A method and apparatus for manipulating diagnostic images obtained with computed tomography or magnetic resonance systems calculates the rotation of the data around two orthogonal axes and then compresses the data to a plane before rotating it about a third axis normal to the plane. Although apparently less efficient that the rotation about all three axes at once, this procedure is uniquely adapted to the limitations of computer memory access and the calculation speed limits of current computer hardware. Bifurcation of the rotation allows data to be accessed at consecutive addresses speeding memory operations. The bifurcation also permits some calculations to be preperformed and recalled for subsequent voxels. The compressed data is displayed as an image having a particular viewing angle determined by the rotations of the data.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for generating images from physiological data acquired at multiple points in a volume. In particular, the invention relates to a method of generating images, the method accommodating the physical constraints of conventional computer hardware so as to increase the speed with which diagnostic images may be transformed and displayed.
2. Background Art
Advances in technology have provided the medical practitioner with a variety of medical imaging systems. One important class of medical imaging systems works by radiating energy through a region of interest in the body, either from an external source, such as x-rays or an RF field, or from an internal source such as an injected radioisotope. The interaction of the radiated energy with the body is measured at a variety of small volume elements ("voxels") within the body. The spatial coordinates of each of these voxels are identified and a map of the body within that region of interest is developed.
Two important types of medical imaging systems which provide such voxel data are Magnetic Resonance Imaging ("MRI") and X-ray Computed Tomography ("CT").
a. Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Any nucleus which possesses a magnetic moment attempts to align itself with the direction of the magnetic field in which it is located. In doing so, the nucleus precesses around this direction at a characteristic angular frequency (Larmor frequency) which is dependent on the strength of the magnetic field and on the properties of the specific nuclear species, i.e. the gyromagnetic constant .gamma. of the nucleus. This property of the nuclei causing the precession is termed spins--in an analogy to gyroscopic precession.
When a substance such as human tissue is subjected to a uniform magnetic field, the individual magnetic moments of the spins in the tissue precess about it in random order at their characteristic Larmor frequency. A net magnetic moment M.sub.z is produced in the direction of the polarizing field, but the randomly oriented magnetic components in the perpendicular, or transverse, plane (x-y plane) cancel one another.
If the tissue is subjected to an oscillating radio frequency magnetic field which is in the x-y plane and which is near the Larmor frequency, the net aligned moment, M.sub.z, may be rotated, or "tipped", into the x-y plane to produce a net transverse magnetic moment M.sub.t, rotating in the x-y plane at the Larmor frequency. The degree to which the net magnetic moment M.sub.z is tipped, and hence the magnitude of the net transverse magnetic moment M.sub.t depends primarily on the length of time and the magnitude of the applied excitation field.
The practical value of this phenomenon resides in the signal which is emitted by the excited spins after the excitation signal is terminated. In simple systems, the excited spins induce an oscillating sine wave signal in a receiving coil. The frequency of this signal is the Larmor frequency, and its initial amplitude is determined by the magnitude of the transverse magnetic moment. The amplitude of the emission signal decays in an exponential fashion with time, t: EQU A-A.sub.0 e.sup.t/T.sup.*.sub.2 ( 1)
The decay constant 1/T*.sub.2 depends on the homogeneity of the magnetic field and on T.sub.2, which is referred to as the "spin-spin relaxation" constant, or the "transverse relaxation" constant. The T.sub.2 constant is inversely proportional to the exponential rate at which the aligned precession of the spins would dephase after removal of the excitation signal in a perfectly homogeneous field.
Another important factor which contributes to the amplitude of the NMR signal is referred to as the spin-lattice relaxation process which is characterized by the time constant T.sub.1. It describes the recovery of the net magnetic moment M to its equilibrium value along the axis of magnetic polarization (z). The T.sub.1 time constant is longer than T.sub.2, much longer in most substances of medical interest.
The NMR measurements of particular relevance to the present invention are called "pulsed NMR measurements". Such NMR measurements are divided into a period of RF excitation and a period of signal emission. Such measurements are performed in a cyclic manner in which the NMR measurement is repeated many times to accumulate different data during each cycle or to make the same measurement at different locations in the subject. A wide variety of preparative excitation techniques are known which involve the application of one or more RF excitation pulses of varying magnitude, duration, and direction. The prior art is replete with excitation techniques that are designed to take advantage of particular NMR phenomena and which overcome particular problems in the NMR measurement process.
When utilizing NMR to produce images it is, of course, necessary to elicit NMR signals from specific locations in the subject. This is accomplished by employing magnetic fields (G.sub.x, G.sub.y, and G.sub.z) which have the same direction as the polarizing field B.sub.0, but which have a gradient along the respective x, y and z axes. By controlling the strength of these gradients during each NMR cycle, the spatial distribution of spin excitation can be controlled and the location of the resulting NMR signals can be identified.
Typically, the volume which is to be imaged (region of interest) is scanned by a sequence of NMR measurement cycles. The resulting set of received NMR signals are digitized and processed to reconstruct data indicating the physical properties of specific voxels within the imaged volume. The voxel data is stored in an array in memory so that the spatial coordinates of each voxel may be identified.
b. Computed X-Ray Tomography
In a computed tomography system, an x-ray source is collimated to form a fan beam with a defined fan beam angle. The fan beam is oriented to lie within the x-y plane of a Cartesian coordinate system, termed the "gantry plane", and is transmitted through an imaged object, such as human tissue, to an x-ray detector array oriented within the gantry plane.
The detector array is comprised of a set of detector elements each of which measures the intensity of transmitted radiation along a different ray projected from the x-ray source to the particular detector element. The intensity of the transmitted radiation is dependent on the attenuation of the x-ray beam along that ray by the tissue.
The x-ray source and detector array are rotated on a gantry within the gantry plane and around a center of rotation within the tissue so that the angle at which the fan beam axis intersects the tissue may be changed. At each gantry angle, a projection is acquired comprised of the intensity signals from each detector element. The gantry is then rotated to a new angle and the process is repeated to collect a number of projections along a number of gantry angles to form a tomographic projection set.
The acquired tomographic projection sets are typically stored in numerical form for later computer processing to "reconstruct" a slice image according to reconstruction algorithms known in the art. The reconstruction process converts the data of the rays, which represents total attenuation along the lines of the rays, to voxel data which represents the incremental x-ray attenuation provided by a voxel within the scanned area.
A typical computed tomographic study involves the acquisition of a series of "slices" of the imaged tissue, each slice parallel to the gantry plane and having a slice thickness dictated by the width of the detector array, the size of the focal spot, the collimation and the geometry of the system. Each successive slice is displaced incrementally along a z-axis, perpendicular to the x and y axes, so as to provide a third spatial dimension of information. After reconstruction, voxel data over a volume of the patient is obtained.
c. The Display of Voxel Data
As noted above, each of these imaging systems employs energy radiated through a region of interest of the body and detects the interaction of the energy with the body to acquire data at a plurality of voxels. The type of radiated energy is different for different imaging systems. The radiated energy is x-rays in the case of computed tomography (CT) and a radio frequency magnetic field in the case of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The energy is sound waves in the case of ultrasound and high energy particles from an injected radioisotope in the case of nuclear medicine or PET scanning. In each case voxel data is obtained over a volume.
The processing and display of the voxel data produced by the above systems presents two problems. The first problem is simply the large amount of data that is acquired: a typical study may generate data for over 4,000,000 voxels. Efficient processing of this data is essential if the technology is to be practically useable.
The second problem is the need to present the voxel data in a meaningful way. The data is unintelligible when represented as numerals alone, so typically, each voxel value is projected to a brightness value of a picture element ("pixel") on an image plane. The pixels of the image plane together produce a picture-like image. The image may be more easily understood to a human operator.
Projecting the voxels of the three dimensional volume to the pixels of a two dimensional picture requires discarding some voxel information. Ideally, however, an appropriately selected image plane will capture most of the diagnostically significant information. Alternatively, several image planes may be generated, and viewed sequentially. In this latter case, just as one may comprehend the three dimensions of a statue by viewing it from various angles, the multiple projections allow one to gain a more complete understanding of the voxel data.
In both cases, it is critical that the orientation of the image plane be freely selected, easily adjusted and that new images be rapidly generated. This allows the ideal image plane to be determined on an interactive basis, or permits the quick shifting between different image planes necessary to visualize the three dimensions of the data.
The present methods of rotating and projecting three dimensional arrays of data onto an image plane become unacceptably slow when used to process the large amounts of voxel data associated with typical medical imaging systems. Ideally, the data should be capable of rotation and projection on a near "real-time" basis much as one might rotate a physical object within one's hands.

Method and apparatus for projecting diagnostic images from volumed diagnostic data


A portable highway warning device includes any number of elongated rumble strips each fabricated of a suitable flexible polymeric material. Embedded within each rumble strip are a plurality of laterally spaced metal plates or bars to provide ballast to each rumble strip. The metal plates or bars run transversely across the width of each rumble strip with sufficient spacing therebetween to permit each rumble strip to be rolled up lengthwise from end to end when not in use.

