When a jig to be used at the time of cutting and machining a workpiece W with a laser beam machine 1 is produced, a shape of a workpiece supporting portion 23a for supporting the workpiece by abutting on the workpiece at the time of supporting the workpiece is produced from drawing data CD showing the three dimensional shape of the workpiece.

This invention relates to a method of producing a jig for use at the time of fixing a workpiece when three dimensional cutting machining is executed on a workpiece with a three dimensional linear cutting machine, such as a laser beam machine and a plasma gas cutting device.
In the three dimensional linear cutting machining with laser beam or plasma gas, a jig for fixing a workpiece at the time of machining is used in order to machine a workpiece having solid shape.
In order to produce such a jig, much time and many costs are necessary in a conventional way since a craftsman manually produces it every workpiece to be machined.
Under this situation, the time and cost necessary for producing the jig is bigger than ones for cutting machining on a workpiece itself. Such an inclination is specifically outstanding when the number of workpieces to be machined is small, and is an obstruction for realizing production of many kinds of articles with small quantity which is a recent course.
The object of the present invention is to provide a method of producing a jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining, capable of easily producing a jug for three dimensional cutting machining without a craftsman, taking the above-mentioned situation into consideration.
The invention of claim 1 is a method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining when a jig to be used for fixing a workpiece is produced at the time of executing cutting machining on said workpiece with the three dimensional linear cutting machining unit; comprising:
producing a shape of a workpiece supporting portion for supporting said workpiece by abutting on said workpiece from drawing data showing three dimensional shape of said workpiece when said workpiece is supported on a table of said three dimensional linear cutting machining unit through said jig;
cutting two or more jig parts each having a shape corresponding to said shape of said workpiece supporting portion out of a material sheet on the basis of said shape of said workpiece supporting portion produced; and
assembling said two or more jig parts cut out and producing a jig assembly having said shape corresponding to said workpiece supporting portion by said jig parts assembled.
According to the invention of claim 1, the jig assembly to be used at the time of machining the workpiece can be assembled and produced, forming the workpiece supporting portion having the shape corresponding to the three dimensional shape of the workpiece from the drawing data showing the three dimensional shape of the workpiece, and the jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining can be easily produced without a skilled person.
The invention of claim 2 is the method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining as set forth in claim 1, wherein said jig parts are cut and machined with said three dimensional linear cutting machining unit for machining said workpiece supported by said jig parts.
According to the invention of claim 2, the jig parts is cut and machined with the three dimensional linear cutting machining unit for machining the workpiece supported by the jig parts. Then, it is not necessary to specifically prepare the three dimensional linear cutting machining unit for machining the jig parts, and the jig assembly can be economically produced.
The invention of claim 3 is the method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining as set forth in claim 1, wherein said two or more jig parts are cut out of the same material sheet.
According to the invention of claim 3, two or more jig parts are cut out of the same material sheet, thereby many jig parts can be effectively cut out.
The invention of claim 4 is the method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining as set forth in claim 1, wherein said jig assembly is produced by attaching said jig parts on a jig base for supporting said jig assembly with respect to said table.
According to the invention of claim 4, the jig parts is attached on the jig base, thereby the jig assembly can be produced with good accuracy.
The invention of claim 5 is the method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining as set forth in claim 1, wherein identification marks are attached to said two or more jig parts for indentifying these jig parts, and said identification marks are attached to a corresponding jig parts with said three dimensional linear cutting machining unit when said jig parts are cut out of said material sheet so as to identify by the naked eye.
According to the invention of claim 5, the respective jig parts can be easily identified by the identification marks, thereby the jig parts are recognized without confusion when many jig parts are cut out of the material sheet, and the jig assembly can be effectively assembled.
The invention of claim 6 is the method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining as set forth in claim 4, wherein a first parts connecting means is formed at said jig parts, and said jig parts are attached to said jig base through said first parts connecting means.
According to the invention of claim 6, the connection between the jig parts and the jig base can be made certain by the parts connecting means.
The invention of claim 7 is the method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining as set forth in claim 4, wherein a second parts connecting means is formed at said jig base, and said jig parts are attached to said jig base through said second parts connecting means.
According to the invention of claim 7, the connection between the jig parts and the jig base can be made certain by the parts connecting means.
The invention of claim 8 is the method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining as set forth in claim 1, wherein said two or more sheets of jig parts are assembled such that said jig parts are located at a predetermined interval in a first direction so as to be parallel to each other, and said jig parts are located at a predetermined interval in a second direction intersecting said first direction so as to be parallel to each other.
According to the invention of claim 8, the jig parts are assembled, locating in the direction intersecting each other, thereby the jig parts intersecting each other are assembled, supporting one by the other, and many jig parts can be assembled without a complex supporting means.
The invention of claim 9 is the method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining as set forth in claim 5, wherein said three dimensional linear cutting machining unit is a laser beam machine, and said identification mark is attached to said jig parts with a torch of said laser beam machine, by printing, baking a surface of said material sheet.
According to the invention of claim 9, the identification mark is attached, taking use of the torch for machining the workpiece, and it can be attached without a specific machine thereby.
The invention of claim 10 is the method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining as set forth in claim 4, wherein said identification mark showing a position for installing said jig parts is attached to said jig base so as to identify by the naked eye with said three dimensional linear cutting machining unit when said jig base is cut out of said material sheet.
According to the invention of claim 10, the jig parts corresponding to each position of the jig base can be attached without an error by the identification mark attached on the jig base.
The invention of claim 11 is the method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining as set forth in claim 1, wherein a workpiece moving prevention means is formed at said jig assembly for preventing said workpiece located on said jig assembly from moving.
According to the invention of claim 11, the workpiece can be prevented from slipping down from the jig assembly with the movement of a table by the workpiece moving prevention means when a workpiece is machined with the three dimensional linear cutting machining unit.
The invention of claim 12 is the method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining as set forth in claim 11, wherein said workpiece moving prevention means is a workpiece provisional locking portion formed at said jig parts, said workpiece provisional locking portion is simultaneously machined when said jig parts are cut out of said material sheet.
According to the invention of claim 12, the workpiece provisional locking portion is simultaneously machined when the jig parts is cut out of the material sheet, and specific work for machining on the workpiece provisional locking portion is not necessary thereby.
The invention of claim 13 is the method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining as set forth in claim 1, wherein said drawing data showing said three dimensional shape of said workpiece are drawing data concerning a drawing showing machining shape to be cut and machined on said workpiece with said three dimensional linear cutting machining unit.
According to the invention of claim 13, the drawing data concerning the drawings showing the machining shape of the workpiece to be machined are appropriable for producing the jig as they are, and it is not necessary to prepare different drawing for producing the jig assembly.
The invention of claim 14 is the method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining as set forth in claim 1, wherein a plurality of said workpiece supporting portion shapes are produced so as to support a plurality of workpieces on a single jig assembly.
According to the invention of claim 14, a plurality of workpieces can be supported on a single jig assembly, thereby machining on many workpieces can be simultaneously executed, and its machining efficiency is high and the operation rate of the jig can be made higher.
The invention of claim 15 is the method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining as set forth in claim 1, wherein a plurality of kinds of said workpiece supporting portion shapes are produced concerning a different workpiece so as to support a plurality of kinds of workpieces on a single jig assembly.
According to the invention of claim 15, a plurality of kinds of workpieces can be supported on a single jig assembly, thereby machining on many kinds of workpieces can be simultaneously executed, the machining efficiency can be highly maintained also in production of many kinds of articles with small quantity, and besides, the operation rate of the jig can be made higher.
The invention of claim 16 is the method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining as set forth in claim 1, wherein a plurality of different workpiece supporting portion shapes are produced concerning the same workpiece so as to support on a single jig assembly, changing a locating state of the same workpiece.
According to the invention of claim 16, the same workpiece can be supported on a single jig assembly, changing its locating state (by reversely rotating the workpiece W from the locating state A1 into the locating state B1, as shown in FIG. 12, for instance) thereby many routines of machining on the workpiece having complex shape can be simultaneously executed without arranging the jig. Then, the machining efficiency and the operation rate of the jig can be also made higher.

Method of producing jig for three dimensional linear cutting machining


A rear projection screen for use with a projection lens which has an exit pupil (23) is provided. The screen has a light entering side and a light exiting side and comprises in order from said light entering side to said light exiting side: (a) a Fresnel structure (11); (b) a lenslet array (13); and (c) an opaque layer (15) comprising a plurality of pinholes, said pinholes being at locations which correspond to the images of the exit pupil formed by the combination of the Fresnel structure and the lenslet array.

A projection screen is an optical device which does not create an image but provides a required field of view in the vertical and horizontal directions of viewer space. By reducing the field of view in the vertical direction, the screen creates the effect of increasing the brightness of the image within the viewing area, an effect which is referred to in the art as gain.


