A battery cell module includes a plurality of battery cells, in particular lithium-ion battery cells which are arranged in a packet and each of which has a substantially prismatic cell housing. Each cell housing has the three dimensions: housing height, housing width, and housing depth. Two of the dimensions are carried out in a substantially identical manner in all the battery cells of the battery cell module, and the third dimension is carried out differently in at least two battery cells of the battery cell module. A battery includes said battery cell module and a motor vehicle includes said battery.

A battery which comprises one or more galvanic battery cells serves as an electrochemical energy store and energy converter. During the discharging of the battery or of the respective battery cell, chemical energy stored in the battery is converted into electrical energy by way of an electrochemical redox reaction. Said electrical energy can be demanded by a user according to requirements.
In particular in hybrid and electric vehicles, in so-called battery packs, use is made of lithium-ion batteries or nickel-metal hydride batteries composed of a large number of electrochemical cells connected in series. It is conventionally the case here that a battery management system including a battery state detection means serves for safety monitoring and for ensuring as long a service life as possible.
In the case of lithium-ion storage technology, a multiplicity of individual battery cells are connected together to form an overall battery. Here, each individual cell has a housing for encasing the active battery cell components and the electrolyte. Only the electrical terminals or poles of the battery cell project out of the battery cell housing.
DE 690 22 892 T2 discloses a modular battery installation system which is composed of a plurality of individual module units. Such individual module units may be battery cells. These basic structural units can, on the basis of the modular principle, form a battery assembly of virtually any desired size.
DE 10 2007 052 375 A1 describes an energy store with more effective cooling and a method for the inexpensive production of said energy store, which method permits the production of an energy store to meet different customer demands. It is also the case in the embodiment described in DE 10 2007 052 375 A1 that a compact and inexpensive modular design is attained which can be used within the context of a modular system. It is possible here, too, for virtually any desired number of cells to be connected together to form modules.
Overall, therefore, it is known that battery cells designed for the same applications or of similar type can be combined to form modules. Here, however, no allowance is made for different types of battery cells or battery cells for different applications. For example, the batteries used in different types of electric vehicles are relatively different in terms of their structural configurations and their external dimensions. This results firstly from different power requirements and secondly from different available installation space conditions or arrangement positions. Furthermore, the different battery cells or batteries have terminals which differ from one another, such as for example different thread sizes. Said differences between the batteries or battery cells makes the transport, storage and also handling and mounting thereof relatively cumbersome. Furthermore, supply systems, positioning systems, fixing systems, maintenance systems, temperature control systems and handling systems must be of relatively complex design in order to allow them to be used for the different battery cell types or battery types.

Battery cell module, battery, and motor vehicle


A method for registering a target device with a network. The method includes a user sending an electronic registration message from a terminal device to a universal communication platform, wherein the registration message comprises information about an identity of the target device and an option for registering with the network. Integrating the—information in the registration message into an audio file by the universal communication platform. Sending the audio file from the universal communication platform to the user's terminal device. Playing the audio file by the terminal device of the user. The content of the audio file is captured by a microphone of the target device, and the information on the option for registering with the network is extracted. The target device registers with the network using the registration option.

The invention relates to a method for registering a target device with a network with the features of the claims.
Many electronic devices for industrial, commercial, and private use have an interface via which information, such as status information or measured values, can be read or the device can be controlled, for example activated, deactivated, or configured. Examples of this in the private sector include weather stations that measure temperature and air quality, surveillance cameras, air conditioners, televisions, heating control systems, refrigerators, and in the industrial sector, machine tools or access systems. Such electronic devices are referred to as target devices in the following. The connection to the corresponding device can usually be established by means of special programs on a computer, a tablet computer, a smartphone, a wearable device, or another electronic device that can execute programs or apps. These electronic devices are referred to as terminal devices in the following. In order to be able to establish the connection stated above, for example, a connection via a wireless link, in particular the Internet, it is necessary to register the target device with a network, for example a WLAN network. Registering the target device with a network, such as a password-protected WLAN, can be quite complex and cumbersome, especially since the target devices often do not have a keyboard. A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a wireless computer network that links two or more devices using wireless communication to form a local area network (LAN) within a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, campus, or office building.
In contrast, it is in particular the object of the invention to propose a method for registering a target device to a network, which is easy to carry out. According to the invention, the objective is achieved by means of a method having the features of the claims.

Method for registering a target device with a network


The mechanism includes a pipe and a valve provided in the pipe. The pipe is configured to connect a gas source and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The valve is configured to control a flow rate of the gas. The valve includes a housing and a columnar shaft. The housing includes an inlet and an outlet. A gas flows from the gas source into the internal space through the inlet. A gas flows from the internal space to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus through the outlet. A gap is provided between an outer peripheral surface of the shaft and an inner wall surface of the housing. The shaft is accommodated in the internal space of the housing and is rotatable. A through hole which penetrates the shaft is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft. Both ends of the through hole correspond to the inlet and the outlet.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-197183 discloses a semiconductor manufacturing system. The semiconductor manufacturing system includes a processing container (chamber) and a diffusion chamber which is disposed inside the processing container and communicates with the processing container. The system supplies a first gas and a second gas from gas supply sources into the processing container through the diffusion chamber, and repeatedly performs an etching process and a deposition process which plasma-process a silicon substrate. In the semiconductor manufacturing system, at timing when the etching process and the deposition process are switched, while a remaining gas of a previous process in the diffusion chamber is exhausted, a gas of the next process is introduced into the diffusion chamber, and opening and closing of a valve causes the gas of the next process to rapidly flow into the diffusion chamber. Accordingly, remaining of the gas of the previous process is prevented, and a time in which the gases between processes are switched is shortened.

Gas supply mechanism and semiconductor manufacturing system


Apparatus and methods for producing fluids from a well and for controlling the production of fluids from multiple wells, particularly from a remote location. The well is provided with a winch/cable drum having a cable wound thereon with a swabbing tool on the end of the cable. The swabbing tool is initially located in a riser that is mounted to the wellhead and lowered into the well and down through the fluids in the well under control of a programmable logic controller (PLC 95). Upon reaching a pre-determined depth, the PLC 95 stops the rotation of the winch/cable drum and then reverses the direction of rotation to retrieve the swabbing tool, thereby lifting the fluids in the well bore up out of the well. Flowline connections, with appropriate valves, are provided in the riser for routing any gas and oil that is lifted from the well into pipelines and on to storage tanks or separators as the swabbing tool is retrieved. The PLC 95 is programmed for manual operation, for independent control of the wellhead apparatus, and/or for operation from a remote location.

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for production of hydrocarbons. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus for mounting to the well head of an oil and/or gas well, particularly a tight or low pressure well with limited production, for use in producing hydrocarbons from the well.
It is common practice in the oilfield to pump hydrocarbons from oil and gas wells, but there are many wells that do not produce hydrocarbons at a rate sufficient to justify the capital cost of pumping equipment and/or the energy and maintenance costs of operating the pumping equipment. Even though such wells may be steady producers, they produce at such low volumes that the operator simply cannot afford to produce from the well, effectively requiring that the pump be removed from such wells and that the wells be capped.
The most prevalent form of artificial lift system for relatively shallow and low-volume wells is sucker-rod pumps. Rod pumping uses arm-like devices to provide up-and-down motion to a downhole pump. However, expensive workover rigs and personnel are needed to replace the downhole pumps and pull the sucker rods. The present invention has eliminated the sucker-rod pumps themselves and the need for expensive workover rigs.
One alternative to wellhead pumping equipment, at least for gas fields, is a plunger lift system. A plunger lift system relies on bottom hole pressure. A plunger is inserted downhole and the well is shut-in to allow pressure to build. However, such systems have proven ineffective in many areas due to lack of gas pressure. The present invention does not require bottom hole pressure to operate and does not require a shut-in time to wait for the pressure to build.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,901 addresses these problems to some extent by providing a so-called mobile pumping apparatus that is mounted on a truck or tractor chassis and that actually lifts oil from the well with swab cups on a swab bar that is mounted on the end of a cable. After the wellhead equipment is removed from the well, the truck or tractor drives to the wellhead. The swab bar is lowered down into the well and then retrieved, pulling the liquids in the well up with the swab and into a storage tank mounted on the truck or tractor.
Although the mobile pumping apparatus of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,901 works well for many wells, particularly wells that are closely spaced in a single field, it does have certain disadvantages and limitations. For instance, they are not useful for producing gas from a well. Also, the wells serviced by such mobile pumping apparatus are open to the atmosphere, allowing the casing to oxidize. Further, although they are effective for producing oil accumulated in a well bore, the most important limitation of mobile pumpers may be that they are not capable of increasing production from a well with low bottom hole pressure above historical yield (and the bottom hole pressure is low in most fields in which mobile pumpers are used). Consequently, their use in a field with low bottom hole pressure does not optimize production from the field.
Another problem with production of hydrocarbons from many fields (not just fields with low bottom hole pressure) is the environmental impact of producing the hydrocarbons. There are many such environmental problems that must be overcome and/or minimized, but describing one such problem will illustrate the advantages of the present invention. Specifically, the production from wells that are being pumped eventually decreases as a result of the accumulation of particulates, paraffin, and/or other materials in the well and/or well bore. To increase production from such wells requires pulling the sucker rods from the well so that the well bore can be swabbed, acidized, perforated, and/or any of several other operations. Of course the sucker rods are immersed in oil, and when they are pulled from the well, the oil must be contained rather than allowed to drip on the ground around the well. Because the present invention does not use sucker rods, this source of environmental contamination is eliminated from the hydrocarbon production process, and it is therefore an object of the present invention to decrease the environmental impact of producing hydrocarbons from wells.
It is also an object of the present invention to address some of these other limitations and disadvantages of prior art methods and apparatus for producing hydrocarbons from wells, particularly in wells that produce relatively small quantities of hydrocarbons and/or produce hydrocarbons irregularly. More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for producing hydrocarbons from wells that provide the capability of producing gas as well as oil, that maximize production from the well, and that require minimal operator intervention.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for producing both gas and oil from a well.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for producing hydrocarbons from a well in a field with low bottom hole pressure.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a sealed system for producing hydrocarbons from a well that reduces oxidation of the casing of the well and stimulates production from the well.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for controlling the production of hydrocarbons from several wells in a field.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for controlling the production of hydrocarbons from one or more wells from a remote location.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus that decreases the cost of producing the hydrocarbons from one or more wells.
Conventional swabbing units and the above-described mobile pumping apparatus place considerable strain on the swab cups during the retrieval of the swab from downhole, and it is therefore also an object to increase the life of the swab cups utilized to produce hydrocarbons from a well bore in accordance with the method and apparatus of the present invention.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be made clear to those skilled in the art by the following description of the presently preferred embodiments thereof.

