A roller squeegee and spinner adapter tool is disclosed for safely, easily, speedily and thoroughly removing paint or other coating material from a roller by squeegeeing or sliding the major bulk of paint from the roller and then attaching a mini-roller to a paintbrush and roller spinner for conveniently removing residual paint and cleaning solution from the mini-roller via the spinning action (centrifugal force) of the spinner.

Prior to the late 1950s and the invention of the paintbrush and roller cover spinner, paintbrushes and roller covers were cleaned by hand. The procedure for cleaning roller covers, generally consisted of a time consuming process of using a paint stick or putty knife to scrape the initial bulk of paint or other coating material from the roller, then washing, rinsing, and squeezing in a solvent of the same base as that of the paint, repeating the process as needed, then shaking to remove as much paint and solvent as possible and then setting the brush or roller cover on a well drained surface to dry. There was no quick, easy or efficient method of removing the paint and solvent from the brush or roller cover.
One problem with the roller cleaning process, as suggested above and which persists today, is that of the initial removing of the bulk of the paint remaining in the roller after application and prior to rinsing and spinning. This has traditionally been accomplished by stabilizing the roller while still in its handle/frame, in a near vertical position, holding the frame with one hand and positioning the end of the roller extending from the frame either onto the surface of a roller pan or into a bucket. The roller is then scraped using a wooden paint stirring stick, putty knife or a (5 in 1) tool, which has a half circle notch cut into a flat blade (U.S. Pat. No. Des 386,857), specifically designed for scraping paint from roller covers. The process entails holding the roller frame with one hand and holding the scraping tool in the other hand and placing firm pressure against the roller cover with the tool. Next the tool is dragged from top to bottom, parallel to and along the longitudinal axis of the roller cover. The tool""s edge is held at an angle slightly off 90xc2x0 to the long axis and surface of the roller, causing a build-up of paint just ahead of the tool in the direction of motion as it travels toward the bottom end of the roller. The roller is then rotated slightly and the scraping/rotating process is repeated until the bulk of the paint has been removed.
Most tools presently used for the above-mentioned scraping process have fairly sharp edges or corners and cause considerable damage to the nap and deformation of the roller, which remains even after the roller is thoroughly rinsed and spun out. This leaves the roller nap matted and irregular, inhibiting its ability to absorb and apply paint evenly. The scraping process also causes nap fibers to become dislodged, not only contributing to deformity of the roller, but also imparting bits and pieces of fiber in the paint which has been removed, leaving it unsuitable for re-use. This has become such a problem that many, skilled in the art, skip the scraping process altogether. Needless to say, a sizeable amount of paint or other coating material is either diluted in large quantities of solvent or flushed into our municipal drainage systems.
The paintbrush and roller cover spinner, (U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,794,265, 2,884,709 and 2,912,769), which involves one aspect of the present invention is a hand held device consisting of a tubular housing into which is longitudinally inserted a spiral shaped rod with a handle on one end and a rotating set of cylindrically shaped spring steel clamps at the other end. These rotating spring clamps were originally designed to grasp the handle of a paintbrush or to provide a cylinder over which a standard 1xc2xdxe2x80x3 i.d. roller cover is slid. This device has become a necessity for most professional painters, in that it saves time and greatly improves the efficiency of cleaning brushes and roller covers.
The procedure for using the spinner consists of first thoroughly rinsing the brush or roller cover in a solution of the same base as that of the paint, ie. water, mineral spirits, etc. Next, the brush or roller cover is secured to the clamping mechanism at the bottom end of the spinner when held in a vertical position, and then positioned within the confines of a bucket or tub. With one hand holding the spinner""s tubular housing, the handle at the top end of the spinner is grasped with the other hand and pumped in and out of the housing vigorously. This in turn exerts a rapid spinning motion upon the brush or roller cover, thereby expelling paint and cleaning solution by centrifugal force. This process leaves the brush or roller cover in a nearly paint-free and nearly dry condition and instantly ready for re-use.
The spinner was originally intended for cleaning paintbrushes and standard 1xc2xdxe2x80x3 diameter roller covers, which could be attached directly to it. However, there presently exists a type of paint roller (mini-roller) which, because its configuration is unlike that of a paintbrush or a standard roller cover, cannot be attached directly to the spinner. To apply the above-described spin-cleaning process to a mini-roller, an adaptive device must be used to attach the mini-roller to the spinner. Various prior inventions have attempted to solve this problem with limited degrees of success.
Prior inventions (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,473,823; 5,597,002 and 5,163,975) have failed to include a means whereby any force would be added beyond the pinching action of the spinner clamps against their straight cylindrical shaft, to increase the adapter""s adhesion to the spinner. This added adhesion would be desirable in that the high velocity spinning motion in a downward vertical position has a tendency to loosen the adapter/mini-roller from the spinner. An attempt to solve this problem has been disclosed in (U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,362) providing an annular ribbing of the surface of the handle portion, which inserts into the spinner clamps. Although this increases the retention of the adapter within the spinner clamps, it also causes considerable resistance when attaching and detaching adapter and spinner. This undue resistance to insertion and removal is further made difficult since very little surface area is available for grasping the adapter, especially when it is fully inserted within the spinner""s retaining clamps. This also causes the user""s hands and fingers to come dangerously close to the powerful pinching action between clamps and adapter.
Several of these same prior inventions (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,597,002; 5,539,948 and 6,073,362) have failed to take advantage of a small diameter hole located at the center of the base of a hand-operated spinner""s clamping receptacle. The inventor of the present invention is unaware of any spinner, which does not incorporate such a hole in its design. In order to utilize this feature, it would be necessary to specifically design an adapter""s tip on the elongate handle portion which is to be inserted into the spinner, in such a way as to be received and stabilized within the hole. Two other prior inventions (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,473,823 and 6,163,975) which vaguely allude to this possibility, fail to make any specific claim for its application in their invention.
Other prior inventions (U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,616,281; 3,925,908; 5,185,938; 5,539,948; 6,038,787 and 6,073,362) are designed to utilize an electric power drill for their spinning and expelling process. However, in testing this application, the inventor of the present invention has found it to be unsatisfactory in that: 1. unlike the hand-operated spinner, most power drills rotate at speeds too low for expelling paint and solvent, especially noticeable when applied to small diameter rollers; 2. because of a power drill""s use in close proximity to water and volatile solvents, sparks from its motor could cause injury to the user from electrical shock or combustion; and 3. since a source of AC electricity would be necessary to operate a high speed drill (cordless drills have slow rotation), this may present an inconvenience.
With an ever-increasing use of rollers for applying paint and other coating materials, there presently exists a need for a uniquely designed tool, which will assist in easily, efficiently, rapidly and thoroughly cleaning all such rollers, while minimizing or eliminating any adverse effects upon either the roller or paint.
The present invention provides a squeegee/adapter tool which will enable one skilled in the art to rapidly, safely, easily and thoroughly remove paint or other coating material from a roller, utilizing a non-invasive squeegeeing and spinning procedure, assuring the roller""s continued usefulness and longevity.
One object of the present invention is to utilize a small diameter rod extending to one end of the tool""s overall elongated form, as a squeegee to push or slide paint from a roller without imparting damage to its fibers and nap, or dislodging fibers into the removed paint.
Another object of the invention is a unique torpedo shape extending to one side of its overall elongated form, which serves to provide ease of insertion into and removal from the clamps of a spinning device, and to lock, center and stabilize the tool within the spinner""s clamping receptacle. This shape also serves as a comfortable handle when the tool is used as a squeegee.
In another aspect of the invention, a flange, or hand-hold, similar to a cabinet pull, is incorporated into the design, whereby the tool can be comfortably and safely grasped when inserted into or removed from the spinner. This same flange acts as a barrier to protect the user""s hand from coming in contact with paint or other coating material when the tool is used as a squeegee.
Another aspect of the invention is realized in the uniquely calibrated xe2x80x9crodxe2x80x9d end, or small diameter section of the overall elongated tool""s form, which has a very slight increasing curved taper which, in combination with its smooth surface, facilitates a secure attachment of a mini-roller to the adapter and ease of removal there from.
It is yet another object of the invention to minimize the cost of manufacture. Although not limited to any specific material or method of manufacture, the tool""s design lends itself to an inexpensive one-piece injection molding process.


An image acquisition unit (2020) acquires an analysis image. The analysis image is an image in which a plurality of cell nuclei in a lesion of a target person are captured. A feature-value calculation unit (2040) calculates the feature-value relating to the cell nuclei from the analysis image. An evaluation function acquisition unit (2060) acquires an evaluation function from an evaluation function storage unit (10). The evaluation function is a function with which prediction information is calculated based on the feature-value. The prediction information generation unit (2080) generates prediction information relating to a target person based on a feature-value, which has been calculated from an analysis image, and an evaluation function which has been acquired by the evaluation function acquisition unit (2060). The prediction information is information indicating a prediction of a prognosis of a disease of the target person or a prediction of malignancy of a disease of the target person.

There is a method for performing pathological diagnosis by observing the tissue structure of a pathological sample, the shape of a cell nucleus, or the like using a microscope. In general, pathological diagnosis performed using a pathological sample is performed through a qualitative method based on the experience of a physician. In addition, the pathological diagnosis performed using a pathological sample is less frequently used for predicting a prognosis of a disease while being used for determining the presence or absence of any disease at the current time.
There is Patent Document 1 as a system for predicting a prognosis of a disease based on quantitative information. Patent Document 1 discloses a system for predicting the recurrence of a disease or suitable therapy by inputting clinical features, molecular features, or form-measuring features of a patient into a prediction model.

