An apparatus for drying and storing a plurality of baby bottles is provided including a housing with side faces defining an open bottom. Such housing has a top face integrally coupled to top edges of the side faces. The top face has a plurality of compartments coupled thereto which extend downwardly therefrom. Such compartments each define an open top that is flush with the top face of the housing. The compartments are adapted to allow the placement of a bottle therein. Each of the compartments have a plurality of slots formed therein for allowing the drying of the bottles.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to drying racks and more particularly pertains to a new BABY BOTTLE ORGANIZER for allowing the convenient drying and storage of a plurality of bottles and associated components.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of drying racks is known in the prior art. More specifically, drying racks heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art drying racks include U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,841; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 318,552; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 356,211; U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,451; U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,445; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,814.
In these respects, the BABY BOTTLE ORGANIZER according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of allowing the convenient drying and storage of a plurality of bottles and associated components.


The invention includes methods of forming pluralities of electrically conductive structures. The methods can include formation of a gradient-containing material across a substrate and in direct physical contact with conductive surfaces of nodes. The gradient-containing material can consist essentially of tantalum nitride at a lowermost portion in contact with the conductive surfaces, consist essentially of tantalum at an uppermost portion, and have a TaN/Ta gradient extending between the lowermost and uppermost portions. Alternatively, the gradient-containing material can have a Co/W gradient extending therethrough. Conductive structures can be formed over the gradient-containing material. The invention also includes constructions comprising electrically conductive lines over a material having a TaN/Ta gradient, or a W/Co gradient, extending therethrough.

Numerous electrically conductive structures are utilized in semiconductor devices. For instance, conductive lines are utilized in semiconductor constructions for interconnecting circuit elements. It is common to form large grids of conductive lines associated with memory arrays, with the lines being configured for providing access to individual memory devices of the arrays. Conductive lines can also be utilized peripherally to the memory arrays to interconnect peripheral circuitry, as well as to connect peripheral circuitry to the memory arrays. Additionally, conductive lines can be used to provide electrical access between circuitry associated with a semiconductor substrate (i.e., circuitry associated with a semiconductor die), and circuitry external to the semiconductor substrate. Various conductive lines can correspond to so-called metal (I), metal (II), metal (III), metal (IV), metal (V), etc. layers.
A continuing goal of integrated circuit fabrication is to increase the density of integration, which leads to a corresponding goal to pack an ever-increasing number of conductive structures (such as lines) into ever-decreasing space. This leads to challenges in conductive structure fabrication, and it is desirable to develop new methods for conductive structure fabrication which can address such challenges.
Another goal in semiconductor device fabrication is to reduce the costs associated with device fabrication while maintaining or increasing throughput. For this additional reason, it is desired to develop new methods for fabrication of conductive lines.

Methods of forming conductive structures


Disclosed herein is a method for correcting programs without discontinuing service that is running on a logical computer. A patch manager 109 copies programs and data under control of a logical computer 1 (105) from one disk to another disk and activates a logical computer 2 (106). The logical computer 2 (106) corrects the copied programs by using a correction program in the copied programs. Then, the patch manager 109 switches control of a network from the logical computer 1 (105) to the logical computer 2 (106) in order to switch operation from the logical computer 1 (105) to the logical computer 2 (106).

The present invention relates to a method for correcting programs running on a computer, and, more particularly, relates to a method for correcting programs without discontinuing service provided by the programs.
By virtue of widespread use of the Internet, every computer became accessible substantially from all over the world. But, at the same time, it is expected that possibility of unauthorized access to computers may increase. As a protective measure against such situation, there are publicly released various patch files that prevent such unauthorized access to the computers. In the patch file, program correction information for correcting programs is recorded, and the unauthorized access may be prevented by using the patch file to correct the programs. The patch file may be applied to all programs running on the computer. For example, the programs running on the computer may include an operating system, applications and so on. A program correction procedure using the patch file is as follows: (1) discontinuing service; (2) applying the patch file and correcting the programs; (3) restarting the system; and (4) restarting the service. In order to correct the programs in such procedure, it is necessary to discontinue the service temporarily. It is because the operating system and the applications typically may not be corrected while they are running. Therefore, when the computer is operating, the correction procedure may be applied to the programs which are not active temporarily, and at the time of the next starting, the corrected programs may be used.
In the conventional program correction procedure, it is necessary to discontinue service temporarily to correct the program. Since new patch files for program correction are created frequently, if the service is discontinued every time the new patch file is created, quality of the service may be decreased. In one method, such frequent discontinuance may be mitigated by executing the program correction procedure for several patch files collectively. But considering the fact that unauthorized access to the computer may be made at any time from anyone unexpectedly, it is not preferred to postpone the program correction concerning security. One technology for correcting programs is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-263279. In this document, a method is described for performing program correction without terminating programs running on logical computers in a computer system that has a mechanism for virtualizing computers and building a plurality of logical computers from one physical computer. But, in this method, the program correction may be performed not to the programs that are running on the logical computers, but to the control programs that control the plurality of logical computers centrally. Further, while the control programs are corrected, almost all programs on the logical computers are terminated. That is, the programs on the logical computers cannot continue service because they stop working. Still further, this method does not provide correction for the programs such as an operating system and applications that process the service on the logical computers.

Method for correcting a program running on a computer system


A thermoplastic norbornene resin having a number-average molecular weight (Mn) of 12,000 or more in terms of polyisoprene value measured by gel permeation chromatography and excellent in low birefringence property and resistance to deterioration with greases and oils is obtained by ring-opening polymerizing a polycyclic norbornene monomer containing at least 70% by weight of a norbornene monomer represented by the following formula I (for example, 1,4-methano-1,4,4a,9a-tetrahydrofluorene): ##STR1## (wherein the lower 6-membered ring structure may have a double bond) and hydrogenating the polymer so that the hydrogenation rate of double bond in the main chain is at least 98% and the hydrogenation rate of the 6-membered ring structure is at least 90%.

Hitherto, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC) have been known as optical polymer materials. However, PMMA is excellent in transparency, but has problems in heat resistance and moisture resistance. PC is superior to PMMA in heat resistance and moisture resistance, but has the problem that it is apt to have a high birefringence due to its basic structure having a benzene ring and its high melt viscosity.
Recently, ring-opening polymerization polymer hydrogenation products of norbornene monomers are used as polymer materials improved in these defects. These resins are excellent in heat resistance and moisture resistance and, furthermore, have low birefringence. However, resins of further lower birefringence are required by the further advancing technical demand.
1,4-Methano-1,4,4a,9a-tetrahydrofluorene (hereinafter referred to as "MTF") is a monomer disclosed as an example of the norbornene monomers (e.g., JP-A-3-273043, etc.). However, no examples of ring-opening polymerizing the monomer and hydrogenating the polymer are disclosed in the prior art. Therefore, no characteristics have been known on the ring-opening polymerization polymer hydrogenation products of MTF. Furthermore, hydrogenation products of ring-opening polymerization copolymers of 1,4-methano-1,4,4a,4b,5,8,8a,9a-octahydro-9H-fluorene having the similar structure to MTF (differing from MTF in that the aromatic ring structure of MTF is replaced with a cyclohexene ring structure) and 5,8-methano-3a,4a,5,8,8a,9,9a-octahydro-1H-benzoindene at a molar ratio of 4:6-6:4 are known (JP-A-3-220230). The resins have a small birefringence and have a strength and a heat resistance. However, they do not have such level of low birefringence as newly required.
Moreover, the norbornene ring-opening polymerization polymer hydrogenation products suffer from the problem that they sometimes undergo reduction in mechanical strength when greases and oils stick thereto to cause breakage.

