Computational models of a patterning process are described. Any one of these computational models can be implemented as computer-readable program code embodied in computer-readable media. The embodiments described herein explain techniques that can be used to adjust parameters of these models according to measurements, as well as how predictions made from these models can be used to correct lithography data. Corrected lithography data can be used to manufacture a device, such as an integrated circuit.

Semiconductor device manufacturing comprises many steps of patterning layers. A layer is either the substrate of the semiconductor wafer or a film deposited on the wafer. At some steps, a pattern is etched into a layer. At some other steps, ions are implanted in a pattern into the layer. Patterning comprises: lithography, and etch or implant. The prevalent form of lithography is optical projection lithography, which involves making a mask or reticle that embodies the pattern to be projected onto the wafer; optically projecting an image of the mask onto a photoresist film coated on the wafer; exposing the photoresist; and developing the latent image, thereby making a stencil on the wafer. Other forms of lithography include: mask-less optical projection lithography where the mask is replaced by a spatial light modulator, which is driven by data representing the pattern; direct electron-beam writing lithography; and imprint lithography. All patterning processes, however faithful, distort the image to some extent. This adversely affects the performance of high-speed semiconductor devices. For example, line width variations at the gate level affect gate length, hence, speed and leakage current of CMOS transistors. Line width variations in the metal interconnection layers affect self and cross-capacitance and inductance of the interconnections. Unintentional variations in the line width limit the clock speed at which the device will function. Therefore, linewidth uniformity maps to higher revenue.
Linewidth can vary from wafer to wafer, across the wafer, across the lithography imaging field, and across the chip (die). Variations have systematic (reproducible) and random components. Minimizing the wafer-to-wafer and across the wafer variations is the object of automatic process control and automatic equipment control (APC/AEC), whereas reducing across-chip and across-field variations is best achieved by compensating the mask layout for across-field variations in the patterning process. The following processes contribute to pattern distortions. Some of these effects depend on the field position:
Mask writer position error: optical and electron-beam mask writers scan an image either in raster or vector mode. In either embodiment, electronic noise and nonlinearity in the driver circuit of the scanning system lead to random and systematic beam position errors, respectively. Mask writers move the wafer in the x and y positions, writing one swath at a time. Errors in wafer position cause stitching errors between swaths or fields.
Spreading of the mask writer beam: optical mask writers are subject to diffraction. Electron beams diverge due to the Coulomb force. Both effects spread the beam. This distortion does not depend on the position in the field, but ignoring it in mask design can cause across-chip variability.
E-beam proximity effect: In an e-beam mask writer, electrons scatter in the resist and in the mask. Scattered electrons laterally smear the exposure. The length scale of this effect is on the order of 10 μm on the mask. A software proximity correction modulates the exposure dose to compensate for the proximity effect. However, the correction is not perfect.
Fogging and flare in the mask writer: In an e-beam mask writer, secondary and backscattered electrons from the wafer scatter off parts of the e-beam column and chamber and expose the wafer. The length scale of fogging is on the order of 10 mm. Laser mask writers are subject to flare, which can be caused by multiple reflections between the interfaces of lenses and scattering from microscopic roughness of the surfaces of optical components.
Mask Etch: Etching of the chrome film on the mask depends on the average pattern density in a long-range (on the order of 1 mm). Variations in mean pattern density cause variations in the widths of features etched into chrome. Non-uniformity of silica etch-depth in phase shift masks cause phase errors.
Illumination of the lithography projector: The pupil illumination of the lithography projector has a prescribed shape such as a circle, annulus, or dipole. Either the intensity within the prescribed shape is assumed uniform, or the actual distribution is measured. If the illumination distribution differs from the one assumed during the chip design, the printed pattern will be distorted. If the pupil illumination pattern or total intensity varies across the slit of the lithography projector, this variation causes a pattern distortion that depends on the field position.
Multiple scattering at the mask: Scattering or diffraction of electromagnetic waves from a strong scatterer, such as the mask, is highly nonlinear due to multiple scattering. This effect is not position dependent but ignoring it in mask design can cause across-chip variability.
Imaging with finite aperture optics: Features of the aerial image are subject to the wave and electromagnetic field nature of light. The imaging system is a low-pass filter in the spatial frequency domain. This limits how fast light intensity can change as a function of position on the wafer. This is by far the most significant contributor to image distortion in the sub-wavelength domain. This distortion is not position dependent, but ignoring it in mask design causes strong across-chip variability.
Projection lens aberrations: Projections lenses have wavefront errors that are on the order of 1/100 of a wave. The wavefront error depends on the position in the pupil plane and on the position in the image field, a total of 4 scalar variables. Lens aberrations distort the image in a pattern and position dependent manner.
Flare in the projection lens: Any mechanism that sends a portion of a light ray in an unintended direction increases the background light level and reduces the contrast. Such mechanisms include: volume-scattering in lenses due to density variations in the lens material; surface scattering off grinding marks and other surface roughness on lens and mirror surfaces; multiple reflections between lens elements, wafer, mask, or the lens barrel. Flare depends on the position in the imaging field.
Lithography scanner position error: Lithography stepper-scanners use a slit-shaped subset of the image field to keep the lens aberrations low. The size of the slit is on the order of 26 mm by 8 mm on the wafer. The wafer and the mask are scanned in synchronization along the short dimension of the slit on the order of 33 mm at speeds up to 500 mm/s. The mask and the wafer are scanned in opposite directions and the ratio of their displacements must equal the lens magnification precisely. Relative position errors between the wafer and the image of the mask on the wafer can have random and systematic components. Random position errors blur the image.
Diffusion of reactants in the resist: After the resist is exposed, its temperature is elevated. This process is called post-exposure bake. Elevated temperature increases the diffusion coefficient of the reactants in the resist. Diffusion diminishes the contrast of the high-spatial frequency components of the image. The diffusion length, which is on the order of 30 nm, can vary across the wafer. This distortion does not depend on the position in the field, but ignoring it in mask design causes across-chip variability.
Wafer-etch: The difference in a critical dimension in the developed resist pattern and in the etched pattern is called etch-bias. Etch bias depends on the density of the pattern over a long range. This can cause an across-chip variation in the etch bias.
Optical proximity correction is a technique that compensate for some of these distortions (see A. K-T Wong, Resolution enhancement techniques in optical lithography, SPIE Press, Vol. TT47, Bellingham, Wash., 2001; H. J. Levinson, Principles of Lithography, SPIE Press, Bellingham, Wash., 2001). However, this technique does not take into account the dependence of the patterning process on the position in the imaging field.

Method and system for designing manufacturable patterns that account for the pattern- and position-dependent nature of patterning processes


A device for protecting an inverter include a first power switch configured to be turned on when a first voltage signal from a first switch of a safety relay is applied thereto; a second power switch connected in series with the first power switch, wherein the second power switch is configured to be turned on when a second voltage signal from a second switch of a safety relay is applied thereto; and a power line for connecting the first power switch and the second power switch to each other in series and for connecting the series of the first power switch and the second power switch to a buffer of the inverter, wherein a third voltage signal is applied via the power line to the buffer.

Recently, electric devices such as motors have become widespread, a possibility of an abnormal operation of the electric device leading to a serious accident is further increased. Thus, it is required to reduce a risk of an accident as much as possible. To put the risk occurrence within an allowable limit, international standards have been established. In one example, IEC61508 is defined as a standard for the electric device. IEC61800-5-2 is specified as a standard of a driver such as a motor.
When a safety signal is input, an inverter must not deliver power to the motor as defined in IEC 61800-5-2.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a conventional inverter-protecting device.
An inverter 100 receives AC power of three phases. Then, a rectifying module 101 in the inverter 100 rectifies the AC power. Then, a smoothing module 102 therein smoothes and stores a DC voltage rectified by the rectifying module 101. An inverting module 103 therein receives the DC voltage stored in a DC link capacitor as the smoothing module 102, and converts the DC voltage into an AC voltage having a predetermined voltage and frequency according to a PWM control signal, and, outputs the converted AC voltage to a motor 200. The inverting module 103 is configured to have three-phase legs. Each leg includes two switching elements connected in series. The switching element of the inverting module 103 is, for example, an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT).
A safety relay 130 receives 24 V from the inverter 1. The safety relay 130 includes first and second switches 131 and 132 connected in parallel. The safety relay 130 has a closed state as a normal operation state.
When 24V is input to a SA terminal via the first switch 131, a first insulating module 140 insulates the corresponding voltage signal. A first receiving module 150 outputs a voltage detection signal. The first receiving module 150 is, for example, a photo coupler. The first receiving module 150 outputs a high-level voltage detection signal when an input voltage thereto is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, while the first receiving module 150 outputs a low-level voltage detection signal when the input voltage thereto is smaller than the predetermined threshold.
When 24V is input to a SB terminal via the second switch 132, a second insulating module 145 insulates the corresponding voltage signal. A second receiving module 155 outputs a voltage detection signal. The second receiving module 155 is a photo coupler. The second receiving module 155 outputs a high-level voltage detection signal when an input voltage thereto is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, while the second receiving module 155 outputs a low-level voltage detection signal when the input voltage thereto is smaller than the predetermined threshold. A transistor 160 prevents overcurrent and maintains a constant voltage.
When the first receiving module 150 outputs the high-level voltage detection signal, a controller 110 provides a pulse width modulation (PWM) control signal to a gate block 120. The gate block 120 outputs the PWM control signal to the inverting module 103 of the inverter 1. When the second receiving module 155 outputs the high-level voltage detection signal, the controller allows an enable pin of the gate block 120 to be active to enable the PWM control signal provided from the controller 110 to be outputted to the inverting module 103.
When the first receiving module 150 outputs the low-level voltage detection signal, this signal is input to a trip zone of the controller 110. The controller 110 prevents the PWM control signal from being provided to the gate block 120. Further, when the second receiving module 155 outputs the low-level voltage detection signal, the controller allows a disable pin of the gate block 120 to be active so that the PWM control signal is not output to the inverting module 103.
That is, when at least one of the first receiving module 150 and the second receiving module 155 outputs the low-level voltage detection signal, the PWM control signal may be prevented from being supplied to the inverting module 103. Thus, the electric power may be prevented from being supplied to the motor 200.
In such a conventional protection device, it is necessary for software to verify that the trip zone of the control unit 110 operates normally. Thus, there occurs a problem that such verification takes time and cost.

