The present invention provides a graphene-coated member of a novel structure, and a process for producing such graphene-coated members. A graphene-coated member according to a first invention is a graphene-coated member that has a graphene film on a surface of a metallic base of a desired shape. The base includes carbon in a solid-solution state, and the graphene film is formed from solid-solution carbon precipitated at the base surface.

One of the notable physical characteristics of graphene is the carrier mobility as high as 200,000 cm2/Vs, in excess of those of metals and carbon nanotubes. Some of the other reported characteristics include:
(1) the ability to greatly suppress the characteristic 1/f noise of nano devices;
(2) negative refractive index; and
(3) the behavior of the electrons on graphene as if they had a zero mass.
There are also reports that graphene has a number of unique characteristics that fall between metals and semiconductors, attracting growing interests in the wide variety of graphene characteristics.
One known technique of forming graphene is the high-temperature vapor-deposition decomposition of gas molecules as described in Non-Patent Document 1.
Specifically, this literature describes a graphene forming method in which benzene gas is deposited on an iridium surface while high temperature is maintained.
However, because this method relies on the vapor deposition reaction of benzene molecules, only the surface of the iridium substrate can be coated. The high-temperature vapor-deposition decomposition of gas molecules also has the following problems.                Because the rate of formation varies depending on the frequency at which the gas molecules collide, the back surface portion unreachable by the gas molecules cannot be coated.        Because the collision frequency of the gas molecules is not uniform even on the substrate surface, formation of a graphene coating of a relatively large area is difficult.            [Non-Patent Document 1]    Applied Surface Science 252 (2005) 1221-1227, Local electronic edge states of graphene layer deposited on Ir(111) surface studied by TM/CITS

Graphene-coated member and process for producing same

National Institute for Materials Science


A spray gun adjusting device for adjusting painting position of spray gun includes a first axis mechanism and a second axis mechanism slidably positioned on first axis mechanism. First axis mechanism includes a screw rod extending along first direction, a first sliding block, a screw nut sleeved on the screw rod, a first bevel gear fixed to screw nut, a second bevel gear meshing with first bevel gear, and a first driving shaft fixedly connected to second bevel gear, and the screw nut and first driving shaft are rotatably positioned on first sliding block. Second axis mechanism includes a sliding rod along second direction, a second sliding block slidably sleeved on sliding rod, a gear rack fixed to sliding rod, a gear meshing with gear rack, and a second driving shaft fixed to the gear, and second sliding block is fixed to first sliding block of first axis mechanism.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to adjusting devices for adjusting a painting position of a spray gun and, particularly, to a spray gun adjusting device using the adjusting device.
2. Description of Related Art
Using a plurality of spray guns for painting is a widespread practice because of its higher productivity and higher utilization rate of paint. The positions and angles of the spray guns are adjustable for realizing a multi-angle painting to satisfy the coating requirements of various products. Many conventional spray gun adjusting devices are, for example, gun racks which are utilized to adjust and maintain an optimum painting position.
Presently, there are two kinds of gun racks utilized in painting technology, one is a simple hand-operated gun rack, and the other is an automated gun rack. The simple hand-operated gun rack utilizes a plurality of locking screws. However, during painting, because the spray guns are frequently switched on/off, the screws may become loosen due to the impact of pneumatic elements of the spray guns, and the positions of the spray guns may be shifted, resulting in poor painting stability. In addition, the painting operation has to be shut down during the position adjusting of the spray gun rack, and this reduces productivity.
The automated gun rack normally has three degrees of freedom, which limits the adjustment angles of the spray guns. In addition, a plurality of motors may be utilized in the automated gun rack, which are often non-explosion-proof, and the automated gun rack is mounted in a spraying area, where the automated gun rack may easily be contaminated by organic solvents and become a fire risk, or may even explode.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd.


A headphone includes: a housing, a hanger, and a bracket accommodated in the housing. The hanger includes: a connecting portion formed in a ring-shape; and a pair of engagement portions opposite to each other in a radial direction of the connecting portion and supports the housing unit to allow the housing unit to rotate. The bracket includes: a flexible curved base; and a pair of protrusions protruding at both ends of the base portion in directions away from each other on an axis penetrating the both ends. The housing includes a pair of through holes at positions corresponding to the pair of engagement portions. The pair of protrusions is rotatably engaged with the pair of engagement portions through the pair of through holes.

The embodiment relates to a headphone and specifically relates to a headphone including a hanger which connects a headband to each housing, a portion of the hanger connected to the housing has a ring shape.
One of known headphones includes: a head band; housings accommodating speakers; and hangers connecting the head band and the respective housings, a portion of each hanger connected to the corresponding housing unit (hereinafter referred to as a connecting portion) has a U shape. An example of such type of headphones is described in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 5-199579 (Patent Literature 1).
In the headphone described in Patent Literature 1, the connecting portion of the hanger is made of resin and has a U shape. At the respective ends of the U shape, a pair of support pins is individually protruded toward each other. In each housing unit, insertion holes which receive the pair of support pins are formed.
In the assembly of the headphone, the hanger is attached to the housing unit by the following operations. The ends of the U-shaped connecting portion are elastically forced apart, and the housing unit is placed between the ends. In the process of restoring the hanger to the original shape, the pair of support pins is inserted into the respective insertion holes.


A spring assembly is provided that includes a plurality of first strings of springs and a plurality of second strings of springs. Each of the first strings are joined to at least another one of the first strings or one of the second strings. Each of the first strings includes first and second plies of fabric that define a plurality of pockets formed along a length of the first string. The pockets are formed by vertical seams that join the plies. The vertical seams each include an upper slit that extends through a top surface of the first string and a lower slit that extends through a bottom surface of the first string. Each of the pockets have at least one spring positioned therein.

Sleep is critical for people to feel and perform their best, in every aspect of their lives. Sleep is an essential path to better health and reaching personal goals. Indeed, sleep affects everything from the ability to commit new information to memory to weight gain. It is therefore essential for people to use bedding that suit both their personal sleep preference and body type in order to achieve comfortable, restful sleep.
Mattresses may include a plurality of springs that form a spring assembly. One side of a mattress can wear out over time, while the opposite side is maintained in a relatively new state. Moreover, when one or more sleepers consistently sleep on one side of a mattress, weight from the sleeper or sleepers' body(ies) can cause permanent depressions in the mattress. As such, many mattress manufactures of mattresses with spring assemblies suggest flipping a mattress at least once a year to increase the life of the mattress and/or prevent sagging or the creation of depressions in the mattress.
Some conventional spring assemblies position at least some of the springs in pockets to create strings of springs that are arranged to form the spring assembly. However, these spring assemblies do not allow for independent movement between adjacent springs or allow for independent movement between adjacent springs on both sides of the spring assembly. As such, there is no independent movement between adjacent springs when the mattress is flipped over. This disclosure describes an improvement over these prior art technologies.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A surgical instrument particularly suited to endoscopic use articulates an end effector by including an articulation mechanism in an elongate shaft that incorporates an electrically actuated polymer (EAP) actuator for remotely articulating the end effector.