Methods and apparatus for production of hydrocarbons


An automatic focusing device has a rangefinder CCD sensor unit that measures a defocus amount with respect to the image of an object which is focused by an optical system. A focusing lens group of the optical system is driven into a focusing position based on the measured defocus amount. An object image moving speed, at which the image of the object moves, is calculated based on at least two defocus amounts which are measured. If the difference between a present defocus amount and a preceding defocus amount is smaller than a predetermined value, the focusing lens group is driven to move the focusing position at a tracking speed corresponding to the object image moving speed. If the difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the focusing lens group is driven at a previously calculated object image moving speed. Even if an object moves out of a rangefinding zone while the object-in-motion is being tracked for focusing, the automatic focusing device keeps tracking the object, causing the focusing lens group to focus on the object.

The present invention relates to an automatic focusing device employed in, for example, a photographic camera, and more particularly to an automatic focusing device for automatically focusing on an object even when the object is moving.
In the field of an automatic focusing system for use in a photographic camera, there has been known a focus prediction AF (automatic focusing) system for focusing on an object-in-motion. The focus prediction AF system is a system which predicts a position that the object-in-motion will reach in a predetermined period of time, and controls the focusing lens of a camera so as to obtain an in-focus object image.
Specifically, such an automatic focusing system detects the distance to the object, i.e., distance to a portion of the object which is located at a rangefinding zone (AF detecting zone of a viewfinder field), or a defocus amount, and adjusts the focusing lens so as to focus on the object based on the measured distance or detected defocus amount. Therefore, the automatic focusing system cannot keep the lens focused on the object unless it detects the object within the rangefinding zone (AF detecting zone).
However, it is difficult to keep an object-in-motion within the area of the viewfinder field corresponding to the rangefinding zone (AF detecting zone) at all times, and another object may possibly enter the rangefinding zone (AF detecting zone). If an object-in-motion temporarily slips out of the rangefinding zone (AF detecting zone), the automatic focusing system is unable to remain focused on the object-in-motion anymore, and tends to focus on another object which is presently located in the rangefinding zone (AF detecting zone). Once another object is focused, the automatic focusing system may not re-focus on the object-in-motion immediately when the object-in-motion returns to the rangefinding zone (AF detecting zone). It would take a considerable period of time for the AF system to refocus on the object-in-motion. Thus, when successive exposures are being made, considerable number of pictures would be taken in an out-of-focus condition.

Control system for inhibiting a calculating system in an automatic focusing device


Provided is a method of combination therapy for prevention or treatment of a cancer including or consisting essentially of co-administering sorafenib and an anti-c-Met antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof to a subject. The method of combination therapy can achieve an excellent synergistic effect and lower the effective dose of the anti-c-Met antibody, thereby enabling a more effective cancer treatment.

1. Field
Provided is a method of combination therapy for prevention and/or treatment of a cancer, including co-administering sorafenib and an anti-c-Met antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof to a subject in need thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
c-Met, a typical receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) present at the surface of cells, binds to its ligand, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) to promote intracellular signal transduction thereby not only promoting the growth of cells but also being over-expressed in cancer cells so that it is widely implicated in cancer incidence, cancer metastasis, cancer cell migration, cancer cell penetration, angiogenesis, and the like. For these reasons, c-Met has been emerging as an important target for cancer treatment.
There have been many studies on the possibility of c-Met as a new target for cancer treatment, and several drugs relating to c-Met have been developed and subjected to clinical trials. However, most of c-Met inhibitors cannot sufficiently exhibit their effects due to cross-talk of a downstream signaling pathway and other signaling pathways and feedback effects of a downstream signaling pathway and other receptor tyrosine kinases. Therefore, as a new way for inhibiting c-Met, a combined therapy with other pre-existing drugs has been sought.
Accordingly, there is a desire for the development of an efficient combination therapy using an anti-c-Met antibody and a drug targeting another tumor-related protein.

Method of treating solid cancers using anti-c-Met antibody and sorafenib combination therapy


Provided is a toner for developing an electrostatic image wherein an environment variation difference in a charging ability can be controlled to be small while having sufficient low temperature fixability. The toner includes toner particles that contain at least a binder resin. The binder resin contains a polymer prepared by polymerizing a polymerizable monomer represented by a following general formula (1).

Under the recent circumstances where energy saving is promoted, in the electrophotographic technical field, there has been an attempt to reduce the energy (that is, to achieve low temperature fixing) in a fixing device for the purpose of a decrease in power consumption and an increase in printing speed.
However, as such low temperature fixing is promoted, the thermal stability of a toner used has been reduced. Accordingly, there has been a problem in that heat-resistant storage properties cannot be sufficiently obtained during storage and transportation. Also, there has been another problem in that toner components such as colorants or parting agents are exposed on the surface of a toner, and therefore stable charging properties cannot be maintained for a long period of time.
A known solution to the above-described problems is to use a toner having a structure configured by covering a toner surface with a resin, a so-called core-shell structure (for example, see Patent Literatures 1 and 2).
In general, a toner produced by an emulsion association method includes associated particles obtained by aggregating and fusing resin fine particles and fine particles of a toner component such as a colorant using an aggregating agent such as metal salts. In this case, a large amount of an aggregating agent is required. Therefore, particularly when the resin fine particles include a monomer containing a polar group such as a carboxylic acid group, metal salts, which are derived from the aggregating agent, attached to or contained in the associated particles are hardly removed completely by a washing treatment. Furthermore, since the metal salts derived from an aggregating agent have high hygroscopicity, a toner obtained has also high hygroscopicity. As a result, when image formation is performed in a high temperature and high humidity environment, the charging ability of a toner is lowered compared with the case when performed in a low temperature and low humidity environment.
When a core-shell structure is formed in such an emulsion association-type toner, it is desirable that the toner surface is covered with a resin without using an aggregating agent as far as possible.
For example, Patent Literatures 3 and 4 disclose a technology of defining the content of a divalent or trivalent metal element and the content of a polyvalent metal element in view of an influence of metal salts. However, the improvement effect is not sufficient. Thus, further improvement, including a resin, is being required with respect to low temperature fixability and controlled environment variation difference in a charging ability.

Toner for developing electrostatic image

Abstract: In the general formula (1), R1 and R2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, or a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1 to 2 carbon atoms; and R3 represents a hydrogen atom, or a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms. X represents an oxygen atom or a single bond; Y represents a substituted or unsubstituted alkylene group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or a single bond; and Ar represents a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group.


A method and apparatus for controlling a VCR or other television program recording device for unattended recording of television programs based upon user selections from an on-line television program schedule system, converts the on-line television schedule listings for the user selected programs into event timer information and loads the event timer information into an event timer. The event timer, which may be located in the VCR or external to the VCR, controls the VCR for unattended recording in the customary manner. Since the VCR is controlled by the event timer information, rather than directly from the on-line program schedule listings, the VCR may be controlled for unattended recording even if the on-line listings are lost. Accordingly, the on-line listings may be stored in low cost volatile memory (dynamic RAM). Only the event timer information should be stored in non-volatile memory (static RAM), which can be kept small due to the limited information contained in the event timer information. A commercially viable system is thereby provided.