Ring-opening polymer hydrogenation products


33When an RRC procedure is combined with an SRNS Relocation procedure, a PDCP synchronization procedure is performed only if a next expected UL/DL Receive PDCP sequence number invalidity event is detected during the SRNS Relocation procedure. If no such invalidity event is detected, then no PDCP sequence number synchronization procedure is performed. If the RRC procedure is not executed in combination with the SRNS Relocation procedure, then the PDCP sequence number synchronization procedure is performed only if: (1) The RRC procedure causes the RLC entity that is used by the PDCP entity to be re-established; or, (2) The RRC procedure causes the header compression protocol used by the PDCP entity to be changed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless communications network. In particular, the present invention discloses a method for determining when a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) sequence number synchronization procedure should be performed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless communications network 10, as defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specifications 3GPP TS 25.322 V3.10.0 "RLC Protocol Specification", 3GPP TS 25.331 V3.10.0 "Radio Resource Control (RRC) Specification", and 3GPP TS 25.303 V3.11.0 "Interlayer procedures in Connected Mode", which are included herein by reference. The wireless communications network 10 comprises a plurality of radio network subsystems (RNSs) 20 in communications with a core network (CN) 30. The plurality of RNSs 20 is termed a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network, or UTRAN for short. Each RNS 20 comprises one radio network controller (RNC) 22 that is in communications with a plurality of Node Bs 24. Each Node B 24 is a transceiver, which is adapted to send and receive wireless signals. In particular, the wireless communications network 10 assigns a mobile unit 40 (generally termed a "UE" for User Equipment) to a particular RNS 20, which is then termed the serving RNS (SRNS) 20s of the UE 40. Data destined for the UE 40 is sent by the CN 30 to the SRNS 20s. This data is in the form of service data units (SDUs) 28 that are held by the RNC 22 of the SRNS 20s pending transmittal by one of the Node Bs 24. The RNC 22 selects a Node B 24 that is best able to accurately transmit the SDUs 28 to the UE 40. Such a selection will depend, for example, upon the location of the UE 40 within the domain of the SRNS 20s. The UE 40 broadcasts SDUs 48 to the wireless communications network 10, which are then picked up by the SRNS 20s and forwarded to the CN 30. Occasionally, the UE 40 may move close to the domain of another RNS 20, which is termed a drift RNS (DRNS) 20d. A Node B 24 of the DRNS 20d may pick up the signal transmitted by the UE 40. The RNC 22 of the DRNS 20d forwards the received signal to the SRNS 20s. The SRNS 20s uses this forwarded signal from the DRNS 20d, plus the corresponding signals from its own Node Bs 24 to generate a combined signal that is then decoded and finally processed into SDUs 28. The SRNS 20s then forwards these received SDUs 28 to the CN 30. Consequently, all communications between the UE 40 and the CN 30 must pass through the SRNS 20s.
Please refer to FIG. 2 in conjunction with FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a simple block diagram of the UMTS radio interface protocol architecture. Communications between the UE 40 and the UTRAN 20u is effected through a multi-layered communications protocol that includes a layer 1, a layer 2 and a layer 3, which together provide transport for a signaling plane (C-plane) 92 and a user plane (U-plane) 94. Layer 1 is the physical layer 60, and in the UTRAN 20u is responsible for combining signals received from the DRNS 20d and SRNS 20s. Layer 2 includes a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer 70, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer 72, and a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer 74. Layer 3 includes a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer 80. The U-plane 94 handles user data transport between the UE 40 and the UTRAN 20u, whereas the C-plane 92 handles transport for signaling data between the UE 40 and the UTRAN 20u. The RRC 80 sets up and configures all channels between the UTRAN 20u and the UE 40. The PDCP layer 22 provides header compression for Service Data Units (SDUs) received from the U-plane 94 to increase bandwidth utilization efficiency. The RLC layer 72 provides segmentation and concatenation of PDCP 70 SDUs and RRC 80 SDUs into RLC protocol data units (RLC PDUs), and under acknowledged mode (AM) transfers, can provide upper layers (such as the PDCP layer 70 or the RRC layer 80) with a confirmation that RLC PDUs have been successfully transmitted and received between the UTRAN 20u and the UE 40. The MAC layer 74 provides scheduling and multiplexing of RLC PDUs onto the transport channel, interfacing with the physical layer 60.
Before proceeding, it is worth taking note of terminology used in the following. An SDU is any packet that is received from an upper layer or passed to an upper layer, whereas a PDU is a packet generated by a layer and passed on to a lower layer or received from a lower layer. Hence, a PDCP PDU is an RLC SDU. Similarly, an RLC PDU is a MAC SDU, and so forth. As such, whether a packet is termed a "PDU" or an "SDU" will depend upon the point of view of the layer being considered. In general, each layer will add information, typically in the form of a header, to SDU data to generate a PDU.
Each PDCP PDU generated by the PDCP layer 70 in response to an SDU received from the U-plane 94 is incrementally assigned a 16-bit sequence number (SN) by the PDCP layer 70 if a so-called lossless property is configured for the connection. That is, each sequentially successive PDCP PDU generated by the PDCP layer 70 is assigned an incrementally higher SN. For example, at a given instant in a stream of PDCP PDUs, a first PDCP PDU may be assigned an SN of 62 by the PDCP layer 70. A second PDCP PDU generated immediately after the first PDCP PDU would thus be assigned an SN of 63, and so on. When a PDCP entity is first set-up, the first PDCP PDU of the entity has an SN of zero. The SNs are not actually a part of the PDCP PDUs, but are internally maintained by the PDCP layer 70. The PDCP PDUs are then delivered to the RLC layer 72 for transmission. Since bandwidth is to be maximized by the compression of the U-plane SDU headers, each PDCP PDU should, ideally, be smaller in size than its corresponding U-plane SDU. To ensure that this is indeed the case, the PDCP headers should be kept as small as possible, and to provide for this, PDCP SNs are generally not transmitted in their associated PDCP PDUs. Similarly, each PDCP PDU received from the RLC layer 72 is incrementally assigned an SN by the PDCP layer 70. Hence, two unique sets of PDCP SNs exist: one for PDCP PDUs received from the RLC layer 72, and another for PDCP PDUs generated from U-plane 94 SDUs.
