A disc brake, in particular for a motor vehicle, includes a brake-application device having a brake lever. An adjustment device, which is coupled to the brake-application device, in particular to the brake lever, is provided in order to adjust for the wear of brake pads and a brake disc. A wear sensor detects a wear value of brake pads and the brake disc. A brake control unit controls the disc brake. The disc brake has a clearance-monitoring device having a control device, which is connected to the wear sensor and the brake control unit. A corresponding method for monitoring a clearance of a disc brake is provided.

The invention relates to a disc brake, in particular for a motor vehicle, having a clearance monitoring device. The invention also relates to a method for monitoring the clearance of a disc brake.
Such disc brakes are known in various designs. For their safe and reliable functioning it is necessary that a defined distance, referred to as the clearance, is maintained between their friction partners (brake pads and brake disc), under all operating conditions.
Wear adjustment devices are known in different designs, for example mechanical adjusters which ensure there is constant clearance within certain limits in the pneumatically acting disc brakes which are customary nowadays in heavy commercial vehicles. In this context, whenever the brakes are activated the adjustment device is actuated, for example, by means of a positioning element of a brake application device of the disc brake. In the case of wear of brake pads and the brake disc, automatic adjustment of the pads takes place by means of the adjustment device, for example by means of an adjustment movement of pressure rams with variable length.
A structural predefined clearance is formed as fixed geometric variables in the components which are involved in the adjustment process. Continuous monitoring of the clearance is not possible owing to the purely mechanical conditions or because of a lack of sensors. Therefore, nowadays only manual measurement of the clearance, to be performed within the scope of the regular brake inspection, is provided. However, this checking takes place, of course, only at relatively long time intervals or mileage or kilometerage intervals, for example when changing brake pads and, furthermore, only in the cold state of the disc brake. Therefore, the clearance remains unobserved over long driving distances and during different operating states of the disc brake, and any critical changes remain undetected.
Disc brake designs are known which permit the clearance to be monitored and, moreover, even permit it to be set actively or corrected during operation. For example, this is carried out in a pneumatically activated disc brake in that the adjustment device is driven electrically, and therefore the brake pads are moved relative to the brake disc. A corresponding control logic uses operating parameters of the electric drive to measure the clearance which is present and, if appropriate, set a desired clearance. DE 19731696 A1 illustrates an example of this.
However, such designs have previously not been commercially successful due to the considerable technical development leap as well as the associated costs.
A further type of brake which can permit monitoring of clearance is known in the form of an electromechanical disc brake. The brake mechanism is activated here purely electrically, and monitoring and setting of the clearance can be carried out with the control electronics which are necessary for braking However, this design constitutes an even greater technological step, and the use of such systems in commercial vehicles on a standard basis can not be anticipated. An example of this is illustrated by document DE 19933962 C2.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to improve a disc brake, in particular a pneumatic disc brake, of a conventional design with clearance monitoring and with the smallest possible structural expenditure and expense.
A further object is to provide an improved method for monitoring clearance.
These and other objects are achieved by way of a disc brake, and corresponding method, in accordance with embodiments of the invention.
A basic concept of the invention is that a clearance monitoring device is provided with a control device which is connected to the wear sensor and to the brake control unit. An already existing wear sensor, which is frequently used in disc brakes, is therefore used.
A disc brake according to the invention, in particular for a motor vehicle, comprises a brake-application device, in particular one having a brake lever, an adjustment device which is coupled to the brake application device, in particular to the brake lever, in order to adjust the wear of brake pads and of a brake disc, a wear sensor for detecting a wear value of the brake pads and the brake disc, and a brake control unit. The disc brake has a clearance monitoring device with a control device which is connected to the wear sensor and to the brake control unit.
This provides the advantage that a disc brake with a clearance monitoring device is provided with the smallest possible expenditure.
A method according to the invention for monitoring clearance of such a disc brake comprises the acts of: forming current value pairs from current brake pressure values and detected current signal values of the wear sensor during a braking process; comparing the formed current value pairs with previously stored reference values; and evaluating the comparison and outputting of messages in order to monitor the clearance.
It is therefore advantageously possible to detect and display or report unacceptable deviations from defined or previously specified clearance values.
In one embodiment, the control device of the clearance monitoring device is designed to detect a current signal value of the wear sensor with a detection unit. The detection unit can detect a change in the current signal value of the wear sensor over time. This is particularly advantageous when the wear sensor is adjusted. A change can therefore be detected immediately.
A further embodiment provides that the control device of the clearance monitoring device is provided for forming current value pairs from current brake pressure values and detected current signal values of the wear sensor and for comparing the current value pairs with stored reference values with a comparator unit. The reference values can be, for example, pressure travel characteristic curves of a brake cylinder of the associated disc brake. It is particularly advantageous if these pressure travel characteristic curves can be learned in the new state, which permits a different embodiment.
The current brake pressure values can therefore originate from the brake control unit and/or can be output values of at least one other sensor. The brake control unit can have corresponding table values and/or characteristic curve values. Of course, an existing pressure sensor or else force sensor can also be used as well. The stored reference values are also stored in the brake control unit.
Furthermore, the stored reference values can be stored in a memory unit of the control device. It is advantageous here if these are the learned characteristic curve values and further learned values, since greater precision is then possible.
In yet a further embodiment, the control device of the clearance monitoring device has an evaluation unit for evaluating the results of the comparator unit. In this way, the detected values can be differentiated on the basis of trends and secondary conditions. Warnings and displays can be effected precisely in this respect.
In addition, there is provision that the clearance monitoring device comprises a signaling unit which signals messages about the state of the clearance monitoring acoustically, visually, haptically and/or alphanumerically on the basis of the evaluation of the evaluation unit. A driver of the vehicle can therefore be alerted early enough to problems or compliance with maintenance periods or the need to look for a workshop. Furthermore, the messages can be stored and can be retrievable by maintenance personnel.
In order to include secondary conditions and to estimate trends and detected measured values, the clearance monitoring device can also have at least one temperature detector. In this context, already existing temperature sensors or else additional ones can be used.
The control device of the clearance monitoring device can be a component of the brake control unit, as a result of which no significant additional space requirement results for the disc brake.
In the method step of forming current value pairs (p/V), the current brake pressure values are supplied by the brake control unit and/or an additional sensor. The brake pressure values are already present in the brake control unit, and therefore no additional sensors requiring space have to be installed.
In one embodiment there is provision that in the method step of evaluating, a previously definable nominal clearance without adjustment is detected if a current value pair corresponds to a stored value pair which is assigned to a correct clearance, and the following value pair does not have any change in the detected current signal value of the wear sensor but does have a strong rise in the brake pressure. In this way, simple differentiation of the further cases is possible.
In this context, in the method step of evaluating, previously definable nominal clearance, enlarged owing to wear, with adjustment is detected if a current value pair corresponds to a stored value pair which is assigned to a correct clearance, and the following value pair has a change in the detected current signal value of the wear sensor but does not have a strong rise in the brake pressure.
And for a further case, in the method step of evaluating, a previously definable nominal clearance is detected as being undershot if the brake pressure of a current value pair is lower than the brake pressure which is assigned to a previously definable, correct clearance, and the subsequent value pair does not have any change in the detected current signal value of the wear sensor but does have a strong rise in the brake pressure or has a change in the detected current signal value of the wear sensor but does not have a strong rise in the brake pressure.
In this way, differentiation between cases can advantageously be performed on the basis of the value pairs, in order to monitor the clearance.
Furthermore, in the method step of evaluating, thermal influences are also included by means of a temperature detector, as a result of which the reliability of the messages is increased.
A further increase in the reliability is achieved in that in the method step of evaluating, a warning or a warning signal is not output until after a specific number of braking operations.
An increase in the reliability is also possible with previously carried out learning of the reference values in the brake control unit and/or the memory unit.
Furthermore, in a further embodiment it is advantageously permitted that a friction point can be detected in that the current value pairs are compared with stored value pairs if a current value pair of the current value pairs which are compared with stored value pairs has a strong rise in the brake pressure.
With the clearance monitoring device according to the invention and the corresponding method according to the invention for monitoring clearance, the current clearance can be detected and monitored continuously or sufficiently frequently.
Differentiated detection of enlarged correct and undershot clearance is possible.
The clearance can be monitored and detected specifically for each brake.
The expenditure for this is minimized in that no additional space is necessary and output values of existing functional units continue to be used.
Additional sensors on the wheel brake for detecting the clearance or clearance gap are not necessary. The associated separate electronic evaluation units (setpoint/actual value comparison) and output units can be dispensed with.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Disc brake having a clearance-monitoring device, and method for monitoring clearance

KNORR-BREMSE Systeme fuer Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH


A hand-wearing assembly has a main body and a side mirror mount. The main body is a loop and has a connecting top. The side mirror mount is connected with and stands on the connecting top. The side mirror mount has a mirror face facing a rear end of the connecting top and is capable of being connected with a side mirror. The side mirror mount allows the side mirror to stand above a wrist or a back of a hand. Accordingly, a rider can see a rear sight at ease via the standing side mirror. With a slight movement of the hand, the position of the side mirror is easily adjusted to enable the rider to see all the rear area from all directions, or to check the positions of the following cyclists.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hand-wearing assembly and, more particularly, to a hand-wearing assembly on which a side mirror can stand.
2. Description of Related Art
Problems that a rider may encounter when riding a bicycle or a motorcycle are as follows:
1. Difficult adjustment of a position of a side mirror:
Because the side mirror is mounted securely on the bicycle or the motorcycle, the position of the side mirror cannot be adjusted, or is difficult to be adjusted to a precise position for the rider to see the backward condition, such as a following cyclist.
2. Difficult adjustment of a position of an illuminative device:
Like the side mirror, the illuminative device is mounted securely on the bicycle or the motorcycle. The position of the illuminative device cannot be adjusted, or is difficult to be adjusted toward a desired illuminative direction.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a hand-wearing assembly to mitigate the aforementioned problems.


