Wireless medium access in a communication network having a number of terminals is controlled by defining protocol message units for transmission by a given terminal which units correspond to operational states of at least one of the terminal and the medium. A number of time slots are allocated for transmission of packets from each terminal, and a number of contention opportunities are defined at the beginning of each time slot. Priority and backoff mechanisms are defined and applied at each terminal during the contention opportunities in the slots. Packets are then transmitted by the terminal within the slots while (1) minimizing the occurrence of empty slots at times when packets are available for transmission, and (2) minimizing the number of slots during which two or more packets are detected on the medium simultaneously at the terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to techniques for facilitating reliable medium access by multiple terminals in a wireless communication system or network.
2. Discussion of the Known Art
A common problem in wireless communication systems or networks, is controlling access to the medium in such a manner as to ensure reliable transfers of data among participating stations or nodes, Quality of Service (QoS), and fair access to the medium by all participants. A medium access controller (MAC) is normally employed to address these issues. Examples of wireless systems that employ MACs include various versions of WiFi (IEEE Standard 802.11), and various versions of WiMAX (IEEE Standard 802.16). All relevant portions of the mentioned IEEE standards are incorporated by reference.
Wireless access may be accomplished using either one of two methods, viz., reservation or contention. WiMAX is primarily a reservation based system wherein data is not transmitted unless one or more slots are reserved for the transmission. That is, in a reservation based system, the transmitting station (node) knows a priori that no other terminal will attempt to access the medium during certain reserved time slots. WiFi is primarily a contention based system where multiple terminals may attempt to access common medium resources (e.g., time, frequency, or code) simultaneously. Heuristics are normally employed to ensure that certain system objectives (fairness, QoS, etc.) for access are met. Unless reservations are preconfigured (not typical), some sort of contention access is required if for no other reason than to establish reservations for further transmissions. As such, virtually all wireless systems must incorporate some form of contention-based access control as part of their system.
Many forms of contention access are currently employed. For example, in ALOHA, wireless stations simply transmit as desired, each assuming that no other station is transmitting at the same time. If a second station is transmitting so that a first station's message is not properly received, a so-called collision has occurred. Thus, most ALOHA based systems also employ mechanisms to acknowledge receipt of a message, and retransmit messages that fail to reach their destination. The theoretical maximum efficiency for ALOHA is 18%. See, F. A. Tobagi, "Multiaccess Protocols in Packet Communication Systems", IEEE Transactions on Communications, Vol. COM-28, No. 4, pages 468-88 (April 1980) (hereafter "Tobagi"), at page 471. All relevant portions of the cited Tobagi article are incorporated by reference. By introducing additional complexity and delay, higher efficiencies can be achieved. For example, slotted ALOHA (S-ALOHA) can increase the theoretical maximum efficiency of pure ALOHA to 36% by dividing the resources on the medium into time slices, thus ensuring that a transmission made within a given time slice will potentially interfere only with other transmissions that are made during the same time slice. Id.
Carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) is another form of contention access. CSMA enhances ALOHA by requiring the transmitting station initially to check if the desired medium resources are occupied. If not, the station transmits using the desired resources. CSMA has a maximum theoretical efficiency in excess of 90% depending on many medium properties. Tobagi, at page 473. The performance of CSMA degrades with increasing distance between the stations, however. That is, for a constant data packet size, as range delay (the propagation time between all stations attempting to access the medium) increases, performance of CSMA degrades. For a broadcast system with a repeater where all transmissions are synchronized to a single point in space and time (such as a satellite system), the point at which maximum theoretical performance of CSMA degrades to the maximum theoretical performance of S-ALOHA is roughly when the range delay is one third of the time the packet occupies the medium. Tobagi, at 473-74. Another key degradation occurs when there are "hidden" nodes. These are nodes that cannot hear other nodes that are actively transmitting in the network, so that the probability of a collision is increased. This also decreases the effectiveness of CSMA, and is a common problem, for example, in mobile ad hoc networks (MANET).
While CSMA has a higher efficiency than other contention mechanisms in many situations, it can sometimes be less effective than S-ALOHA because of the mentioned range and hidden node issues. In such environments, it may be advantageous to switch over to S-ALOHA. As far as is known, however, no method or apparatus capable of combining certain features of CSMA and S-ALOHA access so as to optimize the performance of a given network, has been disclosed or otherwise made available. A need therefore exists to provide such a capability.

Contention protocols for wireless medium access in communication networks

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.


A hybrid system for electric power generation from solar-thermal energy and wind energy sources is described. The system includes a wind electric power generation system, a solar-thermal generation system and an air compressing system powered by a wind electric power generation system, and a compressed air storage system. A solar-thermal generation system includes two air receivers illuminated by heliostats to heat compressed atmospheric air provided from a compressed air storage system for driving the solar-thermal generation system. The hybrid system also includes a thermal energy storage system storing thermal energy and preheating the pressurized atmospheric air flow provided by the compressed air storage system.

A significant amount of research and development has been undertaken in recent years towards generation of energy from natural sources, such as sun and wind. Attempts to reduce reliance on oil and coal, such as from foreign sources, have become an important issue. Energy experts fear that some of these resources, including oil, gas and coal, may someday become exhausted.
Solar energy is known as a type of various clean energy sources that can be converted to produce electricity. However, the output of a solar power generating system relies to a great extent on weather conditions. For instance, many solar panels are designed to convert solar energy only during sunny daylight hours. They do not produce significant amounts of energy on cloudy days or during night hours.
While solar thermal power may be the most widely known natural source, there exists also the potential for harnessing significant amounts of energy from wind. Wind farms, for example, have been built in many areas where the wind naturally blows. To use wind energy for generation of electricity is a clean, renewable, and ecologically-friendly alternative to traditional fossil-based energy supplies.
One drawback of using wind as an energy source, however, is that the wind does not always blow, and even if it does, it does not always blow at the same speed, i.e., it is not always reliable. The wind also does not blow consistently throughout different times of the day, week, month and seasons of the year, i.e., it is not always predictable. Thus, due to the seasonal and daily variations in wind speed and power, the output of wind electrical generators often fluctuates, and is not reliable.
Accordingly, a major impediment to large-scale penetration of wind and solar energy is the variable and intermittent nature of solar and wind renewable resources. Intermittency leads to an unstable power output, causing significant challenges for distribution through the electric grid. The latter challenge also manifests itself into power-curtailing issues, which are becoming more and more apparent these days in the wind industry. Since wind energy in certain areas is mostly available during the night when the demand is low, it is required that the power from wind farms be curtailed to prevent overloading the grid.
Systems and methods for providing an integrated and complementary energy generating system capable of converting wind and solar energy for use with electrical generators are known in the art. During the daytime, such hybrid systems can concurrently derive energy from both wind and solar energy sources. During the nighttime, the systems can continuously harvest wind energy, regardless of weather conditions. As the peak of wind flow and sunlight tends to occur at different times of the day and year (for instance, winds are stronger in the winter with less sunlight and also stronger during nighttime), these two energy sources can complement each other.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,941 to Hope describes a unitary system for generating electrical energy from solar and wind energy sources. The system includes a solar collector that collects solar rays, and these rays are focused by a parabolic mirror before being conducted through a fresnel tube to a container which minimizes thermal exchange with the exterior environment. The thermal energy of the rays within the container is converted to mechanical energy by a boiler and a steam-operated turbine. A wind collector converts air currents to mechanical energy which is selectively mechanically coupled to the mechanical energy derived from the solar collector prior to being converted to electrical energy.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,661,113 describes a power generating system that includes a base assembly that has a lower portion and an upper portion. The lower portion is for supporting the upper portion of the base assembly. A solar assembly is coupled to the upper portion of the base assembly. A power storage assembly is operationally coupled to the solar assembly. The power storage assembly is for storing electricity from the solar assembly. The power storage assembly is positioned in the lower portion of the base assembly such that the lower portion of the base assembly is for protecting the-power storage assembly from adverse weather. A turbine assembly is coupled to the upper portion of the base assembly. The turbine assembly is for producing electricity from wind. The turbine assembly is operationally coupled to the power storage assembly such that the power storage assembly is for storing electricity produced from the turbine assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,172,386 to Sosonkina et al. describes a wind and solar power plant, producing electrical energy. The system comprises rotor trains, mounted on decks of a garage-like building, each rotor train having a plurality of rotors positioned between a shroud and a wind tunnel. The wind is accelerated in a low middle part of the wind tunnel while it flows from a high entrance towards a higher and wider exit. The blades of the rotors protrude into the middle part of the wind tunnel causing fast rotation of the rotors around horizontal axes. A super-diffuser, a booster and a wind tunnel increase the power of the wind and rotors hundreds of times. Each rotor train comprises up to six rotors connected with twelve electrical generators. Electrical energy can be also produced by solar panels, mounted on the balconies and on the roof of a building.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,964,981 to Tsao describes an integrated hybrid energy generating system capable of converting wind and solar energy for use with an electrical generator. The system includes a wind powered subsystem including: a rotor for receiving wind to generate mechanical energy; and a first shaft for providing a permanent mechanical coupling between the rotor and the electrical generator for transferring the generated mechanical energy to the electrical generator. The system also includes a solar powered subsystem including: a solar collector for receiving solar energy to generate thermal energy; a thermo-mechanical engine coupled to the solar collector for converting the generated thermal energy into mechanical energy; and a second shaft mechanically coupled to the thermo-mechanical engine; and an interconnection subsystem for selecting between coupling the second shaft to the first shaft for combining the mechanical energy generated by the wind and solar powered subsystems to be transferred to the electrical generator, and decoupling the second shaft from the first shaft. During the daytime, the system concurrently derives energy from both wind and solar energy sources. During the nighttime, it continuously harvests wind energy, regardless of weather conditions.

