There is provided an arc welding method. In the method, welding is performed in a spray transfer mode by feeding a welding wire. A first welding current Iw1 is flown during a first period. A second welding current Iw2 is flown during a second period. A third welding current Iw3 is flown during a third period, where 0<Iw2<Iw3<Iw1. The first to third periods are alternately repeated.

In each of MAG welding using a solid wire and mixed gas of argon gas and carbon dioxide gas as shield gas, arc welding using a flux-cored wire and carbon dioxide gas as shield gas, self-shield arc welding using a flux-cored wire for self-shield without using shield gas, and so on, a droplet transfer mode is a spray transfer mode. In the spray transfer mode, a tip of a welding wire is molten and becomes fine particles by arc heat, thereby being transferred to a molten pool. In the spray transfer mode, a droplet is transferred not by a short-circuiting transfer but by free falling.
In an arc welding based on the spray transfer mode (hereinafter referred to as spray transfer welding), a welding power supply of constant voltage characteristics is used and the welding wire is fed at a constant feeding rate. The spray transfer welding is characterized in that a generation amount of spatter is small and bead appearance is good. On the other hand, in the spray transfer welding, as an arc length is longer as compared with that in the short-circuiting transfer welding, an arc is configured in a spread shape and hence a penetration depth becomes shallow. In this respect, welding quality degrades depending on a work. Hereinafter, the spray transfer welding of a related art will be explained with reference to drawings.
FIG. 13 is a waveform diagram of voltage and current in typical spray transfer welding. (A) of this figure shows temporal change of a voltage setting signal Er for setting an output value of constant voltage characteristics of a welding power supply, (B) of this figure shows temporal change of a welding voltage Vw to be applied between a welding wire and base material, and (C) of this figure shows temporal change of a welding current Iw for generating an arc. Hereinafter explanation will be made with reference to this figure.
As shown in (A) of this figure, the voltage setting signal Er is set to a constant value. As shown in (B) of this figure, the welding voltage Vw fluctuates slightly up and down but has an almost constant value. As shown in (C) of this figure, the welding current Iw also fluctuates slightly up and down but has an almost constant value. An instantaneous value of the welding voltage Vw is set by the voltage setting signal Er. An average value of the welding current Iw is set by a feeding rate of the welding wire.
According to the invention of a patent literature 1, in each of spray transfer welding and globular transfer welding, the welding is performed in a manner of changing a welding current within a current amplitude range between 20 A or more and 100 A or less by cyclically changing an output voltage of a welding power supply within a frequency range between 100 Hz or more and 600 Hz or less. Consequently, according to the invention of the patent literature 1, in each of the spray transfer welding and the globular transfer welding, as fluctuation of an arc length can be suppressed. Further, as droplet can be transferred regularly and can be formed in fine particles, stability of a welding state can be improved.


In a photo-CVD system, ultraviolet light is introduced into a reaction chamber from light emitting elements of ultraviolet light sources, through transparent bulb surfaces thereof, and through elongated light pipes in a sealed wall bounding the reaction chamber. This prevents molecules of reactant gas in the reaction chamber from reaching and being deposited on the transparent bulb surfaces, and thereby prevents buildup of such reactant molecules from occurring and impeding flow of ultraviolet light into the reaction chamber.

The invention relates to techniques for preventing chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reaction chamber windows from becoming clouded, and more particularly to a technique utilizing narrow light pipes to introduce light into the reactant gas.
Chemical vapor deposition processes are well-known and are used extensively in the manufacture of semiconductor integrated circuits. To avoid subjecting semiconductor wafers in CVD processes to high temperatures that may cause various problems such as lateral diffusion of dopants in highly doped region of the integrated circuit, generation of material defects, and generation of undesired stresses in the semiconductor material, various photo-CVD or photo-assisted CVD deposition processes have been developed wherein the substrate is irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light while it is being heated, allowing significantly lower temperatures to be used.
Photo-assisted CVD processes have not been widely used to date because no practical technique has been developed for preventing clouding of light windows through which the UV light is introduced into the reaction chamber. The chemical reactants are deposited not only on the semiconductor wafers, but also on the walls of the reactant chamber and the light window thereof.
The deposition of the material on the window clouds it, reducing the amount of UV light entering from one process to the next, and also producing unacceptable non-uniformity in the deposition of oxide layers, nitride layers, and the like on the semiconductor wafers. This results in reduced integrated circuit yields.
Various prior techniques have been used to reduce deposition of material from reactant gases on the window through which UV light is introduced. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,435,445, 4,556,584, 4,654,226, 4,715,318, 4,778,693, 4,811,684, 4,816,294, 5,005,519 are generally indicative of the state-of-the-art.
There is an unmet need for a practical, economical system for preventing appreciable deposition of material from reactant gases in a photo CVD reaction chamber on the surface of a transparent window thereof through which light is introduced into the reaction chamber.

Photo-assisted chemical vapor deposition method


A Phone-as-a-Key (PaaK) system uses a handheld mobile device (e.g., a smartphone) to act as a remote-control system for a vehicle. The vehicle has a wireless receiver adapted to receive and relay a user message to a vehicle electronic controller. The handheld mobile device comprises a wireless transmitter with an antenna mounted at a predetermined antenna location in the mobile device, an input element activated manually by a user to initiate the user message to control the vehicle electronic controller, and a display panel. A processor in the mobile device is to configured to display a help screen on the display panel informing a user of a handholding grip adapted to avoid a blocking of the predetermined antenna location.

The present invention relates in general to vehicle remote-control systems using a mobile communication device such as a smartphone, and, more specifically, to guiding use of a mobile device in a way that provides a clear antenna path to optimize wireless signal reception.
Phone-as-a-key (PaaK) technology uses a wireless mobile device (e.g., cellular smartphone) to access vehicle functions that have been traditionally secured using a physical key or a dedicated wireless key fob. For PaaK, there may be a smartphone app that is downloaded and configured to direct secure communications with the vehicle to enable a user to access functions such as vehicle locking/unlocking, engine starting, courtesy lighting, and others. As used herein, "mobile device" refers to any wireless unit capable of remote control of a vehicle function, wherein the wireless unit is handheld and contains a display and a transmit/receive antenna. In addition to a smartphone, mobile devices may include, without limitation, a smart watch (such as an Apple® watch) and a dedicated vehicle key fob with display (also known as a display fob).
On the vehicle side, there may be several different electronic controllers handling the functions to be accessed by a PaaK system. Likewise, there may be one or more wireless receivers in the vehicle that would need to be accessible to the mobile device, wherein the wireless receivers may operate using several different wireless services, networks, or protocols. The types of wireless communication to be used by a PaaK system may include WiFi, Bluetooth® (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy, or BLE), cellular, ultra-wideband (UWB), near-field communication (NFC), Wireless Charging (e.g., Qi), or others.
A typical smartphone device includes several wireless transceivers which often include cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, and UWB transceivers integrated into a single device. Consequently, several different antennas or antenna arrays are likewise packaged within a mobile device. Although an antenna can sometimes be shared by transceivers using nearby frequency bands (such as WiFi and Bluetooth), it may typically be more desirable to space different antennas apart as much as possible. There may even be more than one antenna for a particular transceiver (known as diversity antennas) to allow a selection between two received signals in the event that one signal path experiences signal loss or distortion. Since available space in a handheld mobile device is limited, the various antennas may be installed at predetermined locations within the device that are not apparent to the user.
The user must hold their smartphone or other mobile device in their hand in order to interact with it via button presses to perform the desired functions. The human hand can possibly absorb and/or block a wireless signal that is either outgoing or incoming to the mobile device, thereby preventing or interfering with communication between the smartphone and the vehicle. This may lead a user to believe there is a problem with the smartphone, vehicle, or both, resulting in unnecessary maintenance appointments or frustration with the PaaK system.

Antenna detuning prevention for phone-as-a-key vehicle system


An interconnection for oil field tubular goods operates in a self sealing manner in response to internal pressures which might otherwise cause leakage through couplings or joints. Each coupling sleeve includes an interior fulcrum ring fitted between the nose ends of the tubing or casing, and centrally engaging a fulcrum seating zone centered in the sleeve. Internal pressures tend to bend the ends of the fulcrum ring outwardly toward clearance or relief spans on each side of the fulcrum zone. This deflection increases the contact force and enhances the metal-to-metal seal between the end faces of the fulcrum ring and the pin end faces.