Disease analysis apparatus, control method, and program


A medium feeding cassette includes a cassette main body, a cassette extension member mounted to the cassette main body so as to be movable with respect to the cassette main body, and a locking mechanism configured to lock the cassette extension member at a predetermined position with respect to the cassette main body according to a size of the medium. The locking mechanism includes a locking member and a first locking groove that engage each other so as to lock the cassette extension member in the predetermined position. The locking member moves in a direction to release locking of the cassette extension member when a force is applied to the cassette extension member in a direction to retract the cassette extension member into the cassette main body.

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and particularly relates to a medium feeding cassette for storing a medium (for example, a recording sheet) to be fed to a main body of the image forming apparatus.
In a conventional sheet feeding cassette, a cassette extension member (i.e., a slide member) is mounted to a cassette main body so as to be movable with respect to the cassette main body. The cassette extension member is locked by a locking mechanism in a predetermined position with respect to the cassette main body. To be more specific, in order to enlarge a space for storing recording sheets, the cassette extension member is slid to a protruding position from the cassette main body and is locked therein. Such a sheet feeding cassette is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. H6-48590 (Page 3, FIG. 1).

Medium feeding cassette and image forming apparatus


Embodiments of the invention provide airbags that are guided by the seat belt, but that are not installed or incorporated into the seat belt itself. The airbags may be installed on a seat side, seat backrest, or in the seat armrest. The airbags are associated with a guiding strip that uses the seat belt to guide the airbag into the proper position in front of the passenger.

Airbags are occupant restraining devices, which typically include a flexible envelope or "bag" that is designed to inflate rapidly during a collision in order to prevent the vehicle's occupants from striking interior objects located in front of (or, in some cases, on the side of) the occupant. In automobiles, airbags are designed to prevent occupants from striking the steering wheel, the vehicle door, a window, or any other interior objects. In aircraft, airbags are designed to prevent passengers from striking the seat in front each passenger, the tray tables, a window, or any other interior objects. Airbags on passenger rail cars (such as trains, monorails, trolleys), motorcycles, and other passenger transport vehicles work similarly.
Most aircraft provide airbags either positioned in the back of each seat (so as to deploy for the passenger sitting behind that seat) or in the seat belts. Passengers sitting in the front seat or bulkhead in the aircraft do not have a seat in front of them, so in this instance, it is particularly necessary or useful to position the airbag in the passenger seat belt.
Providing passenger airbags incorporated into every seat or every seat belt (as opposed to the back of the seat in front) can ease manufacture and implementation. This can be particularly beneficial on an aircraft or other passenger transport vehicles, where a number of seats are positioned in rows. As opposed to airbags installed on a seat in front of each passenger or other location, installing one or more airbags in conjunction with each seat is more seamless for integration. This way, each seat has an airbag associated therewith, regardless of how the seats are arranged in the aircraft.
However, airbags that are incorporated into seatbelts can be uncomfortable due to the weight and bulkiness of the airbag material. Airbags in seat belts are also not particularly stable. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an airbag that is integrated into or otherwise associated with each seat, but that avoids integrating the airbag directly into the seat belt itself.


The present invention concerns the integration of laser engagement systems such as the MITS and MILES laser systems with standard two dimensional silhouettes, thereby creating a silhouette which can be defeated by laser fire. A laser enhanced silhouette allows live fire target systems (infantry systems and armor systems) to be engaged and defeated with the use of MILES laser Code. The laser enhanced silhouette replaces the plywood or plastic live fire silhouette which is normally utilized on live fire target systems. By connecting the laser enhanced silhouette electronics to the live fire target system's hit sensor electrical connection, the live fire target system can be engaged by laser equipped weapons.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to target mechanisms. More specifically, it relates to an improved integrated target mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Live fire target systems use hit (vibration or impact) sensors to detect a live round of ammunition striking a target silhouette. When the hit sensor senses a hit, a switch, which may be either normally closed or normally open, is caused to change state thereby sending a signal to the target lifting mechanism. The target lifting mechanism will receive the signal and lower the target indicating a hit has been recorded. Laser engagement systems use laser sensors to detect engagement by laser equipped weapons. When a hit is detected by a laser engagement system, the equipment emits an audible or visual indication of its condition.
The prior art laser engagement systems, most notably the MITS (Mobile Independent Target System) and MILES (Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System) require that the system be manually reset by an operator using a controller key after each kill. The controller key fits into a manual locking mechanism which is physically attached to the laser engagement system. By turning the key the operator resets the laser engagement system thereby preparing the system for future engagements. However, the requirement that the system be manually reset is not convenient for use with infantry and armor target mechanisms as it is not feasible to manually reset each target after each hit.
As will be seen, the simplicity and effectiveness of my invention is not rivaled in the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,671 issued to Busch discloses an interactive target system having a plurality of targets. The system is designed with a simplified conductor arrangement to reduce failure due to conductor damage from projectile impact. By contrast the present invention concerns a system for integrating impact sensing target systems with various types of laser fire target systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,299 issued to Busch discloses a target scoring system for detecting target hits which has an improved sensor arrangement which reduces erroneous hit signals. By contrast, the present invention contemplates a target mechanism which can generate hit signals when hit by simulated (i.e. laser) fire.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,579 issued to Bowyer et al. discloses a shock wave target indicating system. The system uses computer controlled targets which may be raised or lowered under computer control. By contrast, the device of the present invention may be used to automatically raise standard targets with relatively minor modifications thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,032 issued to Summers et al. discloses a multiple target mechanism which has targets which may be remotely controlled. By contrast, the device of the present invention has a single target mechanism which is automatically raised.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.


Disclosed are derivatives of isosorbide having formula (I)

Isosorbide (or 1,4:3,6-dianhydrosorbitol, see formula below) is the anhydride of sorbitol.

Upon heating sorbitol with an acid, for example concentrated sulfuric or hydrochloric acid, two molecules of water are eliminated with the formation of isosorbide. These compounds are also known generally as dianhydrohexitols (including besides isosorbide, the isomers isomannide and isoidide). Besides isosorbide, certain derivatives of isosorbide are well known, inter alia mono- and diesters, and ethers, in particular, mono- and dimethylethers of isosorbide. Those ethers are known to have good solvent properties for pharmaceutical and cosmetic compositions. EP 186 276 A2 discloses C1-C4 alkyldiethers of isosorbide, useful in oral hygiene preparations. The document discloses both symmetrical as well as unsymmetrical ethers. A process for the preparation of such ethers is disclosed in EP 315 334 A2, using dialkylcarbonates and a basic catalyst to etherify the isosorbide. Chatti et al. reported in Recent Res. Devel. Organic Chem., 7 (2003): 13-20 ISBN: 81-7895-093-6, a method to prepare various dialkylethers of isosorbide using microwave irradiation. Simple isosorbide ethers are also known to be suitable in personal care applications, as disclosed in EP 1 216 685 A2.
Since isosorbide is derived from natural sources, by the double dehydration of starch, it is an interesting way to obtain new compounds based on renewable resources. In the fields of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and home products, there is a continuing search for new derivatives with new properties to meet the needs of the application areas.

Abstract: wherein R′ and R″ represent hydrogen or a polymeric ether moiety (CH2—CHR1—O)x—H, where R1 represents hydrogen, or an alkyl or alkenyl moiety having 1 to 33 carbon atoms, which is saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear. This polymeric ether moiety can be a homopolymer or a copolymer, with x being the total degree of polymerization (DP). Preferred is a block copolymer composed of monomer A (DP=a), preferably ethylene oxide or propylene oxide, and monomer B (DP=b), preferably a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl or alkenyl moiety having 1 to 33 carbon atoms, where x=a+b. x is a number from 0 to 50, with the proviso that R′ and R″ are not both hydrogen. The isosorbide derivatives are useful as components of detergent, cleanser, cosmetic and agricultural compositions.


A display including a display panel and a control module is disclosed. The display panel includes a plurality of same sub-pixel matrixes. Each sub-pixel matrix is formed by arranging a plurality of sub-pixels. The plurality of sub-pixels includes first sub-pixels corresponding to a first color, second sub-pixels corresponding to a second color, and third sub-pixels corresponding to a third color. The first sub-pixels, the second sub-pixels, and the third sub-pixels are all arranged on the display panel to form a shape of fold line having different folding lengths. The control module is coupled to the display panel and used to output a control signal to the display panel according to a display data to drive the plurality of sub-pixels on the display panel.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a display, especially to a display and its sub-pixel matrix.
Description of the Related Art
With the progress of display technology, the resolution of the display becomes higher and higher. In general, the resolution of the display represents the number of the pixels per unit area of the panel; for example, the resolution of the display can be (1902*1080). When the value of the resolution of the display becomes higher, it means that the display can show more details of the image.
Taking LCD apparatus for example, each pixel of the conventional LCD panel includes three sub-pixels of three primary colors; as shown in FIG. 1, each pixel P of the conventional LCD panel 1 includes a red sub-pixel R, a green sub-pixel G, and a blue sub-pixel B respectively.
If the red sub-pixel R, the green sub-pixel G, and the blue sub-pixel B of each pixel P are arranged from left to right, then each row of sub-pixels in a horizontal direction on the LCD panel 1 will be arranged from left to right in an order of the red sub-pixel R, the green sub-pixel G, the blue sub-pixel B, the red sub-pixel R, the green sub-pixel G, the blue sub-pixel B . . . and so forth. Each column of sub-pixels in a perpendicular direction on the LCD panel 1 will be arranged from top to bottom in an order of the red sub-pixel R, the green sub-pixel G, the blue sub-pixel B, the red sub-pixel R, the green sub-pixel G, the blue sub-pixel B . . . and so forth.
The above-mentioned sub-pixel arrangement of the conventional LCD panel 1 can achieve color averaging of the sub-pixels along the horizontal direction of the LCD panel 1; however, as shown in FIG. 1, since each column of sub-pixels has the same color and adjacent columns of sub-pixels have different colors along the perpendicular direction of the LCD panel 1, it is hard to achieve color averaging of the sub-pixels along the perpendicular direction of the LCD panel 1.
Therefore, the invention provides a display and its sub-pixel matrix to solve the above-mentioned problems.


