A process for treating substantially pure tantalum includes plastically deformed a billet, such as by side-forging or side-rolling, to reduce a first dimension of the billet transverse to the centerline, preferably by about 70% to about 85%. The billet is then upset, such as by upset forging or upset rolling, to reduce a second dimension of the billet transverse to the first dimension (for example, a second dimension lying parallel to the centerline), preferably by about 90% to about 99%. In accordance with an especially preferred process, the upsetting of the billet is followed by rolling along a plane normal to the second dimension. It has been found that billets prepared in accordance with the invention have grain sizes no greater than about 25 .mu.m and predominantly <222> textures relative to their rolling planes, so that targets machined from such billets in such a way that their sputtering surfaces correspond with these rolling planes will have the same predominant <222> textures.

Cathodic sputtering is widely used for depositing thin layers or films of materials from sputter targets onto desired substrates. Basically, a cathode assembly including the sputter target is placed together with an anode in a chamber filled with an inert gas, preferably argon. The desired substrate is positioned in the chamber near the anode with a receiving surface oriented normally to a path between the cathode assembly and the anode. A high voltage electric field is applied across the cathode assembly and the anode.
Electrons ejected from the cathode assembly ionize the inert gas. The electrical field then propels positively charged ions of the inert gas against a sputtering surface of the sputter target. Material dislodged from the sputter target by the ion bombardment traverses the chamber and deposits on the receiving surface of the substrate to form a thin layer or film.
A wide variety of metallic and ceramic materials have been used to form sputter targets for use in the manufacture of electrical components and other industrial products. Tantalum (Ta) sputter targets are used, for example, for forming tantalum or tantalum-nitrogen barrier layers in the metallization of substrates for ultra large-scale integrated circuits.
A sputter target itself is essentially a metal or ceramic plate, the cross-sectional shape and surface contour of which varies with different sputtering applications. It has been found that the microscopic structure of the material comprising the sputter target has a significant impact on, among other performance criteria, the sputtering rate and the uniformity of the film deposited during the sputtering process.
A metallic sputter target typically comprises a plurality of "grains" of a size visible under an optical microscope. Within each grain, the metal atoms align in a crystalline matrix. The orientations of the crystalline matrices in the various grains are referred to as the "textures" of the grains. Where the crystalline matrices of different grains in a metal sample are oriented in different directions, the sample as a whole is referred to as having a "random texture."
Pure tantalum is a Group Vb transition metal which typically crystallizes in a "body-centered cubic" matrix. As shown schematically in FIG. 1, each tantalum atom 10 in the body-centered cubic matrix (or, more accurately, in a "unit cell" 12 of the matrix) is typically surrounded by eight other equally spaced tantalum atoms 14. Two sets of directions relative to the crystalline matrix are specifically indicated on the unit cell 12 of FIG. 1: that indicated by the arrows 16 along "sides" of the unit cell 12 (referred to collectively as "<200> directions") and that indicated by the arrows 18 along "diagonals" of the unit cell 12 (referred to collectively as "<222> directions").
Since the unit cell 12 is symmetric along all three <200> directions, each of the <200> directions is physically equivalent to each of the other <200> directions . Likewise, each of the <222> directions is physically equivalent to each of the other <222> directions. Note that the atoms 10, 14 in the unit cell 12 are more closely packed along the <222> directions than along the <200> directions.
High purity tantalum is often melted using an electron-beam technique and then cast to form ingots or billets having random textures and grain sizes ranging to the order of several centimeters. One conventional method for fabricating tantalum targets uses side-forging and side-rolling to reduce the thicknesses of the billets along their centerlines, These processes typically induce grains which are elongated in the direction of the billet centerline. The resulting metal has either a random textures or a predominantly <200> textures, in which a majority of the grains are aligned so that one of their <200> directions is normal to the forging or rolling plane.
Alternatively upset forging and upset rolling have been used in the fabrication of tantalum sputtering targets. In these processes, one of the dimensions of the ingot is reduced while one or more of the other dimensions are allowed to increase.
In the past, the high purity tantalum metal used for the fabrication of sputter targets has been only lighty worked. Dimensional reductions of about 50% to about 80% are typical in conventional side-forging and side-rolling processes. Since the billets have not been heavily worked, the conventional processes have produced targets having large, non-uniform -rain sizes ranging from about 70 .mu.m to about 300 .mu.m. Since the metal is only lightly worked, high temperatures, on the order of 1500.degree. C., are required to fully anneal the billets.
It has been found that targets with predominatly <222> texture have higher sputtering rates and deposit more uniform metallic films on substrates during conventional sputtering processes. Without wishing to be bound by any theory of operation, predominantly <222> texture is believed to produce better results due to the closer packing of the atoms along the <222> directions of the crystalline matrices. It has also been found that targets having smaller grain sizes tend to have have higher sputtering rates and to deposit more uniform metallic films.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a method for fabricating tantalum sputtering targets having predominantly <222> texture and small, uniform grain sizes on the order of 20-25 .mu.m.

Fine grain tantalum sputtering target and fabrication process


A piston assembly (10) for use in an engine. The piston assembly (10) includes a piston body (12) with a liner (24) covering the interior surface (22) thereof. The liner (24) imbues added strength and dimensional stability during casting, machining, engine assembly, and in service. At the same time, piston weight for a given volume is reduced without sacrificing strength. The invention also includes a method for manufacturing the piston assembly (10).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a piston for an internal combustion engine, the piston having a pre-formed liner. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a piston assembly including a piston body and the liner.
2. Related Art Statement
The quest for favorable fuel consumption and power output has led to various designs for improving pistons and the materials from which they are made. Additionally, manufacturing techniques have been refined in pursuit of these goals.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,727 discloses a manufacturing method for forming metal articles. Disclosed therein is a reinforcement insert which is located in a mold into which molten metal is poured. The reinforcement insert is incorporated in the piston crown at the crown surface. UK Patent Specification 1 224 577 discloses a piston in which radial heat expansion of the piston skirt is regulated by inserts extending substantially parallel with the curvature of the skirt and made from a material with a lower heat expansion coefficient than the piston body, e.g. inserts of steel. The inserts extend axially from the piston up to the lowest piston ring groove situated closest to the piston skirt. The inserts extend in a peripheral direction from the gudgeon bosses in both directions. Thus, a significant portion of the inside of the piston body is unlined. Japanese patent document 59-39346 discloses a piston body which incorporates a stress control plate extending partially over an internal surface of the piston.
In light of such prior art approaches, there remains a need for a reinforcing liner which conforms to the entire inside surface of the piston. Such a liner would provide increased dimensional stability during casting, machining, engine assembly, and in service. Also, there lingers an unsatisfied requirement for still further reduction in piston weight without sacrificing strength.

Piston having a liner and method for manufacturing same


Disclosed is a process for forming a bipolar transistor at the face (22) of a semiconductor layer. A refractory metal layer (34) is deposited on the face (22) to cover a base area (38) thereof. A dopant (40) is implanted through the metal layer (34) within the base area (38) to penetrate the face (22). The metal layer (34) is then removed from the face within an emitter area (48) contained within the base area (38). A dopant is then diffused into the face within the emitter area (48). Finally, the dopants are annealed to form a shallow base region (66) that spaces an emitter region (64) from a collector region (12, 14). The process of the invention can form a high-concentration emitter/base junction only 400 Angstroms from the surface of the semiconductor layer.

In the fabrication of conventional very high performance (f.sub.T =15 GHz) bipolar transistors, severe limitations have been put on emitter/base and base/collector junction depths in attempting to produce shallow devices. To fabricate a high-performance transistor, the dopant concentrations in the emitter and base need to be fairly high. On the other hand, high dopant concentrations of the emitter and base tend to diffuse inwardly into the semiconductor layer, increasing the total thickness of the transistor.
Several conventional attempts have been made to fabricate a high-speed bipolar device in very large scale integrated (VLSI) technology. One technique developed in pursuit of this objective is a polysilicon self-aligned device as described by K. Okada in IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits, Vol. SC-13, No. 5 (October, 1978). In this attempted solution, a self-aligned bipolar device used a local oxide separation method to separate the base region and the (N+) emitter. Due to the size constraints of the oxide, this device does not lend itself to significant size reduction.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,468 issued to M. Vora, a polysilicon-aligned device was disclosed that deposited the (N+) polysilicon initially and then grew a thin spacer oxide, after which a (p+) material was deposited. According to the fabrication of this device, the oxidation was performed at 1000.degree. C., thereby making it difficult to keep the base profile shallow.
These and other conventional approaches have all had their drawbacks in attempting to fabricate a very high performance bipolar device in a VLSI circuit. Accordingly, a need has arisen for a process for fabricating a very high performance bipolar device with shallow emitter/base and base/collector junctions.

