An electronic remote chemical identification system is described, in which a transponder for recording information regarding the contents and other information of a railroad tank car, highway tank truck or other container is placed thereon, the transponder being coded remotely with the information by a remotely located, fixed or portable encoder and interrogated when desired by a remotely located, fixed or portable interrogator unit. In the case of an accident, emergency and other response personnel can utilize the interrogator to query a single or a plurality of transponders on the tank cars in the train or on the tank truck to safely and immediately ascertain the exact contents of the containers and other associated information regarding the shipper, the origin and destination of the consignment, shipper's emergency personnel telephone number and proper response action to be taken at the accident scene, etc. Similarly, the system can be used in normal commerce to inventory the contents of a passing freight train, a train in a yard or a road truck.

1. Field of the Invention
There have been several major transportation accidents in the United States involving the release of hazardous chemicals, followed by spectacular fires and explosions, dispersion of toxic vapors, extensive property damage and potential ground water pollution. In many of these incidents, there have been injuries to people and/or loss of human life. Property and environmental damage have been estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Many of these catastrophes have involved railroad tank cars and tractor-trailer tank trucks transporting hazardous chemicals. The transportation of hazardous chemicals in the United States on railroads, roads, highways and waterways is regulated by various agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation, as well as by state and local bodies. These agencies have instituted numerous regulations to reduce accident frequency, severity and public impact of hazardous chemical releases. These regulations stipulate technological modifications as well as operations and management changes in the transportation of hazardous chemicals to provide safety to the public. For example, one regulation requires the carrying of bills of lading or waybills identifying the chemicals being transported. The railroads, for example, have become conscious of potential public hazards and economic costs resulting from accidental chemical releases, and have undertaken changes in operational procedures, development of contingency plans, and have instituted emergency response management procedures to cope with hazardous materials accidents. Truck fleet operators also are considering various operational measures to reduce tractor-trailer accidents involving chemicals.
Unfortunately, major transportation accidents involving hazardous chemicals continue to occur. One of the major problems associated with railroad accidents involving hazardous materials in tank cars (and the consequent release of their contents) is the proper identification of the various chemicals being transported. The National Transportation Safety Board and the National Fire Protection Association have repeatedly pointed out that emergency response personnel need immediate and accurate information concerning the hazardous or other materials involved, and guidance in the handling of transportation emergencies (involving hazardous materials).
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has pointed out repeatedly in many of its accident investigation reports how the timely determination and initiation of proper response action could have saved lives and property damages. For example, in the report NTSB-RAR-79-1 the Board notes that "Fire fighters experienced a forty-five minute delay in obtaining the waybills and consist information with pertinent hazardous materials emergency information. This delay could have had serious consequences, particularly if they had attempted to fight the fire before the second explosion. Fire fighters should have known immediately where to find the train's hazardous materials information. Also, if the crew members had been injured, a longer delay in obtaining the information would have occurred. If the crew members had been killed or injured, there was no identified location where the consist information could be obtained from."
In 1979, following a train derailment in Mississaga, Canada, the lack of identification of the leaking chemicals for over eight hours led to considerable confusion as to the proper emergency response actions to be taken. Finally, after the chemical was identified as chlorine, over 250,000 people were evacuated--the largest evacuation due to a hazardous materials incident in North America.
The initiation of emergency action in evacuation of inhabitants from potential hazard zones surrounding a train derailment involving several chemical cars in Livingston, La. in 1981 was also delayed by several hours, to almost a day, because of the inability of emergency personnel to identify the chemicals in the derailed cars. Placards attached to the cars identifying their contents were lost, and the car sequences were jumbled as a result of the accident, making identification of contents extremely difficult, even though the way bill for the train was available. There have been several other such incidents involving highway and road trucks in which the single major problem in initiating an emergency response by the first responders on the scene has always been the lack of knowledge of the contents of the damaged vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many techniques are available to identify tank cars/tank trucks and their contents. Almost all of these methods are passive in that the information regarding the tank car or its contents is either fixed or cannot be changed easily. Some of these methods include placarding of the tanker contents, bar codes on the tank cars, color coding of tank cars, etc. In the U.S. all bulk containers in transportation containing hazardous materials are required by U.S. Department of Transportation regulations (49 CFR, part 175) to display placards. The placards contain a four digit number (U.S. DOT number or the United Nations number), and have in general symbols in color representing the class of chemicals being transported. Placards and other passive cargo identification techniques have several serious limitations. These include, (i) the information content on the "devices" are either permanent or cannot be changed easily, (ii) the reading of the information can be done only at close range and only when the device is visible, (iii) very limited information can be displayed, (iv) the information on the devices is susceptible to being erased or damaged due to weathering action, chemical spills, and deliberate tampering by third parties,(v) nonuniformity in international conventions on placarding or bar coding, (vi) the "open" nature of the placarding system which allows mischievous elements in society to easily identify highly toxic, dangerous or explosive chemicals being transported through populous areas, which knowledge could be potentially used for criminal acts of violence or to endanger the lives of large numbers of the civilian population. In the case of absence of placards or their loss in accidents the only other method currently available to first responders is to identify the various chemicals in the train or on the tank truck by obtaining the shipping papers (when available) and reading them or to guess the chemical contents from the size and shape of the containers.
Active techniques of chemical identification available at present are useful only if the chemical has been released. These techniques are used for determining the concentration of the chemical in the atmosphere, rather than for strict identification. Most methods used in accident situations rely on remote sensing technologies which utilize electromagnetic radiation in one form or another. Typically, the interaction between the particular chemical in the atmosphere and the radiation emitted by a sensor in the infrared, visible or ultraviolet region of the spectrum is sensed. Identification principles are based on absorption, emission or scattering of spectral characteristics of the radiation. Many systems developed for air pollution studies use laser beams as sources of high intensity coherent radiation.
Other types of identification systems have been described in the literature and in several patent applications for use in commercial and industrial applications for detecting either personnel, objects or transport vehicles. These systems are based on different techniques of data storage (passive cards, magnetic memories, electronic chips), and use different technologies for data communication and detection (light energy, infra red beams, radio frequency signals, etc).
J. H. Auer, Jr., (U.S. Pat. No. 3,377,616), describes a system for communicating information between a moving vehicle and a stationary, way-side receiver. Each vehicle is provided with a transducer device including a suitable transmitting apparatus and a means of extracting energy from the wayside energy source. The transducer is a collection of photoelectric cells each of which is activated according to a pre-determined order by the cutting of a light beam by punched card with holes arranged in particular order to convey one piece of information. As the vehicle passes the wayside energy source, in this case a light beam, the transducer generates a response signal coded in some predetermined manner in accordance with the particular information to be conveyed by each vehicle to a suitable receiving apparatus at the wayside location. This invention is different in principle, range of operation and quantity of information on the transducer. Since the energy source for the operation of the transponder has to come from the light beam, it is essential that for the proper operation of Auer's invention there be (i) relative motion between the vehicle and the wayside device, (ii) the distance between the transponder and the wayside device be very short, of the order of a few feet, and (iii) the transponder "see" the beam. Also, the wayside device has no intelligence and cannot query individual vehicle transponders, nor can it distinguish an individual vehicle transponder and communicate with it on a one-to- one basis in the midst of several other vehicles. The information content on the vehicle units cannot be changed remotely, nor can the change be made easily. The invention of Auer, Jr. is therefore considerably different from the subject invention.
Carroll, et al., (U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,172), describes a vehicle monitor apparatus system for identifying vehicles as they enter a parking lot or a rental car facility. Each vehicle carries an infrared transponder which continuously transmits in the infrared range data on the various parameters related to the vehicle condition. As the vehicle enters a facility, a ground station monitors the transmission from the vehicle transponder and stores the data for print out and other operations. Because of the use of infrared as the transmitting medium, the system is limited to short range, line-of-sight operation only and is susceptible to considerable errors due to humidity and dust, and especially if hot objects are involved. Also, the ground station has no way of manipulating the responses of the transponder on the vehicle because of one way communication. Carrol, et al, refer to the U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,468 of Wilson in which a two way infrared communication between the ground station and the vehicle transponder is disclosed. However, even in Wilson's patent the ground station only turns on and turns off the vehicle transponder, but cannot materially alter the information sent out by the transponder depending on the questions posed by the ground station. In addition, the systems proposed by Carroll, et al., and Wilson do not lend themselves to reprogramming of the "memory" of the vehicle transponder every time the contents of the vehicle changes. These systems cannot be used to identify simultaneously a multitude of cars.
Lennington (U.S. Pat. 4,325,146) and Chiapetti (U.S. Pat. No. 4,338,587) describe other types of vehicle identification systems. Lennington's invention is similar to that of Carroll, et al and is primarily used for allowing a vehicle to pass through a gate depending on the appropriate code stored in the vehicle transponder. Chiapetti's invention is applicable to identifying a vehicle travelling along a lane, such as a highway, for the purposes of collecting tolls, etc. In the Lennington system, a stationary interrogator at the entrance to an area emits optical pulses to activate the transponder on the vehicle approaching the area. Upon such activation, the transponder emits a unique code in the form of optical pulses in accordance with a program stored in its memory. The interrogator then decodes the information and supplies the data to peripheral equipment for checking the authenticity of the vehicle. Chiapetti uses similar principles, except that radio communication is utilized rather than an optical medium as in Carroll, et al, Lennington, and Wilson. None of the above art can deal with identifying vehicles or contents in ensembles of vehicles nor can this art determine the location of a specific vehicle in the ensemble.
Denne and Hook (U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,202) disclose an identification system comprising an interrogator which transmits to a plurality of transponders each of which is arranged automatically to reply by means of a first coded identification signal stored in the transponder memory. The range of operation of the system is limited to about 1 meter. The addressing of each of the transponders is achieved by the unique identification code for each transponder. Very similar techniques of encoding information onto a carrier wave for transmission have been described by Twardowski (U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,333), Walton (U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,472) and Sigrimis, et al., (U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,495). Except for Denne & Hook, the other art is not applicable to communication between and identification of a plurality of transponders. In Denne and Hook, it is essential to know a priori the particular identification signal for each transponder being addressed. Also none of the prior art is suitable for identifying the direction and location of a single unit among an ensemble of units. This need to identify the tank cars and their contents and the pinpointing the direction and location of a specific, user-specified car carrying a dangerous cargo in a jumble of cars occurs when a freight train containing hazardous cargo tank cars derails subsequent to which the cars are lying in all orientations, directions and order.

