A flow-quantity control valve controlling hot-water flow to a heat exchanger and a bypass circuit allowing hot water to bypass the heat exchanger are provided along with a pressure-actuated valve in the bypass circuit which is responsive to a pressure increase of hot water from an engine. Inlet-side opening portions, outlet-side opening portions, and a bypass-side opening portion are provided in a control passage of a valve body of the flow-quantity control valve. Main flow of dynamic pressure of hot water sprayed from portions on a small opening-degree side act upon a valve body side of the pressure-actuated valve. Due to this, dynamic pressure of the hot water in a small opening-degree region of the flow-quantity control valve can be effectively used to increase a valve-lift quantity of the pressure-actuated valve, thereby reducing a fluctuation range of blown-air temperature of the heat exchanger. Also, the flow may be bent so that hot-water flow having a high dynamic-pressure component from the hot-water inlet pipe is not applied directly to the valve body of the differential-pressure valve; thus, lift of the differential-pressure valve can be prevented from becoming excessive, and a drop in heat-exchanger blown-air temperature at a predetermined opening-degree position of a flow-quantity control valve can effectively be suppressed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hot-water type heating apparatus for controlling a hot-water flow quantity using a flow-quantity control valve and regulating temperature of air blown into a passenger compartment which is particularly suitable for use in a hot-water type heating apparatus of an automotive air conditioner.
2. Description of Related Art
An apparatus for controlling a quantity of flow of hot water to a heating-use heat exchanger and controlling blown-air temperature in an automotive-use air conditioner including a hot-water type heating apparatus is known in the art. Because a water pump driven by a vehicle engine is used in an automotive-use air conditioner to circulate hot water (engine coolant) in a hot-water circuit including the above-described heat exchanger, the speed of the water pump fluctuates in tandem with fluctuations in engine speed, and hot-water pressure to the heating-use heat exchanger fluctuates greatly.
This fluctuation in hot-water pressure causes the quantity of hot-water flow to the heat exchanger to fluctuate, and so becomes a factor for causing heat-exchanger blown-air temperature to fluctuate.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 8-67128, the inventors proposed a hot-water type heating apparatus for suppressing fluctuations in heat-exchanger blown-air temperature. This apparatus has a heating-use heat exchanger for performing heat exchange between air and hot water supplied from a water-cooled vehicle engine, a flow-quantity control valve for controlling a quantity of hot-water flow supplied to the heating-use heat exchanger from the engine, and a bypass circuit for allowing hot water to flow therethrough while bypassing the heating-use heat exchanger.
Accordingly, a pressure-actuated valve for enlarging a degree of opening of the bypass circuit in correspondence with pressure elevation of hot water supplied from the engine in the bypass circuit is disposed in the bypass circuit so that elevation of differential pressure before and after the heating-use heat exchanger (i.e., increase in quantity of flow of hot water to the heat exchanger) is suppressed by the pressure-actuated valve, and fluctuation in heat-exchanger blown-air temperature is also suppressed.
When the inventors actually constructed a prototype of a valve apparatus (not known in the art) based on the above-described apparatus as shown in FIG. 13 and conducted experimental investigation, when engine speed was varied from idle speed (750 rpm) to a high speed of 6,000 rpm, blown-air temperature of the heating-use heat exchanger fluctuated as shown in FIGS. 8A, 8C and 8E.
Here, .DELTA.Ta is the fluctuation of heat-exchanger blown-air temperature when idling (750 rpm) to a high speed of 6,000 rpm; at flow-quantity control valve degree of opening .theta.=20.degree., 30.degree., or 40.degree., blown-air temperature fluctuation range .DELTA.Ta reaches 7.degree. C. to 15.degree. C. at the hot-water inlet side (1) and reaches 3.degree. C. to 24.degree. C. at the hot-water outlet side (2), and it was determined that a problem occurs wherein controllability of heat-exchanger blown-air temperature deteriorates.
Regarding a cause of occurrence of the foregoing fluctuation in heat-exchanger blown-air temperature, the inventors determined the reasons to be the following via experimental investigation.
First, to describe the overall structure of the prototype device shown in FIG. 13, a flow-quantity control valve 4 has a valve body 13 structured as a rotatable rotor, hot water from an engine passes from a hot-water inlet pipe 19 through a control passage 170 provided on the valve body 13, flows in the direction shown by the X symbol (i.e., into the page), and into a heating-use heat exchanger 3. Hot water flowing out from an outlet of this heating-use heat exchanger 3 is conducted from a hot-water inlet pipe 26 to a housing 14, and after passing through the interior of this housing 14, hot water is returned from a hot-water outlet pipe 28 the engine.
Additionally, when engine speed rises and hot-water pressure becomes higher, a pressure-actuated valve 6 provided in a bypass circuit 5 opens and a portion of hot water from the hot-water inlet pipe 19 passes through the control passage 170 of the valve body 13 and is allowed to escape toward the bypass circuit 5, through which flow quantity of hot water to the heating-use heat exchanger 3 is controlled.
Further, the valve-body 13 control passage 170 is provided with inlet-side opening portions 171 and 171a into which hot water from the hot-water inlet pipe 19 flows, outlet-side opening portions 173 and 173a to cause hot water flowing into these inlet-side opening portions 171 and 171a to flow out toward a hot-water outlet side of the heating-use heat exchanger 3, and a bypass-side opening portion 172 to cause hot water to flow out toward a bypass opening 21 side, and the intervals among these several opening portions communicate with one another via an intermediate passage 174 passing radially through the valve body 13.
Moreover, the inlet-side opening portion 171a is made up of a small circular hole of diameter 2 mm or equivalent for establishing a small hot-water flow quantity.
However, when a mode of hot-water flow in the control passage 170 of the valve body 13 was scrutinized, it was understood that the phenomenon which will be described hereinafter occurred. Namely, in a state wherein the valve body 13 of the flow-quantity control valve 4 is set at a position of a predetermined intermediate degree of opening (for example, degree of opening .theta.=30.degree.) or less, hot water from the hot-water inlet pipe 19 flows into the intermediate passage 174 via the inlet-side opening portion 171a made up of a small circular hole of diameter 2 mm or equivalent of the valve body 13, and moreover, hot water flow out from this intermediate passage 174 passes through the bypass-side opening portion 172 toward the bypass opening 172 side, and along with this, hot water flows out via the outlet-side opening portions 173 and 173a to the hot-water inlet side of the heating-use heat exchanger 3.
At this time, a static pressure component of the hot water is greatly reduced by a throttling effect at the inlet-side opening portion 171a, but because the velocity of hot water sprayed from the inlet-side opening portion 171a is high, a dynamic-pressure component of this sprayed hot water (dynamic pressure is proportional to .rho.v.sup.2, where .rho. is density and v is velocity) assumes a high value and has sufficient energy.
However, in a structure of the control passage 170 in a comparative device, sprayed hot water from the inlet-side opening portion 171a strikes an inner-wall surface of the intermediate passage 174 at a diagonal in a direction opposite the bypass opening 21, as shown by arrow B in FIG. 13, and so main flow of sprayed hot water from the inlet-side opening portion 171a, after having collided with the inner-wall surface of the intermediate passage 174 is directed in a direction opposite to the bypass opening 21.
As a result thereof, a majority of dynamic-pressure energy of sprayed hot water from the inlet-side opening portion 171a does not effectively act upon a valve body 30 of the pressure-actuated valve 6, and so when engine speed has risen and a quantity of hot-water flow from the engine has increased, a lift quantity of the valve body 30 cannot increase up to a position corresponding to the increase in hot-water flow quantity. Owing thereto, the quantity of bypass-side hot-water flow to the bypass circuit 5 cannot be increased to a quantity corresponding to the rise in engine speed, and so the quantity of hot-water flow to the heating-use heat exchanger 3 is increased by a corresponding amount during high speed compared to flow during idling, and blown-air temperature rises.
Additionally, when the inventors actually constructed the prototype valve (not known in the prior art) shown in FIG. 21 and conducted experimental investigation, it was determined that when flow-quantity control valve degree of opening .theta. has reached an intermediate opening-degree position (degree of opening .theta.=approximately 70.degree.), a phenomenon occurs wherein heat-exchanger blown-air temperature declines suddenly, and a problem occurs wherein controllability of heat-exchanger blown-air temperature and in turn passenger-compartment interior temperature deteriorates, as shown in FIG. 22.
Regarding a cause of occurrence of a sudden decline in heat-exchanger blown-air temperature, the inventors, upon discussion via experimental investigation of the prototype device, determined the reasons to be the following.
Namely, when the valve body 13 of the flow-quantity control valve 4 has reached a predetermined intermediate opening-degree position, hot water from the hot-water inlet pipe 19 passes through the inlet-side opening portion 171 and the bypass-side opening portion 172 of the control passage 170 of the valve body 13, and is substantially linearly sprayed to the bypass circuit 5 side at a rapid flow speed, as is shown in FIG. 21.
Here, arrow Y in FIG. 21 shows flow of hot water to the bypass circuit 5 side, and degree of opening .theta. of the valve body 13 in FIG. 21 is 60.degree.. Because the valve body 30 of the differential-pressure valve 6 is disposed adjacently to the valve body 13, the above-described dynamic pressure (jet dynamic pressure) of the sprayed hot water is directly applied to the valve body 30 of the differential-pressure valve 6.
Owing thereto, a lift quantity (degree of opening) of the valve body 30 becomes excessively large, and as a result thereof, flow quantity of bypass-side hot water flowing through the bypass circuit 5 increases. Here, according to experimentation and investigation by the inventors, it was understood that the phenomenon where the lift quantity of the valve body 30 becomes excessively large due to the dynamic pressure of the sprayed hot water occurs markedly under conditions wherein distance L between a valve seat 33 of the valve body 30 and a central position of the valve body 13 is 60 mm or less (in a mode wherein the two valves 4 and 6 are adjacently disposed).
A union portion O where the above-described bypass-side hot water and returning hot water (hot water from the hot-water inlet pipe 26) which has flowed out from the heating-use heat exchanger 3 outlet is disposed on a downstream side of the valve body of the differential-pressure valve 6; the returning hot water from the heating-use heat exchanger 3 outlet is checked at this union portion O due to the flow-quantity increase of the bypass-side hot water, and the quantity of hot-water flow to the heating-use heat exchanger 3 is reduced. It was understood that the sudden decline in heat-exchanger blown-air temperature shown in FIG. 21 occurred as a result of this.