Endoscopic surgical instruments are often preferred over traditional open surgical devices since a smaller incision tends to reduce the post-operative recovery time and complications. Consequently, significant development has gone into a range of endoscopic surgical instruments that are suitable for precise placement of a distal end effector at a desired surgical site through a cannula of a trocar. These distal end effectors engage the tissue in a number of ways to achieve a diagnostic or therapeutic effect (e.g., endocutter, grasper, cutter, staplers, clip applier, access device, drug/gene therapy delivery device, and energy device using ultrasound, RF, laser, etc.).
Positioning the end effector is constrained by the trocar. Generally these endoscopic surgical instruments include a long shaft between the end effector and a handle portion manipulated by the clinician. This long shaft enables insertion to a desired depth and rotation about the longitudinal axis of the shaft, thereby positioning the end effector to a degree. With judicious placement of the trocar and use of graspers, for instance, through another trocar, often this amount of positioning is sufficient. Surgical stapling and severing instruments, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,895, are an example of an endoscopic surgical instrument that successfully positions an end effector by insertion and rotation.
More recently, U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 10/443,617, "SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT INCORPORATING AN E-BEAM FIRING MECHANISM" to Shelton et al., filed on 20 May 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, describes an improved "E-beam" firing bar for severing tissue and actuating staples. Some of the additional advantages include affirmatively spacing the jaws of the end effector, or more specifically a staple applying assembly, even if slightly too much or too little tissue is clamped for optimal staple formation. Moreover, the E-beam firing bar engages the end effector and staple cartridge in a way that enables several beneficial lockouts to be incorporated.
Depending upon the nature of the operation, it may be desirable to further adjust the positioning of the end effector of an endoscopic surgical instrument. In particular, it is often desirable to orient the end effector at an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the shaft of the instrument. The transverse movement of the end effector relative to the instrument shaft is conventionally referred to as "articulation". This is typically accomplished by a pivot (or articulation) joint being placed in the extended shaft just proximal to the staple applying assembly. This allows the surgeon to articulate the staple applying assembly remotely to either side for better surgical placement of the staple lines and easier tissue manipulation and orientation. This articulated positioning permits the clinician to more easily engage tissue in some instances, such as behind an organ. In addition, articulated positioning advantageously allows an endoscope to be positioned behind the end effector without being blocked by the instrument shaft.
Approaches to articulating a surgical stapling and severing instrument tend to be complicated by integrating control of the articulation along with the control of closing the end effector to clamp tissue and fire the end effector (i.e., stapling and severing) within the small diameter constraints of an endoscopic instrument. Generally, the three control motions are all transferred through the shaft as longitudinal translations. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,840 discloses an accordion-like articulation mechanism ("flex-neck") that is articulated by selectively drawing back one of two connecting rods through the implement shaft, each rod offset respectively on opposite sides of the shaft centerline. The connecting rods ratchet through a series of discrete positions.
Another example of longitudinal control of an articulation mechanism is U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,361 that includes an articulation link offset from a camming pivot such that pushing or pulling longitudinal translation of the articulation link effects articulation to a respective side. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,537 discloses a similar rod passing through the shaft to effect articulation.
In co-pending and commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/615,973 "SURGICAL INSTRUMENT INCORPORATING AN ARTICULATION MECHANISM HAVING ROTATION ABOUT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS" to Kenneth Wales et al, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, a rotational motion is used to transfer articulation motion as an alternative to a longitudinal motion.
While these mechanically communicated articulation motions have successfully enabled an endoscopic surgical stapling and severing instrument to articulate, development trends pose numerous challenges and barriers to entry into the market. Conflicting design objects include a shaft of as small a diameter as possible to reduce the size of the surgical opening yet sufficient strength to perform the several motions (e.g., closing, firing, articulation, rotation, etc.)
In addition, even though further reduction in cross sectional size would be desirable, another conflicting desire is to incorporate yet additional functionality at the end effector. For instance, one such additional function is deploying a buttress at the staple site. A buttress is a pair of thin foam or fabric strips that are placed on the anvil and on the cartridge and are stapled into place on either side of the tissue that is transected. It adds structural integrity to the staple line for either extremely thin or thick tissues. Other desirable features would be additional enhancements to prevent firing with an improperly closed end effector, empty staple cartridge, or missing cartridge, and the ability to perform a therapeutic or diagnostic treatment by sending energy or fluid to the end effector, etc. Creating sufficient room in the shaft of the instrument to facilitate such additional function creates an incentive to modify how the end effector is articulated.
Consequently, a significant need exists for an articulating surgical instrument that incorporates an articulation mechanism that requires the passing of fewer mechanical mechanisms through the shaft of the instrument.

Surgical instrument incorporating an electrically actuated articulation mechanism


A signaling circuit may be implemented with a connection comprised of signal lines having predefined signals and/or functions. The predefined signals and/or functions may be defined by an individual entity or standards organization. The signaling circuit transmits information not included in the predefined signals and/or functions. The information may be transmitted from a second device, such as a visual display screen, to a first device, such as a computing device, using at least one signal line in the connection. The information may include information about the state or status of the second device. The signaling circuit may, for example, activate, or turn on, the first device when a switch associated with the second device is depressed. Once the first device is activated, the signaling circuit may be disabled in order to allow the at least one signal line to be used for its predefined function.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to electronic devices, and more particularly to techniques for transmitting information concerning a second electronic device to a first electronic device. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for activating a first device from a second device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modern electronic devices, such as computing systems, strive to offer a variety of features to users. Some of these features are standard features known and used in a particular industry, while others are unique and differentiate a particular product or manufacturer from its competitors. One example of a feature offered in some computing systems is the ability to turn on, or place in an increased power state, a first device from a second device. For example, turning on a display screen may also turn on a computing device, such as a laptop or desktop computer, connected to that display screen.
Another feature that may be offered in some computing systems is the ability to have multiple display screens connected to a computing device. The display screens may be connected to the computing device using one or more connection techniques. For example, the connection means may be unique to a manufacturer. Other connection techniques may include connectors or ports having predefined functions. The predefined functions may be defined by an individual manufacturer or designer, or by a standards organization. A government, administrative department, technical, or industry group are examples of standards organizations that may define the functions and/or signals that create a particular standard.
One limitation with using a connection comprised of signals having predefined functions is that additional features not defined in the standard may be lost. A manufacturer may not be able to implement any additional features since there may not be any free, or unused, signal lines available in the connection. Thus, features that a user may expect with a particular product and/or manufacturer may be lost when a system uses a connection technique having predefined functions.
A signaling circuit may be implemented with a connection comprised of signal lines having predefined functions. The predefined functions may be defined by an individual manufacturer or designer, or by a standards organization. The signaling circuit transmits information not included in the predefined functions. The information may be transmitted from a second device, such as a visual display screen, to a first device, such as a computing device, using at least one signal line in the connection. The information may include information about the state or status of the second device.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the signaling circuit may or turn on, or put the first device in an increased power state when a switch associated with the second device is asserted. In the exemplary embodiment, at least one signal line, such as a unidirectional signal line, may transmit a signal from the first device to the second device in its predefined function. This unidirectional signal line may be utilized in the exemplary embodiment to activate the first device by transmitting a signal from the second device to the first device. Once the first device is activated, the signaling circuit may be disabled in order to allow the at least one signal line to be used for its predefined function.

System and method for activating a first device from a second device


An apparatus and a method for recovering additional expansion agent in a process for the expansion of tobacco or another agricultural product are disclosed. One embodiment is a method for recovering additional expansion agent in a process for the expansion of tobacco or another agricultural product, the process having a multi-step depressurization sequence including at least first and second depressurization steps for depressurizing an impregnation vessel, which includes the following steps: withdrawing substantially all of an amount of an expansion agent in the impregnation vessel at about the end of the second depressurization step during the multi-step depressurization sequence; and transmitting at least a portion of said amount of expansion agent to a low-pressure gas tank. In one embodiment, the expansion agent is carbon dioxide.

