A communication system is provided in which multiple terminal devices form a group and at least one base station device assigns a channel to each group, so that communication from a terminal device included in a group assigned a channel to the other terminal devices included in the group is performed. In the communication system, a transmitting unit transmits information about authentication to a base station device before communication is started. A receiving unit receives, from a base station device, information about authentication status of at least another terminal device within the group.

1. Field
The present invention relates to a notification technique, and particularly to a terminal device, a management device, a communication system, a memory medium, and a communication method used to notify a user of authentication status of multiple terminal devices within a group.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a mobile telephone set, terminal setting information or personal information to be set is changed according to the use environment. For example, in a mobile telephone set lent for business purposes, the setting is changed according to whether the use is for a business purpose or a personal purpose. Also, a mobile telephone set used less frequently in a house may be shared by multiple people (Patent Document 1, for example).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-350226
In a business-use wireless system, multiple terminal devices form a group, and a base station device assigns a channel to the group. In such a business-use wireless system, conversation within a group is mainly performed with the one-to-many conversation style. Generally, multiple terminal devices of a business-use wireless system are placed in an office, and a user heads to a site carrying one of the terminal devices. Accordingly, authentication operation is not required and the same setting is provided in the multiple terminal devices so as to enable any user to use any terminal device in the same way. In such a situation, however, in order to improve communication security, authentication of a user using a terminal device should be required. On the other hand, users' convenience may be reduced if authentication is required of all users in the abovementioned usage.

Terminal device, management device, communication system, memory medium, and communication method for notifying users of authentication status of multiple terminal devices within a group


A rotating fiber flasher system is provided that supports a light guide or plurality of light guides capable of accepting energy from a light source and transmitting that energy to a plurality of optical fibers supported by a manifold. The system produces a light flash by illuminating the optical fibers successively as the light guide rotates. The optical fibers transmit the optical flashes to a luminaire which refracts or reflects the optical flashes about a desired arc. The fiber flasher system allows an optical signal to be periodically generated in a plurality of directions around a 360xc2x0 path, and requires less power to operate than systems which attempt to provide optical illumination about an entire 360xc2x0 arc continuously, 2xcfx80 steradian hemisphere or 4xcfx80 sphere.

The present invention relates generally to the transmission of light and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for generating a periodic optical signal about a 360xc2x0 arc.
It is common to use flashes of light to create an image, attract the attention of an observer or as a warning device. However, most high intensity flasher systems use a pulse of light generated by a lamp driven by a capacitor discharge system. The electrical energy is stored in the capacitor and then released to the bulb through the use of timing electronics. The bulb radiates in all directions (i.e., in 4xcfx80 steradians) which requires a large amount of energy in order for the intensity to be such that an observer can see it from a significant distance such as several hundred meters or more. Additionally, the current capacitive discharge systems sacrifice bulb life due to the transient nature of the discharge cycling. Still, another disadvantage of the current discharge type flashers is that they are limited in flash rate due to the charge/discharge cycle of the capacitors.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a low cost, light weight and efficient solution for a remote source optical flasher system which is suitable for use on various forms of vehicles, or even stationary structures such as buildings, and which operates more efficiently as an optical warning signal than previously developed optical warning devices.
The foregoing drawbacks are overcome by a rotating fiber flasher system in accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention. The rotating fiber flasher system overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages as well as other disadvantages by producing an optical signal from an optical signal source which is input to at least one light guide which is supported by a support member. The light guide is positioned with its input end facing the optical source. The light from the optical signal source is directed by the light guide toward a plurality of optical fibers housed within a manifold. Successive flashes of light are transmitted through each of the plurality of optical fibers of the manifold by rotating the light guide relative the face of the optical fibers in the manifold. The light guide thereby enables the light from the input source to be directed to each of the optical fibers by means of a motor driven assembly which continuously rotates the support member supporting the light guide. By selectively controlling the speed of rotation of the motor driven assembly, the light from the input source can be scanned in a circular path across the optical fibers, thereby transmitting an optical signal into each fiber. The optical signals are then applied to a lens type illumination element. The illumination element causes the optical signal to be refracted or reflected therefrom at a predetermined angle, depending on which specific optical fiber provided the optical signal. As the support member is rotated, the optical signals passed through the optical fibers impinge the illumination element at different positions on the element, which produces flashes of light which are directed in a 360xc2x0 arc. To an observer, this appears as a periodic light flash at a given location.
The present invention thus operates with greater efficiency than previously developed optical flashing systems because the entire energy of the source signal is focused in only one direction at a given moment, rather than used to illuminate an entire hemispherical area (2xcfx80 steradians) continuously. Thus, a less powerful optical source can be used while the system is still able to provide an optical signal of sufficient strength to be visible at significant distances.


A decorative pager ornament cover for concealing a pager behind a decorative facia securable to an article of clothing. The inventive device includes a housing forming a portion of or receiving a pager. A securing assembly is secured to a rear surface of the housing for coupling to an article of clothing. A decorative facia is coupled to a front surface of the housing for concealing the pager and ornamentally accenting the wearer's article of clothing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pager mounting structures and more particularly pertains to a decorative pager ornament cover for concealing a pager behind a decorative facia securable to an article of clothing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of pager mounting structures is known in the prior art. More specifically, pager mounting structures heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art pager mounting structures include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,951,817; 4,901,852; U.S. Design Pat. Nos. 280,863; 329,945; and 329,750.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a decorative pager ornament cover for concealing a pager behind a decorative facia securable to an article of clothing which includes a housing forming a portion of or receiving a pager, a securing assembly secured to a rear surface of the housing for coupling to an article of clothing, and a decorative facia coupled to a front surface of the housing for concealing the pager and ornamentally accenting the wearer's article of clothing.
In these respects, the decorative pager ornament cover according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of concealing a pager behind a decorative facia securable to an article of clothing.


A system and methodology for building highly scalable Network Management Systems (NMS)s for the management of large voice and data networks is provided. The NMS of the present invention is designed to manage a plurality of network elements communicating through network controlled links. The elements are combined into management groups of no more than n elements. A first functional subsystem controls and manages the communication functions associated with a first group of elements. Each function or process inside the subsystem is guaranteed to communicate with only one instance of every other type of process or function. As additional network elements are added to the system, additional management groups are also added, one functional subsystem for every management group of elements. The plurality of other functional subsystems are substantially the same as the first functional subsystem. Limiting the management process to intra-subgroup communications greatly simplifies expansion of the system. When a total of m management groups exist, at least (m−1) functional subsystems are replicated from the first NMS subsystem. Thus, the network is scaled up by using size-limited subsystems.

