A method and system is provided for communicating distinct data over a single frequency using on-off keying, a form of amplitude modulation, or phase changes timed to the zero crossing point of the carrier. A data signal is synchronized with the carrier by adding padding bits so that the number of bits is equal to the frequency of the carrier. The carrier is then modified by attenuating the carrier as needed once per cycle. Said carrier is then transmitted. The resulting transmitted carrier carries a number of bits equal to the transmit frequency. At the receive end, the received signal is compared to a sine wave to determine if the incoming signal is at full strength or at reduced strength, allowing for the detection of encoded digital information. In a another embodiment, the phase of the carrier is changed instead of attenuating the carrier, timed to the carrier cycles, once or twice per cycle.

Typically when encoding information a modulation scheme is super imposed on a radio frequency carrier. The carrier is a sine wave. In amplitude modulation the information to be transmitted is used to strengthen or weaken the carrier to indicate the value of the information. Typically, in AM radio the information to be transmitted is not synchronized to the carrier frequency but is only used to modulate the carrier. For example in commercial AM radio analog information is used to directly modulate the transmit carrier, where the information to be transmitted is directly proportional to the power level of the transmitted signal. Due to the generation of beat frequencies, using the information signal to modulate the carrier results in three signals: the carrier, the carrier plus the modulating signal and the carrier minus the modulating signal. AM typically produces a center carrier with little information and two thirds of the power and two side bands on each side of the carrier that contain the encoded information but only one third of the power. For example, in traditional AM radio broadcasting, a 10 kHz signal is carried on a carrier between 600 kHz to 1700 kHz and occupies 20 kHz of bandwidth. The occupied bandwidth is twice the bandwidth of the information signal, or two times the band width of the audio signal. The data or information is not synchronized to the carrier phase angle or cycles. The advantage of the following disclosure is that it uses a very narrow bandwidth to carry very high rates of data. The bandwidth is not correlated to the data rate. The data rate equals the transmit frequency.
In the simplest form of AM communications a sine wave carrier signal is turned on and off to represent information. This is the system used to transmit Morse code. A carrier is keyed on and off to represent data in the form of long bits and short bits. The frequency of on off keying is usually much less than the frequency of the carrier, and the keying is not synchronized to the cycles of the carrier. The present invention switches the carrier on and off with the changes synchronous to the frequency of the carrier.
Other versions of AM just use one or both of the side bands while suppressing the main carrier. AM single side band is more bandwidth efficient since it only uses one of the sidebands, but is very prone to noise.
Cable TV systems along with others use QAM encoding. This is a combination of AM and FM modulation schemes. It uses two carriers that are 90 degrees out of phase with each other. Each of these two channels is phase and amplitude adjusted independently to represent information. The data is synchronized to these two lower frequency channels and 8, 16, 64, and 256 bps are typical encoding rates. After encoding the two channels, they are combined and then mixed with a high frequency sine wave to form the final transmit signal. The data is not synchronized to the phase angle of the transmit carrier, but is synchronized to the two internal 90 degrees out of phase intermediate frequency carriers of the QAM modulator which are significantly lower in frequency than the frequency of the transmit carrier. The bandwidth of the transmission is the symbol rate divided by the encoding rate.
In Frequency Modulation the information is encoded onto a lower frequency carrier called an intermediate frequency which is then mixed with a higher frequency signal to result in a transmit frequency signal. The transmit carrier is usually at a much higher frequency than the rate of the information to be carried and the carrier is not synchronized with the transmitted information. The band width is two times the information signal bandwidth.
Phase shift keying uses phase shifts in a sine wave signal to transmit binary states. Phase shifts can occur twice per cycle (BPSK) up to many times per cycle. Usually an intermediate frequency carrier is encoded with phase shifts and then combined with a high frequency carrier to result in a transmit frequency carrier.
None of the above systems synchronize the digital data to the frequency of the transmit carrier.
Van Nguyen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,462,679 B1 and 6,621,426 B1 suggested changing the amplitude of the carrier wave synchronously with the transmit carrier phase by selecting from one of several sine wave generators of different amplitudes, each level indicating a binary state. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,621,426 B1 he suggested switching between sine wave generators every half cycle and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,462,679 B1 he suggested switching between sine wave generators every ¼ cycle.
A problem occurs in the Van Nguyen patent when amplifying multiple carriers in a common amplifier as the carriers interact with each other. The full power signal of one sine wave will draw power from all other carriers reducing the amplitude of the other carriers, resulting in false zeros. Intermodulation occurs between the various carriers as each of the carriers change binary state. This results in false readings in said carriers, particularly as the bits per cycle increases or the number of carriers increases. The current invention avoids this by reducing the amplitude to near zero for one of the binary states with full power for the other sate. It can be looked at as on off signaling timed to the carrier phase. The presence of a carrier indicates a one and a near zero voltage carrier indicates a zero. Intermodulation will not effect the detection of the bit state of the carrier. Secondly, the Van Nguyen process of selecting from multiple carriers will result in noise at the switching between sine waves. Thirdly, the system proposed herein is much simpler to implement since it just requires the switching of a transistor on and off synchonized to the carrier. Fourthly, the current invention suggests only changing states once per carrier cycle rather than two to four times as suggested by Van Nguyen.
Mark Jorden in U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,284 B1 suggested changing the amplitude of a carrier on a microcontroller bus signal to represent two binary states by selecting between two sine wave signals. He suggested changing the amplitude twice per cycle. The resulting waveform looks like a carrier with increased and decreased amplitudes synchronized to each half cycle. He did not propose switching the carrier on and off. The problem of inter-carrier modulation is not addressed since the disclosure is for transmission along wires of a single data signal.
In order to avoid the consequence of other carriers in the same amplifier affecting the amplitude of the first carrier and to simplify the method of encoding, this disclosure is presented.
The advantages of transmitting one bit per one cycle of transmitted information are 1) a high data rate, and 2) narrow bandwidth, that is, any sideband signals are so far away from the main carrier that they are easily filtered off and all of the information is carried in the center frequency. The lower side band is actually at zero hertz. The bandwidth required is only that necessary to detect a sine wave carrier.
In the following descriptions and disclosure, the "carrier" refers to a sine wave at the transmit frequency unless otherwise indicated.

Amplitude modulation of carrier to encode data


A terminal includes an insertion groove for pressing a conductor thereinto disposed between a pair of conductive arm parts, and a slit disposed proximate to the insertion groove.

There have hitherto been provided a variety of terminals to be pressure-welded with an electrical wire, for use in a connector to connect the electrical wire.
Examples of such terminals include a terminal 103 in which an electrical wire 6 is pressed into an insertion part 102 provided with a U-shaped insertion groove 101 shown in FIG. 19(A). This terminal 103 was subjected to stress analysis of confirming a location of stress concentration and an amount of plastic deformation that occurs by a load by pressing the electrical wire 6 into the insertion part 102. It was found according to this stress analysis that stress concentrates on a region S.
FIG. 19(B) shows a result of the analysis of confirming the amount of plastic deformation, graphically representing a curve L indicative of the relation between the load applied to the insertion part 102 and the displacement amount thereby. Further, a straight line M is indicative of the relation between the applied load and the displacement amount with the insertion part 102 in an elastically deformed state. It is to be noted that the elastically deformed state refers to that the curve L is in a region of a straight line passing an origin, and this region is referred to as an elastic deformation region. The insertion part 102 of the terminal 103 is elastically deformed with the applied load up to a point P, but it is plastically deformed when the load further increases. For this reason, when the pressed-in electrical wire 6 is pulled out in a state where the applied load has reached a point Q, the insertion part 102 gets back along a straight line N parallel to the straight line M, to reach a point R. It was found from the above that this insertion part 102 is plastically deformed by pressing-in of the electrical wire 6.
As a terminal having the above configuration, a pressure-welding connector terminal, which is connected with an electrical wire via an insertion part provided with a U-shaped slit similarly to the above, is described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H9-312106.
However, in the terminal described in this publication, the U-shaped slit is just provided in a platy insertion part, and the insertion part is thus apt to be plastically deformed when an electrical wire is pressed into the U-shaped slit, thus leading to deterioration in force of holding the electrical wire. There has thus been a problem of poor repairability at the time of reinserting and using the electrical wire.
Further, when the strength of the insertion part is enhanced for ensuring predetermined force of holding the electrical wire, spring force of the insertion part needs increasing, thus causing a problem of making the U-shaped slit difficult for pressing-in of the electrical wire.


A protector assembly and method for protecting motor windings from an overload condition. The assembly comprises a thermally responsive protector, a skirt, and a sleeve. The protector comprises a housing, an end cap, at least one terminal, and a thermally responsive member. The end cap covers an open end of the housing. The terminal extends through the end cap. The thermally responsive member is within the housing and adapted to be electrically coupled to the motor winding via the terminal. The protector is adapted to be positioned in heat-transfer relation wit the motor winding in a manner such that the thermally responsive member is responsive to an overload condition of the motor winding. The skirt and sleeve are of dielectric materials. The skirt is positioned on the protector in a manner such that the skirt surrounds the end cap and the terminal. The skirt is between the end cap and the sleeve. The skirt and sleeve are adapted to provide a dielectric barrier between the protector and the motor winding when the protector is positioned in heat-transfer relation with the motor winding.

