A process for continuously controlling the transfer of torque within a differential where a target delta (xcex94T) value is determined as a function of a first differential output shaft speed (xcfx89a) and a second differential output shaft speed (xcfx89b) and then normalized according to the vehicle speed when the vehicle is being driven under a no wheel slip condition. A normalized actual delta (xcex94A) is also determined as a function of the first output shaft speed (xcfx89a) and the second output shaft speed (xcfx89b), a comparison is made between xcex94T and xcex94A and torque is transferred between the first and second output shafts of the differential according to a logic control methodology such as proportional, integral, and/or derivative (PID) control methodologies if the comparison result of xcex94A to xcex94T is outside of a tolerance range established around xcex94T.

The present invention relates generally to a method of controlling a differential, and more specifically, to a method of automatically controlling the transfer of torque within a motor vehicle differential by monitoring the speeds of differential output shafts and comparing those speeds to a normalized target value and subsequently using specific combinations of proportional, integral and derivative (PID) control logic to transfer torque to the necessary output shaft of the differential.
Four-wheel-drive systems for the automotive, pickup truck and sport utility vehicle markets utilize a variety of mechanical, electrical and electronic systems to engage and control the driving wheels when a four-wheel-drive system activates and applies torque to a desired wheel. The amount or quantity of torque that an equipped four-wheel-drive system is capable of supplying and the time within which the system is capable of supplying or transferring torque depends upon the design of a particular four-wheel-drive system and its method of control.
Several major categories of four-wheel-drive systems are employed in vehicles. One such system consists of a permanent or full-time four-wheel-drive system. This system has no two-wheel-drive mode. Vehicles with permanent four-wheel-drive typically have a locking center differential which may split torque to the front and rear drive shafts. Electronics may or may not be employed to lock the differential to transfer torque to the front or rear driveshaft and ultimately the front or rear axle. Driving with the center differential locked makes steering more difficult or strenuous because the vehicle will tend to travel directly forward, and resist turning, especially on dry or compacted surfaces. When the center differential is open (not locked), it does not make any torque adjustments between the front and rear driveshafts.
Another type of four-wheel-drive system is on-demand four-wheel-drive. The major difference between permanent four-wheel-drive and on-demand four-wheel drive is the lack of a center differential on an on-demand system. In on-demand systems, either the front or rear axle receives all of the torque for everyday driving. Torque is transferred to the non-slipping axle when necessary, if the vehicle is so equipped. However, in most on-demand systems there is generally no way to turn off the four-wheel-drive, and likewise, the driver does not have to activate the system.
Part-time four-wheel-drive is yet another type of, four-wheel-drive system. This type of system provides torque to all four wheels upon engagement of the system by the driver. A vehicle equipped with part-time four-wheel-drive generally has an axle that receives all of the torque when the system is disengaged. A transfer case is employed to provide simultaneous torque to the front and rear axles when the system is engaged, including the normally non-driven axle, typically the front axle in many vehicles. However, there is no center differential to regulate torque between the front and rear driveshafts. Upon engagement, the front and rear axles are generally synchronized and rotate at the same speed, which improves straight line traction but makes turning the vehicle more difficult than if the speeds of the front and rear driveshafts could be altered. Because of this design, there is no way for the two axles to rotate at different speeds, in a cornering situation, for instance. Therefore, vehicle operation on loose or forgiving surfaces is necessary to permit wheel slip which helps to prevent damage to driveline components which could occur if the system is engaged and operated on dry pavement. If the vehicle is driven on dry pavement with the four-wheel-drive system activated, vehicle occupants will likely feel an awkward, vibrating rumble as a corner is turned, or even when straight line driving is attempted due to wheel speed mismatch. This vibration is caused by binding within the driveline system and may indicate impending driveline damage.
Drawbacks of the part-time four-wheel-drive system are the omission of a center differential thereby committing the front and rear axles to a matched speed and provokes the possibility of damage when the system is operated on dry pavement. Additional drawbacks of this type of system are that vehicle operators may be required to stop the vehicle to engage or disengage the system and to make the initial decision of whether road conditions warrant engaging the four-wheel-drive system. Varying road conditions may present a particular problem to drivers when deciding to engage and disengage a system. Requiring the driver to make this decision is yet another drawback of the part-time four-wheel-drive system.
Ultimately, there are automatic four-wheel-drive systems. These systems automatically determine when four-wheel-drive is necessary and transfer, as requirements necessitate, torque to the wheel(s) with the most traction, or rather, to the wheels with the least amount of wheel slip. This system requires a limited slip center differential or similar type of viscous coupling or multi-plate clutch, in a transfer case, a front and rear driveshaft, and a limited slip differential in each axle. The benefit of an automatic four-wheel-drive system is that it senses its own traction needs as the vehicle travels over any terrain, and then continuously adjusts for wheel slippage or lack of traction. This permits the driver to concentrate on driving instead of having to concern himself or herself with shifting the vehicle into or out of four-wheel-drive. However, a drawback of the automatic four-wheel-drive system is that a driver""s efforts may be hampered in severe off-road conditions. That is, because the system constantly monitors wheel slip according to the terrain, a driver may find the torque adjustment from one wheel or axle to another to be abrupt and unsettling while the vehicle negotiates such terrain. This may be especially true if the four-wheel-drive system senses a need for a torque adjustment and then lags in invoking that adjustment, causing an abrupt and unsettling shift in torque, regardless of the degree of that unsettling shift. As the speed of the torque adjustment upon wheel slip increases, the abruptness of the shift will decrease.
The above four-wheel-drive systems are all capable of providing four-wheel-drive capability in some capacity, whether it be full-time, on-demand, part-time or automatic. The automatic four-wheel-drive systems base the engagement of the system upon a change in a measurable variable. However, what all current four-wheel-drive systems lack is a method of controlling wheel slip through the utilization of a measurable variable that takes into consideration the output shaft speeds of a differential but that is also normalized with respect to vehicle speed.
What is needed then is a method of controlling the torque through a differential that does not suffer from the above four-wheel-drive system limitations. Furthermore, what is needed then is an automatic four-wheel-drive system that utilizes a method of controlling wheel slip through the invocation of a calculated target differential ratio that considers the difference between the output shaft speeds of a differential but that also normalizes the difference with respect to vehicle speed and which then continually bases torque requirements on the comparison of the actual differential ratio to the normalized target differential ratio.
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, an automatic four-wheel-drive system is disclosed which utilizes automatic differential control logic. The invention provides a logic based system that will compare the actual difference (xcex94A) between a given differential""s output shaft speeds to an acceptable range about a target difference (xcex94T) between the differential output shaft speeds and determine, for a given differential, whether a torque bias is needed in order to decrease or prevent wheel slip from occurring.
In one preferred embodiment, the automatic differential control logic utilizes a method of logic-based control. Multiple methods of, logic based control may be adapted to the system, however, three primary methods of logic-based control are exemplified for this invention; proportional, integral, and derivative (PID) control methods. Each method of control utilizes a delta target (xcex94T) value and a delta actual (xcex94A) value. Both, xcex94T and xcex94A values are calculated using the speeds of the given output shafts, (xcfx89a and xcfx89b, for a given differential.
The equation to arrive at a xcex94T value for a given differential is:
xcex94T=(xcfx89axe2x88x92xcfx89b)/(xcfx89a+xcfx89b)
where:
xcex94T=target value for a given differential
xcfx89a=speed of a first differential output shaft
xcfx89b=speed of a second differential output shaft
The equation to arrive at a xcex94A value for a given differential is:
xcex94A=(xcfx89axe2x88x92xcfx89b)/(xcfx89a+xcfx89b)
where:
xcex94A =actual value for a given differential
xcfx891=speed of a first differential output shaft
xcfx89b=speed of a second differential output shaft
The xcex94T value is measured on a vehicle operating under a condition of no wheel slip. Therefore, for a vehicle traveling in a straight line on a hard or compacted surface with adequate traction, the measured xcex94T value will theoretically be zero and be constant. However, due to constant,:but minimal variations in steering wheel angle, disproportionate tire tread wear, disproportionate tire pressure, actual tire size, and minor variations in the road surface, the xcex94T value may actually not be zero. The non-zero xcex94T value becomes the xcex94T value for the given road surface and vehicle operating under a no-slip condition. To account for any real-world variations, an acceptable tolerance range exists around the xcex94T value. For instance, if the xcex94T is 10, and the acceptable tolerance is +/xe2x88x920.5, then a value of 10.3 falls within the tolerance range and no torque adjustment results. In other words, a value of 10.3 is considered to be a no-slip wheel situation and no torque control or adjustment results.
The xcex94A value is arrived at by the same equation but is measured during every logic loop during actual, real world, vehicle operation. The xcex94A value is then compared to the xcex94Tvalue. The absolute value of the difference between the xcex94T and the xcex94Avalue is known as the control value (CV) which a logic controller uses for torque correction and adjustment. The goal being to adjust the xcex94A value to that of the xcex94T by the amount of the CV to achieve the optimum condition of no wheel slip.
The proportional method of control utilizes the term:
(xcex94Axe2x88x92xcex94T)
and provides for a basic correction proportional to the calculated difference. Once again, a tolerance range must be provided around the xcex94T to provide for normal variation about the mean.
The integral method of control utilizes the term:       ∑          i      =      1        n          xe2x80x83                (                        Δ          A                -                  Δ          T                    )        i
and makes corrections based on the accumulated error over time. This provides for an accelerated response in the event that the error is not responding to repeated proportional control logic corrections.
The final method of control logic is the derivative method of control which utilizes the term:
(xcex94Axe2x88x92xcex94T)i+1xe2x88x92(xcex94Axe2x88x92xcex94T)i
and makes corrections based on the rate of change of the error. This provides for aggressive correction when the error is increasing as opposed to when the error is decreasing or maintained at a constant level.
The present invention provides for the utilization of a logic control method such as the proportional, integral and derivative methods of logic control either individually or in particular combinations as the four-wheel-drive system operates in automatic mode. However, the vehicle operator has the ability to disengage the system from automatic mode and place the system in an xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d or a xe2x80x9clockxe2x80x9d mode. The xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d mode is utilized when the operator desires to permanently disengage the differential control system such as when a smaller diameter spare tire is installed on the vehicle. In this example, the system is prevented from continuously attempting to adjust for the smaller diameter tire. If not disabled, the system will continually attempt to adjust for the smaller tire because of different output shaft speeds, xcfx89a and xcfx89b respectively, across a differential, which normally indicate wheel slip. Alternatively, the four-wheel-drive system offers a xe2x80x9clockxe2x80x9d mode to prevent any differentiation which provides maximum traction for off-road use.
To control the output shafts of each differential, regardless of the control logic methodology, clutch packs engage and disengage. The engagement and disengagement is accomplished using a hydraulic system(s) or electric motor(s) acting on the clutch packs within each differential. Since actuation speed of the four-wheel-drive system assists the driver in maintaining control over a given terrain, the selected method, hydraulic or electric, is an important consideration when selecting the PID or other logic combinations or method of control of the system.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limited the scope of the invention.