An X-ray CT apparatus for obtaining an internal image of a test subject by using X-rays. The X-ray CT apparatus has: an X-ray generator; an X-ray detector; a first casing for enclosing the X-ray generator and the X-ray detector; a test-subject table; a first table transporting mechanism for transporting the test-subject table between a first table position and a second table position, the first table position being a position where the main portion of the test-subject table receives X-rays from the X-ray generator, and the second table position being a position where the main portion of the test-subject table is on the outside of the first casing; and a second table transporting mechanism capable of vertically transporting the test-subject table. The first table transporting mechanism and the second table transporting mechanism operate in association with each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an X-ray CT (computer tomography) apparatus, which is a CT apparatus making use of X-rays.
2. Description of the Related Art
X-ray CT apparatuses are widely used, for example, in the field of medicine in order to obtain cross-sectional or three-dimensional images of the interior of a test subject. In recent years, there has been increasing demand for the use of advanced diagnostic apparatuses having the ability to perform CT scans and the like in veterinary hospitals due to the influence of the "pet boom." However, CT apparatuses intended for veterinary hospitals for use on small and medium-sized animals are not generally used at present, and currently they are substituted with CT apparatuses for use on humans. However, because CT apparatuses for use on humans are large, a dedicated X-ray irradiation chamber having a large open space is necessary in order to install such a CT apparatus. Because of this, there has been only a moderate increase in the use of CT apparatuses in veterinary hospitals.
A conventional example of an X-ray CT apparatus in which small test subjects serve as measurement objects is disclosed in Patent Citation 1. An X-ray CT apparatus having a door provided to a side surface of a housing containing an X-ray generator and an X-ray detector is disclosed in Patent Citation 1. When a CT measurement is performed on a test subject such as a small animal or the like using this CT apparatus, the door is opened to place the test subject in a specific position inside the housing, and the X-ray generator and the X-ray detector are operated to perform the CT measurement.


A non-sacrificial, penetrating, anti-graffiti coating consisting essentially of the combination of alkali metal silicate, such as for example potassium, lithium or sodium silicate, deionized water, ethylene-glycol colloidal silica, aminopropyl oxysilane, fluorinated polyurethane, and alkali metal methyl siliconate, such as for example potassium, lithium or sodium siliconate.

This invention relates generally to the field of surface treatments and coatings for substrates and surfaces, and more particularly relates to treatments and coatings that possess anti-graffiti properties.
A common problem encountered with exterior surfaces that are exposed in public places, such as building walls, storage tanks, railroad cars, etc., is that such surfaces are often defaced and vandalized with spray paint or other marking materials by so-called graffiti artists. This is a worldwide problem and the total aggregate of the time and expense involved in the removal or covering over of the graffiti is immense.
One solution to address the graffiti problem is to provide coatings for the surfaces that prevent the spray paint or other marking material from properly adhering to the surfaces at the time it is applied, such that it becomes impossible for the graffiti artist to create a work of acceptable quality, thereby discouraging the effort. Another solution is to provide coatings that, while not affecting the adherence of the spray paint to any great degree at the time of application, reduce the adhesion of the cured paint such that it is easily removed from the surface at a later time, such as by pressure washing or wiping with solvents, for example. Many common anti-graffiti coatings are polyurethane-based. Unfortunately, these PU coatings and similar coatings are only surface coatings and are therefore considered as sacrificial coatings, in the sense that the anti-graffiti coatings need to be reapplied after only a few cleanings with solvents or by pressure washing because the cleaning process removes the outer layer of the anti-graffiti coating along with the spray paint. In addition, the vandal community has learned to remove the known anti-graffiti coatings using fire or acids prior to vandalizing the surfaces.
It is an object of this invention to provide a novel coating that possesses anti-graffiti properties, such that graffiti applied to the coating is easily removed. It is a further object to provide such a coating that is a penetrating coating, such that it is not merely a surface coating. It is a further object to provide such a penetrating coating that is applicable to most surfaces, including metal, organic or inorganic surfaces. It is a further object to provide such a penetrating coating that is highly resistant to fire or chemical attack, and which provides a surface with high surface tension to reduce the adhesion of the paint. It is a further object to provide such a penetrating coating that has a long working life and remains effective over many cleanings by solvents or pressure washing, for example up to 25 to 30 cleanings. This object and additional objects not expressly stated will become apparent upon review of the remaining disclosure.


A touch screen display is automatically calibrated during periods of active use or extended periods of non-use. Calibration contacts are cemented or embedded to the surface of a touch sensitive panel, and electrically connected to a reference during calibration. The reference is either electrical ground or a resistive, capacitive, or inductive load.

Touch sensitive panels overlaying a display terminal screen are well known. The terminal responds to a touch at any location within a work area on the touch sensitive panel and identifies the location of the touched section. Such a system typically employs a capacitive sensing technique. Capacitive sensing systems typically have a controller which continually transmits a scanning signal across the touch panel and samples the work area until a touch is detected. When an area on the touch sensitive panel is touched by a user, the capacitance of the user's body is added to the circuit. The controller senses the resulting change in capacitance and identifies the specific situs touched.
As the reliability of touch sensitive input devices has improved, and diversity of application software expanded, touch sensitive devices, as a method of input, should be expected to be more widely used since no training is required to learn how to use such input devices. Thus, the computer user is not required to be a proficient typist or to know how to use an input device or computer. The hardware configuration is one that may be used without an alternate input device, such as a keyboard, offering flexibility in terms of space and portability. Applications using this sort of touch sensitive input device already include, and certainly are not limited to, diagnostic analysis, retail point of sale terminals, simulated aircraft flight controls, locator or informational displays, interactive educational systems, machine control, or keyboardless entry systems.
Capacitive touch screen devices are sensitive to changes caused by component temperature, component age, and stray capacitances. The devices must therefore be calibrated before initial use and periodically thereafter in order to maintain accuracy. The calibration process typically used with prior art technology involves displaying a mark in the active video area of the display screen, asking the user to touch the calibration mark as viewed on the overlaying touch sensitive panel, and then having an internal touch controller read and store touch position information. This is then repeated typically 2 to 8 times. The results of the calibration measurements are quantified by the touch controller as deviations from a standard, or otherwise as a set of correction factors, and are stored within the touch controller circuitry. After calibration, the touch controller automatically applies the correction factors to each new touch so that the coordinates sent to the host system are as accurate as can possibly be made. However, this process has the undesired step of external operator intervention in order to perform calibration.
A need thus exists for an apparatus which provides a means to automatically calibrate a touch sensitive panel used in conjunction with a fixed element display system.

Automatic calibration of a capacitive touch screen used with a fixed element flat screen display panel


It is an object of the invention to provide a clear coating composition, which can give coating films showing good water repellency, in other words a factor giving a care-free and deluxe feeling to car owners, and which are excellent in non-sanding recoating dirtied coatings after due repair, as well as a method of forming a coating film and a multilayered coating film. The invention provides a clear coating composition which comprises (A) 100 parts by mass of the sum of a crosslinkable coating film-forming resin and a crosslinking agent on a solid basis and (B) 0.01 to 2 parts by mass of a ladder silicone copolymer obtainable by copolymerizing (b-1) a (meth)acryloxyalkyl-containing ladder silicone oligomer, (b-2) a crosslinkable functional group-containing ethylenically unsaturated monomer and optionally (b-3) another ethylenically unsaturated monomer.