In the current state of the art in threaded connections for oil field tubular goods, it is important to have relatively easy interconnectability, good mechanical properties and also resistance to leakage under high internal pressures and high tensile strains. Preferably this is to be done without incurring substantial cost penalties relative to tubular goods standardized in accordance with specifications set by the American Petroleum Institute (API). Drilled oil and gas wells are becoming of increasingly longer length, are arranged in complex geometries, and are often directionally controlled to curve to a production zone. In addition they are likely to be required to operate in corrosive environments at increasingly higher pressures and temperatures. It sometimes is unavoidable to have to use "premium" tubing with special threads or seals, or both, to meet the strength and leak resistance specifications that are needed.
In a drilled bore hole for petroleum production an outer string of relatively larger diameter tubular elements, called the casing, is joined together by using interspersed couplers. The casing is left in place after the well is completed, and is externally sealed by surrounding cement. It must have physical integrity under the high loads, forces, pressure and corrosive conditions that may be encountered. Joints in the casing string are particularly subject to failure. The size and weight of the casing are considerable, but the installation, being essentially static, and usually encased in concrete, is relatively undisturbed once in place. However, leakage of high pressure gas into the annulus between the inner tubing and the casing can give rise to external environmental damage if it penetrates outside the casing. Self-sealing interconnections in the casing can limit or eliminate this problem, which can create major environmental and economic consequences.
A string of production tubing of smaller diameter is installed within the length of the casing, and may repeatedly be withdrawn and disassembled for service or replacement. Petroleum products can be lifted upwardly by down hole pressure alone, or more typically by pumping, as with a rotary or reciprocating pump. In either event a sucker rod string extends within the production tubing from the surface down to a pump in the production zone. For flow control, down hole packers, sensors and other elements may be located in and adjacent the production zone.
Heat, internal pressures and corrosive chemicals in the deep down hole installations that are now being widely employed militate against mechanically secure leak-free connections. Tensile strains from the weight of long lengths of tubing increase the likelihood of leakage under high internal pressures. Countering these adverse conditions without at the same time introducing major added costs is an objective of this invention.

Threaded connection for oil field applications


A method for producing a device for detecting flux of neutrons with parameters in predetermined ranges, including: one phase of determining parameters, including: simulating penetration of a flux of incident neutrons with parameters in the predetermined ranges through a modelled stack including in succession and in order at least: one first electrode; one substrate including: a first layer; and a second layer; and one second electrode; and simulating at least one defect peak created in the first layer by vacancies and/or ionization of the particles generated by collisions between neutrons of the flux of incident neutrons and atoms of the second dopant species; and identifying depth of the defect peak closest the interface between the first and second layers of the modelled stack.

The operating principle of neutron detectors is based on the interaction of neutrons, for example thermal (energy of 0.025 eV i.e. in thermal equilibrium in a medium at 20° C.), with atoms and/or nuclei of a neutron-converting material. For example the interaction of neutrons with the Boron-10 isotope (10B) produces alpha (4He) and lithium (7Li) particles (nucleus). According to a configuration example the particles are generated in opposite directions according to the following reactions (and their associated probabilities) with an energy Q:10B+neutron→7Li+4He (Q=2.72 MeV) 6%10B+neutron→7Li+4He (Q=2.31 MeV) 94%
The detector as such requires the presence of a Neutron Conversion Layer (NCL) in order to convert in fine the incident neutrons into electron-hole pairs.
The ionization of the material, produced by the generation of 7Li and 4He particles/nuclei, can then be detected thanks to the electric field present at the terminals of a Space Charge Region (SCR). The space charge region (SCR), also called depletion zone, or deserted zone, corresponds to the region that appears in a p-n junction, between an n-doped region and a p-doped region. It is called "depletion zone" or "deserted zone" because it is devoid of free carriers, and it is called "space charge region" because it is comprised of two electrically charged regions (contrary to the rest of the semiconductor n and of the semiconductor p which are globally neutral). As such, a detector requires the presence of a p-n junction in order to generate said space charge region and as such collect the carriers coming from the aforementioned reactions.
The document "Nuclear Radiation Detector Based on Ion Implanted p-n Junction in 44-SiC", relates to a detector of thermal neutrons. This detector comprises a thick layer of the n+ type formed by SiC, a p+ doped layer by implantation of aluminum (Al+) ions in the n+ layer of SiC. The p+ doped layer defines with the n+ doped layer the space charge region (SCR) which extends in the n+ layer from the n/p interface. Moreover, the detector comprises a layer that is rich in the boron-10 isotope (10B) forming the neutron conversion layer (NCL). Furthermore, this neutron detector requires polarization. This document discloses that an increase in the polarization makes it possible to improve the quality of the signal.
This detector is globally satisfactory. On the other hand, it has been shown that it delivers results that are unstable over time.
This invention aims to propose a solution to overcome this disadvantage.

Method for carrying out a neutron detector and neutron detector

COMMISSARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES


A cushion using disposable heat pads. A ventilated outer bag contains in its interior, a sheet having at its upper side a recessed air passage, disposable heat pads containing powders such as of oxidized metal and water-containing material, and a cushion, which are put in layers in this order from the lower side of the bag. The disposable heat pads are well ventilated from the air passage of the sheet laid thereunderneath, so that the heating effect can be improved.

It has been proposed to warm the body by using disposable heat pads containing exothermic materials which heat up in contact with air. In recent years, bags containing disposable heat pads have been used as cushions to sit on.
When such a bag containing disposable heat pads is used as a cushion, the disposable heat pads contained in the interior of the bag are pressed by the weight of a person sitting on the bag. Because of this, a problem arises in that the heat pads are poorly supplied with air and the heating effect becomes unsatisfactory.


The present invention relates to a method for the continuous production of a polymer by radical polymerization, wherein at least three materials are mixed with microstructures in one or more mixers and are then polymerized in at least one reaction zone.

The present invention relates to a process for continuously preparing a polymer by free-radical polymerization, in which at least three feedstocks are mixed in one or more mixers with microstructures and then polymerized in at least one reaction zone.
WO 99/54362 describes a process for continuously preparing polymers, in which at least two reactants are conducted through and combined by a micromixer, mixed with one another and then polymerized in a tubular reactor. In this case, the starting materials are preheated to such an extent that they reach the required reaction temperature after entering the micromixer. This procedure is intended to prevent the formation of polymers with a bimodal molar mass distribution and high molecular weight fractions which can lead to blockage or coverage of the reactor system. Not only is this procedure energy-intensive, but an undefined preliminary conversion in the mixer also has to be expected. In addition, in the case of monomers containing acid groups and at the high reaction temperatures as are required for preparation of low molecular weight products, an increased degree of corrosion problems occurs. Moreover, even a brief stoppage in a feed or a decline in the flow can already result in polymerization in the mixer owing to the preheating, and hence also in blockage of the micromixer.
WO 03/037501 discloses a process for (co)polymerizing olefinically unsaturated monomers, in which at least two starting materials in the form of two liquid streams in opposite directions are mixed in a mixer with intermeshing microchannels before they enter a reaction vessel. Owing to the channel dimensions used with cross sections in the range from 10 to 100 μm, there is the risk of coverage or blockage of mixer and/or reactor in this process too. This is problematic since apparatus with microstructures is generally also not very accessible for cleaning purposes.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and device for the continuous production of polymers by radical polymerization


A process for refining raw materials containing oil and/or bitumen includes supplying water and the raw materials to an expulsion stage and/or an expulsion stage and a downstream gasification stage to obtain solids containing non-evaporated fractions of heavy hydrocarbons and to expel hydrocarbonaceous vapor. The expelled hydrocarbonaceous vapor is supplied to a processing stage and is further processed to expel hydrocarbonaceous vapor to obtain processing stage products which are separated and withdrawn. The solids from the expulsion stage and/or the expulsion stage and the downstream gasification stage are introduced into a combustion stage. The non-evaporated fractions of heavy hydrocarbons are burned in the combustion stage to obtain hot solids which are recirculated from the combustion stage into the expulsion stage and/or the downstream gasification stage. An oxidizing atmosphere of the combustion stage is separated from an atmosphere of the expulsion stage and/or the downstream gasification stage using a blocking device.

