A method for lifting wing tool bars of an agricultural implement includes receiving a fluid at an input port of a fluid control system. The fluid is configured to induce raising a central tool bar of the agricultural implement using a first actuator extending between the central tool bar and a main frame of the agricultural implement, and then to induce rotating a first wing tool bar relative to the central tool bar using a second actuator extending between the first wing tool bar and the central tool bar after the central tool bar is raised. The method also includes detecting an angle between the first wing tool bar and the central tool bar using a switch. The method further includes controlling fluid flow to the second actuator based on the detected angle via a solenoid controlled valve electrically coupled to the switch.

The invention relates generally to ground working equipment, such as agricultural equipment, and more specifically, to a system and method for controlling wing tool bars of an agricultural implement.
Generally, fertilizer application implements are towed behind a tractor or other work vehicle via a hitch assembly secured to a rigid frame of the implement. These fertilizer application implements typically include one or more ground engaging tools or openers that form a path for fertilizer deposition into the soil. The openers are used to break the soil, thereby enabling injection nozzles (e.g., positioned behind the openers) to deposit fertilizer at a desired depth beneath the soil surface. In certain embodiments, the implement may include knives (e.g., positioned behind the openers), instead of the injection nozzles, to flow the liquid fertilizer into respective trenches formed by the openers and the knives. Using such implements, fertilizer may be distributed throughout a field, either before or after planting, to facilitate enhanced crop development.
A fertilizer application implement may have various folded and/or unfolded positions to facilitate operation, transportation, and/or storage. For example, the fertilizer application implement may include a working position in which a tool bar of the implement is unfolded for applying fertilizer throughout the field. As another example, the fertilizer application implement may include a transport position in which the tool bar of the implement is folded for transportation and/or storage of the implement. Moreover, the fertilizer application implement may include a lifted position in which the tool bar is lifted so that ground engaging tools are removed from the soil, such as for turning the fertilizer application implement at the end of a row.
A current trend for fertilizer application implements, and other implements, is to increase the working position span. Increasing the span of a fertilizer application implement may facilitate distribution of fertilizer over a wider swath of soil, thereby distributing the fertilizer throughout a field at a faster rate. Unfortunately, as the span of the working position of the fertilizer application implement increases, lifting and/or folding the tool bar of the fertilizer application implement may become more difficult.

Method for controlling wing tool bars of an agricultural implement


A two component development system includes developer with charged toner particles and oppositely charged carrier particles having high coercivity and permanent magnetism. The developer is moved through a development zone on a shell and into contact with an image member carrying an electrostatic image by rapidly rotating a magnetic core within the shell. The core has alternating magnetic poles around its periphery. To prevent carryout of carrier on the image member, an AC bias is impressed across the development zone.

This invention relates to the application of toner to an electrostatic image to create a toner image. More specifically, this invention relates to an improvement in the development of an electrostatic image using a two component developer made up of charged toner particles and oppositely charged hard magnetic carrier particles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,060, Miskinis et al issued Oct. 8, 1985, discloses a method of developing electrostatic images using developer including a "hard" magnetic carrier having a coercivity of at least 300 gauss when magnetically saturated and exhibiting an induced magnetic moment of at least 20 emu/gm of carrier when in an applied field of 1000 gauss. A preferred embodiment of this carrier having much higher coercivity, in the neighborhood of 2000 gauss, with a higher magnetic moment, about 55 emu/gm, is commercially used to provide the highest quality of electrostatic image development presently available. In this method, developer made up of such hard carrier particles and oppositely charged toner particles is moved at the same speed and direction as the image by high speed rotation of a magnetic core within a shell or sleeve on which the developer moves. Rapid pole transitions on the shell are mechanically resisted by the carrier because of its high coercivity. "Strings" or "chains" of the carrier rapidly flip on the shell to move with the toner on the shell through developing relation with the electrostatic image. See, also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,029, Fritz et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,832, Kroll et al. These two patents and the Miskinis patent are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
The rapid pole transitions, for example, as many as 400 per second on the shell surface when at a core speed of 1500 rpm, create great vigorousness in the developer as it moves through the development zone. This vigorousness constantly recirculates the toner to the shell surface and then back to the outside of the nap to provide it with its desired charge for development. It also continually feeds fresh toner to the image. This system provides high density, high quality images at high development speed.
The direct interaction of the developer nap with the image member causes the developer to roll back toward the input side of the development zone. This rollback broadens the contact between the developer and the image member and improves the development completion of the system. However, it also has a tendency to separate the carrier somewhat from the magnetic fields of the core with the result that some carrier particles are picked up in the image itself. This carry out of carrier by the image is a well known phenomenon in two component developing that occurs, to some extent, in virtually all two component, contact systems. Unfortunately, carrier particles have a bad effect, not only on the image itself, but on the rest of the system. They are generally of the wrong charge to transfer but will prevent toner particles from transferring around them, leaving white spots in the image. If they do transfer, they do not necessarily fuse well. These and other problems associated with carrier being carried away by the image are well documented.
A number of approaches have been devised for removing carrier from an image as or after the image member leaves the development station. For example, most image forming apparatus with this problem include a magnetic scavenger which attracts carrier magnetically from the image, either as part of the toning station or downstream of it. It is also known to attract the carrier electrically, since it is charged opposite to the toner. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,186, issued Mar. 3, 1987 to Armstrong et al, shows the use of a set of wires immediately after the development zone to which an AC potential is applied with a DC component attractive to carrier having a charge opposite that of the toner.
A large number of references suggest that a high voltage AC bias can be impressed upon the electrical field between a magnetic brush and an electrostatic image to increase the development completion of the electrostatic image. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,933,254, Hosoi et al, issued Jun. 12, 1990; 4,873,551, Tajima et al, issued Oct. 10, 1989; 4,838,200, Hosoi et al, issued Jun. 13, 1989; and 4,565,438, Folkins, issued Jan. 21, 1986. Prior commercial applications of the Miskinis method of development have not used an alternating current component to the development electrical field because the vigorousness of the developer movement was considered more than adequate for development completion. Thus, all present commercial applications of this particular system use only a direct current field.

Method and apparatus for developing an electrostatic image using a two component developer


A synthesizer of the present invention includes a synthesizer section that generates an oscillation signal based on a reference oscillation signal output from a MEMS resonator and inputs the oscillation signal to a frequency converter; and a control section that adjusts a frequency of the oscillation signal output from the synthesizer section. In frequency adjustment by the control section, when a frequency adjustment unit of the synthesizer section is defined as predetermined value F in which quality of an output signal from the frequency converter is a quality limit threshold value, frequency adjustment unit Δfcont of the synthesizer section is within predetermined value F.

Hereinafter, a conventional synthesizer is described with reference to FIG. 31. The synthesizer carries out temperature compensation of a reference oscillator for outputting a reference oscillation signal.
FIG. 31 is a block diagram showing conventional synthesizer 100. In FIG. 31, conventional synthesizer 100 includes first frequency divider 102 for frequency-dividing a reference oscillation signal output from reference oscillator 101, comparator 103 for receiving an output signal from first frequency divider 102, and low-pass filter 104 for receiving an output signal from comparator 103 and outputting a signal voltage value having a near-DC frequency. Synthesizer 100 further includes oscillator 105 for outputting an oscillation signal based on the signal voltage value output from low-pass filter 104, which is input into second frequency divider 106 at the other side. As oscillator 105, a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is often used. Furthermore, synthesizer 100 includes second frequency divider 106 for frequency-dividing an output signal from oscillator 105 by a frequency division number designated by control circuit 107 according to channel designation. Comparator 103 compares an output signal from second frequency divider 106 with the output signal from first frequency divider 102.
The above-mentioned configuration is that of a general synthesizer. Synthesizer 100 shown in FIG. 31 further includes temperature sensor 108 for sensing an ambient temperature, and control circuit 107 for controlling a frequency division number of second frequency divider 106 based on a temperature sensed by temperature sensor 108. Thus, synthesizer 100 corrects shift of an oscillation frequency caused by the change of the ambient temperature by using temperature sensor 108. An example of the literature information of the related art of the invention of the present application includes Patent Document 1.
In conventional synthesizer 100, however, for example, a frequency adjustment unit of control circuit 107 is larger than predetermined value F, the phase noise of an oscillation signal is increased, and C/N of a reception device is deteriorated. Thus, excellent reception characteristics cannot be achieved.                [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. H3-209917

Synthesizer and reception device using the same


The invention relates to a gas chromatography apparatus with a cooling device, wherein the cooling device includes a closed cooling circuit containing a refrigerant, so that no refrigerant is wasted.

