An active thermal runaway mitigation system is provided that mitigates the effects of a single cell undergoing thermal runaway, thereby preventing the propagation of the thermal runaway event to neighboring cells within the battery pack. The provided system includes at least one, fluid-containing conduit in proximity to the cells within the battery pack. The conduit includes a plurality of breach points in proximity to the subset of cells, where each breach point is configured to form a breach at a preset temperature that is lower than the melting temperature of the conduit. Once a breach is formed, the fluid contained within the conduit is discharged through the breach.

Batteries can be broadly classified into primary and secondary batteries. Primary batteries, also referred to as disposable batteries, are intended to be used until depleted, after which they are simply replaced with one or more new batteries. Secondary batteries, more commonly referred to as rechargeable batteries, are capable of being repeatedly recharged and reused, therefore offering economic, environmental and ease-of-use benefits compared to disposable batteries.
Although rechargeable batteries offer a number of advantages over disposable batteries, this type of battery is not without its drawbacks. In general, most of the disadvantages associated with rechargeable batteries are due to the battery chemistries employed, as these chemistries tend to be less stable than those used in primary cells. Due to these relatively unstable chemistries, secondary cells often require special handling during fabrication. Additionally, secondary cells such as lithium-ion cells tend to be more prone to thermal runaway than primary cells, thermal runaway occurring when the internal reaction rate increases to the point that more heat is being generated than can be withdrawn, leading to a further increase in both reaction rate and heat generation. Eventually the amount of generated heat is great enough to lead to the combustion of the battery as well as materials in proximity to the battery. Thermal runaway may be initiated by a short circuit within the cell, improper cell use, physical abuse, manufacturing defects, or exposure of the cell to extreme external temperatures.
During a thermal runaway event, a large amount of thermal energy is rapidly released, heating the entire cell up to a temperature of 900° C. or more. Due to the increased temperature of the cell undergoing thermal runaway, the temperature of adjacent cells within the battery pack will also increase. If the temperature of these adjacent cells is allowed to increase unimpeded, they may also enter into a state of thermal runaway, leading to a cascading effect where the initiation of thermal runaway within a single cell propagates throughout the entire battery pack. As a result, power from the battery pack is interrupted and the system employing the battery pack is more likely to incur extensive collateral damage due to the scale of thermal runaway and the associated release of thermal energy.
A number of approaches have been employed to either reduce the risk of thermal runaway, or reduce the risk of thermal runaway propagation. For example, by insulating the battery terminals and using specifically designed battery storage containers, the risk of shorting during storage and/or handling can be reduced. Another approach is to develop new cell chemistries and/or modify existing cell chemistries. Yet another approach, disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/504,712, 12/460,372, 12/460,342, 12/460,423 and 12/460,346, is to provide additional shielding at the cell level, thus inhibiting the flow of thermal energy from the cell undergoing thermal runaway to adjacent cells. Still yet another approach, disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/545,146, is to use a spacer assembly to maintain the position of the battery undergoing thermal runaway in its predetermined location within the battery pack, thereby helping to minimize the thermal effects on adjacent cells.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system that monitors the thermal behavior of the cells within a battery pack and, once thermal runaway is detected, mitigates the effects of this event in an attempt to prevent the initial thermal runaway event from propagating to neighboring cells within the battery pack. The present invention provides such a system.

Active thermal runaway mitigation system for use within a battery pack


A medical implant includes a metal composite that contains a cellular nanomatrix having a metallic nanomatrix material and a metal matrix disposed in the cellular nanomatrix, the medical implant being configured to disintegrate in response to contact with a fluid. A method for repairing tissue includes disposing an implant in a patient, the implant including a metal composite which contains: a cellular nanomatrix having a metallic nanomatrix material; and a metal matrix disposed in the cellular nanomatrix; contacting tissue of the patient with the implant, the tissue being in need of repair; and non-operatively removing the implant to repair the tissue.

Implantation of medical implants represents a significant proportion of surgical procedures. Besides cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, it is common to have a subsequent surgery to remove an implant after the implant has either successfully or unsuccessfully performed its task. For example, orthopedic implants join broken bone or fuse separated bones. These implants also align and hold bones in relative positions. Additionally, some implants are used with spine, skull, and other skeletal parts such as on the flat surface of a bone (e.g., a scapula or pelvis) or on a tubular bone (e.g., humerus, radius, femur, or tibia).
Some implants impede mass transfer to or from a site below or surrounding the implant. Consequently, the implant may slow or disrupt regeneration and osteosynthesis of bone or tissue that is to be healed. Additionally, some implants can incur hardware breakage, loosening, insufficient flexibility, inability to gain adequate fixation, unnecessary additional weight, and other problems related to the implant or recovery of the patient. For example, an implant can impart distraction pseudoarthrosis, where the implant disallows a portion of tissue, e.g., bone, to come together over time, resulting in failure of solid bone healing. Relatedly, some implants that remain intact without mass loss during tissue regeneration provide slow patient recovery due to the implant artificially blocking damaged tissue from beneficial secretions, oxygenation, or tissue contact. Such issues can cause other problems, be associated with surgical failure, or require further surgical procedures to repair damage, remove failed hardware, or reattempt stabilization of anatomy.
Advances in materials and methods for implantation and for enhancement of patient recovery or amelioration of negative biological effects are well received by the industry.

Biodegradable metallic medical implants, method for preparing and use thereof


An electrical terminal member 10 adapted to reduce resistance at a contact interface between two electrical articles comprises first and second connecting portions 12,48 respectively. First portion 12 has an annular section 14 having a fastener receiving aperture 16 extending therethrough, an inner edge 22 adjacent the fastener receiving aperture 16 and an outer edge 28 extending circumferentially around the annular section 14. Annular section 14 further includes a plurality of slots 26 spaced therearound, the slots 26 defining therebetween respective spring sections 32 in an annular array. Each spring section includes respective protrusion 34 extending from a major surface thereof, each protrusion 34 having a crest portion 36. Crest portions 36 are disposed substantially in a common plane and define a contact interface for electrical engagement with a common conductive surface 38 of the first electrical article 60. An opposed major surface as an array of surface portions engageable by means securing first portion 12 of terminal member 10 to a said first electrical article 60. A plurality of electrical paths in parallel are established between the first and second electrical articles upon terminal 10 being connected to first and second electrical articles thereby minimizing the electrical resistance at the contact interface.

This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/359,188 filed concomitantly herewith entitled "Annular Electrical Terminal".
Generally ring tongue terminals are used to interconnect a wire conductor member to an essentially flat current conducting member by means of a bolted joint wherein torque is applied to the joint until a sufficiently low resistance results. The ring tongue terminal includes an essentially flat mating surface that engages a flat surface of an article such as a bus bar or a printed circuit board.
To ensure a low interface resistance between the ring terminal and the flat member it is necessary to apply a considerable force to the joint until a sufficiently low resistance results. The amount of torque required depends upon the electrical system in which the terminal is being used. While a high mating torque may be applied to metal conductive members such as a bus bar, the same amount of force when applied to a ring terminal bolted to a circuit board may cause distortion of the circuit board. It is desirable therefore to have a terminal with a low interface resistance that does not require a large amount of force applied between the ring terminal member and the electrical article to which it is connected.
The area of electrical engagement of the ring terminals of the prior art typically provide a single "circular line" of contact between the surface of the terminal and the electrical article to which it is attached. In actuality this "circular line" consists of a plurality of randomly located points in physical engagement and electrical contact between the corresponding surfaces. The number of points along this "line" contact depends upon the amount of force applied between the two members, the surface finish and the flatness of the surface of the two members. It is desirable, therefore, to provide as many controlled parallel current paths as possible for the current to flow between the interconnected members.
The resistance between the mated surfaces is typically controlled by applying more force to increase the uniformity and width of the contact line or number of points in actual physical and electrical engagement between the members. The amount of force required at any one interconnection is generally determined by measuring the resistance after the interconnection is made and adjusting the force as necessary to achieve the desired results. It is desirable, therefore, to have a means whereby the amount of force required and the resistance of the interface may be calculated and predetermined before the interconnection is made.