A device for wireless transmission of a deployment signal. The device includes two processors on both the primary side and the secondary side, which exchange data with one another. A high degree of redundancy is thereby achieved. The wireless transmission is preferably carried out as inductive transmission.

German Patent Application No. DE 100 46 695 describes a device for wireless transmission of a deployment signal, which transmits the deployment signal over a first path and a redundance signal for the deployment signal over a second path. Deployment then occurs on the secondary side only if both the deployment signal and the redundance signal are recognized on the secondary side.

Deployment of vehicle safety restraint via wireless trigger signal


In accordance with aspects of the disclosure, a system and methods are provided for managing multi-system security integration by performing state change calls to one or more backend systems by combining a multi-system protection token with a message component for transporting from a user agent to the one or more backend systems for validation by generating an authentication code for proving authenticity of a combined data structure generated by combining a secret cryptographic data key with a portion of the message component and generating a hash code of the combined data structure, generating an arbitrary random number to bind the multi-system protection token to the user agent, and generating the multi-system protection token by combining the authentication code and the arbitrary random number with the message component for transporting from the user agent to the one or more backend systems for validation.

Generally, cross-site request forgery (CSRF or XSRF), which may be referred to as session riding, refers to a malicious related attack of a target system, such as, for example, a client system (including user messaging services) and/or a network based site, whereby unauthorized commands could be transmitted from a user that the website trusts. For example, XSRF may attempt to exploit trust that a site has in a user's browser. Sometimes, XSRF vulnerabilities can be easily exploited. In some cases, XSRF attacks include a link or script in a page that accesses a previously authenticated site for a user. In some other cases, the attack does not need to originate from a site. For example, the attacker could send an email to a user in an attempt to deceive the user into selecting a link in the email to generate a browser window and execute the attack. As such, there exists a need to improve security in some systems including systems that attempt to use XSRF protection.


A layered architecture for a web service is provided with a data tier, object representation, data transformation, and a service tier. Scalability is achieved by relying on relatively high degree of decoupling, lightweight data interaction, and reducing overhead of transaction demands. Custom web services can be built on top and leverage the capabilities of the flexible framework including lightweight transaction support, event-based business logic extensibility, and efficient data contract binding.

Web services provide computing operations executed on remote systems through application programming interfaces (API) or web APIs typically accessed via Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to local computing devices without the burden of users having to install, update, and manage local applications for the same operations. Standardized protocols may be utilized in facilitating interactions between remote systems providing a web service of local computing devices of users such as Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) relying on extensible markup language (XML) for messaging format and application layer protocols (e.g. HTTP).
Web services include a wide range of computer applications from audio/video exchanges to complicated business applications. Thus, the architecture and functionality of various web service types tend to be distinct. Especially in a business application environment, multiple parties may be involved in development, management, and consumption of the services. It is a common occurrence for comprehensive business services to have a number of modules prepared by third parties to operate alongside the core service.
In a complex business application environment, the nature of the web service's architecture may determine success of the web service affecting user experience, ease and variety of provided services, quality of service (e.g. problems, efficiency, etc.), and other characteristics. For example, conventional systems typically coordinate multiple connections into a single homogeneous connection, which may result in increased use of resources, computation time, overhead, etc.

Scalable and extensible framework for data-driven web services


A transmitter and an applicable method include an antenna system for achieving two transmit paths, a first modulator for modulating a signal to be transmitted into complex modulation symbols, and a second modulator for constructing layered channel symbols as linear combinations of the complex modulation symbols. The second modulator constructs channel symbols by using first and second non-zero coefficients when performing the linear combination. The ratio of the first and second coefficients is not a real number. The channel symbols are transmitted by using a first non-zero total power for transmission on a first transmit path, and a second non-zero total power for transmission on a second transmit path, wherein the first and second total powers are not equal.

In telecommunication, the transmission path used to relay signals is known to cause interference to the transmitted signals. This occurs regardless of the physical form of the transmission path, whether it is for instance a radio link, an optical fibre or a copper cable. Particularly in radio communication, situations often arise wherein the quality of the transmission path varies from one data link to another and during the link, too.
Fading is a typical phenomenon on the radio path, causing changes to the transmission channel. Other simultaneous links may also cause interference, which may vary as a function of time and place.
A solution to the problem is the use of diversity in the transmitter. Temporal diversity uses interleaving and coding, which achieve temporal diversity in the signal to be transmitted. However, the disadvantage here is that delays are created in the transmission, especially when the channel is slowly fading. In frequency diversity, in turn, the signal is transmitted simultaneously at several frequencies. However, this is an ineffective method when the channel has a wide coherence bandwidth.
Antenna diversity uses more than one antenna in signal transmission and/or reception. The signal components that multipath propagate through different channels are then not likely to be disturbed by simultaneous fading. In receive diversity, two or more antennas having a different location or polarization are used to receive a transmitted signal. A disadvantage in receive diversity is that the use of two antennas is difficult to implement in a small-sized terminal. In transmit diversity, the same signal is transmitted to the receiver using two or more different antennas. Transmit diversity is more easily applicable in downlink in mobile telephone systems than receive diversity, since it is easier to provide a base station than a terminal with more than one antenna.
With multiple antennas at the base station, and one antenna at the mobile station, the uplink may be called a SIMO (single-input multiple-output) radio channel, whereas the downlink may be called a MISO (multiple-input single-output) channel. In a MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) system, multiple antennas are employed both at the transmitter and the receiver. In fading channels, these create transmit and receiver diversity, respectively. MIMO can achieve good performance, but it depends on the signals transmitted and received via different antennas and propagating via different channels. In other words, the channels should not correlate much with each other.
The aim in telecommunication is not only to transmit a signal as faultlessly as possible but also to transfer information as efficiently as possible. Herein, efficiency means that the aim is to utilize the capacity of the transmission channel as efficiently as possible in data transmission. The transmission rates to be achieved in planning cellular radio systems are particularly interesting.
Conventionally, the use of diversity and an increase in transmission rate have been mutually exclusive alternatives.
In H. El Gamal and M. Damen: An algebraic number theoretic framework for space-time coding, Proc. ISIT, June 2002, p. 132, a precoding of a space time coding matrix is proposed, where a Hadamard transform is utilised on rotated symbols. This results in a Maximally Symbolwise Diverse (MSD) scheme. This means that each individual symbol is transmitted with a unitary matrix. The prior art precoders are either real max-symbolwise diversity (MSD), like the Hadamard precoder above, or real and non-MSD.


The invention concerns a method for preparing block copolymers comprising steps which consist in: polymerising a first monomer using an organolanthanide catalyst wherein said catalyst in the form of a hydride complex of a trivalent metal from the group of rare earths; then in polymerising at least a second monomer. The invention also concerns block copolymers whereof the blocks are polyolefins.