A golf club (10) comprises a shaft (12), a grip area (14) at an upper portion of the shaft (12), and a head (16) attached to the bottom end of the shaft (12). The shaft (12) has a chamber (18) with a percussion surface (20) positioned at an upper end thereof and a stop (22) defining a lower end thereof. Percussion impact objects (24,26) are movably contained within the chamber (18). At the end of backswing, the percussion impact objects (24,26) strike the percussion surface (20) to provide an audio signal to a golfer that he/she has paused sufficiently and can begin the downswing.

This invention relates generally as indicated to a golf club and, more particularly, to a golf club which provides an indication to a golfer to begin his/her downswing.
A proper swing is essential to mastery of the game of golf. Without a proper swing, it is impossible to drive the golf ball with consistent accuracy and the desired force, both of which are essential to the realization of a satisfying golf game. Of particular relevance to the present invention is the pause at the top of the backswing which is crucial to insure a controlled downswing. While many golf swing instructional devices have been developed to help a golfer improve his/her swing, these devices do not address the appropriate pause that is required to perfect a swing, they require expensive and complicated equipment, and/or they can only be used in practice settings.
The present invention provides a golf club which incorporates an indicating device for signaling a golfer that he/she should begin the downswing. The signal can be audio and the indicating device can comprise ball bearings and a washer positioned within the shaft of the golf club whereby it does not require expensive or complicated equipment. Furthermore, the golf club according to the present invention can be used in practice settings and also during actual games to improve a golfer""s swing.
More particularly, the present invention provides a golf club comprising a shaft having a chamber with a percussion surface positioned at an upper end thereof and at least one percussion impact object movably positioned within the chamber which strikes the percussion surface to provide a signal to a golfer that an appropriate pause has been taken at a top of his/her backswing. The percussion impact object(s) can comprise a ball member (e.g., a ball bearing) and the percussion surface can comprise a washer fixedly mounted at the upper end of the chamber. A further ball member (e.g., a ball bearing) having a diameter greater than the diameter of the chamber can be used as a stop defining a lower end of the chamber. Preferably, the chamber occupies an upper portion of the shaft within the grip area (e.g., the upper 25% of the shaft).
These and other features of the invention are fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following descriptive annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these embodiments being indicative of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.


Telecommunications terminal having a memory device to store user-specific data, having a transmission device whose input is connected to a memory device, where the memory device and the transmission device are designed to store at least one string of digits and to transmit it while a connection exists, and an authentication device to protect the user-specific data against unauthorized access are provided.

For modern telecommunications terminals (or terminal configurations which include supplementary components), various options are known for inputting and storing user-specific data and also for transmitting such data to another subscriber.
These include, by way of example, telephone answering machines, separate or else integrated into a conventional landline telephone, and in which user-specific information is stored in a semiconductor memory or on tape by means of voice input and is transmitted to the calling subscriber in the event of a call not being taken.
The call number memories in modern landline telephones or mobile telephones (also referred to here as a "telephone book") can also be regarded as memories for user-specific data which are supplied by means of an input from the user and can be accessed by suitable selection means in order to either output a stored call number on a display unit or to set up a connection to this call number directly (or both).
A configuration is also produced by the internal storage device, provided to implement the SMS (Short Message Service) or e-mail in mobile telephones, for buffer-storing a short message and for sending it to a desired recipient after input has ended.
Although a multiplicity of different storage options for user-specific data are known for modern telecommunications terminals, and in this context it is also known practice to supply such data directly from the respective memory device to a transmission device for transmission to another subscriber, certain instances of application involve complex and also, in terms of reliability and data transmission and the security of the transmitted data against unauthorized access, unsatisfactory actions.
Thus, in recent years, it has become commonplace to be able to handle a multiplicity of diverse services. For example, to handle the delivery of certain goods, booking a flight, booking a trip or else a financial transaction—via a telecommunications network, with the orderer or purchaser merely giving the number and the validity period of a credit card or customer card or the like to the vendor or supplier by telephone. For this purpose, before the telephone call, or even during it, the user needs to get out the appropriate card or to retrieve the data possibly from an organizer or a database in which he has stored them temporarily, so that he can then inform the subscriber on the other terminal of them by speaking. In loud situations, this type of communication is anything but reliable, which means that misunderstandings with severe consequences may arise. Furthermore, in many instances of application in which the communication is not completely screened from third parties, it is entirely possible for the relevant string of digits to be overheard when submitted audibly and for the credit card number thus to fall into the wrong hands.
Finally, this way of handling credit or customer card numbers is associated with a degree of "fiddling", which is extremely disagreeable to the user, and in some situations—for example during a car journey—it is not possible at all in practice.


A plurality of output drive devices are capable of tolerating an overvoltage produced by an electrical connection with an external device operating in a high-voltage supply realm. The drive devices are capable of sustaining a continuous electrical connection to the elevated voltage levels and produce communications at an output voltage level equal to the supply voltage indigenous to the device. A high-voltage tolerant driver includes a plurality of output drive devices capable of tolerating an overvoltage, sustaining an electrical connection to an elevated voltage level, and producing an output voltage at an indigenous supply level. An initial pullup drive circuit is coupled to the plurality of output drive devices and produces an initial elevated drive voltage to the plurality of output drive devices. A sustain pullup circuit is coupled to the plurality of output drive devices and produces a sustained output voltage at the indigenous supply level.

In electronic systems, subsystem building blocks are frequently implemented in separate integrated circuit devices. To communicate with one another, the building blocks have I/O pads interconnected with one another. In the evolution of integrated circuit fabrication processes, the operating voltages have progressively diminished. In interconnecting subsystem building blocks, integrated circuit devices operating at different supply voltages will be connected by their I/O pads. Across the interconnects of the various integrated circuit devices various combinations of voltages will interact as high logic level signals are communicated.
Generally there is no problem for a device with a lower supply voltage driving a device operating from a higher supply voltage. Additionally, there is typically no problem with the higher supply voltage level being applied to a tristated pulldown only device in the lower supply voltage realm. A problem arises in a CMOS integrated circuit technology when a tristated PMOS pullup device in a low supply voltage realm is driven to a high logic level by a device in a high supply voltage realm.
With reference to FIG. 1, a 3 volt (V) realm 103 connects to a 5 V realm 105 in a schematic diagram of a prior art interconnect network 100 with mixed supply voltages. A 3 V output pullup device 112 connects between a 3 V supply 113, a 3 V input 111, and a 3 V I/O pad 133. A source-substrate diode 116 and a drain-substrate diode 117 connect in parallel from the source and drain respectively of the 3 V output pullup device 112 to a 3 V pullup substrate node 119. A source-substrate connection 118 connects between the 3 V pullup substrate node 119 and the 3 V supply 113. A 3 V output pulldown device 114 connects between the 3 V input 111, the 3 V output pullup device 112, the 3 V I/O pad 133, and ground.
A 3 V input pullup device 122 connects between a 3 V output 121, the 3 V supply 113, and the 3 V I/O pad 133. A 3 V input pulldown device 124 connects between the 3 volt output 121, the 3 V input pullup device 122, the 3 V I/O pad 133, and ground.
A 5 V output pullup device 132 connects between a 5 V supply 115, a 5 V input 131, and a 5 V I/O pad 135. A 5 V output pulldown device 134 connects between the 5 V input 131, the 5 V output pullup device 132, the 5 V I/O pad 135, and ground.
A 5 V input pullup device 142 connects between a 5 V output 141, the 5 V supply 115, and the 5 V I/O pad 135. A 5 V input pulldown device 144 connects between the 5 V output 141, the 5 V input pullup device 142, the 5 V I/O pad 135, and ground.
The output of the 3 V output pullup device 112, when tristated, presents a p-n diode connection, in the form of the drain-substrate diode 117, from an output drain diffusion to substrate. Even though the 3 V output pullup device 112, is a tristated PMOS FET, the high logic level from the 5 V realm 105 will conduct through the diode and cause high current and possibly latchup conditions that may damage the 3 V realm 103 device.
In an effort to solve problems with high input bias levels applied to input diffusions and substrates, previous port drivers have incorporated complex networks for switching substrate biasing to protective voltage levels. What is needed is a port driver operating in a low-voltage realm that is tolerant of high voltages applied from external system devices without a burden of incorporating complex networking for switching the biasing of the substrate. Additionally, such a low-voltage realm port driver ideally drives a high logic level output to the full supply level of the indigenous voltage realm.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A high-resolution electron energy analyzer is disclosed. In one embodiment, the electron energy analyzer includes an electrostatic lens configured to generate an energy-analyzing field region, decelerate electrons of an electron beam generated by an electron source, and direct the decelerated electrons of the electron beam to the energy-analyzing field region. In another embodiment, the electron energy analyzer includes an electron detector configured to receive one or more electrons passed through the energy-analyzing field region. In another embodiment, the electron detector is further configured to generate one or more signals based on the one or more received electrons.