As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,096 (Steinberg), a number of methods are known for expanding cellular materials, including tobacco and other agricultural products. In general, these methods involve introducing an expansion agent, i.e., a substance capable of undergoing expansion, as by a phase change from a liquid to a gas, into the cells of the material and causing the agent to expand.
It also is known to expand cellular material by impregnating it with a liquefied gas expansion agent, such as liquefied carbon dioxide, at an elevated pressure; removing excess expanding agent from the cellular material; reducing the pressure in which the cellular material is contained, thereby causing the expansion agent to solidify; and heating the cellular material, such as by exposure to a hot gas stream, e.g., steam, air, etc., to cause the solidified expansion agent to evaporate or sublime. The solidified expansion agent vaporizes at a rate greater than the rate at which the agent in gaseous form can escape from the cellular material. As a result of this treatment, the material is forced to expand.
The use of carbon dioxide as an expansion agent for expanding tobacco also is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,250 (Utsch); U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,729 (de la Burde et al.); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,814 (Sykes et al.), among others. In the processes disclosed in those patents, carbon dioxide, either in gas or liquid form, is contacted with tobacco for impregnation, and thereafter the impregnated tobacco is subjected to rapid heating conditions to volatilize the carbon dioxide and thereby expand the tobacco.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,073 (de la Burde et al.) discloses a process and apparatus for expanding tobacco by impregnating the tobacco with carbon dioxide under conditions such that the carbon dioxide in contact with the tobacco is in liquid form, removing excess liquefied carbon dioxide from the tobacco, reducing the pressure of the impregnated tobacco to solidify carbon dioxide within the tobacco structure, and rapidly heating the tobacco at atmospheric pressure to vaporize the carbon dioxide and expand the tobacco.
U.K. Patent Specification 1,484,536 (Michals) discloses a method for expanding an organic substance, such as tobacco, using liquid carbon dioxide. The method comprises the steps of pressurizing a vessel containing the substance to be expanded to a pressure in the range of about 200 to 1,070 psi with carbon dioxide, immersing the substance in liquid carbon dioxide while maintaining the pressure within the vessel, thereby impregnating the substance with the liquid carbon dioxide, removing excess liquid carbon dioxide from the impregnation vessel, depressurizing the vessel to substantially atmospheric pressure, thereby causing liquefied carbon dioxide on and in the substance to solidify, removing the impregnated substance from the vessel, and heating the substance to cause expansion of the substance by at least 10%. In this method, the carbon dioxide used to pressurize the impregnation vessel is taken from the vapor space of the process vessel that is used to provide liquid carbon dioxide to the impregnation chamber. After removal of the liquid carbon dioxide from the impregnation chamber, the carbon dioxide residue gas in the impregnation chamber is vented to the atmosphere or to a carbon dioxide recovery system (which is not shown in that patent specification).
Various types of recovery systems for carbon dioxide and other expansion agents (e.g., propane) used in tobacco expansion processes are disclosed in the prior art, as discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,618 (Tyree, Jr.) discloses a process for treating products, such as tobacco, using a liquid cryogen, such as liquefied carbon dioxide. In this process, a vessel in which the tobacco is impregnated is purged and pressurized by transferring gas from the vapor space of a liquid cryogen storage vessel to the impregnating vessel. Subsequent to pressurization, liquid cryogen is transferred to the impregnation vessel from the liquid storage vessel. The tobacco is permitted to soak in the liquid cryogen for a predetermined time period, after which it is returned to the liquid storage vessel. The gaseous cryogen remaining in the impregnation vessel after removal of the liquid cryogen is then transferred to a series of accumulators from which the gas is compressed and eventually returned to a main reservoir for the liquid cryogen.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,950 (Yoshimoto, et al.) discloses an apparatus for expanding tobacco which uses carbon dioxide as an expansion agent and recycles the carbon dioxide using a pressure swing absorption (PSA) apparatus. The PSA apparatus is used as a recovery/separation unit to separate air (an impurity gas) from the recovered carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is then compressed to a higher pressure and supplied to an impregnating vessel. Several alternative embodiments are described which utilize one or more compressors to increase the pressure of the recovered carbon dioxide.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,311,885 (Yoshimoto, et al.) discloses another apparatus for expanding tobacco which uses carbon dioxide as an expansion agent and recycles the carbon dioxide using a PSA apparatus for recovery/separation of the carbon dioxide, similar to that in U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,950.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,319 (Cumner) discloses a process for the expansion of tobacco using carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide gas discharged from an impregnator vessel during the depressurization step is collected within a carbon dioxide recovery balloon. Gas within the recovery balloon is recompressed using a compressor and is reliquified by a heat exchanger before being returned to a process vessel. The carbon dioxide reservoir is recharged with carbon dioxide gas directly from the compressor. Alternatively, carbon dioxide gas discharged from the impregnator vessel during the depressurization step is collected within an intermediate pressure vessel which conserves the pressure of a portion of the vented gas, the remainder being discharged to the recovery balloon. Preferably, a compressor is provided to transfer gas from the recovery balloon to the intermediate pressure vessel and a second compressor is used to transfer gas to a heat exchanger. Reliquified carbon dioxide from the heat exchanger is then returned to the processed vessel. The gas to recharge the reservoir with carbon dioxide is obtained directly from the second compressor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,754 (Conrad, et al.) discloses an apparatus and processes for expanded tobacco with an expansion agent, such as propane. Following a pre-determined impregnation period, some of the expansion agent is released from the impregnation zone to an accumulator for recycling. (The propane that is recycled back to the accumulator is used in subsequent tobacco treatment cycles.) An expansion agent recovery line is provided to further remove propane that remains in the impregnation zone and is not recycled due to equalization of pressures in the accumulator and chamber. It also provides for periodic removal of high-pressure expansion agent from the impregnation zone so that contaminants (e.g., moisture, etc.) do not build up to undesirable levels in the expansion agent. The expansion agent recovery line is connected to an optional gas recovery or disposable zone (not shown in the patent) for recovery of expansion agent or recovery of energy therefrom.
The tobacco expanding apparatuses may be classified generally into batch-type expanding apparatuses and continuous-type expanding apparatuses. In a typical batch-type expanding apparatus, a predetermined amount of tobacco material is stored in an impregnating vessel, high-pressure carbon dioxide is supplied to the impregnating vessel to impregnate the tobacco material with carbon dioxide, and thereafter the tobacco material is removed, thereby expanding the tobacco material. In a continuous-type expanding apparatus, the tobacco material and carbon dioxide are continuously supplied to an impregnating vessel.
Although the batch-type apparatus has a simple structure, its efficiency is low and a large amount of carbon dioxide is lost. The latter continuous-type expanding apparatus supposedly is more efficient and can recover and reuse carbon dioxide, as indicated in the discussion above for the patents issued to Yoshimoto, et al.--U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,311,885 and 5,365,950.
Many of the conventional processes, including the dry ice expanded tobacco (DIET) process and other carbon dioxide expansion processes, do not recover and reuse all of the available expansion agent (e.g., carbon dioxide), some of which is vented to the atmosphere. In addition to increased emissions to the environment, this results in less than ideal performance of the processes in terms of efficiency and economics.
It is desired to have an improved process and system for the expansion of agricultural products, such as tobacco, food, or other such materials, which overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
It is further desired to have a more efficient and economic process and system for the expansion of agricultural products, such as tobacco, food, or other such materials.
It is still further desired to have an improved process and system for the expansion of agricultural products, such as tobacco, food, or other such materials which use carbon dioxide as the expansion agent.
It is still further desired to have an improved process and system for expanding agricultural products such as tobacco, food, or other such materials having an improved method and an apparatus for recovering additional amounts of carbon dioxide or another such expansion agent in such process or system.
It is still further desired to have an improved process and system for expanding agricultural products, such as tobacco, food, or other such materials having improved hydrate formation means which results in better expansion of the product and more uniformity of the expansion.

Apparatus and method for improved hydrate formation and improved efficiency of recovery of expansion agent in processes for expanding tobacco and other agricultural products


A puncture repair fluid container includes: a container body including a storage portion for storing a puncture repair fluid and an opening portion provided at one end of the storage portion; and a cap mounted to the opening portion. The cap includes an introduction path for introducing compressed air from outside; a discharge path for discharging the puncture repair fluid to the outside; a switching valve for switching two paths disposed between the introduction path and the discharge path; and a switching knob for operating the switching valve. A jig for rotating the switching knob is provided, the switching knob is provided with a recessed portion or protruding portion, and the jig is configured to be attachable and detachable to the switching knob, the jig being provided with a protruding portion or recessed portion that is fitted in or to the recessed portion or protruding portion of the switching knob.

In recent years, when a tire mounted on a vehicle is punctured, a puncture repair fluid is injected into the tire via a tire valve to temporarily repair the puncture. Examples of a device that allows such a temporary repair include a puncture repair kit. Employing a puncture repair kit eliminates the need to provide the vehicle with a spare tire, which makes it possible to save resources and reduce the weight of the vehicle. There is also a further advantage that the space in the vehicle where the spare tire would have been provided can be used for other purposes.
Known puncture repair kits include, for example, a so-called pump-type puncture repair kit that injects a puncture repair fluid stored in a puncture repair fluid container into a tire by compressed air supplied from an air compressor or the like (refer to Japan Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-177389, for example). A puncture repair fluid container used in such a pump-type puncture repair kit includes: a container body including a storage portion that stores the puncture repair fluid and an opening portion provided at one end of the storage portion; and a cap mounted to the opening portion of the container body. Further, an introduction path that introduces compressed air from the outside and a discharge path that discharges the puncture repair fluid to the outside are provided is provided to the cap. Further, in some cases, a flow path that allows only compressed air to pass therethrough between the introduction path and the discharge path; and a flow path that sends out the puncture repair fluid together with the compressed air are disposed in the cap, and a switching valve that switches the two flow paths is provided. In a case of such a puncture repair fluid container, there arises a problem in that a switching knob for operating the switching valve is less likely to rotate when the hermeticity of the switching valve is high. Also, when the switching knob itself is increased in size, the switching knob is easy to grip, which is advantageous in rotating the switching knob. However, when the switching knob itself is increased in size, there is a problem of storage and cost performance being deteriorated.

Puncture repair fluid container and puncture repair kit


Foldable raked wing tips having aerodynamic devices are disclosed. A disclosed example wing for use with an aircraft includes a fixed portion, and a folding portion proximate a distal end of the wing. The folding portion includes a raked surface. The wing also includes at least one of a feather or a winglet, and a hinge operatively coupled between the fixed and folding portions to enable the folding portion to fold relative to the fixed portion.

In recent years, foldable wings have been implemented onto aircraft to allow for wings with relatively long wing spans. In particular, during cruise, the relatively long wing spans can result in favorable aerodynamic characteristics, such as reduced drag and, thus, reduced fuel consumption. However, these wing spans can also reduce an ability of the aircraft to comply with span requirements of airports, buildings and/or maintenance areas (e.g., gates, runways, taxi ways, taxi lanes, maintenance facilities, etc.). To maintain span requirement compliance, some aircraft employ foldable wings in which a distal portion of a wing is rotated to reduce an effective span of the aircraft while the aircraft is on the ground. As a result, aircraft with extended wing spans that employ folding can still comply with the span requirements.


