A method of producing steel (1) with a high manganese and low carbon content on the basis of liquid pig iron (2) or liquid steel (3) and slag-forming constituents (4) with the object of preventing existing drawbacks of process route in vessels other than, e.g., electrical arc furnaces (18). With steel produced with a high manganese and low carbon content, in a process, the carbon component is reduced to about 0.7-0.8% by a combined blowing of oxygen (7) through top lances (8) and underbath nozzles (9) after feeding of liquid ferro-manganese (50 and liquid steel (3a) in a FeMn-refining converter (6a), wherein a component of a cold end product from premelt is added as cooling means (10), and wherein the carbon component is reduced to about 0.05-0.1% C by a continuous blowing of oxygen (7) through the underbath nozzles.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of producing steel with a high manganese and low carbon content on the basis of liquid pig iron or liquid steel and slag-forming constituents.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Production of steel with a high manganese content in metallurgical plants is carried out mainly on the basis of scrap in electrical arc furnaces (Report at metallurgical Forum, Leoben 2003, authors Gigacher, Doppler, Bernard Krieger). During the production, a manganese carrier such as ferro-alloy is added to the melt. This presents a problem as ferro-manganese (FeMn) with a low carbon content is in about 300 times more expensive than similar products with a high C-content. FeMn with a low carbon content is, however, best suited for the production.
The production of steel with a high manganese content in a vessel other than electrical arc furnace fails because with blowing of oxygen, a large amount of manganese slags as during decarburization of steel, oxygen develops a high affinity to manganese. Up to the present, with the selection of the converter route, the drawback consisted in a high slagging of manganese and a correspondingly low manganese content in steel of about 16-17%.
The production of steel with a high manganese and low carbon content in electrical arc furnaces is connected with several draw backs: in electrical arc furnaces at temperatures up to 3000° C., a high vaporization of manganese takes place. Further, in order to insure a low content of companion elements, a high-quality, expensive scrap is necessary. Besides, use of the expensive ferro-alloys with a low carbon content is necessary.

Method of producing steel with high manganese and low carbon content


A scheme for controlling the vacuum holddown in a cutter table of the type having a conveyorized support surface comprised of a plurality of bristle members which create a permeable bed through which a vacuum is communicated employs separate zone regions on the vacuum bed which are controllably energized and de-energized in response to command signals generated by a controller in response to cutter head movement which anticipates the position of the knife prior to its arrival at a given zone in order that material set up in reaction time in the valve system is allotting for.

This invention relates to a cutting apparatus whereby a sheet or layup of sheet material supported on an air impermeable vacuum bed is caused to be drawn against the support surface of the bed by applied vacuum, and further relates to a system whereby vacuum is introduced to selected zones in the bed in anticipation of the cutter head being moved to a zone not presently occupied by the cutter head during a cutting operation to thereby maximize draw efficiency in the vacuum pump supplied for the system.
In cutter beds, wherein a sheet or layup of sheets of material are supported on a vacuum bed in order to draw the sheet or stack of sheets against the bed in the localized region of cutter, attempts have been made to limit the vacuum applied to the entire bed strictly to the immediate region or zone in which the cutter is occupying. One such attempt is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,712, issued to H. Joseph Gerber on Dec. 4, 1984 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HOLDING SHEET MATERIAL IN A SECTION VACUUM BED. In the apparatus disclosed therein, a series of laterally extending plungers are provided in the bed which are capable of moving into and out of engagement with a vacuum manifold to control the introduction of vacuum into a given zone in response to being engaged by a cam located on the cutter head carriage as it moves past the involved plunger. Thus, each plunger being normally in its outwardly extending condition is moved to a closed to flow condition by the movement of the carriage to open its associated zone to vacuum supplied to it by the vacuum source. However, vacuum is only introduced to a zone with the arrival of the carriage at the zone and not before. This does not allow for settling to occur in the fabric once vacuum is applied, nor does it take into account valve actuation time either. Also, cutting of a layup sheet often involves cutting a line across a vacuum zone boundary, that is, the cutting which takes place extends between two zones which are controlled by separate valves. In this case, the cutter head carriage moves between points in respective adjacent zones in rapid succession thereby activating the zones in an alternating or a thrashing type manner. Thrashing is defined as activating and deactivating the same zone repeatedly within a short period of time which causes loads to be places on the system which would otherwise be desirably avoided.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,526, entitled CONVEYOR VACUUM TABLE FOR FEEDING SHEET MATERIAL, issued to Pearl et al on Mar. 15, 1988, it is disclosed that a conveyor table have a plurality of windows or zones which define generally rectangular areas in which vacuum is introduced and shut off in accordance with where the cutter head is moved. The selective opening and closing of zones is accomplished by providing actuators which are connected with a numeric controller for the purpose of controllably energizing and reverse energizing the actuators such that the vacuum is applied only to a region surrounding the cutter head, for example, at least 2 feet in the plus and minus directions along the length of the table. While the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,526, utilizes computer controlled zoning, no provision is made, for example, for settling time or knife feedrate as a parameter to define contours.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the invention to provide a vacuum zoning system whereby a controller is responsible for zoning given vacuum regions on a cutting table in accordance with anticipated movements of the cutter head prior to the cutter head actually moving to a zone.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus of the aforementioned type wherein zoning occurs in a cutter bed so as to allow the layup of sheet material to settle prior to the cutting through by the cutter blade of the layup.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide a method whereby data used in the creation of contours in a cutting operation is employed to also control the on and off sequencing of zoning and to create a sliding window of zones which follow the path of the cutter head.
Still a further object of the invention is to provide a zoning control system whereby zone overlap occurs where a line of cut extends in the immediate vicinity of the beginning point of the next adjacent zone.
Another object of the invention is to provide a vacuum control system of the aforementioned type wherein the power output of a vacuum generator is reduced during periods of non-use in a cutting procedure to enhance energy savings.


Provided are a fixing module and a motion assistance apparatus including the fixing module including a first side frame including a first central portion on one side of a user, a first front extending portion configured to extend from the first central portion along a front side of the user, and a first rear extending portion configured to extend from the first central portion along a rear side of the user, and a second side frame including a second central portion on another side of the user, a second front extending portion configured to extend from the second central portion along the front side of the user, and a second rear extending portion.

1. Field
Example embodiments relate to a fixing module and/or a motion assistance apparatus including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the onset of an aging society, an increased number of people may experience inconvenience and/or pain from joint problems. Therefore, there is increased interest in motion assistance apparatuses that may enable the elderly or patients with joint problems to walk with less effort. The motion assistance apparatuses may include active joint structures including hydraulic systems and/or driving motors to drive each joint portion to improve muscular strength of legs of users. However, conventionally a motion assistance apparatus may come in various fixed sizes according to a waist of the user. Further, conventionally, a motion assistance apparatus may shake due to torsional forces applied thereto while assisting the user with walking.

Fixing module and motion assistance apparatus including the same


A plate for laying as a road surface in the vicinity of a railway comprising resilient rubber material delimited by three or more edges, at least one of which is provided with teeth to lock the plate with an adjacent plate against relative movement at right angles to the bearing surface of the plate, the plate being deformable to allow installation of a plate into position alongside already installed plates. The plate may have side edges adapted to fit closely to the rails, with or without a groove for rail wheel flanges. The shapes of the plates are chosen to fit the area between the permanent road, the rails and the side edges of the level crossing.

The invention concerns a plate for laying as a road surface for railway level crossings, and also a method of producing a railway level crossing using said plates.
Railway level crossings have been made in the past, for example, by laying concrete plates or by asphalting the road sections lying in the vicinity of the rails. Routine maintenance and inspection, by means of X-rays, of the rails for detecting wear, corrosion and other damage, have been complicated and time-consuming when the road is secured to the subsurface. The road surface must on each occasion be destroyed, and after repair work has been carried out, must be renewed; not only is this costly, but it also raises the questions of traffic control, as lengthy diversions frequently prove necessary.
Also, the installation of concrete plate systems has not always been found satisfactory in all respects. In particular, special lifting devices are required for laying concrete plates of this kind. The work associated with installing and removing these known plates is slow and complicated. Considerable costs are therefore incurred and, in the case of repair and maintenance work, road traffic has to be diverted for long periods. It has also been found that concrete plates, in particular so-called rail-supporting plates, cause considerable damage to rails at the ballast bed interface.

Plate and method for laying railway level crossings


The present invention relates to a carbon fiber composite material containing carbon fibers coated with amorphous carbon, and a matrix resin.

Carbon fiber composite materials in which matrix resins such as thermoset resins, thermoplastic resins and the like are reinforced with carbon fibers have excellent modulus of tensile elasticity and tensile strength, and thus they have been utilized in sports, leisure, aerospace, and in addition, in blades for wind power generation and the like.
Mechanical characteristics, such as strength, modulus of elasticity and the like of carbon fiber composite materials are largely affected with affinity and adhesive strength between carbon fibers and matrix resins. Accordingly, oxidation treatments such as introductions of functional oxygen groups onto surfaces of carbon fibers are usually performed. As oxidation treatments, chemical oxidation, electrolytic oxidation, gas phase oxidation and the like in liquid phases have been known.
However, when a matrix resin is a resin of low-polarity, such as polypropylene, an oxidation treatment on surfaces of carbon fibers does not sufficiently increase adhesive strength, and thus polypropylene should also be treated with maleic acid graft and the like, which results in a higher cost.
On the other hand, in addition to an oxidation treatment on surfaces of carbon fibers, it has been attempted to further coat the surface of the carbon fibers with a resin. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses the example to improve adhesiveness of carbon fibers to an unsaturated polyester resin by using a surface treatment agent for carbon fibers, which consists of an epoxy resin; an alkylene oxide adduct of monocyclic or polycyclic phenols; and a polyester condensate of an unsaturated dibasic acid or an ester forming derivative thereof and an alkylene oxide adduct of vinylphenols.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a high-strength carbon fiber composite material can be provided.


