Apparatus for joining a tooth to an interlocked adaptor of a construction tool having a keyway passing through the interlocked tooth and adaptor. An L-shaped elongated key is inserted into the keyway so that the two sides of the key form a channel with the keyway which is filled with an elastic filler material. The key also has recessed areas which form recesses with the keyway which are also filled with the elastic filler material. One end of the key contains a plug to prevent the filler material from passing out of the channel.

The invention relates to the technical sector of construction machines using buckets, scoops, dippers and other receptacles designed to scrape or load materials or similar in order to transport these from a given location to other work stations using construction machines and equipment.
Applicants have previously developed a system and process for connecting wearing parts for such applications as mentioned before awarded European patent 618.334.
Briefly stated, the system connecting wearing parts such as removable teeth and shaped adapters to tool ends and receptacles is remarkable in that the tooth and the adapter are provided at at least one of their contact sides and/or thickness with one or more additional configurations to constitute areas and hollows for introducing, holding, retaining and removing a filler material that, placed after the installation of the tooth on the adapter, will constitute at least in these areas an absolute contact between the tooth and the adapter, allowing the latter to accept stresses and strains on the largest surfaces, said material, being fluid and self-deformable providing, once solidified, the connection between the tooth and the adapter.
The function of the additional holding configuration or configurations designed to be filled with and retain the material is to keep in place the mass or masses of the elastic material allowing it to be compressed or to expand while multidirectional mechanical forces are transmitted to the adapter as the tooth is operating.
The system referred to before also includes a key that contributes to linking the assembly.
The system referred to before and the process related to it defined in patent EP 618.334 have been further tested under existing loads that appear and result from the use of the patent referred to.
These complementary tests are likewise applicable to the connection of the tooth and the adapter using a key as the connecting means. The use of keys is well-known in itself and applicants have so stated, citing numerous examples in the European patent mentioned.
Within the framework of their research, applicants have set out to optimise the use of the system connecting the tooth to the adapter using highly particular configurations to obtain very efficient assemblies.
Said research and tests have led to the development and selection of specific tooth, adapter and key shapes that eliminate any risk of losing the key when in use, and providing conditions facilitating the installation and removal of teeth on-site while obtaining at each and every replacement the initial, high-quality of assembly.
Another purpose according to the invention was the design and selection of a filler material as regards its nature and characteristics.
According to a first aspect, the system connecting wearing parts of the tooth and adapter type mounted onto the end of tools and receptacles in use on construction machines and equipment of the type where the tooth and the adapter are provided at at least one of their contact sides and/or thickness with one or more additional configurations to constitute areas and hollows for introducing, holding, retaining and removing a filler material that, placed after the installation of the tooth on the adapter will, with the additional use of a key, provide for contact between the tooth, the adapter and the key, is characteristic in that:
the key, placed vertically, has a curvilinear segment configuration with an increasing thickness, said key having a transverse, L-type configuration, said key having areas that are anchoring areas for the elastic filler material, said key being shaped as to its lower part to function as a plug when said material is inserted;
the tooth, as regards its top and bottom surfaces, is provided with peripheral, symmetrical openings to allow the key to be entered from below, said openings having symmetrical profiles for the introduction of the filler material, for guiding, locking and ensuring that the L-profiled key acts as a plug;
the adapter has profiled openings fitting the key with a curvilinear inner configuration at the rear to provide a contactless fit of the key, the remaining openings having lands providing momentary support of the key as it takes up extremely high wrenching forces.

Connecting system between wearing parts mounted onto tools and receptacles in use on construction machinery and equipment


A method of managing a processing system that has at least one processor, uses the steps of: measuring MCPS (million cycles per second) utilization in the at least one processor; estimating a cycle count requirement for an algorithm on least one processor based on measured MCPS utilization; and, estimating an ability to run multiple applications on the at least one processor by assessing MCPS requirements and estimated cycle count requirement. Measurement of the MCPS utilization is preferably done by using the steps of: choosing a critical path in the processor, e.g., by taking hard real time requirements into consideration; measuring time taken for processing along said critical path; and, calculating MCPS requirements along said critical path using the measured time taken and a current processor clock speed. The inventive method has application in 802.11 MAC. Also described is a programmed storage medium to execute the described method.

In the use of multiprocessors and parallel processors, especially during software implementation, it is known that one parameter that needs to be tracked is the MCPS (million cycles per second) estimation and requirement. Computational load is measured in MCPS, and during system and software design, it is helpful to compute MCPS requirements for software blocks. If the chip rate architecture is changed, the resource requirements including MCPS may also change. In a different scenario, in wireless communications, e.g., in wireless networks, the resource and MCPS requirements are dependent, among other things, on the number of antennas and other devices used in the system. If the spread factor for certain users decreases to accommodate higher data rates, the system resource requirements increase. One bottleneck in how many data rate users a system can handle is the symbol rate MCPS requirement. For example, four data users at 64 Kbps (spread factor 16) might require the same amount of symbol rate processing as 32 voice users. Background information on profiling techniques is available in literature. Some profiler information is available in the University of California computer science Technical Report 1996-13, dated May 2, 1996, entitled Design, Implementation, and Analysis of a Split-C Profiler, by Bjoern Haake. Background information about 'measuring process utilization levels' may be had from the publication dated Jul. 13, 2004, in Embedded Systems Programming, by Michael J Trader, entitled "How to calculate CPU utilization".
The basic service set (BSS) IEEE WLAN (wireless local area network) is comprised of an access point (AP) and a plurality of stations. The AP connects its stations with the infrastructure. The basic 802.11 MAC (medium access control) protocol is the DCF (distributed coordination function) that works as a listen-before-talk scheme, based on CSMA (carrier sense multiple access) approach. As known, in WLAN, if two stations detect a channel as being free at the same time, and both have a packet to transmit, a collision occurs, and, this situation is addressed by a collision avoidance (CA) system. As part of a CA system, a station keeps sensing the channel for an additional length of time after detecting the channel as being idle, for a minimum duration called DCF inter-frame space (DIFS). Each station maintains a so called back off count which may be a random number, and a contention window (CW) which are used to determine the number of slot times a station has to wait before transmission. To support time-bound services, the 802.11 standard defines PCF (point coordination function) to let stations have priority access to the wireless medium coordinated by a station called PC (point coordinator). In 802.11, to allow an immediate response, an ACK (acknowledgment) is transmitted following a directed received information packet, after a short inter-frame space (SIFS). In other words, acknowledgements are generated after successfully receiving a directed frame and obtaining channel access using a SIFS, where SIFS<DIFS.
In systems that need the use of computing and processing, measurement of the utilization of the total processor clock cycles for an algorithm or an application has usually been done in the past by computing a total number of idle cycles for the period of observation. It is also possible to observe the PC (program counter) position at regular intervals to compute statistically the utilization of the clock cycles per function. Such approaches sometimes do not enable an efficient use of resources and may not offer sufficient flexibility in the system.

Method and apparatus for measurement of processor-utilization


An electrolyte composition for screen printing, comprising: an organic solvent; an inorganic salt in the form of a fine powder able to pass through a screen printing mesh, the salt powder being dispersed in the organic solvent; and polyvinyl pyrrolidone dissolved in the organic solvent A miniaturized oxygen electrode having an oxygen sensing site filled with the electrolyte composition. A process for producing a miniaturized oxygen electrode, including a step of patterning or selectively removing an oxygen gas-permeable membrane at a pad region by removing or peeling off an underlying cover film formed thereunder.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a diaphragm-type miniaturized oxygen electrode, more particularly, to a miniaturized oxygen electrode useful for many applications including a measurement of the dissolved oxygen concentration of a solution, to an electrolyte composition suitable for forming the sensing site of the miniaturized oxygen electrode, and to a process of mass-producing miniaturized oxygen electrodes having a uniform quality.
An oxygen electrode is very useful for measuring the dissolved oxygen concentration in many fields. For example, oxygen electrodes are used in the field of water control, the BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) in water is measured, and in the fermentation and brewing field, the dissolved oxygen concentration of a fermentation tank or fermenter is measured, to ensure an efficient fermentation of alcohol, etc.
An oxygen electrode can be combined with an enzyme to form a biosensor or an enzyme electrode to be used for measuring the concentration of sugar, vitamins, etc. For example, an oxygen electrode can be combined with glucose oxidase to measure the concentration of glucose or grape sugar. This utilizes a phenomenon in which glucose is oxidized by the dissolved oxygen with the aid of a catalytic action of glucose oxidase to form gluconolactone, with a resulting reduction of the dissolved oxygen amount diffusing into an oxygen electrode.
In addition to the measurement of the dissolved oxygen concentration of a solution, an oxygen electrode can be advantageously used for controlling the oxygen concentration of a gas phase For example, a reduction of the ambient oxygen concentration to below 18% causes a dangerous oxygen deficiency, and in medical-care equipment, such as oxygen inhalation and gas anesthetization, the oxygen concentration of a gas used must be strictly controlled.
The oxygen electrode is thus very advantageously used in many fields, including environmental instrumentation, the fermentation industry, clinical care, and industrial hygiene.

