest. The control device compares the determined current load profile dynamics with load profile dynamics that are stored in a memory device and that reproduce physiological body movement patterns and determines the load profile dynamics closest to the current load profile dynamics that reproduce a defined physiological body movement pattern as the predictive load profile dynamics. The control device actuates the actuators such that the seat base and/or the backrest or components thereof are adjusted time-dependently according to the body movement patterns associated with the predictive load profile. This dynamic adjustment enables the desired change in attitude to be carried out immediately in the vehicle seat when impressions of the body occur. This type of adjustment of the vehicle seat depicts the human physiological movement pattern. In this case, the adjustment is carried out not in individual movements of individually adjustable seat components, but rather in synchronous adjustment movements of individual seat components according to anatomical and physiological body movement patterns.
A physiological body movement pattern is a succession of movements that an occupant carries out, for example in a vehicle. Physiological body movement patterns are a certain sequence of body movements and are not random, but repeat in a similar and hence in a reproducible manner for similar movement processes. For example, if an occupant in a vehicle, starting from a position on a seat with a viewing direction in the direction of travel, wants to carry out a quarter turn to the right, the physiological body movement pattern always includes support in the region of the contact of the left thigh on the seat base (left side panel of the seat base) and a force application into the right thorax region of the seat. With such a pressure distribution in the seat (current load profile dynamics), the desire of the occupant for a quarter turn of the seat can be concluded. By comparing with stored load profile dynamics reproducing physiological body movement patterns, this desire of the occupant for a quarter turn of the seat is verified and the seat is turned through 90° (lagging, simultaneous or leading). Said rotation of the seat is for example advantageous in an autonomously driving vehicle or when a conventional vehicle is at a standstill, so that the occupant is better able to turn to other occupants in the vehicle.
Turning to other occupants in the vehicle can (alternatively or additionally) be facilitated by folding back the so-called headrest. The headrest is the upper region of the backrest. The headrest can be folded rearwards about a folding axis lying in a horizontal plane through the backrest, for example at about half the height of the backrest.
Movement patterns arising as a result of the action of external forces on the occupants, for example acceleration, deceleration, turning, are to be distinguished from the physiological body movement patterns. Said states can be positively sensed and do not trigger any seat adjustment. For example, if an occupant supports himself more with his left thigh on the left side panel of the seat when traversing a right turn, but in contrast to the example above of the introduction of a quarter turn of the seat there is no introduction of force into the right thorax region.
Parameters from the driving mode of the vehicle can be used by the control device for introducing or for suppressing a seat adjustment. In the preceding example of turning, a lateral acceleration signal can be taken into account by the control device.
The sensors, the signals of which form the input variables for the control device, are preferably disposed on the seat. Of course however, at least one sensor can also be disposed on a component of the vehicle that is different from the seat. For example, sensors on the floor of the vehicle can detect whether an occupant is supporting himself on the floor of the vehicle in order to initiate a quarter turn of his seat, for example. The signal of a sensor in the region of the contact area of the left foot of the occupant can thus be used as an input variable for the control device in order to initiate a quarter turn of the seat to the right in the presence of other sensor signals.
It is advantageous here if the adjustment of the seat base and/or the backrest or of components thereof is carried out in synchronism with the physiological body movement patterns associated with the predictive load profile dynamics.
Alternatively, the adjustment of the seat base and/or the backrest or of components thereof can be carried out so as to lead or lag the physiological body movement pattern associated with the predictive load profile dynamics.
An advantageous embodiment of the invention that is especially provided for the driver's seat of the vehicle is characterized in that a first group of actuators can only be actuated by the control device when the (non-autonomously drivable) vehicle is at a standstill and that a second group of actuators can be actuated by the control device while travelling and when the vehicle is at a standstill. The first group includes the so-called anthropometric settings of the vehicle seat, which define the sitting position of the passenger in relation to the seating environment in the vehicle and which ensure for the driver that the vehicle can be controlled safely. The second group includes the so-called comfort settings, which can also be safely changed while travelling. In the case of an autonomous driving mode, in which the driver is not necessary, anthropometric adjustments can also be carried out while travelling.
It is advantageous here if the second group of actuators comprises those actuators that effect the adjustment of at least one of the following vehicle seat components or vehicle seat settings: the side panel of the seat base, the side panel of the backrest, the width of the seat surface, the width of the backrest surface, the length of the seat surface, the thigh support and the lumbar support.
With a further preferred embodiment of the vehicle seat according to the invention, with which actuators for adjusting components of the seat base and/or the backrest are actuated, the control device causes the seat base and/or the backrest to be asymmetrically displaced in relation to a central longitudinal plane of the seat by a corresponding load on the sensors. Thus for example, a correspondingly suitable load pattern can cause a backrest that can be rotated about a vertical axis of the backrest as a whole or rotated in itself to be rotated or twisted by means of the actuated actuators in order to enable the person seated on the vehicle seat to reach the safety belt more comfortably when strapping the belt on, as described for example in DE 10 2013 224 873 A1 in connection with active operation by the user, i.e. by pressing the backrest back on one side.
Finally, the invention is also aimed at a vehicle with at least one of the aforementioned vehicle seats.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


A method of teaching and learning putting, via accurate visual feedback, and employing a putter head having a light reflective surface, a golf ball zone, a light beam generator, a beam target surface, and a local (cup) zone toward which a putter struck ball travels on a putting surface, the steps that include: locating the putter head directly behind the ball zone on the putting surface; operating the generator to direct a light beam at the putter for reflection by the putter, or by a face carried by the putter, toward the target surface to impinge thereon at an impingement locus; and swinging the putter in a manner to strike a ball at the ball zone and stroke it toward the local (cup) zone, thereby causing the impingement locus of the reflected beam to trace a detectable travel pattern providing indication as to whether or not correct putter alignment forces would be applied to a struck ball to cause it to travel to the local (cup) zone.

This invention relates generally to golf ball putting, and more particularly concerns a method and apparatus facilitating tracking and/or learning of precision putting.
There is need for a means to enable the golfer to be confident of his initial aim at the target and his execution during play. Enhanced practice can achieve that goal. Accurate putting demands precise application of distance and direction factors. Distance problems are easily seen, and can be corrected; however, alignment factors are less obvious. First, it is difficult to aim the putter. There is need for apparatus that allows an accurate check of putter aim, and which allows the golfer to actually visualize correct putter direction, thus making it possible to repeat on the golf course. Also, there is need for apparatus that allows a check on the quality of the putting motion itself.
The direction of a putt is greatly affected by the slope and condition of the putting surface. However, once a target path is chosen, putting direction is affected by three factors. One is the centeredness of contact. Off center impact can cause the putter blade to open or close. The second factor is the actual path of the club head. The third and most important factor is the direction of the club face during impact. It is almost impossible for a golfer to see, i.e., visualize, these alignment problems. In fact, certain erroneous combinations of these factors will result in a perfect looking putt result. In effect, two wrongs make a right. If the initial aim is wrong, the stroke must be wrong to correct the result; however, most golfers do not want to learn this way. The simplest method is correct aim and matching stroke. There is thus need for apparatus that allows the golfer to actually see each alignment factor during practice execution and to explore ways to prevent or correct any alignment problems during practice.
Devices have been developed that in some way artificially restrict the club head path, and that show club face alignment at impact in a relatively inaccurate manner. Practice putters and devices have been developed that allow control of ball contact at impact. If these devices in any way force unnatural muscle response, they teach something that cannot apply to putting. There is need for apparatus that allows the golfer to ascertain the quality of directional factors while he is free to feel or experience the correct muscle feel. In the meantime, the brain is learning an accurate proprioceptor patterning for accurate putting. Accordingly, there is need for means to much more accurately indicate to the golfer whether or not the putter face is being twisted, whether the putter head path is in the chose and proper direction and whether the ball is being contacted squarely

Putting teaching and learning apparatus and method


This disclosure describes select low trans-fatty acid fats and fat compositions and methods of making such fats and fat compositions. These fats and fat compositions achieve properties commonly associated with typical partially hydrogenated fats, but avoid the high trans-fatty acid contents typically associated with such fats.