An optical component assembly is created with reduced defects in the adhesion and alignment between the optical components. A first rigid optical component is placed into a cavity. A second rigid optical component is placed into the cavity such that it is supported by a first support device which prevents a first end of the second rigid optical component from contacting a corresponding first end of the first rigid optical component. Air is evacuated from a chamber formed between the first and second rigid optical components. The support of the first support device is removed so that the first end of the second rigid optical component comes into contact with the first end of the first rigid optical component with a layer of adhesive material sandwiched therebetween. A force is applied to urge surfaces of the first and second rigid optical components toward one another to improve adhesion between the two.

The present invention relates generally to liquid crystal displays, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for pre-assembling optical components for use with a liquid crystal display.
Assembling various optical components typically associated with liquid crystal displays (LCDs) requires a process which is essentially defect free, resulting in high yields. The various optical components used in conjunction with LCDs include both rigid optical components and flexible optical components. Rigid optical components can be, for example, glass plates, diffusers, compensators and heaters. Flexible optical components can be films such as polarizers, retarders, and dry film adhesives. The high costs of LCDs and these related optical components makes it very important to eliminate or greatly reduce waste. Further, defects in the assembly process can significantly effect the performance of an LCD.
A common defect which manifests itself during assembly of LCD optical component stack-ups is misalignment between optical axes of various components. For example, the absorption axis of a polarizer material must be aligned, within a very low tolerance, with the rub axis on the LCD substrate. To obtain the contrast necessary for avionics displays, the total misalignment must be no greater than 1 degree. Current assembly techniques result in misalignment in excess of 2 degrees, and as such, are inadequate for achieving the necessary alignment tolerances.
A number of assembly techniques exist in the prior art. Each of these techniques introduces one or more defects into the LCD stack-up. These defects include strain on the LCD, loss of adhesion between optical components, bubbles formed between optical components, stress fractures occurring in the adhesive materials, discoloration of the adhesive materials, high reflectance due to poor index matching of the adhesive material to the optical components, and birefringence of the adhesive materials causing undesirable effects in the display output such as Newton rings and loss of contrast. Consequently, there is a need for a low cost assembly process which eliminates these defects to provide a high yield of optical component assemblies which exhibit stability through environmental testing under extreme conditions of temperature, humidity and vibration.

Method and apparatus for pre-assembling optical components for use with liquid crystal displays


The present invention discloses an apparatus and process for removing particulate material and mercury-containing compounds from a gas stream. The apparatus includes a particulate removal means to remove the particulate material and a mercury collection means to remove the mercury-containing compounds. The apparatus can selectively remove particulate material and mercury-containing compounds which may be disposed of separately. The mercury collection means is positioned downstream of the particulate removal means and includes a regenerable sorbent. The sorbent is regenerated by elevating the temperature of the sorbent to release the mercury-containing compounds from the sorbent.

Environmental standards for particulate and total mercury emissions by coal-fired power plants, petroleum refineries, chemical refineries, incinerators, metallurgical operations, thermal treatment units, and other particulate- and mercury-emitting facilities are becoming increasingly more demanding. Emissions of particulate material are already strictly regulated for such facilities. New regulations are currently under development not only to amend existing regulations to reduce further permissible levels of total mercury emissions for such facilities but also to regulate total mercury emissions from a wide variety of other types of operations not presently subject to such regulations. As used herein, "total mercury emissions" refers to the concentration of mercury in the gas stream in whatever form (e.g., whether in elemental form or compounded with other elements).
Electrostatic precipitators and filters are two common particulate removal systems for removing particulate material from a gas stream. In electrostatic precipitators, electrodes impart a negative electrical charge to the particulate material. The charged particulate material migrates to positively charged collection plates where the material is collected. The collected particulate material is periodically removed from the collection plates for disposal.
Electrostatic precipitators have limitations in many applications. Electrostatic precipitators are unable to remove effectively particulate material having inadequate resistivity to retain an electrical charge. For particulate material that can retain an electrical charge, the particle collection efficiency of electrostatic precipitators has been found to decrease over time. It is believed that the decrease is primarily a result of electrical spark over from the collection plates to the electrodes.
As a result of the limitations of electrostatic precipitators in many applications, a number of operations use filtration rather than electrostatic precipitators to remove particulate material from gas streams. In filtration systems, a filter contains pores smaller than the size of the particulate material to collect the particulate material on the filter as a collected particulate material layer and yield a treated gas stream. The collected particulate material layer is typically removed from the filter by ceasing the flow of the gas stream through the filter and contacting the filter with a reverse flow of a gas. The reverse gas flow dislodges the collected particulate material layer from the filter, and the dislodged layer falls into a hopper for disposal. As can be appreciated, a design objective for such filters is to minimize the frequency of cleaning of the filter, thereby keeping the filter operational for as long as possible.
A variety of filter types can be used. For example, filters may be composed of various types of fabrics. More recently, a new type of filter has been proposed which combines more than 99% retention efficiency for 5 micron or larger particulate material with stability of the filter at high temperatures. The filter is composed of thermally stable materials, including ceramics, glass bonded ceramics, glasses, and sintered metals.
While the above-described particulate removal systems remove particulate material, neither electrostatic precipitators nor filters remove vaporous forms of mercury from the gas stream, requiring the systems to be modified for mercury removal. In particular in coal-fired power plants, a variety of sorbents are often introduced upstream of the filter to remove mercury from the flue gas. The sorbents are recovered by the filter as part of the collected particulate material layer. As used herein, "sorbent" refers to a substance that absorbs, adsorbs, or entraps another substance.
The efficiency of sorbents frequently utilized for mercury removal in facilities of the above-noted nature are often inadequate for meeting the increasing regulatory demands concerning total mercury emissions. Additionally, such sorbents typically do not remove all forms of mercury. Since certain types of fuels or raw materials produce only certain forms of mercury when consumed, it is therefore often necessary to base the selection of the specific sorbent to be used upon the chemical composition of the fuel or raw material to be consumed in the operation.
Additional limitations exist with respect to known techniques for using sorbents in facilities of the above-noted nature. Specifically, because the mercury-containing sorbents are recovered as part of the collected particulate material layer, the use of sorbents typically exchanges a contaminated waste gas problem for a contaminated solid waste problem. Generally, a substantial amount of sorbent is required to treat a gas stream containing dilute concentrations of mercury. The collected particulate material layer containing the sorbent can be difficult to store, transport and dispose of. Depending upon the application, the storage and disposal of mercury-containing solid waste is stringently regulated. Further, it is difficult to remove the mercury from the collected particulate material layer. In this regard, the removal of the mercury is generally impractical due to the dilute mercury concentrations in the collected particulate material layer and the volume of material in the layer. As a result, sorbents generally are not regenerable but are typically discarded after use due to the high costs to recover the sorbent from the layer and recycle the recovered sorbent.


Tumor necrosis factor receptor proteins, DNAs and expression vectors encoding TNF receptors, and processes for producing TNF receptors as products of recombinant cell culture, are disclosed.