The invention relates to a gas chromatography apparatus.
Gas chromatography apparatuses (GCs) are well-known in the state of the art. These well-known gas chromatography apparatuses comprise a coiled separation column for separating sample components. The separation column is installed in a heatable oven and has a downstream connection with a detector, which detects the different sample components. Further, the separation column comprises an upstream connection with an adsorbent, which is installed in a cold trap. During operation of this type of gas chromatography apparatuses there are two different phases of operation, which will be described in the following.
In the first phase of operation the adsorbent is loaded with the sample components, e.g., atmospheric air containing pollutants. The atmospheric air containing the pollutants is pumped or drawn through the adsorbent, which is cooled during the loading phase. Therefore, the pollution substances contained in the atmospheric air are concentrated in the adsorbent.
After this loading phase, the cooling of the adsorbent is stopped and both the adsorbent and the separation column are heated. Then, the pollution substances concentrated in the adsorbent are purged out of the adsorbent and swept by a gas through the separation column so that the detector detects the different separated pollution substances.
In common gas chromatography apparatus according to the state of the art, the cooling of the cold trap containing the adsorbent is effected by injecting a refrigerant (e.g., liquid nitrogen) into the cold trap, where the liquid nitrogen vaporizes thereby cooling the adsorbent. However, this type of cooling results in a high consumption of the refrigerant.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to reduce the consumption of the refrigerant in such a gas chromatography apparatus.

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Wissenschaften e.V.


The present invention provides a system, a method and a computer usable medium including a program for determining a position of a mobile vehicle. This may be accomplished by receiving a positioning request from the mobile vehicle, receiving positioning information from at least three vehicle clients sharing an antenna tower with the mobile vehicle and transmitting a signal to the three vehicles. It may also be accomplished by determining a distance between the mobile vehicle and each of the vehicle clients, receiving positioning information from each of the vehicle clients and determining mobile vehicle position based on the determined distances and the vehicle client positioning information.

This invention relates generally to the navigation of a moving vehicle. In particular, this invention relates to a method and system for determining a position of a mobile vehicle.
Global Position System technology has become very reliable and relied upon in recent years. Many automobile makers are incorporating this technology into their baseline designs.
Millions of systems have been deployed that have the ability to autonomously calculate the positions where the system is currently located using information received via a GAPS satellite.
However, there may be instances where the vehicle position cannot be calculated. One such instance may occur when a vehicle has navigated into an area where a GAPS signal is blocked due to an obstruction, for example a tall building.
It would be desirable therefore to provide a method for determining a position of a mobile vehicle that overcomes the above limitations of GAPS technology.
One aspect of the present invention provides a method for determining a position of a mobile vehicle. A positioning request may be received from the mobile vehicle. Positioning information from at least three vehicle clients sharing an antenna tower with the mobile vehicle may also be received and a signal may be transmitted to the three vehicles. A distance between the mobile vehicle and each of the vehicle clients may be determined.
Positioning information may be received from each of the vehicle clients and mobile vehicle position may be determined based on the determined distances and the positioning information.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a system for determining a position of a mobile vehicle.
The system may include means for receiving a positioning request from the mobile vehicle, means for receiving positioning information from at least three vehicle clients sharing an antenna tower with the mobile vehicle and means for transmitting a signal to the three vehicles. It may also include means for determining a distance between the mobile vehicle and each of the vehicle clients, means for receiving positioning information from each of the vehicle clients and means for determining mobile vehicle position based on the determined distances and the positioning information.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a computer usable medium including a program for determining a position of a mobile vehicle.
The program may include computer program code that receives a positioning request from the mobile vehicle, receives positioning information from at least three vehicle clients sharing an antenna tower with the mobile vehicle and transmits a signal to the three vehicles. It may also include computer program code that determines a distance between the mobile vehicle and each of the vehicle clients, receives positioning information from each of the vehicle clients and determines mobile vehicle position based on the determined distances and the positioning information.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the invention rather than limiting, the scope of the invention being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Method and system for determining a navigating vehicle location


A fuel cell has cell units and a manifold for uniformly supplying an anode fluid to the cell units. The manifold has a fluid supply plate with a flow conduit for feeding an anode fluid, and a plate structure having a flow space and openings arranged in a preselected direction. The flow space receives an anode fluid fed from an opening part of the flow conduit, reduces a flow rate of the anode fluid, and disperses the anode fluid at the reduced flow rate along a plane direction orthogonal to the preselected direction. The block group is arranged between the openings and the opening part so that the flow space is disposed between the block group and the opening part. The block group comprises blocks spaced apart from one another to form paths for dispersing into the openings the anode fluid dispersed by the flow space at the reduced rate.

Due to the upsurge of recent energy issues, an electric source with a higher energy density and with cleaner discharge has been demanded. A fuel cell is a generator with an energy density several fold those of existing batteries. A fuel cell has characteristic features of higher energy efficiency and little or no nitrogen oxides or sulfur oxides in discharged gases. Therefore, a fuel cell is an extremely effective device satisfying the demand as a next-generation electric source device.
The cell of a fuel cell comprises an anode-side catalyst (anode) and a cathode-side catalyst (cathode) on both the sides of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane as an electrolyte membrane. By alternately arranging a separator with an anode fluid path and a cathode fluid path formed thereon while these paths sit back to back and the cell, a cell unit is formed. By stacking a plurality of such cell units together, then, a cell stack is constructed. A fuel cell of such stack structure is equipped with a manifold for uniformly dividing a fuel to each of the cell units to uniformly feed the fuel in the cell stack, so as to feed the fuel from the manifold to each of the cell units.
When the fuel is fed non-uniformly to each of the cell units in the cell stack, the output from each of the cell units varies, leading to the reduction of the power generation, so that the output from the whole cell stack is affected by the output from a low-output cell unit. Therefore, it is demanded that such manifold should have a uniform division performance at a higher dimension for the fuel supply to each of the cell units in the cell stack.
In such circumstances, various techniques for uniformly feeding a fuel to each of the cell units in a cell stack have been proposed (the publication of JP-A-Hei 9-161828). For fuel supply, in the publication, the manifold is constructed with a second space for dispersion, which is arranged adjacent to the cell stack, and a first space where a hydrogen rich gas is fed. The hydrogen rich gas fed in the first space is transferred through a through hole to the second space, where the hydrogen rich gas is dispersed and fed to each of the cell units.
Because the hydrogen rich gas is dispersed in the second space, the variation in the feed volume between cell units close to the through hole and cell units remote from the through hole is reduced, so that the hydrogen rich gas can be fed uniformly to all the cell units in the cell stack.
Patent reference 1: JP-A-Hei 9-161828
Because the hydrogen rich gas is necessarily dispersed in the second space according to the conventional technique, it was required to make the ratio of the volume of the second space to the whole volume of the first space and the second space larger. Unless the distance from the through hole to the cell units is at a certain dimension, therefore, the feed volume of the hydrogen rich gas varies depending on the positional relation between the through hole and each of the cell units, so that the manifold should inevitably be made as a larger type so as to uniformly feed the hydrogen rich gas to each of the cell units.
In such circumstances, the invention has been achieved. It is an object of the invention to provide a fuel cell capable of uniformly feeding an anode fluid to each of the cell units even when the manifold is made as a small type.


Embodiments relate to high throughput blockchain systems that can handle large numbers of real-time operations. A system may include a server that handles the matching of operations in a quick and trusted manner and a blockchain that executes the matched operations in a decentralized manner after the matching is confirmed by the server. The server may receive an operation request from a user. To confirm the operation request, the user may cause a broadcast of entry on the blockchain that confirms the validity of the operation request. Upon verifying the operation request, the server may match the operation request with other operation requests that meet the criteria specified by the user's request. A set of code instructions recorded on the blockchain may generate one or more entries that execute the operations related to the match.

A decentralized system allows operations to take place in a secured fashion without a central authority to reduce risks associated with the failure of the trusted authority. A decentralized system often relies on a blockchain to reach consensus among nodes of the decentralized system. A blockchain may include a chain of data blocks that are linked together through hashes of previous blocks. Various participants in the blockchain may independently verify the validity of a transaction by tracing through the history of the chain of transactions. In a public blockchain, different parties may independently verify the blocks recorded on the chain so that it becomes very challenging for a single party to manipulate or forge a transaction stored in a block. As such, a blockchain often provides greater transparency, enhanced security, and improved traceability than a centralized system.
However, operating a decentralized system is not without drawbacks. For example, in a decentralized system, the operations are often driven by block generations of the blockchain. For a new operation to be completed, the nodes in the decentralized system may need to wait for not only a new block to be generated but also multiple confirmations of the blocks to avoid a new branch of blocks that turns out to be the actual chain. As such, operations related to a blockchain could be severely limited by the block-generation speed and the confirmation speed of the blockchain, which may sometimes be extremely slow compared to the nature of the operations. As a result, a decentralized system could have a low processing performance. A conventional blockchain is often not suited for handling a large number of concurrent real-time operations.

