A compact magnetic field applying device rotates and holds a magnetic field generating member using a small-scale, light-weight vibration actuator. A permanent magnet applies a bias magnetic field on a magnetized information recording area of a magnetooptical disk, and is driven by a vibration actuator. When voltage is applied to a piezoelectric element of the vibration actuator, an annular elastic member generates a travelling wave due to a bending vibration in the perimeter direction of a groove on the elastic member. Because the elastic member and a moving member provided on the permanent magnet are pressed into contact by a coil spring, the permanent magnet rotates. When voltage is not applied to the piezoelectric element, because the elastic member and the moving member are pressed into contact, the permanent magnet is held in a specified rotational position.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic field applying device for use in recording and deleting information by applying a magnetic field to an information recording medium such as, for example, a magnetooptical disk having a magnetized information recording area.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 3 is an exploded, perspective view of one example of a conventional magnetic field applying device. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the conventional magnetic field applying device.
Referring to FIG. 4, a magnetooptical disk 1 is an information recording medium formed of a magnetooptical recording material, in which the direction of magnetization is uniform, that is applied as a film on a substrate 11.
Magnetooptical disk 1 consists of a disk-shaped substrate 11 made of, for example, amorphous polyolefin or epoxy, a conductor layer 12 made of SiN.sub.x, AlN, or the like, provided on one side of the substrate 11, a rare earth-transient metallic amorphous thin film recording film layer (magnetooptical recording material) 13 made of a crystal such as magnetic garnet and magnetic ferrite, for example, TbFeCo, GbTbFeCo, and the like, provided on the surface of the conductor layer 12, and a protective film layer 14 made of oxides such as SiO.sub.2 and SiO, provided on the surface of the recording film layer 13. A rotating mechanism (not illustrated) having a central hole for attachment to a drive is formed on magnetooptical disk 1.
A permanent magnet 2 generates a bias magnetic field in the direction and in the reverse direction of the magnetization on the magnetized recording film layer 13 of magnetooptical disk 1. The permanent magnet 2 is part of the write-head for recording information on the disk 1.
As shown in FIG. 3, permanent magnet 2 has rotating shafts 2a and 2b that protrude from both ends in its longitudinal direction. Permanent magnet 2 is a round columnar or cylindrical permanent magnet that is divided magnetically in its diameter direction into a semi-columnar N polar region and a semi-columnar S polar region (see FIG. 4).
Shaft couplers 3a and 3b support permanent magnet 2 so that it can rotate freely. The inner diameter portions of shaft couplers 3a and 3b support rotating shafts 2a and 2b, respectively, to rotate freely. Shaft couplers 3a and 3b are inserted into the inner diameter portion of flanges 4a and 4b of a holder 4, to be explained later. Shaft couplers 3a and 3b are radial shaft couplers for supporting the load of the rotating shafts 2a and 2b, and act in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of magnet 2.
Holder 4 houses the permanent magnet 2 and shaft couplers 3a and 3b. Holder 4 also supports hollow core coils 5, 6 and iron core coil 7, to be explained later. Together with the permanent magnet 2, holder 4 is the yoke for forming the magnetic field. Holder 4 is preferably made of a non-magnetic material, such as, for example, aluminum or copper, or the like. Holder 4 consists of flanges 4a and 4b for housing shaft couplers 3a and 3b, respectively, and a cylindrical holder main body 4c linking flanges 4a and 4b for housing permanent magnet 2 so that magnet 2 is located inside holder 4. Holder 4 is preferably attached by an attaching member (not illustrated) opposite the case body of the information recording and reproducing device so as to sandwich magnetooptical disk 1, or is attached close to an object lens (collecting lens) that collects the laser light emitted from a laser light emitting device (not illustrated).
Hollow core coils 5 and 6 are auxiliary coils for providing rotational torque, together with main coil 7, to be explained later, to permanent magnet 2. Hollow core coils 5 and 6 are fixed substantially 180.degree. apart from each other on the periphery of holder main body 4c by fixing means, such as, for example, an adhesive.
Iron core coil 7 can be actuated so that a state exists in which permanent magnet 2 and iron core coil 7 are attracted to each other by generating a magnetic pole that is different from a magnetic pole of a portion of permanent magnet 2 located adjacent to coil 7. Coil 7 also can be actuated so that a state exists in which permanent magnet 2 and iron core coil 7 repel each other by generating a magnetic pole that is the same as a magnetic pole of a portion of permanent magnet 2 located adjacent to coil 7.
Iron core coil 7 consists of a main coil 71 and an iron core 72. Iron core coil 7 is fixed, for example, by adhesive to holder main body 4c offset substantially 90.degree. with respect to hollow core coils 5 and 6. In other words, coil 7 is located substantially perpendicular to the direction in which hollow core coils 5 and 6 are disposed.
Next, the operation of the conventional magnetic field applying device is explained with respect to a recording operation, a reproduction operation, and a deleting operation.
By supplying electric current to iron core coil 7, iron core coil 7 is attracted to the S pole of permanent magnet 2, forming a stable magnetic state. As a result, the S pole of permanent magnet 2 and the iron core coil 7 are positioned opposite each other, and the N pole of permanent magnet 2 is positioned opposite the surface of magnetooptical disk 1.
Recording film layer 14 of magnetooptical disk 1 is magnetized in advance in a direction perpendicular to the film surface of the recording film layer 14. When the N pole of permanent magnet 2 opposes the film surface of recording film layer 14, a line of magnetic force (the dashed line in the drawing) is formed in the vicinity of the permanent magnet 2 and the magnetooptical disk 1 by the bias magnetic field H.sub.B of permanent magnet 2.
Laser light B emitted from a laser light emitting device (not illustrated) is collected by collecting lens L, and then a light spot is formed on part of recording film layer 14 having the bias magnetic field H.sub.B applied thereto. As a result, the part on which the light spot is formed is heated and, as shown in FIG. 4, a magnetic bubble M.sub.B, which is a reversed magnetization relative to the direction of magnetization of the layer 14 in advance, is formed on this part of recording film layer 14.
By the above operation, information can be recorded on recording film layer 14 based on the presence or absence of magnetic bubbles M.sub.B.
When reproducing information recorded on magnetooptical disk 1, laser light B having a weaker intensity than the laser light B used during recording is radiated on recording film layer 14 to form a light spot on the recording film layer 14. The polarization of the reflected light of the radiated laser light B is rotated by a Kerr effect according to the direction of magnetization of the recording film layer 14 from which the light is reflected. By passing the reflected light through a linear polarizer, the polarization of this light, and hence the presence or absence of magnetic bubbles M.sub.B (i.e., data) can be detected. By the above operation, information recorded on recording film layer 14 can be reproduced.
When deleting information recorded on recording film layer 14, it is necessary to restore the reversed magnetic bubble M.sub.B on recording film layer 14 to its original direction of magnetization by again reversing the magnetization direction of layer 14 at the location of the magnetic bubble M.sub.B. Therefore, in order to apply a bias magnetic field H.sub.B to the reversed magnetic bubble M.sub.B in a reversed direction to that used during recording, it is necessary to reverse permanent magnet 2 substantially 180.degree. from the state shown in FIG. 4.
In the state shown in FIG. 4, when electric current flows to hollow core coils 5 and 6, respectively, an N pole is formed in hollow core coil 5 and an S pole is formed in hollow core coil 6. Accordingly, hollow core coil 5 and permanent magnet 2, and hollow core coil 6 and permanent magnet 2, enter a state of repulsion. As a result, permanent magnet 2 rotates, receiving a rotational torque FA in the direction of the arrow in the drawing.
When electric current flows to main coil 71 substantially at the same time as the supply of electricity to hollow core coils 5 and 6, an S pole is formed in iron core coil 72. Accordingly, iron core coil 7 and the opposing portion of permanent magnet 2 enter a state of repulsion, and permanent magnet 2 receives a repelling torque FB in the direction of the arrow in the drawing. As a result, permanent magnet 2 rotates, for example, at 10-20 mm/s, in the direction of the arrows FA and FB in the drawing in relation to holder 4 by a composite torque (FA+FB) of rotational torque FA and repelling torque FB.
When permanent magnet 2 rotates in the direction of the arrow (FA+FB) in the drawing and rotates in excess of 180.degree. from the state shown in FIG. 4, the N pole of permanent magnet 2 is positioned opposite iron core coil 7. As a result, permanent magnet 2 and iron core coil 7 enter a state of attraction, and permanent magnet 2 rotates up to and is aligned to the magnetic polar position of iron core 72. Permanent magnet 2 and iron core coil 7 enter a state of attraction by maintaining the electrified state of main coil 71, and permanent magnet 2 has its S pole held in a state opposite the surface of magnetooptical disk 1.
The S pole of permanent magnet 2 applies a bias magnetic field H.sub.B to recording film layer 14 having a reversed magnetic bubble M.sub.B formed in relation to the adjacent area of recording film layer 14. Also, a line of magnetic force is formed in the vicinity of permanent magnet 2 and magnetooptical disk 1 in a direction opposite the line of magnetic force (dashed line in the drawing) shown in FIG. 4.
Laser light B, emitted from a laser light emitting device (not illustrated) and collected by collecting lens L, forms a light spot on a part of recording film layer 14 having a bias magnetic field H.sub.B applied opposite to that applied during recording. As a result, the part having the light spot formed thereon is heated, and because a magnetization (magnetic bubble M.sub.B) being in the same direction as the direction of magnetization of adjacent portions is formed on the part of recording film layer 14, the direction of magnetization prior to recording is restored. By the above operation, information recorded on recording film layer 14 is deleted.
For more details on magnetooptical recording disks and methods of recording, reproducing and deleting data therefrom, see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,524, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
The conventional magnetic field applying device described above places permanent magnet 2 and iron core coil 7 into a state of attraction and holds the N pole or S pole of permanent magnet 2 in a state opposed to the surface of magnetooptical disk 1 by maintaining the electrified state of main coil 71. Therefore, electric power is consumed by main coil 71 in order to hold permanent magnet 2 in position.
Additionally, when there is a magnetic body, such as, for example, an iron strip, or the like, in the vicinity of permanent magnet 2, because permanent magnet 2 receives a force of attraction from the magnetic body, control of rotation and holding of the permanent magnet 2 by the hollow core coils 5, 6 and iron core coil 7 is difficult.
Furthermore, because the conventional magnetic field applying device holds hollow core coils 5 and 6 using holder 4, the entirety of the device can not be made compact.