Method for making a shallow junction bipolar transistor and transistor formed thereby


The invention provides techniques for duplicating all or part of a file system while maintaining consistent copies of the file system. A preferred embodiment reads data from the source file system (mapped according to a first storage block arrangement) creates an image stream and writes this data onto the destination file system (in accordance with a second storage block arrangement). Thus, the invention allows an image transfer between file systems that have dissimilar characteristics. An intermediate storage medium can be used to store or transmit the data read from the source file system before writing the data to the destination file system. (For example, the intermediate storage medium can include a magnetic tape or other archival device, or a network.) Another aspect of the invention writes the data to the intermediate storage medium using a normalized or implied block list. The information is read from the intermediate storage medium using normalized or implied block list and written to the destination file system according to the second storage block arrangement. Another aspect of the invention is that the invention determines a first set of block numbers (BNs), determines where the blocks referenced by these BNs are to be stored, and updates the BNs accordingly.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to storage systems.
2. Background
In computer file systems for storing and retrieving information, it is sometimes advantageous to duplicate all or part of the file system. For example, one purpose for duplicating a file system is to maintain a backup copy of the file system to protect against lost information. Another purpose for duplicating a file system is to provide a replica of the file system at multiple servers so that the multiple servers can share the load incurred in accessing the available information.
One known problem in the prior art is that existing techniques for duplicating data in a file system are either relatively awkward and slow (such as duplicating to tape), or are relatively expensive (such as duplicating to an additional set of disk drives).
The previously referenced application discloses how to efficiently copy data contained in the storage blocks of the source file system to the storage blocks on the destination file system where each file system has the same block numbers (BNs) identifying the storage blocks (thus, making an identical image copy of the source file system on the destination file system). The previously referenced application required that the BNs for the source file system and the BNs for the destination file system be the same.
A problem can exist when the destination file system is smaller than the source file system as not all the possibly-used storage blocks in the source file system are available on the destination file system. Another problem can exist when the destination file system has unusable storage blocks at locations that correspond to storage blocks used on the source file system. Yet another problem occurs when the RAID geometry of the source file system is different from that of the destination file system because the organization of storage blocks on the destination file system may not be organized as efficiently as on the source file system. These problems are among those addressed by the instant invention.
It would be advantageous to provide a technique that efficiently copies storage blocks from the source file system (arranged according to a first storage block arrangement) to the destination file system that is arranged according to a second storage block arrangement that differs from the first storage block arrangement.
The invention provides techniques for duplicating all or part of a file system while maintaining consistent copies of the file system. One preferred embodiment determines a first set of block numbers (BNs), determines where the storage blocks referenced by these BNs are to be stored, and updates the BNs accordingly. Another preferred embodiment reads data from the source file system (in accordance with a first storage block arrangement) creates an image stream and writes the data from the image stream onto the destination file system (in accordance with a second storage block arrangement). An intermediate storage medium can be used to store or transmit the image stream before writing the data to the destination file system. (For example, the intermediate storage medium can include (without limitation) a magnetic tape (or other archival device) or a network.) The invention allows image file system copies to be made from a source file system to a destination file system that has dissimilar characteristics from the source file system.

File systems image transfer between dissimilar file systems


Damper for a full automatic washing machine including an upper buffering member fitted to an inside of an upper portion of a washing machine housing, an elastic member under the lower buffering member for elastic supporting of the lower buffering member, and a damper bar for passing through, and connecting the upper buffering member, the lower buffering member, and the elastic member in succession, for damping vibration and impact, wherein the upper buffering member has a through hole for passing the damper bar therethrough with an upper diameter equal to, or smaller than a diameter of the damper bar, a lower diameter greater than a diameter of the damper bar, and the lower buffering member has an extension projected upward from an upper surface, a plurality of reinforcing ribs in an upper portion of the extension, sloped guide ribs extended downward from a bottom thereof for preventing the lower buffering member from coming out of a top of the elastic member, and a hole for passing the damper bar therethrough, with an etched rugged inside surface for containing grease.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a full automatic washing machine, and more particularly, to a damper for a full automatic washing machine, which is fitted between a housing and an outer tub of the full automatic washing machine for absorbing, and damping vibration from the outer tub.
2. Background of the Related Art
A related art full automatic washing machine, which carries out all cycles starting from washing to rinsing and spinning automatically, will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
Referring to FIG. 1, the related art full automatic washing machine is provided with a housing 1 having an upper hanger 11 on an upper inside portion, an outer tub 2 having a lower hanger 21 on an outside lower portion and fastened to an inside of the housing 1 for storing washing water, an inner tub 3 rotatably mounted in the outer tub 2 and having a pulsator (not shown) on a bottom for circulating washing water to wash laundry, and a damper 4 fitted between the lower hanger 21 on the outer tub 2 and the upper hanger 11 on the housing 1 for absorbing, and damping vibration and impact from the outer tub 2.
In the meantime, referring to FIG. 2, the damper 4 is provided with a damper bar 41 having upper and lower holders 41a and 41b at upper and lower ends and a caulking part 41c on an upper portion, an upper buffering member 42 caught at the upper hanger 11 on the housing 1 having a through hole 42a at a center for pass through of the damper bar 41, a lower buffering member 43 caught at the lower hanger 21 on the outer tub 2 having an operating hole 43a at a center for pass through of the damper bar 41, and a longitudinal cut-away slot 43c for permitting radial contraction to bring the operating hole 43a into frictional contact with the damper bar 41, a support plate 46 fitted to a lower end of the damper bar 41 such that fall off of the support plate 45 is prevented by the lower holder 41b, a compression coil spring 44 fitted between the support plate 46 and the lower buffering member 43 as an elastic member for elastic supporting of the lower buffering member 43 so that the coil spring is compressed and expanded against vibration and impact transmitted from the outer tub 2 for absorbing the vibration and impact, and a buffer tube 45 fitted to surround the compression coil spring 44 for generating friction force during the compression and expansion of the compression coil spring 44. Therefore, if there is vibration occurred in the washing machine during washing, the vibration is transmitted to the damper 4 through the outer tub 2, and the damper 4 absorbs, and attenuates the vibration by the friction between the lower buffering member 43 and the damper bar 41 and compression and expansion of the compression coil spring 44.
However, the related art damper having the foregoing action has the following problems in view of the structure.
First, in assembly of the damper 4 to the housing 1, under a state a driving device (not shown) and the inner tub 3 are assembled to the outer tub 2, the lower buffering member 43 of the damper 4 is fixed to the lower hanger 21, the housing 1 is covered on the outer tub 2, and the upper buffering member 42 of the damper 4 is fixed to the upper hanger 11, thereby fixing the outer tub 2 to the housing 1. The fixing of the upper buffering member 42 of the damper 4 fixed to the outer tub 2 to the housing 1 is carried out by hand, wherein there are cases frequently occurred, in which the upper buffering member 42 is slipped down to a bottom side by its own weight in a state before the upper buffering member 42 of the damper 4 is fixed to the upper hanger 11 on the housing 1 because there is a slight gap between the through hole 42a in the upper buffering member 42 of the damper 4 and the damper bar 41, with grease applied in the gap for prevention of wear. In this instance, the worker should put his hand through a narrow gap between the housing 1 and the outer tub 2 to reach to the bottom side of the washing machine, pull up the upper buffering member 42, and fix to the upper hanger 11 of the housing 1. In order to solve such a problem in the related art, though the caulking part 41c is formed on the upper portion of the damper bar 41, for catching the upper buffering member 42 so that the upper buffering member 42 is prevented from coming down any more, the formation of the caulking part 41c on the damper bar 41 requires additional fabrication process.
In the meantime, in the full automatic washing machine, there are cases when the outer tub 2 hits inside of the housing 1 due to strong vibration caused by weight of the inner tub 3 itself and the washing water and laundry, if the washing machine is forcibly stopped suddenly. When the outer tub 2 thus hits inside of the housing 1, the impact is transmitted to the lower hanger 21 as it is, to break the lower buffering member 43 as the lower buffering member 43 in a hole 21a of the lower hanger 21 hits onto an inside circumference of the hole 21a. Accordingly, in order to solve the foregoing problems in the related art, a thickness of the lower buffering member 43 is formed thicker, only to increase a possibility of breakage, though the lower buffering member 43 becomes the stronger, and to deteriorate an accuracy of the hole 43a to increase a probability of causing defects due to shrinkage in injection molding.
And, the related art damper has a problem in that there are cases when the lower buffering member comes out of the compression coil spring 44. That is, an eccentric load occurred in the inner tub 3 increases an amplitude of up and down direction vibration of the inner tub 3 and the outer tub 2, together with an amplitude increase of the damper 4, wherein, as shown in FIG. 3, if the damper 4 vibrates excessively, the lower buffering member 43 comes out of the compression coil spring 44, and sits on a top end of the compression coil spring 44, coming down inside of the coil spring no more.
In the meantime, though there is grease applied in the gap between the hole 43a of the lower buffering member 43 and the damper bar 41 for prevention of wear of the hole 43a, the gap is made to be tight for providing an adequate friction between the lower buffering member 43 and the damper bar 41, which can not contain a sufficient amount of grease. In addition to the lack of grease, the heat caused by friction between the lower buffering member 43 and the damper bar 41 drops viscosity of the grease, such that the grease flows down along the damper bar 41, that causes to leave almost no grease in the gap in prolonged use.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a damper for a full automatic washing machine that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a damper for a full automatic washing machine, which can prevent falling down of an upper buffering member of the damper from an upper end of the damper bar without addition of a member, such as the caulking part, for improving workability, and damage to a lower buffering member of the damper even if an excessive force caused by a sudden stop of the inner tub and the like is applied to the damper.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a damper for a full automatic washing machine, which can prevent the lower buffering member from coming out of the elastic member even if the inner tub and the outer tub vibrate excessively due to an eccentric force occurred in the inner tub.
Other object of the present invention is to provide a damper for a full automatic washing machine, which can hold the grease applied to the gap between the damper bar and the hole of the lower buffering member for a long time, maintain a damping capability of the damper constant, and prevent wear down of the hole in the lower buffering member.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the damper for a full automatic washing machine includes an upper buffering member fitted to an inside of an upper portion of a washing machine housing, an elastic member under the lower buffering member for elastic supporting of the lower buffering member, and a damper bar for passing through, and connecting the upper buffering member, the lower buffering member, and the elastic member in succession, for damping vibration and impact, wherein the upper buffering member has a through hole for passing the damper bar therethrough with an upper portion diameter equal to or smaller than a diameter of the damper bar, and a lower portion diameter greater than the diameter of the damper bar, and the lower buffering member has an extension projected upward from the upper surface.
And, the lower buffering member has a plurality of reinforcing ribs in an upper portion of the extension, sloped guide ribs extended downward from a bottom thereof for preventing the lower buffering member from coming out of a top of the elastic member, and a hole for passing the damper bar therethrough, with an etched rugged inside surface for containing grease.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Damper for full automatic washing machine