Energy spread of an electron beam is an important characteristic in the field of electron beam apparatuses, as chromatic aberration heavily influences both the on-axis focusing spot size, and the off-axis deflecting spot size. As such, the energy spread poses a bottleneck in improving the resolution of electron beam apparatuses. In particular, developing advanced electron sources with narrowed electron energy spreads (e.g., approximately 0.2 eV to approximately 0.3 eV) with cold field emission (CFE) and carbon nanotube (CNT) electron sources is of critical importance in improving the optical performance of currently available electron sources.
In order to characterize, define, and improve electron sources, it is first necessary to develop high-resolution electron energy analyzers. In order to precisely measure the electron source energy spread down to the order of 0.2˜0.3 eV, the energy resolution of an electron analyzer should be on the order of 0.02˜0.03 eV, or approximately ten percent of the electron source energy spread.
Currently available electron energy analyzers utilize sub-micron sized slits in order to achieve energy resolutions in the order of tens of milli-electron volts (meVs). However, manufacturing and optically aligning sub-micron slits is a very difficult and tedious process. Furthermore, in order to improve electron energy analyzers using slits, the size of the slits would have to be further reduced, thereby further complicating the manufacture and alignment of the electron energy analyzers.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system and method that cure one or more of the shortfalls of the previous approaches identified above.

High resolution electron energy analyzer


An apparatus and method for hybrid machining a workpiece is disclosed. The apparatus includes a mandrel for supporting the workpiece adjacent a cutter mounted on an arbor. A workpiece is powered as an anode and the cutter is powered as a cathode, and a cutting fluid or coolant is circulated therebetween. The cutter is made of a conductive material and a non-conductive abrasive material to maximize the amount of material removed from the workpiece. The coolant includes one or more additives to enhance the electrical discharge between the cutter and the workpiece. The cutter is moved relative to the workpiece to remove material from the workpiece at a predetermined depth of cut using an enhanced high-speed electro-erosion (HSEE) process in which both HSEE and abrasive machining processes are used. The workpiece may then be finish machined to a final shape of the titanium article, such as a dovetail of a turbine blade.

The invention relates generally to machining of an advanced material, and in particular to hybrid machining a titanium article, such as an airfoil of a gas turbine engine.
Today's manufacturing industry is facing challenges from advanced difficult-to-machine materials (tough super alloys, ceramics, and composites), stringent design requirements (high precision, complex shapes, and high surface quality), machine, and machining costs.
Advanced materials play an increasingly important role in modern manufacturing industries, especially, in aircraft, automobile, tool, die and mold making industries. The greatly-improved thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties of the material (such as improved strength, heat resistance, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance), while having yielded enormous economic benefits to manufacturing industries through improved product performance and product design, are making traditional machining processes unable to machine them or unable to machine them economically. This is because traditional machining is most often based on removing material using tools harder than the workpieces.
In addition to the advanced materials, stringent design requirements also pose major problems in manufacturing industry. More and more complex shapes (such as an aerofoil section of a turbine blade, complex cavities in dies and molds, non-circular, small, and curved holes), low rigidity structure, and micromechanical components with tight tolerances and fine surface quality are often needed. Traditional machining is often ineffective in machining these parts. To meet these challenges, new processes have been developed.
Electrical discharge machining (or EDM) is a machining method primarily used for hard metals or those that would be impossible to machine with traditional techniques. One critical limitation, however, is that EDM only works with materials that are electrically conductive. EDM can cut small or odd-shaped angles, intricate contours or cavities in extremely hard steel and exotic metals such as titanium, hastelloy, kovar, inconel and carbide.
Sometimes referred to as spark machining or spark eroding, EDM is a nontraditional method of removing material by a series of rapidly recurring electric arcing discharges between an electrode (the cutting tool) and the work piece, in the presence of an energetic electric field (applied potential). The EDM cutting tool is guided along the desired path very close to the workpiece, but it does not touch the workpiece. Consecutive sparks produce a series of micro-craters on the work piece and remove material along the cutting path by melting and vaporization. The particles are washed away by the continuously flushing dielectric fluid.
Electro Chemical Machining (or ECM) is a method of working extremely hard materials or materials that are difficult to machine cleanly using conventional methods. It is limited, however, to electrically conductive materials. ECM can cut small or odd-shaped angles, intricate contours or cavities in extremely hard steel and exotic metals such as titanium, hastelloy, kovar and inconel.
ECM is similar in concept to EDM in that a high current is passed between an electrode and the part and through an electrolyte. While the applied potential in EDM ranges from 20 to 200V, the applied potential in ECM is lower and ranges from a few mV to about 30V. The ECM cutting tool is guided along the desired path very close to the work but it does not touch the workpiece. Unlike EDM however, no sparks are created. The workpiece is corroded away by the electro-chemical reaction occurring at the surface of the workpiece. Very high metal removal rates are possible with ECM, along with no thermal or mechanical stresses being transferred to the part, and mirror surface finishes are possible. The ECM process is most widely used to produce complicated shapes with good surface finish in difficult to machine materials, such as turbine blades. It is also widely used as a deburring process.
Electro Chemical Grinding (or ECG) is a combination of electrochemical (Anodic) dissolution of a material, according to Faraday's Law, and light abrasive action. The metal is decomposed to some degree by the DC current flow between the conductive grinding wheel (Cathode) and the work piece (Anode) in the presence of an electrolyte solution.
Electrochemical oxidation and reduction occurs on the surface of electrodes when an electric current is passed between the electrodes through an electrolyte fluid. An electrochemical potential between the electrodes causes current to flow from the anode to the cathode in the DC circuit. In ECG, the anode is the workpiece, and the cathode is the conductive grinding wheel. A continuous stream of electrolyte flows at the interface of the grinding wheel and work piece and conducts the current in the circuit. The electrolyte fluid is often a conductive aqueous solution consisting of a mixture of chemical salts and other additives. At the positive electrode, or anode, oxidation of the work piece dissolves the surface, and in many cases resulting in the formation of an oxide film. The film is electrically insulating, and acts as a barrier against the electrochemical cutting action of the process.
The abrasives in the rotating grinding wheel continually remove this film and expose a fresh surface for oxidation. Metal deposition on the grinding wheel (cathode) is avoided by proper choice of electrolyte. Dissolution of the metal, combined with the mechanical removal of the oxides, results in an efficient low-stress cut.
Electro Chemical Discharge Machining (or ECDM) using DC or pulse voltage and Electro Chemical Arc Machining (ECAM) using constant or pulse voltage are the combined methods of machining involving ECM and EDM. A combination of ECM with EDM in one process, ECDM in an electrolyte solution has shown to contain the benefits of both processes, provided that the parameters of the combined process are properly selected.
In a high-speed electro-erosion (HSEE) process, controlled instantaneous short circuits between the electrodes are utilized for high speed metal erosion and improved tolerance control. Due to the effect of electrical erosions on the machining surface, a large number of craters are formed on the surface. These surface irregularities are subject to the crater size and density control. It has been shown that the process yields rates of material removal using the HSEE process can be as much as five to fifty times greater than ECM and EDM, respectively.
However, some advanced difficult-to-machine materials, such as titanium and titanium alloys, and stringent design requirements still pose major problems in the manufacturing industry. Titanium remains difficult to machine by HSEE due to lower thermal conductivity and inconsistent molten chip ejection during cutting as compared to machining other alloys, such as nickel-based alloys and the like. To meet these challenges, innovative techniques or modifications of the existing methods is needed.