Device for protecting inverter using a buffer operating according to a state of a safety relay


An earphone antenna of a mobile terminal having a switching function by taking radiation characteristics of an antenna into consideration when the earphone antenna is used for receiving Frequency Modulation (FM) radio broadcasting and Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) is provided. The earphone antenna includes a first connector cable including a first antenna line for receiving DMB, a second connector cable including a second antenna line connected to the first antenna line for receiving FM radio broadcasting, and a switch positioned between the first connector cable and the second connector cable for electrically connecting and separating the first antenna line to and from the second antenna line. The single earphone antenna supports an FM radio broadcasting antenna and a DMB antenna.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an earphone antenna of a mobile terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to an earphone antenna of a mobile terminal having a switching function by taking radiation characteristics of an antenna into consideration when the earphone antenna is used to receive Frequency Modulation (FM) radio broadcasting and Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB).
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, mobile terminals equipped with a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) function and a Frequency Modulation (FM) radio broadcasting function are being provided to address increased consumer demand. In order to receive DMB and FM radio broadcasting, an antenna is required, and specifically, an earphone antenna is widely used for FM radio broadcasting.
FIG. 1 illustrates an earphone antenna of a mobile terminal according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, an earphone antenna 100 of a mobile terminal includes a connector cable 110, a left speaker cable 141L, and a right speaker cable 141R. The connector cable 110 has one end connected to a connector 120 and the other end connected to the left speaker cable 141L and the right speaker cable 141R. The left speaker cable 141L is provided with a left earphone speaker 140L formed at one end, and the right speaker cable 141R is provided with a right earphone speaker 140R formed at another end. An antenna line for FM radio broadcasting (not shown), which is electrically connected to the connector 120, is formed in the connector cable 110. The antenna line for FM radio broadcasting receives FM radio broadcasting when the connector 120 is connected to an ear jack 196 of a mobile terminal 190.
The earphone antenna 100 of the mobile terminal 190 receives only FM radio broadcasting and DMB is received by only a retractable antenna installed in the mobile terminal 190. However, the retractable antenna 195 takes up a large space in the mobile terminal 190, which increases the size of the mobile terminal 190.
Moreover, when the retractable antenna 195 is detachable, a connector for the connection of the retractable antenna 195 and the mobile terminal 190 is easily broken. Another disadvantage is that the connector and/or the detached retractable antenna 195 may be easily lost.
Therefore, a need exists for an earphone antenna of a mobile terminal for supporting antenna functions for FM radio broadcasting and DMB through a single antenna.


In accordance with the teachings described herein, systems and methods are provided for calculating a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) code for a message. A system includes a first CRC calculator and a second CRC calculator. The first CRC calculator is configured to receive a first data block of the message, and to calculate a first CRC value based at least in part on the first data block, the message including the first data block and a second data block. The second CRC calculator is configured to receive the first CRC value and the second data block of the message, and to calculate a second CRC value based on the first CRC value and the second data block, the second CRC calculator being different from the first CRC calculator.

Cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is a widely used technique for detecting errors in digital data, and is suitably used in data transmission, data storage and algorithms for the selection of processing cores in multi-core processor devices, for example. A CRC code typically is computed through binary polynomial division using a computational device that performs a calculation on a first part of the message and then provides the result from the initial calculation as feedback to itself for a subsequent calculation on a second part of the message.

Systems and methods for cyclic redundancy check implementation


A uni-directional slack adjuster is incorporated into a hold-down tension rod or strap, such as a hold-down anchor bolt for bolting a shear wall on one floor to a shear wall or foundation wall below, when a wood floor joist assembly is in between. The slack adjuster eliminates bolt slack so that in the event of an earthquake or hurricane, the sill plate is positively anchored with no vertical bolt play, eliminating much of the cosmetic damage that is often done to the wallboard and other finished surfaces due to distortion of the wallboard framing as the sill rises abruptly until it reaches the end of travel on the hold-down bolts. The slack adjuster comprises a link in the tensioner and non-reversibly either expands or contracts axially depending on the particular embodiment. The mechanism used can be laterally extended wedges biased into other wedges, one-way clutch-type construction or ratchet engagement, all of which act to decrease the effective length of the tensioning device to take up the slack space which results from wood shrinkage occurring after the tensioning devices have already been installed.

The invention is in the field of construction, and more particularly relates to securely fastening together wide expanses of wood cross-grain, in which configuration shrinkage of the wood over time creates slack along the bolt which spans the shrinking members.
The invention particularly relates to protection of structures in high winds or an earthquake. Over the last few decades, considerable professional attention has been devoted studying various aspects of earthquakes such as how quakes can be predicted, how to design high-rise office buildings on float plates so that they will not feel the full force of the horizontal jolts that earthquakes produce, and how to modify buildings and other structures to minimize the danger to those inside and nearby. Much effort has gone into the development of construction techniques which minimize injuries caused by falling glass and collapsing building structures.
This effort has been devoted largely to mitigating the human cost, in terms of lives and serious injury, caused by a Big One. Although these considerations are of primary concern, for every major earthquake which seriously threatens life and property there are many quakes which shake buildings and cause considerable cosmetic damage even though none of the buildings are significantly impaired from a structural standpoint.
The instant invention addresses this type of damage which is largely cosmetic, and focuses on a particular detail of current construction which results in instability in the framing of wallboard, plaster, brick veneer or other surface panels, which in turn causes the overstressing of these panels at frame attachment points in extreme conditions of wind or earthquake. These panels are strong and can withstand considerable shock without damage if on secure framing.
However, when framed above an underlying horizontal wood support member such as a joist which has a thickness exceeding several inches, trauma damage is particularly likely. This is due to the fact that hold-down bolts which pass vertically through the structural members beneath the panels may span a wood "sandwich" of 10 to 15 inches normal to the grain, and considerable axial play generally develops between the bolt head and the retaining nut over time, as the wood dries out and shrinks. These bolts, commonly used for both second stories and for the first story if the house is built on a foundation wall, hold down the bottom of the frame, and it is the frame which prevents the laterally-bracing shear walls from overturning.
These long bolt spans may create slack up to 3/8ths inch or even 1/2 an inch in an extreme case. In a quake, panels overlying these areas are readily damaged as the frame distorts in shape as it raises off of the sill plate at one or both ends. The framing "rattles" around, causing stress at the drywall joining points, resulting in fracture lines and segments torn loose from the wall.
Beyond cosmetic damage, earthquake motion causes a dynamic "hammering" effect on the building, which multiplies the forces on the building structure to levels not considered in structural engineering calculations when the structure was designed. Premature structural failure may occur. If a three-foot by eight-foot shear wall is allowed to have one corner uplift by 3/8 inch due to slack in the hold-down member, the lateral displacement (or "drift" as it is called in the building code) of the top will be about one inch, which is double the allowable drift set forth in the Code. Current construction practices do not address this wood shrinkage problem because there is no readily available solution.
In an instance in which long vertical bolts are used, if the connection of the bottom of the wallboard framing to the underlying structure were modified to eliminate the possibility of subsequently developed slack along the bolt, much of this damage could be avoided. The problem caused by wood shrinkage as it relates to maintaining a tight connection is addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,096, disclosing a SELF-TIGHTENING NUT. This invention involves log cabin wall logs wherein each log is fastened to the log underneath with long nails which pass entirely through the upper log and sink into the lower one. The invention is a long nail with a coil spring under the head so the nail is continuously tensioned and compensates for shrinkage.
Different considerations than those in the log cabin log fastener present themselves regarding frame bolt adjustment for quake resistance, as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,096 issued Mar. 14, 1989 on a SELF-TIGHTENING NUT. The device of this invention addresses the problem head-on. It incorporates a long coiled spring capable of considerable rotational travelling while exerting considerable torque mounted in a housing over the nut. The spring is wound up much like a window shade coil spring, and as slack occurs along the bolt, the nut is automatically tightened by the coil spring.
This approach is very direct. The coil spring mechanism performs the function of a workman on-site, who would tighten the bolt down periodically as it becomes loose. However, even though it is a direct assault on the problem and stands as testimony to the existence of the problem, it is heavy-handed in its approach, using a long, bulky housing cylinder which is longer than the length of the bolt itself due to the number of winds in the coil spring that are necessary. Even more serious is a possibility of failure. The unit would be out of sight, ordinarily inside a wall, and even if it were in the open, it is questionable whether its non-operative condition would be noticed. A nut that has been on a bolt for ten, twenty, or thirty years is not going to be easy to turn. It is very doubtful that such a nut could be rotated by a coil spring.
There is a need for a self-tightening bolt construction that is simple, compact and substantially fool proof, so that it can be out of sight, hidden within walls for years, and still function properly substantially without fail. Because of the nature of the problem addressed, for every 1000 that are installed only a very few would every be tested by an earthquake, and that may not happen for years after installation, making marketplace feedback a poor tool for improving reliability. Instead, the design must be inherently foolproof from the outset.


