Disclosed is a secondary battery having a novel structure in which a jelly-roll type electrode assembly (“jelly-roll”) in which a cathode including a cathode active material coated portion on at least one surface of a cathode current collector, an anode including an anode active material coated portion on at least one surface of an anode current collector, and a separator disposed therebetween are wound and an electrolyte are accommodated in a battery case, and at least one of a cathode lead coupled to a cathode uncoated portion and an anode lead coupled to an anode uncoated portion includes a first metal layer used for coupling with an electrode uncoated portion and/or coupling with a battery case and a second metal layer having a relatively lower resistance than that of the first metal layer, wherein the first and second metal layers are coupled to each other.

As mobile device technology continues to develop and demand therefor continues to increase, demand for secondary batteries as energy sources is rapidly increasing. Among these secondary batteries, research on lithium secondary batteries, which exhibit high energy density and discharge voltage, has been underway and such lithium secondary batteries are commercially available and widely used.
Secondary batteries are classified into a cylindrical or rectangular type battery including an electrode assembly in a cylindrical or rectangular metal can and a pouch type battery including an electrode assembly in a pouch type case made of an aluminum laminate sheet according to shapes of battery cases. Among these batteries, a cylindrical type battery has a relatively high capacity and structural stability.
An electrode assembly accommodated in a battery case is a rechargeable power generation device and has a stacked structure consisting of a cathode, a separator, and an anode, and is classified into a jelly-roll type electrode assembly fabricated by interposing a separator between a cathode having a long sheet shape and coated with an active material and an anode and a stacked type electrode assembly fabricated by sequentially stacking a plurality of cathodes and anodes having predetermined sizes with separators disposed therebetween. Of these, the jelly-roll type electrode assembly is easily manufactured and has high energy density per unit weight.
With regards thereto, FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional perspective view of a general cylindrical battery 100.
Referring to FIG. 1, the cylindrical battery 100 is fabricated by placing a jelly-roll type (winding type) electrode assembly 120 in a cylindrical case 130, injecting an electrolyte into the cylindrical case 130, and connecting a top cap 140 provided with an electrode terminal (e.g., a cathode terminal, not shown) to an opening top of the cylindrical case 130.
The electrode assembly 120 has a structure in which a cathode 121, an anode 122, and a separator 123 disposed therebetween are rolled in a circular form and a center pin 150 of a cylindrical type is inserted into a winding core thereof (the center of the jelly-roll). The center pin 150 is generally made of a metal material to impart predetermined strength and has a hollow cylindrical structure formed by bending a plate in a circular form. The center pin 150 fixes and supports the electrode assembly 120 and serves as a passage through which gases generated by internal reaction during charge/discharge and operation of a battery are discharged.
Meanwhile, lithium secondary batteries have low safety. For example, when a lithium secondary battery is overcharged to approximately 4.5 V or higher, a cathode active material is decomposed, dendrite growth of lithium metal at an anode occurs, and an electrolyte solution is decomposed. Such processes involve heat and thus the above-described decomposition reactions and various side reactions rapidly proceed, which eventually leads to combustion and explosion of a battery.
Thus, to address these problems, a general cylindrical battery includes a current interrupt device (CID) and a safety vent in a space between the electrode assembly 120 and the top cap 140. In this regard, the CID and the safety vent serve to interrupt current and reduce internal pressure of a battery when the battery abnormally operates.
In particular, referring to FIG. 2, a top cap 10 forms a cathode terminal in the form of a protrusion and is provided with a perforated vent. A positive temperature coefficient (PTC) element 20 that is disposed below the top cap 10 and greatly increases battery resistance and thereby interrupts current when an internal temperature of the battery increases, a safety vent 30, which protrudes downward in a normal state and protrudes upward as an internal pressure of a battery increases to eventually explode so as to safely discharge gases, and a connection plate 50, one side of the top of which is connected to the safety vent 30 and the other side of the bottom of which is connected to the cathode of the electrode assembly 40, are arranged under the top cap 10 in this order.
Accordingly, the cathode of the electrode assembly 40 is connected through a lead 42, the connection plate 50, the safety vent 30, and the PTC element 20 to the top cap 10 under normal operation, to supply electricity.
However, secondary batteries for power tools are operated under poor environments when compared to other batteries used under different environments and thus it is the most important to minimize heat generation by reducing internal resistance of batteries. To address these problems, conventionally, a method of increasing the size of a cathode lead or using two anode leads is used.
In particular, an existing anode lead is made of a single material such as nickel and has a single size. In addition, a material having a lower resistance than that of nickel, such as copper may be used as the anode lead, but is not suitable because it is difficult to secure processability for welding to an electrode foil or can.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a technology for secondary batteries that can fundamentally address these problems and reduce resistance and heat generation while secondary batteries are used.


A coating system on a superalloy or silicon-containing substrate of an article exposed to high temperatures. The coating system includes a coating layer that overlies the substrate and is susceptible to hot corrosion promoted by molten salt impurities. A corrosion barrier coating overlies the coating layer and contains at least one rare-earth oxide-containing compound that reacts with the molten salt impurities to form a dense, protective byproduct barrier layer.