A harness arrangement for a seat, the arrangement including an occupant harness configured to be worn by an occupant of the seat, a separate seat harness securable to the seat, and the seat harness being releasably connected to the occupant harness.

THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to a harness arrangement for a seat and an inertia reel arrangement.
It is well known to provide a harness to restrain an occupant in a seat, and such arrangements are used extensively in the aircraft industry. Typical aircraft seat harnesses usually comprise a plurality of straps, for example a pair of shoulder straps passing from the seat over respective shoulders of the occupant, and a pair of waist straps passing from the seat and at least partially around the waist of the occupant from respective sides. All of the straps are typically provided with a metal lug at their ends, the lug being adapted to be releasably engaged within a quick release locking arrangement, commonly known in the art as a quick release box. It will therefore be understood that conventional aircraft seat harnesses are multi-point arrangements, comprising a number of straps which all engage within a single quick release box which is provided with actuating means which the occupant can trigger to release the plurality of straps and hence allow egress from the seat.
Conventional aircraft seat harnesses are designed to retain an occupant securely in the seat, allowing a very limited degree of movement so as to protect the occupant from injury in the event of sudden aircraft manoeuvres or crash situations. However, in certain fields of aviation, there is a need for an aircraft""s crew to be able to leave their seats and perform certain tasks once the aircraft is airborne. This is true, for example, of emergency services such as helicopter search and rescue services. In such fields, it can be necessary for a medic or winch-man to leave his seat and perform tasks away from the seat, which may involve being situated in the vicinity of an open aircraft door, or even, particularly in the case of a winch-man, involve leaning out of the aircraft. For safety and security, air crew performing such tasks are required to wear harnesses which not only securely restrain them in their seats for take off and landing, but also allow the air crew to move around relatively freely, away from their seats, to perform their necessary tasks. This is typically achieved by providing a generally conventional seat harness as described above, with pay out devices, typically in the form of conventional inertia reels, to allow the length of webbing strap to be paid out from the seat, once the aircraft is airborne and the air crew member wishes to move around the aircraft cabin.
Current designs of such harnesses attempt to provide an arrangement which is safe for crash requirements and which also allows air crew freedom to stand up and perform their tasks. A person""s body geometry alters significantly between standing and sitting positions. For example, the effective length of a human body between its abdominal region and its torso changes as a person stands up from a sitting position to a fully erect position, and hence a multiple point harness of the type described above which is tight enough to secure a seat occupant in a seat for take off and landing can become too tight and hence uncomfortable or painful when the occupant stands up to move away from the seat and perform his or her necessary tasks.
Attempts have previously been made to overcome the above mentioned technical problem, but they have generally involved providing elasticated elements to the harness which results in variable harness geometry which can be disadvantageous, particularly as it can result in the quick release box moving to an undesirable position which can again be uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous. Another problem of such known harness designs is that the security of the harness in the standing position can be compromised, because of a need to make the harness quickly removable for emergency egress.
A further problem arises from conventional harness arrangements which comprise inertia reels secured to the seat to allow the seat occupant to move away from the seat and perform his or her tasks. It is a current requirement that any seat restraint for use in civil aviation comprising a waist strap must be locked firmly with respect to the seat with no latent pay out, slack or play. Such waist straps cannot simply rely upon the locking of an inertia reel as is the case, for example, in the automotive industry.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved harness arrangement for a seat and an improved inertia reel arrangement.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a harness arrangement for a seat, the arrangement comprising an occupant harness configured to be worn by an occupant of the seat, a separate seat harness securable to the seat, and means releasably to connect the seat harness to the occupant harness.
Preferably, the seat harness is configured to fit around or over at least part of the torso of the occupant when the seat harness is connected to the occupant""s harness.
Advantageously, the seat harness comprises a plurality of straps including a shoulder strap which, in use, passes from the seat over a shoulder of the occupant and a waist strap which passes from the seat around at least part of the waist of the occupant when the seat harness is connected to the occupant harness.
Conveniently, the harness arrangement comprises two waist straps, each being configured, in use, to pass from the seat partly around the waist of the occupant from respective sides of the occupant; and two shoulder straps, each being configured to pass over a respective shoulder of the occupant, when the seat harness is connected to the occupant harness.
Preferably, each strap of the seat harness is configured for connection to the occupant harness at a point in front of the occupant when the occupant is wearing the occupant harness.
Advantageously, the occupant harness is configured to fit around the abdominal area of an occupant.
Conveniently, the occupant harness is configured so as to be substantially clear of the torso of an occupant.
Preferably, the harness arrangement includes means to pay out the seat harness from the seat to enable the occupant to move away from the seat.
Conveniently, the means to pay out comprises at least one spring loaded pay out device, which is preferably an inertia reel connected to the seat harness.
Advantageously, the means to pay out includes locking means to selectively lock the seat harness with respect to the seat.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a spring loaded pay out arrangement for controlled pay out of a tether line, the arrangement comprising a spring loaded pay out reel on which a tether line is wound; and locking means configured to engage the tether line at a position spaced from the would line on the reel to prevent pay out of the tether line from the inertia reel independently of the inertia reel mechanism.
Preferably, the locking means is configured to engage the tether line at a predetermined point along the length of the tether line.
Advantageously, the predetermined point along the length of the tether line is defined by a locking element fixed to the tether line.
Conveniently, the locking means comprises a locking member configured to engage the locking element to prevent movement of the locking element past the locking member in a pay out direction.
Advantageously, the locking means is arranged to allow substantially unrestricted movement of the locking element past the locking member in a direction opposite to the pay out direction.
Conveniently, the locking member is mounted for pivotal movement.
Preferably, the locking member is biased towards the tether line.
Conveniently, the tether line is selected as one of the group consisting of: a strap, a cord and webbing.
Advantageous, the tether line is wound on the reel as a coil.
Conveniently, the spring loaded pay out reel is an inertia reel.
Preferably, a harness arrangement as defined above is provided with means to pay out the seat harness from the seat, the means to pay out comprising at least one inertia reel device as defined above.


A white light source 1 of an embodiment has color temperature of 2600 [K] or more and less than 3200 [K]. The white light source of the embodiment has a ratio of a minimum emission intensity to a maximum emission intensity in a wavelength region of from 450 to 610 [nm] on an emission spectrum of 0.16 or more and less than 0.35.

In recent years, from the point of view of energy saving and reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, white light sources using LED elements (light-emitting diodes) have been drawing attention. Compared to incandescent lamps using tungsten filaments, white light sources using LED elements can achieve longer operating life and energy saving. A conventional white light source using an LED element excites a YAG phosphor by using a blue LED element whose emission peak is in a range of 400 to 530 nm, and mixes a blue light emitted from the LED element and a yellow light emitted from the YAG phosphor, to thereby achieve white light.
White light sources using LED elements are used for a signal, a backlight of a liquid crystal display device, and a general lighting equipment such as an interior light. Regarding the conventional white light source using the blue LED element, a peak height of blue light emitted from the blue LED element in an emission spectrum of the white light source is high to be 1.5 times or more a peak height of yellow light emitted from the phosphor, and thus an effect of blue light is strong.
Meanwhile, as white light sources using LED elements become widely used, an adverse effect of the white light sources on human body is started to be concerned. As described above, the conventional white light source using the LED element has the strong emission peak of the blue LED element. The white light with the strong blue peak as above is light which is largely different from natural light. The natural light is sunlight.
By taking the effect of the white light source on the human body as described above into consideration, LED elements and phosphors with different emission peaks are combined to mix four types of emission peaks, to thereby provide white light with small deviation from a spectral luminous efficiency. The spectral luminous efficiency is defined by the CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage) as a standard spectral relative luminous efficacy V(λ), in which a sensitivity of eyes of human being with respect to light is referred to as a spectral luminous efficacy. Accordingly, the spectral luminous efficiency and the standard spectral relative luminous efficacy V(λ) have the same meaning. By taking the effect of the blue light on the human body into consideration, light within a range of 420 to 490 nm is controlled. It can be considered that a method as above provides an effect of suppressing a secretion of melatonin.
Meanwhile, a human being has a circadian rhythm. Basically, a human being lives under natural light, but, in a contemporary society, there are various life-styles such as long hours of indoor work and lives in which day and night are reversed. If a life with no exposure to natural light is continued for a long period of time, there is a concern that the circadian rhythm is disturbed, which exerts an adverse effect on human body.


