Property-management or lock-setting thermostats have maximum and minimum set points locked in to prevent abuse of management-provided heating and/or air conditioning. An ePROM or similar internal memory device stores heating and cooling limit parameters that are set in by a technician at the time of installation. A plug-in flash memory module contains an unlock code to match the unlock code stored in said ePROM, to unlock the thermostat and allow the settings to be adjusted; when said flash memory module is removed the thermostat reverts to its lock condition. The thermostat can also respond to unusual rates of change of temperature to block furnace or A/C operation temporarily.

The present invention relates to commercial and/or residential heating and/or cooling systems and other indoor comfort systems, and is more particularly concerned with thermostats that are employed in managed properties, i.e., buildings and other properties in which individual spaces are occupied by tenants, i.e., families or companies. The invention is more specifically directed to property-management thermostat systems, i.e., landlord thermostats or lock-setting thermostats that are intended to prevent abuse of heating and/or air conditioning service that is provided to tenants. The heat or cooling may be provided from individual furnaces, heat pumps and air conditioners, from central heating and/or chilling facilities, or from thermal comfort units that are common to groups of tenant spaces within the managed property.
Wall thermostats are typically installed on an interior wall of a dwelling or commercial space to control the operation of a furnace, air conditioner, heat pump, or other environmental control equipment. The thermostat is intended to monitor the temperature of the room or other interior comfort space continuously, and to adjust the operation of the associated environmental control equipment to keep an interior comfort space parameter (e.g., temperature) within some range (e.g., 20° C.±0.5° C. or 68° F., ±1.0° F.). Other controls may be sensitive to other parameters, such as humidity or particulate level. The thermostat is typically connected to the furnace, air conditioner, heat pump or the like by means of a run of thermostat wires.
In commercial rental space or in residential rental properties such as apartments or condominiums, the landlord or property management company typically furnishes the heat and air conditioning, either through central furnace or boiler system for the heat and central chiller unit for air conditioning, or in some case using individual or localized furnaces and air conditioning units. In either case effective property management requires that the tenants not abuse the heating and cooling that is furnished so that costs and other problems may be kept under control.
In a typical existing property management thermostat system, which is discussed later in respect to FIG. 1 of the drawing, each tenant unit is provided with a thermostat to be mounted on the wall of the tenant space and is operatively coupled to the associated furnace, heat pump, and/or air conditioning unit. A building management technician installs the thermostat, and at the time of installation sets limits to the degree of heating or cooling that is permitted for the tenant. The typical such property management thermostat is configured as a lock-setting thermostat. The thermostat has an internal control circuit within the thermostat housing, and that is connected to a temperature sensor and to a signaling arrangement that connects thermostat power to the appropriate thermostat wires when there is a call for heat or a call for cooling. In addition, the lock-setting thermostat has an internal memory device, i.e., ePROM, that stores heating and cooling limit parameters that are set into the thermostat by the technician at the time of installation. That is, at installation, the technician may select a maximum heating set point, e.g., 68 degrees F., and a minimum air conditioning cooling setpoint, e.g., 74 degrees F. These are intended to place a limit to the thermostat settings that the tenant can select, so that in winter the tenant cannot set the heat setpoint above 68 degrees and in summer the tenant cannot set the cooling setpoint below 74 degrees. In the state-of-art systems, once the technician has entered the settings, these are permanently stored in the ePROM, and cannot later be changed, except by entirely replacing the thermostat. A disadvantage is that the current lock-setting thermostats cannot be re-programmed with new limits to accommodate a new tenant or to accommodate any tenant's change in circumstances, or to accommodate changes in local building codes.
Another problem encountered in managed property units is the tendency of some of the tenants to attempt to defeat the lock settings of the thermostat. This most often involves providing heat to the thermostat so that the local heat in the vicinity of the thermostat is much higher than the general room heat. For example, the tenant may place a lamp with an incandescent light bulb directly beneath the thermostat to heat it well above the established set point, so that the air conditioning will continue to furnish chilled air even when the air temperature is below the established cooling set point. Likewise, a tenant may hang a bag of ice on the thermostat to cool it well below the winter heating set-point so that the furnace or heater will continue to furnish heat even when the room air in the tenant space is warmer than the heat set-point. Current lock-setting thermostats lack any means of detecting any such attempt to defeat the thermostat, and cannot stop wasteful overheating or overcooling in these circumstances.

Lock-setting thermostat with flash-memory key

International Controls and Measurements Corporation


The battery-powered backpack blower includes a back support assembly including a back plate configured to permit a user to mount the blower to the user's back, and a volute assembly including a first volute portion and a second volute portion. The backpack blower further includes a housing assembly including a battery assembly and a motor assembly therein, the housing assembly is provided intermediate to the back assembly and the volute assembly.

Blowers are generally used for cleaning and/or removing light objects from surfaces, such as blowing away fallen leaves, and/or light debris, for example. Conventional backpack or back mounted blowers generally include a back plate, which supports the blower's components on the user's back. Current gas-powered backpack blowers include an internal combustion engine and a blower section driven by the engine. One major disadvantage of gas-powered blowers is that during operation, gas-powered blowers have a propensity to release undesirable emissions into the environment. Additionally, because the gas-powered blowers require gas, they generally require the user maintain or store an extra supply of fuel for the engine and repeatedly refill the blower gas tank. This can not only be costly, but may also have a negative impact on the environment.
Most gas-powered blowers are configured with a volute and fan member positioned directly against the back of the user. In this configuration, the fan intake is often provided against the back of the user with the air entering from the sides. One disadvantage of positioning the fan air intake on the side of the blower is that the size of the air intake vent is relatively limited. The limited vent size limits the overall flow rate of air through the blower, and thus limits the blower's performance and efficiency.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a backpack blower having an obstruction-free air intake to allow the free flow of air through the blower to increase its efficiency. This is even more important when considering backpack blower powered by a battery, which have a limited supply of energy. These batteries can be one of the heavier components in the blower, and so it is important to position the battery at an optimal position which reduces physical strain on the user during operation. To optimize the user's experience and reduce user fatigue during usage, it is important to balance the mass of the battery, and other heavier blower components, thus reducing the torque forces required by the user during operation.


The torque developed at a belt shaft of a belt retractor coupled to an electric motor via a drive belt is controlled so as to avoid a hysteresis. For this purpose, the direction of rotation of the belt shaft is detected and, depending on the direction of rotation as detected, the electric current supplied to the electric motor is changed from a first value to a second value that is different from the first value by an amount required to compensate for hysteresis.

The invention relates to a method of controlling the torque developed at a belt shaft of a belt retractor coupled to an electric motor. DE 100 18 972 discloses a belt retractor whose belt shaft is driven by an electric motor rather than by a coil spring. The electric motor is coupled to the belt shaft by a toothed belt. Assuming the electric motor to be supplied with a constant amount of current, friction and the flexing work of the toothed belt result in a hysteresis of the seat belt forces, being different when the seat belt is wound up and when it is unwound.
It is an object of the invention to essentially avoid hysteresis forces in order to keep the pressure exerted by the seat belt on the body of the vehicle occupant essentially constant.
In the method according to the invention, torque developed at a belt shaft of a belt retractor coupled to an electric motor is controlled by detecting a direction of rotation of the belt shaft and, depending on the direction of rotation as detected, changing electric current supplied to the electric motor from a first value to a second value that is different from the first value by an amount required to compensate for hysteresis.
Accordingly, to equalize the seat belt forces the amount of electric current supplied to the electric motor is adjusted in such a way that it is increased in the winding direction and decreased in the unwinding direction, resulting in substantially equal torque at the belt shaft and hence essentially equal seat belt forces when the seat belt is wound up and unwound.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a standstill of the belt shaft is also detected. The seat belt forces needed to keep the pull-out length of the seat belt constant are smaller than the forces needed to unwind it. Accordingly, to compensate for the smaller forces, a higher amount of electric current is supplied to the electric motor.
In case of an emergency, when strong deceleration forces act on the vehicle, inertia forces tend to move the body of the vehicle occupant away from the seat, entraining and unwinding thereby the seat belt at a speed that is higher than during normal movement of the vehicle occupant. In order to protect the vehicle occupant, such a rapid unwinding of the seat belt has to be avoided.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, rotational speed of the belt shaft is measured in an unwinding direction and when a predetermined first threshold value of rotational speed is exceeded, the resistance against pulling out the seat belt is increased by increasing the amount of electric current supplied to the electric motor, the rate of increase being constant. Only when a second threshold value of rotational speed, corresponding to a threshold value of the amount of electric current, is reached, a mechanical locking mechanism on the belt retractor is activated. Otherwise a restriction of the seat belt is achieved by means of the electric motor only.
A preferred use of the inventive method is in a retractor of the type comprising a frame, a belt shaft rotatably fixed in the frame and an electric motor coupled to the belt shaft by a drive belt, wherein the direction of rotation can be detected and, depending on the direction of rotation as detected, the motor current is adjusted.

