A variable magnification copier apparatus includes an optical system which incorporates two pairs of moving mirror assemblies which are moved to maintain object and image conjugate requirements following magnification changes. Also included is a constant focal length lens movable between two segments of a folded optical path. The optical system provides a magnification range of between 0.45X and 2.0X, while positioning the optical elements in a compact design. The lens does not move along the optical path, but rather remains fixed in position along one path segment so long as magnification values are selected within a certain range. When the magnification value is selected outside the predetermined range, the lens moves to an adjacent segment of the optical path and remains in a second, fixed position so long as further magnification values are selected within a second range. When a range is selected outside the second range, the lens is moved back to the first position.

The present invention relates to a variable magnification copying apparatus and, more particularly, to an optical system for such an apparatus which includes a fixed focal length lens for forming an image of the document to be copied, moving mirror pairs to adjust object and image conjugates for any selected magnification and means for moving the lens from one segment of the optical path to another upon selection of a predetermined magnification value.
A variety of copiers are commercially used which produce reduced or enlarged copies of original documents. A preferred optical system incorporates optical elements which scan a document line by line. The following patents illustrate the various optical systems used to enable the variable magnification.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,498,759 and 4,538,904 are illustrative of optical systems which scan a stationary document placed in an object plane. Full rate/half rate mirrors move to adjust object and image conjugates, while a fixed focal length lens moves along the optical path to selected positions, depending upon magnification selection.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,406 illustrates an optical system where the document is moved past a fixed exposure station and where a zoom lens is adapted to enlarge and reduce the scanned image.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,040,733; 4,172,658 and 4,639,121 disclose variable magnification systems where the imaging lens moves along the optical path to different magnification locations and also moves perpendicular to the axis to maintain registration. A compact optical design is a desirable objective when designing a variable magnification copier. Prior art efforts to provide a compact design are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,027,963 and 4,374,619. These patents incorporate a half lens element which includes a mirror in the lens assembly, reducing the need for an additional folding mirror elsewhere along the optical path, thus making the system more compact. Reduction copying in a limited space is also disclosed in "Optical Reduction System", Xerox Disclosure Journal, Vol. 5, No. 1, January/February 1980, page 97.
The present invention is directed towards a novel, variable magnification optical system which incorporates mirror pairs movable along an optical path to adjust object and image conjugates during magnification changes, but which does not require lens translation along the optical path. Rather, the lens, which in a preferred embodiment, is a constant focal length wide angle lens, is maintained in a fixed position so long as magnification selections are made within a first range. The lens is in fixed position along one segment of a folded optical path. Upon selection of a magnification lying within a second magnification range, the lens, in a preferred embodiment, is moved perpendicular to the optical path to an adjacent parallel segment of the optical path, placing the lens either closer to the photoreceptor (for reduction) or further from the photoreceptor (for enlargement). While it is known to move a lens perpendicular to the optical path, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,733, referenced supra, these references do not disclose moving the lens so as to intersect the optical path at a different location. Japanese publication 60-78439 (Hashimoto) discloses a lens which both moves along the optical path and, at some point, is moved diagonally to a non-parallel optical path segment.
More particularly, the present invention is directed to a variable magnification copying apparatus for producing reduced or enlarged copies of an original document moving through a document exposure zone at a variable rate of movement in response to magnification values selected by an operator, said apparatus including:
means for producing output illumination to illuminate incremental line portions of the document as it passes through said exposure zone, line images reflected from said document being transmitted along an optical path, folded into a plurality of segments, onto a photoconductive surface,
a symmetrical lens for forming an optical image of said original document on said photoconductive surface, said lens movable from a fixed position on a first segment of the optical path to a fixed position on a second segment of the optical path,
a first mirror assembly positioned along the optical path between the lens and the exposure zone, said mirror assembly movable along the optical path,
a second mirror assembly positioned between the lens and the photoconductive surface, said second mirror assembly movable along the optical path,
means for moving said lens and first and second mirror assemblies in response to signals representing a selected magnification value, said movement resulting in adjustment of the object and image conjugates for the magnification values selected, and
control means for receiving signals representing said magnification values and for operating said means for moving the lens and mirror assemblies to the required positions along the optical path, said control means further adapted to change the rate of movement of the original document through the exposure zone in response to said magnification value signals.

Variable magnification copying apparatus


A bushing cap is provided for mounting to a transformer bushing or to a lightening arrestor. The bushing cap when mounted to the bushing acts as an umbrella for the bushing to protect the same from airborne contaminates such as salt spray which can form a conductive surface on the bushing, while providing adequate bottom and side clearance from the bushing to ensure that a conductive surface between the cap and the bushing is avoided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to transformers and, more particularly, to a cap for a transformer bushing for isolating the energized end of the same from air borne contaminants.
2. Description of the Related Art
High power electrical transformers are conventionally enclosed within a hermitically sealed, grounded metallic tank. Bushings are inserted through the top of the casing and sealed to the top of the insulating casing. One or more such bushings, either high voltage or low voltage, are installed as necessary to make the desired electrical connections to the high and low voltage windings of the coil assemblies of the transformer. The bushings provide a conductive path for the current through an opening in the metallic container of the transformer which is itself properly sealed to prevent entry therein of the moisture, gases, or dust particles. Thus, the insulating material, for example rigid porcelain, surrounds the electrical conductor. This provides the electrical conductor with lateral support and protects against electrical contact with other conductive elements such as the metallic tank. The energized end, spaced from the metallic tank, is then coupled to a cable or other conductor.
It has been found that the foregoing structure is disadvantageous in that the energized end of the porcelain bushing is not isolated from airborne contaminants and particularly salt spray where the transformer is disposed along the coast and exposed to salt water entrained in coastal breezes. When conductive salt spray contaminants in the air land on the porcelain bushing, they ultimately form a conductive surface which causes phase to ground faults resulting in power outages. Similar problems are encountered with the porcelain bushings of lighting arrestors.
It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a means for protecting the porcelain bushing from salt spray and like contaminants in the air and thus prevent the creation of a conductive surface on the porcelain.


A surface-heating system heats a surface with a high-power wavefront at a millimeter-wave frequency. The high-power wavefront may be a collimated wavefront or a converging or diverging wavefront. In some embodiments, the system includes a frequency generator to generate a lower-power millimeter-wave frequency signal, and an active-array antenna system to amplify the millimeter-wave frequency and generate the high-power wavefront in a direction of a surface for heating the surface. In other embodiments, a frequency generator and power amplifier may generate a high-power power millimeter-wave frequency signal, and a passive-array antenna system may provide the high-power wavefront in a direction of the surface. In some embodiments, a thermal-sensing subsystem may measure the surface temperature and generate a control signal to maintain the surface temperature within a predetermined temperature range.

Conventional heating techniques typically rely on infrared (IR) energy, convective heat, or microwave energy to heat items or cook food. One problem with the use IR or convective energy is that while it takes time to penetrate a surface, to speed up the heating process the surface may become overheated or burned. One problem with the use of microwave energy is that an item may be overheated below the surface even though the surface does not brown. As can be seen, it is difficult to control the surface temperature and the subsurface temperature with either conventional IR heating techniques and/or conventional microwave heating techniques.
Some conventional heating techniques use lasers to heat a surface. One problem with the use of lasers is that they do not penetrate the surface sufficiently for many surface-heating applications. Furthermore, lasers are not very efficient having a power conversion efficiency of about ten-percent and thus not practical for industrial applications or applications where the size of the power supply is important.
Thus there are general needs for systems and methods for improved surface heating. There are also needs for more efficient surface-heating systems and methods.

Selective layer millimeter-wave surface-heating system and method


Disclosed is an antenna module for minimizing the occurrence of breakdowns during the manufacturing thereof by adhering heterogeneous material, which adheres heterogeneous material base substrates with adhesive substrates. The disclosed antenna module has a plurality of first radiation patterns formed on the upper surface of a first base substrate, has a plurality of second radiation patterns and a plurality of chipsets formed on the upper surface and the lower surface of a second base substrate disposed below the first base substrate, has a first adhesive substrate interposed between the first base substrate and the second base substrate, wherein the first adhesive substrate has air gap holes formed therein so as to form air gaps between the plurality of first radiation patterns and the plurality of second radiation patterns.

As the demand for wireless data traffic increases after the commercialization of a 4G communication system, a 5G communication system for meeting the increasing traffic demand is below development.
Since a high data transfer rate is required to meet the increasing traffic demand, the 5G communication system is being studied to implement a communication system using an ultra-high frequency (mm-Wave) band of about 28 GHz or more.
Since the 5G communication system should increase the propagation distance of the radio wave while minimizing the path loss of the radio wave in the ultra-high frequency band, beamforming, massive MIMO, Full Dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beamforming, and large scale antenna technologies are being studied.
In general, in the conventional antenna module applied to the communication system, an antenna and a chipset are separated and installed, respectively. The antenna and the chipset are connected via a cable.
However, there is a problem in that the 5G communication system uses the ultra-high frequency band, thereby increasing the loss and degrading antenna performance if the conventional antenna module is applied as it is.


Cross flow fan, and air conditioner fitted with the same, the cross flow fan including a plurality of annular rims arranged at regular intervals along a horizontal direction, and a plurality of blades on a side surface of the rim vertical thereto, and along a circumference direction of the rim, wherein pitch angles between two adjacent blades are not regular, the pitch angle taking a center of the rim as an apex, and a number of blades are 32 or 35. The pitch angles of the blades are designed by a computer optimization method taking a number of the blades and the like as parameters.