Photographing equipment includes an image pickup portion, a display portion which displays an image acquired by the image pickup portion, an object detecting portion which detects a reference object of a predetermined size or a larger size within an image pickup range of the image pickup portion among objects in the image acquired by the image pickup portion, and a display controlling portion which displays a representation recommending 3D photographing on the display portion if the object detecting portion detects the reference object.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to photographing equipment capable of photographing a three-dimensional image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern portable equipment with a photographing function, such as a digital camera, deals successfully with various photographing scenes at which the equipment has difficulty by making full use of image processing. There has recently been a growing trend toward 3D (three-dimensional) films with emphasis on a sense of realism in the film industry. In the wake of the trend, 3D display equipment has been spreading in the TV industry.
In the field of consumer photographing equipment such as a digital camera as well, apparatuses capable of 3D photographing have been developed. Diverse methods have been proposed to photograph and record an image including stereoscopic information and reproduce and observe the image. In order to enable stereoscopic vision, a right image for a right eye and a left image for a left eye, i.e., two images with a parallax corresponding to observation points of the two left and right eyes need to be picked up.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-504511 discloses a process of acquiring a stereoscopic image by performing two photographing operations at horizontally shifted positions using a lens for 2D photographing. Note that an apparatus which acquires a 3D image by simultaneously using two image pickup apparatuses (an image pickup apparatus for picking up a right image and an image pickup apparatus for picking up a left image) has been commercialized.
Modern photographing equipment performs automated photographing that includes identifying a scene and performing photographing best suited to the scene. Photographing equipment of this type is configured to detect a face, movement, brightness, and the like from an image to be picked up and perform exposure, focusing, and image processing according to a scene.


A door driving device includes a driving unit driving a door that opens and closes an entrance of a vehicle having a door case, and a control unit controlling the driving unit such that the door moves with a discontinuous acceleration during a period from when the door starts to open to when the door moves at a constant speed in an opening direction in which the door is retracted into the door case.

In vehicles, a door of a vehicle that opens and closes for allowing passengers to board to or exit from the vehicle may sometime catch an object or people when the door is closed. A door catching detection device for detecting such door catching has been proposed (for example, see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2016-159847). When an occurrence of door catching is detected by the door catching detection device, the door is opened to dissolve the door catching state and is then closed again to allow the vehicle to start running.
In addition to the door catching that occurs when the door of the vehicle is closed, there may be a case where a finger or an object is caught between the door and a door case when the door is opened. To prevent such finger catching by the door, a warning sticker or the like is provided on the door in order to call for passengers' attention to mind their fingers near the door. However passengers may not notice such warning when they concentrate on something else. If the finger catching occurs, the door is unable to be fully opened, and it may take time to eliminate the finger catching state. Therefore it is required to prevent the occurrence of finger catching.


A wire feeder including a motor driving a set of feed rolls to force a welding wire from a spool through a welding torch to a welding operation. The wire feeder has an input lead to be connected to the output lead of one of a plurality of remotely located power sources, each having a signal receiver for receiving transmitted signal with a code unique to one of the power sources. The receiver having an output for controlling a parameter or condition of the one power source in accordance with a received signal with the unique code. A transmitter on each of said plurality of power sources for transmitting on its output lead a coded signal specific to the power source. A signal receiver on said wire feeder to receive a unique code from the specific power source actually connected to the wire feeder and a circuit on the wire feeder for transmitting command signals from the wire feeder, which command signals each have the unique code specific to the power source connected to said wire feeder.

In many welding applications, a power source is in a fixed location and provides arc power through an electrode cable to a remotely located wire feeder having a spool of welding wire driven by a pair of feed rolls through an elongated tube out a welding torch to the welding operation. Current is directed through the electrode cable to the remotely located wire feeder that is movable from position to position for accommodating welding at different locations. The power on the electrode cable drives the motor that rotates feed rolls for pulling wire from the spool and forcing it through the gun or torch. A trigger on the gun or torch closes a switch to initiate the welding operation and start the drive motor for feeding wire. In accordance with this technology, the electrode cable is provided with power so operation of the trigger closes a mechanical contact within the wire feeder to direct welding current to the torch where it is connected to a contact around the advancing wire. Such remote wire feeders are sold by The Lincoln Electric Company as model No. LN-25 and LN-15. Each of these units has an internal contactor that is closed when the welding operation is to be started. The trigger also causes the motor to drive the feed rolls for advancing the welding wire from the storage spool. This type of remote feeder is beneficial for certain welding, especially in shipyards. However, the internal mechanical contactor in the arc powered feeder is prone to failure caused by arc damage to the contacts due to repeated switching of high inductance DC current. Indeed, the mechanical contactor of the feeder is subject to damage from welding currents which often exceed the contactor's current ratings. It has been found that in some installations, the mechanical contactors do not accommodate repeated use of extremely high welding currents. The wire feeder can not perform short, repetitive welds such as stitch welding or spot welding because of the accumulated heating of the contactor and the mechanical effect of repeated arcing of the contacts in the mechanical contactor. Each time the trigger is pulled, a current surge is created from the electrode cable to the gun. These remote wire feeders have difficulty in changing voltage. The current is controlled by the wire feed speed, however the voltage is separately adjustable. This adjustment must be made at the power source which is often a long distance from the actual welding operation. These units have a single cable between the power source and the wire feeder since coaxial cables and other dual cable designs are extremely expensive. Such deficiencies of existing arc powered wire feeders are overcome by the present invention.
Another problem with existing wire feeders, especially those used in shipyards, involves identification of the actual power source connected to the input power lead of a given wire feeder. A plurality of power sources and a plurality of wire feeders are used in a welding network. The output leads of the many power sources have a connector or "stinger" at the end. The wire feeder receives a stinger; however, it is often impossible to correlate which power source is being connected to a specific wire feeder. The output leads of all of the power sources are directed as a tangle group to the wire feeders. An operator selects one of the stingers from the power sources and connects it to a wire feeder. It is difficult to determine which power source is actually connected to the wire feeder. Indeed, when reconstructing a network in a shipyard all of the power leads from the power sources are merely cut off and gathered as copper bundles for resale. Then new power leads are then connected to the various power sources. There is no indication of which power lead at the wire feeder is corresponding to a given power source. This situation presents a unique problem when implementing the first aspect of the invention wherein the wire feeder communicates a coded command signal to the associated power source. There is no way to determine which code is used by the power source actually connected to a wire feeder. Consequently, transmission of the coded signals from the wire feeder to the associated power source is quite complicated. The connected or associated power source must be identified manually or by following the lead from the wire feeder back to the power source. The present invention solves the problem of identifying the particular power source connected to a specific wire feeder so that the coded communication between the wire feeder and power source using the primary aspect of the invention can be effected in an easy manner.


A method of locating properly and comfortably a protective helmet on the head of a person. A fit, locating and comfort band is mounted around the persons head, namely adjacent the ears and the back of the head and over the forehead. Thereafter, a protective plastic helmet having a foam lining is mounted over the band as a separate and distinct operation. The method further comprises employing a harness above the band to aid in keeping it in place while the helmet is subsequently mounted, and to protect the top of the head from discomfort caused by a central foam element of the helmet. The apparatus comprises the band and harness and helmet employed in combination with each other, but with no need for the band or harness to be connected to the helmet. In accordance with another aspect of the method and apparatus, an inflatable bladder is employed to aid in maintaining the band and helmet in the desired positions.

Baseball helmets for minors typically consist of a hard thin shell of solid synthetic resin, inside which is fixedly secured a foam material that is often quite hard--for example at the front and back of the shell. It is conventional for the manufacturers of such baseball helmets to make all of the shells the same size, and then achieve size variations by changing the thickness of the foam material. Thus, the foam in a large-size helmet is relatively thin in comparison to that in a small-size helmet.
Regardless of the size of the person's head, the baseball helmets often do not fit well. Thus, for example, it has become a stereotype of children's baseball to show--for example in a motion picture--a protective helmet sliding around on the minor's head as he or she runs the bases.
A related problem is that of discomfort at the crown of the minor's head. The heavy helmet slides little or much relative to the head, which is not at all comfortable.
What are needed are a method and apparatus whereby stock, off-the-shelf conventional helmets can be made to fit comfortably on the head, with little or no difficulty and at low cost.