Among problems encountered by car drivers of late, the problem of bird droppings sticking to the coating film of the parked car, which droppings can be removed only with difficulty, and the problem of splashes of mud staining the car coating film as found after driving through wet weather, which necessitates washing of the car with rubbing, are of great concern. With the recent years' growth in demand for high-quality, maintenance-free cars, coating systems resistant to staining and capable of being deprived of stains in the event of staining have been demanded.
In car production lines, on the other hand, it is difficult to entirely prevent the occurrence of troubles due to adhesion of motes, dirt or the like. The coating film to which such a dirtying substance has adhered is repaired by recoating. In such cases, it has been common practice to remove the dirtying substance, polish the dirtied site, and recoat the polished site. From the work simplification and other points of view, coating systems capable of providing for a recoating film with good adhesion without polishing of the dirtied surface (hereinafter referred to as non-sanding recoatability) have been searched for.
Japanese Kokai Publication Hei-7-292313 describes an automotive coating composition capable of providing coating films well balanced among adhesion to the undercoat, scratch resistance, water resistance, oil resistance, weathering resistance, stain resistance and gloss which comprises a copolymer resulting from copolymerization of a silicone oligomer having ladder structure (hereinafter referred to as ladder silicone oligomer) having a specified molecular weight and a (meth)acryloxyalkyl group content in side chains of each molecule of 1 to 50% with at least one monomer selected from among (meth)acrylate esters, (meth)acrylamide, methylol(meth)acrylamide, alkoxymethylol(meth)acrylamides, unsaturated carboxylic acids, styrene and vinyl esters, as well as an organic solvent therefor, an ultraviolet absorber, an antioxidant and a crosslinking agent incorporated therein. In the automotive coating composition described in the above-cited publication Japanese Kokai Publication Hei-07-292313, the copolymer included ladder silicone oligomer (hereinafter referred to as ladder silicone copolymer), together with the crosslinking agent, constitutes the main component of the vehicle. From the non-sanding recoatability viewpoint, however, the composition is still unsatisfactory.

Clear coating composition, method of forming a coating film and multilayer coating film


Provided is a tile for concealing an underlying surface. The tile includes a base including a downward-facing surface that is to oppose an underlying surface on which the tile is to rest. The base is formed, at least in part, from a material including a combination of crumb rubber and rice hull material. A plurality of feet extend in a downwardly direction from the downward-facing surface to contact the underlying surface on which the tile is to rest and separate the downward-facing surface from the underlying surface. A cap is coupled to a surface of the base opposite the downward-facing surface comprising the feet.

1. Field of the Invention
This application relates generally to flooring materials and, more specifically, multi-component tiles that can include a base and a cap that can overlap with an adjacent tile, and/or multi-component tiles that include an integrally-formed, monolithic tile with a plurality of feet provided to an underside material and a connection component.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional single-component tiles are often formed of a recycled material as a single, monolithic unit. Such tiles can be arranged in an array, abutting side-by-side, against each other. However, such tiles generally conform to the underlying surface on which they rest. Further, since the tiles simply abut against each other, water and other liquids can enter the space in between tiles, making cleanup difficult and making the ground beneath such tile systems susceptible to erosion.
For installations where the permeation of liquids between tiles to an underlying sub-base material, traditional tiles have required extensive installation efforts to ensure proper alignment. But even such installations have been prone to damage from water or other liquids that collect between such tiles and the sub-base material when the liquid accumulates faster than it can permeate the underlying sub-base material. The accumulated liquids can freeze or otherwise cause erosion of the sub-base material, and can also cause the tiles to shift relative to each other, creating unsightly gaps between the tiles.


Provided is a method for controlling a plurality of work processes in a multitasking mobile terminal, and more particularly, a method for selecting a second work process during a first work process and controlling a predetermined function of the selected second work process. In the controlling method, icons corresponding to the respective work processes are displayed in response to a user command, and a desired work process is selected through the displayed icons. A predetermined function of the selected work process is controlled through a pop-up menu activated in response to the user command.

Field
The present invention relates to a method for controlling a plurality of work processes in a multitasking mobile terminal, and more particularly, to a method for selecting a second work process during a first work process and controlling a predetermined function of the selected second work process.
Discussion of the Background
With the recent advance of mobile communication technology, various kinds of mobile terminals such as hand-held phones and personal digital assistants•(PDAs) are commercially available. The mobile terminals have a wireless communication function, a camera function, a multimedia play function, an Internet connection function, and the like. Also, as the performance of microprocessors built in the mobile terminals is improved, a plurality of work processes can be performed concurrently. For example, an MP3 music file can be played during a phone call, or a short message service (SMS) message can be sent while an MP3 music file is played.
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a conventional multitasking mobile terminal that concurrently performs a plurality of work processes. A mobile chipset 1 controls an overall operation of the mobile terminal according to user commands. The mobile chipset 1 transmits a control signal through a data bus 3 to a camera module 5, an MP3 module 7, and an Internet module 9 according to the user commands. Work processes of the camera module 5, the MP3 module 7, and the Internet module 9 are concurrently performed according to the control signal.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a conventional method for selecting a second work process during a first work process in a multitasking mobile terminal that concurrently performs a plurality of work processes. In step S10, while a first work process is performed, a user command for a second work process is inputted. In step S12, a menu window for selecting a new work process is displayed on a display of the mobile terminal in response to the user command. In step S14, the user selects a desired new work process through the displayed menu window. In steps S16 and S17, when the user wants to change the selected process into another new process, the selected work process is terminated. In step S18, a user command for selecting the another new work process is inputted. In step S19, the another new work process is selected through the displayed menu window in response to the user command.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart chart illustrating a conventional method for controlling a predetermined function of a second work process during a first work process in a multitasking mobile terminal that concurrently performs a plurality of work processes.
In step S20, assuming that the first work process is an MP3 play process and the second work process is an SMS message creation process, a first command of user for the SMS message creation process is inputted while an MP3 music file is played. In step S21, a screen for the SMS message creation process is displayed in response to the first command of user, and the SMS message creation process is performed while the MP3 music file is played. In step S23, it is determined whether or not a second command of user for controlling a function of the MP3 play process is inputted while an SMS message is created. In steps S25 and S27, when the second command of user is inputted, the SMS message that is being created is stored in the memory and the SMS message creation process is terminated. In step S29, after the termination of SMS message creation process, the function of the MP3 play process is controlled. When the SMS message creation process is terminated, a screen for the MP3 play process is again displayed, and a third command of user for controlling the function of the MP3 play process is inputted. A control signal corresponding to the third command of user is generated and the function of the MP3 play process is controlled.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for selecting and controlling second work process during first work process in multitasking mobile terminal


A sphygmomanometer having an elongated tube, an air chamber coupled to a first end of the tube, and a liquid chamber coupled to a second end of the tube. The liquid chamber is partially filled with fluid and is couplable to a source of external pressure. An offset region located proximate the second end of the tube has a significantly reduced cross-sectional area so as to reduce the effect of fluid level changes on pressure measurement accuracy. At least one ventilation valve is coupled to the elongated tube and the air chamber and is operative to vent the elongated tube and the air chamber to atmosphere.

Mercury column sphygmomanometers have been used for about a century and considered as the gold standard for blood pressure measurement. The measurement principle is based on the gravity of mercury, and, therefore, is accurate, reliable, easy to use and economical. The only major problem is that mercury is one of the top three toxic elements on earth. The health and environmental risks associated with mercury are very high. Many countries in the world now ban or restrict the use of mercury in healthcare and consumer products.
People have been attempting to replace mercury column sphygmomanometers with non-toxic ones. One example is an aneroid sphygmomanometer that is based on the elastic deformation property of a metal. Aneroid sphygmomanometers have not gained wide acceptance for diagnosis of hypertension or high blood pressure due to the fact that they need regular calibration. Another example is an electronic automated sphygmomanometer that is based on an empirical method called an oscillometric technique. Automated sphygmomanometers have found acceptance for home use and hospital monitoring stations. However, they have not been widely accepted for medical diagnostic purposes in clinical offices due to their inaccuracy for certain patients and certain blood pressure ranges. Medical sphygmomanometers for the diagnosis of hypertension require high accuracy and reliability. The commonly accepted accuracy is 3 mm Hg in the range of 0-200 mm Hg and 2% of the reading in the range of 200-300 mm Hg.