The present invention relates generally to cytokine receptors and more specifically to tumor necrosis factor receptors.
Tumor necrosis factor-xcex1 (TNFxcex1, also known as cachectin) and tumor necrosis factor-s (TNFxcex2, also known as lymphotoxin) are homologous mammalian endogenous secretory proteins capable of inducing a wide variety of effects on a large number of cell types. The great similarities in the structural and functional characteristics of these two cytokines have resulted in their collective description as xe2x80x9cTNF.xe2x80x9d Complementary cDNA clones encoding TNFxcex1 (Pennica et al., Nature 312:724, 1984) and TNFxcex2 (Gray et al., Nature 312:721, 1984) have been isolated, permitting further structural and biological characterization of TNF.
TNF proteins initiate their biological effect on cells by binding to specific TNF receptor (TNF-R) proteins expressed on the plasma membrane of a TNF-responsive cell. TNFxcex1 and TNFxcex2 were first shown to bind to a common receptor on the human cervical carcinoma cell line ME-180 (Aggarwal et al., Nature 318:665, 1985). Estimates of the size of the TNF-R determined by affinity labeling studies ranged from 54 to 175 kDa (Creasers et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84:3293, 1987; Stauber et al., J. Biol. Chem. 263:19098, 1988; Hohmann et al., J. Biol. Chem. 264:14927, 1989). Although the relationship between these TNF-Rs of different molecular mass is unclear, Hohmann et al. (J. Biol. Chem. 264:14927, 1989) reported that at least two different cell surface receptors for TNF exist on different cell types. These receptors have an apparent molecular mass of about 80 kDa and about 55-60 kDa, respectively. None of the above publications, however, reported the purification to homogeneity of cell surface TNF receptors.
In addition to cell surface receptors for TNF, soluble proteins from human urine capable of binding TNF have also been identified (Peetre et al., Eur. J. Haematol. 41:414, 1988; Seckinger et al., J. Exp. Med. 167:1511, 1988; Seckinger et al., J. Biol. Chem. 264:11966, 1989; UK Patent Application, Publ. No. 2 218 101 A to Seckinger et al.; Engelmann et al., J. Biol. Chem. 264:11974, 1989). The soluble urinary TNF binding protein disclosed by UK 2 218 101 A has a partial N-terminal amino acid sequence of Asp-Ser-Val-Cys-Pro-, which corresponds to the partial sequence disclosed later by Engelmann et al. (1989). The relationship of the above soluble urinary binding proteins was further elucidated after original parent application (U.S. Serial No. 403,241) of the present application was filed, when Engelmann et al. reported the identification and purification of a second distinct soluble urinary TNF binding protein having an N-terminal amino acid sequence of Val-Ala-Phe-Thr-Pro- (J. Biol. Chem. 265:1531, 1990). The two urinary proteins disclosed by the UK 2 218 101 A and the Engelmann et al. publications were shown to be immunochemically related to two apparently distinct cell surface proteins by the ability of antiserum against the binding proteins to inhibit TNF binding to certain cells.
More recently, two separate groups reported the molecular cloning and expression of a human 55 kDa TNF-R (Loetscher et al., Cell 61:351, 1990; Schall et al., Cell 61:361, 1990). The TNF-R of both groups has an N-terminal amino acid sequence which corresponds to the partial amino acid sequence of the urinary binding protein disclosed by UK 2 218 101 A, Engelmann et al. (1989) and Englelmann et al. (1990).
In order to elucidate the relationship of the multiple forms of TNF-R and soluble urinary TNF binding proteins, or to study the structural and biological characteristics of TNF-Rs and the role played by TNF-Rs in the responses of various cell populations to TNF or other cytokine stimulation, or to use TNF-Rs effectively in therapy, diagnosis, or assay, purified compositions of TNF-R are needed. Such compositions, however, are obtainable in practical yields only by cloning and expressing genes encoding the receptors using recombinant DNA technology. Efforts to purify the TNF-R molecule for use in biochemical analysis or to clone and express mammalian genes encoding TNF-R, however, have been impeded by lack of a suitable source of receptor protein or mRNA. Prior to the present invention, no cell lines were known to express high levels of TNF-R constitutively and continuously, which precluded purification of receptor for sequencing or construction of genetic libraries for cDNA cloning.
The present invention provides isolated TNF receptors and DNA sequences encoding mammalian tumor necrosis factor receptors (TNF-R), in particular, human TNF-Rs. Such DNA sequences include (a) cDNA clones having a nucleotide sequence derived from the coding region of a native TNF-R gene; (b) DNA sequences which are capable of hybridization to the cDNA clones of (a) under moderately stringent conditions and which encode biologically active TNF-R molecules; or (c) DNA sequences which are degenerate as a result of the genetic code to the DNA sequences defined in (a) and (b) and which encode biologically active TNF-R molecules. In particular, the present invention provides DNA sequences which encode soluble TNF receptors.
The present invention also provides recombinant expression vectors comprising the DNA sequences defined above, recombinant TNF-R molecules produced using the recombinant expression vectors, and processes for producing the recombinant TNF-R molecules using the expression vectors.
The present invention also provides isolated or purified protein compositions comprising TNF-R, and, in particular, soluble forms of TNF-R.
The present invention also provides compositions for use in therapy, diagnosis, assay of TNF-R, or in raising antibodies to TNF-R, comprising effective quantities of soluble native or recombinant receptor proteins prepared according to the foregoing processes.
Because of the ability of TNF to specifically bind TNF receptors (TNF-Rs), purified TNF-R compositions will be useful in diagnostic assays for TNF, as well as in raising antibodies to TNF receptor for use-in diagnosis and therapy. In addition, purified TNF receptor compositions may be used directly in therapy to bind or scavenge TNF, thereby providing a means for regulating the immune activities of this cytokine.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become evident upon reference to the following detailed description.

Method for suppressing inflammatory responses by administering TNFR


A gain control system for controlling signal levels of the signal received by a receiver. The gain control system is operable to control the signal levels of the signal when the signal is comprised of either a conventional, constant envelope signal, such as an FM signal, or a non-constant envelope signal, such as a TDMA composite modulated signal. The gain control system may be advantageously embodied in a dual-mode radiotelephone operable to receive both conventional, FM signals and TDMA, composite modulated signals.