Electrolyte composition for screen printing and miniaturized oxygen electrode and production process thereof


Described herein are various technologies pertaining to authenticating, via a two-factor authentication method, the identity of a user requesting access to a medical application such as an electronic health record (EHR). The medical application, executing on a server computing device, authenticates the user based upon log in credentials provided to a client computing device, and indicates to the client computing device that the user has been authenticated. The client computing device transmits a message to a helper application (executing on a second server computing device), where the message indicates that the user has logged into the medical application. The helper application can then request confirmation from the user (by transmitting a request to a mobile computing device of the user) that the user has logged into the medical application. In another example, the helper application can determine that the user has logged into the medical application based upon a comparison between geographic locations of the client computing device and the mobile computing device (without requiring explicit user feedback).

The health care sector requires a healthcare provider to record, maintain, and synthesize large volumes of medical information unique to a given patient to provide the care necessary all while keeping the information safe and secure from unauthorized viewing, which can be cumbersome and inefficient. Healthcare workers at healthcare providers are frequently doctors, but may also be nurses, nurse's aides, dentists, dental assistants etc. As of Jan. 1, 2014, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, healthcare providers were required to switch from paper record keeping to electronic record keeping, where computer-implemented electronic health record applications (EHRs) are configured to facilitate creation and maintenance of electronic health records (to comply with the law).
EHRs are utilized in medical facilities across a variety of aspects of a medical practice. For example, and not by way of limitation, an EHR can include functionality related to a patient's medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images, and laboratory and test results. Conventional EHRs, however, are currently not well-suited for maintaining all pertinent information usable to treat a patient, and thus healthcare workers, when providing care to a patient, may navigate through multiple software applications to acquire such information. For example, a first EHR may be used to maintain lab and test results, while a second EHR may be used to maintain radiology images, and a third EHR may be used to maintain general health information, such as medical history. In another example, a healthcare worker may simultaneously work for several healthcare providers, or may be a contactor who is contracted with several different healthcare providers, and thus the healthcare worker must employ multiple EHRs. This creates efficiency problems, as the healthcare worker must adeptly navigate through multiple software platforms quickly to provide care, which increases the risk of missing pertinent information that could alter the treatment of a patient. In addition, conventional EHRs do not allow for integration of reminders or notifications generated by other EHRs (as each EHR has its own logic).
Still further, conventional EHRs are ill-equipped to facilitate secure communication between different healthcare workers who are not employed by the same healthcare provider. For instance, an EHR of one healthcare provider may include data compiled by a clinical psychologist, wherein such data may be usable by a primary care physician to treat a patient (where the primary care physician uses a second EHR). Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) are conventionally used for exchange of data, but can be burdensome to EHR users.
Moreover, some conventional EHRs are not well-equipped to identify when user credentials are breached. For instance, a malicious entity may acquire authentication data of a healthcare provider—some EHRs are not well-equipped to detect such a security breach, particularly when the malicious entity is not physically present at a healthcare site.

Computer-executable application that facilitates multi-factor authentication


The present invention provides a scanning device including a lamp, an object, and a transparency (or a reflector). The present invention changes the optical path by varying the shape of tube wall of lamp, the transparency or the reflector to compensate the light in the boundary regions of the lamp. Moreover, the present invention is capable of reducing the dimension of the scanning device.

A scanner scans pictures, texts, and photographs into graphic files.
FIG. 1A is a partially schematic diagram of a conventional scanner. As shown in
FIG. 1A, a conventional scanner includes a lamp 101 and an object 103 to be scanned. The lamp 101 emits a light beam toward the object 103. Specifically, the intensity of the light beam received by the object 103 must reach a certain level so that the object (e.g. a picture or a text) can be precisely converted into a graphic file. However, the light beam from the areas at two sides of the lamp is not very strong due to the physical constraint of the lamp 101 itself; therefore, the designer of the scanner has to employ a light tube that its length is longer than the widest width of the object to be scanned.
Also, referring to FIG. 1B, a conventional scanner includes a lamp 101, an object to be scanned 103, and a reflector 105. The reflector 105 is located above the lamp 101. When the lamp 101 emits a light beam, the object 103 will receive a direct light beam from the lamp 101 as well as a reflected light beam from the reflector 105.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 1C, the reflector 105 is a parabolic surface, and the lamp 101 is placed on the focus of the reflector 105. When the reflector 105 reflects the light beam emitted by the lamp 101, according to the property of the light beam, the reflected light beam will be emitted downwardly in parallel toward the object 103 so that the intensity of the light beam received by the object 103 can be intensified to increase the work performance of the scanner. However, the light beam at two sides of the light tube is insufficient due to the physical constraint of the lamp 101.
On the other hand, designing a slimmer and smaller apparatus has been a trend pursued by designers. However, the light beam in the boundary regions of the light tube hampers the space utilization of a scanner. For instance, in an A4 scanner, the length of its light tube is generally longer than the widest width of the object to be scanned in about 3 to 4 centimeters, which in turn makes it impossible for the dimension of the scanner to be diminished. Therefore, it is imperative to have a device that compensates the light intensity in the boundary regions of the lamp so as to reduce the dimension of the scanner.