Method of controlling the torque developed at a belt shaft of a belt retractor coupled to an electric motor

TRW Automotive Electronics and Components GmbH and Co. KG


An air-fuel ratio sensor malfunction detecting apparatus detects the output signal periods of a first or upstream air-fuel ratio sensor, and compares them with a predetermined value to judge the first sensor to be malfunctioning when the periods are larger than the predetermined value. The apparatus also compares the magnitudes of air-fuel ratio control quantities from a second or downstream air-fuel ratio sensor with a predetermined value to judge the first sensor to be malfunctioning when the air-fuel ratio control quantities are larger than the predetermined value.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention in general relates to a trouble detecting apparatus of the air-fuel ratio sensors of internal combustion engines, and more particularly to an apparatus for detecting air-fuel ratio sensor trouble by the use of an air-fuel ratio control apparatus for internal combustion engines which executes the feedback control of air-fuel ratios on the basis of air-fuel ratio signals from two air-fuel ratio sensors respectively located at a front position and a rear position of a catalyzer in an exhaust pipe.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, the fuel injection quantities of internal combustion engines are controlled with feedback on the basis of signals from air-fuel ratio sensors (O.sub.2 sensors and the like) located in exhaust pipes so that the air-fuel ratios of mixed air take optimum values (for example, about 14.7) according to the driving condition of the internal combustion engines.
Usually, the oxygen densities of exhaust gases decrease in the case where the air-fuel ratios of mixed gases are on a rich side when lower than 14.7, and the oxygen densities increase in the case where the air-fuel ratios of mixed gases are on a lean side being higher than 14.7, and consequently, the output signal voltage levels of the air-fuel ratio sensors vary between 0 [V] and 1 [V] according to the oxygen densities which in turn corresponds with the air-fuel ratios the typical value of which is 14.7. For example, if the air-fuel ratios are on the rich side, the voltage values of the output signals of the air-fuel ratio sensors (hereinafter referred to as "air-fuel ratio signals") increase according to the decrease of the oxygen densities.
However, in the case where a single air-fuel ratio sensor is located only on the upstream side of a catalyzer in an exhaust pipe, a high air-fuel ratio control precision is not obtained owing to the dispersion of the output characteristics (especially their operating points) of the air-fuel ratio sensors. Thus, apparatus has been proposed which is equipped with another air-fuel ratio sensor on the downstream side of the catalyzer, and which executes the feedback control on the basis of the air-fuel ratio signals on the downstream side of the catalyzer in addition to the feedback control on the basis of the air-fuel ratio signals on the upstream side of the catalyzer.
In this case, the air-fuel ratio sensor on the downstream side of the catalyzer senses the exhaust gases on the downstream side of the catalyzer which have averaged oxygen densities after catalytic reactions, and the degree of the deterioration of the air-fuel ratio sensor by the exhaust gases is reduced. Providing such a downstream side air-fuel ratio sensor makes the high precision feedback control of air-fuel ratios possible. That is to say, it can compensate for the dispersion of air-fuel ratio sensors, injectors (or fuel injecting valves) and the like, and it compensates for the changes with the passage of time of the output characteristics. Such a double air-fuel ratio sensor system is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,654.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an ordinary air-fuel ratio control apparatus for internal combustion engines which is equipped with air-fuel ratio sensors in a front position and in a rear position (or on the upstream side and on the downstream side) of a catalyzer.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 designates an internal combustion engine (hereinafter referred to as "engine"); numeral 2 designates an intake pipe supplying mixed air to the engine 1; numeral 3 designates an air cleaner located at the intake aperture on the upstream side of the intake pipe 2; numeral 4 designates an intake manifold formed at the connection part of the downstream side end of the intake pipe 2 and the engine 1; and numeral 5 designates an injector, which is located on the upstream side of the intake pipe 2, for fuel injection.
Reference numeral 6 designates a semiconductor type pressure sensor sensing the pressure P in the intake manifold 4. The pressure sensor 6 measures the amount of air inhaled from the intake pipe 2 to the engine 1 through the intake manifold 4 as being proportional to the pressure P. Reference numeral 7 designates a throttle valve located on the downstream side of the injector 5 in the intake pipe 2.
Reference numeral 8 designates a throttle sensor for sensing the throttle opening degree .phi. of the throttle valve 7; numeral 9 designates an exhaust pipe leading the burned exhaust gases out from the engine 1; numeral 10 designates a catalyzer inserted into the exhaust pipe 9 and processing the exhaust gases by means of ternary processing; numeral 11 designates a first air-fuel ratio sensor located on the upstream side of the catalyzer 10; and numeral 12 designates a second air-fuel ratio sensor located on the downstream side of the catalyzer 10.
Reference numeral 13 designates an ignition coil composed of a step-up transformer, and numeral 14 designates an igniter composed of a power transistor breaking the electricity to the primary winding of the ignition coil 13. Reference numeral 15 designates an idle switch constructed with the throttle sensor 8 in a body. The idle switch 15 "turns on upon sensing the driving state of idling of the engine 1 when the throttle valve 7 is completely shut. Reference numeral 16 designates a thermistor type water temperature sensor sensing the cooling water temperature T of the engine 1; numeral 17 designates a battery as a power supply; and numeral 18 designates a key switch for starting the power-supply from the battery 17 and for ignition-driving; and numeral 19 designates a warning lamp activated activated when various malfunctions are sensed.
Reference numeral 20 designates an electrical control unit (hereinafter referred to as "ECU") controlling the drive of the injector 5 and the warning lamp 19 and the like in accordance with various driving states. The signals to be inputted to the ECU 20 as driving state designating signals are the throttle opening degrees .phi. from the throttle sensor 8, the pressure P in the intake manifold 4 from the pressure sensor 6, the cooling water temperature T from the water temperature sensor 16, idle signals D from the idle switch 15, rotation signals R based on the breaking of the electricity of the ignition coil 13, and air-fuel ratio signals V1 and V2 from each air-fuel ratio sensor 11 and 12 respectively.
The ECU 20 is operated by being fed from the battery 17 on closing the key switch 18, and the ECU 20 generates fuel injecting quantities J to the injector 5 in response to the air-fuel ratio signals V1, V2 and the drive states of the engine 1 to execute the feedback control of the air-fuel ratios, and further the ECU 20 generates signals E, which indicate the occurrences of malfunctions, to the warning lamp 19. The ignition signals for the igniter 14 may also be generated by the ECU 20.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a concrete functional construction of the ECU 20. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 designates an input interface shaping the waveform of the rotation signal R to get interrupt signal INT; numeral 22 designates an input interface taking in the air-fuel ratio signals V1, V2, the pressure P, the water temperature T and the throttle opening degree .phi.; numeral 23 designates an input interface taking in the idle signal D; numeral 24 designates an output interface outputting the malfunction signals E, the fuel injecting signals J and the like; numeral 25 designates a power supply circuit connected to the battery 17 through the key switch 18; and numeral 30 designates a microcomputer connected with the input interfaces 21-23, the output interface 24 and the power supply circuit 25.
The microcomputer 30 comprises a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as "CPU") calculating air-fuel ratio feedback control quantities (hereinafter simply referred to as "air-fuel ratio control quantities") in accordance with the air-fuel ratio signal V1 and V2, a freely running counter 32 for measuring the rotational periods of the engine 1 on the basis of the rotation signal R through the input interface 21 or the interrupt signal INT, a timer 33 clocking for various controls, an analog-to-digital converter (hereinafter referred to as "A/ D converter") 34 converting the analog signals through the input interface 22 (or the air-fuel ratio signals V1, V2, the pressure P, the water temperature T and the throttle opening degree .phi.) into digital signals, an input port 35 taking in the idle signal D through the input interface 23, a random access memory (hereinafter referred to as "RAM") 36 used as a working memory of the CPU 31, a read-only memory (hereinafter referred to as "ROM") 37 memorizing the operating programs of the CPU 31 and the like, an output port 38 for outputting various control signals E and J through the output interface 24, and a common bus 39 connecting each element 32-38 to the CPU 31.
The CPU 31 reads the value of the counter 32 when an interrupt signal INT is inputted through the input interface 21, and the CPU 31 calculates the rotation period of the engine 1 from the deviation between this time value and the last time value of the counter 32 to store the calculated rotation period into the RAM 36.
The output interface 24 amplifies the control signals from the output port 38 to output them as the malfunction signals E and the fuel injecting signals J.
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the air-fuel ratio feedback control arithmetic operation of the prior art microcomputer 30. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 41 designates a first PI controller executing a proportional-plus-integral control (hereinafter referred to as "PI control") of the air-fuel ratio signal V1 from the first air-fuel ratio sensor 11; and numeral 42 designates a second PI controller executing a PI control of the air-fuel ratio signal V2 from the second air-fuel ratio sensor 12.
Each PI controller 41 and 42 constitutes operation means for operating each air-fuel ratio control quantity C1 and C2 on the basis of each air-fuel ratio signal V1 and V2. The second air-fuel ratio controlling quantity C2 acts as a compensating quantity to the first air-fuel ratio control quantity C1. Furthermore, the first air-fuel ratio control quantity C1 corresponds to an air-fuel ratio compensating quantity, whereby the final fuel injecting signal J to the injector 5 is controlled with the feedback of the first air-fuel ratio control quantity C1, and the second air-fuel ratio signal V2 is made to accord with a second target value VR2.
VR1 and VR2 designate respectively first and second target values for air-fuel ratio control, which are predetermined for each air-fuel ratio signal V1 and V2. Each of the target values VR1, VR2 is set to a voltage value approximately corresponding to the optimum air-fuel ratio 14.7, but the second target value VR2 may be set at a voltage value a little higher than the target value VR1 (on the rich side or in accordance with the air-fuel ratio smaller than 14.7).
FR designates,.a basic fuel quantity calculated from the pressure P corresponding to the inhaled air quantity, CF designates a fuel compensating quantity corresponding to the acceleration or the deceleration state of the engine 1 which is based on the water temperature T and the throttle opening degree .phi., KF designates an injection time compensating coefficient of the injector 5 to a target fuel quantity, and Q designates an inoperative time compensating quantity.
Reference numeral 43 designates a subtracter outputting a deviation .DELTA.V2 between the second target value VR2 and the air-fuel ratio signal V2 to input the obtained deviation .DELTA.V2 into the second PI controller 42, numeral 44 designates an adder adding the second air-fuel ratio control quantity C2 to the first target value VR1 to obtain a compensated target value VT1, and numeral 45 designates a subtracter obtaining a deviation .DELTA.V1 between the compensated target value VT1 and the air-fuel ratio signal V1 to input the deviation .DELTA.V1 into the first PI controller 41.
The adder 44 constitutes a compensating means for compensating the air-fuel ratio control quantity C1 calculated by the first PI controller 41.
