The invention discloses a multi-path management method and system for managing paths over which an IO is routed from a host to multiple logical volumes (LUNs) of a storage system, wherein the multiple LUNs of the storage system are mapped to the host, and the method comprises: grouping LUNs with the same paths between the host and the storage system into a group of LUNs; and using one path selection thread for all of LUNs in the group of LUNs to manage the same paths. The method and system lower the amount of work for path management and the amount of required resources.

The present invention relates to a storage system and particularly to a multi-path management method and system.
A storage system includes RAID arrays, a RAID controller, an adapter and a storage management server. The storage management server is connected with the other devices over a network to manage the operation of the entire storage system. FIG. 1 illustrates a structural block diagram of the storage system. A Redundant Array of Independent (or Inexpensive) Disks (RAID) array is a large-capacity disks group composed of a large number of inexpensive disks to improve the efficiency of the entire disk system due to an additive effect arising from provision of data by the individual disks. The storage system creates a variety of RAID arrays internally through the RAID controller. The storage system further creates logical volumes in the RAID arrays, also referred to as Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs), which are in turn mapped to hosts, and the hosts will use the LUNs as local hard disks.
The hosts communicate with the storage system through Fiber Channel (FC) switches. The host side is connected with the fiber channel switches by Host Bus Adapters (HBAs), referred to as a host bus adapter at the host side and also referred to as a Fiber Channel interface card or an FC adapter at the switch side. The storage system side is also connected with the fiber channel switches by fiber channel interface cards or fiber channel adapters.
FIG. 2 illustrates connection relationships between the hosts, the fiber channel switches and the storage system. In FIG. 2, host 1 can access the LUNs on the storage system over 4 paths, that is, from HBA1 port of host 1 to fiber channel adapter port 1 of the storage system, from HBA1 port of host 1 to fiber channel adapter port 2 of the storage system, from HBA2 port of host 1 to fiber channel adapter port 1 of the storage system, and from HBA2 port of host 1 to fiber channel adapter port 2 of the storage system. Moreover, host 2 can access the LUNs on the storage system over 4 paths.
A host reaches the storage system over multiple paths, and multi-path software can be installed on the host to manage the multiple paths between the host and the storage system. The multi-path software can balance an Input and Output (IO) of each path; obviate a failed path in routing an IO upon detection of the failed path; resume communication between the host and an LUN of the storage system over the original path when the failure of the path is removed; and so on. Path selection algorithms adopted by the multi-path software include:
Failover: only one path is selected to route an IO, and another path will be selected to route the IO only if that path fails;
Round Robin: an IO is routed alternately over multiple paths; and
Load Balance: a path on a lightly loaded HBA is selected to route an IO; and a path will be selected randomly if there are equally loaded HBAs.
When a large number of LUNs of the storage system are mapped to a host, for example, the host has 1,000 or more LUNs mapped thereto and can access the storage system over 6 or more paths, then the multi-path software will manage 6,000 or more paths; moreover the host also has to start 1,000 multi-path selection processes responsible for path selection on the 1,000 LUNs respectively. The multi-path software will consume a large amount of host resources (including CPU and memory) for management of these paths, thus degrading the efficiency of the host greatly. Thus, the existing multi-path software does not recommend a large number of paths configured for each LUN.


The present invention relates to a fluorene-based alternating polymer having the following formula (I) to be used as light emitting materials of electroluminescent elements, and further relates to electroluminescent elements having an anode/luminescent layer/cathode structure, in which the fluorene-based alternating polymer is used as light emitting materials of the luminescent layer, or having a transporting and/or reflection layer added thereto, if necessary. ##STR1## wherein R, R', X, Ar and n are defined as above.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fluorene-based alternating polymers to be used as luminescent materials in manufacturing macromolecular electroluminescence (EL) elements, and relates to EL elements using such fluorene-based alternating polymers as light emitting materials.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Examples of EL elements which have been studied thus far, include inorganic semiconductors such as GaAs which have the advantages of being small in size, require little consumption of electric power, etc., are currently being used as display devices having a small surface area, light emitting diode (LED) lamps, semiconductor lasers, and the like. However, in manufacturing such elements, extremely clean processing is required, and it is difficult to make LEDs of large surface area and it is difficult to obtain blue light having good efficiency. Furthermore, there are inorganic semiconductors having fluorescent ions of metal compounds added thereto, and inorganic EL elements made by dispersing inorganic semiconductors into high molecule compounds, but these cause problems in semiconductor stability not only because they require a high operating voltage but also because they operate under high electric fields.
However, as organic EL materials (Appl. Phys. Lett., 51, p.913 (1987)) and macromolecular EL materials (Nature, 347, p.539 (1990)) capable of overcoming such problems are recently being developed, advances in research in this field are continuing to progress. When voltage is applied to an EL element manufactured by depositing organic dyes (Japanese unexamined (laid-open) patent publications 6-136360 and 7-26254), or by putting macromolecules having a conjugate double bond (Int'l patents WO92/03491 and WO93/14177) between an anode and a cathode, holes from the cathode and electrons from the anode are introduced, move to a luminescent layer and emit light when they recombine thereafter. Currently, efforts are being made to find applications of such EL elements for next generation flat panel color display devices, electrochemical cells, image sensors, photocouplers, and the like which use LEDs, which will replace cathode-ray tubes, gas plasma displays, liquid crystal displays used at present. Elements manufactured by deposition of organic dyes have problems in reproducibility and in making uniform films, and macromolecule-based elements have overcome such problems to a certain degree, but improved stability, efficiency and durability are still required for desired applications to practical commercial use. Poly(phenylene vinylene) (PPV), polythiophene (PTh) and polyphenylene-based macromolecules (Synth. Met. 50(1-3), p.491 (1992) and Adv. Mater., 4, p. 36 (1992)), are known as representative macromolecular luminescent materials which have been studied up to now, but these materials have the disadvantage that the final material is insoluble in any organic solvent. The processing suitability is improved by introducing appropriate substituents and PPV or PTh derivatives (Synth. Met., 62, p.35 (1994), Adv. Mater., 4, p.36 (1994), and Macromolecules, 28, p. 7525 (1995)) which emit diverse lights of blue, green and red colors are known but the manufacturing process of such derivatives is very complicated, and there are also problems in stability. Moreover, fluorene-based macromolecules which emit blue light (Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., 30, p.L1941 (1991)) have been reported but these have disadvantages in that they can not exhibit various other colors, and require the use of materials and manufacturing methods from which macromolecules with more diversified conjugate double bonds can not be made. The inventors of this application discloses a fluorene-based alternating polymer element for an electroluminescence device having a conjugate double bond, which overcome the above-described problems, in Korean Patent No. 16449 on May 16, 1996.
Meanwhile, the phenyl group macromolecular containing an acetylene group is disclosed in Makromol Chem. 191, p. 857 (1990), Macromoleculars, 27, p 562 (1994), J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., p 1433, (1995) and Macromolecules, 29, p 5157 (1996), which are related concerning a non-linear optical material, an optical conductivity, and a photoluminescence (hereinafter, called PL).

Fluorene-based alternating polymers containing acetylene group and electroluminescence element using the same

Korea Institute of Science and Technology


A metal sheathed heater utilizes splice connections that connects ends of a heater cable with ends of a lead wire. Each splice connection has a connector that connects core wires of the lead wires and heater cable together. Heat shrinkable tubing surrounds the connector and ends of the heater cable and lead wires. An adhesive is interposed between the heat shrinkable tubing and heater cable and lead wire ends to bond with the heat shrinkable tubing and complete the splice connection. The metal sheath of the heater can be formed with an enlarged diameter portion to account for the heat shrinkable tubing surrounding the lead wire and heater cable ends.