A frequency-agile, narrow-instantaneous bandwidth radar system detects objects, and discriminates between different types of objects, from a safe stand-off distance. Transmit circuitry transmits a train of continuous wave signals in a multitude of stepped operating frequencies that illuminates the target area. Return signals from the target area are received through at least a pair of spaced-apart receive antennas. Signal receive/processing circuitry coupled to the spaced-apart receive antennas selectively combines and processes the return signals to identify variations in the received signals indicative of the presence of a specific type of object. At each of the stepped frequencies, the system noise and the clutter of the signals is reduced by averaging and smoothing the incoming data and the cross-power spectrum at each frequency is calculated. Using the information of the power spectra of all frequencies, the Mahalanobis distance is defined and the presence and classification of a target is determined. Using the information of the cross-power spectra of all frequencies, the location of the mine is determined by the azimuth angle and echo time.

The present invention relates to radar systems and methods, and more particularly to a frequency-agile radar system capable of detecting and identifying a particular type of target from a safe stand-off distance.
The word "radar" is an acronym for "radio detecting and ranging." Most radar systems emit electromagnetic radiation in the radio frequency (RF) range in short bursts or pulses, with a relatively long interval between pulses. Then, the pulses which have been re-radiated (reflected) from objects (targets) are detected. The time delay between the transmitted and received pulses provides a measure of the distance to the target. The bearing to the target is usually determined from a knowledge of the pointing direction of a narrow RF beam produced by the radar antenna.
Early radar systems used radar frequencies having wavelengths of several meters. By the 1940's, microwave frequencies were used, and now there are radars operating at millimeter and optical wavelengths. The advantage of the shorter wavelengths is a narrower beam width for a given overall antenna size. The disadvantages of shorter wavelengths include greater loss of signal strength because of increased atmospheric absorption and scattering plus various equipment limitations.
The civilian and military applications of radar for surveillance, navigation, air-traffic control, weather tracking, early warning, and missile guidance are well known. Perhaps not so well known, but still a viable and valuable application for radar systems, are systems that provide radar imagery. Radar imagery is complementary to photographs obtained with infrared, visible, or ultraviolet waves. Although similar to a photograph, radar imagery highlights different features. For example, radar is sensitive to vertical dimensions and, therefore, it emphasizes topographic features. Since the atmosphere is essentially transparent for microwaves, radar thus permits acquisition of information under "all weather," day or night conditions that are impossible with photographic techniques. For example, radar imagery has permitted several million square kilometers of South America to be mapped, even though the mapped area is usually concealed by heavy cloud cover. Disadvantageously, however, radar imagery systems have yet been able to provide a meaningful discrimination between two similar-sized, yet different, objects that may be illuminated by the probing radar signal. That is, radar imagery systems have not generally been able to successfully discriminate at relatively long ranges (e.g., several kilometers) between, e.g., an automobile and a pile of garbage, or between a microwave dish antenna and a tin roof on a storage shed. What is needed, therefore, is a means for not only detecting and mapping objects with a radar system, but also a means for discriminating between the different types of objects that are detected.
While the atmosphere is essentially transparent for microwaves, the earth is not. Thus, electromagnetic waves are highly attenuated (with the attenuation increasing with an increase in frequency) when propagating through the earth, due to moisture and dense objects. Even so, radar systems that provide ground probing at short ranges (a few meters) have proved useful for a number of civilian applications, such as (1) detection of buried pipes (metallic and nonmetallic) and utility cables; (2) archeological mapping and geophysical prospecting; (3) location of voids or other subsurface conditions under highways and bridges; (4) detection of hidden objects and voids in walls and tunnels; or (5) measurement of ice thickness and location of permafrost. There are also corresponding military applications for a ground-probing radar system, such as the location of mines or explosives that have been hidden underground, in tunnels, or elsewhere.
Typically, a ground-probing radar is portable or mobile, and uses an antenna mounted at or near the ground. It has a high-range resolution capability made possible through the use of an extremely wide bandwidth (e.g., several hundred megahertz). Disadvantageously, such ground-probing systems are only effective at a very short range, e.g., a few meters. For some types of objects, such as a dangerous underground void, or a buried land mine, it is necessary that the object be detected from a safe stand-off distance, e.g., before the void caves in due to the weight of the equipment and operator, or before the land mine detonates. Hence, what is needed is a ground-probing radar system that can successfully detect dangerous hidden conditions or objects from a safe stand-off distance.
Further, even at a relatively short range, e.g., several meters, it is important that a ground-probing radar system be able to successfully discriminate between two similar sized objects, one of which is dangerous and the other of which is benign. Thus, there is a need for a system and method that not only detects hidden objects from a safe stand-off distance, but that also discriminates between a dangerous object, e.g., a buried land mine, and a benign object that has a similar size and shape, e.g., a buried can or a rock, regardless of the orientation of the object relative to the probing signal.
The present invention advantageously addresses the above and other needs.

Radar system and method for detecting and discriminating targets from a safe distance


A switch, for an electrical transmission line, can be used as a vertically mounted cut out or as an in-line switch. The switch has an insulator, mounting bars at either end, and a first and second brackets extending from the mounting bars. Brackets are configured to receive a fuse element, which can be of known construction. A first bracket includes a pair of bracket elements that defines slots for receiving pivot lugs of the fuse element. To enable the switch to be used either vertically as a cut out or horizontally as an in-line switch, the bracket elements are moveably, preferably rotatably, mounted to the first bracket. The bracket elements can then be located so that the slot is always at least partially directed upwardly. Then, for either use, the fuse element will always be retained by its pivot lugs in the slot. To enable the switch to be mounted as an in-line switch, the insulator can be provided with a relatively narrow central portion to its body and a removable clamp. The clamp would be used for such vertical mounting, and would be removed for use as an in-line switch.

In main transmission systems and also primary distribution of transmission networks, it is common to provide a variety of switches or cut outs that are operated by a lineman. Commonly, these include a vertical cut out, which is mounted on a pole supporting the transmission line, and an in-line switch which is located horizontally in the transmission line itself. The in-line switch is intended to interrupt the flow of current in the transmission line, whilst the vertical cut out can be used to interrupt a connection to the transmission line, and may be connected to a transformer or another portion of the distribution network.
Both types of switches or cut outs include a combined switch and fuse element, which is pivotally mounted at one end in a bracket. At its other end, it has a rounded cap that can be engaged in a recess of a contact plate, which is under spring pressure. For the sake of uniformity and ease of replacement, electrical utility companies usually require that any switch or cut out design be configured to accept a standard fuse element, which also serves a part of a switch. Then, if a fuse element needs to be replaced, a fuse element from any source, made in accordance with the standard specifications, may be inserted, irrespective of the original manufacturer of the switch or cut out.
Usually, in-line switches and vertical cut outs are treated as distinct, separate components for a variety of reasons, even though they may be required to accept a common fuse element.
Firstly, a vertical cut out has a requirement that it must be mechanically mounted to a vertical pole or support. To this end, it has an insulator that is usually formed from porcelain and provided with a bracket glued centrally to the porcelain body. It is then mounted by this bracket to the pole, etc.
As the cut out is supported by the pole, its weight is not too critical. For this reason, porcelain is usually used since it is cheaper, although it is relatively heavy.
At either end of the porcelain body, connection bars are secured by clamps, to provide the electrical input and output connections.
Brackets are also secured to the connection bars. A first bracket is provided with a pair of side members bearing bracket elements which define U-shaped slots. A fuse element then has pivot lugs that engage these slots for pivotal movement. A second bracket has a spring-loaded connection plate which is urged against the end cap of the fuse.
As detailed below, if the fuse blows, the end cap is released from the connection plate, and the fuse can then freely pivot about its pivot lugs in the bracket elements of the first bracket.
For a cut out, to ensure that the fuse element does not become detached, the bracket elements have the U-shaped slots directed upwardly, and slightly outwardly from the cut out. This ensures that the fuse element is retained if it should blow or fail, while at the same time, enabling a lineman to readily replace the fuse element with a new one.
Now, the requirements for an in-line switch are somewhat different. Here, the switch mechanically is part of the transmission line, strung between supporting towers. Accordingly, its weight is important, and it should be kept as light as possible. It must also be capable of withstanding the tension in the transmission line. For this reason, in-line switches are now often made from EPDM or a silicone polymer insulator. These usually have a fibreglass core to which the mechanical connection bars are secured by clamping at either end. This provides for the necessary mechanical strength, capable of withstanding the tension in the line. Further, unlike the insulator for a cut out, there is no necessity to provide a bracket in the middle, and hence, the insulator for an in-line switch is usually formed as a series of uniformly spaced disc elements, to provide the necessary insulating characteristics.
As an in-line switch is mounted generally horizontally, the bracket elements for holding the pivot lugs of the fuse should be oriented facing upwardly and towards the insulator itself. Then, when the fuse blows or fails, it will swing down and remain pivoted in those bracket elements. Again, it can then be readily exchanged by a lineman for a new fuse element.
In conventional cut outs and in-line switches, the bracket elements are integral with the respective brackets. In view of the different angular orientations of the bracket elements required for the two types of switches, as detailed above, it is then required to form, usually by casting, different brackets for each type of switch or cut out.
Accordingly, for all the foregoing reasons, at the present time it is common to manufacture in-line switches and cut outs as entirely separate components. Bearing in mind that such components can come in a variety of sizes, this places a burden on electrical utility companies to maintain substantial stocks of two different types of devices.

