An apparatus comprising at least two RIP measurement bands further comprises an electric power source arrangement, which excites simultaneously the at least two measurement bands with electric currents of different pseudo random variations, for making respiratory signals output by the at least two measurement bands unique. The apparatus also comprises a wireless transmitter arrangement, which transmits wirelessly respiratory information based on the respiratory signals output by the at least two measurement bands.

Breathing of a person or more generally a mammal may be measured using a pneumotachometer, which is cumbersome, or using two belts of a respiratory inductance plethysmography, which is typically considered less cumbersome. Each of the two elastic belts comprise an electrically conducting wire, and as the belts encircle the body, an electrically conducting wire of each of the belts forms a loop or a coil. In a typical measurement arrangement, one of the belts is located at the chest and another is located at the abdomen. To measure inductances of the coils of the belts, an exciting operational power in a form of alternating electric current is fed to the coils. An inductance of the coil of the belt at the chest depends on a cross sectional area of the chest, and an inductance of the coil of the belt at the abdomen depends on a cross sectional area of the abdomen. Because breathing varies the cross sectional areas and thus the inductances, breathing may be measured on the basis of a variation of the inductances.
However, magnetic coupling between the coils of the different belts i.e. mutual inductance disturbs the inductive respiratory measurement.
There have been attempts to have the exciting electric current frequencies of the chest and abdominal belts separated in order to decrease the magnetic coupling. The respiratory inductance plethysmography belt impedance has parasitic components and exiting and measuring at different frequencies might result in measurement error due to unknown parasitic components.
Instead of the frequency separation of the exciting electric current, also temporal separation of the exciting electric current has been proposed. Then an inductance of one belt is measured at a moment when no current is fed to another belt, and vice versa. However, this requires accurate time base between the sensors in order to avoid shift as a function of time. This is a viable solution when time base can be guaranteed to be accurate, for example with two or more RIP belts with wired connections to a hub. However with two or more wireless belts the drifting of oscillation frequencies will result in a loss of time sync and loss of measurement accuracy.
Additionally, the wiring between the belts and data analyser is disturbing to the user, particularly during a long measurement.
Hence, the problem of mutual inductance still limits respiratory inductance plethysmography, and there is a need to improve the respiratory measurement particularly when using respiratory inductance plethysmography belts.

Apparatus, system and method of respiratory inductance plethysmography with measurement bands


An example control valve is disclosed herein and includes a valve body having a substantially axial fluid flow path extending from an upstream face surface to a downstream face surface of the valve body. A crank is disposed within the valve body, and a reciprocating valve trim, external to the valve body, is coupled to the crank and abuts the downstream face surface of the valve body.

Control valves are commonly employed in process control systems to control fluid flow in the system downstream of the control valve. The flow at which a control system supplies fluid may vary according to the demands placed on the system. In liquid or gas control valves (collectively "fluid control valves"), a number of design and performance considerations may be important. For example, designers of fluid control valves may strive to design control valves that have greater pressure stability and reduced sensitivity to inlet pressure variations. Further, designers may strive to construct more compact designs, and designs which might favor easy assembly and service.
Conventional butterfly control valves operate by positioning a disk within a valve body to control fluid flow through the valve body. The disk rotates about a pivot point or axis defined by a shaft mounted within the valve body. Rotation of the disk, resulting from a torque applied to the shaft, creates or reduces an opening for fluid to flow through the valve body. As the disk is rotated from a closed position (typically vertical) to a fully open position (typically almost horizontal), the flow area through which the fluid can flow increases. The fluid flow can be somewhat controlled by adjusting the angle of rotation of the disk within the valve body. Conventional butterfly valves are generally the most economical of the all types of process control valves having small face-to-face dimensions and low actuator stack height. Compared with other types of control valves, for example globe valves and ball valves, butterfly valves provide a relatively high flow capacity for relatively lower cost. Thus, for specific applications, butterfly valves are very economical. In the alternative, conventional butterfly valves have limited application in process control due to the inherent flow attributes of these valves.
Globe or sliding stem control valves use an up and down movement of a plug connected to a stem within the valve body that closes against the flow passing through a valve seat. Globe valves are good for regulating flow. One of the main limitations of globe valves is that the shut-off rating can be lower than other valves, especially in the larger sizes. Also, globe valves generally are the largest control valves with larger face-to-face dimensions than rotary valves and generally have large actuator stack heights due to the increased thrust required to tightly shut off.
Alternatively, ball valves are designed with a ball inside the valve body that rotates against a seal and are for on/off control without pressure drop. In a full port ball valve, the ball has a hole through the middle so that when the hole is in line with both ends of the valve, flow will occur. When the valve is closed by turning the ball 90 degrees, the hole is perpendicular to the ends of the valve, and therefore flow is blocked. Ball valves are very durable and usually have excellent shutoff even after years of use. They are generally preferred over globe valves in shutoff applications. The main restriction in the application of ball valves is limited rangeability because of the large amount of flow that the ball allows.
Axial or in-line flow control valves are an alternative to control valves having a 90-degree turn. Axial flow valves have a flow path or passageway through the valve that is substantially straight or parallel to the fluid flow direction to minimize turbulent flow through the valve body. While the flow path or passageway may not be exactly straight or parallel, the flow path or passageway may include a turn that is significantly less than 90 degrees, which can reduce vibrations and losses of efficiency.
Axial flow control valves typically include an actuator mounted to an exterior surface of a valve body. The actuator is operatively coupled to a flow control member of the valve and moves the flow control member between an open position and a closed position to allow or prevent the flow of fluid through the valve. Some known axial flow control valves actuate a flow control member within the valve body relative to a seat ring to control fluid flow through the valve body. However, axial flow control valves suffer from complex internal actuation mechanisms and expensive maintenance costs.
Lastly, an isolation valve is a valve that stops the flow to a given location, usually for maintenance or safety purposes. Similar to the performance of a rotary butterfly valve in On-Off applications, they can also be used to provide flow logic (selecting one flow path versus another), and to connect external equipment to a system and are generally manually operated and can be either rotary or sliding stem configurations. That is, a valve is classified as an isolation valve because of its intended function in a process pipe loop, not because of the design of the valve itself and isolation valves are conventionally independent from control valves in process control loops. Many control valve applications will require two or three isolation valves for each control valve for maintenance or safety purposes.
As understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the butterfly valves are better suited for low cost, On-Off flow control applications. Globes valves are suited for applications that are less cost sensitive and require high performance flow modulation whereas ball valves are most often used in high flow, tight suit off applications. However, numerous process control applications require precise flow control through the entire operational range of the control valve and tight shutoff.


A sensor-equipped hub unit comprises a hub unit 1 having a wheel-side raceway member 4, a body-side raceway member 5, and two rows of rolling bodies 6, and a sensor device 2 provided on the hub unit 1. The sensor device 2 has a magnetostrictive sensor 31 for detecting a reverse magnetostrictive effect of the raceway member 4 produced by a force exerted thereon by the rolling bodies 6. The sensor device 2 detects rotation from the number of repetitions of a variation in strain and also detects the force acting on the wheel-side raceway member 4 from the amplitude of strain.

Since various items of data are required for controlling motor vehicles, it has been proposed to provide a sensor on a hub unit comprising a wheel-side raceway member to which a wheel is to be attached, a body-side raceway member to be fixed to the vehicle body, and two rows of rolling bodies arranged between the two raceway members.
For example, Patent Literature 1 (the publication of JP-A No. 3-209016) discloses a sensor-equipped hub unit wherein an annular support member is attached to the inner end face of a body-side raceway member and provided with a strain sensor.
Further Patent Literature 2 (the publication of JP-A No. 1-206113) discloses a sensor-equipped antifriction bearing unit which comprises an antifriction bearing having a fixed-side raceway member, a rotation-side raceway member and rolling bodies, and a load- and temperature-measuring strain gauge attached to the outer side of an outer ring serving as the fixed-side raceway member of the antifriction bearing.
In recent years, the control means in use for motor vehicles include drive force control means not permitting spinning of the drive wheels when the vehicle is started or accelerated, and braking force control means for suppressing lateral skidding for cornering, in addition to the ABS control means (antilock brake system). To ensure more accurate control, it has become important to detect data which is usable effectively for these modes of control.
In view of the above situation, the present inventor has conceived the idea of improving the control of vehicles by accurately measuring the ground contact load acting on the tire.
However, since the hub unit of Patent Literature 1 having a sensor is adapted to measure the strain of the annular support member, the ground contact load determined from the strain involves a great error, so that the hub unit has the problem that the ground contact load can not be obtained with high accuracy from the measurement of the strain sensor. Additionally, a rotation sensor is required for measuring the speed of rotation, and a displacement sensor is necessary for measuring axial displacement.
The antifriction bearing unit of Patent Literature 2 has the advantage that both load and temperature can be measured by a single sensor (strain sensor), whereas the force to be exerted by the rolling bodies on the raceway member involves great measuring errors, so that the unit has the problem that the force acting on the raceway member can not be obtained from the measurement of the strain gauge with high accuracy.
An object of the present invention is to provide a hub unit having a sensor and adapted to measure ground contact loads with high accuracy and to detect the rotation of the wheel.
Another object of the invention is to provide an antifriction bearing unit having a sensor and adapted to accurately measure the force acting on the raceway member of a bearing and to detect rotation.