This invention relates to coating systems suitable for protecting components exposed to high-temperature environments, such as the hot gas flow path through a gas turbine engine. More particularly, this invention is directed to coatings capable of protecting an underlying coating or substrate from hot corrosion initiated by molten salts.
Higher operating temperatures for gas turbine engines are continuously sought in order to increase their efficiency. Nickel-, cobalt- and iron-base superalloys have found wide use as materials for components of gas turbine engines in various industries, including the aircraft and power generation industries. As operating temperatures increase, the high temperature durability of engine components must correspondingly increase. For this reason, thermal barrier coatings (TBC) are commonly used on components such as combustors, high pressure turbine (HPT) blades and vanes. The thermal insulation of a TBC enables components formed of superalloys and other high temperature materials to survive higher operating temperatures, increases component durability, and improves engine reliability. TBCs typically comprise a thermal-insulating ceramic material deposited on an environmentally-protective bond coat to form what is termed a TBC system. Bond coat materials widely used in TBC systems include oxidation-resistant overlay coatings such as MCrAlX (where M is iron, cobalt and/or nickel, and X is yttrium, a rare-earth metal, and/or another reactive metal), and oxidation-resistant diffusion coatings that may contain compounds such as aluminide intermetallics. Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is widely used as the thermal insulating ceramic material of TBC systems because of its high temperature capability, low thermal conductivity, and relative ease of deposition.
In order to achieve higher operating temperatures for gas turbine engines and thus increase their efficiency, alternative materials have been proposed to replace superalloys. In particular, silicon-based non-oxide ceramics, most notably with silicon carbide (SiC), silicon nitride (Si3N4), and/or silicides serving as a reinforcement phase and/or a matrix phase, are candidates for high temperature applications, such as combustor liners, vanes, shrouds, airfoils, and other hot section components of gas turbine engines. However, when exposed in a high-temperature, water vapor-rich combustion atmosphere such as that in a gas turbine engine, components formed of Si-based ceramics lose mass and recede because of the formation of volatile silicon hydroxide (Si(OH)4). The recession rate due to volatilization or corrosion is sufficiently high in a gas turbine engine environment to require an environmentally protective coating, commonly referred to as an environmental barrier coating (EBC).
Critical requirements for an EBC intended to protect gas turbine engine components formed of a Si-based material include stability, low thermal conductivity, a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) compatible with that of the Si-based ceramic material, low permeability to oxidants, and chemical compatibility with the Si-based material and a silica scale that forms by oxidation of the Si-based material or (as discussed below) a Si-based protective bondcoat that may be present to promote adhesion of the EBC to the Si-based ceramic material. Silicates, and particularly barium-strontium-aluminosilicates (BSAS; (Ba1xSrx)O—Al2O3—SiO2) and other alkaline-earth aluminosilicates, have been proposed as EBCs in view of their environmental protection properties and low thermal conductivity. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,254,935, 6,352,790, 6,365,288, 6,387,456, and 6,410,148 to Eaton et al. disclose the use of BSAS and alkaline-earth aluminosilicates as outer protective coatings for Si-based substrates, with stoichiometric BSAS (molar ratio: 0.75BaO.0.25SrO.Al2O3.2SiO2; molar percent: 18.75BaO.6.25SrO.25Al2O3.50SiO2) generally being the preferred alkaline-earth aluminosilicate composition. The use of rare-earth (RE) silicates such as RE2Si2O7 and RE2SiO5 as protective EBC coating materials has also been proposed, as reported in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,296,941, 6,312,763, 6,645,649, 6,759,151 and 7,595,114. As a particular example, an EBC is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,759,151 as comprising a rare-earth silicate of formula RE2SiO5, RE4Si3O12, or RE2Si2O7, where RE is Sc, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Eu, Tb, or combinations thereof. Intermediate layers such as mullite (3Al2O3.2SiO2) and bondcoats such as silicon, disposed between silicon-containing substrates and their protective EBC layers, have been proposed to promote EBC adhesion to the substrate, limit interlayer reactions, and prevent penetration of oxidants into the substrate. For example, commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,299,988 and 6,630,200 to Wang et al. disclose silicon and silicon-containing materials as suitable bondcoat materials, particularly for substrates containing SiC or silicon nitride. If the particular component will be subjected to surface temperatures in excess of about 2500° F. (about 1370° C.), an EBC can be thermally protected with an overlying thermal barrier coating (TBC) in accordance with commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,470 to Spitsberg et al. In combination, these layers form what has been referred to as a thermal/environmental barrier coating (T/EBC) system. As noted above, the most commonly used TBC material for gas turbine applications is yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ). A transition layer may be provided between a TBC and an underlying EBC, for example, mixtures of YSZ with alumina, mullite, and/or an alkaline-earth metal aluminosilicate as taught in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,444,335 to Wang et al.
It is known that high temperatures within the engine environment can cause contaminants in the fuel to corrode components formed of nickel-, cobalt- and iron-based superalloys, as well as corrode and destabilize TBC systems used to protect them. This phenomenon, known as hot corrosion, is an accelerated corrosion resulting from the presence of impurities such as Na2SO4 and V2O5, which form molten salt deposits on the surface of the component or its protective surface oxides. The corrosive attack by deposits of molten salts can occur over intermediate temperature ranges. For instance, Type I sodium hot corrosion caused by molten Na2SO4 deposits typically occurs over a temperature range of about 880° C. to about 1000° C., whereas vanadium hot corrosion caused by molten V2O5 deposits typically occurs over a temperature range of about 660° C. to about 1000° C. Although the detailed mechanism of hot corrosion varies with the nature of the material attacked and that of the corrodant, in all cases degradation of the structural material or coating can be rapid and the component can be severely damaged in tens to thousands of hours, depending on surface temperature, deposition rate of the molten salt, and concentration of the deleterious cation (for example, sodium and/or vanadium) in the fuel. This type of corrosion, unlike oxidation, is known to consume superalloy components at a rapid rate and lead to catastrophic failure. The susceptibility of Si-based materials such as SiC and Si3N4 by Na2SO4 and V2O5 impurities has been demonstrated in laboratory experiments. On the other hand, the susceptibility of EBC materials, including BSAS and RE silicates, to hot corrosion from Na2SO4 and V2O5 impurities is largely unknown.
Despite the above issues and uncertainties, there is a desire within industries that use gas turbine engines to use cheaper low-grade fuels, which consequently contain higher concentrations of salt impurities and therefore exacerbate the problem of hot corrosion. The most common methods of mitigating hot corrosion include specifying only fuels that contain low and relatively harmless concentrations of corrosive elements (for example, less than 1 ppm Na and less than 0.5 ppm V), water washing fuels to remove soluble Na species prior to combustion, and injecting measured quantities of a suitable compound containing a reactive element, for example, magnesium, to react with vanadium in the fuel and form high melting temperature, relatively inert compounds such as Mg3V2O8. In an era of escalating fuel prices, it would be highly advantageous to run turbine engines on cheaper fuels that contain relatively high levels of corrosive species, for example, in excess of 10 ppm of Na2SO4 and/or V2O5. Aside from the use of reactive elements and washing fuels, additional measures would be desirable to permit the use of such fuels.

Hot corrosion-resistant coatings and components protected therewith


A nozzle for the additive manufacturing by spraying and fusion of powder along a hollow tapered stream. The nozzle includes an outer cone, an inner cone, and an intermediate cone. The powder is sprayed into the tapered annular space between the inner surface of the outer cone and the outer surface of the intermediate cone. The outer cone includes two portions detachably assembled along the axis of the cone by an assembler.

FIG. 1, relative to the prior art, diagrammatically shows an embodiment of this method. The nozzle (100) for spraying/fusion of the powder consists in 3 concentric cones delimiting between their walls tapered annular spaces that are also concentric. A laser (150) passes through the inner cone (130) through a bore centred on the axis of said cone. The laser is focused on the point (191) where the material deposition (192) is carried out on the item (190) being manufactured. Powder (160) is sprayed in the tapered annular space between the inner surface of the outer cone (110) and the outer surface of an intermediate cone (120), while a gas is blown into the tapered annular space between the inner surface of said intermediate cone (120) and the outer surface of the inner cone (130). The centring of the cones (110, 120, 130) in relation to one another and the adjusting of the parameters result in that the powder is sprayed according to a hollow conical stream the apex of which is, ideally, confounded with the focal point (191) of the laser (150). The distance (193) between the point (191) of material deposition and the front end of the outer cone (110) is commonly about 5 mm. This small distance, increases the risks of collision between the cone and the item or the elements of the manufacturing environment such as the table of the machine or means of clamping, particularly when the operation of additive manufacturing is carried out according to trajectories that implement 5 axes of displacement. In certain circumstances also, built-up heaps of powder are created at the outlet of the annular space between the outer cone (110) and the intermediate cone (120, modifying the shape of the stream of powder, leading to degraded deposition conditions. These conditions require the replacement the outer cone (110).
These repair operations according to prior art are expensive as they require the replacement of the entire outer cone, a precision part, which itself is often made from an expensive material such as copper, although only the end of this part is degraded. In addition, the operation is relatively long, leading to the immobilisation of the machine and the occupation of a qualified technician throughout the entire duration thereof.

