A system for detecting actual position of a material handling vehicle in a warehouse in which a plurality of racks composed of upright frame members and lateral frame members connecting the upright members are installed so that material handling vehicles can travel along the passageway between the racks so that current position of the material handling vehicle in the warehouse can be detected with increased reliability even if some of the reflections fail to be received by the sensors. Reflector plates are attached to each of the upright frame members and the lateral frame members along longitudinal direction thereof, sensors are attached to the vehicle, and a controller is installed on the vehicle to estimate current location of the vehicle based on combination of the number of reflections actually received by the reflector plates and counted by the controller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for detecting the location where a material handling vehicle currently is in a warehouse in which a plurality of racks composed of upright frame members and lateral frame members connecting the upright members are installed so that material handling vehicles such as forklift trucks can travel between the racks.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been known systems for detecting the actual location of a material handling vehicle operating material handling in a warehouse, in which the actual position of the vehicle is determined from image data of a photograph taken by a camera attached on the vehicle through pattern matching process or from a light beam or radio waves reflected from reflector plates located at predetermined positions by emitting a light beam or radio waves from a rotating projector attached on the vehicle.
In Japanese Patent No. 3443829 (patent literature 1) is disclosed a location detecting system, in which a laser navigator 8 is provided at an arm top part 7 of a forklift truck 2, and reflector plates 16 are adhered to shelves 14 at a height position about the same as that of the laser navigator 8. The location of each of the reflector plates is memorized in an on-vehicle controller 10. The laser navigator 8 emits a laser beam to allow it to scan 360° in a horizontal plane, receives reflection from the reflector plates 16. The reflection is checked with the map and actual location of the forklift truck is determined.
The height of a fork 4 is detected by an encoder connected to a guide roller 6 and the number of the shelf where material is handled is determined in combination with the detected location of the forklift truck 2 and the height position of the fork 4. Number of shelf where to handle material is directed by the controller 10. Every time material is handled according to the directive, the number of the shelf where material is handled is compared with the shelf number directed by the controller 10 to verify that material handling is performed as directed by the controller 10.
With this location detecting system, a means for allowing a laser beam to scan 360° in a horizontal plane is needed to detecting actual location of a material handling vehicle, and system structure is not so simple.
Further, it correct reading of the reflector plates fails, the controller misjudges the position of the material handling vehicle, and whether the position of the vehicle is detected correctly or not can not be checked, that is, degree of correctness of the detection of the position can not be grasped in point of view of probability theory. Therefore, with the system, management functions of material handling are still not sufficiently improved.

Material handling vehicle location system


Digital video tape recorder for recording and reproducing digital video and audio data in respective tracks in a predetermined format on a record medium. The predetermined format having respective video, audio and subcode areas with each area having a number of sync blocks comprised of a data area in which video, audio and system data, respectively, are recorded. These areas are preceded by a fixed area in which sync block identifying information is recorded. The data area of the subcode area is formed of data packs having a common pack structure and system data provides for automatic control during reproduction and for identifying the recorded digital video and audio data.

The present invention relates to a digital video tape recorder and, more particularly, to apparatus for recording and reproducing a video signal and an audio signal in the form of coded signals on a recording medium.
Digital video tape recorders which record and reproduce video and audio signals in coded form are known in the art. These digital video tape recorders often employ efficient coding techniques for compressing the amount of data to be recorded. Among these techniques, discrete cosine transformation (DCT), is commonly employed. It has been proposed that identification (ID) signals be used to distinguish between various recording and reproducing modes including standard play (SP) mode and long play (LP) mode. However, since the data recording format that may be employed is limiting, various types of data in various types of structures cannot be recorded and reproduced easily.
Digital audio tape (DAT) recorders attempt to solve this problem with respect to audio signals. In a typical DAT data structure, an identification area of 2 bits.times.2 areas (4 bits) is provided at every synchronizing period in the main data area. Data representing, for example, the presence or absence of emphasis, sampling frequency, number of channels and quantization method, can be recorded or reproduced with the identification data. The identification areas thus may identify what the accompanying data represents.
In the above-mentioned DAT data structure, so-called subcode areas are provided at respective ends of each track recorded on the record tape. Identification data accompanying the audio signals are recorded on and reproduced from these subcode areas. Eight blocks of such data are recorded in the subcode area. Of these eight blocks, even-numbered blocks of eight bytes each contain seven bytes of data and one byte of parity code. Upon reproduction of the even-numbered blocks, error correction is accomplished by utilizing what has become known in the art as inside parity and outside parity. Odd-numbered blocks contain four bytes of other identification data, and upon reproduction, error correction is carried out only by the outside parity. Thus, the ID area, the even-numbered blocks and the odd-numbered blocks of the main data area have different data structures. Therefore, the software necessary to process this data is complicated.
Further, since the timing with which the aforementioned DAT data in the ID area, the even-numbered blocks and the odd-numbered blocks is recorded and reproduced is different due to the different data structures, a memory, such as a random access memory (RAM), is necessary to record and reproduce the audio signals. Furthermore, when new DAT equipment is developed, the software utilized with existing DAT recorders might not be able to be used and new software is expensive to develop.
Thus, mere modification of the data structure used in the aforementioned digital audio tape recorder to allow for recording and reproduction of video data would be unsatisfactory to a user since this VTR would be capable of only performing "basic" functions and would not be capable of performing a multitude of other functions which have become standard in video tape recorders and in addition, would not contain features present in the digital video tape recorder of the present invention.

Apparatus for recording and reproducing a digital video and audio signal


There are provided: a near-infrared non-absorbing black azo pigment having a sufficient blackness, having an excellent durability such as solvent resistance, and having a novel skeleton; and a colorant that uses the black azo pigment and is useful for forming a black matrix or a light-shielding film. The black azo pigment is represented by the following formula (1), wherein R1 represents an aryl group optionally having a substituent. In addition, the colorant contains the black azo pigment and is suitable as a material or the like for forming a black matrix for a color filter or for forming a light-shielding film.

Up to now, carbon black-based pigments and iron oxide-based pigments have been general as black pigments that are used as colorants for paints, printing inks, and plastics. These black pigments exhibit a black color by absorbing all the rays of light including visible light region of sunlight.
The black pigments (carbon black-based pigments in particular) absorb light in a visible light region (about 380 to about 780 nm) to exhibit a black color, but in fact, also absorbs light that is in a near-infrared region including a wavelength region of 800 to 1,400 nm and that greatly contributes to heat. Therefore, there has been a problem that the temperature of articles colored by the black pigments as described above rise easily by being irradiated with sunlight. In addition, as articles colored by a black pigment, sophisticated products such as a black matrix for a color filter have appeared in recent years. Thus, various studies have been made on a black pigment that does not cause temperature rise even if it is irradiated with sunlight, a colorant (coloring composition) for use in coloring an article into black, and the like.
For example, there is proposed an azomethine group-containing black azo pigment that does not absorb light in the infrared region (infrared radiation) while exhibiting a black color by absorbing light in the visible region (Patent Literature 1). Patent Literature 1 discloses that an article the temperature of which does not rise excessively due to direct sunlight or the like can be obtained by using a colorant containing this black azo pigment.
In addition, there is proposed an azo pigment obtained by using, as a diazo component, a compound represented by the following formula (A) (Patent Literature 2).

DAINICHISEIKA COLOR & CHEMICALS MFG. CO., LTD.


A chrysanthemum plant named ‘Zanmumajes’ characterized by its small sized blooms with red-purple ray florets and prolific branching; natural season flowering date October 2 (week 40); blooming for a period of five weeks.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum x morifolium Ramat., commercially known as a garden mum, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar denomination 'Zanmumajes Red'. 'Zanmumajes Red' is a product of a breeding and selection program which had the objective of finding flower color mutants from existing parent plants. The new plant comprises a whole plant mutant of the parent chrysanthemum named 'Zanmumajes' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,847). A comparison between the parent and 'Zanmumajas Red' is provided in the section description of the invention.
In order to obtain flower color mutants, unrooted cuttings of the parent plant were irradiated in April 2013 at Ziekenhuis, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with gamma radiation at a dose of 15 Gy. These treated cuttings were then planted in a controlled environment (greenhouse) in Rijsenhout, the Netherlands. In this population of planted cuttings, the new cultivar was discovered as a flower color mutant in October 2013 by Sjoukje Heimovaara in a controlled environment (greenhouse) in Rijsenhout, the Netherlands. The first act of asexual reproduction of 'Zanmumajes Red' was accomplished when after planting of the 'Zanmumajes Red' as a motherplant in December 2013, vegetative cuttings from this 'Zanmumajes Red' were taken and propagated further in Rijsenhout, the Netherlands. In summer, about 6-8 days are needed to initiate roots in cuttings of the new cultivar, after another 5 days rooted plants are formed. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.