A variety of relatively "hard" fat compositions, e.g., margarine, spreads, shortening, and frying fat, are formed from seed oils and vegetable oils. For example, plastic fat compositions such as margarine and low-fat spreads typically comprise an emulsion of an oil phase (typically including a liquid oil and a hard fat, which usually has been hardened) with an aqueous phase, together with various emulsifiers, stabilizers, preservatives, and flavoring agents.
Most seed oils and vegetable oils, such as soybean oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, or linseed oil, contain a variety of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. The fatty acid profiles of oils commonly vary by source, but typically include a variety of saturated fatty acids, such as palmitic acid (C16:0) and stearic acid (C18:0); some monounsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid (C18:1) and erucic acid (C22:1); and polyunsaturated fatty acids including linoleic acid (C18:2) and linolenic acid (C18:3). (The Cx:y designation refers to fatty acids wherein x is the number of carbon atoms and y is the number of double bonds.)
Polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly linolenic acid (C18:3), are known to oxidize over time with oxidation proceeding more quickly at higher temperatures such as those used in baking, frying, etc. This oxidation leads to unacceptable rancid flavors. Hence, high contents of linolenic acid can also render edible fats unstable and easily oxidized during cooking and storage, which compromises the sensory characteristics of foods cooked in or incorporating such fats. Many edible fats are hydrogenated to increase stability by reducing the amount of linolenic acid and increasing saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. For example, the maximum desirable linolenic acid content for many commercial bakery and frying shortenings is about two weight percent of the total fatty acid content of the fat.
Hydrogenating (mono)unsaturated fatty acids increases the saturated fatty acid content. Unduly high saturated fatty acid content in one's diet can adversely impact cardiovascular health by raising serum cholesterol levels. As a byproduct of hydrogenation, unsaturated fatty acids can, be converted from their natural cis configuration to their trans isomer form. Recent studies have indicated that trans-fatty acids may impact cardiovascular health more negatively than saturated fatty acids do. In part due to this recent research, consumers are becoming attentive to the trans-fatty acid content of their diets and many consumers are beginning to prefer products with lower trans-fatty acid content.


A method of fabricating a GaN HEMT includes growing a first epitaxial layer on a substrate, growing a second epitaxial layer on the first epitaxial layer, growing a third epitaxial layer on the second epitaxial layer, depositing a first dielectric film on the third epitaxial layer, using dielectric films to form a first sidewall dielectric spacer, forming a sidewall gate adjacent the first sidewall dielectric spacer. The sidewall gate may be made to be less than 50 nm in length.

The prior art for fabricating short gate-length GaN "t-gate" HEMTs uses e-beam lithography and alloyed ohmic contacts as described by M. Micovic, A. Kurdoghlian, P. Hashimoto, M. Hu, M. Antcliffe, P. J. Willadsen, W. S. Wong, R. Bowen, I. Milosavljevic, A. Schmitz, M. Wetzel, and D. H. Chow, "GaN HFET for W-band Power Applications", Electron Devices Meeting IEDM p. 1-3 (2006), and by T. Palacios, E. Snow, Y. Pei, A. Chakraborty, S. Keller, S. P. DenBaars, and U.K. Mishra, "Ge-Spacer Technology in AlGN/GaN HEMTs for mm-Wave Applications", Electron Devices Meeting IEDM p. 787-789 (2005).
The disadvantages of the prior art include poor gate length uniformity and control, reduced process throughput, increased process cost, poor source-drain spacing control, reduced gate aspect ratios leading to increased parasitic gate capacitances, and increased access resistances due to increased source-drain spacings and ohmic contact resistances.
Next-generation GaN HEMTs require aggressive scaling of device dimensions to reduce parasitic capacitances, device delays, and access resistances for improved high-frequency performance. In particular, ultra-short, nanometer-scale gate lengths and source-drain spacings are required in a robust, high throughput, reproducible, and reliable process.
The prior art fabrication of high-frequency GaN HEMTs uses e-beam lithography for gate foot and head definition followed by metal evaporation and lift-off. However, the aspect ratio of lithographically-defined gates is limited, which results in decreased gatehead-to-channel distance and increased parasitic capacitances. E-beam lithography is also time-consuming and expensive, which limits process throughput. Finally, lithographic definition of the source-drain spacing limits device dimensions in conventional GaN HEMTs, while high ohmic contact resistances due to the wide bandgap nature of the Al-containing Schottky layer result in increased access resistance.
What is needed is a method of fabricating GaN HEMTs with ultra-short, high aspect ratio gates and ultra-short source-drain spacings while providing excellent dimensional reproducibility and uniformity in a single optical lithography process step. Also needed are improvements over conventional e-beam lithography fabrication of high-speed GaN HEMTs in order to reduce processing time and cost, improve gate length and source-drain spacing uniformity, and reduce contact and access resistance. The embodiments of the present disclosure answer these and other needs.


Sealing band for a projectile, the band being characterized in that it comprises a front sub-band containing at least two sectors, the sub-band having at least a conical profile in a tight fit with the matching profile of a groove of the projectile, the cone tip being placed towards a rear section of the projectile, with the sub-band attached to the projectile by a cylindrical skirt.

1. Field of the Invention
The technical field of this invention is that of sealing bands for projectiles and especially for sub-caliber projectiles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Projectile bands have as an objective to provide during firing a seal to propellant gases between the wall of the barrel of the weapon and the projectile. These bands are usually placed in a surrounding groove of the projectile and, to provide such a seal, they are always slightly over-caliber (by approximately 10%).
A first problem encountered with known bands is to ensure the effectiveness of the seal during firing in worn barrels. Over-calibrating is not always sufficient to avoid leaks from surrounding gases, which reduce the projectile velocity, adversely affecting its efficiency and accelerating the wear of the barrel.
Attempts are in fact made to develop sub-caliber projectiles with ever increasing performance characteristics, i.e. with the greatest initial velocity possible (today this velocity is of the order of 1,800 m/s). Several types of bands have been developed for such sub-caliber projectiles.
According to established practice, sub-caliber projectiles consist of a sub-caliber (penetrator) core held by caliber sabot. The sabot is made of several segments (generally three) and releases the core upon exiting the weapon's barrel. The sabot usually has a sealing band positioned in a groove located on one section of the caliber sabot, a section usually called "pusher plate" since it is there that the propellant gases exert pressure.
European Patent EP307307 describes therefore a sealing band comprising a rear skirt attached to the cartridge casing, which provides during firing a low-pressure seal (pressure of the order of a few mega Pascal) and a front flange positioned in a groove of the projectile to ensure, like a classical sealing band, a high-pressure seal (pressure of the order of several hundreds of mega Pascal).
A low-pressure seal is essential in the first tens of milliseconds following ignition of the propellant charge contained in the combustible cartridge casing Indeed, the confinement provided by such a cartridge is inferior to that obtained with a metallic cartridge, and displacement of the projectile occurs at lower pressure. A seal that is not sufficiently sensitive to be operational from the time of ignition could have the risk of gases leaking through to the front of the projectile, which would decrease the efficiency of the propellant charge.
Such a device offers, however, some disadvantages.
The cartridge casing is fixed at the level of the skirt integral to the band, generally by riveting.
Rupture of the skirt during the passage of the weapon's forcing cone causes a decrease in the efficient width of the band. This results in a decrease in the firing ability of the projectile in worn barrels.
Furthermore, all efforts and mechanical constraints handled by the ammunition are transferred to the band, the sealing characteristics of which are at risk to deteriorate, which in turn could lead to dispersions from a ballistic point of view.
In order to further increase the velocity of projectiles, so-called "tractor" sabots have been developed, namely those wherein the pusher plate is located toward the front of the projectile.
The published document US-H-1353 describes such a projectile, which offers the advantage of a lightened sabot allowing for greater propellant powder charges in the cartridge.
However such a projectile should be fitted inside the barrel of the weapon, which compels the band to have a diameter inferior to the caliber to be fitted. Such an arrangement is detrimental to the sealing property due to a sub-caliber band. If on the contrary, an over-caliber band is used, it becomes difficult, or impossible to position the projectile due to induced friction.
Also, the guiding of such projectiles in the barrel is difficult to secure, and it is most often necessary to use ribs with a caliber extending to the back of the pusher plate. Such ribs hinder the sealing band assembly, which is most often fitted by hot deformation.

Sealing band for projectile, sub-caliber projectile and ammunition equipped with such a band


The invention provides for methods, compositions, and devices for measuring adipose tissue and lean tissue using ultrasonic methods, compositions and devices, particularly methods, compositions and devices that facilitate placement of ultrasonic probe(s) using external anatomic landmarks such as the umbilicus, and methods, compositions, and devices that improve the reproducibility of ultrasonic measurements of object layer thickness.