Electrical terminal with annular section


The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for redeeming otherwise closed and concealed information contained in audio signals. An active circuit balances the ratio between in-phase and out-of-phase signals through the application of sum and difference signals and adjusts the ratio of gain in stereophonic signals as well as in monophonic and multichannel signal applications. This includes both the primary reference signal, and a plurality of redundant duplicate signals, substantially identical in all respects to the primary reference signal except in relation to magnitude and phase, for the purpose of unfolding, or opening the audio signal content. A pair of output signal levels approximates the golden ratio where the golden ratio is one plus the square root of five divided by two which gives an irrational number 1.618.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for establishing a substantially complete audio signal and especially to a method and apparatus for redeeming information from a discrete audio signal to reconstruct, or produce, a substantially whole, virtually omni-directional sound event.
Sound exists as pressure and velocity in a medium such as air. Sound begins with a mechanical disturbance, such as a voice, slamming door, bow across a violin string, and the like. The vibration of the sound source causes the formation or pattern of waves. The waves radiate in every direction, e.g., three dimensionally, omni-directionally, spherically. It is these moving waves that are heard as sound.
There are three commonly measured components of any sound pressure: frequency, amplitude, and phase, when a reference is available.
Since the birth of electronic audio signals the goal has been to capture, store, and reproduce an exact replica of the original sound event in such a way that the listener cannot tell the difference between the reproduction and the original.
An electronic audio signal is a fluctuating electric quantity whose variations represent all sound information as a code. We've learned how to unwrap much of the frequency and amplitude information portions from the signal code with a high amount of fidelity, enabling the wide bandwidth and broad dynamic range enjoyed today. Phase is one major component of sound that includes representing essentially all of the coupling of the spatial and temporal information elements of sound that has not been reproduced by conventional means with significant fidelity. As a consequence, conventionally reproduced audio signals to this point have been incomplete.
An ideal complete audio signal would be one in which all sound components are fully opened, transmitted, and reproduced with equal fidelity, including frequency, amplitude and phase. Such a signal would also be indistinguishable from the original sound event; e.g., radiate in all directions, three dimensionally, omni-directionally, spherically, rather than as existing incomplete signals do.
Because existing, incomplete audio signals can provide high fidelity duplication for only some components (frequency and amplitude) of sound, sound reproduction has heretofore been limited to a two dimensional perspective. Prior art methods, such as stereophonic, binaural, and various surround sound techniques, and beyond, offer signal processing enhancement methods and apparatus that are designed to compensate artificially for otherwise naturally occurring spatial and temporal information. These limitations leave the original sound event content elements locked away within the signal code: lost, hidden, buried, closed off, folded under, but nevertheless still contained inside the signal. The present invention is a method and apparatus for producing a substantially complete audio signal, not through the introduction of artificial elements, but by opening, or unfolding, the information that, until now, has been hidden within the audio signal.
There are multiple uses of the word "phase." General use of the term phase in audio has been limited for the most part to either the idea of proper 'phasing' of speakers, or the term 'absolute phase' to describe a maker's product. Other aspects of phase that are important are monaural phase, where, typically, delayed sounds are applied to one or both ears simultaneously. Prior art shows extensive work in the area of binaural phase, which refers to a time delay due to the difference in the path length from one ear to another. But the idea of phase as a defining characteristic of sound is not generally discussed. Nor are measurements generally provided. Phase herein is concerned with the rules of hearing as a constructive process. That is, the brain takes data coming to it from the ear, and applies rules and functions to build a representation of the sound. These rules involve complicated mechanical, biological, and neurological processes that are unbelievably subtle and complex.
Phase, as it applies to the present invention, enables sound to be rendered through a signal to the ear, in a way which is substantially indistinguishable from the original acoustic event, radiating sound in a way that is similar and like that of the original captured, transmitted, or recorded sound. Transmission of the received sound waves from the ear to the brain completes the hearing process. It is believed that phase is the 'missing link' in the ability to recreate the listening experience with substantial accuracy. The present invention uses phase to provide a listener with a listening experience that is heard as being substantially indistinguishable from the original event.
Phase is also a relative measure of one signal against a reference signal. In acoustic events, relative phase is influenced by both time and space. This is important since in a normal listening experience, whether a single (or mono) signal is recorded, or multiple signals, such as stereo, are recorded, the recorded signals represent the phase relative to information about the recorded signals at the location of the microphone. When multiple microphones are used, the phase relative information for each recorded signal is unique to the position of the microphone relative to the source as well as the acoustics of the space in which the recording takes place. Thus, one can use multiple microphones to create a monophonic signal, by summing their outputs together, or one can record discrete signals for stereophonic or surround sound applications. In general, the path of a signal from the recording through the chosen electronics and ultimately the listening environment will be uniquely different for each signal. While a significant effort has been extended to enhance the recorded signals for listening environments, inclusive of head-related transfer functions and digital signal processing to create artificial reverberation for the illusion of a different space, it is virtually impossible to separate the listener from the acoustics of the space in which the sound is heard. However, since one can accomplish gradual cross-overs in physical space by placing multiple speakers in the room, the same way in which one can record signals with multiple microphones, it is also possible to use the original signal to extract the information contained in the recording process and introduce graduated cross-overs in the recorded signal and layer these signals together, much the way that they would be layered in the physical space, to convey a more realistic, dynamic signal.
For the purpose of describing the present invention, various terms, including phase layering, phase layered circuit, or PLC, as well as terms such as graduated crossovers are employed herein.
If any sound component is distorted from its original form, all sound components may be affected. Therefore, what affects phase, amplitude or frequency, may affect all.
Stereophonic sound is an "effect" and does not exist in nature. The stereo effect produces a 'phantom image' that appears as if sound is coming from somewhere in the center between two stereo speakers, when in fact, nothing is there. It is an "illusion." The basis for defining the quality in a stereo system is how well the phantom image is able to produce a realistic "soundstage." The soundstage takes place in what is commonly called the "sweet spot." That is where the soundstage generated by the stereo system produces such a convincing phantom image that the listener experiences a "you are there" virtual reality. The soundstage breaks apart when the listener moves outside of the sweet spot, either too far to the left, or right, away from where the phantom image is taking place. Once outside the sweet spot, the illusion is gone. Most consumer based audio equipment in use today is based on a stereophonic sound standard.
There are several kinds of signal processors used in audio electronics. One type is designed to solve problems associated with the environment, such as a graphic equalizer, and is designed to tune a room to a flat frequency response, so that when an audio system plays, the room is not adding or subtracting from the sound. Another kind of signal processor adjusts the signal, such as a reverb system, and is designed to make fabricated recordings made in a studio sound as if they were recorded live. Audio engineers use these and other tools in their profession.
Another type of signal processor utilizes psychoacoustic techniques, based upon the study of how the brain interprets information coming to it from the ear. Many of these types of psychoacoustic signal processors have been used to help solve certain problems relative to stereophonic sound primarily, and can sometimes also be used in monophonic and discrete signal applications as well, but often as a secondary advantage.
Stereophonic sound has limitations such as the sweet spot area in which the phantom image is contained. Unlike live sound in which a large audience can share at one time, such as one might enjoy at a concert, stereophonic sound has a limited area between two speakers where the audience must gather in order to experience the phantom sound stage. This shortcoming in stereo sound has lead to various developments designed to overcome the limitations of soundstage size and either find ways to expand the sweet spot, or, as in the case of motion picture theater sound, which is the basis for home theater and surround sound, eliminate the sweet spot altogether with a different technology. Hence, one of the motivators for developing certain kinds of signal processors has been to enhance the stereophonic experience. The present invention is not limited to the sweet spot, and can be experienced in any venue, at any time, and under any listening conditions. Moreover, it works with all audio signals and signal paths—monaural, stereo, synthesized multi-channel, and discreet multi-channel, recorded and reproduced sound and transmitted sound—as all contain information which has remained hidden and buried until the present invention.
One of the rules of high fidelity is to stay faithful to the original sound event which means, "to hear the signal without alteration." Hence, an aim for design for serious music listening, is to maintain as much signal integrity along the audio path as the state of the art allows. Hence, good audio is actually good science and there is no reason why good audio cannot and should not be applied to all audio signals. Every time an audio signal passes through any acoustical, mechanical, or electrical device distortion is created. Audio designers work to limit the amount of distortion, to maintain faithful reproduction or fidelity so that the least compromised signal becomes the highest fidelity. The substantially complete audio signal of the present invention is designed to convey significantly more of the information of the original sound event than the prior art without significantly adding anything that is not already in the signal or subtracting anything from it.
The following U.S. patents show techniques used to enhance audio sound fields primarily in stereophonic applications. There are three approaches commonly used in the past, including the application of head related transfer functions (HRTF), the use of digital signal processing to create reverberant or spatial effects to emulate a sound field other than that of the listening environment, and the use of stereophonic signals to add spatial effects. The present invention differentiates from the prior art by the method used, which can be applied to monophonic, stereophonic, or other multi-signal formats. It is not dependent upon the use of stereo signals and can improve speech intelligibility and many other aspects of all signal formats.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,203,320 to Coats, et al., teaches a sub-harmonic generator and stereo expansion processor. A method and apparatus may provide for one or more of: receiving an input signal containing frequencies from among a first range; filtering the input signal to produce a first intermediate signal containing frequencies from among a second range; producing a sub-harmonic signal from the first intermediate signal containing frequencies from among a third range, the third range of frequencies being about one octave below the second range of frequencies; canceling energy at least some frequencies from among a fourth range of frequencies from a left channel signal of the input signal to produce at least a portion of a left channel output signal; and canceling energy at some frequencies from among a fifth range of frequencies from a right channel signal of the input signal to produce at least a portion of a right channel output signal.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,003,119 to Arthur is for a matrix surround decoder/virtualizer which uses several sub-systems to generate outputs from the stereo input signal. A first sub-system synthesizes the phantom center output, which places the monaural center image between the left and right speakers in front of the listener. A second sub-system synthesizes the virtual surround (or rear) output signals, which places the sound images to the sides of the listener. A third sub-system synthesizes the left and right stereo outputs, and expands the locations of the left and right sound images.
A stereophonic spatial expansion circuit with tonal compensation and active matrixing is shown in Hoover, U.S. Pat. No. 6,947,564. In a stereophonic expansion circuit, the (L+R) sum signal is spectrally modified by increasing the bass and treble frequencies relative to the midrange so as to compensate for a midrange frequency boost in the (L−R) difference signal. The stereophonic expansion effect and manipulation of the signal parameters are produced by active matrixing amplifiers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,711,265 to Morris is for a centralizing of a spatially expanded stereophonic audio image. A stereophonic system has sum and difference signals with expanded spatial imaging. Localization of center audio materials more towards the center is accomplished by equalization of the (L+R) sum signal. The equalization comprises decreasing the bass response while increasing the treble response of the sum signal with the desired bass reduction being accomplished by the use of a gyrator to economically synthesize an inductance. Additionally, the equalizations in the (L+R) sum signal to reduce the signal at bass frequencies and to increase the signal at treble frequencies are switchable singly or in combination between ON and "OFF" modes.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,587,565 to Chol, a system is provided for improving a spatial effect of stereo sound or encoded sound when producing three dimensional image sound signals from signals of stereo channel. This includes a spatial effect enhancing portion where a signal for enhancing spatial effect and directivity of sound is produced, a band enhancing portion where a signal for enhancing a signal component of the stereo channel signal in a low frequency range and for maintaining the signal component in a middle frequency range is generated, and a matrix portion where the output signal of the spatial effect enhancing portion, the output signal of the band enhancing portion and the stereo channel signal are calculated in a matrix manner, so that the spatial effect of sound is improved using a differential component between left and right side channel signals. According to the patent, the spatial effect of sound can be improved without using a complicated circuit construction, the deterioration of Signal to Noise ratio is prevented, and the cost-performance ratio for realizing a spatial effect of sound is improved.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,448,846 to Schwartz is for a controlled phase-canceling circuit and system. The patent describes controlling the phase relationship between a processor's output or portions of a processor's output and the phase of the pre-processed signal in a particular frequency range or ranges, so that a controlled accentuation or enhancement of the processor's effect can be realized. In one embodiment this is achieved by providing a gain control circuit that receives and selectively amplifies the input signal prior to it being summed with the processor's output.
Australian Patent No. 708,727 to Klayman teaches a stereo enhancement system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,313 to Schott is for a circuit for improving the stereo image separation of a stereo signal. By using special frequency response manipulation in the difference channel of a stereo signal, the stereo image will appear to extend beyond the actual placement of the loudspeakers. This is accomplished by shaping the difference channel response to simulate the response one would be subjected to if the sources were physically moved to the virtual positions. The circuit includes a summing and high frequency equalization circuit to which the left and right stereo signals are applied, and a difference forming and human ear equalization circuit also to which the left and right stereo signals are applied. The outputs from these circuits are cross-coupled to form left and right channel outputs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,050 to Hawks is for a method and apparatus for spatially enhancing stereo and monophonic signals. A method and apparatus is disclosed that spatially enhances stereo signals without sacrificing compatibility with monophonic receivers. In accordance with one embodiment, a stereo enhancement system is implemented using only two op-amps and two capacitors and may be switched between a spatial enhancement mode and a bypass mode. In other embodiments, simplified stereo enhancement systems are realized by constructing one of the output channels as the sum of the other output channel and the input channels. In other embodiments, a pseudo-stereo signal is synthesized and spatially enhanced according to stereo speaker crosstalk cancellation principles. In yet other embodiments, the respective spatial enhancements of monophonic signals and stereo signals are integrally combined into a single system capable of blending, in a continuous manner, the enhancement effects of both.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,859 to Kennedy et al. is for an FM channel separation adjustment system.
The conventional definition of an anti-phase signal is one that has inverted phase (180 degrees) as summarized in U.S. Pat. No. 6,477,255.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,774 to Klayman is a stereo enhancement and directivity servo. In a stereo system having sum and difference signals that are processed for stereo image enhancement, apparent directivity of the stereo sound is increased by the use of servo systems for the left and right processed difference signals (L−R)p, (R−L)p. Each of the left and right servos responds to the respective left or right stereo input signal (L−in, R−in) and amplifies increases in the respective left or right processed difference signals. The amount of amplification is controlled by feeding back the amplified or directivity enhanced difference signal (L−R)pe, (R−L)pe, first comparing it with the processed difference signal (L−R)p, (R−L)p before directivity enhancement, and then combining it with the input signal (Lin, Rin) in a preselected ratio so as to control the amount of amplification of the processed difference signal that is provided for directivity enhancement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,133 to Hibino teaches a sound field producing apparatus connected to a stereophonic sound source to supply audio signals to a loudspeaker system that has an indirect sound extracting circuit for extracting indirect sound components by extracting a difference signal between right and left input signals. The difference signal is phase inverted to obtain an inverted difference signal. Each of two mixing circuits receives the right input signal, the left input signal, the left and right difference signal and the inverted difference signal to produce a left and right output.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,585 to Carver is for a dimensional sound producing apparatus and method for stereo systems. The right signal in addition to driving the right speaker, is inverted and delayed and transmitted to the left speaker. The left signal in addition to driving the left speaker is inverted and delayed and transmitted to the right speaker.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,725,586 to Iida is for a multi-sound reproducing apparatus for deriving four sound signals from two sound sources. Left and right sound signals applied to two input circuits are each shifted in phase by phase shifters and then supplied to separate output circuits. The left sound signal is also fed through a low pass filter to be combined with the phase shifted right sound signal and the combined signal supplied to a separate output circuit. Likewise the right sound signal is fed through a low pass filter to be combined with a the phase shifted left sound signal and this combined signal supplied to a separate output circuit.
The method and apparatus of the present invention reproduce a substantially complete audio signal that utilizes a substantial amount of the sound information contained in an audio signals code with improved fidelity and integrity to the original sound source.
In addition to providing a substantially complete audio signal at any link of the audio chain from capture, transmission or storage, to the reproduction of the signal, the present invention also provides a way to reconstruct a substantially complete audio signal from the code contained within an existing, (incomplete) audio signal. The principles of the present invention may be applied to any known signal type, whether single, mono, or discrete, or multiple signals, such as stereo signals in known audio signal applications, from live transmitted sound, such as by telephone, radio broadcast, live sound reinforcement, or by the reproduced sound from a recording, such as from a CD or MP3 player, phonograph, DVD or Blu-Ray player.
Additionally, the present invention also may provide improved intelligibility for speech and dialog, particularly advantageous in telecommunications, motion pictures, and other applications, such as military, law enforcement, medical, and other emergency sound applications. Also, improved clarity, higher resolution, better dynamics, truer tone, broader, bigger, wider space, more precise dynamics, more natural spectral balance, and greater detail, are some of the natural byproducts of presenting the whole, open, original sound components through a complete audio signal.

