A method for converting a digital image to an analog-simulative film-like digital image includes (a.) obtaining digital image input values for a number of pixels, each pixel having a digital image input value X, wherein the range of input values for all pixels defines the input dynamic range; (b.) for each pixel, determining an analog-simulative film-like output value   Y  =                    ∑                  i          =          1                M                          xe2x80x83                                    A          i                                  xe2x80x83                                  X          Pi                      +    Bi

The present invention relates generally to the field of medical diagnostic systems, such as imaging systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a technique for digital-to-film radiographic image conversion.
The classic radiographic or xe2x80x9cX-rayxe2x80x9d image is obtained by situating the object to be imaged between an X-ray emitter and an X-ray detector made of photographic film. Emitted X-rays pass through the object to expose the film, with the degree of film exposure at the various points on the film largely being determined by the attenuation of the object along the path of the X-rays.
It is proposed to utilize solid-state digital X-ray detectors, e.g., an array of photodiodes, in place of film detectors. After the X-ray exposure is terminated, the charges generated on the various points of the detector are read and processed to generate a digital image of the object in electronic form, rather than an analog image on photographic film. Digital imaging is advantageous because the image can later be electronically transmitted to other locations, subjected to diagnostic algorithms to determine properties of the object, and so on.
However, digital images present problems when printed for analysis by radiologists. Because the characteristics of the digital detectors are significantly different from those of film, the images look quite different from analog film images, even when printed on transparent film. This is due to the differing exposure response curves of digital and film detectors. As an example, the digital image data generated by a detector may be linearly proportional to the received radiation (or nearly so), whereas film has a non-linear response to radiation. As a result, the contrast in digital images is not as great as that with radiographic film. To avoid error, radiologists analyzing digital images must keep these differences between analog and digital X-ray images prominently in mind when making such analyses. Therefore, there has been a need for a means of xe2x80x9ctranslatingxe2x80x9d digital images into analog-simulative digital images which mimic the results of standard prior filmed images, and which may be printed on transparent film so that they resemble filmed radiographic images. This would allow the use of light boxes and other tools commonly in use for analysis of analog filmed images.
Solutions to the problems described above have not heretofore included significant remote capabilities. In particular, communication networks, such as, the Internet or private networks, have not been used to provide remote services to such medical diagnostic systems. The advantages of remote services, such as, remote monitoring, remote system control, immediate file access from remote locations, remote file storage and archiving, remote resource pooling, remote recording, remote diagnostics, and remote high speed computations have not heretofore been employed to solve the problems discussed above.
Thus, there is a need for a medical diagnostic system which provides for the advantages of remote services and addresses the problems above. In particular, there is a need for conversion or translation of digital images into images which approximate filmed images, communicating such images and image data over a network, and displaying such images.
One embodiment of the invention relates to a method for converting a digital image to an analog-simulative film-like digital image. The method includes (a.) obtaining digital image input values for a number of pixels, each pixel having a digital image input value X, wherein the range of input values for all pixels defines the input dynamic range; (b.) for each pixel, determining an analog-simulative film-like output value   Y  =                    ∑                  i          =          1                M                                    A          i                                  X          Pi                      +          B      i
wherein Ai, pi, and Bi are real numbers, and M is an integer value greater than or equal to 1; and (c.) communicating the analog-simulative film-like digital image or data associated therewith to a remote facility over a network.
Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method for converting a digital image to an analog-simulative film-like digital image. The method includes (a.) obtaining digital image input values from a number of pixels, each pixel having an input value X, wherein the range of input values for all pixels defines the input dynamic range; (b.) for pixels having input values X less than X1 wherein X1 is a value within the input dynamic range, determining for each pixel an analog-simulative film-like output value Y=A1Xp1+B1 wherein A1, p1, and B1 are real numbers and p1 greater than 1; (c.) for pixels having input values X greater than X2 wherein X2 is a value within the input dynamic range and X2xe2x89xa7X1, determining for each pixel an analog-simulative film-like output value Y=A3Xp3+B3 wherein A3, p3, and B3 are real numbers and p3 less than 1; (d.) generating an output image in accordance with the output values of the pixels; and (e.) communicating the output image or image data to a remote facility over a network.
Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method for converting a digital image to an analog-simulative film-like digital image. The method includes (a.) obtaining digital image input values from a number of pixels, each pixel having an input value X ranging between Xmin and Xmax, the range between Xmin and Xmax defining the dynamic range of the input values; (b.) dividing the dynamic range into N intervals, N being an integer number of at least 1; (c.) for each interval, determining for each input value therein an analog-simulative film-like output value   Y  =                    ∑                  i          =          1                M                                    A          i                                  X          Pi                      +          B      i
wherein M is an integer value greater than or equal to 1, X is the input value, Ai, pi, and Bi are real numbers, and pi decreases with each interval after a first interval adjacent Xmin; and (d.) generating an output image in accordance with the output values of the pixels; and (e.) communicating the output image or image data to a remote facility over a network.
Other principle features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following drawings, the detailed description, and the appended claims.

Digital-to-film radiographic image conversion including a network

GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC


A fusing station (25) of an electrographic apparatus fixes in a single pass a duplex resinous powder color image (8, 18) to a support material in sheet-form (9) as the sheet is moved over a predetermined path (7). The station comprises two heated fixing rollers (1, 11), rotating in contact with each other, driving means to rotate the fixing rollers, pressing means for applying a meshing force between the fixing rollers, heating sources (4, 14) which have substantially identical characteristics. Both fixing rollers comprise a heat conducting core (3, 13) and a resilient covering (2, 12) which by the pressure between both rollers forms a heating nip. A symmetrical fixing operation on both sides of the sheet is provided. Hereto, the fixing rollers have a substantially identical construction, are positioned symmetrically to the path of the sheet and rotate synchronously to the advancement of the sheet.