The invention relates to the measurement of adipose tissue and lean tissue using ultrasonic methods, compositions and devices, particularly methods, compositions and devices that facilitate placement of ultrasonic probe(s) using external anatomic landmarks, such as the umbilicus, and improve the reproducibility of ultrasonic measurements of object layer thickness.
Objects often include layers of different compositions that are difficult to measure directly and accurately. In many cases, the object""s interior can not be accessed to allow for direct measurement. It may be impractical to intrude the object""s interior or, if even using non-invasive techniques, it may be difficult to position the probe for accurate measurements.
For measurements of biological specimens, the thickness of underlying layers are particularly inconvenient to measure. Many such measurements are preferably taken in vivo, which makes invasive techniques impractical. If non-invasive techniques are used, they are often susceptible to operator errors and can be quite costly, as in the case of expensive medical diagnostic equipment.
In the case of body adipose tissue layers, measurements with skin calipers and water immersion tanks can be used to assess body adipose tissue. Such techniques, however, have a number of drawbacks.
Skinfold calipers use the principle that the amount of subcutaneous adipose tissue correlates to percent body adipose tissue (American College of Sports Medicine, ACSM""s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription, 53-63 (1995)). With a skinfold caliper measurement, after the skin is pinched by an operator without inducing pain to the subject, the thickness of the skinfold is measured with the caliper. Caliper measurements of skinfold thickness have been used with various equations developed to predict body density and percent body adipose tissue (American College of Sports Medicine, ACSM""s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription, 53-63 (1995)). Most of these equations, however, are sex-specific or only apply to certain populations. Other equations to estimate body density and percent body adipose tissue have been developed using regression models that can take into account data from larger population based studies (Jackson, A. S., Pollock, M. L., Br J Nutr, 1978: 497-504 (1978)).
Even with these improvements, however, skinfold calipers are subject to several serious sources of errors. First, skinfold caliper measurements are heavily operator dependent. The force used to pull back the skin by the operator and the location of the measurement site may vary significantly between different operators, or the same operator, resulting in poor reproducibility of measurements. Second, even though skinfold caliper measurements are based on the assumption that subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness correlates to percent body adipose tissue, skinfold calipers cannot measure the thickness of subcutaneous adipose tissue directly. Skinfold caliper measurements, instead, provide an estimate of subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness which, in turn, is then used to estimate percent body adipose tissue. Thus, two approximations are used to estimate percent body adipose tissue. Third, skinfold caliper measurements may overestimate subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness. When the skinfold is pulled back for the measurement, adipose tissue from adjacent sites can be pulled toward the measurement site causing an artificial increase in the amount of subcutaneous adipose tissue present in the selected body region. This problem is exaggerated in subjects with very elastic soft-tissue. Fourth, the inaccuracies associated with skinfold caliper measurements have lead to the use of equations requiring measurements of 3 body sites, 4 body sites, and even 7 body sites (American College of Sports Medicine, ACSM""s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription, 53-63 (1995)). However, even with these adjustments, the inherent inaccuracies of skinfold caliper measurements, most importantly the inability to measure subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness directly, cannot be completely compensated.
Hydrostatic weighing is commonly considered the gold standard for determining body density and estimating percent body adipose tissue. Hydrostatic weighing relies on Archimedes"" principle. A body submerged in water is buoyed by a counterforce equal to the weight of the water that it displaced. Bone and muscle tissue are denser than water, while adipose tissue is less dense. Therefore, a person with low percent body adipose tissue will have higher body density and weighs more in water than a person with higher percent body adipose tissue and the same air weight. Conversely, a person with higher percent body adipose tissue for the same air weight will weigh less in water.
Although hydrostatic weighing is considered the gold standard for body adipose tissue determinations, it is subject to several sources of error. First, hydrostatic weighing requires estimation of pulmonary residual volume, which may vary significantly between individuals. Although pulmonary residual volume can be measured using pulmonary function tests, this adds extra time and expense to the procedure, which could decrease patient compliance. Second, hydrostatic weighing does not account for the variability in bone density known to exist between different individuals and races (American College of Sports Medicine, ACSM""s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription, 53-63 (1995)). In patients with high bone density, hydrostatic weighing will underestimate percent body adipose tissue. Conversely, in osteoporotic patients, hydrostatic weighing may seriously overestimate percent body adipose tissue. Third, hydrostatic weighing requires large and expensive displacement chambers, and complete patient immersion in water. The technical requirements and the expense of hydrostatic weighing limit its use in frequent longitudinal measurements of percent body adipose tissue that are desirable in ambulatory patients undergoing a nutritional regimen or exercise induced adipose tissue reduction. Fourth, submersion of the head underwater may be difficult or anxiety provoking for some individuals.
Ultrasonic examination has been used by the inventors of the present invention for assessing subcutaneous fat and muscle layer thickness (see PCT application PCT/US97/18993). While the previous inventions addressed and improved probe interrogation and positioning, reproducibility of ultrasonic measurements of subcutaneous fat and muscle layer thickness could be further improved by reducing other types of operator induced errors in ultrasonic probe positioning.
For example, to measure a fat layer, the probe may be placed in the abdominal region, the supraclavicular region, the suprailiac region, or the thigh region. These regions are, however, often difficult to reproducibly locate and frequently include anatomical areas stretching over several square centimeters of potential interrogation sites, which leads to significant variability in ultrasonic probe placement. This can result in inaccurate repeat measurements if probe placement is not generally maintained over the original interrogation site.
The variability in probe placement and in resultant ultrasonic measurements is typically even greater when measurements are not performed by a trained operator or when self-measurements are obtained. This variability in probe position and alignment decreases the reproducibility of the ultrasonic measurements which is of particular importance when repeat measurements are obtained at different time intervals as a means of detecting a longitudinal change in physiologic parameters measured by ultrasound. Repeat measurements of subcutaneous fat thickness are, for example, critical for monitoring the effects of a diet. Repeat measurements of muscle layer thickness are important for monitoring the effects of a physical exercise program.
Consequently, the present inventors have recognized the need for methods and devices for improving the accuracy and reproducibility of ultrasonic probe positioning and ultrasonic measurements. Methods and devices are provided herein that aid in positioning of ultrasonic probes.
The present invention describes for the first time the use of methods and devices for positioning an ultrasonic probe reproducibly on a subject""s body surface with use of external reference landmarks. Such methods or devices help to improve the reproducibility of ultrasonic measurements, such as measurements of the thickness of a tissue layer such as the subcutaneous fat layer or the muscle tissue layer.
The invention provides for an ultrasonic system for interrogation of an antomical region, such as an abdomen or an appendage. The primary use of such a system is to interrogate an adipose or muscle tissue layer in an abdomen or an appendage. Typically, the ultrasonic system includes an ultrasonic probe for handheld interrogation of a human abdomen, and an an umbilicus positioning unit for positioning the ultrasonic probe in an umbilicus of the human abdomen. Usually, the system includes a computational unit, which can be designed to calculate layer thickness (e.g. an adipose layer) or, if desired, body fat. Preferably, the computational unit can process signals in A scan mode or may be designed to only process signals in A scan mode.
One embodiment of the umbilicus positioning unit typically comprises a bulb to fit in a human umbilicus while permitting the ultrasonic probe to be in acoustic contact with the human abdomen. The bulb can be secured at a predetermined dimension from the ultrasonic probe. Alternatively, the umbilicus positioning unit can comprise a positioning member on a face of the ultrasonic probe to position the ultrasonic probe directly over the umbilicus. Typically, the ultrasonic transducers are oriented to project a beam through the tissue to assess layer thickness or some other property of the tissue. The umbilicus positioning unit can include a pressure sensor to detect, directly or indirectly, pressure on a face of the probe. The umbilicus positioning unit and the computational unit can be encased in a housing. Preferably, such housing is handheld. The umbilicus positioning unit usually reduces variations in ultrasonic measurement of the thickness of human abdomen layer(s) by providing a consistent reference site for interrogation. The umbilicus positioning unit may include a plastic member shaped to snugly fit in an umbilicus. Umbilicus positioning units described herein can be used to make anatomically compatible ultrasonic probes.
The umbilicus positioning unit is typically designed with a positioning member that engages an umbilicus while permitting acoustic contact of the ultrasonic probe with the human abdomen or interrogation sites at other locations. The umbilicus positioning unit, for instance, can include an arm that connects the positioning member to the ultrasonic probe. The arm may be of a predetermined distance, as well as extendable or retractable or both. The arm permits the ultrasonic probe to interrogate the human abdomen or other anatomical regions at a predetermined distance from an umbilicus.
The umbilicus positioning unit is often designed with a tip that engages, or forms a portion of, a housing that holds the ultrasonic probe. The unit may be constructed to permit the ultrasonic probe to generally transmit through the tip. Other embodiments may have substantially no diagnostically relevant transmission through the tip, such as for adjacent interrogation. The tip is typically between about 1 cm and about 4 cm in length. It can have a selected diameter sized to in fit in an umbilicus of choice.
The invention also provides for a handheld, ultrasonic probe. A handheld, ultrasonic probe may include at least a first ultrasonic source to transmit an ultrasonic pulse to a human abdomen, at least a first ultrasonic detector to detect ultrasonic waves from the human abdomen, and an umbilicus positioning unit to position the ultrasonic source and detector. The umbilicus positioning unit and the probe are sized for inclusion in a handheld structure for interrogation of the human abdomen or other site. Often the umbilicus positioning unit will comprise an integral part of the housing of the device. The ultrasonic source and detector can be solely transmitter and receiver transducers, such as for BUA or SOS, or included in the same transducer, such as for A scan. The handheld device may optionally contain a computational unit. Typically, the probe and the computational unit are encased in a housing and the entire unit is handheld. Preferably, the computational unit calculates layer thickness in the object and the probe, and the computational unit and a display are adapted for A-scan.
The invention also provides for an umbilicus positioning unit that can be attached to an ultrasonic probe. Many existing and future probes can benefit from the invention by the attachment of an umbilicus positioning unit. Typically, an attachable umbilicus positioning unit comprises a polymeric material that is shaped or molded to the form of the probe""s exterior. The umbilicus positioning unit can be designed with a friction fit member sized for an ultrasonic probe. The umbilicus positioning unit may slidably and snugly engage the handheld ultrasonic probe. The umbilicus positioning unit may be designed to permit 1) positioning of the ultrasonic probe when interrogating an abdomen and 2) removal of the umbilicus positioning unit from the handheld ultrasonic probe to allow interrogation of other anatomical regions without the umbilicus positioning unit attached to the handheld ultrasonic probe.
The invention also provides for an ultrasonic probe with an anatomical reference member, such as an anatomically compatible ultrasonic probe holder. The anatomical reference member can be used by an operator to permit interrogation in a controllable fashion with respect to a selected anatomical site that may or may not be the site of interrogation. Typically, a first end of the anatomical reference member is positioned with respect to an anatomical site and either a second end or first portion of the anatomical reference member engages or contains an ultrasonic transducer. Usually, the first end engages, holds, or otherwise fits a desired anatomical region. Usually, a handheld, ultrasonic probe includes at least a first ultrasonic source to transmit an ultrasonic pulse to a tissue, at least a first ultrasonic detector to detect ultrasonic waves from the tissue, and an anatomical reference member for reducing probe misplacement and increasing reproducibility of probe positioning with respect to a pre-selected anatomical region for which the anatomical reference member is adapted. The first ultrasonic source and detector, and the anatomical reference member are usually sized for inclusion in a handheld structure for interrogation of the tissue. The probe can include a computational unit. The ultrasonic probe can also include a plurality of separate transducers, such as at least three ultrasonic sources and at least three ultrasonic detectors.
The anatomical reference member can be of a single length or extendable or retractable or both. The anatomical reference member for instance can include an extendable and retractable member to controllably change the distance between the anatomical reference member and the first ultrasonic source and detector or multiple transducers. The anatomical reference member can be designed to allow the first ultrasonic source to transmit generally through the umbilicus positioning unit for diagnostic transmission. Alternatively, the first ultrasonic source may not transmit generally through the anatomical reference member. The anatomical reference member can include a securing member of a substantially flat surface. The securing member stabilizes the probe on the interrogation surface, such as on a surface of an abdomen.
The first ultrasonic source and detector may be disposed in the anatomical reference member. For instance, the anatomical reference member can comprise a ring disposed with respect to the first ultrasonic source and detector at a predetermined distance. The ring is of sufficient diameter to permit a finger to enter the ring and touch a desired anatomical region. The ring permits the operator to controllably position the anatomical reference member and the first ultrasonic source and detector with respect to the desired anatomical region. Alternatively, the anatomical reference member may comprise a convex surface disposed with respect to the first ultrasonic source and detector at a predetermined distance. The convex surface is of sufficient diameter to engage a desired anatomical region. The convex surface permits the operator to controllably position the anatomical reference member and the first ultrasonic source and detector with respect to the desired anatomical region. The convex surface permits interrogation of a site, such as a wrist.
The invention also provides for a kit for monitoring and enhancing adipose tissue loss comprising devices described herein and various health treatments.