Hybrid system for electric power generation from solar-thermal energy and wind energy sources


The disclosure relates to an internal combustion engine with a cooling circuit having a water jacket portion in the cylinder block and a water jacket portion in the cylinder head which has an intake portion and an exhaust portion. Flow from the intake and exhaust portions mix in an outlet housing which has a cylinder head outlet thermostat. A coolant pump provides flow to a first branch to the exhaust portion and a second branch to the water jacket portion in the cylinder block. A block thermostat is located in the second branch downstream of the coolant pump and upstream of the water jacket portion in the cylinder block. The intake portion of the water jacket portion in the cylinder head is fluidly coupled to the water jacket portion in the cylinder block.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an internal combustion engine having a coolant circuit which is divided into a cylinder block-side coolant region and a cylinder head-side coolant region, the cylinder block-side coolant region having at least one block thermostat.
2. Background Art
It is known to allow a coolant of a coolant circuit to flow through the engine block and the cylinder head of the internal combustion engine separately from one another. Thus, the cylinder head, which is coupled thermally to the combustion air and the engine block, which is coupled thermally to the friction points, can be cooled differently. What is to be achieved by a "split cooling system" (separate coolant circuit), as it is known, is that the cylinder head is cooled in the warm-up phase of the internal combustion engine, while the engine block is initially not yet to be cooled, so that the engine block can be brought more quickly to a desired operating temperature.


The present invention is directed to a method and device for obtaining, viewing and marking maps in real time. Maps are obtained from a list of maps, the maps are then viewed on interactive tabletop displays allowing a user to visualize a mapped location and “markup” points on the map. The markup data is captured as a small file and sent out to responders via rapid transmission in both real time as it is developed or as final actionable information. The maps employed in the present invention include land maps or building floor plans that are either in paper or digital formats.

The time it takes to respond to a natural or man-made disaster can mean the difference between life and death. Emergency Operation Centers (EOCs) are usually set up near the disaster zones to enhance the response time to disasters. EOCs are physical worksites that serve to receive data, assess the situation, and decide how to control or end the emergency. EOCs may be found at one or more government levels, for instance on the federal, state, county and local levels.
Impediments to the effectiveness of the EOC can arise based on the skill level of the personnel and the quality of communication systems used by the EOC. Each EOC is run by trained individuals, one such individual being incident managers. However, EOC personnel may also include untrained volunteers. It is critical that EOC tools utilize natural interactions since the training level of EOC personnel can vary drastically from highly experienced to little or no training. For less experienced workers and even highly trained but computer-illiterate individuals, natural forms of interaction can facilitate usability of EOC tools by increasing the tools transparency and speed of learning. By incorporating natural forms of interaction with EOC tools, strong mental modes are evoked in users based on their past experiences with other systems.
Traditionally personnel in EOCs used paper maps to locate disasters and to chart movement. However, paper maps may at times be out of date and difficult to obtain and therefore the traditional paper and pencil mapping methods may prove inadequate to provide rapid responses to rapidly changing conditions inherent in a disaster. The fatalities realized on Sep. 18, 2003 when Hurricane Isabel hit North Carolina clearly highlight the deficiency of using paper maps to track a disaster. Here, EOCs used geographical information systems (GIS) to overlay storm information with digital maps of properties, structures, power utilities and roads. As a result, responders were effectively dispatched to locales that required the most attention. As the storm moved to remote areas, the only land map information available were from paper maps. EOCs were no longer able to track the hurricane. The level of response to these areas was hampered due to the inability to follow the track of the disaster over land. If the level of technology had been better, these remote areas would have been served better by EOCs responders. The need to identify patterns and changes to emergency situations are facilitated by using maps and other spatial information that allows a user to more realistically assess a condition and formulate appropriate responses.
The quick nature of disasters requires state-of-the-art communication devices in order to advise individuals of breaking developments and respond accordingly. The types of technologies employed in EOCs range widely based on size of the emergency and budgets allocated to the centers. Best results, such as a quickly resolved emergency, is achieved when communication between EOCs and responders are efficient. Computer or laptop graphical user interface is an advancement over using paper and pen, however it still lacks ease in use and natural forms of interaction.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,561 entitled Emergency Management System is an example of a system for automating the gathering of field information that describes the condition of specific geographical locations at specific times via a field information recording device. Such systems are an advance to gathering real-time information. However, the information still needs to be reviewed by emergency personnel and an actionable plan needs to be developed based on the circumstances by such personnel reviewing the data in real time.
Even with the availability of technology rich data systems, there is a need for a low cost, low technology solution for transmitting actionable information pertaining to location and geography from the field to the EOC and vice versa. The solutions should be easy to use especially by computer-illiterate individuals who prefer using paper and pencil. Tools that utilize natural interactions, gracefully degrade, support collaboration and display spatially referenced information is desired in workplaces such as EOCs.
The transmission of information using the low technology solutions must be done quickly and at a low bandwidth. Ideally, disaster information should be conveyed by rapid transmission being either wired or wireless. Suitable non-limiting methods or devices capable of carrying out rapid transmission include email, FTP, cellular service, satellite, WiFi, broadband, narrowband and the like. There is also a need to ensure effective collaboration between EOCs and first responders to ensure all participants are informed with the most accurate and latest actionable information.

System and method for viewing and marking maps


A Composite Pattern with BLOB data types is used to model a hierarchical network, and includes a path-like construct for locating each component within the network model. Database procedures are used to efficiently search, modify and retrieve individual nodes from the network model using the database server's memory pool so that client applications are not required to retrieve and deserialize the entire Composite-BLOB hierarchy in order to make modifications or search for individual elements, thereby substantially reducing the transfer of data between the application layer and database. To avoid the need for dynamic memory restructuring during deserialization, the size required to store component data at each composite is stored when the composite is serialized, and during deserialization, the size is retrieved and used to obtain sufficient memory for the deserialized composite.