System and method for relation extraction using adaptive thresholding and localized context pooling (ATLOP). The system includes a computing device, the computing device has a processer and a storage device storing computer executable code. The computer executable code is configured to provide a document; embed entities in the document into embedding vectors; and predict relations between a pair of entities in the document using their embedding vectors. The relation prediction is performed based on an improved language model. Each relation has an adaptive threshold, and the relation between the pair of entities is determined to exist when a logit of the relation between the pair of entities is greater than a logit function of the corresponding adaptive threshold.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Relation extraction (RE), which extracts relations between pairs of entities in plain text, is an important task in Natural Language Processing (NLP). Relations can be extracted from sentences or documents. Comparing to sentence-level RE, document-level RE poses new challenges, because one document commonly contains multiple entity pairs, and one entity pair may occur multiple times in the document associated with multiple possible relations or multiple labels.
To tackle the multi-entity problem, most current approaches construct a document graph with dependency structures, heuristics, or structured attention, and then perform inference with graph neural models. The constructed graphs bridge entities that spread far apart in the document and thus alleviate the deficiency of RNN-based encoders in capturing long-distance information. However, as transformer-based models can implicitly model long-distance dependencies, it is unclear whether graph structures still help on top of pretrained language models such as BERT. There have also been approaches to directly apply pre-trained language models without introducing graph structures. They simply average the embedding of entity tokens to obtain the entity embeddings and feed them into the classifier to get relation labels. However, each entity has the same representation in different entity pairs, which can bring noise from irrelevant context.
Therefore, an unaddressed need exists in the art to address the multi-entity, multi label problem in document-level relation extraction.

System and method for relation extraction with adaptive thresholding and localized context pooling

Beijing Wodong Tianjun Information Technology Co., Ltd.

JD.com American Technologies Corporation


An endoscope includes an insertion portion including a bending portion configured to bend in four directions, and a flexible tube portion provided so as to be continuous with the bending portion, wherein the bending portion includes a first bending region and a second bending region, and wherein the flexible tube portion comprises inside, four first guide pipes each including a distal end fixed to a distal end of the first bending region and a proximal end fixed to a bending portion operation device, and three second guide pipes each including a distal end fixed to a distal end of the second bending region and a proximal end fixed to a bending portion bent shape switching device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope including a bending portion, a bending radius of which can be changed, on a distal end side of an insertion portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, endoscopes have widely been used in a medical field and an industrial field. In the case of endoscopes used in the medical field, e.g., an inside of a body can be observed by inserting an insertion portion into the body. Endoscopes are categorized into those of a type whose elongated insertion portion is rigid and those of a type whose elongated insertion portion is flexible.
On the other hand, in the case of endoscopes used in the industrial field, e.g., inspection of whether or not, e.g., damage or corrosion exists can be conducted by inserting a flexible elongated insertion portion into, e.g., a jet engine or a piping in a plant.
Furthermore, in the case of the medical endoscopes, various treatments and the like can be performed by introducing a treatment instrument to the inside of a body via a treatment instrument insertion channel provided in the insertion portion. On the other hand, in the case of the industrial endoscopes, various repairs and the like can be performed by introducing a tool to the inside of an engine through an insertion channel provided in the insertion portion.
In general, an endoscope including a flexible elongated insertion portion includes a bending portion on a distal end side of the insertion portion. The bending portion is configured to bend in a plurality of directions according to operations performed by a user via his/her hand. As described above, with an endoscope including a bending portion, the bending portion is bent to change a direction of observation via an observation optical system provided in a distal end portion of an insertion portion, enabling an inspection for a wide range to be performed.
Furthermore, in the case of an endoscope including a bending portion, when a distal end portion of an insertion portion reaches a flexed part provided in a conduit, the insertion portion can smoothly be inserted toward a deep portion of the conduit by properly bending the bending portion to direct the distal end portion toward the deep portion of the conduit.
A bendable bending portion is mainly configured by aligning a plurality of bending pieces in a longitudinal axis direction and pivotably joining the respective bending pieces so as to bend in, for example, two directions that are upward and downward directions, or four directions that are upward, downward, leftward and rightward directions, and is provided with a plurality of bending wires to respond to the bending directions.
Distal ends of the bending wires are fixed at respective predetermined positions in a distal end bending piece positioned on the distalmost end side from among the bending pieces included in the bending portion. On the other hand, proximal ends of the respective bending wires are fixed at respective predetermined positions in pulleys interlocked with, for example, bending knobs included in a bending operation device provided at an operation portion.
With such configuration, when a user performs an operation to rotate, for example, a bending knob for the upward direction, an upward bending wire from among four bending wires is pulled while a downward bending wire is loosened, whereby the bending portion bends upward.
In this case, the bending portion bends with a predetermined bending radius (also referred to as curvature) from a proximal end of the bending portion in a longitudinal axis direction of the insertion portion as a starting point. In other words, a bending portion configured by aligning a plurality of bending pieces is set to bend with a predetermined bending radius from the proximal end side of the bending portion as a starting point.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-345742 discloses an endoscope of a type in which flexibility of a flexible tube portion is adjusted by change in bending stiffness of a coil, the endoscope being a flexibility-variable endoscope that provides enhanced operability and durability of a flexibility adjustment mechanism. The flexibility-variable endoscope includes a wire operation mechanism, which is illustrated in FIG. 2 in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-345742. The wire operation mechanism, a coil is provided in a flexible tube portion substantially concentrically with the flexible tube portion, a plurality of coil pull wires engaged with the coil are provided at different positions in a circumferential direction of the coil and the plurality of coil pull wires are pulled or loosened to expand/contract the coil. In the flexibility-variable endoscope, flexibility adjustment knobs are operated to pull the coil pull wires to contract the coil, enabling the flexible tube portion to be adjusted from a state in which the flexible tube portion easily bends (soft) to a state in which the flexible tube portion is hard to bend (hard).


An internal combustion engine (1), especially for a motor vehicle, is described, which has a catalytic converter (12) which can be loaded with and unloaded of nitrogen oxides. An NOx sensor (14) is provided with which NOx emissions can be measured downstream of the catalytic converter (12). The catalytic converter (12) can be only partially loaded by a control apparatus (18). An increased NOx emission can be generated forward of or in the catalytic converter (12) by the control apparatus (18). A conclusion can be drawn as to the operability of the catalytic converter (12) by the control apparatus (18) from NOx emissions measured downstream.

