For a serial multiplex inverter in which each phase includes cells connected serially, wherein each cell includes switching elements and is configured to output a level of +1 (ON), a level of zero (OFF), and a level of −1 (ON) as output levels by operation of the switching elements, a control device includes a switching load distribution control section. This control section is configured to: store information about an ON-output duration of each of the cells and information about an OFF-output duration of each of the cells; for a shift pattern from ON to OFF in the cells, put OFF a gate signal for one of the cells whose ON-output duration is the longest of the cells; and for a shift pattern from OFF to ON in the cells, put ON a gate signal for one of the cells whose OFF-output duration is the longest of the cells.

The following discusses a system in which an input three-phase AC voltage is converted into a DC voltage by a rectifier (AC-DC converter), and the DC voltage is outputted through an inverter in the form of an AC voltage having a desired frequency and a desired amplitude.
Such a system may employ a serial multiplex inverter in which multiple single-phase inverters are connected, in order to output a high voltage or a voltage having few harmonics. The serial multiplex inverter is also called a cascade H-bridge inverter or the like.
FIG. 1 shows an example of configuration of a main circuit of a serial multiplex inverter. The configuration of FIG. 1 includes N single-phase inverters connected in series in each phase, and is capable of outputting a phase voltage at 2N+1 levels. In the present description, this configuration is referred to as an N-stage serial multiplex inverter. In FIG. 1, an alternating current is converted into a direct current by a three-phase rectifier, and IGBTs constitute a single-phase inverter.
In the serial multiplex inverter, each single-phase inverter (henceforth referred to as a cell) can be switched independently, and switching timings can be combined alternately. Thereby, it is possible to form a device having a high switching frequency as a whole while suppressing the switching frequency of each cell.
FIG. 27 shows an example of switching of a serial multiplex inverter having a four-stage cell configuration. Switching timings of each cell are different from those of other cells, which does not unbalance a phase voltage, wherein the phase voltage is maintained to have a sinusoidal symmetry waveform. The switching frequency of the phase voltage is equal to the sum of the switching frequencies of the cells.
In a serial multiplex inverter, a phase voltage waveform can be expressed by various patterns of combination of waveforms of the cells. This high degree of freedom allows various control methods. However, since cell voltages cannot be uniquely determined from the phase voltage, the cell voltages may be outputted in an unbalanced manner depending on a selected control method.
An unbalance among the cell voltages means an unbalance in switching loss among the cells, and causes an increase in power consumption for cooling and a decrease in component life. In order to prevent a decrease in system efficiency and a decrease in life, it is required to consider a control for optimally distributing the load of each cell. In the following, a load related to unbalance among cell voltage outputs is referred to as a switching load of each cell, or simply as a switching load.
Practical switching load distribution controls have been studied, and two main directions have been presented.
The first direction is an improvement of PD (Phase Disposition) PWM method disclosed in a patent document 1. The PD method is implemented by performing a triangular wave comparison using carrier signals shifted to level regions and having the same phase. In the PD method, a line-to-line voltage does not shift by two steps, which provides a preferable voltage applied to a motor. However, there is a problem of unbalance in the switching load among the cells. Against the problem, patent document 1 achieves the same phase voltage waveform as the PD method, with balanced switching loading, by allocating a command voltage to the carrier signals of the cells.
The second direction is an improvement of PS (Phase Shift) PWM method disclosed in a patent document 2. The PS method is implemented by performing a triangular wave comparison using carrier signals having shifted phases. In the PS method, the switching load of each cell can be distributed with no additional special control, but a line-to-line voltage is likely to shift by two steps, and there is a problem about a voltage applied to a motor.
Against that problem, patent document 2 compensates for the drawback of two-step shift of the line-to-line voltage, while maintaining the advantage of distributed switching loading, by performing an operation of shifting the carrier signals in accordance with the voltage command.
As described above, with regard to triangular wave comparison PWM, the conventional approach is to consider a switching load distribution method in a control system in which switching load distribution is difficult, or to overcome a disadvantage in a control system in which switching load distribution is easy.
In addition, switching load distribution other than triangular wave comparison PWM is also being studied. In a patent document 3, regarding an output of a fixed pulse pattern having a predetermined phase, switching load distribution is performed by exchanging a voltage command for each cell in every PWM half cycle while maintaining the phase voltage output.
Patent documents 1 and 2 are premised on performing triangular wave comparison PWM. For example, no method of distributing the switching load of each cell has been studied for cases where modulation is implemented by a DTC (Direct Torque Control) that sets an optimum output level to follow a target torque, or modulation is implemented by a fixed pulse pattern method that outputs a table-designed level in synchronization with a fundamental wave phase.
Furthermore, in patent document 1, in order to achieve strict switching load distribution of each cell, it is required to store a carrier allocation pattern for each cell as a table, wherein creation of the table increases the cost.
Patent document 2 presents a cell voltage allocation derived from the PS method. In the PS method, when the slope of a command voltage near zero crossing is close to the slope of a carrier signal or exceeds the slope of the carrier signal, there is a problem that the command voltage near zero crossing is likely to continuously cross the carrier signal of the same cell and thereby cause a slight unbalance in the switching load.
Regarding the patent document 3, it is required to predetermine the voltage output for each cell before the switching load distribution control. In addition, it is based on the exchange of the voltage commands in the PWM half cycle, and it is impossible to comply with a control method that is not based on a PWM cycle, for example, a control method such as a comparator control that determines switching by comparison between a target to be evaluated and a threshold value.
In view of the foregoing, it is a problem to distribute the switching load among the cells in the control device for the serial multiplex inverter.

Serial multiplex inverter control device


A boat includes: a pair of buoyancy units spaced from each other; a bottom plate structure connecting the bottoms of the pair of buoyancy units to each other; and a water storage defined by the pair of buoyancy units and the bottom plate structure, open rearward at the stern to take water from the outside, and keeping the water flowing therein. The boat can keep the balance more stable, is free from a common waterproof problem, and can improve a running ability.

In general, boats (ships) can be classified into a mono hull and a multi hull (typically, catamaran), depending on the number of hulls providing buoyancy.
Monohulls, ships with one hull providing buoyancy, has excellent traveling ability or running ability, but the center buoyancy is stable less than multi hulls, so they have a defect of too much roll that is an up-down swing of the sides by waves or wind and pitch that is an up-down swing of the bow and the stern. On the contrary, in multihulls, ships with two or more hulls providing buoyancy, particularly, as for catamarans that are typical ones, the center of buoyancy is divided to both sides, so the balance can be kept stable, but the running ability is poor in comparison to monohulls.


GaN HEMT device structures and methods of fabrication are provided. A masking layer forms a p-dopant diffusion barrier and selective growth of p-GaN in the gate region, using low temperature processing, reduces deleterious effects of out-diffusion of p-dopant into the 2DEG channel. A structured AlxGa1-xN barrier layer includes a first thickness having a first Al %, and a second thickness having a second Al %, greater than the first Al %. At least part of the second thickness of the AlxGa1-xN barrier layer in the gate region is removed, before selective growth of p-GaN in the gate region. The first Al % and first thickness are selected to determine the threshold voltage Vth and the second Al % and second thickness are selected to determine the Rdson and dynamic Rdson of the GaN HEMT, so that each may be separately determined to improve device performance, and provide a smaller input FOM (Figure of Merit).

Conventional methods of fabrication of GaN HEMTs on silicon substrates typically comprise high temperature MOCVD processes for growth of an epitaxial layer stack comprising a nucleation layer, buffer layers, and a GaN hetero-structure comprising a layer of GaN and an overlying AlGaN barrier layer, to form a 2DEG channel region. One or more conductive metal layers are then deposited and patterned to define source, drain and gate electrodes. For an enhancement mode GaN HEMT, the gate comprises a p-doped GaN layer, e.g. Mg doped p-GaN, under the gate metal. In conventional processes, this p-doped GaN layer is blanket deposited over the GaN/AlGaN layers as part of the epitaxial layer stack. The blanket GaN layer is then masked and etched to leave the p-GaN layer only in the gate region. MOCVD growth temperatures are typically in the range from 1000 C to 1100 C. This means that during blanket growth of the p-GaN layer, the p-dopant can out-diffuse and migrate into the underlying 2DEG channel region. The presence of p-type dopants in the channel region will act as acceptors and compensate or reduce the density of the 2DEG channel charge. This out-diffusion and migration of p-dopant results in an increase in on-resistance Ron and dynamic Rdson (drain-source on-resistance) of the GaN HEMT. It is known that increasing the aluminium content of the AlxGa1-xN barrier layer and increasing the thickness of the barrier layer will reduce Rdson, however this also tends to reduce the threshold voltage Vth to zero, causing depletion mode operation.
Other issues resulting from conventional processes are difficulty in selectively etching the blanket layer of p-GaN relative to the underlying AlGaN barrier layer, and resulting etch damage to underlying layers of the epitaxial layer stack caused by etching to remove the blanket p-GaN layer, leaving the p-GaN layer only in the gate region. For example, to address these issues, other methods of fabricating enhancement mode GaN HEMTs have been proposed in United States patent publication no. US2013/0153923 entitled "Enhancement Mode III-Nitride Device and Method for Manufacturing Thereof" (Decoutere) and United States patent publication no. US2017/0179272 entitled "Method of Fabricating an Enhancement Mode Group III-Nitride HEMT device and a group III-Nitride Structure Fabricated Therefrom" (You et al.), comprising providing a capping layer before forming the p-GaN layer in a recessed gate structure.
There is a need for improved or alternative GaN HEMT device structures and methods of fabrication for improved device performance, and particularly for improved control of Ron, Rdson and Vth during fabrication of E-mode GaN HEMTs.

GaN HEMT device structure and method of fabrication


An impact absorbing garment is shown having a number of inflatable compartments attached to the garment. A source of pressurized gas is mounted to a manifold assembly also attached to the garment. The manifold assembly includes internal passageways connecting a gas inlet that receives gas from the source of pressurized gas to a gas outlet. Tubing attached to the garment connects the manifold assembly gas outlet to the inflatable compartments. The manifold assembly also houses a gas release valve. A toggle link mechanism supported within the manifold assembly provides a mechanical advantage by reducing the force required to maintain the gas release valve in a closed position against high pressure gas at the gas inlet. An electric solenoid moves a slide member to release the toggle link mechanism and open the gas release valve when an electrical circuit is closed between the solenoid valve and an electrical power source attached to the garment. Interlock switches are provided as part of the vest closures, and a tilt switch for sensing abnormal positions of the wearer of the garment completes the electrical circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an impact absorbing piece of clothing that can be used to protect an individual wearing the clothing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Garments, such as vests, have been proposed wherein the garment contains one or more inflatable air bags positioned to surround the wearer when inflated and to protect the wearer during impact from a fall or collision. Protective garments, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,623, are not completely self-contained, requiring the presence of external crash sensors. An example of another inflatable garment is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,151. This garment requires the presence of an external source of pressurized gas that is connected to the garment through a long tube.
Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,074, a protective garment is shown having inflatable envelopes attached to the garment and a source of pressurized gas separate from the garment that is connected through a tube.
A disadvantage of all of the existing protective garments is that they are not completely self-contained. A further disadvantage of the existing garments is that they are not provided with a simple means for sensing when the wearer is approaching a position wherein protection from impact will be required, and for effecting the release of high pressure gas into the inflatable compartments of the garment while using only a relatively low voltage portable power source. A further disadvantage of the existing garments is that they are not provided with a means for ensuring that the garment cannot be activated until the garment is properly installed on an individual.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the existing garments by providing a garment that is completely self-contained and that cannot be activated to an inflated condition until it is properly installed on an individual.
A further advantage of the present invention is provided by a compact manifold assembly that can be attached to the vest at various positions and that provides support for pressurized gas canisters, a gas release plunger, a toggle release for the plunger, and a solenoid for activating the toggle release.


A radio receiver comprising a compensator arranged to compensate for intersymbol interference in a signal received at the receiver and a configurator arranged to configure the compensator, wherein the compensator comprises a programmable filter and the configurator is capable of configuring the filter in a first mode to operate as an ISI equaliser or in a second mode to implement a RAKE finger set.

In normal practice, digital signals are converted into streams of modulation symbols, for example using a modulation scheme such as QPSK, and then modulated onto RF carrier signals. Receivers that are configured to handle signals that have been modulated in this way attempt to isolate a wanted received carrier signal and then demodulate the stream of symbols from the RF carrier signal. However, it is likely that the carrier signal will reach the receiver via a number of different paths, with the result that a number of versions of the carrier signal arrive at the receiver, all at different delays. This is the well known phenomenon of multipath propagation, which gives rise to intersymbol interference (ISI) in the demodulated signal. That is to say, the delay between two multipath components can be such that at some given instant, the receiver experiences different symbols from the two paths. It is well known to use an equaliser or a RAKE receiver to compensate or correct for intersymbol interference.

Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd.


A gas turbine engine combustor is provided with a combustor dome plate film cooling means having an annular slotted ring to provide a film starting means upstream of a multi-hole film cooled single wall metal dome plate which is annular in shape. One particular embodiment provides a starting slot in the form of a plurality of rings surrounding the edges of the air/fuel nozzle inlet apertures in the dome plate. The cooling holes are disposed in concentric circles about the apertures and angled along radii emanating from the center of the apertures. This produces a cooling film emanating radially from the ring like circular slots around each air/fuel nozzle inlet aperture in the dome plate. Another embodiment provides a starting slot in the form of circumferential rails circumferentially disposed about the inner and outer circumferential edges of dome plate. The cooling holes are arranged in two section, the first to feed a radially inward directed cooling film that is initiated from an outer starting slot on a radially outer circumferential edge of the plate. The second sections has film cooling holes angled radially outward to feed a radially outward directed cooling film emanating an inner starting slot on a radially inward circumferential edge of the plate.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the cooling of combustor dome plates for use in gas turbine engines and more particularly to aircraft gas turbine engine combustors using film cooling for the dome plates.
2. Description of Related Art
Combustor domes generally define the beginning of the combustion section of a gas turbine engine which is located between the compressor and turbine sections of the engine. Combustor domes are used to support the fuel injectors and various air inlet devices to promote complete, efficient, and low pollution emitting combustion particularly in aircraft engine combustors. One such device is an air swirler that surrounds the apertures in the dome plate through which the fuel injectors are disposed in the combustor. Combustor sections generally further include an exterior casing and an interior combustor where fuel is burned producing a hot gas usually at an intensely high temperature such as 3,000.degree. F. or even higher.
To prevent this intense heat from damaging the combustor before it exits to a turbine, a heat shield or combustor liner is conventionally provided in the interior of the combustor and on the dome plate of the combustor. The liner on the dome plate is often referred to as a splash plate and is particularly designed to shield the dome plate from radiation and the heat which it would induce in the plate. These non-structural segmented splash plates are impingement cooled by air passing through combustor dome impingement holes. Another source of potentially damaging heat is from the recirculating zones produced by the combustor air inlets including the swirlers. The recirculation scrubs hot air against the dome plate thereby further heating the dome plate by convection. This heat, particularly, that due to radiation, can warp and buckle the plate thereby damaging it as well as the air swirlers required to maintain optimum combustion conditions in the combustion zone.
Among the drawbacks of using protective liners or splash plates is that splash plates add weight, fabrication, complexity, and require significant impingement cooling air flow. These consequences are particularly undesirable in the design and manufacture of aircraft engines. Splash plate cooling is a source of unwanted hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emmisions at low power engine settings. The impingement cooling air, after being used for cooling the splash plate, must exit the dome region and by so doing tends to quench the low power or idle flame in the combustor, thereby producing elevated levels of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. The present invention provides a multi-hole film cooling means to cool the dome plate without the need for a splash plate and the use of impingement cooling air.
Film cooling combustion liners downstream of the dome using circumferentially disposed rows of film cooling slots is well known as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,280 by Burr and U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,538 by Vdoviak et al. which are typified by a hollow annular ring, often referred to as a nugget, with cooling air feed holes operable to direct cooling air into the hollow chamber in the ring and slotted outlets. The outlets are operable to inject the cooling air onto the surface of the liner so as to entrain the cooling air in the boundary layer to form a cooling film over the hot surface of the liner.
Multi-hole film cooling has been developed for use in combustor liners and a more detailed discussion of the related art may be found in r U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,379 entitled "GAS TURBINE ENGINE MULTI-HOLE FILM COOLED COMBUSTOR LINER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE", invented by Wakeman et al., filed Nov. 15, 1990, assigned to the same assignee and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/631,855 entitled "MULTI-HOLE FILM COOLED COMBUSTOR LINER WITH SLOTTED FILM STARTER", by, Phillip D. Napoli, filed Dec. 21, 1990, assigned to the same assignee, and both are incorporated herein by reference.
Combustor domes do not have significant boundary layer flow along their hot surfaces as do combustor liners. Combustor dome plate flow is further distinguished from liner flow in that the combustor flow is generally a hot recirculatory jet flow generally perpendicular to and towards the dome plate unlike the flow along the combustor liner which is essentially parallel to the hot surfaces of the liner.
Combustor designers realize that effective film cooling, one which provides maximum film coverage, requires a great deal of cooling air and the multi-hole film cooled liner helps to minimize the amount of air used to accomplish this. The present invention provides a means for providing an effective combustor dome plate cooling film, increasing the film's effectiveness while realizing the efficiency benefits of the multi-hole designs.

Angled multi-hole film cooled single wall combustor dome plate


The present invention provides compounds of formula (I), their use as an inhibitor of a p53-MDM2 interaction as well as pharmaceutical compositions comprising said compounds:

WO 2006/032631 discloses inhibitors of the interaction between MDM2 and p53, useful inter alia in treating tumours and enhancing the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The compounds of the instant invention differ structurally from the compounds of WO 2006/032631 by comprising an additional substituent R20 on the central phenyl ring.
WO 2007/107543 also discloses inhibitors of the interaction between MDM2 and p53, useful inter alia in treating tumours and enhancing the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Unexpectedly, the substantial structural modifications in the present compounds do not impair the activity of the present compounds. Hence, the invention provides a further useful series of effective and potent small molecules that inhibit the interactions between MDM2 and p53 and that are drugable.

Inhibitors of the interaction between MDM2 and P53

Abstract: wherein n, m, p, s, t, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R20, X, Y, Q and Z have defined meanings.


An out the front (OTF) knife, including a handle, a blade slider mechanism, and a blade. The blade slider mechanism including: a liner having a longitudinal central channel and a first outer surface and a second outer surface opposite the first surface; a tang portion of the blade configured to ride along the first outer surface; and a slider coupled to the tang and having a portion configured to travel in the central channel of the liner and one or more portions configured to ride along the second outer surface, and wherein the liner is slideably captured between tang and the slider.

In typical designs, out-the-front knives, referred to herein as OTF knives, are inherently weaker than folding knives when the blades are in the open or extended position. Folding knives almost always have at least two very strong points of connection or interaction between the blade and the handle. The first point of connection is the highly secure connection between the handle and the blade at the blade pivot point. The second point of connection is between the tang of the blade and a blade stop in the handle that contacts the tang of the blade and stops the blade's rotation when the blade is rotated into the open position. These two strong points of connection result in folding knives that have very strong blade-to-handle connectivity. The result is that the blade is very securely held in the open position with a minimal amount of blade wobble relative to the handle.
An OTF knife completely lacks the primary stabilizing feature of folding knives, namely the connection at the blade pivot point. Indeed, in almost all OTF knives, the blade travels freely in the handle at least at some point during both the opening and closing motions. As a result, OTF knives are notoriously weak and the blades are very prone to wobble when the blade is in the open position. Although OTF knives include locks to secure the blade in the open position, the locks tend to provide relatively little support for the blade. Typically, there are only one and at most two points of interconnection between the handle and the blade. The result is that most OTF knives are little more than novelties, ill-suited for tactical operations and serious work that requires a strong knife. The following disclosure solves those and other problems.


The invention provides an apparatus for optimizing performance of a fluid pump having a supply port and a pressurized output port, comprising: a pressurized supply of a first fluid; a variable regulator coupled to the supply having a variable pressure output; and a second pump driven by the variable pressure output for impelling a second fluid into the supply port of the fluid pump.

Contamination of the environment by man-made substances has been considered a serious problem for a long time. Recently, concern about contamination of earth, air and groundwater by oil, toxic chemicals and other hazardous wastes has expanded beyond large-scale industry to encompass the activities of many small businesses such as automobile service stations, and many others. Both government regulations and social outcry have placed tremendous pressure on these businesses to avoid discharging hazardous wastes into the environment in the course of ordinary business activities.
For example, in a service station, washing or stream-cleaning an automobile engine or auto parts often causes engine oil, gasoline, and other chemicals to enter a storm drain system, or other waterways which can lead to contamination of earth or groundwater. However, until this disclosure, there has been no portable, self-contained way to conveniently and safely wash these objects and recover contaminants from them. Many other businesses and industries, large and small, have the same problems.
In addition, those who service remotely located equipment have a need to wash the equipment without discharging hazardous waste into the environment. For example, persons who service roof-mounted air conditioners containing lubricating petrochemicals, trapped pollutants or other chemicals are not permitted to wash the equipment in a manner that could cause chemicals to run off.
High pressure washing equipment is available, but in general, existing pressure washers have no containment capability for hazardous materials. They cannot prevent hazardous materials from entering the surrounding environment. Even if all the wash fluid is somehow recovered, hazardous wastes are not filtered out, so that these systems generate an enormous volume of wastewater which must be processed separately or placed in barrels for disposal.
Thus, there is a tremendous need now for a portable, zero-discharge wash apparatus which can recover oil, chemicals, and other hazardous materials from an object which is washed. In addition, there is a serious need for a wash apparatus which can recirculate and repeatedly filter the washing agent, producing a very small quantity of waste material, and for a wash apparatus which overcomes other disadvantages of the prior art, and provides other needed features.
Known pressure washing equipment has other serious disadvantages. For example, such pressure washers are ordinarily connected to a public water supply having unknown average pressure and unknown instantaneous pressure. Fluctuations in pressure of the public supply could cause damage to the pressure washer or render it unable to produce consistently high output pressure. In addition, even when the public supply has consistent pressure, its pressure may be outside an ideal operational range for the pressure washer. Thus, there is a need for a way to provide a controlled water supply to a pressure washer which is adjustable to enable an operator to achieve optimum performance of the washer.

Washing objects and recovering contaminants with optimized pump control


Systems and methods provide optimized property risk ratings and, more particularly, optimized property risk ratings defined by evaluating ratings on a by peril basis. Systems and methods also price insurance products and underwrite insurance products using risk data that has been optimized on a by peril basis. A territory is subdivided into a plurality of regions determined in accordance with at least one predetermined factor. Loss costs representing historic costs for various insured perils are retrieved from a computerized database using a data processor. The loss costs are sorted on a per-peril basis for each of the regions using the data processor. Peril zones are created for each peril that represent related regions in which loss costs for a particular peril are roughly equivalent.

Generally, insurance is an agreement by which an insurer, sometimes referred to as an underwriter, in exchange for consideration, undertakes to indemnify the insured party against loss, damage, or liability arising from certain covered risks, subject to certain conditions and limits. The consideration paid by an insured party is typically referred to as a premium, which is paid to keep the insurance in effect. In general, an insurance policy is a contract of insurance that defines the rights and duties of the contracting parties. A typical insurance policy includes limits on the amount of risk that the insurer will cover.
For the purposes of this application, an insurance product includes more than the insurance policy. It also includes services, distribution channels, and other components which may impact the customer experience.
One type of insurance is property insurance. Property insurance protects persons or businesses from financial loss caused by perils. Perils may include, but are not limited to, losses due to fire, water, earthquake, wind, explosions, aircraft damage (as when an aircraft crashes into a structure), lightning, hail, riot or civil commotion, smoke, vandalism, falling objects, theft, volcanic eruptions, and freezing. An insurance policy providing property insurance may cover some or all of these categories of perils. By paying a premium on a regular basis, a policyholder is therefore insured against a loss caused by a peril within the scope of the policy.
A current method typically used for pricing and underwriting property insurance generally uses an aggregate of loss costs resulting from all perils. In other words, all loss costs are summed over all perils, and an average loss value is used to help determine policy premiums for all policyholders. Loss costs refer to the amount paid by an insurance company when settling a policyholder's claim. This methodology, however, does not necessarily identify a loss experience for a portion of insured persons because many policyholders have a significantly higher or lower exposure to perils than the average policyholder.
An insurer might like to even more accurately assess risk exposure and to offer its customers premiums that are even more in line with the risks associated with customers' exposure to different peril combinations. Insurance companies could achieve this objective with better information and processes to manage their risk exposure so that they can more accurately access their risk exposure and, in doing so, offer customers less likely to incur losses lower rates.

Systems and methods for optimizing property risk ratings


A metallic and magnetorheological multi-panel, which is constituted in a sandwich structure that consists of a core (2) that consists of a viscoelastic resin (2) of adhesive nature, in which are found, distributed in an isotropic or anisotropic manner with a proportion in volume of more than 5%; and Magnetorheological particles of ferromagnetic material and with sizes between 10 nm and 10μ, said core (1) being arranged between a first skin (11) of metallic non-magnetic nature and a second skin (12) of metallic non-magnetic nature equal to or different from the first skin. The ratio of the thickness (Hn) of the core with respect to any of the thicknesses (H1), (H2) of the first (11) and second (12) skins is less than 0.1 and more than 0.01.

Sandwiches of magnetorheological elastomer (SMRE), already known, are composed of aluminium skins due to their low damping and to their high rigidity as compared to MREs. Moreover, the relative magnetic permeability of aluminium is almost nil; thus, it does not affect the distribution and intensity of the magnetic field.
The core of the SMREs is composed mainly of a polymeric matrix and magnetic particles. The matrix used by the different authors to manufacture the MRE are Selleys Pty. Limited silicone with Polydimethylsiloxane fluid, Liyang Silicone Rubber, the inorganic polymer Bentonite Clay and synthetic oil and silicone Elastosil M4644. As magnetic particles, the most used is that of carbonyl iron (C5FeO5), with a diameter of more than 3 μm and in a proportion of 25-30% in volume of the MRE.
For the bonding of the polymeric matrix to the skins, an adhesive is used.
In the known SMREs the ratio of the skin thickness to the thickness of the core varies from 1.1% to 20%; that is, the core is always much thicker than the skins.
This configuration carries with it several problems.
The known SMRE are very expensive products.
They also present the problem of being excessively thick, which makes their application difficult precisely in the structures where, due to their high added value, such as in aviation or automobiles, their use is very desirable.
In structures that require a folding of the SMRE of more than 90° we have checked the tendency to peel off, due to the excessive thickness of the sandwich.
The need for the adhesive to join the core with the skins has as a result a more complex preparation of SMRE and consequently, a more expensive preparation.
These and other problems are solved by the SMRE that is the object of the invention.

Metal and magnetorheological multi-panel


A method and apparatus for preparing a Variable Data Print job for printing, having a plurality of documents that are to be printed wherein, each of the documents are defined by variant elements related to content, layout and product intent. Groups are created and defined by a commonality of variants within the document relating to layout and product intent. At least one parameter that relates to the variants is used as a selection criteria to form a plurality of sub-groups. The sub-groups are then arranged for printing according to the form of selection criteria.

Variable Data Printing (VDP) is a form of printing that produces individualized printed pieces, each of which contain printed pages containing information targeted to an individual recipient. VDP authoring combines the graphical arts practice of graphical page authoring with Information Technology (IT) to provide utility to create variable data print jobs that will be input to one or more print production processes in which the printed and finished pieces are manufactured. The various variable content Instance Documents comprising a VDP Job are authored based on data drawn from a database containing records of information that characterizes the individual recipients. VDP is seen as having the potential to enable the high degree of one-to-one marketing communications for the graphic arts and printing industries as has been seen in one-to-one marketing practice using communication mediums such as the Internet.
A common problem that exists using VDP is that making print jobs using a variable data will typically take longer for a Raster Image Processor (RIP) to rasterize and print than a conventional static print job using non-variable data. Variable print data is sent to a RIP where code for text elements and graphic elements are processed into a raster data format that can be utilized by the marking engine of a digital printer. Therefore, every page having variable data must have each and every code element Raster Image Processed (RIPped). The necessity of having to individually RIP the elements having variable data creates a substantial processing bottleneck compared to RIPping static print jobs comprised of a single document which need only be RIPped once, and the many copies are imaged from the same RIPped result.
Beyond the conventional variable data printing practice of varying page content for respective Instance Documents, it is also possible to vary other characteristics of the printed pieces such as finishing characteristics including binding style, and substrate selection based on rules sensitive to the same recipient database information used in the conditional mapping of page content. In this way, for example, recipients of higher value to the marketing firm for which the VDP Job is produced, can receive a printed piece on a higher quality print media with a higher quality binding, whereas, their lower value customers with less value potential may only receive a corner stapled document that is less expensive to produce but has sufficient marketing impact to be noticed by the intended recipient. This implies the need to store along with the page content and layout data, additional data that expresses the physical characteristics of each piece to be manufactured known as product intent data. The addition of product intent data, which may vary the physical characteristics of the finished documents of the VDP job based on the data profile of the various recipients, may add significant complexity to the manufacturing process workflow in the print provider's environment where the required workflow may not be achievable. Hence, a significant problem exists where it is possible to author a VDP Job without knowledge of the print provider's manufacturing workflow capabilities that is too complex to be produced.
Accordingly, there is an ongoing desire within the graphic arts industry to correct the previously discussed shortcomings within the prior art and to enable a faster form of VDP up to final print production and finishing. It is also desirable to use currently practiced methodology within the print engine. The graphic arts industry needs both a method and an apparatus that can provide an efficient and reliable exchange of variable data for use in variable data print jobs.
A page definition mark up language, called Personalized Print Markup Language (PPML), developed by the Print On Demand Initiative (PODi) is an example of a data format that can represent the layout of the pages of the many unique Instance Documents of a variable data print job. PPML is based on the Extensible Markup Language (XML) and is structured in such a way that content data that is used multiple times under the same rendering context on one or more pages is explicitly identified so as to enable a consuming RIP process opportunities for improved processing performance. Ideally a PPML RIP would process all content elements, including both the identified reused and non-reused content elements, a single time where the re-used elements are stored in a cache after they are first RIPed and then reused as raster data.
Allowing a printer RIP to store and re-use rasterized graphic elements as needed provides a tremendous improvement in processing performance. The ability to re-use these elements also eliminates the need to resend the source code that defines the content element to the printer/RIP multiple times during the same print job. PPML is a significant advancement for variable data printing because it allows a printer/RIP to understand at an object level rather than a page level. It allows a printer/RIP to have a certain degree of intelligence and manipulate the components (objects) that make up a page. It also provides code developers the ability to name objects, which permits the re-use of the objects as needed during printing of a variable-data job.
Variable Data Exchange (VDX) is a standard that has recently been evolving within Committee for Graphic Arts Technologies Standards (CGATS), as a production tool for variable data in the form of a VDX instance combined with PPML. A VDX instance can be looked at as a compilation of records that define the content and layout of many composite pages. These VDX instances can be used with PPML to create the composite definitions of PPML/VDX Instance Documents. Each composite page of a PPML/VDX Instance Document is an assembly of one or more partial pages or content objects referred to as compound elements. PPML/VDX allows compound elements to be defined once and referenced many times from the various composite page layout instances to effectively reduce the overall size of data for a PPML/VDX instance.
The layout data that describes the composite pages of a PPML/VDX instance is defined using a subset of the previously described PPML. The data format required by the PPML/VDX standard for defining the compound element source data is the Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) defined and maintained by Adobe Systems®. In PPML/VDX, the source PDL data that defines a compound element that is placed on a PPML defined page layout is always expressed as a page of a PDF file. PDF files used to define PPML/VDX compound elements must contain all the supporting resources such as fonts, image data, and color profiles. PDF files used to define PPML/VDX compound elements must also define all color content in a known reference device or device independent color-space.
VDX requires that the PPML layout data of a VDX instance be stored as a single, randomly accessible PDF object stream that is stored within a PDF file. Depending upon the conformance level, the PDF file embedding the PPML data may also contain some, or possibly all, of the PDF page object definitions required by the VDX instance that results in a PPML layout data object. The PPML/VDX file that has an XML element that contains the PPML and product intent data, referred to as the PPML/VDX Layout File. PDF files that contain only PDF page objects used only for defining compound element definitions and have no XML elements stored within them and may be referenced from the PPML data store in a PPML/VDX Layout file, these PDF files are referred to as a PPML/VDX Content File.
A completely specified device and production workflow independent VDP Job definition is comprised of three basic components, two of which define the appearance of the variable page content, namely layout (also referred to as mark-up) data, and content data. In a PPML/VDX instance, the layout component is defined by the PPML data, and the content component is defined by the PDF data. The third component, known as product intent data, provides the description of the finished product. The product intent data typically includes information such as document binding styles, single and/or two sided print options, substrate types, and other attributes of a print product description required for communicating to a print service provider the definition of the final print products that are to be manufactured. Product intent information does not define the controls of a particular target manufacturing process or device because such information is usually not known to the PPML/VDX authoring agent. These device control parameters are usually only known to the print provider who receives the exchanged VDP Job data. The print provider, therefore, must derive the manufacturing specifications specific to their production workflow or workflows from the product intent, layout, and content data specification created by their customer.
A PPML/VDX instance is created by a data driven merge process referred to as a variable data merge engine. The merge engine typically executes within an authoring environment for variable data. The authoring environment can be located at a different location from the graphic arts establishment that actually prints the final pages of the variable data documents. In some scenarios, a PPML/VDX instance may be sub-divided into several PPML/VDX instances that can be transferred to different locations to be printed. Generation of a PPML/VDX instance by the variable data merge engine is considered a final activity in the somewhat complex process for authoring variable data. The PPML/VDX instance can be transferred to a print production workflow within the same or different operating environment where it can be viewed by a prepress operator, and placed into a final production ready form that is suitable for the digital printer used at that location.
The PPML/VDX is a portable format that is expected to enable growth in the practice of variable data printing within the printing industry. PPML/VDX allows printers with dynamic digital printing capability to participate in variable printing without the need to acquire one-to-one marketing, variable layout design, or data processing expertise. However, PPML/VDX is strictly a final form variable data and layout format that is device independent. Therefore, PPML/VDX does not support the inclusion of data that is specific to a printing device such as imposition layout, trapping parameters, traps, or any printer or general device control information. Accordingly, data that contains specific information for a printing device needs to be added later during the prepress activity when the print job is being prepared for production.
From the foregoing discussion it should be apparent that there remains a need within the art for a method and apparatus that can supply printing device specific data to be used in conjunction with PPML/VDX instances to enable growth in variable data printing practice within the printing industry.


A method and system for generating a database query language request for performing a join between a plurality of database tables including a first database table and a second database table. The first table includes a first plurality of fields and the second database table includes a second plurality of fields, where each one of the plurality of fields has a particular meaning. The method and system includes providing a plurality of expressions that communicate the meaning of the each of the fields in the first and second plurality of fields. A user then submits a query requesting information from the tables in the form of a conjunction of literals. Each of the literals are then mapped to all matching expressions to provide a list of fields to be queried. The list of fields includes a first field from the first table and a second field from the second table, such that the mapping indicates that the first and second fields have the same meaning. After mapping the literals to the expressions, the database query language request is generated using the list of fields, such that the database query language request includes a join between the first and second fields. The first and second tables are then queried using the database query language request to provide the requested information.

A database system may be described as a computerized record keeping system whose overall purpose is to maintain information and to make that information available on demand. Many databases in use today are based on a "relational model" in which the database data is perceived by its users as a collection of tables. The tables in a relational database include a row of column names specifying one or more column fields, and zero or more data rows containing one value for each of the column fields. Therefore, the value contained in each field in a column represents a specific instance of that concept. For example, a table pertaining to parts in a manufacturing database may contain a column of part numbers, and each field in that column may contain a part number value that identifies a specific part or object.
One feature that distinguishes relational from nonrelational databases is the ability to "join" two or more tables. In general, a join is described as a query in which data is retrieved from the fields of more than one table (although data may also be retrieved by joining a table with itself). In order to join two or more tables, the tables need to share at least one column. Typically, the purpose of the join is to connect data about the same object across the tables being joined. In such cases, for the results of the join to be meaningful, the columns that represent the same real-world concepts in the different tables must use the same field values to represent the same instances of those object. For example, assume two columns contain values pertaining to the concept of states. If a field value that represents the state of Ohio in one table is the string "OH", then the field value for the state of Ohio in the other column must also be the string "OH" in order to effect a successful join between the tables.
Typically, the tables within the same database are joined. However, with current database technology, the tables to be joined need not be physically present in the same database. Products such as SQLConnect from Oracle and SQLNet from Microsoft, enable the use of a heterogeneous database where a collection of database tables on different hardware platforms operating under different database management systems all appear to a user to be on one machine operating under one database management system.
To illustrate the use of a heterogeneous database, consider the following situation. A user, who could be a reporter, researcher or marketer, would like to quantitatively judge the effect of personal computers on college education. She would like to find out the correlation between the average GRE scores and average GPAs vs. the per capita consumption of computers by the students at a number of universities.
Assume that all the information that is required to answer this question is available on-line from the different databases that are maintained by different entities. An Examination Testing Service maintains a database including GRE scores, a marketing research firm maintains a database including the number of computers sold to students, and registrar offices at the universities maintain databases that include GPAs.
Despite this, getting the answer could take weeks if not more due to the following process. Generally speaking, an end user does not have the expertise to perform the query. Therefore, the user typically communicates the query to a management information specialist (MIS) who is responsible for such tasks. The MIS person then contacts the administrators of the relevant databases to solicit the database schemes (information regarding the tables, such as the name of the column fields, the data types and formats, etc.). After obtaining the schema's of the databases, the MIS person writes the user's query in a standard query language (SQL), which joins the relevant tables from the different databases. In response to submitting the query to the databases, the requested information is retrieved and the MIS person communicates the answer to the user.
This process is not only very slow, it is also very expensive because of the large amount of inter-human communication involved. Most of the effort is exerted by the MIS person when determining which databases might be relevant and then eliciting the schema information from the administrators of each of the databases. To summarize the process, the end user must inform the MIS person what information is requested, and then the MIS person must determine where it is, and how to obtain it by soliciting the database administrators. In a sense, the set of database administrators act as a "librarian" who knows what resides on which database and in which tables. Unfortunately, no one librarian can keep track of more than a very small fraction of all the tables available, and queries capable of joining the tables must be handwritten by the MIS person.
Part of what makes this process slow and expensive is that often, the tables that must be joined in order to answer the query were not designed to be joined in the first place. The purpose of the join is to co-identify objects across tables.
Accordingly, what is needed is an automated method and system for co-identifying objects across heterogenous information sources without user intervention. The present invention addresses such a need.

Heuristic co-identification of objects across heterogeneous information sources


Process and apparatus for thermal cutting of workpieces, such as plate, made of materials which can be melted or decomposed thermally by means of a stream of liquid heated to a temperature above the melting or decomposition temperature of the workpiece to be cut. The stream of liquid serves to transport the heat used to melt or thermally decompose the workpiece to be cut and to induce momentum for the removal of the melted or thermally decomposed material from the workpiece. Apparatus to implement the process can comprise a crucible made of heat resistant material with an insertion opening to accept a metal wire or metal rod inserted into this opening in such a way as to be sealed. The wire is moved by feed rollers. A heating unit at the crucible melts the end of the wire or rod in the crucible. A discharge nozzle for the stream of molten metal produced. Alternatives are to heat the liquid in a container and either pump the liquid out of a discharge nozzle or force it out by compressed gas injected into the container.

The invention pertains to a process and equipment used to cut workpieces by thermal means.
At the present three processes are mainly to cut workpieces thermally in industrial applications. These include oxyacetylene torch cutting, plasma cutting and laser beam cutting.
Oxyacetylene torch cutting, can be used only for steel, in the absence of special adaptive measures. Here heating is primarily by means of a chemical reaction. The rate of the reaction is dependent on the diffusion rates of the co-reactants. The cutting speed in turn is dependent on this reaction rate. When construction steel in a greater thickness range is cut, the cutting speed is between 0.5 and 1.5 meters per minute. The cutting kerfs here will vary in size, ranging in widths of up to a few millimeters.
In plasma cutting energy is applied by means of an electrical arc or plasma which exhibits high electrical power of up to and beyond 100 kW. The heated material is removed from the cutting kerf with the aid of the momentum of the plasma beam. At shallower cutting depths, the cutting speeds for plasma cutting are higher than those for oxyacetylene torch cutting. But, the cutting kerfs at cutting depths of 3 to 10 mm are quite wide, which has an influence on the precision of the cut.
In laser beam cutting, energy is applied by a laser beam and the melted or vaporized material is removed from the cutting kerf by means of a stream of gas. Laser beam cutting gives favorably narrow cutting kerfs and consequently high precision at high cutting speed and low thermal loading of the workpiece being cut. At greater cutting depths, in steel more than 10 mm thick, for example, and depending on the width of the cutting kerf, it becomes impossible to achieve the high cutting speed determined by the laser beam acting as the energy transfer medium since at the high flow rates required for the gas stream to remove the molten material a supersonic shock wave separates from the cutting face after a few millimeters of penetration into the cutting kerf, thus reducing accordingly the effective gas speed at the point where it ought to be high. Thus in laser beam cutting the cutting rate for thicker workpieces is limited since greater momentum cannot be transferred with a stream of gas in a satisfactory way. A medium with a greater specific density than gas, a liquid, for instance, with which greater momentum could be applied, cannot be used in laser beam cutting because light at the wavelength of a CO.sub.2 laser is absorbed in all liquids which might be considered for this purpose.


A method and apparatus are presented for determining the quantity of liquid and solid content in a removal stream of a froth created from a suspension that is generated during a froth flotation operation. Specifically, electrodes are immersed in the froth generated from a suspension having a known quantity of fiber particles, and the conductance of the froth is measured to establish a relationship between the measured conductance and the quantity of fiber particles. The electrodes are then submerged in a froth generated from a suspension having an unknown quantity of fiber particles, and the froth conductance is measured. The quantity of fiber particles in the froth can then be determined from the pre-established relationship between conductance and solid particle content.

The present invention relates generally to a froth flotation deinking (ink removal) process for use in paper recycling and, in particular, relates to a method and apparatus for monitoring the liquid and solid content in a froth as a function of froth conductivity.
The recycling of secondary fibers (for example wastepaper) is of growing importance in the protection of the environment by reducing the amount of solid wastepaper and sludge which is placed into landfills. Wastepaper is the largest contributor of the solid waste landfilled each year. About 52 million tons of wastepaper are currently landfilled and, thus, pollute the environment.
Although the paper recycling rate has increased in recent years, the quality of various grades of paper made from recycled wastepaper fibers is far poorer than the quality of similar grades of paper made with virgin (not recycled) paper fibers. Further, the cost of making paper from recycled paper fibers is significantly greater than the cost of making paper from virgin paper fibers.
The objective of paper recycling is to recover paper fibers from the wastepaper, such as photocopied documents or newspapers, which may contain ash, various chemicals, printed or copied inks (offset ink, copying toner particles, etc.) and/or other contaminants.
Froth flotation is an important technique used in the recycling of wastepaper for removing contaminants, such as ink, from the wastepaper. Froth flotation employs the principles of colloid chemistry and physics to separate floatable (hydrophobic) and non-floatable (hydrophilic) particles from each other in an aqueous slurry containing such materials based upon differences in the hydrophobicity of the materials.
Generally, a slurry made from the materials to be separated and water is mixed with 1) a dispersant that separates ink particles from the surface of wastepaper or wood fibers and to prevent the redeposition of separated ink particles on the fibers, 2) a collector that agglomerates small particles to large ones, and changes the surface of hydrophilic ink particles to hydrophobic, and 3) a frothing agent that generates a layer of foam at the upper portion of the froth flotation device for the removal of ink particles and other contaminants. A collector can also be added that causes a surface energy change between solid-liquid, solid-gas, and gas-liquid interfaces.
The mixture is introduced into a froth flotation device, and a pressurized nonreactive gas, such as air, is introduced into the bottom of the device by a generator, and is forced upwards into the slurry in the form of bubbles ranging generally in size from about 50 microns to about 10 cm in diameter. The air bubbles tend to attach to the hydrophobic particles present in the slurry, and cause those particles to rise upwards to the surface of the slurry as a froth layer. The carrying capacity of the bubbles is largely a function of the surface area of the bubbles per unit volume of the froth.
Froth flotation deinking processes thus typically involve three subprocesses: (a) detachment of the ink particles from the wastepaper or wood fibers; (b) adhesion of the ink particles onto air bubble surfaces; and (c) removal of froth and ink particles from flotation cells. The ink particles, many of which are hydrophobic, such as offset ink and copying toner particles, attach to the surface of the air bubbles and float upwards with the bubbles towards the upper portion of a froth flotation device during flotation. Under ideal conditions, the hydrophilic paper fibers will not attach to a hydrophobic air bubble surface. Accordingly, ink removal generally increases with an increase in the rate of froth removal (the rate at which froth is removed from the flotation device), and fiber loss should not occur. As used herein, a reject stream refers to the froth removed from a froth flotation deinking device, as is customary to one having ordinary skill in the art.
Unfortunately, in practice, a significant level of paper fiber loss can occur during froth removal, which mainly results from the physical entrapment (or water carry over) of the fibers in the air bubble network which rises towards the top of the froth flotation device to the froth layer. The mechanisms of pulp loss during froth flotation deinking are described in Ajersch and Pelton, "Mechanisms of Pulp Loss in Flotation Deinking," J. Pulp and Paper Sci. 22, 9:J338-345 (1996). Fiber losses from 4 to 24% by weight have been observed, depending upon the conditions and equipment employed in the froth flotation deinking process. Such fiber loss significantly decreases paper recycling productivity, and correspondingly increases the costs of paper recycling. It is estimated that a 5% increase in the recovery of paper fibers during a froth flotation deinking process will achieve several advantages. First, the increase may significantly increase paper recycling productivity. Additionally, the increase may significantly reduce the costs of paper recycling. Furthermore, the increase may reduce the dry sludge production in a typical paper recycling mill. Accordingly, if a recycling mill has a capacity to recycle 250 tons of wastepaper per day, the recycled output could increase by about 2 tons per day (or 700 tons per year) from the 5% increase. A 10% increase in the paper recycling rate results in a reduction of 8.8 million tons of wastepaper in landfills each year. Even a 1% increase in the paper recycling rate results in a significant reduction of wastepaper in landfills each year.
It should be appreciated that online (real-time) measurement of fiber loss would enable the process control to decrease the entrapment of fibers in the froth. For instance, when a sudden increase of fiber loss is detected, the operator can adjust the flotation conditions to reduce froth stability or reduce the rejection rate momentarily to recover fiber yield. Furthermore, real-time measurement of fiber loss is a prerequisite for implementing any in-process control of fiber yield improvement technologies.
Fiber loss can be measured off-line after flotation deinking by gravimetric methods (i.e., by weighing the oven dry solid of the reject stream to determine the amount of total solid reject), then ashing the solid reject according to TAPPI standard methods to determine the fiber content in the dry solid (unburned materials and other inorganics in the paper are fillers, while the burnt materials are considered to be fiber).
Currently, no systems or methods are in place that are suitable for monitoring the solid content in the removed froth (also referred to herein as a reject stream) in real-time to enable an enhanced control of the dominating factors that affect fiber rejection during a deinking procedure.
What is therefore needed is a method and apparatus for the real-time monitoring of solid content in a reject stream during a froth flotation deinking procedure.

Method and apparatus for monitoring liquid and solid contents in a froth

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture


In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a process for recovering an onium hydroxide from a solution containing an onium compound, including contacting the solution with a cation exchange material so that at least a portion of onium cations from the onium compound are adsorbed by the cation exchange material; contacting an acid with the cation exchange material to elute an onium salt; charging the onium salt to an electrochemical cell containing at least three compartments, a cathode, an anode, and in order from the anode to the cathode, a bipolar membrane and a cation selective membrane, and passing a current through the cell whereby the onium hydroxide is regenerated; and recovering the onium hydroxide from the cell. In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a process for recovering an onium hydroxide from a solution containing an onium compound, including contacting the solution with a cation exchange material so that at least a portion of onium cations from the onium compound are adsorbed by the cation exchange material; contacting an acid with the cation exchange material to elute an onium salt; charging the onium salt to an electrochemical cell containing at least two compartments, a cathode, an anode, and an anion selective membrane therebetween, and passing a current through the cell whereby the onium hydroxide is regenerated; and recovering the onium hydroxide from the cell.

Onium hydroxides, such as quaternary ammonium hydroxides including tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) and tetraethylammonium hydroxide (TEAH), are strong organic bases that have been known for many years. Quaternary ammonium hydroxides have found a variety of uses including use in zeolite manufacture and polymer manufacture. Aqueous solutions of quaternary ammonium hydroxides, particularly TMAH solutions, have also been used extensively as a developer for photoresists in printed circuit board and microelectronic chip fabrication. For a variety of reasons, it is desirable to minimize the overall amount of developer used in printed circuit board and microelectronic chip fabrication. One way to minimize the overall amount of hydroxide developer is to reuse the waste developer. Reusing developer reduces the amount lost and decreases disposal problems.
Waste developer contains impurities including ionic impurities and nonionic impurities. Ionic impurities include various metal cations such as sodium, potassium, zinc, nickel, aluminum, copper and calcium; and anions such as halides, nitrates, nitrites, carbonates, carboxylates, sulfates. Nonionic impurities include photoresists, surfactants, amines and numerous other organic molecules. Waste developer also contains relatively low concentrations of the hydroxide developer. Accordingly, there remains a continuing need to effectively recover hydroxide developer in a useable form so that it may be reused thereby minimizing the overall amount of developer used in printed circuit board and microelectronic chip fabrication.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,530 (Hale et al) describes an electrolytic process for preparing high purity quaternary ammonium hydroxides which utilizes a cell containing a catholyte compartment and an anolyte compartment separated by a cation-exchange membrane. The process comprises charging an aqueous solution of a quaternary ammonium hydroxide to the anolyte compartment, adding water to the catholyte compartment, and passing a direct current through the electrolysis cell to produce a higher purity quaternary ammonium hydroxide in the catholyte compartment which is subsequently recovered. The '530 patent also describes an improvement which comprises heating the quaternary ammonium hydroxide at an elevated temperature prior to charging the hydroxide to the anolyte compartment of the electrolytic cell.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,854 (Sharifian et al) also describes an electrolytic process for purifying quaternary ammonium hydroxides by lowering the latent halide content. The electrolytic cell may be divided into an anolyte compartment and a catholyte compartment by a divider which may be an anion or cation selective membrane. The cathode in the catholyte compartment comprises zinc, cadmium, tin, lead, copper or titanium, or alloys thereof, mercury or mercury amalgam. Japanese Kokai Patent No. 60-131985 (1985) (Takahashi et al) describes a method of manufacturing a high purity quaternary ammonium hydroxide in an electrolysis cell which is divided into an anode chamber and a cathode chamber by a cation exchange membrane. A quaternary ammonium hydroxide solution containing impurities is charged to the anode chamber and a direct current is supplied between two electrodes after water has been charged to the cathode chamber. Purified quaternary ammonium hydroxide is obtained from the cathode chamber. The purified quaternary ammonium hydroxide contains reduced amounts of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, anions, etc.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,439,564 and 5,545,309 (Shimizu et al) relate to methods of processing waste liquid containing an organic quaternary ammonium hydroxide by contacting the waste liquid with a cation-exchanging material, eluting organic quaternary ammonium cations from the cation-exchanging material, and electrolyzing the eluate in a two chamber electrolytic cell equipped with an anode, cathode and cation-exchanging membrane. Organic quaternary ammonium hydroxide is obtained from the cathode chamber of the electrolytic cell.

Process for recovering onium hydroxides from solutions containing onium compounds


A needle useful in the dispensing of plastic fasteners. In one embodiment, the needle includes a shank portion and a base portion, the shank portion having a front section shaped to define a spoon-shaped tip. The tip has a blunt point with a radius approximately twice that of conventional needles. The distance from the point to where the tip reaches full diameter is approximately 80% of the distance typically found in conventional needles, and the full diameter of the tip is less than that in conventional needles. The side profile of the top edges of the tip are flat or downwardly-curved as opposed to being upwardly-curved in conventional needles. The distance across the tip at its widest point between opposing top edges is less than that in conventional needles.

The present invention is directed generally to needles useful in the dispensing of plastic fasteners and more particularly to a new and novel such needle.
Plastic fasteners of the type used to attach, for example, merchandising tags to articles of commerce are well-known in the art, as illustrated by the following commonly assigned patents: U.S. Pat. No. 3,103,666, issued Sep. 17, 1963; U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,487, Oct. 24, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,161, issued Jun. 26, 1984; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,475, issued Sep. 11, 1990.
In many instances, the aforementioned plastic fasteners are fabricated in the form of continuously connected fastener stock, the fastener stock comprising a pair of elongated side members interconnected by a plurality of cross-links or filaments. Frequently, one side member comprises a plurality of T-bars joined together by severable connectors, and the other side member comprises a plurality of T-bars or paddles also joined together by severable connectors. Individual fasteners are usually dispensed from the fastener stock with the aid of a dispensing tool. Such dispensing tools typically include a needle through which the T-bar of a severed fastener is ejected into a desired article.
Such needles typically include a shank portion and a base portion, the base portion extending rearwardly from the shank portion. The shank portion typically includes a substantially cylindrical rear portion and a relatively sharp front tip for permitting penetration of a desired article. The shank portion is hollow to permit the T-bar end of a fastener to pass therethrough and has a longitudinal slot to permit the filament of the fastener to extend therefrom as the T-bar end moves through the shank portion. The base portion is typically substantially cylindrical in shape and has a central bore with an inner diameter equal to the inner diameter of the hollow shank. The base also has a longitudinal slot aligned with the slot in the shank. In needles which are removable from the dispensing tool, the base is provided with means for correctly positioning the needle within the tool and means for locking same into place. The shank portion and the base portion may form a unitary structure or may be separately formed pieces joined together.
One problem frequently encountered by using a needle of the type described above to attach a tag or the like to a garment is that the insertion of the needle through the garment often creates a hole in the garment caused, in part, by the destruction of threads in the garment which come into contact with the needle tip as it passes through the garment. This tends to lead to a larger than desired hole in the garment and makes the hole more susceptible to enlargement during the ordinary course of use of the garment. One approach to this problem has been to make the shank portion of the needle smaller in diameter and to provide the tip of the needle with a very sharp point which is small enough to be inserted between the threads of the garment being penetrated. Such needles, however, tend to break more easily than do needles of greater size and less sharp points.

Needles useful in the dispensing of plastic fasteners


A method for making surface-coated water-absorbing polymer particles in a microfluidic device is provided. The microfluidic device includes a first microfluidic channel conveying precursor water-absorbing polymer particles, a second microfluidic channel conveying a first coating solution, a third microfluidic channel conveying water-absorbing polymer particles coated with the first coating solution, a fourth microfluidic channel conveying a first non aqueous liquid. An absorbent article includes the surface-coated water-absorbing polymer particles obtained via the method herein is also provided.

An important component of a disposable absorbent article such as a diaper is an absorbent core including water-absorbing polymer particles. This water-absorbing polymer particle ensures that large amounts of bodily fluids, e.g. urine, can be absorbed by the article during its use and locked away, thus providing low rewet and good skin dryness. Especially useful water-absorbing polymer particles are often made by initially polymerizing unsaturated carboxylic acids or derivatives thereof, such as acrylic acid, alkali metal (e.g. sodium and/or potassium) or ammonium salts of acrylic acid, alkyl acrylates, and the like.
These water-absorbing polymer particles need to have adequately high absorption capacity, as well as adequately high gel strength. Absorption capacity needs to be sufficiently high to enable the absorbent polymer to absorb significant amounts of the aqueous body fluids encountered during use of the absorbent article. Gel strength relates to the tendency of the swollen water-absorbing polymer particles (i.e. gel) to resist deformation under an applied stress in the disposable absorbent article. The gel strength needs to be high enough in the absorbent article to avoid excessive deformation of the water-absorbing polymer particles and thereby avoiding blocking of the capillary void spaces between the water-absorbing polymer particles to an unacceptable degree, which would cause so-called gel blocking. This gel-blocking considerably reduces the rate of fluid uptake and/or the fluid distribution: i.e. once gel-blocking occurs, it can substantially impede the distribution of fluids to relatively drier zones or regions in the absorbent article. Leakage from the absorbent article can take place well before the water-absorbing polymeric materials are fully saturated or before the fluid can diffuse or wick past the "blocking" particles into the rest of the absorbent article. Thus, it is important that the water-absorbing polymeric materials (when incorporated in an absorbent core) maintain a high wet-porosity and have a high resistance against deformation thus yielding high permeability for fluid transport through the swollen gel bed.
Water-absorbing polymeric materials with relatively high permeability can be made by increasing the level of internal cross-linking or surface cross-linking, which increases the resistance of the swollen gel against deformation by an external pressure (such as the pressure caused by the wearer), but these techniques typically also reduce the absorbent capacity of the gel.
However, the inventors have found that often the surface-coated water-absorbing polymer particles are constrained by the surface-coating and cannot absorb and swell sufficiently, and/or the surface-coating is not strong enough around the water-absorbing polymeric materials to withstand the stresses of swelling. The surface-coating can break when the water-absorbing polymer particles swell or the surface-coating can break after the water-absorbing polymer particles having been in a fully swollen state for a certain period of time.
It is therefore desirable to find a method to make surface-coated water absorbing polymer particles with narrow particles size distribution and regular coating while improving the absorptive properties of the surface-coated water absorbing polymer particles.

Method of making surface-coated water-absorbing polymer particles in a microfluidic device


An absolute angle detecting device is provided. The absolute angle detecting device is composed of a first detecting element group that outputs a Gray code string for angle detection that detects a rotating angle in one sector of the multi-rotation body at required resolution, a second detecting element group and a third detecting element group that outputs a first and a second Gray code strings for sector identification. A rotating angle within one rotation (360 degrees) is detected by the Gray code for angle detection while setting one rotation of the multi-rotation body to one sector.

1. Field
An absolute angle detecting device is provided.
2. Related Art
An absolute angle detecting device is provided between a steering shaft and a body of an automobile. Generally, the technology in which the control of the damping force of a suspension, the shift position control of an automatic transmission, and the steering control of rear wheels in a four-wheeled motor vehicle, are performed on the basis of the rotating angle of the steering wheel, the steering speed, the steering direction, or the like, detected by means of the absolute angle detecting device, is known. The steering shaft is a multi-rotation body configured to rotate to the right or left direction for two to three rotations from a neutral position. Therefore, an absolute angle detecting device that is capable of detecting the angle of one or more rotations of the steering shaft is required.
An absolute angle detecting device detects the absolute angle at a certain resolution. The device uses a BCD code, an M-system code or a Gray code, for example. It is common for the absolute angle detecting device to use the Gray code. This is because only one bit varies constantly in each of a leading step and a trailing step in the concatenating Gray code and thereby timing pulses for reading are not required and it is beneficial for achieving high resolution (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-28396).
In the absolute angle detecting device for use in the automobile, it is common that a rotatable angle of the steering shaft (for example, ±720 degrees through ±1080 degrees) is divided into a certain angle area called the "sector." A Gray code is assigned in the sector at a certain resolution. There are some types of the absolute angle detecting device that identify each of the sectors, such as the rotation of the rotary disk that is connected to a steering shaft via a reduction gear mechanism such as a train of gears is detected by means of detecting element. A convolution-shaped groove is concentric with a rotation center of a rotary disk connected to a steering shaft is formed. An actuator of a linear position detecting device or a rotary position detecting device is inserted into the convolution-shaped groove. The rotation of the rotary disk is converted into an amount of displacement, so that the sector is detected up to one or more rotations of the steering shaft.
Since it is impossible to avoid a backlash or the like from the mechanical speed reduction mechanism, such as a train of gears, the combination of the convolution-shaped groove and the actuator, or the like, the deviation occurs at the timing for switching a digital code that detects an angle in a sector and a digital code for indicating the sector, in the sector identification device having such a mechanical speed reduction mechanism.
The deviation amount a is found by the equation: α=±m·n, where a detecting error of the sector due to the backlash or the like is defined as m degrees and a speed reduction ratio of the speed reduction mechanism is defined as n. As represented by the equation, the rotating angle of the multi-rotation body cannot be correctly detected because, the greater the speed reduction ratio becomes, for example, the greater the detecting angle area becomes, the greater the deviation amount α becomes.