Point-to-point distributed decentralized system


A blast joint swivel for use in a wellhead isolation tool includes a blast joint hanger mounted to a top of the wellhead isolation tool and a swivel body rotatably received in the blast joint hanger. The swivel body threadedly connects to a blast joint, which in turn threadedly connects to a top end of a tubing string suspended in a well. The blast joint swivel can also be displaced vertically over a limited range between upper and lower abutments.

Most oil and gas wells require stimulation to enhance hydrocarbon flow to make or keep them economically viable. The servicing of oil and gas wells to stimulate production requires the pumping of fluids into the well under high pressure. The fluids are generally corrosive and/or abrasive because they are laden with corrosive acids and/or abrasive proppants, such as sharp sand or bauxite.
In order to protect components that make up the wellhead, such as the valves, tubing hanger, casing hanger, casing head and/or blowout preventer equipment, wellhead isolation equipment, such as a wellhead isolation tool, a casing saver or a blowout preventer protector is used during well fracturing and well stimulation procedures. The wellhead isolation equipment may include a "blast joint" that is connected to a production tubing in the well used as a "dead string" to monitor downhole pressure during well stimulation and to flow back stimulation fluids after the well stimulation is complete, or as an additional fluid path for delivering high pressure stimulation fluids into the well.
As shown schematically in FIG. 1, a wellhead isolation tool 10 includes a sealing assembly 12, e.g. a "cup tool" or a high pressure fluid seal for a blowout preventer protector that seals off in a tubing spool above a bit guide. A blowout preventer protector equipped with a cup tool is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0192698 (Dallas) entitled BLOWOUT PREVENTER PROTECTOR AND METHOD OF USING SAME which was published on Oct. 16, 2003 and which is hereby incorporated by reference. An example of a sealing assembly that seals off above a bit guide is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0221838 (Dallas) entitled WELL STIMULATION TOOL AND METHOD OF USING SAME which was published on Dec. 4, 2003 and which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The wellhead isolation tool 10 further includes a blast joint 20 that has a threaded lower end 22 for connection to a threaded top end 32 of a tubing string 30 supported by slips 34 on a wellhead 40. The wellhead isolation tool 10 is lowered by a rig (not shown) into contact with the threaded top end 32 of the tubing string 30 and then the entire wellhead isolation tool 10 is rotated to connect the blast joint to the tubing string. As can be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, connecting the blast joint to the tubing string in this way can be challenging. Precise control of the tool 10 must be exercised to ensure proper engagement of the threaded ends of the blast joint and the tubing string. If the tool 10 is a bit too high, the threads will not engage. If, however, the tool 10 is a bit too low the tool 10 will tilt as it is rotated and there is a real danger of cross-threading. The difficulty of connecting wellhead isolation equipment using this prior-art technique can therefore result in unwanted delays and/or equipment damage.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved apparatus and method for connecting a blast joint to a tubing string.

Blast joint swivel for wellhead isolation tool and method of using same


A vacuum cleaner includes a receptacle having an outer wall and a suction socket. A cover for closing the receptacle is provided. The cover contains the drive motor and a suction fan that produces an air stream that is guided via the suction socket into the receptacle and removed from the receptacle. A suction chamber with a chamber wall is provided between the suction fan and the receptacle and extends substantially over the entire cross-section of the receptacle. The chamber wall of the suction chamber has a plurality of inlets in close proximity to the outer wall of the receptacle. The inlets open into the receptacle and are arranged next to one another in a circumferential direction of the receptacle such that the inlets form an annular air inlet. The suction socket has an inlet channel that is spaced at a distance relative to a central longitudinal axis of the vacuum cleaner. The inlet channel penetrates the suction chamber and extends into the receptacle substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis. The inlet channel has an outlet facing the central longitudinal axis.

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner comprising a drive motor and a suction fan in which the suction air flow is guided via a suction socket into a receptacle, which is closed by a cover containing the drive motor and the suction fan, and wherein the suction fan sucks air out of the receptacle.
Such a commercial vacuum cleaner is known from German Offenlegungsschrift 23 51 769 and has an angular suction socket radially extending from the receptacle and opening axially into the receptacle containing a dust filter. The dust filter is designed to retain dirt that is transported within the suction air flow. The suction opening of the suction fan that generates the suction air stream is arranged above the dust filter in the cover and sucks the air out of the receptacle. Due to the arrangement of the suction socket a main flow from the suction socket through the filter to the suction opening of the suction fan results. Besides this main flow an auxiliary flow with substantially reduced flow velocities is also formed. In areas protected by the filter bag extremely flow-reduced areas are present.
The dirt particles within the main flow hit with high kinetic energy the filter wall and can even partially penetrate the filter wall. Thus, the filtering effect can be substantially reduced so that the outblowing air stream is greatly laden with dirt. Furthermore, since essentially only the directly accessible areas of the filter are used and after their saturation the filter effect is diminished, a filter bag must be exchanged prematurely even though parts of the filter lying in the flow-protected areas are still effective.
In order to provide for a uniform flow through the filter, it has been suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,446 and French patent 623,781 to suck the suction air flow via a comb-shaped suction head from the receptacle, whereby the walls of the suction head are provided with a plurality of inlet flow openings. The arrangement of the suction socket is such that the entering suction air stream flows without any further deflection into the suction head, so that dirt particles hit the filter at high kinetic energies and can damage the filter.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner of the aforementioned kind with which a uniform usage of the dust-retaining filter with a minimal pollution of the exit air is ensured.


A method and apparatus for the quantitative determination of optically active substances includes two light-emitting diodes, each with a respective collimator lens and polarization filter, a cell filled with dialysate, an analyzer, a detector and measurement and evaluation electronics. The clocked light of the light-emitting diodes is linearly polarized by the polarization filters. The polarization directions differ by a few degrees. The polarization direction of the analyzer is aligned essentially perpendicularly relative to the polarization filters, such that the radiation of the two light-emitting diodes passing through an optically non-rotating dialysate generates the same photosignal in the detector. The polarization of the radiation passing through an optically rotating dialysate, by contrast, is rotated farther in the same direction, so that the detector receives two different photosignals from the light-emitting diodes from which the concentration of optically active substances can be deduced on the basis of comparison. The cell has a chamber filled with a reference fluid, through which the radiation of the two light-emitting diodes passes. The passing through the reference fluid radiation is registered with a further photodiode and is compared for an automatic signal balancing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the quantitative determination of the concentration of optically active substances, particularly glucose, in the body fluid of a patient, by polarimetry. The quantity of optically active substances is determined by a comparison signal, such as a difference or quotient signal. The present invention includes a first light source with which a first linear polarized light beam is generated that transilluminates the substance to be analyzed and charges a detector via an analyzer.
2. Description of the Invention
German Published Application 29 44 113 and EP-A 0 030 610 disclose methods and apparatus for the quantitative determination of optically active substances by polarimetry. In these methods, the specimen of the optically active substance is illuminated with linearly polarized light that has passed through a Faraday modulator. After the light. has passed through the modulator, the light ray is divided into a measurement ray and a reference ray, both of which are detected separately by a detector, whereby a quotient or difference signal is formed from the signals obtained by the detector, this quotient or difference signal being utilized for the quantitative determination of an optically active substance in the transilluminated specimen.
The apparatus of this method has a complicated optical structure that is considerably expensive to miniaturize. The method of the prior art utilizes a Faraday modulator whose means for generating a magnetic field has a high power consumption, and thus, only enables short local mode operating in vivo.

Method and apparatus for the quantitative determination of optically active substances


In a film lamination method of the present invention, sound waves with a predetermined frequency are applied to at least one of a substrate or a film disposed on the substrate. Thus, by means of an acoustic vibration energy action, the adhesion of the film to the substrate and the quality of covering irregularities can be sufficiently enhanced and the embedding quality of the film to the irregular portions of the substrate can be achieved to a high standard.

A method in which a substrate and a film are bonded together by being pressurized in the direction of thickness under heat is known in the prior art as a method of laminating a resist film onto a printed board. According to this method, the adhesion of the film to the substrate is enhanced due to pressurization and a reduction in the viscosity of the film caused by heating, and the quality of covering irregularities is enhanced such that air bubbles are not introduced between the substrate and film when irregularities on the substrate are covered.
However, the heating conditions in this method are limited depending on the substrate and film substances, and thus in cases when enough heat cannot be applied to sufficiently reduce the viscosity of the film, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient degree of lamination efficiency. Particularly when a film contains an active substance, limitations upon the heating temperature and heating time period are severe, as a result of which adhesion of the film to the substrate and quality of covering irregularity on the substrate tend to be insufficient. Further, during actual operations the substrate or lamination apparatus must be preheated to a predetermined temperature in order to attain the aforementioned heating effect, and as a result the deterioration of substrate or film may occur.
Hence, in order to solve these problems, a lamination method and apparatus in which the film does not necessarily have to be heated has been investigated. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. S55-148486 discloses a film lamination apparatus in which a pressurizing device is caused to oscillate along the direction of lamination between the substrate and film. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. S62-60645 discloses a lamination apparatus in which air enclosed between the substrate and film is removed by causing a lamination roller to oscillate by means of an electromagnetic vibrator or the like.