This application claims priority to PCT/FR00/00614 filed Mar. 14, 2000, which claims priority to French Patent Application No. 9903669 filed Mar. 24, 1999.
The present invention relates to a novel method of preparing block copolymers, and to certain of these block copolymers.
Block copolymers are widely known. However, it is also known that it is difficult to prepare block copolymers one of whose blocks is a polyolefin (PO), especially if the desire is that the alpha-olefin should be inserted in a regular manner in order to give a stereoregular and/or regioregular copolymer. It is also known that it is (virtually) impossible to prepare block copolymers whose two blocks are polyolefins, whether crystalline or amorphous.
Yamahiro et al., Macromol. Chem. Phys. 200, 134-141 (1999), describes a process of stopped-flow polymerization for obtaining xe2x80x9ctruexe2x80x9d PP/EP block copolymers. However, the copolymers produced are limited in terms of molecular mass, since they have a molecular weight Mn of less than or equal to 16 000 and a polydispersity index of between 3.0 and 3.3. Other molecular mass characteristics are excluded by this type of technique: in particular, higher molecular masses cannot be attained, since they are a function of the polymerization time, which can only be short (of the order of from 0.1 to 0.2 s) and in any case less than the growth time of a chain; in particular, also, lower polydispersity indexes cannot be attained, since stopped-flow polymerization is not a true polymerization with living species, but comprises a large number of transfer reactions.
Therefore, there is to date no true PP/EP copolymer, with a PP block and an EP block linked together, which has a sufficient molecular mass. This PP/EP copolymer is a crystalline PO/amorphous PO copolymer, which would find advantageous application in PP/EP polymer blends. In these blends, the crystalline PP forms the continuous phase, which is modified by the addition of EP copolymer (more specifically EPR, which is elastomeric) which forms a nodular disperse phase. A true copolymer added to this blend would play a part similar to that played by an emulsifier in emulsions, improving the compatibility of the phases, and ultimately would enhance the impact/rigidity trade-off.
This same problem of difficulty in preparing xe2x80x9ctruexe2x80x9d block copolymers occurs with copolymers one of whose blocks is a block of a polar monomer, such as MMA.
The patent application EP-A-0634429 in the name of Mitsui describes the preparation of block copolymers, one block being a polyolefin and one block being derived from a vinyl, vinylidene or lactone monomer. The catalyst used is an alkyl complex of a metal from the rare earth group, with bridged cyclopentadiene rings (bridged by a dimethylsilylene group). This document describes in particular the catalyst Me2Si(2-Me3Si,4-tBuCp)2YCH(SiMe3)2, withxe2x80x94optionallyxe2x80x94a THF-type donor complexed to the metal. The copolymers obtained, however, are not satisfactory, since the polyolefin fraction represents too low a fraction of the final copolymer. Moreover, if the polydispersity values appear to be acceptable, it is only because these values are derived from the PMMA fraction, representing the quasitotality of the copolymer. Moreover, the catalysts do not in fact provide true copolymers. In effect, extensive transfer reactions (that is, the reactions which put an end to the living nature of the polymerization) lead to the formation not of true copolymers but of a mixture of homopolymers and copolymers. Moreover, the reaction times are fairly long.
The article by Yasuda et al., Tetrahedron, Vol. 51, No. 15, pp. 4563-4570, 1995, describes hydride derivatives of lanthanides in the form of a complex with bridged cyclopentadiene rings (bridged by a dimethylsilylene group), these cyclopentadiene rings carrying substituents which have a significant steric bulk (xe2x80x9cbulky substituentxe2x80x9d). This document describes in particular the hydride catalyst Me2Si(2-Me3Si, 4-Me2tBuSiCp)3YH (represented in its dimer form). These compounds are obtained in situ by hydrogenolysis of the starting alkyl derivative, and are then used for the polymerization of alpha-olefins. Although such compounds are described as having an alpha-olefin polymerization activity greater than that of the alkyl derivatives from which they are derived, the polymerization times are still very long, of the order of half a day or a day.
These hydride catalysts also have the classic disadvantage of hydrides, namely that hydride derivatives are known to be unstable and to break down rapidly at high temperature.
The search is therefore on for an effective method of preparing block copolymers: particularly, on the one hand, copolymers one of whose blocks includes a polar fraction, and, on the other hand, copolymers whose two blocks are polyolefins.
The invention accordingly provides a method of preparing block copolymers, comprising the steps of polymerizing a first monomer using an organolanthanide catalyst in which said catalyst is in the form of a hydride complex of a trivalent metal from the rare earth group, then polymerizing at least one second monomer.
In one embodiment, the hydride complex of a trivalent metal from the rare earth group has the formula I:
which:
Cp is a cyclopentadienyl radical;
R1, identical or different at each occurrence, is a substituent of the cyclopentadienyl group and is an alkyl radical or a silicon-containing hydrocarbon radical, containing from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and with the Cp ring to which it is linked optionally forming an indenyl or fluorenyl ring system, it being possible optionally for each R1 to be substituted;
j, identical or different at each occurrence, is an integer from 1 to 5 inclusive;
X is a divalent alkylene radical or a divalent, silicon-containing hydrocarbon radical, containing from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, optionally containing other heteroatoms such as oxygen;
y is 1 or 2;
Ln is a trivalent metal from the rare earth group, selected from Y, Sc, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu.
In one embodiment, in the formula I, X is Si(R)2 in which R is an alkyl radical having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
In one embodiment, in the formula I, R1 is an alkyl radical or a silicon-containing hydrocarbon radical, containing from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, which is unbubstituted, and j is 1, 2 or 3.
In one embodiment, in the formula I, R1jCp is the group 2-Me3Si, 4-Me2tBuSiCp or the group 2-Me3Si, 4-tBuCp.
In one embodiment, in the formula I, Ln is Y or Sm.
In one embodiment, the catalyst is Me2Si(2-Me3Si, 4-Me2tBuSiCp)2YH or Me2Si(2-Me3Si, 4-tBuCp)2SmH.
In one embodiment, the catalyst is racemic.
In one embodiment, the catalyst is generated in situ in the presence of at least one portion of the first monomer.
In one embodiment, the blocks are homopolymers or random copolymers.
In one embodiment, the block copolymer comprises a block of the first monomer which is an alpha-olefin and a block of the second monomer which is a vinyl, vinylidene or lactone compound.
In this embodiment, the vinyl or vinylidene compound is represented by the formula
H2Cxe2x95x90CRxe2x80x2Z
in which Rxe2x80x2 is hydrogen or an alkyl radical having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms and Z is an electron-withdrawing radical.
In this embodiment, the vinyl or vinylidene compound is an ester of an unsaturated carboxylic acid.
In this embodiment, the polyolefin is crystalline.
In one embodiment, the second monomer is polar.
In one embodiment, the method is for preparing a PO/PMMA or PO/PL copolymer.
In this embodiment, the PO block is an iPO block.
In one embodiment, the block copolymer comprises a block of the first monomer which is a first alpha-olefin and a block of the second monomer which is a second alpha-olefin.
In a variant of this embodiment, the first polyolefin is crystalline and the second polyolefin is crystalline.
In this variant, the copolymer is a PP/PE copolymer.
In another variant of this embodiment, the first polyolefin is crystalline and the second polyolefin is amorphous.
In this variant, the copolymer is a PP/EP copolymer.
In one embodiment, the PP block is an iPP block.
The invention also provides a copolymer comprising a first block of a crystalline polyolefin and a second block of an amorphous polyolefin, with the exception of a PP/EP copolymer having a molecular mass Mn of less than or equal to 16 000 and a polydispersity index of between 3 and 3.3.
In one embodiment, the copolymer is a PP/EP copolymer, particularly one in which the PP block is an iPP block.
The invention also provides a copolymer comprising a first block of a crystalline polyolefin and a second block of a crystalline polyolefin.
The invention also provides a copolymer comprising a first block of an amorphous polyolefin and a second block of an amorphous polyolefin.
In one embodiment, the blocks are homopolymers or random copolymers.
The invention is now described in greater detail in the following description.
Catalyst.
The catalyst is an organolanthanide in the form of a hydride complex of a trivalent metal from the rare earth group (bridged); advantageously it has the formula I:
in which:
Cp is a cyclopentadienyl radical, substituted preferably in positions 2 and 4;
R1, identical or different at each occurrence, is a substituent of the cyclopentadienyl group and is an alkyl radical or a silicon-containing hydrocarbon radical, containing from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, in particular from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, optionally forming an indenyl or fluorenyl ring system with the Cp ring to which is linked, it being possible optionally for each R1 to be substituted, for example, by up to 3 halogens;
j, identical or different at each occurrence, is an integer from 1 to 5 inclusive, in particular j is 1, 2 or 3;
in particular R1jCp is the group 2-Me3Si, 4-Me2tBuSiCp, or the group 2-Me3Si, 4-tBuCp;
X is a divalent alkylene radical or a divalent, silicon-containing hydrocarbon radical, containing from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, optionally containing other heteroatoms such as oxygen, in particular of formula Si(R)2 where R is an alkyl radical having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, in particular SiMe2;
y is 1 or 2, preferably 1;
Ln is a trivalent metal from the rare earth group, selected from Y, Sc, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu, in particular Y and Sm.
Examples of catalysts are Me2Si(2-Me3Si, 4-Me2tBuSiCp)2YH and Me2Si(2-Me3Si, 4-tBuCp)2SmH.