It is generally known to use rumble strips in high speed highway applications to provide a perceptible noise and warning vibration when automotive vehicles including passenger vehicles and trucks drive over the rumble strips to warn the drivers of an approaching condition such as a work site, construction site, slow speed zone, checkpoint, toll booth and so on, without alarming the drivers and without adversely affecting the stability of the vehicles. Some types of rumble strips are intended to be permanently installed for long-term use while others are intended to be portable for use at work zones and other applications of relatively short duration. Portable rumble strips should be reusable and quick and easy to deploy and remove. Also they should have the ability to remain in place under heavy traffic, including heavy trucks at highway speeds, preferably without the use of adhesives or fasteners.


Disclosed is a vessel comprising at least two parallel hulls at a predetermined mutual distance. A deck structure is supported on the hulls. Fluid storage tanks are placed in the at least two hulls, at least partly below the deck structure. The deck structure carries fluid processing and/or production equipment. The fluid is a hydrocarbon. The ratio of length to width of the vessel being at least 3, preferably at least 4. The length of the vessel being at least 150 m, preferably at least 250 m, more preferably at least 350 m.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vessel comprising at least two parallel hulls at a predetermined mutual distance, a deck structure supported on said hulls and fluid storage tanks.
2. Description of the Related Art
From U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,872 an LNG carrier is known, having two parallel hulls interconnected by transverse beams on which cargo tanks are supported. The known LNG tanker has a high center of mass and thereby a reduced stability. Furthermore, the LNG tanks occupies the majority of available deck space.


An exemplary accessory mount for securing an accessory to a helmet includes a body, a moveable arm, and a hinge portion. The body has a top, bottom, and first and second sides. A fixed tab extends from the bottom of the body and a moveable tab extends from a top of the moveable arm. The hinge portion hingeably attaches the moveable arm to the top of the body proximate one of the first and second sides.

Helmets, particularly in military and tactical environments, are utilized as platforms for mounting a variety of accessories. This may include night vision goggles, lights, battery packs, visual beacons and other devices. A common accessory mounting method for helmets, particularly helmets used by the military, includes a mounting plate or receptacle—sometimes referred to as a "shroud"—that is bolted directly to the front of the helmet shell. Such shrouds are shown in, for example, U.S. Design Pat. No. D817,554 to O'Connell and U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2011/0145981 to Teetzel et al.
Such mounts utilize adjustable tabs that can be retracted into the mount for positioning in the mounting plate, then extended to interface with the plate and secure the mount. These adjustable tabs may be selected into different positions, sometimes locked or set to a certain breakaway strength. Additionally, other mounts, such as for cameras and headlamps, have been adapted to fit these same mounting plates or receptacles, and use a button operated, spring loaded, adjustable tab that can be retracted into the mount such that the mount can be positioned in the mounting plate, and then the tab retracted to lock the mount into the mounting plate (prior art shown below).

Accessory mount for helmet shroud and methods of using the same


A document analysis system which can execute a layout analysis intended by a document provider and an exhaustive title analysis and output the analysis result which can be used by a third person is provided by the present invention. The input unit (11) obtains a structured or semi-structured document and renders it. The basic layout analysis unit (14) obtains the rendering result and analyzes the layout by grouping document description elements juxtaposed in a determined direction by referencing an arrangement of the document description elements. The title analysis unit (15) obtains the rendering result and a title analysis rule from the title analysis rule storing unit (23) and analyzes the title by comparing the name, attribute, style or the content of the document analysis elements with the title analysis rule. The layout analysis unit (16) obtains the layout components and the hierarchical relationship thereof and the titles for generating a new layout by grouping the layout components. The output unit (13) obtains the layout components and the hierarchical relationship thereof, the relationship between the components and the titles, shapes them into a format having an expression which uses the reference to the document description elements and output them.

In a conventional document analysis system and document adaptation system, a layout is analyzed using a section strength of document description elements, and display regions are allocated to the components of the analyzed layout to display information of the components under desired displaying condition such as an enlarged image in respective display regions, and to selectively display titles of the components in respective display regions, in order to realize a display of a structured/semi-structured document under desired display conditions while maintaining a layout thereof (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application JP-P2001-184344A).
The document description element is an element which is a description unit of the structured/semi-structured document, exemplified by an element of the HTML tag such as a TABLE element and an A element in the HTML document. The layout component is a partial region including the display of related information to compose a part of a display screen, indicating a partial region made by related information of a certain headline in the HTML document for example.
Moreover, in order to generate a document applicable to the screen display, an index document is generated from the document description elements with a specific name in accordance with a rule using the name of the document description elements, and a document which describes index item contents is generated (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application JP-A-Heisei, 9-251457).
Furthermore, in order to generate a document desired by a user, a composite document made by necessary information is generated in accordance with the URL of the structured/semi-structured document, reference to document description elements indicating a part in which necessary information of respective documents exists, and a rule related to a region to display the necessary information (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application JP-P2004-139275A).
In relation to the present invention, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application JP-A-Heisei, 10-289250 discloses a technique to allow intuitive recognition of a page exhibited in a registered URL page by displaying not only title information but also image information when a list of registered URLs is displayed.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application JP-A-Heisei, 11-203285A discloses a technique to determine a line property indicating a position of a document element within a line for respective lines and determine a meaning of the document element for respective lines on the basis of a meaning of each of morphemes to compose the document element and a line property of a line to which the document element belongs, so as to give a precise meaning to respective document elements of the original document.
Japanese Laid-Open Paten Application JP-P2003-85159A discloses a technique to prepare an index automatically by analyzing a top document of a group of desired structured documents and compose the index with image data of a related document, in order to present a document which is easy to read to the user.
Japanese Laid-Open Paten Application JP-P2004-86855 discloses a technique to facilitate preparation and editing of the document referring to contents and index of the document mutually. To be more specific, in this known technique, a link to generate document content information corresponding to index items is embedded when a document index is generated. Thereafter, the document content information containing the index items is generated by indicating the link. In generating the information, a link to instruct an output of the index is embedded in the document content information. The index containing the index items corresponding to the document contents is generated by indicating the link in the document content information. In this case, the links to generate the document content information corresponding to the index items are embedded in the index.
Japanese Laid-Open Paten Application JP-P2003-288334 discloses a technique to generate a structured document with attached tags from a printed document composed of a plurality of pages with high accuracy.
Japanese Laid-Open Paten Application JP-P2003-330856 discloses a technique to allow an improved access to both local information and global information of contents by generating a layout and adjusting the information granularity dynamically in accordance with an operation to modify a zoom factor.
The first problem in the conventional techniques is that it is often impossible to analyze the layout of the structured/semi-structured document intended by a document provider by the conventional document analysis systems. It is because the layout intended by the document provider cannot be analyzed in a layout analysis using the strength of the section of the document description elements due to the variety of document description formats.
The second problem in the conventional techniques is that only a part of the titles of the structured/semi-structured documents can be analyzed in conventional document analysis systems. It is because the title of the structured/semi-structured document is usually expressed by a name, property, style and content of the document description element, and the conventional title analysis based on a rule which uses only the name of the document description element can not analyze the entire title.
The third problem in the conventional techniques is that a third person can not use the analyzed layout information for developing application software by using the conventional document analysis system of structured/semi-structured documents. It is because the conventional document analysis system does not output analyzed layout information in a format which can be utilized by a third person.
The fourth problem in the conventional techniques is the difficulty to make documents adapt to the environments of networks, terminals or users in accordance with the logical structure of the document which the document provider intended. It is because only a part of the title can be analyzed when the document index is generated in accordance with the rule using the name of the document description element, so that it is impossible to generate the index document precisely. Moreover, in the case of generating the composite document in accordance with a rule defined by the user using a URL (uniform resource locator) of the document and reference to the document description element indicating a part in which necessary information of the document exists, there is a case that the composite document desired by the user cannot be generated precisely at the time of renewing the document, and the rule as described above prevents the logical structure of the document intended by the document provider from being represented precisely.

Document analysis system and document adaptation system


A personal coffee brewing device for brewing individual servings of coffee, the device including an open frame for holding a porous coffee-containing pouch. The frame is sized to fit within a standard coffee cup so that the frame can be stirred within the coffee cup to force hot water through a pouch held in the frame to brew a cup of coffee. The device also includes a handle extending from the frame, the handle having at least one chamber for containing condiments such as sweetener or artificial creamer. A closure at the end of the handle closes the chamber. The handle is preferably formed in two sections, with a removable condiment dispenser at the end of the handle, containing two chambers.