This application claims the benefit of the Korean Application No. P2002-20678 filed on Apr. 16, 2002, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cross flow fans, and more particularly, to a cross flow fan with unequal pitches, and an air conditioner fitted with the same.
2. Background of the Related Art
In general, the air conditioner is provided with an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, and the indoor unit is provided with an evaporator and fan fitted therein. The fan serves to draw air from a room, to make the air heat exchange at the evaporator, and to blow the air into the room again.
Of the fans employed in the air conditioners, there are sirocco fans, propeller fans, turbo fans, and cross flow fans, wherein the cross flow fans are mostly employed in the indoor units.
A related art cross flow fan in an air conditioner will be described with reference to the attached drawings.
Referring to FIG. 1, the air conditioner is provided with a casing having an inlet 4 and an outlet 5, an evaporator 1, a rear guide 2, a cross flow fan 10, and a stabilizer 3.
The cross flow fan 10 is fitted among the evaporator 1, the rear guide 2 and the stabilizer 3. The cross flow fan draws air through the inlet 4 and discharges through the outlet 5, and generates a vortex as the cross flow fan is rotated by a motor (not shown).
The evaporator 1 between the inlet 4 and the cross flow fan 10 heat exchanges with the air drawn through the inlet 4. The rear guide 2 in rear of the cross flow fan 10 stabilizes the vortex caused by the cross flow fan, and guides air flow. The stabilizer 3 under the cross flow fan 10 separates an inlet 4 region and an outlet 5 region, and stabilizes the air flow toward the outlet 5.
The cross flow fan 10 will be described in more detail.
Referring to FIG. 2, the cross flow fan 10 is provided with a plurality of blocks 11 joined along a rotation shaft B-Bxe2x80x2 direction. Each block 11 has a plurality of annular rims 13 arranged at equal intervals along a horizontal direction, and a plurality of blades 12 arranged on a side surface of the rim 13 vertical thereto, and along a circumference direction of the rim 13.
Referring to FIG. 3, each blade 12 forms a pitch angle Pn to an adjacent blade 12 with reference to a center of the rim 13. The pitch angle Pn is an angle between two adjacent blades 12, with the center of the rim 13 taken as an apex.
The cross flow fan 10 with equal pitched angles is called as an equal pitched cross flow fan 10. The equal pitched cross flow fan 10, having a good fan balance and a low vibration, and is favorable for mass production, is widely used.
However, variations of a pressure at regular intervals cause noise at a particular frequency. The equal pitched cross flow fan 10 has a regular pressure variation when the equal pitched cross flow fan 10 rotates at a constant speed, owing to the regular intervals of the blades 12, i.e., regular pitch angles Pn. Consequently, a sound pressure becomes higher at the particular frequency to cause unpleasant noise.
It is known that the noise is generated at a Blade Passing Frequency (BPF) defined as the following equation.       f    BPF    =      NZ    60
Where, xe2x80x98Nxe2x80x99 denotes revolutions per min. and Z denotes a number of blades.
For an example, a measurement of sound pressure levels of a rotating equal pitched cross flow fan 10 with 32 blades provides a result as shown in FIG. 4.
Referring to FIG. 4, it can be noted that there are peaks of the sound pressure at approx. 800 Hz frequency intervals. This implies that the unpleasant noise occurs at regular frequency intervals.
Thus, the related art equal pitched cross flow fan 10 has poor noise characteristics due to the loud rotational frequency noise of the blades 12.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a cross flow fan, and an air conditioner fitted with the same that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a cross flow fan which has a reduced noise and vibration, and an air conditioner fitted with the same.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the cross flow fan includes a plurality of annular rims arranged at regular intervals along a horizontal direction, and a plurality of blades on a side surface of the rim vertical thereto, and along a circumference direction of the rim, wherein pitch angles between two adjacent blades are not regular, the pitch angle taking a center of the rim as an apex.
When a number of the blades are 32, the pitch angles of the blades arranged in succession in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction with reference to one of the blades are 12.50xc2x0, 9.22xc2x0, 10.00xc2x0, 12.43xc2x0, 11.14xc2x0, 14.08xc2x0, 8.85xc2x0, 12.19xc2x0, 12.39xc2x0, 9.84xc2x0, 11.21xc2x0, 9.41xc2x0, 14.93xc2x0, 10.96xc2x0, 8.18xc2x0, 11.62xc2x0, 12.91xc2x0, 12.00xc2x0, 11.93xc2x0, 10.18xc2x0, 8.33xc2x0, 12.34xc2x0, 10.00xc2x0, 13.90xc2x0, 9.66xc2x0, 12.18xc2x0, 11.87xc2x0, 12.80xc2x0, 11.11xc2x0, 11.23xc2x0, 8.44xc2x0, and 12.16xc2x0.
If the 32 blades are sloped in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction when seen from the side, the pitch angles of the blades arranged in succession in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction with reference to one of the blades are 12.50xc2x0, 9.22xc2x0, 10.00xc2x0, 12.43xc2x0, 11.14xc2x0, 14.08xc2x0, 8.85xc2x0, 12.19xc2x0, 12.39xc2x0, 9.84xc2x0, 11.21xc2x0, 9.41xc2x0, 14.93xc2x0, 10.96xc2x0, 8.18xc2x0, 11.62xc2x0, 12.91xc2x0, 12.00xc2x0, 11.93xc2x0, 10.18xc2x0, 8.33xc2x0, 12.34xc2x0, 10.00xc2x0, 13.90xc2x0, 9.66xc2x0, 12.18xc2x0, 11.87xc2x0, 12.80xc2x0, 11.11xc2x0, 11.23xc2x0, 8.44xc2x0, and 12.16xc2x0.
When a number of the blades are 35, the pitch angles of the blades arranged in succession in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction with reference to one of the blades are 10.00xc2x0, 10.31xc2x0, 9.20xc2x0, 11.64xc2x0, 10.37xc2x0, 10.67xc2x0, 9.41xc2x0, 12.26xc2x0, 8.36xc2x0, 10.25xc2x0, 11.47xc2x0, 8.27xc2x0, 11.33xc2x0, 11.08xc2x0, 9.36xc2x0, 11.29xc2x0, 7.67xc2x0, 13.44xc2x0, 10.10xc2x0, 9.97xc2x0, 8.08xc2x0, 10.26xc2x0, 13.34xc2x0, 8.33xc2x0, 9.89xc2x0, 10.71xc2x0, 9.54xc2x0, 12.51xc2x0, 7.95xc2x0, 11.76xc2x0, 7.92xc2x0, 13.47xc2x0, 10.81xc2x0, 7.80xc2x0, and 10.87xc2x0.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner including a casing having an inlet and an outlet, a cross flow fan for drawing air through the inlet and discharging the air through the outlet, the cross flow fan including a plurality of annular rims arranged at regular intervals along a horizontal direction; and a plurality of blades on a side surface of the rim vertical thereto, and along a circumference direction of the rim, wherein pitch angles between two adjacent blades are not regular, the pitch angle taking a center of the rim as an apex, and an evaporator between the inlet and the cross flow fan for making heat exchange with the air drawn through the inlet.
The air conditioner further includes a rear guide in rear of the cross flow fan for stabilizing a vortex occurred by the cross flow fan, and guiding flow of the air, and/or a stabilizer under the cross flow fan to separate the inlet region and the outlet region, for stabilizing flow of the air moving toward the outlet.
When a number of the blades are 32, the pitch angles of the blades arranged in succession in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction with reference to one of the blades are 12.50xc2x0, 9.22xc2x0, 10.00xc2x0, 12.43xc2x0, 11.14xc2x0, 14.08xc2x0, 8.85xc2x0, 12.19xc2x0, 12.39xc2x0, 9.84xc2x0, 11.21xc2x0, 9.41xc2x0, 14.93xc2x0, 10.96xc2x0, 8.18xc2x0, 11.62xc2x0, 12.91xc2x0, 12.00xc2x0, 11.93xc2x0, 10.18xc2x0, 8.33xc2x0, 12.34xc2x0, 10.00xc2x0, 13.90xc2x0, 9.66xc2x0, 12.18xc2x0, 11.87xc2x0, 12.80xc2x0, 11.11xc2x0, 11.23xc2x0, 8.44xc2x0, and 12.16xc2x0.
If the 32 blades are sloped in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction when seen from the side, the pitch angles of the blades arranged in succession in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction with reference to one of the blades are 12.50xc2x0, 9.22xc2x0, 10.00xc2x0, 12.43xc2x0, 11.14xc2x0, 14.08xc2x0, 8.85xc2x0, 12.19xc2x0, 12.39xc2x0, 9.84xc2x0, 11.21xc2x0, 9.41xc2x0, 14.93xc2x0, 10.96xc2x0, 8.18xc2x0, 11.62xc2x0, 12.91xc2x0, 12.00xc2x0, 11.93xc2x0, 10.18xc2x0, 8.33xc2x0, 12.34xc2x0, 10.00xc2x0, 13.90xc2x0, 9.66xc2x0, 12.18xc2x0, 11.87xc2x0, 12.80xc2x0, 11.11xc2x0, 11.23xc2x0, 8.44xc2x0, and 12.16xc2x0.
When a number of the blades are 35, the pitch angles of the blades arranged in succession in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction with reference to one of the blades are 10.00xc2x0, 10.31xc2x0, 9.20xc2x0, 11.64xc2x0, 10.37xc2x0, 10.67xc2x0, 9.41xc2x0, 12.26xc2x0, 8.36xc2x0, 10.25xc2x0, 11.47xc2x0, 8.27xc2x0, 11.33xc2x0, 11.08xc2x0, 9.36xc2x0, 11.29xc2x0, 7.67xc2x0, 13.44xc2x0, 10.10xc2x0, 9.97xc2x0, 8.08xc2x0, 10.26xc2x0, 13.34xc2x0, 8.33xc2x0, 9.89xc2x0, 10.71xc2x0, 9.54xc2x0, 12.51xc2x0, 7.95xc2x0, 11.76xc2x0, 7.92xc2x0, 13.47xc2x0, 10.81xc2x0, 7.80xc2x0, and 10.87xc2x0.
If the 35 blades are sloped in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction when seen from the side, the pitch angles of the blades arranged in succession in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction with reference to one of the blades are 10.00xc2x0, 10.31xc2x0, 9.20xc2x0, 11.64xc2x0, 10.37xc2x0, 10.67xc2x0, 9.41xc2x0, 12.26xc2x0, 8.36xc2x0, 10.25xc2x0, 11.47xc2x0, 8.27xc2x0, 11.33xc2x0, 11.08xc2x0, 9.36xc2x0, 11.29xc2x0, 7.67xc2x0, 13.44xc2x0, 10.10xc2x0, 9.97xc2x0, 8.08xc2x0, 10.26xc2x0, 13.34xc2x0, 8.33xc2x0,9.89xc2x0, 10.71xc2x0, 9.54xc2x0, 12.51xc2x0, 7.95xc2x0, 11.76xc2x0, 7.92xc2x0, 13.47xc2x0, 10.81xc2x0, 7.80xc2x0, and 10.87xc2x0.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Cross flow fan and air conditioner fitted with the same