As the UE 40 moves closer towards the domain of the DRNS 20d, a decision is eventually made by the wireless network 10 to place the UE 40 under the DRNS 20d, and a transfer process is enacted. This process is termed an SRNS relocation procedure, and under certain transport modes is a lossless procedure. Lossless means that no PDCP SDUs 28, 48 are lost during the relocation procedure. Please refer to FIG. 3 in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the UE 40 undergoing a lossless SRNS relocation procedure. The DRNS 20d becomes a target RNS (TRNS) 20t. After completion of the relocation procedure, the TRNS 20t will serve as the new SRNS 20s for the UE 40. In order for the TRNS 20t to properly take up its job as the new SRNS 20s for the UE 40, the current SRNS 20s must forward key information to the TRNS 20t. Please refer to FIG. 4 in conjunction with FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 4 is a message sequence chart for the prior art lossless SRNS relocation procedure. The SRNS 20s sends forwarding information 50 to the TRNS 20t. This forwarding information includes a downlink sending sequence number (DL Send_SN) 52, an uplink receiving sequence number (UL Receive_SN) 54, and all unconfirmed PDCP SDUs 28. The multi-layered communications protocol used by both the SRNS 20s and the UE 40 enables the UE 40 to confirm those PDCP PDUs transmitted by the SRNS 20s that are successfully received by the UE 40. Any PDCP PDUs not explicitly confirmed as received by the UE 40 are termed unconfirmed PDCP PDUs. As each PDCP SDU 28 has a corresponding PDCP PDU, an unconfirmed PDCP PDU generally means that there is a corresponding unconfirmed PDCP SDU 28. These unconfirmed PDCP SDUs 28 are forwarded by the SRNS 20s to the TRNS 20t. The DL Send_SN 52 is the value of the SN associated with the sequentially earliest unconfirmed PDCP SDU. As the SNs are not explicitly carried in the PDCP PDUs, this enables the PDCP layer 70 in the TRNS 20t to properly associate an SN for the corresponding PDCP PDU of each forwarded PDCP SDU 28. The UL Receive_SN 54 is the value of the SN associated with a PDCP SDU that the SRNS 20s next expects to receive from the UE 40. This enables the TRNS 20t to properly associate an SN for each PDCP SDU subsequently received from the UE 40. The TRNS 20t sends the UL Receive_SN 54 to the UE 40. From this, the UE 40 can determine which PDCP SDUs to begin sending to the TRNS 20s under its guise as the new SRNS 20s. The UE 40 sends a downlink receiving sequence number (DL Receive_SN) 58 to the TRNS 20s. The DL Receive_SN 58 holds the value of the SN of the next PDCP SDU that the UE 40 is expecting to receive from the TRNS 20t. From this, the TRNS 20t can learn which of the forwarded unconfirmed PDCP SDUs 28 to begin sending to the UE 40. Consider, as an example, a situation in which the SRNS 20s has sent PDCP PDUs, each of which has a corresponding PDCP SDU, to the UE 40 having associated SNs running from 0 to 99. We may further assume that, of these 100 PDCP PDUs sent, only those with SNs running from 0 to 50 were confirmed by the UE 40. Consequently, there are unconfirmed PDCP PDUs with SNs running from 51 to 99, each of which has a corresponding unconfirmed PDCP SDU 28. Also, the SRNS 20s has received 200 PDCP PDUs, each of which has a corresponding PDCP SDU, from the UE 40, with SNs running from 0 to 199. In the SRNS relocation procedure, the PDCP SDUs 28 with associated SNs running from 51 to 99 are forwarded by the SRNS 20s to the TRNS 20t. The DL Send_SN 52 would have a value of 51, and the UL Receive_SN 54 would have a value of 200. The DL Receive_SN 58 will hold a value that is between 51 and 100, depending on how many of the unconfirmed PDCP PDUs were actually received by the UE 40, but not yet confirmed. If, for example, the DL Receive_SN 58 holds a value of 90, then the TRNS 20t knows that it may discard the forwarded PDCP SDUs 28 that have associated SNs that run from 51 to 89, and will begin transmitting those forwarded PDCP SDUs 28 with associated SNs that are from 90 and above. Although it should not happen, it is possible that the DL Receive_SN 58 will either be sequentially before the DL Send_SN 52 or sequentially after the SN associated with the sequentially last forwarded PDCP SDU 28. Similarly, it is possible for the UL Receive_SN 54 to be sequentially before the last PDCP PDU that that UE 40 considered confirmed as successfully transmitted, or sequentially after the SN of the PDCP PDU that the UE 40 next expects to send to the UTRAN 20u. Any such occurrence of the above means that the SNs maintained by the RNC 22 of the SRNS 20s are out of synchronization with corresponding SNs maintained by the UE 40, and is herein termed a "next expected UL/DL Receive PDCP sequence number invalidity event". A PDCP sequence number synchronization procedure is thus enacted by the TRNS 20t, or by the UE 40, depending upon which device detects the next expected UL/DL Receive PDCP sequence number invalidity event. During the PDCP sequence number synchronization procedure (and assuming for the sake of example that it is the TRNS 20t that has detected the next expected UL/DL Receive PDCP sequence number invalidity event), the TRNS 20t transmits a PDCP PDU that explicitly containsits associated SN in its PDCP header, with the data region of this PDCP PDU corresponding to the sequentially earliest forwarded PDCP SDU 28. This PDU is termed a PDCP SeqNum PDU. Once the UE 40 has confirmed this PDCP SeqNum PDU (by way of the RLC layer 72), the TRNS 20t considers the PDCP sequence number synchronization procedure completed.
The primary purpose of having PDCP PDU SNs is to support lossless SRNS relocation, as discussed above. Un-synchronization of PDCP SNs between two PDCP entities (i.e., the UE 40 and the UTRAN 20u) can lead to PDCP PDU loss. The PDCP sequence number synchronization procedure as discussed above avoids such loss. In all cases in the prior art, it is the RRC layer 80, in either the UTRAN 20u or the UE 40, that instructs the PDCP layer 70 to perform the PDCP sequence number synchronization procedure. The prior art notes three cases in which the RRC layer 80 should cause a PDCP sequence number synchronization procedure to occur:
1) During an RLC reset procedure.
2) During a Radio Bearer reconfiguration procedure.
3) During a lossless SRNS relocation when a next expected UL/DL Receive PDCP sequence number invalidity event is detected between the sequence numbers of the two PDCP entities.
Under certain conditions, the Radio Bearer reconfiguration procedure will not lead to loss of PDCP PDUs. Nevertheless, the prior art protocol insists that a PDCP sequence number synchronization procedure be performed. This is a waste of radio resources, as it forces the unnecessary inclusion of the 16-bit PDCP sequence number into the transmitted PDCP PDUs. Secondly, when the Radio Bearer reconfiguration procedure is combined with the SRNS Relocation procedure, the prior art further insists that the PDCP sequence number synchronization procedure be performed, even if no next expected UL/DL Receive PDCP sequence number invalidity event has been detected. Again, this wastes radio resources. Finally, there are other RRC procedures besides the Radio Bearer reconfiguration procedure that can lead to loss of PDCP PDUs, and which are unaccounted for in the prior art. This can undermine the entire lossless SRNS Relocation procedure of the prior art, if these RRC procedures are not performed in combination with an SRNS Relocation procedure.