A process for reducing the salt content of fractions comprising high boilers obtained in the preparation of phenol from cumene, by extraction, is claimed. In the preparation of phenol from cumene, not only phenol and acetone but also by-products such as dimethyl phenyl carbinol or acetophenone are formed in the cleavage of cumene hydroperoxide. In the work-up of the cleavage product phase by distillation, these by-products are obtained as a fraction which boils only at high temperatures. These fractions further comprise alkali metal in the form of salts as a result of the neutralization by means of aqueous sodium hydroxide after the acid catalyzed cleavage. The presence of salt in this phase makes the work-up of this phase considerably more difficult. The salt is usually removed from the fraction by extraction of the fraction with water. However, considerable problems can occur if the aqueous phase cannot be cleanly separated from the organic phase. According to the invention, not only water but also an organic liquid is added to the fractions comprising high boilers for the purposes of extraction. This aids and accelerates the subsequent phase separation. The organic liquid to be added to the fractions comprising high boilers can be removed again from the treated fractions by simple distillation. Furthermore, the process of the invention lowers the phenol content of the fractions comprising high boilers and phenol is recovered.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for reducing the salt content of fractions comprising high boilers obtained in the preparation of phenol from cumene, by extraction. The process is particularly suitable for reducing the salt content of fractions comprising high boilers which already have a low phenol content, where the phenol content of the fractions comprising high boilers is further reduced by the process claimed and phenol is thereby recovered.
The invention likewise relates to the use of fractions comprising high boilers which have been extracted according to the invention as starting materials for the production of carbon black.
2. Discussion of the Background
In the preparation of phenol from cumene by the Hock process, cumene is oxidized to cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) in a first reaction step, known as oxidation. As is known, dimethyl phenyl carbinol (DMPC) and acetophenone (ACP) are formed as by-products in this step. In a second reaction step, known as cleavage, the CHP is cleaved into phenol and acetone by action of an acid, usually sulfuric acid. The product from the cleavage is subsequently neutralized with an alkali, usually aqueous sodium hydroxide, and worked up by distillation. Particularly in the cleavage, high-boiling components such as cumylphenols and indanes are formed from DMPC and these together with ACP are obtained as a high-boiling fraction (bottom product) in the distillation. Further constituents of this bottom product are alkali metal salts which get into the distillation as a result of the neutralization, and also phenol. U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,735 mentions typical a phenol content of 5-40% by weight, a ACP content of 5-30% by weight, a cumylphenol content of 10-50% by weight and a salt content of 0-2% by weight.
The bottom product or the fraction comprising high boilers is customarily incinerated as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,376, by which means steam can be generated. As a further possible way of utilizing this fraction, Poll Nafta (Katowice, Poll) (1975), 31(12), 484/7, has described mixing it into asphalts, but this is problematical in the case of high phenol contents in the fractions comprising high boilers.
In the incineration of the fractions comprising high boilers, the sodium salts cause problems since they result in corrosion and emissions. The removal of these salts from the bottom product of phenol plants has been described many times. DE-B 1 219 035 describes, for example, the extraction of the salts using 10% strength sulfiric acid. U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,376 describes a process in which a fraction comprising high boilers is treated with an aqueous amine solution with the aim of simultaneously lowering the phenol content and the alkali metal content. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,235 describes a process in which the fraction comprising high boilers is treated with water without further additives at from 10 to 90xc2x0 C. in a multistage countercurrent extraction plant. Thus, according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,235, the salt content can be reduced from 0.139% to less than 0.001% (10 wppm) in a six-stage extraction column at 85xc2x0 C. when the ratio of fraction comprising high boilers to water is 1:0.5 and the phenol content of this fraction is 17.2%. The fraction comprising high boilers forms the heavy phase in this extraction.
The phase separation between bottom product and water or aqueous solutions is, however, often incomplete. Causes are, depending on the composition of the fraction comprising high boilers or the bottom product, an insufficiently large density difference between the two phases, an excessively high viscosity of the bottom product and inhibition of coalescence at the phase interface presumably caused by the interfacial tensions being too low. Such unsatisfactory phase separations occur especially when the phenol content in the bottom product is low, i.e. below 5% by weight. Under unfavorable circumstances, the density ratios can be reversed in the extraction apparatus, i.e. contrary to the description in U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,235, the bottom product can become the lighter phase, so that malfunctions occur in the operation of such plants. Low phenol contents of less than 5% by weight in the fraction comprising high boilers and thus correspondingly low phenol losses over the entire phenol process are, however, desirable, since this increases the overall yield of the process and thus improves the economics. Such low phenol contents can be achieved by appropriate measures in the distillation, e.g. in combination with a thermal after-treatment (cracking) of the bottom products from the phenol columns as described in DE-B 1 121 621.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a process for removing the salts from fractions comprising high boilers, in which optimum extraction conditions are achieved by means of good phase separations even when the fractions comprising high boilers have low phenol contents.
It has surprisingly been found that a process for reducing the salt content of fractions comprising high boilers obtained in the preparation of phenol from cumene, by extraction, in which not only an aqueous phase but also an organic phase or liquid are mixed into the streams comprising high boilers considerably simplifies the extraction and subsequent phase separation even in the case of low phenol contents in the streams comprising high boilers and also enables part of the phenol to be recovered from the fraction comprising high boilers.
The present invention accordingly provides a process for reducing the salt content of fractions comprising high boilers which are obtained in the preparation of phenol from cumene, by extraction, wherein at least one organic liquid is mixed as diluent into a fraction comprising high boilers which is to be extracted.
The present invention likewise provides for the use of a fraction comprising high boilers which has been extracted by a process as described above, as starting material for the production of carbon black.
In addition, the present invention provides for the use of a process as described above for recovering phenol from fractions comprising high boilers and containing up to 5% by weight of phenol.
The process of the invention has the advantage that mixing at least one organic phase or liquid into the fractions comprising high boilers before or during extraction with water or an aqueous phase or solution considerably simplifies the subsequent phase separation. Use of the process of the invention makes only one extraction stage and one phase separation sufficient for achieving the necessary salt content.
A further advantage of the process of the invention is that, even in the case of low phenol contents in the fractions comprising high boilers, part of the phenol can be recovered from these fractions.
In addition, mixing in an organic liquid of suitable density also makes it possible to influence the phase separation so that, for example, the organic phase is always the lighter phase (less dense) and the aqueous phase is always the heavier phase (more dense), even if the fractions comprising high boilers have a similar or even higher density compared to the aqueous phase. The advantage provided by the process of the invention in this respect is that phase separation is always ensured in the case of a continuous or batchwise process and that the organic phase is always the lighter phase so that it is not possible, for example, for the organic phase instead of the aqueous phase to be passed to a water treatment plant for treatment and cause damage there.

Process for reducing the salt content of fractions comprising high boilers obtained in the preparation of phenol from cumene, by extraction

Abstract: Fractions comprising high boilers which have been treated according to the invention can be used as starting material for the production of carbon black.


A floating buoy for use in securing a looped wire assembly in marine environments is disclosed. The anchor buoy may include a buoyant body and a first opening and a second opening formed in the buoyant body, the first and second openings forming a passage through the buoyant body. The floating buoy may also include a loop-securing structure detachably connected to the buoyant body adjacent to the first opening, the loop-securing structure movable from a first position to a second position and vice versa, the loop-securing structure configured to cover the first opening such that the loop-securing structure in the first position defines a third opening that is narrower than both of the first opening and the second opening.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to equipment for use in marine operations and more particularly to the use of a floating anchor buoy in such operations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many marine operations make use of floating buoys to indicate subsurface locations of interest or to secure lines of various types at the surface of the water to provide a convenient way of locating and securing these lines. Some buoys may be used as mooring buoys. Mooring buoys are generally semi-permanent or permanent features that float on the surface of the water to mark the location of an anchor. Mooring buoys typically include an anchor chain attached to the anchor. Due to their permanence or semi-permanence, mooring buoys are not generally used to quickly move an anchor.
One particular application for floating buoys, for example, includes securing lines at the surface for the raising and lowering of anchors for marine vessels. Floating anchor buoys are frequently used to mark the surface locations above the anchor and secure a looped line or picking eye for quickly and easily moving the anchor. A cable or wire rope generally extends from the top or securing side of the anchor through the buoy, with a loop or picking eye extending above the surface of the water such that the loop can be easily captured by a vessel to raise and move the anchor to another position.
In general, mooring and floating anchor buoys are formed from heavy steel cylinders or spheres. Modifying these steel structures to receive a looped anchor cable can be difficult, time consuming, and pose some risk of injury to the worker. Splicing or otherwise forming the loop of the wire cable after the cable has passed through the buoy increases the amount of time needed to prepare the buoy for use and can pose a safety risk to persons near the buoy. A floating anchor that can quickly and easily accommodate and secure a looped cable line above the surface of the water would solve many of the disadvantages of prior designs.


An image contrast correct system and method thereof is provided. Exploiting Fuzzy theorem to analysis the image, which the LCD is going to display, identify the correction strength to several levels and real time correct the image contrast according to the Fuzzy rule and the Fuzzy decision theorem. On the other hand, all image analysis, correction decision, and the contrast correction will be completed during one frame period. Utilizing this FCC method (Fuzzy Contrast Correction) can avoid the over-correction or the under-correction situation, can improve or enhance the image contrast properly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and system of image contrast correction, and more particularly relates to a method and system of liquid crystal display image contrast correction with Fuzzy theory.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Nowadays, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) is a kind of monitor apparatus with lots of advantage, such as, light, low volume, low power consumption, low radiation, low glitter and can save more space. However, the LCD monitor has a major disadvantage on image display is low contrast. Low contrast cause the image quality of LCD can't contend against the vivid image quality displayed from the plasma display panel and the traditional CRT monitor. The root cause of low contrast is because the liquid crystal can not completely covers the backlight. As this result, light leakage phenomenon occurs when the LCD shows the black image. At the same time, when the white image doesn't have enough illumination neither due to low luminance, the contrast of LCD will become quite low. One of the prior arts to solve this problem is to analysis the input signal by cumulative distribution function (CDF). However, CDF needs about 1˜2 frame time to calculate the data, it can not display the corrected image in real time and needs lots of electric storage apparatus to calculate the function.
One of the other prior arts to solve this problem is modifying the driver voltage of source driver IC to force gray scale shows brighter or darker image. This method doesn't need extra production cost and won't occupy the hardware space. However, part of response speed of the digital to analog converter (DAC) of external hardware circuit may limit the resolution of the image and DAC has large power consumption also.
The contrast of LCD determines the image quality, said, how to make LCD has better color quality by correct the image within finite luminance is a big issue.

Image contrast correction system and method thereof


The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for providing switching optical filter. The switching optical filter provides several functionalities at the same time. For example, the filter can be used to remove photons of undesirable wavelength, such as ultraviolet or infrared, while simultaneously switching from and between one mode to another in order to accommodate changing ambient light conditions. In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to a method for forming an optical filter, the method comprising: forming a first electrode layer on a substrate; forming an ion conductor layer to at least partially cover the first electrode layer; forming an optically transparent layer over the ion conductor layer, the optically transparent layer preventing transmission of photons having a first wavelength while transmitting photons of a second wavelength; and forming a second electrode layer to at least partially cover the optically transparent layer.

