A combined baler/bale wrapper (1) comprises a chassis (5) on which a baler (10) and a bale wrapper (11) are mounted. The baler (10) comprises a stationary segment (18), a lower segment (19) and an upper segment (20) which together define a bale forming chamber (15) within which a round bale (2) is formed. The lower segment (19) and the upper segment (20) are pivotal from a bale forming position (FIG. 5) to a discharge position (FIG. 1) for transferring a bale of the bale forming chamber (15) onto bale supporting rollers (50) of the bale wrapper (11). The bale supporting rollers (50) rotate the bale (2) about a first wrapping axis (53) while a carrier ring (55) simultaneously revolves a pair of wrapping material dispensers (54) about a second wrapping axis (56) for dispensing wrapping material onto the bale (2).

The present invention relates to a combined baler/bale wrapper for forming and wrapping a cylindrical bale of material in a wrapping material.
Baling of hay, straw, silage and other fibrous animal fodder crops is well known. Such crops may be formed into parallelepiped shaped bales or cylindrical bales. Parallelepiped bales may be relatively small bales which are typically referred to as rectangular bales, or relatively large bales which commonly are referred to as large square bales. Cylindrical bales are commonly referred to as round bales and typically are of diameter of 1.25 meters approximately and of axial length of approximately 1.25 meters. When grass has been baled to form silage, the bale must be wrapped, in order to seal the baled silage from air to allow the normal silage chemical fermentation process take place. Typically the wrapping material is a plastics film material having an adhesive coating on one side, and typically, is opaque to prevent light reaching the silage, and more commonly is of colour black, white or green.
In general, in the production of round bales, a baler is provided for forming the round bale, and the formed round bale is then deposited on the ground, typically, in the field from which the grass has been harvested. A bale wrapper then picks up the formed bale and wraps the bale in the film material. This, thus, requires two pieces of apparatus, the first being the baler, and the second being the bale wrapper. By virtue of the fact that two pieces of apparatus are required, two vehicles for towing and powering the respective apparatus are also required, and thus, in general, two tractors are required, one for towing and powering the baler, and the other for towing and powering the bale wrapper.
Attempts have been made to provide integral baler/bale wrappers and combination baler/bale wrappers. In the case *of integral baler/bale wrappers the baler is provided with a bale forming chamber within which the bale is formed. The bale forming chamber typically is formed by a lower segment and an upwardly moveable upper segment. When the bale has been formed in the bale forming chamber the upper segment is raised for exposing approximately half the bale, and a bale wrapping mechanism co-operates with the lower segment of the bale forming chamber for facilitating wrapping of the bale. Such baler/bale wrappers are disclosed in PCT Specification Nos. WO 97/18699, WO 00/36903 both of Kverneland, WO 96/08957 of Oiestad, WO 00/15023 of Bertrand, and German Patent Specification No. 38 05 224 of Schenke.
In the case of combination baler/bale wrappers, a baler and a bale wrapper are typically provided on a common platform, or on respective interconnected platforms, and the formed bale is transferred from the baler to the bale wrapper for wrapping. Such baler/bale wrappers are disclosed in European Patent Specification No. 0,983,720 of Grundero, and PCT Specification No. WO 99/04613 of Comtor.
In general, both integral baler/bale wrappers and combination baler/bale wrappers known heretofore suffer from a number of disadvantages. In general, integral baler/bale wrappers are slow and inefficient. The bale is formed and wrapped in the same chamber. Thus, the formation of the bale and its wrapping must be carried out simultaneously in the bale forming chamber. Accordingly, while a bale is being wrapped another bale cannot be formed until the wrapped bale has been discharged from the bale forming chamber, and the bale forming chamber has been re-formed. Additionally, due to the fact that the bale forming chamber must be split in order to allow wrapping of the bale to take place therein, an upper segment of the bale forming chamber is raised a relatively significant height from a lower segment in which the bale is rotated during wrapping, and thus, the overall height of such balers tends to be unacceptably high, and as such, such integral baler/bale wrappers tend to be relatively cumbersome.
In the case of combination baler/bale wrappers an additional transfer mechanism is generally required for transferring a formed bale from the baler to the bale wrapper. Such transfer mechanisms tend to be cumbersome and inefficient. In general, because of the arrangement of the baler and the bale transfer mechanism, and also because of the arrangement of the transfer mechanism and the bale wrapper, during transfer of the bale no other operation can take place. In other words, the baler cannot commence forming the next bale, and furthermore, the bale wrapping means must be disabled. Because of this, considerable time is lost during transfer of the bale from the baler to the bale wrapper. In general, the bale is discharged downwardly from the baler, and during downward discharge of the bale from the baler a rear tailgate of the baler is pivoted rearwardly upwardly for facilitating discharge of the bale from the baler. By virtue of the fact that the bale is discharged at a low level from the baler, the bale transfer mechanism must then raise the bale from the low level upwardly onto the bale wrapper. This requires that the tailgate remain in the open position until the bale has been transferred. Only after transfer of the bale can the tailgate be urged downwardly into the closed position. Thus, the baler must remain inoperative from the point of view of forming a bale for the entire period that the bale is being discharged from the baler, and also for the entire period during which the bale transfer mechanism is transferring the bale upwardly onto the bale wrapper. Furthermore, in general, the tailgate of the baler must remain in the open position until the transfer mechanism has returned to a lower position ready to receive the next bale. Otherwise, in many cases it is not possible to return the transfer mechanism to the lower position with the tailgate of the baler in the closed position. This, thus, significantly slows down the operation of such combined baler/bale wrappers.
A further disadvantage of combination baler/bale wrappers is that by virtue of the fact that a separate transfer mechanism is required for transferring the bale from the baler to the bale wrapper space is required between the baler and the bale wrapper for accommodating such transfer mechanism, and this, thus, tends to increase the overall length of combination baler/bale wrappers.
A further disadvantage of combination baler/bale wrappers is that in general, it is difficult to match the wrapping speed of the bale wrapper to the forming speed of the baler, and in general, the speed at which the bales are formed is significantly higher than the speed at which the bales are wrapped. This, thus leads to inefficiencies in that either the baler must be operated at a speed lower than its capability, or alternatively, must be allowed to idle between the forming of each bale to allow time for wrapping of the formed bale.
A still further disadvantage of combined baler/bale wrappers known heretofore is that the transfer means for transferring a formed bale from the baler to the bale wrapper is in many cases incapable of transferring the formed bale to the bale wrapper during downhill operation of the baler/bale wrapper. Thus, in practice, such baler/bale wrappers known heretofore in many cases are unsuitable for use in hilly areas.
Another type of baler/bale wrapper is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,967 of Vermeer. The baler/bale wrapper disclosed in this U.S. specification comprises a baler in which a bale is formed, and a separate bale wrapping area in which the formed bale is wrapped. However, the bale is transferred from the baler to the bale wrapping area by a portion of the baler which pivots rearwardly downwardly and carries the bale from the baler in a generally downwardly direction into the bale wrapping area. However, the portion of the baler which transfers the bale into the bale wrapping area is required for rotating the bale in the bale wrapping area during wrapping of the bale. Accordingly, this baler/bale wrapper tends to be relatively inefficient, in that a bale cannot be formed by the baler/bale wrapper while another bale is being wrapped. The baler/bale wrapper sequentially forms a bale and then wraps the bale before formation of the next bale can be commenced. Thus, this baler/bale wrapper tends to be inefficient.
Another type of combined baler/bale wrapper comprises a baler and a bale wrapper located on a common platform. The bale is formed in the baler and discharged from the baler in a generally downwardly direction. A tailgate of the baler is opened in a generally rearwardly upwardly direction for facilitating discharge of the bale from the baler. The bale is discharged from the baler onto a wrapping table of the bale wrapper, and when the bale has been received onto the wrapping table of the bale wrapper the table is urged in a generally upwardly rearwardly direction into a bale forming area where the bale is rotated on the wrapping table for wrapping of the bale in the bale wrapping area. This baler/bale wrapper would tend to be relatively complex, and by virtue of the fact that the wrapping table of the bale wrapper must be moved backwardly and forwardly between the baler and the bale wrapper would be subject to failure, and require relatively high maintenance. Furthermore, the baler/bale wrapper would tend to be relatively inefficient.
A further type of baler/bale wrapper comprises a baler and a bale wrapper located on a common platform. The bale is formed in the baler, and when formed the baler is urged in a generally rearwardly upwardly direction for discharging the bale downwardly from the baler onto the bale wrapper. When the bale has been discharged onto the bale wrapper, the baler is then urged forwardly downwardly into a bale forming position. By virtue of the fact that the baler must be moved rearwardly and forwardly on the platform, this baler/bale wrapper would be relatively complex and would tend to require significant maintenance. Additionally, this type of baler/bale wrapper would tend to be relatively inefficient.
There is therefore a need for a baler/bale wrapper which overcomes these problems.