Film lamination method and lamination-apparatus


o-Iodoaryl allyl ethers undergo facile palladium-promoted cyclization to benzofurans.

This invention relates to a one pot synthesis of benzofurans. The simplest benzofuran has the empirical formula C.sub.8 H.sub.6 O, and is also from time to time referred to as coumarone. It is a bicyclic ring compound derived from coal-tar naptha and is the parent substance of coumarone-indene resins. It has the following structure: ##STR1##
These coumarone or benzofuran compounds are known to be useful for a wide variety of purposes. Amongst those are use in the perfume industry, in agriculture and horticulture as growth enhancers, and in some instances some of the coumarones are known to be physiologically active.
Past processes have involved complex multi-step synthesis to afford relatively low yields of compound. Thus, for the most part, industrial preparation of these as pure compounds has not been without difficulty.
It therefore can be seen that there is a continuing need for the development of processes, particularly one-step processes of preparing benzofurans so that they may be conveniently used for their known purposes.
It is a primary objective of the present invention to fulfill this need by an improved one-pot process for the preparation of benzofurans.
It is a further object of the present invention to prepare 3-methyl benzofuran.
The method and manner of accomplishing each of the above objectives, as well as others, will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows.

Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.


The robot system for which the position of a camera attached to the arm is changeable to multiple positions. The robot system memorizes offset information between the arm and the camera for each of multiple positions. Further, the robot system moves the arm to the position offset by the offset information corresponding to the attachment position of the selected camera. As a result, even when the mounting position of the camera is changed, the robot system can move the camera to an appropriate position when imaging and perform imaging without requiring troublesome teaching.

Conventionally, there is a known robot system including a multi joint robot and a camera provided at a distal end portion of the robot, the system measuring a reference position of a vehicle body part (workpiece) using the multi joint robot and the camera (for example, refer to patent literature 1). The measurement of the reference position is performed by marking the periphery of the reference position of the vehicle body part (work) to be measured, aligning the camera at the end of the multi joint robot with respect to the reference position, and reading the marking provided at the periphery of the reference position with respect to the camera coordinates. The alignment of the camera with respect to the reference position is performed by robot teaching.


A field emission flat light source and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The field emission flat light source includes an anode (110), a cathode (120), a light guide plate (130) and a separation body (140). The anode (110) and the light guide plate (130) are separated by the separation body (140). The cathode (120) is provided in the contained space (150) formed by the anode (110), the light guide plate (130) and the separation body (140). The anode (110) includes an anode substrate (112), a metal reflective layer (114) provided on the anode substrate (112) and a light emitting layer (116) provided on the metal reflective layer (114). The cathode (120) includes a cathode substrate (122) and an electron emitter (124) provided on the surface of the cathode substrate (122). The thermal conductivity of the field emission flat light source is improved. The field emission flat light source is applied to the field of the liquid crystal display or the illumination light.

The field emission flat light source can be widely used in various illumination fields, owing to the advantages of the former, such as energy-saving, environmental protection, and being able to work in harsh environments (such as high and low temperature environment), the thin, etc. Comparing with the conventional back light module, the field emission flat light source has not only a simple structure, but also a power saving feature, a small size, easy to be large-area flatted, high brightness, thus satisfying the requirements for the future development needs of the flat light source. While the field emission flat light source has irreplaceable advantages in the future of competition in the market, however, there are still some problems to be solved in the practical application.
When the conventional field emission flat light source is applied to the back light module for a liquid crystal display, the anode emitting layer of the field emission light source is close to the liquid crystal panel and is sandwiched between the cathode and the liquid crystal panel. After a long term of bombardment of the anode from the electron emitted from the cathode, the temperature will raise. If the heat is difficult to be dissipated by radiation, the serving life of the liquid crystal panel will be affected, and it may also cause the thermal deformation, even rupture of the anode. In addition, the heat dissipation problem still needs to be solved even not applied to the back light module, because the glass substrate, which is often used as anode, has a relatively poor heat dissipation characteristic. Furthermore, since the anode serves as the light incidence surface, it is difficult to assemble metal heat sink device on the surface of the anode.

Field emitting flat light source and method for making the same

Ocean's King Lighting Science & Technology Co., Ltd.


A computer-implemented method for converting an architecture specification of a system to one or more functional performance requirements textual statements describing one or more functions of the system is provided. The computer-implemented method includes obtaining the architecture specification based on a predefined architecture model diagram type, wherein the architecture specification comprises a plurality of interconnected functional portions that describe the one or more functions of the system; mapping one or more of the plurality of interconnected functional portions to one or more portions of the one or more functional performance requirements textual statements based on a predefined format of a template functional performance requirements textual statement; and creating the one or more functional performance requirements textual statements based on the mapping.

Requirement quality has long been an issue of large programs. The implementation of model-based systems engineering (MBSE) allows for an increase in quality and common understanding of the systems and subsystems being modeled prior to their construction. However, these additional MBSE tools can cause additional manual work by determining tracing links and creating the MBSE models themselves, even when there exists text requirements of equivalent meaning.

Model-based systems engineering model conversion with text requirements


There is disclosed an inkjet printer comprising: an inkjet printhead having an actuator and a plurality of nozzle rows each consisting of a plurality of nozzles through each of which a droplet of ink is ejected onto a recording medium by driving of the actuator; an IC chip having a drive circuit for outputting a drive signal to the actuator based on print data so that the ink droplet is ejected from the each nozzle in accordance with the drive signal; and a temperature-difference-responsive controller which increases a period of time taken for completing printing of a first amount when a difference in temperature between two places at least one of which is on the printhead exceeds a reference value, the temperature-difference-responsive controller not increasing the period of time when the difference does not exceed the reference value.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an inkjet printer which performs recording by ejecting ink droplets from nozzles arranged in a nozzle surface onto a recording medium by driving an actuator, and more particularly to an inkjet printer including an IC chip having a drive circuit for driving an actuator and disposed near rows of nozzles.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventional inkjet printer, drive signals transmitted to an actuator are modulated depending upon the temperature of an environment in which the printer rests or is used (hereinafter referred to as "an environmental temperature"), in order to prevent degradation in the print quality due to a variation in the temperature of ink supplied to be ejected from nozzles in the form of droplets. Further, there has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 9-239989, a method in which a value to which the temperature of an inkjet printhead will rise after printing is complete throughout a given unit print area defined in a recording medium is estimated or calculated before the printing is actually performed, based on print data indicative of an image to be printed within the print area, more specifically, the total number of dots constituting the image, and when the result of the calculation indicates that there is a possibility for degradation in the print quality, the printing is implemented with a part of the print data masked.
Meanwhile, there have been recently an increasing demand for increasing the density of arrangement of nozzles in the nozzle surface of an inkjet printhead, for enhancing the resolution at which images are printed, and a tendency of downsizing a carriage or head holder holding the inkjet printhead so as to miniaturize an inkjet printer as a whole. The enhancement in the resolution increases an amount of heat generated at the printhead, while the downsizing the head holder necessitates an arrangement where an IC chip (or a drive circuit for driving an actuator) which generates heat is disposed in the vicinity of the printhead. As a consequence, a variation in the temperature of the printhead occurs, namely, the temperature of the printhead varies from place to place depending upon the relative position with respect to the IC chip, that is, depending upon the distance from the IC chip. This variation in the temperature of the printhead may cause an undesirable variation in printing characteristics among the nozzles depending upon their position relative to the IC chip.


The present invention discloses a dual-clutch automatic transmission cooling and lubrication hydraulic control system and a vehicle. The dual-clutch automatic transmission cooling and lubrication hydraulic control system comprises a clutch lubrication control valve whose outlet end is connected with a clutch lubricating oil circuit, a gear lubrication control valve whose outlet end is connected with a gear and bearing lubricating oil circuit, the inlet end of the gear lubrication control valve being connected with the inlet end of the clutch lubrication control valve in parallel at the first common end, further comprises a mechanical pump and an electronic pump whose inlet ends are connected to an oil tank respectively. The outlet end of the mechanical pump and the outlet end of the electronic pump are connected in the second common end in parallel, and a cooler disposed between the first common end and the second common end. The dual-clutch automatic transmission cooling and lubrication hydraulic control system disclosed herein have a variety of working modes, reducing the defects such as large displacement of the mechanical pump when working alone.