Rolling element bearing unit with sensor and hub unit with sensor


An electronic device, which comprises: at least two parts foldable in relation to each other, which can be turned into a first position and into a second position around a rotation axis; and a flexible display device, which extends over at least two foldable parts, covering them either entirely or partly. The flexible display device comprises: a folded position, to which the display device settles in the first position, and in which it folds around a first direction, which is parallel in relation to the rotation axis; and a curved position, to which the display device settles in the second position, and in which it curves around a second direction, which is transverse in relation to the rotation axis. A flexible display device can also be used with an electronic device.

The use of large area displays in foldable electronic devices is becoming increasingly interesting and this also creates growing interest towards different kinds of flexible display devices. Some solutions have been presented, inter alia, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,377,324, where the folding of a flexible display device has been taken into account; in U.S. Pat. No. 6,577,496, where the flexible display device is able to move; and in US 2004/0052044 A1, where a hinge system of an electronic device facilitates the flexing of a display device and the closing of the electronic device.
The manufacture, materials, structure and operation of flexible display devices are known as such in such respects how, for example, the structure allows the folding of a display device, as disclosed in US 2004/0159710 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,176, or the rolling of a display device, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,232, WO 2004/047059 A1 or US 2004/0061683 A1. The display device is based on, for example, LCD technique (Liquid Crystal Display) and they have been applied, inter alia, in mobile phones, as disclosed in WO 2004/001704 A1, US 2002/0090980 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,771,232 B2 or U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,076 B1.
In foldable electronic devices, such as wireless terminals, mobile phones and PDA devices (Personal Digital Assistant) the use of flexible display devices is problematic, when an integral display device is located twofold between the parts of an electronic device and covers the different parts of the opened electronic device. The electronic device is easy to close by folding the parts against each other, because the flexible display device may naturally tend to fold twofold. In the folded position said tendency is removed or decreases significantly, but in the open position of the electronic device, the above-mentioned effect may be directed towards the display device as a continuous tension. In addition to this, the phenomenon in question may limit the implementation possibilities of the electronic device, because its effect must be compensated in the construction of the hinge structure in order for the electronic device not to tend to close by itself. Lockings must possibly be added to the hinge or the device must be manually prevented from closing itself. Further, complex mechanical support arrangements are often required to ensure that the folding display remains flat and therefore easy to read when the device is opened.

Foldable electronic device and a flexible display device


A dynamic focusing apparatus is comprised of a parabaolic voltage generating device for generating a parabolic voltage VpbI across a capacitor 9M by applying a horizontal flyback pulse a series circuit of an inductor 8 and the capacitor, a coupling device 10 for supplying the parabolic voltage to a focus electrode "f" of a cathode-ray tube, the capacitor which includes a plurality of capacitors 9S, an electronic switching device 11 for selectively connecting some of the plurality of capacitors for a time duration corresponding to an approximate center of a horizontal period and for disconnecting the some of the plurality of capacitors for other duration, and a switching control device for controlling the electronic switching device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dynamic focusing apparatus for a cathode-ray tube display device and, particularly, to the dynamic focusing apparatus which generates an optimum waveform of focus voltage to the cathode-ray tube display device responsive to a variety of horizontal deflection frequencies and horizontal deflection angles.
2. Description of the Related Art
A dynamic focusing apparatus of the prior art will be described referring to FIGS. 1 through 5.
A horizontal output stage 1 is supplied a drive signal Vd from a preceding device (not shown) and outputs a pulse signal Vh and further, supplies a horizontal deflection current Iy to a horizontal deflection coil 2.
The pulse signal Vh is supplied to a flyback transformer primary coil 3a, then a high voltage pulse Vhv is generated by a secondary coil 3b. The high voltage pulse Vhv is rectified by i rectifier 4 to a direct current (DC) high voltage HV and is supplied to an anode terminal "a" for driving a cathode-ray tube (not shown).
Resistors 5, 7 and a variable resistor 6 comprise a dividing network for obtaining a focus voltage Ef by dividing the DC high voltage TIV. The focus voltage Ef is supplied to a focus terminal "f" for driving a focus electrode of the cathode-ray tube.
When a cathode-ray tube display device is a simple one of which the focus voltage Ef is simply a DC voltage, a dynamic focusing apparatus operates by a construction mentioned in the above, and does not need such an additional construction mentioned in the following. A description will be given that the focus voltage Ef is set to be larger at both horizontal edges of an image displayed on a cathode-ray tube so as to obtain a fine focused image on a full area thereof in the following.
The flyback transformer 3 has a third coil 3c, which generates a horizontal flyback pulse Vp and supplies it to a series circuit of an inductance 8 and an integrating capacitor 9. As a sawtooth waveform of current due to the horizontal flyback pulse Vp flows the series circuit, a parabolic voltage Vpb is generated across the capacitor 9. A parabolic voltage Vpb is added to the focus voltage Ef through a DC blocking capacitor 10, and supplied to the focus terminal "f".
When a horizontal frequency of the cathode-ray tube display device is a predetermined one, the capacitor 9 is allowed to have a fixed value. But, when the horizontal frequency thereof is variable, an amplitude of the parabolic voltage Vpb changes widely. Higher the horizontal frequency thereof becomes, smaller the parabolic voltage Vpb becomes. The change of the parabolic voltage Vpb does not agree to the focus voltage Ef which is required to be a fixed value.
As shown in FIG. 1, when the horizontal frequency takes plural values, a plurality of additional capacitors such as capacitors 9a, 9b, and 9c are provided and selected by switches 11a, 11b, and 11c responding to the changed horizontal frequency.
The capacitor 9 is fixed for the highest frequency of the cathode-ray tube display device for example, then an adequate value of the parabolic voltage Vpb is generated, and the switches 11a, 11b, and 11c are kept to be open. The switches 11a, 11b and 11c are successively made closed as required for adding a capacitance parallel with the capacitor 9 and holding the value of the parabolic voltage Vpb constant as the horizontal frequency becomes lower.
The switching of the switches 11a, 11b and 11c may be manually operated or may be electrically controlled by an electronic controller so as to hold the parabolic voltage constant. A switch control device 12 is a device for switching electrically the switches 11a, 11b and 11c in FIG. 1.
The resultant focus voltage Ef is a parabolic wave which is high at both ends of a screen of the cathode-ray tube horizontally and low at the center region thereof as shown in FIG. 2. Almost whole screen area of the cathode-ray tube shows a finely focused picture by the focus voltage Ef.
However, it is not sufficient to get finer picture which is obtained by such a parabolic voltage as shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 shows the most ideal parabolic pattern of the focus voltage. A gradient of a curve of the parabolic voltage is preferable to be steep at both ends of the screen horizontally, and is preferable to be small at the center region thereof which is like a bathtub-shape.
FIG. 4 shows a method of obtaining such a parabolic wave as shown in FIG. 3 in the prior art. A parabolic voltage Vpb1 generated from such an electronic circuit as shown in FIG. 1 is inputted to a slicing circuit comprising a resistor 15A, a diode 13, a capacitor 14, and a resistor 15B. A center region of the parabolic voltage Vpb1 is sliced by the slicing circuit into a deformed parabolic voltage Vpbs as shown in FIG. 5. The deformed parabolic voltage Vpbs is supplied to the focus terminal "f" of the cathode-ray tube through a DC blocking capacitor 10 shown in FIG. 1.
A drawback of the slicing circuit is; the resistors 15A and 15B have a Large power loss, the center region of the deformed parabolic voltage Vpbs is flat, and the focus function thereof is not ideal as the deformed parabolic voltage Vpbs does not agree with the most ideal parabolic pattern of the focus voltage shown in FIG. 3.
The dynamic focusing apparatus of the prior art shown in FIG. 1 changes a capacitance value in steps, therefore, a number of tunable horizontal frequency is limited by the number of switches and associated capacitors which are provided thereof. Accordingly, the parabolic voltage for further horizontal frequency may not be realized to an optimum value, therefore, the picture on the cathode-ray tube becomes out; of focus. This problem may be solved by increasing the number of the switches and the capacitors, then, the dynamic focusing apparatus will be complicated, and a manufacturing cost thereof will go up.
If the parabolic voltage Vpb is continuously changeable responding automatically to a changed horizontal frequency, such a dynamic focusing apparatus would be quite advantageous in performance.
In the above, a method of changing the parabolic voltage responding to the variations of the horizontal frequency in the prior art is described.
A horizontal deflection angle may change widely in some cathode-ray tube display device such as a display monitoring device for computers, and wide screen TV receivers. When the horizontal deflection angle is smaller than the standard one, a horizontal drive current becomes smaller, as a result, the parabolic voltage becomes smaller. On the contrary, when the horizontal deflection angle is larger than the standard one, the parabolic voltage becomes larger, and the focus voltage is too large at the both ends of the horizontal scanning line to obtain a uniformly focused picture. Thus, the parabolic voltage Vpb is needed to be controlled so as to obtain a finely focused picture when the horizontal deflection angle is changed.