A method includes storing information defining a plurality of procedures to be followed. The method also includes receiving a request for the information associated with at least one of the procedures. The method further includes formatting the requested information based on a platform to receive the requested information. In addition, the method includes providing the formatted requested information to the platform. Formatting the requested information may include formatting the requested information using one of a plurality of templates, where the templates are associated with a plurality of different procedure types. Formatting the requested information may also include formatting the requested information differently based on whether the requested information is to be presented via a console computing device, a mobile device, or a printed document.

Organizations such as corporations often define or standardize procedures to be followed by employees or other personnel of the organizations. The procedures could represent any suitable sequence of steps required to perform a specific function, satisfy a particular objective, or otherwise achieve a specified goal. As an example, procedures could be defined to specify how particular operations in a petrochemical plant should be performed. By standardizing its procedures, an organization may encourage the use of streamlined or improved processes and reduce potential risks.
Even though procedures may be defined or standardized with an organization, problems may still occur when the procedures are actually implemented. These problems may include personnel failing to comply with a procedure, having an inadequate amount of time to complete a procedure, having a procedure that is irrelevant to a particular task at hand, or having a procedure that is too lengthy or hard to read. Some of these problems are based on the ways that procedures are presented and how the procedures are used. Not all procedures are alike, and a procedure may have different requirements based on the context of use and the technology being employed.

Apparatus and method for procedural operations development and distribution


Disclosed are a femoral stem for artificial coxal articulation, in which portions of the femoral stem interfering with and contacting an insertion in the joint movement of the femoral stem are removed from the femoral stem so as to maximize the range of the joint movement thereof while maintaining the cross sectional area thereof, and a method for processing a neck portion of the femoral stem. The method includes cutting symmetrical portions of the outer circle of a circular rod to form cutting planes inwardly inclined such that the cutting planes contact a virtual inner circle having the same center as that of the outer circle; and rounding a portion between the cutting planes along the inner circle so that the inner part of the outer circle is shorter than the outer part of the outer circle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a femoral stem for artificial coxal articulation, and more particularly a femoral stem for artificial coxal articulation, in which portions of the femoral stem interfering with and contacting an insertion in the joint movement of the femoral stem are removed from the femoral stem so as to maximize the range of joint movement thereof while maintaining the cross sectional area thereof, and a method for processing a neck portion of the femoral stem.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, as shown in FIG. 1, coxal articulation refers to articulation for connecting the femur 200 and the pelvis 100 of a human body, and plays the primary role in sitting or standing. The coxal articulation is damaged by various diseases or external injuries. In order to cure the damaged coxal articulation 300, an artificial coxal articulation is applied through a surgical operation.
As shown in FIG. 2, the artificial coxal articulation comprises an acetabulum cup 4 fixed to the acetabulum 300 of the pelvis 100, an artificial bone head 3 fixedly inserted into the femur 200, and a femoral stem 1.
An insertion 2 having a hemispheric shape made of ceramic or high molecular weight polyethylene is fixed into the acetabulum cup 4, and the artificial bone head 3 having a spherical shape made of ceramic or metal is formed on one end of the femoral stem 1. The artificial bone head 3 is connected to the insertion 2 such that the artificial bone head 3 is rotated against the insertion 2 according to the movements of the femur 200 and the femoral stem 1.
The most important point of the above-described artificial coxal articulation is how to perform the rotational movement of the artificial coxal articulation in a range similar to the joint movement of coxal articulation of the human body.
The joint movement of the coxal articulation is divided into flexion in which the femur moves in the front direction of the pelvis and extension in which the femur moves in the reverse direction, as shown in FIG. 3a, adduction in which the femur moves inside the pelvis and abduction in which the femur moves outside the pelvis, as shown in FIG. 3b, and internal rotation in which the femur rotates in the inner direction of the pelvis and external rotation in which the femur rotates in the reverse direction, as shown in FIG. 3c.
That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the flexion and extension respectively refer to the movements of the femoral stem 1 in the front and rear directions of the insertion 2, the adduction and abduction respectively refer to the movements of the femoral stem 1 to the inside and outside of the insertion 2, and the internal and external rotations respectively refer to the rotations of the femoral stem 1 in the inner and outer directions of the insertion 2.
Accordingly, the range of rotation of the artificial coxal articulation is determined by a range of the rotational movement of the femoral stem 1, i.e., an angle of rotation of the femoral stem 1. When the femoral stem 1 is manufactured, in order to minimize interference of the femoral stem 1 with the insertion 2, the diameter of a neck portion of the femoral stem 1 is decreased.
As shown in FIG. 2, the femoral stem 1 comprises a femoral stem main body 11 directly and fixedly inserted into the femur, a cutting conical portion 13 formed on one end of the femoral stem main body 11 so that the artificial bone head 3 is inserted into the cutting conical portion 13, and a neck portion 12 formed between the cutting conical portion 13 and the femoral stem main body 11.
Here, the neck portion 12 of the femoral stem 1 contacts the insertion 2 by the joint movement of the femoral stem 1. Accordingly, the smaller the diameter of the neck portion 12, the larger the range of movement of the femoral stem 1. However, when the diameter of the neck portion 12 is excessively small, the neck portion 12 is broken. Accordingly, the diameter of the neck portion 12 has a limit.
Recently, in order to overcome the above limit, a method, in which the joint movement of the femoral stem 1, particularly the range of the flexion of the femoral stem 1, is increased while the limit of the diameter of the neck portion 12 is maintained, has been proposed. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5, one example of a sectional structure of a neck portion of the conventional femoral stem 1 is proposed.
As described above, the femoral stem 1 for artificial coxal articulation comprises the femoral stem main body 11, the cutting conical portion 13, and a neck portion 12 a having a circular cross section. As shown in FIG. 5, the neck portion 12 a has a limit diameter, and includes cutting planes 14 symmetrically formed at both sides thereof directly contacting the insertion 2 when the femoral stem 1 performs joint movement.
That is, portions of the neck portion 12 a contacting the insertion 2 are cut under the condition that the limit diameter of the neck portion 12 a is maintained, thereby producing the cutting planes 14. The range of the movement of the femoral stem 1 is expanded in compensation for the cutting of the portions of the neck portion 12a. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, in the flexion of the femoral stem 1, the range of the movement of the femoral stem 1 is increased by approximately 10°.
However, since the acetabulum cup is inserted into the pelvis at an angle of 40˜50° when the artificial coxal articulation is inserted into the pelvis, the acetabulum cap of the femoral stem 1 in the joint movement does not interfere with the front and rear cutting planes 14 of the neck portion 12a, but interferes with corners of the neck portion 12a inwardly turned at an angle of 40˜50°, as shown in FIG. 7. Accordingly, the increase in the range of movement of the artificial coxal articulation is substantially no more than approximately 50.
Compared to the coxal articulation of the human body, which has the angle of flexion of approximately 130˜135°, the above artificial coxal articulation substantially has the angle of flexion of at most 110°. Accordingly, the above discordance generates interference when the flexion of the artificial coxal articulation is performed.
Such interference generates abrasion of an insertion made of polyethylene in the acetabulum cup, breakage of an insertion made of ceramic in the acetabulum cup, dislocation of artificial coxal articulation, or detachment of the artificial coxal articulation. Accordingly, the increase in the range of movement of the artificial coxal articulation is essential, and, particularly, is important in the East requiring eating life while sitting.

Femoral stem for artificial coxal articulation and method for processing neck portion thereof


A device and method for reconditioning oil or vaporizing volatile fluids from oil of internal combustion engines in order to extend the oil service life is provided. Such a device can include a housing which defines a substantially enclosed open chamber which can receive heated engine oil. An engine oil inlet, a vapor outlet, and a reconditioned oil outlet may be coupled to the housing. In addition, the disclosed oil reconditioning device may be free of direct heating or supplemental heating sources other than the intrinsic heat of the heated engine oil as it enters the open chamber. The reconditioning devices can be configured to introduce engine oil into the open chamber prior to contact with any interior surfaces. Separation of volatile fluids can be affected using either spraying or thin film. The reconditioned oil has a significant reduction in water and fuel content thus allowing for increased service intervals and increased useful oil life.