An optical probe assembly includes a light guide that includes a core region and a surrounding cladding region. The core region is constructed so as to minimize the creation of a relatively broadband spurious background noise signal when conveying the Raman pump light to the specimen, and the cladding region is constructed so as to satisfy the wave guiding reflection requirements of the Raman pump light and the Raman signature. A Raman spectroscopy system includes: a laser for producing Raman pump light; an optical probe assembly; and an optical spectrum analyzer for receiving the Raman signature of a specimen and identifying and characterizing the specimen based upon the spectrum of the Raman signature. Related methods are also disclosed.

Raman spectroscopy is an effective tool for identifying and characterizing a vast array of substances.
In Raman spectroscopy, laser light of a known wavelength (typically infrared or near infrared) is directed at a specimen. The laser light (also sometimes referred to as the Raman pump) interacts with the electron clouds in the molecules of the specimen and, as a result of this interaction, experiences selected wavelength shifting. The precise nature of this wavelength shifting depends upon the materials present in the specimen. A unique wavelength signature (typically called the Raman signature) is produced by each specimen. This unique Raman signature permits the specimen to be identified and characterized. More specifically, the spectrum of light returning from the specimen is analyzed with a spectrometer so as to identify the Raman-induced wavelength shifting in the Raman pump light, and then this wavelength signature is compared (e.g., by a computer) with a library of known Raman signatures, whereby to identify the precise nature of the specimen.
Raman spectroscopy is widely used in scientific, commercial and public safety areas.
Recent technological advances have made it possible to significantly reduce the size and cost of Raman spectroscopy systems. This has in turn increased the range of practical applications for Raman spectroscopy. For example, portable units have recently become available for various field uses, such as the on-site identification of potentially hazardous substances.
In some instances it can be desirable for the Raman spectroscopy system to have its optical probe head (i.e., the light launch and collector portions of the system) separated from the main body of the Raman system (e.g., the laser, spectrometer, computer, etc.). For example, this can be useful in situations where the entire Raman spectroscopy system will not conveniently fit adjacent to the specimen. In this case, the optical probe head is typically connected to the main body of the Raman system by a flexible optical connector.
Additionally, in some instances it can be desirable for the optical probe head to be disposable. For example, where specimen purity is of concern, or where the specimen may be highly toxic, it may be desirable for the optical probe head to be replaced after use.
As noted above, where the Raman spectroscopy system has its optical probe head separated from the main body of the Raman system, the optical probe head is typically connected to the main body of the Raman system by a flexible optical connector. This flexible optical connector generally comprises a long, thin light guide, or guides, to deliver the excitation light to the specimen and to collect the Raman signature from the specimen. It is also generally desirable that the light guide, or guides, be flexible, rugged, and compact.
Conventional optical fibers have traditionally been used as the light guide(s) to deliver the excitation light to the specimen and to collect the Raman signature from the specimen. However, the amorphous nature of the glass used in a conventional optical fiber (and, specifically, the non-linear coefficients of the optical fiber's refractive index), together with the high optical power of the pump laser, typically causes a relatively broadband spurious background noise signal, having a significant intensity, to be generated as the pump light travels through the fiber.
As a result, where a single conventional optical fiber is used to both deliver the pump light to the specimen and to collect the Raman signature from the specimen, the relatively broadband spurious background noise signal from the fiber is superimposed on the Raman signature of the specimen. See FIG. 1. Since the relatively broadband spurious background noise signal from the fiber tends to encompass the wavelengths associated with the specimen's Raman signature, the Raman signature is effectively obscured to some extent against the noise of the relatively broadband spurious background noise signal from the fiber. In other words, the signal-to-noise ratio of the Raman signature is effectively reduced, leading to a decrease in the sensitivity of the system and hence a reduction of specimen selectivity.
For this reason, one optical fiber (the excitation fiber) is generally used to deliver the excitation light to the specimen, and another optical fiber (the collection fiber) is generally used to collect the Raman signature from the specimen. See FIG. 2. A filter is generally placed at the end of the excitation fiber to remove the relatively broadband spurious background noise signal induced by the high intensity pump light passing through the excitation fiber. The Raman signature coming off the specimen is picked up by the collection fiber and passed to the optical spectrum analyzer (i.e., spectrometer, computer, etc.). However, the light coming off the specimen and passing through the collection fiber does not induce a significant relatively broadband spurious background noise signal due to the diminished intensity of the light. Thus, by using one conventional optical fiber (and filter) to deliver the pump light to the specimen, and a separate conventional optical fiber to collect the Raman signature from the specimen, the Raman signature remains relatively distinct and readable. The two fibers may be geometrically separated (as shown in FIG. 2) or, alternatively, the geometry can be collinear and an arrangement of dichroic beamsplitters and filters may be used to separate the signal and excitation light.
In any case, the complexity of a two fiber and filter construction (i.e., excitation fiber, filter and collection fiber) increases the cost of the optical probe head and makes a disposable optical probe head significantly less feasible.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved Raman spectroscopy system which overcomes the aforementioned shortcomings of currently available systems.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved optical probe assembly which is configured so as to avoid generating a significant relatively broadband spurious background noise signal when delivering the pump light to the specimen.

Method and apparatus for conducting Raman spectroscopy using a remote optical probe


A method of implementing high dynamic range bin algorithm in an image sensor including a pixel array with a first super row having a first integration time and a second super row having a second integration time is described. The method starts by reading out image data from the first super row into a counter. Image data from the first super row is multiplied by a factor to obtain multiplied data. The factor is a ratio between the first and the second integration times. The multiplied data is then compared with a predetermined data. The image data from the second super row is readout into the counter. If the multiplied data is larger than the predetermined data, the multiplied data from the first super row is stored in the counter. If not, the image data from the second super row is stored. Other embodiments are also described.

High speed image sensors have been widely used in many applications in different fields including the automotive field, the machine vision field, and the field of professional video photography. The development of high speed image sensors is further driven by the consumer market's continued demand for high speed slow motion video and normal high-definition (HD) video that have a reduced rolling shutter effect.
Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor ("CMOS") image sensor with backside illumination is dominant in the high-end CMOS sensor market because it can combine high performance with the mature CMOS image sensor process for high volume production. The CMOS image sensor with backside illumination provides the unique advantage of higher sensitivity for better low light performance at high speed (i.e., 16.7 ms for 60 FPS). This advantage makes the CMOS image sensor with backside illumination desirable for video applications that do not include the flash or strobe light that are available in photo applications. The CMOS image sensor with backside illumination also provides more flexibility in the routing on the front-side of the pixel array and a more complex routing can be implemented for better performance.
Current high speed architecture on CMOS image sensors implement a multiple channels, column parallel architecture, in which the frame rate is limited by the row time which is defined as the time it takes for the sensor to readout one row of pixel in the array. This row time limitation creates the bottleneck of high speed image sensor design.
Further, many applications require a high dynamic range (HDR) to capture the scene illuminations ranges from 10−1 for night vision to 105 lux for bright sunlight or direct headlights light condition. This high dynamic range corresponds to a dynamic range of at least 100 dB. Current Charge-coupled devices (CCD) and CMOS sensors cannot achieve this range due to the full well limitation and noise floor limitation, which is typically around 60-70 dB. A high dynamic range sensor design is needed to extend the applications of CMOS image sensor into the high dynamic range areas.
Column parallel Analog-to-Digital (ADC) architecture has been widely used for its better performance on speed, power and structural noise reduction compared to the global ADC architecture. The column parallel ADC in combination with more advanced CMOS technology provides better power consumption and area efficiency, while providing more complex image processing possibilities.

High dynamic range sub-sampling architecture


An apparatus is disclosed which allows the hydrate formed in the hydrate formation region of a desalination fractionation apparatus to be cooled as it rises in the apparatus. This has the beneficial effect of increasing its stability at lower pressures and reducing the depth at which the hydrate will begin to dissociate. The present invention provides for more efficient management of the distribution of thermal energy within the apparatus as a whole by controlling the flow of water through the systemxe2x80x94particularly residual fluids remaining after hydrate formsxe2x80x94such that it is substantially downward through the fractionation column and out through a lower portion thereof. Hydrate thus separates from the residual fluid at or nearly at the point of formation, which helps keep the hydrate formation region of the apparatus at a temperature suitable for the formation of hydrate and improves efficiency. Hydrate formation may be enhanced, thereby further improving efficiency, by pre-treating the water-to-be-treated so as to dissolve hydrate-forming gas in it, before further hydrate-forming gas is injected into the water-to-be-treated under conditions conducive to the formation of gas hydrate.