Non-toxic liquid column sphygmomanometer


An image forming apparatus includes: plural image carriers that are disposed at intervals and in a line, and that are driven to rotate while carrying images; an intermediate transfer belt that have an endless shape, and that is disposed to be laid on plural rolls so as to be able to contact the image carriers; plural transfer rolls that rotate while being brought into contact with the image carriers through the intermediate transfer belt in a first position, respectively, so as to transfer the images on the image carriers to the intermediate transfer belt; and a moving mechanism that moves a part of the plural transfer rolls to a second position keeping apart from the plural image carriers while the part of the plural transfer rolls are kept in contact with the intermediate transfer belt.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to printers, copying machines and other image forming apparatuses using an intermediate transfer system.
2. Related Art
In recent years, for example, the following apparatus using an intermediate transfer system has been known as an image forming apparatus such as a printer using an electrophotographic system or an electrostatically recording system.
That is, in such an image forming apparatus, as shown in FIG. 13 by way of example, four image forming units 10Y, 100M, 100C and 100K for forming toner images of four colors, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C) and black (K) dedicatedly on image carriers 101 such as photoconductor drums are disposed in series. Toner images of yellow, magenta, cyan and black formed by the image forming units 100 (Y, M, C and K) respectively are temporarily (primarily) transferred to an endless intermediate transfer belt 201 which is rotating. The intermediate transfer belt 201 is disposed to be able to contact the image carriers 101 of the image forming units individually. Due to the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 201, the toner images are conveyed to a secondary transfer position where a recording sheet 300 runs together. Then, the toner images are (secondarily) transferred to the recording sheet 300 in a lump, and fixed thereon. The reference numerals 150 in FIG. 13 represent primary transfer rolls for rotating the intermediate transfer belt 201 so as to press it against the image carriers 101 respectively, and transfer the images on the image carriers 101 to the intermediate transfer belt 201 respectively. The reference numerals 202-204 represent plural support rolls for stretching the intermediate transfer belt 201 so as to rotate and drive it.
According to this image forming apparatus, a full color (multi-color) image having a configuration where the aforementioned toner images of the four colors have been combined, or a single-color image such as a monochrome image composed of toner images of one or two colors of the aforementioned four colors is formed.
Of such image forming apparatuses, for example, there is an apparatus designed to operate at least a part of image carriers (for example, 101Y, 101M and 101C) of the plural image carriers 101 (Y, M, C and K) so that the rotation velocities thereof are changed over to velocities different from the rotation velocities of the other image carriers (for example, 101K) and the rotation velocity of the intermediate transfer belt 201. Thus, it is possible to obtain an image forming operation satisfying proper image forming conditions corresponding to a difference in kind of image to be formed (for example, a difference between a color image and a single-color image), a difference in kind of recording sheet or the like.
In a special example of the image forming apparatus, a color image forming mode and a monochrome image forming mode are prepared. When the monochrome image forming mode is selected, the rotation velocity of the image carrier 101K of the image forming unit 100K engaged in operation for forming a monochrome image is set to be equal to the rotation velocity of the intermediate transfer belt 201. On the other hand, the rotation velocities of the image carriers 101Y, 101M and 101C in the other image forming units 100Y, 100M and 100C which are not engaged in the operation for forming a monochrome image are changed over to be set to be lower than the rotation velocity of the image carrier 101K or the rotation velocity of the intermediate transfer belt 201. A monochrome image may be formed by operating (activating) the image forming apparatus in such changed conditions. When a monochrome image is formed in such conditions, the image carriers 101Y, 101M and 101C in the image forming units which are not engaged in the operation for forming the monochrome image can be prevented from being driven to rotate needlessly. Thus, the lives of the image carriers 101Y, 101M and 101C can be prevented from being shortened.

Image forming apparatus with extended image carrier life


There is provided a ceiling decorative panel that can be carried easily and reliably even if a dome lamp is disposed in an opening portion. The ceiling decorative panel of the present invention is disposed on an inside of a roof panel of a vehicle body. The ceiling decorative panel includes a recessed portion protruding toward a back face side of the ceiling decorative panel and having the opening portion at a bottom face. The recessed portion retains the dome lamp in itself. A grip that can be raised in a direction same as a protruding direction of the recessed portion so as to be gripped is disposed to be adjacent to the opening portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ceiling decorative panel to be provided to an inside of a roof panel of a vehicle body.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a conventionally known ceiling decorative panel to be provided to an inside of a roof panel of a vehicle body (see JP 1993-131882 Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai), for example).
As shown in FIG. 8, the ceiling decorative panel 9 has, at its middle portion, a recessed portion 91 protruding toward a back face 912 side of the ceiling decorative panel 9 and having an opening portion 911 in a bottom face 910.
The recessed portion 91 is formed to retain a dome lamp 921 on the inside. In a longitudinal front portion of the ceiling decorative panel 9, a map lamp opening portion 913 is formed. In the map lamp opening portion 913, a map lamp 922 is disposed (see an arrow Y in FIG. 8).
Conventionally, a worker carries the ceiling decorative panel 9 to a line side of an assembly line by inserting his/her hands into the opening portion 911 (hereafter referred to as a dome lamp opening portion 911 for convenience of explanation) for disposing the dome lamp 921, as well as into the map lamp opening portion 913, and gripping end edges 914, 915 of the respective openings.
However, in recent years, the ceiling portion is getting modularized and it is now often the case that the dome lamp 921 is mounted in advance into the dome lamp opening portion 911 on a sub-line (see an arrow X in FIG. 8). In this method, however, the dome lamp opening portion 911 is closed and it is impossible to insert a hand into the dome lamp opening portion 911. Therefore, a worker cannot grip the end edge 914 to carry the ceiling decorative panel 9 to the line side of the assembly line.
If the worker tries to hold end edges 8 in a width direction of the ceiling decorative panel 9 to carry the panel 9, the ceiling decorative panel 9 may bend at its relatively low-strength middle portion.


A method of fabricating a liquid crystal display device includes providing a first substrate, forming an alignment layer on the first substrate using an ink jet method to form a plurality of holes that expose portions of the first substrate, and forming a spacer within each of the plurality of holes using the ink jet method.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of fabricating a display device, and more particularly, to a method of fabricating a liquid crystal display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
As various portable electronic devices are developed, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA), and notebook computers, requirements for small, light weight, and power-efficient flat panel display devices have gradually increased. Presently, liquid crystal display (LCD) devices, plasma display panel (PDP) devices, field emission display (FED) devices, and vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) devices have been developed for implementation as flat panel display devices. However, the LCD devices are currently being fabricated due to their simple mass production technology, easy driving systems, and production of high quality images.
FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, an LCD device 1 comprises a lower substrate 5, which is a driving device substrate, an upper substrate 3, and a liquid crystal layer 7 formed between the lower and upper substrates 5 and 3. Although not shown, a plurality of pixels are formed on the lower substrate 5, a thin film transistor is formed at each one of the pixels, and pixel electrodes and common electrodes are formed on the lower and upper substrates 5 and 3, respectively. The upper substrate 3 is a color filter substrate that includes a color filter layer for producing colored light. In addition, an alignment layer is formed on the upper substrate 3 for orienting liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 7.
The lower substrate 5 and the upper substrate 3 are attached by a sealing material 9, and the liquid crystal layer 7 is formed therebetween for driving the liquid crystal molecules using the driving devices formed on the lower substrate 5 in order to control light transmitted through the liquid crystal layer. Processes for fabricating the LCD device can be divided into a driving device array substrate process, wherein the driving devices are formed on the lower substrate 5; a color filter substrate process, wherein the color filters are formed on the upper substrate 3; and a cell process.
FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a method for fabricating a liquid crystal display device according to the related art. In FIG. 2, a step S101 includes forming a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines on a lower substrate using a driving device array process for defining a plurality of pixel areas, and includes formation of thin film transistors, which are connected to the gate lines and the data lines, at the pixel areas. In addition, a pixel electrode, which is connected to the thin film transistor through the driving device array process, is formed for driving a liquid crystal layer as a signal is transmitted through the thin film transistor.
A step S104 includes formation of a color filter layer of R, G, and B colors and a common electrode on an upper substrate using a color filter process.
Steps S102 and S105 both include formation of alignment layers on the upper and lower substrates, wherein the alignment layers are rubbed in order to provide the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer formed between the upper and lower substrates with an initial alignment and surface fixing force (i.e., pre-tilt angle and orientation direction).
Step S103 includes scattering a plurality of spacers onto the lower substrate for maintaining a uniform cell gap between the upper and lower substrates.
Step S106 includes formation of a sealing material along an outer portion of the upper substrate.
Step S107 includes attaching the upper and lower substrates by compressing the upper and lower substrates together.
Step S108 includes dividing the attached upper and lower substrates into a plurality of individual liquid crystal panels.
Step S109 includes injection of the liquid crystal material into the liquid crystal panels through a liquid crystal injection hole, wherein the liquid crystal injection hole is sealed to form the liquid crystal layer.
Step S110 includes testing the injected liquid crystal panel.
Operation of the LCD device makes use of an electro-optical effect of the liquid crystal material, wherein anisotropy of the liquid crystal material aligns liquid crystal molecules along a specific direction. Accordingly, control of the liquid crystal molecules significantly affects image stabilization of the LCD device. Thus, formation of the alignment layer and the spacers are critical for fabricating an LCD device that produces quality images.
However, during the spacer scattering process, the spacers are provided with the pixel area through which the light is to be transmitted. Accordingly, the spacers within the pixel area are similar to an impurity that interrupts orientation of liquid crystal molecules, thereby lowering aperture rate. Thus, a distribution density of the spacers should be controlled and uniformly maintained across a display screen of the LCD device. For example, although the distribution density of the spacers is high and a uniform cell gap may be maintained, displaying functions of a black screen is lowered by light dispersal due to the spacers, and a contrast ratio is reduced.
In order to solve the above problem, patterned column spacers are formed at desired locations by photolithographic processes of depositing (coating), developing, and etching organic polymer material. In addition, a mask process must be added in order to form the column spacers, thereby increasing fabrication costs and complicating the overall fabricating processes. However, formation of the spacers using the scattering method is performed after formation of the alignment layers, whereas using the patterned column spacers means that the formation of the alignment layers is performed after formation of the patterned column spacers. For example, the alignment layer process commonly uses a roller coating method.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a method for forming an alignment layer using a roller coating method according to the related art. In FIG. 3, an alignment material 21 is uniformly supplied between an anylox roll 22 and a doctor roll 23 of cylindrical shape as the anylox roll 22 and the doctor roll 23 rotate. The alignment material 21 is provided using a dispenser 1 having an injector shape. Then the alignment material 21 formed on a surface of the anylox roll 22 is transferred onto a rubber plate 25 when the anylox roll 22 rotates to contact a printing roll 24 upon which the rubber plate 25 is attached. The rubber plate 25 is aligned with a substrate 26 upon which the alignment material 21 will be applied. As a printing table 27, upon which the substrate 26 is loaded, is moved to contact the printing roll 24, the alignment material 21 is transferred onto the rubber plate 25 and is re-transferred onto the substrate 26 to form an alignment layer (not shown). Since a thickness of the alignment layer is about 500–1000 Å, thickness differences of 100 Å of the alignment layer may generate a blot on the screen of the LCD device. Accordingly, uniform thickness of the alignment layer is critical to display quality images on the screen of the LCD device.
However, since the dispenser 1 supplies the alignment material 21 onto the anylox roll 22 using a left-to-right motion along an upper part of the anylox roll 22, uniform thickness of the resulting alignment layer may not be achieved. For example, as a size of the substrate 26 increases, it becomes increasingly more difficult to form the alignment layer having a uniform thickness. Moreover, since all of the alignment material 21 transferred on the rubber plate 25 is not necessarily re-transferred onto the substrate 26, a significant amount of the alignment material 21 is wasted as compared to the amount of alignment material 21 that is re-transferred onto the substrate 26. Accordingly, the amount of wasted alignment material 21 unnecessarily increases production costs.

Method of fabricating liquid crystal display device


Direct-metal deposition (DMD), preferably under closed-loop control, is used to fabricate alloy-variant material structures which provide a combination of desirable physical and mechanical properties. Use of the invention facilitates the production of high-strength, high-wear, and impact-resistant structures which decrease the likelihood of erosion, heat checking and brittle failure in injection molds, die casting, thixomolding and other, more exotic tooling. The invention uses DMD to deposit a first material or alloy in an area exposed to high wear, such as the tooling gate area, with a second material or alloy being used elsewhere in the tool for greater impact resistance. Advantageously, the areas may be of a user-defined thickness to further improve longevity. The resulting composite material structure has mechanical properties (i.e., yield strength, hardness and abrasion resistance) which exceed that of the homogeneous compositions currently used for mold materials, thereby enhancing productivity while improving part quality in these and other applications.

In manufacturing, a critical, time-limiting step for many products is the design and fabrication of "tooling," including molds and dies. Complex dies may take from weeks to a year to perfect prior to manufacture of a product. In present manufacturing processes, added steps are necessary to overcome existing fabrication methods. For example, molds and dies must be machined to provide cooling channels and an acceptable surface finish.
Traditional materials and fabrication methods used to manufacture tooling plastic or metallic prototype or production parts, utilize homogenous wrought or cast tool steel alloy materials which, when machined, heat treated, finished and assembled, form a mold, die or other component. In many cases, the application requirements within a mold or die component differ, resulting in a reduction in die life requiring repair or replacement of the die or mold.
In an effort to facilitate the fabrication die components and/or to accommodate variations in application requirements, dies and molds often include multiple components. Each section or mold component is fabricated from a homogenous metal alloy, which results in homogenous material properties within each die or mold component. The variation in material property requirements within a mold or die component, results in localized wear or and premature failure of the mold or die component in the areas which the application requirements exceed the material properties (mechanical and physical properties) inherent to the homogenous metal alloy.
In many cases, molds or dies are assembled and comprised of component parts to achieve the need for a variation in material properties within a mold or die. For example, section and insert may be fabricated from dissimilar materials, or processed differently, as through heat treatment.
It has long been recognized that additive processes, wherein material layers are built up, could potentially be beneficial in the fabrication of tooling by eliminating multiple component parts or fabrication steps. However, known processes which deposit metal result in a sintered product, due to trapping of oxides and inadequately bonded material. One such process is laser cladding, wherein a laser is used to generate a melt-pool on a substrate material while a second material, typically a powder or wire, is introduced, melted, and metallurgically joined.
Cladding is generally distinguished from alloying on the basis that cladding melts a relatively small amount of the base substrate material relative to the amount of the deposited material, and the powder system delivers a controlled volume of metal particles into this molten volume. The particles become dispersed throughout this molten volume and form a deposition of a desired composition on the outer layer of the substrate. Removal of the laser beam from the molten volume, such as by advancement of the substrate workpiece relative to the focal point of the beam, causes the molten volume to be rapidly chilled. The chilling occurs so rapidly that the volume often retains the characteristics of the molten mix.
Conventional laser cladding techniques move the metal article relative to the focal point through the use of jigs, parts handlers, and the like. The beam focal point therefore remains fixed in space, as does the powdering point. Uniform movement of the metal article usually requires a complicated jig which is difficult to manufacture, very expensive, and usually not very successful, particularly with intricate geometries. For this reason, laser cladding of metal parts having other than relatively flat geometries have been nearly impossible to achieve on a consistent uniform basis.
Close control of dimensions is necessary for the production of parts and tools having close tolerances, acceptable microstructures and properties, and which can be produced at a reasonable cost and within a reasonable period of time. A solution to the problem involves the use of feedback-controlled, direct metal deposition (DMD) as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,122,564, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. With DMD, a laser is used to locally heat a spot on a substrate, forming a melt pool into which powder is fed to create a deposit having a physical dimension. Optical detection means, coupled to an optoelectric sensor, are used to monitor the physical dimension of the deposit, and a feedback controller is operative to adjust the laser in accordance with the electrical signal, thereby controlling the rate of material deposition.
Preferably, the monitored physical dimension is the height of the deposit, and the system further includes an interface to a computer-aided design (CAD) system including a description of an article to be fabricated, enabling the feedback controller to compare the physical dimension of the deposit to the description and adjust the energy of the laser in accordance therewith.
A DMD system for automatically fabricating an article typically includes a computer-aided design database including a description of the article to be fabricated, a work table for supporting the substrate, and translation means for moving the substrate relative to the laser and a raw material feeder. In one arrangement, the worktable moves while the laser and feed means remain stationary, whereas, in a different configuration, the laser and feeder move while the work table remains stationary. As a further alternative, both the laser/material feed and work table/substrate could be moved simultaneously, preferably under feedback control.
One distinct advantage of DMD is that material composition may be varied during the deposition process. As disclosed in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,472,029, DMD is used to fabricate composite material structures which provide a combination of desirable physical and mechanical properties. In particular, the use of DMD facilitates the production of high-strength, abrasion-resistant laminate structures which also exhibit a high degree of thermal conductivity. In particular, DMD is used to deposit alternate layers or rows of a thermally conductive material, such as copper or a copper alloy, and a high strength, abrasion resistant thermal barrier material, such as tool steel. The resulting composite material structure has mechanical properties (i.e., yield strength, hardness and abrasion resistance) which exceed that of pure copper or copper-based alloys required for mold materials, thereby enhancing productivity while improving part quality in these and other applications.

Fabrication of alloy variant structures using direct metal deposition


An apparatus for retaining an upper pivoting body of a construction machine having a lower traveling body includes a protrusion on a lower surface of the upper pivoting body, a socket portion on an upper side of the lower traveling body that couples with the protrusion, an elastic member on a lower side of the socket portion that elastically supports the socket portion, a first tapered member on a lower side of the elastic member to support the elastic member, a lower surface of the first tapered member having a sloping surface, and a second tapered member on a lower side of the first tapered member. The upper surface of the second tapered member has a sloping surface that makes sliding contact with the first tapered member. The second tapered member lifts the socket portion, through a horizontal movement, to be coupled with the protrusion or lowers the socket portion to be separated from the protrusion.

In the case of a construction machine, for example, a wheel-type excavator, an upper swing structure is physically fixed on a lower traveling structure before traveling so as to prevent the upper swing structure from rotating during the traveling.
To this end, in the related art, the upper swing structure is formed with a hole for pin insertion. Also, the lower traveling structure is equipped with a bracket to which the pin inserted in the hole formed in the upper swing structure can be fixed. Before the wheel-type excavator travels, a driver rotates the upper swing structure to align the hole and the bracket and inserts the pin into the hole. Then, the driver fixes the pin to the bracket.
Also, for an excavating work, the upper swing structure should be at a rotatable condition. Therefore, before the wheel-type excavator works, the upper swing structure should be switched to the rotatable condition. In the related art, the driver directly removes the pin fixed to the bracket.
However, since a considerable force is required for the series of operations, and the traveling and work are frequently repeated due to characteristics of the wheel-type excavator, there are considerable inconveniences and difficulties for the driver to repeat the operations each time.

Apparatus for fixing upper swing structure of construction machine


Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for classifying a detected region of change of a video frame as indicating an abandoned object or a removed object, the detected region of change is classified as an removed object if the temporal change of the edge consistency is from a more consistent state to a less consistent state, and the detected region of change is classified as an abandoned object if the temporal change of the edge consistency if from a less consistent to a more consistent state.

Video cameras, such as Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras, are omnipresent nowadays, mostly for surveillance purposes. The video cameras capture more data (hereinafter referred to as "video content" or "video data") than human viewers can typically process. Automatic analysis of video content is therefore needed.
One step often used in the processing of video content is the segmentation of video data into foreground objects and a background scene, or background. Such segmentation allows for further analysis, such as detection of specific foreground objects, or tracking of moving objects. Such further analysis may, for example, result in sending an alert to a security guard, perhaps upon detection of a foreground object such as a suspicious box or tracking an object, such as an unauthorised intruder, entering or leaving a predefined area of interest.
Two aspects of such analysis are of particular interest.
First is the detection of abandoned objects. An example of an abandoned object is an item of luggage that has been brought into the scene being monitored, such as an airport lobby, during a time interval covering a sequence of video frames, and where the object is subsequently left in the scene.
Second is the detection of removed objects. An example of a removed object is a painting hanging on the wall in an art gallery, that was previously considered to be part of the background of the scene that is being monitored during a time interval covering a sequence of video frames, and where the object has been removed from the scene.
A common approach to foreground/background segmentation is referred to as "background subtraction". In one example of this method a median pixel value for a pixel at a specified position in a scene, determined using pixel values for that pixel over a sequence of video frames, may be compared to a current pixel value for the pixel at that position in a current frame of the sequence of video frames. If the current pixel value is similar to the median pixel value, the pixel is considered to belong to the background. If however the current pixel value is not similar to the median pixel value, where the difference between the current pixel value and the median pixel value exceeds a specified threshold, then the pixel is considered to belong to a foreground object.
Using the aforementioned background subtraction approach, regions of change resulting from abandoned object events and removed object events are found to have similar properties. This is because both abandoned object events and removed object events result in a region of the scene that is different from a previous remembered background, however the region is otherwise not changing. It is sometimes advantageous to use a common technique to determine when either an abandoned object event or a removed object event has occurred, in order, for example, to signal an alert.
However, a problem with using such an approach to differentiate between abandoned object events and removed object events is that, to the detection system, the events are indistinguishable from each other. This can be a problem in circumstances where it is desirable for a surveillance system to be able to both draw the attention of an operator to the occurrence of such events, and also to be able to give different alerts based on the type of event that has occurred. In some cases abandoned object events may be of greater importance than removed object events, such as in the case of a suitcase being abandoned in a busy airport. In other cases removed object events may be of greater importance than abandoned object events, such as the case of a painting being removed from a wall in an art gallery.
It is possible to differentiate between the two events, to some degree, through an examination of boundary pixels of detected regions of change. It is found for example that a "strong" boundary on the region of change is typically more likely to indicate an abandoned object event, and a weak boundary is typically more likely to indicate a removed object event. Methods used to measure boundary strength include considerations of colour, texture and gradient. However, these pixel-based methods incur significant costs in terms of both high memory usage and costly computation time.
Moreover, a specified threshold is usually required in such methods. The boundary strength is compared to the threshold in order to make a final decision. In practice, the value of such a threshold is difficult to determine, and may be dependent upon the scene, or area of a scene. Learning a threshold for a scene, or for an area of a scene, requires heavy computation and thus is not feasible for camera applications.

Differentiating abandoned and removed object using temporal edge information


A method and apparatus for computer security both as to unauthorized remote access thereto and unauthorized local use of selected components thereof are provided. As to re , the communications system of the computer is first disabled as a whole by internal hardware means, and then additional hardware means are provided that can be used locally to enable selected communications operations such as data transmissions to remote sites. As to unauthorized local use of selected components, hardware is provided that includes a preselected password that must be duplicated by an operator before the selected component can be used, wherein that duplication requirement cannot be bypassed by programming means.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to digital computer systems, and especially to methods and apparatus for distinguishing between data words that may otherwise be identical in terms of their physical origins, for such purposes as protecting against the unauthorized entry of data into a computer through communications lines, this particular purpose being especially directed towards methods and apparatus for discriminating between remote data and data that have been generated locally as by a keyboard or mouse or the like. Related apparatus and methods of authenticating digital data control local access to selected computer peripherals.


This invention provides compounds of formula I

Osteoporosis describes a group of diseases which arise from diverse etiologies, but which are characterized by the net loss of bone mass per unit volume. The consequence of this loss of bone mass and resulting bone fracture is the failure of the skeleton to provide adequate structural support for the body. One of the most common types of osteoporosis is that associated with menopause. Most women lose from about 20% to about 60% of the bone mass in the trabecular compartment of the bone within 3 to 6 years after the cessation of menses. This rapid loss is generally associated with an increase of bone resorption and formation. However, the resorptive cycle is more dominant and the result is a net loss of bone mass. Osteoporosis is a common and serious disease among post-menopausal women.
There are an estimated 25 million women in the United States, alone, who are afflicted with this disease. The results of osteoporosis are personally harmful and also account for a large economic loss due its chronicity and the need for extensive and long term support (hospitalization and nursing home care) from the disease sequelae. This is especially true in more elderly patients. Additionally, although osteoporosis is not generally thought of as a life threatening condition, a 20% to 30% mortality rate is related with hip fractures in elderly women. A large percentage of this mortality rate can be directly associated with post-menopausal osteoporosis.
At this time, the only generally accepted methods for treatment of post-menopausal osteoporosis are estrogen replacement therapy and the use of the bisphosphonate alendronate. Although therapy is generally successful, patient compliance with the therapy is relatively low primarily, due to undesirable side effects.
Throughout premenopausal time, most women have less incidence of cardiovascular disease than age-matched men. Following menopause, however, the rate of cardiovascular disease in women slowly increases to match the rate seen in men. This loss of protection has been linked to the loss of estrogen and, in particular, to the loss of estrogen's ability to regulate the levels of serum lipids. The nature of estrogen's ability to regulate serum lipids is not well understood, but evidence to date indicates that estrogen can up regulate the low density lipid (LDL) receptors in the liver to remove excess cholesterol. Additionally, estrogen appears to have some effect on the biosynthesis of cholesterol, and other beneficial effects on cardiovascular health.
It has been reported in the literature that post-menopausal women having estrogen replacement therapy have a return of serum lipid levels to concentrations to those of the pre-menopausal state. Thus, estrogen would appear to be a reasonable treatment for this condition. However, the side-effects of estrogen replacement therapy are not acceptable to many women, thus limiting the use of this therapy. An ideal therapy for this condition would be an agent which would regulate the serum lipid level as does estrogen, but would be devoid of the side-effects and risks associated with estrogen therapy.
Preclinical findings with a structurally distinct "anti-estrogen", raloxifene, have demonstrated potential for improved selectivity of estrogenic effects in target tissues. Similar to tamoxifen, raloxifene was developed originally for treatment of breast cancer; however, the benzothiophene nucleus of raloxifene represented a significant structural deviation from the triphenylethylene nucleus of tamoxifen. Raloxifene binds with high affinity to the estrogen receptor, and inhibits estrogen-dependent proliferation in MCF-7 cells (human mammary tumor derived cell line) in cell culture. In vivo estrogen antagonist activity of raloxifene was furthermore demonstrated in carcinogen-induced models of mammary tumors in rodents. Significantly, in uterine tissue raloxifene was more effective than tamoxifen as an antagonist of the uterotrophic response to estrogen in immature rats and, in contrast to tamoxifen, raloxifene displayed only minimal uterotrophic response that was not dose-dependent in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Thus, raloxifene is unique as an antagonist of the uterine estrogen receptor, in that it produces a nearly complete blockage of uterotrophic responses of estrogen due to minimal agonist effect of raloxifene in this tissue. Indeed, the ability of raloxifene to antagonize the uterine stimulatory effect of tamoxifen was recently demonstrated in OVX rats. Raloxifene is more properly characterized as a Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM), due to its unique profile.
Raloxifene is now in Phase III clinical trials for osteoporosis. Indications thus far from these trials and other data, point to raloxifene's potential not only as an osteoporosis therapy, but also of potential use in lowering LDL (serum lipid) levels, inhibiting endometriosis and uterine fibrosis, and preventing breast cancer. The advancement of raloxifene has been somewhat hampered by its physical characteristics, both as to bioavailability and in manufacturing. For example, it is generally insoluble, and this can adversely affect the bioavailability. Clearly, any improvement in the physical characteristics of raloxifene, would potentially offer a more beneficial therapy and enhanced manufacturing capability.

Benzothiophenes, formulations containing same, and methods

Abstract: and pharmaceutically acceptable salts and solvates thereof, characterized that the compound is in particulate form and having a specific size range.

Abstract: The present invention further provides pharmaceutical compositions containing or formulated using compounds of formula I, and the use of such compounds for alleviating human pathologies, including osteoporosis, serum lipid lowering, and breast cancer.


A conveyor is mounted on the upper surface of an elongated frame. At one end of the conveyor is provided a retriever assembly for retrieving a stack of material as from the exit bin or tray of a printer or copier. The retriever has elongated fingers sandwiched between runs of the conveyor. These fingers are moved horizontally and vertically so as to move out from the conveyor, pick up a stack of material, bring it back and deposit it on the conveyor. Independent motor operated mechanism effects this vertical and horizontal movement of the fingers. The conveyor is of sufficient length to store several stacks of material and operation of the conveyor and the retriever is controlled to retrieve and store the stacked material.