Internal fuel combustion engines are used in a variety of circumstances such as automobiles, marine crafts, aircrafts, locomotives, diesel trucks, stationary diesel engines, to name a few. All internal combustion engines have moving parts which are susceptible to wear and damage during operation due to the presence of foreign material and/or breakdown of engine oil. Engine oils are used to lubricate interfaces or surfaces between the moving parts; however, volatile fluids and contaminants found in engine oils can significantly reduce the useful service life of the oil. Many have realized that engine oils having an extended service life can provide wide spread benefits, therefore attempts have been made to accomplish this purpose.
Generally, a number of methods and approaches have been implemented by those in the industry to extend the engine oil service life. One specific approach has been to formulate oils to include various additives. For example, additives can be designed to reduce or prevent oxidation, neutralize acids, and/or reduce agglomeration of particulates. In addition, specific additives such as viscosity modifiers have also been used to extend the temperature range over which the oils operate thereby improving the service life of the oil. However, such additives typically have a finite period of usefulness until the additive is exhausted or otherwise rendered ineffective.
Another common approach for extending oil service life is to filter the oil in an attempt to remove particulate matter. Typically, full flow particulate filters are utilized to filter particulates to extend service life. These particulate filters have become a standard in internal combustion engines, however, merely removing particulates from engine oil only accounts for a portion of the contaminants. The presence of water and other volatile fluids in lubricating engine oils can also reduce the service life of the oil and can be detrimental to internal engine performance. Moisture or volatile fluids can result in the production of unwanted corrosion and oxidation producing acids and additional particulates.
Previous attempts to develop processes which reduce water content or other volatile fluids from engine oil have been met with varying degrees of success. Some of these processes have utilized heated surfaces in various configurations. The various configurations allow for the surface to be heated by supplemental heat sources or thermal conduction from the heat of the engine oil. Removal or vaporization of volatile fluids in these processes is usually accomplished by forming a thin film of oil over the heated surface. However, these processes are typically inefficient since they often place undesirable electrical loads on the vehicle's electrical system. Further, the complexities of supplemental heating sources can jeopardize the reliability and increase the difficulty of the installation of the device. In the event problems arise with the device, isolating and trouble shooting the problems will require analyzing the extra components provided by the supplemental heating source. In addition, the previous processes can sometimes promote unpredictable and inconvenient environments due to supplemental heating sources which are in direct contact with combustible fluids. Other oil reconditioning processes can direct engine oil past an outer surface of a thin film evaporator. Heat from the passing oil heats the thin film evaporator surface prior to the oil entering the evaporator. Supplemental electrical heating may be avoided in this process, however, the heat transfer may be insufficient for proper separation of the volatile fluids from the engine oil and the design configuration may not provide adequate continuous fluid flow.
Although these devices have improved oil quality and extended service life to some degree, each suffers from problems such as unreliable performance, unpredictable dangerous environments, limited practicality, inefficiency, increased costs, and other deficiencies which prevent their widespread use.
As such, systems and methods offering removal of volatile fluids thereby providing improved oil quality and extended service intervals, and which are suitable for use in practical applications continue to be sought through ongoing research and development efforts.

Oil reconditioning device and associated methods


A cementitious matrix in which the development of early strength is fast, the hydration heat temperature is small, and the amount of shrinkage during curing is small, while keeping the fluidity when concrete is fresh, is provided. The cementitious matrix is characterized by comprising 100 parts by weight of Portland cement, 5 to 30 parts by weight of silica fume, 5 to 25 parts by weight of limestone powder, 30 to 80 parts by weight of at least one of ground blast furnace slag or fly ash, at least one chemical admixture, water, and 70 to 150 parts by weight of aggregate having a largest aggregate diameter of 1.2 to 3.5 mm.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a cementitious matrix having high strength and containing no coarse aggregate, and a fiber reinforced cement based mixture.
2. Background Art
Conventional concrete ranges from normal concrete used for civil engineering and architectural constructions to high-fluidity concrete, high-strength concrete, mass concrete, underwater concrete, and the like according to the intended use, and is basically a material intended to be reinforced with reinforcing steel bars. Nowadays, however, there is a tendency to employ so-called fiber reinforced concrete (hereinafter, sometimes abbreviated to "FRC") in which short fibers are incorporated into the conventional concrete for the purpose of supplementing steel bar reinforcement, preventing corner defects of members, and preventing cracking due to drying shrinkage.
The aggregates mixed in these concretes are composed of a fine aggregate and a coarse aggregate. In conventional concrete, a unit weight of aggregate contained in a unit volume of concrete is larger than a unit weight of powder (=unit weight of cement+unit weight of mineral admixture). For example, the ratio of the unit weight of aggregate to the unit weight of powder is given by 400 to 700% for the concrete that is most commonly used. It is about 250 to 300% even for the powder-type high-fluidity concrete containing a large amount of powder.
Moreover, the largest particle diameter of coarse aggregate used for conventional concrete is limited most frequently to 20 mm or 25 mm in the case of applying to general structures, and limited to 40 mm or 80 mm in the case of applying to dams and the like. Therefore, in conventional fiber reinforced concrete, the bonding mechanism between fibers and concrete does not rely on the mechanical bond through the aggregate mixed in the concrete but relies on the chemical adhesion and frictional force between concrete hydrate (cement paste) and fibers.
On the other hand, ultra-high-strength fiber reinforced concrete (hereinafter, sometimes abbreviated to "UFC") that is obtained by mixing reinforcing fibers such as metallic fibers or organic fibers into a cementitious matrix obtained by mixing cement and pozzolanic reaction particles (pozzolanic material) into aggregate having a largest aggregate particle diameter of about 1 to 2 mm is known.
UFC has such a characteristic that it can secure a certain level of tensile strength and toughness even after development of a crack, by combining fibers having high tensile strength with a cementitious matrix being dense and having ultra-high strength. Specifically, this has been considered to be due to the exertion of a so-called bridging effect in which the fibers cover tensile force instead of the cementitious matrix when a crack is developed in the cementitious matrix as a result of the exertion of the tensile stress on the materials.
For this reason, unlike the conventional reinforced concrete, UFC does not require reinforcement with reinforcing steel bars. Moreover, concrete structures built using UFC can achieve the reduction in the thickness and the weight of the members.
On the other hand, by performing the high temperature heat curing to UFC at 80° C. to 90° C., the hydration reaction of cement, and a binder such as a pozzolanic material including silica fume, fly ash, ground blast furnace slag, and the like, which are contained in a cementitious matrix, can be completed efficiently, and in a short time, therefore, UFC is frequently subjected to heat curing.
Moreover, UFC can achieve significant improvement in the durability because denser hydrated cement particles are developed in a short time through a hydration process when the cementitious matrix is subjected to heat curing as compared with the case of the controlled normal temperature curing. Further, after the heat curing, UFC has a characteristic that drying shrinkage becomes almost zero, a creep coefficient is significantly decreased, and the like (see Patent Documents 5 to 11, and the like).
Patent Document 1 discloses that by mixing an inorganic mineral admixture composed of at least one kind of blast furnace slag, fly ash, or limestone powder into a cementitious composition of low-heat Portland cement and silica fume, a high-strength concrete excellent in the fluidity, the workability, and the strength development can be obtained at a water-cement ratio of about 12 to 30%. However, as to the inorganic mineral admixture disclosed in Examples, there are only the cases where one kind of inorganic mineral admixture is applied, and the effects of the combination of these inorganic mineral admixtures are neither described nor suggested.
On the other hand, Patent Document 2 relates to a cementitious matrix for high-fluidity spraying concrete, and discloses that one or more kinds of auxiliary powders selected from limestone powder, silica stone powder, blast furnace slag, or fly ash are added into a mixture of Portland cement and silica fume. In this document, the Examples or effects of the combination of the limestone powder with another auxiliary powder are neither described nor suggested. Further, as the effect disclosed in Patent Document 2, the reduction of a rebound ratio is only disclosed.
Each of the cementitious compositions disclosed in Patent Documents 3 and 4 has almost the same configuration as each other except for the type of cement. The difference between the two is that while the type of cement of the cementitious composition is ordinary Portland cement in Patent Document 3, the type of cement of the cementitious composition is high belite-based Portland cement in Patent Document 4. These documents disclose the effect of improving fluidity, and the reduction effect of the amount of high-range water-reducing agent that is required to obtain a certain level of fluidity of concrete, by using a cementitious composition in which each of the cement, the silica fume, and the limestone powder having a specific grading distribution is contained in an amount of specified parts by weight. Further, Patent Documents 3 and 4 disclose the effects of fluidity in the mortar and concrete in which a cementitious composition containing cement, silica fume, and limestone powder is applied, however, the Examples or effects of the combination of the cementitious composition described above with ground blast furnace slag or fly ash are neither described nor suggested. In addition, there is also no disclosure of the strength development, the shrinkage associated with cement hydration, and the effects relating to hydration heat.
Both Patent Documents 5 and 6 are the documents relating to ultra-high-strength fiber reinforced concrete. The fibers contained in a latent hydraulicity composition of Patent Document 5 are organic fibers or carbon fibers, while the fibers in Patent Document 6 are metallic fibers, and thus these Patent Documents are different in terms of fibers, but are common in the cementitious matrix. The cementitous matrices disclosed in these documents are each composed of cement, fine particles such as silica fume, and two kinds of inorganic particles A and B, in which a specific surface area and a mix proportion by weight are specified to each of the materials. Inorganic particles A and inorganic particles B are characterized in that the ranges of the specific surface area are different from each other, and examples of the material applicable to these inorganic particles A and B include slag, limestone powder, feldspars, mullites, alumina powder, quartz powder, fly ash, volcanic ash, silica sol, carbide powder, and nitride powder. Therefore, according to these documents, a mixture containing a component such as cement, silica fume, limestone powder, ground blast furnace slag, or fly ash can be acceptable. However, Patent Documents 5 and 6 focus only on the improvement of the self-compacting and mechanical characteristics (compressive strength, and flexural strength) before hardening, and in which there is neither disclosure nor suggestion focusing on, for example, the development of early strength, or the reduction of amount of autogenous shrinkage, the reduction of hydration heat, and the like in the curing stage. Moreover, Patent Documents 5 and 6 neither describe nor suggest the chemical effects obtained by the specification of the content of the limestone powder that is an inorganic powder, and the effects obtained by the combination of limestone powder with ground blast furnace slag or fly ash.
Herein, as the document disclosing the point that the ratio of flexural strength/compressive strength of an ultra-high-strength cementitious matrix is improved, there are Patent Documents, 7, 8, and 11. Patent Document 7 is characterized in that a setting retarding agent is contained to a component such as cement, pozzolan-like fine powder, and fine aggregate, and describes that the ratio of flexural strength/compressive strength is improved due to the shrinkage reduction effect of a setting retarding agent. Further, Patent Document 8 describes that the ratio of flexural strength/compressive strength is improved by containing an expansive admixture in addition to a setting retarding agent.
On the other hand, Patent Document 11 discloses that the ratio of flexural strength/compressive strength is improved by a cementitious composition in which cement is combined with silica fume, coal gasification fly ash, and plaster in an amount in the specific range, without containing a setting retarding agent and an expansive admixture. Herein, the components common to Patent Documents 8 and 11 are coal gasification fly ash and plaster. There is a description that plaster forms ettringite in needle crystals by a hydration reaction, and the ettringite fills the pores in the cement hardened body to promote the densification, and achieves the high strength. Further, there is a disclosure that the flexural strength in a cement hardened body can be improved by mixing silica fume, and coal gasification fly ash in a specific ratio.
Moreover, Patent Documents 9 and 10 each disclose a composition of a cementitious matrix composed of cement, pozzolanic reaction particles, and sand particles. Further, metallic fibers, organic fibers, composite fibers obtained by combining organic fibers with metallic fibers, or the like are contained as fibers to reinforce the flexural strength in these cementitious matrices. In addition, examples of the pozzolanic reaction particles include silica fume, fly ash, and blast furnace slag, and there is a disclosure that the pozzolanic reaction particles contribute to a long-term improvement in the mechanical properties by heat curing.
Further, Patent Document 12 discloses a high toughness and high strength mortar composition in which the high toughness, the high compressive strength, and the high tensile strength can be developed at an early stage only by controlled normal temperature curing. The UFC disclosed in Patent Document 12 is characterized by being combined with the special cement that contains C3S and C3A at a specific ratio, silica fume, and fine aggregate having a specific grading distribution. In addition, as the pozzolanic reaction particles, silica fume is only the applicable material.