The catalyst may in fact have ligands which are similar to those found for the catalysts known as xe2x80x9cgroup IVxe2x80x9d or metallocene or Kaminsky catalysts. A restricted geometry may also be envisaged, and also ligands other than those described above in relation with the formula I.
In one variant, the catalyst is in a racemic form. This form makes it possible to obtain isotactic polymers.
The catalysts of the invention in hydride form are prepared, for example, by hydrogenation from the alkyl precursor, for example by application of molecular hydrogen. The alkyl precursors are described, for example, in the document EP-A-0634429 in the name of Mitsui. This operation may be performed by dissolving the alkyl starting product in a solvent (aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon) or suspending it in a nonsolvating hydrocarbon (aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon), followed by contact with molecular hydrogen.
Polymerization Method
The polymerization is very effective in particular with the catalyst formed in situ in the presence of the monomer. The proof of this efficacy is the exothermicity of the reaction mixture when the hydrogen is introduced, thereby demonstrating that the polymerization reaction is initiated immediately. Accordingly, each alkyl precursor leads to a potentially polymerizing hydride species, which leads effectively to a polymerization. In the case of the preparation of copolymers, this formation in situ in the presence of the monomer is not necessary; it is, however, preferred.
The method may be implemented with or without solvent. In the case without solvent, it is the liquid monomer itself which plays this part. In the case with solvent, the monomer (in solution or in suspension) may be in gaseous, liquid or solid form.
The polymerization medium may therefore be a solvent, mass or gaseous medium.
The solvent, when used, may be an aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon, such as toluene.
The reaction temperature is generally between xe2x88x9278xc2x0 C. and 150xc2x0 C., preferably from 0 to 100xc2x0 C.
The reaction pressure is generally between standard pressure and 200 bar, preferably between 1 and 20 bar.
The reaction time is generally between a few seconds and a few hours.
The monomer (or monomer mixture) may be added in one go or gradually, in a controlled way.
The above conditions apply to the polymerization steps in the case both of homopolymers and copolymers, and even of terpolymers (or more if necessary).
In the case where copolymers are prepared, the second monomer is added, for example, directly to the reaction mixture from the first step. If a solvent has been used during this step, it may either be retained or removed by customary techniques, taking care not to degrade the living species carrying the polyolefinic chain from the first step, and optionally replaced by another solvent.
The present polymerization method is efficient in that:
it makes it possible to generate poly-alpha-olefins of controlled mass, by limiting the transfer reactions
the poly-alpha-olefin species is living and in a second step is able to polymerize another monomer (olefinic, vinylic, etc.), in order to lead to the corresponding block copolymer.
The reaction scheme is as follows (where Mxe2x80x94H signifies the organolanthanide catalyst in hydride form).
Reaction 1 (generation of a (living) polyolefin)
Mxe2x80x94H+n(CH2xe2x95x90CHR)xe2x86x92Mxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CRxe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CHR)nxe2x88x921xe2x80x94H
There is therefore maximum avoidance of the transfer reaction which produces the following final polymer species:
xe2x80x83Mxe2x80x94H+CH2xe2x95x90CRxe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CHR)nxe2x80x94H
Reaction 2 (addition to the living, growing polyolefin of the second monomer, to give the block copolymer, with limitation of the transfer reaction)
Mxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CRxe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CHR)nxe2x88x921xe2x80x94H+m(CH2xe2x95x90CHRxe2x80x2)xe2x86x92Mxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CRxe2x80x2-(CH2xe2x80x94CHRxe2x80x2)mxe2x88x921xe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CHR)nxe2x80x94H
Advantageously, the temperature of the reaction mixture will be controlled. In order to do this, it will be possible to supply the reactor continuously with the monomer; this will make it possible in particular to limit the initial exothermicity.
In the case where it is desired to obtain copolymers, the first step will be implemented under conditions similar to those for the homopolymers, and then the second monomer will be added to the reaction mixture still containing a living species.
The (co)polymers thus obtained are separated by conventional techniques.
Polymers Prepared in the Invention.
The polymers prepared as claimed in the invention may be homopolymers or random copolymers (the two or more monomers being present simultaneously in the reaction mixture) or may be blocked copolymers, or even terpolymers or more if necessary.
The homopolymer, or one copolymer block, may be isotactic, particularly when the catalyst is in a racemic form (and when the monomer is prochiral).
Examples of homopolymers are poly-alpha-olefins, the olefin containing for example from 3 to 20 carbon atoms. Examples of olefins are propylene, 1-butene, 1-hexene, 1-heptene, 1-octene, 1-decene, etc.
Examples of random copolymers are the copolymers of the above olefins, or copolymers based on ethylene.
Examples of block copolymers are copolymers containing a block of the first monomer, which is an alpha-olefin, and a block of the second monomer, which is a vinyl, vinylidene or lactone compound.
Examples of vinyl or vinylidene compounds are represented by the formula H2Cxe2x95x90CRxe2x80x2Z, in which Rxe2x80x2 is hydrogen or an alkyl radical having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms and Z is an electron-withdrawing radical.
Examples of such groups are the esters of an unsaturated carboxylic acid, especially (meth)acrylic acid. Mention may be made of methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, propyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, phenyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, propyl methacrylate, n-butyl methacrylate and phenyl methacrylate.
Examples of lactones include the cyclic esters possessing from 3 to 10 carbon atoms, and are preferably propyllactone, valerolactone and caprolactone.
The polyolefin (PO) block may be crystalline, whereas the block of the second monomer may be polar.
Specific examples of such copolymers are the copolymer PO/PMMA, especially iPO/PMMA, and PO/PL (polylactone) copolymer, especially iPO/PL.
Examples of block copolymers are copolymers containing a block of the first monomer, which is a first alpha-olefin, and a block of the second monomer, which is a second alpha-olefin.
Such examples of copolymers include in particular those in which the first polyolefin is crystalline and the second polyolefin is crystalline, especially a PP/PE copolymer.
Such examples of copolymers include in particular those in which the first polyolefin is crystalline and the second polyolefin is amorphous, especially a PP/EP copolymer.
The above PP block is, for example, an iPP block.
The invention also provides copolymers which are xe2x80x9ctruexe2x80x9d block copolymers, in contradistinction to the copolymers of the prior art, which provides copolymers which are mixtures.
The molecular weight of the homopolymers or copolymers may vary within a wide range, between 500 and 108, preferably between 5 000 and 106. The ratio, in one copolymer, between the monomers A and B may also vary within a very wide range, from 99/1 to 1/99.
The invention therefore also provides copolymers as described above.
In particular, the invention provides block copolymers of the PP/EP (crystalline PO/amorphous PO) type, with the exception of those described in the publication Yamahiro et al., Macromol. Chem. Phys. 200, 134-141 (1999), namely in particular those whose molecular weight Mn is less than or equal to 16 000 and whose polydispersity index is between 3.0 and 3.3. The invention therefore provides in particular block copolymers of the PP/EP type with a molecular weight greater than 16 000, in particular greater than 20 000, especially greater than 50 000, and copolymers of the PP/EP type whose polydispersity index is less than 3, in particular less than 2.5, especially less than 2.
The examples which follow illustrate the invention without limiting it.
Preparation of Complex 1: Me2Si(2-Me3Si, 4-tBu C5H2)2Sm(THF)2
A solution of Me2Si(2-Me3Si, 4-tBu C5H3)2 (3.01 g, 6.77 mmol) in 60 ml of THF is admixed with 8.2 ml of a 1.66M solution of nBuLi in hexane, i.e., 13.5 mmol, at 0xc2x0 C. Following reaction of the mixture at ambient temperature for 6 h with stirring, 20 ml of a 0.68M solution of tBuOK in THF, 13.6 mmol, are added. The mixture is refluxed for 12 h and the solution is evaporated to dryness. The product is washed with twice 30 ml of hexane, leading to the potassium disalt of Me2Si(2-Me3Si,4-tBu C5H3)2 in the form of white powder (yield=70%). A suspension of 5.64 g (10.8 mmol) of the potassium disalt of Me2Si(2-Me3Si, 4-tBu C5H3)2 in 80 ml of THF and 10 mmol of SmI2 in 80 ml of THF are added at the same time to 40 ml of THF at xe2x88x9280xc2x0 C. The reaction mixture is then refluxed for 12 h and the solution is subsequently evaporated to dryness. 50 ml of toluene are added to the residue and the solid obtained is separated by centrifuging. Following removal of the solvent under vacuum, the residue is extracted with twice 15 ml of THF. Recrystallization from a THF/hexane mixture leads to 1 in the form of a violet solid (yield=35%).
Preparation of Complex B: Me2Si(2-Me3Si, 4-Me2, tBuSiC5H2)2YCH(SiMe3)2
A solution of Me2Si(2-Me3Si, 4-Me2, tBuSi C5H2)2YCl2Li(THF)2 (2 g, 2.3 mmol) in 60 ml of toluene is admixed with 4.5 ml of a 0.79M solution of (Me3Si)2CHLi in Et2O, i.e., 3.5 mmol, at 0xc2x0 C. The mixture is stirred from 0xc2x0 C. to ambient temperature for 13 hours, after which the solvent is evaporated under vacuum. 80 ml of hexane are added to the residue and the suspension is stirred for 24 hours. The insoluble solid is recovered by centrifuging and is recrystallized from hexane to give Bxe2x80x94yield=36%.
Preparation of Complex C: Me2Si(2-Me3Si, 4-tBuSi C5H2)2SmCH(SiMe3)2
A solution of Me2Si(2-Me3Si, 4-tBu C5H2)2SmCl2Li(THF)2 (2.3 mmol) in 60 ml of toluene is admixed with 4.5 ml of a 0.79M solution of (Me3Si)2CHLi in Et2O, i.e., 3.5 mmol, at 0xc2x0 C. The mixture is stirred from 0xc2x0 C. to ambient temperature for 13 hours, after which the solvent is evaporated under vacuum. 80 ml of hexane are added to the residue and the suspension is stirred for 24 hours. The insoluble solid is recovered by centrifuging and is recrystallized from hexane to give Cxe2x80x94yield=28%.