Improved methods and apparatus are provided for applying atrial and ventricular therapies to the heart of a patient using an implanted cardiac stimulating device. Atrial and ventricular heart rates are monitored and analyzed to determine whether the patient is suffering from an atrial or ventricular arrhythmia and to determine what type of therapy is appropriate to apply to the heart. Atrial and ventricular heart rates are compared to determine if the ventricular heart rate exceeds the atrial heart rate and to determine whether the ventricular heart Fate is stable. An early atrial stimulation pulse can also be applied to determine whether the ventricular heart rate follows the atrial heart rate. Atrial and ventricular therapies are applied to the heart based on these determinations.

Cardiac stimulating devices such as pacemakers and cardioverter-defibrillators are well known. A variety of devices are presently available that apply electrical pulses to a patient's heart in order to maintain a healthy heart rhythm. The simplest cardiac stimulating devices apply pacing pulses to the patient's heart at regular predetermined intervals. More sophisticated devices monitor the various heartbeat signals within a patient's heart so that the strength and timing of the electrical pulses applied to the heart can be specifically tailored to the patient's varying needs.
Cardiac stimulating devices contain detection circuitry to sense the patient's internal heartbeat signals via leads connected to the heart. For example, a bipolar lead connected to the patient's ventricle can be used to sense the patient's ventricular heart rate. By analyzing the rate and the stability of the ventricular heartbeat signal, some conventional cardiac stimulating devices are capable of determining whether the patient is suffering from an arrhythmia such as ventricular tachycardia (a condition in which the heart beats too quickly) or fibrillation (a condition in which the heart quivers chaotically).
Cardiac stimulating devices typically differ in the type of stimulation therapy that may be delivered to the patient's heart in response to a detected arrhythmia.
Antitachycardia pacemakers, for example, attempt to terminate detected ventricular tachycardia episodes by applying one or more bursts of fairly weak antitachycardia stimulation pulses to the patient's heart. More sophisticated devices contain cardioversion circuitry, which allows synchronous, higher energy cardioversion stimulation pulses (e.g., 0.5-5 J) to be used to terminate the arrhythmias. Cardiac stimulating devices with defibrillation capabilities can apply higher energy electrical stimulation pulses (e.g., 20-40 J). The various antitachycardia, cardioversion, and defibrillation stimulation pulses that are applied to the heart are all known as "cardiac stimulation therapies."
Typically, the various cardiac therapies are applied to the heart in a tiered fashion. Initial attempts to terminate an arrhythmia use the least aggressive methods such as applying bursts of antitachycardia pulses to the heart. If this fails to terminate the arrhythmia or if the arrhythmia accelerates in rate, a cardioversion shock, or ultimately a defibrillation shock may be applied.
In order to determine whether a patient is suffering from an episode of tachycardia that should be terminated by the application of a suitable therapy, cardiac stimulating devices typically measure the rate of a patient's ventricular heartbeat and monitor its stability. The stability (or regularity of the timing) of a patient's heartbeat from beat to beat is indicative of the patient's cardiac condition, because, as is well known, a normal human heartbeat is somewhat unstable, whereas cardiac arrhythmias--such as tachycardia episodes--are often stable. One of the reasons that many ventricular tachycardia episodes are stable is that they are sometimes caused by electrical heartbeat signals that have recirculated within the heart by a feedback pathway. A tachycardia episode that is caused by the feedback of heartbeat signals tends to be stable. Various algorithms have been developed for determining whether a patient's heartbeat should be classified as "stable". For example, the period of the most recently measured ventricular beat can be compared to the immediately preceding beat, or can be compared to a running average of recent heart beat periods.
If the ventricular heart rate exceeds a predetermined ventricular tachycardia threshold rate (e.g., 150 beats per minute "bpm"), and if the beats are determined to be stable, then appropriate ventricular therapy can be applied to the patient's heart. Although this technique is generally successful for terminating many potentially life-threatening tachycardias, there are some circumstances in which a more sophisticated approach would be preferred.
For example, occasionally a patient's ventricular heartbeat may exceed a predetermined ventricular tachycardia threshold and be relatively stable--normally an indication that ventricular therapy should be applied. It may be, however, that the elevated ventricular heart rate is due to an atrial arrhythmia that has produced electrical signals that have propagated to the ventricle. Atrial arrhythmias are undesirable, but are typically not life-threatening because the ventricles of the heart can continue to effectively pump blood even if the atrial heart chambers beat arrhythmically.
If a patient suffers from an atrial arrhythmia that causes a corresponding ventricular arrhythmia, applying ventricular electrical pulses to the patient's heart will usually be ineffective at terminating the arrhythmia episode. Applying ventricular therapy to the patient's heart in these circumstances may actually be harmful, because the ventricular electrical pulses may initiate a ventricular tachycardia episode or induce fibrillation.
Further, using conventional criteria for detecting ventricular antiarrhythmias, therapies are typically only applied if the ventricular heartbeat is found to be relatively stable using a stability analysis algorithm.
However, occasionally a ventricular arrhythmia may occur that is not sufficiently stable to be confirmed as a ventricular episode using conventional stability algorithms. Some arrhythmia episodes in which ventricular therapy would be appropriate are therefore not treated. These episodes could, however, be detected if atrial and ventricular heartbeat signals were analyzed properly.
What is needed, therefore, is a cardiac stimulating device that does not apply ventricular therapy to a patient's heart if the ventricular heart arrhythmia is due to an atrial arrhythmia condition, but which applies ventricular therapy when an analysis of the patient's ventricular and atrial heart rates indicates that it is proper to do so. If desired, the cardiac stimulating device could also apply atrial therapies to the patient's heart.

System and method for discriminating between atrial and ventricular arrhythmias and for applying cardiac therapy therefor


A phase plate adapted for use with an optical sensor module for an inkjet printer/plotter equipped with a photodetector to sense a test pattern having a plurality of horizontally spaced bars or vertically spaced bars and a photodetector. The inventive phase plate is in optical alignment with the photodetector and is constructed of opaque material. The phase plate includes a plurality of apertures horizontally spaced therein. The spacing between the apertures is equal to the spacing between the horizontally spaced bars in said test pattern. In the alternative, the plate may include a plurality of apertures vertically spaced therein. In this case, the spacing between the apertures is equal to the spacing between the vertically spaced bars in the test pattern. In a particular implementation, the phase plate includes both horizontally spaced apertures and vertically spaced apertures. In this case, the horizontal spacing between the apertures is equal to the spacing between the horizontally spaced bars in the test pattern and the spacing between the vertically spaced apertures is equal to the spacing between the vertically spaced bars in the test pattern.

Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to printers and plotters. More specifically, the present invention relates to inkjet printers and plotters having multiple pens for multi-color operation.
While the present invention is described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments for particular applications, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope thereof and additional fields in which the present invention would be of significant utility.

Phase plate design for aligning multiple inkjet cartridges by scanning a reference pattern


Methods are provided for adjusting any correlation between a visual display perspective and a default display view of an aircraft. The method comprises determining the default display view for an inflight aircraft and determining the orientation of the visual display for the crew of the aircraft. The default display view is compared with the orientation of the visual display to determine if the visual display's perspective needs to be transitioned to reflect the default display view. If the display does need to be changed, the rate of transition of the visual display's perspective is selected based on current aircraft performance parameters.

Modern aircraft contain visual display systems that provide pilots and/or flight crews with substantial amounts of important navigation, operational and situational awareness information including information about the environment and terrain outside the aircraft. In fact, multi-functional aircraft displays can provide flight crews with computer-enhanced three-dimensional perspective images of terrain especially during conditions of low visibility. These images can include three-dimensional background and terrain information as well as graphics that represent pitch reference lines, airspeed, flight path information, altitude, attitude, etc. In some implementations, the terrain imagery of the background can be high resolution, computer-generated terrain image data derived from databases and onboard vision sensor systems.
One problem with visual displays for aircraft is that the flight path of the aircraft and the perspective of the flight display may deviate significantly. This is particularly true for helicopters and other roto-aircraft. Typically, the flight display system will transition its' perspective to align with that of the true flight path of the aircraft. However, sudden changes in the displayed perspectives may lead to pilot disorientation. Hence, there is a need for a system and method for adjusting the correlation between a visual display perspective and a flight path of an aircraft.

System and method for adjusting the correlation between a visual display perspective and a flight path of an aircraft


Heating apparatus which emits optical radiation having a visible content and an infrared content, for cooking foods by means of at least one radiation source (2) directed at a cook site for accommodating foods to be cooked or a container for foods to be cooked. Between the radiation source (2) and the cook site (4) there is a filter (7) having a support body (8) made of a material that is substantially permeable for all of the radiation. The support body (8) is provided with an interference layer system which reflects the visible content of the radiation at least predominantly to the radiation source and passes the infrared content of the radiation at least predominantly to the cook site. In order to achieve a simpler, firmly adherent layer build up with a small number of layers and without inner tensions, the interference layer system (9) consists of an alternating sequence of layers of silicon (H) and silicon dioxide of silicon (H) and silicon dioxide (N), whose physical layer thicknesses in the case of the silicon, at least in the predominant part of the silicon layers, are between 20 and 50 nanometers, and in the case of the SiO.sub.2 are between 80 and 110 nm, at least in the predominant part of the SiO.sub.2 layers.

