A container according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides an inner wall and an outer wall wrapped therearound so as to define a double-wall container construction. A plurality of spacer elements are interposed between the inner and the outer walls so as to maintain a minimum thickness of an air space defined therebetween. In normal use conditions, the spacer elements do not contact the inner wall; however, the spacer elements prevent the outer wall from contacting the inner wall during non-standard use conditions.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to thermally insulated containers for storing beverages, and more particularly, for storing hot beverages such as coffee, tea and cocoa. More particularly, the present invention relates to thermally insulated containers for storing beverages, wherein the container is provided with a double wall construction, and wherein internal spacer elements are provided to maintain a minimum distance between the individual walls of the double wall construction.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Common single-use coffee cups are primarily made of paperboard or polystyrene. It is well known that the thermal insulation characteristics of polystyrene cups are far superior to those of either kraft paper or bleached paperboard cups. When a hot beverage, such as coffee, tea or cocoa, is poured into a single-use cup, the cup surface temperature rises to a maximum in a few seconds, then slowly cools with the beverage back to ambient temperature. If the maximum cup surface temperature exceeds about 140 degrees F., it is painful for an individual to hold the cup. The surface of a common polystyrene cup, nominally 0.090 in. thick, does not reach this threshold, but that of any single paperboard cup almost always exceeds it.
It is well known to employ various sleeve designs for cups which emphasize insulation capabilities. Exemplary of such sleeves are U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,473 ('473) to D. W. Coffin, Sr., entitled "Recyclable Corrugated Beverage Container and Holder," U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,497 ('497) to J. Sorensen, entitled "Cup Holder," U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,135 ('135) to R. J. Schaefer, entitled "Thermal Insulating Sleeve for Drink Cups," U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,372 ('372) to 0. Spence, entitled "Biodegradable Cup Holder," U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,843 ('843) to R. S. Sanchez, entitled "Cup Wrap," U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,786 ('786) to J. Dickert, entitled "Cup Holder Sleeve in Pre-Assembled Flat-Folded Form," and U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,633 ('633) to R. I. Nurse, entitled "Sleeve for Beverage Cups." While these references disclose various sleeves for use on beverage containers, none of these are particularly quantitative on the sleeve characteristics needed for good insulation.
It is also known to employ cup designs that emphasize insulation. Exemplary of such cup designs are U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,670 ('670) to J. V. Albano et al., entitled "Insulated Container," U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,501 ('501) to J. B. Watkins et al., entitled "Laminated Insulated Hot Drink Cup," U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,344 ('344) to A. Iioka, entitled "Method for Producing a Heat-Insulating Paper Container From a Paper Coated or Laminated With a Thermoplastic Synthetic Resin Film," U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,107 ('107) to V. K. Silver et al., entitled "Insulated Paper Cup," U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,585 ('585) to R. Varano, entitled "Disposable Biodegradable Insulated Container and Method for Making," U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,323 ('323) to J. H. Titus, entitled "Disposable Insulated Container," U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,599 ('599) to R. E. Sobol, entitled "Biodegradable Thermally Insulated Beverage Cup," U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,453 ('453) to D. M. MacLaughlin, entitled "Cup With Thermally Insulated Side Wall," U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,550 ('550) to R. Varano et al., entitled "Multi-Layered Insulated Cup Formed From Folded Sheet," U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,512 ('512) to R. K. Barrett, entitled "Polymeric Insulated Container," U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,653 ('653) to M. Razzaghi, entitled "Paper Cup With Air Insulation," U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,577 ('577) to J. H. Titus, entitled "Disposable Insulated Container With Microflute Structure," and U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,653 ('653) to R. B. Zadravetz, entitled "Container With Corrugated Wall." While a number of these references identify the effectiveness of an air gap and the providing of good insulation properties, they do not incorporate the simplicity of a sleeve cut from a single blank, add an air gap which is constructed of hot-melt glue dots, and employ a smooth outside-sleeve surface for printing.
It is apparent from the above that there exists a need in the art for a sleeve construction which is lightweight through simplicity of parts and uniqueness of structure, but which incorporates a sleeve cut from a single blank, adds an air-gap layer, and preserves a smooth outside-sleeve surface for printing. It is the purpose of this invention to fulfill this and other needs in the art in a manner more apparent to the skilled artisan once given the following disclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,363 ('363) to J. A. Rule, entitled "Sleeve Construction for Improved Paperboard Cup Insulation," teaches a beverage container sleeve construction which employs a matrix of hot-melt glue dots printed on one surface thereof for the purpose of maintaining a preselected distance between the sleeve and a complimentary beverage cup, around which the sleeve is wrapped. According to such a construction, the glue dots (and not the paperboard sleeve onto which the dots are printed) contact the outer surface of the cup, thereby defining an air gap between the sleeve and the cup such that a user's fingers gripping the sleeve will not be burned by the cup. However, there remains a need to improve upon an overall container construction incorporating such a technique for maintaining an air gap between complimentary walls of a double-wall beverage container.
Single layer paper cup technology does not have the ability to keep beverages or drinks warm, and at the same time protect the hand from becoming uncomfortable from holding a hot liquid or material. Similarly, a simple single layer cup or container construction does not have the ability to insulate a cold beverage or product and protect the exterior of the cold container from moisture condensation that can pool on the bottom of the container and stain furniture or the interior finish of cars and vehicles.
Many past container products have used very expensive solutions, such as an insulated foam laminate or a corrugated paper spacer to create cup sidewall thickness and this attempt to create hand-hold protection, in addition to heat- and cold-retention in the beverage or food product contained therein. All of the built-up laminated approaches to producing a thick-walled insulated cup require very unique and expensive converting equipment to manufacture a blank used to form the cup, plus an additional piece of equipment to wrap the resulting blank into a cup or container. A more simplified and high-speed system is required that could replace the high cost of a specialty blank converting manufacturing system.

Double wall container with internal spacer


Methods for "monolithic module assembly" which translate many of the advantages of monolithic module construction of thin-film PV modules to wafered c-Si PV modules. Methods employ using back-contact solar cells positioned atop electrically conductive circuit elements affixed to a planar support so that a circuit capable of generating electric power is created. The modules are encapsulated using encapsulant materials such as EVA which are commonly used in photovoltaic module manufacture. The methods of the invention allow multiple cells to be electrically connected in a single encapsulation step rather than by sequential soldering which characterizes the currently used commercial practices.

1. Field Of Invention
This invention pertains to improved assembly and performance of photovoltaic modules using single-step or few-step lamination processes. The modules manufactured using the methods of the present invention exhibit significant cost savings over the current state of the art due, in part, to the reduced number processing of steps, elimination of certain low-throughput steps, and easy automation capability associated with the methods disclosed.
2. Description Of The Related Art
Photovoltaic (PV) modules are large-area optoelectronic devices that convert solar radiation directly into electrical energy. They require good electrical and optical performance and, because of the low energy density of solar radiation, exceptionally low manufacturing and material costs to be competitive with other electrical-energy generating options. Most PV modules presently use discrete crystalline-silicon (c-Si) solar cells that are connected in an electrical circuit and encapsulated with a glass cover and polymer backsheet for environmental protection. While very successful, the basic design and assembly process of present c-Si PV modules are over 20 years old and they exhibit certain drawbacks. The most commonly used module design inherently results in obscuration of a portion of the collecting surfaces of the solar cells, and the assembly process includes difficult steps requiring delicate and costly manipulation of components.
Existing uses and construction methods for photovoltaic cells and modules are described extensively in the literature. Useful references include the following: A. Schoenecker, et al., "An Industrial Multi-Crystalline EWT Solar Cell with Screen Printed Metallisation", 14.sup.th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (ECPVSEC), Barcelona, Spain, June/July 1997; D. Thorp, "Methods of Contacting Multijunction Silicon Photovoltaic Modules", 14.sup.th ECPVSEC, Barcelona, Spain, June/July 1997; F. Jeffrey, et al., "PVMaT Improvements in Monolithic a-Si Modules of Continuous Polymer Substrates", CP394, NREL/SNL Photovoltaics Program Review, AIP Press, New York, 1997, pp. 451-461; J. Hanoka, et al., "Advanced Polymer PV System", CP394, NREL/SNL Photovoltaics Program Review, AIP Press, New York, 1997, pp. 859-866; M. Kardauskas, et al., "Market-Driven Improvements in the Manufacturing of EFG Modules", CP394, NREL/SNL Photovoltaics Program Review, AIP Press, New York, 1997, pp. 851-858; G. Pack, et al., "New Component Development for Multi-100 kW Low-Cost Solar Array Applications", IEEE, 1982; K. Mitchell, et al., "The Reformation of Cz Si Photovoltaics", First WCPEC, IEEE, 1994; J. Gee, et al., "Emitter Wrap-Through Solar Cell", 23.sup.rd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, Louisville, Ky., May 1993; J. Gee, et al., "Progress on the Emitter Wrap Through Silicon Solar Cell", 12.sup.th European Community Photovoltatic Solar Energy Conference, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, April 1994.
In a typical c-Si PV module manufactured using the current commercial technology, solar cells bearing electrical contacts on both the front and back surfaces are arranged in a grid and electrically connected either in series or in parallel. Most PV cells employed in commercial technology have electrical contacts on both the front and back surfaces on the cells to collect charges flowing through the semiconductor substrates of the cells. In order to connect the cells and create a power generating array, the front surface contacts of one cell are connected to the back surface contacts of another adjacent cell by means of electrical conductors (or tabs). Because of the electrical contact configuration of the cells and the necessity to string the cells electrically in a front-to-back fashion, the tabs on one cell necessarily overlay a portion of the collecting surface of that cell before connecting to the back contacts of an adjacent cell. Stringing of cells in this fashion has two important negative consequences for the light-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency of photovoltaic modules: 1) collection efficiency of the cells is not optimized due to a portion of their collecting surfaces being obscured by tabs, and 2) the packing density of solar cells within a module is diminished because of the space needed to accommodate the electrical connections going from the front of one cell to the back of an adjacent cell.
In the commercial process commonly used for module assembly using cells with both front and back contacts, several steps are required. Tabs are soldered on the front contacts of the cells individually, and then the cells are electrically connected by sequentially soldering them into the circuit. Next, being careful not to strain the electrical connections, cumbersome suction cup technology is employed to grasp the fragile electrical circuit and transfer it to an encapsulation work station. Finally, the cell circuit is encapsulated in the module. (See S. R. Wenham, M. A. Green, and M. W. Watt, Applied Photovoltaics, Chapter 5, Centre for Photovoltaic Devices and Systems, University of New South Wales, 1995.) This process typically requires at least three work stations with low throughput and relatively expensive automation. This 20-year-old module design and assembly process were adequate when the cost of silicon substrates completely dominated the cost of the finished PV module. However, recent advances in c-Si growth and wafering have reduced the cost of the wafer, and assembly is now the single largest cost element in a c-Si PV module. (K. W. Mitchell, et al., 1.sup.st World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, 1266-1269,1994.)
These shortcomings associated with existing commercial PV module construction are overcome through the use of back contact c-Si solar cells and the assembly methods disclosed here. Briefly, the back-contact c-Si solar cells contemplated for use in the best mode for practicing the claimed invention are solar cells with coplanar contacts on the back surface which employ laser-drilled vias connecting the front-surface carrier-collector junction to an electrode grid on the back surface (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,652, James M. Gee). Use of these or other back-contact cells obviates the necessity for tabs to overlay the collecting surfaces of the cells, and enables manufacturers to arrange cells more closely together within the cell grid. Moreover, using back-contact cells can avoid the difficult automation and high stress points associated with front-to-back-lead attachment, and allow for planar processes that permit all of the cells in a PV module to be electrically connected in a single step.