1. Field
The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for switching optical filters. More specifically, the disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for providing an optical thin film system which not only prevents transmission of certain wavelengths, it also allows controlling the intensity of the transmitted wavelengths.
2. Related Art
Optical lenses and coatings which filter light have gained substantial popularity in recent years. New manufacturing processes have enabled coating multilayer optical filters on inexpensive transparent substrates and thereby flooding the market with inexpensive sunglasses capable of providing UV protection. High performance optical coatings are used in numerous commercial applications, such as camera lenses, to increase the total transmission of the camera lens. The same technological principles have been applied to window panes in order to provide optically transparent but infrared (heat) blocking windows for reducing the thermal load on buildings. The goal of most optical coatings is to provide a particular light transmission profile (transmission vs. wavelength) that yields the desired performance.
In the eye glass realm, a goal is to provide perfect optical vision while reducing the eyes' exposure to UV and other hazardous rays. In window treatments, the goal is to limit UV rays, infrared rays, and/or to limit visibility through the windows. Ultraviolet radiation falls within a range of wavelengths below visible light, generally between 100-400 nm. The ultraviolet radiation is responsible for fading and solar damage to fabrics. It is desirable to eliminate such radiation via window coatings.
Infrared radiation results in excess heating of interior spaces and is also desirable to eliminate via window coatings. Visible transmittance, on the other hand, may be desired to have different transmission levels depending on the time of day or particular application. It may be desirable for a window to have less transmission during bright daylight hours to avoid glare and eye strain while at night a window might be highly transparent to allow good outside visibility.
A particular type of optical thin film coating is the so-called rugate filter. Rugate filters are optical filters, typically applied as a coating, which act as a notch filter by eliminating a particular range of wavelengths. Rugate filters are different from discrete stacked filters in that the index of refraction of the rugate filter varies as a function of the thickness of the deposited film.
Typically, the optical thickness of the refractive index determines the reflection band position and the amplitude of the variation of the index of refraction determines the reflection bandwidth. Multiple reflection bands can be generated by depositing a series of individual layers each having an index of refraction for each reflection band. Alternatively, multiple index of refraction profiles can be superimposed and deposited in parallel. The use of superposition allows for a better film complexity without increasing the film thickness.
Conventional multilayer coatings and rugate filters are designed by applying well-developed theoretical methods to define index of refraction versus thickness profiles that result in the desired optical performance. The spectral performance of the optical coating is related to the excursion of the index of refraction and physical thickness of the coating. As such, the maximum bandwidth limited to the maximum difference in the refractive indices of the constituent materials.
Moreover, all of these optical coatings and rugate filters are not capable of adjusting for the environment's brightness or darkness. Thus, sunglasses having an optical coating are not useful at night or under variable lighting conditions.
A different type of optical filter includes electrochromic material. Electrochromic devices have been developed to change color in response to radiation or electrical stimulation. For example, electrochromic glasses change opacity through darkening upon closing a circuit which applies a charge to the electrochromic material in the glass. A typical electrochromic material uses chemical material that can reversibly change color when an electric field is applied. A common electrochromic material is aniline which reversibly changes color when a charge is applied. A common application of such electrochromic devices is in automotive rear view mirrors where they are highly reflective during daylight hours and less reflective at night to subdue reflection of headlights from following vehicles.

Method and apparatus for switching optical filters


An apparatus configured to be employed in a gNodeB associated with a new radio (NR) system is disclosed. The apparatus comprises one or more processors configured to configure one or more sidelink sounding reference signals (SRS), for one or more user equipments (UEs) associated with the gNodeB, to be utilized by the one or more UEs for transmission or reception, or both, over sidelink. The one or more processors is further configured to generate one or more sidelink SRS configuration signals to be provided, respectively, to the one or more UEs, wherein each sidelink SRS configuration signal comprises sidelink SRS configuration information on the one or more sidelink SRS configured for a respective UE. The apparatus further comprises a radio frequency (RF) interface, configured to provide, to a radio frequency (RF) circuitry, the one or more sidelink SRS configuration signals, for subsequent transmission to the one or more UEs, respectively.

Vehicle-to-everything (V2X), referring to Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communications, is a wireless technology aimed at enabling data exchanges between a vehicle and its surroundings. New radio (NR) vehicle-to-everything V2X aims to support unicast, groupcast and broadcast communication over the sidelink. In some embodiments, the sidelink refers to a communication mechanism between 2 devices (e.g., two V2X UEs) without going through a base station (e.g., eNodeB, gNodeB etc.). In NR Uu interface (i.e., a radio interface between a user equipment (UE) and a gNodeB), large level of flexibility and scalability are very crucial to fulfill the requirements of diverse 5G use cases. And the flexibility and scalability are inherent to numerous design aspects including the modulation schemes, frame structure, reference signals, and multi-antenna transmission etc. Similarly, it is advantageous that the NR sidelink design can reuse the NR Uu physical layer design principles in regard to flexibility and scalability, e.g., by virtue of configurable numerology, frame structure and reference signals etc. so as to support diverse use cases with extreme requirements, as well as a wide range of frequencies and deployment options.

Methods for network assisted beamforming for sidelink unicast communication


A high resolution lens is provided as a condensing lens for collecting light made incident from a light source, of which one face is plane and the other face is curved. The curved face of the lens is coated with a reflecting material except for its central apex portion, and incident light is made incident through the plan portion of the lens. The curved face of the high resolution lens may be spherical or is a parabolic face to reduce aberration. When a parallel light is made incident on the plane face of the high resolution lens, it is reflected in the lens and totally reflected, and then is transmitted through the uncoated apex to an external object.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high resolution lens, and more particularly, to a high resolution parabolic lens which is capable of reducing the size of an optical spot to below a diffraction limit without using another condensing lens.
2. Description of the Background Art
Resolution of a microscope, a line width of a semiconductor exposing equipment, and a storage density in an information storage device have a direct relation with the size of a light spot.
That is, as the light spot becomes small, its resolution is increased, the line width of a semiconductor circuit can be reduced and the information storage density of the information recording apparatus can be increased.
The size of the light spot depends on the wave length of a light, a light convergency angle of a lens, a diameter of an incident beam, a refractivity of a medium on which a spot is formed, which can be expressed by the following formula:
d=0.6xcex/n*sinxcex8
where xe2x80x98dxe2x80x99 indicates the diameter of a spot, xcex indicates a wavelength of a light, xe2x80x98nxe2x80x99 indicates refractivity, and xcex8 indicates a convergency angle.
Accordingly, in order to reduce the light spot, the wave length is to be reduced, the refractivity is to be great and the convergency angle is to be great. However, the size of the light spot is limited to one-half of the wave length of the used light due to the-diffraction limit.
Accordingly, in order to reduce the light spot, the wave length is to be reduced, the refractivity is to be great and the convertency angle is to be great. However, the size of the light spot is limited to a half the wave length of the used light due to the diffraction limit.
Therefore, in an effort to overcome the diffraction limit and obtain a smaller light spot, there have been proposed several methods.
Blue laser light is used to reduce the wave length of the light, so that the wave length of about 600 nm can be reduced to about 400 nm.
In addition, a method has been proposed in which a lens having a high refractivity is used to reduce the spot. A solid immersion lens (referred to as SIL, hereinafter) is its typical example.
FIG. 1 illustrates an optical system in use for an information recording apparatus.
As shown in the drawing, the optical system includes a hemispherical SIL 12 and a first condensing lens 10.
The SIL 12 is adjacent to a recording medium 14 and has a hemispherical shape of which the upper surface is spherical and the lower surface is plane. The center of the plane portion of the SIL corresponds to the focus of the first condensing lens.
The light made incident on the first condensing lens is deflected and proceeds into the SIL. Since the focus of the first condensing lens exists at the center of the plane portion of the SIL, the incident light is collected at the center of the plane portion of the SIL.
The light convergency angle (xcex8) is determined by the numerical aperture of the first condensing lens, and refractivity (n) is determined according to the material of the SIL. The maximum refractivity of the material used for the SIL is about 2.2, and the sine value (sinxcex8) of the convergency angle by the numerical aperture of the first condensing lens is possibly by 0.7. Therefore, in case of using a light of which wave length (xcex) is 632 nm, the minimum spot size xe2x80x98dxe2x80x99 realizable with the SIL is about 246 nm.
In order to record a data (bit) on a disk by using the SIL, as shown in FIG. 2, the SIL 20 approaches the surface of a recording medium 22, leaving a space (26) of about 10xcx9c70 nm.
As the SIL 20 is approaching, a light near-field phenomenon occurs that the light energy first collected at the lower surface of the SIL is partially transmitted to the recording medium.
Thanks to the near-field phenomenon, a data can be recorded or reproduced on or from the surface of the recording medium. For example, the energy transmitted from the SIL heats a portion of the surface of the recording medium, causing a partial phase change, and a bit 24 is formed on the surface of the recording medium owing to the phase change, that is, data is recorded.
In case where a recorded data is read, a characteristic that the reflectivity is changed at the portion where the phase is changed is utilized.
That is, a light having a low intensity compared to the case of recording is made incident on the surface of the recording medium through the SIL, and the intensity of the light coming out through the SIL after being reflected on the surface of the recording medium is measured. Then, since the reflectivity is different according to the existence and non-existence of the bit, the data can be read.
As stated above, the optical system using the SIL overcomes the diffraction limit of the light as well as reducing the light spot, but also has the following problems.
Generally, as shown in FIG. 3, the optical lens 30 has a problem of aberration that light is not collected at one point. The aberration becomes great as the magnification of the lens is high. In case of the optical system using the SIL, since it needs the first condensing lens, the aberration of the first condensing lens considerably degrades the first collecting capacity of the optical system.
In addition, in case of the hemispherical SIL using the near-field, since it needs to approach the recording medium or an object for measurement, there is a possibility of collision. The SIL has a plane bottom surface having a diameter of about 1 mm and should maintain the space of 50 nm with respect to the recording medium. Thus, since the plane face (having a diameter of 20000 times of the space) is relatively wide compared to the space, if the SIL is a bit inclined to the recording medium, it would collide the latter.
Moreover, the data recording and reproducing apparatus using the SIL needs the first condensing lens, causing- the apparatus to have a large volume and to be complicated. Also, it is difficult to assemble the whole data storing unit and the first condensing lens.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a high resolution near-field optical system directed to reducing a possibility of collision between a near-field optical system and a recording medium or an object for measurement.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a high resolution near-field optical system without having a first condensing lens.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a high resolution lens of which light-collecting performance is remarkably enhanced by reducing its aberration.
Yet another object of the present invention is to fabricate various apparatuses simply by using the high resolution lens.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a high resolution lens for collecting light made incident from an external source, of which one surface is plane and other surface is curved and coated with a reflecting material except for its central top point (apex).
The curved face of the high resolution lens may be spherical or is preferably a parabolic face to reduce aberration.
When a parallel light is made incident on the plane face of the high resolution lens, it is reflected in the lens and totally reflected, and then is transmitted through the uncoated apex to an external object.
Also, the present invention introduces various techniques adopting the high resolution lens, including the information recording apparatus.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