The invention relates to a heating apparatus for cooking foods by means of at least one radiation source which is directed at a cook site for accommodating uncooked food or a container for food to be cooked, and which emits optical radiation with a visible content and an infrared content. Between the radiation source and the cook site a filter is disposed having a support body made of a material substantially transparent to all the radiation, which is provided with an interference layer system which reflects the visible content of the radiation at least predominantly back to the radiation source and passes the infrared content of the radiation at least predominantly to the cook site.
A heating apparatus of this kind, configured as a cook plate, is state of the art. In this apparatus what is involved is heating a cooker (cooking pot) placed on the cook plate with the infrared content of the optical radiation without letting the intensely visible part of the optical radiation penetrate into the kitchen space. The boundary here in question, between the visible and the infrared content of the optical radiation is at about 750 nm. The support body and interference layer system form a filter with a spectral transmission characteristic whose center lies at the above mentioned 750 nm.
Interference layer systems are characterized by alternating sequences of alternating layers of high refraction and low refraction. In the case of the system pertaining to the state of the art, titanium dioxide with an index of refraction of about 2.25 and silicon dioxide layers with an index of refraction of about 1.45 are used as the layer materials. In order then to obtain a sufficient division by the filter of a corresponding spectral transmission characteristic, it is necessary to apply a total of 43 alternating layers of the materials mentioned. This is a comparatively very difficult process which has to be performed in a vacuum, preferably by depositing the said layer materials by electron beam vapor deposition. Manufacture, therefore, is accordingly expensive.
The smaller the number of layer is, the better is their tension free build up and the firm bonding of these layers to the support body, the so called substrate, and to one another.

Heating apparatus for cooking food, especially a hot plate


Aspects of the present invention are directed to methods and apparatus for producing substrates, including printed circuit boards, in production lines. In one aspect, the present invention provides a production system, a plurality of production lines, wherein machines from one of the lines may be used to replace machines in one of the other lines. In another aspect, the present invention provides a printing system for use in circuit board production lines. The printing system includes a first printer, a second printer and a transfer station. In another aspect, the present invention provides a dispensing system for use is production lines. The dispensing system includes a shuttle conveyor system that allows parallel processing on multiple circuit boards.

The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for providing high speed electronic assembly, and more particularly to improved methods and apparatus for manufacturing printed circuit boards.
A typical electronic circuit board manufacturing process involves a number of operations, each of which is performed by an independent machine. These operations typically include stenciling a pattern of solder onto the pads of an incoming circuit board, placing electrical components on the pads of the board and heating the board to establish the integrity of the contact between the solder, the board and the components. Depending on the particular application, the manufacturing operation may also include other operations, such as dispensing encapsulents or adhesives, curing the encapsulents or adhesives, and optically inspecting completed or partially completed boards. The manufacturing operations are typically done in a serial production line in which the machines for each process are coupled together using conveyors for transporting partially completed boards from one machine to the next.
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a typical electronic circuit board production line 10. The circuit board production line includes a printer 12, a component placement machine 14, an automated optical inspection system 16, a dispenser 18, an oven 20, and an automated board handling system 22 between each of the machines. The printer 12 is used to stencil solder paste onto boards. The component placement machine 14 is used to place electrical components on the circuit boards. The dispenser 18 may be used to perform a number of functions such as the deposition of underfill material around and under components placed on the boards. The optical inspection system 16 is used to inspect the boards in the line. Additional inspection systems may be added to the line, or incorporated in the machines of the line, to ensure that production quality standards are met. The oven 20 is used to reflow the solder paste printed by the printer. A separate oven may be used to cure adhesives and encapsulents deposited by the dispenser 18. For some board production applications, additional machines may be added to the production line and/or some of the machines shown in FIG. 1 may not be included.
Because of the cost and availability of manufacturing floor space, and because of ever tightening quality requirements there is a need for higher speed more reliable circuit board manufacturing production lines. To maintain high speed output from production lines, it is desirable to have minimum downtime of the lines. Accordingly, it is typically required that machines used in circuit board production lines have high reliability requirements and low mean time to repair requirements. These requirements often lead to the machines becoming more expensive than desirable.
Embodiments of the present invention provide improved processes and apparatus for producing electronic circuit boards and other substrates.
A first aspect of the present invention is directed to a production system for producing completed substrates from raw substrates. The production system includes a first production line having an input to receive raw substrates, an output that provides completed substrates and a plurality of machines, coupled in series and arranged substantially along a first axis. The production system further includes a second production line having an input to receive raw substrates and an output that provides completed substrates. The second production line includes a plurality of machines, coupled in series and arranged along a second axis that is substantially parallel to the first axis. In addition, the production system includes a set of spare machines disposed along a third axis that is substantially parallel to the first axis and the second axis, the third axis being disposed between the first axis and the second axis. Each machine of the spare machines is similar to, and may function as a replacement for, at least one of the machines in the first production line and is similar to, and may function as a replacement for, one of the machines of the second production line.
The completed substrates may be circuit boards having components disposed thereon. The set of spare machines may be configured as a third production line having an input to receive raw substrates and an output that provides completed substrates. The first production line may include a first printer, a second printer and a transfer station. At least the first production line may include a first dispensing machine having an input, an output, and a shuttle conveyor system, wherein the shuttle conveyor system includes movable conveyor segments that allow a second circuit board to be moved from the input of the first dispensing machine to the output of the first dispensing machine while material is dispensed on a first circuit board in the first dispensing machine. Further, at least the first production system may include a second dispensing machine disposed after the first dispensing machine in the first production system, the second dispensing machine having an input, an output, and a shuttle conveyor system, wherein the shuttle conveyor system includes movable segments that allow the first circuit board to be moved from the input of the second dispensing machine to the output of the second dispensing machine while material is dispensed on the second circuit board in the second dispensing machine.
In another aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing completed substrates from raw substrates in a production system having a first production line and a second production line is provided. The method includes providing a spare set of machines disposed on a production floor between the first production line and the second production line, detecting a failed machine in one of the first production line and the second production line, and replacing the failed machine with a machine from the spare set of machines.
The method may further include steps of arranging the spare set of machines as a production line and producing completed substrates using the first production line, the second production line and the third production line. At least the first production line may include a dispensing machine, and the method may further includes steps of loading a first substrate into the dispensing machine, moving the first substrate to a dispensing position in the dispensing machine, dispensing material onto the first substrate, loading a second substrate into the dispensing machine and unloading the second substrate from the dispensing machine while the first substrate is at the dispensing position.
In yet another aspect, a printing system for use in a production line that produces completed substrates is provided. The printing system includes a first printer that prints material onto a substrate, the first printer having an input to receive raw circuit boards and an output that provides circuit boards having material printed thereon, a second printer that prints material onto a substrate, the second printer having an input to receive raw circuit boards and an output that provides circuit boards having material printed thereon, and a transfer station having a first input, a second input and an output, wherein the first input is coupled to the output of the first printer to receive circuit boards, the second input is coupled to the output of the second printer to receive circuit boards, and the output provides circuit boards. The transfer station may be configured to alternately provide at its output circuit boards from the first printer and circuit boards from the second printer.
Still another aspect of the present invention provides a dispensing system for dispensing material onto substrates. The dispensing system includes an input to receive substrates, an output that provides substrates, a dispensing head that dispenses material onto substrates, and means for moving a second substrate from the input to the output while the first substrate is disposed beneath the dispensing head and material is being dispensed on the first substrate.
The means for moving may include a shuttle conveyor system. The shuttle conveyor system may include an input conveyor segment coupled to the input and configured to convey substrates in a first direction along a first axis, an output conveyor segment coupled to the output and configured to convey substrates in the first direction along the first axis, a center conveyor segment having a front segment and a back segment, each of the front segment and the back segment being configured to convey substrates in the first direction along the first axis, and each of the front segment and the back segment being movable along a second axis, normal to the first axis, to align one of the front segment and the back segment with the input conveyor segment and the output conveyor segment. The dispensing system may further include a front dispensing location and a back dispensing location, wherein the front segment is movable between a center location aligned with the input conveyor segment and the front dispensing location, and wherein the back segment is movable between the center location and the back dispensing location. In addition, the dispensing system may further include a gantry system coupled to the dispensing head that moves the dispensing head over substrates disposed on the front dispensing location and over substrates disposed on the back dispensing location. dr
For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the drawings which are incorporated herein by reference and in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a prior art printed circuit board production line;
FIG. 2 is a diagram of a printed circuit board production line in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a diagram of a printed circuit board production line in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a diagram of a printing system used in embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a diagram of a dispensing system used in embodiments of the present invention;
FIGS. 6a-6d are diagrams depicting the operation of a shuttle conveyor system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 7a-7h are diagrams depicting the operation of a shuttle conveyor system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and
FIGS. 8a-8g are diagrams depicting the operation of the a shuttle conveyor system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