Dynamic focusing apparatus for cathode-ray tube device


A signal transmission apparatus includes a higher-level station, a lower-level station and a digital transmission device connected between the stations and having a signal transit time to be measured. Each of the stations has a transmitter for sending useful signals, each clocked by a respective clock signal, through the transmission device to other station. Each of the stations has a receiver for receiving the useful signals clocked by the other station and for separating out the clock signal superimposed on the applicable useful signal. The useful signal to be transmitted in the higher-level station is clocked by a given clock signal. The useful signal to be transmitted in the lower-level station is clocked by a clock signal derived from the clock signal separated out from the receiver of the lower-level station. The higher-level station has a phase comparator for comparing the given clock signal with the clock signal separated out by the receiver of the higher-level station and supplying a comparison outcome. The higher-level station has an arithmetic unit for calculating the signal transit time from the comparison outcome.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an apparatus for measuring the signal transit time of a digital transmission device connected between a higher-level station and a lower-level station.
The signal transit time of a transmission device can fluctuate sharply, depending on the structure of the device. If a wire connected is used as the transmission medium, the signal transit time is especially dependent on the line length. Maintenance of the transmission device, in applications with radio-in-the-loop (RITL) and in use in systems with cordless telephone terminals by the DECT Standard, it is necessary to be able to determine the line transit time of each section, and optionally the resultant proportional line length, individually. Heretofore, such measurements have been made manually, using external measuring instruments, as needed.

Apparatus for measuring the signal transit time of a digital transmission device


A semiconductor device including a bit line formed using a damascene technique and a method of fabricating the same. The method includes forming an insulating layer on a substrate, forming a groove by etching the insulating layer to a partial depth, and forming spacers on the inner walls of the groove. An opening is formed by etching the insulating layer disposed under the groove using the spacers as an etch mask. A conductive layer is formed to fill the opening. A capping layer is formed to fill the groove.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a semiconductor device having conductive layers, such as bit lines, which are closely formed to be parallel, and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the integration density of semiconductor memory devices, such as DRAMs, increases, more attention is being paid to methods of minimizing chip size. In recent years, DRAM cells having a design rule of 0.11 μm or less have been developed., However, as the design rule and chip size of DRAMs decrease, overcoming restrictions of photolithographic processes used to form the DRAMs and securing a sufficient process margin become more complicated.
Referring to FIG. 1, conventionally, an interlayer dielectric (ILD) 10 is formed on a substrate (not shown) on which a lower structure is formed. A bit line conductive layer 15 and a bit line capping layer 20 are formed on the ILD 10. To form the bit line conductive layer 15 and the bit line capping layer 20, a conductive material for a bit line and an insulating material for a bit line capping layer are sequentially stacked on the ILD 10 and then patterned using a photolithographic process. Next, spacers 25 are formed on the sidewalls of the bit line conductive layer 15 and the bit line capping layer 20. Thus, a bit line 30, which includes the bit line conductive layer 15, the bit line capping layer 20, and the spacers 25, is completed.
As the design rule is reduced, the critical dimension (CD) of the bit line becomes 100 nm or less. However, the foregoing conventional method using photolithographic exposure equipment cannot obtain finer bit line patterns. Thus, sufficiently reducing the cell size becomes difficult. Since the width of a bit line cannot be reduced, the misalignment margin between the bit line and a storage node contact hole to be formed later becomes very small. Also, the misalignment margin between a bit line and a bit line contact plug may be reduced, thus causing problems such as leakage.
Referring again to FIG. 1, a gap fill insulating layer 40 is formed to fill a gap between bit lines 30. However, as the gap between the bit lines 30 decreases with the reduced design rule, a void V frequently occurs in the gap fill insulating layer 40, as shown in FIG. 1. When the void V is filled with a conductive material for storage node contact plugs, a bridge phenomenon may occur between the storage node contact plugs.

Semiconductor device including bit line formed using damascene technique and method of fabricating the same


Systems and methods of a multiple dispensing system may include an image carrier, and may include a plurality of substantially aligned developing units positioned to develop image information on the image carrier. Each developing unit may include only one ink container and only one developer housing. The systems and method may also include a first dispensing system positioned upstream in a sheet feed direction of the plurality of substantially aligned developing units. The first dispensing system may include a first ink container and a first developer housing. The first developer housing may be configured to receive first imaging media from the first ink container and second imaging media from at least one other ink supply source.

Exemplary systems described herein relate to the field of imaging media dispensing systems.
Imaging media, for example, wet or dry toner having common process colors, such as, cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (K), are widely used by the imaging industry to develop images. An image forming apparatus including the four ink containers for CMYK, for example, may be used to produce images containing various colors by supplying the CMYK inks to an image bearing member, such as a developing drum or belt, of a developing unit of the image forming apparatus. Because the developing unit consumes the imaging media to develop the images, the imaging media located in the containers become substantially depleted. As a result, the depleted containers must eventually be refilled or removed from the image forming apparatus and replaced with containers that include additional imaging media.

Multiple imaging media dispensing systems and methods


A guide sheath device with an integrated stabilization wire is provided. The guide sheath device includes an elongate member having a proximal and distal end and a lumen there between and a stabilization wire integrated to the elongate member. The guide sheath is configured to access the lower vasculature via a contralateral percutaneous access. The stabilization wire is configured to exit the vasculature at an ipsilateral percutaneous access and be locked in place at the exit. The proximal end of the guide sheath and the distal end of the stabilization wire being accessible outside the vasculature enable stabilization of the stabilization wire and the guide sheath. The stabilization enables stabilization of procedural catheters and instruments as they access the site of a procedure within the lower vasculature.