The present invention generally relates to desalination or other purification of water using gas hydrates to extract fresh water from saline or polluted water. In particular, the invention relates to directing the water flow and managing the movement of hydrate to obtain maximum efficient heating and cooling of the water-to-be-treated either by heat absorption or dilution using cool fluids or other cooling in the area of hydrate formation.
In general, desalination and purification of saline or polluted water using buoyant gas hydrates is known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,262 discloses a water desalination or purification method wherein a gas or mixture of gases spontaneously forms buoyant gas hydrate when mixed with water at sufficiently high depth-induced pressures and/or sufficiently low temperatures in a treatment column. According to prior technology, the treatment column is located at sea. Because the hydrate is positively buoyant, it rises through the column into warmer water and lower pressures. As the hydrate rises, it becomes unstable and dissociates into pure water and the positively buoyant hydrate-forming gas or gas mixture. The purified water is then extracted and the gas is processed and reused for subsequent cycles of hydrate formation. Suitable gases include, among others, methane, ethane, propane, butane, and mixtures thereof.
Methods of desalination or purification using buoyant gas hydrates known prior to Applicant""s co-pending application Ser. No. 09/350,906 rely on the naturally high pressures and naturally low temperatures that are found in open ocean depths below 450 to 500 meters when using pure methane (or at shallower depths when using mixed gases to enlarge the hydrate stability xe2x80x9cenvelopexe2x80x9d), and the desalination installations, being fixed to pipelines carrying fresh water to land, are essentially immobile once constructed. In certain marine locations such as the Mediterranean Sea, however, the water is not cold enough for the requisite pressure to be found at a shallow enough depth; this would necessitate using a much longer column, which may be impractical.
In addition to the temperature of the seawater, other heat considerations are relevant to systems for desalination or purification of water using gas hydrates. When gas hydrate forms, it gives off heat in an exothermic reaction due to significantly higher heats of fusion than water-ice. In a hydrate fractionation desalination apparatus, the cold water and high pressures required for natural hydrate formation in the sea are reproduced within the desalination apparatus. According to this approach to water desalination or purification, in order for a gas or mixture of gases spontaneously to form gas hydrate when mixed with treatment water at sufficiently high pressures, the treatment water must be of sufficiently low temperature.
Because the stability of hydrate is governed by both the temperature and pressure of the water-to-be-treated in which the hydrate forms, in certain circumstances, only a certain amount of hydrate can be formed before the heat generated by the exothermic formation of hydrate raises the temperature of the residual water to a level at which hydrate will no longer form. In other words, for a given volume of water-to-be-treated, which volume of water initially is suitable for the spontaneous formation of hydrate when hydrate-forming gas is introduced, the formation of hydrate itself can limit the amount of hydrate which will form because of the associated rise in temperature. Accordingly, there is a need for methods and systems that overcome this effective self-limitation.
Furthermore, laboratory and at-sea experimental experience has shown that causing gas hydrate to form spontaneously in seawater of suitable pressure and temperature can result in different forms of hydrate where the hydrate formation is carried out under different physical chemical conditions. For example, when the hydrate-forming gas is introduced to open ocean seawater that is very undersaturated in hydrate-forming-gas, hydrate formation is generally restricted to a zone at the interface between water and gas resulting in the formation of relatively thin aggregates of hydrate. Hydrate formation under these conditions is less efficient and results in the production of a very large number of small pieces of hydrate which can have shapes which are not as hydrodynamic as larger pieces of solid hydrate. The small pieces of hydrate that are not hydrodynamic rise buoyantly at slower rates than larger pieces of solid hydrate, and thus begin (and likely complete) their dissociation at depths deeper than is desired for optimal conversion of hydrate to water and gas.
The present invention represents a significant advance over the methodologies disclosed and taught in the ""422 application and its precursors. In accordance with the present invention, an apparatus is provided which allows the hydrate formed in the hydrate formation region of a desalination fractionation apparatus to be cooled as it rises in the apparatus. This has the beneficial effect of increasing its stability at lower pressure and reducing the depth at which the hydrate will begin to dissociate. The present invention provides more efficient management of the thermal energy within the system as a whole.
In an additional embodiment, the present invention also allows a high percentage of hydrate to be formed in and extracted from a given volume of water-to-be-treated in a single pass through the desalination apparatus by cooling the hydrate formation region of the desalination apparatus. This increases the efficiency of the system in terms of the movement of water-to-be-treated and the amount of fresh water produced.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus and method for the desalination or purification of water is provided in which a hydrate-forming-gas (such as methane or some other hydrate-forming gas or gas mixture) is introduced to at least part of the water to be desalinated or purified under pressure-temperature conditions in which the hydrate-forming-gas dissolves to near saturation. The hydrate-forming-gas-saturated water-to-be-treated is thereafter transported to a physical location where additional hydrate-forming gas is introduced under pressure-temperature conditions in which the spontaneous formation of hydrate takes place. Dissolving hydrate-forming-gas in at least part of the water to be desalinated or purified prior to hydrate formation improves the efficiency of converting hydrate-forming gas to solid hydrate, and improves the conversion of hydrate-forming-gas to larger solid hydrate crystals or hydrodynamic aggregates of crystals of approximately the same size. By more efficiently converting the hydrate-forming-gas into larger solid hydrate crystals, this aspect of the present invention allows a more efficient management of the distribution of thermal energy within the apparatus as a whole and creates a more efficient source of desalinated or purified water.
In accordance with the present invention, the pre-treatment of the water to be desalinated or purified with the hydrate-forming-gas may be provided in desalination or purification apparatus which are land-based, sea-based, or in those that are artificially pressurized, although it is illustrated explicitly herein in just a land-based installation.

Hydrate desalination or water purification


A near-eye display device is provided, including a display light source, a rotation module and a refractive amplification component. The rotation module rotates around the rotation center axis. The rotation module is provided with a light source scanning component and a mirror group. The light source scanning component converts the light of some pixel points of the display light source into radial propagation, and then the light is emitted through the mirror group and the refractive amplification component. The light source scanning component turns the light of some pixel points of the display light source into radial propagation, so that the optical path becomes radial direction from axial direction, and increases the optical path distance without increasing the volume of the device, which is conducive to reducing the thickness and volume of the device.

At present, the realization of virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) requires optical near-eye display devices. The products made by the existing optical display system are either very thick and heavy, or the field of view is too small. Some of the existing technologies adopt the VR display technology by combining convex lens with display screen, which has the disadvantages of large volume and heavy weight of the equipment, serious lens distortion and serious chromatic dispersion; or adopt free-form reflective AR lenses, which has the disadvantages of large volume and heavy weight of the equipment. The prismatic reflective and diffractive lenses of AR lenses are small in size and weight, but the field of view is smaller. Although the diffractive lens of AR lens is light and thin, the field of view is still small, difficult processing and low yield.


A scarf for wearing around the neck, provides a hidden pocket that is readily accessible to the wearer and that can hold a detachable purse. The scarf is formed of a piece of soft and heavy fabric sewn into the form of a tube with a tube centerline that extends 360° around the wearer's neck. The front of the tube drapes in a plurality of folds on the chest of the wearer to conceal a slit in the tube that can be zipped open and through which the wearer has access to the inside of the tube. To encourage the scarf to lie in multiple folds on the chest, the tube has a taller front end than rear end.

Women's clothes generally do not have pockets in which valuables such as a wallet or passport can be securely stored. It is common for a woman to store valuable in a purse that is hand-held or held by a chain about a woman's neck. However, the purse can be laid down and forgotten or stolen, and a chain around the neck to hold a purse can be uncomfortable and calls attention to the location of valuables.