This invention relates to personal coffee brewing device for use in brewing and serving individual servings of coffee.
Coffee has traditionally been brewed by the pot, which is wasteful when only a few servings are needed. Moreover, the demand for individual servings of coffee is increasing with the popularity of "gourmet" flavored coffees, differing preferences for flavors and blends. Serving coffee can be cumbersome and messy, requiring the provision sweetener, creamer, and stirrers, and frequently results in waste and spillage.
What has been needed is some way to provide individual portions of fresh brewed coffee, complete with sweetener and creamer, with a maximum of flexibility and a minimum of effort and waste all in a completely disposable container. The personal coffee brewing device of the present invention meets this need, by providing for the brewing of individual servings of coffee. Generally, the personal coffee brewing device of the present invention comprises an open frame for holding a porous coffee-containing pouch. The frame is generally sized sufficiently smaller than a standard coffee cup that it can be inserted into the cup and stirred vigorously so that hot water in the cup circulates through the frame and the coffee-containing pouch. A handle extends from the frame, to hold the device. The handle is sufficiently long that it can be comfortably held by the user while the frame is immersed in hot water in the cup. The handle has at least one chamber for containing condiments such as sweetener or artificial creamer, and a closure at the end of the handle for closing the chamber.
The coffee-filled pouch can be provided in the frame, or the frame can be empty to allow the user to select the type of coffee to brew. There are preferably two chambers in the handle, so that the device provides both sweetener and creamer, and thus is completely self contained. These two chambers can be removed (separated) from the handle, allowing the user to add his/her choices of sweetner and creamer to the brewing cup of coffee while the frame is still submerged in hot water. This simplifies serving since no separate provision need be made for sweetener or creamer. The handle can be made in two sections, with the condiments provided in a detachable section to facilitate their use.
Thus the personal coffee brewing device allows the user to quickly brew a fresh cup of coffee of the user's selection. The user is treated to fresh coffee, rather than coffee that may have been sitting in a pot for hours, and the user can chose the flavor or type of coffee. The device greatly simplifies serving coffee, eliminating -the need to separately provide sweetener or creamer, and the resulting waste and mass. The device allows the user to make a gourmet cup of coffee in places when one would not normally be able to do so, for example while camping, boating, traveling, etc. These and other features and advantages of the invention will be in part apparent, and in part pointed out hereinafter.


Provided is a hydrosilylation reactive composition that has a sufficient pot life at room temperature, that can be cured at low temperature by exposure to high energy radiation, and that produces a stable semi-cured product during the curing process, and to provide a semi-cured product and a cured product obtained using this hydrosilylation reactive composition. The composition comprises: (A) a compound containing at least one aliphatically unsaturated monovalent hydrocarbon group in the molecule; (B) a compound containing at least two hydrogen atoms bonded to silicon atoms in the molecule; (C) a first hydrosilylation catalyst exhibiting activity in the composition without exposure to high energy radiation; and (D) a second hydrosilylation catalyst not exhibiting activity unless exposed to high energy radiation, and exhibiting activity in the composition by exposure to high energy radiation.

Because silicone materials have excellent performance in terms of heat resistance, chemical resistance, and electrical insulating properties, they are used in a wide variety of applications. Silicone materials can be formed on various substrates such as plastics, metals, glass, ceramics, paper, and wood, and applications include consumer goods, medical supplies, and electronic components. Silicone materials are usually obtained by crosslinking organopolysiloxanes using a hydrosilylation reaction. In a hydrosilylation reaction, a transition metal complex catalyst that is activated by heat is commonly used from the standpoint of workability. However, when a silicone material is formed on a substrate such as a thermoplastic resin film, the substrate cannot be subjected to high temperatures. Therefore, catalysts activated by exposure to high energy radiation such as ultraviolet radiation are used (Patent Document 1).
However, organopolysiloxane compositions that use high energy radiation activated catalysts are not cured immediately even when exposed to high energy radiation. When heat is applied to cure a composition in a shorter period of time or the amount of catalyst used is increased to cure a composition in a shorter period of time, the cured product may become discolored. When curing is performed at a lower temperature using a smaller amount of catalyst, the curing reaction is not completed and the resulting cured product has low mechanical strength. When the curing reaction is completed in a shorter period of time at a lower temperature using a catalyst activated by heat, the amount of the catalyst has to be increased. This either discolors the cured product or quickly increases the viscosity of the composition and shortens the pot life at room temperature.
When the hydrosilylation reaction is performed in stages and a viscous or a thermoplastic material has to remain stable during the curing process, curing has to be performed at a high temperature using only a heat-activated catalyst. When a high energy radiation activated catalyst is used alone, a hydrosilylation reaction cannot be controlled in the first stage, and it is difficult to obtain a stable viscous or thermoplastic material.
Also, when a high energy radiation activated catalyst is used alone, curing only occurs in the portions exposed to high energy radiation. As a result, the portions shielded from exposure to high energy radiation are not cured.

Organopolysiloxane composition, and half-cured product and cured product produced from same


Audio-centered information is stored on a unitary medium by using a Table-of-Contents (TOC) mechanism that specifies an actual configuration of various audio items on the medium. In particular, each one of a set of one or more Track Areas gets at least two mutually logically conforming Sub-TOCs assigned. This allows to retrieve any constituent Sub-TOC part from at least any correct copy of the Sub-TOCs. Furthermore, one or more Master-TOCs are provided for specifically pointing to each of the Sub-TOCs.

Storing digital audio on unitary media such as disc or tape is widespread. In case of actual sub-division of the audio into multiple sub-items, providing a Table-of-Contents (TOC) allows to access the information in an easy manner. Such TOC will specify at least what has been stored and where it has been stored. The audio may be defined according to various standardized audio formats, such as two-channel stereo, multiple (5-6) channel audio such as in surround sound applications, and possibly others. An audio provider may wish to combine various track areas having the same and/or different such formats on a single medium such as an optical disc.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Storing audio-centered information with a multi-level table-of contents (TOC) mechanism having redundant sub-TOCs