Stenting and balloon angioplasty of arteries are considered to be well characterized interventional procedures. Typically, stent placement and balloon angioplasty are performed to re-establish or normalize blood flow within the artery that may have been constricted by plaque or embolic deposits. In such procedures, vascular access in the lower extremities is often performed via a retrograde, antegrade or transpedal approach.
Antegrade access is an industry standard as it provides superior support when advancing interventional devices through relatively-straight blood vessels. However, the antegrade access procedure can be technically demanding and typically presents significant challenges in obese patients where the femoral artery may be difficult to locate in the patient's soft tissue. Furthermore, antegrade punctures that occur during the antegrade access procedure can also elicit complications (e.g. hematoma, pseudo aneurysm, hemorrhage) related to closure of the puncture site at the femoral artery access point.
The retrograde contralateral approach is the most common technique for accessing the lower limbs where an access point at the femoral artery located on one side of the body (i.e. the contralateral side) is used to access the blood vessels and lesions in the other leg on the ipsilateral side. This retrograde access is technically simple in most patients and feasible for all interventionalists. However, the retrograde procedure may present challenges when accessing the vasculature and anatomies targeted for treatment based on the anatomical disposition of the access location. For example, vascular access in a hostile anatomy with tortuous peripheral vessels and intervention of distal most blood vessels (e.g. in the popliteal and tibial arteries) can be challenging or impossible, for example, in highly tortuous vessels containing calcific plaques and/or in highly angulated aortic bifurcations.
The transpedal access procedure is a relatively new approach wherein support catheters and guidewires leverage the enhanced support provided by access of blood vessels from the foot. The pedal artery typically used for access is small and existing interventional tools are not optimally sized. This is a significant drawback because irreversible damage to tenuous blood vessels in the foot can further exacerbate the condition of patients with critical limb ischemia.
Although endovascular devices (e.g. stent delivery systems, angioplasty balloons, atherectomy devices, thrombectomy devices, etc.) are generally designed to accommodate very acute bends and tortuous anatomies in the lower extremities, these devices rely on the use of rigid guide catheters, guide sheaths and guide wires to be delivered to the target treatment site(s). When long delivery systems or other catheters are used, the performance characteristics (i.e. pushability) of these catheters and the support provided by the guide catheters, guide sheaths and guide wires become critical. As a result, guide catheters, guide sheaths and guide wires of adequate rigidity and structure are needed to most effectively manipulate these interventional devices in tortuous anatomies. Often times, tortuous arteries and access vessels can be injured during the insertion, manipulation and stabilization of the interventional tools being used during the procedure using the rigid guide catheters, guide sheaths and guide wires. Injuries can be caused by perforation or dissection of the arterial wall by the stiff guide catheters, guide sheaths and guide wires, often resulting in hemorrhage, thrombus formation leading to infarcts or even death.
Thus, there exists a need for improved methods and apparatuses that can be easily positioned and subsequently provide superior support and stability to the interventional devices to be used in a procedure thereby reducing injuries and trauma caused to the arterial walls during vascular access, and allowing faster navigation and access through difficult anatomy.

Vascular access devices and methods for lower limb interventions


A container includes, in one embodiment, an outer housing holding a first mass of a first component of a composition, an inner housing holding a second mass of a second component of the composition, and a seal. The first component is a liquid and the mass of the second component conforms to a bottom and side wall of the inner housing. An interference fit exists between the outer housing and the inner housing such that the inner housing seals the first mass within the first chamber. The inner housing has an aperture in a side wall of the second chamber.

Many useful compositions are made of two components that are not normally mixed together until immediately prior to the time that a quantity of the composition is needed for use. For example, the components of epoxy-based adhesives are stored separately from each other, because once the components come into contact with each other a chemical reaction occurs that eventually turns the mixed composition into a hardened mass. For that reason, epoxy-based adhesives are widely available in packages that include two compartments or separate containers that keep the components of the adhesive initially isolated from each other.
Some packages for multiple-component compositions are relatively large and include a sufficient quantity of the components for multiple applications at different times. For example, epoxy adhesives are commonly available in bulk containers such as cans, jars and squeezable tubes. One component of the adhesive (often called "Part A") is supplied in one bulk container, and the other component (often called "Part B") is supplied in another container that typically matches the first container in shape and construction. Such bulk containers are in widespread use because the costs of packaging the components are relatively low.
To prepare an adhesive from the components stored in bulk containers, a quantity of each component is measured, withdrawn from the container and transferred to a mixing location. The mixing location may be a mixing well, a mixing pad or a third container. Next, the user mixes the components, using a spatula, brush or other suitable tool, and then transfers the mixed components to an application site.
However, the practice of supplying multiple-component compositions in two bulk containers is not entirely satisfactory. If, for example, the user does not withdraw the components from the bulk containers in the proper ratio, the characteristics of the resulting composition may be significantly affected. Additionally, the portion of each component that remains in its initial container may be adversely affected over a period of time by exposure to the atmosphere once that container is opened. The user is also compelled to dispose of the mixing pad, well or other mixing container after a single use, or undertake an effort to clean the same in preparation for a subsequent use. Furthermore, care must be taken to ensure that the component from one container is not inadvertently transferred to the bulk container of the other component, where it might contaminate that other component or initiate a chemical reaction that adversely affects the characteristics of that other component.
In recent years, there has been increased interest in "single use" containers for compositions made of two components that are initially kept apart from each other. Such containers typically avoid the need to measure out separate quantities of each component before mixing. These containers also help assure that the components, when mixed, are present in the desired ratio for the desired characteristics of the resulting composition. Additionally, if the components are mixed together within the container, the need for a mixing well, pad, container or other type of mixing structure is avoided.
Compositions made of two or more components that are initially kept separate from each other are widely used in the field of medicine and dentistry, including orthodontia. For instance, many adhesives and cements used in dentistry are made of two components that are not mixed together until immediately prior to use. Examples of two-component dental compositions include RelyX ARC dental cement and F2000 primer/adhesive, both available from 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn. Single use containers for multiple component compositions are especially convenient for storing medical and dental compositions, because the container along with the applicator can be disposed of after use for a single patient. In this manner, the risk of transferring an infectious disease from one patient to another is substantially reduced. Often, only a relatively small quantity of the composition is needed at any one time, and the smaller "single dose" or "single use" containers help ensure that a freshly-mixed batch of the composition is available when needed.


Movies and like video programs are distributed electronically from a program storage and processing center in encrypted format over a satellite channel upon custom order for private viewing of one paying subscriber or a small group of subscribers. Thus, charges may be shared to lower the processing, transmission and royalty costs involved for custom rental of unscheduled programs available from a large storage library facility. The transactions for ordering, paying and receiving a decryption key are made over a two-way interactive wireless satellite network in communication with a nationwide network of subscribers and the video program storage and distribution center. Software controlled subscriber stations permit the monitoring and control of the private viewing conditions to meet various copyright and recording criteria. The transmission is preferably in digital format, and thus may be easily stored in encrypted format for a single private viewing session at a time chosen by the subscriber. The interactive network provides optimal communication of catalog choices, pricing, delivery conditions, automated storage, viewing schedules, payment, confirmation of orders, and conformation to change in business procedures or delivery conditions. Thus, special purpose single-shot local control software may be downloaded from an interactive network processing center to the ordering subscriber station for implementing an order for a private viewing session of a desired movie or other video program.

Pay per view television systems are now well known in the art. Thus, by some interactivity by the viewer, payment is arranged for a designated program and access is given to the viewer, generally in the form of a deciphering key to a scrambled transmission. In such systems copyright protection is also well known, so that one-time viewing without replay is assured, generally by preventing recording on a video recorder or by monitoring the viewers equipment for re-runs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,272, May 14, 1991 to J. R. Stubbs, et al. for HOME VIDEO SYSTEM describes a cable system for making available various programs for home viewing.
In the U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,321, Dec. 26, 1989 to N. Seth-Smith, et al. for COMMUNICATIONS FORMAT FOR A SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION SYSTEM PERMITTING TRANSMISSION OF INDIVIDUAL TEXT MESSAGES TO SUBSCRIBERS, encrypted messages of limited content are sent over a satellite communication channel to an authorized receiver station. This sort of system as exemplified in related U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,770, Sep. 12, 1989 is capable of processing business transactions between a company home office and several branch offices.
However, such prior art systems are in general operable only for reception of limited length messages, or for viewing preannounced programs of greater length that are available at scheduled times for large audiences such as first run movies or sports events, and leave little flexibility for the viewer to make custom program choices at preferred viewing times. Thus, there has not been prior motivation to develop a comprehensive system for nationwide distribution upon request to individual homes of movies and like program materials of a cost effective nature for bearing the considerable cost of the several hours of air time required for custom order of a movie, and the peripheral costs of individual storage and processing of a comprehensive program source.
Even if such systems were available in the prior art, they would require at the local subscriber homes such expensive and complex intercommunication equipment that the subscriber station cost would be excessive. This is particularly true if adequate controls are in effect for protecting private communications before release with assurance against piracy. Also local subscriber systems do not conventionally have adequate communication capabilities with the program source outside of telephone line connections.
Furthermore, there has been no comprehensive custom order system for home view of movies and the like for sending the movies only to one or a few individual subscribers who wish to schedule custom ordered programs at a delivery time outside published broadcast schedules. Nor has there been facilities for downloading to the subscriber adequate information and local system control functions for placing and implementing an order. Technology changes are so rapid that there has been difficulty enabling the subscriber's facility to co-act in a program delivery system without obsolescence.
It is now feasible to provide nationwide two-way communication for interactive video data services over a satellite network for access by very large audiences as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,267, Mar. 31, 1992 to Fernando Morales-Garza for WIDE AREA REAL-TIME T-V AUDIENCE POLLING SYSTEM WITH LOCAL AREA STATIONS LINKED BY SATELLITE. Thus, there is now a very large potential nationwide audience for requesting custom ordered video programs for home display with an interactive home response unit. Also this satellite system, as improved by that of the parent application, provides facilities for privately communicating with individual ones of a very large number of nationwide subscribers for exchange of information and for comprehensive control of a subscriber station to process external data in accordance with payment and operating condition restrictions imposed upon the transfer of data.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a satellite transmission system for renting program materials such as full length movies from a comprehensive warehouse of materials that can broadcast special programs upon request to individual subscribers.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an interactive video data processing system with a nationwide audience having the capacity to deliver custom ordered full feature programs such as movies to individual subscribers upon demand.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system for downloading custom ordered movies and the like from a central storehouse facility to one or more selected subscribers in a nationwide network together with adequate subscriber system controls for decrypting, controlling unauthorized copying, notifying the subscriber of delivery times, confirming an order and other related interactive communications related to the transaction.
A still further object of the invention is to provide at a reasonable price custom rental of unscheduled movies and full length programs to home television viewers.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be found throughout the following description, claims and accompanying drawings.