The invention relates to a method for operating a catalytic converter of an internal combustion engine, especially of a motor vehicle, wherein the catalytic converter is loaded with nitrous oxides and unloaded and wherein the NOx emissions downstream of the catalytic converter are measured. Likewise, the invention relates to a control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, especially of a motor vehicle, as well as an internal combustion engine especially for a motor vehicle.
A method of this kind, a control apparatus of this kind and an internal combustion engine of this kind are, for example, known for a so-called gasoline direct injection. There, the fuel is injected into the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine in a homogeneous operation during the induction phase or in a stratified operation during the compression phase. The homogeneous operation is preferably provided for the full-load operation of the engine; whereas, the stratified operation is suitable for idle operation and part-load operation. In a direct-injecting internal combustion engine of the above kind, a switchover takes place between the above-mentioned operating modes, for example, in dependence upon the requested torque.
Especially for carrying out the stratified operation, it is required that a storage catalytic converter be present with which developing nitrogen oxides can be intermediately stored in order to reduce the same during a subsequent homogeneous operation. This storage catalytic converter is loaded in the stratified operation with nitrogen oxides and is again unloaded in the homogeneous operation. An NOx sensor is mounted downstream of the catalytic converter for controlling and monitoring. The NOx sensor is provided for measuring NOx emissions of the discharging exhaust gas.
Parts of the catalytic converter can become defective because of the deterioration thereof or for other reasons.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method for operating a catalytic converter of an internal combustion engine with which a defect of the catalytic converter can be detected.
This object is solved in accordance with the invention with a method of the kind mentioned initially herein in that the catalytic converter is only partially loaded, that an increased NOx emission is generated in advance or in the catalytic converter and that a conclusion is drawn as to the operability of the catalytic converter from the NOx emissions measured downstream. The object is correspondingly solved with a control apparatus and an internal combustion engine of the respective types mentioned initially herein.
The catalytic converter can reduce the increased NOx emissions generated ahead of or therein via the only partial loading of the catalytic converter. In this way, a lower NOx emission is present at the output of the catalytic converter than the initially generated NOx emission. From this reduction, a conclusion is drawn in accordance with the invention as to the operability of the catalytic converter. If a significant reduction of the initially increased NOx emission is present, then a conclusion can be drawn at least insofar as to a proper operation of the catalytic converter.
The catalytic converter is, however, recognized as being defective when an increased NOx emission is measured. In this case, the initially increased NOx emission was not reduced by the catalytic converter. This defines an operation of the catalytic converter which is not proper.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the increased NOx emission is generated ahead of or in the catalytic converter by a discharge thereof. An increased NOx emission arises from the switchover to the discharge. Since the catalytic converter is not fully loaded, this increased NOx emission arises at the beginning or at least in the interior of the catalytic converter. In this way, for an intact catalytic converter, the increased NOx emission can be reduced again within the catalytic converter itself. There is then no NOx emission or only a very slight NOx emission measured by the NOx sensor at the output of the catalytic converter from which a conclusion can be drawn as to a proper operation of the catalytic converter.
Likewise, it is advantageous, when the increased NOx emission is generated ahead of or in the catalytic converter by: a reduction of the exhaust-gas recirculation rate and/or by an early shift of the ignition time point and/or by a reduction of the fuel pressure. Alternatively or additively, the increased NOx emission can be generated by chemical NOx sources wherein, for example, urea or nitrate is introduced ahead of the catalytic converter. Furthermore, the increased NOx emission can be generated by a spark plug mounted forward of the catalytic converter.
Of special significance is the realization of the method of the invention in the form of a control element which is provided for a control apparatus of an internal combustion engine, especially of a motor vehicle. A program is stored on the control element which can be run on a computing apparatus, especially on a microprocessor, and is suitable for executing the method in accordance with the invention. In this case, the invention is therefore realized by a program stored on the control element so that this control element, which is provided with the program, defines the invention in the same way as the method for whose execution the program is suitable. As a control element, an electric storage medium is especially applicable, for example, a read-only-memory or a flash memory.
Further features, possibilities of application and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description of the embodiments of the invention which follow and which are shown in the figures of the drawing. All described or illustrated features form the subject matter of the invention individually or in any combination independently of the composition thereof in the patent claims or their dependency as well as independently of their formulation in the description or their illustration in the drawing.

Method for operating the catalyst of an internal combustion engine


Provided is a pure liquid manufacturing apparatus capable of manufacturing pure liquid such as pure water efficiently. Together with a series of units, from a heating unit to a condensation unit, for obtaining pure liquid from vapor, a drain tank unit for storing liquid is disposed, after the liquid discharged from the vaporization unit and the separation unit and new liquid are mixed in advance in the drain tank unit, the mixed liquid is pressurized by a pump unit and supplied to the heating unit. Consequently, the drain tank unit serves as a buffer for pressure, thus making it possible to maintain easily the pressure in the respective units such as the vaporization unit, etc., and reduce load of a vacuum exhaust unit to ensure a reduced pressure state, and dispose the required minimum valves for maintaining the pressure, thereby achieving the simplification of the apparatus structure.

Pure water, which has been obtained by removing impurities from water, has a feature of causing no adverse effects by the impurities. Therefore, it has been widely used in cleaning various kinds of devices such as a semiconductor, or manufacturing chemical substance such as pharmaceutical preparations, etc., in addition to use of test or experiment. However, such pure water has characteristics and properties that allow a relatively high level of dissolution of other substances into the water, compared to ordinary or non-purified water. It has recently been used also for drinking or edible use by adding naturally-derived nutritional components or flavor components thereto.
Various kinds of methods such as a filtration method, an ion-exchange method, a method utilizing a reverse osmosis membrane, etc. are used for manufacture of pure water. However, a manufacturing method utilizing distillation has conventionally being used widely as an easy and effective method. A pure water manufacturing apparatus utilizing such a distillation process is disclosed for example in JP 06-63535 A, JP 2006-167535 A or JP 2002-79237 A.


A method for securing human to human communication over a network includes receiving, by a first computer, an incoming authenticated data stream from a second computer over a first communication channel, the incoming authenticated data stream having been computed using an incoming digital experiential data stream and a first imprint, and extracting the first imprint from the incoming authenticated data stream. The incoming authenticated data stream is then presented for sensory experience by a human. An outgoing digital experiential data stream is then input and the method computes a second imprint associated with the first computer and computes an outgoing authenticated data stream using the outgoing digital experiential data stream and the second imprint. A second communication channel is then secured from the first computer to the second computer using the first imprint, the second communication channel suitable for sending the outgoing authenticated data stream to the second computer.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone calls are susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks in which a third party assumes the identity of one of the parties to the call. This assumption may allow the third party to gather information from one or both of the calling parties. VoIP calls generally involve two users having a conversation through a data network rather than through the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN). The term VoIP as used here includes any packet switched network, whether that network operates in accordance with the Internet Protocol or not.
The PSTN operates as a circuit-switched network in which voice signals travel through a circuit or path formed by switches at various points in the circuit. A person attempting a man-in-the-middle (MIM) attack would have to breach the circuit, such as by tapping one end or the other. Packet switched networks encode voice signals into digital data and then packetize that data and route the packets into the network. No dedicated circuit exists.
For a typical phone user, a MIM attack could capture and 'record' the data packets, allowing the construction of audio files. The information in these audio files would allow the attacker to gain information about the user. A MIM attack could also allow an attacker to assume the identity of the other party by intercepting the packets.
Generally, end-to-end security provides the strongest defense to these attacks. However, unless two users both reside in the same VoIP provider's network, end-to-end security will typically not exist. This type of system, within the same VoIP provider network, constitutes a 'closed' system. Most users will not operate in a closed system and will need a way to provide end-to-end security in an open system.
For open systems, most security methods involve encryption. Users encrypt data frames containing multimedia conversations to prevent intermediate nodes from gaining any useful information about the content of the communication. However, in order for end-to-end encryption to exist, the two parties participating in a phone call must agree on cryptographic keys to encrypt their data frames. Absent Public Key Infrastructures or pre-shared keys, such a key exchange must occur in the 'clear,' allowing a MIM attacker to acquire the keys from each endpoint and perform pair-wise secure setup with each endpoint. The attacker would then pass along the media information after inspecting and recording its contents.