Cementitious matrix and fiber reinforced cement based mixture


A chrysanthemum plant named ‘Zanmuaval Golden’ characterized by its medium sized blooms with yellow ray florets and prolific branching; natural season flower date week 42; blooming for a period of five weeks.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium Ramat., commercially known as a garden mum, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar denomination 'Zanmuaval Golden'. The new plant is a product of a breeding and selection program which had the objective of finding color mutants from existing parent plants. The new plant comprises a whole plant mutant of the chrysanthemum plant named 'Zanmuaval'. Plants from the new cultivar 'Zanmuaval Golden' differ from plants of the parent in the following characteristics. (1) Color ray-florets. (2) Type ray-florets. (1) The ray-florets of the new plant are yellow, while those of the parent plant are purple. (2) Ray-floret type is in the parent plant predominantly ligulate, while it is mostly quilled in the new plant.
The new cultivar was discovered as a color mutant in April 2009 by Wilhelmus Bernardus Blom in a controlled environment (greenhouse) in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands. The first act of asexual reproduction of 'Zanmuaval Golden' was accomplished when after planting of the mutant as a motherplant in May 2009, vegetative cuttings from this mutant were taken and propagated further in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

Chrysanthemum Breeders Association Research B.V.


A flyback voltage converter includes a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, a switch serially connected to the primary winding for being switched to produce a current in the secondary winding, and a negative lock loop to adjust the peak value of the current in the secondary winding according to a current conduction time during which the current in the secondary winding is higher than a current threshold, such that the peak value of the current in the secondary winding will be in inverse proportion to the time.

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a conventional flyback voltage converter 10, in which a bridge rectifier 12 rectifies an AC input voltage VAC to produce a DC input voltage VIN, a transformer 16 has a primary winding Lp, a secondary winding Ls and an auxiliary winding La, a power switch SW is serially connected to the primary winding Lp, and a controller 14 switches the power switch SW to convert the DC input voltage VIN into an output voltage VOUT. FIG. 2 is a waveform diagram of the current Is in the secondary winding Ls and the voltage Vds across the secondary winding Ls. FIG. 3 is a waveform diagram of the peak value Is_pk of the current Is and the current conduction time Toff during which the current Is in the secondary winding Ls is greater than zero. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, during the power switch SW is on, for example, from time t1 to time t2 in FIG. 2, a current Ip is generated in the primary winding Lp, the voltage Vds across the secondary winding Ls has a negative value, and there is no current in the secondary winding Ls. At time t2, the power switch SW is turned off so that the voltage Vds across the secondary winding Ls changes to be positive and in consequence, the current Is is induced in the secondary winding Ls. Then, as shown by waveform 20, the current Is decreases slowly until it reaches zero at time t3. Assuming that the power switch SW has a switching cycle Ts, the current Is in the secondary winding Ls will have the average valueIo=0.5×Is—pk×Toff/Ts,  [Eq-1]where Is_pk is the peak value of the current Is. From the equation Eq-1, it is obtained the peak valueIs—pk=2×Io×Ts/Toff.  [Eq-2]Ideally, the output voltage VOUT of the flyback voltage converter 10 is constant, which requires the average current Io be constant and the switching cycle Ts of the power switch SW also be constant. Therefore, it can be known from the equation Eq-2 that the product of the peak value Is_pk and current conduction time Toff of the current Is in the secondary winding Ls is constant, or the peak value Is_pk is in inverse proportion to the current conduction time Toff. As shown in FIG. 3, the peak value Is_pk decreases as the current conduction time Toff increases.
Therefore, it is desired an approach for rendering the peak value Is_pk being in inverse proportion to the current conduction time Toff.