A repeat instruction (RPT) operates on one or more operands, but the RPT instruction includes only an opcode and does not specify locations of the operand or operands. The type of operation to be performed when the RPT instruction is executed depends upon an initial instruction. If, for example, the initial instruction is an ADD, then the RPT instruction causes an ADC operation to be performed, thereby facilitating efficient coding of an extended precision addition operation. The locations of the operands for the RPT instruction are assumed to be in predetermined memory locations. When coding a repeated operation, rather than following the initial instruction with one or more instructions of the same form, the initial instruction is followed by one or more of the shorter RPT instructions, thereby conserving memory space and facilitating backward compatibility with an instruction set that does not have the RPT instruction.

FIG. 1 (Prior Art) is a simplified diagram of a portion of a commercially available 8-bit microcontroller integrated circuit. The microcontroller integrated circuit includes an amount of program memory 1, a processor portion 2, and an amount of data memory 3. Processor portion 2 includes a program counter 4, a fetch unit 5, an instruction buffer 6, an execution unit 7, and an 8-bit arithmetic logic unit (ALU) 8. ALU 8 receives two 8-bit operand values, performs an arithmetic or logic operation on the two 8-bit operand values, and outputs an 8-bit result. The first operand may be called the destination operand. The second operand may be called the source operand. An example of such an 8-bit operation is the addition of two 8-bit values.
In addition to being able to perform 8-bit operations, it is also often desired to perform arithmetic and logic operations on values having more than 8-bits of precision. FIG. 2 (Prior Art) is a diagram that illustrates four instructions that might be executed by the microcontroller of FIG. 1 in order to perform a 32-bit ADD operation. The instructions of FIG. 2 are stored in consecutive 8-bit memory locations in program memory. The first instruction occupies two 8-bit memory locations (two bytes) in program memory. The first byte stores the equivalent of a hexadecimal "02". The second byte stores the equivalent of a hexadecimal "37". It is therefore seen that the four instructions of FIG. 1 occupy a total of eight bytes of program memory.
To perform the 32-bit ADD operation in this example, fetch unit 5 fetches the first byte (02) of the first instruction (the ADD instruction) out of program memory 1, across the eight-bit data bus 9, and into the FetchData inputs of fetch unit 5. Fetch unit 5 latches the first byte into the Opcode portion 10 of the instruction buffer 6. This byte is then used to determine the number of additional bytes that may need to be fetched in order to complete the fetching of the instruction. Depending on the type of instruction, there may be from zero up to three more bytes that need to be fetched in order to complete fetching the instruction. Fetch unit 5 fetches these bytes and places them into the portions of instruction buffer 6 labeled P1, P2 and P3. The number of subsequent bytes depends on the opcode.
In the present example, the first byte of the first instruction indicates that the instruction is the ADD instruction (add instruction where the carry-in is ignored). The next byte (37) fetched by fetch unit 5 is therefore loaded into P1. When the second byte is present in P1, then fetch unit 5 sends a signal VALID to execution unit 7 indicating that the complete instruction is present in instruction buffer 6. Execution unit 7 supplies operands as indicated by the opcode to ALU 8. In the present example of an ADD instruction, the first nibble of the second byte is a "3". This indicates that the content of register 3 (R3) in data memory 3 is to be read out of data memory 3 by execution unit 7 and is to be supplied as DOUT[0:7] to ALU 8. The "D" in DOUT indicates the "destination" operand. The second nibble of the second byte is a "7". This indicates that the content of register 7 (R7) in data memory 3 is to be read out of data memory 3 by execution unit 7 and is to be supplied as SOUT[0:7] to ALU 8. The "S" in SOUT indicates the "source" operand. ALU 8 outputs the sum of the two operand values onto the 8-bit output of ALU 8 as ALUOUT[0:7]. This output is then written back into the destination operand's address DIN in data memory 3. The content of R3 is therefore overwritten with the result of the 8-bit addition. A carry bit value remains in ALU 8.
In similar fashion, fetch unit 5 fetches the next byte out of the program memory and places it into the opcode portion 10 of instruction buffer 6. As seen from FIG. 2, the instruction is an ADC instruction (add with carry). Fetch unit 5 therefore reads the next byte (26) out of program memory and places that byte into P1. Because the first nibble of the second byte is a "2", execution unit 7 reads the content of R2 out of data memory 3 and supplies that value to ALU 8 as the first operand on DIN[0:7]. Because the second nibble of the second byte is a "6", execution unit 7 reads the content of R6 out of data memory 3 and supplies that value to ALU 8 as the second operand on SOUT[0:7]. The instruction is an ADD with carry (ADC), so the carry bit value from the previous instruction that was stored in the ALU 8 is used as a carry in value for the second instruction. ALU 8 outputs the resulting 8-bit sum onto ALUOUT[0:7]. The carry bit out is stored in ALU 8 as before. The 8-bit sum is written back into the destination operand's address DIN in data memory 3. The content of R2 is therefore overwritten.
In similar fashion, the third ADC (add with carry) instruction and the fourth ADC (add with carry instruction) instruction are performed. At the end of execution of the fourth instruction, the 32-bit result of the 32-bit add operation is present in registers R3, R2, R1 and R0. The first 32-bit value added is the 32-bit value in registers R7, R6, R5 and R4. The second 32-bit value added is the 32-bit value that was originally present in registers R3, R2, R1 and R0. The carry out value for the 32-bit add operation is present in ALU 8. This carry out value is also made available to the execution unit 7 in a status register (not shown).
In the 32-bit add example of FIG. 1, notice that eight bytes of program memory are consumed to store the instructions necessary to perform the 32-bit operation using the 8-bit ALU. In processors where execution speed on such larger 32-bit values is more important and reducing the cost of the processor is less important, wider ALUs and wider data buses are typically employed. Where processing speed of such 32-bit values is less important but where reducing the cost of the processor is more important, then typically narrower ALUs and a narrower data buses are employed. When a narrower ALU and data bus are employed, however, a large amount of program memory is consumed due to the need to store multiple 8-bit instructions in order to perform a single larger 32-bit instruction. Where cost of the overall microcontroller implementation is critical, it would be desirable to be able to reduce the amount of program memory consumed without providing a wider ALU and data bus. If the amount of program memory required to perform a given program could be reduced, then either more program functionality could be provided into a microcontroller design having the same amount of program memory (thereby increasing functionality of the implementation) or the amount of program memory provided could be reduced (thereby reducing the cost of the implementation).
In addition to the above considerations, certain instruction sets and processor architectures have been well accepted over the years. It is desired to be able to use the experience and familiarity with these instruction sets and processors in the designs of subsequent products. A large body of software has been written for such well-accepted processors, and it is desired to maintain as much backward compatibility with the previous software and instruction sets as possible. It is not, therefore, desirable to generate a new instruction set from scratch. A solution is therefore desired that reduces the amount of program memory necessary to perform large arithmetic and logic operations in a processor having a narrower ALU and data bus, and it is desired to do this in a way that maintains a substantial degree of backward compatibility with an existing well-accepted instruction set and processor design.