Switch for use as a vertically mounted cut out or in-line switch


A pipe machining apparatus includes a frame, a tool support mounted on a tool carrier which is mounted on the frame, and a gearing arrangement for rotating the frame, and a motor for rotating the gearing arrangement. The gearing arrangement includes a toothed pinion gear, a toothed backlash adjustment gear which is moveable relative to the pinion gear and being capable of being fixed in position relative to the pinion gear by a locking assembly, and a toothed bull gear affixed to the tool carrier. The teeth of the bull gear are capable of being engaged with the teeth of the pinion gear and with the teeth of the backlash adjustment gear, the bull gear to minimize backlash.

When a pair of gears mesh with each other, respective gear teeth engage with corresponding tooth spaces. Backlash is defined as the clearance between the gear teeth in a circumferential direction when the gears engage with each other. Backlash occurs when a pair of gears engage with each other, and one gear rotates in one direction and the other gear rotates in the opposite direction. The backlash occurs between the gears rotating in opposite directions. Built-in backlash is a tool for providing extra space between meshed teeth in an effort to overcome manufacturing errors. Excessive backlash causes unwanted chatter and vibration during operation.


The present invention provides a system and method for reclaiming energy from the heat emanating from spent nuclear fuel contained within a canister-based dry storage system. The inventive system and method provides continuous passive cooling of the loaded canisters by utilizing the chimney-effect and reclaims the energy from the air that is heated by the canisters. The inventive system and method, in one embodiment, is particularly suited to store the canisters below-grade, thereby utilizing the natural radiation shielding properties of the sub-grade while still facilitating passive air cooling of the canisters. In another embodiment, the invention focuses on a special arrangement of the spent nuclear fuel within the canisters so that spent nuclear fuel that is hotter than that which is typically allowed to be withdrawn from the spent fuel pools can be used in a dry-storage environment, thereby increasing the amount energy that can be reclaimed.

In the operation of nuclear reactors, it is customary to remove fuel assemblies after their energy has been depleted down to a predetermined level. Upon removal, this spent nuclear fuel is still highly radioactive and produces considerable heat, requiring that great care be taken in its packaging, transporting, and storing. In order to protect the environment from radiation exposure spent nuclear fuel is first placed in a transportable canister. One such type of canister that has gained acceptance in the art is the multi-purpose canister ("MPC"). MPCs are hermetically sealed thermally conductive structures that effectuate the dry storage of spent nuclear fuel and are used to transfer and store said spent nuclear fuel.
In a typical nuclear power plant, an open empty canister is first placed in an open transfer cask. The transfer cask and empty canister are then submerged in a pool of water. Spent nuclear fuel is loaded into the canister while the canister and transfer cask remain submerged in the pool of water. Once fully loaded with spent nuclear fuel, a lid is typically placed atop the canister while in the pool. The transfer cask and canister are then removed from the pool of water, the lid of the canister is welded thereon and a lid is installed on the transfer cask. The canister is then properly dewatered and back filled with inert gas. The canister is then hermetically sealed. The transfer cask (which is holding the loaded and hermetically sealed canister) is transported to a location where a storage cask is located. The canister is then transferred from the transfer cask to the storage cask for long term storage. During transfer from the transfer cask to the storage cask, it is imperative that the loaded canister is not exposed to the environment. Once the storage casks are loaded with the canisters, the canisters must be ventilated so that the heat emanating from the spent nuclear fuel (and thermally conducted through the canister) can be removed from the system.
Spent nuclear fuel that is discharged from light water reactors is stored in the fuel pools so that its decay heat can be removed by tubular heat exchangers known as spent fuel pool coolers. The spent fuel pool coolers, either directly or through an intermediate heat exchanger, reject the waste heat to the plant's ultimate heat sink (such as a river, lake, or sea). The rate of decay heat generation from spent nuclear fuel drops rapidly with the passage of time. Most of the thermal energy produced by the used fuel thus winds up as waste heat rejected to the environment (most of it to the local natural source of water). Only after the heat emission rate has attenuated sufficiently can the fuel be transferred to dry storage. The nuclear plant operators have had little choice in the matter because the available dry storage technologies have strict limits on the decay heat that a loaded canister in dry storage can have. The present day limit on NRC licensed systems is roughly in the range of 20 to 45 kW per canister. The canister, upon transfer to dry storage, continues to reject heat to the environment (now, ambient air, in lieu of a body of water when kept in wet storage).
While attempts have been made to create systems for reclaiming the energy resulting from the heat emanating from nuclear waste at storage sites, such systems are inadequate and/or unrealistic in their implementation. See, for example: (1) U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,684; U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,536; U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,265; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0199667. These systems are not particularly suited to work with canister-based dry storage and/or can not be realistically implemented on-site at nuclear power plants. Thus, a need exists for a system and method for reclaiming the energy potential from the heat emanating from nuclear waste that takes the aforementioned deficiencies into consideration.

System and method for reclaiming energy from heat emanating from spent nuclear fuel


The subsoiler has shank assemblies which are designed to cut a thin, clean slice in the soil without frontal upheaval forces that would cause eruption of the soil in a turbulent manner ahead of the shank line. The soil lifting components at the bottom of the shank are configured to produce generally laminar soil flow over and around their lifting surfaces so that the upwardly and outwardly directed fracturing forces occur behind the leading shank line in a readily controllable manner and without disturbing residue and other materials on top of the ground. The subsoiling profile at the bottom of the shank may be varied by interchanging variously configured points and caps which are securely but removably secured to the shank. An alternate embodiment provides adjustment of the profile presented to the soil by having a portion of the component angularly vertically adjustable to vary the angle of attack of its lifting surfaces.

Many conventional subsoilers, such as those employing parabolic shanks with broad flat points at their lower ends, tend to create massive frontal shock waves ahead of the shanks as the subsoilers move through the soil. This results in a turbulent soil flow up and around the shank as it moves forwardly so that the soil boils up ahead of the shank and produces heavy slabs and clods on the ground surface, as well as a relatively wide trench with scattered and turned under surface residue. Thus, moisture in the upturned clods evaporates more quickly and the valuable top soil is exposed to wind and water erosion. Furthermore, incorporation of the turned under surface residue into the soil can have significant negative effects on water movement in the soil.
It is believed that the plow-like effects of conventional subsoilers and agressive residue incorporation destroy a natural layering of the soil environment and create a disruption of natural microbial interactions and processes. These natural microbial interactions occur within varying soil levels at varying depths. A natural system leaves the residue on top of the soil such that the natural aerobic microbes and insects can freely interact with free atmospheric oxygen to decompose the plant fibers and leach their nutrients through natural processes back into the soil. Thus, buried residue disrupts the natural, healthy plant environment.

Subsoiler having rearwardly disposed soil fracturing structure


A bar code scanner is disclosed comprising an egg-shaped housing member containing a scanning member which can be easily held by a checkout operator for a handheld scanning operation. A support member associated with the scanner has a vertically orientated support portion which has a magnet mounted in its end having a spherical-shaped mating surface which engages the correspondingly shaped surface of a magnet mounted to the under surface of the housing member enabling the scanner to be releasably supported on the support member in a plurality of scanning positions.