Ultrasonic methods and devices for measurement of body fat


In a method and apparatus for calibrating image data from a given medical imaging protocol, reference image data is obtained from a scan of a reference object using the medical imaging protocol, and the obtained reference image data of the reference object is compared to standard reference image data for the reference object. The obtained reference image data is then modified to reduce an error between the obtained reference image data and the standard reference image data. Subject image data id then obtained from a scan of a subject using the medical imaging protocol, and modified based on the modified reference image data. A value of a variable is obtained from the modified subject image data, for display with unmodified subject image data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for calibrating image data from a given medical imaging protocol.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the medical imaging field, several imaging schemes are known. For example PET (Positron Emission Tomography) is a method for imaging a subject in 3D using an injected radio-active substance which is processed in the body, typically resulting in an image indicating one or more biological functions.
The Standardized Uptake Value (SUV) is a widely-used measure for quantifying radiotracer (especially 18F-FDG) uptake in clinical PET scans. This value is computed from the number of counts of emission events recorded per voxel in the image reconstructed from the event data captured in the PET scan (coincidence emission events along the line of response). Its use is intended to provide normalization for differences in patient size and body composition, along with the dose of radiotracer injected, thereby enabling inter-study comparison, both between and within individual patients.
While differences in body composition and injected dose represent one source of variation, differences in scanner hardware and reconstruction represent another, and these are not addressed by the use of SUV. These unaddressed sources of variation impede the acceptance of PET as a quantitative imaging tool for lesion characterization, prognostic stratification and treatment monitoring, since differences in scanner hardware and reconstruction can significantly impact generated SUV. For example, SUVs typically increase with the number of iterations performed for iterative reconstruction techniques such as OSEM. Also, post-reconstruction smoothing will reduce SUVs in areas of high uptake. As such, better standardization and improved comparability between scanners and reconstruction protocols are required.
A number of review articles addressing the issue of standardization have been published in recent years, and in general, fall into one of three categories:    1. The EORTC (Young et al., 1999, Measurement of clinical and subclinical tumor response using [18F]-FDG and PET: Review and 1999 EORTC recommendations, Eur J Can. 35 (13) 1773-1782), NCI (Shanker et al., 2006, Consensus recommendation for the use of 18F-FDG as an indicator of therapeutic response in patients in National Cancer Institute trials, JNM. 47 (6) 1059-1066) and SNM (Delbeke et al., 2006, Procedure guideline for tumor imaging with 18F-FDG PET/CT 1.0, JNM. 47 (5) 885-895) provide no specific recommendations for normalizing the effect of reconstruction or scanner hardware on SUV. Instead, they focus on standardizing the imaging procedure (i.e., interval between injection and acquisition, cross-calibration of dose counters, etc.).    2. The so called "Netherlands Protocol" (Boellaard et al., 2008, The Netherlands protocol for standardization and quantification of FDG whole body PET studies in multi-centre trials, Eur J Nuc Med Mol Imaging. 35 (12) 2320-2333) provides a very prescriptive protocol with a specific set of reconstruction parameters for one scanner from each of the main manufacturers, along with upper and lower bounds for the recovery coefficients expected with a modified NEMA Image Quality phantom. An updated version of these guidelines was recently published by Boellaard et al., (2010, FDG PET and PET/CT: EANM procedure guidelines for tumor PET imaging: version 1.0, Eur J Nuc Med Mol Imaging. 37, 181-200).    3. Weber et al. (2007, Monitoring cancer treatment with PET/CT: Does it make a difference?, JNM. 48 (1) 36S-44S) suggests providing only bounds for SUV measures on a given (i.e., NEMA-like) phantom rather than specifying reconstruction parameters.
The third alternative may be the most appealing from a manufacturer's perspective, since it offers the greatest flexibility, allowing the manufacturer to take the decision on the most suitable reconstruction configuration. However, this proposal would still require all manufacturers to reconstruct and display their images to conform to the lowest common denominator, removing any competitive advantages.
There is currently no apparent solution built by a hardware or a software manufacturer beyond these recommendations from the clinical literature.
While not addressing the issue of reconstruction-dependent variation in SUV, a variety of corrections for SUV are clinically used to correct for body composition and blood glucose concentration. These corrections incorporate patient measurements (e.g., height, weight, blood glucose concentration) and adjust the standard body-weight normalized SUV as a function of these patient-specific parameters.