Instruction operation and operand memory location determined based on preceding instruction operation and operand memory location


An all solid-state dye sensitizing type photoelectric conversion element excellent in photoelectric conversion efficiency and stability of photoelectric conversion function due to the prevention of desorption of the dye, and a solar cell comprising the photoelectric conversion element are provided. The present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion element comprising a first electrode, a photoelectric conversion layer comprising a semiconductor and a sensitizing dye, and a solid hole transport layer, and a second electrode, on a substrate, wherein the sensitizing dye is represented by the general formula (1) and the solid hole transport layer comprises a polymer obtainable by polymerizing a compound represented by the following general formula (2) or a multimer of the compound.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a dye sensitizing type photoelectric conversion element and a solar cell that is constituted with the photoelectric conversion element.
2. Description of Related Arts
In recent years, solar light energy has drawn attention as an energy source because of environmental problems, and a method of converting light and heat by solar light energy into electric energy as a more usable energy form has been put into practical use. In particular, a method of converting the solar light energy into electric energy is typical, and a photoelectric conversion element is used in this method. For the photoelectric conversion element, a photoelectric conversion element using inorganic materials such as single crystal silicon, polycrystal silicon, amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride and copper indium selenide is widely used for, so-called, a solar cell. However, a solar cell obtained by using a photoelectric conversion element using these inorganic materials has a multiple layered pn junction structure in which a silicon, or the like used as a material is required to be a high purity product obtained by undergoing a high purification process, and thus, there has been problems such that production steps are complicated and the number of processes is large, and a production cost is high.
On the other hand, researches of a photoelectric conversion element using an organic material as a simpler element have progressed. For example, pn junction type organic photoelectric conversion element obtained by connecting a perylenetetracarboxylic acid derivative as an n-type organic dye and copper phthalocyanine as a p-type organic dye has been reported. In order to improve a short exciter diffusion length and a thin space charge layer, which are considered to be defective points in an organic photoelectric conversion element, an attempt to simply increase an area of pn junction portion to which organic thin films are laminated to ensure a sufficient number of organic dyes involved in charge separation has been achieving results.
Further, there has been a technique in which a pn conjunction portion is significantly increased by complexing an n-type electron conductive organic material and a p-type hole conductive polymer in a film to carry out charge separation in the entire film. Heeger, et al. suggested a photoelectric conversion element obtained by mixing a conjugate polymer as a p-type conductive polymer and fullerene as an electron conductive material in 1995.
These photoelectric conversion elements has gradually improved characteristics thereof but has not achieved operating stably with keeping high conversion efficiency.
However, in 1991, Gratzel performed huge and detailed experiments of a sensitizing photoelectric current of a dye adsorbed on titanium oxide, to succeed in preparation of a photoelectric conversion element that operates stably and has high conversion efficiency by forming titanium oxide into being porous, and sufficiently securing the charge separation area (the number of molecules contributing to charge separation) (for example, see B. O'Regan and M. Gratzel: Nature, 353, 737 (1991)).
In this photoelectric conversion element, a cycle in which a dye adsorbed on the surface of porous titanium oxide is photoexcited, electrons are injected into titanium oxide from the dye to form a dye cation, and the dye receives electrons through a hole transport layer from a counter electrode is repeated. For the hole transport layer, an electrolytic solution obtained by dissolving electrolyte containing iodine into an organic solvent has been used. This photoelectric conversion element has excellent reproducibility in cooperation with stability of titanium oxide, bases of research and development are largely extended. This photoelectric conversion element is also called a dye sensitizing type solar cell, which receives high expectation and attention. In this method, an inexpensive metal compound semiconductor such as titanium oxide is not required to be purified to high purity, an inexpensive one can be used as the semiconductor, further, available light ranges over the wide visible light region, and this method has an advantage such that the solar light having many visible light components can be effectively converted into electricity.
However, since a ruthenium complex having restriction as the resource is used for a photoelectric conversion layer, there are problems such that an expensive ruthenium complex is required to be used, stability with time is not sufficient, and the like. In addition, as a further problem, a dye sensitizing type solar cell operates using an electrolytic solution as described above and thus had a problem of requiring another mechanism to prevent retention, and effluence and dissipation of the electrolytic solution and iodine.
Development of an all solid-state dye sensitizing type solar cell that avoids such problems of elution of an electrolytic solution has been also progressing. For example, the all solid-state dye sensitizing type solar cell using an amorphous organic hole transport agent and the all solid-state dye sensitizing type solar cell using copper iodide as a hole transport agent have been known. Since conductivity of the hole transport agents is low, however, such cells have not yet attained sufficient photoelectric conversion efficiency.
Typical examples of a hole transport agent having comparatively high conductivity include polythiophene-based materials, and an all solid-state dye sensitizing type solar cell using polyethylene dioxythiophene (PEDOT) as a hole transport agent has been reported (for example, see JP-A-2003-317814 and J. Xia, N. Masaki, M. Lira-Cantu, Y. Kim, K. Jiang and S. Yanagida: Journal of the American Chemical Society, 130, 1258 (2008)). However, since PEDOT has absorption in the visible light region (400 to 700 nm), loss for light absorption of a dye is generated, and thus photoelectric conversion efficiency has not been sufficient yet.
On the other hand, it has been reported that when the PEDOT substituent described in L. Groenendaal, G. Zotti and F. Joans, Synthetic Metals, 118, 105 (2001) is used, absorbance in the visible light region is reduced while maintaining a conductivity, and an all solid-state dye sensitizing type solar cell using the PEDOT substituent as a hole transport agent has also been reported (for example, see JP-A No. 2000-106223).
On the other hand, development of an all solid-state dye sensitizing type solar cell using an organic dye in place of the ruthenium complex has also been progressing in order to reduce the cost of the solar cell. For example, the all solid-state dye sensitizing type solar cell using an organic methine dye having a thiophene backbone (WO 04/082061 A) has been reported and the all solid-state dye sensitizing type solar cell using an organic dye having a polythiophene backbone with a repetition number of 5 or more (JP-A-2005-135656) has been reported.

Photoelectric conversion element and solar cell

KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.


A tank venting system of an internal combustion engine having an intake manifold, a fuel tank, and an activated carbon filter includes: a tank vent valve; at least one check valve; and a pressure sensor situated between the tank vent valve and the check valve. For diagnosing this tank venting system, a negative pressure which is lower than the ambient pressure outside the engine system is stored between the tank vent valve and the check valve. The stored pressure is changed by controlling the tank vent valve, and the change in the pressure is measured via the pressure sensor. The functioning of the tank venting line, of the check valve, and of the tank vent valve is deduced from the correlation of the opening state of the tank vent valve with the change in pressure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tank venting system and to a method for diagnosing the tank venting system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Present internal combustion engines have tank venting systems in which fuel that has evaporated in the tank is stored in an activated carbon filter which is connected to the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine via a closable tank vent valve. When the tank vent valve is open, air is drawn in via a connection of the activated carbon filter to the environment, entraining the temporarily stored fuel and supplying it for combustion. The quantity of gas that is drawn in is controlled via the tank vent valve in such a way that on the one hand the activated carbon filter is sufficiently purged with air, and on the other hand, unacceptably large disturbances of the fuel/air ratio of the mixture supplied to the internal combustion engine do not occur.
In order to comply with regulatory requirements, a defective tank vent valve that is installed in a tank venting system must now be recognized as defective via suitable diagnoses. It is already known to open a tank vent valve during operation of the engine and to evaluate a response from a fuel/air ratio control loop for the diagnoses. The fuel vapor from the tank venting (regeneration gas) mixed with air causes a disturbance of the control loop, so that the occurrence of the disturbance indicates properly functioning tank ventilation, and thus in particular a properly functioning tank vent valve. This is described in published German patent application document DE 100 43 071 A1, for example.
It may be provided to repeatedly open the tank vent valve and to use a statistical analysis of a change in the mixture, which results from activating the valve and which is detected with the aid of a lambda sensor, for the diagnosis. This check may be made during idling and also during partial load operation of the internal combustion engine. In the process, the tank vent valve is slowly activated in a ramp-like manner without the overall system taking this activation into account. In other words, during the activation of the tank vent valve, the air and fuel components which are supplied to the engine via the tank vent valve are not taken into account. An intact or defective tank vent valve may be deduced via the response of the overall system to this occurring disturbance variable, which represents a mixture deviation. However, in the event that the mass flow which is conducted via the tank vent valve now contains no hydrocarbon molecules, i.e., when an unloaded activated carbon filter is "purged," this does not result in a response from the lambda control after the tank vent valve is opened, and therefore it cannot be determined whether a defective tank vent valve is present. In other words, although the tank vent valve is properly activated, it is possible that no mixture deviation is determined, so that, as mentioned, a conclusion cannot be drawn concerning the functioning of the tank vent valve.
Charge detection is carried out with the aid of a hot film air mass sensor, for example. Charge detection with the aid of an intake manifold pressure sensor is also known. In this type of charge detection, the gas which is additionally introduced into the system and thus into the intake manifold via the tank vent valve is measured with the aid of an intake manifold pressure sensor.
In recent hybrid vehicles, the internal combustion engine is continually started and stopped. This makes it necessary to carry out the required diagnostic method for the tank venting system as quickly as possible so as not to hinder other diagnoses.