Television program recording devices such as videocassette recorders (VCRs) have become increasingly popular for recording television programs. As is well known, the "record button" on a VCR can be activated at any time to record a television program being received. Typically, VCRs also include an infrared remote control which may be used for remote activation of the record button, or any other button, to facilitate use of the VCR. As is also well known, many present day VCRs are "programmable" so that a user can set a future time and channel for unattended recording. Such programmable VCRs typically may be programmed with up to fourteen or more "events" so that multiple TV programs may be set for unattended recording.
As is well known to those having skill in the VCR art, the data for events to be recorded is typically stored in the VCR in an "event timer". The event timer is typically a nonvolatile memory so that the contents thereof are not erased if power to the VCR is interrupted, although volatile memories may also be used. The event timer typically includes only that information necessary for controlling the VCR. To set a VCR for recording, "time" and "channel" information must be provided for each event. The "time" information may comprise an indication of a start date and start time (often provided in terms of an actual date and time or in the form of a time from beginning of the year), and an indication of a stop time (in the same form as the start time, or in the form of a program duration from the start time) for each of the events which are to be recorded.
In an effort to simplify user selection of desired TV programs to be viewed and/or recorded, "on-line" television program guides have also been developed and marketed. An on-line program guide is typically broadcast over a satellite or cable system, and the received TV program schedule information is stored in a satellite receiver, cable TV decoder or other unit. An on-line system eliminates paper TV guides, which are difficult to distribute and often are inaccurate because of last minute changes.
A particularly effective system for on-line transmission and reception of television program schedule information is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,211 to Hallenbeck entitled Method and Apparatus for Transmitting and Receiving Television Program Information, which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. In the Hallenbeck patent, a commercially viable on-line television program information system is provided which extracts from a broadcast datastream only that program information which meets predetermined selection criteria store in the system.
Another example of an on-line TV program schedule system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,578 to Reiter et al. entitled System for Electronically Controllably Viewing on a Television Updateable Television Programming Information. This patent describes a system for viewing on a television, updateable television programming information, and for permitting the viewer to perform searches on information so as to display subsets of the information desired by the viewer. Yet another example of an on-line TV program schedule system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,121 to Young entitled TV Schedule System and Process. This patent describes a system for allowing user selection of broadcast programs from schedule information. The schedule information for the selected programs is stored in a memory and is used by the data processor to control a programmable TV tuner.
Attempts have also been made to provide a system for controlling a VCR based on user selected programs from an on-line scheduling system. For example, the aforementioned Young '121 patent describes a system in which user selection criteria are used by a data processor to select programs from the schedule information, and the schedule information is then used to control a VCR for unattended recording of the selected programs. In particular, according to this patent, the schedule information for the selected user programs is stored. The system is connected to the remote control facilities of the VCR, so that at the appropriate time it can supply power to the VCR, start recording and stop recording via the remote control. The VCR may be turned on and off at all appropriate times to record all desired programs. Alternatively, the VCR may be left on all the time and recording may be activated and deactivated via the VCR's "pause" line by remote control.
The above described system for controlling unattended recording by a VCR from an on-line program schedule system provides flexibility for recording. For example, the system may be configured so that the VCR is activated only if the TV is not on at the appropriate time. Moreover, since an on-line scheduling system typically includes classifications of programs by type, an entire series of programs may be designated for recording by merely selecting one program in the series. Also, if the on-line schedule changes, the user selection criteria may be applied to the updated schedule data and the VCR may be activated based upon the new schedule times. In other words, VCR activation is tied to a selected show, or series of shows, regardless of when this show is broadcast.
Notwithstanding the advantage of controlling a VCR from an on-line schedule system, prior systems have not been commercially viable because prior systems required that the program schedule information be stored in a nonvolatile memory so that the VCR could be activated even if power was momentarily lost at the on-line television program schedule system. For example, in the system of the aforesaid '121 patent, the stored TV program schedule listings must be periodically searched against the user's selection criteria in order to determine when the VCR is to be activated. If a power interruption takes place and the listings are lost, the VCR will no longer be activated at the appropriate time and the opportunity to record the program will be irretrievably lost. This undesirable feature could be eliminated by storing the TV program schedule listings in nonvolatile memory. Unfortunately, a nonvolatile memory large enough to store a useful quantity of television program scheduling information is prohibitively expensive and would preclude commercial viability.
In conclusion, on-line TV schedule information systems which provide unattended recording have been faced with two alternatives, neither of which is commercially satisfactory. The system could include a large nonvolatile memory (also referred to as "static RAM") for storing the television program scheduling information, making the system prohibitively expensive. Alternatively, the schedule information could be stored in volatile memory (also referred to as "dynamic RAM"), which means that the recording times will be permanently lost if power is momentarily interrupted. Either alternative precludes a commercially viable system.

Method and apparatus for controlling a television program recording device


An air compressor system within a vehicle including an electric air compressor adapted for removable securement within an engine compartment of a motor vehicle. The air compressor has wiring coupleable with a battery of the motor vehicle. An air hose is provided having a first end secured in communication with the air compressor. The air hose is extendable through an underside of the motor vehicle with a second end thereof extendable outwardly of the motor vehicle. The second end has a universal coupling disposed thereon. A pneumatic tool is provided having an inlet valve adapted for coupling with the universal coupling of the air hose.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air compressor system within a vehicle and more particularly pertains to satisfying pressurized air needs for motorists with an air compressor system within a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of tire inflators is known in the prior art. More specifically, tire inflators heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of inflating tires are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,162 to Grenie et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,547 to Van De Sype; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 295,754 to Wang; U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,295 to Wong; U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,766 to Brent; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,058 to Fish.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objective and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe an air compressor system within a vehicle for satisfying pressurized air needs for motorists.
In this respect, the air compressor system within a vehicle according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of satisfying pressurized air needs for motorists.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for new and improved air compressor system within a vehicle which can be used for satisfying pressurized air needs for motorists. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A signal line connector for electrically connecting two signal lines is provided. The signal line connector includes a base, a conductive element, and two pressing elements. The base has two sockets, allowing terminals of the signal lines to be inserted into the base. The conductive element is embedded in the base, and two ends of the conductive element are respectively corresponding to the sockets. The two pressing elements are movably disposed in the base, and are respectively corresponding to the sockets. The pressing elements press against the terminals of the signal lines to the conductive element at a clamping position, so as to electrically connect the signal lines to the conductive element. Or, the pressing elements separate the terminals of the two signal lines from the conductive element at a release position.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a device for connecting conductive parts, and more particularly, to a signal line connector which facilitates the wiring of signal output terminals.
2. Related Art
Currently, a normal sound source signal connector is a circuit that is connected to a circuit board 20 of a main audio unit 10, and audio cables 11 of speakers 12 are inserted into the sound source signal connector. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector 30 is fixedly soldered onto a side of the circuit board 20 of the main audio unit 10, and has a plurality of leads 31. An end of each of the leads 31 extends outside the connector 30, and a part of each of the leads 31 is disposed in the connector 30. The other side of the connector 30 has a plurality of slots 33 corresponding to the leads 31, and the end of each of the leads 31 inside the connector 30 is in one of the slots 33. The exposed end of each of the leads 31 of the connector 30 is electrically connected to the circuit board 20 by means of soldering, such that the side having the slots 33 of the connector 30 is exposed outside the main audio unit 10. In addition, the connector 30 has a plurality of screw connection elements 32 exposed outside the main audio unit 10. The screw connection elements 32 are corresponding to the leads 31, and are located at one end of the slots 33. Each of the screw connection elements 32 can be a combination of a screw and a metal pad, and the metal pad is driven by the screw to move towards a side of the leads 31. The terminals of the audio cables 11 are inserted into the connector 30 through the slots 33, and overlap the leads 31. The screw connection elements 32 make the terminals of the audio cables 11 to tightly contact the leads 31, such that the audio cables 11 are electrically connected to the circuit board 20. Thus, the main audio unit 10 can output sound source signals to the speakers 12 via the audio cables 11.
However, though this design can rapidly install or remove the audio cables 11 of the speakers 12, the connector 30 is fixedly soldered on the circuit board 20 of the main audio unit 10. Therefore, when the speakers 12 are connected to the main audio unit 10 with long audio cables 11, considering the subsequent requirement to uninstall and store the speakers 12, if the audio cables connected to the speakers 12 are placed in pipeline channels in the walls of a building, the installation and the subsequent disconnection of the speakers 12 will be very complicated. Therefore, as the connector 30 is fixedly soldered on the circuit board 20 of the main audio unit 10, the position that the connector 30 is disposed on the main audio unit 10 is limited, and cannot be changed freely. Thus, the flexibility of the design of the main audio unit 10 and the circuit board 20 is limited.