Negative lock loop and control method for a flyback voltage converter


In a vehicle body assembly line is disposed a jig unit having a mechanism for aligning and clamping a side inner panel and a mechanism for aligning and clamping a front header and a rear header of a roof panel. Each of the mechanisms is movable between a position of aligning and holding the member for structuring a vehicle body and a position of evacuating the mechanism from the vehicle body sections. The vehicle body assembly line has nine stations for subassembling the structuring members. In the second station, the side inner panel is set to the jig unit which is transferred to the third station with a welding robot disposed therein, in which the front and rear headers are set to the jig unit and they are temporarily welded to the side inner panel. The jig unit is transferred to the fourth station where the headers are permanently welded to the side inner panel. The side outer panel is aligned on the basis of the side inner panel in the fifth station and it is welded in the sixth station. In the ninth station, the jig unit is evacuated from the vehicle body section from below.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for the assembly of automotive vehicle bodies and a jig unit to be employed therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
In assembling automotive vehicle bodies in a vehicle body assembly line, each of main floor panels, front vehicle bodies, rear vehicle bodies containing rear floor members, vehicle body side panels (consisting of side inner panels and side outer panels), roof panels (consisting of roof inner members and roof outer panels) and lid members such as side doors, bonnets and trunk lids are usually sub-assembled in corresponding subassembly lines, and they are supplied from the corresponding sub-assembly lines to the vehicle body assembly line. Further, in a stage of the vehicle body assembly line for assembling an under vehicle body section, a floor panel, a front vehicle body section and a rear vehicle body section are aligned and fixed to a carriage or carrier with plural aligning members and clamping units mounted thereto and the under vehicle body section is assembled by welding temporarily and thereafter by welding supplementarily or permanently.
The under vehicle body section loaded on the carriage or carrier is transferred to the stage for mounting the upper vehicle body sections, and the vehicle body side panels, the roof panel, etc. are mounted to the under vehicle body section. In mounting the vehicle body side panel, the roof panel, etc. to the under vehicle body section, they are aligned with the under vehicle body section on the basis of the reference surfaces of their outer panels with the aid of an exclusive aligning unit disposed in each of stations, they are fixed to the carriage or carrier, and they are welded temporarily and thereafter supplementarily or permanently. The under vehicle body section is then mounted to the upper vehicle body section. Front fenders and rear fenders are mounted to the vehicle body section in a stage for mounting the upper vehicle body section.
On the other hand, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication (kokai) No. 64-1,667 discloses a holding unit for holding a partially mounted vehicle body section. The holding unit comprises a main frame and three pairs of inner upstanding frames. The main frame is supported horizontally by four column members disposed upstanding on the floor of a factory and further mounted to the two upstanding columns disposed on a single side so as to be movable vertically. The three pairs of the inner frames are mounted to the main frame in the positions corresponding to the position in the vicinity of a vehicle body cowl section, the central vehicle body portion and the rear vehicle body portion, respectively, so as to be openably movable in the transverse direction of the vehicle body. To each of the inner frames are mounted plural clamping units, tools and so on. The three pairs of the inner frames are inserted from top into the roof opening of the partially mounted vehicle body shell (looking like the left-hand and right-hand side inner panels being temporarily mounted to the under vehicle body section) by swinging a lower end portion of the main frame of the holding unit. Thereafter, the three pairs of the inner frames are expanded to approach an inner surface of the vehicle body shell, and the rest of the assembly operations is carried out with the aid of plural clamps, tools and so on.
Conventional methods for the assembly of automotive vehicle bodies suffer from various disadvantages because the panel members, such as vehicle body side panels, etc. are aligned on the basis of their outer panels with the aid of an exclusive aligning Jig. The outer panels are so curved and complex in outer shape, the error in shape becomes so large due to the influence of the return of the curvature of the outer panels to their original shape, and rigidity of the outer panels is so low that accuracy in alignment of the outer panel members is likely to become low. Further, the outer panel members vary in shape in accordance with models so that the exclusive aligning tools should be prepared for each of the models of automotive vehicles. In addition, the aligning jigs of plural kinds should be made ready for immediate use in each station and the aligning Jigs should be fastened to and detached from the vehicle body section plural times during mounting so that working efficiency may become low. On the other hand, as the main floor panel is mounted to the upper vehicle body section in an initial stage of the conventional vehicle body assembly line, a large-sized and multi-functional mounting Jig unit for mounting the vehicle body sections cannot be disposed within the mounting vehicle body section and operations for mounting various parts, units and accessories, such as seats, may become very difficult. Further, problems arise that inner members should be provided with a number of welding holes for welding the connections of the side inner panels, such as sub-assembled vehicle body side panels, and the roof inner panels, that efficiency in operation for welding the inner members may become low, as well as that the number of stations for operations for welding and connecting become greater and that the length of the stations become longer, because welding robots and so on are disposed outside the vehicle body sections which are being mounted and, as a result, because the vehicle body sections are subjected to welding only from outside.
In the vehicle body section assembly line using the holding unit as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication (kokai) No. 64-1,667, the holding unit is applied to at least the under vehicle body section which is temporarily mounted to the side inner panel. Hence, the step is required for temporarily mounting the under vehicle body sections to the side inner panels. In addition, brackets, stays, bolts and so on are required for temporarily mounting the under vehicle body sections to the side inner panels, so that the structures of the panel members may become complex. Further, the three inner frames of the holding unit are inserted into the vehicle body shell through a comparably small roof opening section thereof, so that an inner frame thereof cannot be made larger in size and multiple in function, thereby rendering operations laborious and less efficient.

Method for the assembly of automotive vehicle bodies and a jig unit therefor


An integrated circuit comprises logic circuitry having a plurality of signal paths. A signal path of the plurality of signal paths has a propagation delay greater than a propagation delay of any other signal path of the plurality of signal paths. The signal path includes a plurality of components. The plurality of components is provided with a higher power supply voltage than any other signal path of the plurality of signal paths.

1. Field
This disclosure relates generally to integrated circuits, and more specifically, to an integrated circuit having critical path voltage scaling.
2. Related Art
A balance between energy efficiency, low power consumption, and performance is becoming increasing more important in integrated circuits. Voltage scaling is used in integrated circuits to adjust a power supply voltage of a circuit block according to desired performance. For example, the power supply voltage to a circuit block can be lowered at times when high performance is not as important as low power consumption. Some integrated circuits use transistors with a lower threshold voltage in timing critical paths to improve chip speed. However, the use of transistors with different threshold voltages on the same integrated circuit increases manufacturing complexity.
Therefore, what is needed is an integrated circuit and method that solves the above problems.

Integrated circuit having critical path voltage scaling and method therefor


An illustrative embodiment disclosed herein is a method including receiving, by a waste diversion system and from a source, waste materials, inserting, by the waste diversion system and into the waste materials, one or more markers, generating, by the waste diversion system, finished goods including a portion of the waste materials, and detecting, by the waste diversion system, a portion of the one or more markers corresponding to the portion of the waste materials in the finished goods.

The following description is provided to assist the understanding of the reader. None of the information provided or references cited is admitted to be prior art.
In the United States, the total generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) in 2017 was 267.8 million tons or 4.51 pounds per person per day. Of the MSW generated, approximately 67 million tons were recycled and 27 million tons were composted. Together, more than 94 million tons of MSW were recycled and composted, equivalent to a 35.2 percent recycling and composting rate. In addition, more than 34 million tons of MSW (12.7 percent) were combusted with energy recovery and more than 139 million tons of MSW (52.1 percent) were landfilled.

Continuus Materials Intellectual Property, LLC


An electrical energy source for an electrically drivable tool containing: a main body, which extends along a longitudinal axis, having a first end and a second end lying opposite the first end with respect to the longitudinal axis; at least one first electrical terminal, which extends away from the first end and has a first diameter; and at least one second electrical terminal, which extends away from the second end and has a second diameter. A voltage is present between the first and second terminals. The first diameter is different from the second diameter. The first electrical terminal extends away from the first end, and the second electrical terminal extends away from the second end of the main body. A tool kit having at least one electrically drivable tool and having at least one electrical energy source and a method for inserting an energy source into an electrically drivable tool.

In order to be driven, electrically drivable tools require an electrical energy source, which may be inserted, for example, into a cavity of the tool. The tool may be an electrically drivable surgical tool such as, for instance, a surgical screwdriver. An exemplary surgical screwdriver having a receptacle for a battery or other electrical energy source is disclosed in the European patent application EP 14188180.5.
Since the energy source is generally a direct-current source, it is important that the energy source is correctly inserted and the electrical terminals are not reversed. This is because, otherwise, the tool might become permanently damaged. Such a polarity reversal protection is also required by the standard EN 60601. Measures for preventing polarity reversal per se are already known from the prior art:
DE 4 12 666 C describes terminal connections for batteries. These have main bodies and, extending therefrom, terminal contacts that are realized as tube stubs. These tube stubs of the positive and negative terminals may differ in diameter size. The tube stubs are arranged at one and the same end of the battery. Owing to this arrangement of the terminals, however, the batteries must be of a comparatively large width perpendicularly to their longitudinal axis. The cavity of the tool, and accordingly also the tool, must thus be dimensioned accordingly; so that the battery can be accommodated. In many cases this is disadvantageous, however, for example if the tool is a surgical, screwdriver that is intended to be held in one hand. Moreover, a series connection of a plurality of batteries is rendered considerably more difficult by this arrangement of the terminals.
According to DE 2 237 279 A1, a reliable change operation is to be achieved in that the two battery terminals are realized as mutually superimposed studs having differing diameter sizes. Here also, however, the space requirement, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the battery is comparatively large, and here also series connection of a plurality of batteries is rendered considerably more difficult.
Furthermore, DE 10 2009 001 611 A1; discloses a battery compartment for an external cardiac pacemaker. In one exemplary embodiment, a 9-volt block, having two battery terminals of differing diameter, is used. Here, the space requirement perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the battery is likewise comparatively large, and series connection of a plurality of batteries is rendered considerably more difficult.
DE 36 41 927 A1 relates to a polarity reversal protection for tubular batteries. For this purpose, a stepped offset is provided, which projects into receptacles of the battery holder. The batteries themselves comprise only a single terminal, extending therefrom. In many cases, however, this allows only an inadequate polarity reversal protection, since only the dimensions of this one terminal (i.e., for example, the diameter and axial length thereof) can determine whether the battery can be inserted in two opposite orientations.
A further important requirement that arises particularly in the case of surgical tools is that of preventing the reuse of the energy source. To enable the tool to be sterilized after an operation, the energy source must first be removed from the tool, since otherwise it could be destroyed as a result of the aggressive sterilization conditions, for example in that it could leak, as a result of which the sterilizer could also become contaminated. Usual energy sources can easily be inserted into the tool for a second time following sterilization. In this way, the tool could be used with an already used, and therefore at least partly discharged, energy source. This risk exists, in particular, if it cannot be seen from the outside of the energy source whether it has already been used in a tool. If this is not noticed until during the next operation, this might result in delays and consequently also in detrimental consequences for the patient. This is because, in particular, there may be an intraoperative failure of the tool. In order that the "essential power features" according to the already mentioned standard EN 60601 can also be achieved, it is necessary to prevent the reuse of the energy source.
U.S. 2006/0117911 A1 discloses battery-operated surgical screwdrivers that are intended to be used once. However, special structural measures that prevent reuse of the battery are not disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,670 relates to disposable battery packs that can be connected to a surgical tool in order to drive the latter. The correct polarity is achieved by means of a stud that is arranged on the tool and that engages in a corresponding opening in the battery pack. This measure, however, is not effective in preventing the battery pack from being reused.
DE 20 2000 017 971 U1 relates to handles for surgical instruments. Arranged in the handle there is an accumulator battery, which can be removed from the handle following removal of a cover. However, this document also does not disclose any mechanism that prevents reinsertion of the accumulator battery. On the contrary, it is even stated that the accumulator can be reinserted in the cavity after the latter has been sterilized.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,067 has as subject-matter interfaces for mechanically and electrically connecting a battery pack to a tool, which are intended to enable the battery pack to be removed, insofar as possible, with one hand. This connection is effected by means of a closure that can be actuated via a release button, which extends through a slot. However, this document also does not disclose any mechanism that prevents the battery pack from being reinserted.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,351 likewise discloses a battery pack that can be releasably connected to a surgical instrument. Here also, however, there is no disclosure of any mechanism that prevents reinsertion of the battery pack.
EP 1 813 200 A2 discloses surgical instruments having a removable battery. In one embodiment, the instrument comprises a primary portion and a grip portion that can be releasably connected to the primary portion and that contains a battery. The grip portion has a break-off portion that, after the grip portion has been separated from the primary portion, remains on the latter, such that further assembly of the said parts is no longer possible. However, this does not prevent reuse of the battery itself.
Additionally disclosed is a further exemplary embodiment of an instrument that has a counter and a motor look. In a first variant of this further exemplary embodiment, the counter is realized and arranged in such a manner that the motor look is activated after the battery has been removed from the instrument a predefined number of times (for example twice). A second variant provides that the motor look is activated after the grip portion has been separated from the primary portion a predefined number of times (for example twice). Both variants, however, are structurally complex and also susceptible to faults.