At present, most of vehicles use dual-clutch automatic transmissions. With a dual-clutch automatic transmission, the transmission body shall have a compact overall structure and a large torque transmission capability. However, when a dual-clutch automatic transmission is used, its internal dual clutch and shifting gears and bearings will generate a large amount of heat due to friction and engagement, therefore, it is necessary to provide a cooling and lubricating liquid hydraulic control system to dissipate heat in time, otherwise it may cause ablation and pitting corrosion of heat producing parts.
Most of the cooling and lubricating liquid hydraulic control systems adopt a mechanical pump for oil supply in the existing structures, which may cause a large displacement of the mechanical pump and low economy performance of fuels. Moreover, the working mode of mechanical pump alone is not suitable for a hybrid transmission structure, resulting in a high R&D cost and losing its competitiveness. In addition, the cooling control structure of the cooling and lubricating liquid hydraulic control system in the existing structures has a poor variability, which cannot be adjusted according to the operating temperature of the transmission, so it has poor practicability.

Dual-clutch automatic transmission cooling and lubrication hydraulic control system and vehicle


A prosthetic knee joint is provided having an extended position, an intermediate position, and a flexed position. The motion of the joint includes a minor segment from the extended position to the intermediate position, and a major segment from the intermediate position to the flexed position. The center of pressure between the femoral component and the tibial component moves rearward on the tibia during the minor segment. During the major segment, the joint flexes about an axis of rotation with the bearing surfaces on the femoral and tibial components being in congruent engagement. The distal surface of the femoral component includes two rails for engagement with a patellar prosthesis. The contour of the rails is either a straight line or a concave curve to provide line contact between the rails and the patellar prosthesis. In certain embodiments, the patellar prosthesis has a saddle-shaped surface so that the prosthesis and each of the rails can make contact over an area extending along the length of the rail.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improved prosthetic joints and in particular to improved prosthetic knee joints.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Flexion and extension of the normal human knee involves complex movements of three bones: the femur, the tibia, and the patella. During flexion, the distal end of the femur and the proximal end of the tibia rotate and glide relative to one another, with the center of rotation of the joint moving posteriorly over the condyles of the femur; during extension, the tibia and femur follow the reverse path, with the center of rotation now moving anteriorly as the joint is extended. Simultaneous with these movements of the femur and tibia, the patella moves over the surface of the femoral condyles, while remaining at a relatively constant distance from the tubercle of the tibia through the attachment of the patella to the tibia by the patellar ligament.
Numerous prostheses have been proposed as replacements for the natural knee joint. See, for example, Noiles, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,996,624, 4,219,893, and 4,301,553, Averill, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,728,742 and 4,217,666, Insall, U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,209, Tavernetti, U.S. Pat. No. 3,813,700, German Patent Publications Nos. 2,227,090 and 2,501,128, and French Patent Publications Nos. 2,269,324 and 2,478,462. For total knee replacements, the condyles of the femur and the head of the tibia are surgically removed and replaced with prosthesis components. A patellar prosthesis, e.g., a spherically-domed or conical plastic button, is normally attached to the posterior surface of the patella to serve as an interface between the patella bone and the femoral prosthesis.
Efforts have been made to produce prosthetic joints which function in a manner similar to the natural knee. Specifically, a number of mechanisms have been proposed for producing posterior movement of the femoral component relative to the tibial component (femoral roll-back on the tibia) as the joint is flexed. For example, Walker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,861, discloses a prosthetic knee joint wherein guiding surfaces on the femoral and tibial components are used to induce posterior movement on the tibial component of the contact area between the components as the knee is progressively flexed. The posterior movement takes place through a major portion of the flexion of the joint. Burstein et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,992, shows an alternate construction in which the femoral component moves posteriorly relative to the tibial component at or near full flexion. See also Deane, U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,905.
These prior art constructions suffer the common disadvantage that the femoral and tibial bearing surfaces are only in contact over small areas. Moreover, the contact areas become even smaller when the joint is flexed. During flexion, e.g., during such activities as squatting, stair climbing, or rising from a chair, high loads are applied to the joint and must be carried by the contact area between the bearing surfaces. Small contact areas plus high loads lead to high rates of wear of the bearing surfaces, which is clearly undesirable. U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,444 to Douglas G. Noiles discloses a knee joint having bearing surfaces of large areas. However, the femoral component of this joint does not move posteriorly relative to the tibial component during flexion, as occurs in the natural knee.
Efforts have also been made to improve the functioning of patellar prostheses. See, for example Pappas et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,158, Buechel et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,778, and Buechel et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,978. In particular, the anterior surfaces of femoral components have been provided with concave recesses for receiving patellar prostheses when the joint is at or near its fully extended position. See, for example, Forte et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,135, and Walker, U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,861. Similarly, the distal surfaces of femoral components have included tracks for receiving the patellar prosthesis when the joint is flexed. Significantly, the surfaces which engage the patellar prosthesis on these prior art tracks have been convexly shaped. Indeed, discontinuities in the slope of the prosthesis' outer surface have existed at the intersection between the concave recess of the anterior surface and the convex track of the distal surface.
Prostheses employing convex tracks have suffered a number of disadvantages. When used with the typical spherically-domed or conical patellar prosthesis, the track and the patellar prosthesis have only made point contact. As discussed above, prosthetic knee joints are subject to high loads when flexed, i.e., when the patellar prosthesis is in contact with the distal track. This combination of high loads and point contact has resulted in high wear rates for the patellar prosthesis. Indeed, for patellar prostheses consisting of a plastic bearing mounted on a metal backing plate, complete wear through of the bearing so as to cause the metal plate and the metal femoral component to grind against one another in situ, has been observed.
In addition to the point contact problem, the discontinuity in the outer surface of the femoral prosthesis at the intersection between the concave recess and the convex track has also contributed to wearing of the patellar prosthesis and has degraded the overall smooth operation of the prosthesis.
The Forte et al. patent referred to above discloses a construction for a patellar prosthesis which can achieve line contact with a convex track. This construction, however, employs a complex patellar button geometry which must be precisely aligned with the femoral prosthesis during the surgical procedure for the system to operate properly. Also, in revision surgery, the existing patellar prosthesis is normally not replaced. Most existing patellar prostheses are of the conical or spherically-domed button type. The Forte et al. construction, like the rest of the prior art constructions, only provides point contact when used with such spherically-domed or conical patellar prostheses.


A control arm for a wheel suspension link for a motor vehicle is connected with the vehicle body by way of an elastic bearing. For this purpose, a holding element is arranged between the control arm and the bearing, which holding element is held, on the one hand, in a front face recess of the control arm in a non-rotatable manner and is, on the other hand, connected with a bearing sleeve of the control arm bearing.

This invention relates to an apparatus for connecting a control arm of a motor vehicle wheel suspension link with the vehicle body by way of an elastic bearing by means of a threaded connection.
In the case of the connection of a control arm with an elastic bearing which is fastened to the vehicle body, a displacement of the elastic control arm bearing with respect to the bearing usually takes place when the connection is established by way of a screw. This has the result that the elastic portions in the bearing are twisted.
It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for connecting a control arm with a bearing which avoids these disadvantages, ensures a defined fitting position of the elastic bearing, and permits a simple mounting or fastening of the control arm on the bearing.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by providing an apparatus for connecting a control arm of a wheel suspension link for a motor vehicle by way of an elastic bearing with the vehicle body by means of a screwed connection, wherein a holding element is arranged between the control arm and the bearing, said holding element being, on the one hand, non-rotatably held in a front face recess of the control arm and, on the other hand, being connected with a bearing sleeve of the control arm bearing.
The principal advantages achieved by means of the invention are that, as the result of the arrangement of the holding element with a polygonal projection between the control arm and the control arm bearing, when the connection is established by way of a screw, torsion of the elastic portions of the control arm bearing is avoided and twisting is therefore prevented.
Preferably, the projection of the holding element comprises a pin which has a square cross-section and projects into a corresponding recess of the control arm. This pin is followed by a conical part which is connected with a corresponding conical recess in the control arm. In a bore of the holding element, the free end of a bearing sleeve is held by means of a press fit, which bearing sleeve is embedded in a rubber elastic layer.
The bearing sleeve is provided with a bore for a fastening screw which penetrates the holding element and is fastened on the control arm by way of a nut.
Because of its polygonal projection in connection with the conical section and the press fit on the bearing sleeve, the holding element achieves a defined fitting position for the rubber bearing when the control arm is fastened on the control arm bearing, whereby a twisting of the rubber elastic element in the bearing is avoided. At the same time, the control arm is fastened securely with respect to the bearing.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Apparatus for connecting a control arm with a bearing


The present invention is an improvement in a staple sheet cartridge for an automatic stapler where sheets of staples are delivered to the forming and driving section of the stapler by a conveyor belt. A retaining protrusion is formed on a guide member such that contact area of, and perpendicular force on the staple sheet are maximized without auxiliary magnetic means, allowing smooth, positive and consistent delivery of the staple sheets to the forming and driving section of the stapler.