A method for fabricating a vertical channel transistor in a semiconductor device includes forming a plurality of pillars arranged in a first direction and a second direction crossing the first direction over a substrate, wherein each of the pillars includes a hard mask pattern thereon, forming a bit line region in the substrate between the pillars, forming a first sidewall insulation layer on a sidewall of each of the pillars, forming an insulation layer for filling a space between the pillars, forming a mask pattern for exposing the substrate between lines of the pillars arranged in the first direction over a resulting structure including the insulation layer, etching the insulation layer and the substrate using the mask pattern as an etch barrier to form a trench for defining a bit line in the substrate, and forming a second sidewall insulation layer over a resulting structure including the trench.

The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a method for fabricating a vertical channel transistor in a semiconductor device.
As an integration degree of a semiconductor device increases, a transistor having smaller feature sizes is necessitated. For example, it is required that a transistor of a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device has a device area of approximately 8F2 (F: minimum feature size) or less, preferably approximately 4F2. However, it is difficult to satisfy the required device area because of the present planar transistor structure in which a gate electrode is formed on a substrate, and junction regions are formed at both sides of the gate electrode. As a result, a vertical channel transistor structure has been proposed.
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a typical vertical channel transistor structure.
Referring to FIG. 1, a plurality of pillars P is formed on a substrate 10. The pillars P are formed of a substrate material and arranged in a first direction (X-X′) and a second direction (Y-Y′) crossing the first direction.
Buried bit lines 11 are formed in the substrate 10 between the respective pillars P arranged in the first direction. The buried bit lines 11 surround the pillars P and extend in the first direction. The buried bit lines 11 are isolated from each other by a device isolation trench T.
A surround type gate electrode (not shown) surrounding each of the pillars P is formed on an outer circumference of each pillar P. A word line 12, which is electrically connected to the surround type gate electrode and which extends in the second direction is formed on the outer circumference of the pillar P.
However, there is a limitation in a typical process for forming the buried bit line 11, resulting in an inferior device. Hereinafter, a typical method for fabricating the vertical channel transistor in the substrate and the limitation thereof will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B.
FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a method for fabricating a typical vertical channel transistor in a semiconductor device and a limitation thereof. Particularly, FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate cross-sectional views taken along line Y-Y′ of FIG. 1, i.e., the second direction.
Referring to FIG. 2A, a substrate structure which includes a substrate 20, a hard mask pattern 21, and a surround type gate electrode 22 is shown. The substrate 20 includes a plurality of pillars P arranged in a first direction and a second direction crossing the first direction. The hard mask pattern 21 is used to form the pillars P and is formed on each of the pillars P. The surround type gate electrode 22 surrounds a lower portion of each of the pillars P. Although not shown, a nitride layer is formed on a sidewall of the pillar P. The nitride layer serves as an etch barrier during a self-aligned contact (SAC) etching process for forming a following word line to protect the pillar P against an etching attack in a subsequent process.
Impurity ions are doped in the substrate 20 between the pillars P to form a bit line impurity region 23. An insulation layer 24 is deposited on a resulting structure, and the deposited insulation layer 24 is planarized until the hard mask pattern 21 is exposed.
Mask patterns 25 for forming a device isolation trench T are formed on the planarized resulting structure. The bit line impurity region 23 is divided by the device isolation trench T to form bit lines. The mask patterns 25 have a line-and-space pattern shape so that the substrate 20 between lines of the pillars P arranged in the first direction is exposed. A space width Ws between the mask patterns 25 is narrower than a space width WP between the lines of the pillars P arranged in the first direction by a predetermined amount.
Referring to FIG. 2B, the exposed insulation layer 24 and the substrate 20 formed below the insulation layer 24 are etched to a predetermined depth using the mask pattern 25 as an etch barrier to form the device isolation trench T extending in a direction parallel to the first direction in the substrate 20 between the lines of the pillars P arranged in the first direction. The device isolation trench T is formed with a depth penetrating the bit line impurity region 23 to form a buried bit line 23A surrounding the pillars P and extending in the first direction. A reference numeral 20A and a reference numeral 24A denote an etched substrate and an etched insulation layer after the etch process, respectively.
As semiconductor devices are highly integrated and patterns are micronizated, misalignment of the mask pattern 25 used to form the buried bit line 23A frequently occurs, resulting in unnecessary loss of the nitride layer formed on the sidewall of the pillar P in the etch process for forming the device isolation trench T (see FIG. 3). As a result, the pillar P is attacked in the subsequent process (for example, a word line forming process) due to such the loss of the nitride layer formed on the sidewall of the pillar P. Therefore, it is required to develop techniques capable of protecting the pillar P against the etching attack in the subsequent process even if the misalignment of the mask pattern 25 occurs.

Method for fabricating vertical channel transistor in semiconductor device


A retention balloon for a corporeal access tube assembly which includes a tube segment. The balloon is secured to the tube segment around a portion of the segment. The balloon is preformed in its expanded shape. When in normal retention operation it contains air trapped but under ambient pressure whereby its walls are not stretched to any noticeable extent.

The need to artificially introduce food into the gastrointestinal tracts of individuals who can not eat, or will not eat, has been well known throughout and even prior to this century. Before the mid-1970's, feeding was done nasogastrically with red rubber or polyvinylchloride feeding tubes. The use of enteral feeding by means of nasogastric tubes expanded dramatically in the late 1970's with the introduction of tubes constructed of either silicone rubber or polyurethane. Being constructed of stronger materials, these tubes incorporated thinner walls, and were therefore smaller in outside diameter. These smaller tubes were easier to insert and more comfortable for the patient, and their introduction resulted in a very rapid growth of enteral nutrition via the nasogastric route, and increased interest in enteral nutrition in general.
By the 1980's problems with nasogastric feeding were recognized by clinicians and the advantages of direct gastrostomy access into the stomach through the abdominal wall had been described by Vazquez in U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,824, and by Moss in U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,085. Refinements in securing gastrostomy tubes in the patient were described by Parks in U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,433 and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,901.
The 1980's also saw the refinement of methods for forming the gastrostomy stoma. Prior to the 1980's, the stoma or gastrostomy was formed surgically by the Stamm procedure, which required a surgical laporatoratomy to insert the tube, usually a latex urologic Foley retention catheter. A new method, called a "PEG", or Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy, eliminated the need for a surgical gastrostomy to place the gastrostomy tube and dramatically expanded the interest in the use of direct gastrostomy tubes. The advantages of PEGs and the PEG technique were described by Quinn et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,430. The word "PEG" is used herein to identify both the tube and the procedure.
Gastrostomy tubes can generally be organized into three main groups, the third of which includes two subgroups:
1. SPECIALTY TUBES placed at the time of gastric surgery by the Stamm technique. The Moss and Vazquez patent tubes are examples of this type. PA1 2. PEG tubes which are used to form the initial stoma or gastrostomy. PA1 3. REPLACEMENT TUBES which are used to replace the PEG tube after a period of time because the PEG has worn out with use, or because a device which is more specific to the patient's need is required. These tubes are inserted into the original stoma created by either the PEG or the Stamm technique. PA1 1. A tube to carry the enteral feeding formula into the stomach and or the intestine. PA1 2. An outflow port in the distal end of the tube. The port or ports may be incorporated in the end or the side wall of the tube. They may also be incorporated in a separate, molded bolus fastened to the distal end of the tube. PA1 3. An administration set connector attached to the proximal end of the tube, which is outside of the patient. PA1 4. A distal end retention device to hold the tube in the stomach, e.g., an inflatable balloon or a molded retention shape which can be deformed with a stylet for insertion and removal. PA1 5. An external bolster to secure the tube at the point where it exits the skin. This bolster maintains the proper distance between the external bolster and the internal retention device, a distance corresponding to the combined thickness of the individual patient's skin, abdominal wall and stomach wall at the site of the gastrostomy. PA1 6. An anti-reflux valve to prevent leakage of gastric acids from the patient when the administration set is being changed or when violent coughing causes excessive back pressure. PA1 7. A measurement system to measure the patient's abdominal wall thickness so that the tube length between the retention device and the external bolster can be adjusted to match this thickness. PA1 Difficulty of insertion and removal. PA1 Difficulty of obtaining accurate measurement of required tube depth. PA1 Lack of durability of internal retention devices. PA1 Incompatibility of replacement gastrostomy tubes with PEGs. PA1 Valve failure. PA1 Infection of the stoma. PA1 Difficulty in cleaning of the stoma. PA1 The need for many tube sizes. PA1 Inability to secure the tube adequately with an external bolster. PA1 The need for special administration sets. PA1 1. THE TUBE. Silicone and polyurethane are the materials of choice for these tubes. Silicone is softer and more compliant than polyurethane. Silicone has a lower modulus of elasticity than urethane. Softness is desirable in medical catheters. However, softness also increases the ability to kink and collapse, which are undesirable characteristics. These problems have heretofore been addressed by making tube walls thicker in silicone tubes or by constructing the tubes from the stronger, but less flexible, polyurethane. The designer has had to make a choice between a smaller, but less flexible, urethane tube and a larger, softer silicone tube. PA1 2. OUT FLOW PORT IN DISTAL END OF TUBE. The problems with conventional nasogastric feeding tube outlet ports as to insertion, flow and clogging are described by Andersen et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,074. These problems are also common to gastrostomy tubes. PA1 3. ADMINISTRATION SET CONNECTOR. Existing low profile tubes have administration set connectors which exit perpendicular to the patient's skin. This configuration is described in Quinn et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,897. To prevent the administration set from kinking and twisting, special sets with right angle connectors must be used so that the administration set tubing can lie comfortably on the patient's abdomen. PA1 4. DISTAL END RETENTION DEVICE TO HOLD THE TUBE IN THE STOMACH or bladder. Tubes with inflatable silicone retention balloons are easy to insert because the uninflated balloons are formed completely flat against the tube wall. However, they are unreliable because the silicone balloon walls which are stretched thin tend to break easily. In addition they must incorporate a second inflation lumen in the tube to access the balloon. This feature makes the tube larger and also requires the incorporation of a balloon inflation valve which adds cost and bulk to the product. PA1 5. EXTERNAL BOLSTER. Existing technology for bolsters is well known, as the aforementioned prior art illustrates. Some bolsters secure the tube, but do not bend it at a right angle to position it out of the way, next to the skin. Others secure and bend it at a right angle, but are rigid parts which can be uncomfortable for the patient. None of these rigid bolsters achieve full, right-angle bending of the tube due to the stiffness of the tubing. PA1 6. ANTI-REFLUX VALVE. Existing valves include flapper valves which clog and malfunction. Furthermore, it is often necessary to open the valve to decompress the stomach or bladder, so location of the valve is also important. Some gastrostomy valves are positioned so that special decompression sets are required to activate them if feeding is not taking place. PA1 7. TUBE MEASUREMENT AND SIZING. PEGs and simple gastrostomy tubes, for example, are sized to the patient after they are inserted. The position of the external bolster is approximated by simultaneously tugging on the internal retention member and then pushing the external member down on the skin. This is an imprecise method. Low profile replacement tubes have separate stoma depth measuring tools which are pre-inserted into the stoma. The clinician then selects a tube which corresponds to this measurement from a large selection of tube lengths. These tubes can not be adjusted for a change in patient size.
a. LOW PROFILE REPLACEMENT TUBES which are preferred for active patients who wish to conceal the tube's outer fitments during periods when they are not receiving feeding formula. The background for this type of replacement tube is described by Quinn et al in U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,897. PA2 b. SIMPLE REPLACEMENT tubes which are less complicated and less expensive are used for patients who are not active and have no need to hide their device. These devices are direct modifications of the original urologic Foley catheters used in early gastrostomies. They are described by Parks in U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,433.
With some exceptions within individual designs, gastrostomy tubes or tube assemblies of the aforedescribed types each incorporate the following seven features or components:
Just as gastrostomy tubes or tube assemblies are used for enteral feeding, so suprapubic catheter tubes or tube assemblies are used to administer drugs to, or drain urine from, the bladder. Such tubes or tube assemblies comprise the same seven features or components referred to above in the context of gastronomy tubes or tube assemblies. However, they access the bladder through a stoma formed in the abdominal wall above the bladder or pubic area.