Provided are a semiconductor light-emitting device having nano-needles and a method of manufacturing the same. The provided semiconductor light-emitting device improves the extraction efficiency of photons, and includes a gallium nitride (GaN) group multi-layer and nano-needles grown on the GaN group multi-layer. The nano-needles improve the extraction efficiency of photons.

This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2004-0103164, filed on Dec. 8, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor light-emitting device and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a semiconductor light-emitting device and a method of manufacturing the same which improve light-emitting efficiency by growing nano-needles on a gallium nitride (GaN) group multi-layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light-emitting efficiency is one of the important criteria for determining the performance of a semiconductor light-emitting device. The light-emitting efficiency is determined based on an internal quantum efficiency, an extraction efficiency, and the operation voltage. The extraction efficiency is the ratio of the amount of photons extracted from a light-emitting device to the amount of photons generated by the light-emitting device.
GaN group semiconductors, which are generally used for semiconductor light-emitting devices, have studied for the use of a photoelectronic device, such as a blue light-emitting device or a laser diode.
Referring to FIG. 1, a semiconductor light-emitting device includes an electron doped n-type cladding layer 110, a hole doped p-type cladding layer 112, an active layer 111, between the n-type cladding layer 110 and the p-type cladding layer 112, in which photons are generated by combining electrons and holes, provided respectively by the n-type cladding layer 110 and the p-type cladding layer 112, and a window layer 113 through which the generated photons pass. In addition, a first electrode layer 114 and a second electrode layer 115 are arranged respectively on the upper surface 117 and the lower surface of the semiconductor light-emitting device. The first electrode layer 114 is formed on the portion of the upper surface 117 through which the photons are extracted.
When applying a forward bias of a positive voltage to the first electrode layer 114 and a negative voltage to the second electrode layer 115, the electrons and the holes are transferred from the n-type cladding layer 110 and the p-type cladding layer 112 to the active layer 111, where they combine together to generate photons having an energy corresponding to an energy band gap. The photons generated in the active layer 111 diverge in random directions, and thus many are absorbed by the chip or exit in the different direction other than the upper surface after being repeatedly reflected. Examples of methods for improving the extraction efficiency by preventing photons from being absorbed by a chip and helping the photons escape to the outside will now be described.
A light-emitting diode multi-layer is usually deposited on a sapphire substrate, which is a dielectric material with bad electric and thermal characteristics. This reduces the extraction efficiency. In addition, the sapphire substrate has a different crystalline structure from a GaN multi-layer, making it difficult to grow a layer. Furthermore, the sapphire substrate traps heat when packaging the light-emitting diode chip, thus damaging the light-emitting chip and lowering the luminance of the chip. Accordingly, attempts have been made to improve the extraction efficiency by removing the sapphire substrate after growing the multi-layer.
After separating the sapphire substrate, gallium nitride remains on the multi-layer and is thermally decomposited into gallium and nitrogen. Thus, the nitrogen evaporates and the gallium remains on the multi-layer. The remaining gallium contaminates the multi-layer and reduces the light-emitting efficiency. The gallium can be removed by chemical etching with HCl, but this can damage the multi-layer.
In addition, attempts have been made to improve the extraction efficiency by roughening the upper surface of the light-emitting device using photoelectronic chemical etching. However, this requires an additional process after depositing the multi-layer, and can damage the GaN layer.

Semiconductor light-emitting device and method of manufacturing the same


An example controller for a power converter to provide power to a load through a distribution network includes a control circuit and a cable drop compensator. The control circuit outputs a drive signal to control switching of a switch to regulate an output of the power converter in response to a feedback signal. The cable drop compensator is coupled to adjust the feedback signal in response to a conduction time of an output diode of the power converter to compensate for a distribution voltage dropped across the distribution network.

1. Field of the Disclosure
Embodiments of present invention relate generally to regulation of power converters, and more specifically, the invention relates to regulation of power converters with cable drop compensation.
2. Background
Many electrical devices such as cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDA's), laptops, etc. are powered by a source of relatively low-voltage DC power. Because power is generally delivered through a wall outlet as high-voltage AC power, a device, typically referred to as a power converter, is required to transform the high-voltage AC power to low-voltage DC power. The low-voltage DC power may be provided by the power converter directly to the device or it may be used to charge a rechargeable battery that, in turn, provides energy to the device, but which requires charging once stored energy is drained. Typically, the battery is charged with a battery charger that includes a power converter that meets constant current and constant voltage requirements required by the battery. Other electrical devices, such as DVD players, computer monitors, TVs and the like, also require a power converter for device operation. The power converter in these devices also has to provide output voltages and currents that meet the requirements of the device. In operation, a power converter may use a controller to regulate output power delivered to an electrical device, such as a battery, that may be generally referred to as a load. More specifically, the controller may be coupled to a sensor that provides feedback information of the output of the power converter in order to regulate power delivered to the load. The controller regulates power to the load by controlling a power switch to turn on and off in response to the feedback information from the sensor to transfer energy pulses to the output from a source of input power such as a power line. One particular type of power converter that may be used is a flyback power converter. In a flyback power converter, an energy transfer element may galvanically isolate the input side of the power converter from the output side. Galvanic isolation prevents DC current from flowing between the input side and the output side of the power converter, and is usually required to meet safety regulations.
Power converter control circuits may be used for a multitude of purposes and applications. There is a demand for integrating control circuit functionality that can reduce the number of components outside the integrated control circuit. This reduction in external component count enables miniaturization of the power converter to improve portability, reduces the number of design cycles required to finalize a power converter design and also improves reliability of the end product. Furthermore, reduced component count can offer energy efficiency improvements in the operation of the power converter and can reduce the power converter cost. Typically, a power converter has circuitry on the output side of the power converter to sense and to transmit feedback information about the output voltage to the control circuit that is on the input side of the power converter. One technique to reduce the number of components in the power converter is to sense the feedback information of the output voltage from the input side of the power converter instead of sensing it on the output side of the power converter. This is accomplished by a means of an indirect feedback. One challenge associated with power converters using indirect feedback is compensating for the varying voltage dropped across the impedance of a cable that connects the power converter (e.g. battery charger) to the load current. Indirect feedback can regulate the voltage at the output of the power converter that is at one end of the cable, but the voltage the other end of the cable will be different from the voltage at the output of the power converter by the voltage drop of the cable. By compensating for the additional voltage drop of the cable, the power converter provides improved voltage regulation at the load.
There are known discrete circuits that may compensate for the voltage drop of the cable. However, the known discrete circuits that compensate for the voltage drop across the cable may include additional components that increase the cost and size of the power converter.

Detecting output diode conduction time for cable drop compensation of a power converter


The disclosure describes an apparatus including a bin sweep arm, a floor support in contact with a floor surface, and a vertical adjustment assembly positioned between floor support and the bin sweep arm and connected to the floor support and the bin sweep arm, wherein the vertical adjustment assembly automatically raises the bin sweep arm off the floor surface and automatically lowers the bin sweep arm to the floor surface in response to changes in weight disposed on the bin sweep arm.