Method and apparatus for calibrating medical image data


An optical fiber adapter (10) comprises: a housing (1), a front portion of the housing (1) is provided with at least two accommodating cavities (19) which penetrate in a front-rear direction, are arranged sided by side, and are closed circumferentially, and a rear portion of the housing (1) is provided with a mounting base (14); at least two optical fiber plugs (2) provided on the mounting base (14), each optical fiber plug (2) comprises a positioning member (21), a ferrule (22) fixed to the positioning member (21) and extending forwardly, an optical fiber (23) exposed to a front end of the ferrule (22), a sleeve (24) fitted on an outer periphery of the ferrule (22) and a positioning cylinder (25) further sheathed on an outer periphery of the sleeve (24), a front end of the positioning cylinder (25) extends forwardly into the accommodating cavity (19), a rear end of the positioning cylinder (25) is fixed to the positioning member (21), an outer periphery of the positioning member (21) is provided with a first flange (211); and at least a fixing cover (3) locked on the mounting base (14) of the housing (1), the fixing cover (3) and the mounting base (14) are assembled to form a first latching groove (4), the first latching groove (4) correspondingly accommodates the first flange (211) of the optical fiber plug (2) and positions the first flange (211) of the optical fiber plug (2). The optical fiber adapter (10) can shorten the size of the rear portion and save the occupied space inside the cabinet.

Chinese patent application CN 201110196128.6 discloses an optical fiber adapter, which comprises a main body, an inner shell body, a cover plate and an elastic light sheltering piece. The main body has an axial chamber, the chamber is defined by a first wall, a second wall, a third wall and a fourth wall, the first wall and the third wall face each other and connect with the second wall and the fourth wall. Two axial ends of the axial chamber of the main body respectively have openings, the first wall is provided with a receiving opening. The inner shell body is arranged in the axial chamber of the main body, the inner shell body comprises a flange and a hollow cylindrical body, the cylindrical body extends out of a front surface of the flange. The cover plate covers on the receiving opening on the first wall. The light sheltering piece is arranged in the chamber of the main body, the light sheltering piece comprises: a horizontal portion which is arranged on the third wall; a light sheltering portion which extends to the front of an opening of the hollow cylindrical body; a connecting portion which is connected with the horizontal portion and the light sheltering portion; and a hooking portion which extends out of the horizontal portion and is hooked on the flange. The existing optical fiber adapter achieves transmission of optical signals by inserting a LC-type optical fiber connector on each of the front and rear sides, and the overall size of the optical fiber adapter in the front-rear direction is longer, especially the LC-type optical fiber connector which is inserted at the rear portion of the optical fiber adapter needs to occupy a larger space for coiling the optical fiber up inside the cabinet, which is not beneficial to the trend of the cabinet miniaturization. So, it is necessary to improve.


A method is disclosed for stabilizing a halogen-containing polymer wherein the method comprises adding to said polymer a thermally stabilizing amount of a mixture comprising at least one polyalkylene glycol and at least one metal salt of a strong acid selected from the group consisting of perchloric acid, trifluoroacetic acid, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, alkylsulfuric acid, phosphotungstic acid, HPF6, HBF4, and HSbF6.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to stabilizer systems comprising at least one perchlorate salt and at least one polyalkylene glycol. More particularly, the present invention relates to the thermal stabilization of halogen-containing polymers, especially polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with compositions containing polyalkylene glycols and perchlorates.
2. Description of Related Art
Thermal stabilizers used for PVC may contain lead, barium, cadmium, tin, calcium or zinc compounds. Owing to environmental concerns, there is strong interest in eliminating these metals from PVC compounds and replacing them with organic based chemicals. Several organic based stabilizers have been proposed. However, their lower efficiency in PVC stabilization when compared to mixed metal stabilizers and/or their high cost presents a significant problem.
Calcium/zinc stabilizers have lower toxicity when compared to lead, cadmium and barium stabilizers. A method for preparing a Ca intermediate that can be used in Ca/Zn or Ca/Mg stabilizers has been disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/190,130, filed Jul. 3, 2002.
Lee et al, Polymer (Korea) 19(5), 543-50 (1995), and 18(6), 1021-9 (1994) disclosed the use of poly(ethylene glycol) PEG 400 or polypropylene glycol used together with epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) and Zn/Ca stearate for stabilizing PVC.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,348,517 discloses the use of the combination of polyethylene and polypropylene glycols and their esters, such as adipate and dibenzoate, as well as their ethers, with mixed Zn/Ca salts of fatty acids for stabilizing PVC against ionizing radiation during sterilization.
JP 50024388 discloses the combination of ethylene glycol (0.1 phr) in H2O/CCl4 with 2 phr Ca/Zn stearate and ESO for PVC stabilization.
JP 56055445 discloses polyethylene glycol and/or polyethylene glycol-polypropylene glycol block copolymer and a βπ-diketone as stabilizers for PVC.
U.K. Patent No. 1151108 discloses the use of dipropyleneglycol and other high boiling polyols, such as pentaerythritol and dipentaerythritol, for light stabilization of PVC.
FR 1211814 discloses the use of glycerol or propylene glycol mixed with Ca stearate or Na2CO3 for stabilizing PVC involving contact with foods.
Metal stabilizers have also been replaced by organic based stabilizer (OBS) See Modern Plastics, May 2001 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,194,494.
WO 02/48249 A2 discloses the use of amine/perchlorate system.
Other patents include U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,449, stabilization using a perchlorate and a terminal epoxide compound, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,077, on the use of perchlorate, a terminal epoxide compound, and an antioxidant.

Stabilization system for halogen-containing polymers


A sports ball includes sensing electronics embedded therein. The electronics are supported on an inner surface of the wall of the ball within an elastomeric boot that extends inwardly toward the center of the ball. The elastomeric boot is configured to protect the electronics from damage due to shock as the ball is used, and to have little if any effect on the performance characteristics of the ball.

The present invention relates generally to the field of sports and sports-related equipment, and more specifically to sports equipment like basketballs, footballs, and soccer balls containing embedded electronics such as printed circuit boards, antennas, transceivers, sensors, batteries, and battery-charging electronics.
In recent years, a number of sensor-based technologies have been developed to monitor athletes' performance in various sporting activities. As used herein, monitoring should be understood to refer broadly to tracking almost any parameter of an athlete's performance, including speed, acceleration, location of the player's body, position of the player's body, force applied to a sporting object (ball, puck, etc.), and so forth. In those cases where the behavior of the sporting object itself is being monitored using a sensor that is attached to or embedded within the sporting object, it is important for the behavior of the sporting object to be as unaffected as possible by the sensor and the structure that surrounds and protects the sensor within the ball. For example, it is known—generally speaking—to have a sensor within a basketball and to use the sensor to measure various parameters of the basketball (position, force applied to the basketball, acceleration, spin, trajectory, etc.) However, because the sport of basketball depends so much on dribbling (i.e., bouncing the ball), it is critical—and challenging—to embed a sensor in the ball in a way that does not change the shape or elasticity of the basketball, create a "dead spot" on the surface of the basketball, or otherwise negatively affect the basketball's bounce characteristics during dribbling, the basketball's rebound performance after striking the rim or the backboard on a basketball goal, or the rotation and trajectory of the basketball during the flight of a shot attempt.

Sports ball with electronics housed in shock-absorbing carrier


A storage management apparatus manages a plurality of storage apparatuses in a storage system that disperses and stores data that is made redundant so as to have a predetermined redundancy level. The storage management apparatus includes: a patrol process unit that performs, at a patrol speed, a patrol process of confirming that the plurality of storage apparatuses are being operated normally; a relocating process unit that performs, at a relocating process speed, a relocating process of moving the data between the plurality of storage apparatuses; a recovery process unit that performs, at a recovery process speed, a recovery process of recovering the redundancy level of the data when a fault occurs in the plurality of storage apparatuses; and a processing speed control unit that controls the recovery process speed or a sum of the patrol process speed and the relocating process speed to have a predetermined value.