Device for additive manufacturing by spraying and fusion of powder


A method and apparatus is disclosed that provides a laser output beam having a broad bandwidth and an intensity smooth over time. The bandwidth of the laser output can be varied easily by varying the intensity of a broadband source. The present invention includes an optical modulation apparatus comprising a narrowband laser that outputs a horizontally polarized beam (a "signal beam") and a broadband laser that outputs a vertically polarized beam (a "pump beam") whose intensity varies rapidly. The two beam are coupled into a birefringent laser material so that the respective polarizations coincide with the principal axes of the material. As the two beams travel through the material, the polarization preserving properties of the birefringent material maintain the respective polarizations of the two beam; however there is coupling between the two beams as a result of cross phase modulations, which induces a bandwidth change of the signal beam. The amount of bandwidth change is dependent upon the average intensity of the pump beam. The beams are coupled out from the birefringent material and the modulated signal beam is separated by a polarization selector. The modulated signal beam now has a wider bandwidth, and its shape remains smooth in time. This signal beam can be applied to incoherence inducing systems. The different bandwidths required by these different incoherence inducing systems can be obtained by varying the intensity of the pump beam.. The United States Government has rights in this invention pursuant to Contract No. W7405-ENG-48 between the United States Department of Energy and the University of California for the operation of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to modulation of radiation in optical fibers. More specifically, the present invention relates to production of temporally smooth broadband pulses of optical radiation by cross phase modulation of light in an optical fiber.
2. Description of Related Art
The word "laser" is an acronym for "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation". Laser radiation has application in a wide variety of disciplines, such as communications, medicine, the military, research, and any other field where directed electromagnetic radiation is an advantage. The light produced from a laser has many known applications, and it is reasonable to expect that many applications of the laser have yet to be discovered. A typical laser comprises three basic elements: a resonating cavity, a gain medium, and a means to pump the gain medium.
The resonating cavity of a laser may comprise two or more opposed mirrors that reflect electromagnetic radiation (such as light). One of the mirrors typically has less than 100% reflectivity so that a portion of the light will be transmitted and the remainder will be reflected. The output of the laser passes through this mirror, which is sometimes termed the "output coupler". For example, an output coupler may have 90% reflectivity, which means that 10% of the incident optical energy will be transmitted, and the remainder (90%) will be reflected.
The gain medium of a laser may comprise any of a variety of materials: solid materials such as Nd:YAG or Er:YAG, gases such as KrF, CO.sub.2 or Ar.sup.+, and liquids such as dye. The gain material absorbs energy from the pump, storing that energy in the form of higher energy states in the molecular or sub-atomic level.
Due to the smallness of the optical wavelengths, a simple laser cavity such as that described above can support oscillation at many different wavelengths. A laser cavity resonator may oscillate simultaneously at several wavelengths, and in several "temporal modes", or oscillation may alternate between one or more of the modes competing for the gain of the laser. The spectral content of such a laser is irregular; the bandwidth may be large but the intensity is principally divided among the several and sometimes thousands of modes of oscillations. The output pulse intensity from such a multi-mode, broadband laser is typically characterized by a highly modulated, rapidly fluctuating shape. For many applications, an output at a single wavelength and mode is desirable, and much research is currently being devoted to design lasers whose output is exactly single wavelength. The lasers that come closest to a "single wavelength" oscillate in a single temporal and spatial mode and have a very narrow bandwidth around that single wavelength.
Very high power pulsed lasers may comprise a number of lasers or power amplifiers connected together. A "seed", or "master" oscillator generates a laser output which is provided to one or more power amplifiers. This configuration may be termed "MOPA" (Master Oscillator-Power Amplifier). The seed oscillator may provide a coherent beam (constant phase) of collimated light, or it may provide an incoherent beam (random phase) to the following power amplifiers.
If a coherent beam is desired, a master oscillator will produce light with a single wavelength and a single spatial mode which can be effectively amplified by the lasers or the power amplifiers. However, the master oscillator must produce a beam that is extremely coherent, both temporally and spatially, and single wavelength to a very high degree. If other wavelengths or modes are present in the output from the master oscillator, interaction between the various temporal and spatial modes by diffraction processes will lead to localized areas of intense radiation. These localized areas may lead to damage to components carrying that radiation if the intensity at that localized area is above the damage threshold of the component, such as amplifier material or mirrors or lenses. Therefore, high power lasers have been conventionally operated at an output intensity three or four times less than the damage threshold, to allow for the localized areas where the intensity may be greater. When a single-mode master oscillator is used, the laser can operate much closer to its damage threshold without damaging optical components. Use of a single-mode master oscillator with a smooth temporal pulse shape is common practice with high power laser systems such as the current solid state laser system at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory called "NOVA".
If a high degree of coherence of the output beam is not required, incoherent light within the laser system may be advantageous. Since totally incoherent light has a random spatial and temporal phase, there are no diffraction or interference patterns formed. As a result, there would be no areas where the localized intensity may vary greatly from the average intensity, and thus the laser could operate close to its damage threshold.
However, using totally incoherent light in a high power laser amplifying chain is difficult because the amplified light will rapidly diverge as it propagates through the laser chain, which results in loss of power, loss of ability to focus, and other problems. In spite of these problems, significant applications exist for high power incoherent light. One such application is inertial confinement fusion, where total incoherence of laser light on target may provide significantly improved efficiency in coupling the beam to the target. Such an application requires that the output laser beam or beams be both spatially and temporally incoherent. In practice, temporal incoherence alone can be obtained by amplifying broadband laser light with a laser amplifier chain.
As discussed above, in a laser system each material through which the laser passes has a damage threshold which describes the peak electric field amplitude or intensity of the laser pulse that can pass through the system without damage to the components. Average power output from the laser is severely limited by rapid intensity fluctuations. Therefore, to avoid damage to the components while increasing average output power, time fluctuations in intensity should be minimized. Minimizing (i.e., smoothing) the peak intensity fluctuations of a temporally incoherent pulse over time can provide a high average power to the target, because the pulse can propagate through the system at an average intensity just below the damage threshold.
Additionally, spatial incoherence of the light is required for certain target irradiation experiments related to laser-driven inertial confinement fusion (ICF) of deuterium and deuterium/tritium filled spherical target shells. It is now understood in the ICF field that laser irradiation non-uniformity on targets must be less than a 1% root-mean-squared (rms) deviation from the average intensity over the target surface. Focussed radiation from today's solid-state or gas laser systems can not achieve this degree of intensity uniformity on target. In addition, local laser radiation "hot-spots" on the target can cause many undesirable light scattering instabilities in the under-dense coronal plasma surrounding the target sphere. These plasma instabilities cause severe scattering of the incoming laser light away from the target, causing further radiation and plasma nonuniformities, thereby preventing target compression and nuclear fusion.
Therefore, conversion of high power laser systems with coherent beams into target irradiation sources that can direct incoherent light onto target is highly desirable in the ICF field.
Various systems have been developed at major laboratories for converting a pulse of coherent light into a pulse of incoherent light. These systems require that the pulse have a certain finite bandwidth for optimal incoherence conversion. Each system has different bandwidth requirements. For example, a system developed at the University of Rochester-Smoothing by Spectral Dispersion (SSD)--requires a 2 .ANG. to 4 .ANG.bandwidth (FWHM), while a system developed at the Naval Research Labs-Induced Spatial Incoherence (ISI)--requires a 20 .ANG. to 30 .ANG. bandwidth (FWHM). The ISI system is described in an article by R. H. Lehmberg and S. P. Obenschain, "Use of Induced spatial Incoherence for Uniform Illumination of Laser Fusion Targets", Optics Communications, Vol. 46, No. 1, June 1, 1983, pp. 27-31, and in another article by Lehmberg, et al., "Theory of Induced Spatial Incoherence", J. Appl. Phys. Vol. 62, No. 7, Oct. 1, 1987, pp. 2680-2701. The SSD system is described in an article by Skupsky, et al., "Improved Laser-Beam Uniformity Using the Angular Dispersion of Frequency-Modulated Light", J. Appl. Phys. Vol. 66, No. 8, Oct. 15, 1989, pp. 3456-3462.
It would be advantageous to have a laser system that can provide a specific bandwidth reliably and conveniently while maintaining a smooth temporal pulse shape. Furthermore, it would be an advantage if a single laser system were available that could be adjusted to provide any of a number of bandwidths, such as 2 .ANG., 4 .ANG.or 20 .ANG.. For research using these and other methods, it is desirable to be able to conveniently and continuously vary the bandwidth of the pulse.
For other applications, such as laser pulse compression, it is desirable to have a pulse that has a broad bandwidth while retaining a single temporal and spatial mode. It is advantageous if the pulse has a spectral content that is approximately evenly distributed around the central wavelength. It is a further advantage if the pulse's intensity varies smoothly in time, for safe laser operation at high power.
A wide bandwidth means a wide variation from the pulse's center wavelength. A temporally smooth pulse has an intensity as a function of time that does not change abruptly. Such a temporally smooth pulse has an average intensity that is typically close to the peak intensity of the pulse.
The initial pulse to the NOVA laser amplifiers is produced in a master oscillator system. The pulse is then amplified in several amplifier stages through which it is passes. Then, the amplified pulse may be frequency doubled or tripled in nonlinear crystals before it is focussed on a target. The present invention may be included as a portion of a master oscillator system for a laser that has a master oscillator-power amplifier (MOPA) configuration.