This invention relates to protector assemblies and methods for protecting motor windings from shorting the protector.
Winding protectors are designed to protect electric motors from an overload condition. A typical winding protector is electrically coupled to a motor""s winding and adapted to break current through the winding when the protector senses excessive temperature or current in the winding. The protector includes a housing having an open end, a cap enclosing the open end, one or two pin-type terminals extending through the cap, and a thermally-responsive member within the housing and electrically coupled to the terminals. The protector is adapted to be positioned in heat-transfer relation to the motor""s winding such that heat generated by the winding is transferred to the thermally-responsive member via the housing. The thermally-responsive member is configured to move to an open-circuit position when the thermally-responsive member is heated to a particular temperature. To facilitate heat transfer from the winding to the thermally-responsive member, the housing is metal, typically steel. Because the housing and pin-type terminals are metal and therefor electrically conductive, a dielectric sleeve is positioned over the protector to prevent the protector from short circuiting the winding.
A problem associated with such a protector is that the connection of the cap to the housing produces a relatively sharp edge capable of cutting through the dielectric sleeve. The pin-type terminals are also capable of cutting through the dielectric sleeve. A risk of short circuiting the winding occurs if any part of the protector cuts through the sleeve.
One known solution for reducing the risk of the protector short circuiting the winding is replacing the sleeve with a plastic protector cover, molded to fully cover the protector. The protector cover is often an undesirable solution because it is substantially thicker than the sleeve and therefor provides more thermal insulation between the protector and winding than does the sleeve. Accordingly, a higher winding temperature is needed before the thermally-responsive member is heated sufficiently to move to its open-current position, necessitating the selection of a different protector with different operating characteristics. Also, the shape and rigidity of the protector cover make placement of the cover in the end-wire envelope difficult. Moreover, the cost of the molded cover is substantially greater than that of the sleeve.
Among the several advantages of the present invention is the provision of an improved dielectric barrier for and method of electrically insulating a thermally responsive protector from a motor winding of an electric motor; the provision of such a barrier and method which prevents the protector from short circuiting the motor winding; the provision of such a barrier and method which does not provide excessive thermal insulation between the protector and motor winding; the provision of such a barrier and method which overcome the disadvantages associated with the prior art.
In general, a method of the present invention is for insulating a thermally responsive protector from a motor winding of an electric motor. The protector comprises a thermally and electrically conductive housing, a thermally responsive member, an end cap, and at least one terminal. The housing has an open rearward end, a closed forward end, and an intermediate portion between the ends. The thermally responsive member is within the housing. The end cap covers the open end of the housing. The terminal extends through the end cap. The terminal is electrically insulated from the housing and has an outer end extending rearwardly out of the end cap. The thermally responsive member is adapted to be electrically coupled to the motor winding via the terminal. The protector is adapted to be positioned in heat-transfer relation with the motor winding in a manner such that the thermally responsive member is responsive to an overload condition of the motor winding. The method comprises providing a skirt having a forward portion and a rearward portion, and positioning the skirt on the protector in a manner such that: (a) the skirt is spaced from the intermediate portion of the housing; (b) the forward portion of the skirt surrounds the end cap; and (c) the rearward portion of the skirt extends rearwardly from the end cap and surrounds the outer end of the terminal. The skirt is of a dielectric material. The method further comprises providing a sleeve of a dielectric material and positioning the sleeve relative to the protector such that the sleeve surrounds the skirt and surrounds the protector in a manner in which the sleeve is in engagement with the intermediate portion of the housing. The positioning of the skirt and of the sleeve is maintained such that the sleeve and skirt provide a dielectric barrier between the protector and the motor winding when the protector is positioned in heat-transfer relation with the motor winding.
Another aspect of the present invention is a protector assembly for protecting an electric motor from an overload condition. The motor has a motor winding. The assembly comprises a thermally responsive protector, a skirt, and a sleeve. The protector comprises a housing which is both thermally and electrically conductive, an end cap, at least one terminal, and a thermally responsive member. The housing has an open rearward end, a closed forward end and an intermediate portion between the ends. The end cap covers the open end of the housing. The terminal extends through the end cap and is electrically insulated from the housing. The terminal has an outer end extending rearwardly out of the end cap. The thermally responsive member is within the housing and adapted to be electrically coupled to the motor winding via the terminal. The protector is adapted to be positioned in heat-transfer relation with the motor winding in a manner such that the thermally responsive member is responsive to an overload condition of the motor winding. The skirt is of a dielectric material and has a forward portion and a rearward portion. The sleeve is of a dielectric material. The skirt is positioned on the protector in a manner such that: (a) the skirt is spaced from the intermediate portion of the housing; (b) the forward portion of the skirt surrounds the end cap; and (c) the rearward portion of the skirt extends rearwardly from the end cap and surrounds the outer end of the terminal. The sleeve surrounds the skirt and surrounds the protector in a manner in which the sleeve is in engagement with the intermediate portion of the housing. The skirt is between the end cap and the sleeve. The skirt and sleeve are adapted to provide a dielectric barrier between the protector and the motor winding when the protector is positioned in heat-transfer relation with the motor winding.
Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

Protector assembly and method for electrically insulating a thermally responsive protector from a motor winding of an electric motor


Performance of transport protocols over a mobile data network is improved by a mobile accelerator, which performs protocol optimizations on-the-fly without requiring any modification to server or client protocol implementations in the operating systems of the server or client. The proposed mobile accelerator is compatible with existing TCP protocol implementations at the server and the client device, without server/client OS modification.

This invention relates to mobile telecommunication and particularly to mobile data systems employing TCP protocols.
Mobile Internet devices such as smartphones and netbooks appear to be a major stage in the evolution of the Internet. Unlike conventional desktop computers these mobile devices are often connected to the Internet via wireless links such as WiFi and 3G [1] data networks. In particular, the growth of 3G user population has been increasing rapidly in recent years and it is expected that the number of Internet users connected wirelessly will soon exceed their wired counterparts.
Despite the rapid developments in mobile Internet, much of the Internet infrastructure, most notably the transport protocols such as TCP and UDP, is still rooted in wired networks invented decades ago. While the Internet transport protocols are compatible with and will work in mobile data networks, their performance in practice is often sub-optimal. According to our own experiments conducted in production mobile data networks, we found that mobile data networks such as 3G/HSPA and LTE [2], although is IP-based, exhibit substantial differences in their characteristics which prevent existing Internet transport protocols from performing optimally.
For example, in one experiment a 15 MB file was downloaded from a wired-network-connected Linux web server over a 3G/HSPA modem to a notebook computer running a web browser. The 3G (third generation mobile) network in the experiment supports high speed packet access (HSPA) which has a theoretical maximum downlink bandwidth of 7.2 Mbps. Surprisingly the achievable average download throughput, indicated by the lower curve in FIG. 1, is only ˜1.5 Mbps, which is far lower than the theoretical maximum even accounting for protocol overheads. In the same figure we also plot the goodput of a UDP data flow using the same network and 3G/HSPA modem setup. In this case UDP can achieve an average goodput of ˜5.5 Mbps, which is much closer to the theoretical limit. These results clearly show that the existing TCP implementation failed to fully utilize the bandwidth available in the mobile data network.
As hereinafter explained, this invention addresses this performance problem of running TCP over mobile data networks. Measurements in production mobile data networks including 3G/HSPA and LTE found that modern mobile data networks differ from wired networks in three important ways: (a) larger roundtrip time (RTT), generically reception timings, compared to wired networks; (b) non-congestion-related packet loss; and (c) rapid bandwidth fluctuations. More importantly, these differences render many of the assumptions in existing TCP implementations no longer valid, and as a result, degrade their performance in mobile data networks significantly.
One approach to tackle these challenges is to modify or redesign TCP for use in mobile data networks. While this approach is sound in principle it presents significant difficulties in practical deployment. Specifically, transport protocols are often implemented as part of the operating system (OS). Thus to deploy a new TCP variant it will be necessary to replace or to upgrade the corresponding OS components. This is a significant hurdle as there are many different OS implementations in use in Internet servers, ranging from open source implementations (e.g., Linux and its many variants) to proprietary implementations (e.g., various versions of Microsoft Windows). Moreover, given the large number of servers already deployed across the Internet, such protocol upgrade will have to be carried out progressively and thus would take a long time to materialize.
A more subtle yet critical problem is that many of these servers will be serving users from both wired networks and mobile data networks. Thus any protocol updates will either need to work well for both wired and mobile data network users, or be able to distinguish the two types of users so that the proper protocol optimizations can be applied. Neither of these two problems is trivial and further research is required before the feasibility and performance of this approach can be ascertained.
At the other end of the connection is the user's mobile device. Unlike desktop computers, there are significantly more varieties of OS for mobile devices, such as Palm, Symbian, iPhone OS, BlackBerry OS, Android, Windows Mobiles, etc. Therefore deploying protocol upgrades will not be a straightforward exercise. Even if the protocol implementation in the client device can be modified, TCP's performance is still constrained by its congestion control algorithm, which is implemented at the sender-side (i.e., server for most applications).
Upgrading protocol implementations is difficult and costly. Moreover, the need to maintain compatibility with existing transport protocols at both ends of the connection prevents implementation of various solutions, e.g., any solution requiring the addition of new TCP header fields or new protocol handshakes will not be applicable.