Apparatus and method for a complete audio signal


A design support method executed by a computer includes: detecting a layout position of a first terminal in a cell as a first layout position from layout data including a cell of a macro which is arranged at a plurality of orientations, the first terminal being arranged at a first orientation; calculating a second layout position of a first terminal which is arranged at a second orientation which is different from the first orientation based on a variation from the first orientation to the second orientation and the first layout position; associating the second layout position with the first layout position and the layout data; and outputting an association result.

1. Field
The embodiments discussed herein relate to designing layout data for a circuit.
2. Description of Related Art
In a layout of semiconductor integrated circuits, transistors may be laid out so that they have substantially the same pitch and faces substantially the same direction in order to improve yield or reduce irregularities.
Related art is disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. H04-163963, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 558-166742, and Japanese Patent No. 3275313, for example.

Apparatus and method for design support using layout positions of first and second terminals


A touch panel including sensing electrode sets, first pads, second pads, first conductive lines, second conductive lines and resistors is provided. Each sensing electrode set includes a first sensing electrode pattern and second sensing electrode patterns disposed beside the first sensing electrode pattern. The first conductive lines electrically connect the first sensing electrode pattern with the first pads respectively. The second conductive lines connect the second electrode patterns into multiple series. The second sensing electrode patterns of the same sensing electrode set belong to different series and two terminals of each series are connected to different second pads. Two terminals of each resistor are connected to the different second pads connected with the two terminals of the each series.