Apparatus and method for hybrid machining a workpiece


A wireless communication device including a communication controller, a transmitter, an antenna and a receiver is provided. The wireless communication device further includes a current detector detecting a current consumption value of a power supply generator, a non-volatile memory pre-storing multiple current thresholds corresponding to multiple operating states, and an abnormal oscillation detector detecting abnormal oscillation by comparing the current consumption value acquired from the current detector and a current threshold corresponding to a present operating state of the wireless communication device out of the current threshold stored in the non-volatile memory.

In recent years, a wireless communication device mounted in, for example, a vehicle is configured such that a transmitter and a receiver for signal processing in a wireless frequency band are integrated into one body in order to achieve a size reduction. When a transmitter and a receiver are integrated into one body, the transmitter and the receiver may be electrically coupled in a high frequency component and may oscillate abnormally. Moreover, because amplifiers with high amplification factors are used in the transmitter and the receiver for the sake of power amplification, a signal on an output side of the transmitter or receiver may reach an input side and oscillate abnormally. A proposed method of detecting this kind of abnormal oscillation includes determining abnormal oscillation based on a preset threshold and an input level of a radio wave, which is from the exterior and received by an antenna (refer to PTL 1).


A process is proposed that captures, separates, and enriches carbon dioxide for sequestration after removal from water in equilibrium with air. The proposed process recognizes that carbon dioxide is more soluble in water than other atmospheric gases in air resulting in the proportion of carbon dioxide adsorbed in water from the atmosphere (relative to the other atmospheric gases) being higher than the proportion of carbon dioxide naturally occurring in air. To capitalize on this “convenient truth,” the proposed process aerates (dissolves) in water carbon dioxide gas with other atmospheric gases originating from air in an aerator (aeration) according to Henry's gas law of solubility and then deaerates (strips) these dissolved atmospheric gases from the water in a deaerator (deaeration). The process of aeration and deaeration of these atmospheric gases is repeated multiple times in series until the separated and enriched carbon dioxide gas concentration purity is sufficient for sequestration.

The following is a tabulation of prior art that presently appears relevant:
U.S. Patents:NoneU.S. Patent Application Publications:CountryPublicationKindPublicationApplicant orCodeNumberCodeDatePatenteeUS2012/0111189A12012 May 10Norsk Institutt for LuftforskningUS2015/0075375A12015 Mar. 19Savannah River NuclearSolutions, LLCForeign Patent Documents:CountryPublicationKindPublicationApplicant orCodeNumberCodeDatePatenteeCA2753468A12010 Sep. 16Patent Identical to US2012/0111189A1CN102481520A2012 May 30Patent Identical to US2012/0111189A1EP2405990A12012 Jan. 18Patent Identical to US2012/0111189A1EP2405990A42013 Jan. 9Patent Identical to US2012/0111189A1WO2010/104402A12010 Sep. 16Patent Identical to US2012/0111189A1WO2015/0390662015 Mar. 19Patent Identical to US2015/0075375A1Nonpatent Literature Documents:NonePrior Art U.S. Patents Referenced and Discussed in the Specification of the Application:CountryPublication KindPublicationCodeNumberCodeDateApplicantPatenteeUS7,655,069B2Feb. 2, 2010Allen B. WrightGlobal ResearchKlaus S. LacknerTechnologies, LlcEddy J. PetersUS7,708,806B2May 4, 2010Allen B. WrightGlobal ResearchKlaus S. LacknerTechnologies, Llc.Ursula GinsterUS7,833,328B2Nov. 16, 2010Klaus LacknerThe Trustees ofAllen WrightColumbia Universityin the City of New York,Kilimanjaro Energy, Inc.US8,088,197B2Jan. 3, 2012Allen WrightKilimanjaroKlaus Lackner, et al.Energy, Inc.US8,133,305B2Mar. 13, 2012Klaus LacknerKilimanjaroAllen WrightEnergy, Inc.US8,702,847B2Apr. 22, 2014Klaus S. LacknerFrank S. ZemanUS8,119,091B2Feb. 21, 2012David KeithCarbon EngineeringMaryam MahmoudkhaniLimited PartnershipUS8,871,008B2Oct. 28, 2014Matthew HendersonCarbon EngineeringDavid Keith, et al.Limited PartnershipUS8,894,747B2Nov. 25, 2014Peter EisenbergerGraciela ChichilniskyPrior Art U.S. Patents Referenced by Examiner:CountryPublication KindPublicationCodeNumberCodeDateApplicantPatenteeTitle: Removal of H2S and CO2 from a Hydrocarbon Fluid StreamUS6,881,389B2Apr. 19, 2005Dwight C. PaulsenEdg, Inc.US20040057886 A1Mar. 25, 2004Leon G. BarnettWayne C. PageTitle: Systems and Methods for the Separation of Carbon Dioxide and WaterUS8,500,868B2Aug. 6, 2013Alan Adams II ThomasMassachusettsUS20100279181A1Nov. 4, 2010Paul Inigo Barton Institute of TechnologyWO2010126617A1Nov. 4, 2010
The following is an overview of the background of the Patent Application. Methods of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as a means of reducing global warming is presented based on information from websites on the internet or from reports found on the internet.

Process or separating and enriching carbon dioxide from atmospheric gases in air or from atmospheric gases dissolved in natural water in equilibrium with air


N-4-(cyanoethylthiomethyl)-2-thiazolyl!guanidine--a key intermediate for preparing the pharmaceutical, famotidine--is produced by mixing in a liquid medium formed from a chemically indifferent organic solvent and water, and under an inert atmosphere, (i) a 2-guanidino-4-halomethylthiazole or a hydrohalide complex thereof, (ii) an S-(2-cyanoethyl)isothiourea or a hydrohalide complex thereof, and (iii) a strong alkali metal base. In lieu of (ii), an alkali metal salt of 2-cyanoethyl-1-thiol can be used, and in such case use of (iii) is optional, but preferable.

Famotidine is a well-known histamine H2-receptor antagonist and gastric acid secretion inhibitor. A key intermediate for the preparation of this compound is N-4-(cyanoethylthiomethyl)-2-thiazolyl!guanidine (also known as N-4-(2-cyanoethyl)thio!-methyl!-2-thiazoyl!guanidine).
To prepare this intermediate U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,562,261 and 4,609,737 describe a route based on N-4-(chloromethyl)-4,5-dihydro-4-hydroxy-2-thiazolyl!guanidine hydrochloride as the starting material. The synthesis involves preparing this starting material by portionwise addition of (aminoiminomethyl)thiourea to dichloroacetone in acetone at temperatures of about -5.degree. to -7.degree. C. and stirring the resultant mixture for 5 days at below 0.degree. C. The resultant N-4-(chloromethyl)-4,5-dihydro-4-hydroxy-2-thiazolyl!guanidine hydrochloride is isolated, purified and converted to N-4-(2-aminoiminomethyl)thio!-methyl!-2-thiazoyl!guanidine) dihydrochloride by reaction with thiourea. Without isolating this intermediate, the reaction mixture is cooled below 10.degree. C. and to the solution are added .beta.-chloropropionitrile and isopropyl alcohol, followed by dropwise addition of aqueous NaOH whereby crystals of N-4-(cyanoethylthiomethyl)-2-thiazolyl!guanidine are formed.


A method for purifying an amino acid from an initial mixture is disclosed, in which the amino acid includes an aromatic ring and has an acidity constant Ka, the method including:                a first step of putting the initial mixture into contact with a strong cation resin, at a pH greater than or equal to pKa; and        a second elution step with an aqueous solution of eluent having a pH greater than the pH of the first step, giving the possibility of collecting a flow enriched in the amino acid.