Storage systems are used to save data that is used to process a computer. In recent years, multi-node storage systems (dispersion storage systems) have been used that dispersion-manage data using a plurality of storage nodes in order to save a large quantity of data and to enhance reliability.
The multi-node storage system includes a plurality of storage nodes and a storage apparatus connected to each storage node. The plurality of storage nodes are connected via a network. In response to an instruction transmitted through the network, each storage node manages a storage apparatus that is provided within the storage node or connected to the outside and that stores data. In general, in the multi-node storage system, a virtual storage apparatus is defined. In addition, in the multi-node storage system, a redundant configuration is typically provided. In the redundant configuration, redundancy is achieved such that the same data is stored in each of a plurality of logic devices in order to improve, for example, the safety of data. As an example, by storing the same data in two logic devices, the data is duplicated. In this case, the redundancy level is two.
Such a multi-node storage system allows a user to use a storage apparatus connected to a plurality of storage nodes in the same manner as local storage.
In such a multi-node storage system, when a fault occurs in a certain storage apparatus, this storage apparatus becomes inaccessible, thereby breaking the duplicated state of some pieces of data. In this case, to recover the data-duplicated state, a recovery process is performed. In the recovery process, a new portion of a logic device is assigned to data for which the duplicated state has been broken, i.e., data to be recovered. Data is then copied from the existing portion of the logic device assigned to the data to be recovered to the new portion of the logic device. In this way, the data-duplicated state is recovered.
In the multi-node storage system, it is necessary to diagnose whether or not a storage apparatus of the system is being operated normally. For the diagnosis, an existence confirmation is typically performed to diagnose whether the storage apparatus is being operated. The diagnosis via the existence confirmation may be finished in a relatively short time, and, in general, the processing load is not heavy. Accordingly, the diagnosis via the existence confirmation does not greatly affect normal processing by the system.
It is necessary to diagnose, for example, whether data at each storage node having a redundant configuration is adequately holding the redundant configuration. As an example, under a condition in which a redundant configuration is achieved between storage apparatuses, when a fault in one region is found, restoration can be achieved via a recovery process. However, when a fault occurs simultaneously in two regions associated with each other by a redundant configuration, data cannot be restored. As a result, it is necessary to not only perform the existence confirmation for the storage apparatuses but also to diagnose whether or not a fault has occurred for all regions of the storage apparatuses. This process is referred to as a patrol process. The diagnosis method includes, for example, a method wherein data is read to investigate whether an error will occur, a method wherein data that was read is written and is then read again to investigate whether the content is the same, and a method wherein data is read between nodes to confirm whether the content is the same.
In such a multi-node storage system, the performance of the entire system is affected by how data is located among storage apparatuses. For example, access concentration on a particular storage apparatus leads to performance degradation such as a delay in data access. Accordingly, a technology is known wherein, in order to prevent the performance of data access from being degraded, a process is performed of relocating data to achieve proper data locating in accordance with a resource amount of or load on each storage node.
In a multi-node storage system including a plurality of storage nodes and in which data is multiplexed and stored, when a fault occurs in a storage node, a recovery process is performed to recover the redundancy level. As an example, in a multi-node storage system configured by RAID 5, when one storage node fails, a recovery process is performed in which data is copied to a storage apparatus of a new storage node from another normal storage node that stores the same data as data stored in the storage apparatus of the storage node that has failed. In this way, the system recovers the redundancy level. However, during the recovery process, normal processes and the process of recovering the redundancy level are performed in parallel with each other, thereby decreasing, for example, an observable processing speed of the system, such as the speed of a process under a user request.
In the designing stage of a multi-node storage system, it is difficult to predict loads on the entire system that will be applied during a recovery process. Accordingly, it is difficult to design a multi-node storage system such that the system performance is not decreased even when a fault occurs, and observable system performances achieved during a normal operation are thus different from those during the occurrence of a failure.
In view of these factors, there is a problem of difficulty in estimating a time required for the multi-node storage system to perform a certain processing series.
Therefore, a multi-node storage system is required wherein an observable system processing speed achieved during a normal period during which a relocating process and a patrol process are performed in addition to a normal process under an instruction input by a user is the same as an observable system processing speed achieved during a fault occurrence period during which a recovery process is performed in addition to a normal process under an instruction input by the user.    Patent document 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2009-151519    Patent document 2: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 05-158625    Patent document 3: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-050007

Node apparatus of multi-node storage system and method for managing processing speed


A compressor casing structure in the region of a rotor blade ring through which there is an axial flow, having a multiplicity of axial grooves which extend from a first radial plane upstream of the blade-tip inlet edges into a second radial plane between the blade-tip inlet edges and the blade-tip outlet edges and have groove cross sections with parallel side walls. The center axes of the groove cross sections have, at the upstream groove ends, from the opening to the groove base, an angle of inclination with a circumferential component counter to the direction of movement of the blade. The center axes of the groove cross sections have, at the downstream groove ends, an angle of inclination with a circumferential component in the direction of movement of the blade.

This application claims the priority of German Patent Document No. 101 35 003.1, filed Jul. 18, 2001, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a compressor casing structure in the region of a rotor blade ring through which there is an axial flow, having a multiplicity of grooves which are distributed uniformly over the circumference of the casing, are open towards the blade tips and extend at least approximately axially.
A compressor casing structure of this type is known, for example, from German Patent Document No. DE 35 21 798 C2 and primarily has the function of raising the pumping limit when there is increasing throttling in the partial load mode or full load mode in order to permit reliable operation without pumping or in order to permit the available operating range to be increased. The grooves act here as recirculation channels for built-up air under high pressure, which would lead to rotating stall and pumping in the outer region of the rotor blade ring without a recirculation facility. Here, the upstream, front groove ends are located upstream of the blade-tip inlet edges (see dimension A in FIGS. 2, 8, 9 and 10), the rear groove ends lie in the radial plane of the blade-tip outlet edges or just before this radial plane. According to FIG. 4 of this patent document there is provision for the grooves which are straight per se to be arranged inclined in the circumferential direction in such a way that the ingress of air is facilitated at their downstream ends (see also claim 2 in this respect).
A further measure in order to improve the ingress of air is to position the grooves/slits obliquely at an angle with respect to the compressor longitudinal center axis (see FIG. 3 and claim 3).
European Patent Document No. EP 0 497 574 B1 protects a compressor casing structure (fan case treatment), which is arranged over the blade tips of a low-pressure compressor. This structure comprises inlet and outlet passages (34, 36) or inlet and outlet openings (56, 58) which are spaced apart axially and vanes (38, 66) in the connecting passages between the inlet and outlet. The recirculation air which enters the structure with a significant circumferential component is deflected by the vanes in such a way that it is fed back into the main stream through the outlet in a predominantly axial direction, i.e., largely without a circumferential component. Without this change or reduction in the circumferential component, the air would strike the rotor blade tips with a swirl opposed to the rotation of the blade tips, i.e., with a significant angular deviation from the blade entrance angle at the pressure side, associated with flow losses and an increased tendency towards hydraulic stalling on the suction side. This disadvantage, which still occurs in certain embodiments of DE 35 21 798 C2, is avoided according to EP 0 497 574 B1. However, the structural complexity with separate inlet and outlet openings as well as a multiplicity of vanes is very high and can certainly only be implemented with geometrically large compressor blades and casings.
In view of the above, the object of the present invention is to make available a compressor casing structure which is based on the principle of the circulation of air and gas and which permits the pumping limit of a compressor to be raised significantly, thus making possible a perceptible increase in its working range through hydraulic optimization, with a simple, cost-effective design.
The present invention uses grooves which are open towards the rotor blade tips and whose openings extend at least approximately axially in the outer annular space contour. In contrast to known solutions, the groove cross sections are however continuously swirled from the upstream groove ends as far as the downstream groove ends, i.e., their angle of inclination with the radial component and circumferential component changes uninterruptedly over the length of the groove, there being a point with a purely radial cross sectional orientation approximately in the axial center of the groove, that is to say a xe2x80x9czero cross-overxe2x80x9d of the angle of inclination. The groove cross sections are inclined at the downstream groove ends in such a way that the entry of the recirculation air is made easier, the inclination from the opening to the groove base having a circumferential component in the direction of rotation, i.e., in the direction of movement of the blade tips. At the upstream groove ends, the inclination is reversed so that the recirculation air which emerges here into the main stream strikes the rotating rotor blade tips in a co-rotating fashion, which significantly improves the application of the flow and reduces losses. The tendency towards breaking away of the flow is also markedly reduced.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


Provided is a sensor apparatus including: a normal operation unit including a first sensor and a storage device; an external environment detection unit including a second sensor; a power supply switch unit configured to control supply of electric power to the normal operation unit; and a power supply configured to supply the electric power to the normal operation unit via the power supply switch unit. In the sensor apparatus, in an operational mode, the normal operation unit records data measured by the first sensor into the storage device, and, in a non-operational mode, when a measured value obtained by the second sensor satisfies a predetermined condition, the external environment detection unit controls the power supply switch unit so that the power supply switch unit supplies the electric power to the normal operation unit, and the normal operation unit records the data measured by the first sensor into the storage device.