Method for determining triggering of a PDCP sequence number synchronization procedure


A steam generator which finds particular application as a superheater and reheater for transfer of heat from the gas coolant of a nuclear power reactor to a secondary fluid medium. The lower pressure reheater is located inside of the nuclear pressure vessel containing a reactor core, as is the high pressure main steam tube bundle which is comprised of an economizer/ evaporator tube bundle stage and an initial superheater tube bundle stage. The remaining superheater tube bundles which comprise the intermediate superheater and the finishing superheater are located outside of the nuclear pressure vessel, where they are heated regeneratively by reheat steam which is emerging from the nuclear pressure vessel at a temperature higher than required by the reheat turbine, The main steam system can be designed for either subcritical or supercritical pressure operation. The main steam tube bundle, located inside of the nuclear pressure vessel, operates with forced once-through flow while the plant is running at normal load and operates with water recirculation while the plant is running at low load and during start-up to provide satisfactory water velocities in the heat transfer tubes of the main steam tube bundle throughout the operating range. A recirculation system extracts water from a location between the tube side outlet of the initial superheater tube bundle stage and the tube side inlet of the intermediate superheater tube bundle to the tube side inlet of the economizer/evaorator tube bundle stage by means of a recirculation pump.

The present invention relates to heat exchange apparatus transferring heat from a reactor primary coolant, typically helium or carbon dioxide, to a secondary fluid medium, typically water and steam, and more particularly to a novel superheating arrangement in which a reheater tube bundle located within a nuclear pressure vessel works in conjunction with superheater tube bundles which are located outside of the nuclear pressure vessel. The reheater absorbs sufficient heat from the reactor gas coolant to supply required reheat steam to the reheat turbine, and in addition the reheater absorbs excess heat at higher temperature than required to meet the reheat turbine inlet steam conditions. The excess heat contained in the reheat steam flow is transferred regeneratively to the external superheater tube bundles to raise the superheat temperature of the main steam flow to the temperature required by the main steam turbine. While it is understood that various fluids can be used for the reactor primary coolant and the secondary fluid medium, the descriptions which follow shall employ the terminology reactor gas coolant to describe the reactor primary coolant and water and or steam to describe the secondary fluid medium.
It is desirable to remove heat from gas cooled nuclear reactors by circulating superheated steam at maximum temperature to maximize volumetric and thermal efficiency. This is typically done with tubular heat exchangers specifically referred to as steam generators. A steam generator is comprised of a series of high pressure main steam tube bundles which supply steam to the high pressure main steam turbine, and a lower pressure reheat tube bundle which supplies steam to the lower pressure reheat turbine. Within the nuclear pressure vessel the main steam tube bundle is comprised of an economizer/evaporator tube bundle stage in which feedwater is raised in temperature and evaporated to steam, and an initial superheater tube bundle stage in which the main steam flow is superheated to a desired level for exit from the nuclear pressure vessel. The intermediate superheater and the finishing superheater tube bundles are contained in separate pressure vessels located outside of the nuclear pressure vessel. Steam exiting from the initial superheater tube bundle stage is raised in temperature in the intermediate superheater tube bundle until stress limitations on the heat transfer tube material require a higher grade tube material. Accordingly, the finishing superheater tube bundle, pressure vessel and other components are constructed of materials having design stress limits high enough to accomodate the final steam temperature required by the main steam turbine. A bi-metallic weld is provided between the intermediate superheater tube bundle and the finishing superheater tube bundle. Inlet and outlet penetrations in the walls of the various pressure vessels provide for passage of water and steam flow to and from the respective tube bundles.
A steam generator can be designed to make steam at subcritical (less than 3206.2 psia) pressure or supercritical (greater than 3206.2 psia) pressure. In a subcritical system water changes to steam with heat addition at constant temperature and with water density exceeding steam density, while in a supercritical system the phase change is temperature dependant, occuring without a change in density. By employing a supercritical main steam system reheat steam pressure can be raised above reactor gas coolant pressure such that radiation bearing reactor gas coolant cannot leak into reheat steam.
Because of space limitations in the nuclear pressure vessel a once-through steam generator is preferred over a drum type steam generator in gas cooled reactors. However, once-through steam generators have certain inherent problems when utilized in gas cooled reactors. In prior designs utilizing once-through steam generators in gas cooled reactors parallel tube circuits were continuous from feedwater inlet to finishing superheater outlet so that steam temperature could not be equalized among tube circuits by the use of mixing headers. Also the lack of intermediate mixing headers and confinement in the nuclear pressure vessel precluded the use of water recirculation to provide flow stability (positive upward flow in all tube circuits) during low load and start-up operation of the plant. As a result flow resistance in the form of orifices at tube circuit inlets had to be provided. Orifices imposed a large pressure drop penalty and had a predisposition to foul by build-up of deposits from impurities in the feedwater. Special feedwater demineralizer systems had to be employed to reduce fouling of the otherwise non-maintainable orifices. Another problem with the use of once-through steam generators in gas cooled reactors was protection of the bi-metallic weld which had to be located within the nuclear pressure vessel in the tubing connecting the intermediate and finishing super-heater stages. Because the bi-metallic welds were not maintainable the use of special insulation and temperature sensors was required. It has been accepted practice with once-through steam generators in gas cooled reactors to plan for plugging of failed tubes because access for replacement of these tubes was not available. The potential for tube failure was high due to vibration and wear of tubes, blockage of tubes from orifice fouling, thermal stress at bi-metallic welds, and over heating due to low flow instability, poor gas and or water/steam flow distribution, and gas hot streaks and unmixed tube side flow.
The inability to provide recirculation flow during low load and start-up operation also limited main steam outlet pressure such that it was substantially lower than reactor gas coolant pressure. High safety gas cooled reactor designs eliminated reheating from the steam generator system because of potential leakage of radiation bearing reactor gas coolant into reheat steam, leading to further reduction of main steam outlet pressure. As a result the plant was deprived of several economic advantages including thermal and volumetric efficiency and the use of standard turbine equipment.
In general the difficulties with once-through steam generators and the lack of reheaters have prevented gas cooled reactors from realizing the very high temperature capability of the graphite core. The advantages of the present invention, namely a steam generator heat removal system having once-through capability at normal load combined with capability for water recirculation at low load and during start-up, working in conjunction with a balanced pressure reheater will avail gas cooled reactors of highest temperature potential.

Steam generator system for gas cooled reactor and the like


A case for an in-vehicle electronic device is placed in an inclined manner on a top face of a transmission such that at least part of a front side of the case is lower than at least side of a rear side of the case. The case includes a first case, a second case and a rib. The first case is configured to be attached to the top face of the transmission. The second case is attached to a top face of the first case. The rib is on a lower part of a rear face of the second case and includes a top face. The rib extends in a crosswise direction along the lower part of the rear face of the second case toward opposite side faces of the second case. The top face of the rib is inclined downward relative to a horizontal plane toward the rear side of the case.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a case for an electronic device to be provided in an engine room (or a motor room) of a vehicle, and the vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Various devices including an engine (or a drive motor) are provided in an engine room of a vehicle. Particularly, in recent years, electric vehicles including hybrid vehicles have been used widely, and the vehicles are equipped with various electronic devices. An inverter for generating an alternating current for driving a drive motor is a typical in-vehicle electronic device. Particularly, as for an important in-vehicle electronic device such as the inverter, various ideas are suggested about how to place the in-vehicle electronic device.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-218837 (JP 2011-218837 A) describes a technique to fix an inverter, which is one type of the in-vehicle electronic device, onto a transmission. Note that the transmission is a general term of any of a motor, an engine, and a gear for transmission of a driving force, or a unit of mechanisms including some of them in combination. Some transmissions for an electric vehicle, particularly, a hybrid vehicle, include three shafts extending in parallel in a vehicle crosswise direction. Such a transmission includes therein two motors and a gear for transmitting outputs of power sources (an engine and the motors) to an axle, and three shafts, in total, including output shafts of the two motors and a main shaft of the gear are placed in parallel. On that account, the three shafts are placed so as to be vertices of a triangle when viewed from a shaft axial direction. When the shafts are placed as such, a top face of a housing of the transmission may be inclined. In the transmission of JP 2011-218837 A, the top face is inclined forward, and an inverter for supplying an alternating-current power to the motor is attached to the top face thus inclined. Here, the in-vehicle electronic device is attached to the transmission by use of a case, which is an outer casing for the electronic device.