High speed electronic assembly system and method


A portable terminal is disclosed. The portable terminal includes a first housing having a face in which a mounting unit is formed and a second housing combined with the mounting unit in order to rotate while facing the first housing, in which upon 90° clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the second housing disposed in the longitudinal direction of the first housing, one of two side faces of the second housing closely contacts a sidewall of the mounting unit and a lower cross-section of the second housing is as aligned with one of two side faces of the first housing. In the portable terminal, the display device from its longitudinal position can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise and the shapes of the housings are maintained rectangular, thereby sufficiently securing the size of the display device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a portable terminal, and in particular, to a portable terminal in which a pair of housing can rotate while facing each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, portable terminals may be classified into bar-type terminals, flip-type terminals, and folder-type terminals according to their appearance. In the bar-type terminal, a transmitting unit (or a mouthpiece), a receiving unit (or an earpiece), a keypad, and a display device are mounted in a single housing. Since a keypad as a data input unit is exposed at all times, the bar-type terminal is likely to malfunction. Moreover, there is a limitation on miniaturization of the bar-type terminal because a sufficient distance should be maintained between the transmitting unit and the receiving unit.
The flip-type terminal includes a main body, a flip, and a hinge module that combines the main body with the flip. In the flip-type terminal, the transmitting unit, the receiving unit, the keypad, and the display device are mounted in the main body and malfunctioning can be reduced by the flip that covers a keypad as a data input unit. However, there is also a limitation on miniaturization of the flip-type terminal because a sufficient distance should be maintained between the transmitting unit and the receiving unit.
The folder-type terminal includes a main body, a folder, and a hinge module that rotatably combines the main body with the folder. The folder is opened and closed by rotation. When the folder is folded on the main body, it is possible to prevent a keypad from malfunctioning through a call wait mode. When the folder is opened in a call mode, a sufficient distance can be secured between the transmitting unit and the receiving unit, contributing to miniaturization of the terminal.
A mobile communication service using a portable terminal has expanded its range from voice communication and short message transmission to an entertainment service such as games and ring tones and a multimedia service such as moving pictures and on-demand audio/video. At present, terrestrial/satellite Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) can be provided through a portable terminal and a portable terminal having a display device that is rotatable from its longitudinal position to its latitudinal position is provided in order to allow users to conveniently enjoy moving pictures or a broadcasting service.
In order to prevent a housing from being interfered with by another housing during rotation of the display device, some corners of the housing are formed curved, causing a need to reduce the size of the display device.

Portable terminal with rotatable display


A system for creating decision support material indicating damage to an anatomical joint of a patient. The system is configured to: i) receive a series of radiology images of at least a part of the anatomical joint; ii) obtain a three-dimensional image representation of the at least part of the anatomical joint; iii) identify tissue parts of the anatomical joint using image analysis; iv) determine damage to the anatomical joint by analyzing said image representation; v) mark damage to the anatomical joint in the obtained three-dimensional image representation; and vi) generate decision support material. The analysis comprises: detecting an irregular shape of a contour of a tissue part; and/or detecting that the intensity in an area within or adjacent to bone and/or cartilage parts differs from a predetermined value; and/or comparing at least one identified tissue part with a template representing a predefined damage pattern for an anatomical joint.

In order to determine damage to an anatomical joint, it is common in medical practice today to use imaging techniques to depict the anatomical joint of interest and further to have a medical expert analyze the captured image data to determine whether there is damage. The medical expert then makes annotations about the conclusions drawn from the analysis of image data. The annotations are made available to a surgeon or orthopedic staff member who uses the annotations and the captured image data as a decision support for diagnosis and decision of suitable treatment of the patient.
However, this process is not very efficient as a manner of providing decision support, as only a fraction of the information that the medical expert in this way gathers when analyzing the image data, based on the knowledge of the medical expert, can be communicated in the present annotation format. Therefore, the decision support material received by the surgeon or orthopedic staff member is often inadequate.
Pierre Dodin et al: "A fully automated system for quantification of knee bone marrow lesions using MRI and the osteoarthritis initiative cohort", Journal of Biomedical Graphics and Computing, 2013, Vol. 3, No. 1, 20 Nov. 2012 describes an automated BML quantification method.
WO 2015/117663 describes a method of manufacturing a surgical kit for cartilage repair in an articulating surface of a joint in which a three dimensional image representation of a surface of the joint is generated.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for creating a decision support material indicating damage to an anatomical joint


A method for processing multichannel acoustic signals which processes input signals of a plurality of channels including the voices of a plurality of speaking persons. The method is characterized by detecting the voice section of each speaking person or each channel, detecting overlapped sections wherein the detected voice sections are common between channels, determining a channel to be subjected to crosstalk removal and the section thereof by use of at least voice sections not including the detected overlapped sections, and removing crosstalk in the sections of the channel to be subjected to the crosstalk removal.

One example of the related multichannel acoustic signal processing system is described in Patent literature 1. This system is a system for extracting objective voices by removing out-of-object voices and background noise from mixed acoustic signals of voices and noise of a plurality of talkers collected by a plurality of microphones arbitrarily arranged. Further, the above system is a system capable of detecting the objective voices from the above-mentioned mixed acoustic signals.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the noise removal system disclosed in the Patent literature 1. A configuration and an operation of a point of detecting the objective voices from the mixed acoustic signals in the above noise removal system will be explained schematically. The system includes a signal separator 101 that receives and separates input time series signals of a plurality of channels, a noise estimator 102 that receives the separated signals to be outputted from the signal separator 101, and estimates the noise based upon an intensity ratio coming from an intensity ratio calculator 106, and a noise section detector 103 that receives the separated signals to be outputted from the signal separator 101, noise components estimated by the noise estimator 102, and an output of the intensity ratio calculator 106, and detects a noise section/a voice section.

Method for processing multichannel acoustic signal, system therefor, and program


The novel enhanced pool safety device of the present disclosure increases safety around pools and prevents unnecessary drowning. The apparatus is disposed in a pool drain system and had been at least one blade connected to an axle and moved by the suction force provided by the filter system. As water moves from a pool to an intake duct via a drain, the combination of moving water and vacuum force turns blades, which cut foreign materials, such as hair, that comes through the drain grating. The cutting of these materials prevents loss of life that may arise as humans and other objects become entangled in pool drains.

The present disclosure relates to safety devices for pools. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a pool drain safety device and related methods. Several attempts to prevent hair and clothing entanglement in drains have been attempted. These include providing drain systems with sharp edges on which the swimmer may sever tangled hair. Other attempts include grating devices that do not allow hair and clothing to enter the drain. However, such highly exclusive filtration gratings significantly restrict the flow of water into the drain or require substantial surface area, reducing the efficiency of the pool circulation system. Thus, there has been a longstanding need for a system that does not restrict the flow of water into the drain and that cuts entangled objects without requiring the swimmer's intervention. However, none of these devices address or overcome those issues ameliorated by the present invention.
The following references are relevant to attempts to address the problem: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,868,984; 5,031,320; 6,088,842; 6,751,814; and 6,810,537, as well as published Patent Application US 2004/0093666, each of which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

Pool drain safety devices and related methods


The power steering mechanism for vehicles, in particular motor boats, has a control wheel that is drive-connected to a control via cable that is attached thereto and a lever system connected thereto. The core of the cable is mechanically connected to the lever system whereas the sheath of the cable is attached to the displaceable control member of the control valve. The control valve controls a hydraulic operating cylinder whose power piston also acts on the lever system of the control. To simplify and reduce the size of the arrangement, the operating cylinder and the control valve are built directly together in axial direction, and the core of the cable penetrates the control member of the control valve and is connected to the power piston of the operating cylinder and in this manner is also connected to the lever system of the control.