A VCSEL (vertical cavity surface emitting laser) is formed on the top surface of the substrate having an opposed bottom surface. In one exemplary embodiment, the opposed bottom surface is polished and coated with an anti-reflective coating. A photodetector is disposed beneath the bottom surface and is capable of detecting light emitted by the VCSEL. In another embodiment, an angle selective filter is disposed between the photodetector and the unpolished and uncoated bottom surface. The apparatus urges light emitted by the VCSEL to be detected by the photodetector and limits light from other sources from reaching the photodetector. A method for monitoring the optical output of a VCSEL includes providing one of the exemplary apparatuses, causing the VCSEL to emit light that is detected by the photodetector, and adjusting the optical output of the VCSEL based on the amount of light detected by the photodetector.

In today's rapidly advancing optoelectronics industry, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, also known as VCSELs, are preferred as optical sources. A VCSEL is a semiconductor microlaser diode that emits light in a generally cylindrical beam. The beam is emitted vertically from the surface of the substrate on which it is fabricated and a VCSEL offers significant advantages when compared to the edge-emitting lasers currently used in the majority of fiber optic communications devices. Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers are promising emitters for fiber data communication in the speed range of 100 Mbs and 1 Gbs. They enable high performance systems in Gigabit Ethernet, Fiber Channel, and ATM markets, for example.
A VCSEL is an extremely small laser which consists of two mirrors sandwiching an active region. The total thickness of the layers which make up the laser may be on the order of three microns or less. The mirrors reflect the light generated in the active region back and forth. The back and forth reflection results in "stimulated emission" providing emitted light at a single wavelength or color. Such "coherent" emission is the hallmark of lasing.
VCSELs are favored because of the ease of their manufacture, the repeatably of the manufacturing process used to form the VCSELs, the reduced substrate area each VCSEL requires, and the superior uniformity of VCSELs formed within the same substrate. Additionally, VCSELs can be produced in a two-dimensional array configuration on a common substrate and can be tested at the wafer level. Furthermore, the circular and low divergence output beams of VCSELs, eliminate the need for corrective optics and provide a high transmission speed with low power consumption at a relatively low cost. A principal characteristic of a VCSEL is that it emits light beams vertically rather than laterally, i.e., in a direction normal to the P-N junction and the surface of the semiconductor substrate on which the VCSEL is fabricated.
Because of the ease of their manufacture, the superior uniformity of VCSELs formed within the same substrate, and increased demands to integrate multiple data signals into a small area, tightly packed arrays of VCSELs formed within a substrate have become favored in today's optoelectronics industry. Each of the VCSELs in the fixed array may be coupled to an optical transmission medium such as an optical fiber and may each deliver an optical data signal. The optical data signal carries important information and is typically converted back to an electrical signal thereafter. It is useful to monitor and control the optical power of the light emitted by the VCSEL to provide the data signal. When the VCSELs are formed in close proximity in a tightly packed array, it is difficult to individually monitor the optical power of each VCSEL. Monitoring is typically performed by monitoring the primary light beam that is emitted by a VCSEL, after it reflects off another surface. For an array of tightly-packed VCSELs, only one of the VCSELs is typically monitored during operation due to space constraints and also because attempting to monitor each VCSEL using a dedicated monitor photodetector is very expensive.
VCSELs may be fabricated on one surface of a substrate such as a gallium arsenide (GaAs) wafer or another wafer chosen to be transmissive to light emitted by the VCSEL, particularly long wavelength (LW) VCSELs. It is therefore desirable to monitor the VCSEL by monitoring light emitted by the VCSEL, and which travels through the substrate and exits the opposed surface of the substrate. If the opposed surface of the substrate is a rough surface, however, light emitted from the backside of the VCSEL and travelling within the substrate, may continuously scatter in the substrate when it encounters the backside. Furthermore, if the VCSELs are arranged in an array on a common substrate, light emitted from multiple unintended VCSELs may exit the substrate and be sensed by a photodetector intended to monitor a single VCSEL. Light from the various VCSELs may exit at various angles, particularly when the surface is a rough surface. Therefore, there are difficulties associated with monitoring a VCSEL using backside monitoring.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an apparatus to accurately monitor the light of a designated VCSEL formed on the top surface of a substrate, by using a photodetector disposed opposite the bottom surface of the substrate.

Method and apparatus for backside monitoring of VCSELs


An electronic control (1) for a discharge lamp (D), which is arranged to be connected to a source of alternating current (L,N), having a source frequency, the control having a first and second terminal (J,K) for supplying an electrical power output to operate the lamp; a capacitor (T) is in series with the first terminal, having a capacitance sufficiently small to limit a current flow from the first terminal at the source frequency of less than 30 mA.