A foldable case having a back light is disclosed that a specific printed or injection-molded mark and a logo are emitted on a foldable case with which a liquid crystal display unit is integrally formed. The ON/OFF state of a power source of a liquid crystal display unit can be easily recognized even in a state that a foldable case is closed, and a specific mark or logo printed or injection-molded on an outer surface of the foldable case integrally formed with the liquid crystal display has a back light, so that divers desires of users can be satisfied as well as providing an elegant appearance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a foldable case, and more particularly to a foldable case having a back light that a specific printed or injection-molded mark and a logo are emitted on a foldable case with which a liquid crystal display unit is integrally formed.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, various electronics products having a liquid crystal display unit are being compact to be portable. For example, a cellular phone or a lap-top computer is manufactured to come out in a market in a manner that a liquid crystal display unit, such as an LCD, is integrally formed at a foldable case which is rotatably opened and closed with a main body, facilitating using and carrying.
As a foldable electronic product having a liquid crystal display unit, the lap-top computer is taken for an embodiment of the present invention and will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a construction of a general lap-top computer in accordance with a conventional art.
As shown in the drawing, the general lap-top computer includes a foldable case 10 with which a liquid crystal display unit 30 implemented as an LCD is integrally formed, and a main body part 50 hinged with the foldable case 10. The main body part 50 includes a power source button 40 and a key board 60 formed at one side thereof.
As shown in FIG. 2, the LCD implementing the liquid crystal display unit 30 includes a light emitting part 21 forming a predetermined empty space in contact with a front inner surface of the case 20, from viewing that the outer side of the foldable case 10 is regarded as a back side surface, forming an empty space; a liquid crystal element 22 formed on the light emitting part 21 for selectively blocking the light emitted from the light emitting part by an applied electric signal to display a text or an image; and a transparent protective plate 23 formed in contact with the whole side surface of the liquid crystal element 22, for protecting the liquid crystal element 22.
The front inner surface of the case 20 contacting the light emitting part 21 which forms an empty space serves as a reflector so that the light generated from a light source of the light emitting part 21 is collectively projected on a display surface of the liquid crystal display unit 30 after passing the liquid crystal element 22 and the transparent protective plate 23.
The power source button 40 formed at the main body part 50 is functioned as a main power source of the lap-top computer, to simultaneously turn on or turn off the power source of the system and the display unit 30. In case where a user intends to finish using of the lap-top computer, typically, he or she switches off the power source button 40 and rotatably combines the foldable case 10 to the main body part 50 for keeping or carrying.
However, as for the conventional .lap-top computer, in case where the user inadvertently rotates the foldable case to the main body part in a state that the power source button is not switched to the OFF terminal, a problem arises that the user could not recognize whether the power source of the liquid crystal display unit has been turned on or turned off.
Failure to recognize the ON/OFF state of the liquid crystal display unit consuming much power is a big problem in view of characteristics of the lap-top computer carried with battery mounted.
Meanwhile, a recent tendency shows that a mark or a logo is attached on the outer surface of the foldable case for a product promotion or a brand image creation. In this respect, however, an attachment of a simple mark or a log does not satisfy the diverse desires of users.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a foldable case having a back light by which the ON/OFF state of a power source of a liquid crystal display unit can be easily recognized even in a state that a foldable case is closed, and a specific mark or logo printed or injection-molded on an outer surface of the foldable case integrally formed with the liquid crystal display has a back light, so that divers desires of users can be satisfied as well as providing an elegant appearance.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a foldable case having a back light including: a light emitting part formed having an empty space in contact with a front inner surface of the case and a rear side surface of a liquid crystal element, for evenly distributing light, a liquid crystal element installed at the front surface of the light emitting part, and selectively blocking the light emitted from the light emitting part to display a text or an image; a transparent protective plate formed in contact with the front surface of the liquid crystal element to protect the liquid crystal element; and a case for supportedly combining the light emitting part, the liquid crystal element and the transparent protective plate, reflecting the light of the light emitting part so as to be injected onto the whole surface of the liquid crystal element, and having a light transmittance hole on the section of its body so as to have a back light on a specific mark or logo of the rear surface thereof.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


The invention is a rotatable cylindrical roll for heat sealing heat sealable materials that includes a heating zone for sealing the material and a cooling zone for supporting the newly formed seal. The device comprises a conductive zone and a resistive zone that are in electrical communication. The resistive zone comprises a cylindrical member having a circumferential band of resistive material disposed on its surface. The conductive zone comprises a cylindrical member having a plurality of conductive strips extending laterally across its surface that are in electrical communication with the resistive band. Current is applied via a brush to the conductive strips. Current flows from the conductive strips into the resistive band and exits through a conductive strip that is in contact with a ground. Current path through the resistive band defines the heating zone, and the cooling zone is defined by area of the resistant band outside the heating zone.

The invention relates generally to heat seal devices and more particularly to impulse heat seal devices.
Flexible packaging products are used to protect a wide variety of articles from both physical abuse and contamination. These packaging products include, for example, plastic bags or pouches that can be useful for packaging items such as food, and cushion materials such as air cellular material.
Flexible packaging can be prepared from sheets of laminates or films that are bonded together to form a desired product. The packaging may include thermoplastic materials that can be bonded together using a heat seal. A heat seal is produced by applying heat to the thermoplastic materials until they melt together and effectively fuse to form a seal. In many circumstances it may be desirable to bond two sheets of thermoplastic material together to form a continuous running seal. It may be difficult to use heat to fuse unsupported materials together to form a continuous running seal because the materials may melt and stick to the heating element or the seal may separate when it is no longer supported by the heating element.
One technique for producing a continuous running seal includes passing the thermoplastic materials that are to be fused together over a heated drum. Typically, the entire surface of the drum is heated via an interior resistor wire or hot fluid. As the materials pass over the surface of the drum, the heat fuses the films together. If the newly sealed films leave the drum still heated, the seal will not have cooled sufficiently to produce a strong bond and the seal can separate or tear. As a result, these devices typically require the presence of a Teflon belt between the films and the drum. The Teflon belt prevents the film from adhering to the drum and provides additional support for the newly formed seal after it has left the drum.
In another technique, a continuous seal can be made by passing the thermoplastic materials between heated rollers. A disadvantage associated with this method is that the dwell time for heat sealing between the rollers is extremely short. Typically, good seals can be made only if the rollers are moving very slowly or if the materials are preheated before passing through the heated rollers. Additionally, the newly formed seal may tear or rupture if the fused materials are not adequately supported after passing between the rollers.
Impulse sealing is another commonly used method to produce a continuous seal. In one form of impulse sealing, the materials are indexed forward between opposed sealing jaws. An electrically resistive material, such as nichrome resistive wire is positioned within one of the jaws and covered with an electrically insulating layer. The thermoplastic materials are indexed forward between the jaws and an electric current is passed through the resistive wire to fuse the materials. After the current turns off, the transfer of heat from the thermoplastic materials to the jaws facilitates faster cooling and solidification of the newly formed seal. The jaws are then opened and the fused materials are indexed forward to produce the next seal. The advantage of this method is that the seal is cooled to achieve adequate strength before the jaws are opened. The disadvantage of this system is that it requires more time and the materials cannot be continuously moved forward in a seamless manner.
Thus, there still exists a need to provide a device and method for producing a continuous heat seal in heat sealable materials that provides adequate heating for producing the seal while at the same time supporting the newly formed seal until it is adequately cooled.