In a first kind of electrographic printing, particularly in the process of electrophotography, a light image of an original document to be copied or printed is recorded in the form of a latent electrostatic image on a photosensitive member. The generated electrostatic latent image is subsequently rendered visible by application of electroscopic particles, commonly called toner. The toner particles preferably have a definite electric charge sign and as such are attracted by the electrostatic charge pattern of opposite charge sign in proportion to the field strength of the respective areas defining the pattern.
The toner particles forming the visual image are then transferred from the photosensitive member to a support member or receptor support, such as a sheet of plain paper or a plastic film, further shortly indicated as "sheet". Since the toner image is then in a loose powdered form which may be easily disturbed or destroyed, it has to be permanently fixed or fused on said sheet in a fusing or fixing device.
In a second kind of electrographic printing, particularly in Direct Electrostatic Printing (DEP), electrostatic printing is performed directly from a toner delivery means, e.g. a magnetic brush assembly, on a receiving member substrate, called "sheet", by means of an electronically addressable printhead structure. Herein, the toner is deposited directly in an imagewise way on said sheet without occurrence of any latent electrostatic image. An overall applied propulsion field between the toner delivery means and a receiving member support projects charged toner particles through a row of apertures of the printhead structure. The intensity of the toner-stream is modulated according to the pattern of potentials applied to the control electrodes. The deposition step is followed by a fusing step.
As a DEP device has already been described, e.g. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,689,935 (Pressman) and in EP-A-0 710 898 (Agfa-Gevaert N.V.), no further description is necessary in the present application.
In order to permanently fix a toner image to a sheet, it is well known in the art to apply thermal energy. By elevating the temperature of the toner material to a point at which the constituents of the toner coalesce and become tacky or melt, the toner is absorbed into the fibres of the sheet or fixed to the substrate. As thereafter the toner cools, solidification causes it to be firmly bonded to the sheet.
Several approaches to thermal fusing of electroscopic toner images are known from the prior art. Special attention has to be focused on the production of duplex or recto/verso copies or prints, i.e. copies where images are formed on both sides of the sheet.
The production of duplex or recto/verso copies poses problems due to a severely occurring offset problem, which will be discussed in great detail on the next pages.
Duplex printing in electrographic systems, e.g. in electrophotographic copiers, working according to the two pass method may be carried out in one of the following ways.
(i) A so-called "manual two pass method" that requires manual re-feeding of multi-layer imaged simplex sheets, e.g. colour imaged simplex sheets. That is, after the first side of a sheet is imaged and fused, the sheet is transported to an output tray. Then, the operator places this sheet back in one of the input trays, upon which the sheet is again passed through the engine. This time an image is transferred and fused onto the opposite side of each sheet having an image on a first side.
(ii) A so-called "automated postponed two pass method", that requires the collection of simplex sheets in a duplex tray. That is, after the first side of a sheet is imaged and fused, the sheet is transported to a duplex tray inside the engine. After the last sheet in a set has been received in this duplex tray, all sheets are again passed automatically through the imaging device. This time an image is transferred and fused onto the opposite side of each sheet having an image on a first side.
(iii) A so-called "automated immediate two pass method" that requires reversing the simplex sheets immediately after fusing and interleaving them with sheets receiving the first image on the first side in order to receive an image on the opposite side.
These two-pass duplex methods have some very important drawbacks, usually related to the twofold passing through the fuser.
(i) Two passes through the fuser require more energy than one pass. This is especially important for the case of multi-layer imaging, e.g. colour imaging, with its high energy requirement for thorough fusing and mixing of the respective layers or colours.
(ii) At the same time the fuser needs to operate at twice the speed of the duplex throughput, which again in the case of multi-layer or colour fusing is not at all straightforward.
(iii) The change in moisture content (say about 30%) between the first and the second imaging pass results in an image quality that is not equal between the first side imaging and the duplex side imaging.
(iv) In addition, this change in moisture content also alters the mechanical properties of the paper, which--combined with the additional complexity of a duplex paper path--results in a highly increased risk for jams in duplex printing.
(v) Because of the need for a release agent (e.g. silicon oil) in hot roller fusing, silicon oil remaining from the first pass colour imaging may contaminate the image forming elements, resulting again in non constant image quality over time, with possible effects such as image smearing etc.
(vi) Excessive paper curl is not only troublesome in the processor but also extremely difficult to handle in output stackers and finishing devices.
In other prior art systems, also single pass duplex copying has been disclosed. Three methods are known in the art.
(i) According to a first method, first and second images are formed sequentially on a photoreceptor. The first image is transferred from the photoreceptor to the first side of a receptor sheet. Then the sheet is stripped off the photoreceptor, inverted while the first image remains unfixed, and then the second image is transferred to the second side of the receptor sheet. Both images are then fixed onto the receptor sheet in a suitable fuser.
(ii) Other single pass duplex printing methods use intermediate image carriers, e.g. a belt or a drum. The first and second images are sequentially formed on a photoreceptor. The first image is transferred to an intermediate image carrier. The receptor sheet is then passed between the photoreceptor and the intermediate image carrier. The receptor sheet is then simultaneously receiving first and second images.
(iii) Other systems deal with "single pass duplex" methods employing two photoreceptors and two exposure systems. A first image is deposited on one photoreceptor and a second image is deposited on the other photoreceptor. These systems are considered the ultimate duplex throughput systems since they produce twice the number of images of "two pass duplex" systems at equal process speed.
Many problems exist with the traditional single pass duplex systems.
(i) One problem is in conveying the duplex receptor sheet to the fuser. In particular, the receptor sheet with the two unfused images on opposite sides, must be transported from the toner transfer station to the fuser. Preferably this is not done with a conventional transport since the transport would make contact with one of the sides of the receptor sheet and smear the unfused toner image. Also, to avoid the leading edge of the sheet from downwards deviating from the path between transfer station and fuser station, it is preferred that this path is very short. Thereto, the fuser must be very close to the photoreceptor. This creates problems in mechanical mounting, problems due to unwanted heating the photoreceptor and problems of contaminating the photoreceptor with fuser release materials, e.g. silicone oil vapour.
(ii) In addition there is the problem of the rather uncontrollable velocities of sheets passing through roller fusers. There seems to be an obvious need to accurately match the velocity of the receptor sheet transport with the velocity of the photoreceptor to prevent "skips" and "smears" during transfer. Furthermore, for high resolution digital printing, excessive instantaneous photoreceptor velocity variations (cfr. "jitter") cannot be tolerated. Even in conventional copiers it is preferable to keep the fuser rollers one sheet length away from the transfer zone. For these reasons it is desirable to thermally insulate and mechanically isolate the photoreceptor transfer zones from the hot fuser rollers.
(iii) Single pass duplex systems using more than one photoreceptor and more than one exposure system, generally require web paper feed in which the copy is wound up on a roller or cut into individual sheets after fusing. This, unfortunately, introduces additional components and complexity into the system. It is, therefore, also desirable to provide a single pass duplex system having a discrete receptor sheet feed system rather than a web paper feed system.
(iv) Moreover, in high quality copying and printing it has to be made sure that both sides of the duplex imaged sheets experience substantially the same "fusing history", referring namely to the temperature and pressure trajectory.
Multi-layer electrographic printing, e.g. multi-colour electrophotographic printing, may seem equivalent to multiple monochrome (commonly black and white) printing of various toner layers. Yet, successive part images have to be recorded in superposition. These successive part images may comprise a superposition of different toner separation images. In one embodiment, the traditional colour components cyan C, magenta M and yellow Y, are augmented with at least one extra colour component according to one toner type. This extra colour component may have another density or colouring power (obtained by a different degree of pigmentation) of either cyan, magenta or yellow. In another embodiment, a traditional black component K is added to the three usual colour components. In another embodiment, for each traditional colour component, CMY or CMYK, at least a second colour component, having a lower pigmentation level, C'M'Y'(K') is added. According to another embodiment, some tone levels of the original image are reproduced by applying two different toners, having substantially the same chromaticity, or more specifically by applying two achromatic toners, i.e. greyish or black toners of which the chromaticity is substantially zero.
In one embodiment each single toner image is transferred to the receptor sheet in superimposed registration, thereby creating a multi-layered toner image on the receptor sheet. Thereafter, the multi-layered toner image is permanently fixed to the receptor sheet creating a multi-layer or colour copy or print. Whereas the fixing of monochrome toner images does not raise major problems in practice, the fixing of multi-layer or colour images is much more difficult. We will base the discussion on colour images, which are a specific case of multi-layer images.
(i) As a colour toner image intrinsically is thicker than a monochrome toner image, for a same print-quality and a same print-throughput, the supply of fusing heat has to be increased and even controlled more stringently.
(ii) The increased amount of toner requires a longer fusing time demanding a nip with a larger length or a slower rotation of the fuser rollers. It may be remarked that the nip between both rollers, more exactly between the resilient coverings of these rollers, is in fact the area where heat and pressure initiate the fusing and thus the fixing of the toner image on a sheet conveyed between the rollers.
(iii) The fixing of multi-layer images is also difficult as compared to the prior art of fixing single layer images, in that it needs a strongly different geometry of the fixing rollers, calling for a dedicated design of the kind and the geometry, e.g. thickness of the resilient layer on each roller, the diameter of the rollers, the pressure applied to the rollers, etc.
In view of the many problems described, a very interesting application comprises U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,285. However, some drawbacks still pose severe restrictions to the effective use of said patent.
A first restriction of the solution disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,285 is that it is not intended for and hardly can be applied for fusing multi-layer toner images.
A second and important restriction of U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,285 is that its solution needs heat isolation means between the fusing station and the photoreceptor.
Hereto, it discloses e.g. a transport mechanism for conveying a receptor sheet having toner images on both sides, towards the heat source for fusing, thereby thermally isolating the photoreceptor from the heat source.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,285 also discloses a heat shield disposed between a transfer station and a heat applying device, thereby carrying out two distinct functions, namely
(i) isolating the heat, and
(ii) tacking the unfused images onto the receptor sheets.
More particularly, it discloses the use of compacting rollers, which have to fulfil both said functions of thermal isolating and tacking.
As will be clear from the detailed description, it is a remarkable advantage of the present invention that no initial tacking down is necessary and that no compacting rollers are necessary.
It will also become clear from the detailed description, that no intermediate fusing is necessary. Such an intermediate fusing inevitably would increase the construction-cost of the apparatus, and could reduce the reliability of the system, as the dimensional stability of the sheets would diminish because of changing moisture content.
In view of the above, fusing stations of the type described above are unsuitable for being installed in electrographic apparatus designed for single-pass fusing of sheet-fed multi-layer or colour duplex copies.

Single-pass fusing of sheet-fed multi-layer duplex copies


A temporary hair dyeing composition which comprises:    (a) a cationic dye;    (b) a water soluble anionic polymer; and    (c) water.

The coloring of human hair has been practiced in various forms for thousands of years. In the last century these practices have evolved into three general types of haircolor: permanent, semi-permanent, and temporary. The term "permanent" refers to oxidative dying systems that permanently alter the hair's coloration. Reapplication occurs as the hair's new growth becomes noticeable. Oxidative hair dyes are usually sold in the form of a two-component kit. In one container is an aqueous alkaline composition that contains oxidative dyes and an appropriate vehicle. In the other container is a developer composition that has an oxidizing agent, usually hydrogen peroxide. The two compositions are mixed immediately prior to use and applied to the hair. The high pH of the mixture causes the hair shaft to swell, allowing the dye precursors to penetrate into the hair shaft. These dye precursors are oxidized, which combine to form larger molecules with color in the interior of the hair shaft. After an appropriate development time, the mixture is rinsed from the hair. The color of the hair is then permanently altered. This is the most popular form of haircolor for both men and women, as the results can be very natural looking and require maintenance only every 4–6 weeks.
Semi-permanent haircolor uses so-called preformed dye molecules that are not mixed with a developer prior to application. Therefore the size of the molecules does not change during the dye process. Semi-permanent dyes will wash out of the hair after six to twelve shampooings. Since no permanent change occurs to the hair's coloration, a natural looking blending of gray and pigmented hair can occur. The drawback with this type of a dye is that it exhibits a lack of durability and the development of off-tones that don't mimic the original color of the hair.
Temporary haircolor is applied to the hair surface, and is generally removed with one shampoo. Traditionally, these are used when a cosmetic effect is desired for one day.
Most products marketed use some type of insoluble pigment such as iron oxides, certified dye lakes, or titanium dioxide coated micas. They are contained in a styling gel media or some other appropriate vehicle that is often similar to mascara or other topical cosmetic. The drawbacks of these products are that they can only be useful for highlighting selected strands of hair to achieve a dramatic look. They are not practical when a natural allover color is desired as the compounds impart a "painted-on" appearance. Attempts have been made to improve the adherence of these pigments to the hair surface by using unique polymer compositions such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,619. More natural looking temporary hair colors were described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,841. These formulations incorporate a mixture of synthetic melanin with cationic surfactants in order to temporarily adhere the pigment to the hair. The expense and unavailability of the melanin makes these formulations impractical for commercial use. In addition the shade range is very limited for such a product, as melanin only permits the formulation of a black temporary hair color.
Manufacturers of haircoloring products have searched for temporary products that replicate the natural results achieved by a permanent haircolor, while having the feature of removability with one shampooing. The objective has been to provide what can be called a temporary hair color that can be used to preview a particular shade of color for determining the acceptability of the color or to provide an extreme hair color dye that can be used for theatrical purposes or for special occasions where extreme hair color of a temporary nature is desired.
The "try-on" concept for a particular haircolor that accurately mimics the permanent product would allow a consumer to preview haircolor without being concerned about the ease of complete removability with an ordinary shampoo. The "try-on" product would only be practical for the permanent haircolor subcategory of "demi-permanent" or "deposit only permanent". These specialized colorants the permanent products are modified using reduced alkali levels that will essentially prevent the alteration of the hair's natural pigment. This lack of lightening of the natural pigment gives rise to a category that blends gray for a very natural appearance more like a semi-permanent color, but with all of the permanent advantages. These include durability and wearing on tone. Although this subcategory remains small for women's haircolor because it does not allow for the creation of blonde shades or the ability to make one's hair lighter, the majority of men's haircolorants rely on this technology. Realistic looking temporary haircolors have been devised by synthesizing fixative like polymers where the actual color moiety is included in the molecules such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,735,907 and 5,876,463. The performance of these materials is acceptable for use in "try-on" products, however the complex nature of their manufacture and the expense involved has prevented commercialization of these formulation.
The applicant has found that a complex of a cationic dye and a water-soluble anionic polymer will provide a dye complex which may be dispersed in suitable vehicle to provide temporary hair color.