The present invention relates generally to automatic gain control apparatus, and, more particularly, to an automatic gain control system for a receiver capable of controlling signal levels of either a constant envelope information signal, or a non-constant envelope information signal when received thereat.
A radio communication system is comprised, at minimum, of a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter and the receiver are interconnected by a radio-frequency channel to permit transmission of an information signal therebetween.
Typically, the information signal is impressed upon a radio-frequency electromagnetic wave by a process referred to as modulation to permit transmission of the information signal between the transmitter and the receiver. The radio-frequency electromagnetic wave is referred to as a carrier wave which is of a particular frequency, and the carrier wave, once modulated by the information signal, is referred to as a modulated, information signal. The modulated information signal may be transmitted through free space to transmit thereby the information between the transmitter and the receiver.
Various modulation techniques have been developed to modulate the information signal upon the electromagnetic wave. Amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), phase modulation (PM), and composite modulation (CM) are four of such modulation techniques.
In general, an amplitude modulated signal is formed by impressing (i.e., modulating) an information signal upon a carrier wave such that the information signal modifies the amplitude of the carrier wave corresponding to the value of the information signal. Amplitude modulation does not cause the frequency of the carrier wave to vary, and the information portion of the modulated information signal is contained in the shape, i.e., amplitude, of the signal. The shape of the modulated information signal is referred to as the envelope of the signal, and the changes in the amplitude of the information signal change the shape of the envelope formed thereby.
A frequency modulated signal formed is formed by impressing (i.e., modulating) an information signal upon a carrier wave such that the information signal modifies the frequency of the carrier wave corresponding to the value of the information signal. Frequency modulation does not cause the amplitude of the carrier wave to vary, and the information content of the modulated information signal is contained in the variation of the frequency of the signal. Because the amplitude of a frequency modulated signal does not vary, a frequency modulated signal is referred to as a constant envelope signal.
A phase modulated signal is formed by impressing (i.e., modulating) an information signal upon a carrier wave such that the information signal modifies the phase of the carrier wave corresponding to the value of the information signal. Phase modulation does not cause the amplitude of the carrier wave to vary. The information content of the modulated information signal is contained in the variation of the phase of the signal. Because the amplitude of a phase modulated information signal, similar to that of a frequency modulated signal, does not vary, a phase modulated signal is referred to as a constant envelope signal.
A composite modulated signal is formed by impressing (i.e., modulating) an information signal upon a carrier wave such that the information signal modifies both the amplitude and the phase of the carrier wave. Conventionally, in order to form the composite modulated signal, the carrier wave is first separated into sine wave and cosine wave component portions. Separate portions, referred to as the in-phase (or I) and the quadrature (or Q) components, of the information signal are impressed upon the cosine wave and sine wave component portions of the carrier wave. (More particularly, the in-phase component of the information signal is impressed upon the cosine wave component of the carrier wave, and the quadrature component of the information signal is impressed upon the sine wave component of the carrier wave.) The sine wave and cosine wave components are then recombined, and the resultant signal, the composite modulated signal, varies in both amplitude, and, additionally, phase. Composite modulation is advantageous in that a composite modulated signal permits a greater amount of information to be transmitted within a frequency bandwidth than a signal generated by any of the previously mentioned modulation techniques.
A receiver which receives a modulated information signal, such as a one formed by one of the above-described modulation techniques, includes circuitry to detect, or otherwise to recreate, the information signal modulated upon the carrier wave. This process is referred to as demodulation. As many different modulated information signals may be simultaneously transmitted by a plurality of transmitters at a plurality of different frequencies, a receiver contains tuning circuitry to demodulate only those signals received by the receiver which are of certain desired frequencies. The broad range of frequencies at which modulated information signals may be transmitted is referred to as the electromagnetic frequency spectrum. Regulation of radio-frequency communications in certain frequency bands of the electromagnetic frequency spectrum minimizes interference between simultaneously transmitted signals.
For example, portions of a 100 MHz band of the electromagnetic frequency spectrum (extending between 800 MHz and 900 MHz) are allocated for radiotelephone communication, such as, for example, communication effectuated by radiotelephones utilized in a cellular, communication system. Existing radiotelephones contain circuitry both to generate and to receive radio-frequency modulated information signals.
A cellular, communications system is created by positioning numerous base stations at spaced-apart locations throughout a geographical area. Each of the base stations is constructed to receive and to transmit modulated information signals simultaneously to and from radiotelephones to permit two-way communication therebetween.
The base stations are positioned at locations such that a radiotelephone at any location throughout the geographical area is within the reception range of at least one of the base station receivers. The geographical area is divided into portions, and one base station is positioned in each portion. Each portion of the geographical area defined thereby is referred to as a "cell".
Although numerous modulated information signals may be simultaneously transmitted at different transmission frequencies, each modulated information signal, when transmitted, occupies a finite portion of the frequency band. Overlapping of simultaneously transmitted modulated, information signals in the same geographic area is impermissible as interference between overlapping signals at the same frequency could prevent detection of either of the transmitted modulated information signals by a receiver.
To prevent such overlapping, the frequency band allocated for radiotelephone communication is divided into channels, each of which is of a 30 KHz bandwidth. A first portion, extending between 824 MHz and 849 MHz of the frequency band, is allocated for the transmission of modulated information signals from a radiotelephone to a base station. A second portion, extending between 869 MHz and 894 MHz of the frequency band is allocated for the transmission of modulation information signals from a base station to a radiotelephone.
Increased usage of cellular, communication systems has resulted, in many instances, however, in the full utilization of every available transmission channel of the frequency band allocated for cellular, radiotelephone communication. Other frequency bands of the electromagnetic frequency spectrum are oftentimes similarly fully utilized.
Various attempts have been made to utilize more efficiently the frequency band allocated for radiotelephone communications to increase thereby the information transmission capacity of a cellular, radiotelephone communication system. Attempts have been similarly made to use more efficiently other frequency bands of the electromagnetic frequency spectrum.
Conventionally, the modulation technique utilized by radiotelephone communication systems to form the modulated information signal thereby is frequency modulation. As mentioned previously, a frequency modulated signal impresses an information signal upon a carrier wave to modify the frequency of the carrier wave according to the value of the information signal. However, conventional frequency modulation techniques form a continuous-wave, FM modulated signal, and only one such continuous-wave signal may be transmitted upon a transmission channel at a time.
Techniques have been developed, which permit transmission of more than one signal at the same frequency. One such technique involves the sequential time-sharing of a single channel by several radiotelephones. This technique is referred to as time-domain multiple access (or TDMA).
In order to use TDMA, an information signal (such as a voice signal) which is to be transmitted is first encoded according to an encoding scheme. Once encoded, the information signal, in encoded form, is modulated upon a carrier wave and is transmitted in intermittent bursts. Other information signals may similarly be encoded, modulated, and transmitted in intermittent bursts at the same frequency. Thus, a greater number information signals may be transmitted within a particular frequency bandwidth. When the information signals are generated by users of radiotelephones forming a portion of a cellular communications system, a greater number of radiotelephones may be operated within a particular frequency bandwidth when such a TDMA technique is utilized.
A receiver constructed to receive a TDMA signal, such as a TDMA composite modulated signal, reconstructs the original information signal by decoding the TDMA signal transmitted to the receiver in intermittent bursts.
A system which utilizes composite modulated signals which are transmitted utilizing the TDMA technique has been chosen for a system to augment existing U.S. domestic cellular telephone systems. Compatability between existing domestic cellular telephone systems and the proposed system is necessary to permit equipment constructed for use on the proposed system also to be used on the existing systems. Thus, radiotelephones are being constructed which are capable of receiving both FM, continuous-wave signals, and TDMA composite-modulated signals. Such radiotelephones may be suitably operated in a conventional cellular communication system which utilizes FM continuous-wave signals, and in a cellular, communication system which utilizes TDMA composite-modulated signals.
A receiver constructed to receive TDMA composite-modulated signals may also require circuitry to perform equalization in the receiver. Equalizer circuitry is required to correct for delay problems associated with reflections of signals transmitted to the receiver which arrive at the receiver at different times. Because the signal received by a receiver is actually a vector sum of all signals transmitted at a particular frequency, the signal received by a receiver may actually be comprised of the same signal at different times as the signal may be reflected off objects prior to reception thereof by the receiver. The signal actually received by the receiver is, therefore, the sum of all signals which are transmitted to the receiver along many different paths. The path lengths may vary, and hence the signal actually received by the receiver may vary, responsive to repositioning of the receiver. Equalizer circuitry is oftentimes formed by a processor having an appropriate software algorithm embodied therein. In order to permit optimal operation of the equalizer circuitry, the receiver should be constructed to be linear (i.e., the demodulated signals should represent accurately the original I and Q portions modulated onto the carrier).
The linearity of a receiver defines the efficiency of the recreation of a received signal. An ideal receiver reproduces only the signal transmitted thereto. Actual, nonideal receivers, through a process of amplification and mixing occurring during frequency conversion of a received signal, produce intermodulation distortion. Associated with intermodulation distortion are undesired spurious signals generated during frequency conversion of a signal received by a nonideal receiver. Such undesired, spurious signals are referred to hereinbelow as intermodulation spurs. A highly nonlinear receiver generates a large amount of intermodulation distortion.
Typically, receivers, including those utilized in a conventional, cellular radiotelephone communication systems, minimize the deleterious effects caused by the generation of intermodulation spurs by including, as a portion of the receiver circuitry, filter circuits to filter the undesired signals and reduce the level of intermodulation spurs generated during frequency conversion of a received signal. Such filters may be comprised of either active or passive filter stages. An active filter stage may be advantageously embodied in an integrated circuit, but an active filter is generally linear over only a limited dynamic range of received signals. Additionally, an active filter exhibits proper filter characteristics over only the limited dynamic range.
As noted hereinabove, because a modulated information signal transmitted at a particular frequency may be reflected off objects prior to reception thereof by a receiver, the signal received is actually the sum of many signals received from many different paths. Hence, the signal level (i.e. amplitude) of the received signal is actually the vector sum of many signals received from many paths. The number of, and intensity of, signals actually received by a receiver may vary over time as a result of repositioning of the receiver, or of the objects from which a transmitted signal is reflected. As a result, the signal level of a received FM signal varies over time. This variance is referred to as "fading" of the signal. The rate at which the resultant signal strength at the receiver varies is predominantly determined by how rapidly the receiver is moving through its environment, and the frequency of the channel being used. For instance, in the cellular frequency band, and when a cellular radiotelephone is positioned in a vehicle travelling at sixty miles per hour, the signal strength of the received signal can vary by approximately twenty decibels during a five millisecond period.
Conventional FM receivers utilize voltage limiters prior to signal demodulation which clip the received signal. The resultant signal is of a constant envelope, and the deleterious effects of fading are thereby minimized. Since the information in an FM signal is not carried in the envelope, clipping the received signal to form a signal of a constant envelope permits optimal recovery of the frequency modulation, and, hence, the information content, of the received signal. Gain control of an FM-only, continuous-wave receiver is not necessary for demodulation, though such gain control may be utilized to adjust the received signal level to permit optimal operation of amplification and filtering circuitry within the receiver.
Receivers constructed to receive a TDMA composite-modulated information signal, however, require gain control circuitry to correct for the effects of changes in signal levels induced by fading, and to allow recovery of the information components encoded in the envelope of the signal.
Because radiotelephones being constructed to permit demodulation of TDMA composite-modulated signals are also to permit demodulation of conventional, continuous-wave signals, the radiotelephone must be constructed to contain gain control circuitry to correct for the effects of changes in signal levels of TDMA composite-modulated signals. Such gain control circuitry may also serve to ensure optimal performance of the receiver during reception of continuous-wave signals. The form and performance of gain control circuitry may vary, though, depending on the type of modulation being received.
When a composite modulated signal is received, gain control circuitry should be of a design to permit rapid and continuous tracking of variations in received signal levels due to fading. In addition, a radiotelephone which generates a TDMA composite modulated signal to transmit an information signal in a cellular communication system also measures intermittently the signal strengths of transmitters located in one or more cells. This process of testing signal strengths is referred to as mobile-assisted hand-off (or MAHO). The MAHO test also requires gain control circuitry which permits rapid and continuous tracking of a signal.
Digital signal processors may be utilized to form such rapid-tracking, gain control circuitry. However, digital signal processors require significant amounts of power for operation. Cellular, radiotelephone equipment may be battery powered; for such equipment, continuous use of digital signal processing circuitry to perform gain control may create an undesirable power load on the battery when the receiver receives a continuous-wave FM signal.
When receiving an FM-modulated signal, the gain control circuitry need not be of a design to track fading (i.e., the gain control circuitry need not permit rapid and continuous tracking). A normal FM limiter demodulator is insensitive to the variations induced by fading, and the aforementioned MAHO operation is not performed during continuous-wave reception. For continuous-wave reception, slow-responding gain control circuitry constructed with analog circuit elements which require only low power for operation thereof is possible.
A radiotelephone operable to receive both conventional continuous-wave signals, and TDMA composite-modulated signals having gain control circuitry for controlling signal levels of either type of transmitted signal, and, additionally, having minimal power consumption requirements would be advantageous.
What is needed, therefore, is a gain control scheme which requires minimal power consumption, but which also may be alternately operated to control signal levels of either conventional, continuous-wave modulated information signals, or TDMA composite-modulated information signals transmitted to the radiotelephone.


Catalyzes methods and curable compositions involving amino-ester catalysts and isocyanate-functional materials. Also disclosed are casting articles and methods of orthopedic casting.

