An RF signal input terminal having an RF signal input pad connected to a switching element and grounding pads adjacent to the RF signal input pad, and RF signal output terminals, so that the directions of arrangements of signal pads and grounding pads adjacent thereto extend parallel to the direction of an arrangement of the RF signal input pad and grounding pads of the RF signal input terminal. The signal pads are connected to the switching element, and are disposed on a semiconductor substrate provided with the switching element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high-frequency integrated circuit operated in a high-frequency band, particularly, a millimeter-wave region of 30 GHz or more, and a high-frequency circuit device using the same.
2. Background Art
FIG. 25 is a plan view showing a conventional SP3T (Single Pole 3 Throw) switch MMIC (Monolithic Microwave IC) chip.
In FIG. 25, reference numeral 300 indicates an SP3T switch MMIC chip, reference numeral 302 indicates a GaAs substrate, and reference numeral 304 indicates a switching element, which are respectively typically illustrated. Reference numerals 306 indicate grounding pads, and reference numeral 308 indicates an RF input pad. An RF input terminal 310 comprises the RF input pad 308 and the grounding pads 306 provided on both sides thereof.
Reference numerals 312a, 312b and 312c respectively indicate RF output pads. An RF output terminal 314 comprises the RF output pad 312a and the grounding pads 306 provided on both sides thereof, an RF output terminal 316 comprises the RF output pad 312b and the grounding pads 306 provided on both sides thereof, and an RF output terminal 318 comprises the RF output pad 312c and the grounding pads 306 provided on both sides thereof, respectively. Reference numerals 320 indicate wiring layers.
FIG. 26 is a typical view showing the state of measurement of an S parameter indicative of a pass characteristic between the RF input terminal 310 and the RF output terminal 314 of the SP3T switch MMIC chip 300 (hereinafter called a-path).
In FIG. 26, reference numerals 322 indicate probe heads each having a G-S-G (Ground-Signal-Ground) structure, and reference numerals 324 indicate probes.
Of the probes 324 provided at the tip of each probe head 322, the probe for a signal terminal is placed in the center thereof, and grounding probes are disposed on both sides thereof with the probe interposed therebetween. Pads having G-S-G (Ground-Signal-Ground) structures for the RF input terminal 310 and RF output terminals 314, 316 and 318 of the MMIC chip 300 are formed with pitches matched with the probes 324.
As shown in FIG. 26, the two probe heads 322 are used to measure the S parameter indicative of the pass characteristic between the RF input terminal 310 and the RF output terminal 314 and disposed so as to be opposed to each other. The RF input terminal 310 and the RF output terminal 314 are brought into contact with their corresponding probes 324 to measure the S parameter.
FIG. 27 is a typical view showing the state of measurement of an S parameter indicative of a pass characteristic between the RF input terminal 310 and the RF output terminal 316 of the SP3T switch MMIC chip 300 (hereinafter called b-path). Further, FIG. 28 is a typical view showing the state of measurement of an S parameter indicative of a pass characteristic between the RF input terminal 310 and the RF output terminal 318 (hereinafter called c-path) of the MMIC chip 300.
In FIGS. 27 and 28, the probe heads 322 brought into contact with the RF input terminal 310 remain unchanged in position/direction. However, the probe heads 322 brought into contact with the RF output terminals 316 and 318 change not only in position but in direction as compared with the probe head 322 brought into contact with the RF output terminal 314.
When S parameters indicative of pass characteristics of an SP3T switch are measured, it is normally necessary to measure all S parameters for the a-path, b-path and c-path. In regard to each individual measurements, the probe heads 322 respectively brought into contact with the RF input terminals 310 are all identical in position and orientation, whereas the probe heads 322 respectively brought into contact with the RF output terminals 314, 316 and 318 are all different from one another in position and orientation.
Namely, the probe head 322 is placed in a left position in a rightward direction in FIG. 26 upon the a-path measurement. The probe head 322 is placed in an upper position in a downward direction in FIG. 27 upon the b-path measurement. The probe head 322 is placed in a lower position in an upward direction in FIG. 28 upon the c-path measurement.
Therefore, the respective path measurements need to re-construct and correct a measurement system. The following problems arise.
(1) A probe head for a W band is extremely expensive (about million yen/piece) and apt to wear. The number of contacts indicative of its lifetime ranges from one hundred thousand to one million. Wastage corresponding to 1 to 10 yen per contact occurs. Corrections are required each time the respective paths are changed, and at least six contacts are required upon the respective corrections. Therefore, the probe head rapidly wears when the orientation of the probe head is repeatedly changed.
(2) Since a measuring instrument and a calibration measurement standard respectively have a generally left-to-right measuring structure, they are complex in connection and reduced in measuring accuracy in the case of bend paths, i.e., b-path and c-path.
(3) The change of the orientation of each probe head is made according to manipulator""s changes on a prober. Since, however, difficult manual work is accompanied by this change work, undesired situations such as a frequent drop of the probe head and a contact between each probe at the tip of the probe head and another member are apt to occur, thus causing damage to the expensive probe head frequently.
The present invention has been made with a view toward solving the above-described problems. A first object of the present invention is to provide a high-frequency integrated circuit capable of carrying out a high-frequency characteristic evaluation easily, highly accurately, in a short time and at low cost. A second object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive and high-reliable high-frequency circuit device using such a high-frequency integrated circuit.
While Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-14850 describes a pad layout which enables testing to be facilitated, it relates to the efficient arrangement of pads, which is suitable for a lead-on-chip structure. This disclosure does not describe that signal input/output ports each configured with a signal pad and grounding pads as one set are disposed such that the directions of arrangements of the signal pad and grounding pads extend parallel to one another.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a high-frequency integrated circuit comprises a semiconductor substrate, a first circuit element disposed on the semiconductor substrate and having a plurality of signal terminals, a first connecting port disposed on the semiconductor substrate and having a first signal pad connected to the first circuit element and grounding pads adjacent to the first signal pad, a second connecting port disposed on the semiconductor substrate and having a second signal pad connected to the first circuit element and grounding pads adjacent to the second signal pad in parallel with the direction of an arrangement of the first signal pad and the grounding pads of the first connecting port, and a third connecting port disposed on the semiconductor substrate and having a third signal pad connected to the first circuit element and grounding pads adjacent to the third signal pad in parallel with the direction of the arrangement of the first signal pad and the grounding pads of the first connecting port.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a high-frequency circuit device comprises a conductive mounting substrate, dielectric substrates disposed on the conductive mounting substrate and having surfaces on which signal lines are disposed, a high-frequency integrated circuit disposed on the conductive mounting substrate and comprising a semiconductor substrate, a first circuit element disposed on the semiconductor substrate and having a plurality of signal terminals, a first connecting port disposed on the semiconductor substrate and having a first signal pad connected to the first circuit element and grounding pads adjacent to the first signal pad, a second connecting port disposed on the semiconductor substrate and having a second signal pad connected to the first circuit element and grounding pads adjacent to the second signal pad in parallel with the direction of an arrangement of the first signal pad and the grounding pads of the first connecting port, a third connecting port disposed on the semiconductor substrate and having a third signal pad connected to the first circuit element and grounding pads adjacent to the third signal pad in parallel with the direction of the arrangement of the first signal pad and the grounding pads of the first connecting port, and connecting conductors for respectively connecting the signal pads of connecting ports of the high-frequency integrated circuit and the signal lines of the dielectric substrates.
According to the invention, a high-frequency characteristic evaluation can be carried out with ease and high accuracy and in a short time. By extension, a high-frequency integrated circuit, which has three terminals or more, can be configured which is excellent in a high-frequency characteristic and low in cost.
Further, it is possible to reduce variations in electrical characteristic and enhance yields. By extension, a high-frequency circuit device low in cost and having high reliability can be configured.

High-frequency integrated circuit and high-frequency circuit device using the same


A new and distinct Forsythia cultivar named ‘BJ2013’ which is characterized by the combination of an upright to arching growth habit with a globular plant form, a moderate abundance of small yellow flowers in early spring prior to the emergence of new foliage, unique juvenile foliage color comprised of a highly variable combination of yellow-green and light green-yellow mottle variegation on some portion of the leaf surface with the balance of the leaf with zonal green-yellow coloration, unique mature foliage variegation comprised of a combination of green with light green and white mottling and zonal white coloration, and the stability of these characteristics from generation to generation.

Parentage: 'BJ2013' originated as a naturally-occurring branch mutation of Forsythia x intermedia (unnamed and unpatented) at a commercial office building complex in Mechanicsburg, Pa. In 2013, the inventors discovered a branch mutation of Forsythia x intermedia which exhibited green and white leaf variegation in an irregular mottle pattern with white zonal coloration. Cuttings were taken from the mutated branch, rooted, and then grown to a mature size to confirm the distinctness and stability of the traits first observed. In April of 2017, the unique variegation of the claimed plant was determined to be stable and suitable for commercial introduction. The plant was given the name, 'BJ2013'.
Asexual Reproduction: Asexual reproduction of 'BJ2013', by way of softwood stem tip cuttings, was first performed in 2013 in Mechanicsburg, Pa. Through two subsequent generations, the unique features of this cultivar have proven to be stable and true to type.