Apparatus and method for increasing the bandwidth of a laser beam

The United States of America as represented by the Department of Energy


The method presented accounts for three-dimensional effects when deghosting marine seismic data. The method relies on having second-order spatial derivatives in the cross-line direction available. The second-order cross-line derivative can be estimated directly or through indirect measurements of other wavefield quantities and by using wave-equation techniques to compute the desired term. The method preferably employs either a multicomponent streamer towed in the vicinity of the sea surface, a twin-streamer configuration near the sea-surface, or a configuration of three streamers that are separated either vertically or horizontally to estimate the second-order vertical derivative of pressure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a marine seismic survey in which seismic energy is emitted from a towed source 1 (e.g., an array of air gun strings) and detected by towed sensors (e.g., twin arrays 2, 2′ of streamers separated by a distance d, and each having multiple hydrophones S1, S2, . . . SN, and being suspended beneath floats/buoys 8) at a depth h below the surface 6 of a body of water. The source 1 imparts an acoustic wave to the water, creating a wavefield which travels coherently into the earth underlying the water. As the wavefield strikes interfaces 4 between earth formations, or strata, it is reflected back through the earth and water along a path 5 to the sensors, where it is converted to electrical signals and recorded.
In other marine survey methods, the sensors and/or sources are placed at or close to the seabed 3 or in wells (also called wellbores or boreholes) penetrating the earth formations. Through analysis of these detected signals, it is possible to determine the shape, position and lithology of the sub-sea formations.
A problem encountered in marine surveying, as well as in inverse vertical seismic profiling or "VSP," is that of water column reverberation. The problem, which arises as a result of the inherent reflectivity of the water surface and bed (as well as sub-sea boundaries), may be explained as follows. A seismic wave reflected from seabed or sub-sea earth strata passes into the water in a generally upward direction. This wave, termed the "primary," travels through the water and past the seismic sensors—whether on the seabed or in a towed array—which record its presence (i.e., characteristics of the primary). The wavefield continues upwardly, e.g., along path 7, to the water's surface, where it is reflected back downwardly. This reflected, or "ghost," wavefield also travels through the water and past the sensor(s) where it is again recorded. Depending upon the nature of the earth material at the water's bottom, the ghost wavefield may itself be reflected upwardly through the water, giving rise to a series of one or more subsequent ghost reflections or "multiples."
In instances where the earth material at the seabed is particularly hard, excess acoustic energy or noise generated by the seismic source can also become trapped in the water column, reverberating in the same manner as the reflected seismic waves themselves. This noise is often high in amplitude and, as a result, tends to cover the weaker seismic reflection signals sought for study. This reverberation of the seismic wavefield in the water obscures seismic data, amplifying certain frequencies and attenuating others, thereby making it difficult to analyze the underlying earth formations. Deghosting, or removal of the ghost wavefield(s), is therefore important for accurate characterization of earth formations. Those skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that deghosting alone does not entirely solve the multiple problem (although other known methods address multiples), since every multiple will have an up-going part as well as a down-going part (its ghost).
In most of the deghosting solutions proposed to date (e.g.: Robertsson, J. O. A., Kragh, J. E., and Martin, J., 1999, Method and system for reducing the effects of the sea surface ghost contamination in seismic data, GB Patent No. 2,363,459; Robertsson, J. O. A., and Kragh, J. E., 2002, Rough sea deghosting using a single streamer and a pressure gradient approximation, Geophysics, 67, 2005-2011; and Robertsson, J. O. A., Amundsen, L., Roesten, T., and Kragh, J. E., 2003, Rough-sea deghosting of seismic data using vertical particle velocity approximations, International Patent Application No. PCT/GB2003/002305, filed on 27 May 2003), three-dimensional ("3D") effects are ignored. Data are assumed to be acquired with a source event, or "shot," occurring in-line with a streamer, or otherwise to be pre-processed to satisfy this criterion.
However, in reality, 3D effects may be significant for several different reasons:                1. the acquisition geometry is 3D with significant cross-line offsets between some of the streamers and the source(s);        2. a 2D approach assumes cylindrical spreading of a wavefront in space, whereas in 3D it is assumed to be spherical;        3. the sea surface has a 3D structure causing scattering out-of-plane; and        4. there may be significant cross-line variation in the sub-surface causing out-of-plane reflections and scattering.
In a "2D" approach such as the ones proposed in the past, we can successfully deal with reasons 1 and 2 above. In fact, with respect to reason 1, a compact deghosting filter (see, e.g., Robertsson and Kragh, 2002; Robertsson et al., 2003; and Roesten, T., Amundsen, L., Robertsson, J. O. A., and Kragh, E., Rough-sea deghosting using vertical particle velocity field approximations, 64th EAGE Conference Florens, 2002; or Amundsen, L., Roesten, T., Robertsson, J. O. A., and Kragh, E., On rough-sea deghosting of single streamer seismic data using pressure gradient approximations, submitted to Geophysics, 2003.) is ideally suited to project the actual plane of propagation onto the vertical plane containing the locations of the streamer data recordings without requiring irregularly spaced processing. Robertsson and Kragh (2002) showed how to compensate for reason 2 and concluded that the error made by assuming cylindrical spreading mostly is negligible. The two last items on the list (3 and 4) cannot be addressed using the "2D" approaches. Of these, the third item on the list, the 3D structure of the rough sea surface, is likely less important than the fourth item. Being able to properly account for wave propagation out-of plane is critical in areas with complex imaging tasks (salt, fault blocks, etc.) or multiple problems (e.g., diffracted multiples).
A need therefore exists for a solution to these shortcomings associated with 2D approaches.
The largest error term related to 3D effects in known 2D deghosting techniques (e.g., Robertsson and Krag, 2002; Robertsson et al., 2003; Amundsen et al., 2003) corresponds to a second-order cross-line spatial derivative of pressure. This could be implemented using a 3-point filter if data were acquired with three conventional streamers side-by-side spaced within a fraction of the Nyquist wavenumber (a few meters apart). For operational reasons, this is difficult achieve.
A need therefore exists for practical methods and/or apparatus that account for 3D effects when deghosting marine seismic data.


A system for selecting a transmission mode under the multi-input multi-output (MIMO) architecture based on a scheduling number and a method thereof are provided. A modulation coding of the spatial diversity (SD) mode and the spatial multiplexing (SM) mode according to channel state information sent from client ends is determined, respectively. The SD mode or the SM mode is selected in accordance with a scheduling number of using the SD mode and a scheduling number of using the SM mode, respectively. The transmission mode is selected based on the spectrum utilization and the scheduling rate, which achieves improving the spectrum utilization on the premise of the scheduling rate.

1. Technical Field
The present invention is related to a system for selecting a transmission mode and a method thereof. Particularly, the present invention is related to a system for selecting a transmission mode under the multi-input multi-output (MIMO) architecture based on a scheduling number and a method thereof.
2. Related Art
In response to rapid growth and necessity of high speed wireless networks, particularly the multi-media applications, multicasting systems have been widely employed. As a current multicasting system is concerned, two architectures are included: single-input single-output (SISO) and multi-input multi-output (MIMO).
In the SISO multicasting system, to guarantee a scheduling number, a common way is to use a modulation coding associated with the client with worst channel condition as a basis to conduct a data transmission process, so as to be received the data by as many client ends as the system can.
However, the SISO architecture may cause a rapid reduction of spectral efficiency of the multicasting system, which is compared to the MIMO system case where the multicasting system may select a transmission mode between a spatial diversity (SD) and a spatial multiplexing (SM) based on a scheduling number and the spectral efficiency. The SM mode can promote the transmission efficiency of the system by transmitting different data streams on multiple antennas. On the other hand, the SD mode encodes the signals spatiotemporally and transmits data stream associated therewith, thereby promoting a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the received signal, and promotes a reliability of the system.
Although there have been some algorithms proposed for a theoretical communication capacity of the MIMO multicasting system, such as the one, by J. Xu, IEEE Trans. on Broadcasting, vol. 56, the scheduling rate factor is not considered and thus not appropriate for the real operations. In addition, algorithms for automatically switching modes and modulation coding have also been proposed for the MIMO system, such as the one, by C. Kim and J. Lee, 2008, but the scheduling rate factor is still absent.
In view of the above, there is a need to improve the state under the MIMO multicasting system where the transmission mode cannot be selected according simultaneously to the spectral efficiency and the scheduling rate, which may be long-felt and needs to be satisfied.

System for selecting transmission mode under multi-input multi-output based on scheduling number and method thereof


A networking arrangement is comprises a first network device for transmitting a data stream to a second network device over a network, the method comprises: transmitting a series of first packets to the second network device, each of the first packets having an transmission time and comprising a unique identification value, receiving, from the second network device, a second packet, the second packet indicating receipt of a least one of the first packets by the second network device, determining a standard round-trip time and determining a current round-trip time in dependence on a transmission time of an oldest first packet for which no indication of receipt has been received, and a receipt time of a most recently received second packet, determining an unused network bandwidth between the first network device and the second network device in dependence on the current round-trip time and standard round-trip time.

Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) is a networking protocol for delivering media, such as audio and video, over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. RTP is commonly used in communication, entertainment, and surveillance systems that involve streaming media, such as telephony, video teleconference, and network camera applications.
The RTP typically runs over User Datagram Protocol (UDP). UDP uses a simple connectionless communication model and does not provide packet acknowledgement. Therefore, there is no error correction or monitoring at the protocol layer, unlike Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or equivalent alternative protocols.
A problem with the RTP, e.g. when used for transmitting audio and video data during video calls, is that it does not address resource reservation and does not guarantee quality-of-service for real-time services. For example, the audio and video quality can be affected by network congestion. In order to address the lack of error correction or monitoring, RTP may be used in conjunction with an RTP Control Protocol (RTCP). While the RTP carries the media streams (e.g. audio streams and video streams), RTCP is used to monitor transmission statistics and quality of service (QoS) and aids synchronization of multiple streams. This is accomplished using feedback on the quality of service (QoS) in media distribution by periodically sending statistics information such as packet counts, packet loss, packet delay variation, and round-trip delay time to participants in a streaming multimedia session.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a round-trip delay time calculation according to RTCP. Each member of a networked session, e.g. a sender device 20 and a receiver device 30, periodically sends RTCP sender/receiver reports. A round-trip time (RTT) can be calculated using timestamps transmitted in the RTCP reports. i.e.                1) The sender device sends a first RTP or RTCP packet to the receiver device.        2) The receiver device sends a corresponding second RTCP report back to the receiver device acknowledging the first RTP or RTCP packet.        3) The sender device calculates a round-trip based on the time stamps of the first and second RTCP report.
As the RTT is a good indicator of network congestion, e.g. a queueing delay, it can be used to determine suitable bit rates for transmission of the media streams. However, RTCP reports may or may not be transmitted periodically. They can be transmitted according to a regular schedule or they can be sent when needed, for example when requested. Either way, if network latency suddenly increases, there can be a delay before the necessary RTCP reports have been exchanged between the sender device and the receiver device before the increased network latency can be detected. Under these circumstances, the quality of the transmitted audio and video stream can be impaired.
What is needed is a way of monitoring and updating network latency without waiting until the next set of RTCP reports are exchanged between the sender and receiver devices.


A dielectric film comprises a complex oxide represented by a general formula xAO-yBO-zC2O5 as a main component, wherein A is at least one selected from barium, calcium and strontium, B is at least one selected from magnesium and zinc, C is at least one selected from niobium and tantalum, x, y and z satisfy relations: x+y+z=1.000, 0.375≤x≤0.563, 0.250≤y≤0.500, and x/3≤z≤(x/3)+1/9, and in an X-ray diffraction chart of the dielectric film, a diffraction peak intensity of a (211) plane of the complex oxide or a diffraction peak intensity of a (222) plane of the complex oxide is larger than a diffraction peak intensity of a (110) plane of the complex oxide.

The present invention relates to a dielectric film and electronic component.
In recent years, the number of frequency regions used in mobile communication devices represented by smart phones has increased to achieve high-speed and high-capacity communication. The frequency regions used are high frequency regions such as GHz bands. Some high frequency components operating in the high frequency regions such as baluns, couplers, filters and duplexers or diplexers in combination of filters use dielectric materials as resonators.
Along with performance improvement in mobile communication devices, the number of electronic components mounted on a mobile communication device tends to increase, so that downsizing of electronic components is required in parallel in order to maintain the sizes of the mobile communication device. Due to necessity of reducing the electrode area for downsizing of high frequency components utilizing dielectric material, it is required that the relative permittivity of the dielectric material is high in high frequency regions to compensate the reduction in the capacitance caused thereby.
In Patent Document 1, a dielectric ceramic having a composition off a stoichiometric composition Ba(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3, and the dielectric ceramic having a relative permittivity of about 24 is disclosed.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-319162
The dielectric ceramic disclosed in Patent Document 1 is, however, a sintered body, which needs to have a sufficient volume to exhibit the dielectric properties shown in Patent Document 1. The disclosed dielectric ceramic, therefore, has the following problem: the size is too large as a dielectric material to be applied to high frequency components used in high frequency regions.
It is an object of the present invention, in the light of these circumstances, to provide a dielectric film having a high relative permittivity in high frequency regions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Dielectric film and electronic component


A power saw system has a power saw with housing; guide bar; and saw chain driven about the guide bar by an electric drive motor. A battery is arranged outside of the housing. A power cable is connected with its first end through an electrical connection to the battery and with the second end to the drive motor to supply the drive motor with power. An elastic securing element is connected by a fastening element to the housing. A connecting device connects by a mechanical connection the securing element to an operator of the power saw. The connecting device has an overload protection separating the mechanical connection between securing element and operator when a maximum pulling force is surpassed. Securing element and power cable form a cable assembly. A pull-out force for separating the electrical connection is smaller than the maximum pulling force.

The invention relates to a power saw system comprising a power saw that comprises a housing and a guide bar secured to the housing, wherein the power saw comprises an electric drive motor driving the saw chain in circulation about the guide bar, wherein the drive motor is supplied with power by at least one battery, wherein the battery is arranged outside of the housing of the power saw and is connected by a power cable with the drive motor, wherein the power cable has a first end connected through an electrical connection with the battery and a second end secured on the power saw.
The invention further comprises a cable assembly for a power saw.
U.S. 2012/0118595 A1 discloses a power saw system comprising a power saw. A power cable is provided for connecting the power saw to an external battery.
In particular for working with in-tree power saws, elastic securing elements are known which are secured with one end to a carrying device such as a carrying belt or the like and are secured with the other end to the power saw. When climbing in the tree, the operator can suspend the power saw from the securing element which is also referred to as power saw sling. The securing element is usually attached to the carrying device of the operator by means of an overload protection. When the power saw gets hooked in branches, the securing element detaches from the operator.
The invention has the object to provide a power saw system of the aforementioned kind that enables, in particular when working in a tree, comfortable working and moving within the tree. A further object of the invention resides in providing a cable assembly for a power saw.

Power saw system and cable assembly for a power saw


Disclosed is a cache directory including one or more cache directories configurable to interchange within each cache directory entry at least one bit between a first field and a second field to change the size of the region of memory represented and the number of cache lines tracked in the cache subsystem.

Modern computing systems have multiple central processing units (CPUs) that typically include and rely on multiple caches in a cache hierarchy to improve processor and memory performance. Compared to main memory, a cache is a smaller and faster memory device that stores data that is frequently accessed so the data may be accessed with low latency. Such cache devices are often implemented in static random access memory (SRAM) and are typically located between a processing unit that issues memory requests and the main memory device. A memory-side cache is a dedicated cache attached to a particular memory device or partition of memory that caches data being written to and read from the memory device by other devices.
In multi-node computer systems, special precautions must be taken to maintain coherency of data that is being used by different processing nodes. For example, if a processor attempts to access data at a certain memory address, it must first determine whether the memory is stored in another cache and has been modified. To implement this cache coherency protocol, caches typically contain multiple status bits to indicate the status of the cache line to maintain data coherency throughout the system. One common coherency protocol, for example, is the "MOESI" protocol, where each letter represents a state of the cache line. These states are as follows: the cache line has been modified (M), that the cache line is exclusive (E) or shared (S), or that the cache line is invalid (I). The owned (O) state indicates that the line is modified in one cache, that there may be shared copies in other caches, and that the data in memory is stale. Each cache line includes status bits in a cache directory, which keeps track of the cache lines that are currently in use by the system, to indicate which MOESI state the line is in.
Managing a cache directory scheme in a multiprocessor system has become difficult based on the various types of processing demands and the increase in cache and main memory sizes.


A display system consisting of a plurality of vertically disposed shelves and transversely spaced and vertically disposed dividers to form a series of bins defined by said shelves and dividers. The dividers are held in place by brackets and pins. The brackets fit into grooves defined by the dividers and are held in place by pins that secure the dividers to an adjacent vertical shelf. The dividers contain grooves in their upper surface adjacent the front ends thereof into which transversely extending J-shaped members fit. The J-shaped members are designed to contain advertising material and are of a size to cover the gap between the dividers and an adjacent shelf.

In retail stores, it is common to find display systems that include a plurality of rectangular compartments or bins for displaying various items in separate sections, such as, shirts, sweaters, linens, slacks, and so forth. In the typical super store, such as, a Walmart, K Mart, etc., these bins are usually installed when the store is first built, and consist of wooden constructions that are in fixed positions and are relatively expensive to install. This cost and construction is usually warranted since these are intended to be permanent installations and once in place, it will not be necessary to make any adjustments. These types of units perform the desired function in a satisfactory manner.
However, in today's fast changing environment, fixed, expensive bins of the type initially installed must be broken down or moved due to the constantly changing modernization of stores including the moving around of departments employing such bins. It is not uncommon for stores to be completely renovated with the relocating of a large number of store fashion centers and the like to accommodate different traffic flows and the location of different displays in different parts of the store.
It can thus be appreciated that it would be very desirable to have display systems that provide for separate bins for displaying the requisite articles constructed in such a way that they can be readily adjusted and moved if desired without incurring any large expenses or down time for the department in question. It is common practice today for shelving, such as, a conventional gondola-type shelving, to be readily moved from one location in the store to another, but in the case of bins, this has not been possible, since as aforementioned, they are usually permanent installations. Accordingly, if one were to design a construction where conventional gondola-type shelving can be used and readily and efficiently modified to provide the desired bin arrangement, this would have substantial commercial importance and give the stores the flexibility that they desire. It is important that the bins be easy to install yet provide the desired support to accommodate the items to be located in the bins. In addition, it would be desirable to provide information relating to the products in the bin which can be readily changed when desired. Also, of course, such a design must have clean lines and present no unnecessary projections that can cause injuries to customers handling the items in the bins. Of basic importance is that the system be allowed to utilize the standard gondola shelving which is employed throughout the stores.