Method and system for improved TCP performance over mobile data networks


A biological fluid collection cup for use with a centrifuge bucket to separate a biological fluid into its component parts is disclosed. It includes an hourglass shape with a large upper and lower portion and a narrow middle portion. A piston is to slide into and slideably be received in the lower portion and a side port is provided for withdrawal of a fluid from the narrow portion.

Biological fluid collection and concentration devices are known. Biological fluids, such as whole blood or bone marrow aspirate, may be collected and concentrated in an assembly, including a cup placed in a centrifuge, so as to separate out the biological fluid components by differing densities. Following centrifugation, a selected part or parts of the now separated biological fluid may be selected for removal from the concentration assembly. Typically, transfer of the biological fluid into the cup and removal after centrifugation of the selected biological fluid from the cup, which is subject to centrifugation, is typically accomplished through the top of the vessel.

Method of separating biological fluids into component parts using a fluids concentration cup assembly with hourglass shape


A method for dynamically adjusting a scan pattern and electronic device to perform the same. The method includes obtaining a data packet of a communication session on a first communication channel. The method further includes analyzing the data packet to determine a priority associated with the communication session and determining that the priority associated with the communication session exceeds a threshold. In response to the determination, the method includes adjusting one or more parameters of a scan algorithm implemented by a wireless driver. The method further includes determining that a signal quality for the first communication channel is below the threshold quality level and executing the scan algorithm in accordance with the adjusted one or more parameters.

Many mobile devices support communication services, such as voice of internet protocol (VOIP) or streaming media. When a mobile device is engaged in an active communication session, the network conditions change. For example, the user of the mobile device may move locations. If the network conditions for the active channel degrades, the mobile device initiates a scan to locate a new channel to support the communication session.
However, scanning the new channel requires the mobile device to tune to channels not associated with the active communication session. As a result, during the scan period, the performance of the communication session is degraded, such as by the introduction of delay and jitter into the communication session.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods for dynamically adjusting scan algorithms.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

Systems and methods for dynamically adjusting scan algorithms


A load lifting scissors lift assembly, as an attachment for the three-point-hitch of a farm tractor, which utilizes a scissors-action, hinged, expandable linkage. The Heavy-duty Hay Scissors Lift assembly contains one pair of crossed lever arms, each connecting to a vertical load engaging structure (in the case described, a hay spike arrangement), the first through intermediate connection to a variable length middle arm, or third arm, and the second through direct connection to the lowest point of the load engaging structure. The assembly is constructed to multiply the lift of the tractor's lift arms. The expanding linkage is capable of lifting standard six-foot high round bales of hay or other material, outwards and upwards and placing one bale on top of another. The Heavy-duty Hay Scissors Lift is constructed without the use of additional hydraulics, to minimize the cost of materials, complexity, maintenance, and redundancy (a tractor having lift arms already has hydraulics). An alternate embodiment of the invention is constructed with the replacement of the intermediate member with a hydraulic cylinder which adds the ability to release the load while elevated for deposit over a fence, rail, or hay guard structure.

The present invention relates to a device for lifting and/or moving bales of hay, preferably round bales of hay. More particularly, this invention relates to a device which can be attached to an existing vehicle to convert the latter into a bale lifter and/or mover.
Present farming operations are increasingly utilizing round hay bales rather than the familiar rectangular or "square" bales. Most farmers have difficulty moving and storing these bales because of their size, weight, and awkwardness. Farmers would like to move these round bales quickly and compactly; however, there is limited field equipment available for this purpose, and that which is available is far too costly for the smaller farmers, in addition to being large, cumbersome, and complex.
Farmers currently baling round hay bales are utilizing several multi-use attachments, forklifts, front-end loaders, and other machines to lift and move the round bales of hay for storage and feeding.
Hay forks, which operate on the lift arms of the tractor, will move one bale from place to place in the field, but in order to quickly load a trailer using hay forks, the trailer must be parked in a ditch, and loaded from the side. If there is a ditch available, it can be moist and easily trap the trailer in mud. Another drawback to the hay forks is that there is no way to stack the bales two-high in the hay barn, requiring double the surface area under roof to store round bales out of the weather.
The hay spike operates much the same way as the hay forks and has the same disadvantages.
Some farmers have tractors equipped with front-end loaders, while other farmers own a separate piece of equipment for the front-end-loader. This front-end-loader will accomplish the desired end result, however, the lower income farmer usually cannot afford a tractor large enough to power the hydraulics required for the front-end loader, nor could they afford the cost of a separate machine for this purpose. Also, when using the front-end loader type of attachment, the larger the hay bale, the larger the tractor needed for counterbalance, thus adding to the economical disadvantages of this option.
Some farmers use an attachment called a hay forklift, similar to a fork-lift type machine. This equipment is more costly, includes a mast and carriage, and requires hydraulics, which as already stated, are only available on the larger, more costly tractors.
With property values and expense of buildings on the rise, farmers also want a way to stack rolled bales, and reduce their storage area. The Heavy-duty Hay Scissors Lift will accomplish this.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a Hay Lift device that is compact, quick and easy to install, simple to operate, and inexpensive to build.
A preliminary search was conducted on the field of the above invention and the following U.S. Patents were uncovered in the search:
______________________________________ Inventor U.S. Pat. No. Issue Date ______________________________________ Dugan 5,150,999 Sept. 29, 1992 Smith 5,178,505 Jan. 12, 1993 Rhodes 4,854,809 Aug. 8, 1989 Bruce 5,281,068 Jan. 25, 1994 Fetter 4,911,596 March 27, 1990 Lynch 4,674,786 June 23, 1987 Mailleux et al. 4,778,330 Oct. 18, 1988 ______________________________________
The Dugan patent discloses an attachment for use on the front of a tractor, or adapted for use on the rear, which operates as a swing arm, or hinged lever and utilizes additional hydraulics. An alternate embodiment of the Dugan attachment calls for a rear mounted rotating frame, which is large, complex in comparison to the Heavy-duty Hay Scissors Lift, and therefore heavy. The Heavy-duty Hay Scissors Lift operates with expanding scissors-action, with less material, expense, time, and effort.
The Smith patent discloses an attachment with 2 frames and 2 hydraulic cylinders, with multiple impaling spears. This attachment uses intermediate channels and a connecting framework between the three-point-hitch and the bale lifting device, involving the addition of materials, time, and expense. An additional hydraulic cylinder provides for pivoting of the load once it is engaged and lifted. The lift height is stated as being approximately 42 inches. The Heavy-duty Hay Scissors Lift operates with scissors-action, is simple in design and installation, pivots the load simultaneously as it lifts, and will lift 63 inches.
The Rhodes patent shows a hay bale elevator apparatus in a hinged box-like configuration in combination with a hydraulic cylinder. Engaging of the bale is done with a pair of tubular forks which reach under the bale. Engaging the hydraulic cylinder lifts the outer framework which is guided in its movement by the rear framework. The Heavy-duty Hay Scissors Lift, requires minimal material, functions with scissors-action, engages the bale face with a spear, and will lift the bale 63 inches high.
The Bruce patent shows a vertical framework or mast, having pivoting overhead lift arms which are powered from above and grab the bale from overhead by closing around the circumference. This device requires external power to pivot the arms to engage and release the hay bale. The Heavy-duty Hay Scissors Lift is a small and simple attachment, operating from ground level and with little set up time, material, and effort.
The Fetter patent shows a pivoting frame for mounting on the front of a tractor, having round bale engaging forks, a back stop for the bale to rest upon when lifted, and a hydraulic cylinder. The Fetter device will lift a bale to be moved without addressing the need to stack bales one upon another. The Heavy-duty Hay Scissors Lift, operates with scissors-action and is specifically designed to lift a six-foot load high enough to set one load upon another.
The Lynch patent shows a bale handling device with impaling spears mounted on a frame. The strength of the large impaling spear was an object of the Lynch invention, which was addressed with an elongated sheath. The Heavy-duty Hay Scissors Lift does not require an elongated sheath on the load engaging means. The Heavy-duty Hay Scissors Lift addresses the additional function of raising the bale.
The Mailleux et al. device is an overhead swing attached to the tractor loader arms. It contains clamps mounted on a mast, and is much heavier, complex and more expensive to build, as well as more difficult to connect and disconnect to a tractor, requiring the tractor to have loader arms. The Heavy-duty Hay Scissors Lift can be moved by one person, is quickly connected and disconnected, and mounts on the three-point-hitch of a tractor.
A number of other methods have been tried to lift and load these bales, which are either more cumbersome, complex, or costly. None of the above patents or methods describe disclose the specific structural arrangement and relationship of the components incorporated into this invention, nor will they accomplish all of the objects of this invention.
The Heavy-duty Hay Scissors Lift can replace the above described types of equipment. The present invention, the Heavy-duty Hay Scissors Lift, provides a simple and inexpensive way to load and unload round bales, including the ability to stack large round bales with the same simple device.