Electronic remote chemical identification system


Systems, methods, and software are described herein for enhancing features within program applications. In an implementation, a user associated with a productivity application is identified and a service application associated with the user is identified. A service feature that corresponds to the service is enabled within the productivity application. The service feature allows the user to perform a function on content generated with the productivity application that is related to the service.

In the field of computer hardware and software, a productivity application is generally understood to be a software program or application used to produce content and perform functions with respect to the content. Common examples of productivity applications include office productivity suites, accounting software, graphics applications, and other well-known programs, while common examples of content include word processing documents, spreadsheets, databases, and photos.
Many productivity applications provide feature menus that allow users to invoke functions. Two types of features are productivity features and service features. In general, productivity features are those features that allow the user to perform functions on content, such as printing, saving, or sharing the content. Service features can be understood as specific types of productivity features that correspond to online services. In an illustrative example, the send or share feature found in some document editors that allows the user to send a document to a destination can be considered a productivity feature. The specific destinations elaborated on within the send feature, such as a particular online collaboration service, may be considered a service feature.
Users are becoming increasingly engaged with online services, while at the same time, the variety and usefulness of online services continues to grow. Accordingly, the variety of service features found in productivity applications is likely to expand.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Enabling service features within productivity applications


A drum brake module for motor vehicles, the drum brake module being driven by an electric motor and having at least one parking brake function, includes an electromechanical cable pull actuator which is fastened on the anchor plate with the aid of an adapter. The adapter is designed as a one-piece, thin walled frame having at least one fastening flange for receiving the cable pull actuator and is held in place on the anchor plate.

A drum brake may in principle be designed in a variety of ways in accordance with different construction principles (simplex, duplex, duo-duplex, servo, duo-servo). A uniform advantage of drum brakes in terms of construction is the self-boosting effect thereof in at least one direction of rotation, such that in principle, it would be possible to dispense with a brake force booster.
To realize an electromechanical parking brake function, it is normally the case that, in addition to conventional hydraulic wheel brake actuation elements of a service brake, a central electromechanical cable pull actuator is provided which has an electric motor and a speed-reduction gearing and a threaded nut-spindle arrangement which, via a relatively long cable pull, acts on at least one brake pad of a drum brake. In this way, an electromechanical parking brake (EPB) is realized which is universally suitable for small and lightweight vehicles but also for heavy vehicles if little installation space for the arrangement of a cable pull actuator exists in the region of the wheel brake.
To realize the parking brake function, electromechanically actuable parking brakes with an axially displaceable (floating) expansion lock arranged in a guide are also known. The expansion lock has two actuation elements which are displaceable in translatory fashion and which act on the brake pads in opposite directions. In each case one gearwheel mechanism with a speed reduction function is provided in integrated fashion in the cable pull actuator, such that the expansion lock acts directly on the brake pads.
The known electromechanically actuable drum brake immobilization systems each have room for improvement with regard to the outlay for the construction thereof and the space requirement thereof. Parking brake cable pull systems with a central cable pull actuator are disadvantageous because, at a vehicle manufacturer, separate installation and articulation of the cable pull on the wheel brake is necessary, such that the final installation of cable pull actuator, cable pull and wheel brake can only be performed on the assembly line at the vehicle manufacturer, which increases the complexity of manufacture in that area. For mass production, vehicle manufacturers basically seek particularly efficient, flexible, modularly adaptable vehicle production with the least possible complexity of manufacture. Furthermore, it is sought to expand the functional scope of a parking brake to include a service brake function.
Therefore, EP 0 920 390 B1, which is incorporated by reference has disclosed an electromechanically actuable drum brake module with a particularly small overall structural size. Here, an outer circumference of a cylindrical actuation unit is inserted through an opening of an anchor plate. A rotatable drive nut is supported, via the motor housing, on a carrier plate. To shorten the structural length of the actuation unit, it is provided that a rotor of a specially designed electric motor engages radially around the outside of a spindle arrangement, and guides said spindle arrangement in a rotationally fixed manner. This type of construction requires an electric motor designed to be of relatively high power, which electric motor has a special housing and a specially adapted carrier plate.
An electromechanically actuable duo-servo drum brake without cable pull articulation is known from EP 594 233 B1, which is incorporated by reference. Here, an electric motor is arranged on a rear side of an anchor plate. The motor axis is therefore always arranged at right angles to an axis of rotation of a brake drum, and drives a threaded spindle which is positioned in a rotatable and axially non-displaceable manner. The threaded spindle is provided, parallel to the motor axis, in the brake drum, and is mounted in a housing. The threaded spindle is in engagement with an element which is mounted in axially displaceable and non-rotatable fashion in the housing, which element acts on a lever mechanism. This type of construction requires not only an electric motor which is dimensioned to be of relatively high power but also further very specifically designed components, and therefore does not permit simple variation in the context of mass production. Problems arise in the event of hot shutdown.

Drum brake which can be operated by an electric motor


Knowledge map-based question-answer method, server, and storage medium are provided. The method includes obtaining a natural query sentence inputted by a user, and identifying a globally unique identifier, with respect to the knowledge map, of an entity in the natural query sentence. The knowledge map includes attributes and attribute values of entities and relationships thereof. The method also includes according to a context-free grammar rule, parsing the natural query sentence into a syntax tree, and according to the syntax tree, obtaining a logical expression corresponding to the natural query sentence. Moreover, the method includes according to the logical expression and the globally unique identifier of the entity, generating a machine query sentence corresponding to the knowledge map. Further, the method includes according to the machine query sentence, querying a question-answer result corresponding to the machine query sentence in the knowledge map, and feeding back the question-answer result to the user.

With the rapid development of information technology, nowadays the society has already entered the age of information explosion. More and more people are using the Internet to find information they need.
Currently, using a question-answer system to accurately obtain user's desired information has become an important way to obtain information. The existing question-answer system usually uses the keywords in the user's question as knowledge points, and performs one-to-one entity mapping within the database to find the item corresponding to the knowledge point, and then feeds back the corresponding item as an answer to the user.
However, the existing question-answer system merely establishes a one-to-one relationship mapping network, and the connection between one knowledge point and another knowledge point is very weak. Therefore, the answers fed back to the user are often inaccurate. The disclosed methods and devices are directed to solve one or more problems set forth above and other problems.