Tank venting system and method for diagnosing same


The present invention relates to an antimicrobial composition and a method for disinfection involving the antimicrobial composition. It particularly relates to an antimicrobial composition for personal cleaning, oral care or hard surface cleaning applications. It was found that compositions comprising thymol, menthadiene alcohols and a carrier provide synergistic antimicrobial action. In a preferred aspect the composition also comprises 1 to 80%-wt of one or more surfactants.

Sanitising and disinfecting soap or cleaning compositions are of great benefit to individuals, since proper use generally may reduce the number of germs and pathogens the individual is exposed to. Thus, such compositions may for instance play an important role in reducing the occurrence and spread of infectious diseases.
Sanitising and disinfecting soap compositions comprising chlorine-based antimicrobial agents such as triclosan are known. Such compositions require a rather long contact time to provide efficacious antimicrobial action. In practice, users, in particular children, do not spend a long time on cleansing and as a result cleaning with such compositions does not provide adequate prevention from surface or topical infection or adequate protection against diseases. The user, in spite of cleaning his hands, is generally likely to end up with relatively inadequate bacterial removal from his skin. Therefore, he may cause contamination of further animate and/or inanimate surfaces and contribute to the spreading of pathogens and consequent diseases. Users in general and children in particular who wash contaminated hands before meals with slow-acting antimicrobial compositions for relatively short time are at risk of contracting diseases.
Similarly in the area of hard surface cleaning, e.g. cleaning of floors, table tops or utensils, the antimicrobial actives in the compositions are in contact with the substrate for less than a few minutes after which the surface is either wiped off or rinsed with water. These short time scales of cleaning action are ineffective in providing the desired benefit since most known antimicrobials commonly used in such products take many minutes to hours to provide the desired kill of microbes.
Therefore, there is a need of providing a composition that—upon application—provides relatively more efficacious antimicrobial action during a relatively short cleaning period, preferably about 30 seconds or less, more preferably 15 seconds or less.
A well-established class of antimicrobially active compounds are phenolic compounds [P A Goddard and K A McCue in "Disinfection, Sterilisation and Preservation", ed. S S Block, 5th edition, Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins. Philadelphia, 2001 pp. 255-282.] However, not every phenolic compound is suitable as an antimicrobial agent. Moreover, many phenols—even if they are antimicrobially active—may exhibit undesirable side-effects, such as corrosiveness, malodour and irritating or sensitising effects when applied on the human or animal skin.
A particular problem of thymol is that its presence in a formulation is generally well-perceptible due to its olfactory properties. Although the latter may—at least to some extent—be appreciated in certain fragrance compositions, it is considered too intense by some users when applied at concentrations efficacious in rapid disinfection. Additionally, a lower concentration of odoriferous compounds including thymol or the availability of antimicrobial compounds that are less or not odoriferous allows greater flexibility to the manufacturer in providing alternative scents to his composition at lower doses. Hence there is a need to provide alternative antimicrobial compositions and methods that preferably require lower concentrations of thymol and/or have a more acceptable sensory profile.
WO 2010/046238 A1 describes an effective antimicrobial composition which provides rapid kill of pathogenic bacteria and which comprises 0.01 to 5% by weight of thymol, 0.01 to 5% by weight of terpineol and a carrier. WO 2010/046238 A1 also discloses a method of disinfecting a surface including the step of applying the above composition to the surface.
WO 11/117424 discloses viral inhibitor compositions for in vivo therapeutic use comprising a combination of (−)-carvone, geraniol and a further essential oil component.
WO 06/053458 is directed at providing bactericidal formulations containing perfume ingredients that have a rapid bactericidal effect against Gram-negative and preferably also against Gram-positive bacteria and a method for providing these formulations. The document discloses a formulation comprising (a) at least 0.2% (w/v) of one or more selected perfume ingredients, (b) 4% to 20% (w/v) of a hydrotrope and (c) 0.1% to 9% (w/v) of one or more selected surfactants. It also discloses that certain perfume ingredients have a rapid (30 s) bactericidal effect on gram-negative bacteria.
WO 06/120494 is directed at improving the performance of antibiotics, it discloses a pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one first substance selected from carveol, thymol, eugenol, borneol, carvacrol, their isomers, derivatives and mixtures thereof and at least one second substance which is an antibiotic, for instance amoxicilline.
WO 12/012385 is directed at providing compositions comprising one or more derivatives of essential oil compounds for use in personal care compositions (e.g. dentifrices) with beneficial therapeutic effects. It discloses a composition comprising one or more derivatives of parent essential oil compounds selected from aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, phenolics or acids, for use in personal care compositions, at a level of from 0.02% to 5.0% by weight to provide effective antimicrobial activity, preferably wherein the one or more derivatives are selected from acetals of the parent essential oil aldehydes or ketones; esters or ethers of the parent essential oil alcohols or phenolics; esters of the parent essential oil acids or mixtures thereof.
WO 01/67868 A2 is directed to acaricides. It also discloses an oil extracted from Chenopodium ambrosioides comprising inter alia carveol and thymol.
WO 2004/006679 A2 relates to compositions and methods for controlling plant-infesting pests with plant extracts, derived from Chenopodium species. It also discloses oil samples of plant parts above root, comprising inter alia carveol and thymol.
Masayoshi et al. [Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem Vol 68(8), pp 1690-1697, (2004)] present a study of Citrus reiculata Bianco (ponkan) cold-pressed oil and its oxygenated fraction by GC and GCMS. It discloses that the aroma components of the oxygenated fraction of ponkan cold-pressed peel oil include inter alia perillyl alcohol and thymol.
FR 2 697 133 discloses biocidal and/or biostatic compositions, comprising mono-oxygenated sesquiterpenes of general formula C15HxO, wherein x is between 20 and 26 and aromatic compounds.
Despite the general availability of antimicrobial compounds and compositions, there remains a continuous need to find alternative antimicrobial compositions and active compounds that are suitable for use in such compositions. In particular, alternative compositions providing fast antimicrobial action remain highly desirable in view of current consumer habits. Such alternatives may reduce the dependency on current raw materials. Moreover, in the field of antimicrobials, the availability of alternatives may reduce the risk of development of microbial resistance or insensitivity to particular antimicrobial compounds.
In addition, there is a continued need to reduce the total amount of active ingredients required in such an antimicrobial composition. This need may for instance be driven by the desire for cost-efficiency, because such compositions are particularly relevant to developing countries. Moreover, reducing the amounts may also be beneficial for environmental reasons.
In view of the above-observed problems and drawbacks of the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide alternative antimicrobial compositions.
It is a particular object of the invention to provide such compositions, requiring a lower dose of antimicrobial compounds.
Similarly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an antimicrobial composition in which the olfactory contribution of the antimicrobially active compounds is reduced or in which the active compound contributes to providing a consumer-acceptable or even consumer-appreciated scent.
It is another particular object of the invention to provide an antimicrobial composition that contributes to reducing the required contact time in a method for disinfection of a surface.
In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide an antimicrobial composition which gives improved disinfection during cleansing of surfaces of the human body, such as the skin and the oral cavity.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an alternative method for sanitising and/or disinfecting, in particular of surfaces.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method for disinfection with a reduced disinfection time. More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a method, wherein the disinfection time of the method is less than 300 seconds, preferably less than 120 seconds, more preferably less than 60 seconds, and even more preferably less than 15 seconds.
In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a method for disinfection that gives improved disinfection during cleansing of surfaces, in particular hard surfaces, or surfaces of the human body, such as the skin and the oral cavity.