A pixel of an image sensor is provided to include a control region and a detection region. The control region is configured to generate hole current in a substrate, and a detection region is configured to capture electrons generated by incident light and moved by the hole current. A depth of an outer detection region of the detection region is deeper than a depth of an inner detection region of the detection region.

An image sensor is a semiconductor device which captures light that is incident thereon to produce an image. Recently, with the development of the computer industry and communication industry, the demand for an image sensor having improved performance has been increasing in concert with improvements in various electronic devices such as smartphones, digital cameras, video game equipment, devices for use with the Internet of Things, robots, security cameras and medical micro cameras.
Image sensors may be generally divided into CCD (charge coupled device) image sensors and CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) image sensors. CCD image sensors have less noise and better image quality than CMOS image sensors. However, CMOS image sensors have a simpler and more convenient driving scheme, and thus may be preferred in some applications. Also, CMOS image sensors may integrate a signal processing circuit in a single chip, making it easy to miniaturize the sensors for implementation in a product, with the added benefit of consuming very low power. CMOS image sensors can be fabricated using a CMOS process technology, which results in low manufacturing costs. CMOS image sensing devices have been widely used due to their suitability for implementation in a mobile device.

Pixel and image sensor including the same


An igniter (18) provides rapid longitudinal and radial propagation of the ignition reaction. The igniter may comprise a pyrotechnic material and an inorganic binder, such as silica, carried on a carrier web (10) which may be fiber-glass. One or more layers of coated web (10) are disposed to provide an igniter (18) of cylindrical configuration and having a hollow core. The coated layers are permeable to the ignition reaction to facilitate radial propagation of ignition. The hollow core and the continuous nature of the pyrotechnic layers promotes longitudinal propagation of ignition. The igniter may consist mostly or entirely of inorganic materials to reduce or eliminate the formation of carbon monoxide upon ignition, and may be contained within a radially perforated sheath (20) to form a radial ignition device (25).

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to surface-initiating deflagrating materials and more specifically to elongate igniters which provide both longitudinal and radial output of the ignition reaction.
2. Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 3,067,686 to Coover Jr. et al, dated Dec. 11, 1962, discloses a carpet-roll type propellant grain utilized for a rocket motor. The web is a fabric woven from strands of a poly-alpha-olefin, and serves as the reducing agent for the oxidant which may take different forms (column 4, lines 3-13) and which may be applied to the web in a mixture exemplified by a mixture of aluminum powder and ammonium perchlorate (Example 4, column 6). The outer windings of the web are uncoated (column 4, lines 38-47).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,763,787 to Schultz, dated Oct. 9, 1973, discloses a rocket propellant which may be a composite or modified double base propellant applied to a substrate screen. The substrate screen may be a fiberglass web (see column 2, lines 23-25). The propellant may include a fuel such as powdered aluminum, an inorganic oxidizer such as ammonium perchlorate and a rubberized binder (column 3, lines 25-29).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,213,793 to Dratz, dated Oct. 26, 1965, discloses a solid rocket propellant in which a cellulosic web which has been impregnated with an oxidizing agent is coated with a dispersion comprising a "fuel" (reducing agent) and an oxidant (column 1, lines 48-55). The web, which is highly absorptive and may be made from paper (column 1, line 70 to column 2, line 45), is dried and rolled to serve as a solid propellant charge. The oxidant initially impregnated into the web may be ammonium perchlorate (column 2, lines 46-52) and the fuel coating may comprise powdered aluminum as the reducing agent (column 3, lines 15-20) and an additional oxidizer (column 3, lines 15-17. See Example 1, especially column 6, lines 40-44).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,165 to Gladden et al, dated Jun. 13, 1989, discloses an igniter in which pyrotechnic material, which may be aluminum powder mixed with potassium perchlorate, is disposed within an elongate sheath.


A power steering system for a vehicle includes a torque sensor, an electric motor operated according to a detected value detected by the torque sensor, and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting rotational power of the electric motor to the side of a steering wheel or wheels. The power steering system makes it possible to protect the electric motor while reducing the weight through simplification of the vehicle body component members. A cross member that is bent to form a recessed portion is provided in the vehicle body. At least an electric motor of the power steering system is disposed inside the recessed portion. However, the torque sensor, the electric motor and a power transmission mechanism can be disposed inside the recessed portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power steering system for a vehicle, including a torque sensor for detecting an operation torque exerted on a steering handle, an electric motor operated according to a detected value detected by the torque sensor, and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational power of said electric motor to a power transmission shaft for transmitting a steering force to the side of a steering wheel or wheels.
2. Description of Background Art
A configuration for supporting such a power steering system as above-mentioned on a vehicle body side is known, for example from Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 2-303972. In the configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 2-303972, an electric motor having a rotational axis extending in the vertical direction is mounted to a bracket provided at a front portion of a vehicle body so as to support the motor. Therefore, the vehicle body component members are complicated, and the vehicle body has an increased weight.


A pixel circuit, a driving method thereof, and a display device are provided. A driving sub-circuit of the pixel circuit is configured to provide a data signal from the data signal terminal to the driving node under the control of a driving signal from the driving signal terminal. A holding sub-circuit of the pixel circuit is configured to acquire a potential of the driving node under the control of a first switching signal from the first switching signal terminal, and maintain the potential of the driving node unchanged under the control of a first power signal from the first power signal terminal and a second power signal from the second power signal terminal. A light emitting sub-circuit of the pixel circuit is connected to the driving node and is configured to emit light under the driving of the driving node.

With the development of display technology, organic light emitting diode (OLED), as a current-type light emitting device, is more and more applied in the field of high performance display owing to its characteristics such as self-illumination, fast response, wide viewing angle, and the like.
An OLED pixel circuit structure is a circuit structure that controls a current flowing through the OLED by a driving transistor, which is mainly applied to a display device. The OLED pixel circuit structure generally comprises a plurality of transistors and one OLED, and the plurality of transistors are capable of converting a data voltage of a data signal terminal into a driving current for driving the OLED, thereby driving the OLED to emit light.
However, in case an OLED display device displays an all-white image or displays a same image for a long time, the data signal terminal needs to continuously input a pulse signal of a same data voltage so that image display can be maintained, which results in a high power consumption of the display device during the display process.


A responsive support system described herein includes a screen device wall support mount and a media machine responsive support mount. A media machine responsive support mount described herein may include a support that may support a media machine, a rotating subsystem for rotating the support, and a lifting subsystem for lifting the support.

Disclosed herein is a responsive support system including a responsive support mount, a preferred responsive support system may include a responsive support mount (for supporting a media machine) that may be associated with a wall support mount (for supporting a screen device).
Unlike old-school televisions that were housed in "entertainment systems" that felt like furniture, increasingly popular flat panel displays are typically mounted on a structure, such as a wall. Because the flat panel displays (a type of "screen device") are relatively lightweight and often have "optimum" viewing angles (e.g. directly in front of the display), there are many wall-mounting devices that allow a user to manipulate the location and/or angle of the mounted flat panel display. Exemplary wall-mounting devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,644 to Allen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,901 to Brodmann et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,820 to Karten et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,672 to Sweere et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,010 to Sawyer, U.S. Pat. No. 6,905,101 to Dittmer, U.S. Pat. No. 7,178,774 to Kim, U.S. Pat. No. 8,094,438 to Dittmer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,693,172 to Russell et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0082156 to Conner, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0187019 to Dittmer et al. These exemplary wall-mounting devices are meant to be exemplary, not limiting.
Using the wall-mounting devices with a screen device was problematic because of the multitude of cables running between the screen device and associated media machines (e.g. DVD players). As there had to be enough cable between the screen device and the media machines and the greatest distance that there might be therebetween, the cables were relatively long and hard to hide. A solution that was tried was a shelf that attached to the top of the screen device. The media machine was set on the shelf above the media machine. This configuration had two major problems. First, if the screen device was relatively high, the media machine on top of the screen device tended to be difficult to access. Second, setting a media machine above the screen device on a shelf tended to be dangerous in that they were susceptible to bumps and it was easy to knock the media machine off the shelf. Examples of prior art shelves designed to be associated with the top of a monitor include U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,966 to Smith and U.S. Pat. No. 8,009,414 to Ishida et al.
It should be noted that prior art exists that relates to mounting assemblies that have storage below the television. Examples of these include U.S. Pat. No. 8,910,580 to Cockrell (the "Cockrell reference") and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0255919 to Jones et al. (the "Jones reference"). The Cockrell reference discloses a wall mount cabinet assembly for mounting a flat screen television to a wall that also provides storage space for additional items below the television. The Jones reference discloses a panel television mounting assembly that includes, in one embodiment, a shelf for supporting a television accessory below the panel television.
Finally, it should be noted that prior art exists that relates to shelves, drawers, and racks that transition between multiple positions. Examples of these include U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,038 to Domenig, U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,634 to Webb et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,770,986 to Simaitis, U.S. Pat. No. 8,011,742 to Whitted, U.S. Pat. No. 8,424,693 to Hoover, and International Publication No. WO88/02593 to Ostman.