Knowledge map-based question-answer method, device, and storage medium


A system and method for railroad cab signal quality detection and reporting for use in connection with a railroad cab signaling system in which a status signal is carried on a railroad rail. The status signal has a cab signal parameter that is indicative of a status of a zone of track. A signal detector detects the status signal transmitted via the railroad rail. A signal measurement subsystem associated with the signal detector measures the cab signal parameter. A quality analysis subsystem analyzes the measured cab signal parameter and determines a measure of quality of the cab signal parameter. The system may include equipment that is mounted on a rail vehicle, such as a locomotive, or mounted along a block of track, or on portable equipment. The system may also include a cab signal quality collection and reporting system. The method includes detecting the cab status signal and measuring the cab signal parameter from the detected status signal. The measure of quality of the measured cab signal parameter is determined and is reported.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to railroad signaling systems and methods. More particularly, the invention relates to systems and methods for detecting and reporting incorrect operation of cab signal track circuits.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Railroad signaling has traditionally been based upon a concept of protecting zones of track, sometimes called xe2x80x9cblocks,xe2x80x9d by means of some form of signal system that conveys information to the locomotive engineer about the status of the blocks of track ahead. Typically, wayside signal lights are located along the track and are controlled by electrical logic circuits responsive to the presence of railway vehicles and the status of blocks that are relevant to a given wayside signal. In such systems, each wayside signal typically displays a pattern of lights, called the xe2x80x9caspectxe2x80x9d of the signal, which is visible to the engineer in the locomotive and indicates the status at that location.
A more advanced signaling system in widespread use is referred to as cab signaling and may be used with or without wayside signal lights. In cab signaling, the same or similar logic that determines block status for display on the wayside signals is also used to generate one of several forms of encoded signals (e.g., encoded electrical current signals) carried in the rails, block status being represented by the selection of the code rate used. Inductive pickup coils are mounted on the locomotive ahead of the lead wheels and just above the rails for the purpose of sensing the magnetic fields around the rails produced by the encoded current. In modern systems, a computer on-board the locomotive decodes the detected information to determine the status and thereafter displays the proper aspect in the engine cab by a pattern of lights in a manner similar to a wayside signal. One advantage, of course, is that the information is made available to the train crew on a continuous basis and updated when changes in status occur, rather than restricting the communication of status information to periodic intervals along the track at which the engineer is required to observe and read the next wayside signal.
The detectors or pickup coils typically used in on-board cab signal systems are iron core or ferrite core inductors employed in pairs, one being mounted above each rail. The carrier frequency of the cab signal is typically in the range of from about 40 Hz to 100 Hz but may be higher. For example, the carrier frequency may be in the kilohertz range such as 4,550 Hz. In other systems, the operating range for cab signal is 73 Hz to 100 Hz. In yet other systems, the range of 78.3 Hz to 88.3 Hz is considered a good operating range for a cab signal. Different modulation rates are used to convey different states that are converted in an on-board computer to cab signal aspects. Modulation rates for the cab signal and corresponding aspects are well known in the prior art. For example, in one prior art system modulation rates for the 40 Hz carrier are slower than some of those used at higher frequencies, because of the ringing effects of the large filters needed to couple 40 Hz to the track and block other frequencies used for grade crossing equipment. Suggested rates for a 40 Hz carrier and the aspects associated with each range are from the fastest rate of 75 pulses per minute (ppm) to the slowest of approximately 27 ppm. The modulation is generally non-symmetrical in that the xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d time of all rates below 75 ppm is the same, 600 milliseconds. In one embodiment, the cab signal parameter that is encoded in the cab status signal indicates a status of xe2x80x9crestrictingxe2x80x9d where the modulation rate is 0, a status of xe2x80x9capproach stopxe2x80x9d where the modulation rate is 75 ppm, a status of xe2x80x9capproach restrictingxe2x80x9d where the modulation is 32 ppm, a status of xe2x80x9capproach divergingxe2x80x9d where the modulation rate is 39 ppm, a status of advance approachxe2x80x9d where the modulation rate is 27 ppm, and a status of xe2x80x9cclearxe2x80x9d where the modulation rate is 50 ppm.
If the equipment used to generate the cab signal in the rails is malfunctioning or operating marginally, the on-board display will generally show a restrictive indication in the locomotive cab. This will cause the train to be slowed to a restricted speed until a track circuit block with correctly operating cab signals is reached. The slowing of trains in inoperative track circuit blocks can cause undesirable train delays. In the worst case, an unexpected restrictive aspect can contribute to the risk of train derailment, such as when the train is required to slow from a high speed to restricted speed in a curved section of track.
Currently, the locomotive operating crew monitors the on-board aspect display and identifies unexpected indications when they occur. When these indications are observed, the cause is generally not known. The crew reports the unexpected indication that may be addressed at the next scheduled maintenance opportunity for the locomotive. Without further diagnostic capabilities, the unexpected indication may be a correct indication caused by movements of trains or switches ahead, or may be due to a failure of the on-board cab signal detection equipment or a failure of the track circuit. However, in some cases, where a restrictive aspect might be expected by the train crew, and no wayside signal lights are visible, failure of cab signal track circuits will not be noticed or reported by the crew.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for detecting an incorrect operation of failed or marginally operating cab signal track circuits and/or cab signal display system so that such failures and marginal operating conditions may be identified and repaired in a timely manner. Advantageously, such a system and method could be automated to improve the reliability of reporting cab signal problems and to reduce the labor associated with reporting such problems. Further, such a system and method could be used to provide an accurate indication of the cause of a particular cab signal problem and distinguish between track circuit failures and failures associated with equipment on-board a locomotive. Such a system and method could also improve the timeliness and/or effectiveness of repairing cab signal problems. For example, a repair crew could be automatically dispatched and provided with information regarding the type of problem detected and the type of equipment and parts likely required to correct the detected problem. Likewise, the repair crew can use a similar system and/or method to detect when it has encountered the failed track circuit and when the failed circuit has been restored to proper operation.
In one form, the invention relates to a railroad cab signal quality detection system for use in connection with a railroad cab signaling system in which a status signal is carried on a railroad rail. The status signal may include an encoded cab signal parameter that is indicative of a status of a zone of track. A signal detector detects the status signal transmitted via the railroad rail. A signal measurement subsystem is associated with the signal detector and measures the cab signal parameter. A quality analysis subsystem analyzes the measured cab signal parameter and determines a measure of the quality of the cab signal parameter.
In another form, the invention is a railroad cab signal quality collection and reporting system for use in connection with a railroad cab signaling system. In this form, the invention includes a data collection system that collects data indicative of a measure of a quality of the cab signal parameter of the status signal. A quality analysis and reporting system analyzes the collected data and generates reports responsive to the collected data and indicative of the measure of quality of the cab signal parameter.
In yet another form, the invention is a system comprising a locomotive, a cab signal detector, a cab signal conditioner, a cab signal converter, and a cab aspect display system. A signal measurement subsystem is associated with the cab signal detector and measures a cab signal parameter. A quality analysis subsystem analyzes the measured cab signal parameter and determines a quality of the cab signal parameter. A reporting subsystem receives the determined quality of the cab signal parameter from the quality analysis subsystem. The reporting subsystem generates a report containing the received determined quality.
In another form, the invention is a railroad cab signaling system comprising a cab signal parameter and a cab signal transmitter for transmitting a status signal onto a railway rail. This form of the invention also includes a signal detector for detecting the status signal transmitted via the railroad rail. A signal conditioner conditions the status signal detected by the signal detector and provides a conditioned cab signal. A signal converter associated with the signal conditioner receives the conditioned cab signal and converts the conditioned cab signal to a digital cab signal. A signal measurement subsystem measures a cab signal parameter from the digital cab signal. A quality analysis subsystem analyzes the measured cab signal parameter and determines a measure of quality of the cab signal parameter. A reporting subsystem receives the determined measure of quality of the cab signal parameter from the quality analysis subsystem and generates a report containing the received determined quality.
In another form, the invention is a quality monitoring method for use with a railroad cab signaling system in which a status signal is carried on a railroad rail. The status signal includes an encoded cab signal parameter that is indicative of a status of a zone of track. The quality monitoring method comprises detecting the status signal. The cab signal parameter is measured from the detected status signal. A measure of quality of the measured cab signal parameter is determined. The determined measure of quality of the measured cab signal parameter is reported.
These and other forms of the present invention will become more apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

Cab signal quality detecting and reporting system and method


Apparatus and method for encoding speech using a codebook excited linear predictive (CELP) speech processor and an algebraic codebook for use therewith. The CELP speech processor receives a digital speech input representative of human speech and performs linear predictive code analysis and perceptual weighting filtering to produce a short term speech information and a long term speech information. The CELP speech processor utilizes an organized, non-overlapping, algebraic codebook containing a predetermined number of vectors, uniformly distributed over a multi-dimensional sphere to generate a remaining speech residual. The short term speech information, long term speech information and remaining speech residual are combinable to form a quality reproduction of the digital speech input.