Orthopedic casts for use in treating bone fractures or other conditions requiring immobilization of a body member are generally formed from a sheet of fabric or scrim material coated or impregnated with a substance that hardens into a rigid structure after the sheet has been wrapped around the body member.
Many orthopedic casts now commonly used are comprised of a backing impregnated with a water-curable isocyanate-functional prepolymer. The backing can be knitted, woven, or nonwoven scrim comprised of natural, polymeric, or glass fibers. The preferred scrim materials are knitted fiberglass scrims. These casts when cured have a higher strength to weight ratio than plaster-of-paris, are more resistant to water and provide good radiolucency.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,262 (von Bonin), U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,479 (Garwood), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,661 (Scholz et al.) disclose water-curable isocyanate-functional prepolymers useful in orthopedic bandages. The prepolymer typically includes a tertiary amine catalyst in an amount selected to optimize the "set" time. After the resin-impregnated scrim has been immersed in water, sufficient "working time", e.g., 3 to 5 minutes, should be provided in which the wrapping is accomplished and the cast is manually molded into a desired shape. However, after the cast is shaped, the resin should continue to harden and rapidly build strength, typically in 15-30 minutes, into a rigid, high-strength, weight-bearing cast.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,438 (Straube et al.) discloses an orthopedic casting material wherein the tertiary amine catalyst is incorporated into the backbone of the polymer portion of the isocyanate-functional prepolymer. No separate catalyst is required.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,479 (Garwood et al.) discloses the use of tertiary alkanolamines, e.g., dimethylethanolamine, as catalysts in the curing of a water-curable isocyanate-functional prepolymer. At concentrations which do not adversely affect shelf stability, these catalysts do not cure as fast as desired by many experienced cast appliers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,680 (Yoon) discloses the use of 2,2'-dimorpholinyldiethyl ether (DMDEE) as a catalyst in the cure of a water-curable isocyanate-functional prepolymer on an open-weave fibrous substrate to form an orthopedic bandage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,840 (Buckanin) discloses the use of 2,2'-dimorpholinyldialkyl ethers substituted on one of the carbon atoms alpha to the central ether oxygen atom as catalysts in the curing of water-curable isocyanate-functional prepolymers.
Various compounds of Formula I below are known. For example, 2-(dialkylamino)ethyl 1-alkylprolinates are described in West German Pat. No. DE 1,933,411 (Likhosherstov et al., abstracted at Chemical Abstracts 76:153583m), Khim.-Farm.Zh. 1967, 1, 26 (Lebedeva et al., abstracted at Chemical Abstracts 67:82022d), and Khim.-Farm.Zh. 1973, 7, 10 (Likhosherstov et al., abstracted at Chemical Abstracts 79:53122d) as low toxicity ganglioplegic agents. Similarly, 2-(dialkylamino)ethyl 1-methylpipecolinates are described in Soviet Union Pat. No. 278027 (Likhosherstov et al., abstracted at Chemical Abstracts 74:53512c) as pharmaceutical agents. 2-(1-Piperidinyl)ethyl and 2-(4-morpholinyl)ethyl 4-morpholineacetates and 1-piperidineacetates are described in Acta. Pol. Pharm. 1979, 36 1 (Wolinski et al., abstracted at Chemical abstracts 91:123691n) as anticholinergic agents, and various aminoalkyl esters of piperidino- and morpholino- acetic acid are described in Acta. Pol. Pharm. 1980, 37, 397 (Wolinski et al., abstracted at Chemical Abstracts 95:80069d) and Pol. J Pharmacol. Pharm. 1978, 30, 497 (Faff et al., abstracted at Chemical Abstracts 91:32648n). 2-(Diethylamino)ethyl dimethylaminoacetate is described in Farm.Zh. (Kiev) 1990, 1, 38 (Grinevich et al., abstracted at Chemical Abstracts 114:42025q) as having significant inotropic activity. Also, 2-(diethylamino)ethyl N,N-dimethylglycinate is described in Khim.-Farm.Zh. 1983, 17, 916 (Razina et al., abstracted at Chemical Abstracts 99:169415u) and said to possess analgesic activity.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


Methods for the photoreduction of molecules are provided. The methods use diamond having a negative electron affinity as a photocatalyst, taking advantage of its ability to act as a solid-state electron emitter that is capable of inducing reductions without the need for reactants to adsorb onto its surface. The methods comprise illuminating a fluid sample comprising the molecules to be reduced and hydrogen surface-terminated diamond having a negative electron affinity with light comprising a wavelength that induces the emission of electrons from the diamond directly into the fluid sample. The emitted electrons induce the reduction of the molecules to form a reduction product.

The reduction of small molecules, such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide, is extraordinarily difficult because the one-electron reduction processes often involve high-energy intermediates. For example, in the fixation of nitrogen (conversion of N2 to NH3), the reaction N2+e−→N2− involves such high energy that the gas-phase anion N2− exists only as a fleeting transient. The standard reduction potential for the analogous solution-phase reaction N2+e−→N2−(aq) has been estimated at −4.2 V vs. the normal hydrogen electrode (NHE). While some evidence exists for formation of N2− species at surfaces of ionic oxides such as MgO, nitrogen reduction is usually accomplished by coupling with the transfer of one more protons. Yet, even these have high energy; the reaction N2+H++e−→N2H, has a calculated reduction potential E0 of −3.2 V vs. the normal hydrogen electrode (NHE).
The photocatalytic reduction of nitrogen was first discovered by Schrauzer and Guth (G. N. Schrauzer. T. D. Guth, Journal of the American Chemical Society 99, 7189 (1977)), who showed that N2 could be reduced to NH3 on the surface of TiO2 powder when illuminated with light from a mercury arc lamp. Although since then various modified TiO2 catalysts have been developed, the overall efficiency of the reaction remains poor. The poor efficiency arises because the proton-coupled reactions have relatively complicated pathways, and because the highly stable N2 molecule has only a very low binding affinity for surfaces.

Methods and systems for the reduction of molecules using diamond as a photoreduction catalyst


A piezo-electric flexible membrane is formed by treating a perfluorinated membrane in order to produce a membrane having an electrical resistance greater than 1.times.10.sup.9 ohms. The resultant piezo-electric membrane may be used as an ultrasound transducer.

The invention relates to a flexible piezo-electric membrane, and specifically to a membrane which is suitable for use in an ultrasound transducer.
Known piezo-electric membranes operate under very tight voltage and frequency constraints. Additionally, such membranes exhibit piezo-electric effects by curling or twisting. Such effects limit the use of such membranes as ultrasonic transducers.
A number of forms of ultrasound transducer are known. The vast majority of ultrasound transducers incorporate some form of ceramic or metallic element which may have piezo-electric characteristics. In other instances, laminated membranes are disclosed which exhibit piezo-electric characteristics. The aforementioned devices, while suitable for their intended purposes, suffer a limitation in that the piezo-electric device is of relatively thick cross-section and therefore requires some form of carrier for supporting and activation of the piezo-electric device.


A carton holding and pouring device for a carton having a pair of side panels and a pair of end panels with an upper part of each end panel folded under an upper part of both side panels to provide recess at each end of a sealed top of the carton which includes a rectangular frame having a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls dimensioned to slidably receive the side panels and end panels of the carton with each of the end walls of the frame including a clamp plate biased toward the other end wall and adapted for engagement with one of the end panels of the carton in the recesses at each end of the sealed top of the carton. A pouring spout is provided on one of the side walls of the frame and is adapted to puncture an upper part of one of the side panels of the carton. The clamp plates on each of the end walls of the rectangular frame are expanded to permit the frame to slide over the sealed top of the container and then released to engage and secure the frame to the end panels in the recesses at the top of the carton thereby permitting the spout to puncture an upper part of a side panel of the carton punctured by the spout with the rectangular frame secured to the carton.

The present invention is directed to a carton holding and pouring device and, more specifically, to a carton of the type used for packaging, storing and marketing liquids such as milk and juice as well as other particulate materials.
Such cartons of the type to which the present invention is directed are usually formed from a blank paper stock which is folded into the general form of a parallelepiped having four sides, a bottom, and a top wherein the upper part of two of the sides are folded over upon the upper parts of the other two sides to provide a sealed top having a tab or ridge extending along the upper most portion thereof and a pair of recesses at each end of the sealed tab. The blank materials for such cartons are usually formed of a paper stock which is coated with a wax or plastic coating to render the material impermeable to liquid and gaseous penetration thereby providing a material capable of sealing the carton contents against leakage and penetration by external gases or liquids which could prematurely age or otherwise adversely effect the contents of the carton.
Cartons of this type are frequently used for packaging, storing and marketing milk and juice at consumer outlets and can be used equally well for other liquids and/or products in granular form such as soap powders or other materials which are in a form that can be easily poured from the carton once the carton has been opened. These cartons usually bear printed instructions that they should be opened by spreading the recessed portion at one end of the sealed tab at the upper part of the carton in order to break the seal and permit that upper portion of the carton to be unfolded in the form of a spout to facilitate easy pouring of the contents.
Although the instructions and steps required to open such cartons are relatively simple, difficulties may be encountered when attempting to break the seal at the top of the carton. Occasionally the seals have been made so tight that they are difficult to open since the instructions generally require the seal to be broken or split halfway across the tab in order to provide access to the upper part of one of the end panels in order that it may be withdrawn to shape the spout recommended for pouring.
Another problem encountered with cartons of this type is that the larger cartons, for example those cartons which are of the 2 liter or 1/2 gallon size and larger, are somewhat difficult to handle since they can accommodate a substantial weight in terms of the contents of the carton and the lateral walls of the carton being relatively thin and resilient do not provide a good gripping surface or handle for holding the carton. This is particularly difficult with such cartons that have been previously opened since they are not transparent and therefore one cannot anticipate the weight of the remaining contents and difficulty that may be encountered in attempting to grasp, lift and pour such contents from a previously opened carton.
There have been several prior attempts to alleviate such problems. U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,115 issued on Oct. 26, 1971 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,346 issued on Sept. 19, 1972 both disclose a detachable handle for such cartons. The detachable carton handles disclosed by these patents may be effective in providing ease of handling once the carton is open, but neither patent discloses anything relative to opening the carton other than breaking the seal and unfolding the upper part of one of the end panels as described above. U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,689, issued Feb. 9, 1988, discloses a holder for such cartons which is provided with a spigot and a spout which can be threaded into the spigot to puncture the carton and provide a pouring spout.
The present invention provides an improved carton holding and pouring device for a carton of the type described above which can be easily fit to provide a very stable engagement with such a carton and provides an arrangement for easily and firmly grasping the carton as well as a novel and vastly improved apparatus and arrangement for opening the carton to facilitate pouring of the content provided therein.