In view of an increasing shortage of petroleum deposits, the economic exploitation of raw materials containing organic constituents, such as oil or tar sands and oil shale, has become of greater interest. Oil or tar sands are mixtures of clay, sand, water and hydrocarbons. The latter can have different compositions and range from bitumen to normal crude oil. The hydrocarbon content in the sands is between about 1 and 18%. The economic efficiency of exploitation increases with the hydrocarbon content. Oil or tar sands can be recovered by surface mining. When extracting them from deeper soil layers, an initial processing of the oil or tar sand is already effected in situ. Steam is introduced into the deposit in order to liquefy the hydrocarbons. This kind of oil recovery therefore requires a great deal of water, which cannot be discharged entirely free from oil.
Oil shales are rocks which contain bitumen or low-volatility oils. The content of organic matter (kerogen) lies between about 10 and 30%. Oil shales are not shales in a petrographic sense, but layered, not schistous, sedimentary rocks. The recovery of hydrocarbons, such as oil from oil shale, is traditionally effected by mining and subsequent pyrolysis (carbonization at 500° C.). Subsurface recovery (in situ) is alternatively used by pressing a steam-air mixture into the rock previously loosened by blasting and ignition of a flame front, which expels the hydrocarbons such as oil.
The previous recovery of hydrocarbons, such as crude oil from oil or tar sands or oil shale is thus is relatively cost-intensive. With rising oil prices, the recovery of hydrocarbons, such as crude oil, from oil or tar sands and oil shale becomes increasingly interesting in economic terms. A problem in the present recovery of hydrocarbons, such as crude oil, from oil or tar sands and oil shales is the necessary high consumption of water and the emission of waste waters containing residual oil.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,195 describes a process for coking contaminated oil shale or tar sand oil on solids distilled in retorts. The hydrocarbonaceous solids are mixed with a hot heat transfer material, in order to raise the temperature of the solids to a temperature suitable for the pyrolysis of the hydrocarbons. The mixture is maintained in a pyrolysis zone until a sufficient amount of hydrocarbon vapors are released. In the pyrolysis zone, a stripping gas is passed through the mixture in order to lower the dew point of the resulting hydrocarbon vapors and entrain the fine particles. A mixture of contaminated hydrocarbon vapors, stripping gas and entrained fine particles is thereby obtained from the pyrolysis zone. From the contaminated hydrocarbon vapors, a heavy fraction is separated and thermally cracked in a fluidized bed consisting of fine particles, whereby the impurities together with coke are deposited on the fine particles in the fluidized bed. The product oil vapors are withdrawn from the coking container. As heat transfer material, recirculated pyrolyzed oil shale or tar sand is used, which was guided through a combustion zone, in order to burn carbon residues and provide the heat for the pyrolysis of the raw material. Since there is no pressure seal between the combustion zone and the pyrolysis furnace, the oxidizing atmosphere of the combustion zone can enter the pyrolysis furnace and impair the quality of the oil vapor. Thermal cracking in the coking container also consumes a great deal of energy and is therefore expensive.
EP 1 015 527 B1 describes a process for the thermal treatment of feedstock containing volatile, combustible constituents, wherein the feedstock is mixed with hot granular solids from a collecting bin in a pyrolysis reactor, in which relatively high temperatures exist. This should lead to cracking reactions in the gases and vapors in the reactor.
Besides the thermal cracking used in the above-mentioned processes, catalytic cracking processes are known. In Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC), the heavy distillate of a refinery is decomposed to gases, liquefied gases and gasolines, for example to long-chain n-alkanes and i-alkanes. Cracking is generally effected at temperatures between 450 and 550° C. and a reactor pressure of 1.4 bar by means of an alumosilicate-based zeolite catalyst. FCC crackers are described for instance in U.S. Pat. No. 7,135,151 B1, US 2005/0118076 A1 or US 2006/0231459 A1. An exemplary catalyst is disclosed in WO 2006/131506 A1. Further possibilities for the further treatment of hydrocarbon fractions include hydrotreatment and hydrocracking.
In a refining plant for raw materials containing organic constituents, such as oil-containing raw materials, the latter, for example, oil sand, can first be supplied to drying, then to preheating, then to an expulsion stage, and finally the residual solids can be supplied to a combustion stage. Drying is effected at, for example, about 80 to 120° C., and preheating at, for example, about 150 to 300° C. The expulsion stage operates at, for example, about 300 to 1000° C. In all three stages, hydrocarbonaceous vapors (oil vapors) are released, which are supplied to a processing stage (for example, by hydrocracking, coking and/or hydrotreating) and are further processed there. The residual solids of the expulsion stage can be introduced into a combustion stage and be burnt at, for example, about 1000 to 1200° C. The solid combustion products can be utilized, for instance, to heat up the expulsion stage. In most cases, the individual stages (drying, preheating, expulsion and combustion) can be operated as fluidized beds. As fluidizing gas, light hydrocarbons, inert gas (such as nitrogen), oxygen-containing gases, CO2-containing gases or also waste gases of the combustion stage can be used. For the processing stage, hydrogen is also required beside the oil vapors (for example, for hydrocracking).
The qualities of oil-containing raw materials often are very different and fluctuating, so that in some cases only very little oil vapors are released in the expulsion stage or in a preceding stage, and that bitumen of the oil-containing raw materials tend to liquefy or coke instead of evaporating. The yield of desired oil vapors is reduced thereby and often more energy is produced in the combustion stage, which is not desired. The coking tendency of the oil increases with increasing temperature. In the case of higher-quality oil-containing raw materials, such as oil sands, which contain a great deal of oil and release their oil content simply, the relation between the generation of heat in the combustion stage and the generation of oil vapor in the expulsion stage can be accomplished by controlling the temperature in the expulsion stage and/or supplying supporting fuels in the combustion stage. In the case of oil-containing raw materials of low quality, such control is not possible, however, because of the risk of coking.

Process and plant for refining raw materials containing organic constituents


A phenolic resole resin for use as a foundry binder which has been internally modified to reduce its hot strength and thereby enhance its shakeout property is disclosed. The resin is the reaction product of a phenolic compound; a dialdehyde; and formaldehyde. A process of preparing such resin is also disclosed, comprising first reacting the phenolic compound and the dialdehyde, and subsequently reacting the product with the formaldehyde. The resin may be, in a preferred embodiment, an ester-curable alkaline phenolic resin. Also disclosed are a raw batch formulation including the resin of the invention, and foundry articles prepared therefrom.

In making shaped metal articles, metal castings are typically made by pouring molten metal into molds which may be made of sand bonded with various types of organic or inorganic binders. When the casting is removed from the sand mold, the mold is disintegrated and cannot be reused, except to reclaim the sand for future molding operations. Molds may also be of a permanent type. Permanent molds are made of solid materials such as metal or graphite and often consist of two or more pieces that can be separated to remove the casting. After the casting is removed, the mold is reused.
Internal cavities within a metal casting are made by placing cores inside a mold before the metal is cast. The core must then be removed from the interior of the casting to leave the cavity thus formed.
Cores for metal castings generally are made with a particulate refractory material such as sand bonded with an inorganic or, more commonly, an organic binder. The organic binder must serve to maintain the physical integrity of the core until the metal solidifies but then must sufficiently decompose, due to the heat from the casting operation, to allow the removal of the sand from the casting. The removal of core sand is typically effected by a process called shakeout which involves mechanically vibrating and impacting a casting to free the sand, which then may be reclaimed and reused for subsequent casting operations.
Many different types of organic binders are used to make sand cores for metal castings and many different processes used to cure these binders. One type of binder consists primarily of a phenolic resole resin. Phenolic resoles are typically made by reacting 1.0 to 3.0 moles of formaldehyde with one mole of a phenolic compound using an alkaline catalyst. Such binders are classified as "thermosetting" in that heat alone will cure them, but can also be cured with acid catalysts either at room temperature or with the help of heat. Foundry sand core binders based on phenolic resins are known which are cured by the above processes.
In recent years, ambient temperature ester-curable alkaline phenolic resole resins have gone into widespread use. Such resin binder systems are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,426,467 and 4,474,904, in which lactones and carboxylic acid esters, respectively, are used as curing agents; and in 4,468,359, in which the esters are used in the gaseous or vapor phase.
One use for which these resins are eminently suited is as binders for making foundry sand molds and cores. They display high casting quality and hardness; are rapidly cured at ambient temperature; and they do not evolve pungent gases on their thermal decomposition. However, such resins have one inherent disadvantage in that, when used to make cores for some types of castings, these cores exhibit poor shakeout relative to some other types of organic binders. Such poor shakeout can occur when casting metals having low melting points are used, or when a large core size relative to the amount of metal being poured is used. Primarily, however, poor shakeout results when binders fail to decompose sufficiently after casting to allow the sand to be easily removed.
Reduced hot strength and enhanced collapsibility are also desirable properties for molding cores in that such properties help prevent a casting defect known as hot tearing: when molten metal is poured around a core, the metal begins to shrink as it solidifies and cools. In order to prevent the hot, shrinking casting from tearing, the core must be able to collapse to some extent; if it does not, hot tearing may result. The present invention also seeks to reduce this defect.
Thus, a method to reduce hot strength of binders used in foundry cores and to improve the shakeout characteristics of phenolic resole based sand binders would expand the market for these binders and be very desirable.

Dialdehyde modified phenolic foundry sand core binder resins, processes for making same, and process for preparing foundry cores and molds employing same


Devices and methods described herein facilitate rapid wireless recharging, while reducing risk of injury, damage, or discomfort caused by heat generated during recharging. The embodiments described herein are useful in a variety of context, including for IoT devices, personal electronics, electric vehicles, and medical devices, among others.

Wireless recharging is increasingly important in systems across a variety of technical fields. For example, wirelessly recharged phones or other devices are increasingly common, and other systems such as electric cars or Internet of Things (IoT) devices arranged throughout a residence or business require a supply of electric charge that is inconvenient to provide via wired connections. One field in which wired electrical power is particularly difficult to provide is that of implantable medical devices, which can serve to provide medical treatment for years without the opportunity for easy wired recharging.
At a basic level, wireless recharging requires only two parts: an emitter and a receiver. The emitter provides a varying electromagnetic field, which is harnessed by the receiver to create a charge current. The charge current can be used either to directly do some work (such as providing medical treatment) or to charge or recharge a battery coupled to the receiver.
Converting electromagnetic signal into charge current inherently generates some level of heating. Often, operation of the device that is being charged or recharged generates additional heating. Depending on the device, there can be maximum safe temperatures. For example, overheating a battery can cause damage or thermal runaway of the battery. In addition to damaging the device itself, surrounding materials or environment may be heat sensitive. This is especially true for medical devices, in which overheating can cause injury or discomfort to the patient.
Conventionally, overheating has been modeled to determine a safe charge current level that, in the most extreme conditions, is unlikely to cause damage to the device or surrounding environment in a majority of cases. Based on such modeling, the total charge current can be capped at what is determined to be a safe threshold. This is not ideal, however, for many systems because the design is constrained from high charge current levels and accompanying fast charging times due to the cap, even in circumstances where faster charging would not be injurious or damaging. Often these caps are set quite low because, if they were raised to make charging more time-efficient, the resulting damage or injury would be significant.
Depending upon the complexity of the device and how critical prevention of overheating is, temperature sensors may be included therein. Temperature sensors provide more flexibility than would otherwise be available for thermal management, because they can be used, for example, to detect a temperature threshold at which the device or surrounding elements will be damaged if it is heated further. When temperature outside the device is of paramount, however, such as for medical devices, conventional temperature sensors are of limited use because temperatures inside the device are not necessarily the same as those outside, which is the primary area of concern for patient safety and comfort.