Retention balloon and corporeal access tube assembly


Transmission scheme for the uplink of FDMA systems that improves performance in an interference-dominated system by using a pilot scheme that provides enough information so that channel estimates can be obtained for a particular user, but which at the same time makes it possible to use pilot patterns that are different in different cells so that co-channel interference is mitigated. A codeword is used to position a set of pilot symbols within a set of subcarriers wherein each subcarrier has a first pilot time slot and a second pilot time slot associated with one or more data time slots. The set of subcarriers are identified on which to transmit the composite signal and the first pilot time slots and the second pilot time slots are filled with the pilot symbols in accordance with the codeword. The composite signal is then formatted as a combination of modulated data and pilot signals.

The current proposal for uplink access in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long-Term Evolution (LTE) system uses Interleaved Frequency Division Multiplexing (or Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA)) on the uplink as the multiple access scheme. This scheme uses subcarriers that are evenly spaced on the frequency grid or clustered together; this choice can lower the crest factor (i.e., Peak to Average Power Ratio) of the transmitted signal compared to Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)/Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA). With even spacing of subcarriers across the frequency grid, a signal with a significant amount of frequency diversity is obtained, which is useful for cases when no information on the radio channel is available. The clustered subcarriers are advantageous in the case when the channel is known to be good over the portion of the band where these subcarriers are used. The physical layer interface for the 3GPP LTE system is specified in the document "Physical layer aspects for evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA)", 3GPP TR 25.814 V7.1.0 (2006-09) Technical Report, which is published by the 3GPP, Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network.
For example, FIG. 1 shows an exemplary uplink transmission scheme 100 that always uses pilots 102 before the data 104 in accordance with the signal design as described in the 3GPP contribution titled "Uplink Transmission and Multiplexing for EUTRA", presented at the 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 Ad Hoc on LTE, Sophia Antipolis, France. (2005-06-20) document number R1-050605. Part of the uplink transmission uses sixteen evenly spaced subcarriers over two timeslots—the first slot 106 contains pilot symbols 102 and the second slot 108 contains data symbols 104. At least one pilot symbol 102 is needed per subcarrier since the subcarriers are distributed and the channel can change significantly from one used subcarrier to the next.
One problem with the existing solution as described in the previous paragraph is that the pilot symbols are extremely vulnerable to interference. It is conceivable that a co-channel user in a different cell is using the same set of subcarriers to send uplink information. The pilots of the desired user then encounter a significant amount of co-channel interference and this can corrupt the channel estimates that are obtained by the receiver from the received pilot symbols. In turn, this can lead to erroneous decoding of the data even if it is protected with a strong error correction code. Thus, there is a need to improve the signal design for the uplink so that it is more resistant to co-channel interference.
In another example, FIG. 2 shows an uplink transmission scheme 200 where the pilot symbols 202a and 202b are divided into two parts over the slot, but are wider in frequency by a factor of two (and thereby narrower in time by a factor of two) compared to the data symbols 204a, 204b, 204c and 204d. Two mobile stations (users) share the pilot and data symbols. The data slots of the two mobile stations are transmitted over two adjacent sets of interleaved subcarriers (e.g., 204b and 204c). For example, user 1 may use the pilot and data symbols identified by the numeral 1, and user 2 may use the pilot and data symbols identified by numeral 2. In this case too, it is seen that either user is susceptible to co-channel interference on the pilots from other users that may be using the same set of subcarriers in a different cell. Thus, there is a need to improve the signal design in the case also.

Transmission scheme for uplink access in a FDMA system


A pressure relief valve includes a lever plate, a first spring, a fitting, and a guide assembly. The fitting has a first side, a second side, and a flange having a rounded end and includes a surface with which a first end of the first spring contacts. The guide assembly has two sides, two concavities, and at least a portion of the guide assembly extends through the opening of the lever plate, the first concavity is formed on the first side of the guide assembly and contacts the fitting flange rounded end, and the second concavity is aligned coaxially with the first concavity. A rounded end of a rod of the diaphragm assembly contacts the second concavity. The second spring is adapted to supply a second force against the diaphragm assembly to move the lever plate in a second direction that is substantially opposite the first direction.

Gas turbine engines may be used to power aircraft and may include a fan section, a compressor section, a combustor section, a turbine section, and an exhaust section. The fan section is positioned at the front, or "inlet" section of the engine, and includes a fan that induces air from the surrounding environment into the engine. The fan section accelerates a fraction of the air toward the compressor section. The remaining fraction of air is accelerated into and through a bypass plenum, and out the exhaust section. The compressor section raises the pressure of the air it receives from the fan section to a relatively high level. The compressed air then enters the combustor section, where a ring of fuel nozzles injects a steady stream of fuel into the air. The injected fuel is ignited by a burner, which significantly increases the energy of the compressed air. The high-energy compressed air then flows into and through the turbine section, causing rotationally mounted turbine blades to rotate and generate energy. The air exiting the turbine section is exhausted from the engine via the exhaust section, and the energy remaining in this exhaust air aids the thrust generated by the air flowing through the bypass plenum.
Many gas turbine engines, such as the above-described turbofan gas turbine engine, selectively bleed air from the compressor section for the operation of aircraft systems that may be at least partially pneumatically operated. The bleed air may be diverted to a starter control system that may include pneumatically-operated components, such as a pressure relief valve. The pressure relief valve may be used to control an amount of air that is present within the starter control system.
Although the pressure relief valve used in the system is generally well-designed, it may be improved. In particular, in some configurations, the pressure relief valve may include two opposing pre-loaded springs disposed on either side of a spring plate along a single axis. At least one of the springs may be in direct contact with the spring plate. During operation, if a first spring exerts a force against a first side of the spring plate that exceeds a second force exerted by a second spring against a second, opposite side of the spring plate, the spring plate will move toward the second spring. However, because the two springs may move in different directions along a surface of the spring plate, each may deviate from an original position relative to the axis and may exert pressure at different locations on the spring plate. As a result, the pressure relief valve may experience hysteresis, which may decrease a useful life of the components of the valve.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have an improved pressure relief valve that minimizes hysteresis. In addition, it is desirable for the pressure relief valve to be capable of being retrofitted into currently existing engines or aircraft and that may be relatively inexpensive to implement. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the inventive subject matter will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the inventive subject matter and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the inventive subject matter.