Method for copolymerization and resulting copolymers


There is disclosed a sealing material for sealing a ceramic structure, the sealing material containing a ceramic component, an ordinary-temperature liquid component, and a suspending agent. In a method in which opening end portions of a large number of through channels 3 divided by partition walls 2 and extending in an axial direction in a honeycomb structure 1 including the through channels, the method comprises the steps of: sealing the opening end portions using the above-described sealing material. Sealed portions 10 are formed in the opening end portions of the through channels 3 by the sealing material. There are disclosed a sealing material, a sealing method for a honeycomb structure, and a sealed honeycomb structure in which less kinks are generated in the sealed portions, and a depth in each sealed portion fluctuates little.

Ceramic structures such as honeycomb structures have been used in filters for capturing particulates, particularly diesel particulates in exhaust gases of internal combustion engines, boilers and the like.
In general, as shown in FIGS. 5(a) and (b), the ceramic structure used for this purpose, for example, the honeycomb structure has a structure including a large number of through channels 3 divided by partition walls 2 and extending in an X-axis direction, and sealed portions in which adjacent through channels 3 are sealed in end portions on opposite sides in such a manner that end surfaces have checkered patterns. In the honeycomb structure having this structure, fluid to be treated flows in the through channel 3 which does not have the sealed portion in one end surface 42, that is, the through channel 3 which has the sealed portion in the other end surface 44, and is discharged from the adjacent through channel 3 through a porous partition wall 2, that is, the through channel 3 which has the sealed portion in one end surface 42 and which does not have the sealed portion in the other end surface 44. In this case, the partition walls 2 function as filters. For example, soot and the like discharged from a diesel engine are captured by the partition walls and deposited on the partition walls.
However, kinks are sometimes generated in sealed portions 10 as shown in FIG. 6, and there has been a problem that a filter function is deteriorated by the generation of kinks 20. Fluctuations are also easily generated in depths x of the sealed portions 10, and the filter function has also been adversely affected.

Sealing material, method for sealing honeycomb structure and sealed honeycomb structure


An apparatus for characterization of a micro beam comprising a micro modified Faraday cup assembly including a first layer of material, a second layer of material operatively connected to the first layer of material, a third layer of material operatively connected to the second layer of material, and a fourth layer of material operatively connected to the third layer of material. The first layer of material comprises an electrical conducting material and has at least one first layer radial slit extending through the first layer. An electrical ground is connected to the first layer. The second layer of material comprises an insulating material and has at least one second layer radial slit corresponding to the first layer radial slit in the first layer of material. The second layer radial slit extends through the second layer. The third layer of material comprises a conducting material and has at least one third layer radial slit corresponding to the second layer radial slit in the second layer of material. The third layer radial slit extends through the third layer. The fourth layer of material comprises an electrical conducting material but does not have slits. An electrical measuring device is connected to the fourth layer. The micro modified Faraday cup assembly is positioned to be swept by the micro beam.

1. Field of Endeavor
The present invention relates to electron beams and more particularly to a diagnostic system for profiling micro-beams of charged particles such as electrons or ions.
2. State of Technology
U.S. Pat. No. 6,300,755 for enhanced modified faraday cup for determination of power density distribution of electron beams issued to John W. Elmer and Alan T. Teruya Oct. 9, 2001 provides the following state of technology information, "Electron beams are considered to be the most precise and clean method available for welding thick sections of materials. Unfortunately, electron beams suffer one critical deficiency, namely the repeatability of focusing the beam to a known power density. Without the ability to reliably reproduce the power distribution in an electron beam, weld quality cannot be guaranteed. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that many welds are made over a period of time and with different welding operators. Further complications arise when welds are developed on one machine than transferred to a different machine for production. An electron beam diagnostic method has been developed that enables the precise characterization of the power density distribution in high power electron beams. Such diagnostic method, which utilizes a modified Faraday cup, is exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,382,895, 5,468,966, 5,554,926 and 5,583,427. This electron beam diagnostic method has been utilized, for example, to certify changes in electron beam welders, and is further described in J. W. Elmer et al, "Tomographic Imaging of Non-Circular and Irregular Electron Beam Power Density Distributions," Welding Journal 72 (ii), p. 493-s, 1993; A. T. Teruya et al, "A System for the Tomographic Determination of the Power Distribution in Electron Beams," The Laser and Electron Beam in Welding, Cutting, and Surface Treatment State-of-the-Art 1991, Bakish Materials Corp., p. 125, 1991; and J. W. Elmer et al, "Beam Profile Analysis for the C&MS B231 Electron Beam Welding Machines," LLNL UCRL-ID-127549, Jun. 12, 1997."

Diagnostic system for profiling micro-beams

The Regents of the University of California


Disclosed herein are cords comprising two live wires and a ground wire, wherein the ground wire terminates in a probe configured to be placed in a water basin at the base of a Christmas tree. Also disclosed herein are cords comprising two live wires and a ground wire, wherein the ground wire terminates in a probe configured to be placed in a trunk of a Christmas tree. Also disclosed herein are bases for a Christmas tree, the base comprising a GFI socket, wherein the GFI socket is in electrical communication with a ground wire, wherein the ground wire terminates in a probe; wherein the GFI socket is in electrical communication with a three-wire cord, configured to be plugged into a wall socket.

It is common practice during the Christmas holiday to decorate a Christmas tree with lights. The Christmas tree commonly sits in a water reservoir to keep the Christmas tree fresh during the holiday season and avoid the excessive dropping of needles. In some circumstances, the water reservoir becomes electrically charged. When an individual or an animal comes into contact with the water reservoir, the individual receives an electric shock. This can create a dangerous, or at least an unpleasant, situation for the individual, for example a crawling infant, or for a pet.


Technologies for managing network statistic counters include a network interface controller (NIC) of a computing device configured to identify a statistic counter of and a software consumer associated with a received network packet and identify an active counter page as a function of the identified software consumer. The NIC is further configured to read a value of the statistic counter stored at a counter memory address of a corresponding counter identifier entry of the identified active counter page, increment a read value of the statistic counter, and write the incremented value of the statistic counter back to the counter memory address. Additionally, in response to detecting a notification triggering event, generating a notification message that includes a present value of the statistic counter and a present value of each of the other statistic counters of the active counter page, and transmit the generated notification message to the software consumer. Other embodiments are described herein.

In present packet-switched network architectures, data is transmitted in the form of network packets between networked computing devices. At a high level, data is collected and packetized into a network packet, which is then sent to a transmission device (e.g., a network interface controller (NIC) of the respective networked computing device) responsible for dispatching the network packet to a target computing device over a network. Some such networked computing devices maintain statistics of the network traffic received by and/or transmitted from the computing device via a number of network statistic counters. For example, the network statistic counters can be used to track the number of arrivals of a particular network packet type, event, or flow. As such, the value of the statistic counters can be used to monitor performance and/or security of the computing device, as well as influence network management and network traffic engineering decisions.
Typically, network statistic counters are implemented via on-die memory and maintained by hardware. Generally, to obtain the counter values, a software application polls the statistic counters via a register read. However, certain deployment environments, such as those deployment environments in which millions of statistic counters may be required, can result in a large die size, which may effectively render the design unscalable.


An arrangement (1) for guiding individual reinforcement filaments (2) onto a carrier (3) has a positioning disc (4) with a plurality of filament guides (9) arranged distributed on a circular ring of the positioning disc (4). The carrier is moveable in the direction of the carrier axis (X). The arrangement also includes a rotationally symmetrical deflecting element (5). The positioning disc (4) and the deflecting element (5) each concentrically surround the carrier (3). The deflecting element (5) is mounted within the positioning disc (4) and aligned axially to the positioning disc (4). The inlet-end peripherally extending inner edge (6) of the deflecting element (5) faces toward the carrier (3) and is curved. The filament guides (9) open directly at the curved inner edge (6).

An arrangement is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,980 and is used especially for a bobbin creel for working in individual reinforcement filaments into a hose blank. A rubber hose is extruded onto a mandrel in an endless method. A dense layer of filaments is spiraled onto this first rubber layer in that a bobbin creel rotates about the carrier formed of mandrel and rubber hose. By advancing the carrier in the axial direction thereof, a spirally-shaped filament layer is formed having a filament angle which is dependent upon the advancing speed and the rotational speed of the bobbin creel.
From U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,980, it is known that the filaments are guided through a row of holes which are arranged equidistantly from each other on a peripheral line of a positioning ring. One reinforcement filament is guided radially inwardly through each hole. The positioning ring concentrically surrounds or encloses a rotation-symmetric, funnel-shaped deflecting element. The deflecting element has a continuously tapering channel having an annularly-shaped inlet opening and a smaller annularly-shaped outlet opening. The reinforcement filaments are guided on the radially inner surface of the deflecting element onto the carrier which is surrounded by the deflecting element.
It has been shown that threading through holes is very work intensive. Furthermore, the reinforcement filaments run freely and unguided between the holes in the positioning ring and the carrier on a relatively long radial inner surface. This is so because the positioning ring must have a large diameter in order to accommodate all bores. In this way, no constant spacing of the reinforcement filaments on the carrier can be ensured. In addition, it is possible that individual reinforcement filaments cross over each other.

Device for the guiding of individual reinforcement threads


A printing press includes first and second impression cylinders and a varnish supply unit. The first impression cylinder has a gripper unit for holding a sheet-like object, and is rotatably supported. The varnish supply unit supplies varnish to the sheet-like object held by the first impression cylinder. The second impression cylinder is in contact with the first cylinder, and has a gripper unit for receiving the sheet-like object held by the first impression cylinder. The sheet-like object held by the gripper unit is transported such that its varnish-coated surface opposes a surface of the second impression cylinder. A fluorine-contained polymer layer is formed on that surface of the second impression cylinder which is in contact with the varnish-coated surface of the sheet-like object.