The apparatus of the invention is for use with modern high speed, high production printing or copying machines such as are used today in businesses, schools and the like. In the operation of these machines, the printed material, be it single sheets or multiple sheets such as pamphlets or brochures bound together by stapling, quickly accumulate in a stack at the exit bin of the machine. These bins fill to a predetermined stack height, after which the machine automatically terminates further printing until this stack is removed. This occurs in a rather short time so that the diligent effort of an attendant is required in order to get the maximum use and efficiency from the machine. This of course is even a more significant problem when these machines are ganged as in a large printing facility.
The apparatus of the present invention greatly diminishes the attention required by the attendant, in that with the invention, the stack of printed material is automatically removed from the exit bin of the machine and deposited on a conveyor where several stacks of the material may be stored before it is necessary that they be removed by the attendant.
While various apparatus are known in the prior art for mechanically conveying material, be it stacked or otherwise, and for retrieving material from one location and depositing the same in another, none of these apparatus is suitable for the purposes of the present invention. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,286,422 and 4,928,811 both disclose walking beam conveyor designs for moving material along a horizontal path by means of a group of beams or transfer elements that first elevate the material and then move it forward a predetermined distance after which they are lowered to deposit the material on elements that will retain it in this location while the beams or transfer elements are moved back to their original position where they will again engage the material, elevate the same and move it forward another predetermined distance. These devices are not suitable for the present invention. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,896,946, 4,314,403 and 4,919,589 all disclose various designs of transfer apparatus for transferring stacked material from one location to another as from one conveyor to another. In the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,896,946 and 4,919,589 , the transfer devices are so organized that the stack material is rotated 90 degrees so that it is transformed from a horizontal to an on edge position with support arrangements being required to keep it in the on edge position. In the U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,403 , the transfer device is effective to transfer plates from one conveyor to another where they are stacked, but the rotary transfer apparatus is such that the plates themselves must be rigid since they are lifted by apparatus that engages each edge of the plate. These apparatuses are accordingly likewise unsuitable for the present invention.


The present invention provides a disc storage unit that utilizes a voice coil motor to move an access arm. The voice coil motor includes a coil disposed on the side of the access arm parallel with the case bodies of the disc storage unit, a pair of upper and lower yokes, with the coil located therebetween, mounted in parallel to the case bodies, and magnets disposed on at least one of the upper and lower yokes with a cross flux to the coil. At least one of the upper or lower yokes extends through a through-hole provided in at least one of the case bodies. The space gained by the through-hole can be used to reduce the profile of the disc storage unit or permit larger magnets, yokes, etc. to be used in the voice coil motor. The larger magnets, yokes, etc., improve the output of the voice coil motor and speed up the seek time of the disc storage unit. Therefore, the advantages of a low-profile and a high speed seek time can be obtained, respectively.

The present invention relates in general to magnetic disk units that include a magnetic head for reading and writing information on a magnetic disk. More specifically, the invention relates to improvements in a voice coil motor that is used to rotate the magnetic head of the magnetic disk unit
A sectional view of a conventional voice coil motor is illustrated in FIG. 8. The voice coil motor includes a coil disposed on the side of a magnetic head (not shown) parallel to a pair of case bodies 2a, 2b. A pair of upper and lower yokes 4a, 4b, with the coil 3 located between them, are mounted parallel to the case bodies 2a, 2b. Post yokes 5 are provided to form magnetic paths through the upper yoke 4a and the lower yoke 4b and magnets 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d with a cross flux 6 for the coil 3. The magnetic head can be rotated according to Fleming's rule when the coil 3 is activated.
In recent years, there has been a demand to speed up the seek time required to rotate the magnetic head. The seek time could be increased by increasing the thickness of the magnets 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d to obtain a higher flux density in order to improve the output of the voice coil motor. In addition, the thickness of the post yokes 5 could be increased to reduce the degree of magnetic saturation. Increasing the thickness of the magnets or the yokes, however, runs contrary to efforts to maintain a low profile for the magnetic disk unit which is also desirable.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a magnetic disk unit having a faster seek time to rotate the magnetic head while maintaining a low profile in order to achieve an overall thinner magnetic disk unit.

Magnetic disk unit having reduced profile and/or faster seek speed


A method for processing thermographic data is disclosed including thermally disturbing a sample collecting, as a function of time, thermal data from said sample, converting the collected data using a 2nd derivative function, and transforming the converted data using at least one Boolean operation.

Thermographic nondestructive testing methods are known and are used to create images of a sample's subsurface features in order to detect internal flaws or features, measure a sample's thickness, thermal diffusivity, or other characteristics of subsurface features (such as depth and/or lateral size of subsurface features). However, existing techniques do not allow robust automated segmentation of subsurface defects from a data sequence without either a priori knowledge of the thermophysical properties of the sample, visual interpretation by an operator, or comparison to a known defect-free sample.

Automated binary processing of thermographic sequence data


A method of producing lipids, comprising the steps of:                culturing a transformant in which the expression of a gene encoding at least any one of the following proteins (A) to (D) is enhanced in a cyanobacteria cell, and        producing fatty acids or lipids containing these fatty acids as components.            (A) a protein consisting of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1;    (B) a protein consisting of an amino acid sequence having 60% or more identity with the amino acid sequence of the protein (A), and having β-ketoacyl-ACP synthase activity;    (C) a protein consisting of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 44; and    (D) a protein consisting of an amino acid sequence having 60% or more identity with the amino acid sequence of the protein (C), and having β-ketoacyl-ACP synthase activity.

Fatty acids are one of the principal components of lipids. In vivo, fatty acids are bonded to glycerin via an ester bond to form lipids (fats and oils) such as triacylglycerol. Further, many animals and plants also store and utilize fatty acids as an energy source. These fatty acids and lipids stored in animals and plants are widely utilized for food or industrial use.
For example, higher alcohol derivatives that are obtained by reducing higher fatty acids having approximately 12 to 18 carbon atoms are used as surfactants. Alkyl sulfuric acid ester salts, alkyl benzene sulfonic acid salts and the like are utilized as anionic surfactants. Further, polyoxyalkylene alkyl ethers, alkyl polyglycosides and the like are utilized as nonionic surfactants. These surfactants are used for detergents, disinfectants, or the like. Cationic surfactants such as alkylamine salts and mono- or dialkyl-quaternary ammonium salts, as other higher alcohol derivatives, are commonly used for fiber treatment agents, hair conditioning agents, disinfectants, or the like. Further, benzalkonium type quaternary ammonium salts are commonly used for disinfectants, antiseptics, or the like. Furthermore, vegetable fats and oils are also used as raw materials of biodiesel fuels.
Further, long-chain fatty acids having 20 or more carbon atoms are different in chemical properties depending on a degree of unsaturation, and used in various applications. For example, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are used as a physiologically functional food. Further, long-chain saturated fatty acids or long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids, such as arachidic acid, behenic acid and erucic acid, are useful as an industrial raw material for a dispersing agent, a lubricating oil, or the like.
Generally, a fatty acid synthetic pathway of plants is localized in the chloroplast. In the chloroplast, an elongation reaction of the carbon chain is repeated starting from an acetyl-CoA and a malonyl-ACP (acyl-carrier-protein), and finally an acyl-ACP (a composite consisting of an acyl group being a fatty acid residue and an ACP. Here, the number of carbon atoms indicates the number of carbon atoms of the acyl group, and indicates the same hereinafter in several cases) having 16 or 18 carbon atoms is synthesized. A β-ketoacyl-acyl-carrier-protein synthase (hereinafter, also referred to as "KAS") is an enzyme involved in control of chain length of the acyl group, among enzymes involved in the fatty acid synthetic pathway. In plants, four kinds of KASs having different function respectively, namely KAS I, KAS II, KAS III and KAS IV are known to exist. Among these, KAS III functions in a stage of starting a chain length elongation reaction to elongate the acetyl-CoA having 2 carbon atoms to the β-ketoacyl-ACP having 4 carbon atoms. In the subsequent elongation reaction, KAS I, KAS II and KAS IV are involved. KAS I is mainly involved in the elongation reaction to the palmitoyl-ACP having 16 carbon atoms, and KAS II is mainly involved in the elongation reaction to the stearoyl-ACP having 18 carbon atoms. On the other hand, it is believed that KAS IV is involved in the elongation reaction to medium-chain acyl-ACP having 6 to 14 carbon atoms.
Among them, Patent Literature 1 describes, as KAS II, KAS II of algae belonging to genus Nannochloropsis being one kind of algae.
As mentioned above, fatty acids are widely used in various applications. Therefore, attempts have been made on improving productivity of the fatty acids or the lipids in vivo by using hosts such as plants or bacteria. Furthermore, applications and usefulness of the fatty acids depend on the number of carbon atoms (chain length) or unsaturated bonds (degree of unsaturation) thereof. Therefore attempts have been made also on controlling the number of carbon atoms or unsaturated bonds of the fatty acids.
Cyanobacteria (blue-green bacteria) belong to a group of eubacteria, and have an ability to produce oxygen through photosynthesis and fix carbon dioxide. More than billion years ago, cyanobacteria were engulfed by eukaryotic cells. Such intracellular symbiont (primary symbiosis), cyanobacteria, are considered as an origin of chloroplasts. Thus cyanobacteria have been widely used in photosynthesis studies as an ancestor organism of chloroplasts. Further, cyanobacteria grow faster than other plants, and have high photosynthetic ability. Furthermore, cyanobacteria also have a transformation ability.
Because of this, cyanobacteria, to which foreign DNA is introduced in the cells, can be used in microbiological production of substances, and thus have attracted attention as a host for producing substances such as biofuel.
As examples of producing substances using cyanobacteria, production of fatty acids has been reported (Patent Literature 2 and Non-Patent Literature 1). However, almost no studies have reported on attempts of producing the long-chain fatty acids having 20 or more carbon atoms by using the cyanobacteria.