A method is disclosed for the direct recovery of platinum group metals (PGM) from thiourea solutions or highly acidic aqueous solutions in general, such as leach solutions resulting from the acid leaching of precious metal bearing material. The method comprises reduction precipitation of the PGM from solution by alkali metal borohydride (preferably sodium or potassium borohydride) addition thereto at ambient temperature and pressure. The resulting precipitate is readily filtrable to give a product comprising high purity platinum group metal powder. The barren solution can be recycled to the upstream process.

This invention relates to a method for the recovery of platinum group metals (PGM) from thiourea solutions and acidic solutions in general, such as leach solutions resulting from the acid leaching of precious metal bearing material. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for the recovery of PGM from very highly acidic solutions of about 8N HCl and from thiourea strip liquors by reduction precipitation with alkali metal borohydride, preferably sodium or potassium borohydride.

Recovery of platinum group metals (PGM) from acidic solutions by reduction precipitation with sodium borohydride

Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources


The present invention provides a traffic-signalling device suitable for providing information to oncoming traffic. The traffic-signalling device comprises a moveable member suitable for attachment to a support and a solar powered drive system. The moveable member is operative to move between a first position and a second position, wherein in the second position the traffic-signalling device is operative to provide information to oncoming traffic. The solar-powered drive system is suitable for causing the moveable member to move between the first position and the second position.

Traffic signalling systems and traffic signalling devices for providing information to oncoming traffic are known in the art. Such traffic signalling systems and devices often provide information to oncoming traffic in the form of driving instructions and/or information regarding the condition of the upcoming road.
Generally, traffic signalling systems and devices are controlled by electrical cables that run along-side the road or highway. However, a deficiency with using electrical cables is that it is not always safe, or practical, to have electric power lines running along the side of a road or highway.
As such, there is a need in the industry for improved traffic signalling systems and devices that alleviate at least in part the deficiencies associated with the prior art systems and devices.


A method and apparatus for estimation of frequency offset in wireless communications. Symbols to be transmitted are arranged in blocks of K symbols. The symbol blocks and their replicas are interleaved and then encoded into K sequences of coded symbols in space and time domains. The K coded symbol sequences are transmitted from K transmit antennas, while baseband signals carrying the coded symbols are received via J receive antennas and converted into J groups of intermediate signals. Thereafter, an interlaced operation and coherent combination is performed on each of the J intermediate signal groups. J sets of computed signals are thus generated and then combined in the space and time domains to develop a set of combined signals. Consequently, a frequency offset is estimated on the basis of this combined signal set.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to wireless communication, and more particularly to a transmit diversity scheme used in a coherent system for estimation of frequency offset in a flat-fading environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past two decades, wireless communication has grown with unprecedented speed from early radio paging, cordless telephone, and cellular telephony to today's personal communication and computing devices. These commercial wireless applications have had a profound impact on today's business world and people's daily lives. It is likely that future breakthroughs in wireless communication will be driven largely by high data rate applications. Increasing the link or channel bandwidth is a simple but costly remedy. It has been shown that Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems are a viable approach to provide significant capacity improvement over conventional wireless antenna systems. MIMO links may play an important role in next-generation wireless systems.
The system performance of current wireless communication systems is limited by the major channel impairment, that is, signal fading generally caused by multipath propagation. Theoretically, the most effective technique to mitigate multipath fading in a wireless channel is transmitter power control. However, there are two fundamental problems with this approach. The major problem is the required transmitter dynamic range. The second problem is that the transmitter does not have any knowledge of the channel experienced by the receiver. Hence, the channel information has to be fed back from the receiver to the transmitter, which results in throughput degradation and considerable added complexity to both the transmitter and the receiver.
Other effective techniques such as space, time, and frequency diversity can be used to mitigate the effect of fading. Frequency and time diversity can be exploited from time-varying multipath channels while space (or antenna) diversity is achieved using multiple antennas. In the classical space diversity scheme, multiple antennas are often employed to provide diversity at the receiver. Such receiver diversity approaches may not be desirable for mobile handsets because of the cost, size and power considerations. Therefore, transmit diversity schemes have become one of the most interesting topics in wireless communications. U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,258, issued to Alamouti et al., disclose a transmitter diversity technique for wireless communications. The technique provides good diversity gain, but is very sensitive to channel estimation errors. In this patent, the receiver can only be applicable to a path fading, not channel fading, environment since it cannot deal with the carrier frequency offset. In reality, the frequency offset always exists due to the difference of the oscillator frequencies between the transmitter and the receiver or the Doppler frequency shift effect for mobile communications. Tarokh et al. disclose a differential modulation for two transmit antennas and one receive antenna based on Alamouti's method, see "A differential detection scheme for transmit diversity," IEEE J. Select. Areas Commun., Vol. 18, No. 7 pp. 1169–1194, July, 2000. In this scheme, the receiver executes differential detection and requires no channel state information to accomplish low decoding complexity. Unfortunately, the differential encoding scheme without estimation of frequency offset is suited only to a noncoherent system but not to a coherent system.
In view of the above, what is needed is a novel transmit diversity scheme applicable to a coherent system, unencumbered by the limitations associated with the prior art.

Apparatus and method for estimation of frequency offset in wireless communications


An emulsified cosmetic makeup for revitalizing, smoothing, moisturizing and tightening the skin is disclosed. The composition comprises cosmetically effective amounts of a film forming agent containing plant polysaccharides and hydrolyzed casein, at least one sunscreen agent, at least one natural exfoliating agent, at least one moisturizer/re-hydrating agent encapsulated in liposome vessicles, at least one preservative, at least one antioxidant agent, at least one cosmetically acceptable pigment and at least one emulsifier.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a makeup composition and method for treating skin, and more particularly, to an improved pigmented makeup cosmetic composition which, when applied topically to exposed human skin, provides effective protection from the sun, moisturizes and revitalizes the skin as well as provides an attractive pigment thereto.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Aging, environmental conditions, such as heating and air conditioning, exposure to the sun and environmental pollution exert negative effects on human skin and result in wrinkles, sagging, loss of elasticity and firmness, dryness, changes in complexion and other cosmetically undesirable effects. A number of skin cream compositions exist that contain ingredients to counteract some of the effects of stress on the skin.
Sunscreens provide protection from sun-induced skin damage that accelerates skin aging. A number of patents relate generally to anti-aging cosmetic compositions that include a broad range of ingredients including for example, free radical activity retarding compounds, titanium dioxide as sunscreen, antioxidants, emulsifiers, thickeners and colorants (U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,109) or plant and yeast extracts, vitamin E or C for elasticity, silicone for firmness and sunscreens (U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,105) or skin cream compositions containing serum protein complex with hydrolyzed animal protein, protein-amino-acid-vitamin-nucleotide complex, dimethylsilanoyl hyaluronate complex and small micellar complexes containing various ingredients, such as for example panthenol (U.S. Pat. No. 5,254,331). Many cosmetic compositions and skin protective compositions contain titanium dioxide, alone, mixed with or treated with a silicone compound (U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,445) or titanium dioxide coated with or mixed with mica and or silicone (U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,508) or microfine particles of titanium oxide (U.S. Pat. No. 5,032,390 and 5,250,289).
However, sunscreens and other anti-aging agents are not effective in revitalizing skin that has already been damaged by sun, aging or other factors. Cosmetic compositions that counteract the effects of natural aging on the skin do not retard the effects of sunlight and do not conceal damage that has already occurred to the skin due to the natural aging process. U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,161 to Bowser, et al. discloses a therapeutic composition for alleviating or preventing sun-induced desquamation, which includes as an active ingredient a C.sub.3 to C.sub.30 2-hydroxyalkanoic acid or ester thereof together with an organic sunscreen active ingredient.
Cosmetic compositions that contain ingredients for moisturizing and/or re-hydrating and soothing the skin are plentiful. U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,853 to Chausee discloses a panthenyl moisturizer and an emollient in a non-occlusive base composition to provide enhanced conditioning and protection against dryness. U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,762 to Yarosh discloses the use of lipid encapsulated protein, such as DNA repair enzymes, to condition skin. Bertim (U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,624) discloses a cosmetic composition containing as active moisturizing agent a liposome encapsulated mineral water associated with precursors of a sulfurate glucosaminoglycans.
Accordingly, there is a need for a single cosmetic makeup product that is effective in retarding the aging effects of sunlight, retarding the natural effects of aging on the skin, such as drying and loss of elasticity and improving the appearance of damaged skin by removing dead skin, i.e. revitalizing skin, moisturizing/re-hydrating and tightening and firming skin, while also providing an attractive coloration to improve the complexion of the skin.