The present invention relates to controls for discharge lighting.
Discharge lamps have a high impedance before they are lit, and a low impedance when they are lit. A disadvantage of these lamps is that additional components are required for their proper operation. In particular a means of limiting or controlling the current drawn by the lamp is required, together with a means of starting an arc discharge in the lamp.
The arrangements of components associated with the control of lamp current are commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9cballastxe2x80x9d, whilst those components performing the function of starting the lamp are collectively referred to as the xe2x80x9cignitorxe2x80x9d.
Traditionally the ballast function was performed by a large and heavy inductor operating at the power line or source frequency, whilst the ignitor function was performed by the generation of high (2-5 kV) voltage pulses superimposed onto supply terminals of the lamp.
Electronic control means may be used to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages, but as a result of their complexity, new disadvantages of cost and reliability have prevented their widespread use. Electronic controls frequently operate at a high frequency, much higher than the power source frequency. However, a problem exists with known designs of electronic controls in that source frequency power is present at lamp terminals provided for connection of a discharge lamp. The presence of source frequency power at lamp terminals presents a potentially fatal electrical shock hazard when changing lamps. There is a particular risk when a lamp fails by fracturing of a protective glass envelope containing light emitting elements and exposed electrical conductors. To reduce the risk it is known to fit a safety switch on a luminaire, such that when the luminaire is opened to gain access to the lamp, the safety switch ensures that power to the lamp is disconnected.
A problem with known designs of electronic controls is that un-necessary stress is caused to the electronic control and other components of the luminaire during the normal starting procedure or when a bulb fails or is absent from the luminaire. A primary cause of this stress arises from inappropriate operation of the control as a consequence of uncertainty as to whether the lamp is lit or not.
British patent GB 2,177,309 (Erbe Elecktromedizin) discloses a surgical instrument requiring a low power output, comprising a high frequency power source for powering a tool with high frequency and having two capacitors in series with the tool. The capacitors have values such that their impedance is small for the high frequency current of the power source and high for possible low frequency leakage currents flowing to ground arising from contact by a patient with some other defective electrical appliance. The capacitors do not provide the desired level of protection, hence a safety circuit is arranged to trip a safety switch, when the low frequency leakage current exceeds an adjustable limiting value, so as to disconnect the high frequency power source from ground. Disconnection of the power supply from ground does not prevent hazards from any other inadvertent contact between the patient and ground. The publication describes a power supply for a surgical instrument that would not be suitable for use with a discharge lamp which has to provide high ignition voltage and lower operating voltages across a lamp.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,258 (Preis Karl-Heinrich, assigned to Bosch) discloses a power supply having a low frequency output, with a frequency of several hundred hertz, for powering a discharge lamp. This publication states that xe2x80x9cswitching off of the power supply such that the maximum voltage which occurs is reduced at all possible contact points to values which do not present a hazard is essential.xe2x80x9d Hence, to ensure safe operation a fault current detection means is provided to emit a switch off signal to inhibit the operation of a high frequency voltage converter when a fault current having a DC or low frequency at that of an inverter 6 is detected above a pre-set threshold. This publication is not relevant to the use of a high frequency output for powering a discharge lamp, or the use of a capacitor in series with an output terminal of a power supply for a discharge lamp to provide a supply where a fault current cannot exceed a safe level. A disadvantage of the power supply described in this publication is that the lamp is extinguished when a fault current is detected. A further disadvantage is that a person inadvertently touching a live part is subject to a potentially dangerous low frequency voltage.
British patent GB 2,229,873 (Koito Manufacturing Co) discloses a lighting circuit providing an alternating current output for powering a metal halide lamp, having a detection means arranged to detect the alternating current flowing through the lamp once the lamp has ignited. The detection means is either by means of a current transformer, which has disadvantages of cost, or by means of a series capacitor, which to provide a suitably low output voltage across it for the purposes of detection must necessarily have a large value of capacitance. A disadvantage of the lighting circuit disclosed in this publication is that the circuit would not provide safety to a person inadvertently touching an output terminal for supplying power to the lamp.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,965,986 (Bosch) discloses an arrangement for detecting the ignition of a high pressure gas discharge lamp by detecting a sudden decrease in the high voltage applied across a lamp to effect ignition. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that it can only detect the initial ignition of a lamp, and cannot detect a lamp that has initially ignited, but then extinguished. The circuit disclosed in this publication would be unsuitable for use with a power supply that produces a resonant high frequency alternating current voltage for igniting a lamp.
According to the present invention there is provided a control and a discharge lamp, the control arranged for connection to a source of alternating current electrical power at a source frequency, the source frequency being a low frequency, the control having a first and a second terminal for supplying an output of electrical power to operate the discharge lamp, the output power being at a high frequency, and a first capacitor being connected in series with the lamp to the first terminal, the first capacitor having a value of capacitance, characterised in that the value of capacitance is sufficiently small to limit a current flow from the first terminal at the source frequency to less than 30 mA, and wherein a second capacitor is connected in series with the lamp to the second terminal, the second capacitor having a value of capacitance, the value of capacitance being sufficiently small to limit a current flow from the second terminal at the source frequency to less than 30 mA.
A benefit of placing a suitably small capacitor in series with a lamp terminal, is that the maximum current flow at the source frequency from that terminal is limited to a value of 30 mA which is accepted as being a maximum safe current that is unlikely to present a fatal shock hazard to the large majority of persons. Hence a person who accidentally makes contact with both terminals is most unlikely to suffer fatal injuries from this maximum safe current of 30 mA. A further benefit is that the cost and complexity of a luminaire may be reduced by the elimination of a safety switch that disconnects the electrical power to the terminals within the luminaire when an openable cover is opened to gain access for the purposes of changing a lamp. Such a safety switch is relatively expensive, as it has to be of an approved type and care has to be taken in the design of its mounting to minimise the risk of a user disabling the switch. Such a safety switch, however, can provide no protection in the event that a glass window in the openable cover is broken, allowing access to the lamp which may have been damaged by an explosive failure of the enclosed lamp thereby exposing live electrical conductors that form part of the lamp.
A benefit of having a second capacitor is that a person who accidentally makes contact with one terminal and an electrical earth will be most unlikely to suffer fatal injuries from this maximum safe current 30 mA, and further this protection is irrespective of which terminal is touched or which terminal is electrically connected to a live or a neutral pole of the source.
The current flow at the source frequency may be more preferably limited to less than 5 mA or even more preferably the current flow at the source frequency is limited to less than 1 mA. A benefit of further limiting the current flow is that a potential hazard is further reduced, so that a small percentage of the population that may suffer a fatal injury from accidental electrical contact with the lamp terminals is considered to be an acceptable risk, such that such a control for a discharge lamp may be considered to provide safety isolation of the lamp terminals from the source supply. A further benefit is that it may be possible to omit an earth connection to such a lampholder, saving costs and complexity.
Preferably the output of electrical power is an alternating current supply of a frequency greater than 100 kHz, and more preferably the frequency is greater than 200 kHz. A benefit of such a high output frequency is that a capacitor with a sufficiently small value of capacitance to limit the current flow at the supply frequency to a safe value will conduct sufficient energy at a high output frequency to operate a discharge lamp with usefully high light output.
A further benefit of a high output frequency is that conduction at such frequencies is concentrated in the surface layers of a conductor, hence a person touching lamp terminals having an ability to supply sufficient energy at the high frequency will not suffer fatal injury, any injury from the high frequency output being limited to localised skin burns at the point of contact with the terminals.
Preferably the output of electrical power is an alternating current with a sinusoidal wave form. A benefit of using a sinusoidal wave form is that the capacitors may be of a smaller physical size, and hence cheaper, than would be necessary if a conventional square wave output were used. A sine wave voltage output produces a sine wave current output and avoids the distorted current wave form arising from the harmonics generated as a result of a conventional square wave form voltage output.
Preferably the control is arranged to apply a DC voltage to the first lamp terminal for connection to the lamp, and the control further comprising a sensor to detect the conduction of the DC voltage by the lamp, the sensor being arranged to provide a feedback signal to the control when the conduction of the DC voltage is detected.
By DC it is in the above paragraph and hereinafter meant a current having a predominant DC element, examples of which will be shown in the accompanying drawings.
A benefit of this is that when a control has attempted to start a lamp, it is possible to detect that the lamp is lit while it is in a glow mode of operation, and before an arc has been established. A further benefit is that the control may be arranged to alter an output power to the lamp according to the feedback from the sensor.
Preferably the sensor detects the conduction of the DC voltage by the lamp, by detecting a DC voltage level across a capacitor connected to the second lamp terminal.
A benefit of detecting the voltage level across a capacitor is that a high degree of immunity from interference from electrical noise may be obtained.
Preferably the sensor is connected in series with the lamp to detect the current arising from the conduction of the DC voltage by the lamp.
A benefit of detecting the current arising from the conduction of the DC voltage by the lamp is that the sensor may be connected to either the first or the second lamp terminal.
Preferably the sensor is connected to the second lamp terminal.
Preferably the discharge lamp is a high intensity discharge lamp.
Preferably the sensor detects the conduction of the DC voltage by the lamp before an arc is established in the lamp.
Preferably the control is arranged to provide an alternating current output to power the lamp with an output frequency above 400 kHz. More preferably the alternating current (A.C.) output has an output frequency above 500 kHz.
A benefit of a high output frequency is that the capacitor connected to the second lamp terminal may be of a small value of capacitance, and hence a time taken for the capacitor to become charged with the DC voltage level across the capacitor is reduced.
Preferably the control is further arranged to apply a direct current voltage to the first terminal, the direct current voltage being supplied through a resistor connected in parallel with the first capacitor, the control further comprising a sensor to detect the conduction of the direct current voltage by the lamp, the sensor being arranged to provide a feedback signal to the control when the direct current voltage is detected.
A benefit of this is that when a control has attempted to start a lamp, it is possible to detect that the lamp is lit while it is in a glow mode of operation, and before an arc has been established, and the capacitor in series with the lamp limits the amount of DC current that the lamp is subject to, hence avoiding damage to the lamp arising from the conduction of a large DC current. A further benefit is that the control may be arranged to alter an output power to the lamp according to the feedback from the sensor.
Preferably the discharge lamp is a high intensity discharge lamp. Such lamps have a high impedance before they are lit, and a low impedance while they are lit. High intensity discharge lamps are characterised by a short arc length, typically less than 5 mm for a 20 watt lamp, and have a sealed envelope containing at least two electrodes for an electrical discharge, and typically have a high internal pressure when hot.


A muffler for muffling engine operating sounds and including a cylindrical shell closed at opposite ends by double-walled closure caps. The space within the shell is partitioned into three axially contiguous chambers. A gas charging pipe projects through one end of the shell and axially within the shell, and has two pairs of facing discharge elbows for discharging gas from the charging pipe at locations in the first of the chambers. A first pair of gas transfer pipes extends from the first chamber into the central chamber to points of opposed gas discharge. A second pair of gas transfer pipes extends from the central chamber into the third or discharge chamber, and from this location, the gas passes out of the muffler via a discharge pipe.

1. Brief Description Of The Prior Art
Various types of mufflers have heretofore been proposed for use in conjunction with large internal combustion engines for dampening or attenuating the sound made by the hot gases exhausted from the engine as these gases are vented to the atmosphere. In general, such mufflers include tubular elements which have various shapes, and often contain various numbers and configurations of baffles located on the inside of the external tubular member. The baffles are generally for the purpose of causing the gas to flow through a tortuous or circuitous route in passing from the inlet into the muffler to the exit thereof.
Many mufflers include some sort of packing material or sound absorbing material located in the interior of the muffler, or at least in the outer wall thereof, for dampening the sound made by the escaping hot gases which pass through the muffler when the engine to which it is attached is in use. In general, while certain isolated principles of sound attenuation have been recognized and utilized in various types of muffler designs, I believe that an optimum combination of these features has not been achieved, or at least has not worked as effectively as the combination which I have discovered, and which I now bring before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for evaluation, and, hopefully, issuance of a patent thereon.
U.S. Pat. No. 937,665 to Walton discloses a muffler which disposes of hot exhaust gases wherein the gas flow within the muffler is divided into two opposing streams by means of which the gases in the two streams are caused to impinge against each other at several points along the path of flow through the muffler. The muffler housing includes a plurality of baffle plates which include opposed nozzles through which the gas flows, and in being so directed by these nozzles, encounters opposing gas streams so that interference results. The baffle plates utilized in the muffler divide it into three substantially equal sized compartments.
Ronan U.S. Pat. No. 702,031 proposes to divide the hot exhaust gases entering the muffler into two opposing streams and these are then caused to impinge against each other and ultimately to escape into the air from one end of the muffler. The muffler is divided into two substantially equi-sized compartments, and the exhaust gases flow out through a volute located approximately in the center of the muffler.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,700,993 to Bernet et al depicts a plurality of concentric, opposing channels developed by partition plates located inside a muffler, with these channels lying in a substantially longitudinal direction. In these channels, the gas streams impinge against each other. Each concentric channel is defined within the muffler by a longitudinally disposed baffle plate. The flow within the muffler is from the outside flow path inwardly to the next radially inner flow path, and so forth, until the energy depleted exhaust gases reach the center of the muffler.
In Jackson U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,134, a sound-suppressor for air and hot gases is depicted in which the muffler or suppressor comprises a pair of aligned branch passages having a common inlet trunk, and having a common outlet trunk and having the appearance of an 0-shaped hollow member with arms projecting from the opposite sides thereof. One of the branch passages in the sound-suppressor contains a flow restricting orifice, and the other of the branch passages is unobstructed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,229,913 to Blanchard proposes to divide the incoming hot gas flow into two pipes which diverge from each other as they project further inwardly toward the center of the muffler. The hot gases from these two divergent pipes are then re-merged by impinging the gases against each other at a location near the center of the muffler. From this location, the gases pass into the exhaust pipe from the muffler.
Schnell U.S. Pat. No. 1,844,105 describes a muffler in which a shell is filled with sound absorbing material, which can be any porous, sound deadening material, including "sized, crushed mineral matter", "mica", "exfoliated vermiculite", "brown slag", "coke", "pumice", or other porous aggregate material.
Other muffler patents include Rutt U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,993, Janeway U.S. Pat. No. 2,707,525 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,799 which locates a sound absorbing material between an inner skin and an outer skin disposed at the radially outer side of the hollow muffler body.
There has been no prior appreciation of which I am aware of the effect of sizing the several axially arranged contiguous chambers within a muffler according to a certain volumetric size ratio or dimensional correspondence, concurrently with the recognition that it is important to properly size the by-pass or pass through tubes or pipes which extend through partitions in the muffler in order to deliver an optimum relative amount of the hot gases from one chamber to the next in order to contribute to sound reduction optimization, along with a minimal interference with efficient engine operation.