A hybrid currency banknote includes a banknote having visible markings. One or more light-controlling elements and a controller are embedded in or on the banknote. The controller is electrically connected to the one or more light-controlling elements to control the one or more light-controlling elements. A power input connection is electrically connected to the controller, or one or more light-controlling elements, or both. A power source can be connected to the power input connection, for example a piezoelectric or photovoltaic power source. In response to applied power, the controller causes the one or more light-controlling elements to emit light. A value can be stored in a memory in the controller and displayed by the light-controlling elements. The value can be assigned or varied by a hybrid currency teller machine.

Monetary instruments issued by governments such as money or currency are used throughout the world today. Government-issued currency typically includes banknotes (also known as paper currency or bills) having visible markings printed on high-quality paper, plastic, or paper impregnated with other materials, such as plastic. The visible markings indicate the denomination (value) of the banknote, includes a serial number, and has decorations such as images, and anti-counterfeiting structures such as special threads, ribbons, and holograms. Currency circulates within an economic system as a medium of monetary exchange having a fixed value until it is physically worn out. Worn out banknotes are generally returned by banks or other financial institutions and then replaced.
Other privately issued monetary instruments are also used, such as credit cards and gift cards. These cards typically include an electronically accessible value (e.g., stored in a magnetic stripe or in a chip in the card) or an electronically accessible account that can be used to make purchases. However, the value of the card is not readily viewed by a user without special equipment, such as a reader.
In the past, banknotes have not been electronically enabled. However, more recently there have been proposals to use RFID (radio-frequency identification device) in banknotes to validate the banknote and avoid counterfeiting. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,391,688 and 8,791,822 disclose systems for currency validation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,969 describes a capacitance-based verification device for a security thread embedded within currency paper to defeat counterfeiting. Security systems for scanning a paper banknote and checking identification information in the banknote (e.g., the serial number) with a network-accessible database have been proposed, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,718. In all of these systems, however, there is no way to visibly test small details of a banknote without using a separate electronic or optical reader.
There remains a need therefore, for currency providing a variable value that is electronically accessible with visible indicia without using a separate electronic or optical reader.


A method and system for reducing transient event effects, such as radiation effects, in an electrostatic discharge (ESD) power clamp is provided. The ESD power clamp includes triggering circuitry to determine the on-time of the power clamp during an ESD event, and drive circuits driving pull down devices to carry the ESD current. Two separate driver circuits are used to control the pull down circuits separately to guard against a single event effect (SEE). The ESD power clamp operates when both drive circuits are operated simultaneously to shunt the ESD to ground.

Static charge is an unbalanced electrical charge at rest. Typically, a static charge is created by insulator surfaces rubbing together or pulling apart. One surface gains electrons, while the other surface loses electrons. This results in an unbalanced electrical condition known as the static charge. When a static charge moves from one surface to another, the static charge becomes an electrostatic discharge (ESD). ESD is a miniature "lightning bolt" of charge that moves between two surfaces that have different potentials.
ESD occurs when the voltage differential between the two surfaces is sufficiently high to break down a dielectric strength of the medium separating the two surfaces. When a static charge moves and becomes an ESD, the static charge becomes a current that may damage or destroy gate oxide, metallization, and junctions of circuitry in an integrated circuit, for example. ESD can occur in many ways, for example, a charged body can touch an integrated circuit, a charged integrated circuit can touch a grounded surface, a charged machine can touch an integrated circuit or an electrostatic field can induce a voltage across a dielectric sufficient to break down the dielectric.
ESD events can produce device damage that goes undetected by factory testing, and later, may be the cause of a latent failure in the device. Devices with latent ESD defects are referred to as "walking wounded" because they have been degraded, but not destroyed, by ESD. This occurs when an ESD pulse is not sufficiently strong enough to destroy a device, but nevertheless causes damage. Often, the device suffers junction degradation through increased current leakage or a decreased reverse breakdown, but the device continues to function and is still within data-sheet limits, for example. A device can be subjected to numerous weak ESD pulses, with each successive pulse further degrading a device until a catastrophic failure occurs. There are few practical ways to screen for walking-wounded devices. To avoid this type of damage, devices should be given continuous ESD protection.
To guard against ESD events, integrated circuitry usually is accompanied by an ESD power clamp. Traditional methods of shunting ESD energy to protect circuitry involve devices such as zener diodes, metal oxide varistors (MOVs), transient voltage suppression (TVS) diodes, and regular complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or bipolar clamp diodes. However, many of these devices are subject to "glitches," which include unwanted transitions of a signal from a first voltage state to another, and then back to the first voltage state.
Glitches may be caused by many factors including radiation effects. As such, many circuits are designed to include a level of "radiation hardness," i.e., an attribute of a circuit indicating the extent to which the circuit can withstand nuclear or other radiation. Integrated digital circuits used in space, weapons, or aviation applications are typically designed to be more resistant to radiation than circuits used in other applications, because they are more likely to be exposed to radiation, and because their reliability is often more critical, for example. However, such solid-state circuits may still be vulnerable to radiation effects, such as disturbances caused by single, charged particles present within an ambient environment of the circuit, such as alpha particles (e.g., byproducts of the natural decay of elements such as uranium and thorium present in some integrated circuit packaging materials) or energetic protons, neutrons, electrons, heavy ions, and all the natural elements (e.g., these are abundant in intergalactic space, earth orbital space and even at high atmospheric or commercial flight altitudes in a wide range of energies).
When a charged particle passes through a transistor (or any active electronic device), the particle loses energy by ionizing the medium through which the particle passes, leaving behind a track of hole-electron pairs. The electrons of the pairs will migrate toward high voltage state nodes of the struck transistor, resulting in a discharging current on that node. If the discharging current exceeds the current drive of the transistor holding the high voltage state on that node, the node will transition to an undesired low state. Conversely, the holes of the pairs will migrate toward low voltage state nodes of the struck transistor resulting in a charging current on that node. If the charging current exceeds the current drive of the transistor holding the low voltage state on that node, the node will transition to an undesired high state. The number of hole-electron pairs created by the particle is finite, so the node voltage disturbance is temporary.
Particle-induced circuit disturbances are random and are commonly referred to as single-event effects (SEEs). The SEEs can take on many forms. If the particle strike results in a bit flip or other form of corruption of stored data, this is known as a single-event upset (SEU), or a soft error. If the particle causes a transient voltage disturbance on a node of a logic circuit, this is known as a single-event transient (SET).
A circuit node will typically return to a desired voltage state after an SET. Thus, an SET, in and of itself, may not be a problem. What is likely to be a problem is the consequence of having a temporary voltage disturbance on a circuit node. As an example, if the node is in an ESD circuit, the disturbance may cause the ESD power clamp to operate incorrectly, and possible allow an ESD to transfer through the circuitry for which the ESD power clamp was designed to protect. Alternatively, the circuitry may be inadvertently triggered if the ESD circuit turns on at a time when system power is applied causing improper operation of the circuitry.
The susceptibility of ESD power clamps to SEEs can be heightened by reduced feature sizes of integrated circuits and higher clock speeds. As feature sizes continue to decrease, SEEs may become more likely to propagate through logic gates as normal logic pulses, causing upsets within logic circuits.
Existing ESD power clamps do not consider possible SEEs. Thus, it is desirable to improve ESD power clamp immunity against an SEE caused by radiation so that a system with ESD power clamp protection may function reliably in a radiation environment.

Method and system for reducing transient event effects within an electrostatic discharge power clamp


The present invention discloses a message communication system and a distribution system. The feature of the present invention lies in various functions in the reception server, which is provided between the client server and the processing server. For example, the reception server performs reference processing, update processing, redundancy processing, etc. In the claimed invention, a reception server 20 is arranged between a client process 10, and a processing server 30. A demand discrimination stage 25 is provided for discriminating a demand only for a reference process and not requiring an update of medium and exclusive resources, and a demand for a reference process and reference and update process requiring a change of condition of the resource. The demand discrimination stage 25 classifies respective message communications systems into three aspects.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a message communication system, particularly to a message communication system in a distributed processing system establishing a network through a plurality of nodes for message communication between a client in one node and a server in another node, between servers in different nodes and between servers in the same nodes.
2. Background of the Related Art
In recent years, distribution processing systems establishing networks with a plurality of nodes are expanding in various fields. One example is the use of a LAN (local area network). Each node is composed of a processor, memory and so forth and connected through an optical fiber and so forth to form a network. The distributed processing system is intended to provide a higher process speed by distributed processing of messages between nodes or through the processors in respective nodes.
In the distributed processing system, there is a possibility of occurrence of a server failure due to failure of hardware or software during message communications between a client in one node and a server in another node or between servers in the same node.
In general, as a back-up for the server failure caused by failure of the hardware, another stand-by system is provided in addition to a current system. Upon occurrence of the server failure in the current system, the stand-by system instantly takes over the operation, thereby preventing system down time.
In addition, the only solution for the server failure caused by failure of software in the prior art is to find bugs in the program for manual correction. During this period, the stand-by system is unavoidably used.