A radiation-sensitive resin composition including an alkali soluble resin and a quinonediazide compound is provided. The quinonediazide compound has the formula (1), for example: ##STR1## wherein, R.sup.1 to R.sup.6 are an alkyl, cycloalkyl or aryl group; a and b are an integer of 1 to 3; D.sup.1 and D.sup.2 are independently a hydrogen atom or a 1,2-quinonediazidosulfonyl group, provided that at least one of D.sup.1 is a 1,2-quinonediazidosulfonyl group; A is a bonding such as single bond; and x and y are an integer of 0 to 2. The composition is suitable as a positive resist, which effectively restrains the occurrence of scum, and excellent in developability, pattern shape, sensitivity, resolution and focus latitude.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a radiation-sensitive resin composition containing an alkali-soluble resin. More particularly, this invention relates to a radiation-sensitive resin composition suitable as a resist for use in the fabrication of integrated circuits, which is sensitive to a variety of radiations including ultraviolet radiation such as g-rays, i-rays, and the like; far-ultraviolet radiation such as KrF excimer laser radiation, and the like; X-radiation such as synchrotron radiation, and the like; and charged-particle radiation such as electron radiation, and the like; in particular, ultraviolet radiation and far-ultraviolet radiation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Positive resists are widely used in the fabrication of integrated circuits, and as integrated circuits have become more highly integrated in recent years, there have been desired positive resists capable of forming a resist pattern more improved in resolution.
Generally in order to modify resist materials for improving the resolution of positive resists, there is known, for example, a method comprising lowering the molecular weight of an alkali soluble resin used in the resist. However, the method causes the problem that the resist lowers in heat resistance. While, as an improvement in resolution due to modification of processes, there is known a method comprising increasing the numeral aperture (NA) of a stepper. However, this method causes the problem that depth of focus (focal latitude) becomes narrow, so that simultaneously improvement of resist materials is required. One of countermeasures for the improvement of resist materials is, for example, to increase the amount of a quinonediazide compound added for improving focal latitude. However, an increase in the amount of the quinonediazede compound results in deteriorating developability.


The present invention relates to methods for controlling fouling in the reaction zone of slurry-type olefin polymerization reactors by measuring a process operating parameter and by responding to said process operating parameter, e.g., by introducing a gaseous poison for the polymerization catalyst in response to a comparison between said measured parameter and a fouling parameter limit for said measured parameter.

"Kill" systems and catalyst deactivating agents for gas phase polyethylene reactors and for olefin polymerization catalyst systems are known in the art. Prior art thought to be of significance to the claimed invention is discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,177,184 discloses a method for controlling the polymer production rate of copolymers of ethylene with higher olefins. This patent describes polymerization of ethylene-co-1-butene copolymers using hexavalent chromium oxide catalyst where the ethylene/1-butene content, and thus the copolymer density, can be controlled by controlling the activity level of the catalyst with a deactivator.
U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2004/0230031 A1 and 2004/0151642 A1 both generally disclose methods for deactivating catalysts in polymer streams, e.g., for the purpose of allowing downstream equipment to be repaired or process control problems to be corrected.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,825,292 and European Patent No. EP 1 272 536 both disclose situations in which transitioning between two different types of polyolefin catalysts, particularly when one of those types of catalyst is a "late transition metal" (LTM) catalyst, can cause deactivation of the other type of catalyst.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0253151 A1 and International Publication No. WO 04/109417 both disclose methods for stopping runaway chemical reactions in a reactor by introducing a kill agent into the reactor through actuation of a pressure-sensitive valve, not via measurement of pressure in the reactor and introduction of the kill agent in response to the comparison of the measured pressure to any set pressure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,365,681 discloses methods for preventing upsets in polymerization reactors by monitoring at least one reaction condition and comparing it to the desired value or normal range for the condition, as projected by a computer model for the variable(s) in the process.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,838,531, 6,559,247, 6,262,191, 4,211,863, and 3,269,997 all disclose methods for introduction of catalyst deactivating agents in post-polymerization steps/apparatuses, but not in the polymerization reactor nor in any reaction zone therein, for various reasons, e.g., polymer recovery, catalyst removal, decolorization, and the like.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,331,086, 4,634,744, and 3,708,465 each disclose different types of catalyst deactivators, e.g., ketones, metal salts, alcohols, ethers, and the like, and their use in interrupting and/or de-ashing olefin polymerizations.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,339,320, 5,270,408, 4,834,947, 4,547,555, 4,326,048, and 4,306,044 all disclose methods for stopping gas phase polymerizations, some under emergency shutdown situations, by introducing a "kill" gas.
The prior art even contains disclosure, i.e., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,025, where carbon monoxide is introduced as a reducing gas for a low pore volume silica-supported chromium catalyst as an activating agent, not as a deactivating agent.
Nevertheless, there remains a need, not addressed by the prior art, for ways to control fouling in the reaction zones of slurry-type ethylene-based polymerization reactors using gaseous catalyst poisons to significantly slow or to stop the polymerization to reduce, inhibit, and/or prevent fouling.

Method for controlling fouling in slurry-type polymerization reactors


A maintenance free dehydrating breather apparatus for equipment such as oil cooled transformers and the like includes a cap and vessel enclosing a container for desiccant. A heater is mounted within the container in contact with the desiccant. The apparatus is connected through the cap to the equipment being supplied with dehydrated air. When the equipment requires dehydrated air, it draws air in through a vent valve in the vessel and thence through walls of the container and the desiccant. When the equipment expels air, the air is passed out through the vent valve, which otherwise normally seals off the interior of the vessel from the moisture in outside air. At selected intervals, for a selected period of time, a heater within the container is supplied with electrical power to heat the desiccant to drive off the moisture therefrom, which condenses on the walls of the vessel and flows to the bottom of the vessel where it is discharged through the vent valve.

In some types of equipment, it is necessary or desirable to remove moisture from air or other gas being drawn into the equipment. Examples are large electrical transformers and other high power electrical equipment, such as load tap changers, circuit breakers and conservators, which are immersed in oil to provide electrical insulation and cooling Because the oil expands and contracts with temperature changes, such equipment is typically provided with a head space above the oil or an oil reservoir which is vented to the atmosphere. To inhibit drawing in moisture from atmospheric air which could contaminate the oil, the air drawn in through the vent is passed through a desiccant before entering the tank or reservoir. A typical desiccant in common use is silica gel held in a container through which the air drawn in (and expelled out) passes.
To minimize contact of moisture-laden air with the desiccant when air is not being drawn in, a seal or valve of some sort is usually provided between the desiccant container and the vent entrance. Typical valves include a simple oil cup and mechanical structures that respond to air pressure differentials between the exterior and interior of the container.
Some dehydrating breathers are prone to the phenomena of "channeling" in which air flows primarily over only a part of the desiccant, reducing the effectiveness of the desiccant. Proper design of the breather is necessary to reduce or eliminate channeling.
Over time, the desiccant in such breathers inevitably becomes saturated with water and no longer is capable of adequately drying the incoming air. Consequently, the desiccant material must be periodically replaced or reactivated. Although the replacement of the desiccant is neither costly nor time consuming, this maintenance task is often overlooked. As a consequence, very commonly the gas space over the oil will contain excessive moisture.