In a system that performs mobile communication using at least two beams, by determining a size of a beam based on information that is acquired for mobile terminals attempting an access, a beam of a form having an adaptive size is formed and thus communication is performed. A beam sector including a plurality of beam segments and a beam segment that forms a beam of a minimum size within entire coverage is set, and while forming one beam per beam sector, a size of a beam is adaptively determined.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a communication method and a beam forming apparatus in a mobile communication system having a multi-cell.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Mobile satellite communication systems provide a broadcasting service in downtown and suburban areas through an integrated satellite and terrestrial network using a terrestrial auxiliary device such as a repeater, a complementary terrestrial component (CGC), and an ancillary terrestrial component (ATC). In this case, the mobile satellite communication system provides a broadcasting service through a satellite in a rural or suburban area in which a line of sight (LoS) is secured and provides a broadcasting service through a terrestrial auxiliary device in a downtown or indoor environment in which a satellite signal is not secured.
In the mobile satellite communication system, a radio wave that a satellite radiates to an earth surface area is referred to as a beam, and the earth surface area to which the beam is radiated is referred to as a cell. The mobile satellite communication system includes a single beam satellite communication system in which a satellite uses one beam, and a multibeam satellite communication system in which a satellite uses two or more different beams. The multibeam satellite communication system divides a service area into several cells by multiple beams like a terrestrial cellular mobile communication system based on a base station, and a mobile terminal receives a service through a frequency corresponding to a beam radiated to where the mobile terminal is located.
Nowadays, as requests for a high definition multimedia service increase, the mobile satellite communication system should provide a wideband service. However, recently, the bandwidth that is allocated for mobile satellite communication services has become very limited. For example, a satellite IMT-2000 band that is allocated to ITU-R (radio-communication sector) is the 30 MHz band for each of an uplink and a downlink. Specifically, 1980-2010 MHz is allocated to the uplink, and 2170-2200 MHz is allocated to the downlink.
In order to provide a wideband service, because a radio interface having a bandwidth of at least 10 MHz is considered, the frequency that is allocated to embody a frequency reuse ratio of 3 or 7 is very limited. For example, it is difficult to embody a frequency reuse ratio of 7, and there is a problem that a frequency of all bands should be allocated to an operator having a frequency reuse ratio of 3. Therefore, in order to provide a wideband service, it is essential to embody a mobile satellite communication system having a frequency reuse ratio of 1. Unlike a code division multiple access (CDMA)-based mobile communication system, in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)-based satellite communication system, due to an interference problem between adjacent cells, a frequency reuse of ratio 1 is not generally, satisfied and thus in a cellular communication environment, the OFDM-based satellite communication system has characteristics that are less appropriate than those of the CDMA-based mobile communication system.
In order to solve this, by enabling a terrestrial network to satisfy a frequency reuse ratio of 1 through several fractional frequency reuses, the terrestrial network is appropriate for a cellular environment. Specifically, by dividing one cell into several areas and by enabling each area to use a portion of subcarriers, even in a situation of a frequency reuse ratio of 1, a method of reducing interference between adjacent cells was used.
However, in this way, a method of use in a terrestrial network can be applied under an assumption that much difference exists in a path loss value in a base station vicinity area and a cell boundary area and that a signal may be separated and transmitted to each divided area of a cell, as each sector has an antenna. Therefore, a fractional frequency reuse method that is applied to a terrestrial network cannot be applied to a satellite network in which a signal cannot be separated on an area basis within one beam.
As technology about a fractional frequency reuse method in a satellite network, there is an "Apparatus and method of mobile satellite communication comprising complementary terrestrial component applied fractional frequency reuse technique" that is disclosed in Korean Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-0058907. In this technology, by enabling a mobile terminal and a satellite to communicate using different subcarrier groups on a beam basis, a fractional frequency of a subcarrier group that other beams do not use may be reused, and each beam performs communication between a mobile terminal and a terrestrial auxiliary device using a subcarrier group that is not used when a mobile terminal and a satellite communicate.
However, as such technology uses a partial frequency in a beam boundary area, there is a drawback that spectral efficiency is deteriorated and an interference problem from another beam occurs, and thus a limitation exists in terms of entire system capacity.

Communication method and beam forming apparatus in multi-cell mobile communication system

ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE


Apparatus for keeping a receiving material flat against a plate during the application of an ink image thereto, wherein the plate is provided with V-shaped channels which extend in the direction in which the receiving material is movable stepwise over the plate. Ribs which separate the channels from one another are provided with suction openings in order to draw, by negative pressure, bubbles which have been formed by moisture absorption in the receiving material, into the channels in order to prevent the bubbles from coming into contact with ink application means movable over the plate. The outermost channels are provided with suction openings in the channel walls in order to keep wrinkles and corrugations at the sides of the receiving material out of contact with the ink application means.

The present invention relates to apparatus for applying an ink image to a receiving material adapted to be moved in an advancing direction, comprising an ink application mechanism for applying an ink image to a strip of receiving material which extends in a direction transverse to the advancing direction of the receiving material and carrier means are provided to keep the strip in a predetermined position with respect to the ink application mechanism, whereby the carrier means comprises a carrier plate for carrying said strip, said carrier plate having channels extending in a direction parallel to the direction of advance of the receiving material.
An apparatus of this kind is known from UK Patent Specification 2 290 753. In the apparatus described therein, the channels in the carrier plate are formed by ribs disposed on the carrier plate. Bubbles formed in the receiving material by the absorption of moisture-containing constituents of the ink and the receiving material can sag by gravity, in the channels which formed in order to avoid contact between the receiving material and an ink application mechanism situated a short distance thereabove and formed by ink heads.
A disadvantage of this known apparatus is that bubbles forming in the receiving material, at places where the receiving material lies on the ribs, can hardly sag in the channels, with the consequent risk that the receiving material may nevertheless still come into contact with the ink heads, thus resulting in undesirable soiling of receiving material and ink heads.
Accordingly, the main object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which does not contain this disadvantage.
To this end, according to the present invention, the carrier plate is provided with holes and air displacement means are provided which draw air via said holes away from the space between the carrier plate and a strip of receiving material lying on the carrier plate, said holes appearing in the carrier plate at least in a portion thereof in which a strip of the receiving material is maintained in a predetermined position with respect to the ink application mechanism.
As a result, the receiving material is pulled against the carrier plate with a relatively considerable force so that it is possible to ensure, with a great degree of certainty, that parts of the receiving material, particularly bubbles projecting in the direction of the ink application mechanism, remain out of contact with the ink application mechanism. Another effect is that no contact pressure means are required to press the receiving material into the recessed parts of the carrier plate (as known from the European Patent 0 699 537, which also relates to an apparatus according to the preamble), which contact pressure means might obstruct the advance of receiving material and be inoperative at the location of the ink application mechanism.
Preferably, the holes are formed in the ribs forming the channels on the carrier plate and lead into the top surface of each rib. The effect of this is that when the receiving material is used which is not sensitive to the formation of bubbles or other types of deformation, it is pulled flat against the ribs of the carrier plate without parts of the material extending between the ribs being appreciably pulled into the channels and thus, the receiving material remains sufficiently flat during the application of an ink image.
Another effect is that when receiving material is used which is sensitive to deformation, such as bubbles and creases, said material is satisfactorily drawn against the ribs and the negative pressure also forms in the channels between the ribs due to the leakage of air between the holes and receiving material, and said negative pressure pulls the bubbles and creases into the channels in order to keep them away from the ink application mechanism.
Preferably, each channel has a width of between 15 and 20 mm. If the channels have a width less than 12 mm it has been found that the effect is inadequate because the carrier plate then behaves like a practically completely flat plate with bubbles which project in the direction of the ink application mechanism not being drawn into the channels. If the channel width is greater than 20 mm, receiving material which is unaffected by deformation will undergo deformation unnecessarily due to sagging in the wide channels.
If the channels are configured with walls which form an acute angle with the top surface of the carrier plate, then the side edges of a web of receiving material fed over the carrier plate can slide easily over the carrier plate in the transverse direction in the event of skewing and expansion without catching or curling.
If the holes in the carrier plate, as considered in the direction of advance of the receiving material are situated predominantly in an upstream edge portion, then if the said zone is covered solely by a leading part of a web of receiving material, sufficient suction is obtained because leakage air remains substantially absent in the rest of the carrier plate.
According to another aspect of the invention, the holes extend in edge zones of the carrier plate where side edges of receiving material for processing can come into contact with the carrier plate, and, as considered in the direction of advance of the receiving material, over the entire length of the carrier plate. The effect of this is that the side edges of receiving material which are extra sensitive to creasing are kept flat so that ink heads moving in reciprocation in the transverse direction do not collide with these side edges.

Apparatus for positioning receiving material during the application of an ink image thereto


Disclosed are a method and apparatus, a computer device and a storage medium for media code rate self-adaptation. The method includes the following steps: acquiring network quality information of a user network; acquiring, based on a pre-set code rate correspondence list, code rate information corresponding to the network quality information; and determining a code rate indicated by the code rate information as a code rate parameter of a target object.

With the development of science and technology as well as the accelerating pace of life, people are becoming more and more enthusiastic about leisure activities based on network. For example, short videos have become one of the most popular media for people. The short videos can facilitate users to record and share the experiences in life or work, e.g., services provided by Kwai and instagram, etc. By such short video services, the users shoot short videos (usually 10 seconds in length), then do some processing (for example, adding special effects, magic expressions and/or background music), and then upload them to the media server. On the server side, after authentication and validation confirmation, the short videos can be transcoded into multiple bit rates to adapt to the continuously changed network conditions, and pushed to terminal devices. Thus, other users can watch and share them.
The inventors found that the short video is independent and the bit rate decision for downloading the short video is determined from the beginning of downloading a new short video, so it is not like the live and on-demand scenarios in which there can be cached video data for compensating for bandwidth fluctuation. Therefore, when a user is watching a short video through a user terminal, he may encounter the stutter and other phenomena due to the network conditions over time and the bandwidth limitations, and the user experience is relatively poor.