A method of parametric design of an instrument panel support structure for an instrument panel on a vehicle includes the step of determining an input parameter, such that the input parameter is a three dimensional coordinate defining the instrument panel support structure relative to the vehicle. The method also includes the step of generating a design of the instrument panel support structure using the input parameter and determining if the design of the instrument panel support structure meets a predetermined criteria. The method further includes the step of modifying the input parameter if the design of the instrument panel support structure does not meet the predetermined criteria.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer-aided design of vehicles and, more specifically, to a method of parametric design of an instrument panel support structure for an instrument panel on a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicle design, and in particular automotive vehicle design, has advanced to a state in which computer-aided design techniques are frequently incorporated in the development of a new vehicle. Computer-aided design is especially beneficial in packaging the various systems incorporated within a vehicle, to maximize design and functional capabilities of the vehicle systems. One example of a vehicle system is the instrument panel support structure for an instrument panel. The instrument panel support structure is positioned between a side structure of the vehicle and provides structural reinforcement for a vehicle body. The instrument panel support structure also provides an attachment surface for various vehicle components such as an instrument panel, an inflatable restraint system, or a heating, ventilation and air conditioning HVAC system.
One aspect of the packaging task for a vehicle system, such as the instrument panel support structure, is to ensure that it is spatially compatible with a particular environment, while still complying with predetermined functional criteria, including performance and durability requirements. In the past, various methods have been utilized to determine whether a proposed design meets such predetermined criteria. For example, a proposed design may be analyzed in two dimensions, which requires many iterations of a drawing. A three-dimensional model may also be constructed to obtain a better perspective of the design. The three-dimensional model may further be subjected to testing to determine whether it complies with performance and durability criteria. This method is time consuming and expensive.
It is also known that design methods that are knowledge-based are being utilized to design a vehicle system. The knowledge-based design method provides advice to the user of the method based on the environment of the design application used. Advantageously, knowledge-based design techniques maximize the amount of knowledge utilized, while developing a new vehicle system in a minimal period of time. An example of a knowledge-based design technique is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,293 to Kaepp, entitled "Method For Optimizing The Design Of A Product Using Knowledge Based Engineering Techniques", the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
It is also known to use a computer-aided design technique to design a vehicle system. An example of a computer aided design technique is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/984,806, entitled "Method and System For Vehicle Design Using Occupant Reach Zones", the disclosure of which is also hereby incorporated by reference.
While the above design techniques work well, they do not take into account the particular functional and packaging criteria associated with designing an instrument panel support structure. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a method for designing an instrument panel support structure for an instrument panel on a vehicle using a parametric design technique that accommodates functional and packaging criteria.

Method of parametic design of an instrument panel support structure


Apparatus for minimizing power losses associated with dead time between ON times of two series connected switches of a power converter connected across a supply potential, the apparatus comprising a control arrangement for monitoring a selected parameter associated with power loss during the dead time of the converter; the control arrangement changing the dead time from a first dead time to a second dead time and comparing power loss associated with the selected parameter for the first and second dead times and determining which of the power losses associated with the two dead times is smaller; a dead time implementing stage for implementing the two dead times; and the control arrangement selecting the dead time associated with the smaller power loss and providing a signal to the dead time implementing stage to set the selected dead time.

The present invention relates to power supplies and in particular to voltage converters employing two controlled switches, one of which operates as a synchronous rectifier. The two switches are generally controlled so that both switches are never on at the same time. A "dead time" is provided between the on-times of the two switches to prevent cross conduction across the DC voltage supply between which the two switches are connected in series.
Synchronous rectification has been widely adopted for use in low voltage output converters of various topologies: buck, boost, flyback and forward. By substituting a MOSFET switch for a silicon or Schottky diode, rectification losses can be dramatically reduced. For synchronous converters, it is essential that a non-overlap period (dead time) be maintained in order to prevent cross conduction of the control switch with the synchronous rectifier switch. The power loss penalty for significant overlap is extremely high compared to the additional conduction losses occurring during dead time.
Still, dead time losses are significant, especially as converter operating frequency is increased. Using the example of a synchronous buck converter with the following characteristics:
Operating frequency=1 Mhz
Input voltage=12 volts
Output voltage=1 volt
Output current=40 amperes
Synchronous switch on resistance=3 mΩ
Synchronous switch body diode VF@ 40A=0.8V
Instantaneous power loss will be 4.8 watts with the FET on, but 32 watts with only the body diode conducting. With the above conditions, this translates into an additional 27 mW power loss per nanosecond of dead time. Two switching edges per cycle of 20 ns dead time each results in an additional 1.088 watts of loss in the synchronous switch, a 20% increase in losses for that component. Using a Schottky diode in parallel with the MOSFET will reduce that figure by 30% to 40%, but at additional cost and component count.
Additionally, once the body diode of the synchronous switch conducts, it is subject to a reverse recovery period and associated charge which must be swept out of the junction. This amounts to cross conduction and causes additional losses in the control FET.
The present invention seeks to minimize the power losses associated with dead time. This is accomplished by minimizing dead time to reduce body diode conduction losses, and in some cases, by allowing FET switch cross conduction to eliminate body diode conduction altogether, thus eliminating reverse recovery associated losses.
Methods have been employed in the past to attempt to minimize power losses associated with dead time. However, all of these methods have disadvantages. These methods include adjustable dead time, adaptive dead time and predictive dead time.
With the adjustable dead time method, dead time is adjusted at design so that cross conduction will be avoided under all operating conditions and over the full process variation of all components involved in achieving the dead time. Process variation of semiconductors can be significant and circuit operation may be over a wide range of operating conditions. Consequently, when no crossover is achieved with the worst case components at the worst case conditions, dead time with best case components and conditions is excessive. This results in excessive wasted power loss.
Adaptive dead time is an improvement over the above dead time method in that it can adjust on the fly as conditions change, and adapt to component variations. Essentially, it is a logic control whereby the gate of one switch is prevented from turning on, until the gate of the other switch has been detected to turn off. Superficially, this seems to solve the problem, but in practice it does not. Finite time periods are required for logic control, and for charging and discharging gates of the power switches themselves. In actual practice this results in dead times on the order of 10 ns-to-30 ns per switching transition for a total of 20 ns-to-60 ns per cycle.
Predictive dead time is the third prior art approach. Most of the problem with adaptive dead time is the time required to switch the FETs off and on. Predictive dead time solves that deficiency by using a phase locked loop or some other loop to reduce dead time until it is near zero. There appears to provide many of the same benefits as the present invention, but the use of a control loop has attendant disadvantages. Since this methodology relies on a control loop of some sort to set dead time, there is also an associated settling time in that loop. During transient conditions, cross conduction may occur while the loop tries to settle into a new steady state. If fixed dead time is programmed into the loop to avoid cross conduction, then most of the time there will be more than minimum dead time and associated losses. In any case, the loop solution relies on some arbitrary electrical conditions rather than minimizing the losses associated with dead time.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Apparatus and method for minimizing power loss associated with dead time


A system and method of tracking action items in an enterprise data processing environment. The method includes receiving, by a client from a server, an action item that includes a location. The method further includes performing a check-in, by the client, at the location related to the action item. The method further includes performing a check-out, by the client, related to the action item. The method further includes changing, by the client, the status of the action item. In this manner, a database of action items and statuses may be developed for more effective business collaboration and business management.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tracking action items, and in particular, to tracking action items in an enterprise data processing environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
The use of the check-in concept has grown along with the increase in location-enabled mobile devices. A check-in may be performed automatically (e.g., the system detects the position of the mobile device near a location) or manually (e.g., the user selects from nearby check-in location options). Rewards, discounts or achievements may be associated with checking in (or performing multiple check-ins). The check-in may be published, either publicly or to a selected group. Examples of check-in services include the Facebook™ service, the Foursquare™ service, and the Gowalla™ service.
Groupware (also generally referred to and including microblogging and social networking) enables groups of individuals to coordinate documents, tasks, activities, calendars, schedules and messages. A particular groupware service may perform one function (e.g., messaging) and may integrate with another groupware service that performs another function (e.g., calendaring). Examples of groupware include the Microsoft™ Outlook™ service, the Google™ Docs™ service, the SocialCast™ service, the Yammer™ service, and the Twitter™ service.
The integration between check-in services and groupware is typically limited. For example, when a user checks in, the check-in service sends a message to the user's selected group.

System and method of enterprise action item planning, executing, tracking and analytics