1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to stapling machines, hereinafter called staplers, and more particularly to improvements of a staple cartridge for a stapler in which a number of staple sheets are stacked and delivered by a conveying belt to the forming and driving section thereof. Such staple blanks sheets are formed by bonding a plurality of straight wire staples blanks together in the form of a sheet.
2. Description Of Related Art
In the prior art staples are successfully supplied with a pawl to the forming and driving section. In such a stapler the staples are formed into a roll using a piece of tape as well as an adhesive. This double adhesive is necessary in order to reliably hold the staples together into the roll. The roll is then loaded into a cartridge and thus is fed into the stapler. The disadvantages of this system are twofold. First, the taping involves an extra step in the manufacturing of the staple roll. In addition, the tape tends to separate from the roll when the driving means drives a formed staple placed in a driving position and interfere with the driving mechanism, so that the staple hammaring operation may not be achieved.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,082 to Kurosawa discloses a stapler cartridge which feeds staples in sheets, rather than rolls, eliminating the need for tape in securing the staples together. While the Kurosawa invention has eliminated the problems associated with the use of tape in staple cartridges it is susceptible to periodic jamming of staple sheets in the staple sheet let-off opening. In addition, because of the large frictional forces on the guide member in the Kurosawa invention the staple sheet conveyor belt 7 does not convey the staple sheet with great reliability.
In order to illustrate the novelty and utility of the present invention the operation of the Kurosawa invention will be discussed in greater detail. Referring to FIG. 1(a) and FIG. 1(b) prior art, in order to feed a staple sheet S' from the cartridge A' to the forming and driving section of the stapler, the lowermost staple sheet Sa in the staple sheet accommodating section 1' is moved out through the staple sheet let-off opening 3' by means of a conveyor belt 7' . The staple sheet is held between the upper surface 7a' the conveyor belt 7a' of the conveyor belt 7' and the lower surface 13b' of a guide member 13', the frictional force between the conveyor belt and the staple sheet being utilized to transport the staple sheet. In order to prevent excessive frictional force between the guide member and the staple sheet the area of contact between the two is minimized. This is accomplished by providing a recess portion 13c' in the lower surface of the guide member so that only the edges of the staple sheet are in contact with the guide member 13'. The width of the conveyor belt is much smaller than that of the staple sheet and therefore the edges of the staple sheet are pushed downwards by the guide member and the middle of the staple sheet is pushed upwards by the conveyor belt. This imparts a curvature in the staple sheet as seen in FIG. 1(b). As a result, the area of contact between the conveyor belt and the staple sheet is minimized, as is the frictional force, causing the undesirable effect of inconsistent conveying of the staple sheet to the forming and driving section of the stapler.
Kurosawa provides for a magnetic means (not shown) placed directly below the conveyor belt 7' in order to alleviate the problem of insufficient contact between the conveyor belt 7' and the staple sheet S'. In order to cause a magnetic field of sufficient force the magnetic means must be as close to the conveyor belt 7' as possible, preferably in contact with it. Because the conveyor belt 7' is moving the resultant frictional force at the interface with the magnetic means causes premature wear of the conveyor belt 7'. Also, the magnetic means is limited in length in order to be disposed between the two pulleys of the conveyor belt 7'. Thus the magnetic means is not effective over the whole travel of the staple sheet S'. In summary, the magnetic means is undesirable because it is not entirely effective and it creates added expense in the manufacture, and maintenance in the operation, of the staple machine.
Referring now to FIG. 2(a) and FIG. 2(b) prior art, it is shown that the inside dimensions of the accommodating section 1' is larger than the staple sheets S' thereby creating a clearance C' between the inner wall of the cartridge and the stack of staple sheets. The cartridge is mounted so as to be inclined toward the rear wall 9' of the cartridge therefore allowing the vibration of the stapler to keep the staple sheets in contact with the rear wall. Under this condition, the lowermost staple sheet Sa' is conveyed by the conveyor. As the staple sheet Sa' is being conveyed through the let-off opening 3' the second staple sheet Sb' begins to contact the conveyor belt 7' and is pushed up against a sloped surface 3a' just above the let-off opening preventing the second staple from entering the let-off opening. As a result, the weight of the remaining staples in the stack acts as a shearing force on the front of the second staple sheet which is not in contact with the conveyor belt. This shearing force tends to bend the staple sheet Sb', as shown in FIG. 2(b), resulting in periodic jamming of the staple sheet in the let-off opening.


A chemical processing apparatus includes a fragmentation device that includes a linear set of stacked electrodes and a voltage control module that forms DC potential wells of opposite polarity for mutual confinement of opposite polarity ions. A method of protein analysis includes confining positive peptide ions and negatively charged reagent anions in, respectively, first and second DC potential wells in a fragmentation device, mixing the ions, in the fragmentation device, and analyzing ion fragments formed in the mixture.

In mass spectrometry, peptide ions are often fragmented prior to mass analysis. A relatively new method of peptide fragmentation entails reaction of peptide cations and reagent anions in quadrupole ion traps, in particular, in linear ion traps (LIT) based on a quadruple set of rod electrodes, which utilize radio-frequency (RF) fields for ion confinement. The technical literature typically refers to an ion-ion fragmentation reaction as Electron-Transfer Dissociation (ETD), in which electron transfer is assumed to be central to the reaction process.
In principal, as described by Liang, Hager and McLuckey, Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 79, pages 3363-3370 (2007), four methods provide peptide ion ETD reactions in a LIT. Three of these methods entail allowing cations and/or anions to pass through the LIT, i.e., only cations or anions, or neither, are confined in the LIT. These three methods use a DC potential barrier for axial confinement of ions of a single polarity (where "axial" is a conventional reference to the lengthwise direction of a LIT.) The fourth method simultaneously confines ions of opposite polarities (i.e., cations and anions) along the axial direction, through use of RF pseudopotential barriers or application, to the quadrupole rod set, of unbalanced RF fields. An axial pseudopotential barrier is formed, for example, with application, to containment lenses at the axial ends of the LIT, of RF oscillating potentials.
Optimal ion flow control is difficult to achieve with single-polarity confinement because the DC potential barrier, used for axial confinement of ions of a single polarity, acts as an accelerating potential for the opposite-polarity ions flowing through the LIT. Thus, the kinetic energy difference between the flowing ions and the confined ions may be too high for some ion-ion reactions to favorably occur; ETD researchers believe that the ion-ion reaction rate is inversely proportional to the cube of the relative velocity between the ions. Thus, mutual storage of peptide cations and reagent anions is expected to provide the lowest relative ion velocities, for more efficient dissociation.
Mutual confinement, however, as indicated, above, typically requires more complex use of RF voltages. Moreover, the barrier height of an RF-generated pseudopotential barrier is a function of the mass-to-charge ratio of the ions being stored, thus restricting the mass range of analyte or reagent ions that can be mutually confined for ion-ion reactions.
As an alternative to reliance on RF fields for mutual confinement, two separate quadrupole rod sets, i.e., two adjacent LITs, are used to separately store cations and anions in the two adjacent LITs, prior to allowing ions from one LIT to flow through the other LIT. Such an approach to mutual confinement, however, increases the complexity and cost of a fragmentation device.


The disclosure discloses a method for controlling Machine Type Communication (MTC) equipment to access network, wherein an access grade is set for an MTC equipment or an MTC group, and corresponding access parameters are set for the MTC equipment or MTC group according to the access grade, wherein the method comprises the steps of: notifying or configuring the access parameters to the MTC equipment and initiating, by the MTC equipment, an access request according to the access parameters; or, an access priority is configured for the MTC equipment or MTC group, wherein the method comprises the steps of: acquiring by the network side the access priority of the MTC equipment or MTC group after the network side receives the access request from the MTC equipment, and performing an access control on the MTC equipment according to the current network load. The disclosure further discloses a system for implementing the method. The disclosure can ensure that the service load of the Core Network (CN) side is controlled within a certain range, thus avoiding impact on the services that have currently accessed the network. The disclosure is especially applicable to communication systems with Machine To Machine (M2M) mechanism.