Audio systems for a vehicle and methods of operating an audio device in a vehicle cabin are provided. A method of operating an audio device directs an acoustic signal to at least one vehicle cabin receiver (VCR) of the audio device; measures sound pressure levels (SPLVCM) for acoustic energy received by at least one vehicle cabin microphone (VCM) of the audio device during a time period Δt; calculates a sound pressure level (SPL) dose (SPL_DoseΔt) during the time period Δt using the sound pressure levels SPLVCM of the at least one VCM; combines the SPL dose (SPL_DoseΔt) with an SPL dose of a previous time period to form a total SPL dose (SPL_Dosetotal); and performs an action to modify operation of the audio device when the total SPL dose is greater than a predetermined threshold.

With the advent of an industrial society, people are exposed to noise pollution at greater and greater levels; both from background, such as street traffic, airplanes, construction sites and intentional exposure to high sound levels such as cell phones, MP3 players, and rock concerts. Studies show that hearing damage, leading to permanent hearing impairment is not only increasing in the general population, but increasing at a significantly faster rate in younger populations.
The potential for hearing damage is a function of both the level and the duration of exposure to the sound stimulus. Safe listening durations at various loudness levels are known, and can be calculated by averaging audio output levels over time to yield a time-weighted average. Standard damage-risk guidelines published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) or other agencies are known. This calculation can be even further improved by accounting for aspects of the playback scenario, specifically the characteristics of the sound source and their proximity to the listener's ear.
Studies have also indicated that hearing damage is a cumulative phenomenon. Although hearing damage due to industrial or background noise exposure is more thoroughly understood, the risk of exposing one's self to excessive noise, especially with the use of headphones has also been recently studied.


A process of making a nanoporous substrate, such as the matrix in an electrical laminate, by grafting onto an organic resin backbone a thermolabile functionality by reacting hydrogen active groups of the organic resin with a compound containing thermolabile groups; then thermally degrading the thermolabile groups grafted on the organic resin to form a nanoporous laminate. Advantageously, the nanoporous electrical laminate has a low dielectric constant (Dk) because of the nanopores present in the laminate matrix.

It is known to make electrical laminates and other composites from a fibrous reinforcement and an organic matrix resin such as an epoxy-containing matrix. Examples of suitable processes usually contain the following steps:
(1) An epoxy-containing formulation is applied to, or impregnated into, a substrate by rolling, dipping, spraying, other known techniques and/or combinations thereof. The substrate is typically a woven or nonwoven fiber mat containing, for instance, glass fibers or paper.
(2) The impregnated substrate is "B-staged" by heating at a temperature sufficient to draw off solvent in the epoxy formulation and optionally to partially cure the epoxy formulation, so that the impregnated substrate can be handled easily. The "B-staging" step is usually carried out at a temperature of from 90° C. to 210° C. and for a time of from 1 minute to 15 minutes. The impregnated substrate that results from B-staging is called a "prepreg." The temperature is most commonly 100° C. for composites and 130° C. to 200° C. for electrical laminates.
(3) One or more sheets of prepreg are stacked or laid up in alternating layers with one or more sheets of a conductive material, such as copper foil, if an electrical laminate is desired.
(4) The laid-up sheets are pressed at high temperature and pressure for a time sufficient to cure the resin and form a laminate. The temperature of this lamination step is usually between 100° C. and 230° C., and is most often between 165° C. and 190° C. The lamination step may also be carried out in two or more stages, such as a first stage between 100° C. and 150° C. and a second stage at between 165° C. and 190° C. The pressure is usually between 50 N/cm2 and 500 N/cm2. The lamination step is usually carried out for a time of from 1 minute to 200 minutes, and most often for 45 minutes to 90 minutes. The lamination step may optionally be carried out at higher temperatures for shorter times (such as in continuous lamination processes) or for longer times at lower temperatures (such as in low energy press processes).
Optionally, the resulting laminate, for example, a copper-clad laminate, may be post-treated by heating for a time at high temperature and ambient pressure. The temperature of post-treatment is usually between 120° C. and 250° C. The post-treatment time usually is between 30 minutes and 12 hours.
The current trend of the electrical laminates industry requires materials with improved dielectric properties including lower dielectric constant (Dk) and loss factor (Df); superior thermal properties including high glass transition temperature (Tg) and decomposition temperature (Td); and good processability.
Heretofore, various methods have been used to try to improve the dielectric constant of electrical laminates made from epoxy-containing resin compositions including, for example, by adding various thermoplastic additives, such as polyphenylene oxide (PPO), polyphenylene ether (PPE), or allylated polyphenylene ether (APPE), to the epoxy-containing resin composition.
It is desired to provide a new pathway to reduce the dielectric constant of electrical laminates made from organic resins. More particularly, it is desired to prepare modified organic resins, such as epoxy-containing resins, with thermolabile groups to lead to nanoporous matrixes upon curing.


A detector assembly disposed about a tubular for placement within a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation and comprising: a gamma radiation detector disposed within a pressure housing, wherein the detector extends an axial length in a direction parallel to a central axis of the tubular; and a neutron shield disposed about a circumference of the tubular along at least the axial length of the detector, wherein the neutron shield reduces an amount of neutrons that pass from the wellbore and/or the formation through the tubular during operation of the detector assembly, while allowing transmission of gamma rays therethrough to the detector.

Mineralogy/Spectroscopy (MS) tools work by emitting neutrons from a radioactive source. The emitted neutrons are captured by certain elements in the formation that then emit gamma rays whose energies correspond to the elements, primarily magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), silicon (Si), sulfur (S), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), titanium (Ti), manganese (Mn), and iron (Fe), among others, which are important to petrophysical evaluations. These neutron-induced gamma rays are counted by a gamma ray scintillator in the drilling instrument or "logging tool". The scintillator and an accompanying photomultiplier tube (PMT) generate an electrical signal that can be used to quantify the energy of the detected gamma rays. The quantified energies can be used to assess elemental concentrations in the formation. Such formation elemental concentrations can be used to derive a volumetric breakdown of the minerals comprising the formation.

LWD mineralogy/spectroscopy thermal neutron shielding


A variable-range power supply for a model vehicle layout, such as a model train track for powering model trains or the like, is configured to receive a control input defining respective ends of an output voltage range. The control input may correspond to opposing ends of a range of motion for a hand-operated actuator, or other control input. The power supply further includes a controller configured to allow a user to select a desired output voltage level for a minimum or maximum of the output range. Output power is maintained within the user-specified range.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to model vehicle systems, for example, model trains and accessories. More particularly, the invention relates to a power supply for a model vehicle system.
2. Description of Related Art
Model trains and accessories have been generally known for decades. In many model railway systems, model trains and accessories receive electrical power from a voltage that is applied to the tracks. A power supply is used to apply the voltage to the tracks, while contacts on the bottom of the train, or metallic wheels of the train, pick up the applied voltage for motors and other electrical components. The power supply may be used to control both the amplitude and polarity of the voltage, thereby controlling the speed and direction of the train. In HO systems, the voltage is typically a DC voltage. In O-gauge systems, the track voltage is typically an AC voltage transformed by a transformer in the power supply from a higher household voltage (e.g., 120 or 240 volts AC), to a reduced AC voltage (e.g., 0-18 volts AC).
Speed control for model vehicles on a model track may be accomplished by controlling the voltage supplied to the track. For example, in a typical O-gauge system operated in a conventional control mode, the speed may be controlled by adjusting a handle, lever, knob or other input adjuster on a power supply module, also called a power controller. The position of the input adjuster controls the magnitude of voltage supplied to the layout, via circuitry in the power controller. The higher the magnitude of the voltage applied to the system, the faster the train will travel, and vice versa. In known power supplies, the voltage adjuster for the power controller has a first position corresponding to zero volts or "OFF", and a second position corresponding to a maximum voltage (e.g., 18-25 volts), or fully "ON". The power controller is configured such that the voltage level is adjusted throughout the range of motion of the input adjuster, from zero to the maximum voltage. A user may thereby adjust the voltage supplied to the train system and the speed of the train by moving the adjuster, such as a lever or a knob, in either a first or second direction.
Notwithstanding their advantages, power controllers as known in the art are subject to certain limitations. For instance, in some O-gauge systems the electric motor is of the type that requires approximately six to nine volts to overcome starting resistance and begin moving. For example, for power supplies having an output range of zero to 18 volts, a voltage control adjuster needs to be moved roughly 40-50% of its available range of movement just to begin movement of the train. Consequently, only 50-60% of the available range of movement remains for the control of the speed. This reduced range of movement may result in reduced precision, resolution and overall control. An additional disadvantage related to this reduced range of movement is that long-time model railroad hobbyists have grown accustomed to using the entire range of movement path for speed control. Accordingly, known systems having a reduced useful range of movement may be a source of dissatisfaction for experienced hobbyists.
Accordingly, a need exists for a power controller for a model vehicle system that minimizes or eliminates one or more of the above-identified deficiencies.