A quick-disconnect coupling device for use in plug and receptacle style electrical connectors, fiberoptic connectors, pneumatic and hydraulic couplings or any other application where a secure quick-disconnect connection is desired. Under normal operation, the coupling device incorporates a sliding outer sleeve to activate and release latching features within the retention system, which engages with an appropriate mating receptacle. An emergency release feature is included to allow the coupling to disconnect at a selectable, predetermined axial pull-force on the rear of the coupler. The secondary release feature prevents damage to the components and, in many applications, increases personal safety, by providing an emergency release feature, while still maintaining standard coupling and decoupling functionality.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to coupling devices, and more particularly to a quick-disconnect coupling device for use in applications such as plug and receptacle style electrical connectors, fiberoptic connectors, pneumatic and hydraulic couplings or any other application where a secure quick-disconnect connection is desired.
2. Discussion of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR §§ 1.97, 1.98
Quick-disconnect coupling devices are often used in applications requiring frequent coupling and decoupling, yet requiring a secure engagement due to the application environment having a probability of inadvertent forces being applied to the device being coupled. This can occur, for example, with a person tripping over a cord or hose, cabling catching on clothing, hoses or cables tangling with moving equipment, equipment being moved without first disconnecting the coupling and other similar situations and occurrences. Inadvertent disconnection is a concern in many applications where interruption of function would create hazardous conditions or have otherwise undesirable results or effects. For these reasons, there are many coupling devices that have secure latching systems to prevent such an inadvertent or accidental disconnect.
In some applications, another desire is an emergency release feature. This is a requirement in many stationary and mobile applications where personnel safety and equipment survival cannot be compromised. Some specific examples where personal injury could occur due to a non-releasing connection are helmet-to-equipment connections such as those found on police and civilian motorbikes for radio connections and for aircraft pilots that may need to hastily exit or eject from an aircraft. Worn-equipment configurations, often for communications or computer connections, exist within many applications including law enforcement, military infantry and special operations units, firefighting and other professions where interference with critical duties could be caused cables, hoses, tubes and the like, snagging or entangling with other objects. Examples of applications where equipment damage could occur include railroad railcar connections, towed vehicle connections and a multitude of others. These applications require the original secure coupling system plus an emergency release feature that will allow the coupling to disconnect at a selectable, predetermined force. In many applications it is important that the emergency release feature is a repeatable, consistent function and does not significantly degrade in release force for a large number of disconnect cycles over the lifetime of the installed equipment.
There have been numerous efforts to address these problems. A small sample of exemplary devices are shown in the following documents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,002, to Noschese, shows a snap-lock electrical connector having an automatic disconnection feature. The electrical connector has a housing, a plurality of contacts, a snap-lock latch and a movable outer hood. The snap-lock latch can automatically mechanically connect and retain the housing to a second connector. The movable outer hood can be pulled by a user after connection which disconnects the latch and results in the disconnection of the electrical connector from the second connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,346,406, to Hoffman, et al., discloses an electrical cable and connector assembly having an electrical cable with power conductors and a pilot conductor releasably coupled to an electrical contact in an electrical connector, so that the pilot conductor releases from the electrical contact of the connector when a mechanical stress or force is applied to the cable. The power conductors are spirally wrapped about the centrally located pilot conductor so that the power conductors can stretch while the pilot conductor is pulled from its electrical contact upon application of the force or stress on the cable.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,188, to Snyder, teaches a shear connector includes a plug connector having front and rear insert portions on opposite sides of the shear plane that are held together by a shear bolt scored to shear at a predetermined force, and which is threaded directly into openings in the rear insert in such a way as to eliminate relative movement between the shear bolts and the rear insert during shearing. Pin contact sections extending rearwardly from the front insert are scored at the shear plane to shear at a predetermined force. By varying clearances between the pin contact sections and the sides of the openings of the rear insert into which the pin contact sections extend, groups of contacts can be made to shear at different times, thereby reducing the force required to shear each group without unduly weakening the contacts.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,341, to Finona, et al., shows a break-away apparatus for electrical and optical connectors having front and rear fittings with peripheries that have pairs of aligned fastener-receiving holes, and a plurality of fasteners that each lies in a pair of holes and holds the peripheries of the fittings together. Each fastener is a screw with a shank having a threaded front end that engages threads in the hole of the front fitting, and includes a screw head at the rear of the shank which lies against a rearwardly-facing shoulder on the rear fitting to prevent fitting separation. A bore extends along the axis of the shank, and a rear end portion of the shank has a groove, creating a break-away portion of the fastener that has a ring-shaped cross-section. The ring-shaped coss-section permits tightening of the screw but results in the screw breaking when a predetermined force is applied to allow separation of the fittings.
U.S. Pat. No. 427,542, to Gerow, discloses a connector that allows the connector main part to be pulled out of a coupling nut or part when the cable that extends rearwardly from the main part is pulled with a sufficiently large force. The main part is of the type that includes a metal shell enclosing an insulator that holds contacts whose front ends mate with the contacts of a mating connector device and whose rear ends connect to wires of the cable. The outside of the shell and the inside of the coupling part have adjacent grooves, and an expandable ring-shaped retainer lies in both grooves to normally hold the main part to the coupling part. The forward wall of the groove in the main part is inclined from an axial direction to form a ramp. If the main part is pulled rearwardly with a large force, the retainer expands as it rides up the ramp and past the front of the main part, to thereby release the main part from the coupling part and the connector device to which it is coupled.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,246, to Moldenhauer, et al., teaches a coupler for connecting a first element to a second element, including a first connector piece securable to the first element; a second connector piece for attaching to the first connector piece; and a flexible breakaway device mounted on the second element for releasably securing the second connector piece to the second element. A method of connecting and disconnecting a first element and a second element includes the steps of providing a first connector piece on the first element; attaching a breakaway device to the second element; attaching a second connector piece to the breakaway device that is attached to the second element; securing the first connector to the second connector; releasing the second connector piece from the second element by deflecting a portion of the breakaway device when a separation force is applied between the first and second elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,761, to Muguira, discloses an electric fuse holder having a cylindrical receiving body with an internally threaded nut attached in a manner that allows relative rotation between them. The assembly of the nut to the body allows separation of the nut from the body when a predetermined axial separating force is imparted between the parts, without damage to them. A second fuse receiving body has an external thread which engages the thread of the first body. As the threaded connection is made the body sections are drawn together to enclose the fuse.
FIGS. 1A and 1B schematically depicts an example of one of the many styles of the typical and well known quick-disconnect coupling systems. FIG. 1A shows the coupling system before disconnection, and FIG. 1B shows the coupling system during the disconnect action. The coupler consists of an inner latching sleeve 120 with cantilever beam latch-tabs 180, which are retracted by the sliding outer shell release sleeve 140 of the coupler plug. As the outer shell sleeve 140 is pulled axially with a force in direction F, the angled surface 185 of the latch tabs 180 causes them to retract toward the axis or center of the plug 195, withdrawing from the latch retaining groove 175 in the receptacle shell 170. As the operator continues to pull the outer shell 140, the latch tabs 180 bend as fully as necessary to drive the angled surface of the latch-tab interiorly and fully out of the retaining groove and the plug may be extracted from the receptacle 170 with relatively little resistance. Similar sliding release sleeve concepts are used with other locking schemes such as the ball detent and angled wedge type systems.
Still referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, and stated summarily, existing coupling systems are designed to latch securely and prevent accidental disconnect due to pull on the cable 160 or any other object that is secured to the rear 110 of the coupler, or a pull applied directly to the rear of the coupler. The established approach to creating an emergency release feature is to reduce the retention force. This primary latching system is then subjected to forces and excessive abusive disconnects (such as cable pulls) that it was not intended to accommodate. This typically means variation and degradation of the retention force over time. Another very common approach is to raise the normal disconnect force of the primary latching system. One disadvantage of this is that the "normal" (intentional) disconnect force is higher than desired. Also, the higher forces employed can accelerate wear and variation over time.
The foregoing patents and typical prior art device reflect the current state of the art of which the present inventor is aware. Reference to, and discussion of, these patents and the illustrated device is intended to aid in discharging Applicant's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be relevant to the examination of claims to the present invention. However, it is respectfully submitted that none of the above-indicated patents disclose, teach, suggest, show, or otherwise render obvious, either singly or when considered in combination, the invention described and claimed herein.

Quick-disconnect coupling system with emergency release feature


A side dump body including a plurality of side dump body units pivotally mounted on a truck or trailer frame. Each of the side dump body units may be individually pivotally moved from a transport position to a dumping position whereby the contents of the dump body units may be dumped from the side of the truck or trailer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a side dump body and more particularly to a side dump body for use on a trailer or truck and which has increased carrying capacity when compared to conventional side dump trailers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dump bodies which are employed on trailers or trucks normally are of the end dump type or the side dump type. Since the introduction of the side dump body disclosed in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,214, side dump trucks and trailers have experienced wide acceptance. Perhaps the only drawback to applicant's earlier side dump body is that the body does not have as much carrying capacity as an end dump body due to the fact that the side walls of the side dump body extend upwardly and outwardly from a bottom wall, rather than extending vertically upwardly from a bottom wall as in most conventional end dump bodies. The bottom dump or belly dump bodies also suffer the same drawback, since the side walls of those trailers normally extend upwardly and outwardly from a bottom wall rather than substantially vertically from a bottom wall.
A further disadvantage of conventional side dump and end dump trailers is that they are only able to haul a single commodity.