This disclosure relates to bin sweeps for moving and clearing grain and other stored materials from silos, grain bins and similar storage units. Specifically, this invention relates to a weight-sensitive link that connects an auger section of the bin sweep to a tractor drive unit or other floor support.
A grain bin sweep is generally found at the bottom of a grain bin having a flat floor. Typically, the grain bin has a circular horizontal cross-section. Diameters of grain bins vary from several feet to over one hundred feet. A bin sweep typically covers at least a portion of the radius of the bin, so that it sweeps a circular area of the bin as it rotates about an axis in the center of the grain bin.
To remove the stored material from a grain bin, a central opening at the bottom of the grain bin is opened to allow the grain to flow through by gravity. The grain flows like a viscous fluid much like the sand in an hourglass. Grain will flow into the floor opening until flow from gravity stops, leaving grain at the sides of the bin resting at an angle of repose. Additional openings spaced linearly from the center opening to the wall are opened, forming a trench-like valley. This allows access into the bin through a bin access door and removes the majority of the grain covering the bin sweep. The grain remaining in the bin must be removed. The bin sweep in a grain bin conveys the remaining grain or other stored material to the central floor opening.
A bin sweep typically includes a sweep arm having an auger that rotates about a horizontal axis for conveying grain that is lying on the floor of the grain bin toward the central floor opening or sump. The auger of the bin sweep extends radially outward from the center of the bin and is mounted adjacent to the central opening, usually through a connection that allows the bin sweep to pivot around an axis at the central floor opening. The bin sweep conveys grain toward the central floor opening as it gradually travels on an angular path within the grain bin. In some cases, the sweep is lengthened on subsequent passes to reach the circumference of the bin, eventually traveling over the entire floor surface of the grain bin.
A power source such as an electric or hydraulic motor is mounted to the central structure for supplying rotational power to the auger. Additionally, a driving means is typically used with the bin sweep for propelling the auger section about the central opening in the floor. The sweep drive mechanisms commonly include wheels or a track drive that will establish traction on the floor of the grain bin and is sometimes referred to as a tractor drive unit.
Present bin sweeps require an operator to enter the bin and lower the bin sweep onto the floor or place portions of the bin sweep (e.g., its support frame) on blocking before filling the bin with grain or other stored material. When supported by the floor or blocking, components of the bin sweep (such as the wheels, axles, connective brackets, etc.) are less likely to be damaged by the weight the stored material bearing down upon the bin sweep. Without such preventive measures, the floor support wheels of the bin sweep may indent into the floor, the wheels may permanently deform, or other structural damage may result.
However, after a bulk of the storage material has been removed, the bin sweep must be engaged to convey the remaining grain toward the center floor opening. To move relative to the floor surface, the bin sweep must be placed in an operating position, (i.e., be raised to provide a clearance between the floor surface and the rotating auger). A typical clearance between a back stop of a bin sweep and the floor is approximately one inch to two inches. Such clearance may be increased in particular locations due to floor unevenness. Consequently, the operator needs to enter the bin after some but not all of the grain has been drawn through the gravity outlets in order to raise the bin sweep into the operating position (such as by actuating a jack) or remove the blocking. This entry exposes the operator to possible grain engulfment.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Provided is a novel physical therapy system and device that can be manually operated by a post-operative patient without the need of professional on site assistance, wherein the degree of movement of the limb or joint of interest is measured and recorded so as to provide a record of the progress of the prescribed post-operative therapy for immediate feedback to the patient as well as for long term data recordation for the therapist or physician.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to orthopedic therapy and in particular to devices that provide dynamic measurable therapy for use by orthopedic patients. More particularly, the present invention relates to a physical therapy system and device that can be manually operated by a post-operative patient without the need of professional on site assistance, wherein the degree of movement of the limb or joint of interest is measured and recorded so as to provide a record of the progress of the prescribed post-operative therapy for immediate feedback to the patient as well as for long term data recordation for the therapist or physician.
2. Background Art
The success of joint reconstructive or replacement surgery depends largely upon the postoperative rehabilitation process. This is particularly true for a total knee arthroplasty. In total knee arthroplasty surgeons are typically able to achieve a great, range of joint motion for the sedated patient on the operating table. However, the quantity and quality of the post-operative therapy is critical to the patient's ultimate range of motion and therefore, the ultimate success of the surgical procedure. A limited range of motion of a post-operative joint, particularly a knee, will result in pain and limited function. It is generally understood that there is a six-week window of opportunity after surgery during which a patient can, through therapy and exercise, maximize his ultimate range of motion for the post-operative joint. Very important to the success of any post-operative therapy is the patient's commitment to maximizing the effort to rehabilitate the affected joint. Conventional post-operative therapies necessarily have to enlist the patient's commitment to and compliance with the prescribed regime as much as possible. However, the success of the postoperative therapy in large part relies more on the therapist contribution than on passive mechanized therapy devices that may or may not be properly, routinely, and adequately employed by the patient.
Continuous passive motion (CPM) machines and/or manually applied physical therapy to an injured or post operative limb are the primary rehabilitation treatments chosen by most doctors and therapists. Many limb and joint exercising devices are known. Generally, these machines have a motor driven limb support with the limb support capable of being set to periodically move the limb in a preset range of positions for a preset length of time and at a preset speed. Once these parameters have been selected the machine automatically moves the limb from a straightened position back and forth to these pre-selected positions at the pre-selected speeds and durations.
One major drawback to these motor driven machines is the problem of selecting the optimum settings for the machine. While resetting positions and safety cut-off switches are usually provided for the user, the initial settings for the machines, which are set by the therapist, are frequently too severe and painful. Later, as the therapy progresses and the joint becomes more limber and capable of greater movement the settings are often insufficient and therefore less helpful in taking the rehabilitation as far as possible.
Further, conventional therapy machines and therapists cannot sense the level of pain experienced by the patient during movement of the joint or the true degree of stiffness of the joint. For this reason, the rehabilitative therapy provided to the patient may be too severe or too reserve. Only the patient is truly aware of what joint motion limits he is capable of reaching on any given day of the rehabilitative period.
A conventional rehabilitative therapy regime for a post-operative total knee replacement would include both the use of a therapist and a continuous passive motion (CPM) machine. In use, the patient would lie down and securely strap his knee into the machine. The machine with its preset motion, speed, and duration parameters would be turned on while the patient passively endured the machine bending the knee to a prescribed range of motion. The range of motion can be adjusted by the therapist to a level he believes to be within the patient's pain and motion tolerance; however the level of uncertainty of the optimum settings for any given patient is high. The CPM is typically prescribed for self-use at home by the patient for a period of several weeks after surgery. During this rehabilitative period the involvement of a physical therapist in providing manipulative therapy and in monitoring the use of the CPM is generally considered the most important element in a successful rehabilitation regime. Even if the settings on the CPM are relatively appropriate for the patient, it remains that the effectiveness of the CPM in the rehabilitative regime is totally dependent upon the amount of effective use it receives. The physical therapist working with the postoperative patient can improve the rehabilitation progress by monitoring the patient's use of the CPM and by passively stretching the patient's knee and recording the progress; however this spot-checking of the patient's use of the CPM is at best periodic and isolated and not necessarily a true picture of whether or not the patient is making good use of the machine. Further, inconvenience, forgetfulness, pain avoidance and many other reasons can contribute to the patient's neglect of his prescribed CPM and home therapy regime. For this reason, the therapist's sessions with the patient are often the most effective part of the rehabilitative effort. Unfortunately, the patient's sessions with the therapist will, at best, be limited to about 45 minutes for each of two or three sessions per week for six weeks. Over the six week long post-operative period the therapist will likely spend no more than 13 to 15 hours working with the patient. For this reason, a good therapist will typically prescribe a variety of additional exercises to assist the patient in the effort of stretching the knee into flexion and extension during those long periods when the patient is at home without the benefit of the therapist presence. For example, extension of the knee joint is often augmented by having the patient prop an object under his heel after which the patient will press the knee downward from above. Flexion exercises are more difficult. Efforts to improve flexion of the knee can be augmented by the patient sitting on a chair and pulling the operative leg back with the opposite leg. While these and other self-help exercises can be useful, they are only beneficial if the patient exercises a great deal of self-discipline and strictly adheres to the prescribed program. The patient is typically left alone to exercise or to neglect his prescribed therapy program for the majority of those initial few weeks when a therapy program can be most effective. Further, although the time during which the therapist is actively involved in sessions with the patient is of great value, it remains that providing such professional assistance is becoming increasingly expensive for the patient and his insurance company. Limited finances or insurance can curtail or abruptly end the active assistance of a professional therapist. For this reason, it is very important that, within reasonable cost constraints, the best possible tools be provided to aid the patient in the self-administered portion of the exercise program.
Another important aspect of the patient's rehabilitation program is the requirement to accurately measure and report the degree of flexion and extension of the joint in a timely manner. It is very important that the therapist and the surgeon are aware of the progress being made by the patient in order to permit course corrections in the therapy program as needed. At present, the degree of flexion or extension of a joint is measured by the therapist using a goniometer, an angle finder, which the therapist holds on the side of the patient's knee and uses his best-guess to align the device with the leg. The therapist generally uses this conventional angle measurement technique intermittently to determine the level of progress in the rehabilitative effort being made by the patient. Studies presented at the Orthopedic Trauma Association (OTA) 2000 meeting indicated that a visual inspection and angle estimation of a joint by an attending surgeon, an orthopedic fellow, and an orthopedic senior resident varied from the actual angle of the joint as determined by radiological examination by an average of 6.5° and the difference between the goniometer measurement and the radiologically determined angle was only slightly better at 5.6°. In addition, a significant difference in 1 of 8 comparisons among attending surgeons, fellows and residents was found (Poster No. 82, OTA 2000 Posters). Further, the inaccuracy of visual or goniometer estimates of a joint angle can also be attributable to the obvious possibility that the therapists estimate of proper alignment of the goniometer to the patient's leg can vary considerably from one visit to the next; what seems like progress from an earlier session may only be the result of inaccurate instrument alignment at a subsequent session. This is particularly true when a substitute therapist must attend to the patient. In such cases an inconsistent alignment of the goniometer should be expected and therefore the recorded progress would be expected to be erroneous.
To date there has been no therapy system provided that effectively enables the patient to completely control all parameters of his rehabilitative machine exercise therapy so as to actively stretch the knee joint with immediate biofeedback as well as precise recordation of therapy progress. Further, the accuracy of any recordation of the level of progress using conventional measurement techniques and devices is at best questionable. What is needed is a joint rehabilitative therapy system that allows the patient alone to conveniently use the device on a daily basis wherein the parameters of the degree of extension and flexion, speed, and duration are established by the patient using a real time biofeedback mechanism and allowing the patient to limit or extend the effort to conform to his pain threshold rather to that which a therapist has applied a best-guess.