Reference numeral 46 designates a multiplier multiplying the air-fuel ratio control quantity C1 from the first PI controller 41 by the basic fuel quantity FR to generate a target fuel quantity F1, numeral 47 designates a multiplier multiplying the target fuel quantity F1 by the fuel compensating quantity CF to generate a compensated fuel quantity F, numeral 48 designates a multiplier multiplying the compensated fuel quantity F by the injection time compensating coefficient KF to generate an activation time G of the injector 5, and numeral 49 designates an adder adding the inoperative time compensating quantity Q to the driving time G to generate the final fuel injecting signal J. These multipliers 46-48 and adder 49 constitute control quantity converting means for converting the air-fuel ratio control quantity C1 into the fuel injecting signal J.
Next, the concrete operation of the prior art air-fuel ratio controlling apparatus for internal combustion engines will be described with reference to FIGS. 4(1)-4(3) as well as FIGS. 1-3.
At first, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4(1), the subtracter 43 compares the second air-fuel ratio signal V2 on the downstream side of the catalyzer 10 and the second target value VR2 to generate the deviation .DELTA.V2 (=VR2-V2); and the second PI controller 42 executes the PI control of the deviation .DELTA.V2 to calculate the air-fuel ratio controlling quantity C2.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4(2), the adder 44 adds the air-fuel ratio control quantity C2 or the compensating quantity to the first target value VR1 to generate the compensated target value VT1 (=VR1+C2) for the first air-fuel ratio sensor 11. Besides, the subtracter 45 compares the first air-fuel ratio signal V1 on the upstream side of the catalyzer 10 and the compensated target value VT1 to generate the deviation .DELTA.V1 (=VT1-V1); and the first PI controller 41, as shown in FIG. 4(3), executes the PI control of the deviation .DELTA.V1 to calculate the air-fuel ratio control quantity C1 for feedback.
Thus, the air-fuel ratio control quantity C1 on the basis of the first air-fuel ratio control signal V1 is compensated by the second air-fuel ratio control quantity C2 resulting in the final air-fuel ratio control quantity.
Next, the inhaled air quantity is sensed on the basis of the pressure P from the pressure sensor 6, and the basic fuel quantity FR is calculated from the inhaled air quantity. Then, the multiplier 46 multiplies the air-fuel ratio control quantity C1 by the basic fuel quantity FR to obtain the target fuel quantity F1.
Successively, the compensating quantity corresponding to the warming-up state of the engine i is calculated on the basis of the water temperature T from the water temperature sensor 16, and the acceleration or the deceleration state of the engine 1 which is based on the compensating quantity and the throttle opening degree .phi. from the throttle sensor 8 is sensed. Then, the fuel compensating quantity CF is calculated on the basis of the compensating quantity corresponding to the acceleration or the deceleration state and the like. Thus, the multiplier 47 multiplies the target fuel quantity F1 by the fuel compensating quantity CF to obtain the compensated fuel quantity F corresponding to the final fuel injection quantity.
Moreover, the multiplier 48 multiplies the compensated fuel quantity F by the injecting time compensating coefficient KF to obtain the driving time G of the injector 5, and the adder 49 adds the useless time compensating quantity Q to the driving time G to obtain the final fuel injecting signal J for the injector 5.
As described above, the air-fuel ratio feedback control is executed so that the air-fuel ratio signal V2 on the downstream side of the catalyzer 10 becomes the second target value VR2 by compensating the target value VR1 for the first air-fuel ratio sensor 11 using the air-fuel signal V2 from the second air-fuel sensor 12.
That is to say, if the air-fuel ratio signal V2 on the downstream side of the catalyzer 10 is shown to be on the lean side (where its air-fuel ratio is larger than 14.7), the fuel injecting signal J is set to be longer, and the air-fuel ratio is controlled to shift to the rich side. Also, if the air-fuel ratio signal V2 on the downstream side of the catalyzer 10 is shown to be on the rich side (where its air-fuel ratio is smaller than 14.7), the fuel injecting signal J is set to be shorter, and the air-fuel ratio is controlled to shift to the lean side. This situation will be described on the basis of the FIGS. 4(1)-(4(3) as follows. For example, if the signal V2 is on the rich side, the deviation .DELTA.V2, which is the result of the operation of subtracting the air-fuel ratio signal V2 from the second target value VR2, becomes positive. Then, the air-fuel ratio control quantity C1 is changed by introducing the compensated target value VT1, which is the result of the operation of subtracting the above-mentioned deviation .DELTA.V2 from the target value VR1 of the first air-fuel ratio sensor 11, and by making the time judged to be in the rich state be elongated. Thus, the fuel injection quantity is made to be decreased.
However, each air-fuel ratio sensor 11 and 12 has dispersion in its output characteristic in spite of being made under the control of their characteristics. Furthermore, in particular, the sensing device of the first air-fuel ratio sensor 11 on the upstream side is exposed to intense heat owing to being located nearer to the engine I than the second air-fuel ratio sensor 12, and the device of the sensor 11 is directly exposed to harmful exhaust gas ingredients which are not catalyzed by the catalyzer 10 yet. Consequently, the deterioration of the sensing device apt to happen so that changes with the passage of time of its characteristic are caused by the deterioration. On the other hand, the second air-fuel ratio sensor 12 is exposed to the exhaust gases which are lower in temperature and comparatively cleaner than those to which the first air-fuel ratio sensor 11 is exposed, and the changes with the passage of time scarcely happen. Hereinafter, the problems due to the dispersion of the output characteristics of the first air-fuel ratio sensor 11 and the deterioration of the devices will be concretely described.
FIGS. 5(2) to 5(4) are wave form charts showing the output response characteristics of ordinary air-fuel ratio sensors in the case where their air-fuel ratios (or A/F), a typical wave form of which is shown in FIG. 5(1), are made to be changed compulsively. Reference mark Va, shown in FIG. 5(2), designates an air-fuel ratio signal of an air-fuel ratio sensor the characteristic of which is central among the other characteristics; and air-ratio signals of air-ratio sensors, the characteristic of one of which is dispersed from the central characteristic and the sensing device of the other of which deteriorates, are designated respectively by the reference marks Vb and Vc, which are shown in FIGS. 5(3) and 5(4) respectively.
as shown in FIGS. 5(1)-5(4), when the air-fuel ratio changes to the lean side or to the rich side, which is divided by the border of the target value 14.7, the air-fuel ratio signal Va of the air-fuel ratio sensor having the central characteristic responds behind about 100 milli-seconds; the air-fuel ratio signal Vb of the air-fuel ratio sensor, the response of which from the rich side to the lean side is late, responds behind about 200 milli-seconds; and the air-fuel ratio signal Vc of the air-fuel ratio sensor, both the responses of which from the rich side to the lean side and from the lean side to the rich side are late, responds behind the maximum 1.0 second.
FIGS. 6(1)-6(4) are wave form charts showing the air-fuel ratio feedback control operation in the case where the air-fuel ratio sensors having each output characteristic of the air-fuel ratio signals Va-Vc shown in FIGS. 5(2)-5(4) respectively are used as the first air-fuel ratio sensor 11.
Herein, the first target value VR1 for the first air-fuel ratio signal V1 is designated by .alpha., and the compensated target value VT1 is designated by .beta., then the case where the first target value VR1 is compensated from .alpha. to .beta. with the air-fuel ratio control quantity C2 based on the second air-fuel ratio signal V2 will be described. That is to say, the case will be described where the second air-fuel ratio signal V2 is on the richer side (or its voltage value is higher) than the second target value VR2, then where the air-fuel ratio is controlled by the feedback to the lean side by decreasing the compensated target value VT1 by adding the negative air-fuel ratio control quantity C2 to the first target value VR1.
In FIGS. 6(2)-6(4), reference marks T.alpha. and T.beta. designate times during which the air-fuel ratio signal V1 is judged to be on the rich side by comparing the air-fuel ratio signal V1 with the target values .alpha. and .beta. respectively; mark T.alpha. designates the rich-judged time in the case where the target value is set to be .alpha.; and mark T.beta. designates the rich-judged time in the case where the target value is set to be .beta..
For example, the rich-judged time of the air-fuel ratio control quantity C1 based on the air-fuel ratio sensor 11 having the air-fuel ratio signal Va (or the central characteristic), as shown in FIG. 6(2), is compensated to T.beta. longer than T.alpha., then the target value of the air-fuel ratio is changed to the decreasing side (or the lean side of the air-fuel ratio), as shown in FIG. 6(2), and consequently, the air-fuel ratio can be changed to be lean.
In the same manner, the rich-judged time using the air-fuel ratio sensor which outputs the air-fuel ratio signal Vb or Vc, as shown in FIG. 6(3) or 6(4) respectively, changes to T.beta. longer than T.alpha. by compensating the target value of the first air-fuel ratio signal V1 from .alpha. to .beta..
at this time, since the response times are different as shown in FIGS. 5(2)-5(4) owing to the dispersion of the output characteristics of the air-fuel ratio sensors 11 such as each air-fuel ratio signal Va-Vc, the change quantities (T.beta.-T.alpha.) of the rich-judged times differ according to the cases of each air-fuel ratio signal Va, the central characteristic, Vb and Vc, as shown in FIGS. 6(2)-6(4).
As described above, in the case where the output characteristics of the first air-fuel sensors differ, the change quantities of the rich-judged times T.alpha. and T.beta. differ in obedience to the change quantity (.beta.-.alpha.) of the first target value VR1 in accordance with the second air-fuel ratio control quantity C2. Consequently, the change quantities of the air-fuel ratio control quantity C1 differ in obedience to the air-fuel ratio control quantity C2, which is the compensating quantity of the first target value VR1, and differ in accordance with the differences among the output characteristics and response times of the first air-fuel ratio sensors 11. That is to say, in the case where the air-fuel ratio sensor 11 which outputs the air-fuel ratio signal Va (being central characteristic) is used, the response time is comparatively fast, and consequently, the change quantity of the rich-judged time to the air-fuel ratio control quantity C2, being the compensating quantity of the first target value VR1, becomes small. As the result, appropriate air-fuel ratio control can be executed by changing the air-fuel ratio control quantity C2 as the compensating quantity of the first target value VR1.
Furthermore, in the case of the air-fuel ratio signal Vb, the response in changing from the lean side to the rich side is late, but the response in changing from the rich side to the lean side is comparatively fast, and consequently, appropriate air-fuel ratio control can be executed by compensating the first target value VR1 with the air-fuel ratio control quantity C2 through the air-fuel sensor 12.
Furthermore, in the case where the air-fuel sensor 11 outputting the air-fuel (signal Vc is used; since both the responses from the rich side to the lean side and from the lean side to the rich side are later than those of the air-fuel sensor, outputting the air-fuel signal Vb, the change quantity of the rich-judged time becomes larger, and T.beta. becomes longer even if the air-fuel ratio control quantity C2 is changed, and consequently, the compensating quantity of the target value VR1 with the air-fuel ratio control quantity C2 becomes unacceptable for the 1.0 compensating quantity of the target value VR1 actually required, then the appropriate air-fuel ratio control cannot be executed. In particular, since the first air-fuel ratio sensor 11 on the upstream side of the catalyzer 10 is apt to deteriorate, the sensor 11 causes errors such that the changes of the : air-fuel ratio control quantity C1, and thus appropriate air-fuel ratio control, can not be attained.
Because the prior art air-fuel ratio control apparatus for internal combustion engines is constructed as mentioned above, it has a problem that it becomes difficult to execute appropriate air-fuel ratio control especially in the case where the air-fuel ratio signal is Vc owing to the dispersion of the first air-fuel ratio sensor and the changes of the characteristic due to the changes with the passage of time. Besides, in the case where the air-fuel ratio signal is Vb, appropriate air-fuel ratio control can be ensured, but it is better to detect the condition as being in trouble since the first air-fuel ratio sensor 11 itself is abnormal. On the other hand, it is desirable to judge the first air-fuel ratio sensor to be-out of order in the cases such that the magnitude of the air-fuel ratio signal V1, which is the output signal of the first air-fuel ratio sensor 11, changes, and that the change point of the first air-fuel ratio signal V1 shifts, whereas there is no description about such cases above.