An internal power supply voltage generation circuit includes a main amplifier that supplies a current from an external power supply node to an internal power supply line in accordance with the difference between a reference voltage from a reference voltage generation circuit and an internal power supply voltage on the internal power supply line. The current supply amount by the main amplifier is adjusted by a level adjust circuit, according to the difference between the external power supply voltage and the reference voltage. The internal power supply voltage generation circuit can suppress reduction in the internal power supply voltage in the vicinity of the lower limit area of the differential power supply voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an internal power supply voltage generation circuit for generating an operating power supply voltage used by internal circuitry within a device, and more particularly, to an internal power supply voltage-down converter for down-converting an external power supply voltage to generate an internal power supply voltage as the operating power supply voltage.
2. Description of the Background Art
It is effective to reduce the operating power supply voltage for the purpose of reducing power consumption. With reduction of the power supply voltage, the charging/discharging current of a load capacitance becomes lower. Therefore, reducing the power supply voltage allows the power consumption to be reduced in proportion to the square of the voltage reduction ratio (load resistance such as interconnection resistance is constant). For example, in the case of a general-purpose memory that is widely used, the gate length of a transistor used in internal circuitry is scaled-down to the vicinity of the limit in microminiaturization for each generation for speeding up, to improve the integration density and operation speed. By using an on-chip voltage drop circuit, external power supply voltage is down-converted to generate an internal power supply voltage for the memory. The down-converted internal power supply voltage prevents dielectric breakdown and the like of a microminiaturized transistor, so that higher reliability and lower power consumption by reduction in voltage can be realized. The usage of this on-chip voltage drop circuit allows the externally supplied power supply voltage to be equal to the power supply voltage of an externally provided LSI of general usage. Therefore, a system can be developed with a single power source.
This voltage-drop system is also characterized in that, when the down-converted voltage is set constant at a level sufficiently lower than the external power supply voltage, the constant level is maintained even in the event of variation in the external power supply voltage to allow stable operation of internal circuitry.
FIG. 13 shows an example of a structure of a conventional internal power supply voltage generation circuit. Referring to FIG. 13, a conventional internal power supply voltage generation circuit includes a reference voltage generation circuit RG receiving current from an external power supply node EXV as an external power supply source that supplies externally applied power supply voltage ExtVcc for generating a reference voltage Vref, a subamplifier SA for supplying a current from external power supply node EXV to an internal power supply line IVL according to a result of comparison between reference voltage Vref from reference voltage generation circuit RG and an internal power supply voltage IntVcc on internal power supply line IVL, and a main amplifier MA activated, when an activation control signal ACT that is activated during operation of internal circuitry (not shown) is activated, for supplying current from external power supply node EXV to internal power supply line IVL according to the result of comparison between reference voltage Vref and internal power supply voltage IntVcc.
The current supply ability of main amplifier MA is set sufficiently greater than the current supply ability of subamplifier SA. When internal power supply voltage IntVcc on internal power supply line IVL is consumed during operation of internal circuitry, main amplifier MA operates at high speed to supply a current with great drivability to suppress reduction in internal power supply voltage IntVcc.
Reference voltage generation circuit RG includes a constant current circuit CCS for generating a constant current i independent of external power supply voltage ExtVcc, and a current/voltage converter CVC for converting the current of constant current circuit CCS into voltage to generate reference voltage Vref.
Constant current circuit CCS includes a p channel MOS (insulated gate field effect) transistor P1 connected between external power supply node EXV and a node ND1 and having a gate connected to node ND1, a resistor R having one end connected to external power supply node EXV, a p channel MOS transistor P2 connected between resistor R and a node ND2 and having a gate connected to node ND1, an n channel MOS transistor N1 connected between node ND1 and the ground node and having its gate connected to node ND2, an n channel MOS transistor N2 connected between node ND2 and the ground node and having its gate connected to node ND2, and a p channel MOS transistor P3 for supplying a current from external power supply node EXV according to the level of the voltage on node ND1. MOS transistors N1 and N2 form a current mirror circuit. The absolute value of a threshold voltage VTP1 of MOS transistor P1 is set greater than the absolute value VTP2 of the threshold voltage of MOS transistor P2. The operation will be described.
When MOS transistors N1 and N2 have the same size, a current of the same magnitude flows through MOS transistors N1 and N2. Therefore, a current of the same magnitude also flows through MOS transistors P1 and P2. When MOS transistors P1 and P2 are identical in size, a voltage VR expressed by the following equation is applied across resistor R from the condition that the saturation currents of MOS transistors P1 and P2 are equal to each other.VR=ExtVcc−(|VTP1|−|VTP2|)
Therefore, a current IR flowing through resistor R is represented by the following equation.IR=(ExtVcc−VR)/RR=(|VTP1|−|VTP2|)/RR
RR indicates the resistance of resistor R. MOS transistors P1 and P3 form a current mirror circuit. Therefore, the mirror current of current IR flowing through MOS transistor P1 flows through MOS transistor P3.
MOS transistors P4–P6 receive the ground voltage at respective gates and function as a resistor to generate a voltage according to the current supplied from MOS transistor P3. Therefore, reference voltage Vref has a level determined by the channel resistances of MOS transistors P4–P6 and the threshold voltages of MOS transistors P1 and P2. As a result, reference voltage Vref maintains a constant level independent of external power supply voltage ExtVcc (provided that external power supply voltage ExtVcc is higher than a predetermined voltage level).
Main amplifier MA includes a comparator CMM comparing reference voltage Vref and internal power supply voltage IntVcc on internal power supply line IVL, and a current drive transistor DRM formed of a p channel MOS transistor connected between external power supply node EXV and internal power supply line IVL for supplying a current from external power supply node EXV to internal power supply line IVL in accordance with an output signal from comparator CMM. Comparator CMM includes a p channel MOS transistor P7 connected between external power supply node EXV and a node NDA and having its gate connected to a node NDB, a p channel MOS transistor P8 connected between external power supply node EXV and node NDB and having its gate connected to node NDB, an n channel MOS transistor N3 connected between nodes NDB and NDC and receiving reference voltage Vref at its gate, an n channel MOS transistor N4 connected between nodes NDB and NDC and having its gate connected to internal power supply line IVL, and an n channel MOS transistor N5 connected between the ground node and node NDC and receiving activation control signal ACT at its gate.
Main amplifier MA further includes a p channel MOS transistor P9 connected between external power supply node EXV and the gate of current drive transistor DRM and receiving activation control signal ACT at its gate. The operation of main amplifier MA will be described briefly.
When activation control signal ACT is at an L level (logical low) of an inactive state, MOS transistor 5 is off. The current path of comparator CMM is cut off. Therefore, comparator CMM stops its comparison operation. The gate potential of p channel MOS transistor P9 is at the ground potential level. MOS transistor P9 conducts to electrically connect external power supply node EXV with the gate of current drive transistor DRM. Therefore, current drive transistor DRM is held at an off state. Also, node NDA is held at the level of external power supply voltage by MOS transistor P9. Therefore, when activation control signal ACT is at an inactive state of an L level, the path of the current flow in main amplifier MA is cut off, so that the current is not consumed.
When activation control signal ACT attains an H level (logical high) of an active state (the level of external power supply voltage ExtVcc), MOS transistor N5 is turned on and MOS transistor P9 is turned off. Comparator CMM carries out the comparison operation between reference voltage Vref and internal power supply voltage IntVcc. A signal corresponding to the comparison result is applied to the gate of current drive transistor DRM via node NDA. When reference voltage Vref is higher than internal power supply voltage IntVcc, the conductance of MOS transistor N3 becomes greater than the conductance of MOS transistor N4. As a result, a greater amount of current flows. MOS transistors P7 and P8 form a current mirror circuit with MOS transistor P8 being the master stage. A current of a magnitude identical to that of the current flowing through MOS transistors P8 and N4 is carried through MOS transistors P7 and N3. Therefore, MOS transistor N3 discharges the current applied from MOS transistor P7, whereby the voltage level of node NDA becomes lower. In response, the gate voltage of current drive transistor DRM is reduced. Current drive transistor DRM supplies the current from external power supply node EXV to internal power supply line IVL, whereby the level of internal power supply voltage IntVcc is raised.
In contrast, when internal power supply voltage IntVcc is higher than reference voltage Vref, the conductance of MOS transistor N4 becomes greater than the conductance of MOS transistor N3, so that the current flowing through MOS transistors P8 and N4 increases. MOS transistor N3 cannot discharge all the current supplied from MOS transistor P7. Therefore, the voltage level of node NDA is increased, whereby current drive transistor DRM is turned off. Therefore, when activation control signal ACT is active, main amplifier MA holds internal power supply voltage IntVcc at the level of reference voltage Vref.