An in-line valve-controllable outlet for an in-line connection between a washing machine water supply and a washing machine. The valve-controllable outlet has a first conduit with a first diversionary port positioned between an input port and an output port, the input port for connection to the hot water source and the output port for connection to the hot water inlet of the washing machine and a second conduit having a second diversionary port positioned between an input port and an output port, the input port for connection to the cold water source and the output port for connection to the cold water inlet of the washing machine. A mixing valve receives each of the first and the second diversionary port. An output port of the mixing valve discharges the mixed water.

When household chores need to be performed, such as washing pets or cars, a warm of temperate water supply is needed. For example, in the winter months, temperate water is needed to wash a dog to loosen the natural oils accumulated in the animal's fur. Temperate water is also needed to wash the oil-based residues that accumulate on the surface of a car or its engine. Outside water faucets would be unavailable to supply this need as they would provide cold water. Hot water faucets are similarly unavailable as the hot water would typically scald the animal, or if used to de-ice a windshield, risk cracking the windshield because of the sudden temperature differential. Other uses and needs for temperate water can be realized.
Conventionally, temperate water would have to be supplied from inside a house using buckets or the like. While being carried outside, the water would typically spill or splatter, creating a mess to clean. Furthermore, the quantity that could be carried is insufficient to complete the job, requiring multiple trips for water.
Temperate water sources could also be supplied by modifying a buildings existing water lines by tapping into existing hot- and cold-water lines and connecting a mixing valve to the taps. Such modifications are expensive because a plumber must cut into existing walls to find the water pipes, make the modifications, and repair the damage to the walls.
A need exists for a device which provides an adjustable temperate-water source on demand without reconnections or modification of existing water lines.

Apparatus and method for an in-line valve-controllable outlet


A recording apparatus comprises: a supplying device to supply a voice signal; a circuit to store the voice signal supplied by the supplying device into a memory having a plurality of memory blocks such as tracks; and a control circuit to control the storing circuit. The control circuit can switch between a first mode in which, after the voice signal was stored into a predetermined block in the memory, the control circuit is set into a standby mode and a second mode in which the storing of the voice signal is continued until an arbitrary block in the memory. The apparatus further has a time base compression circuit to time base compress the voice signal. With the apparatus, in the after-recording mode to record the voice signal after the video signal which has already been recorded on a recording medium, a desired voice signal can be recorded by a simple operation. Even if an image signal for after recording was changed during the after recording of a voice, the apparatus can easily cope with such a change.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording a voice signal.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, when a voice signal is recorded, for instance, there are considered two systems: a first system in which recording is executed while automatically updating a recording area of a recording medium; and a second system in which a recording area is not updated, but in the case of recording a predetermined amount of a voice signal, recording is automatically stopped.
However, in a mode to record for ten seconds per block, the voice signal is recorded the next track after the elapse of ten seconds. If an original is read and the recording is continued without regard to a length of the voice signal, the recording is successively executed to the other subsequent blocks every ten seconds, and a number of blocks will have been used in vain. Therefore, there is also considered a method whereby after an original was completely read within ten seconds, by depressing a stop button, recording in the next block can be prevented. However, in such a method, the operations are complicated and the user needs to be familiar with the operation.

Recording apparatus having continual and single-memory-portion recording modes


A ventilator system (100/200/300/400) includes an integrated blower (130/230/330). In one case, the ventilator system includes: an inspiration port (122/222/322) for connection to an inspiratory limb (112/212/312) of a dual-limb patient circuit (110/210/310), and an expiration port (142/242/342) for connection to an expiratory limb (114/214/314) of the dual-limb patient circuit; a gas delivery device (120/220/320) connected to the inspiration port to supply a pressurized flow of gas to the inspiration port to generate a positive pressure; and a blower having an inlet (132/232/332) that is operatively connected to the expiration port and configured to be controlled to selectively supply a negative pressure level between 4 and 120 cmH2O to the expiration port, and an outlet (134/234/334) to exhaust gas received from the expiration port. In another case, the ventilator system includes a blower to generate positive pressure/flow to augment flow for noninvasive ventilation.

Ventilators are used in a variety of settings. For example, in a hospital a patient may be ventilated as part of their medical care. In particular, ventilators are commonly provided in hospital intensive care units (ICUs).
Many of these ventilators use high pressure or compressed gas source for breath delivery. In addition to generating and delivering breaths to the patient, a high-end ventilator may include an integrated system implementation. With such an implementation, a ventilator system can include other patient care modalities like secretion management and high frequency ventilation etc. These modalities require both positive pressure and negative pressure in the system for effective implementation. For example, in high frequency positive pressure ventilation (HFPPV), positive pressure is generated from the high pressure, compressed, gas source and negative pressure is generated by a venturi system implementation.
For example, for an HFPPV implementation, the mean airway pressure (MAP) depends on the peak-to-peak amplitude of the positive pressure pulses. For higher frequencies or for higher amplitudes, the MAP may be too high for the patient. MAP can only be lowered by applying negative pressure during exhalation. This negative pressure may be generated by a venturi effect from the positive pressure side of the system. However, a venturi system is very noisy and it has a relatively slow response. In another modality such as secretion management, a ventilator system needs to deliver insufflation (positive pressure) and exsufflation (negative pressure) to simulate a cough. In yet another modality such as noninvasive ventilation incorporated in high-end ICU ventilators, a blower can additionally augment and/or provide higher flows of gas that may be needed for such ventilation therapy. The gas supplied from individual gas outlets in the hospitals may be limited to ˜180 liters per minute (lpm) and is adequate for the most invasive mechanical ventilation needs. However, for non-invasive ventilation, the ventilator should be able to generate much higher flows—on the order of 250 to 300 liters/minute (lpm) to compensate for mask leaks.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a ventilator and method of ventilation which can address one or more of these requirements.
In one aspect of the invention, a ventilator system comprises: an inspiration port configured to be connected to an inspiratory limb of a dual-limb patient circuit, and an expiration port configured to be connected to an expiratory limb of the dual-limb patient circuit; a gas delivery device operatively connected to the inspiration port and configured to supply a pressurized flow of gas to the inspiration port to generate positive pressure; and a blower having an inlet that is operatively connected to the expiration port and configured to be controlled to selectively supply a negative pressure level between 4 and 120 cmH2O to the expiratory limb, and further having an outlet configured to exhaust gas received via the expiration port.
In another aspect of the invention, a method of ventilation comprises: providing an inspiration port configured to be connected to an inspiration limb of a dual-limb patient circuit, and providing an expiration port configured to be connected to an expiratory limb of the dual-limb patient circuit; supplying a pressurized flow of gas to the inspiration port to generate positive pressure; and selectively connecting an inlet of a blower to the expiration port to selectively supply a negative pressure level between 4 and 120 cmH2O to the expiration port and to exhaust from an outlet of the blower gas received from the expiration port.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a ventilator system comprises: a patient circuit interface port configured to be connected to a single-limb patient circuit; a gas delivery device operatively connected to the patient circuit interface port and configured to supply a pressurized flow of gas to the patient circuit interface port to generate positive pressure; a blower having an outlet operatively connected to the patient circuit interface port and configured to supply a pressurized flow of air to the patient circuit interface port to generate positive pressure; a pressure transducer configured to measure a patient airway pressure; at least one flow sensor configured to measure a gas flow in the patient circuit; and a controller configured to control the gas delivery device and the blower in response to a pressure transducer signal indicating the measured pressure in the patient circuit and a flow sensor signal indicating the measured gas flow from the gas delivery device.

Ventilator with integrated blower to provide negative or positive pressure in a ventilator system


A source apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a storage, a communicator, and a processor configured to, when the source apparatus being turned on while the source apparatus is turned off, identify an application related to a content included in the content reproduction history among a plurality of applications based on a content reproduction history stored in the storage, control the communicator to receive a content list provided by the application, and provide the content list by executing the application.

As network environment develops, consumer's content watching pattern is changing from terrestrial broadcasting through a broadcast tuner or content watching through a disk to content watching through a network streaming service. Accordingly, a development of electronic devices supporting network streaming services is expanding.
However, since conventional electronic devices supporting network streaming service are developed mainly for TV broadcasting or disk, which are existing functions, consumers should turn on the electronic device and search for a streaming service they want to watch through a main screen in order to access the network streaming service.
In this case, consumers who mainly use network streaming services have to search for streaming services whenever they want to watch content, and an extra time consumption was required.
In addition, there are electronic devices that provide a function that allows consumers to access the electronic device immediately after turning on the electronic device by placing a specific application button on a remote control, but if it is an application that consumers want, it was useless and only gives a discomfort by adding an unnecessary key on the remote control.

Source apparatus and control method therefor


A method and apparatus for preventing a dense liquid such as diesel fuel from being dispensed into a storage tank that contains a less dense liquid, such as gasoline fuel and vice versa. The unloading process happens by gravity through a vertical down hole. The invention uses the gravitational flow of the fluid, a movable float that is moved by contact with a fluid of a predetermined density, and a magnetic member to activate the stopping feature.