Shared-price custom video rentals via interactive TV


There is provided a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate, the substrate holder comprising: a first holding member; and a second holding member configured to hold the substrate between the first holding member and the second holding member, wherein the first holding member comprises: at least one substrate contact arranged to come into contact with the substrate; at least one seal member provided with a first seal portion configured to cover periphery of a leading end portion of one or a plurality of the substrate contacts; and at least one bus bar electrically connected with the one or plurality of substrate contacts and provided with one or a plurality of first through holes to receive the first seal portion, wherein the leading end portion of the one or plurality of substrate contacts is arranged to pass through the first through hole from a side opposite to the second holding member toward the second holding member and is fixed to the bus bar in a state that the periphery of the leading end portion of the one or plurality of substrate contacts is covered by the first seal portion.

A general procedure forms wirings, bumps (salient electrodes) and the like on the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a printed circuit board. An electroplating technique is known as a method of forming such wirings, bumps and the like. A plating apparatus employed for the electroplating technique is provided with a substrate holder that is configured to seal an end face of a circular or polygonal substrate and hold the substrate with a surface to be plated (a plating surface) of the substrate exposed. A procedure of plating the surface of a substrate by such a plating apparatus soaks the substrate holder with the substrate held thereby into a plating solution.
A substrate holder suitable for a large-sized, especially rectangular substrate has been known as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-40045 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-7075 (Patent Document 2). Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-40045 (Patent Document 1) describes a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate by fixing the substrate to a back plate by means of a clip, subsequently laying the back plate over a front plate, and fixing the front plate to the back plate by means of a clamp. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-7075 (Patent Document 2) describes a substrate holder configured to feed the electric power via a bus bar to a plurality of substrate contacts placed in the periphery of a substrate.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-133526 (Patent Document 3) discloses an example of a plating jig serving to improve application of a pressing force to a substrate. This example is configured to lay a pressing member over a substrate placed in a recess on a jig body and to fix a cover member provided with a spring corresponding to the center of the substrate to an upper face of the jig body. This compresses the spring between the cover member and the pressing member to press the substrate against the seal member and thereby seal the substrate.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-46154 (Patent Document 4) discloses a work piece holder configured such that a locking mechanism of a ring is locked to a flexible member locked to a work piece holder body side and that the ring is pulled toward the work piece holder body side by the flexible member to press the substrate by a seal face of the ring. This work piece holder includes an expandable and contractable bag placed inside of the work piece holder body to deform the flexible member to such a degree as to be engageable with the locking mechanism of the ring.


A twin clutch type speed change control system changes over the gear position by switching between a pair of clutches, to reduce the collision sound generated between a free gear and a slide member at the time of changeover of the gear position. In the twin clutch type speed change control system designed to perform gear position changeovers between odd-ordinal gear positions and even-ordinal gear positions through a process in which an engaged clutch is disengaged whereas a disengaged clutch is engaged, the formerly disengaged clutch is supplied with a minute oil pressure P1 toward the clutch engaging side and is thereby preliminarily moved by a minute amount toward the clutch engaging side, at the time of changeover of the gear position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a twin clutch type speed change control system suitable for use in a vehicle such as a motorcycle.
2. Background of the Invention
Conventionally, there has been a twin clutch type speed change control system including a transmission mechanism having a plurality of gear trains for odd-ordinal gear positions and even-ordinal gear positions, and a pair of clutches linked respectively to both of the odd-ordinal and even-ordinal gear position gear trains. The transmission mechanism is capable of power transmission by selectively using one of the gear trains. One of the clutches is engaged and the other of the clutches is disengaged during a normal operation with a fixed gear position so as to transmit power by use of one of the gear trains linked to the engaged clutch and to develop a condition where power transmission can be performed by use of a preliminarily selected one of the gear trains linked to the disengaged clutch. Starting from this condition, the engaged clutch is disengaged and the disengaged clutch is engaged, whereby changeover between the odd-ordinal gear position and the even-ordinal gear position is performed (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-177904).
The transmission mechanism can perform power transmission by selectively using one of the gear trains through a process in which a slide member rotated as one body with a support shaft in each of the gear trains is mutually non-rotatably engaged with a free gear mutually rotatable in relation to the support shaft.
During the above-mentioned normal operation, in the disengaged clutch, a component part on the drive source side is rotated idly relative to a component part on the gear train side. In this instance, the component part on the gear train side of the clutch and a gear train contiguous to the component part are at stoppage of rotation, and, at the time of changeover of the gear position, a comparatively high rotational acceleration acts on the preliminarily selected gear train. Therefore, between the free gear and the slide member corresponding to this gear train, a collision sound based on a mechanical play between these components may be generated, and an improvement of this point is being demanded.

Twin clutch type speed change control system


Herein provided is a support member for supporting an optical fiber coupler formed by arranging a plurality of optical glass fibers parallel to one another, then welding and drawing a part thereof wherein a long and thin reinforcing material of quartz whose external is at least partially formed into a circular shape is accommodated in a cylindrical metal case while coming the material into contact with the inner wall of the case; the optical fiber coupler is arranged along the reinforcing material; a portion of the optical fiber coupler which is not welded and drawn comes in contact with the reinforcing material and a part of the contact portion of the optical coupler is fixed to the material with an adhesive.

The present invention relates to a member for supporting an optical fiber coupler used for separating, coupling, branching or combining light signals in an optical fiber communication system while preventing any damage of the optical fiber coupler.
An optical fiber communication system in general makes use of an optical fiber coupler as an important elemental part for separating, coupling, branching or combining light signals transmitting through the optical fibers. Such an optical fiber coupler is disclosed in, for instance, Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 63-271208. The optical coupler disclosed in this patent is produced by bundling a plurality of optical fibers arranged parallel to one another, welding these fibers together through heating and then drawing the welded fiber bundle so as to have a tapered welded portion having a small diameter. The tapered portion of small diameter serves to separate, couple, branch and/or combine the light signals passing through the optical fibers.
The optical fiber coupler thus produced has a low mechanical strength at the welded portion of small diameter. Moreover, the performance characteristics thereof is unstable since it suffers from changes in various properties such as coupling ratio of light signals when only a low external force is applied to the welded portion of small diameter. For this reason, there has been proposed a structure or method for reinforcing the optical coupler which comprises adhering both ends of the welded thin portion of the optical coupler to a tool and accommodating the assembly in a body of equipment (see, for instance, the aforementioned patent).
However, it has been found that the use of such a reinforcing structure often accompanies an excess loss of light signals passing through the optical coupler. The inventors of this invention have investigated the cause of this drawback in detail and come to the following conclusions. In the reinforcing structure disclosed in the foregoing Japanese Patent Provisional Publication, the optical coupler is partially adhered and fixed to the tool by an adhesive and the portions of the optical fibers other than those adhered to the tool are suspended within a space. For this reason, the axes of the optical coupler and the tool deviate from one another due to slight deviations between the positions thereof to be placed during adhesion, slight deviation therebetween due to contraction during hardening the adhesive and deviation therebetween due to the difference between the thermal expansion coefficients of these two components observed during heat cycles. Such deviation between the axes of the optical coupler and the tool would become a principal cause of the foregoing excess loss.
In addition, the optical coupler of the foregoing patent is accommodated in a body of equipment after adhering it to the tool. This results in the scaling up of the reinforcing structure.