This invention relates to laser bar code readers and more particularly to hand-held laser bar code readers.
Present check-out systems found in retail or supermarket stores include a point-of-sale terminal device positioned adjacent a check-out counter which includes an optical scanning device for scanning a bar code pattern on a label attached to a purchased merchandise item. The scanning device generates signals representing the coded data on the label which are used to generate the price of the purchased merchandise items. In some check-out systems, a hand-held bar code reader has been utilized where the purchased merchandise items can be easily handled by the check-out operator so as to position the reader adjacent the bar code label on the purchased merchandise item. Prior hand-held bar code readers have required that the operator use one hand to hold the reader while utilizing the other hand to hold the purchased merchandise item in a position allowing the reader to scan the coded label on the item. It would be desirable to have the hand-held reader mounted in such a manner as to enable the check-out operator to utilize both hands in moving the purchased merchandise items across the check-out counter while scanning the coded labels on the purchased merchandise items. It would further be desirable to have such a hand-held reader adapted to be grasped by the check-out operator to scan those bar code labels on a merchandise item which is easily handled by one hand of the operator. This arrangement allows the check-out operation to be completed in a minimal amount of time.


A rotary valve assembly for a rotary steerable tool is disclosed for directing flow of an abrasive laden drilling fluid; the valve assembly has a first sealing surface rotatably engaging a second sealing surface. At least one of the surfaces has at least about 5% of its area comprising interconnecting voids to an average depth of at least 0.02 mm. The interconnected voids allow fluid pressure to equalize between the sealing faces by flowing through the interconnecting voids to the sealing surfaces. Because the fit of the sealing surfaces of the valve is less than perfect, and because the voids on mating surfaces do not necessarily overlap, the 5% of the surface area comprising interconnected voids can easily translate to a 10% or more reduction in sealed area when both sealing surfaces have the interconnecting voids. The additional reduction in surface area subjected to differential pressure has substantially eliminated the hydraulic lock problem previously encountered upon startup.

1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates to a rotary seal for a directional drilling tool, which is useful when drilling boreholes into the earth.
2. Description of the Related Art.
When drilling boreholes into sub-surface formations, it is desirable to be able to vary the direction of drilling. For example to direct the borehole toward a desirable target or to control the direction, a rotary steerable tool may be used in a drill string to change the direction of the borehole. It may also be desirable to correct for deviations from the desired direction when drilling a straight hole. Furthermore, directional drilling tools may also be used to control the direction of the hole to avoid obstacles.
Typical rotary steerable tools are shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,603,385; 5,520,255 and 5,706,905 all herein incorporated by reference for all they disclose. Typically, bias units within these rotary steerable tools comprise a number of hydraulic actuators spaced apart around the periphery of the unit. Each actuator may have a movable thrust member which is hydraulically displaced outwardly for engagement with the formation of the borehole being drilled. Typically, each actuator also has an inlet passage for connection to a source of drilling fluid under pressure and an outlet passage communicating the annulus of the borehole. A selector control valve connects the inlet passages in succession to the source of fluid under pressure as the bias unit rotates. This modulates the fluid pressure supplied to each actuator in synchronism with the rotation of the drill bit and in selective phase relation thereto. As a result, as the drill bit rotates, each movable thrust member is displaced outwardly at the same rotational position so as to bias the drill laterally and therefore control the direction of drilling.
Rotary steerable tools are typically designed as a single unit comprising a selector control valve assembly, a plurality of actuators, and logic systems to control these actuators. In operation, however, because power to actuate the valve assembly is limited, the valves have been known to stick. One probable reason for these valves sticking is the force applied to the valve by the differential pressure of the drilling fluid. Particularly, when the valve is initially actuated, this hold down force can require the starting torque of the valve to be higher than the torque available in the actuator. In the past, this condition has caused failure of the tool and an expensive trip of the drill string from the hole.
It was initially believed that the valves became stuck due to a tribological buildup between the valve faces as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,716 incorporated herein by reference for all it discloses. This patent describes a tribological buildup of the cobalt binder material on the faces of heavily loaded polycrystalline diamond bearing elements, leading to an increase in the operating torque. The patent teaches that this buildup can be alleviated by an acid wipe. However, since the sticking often occurred on initial startup, there was no relative rotation of the valve bodies under load to cause this tribological buildup, so any benefit from this treatment was at best only partially effective. Therefore, it is now believed that other factors independent of the valve material composition contribute to problem, as will be described.
Another problem with these prior art valve assemblies is that during operation, pressure surges in the drilling fluid can suddenly increase the load on the valve such that the operating torque of the valve exceeds the torque available by the actuator. It is believed that this is caused by the hydrostatic pressure being exerted across the relatively smooth surface of these selector valves exceeding the hydrodynamic lubrication effect of the fluid.
An additional problem with these units has been a sudden reverse flow of drilling fluid through the valve assembly caused under conditions when the source of pressurized fluid at the surface has been suddenly stopped or when one or more of the actuators are rapidly forced closed. This has been known to cause the valve surfaces to become separated. Since the valve design relies upon the differential pressure of the drilling fluid to provide sealing force, when the valve faces become separated, there is sometimes not enough differential pressure to force the valve surfaces back into contact.

Rotary seal for directional drilling tools


A cartridge is adapted to be inserted removably into a drain hole of a urinal, and includes a cartridge body, a guide plate member, a detecting module and a filter unit. The cartridge body has an internal space having an opening. The guide plate member is disposed in the opening, and is perforated to guide liquid which exits the urinal via the drain hole to flow therethrough into the internal space. The detecting module includes a drug-detecting chip for detecting presence of a specified drug, and a controlling chip for controlling operation of the drug-detecting chip according to measured displacement of the guide plate member. The filter unit utilizes a channel to direct the liquid from

Early intervention of adolescent substance abuse has always been an imperative issue in education. In order to seek out a student under the influence of drugs, the only mean tends to be human interaction such as spot check from the police, observation from parents and teachers, or feedback from other students. Then, the student will be asked to conduct urine drug testing at a later date. However, such drug use identification may unintentionally label the student as a drug-abuser, hurting his self-esteem. With that in mind, a less explicit measure has been sought after.
On the other hand, flush urinals tend to be commonly seen in public restroom, and each of these tends to consume around 151000 Liters of water per year, equivalent to the amount used to fill two standard swimming pools. The emergence of waterless urinal system has been a breakthrough to solve the issue with water consumption, and related industrial partners have been improving the design to further satisfy user needs ever since.
Based on the above ideas, the design of the waterless urinal system could potentially incorporate the aforementioned urine drug testing to provide an implicit mean in identifying drug users.

Urinal cartridge and urinal having the same


Disclosed is a path switching method and apparatus based on user text information, including that: (401) when a UE is switched into an inactive state on a source random access network (RAN) node and paging of the UE is initiated by the source RAN node, a target RAN node receives a resume request message sent by the UE, and sends a user text obtain request message to the source RAN node; (402) the target RAN node receives a user text obtain response message sent by the source RAN node, where the user text obtain response message carries user text information on the source RAN node; (403) after a data transmission channel is established between the source RAN node and the target RAN node according to information carried in the user text obtain request message, the target RAN node receives data cached locally and forwarded by the source RAN node.