1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to fuel distribution and more particularly to a method and apparatus that prevents a wrong fuel product being dispensed into a storage tank.
2. Background Art
Presently there is a need for an apparatus or method to keep fuel tanker drivers from delivering the wrong fuel to a storage tank. Storage tanks are located in gas stations, truck stops, pipeline terminals, and refineries. Most storage tanks are underground, so it is impossible to visually determine what type of fuel the storage tank contains. Today most storage tanks are marked or color coded to alert the delivery person as to what type of fuel is contained within the tanks; however wrong deliveries still occur. In addition, delivery tankers have several compartments separated from each other to make it possible to transport different kinds of fuels at the same time such as gasoline and diesel. Due to the inattention of the driver, sometimes the driver unloads the wrong product into the wrong storage tank. When this happens, the intermixed fuel cannot be used because it will cause significant damage to any vehicle using the intermixed fuel. The same disastrous results occur with the use of the wrong fuel in a vehicle. In addition, an apparatus and/or method to prevent a wrong type of fuel from being dispensed from a holding tank to a vehicle tank are also necessary and can be accomplished with the present invention.
Several attempts have been made to solve a similar problem; however they are very complicated, costly, and require a separate power source for use. One of these prior art devices is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,232. This device teaches an apparatus and method to disrupt the flow of the fluid upon detection of a nonconforming liquid. The device shuts down an electric pump, thus preventing the fluid from flowing. The device could not be used in an underground tank or down a filler hole and function completely on its own due to its size. The device needs electric wiring and power. It is designed to work on liquids that are pumped and are traveling upwards. Furthermore, it uses a two-step process; it shuts down a pump with an actuator, which in turn stops the flow. The device does not use the natural flow of the liquid to activate the flow-stopping feature.
Other prior art devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,632,139 and 4,865,070. Each of these devices separates liquids that are already mixed; they do not prevent mixing of unlike liquids. Further, they only work with liquids that do not mix with each other. The floating element in these devices is the actual stopper of the fluid and is not used to stop the flow of the wrong liquid down a filler tube or hole.
Other prior art devices use a floating device that sinks in a light liquid and floats in a dense liquid. The device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,232. However, as with other prior art devises, the stopping feature operates in one mode. For instance, they will only prevent a less dense fluid from flowing, but do not operate in a second mode; preventing a more dense fluid from flowing. The present invention operates in both modes. The floating device carries a prism to direct light to a photo electric cell or a magnet to disrupt electric power to stop a pump.
The present invention is a unique apparatus that prevents a wrong fluid from flowing, because fuels like gasoline and diesel mix very easily. The invention uses a one step process with no extraneous devices. It uses gravity to operate. The invention operates completely in a filler tube or down hole. It does not need electrical power, and it prevents the mixing of liquids that mix with each other. The invention activates a stopper that shuts down the flow of a liquid that flows by gravity.


A method and apparatus for predicting nodularity of a hypo or hyper eutectic cast iron melt during casting is described. The method is particularly useful for NiMg-treated melts but can also be used for rare earth treated melts. A small sample of the melt is poured into a sample cup to which up to 0.025% wt bismuth is added and a cooling curve is produced during cooling. In a NiMg treated melt, a .DELTA.T (TER-TEU) of at least 9.degree. C. indicates good nodularity. In an RE treated melt, a .DELTA.T of less than 6.degree. C. at a TER/TEU of 1140.degree. C. also indicates good nodularity will be observed upon the solidification of the melt.

Cast irons containing nodular graphite are well known in the art (Morrogh et al, J.I.S.I. 1970 (1948) 306) and many attempts have been made to predict the microstructure of cast iron, and in particular the nodularity of the graphite, by thermal analysis of test samples of iron melts. Backerud et al (The Metallurgy of Cast Iron, Georgi Publishing Co., Switzerland (1975) 625-637) studied Mg-treated nodular graphite iron by thermal analysis and found that the cooling curve for a vermicular/compacted graphite (CG) iron during the eutectic phase transformation falls between that of flake and nodular irons but that the eutectic recalescence for vermicular iron may exceed that of a flake or nodular iron.
Stefanescu et al, (Trans. AFS 90 (1982) 333-348) however, reported that the cooling curve of a vermicular/CG iron does not really lie between those of flake and nodular iron but rather crosses these curves several times. In these later studies, however, a rare earth or 0.5% cerium containing Mg Fe Si alloy was used as a nodulizer.
Loper et al (Metallurgy of Cast Iron, Proceedings of St. Saphorin Conference, Georgi Publishing Co. 1975, p. 640-657) studied the effect of NiMg treatment with and without postinoculation and reported that no eutectic recalescence occurred for a hypoeutectic nodular iron treated with NiMg without postinoculation, while a small eutectic recalescence was observed for hypereutectic nodular iron with the same treatment. After postinoculation, the overall eutectic temperature was raised but the eutectic temperature was decreased in a continuous manner for hypereutectic nodular iron. Monroe and Bates (Trans AFS, 90 (1982) 307-311) showed that solidification of Mg-treated irons at a eutectic temperature of about 1150.degree. C. indicates inadequate Mg treatment. Eutectic solidification at about 1132.degree. C. can be considered to reflect spheroidal graphite (SG) growth, while lower temperatures are indicative of massive carbide formation.
While it is known that the primary role of cerium in cast iron is to desulphurize the melt and then inhibit carbide decomposition, it is believed to have a secondary role in neutralizing "subversive" elements, such as bismuth, lead, and antimony present in the melt. Subversive elements all have an effect on graphite morphology but their effect on the cooling curves for nodular cast iron are unknown.
It will be appreciated, therefore, that both magnesium and cerium and/or trace elements have an effect on graphite morphology but the prior art teachings make it difficult to predict those effects accurately. It would be extremely useful to the founder to be able to predict the graphite morphology of a given melt of nodular iron before the melt is actually cast so that adjustments to composition etc. can be made so as to improve the quality of the final product.
There is, therefore, a need for a method and apparatus for predicting graphite morphology of a nodular iron before casting thereof.

Method and apparatus for predicting microstructure of cast iron


Method for decoding a picture, comprising: decoding information that the picture is partitioned into more than one segment based on one or more syntax elements in a bitstream; decoding information that the spatial segmentation is uniform based on the one or more syntax elements; determining a segment unit size based on the one or more syntax elements or based on a predefined segment unit size; decoding a first value indicating a segment width from one or more code words in the bitstream; decoding a second value indicating a segment height from the one or more code words; deriving segment column widths based on a picture width in number of segment units and the first value; deriving segment row heights based on a picture height in number of segment units and the second value; deriving a spatial location for a current block based on the derived segment column widths and the derived segment heights; and decoding the current block based on the derived spatial location.