Air-fuel ratio sensor trouble detecting apparatus


An electrical connector includes first and second mating sections (17, 18). The first section (17) forms a plurality of channels (25–28) for receiving wires (12–15). The second section (18) has receptacles (24A–24D) for receiving contact elements (20–23) having IDC contacts for connecting respectively to the wires. The contact elements are constructed so that they may be placed in any one of four quadrature positions while providing a dual IDC connection with its associated wire.

Connectors of the type with which the present invention is concerned typically have four (sometimes three) contacts. In the case of four contact elements, two may be used to conduct DC power, and the other two contacts may be used as connectors for data leads in a serial data network. The illustrated embodiment includes four separate contact elements. If it is desired to provide only three contacts, one data contact element is typically omitted.
In connectors of this type, there is a desire to make manufacturing more economical. In particular, it is desired to use insulation displacement contacts (IDC) in establishing the electrical connection between wires from a sheathed cable or cord to a printed circuit board, for example, within the body of the connector. Typically the connector body is provided with an insulating and protective plastic overmold covering all exterior surfaces except for the surface intended to be secured to the body of the solenoid or other device, and leaving a central opening for mounting the connector body to the solenoid body. Thus, the present connectors are frequently covered with a protective overmold and they may thus be referred to as "molded" connectors.
Connectors of this type may have connector elements including a bayonet type of external contact element for connecting to the corresponding contact elements (e.g., blades) of the solenoid or other device, such as a sensor, to which the instant connectors are attached. However, the contact blades on the solenoid body may be situated in different orientations in order to insure mating of associated connector elements; and it is, therefore, desirable that the external contact elements of the molded connectors be capable of being oriented in different directions during the manufacture of the molded connector so as to accommodate the various types of connector arrangements and designs found on control devices and to insure proper connections of the finished connectors.
It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the control devices may have different contact orientations or contact configurations in order to avoid mistakes in connecting devices in the industrial automation network. It is thus desirable to have the various contact elements of the molded connector capable of being arranged in the desired orientations and combinations of connecting elements of the mating control device in order to supply the demands of the market, and to provide such orientations without substantially increasing manufacturing costs.

Molded electrical connector with plural paired insulation displacement contacts


The present invention is a blood cell analyzer. When only measuring one or more measurement items included in one group, a first sample supplying operation is performed which includes aspirating a blood sample by a first amount. When measuring one or more measurement items included in the one group and another measurement item not included in the one group, a second sample supplying operation and a third sample supplying operation are performed. The second sample supplying operation includes aspirating the blood sample by the first amount for the measurement items included in the one group, and the third sample supplying operation includes aspirating the blood sample by a second amount for the another measurement item.

Blood sample analyzers for analyzing blood samples collected from humans and animals are known.
The blood cell analyzers aspirate a blood sample from a sample container that holds a blood sample, prepare a measurement sample from the aspirated blood sample and reagent, and measure the measurement sample in a measurement section to obtain measurement results.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006/292732 discloses a blood cell analyzer capable of measuring the number of red blood cells, number of white blood cells, and hemoglobin. This blood cell analyzer is preloaded with a liquid in the aspirating tube, and is configured to aspirate a blood sample into the aspirating tube with an air gap (layer of air) formed at the tip of the aspirating tube. The blood sample aspirated into the aspirating tube is slightly diluted by the residual liquid remaining on the inner wall of the aspirating tube in conjunction with the movement within the tube despite contact being prevented between the blood sample and the liquid within the aspirating tube by the air gap. Hence, the concentration of the blood sample disposed at the base end side of the aspirating tube is slightly lower compared to the concentration of the blood sample disposed at the tip end side of the aspirating tube, and a slight concentration gradient is produced in the blood sample within the aspirating tube.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/248293 discloses a blood cell analyzer capable of performing classification measurements of white blood cells, measurement of reticulocytes, and measurement of nucleated red blood cells in addition to measurements of the number of red blood cells, number of white blood cells, and hemoglobin. This blood cell analyzer is configured to obtain measurement order of specified measurement items, calculate the amount of blood sample needed for the measurement according to the measurement item specified in the measurement order, aspirate the calculated amount of blood sample from the sample container, and execute the measurements of each measurement item.
The blood cell analyzer disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006/292732 is configured to measure each sample for predetermined measurement items and aspirate a fixed amount of blood sample into the aspirating tube for each measurement, therefore sample aspiration conditions for each measurement is identical. Therefore, the concentration gradient of the blood sample within the aspirating tube, for example, is the same for each measurement. In this blood cell analyzer, blood samples diluted to the same degree are used in identical measurement items for any measurement since which part of a blood sample in the aspirating tube to use for a measurement item is determined beforehand. The measurement results are therefore unaffected by the concentration gradient produced in the blood sample within the aspirating tube.
On the other hand, when the blood cell analyzer disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006/292732 is configured to change the type and number of measurement items for each sample similar to the blood cell analyzer of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/248293, it is necessary to aspirate an amount of sample capable of supporting all measurement items even when, for example, only measuring a single measurement item since a fixed amount of blood sample must be aspirated whatever measurement is to be performed in order to have identical aspiration conditions for each sample (blood sample).
When the blood cell analyzer disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006/292732 is configured to change the type and number of measurement items for each sample, there is concern of some fluctuation in the concentration gradient of the sample within the aspirating tube for each sample due to the difference in the amount of aspirated sample in each measurement when only the required amount of sample needed for the measurement is aspirated, as in the case of the blood cell analyzer of US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/248293. Therefore, when an equal part of the sample of the aspirating tube is used in identical measurement items for each measurement, there will be a slight difference in the degree of dilution of the sample in each measurement, which causes concern that the measurement results will be affected.
Note that washing liquid remains on the inner wall of the aspirating tube and sampling valve because the aspirating tube and the sampling valve are washed each measurement even when aspirating a blood sample that does not fill the interior of the aspirating tube as in blood analyzers that measure blood samples using the sampling valve. There is therefore concern of some variation of the blood sample concentration gradient among measurements when different amounts of sample are aspirated for each measurement. Common measurement items are preferably performed under identical sample aspiration conditions for each measurement.