In recent years, information technology, wireless mobile communication, and information household appliances have been rapidly developed and applied. In order to achieve the objective of being easily portable, more compact, and more user friendly, the inputting device in many information products has been transformed from the traditional keyboard or mouse to a touch display panel. Currently, a touch panel can be roughly categorized into a restive type, a capacitive type, an acoustic type and an optical type, etc.
In a capacitive touch panel, the design of a sensing device includes a plurality of X-sensing electrode series and a plurality of Y-sensing electrode series, wherein the Y-sensing electrode series and the X-sensing electrode series are interlacing arranged. Further, one type of capacitive touch sensing panel uses a plurality of mutually independent sensing electrodes to conduct the sensing function. In this type of design, different sensing electrodes are respectively connected to a driver circuit via a corresponding conductive line. The length differences of the conductive lines would lead to inconsistency in the signal transmission quality. Hence, this type of design would result with varying quality of signal transmission, which ultimately would lead to sensing errors.


Gold oxide is precipitated together with iron oxide from a solution containing a gold source and an iron source; the gel formed thereby is washed, dried, ground to a size range of 0.85 mm to 4.25 mm, calcined and activated by passing a hydrogen and oxygen containing gas through it; then used as a catalyst for oxidizing CO to CO2 in the presence of a large excess of hydrogen.

Many workers in the art of catalysis have centered their attention on efforts to create gold catalysts of a fine size effective to catalyze the oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide, particularly in the presence of a large excess of hydrogen and in mixtures of gases wherein the carbon monoxide is a small percentage. The fine size thought to be beneficial for providing a large contact surface for the reactants. See, for example, Haruta et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,839,327 and 5,506,273. Some workers deposit and therefore spread out their catalyst compositions on porous supports, such as described by Grigorova et al in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,665,668 and 5,759,949; Haruta et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,219, propose placing the gold on an alkaline earth metal support.
In German patent DE 198 36 585 C1, Plzak first states that it is desirable for the catalyst materials of his invention to have specific surface areas as high as possible and then describes three variations of his preparation of gold-containing catalysts for CO oxidation. In the first, the material is produced sequentially—that is, an iron salt is first reacted with a base to form an iron hydroxide gel, then the gel is impregnated with a solution of a gold compound, to "deposit complexed Au clusters on the surface of the hydroxide gel in the finest distribution" (um komplexierte Au-Cluster auf der Oberfläche des Hydroxidgels in feinster Verteilung abzuscheiden—p3, line 44. The authors go on to say that much smaller Au clusters can be fixed on the Fe2O3 support material by the sequential process than by a coprecipitation process. The sequential process is therefore considered to be superior to the coprecipitation process, but Plzak does not recognize the disadvantages of using a powder in the CO oxidizing step.
In Plzak's second stated process, a sinter inhibitor which is an oxide of aluminum, chromium, or magnesium is created during the first step of iron precipitation by including with the reactants a water soluble salt of Al, Cr or Mg. A third variation calls for the inclusion of the Al, Cr or Mg salt along with all the other reactants in the coprecipitation procedure. The sequential process is still considered by Plzak to be superior.
The reader may be interested in Haruta et al's Example 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,506,273 which prepares a catalyst containing a metal oxide and gold, said to be useful for oxidation of carbon monoxide.
The art is in need of a convenient process for oxidizing CO in a mixture including a high level of hydrogen with an acceptable pressure drop.


The present invention relates to a process for producing a 4-quinolone derivative, comprising allowing an o-aminoacetophenone derivative to react with a formic acid in an aprotic solvent in the presence of a suitable base, and adding a protic solvent to the reaction mixture. This is a simple process for producing 4-quinolone derivatives, applicable to large-scale commercial production.

The following are common processes for producing 2,3-unsubstituted 4-quinolone derivatives. For example, there have been known, as processes for producing 7-chloroquinolone or 5,6,7,8-polysubstituted quinolones, a process comprising allowing an aniline derivative to react with an alkoxymethylene malonic ester in a solvent under high temperature conditions (Organic Synthesis, Vol. 3, pp. 272-275 (1955); Acta Chim. Hung., Vol. 112, pp. 241-247 (1983)), a process comprising allowing an aniline derivative to react with a propiolic ester in a solvent under high temperature conditions (Tetrahedron, Vol. 41, pp. 3033-3036 (1985)), and a process that is conducted in a gaseous phase under high temperature conditions (J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun., pp. 957-958 (1983)). These conventional processes are summarized in the following Table.
TABLE Conventional Processes for Producing 2,3-Unsubstituted 4-Quinolone Derivatives Starting Number Reaction Literature Compound of Steps Conditions Product Yield 1 Organic Synthesis m-chloroaniline 4 heating to 250.degree. C. in 7-chloro-4- unknown Vol. 3 pp. 272-275 (1955) 2 steps quinolone 2 Acta Chim. Hung 3,4- 4 heating to 120.degree. C. in 6,7-methylene- Sum total Vol. 112, pp. 241-247 (1983) methylenedioxy- one step dioxy-4- 18% aniline heating in diphyl* quinolone under reflux in one step 3 Tetrahedoron 2,3-dimethoxy- 1 heating in diphenyl 7,8-dimethoxy- 72% Vol. 41, pp. 3033-3036 (1985) aniline ether (b.p. 259.degree. C.) 4-quinolone under reflux 4 J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun. sec-amine 1 in a gaseous phase 4-quinolone 90% pp. 957-958 (1983) derivative at 600.degree. C. *"diphyl" is a solvent mixture of biphenyl (b.p. 255.degree. C.) and diphenyl ether (b.p. 259.degree. C.), and the boiling point of "diphyl" is also assumed to be approximately 250.degree. C. Characteristic features of the above conventional processes: 1) All of the processes of Litertures 1 to 4 require heating to high temperature. 2) The processes of Literatures 1 and 2 require multiple steps. 3) The reaction product of Literature 2 is identical with that of Example 3 of the instant invention; and the reaction product of Literature 4 is the same as that of Example 2 of the present invention.
The above-described conventional processes have such disadvantages that they require many steps to be carried out at high temperatures or require high temperature reactions using diphenyl ether as solvent under reflux. They are therefore unsuitable as processes for commercially mass-producing 2,3-unsubstituted 4-quinolone derivatives. It is the present situation that there is a demand for a simpler process free from the foregoing problems.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a novel process for producing 2,3-unsubstituted quinolone derivatives by overcoming the aforementioned problems encountered in the conventional processes.

Process for producing quinolone derivatives


Exhaust air from a coater drier is sent to a desorption zone of a VOC concentration rotor. Air which comes out of the desorption zone is sent to a heat exchanger and cooled, the cooled air which comes out of the heat exchanger is sent to a cooling coil which carries out VOC concentration recovery. Air which comes out of the cooling coil is sent to an absorption zone of the VOC concentration rotor. Air which comes out of the absorption zone is sent to the heat exchanger and heated. The heated air which comes out of the heat exchanger is sent to a heating coil to be used as supply air for a coater drier. A heat pump can be used for the cooling coil which carries out cooling condensation of the organic solvent and the heating coil which heats purified air as air supply for the coater drier.

1. Field
The present invention relates to a drying apparatus, one example of which is used in a coater drier which dries the material coated by a thin film, etc. with a coating machine, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Patent document 1 Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication 2012-172960
Patent document 2 Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication 2012-139657
Patent document 3 Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication 2004-230265
The technology disclosed in patent document 1 is to spray hot gases at about Centigrade 50-300° C. (let all temperature be "Centigrade" henceforth) on a substrate surface processed by painting. In this case, it is necessary to install the hot gas generating furnace provided with a heater etc., and an energy expenditure at the time of operation of the furnace becomes large.
The technology disclosed in patent document 2 is to carrying out by a cooling coil concentration recovery of exhaust air from a drier, which contains a high-concentration N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) solvent, to return the high-concentration system exhaust air from the drier to an inlet side of the drier and to carry out condensation recovery of a part of gas by passing the part of the gas through an adsorption rotor. A part of air which passed through a treatment area of the adsorption rotor is returned to an outlet side of the drier as low-concentration system drier exhaust air.
However, the technology disclosed in patent document 2 has a problem that, since the exhaust air including a high-concentrated NMP is returned to the inlet side where the NMP generating concentration is comparatively high, the dry efficiency of NMP falls. Also, since a part or the whole quantity of gas which comes out of the treatment area of the adsorption rotor is exhausted to outdoors, an energy loss is generated.
The technology disclosed in patent document 3 is that the humidity of purification gas is very high since water is used for processing of exhaust gas. An installation of a dehumidifier etc., is needed to reduce humidity in order to reuse the gas as air for dryness. Accordingly, the disclosed technology requires an initial cost and a high running cost. Also, as to the technology, a lot of water is needed and a rate of solvent recovery becomes comparatively low with about 80%. Further, it is necessary to process the water containing solvent, and sanitation facilities for water are needed.