Method and apparatus for mounting and locating a helmet comfortably on the head of a person, and combination resulting therefrom


A method of determining an indication of the position of an electronic device. The method includes: obtaining (100) information relating to a radio signal received by the device. The received radio signal are transmissions from one or more satellites of a satellite-positioning system from which information an inference can be made about the true position of the device at the time the signal was received. The method also involves obtaining (110) a plurality of hypotheses about the true position of the device; and evaluating (120, 130, 140) the plurality of hypotheses by assessing a degree of consistency between the information relating to the radio signal and the hypotheses. Using the outcome of the evaluations, the method also includes selecting (150) one or more of the hypotheses; and outputting (160) an indication of the selected one or more hypotheses.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to satellite positioning systems. More particularly it relates to a method and apparatus for determining information about the position of a satellite-positioning receiver by hypothesis validation.
2. Description of Related Art
Satellite positioning systems of various kinds are known in the art. These are also known as Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). A well known example of such a system is the Global Positioning System (GPS). Other examples include the European Union's Galileo system and the Russian system GLONASS.
These systems all work on similar principles. A uniquely identifiable signal is transmitted by each satellite, with precise synchronisation. A receiver detects signals from multiple different satellites and measures their relative times of arrival. The differences among the times of arrival correspond to the different distances from each satellite to the receiver. By establishing its relative distance from enough satellites and knowing the position of each of those satellites, the receiver is able to determine its own position by trilateration.


The bearing unit comprises a plurality of bearing elements rotatable relative to each other. A shell encircles the plurality of bearing elements. A body of resiliently compressible material is located between the shell and the plurality of bearing elements and possesses a predetermined compressibility. This body of resiliently compressible material retains the plurality of bearing elements relative to the shell and permits free adjustment of the plurality of bearing elements relative to the shell within limits determined by the predetermined compressibility of the resiliently compressible material.

The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of a bearing unit, especially although not exclusively for use in a take-up system for winding a filament, especially a yarn or thread into a package on a bobbin tube.
The present invention also relates to a new and improved construction of a bobbin tube support mechanism or support for a take-up system for winding a filament, especially a yarn or thread into a package on a bobbin tube, and in which take-up system the bobbin tube or package forming thereupon engages a rotatable roll. The bearing unit is advantageously useable in such bobbin tube support mechanism or support.
In its more particular aspects, the present invention specifically relates to a new and improved construction of a filament take-up system for winding a filament, especially a yarn or thread into a package on a bobbin tube and which filament take-up system contains a bobbin tube support mechanism supporting the bobbin tube and the package wound thereupon and urging the bobbin tube or the package wound thereupon into engagement with a rotatable or drive roll.
The roller may be of the grooved drum type adapted to traverse the thread to and fro. Instead, a separate traverse mechanism may be provided in order to enable formation of a cross-wound package. In a preferred arrangement, the mechanism is of the so-called cradle type and has a pair of arms between which the bobbin tube is supported during use. In an alternative arrangement the bobbin tube is supported on a cantilevered stub shaft or spindle.
In filament take-up systems of such type, it is known to support bobbin tube engaging elements in a manner enabling limited movement thereof relative to other parts of the mechanism. There is thus provided a limited degree of adjustment to compensate for misalignments when the bobbin tube is brought into contact with the rotatable or drive roll. One such system is shown, for example, in German Patent Specification No. 1,560,475 and the cognate U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,948, granted Nov. 22, 1966. An alternative system is shown in Swiss Patent No. 339,102, published July 31, 1959.
It has been found, however, that these known systems still do not enable compensation for misalignments so as to produce line contact between the bobbin tube and the rotatable or drive roll. Furthermore, they do not provide damping against the effects of shocks which inevitably arise during formation of cross-wound packages.

Bearing unit, especially for use in a bobbin tube and package support


This invention consists of a parent structure and a stabilized supported secondary structure with one or more supporting pressurized gas cushions disposed between them. Selective control of pressures in the supporting pressurized gas cushions insures that the secondary structure is maintained in a desired orientation regardless of the orientation of the parent structure. This particularly attractive for stabilization of passenger cabins in boats but is also applicable of trains, airplanes, and even non-vehicular applications where there is tilting or other movement of the parent structure. An attractive application is to gas cushion supported marine craft since such craft already have a gas pressurization system in place. A pressure regulating device controls pressures in the supporting gas cushions. The pressure regulating device receives direction from a controller that utilizes data on secondary structure orientation supplied by an orientation sensing device, preferably a gyroscope, in mechanical communication with the secondary structure. There is normally a pivoting mechanism disposed between the parent structure and the secondary structure to prevent excessive movement of the secondary structure.

The instant invention presents improvements to applicant's issued U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,408. The BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION section of that issued patent gives a rather thorough background history of prior art secondary structure stabilization systems so that will not be repeated here.
The instant invention focuses on multiple secondary structure supporting gas cushions that, by regulation of their gas pressures, can accomplish orientation control of the secondary structure relative to a parent structure. The combined upper surface areas of the secondary structure supporting gas cushions are equal to a majority of a lower surface area of the secondary structure and carry a majority of secondary structure weight. This clearly defines over the small gas shock absorbers and vehicle levelers as used in some automobiles.
It is to be noted that the term gas is used rather than air throughout this application. This is done to simplify things and to cover situations where engine exhaust gas, industrial gases from pressurized gas containers, and the like can be used to supply at least part of the gas to the gas cushions.
There is normally a pivoting connector between the parent and the secondary structures to maintain the relative positioning between those structures in the instant invention. The simplest version of a pivoting connector is hinge like; however, a ball and socket device can also be used for maximum freedom of secondary structure orientation control. It is also anticipated that actuators or shock absorbers can be used to assist the secondary structure supporting gas cushions.
An ideal application of this instant invention is in conjunction with applicant's Air Ride boat or other gas cushion supported boat technology. In such applications, the parent structure or main hull is primarily supported by a pressurized gas cushion disposed in a cavity in the underside of the boat. It is therefore easy to obtain pressurized gas from either the pressurized cavity and/or directly from the boat's powered blowers for use in the secondary structure supporting gas cushions.
Ways to control the pressure in the secondary structure supporting gas cushions are presented. These include a master control valve or pressure regulating device, and a controller that directs its operation, that regulates pressures in multiple secondary structure supporting gas cushions and thereby controls orientation of the secondary structure. Further presented is a highly efficient gas cushion venting system whereby gas vented from a gas cushion can be recycled back into an inlet of a gas pressurization means such as a powered blower.

Air cushion supported secondary structure


A plurality of multifunctional underwater 3D displacement meters are arranged in a lattice and connected sequentially; four rotation shafts may be rotatably mounted in a housing and extend in a vertical direction, one end of the rotation shaft and the housing are connected to a compressible spring, four perforations penetrate the housing in a circumferential direction at intervals, the metallic lines correspond to the perforations one to one, one end of the metallic line is wound around the rotation shaft, and the other end thereof penetrates out of the perforation and is connected to the metallic line of the adjacent 3D displacement meter; and the displacement meter corresponds to the metallic line for measuring a take-up and pay-off length of the metallic line, and a three-axis acceleration sensor and a fluxgate monitor inclination angle change and azimuth angle change of the 3D displacement meter.

There are vast mountainous regions in the world. With sufficient rainwater, geological disasters occur frequently, resulting in huge human and financial losses every year, and landslide disasters account for about ⅔ of the total number of the geological disasters. Water, as an important inducing factor of geological landslide disasters, is an important aspect for monitoring the geological landslide disasters. In recent years, a large number of ancient landslides re-occur due to periodic fluctuation of the water level of the Three Gorges reservoir. Therefore a corresponding monitoring means to continuously monitor features of reservoir landslide deformation is an important foundation for prevention and control of geological landslide disasters and is an essential premise for prediction and early warning of geological landslide disasters.
Underwater sliding mass is one significant aspect for monitoring reservoir landslide deformation. In decades, the landslide deformation monitoring technology has been continuously developing, a large number of monitoring means including GPS, total station, TDR, embedded optical fiber arrangement, borehole inclination measurement, Insar, near-ground photography, etc. are discovered and developed, and produce a certain monitoring effect. However, owing to the challenges of underwater landslide deformation monitoring, for example, waterproofing, underwater deformation feature acquisition, etc., none of the conventional monitoring techniques can be effectively applied in underwater environments. A set of solution and monitoring apparatus for monitoring features of sliding mass deformation under water level fluctuation at the front edge of a landslide is provided for meeting the requirements of large deformation, long endurance, high precision and high reliability during underwater deformation monitoring, which has great significance for medium and long-term prediction and forecasting of the landslide and prevention and control of landslide disasters.