Redundant message processing system featuring reception server controlling communication between client and server process, and stand-by server retransmitting message with information indicating the message being a retransmitted message


A hub unit having an outer ring member; an inner ring member a flange part, a large diameter part, and a small diameter part which has an outer circumference channel extending circumferentially in an end of the small diameter part and multiple notches which open the outer circumference channel to the end surface of the small diameter part; a sleeve which fits over the small diameter part of the inner ring member, one end of which contacts a shoulder between the large diameter part and the small diameter part and the other end of which overhangs the outer circumference channel; multiple rolling elements positioned at regular intervals between the outer ring member and the large diameter part of the inner ring member and between the outer ring member and the sleeve; and a ring-shaped bayonet member having multiple engaging parts which respectively project radially inward at positions corresponding to the positions of the notches. The engaging parts are inserted through the notches and fit within the outer circumference channel such that when these engaging parts are fit in the outer circumference channel, the bayonet member presses the end of the sleeve toward the shoulder, the bayonet member being thus pressed against the wall defining the outer circumference channel and locked.

The present invention relates to a hub unit to be used in the wheels of an automobile, etc.
A conventional hub unit of this type is provided with an outer ring member, an inner ring member which has a large diameter part and a small diameter part, said small diameter part having a threaded end, a sleeve which fits over the small diameter part of the inner ring, and rolling elements which are positioned between the large diameter part of the inner ring member and the inner surface of the outer ring member and between the outer surface of the sleeve and the inner surface of the outer ring member. The sleeve is tightened by screwing a nut on the threaded end toward a step between the large and small diameter parts of the inner ring member and caulking such a fitting.
However, because the sleeve is tightened and fixed to the inner ring member by a nut, the conventional hub unit is not able to secure the sleeve without turning the nut a certain number of revolutions, thus being disadvantageous in that the time required for assembling the hub unit is long. Furthermore, with the conventional hub unit, there is the additional problem that the tightening torque of the nut must be strictly controlled. Moreover, because threads must be provided on the inner ring member, there is the additional problem that the size of the overall hub unit is relatively large in the axial direction.


A mechanism for mounting a seat belt of a center seating space of a vehicle seat which exhibits sufficient strength and reduces weight and production costs to the greatest degree is provided. Such a mechanism is provided by separating a seat into a right seating section and a left seating section at the center thereof such that each of the separated seating sections is independently slidable back and forth by means of a seat sliding rail formed of a pair of lower rails fixed to a floor side and a pair of upper rails fixed to the bottom of a seat. A base member bent at an intermediate bent portion defined by a belt mount plate portion and a rail mount connector portion is attached to a side surface of the inner upper rail at the rail connector plate portion such that the belt mount plate portion extends outward. An anchor for the seat belt of the center seating space of the seat is fixed to the top end of the belt mount plate portion of the base member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mechanism for mounting a seat belt of a center seating space of a vehicle seat, which exhibits sufficient strength while allowing for the greatest degree of reduction both in its weight and production costs.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. HEI 2-143252 discloses a mechanism for mounting a seat belt of a center seating space of a three-passenger seat of a vehicle that can be separated into two seat sections, each independently slidable back and forth by means of a seat sliding rail defined by a pair of lower rails fixed to floor and a pair of upper rails fixed to the bottom of a seat. In the above-described seat belt mount mechanism, a seat belt of the center seating space of the seat is mounted to the inner upper rail of the respective seats.
The aforementioned seat belt mount mechanism requires sufficient distance between the right and left anchors of the seat belt of the center seating space of the seat, and the inner upper rail of the seat has to be arranged away from the center thereof. Therefore, the upper rails have to be positioned under the seats upon which the passengers of the right and left seating spaces are seated, resulting in deteriorated seating comfort. Furthermore, the resultant cantilever-like seat structure is likely to be affected by the moment exerted from the center seating space of the seat, so the structures of the seat and the upper rails are required to have sufficient strength.
Another type of seat belt mount mechanism, in which the anchors of the seat belt of the center seating space are mounted to the reinforcement provided between a pair of the upper rails via brackets has been proposed in order to arrange those anchors of the seat belt of the center seating space of the seat away from the center. This seat belt mount mechanism, however, may require an extra element for reinforcement. Moreover, the upper rails and reinforcement are required to exhibit enough strength to bear the bending moment generated by exertion of a high tensile load to the seat belt. The resultant seat belt mount mechanism may thus have heavy weight, leading to increased production costs.

Mechanism for mounting seat belt of center seating space of a vehicle seat


According to an embodiment, a data transfer control apparatus has a band measurement unit and a request mask unit. The band measurement unit measures a band level to transfer data, and compares this measurement band level with a target band level. The request mask unit outputs a correction request signal which is obtained by correcting a timing of a request signal sent from each of a plurality of processing units, based on a request mask control signal which the band measurement unit outputs.

A conventional image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine, has external devices, such as a DF (Auto Document feeder) and a print engine, so as to execute a function, such as scanning and printing. It is necessary for a copying machine to execute a plurality of data processings at a constant data transfer rate, in accordance with the processing speeds of these external devices. The copying machine has a plurality of processing blocks in order to perform these data processings. The respective processing blocks are connected to a common memory, via a plurality of channels connected to a common bus, so as to construct a flow of data. For example, when one data processing out of the above-described plurality of data processings is executed at a data transfer rate which is extremely lower than the above-described constant data transfer rate, the copying machine generates an abnormal image such as missing of an image. Accordingly, a data transfer apparatus of the copying machine monitors a transfer rate of image data in each of the above-described plurality of channels, and takes such a measure as to ensure the band by raising an access priority of a channel to the common bus, when the data transfer rate of the channel is lower than a threshold value.
In order to ensure the band by raising the access priority of a channel to the common bus as described above, the data transfer control apparatus is configured to change a priority of an arbitrator, by the difference between a rate monitoring result (measurement band) and a target rate (target band). For this configuration, the data transfer control apparatus cannot perform fine adjustment of the transfer rate between channels of a high priority, in some cases. For example, a request of a channel of a low priority is sometimes inputted between non-continuing requests of a channel of a high priority. Further, in a conventional data transfer apparatus, when a usage rate of a bus is high, it is difficult to perform a rate control which is balanced between channels. In other words, in the conventional data transfer apparatus, there is a problem such that it is difficult to perform data transfer finely and in good balance against the variation of the transfer rate.


A gate controlled semiconductor device comprises two main electrode members provided on a wafer having at least one junction formed between two alternately different conductivity typed semiconductive layers and a control electrode member in which the same or a different conductivity typed surface is provided on one layer of the wafer. The control electrode member is provided on the wafer adjacent one of the main electrodes. The control electrode member includes a low resistance layer embedded in one surface of the wafer and consists of a wide bridging portion, a plurality of relatively wide main trunk portions projecting from the bridging portion and a plurality of narrow branch portions branching from the main trunk portions.

The present invention relates to a gate controlled semiconductor device and, more particularly to an improvement of the constructure of a control electrode member of the gate controlled semiconductor device.
A gate controlled semiconductor device having a control electrode member is, generally, employed to switch on only and/or to switch on and off a current which flows in the gate controlled semiconductor device by supplying an ON signal and/or ON and OFF signals to the gate electrode member. There are various switching devices such as, for example, a gate turn-off thyristor, a power transistor, a field effect transistor, a usual transistor, an auxiliary gate turn-off thyristor, a reversely conducting thyristor, a high frequency thyristor and the like, as the gate controlled semiconductor device having the control gate electrode.
In this gate controlled semiconductor device, an important problem is how to supply a control current effectively between a main electrode portion and a control electrode portion of the device by rendering a resistance value between the main electrode portion and the control electrode portion, small, in the case of making a main current which flows in between a plurality of main electrode portions turn on and/or turn on and off.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a prior art gate controlled semiconductor device in the form of a gate turn-off thyristor. In this case, it should be noted that the dimensions of the figures are exaggerated for clarity.
In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference character 1 shows a disc-shaped wafer which comprises a P.sub.1 layer 2, an N.sub.1 layer 3, a P.sub.2 layer 4 and an N.sub.2 layer 5. A metallic layer 6 is arranged on an exposed surface of the N.sub.2 layer 5 to form a cathode electrode assembly K. A metallic layer 7a is arranged on the center portion of the P.sub.2 layer 4 to form a first gate electrode assembly G.sub.1, and a metallic layer 7b is arranged on an exposed surface of a low resistance P.sub.2.sup.+ layer 9 which is provided in the P.sub.2 layer 4 in order to form a second gate electrode assembly G.sub.2.
In more detail, an annular slot 11 is provided at the edge portion of a surface of the P.sub.2 layer 4, and an annular P.sub.2.sup.+ layer 9 is provided in the bottom portion of which resistance value is relatively low. A plurarity of P.sub.2.sup.+ layers 9a, 9b, 9c and 9d are coaxially embeded in the P.sub.2 layer 4, and a plurarity of P.sub.2.sup.+ layers 91 are radially embeded in the P.sub.2 layer 4 so as to connect the P.sub.2.sup.+ layers 9a to 9d. A low resistance embeded layer 10 is comprised by the P.sub.2.sup.+ layers 9, 9a to 9d and 9l to 9e which are embeded in the P.sub.2 layer 4 so as to oppose the N.sub.2 layer 5. An anode electrode assembly A is formed by arranging a metallic layer 8 on the surface of the P.sub.1 layer 2.
In the above constructed gate turn-off thyristor of the prior art, it is desirable that the resistance value of the embeded resistor layer 10 is low as can be possible. In the case of manufacturing such a low resistance layer by means of the diffusion method, it is, however, impossible to decrease the specific resistance of the low resistance layer, because the surface density thereof is about 5.times.10.sup.20 when the low resistance layer is manufactured by diffusing boron. Particularly, in a large current capacity gate turn-off thyristor with a junction diameter on the order of about 40 millimeter, the dimension of the length of the low resistance buried layer 10 is large and a current to be supplied to the buried layer 10 is great. The structure of the buried layer has, however, various advantages such as the fact that the surface shape of the N.sub.2 layer 5 does not become complicated, the withstand voltage between a gate electrode assembly and a cathode electrode assembly can be made high and the effective area of the cathode electrode which enables the flow of a load current with respect to the whole area of an element is favorable. An opposing area of the buried layer 10 to the N.sub.2 layers 5 must be large in order to decrease the resistance value of the gating current path. When the opposing area of the buried layer 10 is large, a region in which the load current can flow becomes narrow, since the load current can not flow through the low resistance buried layer 10. Accordingly, a using rate of the area in the gate turn-off thyristor is decreased.