The use of electric belly-band heaters is well known in the prior art. Typically, these heaters use resistance heating wherein a resistance heating wire or heater cable is encased in a metal sheath. The metal sheath is in contact with the item or material to be heated. One type of belly-band heater (commonly referred to as a "crankcase heater", "compressor heater" or "sump heater") is used to heat refrigeration compressors or air-conditioning compressors. The heater can employ a standard hose clamp or other type of clamping arrangement for attachment to the compressor. The standard hose clamp is cut in two pieces with each piece affixed (welded for example) to opposite ends of the heater's metal sheath. Assembly of the heater to the compressor is accomplished by engaging the two ends of the clamp as intended and then tightening the assembly around the selected compressor location. This type of heater construction can also be used for heating containers such as barrels, heating pipes, etc.
The belly-band heater has an insulated electric lead wire exiting each end of the metal sheath. A frequent requirement in the use of these heaters is for the lead wires to be routed in standard metal conduit. Further, it is often required that the conduit enclose the lead wires from the point where each lead exits the heater sheath to where the lead wires enter an electrical junction box or boxes.
FIG. 1 shows a typical metal sheathed heater or electric belly-band heater designated by the reference numeral 10 and including the hose clamp pieces 1 and 3, and the screw mechanism 5. A metal sheath 7 extends between the two pieces 1 and 3, with the hose clamp pieces attached to the sheath by welding or the like. The metal sheath 7 encases an electrically insulated resistance heating wire or heater cable 9 and includes a fluted strip portion 8, which interfaces with the equipment or material requiring heating and is more fully explained below.
In these types of metal sheathed heaters, it is well known in the industry that the heater cable is composed of resistance wire spiraled around a flexible core made of an electrically insulated and thermally resistant material such as fiberglass or other suitable material. This element is commonly referred to as a "heater core wire". After the heater core wire is uniformly coated with an insulating material having sufficient mechanical and electrical resistance properties so as to remain flexible yet electrically isolated, it is normally called a "heater cable". The insulating material is often silicone or a thermosetting plastic with adequate thermal properties for its intended use.
A small length of insulation is stripped from each end of the heater cable. Two flexible electrically insulated stranded lead wires with a small length of insulation stripped from one end of each wire are electrically connected, one to each end of the heater cable, by crimping or splicing the stripped ends of the heater cable to stripped ends of the lead wires. The connector used is a properly selected metal splice connector with sufficient temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, mechanical strength and formability to make a secure electrical bond.
In the prior art, a suitable material is molded around each metal splice joint to electrically isolate the metal connectors. The molding material is a substance which bonds with both the insulation of the heater cable and the insulation of the lead wire. The heater cable-lead wire combination, with molded insulation around the splice as described, is normally referred to as a "heater cable assembly". The heater cable assembly is enclosed in the metal sheath 7, see FIG. 1, which is commonly in the form of a tube, open at each end and of length sufficient to cover the heater core wire along its entire length. Generally the greater portion of the length of the two lead wires extends beyond the metal sheath to reach terminals so electrical power may be connected to each lead wire for activating the heater.
One version of a prior art metal sheathed heater is a Model CH made by TUTCO, Inc. of Cookeville, Tenn., see FIG. 1 again. The heater 10 is typically wrapped around and clamped in place on the outside of an air conditioning or refrigeration compressor to heat a substance such as compressor oil. While a hose clamp is illustrated, any type of attachment can be employed to secure the metal sheathed heater to the component desired to be heated. These arrangements are well known and do not need further description for understanding of the invention.
The heater cable 20, as shown in FIG. 2, is made with a heater core wire 21 having a fiberglass central core 23. The heater cable assembly 25 is made with the heater cable 20 and two stranded lead wires 26 and 28. At the splice, these components, all essentially having same outside diameter, see FIG. 3, are insulated with molded silicone 30, the mold matching the diameter of the wires and cable. The molding material used is silicone because this is the only known substance that will bond with the silicone used in the heater cable and lead wires and make an adequate terminal splice seal.
Presently, the requirement of encasing the lead wires in conduit is achieved by attaching specialized parts/items where the heater is being used so as to protect the lead wires and meet installation codes. This procedure is both time-consuming and costly. In conjunction with the special rigging required to meet the requirement of enclosing the lead wires at the heater itself, opposite ends of the conduit would also be attached to standard junction boxes or the like.
One of the problems with prior art heaters is the use of silicone wiring for the heater cable and lead wires. When silicone-insulated wires are manufactured, the wires are placed on take-up rolls during the wire production process. To prevent the silicone insulation on the wires from sticking during the take up roll process, a thin layer of powdered talc is applied to coat the wire surfaces. The talc must be removed from the splice section prior to a molding process as the talc will contaminate the cross section area of the cut surfaces formed during the insulation stripping process. The presence of talc prevents the silicone mold material from sticking to the cut cross section surfaces of the wire insulation.
During the process of stripping insulation from the ends of the wires and the process of connector splicing, it is possible for pieces of fiberglass to contaminate the area. Also, the ends of the resistance wire and/or the ends of the stranded lead wires may not be properly captured by the splice connector. An example of this is shown in FIG. 4 wherein a portion of the heater core wire 21 lies outside the connector 32. In order to detect and then correct the aforementioned conditions prior to molding, intense manual inspection is performed on each splice joint and rework is done as required, both assisted by visual magnification.
Referring to FIGS. 5a and 5b, the sheath 40 for the heater is made by a thin metal strip tightly wrapped around the periphery of the heater cable and cable assembly. The metal strip is slightly wider than the circumference of the heater cable and slightly longer than the heater cable which is centered along the sheath length. Each lead wire is of sufficient length to extend to electrical power terminals. Special "fingers" 41, all the same width, are stamped along each side and at a direction perpendicular to the centerline of the length of the strip. Spaces 43 between the strips are created and the fingers 41 are of the same dimension. The strip is initially made in a flat form, see FIG. 5a, and is preformed into a "U" cross section 45, see FIG. 5b, prior to the operation of wrapping the metal strip around the heater cable assembly. The "fingers" 41 on one side of the strip are offset when compared to those on the opposite side so all will interlock once the strip is formed into its intended final shape, see FIG. 1. Each space is slightly wider than the width of each "finger" to create a loosely interlocked condition after the metal strip is wrapped around the heater cable assembly. Finally and as shown in FIG. 1, a two-piece metal clamp arrangement is welded to the formed metal sheath, one piece to each end of the sheath, and the entire heater assembly is formed to fit the shape of the compressor for which it was designed. Referring to FIG. 1, it can be seen how the "fingers" loosely interlock and contact the compressor body to enhance heat transfer.
Referring again to FIG. 3, the mold covering 30 of the splice connector section 25 is designed to be at the same outside diameter as the two adjacent wires 20 and 26 connected by the splice. This ensures sufficient insulation between the metal connector and the metal sheath. Also, if the mold section is at a diameter larger than that of the wires, the mold section 30 can or will be cut when the metal sheath is formed around the assembly resulting in either improper heater operation or failure. There must be no breaks, cracks or any path whereby current can leak to the metal sheath, either from the live electric splice connectors or from the live resistance wires of the heater cable immediately adjacent to the splice section. Such a flaw can result in either improper operation or failure of the heater.
For the TUTCO, Inc. model CH compressor heaters, secure mold sections on each heater built are essential for proper operation. However and during the manufacture of these CH model heaters, a number of hard to identify conditions can occur that, if are not detected prior to using, the heater can fail. These conditions could be breaks, cracks or incomplete bonding between the wire insulation and the mold material resulting in heater failure. Also, should either the end of a heater core wire or the end of a lead wire strand protrude outside the splice connector and extend a distance equal to or greater than the distance to the outer surface of the molded section, a direct electrical path to the metal heater sheath is created resulting in heater failure, (See FIG. 4). Further, if either a piece of fiberglass from the core wire or some of the powdered talc used to coat the silicone insulation becomes imbedded in the mold area, a defect can occur resulting in heater failure.
Another hard to identify defect is either very tiny holes or cuts in the heater cable adjacent to the mold sections that are not sealed by the molding silicone. The holes and cuts occur either when the wires are cut to length, insulation stripped from their ends or when the metal connector is spliced to the wires during the process of connecting the heater cable ends to the lead wire ends. These holes and cuts result when the tools used in performing these operations becomes worn or out of adjustment and impinge on the insulation covering the wires with sufficient force to cut through to the metal underneath.
It does not work to cover all the defect types mentioned above by making the mold section to a diameter larger than the wire diameter and extend it to cover any possible holes or cuts in the insulation as mentioned above. This is because molded sections, larger in diameter than the wires, will be cut and rendered defective when the metal sheath is applied as described above. The same is true if an insulating tube or tape is placed over the potentially defective area and the sheath closed as intended.
Another problem with the prior art is that it is not possible to use lead wires with insulation other than silicone because only silicone will bond to silicone. Other lead wires are available and made with insulating materials that are tougher than silicone, have temperature ratings high enough for heater lead wire applications and are less expensive than silicone. Often times, the ends of the formed sheath have sharp edges and when the heater is installed in its intended location it is possible for the soft silicone lead wire insulation to accidentally be forced against a sharp edge cutting deep enough to create a defect.
As a result of the problems encountered concerning the splice connection of the prior art metal sheathed heaters, a need exists to provide an improved splice connection. The present invention solves this need by providing a splice connection that eliminates the need for using a silicone molding compound and molding operation for the splice connection, and avoids many if not all of the problems noted above regarding the prior art metal sheathed heaters.