The present invention relates to a power steering mechanism for vehicles, in particular motor boats, with a control wheel, a cable that is to be attached thereto having a core and a sheath, and a lever system which is connected to the core and is drive-connected to the control of the vehicle or motor boat. The sheath of the cable is braced at the control means wheel and is attached to an adjustable control member of a control valve, which controls a hydraulic operating cylinder, whose power piston also acts on the lever system.
A power steering mechanism of this kind disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,833. The control wheel is connected via a swivel lever to the core of the cable whose sheath is clamped immovably in the region of the control wheel. At the other end, the core is connected to the lever system of the control, whereas the sheath of the cable is connected to the adjustable control member of the control valve. In this known design the cable acts on a private operating system for the control valve separated from it. The operating cylinder is also separated from the control valve. To connect the separated control systems, they must have their own pressure medium lines, which can be damaged and lead to stoppages. The cable and power piston require their own lever system. The known power steering mechanism is, therefore, expensive and bulky, and needs a relatively large space which is often not available, especially on motor boats.
A power steering mechanism of this kind is also known in which the control valve and the operating cylinder are built parallel to one another in a common housing, wherein the core of the cable pierces the control member of the control valve axially and is attached to an operating linkage for the control. In this manner a separate system to actuate the control valve can be dispensed with. For servo support by means of the operating cylinder, however, this known device needs its own operating linkage.

Power steering mechanism for vehicles, particularly motor boats


A converter having electrically heatable strips connected in an electrical circuit, and intertwined with non-electricvally heated thin metal strips, having an electrical connection, or anchor, from the electrically heatable thin metal strips to the non-electrically heated thin metal strips, whereby the potential difference between the electrically heatable strips non-electrically heatable thin metal strips is reduced.

This invention is, as indicated, an improvement on a combined electrically heatable converter including an electrically heatable portion and a "light-off" portion, each portion being made up of corrugated thin metal strips or layers in alternating relation with flat thin metal strips or layers. Electrical power is supplied to the electrically heatable portion only. Such devices are described in co-pending, commonly owned U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 08/013,516 filed 3 Feb. 1993 by Whittenberger and Woodruff, and 08/066,887 filed 25 May 1993 by Whittenberger. These applications are incorporated herein by reference thereto.
The invention will be described in connection with embodiments especially adapted for use in exhaust lines from various types of engines, e.g., internal combustion engines of the spark ignited or compression ignited types, stationary or mobile, or gas turbine engines. It will be understood, however, that the converters of the present invention may be used to effect various chemical reactions, particularly those occurring in fluid streams, especially gas streams, which reactions are catalyzed or uncatalyzed.
Turning now to converters especially useful in exhaust lines extending from internal combustion engines, e.g., those used in automotive vehicles, the purpose of such catalytic converters is to convert pollutant materials present in the exhaust stream, e.g., carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, ozone, nitrogen oxides, etc., to carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxygen and water prior to discharge to the atmosphere. Conventional automotive catalytic converters utilize an oval or circular cross-section ceramic honeycomb monolith having square or triangular straight-through openings or cells with catalyst deposited on the walls of the cells; catalyst coated refractory metal oxide beads or pellets, e.g., alumina beads; or a corrugated thin metal foil multicelled honeycomb monolith having a refractory metal oxide coating and catalyst carried on the coating and supported on the surfaces of the cells. The catalyst is normally a noble metal, e.g., platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, or a mixture of two or more of such metals. Zeolite coatings may also be used for the adsorption and desorption of pollutants to aid in their removal. The catalyst catalyzes a chemical reaction, mainly oxidation, whereby the pollutant is converted to a harmless by-product which passes through the exhaust system to the atmosphere.
However, conversion to such harmless by-products is not efficient initially when the exhaust gases are relatively cold, e.g., at cold engine start. To be effective at a high conversion rate, the catalyst and the surface of the converter must be at or above a minimum temperature, e.g., 390 degrees F. for carbon monoxide, 570 degrees F. for volatile organic compounds, and about 900 degrees F. for methane or natural gas. Otherwise, conversion to harmless by-products is poor and cold start pollution of the atmosphere is high. It has been estimated that as much as 80% of the atmospheric pollution caused by vehicles even though equipped with conventional non-electrically heated catalytic converters, occurs in the first two minutes of operation of the engine from cold start. Once the exhaust system has reached its normal operating temperature, a non-electrically heated catalytic converter is optimally effective. Hence, it is necessary for the relatively cold exhaust gases to make contact with hot catalyst so as to effect satisfactory conversion. Compression ignited engines, spark ignited engines, reactors in gas turbines, small bore engines such as used in lawn mowers, trimmers, boat engines, and the like have this need.
To achieve initial heating of the catalyst at engine start-up, there is conveniently provided an electrically heatable catalytic converter unit, preferably one formed of a thin metal honeycomb monolith. The monolith may be formed of spaced flat thin metal strips, straight-through corrugated thin metal strips, pattern corrugated thin metal strips, e.g., herringbone or chevron corrugated thin metal strips, or variable pitch corrugated thin metal strips (such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,588 dated 7 Mar. 1989 to Bullock et al) or a combination thereof, which monolith is connected to a 12 volt to 108 volt or higher AC or DC voltage source, single or multi-phase, preferably at the time of engine start-up and afterwards to elevate the catalyst to and maintain the catalyst at a temperature of at least 650 degrees F. plus or minus 30 degrees F. Alternatively, power may also be supplied for a few seconds prior to engine start-up.
Catalytic converters containing a corrugated thin metal (stainless steel) monolith have been known since at least the early 1970's. See Kitzner U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,768,982 and 3,770,389 each dated 30 Oct. 1973. More recently, corrugated thin metal monoliths have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,009 dated 8 Dec. 1987 to Cornelison et al; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,152,302 dated 1 May 1979, 4,273,681 dated 16 Jun. 1981, 4,282,186 dated 4 Aug. 1981, 4,381,590 dated 3 May 1983, 4,400,860 dated 30 Aug. 1983, 4,519,120, dated 28 May 1985, 4,521,947 dated 11 Jun. 1985, 4,647,435 dated 3 Mar. 1987, 4,665,051, dated 12 May 1987 all to Nonnenmann alone or with another; U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,694 dated 10 Dec. 1991 to Whittenberger; International PCT Publication Numbers WO 89/10470 (EP 412,086) and WO 89/10471 (EP 412,103) each filed 2 Nov. 1989 claiming priority date of 25 Apr. 1988. The above International Publication Numbers disclose methods and apparatus for increasing the internal resistance of the device by placing spaced discs in series, or electrically insulating intermediate layers. Another International PCT Publication is WO 90/12951 published 9 Apr. 1990 and claiming a priority date of 21 Apr. 1989, seeks to improve axial strength by form locking layers of insulated plates. Another reference which seeks to improve axial strength is U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,275 dated 8 Oct. 1991 to Kannainian et al. Reference may also be had to PCT Publication Number WO 92/13636 filed 29 Jan. 1992 claiming a priority date of 31 Jan. 1991. This application relates to a honeycomb body along an axis of which fluid can flow through a plurality of channels. The honeycomb has at least two discs in spaced relation to each other. According to the specification, there is at least one bar type support near the axis by which the discs are connected together and mutually supported. The invention is said to make possible design of the first disc for fast heating up through through exhaust gas passing through or applied electrical current. The honeycomb body serves as a bearer for catalyst in the exhaust system of an internal combustion engine. Another reference is German Patent Application Number 4,102,890 A1 filed 31 Jan. 1991 and published 6 Aug. 1992. This application discloses a spirally wound corrugated and flat strip combination wherein the flat strip contains slots and perforations and is electrically heatable. The flat strips include a bridge between leading and trailing portions. Groups of such strips are separated by insulation means. The core is provided with a pair of circular retainer segments which are separated by insulation means. Another reference is U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,743 dated 7 Apr. 1992 to Maus. This patent discloses a honeycomb catalyst carrier body of round, oval or elliptical cross-section including a jacket tube and a stack of at least partially structured sheet metal alyers intertwined in different directions in the jacket tube. The stack has a given length and a given width. At least one of the sheet metal layers has a greater thickness over at least part of one of the dimensions than others of the layers. Such at least one layer is formed of thicker metal or of a plurality of identically structured metal sheets in contiguous relation.
Most recently, combined electrically heatable and "light-off" converters have been provided in which electrically heatable flat thin metal strips are alternated with non-electrically heatable corrugated thin metal strips and spirally wound in a jacket tube to provide what is called an integral structure, that is, where the electrically heatable portion is tied to the "light-off" portion by interleafing the corrugated thin metal sheets with the flat, electrically heatable thin metal sheets, and intertwining the assembly, as by spirally winding, into a suitable housing or jacket tube. Such structures are disclosed in the aforesaid Ser. No. 08/013,516 and 08/066,887.
A common problem with prior devices has been their inability to survive severe automotive industry durability tests which are known as the Hot Shake Test and the Hot Cycling Test.
The Hot Shake Test involves oscillating (100 to 200 Hertz and 28 to 60 G inertial loading) the device in a vertical attitude at a high temperature (between 800 and 950 degrees C.; 1472 to 1742 degrees F., respectively) with exhaust gas from a running internal combustion engine simultaneously passing through the device. If the catalytic device telescopes or displays separation or folding over of the leading or upstream edges of the foil leaves up to a predetermined time, e.g., 5 to 200 hours, the device is said to fail the test. Five hours is equivalent to 1.8 million cycles at 100 Hertz.
The Hot Cycling Test is one with exhaust gas flowing at 800 to 950 degrees C.; 1472 to 1742 degrees F.) and cycled to 120 to 150 degrees C. once every 15 to 20 minutes, for 300 hours. Telescoping or separation of the leading edges of the thin metal foil strips is considered a failure.
The Hot Shake Test and the Hot Cycling Test are hereinafter called "Hot Tests" and have proved very difficult to survive. Other durability tests are known for EHC's including an electrical cycling test. The EHC is heated to 500-700 degrees C. at rated power and then fan cooled, cycling every 1-3 minutes. This is done for 50,000 cycles. There should be no changes in electrical resistance.
The structures of the present invention will survive these Hot Tests.
In the following description, reference will be made to "ferritic" stainless steel. A suitable ferritic stainless steel for use particularly in the engine exhaust applications hereof is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,023 dated 8 Nov. 1983 to Aggen. A specific ferritic stainless steel alloy useful herein contains 20% chromium, 5% aluminum, and from 0.002% to 0.05% of at least one rate earth metal selected from cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, yttrium, and praseodymium, or a mixture of two or more of such rare earth metals, balance iron and trace steel making impurities. A ferritic stainless steel is commercially available from Allegheny Ludlum Steel Co. under the trademark "Alfa IV." Another metal alloy especially useful herein is identified as Haynes 214 alloy which is commercially available. This alloy and other nickeliferous alloys are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,931 date 9 Jun. 1987 to Herchenroeder et al. A specific example contains 75% nickel, 16% chromium; 4.5% aluminum, 3% iron, optionally trace amounts of one or more rare earth metals except yttrium, 0.05% carbon and steel making impurities. Haynes 230 alloy, also useful herein, has a composition containing 22% chromium, 14% tungsten, 2% molybdenum, 0.10% carbon, and a trace amount of lanthanum, balance nickel. The ferritic stainless steels and the Haynes alloys 214 and 230 are examples of high temperature resistive, oxidation resistant (or corrosion resistant) metal alloys that are suitable for use in making thin metal strips for use in the converter bodies hereof, and particularly for making heater strips for the EHC (electrically heatable converter) portions and "light-off" portions hereof. Suitable metals must be able to withstand "high" temperatures of 900 degrees C. to 1200 degrees C. (1652 degrees F. to 2012 degrees F.) over prolonged periods.
Other high temperature resistive, oxidation resistant metals are known and may be used herein. For most applications, and particularly automotive applications, these alloys are used a "thin" metal strips, that is, having a thickness of from about 0.001" to about 0.005", and preferably from 0.0015" to about 0.003".