Novel crystalline porous materials known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and methods for their synthesis are provided herein. The MOFs include a M6(μ3-OH)8(OH)8(μ2,η2-(O2C)2cyclam)8 cluster, and a metal atom coordinated to the one or more cyclam of the cluster, wherein M is Zr or Hf, and the metal atom is any one of Cu, Ni, Cr, Ru, Co, and Gd. The MOFs can be used as an adsorbent, alone or in a medium with other components, of CO2. The MOFs can also be used as a catalyst for the transformation of CO2 and epoxides to cyclic carbonates. The MOFs can also be used in the electrochemical catalytic reduction of CO2. The MOFs can also be used for photocatalytic CO2 reduction for the production of carbon-based fossil fuels. The MOFs can also be used for light-induced nitric oxide (NO) release. The MOFs can also be used as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) agents.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are compounds consisting of metal ions or clusters coordinated to organic ligands to form one-, two-, or three-dimensional structures. MOFs are composed of two major components: a metal ion or cluster of metal ions and an organic molecule called a linker. The organic units are typically mono-, di-, tri-, or tetravalent ligands. The choice of metal and linker dictates the structure and hence properties of the MOF. For example, the metal's coordination preference influences the size and shape of pores by dictating how many ligands can bind to the metal and in which orientation.
MOFs are often porous. In some cases, the pores are stable during elimination of the guest molecules (often solvents) and can be refilled with other compounds. Because of this property, MOFs are of interest for the storage of gases such as hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Other possible applications of MOFs are in gas purification, in gas separation, in catalysis, as sensors, and as supercapacitors.
Technologies that trap and/or chemically transform CO2 to industrially useable products have received widespread attention in recent years, further encouraged by government and environmental policy aimed at addressing climate and renewable energy challenges.

Metal-organic frameworks for the adsorption and catalytic transformations of carbon dioxide

Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.


A client device is configured to administer unique, equivalent, computer mediated, task versions of a particular task type automatically generated by a task versioning system. Multiple task versions, each comprising of at one stimulus sequence, are generated by performing geometric, symmetric or temporal transformations on the spatiotemporal relationships between one or more stimuli in a task version. Previous user performance may be captured and analyzed to determine a next task version. Task versioning systems with the ability to automatically generate multiple unique, equivalent task versions allow for accurate measurement of neurological, cognitive, and motor skills, by ensuring that learning effects arising from repeated task administrations are eliminated.

In the field of neurological and neuropsychological testing, subjects are presented with various diagnostic tests that are designed to measure cognitive and motor performance. Typically tests comprise tasks manipulating of concrete objects such as blocks or puzzle pieces, joy sticks, steering wheels, pedals, levers, styluses or other implements to test motor skills, or memorization of lists or sequences to test cognitive skills, or a combination thereof. The tests are often timed, and the subject's performance is scored or otherwise evaluated by a clinician observing the test where each neurological or neuropsychological test may be referred to as a task. To measure a subject's potential changes in motor or cognitive skills over time, it would be useful to re-administer tests periodically. However, it is generally accepted that repeated administration results in learning effects; the minimum recommended time to repetition ranges from 3-12 months, depending on the memory status of the subject being tested, and even then, learning effects are considered to be problematic. That is, repetition of a test allows a subject to learn test mechanisms and test stimuli, so that the test no longer measures its intended cognitive domain, but rather, memory, and subjects can improve the performance with each repetition. As a result, this improved performance may mask actual deterioration of cognitive or motor skills, and thereby delay appropriate diagnosis of neurological problems.

Automated delivery of unique, equivalent task versions for computer delivered testing environments


A method for determining the distribution of glycation of erythrocytic membranes includes steps of bonding magnetic beads having a boric acid group with sugars on the surfaces of erythrocytic membranes, and moving the erythrocytes bonded with the boric acid-magnetic beads under an influence of an electromagnetic force. A device for determining the distribution of glycation of erythrocytic membranes includes a container as a cell for electromagnetic-phoresis, a cathode ray and an anode ray which are connected to a direct current power supply, and a magnetic sheet which is placed outside the bottom of the container. The container has an upper surface containing a cathode hole, an anode hole, a filling hole midway between the cathode hole and the anode hole for a specimen, and an excretory hole for releasing air bubbles. After physiological saline is poured into the container, the cathode ray and the anode ray are respectively inserted into the holes to be soaked in the saline. Subsequently, a specimen of erythrocytes, which are bonded with the boric acid-magnetic beads, is infused into the container through the filling hole.

This invention relates to a method for determining the distribution of glycation of erythrocytic membranes and to a device for use in the method.
The deaths of diabetics are mainly due to angiopathy, so it is important to predict the onset of angiopathy for the successful treatment of diabetes. The conventional daily test for diabetes is conducted in the early morning by mainly measuring fasting blood sugar and glycated hemoglobin Alc (HbAlc). As methods for measuring HbAlc, there are known a colorimetry method (Japanese Patent Application Publication Laid-Open No. 8-122335), a high performance chromatography method (Japanese Patent Application Publication Laid-Open No. 9-178719) and so on.
However, these test results cannot be used to evaluate the degree of cell damage or the angiopathy of diabetics. This is the reason why a new method for diagnosing the degree of cell damage of diabetics having a chronic condition of high blood sugar needed to be developed.
Therefore, the inventors tried to develop a new method for determining the distribution of glycation of erythrocytic membranes which can be used to evaluate the degree of diabetic cell damage and a device for use in such method, and they achieved the present invention.

Method and device for determining distribution of glycation of erythrocytic membranes


In a vehicle steering apparatus, a steering actuator is controlled so that the steering angle varies in accordance with the operation of an operating member. A transmission mechanism connects an operating side rotating member that is mechanically connected to the operating member and a vehicle wheel side rotating member that is mechanically connected to the vehicle wheels so that the mutual transmission of rotation is possible. Furthermore, the rotational transmission ratio between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member can be varied.