A digital functional test system incorporating both digital stimulus and digital response/compare capability for digital electronic circuitry. The system includes a chassis and a single width VME eXtensions for Instrumentation (VXI) module arranged in or on the chassis. The single width VXI module includes a timing sub-module that generates a stimulus clock signal and a response clock signal, eight pattern sub-modules, and a master oscillator sub-module that provides a clock signal. Each pattern sub-module receives the stimulus and response clock signals, and the clock signal from the master oscillator sub-module, and includes a pattern generating module, a stimulus memory component that stores stimulus data outgoing from the pattern generating module, a response memory component that records response data incoming to the pattern generating module, and a compare reference memory component that provides a reference for a compare function of the recorded response data in the response memory component.

In the field of testing digital electronic circuits, the HP/Agilent Technology Model D20 Digital Functional Test System has been used for some time, and is described more fully in a Product Note dated Aug. 1, 1991.
As to U.S. patents, U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,886 (Miki et al.) describes a digital pattern generator that generates various kinds of digital pattern signals. The generator includes a first memory that stores an execution signal, an area control signal and a digital pattern, a program counter that generates a first address signal in accordance with the execution signal read from the first memory and a first clock signal, and the first memory is addressed by the first address signal. A second memory includes a plurality of memory areas each storing a digital pattern, and a capacity of each the memory area corresponds to that of the first memory. When the memory area of the second memory is selected by the area control signal read from the first memory and the selected memory area is addressed by the first address signal, the second memory acts as an auxiliary memory of the first memory.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,967 (Botham) describes automatic test equipment with programmable timing generators that generate digital signals and analog signals. The digital timing generator can be programmed to generate timing signals with a resolution finer than that of the master clock of the timing generator. Extremely fine resolution is achieved by specifying the numerator and denominator of a fractional portion of a period. A similar arrangement is used to allow fine frequency resolution for the analog timing generator. The fine resolution achievable with the timing generators allows the digital timing generator to be synchronized to the analog timing generator.
In view of the relatively long time since the original application of the HP/Agilent D20 in or about 1991, it would be desirable to provide a replacement for this digital functional test system that is current vis-à-vis technological advances since 1991.


A claw-pole type stepping motor which includes a stator in which coils are arranged in association with a pair of inner and outer yokes and a pair of pole tooth sections thereby forming a magnetic circuit; and a rotor magnet which is rotatably disposed opposite to the pair of pole tooth sections, each of the pair of pole tooth sections being prepared discretely from each of the inner and outer yokes by punching out a soft magnetic steel plate so as to form a piece having a belt portion and a plurality of pole teeth integrally connected to the belt portion and thereafter rolling into a cylindrical shape. Thus, it becomes possible to set arbitrarily individual dimensions of each of the pole teeth as required by the characteristics of a motor, thereby providing an excellent high output and miniature motor.

1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a claw-pole type stepping motor, and particularly to a stator structure of a claw-pole type stepping motor for realizing the miniaturization and high efficiency of the motor and also the simple and easy manufacture of the motor.
2. Related Art:
In recent years, various devices have been coming out with miniaturization and high efficiency, and this trend keeps going on. However, although sufficient space a s a whole is provided in devices such as a laptop computer, the height space is limited, and high performance characteristics are required for the motor.
A claw-pole type stepping motor is capable of high precision position control with a comparatively simple structure, but it is difficult to reduce the size (diameter) of such a motor. This arises mainly from the formation of the teeth of claw poles.
FIG. 1A is a partially cut away perspective view showing a conventional claw-pole type stepping motor, and FIG. 1B is an exploded perspective view of yokes with pole teeth that are main portions of a stator.
In FIG. 1A, reference numeral 1 denotes a flange for motor attachment, and an outer yoke 2 and an inner yoke 3 are each manufactured by punching and drawing a soft magnetic steel plate, each of the yokes 2 and 3 having at its inner circumferential side a plurality of pole teeth 4 formed by bending. Coils 6 formed by winding magnetic wires around bobbins 5 are each arranged at an equal interval in an annular space between the outer yoke 2 and the inner yoke 3. Respective pole teeth 4 of the outer and inner yokes 2 and 3 are displaced by an electrical angle of 180xc2x0, and from a magnetic circuit together with the coil 6, thus constructing each of an A phase stator 15 and a B phase stator 16. The A phase and B phase stators 15 and 16 thus constructed are coupled together back to back such that their respective pole teeth 4 are displaced by an electrical angle of 90xc2x0, thereby forming a stator assembly 17. A lower flange 7 has a bearing (not shown) at its center and is attached to the outer yoke 2 of the B phase stator 16. Reference numeral 9 represents a rotor magnet, and a sleeve 10 joins the rotor magnet 9 to a shaft 11.
As can be seen in FIG. 1B, the plurality of pole teeth 4 are formed in the outer yoke 2 and inner yoke 3, respectively, by bending the pole teeth after integrally forming them at the time of machining the respective yokes. Accordingly, since the pole teeth 4 are made of the same material of a section corresponding to a hole formed in the center of each of the yokes, it is extremely difficult to arbitrarily set the length and thickness of each pole tooth 4. For example, if the motor diameter is made small, it is difficult to obtain each pole tooth of sufficient length. For this reason, a claw-pole type stepping motor tends not to be mounted in a thin device in which only a motor having a very small diameter can be used.
To solve this problem, a structure where pole teeth are parts manufactured discretely from the yokes has been proposed and an example is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-050536. However, since this solution proposes that each individual pole tooth should be manufactured and assembled discretely from other pole teeth and from the yokes, it is not feasible method and structure to adapt for a practical motor, because it requires a great deal of labor and cost to manufacture this type of motor.
Therefore, with a claw-pole type stepping motor of the related art, each of the pole teeth 4 of the outer yoke 2 and inner yoke 3 are integrally formed with their respective yokes. However, in order to secure sufficient space for coils, the smaller a motor diameter becomes the thinner the plate has to be. As a result, from the point of view of strength as well as magnetic characteristics, it is very difficult to form satisfactory pole teeth. For this reason, instead of using a claw-pole type stepping motor, a brushless DC motor is used. However, in this case, it is necessary to add an encoder as a position detector just to control its position. As a result, the structure of the brushless DC motor becomes expensive.
Nevertheless, in an environment surrounding the stepping motor, a high performance magnet such as a rare earth magnet has been developed as the material of a rotor magnet facing the stator, and only if a satisfactory structure of a stator can be found out, will it be possible to provide a motor with improved characteristics, and its appropriate structure is therefore expected.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances in the prior art, and has for its aim to provide a claw-pole type stepping motor capable of being mounted in a thin device and being manufactured easily, and at the same time to provide a stator structure capable of dealing with a high output motor.
In order to achieve the above-described aim, according to a main aspect of the present invention, there is provided a claw-pole type stepping motor comprising: a stator in which coils are arranged in association with a yoke unit made of soft magnetic steel and consisting of an inner yoke and an outer yoke, each having a round hole at its center, and a of pole tooth sections made of soft magnetic steel thereby forming a magnetic circuit; and a rotor magnet which is rotatably disposed opposite to the pair of pole tooth sections of the stator, each of the pair of pole tooth sections being prepared discretely from each of the inner and outer yokes by punching out a soft magnetic strip steel plate so as to form a piece having a belt portion and a plurality of pole teeth integrally connected to the belt portion and thereafter rolling into a cylindrical shape.
The above-described stepping motor of the main aspect also has the following subsidiary aspects:
(a) In the stepping motor of the main aspect, each of the pole tooth sections is inserted into the round hole of each of the yokes and is fixed to an inner circumferential surface defining the round hole of each of the yokes.
(b) In the stepping motor of the main aspect, fixing each of the pole tooth sections to an inner circumferential surface defining the round hole of each of the yokes is achieved by press-fitting the pole tooth section into the round hole.
(c) In the stepping motor of the main aspect, fixing each of the pole tooth sections to an inner circumferential surface defining the round hole of each of the yokes is achieved by welding the pole tooth section to the yoke.
(d) In the stepping motor of the main aspect, fixing each of the pole tooth sections to an inner circumferential surface defining the round hole of each of the yokes is achieved by pouring mold resin into a gap in an assembled body of the yoke and the pole tooth section.
(e) In the stepping motor of the main aspect, protuberances facing the inside of the round hole are formed at appropriate places of an inner circumferential surface defining the round hole of each of the yokes, so that the protuberances engage fixedly with engaging portions of each of the pole tooth sections when joining the yokes with the pole tooth sections, respectively.
(f) In the stepping motor of the main aspect, protuberances facing the inside of the round hole are formed at appropriate places of an inner circumferential surface defining the round hole of each of the yokes, and notches are cut in appropriate places of a side of the belt portion of each of the pole tooth sections opposite to another side of the belt portion where the plurality of pole teeth are formed, so that the protuberances engage fixedly with the notches when joining the yokes with the pole tooth sections, respectively.
(g) In the stepping motor of the main aspect, notches are cut in appropriate places of an inner circumferential surface defining the round hole of each of the yokes, and protuberances are formed at appropriate places of a side of the belt portion of each of the pole tooth sections opposite to another side of the belt portion where the plurality of pole teeth are formed, so that the protuberances engage fixedly with the notches when joining the yokes with the pole tooth sections, respectively.
(h) In the stepping motor of the subsidiary aspects (f) and (g), the protuberances and notches are respectively formed at at least two places diametrically opposed so as to engage with each other.
As it is clear from the above aspects, according to the stepping motor of the present invention, the pole teeth of the soft magnetic steel facing the rotor magnet are prepared discretely from each of the inner and outer yokes, and the soft magnetic strip steel plate is punched out to form the pole tooth section having a belt portion and a plurality of pole teeth integrally connected to the belt portion, and the pole tooth section is rolled into a cylindrical shape. As a result, individual dimensions of each of the pole teeth (length, width, plate thickness, etc.) can be arbitrarily set as required by the characteristics of the motor, which can realize a miniature motor that develops high output. Moreover, the present invention makes it possible to reduce the number of parts and to easily assemble the motor.