HEVC and the next generation video coding
High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), a.k.a. H.265, is a block-based video codec standardized by ITU-T and MPEG that utilizes both temporal and spatial prediction. Spatial prediction is achieved using intra (I) prediction from within the current picture. Temporal prediction is achieved using inter (P) or bi-directional inter (B) prediction on block level from previously decoded reference pictures. The difference between the original pixel data and the predicted pixel data, referred to as the residual, is transformed into the frequency domain, quantized and then entropy coded before transmitted together with necessary prediction parameters such as prediction mode and motion vectors, also entropy coded. By quantizing the transformed residuals, a tradeoff between bitrate and quality of the video may be controlled. The level of quantization is determined by a quantization parameter (QP). The decoder performs entropy decoding, inverse quantization, and inverse transformation to obtain the residual. The decoder then then adds the residual to an intra prediction or an inter prediction to reconstruct a picture.
MPEG and ITU-T is working on the successor to HEVC within the Joint Video Exploratory Team (JVET). The name of this video codec under development is VCC.
Slices
The concept of slices in HEVC divides the picture into independently coded slices, where each slice is read in raster scan order in units of coding tree units (CTUs). Different coding types could be used for slices of the same picture, i.e. a slice could either be an I-slice, P-slice or B-slice. The main purpose of slices is to enable resynchronization in case of data loss.
Tiles
The HEVC video coding standard includes a tool called tiles that divides a picture into rectangular spatially independent regions. Using tiles, a picture in HEVC can be partitioned into rows and columns of samples where a tile is an intersection of a row and a column. The tiles in HEVC are always aligned with CTU boundaries.
FIGS. 1A and 1B show an example of a tile partitioning using 4 tile rows and 5 tile columns resulting in a total of 20 tiles for the picture.
The tile structure is signaled in the picture parameter set (PPS) by specifying the thicknesses of the rows and the widths of the columns. Individual rows and columns can have different sizes, but the partitioning always span across the entire picture, from left to right and top to bottom respectively. There is no decoding dependency between tiles of the same picture. This includes intra prediction, context selection for entropy coding and motion vector prediction. One exception is that in-loop filtering dependencies are generally allowed between tiles.
The PPS syntax used for specifying the tile structure in HEVC is listed Table 1 below. A flag, e.g., tiles_enabled_flag, indicates whether tiles are used or not. If the flag is set, the number of tiles columns and rows are specified. The uniform_spacing_flag is a flag specifying whether the column widths and row heights are explicitly signaled or whether a pre-defined method to space the tile borders evenly should be used. If explicit signaling is indicated, the column widths are signaled one-by-one followed by the row heights. Such column widths and row heights are signaled in CTU units. The loop_filter_across_tiles_enabled_flag flag specifies whether in-loop filters across tile boundaries are turned on or off for all tile boundaries in the picture.
TABLE 1Exemplary tile syntax in HEVCDescriptorpic_parameter_set_rbsp( ) {...tiles_enabled_flagu(1)...if( tiles_enabled_flag ) {num_tile_columns_minus1ue(v)num_tile_rows_minus1ue(v)uniform_spacing_flagu(1)if( !uniform_spacing_flag ) {for( i = 0; i < num_tile_columns_minus1;i++ )column_width_minus1[ i ]ue(v)for( i = 0; i < num_tile_rows_minus1; i++)row_height_minus1[ i ]ue(v)}loop_filter_across_tiles_enabled_flagu(1)}...
The semantics for specifying the tile structure in HEVC are explained in further detail below:
tiles_enabled_flag equal to 1 specifies that there is more than one tile in each picture referring to the PPS. tiles_enabled_flag equal to 0 specifies that there is only one tile in each picture referring to the PPS.
num_tile_columns_minus1 plus 1 specifies the number of tile columns partitioning the picture. num_tile_columns_minus1 shall be in the range of 0 to PicWidthInCtbsY−1, inclusive. When not present, the value of num_tile_columns_minus1 is inferred to be equal to 0.
num_tile_rows_minus1 plus 1 specifies the number of tile rows partitioning the picture. num_tile_rows_minus1 shall be in the range of 0 to PicHeightInCtbsY−1, inclusive. When not present, the value of num_tile_rows_minus1 is inferred to be equal to 0.
When tiles_enabled_flag is equal to 1, num_tile_columns_minus1 and num_tile_rows_minus1 shall not be both equal to 0.
uniform_spacing_flag equal to 1 specifies that tile column boundaries and likewise tile row boundaries are distributed uniformly across the picture. uniform_spacing_flag equal to 0 specifies that tile column boundaries and likewise tile row boundaries are not distributed uniformly across the picture but signalled explicitly using the syntax elements column_width_minus1[i] and row_height_minus1[i]. When not present, the value of uniform_spacing_flag is inferred to be equal to 1.
column_width_minus1[i] plus 1 specifies the width of the i-th tile column in units of CTBs.
row_height_minus1[i] plus 1 specifies the height of the i-th tile row in units of CTBs.
loop_filter_across_tiles_enabled_flag equal to 1 specifies that in-loop filtering operations may be performed across tile boundaries in pictures referring to the PPS. loop_filter_across_tiles_enabled_flag equal to 0 specifies that in-loop filtering operations are not performed across tile boundaries in pictures referring to the PPS. The in-loop filtering operations include the deblocking filter and sample adaptive offset filter operations. When not present, the value of loop_filter_across_tiles_enabled_flag is inferred to be equal to 1.
VVC is expected not to use traditional slices as in HEVC. Instead, tiles are expected to play a larger role in VVC due to increased demand for spatial random access from video services including VR streaming.
The concept of tile groups was agreed to be included in the current VVC draft at the last JVET meeting. A tile group is used to group multiple tiles to reduce the overhead of each tile.
A tile group in the current VVC draft may be rectangular and consist of M×N tiles, where M is the number of tiles vertically and N the number of tiles horizontally.
Uniform tile partitioning in HEVC
HEVC tile partitioning requires that all tile boundaries are aligned with the CTU grid. It means that all tiles consist of full CTUs and the only incomplete CTUs allowed in the tiles are the ones located in the right or bottom edge of the picture. In HEVC, the syntax element uniform_spacing_flag equal to 1 specifies that tile column boundaries and likewise tile row boundaries are distributed uniformly across the picture. However, this uniformity is limited by the CTU granularity. In HEVC, the list colWidth[i] for i ranging from 0 to num_tile_columns_minus1, inclusive, specifies the width of the i-th tile column in units of coding tree blocks (CTBs) and is derived as the following equation (A):
if( uniform_spacing_flag )for( i = 0; i <= num_tile_columns_minus1; i++ )colWidth[ i ] = ( ( i + 1 ) * PicWidthInCtbsY ) / ( num_tile_columns_minus1 + 1 ) −( i * PicWidthInCtbsY ) / ( num_tile_columns_minus1 + 1 )
A similar equation (B) is used for determining the heights of the tile rows (rowHeight[i]):
if( uniform_spacing_flag )for( j = 0; j <= num_tile_rows_minus1; j++ )rowHeight[ j ] = ( ( j + 1 ) * PicHeightInCtbsY ) / ( num_tile_rows_minus1 + 1 ) −( j * PicHeightInCtbsY ) / ( num_tile_rows_minus1 + 1 )
Flexible Tile Splitting
Flexible tile splitting, introduced in JVET-K0155, followed by JVET-L0359, provides the functionality to split a picture into partitioning tiles where the width or height of each tile is a multiple of a unit size finer than the CTU size. Flexible tile splitting allows the use of incomplete CTUs in the right and bottom edge of every tile (rather than only the right and bottom edge of the picture). FIGS. 2A-2B provides examples for a 2×2 tile segmentation using flexible tile splitting as in JVET-L0359 where the tile unit size is a quarter of the CTU size.
In FIGS. 2A-2B, tiles are shown by thick black lines and CTUs are shown by thin black lines. FIG. 2A shows the HEVC method with 20 CTUs in the picture. FIG. 2B shows the proposed method in JVET-L0359, with 24 CTUs in the picture and the tile unit size equal to a quarter of the CTU size, shown by dashed gray lines.
Flexible tile splitting may be useful for applications such as load balancing and 360° video with face sizes desired not to be a multiple of the CTU size.
The syntax and semantics from JVET-L0359 relevant to the current disclosure are listed below, where the italicized portions are the added text proposed in L0359.
Descriptorpic_parameter_set_rbsp( ) {pps_pic_parameter_set_idue(v)pps_seq_parameter_set_idue(v)transform_skip_enabled_flagu(1)tiles_enabled_flagu(1)if( tiles_enabled_flag ) {tile_unit_size_idcue(v)num_tile_columns_minus1ue(v)num_tile_rows_minus1ue(v)uniform_spacing_flagu(1)if( !uniform_spacing_flag ) {for( i = 0; i < num_tile_columns_minus1; i++)column_width_minus1[ i ]ue(v)for( i = 0; i < num_tile_rows_minus1; i++ )row_height_minus1[ i ]ue(v)}loop_filter_across_tiles_enabled_flagu(1)}rbsp_trailing_bits( )}
tile_unit_size_idc specifies the size of a tile unit block in luma samples. The variables TileUnitSizeY, PicWidthlnTileUnitsY and PicHeightlnTileUnitsY are derived as follows;
TileUnitSizeY = Max (CtbSizeY >> ( tile_unit_size_idc ), 8 )(7-14)PicWidthInTileUnitsY = Ceil( pic_width_in_luma_samples ÷ TileUnitSizeY )(7-14)PicHeightInTileUnitsY = Ceil( pic_height_in_luma_samples ÷ TileUnitSizeY )(7-14)If tiles_enabled_flag is equal to 1, the variables PicWidthInCtbsY,PicHeightInCtbsY, PicSizeInCtbsY are modified as follows:for(PicWidthInCtbsY = 0, i = 0; i < = num_tile_columns_minus1; i++ )PicWidthInCtbsY += Ceil( colWidth[ i ] * TileUnitSizeY ÷ CtbSizeY )(7-14)for(PicHeightInCtbsY = 0, j = 0; j < = num_tile_rows_minus1; j++ )PicHeightInCtbsY += Ceil(rowHeight[ j ] * TileUnitSizeY ÷ CtbSizeY )(7-14)PicSizeInCtbsY = PicWidthInCtbsY * PicHeightInCtbsY(7-14)
num_tile_columns_minus1 plus 1 specifies the number of tile columns partitioning the picture in units of tile unit blocks. num_tile_columns_minus1 shall be in the range of 0 to PicWidthInTileUnitsY−1, inclusive. When not present, the value of num_tile_columns_minus1 is inferred to be equal to 0.
num_tile_rows_minus1 plus 1 specifies the number of tile rows partitioning the picture in units of tile unit blocks. num_tile_rows_minus1 shall be in the range of 0 to PicHeightlnTileUnitsY−1, inclusive. When not present, the value of num_tile_rows_minus1 is inferred to be equal to 0.
The variable NumTilesInPic is derived as follows:NumTilesInPic=(num_tile_columns_minus1+1)*(num_tile_rows_minus1+1)
The list colWidth[i] for i ranging from 0 to num_tile_columns_minus1, inclusive, specifying the width of the i-th tile column in units of tile unit blocks, is derived as follows:
if( uniform_spacing_flag )for( i = 0; i <= num_tile_columns_minus1; i++ )posR = ( ( i + 1 ) * PicWidthInTileUnitsY ) / ( num_tile_columns_minus1 + 1 )posL = ( i * PicWidthInTileUnitsY ) / (num_tile_columns_minus1 + 1 )colWidth[ i ] = min(PicWidthInTileUnitsY − posL, posR posL)else {colWidth[ num_tile_columns_minus1 ] = PicWidthInTileUnitsY(6-3)for( i = 0; i < num_tile_columns_minus1; i++ ) {colWidth[ i ] = column_width_minus1[ i ] + 1colWidth[ num_tile_columns_minus1 ] −= colWidth[ i ]}
The list rowHeight[j] for j ranging from 0 to num_tile_rows_minus1, inclusive, specifying the height of the j-th tile row in units of tile unit blocks, is derived as follows.
if( uniform_spacing_flag )for(j = 0; j <= num_tile_rows_minus1; j++ )posB = (( j + 1 ) * PicHeightInTileUnitsY) / (num_tile_rows_minus1 + 1)posT = (j * PicHeightInTileUnitsY) / (num_tile_rows_minus1 + 1)rowHeight [j] = min(PicHeightInTileUnitsY − posT, posB − posT)else {rowHeight[ num_tile_rows_minus1 ] = PicHeightInTileUnitsY(6-4)for( j = 0; j < num_tile_rows_minus1; j++ ) {rowHeight[ j ] = row_height_minus1[ j ] + 1rowHeight[ num_tile_rows_minus1 ] = rowHeight[ j ]}}
The list TileColX[i] for i ranging from 0 to num_tile_columns_minus1+1, inclusive, specifying the X location of the top-left luma sample of the i-th tile column in units of luma samples, is derived as follows:
for ( TileColX[ 0 ] = 0, i = 0; i <= num_tile_columns_minus1; i++ )TileColX[ i + 1 ] = TileColX[ i ] + colWidth[ i ] * TileUnitSizeY
The list TileRowY[j] for j ranging from 0 to num_tile_rows_minus1+1, inclusive, specifying the Y location of the top-left luma sample of the j-th tile row in units of luma samples, is derived as follows:
for ( TileRowY[ 0 ] = 0, j = 0; j <= num_tile_rows_minus1; j++ )TileRowY[ j + 1 ] = TileRowY[ j ] + rowHeight[ j ] * TileUnitSizeY
Segment Groups, Segments and Units
Segment groups, segments, and units are now described. The term segment is used as a more general term than tiles, since the solutions in the current disclosure may be applied to different kinds of picture partitioning schemes and not only tile partitions known from HEVC and the VVC draft. In the current disclosure, a tile is one embodiment of a segment, but there may also be other embodiments of segments.
FIG. 3 shows a picture (10) of a video stream and an exemplary partitioning of the picture into units (8), segments (11) and segment groups (12). FIG. 3 (a) shows a picture (10) that consists of 64 units (8). FIG. 3 (b) shows the segment partition structure (13) of the same picture (10) consisting of 16 segments (11). The partition structure (13) is shown by dashed lines. Each segment (11) consists of a number of units. A segment can either consist of an integer number of complete units or a combination of complete and partial units. A number of segments form a segment group. FIG. 3 (c) shows the segment group partitioning of the same picture (10) which consists of 8 segment groups. The segment group may consist of segments in raster scan order. Alternatively, the segment group may consist of any group of segments that together form a rectangle. Alternatively, the segment group may consist of any subset of segments.
FIG. 4 shows a picture (10) where the dashed lines show a partition structure dividing the picture into four segments. FIG. 4 also shows three units (16, 17, 18). As shown in the figure, two units (16, 17) belong to one current segment (15) and one unit (18) belongs to a different, neighboring segment (14). The segments are independent with respect to other segments, which means that segment boundaries are handled similar to picture boundaries when decoding the units. This affects the derivation process of elements during decoding such as, for example, the derivation of intra prediction modes and the derivation of quantization parameter values.
Intra modes are well known in the current art and are used and signaled for units that only use prediction from previously decoded samples of the current picture for sample prediction. It is common that the derivation of the intra prediction mode in a current unit (16) depends on previously derived intra prediction modes in other, neighboring units (17). With segments being independent, the derivation of the intra prediction mode in a current unit (16) may only depend on previously derived intra prediction modes in units (17) that belong to the current segment (15) and may not depend on any intra prediction mode in any unit (18) that belongs to a different segment (14).
This means that the partition structure in FIG. 4 makes the intra prediction modes in units (18) in a different segment (14) unavailable for the derivation of the intra prediction mode for the units (16) in a current segment (15). Note that the mode in some units (18) in a different segment may well have been used for derivation of an intra prediction mode in a unit (16) in a current segment (15) if those units would have belonged to the same segment. Instead, the segment boundary may have the same effect on intra mode derivation as a picture boundary for the units (16) in a current segment (15).
In the context of the current disclosure, a segment may be a tile or a slice and a segment group may be a tile group. In the current disclosure, the term "tile" and "segment" may be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, a unit may be equivalent to a CTU.