Aromatic amino acids may be produced by fermentation, by enzymation or via a synthetic route. Tryptophan, phenylalanine and histidine (for infants) are part of the family of essential amino acids: as such, they are used as nutritional supplements. The amino acid must be produced via a fermentative, synthetic or enzymatic route contains impurities, among which sugars and residual substrates, minerals, pigments. These impurities have to be removed in order to attain the degree of purity required for its commercial use.
Various purification methods have been developed for purifying aromatic amino acids. They are based on the following main technologies: crystallization, liquid/liquid extraction and binding onto a resin.
Purification by crystallization is applied via an aqueous or solvent route. Pretreatment steps before crystallization are sometimes provided, so as to increase the purity of the crystals. This may be a purification step on active coal (documents CN 101245047 and CN 102146052); a membrane filtration step on a stainless steel filter (document CN 101376646); an ultrafiltration step (document CN 101691349); or a combination of several successive filtrations for removing several families of impurities, for example a microfiltration/ultrafiltration/nanofiltration sequence (document CN 01812009). Solvents are sometimes added during crystallization in order to attain better degrees of purity, such as acetic acid (documents JP 2097801 and EP 1 756 055), or an aliphatic alcohol (document EP 0 274 728). The use of these solvents causes an increase in the production costs and the costs for treating or recycling mother-liquors.
A second purification route consists of proceeding with liquid/liquid extraction of the amino acid. Thus, a purification of tryptophan was proposed, using surfactants for forming a reverse micellar phase (document CN 102382030), or using toluene (document EP 0 299 715). These techniques are never sufficient as such for attaining high degrees of purity. Pre- and post-treatment steps are necessary. Further, the application of substantial volumes of solvents is economically not very interesting for treating industrial volumes of amino acids at a scale of several kilotons/year/unit.
Finally, a third route proposes a treatment on a polymeric resin. In documents CN 101812488, CN 101948420 and US 2013/0079527, the purification is based on capturing and binding the amino acid on an adsorbent (therefore neutral) resin, and then on elution with ethanol (in the first two documents) or with a salt (in the third document).
Document FR 2 581 654 describes the adsorption of tryptophan on a weakly cross-linked strong cationic polystyrene resin. The target compound is precipitated, and then dissolved in an acid solution, notably a solution of sulfuric or hydrochloric acid having a pH from 1 to 2. The acid solution is then put into contact with a cation exchange resin, which is rinsed with water followed subsequently by elution with a base. This "batch" type method is the route currently in use today for an application to industry.
Document FR 1 502 814 describes the adsorption of tryptophan on a strong cation resin or on a strong anion resin. In both cases, the selected resin has a low cross-linking rate. In the case of strong cation resin, the pH of the mixture containing the tryptophan is adjusted to 2 before it is put into contact with the resin. Elution is carried out in two phases: first elution with a neutral saline solution for removing polluting amino acids, and then elution with a basic solution for desorbing tryptophan. This is a method requiring two distinct eluents and substantial amounts of regenerating agents.
The drawback of the above-described treatments on resins is the need for a significant consumption of concentrated chemical regenerating agent (usually 2 to 10% by mass) for eluting the amino acid after binding. An amount of effluents equivalent to that of the regenerating agent is also generated.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,653 describes the batchwise separation on a single column of at least one aromatic amino acid from other non-aromatic amino acids on a strong cation resin of the gel type initially converted into a saline form with an alkaline metal. The solution containing the amino acid preferably has a pH from 2 to 12. The amino acid is adsorbed when the solution is passed over the resin, and then it is desorbed with water without any acid or base or organic solvent.
A drawback of this method is that the elution mode does not allow control of the ionic form of the resin. Indeed, the cation species present in the solution to be treated may be exchanged with the alkaline metal, without any eluent being able to maintain the initial ionic form. The separation performances between the amino acids may be affected by these untimely ion exchange mechanisms: therefore, the yields and purities of the produced amino acids risk decreasing or varying in an uncontrolled way over time.
The majority of these treatments on a resin is based on an application of the "batch" type, i.e. discontinuous application. The resins are installed in a column, and the successive eluents (must containing the amino acid; rinse waters; regenerated solutions—saline, basic, acid or alcoholic solutions) are successively percolated through the column.
However the aforementioned document US 2013/0079527 describes a semi-continuous separation on an adsorbent resin of the XAD7 type, in a chromatographic system with a Simulated Moving Bed (SMB) including three separation zones. The system is eluted with water or with salt. This method has the drawback of operating on an adsorbent resin, therefore a more expensive resin than ion exchange resins. Adsorbent resins also tend to be rapidly fouled. Their use requires a cleaning procedure with alcohol, with base and with acid for removing the impurities responsible for the fouling, which increases the operating constraints in terms of costs and installed equipment. Thus, there is a need for developing an improved method for purifying an aromatic amino acid, notably allowing separation between the target amino acid and impurities such as salts, sugars, colors, with a minimum consumption of chemicals.

Method for purifying aromatic amino acids


An authentication method for establishing a connection between devices that want to communicate data in a communication environment using communication specification such as Bluetooth is provided. In the authentication method, it is determined whether the authentication procedure for establishing a connection between devices that want to communicate data is performed as a unilateral authentication procedure or as a mutual authentication procedure, according to the condition of one of the two devices that can communicate data and receives an authentication request, and performing the authentication procedure. Therefore, the authentication method more reliably and precisely establishes a connection between devices that want to communicate data in a communication environment operating based on communication specifications such as Bluetooth.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an authentication method for establishing a connection between devices that can communicate data, and more particularly, to an authentication method for establishing a connection between devices that want to communicate data in a telecommunications environment using communication specifications such as Bluetooth. The present application is based on Korean Patent Application No. 52658/1999, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bluetooth is a local wireless data communication specification which enables high speed data communications between various electronic devices, using radio frequency (RF) without physical cables. Since Bluetooth adopts Continuous Variable Slope Delta Modulation (CVSD), Bluetooth can send voice as well as character data without limits in space.
For data communications between devices operating in a telecommunications environment using such communication specifications as Bluetooth, a connection must be established between devices before communicating data. The process for establishing a connection can be broadly divided into synchronizing radio frequency, establishing a link, and establishing a channel. However, since the specification for such communication specifications as Bluetooth has not been perfectly stipulated yet, research for preparing specifications corresponding to diverse parts, including the connection procedure, are proceeding from various angles.

Authentication method for establishing connection between devices


A radio-frequency identification (RFID) and an electronic article surveillance (EAS) tag includes an RFID device and an EAS device. The RFID device may operate in a plurality of states including an activated state in which communication with a reader is enabled and a deactivated state in which communication with a reader is disabled. The EAS device may operate in a plurality of states including an activated state in which activation of an alarm is enabled and a deactivated state in which activation of an alarm is disable. The RFID device may be deactivated when the EAS device is deactivated. For example, the same piece of equipment that deactivates the EAS device also deactivates the RFID device at the same time. The RFID device may include an antenna, an RFID chip connected to the antenna for communicating with a reader, and an active element operatively disposed with respect to the antenna. The active element, which may include a conductive strip or lead, may have an activated state in which the antenna is enabled for communicating with a reader in a far field and a deactivated state in which the antenna is disabled from communicating with a reader in a far field. In addition, the EAS device may include a magnetic resonator and a bias magnet. When activated, the bias magnet may cause or affect the resonator to resonate and the active element to be in the activated state. Further, when deactivated, the bias magnet may cause the active element to be in the deactivated state.

The present invention relates to radio-frequency identification (RFID) systems, including RFID tags, readers, and activators. The invention also relates to electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems, including EAS tags, alarms, activators, and deactivators. The invention also relates to RFID and EAS apparatus and methodology that enables the RFID functionality of a tag to be deactivated at substantially the same time that the EAS functionality is deactivated and with the same device that deactivates the EAS functionality.
Automatic identification is the broad term applying to a host of technologies that are used to help machines identify objects. Automatic identification is often coupled with automatic data capture. Accordingly, companies that want to identify items are able to capture information about the items and to load the information into a computer with minimal human labor.
One type of automatic identification technology is radio-frequency identification (RFID). RFID is a generic term for technologies that use radio waves to automatically identify objects such as tagged products. There are several conventional methods of identifying objects using RFID, the most common of which is to store a serial number (and other information if desired) that identifies the object on a microchip that is attached to an antenna. The chip and the antenna, together with any supporting substrate, herein are called an RFID device or an RFID tag. The antenna enables the chip to transmit the identification information to a reader. The reader converts the radio waves from the RFID device into a form that can then be utilized by a computer.
As the name implies, .electronic article surveillance (EAS) is concerned with the embedding or attaching of a disposable security label or tag to a retail item to deter shoplifting. Conventional EAS devices or tags include a resonator that, when activated, causes an alarm to sound when the EAS tag is brought within operative proximity of detection apparatus (which is typically located at the exit of a store). However, if the EAS device is active, a similar signal will also be produced each time that a customer either properly removes purchased goods from the store or enters another store with similar detection apparatus. Generally, EAS tags are inexpensive and disposable items that are not removed from merchandise during check out (which is generally true for RFID tags as well). For these reasons, a variety of different techniques have been developed to deactivate EAS tags, typically by a clerk during check out using deactivation apparatus that needs no physical contact with the tag.
Various types of EAS devices and deactivation systems make use of specially configured tags or labels in connection with an apparatus for positively deactivating such tags or labels. A first example is the EAS tag described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,076 to Lichtblau. The Lichtblau tag is provided with a resonant circuit having a capacitor portion with an indentation that permits the resonant circuit to be deactivated according to methodology as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,938 to Kaltner, for example. The Lichtblau EAS tag is readily deactivated at the point of sale by subjecting the tag or label to a relatively high-powered signal which, because of the mechanical indentation, is sufficient to cause a short circuit within the tag or label for deactivation.
Another type of EAS tag, sometimes called a magnetomechanical EAS tag, uses the technology disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,007 to Elder. Magnetomechanical tags include an active element and a bias element. When magnetized, the bias element applies a bias magnetic field to the active element which causes the active element to be mechanically resonant at a predetermined frequency upon exposure to an interrogation signal which alternates at the predetermined frequency. This tag requires a relatively high magnetic field level for activation and deactivation. Activation and deactivation is accomplished by exciting a coil wound around a magnetic core.
One of the concerns consumers have with RFID tags is privacy. More specifically, consumers may believe that their spending habits and mobility can be tracked by means of still-active RFID tags attached to their purchases. Accordingly, to increase consumer confidence in RFID technology, manufacturers are challenged to improve RFID tags so that the tags are no longer activated by far-field RF signals once tagged products are purchased or used by consumers.
Accordingly, RFID devices and EAS devices serve different purposes when it comes to retail items. As used in the present patent application, the terms "EAS device" and "RFID device" may refer to devices that are embodied in separate tags or to devices that are combined in the same tag. By and large, each of the systems utilizes different apparatus and methodology for activation and deactivation. Therefore, retailers may need to purchase and install separate systems for implementing and deactivating RFID and EAS functionality in their stores, which can be burdensome and expensive.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for RFID and EAS technology that allows the RFID functionality of tag to be disabled easily and inexpensively. The present invention satisfies this need.