This invention relates generally to communication network management and, more particularly, to a system and method of scaling the management functions in an expanding communications network by replicating functionally complete subsystems of a fixed maximum size. The simple replication process permits expansion of the network without changing the scope of subsystem responsibilities.
Modern communication networks can be composed of millions of functional elements, which can be hardware such as switches or multiplexers, geographically dispersed across thousands of miles of service territory. Managing such a network means providing for redundant call routing and responding to local emergencies. It is well known for a communications network to tightly monitor the individual phones, switch elements, relays, base station, and the like. Monitoring the communication network elements yields information concerning the health, maintenance, current activity, performance, and security of these elements. Such information is collected at the local levels in the network, processed, and analyzed at higher levels of management.
Additionally, the monitoring and diagnostic functions of communication network elements can be organized along specialized areas of focus, or network management tasks. For optimum performance, the information should efficiently summarize activity occurring at local levels in the network for use by administrators who manage the communications network from a regional or national perspective. It can be difficult to coordinate all the areas of narrowed focus into a comprehensive picture of network problems at the higher levels. The administrator has the difficult task of analyzing problems occurring to network elements (NE)s through whatever filtering or processing functions the network imposes between the administrator and the NEs.
The International Telecommunications UnionTelecommunications Standardization Sector (ITU-T) Telecommunications Management Network (TMN) suggests a five-layer management structure. The lowest level is the Network Element Layer (NEL), including switches and transmission distribution equipment. Above the NEL is the Element Management layer (EML) which manages the lower level elements, dealing with the issues such as capacity and congestion. The Network Management Level (NML) is concerned with managing the communication network systems associated with the NEL and EML. The Service Management Layer (SML) manages the services that are offered to the customers of the network, while the Business Management Layer (BML) on top manages the business and set goals with respect to the customer and government agencies.
Networks are typically composed of NEs from a large variety of different vendors. Therefore, there are a variety of Element Management Systems (EMS) to support communications with the NE types. The Network Management System (NMS) must interface with divergent EMS level equipment and protocols. It is the NMS systems that are responsible for controlling the communications network and keeping it functioning on a day-to-day basis. Network management can be briefly described as the task of command, control and monitoring of the network.
The ITU-T also divides management into five Operations Support Systems (OSS) areas of interest. They are: Fault Management; Configurations Management; Account Management; Performance Management; and Security Management, which are collectively referred to as FCAPS. As is well understood in the art, Fault Management is concerned with detecting network equipment problems, responding to detected problems, fixing the problems, and putting the network back into working order. Fault monitoring is usually done by receiving events from lower levels in the network indicating a fault and processing these events. This task can be very complex for large networks due to the relationships between the network elements, such as remote telephones, and the very high rate of events that must be handled. Software systems must be designed and built to handle these large data streams and provide effective fault management features.
Configuration Management is concerned with databases, backup systems, and provisioning and enablement of new network resources. That is, Configuration Management is the task of configuring the network to provide services between the various network elements. Configuring the network involves sending messages to the network elements, which set parameter values which permit signal paths to be established between elements, and controlling the behavior of these elements. The nature of modern networks makes this a complex task best handled by software.
Account Management bills the network customer for services rendered. Account Management is the task of collecting the record of services used by network elements. Usage information generates billing data that makes up the revenue stream for the service provider.
Performance Management is concerned with collecting and analyzing data that indicates how well the system is working. Performance Management involves collecting information from the network elements, which act as a measure of network performance. This "quality" measurement is critical for service providers as it defines how well they are providing service to their customers. This task is typically achieved by directly polling network elements, or otherwise receiving events from elements which convey such data.
Security Management controls and enables NE functions. Security Management is the task of managing security, including authentication and encryption, in the services provided to the end customer. Portions of each FCAPS function are performed at every layer of the TMN architecture.
The Fault Management System is one of the most critical systems in the network to control. Intelligent NEs, able to perform self-diagnosis, may provide a precise error message to the NMS. However, many NEs merely send an alarm when a problem occurs. These problems include switch failures, loss of power, line failure, and loss of RF coverage (for wireless systems). The NMS system collects the alarm data for analysis. For example, an analysis could be performed to determine a common failure mode among NEs in close physical proximity. The NMS could then issue a repair directive in response to the analysis. Intruder detection and interlock switch detection are examples of some security management issues that could be reported to the NMS by NEs.
Modern networks are both large and complex, and require the use of software for their management. A NMS describes the conglomeration of hardware and software functions required to manage and control large voice and data communication networks. NMS systems are also used for the control and provisioning of heterogeneous networks. The design of the NMS software typically follows the functional areas outlined above. Today's NMS are typically distributed systems using multiple software processes running on multiple workstations to handle the various areas of management.
FIG. 1 shows the block diagram of a typical NMS (prior art). As the figure indicates, the NMS components typically send messages to each other to accomplish the management task. They also receive events from the network over an event channel. This channel itself is a software entity like any of the other functional pieces.
The NMS is a very critical piece of the entire communications. It is the main tool for the service provider to ensure that the network is performing optimally, and that the customers are happy with the service they receive. The system must also permit rapid configuration of the network when new customers are added. All these tasks must be performed at the highest levels of performance and quality, even as the network grows in size. Service providers spend large amounts of money to come up with solutions that meet their needs. However, the task of designing and building highly scalable NMS is a very challenging one.
Designing and building a good, highly scalable, NMS is not an exact science. There are two main reasons for this. First, the traffic patterns of very large and complex network cannot be easily modeled. Second, the traffic patterns of large and complex network cannot be accurately simulated in a lab. Therefore, NMS designers must provide solutions for problems that are not well defined or easily modeled. Gross assumptions must be made on how the network will scale in size, and what effect this scale has on the network management tasks. A design strategy must be adopted based on these assumptions. When these systems are deployed in the field, many of the assumptions turn out to be erroneous, resulting in poor performance of the NMS.
As a result of a poorly performing NMS, the service provider is hurt in two ways. First, the customer experiences the dissatisfaction of interfacing with a poorly performing system. Potentially, customers can be lost if service is inadequate. Second, the service provider receives a poor return on their substantial investment in the NMS.
Apart from building the NMS on flawed assumptions, NMS designers can make design choices which exacerbate the problem. In some network designs, the cost of hardware can be cheaper than software, when the development and maintenance costs of the software are factored in. Regardless of the design philosophy, network expenditures are rarely viable if the underlying characterizations of the problems are inaccurate.
When analyzing the NMS design to meet the issue of scalability, the key issue is how well the network will perform as the number of system elements increase. Designers must make decisions on which component pieces of the system will be the least scalable. These potentially unscalable pieces are typically replicated, and multiple copies of that process are prepared.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example of system function that is replicated to address the issue of scalability (prior art). For example, if the Fault Management (FM) process is considered to be the least scalable piece of the system, a decision may be made which divides the network to manage across some logical boundary and run multiple instances of the FM, with each FM being assigned to a different division of the network. However, all the other processes needed to interact with a FM must now be designed to be aware of the fact that there are multiple copies of the FM. A complicated policy of routing requests to different FM modules in the network is required. Further, framework must be put in place to inform these processes when additional instances of FM are started to handle network load. This makes the overall design of the system more complex. This complexity also makes the testing of the design more difficult and error prone.
In the above example, an assumption was made to make the FM the unit of replication, in response to the increased system size. If the assumption is wrong, then the original problem of scalability remains unaddressed, causing a very poor return on investment for NMS system expenditures.
In the example presented above, the FM may potentially be multi-threaded to increase its performance. As is well known, multi-threading permits an operating system to simultaneously execute different parts (threads) of a program. Software multi-threading is another common technique employed to increase load handling capacity. However, it is difficult to runs threads simultaneously without interference, and multi-threading is not always practical if incorrect assumptions are made in the analysis phase.
Multi-threading is a powerful technique but comes at a large cost. Designing and developing multi-threaded software is acknowledged by the industry and academia to be a very complex task. The resulting software is very hard to test completely. Further, the number of software developers that have the skill set to write multi-threaded software is very limited. Such designers are typically senior, at the high end of the pay scale. In many cases, multi-threading is not a safe option, as when the software has been developed by a third party.
It would be advantageous if a method could be developed of scaling a communications network to a larger size without having to redesign or otherwise modify the network management functions.
It would be advantageous if an NMS could be grown to a larger size using the same functional subsystems that were developed for the original NMS.
It would be advantageous if network management functions could be updated or tested in small manageable sections, so that the entire NMS did not have to be shut down or modified.