Supporting member for optical fiber coupler


A brush device having the longitudinal direction of a coil shaped coil spring aligned with the face of a brush holder, in which one end of a support post at the surface of a brush base is formed as a hollow cylinder and a projection at the other end is insert molded into the brush holder. There is a step on the support post. The step and the brush holder receive a cover plate which, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the face of the brush holder, covers a winding of the coil shaped coil spring. One end of the support post is fixed to the surface of the cover plate by spreading the end of the hollow cylinder of the support post.

A conventional brush device with a resilient means to impel the brush against the commutator (see Patent Document 1, for example) is shown in FIG. 16. This brush device 24 has a brush 19 formed in a substantially arc shape, which is supported by contact between part of its outer surface and the inner wall of a holder 22.
The outer face of the brush 19 at the end facing the commutator 2 is made to contact the inner wall of the holder 22 by the force of friction with the commutator 2, and the inner edge of the brush 19 at the end facing the torsion coil spring 23 is made to contact the inner wall of the holder 22 by impulse of the torsion coil spring 23. In this way, the brush 19 is supported within the gap g between the inner walls of the holder 22, and its ability to follow the commutator 2 is enhanced. Further, because the brush 19 is formed in an arc shape, the brush friction is maintained by rubbing and the overall diameter of the brush device is minimized.
However, there are still problems in the brush device 24 shown in FIG. 16, in regard to assuring reliable electrical conductivity between the commutator and the brush. In FIG. 16, the brush 19 is held just by providing the gap g between the inner walls of the holder 22, and the commutator 2 comprises, as an actual product, a number of commutator blades 2a. Accordingly, when the brush 19 straddles the space between the commutator blades 2a, the support of the brush 19 is destabilized and vibration is liable to occur.
Further, depending on the application of the motor with a bush, the commutator will sometimes be driven in opposite directions, clockwise and counter-clockwise. With the brush device in FIG. 16, however, if the direction is reversed and the commutator is driven clockwise, the brush 19 is liable to drift because of its two-point support in the gap g, and the instability of support of the brush 19 is liable to cause vibration.
The brush device 14 shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 was put into production in order to resolve the problems described above. In the case of this brush device 14, the commutator comprises commutator blades 2a mounted on the outer periphery of the motor shaft 1, separated by equal gaps, and the carbon brush 10 is fitted to and held by the support post 7 of the brush holder 4. This brush 10, as shown in FIG. 17, has a rubbing surface with electrical conductivity when in contact with the commutator blade 2a. The brush 10 has the arched brush arm 10a and the brush base 10b with the hole 8 through which the support post 7 passes for mounting the brush 10 on the brush holder 4. By forming the brush arm 10a and the brush base 10b as a single unit, the brush 10 is formed in substantially a V shape. The coil spring 5 or other means of impulse is mounted on the support post 7 and concentric with it, so that the rubbing face of the brush 10 is impelled against the commutator blade 2a and held in contact with the commutator 2.
Because the brush device 14 has a means of impulse such as the coil spring 5 (only one of the two brushes 10 is shown in FIG. 18), changes to the force of contact from friction between the brush 10 and the commutator 2 are prevented, and so there is superior stability of electrical conductivity between the commutator 2 and the brush 10. Moreover, there is the advantage that the brush arm 10, which corresponds to brush 19 in FIG. 16, is supported by the relatively large brush base 10b, and because this brush base 10b is fitted to the support post 7, the stability of brush support is greater than in the brush device of FIG. 16, so that the occurrence of vibration is inhibited when the motor is driven.
Nevertheless, the structure of the brush device 14 is such that the brush 10 is mounted over the coil spring 5, which is the means of impulse, and so the thickness of the brush device 14 increases that much more in the direction of the motor shaft 1. Consequently, there is the problem that miniaturization of the brushed motor in the direction of the motor shaft is impeded.
The present applicants earlier applied, in Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-367265, for the brush device 11 as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20. This application provides the guide 15 as part of the brush base 3b, as well as the recess 6 in the brush holder 4. Within this recess 6, one end of the coiled portion of the coil spring 5 is stopped by the stop face 3c of the brush base 3b, and the other end is stopped by the step 4a of the brush holder 4. The longitudinal direction of the coil spring 5 is aligned with the face of the brush holder 4 (the direction shown by arrow C in FIG. 20), and the winding follows the wall of at least one of the guide 15 and the recess 6; the coil spring 5 and the brush 3 are in substantially the same plane. This is the essence of the brush device 11.
By constituting the brush device 11 as described above, the longitudinal direction of the coil spring 5 is located in substantially the same plane as the face direction of the brush holder 4, and so the brush device can be made thinner than earlier brush devices. Further, by applying this brush device 11 in a motor with a brush, it is possible to reduce the length of the motor shaft 1 without impairing the characteristics of the brushed motor.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H07-213023 (pages 3 and 4, FIG. 2)


A scroll compressor has a fluid brake for resisting and impeding objectionable reverse movement of the orbiting scroll member. The brake includes a one-way clutch interconnecting a drive shaft and a paddle disposed in the compressor oil sump, and optionally a rotor shield for controlling oil flow around the lower end of the motor rotor. A two piece paddle has a rotatable paddle having blades to impart angular momentum to the lubricating oil and a stationary housing having vanes to resist the angular momentum imparted to the lubricating oil by the blades of the rotatable housing.

The present invention relates generally to scroll type compressors and more specifically to scroll type compressors incorporating a fluid brake operative to resist and impede reverse movement of the orbiting scroll member.
Scroll type machines are becoming more and more popular for use as compressors in both refrigeration as well as air conditioning applications due primarily to their capability for extremely efficient operation. Generally, these machines incorporate a pair of intermeshed spiral wraps, one of which is caused to orbit relative to the other so as to define one or more moving chambers which progressively decrease in size as they travel from an outer suction port toward a center discharge port. An electric motor is provided which operates to drive the orbiting scroll member via a suitable drive shaft affixed to the motor rotor. In a hermetic compressor, the bottom of the hermetic shell normally contains an oil sump for lubricating and cooling purposes.
Because scroll compressors depend upon a seal created between opposed flank surfaces of the wraps to define successive chambers for compression, suction and discharge valves are generally not required. However, when such compressors are shut down, either intentionally as a result of the demand being satisfied or unintentionally as a result of a power interruption or other problem, there is a strong tendency for the gas in the pressurized chambers and/or backflow of compressed gas from the discharge chamber to effect a reverse orbital movement of the orbiting scroll member and associated drive shaft. This reverse movement often generates objectionable noise or rumble. Further, in machines employing a single phase drive motor, it is possible for the compressor to begin running in the reverse direction should a momentary power failure be experienced. This reverse operation may result in overheating of the compressor and/or other damage to the apparatus. Additionally, in some situations, such as a blocked condenser fan, it is possible for the discharge pressure to increase sufficiently to stall the drive motor and effect a reverse rotation thereof. As the orbiting scroll rotates in the reverse direction, the discharge pressure will decrease to a point where the motor again is able to overcome this pressure head and rotate the scroll member in the "forward" direction. However, the discharge pressure will now increase to a point where the cycle is repeated. Such cycling may also result in damage to the compressor and/or associated apparatus.
The present invention overcomes these problems by incorporating one-way drive means, such as a one-way clutch, coupled between the drive shaft and a paddle disposed in the compressor oil sump. When the drive shaft is rotating in the desired direction the clutch is inoperative to drive the paddle, but when rotation reverses, the drive shaft rotates the paddle in the sump so that it acts like a fluid brake to resist and impede movement of the orbiting scroll member in a reverse direction, thereby eliminating the objectionable noise generated upon shut down of the compressor. Further, this fluid brake operates to resist damage to the motor and/or compressor resulting from a reversing of single phase motors as well as resisting the cyclical reversing resulting from a blocked or failed condenser fan. The brake is passive in that it does not create any load during normal operation of the compressor.
The present invention is an improvement over the concept disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,864, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, wherein the drive shaft is connected to a rigid structure by a one-way clutch to prevent reverse rotation. Braking with the present design is much gentler, thereby significantly increasing the life of the one-way clutch mechanism.
Several embodiments of the novel anti-reverse rotation mechanism are shown including a two bladed paddle, a three bladed paddle and two versions of two piece paddles. The two and three bladed paddles impart angular momentum into the lubricating oil as they attempt to displace the oil. The two piece designs of paddles provide a rotating paddle to impart angular momentum to the lubricating oil and a stationary housing which resists the movement or displacement of the lubricating oil. The resistance offered by the stationary housing provides a higher dampening of the reverse rotation. In addition, there are illustrated versions of the apparatus which also incorporate an integral circular rotor shield of the type generally disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,356, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Such a shield is useful in reducing the oil level in the area surrounding the rotating motor rotor during operation. In order to insure that sufficient lubricating oil is contained within the sump to assure adequate lubrication and/or cooling of the moving parts while also minimizing the overall height of the housing, it is sometimes necessary that the oil level extend above the rotating lower end of the rotor. However, the relatively high viscosity of the oil as compared to refrigerant gas creates an increased drag on rotation of the rotor resulting in increased power consumption. This problem is further aggravated in scroll compressors because they typically employ a counterweight secured to the lower end of the rotor. The present shield incorporates a generally flat circular disk or flange positioned in close proximity to the lower end of the rotor which serves to reduce return flow of oil to the area of the rotating rotor and/or counterweight but still enables some circulation thereof, which thereby increases the circulation of oil across the adjacent motor stator end turns. In operation, it has been found that this improved shield has resulted in improved cooling of the stator end turns without any substantial effect on the overall operating efficiency of the compressor.
Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Scroll machine with reverse rotation protection