Blood cell analyzer, blood cell analyzing method, and non-transitory storage medium


A method for detaching an epitaxial layer from one substrate and transferring it to another substrate allows an epitaxially grown material layer to be easily detached from a first substrate that has good epitaxial growth properties and transferred to another substrate having better cleaving, electrical or other properties than the first substrate. A mask is applied to a portion of a surface of the first epitaxial layer and a second epitaxial layer is grown over the first epitaxial layer and the mask. A trench is formed in the second epitaxial layer to expose the mask and a second substrate is bonded to the second epitaxial layer. An etchant is introduced through the trench and etches away the mask, thus releasing the second epitaxial layer from the first substrate and the first epitaxial layer. Thus, the second epitaxial layer has been released from the first substrate and transferred to the second substrate without performing operations that would impair the optical properties of the epitaxial material.

A building block of many electronic devices such as diodes, transistors, and lasers is semiconductor material that can be grown over a substrate. The semiconductor material is fabricated by growing an epitaxial layer of the semiconductor material upon a substrate. The substrate material may be, and frequently is, of a different composition and lattice parameter than the material used to grow the epitaxial layer. For example, an epitaxial layer of gallium nitride (GaN) may be grown upon a sapphire substrate.
Various light emitting structures may be fabricated from the semiconductor material. To complete these structures, it is often desirable to detach and transfer the epitaxial layer from the original substrate to another substrate. For example, when fabricating an edge-emitting laser, it is necessary to cleave the epitaxial layer to obtain a reflecting surface. Cleaving is a process by which an edge of a wafer, including a substrate and an epitaxial layer, is nicked, or scored, and the wafer snapped to expose a clean, smooth cross-section of the epitaxial material along the lattice facet. A parallel pair of facets are used as reflective mirrors in an edge-emitting semiconductor laser.
Cleaving, however, is difficult to perform while the GaN epitaxial layer is attached to a sapphire (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3) substrate. Therefore, when a GaN epitaxial layer is grown upon sapphire, it is desirable to separate the GaN from the sapphire substrate. This is so because the sapphire substrate does not cleave easily, and also because the sapphire and the GaN epitaxial material have different lattice constants, resulting in lattice planes that do not accurately align. This prevents obtaining a clean, parallel facet of the epitaxial layer by cleaving if the epitaxial layer and the sapphire substrate are attached to each other. Therefore, for edge-emitting lasers it is desirable to detach and transfer the epitaxial layer from the sapphire substrate to a different substrate, such as silicon (Si), that is more easily cleaved.
A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) generally includes a region of multiple quantum well layers composed of very thin alternating layers of GaN and AlGaN around which are formed distributed Bragg reflectors.
In conventional VCSELs, at least the DBR between the substrate and the quantum-well layers is formed from alternating GaN and AlGaN layers so that the quantum well layers can be grown on crystalline material with about the correct lattice parameters. However, crystalline GaN/AlGaN DBRs are difficult to make with sufficient reflectivity. Dielectric DBRs composed of alternating layers of two dielectric materials such as silicon dioxide (SiO2) and hafnium oxide (HfOx) are easier to make with the required reflectivity, but quantum well layers cannot be grown on top of these dielectric layers.
It would be desirable to be able to grow a partial VCSEL structure, including a first cladding layer, a set of quantum well layers, a second cladding layer and a first dielectric DBR, on one substrate and transfer it to another substrate. This places the second cladding layer and the first DBR in contact with the new substrate and exposes the first cladding layer, over which could then be grown a second dielectric DBR.
In the past, epitaxial layers have been separated from sapphire substrates by using a laser to melt the epitaxial layer at its interface with the substrate on which it is grown. In the case of a GaN epitaxial layer grown over a sapphire substrate, the output of an ultra-violet laser is directed through the sapphire substrate and melts a thin layer of the GaN near the GaN/sapphire interface, thus enabling the GaN epitaxial layer to be separated from the sapphire substrate.
A drawback with using a laser to separate an epitaxial layer from the substrate is that due to the limitation of the laser spot size, only a small portion of the epitaxial layer may be separated at a time.
Another drawback with using a laser to separate the epitaxial layer from the substrate is that it is difficult to control the penetration depth of the laser light. This may result in a portion of the GaN epitaxial layer being rendered potentially unusable due to surface roughening and thermal shock within the material. The penetration depth is difficult to control because the heat dissipated at the GaN/sapphire interface cannot be precisely controlled.
Thus, an unaddressed need exists in the industry for a more controllable, practical method for detaching an epitaxial layer from a substrate and transferring the epitaxial layer to another substrate.

Method for detaching an epitaxial layer from one substrate and transferring it to another substrate


Disclosed herein telomerase inhibitors and controlled-release formulations thereof, the use of telomerase-inhibiting porphyrins, especially metalloporphyrins, in the controlled-release intratumoral implants for the treatment of cancer. Provided herein also specific compositions of metalloporphyrins and poly-(lactic-co-glycolic)-acid copolymers, in various implantable forms, and methods of treatment cancer by administering the implants of the invention, alongside possible co-treatment with brachytherapy radioactive seeds to precipitate Auger effect of the metal atoms contained in the metalloporphyrins.

The presence of the telomerase enzyme in the majority of cancers and its conferral of unrestricted proliferation to cancer cells presents a major dilemma in the treatment of cancer. Both radiation therapy and chemotherapy cause an increase in telomerase activity (TA) in cells comprising the tumor. When activated, the enzyme prevents the shortening of the telomeric ends of DNA and protects the chromosomal ends of DNA from deteriorating or combining with other chromosomes, by adding the TTAGGG sequences to the ends of chromosome's telomeres. Shortening of the telomeres causes the cancer cells to undergo various death modes or to become sensitive to various treatments and increases the probability of successful cancer therapy.
It may thus be appreciated that the activation of telomerase that occurs following chemo- or radio-therapy can alter the risk vs. benefit ratio of these treatments. That is, if the treatments result in the activation of telomerase in those cells that survived the primary treatment, they could become immortal due to the lengthening of the telomeres. Therefore, inhibiting the activation of TA would be a very useful approach in controlling tumor growth and many investigators are synthesizing and evaluating agents to inhibit TA for this purpose. Whereas telomerase activation and its effect on maintaining the length of the telomeres are protective to normal cells, both features are highly detrimental when attempting to induce lethality in cancer cells.
During normal cell division, when the cell reaches its finite life span, its telomeres are degraded. However, in human cancer cells, telomeres are continuously replenished by the human telomerase reverse transcriptase enzyme (hTERT), which is a subunit of telomerase. Thus, the activation of hTERT is problematic because it increases the resistance of cancer cells to various therapies. Many studies have shown the activation of hTERT as a factor in the treatment resistance to ionizing radiation; similarly, hTERT increases the resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. Therefore, numerous scientists are also investigating the use of telomerase- or hTERT-inhibiting agents to improve the efficacy of radiation or chemotherapy treatments. Among these drugs is tetra-(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)-porphyrin (TMPyP4) that binds to and stabilizes G-quadruplex (GQ) structures both in DNA and within the telomeres.
In DNA, the formation of a GQ structure in the promoter region of the c-myc oncoprotein is kinetically favored. Mutations occurring during chemo- or radio-therapy were shown to increase c-myc transcriptional activity 3-fold. Such over-expression results in gene amplification (e.g., multiple copies of c-myc), the formation of extra-chromosomal elements, chromosome breakage, deletions, increased aneuploidy, and polyploidization; all of these consequences demonstrate the instability caused to the genome by c-myc over-expression. Because TMPyP4 stabilizes the c-myc GQ, it can suppress its transcriptional activity and over expression. Of relevance is the fact that the hTERT gene, which encodes the catalytic subunit of telomerase, is also transcriptionally regulated by c-myc. Therefore, the stabilization of c-myc by TMPyP4 would additionally cause a decrease in hTERT levels and a reduction in telomerase activation (Papanikolaou V. et al., 2011, Int J Radiat Biol 87, 609-621), increased hTERT and TA was shown after irradiation of breast cancer cells and resulted in increased survival of the cells. This study showed that the HER2 receptor mediated hTERT expression through the sequential induction of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and c-myc.
It may therefore be hypothesized that the radiation-induced mutations increased c-myc transcriptional activity and resulted in its over-expression, thereby increasing hTERT and telomerase activation as is discussed later. Therefore, the stabilization of GQ structures at the c-myc promoter locus could offer a very important contribution to cancer treatment.
Although several telomerase-inhibiting drugs have been synthesized, experimental results using said drugs have indicated that they are of limited efficacy. In this regard, the present inventors have now found that this problem is at least in part due to the rapid clearance of hydrophilic agents (for example the aforementioned TMPyP4) from the tumor. It appears that inhibition of the telomerase enzyme requires the continuous presence of the inhibitor in the tumor over the long term.
Various uses of porphyrins in treatment of cancer have been disclosed in WO03/063757. Porphyrins, such as metalloporphyrins of indium, gadolinium, platinum, palladium and gold, have been implied as Auger emitters, useful in conjunction with radiotherapy, such as brachytherapy.
A large number of controlled-release drug delivery compositions and devices have been described in the prior art. One such prior art publication (U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,920) discloses and teaches an in-situ forming injectable implant composition comprising poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) copolymer (PLGA) in a solvent which is glycofurol.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,734 describes the combination of polylactide and a pharmaceutically active ingredient for the continuous release thereof in the form of a solid implant.
WO2011/071970 describes a combination of PLGA and porphyrins for photodynamic therapy.
It may be appreciated from the foregoing that there is a pressing need for a long-term, controlled delivery system that is suitable for use with telomerase-inhibiting agents.

Continuous long-term controlled release of telomerase inhibitors


In a wrapping machine comprising a ring rotatable on a frame, a ledge to support a package being wrapped, and a carriage supporting a roll of plastic film and movable with the ring to wrap the film around the ledge and around a package supported thereby, a severing arm, pivotable between a horizontal position underlying the ledge and a vertical position, carries a heated severing wire. Also, a spacing arm, pivotably movable between a horizontal position underlying the ledge and a vertical position, spaces an outer film layer from the ledge. In one embodiment, the severing arm carries heated welding elements, and the spacing arm applies a partial vacuum to cause a severed film portion to adhere to the spacing arm. In another embodiment, the severed film portion is clamped between the spacing and severing arms.