The present invention relates to a vehicle steering apparatus in which the steering characteristics of the vehicle can be altered by the control of an actuator.
There are vehicle steering apparatuses in which the steering characteristics can be altered by the control of a steering actuator. Such steering apparatuses include an apparatus with a so-called steer-by-wire system in which an operating member is not mechanically connected to the wheels of the vehicle, and an apparatus in which an operating member is mechanically connected to the wheels of the vehicle.
In the steering apparatus that employ the steer-by-wire system, without mechanically connecting the operating member having a shape of a steering wheel to the wheels of the vehicle, the steering characteristics are altered by transmitting the movement of the steering actuator to the wheels of the vehicle so that a variation in the steering angle is generated. In the steering apparatus in which the operating member is mechanically connected to the wheels of the vehicle, the rotation of an input shaft corresponding to the operation of the steering wheel is transmitted to an output shaft via a variable transmission ratio mechanism such as a planetary gear mechanism or the like, the rotation of this output shaft is transmitted to the wheels of the vehicle so that a variation in the steering angle is generated, and the steering characteristics are altered by driving the ring gears or the like in the planetary gear mechanism by the steering actuator.
In the steering apparatus that employ the steer-by-wire system, a fail-safe function which is used to steer the wheels of the vehicle in the case of trouble with the actuator or control system is required. Conventionally, a system has been proposed in which a fail-safe function is realized by using a clutch or the like to connect an operating side rotating member that is mechanically connected to the operating member with a vehicle wheel side rotating member that is mechanically connected to the wheels of the vehicle in the case of such trouble in the actuator or control system. However, since the abovementioned operating side rotating member and vehicle wheel side rotating member are not mechanically connected to each other on normal circumstances, the reliability of this function as a fail-safe function is insufficient.
In the steering apparatus in which the operating member is mechanically connected to the wheels of the vehicle via a variable transmission ratio mechanism, the movement of the wheels of the vehicle and the movement of the operating member interfere with each other when control for the purpose of compensating for fluctuations in the steering angle caused by irregularities in the road surface or the like is performed. Accordingly, a smooth operating feeling that is unaffected by irregularities in the road surface or the like, and operation of the operating member without any resistance, are impossible.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle steering apparatus that can solve the abovementioned problems.
The vehicle steering apparatus of the present invention comprises an operating member, a steering actuator, a steering gear which transmits the movement of the steering actuator to the vehicle wheels so that a variation in the steering angle is generated, a control system which is capable of controlling the steering actuator so that the steering angle varies in accordance with the operation of the operating member, an operating side rotating member which is mechanically connected to the operating member so as to rotate in accordance with the operation of this operating member, a vehicle wheel side rotating member which is mechanically connected to the vehicle wheels so as to rotate in accordance with the variation in the steering angle, and a transmission mechanism which mechanically connects the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member to each other so that the transmission of rotation is possible, and so that the ratio of the rotational transmission can be varied.
In the present invention, since the operating side rotating member that is mechanically connected to the operating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member that is mechanically connected to the vehicle wheels are capable of the mutual transmission of rotation via the transmission mechanism, the reliability of the fail-safe function can be improved.
It is desirable that the vehicle steering apparatus of the present invention comprise an adjustment actuator that is used to adjust the ratio of rotational transmission by the transmission mechanism, and a control system which is capable of controlling this adjustment actuator so that the ratio of rotational transmission by the transmission mechanism can be varied.
By using such control of the adjustment actuator to vary the ratio of rotational transmission between the vehicle wheel side rotating member and the operating side rotating member, it is possible to cause rotation of the operating side rotating member without this rotation being affected by the rotation of the vehicle wheel side rotating member. As a result, an arbitrary operating torque can be caused to act on the operating member without being affected by variations in the steering angle, so that steering operation can be smoothly accomplished without any mutual interference between the movement of the wheels of the vehicle and the movement of the operating member. For example, the vehicle steering apparatus of the present invention can comprise means for determining the amount of operation of the operating member, means for storing in memory a set relationship between the amount of operation of the operating member and the target steering angle, means for calculating the target steering angle from the determined amount of operation of the operating member and the stored relationship, means for determining the actual steering angle, means for storing in memory a set relationship between the amount of operation of the operating member and the target operating torque, means for calculating the target operating torque from the determined amount of operation of the operating member and the stored relationship, and means for determining the actual operating torque of the operating member. Furthermore, the abovementioned steering actuator is made controllable so that the deviation between the target steering angle and actual steering angle is reduced, and the abovementioned adjustment actuator is made controllable so that the deviation between the target operating torque and the actual operating torque is reduced. Furthermore, the adjustment actuator can be made controllable so that a torque oriented in an arbitrary direction acts on the operating member. The operating torque that acts on the operating member when the steering angle is varied can be reduced to zero by making the abovementioned adjustment actuator controllable so that the rotational force acting on the operating side rotating member is reduced to zero. Moreover, in cases where a fail-safe system in which the operating member and the vehicle wheels are connected via the abovementioned operating side rotating member and vehicle wheel side rotating member is caused to function when an abnormality in the steering actuator is detected, the torque that is caused to act on the operating member by the adjustment actuator can be controlled.
It is desirable that the vehicle steering apparatus of the present invention comprise abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the adjustment actuator, and a restraining mechanism that is capable of restraining the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member, and that the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member is restrained by the restraining mechanism, the driving of the adjustment actuator is stopped, and the steering actuator is controlled so that a steering assist torque is caused to act, in cases where the abnormality is detected in the adjustment actuator.
As a result, the steering apparatus can function as a power steering apparatus in cases where an abnormality is detected in the adjustment actuator.
It is desirable that the vehicle steering apparatus of the present invention comprise abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the adjustment actuator, and a restraining mechanism that is capable of restraining the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member, and that the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member is restrained by the restraining mechanism, and the driving of the adjustment actuator and steering actuator is stopped, in cases where the abnormality is detected in the adjustment actuator.
As a result, the steering apparatus can function as a manual type steering apparatus in cases where an abnormality is detected in the adjustment actuator.
It is desirable that the vehicle steering apparatus of the present invention comprise abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the adjustment actuator, and that the driving of the adjustment actuator is stopped, and the transmission of rotation between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member is stopped, in cases where the abnormality is detected in the adjustment actuator.
As a result, even if an abnormality occurs in the adjustment actuator, the steering angle can be varied by controlling the steering actuator in accordance with the operation of the operating member, and there is no interference with the operation of the operating member.
It is desirable that the vehicle steering apparatus of the present invention comprise abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the adjustment actuator, a restraining mechanism that is capable of restraining the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member, and a change-over switch for the abnormality handling modes that is used in cases where the abnormality is detected in the adjustment actuator, and that the switching of the abovementioned switch enables selection of one of three modes, i.e., a mode in which the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member is restrained by the restraining mechanism, the driving of the adjustment actuator is stopped, and the steering actuator is controlled so that a steering assist torque is caused to act, a mode in which the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member is restrained by the restraining mechanism, and the driving of the adjustment actuator and the steering actuator is stopped, and a mode in which the driving of the adjustment actuator is stopped, and the transmission of rotation between the operating side rotating member and vehicle wheel side rotating member is stopped.
As a result, in cases where an abnormality is detected in the adjustment actuator, either a mode in which the steering apparatus is caused to function as a power steering apparatus, a mode in which the steering apparatus is caused to function as a manual type steering apparatus, or a mode in which the steering actuator is controlled in accordance with the operation of the operating member, can be selected.
It is desirable that the vehicle steering apparatus of the present invention comprise abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the steering actuator, and a restraining mechanism that is capable of restraining the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member, and that the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member is restrained by the restraining mechanism, the driving of the steering actuator is stopped, and the adjustment actuator is controlled so that a steering assist torque is caused to act, in cases where the abnormality is detected in the steering actuator.
As a result, the steering apparatus can be caused to function as a power steering apparatus by the adjustment actuator in cases where an abnormality is detected in the steering actuator.
It is desirable that the vehicle steering apparatus of the present invention comprise abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the steering actuator, and a restraining mechanism that is capable of restraining the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member, and that the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member is restrained by the restraining mechanism, and the driving of the adjustment actuator and the steering actuator is stopped, in cases where the abnormality is detected in the steering actuator.
As a result, the steering apparatus can function as a manual type steering apparatus in cases where an abnormality is detected in the steering actuator.
It is desirable that the vehicle steering apparatus of the present invention comprise abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the steering actuator, and means for detecting a variable that expresses the operating state of the vehicle, and that the driving of the steering actuator is stopped, and the adjustment actuator is controlled so that the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member is varied in accordance with the detected variable that expresses the operating state of the vehicle, in cases where the abnormality is detected in the steering actuator.
As a result, even if an abnormality occurs in the steering actuator, the steering apparatus can function as a steering apparatus that is capable of altering the steering characteristics in accordance with the operating state of the vehicle.
It is desirable that the vehicle steering apparatus of the present invention comprise abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the steering actuator, a restraining mechanism that is capable of restraining the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member, means for detecting a variable that expresses the operating state of the vehicle, and a change-over switch for the abnormality handling modes that is used in cases where the abnormality is detected in the steering actuator, and that the switching of the abovementioned switch enables selection of one of three modes, i.e., a mode in which the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member is restrained by the restraining mechanism, the driving of the steering actuator is stopped, and the adjustment actuator is controlled so that a steering assist torque is caused to act, a mode in which the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member is restrained by the restraining mechanism, and the driving of the adjustment actuator and the steering actuator is stopped, and a mode in which the driving of the steering actuator is stopped, and the adjustment actuator is controlled so that the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member is varied in accordance with the abovementioned variable that expresses the operating state of the vehicle.
As a result, either a mode in which the steering apparatus can be caused to function as a power steering apparatus, a mode in which the steering apparatus can be caused to function as a manual type steering apparatus, or a mode in which the steering characteristics can be altered in accordance with the operating state of the vehicle, can be selected in cases where an abnormality is detected in the steering actuator.
It is desirable that the vehicle steering apparatus of the present invention comprise abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the adjustment actuator, abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the steering actuator, and a restraining mechanism that is capable of restraining the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member, and that the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member is restrained by the restraining mechanism, and the driving of the adjustment actuator and the steering actuator is stopped, in cases where the abnormality in the adjustment actuator and the abnormality in the steering actuator are detected.
As a result, the steering apparatus can function as a manual type steering apparatus in cases where abnormalities are detected in the adjustment actuator and steering actuator.
It is desirable that the vehicle steering apparatus of the present invention comprise abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the control system of the steering actuator and the adjustment actuator, and a restraining mechanism that is capable of restraining the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member, and that the variation in the ratio of the rotational transmission between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member is restrained by the restraining mechanism, and the driving of the adjustment actuator and the steering actuator be stopped, in cases where the abnormality is detected in the control system.
As a result, even if an abnormality occurs in the control system, the steering apparatus can function as a manual type steering apparatus.
It is desirable that the abovementioned transmission mechanism have three elements that are capable of relative rotation, that the ratio of the rotational transmission between two of the elements can be varied in accordance with the variation in the rotational speed of the third element, that one of the three elements is connected to the operating side rotating member, that one of the elements that is not connected to the operating side rotating member is connected to the vehicle wheel side rotating member, that the remaining element is driven by the adjustment actuator, and that the ratio of the rotational transmission is varied by controlling the adjustment actuator by means of the control system. In this case, the abovementioned transmission mechanism has a planetary gear mechanism in which a planetary gear that engages with a sun gear and a ring gear is held by a carrier, and this sung gear, ring gear and carrier can be taken as the abovementioned three elements that are capable of relative rotation. As a result, the transmission mechanism can easily be structured from a known rotational transmission mechanism.
It is desirable that the transmission of rotation between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member via the transmission mechanism can be stopped in a state in which a mechanical connection between the operating side rotating member and the vehicle wheel side rotating member is maintained by the transmission mechanism.
As a result, the operating torque can be reduced to zero when there is a variation in the steering angle without any need for the adjustment actuator or control system.
According to the present invention, a fail-safe function can be securely obtained by means of a simple structure, and without any need for lowering the steering feeling experienced by the driver, in a vehicle steering apparatus in which the steering angle is varies by the control of an actuator.