Case for in-vehicle electronic device and vehicle


A system and method for interfacing a data acquisition device to a host device via a plurality of interfaces are provided. The present invention is enabled by a multi-interface controller which enables the data acquisition device to interface to a plurality of host devices having different interfaces e.g., RS232, USB, keyboard wedge, IBM4683, wand emulation, synapse, undecoded, etc. The interface controller includes a microcomputer for translating received data from the data acquisition device and outputting a host device type signal; and a switching circuit for electrically coupling the microcomputer to the at least one host device based on the host device type signal and transmitting the received data to the host device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a data acquisition system, and more particularly, to a system and method for interfacing a data acquisition device to a host device via a plurality of interfaces.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of data acquisition devices exist which allow a user to collect and transmit data to a host computing device. Data acquisition devices may be terminals, with keypad entry means and a display. In addition, data acquisition devices may be bar code scanners in a stand alone configuration or integrated with a terminal. Various types of bar code scanning devices are known in the art which optically scan a bar code printed on a substrate for capture of data encoded in the bar code. Laser bar code scanning devices use a laser light source such as a visible laser diode to scan the bar code by sweeping the laser source across the bar code with a mechanically oscillating reflecting element such as a mirror. The light reflected from the bar code is collected by a photosensor directly from the bar code or retroreflectively off of a portion of the scanning mirror. The analog waveform output by the photosensor has an amplitude which represents the amount of laser light reflected off the bar code. Thus, the varying amplitude of the analog waveform represents the relative spacing of the various bars and spaces of the bar code, which in turn represents the data encoded therein. The analog signal is processed, digitized and decoded into data representative of that which had been encoded into the target bar code.
Bar code scanning devices are also known in the art which are based on solid state imagers such as charge coupled devices (CCDs). CCD based bar code readers are either one-dimensional or two-dimensional. One-dimensional CCD bar code scanners use a linear array of photosensors to capture an image of a cross section of the entire linear bar code at once and produce an analog waveform whose amplitude is representative of the darkness and lightness of the bars and spaces of the captured image. The electric charge stored in each element of the CCD array as a function of the amount of light sensed by an area covered by each element is shifted out serially to form electric signals for further processing, digitizing and decoding. Two dimensional CCD bar code readers operate similarly to capture an image of an entire two-dimensional bar code symbol at once and process it accordingly. The waveform is digitized and decoded in a means similar to laser scanners.
The decoded signals are typically transmitted to a host device for processing, storage, and the like. Many types of host devices exist, depending on the particular application desired by the user. For example, scanners are used at POS cash register terminals to scan in the bar code of a product, where the terminal uses the bar code data as a pointer to look up the price and item description in memory. Scanners are also used to interface to personal computers with keyboard wedges, where the scanner is inserted in the path between the keyboard and the computer, and the scanner input must be configured to appear the same to the computer as keyed input from the keyboard. Scanners are also used to drive RS-232 computer interfaces in other applications.
In most cases, each different type of host device implements a different type of input/output interface, thus requiring different mechanical connectors, different electrical and data formats and protocols, etc. depending on the user's application. Prior art devices were thus usually configured by the manufacturer to interface with one or more host devices. This custom type of scanner-host device matching is costly and inefficient.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,258,604, a system is suggested which implements a bar code scanning device which is configured to accept any of a plurality of differently configured interface boards in its handle, wherein each type of interface board is specially adapted to mate with an associated host device. The decoder in the scanner polls the interface board upon power-up and reads an identification code from the particular interface board which the user has inserted. The identification code is used by the decoder to access configuration and formatting data from an on-board memory in order to transmit data to the interface board and ultimately to the host device in the required manner. This requires a user to have to swap electrical boards inside the scanner device whenever he desires to use the scanner with a different host device, which is unwieldy and potentially damaging to the boards due to electrostatic discharge (ESD) phenomena. In addition, when a new type of host device is desired to be used with a scanner already in use in the field, the scanner must be physically reconfigured in order to be able to recognize a new identification code from a new type of interface board and to properly format the decoded data for transfer to the new type of host device.
It is also desired in the field of data acquisition such as bar code scanning to be able to use a particular data acquisition device with different host devices at different times by simply connecting the data acquisition device to the host device in a "plug and play" environment, without having to physically reconfigure the data acquisition device with different internal interface boards as in the prior art. This may occur, for example, with a data acquisition device that is used to scan bar codes during the daytime at a POS terminal, and then is used at night time for inventory collection purposes in a storage room with a different host device.

Multi-interface data acquisition system and method thereof


A tape keeper for use in magnetic tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus to keep tape on tape transport elements. The tape keeper has a plurality of flexible bristles supported on a support adjacent to a tape transport element. The element includes spaced tape edge guides between which the bristles extend to keep the tape on the element.

Magnetic tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus are widely used to record and reproduce analog and digital images and data on magnetic tape. Typically, the magnetic tape is wound in a pack on a supply reel. The supply reel can be contained in a single reel cartridge or in a two reel cassette which also has a takeup reel to which the tape is attached. The magnetic tape is transported around a tape path from the supply reel, past one or more stationary or rotating magnetic heads, to the takeup reel. The tape transport path has guide elements, such as posts or rollers, to guide the magnetic tape around the path. Typically, the magnetic tape contacting elements have edge guides, such as flanges, to laterally hold and guide the tape.
Tape keepers are used to keep tape in place on the supply and takeup reels and on the guide elements, as the tape is transported and when the tape goes slack. The tape keepers can be made of formed mylar. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, formed mylar tape keeper 10 nests between the flanges 12 and 14 of a reel 16 having magnetic tape 18 wound on core 20. In FIG. 2, the keeper 10 is shown deformed to allow removal or installation of reel 16 in the direction of arrow 22. The tape keeper can also be made from formed metal. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, formed metal keepers 24 keep tape 18 on guide roller 26 having core 28 and flanges 30 and 32. In FIG. 4, the tape 18 is deformed to load or unload it between the keepers 24.
The formed mylar and metal keepers described above have the following disadvantages.
1. Alignment of the keepers must be precise.
2. Improper loading of the tape can damage the tape and/or the keeper.
3. Manufacturing precision and cost as well as reliability are a concern.
4. A misaligned or damaged mylar tape keeper can scrape against tape or tape reel creating an audible sound which violates allowable acoustic signature.
5. Tape unloading is very difficult without damaging the tape.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,861, issued Feb. 2, 1971, inventor Knox, discloses a tape guide locating member 38 including a rigid protruding bar 42 having a vertical, double tapered end 44 which engages the flanges of spool-like guide 32. The disclosed tape guide has one or more of the above disadvantages, e.g., difficulty in loading or unloading tape without tape damage.
There is thus a problem in magnetic tape recording and reproducing apparatus to provide a tape keeper which is easily and economically manufactured, which is resistant to damage, which will not damage tape, which is light-weight and easy to use, and which will still perform its function if partially damaged.


Disclosed are an apparatus and method for managing a digital copyright on electronic publication (EPUB)-based content and an apparatus and method for providing EPUB-based content according to a user's right. An encryption unit of the apparatus for managing digital copyright generates encrypted unit files by encrypting a plurality of unit files included in content in the form of a compressed archive including the plurality of unit files with different encryption keys, stores the encrypted unit files in a content database, generates mapping data by mapping the encryption keys to pieces of identification information of the encrypted unit files, and stores the mapping data in an encryption key database. A rights management unit transmits an encryption key selected from among the plurality of encryption keys to a content provision apparatus, which decrypts the encrypted unit files and provides the unit files to a user, based on at least one of identification information of the user and identification information of the content included in an encryption key provision request message received from the content provision apparatus.

Electronic publication (EPUB) is a free and open e-book standard that is adopted as a public standard to replace the Open e-Book standard that precedes September 2007 by International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). Since EPUB-based content is designed as reflowable content, it can be automatically optimized for the form and the size of a display device and provided to a user.
The specifications of EPUB include three definitions of open publication structure (OPS) 2.0, open packaging format (OPF) 2.0, and open e-book publication structure (OEBPS) container format (OCF) 2.0. The OPS is the uppermost-level definition of the EPUB format, and includes the definition of a modularization specification of EPUB content, the definition of a style sheet, the definition of limited use of extensible hypertext markup language (XHTML) or extensible markup language (XML), and so on. The OPF defines metadata generated in the OCF according to an OCF standard, an order of reading, and a mechanism for an information-searching operation, and the OCF specifies the general definition of a container technology of EPUB content.
Referring to the physical configuration of an EPUB file, EPUB-based content is in the form of a single file having the extension ".epub," and several components (directories and files) are compressed into the single file by a compression mechanism. The root of an EPUB file includes a "mimetype.xml" file, a META-INF directory, and an OEBPS directory.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an OEBPS directory structure of an EPUB file. Referring to FIG. 1, the OCF defines that content to be actually read by users is located in an OEBPS directory in the form of an XHTML file.
As shown in FIG. 1, the OPF is embodied as a "content.opf" file in the OEBPS directory. The "content.opf" file includes metadata, the order of files containing content to be read by a user, a style to be presented, and navigational information that can be used by a device, such as an EPUB reader, or an application program.
Meanwhile, in connection with digital rights management (DRM) of content provided in the form of an e-book, such as EPUB-based content, IDPF has no standard enforcing DRM of EPUB-based content but has recommendations based on XML security standards of the world wide web consortium (W3C).
When encryption of e-book content is performed while the EPUB standard of IDPF is satisfied, it is recommended to generate an "encryption.xml" file containing key information and algorithm information for encrypting a META-INF directory according to the XML security standards of the W3C, generate a "signature.xml" file containing information on an e-signature for preventing forgery and falsification of content, and generate a "rights.xml" file for control of a content user's right. Here, the content of encryption, e-signature, and right control does not designate a single algorithm but suggests recommendations to use a specific algorithm and rights expression language.
The copyright protection of e-book content, such as EPUB-based content, becomes problematic because a content provider gives users rights to be provided with content in stages according to the users, or intends to prevent a non-allowed user from accessing content. However, as mentioned above, IDPF merely suggests recommendations for copyright protection and has no standardized algorithm for copyright protection. Therefore, there is a need for a copyright management algorithm that can be applied to EPUB.
An existing EPUB copyright protection system employs a method of encrypting a whole .epub file using one encryption key or separately encrypting components of an .epub file using one encryption key. Therefore, it is impossible to provide content in stages according to access rights.
Korean Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-0097465 discloses a DRM system that makes it possible to encrypt digital content using an encryption key and decrypt the digital content by getting a license, and US Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-0088746 discloses a system that maintains security by displaying only parts of a document according to access rights to confidential documents. However, all the existing technologies provide only security methods for general digital content and are irrelevant to a copyright protection algorithm for EPUB content.