A machine of a type in widespread use for wrapping packages with plastic film supplied on a roll, such as stretch film, comprises a frame, a ring rotatable on the frame and defining a circular path around a horizontal axis, a support extending horizontally toward an open center of the ring and arranged to support a package being wrapped, and a carriage mounted upon the ring for conjoint movement with the ring and arranged to support the roll of film with its axis parallel to the horizontal axis of the ring. The support may be a ledge or a conveyor. The carriage is movable along the circular path, around the ledge, when the ring is rotated so that film from the roll supported by the carriage is wrapped in successive layers, around the support and around a package supported by the support, as the carriage is moved around the ring.
A leading edge of the film is secured to the package, as by taping, before the film is wrapped therearound. After the support and the package supported by the support have been wrapped with plural layers of the film, the wrapped film is severed from the film remaining on the roll, and an outer layer of the wrapped film is secured to the next prior layer of the wrapped film, commonly by welding or taping.
Such wrapping machines are available commercially, as "MSB Stretch Bundlers", from ITW Mima (a unit of Illinois Tool Works Inc.) of Boca Raton, Fla. Manual machines are known, in which the carriage is moved manually along the circular path defined by the ring. Powered machines are known, in which the carriage is moved by a motor.
In a wrapping machine of the type noted above, as known heretofore, the film of the outer layer is bunched into a rope-like configuration when such film is severed from the film remaining on the roll. Generally, the rope-like configuration is retained when the outer layer is secured to the next prior layer, particularly if welding or taping is used.
Such a rope-like configuration can interfere with stacking or palletizing of the package with other packages. Also, such a rope-like configuration may lend an unsatisfactory appearance to a package, particularly if the package is placed into a retail store without removal of the film wrapping the package.
There has therefore been a need, to which this invention is addressed, for a better way to sever the film of the outer layer from the film remaining on the roll.

Film-severing mechanism for wrapping machine and related method


An upper electrode of a capacitor is structured to have its end surface recessed from an end surface of an interlayer insulating layer covering a surface of said electrode layer, at a position where the upper electrode faces a bit line contact portion. The upper electrode layer and the first interlayer insulating layer are patterned to have the same end surface shape. Subsequently, only a side surface of the upper electrode layer is etched and recedes by isotropic etching. The receding surface of the upper electrode layer and a side surface of said interlayer insulating layer are covered with a sidewall insulating layer. The bit line contact portion or a pad layer for a bit line contact is formed along a surface of the sidewall insulating layer. The sidewall insulating layer is formed thick by a receding amount of the upper electrode of the capacitor from the first interlayer insulating layer. Thus, distance between the upper electrode of the capacitor and the bit line contact portion is increased, and therefore a dielectric breakdown voltage therebetween is also increased.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure in which insulating property between a conductive layer and an interconnection contact portion can be improved and a method of manufacture thereof, in a semiconductor device having a conductive layer adjacent to the interconnection contact portion.
2. Description of the Background Art
A configuration of a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) allowing random input/output of information to be stored will be described as an example of a conventional semiconductor device. FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a general DRAM. Referring to FIG. 15, a DRAM 50 includes a memory cell array 51 for storing a data signal, a row and column address buffer 52 externally receiving address signals (A.sub.0 -A.sub.9) for selecting a memory cell, a row decoder 53 and a column decoder 54 for designating a memory cell by decoding the address signals, a sense refresh amplifier 55 amplifying and reading a signal stored in the designated memory cell, a data in buffer 56 and a data out buffer 57 for data input/output, and a clock generator 58 generating a clock signal. Clock generator 58 is connected to receive a row address strobe signal RAS and a column address strobe signal CAS.
In operation, a data signal stored in a memory cell designated by address signals is read by a sense refresh amplifier 24, and is applied to data out buffer 57 through a preamplifier. Data out buffer 57 outputs the data signal in response to a clock signal from a clock generator 58.
FIG. 16 is an equivalent circuit diagram of one memory cell configuring a memory cell array. A memory cell 3 is constituted by one MOS transistor 5 and one capacitor 6. Either of the source region and the drain region of MOS transistor 5 is connected to a bit line 20, and a gate electrode is connected to a word line 8a.
FIG. 17 is a plan structural view of a memory cell, and FIG. 18 is a sectional structural view taken along a line A--A in FIG. 17. Referring to both views, one MOS transistor 5 and one stacked capacitor 6 are formed on a main surface of a silicon substrate 1.
MOS transistor 5 has a pair of source/drain regions 9, 9 and a gate electrode 8a formed on a surface of silicon substrate 1 with a thin gate insulating film 7 interposed. Gate electrode 8a forms a part of a word line.
Stacked capacitor 6 has a multiple layer structure in which a lower electrode 12, a dielectric layer 13 and an upper electrode 14 are provided. One portion of lower electrode 12 is connected to a surface of source/drain regions 9. One of the end portions of capacitor 6 extends above gate electrode 8a with an insulating layer 10 interposed. An upper electrode (a cell plate) 14 of capacitor 6 is formed to cover a whole surface of a memory cell array region. An opening is formed in the vicinity of a bit line contact portion of bit line 20 and source/drain region 9. Referring to FIG. 18, the end portion of upper electrode 14 located above gate electrode 8a defines an end surface of the opening. A first interlayer insulating layer 16 is formed on a surface of upper electrode 14 of capacitor 6. An end surface of first interlayer insulating layer 16 above gate electrode 8a is formed aligned with the end surface of upper electrode 14. Furthermore, a sidewall insulating layer 15 is formed on the end surface of upper electrode 14 of the capacitor and the end surface of first interlayer insulating layer 16.
A conductive pad layer 18 is formed on a surface of source/drain region 9 contacting the bit line. Pad layer 18 extends from the center of source/drain region 9 to surfaces of insulating layer 10, sidewall insulating layer 15 and first interlayer insulating layer 16. A second interlayer insulating layer 17 is formed thick on surfaces of first interlayer insulating layer 16 and pad layer 18. A contact hole 19 is formed in a region located above pad layer 18 of a second interlayer. Bit line 20 is arranged on a surface of interlayer insulating layer 17, and connected to pad layer 18 and source/drain region 9 through contact hole 19.
Manufacturing steps of the memory cell shown in FIG. 18 will be described. FIGS. 19 through 24 are sectional views of the memory cell in the manufacturing steps.
Referring to FIG. 19, a field oxide film 2 is formed in an isolation region of silicon substrate 1 using a LOCOS method. A gate insulating layer film 7 is formed using a thermal oxidation method, and a polycrystal silicon layer is further formed on a surface thereof. A gate electrode 8a is subsequently formed by patterning the polycrystal silicon layer. The surface of silicon substrate 1 is subjected to ion implantation of impurities of a conductivity type different from that of the substrate, using gate electrode 8a as a mask to form source/drain regions 9, 9. Consequently, the periphery of gate electrode 8a is coated with insulating layer 10.
Referring to FIG. 20, after the whole surface is coated with oxide film 30, a prescribed region is etched away. The oxide film 30 is provided to protect regions other than capacitor in forming a capacitor.
Referring to FIG. 21, after a polycrystal silicon layer is deposited on a whole surface, it is patterned to form a lower electrode 12 of the capacitor. A dielectric layer 13 is formed on a surface of lower electrode 12.
Referring to FIG. 22, an upper electrode layer 14 is deposited to cover a whole surface of dielectric layer 13. A first interlayer insulating layer 16 is deposited on a surface of upper electrode layer 14. First interlayer insulating layer 16 and upper electrode layer 14 are patterned. An opening located above one of source/drain regions 9 is formed in first interlayer insulating layer 16 and upper electrode layer 14 by the patterning. The end surfaces of first interlayer insulating layer 16 and upper electrode layer 14, which are facing the opening, are formed to be aligned with each other.
Referring to FIG. 23, an insulating film is deposited on a whole surface, and the insulating film is selectively etched away using anisotropic etching. A second sidewall insulating layer 15 is formed on the aligned end surfaces of first interlayer insulating layer 16 and upper electrode layer 14 in the etching step. The surface of upper electrode 14 is coated with first interlayer insulating layer 16 and second sidewall insulating layer 15.
Referring to FIG. 24, pad layer 18 is formed connected to source/drain region 9. Pad layer 18 extends from the center of source/drain region 9 to the periphery thereof, for example, above second interlayer insulating layer 15 and first interlayer insulating layer 16.
Second interlayer insulating layer 17 is then formed, and contact hole 19 reaching pad layer 18 is formed therein. A bit line 20 is formed on a surface of second interlayer insulating layer 17 and within contact hole 19. A memory cell shown in FIG. 18 is completed by performing the above described steps.
There is a problem of poor insulating property between upper electrode 14 of capacitor 6 and pad layer 18 connected to bit line 20 in a conventional memory cell configuration shown in FIG. 18. Upper electrode 14 of capacitor 6 and pad layer 18 are insulated and isolated mainly by second interlayer insulating layer 15. Referring again to FIG. 23, the second sidewall insulating layer 15 is formed only on sidewalls of upper electrode 14 and first interlayer insulating layer 16 by subjecting the insulating layer deposited on the whole surface of the substrate to anisotropic etching. In the anisotropic etching step, etching is performed more excessively than necessary to etch away the deposited insulating layer in order to expose the surface of source/drain region 9 completely. Because of this overetching, the second sidewall insulating film is liable to be thinner than it was at (the time of) deposition. Thus, the distance between upper electrode 14 and pad layer 18 is reduced and therefore a problem arises that a dielectric breakdown voltage therebetween is decreased.