This invention relates to a sensor terminal apparatus and a service planning system, and more particularly, to a planning method for optimizing a rental fee and a maintenance plan.
When a company requires a machine or an apparatus, the company rents the machine or the apparatus from a rental company, and pays a rental fee for the rented machine or apparatus, to thereby avoid temporary payment of a large amount of money to purchase the machine or the apparatus. The rental company purchases a machine and an apparatus in place of the company, and rents a machine or an apparatus to the company for a fixed period.
In the oil and gas (hereinafter referred to as "OAG") industry, in order to explore oil and gas, an exploration company installs several tens of thousands of sensor terminals to examine the structure of geological strata, and rents the sensor terminals from a rental company in many cases. When a sensor terminal to be repaired and maintained by the rental company fails during a period in which the sensor terminal is rented to the exploration company, the rental company incurs cost that is originally unnecessary, for example, cost for transporting an alternative terminal, whereas the exploration company incurs loss, for example, extension of a period of exploration.
Further, in order to finely examine the structure of geological strata, several hundreds of thousands to several millions of sensor terminals are said to be required. It is therefore important for the exploration company to rent highly reliable sensor terminals from the rental company at a proper price without owning a large number of sensors by itself, to thereby shorten the period of exploration and reduce cost. In addition, the rental company is required to maintain and manage an enormous number of devices and optimize a rental fee of the device.
In order to make an appropriate rental contract, there has been known a system in which operational information on a machine or an apparatus is acquired, a remaining value of the machine or the apparatus is calculated based on the operational information, and a rental fee is calculated based on the remaining value.
For example, in JP 2005-174008 A, there is disclosed a machine fee calculation system configured to calculate a lease fee or rental fee of a machine to be leased or rented for use. The system includes: operational information acquisition means, which is installed in the machine, for acquiring operational information on the machine; load status accumulation means for accumulating load status data on a load imposed on the machine due to use of the machine; load status update means for updating the load status data accumulated in the load status accumulation means based on the operational information acquired by the operational information acquisition means; and remaining value calculation means for calculating a remaining value of the machine based on the accumulated load status data.
Further, in JP 2002-183511 A, there is disclosed a method of selling a machine in consideration of use history. A configuration for executing the method substantially includes: standard remaining value calculation means for calculating an estimate of a construction machine (machine or vehicle) to be given to a user; estimate calculation means; a standard condition database (standard condition or standard condition DB); an operation environment condition database (operation environment condition or operation environment condition DB); a use condition database (use condition or use condition DB); a maintenance history database (maintenance history or maintenance history DB); and a load condition database (load condition or load condition DB).
In such related-art systems, the remaining value and the rental fee of a machine or an apparatus are set based on a use status (operational information or maintenance history information) of the machine or the apparatus. Thus, an exploration company can shorten a period of exploration by renting a highly reliable sensor terminal, and can also suppress cost for exploration with a reasonable rental fee.

Sensor apparatus, planning processing system, and planning method


An array substrate is disclosed, which includes a substrate, at least one test line, an insulating layer, and an electrostatic shielding pattern. The at least one test line is disposed over the substrate. The insulating layer is disposed over the at least one test line. The electrostatic shielding pattern is disposed over, and insulated by the insulating layer from, the at least one test line in the array substrate. The electrostatic shielding pattern is configured to absorb, and guide out from the array substrate, static electricity to thereby avoid the static electricity from entering an interior of the array substrate via the at least one test line. A method for manufacturing the array substrate, and a display panel containing the array substrate are also provided in the disclosure.

Usually after the manufacturing process of an array substrate, tests need to be conducted by means of at least one electrical testing instrument (e.g. an ArrayTester) to determine the yield rate of the manufacturing process and the rates for various defects, and so on.
A typical testing process as such is as follows: the array substrate is contacted with a probe of the test instruments, and a test signal is loaded onto at least one test line of the array substrate to thereby conduct the test. Herein the test line is specifically designed for the test during a designing stage of the whole array substrate.
In a subsequent process after the testing, a portion of the test line that is outside a cutting line is typically cut off via a cutting process, and only a portion of the test line that is inside the cutting line is remained. The array substrate formed by the cutting process is illustrated in FIG. 1.
After completing the manufacturing of the array substrate, typically an 8 KV anti-electrostatic test is conducted over the array substrate, which typically involves using an electrostatic gun to discharge to a designated region.
The test line is generally located at a testing region at an edge of the panel. Because the test line is exposed at a cross-section formed after the cutting process, it cannot be completely insulated.
As such, during the anti-electrostatic testing process, the electrostatic charges can enter into the panel through the cross-section of the test line and then discharge inside the internal circuit of the panel, which can in turn cause poor electrostatic discharge (ESD), resulting in a damage to the internal circuit and causing an abnormal display.
In order to address the issues as described above, it is conventionally designed such that the test line is configured to have a post-cutting cross-section arranged at a position as far as possible from the testing region.
However, due to the current trend for narrower bezels and the correspondingly increasing complexity of circuits in current display panels, there is less and less margin that allows for the configuration of the test line in the array substrates, and as such, the conventional strategy of separation is not able to sufficiently address the anti-electrostatic needs.

Array substrate and manufacturing method, and display panel

BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


The present invention relates to a 3D-printed cobalt-based alloy product comprising carbon, tungsten and chromium with very good mechanical and thermal properties as well as a method of preparing the 3D-printed product and a powder alloy. The alloy has a high carbon content leading to high carbide content but small and evenly distributed carbides. A method facilitating 3D printing of high carbide content alloys such as the present alloy is also disclosed.