Orthopedic therapy system and device and a method of use


A fiber preform is initially consolidated by being impregnated with a thermosetting impregnation composition that contains a ceramic precursor, and by heat treatment at the end of which the precursor has been transformed into ceramic, without passing through a meltable phase. The consolidated preform is then densified. The impregnation composition is constituted by a mixture of a thermosetting monomer and a ceramic precursor polymer, and the monomer is cross-linked during the heat treatment so as to achieve "in situ" cross-linking of the polymer mixture prior to transforming the precursor into ceramic.

Together with carbon/carbon composites, CMCs are thermostructural composite materials that are characterized by good mechanical properties that make them suitable for building structural elements, and by their ability to retain these mechanical properties up to high temperatures.
Thermostructural composites are used in particular in aviation and in space applications, and in particular for making parts of aircraft engines, or structural elements of space vehicles.
The manufacture of a part made of composite material generally comprises making a fiber preform to a shape that is close to that of the part to be manufactured, and then in densifying the preform with the matrix.
The fiber preform constitutes the reinforcement of the part to which it essentially confers its mechanical properties. The preform is obtained from fiber products such as thread, cloth, felt, etc. Shaping is performed by reeling, weaving, stacking two-dimensional plies of cloth or sheets of cables, . . .
Densification of the fiber preform with the matrix consists in filling the pores of the preform throughout its volume with the material that constitutes the matrix.
A first densification technique uses a liquid and consists in impregnating the preform with a liquid mixture that contains a precursor of the matrix material and then, optionally after drying and curing, in subjecting the impregnated preform to heat treatment in order to transform the precursor. Several consecutive cycles of impregnation and of heat treatment are generally necessary in order to achieve the desired degree of densification.
A second densification technique consists in infiltrating the preform with the material from which the matrix is made by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI). To this end, the preform is placed in an infiltration oven into which a gas is admitted. Under determined conditions of temperature and pressure, the gas penetrates into the core of the preform and, on contact with the fibers, the matrix material is formed by the gas decomposing or by component parts of the gas reacting.
In order to enable the fiber preform to retain the desired shape while chemical vapor infiltration is taking place, it is necessary at least during a first portion of the densification process, to hold the preform in tooling, generally made of graphite. Such solid tooling is expensive to make, in particular when the preform is complex in shape. It also needs to have numerous holes machined therein in order to provide the gas with access to the preform through the tooling. In addition, the tooling is heavy and bulky.
Unfortunately, chemical infiltration is a process that is generally very lengthy and very expensive. For example, a densification process typically requires several hundreds of hours. In addition, tooling that occupies an appreciable fraction of the working volume of the infiltration oven and having significant thermal inertia constitutes a drawback. Furthermore, matrix material is inevitably deposited on the tooling, with the consequence of large numbers of rejects due to the preform adhering to the tooling. Even in the best of cases, such deposits require the tooling to be renewed frequently.
Tooling is required during chemical vapor infiltration only until the preform has been consolidated. This stage is reached when a sufficient quantity of the matrix-forming material has been deposited to bond the fibers together throughout the volume of the preform so that after the tooling is removed the preform remains in the desired shape and can be handled. Densification can then be completed with the preform free from tooling. The tooling is nevertheless necessary during at least a portion of infiltration, and infiltration must be interrupted in order to enable the tooling to be withdrawn once the preform has been consolidated.
It is therefore desirable to be able to perform the entire chemical vapor infiltration process without it being necessary to hold the preform in tooling.
When the composite material has a carbon matrix, it is possible, prior to chemical vapor infiltration, to consolidate the preform by means of a liquid. The preform is impregnated with a precursor of carbon, e.g. a resin having a high coke content. The impregnated preform while held in tooling, also known as a "shaper", is dried so as to eliminate any solvent, and then the carbon-precursor resin is polymerized (cured) and heat treatment is performed to cause pyrolysis of the precursor and to leave a carbon residue that consolidates the preform.
An analogous consolidation technique could be devised for use with CMC. However, tests performed by the Applicant in which a fiber preform is consolidated by being impregnated by means of a liquid constituting a precursor of an organosilicon type ceramic, in particular polycarbosilane (PCS) as a precursor for silicon carbide (SiC), by using the conventional methods for cross-linking such precursors, have not given satisfaction.
CMC parts have been made from fiber preforms made of carbon or of silicon carbide, consolidated by being impregnated with a PCS solution, dried, cross-linked by the oxygen in the air, and heat treatment, and the consolidated preforms were densified by chemical vapor infiltration using silicon carbide. Parts made in this way demonstrate mechanical properties that are considerably less good than those obtained when consolidation is performed by chemical vapor infiltration.
This deterioration in mechanical properties appears to stem from the technique used for cross-linking the PCS. Uniform cross-linking throughout the volume of the preform is practically impossible to obtain, in particular when the preform is thick. As a result, a cross-linking gradient exists and zones may even be present where the PCS is not cross-linked, i.e. where it has not been made unmeltable, and as a result it takes up the liquid state during the heat treatment. Furthermore, it is necessary to use very strong tooling for holding purposes in order to counter substrate deformation due to the production of volatile species during pyrolysis. In addition, the presence of oxides in the ceramic residue runs the risk of putting a limit on the refractory properties of the CMC.
Other known techniques for cross-linking PCS, such as cross-linking by means of sulfur or by electromagnetic radiation, or by electron beam process, or by plasma treatment, cannot give satisfaction either, even if the inclusion of oxygen into the ceramic residue is avoided.
Sulfur may constitute a source of pollution. Use of radiation generally leads to long-duration treatment and, like electron beam process, requires an installation that is cumbersome and expensive. Finally, plasma treatment also requires an expensive installation and is effective over a limited thickness only.
An object of the present invention is thus to provide a method of manufacturing CMC parts in which the preform can be consolidated by liquid impregnation using a ceramic precursor, prior to being densified by means of a liquid or by means of chemical vapor infiltration, while avoiding the above-mentioned drawbacks, and without degrading the mechanical properties of the resulting parts.

Method of manufacturing parts made of ceramic matric composite material


Methods and compositions for diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders are disclosed. The methods and compositions apply the discovery of the correlation between an hGDH2 gene polymorphism and the occurrence of atypical Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) affects about 1.8% of people over the age of 65′. It is clinically characterized by tremor, rigidity and bradykinesia that often occur along with disturbances of posture and gait. About 80% of PD cases are sporadic with males being more frequently affected than females (ratio=1.5:1). Patients with PD experience a clinical worsening over time.
Current treatments aim mainly at restoring dopaminergic transmission in the basal ganglia. These treatments are capable of alleviating some of the symptoms of the disorder (at least for several years after onset). However, no approach is presently known that can alter the progressive course of the neurodegenerative process and, consequently, the plethora of the clinical deficits associated with this degeneration.

Method for diagnosis of glutamate dehydrogenase disorders


A liquid crystal device in which a horizontal electric field is applied to a liquid crystal layer of a transflective type. Spacers are disposed to set a distance between substrates and to prevent deterioration of display quality by eliminating thickness non-uniformity of an alignment layer due to the presence of a retardation layer. Slits are provided in the retardation layer regions to prevent deterioration of display quality by preventing dissolution and flow of an ingredient of the retardation layer to the liquid crystal layer side through the alignment layers.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal device preferably used for displaying various information.
2. Related Art
Currently, a liquid crystal device of a horizontal electric field system represented by an IPS (In-Plane Switching) system and an FFS (Fringe Field Switching) system are preferably used as various display devices such as a mobile apparatus. The horizontal electric field system is a system in which a direction of an electric field applied to liquid crystal is set approximately parallel to a substrate and there is an advantage in that wide viewing angle property can be obtained as compared with a TN (Twisted Nematic) system or the like.
An example in which such a horizontal electric field system which can obtain wide viewing angle property is applied to a transflective liquid crystal device having both display modes of reflective display and transmissive display is disclosed in JP-A-2005-338256 (hereinafter, referred to as Patent Document 1).
In the liquid crystal device described in Patent Document 1, an embedded retardation film is selectively disposed inside a liquid crystal panel of a reflective display unit so that the laminated body of a liquid crystal layer and the embedded retardation film becomes a broadband ¼ wavelength plate.
In the liquid crystal device having the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, a thickness of the liquid crystal layer in a reflective display area is set smaller than a thickness of the liquid crystal layer in a transmissive display area due to the existence of the embedded retardation film provided at the first substrate side. Accordingly, a spacer for setting a distance between substrates is generally provided at the reflective display area side at which the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is thin.
However, in such a liquid crystal device, the embedded retardation film is formed, for example, by polymerizing and curing the liquid crystal having optical polymerization property. Accordingly, the embedded retardation film is generally soft, so that it is difficult to form the spacer on the embedded retardation film. Even when the spacer can be formed on the retardation film, there is a problem in that it is difficult for the spacer to function as a spacer due to the softness.
Further, in the liquid crystal device, when the embedded retardation film is provided in a raised manner in the reflective display area, a predetermined step is formed between the transmissive display are and the reflective display area at the first substrate side at which a color filter is provided. Herewith, in the manufacturing process of the first substrate, when an alignment layer for setting the alignment of the liquid crystal layer is applied to the transmissive display area and the reflective display area, due to the step, a part of the alignment layer applied on the embedded retardation film positioned in the reflective display area flows into each side of one transmissive display area and the other transmissive display area adjacent each other positioned to sandwich the reflective display area. In this case, it is not necessary that an amount of the alignment layer flowed to the one transmissive display area side and an amount of the alignment layer flowed to the other transmissive display area side become the same. Accordingly, when the amount of the alignment layer flowed to the one transmissive display area and the amount of the alignment layer flowed into the other transmissive display area side become uneven, a transmissive display area in which the thickness of the alignment layer is thick and a transmissive area in which the thickness of the alignment layer is thin exist. This causes thickness non-uniformity of the alignment layer. Consequently, there is a problem in that line display non-uniformity occurs due to the thickness non-uniformity of the alignment layer to deteriorate display quality.
Further, in the liquid crystal device, the thickness of the alignment layer is generally thin. Accordingly, there is a problem in that an ingredient of the embedded retardation film is dissolved to flow to the liquid crystal layer through the alignment layer to deteriorate display quality.