Design for scalable network management systems


A digital communication technique, implementable in a digital communication system, includes performing a training phase in which the transmitter sends one or more transmissions of pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) signals wherein the PAM signals are modulated using one or more data-to-PAM-symbol mapping schemes, performing a feedback phase in which the transmitter receives a feedback message from a receiver, the feedback message indicative of a change to be made to data-to-PAM-symbol modulation schemes, and implementing a data transmission phase in which data is transmitted using a current PAM symbol mapping scheme based on the feedback message, wherein at least some symbols of the current PAM symbol modulation scheme are unequally spaced with respect to each other.

There is an ever-growing demand for data communication in application areas such as wireless communication, fiber optic communication and so on. The demand on core and access networks are all growing higher because not only are user devices such as smartphones and computers using more and more bandwidth due to multimedia applications, but also the total number of devices for which data is carried over the whole network is increasing. For profitability and to meet increasing demand, equipment manufacturers and network operators are continually looking for ways in which operational and capital expenditure can be reduced.

Unequally spaced pulse amplitude modulation scheme


Disclosed is a module (10) having pins (16-24) connected to respective conductor tower strips (46, 48, 50, 52). Pairs (46, 50 and 48, 52) of the conductor tower strips are spring biased toward each other to capture therebetween respective PTC current limiting elements (64, 70). A spring member 60 is connected to a ground pin (24) at one end, and to an overvoltage sensitive assembly at the other end, via a soldered heat transfer member (92). The overvoltage sensitive assembly includes overvoltage semiconductor devices (76, 77, 79) soldered thereto. When an overvoltage condition is sensed, the heat generated by the devices melts the solder between the heat transfer member (92) and the spring member (60), whereby lateral arms (90) of the spring member (60) move and engage the conductor tower strips (50, 52). The tip and ring pins (16, 18) of the module (10) are not only shorted together, but are shorted to ground.

Telephone line protection devices have been required for many years by telephone operating companies, and the like, in order to provide protection to central office switching equipment from electrical strikes and power line voltages coupled to the telephone lines. At least one telephone line protector is required for each telephone subscriber line. In view that many central office switching systems service thousands, and often hundreds of thousands of subscribers, many such protection modules are required. Each module is constructed of a standardized size and with five pins of a uniform configuration. Two pins are associated with the tip and ring telephone lines, two other pins are associated with the customer or equipment tip and ring lines, and a fifth pin is connected to ground.
The basic function of a telephone line surge protection circuit is to sense an excessive voltage, such as 300 volts, on either the telephone line tip or ring conductor, and very quickly connect such conductor to ground to prevent the customer equipment from experiencing sustained voltages higher than such threshold. Specialized solid state devices are generally utilized for providing a high speed short circuit to ground. A host of other subsidiary features can be carried out by the protection device, including fail-safe grounding in response to a thermal overload, open circuiting in response to overcurrent conditions between the telephone line and customer lines, etc.
Because of the high demand for protection devices, a myriad of such devices are currently available. Illustrative of the many different protection device designs and modules are those set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,150 by Dickey et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,067 by Kidd et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,296 by Kaczmarek; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,568 by Pelegris. In all of these protection module designs, there are many complicated parts which are necessary to carry out the line protection functions.
In many of the conventional telephone line protection modules, encapsulated semiconductor devices are utilized as overvoltage sensors and switches. The reason for this is that such devices are generally available from the manufacturer only in packaged or encapsulated form. Again, the additional processing of the devices to package the same results in a more expensive component, often when packaged devices are not necessary. For example, when a semiconductor device is packaged so as to have pins, then often a corresponding socket is required. It can be appreciated that the use of packaged components often leads to a more expensive product.
In many of the telephone line protection devices, including those identified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,101,317, 5,341,270, and 5,359,657, primary overvoltage protection is provided by fast-acting solid state devices, many of which are obtainable from Teccor Electronics, LP of Irving, Tex. These solid state devices are often referred to as "SIDACtor® devices", and are described more fully in U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,031 which is assigned to Teccor Electronics, LP. Secondary or fail-safe protection is often provided by other mechanical apparatus that is part of the telephone line protection module. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,175,662, 5,357,568 and 3,359,657 disclose telephone line protection modules employing failsafe mechanisms. The fail-safe apparatus is responsive to the thermal energy generated as a result of a sustained overvoltage condition imposed on the telephone line conductor(s). This apparatus generally involves a material having a low-temperature melting point, such as a tin-lead solder which, when subjected to a temperature that causes melting thereof, enables a spring to move and short circuit the tip and ring line conductors to the ground terminal of the module. The melting point of the solder compounds generally used may be as low as 150° F. Low-temperature melting solders are desirable because they trigger the fail-safe mechanism before extremely large sustained currents destroy other parts or components connected to the telephone line. However, low-temperature solders can in some instances melt due to elevated temperatures in indoor or outdoor cabinets and enclosures, in absence of any overvoltage on the telephone line conductors. This inadvertent activation is obviously undesirable.
The basic primary overvoltage protection and the fail-safe mechanism can be fabricated in a host of different variations, many of which are extremely complicated and thus expensive. Aside from the cost considerations of a mechanically complex device, the reliability is a function of numerous mechanical and electrical components. It can be appreciated that as the number of components increase and the component complexity increases, the assembly time and cost also increase.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that it would be advantageous to provide a new type of protection module that has few components, is easily assembled and is much less costly than the prior art modules. It would be advantageous to have an improved telephone line protection module that employs a semiconductor device assembly that is easily replaceable. Another need exists for a protection module design utilizing conductor tower strips of different shapes to achieve various functions, such as test points, eliminating series line current protection, and the connection therebetween of various circuit components. Another need exists for a protection module that incorporates a simplified failsafe mechanism.