FIG. 1 shows a structure diagram of a cellular wireless communication system; as shown in FIG. 1, the cellular wireless communication system mainly consists of a Core Network (CN), a Radio Access Network (RAN) and terminals. The CN is responsible for non-access layer affairs such as terminal location update; in addition, the CN is also the anchor point of the user plane. The RAN comprises base stations, or comprises base stations and a base station controller, wherein the access network is in charge of access layer affairs such as management of radio resources; depending on actual situations, there might exist physical or logical connections between base stations, for example, the connections between base station 1 and base station 2, as well as between base station 1 and base station 3 as shown in FIG. 1; in addition, each base station can be connected with one or more CN nodes. The terminal, i.e., the User Equipment (UE), refers to various devices capable of communicating with the cellular wireless communication network, such as a mobile phone or a laptop computer.
A MTC service is a machine to machine communication service. In the MTC service, human participation is not needed and all communications are automatically performed by machines; the MTC service obtains data through sensing devices such as a sensor, then reports the data to a mobile communication network through a communication module and accesses a public data network through the mobile communication network. Specifically, the MTC service can be applied to logistics supervising, security monitoring, remote medical detection, remote meter reading, etc. The data is managed by a special server of a mobile operator or dedicated MTC operator, and can be provided for view by an MTC user or MTC manager. During this process, the device acquiring the data needed by the service is the MTC equipment.
In the MTC service, some features distinct from the conventional mobile communication are introduced, for example, the feature of group management. When this feature is activated, the MTC equipments of the same user may be classified into one group; the network can uniformly configure parameters for the whole group. The parameters apply to all MTC equipments belonging to this group; the operator sets and activates the group management feature in the subscription information of the MTC equipment and stores the group management feature into a Home Subscriber Server (HSS). The HSS is an entity in charge of saving the identity information, authentication information and authorization information of a user or terminal equipment in the telecommunication network. depending on different circumstances, the HSS can be used to save the identity information of the user and the binding information of the user and the terminal equipment, or only the identity information of the user (specifically, the binding information of the user and the terminal equipment can be saved by a gateway), or directly save the identify information of the terminal equipment. The HSS is further in charge of a subscription database of users, user identity verification and authorization, and so on. The service platform can inquire the user or terminal information from the HSS.
When the MTC equipment is attached to a network, a Mobility Management Entity (MME) obtains the subscription information of the MTC equipment from the HSS and saves the information locally. The MME is an entity configured to manage the user terminal control signaling in the CN and is in charge of access control, including authentication control, identifier (for example, Globally Unique Temporary Identity (GUTI), Tracking Area Identity (TAI)) assignment, authentication of user identifier and equipment identifier, signaling plane encryption, consistency protection between eNBs, conversion of security parameters and Quality of Service (QoS) parameters between 2G/3G and Evolved Packet System (EPS), access permission control, decision on whether the requested resource can be obtained and reserved, legal monitoring, mobility management (tracking and recording of the current UE location), session management, related operations for EPS bearer, network element selection, etc.
After the MTC technology is introduced, there might exist a large number of MTC equipments; when the large number of MTC equipments all need to access the network to accept services, network congestion might occur due to overly large amount of signaling being initiated simultaneously, impacting the services for other terminals connected to the network.

Method and system for controlling machine type communication equipment to access network


An electronic keyboard musical instrument, including: a keyboard; a musical-sound signal generating circuit; at least one speaker for emitting sound in accordance with a generated signal; a speaker accommodating body accommodating the speaker in its inner space; and at least one resonator disposed in the accommodating body, wherein the accommodating body includes a sound emission path by which the sound emitted by the speaker is introduced to an exterior of the accommodating body via the inner space for sound propagation to the exterior, a control point of the resonator is located at a position corresponding to an antinode of a sound pressure in a natural vibration mode at a specific frequency generated in the inner space by driving of the speaker, and the resonator resonates at the specific frequency for adjusting the sound pressure, whereby the sound is emitted from the sound emission path to the exterior.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sound adjusting system and an electronic musical instrument.
2. Discussion of Related Art
As one example of an electronic keyboard musical instrument having a casing in which a speaker is accommodated, there is disclosed in the following Patent Literature 1 an electronic keyboard musical instrument which has sound emission holes, such as tone escapes. In the disclosed electronic keyboard musical instrument, the sound of the speaker is emitted not only from a sound emission surface of the speaker, but also from the sound emission holes through an inner space of the casing toward a performer, for enabling the performer to listen well to the sound emitted from the speaker.    Patent Literature 1: JP 2005-202190

Sound adjusting system and electronic musical instrument


An alkali-soluble binder resin made by a condensation reaction of hydroxy styrene moiety having formulae (I) or (II): ##STR1## wherein x is an integer from 2 to 300; with a monomethylolated phenolic compound having a formula (III): ##STR2## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are individually selected from the group consisting of lower alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms, lower alkoxy group having 1-4 carbon atoms, amino group, and carboxylic acid group; wherein R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are individually selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, lower alkyl group having 1-4 carbon atoms, lower alkoxy groups having 1-4 carbon atoms, an amino group, and a carboxylic group; and wherein the mole ratio of the hydroxy styrene moiety to the monomethylolated phenolic compound is from about 1:10 to about 10:1.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to selected chemically modified hydroxy styrene polymer resins and their use in photoactive resist compositions.
2. Brief Description of Prior Art
Photoresist compositions are used in microlithographic processes for making miniaturized electronic components such as in the fabrication of integrated circuits and printed wiring board circuitry. Generally, in the processes, a thin coating or film of a photoresist composition is first applied to a substrate material, such as silicon wafers used for making integrated circuits or aluminum or copper plates of printed wiring boards. The coated substrate is then baked to evaporate any solvent in the photoresist composition and to fix the coating onto the substrate. The baked coated surface of the substrate is next subjected to an image-wise exposure of radiation. This radiation exposure causes a chemical transformation in the exposed areas of the coated surface. Visible light, ultraviolet (UV) light, electron beam and X-ray radiant energy are radiation types commonly used today in microlithographic processes. After this image-wise exposure, the coated substrate is treated with a developer solution to dissolve and remove either the radiation-exposed or the unexposed areas of the coated surface of the substrate. In some instances, it may be desirable to bake the imaged coated substrate after the latent imaging step and before the developing step. This bake step is commonly called a post-exposure bake and is used to increase resolution.
There are two types of photoresist compositions----negative-working and positive-working. When negative-working photoresist compositions are exposed image-wise to radiation, the areas of the resist composition exposed to the radiation become less soluble to a developer solution (e.g., a cross-linking reaction occurs) while the unexposed areas of the photoresist coating remain relatively soluble to a developing solution. Thus, treatment of an exposed negative-working resist with a developer solution causes removal of the nonexposed areas of the resist coating and the creation of a negative image in the photoresist coating, and thereby uncovering a desired portion of the underlying substrate surface on which the photoresist composition is deposited. On the other hand, when positive-working photoresist compositions are exposed image-wise to radiation, those areas of the resist composition exposed to the radiation become more soluble to the developer solution (e.g., a rearrangement reaction occurs) while those areas not exposed remain relatively insoluble to the developer solution. Thus, treatment of an exposed positive-working resist with the developer solution causes removal of the exposed areas of the resist coating and the creation of a positive image in the photoresist coating. Again, a desired portion of the underlying substrate surface is uncovered.
After this development operation, the now partially unprotected substrate may be treated with a substrate-etchant solution or plasma gases and the like. This etchant solution or plasma gases etch the portion of the substrate where the photoresist coating is removed during development. The areas of the substrate where the photoresist coating still remains are protected and, thus, an etched pattern is created in the substrate material which corresponds to the photomask used for the image-wise exposure of the radiation. Later, the remaining areas of the photoresist coating may be removed during a stripping operation, leaving a clean etched substrate surface. In some instances, it is desirable to heat treat the remaining resist layer after the development step and before the etching step to increase its adhesion to the underlying substrate and its resistance to etching solutions.
Positive-working photoresists are generally prepared by blending a suitable alkali-soluble binder resin (e.g., a phenol-formaldehyde novolak resin) with a photoactive compound (PAC) which converts from being insoluble to soluble in an alkaline aqueous developer solution after exposure to a light or energy source. The most common class of PAC's employed today for positive-working resists are quinone diazide esters of a polyhydroxy compound. Typical novolak resins used today for positive-working resins are made from various mixtures of ortho-cresol, meta-cresol, and para-cresol which are condensed with an aldehyde source (e.g., formaldehyde). The combination of xylenols with such ortho-, meta-, and para-cresol mixtures are also used in making novolak resins.
Novolaks made from mixtures of meta-cresol and para-cresol are particularly popular as binder resins for positive photoresists. They provide good lithographic performance with quinone diazide ester sensitizers. However, one deficiency of such novolak resins is their relatively wide molecular weight distribution.
In comparison, other types of alkaline-soluble polymers have also been looked at as binder resins for photoresists. For example, hydroxy styrene polymers, hydrolyzed styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers, styrene-maleimide copolymers and other polymers of styrene derivatives have been tested for lithographic performance.
None of these polymers are useful alone in commercial photoresists because of their extremely high solubility in alkali developers used in the lithographic process. However, they do have the advantage of having a narrower molecular weight distribution compared to novolaks which results in a sharper switching of dissolution of the polymers in alkali developers.
In the past, poly(hydroxy styrene) has been modified in various ways [see Information Bulletin of Poly(p-hydroxy styrene) published by R. W. Rupp and B. N. Shah, Celanese Advanced Technology]. In particular to reduce the alkali dissolution rate of poly(hydroxy styrene) polymers, the research staff at Hoechst AG has examined alkylation of such polymers particularly at the ortho position to the hydroxy group on the phenolic ring (EP 307-752, 1989; Proc. SPIE Vol. 1262, Advances in Resist Technology and Processing VII, 391-400, 1990). However, the resulting polymers still have a poor property of dissolution inhibition with quinone diazide ester photoactive sensitizers compared with conventional novolak polymers, according to Hitachi research group (see Proc. 4th Micro Process Conference held at Kanazawa, Japan, Jul. 15-18, 1991; A-7-3).
The present invention provides a way of obtaining the advantages of the cresol novolak chemistry along with the alkali-solubility characteristics of poly (hydroxy styrene) polymers to obtain a polymer resin having a predetermined narrow molecular weight distribution. These binder resins of the present invention have (1) good dissolution inhibition of binder resin with quinone diazide ester sensitizers, (2) good discrimination in dissolution rate between exposed and unexposed areas, (3) substantially perpendicular walls of photo image, and (4) no scum.