Three-dimensional net-type monitoring system and method for underwater landslide deformation


Techniques for identity techniques for single sign-on functionality for secure communications over insecure networks are provided. A principal achieves single sign-on access to a server via a client by initially authenticating to third-party authentication service. Next, a credentialing service supplies a randomly generated credential to the client and the server unbeknownst to the principal. The principal is then equipped to engage in secure communicates over an insecure network using the credential that is managed by services of the client to authenticate to services of the server in a fashion that the principal is unaware of.

Increasing the affairs of individuals and enterprises are being conducted in an automated manner over the Internet. Enterprises now engage in selling their products and services over the Internet; individuals also engage in communicating with one another over the Internet; employees may also engage in accessing secure resources of their employers over the Internet, etc.
One ever present and daunting issue with this activity is Internet security. Some transactions may be innocuous and may not require any substantial security. However, a growing number of transactions do involve sensitive material associated with enterprises and individuals, such as corporate secrets, personal data, etc. A variety of security mechanisms exist to address this issue.
For example, some enterprises may install dedicated connections for secure communications between parties. Yet, this approach is less pervasive with the advent of Virtual Private Network (VPN) techniques. A VPN permits an insecure connection to be used to achieve secure communications between parties engaged in a transaction.
VPN transactions use authentication and encryption techniques to ensure communications are secure. Yet, in some situations the authenticating mechanism may not reside within the environment of the parties actually engaged in the VPN transactions. In fact, this is increasingly becoming the case as more and more security services are provided by third-party vendors. In such a situation, it becomes difficult to identify the proper VPN sessions between the parties. Thus, to address this issue a party's credentials may have to be regularly acquired from that party to keep a VPN session properly alive. This is not user friendly, is annoying to the user, and is inefficient. However, the perceived alternative is a breach in security or a loss of VPN connectivity; therefore, this remains the typical situation.
Consequently, there is a need for improved single sign-on capabilities with secure communications, such as VPN communications.

Single sign-on functionality for secure communications over insecure networks


A method for optimizing downstream data transfer in a telephone from a splitterless asymmetric digital subscriber line modem. The modem examines the power spectrum of fast retrain signals both when the telephone is on-hook and off-hook. By comparing the power in the spectra, the modem may determine whether to cut back its transmitted power to lessen the noise in the downstream channel. In this manner, a customer may simultaneously use the telephone and the modem on the same telephone loop.

The present invention relates to communication over a subscriber line. More specifically, it relates to a method for optimizing downstream data transfer in a splitterless asymmetric digital subscriber line modem.
Digital Subscriber Line (xe2x80x9cDSLxe2x80x9d) is a developing modem technology that allows existing copper telephone lines to carry high bandwidth information. Familiar twisted-pair telephone lines are then able to carry high speed data communication to and from a customer site in addition to retaining a plain old telephone service (xe2x80x9cPOTSxe2x80x9d) channel for voice communication. At the customer site, a DSL modem receives the downstream signal representing data for a customer from a central office for a telephone company and transmits an upstream signal representing data from the customer to the central office.
One configuration of DSL is generally termed Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (xe2x80x9cADSLxe2x80x9d). ADSL allows high-speed data transport to the customer site but only medium-speed data transfer from the customer site, whence the asymmetry. ADSL also allows the simultaneous use of the ADSL modem and POTS on the same telephone line. In this configuration, at a point where the twisted-pair telephone line enters the customer site, filters split the POTS channel from the ADSL modem channels. One problem with this type of ADSL, however, is that a technician from the telephone company has to visit the customer site and install the splitter, referred to as xe2x80x9cthe truck roll.xe2x80x9d
To overcome this problem, another configuration of ADSL forgoes the requirement of a splitter at the customer site. This configuration is generally called xe2x80x9csplitterless ADSLxe2x80x9d and also goes under the name of xe2x80x9cG.Lite.xe2x80x9d Splitterless ADSL is described in the International Telecommunications Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector (hereinafter xe2x80x9cITU-Txe2x80x9d, formerly known as the CCITT) Recommendation G.992.2, February 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference. ITU-T standards can be found on the World Wide Web at the Universal Resource Locator (xe2x80x9cURLxe2x80x9d) xe2x80x9cwww.itu.ch.xe2x80x9d Splitterless ADSL modems include those manufactured by 3Com Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif., Lucent Technologies of Murray Hill, N.J., Texas Instruments of Dallas, Tex., and others.
In splitterless ADSL, an ADSL modem directly shares the same twisted-pair telephone line as a POTS telephone without the intervention of a splitter. Sharing the same twisted-pair telephone line, however, may introduce noise into the downstream data transfer. The noise effect is the response of the internal circuitry of the telephone to the upstream ADSL signal. Moreover, each telephone has a different response to the upstream ADSL signal: some telephones introduce little downstream noise, such as many of the cordless telephones, while other telephones introduce a lot of noise, thus severely reducing the rate at which the modem can receive data. It is desirable, therefore, to reduce the downstream noise introduced by the telephone to optimize the downstream data transfer. It is also desirable to achieve noise reduction for a wide range of telephone models. This may allow customers to use their telephones while the ADSL modem is transferring data.
In accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention, some of the problems associated with overcoming downstream noise in a splitterless ADSL modem are overcome. The modem implements a power cutback to enable simultaneous use of a telephone and the modem, where the telephone and modem share a telephone loop.
One aspect of the invention includes a method of optimizing downstream data transfer from a central office to the modem. The method includes ascertaining a first noise characteristic for the telephone loop when the telephone is on-hook, and measuring a second noise characteristic for the telephone loop when the telephone is off-hook. The modem determines whether the first noise characteristic is less than the second noise characteristic, and if so, the modem limits its transmitted power by an amount equal to a power cutback value. In this manner, the method may enable simultaneous use of the telephone and the modem, while optimizing downstream data transfer.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of preferred embodiments of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Method for optimizing downstream data transfer in an asymmetric digital subscriber line modem


There is provided a method of manufacturing semiconductor device comprising removing an organic substance from a semiconductor surface having an oxide film thereon, the semiconductor surface being formed to have a line width of 50 nm or less; removing the oxide film from the semiconductor surface; drying the semiconductor surface without using an organic solvent; and forming a silicide layer on the semiconductor surface after drying the semiconductor surface.

In miniaturizing certain semiconductor devices, pre-processing may be required to form a silicide layer. In miniaturized semiconductor devices, shallow diffusion regions are formed, and the size of the gate electrode, formed of silicon, is reduced. To form the shallow diffusion regions and to form a gate electrode having a lower resistance, a self-aligned silicide layer is proposed. The silicide layer is formed to the shape of a silicon region.
In salicide technology, a metal, such as cobalt, is first deposited on a silicon substrate having an insulating region formed therein. Next, the silicon substrate is annealed to form a silicide layer through a silicide reaction between the silicon and the metal. The silicide layer is selectively formed by removing the metal which has not yet reacted.
In order to form a good silicide layer, the surface of the silicon substrate should be rinsed to remove a native oxide film. Rinsing should occur before forming the metal film. If the native oxide film is not removed, it will interfere with a diffusion process that occurs between the silicon and metal. In this case, insufficient silicide reaction occurs and thereby a silicide layer having lower resistance cannot be formed.
The above described salicide technology is described, for example, in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent application No. 2002-334850 (Published on Nov. 22, 2002) Corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,893 B2 (Published on Nov. 5, 2002).
However, with still further miniaturization of semiconductor devices, fluctuations in the uniformity of the silicide layer and fluctuations in silicide resistance are problems that occur even if one or more of the known cleaning processes is performed. Accordingly, a better cleaning method is required for the smaller devices.

Method of manufacturing a silicide layer


The present invention includes a technique for making a dual voltage integrated circuit device. A gate dielectric layer is formed on a semiconductor substrate and a gate material layer is formed on the dielectric layer. A first region of the gate material layer is doped to a first nonzero level and a second region of the gate material level is doped to a second nonzero level greater than the first level. A first field effect transistor is defined that has a first gate formed from the first region. Also, a second field effect transistor is defined that has a second gate formed from the second region. The first transistor is operable at a gate threshold voltage greater than the second transistor in accordance with a difference between the first level and the second level.