A dipole part of a length shorter than half of an antenna resonance wavelength is placed so as to be rolled and enables a feeding part 11 to feed a chip. An inductance part 12 for adjusting the inductance of the antenna is provided so as to sandwich the feeding part 11. The inductance 12 is provided using an empty space of the inside of the rolled dipole part. By providing the inductance part 12, the inductance of the antenna can be adjusted so as to resonate at a predetermined frequency with the capacitance of the chip connected to the feeding part 11. At this time, although the radiation resistance of the antenna becomes extremely large according to calculations, it is actually almost the same as the resistance of the chip due to loss, and the power received by the antenna can be provided to the chip.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a non-contact tag antenna which communicates RFID reader/writer.
2. Description of the Related Arts
A system which enables a reader/writer to read information from a tag by transmitting a signal of approximately 1 W from the reader/writer, receiving this signal at the tag-end, and returning a response signal to the reader/writer, again, using the UHF band (860 to 960 MHz) radio signals, is called an RFID system. Although the communication distance thereof differs according to the tag antenna gain, chip operation voltage, and peripheral environment, it is about 3 m. A tag comprises an antenna with a thickness of 10 to 30 μm and an LSI chip which is connected to the antenna feed point.
FIGS. 1A to 1C are diagrams explaining the tag antenna used in a conventional RFID system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit of an RFID tag antenna. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an analysis example according to an admittance chart of a conventional tag antenna.
As shown in FIG. 2, the LSI chip can be equivalently represented by the parallel connection of resistance Rc (for example, 1200Ω) and capacitance Cc (for example, 0.7 pF) . This is shown in the position indicated by a circle in FIG. 3, in the admittance chart. On the other hand, the antenna can be equivalently represented by the parallel connection of resistance Rc (for example, 1000Ω) and inductance (for example, 40 nH). By parallel-connecting both LSI chip and antenna, the capacitance and inductance resonate, and as seen from the equation f0=1/(2π√{square root over ( )}(LC)), of the resonant frequency, the antenna and chip can be matched with the desired resonant frequency f0, and the reception power at the antenna is sufficiently supplied to the chip-end.
As a basic antenna used as a tag antenna, a dipole antenna of a total length of 145 mm, shown in FIG. 1A, is considered. In this antenna, a dipole part 10 is connected to a feeding part 11, electric power is extracted from a signal received by the dipole part 10, the feeding part feeds the chip and transfers the signal per se to the chip, as well. However, as indicated by a triangle in FIG. 3, if f=953 MHz, Ra=72Ω and the imaginary part=0. However, because an extremely high value of about 1000Ω is required for the radiation resistance Ra of the RFID tag antenna, Ra must be increased. Therefore, it is well-known that a folded dipole antenna with a total length of about 145 mm, as shown in FIG. 1B, is implemented and the Ra can be increased to about 300Ω to 1500Ω, depending on line width. Aside from the dipole part 10 in FIG. 1A becoming a folded dipole part 10a, FIG. 1B is the same as FIG. 1A. FIG. 3 shows an example of Ra=1000Ω. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1C, by connecting the inductance part 12 in parallel to this folded dipole antenna, it is rotated to the left in the admittance chart and has an imaginary component (Ba=−1/ωLa) of an absolute value which is the same as the chip (Bc=−ωCc). The shorter the inductance length is, the smaller the La value and larger the rotation amount. In this way, the imaginary component Bc of the chip and imaginary component Ba of the antenna are the same magnitude, are cancelled, and resonate.
This imaginary component cancellation is the most important factor in RFID tag antenna design. On the other hand, although it is preferable that the resistance Rc of the chip and the radiation resistance Ra of the antenna match, it is not necessary for these to match exactly, and antenna reception power can be supplied to the chip without any problems if their ratio is about two or less.
The foregoing describes the basic design method for RFID tag antennas, and it is necessary to design the basic antenna such that Ra=1000Ω at the point where the design frequency f=953 MHz and the imaginary part=0 and an inductance (Ba=−1/ωLa; La=40 nH) which has the same absolute value as the susceptance (Bc=ωCc; Cc=0.7 pF) of the chip is connected in parallel.
Refer to Non-Patent Reference 1 with regards to dipole antenna.
Non-Patent Reference 1: The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers. Antenna Kougaku Handbook (Antenna Engineering Handbook). Ohmsha, Ltd. ISBN 4-274-02677-9
However, because an antenna with a height of about 15 mm and width of about 145 mm is too large and impractical, miniaturization is necessary. For example, an antenna which has been miniaturized to about a half or a quarter of a card size (86 mm×54 mm) is more practical. However, when the antenna is miniaturized, resonance conditions do not match with the chip to be resonated therewith because the resonance frequency, which has an imaginary part=0, increases in inverse proportion to the miniaturization of the antenna if the antenna is designed by the foregoing design method.


A method of manufacturing a thin film transistor array panel is provided, which includes: forming a gate line including a gate electrode on a substrate; depositing a gate insulating layer; forming a semiconductor layer on the gate insulating layer; forming an ohmic contact layer on the semiconductor layer; forming a data line including a source electrode and a drain electrode on the ohmic contact layer at least in part; forming an alignment key including the same layer as the data line; coating a first photosensitive film for a color filter; aligning a mask for color filter with the substrate provided with the first photosensitive film using the alignment key; forming a first color filter by light exposure and developing the first photosensitive film; and forming a pixel electrode connected to the drain electrode.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a thin film transistor array panel and a liquid crystal display.
(b) Description of Related Art
Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are one of the most widely used flat panel displays. An LCD includes two panels having field-generating electrodes and interposing a gap therebetween, and a liquid crystal (LC) layer filled in the gap between the panels. The LCD displays images by applying voltages to the field-generating electrodes to generate an electric field in the LC layer, which determines orientations of LC molecules in the LC layer to adjust polarization of incident light.
The LCD includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix and a plurality of signal lines for driving the pixels such as gate lines for transmitting scanning signals and data lines for transmitting data signals. Each pixel includes a pixel electrode, a color filter, and a thin film transistor (TFT) connected to the gate lines and the data lines for controlling the data signals.
One of the panels of the LCD called a TFT array panel includes the gate lines, the data lines, the pixel electrodes, and the TFTs and the other of the panels includes the color filters for color representation.
It is suggested that the color filters may be placed on the TFT array panel for obtaining large aperture ratio by decreasing the alignment error range between the panels.
However, the alignment of the color filters is still an issue since the misalignment yield poor display characteristics.

Method of manufacturing thin film transistor array panel and liquid crystal display


A method and system for ordering digital image goods and/or services with respect to an image provided as a low resolution digital file and a low resolution digital image file. The method includes transmitting the low resolution digital image file to a server at a remote image service provider over a communication network, manipulating the image and/or ordering of goods and/or services with respect to the image, and transmitting of the high resolution digital image file.

The proliferation of digital imaging devices in the home such as digital cameras, camcorders, and home scanners has resulted in a rapid growth of the number of digital images residing on a consumers home personal computer. In addition the growth in the number of consumers connected to a network such as the World Wide Web has lead to the introduction of a number of product and service offerings in the area of digital photography. These service and product offerings rely on the consumer transmitting their image data from the home computer to the remotely located network service provider in order to produce a hardcopy print or other product or to perform some image related service.
Currently available digital cameras and home scanners have the capability of generating a high resolution digital data file of the original scene. Advances in digital cameras and scanners continually increase the resolution of the images captured and the resulting size of the data record. These high resolution data records are sufficient to produce a wide variety of image based products including enlargements, gifts, album pages, and image imprinted articles. In addition it is common for a consumer to acquire several images from a single event or to accumulate a series of images from a series of events. This accumulation of images allows the consumer to produce products or take advantage of services which involve multiple images such as an album or CD product. A consumer may also wish to accumulate a set of images before attempting to generate a series of hardcopy prints or articles simply for the convenience of performing the operation once with a set of images versus multiple times. In either case the result is that often a consumer, when accessing remotely provided imaging services and products will do so with a set of images in one transaction.
Because the product and service offerings are provided by a remote site and involve the customers images, it is necessary for the remote image service provider to have access to the digital image record\file in order to represent to the consumer the products and services. Typically the workflow for this type of interaction consists of transferring the high resolution digital record from the consumers home PC to the network photoservice provider, constructing and order for goods and services using the network photoservice provider software application and then completing the transaction. The network photoservice provider then produces the goods and services and returns the finished products to the consumer either electronically or by physical delivery. A problem, which often arises in this scenario is that the consumer is faced with a lengthy, time consuming, process of transferring one or more high resolution digital image records from their home computer to the network photoservice provider before they are able to make and specify their purchase decisions. In some cases this transfer of image data can take several hours. Many times the consumer cannot make a purchase decision until the images are manipulated and presented in a finished form. The result is that the barrier of having to upload a large amount of image data and the time investment associated with that discourages the user from initiating the purchase cycle or the time invested by the consumer in the transfer of image data to the service provider is wasted if no product or service is purchased. What is needed is a way to allow the consumer to browse and make purchase decisions on products and services, before they invest a significant amount of time in the transfer of data while maintaining their ability to view an accurate visual representation of the final goods and services.

Method and system for ordering image related goods and services


Ceric oxide particulates having a specific surface of at least 190 m.sup.2 /g, measured after calcination at a temperature of from 350.degree. to 450.degree. C., and a specific surface of at least 15 m.sup.2 /g after calcination at 800.degree. C., are prepared by (a) suspending, in an aqueous solution of a decomposable base, a ceric hydroxide of the formula (I): EQU Ce(M).sub.x (OH).sub.y (NO.sub.3).sub.z (I). wherein M is an alkali metal or a quaternary ammonium radical; x is a number ranging from 0.01 to 0.2; y is such that y=4-z+x; and z is a number ranging from 0.4 to 0.7; (b) heating the resulting suspension in a confined reaction zone to a temperature and pressure respectively lower than its critical temperature and pressure; (c) cooling such reaction medium and permitting it to return to atmospheric pressure; (d) separating the ceric hydroxide thus treated; and (e) calcining the separated ceric hydroxide.