Method, computer device, and storage medium for media code rate self-adaptation

BEIJING DAJIA INTERNET INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A method and a device for estimating the jitter of a first periodic signal with respect to a second periodic signal, comprising steps of: sampling the first signal by means of the second one; providing the result of the sampling to the input of a shift register triggered by the second signal; comparing at least the first two states and the last state of a current word formed from parallel outputs of the shift register with respect to a reference word; and counting the number of occurrences of the reference word within a given measurement period.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to electronic circuits and, more specifically, to circuits comprising elements for generating one or several periodic signals.
An example of application of the present disclosure relates to integrated processors comprising a circuit for generating clock signals from a reference clock.
The present disclosure more specifically relates to the testing of the synchronization of a clock signal internally generated by an electronic circuit with respect to an internal or external reference clock.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
FIG. 1 schematically and partially shows an example of an electronic circuit 1 of the type to which the present disclosure may be applied. Such a circuit typically comprises multiple functions not shown (especially if it is a processor) and at least one circuit 11, for example, a phase-locked loop (PLL) type, for generating at least one internal clock signal CKint from a clock signal CLK, for example, an external clock signal.
A problem present in electronic circuits driven from clock or counting signals is to make sure that such signals effectively follow an expected value, that is, undergo no significant jitter with respect to the signal from which they are generated and more generally with respect to a reference signal.
FIG. 2 illustrates, in a timing diagram, an example of a jitter phenomenon of a signal CKint having a real period Tr which is slightly greater than an expected period TO. Offset Δt between the two periods generates a desynchronization of clock CKint which risks causing functional problems of the circuit.
Such a noise or phase jitter is more and more critical as the signal frequency increases, since the calculation results (for example, of a counter) rapidly drift with respect to an expected value.
A first method for testing the drift of a clock signal comprises sampling the signal generated by the circuit and measuring, with an external equipment, a possibly difference with respect to a reference signal. Such a method remains accessible for relatively low frequencies (a few hundreds of kilohertz) but can no longer be used for high frequencies (several megahertz, or even hundreds or thousands of megahertz) since the noise added by the external measurement elements and the connectors to the measurement point is not negligible.
A second method comprises integrating, in the circuit to be tested, a device providing information relative to the phase shift of the internal clock signal with respect to a reference clock, to enable external exploitation of the results.
FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a conventional example of such a device. In FIG. 3, only the measurement device integrated in circuit 1 has been shown. This device is formed of a shift register 21 based on D flip-flops having a data input receiving the output (for example, non inverted Q) of a sampling flip-flop 22. Data input D of flip-flop 22 receives internal clock signal CKint to be tested. Flip-flop 22 and shift register 21 receive, on their respective clock inputs, a signal CKref forming a reference clock of a frequency of the same order of magnitude as the signal to be measured. The n outputs Q1 to Qn of shift register 21 are provided outside of circuit 1 to a system 25 for exploiting the measurements (for example, a microcomputer). The function of shift register 21 is to parallelize the successive information on the clock edges and their possible offset, to provide information exploitable despite the high frequency.
A disadvantage of this second method is that it is necessary to load the data provided by shift register 21 into an external system to be able to exploit these data and determine a possible jitter between the two clock signals. In practice, such a device is limited to the product characterization and does not enable testing a possible clock jitter of a manufactured product, for example, in a final test before possible decision of discarding a product, or along the product lifetime.

Estimating of the jitter of a clock signal


A tool system is disclosed having a body including a handle extending therefrom, a detachable head including a working tool, and a multi-part connector for detachable connecting the head to the body, the connector including opposed, flexible members positioned on the body towards an end of the body and means on the head for connecting with the opposed flexible members, the opposed flexible members and the means for connecting with the flexible members working in concert to detachably secure the head to the body. The handle of the tool system can be offset with respect to the axis of the body and the detachable head.

Painting, for example, residential painting, typically involves use of a variety of tools, such as paint brushes and rollers, paint scrapers, putty knives, and razor blades. The conventional tool has both a handle and a tool head. Usually, the head is permanently attached to the body such that the head cannot be separated from the body. A typical head features a paint applicator such as a brush formed of bristles, a sponge, or a roller. Often, bristles are permanently attached to the handle using a ferrule, which is a metallic clamp that surrounds a lower portion of the bristles and an upper portion of the handle to bind the bristles to the handle.
Tools featuring different heads may be useful for different purposes. Therefore, a user normally purchases and maintains separate paintbrushes having heads of various sizes, shapes, and materials. The same can be said for paint rollers, paint scrapers and putty knives. The result can require a significant investment in tools.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0148058 attempts to overcome this disadvantage by disclosing a tool having a detachably interconnected handle and paint applicator. This system allows for detaching and replacing paint applicator heads from the handle. This system has the disadvantage of involving a relatively complicated connector for connecting the head to the handle. Further, the primary connector component is attached to the brush head placing a significant cost of the connector on the replaceable and ultimately disposable head.
Moreover, the head of the conventional paint brush or tool brush is normally aligned with the body and the handle of the brush along a common axis, such that the handle is on an axis substantially parallel to and in line with the head, or in the case of a paint roller at a 90° angle with respect to the axis of the roller. As a result of this design, an awkward hand and wrist motion may be required for performing tasks such as painting walls, which are usually perpendicular to the axis of the brush.

Tool system with replaceable heads and offset handle


A gas turbine engine thrust reverser system includes a fan nacelle having a fixed portion and a movable portion configured to move relative to the fixed portion between opened and closed positions in response to a command to selectively provide an opening between the fixed and movable portions. A fan case is arranged within the fan nacelle. The fan case includes an integral bull nose adjacent to the opening in the open position and to the movable portion in the closed position. The bull nose has a curved wall sloping radially outward.

This disclosure relates to a gas turbine engine thrust reverser system. In particular, the disclosure relates to a fan case and bull nose arrangement.
One type of gas turbine engine thrust reverser system includes a fan nacelle having a moveable portion that translates relative to the fixed portion. The thrust reverser system includes a thrust reverser mechanism having an actuator that translates the moveable portion between closed and opened positions. Bypass flow travels through the engine between the fan nacelle and a core nacelle. An opening is provided in the fan nacelle between the fixed portion and the moveable portion when in the open position. Redirected bypass flow is expelled through the opening during thrust reversing.
A bull nose is provided at a forward area of the opening to provide a smooth transition from the bypass flowpath to the opening. Typically, the bull nose is a multi-pieced box-like sheet metal structure secured to the thrust reverser. The fabricated bull nose and associated attachment features take up significant space in the fan nacelle.

Gas turbine engine thrust reverser system


Self-aligning mechanisms hold a condenser housing. The condenser housing is moved toward an integrator while tapered surfaces of the condenser housing of an LED light source unit are inserted along condenser lens guides of a projection unit. LED light source unit datum surfaces and datum surfaces of the projection unit abut against each other, and the tapered surfaces of the LED light source unit can no longer move toward the integrator along the condenser lens guides of the projection unit. In this state, the LED light source unit and the projection unit are coupled to each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projection display apparatus including a plurality of solid state light sources.
2. Description of the Background Art
Projection display apparatuses using solid state light sources such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) and lasers as light sources thereof, unlike projection display apparatuses using lamp light sources such as a halogen lamp, a high pressure mercury lamp, a metal halide lamp and a xenon lamp, have an advantage in that the light sources have a longer life. For this reason, the replacement of the light sources has not been considered to be important in the projection display apparatuses using solid state light sources.
On the other hand, a solid state light source includes precise and complicated optical systems such as, for example, three solid state light source elements for red, green and blue, a collimator lens, a combined optical system, and a light collection optical system (a condenser lens). Precise adjustment is required for the replacement of the solid state light source.
Conventionally, the need for the adjustment operation during the replacement is eliminated by integrating a solid state light source and a collective lens (in some cases, referred to hereinafter as a "collimator lens") together, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-330282. This, however, is based on the assumption that the solid state light source and the collective lens are used together with a lamp light source, and does not assume an instance in which multiple solid state light sources are used to cause the optical axis of irradiation light on the light source side and the optical axis for incident light set on the projection side to coincide with each other.
Little consideration has been given to the replacement of light sources in the conventional projection display apparatuses using solid state light sources. The conventional projection display apparatuses using solid state light sources have a problem in that the adjustment of the optical axes during the replacement of the plurality of solid state light sources is not substantially achieved.