Dual gate controlled thyristor with highly doped cathode base grid covered with high resistivity base layer


Described is an aqueous composition for repairing and/or sealing of hardened concrete structures, the aqueous composition including colloidal silica and polycarboxylate ether. Also described is a method for repairing and/or sealing a hardened concrete structure, including a step of applying an aqueous composition including colloidal silica and polycarboxylate ether to a hardened concrete structure or a part thereof.

Modern concrete is a very durable construction material and, if properly proportioned and placed, will give very long service under normal conditions. Many concrete structures, however, were constructed using early concrete technology, and they have already provided well over 50 years of service under harsh conditions.
In any case, hardened concrete structures are subject to damages which may be a result of e.g. inappropriate manufacture or deterioration from weathering or other harsh conditions by mechanical, physical or chemical attack. Therefore, repair and/or sealing of concrete structures can be necessary to improve durability of the structures. Needs for repair and healing of concrete structures are becoming more important and in the future will be an important market, as long life cycles in construction have an increasing potential.
Apart from concrete repair materials based on mineral binder suitable for repair or restoration of damaged structures, there exist a range of other materials which are used for repairing and/or sealing of concrete structures.
For instance, pure colloidal silica can be used for repairing and sealing of hardened reinforced concrete structures. Effectiveness is, however, low.
Sika Ferrogard® products such as Sika Ferrogare-903+ from Sika Schweiz AG are used as a corrosion inhibiting product or invasive repair. These products penetrate into reinforced concrete and form a film around the reinforcement. A disadvantage of corrosion inhibiting products is the difficulty to assess effectiveness of the product. A disadvantage of invasive repair is generally high costs, and considerable time and resources are usually required. Access is sometimes difficult.
Examples for water resisting and crystalline waterproofing concrete admixtures are Sika WT-200® series, Sika Schweiz AG, which are crystalline admixtures for self-healing concrete resulting in crystalline-based self-healing, which react with portlandite (calcium hydroxide) to create water-insoluble crystals. Crystalline admixtures for waterproofing are also sold by Xypex Chemical Corp.
Other examples of agents which are used for repairing and/or sealing of concrete structures are Bacillus sphaericus, zinc sulfate, alumina-coated silica nanoparticles, blast furnace slag or fly ashes.
The materials used for repair and/or sealing are often rather expensive or exhibit low performance. Many approaches do not support self-healing processes. The application to the concrete material can be complicated and time consuming.
DE 102008061837 A1 relates to the preparation of a moulded article wherein an internal lining is formed of a grain mixture in which a binder is injected. A binder described is composed of cement, a micro-silica suspension, a nano-silica suspension, water and a plasticizer based on polycarboxylate ether.
US 2013/281577 A1 describes aqueous additive compositions for modifying cementitious compositions comprising colloidal nano-particles consisting of silica and polycarboxylate ether.
EP 2251376 A1 is concerned with aqueous polymer dispersions comprising, in a preferred embodiment, inter alia 5-15% by weight of a comb polymer, 10-30% by weight of fumed or colloidal silica and 30-70% by weight of water.
JP 2014-177394 A describes a repair method for concrete structures wherein a restoring material is applied to a place where a portion of concrete structure is removed, wherein the restoring material is a mortar composition comprising inter alia cement, fluidizing agent comprising polycarboxylic acid-based copolymer and amorphous silica fine powder.
DE 102006 049524 A1 relates to aqueous dispersions comprising precipitated silica or silicate and plasticizer such as polycarboxylate ether to increase early strength of cementitious preparations.

Non-invasive repair and retrofitting of hardened reinforced concrete structures


An image representing input signal is processed so the data therein are filtered in a predetermined manner to derive a filtered signal. The values of the filtered signal are combined at successive time intervals, and the values are combined so there is an addition of a function of values of the filtered signal at the successive time intervals to derive a combined signal. The combined signal is converted into a signal representing a predicted number of bits in a frame of the image. In response to the signal representing a predicted number of bits in a frame of the image, a signal representing the magnitude of a control for quantization step size is derived which is as a function of an error between the predicted number of bits and a predetermined target value therefor. A function of the input signal data is orthogonally transformed so a transformed signal is derived. Output data represented by the transformed signal are quantized so they have quantized step size determined by the control signal representing the magnitude of a quantization step size and there is a reduction in the number of data bits for the image relative to the number of data bits in the input signal.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of compressing an image representing signal. This invention also relates to an apparatus for compressing an image representing signal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An image representing signal is generally shortened to an image signal. Similarly, image representing data is shortened to image data. Compression of a digital image signal or image data means reduction of the total number of bits of the signal or the data. In general, the total number of bits of image data is referred to as an amount of image data.
In some systems for recording image representing data (generally shortened to image data) into a magnetic disk, the image data are compressed to enable efficient recording.
In a known image data compression apparatus, a frame represented by the image data is divided into a plurality of blocks each having N.times.N or N.times.M pixels, and the image data are subjected to orthogonal transform for each of the blocks. Then, the resultant image data (transform coefficients) are quantized with a predetermined quantization step size, and the quantization-resultant data are encoded into corresponding words of a zero run length code or a Huffman code. In this way, the image data are compressed. In such data compression, the amount of the image data, that is, the number of bits of the image data or the transmission bit rate of the image data, depends on the contents of the image represented by the image data.
There are two method of controlling the amount of image data (the number of bits of image data) at a constant amount or below a predetermined limit. According to a first method, original image data are quantized with an initial quantization step size and the amount of the quantization-resultant image data is calculated, and the quantization step size is changed to a new quantization step size in response to the calculated image data amount. The original image data are again quantized with the new quantization step size to obtain final quantized image data. The first method requires quantization to be executed twice for same image data.
A second method uses the fact that coefficients of data outputted from an orthogonal transform device have a given relation with the amount of code words (the number of bits of code words). In the second method, the sum of the squares of coefficients is calculated for each of blocks, and the blocks are sorted into classes according to the calculated sums. A larger number of bits are assigned to a block of the class corresponding to a large amount of code words, while a smaller number of bits are assigned to a block of the class corresponding to a small amount of code words. The second method requires the addition of information representing classes.

Method of and apparatus for compressing image representing signals


Systems, devices and methods for control of a prosthetic or orthotic device (POD) based on electromyography (EMG) signals are described. The POD may be a lower or upper limb POD having one or more joints. One or more EMG sensors may detect the EMG signals. The EMG sensors may be external, subcutaneous, intraperitoneal, epimysial, intramuscular, or other types. Control of the POD may be based on EMG and non-EMG signals, such as velocity, acceleration, position, force, etc. Voluntary and/or automatic control may be implemented, for example with voluntary muscle contractions and/or data based on velocity, acceleration, position, force, etc. In some embodiments, the neutral position of an ankle POD is adjusted based on EMG signals.

Field
This disclosure relates generally to prosthetic or orthotic devices ("PODs"). In particular, embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to the use of electromyography ("EMG") with prosthetic or orthotic devices ("PODs").
Description of the Related Art
Various types of prosthetic and orthotic devices are available as artificial substitutes for a missing body part or as additions to existing limbs, such as an arm or leg. Prosthetic and orthotic joints are also available as substitutes or augmentations for human joints, such as an ankle or knee. Electronically controlled prosthetic and orthotic devices, such as "mechatronic" devices, can provide safer and more natural movement. Improvements to control systems for such mechatronic devices could advantageously allow the devices to more closely approximate the movement of natural joints and provide users with a greater range of motion and greater stability. Therefore, a need exists for improved approaches to controlling robotic limbs and devices that overcome or minimize the above-referenced problems.

Electromyography with prosthetic or orthotic devices