Securing multimedia network communication


A battery module is provided. The battery module includes a battery set, a voltage measurement unit, a temperature measurement unit, a matrix calculation unit and a mix algorithm unit. The voltage measurement unit measures a voltage matrix of the battery set. The temperature measurement unit measures a temperature of the battery set. The matrix calculation unit calculates a norm of the voltage matrix. The mix algorithm unit reduces a remaining capacity of the battery module by a first predetermined rate if the change of the norm is larger than a predetermined value and the rise of temperature is larger than a predetermined difference for a predetermined time, and reduces the remaining capacity of the battery module by a second predetermined rate if the change of the norm is larger than the predetermined value and the rise of temperature is not larger than the predetermined difference.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a battery module, and more particularly to a charge/discharge battery module.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, the calculation of battery capacity is usually accompanied with calculation defects, leading to poor accuracy or fluctuating capacities. Under the circumstance that the indication of battery capacity almost drops to 0%, the indication of battery capacity may suddenly surge to be larger than 30% once the battery module is connected to a power connector. Or, under such circumstance that the indication of battery capacity is about 50%, the indication of battery capacity may suddenly plunge to 0% immediately after the electronic device performs a simple program.
The chip for detecting battery capacity may adopt the end of discharge voltage (EDV) method or the impedance tracking (IT) method. Since above methods do not take the characteristics of the battery body and external environment into consideration, the obtained calculation of battery capacity is thus inaccurate.


Recovery of gold from alkaline cyanide leach solutions using ion exchange adsorbents, comprising (a) contacting the cyanide leach solution containing the gold with an extraction reagent comprised of a solid adsorbent carrying an organic base functionality of a compound having a pK.sub.a between about 9-14, such as a guanidyl functionality, to adsorb gold and eluting the adsorbed gold from the solid adsorbent with an aqueous alkaline eluant solution having a pH above about 12 and containing an alkali metal salt of an aromatic or aliphatic carboxylic acid having from about 4-14 carbon atoms, the eluant solution having incorprated therein from about 0.001 moles to about 0.2 moles per liter of an alkali metal cyanide salt. The solid adsorbent containing the aurocyanide complex may be contacted with a concentrated aqueous solution of a zinc tetracyanide salt whereby the aurocyanide complex is displaced with a zinc tetracyanide complex before treatment with the eluant solution.

Gold is recovered from its ores by leaching with alkaline cyanide solution, forming the aurocyanide ion Au(CN).sub.2.sup.- in solution. Concentrations are generally very low, typically a few parts per million (ppm) or less. The gold is typically adsorbed from solution by activated carbon, and is in turn removed from the carbon by elution with a caustic solution. The caustic solution, now relatively concentrated in gold, is treated by electrowinning to recover elemental gold.
One of the disadvantages of carbon is the complexity and cost of its regeneration after caustic elution. Precipitation of carbonates tend to clog the carbon pores, and adsorption of traces of organic materials can deactivate its gold adsorption properties. To restore the carbon's activity, it is treated with a mineral acid solution and then roasted. During each cycle of the roasting process, a significant portion of the carbon mass is lost, resulting in decreasing particle diameters. When the particles become so small that they risk being lost to the leaching system along with their loaded gold, they must be removed and discarded.
An alternative to carbon adsorption is adsorption on an ion exchange resin. With ion exchange resins, the gold can be recovered by simple caustic elution; further regeneration steps are not needed. To accomplish this, the reactive functionality of the resin must be pH-dependent; that is, capable of adsorbing aurocyanide over the pH range typical of cyanide leach solutions--normally pH 9 to 11--and also capable of eluting aurocyanide in the pH range of eluant solutions--normally above pH 12. This means the functionality must be in its cationic form during extraction and neutral during elution. One of the few functionalities capable of this specific pH dependency is the guanidine functionality. Guanidine ion exchange resins for recovery of precious metals have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,895,597, 5,028,259 & 5,198,021.
It is desirable in an ion exchange system for gold recovery that the rate and extent of elution of gold be as great as possible. Slow elution rates mean that the resin must spend a larger portion of its cycle time in the elution process rather than extracting more gold, and the equipment for conducting the elution must be larger. To the extent that gold elution is not complete, gold will be carried with the eluted resin back to extraction so that its ultimate recovery is delayed. Furthermore, residual gold on eluted resin may result in less complete extraction of gold from the leach solution.
A significant means for increasing the rate of gold elution from ion exchange resins is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,198,021, in which the combination of an alkali metal hydroxide and an alkali metal salt of an aliphatic or aromatic carboxylic acid is used to elute gold. It would be desirable to be able to enhance the rate of gold elution still further, allowing the size of elution equipment to be decreased and permitting more reliable operation of the overall gold recovery system.


A concrete pumping truck having a forward end and a rear end with a hopper attached at the rear end of the concrete pumping truck comprises an auxiliary axle system pivotally attached to the rear end of the truck adjacent the hopper, the auxiliary axle system comprising a pair of pivotable wheels movable between a first position in contact with a ground surface and a second position elevated above the ground surface.

The present invention pertains to an auxiliary axle system for concrete pumping trucks. Generally, concrete pumping trucks carry a pump that draws concrete out of a reservoir called a hopper and pumps concrete through a valve that feeds a pipeline carried by an expandable boom. Together, these components are capable of continuously moving a large volume of heavy, viscous material, such as concrete, considerable vertical or horizontal distances.
The gross weight of concrete pumping trucks has increased with advances in concrete pumping technology that have enabled concrete to be transported to higher or more distant locations. Due to the increased concrete pumping truck size and gross weight, access to roads with axle weight restrictions can be affected. Therefore, there is a need for concrete pumping trucks with an auxiliary axle system so that the concrete pumping trucks can meet the axle weight restrictions for all roads.

Auxiliary axle system for concrete pump truck


A closed-loop hydraulic circuit associated with a swing mechanism of a machine is controlled to obtain both a pressure control during acceleration and deceleration of the swing mechanism and a velocity control during coasting. In this manner, a system pressure in closed-loop hydraulic circuit is maintained below a maximum allowable pressure during acceleration and deceleration, and the swing mechanism can be rotated at a desired constant speed during coasting. This is achieved by controlling a hydraulic actuator adjusting the displacement of a variable displacement pump in different control modes, depending on a comparison between a desired displacement of the pump and an actual displacement of the same.

Hydraulic machines, for example, hydraulic excavators, use engines to drive hydraulic pumps, which in turn provide hydraulic power to a plurality of hydraulic circuits of the hydraulic machines. Each hydraulic circuit may include one or more actuators, for example, hydraulic cylinders and/or hydraulic motors. The plurality of hydraulic actuators each may require a flow of hydraulic fluid from one or more hydraulic pumps to operate the associated hydraulic cylinders or hydraulic motors. The amount of flow required by each hydraulic actuator may vary depending on an operator input. The hydraulic pumps may be controlled to supply the hydraulic system with the hydraulic flow required by each of the plurality of hydraulic actuators.
In some systems, the plurality of hydraulic circuits include a closed-loop hydraulic circuit. The closed-loop hydraulic circuit may include one or more hydraulic motors supplied with the required flow by one or more variable displacement pumps disposed in the closed-loop hydraulic circuit. Various control systems have been implemented to control the variable displacement pumps in the closed-loop hydraulic circuit.
The disclosed systems and methods are directed at least in part to improving known systems.


A method of forming high definition elements for electrical and electronic devices, substrates, and other components from or including viscous material. The method includes applying a de-wetting agent to a surface bordering the viscous material prior to applying the viscous material. The de-wetting agent causes the viscous material to "bead-up."

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to maintaining the structure of viscous materials applied to semiconductor components. More particularly, the present invention relates to glob top application wherein viscous encapsulant material is prevented from flowing when applied to semiconductor components by a layer of de-wetting agent.
2. State of the Art
Higher performance, lower cost, increased miniaturization of components, and greater packaging density of integrated circuits are goals of the computer industry. As components become smaller and smaller, tolerances for all semiconductor structures (circuitry traces, printed circuit board and flip chip bumps, adhesive structures for lead attachment, encapsulation structures, and the like) become more and more stringent. However, because of the characteristics of the materials (generally viscous materials) used in forming the semiconductor structures, it is becoming difficult to form smaller circuitry traces. conductive polymer bumps with closer pitches, adequate adhesive structures for leads attachment, and adequate encapsulation structures.
Material flow problems exist in the application of encapsulation materials. After a semiconductor device is attached to a printed circuit board ("PCB") by any known chip-on-board ("COB") technique, the semiconductor device is usually encapsulated with a viscous liquid or gel insulative material (e.g., silicones, polyimides, epoxies, plastics, and the like). This encapsulation (depending on its formulation) allows the semiconductor device to better withstand exposure to a wide variety of environmental conditions such as moisture, ion impingements, heat, and abrasion.
One technique used in the industry is illustrated in FIGS. 7-9. A stencil 50 is placed on a conductor-carrying substrate such as a PCB 52 such that an open area 54 in the stencil 50 exposes a semiconductor device 56 to be encapsulated as well as a portion of tile substrate 52 surrounding the semiconductor device 56, as shown in FIG. 7. An encapsulant material 58 is then extruded from a nozzle 60 into the open area 54, as shown in FIG. 8. However, when the stencil 50 is removed, the encapsulant material 58 sags or flows laterally under the force of gravity, as shown in FIG. 9. This flowing thins the encapsulant material 58 on the top surface 62 of the semiconductor device 56, which may result in inadequate protection for the semiconductor device 56, particularly in the vicinity of the upper peripheral edges 64. Using a thicker encapsulant material would help minimize the amount of flow; however, thicker encapsulant materials are difficult to extrude through a nozzle and are subject to the formation of voids such as air pockets. These voids can cause delamination of the encapsulant from the PCB 52 or the semiconductor device 56, and if the voids contain moisture, during subsequent processing steps the encapsulant material may be heated to the point at which the moisture, usually in condensed form, vaporizes. Vaporization causes what is known as a "popcorn effect" (i.e., a small explosion) which at least damages (i.e., cracks) the encapsulation material and more often results in contamination of the device and usually irreparable damage thereto, effectively destroying the semiconductor device as a usable assembly.
In an effort to cope with the encapsulant flow problem, the damming technique shown in FIGS. 10-12 has been used. A high viscosity material 66 is extruded through a nozzle 68 directly onto a PCB or other carrier substrate 70 to form a dam 72 around a semiconductor device 74, as shown in FIG. 10, or a stencil can be placed on the substrate 70 such that a continuous aperture in the stencil exposes an area around the semiconductor device 74 to be dammed. The high viscosity material 66 is then disposed into the stencil aperture to form the dam 72. A low viscosity encapsulation material 76 is then flowed into the area bounded by the dam 72 by a second nozzle 78 such as a syringe or spray applicator, as shown in FIG. 11. The dam 72 prevents the low viscosity encapsulation material 76 from flowing and defines the periphery of the dammed encapsulated structure 80, shown in FIG. 12, after curing of material 76. The dam 72 can be made with high viscosity material without adverse consequences since it does not directly contact the semiconductor device 74 or form any part, other than a damming function, of the encapsulation of the semiconductor device 74. Although this damming technique is an effective means of containing the low viscosity encapsulation material 76, it requires somewhat duplicative processing steps as well as additional material and equipment, all of which increase the cost of the fabricated component.
Thus, it can be appreciated that it would be advantageous to develop a technique to control viscous material flow in the formation of semiconductor components while using commercially-available, widely-practiced semiconductor device fabrication techniques.

Method for application of de-wetting material for glob top applications


A host processor card configured to be fitted into a server system includes a processor, and a memory coupled to the processor for storing an operating system. A power control line controls the power state of the host processor card. A graceful shutdown circuit is coupled to the processor and the power control line. The processor is configured to provide a graceful shutdown signal to the graceful shutdown circuit. The graceful shutdown circuit is configured to allow a graceful shutdown of the host processor card when the power control line indicates that the host processor card is to be powered down if the processor has provided the graceful shutdown signal.

Compact peripheral component interconnect (cPCI) is a standardized industrial form-factor implementation of the PCI Local bus I/O standard. As a physical standard, cPCI implements features that are designed to allow for the insertion and removal of I/O modules into a live chassis, for example blind mate connectors and staged length power and signal pins. In addition, as an electrical and protocol standard, there are features in cPCI that allow for inserted I/O modules to be recognized and configured, or removed modules to be de-configured by the host of the I/O bus and the software running on it. Pending removal of a peripheral I/O card is indicated by actuating an extractor handle, which has an integral switch to generate an electrical signal to the I/O bus host. Cards are energized after insertion or de-energized prior to removal by a hot swap controller, which is typically integrated into the host processor card.
Existing implementations are satisfactory for insertion and removal of I/O modules from a bus hosted in a chassis by a single host processor card that includes a hot swap controller. The I/O modules can tolerate immediate shutdown, and shutdown of the single host implies complete shutdown of the unit, and as such, implies graceful operating system shutdown.
While the above-described hot swap mechanisms are adequate when I/O modules are inserted or removed, it proves to be inadequate when host processor cards are swapped out. This is due to the fact that the host processor cards typically run operating system and application code that cannot tolerate the immediate power shutdown associated with the removal process, due to the caching of storage transactions in volatile memory. Also, the hot swap controller is typically integrated into a host processor card, which means that the host processor card cannot typically turn itself on or off, and which also means that if the host processor card needs to be replaced, all other modules will be affected. This problem is greatly exacerbated in a system where there are no I/O modules, but primarily only host processor cards connected via a switched network fabric. In a system with multiple independent hosts per chassis connected through a switched network fabric, the existing technology fails to guarantee that host processor cards with operating systems and applications will be gracefully shutdown.
It would be desirable to provide a controlled mechanism by which a host processor card can participate in the standard cPCI hot swap protocol, and still allow for a graceful shutdown required for data integrity. It would be desirable to provide a consistent hot swap system for I/O modules and host processor cards in a system with multiple hosts, which guarantees graceful shutdown of operating systems and applications with facilities to override if necessary.

System and method for graceful shutdown of host processor cards in a server system