In the long term evolution (LTE) system and in the research of the machine type communication (MTC) technology, for low-cost and low-throughput type user equipment, a research topic of the narrow band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is proposed, that is, a low-throughput wireless communication service is provided for NB-IoT low-cost user equipment (UE) in a frequency band of 200 kHz. A dedicated core network may be configured for users with the Narrow Band-Cellular Internet of Things (NB-CIOT) technology. An operator may manage these special-purpose UEs in the dedicated core network so as to distinguish them from ordinary users to minimize the impact on ordinary users. At the same time, the NB-IoT introduces different uplink narrowband access capabilities and optimized data transmission solutions for characteristics of the UE, i.e., low cost and small data amounts for transmission. The optimized data transmission solution includes optimization solutions based on user plane and control plane transmission. For smartphone users, the optimization solutions based on user plane and control plane transmission may also be extended.
In the optimization solution based on user plane transmission, similar to the LTE process, data is transmitted through a data radio bearer (DRB), and signaling is still transmitted through an SRB1/SRB2, where the SRB is a signaling radio bearer. The current standard has specified that only one DRB is configured for the NB-IoT user. Smartphone users that support the user plane solution may support multiple bearers. The network side introduces suspend and resume processes. The base station and the mobility management entity (MME) store user text information in the suspend process and may rapidly activate a user text in the resume process, and the suspend and resume of S1 interfaces are initiated by the base station. After the air interface suspend process is completed, the UE is switched to the idle state. When the UE needs to transmit data or "signaling+data" in the idle state, the UE may directly use the resume mechanism without performing the process of air interface encryption. The user text information includes the user identifier (ID) information, ID information related to the S1 interface user, information related to the user security, the bearer information, and information related to the service quality. The user historical information includes the historical information of the user in the connected state, and the historical information of the user which is reported by the UE and recently resided in the connected state and the idle state. When the user moves to the target base station in the suspend state, and when the target base station initiates the resume process, the target base station may obtain user text information from the source base station that stores the user text information through the X2 interface or the S1 interface. After the air interface resume process is completed, the UE is switched to the connected state. The radio access network (RAN) and the core network are aware of a state transition of the UE.
Meanwhile, with the continuous evolution of wireless communication technologies and protocol standards, the mobile packet traffic has been developed tremendously, and the data throughput capability of single UE has been continuously improved. In the LTE system, as an example, data transmission at a maximum downlink rate of 100 Mbps may be supported in a 20 M bandwidth. In the subsequent enhanced LTE system and the subsequent 5G system, the data transmission rate will be further increased, even up to tens of Gbps. The 5G technology features: seamless wide-area coverage, large-capacity hotspots, large number of connections with low power consumption, high reliability with low latency, and the like. One goal of the design for the next-generation RAN at the release 14 of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is to use a single technology architecture to support multiple types of traffics, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC), ultra reliable and low latency communications (URLLC), and the like. In order to achieve the above goal, the design of the user plane architecture in the 5G New Radio (NR) needs to be flexible enough. In recent years, deployment of the centralized, cooperative, cloud & clean-radio access network (C-RAN) of the baseband Unit (BBU) and the radio remote unit (RRU) has been more and more widely used in many countries and regions around the world. In order to shield the underlying diversified access technology and support the traffic-oriented access, the 5G access network has a two-level network function architecture with the wireless center unit (CU) and the wireless distributed unit (DU) included, similar to the architecture of BBU+RRU in LTE. If the CU and the DU are deployed in the same network device, a distributed network architecture is provided, as shown in FIG. 1. If the CU and the DU are deployed in different network devices, a centralized network architecture is provided, as shown in FIG. 2. The CU satisfies the user-centered design concept, assumes the centralized control and management functions of the wireless network, and may serve as a service anchor for the UE. The DU is a remote access unit and includes a radio frequency function and a partial processing function. The interface between the CU and the DU may be called fronthaul, and the specific position division of the fronthaul (that is, the position at which the division is performed on the user plane) is currently being standardized. For simple description, the interface between the 5G RAN and the 5G CN is referred to as NG1 interface, and the interface between 5G RANs is referred to as NG2 interface.
In order to meet energy-saving requirements of the user and reduce the signaling interaction between the CN and the RAN, an inactive mode in the control of the RAN is considered to be introduced, the RAN side triggers the UE to enter this mode, and the UE may move in this mode without data transmission, and may process paging messages. When downlink data arrives at the base station or when the UE has uplink data to be transmitted, the UE may be triggered to initiate an air interface resume process and is switched to the connected state. The CN is unaware of the inactive state, in the control of the RAN, of the UE.

Path switching method and apparatus based on user text information


A method is provided for monitoring and controlling the deposition of multiple layer thin films using a broadband spectral monitor and a generalized model of the film. A design specification, including the number of layers and the material, refractive index, and thickness of each layer, is provided for the desired thin film. A target optical thickness is computed for the end point of each layer using correction factors based on the generalized model, preferably a single layer model, of the multilayer thin film. A monitor chip, such as a silicon substrate, is used for monitoring the multiple layers of film deposition. During deposition of the film, a broadband spectral monitor (BBSM) comprising a source of broadband light is directed onto the monitoring chip. Light reflected by the monitoring chip is received by a photosensor that provides a broadband reflectance spectrum to a computer. The BBSM reflectance spectrum is fit to the generalized model to produce an output corresponding to the optical thickness of the deposited film. When the broadband spectral monitor optical thickness measurement equals the target optical thickness at the end point of the layer, deposition of that layer is terminated and deposition of the next layer may commence. This process is repeated during the deposition of each successive layer until the entire multiple layer thin film is complete.

Thin films of materials with appropriate thickness and refractive index have important applications in fields such as semiconductors and optics. If a thin film is deposited on a lens, for example, the reflection of particular wavelengths of light from the surface of the lens can be almost completely suppressed. Because of the beneficial effects of thin films, such as antireflection, substantially all high quality optical components are provided with optical films.
Thin films generally include multiple layer films as well as films having a refractive index with a continuous gradient. In multiple layer optical films, such as quarterwave stacks, at least two different materials, one with a relatively high index of refraction and a second with a relatively low index of refraction, for example, are typically deposited in a controlled sequence of alternating layers of specified thicknesses to obtain the desired (specified) optical characteristics. Ideally, the deposition process is controlled by monitoring the thickness of each layer as it is deposited and terminating deposition when the layer reaches the desired thickness. The sought after ability to deposit each layer to precisely the correct thickness would provide flexibility in designing a wide range of multiple layer coatings for various transmission and reflection spectra, for example. Antireflection coatings, laser dielectric mirrors, television camera edge filters, optical bandpass filters, and band-rejection filters are some examples of the many useful devices that include multilayer thin film coatings.
Background information on fabrication of thin films is presented in Macleod, Thin-Film Optical Filters, 2nd Ed., pp. 423-445, MACMILLAN (New York, 1986). During fabrication of thin films, "accuracy" describes the thickness error of any layer from its design specification, and "stability" describes the nature of error accumulation as deposition of multiple layers proceeds. Conventional methods of monitoring and controlling the deposition of thin films include use of a quartz crystal monitor or a single wavelength optical monitor. A quartz crystal monitor, which measures accumulated mass, has fair accuracy but poor stability. A single wavelength optical monitor has poor accuracy because of the difficulty in determining the precise reflection turning point that establishes a quarterwave thickness, but has good stability for quarterwave stacks and single cavity bandpass filters. Single wavelength optical monitors require frequent monitoring chip changes because of effects such as reflectance saturation and reflection changes when producing double cavity bandpass filters. When switching monitoring chips, the new chip may not be the same temperature and may have a different sticking coefficient, which can produce errors in the deposited layers.
A broadband spectral monitor has been used for the deposition of gradient index optical films, such as rugate filters, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,575 issued to Southwell et al., the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. Rugate filters comprise single layer thin films having small, continuous refractive index modulations around an average refractive index value. A broadband spectral monitor works well for such gradient refractive index films because it provides a measure of total optical thickness of the film.
Quarterwave stacks and gradient index optical films have limitations that make them unsuitable for certain applications. Non-quarterwave stacks, also known as enhanced thin films (ETFs), typically comprise many alternating layers of at least two different refractive index materials at various thicknesses ranging from a few to several thousand angstroms. Non-quarterwave ETFs provide higher performance in applications such as sharp edged band filters, broadband antireflection coatings, and tristimulus filters, :for example. Depositing non-quarterwave ETFs with a hundred layers, for example, requires individual layer thickness tolerances that are difficult to meet with conventional monitoring techniques. Therefore, a new method of monitoring and controlling the deposition of multiple layer thin films is needed to achieve greater deposition accuracy and stability resulting in improved thin film performance.

Deposition of multiple layer thin films using a broadband spectral monitor


A torque limiting driver system, including: a torque limiting driver including: a handle with a locking cap engagement protrusion; a shaft with a cam portion including a cam mating feature; and a locking cap including: a mating recess including a plurality of scallops along the outer edge of the mating recess and wherein the plurality of scallops are configured to interface with the first mating feature; a through-hole with through-hole mating feature configured to interface with the cam mating feature, wherein the locking cap is configured to engage the torque limiting driver to lock the rotation of the shaft with respect to the handle.

Surgeons use drivers, such as screwdrivers, to drive screws into bones in various surgical procedures. If the surgeon applies too much torque while tightening these screws, the bone may strip. As a result the screw will not be securely held by the bone. Further, if the screw is being used to secure a bone plate, too much torque on the screw may damage the plate or even drive the screw through the plate. Torque limiting drivers may be used to limit the torque to prevent stripping the hole in the bone and to prevent over tightening of the screw that may damage a bone plate. Also, the torque limiting driver may be used to determine that the screws have been tightened sufficiently. This may be accomplished by the surgeon tightening the screw until the torque limiting driver slips indicating that the torque limit has been reached. In one example, a torque limiting driver may limit torque to 0.8 Nm. Other torque limits may be used depending upon the specific procedure, the target site, the condition of the bone, and the size of the screws.


A client application (121) is automatically adapted to communicate between its corresponding terminal (107-109) and a server (101) via any communications network (102-104) that supports any of the protocols that the client application supports. The client application is administered (135) during installation to support a plurality of protocols one of which is designated (225) as being preferred. The application first attempts (300-310) to establish a communications channel by using the preferred protocol. If that fails, the application attempts (315-325) to establish the communications channel by using another supported protocol. Success of either attempt leads the application to determine (340) if another channel is needed, and if so, to attempt to establish it by using the successful protocol. Failure of this last attempt leads the application to repeat the first attempt.

Different communications networks may use different communications protocols. For example, some intranets use the Internet transmission control protocol (TCP), while other intranets use the Novell internetwork packet exchange (IPX)/sequenced packet exchange (SPX) protocol. The different protocols are incompatible; therefore, any communications entity--whether hardware or software--that is intended for use with a network must be configured to support the protocol of that network. However, the knowledge of which protocol needs to be supported and the skill to configure the communications entity are beyond those of many users. Therefore, adapting a communications entity to work on a network often requires the services of a technician. This is costly and causes delays.