When multiple cameras (CAM1) to (CAM8) for shooting the periphery of a local vehicle are mounted on the vehicle, and when obtained camera images are to be synthesized to display a synthesized image on the screen of a display device (16), the pixel data for the camera images constituting the synthesized image are compensated for, so that differences in the pixel data for adjacent camera images is reduced. For example, the pixel data are corrected so their values equal the average values of the pixel data for the adjacent camera images. Therefore, an easily viewed image, produced by synthesizing the images obtained by the multiple vehicle cameras, can be displayed on the monitor device (16).

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image synthesis display method, and an apparatus therefor, for synthesizing images obtained by multiple vehicular mounted cameras and for displaying the synthesized images. In particular, the present invention relates to an image synthesis display method and apparatus for a vehicle camera for generating in real time a synthesized image that can easily be viewed on a display screen.
2. Description of the Related Art
When an automobile is being driven backward, it is difficult for the driver to obtain an unobstructed view to the rear, and the angle of vision produces a blind spot. Further, even while a vehicle is moving forward, when another vehicle travelling a parallel course reaches a position whereat it is obscured by a door pillar, that vehicle disappears from the driver's sight. Recently, therefore, vehicular mounted cameras have been used to monitor peripheral locations where at the angle of a driver's field of vision produces blind spots, and images that are obtained by the cameras are displayed on a car navigation screen.
FIG. 9A is a top view of an automobile on which vehicle cameras are mounted, and FIG. 9B is a side view. Five cameras 1 to 5 are mounted on this vehicle: camera 1 explicitly monitors the rear of the vehicle; cameras 2 and 4, mounted at the front and the rear on the vehicle's left side, monitor the oblique left rear of the vehicle; and cameras 3 and 5, mounted at the front and the rear on the vehicle's right side, monitor the oblique right rear of the vehicle. Currently, more than five cameras may be mounted on a vehicle, and in some cases a total of eight cameras are used, including two cameras for providing precise monitoring at the rear and two cameras for monitoring the view to the front.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing photos representing images obtained by the monitoring cameras 1 to 5 in FIGS. 9A and 9B. These images represent views obtained as an automobile is being backed into a parking lot. Since using a screen to sequentially monitor the images obtained by the monitoring cameras 1 to 5 is difficult for a driver, as is shown in FIG. 11, the images obtained by the cameras are converted to obtain those for which the point of origin is a virtual point located above the automobile. The thus obtained images are then synthesized, and an image is obtained that, when displayed on a screen, enables a driver to monitor at a glance the position of his or her automobile relative to peripheral objects and landscape features.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the screen display for an example synthesized image. Since the image presented is the view from the virtual point above the automobile, the driver can identify, on the screen, the periphery of the vehicle that is at the dead angle position. In FIG. 12, the image representing vehicle of the driver is not the synthesis image of the camera images (because it is not viewed by a camera), but an image prepared using illustration data.
However, when images obtained by multiple monitoring cameras mounted on a vehicle are merely synthesized, the resulting synthesized image tends not to be easily seen on the screen of a display device. This is because, frequently, while one specific camera may be positioned so that it obtains a clear and easily identified image, another camera may face the sun, or the view obtained by a camera may be shaded from the sun by an adjacent automobile. Since in many cases vehicle cameras are fixed, so that the directions of focus of these cameras can not be controlled, for each camera the state of recorded objects varies in a time transient manner, depending on the roughness of the road, the direction of vehicular movement and changes in the weather. Accordingly, the luminance levels and color balances of the images obtained by the cameras also vary.
As techniques for synthesizing images obtained by cameras, those disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 10-187929 and Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 11-102430 are well known. According to these techniques, to synthesize multiple images obtained by electronic cameras and to obtain a panoramic image, a matching process is used to obtain overlapping areas between adjacent images, and a correction value for two images is obtained, based on the density values of the pixels in the overlapping area, that is used to correct the luminance and the color balance of the synthesized image and to provide a continuous, smoothly synthesized image.
According to these conventional techniques, the images to be synthesized are static images, and are also clear images that have been obtained through the efforts of the photographer, so that for image synthesis, there are very few images that are at all inappropriate.
However, when images obtained by multiple vehicle cameras are synthesized, as is described above, as time elapses the luminance and the color balance for each camera change, and even images that are inappropriate for image synthesization are fetched. Therefore, if such images are present, it is necessary to permit a driver to use a screen to identify, in real time, the peripheral state of a vehicle that is travelling several tens of kilometers an hour, and the conventional techniques, referred to merely for the synthesis of stationary images, can not be directly applied for the synthesis of images obtained by vehicle cameras.

Image synthesis display method and apparatus for vehicle camera

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A flat mounting plate frictionally engages a protective facemask body inner surface, surrounds a first opening, at least partially, and defines a second opening that is co-extensive with the first opening, at least partially. A flat retaining plate frictionally engages the protective facemask body outer surface, surrounds the first opening, at least partially, and defines a third opening that is co-extensive with the first opening, at least partially. A tubular spacer is positioned between the flat mounting plate and the flat retaining plate inserted into the first opening to define a passageway connecting the second opening to the third opening for nourishment to flow therethrough. A gasket is positioned between the flat mounting plate and the flat retaining plate to seal the passageway. The flat mounting plate and the flat retaining plate define jaws for gripping the protective facemask body to hold the port assembly in place.

The air quality in many everyday situations in heavily populated areas can be very poor. In larger cities, the heavy density of cars, buses, trucks and motorcycles often emit excessive amounts of toxic pollutants. Power plants are another key source of pollutions. Natural or man-made disasters, such as sandstorms, fires of any kinds, also contribute harm to the respiratory systems of the general population. Additionally, SARS, bird influenza, swine influenza, and COVID-19, which are four of the most recent, deadly air borne infectious agents, represent air borne threats to humans.
One potential way to address problems with air quality is to use facemasks. Facemasks can maintain a private, enclosed space around the breathing orifices when a person is in close proximity to other persons, or if an undesirable atmospheric agent is present. Additionally, infectious persons can wear masks to protect other people in the vicinity from their pathogens.
Facemasks have become ubiquitous during the on-going COVID-19 crisis. These protective face covers can be designed to minimize the transmission of contagious diseases or to protect the respiratory system from toxic substances or allergens in the surrounding atmosphere.
Different variations of facemasks have different features, such as different ways of retaining the mask in place, providing different degrees of comfort for the wearer. However, facemasks and other respiratory protective devices are only effective when such devices are worn properly.
Once a wearer takes off a mask, even partially, the wearer risks environmental exposure. Wearers that get hot, thirsty and/or hungry cannot relieve these conditions while wearing a facemask. Currently, wearers must remove the facemask and risk exposure to possible hazardous conditions. As a result, some masks and/or respiratory systems have been designs to allow wearers to alleviate these conditions.
One type of military respirator system includes a drinking tube with an external fluid supply. However, the drinking tube is in a fixed position. In other embodiments, the drinking tube can be mounted inside the mask with a retractable drink system that is cumbersome and awkward to use. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved respiratory protective device that allows a person to get sustenance and still enjoy protection in a hazardous environment.

Facemask sustenance access port assembly


A unique liquid laundry detergent with enhanced stain removal capacity on bleachable stains is described that comprises linear alkyl benzene sulfonate, alkyl ether sulfate, alcohol ethoxylate, alkali metal silicate, polyacrylate, and optionally carbonate. The composition is remarkably effective at stain removal although the composition is entirely devoid of enzymes and the wash conditions devoid of any bleach additives.

Liquid laundry detergents have been known in the art for many decades.
Modern detergents are preferably comprised of blends of anionic and nonionic surfactants with any number of ingredients being added in order to improve cleaning performance and reduce the cost of these formulations. In recent times, laundry detergents have undergone significant reduction in levels of surfactants. These formulations with their corresponding low active levels are somewhat ineffective at stain removal. Often enzymes are included in these liquid compositions in order to improve performance. The addition of a chlorine or color-safe bleach added directly to the wash water in the laundry machine as a separate product is needed due to the deficiencies of these products.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,316 (Cao et al.) discloses detergent compositions with good performance in the absence of bleach actives. However, although the compositions comprise common synthetic anionic and nonionic surfactants along with fatty acids and polymers, the claimed and preferred compositions comprise enzymes to facilitate the stain removal.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,387,868 (Uno et al.) discloses clear liquid laundry detergent compositions comprising linear alkyl benzene sulfonate, sodium silicate, alkyl ether sulfate, nonionic surfactant, (either alcohol ethoxylate or phenol ethoxylates), metal-chelating agent, pH adjuster, freezing/clouding inhibitor, water and optional components, preferably a fluorosurfactant. The complexity of the formulations is noteworthy, and there is mention in the disclosure of the difficulties in obtaining clear and stable liquid compositions comprising these types of synthetic surfactants and sodium silicate ('868, column 1, lines 46-54), which apparently precipitated the need for the added amide surfactants and other adjuncts to gain freeze/thaw stability.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,451,752 (Delroisse et al.) discloses a method of pre-treating bleachable stains with a composition comprising a transition metal complex that functions as a bleach catalyst, bringing atmospheric oxygen to the stain for bleaching.
US Patent Application Publication US 2006/0166853 (Feyt) describes an approach to increased stain removal in the absence of bleach actives. The inventors describe the use of a fructan derivative, most preferably a carboxyalkylinulin, a dicarboxyinulin, 6-carboxylinulin, or fructan polycarboxylic acid in detergent compositions.
Finally, U.S. Pat. NO. 4,692,275 (Secemski et al.) discloses powdered compositions with linear alkyl benzene sulfonate (LAS), alcohol ether sulfate (AES), silicate, carbonate, polyacrylate and other adjuncts. The inventors teach preferred ratios of sulfonate to sulfate of from about 3.5:1 to about 1.5:1, that is they teach incorporating more sulfonate than sulfate in their compositions. In the highly built laundry powders described in the '275 patent, it is preferable to have LAS>AES such that mixed micelles mitigate the precipitation of the hard water salts of the benzene sulfonate surfactant.
A perusal of the prior art demonstrates a clear need for improved liquid laundry detergent compositions that show enhanced efficacy on bleachable stains yet do not contain any bleach actives or enzymes of any kind. Particularly there is an absence of practical, inexpensive liquid laundry detergent compositions that demonstrate high efficacy and that can bleach stains only through the use of selected combinations of common surfactant and builders.
It has now been surprisingly found that the combination of silicate with polyacrylate and specific anionic and nonionic surfactants produces detergent compositions that exhibit exceptional stain removal capability. Unexpectedly, silicate has been found to be the key to the enhanced bleaching of bleachable stains in the absence of traditional bleach and enzyme actives.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Detergent compositions with unique builder system for enhanced stain removal