A disposable absorbent article adapted to form a tridimensional shape before use with a generally upwardly convex rear region, having a body facing surface and a garment facing surface, a longitudinal symmetry plane, a front end edge and a rear end edge, and comprising a liquid pervious topsheet, a backsheet joined to said topsheet and an absorbent core intermediate the backsheet and the topsheet. The disposable absorbent articles of the present invention are preferably applied directly to the user""s body, and comprise improved side features which extend laterally and are capable of staying in close contact with the user""s inner thigh area, and adjacent to that, when the disposable absorbent article is applied to the user""s body.

The present invention relates to disposable absorbent articles. Disposable absorbent articles are considered to be absorbent devices designed to be worn externally of the body by a user and to receive fluids discharged from the body. In particular the present invention relates to disposable absorbent sanitary napkins, catamenials, incontinence inserts, and pantiliners that are adapted to form a three dimensional shape before use, in order to provide an enhanced fit for the body and reduced leakage by means of said tridimensional shape that matches the non-planar surfaces and the non-linear grooves of the body. The disposable absorbent articles of the present invention are preferably applied directly to the user""s body, and comprise improved side features which extend laterally and are capable of staying in close contact with the user""s inner thigh area, and adjacent to that, when the disposable absorbent article is applied to the user""s body.
In their basic form, disposable absorbent articles comprise an absorbent core interposed between a pervious body-contacting element (alternatively referred to as a topsheet or an overwrap) and an impervious protective barrier (alternatively referred to as a backsheet). The absorbent element is, of course, intended to receive and contain the fluids discharged from the body. The body-contacting element is intended to provide comfortable and dry-feeling contact with body surfaces while allowing free passage of fluids therethrough into the absorbent element. The protective barrier is intended to prevent the fluids which are expelled or which escape from the absorbent element from soiling the user""s garments.
Major disadvantages of known disposable absorbent articles intended to be worn externally of the body, e.g. leakage, wet/dirty feeling, discomfort, are related to the poor body fit achieved by these articles. With respect to e.g. sanitary napkins, different attempts have been made in order to provide such articles with the capability of conforming to the body anatomy. Body conforming absorbent articles are well known in the art, both those that are initially flat, and that are adapted to form a three dimensional shape before the use in order to match the wearer""s anatomy, for example by incorporating lines of preferential folding, and those that are already shaped prior to use in the desired three dimensional shape.
In European patent application No. 97122739.2 filed on Dec. 23, 1997, entitled xe2x80x9cTridimensional disposable absorbent article having a slit in the rear regionxe2x80x9d (PandG case CM1667Q), a tridimensional disposable absorbent article is described which has a tridimensional shape prior to use and comprises an upwardly convex rear region preferably having an inverted V shaped longitudinal ridge. The absorbent article also comprises a slit or cut in the rear region which extends from the rear end edge and is oriented substantially longitudinally. The rear cut or slit gives the preferably inverted V shaped rear portion of the absorbent article the capability of bending around an axis which is perpendicular to the symmetry plane of the article, in order to better fit the various body shapes, specifically in the area of the gluteal groove, where the rear region of the absorbent article preferably extends in order to provide a better protection. Preferably the tridimensional disposable absorbent article can be applied directly to the user""s body, rather than being applied first to the panty prior to wearing the panty itself with the attached absorbent article.
The tridimensional disposable absorbent article described in EP application No. 97122739.2 has the capability of better adjusting its shape, particularly its upwardly convex rear region, to the different anatomies taking into account the possible interactions with the undergarment, and any variations experienced during the wearing time, due e.g. to the wearer""s movements, at the same time providing a better fit and a proper positioning of the rear region interested by the rear slit or cut with respect to the preferred acquisition region of the absorbent article.
Disposable absorbent articles adapted to form a three dimensional shape before the use, particularly those being already shaped prior to use such as those described in the above mentioned application, do provide a good fit to the anatomy, and therefore a better comfort to the user and a reduced leakage.
This preferred type of articles, particularly the tridimensional disposable absorbent articles described in EP 97110735.4, can be advantageously applied directly to the user""s body, rather than being applied first to the panty prior to wearing the panty itself with the absorbent article attached thereon. This facilitates a good fit with the body anatomy, owing both to the preferred body conforming shape that the article can achieve, and also to the fact that a direct application to the body renders the body fitting capability of the absorbent article substantially independent of the different wearing habits and panty styles.
Side wrapping elements, or more simply side flaps or wings are a well known feature of disposable absorbent articles. Generally when absorbent articles, e.g. sanitary napkins, are provided with flaps, the flaps extend laterally from a central absorbent means and are intended to be folded around the edges of the wearer""s panties in the crotch region. Commonly, the flaps are provided with an attachment means for either affixing the flaps to the underside of the wearer""s panties or to the opposing flap. The flaps are particularly effective for preventing exudates from soiling the edges of the wearer""s panties, owing for example to side leakage of the article in case of mispositioning, or of particularly heavy flow. Flaps also prevent portions of the panty, particularly the panty elastics in the crotch region of the undergarment, from getting at least partially between the absorbent article and the user""s body, where they can contact fluid already present on the body facing surface of the absorbent article, or directly flowing from the body, therefore again leading to soiling of the undergarment.
Incorporation of side flaps in the body conforming absorbent articles mentioned above would be particularly desirable in order to increase protection of the wearer""s panties against soiling in these articles which are capable of staying very close to the body due to their good fit, but problems are encountered when this preferred type of articles is intended to be applied directly to the body, before the panties are worn.
According to the usual practice with known products, the absorbent article, e.g. a sanitary napkin, is first applied to the crotch area of the panty, e.g. by means of panty fastening means such as an adhesive means, and then the flaps are caused to wrap the edges of the panty in the crotch portion, and are typically folded, and preferably also attached, to the underside of the crotch portion of the panty. Absorbent articles comprising flaps that automatically wrap the sides of a wearer""s panties when the panties are pulled up, after the application of the absorbent article to the panties, are also disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,663 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,829. In both cases the flaps are caused to wrap the panties crotch once the article has been already applied to the panties.
In an absorbent article that is applied directly to the user""s body before the panties are pulled up a correct positioning of the flaps cannot be done straightforwardly. Once the absorbent article alone is applied to the wearer""s body the flaps have in fact to be kept by the user outside of the side edges of the panties in the crotch region while the panties are pulled up, in order to correctly cover said side edges and provide the desired protection against soiling. This requires attention by the user, and additional actions other than applying the article and subsequently wearing the panties, otherwise the flaps could be crumpled by the edges of the crotch area of the panties, which are also typically provided with elastic means. When the panties are pulled up and the edges move upwards along the inner part of the user""s thighs, the flaps can e.g. be folded irregularly at least partially between the garment facing surface of the absorbent article and the panties themselves, therefore providing a less effective wrapping action of the panties edges and a reduced protection against soiling. In some cases the flaps cannot even prevent the side edges of the panties from getting between the absorbent article and the user""s body, owing for example to a complete folding of the flaps against the garment facing surface of the absorbent article.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a disposable absorbent article adapted to form a three dimensional shape before use, which is also intended to be applied directly to the user""s body before an undergarment is worn, having side features capable of effectively staying over the edges of the panties in the crotch area, and of covering them to provide protection against side leakage and soiling.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a disposable absorbent article in which said side features are comprised in side flaps, in order to keep said side flaps in close contact, and adjacent to, the respective user""s inner thigh area during panty pull up.
The present invention refers to a disposable absorbent article adapted to form a three dimensional shape before use, comprising a main body portion, a liquid pervious topsheet, a backsheet joined to said topsheet, an absorbent core intermediate the topsheet and the backsheet, a body facing surface, a garment facing surface, a longitudinal symmetry plane, and a pair of longitudinal side edges; the absorbent core has a front portion, a central portion and a rear portion, respectively corresponding to a front section, a central section, and a rear section of the main body portion,
wherein at each of the longitudinal side edges at least one rider element is joined to the main body portion, wherein each of the rider elements has a bending stiffness of at least 0.02 N as defined in the Bending Stiffness Test described herein.