The invention provides a process for recovering CCI-779 from mother liquors.

This invention relates to the recovery of CCI-779 from mother liquors.
CCI-779 (rapamycin 42-ester with 3-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methylpropionic acid) is an ester of rapamycin, which has demonstrated significant inhibitory effects on tumor growth in both in vitro and in vivo models. CCI-779 binds to and forms a complex with the cytoplasmic protein FKBP, which inhibits an enzyme, mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin, also known as FKBP12-rapamycin associated protein [FRAP]). Inhibition of mTOR's kinase activity inhibits a variety of signal transduction pathways, including cytokine-stimulated cell proliferation, translation of mRNAs for several key proteins that regulate the G1 phase of the cell cycle, and IL-2-induced transcription, leading to inhibition of progression of the cell cycle from G1 to S. CCI-779 has been demonstrated to be effective in multiple applications, including inhibition of central nervous system cancer, leukemia, breast cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma, gliomas, and glioblastoma.
The preparation and use of hydroxyesters of rapamycin, including CCI-779, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,718. A regioselective synthesis of CCI-779 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,983. However, the yield of CCI-779 resulting is only in the range of 70-80%. Still another regioselective synthesis is described in US Patent Publication No. US 2005-0033046 A1. Recrystallization of CCI-779 is necessary in order to obtain crystalline product for use in clinical applications.
What is needed is a process for recovering additional crystalline CCI-779 from the mother liquors obtained as a by-product of CCI-779 crystallization.


A system for tracking competitors conducting a race on a track includes multiple object-recognition devices positioned to recognize objects at predetermined locations along the track. The object-recognition devices are configured to recognize at least one physical feature of each of the competitors. A processing device is configured to determine a time at which a competitor reached a selected one of the predetermined locations during the race based on object-recognition data from at least one of the object-recognition devices. A transmitter is configured to transmit to an output device the time at which the competitor reached the selected location during the race.

In the participatory endurance event business, there are race calendars, registration services, and timing companies with data that doesn't get handed down seamlessly, efficiently, and in a quick, reliable, and streamlined manner. That means sign up data and timing data are not processed as if they belong to the same system. There are manual handovers and spreadsheets requiring human intervention along the way.
One process starts with a participant searching for an event, registering by entering personal data and contact information, getting a receipt, printing it and bringing the receipt to the expo the day before the race. Packet pick-up is typically never fast, efficient, or connected. There is human intervention and spreadsheets with names to cross off as people check in. After check-in, the participant is given a race number and that number is recorded so that the name of the participant stays associated with the race number. Up to this point, the process typically has been slow, involved, and not connected. There is also human intervention with connecting the race number with the name. On the race course, the timing is done through the person's name being tied to a race number with an RFID chip that is programmed to have the electronic code as the actual number on the race bib.
As such, each step of the process requires a number of different data collected all for the sake of identifying, charging, assigning a race number, and timing a participant on the course. There are the personal information steps when searching and registering for a race, there is check-in with a driver's license or another ID, and then there is a connection to the RFID race bib.
Prior generations using RFID are well-known in the prior art involving the tracking/timing of participants in athletic events. Previous systems encode IDs into chips that then are placed onto running bibs or race numbers. Manufacturing of RFID, encoding of the RFID tags, and printing of the RFID tags onto race bibs all cost considerable amounts of money. Other embodiments of the art utilize active battery powered RFID tags, which provide a stronger signal from the bib and a longer range for detection. The electronics cost money, pollute the environment, create many man-hours of overhead, and create unnecessary waste. In addition, the encoding process is a long and time-consuming process and requires many man hours to manage. RFID timing systems use a chip encoded with a known ID that often matches the bib number. These systems require RF based antennas to detect and capture IDs going over them.

Artificial intelligence-based timing, imaging, and tracking system for the participatory athletic event market


A formulation for oral administration comprises an expectorant, an analgesic, and at least one additional active ingredient having a modified release providing a therapeutic effect for each of the active ingredients for up to 12 hours.

Pharmaceutical compositions comprising combinations of actives are well-known in the prior art. For example, many over the counter cold and flu remedies include an anti-inflammatory together with an antitussive or cough suppressant. In addition, there are a number of pain killers which are based on a combination of one or more of ibuprofen, aspirin, paracetamol and codeine. There are also available immediate release products which combine more than two actives. For example, the Tylenol® range includes products which combine paracetamol, dextromethorphan and guaifenesin. However, as these products are immediate release products, re-dosing is required every 4 to 6 hours in order to maintain a therapeutic effect.
There is no specific teaching in the prior art of a sustained release dosage form containing guaifenesin, an analgesic and at least one other pharmaceutically active agent which is capable of sustaining a therapeutic effect for each of the actives for at least twelve hours.
Such a combination would be advantageous to develop as it would provide an individual relief from the symptoms of a cough, cold, or flu for an extended period of up to 12 hours. In particular, it would be desirable to develop a product which contains actives that can provide relief from the symptoms of a cough or cold as well as an analgesic. The low solubility of analgesics, however, can impact the dissolution of other active compounds in a combination product. This is particularly true in conventional extended release products where release control is dependent on the erosion of a polymer matrix. Naproxen is an analgesic known in the art to present dissolution/release challenges when formulating the same, especially in combination with other active ingredients.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A drive device (11) for driving a wheel (7) of an electrically powered vehicle having an electric machine (12) and a transmission unit. The transmission unit has a spur gear transmission (14) and a planetary transmission (13) which, when viewed in the direction of the flow of force during a traction operation, is positioned on the output side of the electric machine (12) in the sequence of the planetary transmission (13) and then the spur gear transmission (14).

Generally, the drive train configuration in an electrically driven vehicle is the same configuration as in vehicles which have a central drive, comprising a combustion engine. Hereby, a drive device which comprises of an electric machine, a transmission, and a differential which is fixed to the chassis in a position in the center of the vehicle between the front wheels and the rear wheels; the drive torque is transferred like in conventional central drives via side shafts to the driven wheels. In such a configuration of the drive train, the chassis concept is mostly maintained, wherein only modifications in the aggregate bearings and auxiliary frames are required.
In an electrically driven or rather drivable vehicle which comprises a central drive, accommodating the battery represents a significant construction modification. It is known hereby that the battery needs to be integrated, for instance under the back seat or in an area which is usually occupied by the transmission duct in central drives having a combustion engine.
Also, electric drives that are arranged near the wheels are known in the state-of-the-art, wherein near the wheel means a drive in the broader sense which has one or several electric motors for each driven wheel of a vehicle. Therefore, vehicles are known which have two or more driven wheels which have a corresponding number of drives, meaning two or more. Hereby each electric motor can precisely drive one drive wheel.
In addition, known in the state of the art are electric drives arranged close to the wheel so as to drive a driven wheel for electrically driven vehicles which are integrated into the chassis of the vehicle whereby, depending on the number of driven wheels of the vehicle, either two or four electric drives are provided.
Wherein, the electric drives can be positioned fixed to the wheel carrier; in this case, the electric drive swings directly with the respective wheel and the unsuspended mass is directly influenced by the drive.
Another possibility for positioning, the electric drives which are close to the wheel can be fixed in position. Hereby, the electric drives are moved from the center of the vehicle towards the wheels. The drives are, however, still attached to the chassis structure and therefore do not influence the unsuspended masses.
The electric drives can also be positioned at suspension rods, whereby they are attached in this case at the chassis suspension rods, for instance at the torsion rods. In this concept, the unsuspended mass is reduced by positioning the electric drives close to the chassis-fixed connection points of the suspension rod.
Known through the DE 10 2007 039 059 A1 by the applicant is a driven vehicle axle, designed as a torsion rod axle, in which each wheel of the axle has an electric motor assigned to it which is positioned with the rotational axis in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, whereby its housing represents a part of the longitudinal swing part of the torsion rod.
The drives which are close to the wheel can be utilized in vehicles with an all-wheel, front, or rear drive, whereby the type of axles of the driven vehicle axles can be conventional axle types, such as for instance strut axles or double wishbone axles. In addition the drives close to the wheel can be integrated with the wheel integrated chassis.
Also, the electric drives which are close to the wheel can have a transmission.
Known through WO 2008/017945 A1 is a drive device, which can be integrated into a wheel of a vehicle, to drive the wheel where the device comprises of an electric motor and a transmission device, wherein the transmission device comprises a spur gear transmission and a planetary transmission which are connected in series. Hereby, the planetary transmission is positioned, viewed in the flow of force direction in traction operation, at the output side of the spur gear transmission.
The use of electric drives close to the wheel for driving a wheel of a driven axle results, in an advantageous manner, in a vehicle configuration with a high flexibility, because of the elimination of the central drive in the center of the vehicle creates, and new degrees of freedom in the vehicle design, in particular during the design of the interior of the vehicle, the battery accommodation, and the crash safety.
In addition, drives torques can be generated at individual wheels through electric drives near the wheel, whereby functions such as torque vectoring, ESP, ABS, ASR, etc. can be realized in a simple way. Through the fast and accurate control of electric drives, these functions can be optimized in comparison to the traditional, brake based control systems.

Drive device for driving a wheel for an electrically powered vehicle


Disclosed is a method that includes calculating, at a collector receiving a data flow and via a hashing algorithm, all possible hashes associated with at least one virtual attribute associated with the data flow to yield resultant hash values. Based on the resultant hash values, the method includes computing a multicast address group and multicasting the data flow to n leafs based on the multicast address group. At respective other collectors, the method includes filtering received sub-flows of the data flow based on the resultant hashes, wherein if a respective hash is owned by a collector, the respective collector accepts and saves the sub-flow in a local switch collector database. A scalable, distributed netflow is possible with the ability to respond to queries for fabric-level netflow statistics even on virtual constructs.

Today, netflow data collection is on a per node, per interface basis and is configured and managed for individual switches. The current approach has the following limitations. First, it is very difficult to correlate common (such as Tenant, Context (virtual routing and forwarding or VRF), Bridge Domains (BD)) and granular statistics (Application stats) across a network of switches, unless all the flow statistics go to the same collector. In a typical Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) deployment, collecting fabric-level netflow statistics on virtual constructs such as the Tenant, VRF or BD is difficult, as the flows for these higher-level constructs will be spread across multiple switches in the fabric and these switches may be using different collectors for bandwidth scaling. Also, in a controller managed datacenter fabric, it is desired to collect finer statistics at various scopes than a traditional network. For instance, an administrator might want to collect statistics of a particular application for a tenant and multiple instances of this application can be running attached to different switches in the fabric. In general, fabric-wide granular netflow support will help provide meaningful information of application flows in the world of ACI.
Another limitation is the scalability and the management of the netflow collectors which cater to these set of the switches. In the current method, a flow collector is statically mapped to a netflow monitoring entity such as an interface on a switch. This method cannot scale when the bandwidth needs are different across different interfaces or switches. Also, when there are more collectors/switches, it becomes too difficult to manage the collector configuration. In a Dynamic Virtual Machine (VM) management environment, a collector should be able to cater to the VM moves. The same collector has to be provisioned across the entire domain where the VM could move.
As ACI ventures into cloud deployments, the requirement for an efficient netflow solution is even more compelling, as the fabric will be extended to support higher scale of virtual leaf switches and virtual PODs in the cloud. In this environment, managing netflow collectors per virtual leaf and maintaining a large number of collectors will be difficult.

System and method for providing scalable flow monitoring in a data center fabric


A combination tillage and incorporating implement having widely spaced sweeps in several rows at the forward portion of the main frame with tow trailing rows of angled spider wheels supported in pairs, for ground contour following ability and ease and flexibility of manufacture, by rockable arms extending rearwardly from the frame. Spray nozzles or the like, positioned rearwardly of the sweeps and forwardly of the spider wheels, apply material to the soil loosened and leveled by the sweeps to eliminate banding and uneven application otherwise causded by sweeps parting the soil or by material being deposited on rough ground surfaces. The rotational axes of the wheels of each row are parallel and angled with respect to the transverse direction with the rear row of wheels being angled in the opposite direction to that of the leading row to provide aggressive mixing and smooth uninterrupted soil flow across the width of the implement.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tillage equipment and more specifically to a dual function tillage and incorporation implement and an incorporator wheel support arrangement therefor.
(2) Related Art
Various combinations of cultivators, disks or chisel plows with a finishing or incorporating tool such as a harrow or rolling basket are available for preparing a seed bed for planting and incorporating chemicals into the soil. Although such implements are widely used in farming, many have one or more disadvantages such as a less than desirable chemical incorporation characteristic which can result in chemical streaking or banding or require a second pass through the field with the implement. Most incorporating implements are not sufficiently aggressive to bring up buried trash and increase ground cover for conservation tillage practices.
When a disk type of implement is used for incorporating, recommended procedures often include setting disk depth to twice the desired depth that incorporation is to take place, which results in heavy draft loads and increased chemical requirements. For example, if good incorporating to a two inch depth is required, the disk is typically set to a four inch depth, and chemical streaking is common at lower depths between two and four inches. Because some of the chemical gets below the desired level, the rate of application of the chemical has to be increased over what otherwise would be necessary if incorporation occurred only to the desired depth.
Spray nozzles are conventionally positioned near the front of the implement so that the chemical is mixed and spread by the tools. However, the spreading action of sweeps or similar tools can actually increases problems of banding and uneven chemical coverage as the tools bulldoze through the soil leaving a path with no chemical. In addition, the soil often is rough and includes ridges and the like so that the surface being sprayed is relatively uneven resulting in uneven spray patterns.
Bulldozing and streaking problems increase as the speed of the implement is increased thereby limiting the productivity of the implement. For example, the maximum speed of a disk or field cultivator, if not already limited by the extra draft of the deep penetration necessary for good incorporation to the desired level, is usually limited to six or seven miles per hour. An ideal range of incorporating speeds, however, includes an upper speed of around nine miles per hour.
Implements which include conventional field cultivator, chisel plow or disk sections often plug easily in wet and/or trashy conditions. Some dual function implements are relatively large and bulky and are difficult to transport and require lift assist wheels or other special lift structure to raise the trailing implements for transport. When the trailing implements are supported to facilitate vertical rocking in the ground-working position, instability during transport can be a problem. Wide gangs of incorporating or tillage tools on some implements reduce the number of possible implement width combinations that can be fabricated without nonconventional gang widths, thereby adding to manufacturing costs for implements with certain preselected widths.
Machines which use spider wheels mounted in gangs have trouble mixing soil and material to be incorporated since the wheels are typically arranged in gangs of six or more wheels and are supported by the top of ridges so the wheels do not mix the soil and material in the bottom of the valleys. Usually there is only one rank of wheels, and the wheels cannot be spaced close enough to each other for proper mixing action. The nonuniform soil flow created from the end of one gang of wheels to the beginning of the next causes an uneven soil surface profile, and the wheels leave furrows at the machine edges. The wheels also are not very aggressive and do not move much soil or lift much buried trash for conservation tillage.
Implements such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,850 have been proposed which utilize rows of large diameter spider wheels, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,732, rotated in the soil about axes offset from the transverse direction to provide good incorporation and a smooth seed bed on previously tilled soil. Although providing good results, use of these implements usually requires a prior pass of a tillage implement such as a field cultivator or chisel plow to loosen the soil, cut the roots of existing plant growth and level the soil. Supporting the large wheels at an angle from the fore-and-aft direction while protecting the wheel bearings from damage has been a continuing problem.


A method of removing iron contaminants in an aqueous system by introducing and maintaining within the system at least one ortho dihydroxyaromatic compound having at least one electron withdrawing group pendant from the aromatic ring and, further, a method of inhibiting calcium scale formation in the presence of iron contaminants by utilizing at least one dehydroxyaromatic compound in combination with calcium scale inhibitors.