In all-speed governors controlled by centrifugal force and controlling the full-load fuel delivery quantity of the respective fuel injection pump as a function of boost pressure, the starting fuel delivery is to be reduced at higher operating temperatures of the internal combustion engine to prevent smoke bursts during warm starting. For this purpose, the speed governor has an added support provided in addition to a base support and supported of the later swivelably between two adjusting stops. In addition to a full-load stop arranged on the base support, the added support has an added stop which can be displaced by an adapter unit transversely to the swiveling direction as a function of the boost pressure.

The present invention relates to a speed governor for internal combustion engines.
More particularly, it relates to a speed governor for internal combustion engines having a centrifugal advance device which serves to regulate speed, acts against the force of governing springs, produces a speed-dependent adjustment path of a governor sleeve and is outfitted with centrifugal weights.
Such a speed governor is already known from DE-PS 19 00 675. This speed governor has an automatic spark advance or centrifugal advance device which generates an actuating force corresponding to the engine speed and acts via a control linkage on a control rod for controlling the quantity of fuel. A bracket is arranged between the control rod and control linkage, which control linkage terminates in a control lever. A feeler is supported at the connecting point between the control lever and bracket in such a way that it can be swiveled out in a springing manner. The feeler cooperates with a full-load stop. In so doing, the feeler senses a cam disk whose contour follows the fuel requirement of the internal combustion engine. The bracket transmits this movement to the control rod. A full-load fuel delivery quantity corresponding to the desired torque curve of the internal combustion engine is accordingly achieved.
To start the internal combustion engine, the feeler is brought into a position via the control linkage enabling it to swivel through under the full-load stop so that the control rod arrives in the starting position. The amount of fuel delivered by the fuel injection pump when starting exceeds the fuel quantity delivered at full-load since condensation losses in the combustion chambers of the cold internal combustion engine must be taken into account.
If the starting process is initiated when the internal combustion engine is already at operating temperature, the allotted starting fuel delivery is excessive because of the absence of condensation losses. The surplus fuel is incompletely burned and is emitted as a soot cloud. This so-called warm start smoke burst must be prevented in view of present strict requirements concerning exhaust quality.

Speed governor for internal combustion engines


First and second external terminals are connected to high-voltage and low-voltage terminals, respectively, of a direct-current voltage source circuit in which first and second direct-current voltage sources are connected in series. A third external terminal is connected to a connecting point between the first and second direct-current voltage sources. A first switching element is connected between the first and fourth external terminals. A second switching element is connected between the fourth and second external terminals. A first AC switch unit includes third and fourth switching elements connected in inverse series between the third and fourth external terminals. A second AC switch unit includes fifth and sixth switching elements connected in inverse series between the third and fourth external terminals. The first and second AC switch units are connected in parallel. The first and second switching elements and the first and second AC switch units are incorporated in one module.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device forming a three-level power converter in which a turnoff surge voltage is reduced by reducing an inductance component.
Background Art
A three-level power converter has been adopted as a power converter for converting direct-current power into alternating-current power or for converting alternating-current power into direct-current power. A three-level power converter can reduce waveform distortion in an alternating-current voltage and enables producing an acoustic noise/electrical noise reduction effect.
FIGS. 20 and 21 are circuit diagrams each showing a conventional three-level power converter. FIG. 20 shows a 4-in-1 module, while FIG. 21 shows a 2-in-1 module and a collector-common module.
External terminals P and N are connected to a high-voltage terminal and a low-voltage terminal, respectively, of a direct-current voltage source circuit in which direct-current voltage sources DV1 and DV2 are connected in series. An external terminal C is connected to a connecting point between the direct-current voltage source DV1 and the direct-current voltage source DV2. A switching element Q1 is connected between the external terminal P and an external terminal AC. A switching element Q2 is connected between the external terminal AC and the external terminal N. Switching elements Q3 and Q4 are connected in inverse series connection with each other as an AC switch unit between the external terminal C and the external terminal AC.
The device shown in FIG. 20 is formed by incorporating the switching elements Q1 to Q4 in one module M and connecting the module to the direct-current voltage source circuit. The device shown in FIG. 21 is formed by incorporating in a first module M1 the switching elements Q1 and Q2 forming a bridge unit, incorporating in a second module M2 the switching elements Q3 and Q4 forming the AC switch unit and connecting the first and second modules to the direct-current voltage source circuit (see, for example, International Publication No. WO 2010/146637).


Disclosed are resin compositions that are the reaction product of epihalohydrin with a mixture of polyaminoamide and vinyl amine polymer containing a minimum of about 1 mole % vinyl amine monomer units, wherein said polyaminoamide comprises the reaction product of dicarboxylic acid, or a derivative thereof, with polyamine selected from the group consisting of methyl bis(3-aminopropyl)amine and polyalkylenepolyamine containing from two to four alkylene groups having two to four carbons, two primary amine groups, and one to three secondary amine groups. Also disclosed are a process for creping fibrous webs utilizing the resin compositions, and creped paper prepared by the process. Also disclosed is wet and dry strength paper containing the resin compositions and processes for creping fibrous webs utilizing the resin compositions as creping adhesives.

Wet strength resins are often added to paper and paperboard at the time of manufacture. In the absence of wet strength resins, paper normally retains only 3% to 5% of its strength after being wetted with water. However, paper made with wet strength resin generally retains at least 10%-50% of its strength when wet. Wet strength is useful in a wide variety of paper applications, some examples of which are towelling, milk and juice cartons, paper bags, and liner board for corrugated containers.
Dry strength is also a critical paper property, particularly in light of the recent trend for paper manufacturers to use high yield wood pulps in paper in order to achieve lower costs. These high yield wood pulps generally yield paper with significantly reduced strength when compared to paper made from highly refined pulps.
Commercially available wet strength resins include Kymene.RTM.557H, Kymene.RTM.557LX, Kymene.RTM.557SLX, Kymene.RTM.557ULX, Kymene.RTM.Plus, Kymene.RTM.450 and Kymene.RTM.736 wet strength resins, available from Hercules Incorporated, Wilmington, Del. Wet strength resins, such as those listed above, also provide increased dry strength to paper.
Because of increased commercial emphasis on developing paper products based on recovered cellulose, there is growing interest in developing paper which is readily repulpable. Paper and paperboard waste materials are difficult to repulp in aqueous systems without special chemical treatment when they contain wet strength resins. Previous to the instant invention, improving the repulpability of paper containing wet strength resins has been achieved by modifying the repulping conditions by incorporation of repulping agents, usually inorganic oxidizing agents or chlorine containing materials. Such methods are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,872,313 to House et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,427,217 to Miller, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,619 to Henry et al., by Schmalz, in TAPPI, 44, no. 4, pp 275-280, April, 1961, by Espy in European Patent Application Publication No. 585,955-A, and by Caropreso et al., in PCT International Publication No. WO94/20682. Since many of the repulping processes used for paper containing wet and/or dry strength resins result in formation of environmentally undesirable chlorine-containing degradation products, involve strong oxidizing agents, or proceed slowly, there is need for improved resins that are capable of providing wet and dry strength paper that is readily repulpable without added repulping agents or special chemical treatments.
Resins similar to those used for imparting strength to paper are also often used as creping adhesives. In the manufacture of some paper products such as facial tissue, bathroom tissue, or paper towers, the paper web is conventionally subjected to a creping process in order to give it desirable textural characteristics, such as softness and bulk. The creping process typically involves adhering the web, a cellulose web in the case of paper, to a rotating creping cylinder, such as the apparatus known as a Yankee dryer, and then dislodging the adhered web with a doctor blade. The impact of the web against the doctor blade ruptures some of the fiber-to-fiber bonds within the web and causes the web to wrinkle or pucker.
The severity of this creping action is dependent upon a number of factors, including the degree of adhesion between the web and the surface of the creping cylinder. Greater adhesion causes increase softness, although generally with some loss of strength. In order to increase adhesion, a creping adhesive may be used to enhance any naturally occurring adhesion that the web may have due to its water content, which will vary widely depending on the extent to which the web has been previously dried. Creping adhesives should also prevent wear of the dryer surface and provide lubrication between the doctor blade and the dryer surface and reduce chemical corrosion, as well as controlling the extent of creping. A creping adhesive coating that adheres the sheet just tightly enough to the drum will give a good crepe, imparting absorbance and softness with the least possible loss of paper strength. If adhesion to the dryer drum is too strong, the sheet may pick or even "plug", i.e., underride the doctor blade, and wrap around the dryer drum. If there is not enough adhesion, the sheet will lift off too easily and undergo too little creping.
The creping adhesive, usually as an aqueous solution or dispersion, is generally sprayed onto the surface of the creping cylinder or drum, e.g., a Yankee dryer. This improves heat transfer, allowing more efficient drying of the sheet. If the pulp furnish sticks too strongly to the creping cylinder, release agents can be sprayed on the cylinder. The release agents are typically hydrocarbon oils. These agents aid in the uniform release of the tissue web at the creping blade, and also lubricate and protect the blade from excessive wear.
A creping adhesive composition is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,219 to Furman. The composition comprises a water-soluble glyoxylated acrylamide/diallyldimethylammonium chloride polymer and a water-soluble polyol having a molecular weight below 3000 as a plasticizer for the polymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,544 to Hollenberg et al., discloses a reversibly crosslinked creping adhesive which contains a nonself-crosslinkable material that is a polymer or oligomer having functional groups that can be crosslinked by ionic crosslinking and at least one metal, cationic crosslinking agent having a valence of four or more. The adhesive can also contain additives to modify the mechanical properties of the crosslinked polymers, e.g., glycols, polyethylene glycols, and other polyols such as simple sugars and oligosaccharides.
Polyaminoamide/epichlorohydrin creping adhesives are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,807 to Espy et al. and in Canadian Patent 979,579 Giles et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,334 to Sommese et al., discloses a creping adhesive which is a crosslinked vinyl amine/vinyl alcohol polymer containing from about 1 to about 99% vinyl amine. Epichlorohydrin is disclosed as a crosslinking agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,439 and 4,788,243 to Soerens, disclose creping adhesives comprising mixtures of polyvinyl alcohol and water soluble thermoplastic polyamide resin comprising the reaction product of a polyalkylenepolyamine, a saturated aliphatic dibasic carboxylic acid and a poly(oxyethylene) diamine.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,501,640 and 4,528,316 to Soerens, there is disclosed a creping adhesive comprising a mixture of polyvinyl alcohol and a water soluble, thermosetting cationic polyamide resin.
Commercially available creping adhesives include Crepetrol.RTM.190, Crepetrol.RTM.290, Crepetrol.RTM.80E cationic polymers, available from Hercules Incorporated, Wilmington, Del.
There is a need for improved creping adhesives with adhesion improved over that obtained with the commonly used polyaminoamide/epichlorohydrin creping adhesives.