A method for producing bipolar plates for fuel cells, one metal strip or two metal strips is/are guided through a second or third device. The second device is designed to carry out fine cleaning and/or nitriding of the metal strip, and the third device carries out surface coating on one side of a surface with a metal layer that improves adhesion. Applying a carbon layer in a fourth device. The metal strips are then shaped, during which process channels are formed. The shaped metal strips are moved and positioned such that surface regions come into contact with one another. Joining is performed with a laser beam, which is directed into a gap between the shaped metal strips moved towards one another. The individual steps in the devices, like shaping and joining, are carried out in a continuous process.

The invention relates to a method for the production of bipolar plates for fuel cells, in particular fuel cells in which a bipolar plate is arranged on one side of at least one of the two electrodes of fuel cells and can be connected to a membrane-electrode arrangement, the membrane forming an electrolyte being a polymer membrane.
Fuel cells are used, for example, to generate electricity in mobile applications by converting chemical energy into electrical energy. At present, the production of fuel cells is still expensive, so that their application in the automotive sector, for example, cannot yet be implemented economically. Bipolar plates (BIP) are used in fuel cells for the supply of hydrogen, oxygen and the discharge of water, cooling water as well as the supply and tapping of released electrons. An anode (hydrogen supply) and a cathode (oxygen supply and water removal) are arranged between two bipolar plates, between which a polymer membrane (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane—PEM) with an electrode coating or catalyst layers containing, for example, platinum as a catalyst and the gas diffusion layer are arranged. They form a so-called membrane electrode assembly (MEA). In addition, appropriate seals are applied to the bipolar plate. This typically occurs before the MEA is installed. The PEM is an electrically insulating but proton-conducting polymer membrane. This allows hydrogen ions to diffuse through and electrical current can be conducted to the cathode via a load. The electrode layers are typically hot pressed onto the PEM. Between the bipolar plates and the membrane/electrode, there are so-called gas diffusion layers (GDL), a fabric made up of, for example, carbon fibers, which has the purpose of evenly distributing the gases escaping from the channels of the BiP over the entire surface of the membrane and of passing on the electrons emitted by the hydrogen to the respective bipolar plate or conducting them away from there.
The fuel cell typically achieves a voltage between the two electrodes of, for example, 0.5 V-1.23 V. Due to losses, however, the useful electrical voltage is typically lower. It is important that the released electrons are absorbed as efficiently as possible on the hydrogen side and returned to the process as efficiently as possible on the oxygen side. The contact or penetration resistances should be as low as possible. An electrical resistance at this point has a direct influence on the efficiency of the BIP. The operating temperature is maintained within an optimal range for the cell type, for example <100° C. The cooling required can be realized by a cooling circuit inside the bipolar plate.
To date, in the production of such fuel cells, a BIP half-shell is manufactured from a rolled steel or titanium sheet (thickness 0.05 mm-0.2 mm). For this purpose, the sheet metal is cut out, for example, and formed by means of a single-stage or multi-stage embossing process. This half shell is then joined with a second half shell to form a BIP. The half-shells can have different geometries on the cathode and anode sides. The joining process for BIP stainless steel is typically a laser welding process. For titanium, adhesive joining processes are also used. After joining the panels, they are surface-coated on both sides. This can be, for example, a layer system that ends with a carbon layer.
A seal is then applied to the BIP, which can be achieved using a spraying process, for example. It is then cured. Alternatively, a prefabricated seal can be applied. This is followed by the application of the MEA. By stacking such BIP+MEA, fuel cells or fuel cell stacks are formed. In some cases, there are still intermediate steps in the method described, e.g. for quality assurance. This test also includes testing the tightness of individual cells or, finally, of the entire cell stack.

Method for producing bipolar plates for fuel cells

FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V.


A system and method for obtaining a frequency error estimate representing the difference between a reference frequency and the frequency of a space-time transmit diversity signal is disclosed herein. The method includes taking the correlation of total sums, comprised of partial sums taken in defined first and second intervals, to represent the frequency error as the imaginary component of the correlation function.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the art of receiving a Space Time Transmit Diversity (STTD) signal. In particular, this invention relates to frequency tracking of an STTD signal. The invention finds application in a closed-loop automatic frequency control in wireless user equipment. The invention is particularly well suited for use in Personal Digital Assistants, mobile communication devices, cellular phones, and wireless two-way e-mail communication devices (collectively referred to herein as "wireless devices"). The invention provides utility, however, in any device that receives an STTD signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Space Time Transmit Diversity (STTD) reception is often mandatory for user equipment (UE), such as mobile communication devices, to operate in a standard fashion with various wireless communication radio network sub-systems (RNS), such as base stations. For example, in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard document No. 3GTS 25.211 V3.1.1 (1999-12), it is clearly indicated that STTD reception is mandatory for UE.
The concept of STTD transmission is known to those of skill in the art and involves the use of two transmit antennas at the RNS employing a space time block coding, such as the example illustrated in the block diagram of an STTD encoder of FIG. 1.
Although STTD transmission at an RNS is meant to be beneficial to reception at the UE, frequency tracking at the UE is complicated by STTD transmission.
Typically, in non-STTD systems, UE tracks an RNS pilot signal in order to control a local reference oscillator. The pilot signal is usually specifically designed in order to facilitate determining a frequency offset.
However, when the received signal from the base station is an STTD signal, detection of the frequency offset from the received signal is more difficult. FIG. 2 illustrates a typical pilot modulation pattern transmitted by STTD. The symbol A is a complex number with real and imaginary parts. In this particular case, the symbols from antenna 1 are always +A, while the symbols from antenna 2 are alternatively +A and −A with pattern shown. One problem with this pattern is that the two signal components can interfere with each other at the UE. Although not explicitly illustrated, one of skill in the art will appreciate that other patterns exist which present the same problem. Considering typical propagation conditions between RNS and UE, conventional methods for frequency tracking do not have sufficient performance to enable reliable frequency tracking. An alternative to frequency tracking is to rely on highly stable frequency reference source in the UE. However, this alternative is neither cost effective nor is it optimal from the receiver performance perspective.
There is a need for a method and apparatus for detecting frequency error between a frequency reference and a received STTD signal at UE. There is a further need for a method and apparatus that controls the frequency reference by tracking a received STTD signal at UE.