Electrical energy source, tool kit, and method for inserting an energy source into a tool


In order to evacuate a turbine condenser, air contained in the turbine condenser is suctioned using propellant steam from a starting jet pump. The propellant steam and the air are guided into an auxiliary condenser which is arranged downstream from turbine condenser.

The invention generally relates to a method for evacuating a turbine condenser, particularly during a starting operation. The invention also generally relates to a device for carrying out the method.
During the operation of a steam turbine installation, the steam, which is generally produced in a steam generator and expanded in a steam turbine to produce work, is condensed in a condenser connected downstream of the steam turbines. The condensate which appears in the turbine condenser is returned to the water/steam circuit of the steam turbine. In order to extract air contained in the turbine condenser or main condenser during the operation of the turbine installation, so-called operational jet pumps are frequently employed. These are joined to a propellant steam main and are connected to an auxiliary condenser connected downstream of the main condenser. Air mains connected to the main condenser are joined to the suction side of the operational jet pumps, which operate on the jet pump principle.
During the starting or restarting of the steam turbine, it is necessary to first evacuate the turbine condenser or main condenser. During this operation, the turbine condenser, and therefore the steam turbine installation, is evacuated from 1.0 bar down to approximately 0.3 bar within, for example, half an hour, by way of a so-called starting steam ejector, to which propellant steam is in turn admitted according to the jet pump principle. The steam/air mixture leaving the pressure side of the starting jet pump is conveyed to the open air via a pipeline. In this arrangement, the pipeline must be designed for the mixed temperature which occurs in the steam/air mixture and it is to be equipped with a noise suppressor because of environmental requirements which have to be met.
A disadvantage of this arrangement is that the propellant steam, which is usually extracted from the water/steam circuit of the steam turbines, is lost so that the feed water circuit of the turbine condenser has to be topped up by a corresponding quantity of feed water. This loss of feed water increases with increasing number of starting procedures and involves additional costs for the feed water treatment necessary.
An embodiment of the invention provides a method for evacuating a turbine condenser, in particular during the starting operation, by way of which the disadvantages mentioned are avoided in a particularly simple manner. In addition, a device which is for carrying out the method is provided.
With respect to the method, air contained in a turbine condenser may be extracted by way of propellant steam, conducted via a starting jet pump, and this air, together with the propellant steam. The extracted air is conducted into an auxiliary condenser connected downstream of the turbine condenser. Therefore, the propellant steam conducted via the starting jet pump is together with the air extracted from the turbine condenser introduced into the auxiliary condenser.
By this manner, the propellant steam condensing in the auxiliary condenser may be again supplied as condensate to the feed water circuit of the turbine condenser and, therefore, to the steam turbine installation. The air contained in the propellant steam is expediently removed from the auxiliary condenser.
In order to additionally permit a starting operation lasting several hours, at least half of the condensate quantity or feed water quantity corresponding to the nominal operation may be expediently made available for cooling in the auxiliary condenser. This only requires a corresponding design of a control valve which adjusts, in the usual manner, the condensate flow from the main condenser which is conducted via the auxiliary condenser.
In order, furthermore, to keep the heating of the condensate flow conducted via the auxiliary condenser within necessary limits, a major part, approximately 75% for example, of the condensate flow conducted by way of a condensate pump via the auxiliary condenser may be conducted via the condenser tubes of the main condenser. By this manner, the cooling water cooling of the main condenser is used to recool the partial condensate flow conducted via the auxiliary condenser. The relatively small proportion, approximately 25%, of the condensate flow, i.e. of the condensate quantity conveyed per unit time, is therefore available for the cooling, which is also necessary during the starting operation, of the quantities of water removed from the steam turbine.
With respect to the device, a starting jet pump is provided, which is connected to a propellant steam main and to an auxiliary condenser at the pressure end and is connected to the air main connected at the suction end to the main condenser.
The advantages achieved by way of the invention include, but are not limited to, the following. The propellant steam extracted from the water/steam circuit of a steam turbine, and employed for evacuating a turbine condenser, may be resupplied to the circuit by way of its introduction into the auxiliary condenser of a steam turbine installation. This avoids an undesirable topping up of feed water in the circuit. Furthermore, there is an additional saving with respect to a previously usual noise suppressor in the steam jet, air and pump system for removal of air from the turbine and condensate.

Method and device for evacuating a turbine condenser


The present invention relates to modified immunoglobulin-binding proteins, e.g., Staphylococcus protein A, having improved binding specificity for immunoglobulins and methods of making and using the same.

Staphylococcal protein A (SpA), is a 42 kDa multi-domain protein from the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. SpA is bound to the bacterial cell wall via its carboxy-terminal cell wall binding region, referred to as the X domain. At the amino-terminal region, it includes five immunoglobulin-binding domains, referred to as E, D, A, B, and C (Sjodhal, Eur J Biohem. September; 78(2):471-90 (1977); Uhlen et al., J Biol Chem. February 10; 259(3):1695-702 (1984)). Each of these domains contains approximately 58 amino acid residues and they share 65-90% amino acid sequence idetnity. The Z domain of SpA is an engineered analogue of the B domain of SpA and includes an alanine instead of a glycine residue at position 29.
SpA based reagents have found a widespread use in the field of biotechnology, e.g., in affinity chromatography for capture and purification of antibodies as well as in antibody detection methods. At present, SpA-based affinity media probably are the most widely used affinity media for isolation of monoclonal antibodies and their fragments from different samples including cell culture. Accordingly, various matrices comprising protein A-ligands are commercially available including, for example, ProSep®-vA High Capacity, ProSep® vA Ultra and ProSep® UltraPlus (Millipore) and Protein A Sepharose™, MabSelect™, MabSelect Xtra™ and MabSelect SuRe® (GE Healthcare).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Immunoglobulin-binding proteins with improved specificity