This invention relates to the field of network analysis tools and other tools that use a relational database to store and retrieve hierarchical data in a generic and schema agnostic fashion.
The effective management of large networks requires the use of tools that use one or more models of the network and each component within the network. To model the performance of a network, simulators and other tools effectively emulate the behavior of each of the devices in the network to determine how the system will perform as message traffic is propagated across the network, or to facilitate the diagnosis of the network as problems are reported. To properly emulate the behavior of each device, the configuration parameters, default settings, and so on associated with each device must be captured and included within the models, resulting in a very large collection of data being required even for relatively small networks.
The data that is captured and used to build network models is usually richly typed and hierarchical in nature. Storing such a network model in a relational database becomes an ongoing challenge in any implementation. In some implementations, the base software for data collection and management represent this richly typed hierarchical data in correspondingly complex database schemas. A disadvantage of such an approach, however, becomes apparent when new network routing and switching protocols, configurations, new device types and characteristics are invented and supported by different network equipment manufacturers. Often, a new capability or characteristic will require a change to the structure of the database schema, and, depending upon the robustness of the original structure, may reveal inherent incompatibilities with the new features and require a substantial restructuring. Even when the schema is robust, the changing and increasingly complex information in an actual network generally requires a continual update of the database schema and its table structure for each new release of the modeling software.
Techniques have been developed that use a composite data structure that allows for scalable and schema-agnostic storage and retrieval of richly typed hierarchical data. The hierarchical data is stored and retrieved using a single data structure, thereby allowing the software implementation and the database schema to be substantially immune to the necessity of remodeling increasing richness and complexity in the actual network data. Of particular note, the use of a single data structure allows the software designer to optimize read and write access to the database, and avoids having to reassess and/or rewrite the code for future releases.
A generic way of representing hierarchical data is via the use of a Composite Pattern and Binary Large Object (BLOB) data types.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the basic unit of the data structure described in the Composite Pattern 100 consists of a Component class 110, a Composite class 120, and a Leaf class 130, wherein the Leaf and Composite classes are subclasses of the Component class. An instance of the Composite class may contain instances of other Components, while an instance of the Leaf class cannot contain instances of Component classes. Because each Composite 120 of a Component 110 may contain one or more (lower-level) Components, the Composite Pattern 100 is well suited as a basic building block that is capable of representing any hierarchical data model of any depth. Since most information in a network model is richly typed and hierarchical in nature, the Composite Pattern 100 is often used to represent this data for use by application programs 180.
Most modern relational database implementations support a relational data structure called the Binary Large Object (or BLOB). A BLOB is a built-in data type that stores the data in the BLOB in a single cell of a database table. For all intents and purposes programmatic access to the BLOB is akin to accessing an integer or string value in a cell of the database table. BLOB data structures are typically used to store large amounts of data such as images or documents. BLOBs can be used to store data structures from programming languages as long as there is a way to convert the programming language entity to and from the binary data stream. The conversion of programming language data structure instances into binary byte streams is called serialization and the reverse process is called de-serialization. To model complex networks, the BLOB data structure is used to capture the hierarchical data built using the Composite Pattern. That is, an instance of the Composite Pattern is converted to a sequence of bytes (serializing the BLOB) that can then be stored as-is in the BLOB data type in a single cell of a database table. On retrieval, the sequence of bytes is transformed back (deserializing the BLOB) into the Composite Pattern for programmatic access.
The combination of the Composite Pattern and the BLOB data type allows for a schema agnostic representation of complex and hierarchical data; that is, the actual/internal schema is hidden within the BLOB, and the hierarchy is hidden by the generic nature of the Composite Pattern. As the complexity of the network model grows, there is no need to change the database schema. New data, like the older data, is represented using the Composite Pattern and stored in the relational database as a BLOB. Changing the data model within a single instance of the Composite Pattern or adding additional depth or pruning the hierarchy has no effect on the database schema. Furthermore, the data storage and retrieval of BLOB data values can be made efficient, because there is only a single data structure that needs to be addressed for database read and write access.
Although the combination of the Composite Pattern and the BLOB data type allows for the schema agnostic representation of complex and hierarchical data, and allows for changing the elements within the data model, or the hierarchy of the data model, without changing the database schema, this generic storage of hierarchical data has several disadvantages when used to store large and complex network models.
A particular disadvantage of this combination of the Composite Pattern and the BLOB data type for storing network models relates to accessing individual elements within the model. Because the BLOB data type masks the internal schema details, and the Composite Pattern is designed to be generic, and masks the actual network hierarchy, access to the elements within the hierarchy requires a top-down deserialization of the network model until the desired element is found. Correspondingly, a top-down serialization of the entire network model is required to subsequently store the Composite Pattern corresponding to the model. That is, for each access to add, remove or modify the contents of a BLOB, the application layer must read the entire Composite-BLOB data structure into memory, make the change to the particular item, then write the entire Composite-BLOB data structure back to persistent storage. This can prove to be highly CPU and memory inefficient for the large data volumes associated with network models.
In addition to the inherent inefficiency of having to deserialize and serialize the entire network model to access and modify a single network element, the inefficiency of this process is further compounded by the fact that conventional BLOB deserialization processes are generally not well suited to efficiently deserialize 'unpredictable' data structures. In conventional systems, because the BLOB hides the internal details, the deserialization process creates the structure as new components are deserialized. A conventional serialization process will write out each lower level component as it comes across it. During deserialization, each newly encountered component is added to the composite of its parent. This addition includes, for example, adding a 'child' record to a list of children, wherein the child record includes a reference to the location of the deserialized component within the memory and optionally other characteristics of the deserialized component. Typically, a default block of memory is allocated for storing the child records at the parent. As new children are encountered, this block of memory may be insufficiently sized to accommodate the newest child, and an additional block of memory must be allocated. However, because the table of child references is preferably stored as a contiguous block, for efficient indexing and processing, the addition of a new block of contiguous memory often requires a shift/restructure of previously allocated memory to accommodate this larger block. Additionally, because the block size is generally large, to reduce the required number of reallocations, substantial memory space can be wasted at each composite structure, when a new block is allocated but not filled by the remaining data.
It is an objective of this invention to facilitate searches through the network hierarchy that is conventionally masked by the use of a Composite Pattern with BLOB data types. It is a further objective of this invention to allow client applications to modify individual elements within a network model without requiring a deserialization of the entire BLOB hierarchy that is used to store the network model. It is a further objective of this invention to minimize the memory allocation overhead associated with the deserialization of hierarchical BLOBs.
These objectives, and others, are achieved by providing a Composite Pattern with BLOB data types that includes a path-like construct for locating each component within a network model. Each node in the hierarchy is uniquely identified by a name that is unique within the context of its parent node. The node is also uniquely identified within the entire hierarchy by its "path", using, for example, a concatenation of the names of the nodes in its ancestry. Database stored procedures are used to efficiently search, modify and retrieve individual nodes from the BLOB using the database server's memory pool so that client applications are not required to retrieve and deserialize the entire Composite-BLOB hierarchy in order to make modifications or search for individual elements, thereby substantially reducing the transfer of data between the application layer and database. To avoid the need for dynamic memory allocation during deserialization, the size of each pre-serialized composite is stored when the composite is serialized, and during deserialization, the size is retrieved and used to obtain sufficient memory for the deserialized composite via a single memory allocation.
Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate similar or corresponding features or functions. The drawings are included for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Storage and retrieval of richly typed hierarchical network models


A telecommunications apparatus is disclosed for use in conjunction with a local switch. The apparatus operates in a bypass mode for messages that do not require compression/decompression, and in a pass-through mode for those which do. A selective compressor/decompressor is provided to decompress incoming information for which the local switch is to operate in pass through mode and to compress outgoing information for which the local switch has operated in pass through mode. A selective masker/demasker is operative to expand information to be bypassed by the switch without decompressing the information from a compressed form to an expanded form and to restore information bypassed by the switch from the expanded form to the compressed form.

Private voice networks include telephone apparatus, telephone exchanges (PABX) and transmission equipment. State of the art transmission equipment utilizes compression multiplexers, which convert analog voice signals to digital signals at low bit-rates of 9.6 kbps or even lower. Various compression methods are employed which all take advantage of the inherent redundancy which exists in human speech.
If compressing multiplexers are installed between PABX's, as shown in Fig. BA-1, the voice signal may be compressed and decompressed more than once in PABX networks with more than one hop. Each compression/decompression pair degrades the voice signal quality somewhat, and therefore in large networks it is very likely that the end-to-end voice signal quality will be unacceptable to the users.
To overcome this problem, more complex multiplexers have been developed, as shown in Fig. BA-2, in which the multiplexers also handle the routing function. Each voice channel is compressed by the first multiplexer and decompressed by the last multiplexer in the chain of multiplexers. All other interim multiplexers bypass the digital voice signal, such that voice signal quality is kept at a constant level. The drawback of this approach is that since the compressing multiplexers perform the routing function, they are relatively complex and expensive.
In the present specification, the first (source) and last (destination) nodes in a chain of nodes handling a call are termed "pass through" nodes, whereas the intermediate nodes, i.e. all nodes handling the call other than the first and last nodes, are termed "bypass" nodes.
There exists PBX/PABX equipment on the market that includes routing functions. As a result, a network can be formed among the PBX/PABX using regular voice channels. If the voice channel bandwidths are compressed, a routing multiplexer is required in order to avoid multiple voice compression/decompression along some of the network routes.
State of the art telecommunications systems include the following: The Integrated Digital Network Exchange, ADNX/60 and IDNX/20-S systems, all marketed by Network Equipment Technologies, and the 3630-MainStreet Primary Rate Multiplexer, marketed by Newbridge.

Apparatus and method for selective masking of telecommunications systems


A differential ECL (emitter coupled logic) circuit, with differential inputs and output and no series gates, comprises a plurality of transistor pairs. The differential ECL circuit can operate at high speed as there are no series gates and its noise margin is large because of differential operation. The differential circuit can be implemented into various logic circuits such as XOR (exclusive OR)/NXOR, OR/NOR, AND/NAND.