Liquid crystal device and electronic apparatus


A radiation resistant resin suitable for the manufacture of, for example, disposable medical supplies comprises a semicrystalline polypropylene or propylene-ethylene and from 1500 to 5000 ppm triallyl trimellitate. The resin exhibits substantially no increase in melt flow rate after irradiation to a dosage of up to 5 Mrads, and may contain up to about 5% by weight of a polybutylene and/or up to about 3000 ppm of a sorbital based clarifying agent.

In recent years there has been a trend away from conventional sterilization techniques such as autoclaving or ethylene oxide treatment for sterilizing disposable equipments for hospital and medical use such as tubes, syringes, vials and the like. Rather, sterilization with ionizing radiation has evolved as a preferred method of sterilizing many types of disposable equipments for hospital use and biomedical applications. Sterilization of such articles is accomplished with a dosage of up to about 5 Mrads of gamma radiation, typically about 2.5 Mrads.
Ionizing radiation, however, can profoundly alter the molecular structure and macroscopic properties of polymeric materials such as polypropylene and propylene-ethylene copolymers that are used to manufacture disposable medical devices. In the case of polypropylene, and propylene-ethylene copolymers, exposure to ionizing radiation can result in deterioration of physical properties as evidenced by brittleness, discoloration, cracking and a loss of melt flow stability. Moreover, in the case of semicrystalline polypropylene or propylene-ethylene copolymers without an effective radiation resistant additive package, degradation of physical properties resulting from irradiation can cause a limited shelf life of the product. Consequently, there is a need for improved polypropylene blends for the production of tubes, syringes, vials and similar articles that would exhibit post-irradiation resistance to such degradation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,369, issued Dec. 19, 1989 to Moore, discloses a high energy radiation resistant, polypropylene composition in which is dispersed a hindered amine component, a hindered phenolic component and a phosphorous containing component. U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,959, issued May 19, 1987 to Weissberger et al., discloses a propylene polymer molding composition which is resistant to discoloration and losses in physical properties upon sterilization by high energy radiation which comprises a blend of a propylene polymer with small amounts of a polymeric hindered amine, an alkyl phosphite and a specific phenolic antioxidant as additives.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,110,185, issued Aug. 29, 1978 to Williams et al., discloses a semicrystalline polymer article which is sterilized by radiation, the polymer having incorporated therein during the irradiation a mobilizing amount of a non-crystalline mobilizer. The preferred mobilizer is a liquid mobilizer which is not highly viscous, and in particular, a hydrocarbon oil or phthalic ester oil.
European Patent Application 90122882.5, published Dec. 6, 1991, discloses a radiation resistant polypropylene composition containing a polypropylene having a substantially syndiotactic structure and a phosphorus-containing anti-oxidant, an amine-containing anti-oxidant and/or a nucleating agent. Japanese Kokai Patent Application No. 2-292346 discloses a radiation resistant composition for nuclear reactors at 500 Mrad or higher containing at least 3 parts by weight of one of several antioxidants with a polyolefin resin. The foregoing references do not however, teach the radiation resistant polypropylene blend of the present invention.

Radiation resistant polypropylene resins


A unique and improved illuminating vehicle wheel cover using advanced electronics to illuminate light emitting diodes, aesthetically arranged, to create an illusionary effect. The present invention includes a unique momentary rotating mercury switch which gathers mercury during rotation and causes a momentary electrical connection.

There are always new uses being found or desired for electronic components. The present invention has combined state of the art electronics with the current trend of modified and customized vehicles. This combination lends itself to an interesting means of self-expression. The present invention may also be expanded to bicycles or the like. Attempts to illuminate wheels have been tried in the past but has proven to be expensive and difficult to operate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,919, Pearsall, et al., teaches a lighted wheel cover with a self-contained generator which includes inner and outer housing that use magnetic field to induce current flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,244, Knauff teaches a multi-light display device and generator which accomplishes a "strobe" effect by use of LED's.
None of the prior art references found provide for rotational detection or directional detection. They also do not include momentary on type switches, nor do they provide for an off condition regardless of position at rest; as does the present invention.


A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor chip having first and second surfaces. A first through electrode extends through the semiconductor chip. A first surface electrode is positioned on the first surface of the semiconductor chip and coupled to a first end of the first through electrode. A second surface electrode is positioned on the second surface of the semiconductor chip. The second surface electrode is coupled to a second end of the first through electrode. A second through electrode extends through the semiconductor chip and has third and fourth ends. A third surface electrode is positioned on the second surface of the semiconductor chip and is coupled to the fourth end of the second through electrode. The semiconductor device is free of a surface electrode on the first surface of the semiconductor chip and is coupled to the third end of the second through electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a semiconductor device and a stacked semiconductor device as well as methods of forming the same.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-014423, filed Jan. 26, 2011, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JPA 2007-36184 discloses a stacked semiconductor device, in which a plurality of semiconductor devices (semiconductor chips having through electrodes) are stacked on a circuit board and in which, by electrically connecting the plurality of semiconductor device via the through electrodes, it is possible to achieve high packaging density of the semiconductor chips on to the circuit board.
In the case of performing a semiconductor chip test before mounting to the circuit board, it is desired to cause probe needles to come into direct contact with the ends of the through electrodes. The result is that the ends of the through electrodes which are contacted by the probe needles are damaged. For this reason, imperfect connections can be caused between through electrodes that make connections between adjacent semiconductor devices when the semiconductor devices are stacked.

Semiconductor device and stacked semiconductor device


A dustfree protection cover is provided to be mounted on a connector of a wire harness. The dustfree protection cover is formed as a bag with the one end open, an adhesive tape provided with a release paper is attached to an inner side of the open end, and a notch is formed on one end of the opening. The notch extends downwardly from the upper end of the bag to a side end of a heat-seal closed area, and over a lower end position of the adhesive tape. The bag is placed over the connector, and wires extend through the notch, whereby, upon removal, the bag is pulled off and the heat-sealed closed area is torn away. A method of covering an attached member on a wire harness is also provided which includes providing cover for covering an attached member connected by a connection member to a wire harness, the cover is configured as a bag having a front side, a back side, opposed side edges, a bottom, and a top, an adhesive is provided on at least one of the front and back sides to selectively close the open end, and an angled notch extends from a position at the top of the bag and downwardly to a position at one side edge to form an opening in the bag. The method includes placing the open end of said bag over the attached member, such that the connection member extends through the opening formed by notch, and closing the open end by adhering the adhesive to the other of the front and back sides such that the attached member is retained therein, with the attached member suitably covered by the bag to provide dustfree protection.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dustfree protection cover, and, particularly, to a dustfree protection cover used preferably by first covering a connector connected with a branched wire terminal of a wire harness, the cover being later removed from the connector when mounting it in an automobile.
2. Description of Background Information
Conventionally, dust intrusion into a connector is protected in such a manner that a dustfree protection cover is applied to required connectors among the connectors which are connected with branched wire terminals of a wire harness until the wire harness manufactured by a wire harness manufacturer is mounted in an automobile during manufacture of the vehicle.
The dustfree protection cover as has conventionally been applied consists of a generally rectangular polyethylene bag 1 as shown in FIG. 7, with the one end of a main body of the bag being heat-sealed and designated as closed end 1a, and having an open end 1b located oppositely. Using the bag 1 and a rubber band 2, the bag 1 is mounted and fastened with the rubber band 2 after positioning the bag 1 over a required connector C wire harness W/H as shown in FIG. 8.
More specifically, by placing the open end 10f of the bag 1 over a connector C connected with the terminal of the branched wire 4 from a main wire 3 of wire harness W/H, and then placing a rubber band 2 the over outer periphery of the bag 1 at a position on the branched wire 4, the bag 1 is mounted so that it will not be removed from the connector C.
Under this condition, delivery is made from a wire harness manufacturer to a automobile manufacturer, and the bag 1 is removed by loosening the rubber band 2, as shown in FIG. 9, by the automobile manufacturer, and then the bag 1 is removed from the connector C.
When removing the bag 1 at the automobile manufacturer, since workers usually wear gloves or the like, it is usually very difficult to remove the rubber band 2. In addition, when pulling off the bag 1 without removing the rubber band 2, the rubber band usually remains surrounding the branched wire 2, which will eventually cause other problems such as being clamped into other members or being caught by other members in the processes which follow.
Furthermore, since the covering member to be removed includes two different members such as a bag 1 and a rubber band 2, which necessitates removal and collecting both items without scattering, handling this matter poses a labor intensive problem.
The present invention was made in order to overcome the above-mentioned problems, and an object is to provide a dustfree protection cover capable of easy removal without generating any residue on a wire harness at the automobile manufacturer by first covering the connector and the like with a protection cover including only a bag, without necessitating use of a rubber band, which results in a device capable of easy removal.