Metal sheathed heater using splice connection assembly with heat shrinkable tubing, and method of use


Several embodiments using indirection objects to organize data in a cloud storage system are disclosed. An indirection object stores associations to different variants or segments of an object. The indirection object receives requests for the objects and responds with the appropriate variant, segment, or segments of the object. The variant, segment, or segments returned may vary from request to request.

The present disclosure relates generally to cloud computing, and more particularly to a massively scalable object storage system to provide storage for a cloud computing environment with a level of indirection useful for storing large objects as well as different variants of the same object.
Cloud computing is a relatively new technology but it enables elasticity or the ability to dynamically adjust compute capacity. The compute capacity can be increased or decreased by adjusting the number of processing units (cores) allocated to a given instance of a processing module (server or node) or by adjusting the overall quantity of processing modules in a system. Cloud computing systems such as OpenStack abstract the management layer of a cloud and allow clients to implement hypervisor agnostic processing modules.
As the use of cloud computing has grown, cloud service providers such as Rackspace Hosting Inc. of San Antonio, Tex., have been confronted with the need to greatly expand file storage capabilities rapidly while making such expansions seamless to their users. Conventional file storage systems and methods to expand such systems suffer from several limitations that can jeopardize data stored in the object storage system. In addition, known techniques use up substantial resources of the object storage system to accomplish expansion while also ensuring data safety. Finally, the centralization of data storage brings with it issues of scale. A typical local storage system (such as the hard drive in a computer) may store thousands or millions of individual files for a single user. A cloud-computing-based storage system is designed to address the needs of thousands or millions of different users simultaneously, with corresponding increases in the number of files stored.
An increasingly common use of cloud computing is computations on so-called "big data" —datasets that are much larger than memory and are frequently much larger than the available disk space on any particular computer. Current datasets can be so large that they become difficult to store and process, and the storage and processing of large datasets is only set to increase over time. Depending on the type of data, this may involve datasets that are terabytes, exabytes or zettabytes in size. Adding to the complication, efficient dataset processing may require random (as opposed to sequential) access. Applications of large dataset processing include meteorology, genomics, economics, physics, biological and environmental research, Internet search, finance, business informatics, and sociological analysis. Information technology and security organizations also may generate extensive activity logs requiring massive amounts of storage.
Clients of such a data storage system often require views of their data in specific formats. For small data sets, it is relatively trivial for either the system or the client to perform a conversion of the data on the fly. However, with large data sets such an approach is not feasible. Also, even if such a conversion is feasible it requires extra computing power to perform.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved scalable object storage system with support for the storage and retrieval of multiple variants of a single object. Further, it is desirable to apply the similar techniques for storing large objects as a series of object segments rather than as a contiguous block of sequential data. The concept of indirection can be used in a cloud computing system to provide these and other advantages in a cloud computing system, as described below.

Indirection objects in a cloud storage system


A proton pump inhibitor containing a compound represented by the formula (I)

Proton pump inhibitors represented by omeprazole, which suppress secretion of gastric acid for the treatment of peptic ulcer, reflux esophagitis and the like, have been widely used in clinical situations. However, the existing proton pump inhibitors are associated with problems in terms of effect and side effects. To be specific, since the existing proton pump inhibitors are unstable under acidic conditions, they are often formulated as enteric preparations, in which case several hours are required before expression of the effect. In addition, since the existing proton pump inhibitors show inconsistent treatment effects due to metabolic enzyme polymorphism and drug interaction with pharmaceutical agents such as diazepam and the like, an improvement has been desired.
As pyrrole compounds having a proton pump inhibitory action, EP-A-0259085 describes a compound represented by the formula:
and the like.
As a production intermediate for a compound having a CCK antagonistic action, WO92/04025 describes a compound represented by the formula:

As compounds having a thromboxane A2 (TXA2) antagonistic action and a TXA2 synthase inhibitory action, JP-A-8-119936 describes a compound represented by the formula:
wherein r1 is carboxy, protected carboxy, carboxy(lower)alkyl, protected carboxy(lower)alkyl, carboxy(lower)alkenyl or protected carboxy(lower)alkenyl, r2 is hydrogen; lower alkyl; heterocyclic (lower)alkyl optionally having aminoimino or protected aminoimino; heterocyclic (lower)alkenyl; or heterocyclic carbonyl, r3 is hydrogen or lower alkyl, r4 is acyl, r5 is hydrogen, A0 is lower alkylene, and Z0 is S or NH, provided when r1 is carboxy or protected carboxy, then Z0 is NH.
Moreover, as a therapeutic drug for neoplastic diseases or autoimmune diseases, WO2004/103968 describes a compound represented by the formula:
wherein r6 is aryl, aralkyl or heteroaryl, r7 is aryl or heteroaryl, and r8 is aryl, heteroaryl or an optionally substituted aminomethyl.
A pharmaceutical agent that effectively suppresses gastric acid secretion as known proton pump inhibitors, which is improved in instability under acidic conditions, dispersion of effects due to metabolic enzyme polymorphism and drug interaction, which are problems of known proton pump inhibitors, is expected to show more superior treatment effect on peptic ulcer, reflux esophagitis and the like. As the situation stands, however, a proton pump inhibitor capable of sufficiently satisfying these requirements has not been found. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a compound having a superior acid secretion suppressive effect (particularly, an acid secretion suppressive effect based on proton pump inhibition), which has been improved in these problems.

Abstract: wherein X and Y are the same or different and each is a bond or a spacer having 1 to 20 carbon atoms in the main chain, R1 is an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group or an optionally substituted heterocyclic group, R2, R3 and R4 are the same or different and each is a hydrogen atom, an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group, an optionally substituted thienyl group, an optionally substituted benzo[b]thienyl group, an optionally substituted furyl group, an optionally substituted pyridyl group, an optionally substituted pyrazolyl group, an optionally substituted pyrimidinyl group, an acyl group, a halogen atom, a cyano group or a nitro group, R5 and R6 are the same or different and each is a hydrogen atom or an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group, which has a superior proton pump action and shows an antiulcer activity and the like after conversion to a proton pump inhibitor in the body, or a salt thereof, or a prodrug thereof is provided.


Granular inventory management with conflict resolution at a target is provided. A client receives inventory management requests, as default settings and/or from a server. Each request includes action instance(s), which have an action key, action type, action detail(s), a precedence, and a sequence number. The client identifies a conflict if two instances have the same action type but incompatible detail(s). The client resolves the conflict, based on precedence and sometimes also on sequence numbers. The client performs the resulting action instance(s), and results are sent back for inclusion in an inventory report. Action details may specify a schedule for recurring actions. A precedence may be specified by an administrator or be built-in. Default and other requests may be defined by viewing inventory classes in a graphical user interface, entering an action based on inventory class(es), and entering target device group selection(s). Inventory classes may be captured from a live system.

Workstations, laptops, servers, and other computers are frequently part of a network. Smart phones, bar code scanners, other code scanners, and other mobile devices are also frequently networked. Other networked devices may range from printers and fax machines to vehicles and GPS-equipped items, for example. In short, a network may contain a wide variety of devices, whose status generally changes over time. Some networks, including some which are managed by a large business, government agency, educational institution, or other enterprise, contain thousands or even tens of thousands of devices.
Network management systems (NMS) are sometimes used to discover a network's inventory of devices, to monitor the health and status of networked devices, and to provide alerts when conditions appear likely to impact network performance. An NMS may help administrators and other users identify problems and their sources, and help prevent problems. Some NMS systems also collect device statistics over time, such as resource (memory, processor, disk, battery, etc.) usage and performance. An NMS may also read and/or write device configurations, check for and/or distribute software updates, and provide security through device tracking, for example. Various protocols are used to gather information from the devices in a managed network.

Granular client inventory management with conflict resolution


The disclosure relates to a tool storage device for a machine tool having a tool storage unit which can be mounted and displaced on a guide rail of the machine tool and is further designed to receive non-mounted tools for the machine tool.

With press brakes in particular, a high degree of flexibility is often achieved with the use of many different tools. These are typically stored in tool cabinets in the immediate vicinity of one or more machines or centrally. The basic idea is a structured and tidy production area, in which tools that are not required are put away again.
In practice, however, frequently used tools are stored everywhere, for example on bending aids or support arms, which can then no longer be used. Frequently used tools are also deposited on company-specific supply trolleys and tables, or they are pushed aside within the tool clamp. The operator tries to keep the tools within reach and save themselves additional trips. Most of the time, however, it creates disorder, which can lead to various dangerous situations. In addition, the use of bending aids and/or support arms is restricted or even made impossible.
DE 20 2014 007901 U1 discloses a bending press having a pull-out drawer for tools. The drawer is arranged next to the lower beam or upper beam.

Tool storage device for a machine tool, and machine tool


According to one exemplary implementation, an integrated circuit (IC) includes a first memory cell transistor of a read only memory (ROM) array, the first memory cell transistor including a first metal gate of a first work function and having a first threshold voltage. The IC also includes a second memory cell transistor of the ROM array, the second memory cell transistor including a second metal gate of a second work function and having a second threshold voltage. The first memory cell transistor and the second memory cell transistor can be of a first conductivity type. Furthermore, the first memory cell transistor can include a first high-k gate dielectric and the second memory cell transistor can include a second high-k gate dielectric.

Read-only memory (ROM) is often utilized to store data, such as firmware data, on an integrated circuit (IC). ROM is typically structured as an array of memory cell transistors, and is usually programmed with data during manufacture. By programming the array such that some memory cell transistors are distinguishable from others by sensing circuitry on the IC, logical states corresponding to binary data are stored on the ROM.
Various techniques are known for ROM programming. One approach is to utilize a high-grade interconnect mask to block contact to some of the memory cell transistors. Another approach is to use a channel implant to alter a threshold voltage of some of the memory cell transistors, providing a detectable threshold voltage difference. In yet another approach, gate oxides of different thickness may provide different threshold voltages for the memory cell transistors.

ROM arrays having memory cell transistors programmed using metal gates


A hold down may include a weight associated with a coupling mechanism that is configured to removably couple to a foot of an awning support arm assembly. An RV awning and hold down system may include: an awning assembly having at least one support arm assembly disconnected from a side of an RV; and at least one hold down comprising a weight associated with a coupling mechanism, the coupling mechanism removably coupled to a foot of the at least one support arm assembly. A method for holding an RV awning assembly in position may include: disconnecting at least one support arm assembly of the awning assembly from a side of an RV; and removably coupling a foot of at least one support arm assembly to a coupling mechanism associated with a weight of a hold down.

1. Technical Field
This document relates to a hold down.
2. Background Art
When a recreational vehicle ("RV"), such as a camper, travel trailer, or motor home, is parked, an awning may be extended therefrom. In the "patio position" of the awning, each awning support arm extends diagonally downward so that its lower end is coupled to the side of the RV. In order to provide better access and to keep people from running into the diagonally extended awning support arms, RV owners try to place the awning in the "carport position". In the carport position, the lower end of each awning support arm abuts the ground and is often coupled to the ground by stakes during windy conditions for example. However, it is not possible/effective to drive stakes into the ground when the RV is parked on concrete, asphalt, gravel, sand, rocky terrain, snow-covered terrain, frozen terrain, and the like for example, so RV owners are forced to maintain the awning in the inconvenient/unsafe patio position.


Method and system is provided for detecting faults and/or providing optimization measures to enhance the performance of one or more buildings, especially building automation equipment of the one or more buildings. The system may include a database for storing a data model comprising asset and performance data of the one or more buildings. The data model may be represented in one or more hierarchical tree-structures, in which the nodes of the tree-structures represent asset data and the leaves of the tree-structures represent performance data of the one or more buildings. The performance data may be represented in each case by data points. The data points may include time series of measured or derived field values and meta information.

The management of energy by a building automation system (BAS) is the combination of actions taken to maximize energy usage efficiency and optimize energy supply to lower energy costs without sacrificing occupant needs and comfort. To achieve these building performance goals, actions may include reducing end use of energy consuming equipment, increasing efficiency of equipment, eliminating wasted energy, finding less costly alternative energy sources, minimizing procurement costs, or detecting faults in building equipment.
Equipment faults in buildings cause undesirable effects such as e.g. increasing the energy consumption or decreasing the lifespan of equipment. There are known various methods of fault detection, including statistical analysis methods and methods for statistical process control. These methods are often cumbersome to operate or use in or with a BAS, or they require programming experience.
Therefore there is a need for building owners or building operators for easy to use methods or systems for detecting faults and/or for providing optimization measures to enhance the performance of buildings.

System and method for detecting faults and/or for providing optimization measures to enhance the performance of one or more buildings


A clamp remover is disclosed. In one example of the present embodiments, a wire clamp remover includes a first engaging member configured to engage a clamp and a second engaging member configured to engage the clamp. In addition, the wire clamp remover also comprises a first interface member coupled to the first engaging member and a second interface member coupled to the second engaging member.

In industries such as the telecommunication industry, it is common practice to use fixtures to secure aerial surface wires, electrical cables, service wires, cable lines, etc. ("wires") to fixed structures. Generally, the fixtures are commonly referred to as drop wire clamps, p-clamps, suspending wire clamps, etc. ("wire clamps") and are commonly employed in elevated environments to attach a wire to a fixed structure with a portion of the wire extending beyond the wire clamp into the structure. For example, wire clamps may secure wires to the outside of buildings at a point just short of the position in which the wires enter the building. In addition, wire clamps may also be utilized to secure wires to a columnar member, such as, for example, a pole, a tree trunk, and the like.
Due to being exposed to a variety of external conditions such as rain, snow, hail, wind, sun, and other types of adverse weather conditions, wires may need repaired or replaced over time, which often involves a technician removing the wire clamp to adjust and/or remove a sagging, damaged and/or severed wire.

BellSouth Intellectual Property Corporation


The present invention relates to an optical module having a configuration in which centering adjustment can be effected much more easily than the prior art, while keeping a high optical coupling efficiency between an optical fiber and a semiconductor device, and can reduce the number of parts, for example; and a method of making the same. The optical module comprises, as an element for optically coupling the optical fiber and the semiconductor device together, an optical reflecting member having a concave reflecting surface. Since it is necessary for the reflecting member to be positioned with a high accuracy in the field of optical communications to which this optical module is supposed to be utilized, in particular, the reflecting member is provided with a specific positioning configuration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical module incorporating therein a semiconductor device such as light-receiving device or light-emitting device used in optical communications and, in particular, to an optical module having a configuration for optically coupling an optical fiber and the semiconductor device with each other with a high accuracy, and a method of making the same, or the like.
2. Related Background Art
In a conventional optical module in which an optical fiber, as a signal light transmitting medium, is optically coupled with a semiconductor device such as a light-receiving device or a light-emitting device, typically employed is a configuration in which, together with the semiconductor device, a condenser lens and a planar reflecting surface, which are disposed in an optical path between an end face of the optical fiber and the semiconductor device, are integrally sealed with a transparent resin so as to keep an optical coupling state between the optical fiber and the semiconductor device. As an example of the conventional optical module, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-090866 discloses a light-receiving module having a configuration in which light emitted from an end face of an optical fiber, which is a signal light transmitting medium, passing through a condenser lens is reflected by a planar reflecting surface so as to be made incident on the light-receiving surface of a light-receiving device.

Optical module and method of making the same


The riveting sleeve (6) described is used to connect the component parts (3, 4, 5, 10, 11) of compressor valves (2). The riveting sleeve (6) passes through the valve parts (3, 4, 5, 10, 11) to be connected to one another and is provided with at least one radial groove (16, 22, 26) which starts from the inner or outer generated surface (17, 18) thereof and weakens the wall thickness of the riveting sleeve (6) in this area. On the other side of the generated surface (17, 18) the groove (16, 22, 26) is adjacent either to the wall of a valve part surrounding it or surrounded thereby, or it has opposite it a recess (19, 23, 27) in the valve part (3, 5, 25) adjacent to the riveting sleeve (6). By upsetting the riveting sleeve (6) by means of an applied axial force, the riveting sleeve (6) is deformed radially outwards or inwards in the manner of a bead, it being securely clamped in or on the adjacent valve part. If a recess (19, 23, 27) opposite the respective groove (16, 22, 26) is provided, the said recess (19, 23, 27) is filled with the deforming material of the riveting sleeve (6) and in this way a secure and play-free connexion is produced.

Description of prior art
As is known, in valve construction it is necessary in many cases to connect the constituent parts of the valves to one another. This is traditionally effected by screws or by means of deformable rivets which can also be heated to facilitate the deformation. Both types of connexion are relatively expensive or have other disadvantages. The screw connexions require machined threaded bolts and nuts, which in turn require space, whereas the simpler rivet connexions require for their manufacture the application of frequently substantial upsetting forces, as a result of which the valve parts resting thereon can be adversely affected. If the rivets are used in the heated state, the parts coming into contact with them can be damaged by the heating, for example with respect to the material hardness.
A valve with a central bolt for connecting the valve parts is known from AT-PS 242 281. The part of the central bolt, projecting beyond the catching means or the valve seating, and the associated nut require additional space in the cylinder head. Somewhat less space is required by the design according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,082,512, in which instead of the central bolt a hollow rivet is-used which is heated to red heat by way of electrodes and is then riveted by axial force accordingly. The valve parts can be damaged by the action of heat. Finally, in the case of the valve known from DE-OS 1 450 479 the valve parts are not provided with their own connexion. The component parts of the valves are pressed against the cylinder head of the compressor by a tensioning bolt passing through them. This design requires that the valve parts should be delivered loose and should be assembled only when attached to the compressor. In the process errors can occur, for example valve parts can be jammed between other component parts of the valve during clamping.


An injection-molded receiver for securing a mop handle, broom handle or alternative cleaning or utility handle to a mop, broom or other cleaning or utility implement or tool having a threaded mounting stud. The injection-molded receiver includes a receiver cap having a cap opening for receiving and mounting one end of the handle and a cap base integrally formed in the receiver cap and fitted with an internally-threaded insert having flange cleats which is injection-molded into the cap base for threadably receiving the threaded mounting stud attached to the cleaning or utility implement, for example, a screw-type mop head. Injection-molding of the insert in the cap base of the receiver facilitates stability, longevity and ease of coupling a screw-type mop or similar utility implement or tool to a handle.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cleaning or utility implements and tools and more particularly, to a new and improved injection-molded receiver for coupling a screw-type mop, broom or other utility or cleaning implement or tool to a shaft or handle. In a preferred embodiment, the injection-molded receiver is characterized by a cylindrical receiver cap fitted with a cap opening for receiving and mounting one end of the shaft or handle and further including a cap base which is integrally formed with the receiver cap and includes an internally-threaded metal insert injection-molded therein for threadably receiving the stud of a screw-type mop, broom or other utility or cleaning implement or tool. The shaft or handle is typically glued in the cap opening of the receiver cap, thereby permitting threadable application and removal of a mop, broom or other implement or tool to and from the receiver cap and attached handle, as deemed necessary.
One of the problems which is realized in attaching brooms, mops and other utility or cleaning implements or tools, and mops in particularly, to one end of a shaft or handle, is that of bending or breaking the connecting member which attaches the mop, broom or other implement or tool to the handle, due to pressure applied to the handle during use. This problem is particularly manifested in the use of mops, because considerable pressure must be applied to the mop and mop handle in order to accomplish the desired cleaning.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical technique for attaching a screw-type mop head and mop to one end of an elongated shaft or handle is by means of a metal ferrule which is secured by a rivet through the handle, thereby trapping a threaded receiver or nipple permanently in place. Repetitive pressure applied to the mop handle during the cleaning operation frequently loosens or bends this rivet and ferrule on the end of the handle, thereby ultimately loosening the handle-mop connection and rendering the handle useless for its intended purpose. An adaptation of the metal ferrule connection is the nylon ferrule which is attached to a fiberglass shaft or handle, thereby trapping the metal receiver or nipple in position to receive the screw-type mop or other cleaning or utility implement. However, pressure applied to the handle and mop during normal mopping operation ultimately may also cause the nylon ferrules to break after multiple flexures.
Various other types of connections between handles and rods or shafts are well known in the art. Typical of these is the device detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,632,227 dated Jun. 14, 1927, to C. W. Halsey, entitled "Resilient Grip for Implement Handles". The handle of an implement such as an ice pick is fitted with a detachable grip which is formed of rubber or other resilient material to cushion the effects in chipping ice and minimize the danger of injuries to the operator. A "Golf Club Grip Guide" is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,664,257, dated Mar. 27, 1928, to C. McCullough. The golf grip guide is fabricated in the shape of a resilient sleeve having the impression of hands and fingers formed in the peripheral surface, such that the player must grip or hold the golf club in the correct or approved manner. The golf club guide is resilient and is designed to be distended circumferentially and sprung over the slightly tapered handle portion of the golf club to remain in position on the handle. A "Cleaning Instrument Having A Detachable Handle Provided With A Cap" is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,705,336, dated Apr. 5, 1955. The handle is fitted with a cap at one end and threads at the opposite end for threadable insertion into corresponding internal threads provided in a block which mounts a brush. A "Handle For Paint Roller" is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,371,367, dated Mar. 5, 1968, to L. Tigerman. The primary handle mounts a wire paint roller mechanism and the butt of the handle includes an internally-threaded metal socket which is secured therein to receive an extension. The metal socket is spot-welded inside the handle to maintain structural integrity for receiving and mounting the extension.
It is an object of this invention to provide an injection-molded receiver for attaching a handle or shaft to a screw-type mop, broom or other utility or cleaning implement or tool in a secure, easily installed, esthetically-pleasing manner.
Another object of this invention is to provide an injection-molded connecting receiver which is characterized by a receiver cap having a cap opening for receiving and mounting one end of a shaft or handle, a cap base integrally formed with the receiver cap and fitted with an internally-threaded insert which is injection-molded in the cap base for threadably receiving the threaded stud or receiver of a screw-type mop, broom or other implement or tool and mounting the mop, broom or other implement or tool securely to the shaft or handle.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an injection-molded plastic receiver for securing a shaft or handle to a tool or implement, which receiver includes a cylindrical receiver cap having a cap opening for receiving and securely mounting one end of the shaft or handle and a cap base shaped in one end of the receiver cap and having an insert injection-molded therein, which insert is fitted with internal threads that threadably receive the projecting studs from screw-type mops, brooms or other implements or tools to securely, yet removably, mount the mops, brooms or other implements or tools to the injection-molded receiver and hence, the shaft or handle.


A wireless communication station comprises a base station, a sub base station and a plurality of user equipments. The base station transmits a downlink communication and receives a combined uplink communication from the sub base station. The sub base station receives the downlink communication from the base station. The sub base station transmits the downlink communication to a plurality of user equipments. The sub base station receives uplink communications from the plurality of user equipments. The sub base station combines the received uplink communications as the combined uplink communication and transmits it to the base station. The plurality of user equipments receive downlink communications from the sub base station and transmits uplink communications to the sub base station.

The invention generally relates to wireless communication systems. In particular, the invention relates to implementations of sub base stations and user equipments in wireless communication systems.
FIG. 1 is a simplified illustration of a wireless communication system. A user equipment (UE) 22, such as a cellular phone, and a base station 20 send communications to each other. Communications from the base station 20 to the UE 22 are referred to as downlink communications. Communications from the UE 22 to the base station 20 are referred to as uplink communications. The physical structure of the communications is based on the type of wireless system deployment, such as analog frequency division duplex (FDD), FDD using code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), TDMA using CDMA or time division duplex (TDD) using CDMA.
The UE 22 communications are sent to another user via a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 30. The communications are transferred from the base station 20 to the PSTN 30, typically, via a Node-B 24, a radio network controller (RNC) 26 and a core network 28.
It is desirable to have alternate implementations of user equipments in wireless systems.

Sub base station and user equipment implementations


A joint assembly for connecting two ceramic material tubes has a cup-ball interface. One of the tubes has at a first end a cup shaped member, and the other tube has at a first end a ball shaped member adapted to be received in the cup shaped member. The ball shaped member and the cup shaped member define the cup-ball interface. The cup shaped member is provided with a gas feed channel discharging at a first end into an annular groove at the cup-ball interface. At the other end, the cup shaped member is connected to a conduit outside the cup shaped member. The conduit is connected to an inert gas source having a pressure above atmospheric pressure.

The present invention relates to connecting two tubes through a ball-cup connection. This connection should be tight with regard to diffusion of gasses from the surrounding atmosphere.
In processes at elevated temperatures in furnaces, process tubes are used from ceramic material. Such tubes are connected to feed/discharge tubes outside the furnace or other tubes such as tubes in which a thermocouple or other sensor is introduced. Connection between the two tubes should prevent the ingress of gasses from the surrounding atmosphere into the process tube and leakage of process gasses to the surroundings.
In the prior art ball-cup connections are used to achieve this purpose. When the cup and the ball are dimensioned correctly and are perfectly mating, a high quality seal is achieved. However, in practice it is difficult to control the dimensional tolerances of the cup and the ball. Further, when the ball is larger than the cup, breakage of the cup can easily occur. Therefore the nominal diameter of the ball should always be slightly smaller than the diameter of the cup. Consequently, the ball and cup connection is not a perfect seal. Furthermore, if the ball and the cup are made of different materials some tolerances need to be allowed to accommodate differences in thermal expansion when the furnace is heated from room temperature to process temperature. Because the requirements regarding the leak integrity of such a connection have become more and more stringent, in the art the ball-cup connection is provided with an additional O-ring seal. However, in situations where the temperature of the connection is fairly high, the lifetime of the O-ring is impractical short due to aging of the material of the O-ring,
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,479 a ball-cup connection is proposed to connected low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) tube to a vacuum system via a vacuum exhaust tube. The cup, attached to the vacuum exhaust tube, contains annular shaped grooves, cut into the inside surface of the cup. Each groove contain a connection to a second vacuum system. When the ball, attached to the LPCVD process tube, is inserted into the cup, the open side of the grooves is bounded by the surface of the ball. The grooves are evacuated by the second vacuum system and this differentially pumped vacuum seal is sufficient to contain a rough vacuum, down to 1 mTorr.
This design has several limitations and disadvantages. The design of the cup is rather complex. All embodiments show three grooves, machined into the cup, which cup is of stainless steel. Stainless steel is not allowed at die inlet side of an oxidation furnace to connect e.g. an outside torch system to the process tube because it would lead to metallic contamination. Cutting the grooves in a ceramic cup, like quartz, is much more complicated and costly than cutting the grooves in stainless steel. Furthermore, for reasons given above, the diameter of the ball will always be smaller than the diameter of the cup. The more so as in the embodiment shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,479 the cup is of stainless steel and the ball of ceramic material. Even when at room temperature the cup and ball fit exactly together, when heated the cup will be larger than the ball because of the larger thermal expansion coefficient of stainless steel as compared to quartz. The actual contact between cup and ball will be a line rather than a plane. Over the line contact, gas transport through diffusion can easily take place. Another disadvantage of the proposed connection is that it is directed towards vacuum applications. When the process tube is at atmospheric pressure, just as the surrounding atmosphere, it is not convenient to apply a vacuum to the connection because then air from outside and process gas from the inside are sucked into the coupling and meet each other there, resulting in potentially undesired reactions. Finally, the design requires a second vacuum system with all its connections and supplies, adding to the complexity of the installation.
It is the object of the invention to avoid the above disadvantages and provide in a high temperature resistant ball-cup connection that prevents the ingress of gasses from the surrounding atmosphere into the process tube and that is in particular suited for atmospheric process tubes.
According to one aspect of the invention a joint assembly is provided for connecting two tubes, one of said tubes comprising at its extremity a cup shaped member and the other of said tubes comprising at its extremity a ball shaped member to be received in said cup shaped member, said cup shaped member being provided with a gas feed channel discharging at one end into an annular groove at the cup/ball interface and at the other end connected to a conduit outside said cup shaped member, said conduit being connected to an inert gas source having a pressure above atmospheric pressure.
Because of the use of overpressure of the inert gas introduced between the parts of the ball joint, inert gas will be flowing from the annular groove through the gap between the cup shaped member and the ball shaped member, in one direction towards the surrounding atmosphere and in the opposing direction towards the interior of the process tube. The supply of inert gas should be such that in the gap an inert gas flow speed is maintained at a sufficiently high level such that back diffusion of atmospheric gasses such as oxygen and water vapor through the ball joint is reduced to an acceptable minimum.
The joint assembly according to the invention can be used in any application wherein two tubes have to be connected to each other and where the connection should be heat resistant and prevent the ingress of gasses from the surrounding atmosphere. More particular this joint is used in a furnace for processing semiconductor wafers.
According to a preferred aspect of the invention the process tube is provided with a ball at its extremity whilst the tube connecting thereto is provided with a cup shaped member. The tube connecting to the furnace tube can be a gas feed/discharge tube. However, the invention can also comprise the connection with a sensor tube. Typically, the process tube comprises a ceramic material like quartz or SiC. Preferably, the connecting tube comprises also a ceramic material like quartz or SiC, although for some applications it is possible that the connecting tube comprises a metal like stainless steel.
According to a further aspect, the invention relates to a method for operating of a furnace, comprising a ceramic material furnace tube in which a substrate is processed and through which a processing gas is flowed, a ceramic material feed/discharge tube connected to said furnace tube through a ball joint and through which said processing gas and possible reactants are fed/discharged, wherein between the cup and the ball of said ball joint an inert gas having a super atmospheric pressure is introduced.


A symbol timing recovery circuit for a base band communication system having a plurality of channels includes a main ADC-STR (analog to digital converter - symbol timing recovery) unit and a plurality of sub ADC-STR units. The main ADC-STR detects a timing error of a first received signal and uses the detected value as a sampling signal of the first received signal. The plurality of sub- ADC-STR units compares the sampling signal generated from the main ADC-STR unit and a symbol timing signal following the first receive signal. Each of the sub ADC-STR units delays the sampling signal in accordance with the compared value for a predetermined time. The delayed signal is used as a sampling signal. The circuit employs a voltage-controlled oscillator VCO in a main ADC-STR circuit, but a VCO is not used in the sub- ADC-STR circuits, so as to delay an output signal of the main ADC-STR circuit and achieve a phase locked loop. Hence, mutual interference between the voltage-controlled oscillators is avoided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pulse amplitude modulation (hereinafter, "PAM") communication system, and more particularly, to an improved symbol timing recovery circuit for a PAM communication system.
2. Background of the Related Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a basic base band PAM communication system. The system includes a PAM unit 10 in a transmit terminal for modulating the pulse width of a binary data signal ak and outputting an analog signal s(t), an analog/digital converter (hereinafter, "ADC") 20 for converting an analog signal r(t) received from a channel CH into a digital signal rk and a symbol timing recovery (hereinafter, "STR") circuit 30 for receiving output signal rk of the ADC 20, and carrying out a timing error detection and correction and feeding back the corrected signal to the ADC 20. An equalizer 40 removes the noise components from output signal rk of the ADC 20 and a slicer 50 converts an output signal of equalizer 40 to a binary data signal ak.
At this time, the STR circuit 30 outputs a sampling signal either in accordance with signal r(t) applied to ADC 20 (feed forward method, as shown in dotted line) or in accordance with signal rk outputted from ADC 20 (feed back method). Here, the feed back method is employed to take advantage of digital signal processing capability.
FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of a PAM communication system including a plurality of channels, each of the channels CH1, . . . , CHn basically includes a base band PAM communication system. A serial-to-parallel converter (hereinafter, "SPC") 60 and a parallel-to-serial converter (hereinafter, "PSC") 70 serve to integrate the respective channels CH1, . . . , CHn.
FIG. 3 shows a plurality of ADC-STR circuits in the system of FIG. 2. The ADC-STR circuits are identical to each other in structure and can be respectively broadly regarded as a phase locked loop (hereinafter, "PLL"). Here, the PLL operation principle is based on an algorithm of "Symbol Timing Recovery" disclosed in the article entitled "Timing Recovery in Digital Synchronous Data Receiver" by K. Mueller and M. Muller, IEEE. T.sub.-- COM, May 1996. The plurality of STRs 30-1, . . . , 30-n each respectively include a timing error detector (hereinafter, "TED") 11 for receiving a corresponding one of digital signals r.sup.1 k, . . . r.sup.n k outputted from ADCs 20-1, . . . , 20-n, and a voltage controlled oscillator (hereinafter, "VCO") 12 for being oscillated in accordance with a timing error signal outputted from TED 11 and outputting a sampling signal to a corresponding one of ADCs 20-1, . . . , 20-n.
The operation of the thusly constituted base band PAM communication system will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. First, a transmit terminal Tx distributes binary data ak (k=0, 1, 2 . . . ) to the plurality of channels CH1, . . . , CHn through the SPC 60. The distributed binary data b.sup.1 k, . . . b.sup.n k are converted to analog signals s.sup.1 (t), . . . , s.sup.n (t) in PAM units 10-1, . . . , 10-n.
In a receive terminal Rx, the received signals r.sup.1 (t), . . . r.sup.n (t) are formed into digital signals r.sup.1 k, . . . r.sup.n k through the ADCs 20-1, . . . , 20-n. At this time, a sampling signal according to an exact timing is required in ADCs 20-1, . . . , 20-n. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, TEDs 11 respectively detect timing error signals from digital signals r.sup.1 k, . . . r.sup.n k outputted from ADCs 20-1, . . . , 20-n, and respectively, drive the VCOs 12 with voltages proportional to the detected timing error signal, whereby sampling signals respectively outputted from the VCOs 12 are respectively applied to ADCs 20-1, . . . , 20-n.
Each of the ADCs 20-1, . . . , 20-n carries out a sampling operation with regard to respective received digital signals r.sup.1 (k), . . . r.sup.n (k) and output respective digital signals r.sup.1 k, . . . r.sup.n k from which timing errors are removed. The equalizers 40-1, . . . , 40-n serve to restrain distortion or noise which has occurred in the channels. Binary digits b.sup.1 k, . . . b.sup.n k are respectively restored through the slicers 50-1, . . . , 50-n. Therefore, the binary digits b.sup.1 k, . . . b.sup.n k, which are processed independently at each channel and in parallel, are integrated in the PSC 70 and restored into a series of serial data ak which are finally outputted.
As described above, in the PAM communication system including a plurality of channels, an N plurality of VCOs 12 is required because the ADC-STR circuits are independently operated. Here, the N plurality of VCOs 12 is operated under an identical frequency so that it is impossible to avoid mutual interference, resulting in disabling a normal PLL operation. In addition, when an N plurality of receivers corresponding to an N plurality of channels is integrated in a single chip, the interference between the VCOs is further increased, thereby failing a normal timing recovery.
The above references are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for appropriate teachings of additional or alternative details, features and/or technical background.

Symbol timing recovery circuit for a base band communication system using a plurality of channels


Tube roller pumps for blood treatment devices are disclosed. The pumps include a curved surface with a rotor rotatable therein. The rotor attaches via a shaft reception to a drive shaft of the pump. The rotor has a first locking element for axially locking the rotor on the shaft and a second locking element for rotationally coupling the shaft and the rotor. The shaft reception and the drive shaft guide the rotor to a position on the shaft, when pushed onto the shaft, and, at this position, the first element may be moved by the shaft from locked to released. The rotor, when pushed further onto the shaft, is moved to another position at which the first element is automatically moved back to locked and the second element may be brought into manual engagement with the shaft to transmit torque from the shaft to the rotor.

In medical devices for extracorporeal blood treatment (dialysis) tube roller pumps are frequently used, which convey the blood drawn from the patient to a dialyzer and return it to the patient. Such tube roller pumps operate peristaltically, with a loop-shaped tube segment abutting on an appropriately curved running surface of the pump housing. A pump rotor, which is located within the running surface, then moves with its outer edges, or rather with rollers attached thereto, along the tube segment. In so doing, it locally squeezes the tube thus allowing, on the basis of the elastic properties of the material of the tube segment, blood to be conveyed through the tube segment. To this end, the blood is supplied to the tube segment via a first connection and removed therefrom via a further connection at the other end of the tube segment. The tube segment thus forms, e.g. together with the supply and discharge lines and a plurality of air traps, a so-called transfer system with which the patient's blood is conveyed to a dialyzer and back to the patient.

Tube roller pump with auto-orientable and auto-lockable rotor and medical device for extracorporeal blood treatment with tube roller pump


A method of producing a fuel cell stack is disclosed, the method including the steps of compressing the fuel cell stack at a first pressure and compressing the fuel cell stack at a second pressure higher than the first pressure, wherein a shorting resistance of fuel cells in the fuel cell stack is maximized and a durability of the fuel cell stack is maximized.

A fuel cell system is increasingly being used as a power source in a wide variety of applications. Fuel cell systems have been proposed for use in power consumers such as vehicles as a replacement for internal combustion engines, for example. Such a system is disclosed in commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/418,536, hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Fuel cells may also be used as stationary electric power plants in buildings and residences, as portable power in video cameras, computers, and the like. Typically, the fuel cells generate electricity used to charge batteries or to provide power for an electric motor.
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices which directly combine a fuel such as hydrogen and an oxidant such as oxygen to produce electricity. The oxygen is typically supplied by an air stream. The hydrogen and oxygen combine to result in the formation of water.
The basic process employed by a fuel cell is efficient, substantially pollution-free, quiet, free from moving parts (other than an air compressor, cooling fans, pumps and actuators), and may be constructed to yield only heat and water as by-products. The term "fuel cell" is typically used to refer to either a single cell or a plurality of cells depending upon the context in which it is used. The plurality of cells is typically bundled together and arranged to form a stack with the plurality of cells commonly arranged in electrical series. Since single fuel cells can be assembled into stacks of varying sizes, systems can be designed to produce a desired energy output level providing flexibility of design for different applications.
Different fuel cell types can be provided such as phosphoric acid, alkaline, molten carbonate, solid oxide, and proton exchange membrane (PEM), for example. The basic components of a PEM-type fuel cell are two electrodes separated by a polymer membrane electrolyte. Each electrode is coated on one side with a thin catalyst layer. The electrodes, catalyst, and membrane together form a membrane electrode assembly (MEA).
In a typical PEM-type fuel cell, the MEA is sandwiched between "anode" and "cathode" gas diffusion media (GDM). The GDM and MEA are pressed between a pair of electronically conductive plates. The plates conduct current between adjacent cells internally of the stack in the case of bipolar plates and conduct current externally of the stack (in the case of monopolar plates at the end of the stack).
Electrical shorting through the MEA of a fuel cell is one of the major failure modes of the fuel cell. MEA shorting not only degrades the performance of the fuel cells, but also leads to membrane thinning and pinhole formation, which are undesirable. In the extreme case, the shorting can also lead to significant overheating, which not only can damage soft goods of the fuel cell, but also fuel cell plate hardware. Accordingly, it is desirable to devise a mitigation method to reduce the propensity of MEA shorting.
Despite the above-mentioned consequences from the MEA shorting, the fundamental mechanism of MEA shorting is poorly understood. Currently, there are two main theories in respect of shorting mechanisms. One is the "poking" mechanism of individual carbon fibers, and the other is the "indentation" mechanism of lumped fibers/binders (hard spots) in the GDM.
The "poking" of individual fibers through the GDM creates direct contact and passage for electrical conduction between the anode and the cathode sides of the MEA. Although this theory appears plausible, shorting tests have indicated that this type of mechanism is not the dominant mechanism causing MEA shorting.
Studies have shown that hard spots in the GDM are more likely the cause of MEA shorting. It has been a continuing challenge to provide an efficient and cost efficient method of minimizing hard spots in the GDM.
It would be desirable to produce a fuel cell stack assembly process to maximize MEA shorting resistance in the fuel cell to maximize a durability of the fuel cell stack, wherein soft goods and hardware used in the fuel cell are substantially unchanged, and a cost of the process is minimized.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method to maximize fuel cell stack shorting resistance


Treatment of halogenated hydrocarbon contaminants in groundwater is accomplished by passing the water through a bed of granular iron (43). An electrical circuit (47) is promoted for providing electrons for reducing the contaminant. The circuit may be made using a DC supply, by configuring an electrolytic circuit, or by providing a layer of a second metal such as zinc placed next to the iron bed, thereby creating a galvenic circuit.

Patent publication WO-91/08176 disclosed the technique of passing water contaminated with an halogenated hydrocarbon through a (permeable) body of a metal, for example through a body of granular iron. The body of granular iron was placed in a trench excavated in the ground in the path of an oncoming plume of the contaminated groundwater, whereby the groundwater was caused to pass through the metal. Or, the contaminated water was taken out of the ground, and passed through a container of granular iron.
Developments of that technology are disclosed in WO-92/19556 and in WO-92/19545.
Provided there is a substantial residence time, and provided that strictly reducing conditions can obtain over a prolonged period, traces of halogenated hydrocarbons in the water can be caused to break down chemically in the presence of the iron or other metal.
It is surmised that the chemical breakdown reaction may be explained as follows:
Under the conditions of the process, iron metal oxidizes to the ferrous ion, releasing two electrons, i.e.
Fe.rarw..fwdarw.Fe2++2e- PA1 H++C-Hal+2e-.rarw..fwdarw.C-H+Hal- PA1 2e-+2H.sub.2 O.rarw..fwdarw.H.sub.2 +2OH-
The halogenated hydrocarbon may be regarded as comprising a carbon-halogen component, C-Hal, and a hydrogen ion. Upon interacting with the electrons, the carbon reacts with the hydrogen ion to form a relatively non-hazardous hydrocarbon, such as methane gas, and halogen ion in solution, e.g chloride etc.
Thus, the halogenated hydrocarbon breaks down in the presence of iron, under reducing conditions.
However, what can also happen is that electrons available from the iron could, under reducing conditions, cause the surrounding water to dissociate, i.e
The H.sub.2 bubbles off as hydrogen gas, but the presence of the 2OH- serves to raise the pH of the water, which can rise high enough, say to 9 or 10, that dissolved inorganic species present in the water, which precipitate out of solution at high pH, can start to do so. At high pH, for example, carbonates of various kinds, which are nearly always present in groundwater, can precipitate.
Under high pH conditions (i.e a pH of 9 or 10) the ferrous ions, if plentiful, could combine with the dissolved substances, and ferrous carbonate or ferrous hydroxide may precipitate.
The precipitates are a problem for the process of decomposition of halogenated hydrocarbons because they tend to become deposited in the pore spaces of the body of granular iron, and to clog up the body, making the body not so permeable to the flow of groundwater.
The invention is aimed generally at promoting the breakdown of the halogenated hydrocarbon. The invention, in a particular aspect, is aimed at inhibiting the precipitation of the iron species and other substances from solution, which, if permitted, might reduce the permeability of the body of granular iron, and might coat the particles of iron with substances that would impede the reduction of the halogenated contaminant.


An EEPROM cell (32) is formed having a vertical select gate (34) and a horizontal select gate (40). The vertical select gate (34) and the horizontal select gate (40) enable two dimensional decoding which selects which one or which plurality of memory cells (32) are enabled for program, erase and read operations. An additional select gate having a control electrode (44) can be added to the cell (32) to provide additional decoding as is necessary. This split gate EEPROM cell (32) can be readily integrated onto an integrated circuit which also contains flash memory (204). The flash memory (204) and the split control gate EEPROM array (202) can share the same common charge pumps circuit (208).

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional EEPROM memory array. A section 10 of eight EEPROM cells is illustrated in detail. Conventional EEPROM memory cells have a byte select transistor 12 as illustrated in FIG. 1 which selects or de-selects eight EEPROM cells at a time. Each EEPROM cell of the eight EEPROM cells in section 10 have a single drain select transistor 14 and a single floating gate transistor 16. Therefore, the detailed illustration of section 10 in FIG. 1 contains eight drain select transistors 14 which are respectively coupled serially to eight floating gate transistors 16 to make eight EEPROM cells. The drain electrodes of the drain select transistors 14 are coupled to bit lines 20 as illustrated in FIG. 1. The source electrodes of the floating gate transistor 16 are all coupled together to a common source 22 as illustrated in FIG. 1. Vertical and horizontal selection of memory cells is performed respectively using the vertical select 18 and the horizontal select 24. Both the vertical select 18 and the horizontal select 24 are coupled to the byte select transistor 12.
The conventional EEPROM device of FIG. 1 requires extremely high drain voltages in order to properly operate. Specifically, drain voltages applied through the transistors 14 to the floating transistors 16 are typically on the order of 10-16 volts in order to enable EEPROM tunneling effects. In order to properly handle this large voltage and the higher electric fields/currents associated with this larger voltage range, the drain select transistors 14 are specially-designed high voltage transistors which are very difficult to manufacture along with lower voltage logic transistors which are integrated on the same integrated circuit (IC) substrate. Therefore, the conventional EEPROM of FIG. 1 is disadvantageous in that the transistors 14 must be specialized high voltage transistors and that these high voltage transistors must be integrated with other lower voltage transistors on a single substrate which often results in reduced yield.
In addition, the circuit of FIG. 1 contains seventeen transistors in order to store eight bits of information. Due to the use of seventeen transistors, a conventional EEPROM cell as illustrated in FIG. 1 will have a very large surface area compared to alternative solutions.
One other prior art device which is of interest contains multiple control gates, but does not use tunneling in order to store a logic value. This structure is referred to as a neuron MOSFET. A neuron MOSFET is a multi-control electrode device which operates based on capacitive coupling and does not use electron tunneling or hot carrier injection (HCI) of electrons into a floating gate in order to store a logic value. Instead, a neuron MOSFET is more like a conventional logic gate, and less like an EPROM or EEPROM cell, in that the neuron MOSFET is not a non-volatile structure but a structure that losses logic state when power is removed from the control gates. Therefore, a neuron MOSFET does not require a program and erase cycles and will not store a logic bit value in a non-volatile manner similar to conventional EEPROM cells.
Therefore, a new transistor structure which is non-volatile in nature and: (1) has a reduced surface area; (2) has a lower drain voltage to reduce gate oxide stress; and (4) has no need for high voltage transistors in the memory array which have been shown to reduce conventional yield, is needed in the IC industry.

Split-Control gate electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) cell


A method, a device, and an interface for transmitting data between at least two subscribers, at least one first subscriber transmitting a pulse-width-modulated data signal. The at least second subscriber for its part transmits an asynchronous data signal, which is composed of binary signals, both subscribers transmitting the data, in each case, at a different, specifiable transmission rate. In this context, one of the two transmission rates, in particular that of the second subscriber, is adjusted, in particular increased, so that the pulse-width-modulated data signal of the first subscriber is simulated by a number of the binary signals of the asynchronous data signal.

The transmission of data in the form of a pulse-width-modulated signal is described in PCT Publication No. WO 98/05139. In one specific embodiment of synchronized data transmission, two different information pulses and a synchronization pulse are generated using different pulse lengths. In this manner, as a result of the three different states within the context of one pulse-width modulation, both data information as well as synchronization information can be transmitted. In this context, the use of this method, cited in the related art, and the use of the corresponding interface for data transmission is represented in the aforementioned document, in particular, as applied in a motor vehicle, for example, in the connection between a voltage regulator and the electrical system of a motor vehicle, or as the connection between the voltage regulator and the microcomputer of the digital engine electronics as a component of the control unit.
In addition to a multiplicity of other application possibilities, such as in machine tools, i.e., in the area of producer goods, or in the area of commodity goods, it is precisely in the automobile area that, as a result of the continued expansion of electronic systems and their cross-linking, the necessity is increasingly evident of replacing conventional wiring by bus systems and sub-bus systems.
In this context, in particular, as a central main bus system, a CAN bus, for example, is used, to which, in the automobile area, e.g., for the closing system or an electronic window lift system, etc., a sub-bus system is coupled, especially via a gateway.
Sub-bus systems of this type are robust and simple local bus systems, usually having low transmission rates, generally being subordinated to a main bus system such as CAN. Sub-bus systems of this type are generally configured as master-slave systems, the subscriber, or nodes, that carry out the master function frequently possessing the gateway to the superordinate main bus system. Known sub-bus systems in his connection are the BSS system (bit-synchronous interface) and the LIN bus system (local interconnect network). In the case of sub-bus systems such as LIN or BSS, different sub-bus protocols are generally used. This means that the systems use the same physical layer but different data bit codings. Thus in the case of the LIN bus system, a standard NRZ coding (not return to zero) is used, whereas in a BSS bus a phase modeling, specifically a pulse-width modeling, is used as the coding.
Heretofore, sub-bus systems of this type, especially the two aforementioned, have been so different that they cannot communicate when mixed. For the hardware of systems of this type, this results in the fact that either a variant must be selected or the costs for implementation sharply increase. Furthermore, as a result, the flexibility of changing from one to another bus system, or bus protocol, is sharply limited. Thus, heretofore, only special, very expensive electronic circuits, or components, and very expensive software implementations have been capable of imaging a sub-bus protocol, for example using pulse-width-modulated data coding, onto another sub-bus protocol, or onto another sub-bus controller, for example, using asynchronous, binary data coding.
Thus the objective comes about to realize, using a simple arrangement, this type of mixed communication between different bus, especially sub-bus systems.

Method, device, and interface for transmitting data