Pressure relief valves and pneumatic control systems


An immersion method of dyeing textile material includes the steps of (a) providing a textile material comprising at least one of cotton and regenerated cellulosic fibers; (b) providing an aqueous dyebath in a weight ratio of dyebath:textile material of 10:1 to 20:1, the dyebath comprising a reactive dye and a carboxylate salt for salting out the dye onto the textile material, the carboxylate salt having a carboxylate anionic component and a monovalent cationic component, wherein the carboxylate salt is present in an amount effective for salting out the dye onto the textile material; (c) immersing the textile material in the aqueous dyebath under conditions sufficient to salt the dye onto the textile material; (d) adding to the dyebath an alkaline material to promote a reaction to form a chemical bond between the dye and the textile material; and (e) subjecting the dyebath containing the textile material and the alkaline material to conditions sufficient to form a chemical bond between the dye and the textile material.

The invention relates to the use of carboxylate salt compositions in the dyeing of textile materials. Large quantities of salt are required in the process of dyeing cellulosics in order to exhaust the dyes onto the textile materials. Salt requirements vary depending upon the type of dye and dye procedure, with direct dyes requiring substantially less salt than reactive dyes. Conventionally, both direct dyes and reactive dyes are used in an aqueous bath in the presence of a neutral salt, which is typically sodium sulfate (Glauber's salt) or sodium chloride. During this stage, the dye is absorbed by the fabric as the result of a "salting out" effect from the added salt. For reactive dyes, the salting out step is followed by a reaction step in which alkaline material is added to promote a covalent bond between the dye and the fabric.
In a conventional dyeing operation, the required amount of salt increases as the depth of shade moves from the pastel/light to the dark range. Direct dyes ordinarily require about 2.5 to about 7.5 grams (g) per liter (L) for light shades, about 7.5 to about 12.5 g/L for medium shades, and about 12.5 to about 20 g/L for dark shades. Fiber reactive dyes require amounts 5 to 10 times higher than direct dyes, with ranges of about 30 to about 60 g/L for light shades, about 60 to about 80 g/L for medium shades, and about 80 to about 100 g/L for dark shades. The large quantities of salt in the dyeing process result in large quantities of salt in dye house wastewater that usually ranges from tpproximately 2,000 ppm to approximately 3,000 ppm. The large quantities of salt used in the dyeing of cellulose textile materials combined with a growth of cotton in the U.S. apparel market has resulted in increasing environmental concerns. The salt output from the textile industry can produce toxic effects on freshwater organisms due to increased salinity of the water. The environmental problems associated with large quantities of chloride in the water have resulted in regulatory limits on textile plant wastewater which start at 250 ppm of chloride. Although sulfate in the water is not currently regulated per se, increased salinity of wastewater due to the use of large amounts of sodium sulfate in the dyeing process is a significant concern. Additionally, wastewater containing large amounts of dissolved salts has been identified as contributing to decreased efficiencies of wastewater treatment plants as the result of the high amount of dissolved solids.
Various strategies have been employed or suggested for reducing the salt content in textile mill effluent that is attributable to the dyeing process. These include the development of new dyes which require less salt, the recycling of dyebaths, and the derivatization of cotton to make it cationic. Although the development of new dyes which require less salt has some potential for alleviating the salt requirementsjn the dyeing process, this is a long-term project and only a partial solution to the problem because salt requirements will be reduced but will still remain substantial. Additionally, revamping entire dye lines will take considerable time in research and development and in commercial translation. Derivatization of cotton so that less salt is required in the dyeing process has resulted in non-uniformity in the dyed product. Problems associated with dyebath reuse include the cost and the risk of a dirty dyeing procedure which adversely affects the dyeing of the fabric and results in dirty equipment, the eventual generation of chlorine or nonbiodegradable salt in the wastewater, and excessive waste.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,800 (hereinafter "the '800 patent"), the use of alkaline earth metal organic salts for replacing sodium salts in dyeing cotton fabrics is disclosed. In particular, the '800 patent discloses the use of magnesium salts of organic acids. The '800 patent does not disclose or suggest the use of organic acid salts wherein the cation is something other than a bivalent alkaline earth metal, such as the monovalent alkali metals of sodium or potassium. The '800 patent discusses the importance of using alkaline earth metals salts, which have a lower solubility in water than sodium salts, so that the alkaline earth metals can be removed by precipitation during treatment of wastewater from the dyeing process. The '800 patent described the results as excellent with direct dyes and problematic with reactive dyes.

Method of reactive dyeing of textile materials using carboxylate salt


Diffraction grating based fiber optic interferometric systems for use in optical coherence tomography, wherein sample and reference light beams are formed by a first beam splitter and the sample light beam received from a sample and a reference light beam are combined on a second beam splitter. In one embodiment, the first beam splitter is an approximately 50/50 beam splitter, and the second beam splitter is a non 50/50 beam splitter. More than half of the energy of the sample light beam is directed into the combined beam and less than half of the energy of the reference light beam are directed into the combined beam by the second beam splitter. In another embodiment, the first beam splitter is a non 50/50 beam splitter and the second beam splitter is an approximately 50/50 beam splitter. An optical circulator is provided to enable the sample light beam to bypass the first beam splitter after interaction with a sample. Two combined beams are formed by the second beam splitter for detection by two respective detectors. More than half of the energy of the light source provided to the first beam splitter is directed into the sample light beam and less than half of the energy is directed into the reference light beam. The energy distribution between the sample and reference light beams can be controlled by selection of the characteristics of the beam splitters.