Dustproof protection cover and method of using a dustproof protection cover


The subject of the invention is a novel molecule, Simalikalactone E, which can be extracted from the plant Quassia amara, and also the use thereof as a medicament, in particular in the prevention and treatment of malaria.

Malaria is one of the three diseases designated by the WHO as being one of the most important in the world, along with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Each year, malaria kills between 1 and 2 million people and affects approximately 500 million, and can lead to a decrease in growth rate ranging up to 1.3% of the GDP in greatly affected countries. A parasite of the Plasmodium genus, transmitted to humans via a bite from a female mosquito of the Anopheles genus, is responsible for this disease. There are four species responsible for human malaria: P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale and P. falciparum. P. vivax and P. falciparum are the most common. Infection with P. falciparum is the most severe and can cause death of the patient during a febrile coma. P. falciparum malaria is very widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, where an extremely high mortality rate can to a large extent be attributed thereto. Worrying signs attest to the spread of P. falciparum malaria to new regions and to its resurgence in areas where it had been eliminated or controlled.
There are only a few molecules active against this disease which are formulated as medicaments, and the emergence of resistance makes the problem of treatment even more acute. It is therefore essential to identify novel molecules which have antimalarial activity.
Among the molecules currently known for their efficacy against malaria, mention may be made of quinine, its derivatives and other compounds: chloroquine, amodiaquine, mefloquine, halofantrine, lumefantrine, and also artemisinin and its derivatives, such as artesunate and arteether or artemether. The most well-known are derived from medicinal plants traditionally used in their country of origin. Quinine is derived from Cinchona spp. and artemisinin is derived from Artemisia annua.
Some of these molecules can be used either as prophylaxis (prevention when traveling to endemic country) or as therapy (after diagnosis of an infection).
The Plasmodium cycle is very complex: in a simplified manner, after a passage in the liver, the parasite rapidly enters the red blood cells of the affected individual, reproduces therein until it causes them to rupture, and invades the neighboring red blood cells. The disease then manifests itself as a fever which is more or less anarchic at the beginning, and then regular after a few multiplication cycles. Some parasites then evolve into gametocytes. These gametocytes make it possible, firstly, for the cycle to continue in the Anopheles mosquito (they are not digested by the mosquito) and, secondly, for genetic mixing to occur since they determine the gametes, which are required for fertilization.
Molecules such as quinine and artemisinin act during the multiplication phase in red blood cells, the erythrocyte phase which is the symptomatic phase. With regard to molecules which have an anti-gametocytocidal activity, the advantage thereof lies in the potential decrease in the rate of transmission of the disease (infectivity) that these molecules could induce, in a group treatment strategy, and also in the possibility of reducing the phenomena of rapid appearance of resistance linked in part to the levels of circulating gametocytes (demonstrated for sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), and chloroquine (sensitive strains vs resistant strains)). Despite the advantage of using gametocytocidal treatments, there have been few studies aimed at detecting and rationalizing the use of products of this type. Currently, only a few molecules are known to have this property, these being artemisinin and its derivatives, and primaquine. However, primaquine is not the most suitable molecule for use in this way since it has acute toxicity close to its level of activity.
The antimalarial medicaments are not without side effects, and in particular halofantrine has been associated with cardiac problems and mefloquine can exhibit neurological toxicity.
Most of the antimalarial medicaments have a limited lifetime, and lose their efficacy because of the appearance of resistance phenomena. For example, chloroquine, and also the dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors (sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine: Fansidar®) are no longer active on most plasmodium strains and are no longer used in monotherapy. Resistances have also appeared for the artemisinin derivatives, which are the latest medicaments to have been placed on the market. The antimalarials which have become ineffective or are in the process of rapidly losing their effectiveness have been replaced, according to the WHO directives, by ACTs (artemisinin based combination therapies), which combine an artemisinin derivative and another active molecule. However, the effectiveness of this therapeutic strategy combining two molecules is none the less threatened by artemisinin-resistance phenomena.
Furthermore, even though a considerable effort has been made to make these ACTs affordable for the populations in question, their cost still remains high.
We have identified, from a species of the family Simaroubaceae, Quassia amara (L.), used in traditional medicine throughout north-west Amazonia and as far as Central America against fevers and malaria, a new molecule, Simalikalactone E (SkE), which has been shown to be active against malaria.
An ethnopharmacological investigation and biological tests had made it possible (Vigneron M. et al., Journal of ethnopharmacology, 2005, 98 (3), 351-360; Bertani S. et al., Journal of ethnopharmacology, 2005, 98(1-2), 45-54) to identify preparations based on mature leaves of Quassia amara as advantageous for treating malaria. Antiparasitic tests in vitro and in vivo on mice confirmed the activity of this preparation on malaria (Bertani S. et al., Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2005, 98(1-2), 45-54). Given the frequency of use of this species in remedies used preventively and curatively against malaria, and the antiparasitic activity detected, a thorough phytochemical study was undertaken in order to identify the components responsible for the activity observed.
A molecule of the quassinoid family with considerable antimalarial activity was isolated from the young leaves of this species: Simalikalactone D (Bertani S. et al., Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2006, 108(1), 155-157). However, the small amount of Simalikalactone D present in the traditional remedy, prepared from mature leaves of Quassia amara, did not make it possible to justify the activity observed in vitro and in vivo for this remedy. Thus, it was sought to identify other active agents responsible for the activity of Quassia amara against malaria. Several authors have focused on quassinoids as active ingredients for treating malaria or other pathological conditions: Z. Guo et al., Current Medicinal Chemistry, 2005, 2, 173-190; Guido F et al., International Journal for Parasitology, 1998, 28, 635-640; Curcino Vieira I. and Braz-Filho R., Studies in Natural Products, Elsevier, 2006, 33, 433-492. However, no molecule has been retained for developing a medicament.

Isolation of Simalikalactone E and use thereof as a medicament, in the treatment of malaria

Institut de Recherche Pour le Development


A simplified drive press system is operable to press-fit a pair of first workpieces into a second workpiece. The drive press system uses a simplified mechanical arrangement to translate an input torque into movement of a pair of drive arms toward and away from one another. Yokes of differing configurations may be attached to the drive arms to accommodate a variety of different workpieces. A nut runner may be used to supply a drive torque to the gear assembly and provide a controlled input torque and control the movement of the drive arms. An overall reduction may be utilized that balances a desired movement resolution with the desire to detect changes in input torque. The nut runner may be programmable to provide a desired movement of the drive arms while monitoring the input torque to detect when a fully press-fitted condition is realized.

Modern vehicles commonly come in a variety of platform sizes and in a variety of models on a particular platform size. The drive systems for these vehicles can vary based on the platform, the model, and the drive configuration (e.g., front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, and all-wheel drive). These differing drive systems will have differing drive shafts, differentials, transfer cases, etc. The drive shafts are typically press-fit into the differential or transfer cases. The press fitting is typically done with press equipment that is specifically designed for a particular platform, model and drive configuration. As a result, an assembly plant will require many different pieces of equipment to meet the press fitting demands and must coordinate the availability of these different pieces of equipment with production schedules and changes.
Modern press-fitting equipment uses a PLC controlled servo system to perform the press-fitting operation. The use of PLC controlled servo systems makes the press-fitting equipment more complicated. Additionally, PLC controlled servo systems are expensive and may require a customized program for each vehicle configuration. As such, the cost to provide for press-fitting equipment for an assembly plant that produces a variety of vehicle configurations can be excessive.
Accordingly, there is a need for a simplified drive press system that can be utilized on a variety of vehicle configurations. Additionally, it would be advantageous if the cost for the drive press system can be reduced over that of PCL controlled servo systems.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.


A filtration module is provided that includes a filter member and a spacing member disposed in detached, contact engagement along a length of each member, such length extending about a longitudinal axis of a filtration module to define a concentric and detached plurality of filtration layers, and an interleaved, concentric and detached plurality of spacing layers, respectively. One or both of the plurality of spacing layers and plurality of filtration layers may provide a radially-inward directed force. The spacing member may be elastically deformed in the filtration module to apply a radially-inward directed force and a radially-outward directed force, wherein the filtration and spacing layers are retained in substantial fixed spatial relation. A retaining member may be located to engage an external side surface of the filtration module. A filtration module may be constructed by winding the filter member and spacing member about a longitudinal axis of the module.