Method for reducing the potential difference in an electrically heatable converter by connecting the strip heater to corrugated strip with an electrical conductor


The present invention relates to a beverage preparation device (100) including a plurality of storage chambers for storing several ingredients having each a different taste property, a user interface (14) for receiving data representing a user's preferred taste, a taste management unit (10) and a generator (15). The taste management unit (10) includes a memory (11) for storing a reference table which describes the taste property of each ingredient and a processor (12) for determining the dosage of each ingredient to be used according to the reference table and the user's preferred taste. The generator (15) generates beverages from the several ingredients according to the determined dosage. The main advantage of this invention is that the beverage preparation device (100) can provide beverages according to the user's desired taste.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a food processor, and more particularly to a beverage preparation device such as a juicer or a blender. The present invention also relates to a method of preparing beverages.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Juicers and blenders are very good kitchen appliances for consumers. A juicer is used for squeezing and extracting juice from fruits (apple, peach, orange, lemon, grape, lime, grapefruit, etc.), vegetables (sweet corn, carrot, celery, cabbage, etc.) and herbs. The pulp is usually discarded. A blender differs from a juicer in that it does not separate the juice from the pulp.
However, currently these beverage preparation devices focus more on the convenience of the design, the robustness of the cutters, the separation of the pulp and the juice, cleaning aspects, while the taste of beverages is a matter that is left entirely to the raw material(s) used. Taste sensation is the most important aspect for consumers. No matter how healthy the beverage is, if consumers cannot stand the final taste sensation, for instance if it is too sour, too bitter, the consumer might refuse to drink it. Even if a recipe mentions to add sugar, honey, it still requires the practical experience of the consumers. And it is very hard for consumers to quickly find the right taste balance. Besides, even if the raw materials are the same type, their taste will still vary, because the production location, the storage method, etc. are different. As a result the consumer will not be confident enough about the taste result. It is even worse if the beverage is served to kids.
Furthermore, at home, the family members have different taste preferences. But current beverage preparation devices can only provide a single taste if the ingredients are the same.
Accordingly, there is a need to improve the current beverage preparation devices in terms of taste management.

Method and device for preparing beverages


This invention relates to a method of post preparation of an injection compound which is useable for injection in for instance existing rock cracks or cracks arisen in connection with blasting away rock during for instance tunnel driving, the injection compound having been subject to a preparation, leading to that the injection compound has been given qualities with regard to shape of the crack formations of the rock. According to the invention, the method is characterized in that the injection compound is subjected to a post preparation in the form of a passage through a wire netting, the size of the mesh and the wire dimension of which being determined from a judgement of the following points: the size of the cracks and the cavities in the rock; the tendency of the injection compound to build up filter cakes; desired rheological qualities of the injection compound. The invention also relates to a device for making the method possible.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a method and arrangement for post preparation of an injection compound which is useable for injection into for instance existing rock cracks or cracks arisen in connection with blasting away rock during for instance tunnel driving, the injection compound having been subjected to a preparation, leading to that the injection compound has been given qualities with regard to the shape of the crack formations of the rock.
2. Description of the Background Art
In spite of the fact that the injection compound has been given qualities in relation to the shape of the crack formations of the rock, problems have appeared to arise with the tightening when injecting the injection compound in the rock This fact depends upon what is happening with the injection compound during the time period passing between the preparation and the injection itself of the prepared compound. In this connection, the following reasons have been able to be verified:
A not desired temperature increase during the preparation in a mixer;
Chemical reactions and viscosity changes after the mixing;
Handling problems during the transfer from the mixer to the pump;
Pressure and streaming problems in the pump and tubes which can result in agglomerate formations, whereby the risk is that big particle agglomerates and for instance ettringite formations will follow into the rock cracks and plug up these ones.
The mentioned problems have been eliminated by the present invention which includes the moment that the injection compound is subjected to a post preparation comprising the step that the injection compound with a flow and a pressure adapted to the same is forced to pass through a wire netting, which has been chosen according to the following criteria:
Assumption of the size of the cracks and cavities in the rock;
The tendency of the injection compound to build up filter cakes;
Desired streaming of the injection compound through the gaps;
The reological qualities of the injection compound.

Arrangement for post preparation of an injection compound


A method of determining a physical property of a substrate includes recording a first spectrum obtained from a substrate, the first spectrum being obtained during a polishing process that alters a physical property of the substrate. The method includes identifying, in a database, at least one of several previously recorded spectra that is similar to the recorded first spectrum. Each of the spectra in the database has a physical property value associated therewith. The method includes generating a signal indicating that a first value of the physical property is associated with the first spectrum, the first value being determined using the physical property value associated with the identified previously recorded spectrum in the database. A system for determining a physical property of a substrate includes a polishing machine, an endpoint determining module, and a database.