An electrode for resistance pressure welding equipment having current control has frictionally connected thereto an optical accelerometer. The parts of the optical accelerometer as well as its optical signal leads are fabricated from electrically non-conductive and non-magnetic material.

DE-OS No. 30 25 515 discloses a method and apparatus for controlling resistance welding by means of a piezo-electric acceleration measuring device which is fastened to at least one of the two electrode holders. Accelerations which occur are preferably measured parallel to the axis of the electrode holder. In this known method, the magnitude of the electric current for the welding process is adjusted to the largest possible value, but below the value causing so-called welding splatter. The accelerations which occur at the electrode holder and which reach characteristically high values when welding splatter occurs are measured during the welding process for the purpose of electric current adjustment. If such acceleration peaks occur, the welding process is either interrupted or the magnitude of the current for the next welding process is reduced.
In tests with piezo-electric or other acceleration measuring devices which furnish an electrical measuring signal for current control, it was found that during the welding process and presumably due to the large currents and the magnetic field connected therewith, disturbances of the measuring signal occur which simulate accelerations. Such acceleration measuring devices are therefore not suitable for controlling the current during the welding process, for instance, by means of a phase gating control.

Resistance welding equipment having an optical accelerometer for measuring electrode acceleration


A flexible substrate treatment device comprising at least one tank that accommodates treatment liquid, winding rollers including a main roller and a driven roller located above the treatment liquid, a positioning roller located in the treating liquid in each tank, a detecting unit configured to detect radius or diameter of at least one of the winding rollers, and a movable discharge member fixed to a side wall of each tank, including a movable discharge port configured to discharge the treatment liquid and a discharge port position controlling mechanism, wherein the movable discharge port can be moved in a direction X perpendicular to a bottom wall of the tank.

With continuous development of flexible display products, a Roll-to-Roll process will be gradually used as main manufacturing process in future display production field, replacing the current method of fabricating display product one by one, by virtue of its low cost and characteristics of high efficiency production.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of conventional roll-to-roll etching apparatus, comprising an etching tank 12 accommodating an etching liquid 11; winding rollers located above the etching tank 12, which includes a main roller 13 and a driven roller 14; and a positioning roller 15 located in the etching liquid 11, wherein a flexible substrate 16 is passed around the driven roller 14, the positioning roller 15 and the main roller 13 along its movement direction.
As the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 operates, a flexible substrate 16 is performed through a roll-to-roll etching process. The main roller 13 is rotated and the flexible substrate 16 is driven from the driven roller 14 toward the main roller 13 and passes around the positioning roller 15 in the etching liquid 11. During being immersed in the etching liquid, part of the flexible substrate 16 is etched.
However, with regard to the conventional roll-to-roll etching process, since the diameters of the main roller 13 and the driven roller 14 are both changed with the number of the wrapped flexible substrate layers, the line velocities of the moving flexible substrate on the main roller 13 in uniform rotation and the driven roller 14 will constantly change. As a result, etching time of the immersed flexible substrate 16 is changed with the diameters of the main roller 13 and the driven roller 14 being changed, which will leads to uneven size of devices formed on the flexible substrate and influences qualities of flexible display products.


A cooking vessel bracket and handle provides a first handle portion and a second handle portion each having opposing end portions, parallel spaced apart sides and a back defining a channel between the ends. First handle has handle flanges at first end portion and locking seat at second end portion. Second end portion of first handle and first end portion of second handle are pivotally interconnected for first handle to optionally fold into channel of second handle. Spring biased locking pin within channel of first handle protrudes from first handle between the handle flanges for releasable engagement with pot bracket carried by vessel and operatively communicates with a thumb slide for axial movement in channel. Spring biased handle lock in second handle channel releasably engages with locking seat of first handle to secure the first handle and second handle in extended end to end alignment for use.

A. Related Applications
There are no applications related hereto heretofore filed in this or in any foreign country.
B. Field of Invention
This invention relates to receptacles, and more particularly to a vessel attachment forming a removable variable sized handle.
C. Background and Description of Prior Art
Cooking vessels and cook sets are essential equipment for outdoor activities such as camping and especially for backpacking enthusiasts. In addition to size and weight considerations, cook sets must be durable, strong, reliable and should not have parts that can be easily lost or misplaced. Because cook sets are used to prepare, contain and carry solid and liquid food-stuffs that may be heated to high temperatures, handles for manipulating cook set components such as pots and pans must be sturdy and reliable.
Stacking or nesting cook sets, wherein plural elements may be carried one-within-another, to conserve space are known in the prior art, for example aluminum Boy Scout® cook sets. Unfortunately, stacking and nesting pots and pans and the like, hereinafter referred to as vessels, to conserve space requires that handles for the vessels be removed when the vessels are stacked/nested and the handles must thereafter be reattached to the vessels prior to use. Detachment and reattachment of the handles for transport and use, respectively, requires that each vessel have its own handle, which is contrary to the goal of reducing weight and mass.
Universal vessel handles that may be used with a variety of vessels are known, and avoid the need to carry multiple handles. Universal handles generally function in one of two ways. First, universal handles may be constructed of spring steel with retentive memory and formed into a general "U" shape with two spaced apart parallel elongated legs, each leg having a perpendicularly extending prong at an end opposite the end portion interconnecting the elongate legs. The prongs releasably engage with a pair of spaced apart radially extending loops protruding from a bracket fastened to an outer circumferential surface of a vessel. The retentive memory of the material forming the handle maintains the engagement of the prongs with the bracket loops. A second type of universal handle operates on the same principle as a hand-tool "pliers" but the jaws and handles are oriented vertically to grasp an upper circumferential edge of a vessel. The user's squeezing together of the handles provides the grip on the vessel edge.
Universal handles unfortunately have various drawbacks. The spring biased type universal handles are flimsy and to do not provide a secure attachment to the vessel, especially when the vessel is tipped or rotated such as to pour contents into another container. Pliers type universal handles provide more stability in handling a vessel, but only engage with the vessel when the user is actively squeezing the handles together. Even a momentary and unintentional release of operator supplied tension on the handles allows the handles to disengage from the vessel perhaps leading to accidents and injuries.
Semi-permanent vessel handles are also known, such as handle brackets of Boy Scout cook sets that are interconnected to vessels by means of a finger tightened wing-nut on a bolt to form a radially extending vessel handle.
Semi-permanent handles have various drawbacks as well. The handles can be difficult to secure to the cooking utensil, the finger tightened wing-nut may loosen with use leading to an unstable handle, one or more of the interconnecting pieces may be lost making the cook set unusable and the semi permanent nature of the attaching means necessitates that a handle be available for each vessel because changing the handle from vessel to vessel is not practical when the vessel is hot or being heated.
What is needed is a cooking vessel handle that may be quickly and securely attached to a cooking vessel and also quickly and easily detached therefrom without the need to touch the possibly hot cooking vessel. The handle must be sturdy, small and lightweight to satisfy a primary need of backpackers, the handle must not have parts and portions that can be lost, and the handle must permit the cooking vessel to be manipulated as needed, such as tipping to pour its contents and the like.
Our invention overcomes various of the aforementioned drawbacks by providing an improved pot bracket and a variable size cooking vessel handle that is quickly and easily attachable to a variety of cooking vessels having the pot bracket. The handle securely attaches to the cooking vessel and will not inadvertently or unintentionally detach therefrom, and eliminates the need to carry multiple vessel handles. Further, the present invention is foldable so that it can be stored and carried within the confines of the cook set with which it is used. Although primarily designed for use with camping cook sets, our invention is equally well suited for use with household cooking utensils.
Our invention does not reside in any single one of the identified features individually but rather in the synergistic combination of all of its structures, which give rise to the functions necessarily flowing therefrom as hereinafter claimed.