Resin compositions for making wet and dry strength paper and their use as creping adhesives


A system and method for hardening a logic circuit against radiation-event effects is provided. The system may include a logic circuit, first and second feed-forward devices, and first and second feedback devices. The logic circuit may be operable to output independently-obtained first and second redundant signals responsive to a desired input signal. Each of the first and second feed-forward devices may receive both of the first and second redundant signals. When the first and second redundant signals are in expected states, then the first and second feed-forward devices may responsively provide respective first and second feed-forward signals. Each of the first and second feedback devices may receive both of the first and second feed-forward signals. When the first and second feed-forward signals are in expected states, then the first and second feedback devices responsively feed respective first and second feedback signals back to the respective first and second redundant signals.

1. Field
The following relates to microelectronic circuits, and more particularly, to single-event effect ("SEE") resistant or hardened circuits.
2. Related Art
Integrated circuits used in devices that operate in intergalactic space, earth orbital space, and high atmospheric altitudes (e.g., commercial flight altitudes) generally have to be highly reliable and operate using very low levels of power. Along with these necessities, space, weight and cost limitations generally cause these integrated circuits be very densely populated and highly complex.
As a consequence of operating in intergalactic space, earth orbital space, and high atmospheric altitudes, however, the integrated circuits are exposed to a large amount of radiation, which can effect their operation and, in turn, their reliability. Because the Earth's magnetic field deflects most outer space radiation, terrestrial-based integrated circuits are not normally exposed to large amounts of radiation. Recently, however, several radiation-laden atmospheric storms, which emanated from a coronal mass ejection of the sun, expanded into space, penetrated the Earth's magnetic field and disrupted a significant amount of terrestrial-based devices that use integrated circuits.
The disruptions caused by the radiation events are believed to result from Alpha particles (hereinafter "radiation particles") interacting with the semiconductor materials (e.g., silicon) that make up the integrated circuits. These radiation particles are by-products of the natural decay of elements, and/or radiation (having kinetic energy) protons, neutrons, electrons, and all the natural elements. The radiation particles are abundant in a wide range of energies in intergalactic space, earth orbital space, high atmospheric altitudes (e.g., commercial flight altitudes), and, as noted above, terrestrial space.
When a radiation particle interferes with an integrated circuit, it can slow the circuit's performance and even upset circuit operation. For example, a radiation particle can change the conductance of a metal-oxide-semiconductor ("MOS") transistor by changing its threshold voltage (Vt). In Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) circuits, radiation particles can also generate significant transient voltage and current disturbances on internal supply networks (e.g. power and ground nodes).
A radiation particle that passes into and through an integrated-circuit device transfers energy from the particle into the material surrounding the region into which the particle strikes or "hits." This energy transfer creates undesirable hole-electron pairs in the surrounding region. This event is known as Linear Energy Transfer (LET), which may be expressed in the units of MeV-cm2/mg. For given material densities, the LET can be converted into units of Coulombs/cm along a track that a particle travels once the activation energy for a hole-electron pair is determined. As a result, the particle can only create a finite amount of charge per unit distance over the length of its track.
As its energy and mass increase, the LET of the particle also increases. The LET, however, does not increase unbounded, but rather reaches a maximum value regardless of how much energy the particle possesses. Once the particle achieves the maximum LET, the addition of more energy counter intuitively results in a reduction in the LET.
The charge that a particle creates may be collected in the structure of the semiconductor device. The amount of collected charge can be calculated by multiplying the LET (C/cm) by the distance that the particle travels along the particle track. For example, the amount of charge collected in a continuous lightly-doped-drain (LDD) region of a MOSFET transistor caused by a particle traveling along the LDD region may be calculated by multiplying the LET (C/cm) by the length of such LDD region.
The charge collection along this particle track, however, may be truncated by oxide regions, degenerately doped P+ and N+ source-drain regions, and/or degenerately doped P+ and N+ well connection regions. While a particle can travel significant distances through the silicon material, the charge collected from the particle traveling along a particle track subsides at a given distance of the particle track. This distance limit may be in the range of a few microns.
The number of hole-electron pairs separated along the track length of the radiation particle, however, is finite, so the nodal voltage disturbances may be temporary or have only a transient effect. In addition, the density of the radiation particles striking the integrated circuit is generally small enough that the disturbances caused by the radiation particles are treated as single events in time. Such transient disturbances are known as single-event transient (SET) conditions.
After experiencing a SET condition, transistor nodes typically return to their desired voltage states. Consequently, the SET condition might not be a problem in and of itself. The consequence of having a temporary voltage disturbance on the transistor node, however, may be problematic because the SET condition may be propagated through the larger system. When the SET condition causes an undesirable change in the state of the larger system, it may be referred to as a single-event upset (SEU) condition.
However, for each particle strike, a finite volume exists around a critical node through which a particle must pass to create a SET and/or SEU condition (collectively referred to as Single Event Effect (SEE) conditions). This finite volume may be referred to as the sensitive volume. If the particle strike is outside the sensitive volume, the created charge may not be able to get to the critical node to cause a SEE condition.
The more charge a circuit can accumulate before a SEE condition results, the greater the LET the circuit can tolerate. Increasing this tolerance is known as SET, SEU, and/or SEE condition hardening. The energized particle environment contains a variety of particle types and energies that result in a wide range of LETs. The density of particles versus LET decreases as the LET increases.
Particles that strike transistors do not have a directional dependence; i.e., they can strike from any direction. If the LET that can cause a SEE condition and size of the sensitive volume is known, the probability of a SEE condition can be determined. These probabilities may be referred to as Soft Error Rates (SER) because they are not due to design or manufacturer defects, and because they can be corrected.
FIGS. 1a and 1b are block diagrams illustrating a simplified layout and cross-section of an N-Channel MOSFET 100 experiencing a particle strike. The N-Channel MOSFET 100 may be fabricated using a bulk material technology, such as bulk CMOS. The N-Channel MOSFET includes an N+ source 102, N+ drain 104, and a P+ body tie 106 all of which may be fabricated in a P-well 108; on top of which a polysilicon and oxide gate 110 may formed.
When a particle strikes the N+ drain 104 and travels along one of finite number of perpendicular particle tracks, such as track A, the charge of the particle may be collected over a certain distance of the P-type well 108, such as the distance 'd'. The amount of charge collected along distance 'd' may be greater than the charge that is created by the initial particle strike.
Consider, for example, the N-channel MOSFET 100 in an "OFF" state in which its source 102 and body tie 106 are connected to VSS, and its drain 104 is held at a high state. The high state may be a state sufficient to reverse bias the PN junction between the N+ drain 104 and the P-Well 108. The N+ drain 104 may be held in the high state, for example, by a P-channel MOSFET (not shown) in an "ON" state. In this reversed-biased state, a depletion region 112 is created in the P-well 108 at interface of the PN junction.
When a particle passes through the PN junction along, for example, the particle track A, then the hole-electron pairs along the particle track A may be separated by the voltage difference between the N+ drain 104 and a P-well 108. The resultant electron charge from the separation of the hole-electron pairs may collect along the particle track 'A' in the P-well 108 from about the interface of the N+ drain 104 to the maximum collection distance limit. Consequently, a drain-discharge current along the distance 'd' of the particle track 'A' may be created from the resultant collection of electrons.
The holes generated along distance 'd' are repelled back to the P+ body tie 106, and then travel through the P+ body tie 106 connection to VSS. These traveling holes may also produce a current. Since the P+ body tie 106 may be ohmic or resistive, the current created by the holes traveling through the P+ body tie 106 may create a voltage rise from between the P+ body tie 106 to the VSS connection.