A multiplexer or logic function circuit such as an exclusive OR (XOR), non-exclusive (NXOR), OR, NOR, AND or NAND circuit is usually formed on a semiconductor integrated circuit chip. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,767 dated Oct. 16, 1990 by Nguyen X. Sinh discloses an ECL (emitter coupled logic) multiplexer of non-differential type. U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,306 dated Sep. 12, 1989 by Daniel F. Hopta discloses an ECL multiplexer, which has series gates with differential outputs and non-differential inputs. U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,216 dated Dec. 9, 1986 by Nikhil C. Mazumder discloses multiplexers and XOR and other logic circuits. Also, ELECTRONICS LETTERS, 29th Mar. 1990, Vol.26, No.7, pp.430-431, shows a high speed XOR and ELECTRONICS LETTERS, 12th Oct. 1989, Vol. 25, No. 21, pp. 1422-1423, discloses a high speed multiplexer.
However, these prior art circuits have disadvantages--low speed, a small noise margin and/or a large power consumption--due to the use of series gates or non-differential type circuits.


Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a compensation device of luminance uniformity and a controlling method thereof, more particularly, to a technology of predicting a level of maximum luminance value that is changed in compensating luminance uniformity of an image displayed on a display apparatus and providing it to a user.

With the development of electronic technology, various types of electronic devices have been developed and distributed. For example, display devices such as TVs, monitors, and large billboards are widely used in general homes, companies, and public places.
Display apparatuses have been continuously developed in a direction of high brightness, high integration, and large size, and include a display panel such as LCD or PDP. Of the display panels, LCD (liquid crystal display) panels cannot emit light on their own, LED (light emitting diode) was used as a light source for LCD in the existing fluorescent light source, and was supplemented by the introduction of a back light unit (BLU) system that placed a board with a white LED package on the outside of an LCD frame. Since then, mass production of OLED (organic light emitting diode) panels has been successful, and a new type of display has been provided.
The display panels may have uneven luminance and color distribution due to various reasons. For example, the periphery may be relatively dark compared to the center, or the color of an entire screen may not be uniform. This phenomenon is called non-uniformity.
The non-uniformity of the display panel may occur due to differences between light source driver chips, welding problems of light source modules, flatness problems of module assembly, and differences in the central axis position of the light sources.
The manufacturing process of the display device includes a process of manufacturing the display device and a process of inspecting luminance uniformity of the completed display panel. In recent years, the importance of a technique for accurately predicting a level of luminance that is changed in correcting the luminance uniformity of the display panel has been emphasized.

Compensation device for luminance uniformity and method thereof

Abstract: A compensation device of luminance uniformity according to an embodiment includes a data acquirer configured to acquire a luminance value of an image displayed on a display apparatus; a controller configured to determine a maximum luminance value and a minimum luminance value among the acquired luminance values, and determine luminance uniformity of the minimum luminance value based on the maximum luminance value, and determine a change amount of the maximum luminance value to be adjusted in order to change the determined luminance uniformity; and a display configured to display the change amount of the maximum luminance value adjusted to change the luminance uniformity, and the luminance uniformity that is changed in response to the change amount of the maximum luminance value.


A thermal conductivity detector includes at least four detector components that are arranged in receptacles of a thermal conduction block in a circle around a center axis of the thermal conduction block. The thermal conduction block comprises a central portion along the axis, the cross-axial dimensions of the central portion being less than the diameter of the circle. There are at least four equal peripheral portions that are connected solely to the central portion and are separated from each other, each of the peripheral portions carrying one of the detector components.

1. Field of the Invention
The present application generally relates to a thermal conductivity detector comprising at least four detector components arranged in receptacles of a thermal conduction block in a circle around a center axis of the thermal conduction block.
2. Related Art
Thermal conductivity detectors, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,512,857, U.S. Pat. No. 3,474,660 or DE 103 18 450 B3, are used to detect certain liquid or gaseous substances (fluids) on the basis of their characteristic thermal conductivity, particularly in gas chromatography. To that end, the substances to be detected are successively guided past an electrically heated filament disposed in a channel, after their chromatographic separation. Depending on the thermal conductivity of the substance flowing past, more or less heat is diverted from the heating filament to the channel wall, and the heating filament is correspondingly cooled to a greater or lesser degree. As a result of the cooling of the heating filament, its electrical resistance changes, which can be detected. For this purpose, the heating filament is typically placed in a measuring bridge, which contains additional resistors and an additional heating filament in a further channel through which a reference fluid flows. Instead of the resistors, further filaments may be provided that are fluidically parallel or in series with the filaments in the measurement channel and the reference channel, respectively. In the latter, the heating filaments and the surrounding channels are referred to individually as detector components, and collectively as the thermal conductivity detector.
To keep the detector components on the same temperature level, it is known from the above-mentioned references to have the detector components accommodated in a thermal conduction block that is made of a suitable heat conducting material such as brass or aluminum. For the same reason, the design of the thermal conductivity detector is thermally symmetrical with the detector components being arranged in a circle around a center axis of the thermal conduction block.
The detection limit of the thermal conductivity detector may be limited by thermal crosstalk between the detector components. For example, when a chromatographically separated gas fraction with a high thermal conductivity flows past the heating filament in the measurement channel and the carrier gas passing the heating filament in the reference channel has a lower thermal conductivity, the heat flows from the filaments to the respective channel walls. Accordingly, the wall temperatures will be different. Having different wall temperatures creates a temporary temperature imbalance within the thermal conduction block that affects the detector components differently. The thermal symmetry of the known thermal conductivity detectors is not good enough to compensate for this effect.


The invention relates to a sensor array for detecting travel of a movable member, especially a positioning element that is movable using an actuator. Said sensor array comprises a stationary coil arrangement (18) that is provided with an active coil (18.1) and at least one passive coil (26.1, 26.2) located a distance therefrom. The coil arrangement (18) is connected to a power supply unit (30) and a signal-detecting device (29). The inventive sensor array further comprises an axially movable rod-shaped sensor part (17) that is made of a preferably magnetizable material, is connected to the positioning element which is movable fore and aft in an axial direction, and is provided with at least one short circuit element (23, 23.0). Said at least one short circuit element (23, 23.0) is made of an electrically conducting material having low ohmic resistance, is delimited by a final edge (23.1, 23.2) in the longitudinal direction, respectively, and has a dimension in the direction of movement, which is calculated such that one final edge (23.1, 23.2, 23.3) of the at least one short circuit element (23) is enclosed by the active coil (18.1) in at least one final position (I, II) defined by the predefined length of stroke (h) while another final edge (23.1, 23.2, 23.3) of the at least one short circuit element (23, 23.0) is at least partly embraced by one of the at least one passive coils (26.1, 26.2).

In an actuator for moving a positioning element back and forth, particularly an electromagnetic actuator, the movement of the actuator armature is typically identical to the movement of the positioning element to be actuated, such that it is possible to measure the armature movement and consequently the movement of the positioning element in the region of the actuator.
In an electromagnetic actuator with two spaced-apart electromagnets, the pole faces of which point toward one another and between which an armature is guided such that it can be moved back and forth against the force of return springs when the electromagnets are alternately supplied with a current, a measurement of the current and/or voltage at the respective attracting magnet and during release of the restraining magnet makes it possible to draw conclusions about the armature movement that can subsequently be used for control purposes if the signals are processed appropriately.
An electromagnetic actuator of this type is used, for example, as a fully variable valve drive for actuating a gas exchange valve of a reciprocating internal combustion engine. In view of stricter requirements regarding control accuracy, particularly with respect to influencing the impact velocity of the armature on the pole face of the respective attracting magnet and therefore also the touch-down speed of the gas exchange valve on the valve seat, a measurement of movements derived from the current and voltage curves at the coils of the electromagnets no longer appears sufficient because the signals obtained therefrom can only be used for the subsequent engine cycle.
Consequently, it is necessary to measure the movement of the armature and therefore the movement of the positioning element "online" over the entire length of stroke with the aid of a corresponding sensor assembly, such that the power supply of the electromagnets can be influenced by appropriately controlling the actuator, for example, an electromagnetic actuator, based on corresponding signals while the actuator moves the positioning element. This makes it possible to control armature movement in the current engine cycle.
This requirement can only be fulfilled with a displacement sensor with a low error deviation that generates a corresponding signal during the entire stroke, i.e., a sensor that "reproduces" the stroke. Due to the requirements with respect to resolution and accuracy of gas exchange valves, as well as of injection nozzles and needle valves, associated with the relatively short strokes, the sensor assembly needs to be largely protected from interference. This also applies to other instances in which the movement of a reciprocating component, for example, a piston valve or the like, needs to be measured in a highly accurate fashion. In this case, the displacement signal being generated should be as linear as possible.
A sensor of this type is known, in principle, from DE 101 57 119 A, wherein this sensor requires, however, a relatively long structural length if accurate measurement signals are to be obtained.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Sensor array for detecting the movement of a positioning element moved back and forth using an actuator