Disposable absorbent article having improved side features


A device for secure access to digital media contents, the device comprising an access means for accessing digital media contents from a data source and a reader for authenticating a user, the authentication being performed by checking some authentication data. An internal communication path between the access means and the reader is not directly accessible from outside the device.

Secured data storage has become a new application for digital media. All digital media do not have in-built security. Hence in order to store bulk data in a secured fashion it is required to add some external security mechanism. Smart card protection is one ideal candidate for such a mechanism as it is one of the most proven technologies for security products.
Media containing embedded smart card controllers have reached the market. Hence it has become a necessity for the device to support smart card commands. But most of the digital media readers available in the market are single interface devices that are mass storage compliant. They cannot directly support the new media with embedded smart card controllers due to their architectural limitation.

Device for secure access to digital media contents, virtual multi-interface driver and system for secure access to digital media contents


Utilizing two cameras as image sources, and two displays for visual presentation, it is possible to render still or moving pictures that can be viewed stereographically. Using special adapters and techniques, this dual-picture approach allows the viewer to see images in three-dimension space. By following simple set-up procedures and limitations imposed by human vision, three-dimensional images can be produced in any digital or analog media, or combinations of these two. These techniques can be applied to print media as well.

This submission will present original applications of devices and techniques for producing 3-D images using standard cameras, monitors, TVs, or print media. Off-the-shelf devices are used along with hand-made adapters to provide the best results. The techniques are simple and applicable in a variety of situations. Thus, the 3-D result is a combination of camera input images, and output displays viewed by the eyes. The recipe of combinations of viewing aid, camera orientations and display positions, will yield optimal viewing for one person.
Figures depicting dual cameras, displays, or both, will assume they are identical units in resolution and features, but, with care, this restriction can be eliminated. Additionally, because of the optical nature of these applications, they are scalable (within visual limits), and can be adapted to the resolution of any media. First surface mirrors are used to insure optical flatness and eliminate refraction distortions. However, thin, standard glass mirrors can be used. The mirrors can be square, rectangular, round or elliptical depending on the size and distances of the images being viewed. In all instances, two pictures will be captured and displayed.

Techniques and apparatus for two camera, and two display media for producing 3-D imaging for television broadcast, motion picture, home movie and digital still pictures


A magnetic head with a pair of mated core halves, the mating surfaces of the core halves being bonded with a predetermined gap length provided therebetween. The magnetic head has a gap portion where, on each of the mating surfaces of the core halves, a non-magnetic dielectric layer of SiO.sub.2 which is adjacent to the core half, a barrier layer, and a bonding glass layer are successively formed. The glass layers each associated with the corresponding core half are fusion pressure bonded together in such a manner as to form the gap portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a magnetic head formed by bonding together a pair of core halves with a predetermined gap length provided therebetween. In particular, the present invention may be applied to a magnetic head in which magnetic film of an Fe-Si-Al alloy is employed and which is suitable for use as a high-density recording head applicable to the use of high frequencies and capable of meeting the requirement for a high S/N ratio, mainly as, e.g., a video head or a computer head.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of magnetic recording techniques, there have recently been remarkable improvements in the recording density achievable. In step with this, in the case of, for instance, magnetic heads which act as electromagnetic transducers, it is increasingly required that the width of the tracks be reduced, that the level of saturation magnetization of the core material be elevated, and that the magnetic permeability in high-frequency zones be enhanced.
In recent years, magnetic heads of certain types are receiving expeditious attention as being capable of meeting the above-mentioned requirements in the field of magnetic recording. These types include thin-film laminated magnetic heads in which magnetic film of an Fe-Si-Al alloy is employed. An example of a magnetic head of this type is shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. Referring to these figures, the structure of the magnetic head will be briefly described.
Referring to FIG. 3, a substrate 11 of the magnetic head is formed of crystallized glass or a ceramic material. A thin film 12 of an Fe-Si-Al alloy is formed on the surface of the substrate 11 with a film thickness of 1 to 20 .mu.m. Subsequently, a non-magnetic dielectric film, or an interlayer film 13 which is formed of SiO.sub.2 is formed on the magnetic alloy film 12 with a film thickness of 0.03 to 0.5 .mu.m.
Further, the operation of laminating a magnetic film 12 and a non-magnetic dielectric film 13 is repeated a required number of times so as to form a magnetic-film structure body 14. The thickness of the magnetic films 12 and the non-magnetic dielectric films 13 as well as the number of the laminating operations are suitably set in such a manner that the thickness of the portion where they are laminated is equal to track width w (see FIG. 3).
Subsequently, a glass film 15 is formed on the magnetic-film structure body 14, then another substrate 16 is laminated on the glass film 15. Bonding glass is used as the glass film 15. The substrate 16 is formed using the same material as the substrate 11.
A laminated film structure body 17 prepared in this way, is then cut in the thicknesswise direction in which the body 17 is laminated, thereby forming a pair of core half blocks 18 and 19, as shown in FIG. 2. At least one of the core halves, the core half 18 in the illustrated example, is formed with a coil groove 20.
Subsequently, in order to achieve a firm bond between the mating surfaces of the core halves 18 and 19, chamfered portions 22 have hitherto been formed in the surface opposite to the coil groove 20, i.e., in the two lateral side surfaces of the core half 19 in this example, as shown in FIG. 2. Further, those portions of the core halves 18 and 19 which are on the side remote from the coil groove 20, are formed with recesses 23. Thereafter, the mating surfaces of the core halves 18 and 19 are subjected to polishing works. Then, a gap portion 21 is formed.
Thereafter, the core halves 18 and 19 are mated, with their mating surfaces facing each other. Molded glass is charged into the chamfered portions and the recesses, thereby joining the core half blocks.
Finally, R (radius) polishing works and other forming works are performed to form the tape sliding surface, and coil winding is also performed, thereby obtaining a magnetic head 10.
With the magnetic head 10 having the above-described construction, it is very important to finish the gap portion 21 formed on the mating surfaces of the pair of core halves 18 and 19 in such a manner that the portion 21 has predetermined dimensions and a predetermined configuration. If the finished gap portion suffers from any edge sagging, collapse, or spreading, this may cause great deterioration in the characteristics of the magnetic head.
As shown in FIG. 5, the gap portion has conventionally been formed by forming non-magnetic dielectric layers 25 and 26 of SiO.sub.2 on the gap portion forming surfaces of the core halves 18 and 19, forming bonding glass layers 27 and 28 on the corresponding layers 25 and 26, bringing the bonding glass layers 27 and 28 associated with the corresponding core halves 18 and 19 into mutually facing relation, and fusion bonding the facing glass layers 27 and 28.
The magnetic head having the above-described arrangement possesses very good magnetic characteristics. However, in the manufacture of magnetic heads of this type, the gap portions 21 have to be formed in greatly varying yields. Sometimes, a high yield on the order of 70% may be continuously achieved. At other times, the yield may be as low as 0% or thereabouts if, for instance, the gap portion suffers from improper fusion bonding, and such low yields may continue. Repetition of these conditions may result in a yield of only about 5% per month in the worst case. Thus, the efficiency of manufacture has been very low.