Controllable phase shifters containing reactances and valve switching devices are used for compensation and stabilizing purposes in alternating current-energy transmission systems. There is desired a phase shift which can be continuously controlled within variable limits and with comparatively low expenditure in circuit components. There is provided at least one shunt circuit branch between primary terminals having mutual phase shifted voltages, and a tap provided as a secondary terminal supplies a secondary voltage or potential having a phase between that of the primary terminals. At both sides of the secondary terminal there are arranged in the shunt circuit branch preferably complementary reactive impedances. At least one valve switching device, controllable with respect to its gating behavior, is arranged in series or parallel to one such impedance and renders possible changing the magnitude of the impedance which is effective for the fundamental oscillation, and thus, a change of the control phase angle. Preferably valve switching devices are provided at both sides, and, if desired, in combination parallel and in series with the impedances to both sides of the secondary terminal, thereby realizing the advantage of a phase angle control in both directions and over wide ranges of the primary phase angle.

The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of controllable phase shifter. More specifically, the controllable phase shifter of the present development is used for an alternating current-transmission system, especially for a line or power network, wherein there is provided a number of reactive impedances connected with the lines of the transmission system and a valve switching device which can be controlled with respect to the phase shift angle which is to be set.
The hereinafter premised features will be found, for instance, in the generally known chokes which can be switched between taps or can be periodically turned-on for controllable intervals by means of semiconductor-switching valves, especially thyristor or triac switching valves, in order to thereby control the effective inductance of such chokes. Such type reactance elements are employed, for instance, in energy transmission lines in order to improve the transmission characteristics. Further, appropriately constructed reactance transformers are used, for instance, for the transient increase of the torque at synchronous generators and for the purpose of improving the stability of compound operation.
The mentioned equipment is associated with the drawback that there is required a comparatively high expenditure in equipment components, especially when using chokes or transformers with taps. This is directly opposed to the desired wide field of application for power line networks and for other fields of use.


A two dimensional (2D) matrix symbology for use with bar code and other optical readers. A finder structure includes a center square and a plurality of nested squares having centers that approximately coincide with the center square. A symbol descriptor located adjacent to the finder structure encodes data indicating the size of the symbol and the length of the message encoded therein. A reference grid extends throughout the symbol to facilitate the location of individual data elements with respect to the finder structure thereof. The data structure of the symbol is filled with data blocks which are organized into layers which surround the finder structure. Data encoded in the data blocks may be read sequentially within layers and between layers. The symbology is a versatile symbology in that the number of check data blocks is user selectable to provide the desired level of error correction.

The present invention relates to a bar code symbology which presents data in a two dimensional (2D) grid pattern or matrix, and is directed more particularly to a 2D matrix symbology in which data blocks are concatenated in a sequentially readable spiral-like pattern having a beginning and end which can be identified quickly and uniquely with respect to a centrally located finder pattern.
Bar code symbols have become a widely used way of identifying products which are being transported, priced, sorted, etc. Such symbols have the advantage that they may be read by any of a variety of bar code readers at high speed and with high accuracy. Provided only that the reader is able to read and decode data in the form in which it is encoded in the symbol, it is able to read that data at a speed and with an accuracy which greatly exceeds that of any human reader. This not only increases the productivity of the humans who work with the readers, it also improves the quality of the work environment by eliminating one of the most tedious and repetitive tasks performed therein.
With the increased acceptance that resulted from its early successes, the use of bar codes and bar code readers has expanded into an ever widening range of applications, including many for which they were not originally designed. Many of these applications call for the reading of bar code symbols which encode more data than is practicable with early one-dimensional (1D) bar code symbologies. As a result, new 1D symbologies were developed which increased the density with which data may be encoded. Examples of the resulting symbologies now include Code 128 and Code 49, among many others. An example of a symbology which includes a plurality of rows of encoded data, commonly known as a "1D-stacked" symbology, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,239 (Allais).
As the use of bar code symbols and bar code readers continues to expand, all of the above mentioned 1D symbologies eventually become unable to encode the amounts of data required, and in the space available. As a result, two dimensional (2D) matrix symbologies have been developed which are capable of storing a quantity of data that is substantially larger than is possible with 1D symbologies of any reasonable size. Examples of 2D symbologles are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,850 (Pierce et al), U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,078 (Sant' Anselmo et al), U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,679 (Bockholt et al) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,107 (Priddy et al). These 2D matrix codes have the added advantage of being readable when scanned in any orientation.
In spite of the advantage of greatly increased data densities, 2D bar code symbologies have not come into widespread use. This is because many of the 2D symbologies which have been developed to date present reading and/or decoding difficulties which limit the speed and/or accuracy with which data may be read therefrom. One of these difficulties is the maintenance of a satisfactory level of illumination over the 2D image field that contains the bar code symbol. Another is that the accuracy with which a 2D symbol may be read is sensitive to the orientation of the symbol at the time it is read. Moreover, these two difficulties interact in a way that compounds the difficulties of either acting alone. A symbol that is tilted in relation to the plane in which it is to be read, for example, will not be uniformly illuminated by an illumination system designed to illuminate the symbol from a direction perpendicular to that plane. The tilting of the symbol also has the effect of foreshortening the image of the symbol in one or more planes which cannot be identified in advance. The 2D symbol may also have any one of many different angular orientations with respect to the axis along which it is illuminated. Other factors, such as the curvature of the surface on which the symbol appears, also have an effect.
Prior to the present invention, many attempts have been made to devise 2D symbologies which are relatively insensitive to the above-mentioned effects and/or to develop 2D bar code readers which are sophisticated enough to correct for them. An example of an attempt to make use of both of these approaches to achieve a high degree of accuracy is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,029 (Chandler et al), which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. While approaches such as that described in the latter patent achieve a certain measure of success, they require the utilization of such sophisticated software that a read operation cannot be performed by available microprocessors at a reasonable cost within a reasonable amount of time. Thus a need exists for a 2D symbology that allows data to be read accurately by microprocessors in a relatively short time and at a reasonable cost.

Two dimensional data encoding structure and symbology for use with optical readers


An object information acquiring apparatus comprises a receiver receiving an acoustic wave propagating inside an object and convert the acoustic wave into an electric signal; a scanning unit configured to causing the receiver to scan the object; a control unit configured to controlling operation of the scanning unit; a detection unit configured to detecting a status of the acoustic wave reception; and a processing unit for acquiring characteristic information on the inside of the object on the basis of the electric signal, wherein the control unit decides whether or not the operation of the scanning unit is changed, on the basis of a result of detection by the detection unit.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an object information acquiring apparatus and a control method thereof.
Description of the Related Art
There is photo acoustic imaging (PAI) as one of optical imaging techniques using light. In the photo acoustic imaging, pulsed light is applied to an object such as a biological body, and an acoustic wave generated by a segment to be tested (e.g., a light absorber such as a tumor) which absorbs optical energy is received by a receiver. Then, an analytical process is performed for a reception signal output from the receiver, thereby obtaining an optical property distribution of the inside of the object as image data.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2010-022812 discloses an apparatus for receiving an acoustic wave while holding a breast from both sides with holding members and performing two-dimensional scanning on the holding member with the receiver.
The receiver two-dimensionally scans, so that pieces of characteristic information at a plurality of positions inside an object can be obtained.
Like the apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2010-022812, in a case of an apparatus in which the receiver performs two-dimensional scanning in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction, and acquires acoustic waves in a desired region, an error may occur before scanning and acoustic wave acquisition for the overall desired region are completed. Possible error includes an error resulting from an apparatus, a human error, and the like. Hereinafter, scanning with the receiver for acquiring an acoustic wave will be described as photographing.
In a case where an error occurs, photographing may be able to restart immediately depending on the contents of the error. Even though the photographing can restart immediately, and the condition of the photographing remains almost unchanged, in a case where the receiver is returned to a position where the photographing started, and photographing starts again without determination of the contents of the error, it takes time to acquire acoustic waves in the desired region.
Particularly, in a case where the region for acquiring acoustic waves are large, when scanning is performed from an initial position with the receiver again, a photographing time is greatly increased, and a binding time for a subject is increased. However, heretofore, there is no means for controlling the receiver on the basis of information such as the content of an error for re-photographing.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Object information acquiring apparatus and control method for the object information acquiring apparatus


A computerized tool or method that calculates the capacitance and resistance of each global wire on the chip, one wire at a time. The invention steps along a track containing a wire segment, grid point by grid point, calculating the resistance and capacitance at that point. At each grid point it searches the neighboring tracks within the surrounding cube for adjacent elements that could cause capacitive effects or affect the resistance of the wire. The method delivers capacitance and resistance values for each process condition for a grid unit length of wire, given the wire type and 3 dimensional environment of the wire segment. The capacitance and resistance at a grid point along the wire are generally determined by one table lookup for wire types based on the surrounding environment. These values are added along wire segments to deliver accurate 3 dimensional capacitances and resistances. The invention can also provide for wires and spaces of various types and widths not provided for in the tables and for calculation of net to net coupling capacitances.