The present invention relates to integrated circuit devices having high and low voltage components and techniques for fabricating such devices.
There continues to be a demand for more densely populated and faster integrated circuit devices. To meet these demands, the xe2x80x9con-chipxe2x80x9d integrated circuit structural elements continue to be miniaturized, often including a proportional reduction in the gate oxide thickness of Insulated Gate Field Effect Transistors (IGFETs). As the gate oxide thickness decreases, a proportional reduction in operating voltage typically results.
However, the continued decrease in gate oxide thickness generally causes a corresponding decrease in dielectric breakdown voltage. As a result, the breakdown voltage of low voltage components may be less than the output voltage of available power supplies or the operating voltage of external circuits intended to interface with the low voltage components. If gate breakdown voltage is exceeded, the resulting damage typically degrades device performance and reliability. To address this limitation, it is often desirable to have intervening high voltage components operating on the same integrated circuit chip as these low voltage components. One proposed scheme to provide high and low voltage components on the same chip involves the fabrication of gate oxides in different thicknesses. Unfortunately, this approach is exceedingly complex, often resulting in higher manufacturing costs and lower device reliability.
Thus, there is a need for improved integrated circuit devices having both high and low voltage components. There is also a demand for better techniques to provide such voltage devices.
One form of the present invention is an improved integrated circuit device. This device may include high and low voltage components.
An alternative form of the present invention is an integrated circuit that includes a first component with a first member doped to establish a first operating voltage and a second component with a second member doped to establish a second operating voltage. The second member includes at least two dopants to establish a predetermined difference between the first voltage and the second voltage with one of the dopants being of a first conductivity type and another of the dopants being of a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type.
Another alternative form of the present invention includes techniques that provide different dopant levels in different regions of an integrated circuit device. These techniques may be applied to provide transistors with different operating voltages. Such techniques may include doping one region of a gate material level differently from another region to correspondingly define transistors operable at different threshold voltages.
In still another alternative form of the present invention, an integrated circuit device is made by forming a gate dielectric layer on a substrate and establishing a gate material layer on the dielectric layer. A first region of the gate material layer is doped to a first nonzero level and a second region of the gate material layer is doped to a second nonzero level greater than the first level. A first field effect transistor is defined having a first gate formed from the first region and a second field effect transistor is defined having a second gate formed from the second region. The first transistor is operable at a gate threshold greater than the second transistor in accordance with a difference between the first level and the second level.
In a further alternative form, a method of manufacturing an integrated circuit device includes providing a substrate with a first transistor gate and a second transistor gate therealong. The second transistor gate includes a member doped with a dopant of a first conductivity type. The first member and the second member are doped with a dopant of a second conductivity type opposite the first type. This doping provides the first member with a different doping level than the second member, which corresponds to a different threshold voltage for the first gate relative to the second gate.
Other alternative forms of the present invention include, but are not limited to, providing an integrated circuit substrate with a gate dielectric layer positioned on the substrate and a gate material layer positioned on the dielectric layer; where the gate material layer includes polysilicon. A dopant of a first conductivity type is provided in a selected region of the gate material layer. This form also includes patterning the gate dielectric layer and the gate material layer after providing the first conductivity type of dopant to form a number of field effect transistor gates. A first one of the gates is formed from the selected region. The gates and the substrate are doped with a dopant of a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type. This doping includes forming a number of doped substrate regions to define a number of transistors corresponding to the gates and establishing a first doping level for the first one of the gates and a second doping level for a second one of the gates. The first doping level corresponds to a first gate threshold voltage and the second doping level corresponds to a second gate threshold voltage different from the first gate threshold voltage.
Further objects, features, benefits, aspects, forms, embodiments, examples, and advantages of the present invention shall become apparent from the detailed drawings and description provided herein.

Integrated circuit devices with high and low voltage components and processes for manufacturing these devices


A pantograph assembly configured to transfer electrical power from an overhead conductor to a machine is disclosed. The pantograph assembly may include a pantograph base detachably mounted to the machine, an articulated linkage assembly having a linkage assembly lower end operatively connected to the pantograph base and a linkage assembly upper end pivotally connected to the linkage assembly lower end, a collector rail assembly operatively connected to the linkage assembly upper end, and a stop member. The stop member may be connected to the pantograph base and engaging the articulated linkage assembly, or connected to the articulated linkage assembly and engaging the pantograph base, to prevent the articulated linkage assembly from being lowered toward the pantograph base below a predetermined down position or lower limit position. A latch assembly may be mounted on the pantograph base and operable to move between a latch locked position and a latch unlocked position.

Machines such as trolley-assist vehicles or electric locomotives generally employ a pantograph assembly to provide electric power to the machine. Typically, the pantograph assembly is carried on top of the machine. The pantograph assembly is configured to draw electrical power from an overhead conductor and transfer the power to the machine. On machines such as off highway trucks, the pantograph assembly is raised and lowered to make connection with the overhead conductors. When the pantograph is lowered and the machine travels over an uneven work surface, the components of the pantograph assembly may be jostled, thereby creating stresses in the components and the actuation mechanisms that control the raising and lowering of the pantograph assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,844,586 issued to McLaughlin on Jul. 23, 1931, teaches a hold down device for a pantograph assembly. One type of hold down device contemplated by McLaughlin comprises generally a crank arm fixed on an actuating shaft, and a hook pivotally mounted at a pivot pin on the crank arm. Rotation of the actuating shaft in one direction causes the hook to be swung into engagement with the stirrup on an upper link of the pantograph, and then move downward in a substantially vertical direction. The hook is spring-pressed against the stirrup so that there is no danger of the hook becoming disengaged from the stirrup. The actuating shaft imparts both rotary and translational motion to the hook and the hold down device locks the pantograph in the collapsed position, and depresses the upper links of the pantograph to the limit of their downward movement. Despite the teaching by the McLaughlin patent, not all locking mechanisms provide complex motion that locks the pantograph in the collapsed position and limits movement of its components.


A first yoke member is received on a first reference plane defined on a support body. A second yoke member is coupled to the first yoke member so as to define a space for accommodation of a voice coil between the first and second yoke members. The second yoke member is opposed to a second reference plane, different from the first reference plane, defined on the support body. A screw member is engaged with the second yoke member for movement in the direction intersecting the second reference plane. The second yoke member is received on the second reference plane of the support body based on the movement of the screw member. Even if a gap happens to exist between the second yoke member and the second reference plane due to dimensional errors, the second yoke member is reliably supported on the support body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a yoke for a voice coil motor, VCM, incorporated within a recording disk drive such as a hard disk drive, HDD, for example.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A head actuator is incorporated within a hard disk drive. A voice coil motor of the head actuator includes a magnetic yoke. The yoke includes an upper yoke member and a lower yoke member coupled to each other. The lower yoke member is received on a first reference plane defined on a base of an enclosure. The upper yoke member is received on a second reference plane defined on bosses standing from the base. Screws are employed to couple the upper yoke member to the second reference plane. A voice coil is located in a space between the upper and lower yoke members. The voice coil is fixed to an actuator block capable of rotating around a support shaft.
Magnetic flux circulates through the upper and lower yoke members. The magnetic flux is generated in the voice coil in response to the supply of electric current. The interaction between the magnetic flux of the voice coil and the magnetic flux of the yokes causes the movement of the voice coil. The actuator block is thus allowed to rotate around the support shaft.
The alignment of the lower yoke member with the first reference plane in the aforementioned manner often hinders the contact of the upper yoke member against the second reference plane due to dimensional errors or the like, for example. The upper yoke member cannot be supported on the bosses. In this case, if the voice coil moves faster, the reaction of the yoke induces vibration of the yoke. The vibration deteriorates the accuracy in positioning a head slider coupled to the actuator block, for example. The vibration also causes the lower yoke member to contact the base. The contact makes noise.