The present invention relates to a printing press with a varnish unit for coating the lower surface of a sheet with varnish.
As a printing press of this type, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-190735 is known. The printing press disclosed in this reference has a sheet feed unit for feeding sheets one by one, a coater unit for coating the lower surface of a fed sheet with varnish, and a printing unit for printing an image or the like on the upper surface of the sheet. The coater unit has a coating impression cylinder in contact with an impression cylinder arranged in the printing unit, a coater cylinder in contact with the coating impression cylinder, a coating supply unit for supplying a coating material to the coater cylinder, and a dryer unit for drying varnish applied to the lower surface of the sheet.
In this arrangement, while the sheet fed from the sheet feed unit passes between the coating impression cylinder and coater cylinder, its lower surface is coated with varnish. Then, varnish is dried by the dryer unit. After that, the sheet gripped by the gripper unit of the impression cylinder of the printing unit is transported, by rotation of the impression cylinder, while its lower surface is in contact with the surface of the impression cylinder, and the upper surface of the sheet is printed while the sheet passes between the impression cylinder and a blanket cylinder.
In the conventional printing press described above, a dryer for drying the varnish is comprised of an infrared heater and a fan for blowing off air heated by the infrared heater. However, a dryer with high drying power cannot be installed because of the problem of the space where it is to be installed, the varnish is not dried sufficiently due to the adverse influence of heat to the printing press body, and the like, depending on the type and coating amount of aqueous varnish applied to the sheet. If the varnish is not dried, undried varnish sometimes attaches to the surface of the impression cylinder of the printing unit while the sheet is transferred from the coating impression cylinder to the impression cylinder of the printing unit. The varnish attaching to the surface of the impression cylinder hardens, and undried varnish is repeatedly deposited on it to form a lump of varnish. This damages the sheet transferred to the impression cylinder of the printing unit.
An impression cylinder plate is mounted on the circumferential surface of each of the coating impression cylinder and the impression cylinder of the printing unit in order to prevent damage to the cylinders. Although the impression cylinder plates with surface precision almost equal to that of the surfaces of the cylinders are plated for rust prevention, undried varnish cannot be prevented from attaching to them.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing press in which damage to a sheet on the surface of an impression cylinder is prevented.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a printing press comprising a first cylinder with sheet holding means for holding a sheet-like object and rotatably supported, a varnish unit for supplying varnish to the sheet-like object held by the first cylinder, and a second cylinder in contact with the first cylinder and having second sheet holding means for receiving the sheet-like object held by the first cylinder, the sheet-like object held by the second sheet holding means being transported such that a varnish-coated surface thereof opposes a surface of the second cylinder, wherein a fluorine-contained polymer layer is formed on a surface of the second cylinder which is in contact with the varnish-coated surface of the sheet-like object.


When an image is displayed on a display screen having a larger display area than a displayed image, a size of the displayed image is minutely changed cyclically in order to avoid boundary lines to be recognized when a full size image is displayed on the display screen of the display device. Direction of the size change of the displayed image is in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction. In this case additional non-image signal is added to top, bottom, left and/or right of the displayed image.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, for example, to a video apparatus capable for forming an image area within a display screen displaying a video image having an aspect ratio of 16:9 on a display screen having an aspect ratio of 4:3 or for displaying a video image having an aspect ratio of 4:3 on a display screen having an aspect ratio of 16:9, and a video apparatus having a function of displaying characters, such are letters and symbols, by superimposing them on an image, and particularly to such video apparatus having a function to have a borderline, between a video image area and a non-video image area or a non-image part, which is generated due to deteriorated luminous characteristics of a phosphor of a display element, and characters and symbols on the display hardly recognizable.
2. Description of Related Art
A video display apparatus such as a television receiver using an existing picture tube (cathode-ray tube: CRT) or a video monitor has a display screen having an aspect ratio of 4:3 or 16:9 being a landscape monitor. As information of a video image to be displayed on the display screen, there are video information which shows a circularity 1 when displayed with the aspect ratio of 4:3 (here-in after referred to as a 4:3-image) and video information which shows the circularity 1 when displayed with the aspect ratio of 16:9 (here-in-after referred to as a 16:9-image).
Accordingly, when the video signal is displayed on the display screen having a different aspect ratio from that of the video signal, a circularity becomes other than 1. On this account, conventionally, a size of the video image is changed or a non-video image area is added to a spare space of the video signal in order to make the circularity to be 1 when the video signal is displayed on the display screen having a different aspect ratio.
For example, when the 16:9-image is displayed on a display screen of the aspect ratio of 4:3 in a video display apparatus, only 75% of a video image area Pv is scanned in the vertical direction of the display screen by a deflected electron beam, so that the size of the displayed image is compressed in the vertical direction by 75%, as shown in FIG. 6. Thereby, the circularity in maintained to be 1 and the 16:9-image is correctly displayed.
In this case, a top part and a bottom part of the display screen where the deflected electron beam does not scan becomes a non-video image area Nv where the phosphor does not emit light.
In addition, when the 4:3-image is displayed on the display screen of the aspect ratio of 16:9 in the video display apparatus, only 75% of the video image area Ph in the horizontal direction of the display screen is scanned by the deflected electron beam, so that the size of the displayed image is compressed in the horizontal direction by 75%, as shown in FIG. 8. Thereby, the circularity is maintained to be 1 and the 4:3-image is correctly displayed.
In this case, a left edge and a right edge of the display screen where the deflected electron beam does not scan becomes a non-video image area Nh where the phosphor does not emit light.
In addition, the 16:9-image may be converted into the 4:3-image by adding a non-image part (black band) corresponding to the non-video image area Nv on top or bottom of the 16:9-image and displayed without modification of the size of the video image by the deflection, thereby the image information can be correctly displayed with circularity 1.
In addition, the 4:3-image may be converted into the 16:9-image by adding a non-image part corresponding to the non-video image area Nh on left edge and/or right edge of the 4:3-image and displayed without modification of the size of the video image by the deflection, thereby the image information can be correctly displayed with circularity 1.
Furthermore in a television receiver for receiving television broadcasting, it is broadly done to display characters such as letters and symbols indicating time information, logotypes of the broadcasting program or the like on the video image in superimposing form in order to communicate various information to a viewer.
However, when a time period for displaying video images with compressed image size as shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 8 becomes long hours, the luminous characteristics of the phosphor of the CRT become different between the video image area Pv and the non-video image area Nv and between the video image area Ph and the non-video image area Nh. Accordingly when the display mode is changed to cancel the size compression of the displayed image, boundary lines between the video image area Pv and the non-video image area Nv and between the video image area Ph and the non-video image area Nh are recognizably left on the display screen of the CRT.
In other words, when the display situation of the CRT is considered, the phosphor of the video image area Pv of the 16:9-image emits light in accordance with the video information, but the phosphor of the non-video image area Nv does not emit light at all as shown in FIG. 6.
Generally, the luminous characteristics of the phosphor is deteriorated if the duration of emitting time of the phosphor becomes long hours, so that the brightness for the video image area Pv of the 16:9-image becomes darker as compared with the brightness of the non-video image area Nv.
When the display mode for displaying the 4:3-image on the display screen having the aspect ratio of 4:3 is selected, the brightness of the video image area Pv, where the 16:9-image is displayed on the display screen having the aspect ratio of 4:3, becomes darker as compared with the brightness of the non-video image area Nv. Furthermore, distinction is recognized in the chrominance levels due to a difference of deteriorated luminous characteristics of the phosphers.
Thereby, a viewer can recognize the boundary lines between the video image area Pv and the non-video image area Nv in the display image of the 16:9-image. In this case, relation between a vertical position of the video image and luminous characteristics of the phosphor is as shown in FIG. 7.
Also in a case of the mode in which the 4:3-image is displayed on the display screen of the aspect ratio of 16:9 as shown in FIG. 8, there is a problem about boundary lines between the video image area Ph and the non-video image area Nh are recognizable.
In addition, in a case where characters and symbols such as logotypes are displayed for a long time in superimposed form on the video image, as the luminous characteristics of the phosphors are different between display positions of the characters and symbols and display positions other than this display positions, so that there is such a problem that display tracks for the characters and symbols are left and recognized by a viewer even after the superimposing display situation is finished.
It is an object of the present invention in consideration of the above points to make it hard to recognize the display tracks of boundary lines between the video image area and the non-video image area caused by the difference of the luminous characteristics deterioration of the phosphor in the display device without giving a sense of discomfort to a viewer.
According to the present invention, when an image is displayed on a display screen having larger display area than the image, a size of the image on the display screen is minutely changed cyclically in order to avoid boundary lines to be recognized when a full size image is displayed on the display screen of the display device. The object of the present invention is to propose such apparatus that has a function to change a size of the image on the display and method therefore.
Namely, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a video display apparatus, which comprises supply means for supplying display signals to a display device; mode control means coupled to the supply means for selecting display modes in the display device between a first display mode where an image having an aspect ratio of 4:3 is displayed on a display screen having the aspect ratio of 4:3 in the display device and a second display mode where an image having an aspect ratio of 16:9 is displayed on the display screen having the aspect ratio of 4:3 in the display device by compressing the image in a vertical direction; and size change means coupled to the supply means for changing minutely and cyclically a size of a display image displayed on the display device in the vertical direction in the second display mode.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, in a case where the second mode is selected, since the display size of the 16:9-image is changed minutely and cyclically in a vertical direction, difference in deterioration of luminous characteristics of the video image area and the non-video image area at the boundary line becomes not significant due to the slight size reduction so that it is not recognizable and does not five a sense of discomfort to a viewer.
Further, in a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a video display apparatus, which comprises: supply means for supplying display signals to a display device; mode control means coupled to the supply means for selecting display modes in the display device between a first mode where an image having an aspect ratio of 4:3 is displayed on a display screen of the display device having an aspect ratio of 4:3 and a second mode where an image having an aspect ratio of 16:9 is displayed on the display screen of the display device with additional non-image part on top and bottom of the displayed image having an aspect ratio of 16:9; and size change means coupled to the supply means for changing minutely and cyclically a size of the image displayed on the display device in the vertical direction.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in a case where the second mode is selected, since the display size of whole displayed image is changed minutely and cyclically in a vertical direction, difference in deterioration of luminous characteristics of the video image area of the aspect ratio of 16:9 and the non-image part at the boundary line becomes not significant due to the slight size reduction so that it is not recognizable and does not five a sense of discomfort to a viewer.
In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a video display apparatus, which comprises: supply means for supplying display signals to a display device; mode control means coupled to the supply means for selecting display modes in the display device between a first display mode where an image having an aspect ratio of 16:9 is displayed on a display screen having the aspect ratio of 16:9 in the display device and a second display mode where an image having an aspect ratio of 4:3 is displayed on the display screen having the aspect ratio of 16:9 of the display device by compressing the image in a horizontal direction; and size change means coupled to the supply means for changing minutely and cyclically a size of a display image displayed on the display device in the horizontal direction in the second display mode.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, in a case where the second mode is selected, since the size of display image of the aspect ratio of 4:3 is changed minutely and cyclically in a horizontal direction, difference in deterioration of luminous characteristics of the video image area and the non-video image area at the boundary line becomes not significant due to the slight size reduction so that it is not recognizable and does not five a sense of discomfort to a viewer.
A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a video display apparatus, which comprises supply means for supplying display signals to a display device; mode control means coupled to the supply means for selecting display modes in the display device between a first mode where an image having an aspect ratio of 16:9 is displayed on a display screen of the display device having an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a second mode where an image having an aspect ratio of 4:3 is displayed on the display screen having the aspect ratio of 16:9 of the display device with additional non-image part on a left edge and a right edge of an displayed image having the aspect ratio of 4:3; and size change means coupled to the supply means for changing minutely and cyclically a size of the display image displayed on the display device in a horizontal direction.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in a case where the second mode is selected, since the size of whole display image is changed minutely and cyclically in a horizontal direction, difference in deterioration of luminous characteristics of the video image area of the aspect ratio of 16:9 and the non-image part at the boundary line becomes not significant due to the slight size reduction so that it is not recognizable and does not five a sense of discomfort to a viewer.
A fifth aspect of the present invention provides a video display apparatus, which comprises: character generating means for generating characters and symbols; supply means for supplying display signals to a display device for displaying an image on which the signals form the character generating means are superimposed; and size change means coupled to the supply means for changing minutely and cyclically a size of a displayed image displayed on the display device in a horizontal direction and/or a vertical direction.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, with regard to the image on which characters and symbols are superimposed, since the size of whole display image is changed minutely and cyclically in a vertical direction or a horizontal direction, difference in deterioration of luminous characteristics of characters and symbols becomes not significant due to the slight size reduction so that display tracks of the characters and symbols are hardly recognizable and does not five a sense of discomfort to a viewer.
The present invention is also related to a method for displaying an image, the method comprises the steps of: determining a mode to be selected from a first mode where an image having an aspect ratio of 4:3 is displayed on a display screen having the aspect ratio of 4:3 and a second mode where an image having an aspect ratio of 16:9 is displayed on the display screen having the aspect ratio of 4:3; compressing a size of an image displayed on the display screen in a vertical direction to have the aspect ratio of 16:9 in a case where the second mode is selected; and changing minutely and cyclically a size of the image compressed to have the aspect ratio of 16:9 in the vertical direction.
Further, this invention relates to a method for displaying an image, comprising the steps of: determining a mode to be selected from a first mode where an image having an aspect ratio of 16:9 is displayed on a display screen having the aspect ratio of 16:9 and a second mode where an image having an aspect ratio of 4:3 is displayed on the display screen having the aspect ratio of 16:9; compressing a size of an image displayed on the display screen in a horizontal direction to have the aspect ratio of 4:3 in a case where the second mode is selected; and changing minutely and cyclically a size of the image compressed to have the aspect ratio of 4:3 in the horizontal direction.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for displaying an image, in which a size of a display image is changed minutely and cyclically in a vertical direction and/or horizontal direction in a case where characters and symbols are superimposed on the display image.