DRAM having a large dielectric breakdown voltage between an adjacent conductive layer and a capacitor electrode and method of manufacture thereof


A method for increasing the efficiency by which fracture fluids are produced back from a hydrocarbonaceous fluid bearing formation. To remove said fracture fluid, agglomerated particles or granules containing a chemical blowing agent are placed into the formation. After placement of the agglomerated particles and granules containing the blowing agent and fracturing the formation, the blowing agent decomposes thereby providing a driving force for fluid load removal from the formation matrix. Increased porosity enhances communication between the formation and the fracture, thus increasing the efficiency of fracture fluid production. Gas liberation within the matrix establishes communication pathways for subsequently removing hydrocarbonaceous fluids by displacing load fluids into the fracture and the well.

Once the natural driving force has been depleted oil or hydrocarbonaceous fluids must be removed from a formation via enhanced oil recovery methods. Some of these enhanced oil recovery methods where fracturing is employed utilize foams, gels, water, or other fluids which can also damage the formation and impede the recovery of hydrocarbonaceous fluids. Indeed, some of these fluids (fracture fluid load) can cause permanent damage to a formation. Once fracture fluid has served its purpose, it is necessary to remove it to continue producing hydrocarbonaceous fluids from the formation.
Methods are available to the oil producing industry for removing or lifting these spent load fluids from the reservoir. In one of these methods, stimulation fluids using foam (nitrogen and water, nitrogen and hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and water, and carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons) have also been developed by service companies which provide built-in gas assist. Also nitrogen or carbon dioxide can be added as a gas "on the fly" during stimulation treatments.
Drawbacks to the use of gas assist include: economics (addition of gases adds to the expense of well stimulation) equipment (special equipment is required to handle gas on the surface prior to the treatment for pumping during the treatment); availability (remote areas where gas sources and handling equipment are not available); and safety (pumping at high pressures can be dangerous).
Therefore, what is needed is a method that overcomes the economy, equipment, availability, equipment, and safety drawbacks associated with prior art gas assist methods for removing residue drive fluids, spent fracturing fluids, and treating fluids from a reservoir.

Method of enhancing stimulation load fluid recovery


An inlet valve assembly for a fuel pump comprises a valve assembly inflow path and valve assembly outflow path; a magnetic valve member situated in an intermediate flow path fluidly linking the inflow path and the outflow path; a magnetic pole adjacent the valve member; and a selectively energizable coil for generating a magnetic flux directly magnetically coupling the pole and the valve member; whereby the valve member opens and closes fluid communication between the inflow path and the outflow path in response to the energized state of the coil.

The present invention relates to high pressure fuel pumps, and particularly to the inlet valve for feeding low pressure fuel to the high pressure pumping chamber.
Single piston and multi-piston high pressure common rail fuel pumps have been implemented to provide the high fuel pressures required by modern direct injected gasoline and diesel engines. These engine mounted pumps are volume controlled to minimize parasitic losses while maintaining rail pressure. Volume control is achieved either by inlet throttling using a magnetic proportional control valve, or indirect digital control of the inlet valve by a magnetic actuator. Either execution requires that the pump be controlled by an electrical signal from the engine ECU.
Because the indirect inlet valve actuator control requires a separate actuator for each pump piston, it has become common for multi-piston pumps to use a single inlet throttling proportional valve, in order to avoid a high part count and cost. Many modern single piston pumps use an indirect inlet valve actuator with a separate magnetically controlled armature assembly. These devices typically employ three separate components: inlet valve, magnetic armature, and the intervening engaging or connecting member. Different variants of this concept can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,526,947, 7,513,240, 6,116,870, and 7,819,637. Due to the high complexity and precision of these devices, they typically account for at least ⅓ of the cost of a single piston pump. These digital type devices also suffer from high reciprocating mass and noise due to impact of the armature and valve assemblies during energizing and de-energizing events.

Direct magnetically controlled inlet valve for fuel pump


A locking collar concentric with an inner ring and outer ring of a bearing assembly is advanced axially by threads or other mechanism on an axial extension of the inner ring. Conical washers between the axial extension and the locking collar are abutted by an abutment surface. Flattening of the conical washers upon advancement of the locking collar grips the shaft. The conical washers may be sued alone or in combination with a wedge ring to lock the bearing assembly to the shaft.

This invention relates generally to locking devices for interconnecting relatively movable concentric members and, more particularly, to a bearing assembly with a locking device for locking the bearing assembly on a rotatable shaft.
The two most common methods of locking a bearing assembly having inner and outer rings on a rotatable shaft are an eccentric locking collar design and a setscrew design. Each of these methods has drawbacks and causes rotational imbalance and down-rating of the bearing assembly load capacity.
The eccentric locking collar design holds the inner ring against the rotatable shaft at only one location and thus forces the bearing assembly to be eccentric with respect to the rotatable shaft. The amount of eccentricity is equal to the intentional clearance between the rotatable shaft and the bearing assembly. This eccentricity results in movement of the bearing assembly relative to the rotatable shaft as well as fretting of the bearing bore, some cocking of the inner ring of the bearing, and high bending stress on the inner ring. In addition, manufacture of the collar requires expensive eccentric machining.
The setscrew design also pulls the inner ring of the bearing assembly eccentric with respect to the rotatable shaft. The setscrew forces the inner ring out-of-round and puts the inner ring under tensile stress. In addition, the setscrew design may cause a burr on the rotatable shaft and may cause problems due to the presence of loose parts during the manufacturing process.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present bearing assemblies with locking devices. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one of more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.


A temperature detection device includes a diode and an analog-digital converter. An output voltage signal of the diode is applicable to an input of the analog-digital converter. The temperature detection device is adapted for the purpose of coupling a reference voltage of the analog-digital converter and the diode current of the diode such that effects of variations of the reference voltage or the diode current on the digital output signal of the analog-digital converter are partially or completely suppressed.

In conventional temperature detection devices, the fact that the characteristic curve of a diode has a strong temperature dependence is utilized.
Integrating such temperature detection devices in measuring devices, which include a sensor for detecting a variable to be measured and in which the output signal of the sensor is a function of the ambient temperature, is also conventional. Examples of such sensors are micromechanical pressure, acceleration, or yaw-rate sensors. For their usage in corresponding applications, it is necessary that a value, which is independent of the ambient temperature, of the variable to be measured is calculated.
In many micromechanical sensors, the measured variable, for example, pressure, acceleration, or yaw rate, is detected by the change in piezoelectric resistances or capacitances and converted into an electrical voltage.
The ambient temperature represents a disturbance variable, which has an influence on the electrical output voltage of the sensor element. To be able to compensate for the influence of the ambient temperature within an integrated circuit, it must also be detected. Resistors or diodes are used to detect the temperature. Diodes are typically powered using a constant current to generate a temperature-dependent voltage.
The signal processing for the purposes of temperature compensation, amplification, or linearization is implemented employing digital integrated circuits. Analog-digital converters are used to convert the analog electrical voltages of diode and sensor element into a digital numeric value which is processable by a computer unit.
In order to minimize the conversion error due to variations in the supply voltage for the pressure signal, the pressure sensor and the analog-digital converter are operated using the same supply voltage. The sensitivity of the pressure sensor thus decreases upon reduction of the supply voltage, and the sensitivity of the analog-digital converter therefore proportionally increases inversely, whereby the digital numeric value at the output of the analog-digital converter remains unchanged (ratiometric measurement).
The diode is operated using a constant current which is largely independent of the supply voltage, so that the output voltage of the diode is also largely independent of the supply voltage. If the supply voltage drops, the diode delivers an unchanged output voltage, while the sensitivity of the analog-digital converter rises, however, and results in a higher digital numeric value at the output of the analog-digital converter. A misinterpretation of the diode output voltage and an incorrect ascertainment of the measured value after the temperature compensation in the signal pathway thus occur.

Temperature detection device having a diode and an analog-digital converter


A process for preparing a coated article which includes the step of electromotively coating an article molded or extruded from a composition having a conductivity of at least about 10.sup.-14 Siemens/cm (S/cm) comprising (a) a thermoplastic polymer, thermoset polymer, or mixture thereof and (b) an electronically conductive charge transfer complex or inherently semiconducting polymer different from (a). It has been discovered that the process of the invention provides a means by which electromotively coated polymer articles may be conveniently prepared.

This invention relates to electronically conductive polymers, and more particularly to composite articles or polymer blends containing electronically conductive polymers.
It is known to prepare coated articles by electrostatic painting methods. In such methods, a paint or coating is charged or ionized and sprayed on a grounded article, and the electrostatic attraction between the paint or coating and a grounded, conductive article results in a more efficient painting process with less wasted paint material, and thicker and more consistent paint coverage, particularly when the article has a complex shape. When articles fabricated from metals are painted, the metal, which is inherently conductive, is easily grounded and efficiently painted. In recent years, there has been an emphasis on the use of polymeric materials in the manufacture of articles, particularly in applications requiring reductions in weight and improved corrosion resistance, such as automotive applications. However, polymers typically used in such processes are insufficiently conductive to efficiently obtain a satisfactory paint thickness and coverage when the article is electrostatically painted.
One method that has been used to prepare electrostatically coated polymers is to employ compositions containing conductive fibers, such as described in European Patent Application No. 363,103. However, adding such large amounts of fibrous fillers to a polymer can adversely affect both the polymer's physical properties and paint finish. U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,783 discloses a method for making electrostatically coated articles from composites containing ion-conductive polymers. However, such articles may be less conductive than desirable for use in electrostatic coating processes.
PCT Publication No. WO 94/07612 discloses a process for preparing electrostatically paintable polyurethane compositions by the incorporation of ion-conductive metal salts. However, the conductivity of such compositions may be less than desirable for certain electrostatic painting processes.