The present invention is directed to a novel method of removing iron contaminant formations commonly found in aqueous systems. The present method provides a means for dislodging and removing iron III scale formations which have formed in systems having iron and/or iron based alloy components in contact with the aqueous system.
The subject invention is directed to the use of a substantially non-toxic method of removing corrosion products of ferrous metals in contact with aqueous systems by effectively dislodging and removing these products from the system. The method described and claimed herein requires the use of at least one adjacent-paired or ortho-dihydroxy aromatic compound which further contains at least one electron withdrawing group pendant from the aromatic ring.
The present invention shall be described in terms of its utilization in conjunction with cooling water systems. However, the invention is not so limited but can be effectively used in conjunction with other aqueous systems which are in contact with iron base alloy material and, in particular, difficult to control systems which present conditions of elevated pH, high temperatures and/or high hardness levels such as boilers, heat exchangers and the like.
The dislodgement and/or removal of iron corrosion formation is essential in cooling water systems to cause the equipment to be free from obstruction and to produce an efficient system by maximizing flow rate and heat transfer. Iron(III) oxide scale is known to build-up in these systems and cause a marked decrease in their efficiency. The iron oxide scale is particularly troublesome because of its extremely low solubility in aqueous media and, therefore, deposits and builds up in the equipment to reduce the flow rate and impede the heat transfer. Thus, there is a need for additives which are capable of removing the iron scale and maintaining the system free of scale build-up. In order to effectively do this, the additive must be capable of dislodging and dissolving the iron oxide solids present in the system.
There are many means which have been suggested for iron scale removal. For a product to be useful under the conditions commonly found in cooling systems and the like, it must be capable of meeting the following combination of rigorous criteria:
1) dissolution of old rust scale; PA1 2) dissolution of solids of iron(III) oxides and iron(III) hydroxides which are materials normally insoluble in cooling water conditions of high pH and which normally is very hard water having high calcium and magnesium content; PA1 3) capable of controlling the formation of new rust scale as iron(III) over a sustained period; PA1 4) capable of removing the iron scale from the system without mere dislodgement of solids from its site of formation as such solids tend to be trapped at other locations of small dimension causing a clogging of the system; PA1 5) utilize material or compositions which are stable under the adverse conditions presented, such as high pH (6.5-9.5), high temperature (e.g. 100.degree.-175.degree. F.) and/or hardness associated with the presence of excess calcium, magnesium and carbonate ions; PA1 6) utilize material which is capable of remaining soluble under the adverse conditions presented; PA1 7) not being a source of corrosion or of accelerating the corrosion of the system; PA1 8) capable of complexing iron at low levels; PA1 9) capable of enhancing the performance of threshold scale inhibitors in the presence of iron; and PA1 10) capable of promoting the formation of protective oxide layers which render the metal surface passive to further corrosion.
It is readily seen that a means of achieving this combination of desired properties would find a high degree of acceptance in the control of iron scale in cooling water systems.
Scale prevention should be the primary goal for maintaining a clean system. However, inadvertent system upsets in pH, temperature, cycles of concentration, flow rate, etc., result in the formation of some iron scale which is not prevented by the normal maintenance dosage of conventional additives. Thus, there is a need for an additive which will remove iron oxide deposits which have been formed due to such upsets.
Classical methods for removing iron scale involve acid or mechanical cleaning. These are undesirable since they require costly shut down of the system being treated and lead to equipment degradation via corrosion and/or mechanical abrasion. A means for the removal of iron scale during normal operation of the cooling water system would present an improvement in economics, simplication of operation and minimize equipment degradation.
Polymeric additives have been used in an attempt to control iron scale in cooling water For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,037 describes the dispersion of insoluble iron compounds with polymers of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid. Sulfonated polymers have also been used for this purpose (Proc.-Int. Water Conf. Eng. Soc. West. Pa. 1978, 39, 299). These dispersants are capable of preventing iron oxide solids from depositing. They do not, however, dissolve iron(III) oxides and are not effective in removing hardened or crystalline deposits which are often present in cooling water systems.
Chelating agents have been used to prevent and remove iron oxide scales by sequestration Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid has been used to remove iron oxide scale (U.S. Pat. No. 2,396,938), but it is effective only in the absence of excess calcium, a common condition encountered in cooling systems and the like. Its use can also lead to increased corrosion. Organophosphonates such as aminotrimethylenephosphonic acid (ATMP) have been shown to sequester iron(III) and thereby keep it soluble up to pH=10 (Dequest, Technical Bulletin 1-247, Monsanto, 1972). However, it is known that these organophosphonates will, in general, not dissolve iron oxide or iron hydroxide solids in water containing high concentrations of calcium ions at pH of 8 or above. These water conditions are typical for normal operation of a cooling water system and the like. In addition, these organophosphonates have been found to precipitate with high levels of calcium, precluding their use for iron-scale control in high hardness waters.
It is highly desired to have a means of dislodging and removing built up iron corrosion product and to disperse and dissolve them while further preventing such product formation of systems in which aqueous and iron or iron based alloy materials are in contact.


Examples relate to communicating synchronization information from a satellite to a power supply device to enable time synchronization between the satellite and the power supply device. The power supply device includes a port to receive, from a modulator, a modulated current corresponding to a power consumption across a dummy load, where a level pattern of the modulated current indicates the synchronization information received from the satellite. The power supply device includes a power consumption analyzer configured to receive a modulated voltage, across a shunt resistor, corresponding to the modulated current and recover, from the modulated voltage, the synchronization information.

Power over Ethernet (PoE) allows an Ethernet cable to be used for both power transmission and data transmission. Devices such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones, Light-Emitting Diode (LED) lights, Internet Protocol (IP) cameras, and Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) beacons can be powered by PoE and be installed in locations where it would be impractical or expensive to install conventional wires used to provide power. A number of industry standards exist for systems utilizing PoE functionalities (i.e., PoE systems). For example, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has defined certain industry standards in IEEE 802.3 for Ethernet-based networks. In the IEEE standards, a device that receives PoE is called a Powered Device (PD), while a device (e.g., an access point, switch or the like) that provides PoE is called a Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE).

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP


An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present technology includes: an acquisition unit; and a motion control unit. The acquisition unit acquires motion information of a left eye of a user and motion information of a right eye of the user. The motion control unit controls, on a basis of a predetermined condition corresponding to human characteristics relating to motion of human eyes, motion of a left eye and motion of a right eye of a model of the user in association with each other so as to be non-linear with respect to the acquired motion information of the left eye and the acquired motion information of the right eye.

In the past, there has been known a technology for generating a virtual character (avatar) who is the other self of a user by using a computer system or the like. The user is capable of performing communication or the like with, for example, a different user by operating and controlling his/her avatar displayed on a display or the like.
Patent Literature 1 describes an operation of an avatar using a controller. In Patent Literature 1, activity of the controller, such as a change in position of the controller held by a user and a button operation, is detected. On the basis of the detected activity of the controller, posture, motion, expression, and the like of the avatar is controlled. As a result, for example, the user is capable of selecting and expressing various emotions using his/her avatar (paragraphs [0001], [0008], and [0033] of the specification of Patent Literature 1).
Further, Patent Literature 2 describes a technology for detecting the line of sight of a user and controlling display of an image. In Patent Literature 2, an HMD (Head Mount Display) on which a camera that images an eyeball of the user is used. The camera images an eyeball of the user, and the line-of-sight direction of the user is acquired. On the basis of the line-of-sight direction, a gaze point on the HMD at which the user is gazing is calculated. A partial image with high image quality is displayed centering on the gaze point, and an image with low image quality is displayed around the partial image. Therefore, display of the image is controlled with reference to the region that can be recognized by the user with high accuracy (paragraphs [0051], [0052], [0060], and [0066] of the specification, FIGS. 1 and 3, and the like of Patent Literature 2).

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program


A speed loading device and method of loading are provided. The device includes a main body with a first end, a second end, and a plurality of passages extending from the first end to the second end. Each passage receives a cartridge. The device includes a button movable relative to the main body and positioned proximate the first end of the main body. The device also includes a shaft connected to the button and positioned within the main body. The device includes a rotating disk having a plurality of radially extending arms. The rotating disk is positioned proximate to the second end of the main body.

Reloading a firearm such as a revolver can be time consuming and inefficient. Typically, a revolver is loaded one cartridge at a time into a corresponding chamber of a cylinder when manually hand loaded. Still, conventional loading devices incorporate multiple steps and components, such as hand-rotated rods or screws located at the farthest end of a convention device from the revolver's cylinder. Some loading devices require the cylinder to be held stationary, while simultaneously holding the revolver and actuating the device. Further, conventional actuating rods and screws prevent configurations which allow stacking of additional cartridges in a longitudinal arrangement in comparison to embodiments of the configuration of the present disclosure and thus are limited to loading one row of cartridges at a time.