Chemically modified hydroxy styrene polymer resins and their use in photoactive resist compositions wherein the modifying agent is monomethylol phenol


A system and method for controlling a vehicle system determine one or more of a route parameter of a route on which the vehicle system is moving or a vehicle parameter of the vehicle system. The system and method also determine whether a ratio of a lateral force exerted by one or more wheels of the vehicle system on the route to a vertical force exerted by the one or more wheels of the vehicle system on the route increases to a value exceeding a designated threshold as a result of the one or more route parameter of vehicle parameter that is determined. The ratio of the lateral force to the vertical force exerted by the one or more wheels of the vehicle system on the route is reduced to a value less than the designated threshold by changing an operation of the vehicle system.

Vehicle systems impart various forces on routes traveled upon by the vehicle systems. For example, weight of the vehicle systems imparts a vertical force on the route, while movement around a curve, rotation of wheels, acceleration, and the like, can impart lateral forces on the routes (e.g., forces that are oriented in directions that are closer to, but not necessarily parallel to, the surface of the tracks). Large differences between these forces can pose a risk to continued safe travel of the vehicle systems.
For example, when a locomotive of other rail vehicle system encounters a curved segment of a track, lateral forces exerted on the rail(s) by the wheels of the vehicle system tend to force the wheel to climb the rail or roll over the rail. The lateral forces exerted by the wheels may be affected by parameters of the route, the wheel, or the vehicle system. For example, the parameters may include route irregularities, wheel irregularities, the vehicle position within a consist, axle tractive effort, the axle position within a multi-axle vehicle system, wheel and/or rail profiles, or the like, and may affect the lateral force exerted by one or the wheels of the vehicle system on the route. As the ratio of lateral forces to vertical forces increases, the risk for derailment also increases.


A lamp or flashlight having a multi-feature switching assembly is disclosed. The flashlight comprises a barrel, a head assembly, and a rotating switching assembly. The head assembly and switching assembly are rotated relative to the barrel and a tongue extending from the barrel to bring a conductor of the switching assembly into contact with, or remove the conductor from contact with, the tongue to close or open an electrical circuit for turning the light bulb on or off, respectively. The conductor may be adapted to nestingly engage the tongue in a locked on position, and a resilient member may be added to nestingly engage the tongue in a locked off position. Unlocked on and off positions of the switching assembly permit the light to be quickly flashed on and off. The head assembly includes a head and a head portion, and the head portion may be rotated relative to the head to adjust the focus of the light independently of the on/off function. Also independently of the on/off function, the head portion may be removed so that the light bulb provides a substantially spherical, unfocused source of light.

The present invention relates generally to electrical switching systems for lamps and particularly to a flashlight with a multi-feature rotating switching assembly.
Lamps and flashlights of different shapes and sizes and utilizing different on/off switches are well known. Many flashlights utilize a cylindrical tube to carry one or more batteries and to serve as a handle. An electrical circuit is established within the flashlight for passing a current through the filament of a light bulb thereby generating a beam of light. A switch is provided for closing or opening the circuit to place the light bulb in an on or off position, respectively.
Typically, in a flashlight, a center or positive electrode of a battery contacts a conductor which in turn contacts an electrode of a light bulb. The electrode of the light bulb is connected to the filament of the light bulb which is, in turn, connected to another electrode of the light bulb. The second electrode is connected to another conductor. The case or negative electrode of the battery is placed in electrical contact with the cylindrical tube or barrel which is typically made of an electrically conductive material to provide an electrically conductive path to the switch. The switch is used to close or open the circuit, thereby turning the flashlight on or off, respectively.
Switches typically lack a number of desirable features such as the ability to silently turn the flashlight on or off without a clicking sound and the ability to quickly turn the flashlight on and off without placing the switch in an engaged or locked on or off position. The contact points of switches are also typically subject to carbon build-up which diminishes light intensity. In flashlights which are turned on and off by rotating a head assembly relative to a barrel, the switches typically lack locking on and off positions. These switches also typically require excessive degrees of rotation between the on and off positions, thereby making such flashlights difficult to turn on and off using one hand. Additionally, these switches also typically do not permit the user to turn the flashlight off when a head portion of the flashlight is removed to enable the flashlight to be used as a lamp. Finally, flashlights which permit the focus of the light beam to be adjusted by rotating a head assembly relative to a barrel typically do not permit the focus to be adjusted independently of the on/off function. Accordingly, the focus of the beam must be adjusted each time the flashlight is turned on.

Lamp or flashlight having a multi-feature rotating switching assembly


A cutting head for a high pressure water jet cutting assembly includes a body having an inner chamber and an aperture that extends into the inner chamber. A focusing tube is removably insertable within the inner chamber along a longitudinal axis. An engagement member is at least partially disposed within the aperture and movable between a first position and a second position in which a portion of the engagement member is disposed within the inner chamber. A retaining member is engageable with the body and movable with respect to the body to bias the engagement member into engagement with the focusing tube to retain the focusing tube within the inner chamber and to align the focusing tube substantially along the longitudinal axis.

The present invention relates to a device for retaining and aligning an abrasive waterjet focusing tube.
Precision cutting for industrial and commercial purposes is often accomplished through the use of a waterjet system that directs a high speed stream of water at a material surface to be cut. Waterjet cutting uses ultra high pressure water, typically over 30,000 psi, produced on-site with special equipment, to produce a high velocity stream of water traveling at speeds in excess of Mach 2. This high velocity stream, often mixed with an abrasive, is capable of slicing through hard materials such as metal and granite with thicknesses of more than a foot. Among other benefits, waterjet cutting eliminates the adverse effects of high temperature zones and material deformation generated during traditional cutting methods.

Abrasive waterjet focusing tube retainer and alignment


This disclosure describes methods, systems, and devices configured to determine a timing of a future bladder related event of a patient. For example, a system includes processing circuitry configured to identify a timing of a plurality of bladder related events of a patient, determine, based on the timing of the plurality of bladder related events of the patient, a probability to experience a bladder related event function for the patient, the probability to experience a bladder related event function indicating a probability that the patient will experience a bladder related event at an elapsed time after a previous bladder related event, predict, based on the probability to experience a bladder related event function, a timing of a future bladder related event, and control delivery of a therapy to the patient based on the predicted timing of the future bladder related event.

Bladder dysfunction, such as overactive bladder, urgency, or urinary incontinence, are problems that may afflict people of all ages, genders, and races. Various muscles, nerves, organs and conduits within the pelvic floor cooperate to collect, store and release urine. A variety of disorders may compromise urinary function, and contribute to an overactive bladder, urgency, urinary incontinence and/or urinary retention. Many of the disorders may be associated with aging, injury, or illness.
Urinary incontinence may include urge incontinence and stress incontinence. In some examples, urge incontinence may be caused by disorders of peripheral or central nervous systems that control bladder micturition reflexes. Some patients may also suffer from nerve disorders that prevent proper triggering and operation of the bladder, sphincter muscles, or nerve disorders that lead to overactive bladder activities or urge incontinence.
Urinary incontinence can be attributed to improper sphincter function, either in the internal urinary sphincter or external urinary sphincter. For example, aging can result in weakened sphincter muscles, which may cause incontinence. Nerves running though the pelvic floor stimulate contractility in the sphincter. An improper communication between the nervous system and the urethra or urinary sphincter can result in a bladder dysfunction, such as overactive bladder, urgency, urge incontinence, or another type of urinary incontinence. Nerve disorders, weakened bladder muscles, or obstructions of a urethra may lead urinary retention, in which the patient is unable to empty their bladder completely.

Monitoring bladder dysfunction using a probability function