Capturing the attention of the audience by having them watch letters being arranged on a blackboard in what appears to be a completely random, jumbled manner as words germane to the topic of discussion are enunciated, and then seeing those letters combined, perhaps with a few filler letters, to spell out yet another word which also is germane to the topic of discussion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of introducing a topic of discussion to an audience so as to capture their attention.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
When speaking before an audience, the opening sets the tone for the remainder of the speech; it is during this time that the audience is most attentive. If one loses the audience during the opening, it is an uphill struggle to capture their attention again. Speeches, by their very nature, are passive in that they spew forth information to the audience; the audience seldom is compelled to participate unless directly asked to do so by the speaker. As a result, it becomes easy for the audience to tune out the speaker and fail to pay close attention to the speech. The attention of some members of the audience may be easily distracted.
A lot can be learned from game shows. They are designed to capture the attention of the audience. Some shows reveal letters in a string of hidden letters which make up a word as they are guessed by the contestant and allow the contestant to guess the word at any time. Usually prizes are awarded for a successful guess. One key to the success of game snows is that they compel the audience to participate on their own as if they were the contestant trying to win prizes.
It would be desireable to devise a technique which ensures capturing the audience's attention if applied to the opening of a speech or when presenting a new topic of discussion.

Method of spelling out a word before an audience


This invention relates an improved wheel rim roll forming apparatus for producing a vehicle wheel rim. The wheel rim roll forming apparatus includes an inner member adapted to support a flared wheel rim preform thereon, an outer member supported relative to the inner member, and a pair of adjustable members operatively supported by inner member. The inner member includes an outer surface having a predetermined profile and defining a centerline of the apparatus. The outer member includes an inner surface having a predetermined profile adapted to engage the flared wheel rim preform to produce a partially formed wheel rim having a desired profile. The pair of adjustable members are disposed adjacent an associated end of the flared wheel rim preform. At least one of the adjustable members is adjustable, by one of a rotational or axial movement thereof, in an axial direction with respect to the centerline of the apparatus.

This invention relates in general to vehicle wheels and in particular to an improved method and apparatus for producing a vehicle wheel.
A conventional vehicle wheel is typically of a two-piece construction and includes an inner wheel disc and an outer "full" wheel rim. The wheel disc can be cast, forged, or fabricated from steel, aluminum, or other alloys, and includes an inner annular wheel mounting portion and an outer annular portion. The wheel mounting portion of the wheel disc defines an inboard mounting surface and includes a center pilot or hub hole, and a plurality of lug receiving holes formed therethrough for mounting the vehicle wheel to an axle of the vehicle. The wheel rim is fabricated from steel, aluminum, or other alloys, and includes an inboard tire bead seat retaining flange, an inboard tire bead seat, an axially extending well, an outboard tire bead seat, and an outboard tire bead seat retaining flange. In some instances, a three-piece wheel construction having a mounting cup secured to the wheel disc is used. In both types of constructions, the outer annular portion of the wheel disc is secured to the wheel rim by welding.
A full face vehicle wheel is distinguished from other types of wheels by having a one-piece wheel disc construction. In particular, the full face wheel includes a "full face" wheel disc and a "partial" rim. The full face wheel disc can be cast, forged, or fabricated from steel, aluminum, or other alloys. The full face wheel disc includes an inner annular wheel mounting portion and an outer annular portion which defines at least a portion of an outboard tire bead seat retaining flange of the wheel. The wheel mounting portion defines an inboard mounting surface and includes a center pilot or hub hole, and a plurality of lug receiving holes formed therethrough for mounting the wheel to an axle of the vehicle. The partial wheel rim is fabricated from steel, aluminum, or other alloys, and includes an inboard tire bead seat retaining flange, an inboard tire bead seat, an axially extending well, and an outboard tire bead seat. In some instances, the outboard tire bead seat of the wheel rim and the outer annular portion of the wheel disc cooperate to form the outboard tire bead seat retaining flange of the full face wheel. In both types of constructions, the outboard tire bead seat of the wheel rim is positioned adjacent the outer annular portion of the wheel disc and a weld is applied to join the wheel rim and the wheel disc together.
In the above wheel constructions, the wheel rim of the associated vehicle wheel is typically subjected to a series of roll forming operations to produce a partially finished wheel rim having a desired final profile prior to subjecting the wheel rim to final forming operations. A typical sequence of steps which can be used to produce a full wheel rim for use in a conventional type of vehicle wheel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,370 to Evans. As shown in this patent, the method includes the steps of: (a) providing a flat sheet of suitable material, such as aluminum or steel; (b) forming the sheet into a cylindrical hoop or band; (c) flaring the lateral edges of the hoop radially outwardly to produce a rim preform having flanges suitable for positioning on a roll forming machine; (d) subjecting the flared rim preform to a series of roll forming operations to produce a partially formed wheel rim having a predetermined shape; and (e) expanding the partially formed wheel rim to a produce a finished wheel rim having a predetermined circumference. A sequence of steps which can be used to produce a partial wheel rim for use in a full face type of vehicle wheel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,578 to Ashley, Jr.
Prior art FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art wheel rim roll forming apparatus, indicated generally at 200, which can be used in the step (d) above to subject a flared wheel rim preform (shown in phantom in prior art FIG. 1 at 202), to a series of roll forming operations to produce a partially formed wheel rim (202′) having a predetermined shape. As shown therein, the prior art wheel rim roll forming apparatus 200 includes a guide ring 204 that is positioned at a predetermined location with respect to the wheel rim preform 202. Other than an inboard roll 210 and an outboard roll 212 of the apparatus 200, the components of the apparatus 200 on a right hand side and a left hand side thereof are generally the same. Therefore, any discussion of the components on one side of the prior art wheel rim forming apparatus 200 will apply to the other side thereof.
The guide ring 204 is generally L-shaped and has an outer flanged portion 206 which defines an inner surface 206A. The inner surfaces 206A of the guide rings 204 are operative to define a width W therebetween. The width W corresponds to a desired width of the partially formed wheel rim 202′. Thus, any tolerance variations in the flared wheel rim preform 202 can be adjusted for by changing the position of one or both of the guide rings 204 as will be discussed below. Typically, the inner surfaces 206A of the guide rings 204 are equally spaced apart from a centerline C of the apparatus 200.
The guide ring 204 holds the flared wheel rim preform 202 in a relatively fixed position relative to the inboard roll 210 and the outboard roll 212. The flared wheel rim preform 202 is also positioned on and is supported relative to the inboard roll 210 and outboard roll 212. The inboard roll 210 is positioned within the prior art wheel rim forming apparatus 200 by spacer 214, shown schematically in FIG. 1.
The inboard roll 210 defines a first portion of an inner engaging face 218 for the wheel rim preform 202. The outboard roll 212 is positioned within the apparatus 200 by an outboard spacer 216, that is also shown schematically in FIG. 1. The outboard roll 212 defines a second portion of an inner engaging face 220 for the wheel rim preform 202. The overall engaging face shape is predetermined to impart a desired shape to the partially formed wheel rim 202′. The inboard roll 210 and outboard roll 212 also have mating faces that engage each other. The inboard roll 210 includes a female mating face 222 that engages a male mating face 224 on the outboard roll 212. When the inboard mating face 222 and outboard mating face 224 are mated, the respective first and second portions of the engaging faces 218, 220 of the inboard and outboard rolls 210, 212 define the entire inner engaging face for the producing the partially formed wheel rim 202′. Thus, the mated inboard roll 210 and outboard roll 212 cooperate to define an inner roll assembly, indicated generally at 226.
The inner roll assembly 226 is separated from the guide ring 204 on each side of the apparatus 200 by a lateral ring 228 that is fitted about the respective inboard 210 and outboard portions 212 of the inner roll assembly 226. Each lateral ring 228 is secured to the roll member 210 by a plurality of fasteners or bolts 230 (only one of such bolts 230 being illustrated in prior art FIG. 1). Thus, 20 the lateral rings 228 are securely connected to the inner roll assembly 226.
Each of the guide rings 204 is securely connected to an associated lateral ring 228 and the inner roll assembly 226 by a plurality of fasteners or bolts 232. Typically, the bolts 232 are located around an outboard face 204A of each guide ring 204 and between the positions of each of the bolts 230 so that the bolts 232 do not contact or interfere with the bolts 230. Thus, during operation of the prior art wheel rim forming apparatus 200, each guide ring 204 is securely held to an associated lateral ring 228 and to the inner roll assembly 226 by the bolts 232.
The prior art wheel rim forming apparatus 200 also includes an outer roll member 234, that is positioned generally above the flared wheel rim preform 202, and thus, above the engaging face of the inner roll member 226. The outer roll member 234 is provided with an engaging face 236 having a predetermined profile or shape which is operative to impart a desired shape to the partially formed wheel rim 202′. During operation of the prior art wheel rim forming apparatus 200, the upper roll member 234 is lowered and rotated in a known manner so as to engage the flared wheel rim preform 202 during an initial roll forming operation. Thus, as is known, the lower roll assembly 226 and upper roll assembly 234 are operative subject the flared wheel rim preform 202 to an initial roll forming operation to produce the partially formed wheel rim 202′ having a desired profile or shape. The upper roll assembly 234 is positioned and held within the prior art roll forming apparatus 200 by a pair of spacers 238, 240 (shown schematically in FIG. 1) positioned on the opposed sides thereof.
In order to accurately position the flared wheel rim preform 202 on the prior art wheel rim forming apparatus so that the associated flanges of the finished wheel rim (not shown) will be within acceptable tolerances (i.e., W1 is approximately equal to W2), the position of the prior art guide rings 204 is changed or adjusted to accommodate for variations in width of the flared wheel rim preform 202. It can be appreciated, however, that W1 and W2 can be not equal to one another depending on the desired final structure of the finished wheel rim.
To adjust the position of the guide rings 204, the space between each guide ring 204 and the associated the lateral ring 228 can be varied to either increase or decrease the relative positions of the guide ring inner surfaces 206A with respect to the centerline C of the prior art wheel rim forming apparatus 200. To accomplish this, one or more shims 242 are placed/removed about the bolts 232 that connect the lateral ring 228 and the guide ring 204 together. This adjustment requires, as a first step, removing the bolts 232 (typically 4 bolts on each side for a total of eight bolts 232), from the associated components. Next, one or more shims 242 are added positioned about the bolts 232 on one side of the assembly 200 and one or more shims are removed from the bolts 232 on the opposite side of the assembly 200. Next, the bolts 232 are reinstalled through the guide ring 204 and the lateral ring 228 and threadably installed in the associated inboard roll 210 and outboard roll 212 threadably. As illustrated, the shims 242 are positioned about the guide bolts 232 between the guide ring 204 and lateral ring 228.