A projection control apparatus, method and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are disclosed. A projection control apparatus may include a memory storing instructions; and one or more processors configured to process the instructions to: cause a projection apparatus to project an image; detect a user operation; control the projection apparatus to change projection parameters upon detecting a first user operation; and control the one or more processors to change the image without changing the projection parameters upon detecting a second user operation.

Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to a technique for controlling a projection image.
Description of the Related Art
Digital signages for presenting an advertisement, guidance information, and the like may have been widespread as a new information medium. Some digital signages may project a video on a wall or the like without using a display panel. In some instances, there may be an information display method using a projector, for presenting different images between a person viewing an image through glasses and a person viewing an image with the naked eyes. Further, in the method, a main image with a compressed gradation value may be projected on a screen through a first polarization filter, and a correction image corresponding to a difference between gradation values of a sub image with a changed gradation value and gradation values of the main image may be projected on the screen through a second polarization filter with polarization components different from those of the first polarization filter.
According to the method, each viewer may adopt a viewing method according to preferable one of the images (whether to use glasses) to view the preferable one of the images. However, when the screen on which the images are projected is fixed as in the method, each viewer may need to move to a position where the screen can be visually recognized and may need to face the direction of the screen.

Projection control apparatus and projection control method


An electrical connector includes an inner shell, an insulating housing, a plurality of terminals disposed in the insulating housing, an insulating jacket and an outer shell. The inner shell is looped from a metal plate to define an accommodating chamber therein and form a joint at a first top plate thereof. Two portions of the first top plate are punched outward to form two hollow receiving hats. The insulating housing is fastened in the accommodating chamber. The insulating jacket includes a first frame substantially airtightly surrounding the inner shell and a covering piece protruded frontward from a front of a top part of the first frame for covering the joint and locating between the receiving hats. The outer shell surrounds and electrically connects with the inner shell. The outer shell has at least one soldering arm soldered to the printed circuit board for achieving a ground function.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector capable of improving waterproof performance thereof.
2. The Related Art
A traditional electrical connector generally includes an insulating housing, a plurality of terminals disposed in the insulating housing, and a shielding shell. The insulating housing defines a plurality of wedges. The shielding shell includes an upper shell and a lower shell engaged with the upper shell. The upper shell and the lower shell respectively define a plurality of clipping grooves. When the electrical connector is assembled, the upper shell and the lower shell are engaged with each other with the wedges being fastened in the clipping grooves to surround the insulating housing.
However, if the upper shell and the lower shell are not engaged tightly, then a gap may be formed between the insulating housing and the shielding shell. A chink may be formed between the wedge and the clipping groove. The moisture may enter the shielding shell of the electrical connector from the gap and the chink to result in a short circuit to affect transmission quality.


A machine for terminating a computer chip with one or more stripes of a solderable paste, comprising a feed plate wheel defined by an outer marginal edge and having an upper exposed plate surface inclined to the horizontal against which an inventory of 3-dimensional chips is placed for loading, at least one narrow groove formed in the exposed plate surface directed outwardly toward the marginal edge wall and arranged to pass through the inventory and receive therein at least one of the chips in restricted orientation, a transfer cavity defined by enclosed side walls and a floor depending from the groove inboard the outer marginal edge for receipt therein of a chip from the groove in fixed orientation, the outer marginal edge wall having an aperture formed therethrough for transferring the chip from the cavity and, a transport device for urging the chip in a specific fixed orientation from the cavity outward through the aperture in a direction different than the direction from which the chip entered the cavity.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the field of computer hardware. More particularly, it pertains to a machine that applies minute quantities of solderable paste, in accurately controlled stripes and other geometries, to very small electronic components called Integrated Passive Components (IPCs) or "array chips" used in computer circuits, and to a feed mechanism that handles the chips in novel ways to load them into a pliable mask housed in a transfer tape or carrier belt for introduction to the paste-applying process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Computers and computer-controlled appliances are becoming more powerful and can undertake and perform a wider range of tasks. To do so, computer component designers and manufacturers are cramming more and more components into them. And, in order to retain the size of the computers and appliances within a user-friendly range, the components are made smaller and are crowded closer together in the computer circuits.
The solid state capacitor has been reduced in size from the old-fashioned cylindrical device, about the size of a cigarette filter, with wires extending outward from each end, to a tiny rectangular "chip" that is smaller than a grain of rice. Instead of wires, one or more of the walls of the chip are striped with a solderable paste that is dried then fired to produce surfaces that later can be soldered directly onto a circuit board. Previously issued U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,382 discloses and claims a machine for placing a stripe or trace of solderable paste on surfaces of a chip and drying the paste so that the chip can later be fired. This machine uses a metal carrier belt or tape with rubber masks formed therein having slots in the masks into which the chips are positioned for processing. This machine can handle extremely small chips where opposed ends thereof are to be covered with paste.
Recently, a new computer circuit component has emerged that, while not necessarily smaller in overall size from the chip, crams a plurality of circuit components into a single array chip that is simultaneously solderable to a number of different electronic circuits. This device is called an Integrated Passive Component or IPC, but is still referred to in the industry as a "chip" and comprises a plurality or array, such as four or five separate capacitors sandwiched together in a single chip having overall dimensions such as top and bottom surfaces 0.1250 inches in length and 0.0600 inches in width, with opposed end walls 0.060 inches wide and 0.040 inches high and opposed side walls 0.040 inches high and 0.1250 inches long.
A typical IPC or array chip is shown in FIG. 1a with its wall surfaces marked as shown. To incorporate such a chip into a computer circuit requires separate solderable paste stripes placed along opposite surfaces such as the side surfaces or end surfaces and soldered onto copper traces formed on a circuit board as shown in FIG. 1b. The width of the stripes is generally set at 0.015.+-.0.007 inches, with a 0.012.+-.0.007 inch turn-down edge at the end of each stripe along the adjacent wall as shown in FIG. 1a. As with other chip components, after the paste is applied, it is subjected to a heat-drying cycle to set the paste, and thereafter to a firing cycle to fuse the paste on the chip.
With such a small chip and the small differences between the width and height of the chip, handling and insertion into the mask of the carrier tape has become extremely important. It is imperative that the multiple stripes be placed on only the appropriate surfaces and that their placement is accomplished with extreme accuracy. Any splashing of the paste onto other surfaces of the chip would provide a site for shorting the circuit and significantly degrading the actions of the computer. Accordingly, the feed means is not only required to place the chip into the carrier tape in a correct position and location, but the chip must also be handled correctly so that the appropriate surface is exposed in proper orientation to receive the stripes of paste with the requisite accuracy.
The matter of speed in loading has become quite important of late. The goal in the industry is to reach higher and higher processing speeds in order to lower the unit price of each chip. The principal reason for this higher speed is so that more chips are made per unit time in order to provide a larger base for amortizing the rather expensive striping machines. Other than the aforesaid previous U.S. Patent, the principal means of terminating chips involves the use of large metal and rubber plates where workers spread the chips over the holes in the plate by hand, then use another plate to press against the chips to force them partially through holes formed in the plate to expose the ends of the chips, whereupon the plate is placed in an apparatus and hand-dipped in a vat filled with the liquid paste. All this handling is very expensive and the speed of loading, dipping, and unloading is quite limited.
Further, it appears certain limitations are being reached in the prior art in the step of dipping the ends of the chips into the vat of terminating paste. While prior art methods are operable to dip an entire end of a chip in the paste, making stripes of the paste on a single, small surface, with accurate separation between the stripes on the order of 0.015 inches or less, is straining the capability of the prior art.


A manufacturing method of a phase shift mask in an embodiment includes: forming a metal layer on a substrate, the metal layer having a first region and a second region, the first region being configured to emit secondary electrons by irradiation with electrons, the second region being configured to emit secondary electrons higher in density than the first region, by the irradiation with electrons; patterning the metal layer to form a main pattern in the first region and an alignment mark in the second region; forming a resist layer on the patterned metal layer; and aligning the substrate using a secondary electron image of the alignment mark.

To respond to miniaturization of a semiconductor device such as an LSI, optical lithography by a phase sift mask (PSM) is used. The PSM uses interference of light to enable exposure with resolution higher than that defined by wavelength of light.
Here, in a Levenson phase shift mask, for example, a pattern is created in a light shielding film formed on a light transmissive mask substrate as a first layer, and then a pattern for a shifter on the mask substrate as a second layer. Therefore, before drawing of the pattern of the second layer, alignment with the pattern of the first layer is performed. For the alignment, a secondary electron image of the pattern (alignment mark) of the first layer is used.
However, in recent years, the light shielding film significantly becomes thinner and therefore detection of the alignment mark becomes more difficult, so that it becomes more difficult to secure the accuracy of overlapping the patterns of the first layer and the second layer.
Note that a technology for obtaining a sufficient detection signal of the alignment mark is disclosed.

Mask manufacturing method, mask substrate, and charged beam drawing method