Optical Coherence Tomography ("OCT") is a type of optical coherence-domain reflectometry that uses low coherence interferometry to perform high resolution ranging and cross-sectional imaging. In OCT systems, a light beam from a low coherence light source is split into a reference light beam and a sample light beam. A diffraction grating may be used to provide an optical path difference in one or both light beams. The sample light beam is directed onto a sample and the light scattered from the sample is combined with the reference light beam. The combination of the sample and reference light beams results in an interference pattern corresponding to the variation in the sample reflection with the depth of the sample, along the sample beam. The sample beam typically suffers a high loss of energy due to its interaction with the sample. The reference beam serves as a local oscillator to amplify the interference pattern to a detectable level and therefore must have a much higher energy level than the sample light beam. The interference pattern is detected by a photo detector, whose output is processed to generate a cross-sectional image of the sample. High resolution (less than 10 micrometer) imaging of the cross-sections of the sample by OCT is useful in biological and medical examinations and procedures, as well as in materials and manufacturing applications.
OCT based systems may be implemented with fiber optics and an optical fiber carrying the sample light beam may be incorporated into a catheter or an endoscope for insertion into internal body cavities and organs, such as blood vessels, the gastrointestinal tract, the gynecological tract and the bladder, to generate images of internal cross-sections of the cavities or organs. The sample beam is typically emitted from the distal end of the instrument, where a prism or a mirror, for example, directs the sample light beam towards a wall of the cavity. The optical fiber and the prism or mirror may be rotated by a motor to facilitate examination of the circumference of the cavity.
An example of a fiber optic OCT system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,133 ("the '133 patent"), where sample and reference light beams are carried in respective optical fibers to a diffraction grating, which introduces an optical path difference across the light beams and also combines the sample and reference light beams. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system 10 disclosed in the '133 patent. The system includes a light source 12 optically coupled to a 50/50 beam splitter 14 through an optical fiber 16. The beam splitter 14 splits the incident light beam equally into a sample light beam and a reference light beam. The sample light beam is carried by an optical fiber 18 to a focusing lens 20, which focuses the sample light beam onto a sample 22. The optical fiber 18 may be contained within a catheter (not shown) for insertion into a body cavity, such as a blood vessel, for examination of the tissue of the wall of the cavity. Light received from the tissue is focused by the lens 20 and coupled back into the optical fiber. The received light travels back to the beam splitter 14, where it is split again. A portion of the received light is directed into another optical fiber 24, which conveys the light to a first collimator 26. The reference light beam travels through an optical fiber 28 to a second collimator 30. The first and second collimators 26, 30 direct the sample and reference light beams onto the same region of a diffraction grating 32. The diffracted, combined light beam is conjugated on the detector plane of a multi-channel linear diode array detector 34 by a conjugating 36 lens. A neutral density filter (not shown) is provided to decrease the energy in the reference beam to prevent saturation of the detector.
The sample light beam suffers a significant loss of energy due to its interaction with the sample. The second pass through the 50/50 beam splitter further reduces the already attenuated light beam. In addition, the interaction of the light beams with the diffraction grating causes a further loss in both the sample light beam and the reference light beam of about 50% of the incident light in the first order. The diffraction grating also introduces noise. As a result, the system of the '133 patent has a low signal-to-noise ratio.
Another interferometric system using a diffraction grating is described in "Nonmechanical grating-generated scanning coherence microscopy", Optics Letters, Vol. 23, No. 23, Dec. 1, 1998. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the disclosed system 50. A light source 52 provides light to a 50/50 beam splitter 54 that splits the energy in the light beam equally into a sample light beam 55 and a reference light beam 56. The sample light beam 55 is directed to a focusing lens 58 that focuses the sample light beam onto a sample 60. The light received by the focusing lens 58 from the sample 60 is returned to the beam splitter 54. The reference light beam 56 is directed to a diffraction grating 62 in a Littrow configuration, which introduces an optical path difference across the reference light beam. The diffracted reference light beam is also returned to the beam splitter 54. The sample and reference light beams are then combined in the beam splitter 54 and directed to a charge-coupled device (CCD) array 64 for detection and processing by a computer 66. The reference light beam needs to be suppressed here, as well.
Here, only the reference light beam is diffracted, making the system 50 more efficient than the system 10 of the '133 patent, shown in FIG. 1. However, the sample and reference arms in the system 50 of FIG. 2 cannot both be implemented with fiber optics. The diffraction grating introduces an optical path difference across the width of the beam. The detector is a multi-element detector at least as wide as the light beam and each element of the detector receives a portion of the beam corresponding to its position on the diffraction grating. If the reference light beam is conveyed by an optical fiber from the diffraction grating to the detector, the spatial order is lost. If the sample arm is implemented in fiber optics but the reference arm is not, the length of the open space reference arm would be inconveniently long.
In OCT systems, either the reference light beam or the sample light beam may be modulated to provide a relatively low frequency beating used as a carrier frequency. The mechanical motion may be used to scan the optical path, which essentially represents the sample depth. This motion also creates a Doppler frequency shift. A moving or oscillating mirror and a fiber stretcher, such as a piezoelectric stretcher, are commonly used for mechanically modulating the light. One or a pair of acousto-optic modulators may also be used to modulate the light beam, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,321,501, for example. The amplitude of the frequency of modulation is modulated by the intensity of the reflected and scattered light in the sample beam. The signal is then processed using a narrow band amplifier tuned to the frequency, to extract the intensity variation to produce an image.
In diffraction grating based interferometry using a multi-element photo detector, scanning the depth is typically not necessary because the depth is instantly projected onto the multi-element photo detector. Depending on the signal processing method, however, there may be a need for low frequency modulation. For example, if the detector is a photo diode array and heterodyne signal processing is used, low frequency modulation is required. Providing a separate modulating unit in the interferometer takes up additional space and adds to the complexity of the system. If the detector is a charge coupled device (CCD), modulation is not needed.
In prior art diffraction grating based OCT systems, the sample light beam typically passes through the beam splitter that creates the sample and the reference light beams, twice. It is therefore most efficient to use a 50/50 beam splitter that directs half of the energy from the light source into the reference beam and half of the energy into the sample beam. However, much of the energy in the reference light beam needs to be suppressed to prevent saturation of the detector. Such energy is lost in the system. The sample light beam, which suffers high loss due to its interaction with the sample as well as the second pass through the beam splitter, only receives half of the energy of the light source. The sample light beam also suffers loss and noise if it is diffracted by the diffraction grating. A more efficient diffraction grating based interferometer for use in OCT systems would be advantageous. A more efficient diffraction based interferometer, where the sample and reference light beams are carried by optical fibers, would also be advantageous.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Diffraction grating based interferometric systems and methods


Tough, puncture- and tear-resistant films having a high degree of flexibility and softness are provided. The monolayer and multilayer films of the invention are obtained using copolymers of propylene with 8 to 40 weight percent ethylene produced by gas phase polymerization of the monomers in dual reactors. The films will have a 1% secant modulus from 5,000 psi to 70,000 psi. Melting points of these films are higher than that of low density polyethylene and, most generally, in the range 125.degree. C. to 160.degree. C.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to polyolefin films having high melting points combined with improved flexibility, high puncture and tear resistance, and good contact clarity. The monolayer or multilayer films are produced using extrusion methods, either blown film extrusion, cast film extrusion, or lamination, and comprise a polyolefin which is a copolymer of propylene and ethylene.
2. Detailed Description of the Invention
Polyolefins are widely used for the production of films. These films can be produced by either blown extrusion or by slot-die extrusion with subsequent cooling using a chill roll or water bath and a variety of products with a range of properties are available.
The high melt point and highly crystalline structure of polypropylene make it well suited for applications where stiffer and strong films are required. The narrow melting range and high rate of crystallization do, however, create processing problems. To some extent these processing difficulties have been overcome by blending or by copolymerization but not without compromising optical properties, tensile strength, and other important film characteristics.
In a discussion of propylene polymers, W. Schoene in his article entitled "PP Specialty Film Products for Film Applications" (Specialty Plastics Conference 89, Zurich, 1989) divided propylene polymers into four classes--highly crystalline homopolymers, homopolymers with reduced crystallinity, random copolymers and impact copolymers. From the general properties listed by Schoene for the two copolymer types, it is apparent that clarity and stiffness are sacrificed in order to improve in the low temperature impact resistance.
Resins in the polyethylene homopolymer and copolymer families provide a broad spectrum of film products with their good optics, heat seal and processability. While these films are well suited for many uses, the low melting point of the resins precludes their use in certain applications.
It would be advantageous if polymers suitable for films were available which combine the advantages of both polypropylene and polyethylene resulting in films that display good contact clarity, sealing characteristics and softness with high impact and tear resistance. It would be even more desirable if these products had melting points substantially higher than that of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and preferably as high or higher than high density polyethylene (HDPE).
These and other advantages are achieved with the products of the instant invention which are described in more detail to follow.

Soft, puncture- and tear-resistant polyolefin films


A soot accumulation amount estimation method for an exhaust gas purification filter according to the present invention includes: a first step of burning soot collected in pores of the exhaust gas purification filter (22) to regenerate the filter (22); a second step of detecting a temperature of exhaust gas flowing into the filter (22), to judge whether or not the exhaust gas temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature at which a soot amount flowing into the filter (22) is substantially equal to a soot amount to be burnt in the filter (22); a third step of adding up a period of time during which the exhaust gas temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature, when the exhaust gas temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature, when the a fourth step of judging whether or not the added up period of time is equal to or longer than a period of time during which a predetermined amount of soot is accumulated in the pores after the first step; and a fifth step of estimating a soot accumulation amount of the filter (22) based on a pressure loss through the filter (22), when the added up period of time is equal to or longer than the period of time during which the predetermined amount of soot is accumulated.

Diesel engines are power sources excellent in mileage and durability, and emit hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) in smaller amounts than gasoline engines. Thus, diesel engines are internal combustion engines suitable for mitigating a recent problem of global warming.
However, as compared with gasoline engines, diesel engines emit larger amounts of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and black smoke particulates to be generated upon combustion of air-fuel mixtures. This brings about a problem to be immediately solved by decreasing amounts of BOX and soot in exhaust gas.
In this respect, there has been known an exhaust gas purification system including: an oxidation catalyst disposed in a flow passage of exhaust gas from a diesel engine; and an exhaust gas purification filter disposed downstream the oxidation catalyst and having a ceramic porous wall acting as a filter element. In the exhaust gas purification system, NO, CO, HC, and the like in exhaust gas emitted from the diesel engine are oxidized by the oxidation catalyst, and soot contained in exhaust gas after oxidation is collected by pore portions of the porous wall of the exhaust gas purification filter as the exhaust gas after oxidation passes through the porous wall.
In the exhaust gas purification system, soot is collected by the pore portions within the wall and the surface of the wall, and the collected soot is removed by combustion with unburnt HC, CO, and the like. In this case, the filter may be damaged due to heat to be caused upon combustion removal of soot. This brings about a limitation of soot amount collectable by the filter, lest the filter is damaged by heat.
There has been thus disclosed the following technique for preventing damage due to heat (see S.A.E. article 2000-01-0473, "Passenger Car Serial Application of a Particulate Filter System on a Common Rail Direct Injection Diesel Engine"). This system is configured to estimate a soot amount accumulated within a filter by detecting a difference (pressure loss) between exhaust gas pressures at an upstream side and a downstream side of an exhaust gas purification filter, and an exhaust gas temperature thereat. Further, based on the thus estimated value, it is detected whether or not the exhaust gas purification filter is at a collection limit (which represents collection of soot reaching a regeneration limit). Upon detection of such a collection limit, the system thereafter supplies exhaust gas at a temperature higher than a soot inflammation temperature, to the exhaust gas purification filter through an oxidation catalyst, to thereby burn and remove the collected soot.
The above-mentioned exhaust gas purification filter regeneration method is configured to estimate a soot accumulation amount in the exhaust gas purification filter based on a pressure loss between the upstream side and downstream side of the filter, and to ascertain that the filter is at a soot accumulation limit. Namely, the exhaust gas purification filter regeneration method is configured to estimate a collection limit based on a relationship between the soot accumulation amount and the pressure loss in the exhaust gas purification filter.
In the above, regeneration of the exhaust gas purification filter is to be achieved by exhaust gas from the diesel engine, thereby causing a possibility that soot is not fully removed by combustion thereof at one time and is thus left as residual soot in the filter, depending on a driving condition of the engine.
The residual soot tends to affect an ascertaining operation of a soot accumulation limit upon conducting the next regeneration, thereby making it necessary to ascertain the residual soot accumulation amount.
However, in the exhaust gas purification filter regeneration method, once regenerating the catalyst causes partial combustion, movement of soot, and the like, thereby making it impossible to accurately recapture a pressure loss relative to a soot accumulation amount. This makes it difficult for the exhaust gas purification filter regeneration method to estimate an accurate residual soot accumulation amount from a pressure loss.