There are many situations in which light rays can be used for determining a physical characteristic of a material. For example, it is sometimes desirable to measure the thickness of a layer that is deposited on top of a substrate. That is, when a layer on top of a substrate is being planarized or otherwise partially removed in a polishing process, one may want to determine (directly or indirectly) the remaining thickness so that too much material is not removed. As another example, when a layer is being deposited on a substrate, one may want to determine (directly or indirectly) the deposited thickness so that too much or too little of the layer material is not deposited. It can also be important to determine uniformity of the layer thickness. Thus, the purpose of determining the thickness in some situations may be to determine a desired end point of a manufacturing process or what pressure profile to use across the wafer, and/or a polish time to use for the wafer. In other examples, a physical characteristic such as thickness may be determined for quality control, classification, calibration, compatibility testing, or other purposes.
Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is one example of a manufacturing process in which end point determination or real-time thickness monitoring is performed. For example, CMP is sometimes performed on a wafer or other substrate that includes integrated circuits. An integrated circuit is typically formed on a substrate by the sequential deposition of conductive, semiconductive or isolative layers on a silicon wafer. After each layer is deposited, the layer is etched to create circuitry features. As a series of layers are sequentially deposited and etched, the outer or uppermost surface of the substrate, i.e., the exposed surface of the substrate, becomes increasingly non-planar. This non-planar surface presents problems in the photolithographic steps of the integrated circuit fabrication process or the electrical properties of the contact lines or the devices. The deposited layers must be planarized and then polished down to a specified thickness.
CMP is one accepted method of planarization. This planarization method typically requires that the substrate be mounted on a carrier or polishing head. The exposed surface of the substrate is placed against a rotating polishing pad, or a pad that is an axially moving sheet. The polishing pad may be either a "standard" pad or a fixed-abrasive pad. A standard pad has a durable roughened surface, whereas a fixed-abrasive pad has abrasive particles held in a containment media. The carrier head provides a controllable load profile, i.e., pressure, on the substrate to push it against the polishing pad. A polishing slurry, including at least one chemically-reactive agent, and abrasive particles if a standard pad is used, is supplied to the surface of the polishing pad.
The effectiveness of a CMP process may be measured by its polishing rate, and by the resulting finish (absence of small-scale roughness) and flatness (absence of large-scale topography) of the substrate surface. The polishing rate, finish and flatness are determined by many factors, including the pad and slurry combination, the carrier head configuration, the relative speed between the substrate and pad, and the force pressing the substrate against the pad.
In order to determine the effectiveness of different polishing tools and processes, a so-called "blank" wafer, i.e., a wafer with multiple layers but no pattern, may be polished in a tool/process qualification step. After polishing, the remaining layer thickness may be measured at several points on the substrate surface. The variation in layer thickness provides a measure of the wafer surface uniformity, and a measure of the relative polishing rates in different regions of the substrate. One approach to determining the substrate layer thickness and polishing uniformity is to remove the substrate from the polishing apparatus and examine it. For example, the substrate may be transferred to a metrology station where the thickness of the substrate layer is measured, e.g., with an ellipsometer. This process can be time-consuming and thus costly, and the metrology equipment is costly.
One challenge in CMP is determining whether the polishing process is complete or uniform, i.e., whether a substrate layer has been uniformly planarized to a desired flatness or thickness. Many different factors can cause variations in the material removal rate, including variations in the initial thickness of the substrate layer and its properties, the slurry composition, the polishing pad condition, the relative speed between the polishing pad and the substrate, and the load on the substrate. These variations in turn cause variations in the time needed to reach the desired thickness and uniformity. Therefore, these and other properties cannot be determined merely as a function of polishing time.

Determining physical property of substrate


A data communication receiver (605) receives and stores a set of image data and displays images associated therewith on a display (600') having rows divided into first and second segments (705, 710). The data communication receiver (605) comprises a database (635) for storing a set of orthonormal functions and row drivers (650) coupled to the database (635) for driving the first segment (705) of the display (600') with first voltages associated with a first subset of orthonormal functions and driving the second segment (710) of the display (600') with second voltages associated with a remaining function included in the set of orthonormal functions during a first plurality of sequential time slots. The row drivers (650) also drive the first segment (705) with the second voltages associated with the remaining function and drive the second segment (710) with the first voltages associated with the first subset of orthonormal functions during a second plurality of sequential time slots.

An example of a direct multiplexed, rms (root mean square) responding electronic display is the well-known liquid crystal display (LCD). In such a display, a nematic liquid crystal material is positioned between two parallel glass plates having electrodes applied to each surface in contact with the liquid crystal material. The electrodes typically are arranged in vertical columns on one plate and horizontal rows on the other plate for driving a picture element (pixel) wherever a column and row electrode overlap.
In rms-responding displays, the optical state of a pixel is substantially responsive to the square of the voltage applied to the pixel, i.e., the difference in the voltages applied to the electrodes on the opposite sides of the pixel, LCDs have an inherent time constant that characterizes the time required for the optical state of a pixel to return to an equilibrium state after the optical state has been modified by changing the voltage applied to the pixel. Recent technological advances have produced LCDs with time constants (approximately 16.7 milliseconds) approaching the frame period used in many video displays. Such a short time constant allows the LCD to respond quickly and is especially advantageous for depicting motion without noticeable smearing or flickering of the displayed image.
Conventional direct multiplexed addressing methods for LCDs encounter a problem when the display time constant approaches the frame period. The problem occurs because conventional direct multiplexed addressing methods subject each pixel to a short duration "selection" pulse once per frame. The voltage level of the selection pulse is typically 7-13 times higher than the rms voltages averaged over the frame period. The optical state of a pixel in an LCD having a short time constant tends to return towards an equilibrium state between selection pulses, resulting in lowered image contrast, because the human eye integrates the resultant brightness transients at a perceived intermediate level. In addition, the high level of the selection pulse can cause alignment instabilities in some types of LCDs.
To overcome the above-described problems, an "active addressing" method for driving rms responding electronic displays has been developed. The active addressing method continuously drives the row electrodes with signals comprising a train of periodic pulses having a common period T corresponding to the frame period. The row signals are independent of the image to be displayed and preferably are orthogonal and normalized, i.e., orthonormal. The term "orthogonal" denotes that, if the amplitude of a signal applied to one of the rows is multiplied by the amplitude of a signal applied to another one of the rows, the integral of this product over the frame period is zero. The term "normalized" denotes that all the row signals have the same rms voltage integrated over the frame period T.
During each frame period a plurality of signals for the column electrodes are calculated and generated from the collective state of the pixels in each of the columns. The column voltage at any time t during the frame period is proportional to the sum obtained by considering each pixel in the column, multiplying a "pixel value" representing the optical state (either -1 for fully "on", +1 for fully "off", or values between -1 and +1 for proportionally corresponding gray shades) of the pixel by the value of that pixel's row signal at time t, and adding the products obtained thereby to the sum. In effect, the column voltages can be derived by transforming each column of a matrix of incoming image data by the orthonormal signals utilized for driving the rows of the display.
If driven in the active addressing manner described above, it can be shown mathematically that there is applied to each pixel of the display an rms voltage averaged over the frame period, and that the rms voltage is proportional to the pixel value for the frame. The advantage of active addressing is that it restores high contrast to the displayed image because, instead of applying a single, high level selection pulse to each pixel during the frame period, active addressing applies a plurality of much lower level (2-5 times the rms voltage) selection pulses spread throughout the frame period. In addition, the much lower level of the selection pulses substantially reduces the probability of alignment instabilities. As a result, utilizing an active addressing method, rms responding electronic displays, such as LCDs utilized in portable radio devices, can display image data at video speeds without smearing or flickering. Additionally, LCDs driven with an active addressing method can display image data having multiple shades without the contrast problems present in LCDs driven with conventional multiplexed addressing methods.
A drawback to utilizing active addressing results from the large number of calculations required to generate column and row signals for driving an rms-responding display and the large amount of memory required for storage of the signals. For example, a display having 480 rows and 640 columns requires approximately 230, 400 (#rows.sup.2) operations simply for generation of the column values for a single column during one frame period. While it is, of course, possible to perform calculations at this rate, such complex, rapidly performed calculations necessitate a large amount of power consumption. Therefore, a method referred to as "reduced line addressing" has been developed.
In reduced line addressing, the rows of a display are evenly divided and addressed separately. If, for instance, a display having 480 rows and 640 columns is utilized to display image data, the display could be divided into eight groups of sixty (60) roves, which are each addressed for 1/8 of the frame time, thus requiring only 60 (rather than 480) orthonormal signals for driving the rows. In operation, columns of an orthonormal matrix, which is representative of the orthonormal signals, are applied to rows of the different segments during different time periods. During the different time periods, the columns of the display are driven with rows of a "transformed image data matrix", which is representative of the image data which has been previously transformed, as described above, utilizing the orthonormal signals. In reduced line addressing, however, the transformed image data matrix can be transformed using the smaller set of orthonormal signals, i.e., using 60 orthonormal signals rather than 480 orthonormal signals. More specifically, the image data matrix is divided into segments of 60 rows, and each segment is transformed in an independent transformation using the 60 orthonormal signals to generate the transformed image data matrix.
Using the reduced line addressing method as described, approximately 3,600, i.e., 60.sup.2 operations are required for generation of the column voltages for a single column during each segment time. Because the frame period has been divided into eight segments, the total number of operations for generation of the column voltages for a single column during the frame period is approximately 28, 800, i.e., 8 * 3,600. Therefore, in the above-described example, generating column values for driving a single column of a 480.times.640 display over an entire frame period using reduced line addressing requires only an eighth of the operations necessary for column voltage generation when the display is addressed as a whole. It will be appreciated that the reduced line addressing method therefore necessitates less power and less time for performance of the required operations.
However, because the signals for driving the rows and columns of the display are distributed in time when reduced line addressing is used, all of the column signals for driving the columns of the display over an entire frame period must be derived and stored in memory prior to driving the display. Therefore, depending upon the size of the display, the amount of memory required for storage of the signals can be quite large, and the memory requirements are not reduced from the requirements of conventional active addressing techniques. In fact, in some chips currently used for driving displays using active addressing techniques, the memory required for calculation and storage of the column signals can consume up to 90% of the chip.
Thus, what is needed is method and apparatus for reducing the amount of memory required for derivation and storage of column signals for driving columns of an active-addressed display.