A major application of speech processing concerns digitally coding a speech signal for efficient, secure storage and transmission. As shown in FIG. 1, analog input speech is coded into a bit stream representation, transmitted over a channel, and then converted back into output speech. The channel may distort the bit stream, causing errors in the received bits, which may necessitate special bit protection during coding. The decoder is an approximate inverse of the encoder except that some information is lost during coding due to a conversion of an analog speech signal into a digital bit stream. Such discarded information is minimized by an appropriate choice of bit rate and coding scheme. The speech is often coded in the form of parameters that represent the signal economically, while still allowing speech recognition with minimal quality loss.
While analog transmission suffers from channel noise degradation, digital speech coding permits the complete elimination of noise both in storage and in transmission. Typical analog audio tapes corrupt speech signals with tape hiss and other distortions, whereas computer memory can store speech with only distortion arising from the necessary low pass filtering prior to analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion. To achieve this, however, sufficient bits must be used in the digital representation to reduce the quantization noise introduced in the A/D conversion below perceptible levels. Analog transmission channels always distort audio signals to a certain extent, but digital communication links can eliminate all noise effects if there are sufficient reproduction stations. Other advantages of digital speech coding include the relative ease of encrypting digital signals compared to analog signals and the ability to time multiplex multiple signals on one channel.
Recent advances in VLSI technology have permitted a wide variety of applications for speech coding, including digital voice transmissions over telephone channels. Transmission can either be on-line (real time) as in normal telephone conversations, or off-line, as in storing speech for electronic mail of voice messages or for automatic announcement devices. In either case, the transmission rate is crucial to evaluate the practicality of different coding schemes. The bandwidth of a transmission channel limits the number of signals that can be carried simultaneously. The lower the bit rate for the speech signal, the more efficient the transmission. Similarly, for electronic mail, lower bit rates reduce the computer memory needed to store the speech. Coding methods are evaluated in terms of bit rate, cost of transmission and storage, complexity (can it be implemented on an inexpensive integrated circuit chip?), speed (is it fast enough for real time applications or are there perceptible delays?), and output speech quality. For any coding scheme, quality normally degrades monotonically (but not necessarily linearly), with decreasing bit rate.
The speech research community has given names to different qualities of speech: (1) commentary or broadcast quality refers to wide bandwidth (0-7000 Hz) high quality speech with no perceptible noise; (2) toll quality describes speech as heard over the switched telephone network (200-3200 Hz range), with signal to noise ratio of more than 30 DB and less than 2-3% harmonic distortion; (3) communications quality speech which is highly intelligible but has noticeable distortion compared to toll quality; and (4) synthetic quality speech which, while greater than 80-90% intelligible, has substantial degradation, i.e., sounds machine-like and suffers from a lack of speaker identifiability. In the prior art, at least 64 kbps are required to retain commentary quality, while toll quality is found in coders ranging from 64 kbps (simple coding) to 10 kbps (complex schemes). Communications quality can be achieved at bit rates as low as 4.8 kbps, while synthetic quality is most common below 4.8 kbps. Toll quality is generally required for services to the public, while communications quality can be used in massaging systems, and synthetic quality is limited to services where bandwidth restrictions are crucial.
A wide range of possibilities exists for speech coders, the simplest being waveform coders, which analyze, code, and reconstruct speech sample by sample. Time domain waveform coders take advantage of waveform redundancies, i.e., periodicity and slowly varying intensity. Spectral domain waveform coders exploit the non-uniform distribution of speech information across frequencies. More complex systems known as source coders or vocoders ("voice coders") assume a speech production model; in particular, they usually separate speech information into that estimating vocal tract shape and that involving vocal tract excitation.
Code excited linear predicted (CELP) coding is a well known technique which synthesizes speech by utilizing encoded excitation information to excite a linear predictive coding (LPC) filter. This excitation information is found by searching through a table of candidate excitation vectors on a frame by frame basis. LPC analysis is performed on input speech to determine the LPC filter parameters. The analysis includes comparing the outputs of the LPC filter when it is excited by the various candidate vectors from the table or codebook. The best candidate is chosen based on how well its corresponding synthesized output matches the input speech frame. After the best match has been found, information specifying the best codebook entry and the filter are transmitted to a speech synthesizer. The speech synthesizer has the same codebook and accesses the appropriate entry in that codebook, using it to excite the same LPC filter to reproduce the original input speech frame.
The codebook is made up of vectors whose components are consecutive excitation samples. Each vector contains the same number of excitation samples as there are speech samples in a frame. The vectors can be constructed by two methods. In the first method, disjoint sets of samples are used to define the vectors. In the second method, using an overlapping codebook, vectors are defined by shifting a window along a linear array of excitation samples.
The excitation samples used in the vectors in the CELP codebook come from a number of possible sources. One source is the stochastically excited linear prediction (SELP) method, which uses white noise, or random numbers as samples. CELP vocoders which employ stochastic codebooks are known, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,385 and shown in FIG. 2. The vocoder of the present application utilizes a new and efficient deterministic codebook.
In known CELP coding techniques, each set of excitation samples in the codebook must be used to excite the LPC filter and the excitation results must be compared utilizing an error criterion. Normally, the error criterion used determines the sum of the squared differences between the original and the synthesized speech samples resulting from the excitation information for each speech frame. These calculations involve the convolution of each excitation frame stored in the codebook with the perceptual weighting impulse response. Calculations are performed by using vector and matrix operations of the excitation frame and the perceptual weighting impulse response. In known CELP coding techniques, a large number of computations must be performed. The initial versions of CELP required approximately 500 million multiply-add operations per second for a 4.8 kbps voice encoder.
In known CELP coding techniques the search of the stochastic codebook for the best entry is computationally complex; and this is the main cause of the high computational complexity. Since the original appearance of CELP coders, the goal has been to reduce the computational complexity of the codebook search so that the number of instructions to be processed can be handled by inexpensive digital signal processing chips.

Method and system for CELP speech coding and codebook for use therewith


A vehicle passenger compartment having a first side and a second side, separated by a longitudinal plane, and having a front row and a back row, separated by a transverse plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal plane. The passenger compartment has an element extending in the transverse plane and movable between a first position in which the element extends from the first side and a second position in which the element extends from the second side.

In this type of vehicle, there is no driver or a driver who only intervenes periodically during certain driving phases. In such vehicles, it is therefore possible to arrange the space of the passenger compartment differently due to the smaller number of constraints related to driving the vehicle.
For example, it is possible to place seats back to back or face-to-face. Furthermore, various elements such as storage consoles can be positioned differently due to this new arrangement.
However, the elements can be bulky, may clutter the passenger compartment and can make access to different seats difficult.


A wound dressing, method of making, and method of use, utilizing a polymeric film having complexed thereto by hydrophobic interaction a construct including a polyanion covalently bonded to a hydrophobic prosthetic moiety, with one or more bioactive molecules directly complexed to the polyanion. The polyanion may be heparin or a heparin-activity molecule. The prosthetic group may include a hydrophobic silyl-containing moiety. Bioactive molecules include adhesive molecules, growth factor molecules, and therapeutic molecules, including antibiotics.

1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to bioactive films, particularly film dressings for treatment of wounds, lesions and the like, which films include one or more bioactive molecules or medically useful substances bound to a hydrophobic group-containing polyanionic coating on the film.
2. Background Art
Treatment of various lesions, including ulcers, wounds and the like, is a medical challenge. Particularly in patients with compromised immune systems or disorders such as diabetes, ulcers, or sores, wounds and the like are extremely difficult to heal. It has been recognized that certain compounds that are locally delivered, such as cytokines, various drugs and the like, can aid in wound healing. However, there is no wound dressing or film which is effective in delivering these compounds over clinically relevant times. There are also no biodegradable wound dressings which, when applied to an internal injury such as to an organ or bone, deliver compounds over clinically relevant times.
It has previously been shown that various compounds useful for wound healing can bind to a number of different substrates. For example, growth factors can bind to polymer matrices and be later released. Growth factors combined with "matrix material" such as alginates, heparin, and so on, can bind to a paste which is useful for wound healing. Chitosan with an attached polysaccharide such as heparin, can also be used to make a film that is useful for wound healing.
Wound dressings that contain a drug useful for wound healing are known in the art. For example, the use of protease inhibitors in wound dressings has previously been shown. The peptide may either be attached directly to the dressing material or to a matrix. Another dressing for wounds uses corpuscles of a water-insoluble matrix that contains biologically active compounds. The corpuscles are attached to the wound dressing. However, there is no disclosure wherein these wound dressings allow for modulation of release of the compound. Finally, the use of cytokines and growth factors that bind to heparin and can be used on bandages has been shown. However, there is no disclosure of heparin binding to the bandage substrate, or modulation of release therefrom.
Use of coatings incorporating siloxanes is also known in the art, as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,342,591, entitled Amphipathic Coating For Modulating Cellular Adhesion Composition and Methods, to Paul O. Zamora, Shigemasa Osaki and Ray Tsang; U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,588, entitled Non-Thrombogenic Coating Compositions and Methods for Using Same, to Ray Tsang and Shigemasa Osaki; and international patent application PCT/US01/24000, entitled Bioactive Coating Compositions and Methods, to Paul O. Zamora, Shigemasa Osaki and Ray Tsang. The specification of each of the foregoing is incorporated herein by reference.
There is thus a need for localized delivery of drugs, including biomolecules, for use in treatment of ulcers, sores, wounds and the like. For many conditions there is a need for controlled or sustained release over a period of time, such that the drug may be continuously delivered.

BioSurface Engineering Technologies, Inc.