If this voltage rise is large enough to forward bias the P-well 108 to N+ source 102 junction under the gate oxide, a parasitic NPN-bipolar-junction transistor (not shown) coupling the N+ drain 104 to the N+ source 102 may switch to an ON state. The current resulting from the traveling holes is then multiplied by the gain of the parasitic NPN-bipolar-junction transistor (BJT), and appears as a discharge current on the N+ drain 104. This discharge current only flows if the parasitic BJT is turned on. Thus, the discharge current may be approximately equal to the charge created by the particle intrusion multiplied by the gain of the parasitic BJT.
As illustrated, a particle traveling along particle tracks 'B' and 'C' does not traverse the drain depletion region 110. However, the charges created by particles traveling along the B and C particle tracks diffuse to the nearest depletion region, which in this case is the drain-depletion region 110. As the diffusing holes and electrons reach the drain-depletion region 110, the electrons will be collected by the N+ drain 104 and the holes will be repelled back into the P-well 108, again creating the possibility of turning on the parasitic BJT.
FIGS. 2a and 2b are block diagrams illustrating a simplified layout and cross-section of an N-Channel MOSFET 200 experiencing a particle strike. The N-Channel MOSFET 200 may be fabricated using a bulk material technology, such as bulk CMOS. The N-Channel MOSFET 200 shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b is similar to the N-Channel MOSFET 100 shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b except that the N-Channel MOSFET 200 further includes an N-well 208 into which the P-well 108 is formed.
When a particle travels along the particle track A, the portion of the track from which charge is collected is longer than in the N-Channel MOSFET 100 since the particle also crosses the P-well-to-N-well reversed-biased junction 208 under the N-channel MOSFET 200. Because the particle crosses the P-well-to-N-well reverse-biased junction 208, more electrons may be collected by the N+ drain 104, and more holes may be collected by the P-well 108, which increases the current in the P-well 108.
This may increase the voltage at the junction of the P-well 108 and N+ source 102 under the gate oxide. The net result is that the charge that appears at the N+ drain 104 is the combination of the created charge that flows between the N+ drain 104 and P+ body tie 106 plus the created charge times the gain of the parasitic BJT (if turned on) that flows between N+ drain 104 and N+ source 102. Both of these currents increase the probability of a SET, SEU, and/or SEE conditions.
FIGS. 3a and 3b are schematics of a CMOS inverter 302 and a CMOS two-input NAND gate 304, both of which are susceptible to SEE conditions. The inverter 302 may include a P-Channel transistor 302a coupled in series with an N-Channel transistor 302b. An output signal (designated as the "OUT" signal) is provided from an output terminal 302c located at a node at the intersection of the P-Channel transistor 302a and N-Channel transistor 302b. The gates of the P-Channel transistor 302a and the N-Channel transistor 302b are tied to an input signal (designated as "IN signal"). When the IN signal is a low state, then the P-Channel transistor 302a is in an ON state and the N-Channel transistor 302b is in an OFF state, which causes the OUT signal to be in a high state.
If a particle strikes the N-Channel transistor 302b, then the created charge in N-Channel transistor 302b may result in a pull-down current that competes against the pull-up current of P-Channel transistor 302a, which may potentially disturb the high-state OUT signal. For example, when the pull-down current is sufficiently larger than the pull-up current, then the OUT signal may temporarily switch state, i.e., transition a low-state OUT signal. If the inverter 302 is coupled to another logic gate and the OUT signal undesirably switches state, the effect of the errant OUT signal may be further propagated, thereby causing the other logic gate to experience a SET-induced state change. If the pull-down current is large enough to cause the OUT signal to fall to about a VSS level, the OUT signal may remain at about the VSS level until the P-Channel transistor 302a dissipates all of the created charge.
A particle strike on P-Channel transistor 302a, on the other hand, will not disturb the high OUT voltage state because no voltage difference exists within P-Channel transistor 302a to cause charge movement towards the output terminal. Thus, none of the charge created by the particle strike is removed.
If, immediately after the particle strike, the IN signal transitions to a high state, then the P-Channel transistor 302a may transition to an OFF state and the N-Channel transistor 302b may transition to an ON state. The created charge within the P-type transistor 302a may be collected and not dissipated. As such, the collected charge may hinder or slow down the ability of the N-Channel transistor 302b to pull the OUT signal to a low state. The N-Channel transistor 302b may not be able to pull the OUT signal to the low state until it removes the created charge. In this case, the particle strike may not create an immediate state change, but it can delay a desired state change from occurring.
In addition to causing undesirable state changes, the created hole-electron concentrations can be quite high, e.g., much higher than the surrounding structure of the semiconductor device, i.e., higher than the N or P-type impurity concentrations. This may result in a switching lifetime that is temporarily much shorter than normally present in the structure of the semiconductor device. Consequently, one of the SET condition generating mechanisms may result from a particle striking the semiconductor device when a finite voltage is applied across it. As one skilled in the art will recognize, when the IN signal is in a complementary state, then the charge collection mechanism switches from the P-Channel transistor 302a to the N-Channel transistor 302b.
Referring now to FIG. 3b, the NAND gate 304 may include a first P-Channel transistor 304a coupled in series with first and second N-Channel transistors 304b, 304c. The gates of the first P-Channel transistor 304a and the first N-Channel transistor 304b are configured to receive a first of two input signals (designated as an "IN1" signal) for which the NAND gate 304 performs the NAND logical function on. The NAND gate 304 provides an output signal on its output terminal (designated as an "OUT" node) 304e at a node at the intersection of the first P-Channel transistor 304a and second N-Channel transistor 304c. The NAND gate 304 also includes a second P-Channel transistor 304d having its drain coupled to the OUT node 304e. The gates of second N-Channel transistor 304c and the second P-Channel transistor 304d are configured to receive the second of two input signals (designated as an "IN2" signal).
If, for example, the IN1 signal is in a high state and the IN2 signal is in a low state, then (i) the first P-Channel transistor 304a and the second N-Channel transistor 304c are in OFF states, and (ii) the second P-Channel transistor 304d and the first N-Channel transistor 304b are in ON states, thereby causing the OUT signal to be in a high state.
A particle strike on the second N-Channel transistors 304c may create two different pull-down-current paths. The first-pull-down current path may occur from between the drain of and body tie of the second N-Channel transistor 304c. The second-pull-down-current path may occur from between the drain and source of the second N-Channel transistor 304c, if a parasitic BJT (not shown) is turned on. The first N-Channel transistor 304b, however, may present a blocking impedance in series with a pull-down current that can occur between the drain and source of the second N-Channel transistor 304c hindering its ability to pull the OUT signal to a low state.
If, for example, the IN1 and IN2 signals are in low states, then (i) the first and second N-Channel transistors 304b, 304c are in an OFF state, and (ii) the first and second P-Channel transistors 304a, 304d are in and ON state, thereby causing the OUT signal to be in a high state. As above, a particle strike on the second N-Channel transistor 304c creates two pull-down currents; one from between the drain to the body tie of the second N-Channel transistor 304c, and the second from between the drain to the source of the second N-Channel transistor 304c, if a parasitic BJT (not shown) is turned on. However, because the first N-Channel transistor 304b is in an OFF state, then the second pull-down current path may be cut off from VSS.
Thus, the only second pull-down current component of the OUT signal is the displacement current that results from charging the capacitance on node n1. This capacitance may be much smaller than the capacitance on the output node 304e, thereby causing little effect on the OUT signal. Accordingly, the majority of the current of the OUT signal results from the first-pull-down current.
The hole travel in the P-well of the second N-Channel transistor 304c, which can turn on its parasitic BJT, may also flow under the first N-Channel transistor 304b, and also turn on the parasitic BJT of the first N-Channel transistor 304b. Consequently, a pull-down current path from the output terminal through both the first and second N-Channel transistors 304c, 304b to VSS is created. Consequently, the state of the OUT signal may not be in the desired state.
As can be readily discerned from above, modern integrated circuits are susceptible to SEE conditions. Some solutions attempting to mitigate this susceptibility require the use of relatively complex combinational logic circuitry to provide logical or temporal isolation of SEE that would otherwise cause errors. These solutions typically are not area efficient. Further, logic and temporal isolation circuit solutions can affect overall circuit speed and may, in some cases, be applicable only to storage circuits. Moreover, the susceptibility of to SEE conditions is heightened by reduced feature sizes and higher clock speeds that are otherwise very desirable. Thus, an area-efficient solution that provides a high degree of SET, SEE and/or SEE hardness and that is also applicable to various circuit types (such as combinational logic circuits as well as memory circuits) is needed.