A rotatable lock pin that inhibits forced entry into a container through a closure by securing the lock pin to the container. A lock pin has a pin cylinder with a curvature of rotation that engages with a rotation facilitator. The path of the curvature of rotation and the engagement of the rotation facilitator therewith causes the lock pin to rotate in a pre-determined fashion, so that structures on the lock pin can engage or attach to some part of the container to secure the position of the lock pin and hold the closure door in place. Lock pins of the subject invention utilized with safes can inhibit forced entry through the door by side punching or prying of the door.

Residential security containers are increasingly popular in use, particularly the larger styles often referred to as "gun safes" or "home safes." One of the most common styles of home safe is an upright, rectangular, free-standing structure, with a front opening door. These home safes usually have a safe body with a door frame defining an opening that leads to an interior space and a door attached to the safe body by hinges that swings into the opening in the door frame.
Most types of safes, including commercial safes and larger home safes, have a hand wheel or lever on the exterior side of the door that is attached through an opening in the door to a locking system on the interior side of the door. The locking system is usually attached to and controls the movement of carriages, which have a series of cylindrical lock pins attached thereto, positioned along the interior sides and sometimes the top and bottom of the door. Larger or commercial grade safes may have heavier carriages, more lock pins, or both; but, the principle of operation is often the same. There is a multitude of locking systems utilized with safes that include and are operated with a hand wheel or lever to move the carriages and the lock pins attached thereto. They typically operate by a lever system controlled with the hand wheel that is turned in one direction to move the carriage towards the edge of the door so that the lock pins are extended through pin holes in sides of the door panel frame. Thus, they can abut or otherwise engage with the door frame in the safe body to lock the door in place. If the hand wheel is turned in the opposite direction, the carriage is moved away from the door panel frame, retracting the lock pins through the pin holes, so they cannot abut the door frame, allowing the door to be opened.
Home safes that utilize this system can provide sufficient security for most situations. But, it has been shown that persistent effort with simple tools can effectively bend the door, bolt carriage, and/or the locking bolts so they no longer abut or contact the door frame, allowing access to the safe interior. This is often referred to as a "pry attack." There have been numerous advances and changes to the locking mechanisms employed with these types of devices and to the configuration and position of the carriages and lock pins relative to the door frame. However, there have been no real changes or improvements to the actual lock pins or methods by which lock pins can engage with the door frame or safe body to secure the door to the housing.

Lock pin and bolt construction for securing doors and other closures


An electronically variable analog delay line including at least one segment with an electronically variable inductance. The at least one segment includes a signal path, a ground return path, and a plurality of switches configured to vary the inductance of the segment.

Differential input probes are commonly used to acquire a nominally differential signal, such as on a high-speed serial data bus, from a device under test (DUT) using a single test and measurement instrument channel. TriMode™ probes have the additional capability of acquiring the common-mode signal, or either side of the differential pair signal as a single-ended signal.
An ideal differential signal includes two complementary signals sent on two separate wires. Any skew, or difference in delay, between the two sides of wiring in a DUT to the test and measurement instrument and/or within the test and measurement instrument itself causes mode conversion of the differential signal. Mode conversion is when a portion of the differential signal appears as the common-mode signal, or vice versa. Mode conversion due to skew grows progressively worse at higher frequencies. For instance, just one picosecond (ps) of skew at 25 GHz will lead to over 15% of the common-mode voltage appearing as a differential signal.
One approach to minimizing errors due to the skew-related mode conversion is discussed in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 14/745,757, titled TRI-MODE PROBE WITH AUTOMATIC SKEW ADJUSTMENT, filed Jun. 22, 2015, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The electronically variable delays in U.S. application Ser. No. 14/745,757 may be broad-band, DC-coupled, electronically adjustable analog delay lines implemented as lumped-element transmission lines using fixed inductors and varactors (voltage-variable capacitors). However, such type of electronically adjustable analog delay line causes the characteristic impedance to vary along with the delay, thus requiring the ratio of maximum-to-minimum delay to be no bigger than the allowed ratio of impedances to maintain satisfactory termination. This limited ratio generally leads to a nominal delay much longer than the needed delay range, which in turn leads to higher insertion loss than desired. Also, the varactors will respond to the signal voltage as well as the adjustable bias voltage, causing some signal non-linearity.
Another known approach is to build a segmented delay line with microelectromechanical systems (MEMs) switches configured to switch in or out different segment lengths to implement a stepped delay control. This approach avoids the change in characteristic impedance with delay, but requires a specialized manufacturing process and may suffer significant insertion loss due to contact resistance of the MEMs switches.
Yet another approach is the use of switched active delay elements (e.g., unity gain amplifiers that impart a relatively known delay to the signal). This approach is compatible with standard integrated chip (IC) processes, but degrades signal-to-noise ratio due to noise generation in the active stages, and may require more operational power than other approaches.
Embodiments of the disclosed technology address these and other limitations in the prior art.

Electronically variable analog delay line


A socket for an electrical part includes a socket body formed with an accommodation portion in which an electrical part having spherical terminals is accommodated and contact pins arranged to the socket body to be contacted to and separated from the terminals such as solder balls, respectively, and a movable member for elastically deforming the contact pins in a horizontal direction. Each of the contact pins has one elastic piece in form of plate having conductivity and elasticity so as to be elastically deformable along a plate surface direction by the movement of the movable member. The contact pin has a contact portion in form of plate formed at an upper portion of the elastic piece, and the contact portion has a side edge portion which is contacted to or separated from a side surface of the spherical terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a socket for an electrical part accommodating an electrical part such as semiconductor device (which may be called hereinlater "IC package").
2. Related Art
A conventional example of such a socket for an electrical part is, for example, disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. HEI 8-88063 as an IC socket. This IC socket has a socket body to which a number of contact pins are arranged, and contact portions of these contact pins contact side surfaces of solder balls as spherical terminals of an IC package.
The contact pins are formed from a sheet of plate by punching and then bending the plate so that the contact pin has, at its upper end portion, a contacting surface having wide area so as to abut against the side surface of the solder ball when assembled.
The contact pins of the structure mentioned above are divided into two or three groups, in which the contact pins in the respective groups are formed with elastic contact pieces, by which opposing forces are caused to thereby prevent the terminals from being offset in every direction including lateral and transverse directions and hence to suitably ensure mutual contacting positions of the contact pins between the respective terminals.
However, in such conventional structure of the contact pins, since the contact pins are formed by punching out the plate and then bending the punched out plate member, these workings involve many working steps, and in addition, in the bending working, it is obliged to select a material for the plate member that can endure the bending working, which limits the materials to be selected. For example, as such material, beryllium copper is generally utilized, but this material has a fear of being deteriorated in elasticity because of influence of heat.
Moreover, since the contact pin is displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the contact surface having a predetermined width, it is necessary to ensure a large movable area in the socket. In addition, the contact surface of the contact pin is contacted in a surface-to-surface fashion to the spherical terminal to thereby establish electrical connection, and then, there is a fear of making worse the electrical conductivity in a case where the surface of the spherical terminal is coarse.


A vane assembly for a gas turbine engine includes a first platform, a second platform, and an airfoil that extends radially across an annulus between the first platform and the second platform. The airfoil is centered relative to a centerline axis of the second platform and is offset relative to a centerline axis of the first platform.

This disclosure relates to a gas turbine engine, and more particularly to a vane assembly for a gas turbine engine.
Gas turbine engines, such as those which power modern commercial and military aircraft, typically include a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section. During operation, air is pressurized in the compressor section and is mixed with fuel and burned in the combustor section to generate hot combustion gases. The hot combustion gases are communicated through the turbine section which extracts energy from the hot combustion gases to power the compressor section and other gas turbine engine loads.
The compressor section and the turbine section of the gas turbine engine typically include alternating rows of rotating blades and stationary vanes. The rotating blades create or extract energy from the airflow that is communicated through the gas turbine engine, and the stationary vanes direct the airflow to a downstream row of blades. The plurality of vanes of each stage are annularly disposed and can be mechanically attached to form a full ring vane assembly. The vane assembly can include both stationary vanes and variable vanes.


Power supplies, supplied with an input voltage to produce output voltages, are controlled in a desired sequence, and their output voltages are monitored, by respective state machines of two or more control units which are coupled in cascade by a bidirectional signal path on which commands and acknowledgements are coupled serially in frames. Within each control unit, each state machine communicates with all of the other state machines, so that the power supplies controlled by a single control unit can include divergent and convergent as well as linear sequence paths. The sequence is linear between adjacent control units, with logical combinations of received and locally-produced commands and acknowledgements. An input state machine in the first control unit in the cascade monitors the input voltage to initiate a power-up sequence.