There is disclosed an article positioning apparatus for positioning an article composed of an electric conductive material over a predetermined base, the apparatus comprising: levitating means for levitating the article over the base; driving force generating means including current generating means for inducing a current in the article and magnetic field generating means for generating a magnetic field in a direction perpendicular to the current induced by the current generating means, and the driving force generating means being for generating a driving force composed of Lorentz force to the article in the direction perpendicular to the current and the magnetic field; and displacement detecting means for detecting a displacement of the article, wherein the article is positioned through the driving force generating means in accordance with a result detected by the displacement detecting means.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a positioning apparatus for positioning a plate-shaped article such as a semiconductor wafer without contact with the article and an exposing apparatus having this positioning apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
For a photolithography process for manufacturing a semiconductor device, a liquid crystal display device, a thin-film magnetic head or the like, a projecting/exposing apparatus (a stepper or the like) for transferring a pattern of a reticle used as a mask onto each shot region on a wafer (or a glass plate or the like) used as a photosensitive substrate through a projection optical system and an exposing apparatus or the like using a proximity method for transferring the reticle pattern directly on the wafer have been heretofore used. Since such an exposing apparatus is required to position the wafer in an exposure position with high precision, the wafer is held on a wafer holder by a vacuum absorption or the like and this wafer holder is fixed on a wafer stage capable of being positioned with high precision or the wafer stage capable of roughly slightly moving.
FIG. 17 shows an example of the wafer stage of the prior-art exposing apparatus. Referring to FIG. 12, a Y stage 102 is placed on a wafer base 101 so that it may be driven in a Y-direction by a driving motor, and an X stage 103 is placed on the Y stage 102 so that it may be driven in an X-direction by the driving motor. Furthermore, a mounting support 104 is mounted on the X stage 103, a wafer holder 105 is fixed on the mounting support 104, and a wafer 106 is held on the wafer holder 105 by the vacuum absorption. Movable mirrors 107, 108 for a laser interferometer are also fixed near the wafer holder 105 on the mounting support 104 so that they may be perpendicular to each other. In this case, the mounting support 104 can position the wafer 106 in a Z-direction and in a direction of rotation about an axis parallel to a Z-axis and can correct an inclined angle of the wafer 106 (that is, an angle of rotation about the axes parallel to an X-axis and a Y-axis).
When a deformation such as a local curvature is caused on the wafer, a reticle image is not transferred on the shot region near such a deformed region with high resolution. Therefore, proposed is the method in which many piezoelectric devices are buried in parallel in the wafer holder 105 and an amount of expansion/contraction (deformation) of these piezoelectric devices is partially controlled so as to thereby improve a flatness of the wafer held on the wafer holder 105.
FIG. 18 shows an example of the prior-art wafer holder. In FIG. 18, many absorbing grooves 102 are formed on a contact surface of a front surface of a wafer holder 101a with a wafer W. Air or the like in the absorbing grooves 102a is evacuated through an exhaust path 103a in the wafer holder 101, whereby the wafer W is absorbed/held on the front surface of the wafer holder 101a. On the other hand, when the thus absorbed/held wafer W is locally deformed (curved), the reticle image cannot be excellently exposed depending on the shot region on the wafer W.
As shown in FIG. 19, the wafer holder capable of correcting the flatness of the wafer is also proposed. In FIG. 19, a space is provided in a bottom portion of the exhaust path 103a in the wafer holder 101a, and many expandable/contractible piezoelectric devices 104 are attached in this space. Therefore, the amount of expansion/contraction (deformation) of the piezoelectric devices 104a is individually controlled so that the region on the front- surface of the wafer holder 101a on the piezoelectric devices 104 is deformed, whereby the flatness of the wafer W absorbed/held on the region can be improved.
FIG. 20 shows an example of the conventional wafer stage. In FIG. 20, a Y stage 106 is placed on a wafer base 105a so that it may be movable in the Y-direction, and an X stage 107 is placed on the Y stage 106a so that it may be movable in the X-direction. A slight moving stage 109 is also mounted in the X stage 107a by using four elastic hinges 108A-108D as a guide so that it can be slightly moved in the X-direction by piezoelectric devices 111, 112. The wafer W is fixed on a mounting support 113 through the wafer holder 101a. Movable mirrors 116X, 116Y for the laser interferometer are also fixed near the wafer holder 101. In this case, the X stage 107 and the Y stage 106 are operated as a rough moving stage so as to roughly position the wafer W. Then, the slight moving stage 109 and the mounting support 113 are slightly moved in the X-direction and the Y-direction, respectively, whereby the wafer W is positioned with high precision.
As described above, the wafer stage of the prior-art exposing apparatus is composed of various stages and the mounting support stacked on the wafer base. Positioning of the wafer on the mounting support is performed by, for example, the driving motor using a feed screw method or the like. As regards this fact, it has been recently needed to further improve the positioning precision of the wafer stage in response to a finer formation of the semiconductor device or the like. Moreover, since an improvement of throughput (productivity) is desired in the process of manufacturing the semiconductor device or the like, the improvement of a positioning speed of the wafer stage is also required.
Although the driving motor having a high power is needed in order to position the mounting support (wafer) at high speed with high precision by means of this conventional stacked-structure wafer stage, the use of such a driving motor causes an apparatus constitution to be large-sized and be heavy in weight. As a result, the positioning speed cannot be disadvantageously improved so much. Furthermore, if the high-power driving motor is used, the mounting support and the wafer are deformed due to heat by an influence of the heat generated by the driving motor, and thus there is a possibility that the positioning precision is deteriorated rather than improved.
In the prior art in which many piezoelectric devices are buried in the wafer holder in order to improve the local deformation of the wafer, it is also necessary to dispose many high-voltage wires for use in the piezoelectric devices in the wafer holder. Thus, the wafer holder is large-sized and the positioning speed is thus reduced, and a manufacturing cost is also disadvantageously increased.
In the above-described prior art, in case of the wafer holder of FIG. 18, the wafer W is held on the wafer holder 101 by the vacuum absorption. Thus, if a contaminant such as resist residue is put between the rear surface of the wafer W and the front surface of the wafer holder 101, the wafer W is deformed due to the contaminant. As a result, there is a possibility that a yield of a semiconductor device to be finally manufactured is reduced. On the other hand, in case of the wafer holder of FIG. 20, the flatness of the wafer W is corrected by the expansion/contraction of many piezoelectric devices 104 in the wafer holder 101. However, disadvantageously, since this method is required to arrange many high-voltage wires for the piezoelectric devices, the apparatus constitution is increased in size and complicated, which results in the higher cost.
Moreover, in the conventional wafer stage of FIG. 20, when the position of the image projected on the reticle matches to that of each shot region on the wafer, the wafer W is stepped at high speed through the X stage 107 and the Y stage 106 (the rough moving stage). Then, the slight moving stage 109 and the mounting support 113 are slightly moved through the piezoelectric devices 111, 112 and 114, 115, whereby the wafer W is finally positioned. However, for a structure for adjusting the position by pushing/pulling the slight moving stage 109 and the mounting support 113 by the piezoelectric devices, the high-speed positioning is difficult. Furthermore, since the slight moving stage 109 is large-sized and heavy in weight, the rough moving stage for driving the slight moving stage 109 at high speed requires a high thrust force. Thus, the whole stage is large-sized and a heat value gets higher, which may cause a deterioration of the positioning precision.

Article positioning apparatus and exposing apparatus having the article positioning apparatus