Primary telephone line protector with failsafe


A driving force control system for a front-and-rear wheel drive vehicle, which is capable of charging a battery based on a traveling condition of the vehicle. The front-and-rear wheel drive vehicle is driven while switching between a drive mode for driving front wheels by an engine and driving rear wheels by a motor, and a recharge mode for recovering running energy of the vehicle and charging the battery with the recovered running energy. Parameters (accelerator pedal opening "THgr"AP and a vehicle speed Vcar, or drive wheel speeds of the respective front and rear wheels) indicative of a driving condition of the vehicle are detected. A traveling condition of the vehicle is determined based on the parameters. It is determined, based on the traveling condition of the vehicle and the state of charge of the driving energy in the drive source, whether charging of the battery is to be executed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a driving force control system for a front-and-rear wheel drive vehicle of a type which drives front wheels and rear wheels independently by first and second prime movers, respectively.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, a driving force control system of the above-mentioned kind was proposed e.g. by Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2000-79833. The front-and-rear wheel drive vehicle has front wheels thereof driven by an engine and rear wheels thereof driven by a motor. A battery as a drive source for the motor can be charged by recovering running energy of the vehicle. Further, in the driving force control system, on condition that the remaining charge of the battery is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, and when a driver""s operation for accelerating the vehicle has been carried out e.g. by stepping on an accelerator pedal, the gear ratio of a continuously variable transmission is changed toward a higher gear ratio side by a predetermined amount. As a result, a surplus torque is generated, and the battery is charged by a regenerative braking torque corresponding to the surplus torque. This battery charge is continued until the remaining charge of the battery reaches the predetermined value. According to the proposed driving force control system, the charging of the battery is carried out not only during deceleration of the vehicle, but also at other times as described above, whereby the remaining charge of the battery is prevented from becoming insufficient.
However, in the above conventional driving force control system, when the remaining charge of the battery is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, recharge traveling of the vehicle is carried out unconditionally in response to operation of the accelerator pedal so as to preserve a required amount of remaining charge. This means that despite the fact that a high driving force is desired by the driver who is demanding acceleration of the vehicle, part of the output of the engine is consumed as a regenerative braking torque for charging the battery, which increases load on the engine, thereby causing degradation of fuel economy. Further, the change gear ratio of the continuously variable transmission is changed toward the higher gear ratio side due to the recharge traveling, which can cause a downshift unexpected by the driver. This downshift degrades drivability while giving an uncomfortable feeling to the driver. In addition, since the charging of the battery is simply carried out until the remaining charge reaches the predetermined value, in some operating condition of the vehicle, sudden generation and loss of the regenerative braking torque can occur at the start and end of the recharge traveling, causing torque changes. This also leads to degradation of drivability.
In the above situation, the rear wheels receive the regenerative braking torque acting in a decelerating direction, whereas the front wheels receive a drive torque from the engine, which acts in an accelerating direction. As a result, the front wheels and the rear wheels are driven in respective opposite directions, and at the same time, the torque acting on the front wheels is increased by the amount of the regenerative braking torque acting on the rear wheels. Therefore, e.g. during running of the vehicle on a low friction road, the difference in rotational speed between the front wheels and the rear wheels is increased, whereby slippage of the rear wheels can be also increased, throwing lateral forces acting on the respective front-and-rear wheels out of balance, which makes the behavior of the vehicle unstable.
It is a first object of the invention to provide a driving force control system for a front-and-rear wheel drive vehicle, which is capable of charging a battery properly and easily depending on a traveling condition of the vehicle and in response to the intention of the driver, thereby improving fuel economy and drivability of the vehicle.
It is a second object of the invention to provide a driving force control system for a front-and-rear wheel drive vehicle, which is capable of limiting the difference in rotational speed between front wheels and rear wheels, which is produced during a recharge mode for charging a drive source of a second prime mover with driving energy, within a proper range dependent on a state of a road surface and a traveling condition of the vehicle, thereby ensuring traveling stability of the vehicle.
To attain the above first and second objects, the present invention provides a driving force control system for a front-and-rear wheel drive vehicle that is driven while switching between a drive mode for driving first drive wheels as one pair of respective pairs of front drive wheels and rear drive wheels by a first prime mover and driving second drive wheels as another pair of the respective pairs by a second prime mover, and a recharge mode for recovering running energy of the vehicle to thereby charge a drive source of the second prime mover with the running energy recovered as driving energy.
The driving force control system according to the invention is characterized by comprising:
parameter detecting means for detecting a parameter indicative of a driving condition of the vehicle;
traveling condition-determining means for determining a traveling condition of the vehicle based on the parameter;
driving energy charge execution-determining means for determining, based on the traveling condition of the vehicle and a state of charge of the driving energy in the drive source, whether or not charging of the drive source with the driving energy is to be executed; and
energy charge-executing means for executing the charging of the drive source with the driving energy.
According to the driving force control system of the invention, it is determined, based on the traveling condition of the vehicle and the state of charge of the driving energy in the drive source, whether or not charging of the drive source with the driving energy is to be executed. This makes it possible to improve performance of the vehicle, that is, enhance fuel economy and drivability of the vehicle can be enhanced, and ensure traveling stability of the same.
Preferably, to attain the first object, the parameter detecting means includes accelerator pedal opening-detecting means for detecting an accelerator pedal opening, and vehicle speed-detecting means for detecting a vehicle speed, the traveling condition-determining determining means including desired driving force-calculating means for calculating a desired driving force based on the detected accelerator pedal opening and the detected vehicle speed, reference driving force-storing means for storing a reference driving force which is set, based on a driving force of the vehicle required for cruising, to a larger value than the driving force, and driving force comparison means for performing a comparison between the desired driving force and the reference driving force, and the driving energy charge execution-determining means including driving energy charge-permitting means for permitting the charging of the drive source with the driving energy when the driving force comparison means determines that the desired driving force is smaller than the reference driving force.
According to this driving force control system, the reference driving force is set, based on the driving force of the vehicle required for the cruising, to a predetermined value which is larger than the driving force, and when it is determined that the desired driving force is smaller than the reference driving force, the charging of the drive source of the second prime mover with the driving energy by recovery of the running energy of the vehicle is permitted, whereby execution of the recharge mode is started. Thus, in a cruising condition of the vehicle, the drive source of the second prime mover is charged with the driving energy when the desired driving force becomes smaller than the reference driving force. In this case, the vehicle is cruising or running at a constant speed, so that the desired driving force for the whole vehicle is small, and hence an increase in load on the first prime mover due to recovery of the running energy is small. On the other hand, in an accelerating state of the vehicle e.g. with its accelerator pedal being stepped on, the desired driving force increases and exceeds the reference driving force, so that the charging of the drive source with the driving energy is inhibited. Thus, it is possible to charge the drive source of the second prime mover with the driving energy only when there is no driver""s demand for acceleration, without applying extra load on the drive source of the first prime mover, so that fuel economy and drivability of the vehicle can be further improved than the prior art.
Further, the reference driving force serves not only as a criterion for determining whether or not the vehicle is in a cruising condition suitable for the charging of the driving energy, but also as a criterion for executing the charging of the driving energy, so that simply by presetting the reference driving force and storing the same in the system, it is possible to perform determination as to the cruising condition of the vehicle and carry out charging of driving energy, easily and properly.
More preferably, the reference driving force is a driving force of the vehicle required for cruising on a road having a predetermined upward slope.
According to this preferred embodiment, when the vehicle is cruising on a road having a smaller slope than the predetermined upward slope, the desired driving force is always smaller than the reference driving force, and this makes it possible to ensure a traveling region for executing the charging of driving energy, whereby the charging of the drive source with the driving energy can be carried out reliably. Further, the reference driving force can be set easily by calculation.
More preferably, the driving force control system further comprises stored driving energy amount-detecting means for detecting a stored amount of the driving energy in the drive source, and reference driving force-correcting means for correcting the reference driving force according to the detected stored amount of the driving energy.
According to this preferred embodiment, since the reference driving force is corrected according to an actually stored amount of driving energy, it is possible to charge the drive source with the driving energy efficiently and properly in accordance with a degree of requirement.
More preferably, the driving force control system further comprises driving energy charging-rate setting means for setting a charging rate at which the drive source is charged with the driving energy, according to a difference between the desired driving force and the reference driving force.
According to this preferred embodiment, it is possible to properly set the charging rate at which the drive source is charged with the driving energy according to the difference between the desired driving force and the reference driving force as well as to start and terminate recharge traveling in a state of a regenerative braking torque (amount of drag torque) being very small. As a result, sudden generation and loss of regenerative braking torque at the start and end of recharge traveling is prevented, which makes it possible to execute the recharge traveling without giving any uncomfortable feeling to the driver.
Preferably, to attain the above second object, the parameter detecting means includes first drive wheel speed-detecting means for detecting a speed of the first drive wheels, and second drive wheel speed-detecting means for detecting a speed of the second drive wheels, the traveling condition-determining means including drive wheel speed comparison means for performing a comparison between the detected speed of the first drive wheels and the detected speed of the second drive wheels, the driving force control system further comprising driving energy charging rate-limiting means for limiting a charging rate at which the drive source is charged with the driving energy, when the drive wheel speed comparison means determines, during the recharge mode, that the speed of the second drive wheels has become lower than the speed of the first drive wheels by more than a predetermined value.
According to this driving force control system, the speed of the first drive wheels driven by the first prime mover and the speed of the second drive wheels driven by the second prime mover are detected, and the detected speeds of the respective first and second drive wheels are compared with each other by the drive wheel speed comparison means. Then, during the recharge mode for recovering running energy of the vehicle to charge the drive source of the second prime mover with the recovered running energy, when the speed of the second drive wheels is determined to have become lower than the speed of the first drive wheels by more than a predetermined value, the charging rate of driving energy is limited by the driving energy charging rate-limiting means.
When the speed of the second drive wheels becomes lower than the speed of the first drive wheels by some margin due to regenerative braking by the second drive wheels during the recharge mode, the charging rate at which the drive source of the second prime mover is charged with the driving energy, i.e. the regenerative braking torque of the second drive wheels, is limited, so that the difference in speed between the first drive wheels and the second drive wheels, i.e. the slippage of the second drive wheels, can be caused to remain within a proper range. As a result, even when the vehicle is traveling on a low-friction road or the like, it is possible to positively reduce slippage of the second drive wheels during the recharge mode, thereby ensuring traveling stability of the vehicle.
More preferably, the driving energy charging rate-limiting means limits the charging rate of the driving energy in dependence on a degree of decrease in the speed of the second drive wheels relative to the speed of the first drive wheels.
According to this preferred embodiment, since the charging rate of the driving energy is limited according to the degree of decrease in the speed of the second drive wheels relative to the speed of the first drive wheels, it is possible to more properly control the regenerative braking torque of the second drive wheels depending on the magnitude of an actual frictional resistance of the road surface on which the vehicle is running, to thereby ensure more excellent traveling stability of the vehicle.
More preferably, the recharge mode includes a decelerating traveling-time recharge mode to be executed during decelerating traveling of the vehicle, and a non-decelerating traveling-time recharge mode to be executed during non-decelerating traveling of the vehicle, the predetermined value for use in the non-decelerating traveling-time recharge mode being set to a smaller value than the predetermined value for use in the decelerating traveling-time recharge mode.
In the non-decelerating traveling-time recharge mode, the second drive wheels receive regenerative braking torque acting in a decelerating direction, whereas the first drive wheels receive drive torque acting in an accelerating direction. As a result, the first and second drive wheels are driven in respective opposite directions, which is apt to give an uncomfortable feeling to the driver. On the other hand, in the decelerating traveling-time recharge mode, since the first and second drive wheels are driven in the same direction, the driver never feels such uncomfortableness. Therefore, according to this preferred embodiment, since the predetermined value for use in determining whether or not limitation should be imposed on the charging rate of driving energy is set as above, the limitation on the charging rate is more promptly started in the non-decelerating traveling-time recharge mode than in the decelerating traveling-time recharge mode. This makes it is possible to maintain the drivability of the vehicle properly in accordance with a traveling condition of the vehicle.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Driving force control system for front-and-rear wheel drive vehicles