Material Processing Techniques
There are today a number of different manufacturing methods for obtaining high alloyed materials with high carbon content. All the methods have advantages and disadvantages, and the choice is dependent on conflicting demands when it comes to quality and cost.
A common method is casting followed by forging/rolling of an ingot (a.k.a. wrought alloys). The desired alloy material is melted in a furnace and solidified in ingots. These ingots are then forged and rolled into bars of material which can have many different shapes and sizes. The advantage of this method is that it is a well-proven technology and it gives the possibility to produce materials with very high purities. There are numerous metallurgical technologies for improving the purity of metals. These include ladle treatments with or without vacuum treatment, ESR (Electro Slag Remelting), VIM/VAR, etc. De-oxidation of high carbon alloys can also be performed by exposing the molten alloy to vacuum. The carbon will then react with the oxygen and form carbon monoxide gas that can be removed by the vacuum pump.
"High purity" in these materials is usually synonymous with "low oxygen content" since in general the presence of oxygen results in oxide impurities which result in impaired properties of the material.
A major disadvantage with the common casting-ingot-technique is the long solidification times, resulting in coarse microstructures and solidification patterns. This is particularly the case for highly alloyed materials with high carbon content. With a long solidification time, the carbides will form carbide structures which significantly reduce the mechanical properties of the material. A long solidification time will also result in a coarse microstructure in general, which also give impaired material properties. Another disadvantage is the need of subsequent forging and forming of the ingot to a metal bar (which typically is the end product in the material-processing plant). Forging and rolling are complex processes that require a number of heating and forming steps of the material ingot with resultant high energy losses. Highly alloyed materials are typically very difficult to form, and therefore require very high temperatures and high loads, which could result in cracked ingots, as well as high process costs. In other words, the fact that it must be possible to forge and/or to roll alloys made using this process limits the possibility of high alloying.
To overcome the problems caused by coarse microstructures it is possible to use Powder Metallurgy (PM). By first granulating ("atomizing") the desired molten alloy into a metal powder, a very fine microstructure can be achieved in the powder, due to the very quick solidification caused either by the atomization gas or other granulating techniques. The metal powder from gas atomization is formed typically of spherical shape with smaller powder particles stuck on the surface of the larger powder particles; "satellites". This metal powder can be put into capsules—metal sheet containers which can be cylindrical or near-net-shape. The containers can then be sealed and compacted by HIP (hot isostatic pressing), which is a common and well-known method. The result of the HIP is a fine structured metal bar (or near-net-shape component). One disadvantage is that the surface oxygen on every powder particle will give a higher oxygen content compared to a solidified large ingot as the oxygen accumulates on all the powder particles in the atomizing process. For PM-HIP of near-net-shape components, the need for capsule limits how complex a component can be.
An important limitation of the PM-HIP process is the difficulty of atomizing the powder. The atomization process typically requires a tap hole in the crucible which does not get clogged by the melt. Here, high melting temperatures and strong carbide formers limit the possibility to get a continuous industrial atomization process for larger batches. In addition, high melting temperature are expensive to achieve and difficult to handle in an industrial scale in the melting furnace (crucibles). The limit is typically set by the furnace lining—an advanced lining of zirconia can withstand a maximum temperature of approx. 1900° C. and a more conventional lining of alumina can withstand a maximum temperature of approx. 1750° C. When melting a material there is also almost always a need for a higher temperature than the actual melting point, so-called "superheat". The superheat ("over temperature") is needed to overcome temperature losses in the furnace so that the metal does not freeze in the tap hole and also to increase the melt flowability in the furnace, in order to be able to tap it. This superheat is typically set to around 150° C. in an industrial system. Based on this, the maximum melting point of an alloy which it is possible to gas granulate today is about 1600° C. with normal crucibles and up to 1750° C. using more advanced ones.
For highly alloyed materials with high carbon content, the PM-HIP process typically is performed in quite large and uniform containers. But the resulting material still needs to be wrought by heating, forging and rolling to become a metal bar with the required dimensions. This is typically difficult for highly alloyed materials and, if even if it is possible, the resulting yield is sometimes low. Again, the need to be able to forge and/or roll the material limits the possibility for high alloying.
Forming a component from a PM-HIP material requires machining (turning, drilling, milling, etc.), in other words many additional process steps. Another problem with highly alloyed materials is that they also are difficult and expensive to machine and a lot of the expensive highly alloyed material is wasted during machining. The higher the wear resistance and hardness of an alloy, the more difficult it is to machine. The group of CoCr alloys is well known to be very difficult to machine and the hard, high carbon grades are almost only possible to shape by grinding.
It is also possible to directly cast a molten material into a mold, so that the final shape of a component is nearly set when the cast has solidified. The disadvantages with casting are the formation of a coarse microstructure and solidification patterns due to long solidification times and the anisotropy in the component due to different solidification times at different sections. Furthermore, casting methods require a mold which sets the limit for how complex a component can be.
For cast high carbon cobalt-based alloys there is a limit in size and in shape complexity. The reason is that to be able to achieve a fine microstructure the cast must be cooled quickly in a permanent refractory mold (typically graphite). Therefore, the size limit is typically in size range of solid tool bits, such as 1×1×6 inch (2.5×2.5×16 cm), or smaller cut-off blades. In addition, the potential complexity of a desired component must be heavily reduced due to the need for quick and uniform cooling speed, and the brittleness of the material. Despite all these efforts, often the cooling rates are not fast enough to reduce the chromium carbide sizes.
Another manufacturing method is to use metal powder, combine it with a binder of suitable kind, press the powder-binder-mix to a shape, and then sinter it. Sintering is usually performed by one of two methods: heating to remove binder and to get a diffusion coupling of the metal powders, or to get the metal powder partly melted and by that unified into a metal (liquid sintering). The major advantage with sintering methods is the possibility to unify materials with high melting points (typically cemented carbides or other pure ceramic materials). One type of sintering method is Metal Injection Molding (MIM), where a feedstock consisting of metal powders and a binder is pressed to a "green body" similar to plastic injection molding, and then the green body is sintered separately into the final component (which usually comprises pores).
The major disadvantages are: the size of the component changes during binder removal and diffusion, the need for compaction methods (pressing tools), the need of a binder and the removal of the binder (purity issues), limitations on the thickness or size of the product and porosity problems. For example, cemented carbides are compacted 20% in the x-y-z-directions during sintering. This large reduction in size during sintering and the resulting tolerance issues, and the constraints in component size, cause major problems. This is a result of the need for a uniform compaction of powder and binder, and the need for the removal of the binder throughout the full material thickness. For example, sintered metal-injection-molding (MIM) products are reported to have a limit in wall thickness of a maximum of 30 mm and maximum weight of parts produced is 800 g.
A typical method for consolidating materials that are difficult to melt is to sinter them. To sinter a metal powder, some kind of pre-packing is needed, and by heating to approximately half the melting temperature the powder particles will bond together. The result is typically a material structure with porosity and inhomogeneity. A similar method is liquid phase sintering, in which a small amount of the mixed powders coexists as a liquid during the sintering process. The liquid phase sintering results in a much better bonding of the powders. The most common liquid phase sintering materials are WC—Co cemented carbides. However, the sintering techniques require some kind of pre-consolidation of a metal powder mixture and a binder/pressing. This type of mixture is achieved by mixing and milling WC with Co and a binder, the latter typically polyethylene glycol (PEG) or some other kind of binder which can, by heating, be reduced to carbon, oxygen and hydrogen for removal from the material in the sintering furnace.
Another method to overcome the difficulties with a coarse microstructure in a highly alloyed material with high carbon content, and to avoid the need for machining of these difficult-to-machine materials, is to use additive manufacturing (AM, 3D-printing or free forming) methods. In AM, the highly alloyed metal powder is directly melted and solidified in the AM processing machine. A large number of different AM technologies exist but for metals the most common technique is metal powder bed melting. In this technique a metal powder is spread out and melted, by a laser or an electron beam, layer by layer, in a pattern based on a CAD drawing of the final product sliced into layers. The benefits are fine microstructure, complex shapes and high material yield. However, AM process needs powders that can be granulated, and this is not possible on an industrial scale for every alloy composition. High carbon materials tend to crack when used in additive manufacturing processes where the materials are melted layer by layer and special care has to be taken to achieve a successful run.
Still prior art have not shown 3D printing of steels or other alloys with high carbon or carbide content and high tungsten content.
Prior Art Materials
Cobalt chromium alloys are resistant to corrosion due to the formation of a protective layer, exhibit good mechanical properties, good wear resistance and are also biocompatible. One of the special features of these CoCr-alloys is their high heat resistance (a.k.a. "red temperature"). This makes it possible to use Co-based alloys at higher temperatures than, for example, high speed steels (HSS) that soften at approximately 560° C.
One type of CoCr-alloys is the group of Stellite® materials. The Stellite® alloys are typically wear resistant and hard, resulting in very good properties for heavy wear applications.
The alloys named "Stellites" were invented in USA in the early 1900s and are a group of Co—Cr materials with high amounts of W, Mo and other elements. These alloys present a combination of wear resistance and corrosion resistance, and they have been demonstrated in many years to work very well in knifes, cutting tools, wear parts and valves etc. These alloys typically are placed between high-speed steels (HSS) and cemented carbides (CC) in properties such as wear and heat resistance.
In general, the higher the carbon content, the more carbides in the material, the more wear resistance is achieved. The big problem is that these types of materials are very difficult, or even impossible, to machine. Therefore, these materials are only cast as small parts or, most commonly, used as a coating or welding material. In this way, it is possible to avoid long and different solidification times which results in coarse carbide formation and a non-uniform microstructure.
So, generally, the Stellites and other CoCr alloys with the highest carbon content on the market are mainly provided as powders for thermal spraying, laser cladding or welding rods. In thermal spraying molten material is sprayed onto a surface/substrate and the melting is performed by an arc or plasma or combustion flame. There are a number of varieties of cladding methods with different material feeds, but the most common uses metal powder which is fed into a pool of laser-melted alloy, where typically a thin (0.05-2 mm) layer of a rapidly melted and solidified material is formed upon a moving substrate. The laser cladding method has the benefit of using less energy than the thermal spray methods and thus the grain structure become finer. However, very quick solidifying upon a cold substrate leads to large stresses and therefore the range of materials that could be used in such coating is limited. Coating of a substrate with different compositions also lead to dilution of the cladding layer. Other typical limitations in cladding methods are the lack of control of the ongoing cladding process. When the surface of a tough substrate is clad, then the need for high toughness in the cladding layer is usually lower since it is supported by the tough substrate, and therefore the toughness of cladding alloys could be lower than if you build a larger component as in the present invention.
It is possible to use a high carbon cobalt chrome alloy powder for consolidation in the HIP, but it is only possible to produce small parts with limited mechanical properties. For example, Stellite 190 PM is specifically said to not be designed to be a casting alloy. For components that are small or of simple geometry requiring extreme abrasion resistance and are not subject to severe mechanical shock, HIP-consolidated parts can be manufactured.
Some components that during use are heated need to be cooled during use. In order to cool the components they may have cooling channels through which cooling media may flow. However there is a major risk that the component cracks during cooling due to the low fracture toughness. There is therefore a large gap in the prior art between the need for CoCr-materials with high C content with excellent mechanical and thermal properties and the existing alloy compositions and manufacturing methods. The present patent application suggests a solution to this.
Today, there exist some new types of wear resistant CoCr-alloys and in general these types of alloys relate to compositions where the carbon content has been minimized and instead the intermetallic laves phase appear, an example is called "Tribaloy".
These types of Co-based alloys can be alloyed with a number of elements. In general, iron, manganese, nickel and carbon tend to stabilize the fcc (face cubic centre) structure and increase the stacking fault energy of the matrix, and chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, and silicon stabilize the hcp (hexagonal close-packing) structure and decrease the stacking fault energy.
Stellites and similar known Co alloys with the highest carbon content (approx.>2 wt % (% by weight)) are presented in FIG. 1.
EP2361704 discloses a method of free forming an alloy having a Carbon content of up to 3.5 wt % and wherein the alloy has low oxygen content. However, this patent fails to disclose an alloy or a 3D printed product with both high carbon and tungsten content.