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method and apparatus for drying and curing a coating which as been applied in liquid form to a metal substrate. The process and apparatus include a precuring or drying of the coating by rapidly heating the sheet in an electromagnetic induction coil to volatilize solvents in the coating. The precured sheets are then immediately conveyed to a conventional convection oven for further heating the sheets by baking the sheets at a temperature and for a duration in accordance with the drying and curing specifications of the coating manufacturer. The induction coil is designed to heat the sheet metal in a narrow transverse band as the sheet moves through the induction coil. The power supply to the induction circuit is designed to permit the induction coil to be turned on under varying load.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for coating metal in either sheet or coil form with a protective or decorative coating and for drying and curing the coating. The invention is particularly directed to a method and apparatus for drying and curing a liquid coating which has been applied to individual sheets of a metal substrate. The invention also includes a sheet produced by the process of the present invention.
Sheet metal which is to be utilized for producing various products, such as metal cans and ends and decorative metal pieces, may have a coating applied to the metal for protective or decorative purposes. The metal can be in coil form or in the form of individual sheets. The protective coating is usually applied to the metal in liquid form by various techniques well known to those skilled in the art, such as a roller coater, dipping, spraying and the like, as the metal substrate is passed through the coater. Various coatings and inks can be used which are well known to those skilled in the art, including for example, vinyls, epoxys, alkyds and phenolics. These coatings include various resins and pigments dissolved in a solvent. The solvent can be either volatile organic solvent or may be an inorganic solvent, such as a water based solvent.
The present invention is primarily directed to coating individual sheets of ferromagnetic metal with or without tin or other metal coatings and having a gauge of approximately 0.004 to approximately 0.060 inches. The sheets may be rectangular and have a size, for example, of up to 54 inch by 56 inch. These dimensions are intended to be examples only and are not provided by way of limitation. The invention may also be applicable to similar gauge metal in coil form.
As will be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art, the normal practice is that liquid coating which has been applied to the metal substrate is dried and cured by the application of heat. The coating manufacturer usually specifies the temperature to which the coated metal must be heated and the duration for which the coated metal must be maintained at the specified temperature to achieve a proper cure of the coating.
Prior to the present invention, the most commonly used method of and apparatus for drying and curing the coating applied to metal in coil or sheet form was the use of a gas fired convection oven. The coated metal sheet or coil is baked by being slowly conveyed through the gas fired convection oven, whereby the metal sheet and coating are gradually heated to the desired temperature, maintained at that temperature for the specified duration. The oven may include a cooling zone to gradually reduce the temperature of the metal substrate to a point where it can be handled by appropriate material handling apparatus without damaging the protective or decorative coating. A normal cure cycle for organic coatings inks and solvents utilizing a conventional gas fired oven is two minutes to bring the metal up to cure temperature followed by maintaining the sheet at cure temperature for eight minutes to drive off the remaining solvent and provide the proper cross linking of the molecules to provide a cured coating.
In the case of individual sheets which have been coated, the convection oven typically Includes a plurality of spaced apart wire wickets mounted on an endless conveyor chain. The coated metal sheets are transported to the convection oven where an individual wicket picks up an individual sheet of coated metal and conveys it in a generally vertical position through the convection oven. Hot gases generated in the natural gas convection oven circulate around the metal sheet to cure the coating. The wicket will discharge the sheet which has been dried and cured onto suitable material handling apparatus at the outlet of the oven.
In a convection oven, the coated metal substrate is heated from the outside causing a skin to be formed on the surface of the coating. This skin will serve to trap liquid solvents in the coating below this skin. In order to overcome this tendency, the coating manufacturer will add expensive and environmentally unfriendly retarding agents to the coating to prevent rapid cure of the coating surface prior to the release of solvents and product release compounds. These retarding agents not only add to the cost of the coatings, but also increase unwanted hydrocarbon emissions.
A further problem with utilizing convection ovens is that "wicket ghosting" can occur. The wire wickets which support the sheets in a vertical position are often preheated to insure proper cure of the coated sheet which is in contact with the wicket. When the cold sheet contacts the hot wicket, the heat drives the solvent and volatile products from the sheet on and around the wicket-sheet contact area. This condition can change the appearance and sometimes the color of the sheet. This produces a silhouette pattern in the shape of the wicket on the sheet. The resulting sheet may be unacceptable to the user and have to be scrapped. It is found that by utilizing the precuring process and apparatus of the present invention, the temperature differential between the wicket and the precured sheet can be kept to a minimum to substantially reduce or eliminate wicket ghosting.
A further disadvantage of the use of convection ovens is that the solvents which are fumed or volatilized by the heat from the convection oven tend to contaminate the conveying mechanism, burners, controls and exhaust duct of the convection oven through the formation of soot which may be generated when the solvents contact the open flame of the convection oven. Fires can result which may damage not only the convection oven, but also the coated sheets which are contained in the convection oven. In addition, the volatilized solvents must be captured or incinerated following the convection oven in order to comply with environmental requirements. With the use of a convection oven only, since the solvents are mixed with the products of combustion of the convection oven, they cannot be condensed and recycled.
Prior to the present invention, it was known to utilize electromagnetic induction coils for heating the metal substrate to cure the liquid coatings which have been applied to the metal in coil or sheet form. The use of an electromagnetic induction coil has the ,advantage that the metal is rapidly heated from the inside outwardly toward the surface of the coating. Heating is accomplished by passing the coated strip through or under an electromagnetic induction coil to produce eddy currents in the sheet metal to rapidly heat the metal. Because the coating is heated from the inside out, a skin is not formed on the surface of the coating and the volatilized solvents are allowed to escape through the still liquid surface of the coating. Some examples of prior apparatus and methods for coating metal strip in coil form are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,561,131 and 3,576,664, issued to Swartz, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,680,871 and 4,694,586, issued to Reznik, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,530, issued to Scherer et al. In many applications, the metal which has been heated in the induction coil is promptly cooled.
With the use of an induction coil, the solvents can be volatilized and then condensed in a condenser for further use. This reduces emissions to the atmosphere, thereby reducing environmental problems, and has the economic advantage of being able to recycle the solvents. Examples of prior patents which disclose condensing volatilized solvents include the aforesaid patents to Reznik and Swartz, as well as U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,357 to Swartz.
Induction curing is usually a rapid curing process and may not be suitable by itself for meeting the coating manufacturer's specifications for curing the coating. Further, total curing in an induction coil may not be energy efficient.
Prior to the present invention, induction heating has been usually applied to coiled materials, such as flat metal coil and wire, whereby the metal can be unwound from one coil, passed through the induction coil to heat the metal, and then immediately wound onto another coil. A conveyor mechanism need not be passed through or near the induction coil.
Sheets of material have been coated and cured in a process and apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,068,119, issued Dec. 11, 1962, to Gotsch. The patentee describes an increase in temperature at a rate of 200.degree. F. per second to achieve a temperature of between 500.degree. and 800.degree. F. by moving the coated sheet through the induction coil at a rate so that the coated sheet spends 2 to 5 seconds within the heating zone. The patentee then proposes to hold the coated sheet at the elevated temperature for a period of time. The patentee does disclose certain advantages of the use of an induction heating method and apparatus, but does not disclose details as to how to convey the individual sheets of material through the induction coil or how to prevent overheating of the metal substrate, particularly near the edges of the substrate.

Apparatus for coating a metal substrate and for drying and curing said coating


A dust collecting apparatus for a vacuum cleaner, comprising a dust canister body, a part of which becomes an exposed side exposed outside a cleaner body upon mounting in the cleaner body, and which comprises a first dust separating chamber for separating heavy dirt from air, and second and third dust separating chambers for collecting fine dust from the air passing through the first dust separating chamber; first and second cyclone bodies having first and second cyclone chambers which separates the fine dust from the air passing through the first dust separating chamber; and first and second outlet pipes, wherein the first and second cyclone bodies are eccentrically disposed in the first and second dust separating chambers so as to form a protruded portion which is exposed from the exposed side of the dust canister body, and at least the protruded portion is made of a transparent material.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a dust collecting apparatus for a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly to a dust collecting apparatus which can separate large-sized dirt and fine dust through a multi-stage process.
2. Description of the Related Art
A dust collecting apparatus provided in a vacuum cleaner separates dirt and dust from sucked external air. Recently, a so-called cyclone dust collecting apparatus which does not use a dust envelope and can be used semipermanently has been widely used. In the dust collecting apparatus, the dust contained in the sucked air is separated due to a difference in centrifugal force between the air and the dust caused by rotating the air.
A conventional dust collecting apparatus in which the dust contained in the sucked air is separated through a multi-stage process is disclosed in Korean Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-0074149. The conventional dust collecting apparatus has a two-divided structure that the dust is separated firstly in a first dust collecting chamber by using the force of gravity and then separated secondarily in a second dust collecting chamber by using centrifugal force. Also, the dust collecting apparatus has a separate filter between the first and second dust collecting chambers.
However, in the conventional dust collecting apparatus, since an air suction part of the first dust collecting chamber and an exhaust part of the second cyclone dust collecting chamber are positioned collinearly, there is a disadvantage that it can not expect to obtain proper dust collecting efficiency without the filter. Further, another problem is that the filter should be periodically cleaned to remove the dust and dirt attached on the filter, since the dust and dirt are attached and accumulated on the filter.
Further, since the conventional dust collecting apparatus has a single cyclone chamber and thus has a suction and exhaust flow path having a narrow sectional area, it can not expect to obtain a high suction force and it is also apprehended that the suction force is further lowered when the filter is choked up with the dust and dirt.
Furthermore, in the conventional dust collecting apparatus, since the first and second dust collecting chambers are not visible from the outside, when the dirt sucked in the dust collecting apparatus has a large size, the user can not know where the large-sized dirt is caught in the collecting apparatus. In order to check where the large-sized dirt is caught in the collecting apparatus, the user has to stop the operation of the vacuum cleaner and separate the dust collecting apparatus from a cleaner body and open a cover and then check the inside of the dust collecting apparatus.

Dust collecting apparatus for vacuum cleaner


The present invention provides a sunroof apparatus including: a roof panel; a driving motor; and a shade. The roof panel is disposed in a fixed roof of a vehicle, for being moved in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle via sliders to be opened and closed. The sliders are coupled to driving wires. The driving motor is for driving the driving wires. The shade is wound around a winding shaft, to be drawn from the winding shaft, passed through an inclination displacement space, and then guided in shade guide rails, for being moved in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and thereby opening and closing an indoor opening. The inclination displacement space is inclined relative to a horizontal plane and formed between the winding shaft and the shade guide rails. The driving motor is disposed within the inclination displacement space in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sunroof apparatus for a vehicle.
2. Description of the Invention
Examples of conventional sunroof apparatuses include an apparatus described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-131163 (hereafter, referred to as patent publication 1). The apparatus has a roof panel and a driving motor. The roof panel is disposed in a fixed roof of a vehicle so as to be opened and closed in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle via sliders coupled to driving wires. The driving motor is for driving the driving wires. The patent publication 1 discloses a construction in which the driving motor is disposed in front of an opening formed in the fixed roof.
Examples of shades each disposed below a roof panel include a so-called roller shade which is wound in the form of a roll around a winding shaft and contained (See, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-36898 (hereafter, referred to as patent publication 2)). The patent publication 2 describes a technique of folding, when the shade is drawn from a winding shaft, opposite edge portions of the shade before guiding those edge portions in shade guide rails. This technique makes it impossible for the edge portions of the shade to come easily off from the shade guide rails. The edge portions of the shade that are folded have a backlash force to get back to their initial shape. The entire folded edge portions have the backlash force continuously. Thus, even if, for example, an external load is applied to part of the edge portions of the front shade to make that part almost come off from the shade guide, the backlash force in the areas of the edge portions that are adjacent to that part acts to prevent that part from coming off from the shade guide rail.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-137628, which is a prior art document on the roller shade, describes arranging a pair of winding shafts with an opening sandwiched therebetween in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle.
Regarding the layout of a driving motor for a roof panel and a winding shaft for a shade, these components should be displaced in relation to each other in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle since it is difficult to dispose them in vertically aligned relation to each other from the view point of space-saving in a sunroof apparatus. Although the present inventor was not able to find appropriate prior art documents on the layout of the driving motor and the winding shaft, he has noticed that if the roller shade of, for example, the patent publication 1 is applied to the construction disclosed in the patent publication 2 in which the driving motor for the roof panel is disposed in front of the opening, it is resulted that the driving motor and the shade winding shaft are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In that case, it is important that a predetermined amount of distance is ensured between the opposite ends of the opening in arranging the driving motor and the winding shaft.
The present invention is made in view of the above problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sunroof apparatus that realizes a mitigation in a reduction in the distance between the opposite ends of the opening, the reduction derived from the layout of a driving motor for a roof panel and a winding shaft for a shade.


An apparatus for tire-changing machines includes a base having a face turned upward, a supporting and locking platform for wheels, mounted rotating on such face around a rotation axis and defining a supporting and locking table, support means of tools extending upward from the base, the support means being movable along the base in a direction of movement perpendicular to the rotation axis, so as to move closer or away from the rotation axis.

To perform fitting operations, the beads of a tire must first of all be bead broken from the edges of the rims on which they are normally fitted during wheel use.
To perform this operation, two technical solutions are provided in the prior art.
According to a first technical solution, tire-changing machines have an arm on the side of the base frame that has one end joined to the base frame, so as to turn on a plane parallel to the ground, and that has an opposite end with a bead breaking blade.
To bead break the beads, an operator turns the arm outward, so as to move it away from the side of the base frame, and then positions a wheel with the tire previously deflated, against the side in a substantially vertical position and, finally, starts a linear actuator located between the base frame and the arm, so the arm is recalled toward the side and, at the same time, the bead breaker blade presses on a bead segment of the tire, detaching this from the edge of the rim.
This operation is repeated several times, every time turning the wheel so the blade operates on the entire circumference of a bead turned outward and then, after turning the wheel on itself, is also repeated for the other bead.
When the tire is completely bead broken, it is substantially loose on the rim and the operator grips it and places it, together with the rim, on the swivel platform; on the latter the rim is secured by means of special grip parts and the operator proceeds to remove the tire from the rim.
For this operation, the operator uses a tool fitted on the fixed turret with the interposition of an adjustable support arm, which is shaped so as to be able to be wedged between the rim and the tire so that when the swivel platform is turned, the tool causes the bead to gradually exit from the edge of the rim with the consequent removal of a first side of the bead.
It must be pointed out that to wedge the tool between the tire and the edge of the rim, the operator must also use a lever with which he manually lifts a first portion of the tire off the rim, in such a way as to obtain a passage wide enough to insert the tool.
According to another technical solution, used to bead break the tires of particularly delicate wheels, such as, for example, the wheels of sports cars with light-alloy rims, the tire-changing machines have one or two bead-breaking tools that operate on the beads of the tires when the wheel is already positioned and fixed on the swivel platform.
Each tool consists of a disc shaped like a truncated cone and supported free to turn at the end of a corresponding support arm mounted on the tire-changing machine alongside the fixed turret.
Each disc has the edge of larger diameter intended to be placed in contact with the tire bead, at a point very close to the edge of the rim.
Each arm has its own operating system that raises or lowers it and which, therefore, determines the pressure of the disc on the bead turned upwards or the lifting from below upwards of the bead turned toward the ground; the operating system also normally envisages turning the arm, or each arm, when there are two, between a work position turned toward the swivel platform and a rest position away from this, and vice versa.
When there are two discs, one is mounted on an arm so it can press in a direction from the top downward on the upper bead while the other is mounted on another arm so it can press on the bead turned toward the ground in a direction from below upward.
The pressing action is normally done in a coordinated and contemporaneous way and the tire is completely beaded by rotating the platform while both discs press on the respective beads, turning freely on these.
Subsequently, to remove the tire from the rim, the operator proceeds as previously described both using the lever and completing removal by means of the tool fitted on the arm of the column of the tire-changing machine.
This state of the art has a number of drawbacks.
A first drawback is that to support the beading tools, the tire-changing machines must have special arms alongside the fixed turret on which, as it has been said, are fitted the tools for removing and fitting the tires on the rims.
Another drawback is that the arms must be positioned independently the one from the other and in such a way that the edge that has to be placed in contact with the bead is neither too close to the edge of the rim nor too far from this.
In the first case, the rims could be damaged during bead breaking operations, while in the second case, damage could be caused to the side of the tire, i.e. the side area of the tire between the beads and the tread, which is considerably more flexible and fragile than the beads.
A further drawback is that the correct positioning of the lower arm and, therefore, of the relevant disc on the corresponding lower bead, is very difficult because visibility is strongly reduced by the tire itself, by the rim, by the platform and by the base frame of the tire-changing machine.
Furthermore, the free space between the platform and the base frame is strongly limited and for this reason it is even more difficult for the operator to visually control, in a direct way, the correct positioning of the lower bead breaking disc.
Some manufacturers of tire-changing machines, to try and at least partially solve this problem, have equipped the tire-changing machines with a reflection member, typically a mirror, fitted near the lower face of the swivel platform, which allows the operator to observe the image reflected from below upwards of the tire area on which the bead breaking disc has to rest.
Other manufacturers have decided to fit a camera instead of the mirror and have also equipped the tire-changing machine with a small screen connected to the camera that allows the operator to observe the bead area during the positioning of the lower bead-breaking disc.
These solutions have further drawbacks.
Another drawback is that the costs of the reflecting devices or of the cameras and of the screens connected to these negatively affect the total costs of the tire-changing machines.
Another drawback is that the field of vision of the reflecting devices or of the cameras is considerably limited and in any case produces an indirect vision which is therefore subject to optical distortions.
Another drawback is that the operating space in the area between the lower face of the platform, in itself already very small, is further reduced by the presence of these devices.
A further drawback is that both the reflecting devices and the cameras are subject to becoming quickly dirty and, therefore, to be able to help the operator in his/her work, they require frequent cleaning and maintenance.
A further drawback of the known tire-changing machines is that the arms that support the bead-breaking tools are fitted on the base frame of the tire-changing machines separately from the fixed turret and each of these has to be driven by its own actuator.
This results in a considerable increase in the overall dimensions of the tire-changing machines and in their having a fairly complicated structure both in terms of manufacture and function.


An analog to digital conversion method includes: receiving an analog input signal by using a coarse analog to digital converter (ADC) and a fine ADC; generating a first digital signal by using the coarse ADC according to the analog input signal; comparing each bit of the second-most significant bit to the least significant bit of the first digital signal with the most significant bit of the first digital signal to generate a comparison result; according to the comparison result, controlling switching of a high bit capacitor array of the fine ADC to convert the analog input signal received by the fine ADC into a residual signal; generating a second digital signal according to the residual signal by sequentially switching a low bit capacitor array of the fine ADC by using the fine ADC; and combining the first digital signal and the second digital signal to generate a digital output signal.

1. Technical Field
The present invention provides an analog to digital conversion device and an analog to digital conversion method, and more particular to an analog to digital conversion device and an analog to digital conversion method using a subranging concept.
2. Related Art
In recent years, with the development of science and technology, portable electronic products develop vigorously. In order to provide long operating time, relevant researches on design of integrated circuits with low power consumption have attracted much attention. In the structure of an electronic product, an analog to digital converter (ADC) is one of the important circuits, and therefore, the power consumption of the ADC attracts much attention.
There are many types of ADC with different structures, for example, a flash ADC, a pipeline ADC, a successive approximation register (SAR) ADC, and a two-step ADC, each of which has appropriate application range.
Among various ADC structures, a SAR ADC merely uses one comparator in conversion, has a simple structure, and needs a relatively small number of elements, so that the SAR ADC has a power saving advantage and has found wide application in portable electronic products.
With the development of science and technology, functions of electronic products become increasingly complex and strong, and therefore the resolution requirements of the ADC are increased accordingly. However, the higher the resolution requirements are, the larger the number of bits needed in the SAR ADC is needed, resulting in a larger capacitor array. Because the power consumption of switching of the capacitor array occupies the largest proportion in the power consumption of the SAR ADC, for the SAR ADC, the improvement of a resolution results in an increase of the overall power consumption.
Therefore, how to provide a SAR ADC with a high resolution and low overall power consumption to prolong the operating time of a portable electronic product becomes an important topic of concern for persons skilled in the art.