A molded case circuit breaker controlled by an electronic trip unit is cost-competitive with electromagnetic circuit interruption devices. A novel contact arm assembly and shield arrangement in combination with a contact arm spacer and operating cradle interface reduces the assembly time and the number of operating components to effect significant cost savings.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,092 entitled "Tripping Arrangement for Molded Case Circuit Interrupter" describes an operating mechanism that is controlled by an electronic trip unit. The trip actuator unit interfacing between the electronic trip unit and the operating mechanism is described within U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,088 entitled "Molded Case Circuit Breaker Combined Accessory Actuator Reset Lever".
The use of an electronic trip unit within such circuit breakers in place of standard thermal-magnetic trip units allows for some savings by using rating plugs to provide a single circuit breaker housing over a wide range of electrical distribution circuit ampere ratings. U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,914 and the references contained therein describe the function of the rating plug in circuit with the electronic trip unit to set the ampere rating. The use of electronic trip units has also been found to contribute to the overall cost of the circuit breaker since current transformers are required to sample the circuit current and input the current to the electronic trip unit for evaluation. It would be economically advantageous to provide a circuit breaker having the facility of electronic trip units and being economically comparable with earlier circuit breakers employing less expensive thermal-magnetic trip units.
One purpose of the invention is to provide a circuit breaker operating mechanism and contact arm assembly requiring less components than similar state-of-the-art designs resulting in a substantial savings in the cost of the components and the cost of their assembly.

Cost-efficient industrial-rated molded case breaker


A mower cutting unit is provided with a rear-mounted grass catcher. The cutting unit includes front and rear rollers and mounted between the rear roller and the grass catcher is a rotary brush. The brush is mounted for adjustment into and away from engagement with the rear roller and for adjustment into and away from engagement with the turf. The brush may be driven either in the same direction as or counter to the direction of rotation of the rear roller during forward mowing operation. When driven counter to the direction as the rear roller, the brush may either be positioned for only cleaning clippings from the rear roller and depositing them into the grass catcher or be positioned for additionally sweeping the turf. When the brush is driven in the same direction of rotation as the rear roller, it operates, depending on its positional relationship to the rear roller and turf, to either only clean the rear roller, to clean the rear roller while sweeping the turf to disperse clippings or to just sweep the turf to disperse clippings.

The present invention relates to a reel mower such as that used for mowing golf greens or fairways or for mowing sports arenas, for example, and more specifically relates to the usage of a rotary brush with such a mower.
Grass clumping is a problem attendant with reel mower cutting units for cutting any grassy areas where a even length of cut is desired, golf greens or fairways being typical of such areas. Clumping is especially a problem when such cutting units are equipped with rear-mounted grass catchers since sticky grass clippings tend to cling to the catcher structure and then fall onto the rear roller or between the rear roller and the bedknife support where the clippings collect and eventually fall off in clumps which detract from the appearance of the turf.
Another problem which occurs in the growing and care of golf course turf, especially that used on greens, is that the grass sends out runners which tend to become matted and the traversing of the grass by mowers tends to cause the grass to become oriented in the same direction such that a graining condition is caused which is undesirable for putting.
It is known to mount a bristle brush to sweep the turf forwardly of a reel mower cutting unit for the purposes of lifting runners, controlling graining and picking up matted growths. It is also known to mount a rotary brush adjacent the rear roller of a reel mower cutting unit for the sole purpose of keeping the rear roller free of grass build-up to ensure a consistent height of cut and to prevent unsightly clumps of grass from being deposited on the turf surface. Examples of such rotary brushes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,816,985 granted on Jun. 18, 1974 to Sorenson et al and U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,996 granted on May 10, 1977 to Bartlett et al.

Rear discharge reel mower having multi-purpose rotary brush


Memory cells and methods of forming memory cells are disclosed. The memory cell includes a substrate and a select transistor. The select transistor includes a gate disposed over the substrate between first and second source/drain (S/D) terminals. The first and second S/D terminals are configured such that a resistance at the second S/D terminal is higher than a resistance at the first S/D terminal. A dielectric layer disposed over the substrate includes a plurality of inter level dielectric (ILD) layers. A lower portion of the dielectric layer includes a first contact level and a first metal level. A first contact plug disposed within the first contact level connects the first S/D terminal to a first metal line in the first metal level. A magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element is disposed directly on and in contact with a top of the first metal line.

Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory (MRAM) is a non-volatile memory technology that has read and write response times comparable to volatile memory. MRAM typically uses a magnetic memory cell or device to store information by changing electrical resistance of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element. The resistance state changes corresponding to that of the magnetic orientation of a free layer relating to a fixed magnetic layer of the MTJ element, which may be in either a parallel (P) state or an anti-parallel (AP) state.
The write operation in MRAM cell requires a bidirectional current to achieve switching between the P and AP resistive states. The current required to switch the magnetization direction of the MTJ element between the resistive states (e.g., P to AP, or AP to P) may be different. Generally, the access transistor coupled to the MTJ element becomes source-degenerated during one of the state transitions. This may lead to a significant reduction in drive strength and adversely affect the operation of the MTJ element. During the other state transition, when the access transistor is not source-degenerated, excessive current may flow through the MRAM cell, resulting in unnecessary power consumption. This may degrade MTJ reliability due to a higher voltage drop across MTJ. Consequently, conventional MRAM cells require high write power and have poor write-ability.
From the foregoing discussion, it is desirable to provide low power magnetic memory cells with improved reliability and writing performance in memory applications.

Selector device for a non-volatile memory cell


Rotary actuators and other mechanical devices incorporating shape memory alloys are provided herein. Shape memory alloys are a group of metals which when deformed at temperatures below their martensite temperatures, resume the shapes which they had prior to the deformation if they are heated to temperatures above their austensite temperatures. Actuators in which shape memory alloys are employed include bias spring types, in which springs deform the shape memory alloy (SMA), and differential actuators, which use two SMA members mechanically connected in series. Another type uses concentric cylindrical members. One member is in the form of a sleeve surrounding a cylinder, both being constructed of shape memory alloys. Herein two capstans are mounted on a shaft which is supported in a framework. Each capstan is capable of rotating the shaft. Shape memory wire, as two separate lengths of wire, is wrapped around each capstan to form a winding around that capstan. The winding on one capstan is so wrapped that the wire is in a prestretched state. The winding on the other capstan is so wrapped that the wire is in a taut, but not a prestretched state. Heating one performs work in one direction, thus deforming the other one. When the other SMA is heated the action is reversed.

This invention pertains to shape memory alloys. In a more specific aspect the invention relates to rotary actuators incorporating shape memory alloys.
As pointed out in U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,228 shape memory alloys are a group of metals which have mechanical properties having to do with shape memory. These alloys, when deformed at temperatures below their martensite temperatures, resume the shapes which they had prior to the deformation if they are heated to temperatures above their austensite temperatures. Such alloys include Cu-Zn-Al alloys, Cu-Al-Ni alloys, Ni-Ti alloys and the like.
One application of shape memory alloys has been their use in actuators. Actuators include members which, when deformed in some manner, return to their original states. One type of actuator is a bias spring type. When heated, a deformed shape metal alloy (SMA) returns to its original state, overcoming the spring bias. When the SMA member is allowed to cool the spring again deforms the SMA member.
Another type of actuator, termed a differential actuator, uses two SMA members mechanically connected in series. Heating one performs work in one direction, thus deforming the other one. When the other SMA is heated the action is reversed. Such bidirectional devices can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,455, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,430. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,228 concentric members are described. One member is in the form of a sleeve surrounding a cylinder, both being constructed of shape memory alloys.
It has been pointed out that bias spring type actuators do not have two positions which are stable. The differential types have several gears such as those in U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,228, or other moving parts rendering them bulky, complex and costly. Hence in the field of rotary actuators there is room for improvement. Such an improved rotary actuator is provided by this invention.

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


A light weight compact device used in a rail road track maintenance organization carried by a track inspector to measure the vertical difference in track or rail of the track under normal operating conditions of trains which does not obstruct the travel of trains over the tracks by using this device which is placed under the rail, locked in place to keep any part of the device from being struck by the wheel of the train or train equipment while still capable of measuring the vertical movement of the rail or track.

A tool used to measure the distance that the base of the rail travels in a downward motion when a train travels over substandard track conditions.
Not Applicable
Not applicable
Not Applicable
This tool specifically applies to railroad safety and maintenance of track conditions such as fouled ballast or mud spots as they are referred to by track inspectors. This tool will enable an inspector to immediately determine the appropriate speed restriction to be placed on a section of track for the safe passage of freight and passenger trains according to measurements taken and requirements set by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
Currently, inspectors measure any marks on the sides of the ties to determine how much travel the tie pushes down under the load of the train as it passes over a mud spot. This is done with a folding six foot ruler. Most of the time there is a lot of water and ballast around the ties which restricts the inspector from making an accurate measurement of the condition. When the condition is so severe that the ballast has turned to mud, then no measurement can be taken which could cause a serious track condition if no speed restriction is placed on the track.
This tool is attached to the base of the rail at the mud spot or foul ballast section. Then the measuring ruler is lowered to the ballast below and as the train runs over the track and pushes down on the rail, the arm is pushed up and takes the measurement of the pump under load. This measurement allows the inspector to make an accurate measurement of the defect and place the appropriate speed restriction on the track if needed for the safety of the passenger and cargo on the trains. Then maintenance can be scheduled on the track for the necessary repairs required.


A hand-held lamp instrument has a substantially elongated handle that houses one or more batteries and that connects to a line filament lamp. A front knob is threaded to the handle so that it is rotatable about the elongated axis of the handle. The front knob has an internal hollow section that houses one or more imaging elements to generate a slit image of the line filament out through an aperture in the front knob and away from the instrument. The rotation of the front knob axially displaces the imaging elements relative to the lamp to control the magnification and distance of the slit image. A rear knob also threads to the handle and rotates about the axis to provide an electrical switch. The rotation of the rear knob displaces the rear knob relative to the handle and between a first "ON" position and a second "OFF" position. A retaining ring, e.g., a Smalley ring, is mounted into a groove in the handle and between the handle and a groove in the rear knob, to provide a mechanical and tamper-proof stop between the first and second positions. A window in the front knob provides a visual indication of whether the light filament is on.

Slit lamps are commonly used by opthamologists to examine the human eye. Such lamps typically operate to project a relatively narrow beam of light into a patient's pupil so that the physician can spatially inspect the illuminated regions of the vitreous humour, cornea, anterior chamber, iris, lens and retina. Accordingly, the slit lamps of the prior art are generally constructed into a combination apparatus that includes (i) a series of optical elements to form a slit image of an optical source onto the patient's eye, (ii) a microscope to examine the regions illuminated by the slit image, and (iii) a supporting structure to interface with and immobilize the patient's head.
The complexity and weight of these slit lamps make them generally inappropriate for the bedside examination of adults, and for the examination of infants and other children who tend to resist a structured and still position. In addition, such lamps are quite expensive and can be unaffordable to small clinics.
Hand-held slit lamps are also provided in the prior art. One such slit lamp is described in a 1965 article by Emanuel Krimsky, M. D., entitled "A New Hand Slit Lamp to fit a Penlight Battery Handle." The prior art slit lamp described in this article utilizes a pair of plano-convex lenses to image a straight-filament lamp onto a patient's eye. A standard pen-light battery handle is coupled to the filament and lenses to form an integral and self-powered portable slit lamp unit.
The hand-held slit lamps of the prior art, such as the portable unit described by Dr. Krimsky, have several problems. For example, they are inflexible and thus offer little if any control over the instrument's performance; and they suffer from mechanical short-comings which limit their durability and safety in a clinical environment.
Further, the commercially-available portable slit-lamps are relatively complex, which raises manufacturing and consumer costs. As such, certain rural clinics, and particularly the clinics of under-developed nations, are unable to afford the devices and to benefit by their use.
It is, accordingly, an object of the invention to provide an improved hand-held slit lamp which reduces or eliminates the afore-mentioned problems.
Another object of the invention is to provide a hand-held slit-lamp which is durable and easily controlled by a user of the lamp.
Still another object of the invention is to provide methods for illuminating and controlling a slit image into a patient's eye.
These and other objects will become apparent in the description which follows.