Automated selection of a protocol by a communicating entity to match the protocol of a communications network


An epoxy resin compound including an epoxy resin, a hardening agent, and an inorganic filler as a main component is provided. The epoxy resin includes an epoxy resin represented by a chemical formula. Therefore, the epoxy resin having a mesogen structure that increases crystallinity is used, and thus thermal conductivity can be increased. Further, the epoxy resin is used as an insulating material for a printed circuit board, and thus a high radiant heat substrate can be provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an epoxy resin, and more particularly, to an epoxy resin, an epoxy resin compound comprising the same, and a radiant heat circuit board using the epoxy resin compound as an insulating layer.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A circuit board includes a circuit pattern formed on an insulating layer, and thus various electronic devices can be mounted on the circuit board.
One of the electronic devices mounted on the circuit board may be, for example, a heating element. Heat radiated from the heating element may cause performance deterioration of the circuit board. With a recent trend of high integration and high capacity of electronic devices, interest in heat radiation in a circuit board has been increasing.
In order to obtain an insulating layer having both electrical insulation and high thermal conductivity, an epoxy resin compound including a bisphenol A-type or bisphenol F-type epoxy resin has been used.
However, the epoxy resin compound cannot satisfy required thermal conductivity. Further, the bisphenol A-type or bisphenol F-type epoxy resin does not have suitable hardening, mechanical strength, and toughness due to its low viscosity. Since a bisphenol A-type or bisphenol F-type epoxy resin stays in a liquid form at room temperature, it is difficult to treat.

Epoxy resin, epoxy resin compound comprising the same, and radiant heat circuit board using the compound


A method of assembling QFP devices includes providing a lead frame having leads that extend from a dam bar to a die flag, and performing a first molding process that fills spaces between the leads and between the dam bar and the die flag with a first mold compound. The first mold compound also forms a ring around the die flag, where the ring extends from both lateral sides of the lead frame. A first area around the die flag is removed to separate the leads from the die flag, and a second area near an inner corner of the dam bar is removed to form a mold gate. A die is attached to the die flag and electrically connected to the leads with bond wires, and then a second molding process is performed to encapsulate the die, bond wires and inner leads.

The present invention relates to the packaging of integrated circuits (ICs) and more particularly to a method of assembling a Quad Flat Package (QFP) type device.
A QFP is a surface mounted IC package with leads that extend from its four sides. The leads often are shaped or bent into a "gull wing" form. QFP is a mature technology, having been in use since the 1970's, and therefore has the advantages of mature infrastructure of manufacturing tools and materials, as well as lower cost, compared to BGA packages, in the lead count ranging from 48 to 208 IOs. QFPs are formed using a lead frame, and it is expected that the same lead frame can be used to package chips with different die sizes. However, different die sizes means different loop lengths for the bond wires that electrically connect the die or chip to the leads of the lead frame. For example, when the die size is small and the wire pitch is fine, the wire loop length must be extended, which can cause wire sweep during encapsulation, where the longer wire loop cannot withstand the transfer pressure of the liquid mold compound.
One solution to address the longer wire length issue is to increase the inner lead length. However, for cost savings, lead frames have been becoming thinner, such as from 8 mils (that is to say, 200 microns) to 5 mils (that is to say, 125 microns), so longer leads made using thinner metal are prone to bounce during wire bonding, which can lead to poor joint strength between the bond wire and the lead, and bring residual stress to the heel of the second bond, which risks heel break during field application.
It would be desirable to have a reliable method of assembling QFP type devices with a thin lead frame that can accommodate various size dies.

Method of assembling QFP type semiconductor device


Disclosed is an improvement in a record player for turning the information stored on a cassette tape or a compact disc back into the original forms including a recording medium loading mechanism and an associated loading motor. It comprises means responsive to insertion of the recording medium for rotating the loading motor, thereby allowing it to generate the counter electromotive force, and a detection-switching device responsive to generation of the counter electromotive force for changing its conductive condition. Then, the loading motor is allowed to start and pull in the cassette or compact disk until it has been put in the loading position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic record or compact disc player equipped with a cassette or disc loading mechanism, and particularly to such a record player equipped with power-saving means on standby.
2. Related Arts
In the standby power-saving mode, the power-supply switch turns off, and the magnetic record player is loaded with no cassette. In such standby power-saving mode, however, the mode sensor is kept energized by feeding it with electricity, thereby enabling it to detect insertion of a cassette and start the loading of the cassette immediately when detected. This is the case with the disc player.
The magnetic record player, therefore, consumes electric power to keep the mode sensor alive even in the standby power-saving mode. With a view to saving such electric power, a magnetic record player is designed to use a mechanical detection system, which is operatively connected to the cassette-loading mechanism via an associated cassette-loading detection switch. The cassette-loading detection switch can turn on in response to insertion of the cassette in the magnetic record player.
One object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic record or compact disc player equipped with a cassette or disc loading mechanism, not requiring the continuous supply of electric power to the detection sensor in the standby power-saving mode, thus saving the electric power by using the minimum possible that will allow the system control computer to keep the timer alive and detect insertion of the cassette or disk.
To attain this object a record player for turning the information stored on a cassette tape or a compact disc back into the original forms comprising a recording medium loading mechanism and an associated loading motor, is improved according to the present invention in that it further comprises means responsive to insertion of the recording medium for rotating the loading motor, thereby allowing it to generate the counter electromotive force, and a detection switching device responsive to generation of the counter electromotive force for switching its conductive condition.
The record player further comprises a system control computer to which the detection-switching device is connected.
The system control computer may be responsive to the change in the conductive condition in the switching device for switching its standby power-saving mode to its operating mode or vice versa.
The detection switching device may comprise a transistor and a resistor, the transistor having its collector electrode connected to a predetermined voltage source, and its base electrode connected to the loading motor, thus allowing the loading motor to apply its counter electromotive force to the base electrode of the transistor.
The system control computer may be responsive to the change in the conductive condition in the switching device for switching the record player from its standby power-saving mode to its operating mode or vice versa.
A record player for turning the information stored on a cassette tape or a compact disc back into the original forms comprising a recording medium loading mechanism and an associated loading motor, is improved according to the present invention in that it further comprises a gang of gears-and-slidable holder responsive to insertion of the recording medium for rotating the loading motor, thereby allowing it to generate the counter electromotive force; a detection switching transistor responsive to generation of the counter electromotive force for changing its conductive condition; and a system control computer connected to the detection switching transistor, the transistor having its collector electrode connected to a predetermined voltage source via an associated resistor, and its base electrode connected to the loading motor, thus allowing the loading motor to apply its counter electromotive force to the base electrode of the transistor, thereby changing its conductive condition.
With this arrangement, insertion of a cassette or compact disc in the record player in the standby power-saving mode rotates a gang of gears associated with the loading mechanism to rotate the loading motor. Then, the loading motor works as a generator, causing a counter electromotive force to appear between its opposite terminals. The counter electromotive force is applied to the base electrode of the switching transistor, thus lowering the collector potential toward the ground to inform the system control computer of insertion of the cassette. Then, the system control computer permits the record player to change from the standby power-saving mode to the working mode, permitting the loading motor drive IC to start the loading motor, thus pulling the cassette inward. The mode sensor is informed of the changing of the record player to the working mode, determining the position in which the cassette is now put. Then, the loading motor starts to pull the cassette inward until it has been put in the loading position.
The above is the case with the compact disc player.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be understood from the following description of a magnetic record player according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is shown in accompanying drawings.

Tape or disc record player equipped with standby power-saving means


The present invention provides amino acid sequences of peptides that are encoded by genes within the human genome, the aminotransferase peptides of the present invention. The present invention specifically provides isolated peptide and nucleic acid molecules, methods of identifying orthologs and paralogs of the aminotransferase peptides, and methods of identifying modulators of the aminotransferase peptides.