Wireless recharging devices and methods based on thermal boundary conditions


A method and an apparatus for automatically generating a target simulation model for a defined simulation object, provides artifacts of the simulation object in a data base; extracts the information needed for generating the target simulation model from the artifacts; maps the object elements based on the defined objective into the elements of the target simulation model; and assembles the extracted information and the mapped elements to generate the target simulation model. The artifacts describe the structure, the behavior, and the physics of the object elements with mechatronics simulation tags representing implicit indirect engineering information not extracted automatically by a tool.

Simulation is an approach to analyze systems which are too complex for an exact theoretical or mathematical analysis. A simulation performs experiments on a model representing a real system (e.g. industrial control systems, machines, vehicles) to achieve findings and insights of the real system. The models like the systems can be huge, complicated and complex. Therefore the simulation will be executed by computer programs and computers.
The word "Simulation" in this connection subsumes the model set up, the calculation and the interpretation of the results whereas only the model set up and the interpretation of the results consume real manpower. By guess 50% of the whole development time of machine tools and production machines is spent for simulation today while approximately ⅔ of this are used for the model set up and ⅓ for the interpretation of the results. That means especially the effort for setting up simulation models is quite high today and will increase further in the future due to the increasing introduction of mechatronic simulation and more frequent validations of the discipline specific designs.
The patent application US20100082314-A1 discloses a system and methods to simulate the operation of a servo driven mechatronic system to tune the system based on components either manually selected by the user from a database or automatically selected from the database by the system.

Method and an apparatus for automatically generating a target simulation model for a defined simulation object


A table top assembly for a watercraft table assembly includes an upwardly-disposed top surface, a downwardly-disposed bottom surface spaced vertically from the top surface, and a plurality of side surfaces extending between the top and bottom surfaces and cooperating with the top and bottom surfaces to form a body portion, wherein the body portion comprises polyurethane foam having a density within a range of between about 20 lbs/ft3 and about 25 lbs/ft3, and wherein the body portion has a substantially homogeneous composition throughout, and wherein one or more of the top surface and the plurality of side surfaces includes an integrally molded textured surface.

The embodiments as disclosed herein relate to a table assembly for a watercraft and a method for producing the same, and in particular a table assembly that includes a polyurethane foam table top with integrated, integral and in-molded accessories and elements. More generally, certain embodiments relate to preparing molded polyurethane foam tables, table components, and other marine accessories.
Over the previous decade, recreational boating has become a popular pastime and the marine industry continues to grow. As a result, the need for onboard furniture such as tables, seating, cup holders, armrests and the like has also increased. Current marine furniture and many marine components are created from relatively expensive plastic molds, are limited in color and options, are relatively heavy in weight, are non-buoyant, and when damaged or scratched expose an unmatched color interior which is difficult and expensive to repair. Further, most marine furniture components available are manufactured via a plastic vacuum forming a process resulting in a relatively smooth exterior surface. Still other components comprise wood which quickly deteriorates and/or discolors over a relatively short amount of time.

Table assembly for a watercraft and method for producing the same


A switch machine for railway and tramway switches or the like, having an enclosure for its operating units of the same size as a tie and adapted to be used like a tie, characterized in that the switch machine has a modular construction.

Switch machines for railway and tramway switches are well known and have considerable advantages.
Particularly in high speed railway lines, switches have relatively long switch points to provide such a wide radius of curvature as to withstand the high speed of the train. Unlike conventional switches, in which a switch machine is provided at the heels of the switch points and an additional switch machine is possibly provided at the frog of the switch points, high speed switches as described hereinbefore have multiple switch machines arranged all along the switch points, to keep the latter in the proper curvature condition as the train passes thereon.
Switch machines have the function of displacing switch points between two switch positions, in which one of the switch points is thrown against the corresponding rail and the other one is moved away from it. The switch point carrier units in switch machines also have latches that automatically lock the points in the thrown position as they reach said thrown position and that are moved to the point releasing condition as soon as the carrier units are actuated to move the thrown switch point away from the corresponding rail. The latches can be of the so-called trailable or non-trailable type, i.e. connections may be provided between point carrier units which allow the train to displace the points as it passes through the switch, thereby releasing said points from position locking latches. Such connections are so adjusted that the train wheels must exert a certain thrust on the switch points, e.g. when the train runs through an unswitched turnout in the direction opposite to the direction of traffic. The wheel progressively wedges between the thrown switch point and the corresponding rail and pushes the switch point away from the rail.
In the non-trailable type, the switch points are fixedly held in the thrown position so that any train passage would have the effect of damaging the carrier units or special weakened portions requiring a predetermined breaking force.
Obviously, the trailability of a switch machine requires higher construction costs; moreover, in switches with very long switch points, trailability is only required for the switch machine/s at the heels of the switch points, whereas in the intermediate portion and at the frog, given a typical train passage situation, as described above, the train wheels do not exert any thrust forces on the switch points.
Other construction parts of the switch point carrier units in the various switch machines are common and substantially identical for all switch machines.
Considering that in high speed applications each switch is required to have a large number of switch machines along its length, there is the need for minimizing switch machine fabrication costs and times.

Switch machine for railway and tramway switches or the like


Input circuitry for an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is provided. The input circuitry includes a calibration signal source configured to output a calibration signal for the ADC and an analog circuitry configured to receive and process an analog input signal for the ADC. The analog circuitry is further configured to generate a combined signal by combining the analog input signal and the calibration signal. The input circuitry further includes a buffer amplifier coupled to the analog circuitry and configured to supply a buffered signal to the ADC based on the combined signal. Further, the input circuitry includes neutralization circuitry configured to generate, based on the calibration signal, a neutralization signal for mitigating an unwanted signal component related to a limited reverse isolation of the analog circuitry. The neutralization circuitry is further configured to supply the neutralization signal to at least one of an input node and an intermediate node of the analog circuitry.

ADCs need calibration for compensating static errors, such as mismatch between accuracy limiting circuit elements and nonlinearity of analog circuitry, as well as dynamic errors such as drifts over time or due to temperature variations. For the calibration of the ADC in the background, an analog calibration signal can be provided at the analog-front end of the ADC. The analog calibration signal can be superimposed onto an analog input signal received by the analog-front end. The superimposed signal can be converted to digital by the ADC and can be evaluated for analog imperfections by appropriate digital signal processing. However, a certain amount of the analog calibration signal may leak to the analog input port supplying the analog input signal for the ADC. This may violate the spectral emission mask for a neighboring system unwantedly receiving the leaked calibration signal.
Hence, there may be a desire for improved analog-to-digital conversion e.g. with applied background calibration.

Input circuitry for an analog-to-digital converter, receiver, base station and method for operating an input circuitry for an analog-to-digital converter


Frost resistant, aqueous cooling/heating fluid containing alkali salts of acetic acid and/or formic acid and which as a corrosion inhibitor contains a mixture of a C5-C16 monocarboxylic acid or alkali-, ammonium- or amino-salts of said acid, a C5-C16 dicarboxylic acid or alkali-, ammonium- or amino-salts of said acid, and also a triazole.