In deep sub-micron designs, the effect of wire capacitance on system performance is as important as, if not more so than, the gate delay. To accurately predict system performance, accurate extraction of resistance and capacitance parasitics is required. The capacitance of a wire is dependent not only on its length, width, and thickness, but also on the environment around the wire. The environment includes any adjacent or near wires and the substrate itself. As wire pitches become smaller, the effects on capacitance of adjacent lines can be as much as two times as compared to an isolated wire. It is therefore very important to take into account the environment of a wire when predicting its capacitance.
Historically, most chip-level capacitance extractors have used one of two methods to derive wire capacitance:
1) High level analysis based on gross assumptions about the amount of capacitance per length of wire. This method relies on an educated guess as to the amount of adjacent wire that might be present. This is sufficient when the environment of a conductor does not change significantly or when the capacitance of the interconnects is only a small contributor to the overall output load. PA1 2) Detailed shapes based analysis of the design environment surrounding the wire under consideration. This method is very computer intensive. Accurate total capacitance extraction of large chips is presently not feasible with this approach due to data volume and computer execution time.
Previous solutions in the second category are design shape based. They have to calculate and store a large number of geometric interacting shapes, creating a large computational burden and an immense amount of output. An example is Avant!'s LPE extraction. The Avant! extractor uses design shapes to calculate the capacitances based on overlap areas distances and perimeters. This requires a large amount of data to be stored and processed.
Another solution in the second category, pattern recognition, can also take advantage of the regular structure of global wires. But the recognition mechanism on design shapes is not as efficient and the intermediate storage requirements are much more severe. The tables are huge; the search and the generation is very time consuming. Pattern recognition solutions are accurate but cannot handle wire extraction for a complete chip. ARCADIA from EPIC takes this approach.
Now, with narrowly spaced five and six levels of metal, the overall wire capacitance is larger and varies by a factor of two depending upon neighboring wires. Effects of neighboring conductors have become the dominant contribution to the load in many critical nets and the hold time needed on many paths. Resolution of adjacencies becomes a critical part of accurate chip timing.
Therefore, method 1 is not a viable solution for these deep sub-micron technology designs because it doesn't take neighboring wires into account. Method 2 is not practical for large designs due to the data volume and computer execution time.

Three dimensional track-based parasitic extraction

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of retrieving fetal cells from an endocervical sample by removing the mucus from the endocervical sample by disassociating fetal cells and maternal cells in the endocervical sample; and isolating disassociated fetal cells from other cells in the endocervical sample. Also provided is a method of retrieving fetal cells from an endocervical sample, by obtaining a mixture of disassociated cells prepared by the above method, treating the cells with a fetal-specific antibody, identifying cells that have bound to the fetal-specific antibody, and isolating the identified cells. The disassociated cell prepared by the above method can be analyzed and used for a variety of purposes including, but not limited to, the identification of fetal cells among cervical cells, determination of fetal cell density to predict high risk pregnancy, genetic analysis of fetal cells, and determination of growth factor or other biomarker expression to predict obstetrical disorders.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cell isolation. More specifically, the present invention relates to non-invasive methods of cell retrieval and isolation.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is thought that due to changing demographics, increased exposure to environmental toxins and intervention in the reproductive process, developmental abnormalities may be on the rise. The risk to any pregnant couple of having a live born infant with a chromosomal abnormality or structural defect has been previously estimated to be between 3% and 5%. Because of this considerable risk, much effort has been expended in recent decades to identify pregnancies at risk of chromosomal anomalies and genetic disorders at an early gestational age. The current standard of care involves screening maternal analytes and ultrasound markers, each alone or in combination, to identify at risk pregnancies, followed by referral for definitive diagnostic tests that include amniocentesis and chorionic villous sampling. While the former screening modalities have considerable rates of false positives and false negatives, the latter diagnostic tests are invasive and carry significant risk of fetal loss. Indeed, Mujezinovic et al. conducted a systematic analysis of 45 studies and reported a fetal loss rate of 1.9% for amniocentesis and 2% for chorionic villous sampling. Therefore, the search to develop safer methods to obtain genetic material from the fetus is ongoing and desperately needed.
Another alternative for prenatal diagnosis is preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), which involves screening for chromosome abnormalities or single gene disorders in an embryo prior to implantation. The main advantage is avoidance of elective pregnancy termination, while offering a high likelihood that the fetus will be free of a specific disorder. Although PGD is an attractive method for prenatal diagnosis, it is an adjunct of assisted reproductive technology that requires in vitro fertilization, which has its own risks and high costs. Thus, PGD is not feasible as a universal diagnostic tool for genetic abnormalities in the general population.
Identification of fetal cells in maternal serum has been attempted, but this approach has been hindered by the relative rarity of fetal cells in maternal blood (1 fetal cell per 106-107 maternal cells) and associated difficulties in their isolation and analysis. Overall, the projected clinical efficacy has been disappointing. Nevertheless, recent discovery of fetal nucleic acids in maternal plasma has introduced several new possibilities for noninvasive prenatal screening of chromosomal aneuploidies. Anomalies are revealed after the first ten weeks of gestation by measuring the allelic ratio of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding region of the human genome, analysis of DNA fragments with different patterns of DNA methylation between fetal and maternal DNA, enrichment of the fractional concentration of fetal DNA in maternal plasma using physical or chemical methods, and the development of more precise digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods for fetal nucleic acid analysis. Specific inheritable diseases could also be diagnosed with fetal DNA, but due to the fragmented nature of circulating cell-free fetal DNA, maternal plasma screening is not considered a reliable approach.
Prior to 13-15 weeks of gestation, it is believed that small areas of erosions allow trophoblast cells to cross the decidua capsularis and reach the uterine cavity. This process becomes less likely after the amniochorionic membrane seals the uterine cavity and the internal cervical os, which is thought to occur at three months of gestation. In 1971, Shettles suggested that during early pregnancy, a similar shedding occurs into the uterine cavity, making chorionic cellular elements from the degenerating villi available in the endocervical canal. The possibility of capturing fetal cells from accessible regions of the reproductive tract suggests new approaches for early prenatal diagnosis. The isolation of fetal cells from the cervix and the endometrial cavity offers an attractive non-invasive alternative for very early (6-14 weeks, possibly as early as 5 weeks) diagnosis. Since its first description, several investigators have reported the feasibility of isolating fetal cells from the cervical mucus or from fluid obtained by lavage of the endometrial cavity with varying degrees of success. The existing literature suggests that the present status of transcervical cell (TCC) sampling in prenatal diagnosis is experimental, but carries excellent potential for both genetic diagnosis and prediction of pregnancy outcome as laboratory methods are refined and standardized.
The ideal method that would reliably yield fetal cells in appreciable quantity should have no negative impact on the ongoing pregnancy and be free from infectious or traumatic complications. It should also be simple to perform and cost effective, with minimal inter-observer variability. A number of techniques have been devised to retrieve TCC samples from the endocervical canal and the endometrial cavity, including smears obtained with cotton swabs or a cytobrush, aspiration of cervical mucus with a catheter, endometrial biopsy with a Pipelle, and lavage of the endocervical canal or the uterine cavity, all with variable levels of success.
At present, the existing literature differs vastly and is often contradictory in projecting the relative efficacy of the currently available methods for retrieving fetal cells. Previously, emphasis has been placed on the feasibility of obtaining fetal cells and establishing their diagnostic utility, rather than a direct comparison of the relative efficacy of the various methods in randomized control trials, as recently reported. It has been noted that the post-collection processing of the TCC samples has tremendous variation from one study to another, which directly affects the yield of useful information. Techniques used to identify the fetal cells and the diagnostic end points (fetal sex vs gene disorders) have also differed, yielding heterogeneous groups for comparison with non-uniform results. Thus, there is a lack of information on well-described techniques for sample collection and analysis, resulting in considerable dependence on the technique and skill of individual operators.
For example, in the landmark 1971 report by Shettles, identification of the Y chromosome was used to determine fetal sex from midcervical mucus samples obtained with cotton swabs. A limitation of using cotton swabs to retrieve TCC samples is the entrapment of cells within the cotton, which may reduce yield. The use of a cytobrush for cervical mucus retrieval or lavage of the endocervical canal with normal saline offers viable alternatives for TCC collection. A cytobrush inserted through the external os to a maximum depth of 2 cm and rotated at least a full turn during removal provides fetal cells in diagnostic quantities. However, other investigators failed to reproduce this success. Aspiration of the endocervical mucus with a single cannula also results in the detection of fetal cells in up to 70% of TCC samples from mothers with male fetuses. Furthermore, Kingdom et al. demonstrated that lavage of the endocervical canal retrieves more trophoblast cells than the cytobrush, and that cytobrush specimens may have a higher incidence of debris and maternal endocervical cells. A more effective method in terms of fetal cell yield is intrauterine lavage (IUL), in which a flexible catheter connected to a syringe filled with normal saline is used to flush the endometrial cavity. IUL and the other methods for TCC sampling are illustrated in an article by Adinolfi and Sherlock.
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G is a class Ib major histocompatability complex protein that is expressed by human extravillous cytotrophoblast cells and is absent in all other uterine and placental cell populations. In 2003, Bulmer et al. employed MAbs against HLA-G to identify cytotrophoblasts cells in TCC samples retrieved by IUL. Cytotrophoblast cells characterized by their large, irregular hyperchromatic nuclei were HLA-G positive and were identified in 12 of 23 (52%) TCC samples. Interestingly, molecular examination of DNA by QF-PCR in HLA-G positive elements collected by laser capture micro-dissection from four of the patients revealed fetal markers, demonstrating the utility of this approach for prenatal genetic diagnosis. The combined immunohistochemical and molecular approach used in this study revealed considerable variation between the samples. The sensitivity of MAb labeling was relatively low even though HLA-G reactivity provides high specificity for identification of fetal-derived trophoblast cells. HLA-G is expressed by extravillous cytotrophoblast cellular elements, but not by syncytial fragments, limiting its ability to identify all fetal cells. The necessity for a set of MAbs reacting exclusively against antigens expressed on specific subpopulations of trophoblast cells will be crucial for an immunohistochemical approach to identify fetal cells comprehensively. More recently, it was demonstrated that extravillous cytotrophoblast cells could be consistently (>95% of specimens) identified using HLA-G as an antigenic marker in TCC specimens collected by cytobrush into a fixative rinse and prepared on microscope slides free of interfering mucus. Slides stained with the same antibody against HLA-G used by Bulmer et al. and counterstained with hematoxylin reveal a small number of antibody-labeled cytotrophoblast cells on a dense background of cervical cell nuclei. Trophoblast frequency was approximately one in two thousand for all pregnancies successfully sampled between gestation weeks six and fourteen, while this value was reduced four to five-fold in specimens retrieved from women with ectopic pregnancy or blighted ovum. These findings suggest that, in addition to genetic testing, information can be gleaned from TCC analysis alerting clinicians to at-risk pregnancies.
The recovery and analysis of fetal cells shed from the placenta into the cervical canal could provide wider availability of prenatal genetic diagnostics to the general patient population. With improvements in the efficacy and safety of trophoblast collection by TCC sampling using the cytobrush, and in the identification and isolation of those cells expressing trophoblast markers, small quantities of fetal DNA could be readily obtained for genetic testing. New sensitive technologies, such as those now under development for analysis of fetal DNA in maternal serum, could yield extensive information about the fetal genome from modest numbers of isolated cells. The ability to procure cytotrophoblast cells by TCC as early as six weeks of gestation could make this vital information available much earlier than current technologies, including the analysis of fetal DNA in maternal serum. It would therefore be useful to develop a non-invasive method for isolated trophoblasts.