In a crystal growth method, an enclosed growth crucible is provided inside of a growth chamber. The growth crucible has polycrystalline source material and a seed crystal disposed in spaced relation therein. The interior of the growth crucible is heated whereupon a temperature gradient forms between the source material and the seed crystal. The temperature gradient is sufficient to cause the source material to sublimate and be transported to the seed crystal where it precipitates on the seed crystal. A gas mixture is caused to flow into the growth crucible and between the polycrystalline source material and an interior surface of the growth crucible. The gas mixture reacts with an unwanted element in the body of the growth crucible to form a gaseous byproduct which then flows through the body of the growth crucible to the exterior of the growth crucible.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the growth of SiC crystals having a reduced boron content.
2. Description of Related Art
Wafers of semi-insulating silicon carbide of 4H and 6H polytypes serve as lattice-matched substrates to grow epitaxial layers of SiC and AlGaN, which are used for the fabrication of SiC- and AlGaN-based microwave devices. In order for the devices to work efficiently, the substrates must be semi-insulating, that is, fully compensated electronically. In practical terms, it is required that the resistivity of the SiC substrate must be higher than 105 Ohm·cm, and desirably above 106 Ohm·cm, and even more desirably above 107 Ohm·cm, as measured at room temperature and under normal room light.
Electronic properties of semiconductors are determined by their electronic band structure, particularly by the bandgap, which is an energy gap that separates the valence band from the conductance band and is typically expressed in electron-volts (eV). The bandgap of silicon carbide is 3 eV for 6H polytype and 3.2 eV for 4H polytype. In ideal semiconductors that contain no impurities or defects, there are no energy levels within the bandgap and their electrical conductance is determined by electronic transitions between the valence and conduction bands. Due to the large value of the SiC bandgap, the calculated electrical resistivity of the "ideal" SiC is extremely large—about 1020 Ohm·cm at room temperature.
In reality, however, semiconductor crystals contain impurities and defects which lead to the appearance of impurity- and defect-related electronic levels within the bandgap. Electronic properties of such "non-perfect" semiconductors are determined to a very large degree by electronic transitions involving these extrinsic levels in the bandgap. Impurity and defect levels lying close to the edges of the bandgap are called "shallow". In 4H and 6H SiC, nitrogen is a shallow donor having its level at about 0.1 eV below the conduction band, while boron is a shallow acceptor with its level at about 0.3 eV above the valence band. Due to the relatively small energy gaps separating shallow levels from the band edges, they are thermally ionized at room temperature producing free charge carriers either in the conduction band (free electrons) or in the valence band (free holes). This makes the room-temperature electrical resistivity low. As an example, the resistivity of SiC crystals containing boron can be as low as 0.5 Ohm·cm.
Extrinsic levels positioned closer to the midgap are called "deep" levels. Vanadium and some point defects produce deep levels in SiC, which are at 0.8-1.5 eV from the band edges. Due to the relatively large energy gaps that separate deep levels from the band edges, they are not thermally ionized at room temperature and, therefore, do not supply free charge carriers. On the contrary, deep levels are capable of removing free charge carriers from the conductance and valence bands, thus leading to the increased electrical resistivity. This phenomenon is called "electronic compensation", hereinafter referred to as "compensation".
The net shallow impurity concentration in a semiconductor is defined as the absolute value of ND-NA, where ND and NA are the concentrations of shallow donors and acceptors, respectively. A semiconductor is fully compensated when the concentration of deep levels is higher than the net shallow impurity concentration. Doping with vanadium and introduction of deep point defects has been used for compensation of silicon carbide.
The solubility of boron in silicon carbide is very high (up to 0.1-0.5%), and unintentional boron acceptors can be present in sublimation-grown SiC crystals at levels as high as 1·1018 cm−3. In order to achieve reliable compensation, the concentration of deep levels should be higher than this level. In general, introduction of deep levels in high concentrations is technologically difficult and can cause stress and generation of defects. A better approach to full compensation would be through a reduced presence of unintentional shallow impurities, including boron.
Physical Vapor Transport (PVT) is the most common sublimation technique used for SiC crystal growth. A schematic diagram of the conventional PVT arrangement is shown in FIG. 1. Generally, growth is carried out in a graphite crucible 1 sealed with a graphite lid 2 and loaded with a sublimation source 3 and a seed 4. Generally, a polycrystalline SiC source 3 is disposed at the bottom of the crucible 1 and a SiC seed 4 at the top of crucible 1. The seed 4 is often mounted directly to the crucible lid 2 using adhesives or other suitable means. Crucible 1 is heated to a growth temperature, generally between 2000° C. and 2400° C., where source 3 vaporizes and fills crucible 1 with volatile molecular species of Si2C, SiC2 and Si. During growth, the temperature of source 3 is maintained higher than the temperature of the seed 4. This temperature difference forces the vapors from source 3 to migrate and precipitate on seed 4 forming a single crystal 5. In order to control the growth rate and ensure high crystal quality, PVT growth is carried out under a small pressure of inert gas, generally between several and 200 Torr.
It is known that the permeability of graphite depends on the nature of the gas diffusing through graphite. Graphite is generally permeable to inert gases, hydrogen and nitrogen, but has a much lower permeability to the elements that form stable carbides. Accordingly, graphite has a very low permeability to the vapors formed during sublimation of silicon carbide, such as Si, Si2C and SiC2. Therefore, conventional PVT can be viewed as a "closed" process, in which the Si-bearing vapors practically do not leave the growth crucible, except small unintentional losses that can occur through the joint between the crucible body 1 and lid 2.
SiC single crystals have also been grown using "open" processes, where a deliberate gas flow was established between the crucible interior and exterior. Examples include High Temperature Chemical Vapor Deposition (HTCVD), Halide Chemical Vapor Deposition (HCVD) and some PVT modifications. A generalized diagram of the open SiC growth process is shown in FIG. 2. Similarly to the closed sublimation growth process, the open process is carried out in a graphite crucible 1, wherein source 3 is disposed at the crucible bottom and seed 4 is disposed at the crucible top. Graphite crucible 1 used in the open process is provided with a gas inlet 7 and gas outlet(s) 9. A gas mixture 6, that may contain Si precursors, C precursors, dopants and other gaseous components, enters the crucible through an inlet 7. Once inside the crucible 1, the reactants undergo chemical transformations in a reaction zone 8. The gaseous reaction products blend with the vapors originating from solid source 3 and move toward seed 4, where they precipitate on seed 4 and form single crystal 5. Gaseous byproducts escape through gas outlet(s) 9. In the process of Halide Chemical Vapor Deposition (HCVD), the silicon and carbon precursors are delivered to the reaction zone 8 in the form of silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4) and propane (C3H8) mixed with a large excess of hydrogen. The main drawback of the open SiC sublimation growth process is related to severe losses of Si-bearing vapors through the outlet port(s) 9.
Graphite is widely utilized in SiC sublimation growth as a material for crucibles, seed-holders, heat shields and other parts. The starting materials used in graphite manufacturing (coke and pitch) contain boron. Therefore, boron is always present in graphite, where its atoms are chemically bound to carbon. High-temperature treatment under a halogen-containing atmosphere is widely used by graphite manufacturers for purification. During purification, the halogen molecules penetrate the graphite bulk, react with various impurities and form volatile halides with them. Driven by the concentration gradient, the halide molecules diffuse from the graphite bulk toward the surface, where they are removed by the flow of the carrier gas. Typically, removal of metallic impurities from graphite is more efficient than removal of boron.
Conventionally, graphite manufacturers characterize graphite purity by the "ash content", i.e., the amount of ash that remains after a graphite specimen is burnt in oxygen. The best-purity commercially available graphite contains between 5 and 20 ppm of ash by weight. Boron forms volatile oxide upon burning in oxygen; therefore, graphite manufacturers seldom specify boron content in graphite. Impurity analyses using Glow Discharge Mass Spectroscopy (GDMS) show that the boron content even in the lowest-ash graphite is, typically, above 0.2 ppm and, in some cases, up to 1 ppm.
Furnaces used for graphite purification are, typically, very large and capable of accommodating metric tons of graphite. Cross-contamination between different items in a large graphite batch and contamination from the furnace itself limit the purification efficiency. As a result of the above limitations, graphite with a boron content below 0.1 ppm by weight is not readily available on a regular commercial basis.
Optimization of conventional PVT sublimation growth, including protective coatings applied to interior surfaces of a graphite crucible, has led to the reduction of boron in the grown SiC crystals to (2-3)·1016 cm−3. However, in order to produce semi-insulating SiC crystals of better quality and with superior electrical parameters, the concentration of unintentional boron must be reduced to levels below 1016 cm−3.

Silicon carbide single crystals with low boron content


A fan guard 18 of an outdoor unit comprises an outer frame, a plurality of radiating ribs 27, and a plurality of annular ribs 28. The outer frame is disposed around the outer circumference of a lid member that is an air conditioner discharge port. The plurality of radiating ribs 27 are formed such that they radiate in the outer radial direction from the vicinity of the center of the outer frame 26 to the outer frame 26, and are curved in the rotational direction of a ventilation fan. The plurality of annular ribs 28 are integral with the radiating ribs 27, are concentrically disposed at a predetermined spacing in the radial direction around the center of the rotational axis of the ventilation fan, and are formed such that at least those in an outer circumference are slanted toward the outer radial direction to follow the flow of the air blown from the ventilation fan.