The present invention relates to a frost resistant, aqueous heating/cooling fluid, containing alkali salts of acetic acid and/or formic acid. The heating/cooling fluid is intended for transport of cold or heat in industrial cooling plants, cooling systems in vessels and vehicles, cooling systems for skating ice in sports centres, heat exchangers, district heating systems, heat pumps, solar panels etc.
In aqueous heating/cooling fluids, frost resistance is usually obtained by means of an addition of ethylene glycol. Ethylene glycol is a liquid which is mixable with water to any extent, exhibits a low risk of fire and explosion, and is frost resistant and also colourless and odourless. The lowest solidifying point (xe2x88x9257xc2x0 C.) of a glycol-water mixture is at a ethylene glycol content of 60 volume-%. However, the disadvantage with ethylene glycol is its high degree of toxicity. Thereby, it poses an environmental threat if it ends up in the sea, lakes and streams, for instance, if cooling liquid is discharged or leaks out.
From EP-B-0 306 972, a partially or completely glycol-free, aqueous cooling fluid is known, which contains an addition of sodium acetate and sodium formate or potassium acetate and potassium formate in certain ratios. By means of this fluid composition, a freezing temperature pf xe2x88x9270xc2x0 C. or lower can be obtained. The fluid composition exhibits all the advantages with the conventional glycol-water mixture, at the same time as it does not exhibit its toxicity.
However, the above-mentioned cooling fluid contains strong ions, wherein it is very important to have a good corrosion protection. In EP-B-0 306 972, it is disclosed that benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate or benzotriazole are used for corrosion protection. These are film-forming chemicals. The formed film protects metal surfaces from corrosion attacks. In order not to risk local corrosion attacks, the film layer has to be intact across the entire metal surface. A disadvantage with the film is an impaired heat transfer between the metal surface and the cooling fluid.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a corrosion protected heating/cooling fluid of the above-mentioned type, which exhibits an effective heat transfer between metal surface and fluid, at the same time as the corrosion protection is excellent. This has been achieved by means of the fluid containing a corrosion inhibitor in the form of a mixture of a C5-C16 monocarboxylic acid or alkali-, ammonium- or amino-salts of said acid, a C5-C16 dicarboxylic acid or alkali-, ammonium- or amino-salts of said acid, and also a triazole. The foregoing fluid provided by the invention is free of glycol as are inventive compositions described below and included the examples.
The content of alkali salts of acetic acid and/or formic acid in the heating/cooling fluid should preferably be between 5 and 50 weight-%, calculated on the total weight of the fluid.
The heating/cooling fluid contains between 0.4 and 10 weight-%, preferably between 0.5 and 2 weight-% of the above-mentioned corrosion inhibitor, calculated on the weight of the fluid.
From the above-mentioned EP-B-0 306 972, it is known that an addition of alkali salts of certain anions, mainly acetates and formates, to water results in a strong depression of freezing-point of an aqueous medium. The depression of freezing-point becomes particularly large at certain mixing ratios of the included salts.
The heating/cooling fluid according to the invention contains between 5 and 50 weight-% alkali salts of acetic acid and/or formic acid calculated on the weight of the fluid, primarily sodium acetate, potassium acetate, sodium formate and/or potassium formate. The included salts can be present in any mutual mixing ratio, i.e. only one of the salts or two or several salts in a mixture together. Partly depending on the total salt content, and partly on the mixing ratio of the salts, different depressions of freezing-point of the fluid is obtained. Also other freezing-point depressing additions can be included in the fluid, e.g. urea.
The heating/cooling fluid according to the invention is a strong ionic solution, wherein the significance of an efficient corrosion protection is particulary large. EP-B-0 306 972 discloses an addition of a corrosion inhibitor in the form of benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate or benzotriazole, which are film-forming chemicals which create a protective film on metals surfaces and thereby protects them from corrosion attacks. As mentioned above, the disadvantages with this type of corrosion inhibitors is partly that the film layer must be intact across the entire metal surface in order to make the corrosion protection effective and to avoid local corrosion attacks, and partly that the heat transfer between metal surface and heating/cooling fluid is impaired.
According to the invention, it has now surprisingly been found that, in addition to an excellent corrosion protection, an addition of a corrosion inhibitor in the form of a mixture of a C5-C16 monocarboxylic acid or alkali-, ammonium- or amino-salts of said acid, and also a triazole, furthermore provides an excellent heat transfer between the metal surface and the fluid.
A corrosion inhibitor of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,392. According to this document, the corrosion inhibitor is intended to be used in glycol-water mixtures. The use as a corrosion inhibitor in salt solutions of the type which the invention relates to, however, is not disclosed in the U.S. patent.
The amounts of the components included in the corrosion inhibitor can vary between 0.02 and 3 weight-%, calculated on the weight of the fluid, for both the monocarboxylic acid and the dicarboxylic acid or the alkali-, ammonium-, or amino-salts of said acid. The amount of triazole can vary between 0.02 and 2 weight-%, calculated on the total weight of the fluid.
The total content of the corrosion inhibitor should be between 0.4 and 10 weight-%, preferably between 0.5 and 2 weight-%, calculated on the weight of the fluid.
The corrosion inhibitor comprises a mixture of three basic components, namely a monocarboxylic acid, a dicarboxylic acid and a triazole. The monocarboxylic acid is preferably an aliphatic C5-C16 monocarboxylic acid, preferably selected from the group of octanoic acid, nonaic acid, decanoic acid, undecanoic acid or dodecanoic acid, 2-ethyl hexanoic acid and neodecanoic acid.
The dicarboxylic acid is preferably either a C8-C12 aliphatic dicarboxylic acid selected from the group of suberic acid, azealic acid, sebacic acid, undecanoic di-acid, dodecanoic di-acid and the di-acid of di-cyclopentadienylide or a C8-C12 aromatic dicarboxylic acid, preferably terephthalic acid.
The triazole is preferably tolyoltriazole or benzotriazole.
In comparison with using only one of the acid types, the combination of mono- and dicarboxylic acid or its salts provides a synergistic effect when the corrosion protection of metallic surfaces is concerned. The triazole is specifically used as a cupper protection.
Other conventional corrosion-inhibiting components can of course also be included in the heating/cooling fluid according to the invention.


The invention relates to a method for producing oligoaminosilanes of the general formula (I) SinY2n+2, wherein oligohalosilanes of the general formula (II) SinX2n+2 are reacted with primary amines of the general formula (III) R—NH2 in hydrocarbons as solvents, wherein X is selected from among chlorine, bromine, and iodine, Y is a halogen, hydrogen, or R—NH, R is a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and n is values from 1 to 20, with the stipulation that at most 35 mol % of the groups Y is a hydrogen and at most 15 mol % of the groups Y is a halogen, wherein activated carbon is added to the reaction mixture. The invention further relates to a method for stabilizing the oligoaminosilanes of the general formula (I), wherein the oligoaminosilanes are treated with activated carbon.

The invention relates to a process for preparing oligoaminosilanes from oligohalosilane and primary amine, wherein activated carbon is added to the reaction mixture, and to the stabilization of the oligoaminosilanes.
Aminosilane compounds are of great interest for the production of Si—N and Si—O layers. Amino-substituted monosilanes have already been investigated for this purpose, and some disilanes also exhibit good properties. In this respect, there is an interest in compounds with a high silicon content.
WO 03/045959 describes the preparation of hexakisethylaminodisilane from hexachlorodisilane and ethylamine in pentane. The hexakisethylaminodisilane thus prepared only has limited storage stability even with strict exclusion of water and air.
Since a high purity is required for the uses of oligoaminosilanes, such as hexakisethylaminodisilane, there is a high demand for products which do not have a tendency toward decomposition and hence contamination in the course of storage.

Method for producing and stabilizing oligoaminosilanes


A receiver for receiving digital signals comprises a front end (18) for receiving RF signals and converting them into an input signal for an de-interleaver 22 for obtaining a de-interleaved signal. The output of the de-interleaver is connected to a decoder (24) which can be a Reed-Solomon decoder. The decoder (24) is able to use erasure information which indicates possible positions of errors in the de-interleaved signal for increasing the number of errors the decoder (24) can correct. In order to improve the error correcting capabilities of the receiver, this receiver comprises error prediction means (26) which predict the position of errors in the next codewords due to error bursts from the errors found in the present codeword. Such a predicted error is handled as an erasure by the decoder (24). To prevent that more erasures are presented to the decoder (24) than it can handle, it is proposed according to the present invention to determine a probability measure for all predicted errors and to present only those errors to the decoder (24) having the largest probability.

The present invention relates to a receiver for receiving encoded digital signals, said receiver comprises a front end for deriving words of digital symbols from an input signal, a de-interleaver for deriving de-interleaved words of digital symbols from said words of digital symbols, a decoder for deriving decoded words of digital symbols from said de-interleaved words of digital symbols and a burst error predictor for predicting possible symbol error positions in a de-interleaved word to be decoded from symbol error positions in at least one previously decoded de-interleaved word of digital symbols.
The present invention also relates to a decoder, a decoding method and a storage medium carrying a computer program for carrying out a decoding method.
A decoder according to the preamble is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,208. Such receivers are used for receiving digital video signals or data signals from a transmission medium such as a satellite channel, a terrestrial channel or a CATV channel. In order to ensure a virtual error free transmission of the source symbols representing the video or data signals, channel coding is used. This channel coding often includes the use of a concatenated coding scheme. This concatenated coding scheme involves the encoding of the source symbols using an outer channel code, interleaving the encoded source symbols followed by encoding the interleaved symbols by an inner code. The outer code can be a block code such as a Reed-Solomon code, and the inner code is often a convolutional code.
The interleaving is used to decrease the vulnerability for burst errors, interleaving is used between outer coding and inner coding. The effect of interleaving is that burst errors are transformed into single error in multiple codewords. Because single errors are more easy to correct than burst errors, the use of interleaving will result in an increased performance on channels having bursty error characteristics.
The receiver for such a signal comprises a cascade connection of an inner decoder, a deinterleaver and an outer decoder.
In the above-mentioned U.S. patent the knowledge about the position of the single errors due to spread of burst errors is used to improve the quality of the decoder. Therefor this decoder comprises a burst error predictor that predicts the positions of possible errors from already occurred errors. This is possible by assuming that a burst error is present and using the known properties of the used interleaving scheme. The positions of all possible errors are passed to the outer decoder.
This outer decoder will regard the symbols at the indicated position as unreliable. E.g. in a Reed-Solomon decoder the indicated positions are treated as so-called erasures, errors of which the position is known. A Reed-Solomon decoder is able to correct n-1 random errors of which the position is not known, and 2n-1 errors (eraures) of which the position is known. This increase of error correcting capability results in an improved performance of the decoder.
A problem of the receiver according to the above-mentioned U.S. patent is that the numbers of unreliable symbols passed to the decoder can exceed its error correcting capabilities. In such a case, no decoding is possible at all. In the above U.S. patent, the structure of the interleaver is chosen such that the number of unreliable symbols is always limited to the error correcting capabilities of the decoder. This however imposes constraints on the type of interleaver that can be used.
The object of the present invention is to provide a receiver according to the preamble in which no constraints are imposed on the type of interleaver to be used.
To achieve said objective, the receiver according to the invention is characterized in that the receiver comprises a symbol error position selector for selecting from said possible symbol error positions a reduced number of possible symbol error positions and in that the symbol error position selector is arranged for providing the reduced number of symbol error positions to the decoder.
By reducing the number of possible error positions to be passed to the decoder, it is obtained that the error correcting capabilities of said decoder is not exceeded. This reducing is possible for each kind of interleaver to be used, resulting in that no constraints have to be imposed on the type of interleaver to be used.
An embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the symbol error position selector is arranged for selecting said reduced number of possible symbol error positions in dependence on a probability measure representing the probability that at a predicted error position the received symbol is actually wrong By passing only the symbol positions which are most likely to be wrong to the decoder, it is obtained that the most relevant positions are passed to the decoder and the less relevant are not. This results in an optimum decoding quality, given the numbers of predicted error positions which can be accepted by the decoder.
A further embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the burst error predictor is arranged for deriving the probability measure from errors present in previous words.
By deriving the probability measure from errors present in previous words, it is obtained that the probability measure is derived from actual statistical properties of the errors. This leads to a more accurate estimation of the probability measure, in particular when the statistical properties of the error measure change with time.