Identification and analysis of fetal trophoblast cells in cervical mucus for prenatal diagnosis


An apparatus for receiving, storing and outputting digital signal sequences wherein both the length of the sequences and the individual digital signals themselves may be adjusted without extensive hardware requirements, the apparatus having a content addressable capability. The apparatus includes a serial first-in first-out memory a control circuit including a digital clock and a plurality of control signals for erasing, modifying, and addressing the digital signals.

The invention relates to apparatus for receiving, storing and outputting digital signal sequences. Each digital signal may represent a test pattern and sequences thereof may, for example, be used for testing digital electronic devices of various kinds. One such apparatus has been disclosed in the German Patent No. 1220474. Therein the storing and outputting is effected by means of shift registers. For adjusting the digital signals, the output of each such shift register is provided with a switching arrangement. For adjusting the length of the sequence further switching arrangements are provided. This allows for freely modifiable digital signal sequences to be generated; however, a large number of switches are necessary which leads to appreciable space requirements, and also to a complicated set-up.

Apparatus for receiving storing and outputting digital signal sequences


In a reaping machine (11) having one or more rotatably drivable mowing units (12) which are provided with working implements, the mowing units (12) being held on a support frame (13) held with the tractor, the mowing units (12) are pivotally supported on the support frame (13) for easy moving adaptation of the working implements to the surface of the ground in the immediate working region by means of one or more compensating means (A2). Furthermore, the pivot axes (M) of the compensating means (A2) are arranged extending in the travelling direction and/or transversely thereof and/or inclined substantially in the vertical plane or intersect each other or the compensating means consist of a ball joint. In addition, the compensating means (A2) is configured in such a manner that at least one pivot axis (M) extending transversely of the travelling direction lies in the vicinity of the surface of the ground (10). With this configuration a quick-reacting adaptation of the working implements to the particular ground profile is obtained, said implements remaining constant at the intended working height over the entire working width.

The invention relates to a reaping or haying machine comprising at least one rotatingly drivable mowing or raking unit which is provided with implements constructed as mowing blades or as raking tines and defining a working plane and by means of a compensating means is supported on a support frame connectable to a tractor pivotally about a pivot axis extending transversely of the travelling direction.
Agricultural machines of this type are known in a large number of different configurations. The mowing or raking units are attached to or installed on a tractor. To enable an adaptation to the particular terrain profile in operation, the mowing or raking unit to which the working implements are attached is supported articulately at the tractor at a relatively great height in pronounced cantilever manner. Pitch movements occurring due to braking, accelerating or travelling over uneven ground have disadvantageous effects on the working result and the mowing or raking unit because the latter can be forced into an unfavourable position by the tractor. This leads to high moments about a transverse axis; said moments are further intensified by the high articulation on the tractor and for example in machines with a three-wheel or four-wheel chassis can lead to the front wheels being more highly loaded than the rear wheels. This applies analogously also to mowing or raking units provided with a slide plate.
The result of this is that the mowing or raking units, in particular the working implements attached thereto exhibit the tendency to penetrate into the ground more at the front. This leads to damage to the grass sod and soiling of the crop with soil particles. Also, the working implements may be deformed and break. Moreover, ground contacts can lead to load peaks and as a result also damage to the machine; greater wear and a higher power requirement are usually inevitable.
This problem cannot be solved by strengthening the construction. Apart from the greater costs, a heavier construction would have the disadvantage of poor manoeuvrability of the combination and a further increase in the power requirement without improving the operating performance. Also, no increase of the travelling speed and the working width is possible.
The problem underlying the invention is therefore to provide a mowing or haying machine of the aforementioned type in which the known disadvantages are obviated. Thus, the tools should be able to be adapted in easily moving and rapid reaction at the intended working height to the particular ground profile over the entire working width. The motions of the tractor or a separate associated vehicle are not to be imparted to the mowing or raking units; on the contrary, the mowing or raking units are to be able to execute their own motions and follow the terrain profile so that the resistance to travel and the machine load are kept low and damage of the grass sod as well as damage to the working implements and soiling of the crop are to be largely avoided. The support area or the wheels of the mowing or raking unit are accordingly always to run parallel to the ground surface and ground irregularities are to be easily compensatable without pitch movements of the towing vehicle or the chassis being able to have disadvantageous effects. The constructional expenditure necessary for this is to be kept small but nevertheless a high operational reliability is to be guaranteed. It is also to be possible to easily overcome suddenly occurring obstructions.


An exhaust gas control apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes: a NOx purification catalyst arranged in an exhaust passage of the internal combustion engine; a degradation degree estimating unit estimating a degradation degree of the NOx purification catalyst; and an air-fuel ratio control unit adjusting an air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas flowing into the NOx purification catalyst, wherein, until the estimated degradation degree of the NOx purification catalyst reaches a predetermined degradation degree, the air-fuel ratio control unit adjusts the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas to a rich air-fuel ratio, and, when the estimated degradation degree of the NOx purification catalyst exceeds the predetermined degradation degree, the air-fuel ratio control unit changes the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas from the rich air-fuel ratio to a lean air-fuel ratio so that the NOx purification catalyst is regenerated.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an exhaust gas control apparatus and exhaust gas control method for an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of Related Art
It is known that a NOx purification catalyst is used as a technique for purifying exhaust gas emitted from an internal combustion engine, such as a gasoline engine and a diesel engine. However, precious metals generally used as a catalytic component of such a NOx purification catalyst, that is, for example, platinum group elements, such as rhodium (Rh), are increasingly used with tightening of emission regulations of automobiles and, therefore, exhaustion of resources is concerned. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the usage of platinum group elements and to substitute other metals, or the like, for the platinum group elements in the future.
Then, there are many researches for reducing the usage of platinum group elements or for catalytic components as a substitute for the platinum group elements. Copper (Cu) is one of such catalytic components. Some suggestions about a NOx purification catalyst using copper and an exhaust gas control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, which includes such a NOx purification catalyst, are made (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-003733 (JP 2001-003733 A)).
Generally, base metals, such as Cu, have a lower reducing ability than precious metals, such as Rh, in a lean atmosphere having excessive oxygen or in an atmosphere having near a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. Therefore, it is difficult to sufficiently reduce and purify NOx contained in exhaust gas when the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is lean or stoichiometric. Thus, for example, when Cu is used as the catalyst metal of a NOx purification catalyst, it is generally desirable to adjust the air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas to a rich atmosphere. However, Cu has a lower heat stability than precious metals, and the like, so, even when Cu is used in such a rich atmosphere, there is inconvenience that, as Cu is exposed to high temperatures for an extended period of time, Cu particles tend to agglomerate and form large particles. Then, Cu particles grown in this way cannot maintain a large contact area with exhaust gas any more and, as a result, the NOx conversion performance of the NOx purification catalyst decreases.