A transmitter-receiver is simple in arrangement and can prevent a receiving circuit side from being disturbed; in which one channel is divided to provide a transmission slot and a reception slot. Transmission and reception are effected in the transmission slot and reception slot of one channel in a time division manner and a channel selection frequency synthesizer is commonly used both in the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit. This transmitter-receiver includes a modulator circuit (40) of the transmitting circuit which has an oscillator (41) for modulating a signal into a predetermined frequency and a multiplier circuit (44) for converting an output signal of the oscillator (41) into a desired intermediate frequency. During the period of the transmission slot, the supply of a voltage to the multiplier circuit 44 is stopped.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to transmitter-receivers and, more particularly, to a transmitter-receiver of TDMA/TDD (time division multiple access/time division duplex) system in which transmission and reception are effected at different times or in a time-division manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a TDMA/TDD system transmitter-receiver utilized in a telepoint system or the like, a transmission frequency and a reception frequency are the same. As shown in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings, transmission slots T1 to T4 and reception slots R1 to R4 constitute one frame and the slots T1, R1; T2, R2; T3, R3; and T4, R4 are utilized in pairs.
According to the above transmission and reception system, the transmission and reception are effected in the transmission slots and the reception slots in a time division fashion so that the transmission frequency and the reception frequency can be made the same. Therefore, each transmission channel can be utilized highly efficiently. When this transmission and reception system is applied to a cordless telephone apparatus, for example, plural sets of cordless telephone apparatus can utilize the same frequency and a telephone conversation can be made by many cordless telephone apparatus simultaneously.
A transmitting circuit and a receiving circuit in the above TDMA/TDD system transmitter-receiver that effects the above transmission and reception are arranged as shown in FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings.
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 10 generally depicts a transmitting circuit and reference numeral 20 generally depicts a receiving circuit. As shown in FIG. 2, in the transmitting circuit 10, an audio signal is supplied from an input terminal 11 to a digital transmission processor circuit 12, in which the audio signal is processed in such a fashion as to effect the TDMA/TDD system transmission. The audio signal thus processed is delivered at every transmission slot T1, for example.
The base band transmission signal from the digital transmission processor circuit 12 is supplied to a modulator circuit 13, in which the signal is modulated to a predetermined intermediate frequency signal f.sub.1. It is customary that the modulator circuit 13 employs a phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit in its modulation. Therefore, under the control of the PLL circuit, there is obtained a signal frequency-modulated by a carrier signal (intermediate frequency signal f.sub.1). The intermediate frequency signal f.sub.1 output from the modulator circuit 13 is supplied to a mixer 14.
A frequency signal f.sub.2 (hereinafter this frequency signal f.sub.2 will be referred to as a channel selecting signal) output from a PLL frequency synthesizer 31 formed of a PLL circuit is supplied to the mixer 14. Then, the mixer 14 mixes the channel selecting signal f.sub.2 with the intermediate frequency signal f.sub.1 to provide a signal f.sub.3 having a transmission frequency. The transmission signal f.sub.3 having the transmission frequency is supplied through an amplifier 15, a bandpass filter 16 and a high frequency switch circuit 32 to an antenna 33. Then, the transmission signal f.sub.3 is transmitted from the antenna 33. The channel selecting signal is a signal whose frequency is changed in response to a frequency of a transmission-reception channel.
In the receiving circuit 20, a signal transmitted during the reception slot R1 is received at the antenna 33. A frequency of the received signal and a frequency of the transmitted signal transmitted from the transmitting circuit 10 are equal to each other.
The received signal f.sub.3 is supplied through the high frequency switch circuit 32, a bandpass filter 21 and an amplifier 21 to a mixer 23. Then, the channel selecting signal f.sub.2 from the PLL frequency synthesizer 31 is supplied to the mixer 23 and the channel selecting signal f.sub.2 is mixed to the received signal by the mixer 23, thereby converted into the intermediate frequency signal f.sub.1 (first intermediate frequency signal). The first intermediate frequency signal f.sub.1 is supplied through a bandpass filter 24 to a mixer 25. An oscillation signal f.sub.4 having a constant frequency output from a local oscillator 26 is supplied to the mixer 25, in which the signal f.sub.4 is mixed with the signal f.sub.1 to provide a second intermediate frequency signal f.sub.5. This second intermediate frequency signal f.sub.5 is supplied through a bandpass filter 27 to a demodulator circuit 28, in which the signal modulated transmission is demodulated. Then, the demodulated signal is supplied to a digital reception processor circuit 29, in which it is processed in such a fashion as to become able to be received by the TDMA/TDD system. The audio signal thus processed is delivered to an output terminal 30.
The TDMA/TDD system transmitter-receiver shown in FIG. 2 makes effective use of the fact that the transmission frequency and the reception frequency are equal to each other. Therefore, one frequency synthesizer 31 can serve as both the transmission channel selecting signal generator circuit in the transmitting circuit 10 and the reception channel selecting signal generator circuit in the receiving circuit 20.
When the transmission and reception channel selecting frequency synthesizer is shared by the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit, however, the intermediate frequency signal output from the modulator circuit 13 of the transmitting circuit 10 and the intermediate frequency signal (first intermediate frequency signal) output from the mixer 23 of the receiving circuit 20 have the same frequency f.sub.1. If the frequencies treated by both the circuits 10 and 20 are the same, there is then the disadvantage such that the receiving side 20 is disturbed by the intermediate frequency signal from the transmitting circuit 10.
To avoid the receiving circuit 20 from being disturbed, it is proposed that a transmission channel selecting frequency synthesizer and a reception channel selecting frequency synthesizer are separately provided to change frequencies of intermediate signals of the transmitting circuit 10 and the receiving circuit 20. Since, however, the PLL type frequency synthesizer is relatively complex in arrangement, it is not desirable that one transmitter-receiver includes two PLL type frequency synthesizers from a standpoint of a manufacturing cost, an installation space, a consumed amount of electric power or the like.
Also, it is proposed that an oscillation frequency of one frequency synthesizer is changed in the transmission slot and the reception slot so that the intermediate frequency in the transmitting circuit 10 and the intermediate frequency in the receiving circuit 20 are changed. However, a time (guard band) between the transmission slot and the reception slot is remarkably small (e.g., 50 .mu.s). Therefore, if a frequency synthesizer is arranged so as to become able to change its oscillation frequency in such a short period of time, then the frequency synthesizer becomes complicated in arrangement.
To prevent a radio interference from taking place when the receiving circuit and the transmitting circuit has the same intermediate frequency, it is proposed that the modulator circuit in the transmitting side is disabled during a period of the reception slot R to thereby prevent the intermediate frequency signal from being formed in the transmitting circuit 10 side during the period of the reception slot R. The PLL circuit needs a lot of time to be stabilized since it has been actuated. Also, the period of the reception slot is as short as about 1 millisecond. Accordingly, if the PLL circuit constructing the modulator circuit 13 is disabled during the period of the reception slot R, then the PLL circuit will not be locked substantially until the period of the next transmission slot T.
In a communication system (e.g., cordless telephone system) to which the above-mentioned TDMA/TDD system will be applied in future, it is expected that a very high frequency (e.g., 1 GHz band) is utilized as a transmission frequency. Therefore, it is difficult to construct a modulator circuit having such a high frequency using an oscillating circuit other than the PLL circuit.
Accordingly, although the modulator circuit is constructed by the PLL circuit in the TDMA/TDD system, the operation of the PLL circuit cannot be substantially stopped during the period of the reception slot R as described above. Therefore, the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit cannot be substantially protected from a radio interference by the control of the modulator circuit.


A washing apparatus is provided for washing the exterior surface of a vehicle. The apparatus is made of a frame, an arm pivotably attached to the frame and extending along the vehicle path which is provided with a support plate for suspending a generally vertical rotatable wheel having a central shaft operatively driven by a drive motor. An elastic coupling mounts the wheel and associated drive motor upon the support plate. The coupling includes a mounting plate spaced above and generally parallel to the support plate and is separated by at least one elastic member radially spaced from the wheel axis and circumferentially arranged thereabout. The mounting plate is capable of moving axially and rotating relative to the support plate to a limited range, thereby facilitating the lateral deflection of the wheel assembly in response to the engagement with the vehicle causing the wheel shaft axis to deviate a limited amount from the vertical orientation. The elastic members are radially spaced from and circumferentially arranged about the shaft axis.

Drive through car washes are frequently provided with rotatable elongated cylindrical wheels or brushes for cleaning the front, sides and rear portions of the vehicle exterior. In order to wash the front and rear portion of the vehicle, rotatable wheels are frequently positioned on the distal ends of elongated arms which extend over the path of the vehicle. Upon engagement with the vehicle, the wheels must quickly move onward toward the vehicle sides in order to allow the vehicle to advance. Once the sides of the vehicle are washed, the wheels move inward to wash the rear of the vehicle as it is moving longitudinally away from the rotating wheel station. In order to effectively wash the front and rear of the vehicle, it is necessary to allow the wheel to generally move transversely so the wheel can effectively follow the contour of the vehicle.
When washing the front of the vehicle, if the wheel does not effectively move out of the vehicle path, the car wash mechanism can be damaged. If the wheel does not effectively move inboard after the side of the vehicle is washed, the rear of the vehicle will not be cleaned properly. It is therefore necessary to mount the wheel in a manner in which it is capable of limited longitudinal movement along the path of the vehicle.
There are two distinctly different design approaches to solve this longitudinal wheel movement problem. One approach is to mount the rotatable wheel assembly on a sliding carriage which translates the length of a pivotal arm and extends over the path of the vehicle. Car wash apparatus of this type is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,602, Belanger et al. and is incorporated by reference in its entirety. An alternative design suspends the wheel assembly from the end of a pivotal arm at a fixed location. The wheel assembly is allowed to deflect relative to the arm in response to engagement with the vehicle. Deflection is achieved by either using a flexible wheel shaft such as a plastic shaft or mounting the wheel and motor assembly on a flexible elastic doughnut-like coupling. The coupling is loaded in tension and located between the motor and the shaft. Alternatively, a universal coupling can be placed between the drive motor and wheel.

Elastic coupling for a car wash rotary wheel assembly