An apparatus stores received data blocks as deduplicated data blocks. The apparatus is configured to: maintain a plurality of containers, where a reference to a container is unique within the apparatus and each container includes one or more data segments and segment metadata for each data segment, the segment metadata including a segment identifier and a segment reference, where the segment identifier is unique within the container and the segment reference is unique within the apparatus; and maintain a plurality of deduplicated data blocks storing received data blocks, where each deduplicated data block includes a plurality of identified container references, where a container reference identifier is unique within the deduplicated data block, and an ordered list of one or more segment indicators.

It has become common practice to process backups in a way that removes data that has already been stored. Thereby, a process known as "deduplication" is used. Instead of storing duplicates, the deduplication process stores some form of references to where the data already stored is located. These references and other items stored "about" the data are commonly known as metadata.
Conventional metadata can in this case be as large as 1% of the received data. When the data deduplicates well, there are many duplicates, and the total metadata becomes a very significant part of the total storage that is required. For example, when the data duplicates in a ratio 25:1 and a SHA-1 hash is used for determining identity, 28% of the total storage is needed to hold the metadata.
Further, recently there have been doubts cast upon the security of SHA-1. However, a move to an SHA-2 hash would mean that for the deduplication process now even 33% of the total storage would be needed to hold the metadata.
Consequently, there is a need to find a possibility to decrease the percentage of total storage required for holding the metadata.
Conventional deduplication products store the complete hash (usually the SHA-1 hash) in their equivalent of the block metadata. This is the root cause of the large metadata, leading to the metadata bloat when deduplication works well.
Accordingly, if storing the complete hash in the block metadata could be avoided, the total amount of storage required for the metadata could be reduced.
FIG. 8 shows data structure of a conventional deduplication process. The data structure is divided into blocks, containers and segments. A block is a storage unit that represents the original data, which may contain duplicates. The blocks are the data received by the deduplication apparatus before deduplication. Blocks may be divided into data segments, which are sequences of consecutive bytes. A typical data segment length varies from product to product, however, a block may contain up to thousands of data segments.
After deduplication, the received block is stored as a list of its segments, referred to as the block's metadata. Furthermore, containers holding unique data segments are stored. Containers are storage units that represent unique deduplicated data, wherein a container may contain thousands of unique data segments. The data segment's metadata is for instance, its reference count, storage details and a strong hash calculated from the data segment. The metadata of the container is the data segment metadata of all its data segments.
FIG. 9 shows details of the metadata of a conventional block, i.e. of the deduplicated data block. In FIG. 9 it can be seen that a user data block before deduplication is received, and after the deduplication process it is stored as a deduplicated data block including metadata. In particular, the deduplicated block includes a table of container IDs and strong hash value pairs. In other words, the metadata of the conventional blocks stores a strong hash value for each data segment of the received data block. These strong hash values require storage of 40 bytes each, and thus amount to a large amount of the total storage.
FIG. 10 shows details of a conventional deduplication index that is stored along with the deduplicated data blocks and containers. The conventional deduplication index includes a complete list of hash values of data segments (here G, I, J, K, L), wherein each hash value is associated with a reference to a block. This means, however, for a received block containing data segments, which can be calculated into hash values that can be searched for in the deduplication index, at first a deduplicated data block needs to be found from the associated block references in the deduplication index, and then from the retrieved deduplicated data block the container related to this block may be found. However, this indirection impacts negatively on the system performance, particularly the Inputs/Outputs (I/Os).

Apparatus and method for storing received data blocks as deduplicated data blocks


An actuator for an inhaler for delivering medicament by inhalation, comprising: a housing for receiving a canister which comprises a body which includes a base and a head and defines a chamber containing medicament, and a valve stem which extends from the body and from which medicament is in use delivered on actuation of the canister; an outlet through which a user in use inhales; and a nozzle assembly which provides for delivery of medicament through the outlet, wherein the nozzle assembly comprises a nozzle block which receives the valve stem of the canister and, as a separately-formed component, a nozzle outlet which is fluidly connected to the nozzle block and includes an outlet orifice from which medicament is in use delivered.

It is known to provide an actuator for an inhaler (e.g. a metered dose inhaler (MDI)) for delivering drug by inhalation, which actuator comprises a housing arranged for receipt of a valved canister containing drug. The canister typically comprises a body, which includes a base and a head and defines a chamber, and a valve stem which extends from the body and from which drug is in use delivered on actuation of the canister. The actuator also comprises an outlet, which is arranged for receipt by the mouth or nose of a user and through which a user in use inhales. The actuator further comprises a nozzle assembly, which provides for delivery of drug through the outlet, wherein the nozzle assembly typically comprises a nozzle block which receives the valve stem of the canister.
In conventional actuators for use with MDI inhalers the nozzle block is provided as a single moulded part, which is usually moulded to be integral with the body of the actuator. The conventional nozzle block has an exit orifice from which aerosolized drug is expelled and thence, travels to an outlet (e.g. mouthpiece) for inhalation by a patient. Applicant finds that a more controlled passage of aerosolized drug (e.g. better channeling of drug plume) may be provided for where a nozzle outlet is provided as a separately-formed component to the nozzle block. The nozzle outlet is fluidly connected to the nozzle block and includes an outlet orifice from which drug is in use delivered. In addition, the nozzle outlet can be adapted to give a cleaner look to the outlet (i.e. mouthpiece) end of the actuator housing, which is also more amenable to cleaning by the patient.
Applicant finds that by use of such a 'two-part assembly' of nozzle block and nozzle outlet greater flexibility may be provided for in the overall design of the nozzle assembly. Thus, for example a more rigid (e.g. stubbier) nozzle block may be accommodated. Or alternatively, smaller jet orifice diameters (e.g. from 0.2 to 0.5 mm) may be accommodated. Additionally, different materials or combinations thereof may be use for the different parts of the nozzle assembly. The different materials may for example, be selected to have different finishes or electrostatic characteristics. Overall, the nozzle assembly is therefore much more readily tuned to provide the desired spray/travel characteristics of the aerosolized drug than is the conventional nozzle block. More ergonomic actuator forms may also be facilitated.
In addition, Applicant finds that by forming the nozzle assembly as a 'two-part assembly' the time of manufacture thereof may be simplified and speeded up. In more detail, the conventional single-part moulded stubby nozzle block of the well-known conventional MDI actuator requires a complex moulding tool and mould intervals of long pendency time. By contrast, the separate parts of the 'two part' assembly may be made simpler in form and thereby, made amenable to moulding thereof with shorter pendency times.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide an improved actuator for an inhaler for administering drug by inhalation and an inhaler including the same.

GlaxoSmithKline Intellectual Property Development Limited


A hydrogen storage medium is provided, where the medium is comprised of boron oxide and closely related compounds such as orthoboric acid, metaboric acid, hydrated boric acid, and disodium borohydrate. The medium is substantially an amorphous glassy network, albeit with local regions of order, pores, and networks that provide surface area. Hydrogen is adsorbed by the medium with a heat of adsorption of about 9 kJ/mol to about 13 kJ/mol, a value which is higher than that of the heat of adsorption of hydrogen on carbon. The value for the heat of adsorption of hydrogen on the inventive storage medium is provided by computation, and corroborated by experimental observation. The higher heat of adsorption of the medium provides for operation at temperatures higher temperatures higher than those provided by carbon. Further provided are methods by which the storage medium can be prepared in such a form so as to permit high capacity hydrogen storage, as well as an apparatus, with the inventive medium disposed therein, for storing hydrogen.