Method and apparatus for producing a vehicle wheel rim


This invention relates to a parallel hybrid electric conversion kit for a vehicle with an internal combustion engine, a driveshaft and a transmission, such as, rear wheel drive vehicles, four-wheel drive vehicles, heavy duty multiple-driven-axle vehicles and/or all-wheel drive vehicles. The conversion kit includes a motor-generator, a torque coupler, a battery, a power electronics module and a controller. Suitable torque couplers include transfer cases and/or rear-through differentials. The conversion kit provides an aftermarket solution to increased performance, fuel economy and/or reduced emissions by modifying the drivetrain after the transmission. According to one embodiment of this invention, the control scheme of the installed conversion kit receives input signals from the engine and the motor-generator, but only sends control signals to the motor-generator, facilitating installation of the conversion kit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention includes a hybrid electric vehicle conversion kit for a conventional internal combustion engine vehicle.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
There is a general desire to improve performance, increase fuel economy or gas mileage, and/or reduce tailpipe emissions from conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. In response to these desires, hybrid electric vehicles ("HEVs") have been developed that incorporate an electric drive system typically in combination with a smaller internal combustion engine and a generator. Known HEVs offer some advantages, but still require the person to purchase a separate and/or a new vehicle.
There is a need for a simple conversion kit to provide the benefits of a HEV to a conventional internal combustion engine vehicle.

Hybrid electric conversion kit for rear-wheel drive, all wheel drive, and four wheel drive vehicles


Bearing assembly (11) for mounting a bearing journal (2) of a rotatable roll (1). The bearing journal (2) is supported by a spherical bearing element (2a) in a bearing housing (5). The bearing journal (2) is fixed in the direction of the longitudinal axis (L) of the bearing assembly (11) in the bearing housing (5). The bearing housing (5) is connected with the aid of axial guide elements to a base (10), which is fastened on a framework (15) or foundation (or on a swivel lever). The axial guide elements are guide rods (12a, 12b) which are parallel to the longitudinal axis (L) and which engage in the bearing housing (5) and in the base (10). The one guide rod (12b) is displaceable transversely to its axis, so that the bearing housing (5) can expand transversely to the longitudinal axis (L) relative to the base (10).

The invention relates to a bearing assembly for mounting a bearing journal of rotatable roll, drum (for example drying cylinder) or the like, specifically having the features that permit longitudinal expansion or contraction of a mounted roll and in particular to the means permitting the bearing housing for the roll to shift longitudinally of the roll. The bearing assembly includes a bearing journal of a rotatable roll supported by a spherical bearing element and the spherical bearing element is held in a bearing housing. The bearing journal of the rotatable roll is fixed in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the bearing assembly within the bearing housing. The bearing housing is in turn supported to a base which is, in turn, supported on a foundation. The invention is concerned with adjustment in the position of the bearing housing with reference to the base. The invention relates both to bearing assemblies for a roll or drum of which the bearing journals are rotatable together with the roll body, and to bearing assemblies for a roll or pressing unit through which a stationary yoke with stationary bearing journals extends; this is, for example, a controlled deflection roll or an elongated nip pressing unit.
To be more precise: the invention relates to a bearing assembly in which the bearing journal is fixed in the axial direction in the bearing housing and in which the bearing housing is connected with the aid of axial guide elements to a base. The latter is fastened on a machine frame or foundation; under certain circumstances, it may also be fastened on a swivel lever. The axial guide elements allow the rotating roll body and/or the stationary yoke to expand in the longitudinal direction during operation, the bearing journal shifting together with the bearing housing in the longitudinal direction. This arrangement makes it possible that--in the case of a rotatable bearing journal--the rolling-contact bearing is fixed axially in the bearing housing, that is to say it is not displaceable axially in the latter. In the case of a stationary bearing journal, the latter is likewise fixed axially in the bearing housing. Thus, in both cases, it is possible to dispense with sliding surfaces, which on the one hand would have to be suitable for transferring great forces (for example pressing forces) and on the other hand would have to be suitable for the said axial displacement.
A preferred field of application of the invention is that of pressing apparatuses for a running web. Such a pressing apparatus may, for example, be part of a paper making machine and serve for dewatering or smoothing the paper web to be produced. Such an apparatus is preferably composed of a first rotatable pressing roll, the bearing journals of which are rotatable together with the roll body, and of a second pressing roll or a pressing unit, through which a stationary yoke with stationary bearing journals extends. In these cases, an internal loading device is provided on the stationary yoke. Concerned here are, for example, hydrostatic supporting elements, which transfer the pressing force from the stationary yoke onto the roll shell, or a shoe, which transfers the pressing force from the stationary yoke via a flexible pressing shell or via a flexible pressing band onto the first pressing roll. To be more precise: preferably concerned is a pressing apparatus with a closed system of forces; this means that the forces resulting from the pressing force are not introduced into a machine framework, foundation or the like, but are transferred with the aid of tension elements directly from the first pressing roll onto the second pressing roll or the said pressing unit. These tension elements preferably act directly on the mutually opposite bearing blocks; see, for example, Patent Application P 41 10 205.2.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,317 describes a pressing apparatus, in which a closed system of forces is likewise formed with the aid of tension bars. The upper pressing roll of this pressing apparatus is suspended with the aid of axial guide elements on a base. These axial guide elements thus need only to bear the dead weight of the complete pressing apparatus; they do not serve for transferring the pressing forces. Specifically, the following is provided there: at one roll end, the bearing housing is suspended by means of two links on a base, which for its part is fastened on the underside of a framework. At the other roll end, the bearing housing is suspended by means of a pivot on a similar base. A disadvantage of this design is that it can be used only if the roll (or the complete pressing apparatus) can be suspended on the underside of a framework; this is so since, in all other arrangements, for example in a standing arrangement, this design would be unstable.
So-called knife-edge bearings are also known. Here, the bearing housing rests on rolling-contact bodies which for their part are supported on the upper side of a base. A disadvantage of this design is that it is suitable exclusively for a standing arrangement. Moreover, the force transfer from the bearing housing to the base must only ever take place in the direction from top to bottom (not in the reverse direction), and the level of the transferable force is relatively low.


An environmentally safe fluid extraction device for use in mobile laboratory and industrial settings comprising a pump, compressor, valving system, waste recovery tank, fluid tank, and a exhaust filtering system.

This invention relates to a fluid extracting and replenishing device having the ability to extract harmful contaminates and introduce a replenishing fluid into a motor pump, or cylinder with a limited exposure of the contaminates to the atmosphere.
Prior to the development of the subject invention the filling and extraction of fluids in laboratory applications was done by using some gravity assisted methods. It usually required that the handler be exposed to harmful contaminates and resulted in some spillage and creation of additional contaminates involved in the clean up. For example, in extracting used oil from a standard laboratory vacuum pump, a drain screw is normally removed and an open container is placed underneath to catch the waste oil. In this application the likelihood of spillage is increased when the screw is removed and harmful off-gases of the contaminated oil are allowed to escape into the atmosphere. In the instant invention the environmentally safe fluid extractor is a mobile energy efficient means of extracting or filling hazardous fluids. It combines the effectiveness of a vacuum to extract fluids with the ease of a compressor to refill a container using a single diaphragm or bellows pump with an intricate piping arrangement allowing the pump to complete both tasks.