1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to novel ceric oxide particulates having improved morphological characteristics, including a large specific surface at an elevated temperature, and to a process for the production of such novel ceric oxide particulates.
In the description that follows, by the term "specific surface" is intended the BET specific surface determined by the adsorption of nitrogen according to ASTM Standard D 3663-78, established by the BRUNAUER-EMMETT-TELLER method described in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, 60, 309 (1938).
2. Description of the Prior Art:
It is known to this art that ceric oxide is a useful catalyst or catalyst support. Compare, for example, the work of Paul Meriaudeau et al relative to the synthesis of methanol from CO+H.sub.2 on catalysts comprising platinum deposited onto ceric oxide (C.R. Acad. Sc. Paris, Vol. 297--Series II-471 (1983)).
It too is known to this art that the effectiveness of a catalyst is typically a function of the amount of the surface area of the catalyst in contact with the reagents. Thus, it is necessary to provide and maintain the catalyst in the highest possible divided state, i.e., the solid particles comprising same should be as small and individualized as possible. The fundamental role of the support is thus to maintain the catalyst particles or crystallites in contact with the reagents, in the highest possible divided state.
Upon extended use of the catalyst support, its specific surface is reduced due to the coalescence of the very fine micropores. Over the course of such coalescence, a portion of the volume of the catalyst is merged into the mass of the support and is no longer able to be contacted by the reagents.
Heretofore, most of the known ceric oxides had a specific surface which decreased rapidly at operating temperatures higher than 500.degree. C. Thus, R. Alvero et al (J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans., 87 (1984)) prepared a ceric oxide from ammonium cerinitrate having, after calcination at 600.degree. C., a specific surface of 29 m.sup.2 /g.
FR-A 2,559,754 further describes a ceric oxide having a specific surface of at least 85.+-.5 m.sup.2 /g prepared by calcination at a temperature ranging from 350.degree. to 450.degree. C., preferably having a specific surface of from 100 to 130 m.sup.2 /g after calcination at a temperature of from 400.degree. to 450.degree. C. This oxide is prepared by the hydrolysis of an aqueous solution of ceric nitrate in a nitric acid medium, followed by separation of the precipitate thus formed, washing with an organic solvent, optional drying, and, finally, calcination. The final product ceric oxide has a desirable specific surface, when calcined at a temperature ranging from 300.degree. to 600.degree. C. However, a decrease in the specific surface is observed after calcination at a higher temperature, such specific surface being about 10 m.sup.2 /g after calcination at 800.degree. C.
In FR-A 2,559,755, a ceric oxide is described having a specific surface of at least 85.+-.5 m.sup.2 /g after calcination at a temperature of from 350.degree. to 500.degree. C., and preferably a specific surface ranging from 150 to 180 m.sup.2 /g after calcination at a temperature of from 400.degree. to 450.degree. C. This oxide is prepared by precipitating a basic ceric sulfate by reacting an aqueous solution of ceric nitrate with an aqueous solution containing sulfate ions, separating the precipitate thus formed, washing the precipitate with an ammonia solution, optionally drying it, and then calcining such precipitate at a temperature ranging from 300.degree. to 500.degree. C. The ceric oxide prepared in this manner has a large specific surface, but when subjected to a calcining operation at 800.degree. C., its specific surface decreases considerably, to about 10 m.sup.2 /g.
In EP 88/401,593.4 (corresponding to European Patent No. 300851 B granted Feb. 26, 1992 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,011,671; 5,023,070 and 5,174,984), assigned to the assignee hereof, a process is described for increasing and stabilizing the specific surface of a ceric oxide at an elevated temperature.
Such process entails exposing the ceric oxide or precursor of ceric oxide to a solvothermal treatment prior to the calcining operation.
More particularly, such process comprises:
(a) suspending ceric hydroxide in a liquid medium; PA1 (b) heating the suspension in an enclosure to a temperature and pressure respectively lower than the critical temperature and critical pressure of said medium; PA1 (c) cooling the reaction medium and permitting it to return to atmospheric pressure; PA1 (d) separating the ceric hydroxide treated in this manner; and PA1 (e) calcining the separated ceric hydroxide. PA1 (a) suspending, in an aqueous solution of a decomposable base, a ceric hydroxide of the general formula (I): EQU Ce(M).sub.x (OH).sub.y (NO.sub.3).sub.z (I) PA1 (b) heating the resulting suspension in a closed enclosure, or confined reaction zone, to a temperature and pressure respectively lower than its critical temperature and pressure (the autoclaving operation); PA1 (c) cooling such reaction medium and permitting it to return to atmospheric pressure; PA1 (d) separating the ceric hydroxide treated in this manner; and PA1 (e) calcining said separated ceric hydroxide. PA1 (i) with r=4, cerium (IV) precipitates in a gelatinous form; PA1 (ii) with r=0, the cerium (IV) is in the ionic state; PA1 (iii) with 0<r<4, the cerium (IV) is in the ionic and/or colloidal state.
By "ceric hydroxide" is intended a hydrated ceric oxide CeO.sub.2.2H.sub.2 O, or a ceric hydroxide which may contain residual anions whether bonded or adsorbed, such as, for example, chlorides, sulfates, acetates, formates, and the like.
A preferred embodiment of EP 88/401,593.4 includes using a base solution as the liquid autoclaving medium.
Such a process makes it possible not only to increase the specific surface of the final product ceric oxide, but also same retains a large specific surface at temperatures of up to about 900.degree. C.
According to EP 88/401,594.2 (corresponding to European Patent No. 300852 B granted Sep. 18, 1991 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,984), by subjecting a ceric hydroxide prepared by reacting a cerium salt solution with a base, optionally in the presence of an oxidizing agent, at a pH greater than 7, to an autoclave treatment in a basic medium, a ceric oxide is produced having a specific surface at 800.degree. to 900.degree. C. never before attained in this art.
The ceric oxide thus produced has a specific surface of at least 15 m.sup.2 /g measured after calcination at a temperature of 800.degree. to 900.degree. C., such specific surface preferably ranging from 20 to 60 m.sup.2 /g measured after calcination at 800.degree. C.
It has a specific surface of 160 to 15 m.sup.2 /g measured after calcination at a temperature ranging from 350.degree. to 900.degree. C.
Therefore, it may have a specific surface of from 70 to 160 m.sup.2 /g, and preferably ranging from 100 to 160 m.sup.2 /g, measured after calcination at a temperature ranging from 350.degree. to 450.degree. C.
In the present application, the specific surfaces reported are measured on a final product calcined for at least 2 hours at the given temperature.
It has now unexpectedly and surprisingly been determined that in carrying out the process described in EP 88/401,593.4, but judiciously selecting the starting material ceric hydroxide and the liquid dispersion medium, a ceric oxide is prepared having still further improved morphological characteristics.

Ceric oxide particulates having improved morphology


The present invention relates to a launching device for a flying toy. The launching device facilitates the transition of the flying toy from a resting state to a flying state. The launching device may include elements for holding one or more parts of the flying toy in a retracted position while the flying toy is in a resting state and for releasing the parts when the flying toy launches into a flying state. According to the invention, the launching device includes a launch-assist mechanism that provides a force to facilitate the launch of the flying toy.

Flying toys come in many different shapes and sizes. Some flying toys may be formed to resemble birds, bats, butterflies or other real or imaginary creatures. Other flying toys may be formed to resemble man-made devices, such as planes, gliders, space ships and the like. The flight of such toys may be generated by various mechanical and electrical components, including springs, levers, wings and motors. Some flying toys require assistance from a user to initiate flight, and other flying toys may initiate flight without the assistance of a user. Flying toys in the later category may initiate flight from various locations, including but not limited to locations on the ground and locations on or associated with elevated surfaces.
Flying toys that are capable at least in part of initiating their own flight may benefit from the assistance of a launching device. A properly configured launching device can substantially improve the flight characteristics of the corresponding flying toy by providing mechanical assistance during the launch of the flying toy. Launching devices may also significantly improve the play value of a flying toy by incorporating characteristics that are consistent with the theme of the corresponding flying toy. For example, a flying toy that is formed to resemble a bird can benefit from a launching device that is formed to resemble a perch.
Despite substantial success in the market place on the part of flying toys, there remains a continuing need for more interesting and exciting flying toys and for launching devices that enhance the flying capabilities as well as the play value of such toys.


Constructive occlusion type lighting systems utilize a reflective mask to cover a portion of an active optical surface, typically a Lambertian surface formed by the aperture of a diffusely reflective cavity, in order to distribute radiant energy with a tailored intensity distribution. Adjustment of the parameters of the constructive occlusion system enables the system designer to tailor the system performance to a wide range of applications. As disclosed herein, the constructive occlusion type distribution is combined with a diffuse distribution of a transmissive component, emitted through a wall of the system. For example, a diffusely reflective wall of the cavity may also be partially transmissive, to allow some energy to pass through and provide an additional illumination component, while continuing to maintain the characteristics to support the constructive occlusion component.

Radiant or electromagnetic energy emitters and distributors find a wide range of applications in modern society. Visible illumination systems, for example, illuminate areas and surfaces to enable use by personnel in locations or situations in which natural ambient lighting might be insufficient. Infrared illumination is a critical component of many night-vision technologies. Other lighting devices provide guidance or warnings, for example to enable pilots to locate the edges of runways or taxiways, to illuminate emergency exit paths, to visibly indicate an emergency condition, etc. Different applications of radiant energy illumination systems require different performance characteristics.
Simple radiation sources, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) or light bulbs with reflectors and/or lenses typically provide a high intensity radiation in regions close to the axis of the field of view/illumination, but the intensity drops off quickly at off-axis angles approaching the horizon. On a system illuminated by such a source, the intensity is not uniform. To provide a desired illumination at edges of a design footprint, the source often will emit substantially higher amounts of radiation than necessary along the axis.
Prior attempts to provide desired intensity distributions have involved complex arrangements of sources, lenses and reflectors. These complex arrangements tend to be relatively expensive and sensitive to problems of misalignment, which limits ruggedness and durability.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,028 issued Mar. 31, 1998 to Ramer et al. discloses a number of embodiments of illumination systems that utilize constructive occlusion. With this technology, a mask occludes an active optical surface, typically a Lambertian surface formed by the aperture of a diffusely reflective cavity, in order to distribute radiant energy with a tailored intensity distribution. Adjustment of the parameters of the constructive occlusion system enables the system designer to tailor the system performance to a wide range of applications. Constructive occlusion typically emphasizes distribution based on multiple diffuse reflections within a mask and cavity system. Careful selection of the system parameters, such as relative sizes of the mask and aperture and the distance between the mask and aperture, can adapt the constructive occlusion system to meet the requirements of many diverse illumination applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,700 issued Jan. 1, 2002 to Ramer et al. discloses constructive occlusion systems, which also provide a direct illumination component. The constructive occlusion provides a desired intensity illumination over one field, and direct radiation from the source, through a gap, opening or lens or the like, illuminates an additional field. The fields may overlap, or they may be separated. In several of the examples disclosed in this patent, the direct illumination provides a higher intensity illumination than the tailored intensity illumination provided by the constructive occlusion.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,979 issued Sep. 11, 2001 to Ramer et al. discloses constructive occlusion systems, but this patent teaches addition of a port from the constructive occlusion cavity and a reflective fan as a deflector to distribute additional energy emerging through the port into a desired region to be illuminated. With respect to the port and fan, the cavity and mask of the constructive occlusion system serve as the optical integrating cavity. The constructive occlusion emissions provide a tailored intensity distribution for radiant energy illuminating a first region. The integrating cavity, port and deflector (fan) distribute another portion of the electromagnetic energy over a second field of intended illumination. The first and second regions illuminated may overlap slightly, or one may include the other, but preferably most of the two regions are separate. In some cases, the system configuration creates a dead zone between the two regions.
The techniques disclosed in the identified patents allow a system designer to distribute light or other radiant energy in a wide range of different patterns, for a myriad of diverse illumination applications. However, even these techniques do not satisfy the requirements of all desired applications.
Consider indirect illumination as an example. Indirect illumination involves radiating energy against a face structure, which in turn reflects the energy into a region of actual interest. In lighting a room, for example, an indirect lighting type fixture might directly radiate or illuminate a wall or ceiling. Actual illumination of a work area in the room would then use light reflected (indirect illumination) from the wall or ceiling. To provide desired intensity and a pleasing appearance of the lighting fixture, however, it would be desirable if the fixture provided at least some light emission into the room without reflection from the face structure, although the main illumination may still be that provided indirectly through illumination against the ceiling or wall.

Constructive occlusion with a transmissive component


The present invention relates to a method of treating metabolic bone diseases in a patient, which comprises the modulation of PEX activity to modulate the bone micro-environmental concentrations of critical bone anabolic agents, namely PTH and PTHrP. The present invention also provides the use Of inhibitors of PEX activity, such as, the use of inhibitors of NEP and/or ECE and/or PEX such as phosphoramidon, and analogs thereof, to modulate and preferably increase PTH/PTHrP levels in bone microenvironment to consequently result in an increase in bone formation, as confirmed by serum bone markers, namely, osteocalcin, to thereby provide a novel method for treating metabolic bone diseases, such as osteomalacia, osteoporosis, osteopetrosis, Paget's disease and X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets.

Mutations in the PEX (also known as PHEX) gene are responsible for X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (HYP). To gain insight into the role of PEX in normal physiology we have cloned the human full-length cDNA and studied its tissue expression, subcellular localization, and peptidase activity. We show that the cDNA encodes a 749 amino acid protein structurally related to a family of neutral endopeptidases that include neprilysin (NEP) as prototype. By Northern blot analysis, the size of the full-length PEX transcript is 6.5 kb. PEX expression, as determined by semi-quantitative PCR, is high in bone and in tumor tissue associated with the paraneoplastic syndrome of renal phosphate wasting. PEX is glycosylated in the presence of canine microsomal membranes and partitions exclusively in the detergent phase from Triton X-114 extractions of transiently transfected COS cells. Immunofluorescence studies in A293 cells expressing PEX tagged with a c-myc epitope show a predominant cell-surface location for the protein with its C-terminal domain in the extracellular compartment, substantiating the assumption that PEX, like other members of the neutral endopeptidase family, is a type II integral membrane glycoprotein. Cell membranes from cultured COS cells transiently expressing PEX efficiently degrade exogenously added PTH-derived peptides, demonstrating for the first time that recombinant PEX can function as an endopeptidase. PEX peptidase activity may provide a convenient target for pharmacological intervention in states of altered phosphate homeostasis and in metabolic bone diseases.
X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (HYP) is the most common inherited disorder of renal phosphate wasting characterized by severe hypophosphatemia, renal phosphate wasting, reduced serum concentrations of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels, and defective bone mineralization. Until recently, much of our understanding of HYP has been facilitated by the availability of two murine homologues, the Hyp and Gy mice, which exhibit many of the phenotypic features of HYP. Through positional cloning, however, a gene which spans the deleted region Xp22.1 in HYP patients, or is mutated in non-deletion patients with the disorder, was identified (designated PEX) and its partial cDNA sequence reported (The HYP Consortium (1995) Nature Genetics 11, 130-136). The predicted human PEX gene product, as well as its murine homologue (Du, L. et al. (1996) Genomics 36, 22-28), exhibit homology to a family of neutral endopeptidases involved in either activation or degradation of a number of peptide hormones. It has been postulated that PEX metabolizes a peptide hormone that modulates renal tubular phosphate handling. Such an activity could involve either the processing of a phosphate-reabsorbing hormone precursor to its active form or the inactivation of a circulating phosphaturic factor. These speculations notwithstanding, the physiologic function of the PEX gene product and the mechanisms that lead to the renal and skeletal abnormalities of HYP remain to be defined.
Oncogenous hypophosphatemic osteomalacia (OHO) is a rare acquired disorder of phosphate homeostasis with biochemical and physical abnormalities similar to HYP. This syndrome is associated with a variety of histologically distinct, usually benign, mesenchymal tumors whose excision promptly reverses the metabolic abnormalities and results in cure of the bone disease. It is generally thought that a factor(s) produced by these tumors promotes phosphaturia and inhibits the renal conversion of 25-hydroxyvitamin D to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. The nature of the phosphaturic substance remains unknown and is likely distinct from both parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin, two polypeptide hormones known to inhibit the renal tubular reabsorption of phosphorus. Because of the striking similarity in the clinical presentation of patients with OHO and HYP, it is postulated that the factor causing phosphaturia in OHO is the active form of the PEX substrate. The identification and characterization of the putative PEX substrate, referred to as phosphatonin, however, will require first a better understanding of PEX function.
To date, there is still a need to understand how local factors produced in the bone regulate bone formation and bone resorption. Derangement of these factors leads to metabolic bone diseases. Pharmacological manipulation of such factors may serve as a novel approach to the treatment of these disorders.
It would be highly desirable to be provided with a tool in the treatment of metabolic bone diseases, such as osteomalacia and osteoporosis.

Inhibition of PEX in the treatment of metabolic bone diseases


In a zero-phase current detecting apparatus, a feedback loop is made up of a pulse generating unit, a current detecting unit, a peak detecting unit, an adding unit, and a current regulating unit. The adding unit outputs a difference between a target value and a peak value detected by the peak detecting unit. A zero-phase current is detected based on the difference output from the adding unit as a result of regulation of the peak value so as to be the target value in the adding unit.

A Zero-phase-sequence Current Transformer (ZCT) is a device that detects a zero-phase current flowing in an electric power line inserted through its own detection core. A ZCT is used, for example, in switchboards, electrical devices and the like, as a detector that detects a ground-fault current caused by a ground fault.
Patent Documents 1 and 2 are examples of documents that disclose a current detecting apparatus and the like in which a ZCT is used. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a direct-current ground-fault detecting apparatus that detects a ground fault of a direct current at a low cost with a high level of precision thereby ensuring a high level of safety. Patent Document 2 discloses a direct-current ground-fault current detecting circuit that accurately detects whether a direct-current ground-fault current has generated or accurately detects a direct-current value at a given moment without being influenced by the hysteresis characteristics of a ZCT.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-153991
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-065382


A safety seat for use in passenger transport and advantageously provides sufficient strength to withstand maximum loading during collision. The seat comprises a rear portion comprising a plurality of sections having different relatively controllable deformable and/or collapsible properties and suitable energy absorbing capacity so that during collision an individual seated rearwardly of the seat is protected. Additionally the safety seat suitably restrains a seated individual during collision. The safety seat therefore provides a safety seat and frame which is adapted to accommodate maximum load, which load is provided when an individual seated therein is thrown forwardly within a restraining device such as a seat belt and when an individual seated rearwardly thereof is thrown against same.

Vehicles, trains and planes are equipped with seats in which passengers can travel harnessed/belted or unharnessed/unbelted during at least a part of a journey. These seats are typically provided with a number of safety features which are designed to reduce injury to a seated individual when the vehicle, train or plane, hereinafter referred to as the transportation mode, either makes a sudden change in speed and/or is involved in a collision. For example, it is known to equip such seats with safety belts. The safety belts are provided generally in one of two forms, firstly there is a lap belt which is characterised by having 2-points of attachment and a single strap which is arranged so as to pass across the pelvis of a seated individual; secondly, there is a 3-point safety belt which is characterised by having 3-points of attachment and a strap which is arranged to pass across the torso of a seated individual as well as across the pelvis.
It is known that where a transportation mode has to brake suddenly or is involved in a collision, individuals are typically thrown forward within their seats. The aforementioned safety belts serve to limit this forward movement and so effectively restrain an individual in a given seat. The effectiveness of this restraint is determined by the nature of the safety belt system (system is defined as the integration as a whole of the seat belt, its anchorage point, the integration of the anchorage to the seat structure, and finally, the attachment of the seat assembly to the transport mode structure). For example, in a extreme situation where an individual is not wearing a safety belt, during deceleration, the individual is blown to be thrown forward and the knees of such an individual make contact with the lower rear part of a forward seat and then the upper torso/head of such an individual makes contact with the upper rear part of the same seat. In the instance where a lap belt is used, when the individual is thrown forward, the knees of the individual go forward to a lesser extent, compared to that of an unbelted individual, but the upper torso/head of such an individual is thrown rearward and then thrown forward with a considerable rotational force often resulting in a condition known as whiplash. In the instance where an individual is wearing a 3-point seat belt the amount of forward movement of the upper and lower part of the body is considerably reduced by the restraining effect of the seat belt system and thus the amount of damage to such an individual is minimised.
In addition, in so far as vehicles are concerned they are classified within the European Community System according to their seating capacity and general size. For example, M1 type vehicles are vehicles with less than 8 seats plus the driver. These would normally be cars weighing between 1 and 2 tonnes and in these vehicles the lap belt test load is 22,250.+-.200 Newton.times.20 g.
M2 vehicles are vehicles with more than 8 seats plus the driver and having a maximum weight of less than 5 tonnes. The lap belt test load for these vehicles is 11,100.+-.200 Newton.times.10 g. This would normally be a van derived mini-bus weighing 2.5 to 5 tonnes.
A M3 type vehicles is a vehicle with more than 8 seats plus driver and weighing more than 5 tonnes. The lap belt test load for these vehicles is 7,400.+-.200 Newton.times.6.6 g.
It can therefore be seen that the lap belt test load increases as the size of the vehicle decreases. This is because, as the weight of the vehicle decreases the deceleration rate increases and thus the force with which an individual is thrown forward increases.
It therefore follows that the structural characteristics of a seat determine not only whether an individual can be sufficiently restrained in a given safety belt during impact but also the extent to which an individual in a rear-most seat will be damaged following impact with the rear of a foremost seat.
We have conducted investigations in order to determine the most desirable properties of a safety seat with a view to ensuring that a seated individual is suitably restrained using a safety belt during impact and that a rearward individual colliding with the rear of the seat suffers minimal damage or at least recommended levels of injury criteria are met.
Recommended levels of injury are as defined in United Nations document ECE R80 Annex 7 at a seat pitch of 750 mm and a sled pulse of 12 g. These being:
(HAC) HEAD ACCEPTABILITY CRITERION less than 500 as per Section 126.96.36.199.1.
(ThAC) THORAX ACCEPTABILITY CRITERION less than 30 g for up to 3 ms as per Section 184.108.40.206.2.
(FAC) FEMUR ACCEPTABILITY CRITERION less than 10 KN(8 KN for more than 20 nms) as per Section 126.96.36.199.3.
We have therefore endeavoured to provide a safety seat which can absorb dynamic energy and which can absorb resistance to applied loading.
Our safety seats have essentially 3 functions. Firstly, the seat is sufficiently strong to withstand maximum loading which is typically applied to such a seat during a collision. Secondly, it has deformable and/or collapsible properties during collision and, thirdly, it has suitable energy absorbing capacity during collision so as to protect an individual seated rearward of same.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a safety seat which minimizes damage to an individual seated rearward thereof during collision.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a safety seat which suitably restrains a seated individual during collision.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a safety seat which undergoes deformation and/or collapse in a relatively controlled fashion during collision.


In general, according to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a display unit, an operation input unit, a storage unit, a control unit, and an image forming unit. The operation input unit receives an operation input. The storage unit stores function restriction instruction content that disables setting and use of a predetermined function related to printing, so as to correspond to a sheet handling method after image formation. The control unit displays a setting screen for setting each function related to printing and selecting the sheet handling method on the display unit, acquires the function restriction instruction content corresponding to the selected sheet handling method from the storage unit when the sheet handling method is selected, displays the setting screen in which setting and use of the predetermined function are disabled on the display unit on the basis of the acquired function restriction instruction content, and receives print setting on the setting screen. The image forming unit is controlled by the control unit on the basis of the setting received on the setting screen and forms an image on a sheet.

Hitherto, an image forming apparatus is known which prints the separation category for a shredder or the like on a margin to achieve an efficient separation operation during printing. The apparatus determines the disposal categories from information such as quality or size of a sheet, kind of ink used for printing (color or monochrome), or printing ratio and prints the disposal categories on sheets. However, even though the disposal categories are printed on the sheet using the apparatus, for example, when the sheets are stapled during printing, the staple needs to be removed from the sheets for shredding during disposal, so that additional work cannot be reduced during disposal.
In addition, in recent years, an image forming apparatus is known which forms an image on a sheet using color-erasable toner of which color is erased by heating. When a sheet on which an image is formed by color-erasable toner is heated, the image on the sheet can be erased, thereby the sheet can be reused. However, even though the image is formed using the color-erasable toner, for example, when the sheets are stapled, the staple needs to be also removed from the sheets during color erasure. As such, in the image forming apparatuses according to the related art, additional work cannot be reduced during disposal or reuse processes.

Image forming apparatus, image forming method, print setting method of image forming apparatus, and computer-readable recording medium on which print setting program of image forming apparatus is recorded


The present disclosure relates to the technical field of water purifying material, and in particular to a kaolin-based water purifying material, a preparation method and use thereof. The method for preparing a kaolin-based water purifying material provided by the present disclosure includes the following steps: mixing kaolin and a modifier with water, and conducting hydrothermal reaction to obtain a kaolin-based water purifying material; the modifier is an organic or inorganic modifier; the organic modifier is octadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (OTAC), and the inorganic modifier is one or more of polyaluminum chloride, Al2(SO4)3, Fe2(SO4)3, AlCl3 and FeCl3; the kaolin is 200-400 mesh in particle size. The water purifying material of the present disclosure enables efficient algae removal and water purification, and is safe and eco-friendly.

With the continuous development of cities and industry and the massive use of agrochemicals and phosphorus-based detergents, unreasonable reclamation and grazing lead to extensive soil erosion and degradation. As a result, there is a substantial increase in nutrient content of surface runoff. In addition, a plurality of untreated municipal sewage and industrial and agricultural wastewater flow into rivers and lakes to enable constant accumulation of nutrient salts such as nitrogen and phosphorus in lakes and rivers, promoting the abnormal blooming of some algae and other aquatic organisms and thereby causing further accelerated development of eutrophication. In a system of intensifying eutrophication, consumed nutrients cannot be consistent with increased nutrients, facilitating massive algal growth and even water bloom. It has been indicated that frequency of occurrence of water bloom events is increasing, the influence thereof is steadily on the increase, and duration thereof becomes longer and longer. Microcystins can be produced from 25-70% of cyanobacterial blooms worldwide; water bodies polluted by cyanobacterial blooms further suffer from more serious secondary disasters and ecological safety risk because toxic cyanobacterial cells release a plurality of different types of microcystins into the water bodies after rupture. Therefore, it is of important significance in controlling the occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms, reducing pollution, and lowering ecological risk.
Currently, chemical algae removal is a commonly used method for controlling cyanobacterial blooms, such as pouring quicklime, copper sulfate, modified alum, modified clay, 2,2-dibromo-3-nitrilopropionamide (DBNPA), etc. Chemical algae removal is undoubtedly an effective and fast-acting approach that is commonly used in the emergency treatment of water bodies but has a certain controlling effect on algae in water bodies in a short time; moreover, chemical algicides tend to have varying degrees of toxic and side effects. Therefore, it is necessary to seek an environmentally friendly water purifying material with efficient algae removal and high eco-safety.

Kaolin-based water purifying material, preparation method and use thereof

Jiangxi Academy of Environmental Sciences


Apparatus for applying adhesive to sheet material includes an adhesive applicator including a holder with two relatively moveable segments and a tube connected to the segments having a dispensing slit which is opened and closed due to relative movement between the segments.

Many arrangements exist in the prior art for applying glue to sheet material. For example, there are many paper converting and packaging operations which call for the application of adhesive to either the product itself or to bands or other wraps employed in the packaging of the products. In the former category, it is well known to apply glue to the tail end of a wound web, such as a tissue or towel roll, to secure the tail in position relative to the rest of the product. Insofar as packaging is concerned, bands of paper or other sheet material are often utilized to secure together a bundle of products, such as a stack of paper towels or napkins. The embodiment of the invention disclosed herein has application to wrap bands; however, as noted above, the invention has application in a wide variety of operational environments wherein glue is applied to sheet material.
Adhesive is primarily conventionally applied by either glue applicator wheels, brushes, or through the use of glue jets or nozzles which direct the adhesive to the desired location. These prior art approaches have a number of disadvantages. For example, glue applicator equipment is often relatively complex and expensive. Furthermore, glue applicator equipment employing either glue wheels, brushes or glue jets can become clogged and even inoperable over time, particularly when the adhesive has time to harden. Also, some approaches have the additional drawback of wasting glue. Use of adhesive applicator nozzles requires high operating adhesive pressures with attendant problems.
A search of the prior art located the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,963,223, issued Oct. 16, 1990, No. 4,026,752, issued May 31, 1977, No. 2,361,795, issued Oct. 31, 1944, No. 4,897,145, issued Jan. 30, 1990, No. 3,761,300, Sep. 25, 1973, No. 4,878,981, issued Nov. 7, 1989, No. 3,532,573, issued Oct. 6, 1970, No. 4,502,912, issued Mar. 5, 1985, No. 3,505,150, issued Apr. 7, 1970, No. 4,370,193, issued Jan. 25, 1983, and No. 3,470,052, issued Sep. 30, 1969.
The above-identified patents are believed to be representative of the types of arrangements employed to apply glue to sheet material and related products.

System for applying adhesive to sheet material


A base station for a communication system and a handoff method thereof are provided. The base station comprises a transceiver and a processor. The transceiver receives a measurement report message with a present reference signal received quality from a wireless device. The processor electrically connected to the transceiver calculates a next report period, estimates a next reference signal received quality and adjusts a first threshold according to a variance of a reference signal received quality. The processor further enables the transceiver to transmit a first measurement control message to the wireless device according to the next report period. The handoff decision process is triggered based on the first threshold and the next reference signal received quality.

With the development of network technologies, the wireless communication technology has been widely used in people's daily life. To satisfy users' various demands for data transmission in different usage environments, various communication transmission technologies and standards have been developed correspondingly. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (3GPP E-UTRA) standard is just one of the communication systems that become very popular in recent years.
The handoff mechanism in the current 3GPP E-UTRA standard evaluates a present reference signal received quality (RSRQ) of a user equipment (UE) every fixed period of time, uses a fixed reference signal received quality as a threshold for triggering a handoff, and compares a signal strength received quality with the threshold to determine whether to perform execute the handoff process. In detail, the base station transmits a measurement control message (MCM) periodically based on a fixed period to the UE, and requests the UE to monitor a present reference signal received quality and transmit a measurement report message (MRM) to the base station according to the monitored reference signal received quality. When the present reference signal received quality is lower than the threshold for triggering the handoff, the handoff process is activated.
However, because a fixed reference signal received quality is used as a threshold for triggering the handoff and serves as a basis for the handoff decision in the 3GPP E-UTRA standard, a Ping-Pong effect or a situation in which a handoff is initiated too late (hereinafter referred to as a too-late handoff) is likely to occur. The Ping-Pong effect refers to a phenomenon of repeatedly performing the handoff process back and forth between two base stations when the UE approaches the edge of the two base stations' coverage. Moreover, when the UE moves at a relatively high speed, the reference signal received quality will degrade too rapidly in the handoff process due to the excessively large variance of the reference signal received quality. Consequently, the connection might be disconnected to cause failure of the handoff process.
Accordingly, an urgent need exists in the art to provide a handoff mechanism adapted to trigger the handoff process timely so as to avoid the Ping-Pong effect or a too-late handoff.


An apparatus comprises a signal source, a driver and an electro-mechanical transducer. The signal source is configured to output a haptic feedback signal. The driver is configured to receive the haptic feedback signal and output a drive signal. The electro-mechanical transducer is configured to receive the drive signal. The electro-mechanical transducer is configured to have a set of operational modes. Each operational mode from the set of operational modes has at least one resonant mode from a set of resonant modes.

Generally, electro-mechanical transducers exhibit a level of power consumption that may be higher than desired. Furthermore, such electro-mechanical transducers may not be able to produce haptic feedback of a desired magnitude or bandwidth due to space constraints.
What is needed is an electro-mechanical transducer that is configured to produce vibrotactile feedback having a relatively high magnitude and/or an adjustable bandwidth. Additionally, it would be desirable to have an electro-mechanical transducer that can generate haptic feedback having relatively low energy consumption.

Haptic devices having multiple operational modes including at least one resonant mode


To perform a marine survey, a streamer is deployed into a body of water, where the streamer has plural first sensors to perform a subterranean survey. Indications are received from second sensors in corresponding sections of the streamer, where the indications are regarding which sections are in the body of water. Information is updated regarding which sections of the streamer are in the body of water in response to the received indications.

Each of a marine seismic streamer and seabed cable is an elongate cable-like structure, which can be several thousands of meters long. The streamer or cable includes arrays of acoustic sensors (e.g., hydrophones) and associated electronic equipment along the length of the streamer. The acoustic sensors are used to perform marine and seabed seismic surveying.
Typically, a number of streamers are towed by a sea vessel to perform a marine seismic survey, while a seabed cable is deployed from the sea vessel and laid on the sea floor. The streamers and seabed cables are deployed from the sea vessel, typically from the aft of the sea vessel. Each streamer or cable is unwound from a reel or spool for deployment into the water. As a streamer or cable is deployed, it is useful to determine which sections of the streamer or cable are in the body of water. Typically, this is accomplished by using RFID (radio frequency identifier) readers positioned on the aft deck to detect RFID tags on the sections that are being deployed.
An issue associated with using this mechanism to detect which sections of the streamer are in the water is that there is typically a lot of activity at the aft desk of a sea vessel. Such activity may damage the RFID reader, such as due to accidental impact of other equipment with the RFID reader.
Another issue associated with using an RFID reader to read tags on the streamer or cable is that the RFID reader has to be far enough away from the streamer/cable reel and other sections of the streamer or cable to ensure that the RFID reader only detects the section that is being deployed. Such a requirement places constraints on the building of an RFID deployment system.

Updating information regarding sections of a streamer that are in a body of water


A speech analyzer is integrated or otherwise coupled to an audio player. The speech analyzer is used to identify recorded communication sessions in accordance with a search criterion. A search criterion may be spoken or otherwise communicated to the speech analyzer. Results generated by the speech analyzer are converted into visual information that is presented to a user of the speech analyzer. Results generated by the speech analyzer can be cached for real-time user review while the speech analyzer processes additional stored conversations.

It is desirable in many situations to record voice communications, such as telephone calls. This is particularly so in a contact center environment in which many agents may be handling hundreds of telephone calls each day. Recording of these telephone calls can allow for quality assessment of agents, improvement of agent skills, dispute resolution, and can provide additional benefits.
Recording systems that record telephone calls and allow users of the systems to search for specified calls based on one or more call attributes are well known. Generally, recordings matching a set of criteria are displayed for a user to review details of the calls and as a guide in selecting calls that they wish to replay. When searching for a particular utterance within a call, the user will listen to the replay of the call until they hear the particular utterance-of-interest.
In many cases, a user is asked to retrieve a recording related to a specified event. For example, a contact center reviewer may be asked to identify whether a contact center employee or a customer said something during a call or calls. Often the precise details of which call or calls is required are insufficient to identify a single call from the set of all recorded calls. Consequently, a number of calls must be reviewed manually to identify the required call or calls. In very few cases, the user will recall or otherwise know when within a call the event/utterance-of-interest occurred. Typically, the user has to review the call by replaying the recording from beginning to end at the rate the call was recorded or by fast-forwarding to pass over portions of the call to home in on the portion of the call where the utterance-of-interest occurred.
The most time consuming case occurs when the user is trying to prove that an utterance-of-interest was not said. When faced with this scenario, the user is forced to listen to all of the identified calls (i.e., the calls that met the initial search criteria). Such searches are time consuming and prone to error. Especially when the initial search criteria are insufficient to identify a set of calls with a manageable number of calls and many hours of recordings have to be reviewed.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.


The present invention relates to an industrially beneficial method of manufacturing golf balls which includes the steps of pre-preparing a masterbatch of an unsaturated carboxylic acid and/or a metal salt thereof by mixing an unsaturated carboxylic acid and/or a metal salt thereof with a rubber material, preparing a rubber composition that contains the rubber material by using the masterbatch, and employing a material obtained by molding the rubber composition under heat as a golf ball component. The masterbatch is composed of:                (A) from 20 to 100 wt % of a modified polybutadiene obtained by a modification reaction wherein a polybutadiene having a vinyl content of from 0 to 2%, a cis-1,4 bond content of at least 80% and an active end is modified at the active end with at least one type of alkoxysilane compound, and        (B) from 80 to 0 wt % of a diene rubber other than ingredient A,such that ingredients A and B are included in a combined amount of 100 wt %, and        (C) an unsaturated carboxylic acid and/or a metal salt thereof.

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a golf ball in which a material molded under heat from a rubber composition serves as a ball component. More specifically, the invention relates to a golf ball manufacturing method which includes the step of preparing a masterbatch of an unsaturated carboxylic acid and/or a metal salt thereof.
Many golf balls that use rubber compositions containing polybutadiene polymerized with a rare-earth catalyst have hitherto been described in the art. Such golf balls axe disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,695,716, 6,712,715, 6,786,836, 6,921,345, 6,634,961 and 6,602,941 (Patent Documents 1 to 6). However, there remains room for further improvement in the rebound performance of such golf balls. Moreover, sufficient performance has yet to be achieved as well in terms of manufacturability.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,642,314 (Patent Document 7) describes the use of an alkoxysilyl group-bearing compound-modified polybutadiene as a rubber composition for golf balls. JP-A 2007-222196 (Patent Document 8) discloses a polybutadiene obtained by additionally subjecting the modified polybutadiene of Patent Document 7 to a condensation reaction. However, in all of the above-mentioned prior art, there remains room for improvement in manufacturability and in the durability and rebound of the resulting golf balls.    Patent Document 1: U.S. Pat. No. 6,695,716    Patent Document 2: U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,715    Patent Document 3: U.S. Pat. No. 6,786,836    Patent Document 4: U.S. Pat. No. 6,921,345    Patent Document 5: U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,961    Patent Document 6: U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,941    Patent Document 7: U.S. Pat. No. 6,642,314    Patent Document 8: JP-A 2007-222196
Moreover, it is regarded as desirable for the durability and rebound of a golf ball to use, as the metal salt of an unsaturated carboxylic acid typically employed as the co-crosslinking agent in a rubber composition for golf balls, a compound such as zinc methacrylate or zinc acrylate. This zinc methacrylate or zinc acrylate is generally included in a large amount with respect to rubber ingredients such as polybutadiene. However, when the various ingredients are masticated to form a rubber composition, because the zinc methacrylate and zinc acrylate are in the form of a fine powder, a considerable amount of the powder scatters or sticks to the roll mill or other kneading apparatus, greatly interfering with the masticating operation.
Moreover, because these compounds readily form aggregates within the composition and have a poor dispersibility, the unsaturated carboxylic acid zinc salt included in the composition is not effectively utilized, which may lower the resilience and make a constant hardness impossible to achieve.
One commonly used method for preventing the metal salts of unsaturated carboxylic acids from sticking to the kneading apparatus is to employ the metal salt of a higher fatty acid as a lubricant. However, such compounds are ineffective unless the mastication temperature is set to a high temperature of about 100° C. Unfortunately, scorching occurs at high temperatures.
In JP 3178857 (Patent Document 9), an α,β-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid metal salt suspended in an aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent is mixed with a polymer solution to form a rubber composition. However, in this method, following liquid mixture, the solvent must be removed.
JP 2720541 (Patent Document 10) describes the use of a rubber composition prepared by first mixing and dispersing the metal salt of an unsaturated carboxylic acid in liquid rubber, followed by mastication. However, the liquid rubber used is thought to lower the rebound of the golf balls obtained.
To resolve the above problems, JP-A 2004-105680 (Patent Document 11) discloses art in which a metal salt of an unsaturated carboxylic acid is incorporated as a co-crosslinking agent into a rubber composition after first being mixed with and dispersed in a solid rubber such as 1,4-polybutadiene.
However, in the molded and vulcanized materials obtained by the foregoing art, there remains substantial room for improvement in resilience and durability.    Patent Document 9: JP 3178857    Patent Document 10: JP 2720541    Patent Document 11: JP-A 2004-105680


An object detection device, detecting an object based on an image from a stereo camera on a vehicle, includes a parallax calculator, a first road parameter estimator, a road parameter storage, a second road parameter estimator, and an object detector. The parallax calculator calculates three-dimensional information of a scene in the image. The first road parameter estimator calculates a first road parameter based on the three-dimensional information. The road parameter storage associates the first road parameter with vehicle information to store therein. The second road parameter estimator calculates, based on stored information, a second road parameter using the first road parameter under a predetermined condition for the vehicle. The object detector detects the object using the second road parameter. The predetermined condition includes that an angular difference between a road surface observed from the stereo camera and a contact surface of the vehicle at observation is within a predetermined angle.

In order to accurately obtain three-dimensional information such as depth in a scene around a vehicle using a stereo camera on the vehicle, it is necessary to accurately grasp the positional relationship of the installed stereo camera. Such positional relationship is gradually shifted due to vibration caused by traveling of the vehicle, looseness caused by aging, and the like, and therefore, a technique has been proposed for automatically performing calibration for positional shift of a stereo camera (for example, Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1 discloses a calibration method for performing calibration of camera parameters of a stereo camera based on an optical flow. In Patent Document 1, using a stereo camera while a vehicle or the like travels, the inclination angle in the pitch direction of the road surface with respect to a camera is obtained as a parameter, and the movement amount between frames for points on the road surface, that is, the optical flow is obtained. In Patent Document 1, calibration of the stereo camera is performed by calculating the deviation of the parallax offset generated in the stereo camera based on the relationship between each amount obtained and the movement amount of the vehicle between frames.


A mounting system for a boom (14) of a landsailer (1) includes a resilient flexible member (12), at one end engageable with a rearward portion of the landsailer frame (2) and at the other end with the main sheet (13). A steering mechanism includes a shaft (6) which extends through an aperture (5a) in the mast (3) or mast receptacle (3a) and an aperture (5b) in the frame (2). A wheel (8) is connected to one end of the shaft (6) and the driver operates the other end of the shaft (6). The frame (2) includes a cockpit section (20), mast receptacle (3a), saddle frame (10) and steering section (21) each engageable to form the landsailer frame (2). The dimensions of each part of the mast receptacle (3a), saddle frame (10) and steering section (21) are equal or smaller than the dimensions of the cockpit section (20). The sail (4) includes a pocket (17) to receive the boom (14), and a lower sail portion (4a) extending below the pocket (17).

Landsailers are well known recreational transport devices which utilise sail power for propulsion. The use of landsailers has gained in popularity over recent times as a recreational and sporting activity.
In comparing landsailers to yachts, a fundamental difference is that yachts can easily heal over in response to lateral forces applied by the wind on the sails. This healing action helps to absorb impact forces caused by changes in wind strength as well as reducing the apparent area of the sail or sails. As a landsailer must travel over solid ground, its ability to heal over in response to these lateral forces is limited. If the land vehicle does heal over it tends to be unstable as its resistance to movement is low and hence the landsailer tends to capsize.
Thus, if there is a sudden gust of wind or a sudden change in wind angle, then there is a risk that the landsailer will capsize. One situation where this is particularly apparent is when the landsailer is travelling at a low speed relative to the wind velocity. If the landsailer attempts to gybe at this low speed, the shock of the sail and boom moving into the new position can be sufficient to capsize the landsailer. This risk of capsizing limits the manoeuvrability of the landsailer, creating a disadvantage, particularly in a race situation.
Other factors which influence the performance of a landsailer include the weight of the body of the landsailer in proportion to its sail area and whether the sail can be maintained with accurate camber to give optimum power from the sail.
A problem with landsailers is that they are typically large and therefore difficult to store, handle and transport. This can reduce the enjoyment of use of the landsailer for recreational purposes. Also, many landsailers are difficult and time consuming to erect. Further, landsailers at present are typically complex devices which involve significant costs of manufacture.

Mounting system, sail, steering mechanism and frame for a landsailer


An ultrasound probe including an active thermal management system is disclosed. The active thermal management system may include a fluid chamber coupled to a transducer assembly of the ultrasound probe. The fluid chamber may include a coolant that may dissipate heat from the transducer assembly. The active thermal management system may further include a heat sink coupled to the fluid chamber and thermal management system. The heat sink may include fins that extend into the coolant. The coolant may be a liquid or a gas. The coolant may be circulated within the fluid chamber by a circulation device. The circulation device may be a pump, a fan, or an impeller. An ultrasound probe may further include a window that forms an enclosure over the lens of the transducer assembly. The enclosure may be fluidly coupled to the fluid chamber and filled with coolant to dissipate heat from the lens.

Ultrasound transducer arrays produce ultrasound waves for a variety of applications such as imaging, cleaning, and therapeutic treatment of tissue. Many ultrasound transducers convert electrical energy into ultrasound waves, and heat may be produced as a byproduct of the conversion. The heat may require dissipation to avoid damaging the transducer and/or a surface with which the ultrasound transducer is in contact. For example, a medical ultrasound transducer may burn the skin of a patient if heat produced by the transducer is not dissipated adequately.
Ultrasound transducers may have active and/or passive thermal management systems. Passive systems may include materials that draw heat away from the transducer. For example, an ultrasound probe may include a backing material below the transducer that may dissipate heat away from the transducer surface. However, current passive thermal management systems may not be adequate for new, higher power ultrasound applications such as shear wave imaging.
Active thermal management systems may include, for example, circulating liquid coolants pumped via conduits adjacent to the transducer array. Coolants may be provided to the conduits via a reservoir within the ultrasound probe or external to the ultrasound probe. Active thermal management systems may be capable of rapidly dissipating heat, active systems may decrease ultrasound probe reliability. For example, a liquid coolant based thermal management system may require circulation tubing and a circulation pump. However, with some liquid coolant based systems, the tubing and pump may be prone to leakage over time as the elements are flexed during use of the ultrasound probe. Leakage of the liquid coolant may damage the internal components of the ultrasound probe and/or reduce the effectiveness of the active thermal management system.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for active thermal management of ultrasound transducers


A cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS) system uses a free-running continuous wave (c.w.) diode laser stabilized by frequency-shifted optical feedback in the presence of strong reflections from a high-finesse Fabry-Perot resonator. The frequency-shifted feedback stabilization eliminates the need for tightly controlling the relative positions of the laser and resonator. Non-frequency-shifted feedback is used for linewidth broadening. An acousto-optic modulator placed between the diode laser output and the resonator input frequency-shifts light reflected by the resonator input, causing the laser to cycle in phase with a period equal to the inverse of the frequency-shift. The laser diode linewidth can be stabilized from several MHz for high resolution spectroscopy of species at low pressures, to several hundred MHz for lower resolution spectroscopy of species at atmospheric pressures.

Traditional spectroscopic methods are limited in sensitivity to approximately one part per ten thousand (1:10.sup.4) to one part per hundred thousand (1:10.sup.5). The sensitivity limitation arises from instabilities in light source intensity that are translated into noise in the absorption signal. For general information on traditional spectroscopy methods see for example Dereniak and Crowe, Optical Radiation Detectors, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1984, and Demtroder, Laser Spectroscoptpy, Springer, Berlin, 1996.
Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS), a technique first described by O'Keefe and Deacon in an article in Rev. Sci. Instrum. 59(12):2544-2551 (1988), allows making absorption measurements with sensitivities on the order of one part per ten million (1:10.sup.7) to one part per billion (1:10.sup.9) or higher. For general information on CRDS see U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,040 by Lehmann, herein incorporated by reference, as well as the articles by Romanini and Lehmann in J. Chem. Phys. 102(2):633-642 (1995), Meijer et al. in Chem. Phys. Lett. 217(1-2):112-116 (1994), Zalicki et al. in App. Phys. Lett. 67(1):144-146 (1995), Jongma et al. in Rev. Sci. Instrum. 66(4):2821-2828 (1995), and Zalicki and Zare in J. Chem. Phys. 102(7):2708-2717 (1995).
In a conventional CRDS system, the sample (absorbing material) is placed in a high-finesse stable optical resonator consisting of two spherical mirrors facing each other along a common optical axis. Light incident on one mirror circulates back and forth multiple times in the resonator, setting up standing waves having periodic spatial variations. Light exiting through the other mirror measures the intracavity light intensity.
The radiant energy stored in the resonator decreases in time (rings-down). For an empty cavity, the stored energy follows an exponential decay characterized by a ring-down rate that depends only on the reflectivity of the mirrors, the separation between the mirrors, and the speed of light in the cavity. If a sample is placed in the resonator, the ring-down is accelerated; under suitable conditions, the intracavity energy decays almost perfectly exponentially. An absorption spectrum for the sample is obtained by plotting the reciprocal of the ring-down rate versus the wavelength of the incident light. CRDS has been applied to numerous systems in the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared. For information on the use of CRDS for spectroscopy in the visible, see the articles by Engeln and Meijer in Rev. Sci. Instrum. 67(8):2708-2713 (1996), Martin et al. in Chem. Phys. Lett. 258(1-2):63-70 (1996), Paul et al. in J. Chem. Phys. 104(8):2782-2788 (1996), Scherer et al. in J. Chem. Phys. 103(21):9187-9192 (1995), Scherer et al. in J. Chem. Phys. 102(13):5190-5199 (1995), Scherer et al. in Chem. Phys. Lett. 242(4-5):395-400 (1995). Heustis et al. in Canadian J. Phys. 72(11-12):1109-1121 (1994), and O'Keefe et al. in Chem. Phys. Lett. 172(3-4):214-218 (1990). Information on CRDS applications in the ultraviolet can be found in the above-referenced articles by Romanini and Lehmann, and Zalicki et al., as well as the articles by Zhu et al. in Chem. Phys. Lett. 257(5-6):487-491 (1996), Romanini and Lehmann in J. Chem. Phys. 105(1):81-88 (1996), Romanini and Lehmann in J. Chem. Phys. 105(1):68-80 (1996), Wahl et al. in Diamond and Related Materials 5(3-5):373-377 (1996) Boogaarts and Meijer in J. Chem. Phys. 103(13):5269-5274 (1995) , Zalicki et al. in Chem. Phys. Lett. 234(4-6), 269-274 (1995), Jongma et al. in J. Molecular Spectroscopy 165(2):303-314 (1994), and Romanini and Lehmann in J. Chem. Phys. 99(9):6283-6301 (1993). For information on the use of CRDS for infrared spectroscopy see the above-referenced article by Martin et al. (1996), as well as the article by Scherer et al. in Chem. Phys. Lett. 245(2-3):273-280 (1995).
In comparison to conventional spectroscopy techniques, CRDS is advantageous because of the increased pathlength due to multiple reflections. CRDS is also advantageous because of its relative insensitivity to variations in the amplitude of light generated by the light source. In a CRDS system, fluctuations in the intensity of the light source do not typically limit sensitivity.
Much of current ring-down spectroscopy still relies on fairly costly laser sources. As solid state lasers (e.g. Ti:Sapphire lasers, Nd:Yag-pumped OPOs, and ECDLs) have gained in reliability, tuning range, and output power, they have started to replace the more traditional tunable dye lasers, although they are no less expensive. Simultaneously, semiconductor diode lasers (DL) have also been improving in power, wavelength coverage, and reliability. The rapid growth of the communications industry in recent years has resulted in the availability of tunable near-infrared DLs at a rapidly diminishing cost. In fact, owing to their compactness, low cost, durability, high wallplug efficiency, and compatibility with both fiber and silicon technologies, infrared diode lasers are a promising light source for practical CRDS systems.
Early attempts have demonstrated difficulties in using DL sources in conventional CRDS systems. As long as the linewidth of the resonator is much narrower than the laser linewidth (as in most systems), only a small fraction of the light incident on the resonator enters the resonator; most of the light is reflected back toward the laser. Even under optical isolation, the optical feedback typically results in excess noise in the laser's frequency stability, mode oscillation stability, and power output. The excess laser noise leads to unstable laser-resonator coupling, increased baseline noise, and reduced absolute sensitivity for absorption measurements. Back-reflections also lead to an increase in laser linewidth, which limits spectral resolution. At high feedback levels typical in most practical setups, a wide variety of effects ranging from linewidth broadening to complete `coherence collapse` (linewidth >10 GHz) are often observed (see FIG. 2).
The DL instabilities are due to `external cavities` formed between reflective optics and the facets of the DL. Since diode lasers typically have large gain bandwidths (around 40 nm), virtually any external cavity can become optically coupled to the diode laser and influence its behavior. Because the output facet of the DL has a low reflectivity or is antireflection (AR)-coated to increase output power, the dominant laser cavity (the cavity determining laser behavior) in a conventional system is formed between the back facet of the DL and the resonator input, rather than between the DL facets. The dominant external cavity affects both the gain and phase relations of the DL, as explained for example by Petermann in Laser Diode Modulation and Noise, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 1988, p. 250-285, Agrawal and Dutta in Semiconductor Lasers, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1993, p. 258-309, and Coldren and Corzine in Diode Lasers and Photonic Integrated Circuits, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1995, p. 221-257. Whenever back reflection is allowed, the lasing characteristics of the DL (frequency, number of excited modes, output power, etc.) typically become highly dependent on uncontrollable experimental parameters, most notably external cavity length(s).
A CRDS system making use of a diode laser as a light source is described in the article by Romanini et al. in Chem. Phys. Lett. 270:538-545 (1997), herein incorporated by reference. Romanini et al. noted that without stringent optical isolation (in excess of 70 dB), any backreflections from the ring-down resonator caused serious mode-hopping and transverse mode excitation in their laser. Romanini et al. also noted that a single-pass high-dB Faraday isolator was "absolutely needed," and that an acousto-optic modulator alone was not adequate for optical isolation as in the case of dye lasers.
The above-incorporated U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,040 (Lehmann) suggests the use of a diode laser in a continuous-wave (c.w.) CRDS system. The system described by Lehman did not ensure adequate optical isolation and was thus subject to significant diode laser instability problems. Even the substantial isolation level (60 dB) used by Lehmann was not sufficient for adequately reducing laser instability caused by back reflections into the diode laser.
A preliminary report on the use of c.w. diode lasers for CRDS can be found in the abstract by Romanini et al. in Proceedings of the 50th International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy, ed. T. A. Miller (Department of Chemistry, Ohio State University. Columbus, Ohio), 1995, p. 284. The potential use of c.w. diode lasers for CRDS is also discussed in the article by Romanini et al. in Chem. Phys. Lett. 264:316-322 (1997), herein incorporated by reference.
A solution to the coupling/feedback problem is described in the above-incorporated co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/879,975. The feedback from the resonant cavity is completely eliminated through the use of a ring resonator geometry, in which reflections from the resonator input are not directed back towards the laser.
The present invention provides a novel solution to the problem of optical feedback from a resonant spectroscopy cavity to a diode laser. Optical feedback from a resonant cavity to a diode laser is of concern for various non-CRDS spectroscopy applications. For information on non-CRDS spectroscopy systems see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,173,749 and 5,432,610. A method of stabilizing diode lasers in the presence of optical feedback from a resonant cavity would find use in many non-CRDS spectroscopy applications.

Spectroscopy using active diode laser stabilization by optical feedback

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