There is considerable interest in hydrogen as a replacement for fossil fuels because of its high energy density per unit weight, its readily availability through the electrolysis of water, and the absence of polluting byproducts from its use. A number of technological components represent challenges in making this transition from fossil fuels to hydrogen, and in the development of appropriate systems and infrastructure that can integrate into those that already exist. A particular challenge of the developing hydrogen economy and the automotive industry thus involves the current paucity of fully satisfactory systems for hydrogen storage, ones that are safe, reliable, conformable, light-weight, and comprehensively economic. The technological issues underlying various approaches to hydrogen storage include the form within which hydrogen is stored, the nature of the medium holding the hydrogen, and the operation of the containers holding the medium.
Holding hydrogen as a compressed gas and as a cryogenic liquid are the most traditional forms of hydrogen storage. Compressed hydrogen can be stored in high pressure tanks (up to 10,000 p.s.i.). A problem with this method is that hydrogen diffuses very effectively, particularly when under high pressure, and currently available high pressure tanks do not effectively prevent such diffusion over an extended period of time. The requirement that tank materials be lightweight, and the fact that tank failure or damage in the event of an accident would be catastrophic provides further reason for pause. Storage of hydrogen in liquid form, at cryogenic temperatures is also an approach that shows some promise.
Metal hydrides, such as magnesium-based alloys, have also been used as media to store hydrogen. Although this method does not require high pressure and is operable at room temperature, there are other drawbacks. Metal hydrides are heavy, generally heavier than the hydrogen gas by a factor of about 50. Metal hydrides also undesirably contaminate the hydrogen as it is released. Further, metal hydride storage is not energy-efficient in this context; the energy required to extract the hydrogen from the metal hydride is equivalent to nearly half the amount stored within it. Metal hydride storage has been disclosed by Liu et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,316), by Bernauer et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,101), and by Ovshinsky et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,821).
Activated carbon has been used to store hydrogen at cryogenic temperatures and moderate pressures (50-70 bar), as has been described by Schwarz (U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,736). Cryogenic storage in activated carbon can be done at a 80K, a temperature higher than that required for liquid hydrogen storage. Hydrogen can sorb to surfaces in the activated carbon and can be released by increasing the temperature. Commonly available activated carbon, however, is not very pure, and contaminants are released with the hydrogen. Many researchers have found that it is difficult to obtain release of all hydrogen stored on activated carbon. Other problems associated with activated carbon include low weight percent storage capacity and the need to maintain cryogenic temperatures. Some of these problems have been discussed by Hynek et al. 1997, in "Hydrogen storage by carbon sorption," Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 22, No. 6, 601.
Alternative forms of carbon for hydrogen storage that are being explored include carbon nanotubes and graphite fibers, which, according to Rodriguez et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,653,951 and 6,159,538), sorb hydrogen by chemisorption. Another approach using nanostructured materials, in this case comprised of light elements, is one in which hydrogen is bound by physisorption, as described in pending patent applications of Bradley et al. (U.S. Application No. 60/020,392) and Kwon et al. (U.S. Application No. 60/020,344). Other carbon-based approaches include the utilization of turbostratic microstructures, as described by Maeland (U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,753) and aerogel preparations of carbon fullerenes, as described by Lamb (U.S. Pat. No. 5,698,140). While structured forms of carbon offer advantages over non-structured activated carbon, the basic thermodynamic properties of carbon which determine the low operating temperatures at which hydrogen is desorbed from the medium remain the same.
Hydrogen storage and supply systems that operate at higher temperatures and lower pressures than those currently available are an important and as yet undeveloped component of the developing hydrogen economy. Porous storage media represent a realistic approach to the development of such systems, and thus there is an acute need for materials which offer high capacity and favorable operating conditions of temperature and pressure. It is further desirable that such media be manufacturable economically, and at industrial scale.

Boron oxide and related compounds for hydrogen storage


A pointing mechanism for use in an electric propulsion system of a spacecraft, the pointing mechanism comprises a mobile plate adapted to receive a thruster and defining a thrust vector of the thruster received on the mobile plate. The pointing mechanism further comprises a rotary actuator coupled to the mobile plate by means of a connecting element, the rotary actuator being configured to rotate the connecting element about a rotational axis of the rotary actuator such that the thrust vector defined by the mobile plate rotates about the rotational axis, wherein the thrust vector is inclined relative to the rotational axis.

The present invention relates to a pointing mechanism for use in an electric propulsion system of a spacecraft and an electric propulsion system for use in a spacecraft which is equipped with a pointing mechanism of this kind.
In general, electric propulsion systems are used for spacecraft propulsion which enable movement and maneuvering of a spacecraft equipped therewith. Specifically, electric propulsion systems are usually equipped with at least one electric thruster, such as an ion engine, which, upon accelerating ions or plasma, generates thrust acting on the spacecraft. In order to optimize electric thruster propellant resources, to limit a number of electric thrusters used within an electric propulsion system, and to enable advanced attitude and orbit maneuvering, such systems are equipped with a pointing mechanism, so-called electric propulsion pointing mechanism (EPPM), configured to direct a thrust vector generated by the at least one electric thruster of the electric propulsion system in a desired direction relative to a center of gravity of the spacecraft. The pointing mechanism comprises a mobile plate for receiving a thruster which is supported movably relative to a spacecraft structure. Specifically, for accelerating a spacecraft, as opposed to a maneuvering movement of the spacecraft, currently deployed pointing mechanisms are adapted to perfectly align the thus generated thrust vector such that it passes through a center of gravity of the spacecraft. As a result, to allow for a multi-axis alignment of the thrust vector of the electric propulsion system, the pointing mechanism is typically provided with at least two degrees of freedom.
For example, pointing mechanisms in the form of a so-called Gough-Stewart platform are known, in which the mobile plate is supported by six actuators mounted to a spacecraft structure which are attached in pairs to three positions on the mobile plate. In this way, the mobile plate is provided with six degrees of freedom, i.e., the mobile plate can be moved translationally along and rotably around the spacecraft's principal axes, namely the roll, pitch and yaw axes.
Further, pointing mechanisms are known, in which the mobile plate is mounted on a pair of gimbals to allow rotating the thrust vector generated by a thruster about both the pitch and the yaw axes of the spacecraft.
AT 507 213 A4 2010-03-15 discloses a pointing mechanism comprising a mobile plate which is driven by at least two rotary actuators connected in series, the rotational axes of which are disposed in parallel and displaced to one another.
The center of gravity of a spacecraft, e.g., due to propellant consumption, usually changes during the operation of the spacecraft. To that end, also the thrusters itself are subjected to a misalignment, e.g., due to forces acting thereon during a start of the spacecraft, abrasion, etc. As a result, such systems require a plurality of highly precise sensors and actuators for aligning the at least one thruster, thereby imposing computing effort on a spacecraft's control system, i.e., an attitude and orbit control system (AOCS).

Pointing mechanism for use in an electric propulsion system of a spacecraft and electric propulsion system for use in a spacecraft


Proactive registration probes are conducted by an eCall-only IVS prior to an emergency to determine network availability and which available roaming networks a registration request will be approved by the home network. The results of this probing are stored and managed by the IVS. If no suitable roaming network can be found (or if only limited service is available, and this limited service cannot support an eCall), the IVS may notify the driver that the emergency call service may not be available. The frequency of the probing may be increased or decreased based on a variety of factors, including whether the IVS is currently receiving home network service, roaming network service, or no service, as well as whether the vehicle is moving and whether probing has previously been completed for a particular area (using location information, for example).

eCall refers to an in-vehicle emergency call service. In the event of a collision involving the vehicle, the eCall In-Vehicle System (IVS) establishes an emergency call via a mobile network to emergency agencies. The IVS can be provisioned for "eCall-only" service or for "mixed-mode eCall" service. In mixed-mode eCall service, the system can be used to perform emergency eCalls as well as non-emergency, subscription-based calls. In eCall-only mode, however, the system can only be activated to make emergency calls, and an IVS in eCall-only mode does not register on the mobile network before the eCall is triggered. Thus, when an eCall emergency is triggered, two operations must be performed: (1) the IVS must first register on an available mobile network, and then (2) the IVS initiates the eCall emergency call. Conventionally, registration of the IVS on the mobile network to place an eCall is performed similar to registration for non-emergency calls.
When the IVS is "roaming" and its Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) or "home network" is unavailable, the IVS must register on a Visitor Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMNs) or "roaming network" if one is available. It may be the case that no network is available or that an available network can only provide limited service, in which case eCall may be inoperable—for example, where the IVS itself cannot initiate eCall from limited service areas, or the roaming network cannot accept an emergency call in a limited service area (as may be the case in certain European countries). Moreover, even when a roaming network is available, it must receive permission from the IVS's home network before the roaming network can register the IVS. It is not uncommon for such permission to be denied, especially in typical instances where the home network has a roaming registration management policy (RRMP) that only permits registrations (and subsequent call servicing) by preferred VPLMN partners ("preferred partners") with whom the home network has established favorable business arrangements. Thus, in operation, the home network might automatically reject registrations from non-preferred roaming networks unless and until it receives and accepts a registration request through one of its preferred partners.
Whereas a typical mobile phone user might become aware of these issues (no service, limited-but-unusable service, etc.) when the mobile phone is powered on or roams into a visited network (e.g., the mobile phone may provide a "no service" message or signal to the user) or the first time a user attempts to place a call and thus may be able to take steps to correct the situation, an eCall-only subscriber will be entirely unaware of these issues because the eCall-only IVS attempts to connect to a network only after an emergency has arisen and time is of the essence. In other words, to make an emergency call while roaming, an eCall-only IVS not only has to find service (and risk that no service is available) but may also have to attempt registering with several available roaming networks before one is finally accepted by the IVS's home network (if at all), and this may take several minutes to succeed (if ever). Thus, network availability and conventional roaming registration of the IVS on the mobile network may significantly delay the placing of the emergency call—a call that is critically important to successfully register as quickly as possible.