Video coding comprising uniform tile split with remainder


In a synchronous rectification switching power supply circuit, a primary winding of a transformer and a main switching device are serially connected to a direct current input power supply. A secondary winding and a synchronous rectification device on the secondary side are serially connected between output terminals. A power supply apparatus has a capacitor charged with a voltage across the winding on the secondary side of the transformer by turning the main switching device on and off. An electronic instrument, to which the power supply apparatus is connected, has a control IC which sends a control signal to the gate terminal of the synchronous rectification device. When the synchronous rectification device is turned on, the output capacitor is charged and the direct current input power supply recovers power from the output capacitor through the transformer, thereby supplying output electric power set by the control IC to the electronic instrument.

A power supply circuit instrument illustrated in FIG. 6 is an example of a conventional. switching power supply apparatus 10. In this switching power supply apparatus 10, a primary winding 2a of a transformer 2 and a main switching device 3 are serially connected between terminals 1a and 1b of a direct current input power supply 1, the positive terminal of the transformer 2 is connected to the positive terminal 1a of the direct current input power supply 1, and the negative terminal of the transformer 2 is connected to the main switching device 3. The main switching device 3 comprises a semiconductor device such as an MOS-FET. Further, between the terminals 1a and 1b of the direct current input power supply 1, resistors 21 and 22 are serially connected. A midpoint between the resistors 21 and 22 is connected to the gate of the main switching device 3 through a resistor 24.
Further, an auxiliary winding 2b is provided in the transformer 2. The positive terminal of the auxiliary winding 2b is connected to a series circuit comprising a resistor 25 and a capacitor 11. The other terminal of the capacitor 11 is connected to the negative terminal 1b of the direct current input power supply 1 and is also connected to the negative terminal of the auxiliary winding 2b. The positive terminal of the auxiliary winding 2b is connected to a series circuit comprising a capacitor 12 and a resistor 23. The other terminal of the resistor 23 is connected to the gate of the main switching device 3 through the resistor 24.
The collector of a transistor 5, which is for switching control, is connected to the gate of the main switching device 3 through the resistor 24. The emitter of the transistor 5 is connected to the negative terminal 1b of the direct current input power supply 1. The base of the transistor 5 is connected to a midpoint between the resistor 25 and the capacitor 11. In addition, between the collector and the base of the transistor 5, a light receiving device 35b of a photocoupler, which is discussed herein below, is connected. Moreover, between the gate and the source of the main switching device 3, a diode 6 is provided, whose cathode is connected to the collector of the transistor 5 and whose anode is connected to the negative side of the direct current input power supply 1.
On the other hand, the anode of a diode 4, which is for rectification, is connected to the negative side terminal of a secondary winding 2c of the transformer 2. Its cathode is connected to a terminal of an output capacitor 13 and also linked to an output terminal 20a. The other terminal of the output capacitor 13 is connected to the positive terminal of the secondary winding 2c and is also connected to an output terminal 20b through a resistor 38.
Between the output terminals 20a and 20b, resistors 30 and 31, which are for detecting an output voltage, are serially connected. A midpoint between the resistors 30 and 31 is connected to an inverting input terminal of an error amplifier 33a in an output voltage detection circuit 32. Moreover, a non-inverting input terminal of the error amplifier 33a is connected to a reference voltage 34a for the output voltage. In addition, the output from the error amplifier 33a is connected to the cathode of a light emitting diode 35a of the photocoupler. The anode of the light emitting diode 35a is connected to the output terminal 20a through a resistor 36.
Moreover, a terminal of the resistor 38 is connected to a non-inverting input terminal of an error amplifier 33b through a reference voltage 34b which is for setting an output current in an output current detection circuit 37. The other end of the resistor 38 is connected to an inverting input terminal of the error amplifier 33b. In addition, the output from the error amplifier 33b is connected to the cathode of the light emitting diode 35a.
As for the operations of the switching power supply apparatus 10, a voltage between the resistors 21 and 22 is applied to the gate of the main switching device 3, which is a MOS-FET, and turns on the main switching device 3. The auxiliary winding 2b and other components charge an integration circuit comprising the resistor 25 and the capacitor 11, whose charged potential turns on the transistor 5, which then turns off the main switching device 3. These operations repeat over and over. In addition, on the secondary side, while the main switching device 3 remains turned on, the output capacitor 13 is not charged, and when the main switching device 3 turns off, a flyback voltage appears across the secondary winding 2c and charges the output capacitor 13 with the energy stored in the secondary winding 2c.
As for the control of the output voltage and output current from the switching power supply apparatus 10, the output voltage detection circuit 32 and the output current detection circuit 37, which are provided on the secondary side, control the light emitting diode 35a of the photocoupler so as to turn it on and off. When the light emitting diode 35a turns on, the light receiving device 35b turns on and the charging duration of the capacitor 11 is adjusted. Thereby, the turn-on duration of the main switching device 3 is controlled through a feedback under a condition in which the device is electrically insulated from the output side, and hence, the main switching device 3 is controlled so as to provide a desired output voltage and current.
An example of the prior art is shown, e.g., in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application Publication No. 2000-350454.

Synchronous rectifying switching power source circuit