The present invention is in the field of aminotransferase proteins that are related to the aspartate aminotransferase subfamily, recombinant DNA molecules, and protein production. The present invention specifically provides novel peptides and proteins that effect protein phosphorylation and nucleic acid molecules encoding such peptide and protein molecules, all of which are useful in the development of human therapeutics and diagnostic compositions and methods.
Aminotransferases
Aminotransferases are enzymes that catalyze the transfer of amino groups from .alpha.-amino to .alpha.-keto acids. They are also called transaminases. The alpha.-amino groups of the 20 L-amino acids commonly found in proteins are removed during the oxidative degradation of the amino acids. The removal of the .alpha.-amino groups, the first step in the catabolism of most of the L-amino acids, is promoted by aminotransferases (or transaminases). In these transamination reactions, the .alpha.-amino group is transferred to the .alpha.-carbon atom of .alpha.-ketoglutarate, leaving behind the corresponding .alpha.-keto acid analog of the amino acid. There is no net deamination (i.e., loss of amino groups) in such reactions because the .alpha.-ketoglutarate becomes aminated as the .alpha.-amino acid is deaminated. The effect of transamination reactions is to collect the amino groups from many different amino acids in the form of only one, namely, L-glutamate. The glutamate channels amino groups either into biosynthetic pathways or into a final sequence of reactions by which nitrogenous waste products are formed and then excreted.
Cells contain several different aminotransferases, many specific for .alpha.-ketoglutarate as the amino group acceptor. The aminotransferases differ in their specificity for the other substrate, the L-amino acid that donates the amino group, and are named for the amino group donor. The reactions catalyzed by the aminotransferases are freely reversible, having an equilibrium constant of about 1.0 (.DELTA.G.sup.0xe2x80x2.congruent.0 kJ/mol).
Aminotransferases are classic examples of enzymes catalyzing bimolecular ping-pong reactions. In such reactions the first substrate must leave the active site before the second substrate can bind. Thus the incoming amino acid binds to the active site, donates its amino group to pyridoxal phosphate, and departs in the form of an .alpha.-keto acid. Then the incoming .alpha.-keto acid is bound, accepts the amino group from pyridoxamine phosphate, and departs in the form of an amino acid.
The measurement of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels in blood serum is an important diagnostic procedure in medicine, used as an indicator of damage to the heart and other organs and to monitor recovery from the damage. For example, measurement of aspartate aminotransferase isoenzymes is used to determine the extent of liver necrosis and for determining prognosis in hepatic disease, as well as for diagnosing active alcoholic liver disease. Measurement of aspartate aminotransferase isoenzymes in acute myocardial infarction provides additional diagnostic information not provided by other tests used in the art, such as creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase-based tests (Panteghini, Clin. Biochem. 23 (4), 311-319 (1990)).
Several heart and liver diseases have been correlated with abnormally high levels of serum aspartate transaminase (AST). Examples of such conditions include acute myocardial infarction, pulmonary emulsion, acute pancreatitis, viral and toxic hepatitis, and acute cirrhosis. Generally speaking, AST is elevated in diseases affecting tissues rich in AST.
Extensive studies have shown that 92-98% of patients with acute myocardial infarction have elevated serum AST level. The measured levels are usually four to ten times the upper limit of normal values. The elevated AST levels develop six to twelve hours after the time of infarction and usually return to normal by the third or fourth day. Secondary rises can be correlated with other features, suggesting extension or recurrence of myocardial infarction. Also, mild elevations of serum AST levels have been reported in patients with pulmonary infarction. In patients with congestive heart failure and those with marked tachycardia, mild to moderate degrees of AST elevation may occur. These have been attributed to hepatic necrosis secondary to hepatic congestion. Patients with pericarditis also have been reported to have a fifty percent incidence of slightly elevated AST levels.
Striking elevations in AST levels are observed in the serum of almost all patients with acute hepatic necrosis. In patients with cirrhosis of the liver there is a 60-70% incidence of elevated AST levels. Obviously the early detection of an abnormal rise in AST levels can lead to more rapid and accurate diagnosis of heart and liver disease.
Elevated AST levels have even been correlated with various cancers. Approximately half the patients with metastatic carcinoma have elevated serum AST levels in the same range as patients with cirrhosis and posthepatic jaundice. Less frequently such moderately elevated AST levels are observed in patients with lymphoma and leukeumia. See, Todd-Sanford, Clinical Diagnosis By Laboratory Methods, W. B. Saunders Co., 14th Ed., pp. 693-723 (1969).
Accordingly, the identification of a new member of the aminotransferase family of proteins, particularly one related to the aspartate aminotransferase, provide targets for examining protein turnover in response to a pathological or biological process.
The present invention is based in part on the identification of amino acid sequences of human aminotransferase peptides and proteins that are related to the aspartate aminotransferase subfamily, as well as allelic variants and other mammalian orthologs thereof. These unique peptide sequences, and nucleic acid sequences that encode these peptides, can be used as models for the development of human therapeutic targets, aid in the identification of therapeutic proteins, and serve as targets for the development of human therapeutic agents that modulate aminotransferase activity in cells and tissues that express the aminotransferase. Experimental data as provided in FIG. 1 indicates expression in humans in the testis.

Isolated nucleic acid molecules encoding human aspartate aminotransferase protein and uses thereof


The present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus which are able to inject a large amount of charged particles to a circular accelerator. In order to inject a large number of charged particles, the charged particle beams are injected into a region of a vacuum duct other than the region which is defined as having a height equivalent to the height of the injected beam and a width from the injected point in the vacuum duct to the symmetrical point to the injected point with respect to the geometrical center of the vacuum duct.

The present invention is related to a circular accelerator having a round orbit of charged particles (called closed orbit hereinafter), especially the circular accelerator which is able to store a large electric current, a charged particles injection method thereof, and an apparatus for the charged particles injection method thereof.
Currently, a small size circular accelerator is being used for exposure of semiconductor patterns and applications in the medical field, and so on. In the conventional small size circular accelerator, the charged particles are injected by a multi-turn injection method which is disclosed in page 4-13 of the Monthly Physics published in Japan [Accelerator Physics (3)].
In the prior art described above, a range of the charged particles which are injected by an injector (in other words, a passing region of the circulating charged particles) at a cross section, which is vertical to the closed orbit, of a vacuum duct wherein the charged particles circulate (the cross section of the vacuum duct means a vertical cross section to the closed orbit if there is no specified comments thereinafter) has been regulated to a linear region from an outlet of the injector to a position in the vacuum duct corresponding to an opposite side of the outlet of the injector with respect to an interval placing the closed orbit at the geometrical center. Therefore, enlargement of the vacuum duct is necessary for increasing the amount of the injected charged particles and increasing of the electric current. The enlargement of the vacuum duct requires enlarging of various electric magnets for circulation of the charged particles and, hence, a problem of enlarging of the whole body of the circular accelerator.
Further, in the prior art described above, an injecting position and an incline of an orbit of the charged particles which are injected from the outlet of the injector into the vacuum duct are necessitated to coincide with the position and the incline of the closed orbit which is set at the outlet of the injector to the circular accelerator. But, the coincidence is difficult because the actual closed orbit of the circular accelerator which is installed differs from the design thereof, and consequently it is impossible to obtain the desired electric current. Accordingly, problems which make the increase of the electric current difficult and, further, a problem that a complex adjustment was necessary for increasing the electric current to the aimed value existed.

Circular accelerator, method of injection of charged particles thereof, and apparatus for injection of charged particles thereof


A bracket structure resistant to fatigue and a process of making same are shown. The structure can be useful for conveyances such as parts of automobiles; it comprises: a first and a second member joined together at a junction and extending out therefrom to form a gap between the resulting diverging surfaces; and a stressed gusset spanning the gap, the gusset having a first contact surface abutting said first member and second contact surface abutting said second member, the first contact surface being affixed to said first member, the second contact surface being in vibration-dampening frictional contact with said second member due to the stress on said gusset. Steel members and a steel gusset are preferred, together with a plug-welded connection of the first contact surface to the first member.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fatigue-resistant bracket structure, and more particularly to such structure braced with a friction-dampened gusset.
The instant invention is related to my copending U.S. patent application entitled Plug-Welded Gusset, Ser. No. 07/739,891, filed on Aug. 2, 1991. There, a footed gusset, preferably a strap that spans the joint and has feet bent from its ends for contacting the surfaces to be braced, is plug-welded to attach the gusset.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conventional gusset for imparting fatigue resistance to an angular rigid joining of convergent surfaces is an "erect" or "plate-type" rigid gusset. For the usual right-angle, weldable, metal joint, such gusset typically is weldable metal triangle or a trapezoid that fills in all or almost all of a right angle at the joint; the legs of such triangle, or the slanting sides of such trapezoid, generally will be welded with fillet welds that box the outer ends and the long edges of the gusset which contact the metal surfaces being so braced.
The prior art appears to be devoid of suggesting the use of a friction-dampened gusset for rendering a bracket structure of a conveyance resistant to failure from fatigue. Such a bracket may be, for example, a hanger bracket for an air chamber of an automotive truck. In conveyances a bracket structure is likely to be subject to extended periods of vibration. Conveyances here include vehicles generally such as autos, trains, wagons and cycles, and they also include ships, aircraft and spacecraft.
Heretofore, shock-arresting frictional snubbers in the form of plates sliding in slots have been proposed for an automobile chassis (U.S. Pat. No. 1,508,346) and for engine mountings (U.S. Pat. No. 1,751,743), both to obtain a smoother ride.
Also, for arresting occasional explosive or seismic shocks in ships and in buildings, there have been proposed various other friction-dampened connections. These are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,968,458, 4,409,765 and 4,615,157.
A rigid bracket structure, apart from any gusset, may be basically a bent piece of stiff material such as a piece of flat, weldable metal. More frequently, however, the structural portions being braced are two intersecting members joined by welding such as fillet welding. Frequently, the elements of a bracket will comprise a ferrous metal such as steel, and most of the intersections or bends so braced will project from each other at substantially a right angle. The ordinary fillet weld is a weld of approximately triangular cross section joining two surfaces at right angles to each other in a lap joint, T-joint, or corner joint. However, in this application, the intersection of the two surfaces also may form an acute or obtuse angle instead, and the intersection may define a straight or curved line that may be in a single plane or in more than one plane.
The instant invention has been found to be surprisingly effective for prolonging the fatigue life of a bracket. The fatigue life of welded brackets for automotive use, when made in accordance with the principles of this invention, may be easily 25-300 times longer than the fatigue life of conventional brackets now made for the same purposes.
Additionally, the installation of the instant friction-dampened gusset can be simple and quick, and the resulting inventive bracket can provide consistently high fatigue-resisting performance that is particularly advantageous for mass production of the item.