Apparatus and method for managing digital copyright on EPUB-based content, and apparatus and method for providing EPUB-based content according to user's right


Use of a sugar selected from lactose, fructose and raffinose, for increasing serpin expression in Bifidobacterium longum strain CNCM I-2618.

Gluten-related disorders comprise all diseases triggered by gluten. They include, amongst other pathophysiology, celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Currently, the incidence of a wide spectrum of gluten-related disorders is growing all around the world, especially for celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Both diseases are triggered by ingestion of gluten. Both innate and adaptive immunity are implicated in celiac disease while innate immunity is implicated in non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
A life-long gluten-free diet is the gold standard treatment for celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity patients, although it may have some limitations on the extraintestinal manifestations of the disease (Sedghizadeh et al., 2002, Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontology, 94(4), 474-478). It has been shown that following a strict gluten free diet is very difficult as low level cross-contaminations are difficult to avoid and may happen through the whole food production chain, from grains growth to manufacturing processing (Mitchison et al., 1991, Gut, 32(3), 260-265). Furthermore, it has been described that up to 3 g of hidden gluten might be consumed daily under a strict gluten free diet (Aziz et al., 2014, The American journal of gastroenterology, 109(9), 1498).
Celiac disease is prevalent especially in the United States and Europe where around 1% of subjects had positive antibody tests (Dubé et al., 2005, Gastroenterology, 128(4), S57-S67). It is a complex disorder which arises from a complicated interaction among various immunologic, genetic, and environmental factors (Alaedini & Green, 2005). It is triggered by the digestion of wheat gluten and other related cereal proteins such as rye and barley proteins. Symptoms linked with celiac disease are growth retardation, irritability and pubertal delay in children and many gastrointestinal symptoms such as discomfort, diarrhoea, occult stool, steatorrhea and flatulence, (Dubé et al., 2005; Sedghizadeh et al., 2002).
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (also named non-celiac wheat sensitivity) is an emerging condition. It is defined as a clinical entity induced by the ingestion of gluten leading to intestinal and/or extraintestinal symptoms which could be improved by removing the gluten-containing foodstuff from the diet (Lundin & Alaedini, 2012). In addition to gliadin (the main cytotoxic antigen of gluten), other proteins/peptides present in gluten and gluten-containing cereals (wheat, rye, barley, and their derivatives) may play a role in the development of symptoms. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is the most common syndrome of gluten-related disorders with prevalence rates between 0.5-13% in the general population (on average 5%) (Catassi et al., 2013, Nutrients, 5(10), 3839-3853).
Serine protease inhibitors (serpin) are a superfamily of proteins found in eukaryotes (Gettins, 2002, Chemical reviews, 102(12), 4751-4804) and prokaryotes (Kantyka et al., Biochimie, 92(11), 1644-1656).
Recently, human serine protease inhibitors have been shown to play an important role in gluten-related disorders. Elafin is human serine protease inhibitor which shows potent inhibitory capacity against various forms of elastases and proteinase (Ying & Simon, 1993, Biochemistry, 32(7), 1866-1874). Elafin is expressed throughout the epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract and its expression and induction is decreased in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease (Baranger, Zani, Labas, Dallet-Choisy, & Moreau, 2011; Motta et al., 2012). Recently, elafin has been identified as a substrate for the cross-linking activity of transglutaminase 2 (TG2) (Baranger et al., 2011, PloS one, 6(6), e20976; Motta et al., Science translational medicine, 4(158), 158ra144-158ra144). In-vitro data shows that the addition of elafin moderately inhibits transglutaminase 2 (TG2) thus inhibiting the deamidation of the digestion-resistant 33-mer gliadin peptide, which is one of the potential triggers of the adaptive immune response in celiac disease (McCarville et al. 2015, Current opinion in pharmacology, 25, 7-12).
Delivery of elafin, produced by a recombinant Lactococcus lactis has been shown to reduce gluten-induced pathology and normalise intestine inflammation in a mouse model of gluten sensitivity (Galipeau et al., 2014, The American journal of gastroenterology, 109(5), 748-756). However, this proposed therapy is based on a genetically modified microorganism (GMO) and is therefore not compatible with a food application, as consumer acceptance of GMO is very low.
More recently, serpins have been reported in prokaryotes. In silico analysis revealed the presence of genes encoding serpin-like proteins in different Bifidobacterium species. The protein encoded by B. longum subsp longum (named B. longum) NCC 2705 displayed similar antiprotease activity to those of human serpin (Ivanov et al 2006, Journal of Biological Chemistry, 281(25), 17246-17252). B. longum NCC 2705 was deposited with the Institute Pasteur, CNCM Collection nationale de cultures de microorganisms, 25, rue du Dr Roux, 75724 Paris Cédex 15, France, according to the Budapest Treaty on 29 Jan. 2001 receiving the deposit no. CNCM I-2618.
It has recently been shown that B. longum NCC 2705 (CNCM I-2618), through its serpin production can improve gluten induced pathophysiology in a mouse model of gluten sensitivity, showing its potential as a solution for gluten related disorders (McCarville et al., 2017, Appl. Envoron. Microbiol. Vol. 83, no. 19, e01323-17).


A method for purchasing goods, access authorizations or authorizations for using a service from a plurality of offered goods, access authorizations or authorizations for using a service. A defined spatial region is subdivided into defined subregions assigned, in each case, to a purchasable good, access authorization or authorization for using a service. A good, an access authorization or an authorization for using a service from a plurality of offered goods, access authorizations or authorizations for using a service is purchased, and a user registered in advance for carrying out the method on the basis of biometric features and/or on the basis of features, which may be assigned to the user uniquely, or an item registered in advance for carrying out the method is identified and localized in the defined subregion (1, 2, 3) assigned to the good, access authorization or authorization for using a service.

It is known from the prior art to actively purchase access authorizations or authorizations for using a service prior to visiting an installation or using a service, for example via the Internet by means of Internet-enabled electronic devices. Here, the required actuation of the electronic devices results in a delay and stress. Alternatively, access authorizations or authorizations for using a service can be purchased by actuating an automatic machine or at a cash desk, which may likewise disadvantageously result in a delay and stress.

Method for purchasing goods, access authorizations or authorizations for using a service from a plurality of offered goods, access authorizations or authorizations for using a service


Fabric care compositions comprise cationic starch and fabric softening active, wherein the composition comprises a viscosity of less than about 2000 centipoise.

Fabric care compositions include those fabric softening compositions which are generally used during the rinse cycle or drying cycle of a typical laundry process or as a spray-on product to provide improved softness, static control, wrinkle release and/or freshness to the fabrics being laundered.
Cationic starch has previously been utilized in fabric softening compositions as a thickening agent. For example, EP 596,580 discloses a liquid fabric softening composition containing a biodegradable cationic fabric softener and a fully gelatinized cationic starch. The fully gelatinized cationic starch is added to the composition as a thickening agent to increase the viscosity of the composition. However, these compositions are typically either highly dilute compositions (e.g. containing only 4% fabric softener active) or are concentrated compositions having viscosities (e.g. >2000 mPas) that are undesirable from a consumer use standpoint.
There remains a need to develop an improved fabric care composition that provides improved fabric feel and/or softening, while also limiting viscosity.