Solar illuminating compensating apparatus is disclosed whereby the interior of a building is illuminated to a substantially constant, predetermined level of light intensity by a combination of natural illumination from the sun and artificial illumination from electricity wherein the intensity of said artificial illumination is controlled by fully electronic means which increases the level of artificial illumination when the natural illumination is inadequate and vice versa.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to the class of inventions having as a primary object the savings of energy derived from fossil or fissile fuels and in particular to electrical energy savings apparatus designed for illumination.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The unbridled use of electrical energy is no longer possible. The United States of America is already too dependent upon our foreign neighbors for our supply of oil. The use of our abundant reserves of coal is not presently feasible because the hazards produced by pollution necessitate that it be made clean prior to burning and pollution-free coal is not as economical as the present high price of gas or oil. Nuclear power is similarly disadvantageous because of the radioactive waste disposal problem, which seemingly is unsolvable. New and efficient means to conserve energy must be discovered, invented and implemented now. The instant invention and the apparatus disclosed herein has been shown to be an effective means to conserve energy. In addition, its implementation will result in a significant cost saving to both business and the consumer as well as the government of the United States of America, the governments of the individual states and their political subdivisions.
During the early stages of civilization, natural illumination from solar energy was, of course, the only source of light that was available. The discovery or invention of fire and the illumination produced thereby aided man in his quest to light up the darkness which existed during the non-daylight hours or during daylight hours in areas where natural illumination did not sufficiently penetrate. The invention of electricity coupled with the inventions of the various types of light bulbs seemed to answer man's problem of achieving adequate illumination. For reasons detailed above, the present energy shortage and man's increasing need for energy has caused the problems associated with adequate illumination to resurface. The main problem being the supplying of adequate illumination while conserving as much energy as possible.
Modern architects have recognized and addressed the need to conserve energy in the design of new office buildings. For example, many new buildings utilize the heat produced by the people occupying the building and the heat produced by the illuminating system to provide heat for the building in the winter months. Then too, in southern regions, architects use cool-burning light fixtures to decrease the demand on air-conditioning within the building. Window coatings and even glass have been invented and used to either reflect or absorb the sun's thermal energy depending on whether it is desired to heat or cool the building. However, very little has been accomplished in the field of illumination as regards utilizing the combination of natural light and artificial light to decrease the cost of artificial illumination and to conserve energy.
A simple survey of old buildings as might be used for offices or new, modern buildings will disclose that no light-control devices or apparatus are utilized, notwithstanding the abundant illumination available from natural sources. One reason attributable to this non-use is because there is no prior art device or apparatus which is sufficiently sophisticated so as to be capable of effectively being utilized for this purpose.
Illumination control systems have, of course, been disclosed and developed in the past, but these are primarily concerned with turning a light fixture on or off. The invention of Dubot, et al in U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,183, issued June 1, 1976, is an example of such a device. There, Dubot, et al, disclosed a light responsive electric switch utilizing a motor having stepped-down gearing to activate street lighting. The invention of Bolhuis, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,104, Jan., 1975, is another such example. The Bolhuis invention being concerned with assuring a minimum amount of light from tunnel lights in the event that a failure occurs in the main apparatus turning the lights on.
The invention of Dewan in U.S. Pat. No. 2,199,394, May, 1940, LIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM tends to address the problem of saving energy by using a combination of natural light and artificial light in a structure. However, the relatively simplistic but direct approach of Dewan falls short of the need for a reliable, economical, precise system. Also, a main disadvantage of Dewan's invention is that it would be sensitive to phenomena such a lightning. Dewan uses an amplified signal from a photocell to activate a switch, which is assisted by an electromagnet, and which upon making contact activates a solenoid which, in turn, activates an electro-mechanical switch and activates (or deactivates) a light. By using a plurality of such solenoids and electro-mechanical switches, in conjunction with preset, increasing output levels of the photocell, Dewan increases the amount of artificial light when the light available from the natural sources decreases.
Should the photocell of Dewan's invention be suddenly be exposed to lightning, then most or all of the artificial lights would be momentarily turned off. They would, of course, go back on; but, during a protracted storm having a large amount of lightning, such results would be intolerable inasmuch as lights continuously turning on and off would seriously disrupt the organized workings of a modern office building. Another disadvantage of Dewan's invention is the relative unreliability of the relays and the electro-mechanical switches.
A prior art invention which addresses itself to the above-stated problems is that of the previously mentioned patent application of Lester J. Owens. Owens discloses apparatus for combining solar light with artificial light to maintain a desired level of illumination within a structure. He uses a light sensor to control a bi-directional clock motor having mercury switches thereon to increasingly (or decreasingly) activate a plurality of lights associated therewith. Owen's solution to making the apparatus insensitive to lightning, is the inherent slow response time of the motor due to its slow rotational speed. When the motor rotates, a plate having mercury switches thereon also rotates. In this manner, the mercury switches progressively close and lights connected to the switches progressively turn on. Thus, although Owens directly addresses the problem, he still relies upon mechanical devices to achieve the result.
In conclusion, the prior art does not disclose any apparatus or system which is economical, reliable or precise.


A preparation system for surveying operation of the present invention includes a mobile station disposed at a known observation point and a fixed station disposed at an unknown reference point. The preparation system includes an arithmetic step to determine the position coordinate of the unknown reference point based on positioning data received by the mobile station, positioning data received by the fixed station, and a position coordinate of the known observation point, and an assigning step to assign the unknown reference point whose position coordinate is determined as the known reference point.

Conventionally, a surveying operation system (RTK surveying method) is known. The system includes a fixed station disposed at a reference point (an observation point at which the fixed station is positioned), where the position coordinate is known, and a mobile station disposed at an observation position, where the position coordinate is unknown. The system receives positioning data from satellites at the fixed station and mobile station while moving the mobile station, and determines the position coordinate of the unknown observation point using the mobile station by correcting the received data with observation correction data sent from the fixed station (see Patent Literature 1, Patent Literature 2, JP2007-271429A, for example).

Preparation system for surveying operation


The present invention is concerned with a lighting module for a vehicle headlight for giving a light beam of the cut-off type, particularly one which is adapted to use with light-emitting diodes. The module has a second reflector having a substantially elliptical surface for reflecting light rays and at least one light source arranged close to the first focus of the first reflector. The module also includes a second reflector for producing the cut-off or dipped output beam, the focus of this reflector being arranged close to the second focus of the first reflector. The module further includes a third reflector or bender, having a reflective top face and being situated between the first and second reflectors. This third reflector has a cut-off edge arranged close to the second focus of the first reflector, whereby to form the cut-off within the light beam. The light source is a light-emitting diode.

The functions of passing or dipped beam lights and foglights are examples of cut-off light beams conforming to current European legislation.
Generally, the cut-off in an elliptical headlight is produced using a mask which is in the form of a vertical plate the profile of which is suitably adapted and which is interposed axially between the elliptical reflector and the convergent lens, and which is arranged close to the second focus of the reflector.
The mask provides an occulting function for the light rays issued from the light source and reflected by the reflector to the lower part of the focal plane of the convergent lens. These rays would, in the absence of any mask, be emitted by the headlight above the cut-off line.
Such a solution does however have certain difficulties.
Thus, one disadvantage of this type of headlight is that a significant part of the light flux emitted by the light source is dissipated in the rear face of the mask.
Another solution consists in making a lighting module which employs a light source and a Fresnel lens or a reflector of the complex surface type. In order to create a cut-off line, it is necessary to align the edges of the images of the light source on the measuring screen which is used in carrying out adjustments to give a regulation light beam.
But again, this solution gives rise to some problems. In this connection, where the light source is a diode, it is very difficult to produce a full cut-off. This is because the image of the virtual source corresponding to the diode is generally round and is diffuse, and it is much more complicated to produce a clean cut-off line by aligning corresponding images of round forms.
This difficulty may be overcome by using a diaphragm with the diode, but a large quantity of the luminous energy produced by the diode is then lost.
In addition, the emission indicators of the known diodes having the best performance are complex, and it is very difficult to obtain a homogeneous beam from direct images of the diode.


Currently there is no simple and satisfying way to create 3D audio from existing 2D content. The conversion from 2D to 3D sound should spatially redistribute the sound from existing channels. From a multi-channel 2D audio input signal (x(k)(t)) a 3D sound representation is generated which includes an HOA representation Formula (I) and channel object signals Formula (II) scaled from channels of the 2D audio input signal. Additional signals Formula (III) placed in the 3D space are generated by scaling (21, 222; 41, 422; Formula (IV)) channels from the 2D audio input signal and by decorrelating (24, 25; 44, 45, 451; Formula (V)) a scaled version of a mix of channels from the 2D audio input signal, whereby spatial positions for the additional signals are predetermined. The additional signals Formula (III) are converted (27; 47) to a HOA representation Formula (I).

Recently a new format for 3D audio has been standardised as MPEG-H 3D Audio [1], but only a small number of 3D audio content in this format is available. To easily generate much of such content it is desired to convert existing 2D content, like 5.1, to 3D content which contains sound also from elevated positions. This way, it is possible to create 3D content without completely remixing the sound from the original sound objects.

Method and apparatus for generating from a multi-channel 2D audio input signal a 3D sound representation signal

Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation