The present disclosure provides a DNA vaccine or immunogenic composition expressing consensus hemagglutinin-esterase-fusion (HEF) protein (FluD-Vax) and a protein-based vaccine utilizing the HEF consensus protein. Methods of making and using the compositions are also provided herein.

Influenza D virus (IDV) has recently been classified as a new genus within the Orthomyxoviridae family and is distinct from influenza A, B, and C viruses (IAV, IBV, ICV, respectively). IDV infects economically important domestic livestock, including swine and cattle, and has been associated with a respiratory disease/influenza-like illness. Furthermore, IDV seroprevalence in humans was estimated to be approximately 1.3% in the general population and over 90% in individuals working with cattle. These initial studies suggest that IDV may have the potential to infect humans, although its pathogenicity to humans remains unknown.
IDV has a broad host range. IDV was initially isolated from clinically ill pigs expressing influenza-like symptoms in 2011. However, subsequently epidemiological data suggest cattle are the primary reservoir. In addition to swine and cattle, IDV infections have been reported in goat, sheep, equine, buffalo, and camel. IDV has also been shown to infect ferrets and guinea pigs in experimental settings. IDV infections are widely distributed across many countries in the American, Asian, European, and African continents. With a broad host range and high environmental stability, IDV has the potential to further gain virulence, or even infect humans.
Two lineages of IDVs were found to be co-circulating in the United States. Recently, a potential third lineage of IDV was identified in Japan. IDV, like other Influenza viruses, is a single-strand, negative-sense segmented and enveloped RNA virus. Both IAV and IBV have eight genomic segments and two surface glycoproteins of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). IDV like ICV has only seven genomic segments and one spike hemagglutinin-esterase-fusion (HEF) protein. The HEF combines the functions of HA and NA for receptor binding, receptor destruction, and membrane fusion activity. While the overall structure of IDV HEF is similar to ICV, IDV HEF has an open receptor binding cavity to accommodate diverse extended glycan moieties, which may be one of the reasons for its broad host range.
IDV causes only mild or no obvious clinical symptoms in infected animals. However, it is thought to be a facilitating factor for the development of bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC), which is one of the most commonly diagnosed causes of morbidity and mortality within the cattle industry. An efficacious preventative vaccine is needed to protect economically important domestic animals and limit potential cross-species transmission to humans.
What is needed is an immunogenic composition that provides protection against IDV infection and/or reduces at least one of the following: the incidence of IDV infection, the severity of clinical signs caused by or associated with IDV infection, the incidence of clinical signs caused by or associated with IDV infection, and the susceptibility to IDV infection. What is further needed is an immunogenic composition that reduces the possibility of cross-species transmission of IDV to other animals including humans.

Development of a preventive influenza D virus vaccine


The present disclosure relates to a particle energy modulating device for variably changing the energy of the particles of a particle beam. The particle energy modulating device has a variable energy varying device with a control value correcting device for correcting a supplied control value. The control value correcting device corrects the supplied control values through the use of previously determined calibration data.

Meanwhile, articles are subjected to radiation in an extremely wide variety of technical fields. Various types of irradiation methods and different types of radiation are used for this, depending on the requirements for the specific use. Thus, in some technical fields, it is necessary to subject articles to radiation over a large area or in three dimensions and as uniformly as possible in so doing. This is the case, for example, when materials are to be cured or changed in some other way. Meanwhile, it has also become common practice, for example in food technology, to use certain types of radiation in order to extend the shelf life of foods.
In other technical fields, though, subregions of the article to be irradiated must be irradiated with a certain predetermined dosage, typically one that is particularly high. However, the remaining parts of the article normally should either not be irradiated at all or should be irradiated as little as possible. An example of this is the structuring of microprocessors or other microstructures or nanostructures using electromagnetic radiation (sometimes extending into the X-ray range) and image-producing masks.
The dose to be applied into the respective structures can be structured not only in two dimensions, but also in all three spatial directions. A three-dimensional structuring makes it possible, for example, to directly irradiate a volume region contained inside a body to be irradiated without having to open or damage the body (in particular, its outer sheath).
Moreover, the body to be irradiated (or a volume region to be irradiated, which is contained inside the body to be irradiated) is not limited to a static body or an immobile body. Instead, the problem often arises in actual use that the body to be irradiated or parts of the body to be irradiated (e.g., a target volume region to be irradiated) is/are moving. This movement is not limited to an inherently rigid body that is moved relative to an external coordinate system. It is also possible for there to be a relative movement between different regions of the body to be irradiated. This is not necessarily limited to translational movements only. Conceivably, there can also be other types of changes such as rotational movements and changes in density.
In order to be able to irradiate such (sometimes inherently) moving bodies, so-called four-dimensional irradiation methods are used. Ultimately, these are three-dimensional irradiation methods that have a chronological variation (with time functioning as the fourth dimension). Examples of such material irradiation methods can be found in the field of materials sciences, for example in the manufacture of highly integrated components (such as microprocessors and/or memory chips) and in the manufacture of microstructured and nanostructured mechanisms.
Another technical field which has recently begun using three-dimensional or four-dimensional irradiation methods of this kind is in the medical technology sector. Here, too, it is typically necessary to deliver the highest possible dose to certain volume regions inside a body (such as a tumor), while the surrounding (healthy) tissue should either be subjected to the smallest possible dose or preferably not be subjected to essentially any dose at all. This is particularly true when the surrounding tissue constitutes so-called critical tissue such as sensitive organs (referred to in professional circles as an OAR, which stands for "organ at risk"). In this context, this can, for example, be the spinal cord, main blood vessels or neural nodes. Especially when irradiating moving target volumes, a large number of problems arise, some of which have not yet been solved or have not yet been solved to a satisfactory degree.
Essentially, there is a large number of possible solutions. Especially for use with scanning methods, for example, three special approaches will be discussed. These are so-called rescanning methods, gating methods and tracking methods.
In rescanning methods, the body to be irradiated is irradiated in a large number of irradiation scans. With a cyclically repeating movement pattern of the moving body (or of the target area to be irradiated), this therefore results in an irradiation of the target volume that is sufficiently powerful when averaged statistically.
In gating methods, an active irradiation of the target body takes place only when the volume region to be irradiated is in a relatively tightly restricted movement phase. At other times, however, no irradiation occurs.
Especially tracking methods are considered to show particular promise at this time. In tracking methods, the region on which the irradiation finally acts (for example, the zone of the Bragg peak) is moved in accordance with the movement of the volume region of the target body that is to be irradiated.
All three methods have in common the fact that the particle beam (more precisely, the main effective region of the particles) must move (scan) in all three spatial directions. In order to produce a scan in the z direction (the direction essentially parallel to the particle beam), it is thus necessary to vary the energy of the particles.
One possibility for implementing this lies in triggering the particle accelerator itself in a varying fashion so that it emits particles with different energies. The problem with this is that the variation of the particle energy in this case can only occur relatively slowly. In synchrotrons, for example, it has thus far been at best possible to vary the particle energy from one extraction cycle to the next. This results in energy adjustment times in the region of about 10 s. Particularly for tracking methods, adjustment times of this length are too long and are therefore unsuitable. But in rescanning methods and gating methods as well, such long adjustment times result in a significant amount of unnecessary loss in beam time.
The use of passive energy modulators has already been suggested as a possible solution. In these, the particle beam passes through an energy absorbing medium. Through a suitable adjusting mechanism, the medium can be changed in terms of its thickness (as "perceived" by the particle beam) so that the particle beam must travel a different distance through the energy absorbing material. This correspondingly changes the energy of the particles passing through. Examples of such absorber systems include wedge-like or double-wedge-like energy absorber systems. Fast-moving water columns and rotating modulator wheels have also been proposed. Here, too, there is ultimately a change in the distance that the particles must travel through the corresponding modulator material.
Even though such modulator systems are basically suitable for a rapid energy modulation, they still have disadvantages. For example, it has turned out that there can sometimes be considerable discrepancies between a "triggered" energy damping, (i.e. the input value of the control signal) and the actual energy damping by the modulator system. This results in corresponding inaccuracies in the processing method or treatment method, which is correspondingly disadvantageous.

GSI Helmholtzzentrum Fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH


A method of manufacturing a NAND flash memory device, including the steps of forming gates over a semiconductor substrate; forming a junction region over the semiconductor substrate between the gates; forming a buffer oxide film on the gates and the semiconductor substrate; stripping the buffer oxide film at one side of the gates; forming a nitride film spacers over the sidewalls of the gates; forming a self-aligned contact process (SAC) nitride film and an insulating film over the entire structure; etching regions of the insulating film and the SAC nitride film to form a contact through which the junction region is exposed; and forming a conductive film to bury the contact, thereby forming a contact plug.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a method of manufacturing a flash memory device. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of manufacturing a NAND flash memory device.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A method of manufacturing a NAND flash memory device in the related art is described below with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, which illustrate a gate formation process of a select transistor region, which is formed using the same process when a cell gate is formed in a cell region.
Referring to FIG. 1A, a tunnel oxide film 102, a first polysilicon film 103, a dielectric film 104, a second polysilicon film 105, a tungsten film 106, and a hard mask film 107 are sequentially formed on a semiconductor substrate 101, thereby forming a gate electrode in which a floating gate and a control gate are stacked and form a gate electrode having the same stack structure as that of the gate electrode in a select transistor region.
Thereafter, to remove micro trenches and plasma damage occurring upon etching of the gate, an oxidization process is performed to form an oxide film 108 on the gate sidewalls (preferably, the sidewalls of the first and second polysilicon films 103, 105).
An ion implantation process is carried out to form a junction unit 109 serving as the source and drain. After a first buffer oxide film 110 is formed on the entire structure, a nitride film 111 is formed. A blanket etch process is then performed to form spacers on the gate sidewalls.
Referring to FIG. 1B, after a second buffer oxide film 112 and a SAC nitride film 113 are formed on the entire structure, an insulating film 114 is formed in order to provide insulation between gate lines and insulation with an upper line.
Thereafter, regions of the insulating film 114, the SAC nitride film 113, and the second buffer oxide film 112 are etched using a SAC etch process, forming a contact through which the junction unit 109 is exposed. A conductive film 115 is formed to bury the contact, thereby forming a contact plug.
However, as devices become more highly integrated, the thickness of the hard mask film 107 gradually decreases. Furthermore, since the first buffer oxide film 110 is removed during the SAC etch process, the conductive film 115 is connected to the tungsten film 106. Accordingly, since the gate electrode and the contact plug may create a short circuit, the device may fail.

Method of manufacturing NAND flash memory device


The present invention provides for a system and method for regulating and monitoring heat dissipation of an integrated circuit by employing a heat regulating device with a thermal structure net work assembly. Each thermal structure can act as a heat conducting pathway for inducing heat into and/or dissipating heat away from the integrated circuit, thus creating a more uniform temperature gradient across the semiconductor body.

Integrated semiconductor devices (IC's) or semiconductor devices are devices including small electronic circuits formed on a surface of a semiconductor wafer. These IC's or semiconductor devices are often fabricated in plurality on the wafer surface, or as part of a wafer. The wafer is then subdivided into discrete IC or semiconductor device chips or dice, and then further tested and assembled for customer use through various well-known individual die testing and packaging techniques. Depending upon size of the IC or semiconductor device and size of the wafer, a wafer may be divided into a few dice or as many as several hundred or more than one thousand discrete dice. The discrete IC or semiconductor device may be subsequently packaged in a variety of manners using lead frames, substrates, or similar processes.
As demand for electrical systems that operate at faster speeds, occupy less space, and provide more functionality increases, the size of associated integrated circuits typically decrease. Manufacturers, thus lean toward designs that employ increasingly more powerful modules containing numerous components that are placed in relatively close proximity on an integrated circuit board.
Accordingly, because of reduced over all form factors, the heat generated from the integrated circuit's microelectronics devices for a given unit of surface area per unit time increases leading to high temperatures in the device. These increased temperatures can potentially damage components of the integrated circuit, or reduce lifetime of the integrated circuit. Therefore, large amounts of heat produced by many such integrated circuits must be dissipated and accounted for in designing the integrated circuit mounting and packaging devices.
At the same time, the generated heat across such a chip is not uniformly distributed, since it contains both low power and high power circuits. Because high power circuits typically generate more heat than low power circuits, a temperature gradient across such a chip is not uniform and "hot-spots" are created. These localized "hot-spots" result in non-uniform heat distribution across the semiconductor body, which in turn can cause excessive, concentrated and non uniform chip stresses, leading eventually to chip failure.
Prior attempts to combat localized heating involve powering off (disabling) various functional units, which are not required for certain operations as to prevent potential fatal destruction. Strategically placed units may alleviate some localized heating problems, however, as chip densities increase and performance of computational-intense programs and operations require functional units to operate relatively non-stop, placement or layout on the chip has little or no effect. Typical implementations for powering off units involve a central controlling unit that disables functional units not required based on incoming/upcoming instructions or operations.
Other attempts have focused on adding multiple functional units and using each of the functional units in some alternating fashion. Even with such techniques, localized heating problems still remain with each functional unit as actual power dissipates within the neighborhood area or space of that unit.

Mitigating heat in an integrated circuit


A cooling system for a marine propulsion device provides a water flow directing device, which is generally annular in shape, which has a water inlet extending from it. The water flow directing device is attachable to a gear case of a marine propulsion device and is configured to conduct a flow of water from a water inlet to a passage formed within the marine propulsion device and connected in fluid communication with a water pump that causes the water to flow to a cooling system of an internal combustion engine. The water flow directing device is removably attachable to a seal carrier which, in turn, is attachable to a bearing carrier disposed within an internal cavity of the gear case. A secondary inlet is provided through a surface of the gear case and in fluid communication with an internal annular passage of the water flow directing device to encourage a flow of water into the cooling system when the marine propulsion device is operating at slow speeds or is stationary in a body of water.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to a cooling system for a marine propulsion device and, more particularly, to a removable aft-mounted water pickup device that locates the water pickup at a position behind and below a gear case of the marine propulsion device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Those skilled in the art of marine propulsion systems are familiar with many different types of water inlet systems that are intended to draw water from a body of water in which the marine propulsion system is operated and conduct that water into one or more conduits which directs the water flow toward a cooling system of an engine used to provide power for the marine propulsion system. The water inlet, or water intake, can be located at various places on the wetted surface of the marine propulsion device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,257, which issued to Karls et al. on Jun. 21, 1988, discloses a cooling water intake with increased flow. The water intake plates covering the water inlet openings have outer forward lips spaced forwardly and outwardly of the water inlet openings and are located outwardly from tapered gear case sections leading to the openings. The water intake plates define with the gear case entrance cavities around the water inlet openings, trapping additional water and directing same inwardly into the water inlet openings for increasing water flow to a transverse passage and to the water pump.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,366, which issued to Lang on Aug. 30, 1988, discloses a water ram scoop for a cooling water intake. The marine propulsion system is provided with water intake scoops for increasing the flow of water to a water pump. Each scoop is provided with a water-receiving opening leading to a passage provided therein for passing water through the scoop toward the water pump. The head portion of each scoop protrudes from the gear case, and the water receiving opening is spaced outwardly from the gear case to provide an active water pickup from the flow of water past the gear case.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,635, which issued to McCormick on May 2, 1989, discloses a nose construction for the gear case of a marine drive. The drive unit includes a lower propeller torpedo housing of generally cylindrical configuration having a longitudinal centerline. A propeller shaft is mounted in the housing for rotation on an axis offset from the centerline. The shaft is journalled in a forward bearing assembly which is held in place by a support adjustably mounted to the housing and on the offset axis. A nose is removably secured to the forward housing end by a mounting bolt which extends into the support of the offset axis. A single multipurpose opening or port in the forward end of the nose communicates to an interior entry passage in the nose. The entry passage in turn merges into a pair of passage branches. One branch is disposed on the offset propeller shaft axis and receives the mounting bolt. The other branch is positioned to communicate with the cooling water passages in the lower unit, and which lead to the marine drive engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,293, which issued to McGowan et al. on Aug. 29, 1989, describes a marine propulsion device with a screened water inlet. It comprises side surfaces which include a cooling water inlet comprising an opening located in one side surface, communicating with the interior passage, and defined by forward and rearward walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,109, which issued to McMorries on Sep. 4, 1990, discloses a water pickup insert. The drive unit includes an outdrive housing having a cooling water passage defined therein with first and second cooling water inlet openings defined on opposite sides of the housing and communicated with the passage. An exterior surface of the housing has first and second recesses defined therein by first and second recessed shoulders adjacent the first and second cooling water inlets. First and second inserts are received within the first and second recesses and abut the respective recessed shoulders.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,322, which issued to Higby on Mar. 24, 1992, describes a marine propulsion device with a self-cleaning coolant water inlet screen. It comprises first and second water inlet openings respectively located on first and second sides of the marine propulsion lower unit. It also comprises a water passage including a laterally extending branch extending between the first and second water inlet openings and first and second water inlet screen members including respective water inlet screen portions extending across the first and second water inlet openings. It also comprises respective first and second portions extending integrally from the water inlet screen portions and having releasable inter-engaging mechanisms for retaining the water inlet screen portions in the water inlet openings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,487, which issued to Gruber on Jun. 1, 1993, describes a marine propulsion device water inlet screen. It comprises a water inlet and has an outer surface which extends generally in the fore and aft direction and which includes a ramped portion having a forward end and sloping rearwardly and outwardly from the inlet. It also has a forwardly facing portion partially defining the inlet and extending inwardly from the forward end of the ramped portion. A water inlet screen covers the inlet and includes an inner surface which slopes rearwardly and outwardly. It also engages the ramped surface portion of the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,345, which issued to Brodbeck et al. on Aug. 23, 1994, describes a water pickup and cooling apparatus for boat drive systems. It comprises a water pickup for gathering water from the body of water in which the boat is operating and a spray nozzle that directs a stream of cooling water towards the outer surface of the housing containing the drive assembly gears and shafts. The drive assembly of a typical sterndrive for a boat is the linkage that transmits the power generated by the engine to the propeller. To remove the excess frictional heat generated within the drive assembly under high horsepower conditions, the cooling apparatus collects water through a water intake opening when the boat is moving forward through the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,031, which issued to Meisenburg et al. on Dec. 27, 1994, discloses a marine drive with a surfacing torpedo. The drive has two counter-rotating surface operating propellers. The housing includes a skeg extending downwardly from the lower zone of the torpedo portion, the skeg having a leading edge. A cooling water inlet is located on side surfaces of the skeg.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,188, which issued Porta on Jul. 16, 1996, describes a nose cone method and apparatus. A nose cone attachment for an outboard motor propeller gear case has a molded polymer housing shaped to fit over the front and sides of the outboard propeller gear case and has an aerodynamic nose piece shape on the front thereof with a plurality of water inlets thereon. The molded polymer housing has open water channels or plenums thereinside which form wide passageways with the gear case housing sides when the nose cone attachment is attached over the gear case housing. The open water channels are positioned to fit over the gear case water inlets.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,046, which issued to Ogino on Jun. 16, 1998, describes a cooling water pickup for a marine propulsion unit. The water pickup arrangement is intended to pick up cooling water for the propelling, water-cooled internal combustion engine. The lower unit has a bullet shaped portion and the water inlet openings are formed on the forward and upper ends of this portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,481, which issued to Alexander, et al. on Jun. 30, 1998, discloses a skeg construction for a marine propulsion unit. A skeg assembly for a marine propulsion unit includes a generally U-shaped saddle that is removably attached to the lower torpedo section of the gear case of the propulsion unit, and a thin wedge-shaped skeg extends downwardly from the saddle. During planing conditions of the boat, the water line is slightly below the lower torpedo section so that the saddle is out of the water. The side surfaces of the skeg have opposed water intake openings each of which is bordered rearwardly by a laterally projecting shoulder that terminates in a sharp vertical edge and intake openings are bordered forwardly by a curved surface that connects the side surfaces of the skeg. The water intake openings communicate with a water passage in the skeg which, in turn, communicates with a water passage in the torpedo section so that water can be delivered to the cooling system of the propulsion unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,223, which issued to Karls et al. on Nov. 14, 2000, discloses a marine propulsion unit with water inlets in all four quadrants of the front portion of its torpedo-shape gear case. The water inlet system comprises at least a plurality of frontal inlet openings at the tapered forward end of a gear case portion of a housing structure. The water inlet system can be provided for an outboard motor or a sterndrive unit. Additional water flow can be provided through side inlets formed in the housing structure of the marine propulsion device where both the frontal inlet openings and side inlet openings are connected with fluid communication with the water pump mounted within the housing structure.
The patents described above are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in the description of the present invention.
Certain marine propulsion systems are intended to be operated with surfacing propellers and with gear cases that are at least partially located above the surface of the body of water in which the marine vessel is operated. When a marine propulsion system is operated under the circumstances, water inlets can sometimes be deprived of sufficient water flow to adequately provide cooling water for the engine. When the water inlets are placed at a low position relative to the gear case, they can become fouled with debris when the marine propulsion device is operated in shallow water. It would therefore be significantly beneficial if a water inlet system could be provided that includes a water inlet which is at a location that is relatively low in comparison to the gear case, but not susceptible to fouling when the marine propulsion system is temporarily grounded in the mud or sand when the marine vessel is operated in shallow water.

Water pickup configuration for a marine propulsion system


A method for regulating an energy recovery in a pedal-driven vehicle having a crank drive, an electric auxiliary drive and a rechargeable energy source includes: detecting a direction of rotation of the crank drive, and recovery of energy and storage of energy in the energy source when the direction of rotation of the crank drive is directed backward.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and a method for regulating an energy recovery in a pedal-driven vehicle such as, for example, a bicycle.
2. Description of Related Art
Various designs of bicycles having an electric auxiliary motor are known from the related art. These types of bicycles usually have a manually operable control unit on the handlebar with the aid of which an electric auxiliary drive may be switched on, or which makes energy recovery possible. In this process, changing between the energy recovery and a friction brake is jolting and difficult, because of manual switching. For this reason, the energy recovery of the vehicle is often not utilized during ordinary operation of the vehicle, and thus, no energy is recovered for charging the batteries, although this would actually be possible.

Device and method for regulating an energy recovery in a pedal-driven vehicle


The present invention relates to a waterproofing membrane comprising a carrier, a synthetic adhesive coated on one face of the carrier substrate, and a protective layer coated on the synthetic adhesive. The present invention also relates to a method of waterproofing post cast concrete structures comprised of affixing a carrier to the inside of a concrete form and post casting concrete, wherein the carrier further comprises a synthetic adhesive coated with a protective coating. Furthermore, the present invention relates to post cast concrete structures comprising a waterproofing membrane adhered to all or part of the exposed surface of said structure, wherein said membrane comprises a carrier, a synthetic adhesive coated on one face of the carrier substrate, and a protective coating on the synthetic adhesive and wherein the protective coating face contacts said structure.

Various materials used in building construction and other civil engineering projects such as roads and bridges are susceptible to water penetration resulting either from their inherent properties or imperfections such as cracks or pores. Reducing or eliminating water penetration through structures formed of these materials often is desirable such as for below grade building walls, and may be critical in certain structures such as those housing expensive electrical equipment or tunnels moving vehicular or pedestrian traffic under bodies of water.
In conventional waterproofing applications, the waterproofing material is post applied to an existing concrete structure. Available conventional waterproofing agents include ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) sheets, polyvinyl chloride sheets, neoprene sheets, bentonite panels, built-up asphalt systems, coal tar-based, and other asphalt-based compositions. Asphalt-based compositions are currently preferred; most preferred are preformed, flexible sheet-like waterproofing laminates of a support film(s) and a bituminous layer(s) such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,741,856; 3,853,682; and 3,900,102. Bituthene.RTM. brand of waterproofing is an example of a popular commercial membrane.
In many inner-city construction projects, the concrete foundation of one structure is poured very close to the foundation and/or property line of its neighbors. In these situations, a permanent concrete form is assembled along the exterior of the foundation. This is referred to as "vertical lagging" or simply "lagging". During a lagging operation, it is virtually impossible to apply a conventional post applied waterproofing membrane to the cured exterior of the foundation because the exterior surface of the concrete cannot be exposed. Accordingly, attempts have been made to affix a pre-applied waterproofing membrane to the lagging form before the wet concrete is poured. Pre-applied waterproofing systems have been limited to Bentonite based products including Volclay Panels, Paraseal, and Claymax. These products rely on the ability of the bentonite clay to expand on contact with water and create an impermeable layer to water migration. However, the rigidity of the lagging material/structure actually prevents the formation of an expanded wet clay layer of a desirable density high enough to qualify the material as impermeable.
Conventionally preferred asphaltic based waterproofing membrane systems have several significant deficiencies when applied with the adhesive facing out in a lagging situation. First, they tend to oxidize during short periods of outdoor exposure and "mud cracks" develop on the adhesive surface. The oxidized surface does not bond to the post cast concrete. Second, the exposed adhesive surface of the waterproofing membrane tends to become fouled by the elements and by dust. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an essentially non-tacky waterproofing membrane which can be pre-applied to a concrete form, resist chemical and physical changes from real time outdoor exposure, and develop a strong, fully adhered bond to the post cast concrete structure.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a waterproofing membrane which can be pre-applied to a concrete form and adhere strongly to the post cast concrete.
It is also an objective to provide a waterproofing membrane to resist chemical and physical changes during outside exposure and still have the capability for forming a strong and intimate bond to post-cast concrete.
It is further an objective to provide a highly weatherable waterproofing membrane which is essentially not tacky to the touch.
Another objective is to provide a non-asphaltic waterproofing membrane.
It is still further an objective to provide a waterproofing membrane which is particularly suited for vertical lagging construction.
Also, it is an objective to provide a method for pre-applying waterproofing membranes which become fully adhered to the resulting post cast concrete structure.
It is yet another objective to provide a novel waterproofing post cast concrete structure.
These and other objectives will become evident from the following:


An apparatus for testing a performance of a mobile station having a global positioning system (GPS) function including a test block having test commands and a test user interface for testing the performance of the mobile station. The test block and test interface are including within the mobile station. Further, the apparatus tests the performance of the mobile station by operating the test block driven through the test user interface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for testing performance of a mobile station having a global positioning system function.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Currently, there has been a great growth in the development and application fields of information on communication related techniques using a mobile station, and anyone among the fields corresponds to the mobile station adopting the GPS that is a position information collection system using a satellite communication.
The "gps One" technology of Qualcomm Company is for tracking the position of a code division multiple access (CDMA) mobile station having the gpsOne function mounted therein with a hybrid type having a combination of functions of the GPS and a network based location termination technology. Further, the GPS tracks the position of a GPS receiver on the ground by measuring the time required for a GPS satellite signal to reach the GPS receiver and the network based location determination technology tracks the position of the mobile station by measuring the time required for a CDMA base station signal to reach the mobile station.
According to the hybrid type of technology, a result of a GPS code phase lock is measured from a result of a CDMA code phase lock, and then transmitted to a position determination equipment (PDE). Thus, a resultant position of the corresponding mobile station, which is calculated by the PDE, is used to match a necessary application.
For a purpose of test at stages of development and mass production of a terminal having a mobile station modem (MSM) 3300/5100 series mounted thereon for supporting the gpsOne technology of Qualcomm Company is recommended the technical document CL93-V2244-1 (2002.3.14.) of Qualcomm Company.
The test proposal of the Qualcomm Company as described above corresponds generally to a test for estimating the GPS RF path performance. This hardware performance test may be performed with a relatively inexpensive and simple manner, and thus may be applied to a test of produced samples and mass production prior to an engineering sampling (E/S) stage.
Items of the proposed test do not refer to an end-product based performance such as a positional accuracy, stability of position confirming service, required time, etc., but refer to hardware level performance such as a GPS RF path gain line-up, a GPS RF path loss, a Doppler frequency shift, time calibration number, etc. They may be applied to the development and mass production test of the gpsOne CDMA mobile station adopting an MSM chip.
However, the conventional apparatus and method for testing of the performance of the mobile station having the GPS has the following problems.
The conventional test method requires a long time for once performing the whole tests, and a complicated test equipment.
For example, 8 hours or more are required for the whole tests of 6 items per target network. Also, for a mobile station with a tri-band mode (DCN: 900 MHz, PCS:1.5 GHz, GPS:1800 MHz), 16 hours are required for performing the whole tests of personal communication system (PCS) and digital cellular network (DCN).
For further example, if the number of tests is increased in order to secure the reliability, more than 100 hours will be required. Especially, in order to test of the performance of the MSUT using a diagnostic monitoring device during the test of a mass production, about 7 minutes at maximum is required as the operation time of the MSUT in measuring the GPS code phase as many as 100 times after establishing a traffic channel with respect to only one item of a 'sensitivity without Sensitivity Assist'.

Apparatus and method for testing performance of mobile station having GPS function


A vector sum circuit for producing a radio frequency (RF) output at a selectable phase offset includes an RF input configured to receive a differential pair RF input. A quadrature network produces an additional pair of RF inputs whose phase is advanced 90 degrees (90°) with reference to the first differential pair RF input, thereby producing four RF input signals offset at 0°, 90°, 180° and 270°. For each RF input signal, a set of three cascodes, having a plurality of NPN transistors and each emitter being commonly connected to an RF input. The first cascode steers current to a first output node, the second cascode steers current to a second output node and the third cascode shunts current to the voltage rail. By selectively steering current from the quadrature RF inputs to a selected output, an output signal having a desired phase shift is achieved.

In phased array systems, for example, phased array radar systems, it is often desirable to control the phase of the received and/or transmitted signal at each element of the phased array. It is desirable for such control to be achieved accurately and over a wide bandwidth of frequencies. Circuits for providing vector sums using metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) have been developed because MOSFETs provide a large number of control states for a given size. However, the realization of a vector sum topology using NPN transistors, which provide a higher transition frequency (Ft), has proven difficult because of the footprint needed to implement a vector sum circuit using NPN transistors. For example, a six bit phase shifter has sixty-four (64) control states. Implementing a circuit having 64 or more CMOS control devices implemented as NPN transistors results in a circuit footprint that is too large to be practicable. Circuits using NPN transistors solely for the differential input pair to the circuit, but utilizing MOSFETs for current steering have provided some improvement in performance, however a circuit which achieves the full performance advantages of NPN transistors for current steering is desired.

Vector sum circuit for digitally controlled wideband phase shifter


The invention provides a snap-in capsule for releasibly connecting a steering column to a vehicle. The snap-in capsule includes a metal insert for reducing creep of the steering column with respect to the vehicle. The metal insert has top and bottom surfaces and a slot extending along an axis for receiving a bolt. The snap-in capsule also includes a plastic capsule body for providing a mechanical fuse between the metal insert and the steering column. The plastic capsule body has a first snap-fit portion being deformable to receive the metal insert and fix the plastic capsule body and the metal insert with respect to one another.

Many steering columns are designed with cast aluminum capsules that are specially injected. For example, the capsule and a bracket fixed to the steering column are held together with a fixture in a desired orientation relative to one another. Plastic is injected in apertures defined by the capsule and the bracket to connect the capsule and the bracket together. Other steering columns include capsules that snap-fit with bracket. Still other capsules include plastic portions and metal portions that slidably engage one another and sandwich the bracket.


A method of soldering used in fabricating an electronic circuit device employs an organic material supplied to at least one of the connecting members to be bonded. The connecting members are positioned in an oxidizing atmosphere, and heated in a nonoxidizing atmosphere to remove oxide and/or contamination layers present on the surface of presoldered portions or metallized bonding portions. By this method, fluxless soldering is performed, positional shifts are reduced, and high reliability of the soldering connections with reduction in residues after reflow are obtained.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method of fabricating an electronic circuit device, and, more particularly, to a method of soldering leads of circuit elements, face-mounted circuit elements, and the like on an electronic circuit board in a fluxless manner.
Conventionally, soldering circuit elements to an electronic circuit board typically requires flux to enhance the flow of the solder as the circuit element is being mounted to the board. However, the flux leaves a residue after the soldering operation is completed, which residue must be removed by cleaning. A fluxless solder paste has been developed, which enables a soldering operation to be performed without subsequent cleaning (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. Hei 2-25291 and Hei 2-290693).
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 2-25291, a solder paste used in a reducing atmosphere is disclosed, which comprises a solder powder and a binder containing an alcohol. The method does not generate a residue because the solder paste contains no solid component such as an active agent or a resin. Moreover, the boiling point of the alcohol contained in the binder lies within a boundary region (paste region) between a solidus line and a liquidus line in a phase diagram of the solder powder. Thus, the alcohol boils and evaporates when the solder arrives at a semimolten state when heated. Consequently, the method also solves a prior problem suffered by a solder paste containing an alcohol having a boiling point below the solidus line, wherein solder balls are scattered upon evaporation of the alcohol.
Nevertheless, this method exposes the solder surface to the atmosphere when the solder is melted for bonding, upon evaporation of the alcohol. Thus, a reducing atmosphere (such as hydrogen gas) is required for the solder operation, to prevent oxidation of the solder. Moreover, the method has a limited reliability for high-density packaging because the solder paste is typically supplied to a bonding portion by a coating technique such as printing, which has a limited accuracy.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 2-290693, a solder paste is disclosed for use in an inert atmosphere. The solder paste comprises a fine solder powder and an alcohol having a boiling point higher than the melting point of the solder. Thus, the alcohol is present throughout the soldering process. In other words, the bonding portion is shielded from the atmosphere by the alcohol upon soldering, so that the soldering can be carried out in the inert atmosphere. Consequently, the method is advantageous in eliminating the necessity of a special atmosphere such as the reducing atmosphere required by the method of JP 2-25291. However, the method of JP 2-290693 is also typically employed in a coating technique such as printing, and thus has a reliability that is limited by the accuracy of the printing technique.

Method of fabricating an electronic circuit device


The invention relates to oil refining, more particularly to a composition of a light fuel oil for use in medium-speed diesel engines of marine power units. The inventive light fuel oil comprises, in % by wt.: black oil—(4-10), tar—(2-10), light catalytic cracking gas oil—(10-30), heavy catalytic cracking gas oil—(5-10), a straight-run diesel fuel—(8-10), a viscosity breaking residuum of a heavy oil fraction—the rest. The selected component ratio will enable to improve the fuel stability in transportation and storage, expand the range of available fuels and increase the production volumes of quality fuels, while rationally using poor-quality products readily available at refineries.

This invention relates to oil processing and, more particularly, to a composition of a fuel oil, such as light fuel oil that may be used in medium-speed diesel engines of marine power systems.
A light fuel oil may be produced from straight-run distillate and residuum as well as from products of secondary origin and mixtures thereof.
A marine fuel oil is known, as disclosed in Chemistry and Technology of Fuels and Oils, 1978, #3, p. 28-30, which comprises 36-42% by wt. of straight-run black oil, 42-48% by wt. of straight-run diesel fuel, and 10-22% by wt. of a coker gas oil or catalytic cracking gas oil.
However, this fuel is characterized, for example, by unstable pour-point temperatures during storage and comprises high quantities of valuable distillate fractions—up to 70% by wt.
A fuel for marine power systems is also known, as disclosed in RU 2155211, C 10 L 1/04, 2000, which comprises 5-30% by wt. of tar oil, up to 25% by wt. of long vacuum residuum 260-510° C., or products of topped residuum and long vacuum residuum 260-510° C., 20-25% by wt. of light catalytic cracking gas oil, 15-40% by wt. of hydrofined diesel fuel, up to 0.05% by wt. of a pour-point depressant, and black oil forming the rest.
However, the high content (up to 40% by wt.) of hydrofined diesel fuel, as well as the need for straight-run black oil, may for example, place certain limitations on its production, such as cost of production and availability of components.
Another marine fuel oil is also known, as disclosed in RU 2139912, C 10 L 1/04, 1/18, 1999, which comprises in percent by wt.:
Tar10-15Light catalytic cracking gas oil15-30Heavy catalytic cracking gas oil10-20Hydrofined diesel fuel19-30Black oilthe rest
However, this fuel composition may not be sufficiently stable, which results in stratification of the marine fuel during transportation and storage; further, this fuel comprises significant quantities of hydrofined diesel fuel and straight-run black oil.


A heat exchanger structure of an automatic transmission stabilizing a temperature of oil is provided. A heat exchanger structure of an automatic transmission includes an automatic transmission, a first heat exchanger provided on an upstream side and a second heat exchanger provided on a downstream side, each capable of cooling oil ejected from the automatic transmission, and a thermo valve capable of supplying oil subject to heat exchange by at least one of first and second heat exchangers to the automatic transmission. When a temperature of the oil is relatively low, the thermo valve supplies oil passed through the first heat exchanger to the automatic transmission and shuts off a flow of oil from the second heat exchanger to the automatic transmission. When a temperature of the oil is relatively high, the thermo valve supplies oil passed through first and second heat exchangers to the automatic transmission.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat exchanger structure of an automatic transmission and, more specifically, to a heat exchanger structure of an automatic transmission which can stabilize a temperature of oil.
2. Description of the Background Art
A conventional heat exchanger structure of an automatic transmission is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 11-264318 (a patent document 1).
Patent document 1 discloses a structure including two heat exchangers, in which a heat exchange path of oil is switched based on a temperature of oil.
Switching of a switching valve (thermo valve) in a conventional technique is controlled with a temperature of oil subject to heat exchange by a first heat exchanger. The oil actually flowing into a transmission, however, may be subject to heat exchange by a second heat exchanger. Therefore, control of switching of the valve based on a temperature of the oil flowing into the transmission may not be possible.
The conventional heat exchanger structure described above has a problem that a temperature of oil cannot be stabilized readily.

Heat exchanger structure of automatic transmission


An exemplary method for making a metallic workpiece includes: (a) providing a metallic sheet and a punching machine, wherein the metallic sheet comprises a curved portion and a plurality of predetermined punching areas; the punching machine comprises a die set, a lifter, at least one punch blade; (b) placing the metallic sheet on the die set; (c) adjusting a position of the metallic sheet for making a longitudinal center axis of the punch blade perpendicular to a plane tangential to a center of the predetermined punching areas; (d) applying the lifter to press down, and the punch blade punching one of the predetermined punching areas out of the metallic sheet; and (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) appropriately in turn to form a plurality of punched holes in the curved portion of the metallic sheet. The metallic workpiece made by the present method is also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to metallic workpieces having a plurality of punched holes, and method for making the metallic workpiece.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Typically, press punching method for making metallic workpiece has following advantages, such as, rapidly and accurately performing, and producing products free from defects. Accordingly, metallic workpieces from press punching method are widely used in car, electronic 3C, and home appliance fields.
A conventional method for making the metallic workpiece, having a curved portion and a number of punched holes defined in the curved portion, includes following steps: First, a flat metallic sheet is provided and placed on a punching machine. Second, the flat metallic sheet is punched to form many punched holes in the flat metallic sheet. Third, the metallic sheet is bent by a bending equipment for forming a curved portion therein. This forms the metallic workpiece. However, a number of the circular punched holes in the curved portion may be deformed into elliptical punched holes or other shapes due to the bending process. Therefore the sizes and shapes of the punched holes of the metallic workpiece may or may not retain its intended shape. This may results in unattractive workpieces.
What is needed, therefore, is a metallic workpiece having undesirable deformity of punched holes in a curved portion. Method for making the metallic workpiece is also desired.

Metallic workpiece having punched holes and method for making the same

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd.


A semiconductor device includes a first conductive portion, a second conductive portion, a first layer, and a second layer. The first conductive portion includes a first end portion and a first extending portion. The first extending portion extends in a first direction. The length of the first extending portion in a second direction is shorter than a length of at least a part of the first end portion in the second direction. The first layer includes multiple semiconductor chips, multiple passive chip components, and a resin. The first extending portion includes a first portion and a second portion. The first layer is provided around the first portion. The first layer expands along a first plane. The first plane intersects the first direction. The second layer includes a first multilayer wiring. The second layer expands along a second plane intersecting the first direction.

There has been known a technique called pseudo SoC (System on Chip), in which multiple semiconductor chips, each of which is manufactured through a different process, are disposed and reconstructed as a semiconductor device. High reliability is demanded for a semiconductor device using this pseudo SoC and a method for manufacturing the device.

Semiconductor device having a cylindrical shaped conductive portion


A first downlink transmission beam and a second downlink transmission beam is determined based on a received user-derived signal. The first downlink transmission beam is substantially uncorrelated with the second downlink transmission beam. The first downlink transmission beam is associated with a portion within a first sector. The second downlink transmission beam is associated with a portion within a second sector. A first signal is diversity encoded to produce a first diversity-encoded signal. A second signal is diversity encoded to produce a second diversity-encoded signal. The first diversity-encoded signal is sent over the first downlink transmission beam. The second diversity-encoded signal is sent over the second downlink transmission beam.

The invention relates generally to wireless communications. More specifically, the invention relates to a wireless basestation and/or a user terminal that uses downlink diversity.
The demand for wireless communications services greatly outstrips the current and projected future supply, especially on the downlink (i.e., the link between the basestation and the mobile terminal, also referred to as the forward link). To meet this demand, novel technologies that improve the link level performance of wireless systems can be employed. In particular, the performance degradation due to multiple access interference (MAI) and multipath fading should be overcome. Known downlink methodologies fail to provide universal performance enhancing solutions because they either rely on multiple antennas at the mobile terminal, work effectively only in parts of the coverage area, or rely on specific characteristics of the propagation environment that are not always present in wireless communications systems.
In pursuit of a universally effective downlink solution, the most promising known approaches combine downlink diversity (DD) with spatial division multiple access (SDMA). While DD ensures robustness against signal fading, SDMA greatly reduces the effects of multiple access interference.
Known empirical evidence shows the effectiveness of DD in reducing the probability of signal outage due to deep fades. While diversity antennas at the user terminal can serve a similar purpose, these antenna are often impractical due to the required increase in terminal cost and size. See, e.g., Golden, G. D., et. al., "Detection algorithm and initial laboratory results using V-BLAST space-time communication architecture," Electr. Lett., vol. 35(1), pp. 14–16, Jan. 1999. Therefore, most known DD methods employ multiple transmissions from one or more basestation(s). The transmitted signals are diversity coded to ensure they can either be separated or added coherently at the user terminal. Diversity coding may be implemented in various ways and can be done with or without feedback from the user terminal as described, for example, in Dabak et al., "A comparison of the open loop transmit diversity schemes for third generation wireless systems", Proceedings of the 2000 IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference, 2000, vol. 1, pp. 437–442.
While DD combats fading, SDMA greatly reduces MAI because each signal transmission, and thus the interference caused to other users in the system, is confined to just a portion of the cell area. One widely deployed SDMA technique is sectorization, where the entire cell is split into three or more sectors, each of which is treated as a separate cell in the sense that signals are sent within that sector without being sent into other sectors. A more effective SDMA technique is beamforming, which uses one or more beams to serve a user within a sector. The beams can be chosen from a predefined set, as is done with so-called multi-beam antennas, or can be formed adaptively according to some optimization criterion.
Recently, various methods have been proposed that combine DD and SDMA. For example, some of these known methodologies use a single array and spatially orthogonal beams for the downlink transmission. As a consequence, "the downlink performance is dictated by the angular spread of the radio environment" and "best results were (are) found for large angular spread", as concluded by Katz et al. in "Extension of space-time coding to beamforming WCDMA basestations", Proceedings of the 51st IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference, May 2000, vol. 2, pp. 1230–1234.
At least one known system does not require spatially orthogonal beams. U.S. Pat. No. 6,201,801, entitled "Polarization diversity phased array cellular basestation and associated methods" discloses a system that uses two antenna arrays transmitting successive signal segments (e.g. TDMA frames) using alternatingly one then the other antenna array having different polarizations. Although in this system the fading of the signal received at the mobile station can be made substantially uncorrelated in successive segments at any given time, the user terminal can only receive a single multipath component. Consequently, the benefit of diversity is not obtained.
Other known systems combine SDMA and DD for terminals located in some regions by simultaneously transmitting from antennas located at spatially distinct basestations, an approach known as handover. While this approach depends neither on the spatial nor on the temporal properties of the propagation environment, it is only effective if the user terminal is located in a suitable area that is simultaneously covered by at least two basestations.
The performance gain of these various known systems is disadvantageously dependent on the location of the user terminal, and on the spatial and temporal properties of the radio environment. Thus, a need exists for combining DD and SDMA more effectively to thereby overcome this dependency, while also substantially reducing MAI.

Method and apparatus for received uplinked-signal based adaptive downlink diversity within a communication system


A system and method to collect all the offerings of a wireless service provider. Wireless service providers have different types of offerings, said offerings depending on the type of wireless client device being used. A single type of device, linked to an emulation computer, can ‘spoof’ the identification of all the devices that the wireless service provider supports. The emulation computer traverses the links made available by the wireless service provider for the type device the emulation computer is ‘spoofing’.

1. Field
The present invention relates to using emulation software installed on a computer linked to at least one wireless client device, said computer sending instructions to the at least one wireless client device to emulate a variety of client device models and microbrowsers independent of the actual model and microbrowser linked.
2. Description of Related Art
The most common method currently employed to survey the various offerings made available by wireless service providers to the wireless WAP client browser of that provider is to purchase and try a variety of wireless devices and models. Each device and model is used to contact the wireless service provider. This is required because the offerings of a wireless service provider are dependent on the make and model of the wireless device. Therefore to catalog what offerings are made available to which type of wireless device, then each device that the wireless service provider maintains content for, must be represented. To do this, in the absence of the present invention, requires that many different user available devices and models must be used to traverse the wireless network's offerings to the wireless device's user. This is a time consuming and expensive method to find out what service providers offer to what type of user available client devices.

System and method to query wireless network offerings


A method for manufacturing a lateral bore in a tubular bone for a bone nail to be guided through a transverse bore of a bone nail characterised by the following features;. knocking in the bone nail. introducing an elongate transmitting unit for energy into the bone nail and aligning an effective end of the transmitting unit, directed transversely to the axis of the nail, to the transverse bore in the bone nail;. producing a hole which is relatively small in diameter by way of the effective end from the inside and. drilling out the small hole from the outside, preferably to the core diameter of the bone screw.

The invention relates to a device for manufacturing a lateral bore in a tubular bone.
For the care of bone fractures in tubular bones it is known to apply so-called locking nails. These comprise transverse bores trough which bone screws may be guided in order to hold the bone fragments on the bone nail and to secure these against displacement and torsion. Before the bone screws can be screwed in, the holes must first be drilled into the substantia corticalis, this being at a relatively exact alignment to the transverse bore in the bone nail. This nail is usually hollow. On screwing in the bone screw not only must the first facing bore be met but also the opposite lying wall of the bone nail. A wrong alignment leads possibly to the nail screw only reaching through the allocated transverse bore onto the bone nail, then however abutting against the opposite lying wall of the bone nail. In this way a satisfactory screwing or anchoring of the bone nail is not ensured.
There are numerous methods and devices which have become known in order to locate the position at which a bore for the bone screw is to be placed. Most targetting devices function according to the principle of through illumination. The operator can, on a monitor, determine the position of the transverse bore in the bone nail within the bone and correspondingly place the drill mostly after a preceding incision with a suitable drill wire or likewise. However mechanical targetting apparatus have become known which can be placed onto the free end of the bone nail. The distance of the transverse bore from the end of the bone nail is known. Also the rotational position of the transverse bore may be indicated by a suitable marking at the end of the bone nail. With the help of a suitable targetting sleeve via the targetting apparatus the substantia corticalis can be drilled. The mechanical targetting apparatus is much less complicated than the above described method which furthermore has the disadvantage that one must operate with X-rays. The mechanical targetting apparatus on the other hand has the disadvantage that a correction of the determined position of the transverse bore is not possible. Indeed it may occur that the nail on knocking in distorts and its predetermined position no longer corresponds to the actual one.

Device for manufacturing a lateral bore in a tubular bone


In a smoke warning system ambient conditions are included in the evaluation of the smoke warning transmitter statuses, or the internal signal evaluation in the smoke warning transmitter is influenced. In this procedure the alarm threshold of the system is raised under certain ambient conditions so that the smoke warning transmitter per se is set so as to be less sensitive.

The invention relates to a smoke warning system in particular for use in aircraft.
Smoke warning systems in common use function with optical smoke warning transmitters. These smoke warning transmitters apply the so-called diffused-light principle with a specified alarm threshold. In the case where there is no smoke and there are no particles, the receiver does not receive a signal because there is a barrier between the light source and said receiver. However, if smoke particles (or other particles) are encountered in this region, then the light is scattered and the receiver registers a corresponding signal rise. If this signal rise exceeds a specified threshold value, the smoke warning transmitter issues an alarm.
However, the above-mentioned functional principle is associated with a disadvantage in that not only smoke particles but all aerosols cause light scattering and can thus cause the smoke warning transmitter to assume an alarm state. In practical application it has been shown that for example fog, dust or even the use of insecticides has caused false alarms.
In most applications such false alarms pose a safety risk. For this reason, high priority is accorded to minimising the probability of faults occurring.
The above-mentioned problem is even more acute in the case of mobile smoke warning systems which at times are confronted with quickly changing ambient conditions.


A process for the preparation of a blend of ABS polymers is disclosed. The invention comprises introducing a core/shell grafted rubber in the form of powder (crumb) to at least one stage of the continuous mass polymerization process for making an ABS polymer. Accordingly, the process comprises, in sequence, steps (i) through (iii) wherein

This invention relates to a process for preparing blends of ABS polymers; more particularly, the process relates to the continuous mass polymerization of ABS polymers.
A process for the preparation of a blend of ABS polymers is disclosed. The invention comprises introducing a core/shell grafted rubber in the form of powder (crumb) to at least one stage of the continuous mass polymerization process for making an ABS polymer. Accordingly, the process comprises, in sequence, steps (i) through (iii) wherein
(i) refers to charging into a first reactor a material system containing primarily monoalkenylaromatic monomer and an ethylenically unsaturated nitrile monomer having dissolved therein diene rubber under conditions to promote at least partial polymerization to form a partially polymerized first mixture and where
(ii) refers to polymerizing the first mixture in a subsequent reactor to form a subsequent mixture and where
(iii) refers to devolatilizing the subsequent mixture,
and introducing said core/shell grafted rubber into at least one of step (i), (ii) and (iii) to yield a blend having a dispersed grafted rubber phase with a bimodal or multimodal particle size distribution.
Polyblends, that is blends of rubber grafted with styrene/acrylonitrile polymers represent a family of thermoplastic molding compositions having excellent mechanical properties, most notably, resistance to impact. The conventional process to make polyblends of ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) may entail compounding of an emulsion-made intermediate having high rubber content (50-60%) with pellets of styrene/acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN) and/or with continuous mass-made intermediates having a lower rubber content (less than 15%). The continuous mass (CM) process is economical, yet, the product thus produced is limited in terms of its properties due to limitations on the rubber content. For example, low gloss extruded products have large rubber particle size and relatively low rubber content resulting in relatively lower impact strength. Compounding of CM-product with small amounts of emulsion-produced intermediate increases the impact strength but entails an additional process step, which makes the process less desirable.
Various processes for the manufacture of such polyblends, including emulsion., suspension and mass polymerization techniques, and combinations thereof have been reported. Such polyblends of monoalkenyl aromatic and ethylenically unsaturated nitrile monomers and grafted rubber that are prepared in the mass polymerization process exhibit desirable properties, yet, this technique has a practical limitation upon the maximum degree of conversion of monomers to polymer. Techniques have, therefore, been adopted where initial mass polymerization is carried out to a point of conversion beyond phase inversion where the viscosity is still of practical magnitudes, and the resulting pre-polymerized syrup is suspended in water or other inert liquid and polymerization of the monomers is continued. U.S. Pat. No. 3,509,237 disclosed a mass/suspension method of polymerization styrene/acrylo-nitrile having diene rubbers dissolved therein with the rubber being grafted, inverted and dispersed as rubber particles under agitation. After phase inversion, the viscous mixture is suspended in water and polymerization is completed producing a polyblend in the form of beads. Such mass/suspension processes have the shortcomings of batch operations. U.S. Pat. No. 3,243,481 disclosed a process in which diene rubbers are dissolved in predominantly monovinylidene aromatic monomers and polymerized in four reaction zones. Such processes require physically separated reactors providing different reacting conditions for each step of polymerization involving costly multiple reactors and specialized equipment. U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,946 disclosed a process wherein the prepolymerization is run to a solids content of no more than 16% to provide a rubber particle having a particular structure. U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,526 disclosed a process for producing rubber modified thermoplastic resins by extracting a grafted diene rubber from a latex into a styrene-acrylonitrile monomer phase, separating the monomer-rubber phase from the water phase and mass polymerizing the monomer-rubber phase to provide a polyblend of styrene/acrylonitrile polymer and a single grafted rubber phase. The process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,509,237 refers to the preparation of styrene/acrylonitrile/rubber polyblends having a first and second grafted rubber phase wherein the first grafted rubber has a large particle size and the second grafted rubber has a smaller particle size. Such polyblends have superior properties if the smaller particle size rubber phase constitutes the largest proportion of the total rubber phase. A process for making such polyblends is disclosed wherein the two grafted rubber polyblends are prepared in batch processes separately and, thereafter, melt blended mechanically to form a polyblend having a first and second grafted rubber phase. U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,199 disclosed a relevant continuous mass polymerization process for preparing a polymeric polyblend. The process entails polymerizing monomers containing 0.1 to 15% by weight of a soluble diene rubber so as to convert 10 to 40% of the monomers to a polymer. A portion of the polymer is grafted on the diene rubber and dispersed as a first grafted diene rubber in a monomer-polymer phase to provide a partially polymerized mixture. This grafted diene rubber is dispersed as rubber-monomer particles having an average particle size of 0.7 to 10 microns and having present occluded and grafted polymer. The process further entails continuous withdrawal of this partially polymerized mixture and continuous polymerizing of this mixture until the polymerization has reached a conversion of about 25 to 80%. A second grafted crosslinked diene rubber is continuously being dispersing in the polymerized mixture.
The present invention is predicated on the findings that a particularly structured, emulsion-produced grafted rubber, namely a core/shell-structured grafted ABS may be added directly to the CM process resulting in a polyblend having improved properties.
The invention is predicated on the finding that a polyblend having desirable mechanical properties may be prepared by a hybrid process that incorporates a particular product that is produced by emulsion polymerization (the products is herein sometimes referred to as xe2x80x9ccrumbxe2x80x9d) as a component in the continuous mass polymerization process. The morphology of the crumb, the core/shell structure of the rubber particles was found to be a key parameter for making the necessary stable dispersion of rubber in a system containing monomers and/or solvent. The rubber content of the crumb needs to be sufficiently high and the CM product needs to be the dominant component in the resulting polyblend.
Accordingly, the process comprises introducing a emulsion polymerization produced core/shell grafted diene rubber to at least one stage of the continuous mass polymerization process for making an ABS polymer. Comprising in sequence, steps (i) through (iii) wherein
(i) refers to charging into a first reactor a material system containing primarily monoalkenylaromatic monomer and an ethylenically unsaturated nitrile monomer having dissolved therein diene rubber under conditions to promote at least partial polymerization to form a partially polymerized first mixture and where
(ii) refers to polymerizing the first mixture in a subsequent reactor to form a subsequent mixture and where
(iii) refers to devolatilizing the subsequent mixture,
and introducing said core/shell grafted rubber into at least one of step (i), (ii) and (iii) to yield a blend having a dispersed grafted rubber phase with a bimodal or multimodal particle size distribution.
Specifically, in step (i) a continuous mass polymerization process of monomers containing 5 to 20% by weight of a soluble diene rubber is carried out so as to convert 10 to 40% of these monomers to a polymer, to graft at least a portion of the polymer on the diene rubber and to disperse the rubber as a first grafted diene rubber in a monomer-polymer phase, to provide a first partially polymerized mixture. The monomers used in step (i) comprise predominantly monoalkenylaromatic monomer and an ethylenically unsaturated nitrile monomer. The diene rubber being dispersed as rubber particles have an average particle size of 0.2 to 10 microns. In step (ii), the first partially polymerized mixture of (i) is polymerized in a continuous mass process in a subsequent reactor until the polymerization has reached a conversion of about 40 to 80% to provide a second partially polymerized mixture. In step (iii), the product discharged of the subsequent reactor is continuously devolatilized to provide a polymeric polyblend.
The introduction of a core/shell grafted rubber in accordance with the invention may be made into at least one of steps (i), (ii) and (iii) is continuous.
The charge into the first reactor contains predominantly monoalkenylaromatic monomer and a lesser amount of an ethylenically unsaturated nitrile monomer (herein xe2x80x9cFormulation Axe2x80x9d). Examples of suitable monoalkenylaromatic monomer include styrene; alpha-alkyl monovinylidene monoaromatic compounds, e.g., alpha-methylstyrene, alpha-ethylstyrene, alpha-methylvinyltoluene, etc.; ring-substituted alkyl styrenes, e.g., vinyl toluene, o-ethylstyrene, p-ethylstyrene, 2,4-dimethylstyrene, etc.; ring-substituted halostyrenes, e.g., o-chlorostyrene, p-chlorostyrene, o-bromostyrene, 2,4-dichlorostyrene, etc.; ring-alkyl, ring-halo-substituted styrenes, e.g., 2-chloro-4-methylstyrene, 2,6-dichloro-4-methylstyrene, etc. If so desired, mixtures of such monovinylidene aromatic monomers may be employed. Examples of the unsaturated nitriles which may be used are acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, ethacrylonitrile, and mixtures thereof. Examples of the additional monomers which may be interpolymerized with the monoalkenylaromatics and unsaturated nitriles are conjugated 1,3-dienes, e.g., butadiene, isoprene, etc.; alpha- or beta-unsaturated mono-basic acids and derivatives thereof, e.g., acrylic acid, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, methacrylic acid and the corresponding esters thereof, acrylamide, methacrylamide; vinyl halides such as vinyl chloride, vinyl bromide, etc.; vinylidene chloride, vinylidene bromide, etc.; vinyl esters such as vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, etc.; dialkyl maleates or fumarates such as dimethyl maleate, diethyl maleate, dibutyl maleate, the corresponding fumarates, etc. The amount of these additional comonomers which may be included may vary and is generally about 0 to 10, preferably 1 to 5, percent relative to the weight of the total monomer charge.
The polymerizable monomer mixtures contain at least 20, preferably at least 50 percent by weight of the monoalkenylaromatic monomer and at least 5, preferably at least 10, percent by weight of the unsaturated nitrile. A preferred formulation contains 20 to 95, preferably 60 to 85 percent by weight of the vinylidene aromatic hydrocarbon and 80 to 5, preferably 40 to 15, percent by weight of the unsaturated nitrile. In addition to the monomers to be polymerized, the formulation may contain catalyst and other desirable components such as stabilizers, molecular weight regulators, etc., in functional amounts and for their art-recognized utility.
The polymerization may be initiated by thermal monomeric free radicals, however, any free radical generating catalyst may be used in the practice of this invention. Conventional monomer-soluble peroxy and perazo catalysts may be used. Exemplary catalysts are di-tert-butyl peroxide, benzoyl peroxide, lauroyl peroxide, oleyl peroxide, toluyl peroxide, di-tert-butyldiperphthalate, tert-butyl peracetate, tert-butyl perbenzoate, dicumyl peroxide, tert-butyl peroxide isopropyl carbonate, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(tert-butylperoxy)hexane, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(tert-butylperoxy) hexane-3 or hexyne-3, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, cumene hydroperoxide, p-menthane hydroperoxide, cyclopentane hydroperoxide, pinane hydroperoxide, 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-dihydroperoxide, etc., and mixtures thereof.
The amount of catalyst is generally about 0.001 to 3.0, preferably 0.005 to 1.0, percent by weight relative to the weight of the polymerizable material.
As is well known, it is often desirable to incorporate molecular weight regulators such as mercaptans, halides and terpenes in amounts of 0.001 to 1.0 percent by weight of the polymerizable material. From 2 to 20% diluents such as ethylbenzene, ethyltoluene, methyl ethyl ketone, ethylxylene, diethylbenzene or benzene may be added to the monomer composition to control viscosities at high conversions and also to provide some molecular weight regulation.
In addition, it may be desirable to include relatively small amounts of antioxidants or stabilizers such as the conventional alkylated phenol. These may be added during or after polymerization. The formulation may also contain other additives such as plasticizers, lubricants, colorants, and non-reactive preformed polymeric materials which are suitable or dispersible therein.
The preferred rubbers are diene rubbers, including mixtures of diene rubbers, i.e., any rubbery polymer (a rubbery polymer having a second order transition temperature not higher than 0xc2x0 centigrade, preferably not higher than xe2x88x9220xc2x0 C. as determined by ASTM Test D-746-52T) of one or more of the conjugated 1,3-dienes, e.g. butadiene, isoprene, 2-chloro-1,3 butadiene, 1 chloro-1,3 butadiene, piperylene, etc (herein xe2x80x9cRubber Axe2x80x9d). Such rubbers include copolymers and block copolymers of conjugated 1,3-dienes with up to an equal amount by weight of one or more copolymerizable monoethylenically unsaturated monomers, such as monovinylidene aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., styrene; an aralkylstyrene, such as the o-, m- and p-methylstyrenes, 2,4-dimethylstyrene, the arethylstyrenes, p-tert-butylstyrene, etc.; an alphamethylstyrene, alphaethylstyrene, alpha-methyl-p-methyl styrene, etc.; vinyl naphthalene, etc.); halomonovinylidene aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., the o-, m- and p-chlorostyrene, 2,4-dibromostyrene, 2-methyl-4-chlorostyrene, etc.); acrylonitrile; methacrylonitrile; alkyl acrylates (e.g., methyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexylacrylate, etc.), the corresponding alkyl methacrylates; acrylamides (e.g., acrylamide, methacrylamide, N-butylacrylamide, etc.); unsaturated ketones (e.g., vinyl methyl ketone, methyl isopropenyl ketone, etc.); alpha-olefins (e.g., ethylene, propylene, etc.); pyridines; vinyl esters (e.g., vinyl acetate, vinyl stearate, etc.); vinyl and vinylidene halides (e.g., the vinyl and vinylidene chlorides and vinylidene chlorides and bromides, etc.); and the like.
A preferred group of rubbers are the stereospecific polybutadiene rubbers formed by the polymerization of 1,3-butadiene. These rubbers have a cis-isomer content of about 30-98% and a trans-isomer content of about 70-2% and generally contain at least about 85% of polybutadiene formed by 1,4 addition with no more than about 15% by 1,2 addition. Mooney viscosities of the rubber (ML-4, 212xc2x0 F.) can range from about 20 to 70 with a second order transition temperature of from about xe2x88x9250xc2x0 C. to xe2x88x92105xc2x0 C. as determined by ASTM Test D-746-52T. The diene rubber used in step (i) is a soluble diene rubber of the type described above. The stereospecific polybutadiene rubbers are the most preferred for optimum physical properties of the polyblend. A preferred group of rubbers are those consisting essentially of 75 to 100 percent by weight of butadiene and/or isoprene and up to 25 percent by weight of a monomer selected from the group consisting of monovinylidene aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., styrene) and unsaturated nitriles (e.g., acrylonitrile), or mixtures thereof. Particularly advantageous substrates are butadiene homopolymer or an interpolymer of 90 to 95 percent by weight butadiene and 5 to 10 percent by weight of acrylonitrile or styrene.
In carrying out the inventive process, a monomer formulation comprising predominantly a monoalkenyl aromatic monomer and an ethylenically unsaturated nitrile monomer having about 5 to 20% by weight of a diene rubber dissolved therein is charged continuously as a monomer-rubber solution to the first in a series of reactors. The monomers are polymerized at temperatures of about 70xc2x0-170xc2x0 C. converting about 10-40% by weight of the monomers to a (co)polymer. At least a portion of this (co)polymer is grafted to the diene rubber as a grafted phase.
The amount of (co)polymeric grafted phase may vary from 10.0 to 250.0 parts by weight per 100.0 parts of graft base (substrate), the preferred graft copolymers will have a ratio of grafted phase to graft base of about 20:100 to 200:100 and most desirably about 30:100 to 150:100. With graft ratios of about 30 to 150:100, a highly desirable degree of improvement in various properties generally is obtained.
The particle size of the rubber is from about 0.2 to 10 microns preferably from 0.4 to 5 microns (particles size is in terms of weight average particle diameter). This size provides a desirable balance between the impact strength and the gloss of the polyblend. The impact strength was found to be influenced by the size and size distribution of the dispersed rubber particles.
The first grafted rubber particles are formed in step (i) and the second grafted rubber particles are added in step (i), (ii) or (iii) to yield a polyblend having a good balance of properties. Naturally, the added second graft may itself comprise a blend of grafts including grafts having particles the average sizes of which differ from the size of the first graft, thus yielding a polyblend having a bimodal or multimodal size distribution. Such blends may contain 1 to 50%, preferably 5 to 25% by weight of a second graft diene rubber particle, the percent being based on the weight of total rubber in the blend.
The second grafted rubber, an emulsion-polymerization product, is characterized in that its grafted substrate has a core/shell structure. The core is typically of crosslinked diene rubber of an average particle size of 0.15 to 0.6, preferably 0.3 to 0.5 microns and the shell enveloping the core is poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile). The substrate is grafted with about 0.3 to 1 part of the monomers of xe2x80x9cFormula Axe2x80x9d: 20-30% of unsaturated nitrites and 70-80% of monoalkenylaromatic monomer per 1 part of rubber substrate.
The second grafted rubber may be prepared by polymerizing monomers of Formula A in the presence of the preformed rubber substrate in accordance with conventional emulsion graft polymerization techniques. The preferred processes use an emulsion technique to obtain the particle size of not more than about 0.6 microns for the graft copolymer which is preferred for use in the practice of the present invention. In such graft polymerization, the monomers are charged into the preformed rubber particles dispersed in water and this admixture is polymerized to combine chemically or graft a portion of the monomers upon the rubber substrate. As is well known to the art-skilled, depending upon the ratio of monomers to rubber substrate and polymerization conditions, it is possible to regulate both the desired degrees of grafting of the monomers onto the rubber substrate and the polymerization of ungrafted matrix copolymer. Emulsion polymerization is preferred over mass or suspension polymerization for preparing the second grafted diene rubber since such will provide a narrow particle size distribution and core shell morphology which are key in the context of the present invention.
In the emulsion polymerization grafting process, the monomers and rubber substrate are emulsified in water by use of suitable emulsifying agents, such as fatty acid soaps, alkali metal or ammonium soaps of high molecular weight, alkali or alkaryl sulfates and sulfonates, mineral acid salts of long chain aliphatic amines, etc. Emulsifying agents, which have proven particularly advantageous, are ammonium oleate, sodium palmitate, sodium stearate, and other sodium soaps. Generally, the emulsifying agent is provided in amounts of from about 0.1 to 15 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the monomers, and water is provided in an amount of from about 1 to 4 parts per part of monomers, and even in larger ratios where greater dilution is desirable in a manner well known in the art.
A polymerization catalyst may be included in an amount of 0.001 to 3.0, preferably 0.005 to 0.5, weight percent of the total polymerizable material. As is well known, it is often desirable to incorporate molecular weight regulators such as mercaptans, halides and terpenes in an amount of about 0.001 to 2.5 percent by weight of the polymerizable material. In addition, it may be desirable to include relatively functional amounts of antioxidants or stabilizers, such as the conventional alkylated phenols and the like, although these may be added during or after polymerization. The particle size of the rubber graft copolymer has a significant effect upon the gloss and physical properties of the product produced by the processes of this invention. Typically, the particle size of the second graft rubber copolymers used in the practice of the present invention may be about 0.15 to 0.6 microns, preferably 0.2 to 0.5 microns. A most preferred rubber graft copolymer for use in the practice of this invention are graft copolymers having a weight average particle size of from about 0.25 to 0.45 microns for the second grafted rubber. Preferably, the rubber used for the second grafted rubber is crosslinked. With respect to the graft copolymers, at least some degree of crosslinking is inherent during the graft polymerization process, and this desirably may be augmented through the addition of crosslinking agents or control of the polymerization conditions.
Dewatering, that is the separation of water, may be carried out by any convenient means including centrifuging, decanting, filtering, drying or the like. Preferably, for use in a continuous process, most of the water separation is carried out by a mechanical means which exerts pressure on the pasty or semisolid organic phase so as to separate the water most efficiently and completely. Generally, by such means, one is able to produce crumb that has less than 1% moisture.
The crumb, which is a loose agglomerate, or powder, of preferably crosslinked and grafted rubber particles, may be introduced at any of the stages of the inventive process. Optionally, the crumbs may be directly charged to the rubber dissolver that contains a diene rubber dissolved in monomers and solvents before being introduced to the first reactor. The crumb may also be introduced in the form of a stable dispersion in an inert solvent. Suitable solvents include nitrites such as acetonitrile, propionitrile, butyronitrile, methoxy propionitrile, benzonitrile, isobutyronitrile, acetone, cyanohydrin and the like, ketones such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl propyl ketone, methyl isobutylketone, cyclohexanone and the like, lower carboxylic esters such as methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, Cellosolve acetate, and the like, formamides and acetamides such as dimethylformamide, diethylformamide, dimethylacetamide, and the like. The preferred solvents are those selected from the nitrites and ketones. The amount of crumb in the solvent is 5 to 30, preferably 10 to 20 percent by weight relative to thew weight of the mixture. The preparation of a suitable dispersion follows conventional means and procedures that are well known in the art.
Optionally, the dispersion used for introducing the second graft may contain additional monomers.
The dispersion that contains the crumb may be dispersed by conventional methods such as continuously pumping into a transfer line for the first and/or subsequent reactor(s) or through a separate mixing vessel feeding directly to the devolatilization step.
The dispersion may be continuously subjected to one or more stages of devolatilization to remove the remaining unreacted monomers, saturated solvent and water. Such devolatilization is conducted in known manner in any desired devolatilizers. The devolatilization treatment is generally conducted at temperatures of from about 140xc2x0 to 280xc2x0 C. at reduced pressures of from 0.01 to 800 mmHg absolute, preferably at from about 180xc2x0 to 250xc2x0 C. and a pressure of from 2 to 200 mmHg abs. The product of the devolatilization stage is the polyblend composition substantially freed of free or unreacted monomer or monomers. Such free or residual monomer level is reduced to less than 1.0 percent by weight and desirably to less than 0.4 percent by weight.
After removal of the devolatilized polyblend from the devolatilization stage, generally in the form of a melt, it is formed into strands or other shapes by the use of stranding dies or other conventional means and thereafter cooled, cut or pelletized into the desired final size and stored or packaged for shipment. The final operations can all be conducted in a conventional manner through the use of known equipment and devices.
The present process, then, is useful in producing a wide range of ABS products with varying amounts of grafted rubber and matrix polymers having a wide range of monomer compositions. In addition, the polymerization steps provide the capability of producing matrix polymers having a wide range of average molecular weights and molecular weight distributions.


A vacuum cleaner suction nozzle is provided with inner front and rear ducts and a duct cover piece disposed within the agitator chamber. This chamber is formed by a tunnel piece that is at least partly user observable from above the nozzle. The nozzle includes a hood piece which melds with its underbody at, at least, a portion of their juncture. This is occasioned by an offset or undercut formed in one of the hood piece or underbody, whereby the hood piece and underbody join with coplaner outer surfaces.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a vacuum cleaner and, more specifically, to a vacuum cleaner nozzle arrangement.
2. Summary of the Prior Art
It is known in U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,418, owned by a common assignee, to provide forward and rearwardly disposed suction ducts that extend along the front and back sides of a suction nozzle to lead suction air to a rearwardly extending fan communicating duct. It is also known from this patent to make an outer covering piece of a communicating duct portion extending between the front and back sides of the suction nozzle removable. It is also known from this patent to make the agitator tunnel an inner structure in its nozzle. It is also generally known to provide a hood structure which either sits on its underbody or obviously overlaps it.
However, the advantageous disposition of the suction nozzle duct cover within the confines of an agitator chamber or the use of an agitator tunnel arrangement easily discernable by the user of the cleaner or a pleasing nozzle outside geometry such as the presentation of a smooth line between the hood and its underbody has not been known to heretofore be contemplated in the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved suction nozzle configuration.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a suction nozzle with either front and/or rearward ducting which may be accommodated in a nozzle having as a structural requirement an inboard duct cover.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide an abbreviated suction nozzle hood which merges with a necessary suction nozzle under carriage to smoothly form at least a portion of the suction nozzle outer and top peripheral surfaces.
It is a further object of the invention to abbreviate the periphery of the suction nozzle hood so that the outer outlines of the agitator tunnel chamber is viewable to the user so that this structure serves as a portion of the outer, observable, suction nozzle per se.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide an improved suction nozzle structure which includes forward and rearward suction nozzle ducts.
It is an even further object of the invention to provide an improved removable suction nozzle duct cover structure and arrangement.

Vacuum cleaner suction nozzle configuration


In some examples, a collision awareness system includes two cameras mounted on portions of a vehicle and processing circuitry configured to determine a position of an object based on an image captured by a first camera when the object is within a field of view of the first camera. The processing circuitry is further configured to determine the position of the object based on an image captured by a second camera when the object is within a field of view of the second camera. The processing circuitry is also configured to determine whether a distance between a future position of the vehicle and a current or future position of the object is less than a threshold level. In response to determine that the distance is less than the threshold level, the processing circuitry can generate an alert.

Wingtip collisions during ground operations are a key concern to the aviation industry. Wingtip collisions are important because of the increased volume of aircraft at the space around airport terminals, the different kinds of airframes, and the increased surface occupancy in the space around airport terminals. The increased traffic and complexity creates safety risks, airport surface operational disruptions, and increased costs. Aircraft damage, even for slow-moving collisions, leads to expensive and lengthy repairs, which result in operational issues for air carriers. The risk of wingtip collisions increases as airlines upgrade their fleets because pilots are not accustomed to the larger wingspans and new wing shapes.
A vehicle can include a collision awareness system for detecting objects near the vehicle and predicting the likelihood of a collision between the vehicle and one of the objects. For example, aircraft include a collision awareness systems for alerting the flight crew of potential collisions such as wingtip collisions during ground operations. Some collision awareness systems use Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to compute or alert wingtip collisions, but GLASS can have an error of approximately twenty feet or more.

Collision awareness using cameras mounted on a vehicle