This invention has an object to provide a method for precisely fabricating transportation pallets readily adaptable to model change and other alterations. In the method for fabricating a transportation pallet according to the invention, in which jig mounting plates are fixed on a steel pallet base, projecting pieces having holes to which jigs are attached are provided on one longer side of the jig mounting plates (12, 13) at a predetermined interval, a positioning member is secured on the pallet base, the jig mounting plates are temporarily secured along the positioning member, and the jig mounting plates are welded to be fixed on the pallet base.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for fabricating transportation pallets, and for example, to a method for precisely fabricating a transportation pallet readily adaptable to model change or other alterations of various machine parts by changing the position of jigs so as to fit the machine parts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, transportation of various goods has been carried out with transportation pallets with components to be transported mounted thereon. Transportation pallets for general purpose use have difficulty in securely supporting and retaining the goods mounted thereon.
The transportation pallets are also used to transport parts of construction machines or the like mounted on the pallets. In the case where such parts are mounted on the general-purpose transportation pallet, the pallet cannot securely support the parts and also occasionally may damage the parts. To overcome the drawbacks, transportation pallets with jigs, which are suitable for each part, directly attached thereon are used.
However, the preparation of the transportation pallets fitting each part has a drawback in requiring much time and cost, because the transportation pallets need to be modified every time the parts are remodeled with changes of specification or for other reasons.
A transportation pallet capable of securely retaining various goods and readily adapting itself to the change in shape of the goods has been proposed (see Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 9-156642). This transportation pallet includes a substrate in which a large number of small holes for mounting jigs are made and projecting edges formed along the periphery of the substrate so as to stick out upward and downward, respectively. Several types of jigs for supporting transportation articles are arranged in predetermined positions on the upper surface of the substrate and detachably secured by bolts, which pass through the small holes, and nuts. The height of the jigs and the height of the securing bolts and nuts are set so as to be not higher than the height of the projecting edges.
For the transportation pallet disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 9-156642, the large number of small holes for mounting the jigs need to be formed in the substrate, which is a complicated work. In addition, in order to mount a heavy load on such a transportation pallet, the pallet should include a substrate of high strength in consideration of the necessary provision of the large number of small holes, which causes heavy weight and high cost of the pallet.

Method for fabricating transportation pallet


A cleaner comprises a cleaner main body, a first main body formed in a spherical shape and a second main body protruding from the front of the first main body such that the width at a second point located forward of a first point is smaller than the width at the first point.

A cleaner is a device that removes foreign substances in a room. Generally, vacuum cleaners are widely used in homes. The vacuum cleaner sucks in air using the suction force of a blower and separates the foreign substances in the inhaled air by a device such as a filter to clean the room. These vacuum cleaners are classified into a canister type and an upright type.
The upright type cleaner has an upright main body, a suction body integrally coupled to the lower part of the main body, a wheel that allows the main body to move along a floor surface, and a handle that a user grips.
On the other hand, the canister type cleaner includes a main body in which a blowing device and a dust collecting device are built, a suction body installed separately from the main body for sucking dust on a floor, and a connection pipe connecting the suction body and a handle. Therefore, a user grasps the handle of the canister type cleaner and performs cleaning while moving the suction body in a direction to clean.
When using the canister type cleaner, the user moves the cleaner by manipulating the handle to clean. However, the main body connected to the handle may have difficulty in moving the cleaner as it loses track direction or overturns due to collision with an obstacle following a movement path.


An ultrasonic transducer is provided comprising a transducer housing, a piezoelectric assembly, and a seating assembly. The transducer housing includes a front end, a rear end opposite the front end, and an ultrasonic window positioned at the front end. The piezoelectric assembly is positioned within the transducer housing and comprises a piezoelectric assembly substrate and a piezoelectric laminate formed over a front surface of the assembly substrate. The seating assembly is arranged to secure the piezoelectric assembly within the transducer housing such that at least a portion of the piezoelectric laminate is aligned with the ultrasonic window. The transducer housing, the assembly substrate, and the seating assembly are preferably constructed of high temperature and high pressure materials characterized by substantially equivalent coefficients of thermal expansion. The piezoelectric laminate may include a piezoelectric aluminum nitride layer and the assembly substrate may comprise a material selected from the group consisting of tungsten carbide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and graphite.

The present invention relates to ultrasonic transducers and, in particular, to an ultrasonic transducer suitable for operation in high temperature and/or high pressure environments. Additionally, the present invention relates to a high temperature/pressure ultrasonic transducer having a compact and relatively simple a design utilizing a minimum number of transducer components. Finally, the present invention relates to high temperature ultrasonic detection and processing systems incorporating an ultrasonic transducer according to the present invention.
Ultrasonic transducers transmit and receive ultrasonic signals. The amplitude, frequency, and phase of the transmitted and received signals, as well as the time delay between transmission and receipt of the signals, are utilized to evaluate objects through which the signals travel and objects from which the signals are reflected. Accordingly, ultrasonic transducers are utilized in a number of applications to gather valuable diagnostic information. Unfortunately, conventional ultrasonic transducers are poorly suited for operation in high temperature or high pressure environments. For example, the temperature within a hot isostatic processing vessel commonly exceeds 300.degree. C. and the pressure within the vessel commonly exceeds 34 MPa. Conventional ultrasonic transducers have limited utility in such environments because they cannot withstand heat and pressure of this magnitude.
Accordingly, there is a need for an ultrasonic transducer capable of accurate and precise operation within high pressure and high temperature materials processing and ultrasonic detection systems.

Ultrasonic transducer and ultrasonic detection and high temperature processing systems incorporating same


Method of producing a polyimide layer having improved adhesion to a metal layer thereon. A halogenated polyamic acid is sprayed, partially cured, degreased and oxidized to form a partially cured polyimide layer, which is then electrolessly plated with a primary metal layer and then final cured into the polyimide layer. Electrolessly or electrolytically applied secondary metal layers are then deposited on the primary layer, until the metal layer of a desired thickness is attained. The present invention further discloses articles such as an EMI shielded enclosure and an insulated mold surface, having metal layers as an EMI shield and an insulating surface, respectively.

One aspect of the present invention is directed to an insulation layer used in plastic molding applications. Recent improvements in the molding of plastic parts include providing a multilayer composite mold structure in which a thermally conductive core or a cavity, e.g., a metal core or cavity, is covered with an insulating layer, generally of a polymer, over which a hard skin metal layer is provided for improving the surface characteristics of a molded article made from such a mold structure. The purpose of the insulating layer is to slow the cooling of the thermoplastic material sufficiently so that heat from the plastic material remains within the polymer melt for a period of time sufficient to prevent formation of voids, die lines, folds and other surface defects created during the solidification of the plastic melt. Otherwise, the plastic material which comes in contact with the relatively cool surface of the mold core, quickly solidifies and the surface defects are frozen in place on the molded article surface. Such an insulating layer is sometimes also known as a thermally engineered multilayered insulated structure (TEMIS) mold surface.
The present invention recognizes a problem that exits in injection molding processes employing thermal insulation layers of the type discussed above. In particular, where a metal skin is employed over the insulation layer to improve the surface characteristics of a finished article, delamination may occur at the interface of the metal skin and the underlying insulation layer, especially near areas adjacent to the gate through which molten polymer is injected into the mold cavity. The present invention is directed to improving the adhesion of the metal skin to the underlying insulation layer.
Another aspect of the present invention is directed to metallized polymer substrates used in various industries. Ever since structural plastics have replaced metal in the enclosures used in electrical appliances, microwave ovens, business machines, and other electrical/electronic products, manufacturers have had to overcome problems caused by electromagnetic interference (EMI) in general and radio frequency interference (RFI) in particular. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), since 1983, requires that the electrical products not exceed certain specified EMI/RFI levels. The FCC requirements have been codified in the FCC regulation CRF 47 Part 15, Subsection J. The FCC requirements are met by reducing the EMI/RFI emission from the electrical/electronic products by providing a shielding. With the increased sensitivity of newer, higher-speed, and higher-frequency circuits plus a continued proliferation of electronic devices worldwide, EMI shielding problems are becoming more demanding. This has placed greater emphasis on high signal attenuation by the shielding medium.
The EMI shielded enclosures are also used to protect delicate electronic/electrical circuitry and components enclosed within the enclosure from damage by external sources such as static electricity or man-made high intensity EMI emissions.
Enclosures having metal cases, metal foil claddings, wire mesh screens, applied coatings, magnetic materials, and a variety of alternative approaches have been tried. However, because of their cost advantages and superior performance, plastic enclosures having metallized coatings have emerged as the dominant choice.
Several attempts have been made to increase the adhesion of a conductive metal layer to halogenated polyimide substrates. One of the prior art methods for improving adhesion involves grit blasting the surface to provide a roughened profile on which the subsequently-applied metals can be anchored. Other methods call for the use of chemical swelling agents or penetrants to swell the surface prior to the application of a metal layer.
While such methods do increase adhesion, they are often not entirely satisfactory for several reasons. Such techniques often result in physical degradation of the halogenated polyimide surface thereby decreasing the tensile as well the impact strength of the underlying halogenated polyimide substrate. The aforementioned physical degradation results from the swelling and cracking steps to which the entire substrate material is exposed. Additionally, such surface preparations can cause crack formation and propagation at highly stressed areas such as at sharp corners or edges of the enclosure being shielded.

Method of treating halogenated polyimide substrates for increasing adhesion of metal layer thereon


Provided are an additive to an electrode for a fuel cell that is a proton conductive compound having at least one phosphate group, an electrode for a fuel cell including the same, a method of manufacturing the electrode for a fuel cell, and a fuel cell using the electrode. The additive to an electrode for a fuel cell improves the durability of a fuel cell and reduces the amount of phosphoric acid discharged during operation of the fuel cell by fixing the phosphoric acid. Accordingly, a fuel cell having improved efficiency may be prepared using the additive because of improved proton conductivity and durability.

1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to an additive to electrodes for a fuel cell, an electrode for a fuel cell including the same, a method of manufacturing the electrode for a fuel cell, and a fuel cell using the electrode. More particularly, aspects of the present invention relate to an additive demonstrating improved phosphoric acid retention capacity, high temperature stability, and proton conductivity, as well as an electrode for a fuel cell including the additive, a method of manufacturing the electrode for a fuel cell, and a fuel cell using the electrode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Proton conductors that have excellent proton conductivity at a temperature in the range of 100-300° C. and are stable during long-term use in that temperature range are required in a fuel cell for power generation efficiency, system efficiency, and long-term durability of the components.
In a solid polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell that uses phosphoric acid as a proton conductor, a sufficient amount of phosphoric acid needs to be supplied as a proton conducting medium for the high proton conductivity needed to promote the electrochemical reactions occurring in the electrodes. For this purpose, an additional process of doping with phosphoric acid is needed.
The added phosphoric acid flows within the electrode or is transferred through the electrolyte during the operation of the fuel cell, and flows from the fuel cell along with the water that is generated.
However, the phosphoric acid forms polyphosphoric acid at a fuel cell operating temperature in the range of 150-300° C. At this high temperature range, the generated polyphosphoric acid lowers the chemical stability of the electrolyte membrane. Thus, gaseous reactants may permeate through the electrolyte membrane and the open circuit voltage of the fuel cell may be reduced. As a result, the efficiency of the fuel cell may decrease.
A method of preparing an electrode material using an amine as a polymer forming precursor is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006-0033226.

Additive of electrode for fuel cell, electrode for fuel cell including the same, manufacturing method thereof, and fuel cell using the same


An elongated resilient wedge and spool retaining structure longitudinally extends through generally aligned openings formed in a replaceable excavating tooth point, and an adapter nose portion received in a tapered socket within the tooth point, to captively hold the tooth point in place on the adapter nose. The retaining structure includes a tapered spool member having an enlarged side portion received in the tooth socket and blocking removal of the spool member, and a tapered wedge member driven into the tooth and adapter openings to a position in which longitudinally extending series of ratchet teeth on facing sides of the spool and wedge members are intermeshed and releasably lock the structure in place within the tooth and adapter assembly. A recess formed in a nontoothed side of the wedge member receives a locking member that forcibly bears against a surface portion of the adapter nose opening and is movable into the recess in a manner compressing a plurality of elastomeric members therein. The elastomeric members are maintained in compression and exert resilient reactive forces that simultaneously act to draw the adapter nose into the tooth socket and forcibly hold the spool and wedge member ratchet teeth in intermeshed engagement with one another. A removal tool may be driven into a longitudinal passage extending through the retaining structure, centrally through the intermeshed series of ratchet teeth, to laterally separate the wedge member from the spool member and thereby facilitate the removal of the installed wedge member.

The present invention relates generally to earth excavating equipment, and more particularly relates to apparatus for captively retaining a replaceable excavating tooth point on the nose portion of an adapter which, in turn, is secured to the forward lip of an excavating bucket or the like.
Socketed tooth points used in excavation operations are typically relaceably mounted on adapter nose portions of, for example, excavation buckets by inserting the nose portions into the tooth sockets and retaining each tooth on its associated adapter nose portion using a removable connector structure driven into generally aligned openings formed in the tooth and nose portion.
These connector structures typically come in two forms--(1) wedge and spool connectors and (2) flex pin connectors. A wedge and spool connector comprises a tapered spool portion which is initially placed in the aligned tooth and adapter nose openings, and a tapered wedge portion which is subsequently driven into the openings, against the spool portion, to jam the structure in place within the openings in a manner exerting high rigid retention forces on the interior opening surfaces and press the nose portion into a tight fitting engagement with the tooth socket.
Very high drive-in and knock-out forces are required to insert and later remove the steel wedge and typically require a two man effort to pound the wedge in and out--one man holding a removal tool against an end of the wedge, and the other man pounding on the removal tool with a sledge hammer. This creates a safety hazard due to the possibility of flying metal slivers and/or the second man hitting the first man instead of the removal tool with the sledge hammer. Additionally, wear between the tooth/adapter nose surface interface during excavation use of the tooth tends to loosen the tight fit of the wedge/spool structure within the tooth and adapter nose openings, thereby permitting the wedge/spool structure to fall out of the openings and thus permitting the tooth to fall off the adapter nose.
Flex pin structures typically comprise two elongated metal members held in a spaced apart, side-by-side orientation by an elastomeric material bonded therebetween. The flex pin structure is longitudinally driven into the tooth and adapter nose openings to cause the elastomeric material to be compressed and resiliently force the metal members against the nose and tooth opening surfaces to retain the connector structure in place within the openings and resiliently press the adapter nose portion into tight fitting engagement with the interior surface of the tooth socket.
Flex pins also have their disadvantages. For example, compared to wedge/spool structures they have a substantially lower in-place retention force. Additionally, reverse loading on the tooth creates a gap in the tooth and adapter nose openings through which dirt can enter the tooth pocket and undesirably accelerate wear at the tooth/adapter nose surface interface which correspondingly loosens the connector retention force.
It can be seen from the foregoing that it would be desirable to provide improved excavating tooth connector apparatus that eliminates or at least substantially reduces the above-mentioned problems, limitations and disadvantages associated with conventional excavating tooth connector apparatus. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide such improved connector apparatus.

Resilient, ratcheted wedge and spool retaining structure for an excavation tooth


A composite tension member. The composite tension member is assembled from a number of composite rods, each having two ends. A wedge plug is formed around the ends of the composite rods. The wedge plugs are inserted into termination fitting having a termination fitting body with an aperture at a proximal end for receipt of the bundle of composite rods and having an internal cavity that flares outwardly from a proximal end to a distal end to closely receive the wedge plug with the composite rods imbedded therein. A closeout nut is used to retain the wedge plug in the termination fitting body. The invention further provides method of manufacturing composite tension members.