Proactive probe by eCall-only in-vehicle system


A detecting unit for detecting when the wire electrode is released from a jet stream of a machining solution during the feeding of the wire electrode. Upon detection of the release of the wire electrode, the feeding of the wire electrode is suspended automatically to remove the deformed wire electrode.

The present invention relates to a wire electrode supplying device for use in a wire cut electric discharge machining apparatus.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional wire electrode supplying device disclosed, for instance, by Published Examined Japanese Patent Application No. 11111/1985. In such a device, while being restrained with a jet stream of machining solution (hereinafter referred to as "a jet stream", when applicable) a wire electrode is conveyed by a wire electrode feeding unit (not shown) from a wire guide member on the wire electrode supplying side to a wire guide member on the wire electrode receiving side which are provided on both sides of a workpiece to be machined.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 designates a workpiece; 2, a machining start hole; 3, a wire electrode; 4, a wire guide on the wire electrode supplying side; 5, a wire guide on the wire electrode receiving side, 6, a jet nozzle; and 7, a jet stream.
In automatically supplying the wire electrode with the wire electrode supplying device thus constructed, the jet stream 7 is jetted from the wire guide 4 on the wire electrode supplying side, and under this condition, the wire electrode is passed through the machining start hole 2 and the wire guide 5 on the wire electrode receiving side by means of a wire electrode supplying mechanism (not shown) while being restrained by the jet stream, and is then taken up by a wire take-up mechanism (not shown) or received in a predetermined container Thus, the wire cut electric discharge machining operation can be started.
The conventional wire electrode supplying device in a wire cut electric discharge machining apparatus machine is designed as described above. Therefore, when the wire electrode comes out of the jet stream without being restrained, it becomes impossible to supply the wire electrode. FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are explanatory FIGURES for describing the difficulty that the wire electrode comes out of the jet stream during the wire electrode supplying operation. In FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), those components which have been previously described with reference to FIG. 1 are therefore similarly numbered. FIG. 2(a) shows the case when the end portion of the wire electrodes comes out of the jet stream before reaching the wire guide 5 on the wire electrode receiving side. In this case, the wire electrode is not inserted into the wire guide 5, and therefore the wire electrode supplying operation must be stopped This difficulty is liable to occur especially when the wire electrode remains greatly curled.
In general, a wire electrode is wound on a wire electrode supplying bobbin before use, and therefore it remains curled to some extent. In addition, the wire electrode is curled when drawn. Furthermore, usually in the wire cut electric discharge machining apparatus pulleys and rollers are provided along the wire electrode laying path from the wire electrode supplying bobbin to the wire guide on the wire electrode receiving side, and therefore the wire electrode is additionally curled while being conveyed along the wire electrode laying path. That is, there are many causes to curl the wire electrode. Thus, the curvature and direction of curl of the wire electrode are variously changed while it is conveyed along the wire electrode supplying path.
On the other hand, the jet stream acts to make the curled wire electrode straight, and to restrain it so that it is positioned along, the central, axis of the jet stream. This restraining force is attributed to the shearing force of the fluid. The velocity of the jet stream is higher than the wire electrode supplying speed. Therefore, a fluid shearing force acts uniformly on the minute parts of the wire electrode in the wire supplying direction, and, on a point of the wire electrode, a force proportional to the distance between the point and the end of the wire electrode is exerted, thus pulling the wire electrode on the wire electrode supplying side. As a result, the curled wire electrode is made straight, and it is held at the center of the jet stream. However, it goes without saying that the restraining force of the jet stream exerted on the wire electrode is limited. According to the experiment of the present inventor, in the case where a 0.3 mm diameter brass wire is conveyed with a jet stream 1.5 mm in diameter and 5 kg f/cm.sup.2 in pressure, the wire electrode curled with a curvature radius (p) of at least 200 mm as shown in FIG. 3 is positively restrained by the jet stream, but a wire electrode curled with a curvature radius of less than 200 mm is not restrained by the jet stream, thus coming out of the latter. In the case of FIG. 2(a), after the end portion of the wire electrode has passed through the wire guide on the wire electrode receiving side, a load is developed at the wire guide to obstruct the insertion of the wire electrode, so that the wire electrode being supplied has no way to go, thus coming out of the jet stream. In this case also, the conveyance of the wire electrode must be suspended.
That is, in the conventional wire electrode supplying device, when the wire electrode is greatly curled, or when a load to obstruct the insertion of the wire electrode is developed at the wire guide on the wire electrode receiving side, the wire electrode is not restrained by the jet stream, thus coming out of the latter, as a result of which the wire electrode supplying operation must be suspended.

Wire electrode supplying device for use in a wire cut electric discharge machining apparatus


An MTJ cell includes a first metal layer elongated in the X-direction; a second metal layer separated from the first metal layer and elongated in the Y-direction; a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) interposed between the overlapping parts of the first and second metal layers and having extended parts not covered by the second metal layer, the MTJ including a pinned layer, a barrier layer, and a storage layer sequentially laminated; and a yoke spanning across the second metal layer, with both ends in the X-direction contacting the top surface of the extended parts of the storage layer not covered by the second metal layer, either directly or through an insulator. The planar shapes of the MTJ and the yoke possess a quantum easy axis in the X-direction and Y-direction, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an MTJ cell, and particularly to a yoke-type MTJ cell and manufacturing method thereof, and to an MTJ-based MRAM device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM) devices configured of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) use magnetized states of cells to store data. Hence, unlike DRAM and similar memory devices, MRAM devices are nonvolatile, meaning that they preserve the storage state even when the power supply is switched off. In addition to this feature, MRAM devices show potential for high-speed random-access times (a few nanoseconds), similar to those of SRAM, as well as a large storage capacity on par with DRAM. Consequently, MRAM devices have become a popular subject of research and development.
As is well known, an MTJ has three stacked layers, including a ferromagnetic pinned layer, a nonmagnetic barrier layer, and a ferromagnetic storage layer (hereinafter referred to simply as the "pinned layer," "barrier layer," and "storage layer"). While the magnetization direction of the pinned layer is fixed, magnetization of the storage layer can be changed between a parallel and antiparallel orientation with the magnetization of the pinned layer, greatly changing the electrical resistance in the stacked direction of the MTJ between a small and large resistance. The MRAM device uses the magnitude of this resistance as the storage state for one bit worth of data.
A write operation on the MTJ is performed by passing a write current of prescribed magnitude in one direction or the other through a conductive line contacting the storage layer of the MTJ. The write current produces an induced magnetic field near the MTJ modifying the direction of magnetization in the storage layer. A read operation is performed by detecting the magnitude of resistance in the MTJ when a current flows between the conductive line and pinned layer, for example.
However, unlike with DRAM and other memory types, it is presently not possible to reduce the write current for an MTJ to a few milliamperes (mA) or less when the MTJ is reduced below a certain size. This is a first problem related to MTJs and occurs because the coercivity of a ferromagnet increases as it is reduced in size. This leads to an increase in the magnetic field strength required to reverse its magnetization, i.e., an increase in the write current needed to induce the magnetic field.
Given that DRAM and other circuits commonly handle currents of several hundred microamperes (μA) at most, employing MTJs with write currents of around ten times that magnitude in an MRAM device would cause serious strain on the peripheral circuits of the device, and the write lines in particular. Thus, monolithic integration of MTJs with peripheral circuits using high-definition CMOS technology, for example, would be highly difficult to implement.
A second problem with MTJs is their sensitivity to strong external magnetic fields. Since an MTJ stores data based on the difference between the magnetization of the storage layer and pinned layer, proper storage and proper read/write operations become impossible when a strong external magnetic field changes the direction of magnetization in the storage layer or in both the storage layer and the pinned layer.
A third problem associated with MTJs arises in MRAM devices formed through large-scale integration of MTJs. Namely, the induced magnetic field generated by the write current for a specific MTJ may leak and influence adjacent MTJs, leading to potential false writes.
A yoke-type MTJ has recently been proposed to resolve these problems. The yoke-type MTJ has a ferromagnetic layer or high-permeability magnetic layer called a "yoke" for covering the conductive line that contacts and supplies a write current to the storage layer of the MTJ so that the conductive line is surrounded by the storage layer and yoke. Patent Documents 1-3 indicated below describe examples of yoke-type MTJs.
The storage layer and yoke surrounding the conductive line form a closed magnetic path in the yoke-type MTJ. As a result, the magnetic field strength generated in the storage layer when the write current flows through the conductive line is roughly twice that of a yoke-less MTJ. In other words, the write current for producing a comparable magnetic field strength needed to reverse magnetization can be halved.
However, even this MTJ configuration has not been enough to reduce write current values to an order of mA or less, making it fundamentally difficult to resolve the above-mentioned first problem. However, the yoke-type MTJ does offer a solution to the second and third problems, since the yoke produces a magnetic shielding effect.

MTJ cell for an MRAM device and a manufacturing method thereof