The present invention relates to a fan guard, and more particularly, a fan guard for a ventilation unit that is mounted on an air port of a ventilation unit that has a ventilation fan.
A fan guard is provided in an air port of a ventilation fan in a ventilation unit in, for example, an outdoor unit of an air conditioner. The fan guard is a member for protecting the ventilation fan.
Conventional fan guards that are made from plastic and integrally formed into a plurality of radially disposed radiating ribs and a plurality of concentrically disposed annular ribs are well known. These types of plastic fan guards have a long, slender and flat shape along the axial direction of the ventilation fan in order to maintain strength and reduce pressure loss.
In the aforementioned conventional fan guard, when a propeller fan is used as a ventilation fan, the radiating ribs and the annular ribs easily create a problem in which they interfere with flow of air from the ventilation fan into the fan guard In other words, the air flow from the propeller fan is a swirling divergent flow that has a velocity component of a predetermined size in the rotational and axial directions of the propeller fan. With regard to this type of swirling divergent flow, because the radiating ribs and the annular ribs are flat along the axial direction of the ventilation fan, there is a fear that the radiating ribs and the annular ribs will collide with the air flow and generate vortices, and that this will give rise to pressure loss and the generation of noise.
In addition, because the wide space between the outer circumferential portions of the radiating ribs and the flat members of the annular ribs along the axial direction, problems exist in which the rigidity of the outer circumferential portions weaken and the rigidity of the fan guard in the thickness direction is easily lowered. When the rigidity in the thickness direction is lowered, there is a particular fear that the fan guard in a top-blowing outdoor unit will come into contact with the ventilation fan in the wintertime when snow accumulates on the fan guard and warps it.
An object of the present invention is to make a fan guard of a ventilation unit that can suppress pressure loss and noise, and maintain a high level of rigidity in the thickness direction.
A fan guard of a ventilation unit according to the first aspect of the present invention is mounted on an air discharge port of a ventilation unit having a ventilation fan, and is comprised of an outer frame, a plurality of first ribs, and a plurality of second ribs. The outer frame is disposed around the outer perimeter of the air discharge port. The plurality of first ribs extend radially outward from the vicinity of the center of the outer frame and are curved in the rotational direction of the ventilation fan. The plurality of second ribs are integral with the first ribs, and with the rotational axis of the ventilation fan as the center, are disposed in concentric rings that are spaced apart at a predetermined distance in the radial direction and at least those in the outer circumference are formed such that they follow the flow of blown air from the ventilation fan and are slanted toward the outer radial direction.
In the fan guard of ventilation unit, when the ventilation fan rotates and generates a flow of rotating divergent blown air in the rotational direction and the axial direction having a velocity component of a predetermined size, the flow of the blown air passes through the first ribs and the second ribs. At this time, because the first ribs are curved in the rotational direction, by curving them such that they follow the rotating divergent current of the blown air, it is difficult for the blown air to collide with first ribs, and it is to eliminate resistance to the blown air. In addition, the second ribs are slanted outward in the radial direction such that they follow the flow of blown air, and thus it is difficult for the flow of blown air to collide with the second ribs, and there is little resistance to the flow of blown air by the second ribs. Because of this, even if first and second ribs are provided, the flow of blown air is smooth, and pressure drop and noise can be suppressed. Moreover, because the second ribs are slanted to follow the flow of blown air, the width of the second ribs (the length of the thickness of second ribs in the direction that they intersect) are longer than when they are not slanted, and the resilience of the fan guard in the thickness direction can be maintained at a high level.
With the fan guard of the ventilation unit according to the second aspect of the present invention, the first ribs of the guard in the disclosure of the first aspect are formed such that they are slanted toward the downstream side of the rotational direction to follow the flow of air blown from the ventilation fan. In this situation, both the first and second ribs are slanted to follow the flow of the blown air, and thus the resistance to the flow of blown air can be further reduced and pressure drop and noise can be further suppressed.
With the fan guard of the ventilation unit according to the third aspect of the preset invention, the slanting angles of the first ribs and the second ribs of the guard disclosed in the second aspect are different, and built up portions are formed at the points where the first ribs and the second ribs intersect. In this situation, even when both first and second ribs are slanted outward and undercut portions are produced, the undercut portions can be eliminated with the built up portions. Because of this, it is easy to remove the fan guard from a mold, and is easy to integrally form the fan guard from plastic or the like. Moreover, because the cross sectional area of the fixed portion that enlarges the highest bending moment in the second ribs is large, the second ribs are even more resilient, and the resilience of the fan guard in the thickness direction can be maintained at an even higher level.
With the fan guard of the ventilation unit according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the first ribs of the guard in the disclosure of the second or third aspect are formed such that they are slanted toward the downstream side of the rotational direction 20 to 40 degrees with respect to a first reference plane that is parallel to the rotational axis of the ventilation fan. In this situation, the slant of the first ribs are ideal with respect to the flow of the rotating blown air.
With the fan guard of the ventilation unit according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the second ribs of the guard in the disclosure of the fourth aspect are formed such that they are slanted outward 5 to 15 degrees with respect to a cylindrical second reference plane that is concentric with the rotational axis of the ventilation fan. In this situation, the slant of the second ribs are ideal with respect to the spread of the rotating blown air.
The fan guard of the ventilation unit according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is a guard disclosed in any of the first through fifth aspects, and further comprises a closing plate, the closing plate facing a hub of a ventilation fan that is a propeller fan having a cylindrical hub positioned in the center thereof and a plurality of blades provided around the circumference of the hub and disposed in the same center as that of the rotational axis of the ventilation fan, and wherein the first ribs are formed such that they extend from the closing plate to the outer frame. In this situation, because the closing plate covers the portion of the hub in the ventilation fan that does not contribute to ventilation, it is easy to prevent a reverse flow of the ventilation fan.
With the fan guard of the ventilation unit according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the closing plate of the guard disclosed in the sixth aspect has a circular shape that is larger than the diameter of the hub. In this situation, because the bases of the blades of the ventilation fan are also covered by the closing plate when a reverse flow is easily generated, it will be more difficult to generate a reverse flow.
With the fan guard of the ventilation unit according to the eighth aspect, the first ribs of the guard disclosed in any of the first through seventh aspects are formed in a trochoidal curve. In this situation, the curve of the first ribs will easily follow the flow of the blown air.
With the fan guard of the ventilation unit according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, only the second ribs on the outer circumference of the guard disclosed in any of the sixth through eighth aspects are slanted, and the second ribs in the inner circumference are not slanted. In this situation, because, from amongst the plurality of second ribs, the only slanted ribs are in the outer circumference where the velocity of the flow of blown air is fast and the flow easily extends outward, the mold for an integrally formed fan guard is easily manufactured.
With the fan guard of the ventilation unit according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the second ribs in the guard disclosed in the ninth aspect that are slanted are those in the outer circumference beyond ⅓ of the length of blades in the radial direction of the ventilation fan. In this situation, because, from amongst the plurality of second ribs, the only slanted ribs are those in the outer circumference beyond ⅓ of the length of blades of the ventilation fan where the velocity of the flow of blown air is fast and the flow easily extends outward, the mold for an integrally formed fan guard is easily manufactured.
With the fan guard of the ventilation unit according to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the second ribs in the guard disclosed in the ninth aspect that are slanted are those in the outer circumference beyond xc2xd of the outer diameter of the outer frame. In this situation, because, from amongst the plurality of second ribs, the only slanted ribs are those in the outer circumference beyond xc2xd of the outer diameter of the outer frame where the velocity of the flow of blown air is fast and the flow easily extends outward, the mold for an integrally formed fan guard is easily manufactured.


Apparatus and method for simultaneously coating interior and exterior surfaces of articles, such as advanced turbine airfoils, the interior surfaces defined by narrow, complex passageways. The apparatus and method, in addition to providing for simultaneous coating of interior and exterior surfaces, also permits additional control over the coating process by permitting control over the partial pressure of reactive gas introduced into the reaction chamber. The apparatus also permits for subsequent thermal treatment of the coated parts in an inert gas atmosphere with no intermediate cooling step thereby reducing costs while eliminating the potential for damage due to handling by the elimination of at least one handling operation.