A composite tension member and method for manufacturing same, and more particularly a composite tension member formed of a plurality of parallel composite fiber rods bundled together in an intermediate composite cable portion with the rods either splayed out into termination fittings by a cone and attached thereto with adhesives and by friction forces, or imbedded in a wedge or frustum plug, which wedge or plug is fitted into a termination fitting.
There are a variety of applications which require strong yet lightweight tension members, such as standing rigging members for sailboats, industrial structure bracing, lifting cables, mooring cables for offshore drilling platforms, and bridge tendons, to name a few.
Particularly in performance-sensitive areas such as competitive sailboat racing, the ability to provide high tensile strength, lightweight and small-profile tension members is particularly attractive since reducing the weight above the deck of a vessel and reducing the profile of the rigging will reduce windage, and therefore give the sailboat a competitive advantage. Presently, in the yachting world, rigging material such as stainless steel cable and stainless steel rod is widely used for holding the mast upward keeping the mast to the desired straightness or degree of bend. When stainless steel cable sailboat rigging is constructed, the individual strands of the cable can be attached to terminating fittings on the end of the cables, e.g., by mechanical clamping or swaging. Although stainless steel cable and stainless steel rod are relatively strong, they suffer from various drawbacks. First, stainless steel, while strong, is still relatively heavy. Also, stainless steel cable and rod are subject to stretching (either elastic or permanent deformation). Furthermore, there are often situations where the stainless steel cable or rod do not extend along completely straight runs, and must bend at certain points. These bends create localized areas of weakness. For example, in sailboat applications, certain stainless steel cables and rods pass are used as continuous upper shrouds, where they pass around mast spreaders, and are angled in these areas. In these cases, the cables and rods are weakened where they pass around the end of the spreaders, thereby compromising the strength of the continuous upper shrouds.
Other problems with stainless steel rigging are corrosion and work hardening. Until about twenty years ago, stainless steel wire rope for standing rigging was the norm. However, wire rope experiences "permanent stretch" which is caused by settling of the wires in the rope or strand as an initial load is applied. While some permanent stretch is removed during the wire rope manufacturing process, a tension member made of wire rope almost always needs to be re-tensioned after some use. Because of these problems, there was a shift to using stainless steel rod for sailboats and other performance-driven applications. The advantages of stainless steel rod are less stretch and higher strength than stainless steel wire rope. This is because rod has more cross sectional material for a given diameter and there is not the stretch effect of a twisted wire rope. However, when the shift was made to stainless steel rod rigging there were numerous failures. There were two primary reasons for rod rigging failures. First, dew and salt water would get down into the termination fitting and cause stress corrosion cracks. Second, there were work hardening fatigue failures. The fatigue failures resulted from the rod rigging not being flexible like wire rope at the terminations. Consequently, the rod was continuously bent back and forth where the termination at the mast became very rigid. Others have attempted to address this problem by providing flexible joints for the end of the rod rigging with some success. In contrast to stainless steel, carbon composite has a much improved fatigue life, and will not experience stress corrosion cracking.
Another problem with metals is that they begin to yield at a lower level before they ultimately fail. In contrast, carbon composites keep accepting load and perform as designed without yielding almost right up to their failure point.
Directional composite materials such as carbon fiber, glass fiber, Kevlar® fiber, Aramid fiber, or other fibers, combined with a polymer resin matrix, offer very high tensile strength with less weight than conventional metallic materials. The means to manufacture monolithic rod members from composite members of suitable size to handle the tensile load required, for example, of sailboat masts, has been in existence for some time. However, it is difficult to attach termination fittings to a large monolithic composite rod. Conventional methods of attaching termination fittings to steel riggings, such as swaging, will not work for composite materials because the swaging operation will crush the composite monolithic rod. Adhesive bonding for connecting monolithic composite rods to termination fittings at each end for a rigging member does not have sufficient tensile strength except for small rod sizes (e.g., 3 millimeters (⅛″) diameter or less) where the composite rod tensile strength does not exceed the strength of available adhesives. Moreover, in situations where the tension member will be locally bent, weaknesses are created. There accordingly remains a need for a solution to these problems.

Composite tensioning members and method for manufacturing same


An ice breaking pantograph is described, having a sliding element moveable between an operative position where it is engaged to an overhead train or tram power line and a non-operative position where it is separated from the overhead power line; at least one arm, having a first end which can be hinged to a train or tram vehicle and a second end connected to the sliding element; an active actuator on the arm to move it in order to move the sliding element between the operative position and the non-operative position; a vibrator operating on the sliding element and activatable in the operative position of the sliding element to remove ice and/or snow from the overhead power line.

As known, the removal of ice from overhead power lines may occur manually through an operator using telescopic rods to shake the wires of the overhead power line, thus facilitating the breakage of the deposit of ice and the dropping thereof.
Evidently, not only is this method of removing ice definitely difficult and uncomfortable to achieve but it also exposes the operator to difficult work conditions. In addition, such method is particularly slow and inefficient.
In order to overcome these drawbacks, railway companies or public transport companies, which have the duty to keep the railway or tram lines operative, use electromotive pantographs which, sliding on the cables of the overhead power line, remove the deposit of ice.
The disadvantage of this method lies in the fact that the removal of ice and snow is not entirely efficient. Furthermore, this method utilizes a resource that is not explicitly designated for the purpose and which is thus not used for driving railway or tram carriages as it should.
Another method used for keeping the overhead power lines operative during the harsh winter conditions consists in providing the overhead power line with a heated cable superimposed on the electrical contact to melt the ice.
It is clear that this solution is efficient for suitably equipped power lines only. In addition, the cost of installing lines of this kind is extremely high.


A flexible plate for securing a microchip surface to the surface of a cooling device. The flexible plate allows for z-directional movement between the microchip subassembly having a circuit board and a semiconductor substrate, and the cooling device. The flexible plate is a compact, single piece design that provides constraints in alignment in the x-, y-, and theta-directions, while allowing for z-direction compliance and tilt compliance. The flexible plate has tabs for mounting the microchip subassembly and tabs for mounting the cooling device. The microchip tabs are opposite one another and the cooling device mounting tabs are opposite one another. The flexible plate is a one-piece construction made from sheet metal, plastic, or metal castings. The flexible plate has a band with all the tabs mounted on the inside of the band, or one set of tabs mounted on the outside of the band.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the assembly of systems using semiconductor devices. Specifically, this invention relates to maintaining thermal efficiency between a microchip and a heat sink or cooling plate used to transport thermal energy away from the microchip. More specifically, the invention is directed to a flexible mounting plate that holds the microchip against a heat sink or cold plate while allowing the tandem to have z-direction movement without degrading the thermal bond between them.
2. Description of Related Art
In high performance computers, removal of heat from microchips is very important and critical to the proper operation of the microchips and ultimately to the successful operation of the system. Efficient heat removal is achieved by maintaining intimate thermal contact between a cooling plate or heat sink and a microchip during system assembly and throughout the product's lifecycle.
However, difficulties arise in maintaining constant contact between a heat sink or cooling plate and the microchips on a semiconductor substrate throughout the assembly process and the subsequent operation of the system during its lifetime. Importantly, the specifications for the cooling solutions require that thermal contact be maintained throughout the product life cycle, which may include ensuring contact under shock and vibration amplitudes on the order of 50 g. FIG. 1 illustrates a microchip/heat sink bond design of the prior art using spring mounting screws 32 for attaching a heat sink plate 34 to the printed circuit board 38, and pressing the pedestal 12 of the heat sink 30 against the microchip 36. The microchip is mounted on a semiconductor substrate 40 that is electrically attached to the printed circuit board 38 via solder balls 42.
A detriment of the prior art is that the mechanical structure of FIG. 1 creates a statically indeterminate situation where contact pressure between the microchip and a heat sink or cold plate becomes unknown, and is subject to excessive variability. Moreover, the design is prone to friction, stiction, and mechanical binding between screws 32 and clearance holes 35. The prior art design's variability is in all directions. Flexibility remains important to the mounting design, ensuring constant contact while under vibration and shock induced forces. The current prior art designs do not account or allow for this flexibility, and rely instead on a rigid configuration to ensure contact. In providing a rigid support, the prior art yields to separation forces that tend to move the microchip relative to the cooling device in x-, y-, and z-directions. Moreover, the current designs are prone to mounting screw binding due to the nature of the screws 32 and clearance holes 35. This binding or friction alters the interface pressure from optimum design criteria and creates a statically indeterminate mechanical design. The friction may also change over time and cause interface pressure changes.
Thus, for mechanical strength and reliability, the interface pressure between the microchip and the cooling plate or heat sink must be closely controlled. A typical required pressure is approximately in the range of 25 to 250 psi for a microchip mounted to a semiconductor substrate and the substrate mounted to a circuit board using solder balls. Thermal paste or grease 29 is used at the heat sink/microchip interface to maximize the heat flow. Once the heat sink, microchip, and thermal paste are forced together at 25 to 250 psi, the excess paste will extend outwards from the joining faces. In this position, the contacting surfaces should not be disturbed through rocking, twisting, sliding, or other separation forces. If the interface is disturbed, thermal performance is degraded, which may result in microchip overheating.
One solution has been to enlarge the holes 35 in the cooling plate or heat sink mounting plate 34 to eliminate potential binding and friction. Enlarged holes are preferred over straight bushings since they are less likely to cause binding when subjected to non-centered forces. They can also alleviate binding caused by slightly tilted posts. However, by doing this, the ability to accurately locate the heat sink 30 in the x-, y-, and theta-directions is compromised. Location accuracy in this plane is needed to prevent any sliding movement of the cooling device during thermal cycling, shock, and vibration environments.
Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus to secure a microchip to a cold plate or heat sink that will allow for component fitness variations and tilt, while ensuring intimate cold plate or heat sink contact to the microchip, and providing constraints in alignment in the x-, y-, and theta-directions.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for attaching a microchip to a cooling device that does not contribute to friction, stiction, or binding during operation.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.