Hand-held slit lamp apparatus and associated methods


A paste composition including: a carbon nanotube; a microemulsion adsorbed on a surface of the carbon nanotube, wherein the microemulsion includes a metal precursor and a surfactant; and an organic vehicle.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a paste composition, a heating element, a planar heating element, a heating apparatus, and a method of manufacturing the paste composition.
2. Description of the Related Art
Materials for a heating element may include a metallic heating composite and a non-metallic heating composite. Currently used heating elements include a bar-like heater including a Fe—Cr—Al-based, a Ni—Cr-based, or a metal having a high melting point (Pt, Mo, W, or Ta), or a metal tube filled with an inorganic insulating material such as MgO, wherein a surface of the metal tube may be treated with a far-infrared emission material. Examples of a material of the non-metallic heating composite may include silicon carbonate, molybdenum silicide, lanthanum chromite, carbon, and zirconia. Alternatively, a ceramic, such as barium carbonate, or a direct electrified heating element using a thick-film resistor can be used.
Examples of a planar heating element may include a metallic heating element prepared by etching a metal thin film of iron, chrome, nickel, or platinum to provide a direct electrified heating element using a thick-film resistor; or a non-metallic heating element such as a heating element of silicon carbide, zirconia, or carbon. Also, the planar heating element may allow use of resistance heating by being coated with a polymeric insulating material.
There remains a need for improved heating element materials, and methods of preparation thereof.

Paste composition, heating element, heating apparatus, and method of manufacturing the paste composition


A gasification auxiliary device for high pressure oil ejection is disclosed, especially, a multiple penetrating gasification auxiliary device. The device can be used to atomize oil molecules. The gasification auxiliary device includes an upper case, a lower case, and two banks of gasification blades. The two banks of gasification blades are alternatively arranged with one another. The gasification blades can be provided within the device, so that the lower half edges and upper half edges of alternative gasification blades do not have gasification holes and are tightly connected to the case. Alternatively, the gasification blades can be arranged within the device, so that a gap exists alternatively between the upper and lower edge of the gasification blades and the wall of the case. When oil under high pressure is ejected into the device, the oil molecules will pass through the holes or gaps and gasify.

In a prior art oil ejecting system, the oil from an oil tank passes through an oil filter for filtering, and a high pressure pump serves to atomize the oil so that the oil molecules will pass through a carburetor to mix with air for ignition. However, since in the prior art oil ejecting system, only a high pressure pump serves to atomize the oil, the oil molecules are not gasified completely and do not completely mix with air.

Gasification auxiliary device for high pressure oil ejection


A gear unit comprises shafts (101, 102) for connecting to an external mechanical system, at least one gear stage (103) between the shafts, a lubricant oil room (104) for storing lubricant oil, an oil channel (105) for transporting the lubricant oil from the lubricant oil room to the at least one gear stage, and an immersion heater (106) for heating the lubricant oil flowing in the lubricant oil room towards an inlet of the oil channel. The gear unit further comprises a mechanical flow guide (108) located in the lubricant oil room and configured to modify flow of the lubricant oil flowing towards the inlet of the oil channel so as to increase flow velocity of the lubricant oil on the surface of the immersion heater. The increased flow velocity on the surface of the immersion heater makes it possible to use higher heating power without damaging the lubricant oil.

A lubrication system of a gear unit comprises typically a lubrication pump that is arranged to circulate lubricant oil through a gear stage or gear stages of the gear unit and through the bearings of the gear unit. As the viscosity of the lubricant oil is strongly dependent on its temperature, the lubrication pump can be overloaded or even damaged if the lubricant oil is cold and thereby its viscosity is too high for being pumped by the lubrication pump. Especially in cold weather conditions, the lubricant oil has to be heated during a starting phase of a gear unit so as to make the lubricant oil capable of being pumped and capable of properly lubricating the gear stage or gear stages of the gear unit and the bearings of the gear unit.
A known technical solution is to connect an external heater and a pump to an oil sump or an oil tank of a gear unit, where the pump is configured to circulate the lubricant oil through the external heater. An inconvenience related to this technical solution is that a quite long time is typically needed to heat up a sufficient amount of the lubricant oil in the oil sump or in the oil tank, and furthermore a large amount of energy is required.
Publication US20090191060 describes a gear unit comprising a lubrication pump for circulating lubrication oil, a suction pipe for transporting the lubrication oil from an oil sump or an oil tank to the lubrication pump, and a heating element in thermal connection with at least a portion of the suction pipe. The heating element is used to heat up the lubrication oil contained within the suction pipe to temperature where damaging of the lubrication pump is avoided. An inconvenience related to this approach is the difficulty to suck the lubricant oil through the suction pipe from the oil sump or the oil tank when the lubricant oil in the oil sump or in the oil tank is cold and thereby the viscosity of the lubricant oil in the oil sump or in the oil tank is high.
One known technical solution is to provide an oil sump or an oil tank with one or more immersion heaters for heating up the lubrication oil being in the oil sump or in the oil tank. An inconvenience related to this approach is that the heating power density, W/cm2, on the surface of the one or more immersion heaters has to be limited in order to avoid damaging the lubricant oil due to local overheating of the lubricant oil on the surface of the one or more immersion heaters. Limiting the heating power density increases, however, the time needed for heating up a sufficient amount of the lubricant oil to temperature where damaging of the lubrication pump is avoided.

Gear unit and a method for heating lubricant oil of a gear unit


A corrosion-resistant and electrically conductive connector shell includes a shell member formed of an aluminum alloy; an anodic surface coating formed on and extending into the shell member, having an approximate thickness between 0.0008 inch and 0.0018 inch; and a conductive metal plating covering and sealing the anodic surface coating. The metal plating can be a single layer of high purity aluminum having a thickness of 0.0002 inch. Alternatively, the metal plating can include a layer of a first metal on the anodic surface coating and having a thickness of at least approximately 0.00002 inch, and a layer of a second metal such as cadmium having a thickness of approximately 0.0002 inch on the layer of first metal. Also disclosed is a method for forming a corrosion-resistant and electrically conductive connector shell including the steps of providing an aluminum alloy shell member; forming an anodic coating on and extending into the shell member; and plating a single layer of aluminum by ion vapor deposition on the anodic coating.

The present invention relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly to connectors for use in corrosive environments such as are found near oceans and the like.
Electrical connectors are widely used in aircraft and other vehicles that are required to be exposed to corrosive contamination by salt spray, for example. While being otherwise desirable for low cost and light weight, connectors having aluminum outer shells have been generally rejected in high-performance applications because of rapid corrosion under exposure to salt spray environments. Conventional surface treatments have proven unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. For example:
1. Ordinary anodic coatings are easily scratched through, corrosion proceeding rapidly from even very small lesions; PA1 2. Hard anodic coatings by themselves are porous, being ineffective for excluding corrosives; PA1 3. All anodic coatings are non-conductive, whereas electrical conductivity is usually required; PA1 4. Conventional paint is also non-conductive and easily scratched, and conductive paint affords less corrosion resistance than conventional paint; PA1 5. Plated coatings by themselves are typically effective for sealing out corrosives, but are subject to scratching; and nicking resulting in rapid corrosion; and PA1 6. Connector shells formed of corrosion-resistant steel are excessively expensive to produce and undesirably heavy; and substitution of titanium is even more expensive, being also fifty percent heavier than aluminum. PA1 (a) providing an aluminum alloy shell member; PA1 (b) forming an anodic coating on and extending into the shell member; and PA1 (c) plating a sealed conductive coating on the anodic coating.
Thus there is a need for a lightweight corrosion-resistant conductive connector shell that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.