Fabric care compositions comprising cationic starch


A novel high speed, >1 GHz or 2 Gbits/s, low voltage differential signal (LVDS) driver is disclosed. The LVDS design achieves low power consumption while providing LVDS compliant impedance termination to power supply and ground. An output stage of the LVDS is implemented using a Nmos and a Pmos follower in a push pull configuration. This new design relies first on a follower type of an output stage, which provides the inherent impedance termination, second on an AC, capacitive, coupling and DC restoration to drive output stage gates, and on a low power dummy bias generator that supplies DC restoration voltages. As the supply voltage is lower the thick oxide devices performance suffer, therefore for this new design is mainly implemented with thin oxide devices.

Low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) is used for communicating data using a very low power differential signal. This differential signal is either used to communicate data using two PCB traces or a balanced cable. A voltage difference is typically under 400 mV for the voltage swing.
Currently, many solutions exist for exchanging digital data on a PCB, however limited solutions exist in exchanging data between devices connected using a cable. Moving this digital data across the cable requires an extremely high-performance solution that consumes minimal power, is relatively immune to noise, inexpensive, and generates little noise. LVDS is advantageous because digital data is transmitted differentially, using two wires with opposite current or voltage swings instead of a single wire. Thus, if common-mode noise couples into the two wires, it is rejected by a receiver circuit since the noise appears on both lines equally and the receiver circuit receives a difference between the two signals. Furthermore, differential signals tend to radiate less noise than single ended signals due to the canceling of magnetic fields.
A typical LVDS differential output signal is specified to be 400 mv (max) into a 100 Ohms load with a common mode voltage (CMV) of 1.2V. Each of the output ports of a LVDS transmitter is terminated to both power and ground rails with a nominal impedance of 50 Ohms. Conventional and somehow advanced techniques that are used in producing of a LVDS compliant driver use differential current mode logic (CML) or a variant on a differential CMOS push/pull driver circuit. In order to achieve a 1.2V CML, the conventional techniques require the use of a high supply voltage. Current submicron integration technology supports voltages that are nominally 3.3V.
Additionally, impedance matching to the power and ground rails is necessary. However, in order to generate the required internal 50 Ohms termination to power and ground, an additional internal current is utilized to produce the required impedance match. This current can range from 3 to 4 times the external load current. For simplicity, for a load of 100 Ohms and 400 mv differential swing, the load current is then 4 mA, which means the wasted internal current is 12-16 mA. This translates into an internal power consumption of P=V*I, where the I=12-16 ma and V=*3.3 v, which leads to wasted power of approximately 39.6 mW to 52.8 mW.
A need therefore exists to provide a LDVS circuit that does not rely on an additional internal current to produce the impedance match between power and ground rails. Alternatively, it would also be advantageous to reduce the power consumption relating to producing the impedance match between power and ground rails. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a LVDS circuit that provides low power consumption with built in impedance termination to supply and ground.

Ultra low power LVDS driver with built in impedance termination to supply and ground rails


A fuel injection apparatus has an injector 4 for supplying fuel to an internal combustion engine 1, an air passage 35 having one end connected to the injector for atomizing the fuel injected therefrom and the other end connected to an air source, an air control valve 30 disposed in the air passage for controlling the quantity of air flowing therethrough, and a control unit 37 connected to the air control valve for controlling it in accordance with operating conditions of the engine. A pressure pump 40 may also be connected in the air passage for pressurizing the air therein, together with a pressure adjuster 42 disposed in a by-pass pipe 44 for controlling the pressure within the air passage, and a check valve 46 for preventing any pressurized air back flow.

This invention relates to a fuel injection apparatus for an internal combustion engine and, more particularly, to a fuel injection apparatus in which fuel is atomized by air supplied through an air passage.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating one example of a fuel injection system of a known fuel injection apparatus for an internal combustion engine, in which an internal combustion engine 1 has an intake pipe 20 for supplying air to the internal combustion engine 1. The intake pipe 20 has an air flow throttle valve 2 disposed therein for controlling the air which flows through the intake pipe 20. The air flow throttle valve 2 divides the intake pipe 20 into a higher-pressure portion 20a and a lower-pressure portion 20b which have different air pressures. The intake pipe 20 comprises an intake manifold 20c disposed between the air flow throttle valve 2 and a cylinder 1a of the internal combustion engine 1 in the lower-pressure portion 20b of the intake pipe 20. An air flow sensor 3 is disposed in the intake pipe 20 for detecting a quantity of the air which flows through the intake pipe 20. The air flow sensor 3 is electrically connected to an electronic control unit 6 (ECU) for supplying an output signal indicative of the air flow amount to the ECU 6.
A fuel injector 4 is disposed in the intake manifold 20c and has a nozzle which faces the cylinders 1a of the internal combustion engine 1 for jetting fuel supplied from a fuel tank (not shown) by a fuel pump (not shown) to provide an air-fuel mixture the cylinders 1a of the internal combustion engine 1. The fuel injector 4 is electrically connected to the ECU 6 and operates according to pulse signals provided by the ECU 6. As seen from FIG. 6, the fuel injection apparatus also comprises an air passage pipe 5 whose one end is connected to the higher-pressure portion 20a of the intake pipe 20 between the air flow sensor 3 and the air flow throttle valve 2 and whose the other end is connected to the lower-pressure portion 20b close to the nozzle of the fuel injector 4 for impinging air at a high speed to fuel injected from the fuel injector 4 to promote an atomization of the fuel spray. Disposed at the top of the cylinder 1a are, respectively, an intake valve 7a and an exhaust valve 7b, and a piston 8 is disposed within each of the cylinders 1a.
In the known fuel injection apparatus as described above, the fuel injector 4 is supplied with fuel whose pressure is electrically controlled at a predetermined value by a pressure regulator (not shown). The ECU 6 determines a controlling duty ratio according to the output signals from the air flow sensor 3 and output signals from a cooling water temperature sensor (not shown) which may be disposed in the water jacket (not shown). Then the ECU 6 supplies pulse signals indicating the controlling duty ratio to the fuel injector 4. The fuel injector 4 opens or closes electromagnetically according to the pulse signals from the ECU 6 and jets the fuel into the cylinders 1a of the internal combustion engine 1. The quantity of the fuel jetted by the fuel injector 4 is controlled to be in proportion to the controlling duty ratio indicated by the pulse signals from the ECU 6. Therefore, fuel of the most suitable quantity can be always supplied by the fuel injector 4 according to the operating condition of the internal combustion engine 1.
Further, due to the difference of air pressure between the higher-pressure portion 20a and the lower-pressure portion 20b of the intake pipe 20 which are separated by the air flow throttle valve 2, air of a relatively high pressure is supplied at a high speed to the nozzle of the fuel injector 4 through the air passage pipe 5 and it impinges against the fuel injected from the fuel injector 4 to promote atomization of the fuel.
However, the quantity of the high-speed air flowing through the air passage pipe 5 is determined on the basis of only the difference in air pressure between the high-pressure portion 20a and the lower-pressure portion 20b of the intake pipe 20. Further, the quantity of the high-speed air is selected to be comparatively small because the engine speed of the internal combustion engine 1 cannot be made high during idling conditions because the fuel consumption becomes worse and is not economical when the idling engine speed is high. Hence, in spite of the promotion of the atomization of the fuel as described above, the quantity of the high-speed air supplied to the fuel injector for fuel atomization is not enough for the optimum atomization in all conditions except for the-idling of the internal combustion engine 1, and the particle diameter of the fuel cannot be small enough to provide a suitable combustion.
Further, the amount of fuel injection varies in accordance with the operation state of the internal combustion engine 1, such as the suction air flow rate and the coolant temperature as described above, and there is an optimum air flow rate through the air passage pipe which most suitably atomizes the fuel in accordance with the fuel injection amount. However, this optimum air flow rate cannot be realized with the known fuel injection apparatus. Therefore, the fuel consumption cannot be efficient and a lot of Hydro Carbon (HC) has been emitted undesirably.