Flexure plate for maintaining contact between a cooling plate/heat sink and a microchip

International Business Machines Corporation


A vibration mode control method for a thin plate-reinforcement structure utilizes a reinforcing effect of a weld bead, wherein the thin plate-reinforcement structure comprises two welded components at least one of which includes a thin plate portion. After a first (thin plate) component and a second (another) component are arc-welded discontinuously at several positions, a stress direction and level in one of the resulting weld areas located to be subject to stress concentration is preliminarily verified. Then, a stress-dispersing weld bead (f) is laid to extend between the weld area which is an area subject to stress concentration and the first (thin plate) component, wherein the stress-dispersing weld bead (f) is set to a direction and length capable of preventing fatigue crack from occurring in the first (thin plate) component.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin plate-reinforcement structure utilizing a stiffening or reinforcing effect of a weld bead, and a method of producing the thin plate-reinforcement structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, as illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B, there has been known a welded structure, for example, for a seat back of an automobile seat, in which right and left end faces 31a of a lower frame 31 are bridgingly arc-welded, respectively, to right and left planar portions 30a of a pipe frame 30, wherein a continuous weld bead 32 to be provided along an upwardly and downwardly extending edge of each of the end faces 31a of the lower frame 31 is formed to additionally extend onto a respective one of the planar portions 30a of the pipe frame 30 (see JP 62-259676A: hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1).
The reason for providing an extension portion 32a to the weld bead 32 is to give a reinforcing function equivalent to a boss or a rib to a welded connection area, thereby preventing deformation in the planar portion 30a and the lower frame 31, and fatigue crack which would otherwise be caused by the deformation.
The planar portions 30a of the pipe frame 30 in the Patent Document 1 are formed by flattening respective opposite lower ends of the pipe frame 30. The pipe frame 30 has been commonly prepared using a pipe having a wall thickness of about 1.5 mm. Thus, it can be said that the planar portion 30a is composed of two superimposed plates each having a thickness of about 1.5 mm. The lower frame 31 has also been commonly prepared using a plate having a thickness of about 1.5 mm.
As a seat back frame, such a plate having a thickness of about 1.5 mm belongs to the category of "thick plate".
Meanwhile, in late years, as applied to FIG. 10A, a back seat frame 30 has been employed which comprises a pipe frame provided in the upper range A, and a side frame provided in the lower range B, wherein the side frame is prepared as a press-formed product and welded to a lower end of the pipe frame.
With a view to facilitating a reduction in weight of the side frame, a press-formed product is employed which is prepared by superimposing two plates each having a thickness of about 0.5 mm, and reinforcing the superimposed plates by a concavoconvex rib configuration. Similarly, with a view to facilitating a reduction in weight of the lower frame 31, a press-formed product is employed which is prepared by reinforcing a plate having a thickness of about 0.5 mm, by a concavoconvex rib configuration.
As a seat back frame, such a plate having a thickness of about 0.5 mm belongs to the category of "thin plate". Further, as in an aftermentioned embodiment, there is a seat cushion in which a side frame of a cushion frame is formed using a "thick plate", and a cushion pan is formed using a "thin plate".
Thus, in the case where an extension portion 32a of a weld bead 32 is provided during welding between two thick plates as in the Patent Document 1, a direction and length of the extension portion of the weld bead 32 do not matter as much, as long as the extension portion can give a reinforcing function equivalent to a boss or a rib to a welded connection area. For this reason, the Patent Document 1 simply mentions that: the weld bead 32 is formed to additionally extend along an upwardly and downwardly extending edge of the end face 31a of the lower frame 31, as to the direction of the extension portion 32a of the weld bead 32; and the weld bead may additionally extend only by a small length (about 15 mm), as to the length of the extension portion 32a.

Thin plate-reinforcement structure utilizing reinforcing effect of weld bead and method of producing the same


A flexible hub assembly for mounting of a carousal wheel is provided which maintains close contact between an annular array of spheres composing the loop mechanism of a continuous loop mouse or position control device, the flexible hub permitting the carousal wheel to move outwardly and the flexible hub pressing the carousal wheel inwardly in response to variations in size and shape of the spheres and in response to the presence of contamination on the spheres.

This invention relates to improvements in a continuous loop mouse of the general type described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,442,377, 5,479,190 and 5,493,314 and which patents are incorporated herein by reference thereto. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved support cage or track and an indexing wheel with, and without x-axis movement detection, which reduce frictional forces to enable ease of loop movement and increased loop movement detection sensitivity.
The typical devices currently used for computer screen cursor or pointing control consist of mouse-type and trackball-type and joystick-type control devices. The mouse-type and trackball-type devices utilize an individual sphere which is supported on bearings to permit rotation of the sphere in any direction. The motion detection components are biased against the sphere to permit detection of sphere movement. The sphere movement is converted into X-axis and Y-axis components which are then utilized to reposition a pointing device or cursor on a computer screen or other graphical user interface device. Devices in which the sphere is enclosed in a housing so that the sphere travels in contact with a surface while the housing manipulated by a user are denominated as mouse-type devices. Devices in which the housing supports the sphere for direct manipulation by a user are generally referred to as trackball-type devices.
A third type of device has become prominent with laptop computers which consists of a "joystick" projecting from the center of the keyboard. The joystick is mobile about a central pivot axis. The joystick movement is converted into X-axis and Y-axis components which are then communicated to a pointing device or cursor on a computer screen or other graphical user interface to reposition the pointing device.
The problems associated with the first two devices--the mouse and the trackball--have been discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,442,377, 5,479,190 and 5,493,314. The problems associated with the joystick-type device are mainly related to the short range of motion, or short throw, presented by the small joystick which projects from the keyboard. The user must develop an ability to make very fine manipulations of the joystick or the user will constantly over-shoot the desired location when repositioning the pointer or the computer screen. The advantage of the joystick device is that the user does not have to lift the hands from the keyboard as with the mouse or the trackball.
The embodiments described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,442,377, 5,479,190 and 5,493,314 provide a useful alternative to the above devices and have the advantage of being located on the keyboard so the user does not have to lift the hands from the keyboard. In addition, these devices are superior to the joystick as a greater range of movement is available to the user so the problems associated with the joystick devices are not present.
However, in one embodiment of the type of inventions shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,442,377, 5,479,190 and 5,493,314 --the annular array of multiple spheres embodiments--the movement of the spheres by the user requires that the spheres be pressed around two curves in order to provide the continuous loop aspect of the device. While operating as intended, the pushing of the spheres through the two curved portions of the housing results in frictional drag against the track sides and the side to side close contact between the spheres reduces the rolling ability of the spheres. These two attributes increase the amount of lateral force required from the user in order to manipulate the spheres into new positions.
Therefore, it will be appreciated that the need is present for an improvement to the annular array of multiple spheres which reduces this frictional inhibition to sphere movement at the curved sections of the housing and reduces the amount of lateral force which a user must provide in order to push the spheres through the two curved portions of the track. In addition the need is present to reduce the frictional resistance and reduce the needed user-provided lateral force in order to increase control of sphere movement and thereby increase sensitivity of the detection apparatus for the repositioning of a cursor laterally or in the direction of the X-axis.


A motor vehicle has a control device that is designed to change over an operating state of an extravehicular computer system for office applications between an active state, in which the computer system executes at least one piece of office application software, and a passive state, in which the computer system is deactivated.

The invention relates to a motor vehicle having a control device that can be used to control an extravehicular computer system. The invention also includes a method for assisting a driver in accomplishing office work in the motor vehicle.
In this regard, the related art, for example DE 10 2008 019 288 A1, discloses the practice of an operator controlling a mobile telephone by a control unit of a motor vehicle by virtue of an operator control and display structure of the mobile telephone—which structure displays telephone numbers stored in the mobile telephone, for example—being adopted on a touchscreen of the motor vehicle, i.e. a touch-sensitive screen. This allows a driver of the motor vehicle to select a telephone number on the touchscreen, which is arranged centrally in the central console, during the journey and to use the hands-free installation of the motor vehicle to make a call.
According to the related art today, however, a driver has no way of working on a computer during the journey and thus of using his travelling time productively. With the establishment of autonomous vehicles that drive the vehicle independently, for example in stop-and-go traffic or during a queue, it is conceivable for the driver also to wish to use time in the vehicle as work time in future. If a driver is in a queue today, he is compelled to place an office computer, for example a laptop or a tablet PC, on his lap in front of the steering wheel or on the passenger seat. If the queue breaks up and the driver then needs to immediately return his attention to the traffic, he leaves the work computer unattended. If the vehicle then suddenly needs to be slowed down, this can lead to the work computer being damaged because it slides unsecured in the vehicle during braking.

Motor vehicle with a control device for an extravehicular computer system