Method for forming a corrosion-resistant conductive connector shell


A method for steam cooking includes introducing steam, from a steam generator device, into a food cooking container through a supply conduit so that at an inlet opening to the food cooking container the steam enters tangentially to a wall of the food cooking container. The generation of steam is controlled by a control system so as to provide a difference between the pressure in the supply conduit and the pressure in the interior of the food cooking container of at least 1 kPa.

Cooking with steam is becoming more and more popular. Meanwhile, quite a number of different systems that allow foods and comestibles to be heated and cooked using steam are known in practical applications and the literature.
Document EP 1 108 384 B1 describes a household appliance for steam cooking under atmospheric pressure, which is designed in the manner of the long-known conventional household ranges that use convection and/or infrared heaters. The aforementioned steam-cooking appliance has a housing having an oven chamber disposed therein. Cooking containers for holding the food to be cooked can be inserted at various levels in corresponding guide tracks of the oven chamber. The cooking containers used here are in the form of open pans. The appliance also has a water reservoir for storing water and a steam generator in which the water is heated to steam. The steam is then introduced into the oven chamber, where it comes directly into contact with the food to be cooked. A suitable control system and a temperature sensor disposed in the cooking chamber are used to control the supply of steam, i.e., to control the steam-cooking process.
Steam cooking appliances of the type described above produce excellent results in terms of the quality of the foods processed therein, but they have the disadvantage of requiring a complex housing design, which is why they can be expensive. Moreover, an appliance of this type requires a corresponding amount of space to be available in the kitchen.
Document DE 41 16 425 A1 describes a steam cooking appliance in which the food to be cooked can be heated both by conventional heating systems, such as top heat and bottom heat, and by supplying steam. The primary point of that appliance is to bring the steam generated in a steam generator to a temperature above 100° C. using a controllable steam superheater before the steam is introduced into the cooking chamber or into a closed cooking container. The intention of this is to allow for cooking at high temperatures in order, for example, to achieve a browning effect on the food to be cooked.
That prior publication describes the use of a closed cooking container including a food pan and a lid. In order to carry out the steam cooking operation, the cooking container is placed on a support device in the oven chamber of the range and must be connected to a flexible steam conduit, so that the steam can be introduced into the cooking container therethrough. The flexible supply conduit is connected to the steam generator device via a steam connection coupling in the door of the appliance and further conduits running in the housing.
A steam cooking appliance in which two-part closed cooking containers are used is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,192. A plurality of cooking containers can be disposed one above the other. Each cooking container is supplied with steam by a separate steam generator, the steam being introduced into the interior of the cooking container through a nozzle.
The designs according to DE 41 16 425 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,192 allow a plurality of cooking containers to be placed in the cooking chamber of these appliances and to be independently supplied with steam via a steam supply conduit. However, they have the disadvantage that no provision is made to allow excess steam, and steam that is too cold, to be discharged to the outside, if necessary.
In these designs, the excess steam would only be able to escape when, after sufficient pressure has built up, the lid of the cooking container lifts off, so that excess air can escape from the cooking container, just as when cooking with a normal cooking pot on a cooktop burner. The disadvantage here is that the repeated lifting off of the lid produces the known fluttering or rattling noises and, moreover, that food to be cooked may escape from the container during this process. Furthermore, appliances of this design do not allow for a precisely controlled and regulated steam cooking process because there is no temperature control.
Furthermore, these appliances have an overall complex design because, in addition, they work with the assistance of conventional heating and always require an interior housing in which to place the food cooking containers.
As against this, steam cooking appliances have recently come onto the market that are very simple in design. These appliances only have a base which accommodates the steam generator and the control system thereof. The cooking containers for the food to be cooked are stackable one above the other and have openings in the base and lid parts for passing the steam therethrough. The steam generated in the base portion of the appliance is passed through the cooking containers from bottom to top, the excess steam being able to escape in the upper lid area.
These appliances are simple in design and inexpensive to manufacture, but it is not possible to achieve controlled cooking results of good quality using these appliances. For the reason alone that the steam must travel a long distance from the bottom cooking container to the top cooking container, passing over the foods located therein, proper cooking is hardly possible at the upper levels. Generally, the cooking containers then have to be rearranged here in order to allow the foods from the higher levels to cook further.

Method and device for cooking with steam


A method is described of immunizing a host by administering a biologically effective amount of a protein- or peptide-cochleate comprising at least a protein or peptide to which an immune response is elicited, a negatively charged lipid, and a divalent cation.

Plain lipid cochleates (FIG. 1) have been described previously. Protein- or peptide-cochleates have been described heretofore and patented by the present inventors, as intermediate structures which can be converted to protein-lipid vesicles (proteoliposomes) (FIG. 2) by the addition of calcium chelating agents (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,161 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,488, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference). The structure of a protein- or peptide-cochleate is thought to be similar, perhaps with protrusions or bulges around the protein or peptide moieties. Indeed, a freeze-fracture electron micrograph of cochleates containing Sendai glycoproteins made by the DC method shows the rolled up lipid bilayer structures with a "bumpy" surface (FIG. 3). Plain phospholipid cochleates are smooth in this type of preparation. These proteoliposomes resulting from protein- or peptide-cochleates have been shown to be effective immunogens when administered to animals by intraperitoneal and intramuscular routes of immunization (G. Goodman-Snitkoff, et al., J. Immunol., Vol. 147, p.410 (1991); M. D. Miller, et al., J. Exp. Med., Vol. 176, p. 1739 (1992)). Further, when the glycoproteins of Sendai or influenza viruses are reconstituted by this method, these proteoliposomes are effective delivery vehicles for proteins and DNA to animals and to cells in culture (R. J. Mannino and S. Gould-Fogerite, Biotechniques, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 682-690 (1988); S. Gould-Fogerite et al., Gene, Vol. 84, p. 429 (1989); M. D. Miller, et al., J. Exp. Med., Vol. 176, p. 1739 (1992)). Nonetheless, it would be advantageous to provide additional configurations for synthetic vaccines. It would also be advantageous to provide synthetic vaccines in a form that is stable at room temperature and that is suitable for oral administration. As a result of investigations in this area, the present invention was made.

Protein- or peptide-cochleate vaccines and methods of immunizing using the same

University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey


A selective protection circuit includes a current-limiting module and a control module, where the current-limiting module includes a switch unit, and the switch unit includes a first end, a second end, and a control end; the first end is connected to a positive electrode of a bus voltage of an HVDC power supply, and the second end is connected to a positive electrode of a power supply of a voltage pre-regulator circuit in a load branch connected to the current-limiting module; the control end is connected to the control module; and the control module is configured to output a control signal to the control end when a value of a total current flowing through the switch unit is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, so as to switch off the switch unit.

In recent years, with a continuous increase in power of a communications device and a requirement for being energy-efficient in the communications industry, a high-voltage direct current High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) power supply is gradually used to supply power to a data center and a communications equipment room. Therefore, an HVDC technology is developing rapidly in the communications field.
However, as power supply voltages in the data center and the communications equipment room increase, when a load branch connected using a power supply link short-circuits, short circuit currents in the load branch and the power supply link also continuously increase. An excessively high short circuit current may cause a power outage in some important communications devices.

Selective protection circuit and method, and power supply system