The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy


A lens position adjustment apparatus includes: a transmission unit that is displaced in a first direction oriented from one end point toward the other end point or a second direction oriented from the other endpoint toward the one endpoint to transmit power of a drive source; a conversion unit that moves a lens by using the power supplied from the transmission unit; a drive control unit that controls the drive source; a position detection unit that detects a current position of the transmission unit; and a storage unit that stores a registered position and a registered direction, wherein the drive control unit controls the drive source in such a way that a final displacement direction is the second direction in case that the registered position is within a predetermined amount of displacement from the one end point, and that the final displacement direction is the registered direction otherwise.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to adjustment of the position of a lens used, for example, in a projector.
2. Related Art
In a projector, to adjust the position of a lens, such as a zoom lens and a focus lens, a transmission mechanism is used to transmit the power of a motor to a conversion mechanism formed, for example, of a rack and a pinion. The transmission mechanism is formed, for example, of gears, and the position of the lens can be detected with an encoder that detects the amount of rotation of any of the gears. In general, since such a transmission mechanism has what is called a backlash that is, for example, a gap between engaging portions of gears or engaging portions of a gear and a thread, the lens position detected with the encoder may deviate from the actual lens position. In view of the fact described above, a method for accurately adjusting the lens position by canceling such a backlash has been proposed. JP-A-2009-42621 discloses a method for moving a lens to a position registered in advance (hereinafter referred to as "registered position") by first moving the lens in a predetermined direction, stopping the lens in a position beyond the registered position, and then rotating a motor backward to return the lens to the registered position. In the method, a backlash is eliminated by rotating the motor backward.
The amount of backlash changes due to environmental conditions (such as temperature and humidity) and elapsed time. In consideration of the fact described above, a method for returning a lens to an accurate registered position even when the amount of backlash changes has been proposed as follows: The method includes registering a final movement direction of the lens used when the position thereof is registered (hereinafter also referred to as "registration direction") along with information on the registered position, moving the lens in the same direction as the registration direction when operation of moving the lens to the registered position (hereinafter referred to as "return operation") is carried out, and placing the lens in the registered position. When the method is used in a state in which the registered position is close to an end point of the movable range of the lens, however, a user may feel something is wrong with user's fine adjustment of the lens position made after the lens is returned to the registered position.
Specifically, assume that the position registration is made by moving the lens in a direction toward one end point of the movable range of the lens (hereinafter referred to as "direction A") and then moving the lens for the position registration in the opposite direction (hereinafter referred to as "direction B") after the lens reaches the end point. To return the lens to the registered position, the same operation is performed and the lens is eventually moved in the direction B and reaches the registered position. When the registered position is close to the end point of the movable range, the user is likely to make a fine adjustment of the current lens position toward the end point after the lens reaches the registered position. When the fine adjustment of lens position is made this way, the movement direction of the lens (direction A) is opposite to the direction B, which is the final movement direction used to return the lens. In this case, the backlash present in the transmission mechanism is first eliminated, and then the lens starts moving toward the endpoint after the backlash is eliminated. As a result, there is a delay between the time when the user starts the fine adjustment of the lens position and the time when the lens position is actually changed, and the delay may disadvantageously cause the user to feel something is wrong.
The problems described above are not limited to a projector but common to an arbitrary apparatus having a lens and a mechanism that drives the lens. It has therefore been desired to develop a technology that cancels a backlash in a transmission mechanism for accurate movement of a lens and does not cause a user to feel something is wrong. In relation to a lens drive apparatus of related art, it has also been desired, for example, to reduce the size, lower the cost, save resources, simplify manufacturing processes, and to improve the degree of ease of use of the apparatus.

Lens position adjustment apparatus, projector, lens position adjustment method, and lens position registration method


A rear-wheel steering angle control device includes a target rear-wheel steering angle calculating means for calculating a target rear-wheel steering angle based upon the detection by a detecting means. The target rear-wheel steering angle calculating means further calculates an averaged locus by averaging a front end point running locus based upon a sample point memorized by a front end point locus memorizing means. The target rear-wheel steering angle calculating means still further limits the target rear-wheel steering angle not to deviate a vehicle rear end point from an inner range of the averaged locus.

Various types of rear-wheal steering angle control devices have been already known, in which a vehicle running stability and a capability of a vehicle small turning circle can be improved by steering rear wheels as well as front wheels in response to the vehicle driving condition. According to this type of rear-wheel steering angle control device, it is a matter to be discussed how to set an optimal target rear-wheel steering angle relative to a front-wheel steering angle corresponding to every vehicle running condition.
For example, according to a column "7.5.3 4WS control for zero skid" at page 196 of a publication (this publication will be hereafter referred to as "publication No. 1") entitled "Steering and Dynamics" (date of publication of the first edition: Sep. 10, 1996, publishing office: SANKAIDO, Inc., author: KAYABA KOUGYO, Inc.), the following is disclosed. The vehicle slip angle (a deviation angle between a vehicle running direction and a vehicle longitudinal direction) is first recognized to be important to be focused on. The rear-wheel steering angle is controlled for always setting the vehicle slip angle to be zero. More specifically, when the vehicle speed is equal to a predetermined vehicle speed or less than that, the rear-wheel steering angle is controlled in an opposite direction to the front-wheel steering angle in proportion to the front-wheel steering angle, wherein a small turning circle can be ensured. On the other hand, when the vehicle speed is greater than the predetermined vehicle speed, the rear-wheel steering angle is controlled in the same direction as the front-wheel steering angle in proportion to the front-wheel steering angle so as to obtain an ideal vehicle dynamics with the superior driving stability of the vehicle. Hereinafter, this type of control will be referred to as a "steering angle proportional control".
As described above, when the steering angle proportional control is applied to the publication No. 1, the rear wheels are steered in the opposite direction to the front wheels when the vehicle speed is within a low speed rage as the vehicle leaves. Therefore, the capability of the small turning circle can be improved. However, the vehicle may become in touch with an obstacle at the vehicle side with the swing-out at the vehicle rear end (in particular, the corner portion of the vehicle rear end portion).
Therefore, to overcome the above described problem of the swing-out at the vehicle rear end ensuring the small turning circle, it is preferable that the rear-wheel steering angle is controlled to follow the vehicle rear end to a locus of a vehicle front end. This control is proposed, for example in a column "105 a control means for restraining a swing-out of a 4WS vehicle" of a publication entitled "The proceedings of Japanese Society of Automotive engineering 882, October, 1988" (this publication will be hereafter referred to as "publication No.2"). More specifically, the vehicle front end running locus is memorized at every predetermined sample distance. The rear-wheel steering angle is controlled for approximately corresponding the vehicle rear end running direction to the vehicle front end running direction at the nearest sample point to the then vehicle rear end among the whole sample points.
However, according to the control proposed in the publication 2, when the steering is turned as the vehicle leaves, the rear-wheel steering angle is first controlled in the same direction as the front-wheel steering angle and is then controlled in the opposite direction thereto. In this case, the driver may feel uncomfortable due to an occurrence of an excessive rear-wheel steering. Further, a consumption energy required for steering the rear wheels may be increased due to the occurrence of the excessive rear-wheel steering.
Accordingly, it is still susceptible of certain improvements with respect to providing an improved rear-wheel steering angle control device which can improve the vehicle small turning circle restraining the swing-out at the vehicle rear end under the vehicle low running speed. Therefore, the driver can be relieved from the uncomfortable driving feeling.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Rear-wheel steering angle control device


A method and apparatus for repairing a valve, the valve being attached to a tank, the method including steps of providing a valve tool having a rigid tube and having an elastic air bladder, such bladder having a port, the port being connected to the tube, the valve tool further having a check valve; opening the valve in need of repair; extending the valve tool into such valve; injecting air into the rigid tube, causing the bladder to seal against the tank; detaching and withdrawing such valve; repairing such valve; reattaching such valve; opening the check valve to break the seal; and withdrawing the valve tool.

This invention relates to valves. More particularly, this invention relates to apparatus and processes for repairing or replacing gate valves, quarter turn ball valves, quarter turn cylindrical plug valves, butterfly valves, and full bore diaphragm valves.
Through passage of time and extended usage seatings of closing members of gate valves, ball valves, cylindrical plug valves, butterfly valves, and full bore diaphragm valves tend to degrade, become obstructed by debris, or misalign. Also, through time and use, valve actuator seals and bearings tend to wear and degrade. Where such undesirable degrading of valve components occurs, the valve must be removed and replaced, or removed and disassembled for maintenance. Where such a valve controls fluid flow emanating from a fluid bearing tank or pipe, removal of the valve is commonly achieved by initially purging fluid upstream of the valve. Yet, in many instances, the volume of fluid contained upstream is too great to conveniently purge. Oil storage tanks commonly pose such a problem. The problem also arises where the upstream fluid is borne by a pipeline under pressure. The volume of upstream fluid may be limitless where the valve in need of repair controls pipeline flow.
The instant inventive apparatus and method advantageously eliminates the valve repair step of purging upstream fluid by providing a novel and inventive plugging tool adapted for extension upstream through the bore of the valve to be repaired or replaced, and by providing novel method and process steps directed to utilization of such tool.
A major structural element of the inventive tool utilized in the present inventive method, comprises a rigid tube having a rearward end, a forward end, and a hollow bore extending from the rearward end to the forward end. The dimensions of valves upon which the inventive tool is to be used determines a minimum length for such rigid tube. For example, where the inventive tool is to be utilized upon a valve having an eighteen inch bore, the rigid tube would need to be at least eighteen inches long. However, upon full insertion of the tool through the bore of a valve, it is preferred that one foot to eighteen inches of tube length remain protruding rearwardly from the downstream end of the valve; such protrusion providing contact surfaces for firm, two handed grasping of the tube. Preferably, the outside diameter of the tube is approximately one inch, further facilitating firm manual grasping.
For strength and durability, the rigid tube may comprise a steel pipe. However, where volatile flammable fluids are present, the rigid tube may be composed of brass or PVC plastic, reducing spark ignition hazards.
A second major structural element of the inventive valve repair or replacement tool comprises an elastic air bladder having a port, the port being fixedly attached to the forward end of the rigid tube for communication of air between the hollow bore of the tube and the interior space of the bladder. The elastic bladder is preferably composed of vulcanized rubber or other suitable synthetic elastomere.
Preferably, the port of the elastic air bladder comprises an outwardly extending annular flange or collar whose inside diameter is closely fitted for slidable mounting over the forward end of the rigid tube. Such port configuration advantageously provides an outer annular surface for application of a compression band such as a common hose clamp, a crimp ring, a magniform ring, or a heat shrink ring. Such compression band attaching means secures the port upon the forward end of the rigid tube. Alternately, a spirally threaded metal fitting may be molded into the elastic air bladder as an integral part of its port. Such spirally threaded attaching means may threadedly engage with spiral threads cut into the forward end of the rigid tube. Further alternately, wire frapping may comprise the attaching means. Also alternately, the port may be adhesively bonded to the forward end of the rigid tube. Suitably, though less desirably, the linkage between the port and the rigid tube may comprise a simple friction joint.
A third major structural element of the present inventive valve tool comprises air flow control means operatively connected to the rigid tube. Necessarily, the air flow control means permits injection of air into the rearward end of the rigid tube for forward flow therethrough, the air emitting from the forward end of the rigid tube and inflating the elastic air bladder. The air flow control means must further function to alternately permit and resist rearward air flow within the rigid tube, allowing the elastic air bladder to remain in an inflated state until deflation is desired. A preferred air flow control means comprises a spring assisted check valve of the type commonly utilized upon pneumatic tires. Such check valve may be installed in axial alignment in line with the rearward end of the rigid tube; such installation avoiding expansion of the profile of such tube. Suitably and alternately, the air flow control means may comprise a manually openable and closeable quarter turn ball valve, plug valve, or butterfly valve. Where such a valve is utilized as the air flow control means, the valve is necessarily selected to have exterior dimensions small enough for passage through the bore of valves upon which the tool is used.
Where the air flow control means comprises a simple rearwardly extending check valve, air may be injected into such valve for inflation of the elastic air bladder by means of a common bicycle pump. However, it is difficult for a single operator to manipulate both the valve tool and a bicycle pump; and bicycle pumps inject air at an undesirably slow rate. The preferred source of compressed air is an air line extending from an air tank or extending from a reciprocating piston air compressor. Ideally, the distal end of such air line comprises quick attaching and detaching means such as a floating ball and sleeve coupling. Preferably, the rearward end of the rigid tube is sized and channeled for engagement with such coupling.
For enhancement of control of the valve tool and of air flow, it is also preferred that the distal end of such air line comprise a manually operable quarter turn ball valve or cylindrical plug valve. Utilization of such valve conveniently avoids causing the steps of attaching and detaching the coupling to occur simultaneously with steps of injecting air and interrupting air injection.
Preferably, the elastic air bladder is durable, having a blow out pressure greater than the air driving capacity of the air injection means. However, for purposes of additional safety, it is preferred that the distal end of such air line further comprise a pressure relief valve, such valve being adapted for diverting injected air to the outside atmosphere prior to inflation of the elastic air bladder to its blow out point.
The present inventive method of utilizing the inventive valve tool comprises an initial step of closing a gate valve, a ball valve, a cylindrical plug valve, a full bore diaphragm valve, or a butterfly valve. Upon closure of such valve, any structure attached to the downstream end of such valve such as a flexible hose, a rigid pipe, or a tank, is removed from such valve, exposing the downstream end of the bore of such valve.
The next sequential step of the inventive method comprises opening the valve. An occasion for utilization of the inventive tool and method arises where the upstream end of the valve is attached to a fluid bearing tank such as an oil tank, or to a fluid bearing pipe. Upon opening of the valve, such fluid begins to emit onto the ground; or preferably, into a catch basin provided by the operator.
The next immediate sequential step of the inventive method comprises insertion of the forward end of the valve tool into or through the bore of the valve. Necessarily, the outside diameters of the elastic air bladder in its deflated state, and the rigid tube are fitted for passage through such bore. The effective size of the bore being limited by any gate, ball, plug, diaphragm, or butterfly member extending into the bore.
The extent of forward extension of the valve tool into or through the valve is determined by the particular valve maintenance, repair, or replacement procedure which is to be performed. Where maintenance or repair is to be performed upon an actuator assembly of the valve, without removal of the valve from its upstream structure, the forward end of the valve tool may be sufficiently extended to a point where the elastic air bladder lies within the upstream end of the valves"" bore. Upon such placement of the valve tool, air may be injected into the rearward end of the rigid tube, inflating the elastic air bladder and causing the bladder to seal against the inner surface of the upstream end of the valve. With such seal in place, the actuator assembly of the valve may be disassembled for repair or replacement of parts.
In many circumstances, the valve must be totally removed for performance of maintenance and repairs offsite, or for total valve replacement. Where total removal of the valve is necessary, the valve tool insertion step must continue until the elastic air bladder extends into the tank or pipe to which the upstream end of the valve is attached. Upon such positioning of the elastic air bladder, air is injected into the rearward end of the tube, causing the elastic air bladder to expand and seal against the output port of the tank to which valve is attached, or against the annular inner surface of the pipe to which the valve is attached. Such air bladder expansion creates a seal against the tank output port or pipe, as the case may be, allowing the valve to be detached, and rearwardly withdrawn over the valve tool. A newly repaired or replacement valve may then be forwardly extended over the valve tool, the forward end of the repaired or replaced valve being reattached to the tank or pipe, as the case may be.
Upon performance of repairs or replacement as described above, the air flow control means is manually operated to allow air to flow rearwardly from the elastic air bladder through the hollow bore of the rigid tube to emit from such bore""s rearward end. Such rearward air flow deflates the elastic air bag, breaking the seal, and returns the elastic air bag to a dimension allowing rearward passage of the tool through the repaired or replaced valve. Upon such deflation and breaking of seal, the tool is quickly withdrawn, and the valve is closed. Fluid emitting from the valve between the time that the seal is broken and the time that the valve is closed is preferably collected in catch basin.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for replacing valves which are attached to fluid bearing tanks or pipes.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus and method which eliminates the necessity of a step of purging fluid upstream of the valve prior to valve repair or replacement.
Other and further objects, benefits, and advantages of the present invention will become known to those skilled in the art upon review of the Detailed Description which follows, and upon review of the appended drawings.

Method and apparatus for repairing or replacing valves


The invention relates to a process and a device for monitoring the quality of a strip (37, 44, 50) made of textile fibres which is moved in its longitudinal direction. In order to create a device and a process which allow flaws in a strip to be dealt with in a targeted manner and which facilitate the production of a strip which is as free as possible of variations in the cross-section or mass, variations in the mass of the strip are to be continuously detected and converted into an electrical signal. This signal should also be compared with a plurality of predetermined limiting values, limiting values for variations transverse to the longitudinal direction being provided and limiting values for variations in the longitudinal direction of the strip being provided.

The invention relates to a process for monitoring the quality of a strip made of textile fibres which is moved in its longitudinal direction.
In this context a strip made of textile fibres is understood to mean a fibre composite made of fibres which can be used to produce textiles. The fibres are loosely joined to one another therein and form an approximately cylindrical body which is compressible. It is known that strips of this type are present at the output of card machines, combers or drawing frames and are stored temporarily in cans. Yarn is preferably produced from strips of this type.
The quality requirements on strips are constantly increasing. Up until now on-line detection of CV% values, spectrograms, thick points and variations in the strip weight over several metres of the strip length etc. was sufficient. Therefore, in the last few decades it has been possible to considerably improve the mean linear uniformity of yarn and drawing frame strips. Consequently, the quality of end products such as woven and knitted fabrics has also improved. In these improved end products rare occurrences such as thin and thick points in the yarn, are all the more disruptive the longer they are. The optical appearance of flat goods produced today usually appears so uniform that rare thin and thick points in the yarn, which owing to the surrounding increased yarn non-uniformity did not lead to complaints up until a few years ago, are classified as disruptive. That which was still regarded as best quality several years ago would now already be considered in the range of second quality, with corresponding losses in yield.
More recent spinning processes require more extensive detection of quality features of the strip in order to be able to finely tune the spinning machine such that yarn production without interruption is achieved.
With known drawing frame levelling, short thick and thin points in the strip may no longer be levelled if they are only a few cm in length as levelling only starts to become effective after approximately 20 cm strip length. It should be noted that even relatively short flaws in the strip, which are still present at the output of the frame, are often lengthened in the subsequent process stages by a factor corresponding to the overall drawing in this process stage. Therefore, flaws in the strip of several centimetres in length produce flaws in the yarn of several metres in length. Thick points in the strip are potentially only partially drawn and removed. Thick points in the form of transferred bundles of fibres, for example, may no longer be drawn. Therefore, with increasing overall draw the relative proportion of such a thick point will also increase and its disruptive effect is made disproportionately noticeable. With thin points in the strip which are lengthened by the overall draw, the thickness of the product also decreases in this region accordingly. Rovings drawn in this way can lead to disruptions during spinning or can leave behind visible traces in the end product, so the end product is downgraded with regard to its quality class. This leads to losses in yield as a result.
A process and a device for monitoring the quality on-line in the spinning mill advance unit is known from EP 0 606 615. Thick points in a strip can be detected thereby, so an alarm is triggered or the plant can be stopped. To this end, the mass of the strip is measured and a signal derived from this measurement compared with a limiting value. This limiting value is determined from the mass non-uniformity (CV%) and a limiting value factor.
A disadvantage of the known device or known process is that thick points of short length are not fully detected and taken into account for an alarm etc. Thick points are also only taken into account independently of their length. It is sufficient to detect a specific variation in the mass, based on a predetermined unit of length, in order to influence, for example, a control process.
Measurement of the strip mass at the output of a frame is known from WO 93/18213. The measured strip mass is used to control the variable draw in the frame. Measurement of the strip mass forms part of a closed control circuit for the frame, in this case.
A particular disadvantage of this device is that the length of a variation in the mass from a mean value is significant for this control in that it is present for a certain period of time and therefore influences the actual draw ratio during this time. However, there is no combined assessment of a variation in which the size of the variation in the mass and the length or duration of this variation are calculated simultaneously with regard to the effective influence in the end product.
An object of the invention is therefore to create a device and a process which allow flaws in a strip to be dealt with in a targeted manner and allow the production of a strip which is as free as possible of variations in the cross-section or mass.
This is achieved in that variations in the mass of the strip are continuously detected at the output of a machine for spinning preparation, such as in particular a card machine, comber or a drawing frame, and are converted into an electrical signal after which this signal is compared with a plurality of predetermined limiting values. Limiting values are provided for variations transverse to the longitudinal direction and limiting values are provided for the extent of the variation in the longitudinal direction of the strip. A length and a cross-sectional variation are determined for each variation from the comparison of the signal with the various limiting values and a quality feature is formed from the length and the cross-sectional variation, identical quality features being counted. This corresponds to a classification of thick and thin points in the strip and the association of the detected variations to a group or to a group of classes is designated as a quality feature. The limiting values for the variation in the longitudinal direction are, for example, at intervals of 1 cm to one another and the limiting values for the variation transverse to the longitudinal direction at intervals of 5% of the mean mass of the strip. A measure for improving the quality of the strip is derived from the quality features, i.e. from the occurrences or variations counted in the various classes. Such a measure is the emission of a warning signal, for example by actuating a warning light, stopping production machines which have caused or have not reduced the variation, or of production machines which are to process the strip with the inadmissible variation and finally, cleaning of the relevant processing machine. The flawed portion of the strip can be removed and analysed from which information can be obtained as to how settings in the relevant production machines are to be altered. It can also be seen from the classification whether a flaw or a variation deserves further observance at all and triggers measures or not. A prediction regarding consequences in the subsequent processes can be made. For example, it can be assumed that, starting from certain classifications, broken threads during spinning can be predicted. Therefore, the performance in subsequent processes can be estimated.
The advantages achieved thereby can, in particular, be seen in that the flaws or variations in the strip can be dealt with in a very differentiated manner. Every user can draw specific conclusions valid for his production plant from the signals or from their classification and take suitable measures. Flaws in the strip are detected early and can be dealt with where they occur according to their nature, or it can be detected early on that they cannot be corrected. Therefore, the corresponding portion of the strip or a part of the raw material can be removed in a production stage which permits this with relatively few or harmless interventions. Therefore it is, for example, easier to remove flaws from the non-woven fabric of a card machine than from a strip.

Process and device for monitoring the quality of textile strips


A synchronous demultiplexer at a receiving station of a TDM/PCM telecommunication system, operating on an incoming bit stream organized in frames of 32 time slots of eight bits each, comprises a pair of substantially identical random-access memories each having 32 cells loaded with consecutive octets in successive time slots of a frame period P' under the control of a writing-address generator, stepped by clock pulses CK' extracted from the bit stream, and unloaded at a similar but not exactly identical rate in successive time slots of a period P" under the control of a reading-address generator, stepped by locally generated clock pulses CK". Writing as well as reading addresses are fed to both memories simultaneously but the two memories are loaded in alternate frame periods P' and unloaded in alternate frame periods P" under the control of selection signals in the form of two square waves respectively derived from clock pulses CK' and CK". When the relative drift of these clock pulses causes an almost complete overlap of the loading and unloading periods of one of the memories, a logic circuit forming part of a control unit reverses one of these square waves to re-separate the two operations.

In such a telecommunication system, bit groupings such as 8-bit bytes or octets from several lower-order frames are interleaved at a transmitting terminal in a higher-order frame for subsequent redistribution to respective channels at a remote receiving terminal. Thus, the bit stream arriving at the latter terminal is organized in a succession of frames of m time slots each encompassing a group of n bits, with m=32 in many instances.
The recurrence rate of these n-bit groups in the arriving bit stream is determined by a clock at the transmitting end whose cadence may be reconstituted at the receiving terminal by a sync extractor operating as a so-called line clock. The rerouting of the interleaved bit groups at the demultiplexer output, however, must be controlled by clock pulses from a local source (also referred to as a "machine clock") whose frequency generally differs, however slightly, from that of the line clock. This is particularly the case with international communications where there is no central clock available for controlling the operations of equipment linked with both terminals. Differences in timing will also arise from the suppression of certain supervisory bits which travel with the message bits over the PCM signal path but which are no longer required on the channels to which the incoming bit groups are distributed, e.g. as described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,895. That prior patent also discloses an expandable memory, serving as an elastic bit store, which is loaded under the control of clock pulses extracted from the incoming bit stream and is unloaded under the control of locally generated clock pulses of slightly different cadence.
The use of such an elastic bit store is designed to minimize the loss of information due to the disparity of the two clock-pulse cadences. Moreover, the lack of synchronism between the two clocks requires the provision of means for preventing the simultaneous appearance of loading and unloading commands which would impair the operation of the bit store. In the aforementioned prior patent this problem is solved by the use of an adjustable oscillator as the source of local clock pulses, the frequency of that oscillator being continuously adjusted by a phase comparator with inputs connected to a pair of counters respectively controlling the loading and the unloading of an n-stage buffer register. That solution, however, is inapplicable to a demultiplexer whose output side receives clock pulses from a source of fixed frequency, as where that source must also control operations in other parts of the system.
A demultiplexer as disclosed in my above-identified copending application comprises an input register connected to the incoming signal path for temporarily receiving successive n-bit groups from the arriving bit stream, synchronization means for extracting a train of first clock pulses CK' with cycles T' from that bit stream (a cycle T' corresponding to one of the m time slots constituting a frame), a local source of second clock pulses CK" with cycles T".apprxeq.T', storage means with m cells accommodating respective n-bit groups and with a loading connection to the input register as well as an unloading connection to an output register, and distributing means connected to the latter register for routing successively read-out n-bit groups to different outgoing channels. A first address generator is stepped by clock pulses CK' every cycle T' for identifying a cell of the storage means in which an n-bit group present in the input register is to be written, preferably via an interposed buffer register, by way of the aforementioned loading connection; analogously, a second address generator is stepped by clock pulses CK" every cycle T" for identifying a cell from which an n-bit group is to be read out to the output register by way of the unloading connection. A first timer driven by clock pulses CK' generates two interleaved sets of loading pulses with a recurrence period equal to a cycle T' and of a length corresponding to a minor fraction of that recurrence period, preferably T'/n. A second timer driven by clock pulses CK" generates a set of unloading pulses with a recurrence period equal to a cycle T" and of a length corresponding to a minor fraction of the latter period which, as noted above, is very close to the recurrence period of the loading pulses; the length of the unloading pulses is substantially double that of the loading pulses, with only one half of each unloading pulse constituting the actual reading command. A gating circuit connected to the first timer passes either of the two interleaved sets of loading pulses under the control of switchover means such as a coincidence gate connected to the two timers so as to give passage only to loading pulses not coinciding with any unloading pulse. The two address generators are alternately connected to an address input of the storage means with the aid of commutating means, responsive to the loading pulses passed by the gating circuit and to the unloading pulses interleaved therewith, for directing the writing and reading operations. Instead of the loading pulses, the unloading pulses could be duplicated for selective suppression to avoid a coincidence.

Synchronous demultiplexer with elastic dual-memory bit store for TDM/PCM telecommunication system

Societa Italiana Telecomunicazioni Siemens S.p.A.


A cosmetic container comprising a top cover and a base or bottom cover hinged together to form a closable cosmetic compartment. The interior of the top cover includes a magnifying mirror secured therein and the outside surface of the bottom cover has a plain mirror secured thereto and facing outwardly therefrom.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to a cosmetic container structure, and more particularly to a new and improved mirrored cosmetic container wherein the elements of same are arranged such that a magnifying mirror is employed inside the cover to aid individuals during the application of cosmetics who have a need or desire for magnification.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cosmetic containers of various types have been utilized throughout the prior art to provide for the directing of cosmetic products relative to a holder structure such as is exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 1,229,285(Kendall).
Kendall sets forth a cosmetic container having a mirror mounted on the top cover and also sets forth that the bottom cover may contain a second mirror on the outside. However, Kendall does not suggest the employment of distinctly different types of mirrors.
Kendall does set forth a cosmetic compact consisting of a top and bottom portion, with the top fitting the bottom when closed so as not to allow spillage of the contents of the compact, with the top hinged to the bottom. This compact may contain two mirrors, one secured to the inside of the top portion of the compact with its reflective surface facing the contents when the compact is closed, and the other secured by a frame outside the cosmetic compartment with its reflective surface facing outwardly.
Accordingly, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for a new and improved mirrored cosmetic container as set forth by the instant invention that addresses both the problems of ease of use as well as effectiveness in construction, and in this respect the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A head suspension for a hard disk drive is capable of improving shock property of the hard disk drive while miniaturizing the hard disk drive. A head suspension has a base plate to be attached to a carriage and turned around a spindle of the carriage, a load beam which includes a beam and a hinge, a base end of the beam being supported to the base plate through the hinge and which applies a load onto a head for writing and reading data to and from a disk at a front end side thereof, and a flexure which connects the head to writing and reading wires and supports the head and which is attached to the load beam, where the hinge is set to be relatively thicker than the beam so that the load beam is made thin and the load is increased.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a head suspension of a hard disk drive incorporated in an information processor such as a personal computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A head suspension of a hard disk drive includes a load beam, a head supported with the load beam, and a slider attached to the head. The head suspension has a shock property that determines a lift-off of the slider from the surface of a hard disk when a shock is applied. The shock property of the head suspension is dependent on the weight of the load beam.
For example, a first head suspension has a load beam having a thickness (t) of 51 μm, a length (lL) of 7 mm, and a gram load of 2.5 gf that is applied by the load beam to a head, and a second head suspension has a load beam having a thickness (t) of 30 μm, a length (lL) of 5.5 mm, and a gram load of 2.5 gf. If a shock of 1 msec duration (1 msec in half wavelength) is applied to these head suspensions, a slider of the first head suspension lifts at an acceleration of 628 G and a slider of the second head suspension lifts at an acceleration of 1103 G.
FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 show a relationship between lift-off G of a head suspension and lift-off G of a hard disk drive, in which FIG. 13 is a graph showing the result of a 2.5-inch hard disk drive and in which FIG. 14 is a graph showing the result of a 1-inch hard disk drive.
The shock property of the head suspension is expressed with the magnitude of a shock at which a slider of the load beam of the head suspension is lifted from the surface. The shock property of the head suspension is referred to as "lift-off G" indicative of the magnitude of the shock that causes a lift-off of the slider. The "lift-off G" is also indicative of the shock property of the hard disk drive.
In the 2.5-inch hard disk drive of FIG. 13, shock input including two kinds of waveforms, one having a half wavelength with 1 msec duration and the other having a half wavelength with 0.4 msec duration is applied. In the 1-inch hard disk drive of FIG. 14, shock input including three kinds of waveforms, one having a half wavelength with 2 msec duration, another having a half wavelength with 1 msec duration, and the remaining having a half wavelength with 0.4 msec duration is applied.
In the 2.5-inch hard disk drive of FIG. 13, even if the lift-off G of the head suspension is increased, the lift-off G of the hard disk drive does not increase so much. In the 1 msec duration, a slope thereof is y≈0, and in the 0.4 msec duration, a slope thereof is y=0.27.
On the other hand, in the 1-inch hard disk drive with a small size of FIG. 14, when the lift-off G of the head suspension is increased, the lift-off G of the hard disc drive increases evenly. In the 2 msec duration, a slope thereof is y=0.90, in the 1 msec duration, a slope thereof is y=0.85, and in the 0.4 msec duration, a slope thereof is y=0.81.
FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 is respectively a graph showing a change of generated acceleration to shock input at a front end of an arm to which a head suspension attached according to a time change. An abscissa indicates time and an ordinate indicates acceleration. The data shown in FIG. 15 relates a 2.5-inch hard disk drive and the data shown in FIG. 16 relates to a 1-inch hard disk drive. In FIGS. 15 and 16, magnitude of shock input is set to have 0.4 msec duration and 200 G.
As is apparent from FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the 2.5-inch hard disk drive generated an arm action larger than that in the 1-inch hard disk drive. Therefore, in the 2.5-inch hard disk drive, the shock property of the hard disk drive is largely dependent on not only the weight of the head suspension but also the arm action. In contrast, in the 1-inch hard disk drive, the shock property of the hard disk drive is hardly dependent on the arm action and it is mainly dependent on the weight of the head suspension.
Thereby, in a miniaturized hard disk drive such as a 1-inch hard disk drive, it has been found that the shock property of the hard disk drive can be improved by only increasing the lift-off G of the head suspension.
Accordingly, to improve the shock property of a head suspension in the miniaturized hard disk drive, thinning a load beam of the head suspension to reduce weight is effective.
FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a head suspension 101 according to a related art. The head suspension 101 has a base plate 103, a load beam 105 integrated with the base plate 103, and a flexure 107 supported to the load beam 105. The load beam 105 includes a rigid part or beam 109 and a resilient part or hinge 111.
FIG. 18 is a partly sectioned view showing an example of a hard disk drive in which the head suspensions 101 of FIG. 17 are arranged. As shown in FIG. 18, for example, the base plate 103 of the head suspension 101 is attached to an arm 115 of a carriage 113 by swaging.
The carriage 113 is turned around a spindle 119 by a positioning motor 117 such as a voice coil motor. A head 121 of the head suspension 101 is moved to a target track on a disk 123 according to pivoting of the carriage 113 around the spindle 119.
When the disk 123 rotates at high speed, the head 121 slightly floats from the disk 123 against gram load.
In such a head suspension 101 including the load beam 105 integrated with the resilient part, the load beam 105 with a length lL is made thin as countermeasure considering such a weight as described above.
However, the load beam 105 made thin in order to improve the shock property, the resilient part 111 becomes thin together with the load beam. This causes higher stress acting on the resilient part 111, so that it is impossible to increase a spring load for determining the gram load as the load applied onto the head 121 to a certain value or more.
On the other hand, there is a head suspension including a rigid part and a resilient part separated from and fixed to the rigid part. According to the head suspension, the resilient part is made thinner than the rigid part in order to set the resilient part to a low spring constant and secure rigidity of the rigid part. When the load beam is made thin entirely in order to improve the shock property while keeping the relationship between the thicknesses of the rigid part and resilient part, the resilient part is also made thin. It is impossible to increase a spring load to a certain value or more like the above case.
To solve the problem, expanding a width of a base end side of the load beam 105, namely, a width of the resilient part 111 is effective.
FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a hard disk drive 125 in which the head suspension 101 of FIG. 17 is incorporated.
As shown in FIG. 19, the head suspension 101 is installed in the hard disk drive 125 for example. The hard disk drive 125 has the arms 115, a wire 127, disks 123, and the like. When a width B of the base end side of the load beam is expanded, the width of the arm 115 to which the head suspension 101 is attached is also expanded. This results in overlapping of the arm 115 with the disk 123 or interference thereof with the wire 127 in plan view of FIG. 19. Overlapping the arm 115 with the disk 123 involves a risk that the arm 115 and the disk 123 come in contact with each other due to shock input. Therefore, the overlapping of the arm 115 with the disk 123 and interference of the arm 115 with the wire 127 must be avoided.
Even if the width B of the base end side of the load beam 105 is expanded such that the arm 115 of the head suspension 101 does not overlap with the disk 123 or it does not interfere with the wire 127, it prevent the hard disk drive 125 from miniaturizing. The related art mentioned above is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication H09-282624.

Disk drive head suspension having resilient region thicker than a rigid region


A lock comprises: a body with a housing comprising a first and a second portion mutually adjacent along an longitudinal development direction corresponding to an insertion direction of a key; a first rotor with a further housing, rotationally housed within the first portion of the housing of the body; a second rotor comprising a first portion rotationally housed within the second portion of the housing of the body; a second portion rotationally housed within the further housing of the first rotor. The second rotor, inserting the key, translates along the longitudinal development direction of the body with respect to the first rotor and, by a first rotation portion of the key, rotates with respect to the first rotor, passing from disengaging to engaging the first rotor, wherein the first rotor and the second rotor, by a second portion of rotation of the key, integrally translate to actuate the lock.