Similar to main amplifier MA, subamplifier SA includes a comparator CMS for comparing reference voltage Vref and internal power supply voltage IntVcc, and a current drive transistor DRS formed of a p channel MOS transistor for supplying the current from external power supply node EXV to internal power supply line IVL according to the output signal from comparator CMS. The current drivability of current drive transistor DRS (=maximum drivability) is set smaller than the current drivability of current drive transistor DRM in main amplifier MA (the gate width W/gate length L is set to a small value).
Comparator CMS includes n channel MOS transistors N6 and N7 forming a comparator stage to compare reference voltage Vref and internal power supply voltage IntVcc, and p channel MOS transistors P10 and P11 forming a current mirror type current supply stage for supplying currents respectively to MOS transistors N6 and N7. P channel MOS transistor P11 supplying current to MOS transistor P7 functions as the master stage of the current mirror circuit.
Comparator CMS further includes a current source transistor N8 receiving a voltage BIASL output from node ND2 of reference voltage generation circuit RG at its gate for defining the current flowing through MOS transistors N6 and N7. MOS transistor N8 forms a current mirror with MOS transistor N2 in reference voltage generation circuit RG. The current generated from constant current generation circuit CCS is set small enough to reduce the consumed current. Therefore, the level of bias voltage BIASL is also low, so that the current driven by MOS transistor N8 is small. Therefore, comparator CMS carries out a comparison operation at a relatively small current drivability to supply a current to internal power supply line IVL via current drive transistor DRS.
Subamplifier SA has the function to suppress reduction of internal power supply voltage IntVcc due to leakage current and the like when main amplifier MA is inactive, i.e. when internal circuitry does not operate and is in a standby state. Therefore, the driven amount of current and response rate of subamplifier SA are set to a low level for the purpose of reducing power consumption. Subamplifier SA has its drive current controlled according to bias voltage BIASL, and constantly carries out a comparison operation of reference voltage Vref and internal power supply voltage IntVcc. The gate potential of drive transistor DRS is adjusted according to the comparison result. Therefore, subamplifier SA carries out an operation identical to that of an active main amplifier MA.
MOS transistor P9 suppresses the gate potential of current drive transistor DRAM from becoming unstable when MOS transistors P7 and N3 are turned off so that node NDA attains an electrically floating state in the case where the current path of comparator CMM is cut off in inactivation of activation control signal ACT in main amplifier MA. MOS transistor P9 is provided to reliably drive current drive transistor DRM to an off state when activation control signal ACT is inactive.
FIG. 14 shows the relationship between external power supply voltage ExtVcc and internal power supply voltage IntVcc. When external power supply voltage ExtVcc is low, reference voltage Vref from reference voltage generation circuit RG (refer to FIG. 13) increases in proportion to external power supply voltage ExtVcc. This is because a constant current is not generated in constant current generation circuit CCS when external power supply voltage ExtVcc is low, so that the current supplied by MOS transistor P3 is proportional to external power supply voltage ExtVcc. Therefore, when the level of reference voltage Vref is changed according to external power supply voltage ExtVcc, the level of internal power supply voltage IntVcc also varies according to external power supply voltage ExtVcc. Even when activation control signal ACT is in an inactive state of an L level, the level of internal power supply voltage IntVcc is raised according to the rise of reference voltage Vref because of the operation of subamplifier SA.
When external power supply voltage ExtVcc exceeds a certain voltage level VF, a constant current is conducted stably (at a voltage level where the feedback operation by the current mirror circuit is stabilized) via MOS transistors P1, P2, N1 and N2 in constant current circuit CCS. In response, the current supplied from MOS transistor P3 also becomes constant, so that reference voltage Vref is constant at the level of voltage VF. Even if external power supply voltage ExtVcc rises thereafter, reference voltage Vref is maintained at the constant level of voltage VF. Accordingly, internal power supply voltage IntVcc is also held at the constant level of voltage VF. Thus, as shown in FIG. 14, internal power supply voltage IntVcc varies according to reference voltage Vref, and is held at the constant voltage level in the flat region independently of change in the level of external power supply voltage ExtVcc. Therefore, internal circuitry can operate stably, independent of variation in external power supply voltage ExtVcc.
FIG. 15 shows the relationship between external power supply voltage ExtVcc and internal power supply voltage IntVcc in the actual operation of the circuitry. In the region where the difference between internal power supply voltage IntVcc and external power supply voltage ExtVcc (the difference between reference voltage Vref and external power supply voltage ExtVcc) is small, i.e. in the region near the lower limit of the operating condition, the gain of the internal power supply voltage generation circuit is reduced, as will be described afterwards. As a result, internal power supply voltage IntVcc cannot be raised to the required level of VF even if it is reduced in level at the time of operation of internal circuitry. The level of internal power supply voltage IntVcc will become lower than the voltage level VF of reference voltage Vref. More specifically, particularly in a high speed operation mode where internal circuitry operates at high speed (for example, when the RAS cycle is short and the sense amplifier is repeatedly activated, or when the CAS cycle is short and the internal column related circuitry operates repeatedly at high speed for writing/reading data, in a DRAM), internal power supply voltage IntVcc is consumed so that the voltage level varies in an alternate current manner. When viewed in a direct current manner, internal power supply voltage IntVcc is lower in level than the required voltage level of VF. In the case where external power supply voltage ExtVcc is, for example, 2.5 V corresponding to the lower limit of the operating condition, internal power supply voltage IntVcc is lower approximately by 0.5 V than the required voltage level of 2.0 V. This reduction in the level of internal power supply voltage IntVcc causes degradation in the current drivability of a transistor forming the internal circuitry. It will become difficult for the internal circuitry to operate at high speed. The reason why internal power supply voltage IntVcc becomes lower than the level of reference voltage Vref will be described.
FIG. 16 shows the internal voltage level of main amplifier MA. Activation control signal ACT is changed between the level of external power supply voltage ExtVcc and ground voltage. Current source transistor N5 of comparator CMM in main amplifier MA has its channel length set relatively large to adjust the current consumption in comparator CMM to, for example, approximately 1 to 2 mA. This means that the ON resistance of current source transistor N5 is relatively great, so that the drain voltage of current source transistor N5 is approximately 1.0 V. Current source transistor N5 has its drain connected to the respective sources of MOS transistors N3 and N4. Therefore, even when the conductance of MOS transistor N3 becomes greater than the conductance of MOS transistor N4 so that the voltage level of node NDA is reduced, the voltage level thereof will not become lower than the level of the drain voltage of current source transistor N5. Therefore, node NDA will have a voltage level of 1.0 V at lowest.
Current drive transistor DRM supplies current from external power supply node EXV to internal power supply line IVL, according to the voltage level on node NDA. This current source transistor DRM formed of a p channel MOS transistor supplies current according to the difference between the voltage level of node NDA and the level of the external power supply voltage ExtVcc applied to external power supply node EXV. Therefore, reduction in external power supply voltage ExtVcc causes the gate-source voltage Vgs of current drive transistor DRAM to be further reduced, so that current cannot be supplied at high speed from external power supply node EXV to internal power supply line IVL. As a result, the gain of main amplifier MA is reduced. Therefore, internal power supply voltage IntVcc, when consumed and lowered, cannot be raised to the level of reference voltage Vref. Internal power supply voltage IntVcc will be maintained at a level lower than the level of reference voltage Vref.
Particularly when the difference between external power supply voltage ExtVcc and reference voltage Vref, i.e., internal power supply voltage IntVcc, becomes small, the voltage drop of internal power supply voltage IntVcc at the lower limit of the operating condition shown in FIG. 15 becomes as great as 0.5 V, for example, which is not a negligible level. Thus, there was a problem that internal circuitry cannot be operated at high speed.
Particularly in the case where internal power supply voltage IntVcc is reduced during operation of internal circuitry, external power supply voltage ExtVcc is consumed to compensate for this reduction in internal power supply voltage IntVcc. Therefore, external power supply voltage ExtVcc is reduced in an alternate current manner. When the difference between external power supply voltage ExtVcc and reference voltage Vref becomes smaller, the drop in internal power supply voltage IntVcc becomes greater.
When internal circuitry operates at high speed to charge/discharge a signal line, internal power supply voltage IntVcc is consumed to have the voltage level thereof reduced. Accordingly, the level of external power supply voltage ExtVcc is reduced, so that the drivability of current drive transistor DRM is degraded. As a result, the drop in internal power supply voltage IntVcc becomes greater.
This problem of reduction of internal power supply voltage IntVcc from the level of reference voltage Vref is also encountered in a level shift type voltage down converter that shifts down the level of internal power supply voltage IntVcc for comparison with reference voltage Vref, as well as in a direct feedback type voltage down converter that directly compares internal power supply voltage IntVcc with reference voltage Vref as shown in FIG. 13. This is because the drivability of the current drive transistor is restricted since the gate voltage thereof does not fall down to the level of the ground voltage, reflecting the voltage level of the internal node in the comparator not reduced down to the ground voltage level.

Internal power supply voltage generation circuit that can suppress reduction in internal power supply voltage in neighborhood of lower limit region of external power supply voltage


A method for shielding components includes the steps of providing a component and applying at least one coating region, designed to shield from a magnetic and/or an electrical field, to the component by a thermal and/or kinetic spraying method such that a first arrangement space is shielded from a second arrangement space.

The present invention relates to a method for shielding components, a housing and a vehicle component.
The components in question are in particular vehicle components, such as chassis components or housings of or for vehicle components, such as in particular electrical and/or mechanical drive components and also any additional components or else chassis components. These include for example electric motors, high-voltage accumulators, the power electronics system, transmission, etc. In the development of housings, for example, it is increasingly being attempted to integrate an increasing number of components. The background to this is the possibility of thereby saving installation space, making assembly easier, reducing weight or lowering costs. However, the electrification of the drivetrain is not infrequently accompanied by problems, since the electrical or magnetic fields generated during the operation of the components may interfere with any adjacent components there may be, and vice versa. In order to counter this problem, shielding plates or the like are often used. However, these take up installation space, represent additional costs, in particular in assembly, increase the weight and moreover require further working steps in assembly, etc., whereby the number of possible sources of error also increases.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for shielding components, a housing and also a vehicle component that eliminate the aforementioned disadvantages and at the same time can be produced at low cost, or can be realized at low cost, in particular also in mass production.
According to the invention, a method for shielding components comprises the steps of:
providing a component;
applying to the component at least one coating region, which is designed for shielding from magnetic and/or electrical fields, by means of a thermal and/or kinetic spraying method.
An electrical and/or magnetic shielding is advantageously not realized by way of arranging shielding plates or the like, but in a positionally accurate and targeted manner by way of one or more coating regions that are applied directly straight onto the component. Maximum flexibility is obtained in particular by a thermal and/or kinetic spraying method being used for the application, whereby even the most complicated geometries are suitable for application of the coating regions. What is more, even places that are difficult to access can be reached.
According to a preferred embodiment, the spraying method is in particular a thermal or kinetic spraying or coating method, such as particularly preferably arc wire spraying, or else cold gas spraying. Both methods have proven to be very robust and advantageously make extremely short cycle times possible.
According to one embodiment, the at least one coating region has a thickness in a range of approximately 50-800 μm, particularly preferably in a range of approximately 200-600 μm, most particularly preferably in a range of approximately 250 μm. The direct coating of the respective component offers the advantage that a thickness of the coating can be designed individually and in dependence on the interfering signals, the electromagnetic fields, etc., occurring.
According to one embodiment, the method comprises the step of:
accelerating a coating material to a speed greater than 100 m/s.
It has been found that best results can be achieved with these values. Depending on the method used, the speeds may also be significantly higher. Thus, for example, in the case of high velocity oxygen fuel spraying speeds in a range of 1000 m/s and more are reached, similarly in the case of cold gas spraying.
According to one embodiment, the method comprises the step of:
applying a number of coating regions of different thicknesses and/or sizes.
As a result, components can be advantageously shielded individually and in a time-saving manner.
According to one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of:
simulating/calculating the electrical and/or magnetic field;
positionally accurately applying the at least one coating region, in particular in dependence on the results of the simulation and/or calculation.
Therefore, coating is advantageously only carried out where it is necessary according to the simulation/calculation. The method makes it possible to dispense with the arrangement of shielding plates, etc. Consequently, both costs in production and in assembly can be reduced. Moreover, installation space is not wasted unnecessarily.
According to the invention, a housing comprises a housing wall, the housing according to one embodiment being formed in particular from a light metal, such as aluminum and/or magnesium, which shapes or forms a multiplicity of arrangement spaces, the arrangement spaces being designed for arranging a multiplicity of components, from which electrical and/or magnetic fields are emitted or may be emitted, at least during operation, and the housing wall having at least one coating region, which is intended for shielding the fields, and the at least one coating region being positionally accurately arranged and dimensioned in such a way that at least one of the arrangement spaces is shielded with respect to the fields or these fields are at least significantly diverted, whereby at least one protective space is formed, and the at least one coating region being produced by the method according to the invention. According to one embodiment, the housing forms three arrangement spaces, a first arrangement space being intended for an electric motor, a second arrangement space being intended for a transmission arranged downstream of the electric motor and a third arrangement space being intended for the associated power electronics system. The electric motor may be for example a current-excited synchronous motor or a permanently excited motor. In any event, the electromagnetic fields occurring during operation, for example during highly variant load cases, may possibly interfere with the power electronics system. The housing wall is thus advantageously provided or coated with coating regions in such a way that, for example, the space in which the power electronics system is located is shielded in a targeted manner from any interference signals, electromagnetic fields, etc., there may be, in other words this space is therefore formed as the protective space.
According to one embodiment, the at least one coating region is arranged or formed on the inside of the housing wall. The "inside" means the region of the arrangement space that is directed toward the component arranged therein.
According to one embodiment, the at least one coating region is arranged or formed on the outside of the housing wall. Correspondingly, it is also possible to provide coating regions both on the inside and on the outside of the housing wall and possibly also arrange them as it were "one behind the other". To this extent, very effective and efficient shieldings can be realized without additional installation space, with at the same time very thin coating regions.
It should be mentioned at this point that a ceramic, such as Al2O3, or magnesium is preferably used as the coating material. These materials can also be used particularly well with the aforementioned coating methods.
As already mentioned, preferably arranged in the protective space is a power electronics system, which is protected in an ideal way from interfering influences from the surroundings.
According to a preferred embodiment, the housing wall is produced from an aluminum material or an aluminum alloy, since with this material low component weights can be realized.
According to a preferred embodiment, the housing is cast, in particular produced by metal casting. Possible casting methods are in this case, for example, gravity casting, low-pressure casting or die casting.
According to a preferred embodiment, the housing is formed in particular as one part or integrally. In other words, the arrangement spaces are formed by the housing wall. Alternatively, the housing may however also be put together or assembled from individual parts.
The invention is also directed to a vehicle component, in particular a chassis component, which is produced or coated by the method according to the invention. The vehicle component is preferably made of light metal, such as aluminum and/or magnesium. According to one embodiment, it is also a cast part or a formed part, for example a part formed by means of hydroforming. The method is particularly suitable for a chassis component, since in the course of the electrification of motor vehicles inductive charging methods are increasingly being used. This involves the vehicle being positioned over a corresponding coil, which is for example arranged in the ground. The coating region or regions allow vehicle components to be shielded specifically and at low cost, possibly even in the fitted state, whereby unwanted interaction can be avoided during inductive charging, for example an electrical charging operation that may be performed.
The advantages and features mentioned in connection with the vehicle component and the housing also apply analogously and correspondingly to the method, and vice versa and with respect to one another.
Further advantages and features emerge from the following description of a schematic view of an embodiment of a housing with reference to the accompanying FIGURE

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


The intersection angle formed by the central conductor connected to an input port and the central conductor connected to an output port is set to more than 120 degrees, preferably about 130 to 150 degrees, for example 140 degrees. The central conductor connected to a terminating port preferably bisects the above-described intersection angle and may be set to either 110 degrees or 70 degrees, for example. The resistance of a terminating resistor connected to the terminating port is set to about 200 to 500 .OMEGA., for example 300 .OMEGA..

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an isolator for use in a portable mobile communication unit such as a portable phone.
2. Description of the Related Art
Isolators have characteristics in which attenuation is very low in the direction in which a signal is transferred and it is very high in the reverse direction. They are employed in transmitting and receiving circuit sections or the like of equipment such as portable telephones. As shown in FIG. 6, in such an isolator, three central conductors 30 are disposed so that they intersect each other at the angles shown in an electrically insulated condition. At one end, each of the central conductors 30 is connected to a port P1, a port P2, or a port P3. Each port is connected to a matching capacitor C, the other end of which is connected to ground. A ferrite body 31 butts against the intersection of the central conductors 30 and a DC magnetic field is applied to the intersection. A terminating resistor is connected to one of the ports, in this case port P3.
In the isolator, the angle formed by any two of the central conductors 30 is set to 120 degrees (with an actual machining tolerance of .+-.1 degree) in design, and the resistance of the terminating resistor connected to the terminating port P3 is set to about 50 .OMEGA..
There is a strong demand for a portable telephone to have low power consumption in order to achieve a long continuous call time, while also being compact. It has further been strongly demanded that the insertion loss of an isolator be reduced (to a low level).
A conventional isolator has been designed for an analog portable telephone which uses a nonlinear power amplifier and good isolation (high attenuation in the reverse direction) has been required. An isolation of about 10 to 15 dB is needed whereas the isolation loss is about 0.5 dB. Therefore, to obtain the most suitable isolation characteristic, the three central conductors are disposed with an intersection angle of 120 degrees in the conventional isolator. This setting of the intersection angle is, however, a large burden in terms of insertion-loss reduction.
In a digital portable telephone, a linear power amplifier is used. Since intermodulation distortion caused by an external signal is unlikely to occur, it is sufficient for an isolator to have a small insertion loss, in order to achieve a low power consumption, even if its isolation is lower than that of the conventional isolator.

Isolator comprising three central conductors intersecting each other at predetermined angles


Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to a technique for scheduling multiple peer-to-peer communications in a wireless network using an access point (AP). The existing power management framework for AP-based communications is utilized to achieve AP-based scheduling of peer-to-peer communications.

1. Field
Certain aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to a wireless communication and, more particularly, to scheduling of peer-to-peer communication.
2. Background
In order to transmit data between two user stations (STAs) (e.g., STA1 and STA2) that are associated with one access point (AP), two approaches are generally available. In one approach, the STA1 can send data to the AP, and then the AP forwards the data to the STA2. In another approach, the STA1 sets up a Direct Link Setup (DLS) connection with the STA2. Messages for DLS are forwarded through the AP. Once the DLS connection is set up, the STA1 can directly send data packets to the STA2.
Currently, frames that are conveyed using DLS have to be sent using Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) based contention protocol. However, in scenarios where there are several DLS connections, significant collisions may arise which can diminish throughputs for the multiple DLS streams.

Access point scheduled peer-to-peer communication


The device for hanging pants and similar garments foldable in two parts is composed of a rigid frame which is provided with a central hook and in the lower part thereof with a rod, the rod being intended to support the garment folded in two parts. The device is characterized by the fact that the frame (1) is formed of a cross-piece (2) and uprights (3) at the extremities, the cross-piece (2) being located at the extremities of the uprights, which act as a guide for the rod (4). The rod is capable of moving along the uprights to be in a lower position and in a raised position in contact with the cross-piece. The blocking of the rod in different positions is achieved by means of a joint of the saw type with teeth which is unidirectional and the toothed surface (5) is located on each of the uprights while the toothed spike is formed on the sleeve (7) which serves as a guide for the rod.

Devices of the type called "appendipantaloni" are known constituted by a rigid frame provided with a central hook. The hook comprises in the lower part a rod intended to support the garment to be suspended, folded in two parts, for pants or similar items of clothing.
The use of this type of device to hang clothing has the drawback that the garment being suspended may fall due to the fact that the same slides from the rod due to the difference in weight of the two opposite parts of the garment in which the garment is folded on the rod. At the present state of the art, the blocking of the garment which is hung on the supporting rod of the device, particularly during the transport of the garments which are hung, from the storage place to the store in which the garments are sold at retail, is carried out in different manners, all of which are based on the use of a further constructive element which provides to compress a portion on the supporting rod, for instance by using a flexible wire placed on the side of the rod or by causing the garment to be partially wound on two rods opposite one to the other and placed close one to the other.

Device for suspending pants and similar garments foldable in two parts


A membrane method processing system and process for a high-concentration salt-containing organic waste liquid incineration exhaust gas is described. The system consists essentially of a waste liquid incinerator (I), a gas-solid separator (II), a heat exchanger (III), an air blower (IV), an anti-caking agent storage tank (V), a membrane method dust cleaner (VI), an induced draft fan (VII), a check valve (VIII), and a desulfurization tower (IX). The present invention introduces the dust collecting membrane into the tail gas treatment system and utilizes the small pore size and high porosity of the dust collecting membrane to prevent inorganic salt particles from entering the internal of the filter material and agglomerating there. When the humidity of the gas entering the dust collector increases during the dust removing process, the anti-caking agent is also introduced into the tail gas treatment system to change the surface structure of the inorganic salt crystal to prevent the crystal from agglomeration.

High-concentration salt-containing organic waste liquid widely exists in urban domestic sewage treatment, pharmaceutical, chemical and fermenting processes. At present, the common treatment method of high-concentration salt-containing organic waste liquid is incineration. The incineration tail gas is discharged after being treated with desulfurization, denitrification and dust removal processes. The dust in the incineration tail gas of high-concentration salt-containing organic waste liquid is mainly inorganic salt. After the temperature of the tail gas is lowered through the heat exchanger, the inorganic salt is easily agglomerated in the subsequent dust removal equipment and pipeline, affecting the tail gas treatment effect. After a large amount of inorganic salt is agglomerated in the dust removal equipment, the running resistance is increased and the dust removal equipment needs to be cleaned regularly. This increases the cost of tail gas treatment, and the waste water generated during the cleaning process causes secondary pollution.
The main dust removal equipment in the treatment of the incineration tail gas of high-concentration salt-containing organic waste liquid is a bag-type dust collector. The boxes of the existing bag-type dust collector are mostly square. When inorganic salt enters the bag-type dust collector during the dust removal process, it can easily accumulate and agglomerate at the edges and corners inside the dust collector for a long time. The intergrowth of inorganic salt crystals trapped by the bag during the vacuum suction process causes intergranular adhesions. During the crystal forming process, due to the movement of soluble ions to the particle surface, numerous cavities are formed inside the particle. The crystals on the surface of the cavities are the same as the crystals on the surface of the particle. If the humidity in the gas is high, the crystallization range will gradually increase. Under the vacuum suction action, crystals enter the interior of the bag filter material and agglomerate inside the filter material, causing the whole bag to become hard and brittle, thus sharply shortening the service life of the bag.

Membrane method processing system and process for high-concentration salt-containing organic waste liquid incineration exhaust gas


A system for controlling a capacity of a compressor includes a motor of the compressor including a main winding connected at a connection point to an auxiliary winding and a drive configured to control a speed of the motor. The system includes a first switch configured to selectively connect the main winding to either a first line voltage or a first output of the drive, a second switch configured to selectively connect the connection point to either a second line voltage or a second output of the drive, and a third switch configured to selectively connect the auxiliary winding to either a capacitor or a third output of the drive. The system includes a solenoid valve configured to selectively either operate in a first capacity or a second capacity. The system includes a control module configured to control the drive, the first switch, the second switch, and the third switch.

The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
A residential or light commercial HVAC (heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning) system controls temperature and humidity of a building. Upper and lower temperature limits may be specified by an occupant or owner of the building, such as an employee working in the building or a homeowner.
A compressor of the HVAC system can be a two-stage or variable capacity compressor. While variable capacity compressors may provide high seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) and energy efficiency ratio (EER) ratings, variable capacity compressors may be originally more costly for an owner. Two-stage compressors have a lower cost but are limited to two run capacities, which may decrease overall efficiency as well as SEER and EER ratings.

Systems and methods for multi-stage operation of a compressor


A diagnosis of deterioration and/or normality of an exhaust gas purifying catalyst is made by comparing a ratio of reversal frequencies of outputs from oxygen sensors disposed on opposite sides of the exhaust gas purifying catalyst with a threshold ratio. Discrimination is performed on both normality and deterioration in a standard gas quantity zone, on only normality in a large gas quantity zone, and on only deterioration in a small gas quantity zone, and nothing is made in an extra large gas quantity zone.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for monitoring and diagnosing deterioration of a exhaust gas purifying catalyst used in an exhaust system of an automobile engine.
2. Description of Related Art
Engines, in particular automobile engines, are typically provided with an exhaust system with an exhaust gas purifying catalyst installed therein. Such an exhaust gas purifying catalyst possibly encounters a hardly negligible decline in gas purifying ratio due to thermal deterioration. In order to monitor and diagnose functional deterioration of the exhaust gas purifying catalyst, the utilization is made of a pair of oxygen (O.sub.2) sensors disposed before and after the exhaust gas purifying catalyst in the exhaust system. Functional deterioration is monitored based on outputs from the oxygen (O.sub.2) sensors. One of the catalyst deterioration monitoring techniques is known from, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-249029.
Catalyst deterioration detection is performed by comparing a value relating to a ratio between the numbers of reversal of outputs, i.e. a ratio between reversal cycles of outputs, from the two oxygen (O.sub.2) sensors with a threshold value. For example, a ratio of the number of reversal of output from the upstream oxygen (O.sub.2) sensor to the number of reversal of output from the downstream oxygen (O.sub.2) sensor (which is hereafter referred to as an output reversal ratio) takes a significantly large value when the exhaust gas purifying catalyst is functionally normal and, however, gradually declines with deterioration, i.e. a decline in purifying ratio, of the exhaust gas purifying catalyst. Accordingly, the exhaust gas purifying catalyst can be judged deteriorated when the output reversal ratio exceeds the threshold value.
As described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-42338, the detection of deterioration of the exhaust gas purifying catalyst is interrupted upon an occurrence of a fault of a fuel injector or a fault of an exhaust gas recirculation system.
In the diagnosis of deterioration of the exhaust gas purifying catalyst performed by comparing an output reversal ratio with a threshold value, it has been proved that, although the exhaust gas purifying catalyst is functionally normal, it is apt to be judged deteriorated or that, although the exhaust gas purifying catalyst has been deteriorating, it is apt to be judged functionally normal. On study of the cause of wrong detection, it was found that the amount of exhaust gases passing the exhaust gas purifying catalyst produces a great effect on diagnosis of catalyst deterioration. In particular, The diagnosis of deterioration is greatly dominated by a ratio of the maximum amount of exhaust gas (passing through the exhaust gas purifying catalyst in a range where air-to-fuel ratio feedback control is available) relative to the capacity of the exhaust gas purifying catalyst. Specifically, the exhaust gas purifying catalyst purifies exhaust gas at a rate declined more when the amount of exhaust gas is large than when it is small. For this reason, even though the degree of deterioration of the exhaust gas purifying catalyst is the same, the output reversal ratio is smaller when the amount of exhaust gas passing through the exhaust gas purifying catalyst is large than when it is small. For a moderate amount of exhaust gas, the exhaust gas purifying catalyst shows a lenient change in gas purifying ratio relative to a change in the output reversal ratio over a significantly broad range before and after a boundary between an unacceptable deteriorated state and a functionally normal state, it is definitely discriminated between these functional states at the threshold value taken as a boundary.
In a range of large amounts of exhaust gas and in a range of small amounts of exhaust gas, the exhaust gas purifying catalyst shows a significant change in gas purifying ratio relative to even a slight change in the output reversal ratio near the boundary between the unacceptable deteriorated state and the functionally normal state. Further, in the range of large amounts of exhaust gas, the range of output reversal ratios based on which the exhaust gas purifying catalyst is judged normal is significantly broad and, however, the range of output reversal ratios based on which the exhaust gas purifying catalyst is judged deteriorated is significantly narrow. For this reason, the exhaust gas purifying catalyst is apt to be judged deteriorated in the range of large amounts of exhaust gas although it is functionally normal. To the contrary, in the range of small amounts of exhaust gas, the range of output reversal ratios based on which the exhaust gas purifying catalyst is judged normal is significantly narrow and, however, the range of output reversal ratios based on which the exhaust gas purifying catalyst is judged deteriorated is significantly broad, so that the exhaust gas purifying catalyst is apt to be judged normal in the range of small amounts of exhaust gas although it is deteriorated.
In order to prevent the exhaust gas purifying catalyst from being faultily judged, while only a moderate range of amounts of exhaust gas may be utilized to perform the deterioration diagnosis, frequency with which the deterioration diagnosis is performed is reduced.
On the other hand, during the diagnosis of detrioration of the exhaust gas purifying catalyst, in order to improve the detectability of output from the oxygen (O.sub.2) sensor for easy discrimination, it is popular to increase a gain in the air-to-fuel ratio feedback control. In such a case, unless the diagnosis of detrioration is completed, the increased gain remains effective, hunting is encountered under regular operating condition

System for detecting deterioration of exhaust gas purifying catalyst for automobile engine


The present invention relates to a novel ethylene/pentene-1 copolymer whose molded film has a good balance between impact resistance and tear properties and high transparency, also is prominently reduced in a variation of the transparency even after subjected to a heat treatment, and further shows high blocking resistance, provided that the copolymer fulfills specific requisites. The invention also relates to a process for the preparation of the above-mentioned ethylene/pentene-1 copolymer and a formulation of the ethylene/pentene-1 copolymer composition using a stabilizer. According to the invention, there can be obtained an ethylene/pentene-1 copolymer composition which is excellent in heat stability in the molding stage, long-term heat stability and weatherability.

Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), that is a copolymer of ethylene and .alpha.-olefin, shows higher impact strength when molded into a film, as compared with conventional low-density polyethylene (LDPE) obtained by the high pressure process, so that the linear low-density polyethylene has been broadly used as a film-forming material.
In order to prepare such ethylene/.alpha.-olefin copolymer, there have been used butene-1 or .alpha.-olefin having 6 or more carbon atoms as .alpha.-olefin comonomer.
A film obtained from an ethylene/butene-1 copolymer (i.e., an example of the linear low-density polyethylenes) is excellent in tear properties because of its adequate tear strength, but is somewhat low in the impact strength.
A film obtained from a copolymer of ethylene and .alpha.-olefin having 6 or more carbon atoms (i.e., other example of the linear low-density polyethylene) is excellent in the impact strength, but has such a problem that the film cannot be easily torn because of too high tear strength. In other words, the film obtained from such copolymer is bad in the tear properties.
Accordingly, eagerly desired are ethylene/.alpha.-olefin copolymers which can provide films of high impact strength and excellent tear properties.
The present inventors have earnestly studied to solve the above-mentioned problems accompanied by the ethylene/.alpha.-olefin copolymer films. As a result, they have found that if an ethylene/pentene-1 copolymer having been obtained by copolymerizing ethylene and pentene-1 and fulfilling specific requisites is molded into a film, the resulting film is excellent in impact strength and tear properties. Thus, ethylene/pentene-1 copolymers and processes for the preparation of the same according to the invention have been accomplished.
The present inventors have also found that an ethylene/pentene-1 copolymer composition obtained by adding a specific stabilizer to the above-mentioned ethylene/pentene-1 copolymer is excellent in heat stability in the molding stage, long-term heat stability and weatherability, and that a molded product obtained from the copolymer composition can keep high impact strength and good tear properties both inherently belonging to the ethylene/pentene-1 copolymer. Thus, ethylene/pentene-1 copolymer compositions according to the invention have been accomplished.

Ethylene/pentene-1 copolymer and ethylene/pentene-1 copolymer composition


A power system includes an engine; an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system supplying a first portion of the engine exhaust gas from the exhaust manifold to the intake manifold; a turbine generator in communication with the exhaust manifold and configured to be driven by a second portion of the engine exhaust gas from the exhaust manifold to generate electrical power; a power network including at least one battery to store the electrical power generated by the turbine generator; and an electric compressor in fluid communication with the intake manifold and configured to be powered by the electrical power from the at least one battery of the power network and to compress at least a portion of the intake air for the engine.

Heavy work vehicles, such as used in the construction, agriculture and forestry industries, typically include a power system with an internal combustion engine. For many work vehicles, the power system includes a diesel engine that may have higher lugging, pull-down, and torque characteristics for associated work operations. It is common for internal combustion engine systems on many work vehicles to include one or more turbochargers that boost engine intake airflow to improve performance. Each turbocharger includes a turbine and a compressor, with the turbine driven by exhaust gas from the engine and the compressor, in turn, being driven by the turbine to compress air provided to the engine for combustion. The turbine and compressor are linked together by a shaft to operate in concert with one another.

Work vehicle power system with decoupled engine air system components


An improved two-piece connecting rod (800) that connects a reciprocating piston with a crankshaft in an internal combustion engine. The connecting rod (800) has a shank portion (810, 860), a cap portion (820, 870) and projections (830, 880, 882) extending from one or both of the shank (810, 860) and cap portions (820, 870). When the shank (810, 860) and the cap (820, 870) are connected, the projections (830, 880, 882) mate with the opposite side with an interference fit, thereby resisting relative motion between the shank (810, 860) and the cap (820, 870) along the split-line (A′).

This invention relates to connecting rods that connect a crankshaft and a piston in an internal combustion engine, including internal combustion engines powering an electric generator. However, certain applications for the present invention may be outside of this field.
In engines utilizing one-piece connecting rods, installation or replacement of the connecting rods is difficult and typically requires removal of the crankshaft. Utilizing two-piece, or split, connecting rods typically alleviates this difficulty and allows the rod to be installed or replaced without removing the crankshaft. However, stresses imposed on the connecting rod may cause movement between the two pieces. This movement between the two pieces of the connecting rod, although potentially very slight, results in accelerated wear and deterioration of the connecting rod and/or the crankshaft.
There is a need for an improved two-piece connecting rod that connects a crankshaft and piston of an internal combustion engine and that resists relative motion between the two pieces.


A method of compressing an image formed of pixels. The method includes providing a pixel of the image, to be encoded, selecting at least two pixels of the image, other than the encoded pixel, defining a straight line including the encoded pixel, to serve as prediction pixels, calculating a prediction value for the encoded pixel using at least the selected pixels, determining a difference between the calculated prediction value and the actual value of the encoded pixel, encoding the determined difference, such that the encoding error is bounded; and repeating for at least 5% of the pixels of the image.

There exist in the art many compression methods. Some compression methods, such as Lempel-Ziv (LZ), may be used for the processing of any kind of data. Other compression techniques relate to specific types of data. By taking advantage of information known about the specific type of data being compressed, these compression methods achieve better compression ratios, at least on the average.
Image compression methods may be lossless, in which case there is no degradation in image quality or may be lossy in which case the image quality is degraded. One challenge of lossy compression methods is to perform the compression with minimal quality degradation. One class of lossy compression methods includes bounded compression methods, which methods result in an image in which the loss of data of each pixel is bounded.
One of the existing compression methods for images is lossless JPEG 2000, which achieves an average compression ratio of 30-40%. The lossless JPEG-2000 compression method uses a wavelet transform and is therefore complex and requires large memory resources.
The lossless compression low-complexity (LOCO-I) compression method, described for example in Weinberger, M. J., et al., "LOCO-I: A Low Complexity, Context-Based, Lossless Image Compression Algorithm", Proceedings of the IEEE Data Compression Conference, Snowbird, Utah, March-April 1996, pp. 140-149, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, is a lossless or nearly lossless method of compression. For each pixel, the LOCO-I compression method generates a predictor based on three neighboring pixels. The difference between the actual value of the pixel and the predictor of the pixel is encoded using a Golomb code, which adaptively generates a Huffman code under an assumption that the compressed data is distributed exponentially. Each Golomb code is defined by a pair of parameters, which are the mean of the values and the decay of the values. Different code parameters are used for different contexts, the context differing along the image according to the value of the predictor. In addition, LOCO-I uses run-length to describe a stream of zero-valued predictions. Hardware implementation of the LOCO-I compression method is relatively complex, as a large pipeline is required for tracking the context parameters.
Another image compression method is the adaptive recursive interpolative differential PCM (ARIDPCM), described in MIL-STD-188-197A, Oct. 12, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In the ARIDPCM method, the image is divided into blocks of 8×8 pixels and predictors are generated in recursive interpolation of intermediate values, beginning from the lowest right corner of the block and the values of corner values of neighboring left and upper blocks. The interpolation is performed in four levels, each level using values from the previous levels for generating the predictor. The difference between the actual value and the predictor of each pixel is encoded using a fixed code with a predetermined number of bits according to the level of the pixel and the image complexity of the block. ARIDPCM is a lossy compression method and is not suitable for environments in which high quality images are required. ARIDPCM is a simple compression method but does not achieve high compression ratios.
Other image compression methods are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,654,503 to Sudharsanan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,193 to Young et al., and U.S. patent publication 2004/0071356 to Sudharsanan et al., the disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.


An orientation system includes a base station comprising a light emitter that projects a pattern onto a projection surface of a space, an auxiliary station including an auxiliary emitter that projects an auxiliary pattern onto the projection surface, and a robot including a moveable base supporting an imaging device. The robot detects the pattern and the auxiliary pattern with the imaging device, and determines a location of the robot within the space based on the pattern.

Robots may determine their own location using one or more accelerometers, gyroscopes, and/or other motion detecting sensors. However, such sensors may be relatively expensive to implement and use. Additionally, using motion detecting sensors, the location of a robot may be tracked only with respect to an initially-calibrated location. Eventually, the motion detecting sensors must be recalibrated with respect to the reference location due to drift, environmental changes, and/or other sources of error.
A visual reference frame may provide a less expensive and constant way for the robot to determine its location. Because robots may operate in spaces with one or more projection surfaces (e.g., a ceiling, wall, etc.), a projection surface may provide a backdrop for providing a visual reference frame. However, most projection surfaces are uniform in color or texture and provide no identifying characteristics for which a robot may use to formulate a frame of reference. Moreover, any frame of reference installed or otherwise incorporated into the projection surface is not readily adaptable to the actions of the robot.

Systems and methods for orienting a robot in a space