Magnetic head having core halves with a barrier layer therebetween


A method is disclosed for attaching a fastening tape to a molded article and also a mold is disclosed for forming a cellular plastic or foam product for use as a cushioning material for an automobile seat or backrest.. The fastening tape is typically in the form of a velcro-like or surface-type fastener carrying on one side thereof a multiplicity of hooks and on the other side a plurality of anchoring members to anchor a molding materials M in the mold. A flexible sealing flange is formed on the tape for protecting the hooks against leakage therein of the molding material during the molding operation in which cooperating halves of the mold are closed with pressure-applying means engaged with and urging the tape against a flexible bottom wall of the cavity mold.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of attaching a fastening tape to a molded article and a mold for forming a cellular plastic or foam product for use as a cushioning material for an automobile seat or backrest.
2. Prior Art
It has thus far been proposed to use a fastening tape generally known as a velcro-like or surface-type fastener for attachment to a foam-molded article such as a seat cushion, the fastening tape having on its one side a gripping means typically embodied in the form of a multiplicity of hooks designed to engage with complimentary gripping means typically in the form of loops or eyes provided on an article such as a seat cover. The fastening tape is attached to such a foam-molded article during the molding of the latter as is known in the art.
Such tape attachment is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-18816 in which there is used a mold having a main cavity for receiving the hook-carrying face of a fastening tape and on each side of this main cavity, two small lateral cavities or grooves adhesively coated for holding the longitudinal marginal areas of the tape in place during the molding operation, the tape having on its back side a plurality of anchoring elements protruding into and anchoring a molding material in the mold cavities.
A similar means of attaching a fastening tape to a foam-molded article such as a seat cushion is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-60291 in which the tape is protected with a thin film disposed over its hook-carrying surface during molding and held in place, before and during molding, relative to the mold by a magnetic means, the tape having its longitudinal marginal areas adhesively fixed within the small cavities on opposite sides of the main cavity.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 62-102793 features the use of a base made of or associated with a resilient material received resiliently within the mold cavity and an attachment web of fabric carrying loops for engagement with complimentary hooks on a fastening tape, the base, web and tape being interconnected in this order with the hook-carrying face of the tape exposed to view.
The above prior art techniques have their respective approaches for protecting the fastening tape against penetration thereinto of a molding material before and during the molding process as by means of a protective film, a magnetic device and a resilient base extension, respectively.
These prior art devices have a drawback in that they are costly and complicated in the operation of attaching the fastening tape to a molded article.
Another common drawback is that the fastening tape is restricted in its dimension and location as these parameters are governed by the physical characteristics of the mold cavity in which the tape is received during the molding

Method of attaching a fastening tape to a molded article


A fuel supply module mounting structure for a fuel tank (1) is disclosed having a fuel tank module (6) comprised of a tilting mechanism (TM) disposed between an upper plate (5) and a case (8,30) and operative to cause the case to be tilted in a direction away from a valve (20) in response to vertically upward movement of the case in a value beyond a given amount of stroke upon abutting engagement of the case with a bottom wall portion (3) of the fuel tank, avoiding interference between the valve (20) and a pump (9) contained in the case (8,30).

The present invention relates to a fuel supply module mounting structure for a fuel tank.
Attempts have heretofore been made to provide a fuel supply module, comprised of a case of an upper open-ended type in which a pump is contained, which is suspended from an upper plate mounted to a fuel tank having its upper end formed with an opening which is concealed with the upper plate, with the fuel supply module being supported with a bottom wall portion of the fuel tank (see Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2001-214825 which discloses a similar related art). It is structured that a bottom wall of the fuel supply module is continuously held in abutting contact with the bottom wall portion of the fuel tank for vertical movements upon an aid of an own weight of the fuel supply module and an urging member exerting the same downward for permitting fuel to be reliably drawn from an area near the bottom wall portion of the fuel tank. Factors under which the bottom wall portion of the fuel tank is vertically moved include variations in internal pressure of the fuel tank or interference between the bottom wall portion of the fuel tank and projections on a road surface.
Further, there are some instances where valves (such as a vent valve and a cut valve) for treating evaporated fuel are mounted to the upper plate from which the fuel supply module is suspended. These valves are mounted to the upper plate in such a way that they protrude downward from the upper plate into the fuel tank. Thus, the provision of the valves disposed in the fuel tank from an initial time enables the evaporated fuel to be treated in an efficient manner.
However, with the structure of such a related art, the evaporated fuel treatment valves are mounted to the upper plate, from which the fuel supply module is suspended for free movements in a vertically variable stroke, so as to downwardly protrude into the fuel tank, resulting in a risk of interference of the valves with the hard pump inside the fuel supply module when the fuel supply module is excessively raised by a value beyond a given amount of stroke. To this end, it is required for the related art structure to enhance a large amount of vertical space between the valves and the fuel supply module in order to avoid the interference between the valves and the fuel supply module, resulting in a difficulty in placing both the fuel supply module and the valves in the fuel tank with a small vertical dimension.
The present invention has been made with the above view in mind and has an object of the present invention to provide a fuel supply mounting structure which is able to locate both a fuel supply module and valves into a fuel tank even with a small vertical dimension.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fuel supply module mounting structure for a fuel tank having an upper plate supporting a downwardly extending valve to treat evaporated fuel, the fuel supply module mounting structure comprising: a fuel supply module having a case and a pump disposed therein to draw fuel from a fuel tank; and a tilting mechanism disposed between an upper plate of a fuel tank and the fuel supply module and including a guide member suspended from the upper plate and extending toward the fuel supply module and a follower member guided with the guide member to permit the fuel supply module to be normally moveable closer to and away from the upper plate in a freely variable stroke; wherein the guide member and the follower member of the tilting mechanism are operative to cause the fuel supply module to be tilted in a direction to be separated away from a downwardly extending valve in response to an external force exerted to the fuel supply module during an upward movement of a bottom wall portion of the fuel tank.
With such a structure set forth above, the tilting mechanism is normally operative to permit vertical movements of the fuel supply module within the fuel tank in dependence on upward movement of the bottom wall of the fuel tank. As the fuel supply module reaches the uppermost limit position, the tilting mechanism is further operative to permit the fuel supply module to be tilted in the direction away from the downwardly extending valve due to the external force exerted to the bottom end of the fuel supply module. Thus, the fuel supply module is enabled to be moveable within the fuel tank to assume a desired operative position to draw fuel therefrom at the highest performance without conflicting the downwardly extending valve. The fuel supply module mounting structure has a compact structure and is low in manufacturing cost.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fuel supply module mounting structure for a fuel tank having an upper plate supporting a downwardly extending valve to treat evaporated fuel, the fuel supply module mounting structure comprising: a fuel supply module having a case and a pump disposed therein to draw fuel from a fuel tank; and a tilting mechanism disposed between an upper plate of a fuel tank and the fuel supply module and including guide means suspended from the upper plate and extending toward the fuel supply module and follower means guided with the guide means to permit the fuel supply module to be normally moveable closer to and away from the upper plate in a freely variable stroke; wherein the guide means and the follower means are operative to cause the fuel supply module to be tilted in a direction to be separated away from a downwardly extending valve in response to an external force exerted to the fuel supply module during an upward movement of a bottom wall portion of the fuel tank.

Fuel supply module mounting structure for fuel tank


In the preparation and production of plastic materials by a continuously operating double shaft screw-type extruder, the efficiency of production often depends on good delivery of material to the extruder. In accordance with the invention for processing various types of plastic materials, a primary stage is mounted in a pressure-tight sealed manner on the housing of the extruder, the primary stage being formed by a vertical double conical container in which a pair of screw-type helices are rotatably supported and driven from above. The helices are connected to two replaceable feed elements at their lower ends so that delivery of material to the extruder is achieved without any intermediate dead spaces.

The construction and operation principles of a continuously operating double-shaft screw-type extruder and its use in the preparation and production of virtually all types of plastic materials is well known in practice and disclosed in literature, see for example, "Kunststoffmaschinenfuhrer" [Guide to Machines for Plastics], pages 960 to 968, Carl Hauser Verlag, Munich and Vienna, 2nd Edition, '84.
In this regard, such screw-type extruders are known which have at least one feed unit and one or more degassing apertures and, optionally, a granulating unit.
In this case, the addition of the starting materials and additives to the extruder can be effected by a gravity system through vertical supply ducts or by means of a vertical or horizontal drive unit.
A batch-type mixer is disclosed in DE-OS 21 29 468 and its US equivalent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,330 consisting of a funnel-shaped container in which two screw-type helices are installed, which can be driven from below and mutually scrape against each other and against the inner surface of the wall of the container. The mixer is used for the final processing stage in condensation-type polymerization reactions.
In this way, in essence, a batch-type final processing procedure takes place. However, this self-cleaning mixer is not suitable for the intensive processing of the plastic compositions in order to achieve high quality final products since adequate pressure can only be developed in the lower regions of the container while in the upper regions of the container, dead spaces are produced where intensive mixing does not take place.
In order to increase degassing efficiency, it is also known to install a separate primary stage before the screw-type extruder which consists of a flash evaporator together with a double-shaft screw-type supply unit by which multi-step degassing of polymer solutions, which contain a high proportion of solvent, is effected. High capital expenditure for the equipment is necessary in this case.

Process and apparatus for two stage treatment of plastic materials