Analog to digital conversion device and analog to digital conversion method


A bezel connector for an electronic device in a vehicle, such as a radio, having a removable bezel. The bezel connector has a support member that is removably attached to the radio housing, and along with the other components of the connector form a removable module. The support member supports a PC board, which has connector pins protruding therefrom in spaced relationship. The connector pins are rigid and protrude from the PC board in a cantilever fashion. Also movably supported by the support member is a cover member having an electrically conducting portion. The cover member includes holes aligned with the connector pins to thereby shield and support the connector pins. Grounding springs bias the cover member in a position which selectively shields the connector pins and also provides an electrical connection between the cover member and the radio housing to discharge any static electricity charge that may be imparted to the cover member.

Vehicle radios are becoming more and more sophisticated and as a result more expensive. The radio, being mounted with its control panel (i.e., bezel) located visibly on the vehicle instrument panel, is an easy target for thieves. This has led to an increase in theft of car radios. Consequently, some vehicle radios are now designed to be rendered inoperative if stolen from a vehicle.
Typical measures taken to discourage thieves include rendering the radio inoperable in a visible manner. This can be done by providing a radio alarm or by allowing for removal of the entire radio when the vehicle operator leaves the vehicle. This can also be done by requiring the entry of a security code to get the unit to play. Additionally, thieves can be discouraged by allowing an occupant to remove the entire radio bezel when the operator leaves the vehicle so the car radio loses its appearance as a car radio. Further, some are designed such that an operator may remove only an essential portion of a bezel to render the radio inoperable. Removing only the bezel is easier than requiring the removal of the entire radio since the overall radio tends to be heavy and bulky; also, this does not require occupants to remember a security code.
More often, a removable radio bezel is preferred because it is small and light weight, which makes it easy to carry around. The removable portion of the bezel has contacts exposed on its back side that are electrically connected to the radio buttons on the front of the bezel. When referring to front and back herein, front refers to the side of the radio facing the occupant on the instrument panel of the vehicle, while back refers to the side of the radio that extends into the instrument panel of the vehicle. The electrical contacts on the bezel can be fabricated as a separate part affixed to the removable bezel circuit board or they can be integral with the removable bezel circuit board. The contacts maintain surface contact with connector pins, mounted within a recess to the fixed portion of the radio, when the removable portion of the bezel is installed into the radio. The buttons and knobs on the removable bezel will then be electrically connected to the connector pins. The connector pins, in turn, are electrically connected to the main circuit board of the radio.
In general, the pins are directly connected to the main radio circuit board, and, thus, cannot be easily replaced. One drawback with this arrangement is that if the pins are bent or broken, during the assembly or operation of the vehicle, and therefore need to be replaced, the entire radio must be replaced since it is not economical to replace just the main circuit board in the radio.
Another particular drawback with radios which have removable bezels is that the connectors present a difficulty with electrostatic discharge (i.e., static electricity). This arises because the pins are exposed when the bezel is removed and, thus, if an occupant of the vehicle contacts the pins while having a build up of static electricity, this static electricity will discharge to the connector pins. This surge of electricity from the discharge can permanently damage integrated circuits in the radio.
As a result, three techniques in particular have been developed to protect the radio from this problem. First, the pins can be electrically isolated from the components on the main circuit board using additional electrical components mounted to the main circuit board, to safeguard the components on the circuit board from the surge of static electricity. However, the additional electrical components on the main circuit board will increase the cost of parts and assembly for each radio.
A second technique uses a shield, made of a non-conductive material, such as plastic, that will completely cover the pins while the bezel is removed, and move out of the way when the bezel is installed. Nevertheless, this still does not eliminate the chance that the occupant will accidentally move the cover out of the way and contact the pins, especially since the shield is non-conductive plastic and will not ground the electrostatic discharge.
In a third technique, a grounded conductive shield is placed around the pins to absorb the static electricity and transmit it to ground rather than the circuit board. But, if the shield does not sufficiently cover the pins, the static electricity may still discharge to the pins. The shield must also be located such that it is not too close to the pins, so the electric discharge will not arc between the grounded shield and the pins. The difficulty arises because the shield must both cover the pins sufficiently to prevent the discharge or absorb it when the bezel is removed and also easily move out of the way when the bezel is inserted to allow the pins to come into and maintain surface contact with the contacts on the bezel.
A further drawback with the pins on some existing connectors concerns pin bending because the pins are thin, flexible strands of bent wire shaped to protrude from the connector in a triangular shape. These wires can be easily bent should they be mishandled either during assembly of the radio or by a user of the radio. Additionally, since the shields do not closely conform to the cross-sectional area of the bent wires, there is insufficient support to prevent the bending even though the shields may generally provide a guide for the wires.
The thin flexible wires also create an additional potential problem with static discharge if a person needs to straighten out the pins, once bent, and uses an electrically conductive instrument such as a screw driver. The person has to move the protective shield out of the way to straighten the pins and thus risks exposing the pins to static discharge.


This invention relates to the use of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors or derivatives thereof in preventing and treating neoplasia. In particular, the invention describes the method of preventing and treating epithelial cell neoplasia in a subject, said method comprising treating the subject with a therapeutically-effective amount of a compound of Formula I. ##STR1## wherein A, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are as described in the specification.

Prostaglandins play a major role in the inflammation process and the inhibition of prostaglandin production, especially production of PGG.sub.2, PGH.sub.2 and PGE.sub.2, has been a common target of anti-inflammatory drug discovery. However, common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID's) that are active in reducing the prostaglandin-induced pain and swelling associated with the inflammation process are also active in affecting other prostaglandin-regulated processes not associated with the inflammation process. Thus, use of high doses of most common NSAID's can produce severe side effects, including life threatening ulcers, that limit their therapeutic potential. An alternative to NSAID's is the use of corticosteroids, which also produce adverse effects, especially when long term therapy is involved.
NSAIDs have been found to prevent the production of prostaglandins by inhibiting enzymes in the human arachidonic acid/prostaglandin pathway, including the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX). The recent discovery of an inducible enzyme associated with inflammation (named "cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)" or "prostaglandin G/H synthase II") provides a viable target of inhibition which more effectively reduces inflammation and produces fewer and less drastic side effects.
Compounds which selectively inhibit cyclooxygenase-2 have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,380,738, 5,344,991, 5,393,790, 5,434,178, 5,474,995, 5,510,368 and WO documents WO96/06840, WO96/03388, WO96/03387, WO96/25405, WO95/15316, WO94/15932, WO94/27980, WO95/00501, WO94/13635, WO94/20480, and WO94/26731.
Neoplastic disease states are serious and oftentimes life-threatening conditions. These neoplastic diseases, which are characterized by rapidly-proliferating cell growth, continue to be the subject of worldwide research efforts directed toward the identification of therapeutic agents which are effective in the treatment thereof. Effective therapeutic agents prolong the survivability of the patient, inhibit the rapidly-proliferating cell growth associated with the neoplasm, or effect a regression of the neoplasm. Research in this area is primarily focused toward identifying agents which would be therapeutically effective in humans and other mammals.
Recently, the presence of COX-2 has been observed in neoplastic disease. See Masanobu Oshima et al. (Cell, 87, 803-809 (1996); and Michelle Parret et al. (International Journal of Oncology, 10, 503-507 (1997).
[Pyrazol-1-yl] benzenesulfonamides have been described as inhibitors of cyclooxygenase-2 and have shown promise in the treatment of inflammation, arthritis, and pain, with minimal side effects in pre-clinical and clinical trials. Their use has been described in WO95/15316. However, their use for treating colon cancer or for treating or preventing other neoplasias has not been previously described.
The present invention is directed to the use of inhibitors of cyclooxygenase-2 for the treatment and prevention of neoplasias. Conjunctive treatment of a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor with other neoplastic agents produces a synergistic effect or alternatively reduces the toxic side effects associated with chemotherapy by reducing the concentration of the side effect-causing agent needed for therapeutic efficacy.

Method of using cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors in the treatment and prevention of neoplasia