Yoke for voice coil motor in recording disk drive


A computing system includes a plurality of computing units, a tiered storage unit including a first storage medium and a second storage medium having a transfer rate lower than that of the first storage medium, and connected to a plurality of the computing units; and a system management unit connected to a plurality of the computing units and the tiered storage unit. The system management unit creates a computation job execution schedule for a plurality of the computing units or obtains the computation job execution schedule from other unit in the computing system, plans a data migration in the tiered storage unit according to the execution schedule using a predetermined method, and instructs the tiered storage unit to migrate a data based on the plan.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computing system, a method of controlling the same, and a system management unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computing units for use in high-performance computing for computing weather forecast or tsunami propagation have more and more high-speed performance these years. Along with the speeded-up computing, the computing units handle a larger amount of data in the computing. Since the data for use in the high-performance computing and data resulting from the computing are stored in a storage, such a storage is required to have an extremely large capacity.
A computation in a high-speed computer is usually performed in batch processing based on a schedule or the like. When a computation is performed, three steps as follows are executed. In the first step, a data stored in a storage is transferred to a main memory of a computing unit. The step is hereinafter referred to as a staging to the computing unit. In the second step, a computation is executed using the transferred data as an input, and the outputted data is stored in the main memory. In the third step, the outputted data in the main memory is transferred to the storage and is stored therein. The step is hereinafter referred to as a destaging from the computing unit.
An increasing rate of a computing speed of a computing unit is allegedly larger than a decreasing rate of a price of a storage per unit capacity (hereinafter referred to as a bit cost). This means that a storage will cost a lot more, if a computing unit continues to have a configuration as it is, in which a data handled by the computing unit is all stored in a high-speed storage. To solve the problem, a configuration having a tiered structure of two storages is proposed. One of the two storages is a high-speed high-bit cost storage (hereinafter referred to as an online storage), and the other is a low-speed low-bit cost storage (hereinafter referred to as a nearline storage). Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application, Publication 2003-216460 (of which a US counterpart is US 2005-268062) and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application, Publication 2006-195960 (of which a US counterpart is US 2006-0155950 A1) disclose how to control the tiered structure.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application, Publication 2003-216460 discloses a technique in which a data frequently accessed by a host (a computing unit) is transferred (migrated) to a storage having a high transfer rate or a high response rate. Thus an access to the data is speeded up.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application, Publication No. SHO 2006-195960 discloses a technique in which a threshold is established for a storage in advance, and, if a used capacity in the storage reaches or exceeds the threshold, a data is migrated to the other storage. Thus the capacity used in the storages is suitably controlled.
In the technique of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application, Publication 2003-216460, however, an access to the data is speeded up by migrating a frequently accessed data to an online storage simply based on a frequency of the data accessed by a host, regardless of a computing schedule. This may bring about a problem as follows, if the technique is applied to a configuration of a high-speed computer. When a computing unit completes a computation and stores a resultant output data in an online storage, there may not be a sufficient free space therein, because a migration of the data is conducted regardless of the computing schedule. In this case, a destaging of the output data to a nearline storage is conducted instead, which decreases a performance of destaging the output data from the computing unit. Similarly, when an input data required for a computation is migrated from the nearline storage to the online storage, a shortage of a free space in the online storage may not allow the migration. In this case, a staging of the input data from the nearline storage to the computing unit may be conducted instead, which decreases a performance of staging the input data to the computing unit.
In the technique of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application, Publication No. SHO 2006-195960, when a used space in an online storage reaches or exceeds a predetermined value, a certain data is migrated to a nearline storage to make a sufficient free space in the online storage. This may bring about a problem as follows, if the technique is applied to a configuration of a high-speed computer. A free space in the online storage is not used effectively due to lack of consideration of a computing schedule, which decreases a performance of a staging or a destaging.
The present invention has been made in an attempt to provide a computing system using tiered storages, capable of not decreasing a performance thereof, and having a large capacity and an excellent cost performance; a method of controlling the same; and a system management unit.

Computing system, method of controlling the same, and system management unit which plan a data migration according to a computation job execution schedule


Foreground objects of interest are distinguished from a background model by dividing a region of interest of a video data image into a grid array of individual cells that are each smaller than that a foreground object of interest. More particularly, image data of the foreground object of interest spans a contiguous plurality of the cells. Each of the cells are labeled as foreground if accumulated edge energy within the cell meets an edge energy threshold, if color intensities for different colors within each cell differ by a color intensity differential threshold, or as a function of combinations of said determinations in view of one or more combination rules.

Automated systems are known that use background subtraction (BGS) methods to distinguish foreground objects from a determined image background as a function of analysis results from motion inference algorithms. In some examples, adaptive background modeling is used to detect foreground masks obtained with respect to a BGS model. BGS systems may also use adaptive mixtures of Gaussian models to detect non-static objects as moving foreground objects distinct from other objects or scene image data within the background model of the image scene.
Accurately distinguishing between static and non-static objects in prior art BGS systems is problematic. Non-static objects that remain motionless for a given period of time may be erroneously treated as static objects and learned into a background scene model. Healing problems may arise when formerly stationary objects begin to move, wherein the objects remain in the foreground as "ghosts" after they have in fact moved on and out of the image scene. Noisy light and shadow data within the analyzed video image may present still further problems in object detection and tracking, wherein current frame image data may change suddenly due to quickly changing lighting conditions and thereby cause false moving object detection events.

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention provides an optical module using optical waveguides which permits easy fabrication of a PLC type optical multiplexer/demultiplexer with reduced loss. The optical module comprises cores which are contiguous to each other through a dicing groove adapted to position and fix an optical functional part such as a wavelength selection filter and a core branched from the said cores. A slight gap is present between the former and the latter core and both cores are narrower in width in the vicinity of the dicing groove than the other portions.

Optical modules using optical waveguides, particularly optical multiplexer/demultiplexer, are important optical parts used in many optical modules, including ones for wavelength division multiplexing communication. Recently, attempts have actively been made to constitute an optical multiplexer/demultiplexer by PLC for reduction in size and cost.
FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a basic construction of a conventional PLC type optical multiplexer/demultiplexer. The optical multiplexer/demultiplexer has a construction such that a wavelength selection filter 3 is inserted into a crossing portion of a Y-branch type optical waveguide comprising optical waveguides 1a, 1b and 1c. In FIG. 10, only a core portion of the optical waveguide is shown, which is embedded in a substrate portion including the optical waveguide. All of the drawings which follow the same figure also show only core portions. The wavelength selection filter 3 is fixedly inserted into a dicing groove 2 which is cut vertically into the surface of the substrate portion. Although in FIG. 10 a gap is shown between the groove 2 and an optical member of the filter 3, the gap is shown to make it easy to understand that the optical member 3 is inserted into the groove 2. Actually, the optical member is fixed by being inserted into the groove. The illustrated dimensions do not show concrete dimensions in a proportional relation. This is also the case with the succeeding drawings each showing like groove and optical member.
When light having a transmission wavelength of the wavelength selection filter 3 is incident on the above optical module using optical waveguides and light having a reflection wavelength is incident on the same module from the optical waveguide 1c, both light signals propagate through the optical waveguide 1a. In this way, this optical module acts as an optical multiplexer. If both light signals are incident from the optical waveguide 1a, their transmission wavelength light and reflection wavelength light propagate through the optical waveguide 1b and the optical waveguide 1c, respectively, so that this optical module acts as an optical demultiplexer. Thus, according to the illustrated construction it is possible to obtain a PLC type optical multiplexer/demultiplexer.
However, this construction involves the drawback in which an excess insertion loss occurs in the route of reflected light due to a positional deviation of the wavelength selection filter 3. This is because offset occurs between the light reflected by the filter and the optical waveguide on which the light is incident. Since the position of the wavelength selection filter is determined by the dicing groove, an excess insertion loss can be prevented by enhancing the positioning accuracy of dicing. In this case, however, a complicated process results, causing an increase in fabrication cost. Therefore, in the development of a PLC type optical multiplexer/demultiplexer, it is an important subject how an element of lessened insertion loss is to be fabricated in a simple manner.
The following proposals have been made heretofore for attaining the above-mentioned subject.
FIG. 11 shows a first example described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 6-174954 (Patent Literature 1). According to this example, in the vicinity of the wavelength selection filter 3, a spot size Ws of propagating light is made larger than in the other portion to suppress the influence of offset. The spot size Ws can be enlarged by either increasing or decreasing a core width W. One example of core width options described in Patent Literature 1 is shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 14 shows the relationship between the core width W and the spot size Ws of propagating light. In the same figure, the difference Δ in refractive index between core and clad is set at 0.84%, core thickness d is set at 4.5 μm, and operating wavelength is set at 1.3 μm. In this case, a cutoff core width (a maximum value of core width free of a higher mode) is 4.5 μm and Ws is 5 μm. Generally, in an optical circuit for communication, a core having a cutoff core width is used from the standpoint of maintaining a single mode characteristic and decreasing the radius of curvature. In this example, therefore, W of a portion sufficiently spaced away from the filter is set at 4.5 μm. It is seen from FIG. 14 that the value of Ws can be made equal to, e.g., 10 μm by setting W at 11 μm or 0.7 μm. Thus, it is seen that in this example the influence of offset is suppressed by adopting a tapered shape such that the core is widened from 4.5 to 11 μm or narrowed to 0.7 μm in the vicinity of the filter.
FIG. 12 shows a second example described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 8-190026 (Patent Literature 2). According to this example, in the vicinity of the wavelength selection filter 3, the width of the optical waveguide is made larger than in the other portion to suppress the influence of offset as in the above first conventional example. In this example, moreover, a gap is formed in the core crossing portion to prevent formation of an air bubble during fabrication of the optical waveguide. According to this example, it is also possible to prevent occurrence of an excess loss caused by an air bubble. FIG. 13 shows a third example described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-180646 (Patent Literature 3). In this example, cores 1a, 1b and 1c are separated from one another to prevent the formation of an air bubble and the width of each core is narrowed in a tapered shape toward a wavelength selection filter to diminish an insertion loss.
The above conventional examples still involve the following drawbacks. First, in the above first conventional example, a dead-ended space is present between the cores 1a and 1b, so that such an air bubble 111 as shown in FIG. 15 is apt to occur at the time of forming a clad, and an excess loss caused by the air bubble is apt to occur. FIG. 16 shows the relationship between an excess loss caused by an air bubble and the core width W, in which the axis of ordinate represents the excess loss. The example of FIG. 16 is a calculation result obtained by a two-dimensional BPM (Beam Propagation Method). The model shown in FIG. 17 is used for calculating the excess loss. According to this model, first a zero-order eigen mode 114 is introduced and propagated into a rectilinear core 112 with which a square air bubble 111 is in contact. Next, an overlap between a light distribution 115 just after the zero-order eigen mode passing the air bubble 111 and the zero-order eigen mode 114 is calculated to determine an excess loss. Each side length of the square is set at 2 μm. The difference Δ in refractive index between the core 112 and clad 113, as well as the operating wavelength, are the same as in FIG. 14. From FIG. 16 it is seen that the excess loss caused by the air bubble poses no problem when the core width is large but is serious when the core width is small. For example, when W is set at 11 μm in an effort to widen Ws to 10 μm, the excess loss caused by the air bubble is less than 0.1 dB. However, if W is narrowed to 0.7 μm, there occurs an excess loss of 10 dB or more. This is because the leakage of light from the core becomes greater with narrowing of the core width and hence the air bubble becomes more easily influential. From this point it is seen that widening the core width is advisable in this example. However, in the case of widening the core width, a higher mode is apt to occur even according to the core shape or by a slight positional deviation of the filter. If a higher mode is present, a problem arise in that interference with the zero-order mode occurs, making the light output unstable.
In the above second example, the gap is formed to prevent formation of an air bubble. However, since the structure described therein involves widening the core width, the same problem as in the above first example arises also in this case.
In the above third example, since cores are separated from one another, between cores light is radiated into the clad and propagates. Further, a core-to-core distance dz is as large as about 60 μm. Thus, a problem arises in that both reflected light and transmitted light require a long radiation distance, with a consequent increase of loss. FIG. 18 shows the relationship between the core-to-core distance dz and radiation loss. It is here assumed that Ws and the optical axis on the output side are respectively coincident with those on the incident side and that the refractive index of the clad is 1.52 and the operating wavelength is 1.3 μm. In this case, if dz=60 μm, the radiation loss becomes 4 dB or more for Ws=5 μm (a spot size at cutoff core width). It is seen from the figure that this radiation loss can be decreased by enlarging Ws, but that at dz=60 μm the radiation loss is still 0.4 dB or more even if Ws is widened to 10 μm. Also in this case the loss can be decreased to a level less than 0.1 dB by enlarging Ws up to 20 μm. However, to enlarge Ws to 20 μm, it is necessary to control W to 0.5 μm or less as is seen from FIG. 14, thus requiring an advanced fabrication technique. When W is narrow, the taper length also becomes large in order to prevent the occurrence of radiation loss. Consequently, also drawback occurs in which the number of elements obtained per wafer is decreased.
Thus, even by the above conventional examples, it has so far been practically difficult to fabricate a PLC type optical multiplexer/demultiplexer with reduced loss in a simple manner.