Method and apparatus for frequency tracking in a space time transmit diversity receiver


A correction fluid that prevents clogging of the delivery nib of a correction fluid marker separates into liquid and solid phases while not in use, thereby allowing the liquid phase to transport lubricants and anti-oxidants into the nib between uses to restore and preserve the nib. The correction fluid includes a thixotropic gel that soft settles and creates a gelatinized long lasting network of hydrogen bonded fibers in the formulation which are rejuvenated by shaking of the applicator and which do not appreciably agglomerate over time. The correction fluid further includes weak solvents and mild resins which advantageously do not swell the nib fibers or destroy the adhesives in the nib over time. A correction fluid marker 10 for applying the correction fluid includes a hollow barrel 12 having an interior reservoir 18 for holding the correction fluid, and a porous nib 20 held in a sleeve 22 at one end of the barrel in communication with the reservoir. The correction fluid travels through the nib via capillary action and is applied to a print medium from the tip of the nib protruding from the sleeve. A thin seal 26 seals the correction fluid in the reservoir and prevents the correction fluid from contacting the nib prior to the first use of the marker. A mixing slug 24 having a pointed tip ruptures the seal when brought into contact with the seal by shaking the marker at the time of first use. The marker can have a compressible barrel for squeezing out correction fluid, or a rigid barrel containing pressurize correction fluid releasable with a valve mechanism 58, 60.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pen-type or "marker" correction fluid applicator for applying a correction fluid to a print medium to mask markings on the print medium, and to an improved correction fluid formulation for cleaning and preventing clogging of the nib of a correction fluid applicator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various pen-type or "marker" correction fluid applicator designs have been proposed for the purpose of conveniently applying correction fluid to a print medium, such as a paper surface, in order to mask or obscure handwritten, printed or photocopied markings formed on the paper surface. Such applicators typically include a correction fluid reservoir which stores the correction fluid in a liquid state and a delivery system which permits flow of the correction fluid onto the paper surface in a controlled manner.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,317 to Bishop et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a marker-type correction fluid applicator having an applicator tip designed to apply conventional correction fluid to a paper surface. The applicator includes a porous plastic or foam tip and a flow regulator disposed between the tip and a fluid reservoir. The regulator may be formed of a foam material or may include a pressure-actuated valve.
Other known marker-type correction fluid applicators, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,277,510 to Okamoto et al., 5,338,775 to Matz et al., and 5,468,082 to Hori, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, involve the use of spring-biased ball-type applicator tips. More specifically, the ball tip is biased axially outward by a spring valve to seal off flow of correction fluid from a reservoir. When the ball tip is pressed against a surface such as paper, the ball tip is displaced axially inward, thereby allowing correction fluid to flow from the reservoir, around the ball tip and onto the paper.
There has been an increasing interest in the field to formulate correction fluid systems that avoid separation of the liquid and solids of the correction fluid to prevent settling and agglomeration. To that end, thixotropic additives such as clays and bentones have been added to hinder separation and consequent hard coagulation of correction fluids. For example, the aforementioned patent to Matz et al. discloses a correction fluid formulation that is particularly suitable for ball-tip marker correction fluid applicators, wherein the correction fluid is formulated with thixotropic fluids designed to prevent the correction fluid from settling into constituent parts between uses, thereby eliminating the "nuisance" of needing to shake the fluid before use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,810, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a pen-type correction fluid dispenser having a squeezable tubular body which provides a greater degree of control over the amount of correction fluid dispensed. By pressing a spring-biased plunger against a surface, such as paper, a narrow opening is formed between the plunger and the surrounding wall by displacement of the plunger. The narrow opening is of a size that permits a sufficient flow of correction fluid from the tubular body to the paper only when the tubular body is simultaneously squeezed by the hand.
Attempts to produce pen or marker-type correction fluid dispensing applicators that employ fibrous nib delivery systems have been unsuccessful, because no correction fluid chemical formulations have addressed the problem of the correction fluid clogging the nib and drying on the nib between uses. Further, the need to develop a correction fluid formulated especially for a porous marker nib has not been recognized in the art. Commercially available nibs are typically composed of glued, thermally-bonded, axially-aligned polyester or like materials which are machined or shaped to provide contact points suitable for contacting a print medium, such as paper or other substrate. Typically, a substantially conical or frusto-conical shape is the most desirable shape for the point of the delivery nib of a correction fluid applicator, although other shapes may be utilized for specific applications. The nibs are hard enough so as not to substantially distort during use, but soft enough to provide a smooth application of correction fluid to the print medium.
In conventional use, nibs are designed to be saturated in highly pigmented formulations by being held in a loose plastic housing which allows fluid to flow over the outside of the nib, such that the nibs are not fed by capillary action. Capillary action has so far been successful only in low pigment or dye-based formulations. The reason for this lack of functionality of highly pigmented systems has been presumed to be that the pigments are too large in micron size to proceed through the nib. It has been suggested that lowering the particle size can solve the flow problem. Lowering particle size does provide for short term success; however, these correction fluid formulations rapidly stop working when strong solvents and highly cohesive resins swell the nib fibers and destroy the adhesives used in their manufacture. No known formulations provide a stable correction fluid utilizing weak resins and mild solvents.
A commercially viable correction fluid product must include a correction fluid that does not dry on the nib during repeated use or after short time without a cap. An additional requirement is that the fluid dry quickly, preferably no longer than approximately thirty seconds after application. Unfortunately, these criteria conflict, and existing correction fluid formulations that dry quickly on a print medium also tend to dry on the tip of the nib, thereby cutting off the flow of correction fluid. No formulations that dry quickly on a print medium have been found which do not also readily dry on the tip of the nib.
Another problem associated with correction fluid dispensing applicators is the need to prevent correction fluid from contacting the nib prior to the first use of the applicator by a customer. Attempts have been made to address this problem by employing spring valve systems within the applicator. However, such spring valve systems increase the complexity and cost of the applicator and have been found to be inconvenient.

Correction fluid marker and formulation for fluid


A system for managing a file system. In response to a user selecting an image of the file system to perform a rollback operation, each data block in the file system that is owned by the image is searched for. Then, it is determined whether a data block owned by the image is marked in a first map and a second map. In response to determining that the data block owned by the image is marked in the first map and the second map, the data block is marked in a third map. In response to determining that the data block owned by the image is marked in the third map, a new data block is allocated in the file system. Subsequently, data from the data block owned by the image is copied to the new data block in the file system prior to performing the rollback operation to avoid a collision that causes data corruption.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a computer implemented method, system, and computer usable program code for managing a file system within the data processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A file system is a mechanism for storing and retrieving files on a hard disc drive. A file system defines the directory structure for keeping track of the files and the path syntax required to access the files. Also, the file system defines the way files are named, as well as the maximum file size. Generally, a file system consists of two distinct parts, a collection of files and a directory structure. Each file in the collection of files stores related data. The directory structure organizes and provides information about the files in the file system.
An important function of a system that supports the file system is backup support. For example, a snapshot function of an operating system maintains a read-only copy that reflects the state of the file system at the point in time the snapshot was created. In particular, a file system snapshot establishes a consistent block level image of the blocks of the file system at a particular point in time. A file system block is a group of data that is transmitted or processed together at the same time. A block may also be referred to as a data block.
The snapshot is used to create backups for an active file system. The snapshot copies modified and deleted blocks, which were in-use in the file system at the point in time the snapshot was created, in order to maintain a point in time image of the file system. As a result, the snapshot may be used to return the file system back to a previous point in time image of the file system. This operation is called a rollback operation.
A file system block that is modified and then released results in the point in time image of the block being copied to a new location by the snapshot, which is a copy on write operation. Then, a snapshot map marks the block as copy on delete when the block is released. When a file system block is unallocated, the block may be reallocated to a different file system object. When a snapshot exists in the file system, itself, the reallocated blocks may be allocated to the snapshot. When the rollback operation is performed, the preserved images of those blocks are copied back to their original location, which results in overwriting the snapshot data before the rollback completes causing data corruption.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to have an improved computer implemented method, system, and computer usable program code for handling reallocated data blocks in a file system during the rollback operation to an internal snapshot to prevent data corruption caused by collision.

Method and system for handling reallocated blocks in a file system

International Business Machines Corporation