Filters are used in a wide variety of applications where it is desired to separate particles or other substances from a fluid stream (e.g., a stream of gas). Applications of filters include removing dust and other particulates in residential or commercial ventilation systems. Applications further include removing substances from flue gases such as those from cement kilns, coal and oil fired power generation plants, industrial boilers, municipal waste incinerators, and oil refinery plants. Such flue gases may contain substantial varieties and quantities of environmental pollutants, such as sulfur oxides (SO2 and SO3), nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2), mercury (Hg) vapor, and particulate matters (PM). In the United States, burning coal alone generates about 27 million tons of SO2 and 45 tons of Hg each year.
The destructive effects of various pollutants on human health and on the ecosystem have long been recognized. For example, SOx and NOx have been linked to the outbreak of respiratory diseases in affected areas. They also form acid rain, which damages forests, fisheries, and architectures. As for Hg, it is a potent toxin to the nervous system. Exposure to mercury can affect the brain, spinal cord, and other vital organs. It is particularly dangerous to developing fetuses and young children.
Enacted and proposed environmental regulations require significant reductions in mercury emissions in a short time frame. These regulations extend to different industries; presenting challenges in various types of facilities (e.g., cement kilns).
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,442,352, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, a process is described for reducing multiple pollutants (e.g., sulfur oxides, mercury vapor, and fine particulate matters). In that process, pollutants are removed by modules, which contain a microporous adsorbent material (i.e., sorbent) held within a polymer matrix. The mercury vapor is removed from flue gas by chemically adsorbing Hg vapors (e.g., either elemental mercury or oxidized mercury) into the polymer matrix. A sorbent house is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,442,352 that comprises a plurality of sorbent modules, each comprised of a solid frame and a plurality of sheets held in place by the solid frame.


The directional element, following enablement under selected input current conditions, calculates a zero sequence impedance, in response to values of zero sequence voltage and zero sequence current. The current value is selected between two possible values, one being the value from an associated current transformer, the other being the sum of the currents IA+IB+IC. The calculated zero sequence impedance is then compared against sensitive selected threshold values, established particularly for ungrounded systems. A forward fault indication is provided when the calculated zero sequence impedance is above a first established sensitive threshold value, and a reverse fault indication is provided when the calculated zero sequence impedance is below a second established sensitive threshold value.

This invention relates generally to the field of directional elements for use in fault direction determinations for electric power systems, and more specifically concerns such a directional element useful for ungrounded power systems.
In an ungrounded power system, there is no intentional ground. Such a power system will typically include a number of distribution lines, each of which services a plurality of feeder loads, which are connected phase-to-phase. When a ground fault (a fault involving one phase of the power signal and ground) occurs on such a system, the only path for the ground fault current is through the distributed line-to-ground capacitance of the surrounding portion (relative to the fault location) of the power system as well as the distributed line-to-ground capacitance of the two remaining unfaulted phases of the faulted circuit.
It is well known that ground faults which occur in ungrounded power systems do not affect the phase-to-phase voltages between the three power signal phases (VA, VB, VC), so that it is possible to continue operating the power system while it is in the faulted condition. In order to continue operating, however, the system must have suitable phase-to-phase insulation and all loads on the system must be connected phase-to-phase.
The fault current for ground faults in ungrounded systems is quite low when compared with grounded systems, and hence, protective relays used for determining ground faults require high sensitivity. Most ground fault detectors (elements) used for ungrounded systems use fundamental frequency voltage and current components in their fault determinations. The conventional wattmetric method is a common directional element solution, but its sensitivity is limited to relatively low fault resistances, i.e. typically no higher than a few kilohms. Other methods use the steady-state harmonic content of current and voltage values, while still other methods detect the fault-generated transient components of both voltage and current to make ground fault determinations. These methods, however, have limited sensitivity because high resistance faults reduce the level of the steady-state harmonics and dampen the transient components of both voltage and current.
Ungrounded power systems do have many of the desirable characteristics of grounded systems, including safety, reduction in communication system interference and decrease in equipment voltage and thermal stress. One of the desirable features of ungrounded systems, as indicated above, is its relatively low ground fault current, so that the system can remain operational during sustained low magnitude faults, without presenting a safety risk to the public.
Ground faults in ungrounded systems often self-extinguish. However, there are some faults which do not self-extinguish; it is desirable to ascertain the existence and location of such faults as well as their direction so as to prevent the possibility of another, later fault combining in some way with the first fault to produce an extremely large fault current.
One difficulty with fault determination in ungrounded systems is the identification of the feeder which is faulted when that feeder is part of a multiple feeder distribution network. In balanced :systems (where the feeder lines are approximately the same length) the magnitude of zero sequence current provides a reliable identification of the particular feeder location of the fault. This is because in balanced systems, the capacitance along each feeder line is approximately the same. In unbalanced systems, such a magnitude value is not per se a reliable indication of which feeder contains the fault.
It would hence be desirable to have a reliable directional element for determining the existence of a fault in a multiple feeder distribution network, as well as the direction of that fault, in an ungrounded system, where the fault current is quite small.
Accordingly, the present invention is a directional element for detecting ground faults on ungrounded systems, comprising: means, when enabled, for calculating a zero sequence impedance for a particular protected line, using zero sequence voltage and zero sequence current on said line; an enabling circuit permitting operation of the calculation means under preselected current conditions; and means comparing the zero sequence impedance values from the calculation means with selected sensitive threshold values appropriate for ungrounded systems, wherein a forward fault indication is provided when the zero sequence impedance is above a first sensitive threshold and a reverse fault indication is provided when the zero sequence impedance is below a second sensitive threshold.

Directional element to determine faults on ungrounded power systems

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.


A shaft connection 1 for a longitudinal shaft assembly, has at least a first shaft having a first and second ends, and a second shaft, disposed so as to be coaxial with the first shaft, having first and second ends; the shafts extending axially. The first end forms a hollow portion. The first shaft end forms a first journal having a displacement portion. The first shaft end at least in an initial position of the shaft connection extends through the hollow portion which axially by the displacement portion forms a guide portion and circumferentially forms a form-fitting first connection. In the initial position a mutual axial displacement of the first and second shafts is prevented by an axial securing feature. In a crash the axial securing feature; is releasable by an axial release force. The first shaft is axially displaceable relative to the second shaft.

A longitudinal shaft assembly generally extends along a vehicle longitudinal axis in order for a drive input side of the motor vehicle to be connected to a drive output side of the motor vehicle. The longitudinal shaft assembly is typically used for transmitting a torque from the drive input (for example the motor and/or transmission) to the drive output (for example the differential, the axle gearbox, transmission) of the motor vehicle. When the drive input is installed in the front region of the motor vehicle, the longitudinal shaft assembly transmits the torque to the rear wheels, or when the drive input is disposed in the rear region of the motor vehicle the longitudinal shaft assembly transmits the torque to the front wheels, respectively.
Longitudinal shaft assemblies in the motor vehicle represent a rigid construction which is to be designed in particular in terms of the crash behavior thereof. It is therefore a substantial focal point in the design of longitudinal shaft assemblies that no component of the longitudinal shaft assembly is released from the longitudinal shaft assembly in such a manner that said component would penetrate other regions of the vehicle. It is thus in particular to be avoided that parts of the longitudinal shaft assembly penetrate into the passenger interior space and/or the fuel tank, on account of which an additional risk of injury to vehicle occupants or a risk of fire on account of escaping fuel could arise. It is furthermore to be ensured that the longitudinal shaft assembly during a deformation in the event of a crash absorbs the deformation energy (only) to the desired extent and in particular in a continuous manner.
Such longitudinal shaft assemblies at least have a first shaft and a second shaft by way of which the torques of the drive input of the motor vehicle are transmitted. The longitudinal shaft assembly herein by way of constant velocity rotary joints can be linked to further components of the motor vehicle, said constant velocity rotary joints preferably possessing a limited displacement range in an axial direction. On account of the displacement range of the constant velocity joints, the movements of individual components of the longitudinal shaft assembly or of the motor vehicle that arise in the usual operation of the longitudinal shaft assembly are compensated for in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (the axial direction). Moreover, torsioning of the longitudinal shaft assembly on account of the constant velocity joints in relation to further components of the motor vehicle that also arises in the operation is equalized by the constant velocity joints by deflecting the constant velocity joints. The displacement range and the pivoting region of the longitudinal shaft assembly are designed so as to be specific to the application and are limited. Specifically in the automotive sector, a displacement range of the longitudinal shaft assembly of (in total) 20 mm to 80 mm (millimeters) can be assumed, for example. In the same type of application, a pivoting range of 0° to 4°, or even up to 8° (angle degrees) can be assumed, respectively. Considering the displacement distance of a constant velocity joint of the longitudinal shaft assembly, a displacement range of the one constant velocity joint of 10 mm to 40 mm (millimeters) thus results here for the same type of application, for example.
Longitudinal shaft assemblies of the type mentioned above are to be designed for the respective type of use, in particular in terms of the drive force to be transmitted. Further parameters are inter alia: construction length of the longitudinal shaft assembly, space availability in the motor vehicle, weight of the motor vehicle, crash requirements.
A longitudinal shaft assembly in which the first shaft in the event of a crash is pushed into the tubular and correspondingly hollow second shaft and the longitudinal shaft assembly is thus compressed is known from DE 10 2008 048 388 A1.


A method and apparatus for indication of resource ports in a communication system is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed by a wireless communication node, includes: transmitting a first message to a wireless communication device, and after a time offset, performing wireless communications scheduled by the first message with the wireless communication device.

Multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology have been applied to wireless communication system to improve reliability and capacity of data transmission. In the MIMO technology, scheduled antenna ports for user equipment (UE) indicated by demodulation reference signal (DMRS) ports in downlink control information (DCI) received from a base station (BS) are used for receiving physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and/or transmitting physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). Information of the scheduled antenna ports can be only determined when the DCI is decoded correctly by the UE. Herein a resource, specifically antenna indication scheme is introduced to reduce the power assumption of the UE without scheduling flexibility impairment.

Method and apparatus for resource indication