The present invention relates to a lock, particularly a mechanical lock. Mechanical locks that can be applied to doors, windows, shutters, and the like are known.
A mechanical lock of a known type has a fixed part suitable to house the lock mechanisms, and a movable part provided with a keyhole for the insertion of the key. The movable part, actuating the opening/closing mechanism of the lock, is typically locked by pins that are removed upon the insertion of the right key, thus allowing the movable part rotation.
For example, in a drum lock of a known type, the fixed part, or stator (starting from the inner surface) and the movable part or rotor (starting from the outer surface) are provided with respective radial cavities that are mutually alignable so as to define a seat within which they can radially translate a pin and a counter-pin. A spring is located between each pin and the stator, suitable to push the pin and the counter-pin in a radial direction from the outside inwardly. In the case that the key is not inserted, each pin, by virtue of the action of the respective spring, is within the respective radial cavity in such a position as to inhibit the rotor rotation within the stator. In the case that the key is inserted, the key profile allows moving within the respective radial cavity, from the inside outwardly, each pin and counter-pin so that the lower part of the pin and the upper part of the counter-pin are aligned with the outer edge of the rotor. In such a case, by rotating the key, the rotor is in turn able to rotate within the stator and actuate the lock opening/closing mechanism.
In terms of security, the mechanical lock of the prior art described above can be subjected to several breaking open operations.
For example, it is possible to destruct the rotor containing the counter-pins. Following the forced removal of the pins from the stator, the rotor can freely rotate with respect to the stator and actuate the lock opening/closing mechanism.
According to another breaking open operation, it is possible to apply a torsional tension onto the rotor, so as to cause the possible forced inclination of pins and counter-pins, due to the mechanical tolerances that are present between rotor and pins/counter-pins and between pins/counter-pins and stator. Subsequently, by lifting the counter-pins and the pins one by one, each of them moves outside the respective radial cavity and it is not able to come back to the initial position, since the rotor, which is subjected to the torsional tension, is rotated with respect to the stator. Once all the counter-pins and the pins are made to fall off of the rotor and the stator, the same rotor may freely rotate within the stator by actuating the lock opening/closing mechanism.
The latter breaking open operation can be successfully applied to other mechanical locks. In fact, it is sufficient to create a torsional tension between the fixed part (stator) and the movable part (rotor) to exploit those construction mechanical tolerances of the lock that are present also after the assembling of the same lock, in order to make the elements (pins, counter-pins, optionally, springs) used for actuating the lock opening/closing mechanism fall off from the radial cavities.
Furthermore, in the case of a hierarchic key system, i.e., multiple user keys, each of which being suitable to open only one lock, and a master key or passepartout suitable to open all the locks, the mechanical lock of the prior art described above may easily allow a burglar, who has a user key available, retrieving even the master key code.
In fact, a user key being available, it is possible to file a master key until reproducing all the components of the user key code, with the exception of one. The part of the master key that has not been filed is progressively filed by trial and error until obtaining the code component that allows opening with a filing different from the original one. The identified code component is the code component of the master key for the position in which the code component is located. By repeating such operation for the other positions of the code components, it is possible to retrieve the entire code of the master key.


A motor vehicle for carrying a load over a street has in a preferred embodiment a bottom platform for supporting the load, a frame, disposed above the bottom platform and mounted to it, for providing structural integrity to the vehicle, a plurality of wheels rotatably mounted to the frame, and a door arrangement disposed on a side of the vehicle. In further embodiments, the wheels are retractable, so as to permit the bottom platform to approach the street level to facilitate loading and unloading of the vehicle. Additionally, the door arrangement includes a large doorway and a plurality of doors, each door slidably mounted, and all doors are movable to an open position located near an end of the vehicle to expose the large doorway to facilitate loading and unloading of the vehicle. A ramp is hingedly attached to bottom platform, so that the ramp may be folded into an up position and unfolded into a down position, and in the down position it may provide a smooth transition from the bottom platform to street level.

Modern design practices require that the loads borne by typical taxis, passenger cars, buses, vans and trucks be supported by a chassis or frame disposed beneath the load to provide structure for the vehicle; the walls, roof, and doors of the vehicle are held in relatively rigid relation to one another by attachment to the chassis. The chassis itself must be suspended over wheels, with the effect that the floor level of such vehicles must be placed at such a height that passengers typically require steps to enter and exit such vehicles, and cargo must be lifted by means of fork trucks, manpower or loading platforms. Loading and discharge of passengers and cargo under these circumstances are necessarily cumbersome and may generate traffic delays in the loading and discharge areas. People with disabilities, wheelchairs, baby-strollers and suitcases cannot easily enter and exit traditional vehicles, and typically require considerable assistance.
To help facilitate loading and discharge of passengers or cargo, there have been developed and placed in use a variety of devices providing special lifting platforms for wheelchairs, pallets, and the like; such devices are typically placed on the side or the rear of buses or vans. These devices, however, are slow and dangerous and do not generally allow for loading or unloading of more than a single person or cargo item at a time.
A related problem in vehicle design is the path of cargo and passengers between the interior of the vehicle and its doors. The path is typically somewhat tortuous, and cargo being loaded, for example, must be funneled through relatively narrow doors dictated by vehicle geometry and thereafter redistributed into the interior of the vehicle.

Street vehicle for passenger and cargo transport facilitating loading and discharge


In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, a laminate film is formed on an insulating film which is formed on a semiconductor substrate. The laminate film is composed of a conductive layer and an insulating layer formed on the conductive layer. A first etching process is carried out to the laminate film using a first mask to form a first group of patterns for first gates and a second group of patterns. Then, a polysilicon layer for pad polysilicon films is deposited after the first etching process. Subsequently, a second etching process is carried out to the patterns of the second group using a second mask to form a third group of patterns for second gates.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more particularly to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device in which gate electrodes are formed through two etching processes.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conjunction with the fine pattern formation and high integration of a semiconductor integrated circuit, a wiring pattern size and a contact size are reduced in the semiconductor integrated circuit such as a DRAM. Also, the margin between the contact and the wiring pattern is reduced. As a result, a short-circuit becomes easly formed between the contact and a word line. Thus, it has become difficult to form a memory cell. To solve this problem, a method is known in which a pad polysilicon is used in the memory cell.
FIGS. 1A to 1G are cross sectional views of a conventional semiconductor memory device formed by a conventional manufacturing method.
As shown in FIG. 1A, element separation films 52 are selectively formed in the surface of a semiconductor substrate 51 to segment an element formation region. Subsequently, an oxide layer 53 is formed for a gate oxide film on the semiconductor substrate. Subsequently, a polysilicon layer 54 is formed for a gate lower electrode on the gate oxide film 53 to have the film thickness of 100 nm. Then, a WSi layer 55 is formed for a gate upper electrode on the polysilicon layer 54 to have the film thickness of 150 nm. Thus, the gate lower electrode and the gate upper electrode are formed for a word line and the gate electrode. After that, a mask oxide layer 56 is formed on the WSi layer 55 to have the film thickness of about 200 nm.
Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, a resist film 57 for the gate electrode is formed on the mask oxide layer 56. Using the resist film 57 as a mask, the mask oxide layer 56, the WSi layer 55, and the polysilicon layer 54 are etched or patterned in order to form gate electrode structures. Then, N-type diffusion layers 58 are formed in the silicon substrate through opening portions between the gate electrode structures by an ion implantation process.
Next, as shown in FIG. 1C, an oxide layer is deposited on the whole surface of the silicon substrate 51. The oxide layer is etched backed and removed to form side wall oxide films 59 for each of the gate electrode structure such that only a portion of the diffusion layers where a pad polysilicon region is to be formed is opened.
FIG. 2 shows a mask pattern which is used in this case. Also, FIG. 3 is a plan view of a wiring layout pattern in the conventional semiconductor memory device. The element separation insulating films, the gate electrode structures and pad polysilicon patterns are shown in FIG. 3. The oxide layer is etched back using the resist mask shown in FIG. 2. In this way, the oxide layer in a peripheral circuit section and the oxide layer on the diffusion layer where pad polysilicon films are formed can be removed.
Next, as shown in FIG. 1E, a polysilicon layer 60 is deposited on the whole surface of the substrate 51. Then, as shown in FIG. 1F, a resist pattern 61 for the polysilicon layer 60 is formed and the polysilicon layer 60 is etched for the pad polysilicon films. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 1G, the resist pattern 61 is removed so that pad polysilicon films remain.
However, when the pad polysilicon films are formed by the above-mentioned conventional method, there is a part where the gate interval between the gate electrodes is wide. For this reason, a steep step 63 exists in the polysilicon layer. When there is the steep step, a part of the polysilicon layer is left near the side wall at the time of the etching process of the polysilicon layer 60 for the formation of the pad polysilicon films. The left part 62 functions a mask in the subsequent processes.
Also, in a photolithography process for the pad polysilicon films, the silicon substrate is possibly damaged at the time of the etching process of the polysilicon film because of variance of photoresist patterns in size and displacement between the diffusion layers and a mask for the pad polysilicon films. As an effective method for preventing the damage 64 of the substrate 51, there is known a method of etching the polysilicon layer using as a mask, side wall oxide films larger than the photoresist pattern in size. However, in this method, the oxide film is left at the steep step section of the polysilicon layer. Thus, there is the problem that a portion of the polysilicon layer is not etched and is left.
In conjunction with the above conventional technique, a method of forming a contact in a semiconductor integrated circuit is disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Application (JP-B-Heisei 7-105442). In this reference, a contact pad is formed in a contact hole between word lines. An oxide film of SOG, BPSG, TEOS, and PECVD oxide is formed on an element separation oxide film to minimize a step.

Method of manufacturing semi-conductor memory device using two etching patterns