Method of estimating soot accumulation amount of exhaust gas purification filter, and computer program product therefor


A distributing valve for a concrete pump and the concrete pump are provided, the distributing valve comprises a valve body (200) and a valve core (300), and a delivering cavity (213) is internally formed in the valve body (200) and is provided with a material inlet, a material outlet (212) and material suction openings (251,252). The material outlet (212) is communicated with a delivery pipe and the material suction opening (251,252) is communicated with a delivery cylinder (500). The valve core (300) is a L-shaped pipe formed by a first pipe section (310) and a second pipe section (320), and one end of the L-shaped pipe is connected with a hopper (600) and a revolution fitting surface is formed between the end face of the other end of the L-shaped pipe and the internal face of the valve body (200).

A concrete pump is one of widely used concrete machinery presently. The concrete pump generally includes a hopper, a delivery cylinder, a distributing valve and a delivery pipe. The hopper is adapted to store concrete slurry. The delivery cylinder makes reciprocating movements under driving of a hydraulic cylinder. The distributing valve is used to communicate the delivery cylinder with the hopper during the first predetermined time period so that the delivery cylinder sucks material, specifically appropriate amount of concrete slurry; and to communicate the delivery cylinder with the delivery pipe during the second predetermined time period so that the delivery cylinder pumps material, specifically pushes the sucked concrete slurry into the delivery pipe and conveys the sucked concrete slurry to a predetermined position under pressure of the delivery cylinder. The distributing valve is one of the key components for the concrete pump.
Distributing valves for the concrete pump mainly comprise a gate-type distributing valve, an S-type distributing valve, a C-type distributing valve and a skirt valve.
The gate-type distributing valve makes the delivery cylinder suck and pump material mainly by means of the up-down movement of two gates in the distributing valve, which communicates a delivery cylinder with an outlet of a hopper during the first predetermined time period to make the delivery cylinder suck material and communicates the delivery cylinder with a delivery pipe during the second predetermined time period via a Y-type pipe to make the delivery cylinder pump material. The advantage of the gate-type distributing valve is that the concrete pump has a better sucking performance and better pumping efficiency. In particular for coarse aggregate concrete, the above-mentioned advantage is more significant. However, the disadvantage of the gate-type distributing valve is that the pressure of the concrete slurry in the delivery pipe is limited by the fitting position of the periphery of the gate since the position between the delivery cylinder and the delivery pipe is realized by switching the gates positions. Thus the gate-type distributing valve can not meet the requirement of pumping concrete slurry at a high pressure.
Referring to FIG. 1, a structural view of an S-type distributing valve in the prior art is shown. In FIG. 1, a hopper 110 is shown in double dot dash line. The S-type distributing valve includes an S-type bend pipe 120, which is mounted in the hopper 110. The input end of the S-type bend pipe 120 may swing laterally in the hopper 110 under the driving of a driving mechanism 130 to communicate with the two delivery cylinders 140 alternately. An output end of the S-type bend pipe 120 is in communication with a delivery pipe located outside of the hopper 110. Thus, the two delivery cylinders 140 may pump concrete slurry to the delivery pipe via the S-type bend pipe 120 alternately. The advantage of the S-type distributing valve is that, since the high pressure produced during pumping material by the delivery cylinder mainly acts on the inner wall of the S-type bend pipe, there is a uniform tensile stress on the whole S-type bend pipe which has a circular cross section, therefore the S-type distributing valve may withstand relatively great pressure. The operating pressure may be up to 16 Mpa or even more. Therefore, by utilizing the S-type distributing valve, the concrete pump may pump concrete slurry to a longer distance or to a higher position, so as to meet the requirement of pumping the concrete slurry at high pressure. However, the disadvantage of the S-type distributing valve is that the S-type bend pipe of the S-type distributing valve is located in the hopper 110 and occupies a part of volume of the hopper 110, so as badly affects the flowing of concrete slurry, thus affecting the sucking performance of the concrete pump. In addition, the S-type bend pipe is located in the hopper 110, so that it leads to material deposit in the hopper easily.
The C-type distributing valve and the skirt valve have the similar working principle as the S-type distributing valve, and thus have the same defects.
In view of the defects of the above existing distributing valves, Chinese patent publication No. CN 101245866A discloses a distributing valve for a concrete pump. The distributing valve includes a valve body and a valve core which is arranged in the valve body. The valve body is provided with a material outlet, a first material suction port and a second material suction port. The valve core is provided with an upper extension shaft and a lower extension shaft, through which the valve core is rotatably mounted on the valve body, a bearing and a sealing mechanism are respectively mounted between the upper extension shaft and the valve body and between the lower extension shaft and the valve body; the valve core takes the axis of the upper extension shaft and the lower extension shaft as a central line, and rotates respect i n g to the valve body for a certain angle to form a left limit position and a right limit position; the valve core also comprises a side opening and a material inlet which is communicated with a hopper. When the valve core rotates to the left limit position, the side opening is communicated with the first material suction port. When the valve core rotates to the right limit position, the side opening is communicated with the second material suction port.
When the concrete distribution valve disclosed in CN 101245866A is used, the usage volume of the hopper may be increased due to the separate arrangement of the distribution valve and the hopper, so that the blades in the hopper stir more sufficiently; the material inlet is oriented straight downward, so as to facilitate material input, in particular for pumping of coarse aggregate, and to improve the material suction performance of the concrete pump, to avoid the material depositing in the hopper and to make the cleaning of the hopper very easily; during the pumping process, as a passage which is communicated with the first material suction port, the second material suction port and the material outlet is arranged between the valve core and the valve body of the distribution valve, the valve body is able to keep the passage sealed, thus the requirement of pumping concrete slurry at a high pressure can be met. But the distribution valve has the following defects:
In order to meet the requirement of pumping concrete slurry at a high pressure, a very high pressure shall be established in the valve body; as the valve body and the valve core are rotatably matched at the matching point, so it is essential to keep the performance of the dynamic seal at the matching point of the valve body and the valve core so as to ensure the working performance of the distribution valve. In order to ensure the sealing of the rotation match between the valve body and the valve core, in CN 101245866A, the upper end of the valve core is provided with an upper extension shaft and a step surface, and the lower end is provided with a lower extension shaft and a step surface so as to arrange a sealing gasket between the bottom surface of the cover plate and the valve core as well as between the valve body and the bottom surface of the valve core; in order to increase the service life of the distribution valve, it is also needed to arrange an abrasion resistance plate between the cover plate and the sealing gasket as well as between the valve body and the sealing gasket; in order to facilitate switching the state of the distribution valve, a guide plate is also arranged between the abrasion resistance plate and the sealing gasket. The above said configuration makes the distribution valve have very complex structure, therefore it leads to complex and difficult production process, and it is difficult to ensure the operation reliability of the distribution valve. Furthermore, the valve core can move up and down, the fit clearance of any step surface of the distribution valve can be embodied in the fit clearance of another step surface, so that the upper and lower two step surfaces will enlarge the fit clearance between the valve body and the valve core, decrease the sealing useful-life between the valve body and the valve core and thereby decrease the serve life of the distribution valve.
As the upper extension shaft and the lower extension shaft are rotatably connected to the valve body respectively, the complex structure and the sealing requirement make the rotation fit surface relatively large between the valve body and the valve core, so that the power required by the state switching of the distribution valve is increased, and thereby the power consumption of the concrete pump vehicle is increased.

Distributing valve for concrete pump and the concrete pump

HUNAN SANY INTELLIGENT CONTROL EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.