Method and apparatus for reducing memory requirements in a reduced line active addressing display system


An improved gas turbine engine control system maintains a selected level of engine performance despite the failure or abnormal operation of one or more engine parameter sensors. The control system employs a continuously updated engine model which simulates engine performance and generates signals representing real time estimates of the engine parameter sensor signals. The estimate signals are transmitted to a control computational unit which utilizes them in lieu of the actual engine parameter sensor signals to control the operation of the engine. The estimate signals are also compared with the corresponding actual engine parameter sensor signals and the resulting difference signals are utilized to update the engine model. If a particular difference signal exceeds specific tolerance limits, the difference signal is inhibited from updating the model and a sensor failure indication is provided to the engine operator.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to gas turbine engine control systems and more particularly to an apparatus in a gas turbine control system for detecting the failure of an engine parameter sensor and taking corrective action.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Gas turbine engine control systems, particularly for use in controlling aircraft engines, generally include a number of sensors which measure various engine parameters. These sensors measure performance parameters, typically gas generator and fan rotational velocities and engine operating pressures and temperatures as well as controlled parameters, typically fuel flow and variable geometry positions. The signals developed by such sensors are used to control actuators such as of the electrohydraulic and electromechanical type which vary the position of the controlled parameters, to control the operation of the engine. In a conventional engine control system the engine parameter sensors are connected directly to a control computational unit within the engine control system. The control computational unit may be analog in which dedicated circuits perform continuous computations or it may be digital in which computations are performed sequentially on a time-sharing basis. In either case, the control computational unit using directly the sensed values for both the engine performance parameters and the controlled parameters and known engine behavior characteristics computes signals to modify the controlled parameters in order to maintain a selected level of engine performance. The signals from the control computation unit are amplified, conditioned and then transmitted to the actuators which alter the controlled parameters.
One potential problem associated with such prior art control systems is that the loss of a signal representative of the true value of the parameter from one or more engine performance parameter sensors or controlled parameter sensors may cause a loss of control of one or more of the controlled parameters resulting in a loss of control of engine performance. Such a signal loss may be due to any number of factors including the failure or malfunctioning of the sensor itself, the failure or malfunctioning of the interconnection between the sensor and the control computational unit or the failure of malfunctioning of any of the processing circuitry for the sensor signals. All such failures, abnormal operations, malfunctions, etc. sometimes are referred to herein as failure or failures.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of this invention to provide a control system for a gas turbine engine which prevents loss of control of engine performance in the event of the loss of a true signal from an engine parameter sensor.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a control system which transmits an indication to the engine operator when the failure or malfunctioning of an engine parameter sensor or its associated circuitry has occurred.

Apparatus for sensor failure detection and correction in a gas turbine engine control system

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration


A cigarette packing method and machine, whereby an output wheel feeds along a folding path a number of gripping heads, each of which receives and retains, by the ends, a relative packet having minor lateral walls, each defined by an inner longitudinal tab and an outer longitudinal tab superimposed one on top of the other; each packet is fed onto the folding path with its outer longitudinal tabs open, detached from the respective inner longitudinal tabs, and supported by respective folding wings carried by the gripping head; and the folding path extends through a folding station where the folding wings of each gripping head are moved to fold the respective outer longitudinal tabs into a closed position contacting the relative inner longitudinal tabs, and, at the same time, an outward-facing major lateral wall of each packet is kept flat by contact with an external contrast device.

In the tobacco industry, cigarette packing machines are known comprising an output wheel which rotates about a respective axis to feed a number of gripping heads along a folding path. Each gripping head is engaged by and retains a respective packet of cigarettes comprising two minor longitudinal lateral walls, each of which is defined by an outer longitudinal tab and an inner longitudinal tab superimposed and connected integrally to each other.
In known machines of the above type, each gripping head receives the relative packet with the relative outer longitudinal tabs in an open position, and comprises two folding wings, each of which is movable, at a folding station extending along a portion of the folding path, from an initial open position supporting the relative outer longitudinal tab in the open position, and a final closed position to fold the relative outer longitudinal tab into a closed position contacting the relative inner longitudinal tab.
In known machines of the above type, the movement of the folding wings into the final closed position has been found to compress the packets transversely, thus resulting, particularly when using thin blanks, in at least one of the major lateral walls of the packets bulging outwards.


The present invention monitors and removes contaminants from dielectric fluids by utilizing an apparatus having a chamber and tube configuration. The chamber encloses a plurality of tubes which include porous hollow fibers with an inert polymer coating. Conduits route the dielectric fluid to and from operative equipment. An atmosphere control device creates an atmospheric condition within the chamber that causes contaminants within the dielectric fluid to migrate through the tubes into the chamber, thereby producing refined dielectric fluid. The method of the present invention removes contaminants from a dielectric fluid. The dielectric fluid is routed from operative equipment and passes through tubes enclosed within a chamber. An atmospheric condition is created within the chamber to cause contaminants within the dielectric fluid to migrate into the chamber. A refined dielectric fluid is produced which is directed back to the operative equipment. The contaminants removed from the dielectric fluid may further be analyzed, monitored, have any moisture therein removed, or be vented to atmosphere.

Many types of mechanical and electrical operative equipment contain a dielectric fluid for dissipating heat generated by energized components, and/or for insulating components from one another or from the operative equipment enclosure. Examples of such operative equipment include various types of electrical equipment such as transformers, capacitors, switches, and load tap changers. Dielectric fluids used in operative equipment typically comprise blends of compounds in the group including: paraffinic, naphthenic, and other organic fluids such as polyalphaolefins, esters, and natural vegetable oils.
Large electrical transformers generally rely upon dielectric fluids such as transformer oil, for the purpose of cooling and insulating transformer components. Over time, components within the transformer, such as insulating paper or the dielectric fluid itself, degrade. Also, if the transformer overheats or malfunctions, the dielectric fluid may further degrade. These degrading conditions cause contaminants such as gases, moisture and other volatile compounds to be diffused into the dielectric fluid. The volatile compounds may include a host of products, including products originating from the decomposition of insulating paper or its additives. As a result, the dielectric fluid's insulating and cooling properties are altered, thereby diminishing the transformer's efficiency and promoting transformer failure. In general, the dielectric fluid's and solid insulation's properties degrade more rapidly in the presence of dissolved moisture and oxygen, which may ingress through gaskets, seals or oil expansion systems from the atmosphere or as a result of solid decomposition.
To maintain ideal dielectric fluid properties, any impurities present in a dielectric fluid need to be removed periodically. Typically, removal of dissolved gases, moisture and volatile compounds from dielectric fluid is accomplished by applying a combination of a vacuum and heat to the dielectric fluid. Applying a vacuum to the dielectric fluid while a transformer is in use can generate bubbles and put the transformer at risk by compromising its dielectric integrity. A transformer therefore is usually removed from service in order to purify the dielectric fluid. In most cases, the oil is degassed, dehydrated, and purified using a combination of vacuum and fuller's earth processes in external oil processing equipment and by recirculating the oil within the transformer tank.
Separation of dissolved gases from insulating oils has been accomplished in the prior art by permeation through thin wall tubing. This has however proved to be too slow for on-line degassing, moisture removal or near real time monitoring of dissolved gases in transformers oils.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,082 discloses a means of continually upgrading transformer oil by passing the oil through a series of filters. A degassing filter uses a permeable membrane of polymeric material to filter low molecular weight gases from the oil. This design utilizes a flat membrane structure which does not remove a satisfactory amount of gas from the oil because the surface area of oil exposed to the gas removing membrane is not optimal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,914,154 discloses a process for making a gas permeable membrane and filter for purifying a gas. A gas containing impurities, such as oil droplets, is purified by trapping the impurities on one side of the membrane while recovering the desired purified gas from the other side of the membrane. This apparatus does not address degassification of fluids.
There are several products commercially available for degassing water or removal of organic compounds from water using porous hollow fibers. These products, however, are not compatible with insulating oils. U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,837 discloses an apparatus for degassing a liquid such as water or the like, using a semi-porous filter. This apparatus is however unsuitable for degassing dielectric fluids.
It is well known in the art to monitor the contents of dielectric fluid by sampling of gas or dielectric fluids for laboratory analysis. If the contaminants present within the dielectric fluid could be separated from the fluid and independently analyzed, such an analysis would lead to a more accurate determination of the overall condition of the transformer. Such an analysis would also facilitate in situ analysis and continuous on-line monitoring of gases, moisture and volatile compounds indicative of incipient dielectric failure or excessive overheating of insulating components.
In view of the foregoing, it would be highly desirable to provide an apparatus and method for continuously monitoring and purifying a dielectric fluid while it is in use by operative equipment.

Apparatus and method for monitoring and purifying dielectric fluids