Method and apparatus for exhaust gas control of an internal combustion engine


A new generation magnetic tape cartridge of the type having a leader block is provided along with a new generation leader block pin so as to prevent interlocking with respect to prior art leader blocks and leader block pins. The magnetic tape cartridge is a generally rectangular container which has four corners. One of the corners of the container is beveled and is provided with a well to receive the new generation leader block in a nested position. The new generation leader block has a notch which has top, bottom and middle portions. A cross section of the middle portion of the notch is smaller than the cross section of the bottom portion of the notch, and the cross section of the top portion of the notch is smaller than the cross section of the middle portion of the notch. The cross section of the bottom portion of the notch is defined by a circular arc of more than 180.degree. for receiving and capturing a new generation leader block pin. The top portion of the notch in the block is fashioned to confine the new generation leader block pin to a predetermined amount of lateral movement. The configurations of the notch of the new generation leader block and the new generation leader block pin are fashioned to prevent interlock with prior art reader blocks and leader block pins.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic tape cartridge which is operable with a Leader block and leader block pin, the leader block and leader block pin being uniquely configured so as to be inoperable with a prior art leader block and leader block pin.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
IBM developed the 3480/3490 type magnetic tape cartridge which is processed by the 3480 or 3490 type cartridge drive. This type of magnetic tape cartridge has a leader block which recesses and nests in one of the corners of the cartridge. The leader block is connected to a leader of the magnetic tape which is stored on a reel within the cartridge. The leader block is notched to provide a cavity for receiving and interlocking with an enlarged portion of a pin associated with the cartridge drive. The pin is connected to an arm which is operated by the cartridge drive for pulling the leader block out of the cartridge and threading the magnetic tape onto a reel for processing purposes, such as read/write functions. The 3480/3490 magnetic tape cartridge and cartridge drive are commercial items in the industry. The magnetic tape is formulated with chromium dioxide and has a thickness of about 72 gauge. The 3480/3490 cartridge drive is designed to process tapes with these characteristics.
The industry has seen the emergence of a new magnetic tape which is significantly different from the former magnetic tape. The new magnetic tape has a formulation of metal particles and has a reduced thickness, namely about 57 gauge. It is necessary that a new tape drive be provided which can process the new tape with less tension than that applied to the existing tape. Further, the new drive must be able to process the new formulation of the tape. Except for these modifications, it is desired that the new tape drive be substantially the same as the existing tape drive. With this arrangement the existing tape drives can be converted to new tape drives with minor modifications. This protects the significant investment that has been made in the existing tape drives. It is important that the new magnetic tape cartridge not be inserted into the existing tape drives or that the existing magnetic tape cartridge not be inserted into the new tape drive. If either one of these occurrences took place, it would most likely result in destruction of the tape and loss of important data. In order to solve this problem, efforts have been undertaken to electronically detect insertion of an improper cartridge. This approach, however, required the tape to be threaded into the drive before preventative measures were undertaken. It is desirable that this problem be solved before the magnetic tape is moved into the cartridge drive by an arrangement which does not require electronic sensing devices.

Magnetic tape cartridge with second generation leader block and leader block pin


An apparatus for separating almost all fine particles, including particles less than 10 microns in diameter, from a gas stream, which requires the input of only a small amount of water and which discharges a correspondingly small amount of particle-water slurry. The apparatus includes a vertical cylindrical chamber having a relatively wide upstream portion that gradually narrows in a transition portion into an elongated throat portion. A central core member extends axially along the throat portion and forms an elongated annular passage. A high velocity gas stream containing fine particles is generally tangentially introduced into the wide upstream portion of the conduit to provide a circulatory flow. Water is introduced through a plurality of parts in the transition portion downstream therefrom, to provide a thin layer of water along the outer walls of the throat. The high velocity circulatory flow of the particle-laden gas along the annular throat region causes fine particles to migrate radially outwardly under high centrifugal forces into the water layer. The water-particle slurry is discharged through a slot in the outer wall of the lower portion of the throat region. The substantially particle-free gas passes through a radial diffuser section therebelow.

This invention relates to apparatus for removing fine solid or liquid particles from a gas stream.
There are many situations where dust must be removed from a gas stream, such as in removing dust from the exhaust of a power plant prior to the exhaust reaching the atmosphere, and in removing dust from air utilized to ventilate a mine shaft. Where only a moderate proportion of the dust particles, such as about 90%, must be removed, and where it is not necessary to remove very fine particles, such as those below 10 microns in diameter, a cyclone type apparatus may be utilized. Such a cyclone device can include a chamber where the particle-laden gas is introduced in circulatory flow thereabout, and a cone-shaped constrictor causes the gas to circulate more rapidly so as to centrifugally force particles to the outside of the stream. The constricted area can be followed by a diffusing chamber which permits the particle-laden air near the outside of the constricted area, to undergo settling so the particles settle out, while air at the center and middle of the constricted area, which is largely free of particles, can be passed into the atmosphere. Passage into the atmosphere with a reverse flow can be accomplished with a vortex finder tube that passes back through the center of the vortex. Such cyclone separators cannot remove more than about 95% of the particles, regardless of how fast the air circulates in the constricted region thereof, because some dust which settles out is always reintrained in the airstream by reason of turbulence. Further, they have not proven effective in removing particles of less than about 10 microns diameter. The cyclone separators usually are operated to generate a G force of no more than about 1000 G's, because higher speeds create increased turbulence which throws settling particles back into the middle of the air stream.
In application where a very high proportion of the dust, such as over 98% thereof, must be removed, and where even fine particles of less than 10 microns in diameter must be removed, venturi scrubbers have been utilized. Such scrubbers direct air in axial flow through a venturi, wherein a water mist is applied to cause the water mist to entrain particles. The venturi passage is followed by a demisting device, such as a cyclone or mesh pad, to remove the particle-water slurry from the airstream. Such devices have a disadvantage in that they require a considerable flow-through of water, such as 3 to 5 gallons of water flow per 1,000 cubic feet of air flow and result in a high rate of evaporation. This has the disadvantage that such devices may not be useful where water sources are limited. Also, the devices necessarily generate considerble outflow of a particle-water slurry, so that storage areas or settling tanks must be provided to handle such an outflow. In fact, the cost of equipment for handling the water-particle outflow of the scrubber can easily constitute the principal portion of the cost of a scrubber installation.


A system for initiating a contact, comprising a broker 236 operable (a) to receive a first type of information selected by a user, the first type of information being accessed through a first application; (b) locate a second type of information associated with the first type of information, the second type of information being stored by a second application different from the first application; and (c) initiate a communication to a communication device identified by the second type of information.

The combination of the Internet and high speed computers has provided computer users with a vast array of communications options from a single network communications device. Examples of communication options include Electronic mail or E-mail, text chat, instant messaging, voicemail and Voice over IP or VoIP. In particular, VoIP, which is a packet-switched voice communication, may be performed by an IP softphone application running on a Personal Computer (PC) or as a hardware device, such as an IP phone (donisys™ i750 or Avaya 4624™). An example of such an IP softphone is the Avaya IP Softphone™ manufactured by Avaya Inc. The software emulates a telephone and communicates signaling and voice information via an IP-network connection between the host computer and a telecommunication switching system (also referred to as a Private Branch Exchange or PBX) or directly to another device (also referred to as peer-to-peer). This network connection is often the Internet or a Local Area Network or LAN. Audio information being received from the network is communicated with the user via a headset or handset by means of a sound card that interfaces the headset or handset to the PC. When a user speaks, the sound card converts the analog information to digital information that the software then transmits to a destination via the network. When a call is received via the network for the IP softphone, the software alerts the user via an internal or external speaker attached to the PC.
Automatic initiation of a selected type of contact from a single communications device is desirable for user convenience. Various products provide limited functionality in this area. Avaya's IP Softphone™ highlights telephone numbers in web content (i.e., a HyperText Mark up Language or HTML page) accessed by Microsoft's Internet Explorer™. The numbers are located by the Softphone application before the web content is displayed to the user. The user can click on a highlighted number and the Softphone application will automatically initiate a VoIP contact to the number. Microsoft Outlook™, an email application, can perform searches for information associated with a person's name. When an email is received, the user can right click on the "FROM" field, and, in response, the Outlook application will look up the email address in the local address book. If it locates a telephone number for the email sender, Outlook provides the user with the option of automatically initiating a VoIP contact to the sender.
Existing applications for automatic initiation of contacts generally are limited to specific types of contacts and specific record search locations, require a code modification within the application, and/or are initiated by receipt of a communication from the other communicant.