The related applications describe and claim a power supply controller, and coupling of signals in such a controller, which can be used for controlling a plurality of isolating power supplies, such as switch mode power supplies or DC power converters and voltage regulators, for providing controlled electrical power to loads. For example, the power supplies may provide different supply voltages to various electrical circuits on a circuit card on which the power supply controller is also provided.
In such a power supply controller, separate IC (integrated circuit) control units can be provided on the primary and secondary sides of a transformer that serves to maintain an electrical isolation barrier between input and output sides of the isolating power supplies. The transformer conveniently provides for signal coupling in both directions between the primary and secondary control units, and also for power transfer from its primary to its secondary side to supply operating power to the secondary control unit and any related circuits (for example, a non-volatile memory) of the power supply controller on the secondary side of the transformer.
In embodiments of the inventions described in the related applications, the power supply controller and the signal coupling within it are arranged for controlling up to six power supplies. To this end, each of the primary and secondary control units has six converter state machines (CSMs), one for each of up to six controlled power supplies, as well as an input state machine (ISM) relating to an input or supply voltage.
Regardless of the particular number of, in this case six, controlled power supplies for which a power supply controller is designed, situations can arise in which it is desired to control a larger number of power supplies. It is therefore desirable to be able to provide a plurality of power supply controllers, hereinafter referred to as power supply controller units or PSCUs, for controlling larger numbers of power supplies.
However, a significant aspect of such control relates to sequencing of the controlled power supplies, for power-up and/or shut-down of the controlled power supplies in particular sequences and in accordance with monitored conditions relating to the controlled power supplies. To this end, it is desirable for all of the CSMs in different PSCUs to be informed of relevant conditions (including, for example, fault situations) of each other state machine. For a number of n state machines, this implies a network of n(n−1) signal paths among the state machines, and quickly becomes impractical with increasing n, i.e. an increasing number of controlled power supplies. Furthermore, such a network of signal paths is inconsistent with providing a small, integrated package form of the PSCU as described in the related applications.
Accordingly, there is a need to facilitate signal coupling among a plurality of units, such as PSCUs as described above, in a manner that can convey needed information without requiring an extensive network of signal paths.

Controlling devices using cascaded control units


A split-pad land pattern configured to facilitate electrical testing of an interconnection between a single electrical contact of a surface mount technology component and a printed circuit board. The split-pad land pattern comprises at least one split mounting pad including at least a first and second mounting pads coupled to a single electrical contact. The mounting pads are further coupled to corresponding access pads so that a first access pad is coupled to the first mounting pad while a second access pad is coupled to the second mounting pad. Electrical testing of the single electrical contact is possible through the completed circuit between the two access pads.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of printed circuit boards. More particularly, the present invention relates to a land pattern architecture used to facilitate more accurate electrical testing of a printed circuit board after its assembly and a corresponding separate electrical contact testing method.
2. Description of Art Related to the Invention
For many years, electronic systems have been designed to include one or more printed circuit board ("PCB"). Each PCB includes a (i) substrate board, being a number of insulation and metal layers selectively patterned to provide metal interconnect lines (referred to herein as "traces"), and (ii) a plurality of components mounted on a surface of the substrate board and interconnected through the traces.
Currently, there are two primary techniques of attaching components to the PCB; namely, through-hole mount technology ("THMT") and surface mount technology ("SMT"). Unlike THMT components in which its leads are inserted into plated holes in the substrate board and soldered in place, SMT components have terminations or leads (generally referred to as "electrical contacts") that are soldered directly to the surface of the substrate board. The driving force behind the use of SMT components involves their reduced package size and assembly simplicity.
The SMT components are attached to the substrate board in accordance to land patterns. A "land pattern" includes a plurality of metalized mounting pads placed on the surface of a substrate board in order to establish electrical connections between a SMT component and at least one trace connected to the mounting pads. The selected orientation of these mounting pads is such that one mounting pad is dedicated to one electrical contact of the SMT component. More specifically, each electrical contact of the SMT component is coupled to a unique mounting pad through a solder joint which is typically formed when the PCB undergoes reflow soldering to attach the SMT components.
After assembly of the PCB, it is necessary to test each solder joint in order to verify that all of the SMT components are properly attached and have proper electrical connections to the PCB. In other words, testing is performed to check for both solder open defects and solder short defects. A "solder open" defect is a condition where there is too little or no solder at an intended solder joint to form a proper connection. A "solder short" defect is a condition where two adjacent electrical contacts, which are not intended to be connected, are connected due to excess application of solder.
Several verification techniques are now being used to determine whether a PCB is defect free. These verification techniques include (i) visual inspection and (ii) electrical testing, both of which may be performed separately or in combination. For visual inspection, a person inspects each side of the PCB with the unaided eye or magnification. For SMT components, defects (especially solder open defects) are difficult to visually detect because most of the solder joint is obstructed from view.
For electrical tests, there are two well-known types of tests; namely, Automated Test Equipment ("ATE") testing and Functional testing. For ATE testing, the PCB is mounted on a test fixture having a number of spring probes. These spring probes establish simultaneous contact with various access pads of the PCB. An "access pad" is an electrical connector to a one or more mounting pads. The access pad is normally located on one or both surfaces of the PCB. By applying a set amount of current into a selected spring probe in contact with a first access pad and measuring current at a second access pad, the solder joints that are disposed on the mounting pads connected to the first and second access pads can be checked for solder open defects and solder close defects. Of course, a completed circuit must be formed between the first access pad and the second access pad in order to perform such measurements. The combination of the land pattern with circuitry used for electrical testing (e.g., is referred to herein as "land pattern circuit".
For Functional tests, the PCB is not connected to specialized test equipment such as ATE test equipment. Rather, it is connected and operated in a similar fashion to how the PCB will be used in an intended electronic system. For example, a PCB acting as a motherboard could be functionally tested by connecting a power supply, a keyboard, a mouse, a monitor, a hard disk drive and a floppy drive. Upon being powered on, the components and solder joints of the PCB are tested during use. The problem is that it is difficult to write a test program that will test every single joint on the PCB during a brief test period. More likely, there would be many potential solder open defects that will go undetected.
It is evident that there are certain components that are more difficult to test for solder open defects than others. For example, electrically isolated SMT components, such as SMT connective components (e.g., sockets, headers), are particularly difficult to test for solder open defects as illustrated in FIGS. 1-2. SMT socket 100 includes a receptacle area 105 providing access to a number of electrical contacts 110.sub.l -110.sub.n ("n" being a positive whole number, n>1) attached to a PCB 120 through surface mount technology. Each electrical contact 110.sub.11 -110.sub.n is coupled to PCB 120 through solder joints 111.sub.1 -111.sub.n between electrical contacts 110.sub.1 -110.sub.n and mounting pads 112.sub.1 -112.sub.n. The mounting pads 112.sub.1 -112.sub.n have a one-to-one correspondence with electrical contacts 110.sub.1 -110.sub.n. Each electrical contact of the SMT socket 100 is electrically isolated from the other electrical contacts so that each solder joints 111.sub.1, . . . , and 111.sub.n cannot be tested separately. Thus, without a SMT component inserted into the receptacle area 105 of the SMT socket 100, a circuit for measuring current propagation is not completed, precluding current propagation as indicated by arrows in FIG. 2.
Currently, there is no conventional technique for electrically testing an empty SMT socket 100 of FIG. 1 because each electrical contact is electrically isolated from every other electrical contact. Therefore, to test the SMT socket 100, a SMT component 180 must be placed within the receptacle area 105 as shown in FIG. 2. Such placement of the SMT component 180 establishes a completed circuit between a pair of electrical contacts. As shown by arrows, the current propagation path originates at a first spring probe 130 and propagates through a first access pad 140, a trace 150, a first mounting pad 160, a first solder joint 170 disposed on the first mounting pad 160, the SMT component 180, a second solder joint 171, a second mounting pad 161, a trace 151, a second access pad 141 and a second spring probe 131. The requirement of implementing a component before electrically testing the SMT socket 100 poses a number of disadvantages.
One disadvantage is that the installation and removal of components in a high volume, low cost production environment increases the overhead costs realized in constructing PCB assemblies (e.g., increased labor costs, decreased production rate, etc.). Another disadvantage is that installation and removal of a component from the SMT socket may damage the socket. The damaged socket would go undetected because removal of the component occurs upon completing electrical testing of the PCB. As a result, a defective PCB may be accidentally installed into an electronic system to be sold to an end user or shipped to the manufacturer of the electronic system to be subsequently returned as defective. A further disadvantage is that installation and removal of components from the SMT socket may damage the component itself. This may cause inaccurate test results for later tested PCB boards as well as increase manufacturing costs due to continued replacement of damaged components or testing of the component before each test.
In view of the foregoing, it would be quite beneficial to develop a land pattern which would enable testing of an interconnection of a single electrical contact at a time. The unique land pattern (referred to herein as a "split-pad land pattern") involves the substitution of a plurality of mounting pads for a single mounting pad previously assigned to each electrical contact and the addition of more access pads connected to the bottom side of the PCB to support the additional mounting pads.