A metal-sealing material-feedthrough for igniters includes: a base body including a feedthrough opening, a front side, and a back side, the base body configured such that a ratio of a thickness of the base body to a maximum dimension of the feedthrough opening vertical to an axis direction of the feedthrough opening is in a range of approximately 0.5 to 2.5, the base body having a thickness between 1.5 mm and 3.5 mm; a sealing material; and a metal pin which is located in the feedthrough opening, the thickness being such that the base body is deformed under compression, the deformation adding an additional force to the sealing material such that the metal-sealing material-feedthrough is configured for avoiding a relative movement of the sealing material between the front side and the back side in a direction toward the back side relative to an inside circumference of the feedthrough opening.

1. Field of the Invention
The current invention relates to a metal-sealing material-feedthrough. It further relates to usage as well as to a gas generator, airbag and belt tensioning device including an ignition device, comprehensively a metal-sealing material-feedthrough.
2. Description of the Related Art
Metal-sealing material feedthroughs are already known in various forms from the current state of the art. They are understood to be vacuum-tight seals of sealing materials, especially glass or synthetics to metal seals. In this type or arrangement the metals act as electrical conductors. We refer you to representative documentation U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,872, U.S. Pat. No. 3,274,937. Feedthroughs of this type are common in electronic and electrical engineering. The material used for sealing, especially glass, serves as an insulator. Typical metal-sealing material-feedthroughs are constructed such that metallic internal conductors are sealed into a pre-formed sintered glass component, wherein the sintered glass component or the glass tube is sealed into an outer metal component with the so-called base body. Preferred applications for metal-sealing material-feedthroughs of this type are for example ignition devices. One area of application is in airbags or belt tensioning devices in motor vehicles. In this instance the metal-sealing material-feedthroughs are a component part of an ignition device. In addition to the metal-sealing material-feedthrough, the entire ignition device includes an ignition bridge, the explosive agent, as well as a metal shrouding which tightly encloses the ignition mechanism. Either one or two, or more than two metallic pins may be inserted through the feedthrough. In one embodiment with one metallic pin the housing is grounded. In a two-pin embodiment one of the pins is grounded. The previously described ignition device is used especially for airbags or for belt tensioning devices in motor vehicles. Already known ignition devices of the aforementioned, or similar types are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,274,252, U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,183, DE 29 04 174 A1, DE 199 27 233 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,634, U.S. Pat. No. 3,134,329, DE 34 15 625 A1, EP 1 225 415 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,320, EP 0 248 977 B1, US 2002/0069781 A1, DE 101 33 223 A1 as well as EP 1 491 848 A1 and EP 1 455 160 A1 whose disclosure contents are included in their entirety in the present application. The aforementioned ignition units include two metal pins. However, electronic ignition devices with a singular pin are also possible. The ignition devices which are known from the current state of the art include a metal base body or metal sleeve which is constructed as a pivoted component, or they include a base body of synthetic material. The metal base body has at least one feedthrough opening through which at least one metal pin is inserted. One fundamental problem in this embodiment is that this type of construction is material intensive and expensive. Also when constructed as a pivoted component the configuration of the pass through opening deviating from a circular cross section is possible only with additional costs. In addition, pivoted components are characterized by relatively large dimensions which is then reflected in a respectively necessary sizing of the entire ignition device.
Designs of ignition devices are known from EP 1 491 848 A1 which include a pair of electrodes arranged in an insulating material and a base body in the embodiment of a housing. In order to increase the resistance relative to the pressure created when the ignition is triggered and thereby in order to increase the ejection force, ways are provided on one of the components of the metal-sealing material feedthrough which interact with each other. These are provided either on the sealing material, the electrode or on the base body on the surface which is facing the neighboring element. The design on the base body includes at least one step, that is to say—a change in the cross section of the feedthrough opening wherein this causes an enlargement of the surface that is exposed to the pressure during the ignition process. There are no restrictions regarding the material choices for the base body so that, depending upon design, especially when constructed as a pivoted component, the already mentioned disadvantages also occur, which only intensify through the additional necessary inclusion of the required ways for the increase of the tensile force, extraction force, and/or ejection force.
A generic metal-sealing material-feedthrough is already known from EP 1 455 160 A1. This discloses a metal-sealing material-feedthrough which is described in a special design as a glass-to-metal-feedthrough, including one metallic base body through which at least one metal pin is inserted. If two metal pins are provided in a preferred design form then at least one of the two provides the ground connection to the base body at least indirectly, in other words, directly or indirectly through additional elements. In a design having two metal pins said metal pins are located parallel to each other. At least one of the metal pins is located in a feedthrough opening in the base body and is sealed relative to it through sealing material, such as in form of a glass slug. The base body is formed from a sheet metal element wherein in a first design form at least the feedthrough opening is created by a separation process, especially by punching. The base body itself is punched from a solid material. The final geometry of the base body however is achieved through a forming process, for example through deep-drawing. In a preferred design form the final geometry describing the outer contour and the basic geometry describing the feedthrough opening is produced at least by a separation process, especially punching. Final geometry means that no further forming processes will be conducted on this form. Basic geometry means that this either represents the final geometry if no further changes are required or that changes through ways of additional manufacturing processes, especially forming processes may be made, wherein the final geometry is achieved only following these additional processes. Ways are provided between the front and the back side in order to avoid a relative movement of sealing material in the direction toward the back relative to the inside circumference of the feedthrough opening, especially during ignition. The ways are an integral component of the base body or embody a structural unit with same. The manufacture of the base body by way of punching provides the advantage of short manufacturing periods and permits free forming, especially of the feedthrough opening. However, fabrication by way of punching is subject to limits with a view to individual material related parameters exceeding of which would render the fabrication uneconomical and which would also have a negative effect upon the available ejection force.
What is needed in the art is a metal-sealing material-feedthrough of the type mentioned at the beginning, including a base body which has at least one feedthrough opening which is obtained by punching and which is characterized by a high rigidity at low material- and labor expenditure and at the same time by high ejection forces. In addition, assembly errors which are a result of inaccurate coordination of the individual elements are to be avoided.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Metal-sealing material-feedthrough and utilization of the metal-sealing material feedthrough with an airbag, a belt tensioning device, and an ignition device