A change-speed gearbox is arranged such that two gear stages (constant mesh gears) are used between an input shaft and a parallel countershaft, and one gear stage is used between the countershaft and a parallel output shaft. A gearbox range with at least three gearbox types with different permissible input torques is obtainable in that two of the three gear stages have a step-up transmission ratio so that the total transmission ratio becomes lower from gearbox type to gearbox type as the input torque increases.

The present invention concerns a change-speed gearbox for motor vehicles, and more particularly, to a change-speed gearbox having an input shaft, an output shaft, a countershaft located parallel to the input and output shafts, a respective drive connection between the input shaft and the countershaft via two gear stages arranged to be alternatively selected, and a drive connection between the countershaft and the output shaft via a further gear stage, in which a countershaft gearwheel of one of the gear stages has a smaller number of teeth than a main shaft gearwheel engaging therewith and only two of the three gear stages have the same total number of teeth.
A sixteen-speed change-speed gearbox for motor vehicles of the aforementioned type is shown in Publication F 43 239/RT 33 26-887, Page 10, FIG. 5, Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen AG, Lowentaler Str. 100, 7990 Friedrichshafen 1, Federal Republic of Germany. Three gear stages are used between the countershaft and output shaft to form one transmission ratio each for forward propulsion, and a fourth gear stage with an idler gearwheel is used to form a transmission ratio for rearward propulsion. Thus, by multiplication with the two transmission ratios of the gear stages used as constant mesh gears between the input shaft and the countershaft, eight transmission ratios are obtained for forward propulsion because the constant mesh gear adjacent to the main gearbox can also be employed as the fourth gear stage of the main gearbox, and two transmission ratios for reverse propulsion are also obtained. A two-stage range-change gear is also fitted downstream of the output shaft so that, with its two transmission ratios, there is a total of sixteen forward gears and four possible reverse gears.
In the known change-speed gearbox, the total number of teeth (i.e. the sum of the number of teeth of the countershaft gearwheel and the number of teeth of the main shaft gearwheel engaging with the countershaft gearwheel) of the two constant mesh gears is the same. In the gear stage between the countershaft and the output shaft which is used to form the third and fourth lowest transmission ratios between the input and output shafts, however, the countershaft gearwheel has a smaller number of teeth than the main shaft gearwheel which engages therewith. The known change-speed gearbox is, of course, designed for a certain permissible input torque with a magnitude of, for example, 1,600 Nm.
An object on which the present invention is based consists essentially in creating a range of gearboxes with several gearbox types for different permissible input torques while keeping the number of parts to a minimum.
The foregoing object has been achieved in accordance with the present invention by providing that a second countershaft gearwheel, associated with one of the two gear stages having the same total number of teeth, has a smaller number of teeth than an associated main shaft gearwheel.
In a change-speed gearbox according to the invention, it is now possible to start with a basic gearbox which is configured for a certain permissible input torque and has a gearbox construction in which a main gearbox operates with a plurality of gear stages between the countershaft and the output shaft. In one of these gear stages, the countershaft gearwheel is provided with a smaller number of teeth than the main shaft gearwheel which engages with it and which is seated, in this instance, as a loose wheel on the output shaft. Two gear stages used as so-called constant mesh gears are connected into the force path before the main gearbox. These gear stages used as constant mesh gears can be alternatively selected in order to produce a drive connection between the input shaft and the countershaft. These two gear stages have the same total number of teeth, i.e. the sum of the two numbers of teeth of one gear stage is equal to the sum of the two numbers of teeth of the other gear stage.
The present invention advantageously permits, as an initial possibility, a first gearbox type A of a gearbox range, in which gearbox the permissible input torque is increased relative to the basic gearbox and the slower of the two gear stages used as constant mesh gears in the basic gearbox is replaced by a gear stage in which the countershaft gearwheel has a smaller number of teeth than the main shaft gearwheel engaging with it which, in this instance, is seated on the input shaft. As a result, the constant mesh gear is now used to form the second highest transmission ratio of the main gearbox, i.e. that between the speed of the input shaft and the speed of the output shaft, and also for forming the lowest transmission ratio of the main gearbox.
The present invention makes a further gearbox type B possible in which the permissible input torque is increased relative to the gearbox type A and the countershaft gearwheel of the second gear stage used to produce a drive connection between the input shaft and the countershaft also has a smaller number of teeth than the main shaft gearwheel engaging therewith. The faster of the two gear stages operating as constant mesh gears is then again used to form both the second highest and the lowest transmission ratio of the main gearbox, i.e. between the speeds of the input shaft and the output shaft.
The gearwheel pairing of the "fast" constant mesh gear of the gearbox type A and the gearwheel pairing of the slower constant mesh gear of the gearbox type B can be identical.
The present invention also advantageously makes a third gearbox type C possible in which both the permissible input torque (relative to the gearbox type B) and the transmission ratio of the faster constant mesh gear (relative to the faster constant mesh gear of the gearbox type B) are increased.
The present invention further achieves the smallest possible number of parts because in the gearbox type B, the slower constant mesh gear is the same, in terms of transmission ratio and total number of teeth, as the fast constant mesh gear of the gearbox type A and the faster constant mesh gear can be the same, in terms of transmission ratio and total number of teeth, as the slower constant mesh gear of the gearbox type C and because the gear stage for producing a drive connection between the countershaft and the output shaft in the gearbox types B and C can be the same, in terms of transmission ratio and total number of teeth, as the slower constant mesh gear of the gearbox type A.
The present invention additionally makes possible in an advantageous manner a range with at least three gearbox types for each change-speed gearbox which has the otherwise basic known arrangement. Such arrangement can also be extended, in accordance with the present invention, to give a gearbox range irrespective of whether a range-change gear or downstream gearbox is additionally located in the force path downstream of the main gearbox which has the gear stages between the countershaft and the output shaft.
In terms of achieving the smallest possible number of parts, all the gearbox types associated with the gearbox range according to the invention have the same gearbox casing, the same gearbox shafts, the same selector clutches (synchronizing or claw clutches) and, with the exception of the two constant mesh gears and the one gear stage of the main gearbox, the same gearwheels also.
In the gearbox range according to the present invention, all the associated gearbox types have the same overall transmission ratio spread, the same gear steps and the same number of forward gears. Moreover, all the associated gearbox types can be operated by using the same shift scheme, provided a two-stage range-change gear is employed, using, for example, the known double-H shift pattern. The transmission range is displaced from gearbox type to gearbox type in the "fast" direction so that the higher permissible input torques also remain tolerable in the drive train after or downstream of the gearbox (e.g., for the propeller shaft, distributor gearbox, if present, and axles). The overall transmission ratio required (i.sub.gearbox .multidot.i.sub.rear axle) for the vehicle is achieved by the corresponding rear axle transmission ratio.


An operational amplifier circuit including a main circuit, a compensation capacitor, a power circuit, and a set of switches is disclosed. The main circuit has an output terminal. The compensation capacitor has a first end connected to an internal node of the main circuit and a second end connected to the output terminal of the main circuit. The power circuit provides a current or a voltage as predetermined. The set of switches connects the power circuit to the compensation capacitor. When the main circuit is not in an output state, the set of switches is switched to allow the power circuit to provide the current or voltage to the compensation capacitor. When the main circuit is in the output state, the set of switches is switched to disconnect the power circuit from the compensation capacitor and allow the main circuit to return to an output circuit state and operate normally.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an operational amplifier circuit offering a fixed slew rate (SR).
2. Description of Related Art
Operational amplifiers are broadly used. FIG. 1 is an equivalent block diagram of a conventional operational amplifier and a load capacitor.
Referring to FIG. 1, the circuit structure includes an operational amplifier 50 and an output switch 52. An external load circuit is connected to the switch 52. In a load equivalent mode, the load circuit has an equivalent load capacitor 54. When the switch 52 receives a control signal and accordingly is turned on, the operational amplifier 50 starts to charge/discharge the output terminal AOUT. If the operational amplifier 50 charges the output terminal AOUT for a long time, a large peak current will be generated at the instant when the switch 52 is turned on, which will result in the problem of electromagnetic interference (EMI).
The output terminal of an operational amplifier circuit is usually connected to a compensation capacitor, and the capacitance of the compensation capacitor is Cc. When the switch 52 of the operational amplifier is turned on and accordingly enters an output state, the charging time of the compensation capacitor has a slew rate (SR). The SR and the charging time T satisfy the relationship of SR=I/C=ΔV/T. Different charging time will result in different SR. When the operational amplifier 50 charges/discharges the load circuit, an instantaneous large peak current will be generated, and the SR will be changed. As a result, the EMI problem will be produced.
The issue of SR should be taken into consideration when the operational amplifier 50 is designed.