Radiation hardening of logic circuitry using a cross enabled, interlocked logic system and method


A method of making a micro corner cube array includes the steps of: providing a substrate, at least a surface portion of which consists of cubic single crystals and which has a surface that is substantially parallel to {111} planes of the crystals; and dry-etching the surface of the substrate anisotropically with an etching gas that is reactive with the substrate, thereby forming a plurality of unit elements of the micro corner cube array on the surface of the substrate. Each of the unit elements is made up of a number of crystal planes that have been etched at a lower etch rate than the {111} planes of the crystals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of making a micro corner cube array and to a display device including the micro corner cube array.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, various types of optical elements having extremely small sizes (i.e., so-called "micro optical elements"), including microlenses, micro mirrors and micro prisms, have been developed and applied more and more extensively to the fields of optical communications and display devices. It is expected that the optical technology and display technology will be further developed and advanced by realizing those micro optical elements.
Examples of such optical elements include a corner cube reflector, which is formed by arranging a plurality of corner cubes in a regular pattern. Each of those corner cubes has a shape corresponding to one corner of a cube and three perpendicularly opposed reflective planes. The corner cube reflector is a type of retroreflector for reflecting an incoming light ray back to its source by getting the light ray reflected by each one of those reflective planes after another. The corner cube reflector can always reflect the incoming light ray back to its source irrespective of its angle of incidence. Hereinafter, conventional methods of making a corner cube will be described.

Micro corner cube array, method of making the micro corner cube array, and display device


A low cost, multiflavor, compact, versatile, convertible beverage dispenser that can be installed in different orientations so as to be able to fit in available space. This dispenser can operate frontways or sideways by virtue of a cup-receiving, beverage dispensing recess located at the corner of a front wall and a side wall and a button panel that can be placed above the recess on either the front or side wall.

This invention relates to counter top, postmix beverage dispensers, and in particular to a low-cost, compact, versatile, multiflavor, convertible beverage dispenser.
A wide variety of different postmix dispensers are known, including those having multiflavor valves and those having the selector buttons and nozzle at a notched corner of the cabinet. It is also known to have a dispensing system in which some parts of the dispenser are located above the counter and some parts are located below the counter.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a unitary beverage dispenser which can be placed entirely on top of a counter and oriented either frontways or sideways.


A wash pod is provided that includes unit dose of anhydrous wash concentrate surfactant containing at least one cationic surfactant and at least one nonionic surfactant in water soluble hygroscopic polymeric package containing the concentrate. The film encapsulates the wash formula unit dose and dissolves when placed in a bucket of water while also being chemically and physically strong enough to hold a more preferred alkaline formula as well as to remain stable during storage is provided. A low volatile organic compound (VOC) car wash formula that is highly concentrated with a low water content and contains nonionic and cationic surfactants to promote cleaning, foaming and beading, while also containing a small amount of carnauba wax is also provided. The formulation of the car wash detergent provides a streak free low residue finish on a cleaned surface.

Presently, G-Clean™ produced by Green Earth Technologies, Inc. is the only known car wash detergent in a water rupturable packet. However, the G-Clean™ product is designed as a pressure wash detergent using high pressure equipment (up to 4,000 psi) and relies on a nanotechnology based plant oil derived hydrophobic cleaning solution. The G-Clean™ cleaner requires a high pressure injector unit and affords an incomplete vehicle exterior when applied with a sponge and rinsed with typical garden hose pressure water wash.
Holderbaum, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,448,212 discloses a laundry/dishwasher detergent portion for use in automated washing machines, where the containment portions are water soluble. However, the temperatures at which the thermoplastic films of the detergent portions as taught by Holderbaum, et al. permeate, as well as the force applied, are higher than used in a car wash application involving only a bucket filled with by a municipal water supplied hose in a typical custom car wash setting of a home or a custom detailing shop.
Thus, there exists a need for encapsulated car wash detergents in the form of pods that eliminates the need for this specialized high pressure equipment and requires only a pail or other container to dissolve the product under a stream of municipal water supply obtained directly from a garden hose nozzle.


An information processing device determines whether or not drawing commands received from an application are logical drawing commands, and in the event that the received drawing commands are determined to be logical drawing commands, the received drawing commands are held and compared with entries in a reference table, where determination is made regarding whether there are any entries matching the received drawing commands, and in the event that there is a matching entry, a substitution drawing command is output to substitute for the corresponding drawing command, thereby generating a page description language. This enables optimizing complicated raster operations using applications, both in output size and drawing quality, and correct drawing even with non-supporting page description language systems.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to page description language generated on an information processing device, and particularly relates to an image computation optimizing method for a system made up of an information processing device such as a personal computer or the like, and a printer device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, with printing systems on an operating system (OS) running on an information processing device, print data from an application program is transmitted to a printing program as logical drawing commands. The printing program interprets the logical drawing commands, and generates a page description language.
At this time, the application can use raster operations (hereafter referred to as ROP operations) to make complicated shape expressions. However, there are some page description languages which do not support these complicated ROP operations (generally, in the case of not supporting, all is overwritten), and also, even in the event that the page description language does support these complicated ROP operations, outputting the operator components all the time means that redundant drawing commands are issued, which has become problematic from the perspective of performance.
Thus, with page description languages not supporting logical drawing commands, the same output as cases wherein the logical drawing commands are executed cannot be obtained. Also, even with page description languages capable of handling logical drawing commands, deterioration in performance is unavoidable due to issuing redundant drawing commands.

Information processing device, page description language generating method, program, and storage medium


An outer seal assembly of a turbine rotor stage is secured within a circumferential groove of the turbine casing in such a manner as to both fix the outer seal assembly in its installed position and also provide for sealing around its outer periphery so as to thereby prevent the leakage of cooling air therearound. A plurality of arcuate elements having an angle-shaped cross sectional profile are provided to interface between radially extending arms of the outer seal assembly and the inner surface of the casing, with a locking mechanism then being applied to secure the two structures in their installed positions. Each of the arcuate elements includes a radially extending panel, a plurality of forwardly extending hooks that are disposed within a groove in the casing, and a second forwardly extending flange that engages the rear surface of the outer seal assembly arm. As the outer seal assembly arm is urged rearwardly during operation, the arcuate element is caused to rotate about a fulcrum in the circumferential groove such that a radially outer edge of the radially extending panel is urged against a casing inner surface so as to thereby enhance the sealing relationship therebetween.

In a jet engine, wherein a turbine rotor is mounted for rotation within an engine casing, it is common to provide a blade outer air seal (BOAS) between the casing and the turbine rotor so as to prevent or reduce leakage therebetween. Typically, the BOAS is mounted in the casing by way a bolted flange on the inner periphery of the casing. The purpose of the bolted flange is to accurately and reliably locate the BOAS and to provide effective sealing against the leakage of BOAS cooling air which is circulated on the radially outer side of the BOAS to cool and purge the BOAS.
Such a bolted flange assembly is relatively heavy, and ongoing efforts to reduce the weight of a jet engine favor the elimination of such a bolted flange. If the bolted flange is eliminated, however, an alternative approach to securing the BOAS in place, and for sealing against the leakage of cooling air, must be provided.


A system for braking a vehicle includes a transmission having a plurality of gear sets for establishing a plurality of forward and reverse gear ratios and an actuator for changing the gear ratios. The system also includes a plurality of sensors for detecting a plurality of vehicle operating parameters and an auxiliary brake for reducing a speed of the vehicle. A controller having a processor configured to receive a plurality of output signals from the plurality of sensors has control logic for activating one of the actuator and the auxiliary brake based on the received output signals. A method for operating the system for braking is also provided. The method includes determining road grade, determining an acceleration of the vehicle, determining an activation status of the primary brake, determining a position of the throttle, determining whether extra braking is and activating the auxiliary brake based on the extra braking determination.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Braking a motor vehicle, whether a passenger vehicle or commercial truck, involves an operator of the vehicle manually engaging a primary brake. Engagement of the primary brake typically involves increasing the friction between the brake element and the axle of the vehicle, though other types of braking are known in the art. While this method of braking is welt known and useful for its intended purpose, relying solely on a manually operated brake while on a steep road grade can increase the wear on the brake which can reduce the useful life of the brake. For example, increased wear can lead to an increased rate of the reduction of the brake lining, increased rotor temperature, and increased brake fade.
One solution to avoid excessive wear on the primary brake while on steep road grades is to apply extra braking. The extra braking can include various forms of braking, including downshifting of the transmission in the motor vehicle, activation of engine compression brakes, or activation of an exhaust brake. While useful for reducing wear on the primary brake, in the past this extra braking was manually engaged by the operator of the motor vehicle, thereby increasing the complexity of operating the vehicle.
One solution to the above problem is to automatically activate downshifting, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,458 B1, hereby incorporated by reference as if fully disclosed herein. While automatic downshifting is useful for its intended purpose, there is room in the art for improvement in providing additional mechanical automatic extra braking to a motor vehicle.