Method and apparatus for facilitating detection of solder opens of SMT components


A riding saddle provided with a semirigid tree (1) is remarkable in that it includes a semirigid trapezium (2) facing the back (50) of the horse and on which the saddle is placed, which trapezium cooperates with the tree (1).

In traditional manner, a saddle comprises two panels extended by sweat flaps, the sweat flaps having the function of protecting the horse's flanks, in particular to avoid them coming into contact with girth buckles.
The panels constitute pads that come into contact with the horse's back. By way of example, these panels serve to soften contact so as to avoid pressure points that can generate pain and fatigue for the horse.
The panels are connected to each other by a flexible piece of leather referred to as a "trapezium". This trapezium constitutes a piece that faces the horse's back but that does not touch it since it is spaced apart therefrom by the panels of the saddle.
Thereafter, on top of the trapezium, there is the strength member of the saddle, referred to as the "tree". The tree is a rigid part made up of two curved portions known as the pommel and as the cantle that are located respectively in anterior and posterior zones of the saddle. By means of its rigidity, the tree serves to clear the horse's withers and also to maintain the shape of the saddle.
In addition, the tree is generally hollow in its center. Straps are then stretched across the tree so as to form a seat, the straps serving to support the padding and the traditional leather covering on which the rider sits.
In addition, the tree is also fitted with girth straps serving to secure a girth of the saddle that goes round the horse's body so as to hold the saddle on the horse.
Similarly, the tree has flaps on its outside, that cover the sweat flaps and the girth straps. They are not only attractive in appearance, but they also provide the rider's legs with contact with the saddle and the horse. To improve this contact, the flaps are provided with ridges that guide the legs.
Finally, the tree is also provided with stirrup bars that enable the stirrups that receive the rider's feet to be fastened to the saddle.
Such saddles are entirely conventional and satisfy requirements. Nevertheless, their method of fabrication is sometimes difficult and lengthy, which can lead to cost that is not negligible.
Furthermore, it can be seen that a riding saddle has only one rigid element, i.e. the leather-covered tree. Given the movements of the horse, that architecture necessarily leads to rough contacts and to significant impacts between the saddle and the rider, which can be uncomfortable or can even give rise to injury.
For example, when trotting, the rider rises slightly from the saddle and then drops back onto the saddle, in such a manner as to off-load the back of the horse on every other stride given that the rider is not sitting on the saddle on every other stride.
Nevertheless, dropping back into the saddle gives rise to a repeated impact that can be disagreeable for the rider and also for the horse.

Riding saddle and its method of manufacture


An illumination apparatus for illuminating a mask having a pattern, using light from a light source, includes a generating section for generating an effective light source distribution for a modified illumination to the mask, a polarization setting section for setting a predetermined polarization state in plural areas in the effective light source distribution, and an adjusting section for commonly controlling a polarization state of each area.

The present invention relates generally to an illumination apparatus, and more particularly to an illumination apparatus used to expose an object, such as a single crystal substrate for a semiconductor wafer, a glass plate for a liquid crystal display ("LCD"), an exposure apparatus using the illumination apparatus and a device manufacturing method using the exposure apparatus.
The recent demands for smaller and lower profile electronic apparatuses increasingly require finer processing to the semiconductor devices mounted onto these electronic devices. The photolithography process is generally used to produce highly integrated devices, such as a semiconductor device, a LCD device and a thin film magnetic head. A projection exposure apparatus is a vital apparatus to this process and exposes a pattern of a photo-mask (or reticle) onto a substrate, such as a photoresist applied silicon wafer and glass plate.
The following equation gives the resolution R of the projection exposure apparatus, where λ is a wavelength of the exposure light, NA is a numerical aperture of the projection optical system, and k1 is a process constant determined by a development process:
                    R        =                              k            1                    ×                      λ            NA                                              (        1        )
Therefore, the shorter the wavelength and the higher the NA, the better the resolution. However, a shorter wavelength would disadvantageously reduce the transmittance through a glass material, the depth of focus decreases in inverse proportion to the NA, and a larger NA makes difficult a design and manufacture of a lens.
Accordingly, the resolution enhancement technology ("RET") has been recently proposed which reduces a value of the process constant k1 for the fine processing. One RET is a modified illumination, which is also referred to as an oblique incidence illumination or an off-axis illumination. The modified illumination arranges an aperture stop with a light-shielding plate on an optical axis in an optical system near an exit surface of a light integrator that forms a uniform surface light source, and introduces the exposure light obliquely to a mask. The modified illumination can form an annular illumination, a quadrupole illumination, etc. by controlling a shape of the aperture stop.
On the other hand, prior art propose the modified illumination having only linearly polarized light in a desired direction for the enhanced image contrast. See, for example, Japanese Patent Applications, Publication Nos. ("JPs") 7-183201 and 6-053120. JP 7-183201 uses a filter to remove the light if the light does not have a desired polarization direction. JP6-053120 discloses amethodfor creating the linearly polarized light in a desired direction by using a λ/2 phase plate and the light that has been previously linearly polarized by a linear polarizer.

Illumination apparatus, exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method


A circuit tester stimulates an analog circuit device under test (DUT) with a test signal and periodically digitizes a resulting DUT output signal to produce an output data sequence that may be analyzed to ascertain DUT operating characteristics. The tester is powered by a switching power supply that induces periodic noise spikes in the DUT output signal. To eliminate the influence of the noise spikes on test results, the period of the switching power supply noise is made coherent with the digitization period. The phase of digitization is then adjusted so that the tester avoids digitizing the noise spikes in the DUT output signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to analog circuit testers and in particular to a system for minimizing effects of switching power supply noise in an analog circuit tester.
2. Description of Related Art
A typical analog circuit tester includes a waveform generator for sending an analog test signal to an input of an analog device under test (DUT) and digitizer for digitizing an output signal produced by the DUT in response to the test signal. For example a tester may send a sequence of sine wave test signals of various frequencies to a DUT input and then digitize the DUT output signal to produce a data sequence representing the time varying behavior of the DUT output signal. The data sequence can then be analyzed using well-known digital signal processing techniques to determine such DUT characteristics as frequency response, signal-to-noise ratio, distortion and the like.
Noise generated by the analog circuit tester itself can influence test results. Tester-generated noise can enter the DUT as a component of the test signal or through air in the form of electromagnetic inductance and reappear as a component of the DUT output signal being digitized. The noise from the tester will then appear as a component of the digital output data sequence produced by the tester and will make such measured DUT parameters as signal-to-noise ratio and distortion look worse than they really are since a portion of the output signal noise is caused by the tester and not by the DUT.
Analog circuit testers typically employ line-powered switching power supplies because they can supply large amounts of power while being relatively small and efficient. A typical switching power supply is described at pages 360-368 of THE ART OF ELECTRONICS, second edition, a book by Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill, published in the United States of America in 1989 by Cambridge University Press. Such a switching power supply rectifies an AC signal to produce a DC signal, pulse-width modulates a DC signal and then applies the pulse-width modulated DC signal to the primary of a transformer. The signal appearing at the transformer secondary is then rectified and filtered to produce the output power signal.
One problem with using a switching power supply is that it is a major source of noise, the act of pulse width modulating DC signal being a very noisy activity. Power supply noise is an obstacle to increasing the accuracy of analog circuit testing. The noise generated by a switching power supply can be reduced by filtering the output power signal and by shielding the power supply. But filtering and shielding does not completely eliminate noise. What is needed is a system for eliminating the effects of noise from a switching power supply on the measurements performed by an analog circuit tester employing such a power supply.

Coherent switching power for an analog circuit tester


A vehicle roof rail system includes a roof rail, a vehicle roof structure and a vehicle body structure. A tolerance compensator is disposed between the roof structure and the body structure. The tolerance compensator has an internal, oversized entry. The tolerance compensator includes an anchor fixing the tolerance compensator to the vehicle roof structure. A fastener passes through the oversized internal entry of the tolerance compensator linking the roof structure and body structure. An angle compensator is attached to the tolerance compensator. The angle compensator adjusts a contact angle of the tolerance compensator with the vehicle body structure.

Roof rails are popular on many types of vehicles. They offer both functionality for carrying loads and esthetics. Many roof rails are elongate structures that are attached to the roof of a vehicle via one or more fastening systems. In modem passenger vehicles the vehicle body and the roof overlap each other near the top edge of the vehicle. As such some fastening systems connect through both the vehicle roof and the body. To connect through both the vehicle body and the roof a tolerance compensator may be used as a means of fastening the roof rail to the roof without collapsing the roof/body separation.
Fastening devices with tolerance compensation and those that anchor into hollow structures are generally known: see for example U.S. Pat. No. 7,025,552 entitled "Assembly for Automatically Compensating Variations in the Spacing Between Two Structural Members"; U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,191 entitled "Device For the Clamping Attachment of Spaced Structural Parts"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,906 entitled "Device For the Clamping Connection of Structural Parts Which are Spaced From Each Other"; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,066,465 entitled "Fastening Device With Tolerance Compensation" the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
However what is needed is a roof rail with an attachment system that has tolerance compensation and is easier to install.