Video apparatus having function to change size of image and method thereof


The invention presents tools to improve a 3-D image aided biopsy or treatment procedure for prostate gland by providing additional functionality and additional visual cues on an output image of the prostate, which may be generated substantially in real-time. The tools include i) the identification of various parts of prostate to classify as per regular classification in pathological reports, ii) Computing and displaying the insertion depth of needle with respect to a selected target point during the procedure, iii) Computing and displaying the distance from needle tip to prostate surface following a procedure and, iv) Calibration for misalignment of a 2-D imaging transducer when used under tracked motion for a procedure.

When cancer is suspected on an organ such as a breast, prostate, kidney or liver, a common diagnostic tool is to take biopsies of the organ tissue. A cancer may only be present in a very small portion of the organ in the early stages of its growth. However, this generally represents the stage when it is most desirable to detect the cancer. Cancer may also be uncorrelated and therefore may be present in a very small portion of the organ but at multiple places. Therefore the decision of where in the organ to take a biopsy will have a significant impact on successful early detection of a cancer as well as increasing the confidence of a negative result.
Maximum confidence in a biopsy outcome is currently only possible if the organ has been sampled at a multitude of locations. This technique is known as saturation biopsy and the number of core sites can reach 90 or more. Such saturation biopsy often causes considerable discomfort to the patient. Further, smaller organs such a prostate, which may only be 4 cm in diameter, may be damaged by sampling at numerous biopsy sites required for a saturation biopsy. However, as the number of biopsy sites decreases, so does the probability of an accurate result.
Management of biopsy targets is critical to a successful procedure. The operator must be able to plan each biopsy core site location, be able to accurately navigate the needle to each site to take the biopsy and finally to record the actual location of the biopsy site for future reference. This becomes overwhelming when a large number of sites are used. When a patient returns for multiple repeat visits the amount of data and complexity is increased proportionally.


Peeling of an LPB amorphous electrolyte from its coating substrate or protective film is carried out by introducing a non-polar solvent, based on at least one aliphatic or cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon containing about 5 to 15 carbon atoms, between the electrolyte and its substrate or protective film. It is thus possible to suddenly and easily separate the substrate or the protective film from the electrolyte without pulling off any amount thereof.

a) Field the Invention
The invention concerns processing aids for peeling LPB electrolytes. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for peeling LPB amorphous electrolytes from their coating substrates or protective films.
b) Description of Prior Art
Lithium/polymer electrolyte batteries (hereinafter designated LPB) are manufactured by laminating three main types of films: a film of a positive electrode containing an electrochemically active material such as vanadium oxide, a film of electrolyte made of a polymer and a salt of lithium, and a film of lithium. Each of these films has a thickness between 15 and 50 .mu.m, for a total thickness of elementary film of the battery of 100 to 150 .mu.m. About 30 meters of elementary film, 15 cm wide, are typically required to give a battery of 100 Wh.
The films of electrolyte are prepared, for example, by coating a solution of polymer and lithium salt on a plastic substrate of the polypropylene type, and evaporating the solvent in a drying tunnel. A protective film of polyethylene is then placed on the electrolyte, before winding it into a roll, in order to prevent the electrolyte from adhering to the back of the polypropylene substrate. A roll of positive electrode is prepared separately by solvent coating, with a polyethylene protective film also applied, then the two rolls are brought to a laminator. The polyethylene protective films are peeled off and the electrolyte is laminated to the positive electrode. The polypropylene substrate is then peeled off from the electrolyte/positive electrode laminate, and a film of lithium is laminated on top of the electrolyte to give a complete LPB cell.
With crystalline electrolytes, made for example of polyethylene oxide and non-plasticizing lithium salts, such as lithium perchlorate or lithium trifluorosulfonate, peeling is rather easy. However, with highly amorphous electrolytes, containing for example copolymers or highly plasticizing salts of the TFSI type (lithium trifluorosulfonimide), it is practically impossible to peel the polypropylene substrate without pulling off some of the electrolyte, because of the very adhesive character of the latter.
Substrates less adhesive and less polar than polypropylene, such as FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymer) or polyethylene (PE), cannot be used, because either they are not wetted properly by the electrolyte solutions (in the case of FEP), or they will stretch or deform in the drying tunnel (PE), or they are still too adhesive to be peeled off without damage to the electrolyte.
Internal additives known to facilitate peeling, such as silicone derivatives, also cannot be used in the electrolytes, because of their detrimental effect on the electrochemical properties of the cell.
Cooling the electrolyte films before peeling, at temperatures lower than -60.degree. C. (the glass transition temperature of the electrolytes), somewhat facilitates peeling, but not enough to enable a very uniform peeling on the entire surface and at a speed acceptable for industrial applications.

Peeling aids for LPB electrolytes and method of use