This invention relates to application of a coating to an article, and more particularly, to apparatus and an improved method for applying an aluminide coating simultaneously to the interior and exterior of an article.
The aluminizing process is well-known in the art. The process is used to apply an aluminide coating to substrates, such as nickel-base superalloy articles. Some of these articles require a coating on both external surfaces and on internal surfaces. For some articles, such as turbine airfoils, the internal surfaces are complex and accessible only through narrow, restricted passageways.
Improved turbine engines have resulted in the need for improved methods for coating the turbine airfoils. The internal surfaces of advanced turbine hardware are now subjected to such elevated temperatures that uncoated portions of such hardware are oxidized in service. As the oxide scale is formed in these narrow, serpentine passageways, a thickened scale grows from the surface, resulting in a narrowing of the passageway, which in turn reduces the effectiveness of the cooling air. The result is that the degradation process proceeds at an ever-increasing rate. This accelerated oxidation process can be stopped only by effectively coating the entire interior passageway of the part.
Several methods currently exist for coating the interior and the exterior surfaces of articles, such as turbine airfoils. Each has limitations which may add significantly to the cost and time required to process the articles, or which may result in a failure to adequately coat the internal surfaces.
One of the methods currently used to coat articles is a pack diffusion process. In this process, the surfaces of the articles to be coated are embedded in a source of finely divided particles including an aluminum source, a volatile halide to act as a chemical transfer medium for the aluminum, and a ceramic phase, such as alumina powder, to prevent the agglomeration of the metallic components, and heated to an elevated temperature, usually at least 1200.degree. F., all within a retort. Among the problems encountered is the accumulation of powdered particles in the narrow passages or openings of the parts prevents the flow of the aluminum gas through the narrow serpentine passageways. The result is a lack of a coating in the blocked passageways. Even in openings which are not blocked, it has been observed that the coating thickness tends to be thicker at or near the opening, and decreases rapidly with increasing distance from the opening. This nonuniform coating frequently produces unacceptable airfoils.
Another method used to coat articles is referred to as an over the pack process, such as described in Benden, U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,816 dated Jan. 2, 1979. This process is a simple modification of the pack process, in that the parts to be processed are suspended over the powdered material rather than embedded in the powdered material. In order to deposit the gaseous aluminum, produced by the elevated temperature decomposition of aluminum in the presence of the halide activator, onto the suspended parts, an inert gas is introduced into the retort and passed over the surfaces to be coated. This process is an improvement over pack processes since no powder mixture is in contact with the surfaces, and hence cannot block the openings to the narrow passageways. Although an improvement for coating internal passageways as compared to pack processing, the only control over the deposition rate as the reaction proceeds is control over the argon gas pressure and modification of the reaction temperature and time at temperature. However, such a system lacks control over the coating of the internal passageways.
In a modification of this method described in Benden, U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,275 dated Apr. 10, 1979, the retort has two chambers for effecting simultaneous coating of the exterior and the interior portions of the article. Each chamber has separate powder mixtures. The improvement allows better control of the coating of the internal passageways by controlling the flow rate of the carrier gas into the chamber which contains the aluminum source, the inert filler and the metal halide. This control is in addition to control available through variations in temperature and time.
Another method of applying a coating to articles having narrow, serpentine passageways, such as turbine airfoils, is chemical vapor deposition, also referred to as CVD. In CVD, the part to be coated is placed in a retort. An aluminum-bearing gas is generated at an elevated temperature in a reaction chamber outside of the retort, typically by reacting an aluminum source with an activator gas, such as a halide. The aluminum halide gas is then transported from the reaction chamber to the retort by an inert carrier gas. The aluminum halide gas then reacts at the surface of the article, depositing an aluminide coating. The resultant, halide-bearing gas is exhausted from the retort. Complex fixturing and redundant equipment for internal and external coating is required to assure that the appropriate coating thickness is deposited on the internal surfaces of the parts as well as the external surface of the parts. This makes an expensive process even more costly.
There therefore exists a need for improved apparatus and improved processing methods for applying, in a cost-effective manner, a coating simultaneously and in a controlled fashion to articles requiring coating on interior and exterior surfaces.

Apparatus and method for gas phase coating of hollow articles


Methods, systems, and computer program products for interacting simultaneously with multiple application programs are disclosed. According to one aspect, a method includes allowing a first application program to be associated with a second application program. The first and second application programs are responsive to inputs received via a user interface for interacting with respective user interface components associated with the first and second application programs. Further, an input is received via the user interface when the first application program has focus within the user interface. The received input is neither for interacting with the user interface components associated with the first application program nor the second application program. The association between the first and second application programs is used to present a portion of information related to the second application program while maintaining the focus of the first application program within the user interface in response to receiving the input.

Many electronic devices provide a user interface by which a user may interact with multiple application programs. In particular, a user may use an input device of the user interface for entering input to interact with user interface components of the application programs. The application programs may be responsive to the input. Exemplary electronic devices on which application programs may execute include mobile phones, cameras, personal digital assistants (PDAs), network components, televisions, and computers.
One example of a user interface component of an application program with which a user may interact is a display window. One or more windows associated with application programs may be displayed on a display of an electronic device. A window may include graphics and/or text for presentation to a user by a respective application program. A user may interact with a window via a keyboard, a mouse, or any other suitable input device. User interaction with a window may include entering text into a window or selecting portions of the window. Data associated with the user interaction may be provided to the respective application program.
When a window is displayed, an application program associated with the window may have "focus" with a user interface. An application program having focus means that the corresponding window is active to receive input via a user interface. Typically, a window having focus may be indicated by a different color than other windows. The other windows do not receive input via the user interface unless activated. In one example, a window may be activated by selection via a mouse. In mobile phone applications, different windows may be selected by using a keypad or a scroll button.
One difficulty with window interaction is that a context of interaction with a window may be lost when user interaction switches between windows. For example, a user reading an e-mail message in a window associated with an e-mail application program may switch to a window associated with a calendar application program. When the user switches back to the e-mail message window, the same message may appear; however, a context of interaction with the window may be lost. For example, a scroll context, a selection context, or a highlight context may be lost. When the context is lost, a user must interact with the window via a user interface to regain the context.
When a user switches from a window with focus to another window, the user may switch to obtain information associated with the application program associated with the other window. For example, a user may switch from an e-mail window having focus to a calendar window in order to obtain appointment information in the associated calendar application program. As a result of switching to the calendar window, the calendar application program is selected and the context of the e-mail window may be lost. It would be beneficial to be able to obtain desired information from the calendar application program or any other application program while maintaining focus of the e-mail application program with the user interface.
In another example, a networked television may provide for interaction via a user interface for controlling and viewing the status of other appliances. Typically, a television is used for viewing video content. It would be beneficial to provide for a user to enter input via a user interface for controlling and/or viewing output from another appliance without losing the context in the video viewing window.
Accordingly, in light of the above described difficulties and needs, there exists a need for improved methods, systems, and computer program products for interacting simultaneously with multiple application programs.


A link curvature processing module enables a user with the ability to control the curvature of links in a node-link diagram. As a node-link diagram is displayed to a user, the user may interact with the diagram and adjust the curvature of one or more links in the diagram to improve the readability of the diagram. The user's modification to the curvature of a link alters the shape of the link so that the position of the nodes connected to the link does not change. By providing the user with such control, the user is able to tailor the visual display of the links to the user's preference.

A graph is a data structure commonly used to present data in a structured manner. A graph consists of nodes and links where each node represents an object and a link, also known as an "edge", connects a source node to a target node. Graphs are commonly used in a variety of applications to model the flow of information, to model the relationship between entities, and so forth. For example, in a social network, the nodes of the graph may represent individuals and the edges may represent a relationship between two individuals. In an airline network, the nodes may represent cities and a sequence of edges may represent routes from one city to another.
A node-link diagram is a construct used to visualize a graph where a graphical object, such as a box or dot, depicts a node and a curve is used to represent a link between two nodes. A node-link diagram having a large number of nodes and links suffers from visual clutter. The visual clutter is often attributable to link congestion when multiple links overlap each other making it difficult to distinguish a particular link or a subset of links

Interactive control of the curvature of links


An apparatus and a method of ejecting a disc for a disc drive. The disc drive at least includes a bottom casing and a tray. The tray is used for carrying a disc. The disc loading apparatus for a disc drive includes a protruding portion and a brake pad. The protruding portion is disposed on the bottom casing. The brake pad is movably disposed at the tray. When the tray is moved with respect to the bottom casing for enabling the protruding portion to interfere with the brake pad, the protruding portion pushes the brake pad to projects towards the disc for interfering with the disc so that the disc is halted and pushed up.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to an apparatus and a method of ejecting a disc for a disc drive, and more particularly to an apparatus and a method of ejecting a disc for a disc drive capable of halting and pushing up the disc.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are a large variety of optical disc drives and optical disc recorders currently available on the market. In order to further improve the read/write speed, the rotation speed is thus designed to be faster and faster. However, in the course of unloading a disc, it is possible that the disc may be thrown off the tray if the disc is only subject to the momentum without being reduced the rotation speed. Therefore, the manufacturers of optical disc drives are dedicated to the research regarding the brake mechanism of the disc so as to assure the safety of use. Examples of disc braking technology include anti-friction plate which halts the disc by interfering with its peripheral. According to the disc drive disposed in a notebook, a disc is loaded on a spindle and then rotates. When the disc is to be unloaded, the user has to push up the disc from the spindle first, which is very inconvenient to the user.