Fuel injection apparatus for an internal combustion engine


A fiber composite material in which short fibers, such as polyester short fibers, are added to a matrix, such as a cross-linked rubber matrix, is provided, wherein a heat shrinkage ratio of the short fibers is 8% or less at fiber composite material molding temperatures of 140 to 200.degree. C. Also provided is a pneumatic tire in whose tire tread the fiber composite material is used. Such pneumatic tires include pneumatic tires provided with a foamed rubber layer in a tire tread. The foamed rubber layer has an average cell diameter of 10 to 120 .mu.m and an expansion ratio of 3 to 50%. A solid phase rubber portion of the foamed rubber layer includes 5 to 55 parts by weight of carbon black, 55 to 5 parts by weight of silica, and 1 to 15 parts by weight of short fibers to 100 parts by weight of a diene-base rubber component including 70 to 20 parts by weight of natural rubber and 30 to 80 parts by weight of polybutadiene rubber. A surface of the tire tread has a hardness of 52 or less at 0.degree. C. The short fibers have a length which is from 0.5 to 3 mm and which is shorter than a minimum gap between sipes of a tire surface, a diameter of 30 to 100 .mu.m, an aspect ratio of 5 to 100, and a heat shrinkage ratio of 8% or less at 140 to 200.degree. C. On-ice performance of the pneumatic tire of the present invention is excellent.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fiber composite material having improved orientation of fibers and excellent friction resistance with respect to ice, and to a pneumatic tire in whose tread portion the fiber composite material is used and which has markedly improved running performances, such as braking, traction and cornering, on icy roads. (Such performances will be referred to hereinafter as "on-ice performances".)
2. Description of the Related Art
Characteristics of a matrix material are often improved by using a material having elasticity, such as a rubber or an elastomer, as a matrix and compounding fillers, fibers or the like into the matrix. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 4-38206 discloses a method of controlling the rigidity of a tire by adding short fibers to a matrix rubber. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 3-152140 discloses a method of improving the on-ice characteristics due to the dropping off of fibers which have been added into a matrix rubber of a tire. In this way, by compounding short fibers into the matrix such that the short fibers either adhere or do not adhere to the matrix, a material having various functions can be obtained.
The functions realized by the compounding of the short fibers are brought about by the orientation of the short fibers within the matrix.
Generally, short fibers 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 are subjected to stress, heat and the like at the time of being compounded with a matrix 12 so as to become short fibers 14 (see FIG. 2) which have shrunk due to heat shrinkage. In this shrunken state illustrated in FIG. 2, the short fibers 14 are compounded with the matrix 12. Accordingly, because the composite material contains shrunken fibers, the functions which are obtained by the orientation of the fibers deteriorate.
Because the orientation of the short fibers in a conventional short fiber composite material deteriorates, it is difficult to control the physical properties resulting from the compounding of short fibers, anisotropy of the short fibers worsens, and functions such as the on-ice performance of a pneumatic tire in whose tread portion such a material is used deteriorate. This phenomenon is more marked in cases in which the short fibers have not undergone adhesion processing for adhering the short fibers to the matrix than in cases in which the short fibers have been subjected to such adhesion processing.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) Nos. 4-38206, 4-176707 and 4-176708 for example disclose, as a pneumatic tire provided with a foamed rubber layer (hereinafter "foamed tire"), a tire which is used as a studless tire and in which foamed rubber and short fibers are used in the tire tread. The technologies disclosed in these publications for improving on-ice performance orient the fibers in the tire circumferential direction and increase the rigidity in order to improve the edge effect. On the other hand, in these technologies, attempts are made to not raise the rigidity by disposing the fibers to run along the direction orthogonal to the tire circumferential direction, because lower rigidity is important for the adhesive friction effect (hereinafter, "adhesive effect") which occurs when the rubber contacts an icy road surface. In this way, both the edge effect and the adhesive effect can be established simultaneously.
However, in actuality, even if the fibers are oriented and compounded as described above, among fibers which have been subjected to adhesion processing to adhere to the rubber as well as fibers which have not been subjected to such processing, those fibers which are smaller than a certain size result in an increase in the rigidity of the tread rubber also in a direction orthogonal to the direction of orientation due to the filler effect. Further, when foaming is also carried out, the orientation of the fibers in the circumferential direction of the tire becomes disordered, and in an actual studless tire in which grooves known as sipes are formed in a dense concentration in the tread portion, when the tire is vulcanized, the orientation of the compounded fibers becomes even more disordered due to blades which are used for forming the sipes. As a result, the tire radial direction rigidity, which is important to the adhesive effect, increases, and hardly any improvement in the on-ice performance can be observed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 63-89547 discloses a foamed rubber composition in which a fibrous material is randomly compounded. In this case, although orientation of the fibers is not carried out, the modulus of elasticity increases in all directions so that there is little improvement in the on-ice performance.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 4-38207 discloses improving the water-removing effect and the on-ice performance by mixing short fibers having poor adhesion with foamed rubber so that the foam gas gathers around the short fibers and forms continuous cells. However, in actuality, the foaming reaction is not concentrated around the short fibers. However, because short fibers having poor adhesion to rubber are compounded, it is easy for the fibers to drop off due to actual use of the tire on a traveling vehicle. Such dropping off leaves concave portions in the tire, which result in a water-removing effect. However, when rigid fibers such as aramide fibers or carbon fibers are used, the hardness of the entire rubber increases, which adversely affects the adhesive effect. On the other hand, as described above, when general organic fibers such as nylon fibers or polyester fibers are used, the fibers heat-shrink during the molding process, and the configuration of the fibers changes from the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 to that of FIG. 2. Therefore, the flow of water to be removed from the ground-contact surface of the tire is not smooth, and it is difficult for water to be effectively removed from the ground-contact surface, so that a sufficient improvement in the on-ice performance cannot be obtained. Further, when such organic fibers are used, in this case as well, the drawback arises in that if the fibers are smaller than a given size, a filler effect occurs and the hardness of the rubber increases.
As has been described above, conventional combinations of foamed rubber and short fibers have resulted in drawbacks such as an increase in the hardness of the rubber. Although the running performances on dry roads and wet roads may improve, the improvement in on-ice performance, which is a fundamental object of studless tires, has been insufficient.

Pneumatic tire using fiber composite material


A preparing method of an organic light-emitting display device, completely encapsulating a substrate and an encapsulation substrate with a frit and a supplement member is disclosed. It is an aspect of the present invention to provide an organic light-emitting display device comprising: a first substrate comprising a pixel region and a non-pixel region on the side thereof wherein an organic light-emitting element is formed in the pixel region and the non-pixel region is formed in the outer side of the pixel region; a second substrate bonded to one region including the pixel region of the first substrate; encapsulating member provided between the non-pixel region of the first substrate and the second substrate and adhering the first substrate to the second substrate; and supplement member configured of resin formed to be spaced from the frit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic light-emitting display device, and more particularly to packaging of an organic light-emitting display device.
2. Description of the Related Technology
An organic light-emitting display device is one of flat display devices. An organic light-emitting display device typically includes an organic light-emitting layer positioned between electrodes opposed to each other. Voltage is applied between the electrodes so that electrons injected from one electrode are coupled with a hole injected from the other electrode in the organic light-emitting layer. By this coupling, light-emitting molecules in the light-emitting layer are excited and returned to a ground state, thereby, emitting light.
The organic light-emitting display device according to such a light-emitting principle has excellent visibility, light weight and thinness and can further be driven with low voltage and therefore, has been spotlighted as a next generation display.
One of problems with such an organic light-emitting display device is that it deteriorates when moisture and/or impurities are infiltrated into organic materials in an organic light-emitting diode.

Organic light-emitting display device and manufacturing method of the same