A pair of clamp pliers comprises an upper clip plate, a lower clip plate, a torsion spring disposed between the upper clip plate and the lower clip plate, a pivot pin passing through the torsion spring to fasten the upper clip plate and the lower clip plate together, a first recess hole formed on a front portion of the upper clip plate to receive a first compression spring and an upper mount, and a second recess hole formed on a front portion of the lower clip plate to receive a second compression spring and a lower mount.

The invention relates to a pair of clamp pliers. More particularly, the invention relates to a clamp device with a strong clamping force.
A pair of conventional clamp pliers has an upper arm, a lower arm, a torsion spring disposed between the upper arm and the lower arm, and a pivot pin passing through the torsion spring to fasten the upper arm and the lower arm together. However, the pair of conventional clamp pliers can clamp a round article loosely.


An operational amplification circuit having no crossover distortion includes a pair of differential amplification circuits, a pair of level shift circuits, a pair of current source circuits, and an output circuit. Each of the differential amplification circuits includes two MOS transistors having gates connected to a respective pair of input terminals. The differential amplification circuits generate first and second signals. The level shift circuits connected to the differential amplification circuits shift the level of the first and second signals. Each of the level shift circuits includes complementary MOS transistors. The current source circuits supply a predetermined current to one of the transistors of the level shift circuits. The output circuit is connected to the level shift circuits for generating an output signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an operational amplification circuit, and, more particularly, to an operational amplification circuit capable of driving a high load and suitable for an apparatus such as a portable telephone, in which a voice is amplification object.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, when an operational amplification circuit capable of driving a high load is structured, a push-pull type amplification circuit is used, however, in this operational amplification circuit, a phenomenon, in which an output waveform is distorted, called a crossover distortion occurs. Therefore, contrivances are given to reduce a crossover distortion to the an operational amplification circuit used for amplifying a signal such as a voice, which requires an accurate wave amplification.
For instance, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-310006 in 1992 discloses an operational amplification circuit showing this structure. As shown in FIG. 3, an operational amplification circuit 30 consists of a first differential amplification circuit 31, a second amplification circuit 32, and an output amplification circuit 35. The operational amplification circuit 30 is also provided with phase compensation circuits 33, 34 each consisting of a capacitor C and a resistance R. The phase compensation circuits 33, 34 are implemented to prevent the operational amplification circuit 30 from oscillating and have no relation to an amplification action, so that no explanation is given for these circuits.
The first differential amplification circuit 31 consists of P channel metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (hereinafter, called PMOS) 81, 82 and N channel metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (hereinafter, called NMOS) 83-85.
Gates of the NMOSes 83, 84 are connected with an IN1 and an IN2, respectively, which are input terminals of the operational amplification circuit 30. Sources of the NMOSes 83, 84 are connected with a drain of the NMOS 85 of which a source is connected with the GND and a gate is supplied with a control signal for setting a bias voltage. Drains of the NMOSes 83, 84 are connected with drains of the PMOSes 81, 82, respectively. Sources of the PMOSes 81, 82 are connected with the V.sub.DD and gates of the PMOSes 81, 82 are connected with drain of the PMOS 81. And, an output is obtained from a connection point (node N8) between the drain of the PMOS 82 and the drain of the NMOS 84.
That is, the differential amplification circuit 31 generates a voltage in accordance with the voltage difference between the IN1 and the IN2 at the node N8. For instance, when the voltage of the IN1 is higher than that of the IN2, a voltage close to the V.sub.DD level is outputted from the node N8, and when the voltage of the IN2 is higher than that of the IN1, a voltage close to the GND level is outputted from the node N8.
The second differential amplification circuit 32 consists of NMOSes 89, 90 and PMOSes 86-88. Gates of the PMOSes 87, 88 are connected with the IN1 and the IN2, respectively. Sources of the PMOSes 87, 88 are connected with a drain of the NMOS 86 of which a source is connected with the V.sub.DD and a gate is supplied with a control signal for controlling a bias voltage. Drains of the PMOSes 87, 88 are connected with drains of the NMOSes 89, 90, respectively. Sources of the NMOSes 89, 90 are connected with the GND and gates of the NMOSes 89, 90 are connected with a drain of the NMOS 89. And, an output is obtained from a connection point (node N9) between drain of the NMOS 90 and the drain of the PMOS 88.
That is, the second differential amplification circuit 32 operates complementally with the first differential amplification circuit 31. In the second differential amplification circuit 31, when the voltage of the IN1 is higher than that of the IN2, a voltage close to the V.sub.DD level is outputted from the node N9, and when the voltage of the IN1 is lower than that of the IN2, a voltage close to the V.sub.DD level is outputted from the node N9.
The output amplification circuit 35 consists of a PMOS 91, a NMOS 92 and a resistance RX. A source of the PMOS 91 and a source of the NMOS 92 are connected with the V.sub.DD and the GND, respectively. A drain of the PMOS 91 is connected with a drain of the NMOS 92, and the connection point therebetween is connected with the output terminal OUT for the operational amplification circuit 30. A gate of the PMOS 91 and a gate of the NMOS 92 are connected with the node N8 in the first differential amplification circuit 31 and the node N9 in the second differential amplification circuit 32, respectively.
Now, a crossover distortion occurs when the both MOSes in the output amplification circuit 35 transit simultaneously between an on-state and an off-state. As described above, in the operational amplification circuit 30, signals are inputted from independent circuits to the gate of the PMOS 91 and the gate of the NMOS 92 in the output amplification circuit 35, respectively. Thus, the operational amplification circuit 30 is easy to design so as not to occur a crossover distortion.
Moreover, in the operational circuit 30, the resistance RX is arranged between the gates of the PMOS 91 and the NMOS 92 in the output amplification circuit 35, therefore, when one of the differential amplification circuits 31, 32 stops the operation thereof because a low power voltage is used, an output from an operative differential amplification circuit is supplied to the both MOSes in the output amplification circuit 35. Therefore, the operational amplification circuit 30 is normally operative in that case.
However, the operational amplification circuit 30 is provided with a resistance so as to be operative normally under a low power voltage. As the result, there is a problem in that a large area is needed for fabricating the operational amplification circuit 30. And, when the operational amplification circuit 30 drives a high load under a low power voltage, a current runs through the resistance RX, so that there is another problem in that a consumption power increase.

Operational amplification circuit capable of driving a high load


Oral compositions possessing antiplaque and antigingivitis properties containing stannous gluconate are described herein.

Plaque is recognized as a precursor of such oral diseases as caries and gingivitis. The gums of the mouth of humans and lower animals may be harmed by deposits of dental plaque, a combination of minerals and bacteria found in the mouth. The bacteria associated with plaque can secrete enzymes and endotoxins which can irritate the gums and cause an inflammatory gingivitis. As the gums become increasingly irritated by this process they have a tendency to bleed, lose their toughness and resiliency, and separate from the teeth, leaving periodontal pockets in which debris, secretions, more bacteria and toxins further accumulate. It is also possible for food to accumulate in these pockets, thereby providing nourishment for increased growth of bacteria and production of endotoxins and destructive enzymes. This can result in destruction of bone and gum tissue.
With such problems being possible from plaque/gingivitis it is not surprising that extensive efforts have been expended in trying to find effective treatment compositions. Many of these efforts have used quaternary ammonium compounds or bis-biquanides such as chlorhexidine which is used in Peridexo sold by The Procter & Gamble Company.
Another material which has been considered is stannous ion. Such a material is disclosed in Svatun B., "Plaque Inhibiting Effect of Dentifrices Containing Stannous Fluoride", Acta Odontol. Scand., 36, 205-210 (1978); and Bay I., and Rolla, G., "Plaque Inhibition and Improved Gingival Condition by Use of a Stannous Fluoride Toothpaste", Scand. J. Dent. Res., 88, 313-315 (1980). Additionally stannous fluoride stabilized with stannous gluconate has been used to treat plaque and gingivitis and disclosed in to Majeti et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,597, Apr. 2, 1991.
In spite of the many disclosures in the antiplaque/antigingivitis area, the need for products still exists. The present invention is directed to the recognition that stannous gluconate when used without stannous fluoride, or with only very low levels of this material can provide plaque and gingivitis reductions.
It is an object of the present invention therefore to provide compositions which deliver an improved antiplaque/antigingivitis benefit.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide improved products utilizing stannous gluconate.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an effective method for treating plaque/gingivitis with the above described compositions.
These and other objects will become clearer from the detailed description which follows.
All percentages and ratios used herein are by weight of the total composition unless otherwise specified. Additionally, all measurements are made at 25.degree. C. in the composition or in an aqueous solution/dispersion unless otherwise specified.