Apparatus and method of ejecting a disc in a disc drive


An apparatus comprising a network node configured to communicate with a plurality of other network nodes via one or more logic links using protocol independent multicast (PIM), wherein the network node is further configured to transmit a PIM message comprising quality of service (QoS) data to at least one of the other network nodes. Also disclosed is a method comprising receiving, by a first network node, a first PIM join message comprising QoS data from a second network node, wherein the second network node is downstream from the first network node. Also disclosed is a method comprising: sending, by a first network node, a first PIM message comprising QoS data to a second network node, wherein the second network node is upstream from the first network node.

Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) is a family of network routing protocols that provide one-to-many and many-to-many distribution of data over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. PIM is considered protocol independent because PIM does not include a topology discovery mechanism. PIM may obtain routing information from other protocols such as Routing Information Protocol (RIP), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), and Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP). PIM may allow data to be transmitted and received across channels defined by (S, G) and/or (*, G) where S denotes the IP address of a transmission source, G denotes the IP addresses of a group of receivers, and * denotes the IP addresses for all transmission sources for the group of receivers. PIM does not currently offer quality of service (QoS) for multicast streams.

Protocol independent multicast with quality of service support


An indicator of the end of a length of a tape of dental floss contained within a dispenser, the indicator being a segment of the length of tape having a different indicia or appearance than a prior segment of the length of tape. The indicator is located at a predetermined distance from an end of the tape to indicate that the length of the tape remaining within the dispenser is being depleted.

This invention relates to dental floss in general and more particularly to an indicator of the approaching end of a tape or ribbon of dental floss.
Dental floss tape is widely used for the removal of germs and plaque from the surface of teeth, particularly on the surface area bordering the space between adjoining teeth.
Dental floss tape is typically sold in a certain length which is wound into a roll about a reel that is generally enclosed in a dispenser. The reel is mounted within the dispenser for rotational movement, thereby allowing the unwinding of a desired amount of floss from the reel. The enclosure also typically includes an element which will cut the tape after the desired length of tape has been unwound.
A drawback of these devices is that because of the enclosure, the user has difficulty in determining whether the supply of tape remaining in the roll is about to be depleted and a new supply of dental floss tape needs to be purchased.
To overcome this drawback, the enclosure may contain a peephole which allows visual ascertainment of the circumferential thickness of the roll thereby giving an approximate indication of the remaining length of dental floss on the reel. However, this arrangement presupposes the user will continually monitor the circumferential thickness during use of the reel. Such monitoring may not occur frequently enough to prevent the inadvertent depletion of the tape. Another drawback to visual monitoring occurs if the user is sightless or cannot otherwise make the ascertainment as to the length of floss remaining.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an indication that the remaining length of dental tape within a dental floss dispenser is of such a length which necessitates the purchase of a new dispenser.
A related object is to provide an embodiment of such an indicator which can indicate to a sightless user that the remaining length of dental floss on the reel is of such a length which necessitates the purchase of a new dispenser.


A storage system has a storage pool for at least one of a logical volume having a plurality of slices, a memory for storing a slice table indicating whether each slices of the logical volume is assigned from the storage pool or not, and a controller for receiving a release command for releasing one of the slices, sending out a response indicating the releasing of one of the slices corresponding to the release command has completed regardless of an execution of processing corresponding to the release command, duplicating a copy target area included in the one of the slices corresponding to the release command into a copy target volume included in the storage pool, and releasing the one of the slices upon completely duplicating the copy target area into the copy target volume.

With a recent increase in storage capacity required for storage devices, mechanisms for virtually allocating physical resources, including disks, have been received attention. In Thin Provisioning, one of such mechanisms, no correlation is made between a logical volume and a physical disk at the time of creation of the logical volume. The physical disk of a storage pool is dynamically allocated only when data is actually written by a host.
In order to release the allocated physical volume in Thin Provisioning, the entire logical volume may be initialized or a certain area of the logical volume may be released specified by, for example, logical block address (LBA) in accordance with an initialization command issued by a host or other component.
In Thin Provisioning, it is assumed that a host or other component issues an initialization command for a larger range than a normal I/O range during release of allocated physical volumes. In a copying function in which snapshots of a logical volume are created on an on-demand basis, however, data is written and the logical volume is released typically after areas corresponding to the copy source volume are synchronously copied to a copy destination volume during execution of an I/O or an initialization command for uncopied areas.
As described above, since the copying process and the releasing process are performed asynchronously in response to the initialization command issued with respect to the logical volume to be copied on an on-demand basis, a response process indicating the releasing process has been completed may be delayed and the response may be degraded.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-310861 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-48300 are examples of related art.

Storage system, control apparatus and method of controlling control apparatus


A reverse conducting IGBT that includes an insulated gate; a semiconductor layer having a first conductivity type drift region, a second conductivity type body region, a first conductivity type emitter region, and a second conductivity type intermediate region; and an emitter electrode provided on a surface of the semiconductor layer. The first conductivity type drift region of the semiconductor layer contacts the insulated gate. The second conductivity type body region of the semiconductor layer is provided on the drift region and contacts the insulated gate. The first conductivity type emitter region of the semiconductor layer is provided on the body region and contacts the insulated gate. The second conductivity type intermediate region of the semiconductor layer is provided on the emitter region and is interposed between the emitter region and the emitter electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a reverse conducting IGBT (Reverse Conducting Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor).
2. Description of Related Art
A reverse conducting IGBT that has an IGBT structure and in which a diode structure is integrated into a semiconductor layer has been developed. As shown in FIG. 5, this kind of reverse conducting IGBT is often used for six transistors Tr1 to Tr6 that form a three phase inverter. The diode structure operates as a Free Wheeling Diode (FWD).
FIG. 6 is a view of a timing chart of a gate signal input to each of the transistors Tr1 to Tr6. The phases of the gate signals of the upper and lower transistors are offset approximately 180 degrees, the phases of the gate signals of the transistors of a U-phase and a V-phase are offset approximately 120 degrees, and the phases of the gate signals of the transistors of the V-phase and a W-phase are offset approximately 120 degrees.
For example, at time t1, current flows through the IGBT structure of each of the transistors Tr1, Tr3, and Tr6. At time t3, current flows through the IGBT structure of each of the transistors Tr2, Tr3, and Tr6. Here, at time t2 that is a transition from time t1 to time t3, return current flows through the diode structure of the transistor Tr2, and the gate signal of the transistor Tr2 is on. In this way, with a three phase inverter, when return current flows through the diode structure, there is a mode in which gate voltage is applied to a corresponding gate.
When gate voltage is applied to the gate, an n-type drift region and an n-type emitter region are connected via a channel. Both the n-type emitter region and a p-type body region are connected to a common emitter electrode. Therefore, when gate voltage is applied to the gate, it becomes difficult for sufficient voltage to be applied in the forward direction of the diode structure formed by the p-type body region and the n-type drift region. This phenomenon is referred to as gate interference, and forward voltage of the diode structure fluctuates largely depending on whether the gate signal is on or off, as shown in FIG. 7.
To counter such gate interference, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-72848 (JP 2008-72848 A) proposes technology that detects return current flowing through the diode structure, and provides an external circuit configured to interrupt the gate signal.
However, providing an external circuit as described in JP 2008-72848 A complicates control and increases costs.


An SMI task to be completed across multiple SMI events. An OS agent can be employed to determine a current load on a computing device. Based on the load, the OS agent can create an SMI message that specifies a maximum duration for an SMI event and that segments the SMI data for the SMI task. The OS agent can provide the SMI message to BIOS as part of requesting that the SMI task be performed. During the resulting SMI event, the BIOS can reassemble the segmented SMI data and then perform the SMI task. If this processing cannot be completed within the specified maximum duration for an SMI event, the BIOS can pause its processing and cause a subsequent SMI event to occur during which the processing can be resumed. In this way, the SMI task can be completed across multiple SMI events while ensuring that no single SMI event exceeds the specified maximum duration.

System Management Mode (SMM) is a processor state that is used for system management operations. To enter SMM from the operating system runtime, a System Management Interrupt (SMI) is generated. In response to the SMI, the platform firmware (or BIOS) suspends normal execution by storing the state of the CPU in a region of RAM called the SMRAM, performs a requested SMI task within SMM and then resumes normal operation by restoring the CPU from the stored state. SMM has traditionally been used to perform power management operations (e.g., responding to the press of the power button), access hardware directly and other relatively simple SMI tasks. These simpler SMI tasks can be completed very quickly and even instantaneously from the user perspective.
Recently, more complex SMI tasks are being performed. For example, signature verification, data analysis and/or transfer and firmware management operations are more commonly being performed by the BIOS as opposed to by the operating system. Performing such SMI tasks oftentimes requires a relatively substantial amount of time. Yet, to minimize the impact on the user experience, industry specifications limit the maximum duration of an SMI event (i.e., the amount of time between suspending and resuming normal operation). Even if complex SMI tasks can be completed within the allowed maximum duration, it is still generally undesirable to perform frequent and lengthy SMI tasks. For example, if the user is playing media when a lengthy SMI task is performed, there may be a noticeable glitch in the audio or video playback due to the suspension of playback during the SMI event.

Completing an SMI task across multiple SMI events